Charming Chapels of Negros : CICM Chapel / CICM Mission Center Maryshore

 


Imagine attending a mass in a lush garden setting with the sound of lapping waves in the distance and a gentle sea breeze calming your soul. When the pandemic hit and churches were closed, the CICM Mission Center Maryshore in Talisay City opened its doors to the public and began offering Sunday masses in a safe, open-air venue overlooking the Guimaras Strait. Just like that, a community was created in the midst of a crisis.



The CICM Mission Center Maryshore stands on a generous plot of land by the sea, overlooking the Guimaras Strait. Formerly a seminary of the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary from the 1960s to the 1990s, it now hosts and conducts religious activities such as retreats and recollections.


This unassuming concrete pavilion in the garden of the CICM Mission Center Maryshore, was given a new role during the COVID-19 pandemic: as the sanctuary of an ad hoc chapel that allowed the center to minister to the spiritual needs of its neighbors in Talisay City while adhering to health protocols. Open-air, socially distanced masses were celebrated here during lockdown.





A circular bonfire area in the garden of the CICM Mission Center Maryshore in Talisay City serves as another interaction venue for guests and residents of the center.


Text By: Vicente Garcia Groyon
Photos By: John Kimwell Laluma
Video By: Grilled Cheese Studios