Visita Iglesia 2015

So what is the best way to do on a Thursday morning? Hit the road by myself and not join any of those tours led by heritage people. Sometimes they really get on my nerves.

Anyways, I took the jeep going to Malate Church. My first stop. Everything I have in mind was quite random.

The Malate Church is home to the Our Lady of Remedies and was the Church of the many old rich families of Manila that has since left the area after World War II.

The Church is under going major repairs still.

Then I walked straight that street, whatever its name is. Going to Ermita Church another old Church but now has a modern one. I guess the older Church was destroyed because of the war.

Nothing hints of history with this Church except the main image, the Our Lady of Guidance. It was an image supposed to have found perched on top of pandan leaves worshipped by the local people.

Then I walked past Rizal Park that is almost deserted. Then went to San Agustin Church.

San Agustin was the sole survivor of World War II as I remember my facts well. It is a World Heritage site and is home to many interesting things.

I think the Chrism Mass just ended and there was an on going party at the Manila Cathedral. There were tons of priests and nuns around the area, most of them having sacred oils. I never dared to enter the Church because of the chaos.

Then off I go to Sta. Cruz Church. A familiar Church where St. Ezeliel Moreno was a Parish Priest. Weird thing is that the congregation holding the Church is promoting another saint than the one that used to stay in here. I find that weird.

Also the Church is home to Out Lady of the Pillar.

Then its a walk along Ongpin Street to another Church. Binondo Church. It was the PArish of Lorenzo Ruiz and the home of the Sto. Cristo de Longos, a miraculous cross found by a deaf Chinese which started the conversion of the Chinese Catholicism.

Then I braved myself into that Binondo Chinese Parish Church. I have wanted to see what it is like and is a small Church, with very minimal decoration or images.

Next Church is the Quiapo Church, home to the Black Nazarene and yet this is the supposed patron here is St. John the Baptists. There were tons of people in here.

There is a small chapel runs by Nuns dedicated to the Holy Face of Jesus. They also now own an old house.

The steel Church of San Sebastian despite neglect and rust still captures ones eyes in Quiapo. One proof that this area was once a place of the rich. Now its decaying as the Muslims make this area their home.

Last three Churches now. I am at San Miguel Manila now. First stop in the area is the wonderful Church of the Our Lady of Montserrat.

I see the kangaroo. 

At San Miguel Church I saw this sign. Actually its in almost all Churches that I have been and even on tshirts. That is weird since stealing is something normal here in Catholic Philippines.

San Miguel in here fights Satan as a Chinese dragon.

I looked around and it was sad to note that I was not able to find the tomb that Imelda Marcos visited always in this Church.

Then its the last Church and I am already tired. St Jude Church, where one goes to ask for miracles. Not really an outstanding Church in any aspects.

There are few things I learned on this trip and one of them is that the Visita Iglesia is more plesant in the morning while all the jejemons and annoying people are still alseep. There are a few jejemons but they are so few compared to the devotees that are going from Church to Church.