Visita Iglesia: Goal Met!

You may be wondering why I have photos of churches and 7 names of them listed under, "Visita Iglesia".

Well, let me begin by defining Visita Iglesia. 

This was one nice painting I found when I stared up the ceiling of a church. I don't remember where I saw this though. Haha.

Visita Iglesia, otherwise known as the Seven Churches Visitation is a traditional practice observed by almost all Roman Catholic Filipinos during the Holy Week.

Between the months of March and April, the church announces the week when the so-called "Holy Week" would fall. Starting on Thursday to Saturday on that said week, most Filipinos would go to churches and remember how Jesus Christ died on the cross to save mankind. 

It's that day when all establishments are closed except for some gasoline stations. [I heard establishments usually close on Thursdays and resume work on a Friday or on a Saturday. So you better stock lotsah food in the house.]

It's also that sad and lonely day when you seldom see people walking on the streets except those places near churches and bus terminals [some people just need to go back home, you know].

However, it's also that day when you get to just rest at home or go to beach resorts to unwind with family and friends. 

As for me, we decided to do the Seven Churches Visitation for today as our penance during the Lenten Season. I'd like to take some time remembering how Someone so selfless sacrificed Himself for all of us. 

It's one pretty long weekend for most Filipinos including me, of course! Hope you have that meaningful weekend. :)

Metropolitan Cathedral

This is how the church looks like on the sides. I really like the park because it's just so relaxing.

A lot of people come to this place to sit with family and friends sometimes and they don't even look like they're there to go to mass or do some religious obligations.

I really like to look at this flight of stairs.

 And this, for me, is the best view inside the church.

This is a shop named after Pedro Calungsod, a Filipino saint.

For the First Time: La Carlota Church

This was a trip I had to La Carlota City, almost an hour’s travel from Bacolod City. We had this seminar in our La Carlota branch and before going back home to Iloilo, I asked if we could drop by the church for a short while.

3rd Oldest Santo Niño Image in the Philippines

St. Anne Parish in Molo, Iloilo City

St. Anne Parish is also known as the Church of Women for 

it holds many women saints on its pillars inside the church.

This is a pulpit where the Spanish friars used to preach and give their sermons. 

It is no longer used today and remains to be an added attraction

to the church's rich culture and history.

Sta. Teresita del Niño Jesus Parish

I had to pick something up from a friend who happens to be living near Robinson's Place Iloilo. I had no budget for food today because the item I had to pick up happened to be a lot expensive than I thought. I paid more than the money I withdrew from the bank and so I couldn't takes photos of food and me today. [Poor me!] 

Well, I figured I could drop by Santa Teresita del Niño Jesus Church since it's just a walking distance from my friend's house and take a few shots. This church is located near the mall I mentioned above and has been existing for years now. I forgot how the inside looked like and so I decided to visit it again.

I must admit. It doesn't look that good on the outside especially that it's one of the few churches I found with little landscape in front of it. The church is surrounded by cement except for the small garden you pass through before reaching the adoration chapel.

But let me tell you this. It looks good inside. It gives you the same relaxing and comforting feeling you get whenever you enter a church. I just love churches' chandeliers! I wonder how much they pay for all chandeliers they adorn a certain parish.

San Jose Parish Placer

I have always been fascinated by churches especially their Byzantine architecture. I just love to look at the arcs and the seemingly towering columns inside them. I like how they illuminate such grandiose atmosphere, and the peace and quiet that they give will surely leave every lost and wandering soul a place it can finally call home.

Yes, I'm a Catholic but a half breed. My father's a non-Catholic and his ways have influenced me to believe that there are some truths the church will never accept and continue to falsely spread. Nobody's perfect and before anyone dares to debate with me on that make sure you know your Bible well. I haven't read the entire Bible yet but I've read important truths I have to live by and these truths have opened my eyes to many realities.

As for now, I am a Catholic. I will continue to be, but I will refrain from doing things the Bible did not give me the permission to do and do things it didn't require me to do. 

I don't know if anyone has ever heard of this church in Negros Occidental which dealt away with graven images, but I admire the priest behind this church. I don't know if it's still existing but I hope that during one of our visits to Negros, I will be able to visit the place and see if it's still there. It had been featured in our local TV station and you can see that the entire structure looks so bare yet simply sacred.

For now, enjoy these shots I took from San Jose Parish Placer, the church nearest to the pier for ferries crossing Iloilo to Bacolod City and vice versa: