Poetic Justice

I am glad to say that living in the province made me grow up rich in cultural and spiritual traditions. The Bisita Iglesia is one of such traditions. For a third of my life, every Maundy Thursday, our extended family in my maternal side does the Bisita Iglesia. For the uninintiated, Bisita Iglesia is practiced by visiting seven (7) churches. Some say nine (9) churches, but in our family, we visit fourteen (14), one church per station of the cross (Via Crucis).

Before, we visit churches that are near our place, the farthest maybe is in Cavite City. Then as time went by, we started to explore and incorporate family field-trips and cultural/historical enrichment activities on our trips. We already explored churches in the Provinces of Cavite (of course!), Laguna, Batangas, and Bulacan. This year, we did the NCR. But there are a lot more churches that we haven’t visited!

We visited churches in the following order:
1. National Shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Help (Baclaran Church)
2. Santuario de San Antonio, Forbes Park
3. National Shrine of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
4. National Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe
5. Christ the King Church
6. Sta. Clara de Montefalco Church
7. Church of the Gesu
8. Sto. Domingo Church
9. Archdiocesan Shrine of St. Jude
10. Binondo Church
11. Sta. Cruz Church
12. Manila Cathedral
13. San Agustin Church
14. Malate Church

I have been to most of these churches (except Sta. Clara – it’s my first time!) but seeing them during Bisita Iglesia is another experience altogether. There were a lot of tourists – and I wonder how they see our culture… and if they are fascinated with us as much as we Filipinos get fascinated by other cultures?

I am a local but I am so amazed at how wonderful it is to explore our country. Every nook and cranny seemed to be a work of art. There are monuments and landmarks in every corner, sights and picturesque views in every turn.

Wag maging dayuhan sa sariling bayan!!