In case y0u might be wondering what Visita Iglesia is, here’s the explanation:

The custom of Visita Iglesia goes back to the early Church when Christians would visit the seven great basilicas in Rome (others would visit 5 churches in honor of the 5 sacred wounds of Christ) for adoration of the blessed sacrament after the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday. The sacramentary, the official altar book of the Church, says that after this Mass, “The faithful should be encouraged to continue adoration before the blessed sacrament for a suitable period of time during the night, according to local circumstances, but there should be no solemn adoration after midnight.”

Visita Iglesia is a practice in cities, where there are many churches, in countries as diverse as Malta, Poland, Ireland and The Philippines. Filipinos have brought it to places in North America that never had it before.

Sources: The Catholic Herald
Ynang Maria “A celebration of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Philippines”
by Barcelona and Estapa, Anvil Manila

Hotspot No. 2 San Marcelino Church

This church is managed by the Order of St. Vincent de Paul (Vincentians) and holds the image of La Medalla Milagrosa or Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, a devotion that ranks equal with the rosary and the brown scapular.

Inside the church, the image is set within the cloud-shaped altar with three oval niches. The top niche holds the Virgin and the two lower niches depict the Parisian apparitions.

The church holds a November annual procession attended by all institutions run by the Vincentians and the Sisters of Charity, among them Adamson University, Concordia College, Sta. Isabel College (the Philippines’ oldest girls school, previously known as Santa Potenciana), Immaculate Heart of Mary College, orphanages and welfare institutions.

Sometime last year, I was searching the net for an mp3 reciting the rosary. The search led me to the site of Greg and Jennifer Willits, The rosary Army. Since then, I have been a faithful subscriber to their podcast. Their discussions covers from catholic faith and the Church, their family life and yes, even Marvel comics! I guess it’s their wit and humor that makes you crave for their podcast all the more.

If you visit their site, they also have an instructional video on how to make an all twine knotted rosary, which by the way, I give to my friends everytime I finish one. Making the rosary has a lot of perks… I guess, for me, it’s the perfect stress buster, and also, doing the knots make me meditate and pray the rosary at the same time… it’s turning the making into praying.

So join the boot camp! Make them! Pray them! and Give ‘em away.

Since Holy week is just around the corner, and I am sure a lot of practicing catholics are planning to go on a Visita Iglesia. Here is a route that you would want to consider come Maundy thursday. This is an article written for catching 153 and I will be featuring one or two sites a week every sunday to complete your itinerary before March 20.

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Certified Holy HotSpots!

So you’re up for the challenge and all geared up for the much awaited Visita Iglesia. But then all of a sudden, you ask yourself: “where do I go this time?” Let C153 take you to five churches near our parish and guide you to a new light and perspective on your holy pilgrimage, together with Mary, let us contemplate the suffering of her Son.

Hotspot no.1 Diocesan Parish of Peñafrancia
This church houses the icon of Inang Mahal, Birhen ng mga Dukha or Virgin of the poor- by this name is the Nuestra Señora del Peñafrancia de Manila called by the residents of Paco,San Andres,Singalong and Pandacan districts. The story of Peñafrancia de Manila’s origin according to oral tradition was that the icon was first sighted by a group of farmers and fishermen who found the rolled-up painting along the banks of the Pasig River on May 14,1621. Although a pelting rain had just ended, the canvas was dry. Townspeople brought the item to the Candelaria Church in San Fernando de Dilao(Paco Manila). Time and again the object would disappear from the altar, to be recovered at the original spot where it was found, tucked in the branches of the bakawan tree. Thinking that this must be the spot favoured by the Virgin, the people built a simple visita, which became the forerunner of the Paco church.

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And by the way, here’s a concept I’ve created for our Parish website St. Peter the Apostle. Please click the image to go to our website.

The official website of St. Peter the Apostle Parish, Manila