LA VISITA IGLESIA

It was taxing to grow up in a conservative Catholic family, with the compulsion to follow the traditional 2-hour long Sunday mass in Latin, holy days of obligation, the fasting and abstinence rigeur.  Despite our youthful resistance, our parents spared no effort to ingrain in us a strong faith in Christ by enrolling us in Catholic learning institutions and exposing us to the annual traditional feasts.

Our parents working relationship with the church may have also encouraged us to remain in Christ’s fold. My father, Arch. Carlos A. Santos-Viola, was a lay minister; the designer of schools and churches for the Order of the Friars Minor as well as many of the early Iglesia Ni Cristo’s chapels. He was a devout Catholic up to his last days.  My mother, Caridad Nakpil, lived up to her given name. She too was just as committed serving our parish church by sewing its vestments and altar cloths, volunteered on weekends in distributing medicine to the indigents, among other charitable deeds. She also managed the adornment of the carrosa (carriage) of Our Lady of Lourdes every February 11.

The most somber of the Holy days is the Semana Santa (Mahal na Araw or Holy Week). Owed much to our Spanish colonizers, the Philippines celebrate this week every year as the summer season begins.  Where Ash Wednesday marks the first of forty days of Lenten preparation for Easter, the Semana Santa which commemorates the Passion of Christ takes up the last seven days before Easter: Palm Sunday to Holy Saturday.

There are three significant events in the Holy Week celebrated three days before Easter Sunday. These last three days of prayer are called the Easter Triduum. The Triduum begins on Thursday Evening with the Last Supper, where Friday actually began according to Jewish tradition. After that is Good Friday when Christ was scourged, nailed and died on the cross, and Holy Saturday when the Easter Vigil starts in the evening up to the break of dawn.

It was during the Last Supper when Christ gave a new commandment to His disciples:  “That you love one another, as I have loved you.” (John 13:34) It was also in this occasion when He instituted the Holy Eucharist (thanksgiving) or Holy Communion now celebrated during the Holy Mass.

Other than fasting and abstinence, prayer and almsgiving, Christians elsewhere observe Maundy Thursday in various ways. In Rome, they hold ceremonies consecrating the holy oils, the reconciliation of penitents, the washing of the feet, and the commemoration of the Holy Eucharist.

Although most of these are also practiced in the Philippines, the faithful also follow La Visita Iglesia, or the church visitation. Here, the devotees visit seven churches in their vicinity at night in association with the seven wounds of Jesus: five from the Stigmata, one for the scourging and the shoulder wound from carrying the cross. The more diligent devotees opt to visit fourteen churches, one for each Stations of the Cross.

Our country is endowed with beautifully constructed churches dating back to the arrival of the Spaniards.  The urban planners of the day constructed the church in the center of town adjacent to the local seat of government , to ensure that the flock gave Caesar (or in our case the Governor-General) and to God.

Today, Visita Iglesia followers travel outside their home town, some for faith and others for knowledge.

Accompanied by my eldest son Franck, we joined my elder sisters Dodie and Bobbie who have been travelling their Visita Iglesia routes outside Metro Manila for the past few years. This time we decided to visit churches located in our ancestral province of Bulacan.

These were the San Idelfonso Church in Guiguinto, the Barasoain Church in Malolos, the 18^th Century St. John the Baptist Church in Calumpit whose façade is decorated with heavy scroll stuccos filled with saints and angels honoring the Good Shepherd, San Agustin Church in Baliwag, the San Isidro Labrador Church built in the late 1700s in Pulilan, and the Church of Quingua in Plaridel, which shared a similar Moorish-inspired façade style as the St. John the Baptist church.

 

 

 

Though we intended to restrict our route within Bulacan, we decided to veer-off in nearby Pampanga to visit two of its churches – the San Pedro de Apostol Church in Apalit, and San Nicloas de Tolentino built in Macabebe in the late 1700s.

Notably most of these churches were Romanesque in style with a floor plan in the shape of a Latin cross. Common was an atrium, high ceiling nave, transept, and an apse which led to or housed the altar. The clerestory windows of the nave, transept, and apse beautifully illuminate the church interior with natural lighting. An elaborately decorated pulpit protrudes out near the end of the nave as if reaching out to the worshipers. The San Pedro de Apostol Church was the only one with two belfry towers.

In previous years, we categorized the Metro Manila churches for our Visita Iglesia.

A couple of years ago, Franck and I decided to visit churches built around a circular theme. When the Vatican issued a decree in the 60’s ordering a greater lay participation in the liturgy, the use of a free standing altar was adopted. Thereon, numerous churches were built using unconventional floor plans that was similarly used in the Early Christian round churches.

These modern churches included the Parish of the Holy Sacrifice in the University of the Philippines, Santa Maria de la Strada Church beside Miriam College on Katipunan Avenue, the Church of Gesu on the grounds of Ateneo de Manila University, Christ the King Church in Green Meadows, St. Andrew’s Church in Bel Air (Makati), Sto. Nino de Paz Chapel in Greenbelt,  and the San Alphonsus Mary di Liguori Church in Magallanes Village.

In previous years we visited historical or old churches such as the San Agustin Church and the Manila Cathedral in Intramuros, San Sebastian Basilica in Legarda, Abbey of Our Lady of Monstserrat or San Beda Chapel in Mendiola, Our Lady of Remedios or Malate Church, St. Peter and Paul Church in P. Burgos (Makati), the Nuestra Senora de Gracia Church in Guadalupe, to name a few.

Visita Iglesia is an act of penitence through traveling from one church to another, praying in each pew. There are those who opt to walk the distance from one church to another.  Visita Iglesia is also an opportunity to behold the authenticity of unique architecture, old or new, in a country obsessed with building the same massive condo towers and malls.

The sight of these beautiful places of worship brings back to life the church’s significant role in a town or village. One could hear the bells toll for the dead, calling the townspeople to worship or pray the Angelus. It’s simplistic but overpowering façade humbly welcoming both the faithful and negligent to enter the dwelling-house and seeking refuge. Its triumphant nave comes alive with glimpses of the bible lifting the hearts and mind of the worshippers towards the altar. The pulpits resounding the bible readings and sermons admonishing the sinful and righteous. The baptisms, weddings, and other ceremonies affirming the townsfolk were blessed and remain close to God.

Visiting these churches truly nourishes one’s faith knowing that over the centuries they fell victims of the ravages of time, but were rebuilt again and again by their devotees. My parents surely experienced such a similar test, yet remained faithful to the Word. The longevity of the church is a true testament to the steadfast love of our Lord Jesus Christ to all who believe in Him and His institution will remain the center of divine worship.