Sacred Spaces

The Christ the King chapel altar, which is made of marble, and its accompanying sanctuary suite have already been donated by L.V. Ledesma.

The Christ the King Chapel is decorated with murals painted by Davao-based artist and Ateneo de Davao University alumnus and scholar Alfred Galvez along with three other artist-collaborators from Manila, and six emerging artists from Davao. The murals took more than three months to finish.
Entitled the “Tree of Life,” the mural depicts the elements of the University’s vision and mission, Mindanawon culture and traditions, and the best of Davao City.

The murals by the altar and by the chapel doors are both painted with a filipinoserie style of painting which uses baroque motifs with Filipiniana elements, while the murals on the ceiling are painted in the style of quadraturismo.

• Peter is the Rock of the Church, the first Pope, to whom Jesus Christ entrusted His flock before He returned to the Father. He serves as example to all of the conviction required to follow in the footsteps of the Lord, even through trials.
• Paul, the Evangelizer, brings to stark relief the extent to which the work of Catholic missionaries has reached worldwide. He beckons us to be filled with fervor and strength to practice the faith wherever we are.
• Mary, the Mother of God, shines brightest among all for her humility and faith in the will of God, willingly accepting His command to bring to the world His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, for the salvation of mankind.
• Joseph the Carpenter embodied great faith and devotion to the will and grace of God in caring for both Mary and the child Jesus, as well as the spiritual fortitude in saving the Holy Family from death at King Herod’s hands.
• St. Stanislaus Kostka is one of Poland’s most popular saints. He is known for walking from Poland to Rome without any equipment or guide, trusting solely in God’s will to lead him to the Society of Jesus.
• St. John Berchmans was a Belgian Jesuit and scholastic. He is the patron saint of Jesuit scholastics, students, and altar servers.
• St. Aloysius Gonzaga fully renounced his nobility and entered the Society of Jesus. He is the patron of AIDS patients and AIDS care-givers. He was known for caring for the plague-stricken people of Rome despite his own poor health.
• Bl. Bernard Francis de Hoyos is considered the first apostle of the Sacred Heart in Spain. In 1733, he received a vision from the Lord, missioning him to “propagate devotion to the Sacred Heart.” He spread the devotion to the Sacred Heart until his death in 1735.
• St. Joseph Mary Pignatelli is considered as the Restorer of the Society of Jesus. He shepherded the re-founded Jesuit communities after suppression of the order.
• St. Alberto Hurtado is the patron saint of Chile, beloved for his tireless service for the poor and his advocacy for the plight of labor and the young. He founded the “Hogar de Cristo” (Home of Christ), which sheltered the poor, “all children in need of food and sheltered, abandoned or not.”
• St. Ignatius of Loyola, the Founder of the Society of Jesus, was a former soldier who sought fame on the battlefield before having a spiritual conversion after a severe injury. His companions became missionaries around Europe, founding schools, colleges, and seminaries. The Ateneo de Davao is one of the many Jesuit schools founded by the Society worldwide.
• St. Francis Xavier is known today for his missionary work in Asia, and is reputed to have converted more people than St. Paul the Apostle. He is the patron of Catholic Missions.
• St. Peter Faber co-founded the Society of Jesus, and is considered as the first Jesuit priest and theologian. St. Faber possessed the gift of friendship, and was famous for his engaging conversations, and his direction of the Spiritual Exercises.
• St. Lorenzo Ruiz is the first Filipino saint and the patron of Overseas Filipino Workers. He was tortured in Japan for his faith. He refused to recant, and his last words were: “I am a Catholic and wholeheartedly do accept death for God; Had I a thousand lives, all these to Him shall I offer.”
• St. Pedro Calungsod helped spread the good news to the peoples of Guam along with his group of Jesuit companions. His missionary work sparked discord with the locals which led to his death in 1672. St. Pedro Calungsod was canonized as a martyr, killed in odium fidei.
• St. John De Britto, called the “John the Baptist of India,” was a Jesuit missionary and martyr who devoted his life to the work of evangelization in India.
• St. Alphonsus Rodriguez was a former Jesuit lay brother now venerated as a saint. A son of a wool merchant, he failed to become a full Jesuit priest because of his lack of education, instead he became a lay brother and doorkeeper. He did this ordinary task with so much love that he turned it into a sacramental gesture.
• St. Peter Claver was a Spanish Jesuit and missionary. He is the patron saint of missionary work among African peoples. He preached to, converted, and consoled African slaves before they were transported to the Americas.
• St. John de Brébeuf was a French Jesuit missionary who traveled to Canada and served the Hurons there, whose language and culture he learned. He is one of the patron saints of Canada. He and his companions were captured by raiding Iroquois and subjected to ritual torture until his eventual death.
• Our Lady of the Assumption symbolizes the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, body and soul, to the glory of heaven after she had “completed the course of her earthly life.” In her Assumption, Mother Mary reminds us that indeed all creation will have a share in God’s glory.

The centerpiece of the chapel.

The Christ the King chapel can accommodate 50 pews each of which can seat 6-7 people.

The rose windows, which are made of stained glass segmented by stone mullions and tracery, will line the chapel’s exterior.