After two consecutive years of having strict lockdowns during the Holy Week, finally, this year we get to continue our family tradition of doing Visita Iglesia and Stations of the Cross.
Visita Iglesia is the practice of visiting at least seven churches and is usually done on Maundy Thursdays.
Station of the Cross, as defined by Catholic.org is: “a 14-step Catholic devotion that commemorates Jesus Christ’s last day on Earth as a man. The 14 devotions, or stations, focus on specific events of His last day, beginning with His condemnation. ”
We had been practicing these since our kids were little. This is also the major reason why we never plan any out of town vacation during Lent. We are hoping that by doing this as a family, our kids will keep in their hearts the pain and suffering that the Lord Jesus Christ had to experience to save us. This week is all about the Lord.
It has been our practice to combine Visita Iglesia and Stations of the cross by visiting 7 churches and reciting two stations in each. This year, we visited the following churches:
- Immaculate Concepcion Cathedral (Pasig) – it is our first time visiting this church, and it is beautiful with its majestic altar and intricately painted ceiling.
- Sta. Clara de Montefalco Church (Pasig) – this is another beautiful church in Pasig. This comes with a wonderful memory as Daddy Sherwin and I attended the wedding of one of my favorite couple, Dexter and Kate.
- St. John Paul II Parish (Eastwood, Libis) – I was delighted to know that a church was named after Pope John Paul II, which is one of the most loved pope.
- Alphonsus Mary de Liguori Parish (Magallanes) – they say that the first time you visit a church, you get to wish and it will come true. I definitely did that here. This church has a beautiful garden dedicated to the Stations of the Cross.
- National Shrine of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (Makati) – a church close to our hearts as this is where my friend, Mollie, married her happily-ever-after Mark, and had their son, Rafael, baptized.
- St. John Bosco Parish (Makati) – we wanted to show Heinel the church he got baptized in so we assigned Stations 11 and 12 here.
- Sanctuario de San Antonio Parish (Makati) -for years we had been trying to include this in our church list but foregoing because parking is always a problem. We are glad that this year we were able to conclude our Stations of the Cross here.
We are thankful that we get to do this again. As a Catholic family, it is important for us to keep these traditions with our children to help strengthen their faith. I hope that when they have their own families, their will also carry these on. With all that has happened the past two years, this Lent is pretty special. My heart is full of gratitude that we have our family with us, complete, safe and healthy.
May you have a meaningful and blessed Easter!