Visita Iglesia ~ via Laguna Loop

The Visita Iglesia refers to one of the Filipino Catholics' popular traditions of visiting at least seven churches during Holy Week on Holy Thursday and Good Friday. Many do it as part of their "panata" or sacred vow.

This Visita Iglesia was especially designed to take the scenic Laguna Lake loop.

Instead of doing the "Visita" on a Thursday-Friday, decided to skip the crowd and go on a Saturday trip.  This proved to be a wise decision as most of the churches were empty (except for the Padre Pio church, which is a well visited Catholic pilgrim site) better for self-reflection and more solemn prayers.

We left Taytay Rizal at 6am towards for a quick detour to Santo Tomas Batangas. Although not part of our original itinerary, we have always wanted to visit Padre Pio Church, so decided to pay it a visit (our first stop).

We arrived here at 730am. 

PADRE PIO CHURCH (STO TOMAS BATANGAS) 

~ It is more commonly known as the Padre Pio Shrine.  The Church is dedicated to one of the most revered saints of the 20th century, Padre Pio is a known stigmata and believed to have interceded in the healing of many sick devotees. 

This place is massive and crowded. I think we were blessed to have arrived early before people started flocking in.  We ate breakfast at one of the food stalls that proliferates the area.

  

SAN AGUSTIN PARISH (BAY LAGUNA)

This church is historically considered as the oldest Roman Catholic church in the Province of Laguna. The original parish was erected by the "Aplaya (Laguna lakeshore)" in 1571. The church was transferred to its current location in 1804 but destroyed during the Japanese invasion in 1945. The church was rebuilt in 1953.

NATIONAL SHRINE AND PARISH OF SAN ANTONIO DE PADUA (PILA LAGUNA)

Based on history, when the Franciscans started to evangelize in the area established "Villa de Pila" and built the first church out of cane. 

It is said to be the first Antonine parish in the Philippines and is dedicated to Saint Anthony de Padua.  Saint Anthony de Padua is the patron saint of the poor, of sailors and fishermen, of priests and travelers, a protector and guardian of the mails, and wonder-worker.

  

IMMACULATE CONCEPTION CHURCH (STA CRUZ LAGUNA)

DIOCESAN SHRINE AND PARISH OF OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE (PAGSANJAN LAGUNA)

It is the oldest church in the country under the patronage of Our Lady of Guadalupe and is home to the Our Lady of Guadalupe whose image is a gift from Mexico.

DIOCESAN SHRINE AND PARISH OF ST MARY MAGDALENE (PILILLA RIZAL)

This church was built by the Franciscans in homage to Saint Mary Magdalene.  She is a known follower of Jesus and was a witness to His crucifixion and resurrection.

SAN ILDEFONSO DE TOLEDO PARISH CHURCH (TANAY RIZAL)

More commonly known as Tanay Church, the construction of the present church started in 1773 and was completed 1783. In 2001, it was declared as a National Cultural Treasure Church by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts. It is also chosen as of the seven Jubilee churches of the Diocese of Antipolo.

ST JEROME PARISH CHURCH MORONG RIZAL

It was built during the Spanish period in the country, with stones from a hill called Kay Ngaya; lime from the stones of the mountain Kay Maputi; and sand and gravel from Morong River.  This is by far my favorite of all the churches we have visited today.  

This church is dedicated to Saint Jerome, the patron saint of translators, librarians and encyclopedists,  In his lifetime he has translated biblical texts into Latin from Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek.

It took us roughly 8-9 hours to finish the entire course.  We arrived in Taytay at about 330pm.  It was a day well spent less the hassle of traffic and crowd.