Kamay ni Hesus Healing Church (KnHHC) in was founded in 1992 by Fr. Joey Faller who remains its administrator to this day. The Church has become a very popular pilgrimage site, drawing many believers from the entire Philippines to Lucban, Quezon, to seek healing in front of the 50-foot statue of the Risen Christ which can be reached via 300+ steps up a steep hill on the church compound.
Contemporary Design
KnHHC started with a modest church at the foot of statue hill. But the crowds which attend its regular services have since outgrown this original church. Over the last few years, a much bigger church was built that has recently been opened for services.
Palayan was commissioned to design and fabricate a chandelier that would adorn the central ceiling’s octagonal dome. Fr. Faller pointed out that the new church was contemporary in design. Thus Palayan’s chandelier should conform to this more modern theme. Moreover, we were made aware that the budget was tight for this project.
Fabrication and Installation Challenges
The initial difficulty lay in fabricating a 5 meter ring, made of 4”X6” rectangular pipe. Such a pipe profile was nonexistent. It had to be built up from welded components. Thick metal sheets were laser-cut into strips and then welded to make the needed pipes that formed these three big rings. It then became a problem for us to layer the rings in the proper proportions. There was no place in our Makati shop to hang the built-up chandelier. How were we to know that it would look as nice as our CAD plots say it should. Plans in hand and many discussions later, we proceeded to complete the KnHHC – on a wing and a prayer.
With its size, the chandelier rings had to be made in sections, later to be assembled onsite. Ensuring that all sections were true and plumb tested the patience of our metalworkers. The sections were fastened by iron bolts and not welded to allow powdercoating at the start. Both of our aging delivery vans were enlisted to make the 4.5-hours trip to Lucban. So to minimize road travel, we had to ensure that no tools or materials were left behind.
It was fortunate that the church still had access to an 18m scaffolding from its recent construction work. With this height and the vastness of the church interior, the installers had to fight the acrophobia that no safety harness can minimize. But they soldiered on and with a heavy duty chain block, they brought the chandelier to life, 12m from the ground. Its first lighting was a beautiful sight, worthy of all the fears, doubts and long hours of strenuous work that preceded it.
