On December 19, the feast day of St. Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, the Wonderworker, the St. Nicholas Parish in Manukan (Zamboanga del Norte Province), Philippines, celebrated its patronal feast.
Diocesan Secretary Hieromonk Korniliy (Molev) celebrated the Divine Liturgy, assisted by the parish rector, Priest Juventinus Bulaqueña.
This parish currently has no church, and the rector has set up a temporary space for services in his home. Many believers travel from afar to attend the services.
The day before, Hieromonk Korniliy inspected the land for the church. Together with Priest Juventinus, they outlined a plan for the church’s construction.
Manukan is a very remote community from other parishes on the island of Mindanao.
“There are many requests from local residents wishing to convert to Orthodoxy, but reaching other parishes is only possible by plane, car, or bus, which takes more than a day,” Father Korniliy explained. “Therefore, building a church in this province is extremely important and necessary.”
