...because some 'traditions' should be renewed.
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by PAM
Visita Iglesia as a beloved family tradition
For many years, our family has kept a beloved 'old tradition': the Visita Iglesia. It is a part of our yearly observance of the Holy Week as a family. We set out to hear the Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord's Last Supper in the early evening of Thursday, go for confession, and then proceed to visit seven Catholic Churches to pray the Way of the Cross or Stations of the Cross in the evening. Usually, we set out to fast the entire day, and then eat a full meal after the Visita Iglesia. We usually look forward to this meal, too.
The Stations of the Cross is a 14-step devotion that commemorates the Passion of Jesus Christ as he redeemed the world from the clutches of sins by suffering and dying on the Cross. We move from one Station to the next as we contemplate and pray in two stations per church. I am usually in-charge of determining the churches to visit, depending on our mobility (we sometimes drive and then walk from one church to another; or just drive around), other plans for the day, and family members' locations. In some cases, we take advantage of Visita Iglesia to go on a pilgrimage to visit Catholic churches in distant places. Still, in other cases, we consider the wishes or challenges that a family member/s is/are struggling to surmount in determining the churches to visit based on the churches' devotional focus. This way, we can aid the family member/s in praying for his/her/their cause, and more explicitly express our love and care.
My siblings and I started this tradition more than thirty years ago. Ours is an 'improved' version of our parents and grandparents' own tradition of praying the Stations of the Cross in our childhood church at the Minor Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary of Manaoag. This was in the Province of Pangasinan where we were born, except our youngest sibling who was born in Quezon City. They took us with them in their Way of the Cross devotions but they prayed the entire Stations of the Cross in the same church. When my family moved to Quezon City, my parents would usually do the Stations of the Cross at the Santo Domingo Church, which is also known as the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary of La Naval de Manila and declared as National Culture Treasure by the National Museum of the Philippines.
Over the years, when siblings and cousins had their own children, our Stations of the Cross 'crew' grew. At some point, organizing the Visita Iglesia was a 'nightmare', especially when the kids were still young and were constantly hungry, in need to use the restroom, or constantly complaining that they were close to 'fainting from exhaustion' like Jesus himself as they pushed themselves through a throng of faithfuls and devotees like us! The kids' drama was frustrating for my siblings - their parents, but it was hilarious most of the time. These days the then drama is now a subject of fond reminiscing as the 'kids' then are all grownups and are organizing their own Visita Iglesia with their respective growing families. We are happy to see that they are continuing the family tradition with their own 'twists' as they inspire their own kids to learn and follow the Way of the Cross. This is why, these days, my Visita Iglesia crew is a small 'trio' of myself, my sister and our brother who divides his time between his own family and us to observe this beloved family tradition.
Speaking of 'twists', back in 2020 and 2021, when we were unable to conduct Visita Iglesia because of the COVID-19 pandemic, as the 'automatic' organizer, I had to set up Stations of the Cross in our front yard. My sister and brother, and I had to go through the Stations while our whole family followed via Zoom. I had to upgrade my personal Zoom account to accommodate our entire family in more than an hour of devotion, and later update one another as we were locked down in our respective locations.
A new place to explore in the name of faith
As I shared in a few posts here, I have a second home these days - in a place close to my new second workplace, the Province of Laguna. It's one of those places in the Philippines that played an important part in shaping the Philippines as a country. In fact, our national hero, Dr. Jose P. Rizal, hailed from this province. The old cultural heritage of my country still beats in the heart of this Province despite the undeniable touches of modernization and cosmopolitan living in the big cities here. I live in one of the big cities, which is right next to my workplace - another big city, and perhaps, the most modern of them all.
So, my small Visita Iglesia trio with my sister and brother visited seven churches close to our new second home. These are:
1. St. John Bosco Parish & Center for Young Workers in the City of Santa Rosa. We attended the Maundy Thursday Mass in this church, and we went on to kick-off our Visita Iglesia with the first two Stations in our Way of the Cross devotion. The service was a mix of serious devotion and humor courtesy of one of the Vicars of the parish. The Stations of the Cross were situated in a lush garden of the church. There was a throng of devotees but we did not need to push our way through them. Everyone was so nice, and all the activities were so well-organized with helpful marshals and other volunteers. The priests were so easy-going, and they all greeted the parishioners and visitors cheerfully as they made their way to the front of the church to get ready for their procession.
2. Santuario De La Salle at the De La Salle University - Laguna campus in Biñan City. The church is beautiful with its unique minimalist design and gracefully curving structure. It was a peaceful place, where the narrow heavy doors around the circular structure shielded the interior of the church from the noise outside. Not so many people were visiting the church though when we arrived. Perhaps, people were unaware that it was open to the public for Visita Iglesia.
3. St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta Parish Church is the first of the rest of the churches that we visited along the Timbao-Carmona Road in Biñan City. It is one of the thirteen (13) Jubilee Churches in the Province of Laguna. It is a humble little church - a jewel in a very busy street dominated by the wet market of Brgy. Timbao. When we arrived, a big group of parish devotees were praying together, and a number of visitors like ourselves were scattered in the various Stations.
4. Parish of the Risen Lord Church at the Town and Country Southville, Brgy. Santo Tomas in Biñan City. It was a beautiful church with a lovely sanctuary. It was filled with people when we arrived. Big groups of devotees, some of them were wearing uniform shirts, flocked the Stations of the Cross at the foreground. Inside the church, so many people were praying, it was impressive.
5. St. Joseph The Worker Parish Church at the Olivarez Homes South Subdivision, also in Brgy. Santo Tomas in Biñan City. This was a relatively small church, and it was quite hard to find but it was buzzing with devotees when we arrived. That got us in a very good devotion mood.
6. San Vicente Ferrer Parish Church in Biñan City. This is also one of 13 Jubilee Churches in the Province of Laguna. It was a big church, which was obviously a well-supported by its parishioners. There were so many volunteers helping and guiding the devotees and visitors, and they did it with such cheerfulness. They have a big parking space, too, and parking was made easier by the volunteers. There was a big crowd of devotees that rushed in and out of the church that mimicked the busyness of the street outside.
7. Our Mother of Perpetual Help Shrine in Biñan City was a lovely church. The architecture was superb, and all the stained windows where the Passion of Christ in Stations of the Cross were depicted were impressive. The small but beautifully made garden outside, especially at the entrance, felt very welcoming. The overall impression that one gets inside the church is that our Blessed Mother is, indeed, ready to offer solace and assistance in prayer and faith. I think it was a perfect place to conclude our devotion... it added to having our hearts light and happy as we headed home.
We may have a new second home in a new place that, a few years ago, was unimaginable for us to consider as home at all. Our Visita Iglesia experience has put all this into perspective... because the experience remains the same - beautiful as soulful. It's like God reminding us that, wherever life may take us, for as long as God is at the Center of our lives, we shall thrive. What is important is we remain obedient to God... always discerning and following His will with our best effort at all times. In the same way that our Lord was obedient to the Father even when His obedience led to Him dying on the Cross. In the end, with His resurrection, joy is there to be had... just like, there is always joy to be had in this new journey of ours in this new place. We did have a very good bonding moment as siblings as we go from one church to the next amid our new environment. Thanks be to God!
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Image credit: All the photos in the collage in this post belong to me.
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