Visita Iglesia
THIS week I am abstaining from politics and issues of governance in observance of the Holy Week. Allow me to share instead a short journey that has enriched my emotional and spiritual being by visiting a few old churches nearby.
Visita Iglesia is an age-old tradition that the Catholic faithful usually do during the Lenten season, particularly on Maundy Thursday, to remember the sufferings of Jesus Christ by reciting the 14 Stations of the Cross.
This year, some of my friends and I decided to have our Visita Iglesia one week before the Holy Week to avoid the usual crowd in pilgrim churches. Our destination was Rizal province.
We began our day-long journey at 10 a.m. in Cubao where a rented van picked up all of us, eight ladies and a boy. Not all of us were Catholics but we believe in and pray to the same God. And we all cherish the time we could spend together.
Our first stop was at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Antipolo, home of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage, a miraculous image said to have sailed back and forth eight times between Manila and Acapulco (Mexico), and believed to have served as protector of the Manila galleons ( trade ships) from being destroyed by pirates and Dutch and British blockades from 1626 to 1748.
Also known as Nuestra Senora de la Paz y Buen Viaje, the image is a 16th century dark wooden statue of the Virgin Mary venerated by Filipino Catholics. Behind the main altar are a museum and an adoration room where a pilgrim can venerate the image.
Of course, a trip to Antipolo would not be complete without buying roasted cashew nuts and
suman sa ibos ( glutinous rice cooked in coconut milk and wrapped in palm leaves). As you approach the church compound, parking attendants offer not only parking space but also discounts for goods sold at their preferred stall.
After getting out of the narrow streets of Antipolo City, we found our way to St. Jerome Church in Morong town. It is a 15th century church with a unique octagonal bell tower that has a pair of Chinese lion sculptures at the entrance that serves as façade of the church.
The church marker said the elaborate Baroque-style frontispiece and the belfry were built by Bartolome Palatino of Paete, Laguna between 1850 and 1853. The church was constructed in 1615, shortly after a fire destroyed the town and its first church.
Without a street map to guide us, we just drove to the next town, which was Cardona where we found Our Lady of the Holy Rosary church, just across the municipal hall. After reciting the 5th and 6th Stations of the Cross in the 1872 church, we started looking for a place to have lunch.
Driving along the East Manila Road toward Binangonan, we dropped by Tita Fefita’s restaurant in Barangay San Roque. Lunch for 10 hungry persons cost us P1,220. We had pesang dalag, pork adobo, ginataang sitaw at kalabasa, and pinakbet.
After a quick lunch, we hopped on our rented van again and proceeded to the St. Ursula church in Binangonan. The streets in the town proper were so narrow, and it took us a few more minutes finding our way to the church main gate because we got lost going around one-way streets.
Binangonan is a first class municipality that lies between the foothills of Sierra Madre and the shores of Laguna de Bay.
The Sta. Ursula Parish Church was originally a chapel built in the late 15th century by the Franciscan missionaries purportedly to gain access to the native settlements around the Laguna lake. To accommodate a growing community, a bigger church was built from 1792 to 1800, and renovated in 1853.
Spending just a few minutes inside the church, we drove back to Cardona and Morong to proceed to Baras. The town’s St. Joseph Church is 327 years old, with a distinct Baroque architecture with a façade made of dark adobe stones kept together with mortar.
The church marker said the Franciscans built the first church in 1595. The town was transferred to Ibayo but returned to the present site in 1682. The Jesuits administered the parish from 1616 to 1679. The present church was completed in 1686. Its altar and lectern were built using stones that were unearthed from beneath the site of the old church.
Next in the itinerary was the St. Ildefonso of Toledo church in Tanay. It was built in 1773 and was completed in 1783, one of the examples of the early Renaissance architecture. The church is famous for its altar and Stations of the Cross curved in wood.
Two century-old trees in the church patio have been declared Landmark for Historical Heritage by /tree Preservation Foundation and the Acacia Walk Corporation.
Because it was getting late in the afternoon, we skipped the Sta. Maria Magdalena church in Pililia to be able to make it before sunset to the Regina RICA (Rosarii Institute for Contemplation in Asia), a place for spiritual retreat with a 71-foot sculptured image of Our Lady, Regina Rosarii located in a hilly side of Sitio Aguho in Barangay Sampalok, Tanay.
After saying our prayers, we wanted to breathe more fresh air and marvel at the beauty of nature on top of the hill, but the sanctuary was closing. Next time, we have to get there earlier.
It was a long day, but we all went home recharged from a road trip that took us to six old churches and a shrine on the hill. The green fields, the scenic view of Sierra Madre and a peep into Laguna de Bay from the curves and bends of Rizal province’s narrow but paved roads were special treats to city dwellers like us.
Now, it’s time to reflect deeper on the holiness of the week.