April is Pilgrimage Month
APRIL is Pilgrimage Month in the Philippines. The observance of Holy Week this year – from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday – is in the middle of April, when Filipino Christians recall the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It will once again take them to ancient basilicas, shrines, and churches for the yearly Lenten pilgrimage in places of worship.
A pilgrimage is a journey of moral or spiritual significance to a shrine or other location of importance to a person’s beliefs and faith. Millions of religious tourists, including Filipinos, visit holy cities and sites worldwide every year. The World Tourism Organization reports that an estimated 330 million pilgrims visit the world’s key religious sites every year.
Vatican Ciity, Jerusalem, Karbala, and Mecca are top religious destinations. Every Catholic Filipino dreams of one day visiting European miracle sites such as Lourdes in France, Prague in Czech Republic, Assisi in Italy, Sacre-Coeur in Paris, St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, Black Madonna in Poland, and Camino de Santiago in Spain.
Predominantly Catholic, the Philippines is on the tourism map as holy pilgrimage site as some of world’s oldest and awe-inspiring churches were constructed in the country during the Spanish era. Four UNESCO World Heritage Philippine Baroque Churches – San Agustin Church in Intramuros; Nuestra Senora de la Asuncion in Sta. Maria, Ilocos Sur; Sto. Tomas de Villanueva in Miagao, Iloilo; and San Agustin Church in Paoay, Ilocos Norte – were built in the 16th to 18th century.
Local and foreign devotees and pilgrims join annual treks or faithbased tours to shrines and churches that abound in the country. The City of Manila has 12 Marian shrines, the oldest being the Nuestra Senora de Guia church in Ermita, whose image is believed to have been brought to the country by Magellan in 1521. Nearby is the shrine of Our Lady of Remedies in Malate, constructed by the Augustinians in 1588. Popular destinations nationwide are shrines to Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage in Antipolo, Our Lady of Manaoag in Pangasinan, Padre Pio in Batangas and Quezon City, Divine Mercy in Bulacan, Our Lady of Piat in Cagayan, the Lourdes grotto in San Carlos Seminary, Carmel and Lady of Mediatrix in Batangas, Kamay in Jesus in Quezon, Black Nazarene in Quiapo, Lady of Caysasay in Taal, Perpetual Help in Baclaran, Lady of Penafrancia in Bicol, and Basilica del Sto. Nino in Cebu.
Pilgrimages this year are particularly significant because the Catholic world is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima to three shepherd children at Cova da Iria, Fatima, Portugal, where the Blessed Virgin appeared once each month from May 13 until October 13, 1917. Some five million people visit Fatima each year, and more are expected for the centennial year, including a pilgrimage by Pope Francis to the popular Fatima sanctuary in Portugal in May 12-13, 2017.