Visit to Some of the Oldest Churches in the Philippines

Last Thursday(March 24, 2016) was Maundy Thursday or Holy Thursday in the Philippines.

I feel blessed that this year I was able to do Visita Iglesia which is also known as the Seven Churches Visitation. It is an ancient Roman Catholic Lenten tradition which is believed to have originated in Rome, Italy when early pilgrims visited seven churches as a form of penance.

Today, what is commonly practiced for Visita Iglesia is that catholics visit seven churches and pray two stations from the Stations of the Cross in each church.

The Stations of the Cross starts with the first station which is when Jesus is condemned to death and ends on the fourteenth station when Jesus is layed in the tomb. By praying the Stations of the Cross, one is reminded on the difficulties that Jesus went through in order to save us from sins.

During my visit to the churches, I was able to visit San Agustin Church in Manila, the oldest church in the Philippines that was started in 1506 and completed in 1607. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage site.

San Agustin Church in Manila

source: wikipedia.org

After my visit to San Agustin Church, another old church that I was able to visit was the Manila Cathedral.It is one of the churches where Pope Francis had celebrated mass in during his visit to the Philippines in 2015. 

Manila Cathedral Church

source: manilacathedral.ph

It was difficult to take photos during the visit since the churches were crowded.

Visita Iglesia is a good experience since it is also a good way for us to reflect on the sacrifice that Jesus had to endure to save us and reminds us on how truly blessed we all are.

Jesus on the Cross

Photo taken by Tess R. at the Sacred Heart
 of Jesus Church in Makati City