Visita Iglesia

Thanking God for His love.
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by PAM



Visita Iglesia on Maundy Thursday with family...
a commemoration of the Passion of Christ, and a celebration of God's love for mankind.


Visita Iglesia is one of our family's most cherished Catholic traditions.  Like many Filipino Catholic families, on Maundy Thursday, we visit at least seven churches to follow the Way of the Cross, two stations per church.  We usually let the young ones in the family lead the prayers to encourage them to reflect on the Passion of Jesus Christ, and the immeasurable love of God, our Father, who sent His only begotten Son to redeem us from the bondage of sins.  We hope that through their reflections, they would mature to become good Christians and devout Catholics, with hearts filled with love for God, and with compassion for humanity - like the most devout followers of Jesus Christ, the saints and martyrs.

Because the Manila Cathedral is still under renovation, we changed our 'usual route' of Quezon City-to-Manila, where the Manila Cathedral was usually our last
Holy Week reflections.....stop.  This time, we went around Quezon City, moving southeast from our place towards the Monasterio de Sta. Clara de Manila... and the St. Pio's Chapel in Libis was our last stop.  Our late mother was a devotee of Padre Pio, even before his canonization to sainthood by Pope John Paul II, and so, we have always wanted to establish a devotion to him, too. 

It was our first time to visit the St. Pio's Chapel, and we were very happy that we did include it in our list of  Iglesias this year. It was our first time to experience actually carrying a wooden cross each as we completed the Way of the Cross.  The Stations were beautiful, and the place so serene and peaceful, it did encourage a soulful reflection.  We thought we have already seen the most conducive place for praying the Way of the Cross in Quezon City at the well-kept garden of the Sta. Maria della Strada Parish Church in Katipunan, Quezon City... but the carefully prepared stations at the St. Pio's Chapel were just divine.  One of my young nieces enthused that she would like to follow the entire Way of the Cross at St. Pio's next year.  The kids then started to ask questions about Padre Pio with much curiosity.  I know that somehow, our mother led us to Padre Pio's... and it warms my heart to realize that her grandkids, whom she never met, now shares with her an endearment for the venerable priest.  Faith works in truly amazing ways!         

As per tradition, our Visita was capped with eating very, very late meal together (almost 2:00 in the morning), sharing light moments... with a priceless stop at the street food stalls along the way for quick bites.


A time for worship is a time for savoring family togetherness, too.

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