By Keziah G. Huelar

A picture of partnership – Philippine Baptists and an American Baptist missionary walk hand in hand in Hopevale.

In the words of Jennie Clare Adams, Hopevale was a “cathedral in the woodland wrapped in quietness—a sheltered haven in refreshing restfulness.” However, the trail to the missionaries’ refuge is just as difficult to traverse now as it was then.

On December 19, 2018, more than 200 believers went on a pilgrimage to Hopevale. A caravan of more than 20 vehicles and motorcycles brought them to Brgy. Katipunan, Capiz, Tapaz. The journey uphill however was continued on foot. Despite the rain and the ankle-deep mud, they made their way up to the common grave of the Hopevale martyrs.

Upon reaching their destination, they offered a wreath of flowers.

Pilgrims walk towards the “Cathedral in the Glen” during the pilgrimage to Hopevale on December 18, 2018.

Louise Reid Spencer, the wife of Cyril L. Spencer, a mining engineer who took refuge with the American Baptist missionaries, described Hopevale Cathedral as a sight to behold: “The Hopevale Cathedral was a gem of outdoor architecture. Dr. Rose built the cathedral himself, every stone of it. It was open to the sky and, in its contours, formed by nature herself. The gulley where we had first taken refuge was transformed, by the loving labor of Dr. Rose, into a vision of beauty and inspiration.”

 The pilgrimage to Hopevale is one of faith and remembrance—that the legacy of the martyrs will be remembered in words and in deeds.