2012 Visita Iglesia

Since transferring to our home here in Makati last year, we started a tradition of visiting churches for each of the stations of the cross. Last year, we started around 8pm on holy thursday and got home just about 2am. This year,  we started a little after 1pm since I will be the one driving and we are not really familiar with all the streets here in makati and manila area.  Luckily, the husband has a friend who has become like a brother to us and who went with us on our visita iglesia. 

I have already picked the churches ahead so that the trip wouldn't take us too long going around but when we can't locate the ones we originally intended to visit, we discovered other churches instead which are nearer.  Earlier that day, i have been  complaining of irritable bowel syndrome and stomach flu and my aunt has been disuading me on doing visiting 14 churches. Ordinarily,it would have been easier to just give in anyway i had a perfect excuse but thankfully, I didn't.  It wouldn't have been as fulfilling. Well, with my ibs and stomach cramps it's actually more like a wait-and-see attitude. I prayed that i get healed so that we can finally do our visita iglesia.Also for a safe and uneventful one. And God answers prayers so we were good to go.

So here's the churches that we visited this year:

1.  St. John of The Cross
     Pembo, Makati

2.  San Roque Parish
     Pateros

3.  Mater Dolorosa Parish
     East Rembo

4.  Santuario de San Antonio
     Mc kinley Road

5.  St. John Bosco Parish
     Pasay Road cor. Amorsolo

6.  The National Shrine of the Sacred Heart
     Bagtikan St. Makati

7.  Our Lady of La Paz Church
     Onyx, Makati

8.  Holy Cross Parish
     Nazario, Makati

9.  Holy Family Parish
     Faraday St., Makati

10.Malate Catholic Church

11. Ermita Shrine

12.Our Lady of the Assumption Parish
     Actually, we didn't find this one on Quirino Ave. cor Asuncion but instead we found St. Andrews Church

13. St. Francis Church
      St. Francis St., Mandaluyong City

14.  Sacred Heart Parish
       Acacia Lane, Mandaluyong City


It was already past 8pm when we were done with the last station and so we just drove-thru Jollibee Acacia Lane for our dinner and got home to a very lonely Metal who was incredibly happy to see us.

Barasoain Church

I had ambitious plan for Maundy thursday. I was going to suggest to him that we visit old churches. Infact, i already made a list of all the churches:
1. Malate church - Nuestra Senora de los Remedios
2. Manila Cathedral
3. San Agustin church - Church of St. Paul
4. Quiapo church - Minor basilica of the Black Nazarene
5. Twin churches of Bustillos - the St. Anthony of Padua shrine and Our Lady Of Loreto(church of Sampaloc)
6. Binondo church
7. San Beda church - Abbey of Our Lady of Monserrat
8. San Sebastian Church
9. San Vicente de Paul church
10. Mt. Carmel church in new manila
11. Santisimo ROsario Parish aka UST chapel
12. ST. Andrews in makati
13. Sto. Domingo church in Quezon City
14. Church wiiht the bamboo organ in Las Pinas
and a lot more not forgetting St. Francis church in Ortigas.
Wednesday night was fight night. Harsh words were exchanged and i was deeply hurt by what was said. There was nothing new to it except that having heard it again at a time when i expected that he would mellow down after exerting effort to please him and not getting what i wanted, at the same time persistent doubts in my head on why he was not answering my calls, really blow me off.
I made resolutions that night. Early thursday morning, i visited St. Francis church and just sat there at the back pew crying. I would have wanted to do the station of the cross but i don't have a guide so i ended up doing a personal prayer. After that exhaustive silence, i decided i to go to edsa central market to do some marketing.After,reaching the condo, they were still asleep and i also went asleep.
Later that day, he decided that we go to Laoag and so we packed our bags and went. I was just silent all through out this time even when he asked me whether we should go to baguio or to laoag, what i would like to eat. I only talked when i asked him during one of our stop if we could possiby visit barasoain church in malolos. And so we exited through tabang and looked for the famous barasoain church.
Upon reaching the church, we marveled at the various saints ready for procession. We lighted candles.We took some time to pray. We took pictures. I am happy to have visited this church. My maundy thursday has certainly improved. Thanks be to God.