Monastery of the Transfiguration.....a quiet time for the wanderer...

Malaybalay, Bukidnon- June 2011

June is typhoon season in the Philippines.  In my recent wanderings around the country,  typhoons "Egay" and "Falcon" hit the country back to back that caused changes to my travel plans.  Many towns and cities were flooded. The entire Cotabato City and portion of Davao City both in Mindanao, went underwater due to floodings caused by monsoon rains that battered the provinces for days.  Even some Metro Manila streets were at standstill traffic jams due to floods.  Many air flights were cancelled... ferries were not allowed to sail for safety reason. A phone call to the Cebu Pacific airline revealed some open airports in the northern Mindanao corridors...I decided that the weather disturbance was a good excuse to take a break....a quiet time with the Benedictine Monks in the Monastery of the Transfiguration in Malaybalay Bukidnon, a mountainous region in northern Mindanao.  (Bukidnon means mountainous)

How to get to the Transfiguration Monastery in Bukidnon...

From Gen. Santos City (where I was stranded), took the next available plane to Cebu (Visayas region) to catch another short 45-minute connecting flight to Cagayan de Oro (in the province of Misamis Oriental in northern Mindanao). (Another alternative was by land but will be a longer route). The flight was very interesting....during check-in the lady in the airline counter said something like...."body weigh sir" which took me a while to figure out what she meant.  Finally she motioned me to step into the baggage weighing scale.  It turned out that the plane that will take us to Cagayan de Oro City was a small propeller-powered turboprop, so each passenger was weighed and  strategically seated (according to weight) so that the plane was well balanced. As we reached our cruising altitude, I overheard a lady passenger asked the stewardess if she can transfer to a vacant window seat.  The attendant politely said no and explained that the plane must be balanced.  The short flight was enjoyable though...the slow moving plane allowed for an enjoyable view of small islands down below which I could have missed if I were in a fast moving jet plane.  A map would have been handy though, so I can identify each island we passed by and track the route.

From the Cagayan airport ,  took a taxicab to the Agora market and boarded a Rural Tours bus  to Bukidnon.


2 hours scenic ride on a Rural Tours bus from Cagayan to Bukidnon



motorella - a version of  tricycle

After the two hours bus ride to Malaybalay, I asked the locals in the bus terminal for directions  to the Monastery which I was advised  that it is not within the public transportation route and I have to rent (pakyaw)  one of the motorella cab or a multicab.  I opted for the bigger transportation and rented a multicab...it cost me 250 pesos (approximately $6)  where I was dropped off  to the monastery after a 30 minutes trip through a rough unpaved road outside of Malaybalay.  


multicab

The Monastery is situated in a 100 hectares rolling hills and mountains in San Jose, Malaybalay, Bukidnon.  The Benedictine monks living here are self sufficient because the vast fertile land around the Monastery is planted with various crops.  Their primary product is the Arabica Robusta coffee.......it is marketed under the brand name Monk's Premium Blend Coffee,  probably the most coveted local coffee brand  in the Philippines.




Transfiguration Monastery Church




the Transfiguration Monastery Church- designed by national artist Leandro Locsin

The pyramid shaped church in the Monastery was the last design work by Leandro Locsin before he passed away, a very famous architect and national artists in the 1990's.  Some of his well known works included The Cultural Center of the Philippines, The Philippine International Convention Center, Ayala Museum, the Istana Nurul Iman which is the official residence of the Sultan of Brunei.



view from the Church's grounds



  It is in this church that I joined the Monks in their daily prayers.  The Benedictine Monk's have seven prayer sessions everyday....the first one starts at 3:30 in the morning.  All prayers were in English sang in Gregorian Chants. Monastery guests were given copies of the prayers and able to follow in the chants.




sleeping quarter in the Monastery guest house

The day started at 3:00 a.m. .... the pleasing sound of the church bells rang by one of the Monks in a nice rhythmic tone served as daily wake-up call...and the aroma of the brewing Monk's Coffee in the nearby dining room signalled the beginning of the day.  After enjoying a cup of coffee, I walked the dark gravel road to the church to join the Monks for the first prayer session of the day.




the hallway in the Monastery guest house...the  rooms on the foreground are the sleeping quarters, the far end with crucifix is the dining room





wandering the coffee plantation ...background is Monastery Church

the Monks' coffee beans



... daybreak in my early morning walk at the ricefield....in the far background is the Monastery Church

Part of the day's routine after the early morning prayer with the Monks  was to take a long walk and wandered around the farm....the coffee plantation...and explored the endless dirt  roads that seemed to lead to nowhere..... Back to the guesthouse for shower and breakfast just after the sun is up...there's plenty of time left for reading...contemplation and soul searching throughout the day....and yes a time for nap too.
The first two days in the Monastery were really quiet as I was the only guest .  Imagine the scenario... at 3:30 a.m. walk the dark gravel road to the church.....12 monks and a lone stranger trying to follow the chants.  Breakfast alone....lunch alone...dinner alone.  I didn't even see who prepared my meals...I go to the dining room and find my meal already prepared. I slept alone in the guesthouse...it's so quiet that all I heard at night were the croaking toads that seemed to enjoy the evening rain...and the wind blowing outside and cold breeze entering my open window.  The Monks' quarters were in separate isolated building.

The third day brought some life over the dinner table .....a nun and a doctor from Bicol arrived for a few days retreat. The chatty pair quickly became my friends...it was a pleasant change to have some conversations over meals.....plus I didn't have to walk alone  the dark gravel road for the early morning prayer.  






some of our meals in the Monastery ....

The food is almost as abundant as the Monks' prayers....meals were 5 times a day!  breakfast....morning snack around 10 a.m......lunch....then another snack around 3p.m. ... then dinner...and the aromatic coffee is brewing 24 hours a day.  The quantity and quality of food is super good!

the Monastery museum displays the Filipino Liturgical Vestments collection designed by Monk Dom Martin Gomez, OSB 



conversation with Monk Dom Martin Gomez, OSB....known as Gang Gomez in the fashion design community

I had many interesting conversations with Monk Dom Martin Gomez, OSB.....also known as Gang Gomez in the fashion design circle.  At the peak of his career he decided to leave behind fame and a lucrative career to become a monk.
Dom- is a title used by Benedictine Monks similar to "Father" for priests.

a sign in the Monastery entrance...

After a few days in the Monastery,   it's time to say goodbye....the storms have calmed down...flood waters subsided.  I love to stay longer...I was getting used and comfortable with the quiet life in this beautiful peaceful place, but I must get going....and continue my wanderings...

 ... as my plane from Cagayan de Oro to Manila took off and cruised over the mountains of Bukidnon, I thought of the sign by the Monastery entrance "BE STILL AND KNOW I AM GOD".... in solitude  I learned that in this noisy world we live in, we sometimes need a quiet time for prayers and discernment...it is in silence that we hear the voice of God ...


Some interesting write-ups about Dom Martin Gomez, OSB and the Transfiguration Monastery in Bukidnon. Please click the links.

http://articles.latimes.com/2000/may/02/news/cl-25507
http://en.wikipilipinas.org/index.php?title=Gang_Gomez