Not many residents of San Pedro, Laguna may know it, but the city has had a direct connection with Pope Francis, who passed away at the age of 88 last April 21.
Tucked away along the busy Maharlika Drive in Barangay San Antonio's United San Pedro Subdivision, near the Our Lady of Lourdes Parish Church, is a company that created some of the equipment used during the late Pope's visit to the Philippines more than a decade ago.
This company is the Vitreartus Liturgical Arts, which specializes in designing and creating interiors, stained-glass windows, and furnitures for Catholic churches in the Philippines and beyond.
"VitreArtus was privileged to provide, pro bono, the liturgical furniture at the four major venues in Manila" during Pope Francis' Apostolic Visit to the Philippines in January 2015, according to its website.
These include the Papal Chairs that were used when the Pope held masses and events at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City; the University of Santo Tomas (UST) campus in Manila; and at the Quirino Grandstand.
Currently, two of the Papal Chairs are in display at the Vitreartus Liturgical Arts Center in San Pedro City.
The one used for the mass at UST is preserved inside the campus, while a replica was created for the Vitreartus exhibit.
Vitreartus also created the altar that was used for the masses, as well as three "ambos" (pulpits) and 50 chairs for the papal entourage.
“In addition, various items were provided to furnish the papal sacristies at the Manila Cathedral and Luneta Grandstand (vesting tables, candelabra, lounge chairs, artwork, etc.); and even the crowd control barricades with papal logo," Vitreartus added in its website.
Vitreartus was established by a pair of San Pedrense brothers and engineers, Robert and Ronald Cruz, in 1991, in a bid to revive the lagging stained-glass industry in the country.
The “ridiculously unaffordable” cost of authentic stained glass in the Philippines and the proliferation of cheap knock-offs made from fiberglass and even plastic prompted the brothers to start the production of quality, yet affordable art glass products for churches.
Since then, Vitreartus has also branched into interior design and church furniture, “with a portfolio that includes the country’s top-calibre architects and interior designers, construction firms, churches and religious institutions,” according to the company website.
Today, the Papal Chairs used in Manila Cathedral and UST are on display at these respective venues.
Two other chairs used at the Mall of Asia Arena and at the Quirino Grandstand, as well as a replica of the chair used at UST, are now on permanent exhibit inside the Vitreartus Liturgical Arts Center, a tribute to the pope who, through his words and deeds, had won the hearts of millions of Filipinos.
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