The sacred Holy Week is a time for Christians to commemorate the Passion of Jesus Christ.
This is the week between Palm Sunday and Easter to observe and reflect on how Christ saved them after he was crucified and died on the cross and later on, resurrected.
For Filipino Christians, Holy Week marks the time for them to strengthen their faith, “magnilay-nilay” or think solemnly of Christ’s sacrifices, to make sacred vows or “panata,” or repentance.
One particular “panata” and religious tradition Filipinos take part in is the Visita Iglesia or visiting and praying in at least seven to 14 churches on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday.
As the pandemic restrictions have eased, many devotees returned to the churches after four years of observing the sacred week in their homes.
Here are seven churches in the metro and the province to embark on your spiritual journey:
- St. Pio of Pietrelcina Chapel
Located along C-5 or E. Rodriguez Avenue in Quezon City and amidst high-rise buildings in Eastwood City, devotees can still solemnly pray in this church and its quaint chapels.
There’s not a corner in the church where the faithful can feel peace and reflect. With rosaries hung in any place possible, signages encouraging prayer and hopefulness, and feeding birds on the grounds, this chapel is a must-visit if you live in the metro.
- Sta. Clara de Montefalco Church
This church in Pasig City stands high at 57 meters, making it the tallest church in the Philippines. Patients with heart diseases flock to the church because Saint Clare of Montefalco, an Augustinian nun, is the patroness of heart patients.
The spacious church’s design is Grecian-inspired with wide stained-glass windows and portraits of various saints hand-painted in the ceilings. Apart from praying at the Stations of the Cross, devotees can also appreciate the artistic details of the church.
- Minor Basilica and National Shrine of Jesus Nazareno
Situated in Quiapo in Manila, the shrine is famously called the Quiapo Church known as the home of the miraculous Black Nazarene. Thousands of devotees participate in the annual Traslación or the hours-long procession of transferring the Black Nazarene from the Church of San Juan Bautista in Luneta to Quiapo Church.
Aside from the Traslación, the church has unique practices during Visita Iglesia. During the night, prayers and vigils are obtained from the night when Jesus Christ asked His disciples to “watch and pray for one hour that they may not undergo to a test.” The vigil ends at midnight and by 2 a.m. on Good Friday, the devotional procession of the Black Nazarene led by Hijos del Nazarenos and the “mamamasan” starts.
- International Shrine of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage
The shrine, also known as Antipolo Church, was elevated by the Vatican to Marian “International Shrine” in January this year. The 450-year-old shrine is the first international Catholic shrine in the Philippines, the third in Asia, and the 11th worldwide.
During Maundy Thursday, millions of pilgrims walk and climb the mountains to Antipolo Church for the “Alay Lakad” to seek forgiveness, and blessing and express gratitude. The Stations of the Cross are located along Tikling in Taytay, Rizal to Antipolo with the penitential walk spanning 33 kilometers.
- Our Lady of the Abandoned Church
The church is located in Marikina City and serves as a testament to its early history when Jesuits and Augustinians fought over the ecclesiastical control of the area. In 2005, the image of the Our Lady of the Abandoned was the first Canonically Crowned Marian image under Pope Benedict XVI.
Last year, it featured around 80 to 90 saint’s chariots on Maundy Thursday, making it the longest Holy Week procession in Metro Manila. The procession is also a long tradition in the city passed on to every generation.
- Santisimo Rosario Parish Church
Located inside Asia’s oldest Catholic university, the University of Santo Tomas (UST), the UST Chapel is not only meant for the Thomasian community. According to UST, the church is under the care of Dominican Fathers, and the parish continued to grow as a community of faith with a deep devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and imbued with the spirit of St. Dominic.
Aside from the Stations of the Cross, devotees can also participate in the vigil before the Blessed Sacrament from 7:30 p.m. until midnight.
- Regina RICA (Rosarii Institute of Contemplation in Asia)
This 13.5-hectare sacred place in Sitio Aguho, Sampaloc in Tanay, Rizal is located along the sloping portion of the southern end of the Sierra Madre. Nestled in the mountains is the unmissable 71-foot-high Madonna and Child image facing the overlooking view of the mountains.
Regina RICA is the place where devotees can deeply reflect for hours and appreciate life’s abundance surrounded by nature.
Image credits: Facebook