Visita Iglesia

If you are a pious Roman Catholic,  the Visita Iglesia or the Seven Churches Visitation during the lenten season is one of the traditions that you look forward to. Traditionally, the seven churches visitation is done on Maundy Thursday after the Mass of the Last Supper. The main altar and most side altars are stripped, the crosses removed or covered. The Blessed Sacrament is then placed in a Tabernacle on the Altar of Repose so that the faithful can pray before it. It is usually a time for silent adoration.

In the Philippines, the general practice is to visit seven or fourteen churches on Maundy Thursday or Good Friday. The faithful however may also perform this during the Holy Week or Kuwaresma. The more pious would bring a cross to these churches. People walk or take a ride from one church to the next depending on its proximity, and one or two stations of the cross are recited at each church. Most of the Churches are usually open until midnight to accommodate the faithful. Offerings are also made at each church as a form of almsgiving to the poor. 

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Visita Iglesia 2013

It has been a memorable Holy Week for me as it was my first time to go on a Visita Iglesia. I did some online research so I may better understand why there is such a tradition in the Catholic faith and found out that it's like another version of the Way of the Cross. 

One usually visits seven or fourteen churches but in our case, we managed to visit only 9, since there wasn't enough time for us. I initially planned to do two stations in each church and found a really nice Way of the Cross guide on the internet, with prayers and bible readings relevant to each station of the station. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to finish the praying the Way of the Cross since we had to rush from one church to the next. 

What was nice though was that we were able to pause for a while after the veneration of the cross and the veneration of the Lady of Sorrows. It was a nice feeling and my little girl got to experience how we celebrate the Lenten season in the Philippines and she quite enjoyed falling in line and touching the wounds on the image of the cruficied Christ. An idea came up to me while doing the Visita Iglesia. Maybe we can also do our own version of the Visita Iglesia in Europe, visiting a church or two in one European country and then move on to the next. Or maybe we can just do a Visita Iglesia around Germany or around the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg. We'll see... the possibilities are endless and we could actually do it every year and turn it into another family tradition. That way, our children will be able to appreciate and understand our Catholic faith better.

Here are some of the photos that I managed to take on our Visita Iglesia journey:

The little girl and her cousin outside the St. Jude Thaddeus Parish (2) in Malvar St., Davao City

Lining up for the veneration of the cross at St. Paul Parish (3) in Juna Subd., Matina, Davao City

Inside San Pedro Cathedral (4), San Pedro Street, Davao City

Veneration of the Cross at Our Lady of Fatima Parish (5), Davao City

Inside the Sta. Ana Parish (6), Sta. Ana Street, Davao City

At the Sacred Heart Parish (7), N. Torres, Obrero, Davao City

At San Antonio de Padua Parish (8), Agdao, Davao City

St. Joseph the Worker Parish (9), Sasa, Davao City

A group photo at the last church we visited. Taken at St. Joseph the Worker Parish, Sasa, Davao City

Did not manage a photo of the first church we visited, which was the Our Lady of the Assumption Parish along F. Torres, Davao City.

Until the next Visita Iglesia! To God be the glory! Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam.

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Holy Week Activities: Visita Iglesia

It's the last week of the Lenten season and it has been a while since I participated in the many Catholic traditions related to Lent. In the Filipino community in Stuttgart, Germany we usually have the Pabasa which takes place every afternoon of Maundy Thursday and ends at around 3PM on Good Friday.

I haven't gone on a Visita Iglesia yet and from what I know, it is usually done on a Maundy Thursday but one can do it at any day of the Holy Week. My mother-in-law prefers to do the Visita Iglesia in the evening of Good Friday, just after the death of Jesus.

According to Wikipedia, ´"The general practise is to visit seven churches either on Holy Thursday or Good Friday and recite the Stations of the Cross in them. The pious would double the number of churches to fourteen, while the infirm and elderly usually visit only one or a handful. Until the 1970s, people recited all fourteen stations in one church."

If you are in Davao City, there are a number of churches that you can visit. 

Included in our itinerary are the following:

1. Our Mother of Perpetual Help Parish, JP Laurel Ave., Bajada, Davao City
2. Our Lady of the Assumption Parish, F Torres St., Davao City
3. St. Jude Thaddeus Parish, Malvar St., Davao City
4. St. Francis of Assisi Parish, Maa, Davao City
5. San Lorenzo Ruiz Parish, Talomo, Davao City
6. Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, Phase 2 Central Park Subdivision, Bangkal, Davao City
7. St. Paul Church, Juna Subdivision, Matina, Davao City
8. San Pedro Cathedral, San Pedro St., Davao City
9. Our Lady of Fatima Parish, Fatima St., Davao City
10. San Antonio de Padua Parish, Agdao, Davao City
11. Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish, N Torres St., Obrero, Davao City
12. Sta. Ana Church, Sta. Ana Avenue, Davao City
13. St. Mary's Parish, Cabantian, Davao City
14. St. Joseph the Worker Parish, Sasa, Davao City

Hopefully, we will be able to visit these churches tomorrow. God-willing, it will be a memorable and enlightening Holy Week for us and will hopefully be something to look forward to in the succeeding Lenten seasons. It is also one good family activity that can be transformed into a family tradition. I have always believed that the family that prays together, stays together and what better way to bring the family together than visiting these places of worship.

Will post about my post Visita Iglesia experience over the weekend so that you will also be guided on what to do and what to expect should you also decide to do one in the coming Lenten seasons. God bless everyone!

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The Notre Dame de La Garde

When we visited Marseille, France a few weeks back, we didn't expect its amazing beauty until we visited the Notre Dame de La Garde, a Romanesque-Byzantine basilica towering on the highest point of the city at 147 meters or 482 feet above sea level. This city landmark was built in the 19th century. Locals affectionately call it Bonne Mère (good mother) and it is topped by a 9.71-meter (32ft) gilded statue of the Blessed Virgin who is said to bestow protection on fishermen out at sea.

The mosaics are particularly beautiful and the crypt offers a silent refuge for pilgrims. We arrived in time for the 10:00 am mass and it was a very solemn one. The numerous ex-votos, votive offerings to the Virgin, hanging in the nave bear witness to the pilgrim's faith and thanksgiving. It is on this same church when Karol Wojtyla, the future Popr John Paul II came here to pray to Our Lady in July 8, 1947.

The site also affords a magnificent views of the city spread out at its feet, and of the bay, with the Frioul archipelago in the distance. The site is easily reachable by car or by bus. There is no admission fee to this holy place, and offers only priceless and valuable photographs and memories and a rich experience for the pilgrims and tourists alike.

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C is for the Cupola di San Pietro

Visiting the Vatican City was a dream come true! Setting foot on the Piazza di San Pietro was a mystical experience. And climbing up the 320 winding and narrow steps up to the highest point of the CUPOLA was the highlight of our trip to St. Peter's Basilica, by far the most grand CHURCH I have ever seen! There was so much to see and absorb once you enter Saint Peter's Basilica so that you cannot decide where to start looking first: up or down, left or right. LOL!

The Cupola as viewed from inside the Church.

The mosaics.

Details of the Cupola as seen on the first level, just a few steps from the lift/elevator.

But anyway, back to the Cupola. It is by far, the largest and grandest dome on earth, and measures around 43 meters in diameter, and is Michelangelo's last great work. The dome sits on four great arches that stand on four massive piers, each with a perimeter of 71 meters. Inside the church, it is really high up so that it would take an elevator ride to get a closer look at the mosaics and the details of the dome.

A view of the Piazza from the top of the Cupola. A famous view among photographers.

The 320 steps to the top of the Cupola is a series of stairs, one that is too long and then, winding, and then too narrow. There was this really looonnggg stairs that goes round and round and round, you would think it was endless! You wouldn't know when to take one step or two steps. And being a dome, the walls begin to slope as you ascend. Try to imagine this with a one-year old in your arms.You would indeed be having vertigo or claustrophobia because some parts of the stairs are way too narrow. It was indeed quite an adventure to go up but I would still climb up should another opportunity arise.
*Do click on the photos for a larger view.

If you do get the chance to visit the Vatican, be sure to climb up the cupola. It would be worth all the trouble!

Join us on ABC Wednesday, now on its 5th Round!

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The Gothic Church in Linz

This is the majestic Gothic Cathedral in the city of Linz. It was so BIG indeed that I felt so small when we entered it's huge doors.

A section of the facade of the Cathedral.

The Gothic interior of the Cathedral and the main altar.

The humongus Organ opposite the main altar.

Just one of the many intricate stained-glass window inside the Cathedral.

Of course, our visit wasn't complete without lighting three candles. Three is symbolic because it represents each member of our little family. It also represents the Holy Trinity and we lighted these candles for Peace, Hope and Love.

Hope everyone has a happy weekend!

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Linz: Austria's Third City

Our third day in Austria brought us to Linz, a good hour and a half drive from Vienna. Linz today is a bustling industrial city but the Old Town is a must see for tourists for its many historic buldings and monuments. When we got there, our feet took us to the Hauptplatz, where there was a festival going on. People were dressed in Middle Age costumes and there was a festive air all around. Of course, I didn't miss the medieval square, which is bordered by splendid Baroque facades.

And there was the Alter Dom (the Church of St. Ignatius) in Baroque style which boasts a wonderfully ornate pulpit and altarpiece. Seeing this church was special to me owing to the fact that I was educated in a Jesuit run school when I was in college. And St. Ignatius is one of my favorite saints because his life story inspired and touched me.

The opulent Baroque altar at the Church of St. Ignatius.


L: The equally ornate pulpit with gold carvings on black wood.
R: An Organ Concert announcement.


L: The Jesuits' logo.
R: Steeple of the Alter Dom (St. Ignatius Church) as seen from the Hauptplatz.

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The Heart and Soul of Vienna

It is not surprising that the Stephansdom (St. Stephen's Cathedral) is called the Heart and Soul of Vienna for it has survived many wars and has become a symbol of Vienna's freedom.

For over 800 years, from a small Romanesque church to the grand Gothic Cathedral that it is today, it has seen many additions, been burned down and destroyed by war, and was reopened in it's present glory in 1948.

One cannot miss the magnificent diamond-patterned glazed-tile roof that the Viennese citizens generously donated in 1950 nor the Gothic edifice of dark stone and the north tower called the Alter Steffl, "Old Steve" that rises to 450 feet.

The Interior contains lots of interesting works of art too, from the Gothic to the Renaissance style. The intricately sculpted pulpit, figures of saints adorning the piers and the canopies over many of the side altars are just some of the Gothic masterpieces. The Wiener Neustädter Altar bearing the painted images of 72 saints is the cathedral's greatest treasure.

Interior of the Stephansdom.

My digital camera's features and zooming capacity though cannot do justice to the beauty of the cathedral's interiors and I only have this lone photo above which I consider to be the best. Hehe! I really wished then that I had a DSLR to capture what my eyes can only see!

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Augustiner Kirche

One of the many things that fascinate me about Europe is it's churches. Being the seat of the Roman empire and Christianity, the old churches are just so awesomely grand that I can't resist visiting them. When we were in Vienna, Austria we didn't get to explore all the churches but I was content to visit the Augustiner Kirche (Augustinian Church) which is just located in the Hofburg complex.

What makes this church so special?

The beautiful Gothic interior of Augustiner Kirche.

The tomb of Maria Christina.

Aside from its well-preserved 14th Century Gothic interiors, this former parish church of the Habsburgs also houses the 18th-century tomb of Princess Maria Christina, the favorite daughter of Maria Theresa. The ornately decorated tomb shows the Princess and her family entering the tomb and is an Antonio Canova masterpiece. The tomb, however, was never used because the princess was buried in the Imperial Crypt.

Ornate wood carvings on the church seats.

The Sunday masses of June to September are also special because the music of Haydn or Mozart are featured in a spectacular organ mass. Sadly though, we visited on a weekday so we didn't get to experience hearing mass with Mozart or Haydn's music. It must be an amazing and moving experience!

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