Who says Easter Angel Towers are only significant during the Lenten season?

Apparently not for Rev. Fr. Wilmer Tria, parish priest of St. Raphael the Archangel Parish (SRAP), who believes that SRAP's Easter Angel Tower can have purposes beyond the conventional Lenten practices of "Encuentro" and "Pagtunton."

“Salubong” also known as the traditional "pagtunton" in vernacular, is a highly awaited event among members of the Catholic Church as they commemorate Christ’s resurrection. This practice, not only carries immense importance in the celebration of Easter Sunday but also marks SRAP's "tuntunan" or Easter Angel Tower as a new landmark and attraction in not just Camarines Sur but in the entire Bicol region.

“Almost four years ago, when I received my appointment as Parish Priest of SRAP, I received two clear instructions from our Archbishop, Most. Rev. Rolando Tria Tirona.  First, he asked me to make concrete recommendations on what to do with the Pili Parochial School. If the condition was irreversible, then we could close the school. The other one was his concern about the old Tuntunan. He said: if you could do something about it, please do, because it’s blocking the view of the beautiful Church façade.”

As the new parish of SRAP, Fr. Tria has a lot on his plate but he must act quickly. He also had to address a multitude of concerns in the parish, including the challenge to increase the number of Pili Parochial School students after the COVID pandemic shut down school operations due to the cessation of face-to-face classes.

Dilemnas and Priorities

“In less than ten months as parish priest, the world was hit by the pandemic.  Then, Bikol was hit by the African Swine Flu, and by the three super typhoons. The year 2020 was extremely difficult for all of us,” Fr. Tria disclosed during the Easter Angel Tower’s blessings and inauguration held on April 19, Wednesday where Most. Rev. Rolando Tria Tirona, Archdiocese of Caceres Archbishop, was the event’s officiator.

Fr. Tria gave two responses to the challenge that Archbishop Tirona gave him: First, closing the Pili Parochial School (PPS) was never an option. With the school motto "Via, Veritas, Vita," (John 14:6), which “is an expression of commitment to the journey, to do everything, to teach and educate the young, in the name of faith,” PPS should thrive and live with its commitment—and this has become Fr. Tria’s vow as well.

More so, Fr. Tria expounded, “Several families had been loyal to the school and we could not betray them. As to the Tuntunan, it could not be a priority. The Church and the rectory had more urgent concerns than the Tuntunan.”

In a quandary of how to defy the challenge, Fr. Tria must have been kneeling day and night to ask for direction and guidance.

Challenge accepted!

PPS Revival

Fr.Tria was transferred from the St. Jude Thaddeus Parish in Naga City to SRAP in 2019 to help the PPS bounce back from the declining enrolment and the exodus of teachers due to financial sustainability of the school then. 

During that time, PPS has only 115 students.

Imagine the premier Catholic preparatory and elementary institution in Camarines Sur, which has nurtured and produced professional alumni, suddenly losing its population and is on the verge of closing its gates to talented students.

Fr. Tria was challenged, but not fazed. He knows that “if there’s a will, there’s a way.”

Just to save PPS from closure, he and PPS School Principal Fr. Enrico Paglinawan, have to rake their brains and come up with not just a solution, but a multi-faceted recruitment approach to bring back PPS’s glory days, side by side with finding ways how to give a new face to the Easter tower’s ‘unsightly’ location and where to get the budget needed to realize his vision.

“As for the school, we adopted a new PPS tagline, conveying the new management’s vision of transforming students into truly inspiring leaders. We conducted house-to-house visitations, and personally meet with the families. Fr. Paglinawan used his convincing power for the parents to enroll their children at PPS,” Fr. Tria added.

After three years, the student population rose to 500 from the meager 115 despite the onset of the pandemic. What is more fulfilling for Fr. Tria and Fr. Paglinawan was the fact that PPS now caters to Senior High School students.

“After 27 years since PPS was founded, it was only this time that we were able to open the school’s gates to Senior High School. I think it’s a feat that we have to thank our parishioners for and of course, the support given by the Archdiocese of Caceres, under the stewardship of Archbishop Tirona,” Fr. Tria stated.

Easter Angel Tower- a promised fulfilled

“What makes our tower a landmark is that it stands out as the conspicuous or prominent object in the landscape. The tower’s challenging design makes one thrilled not feeling iffy or doubting if one will be happy with it eventually,” Fr. Tria said.

So how did the current Easter Angel tower come into existence?

Fr. Tria has to juggle many construction works inside and outside the whole church; the rectory, the adoration chapel, the pastoral center, the garden inside the parish, and all the edifices which were on its deteriorating stage when he stepped in as the new parish priest, on top of ensuring that the Archbishop’s ‘request’ will be delivered.

“While doing all these projects, I had to update the Archbishop regarding the development of the Tuntunan. The first issue was the location. Where do we build the structure? The Archbishop required me to present to him the site development plan of the parish. With the help of an architect, I presented to him the location of the chapel and the Columbary and the location of the Easter Angel Tower. Gratitude to the Archbishop, he approved the site development plan,” Fr. Tria explained.

After several revisions, Architect Severo was able to come up with a design. He came up with a circular floor at the top which represents the angel’s halo supported by cantilever beams, supported by four pillars hidden behind.

“The absence of pillars in front would allow people to enjoy a full view of the Pagtunton. However, the wings of the angel were hidden behind, and yet it would cost 2 million pesos. I asked why we should spend that much money for something that could not easily be seen. So, another revision had to be done. The eight columns you see now represent the wings of this 43 feet tall monument.”

“My second instruction was its functionality. In my observation as a priest, the Tuntunan I have seen in many churches are eyesores. I completely agree with our Archbishop. The old Tuntunan does not only obstruct the view of the beautiful façade. It also has no purpose for the rest of the year, except on Easter Sunday. So, I told the architect that the design must make the landmark useful 365 days a year. First, since it is an Easter Angel Tower, it must serve as the 15th Station of the Cross. That’s the reason why on top of the tower is the 12-foot statue of the Risen Lord,” Fr. Wilmer continued.

His other instructions were for the second and third floors to serve as viewing decks for pilgrims and tourists while the platform at the base can be used for other parish activities.  Fr. Tria wants the entire area to be functional, that even the space at the back should have a use. So he instructed the architect to make sure that the remaining space at the back can accommodate an al fresco space perfect for a coffee shop or any related use.  

To fund the P4.5-M Easter Angel tower, Fr. Tria and his team had to look for sponsorship and funding.  His first source was the Christmas Carol coined “Pasko sa Kabikolan,” the proceeds, which is supposed to be allotted to the “tuntunan” project was re-directed as it went straight to the repair of the church, the rectory, and some of the barangay parishes which were damaged due to three consecutive super typhoons in 2020.

Finding ways was indeed Fr. Tria’s forte. His first major fundraiser was his Pearl Sacerdotal Anniversary in November 2021 where they were able to raise 1.2 million for the Tuntunan; second, was the earch for Easter Angel 2022 which gave them P2 million net of expenses revenue.  The rest were raised from the 2022 Valentine Concert and 2022 Reyna Elena.

Gratitude

Fr. Wilmer has nothing but gratitude for all who were instrumental and those who played a key role in the realization of many SRAP’s projects, especially the Easter Angel Tower.

“With the tremendous support from the parishioners, rich and poor alike, we were able to accomplish many things. We were able to finish the adoration chapel, rewire and reroof the whole Church and rectory, renovate the rooms of the clergy, construct the guestroom, and renovate the dining hall.”

He also thanked the Kansai Paint for the repainting of the whole Church, the rectory, the school, the pastoral center, and the pavilion. During the pandemic, they were able to transform the backyard into an agri-tourism site, with an aviary, rabbitry, collection of native fruit-bearing trees, fishpond and hatchery, poultry, vegetable garden, greenhouse, and ornamental gardens.

“Salamat po sa saindong mga limos. While I often brag that this Easter Angel Tower is a landmark of Pili in the Bikol Region, I hope that this will serve its true purpose – to bring the message of Easter to our Church especially the youth and the poor. I hope, too, that this will not be viewed as an expression of my “edifice complex” but rather, that it is a testament to the faithful’s desire for a Church that is fully alive. I hope, too, that the support for the construction of this Tuntunan will be sustained in order to fund the formation programs of the parish,” Fr. Tria stated.

Lastly, Fr. Tria thanked Archbishop Tirona for his prodding and for the challenge which he greatly accepted.

“This Tuntunan shall be one of the legacies of His Excellency Most Rev. Rolando J. Tria Tirona in the Archdiocese of Caceres. Had I not been prompted by His Grace, this Tuntunan could have been the last of my concerns as Parish Priest of SRAP,” Fr. Tria concluded. (PIA 5-Camarines Sur)