Discover little Korea at the Shrine of Saint Andrew Kim Taegon Lolomboy Bocaue Bulacan.
Would you like to experience a bit of Korea in the Philippines? Take this opportunity to be blessed by a Korean saint. Yes, have your soul-searching not in Seoul, but at the shrine of the first Korean-born Catholic priest and the patron saint of Korea in Bulacan.
In my own personal opinion, there is a bit of Korea in each one of us. I mean, who is not in anyway affected by the Korean invasion? I admit I'm a fan of Koreanovelas myself and have been fulfilling my appetite in the best Korean restaurants in the metro lately. Until the Lenten season came and still attracted to Korean culture, I was trying to look for a new place where I can perhaps do some soul-searching. That time, a question popped on my mind: "Could there a be Korean Saint?"
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| Before Photo- My first visit |
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| After photo: credit to the owner of the photo - Kenyo Travel |
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| After Photo Credit to the owner of the photo -Kenyo Travel |
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| Statue of Saint Andrew Kim Taegon |
Then after, I started googling to answer this question. And there I found out, yes there is indeed a Korean saint referred to as Saint Andrew Kim Taegon. When everyone else is occupied by their Holy Week itineraries, I was busy doing research about my newly found saint. Having found out that there is a shrine built for the Korean saint, I eventually planned to visit this place of (devotion?), just for change. There I was inside of the Blessed Shrine of Saint Andrew Kim Taegon and I utterly I fell in love with the beauty of the place.
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I was courteously welcomed by the Korean sisters and I greeted each one of them "Anyong Haseyo!" . I have a few Korean words ready by the way, just in case. One of the Sisters Of Saint Kim Taegon is Sis.Jooh Kyung Koo who introduced me to the place and explained the history of the shrine. Then, began to feel a stronger connection between Koreans and Filipinos, not only in culture but also in faith.
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| Closer look of Saint Andrew's statue |
Luckily, Sis. Jooh can speak and understand english so I was able to take notes about the lifestory of Saint Kim. He was a convert and practising Christianity, a prohibited activity in heavily Confucian country. Kim spent time in study at Lolomboy, Bocaue Bulacan where a statue of him stands in a village. And needless to say, the reason why the shrine is built on this place in memory of him.
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"This is my last hour of life, listen to me attentively: if I have held communication with foreigners, it has been for my religion and for my God. It is for Him that I die. My immortal life is on the point of beginning. Become Christians if you wish to be happy after death, because God has eternal chastisements in store for those who have refused to know Him."- Saint Kim Taegon
Below are some photos taken during my visit at the shrine.
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The Shrine of Saintt. Andrew Kim is located at Lolomboy Bocaue, Bulacan.
From Meycauayan Mc-Arthur Hi-way:
-Take the jeep going to Bocaue and tell the driver to take you off at Lolomboy The landmark would be McDonalds and Jolibee.
-Cross the street and walk straight ahead. The Shrine would be a hundred meters away. You will pass by a gate guarded, tell the security guard that you will go to the shrine.
From Metro Manila:
-FX to Bocaue or Bus to Santa Maria would be an option
-From Bocaue exit NLEX, you can take a jeep going to Meycauayan, Monumento, Malanday. Tell the driver to take you off at Lolomboy, Bocaue. The landmark would be McDonalds and Jolibee (I do not exactly know where is the last destination of FX to Bocaue)
-Walk straight ahead from Mcdo. The Shrine would be a hundred meters away. You will pass by a gate guarded, tell the security guard that you will go to the shrine.
*The shrine is open from 7:00am-12:00nn; 1:00pm-5:00pm
You can also check and like their official Facebook page of --Saint Kim Taegon---
