# Saint Andrew the Apostle Church

Saint Andrew the Apostle Parish Church is a Roman Catholic church in Bel-Air Village, Makati, Philippines. It is one of the known modern edifices designed by Leandro V. Locsin in Makati. Dedicated to Andrew the Apostle, the patron saint of Metro Manila and Bel-Air Village, the church is under the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Manila. Its parish territories are Bel-Air Village and Salcedo Village in Barangay Bel-Air, Rizal Village and Santiago Village in Barangay Valenzuela, and San Miguel Village in Barangay Poblacion.

## History

The proposal of St. Andrew the Apostle Parish began in 1965 when a group of residents of the villages of San Miguel and Bel-Air dreamed of having a parish of their own.
Not long after, Don Andrés Soriano Jr. offered to have a church built in honor of his late father, Don Andres Sr., who was loved and respected by the people of San Miguel Corporation. Thus, the parish was named after the patriarch's namesake, Andrew the Apostle.
With the approval of the establishment and formation of the parish by Manila Archbishop Rufino Cardinal Santos came the appointment of Emilio Bularan as the first parish priest.
On February 8, 1967, the 69th birth anniversary of the late Don Andres Soriano, the cornerstone was laid at the 3,494-square-meter (37,610 sq ft) lot donated by the Ayala family through the Makati Development Corporation.
On November 30, 1968, St. Andrew the Apostle Parish was opened. At half past eight in the morning, the community gathered to witness the unveiling of the church marker by the people whose generosity made the occasion possible: Andres Soriano Jr., president of San Miguel Corporation; Jose Ma. Soriano, chairman and president of A. Soriano y Cia; Enrique Zobel, president of the Ayala Corporation; and other donors from Roxas y Cia.
In 2002, Rev. Msgr. Emmanuel Sunga, the then-parish priest, made some various redevelopments in the parish such as the improvement of flooring, air-conditioning, building of parish office annex, refurbishment of halo chandelier, the altar of the church, and building of the carillon bell tower.

## Church description

Built by National Artist for Architecture Leandro Locsin in 1968, the design of this parish church is symbolic of the manner the martyr died: crucified on an X-shaped cross. The butterfly shaped floor plan emanates from this cruciform. Many other symbolic features mark the tent-like structure, including the giant chandelier over the altar which serves as a halo over the copper cross by National Artist for Visual Art Vicente Manansala.

## Pastors

| Name | Years of pastorship | Present assignment |
| Emilio Bularan | 1967 to 1969 | deceased priest of the Diocese of Antipolo |
| Wilfredo Ipapo | 1969 to 1972 | deceased |
| Jesus Arcellana | 1972 to 1982 | deceased |
| Severino Pelayo | 1982 to 1986 | deceased Military Ordinary of the Philippines |
| Leoncio Lat | 1986 | deceased Auxiliary Bishop of Manila |
| Jose "Chito" Bernardo Jr. | 1986 to 1991 | deceased |
| Francisco De Leon | 1991 to 1993 | Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of Antipolo |
| Claro Matt Garcia | 1993 to 2002 | Parish priest of Santa Clara de Montefalco Parish in Pasay |
| Emmanuel V. Sunga | 2002 to 2011 | Attached priest of the Archdiocesan Shrine Our Lady of Loreto in Sampaloc, Manila |
| Eymard Dennis Peter Marcelino S. Odiver | 2011 to 2022 | Rector and parish priest of the Archdiocesan Shrine of Espiritu Santo in Santa Cruz, Manila |
| Pedro Gerardo O. Santos | 2022 to present | |

## Other present priests

| Name | Year started | Present assignment |
| Enrico Emmanuel A. Ayo | 2024 | Attached priest |
| Rodolfo San Pedro | | Visiting guest priest |
| Ryan B. Diño | 2022 | Resident guest priest |
| Nestor C. Cerbo | | Attached priest |

## Former priests

* not yet complete
| Name | Previous assignment |
| Erwin B. Blasa | Resident guest priest |
| Jeffrey T. Jamias | Parochial vicar/assistant parish priest |
| Peter Trong Tran | Resident guest priest |
| Stephen K. Jantuah | Resident guest priest |
| Dennis Sudla | Resident guest priest |
| Patrick B. Paraiso | Resident guest priest |
| Victor Allan B. Dichoso | Parochial vicar/assistant parish priest |
| Mylo Hubert Vergara | Parochial vicar/assistant parish priest |

## Gallery

* Bell tower
* Statue to St. Andrew
* Church sanctuary
* Our Lady of Częstochowa
* Images, candle holders, adoration chapel, and donation box
* Images
* Architectural Legacy of Philippine National Artists plaque