Visita Iglesia 2019

My helper Racquel and I commemorated Holy Week by practicing Visita Iglesia. Our first stop was the chapel at St. Luke’s Medical Center QC, where my terminally-ill father was confined.  

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Our second stop was the Blessed Ivan Merz Center and Reliquarium. For our third stop, we went to the Padre Pio Chapel at Libis.  

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It was my first time to experience the Stations of the Cross (while carrying an actual cross!) at Padre Pio. 

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Our fourth stop was Claret Church, which is near my alma mater, Holy Family School.  

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Our fifth drop was the UP Parish Church. 

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No visit to UP Diliman is complete without street food. 

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We had squid balls and kwek-kwek (deep fried breaded quail eggs).

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We also had sweet corn with cheese and butter and bananacue (not pictured).

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Our sixth stop was the Our Lady of Consolation Parish, where my late friend Diane is buried. 

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Our seventh and final stop was the San Lorenzo Ruiz Parish in our barangay.  

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It was a time for prayer, silence, reflection, and thanksgiving. I will continue to reinforce my faith not just during Lent, but the whole year through. May this just be the beginning of a bulletproof belief in God. 

NKTI Lenten Pilgrimage 2019

I joined the NKTI (National Kidney and Transplant Institute) Lenten Pilgrimage last April 13, 2019 to three churches in Pampanga. I was lucky to have a free day to explore these churches and spiritually nourish myself in time for Holy Week. 

I started my day with some crochet in the tour bus.  

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Our first stop was the Lahar Church dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes at Cabetican, Bacolor, Pampanga. The church was submerged in lahar during the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in the early 90’s. 

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I got to eat street food like scramble and buko sherbet before our mass and recollection. 

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Our second stop was St. James the Apostle Church at Betis, Guagua, Pampanga. 

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We were able to stopover for food and drinks at Guagua’s town plaza. I was to find a Rizal monument there!

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Our last stop was the St. Augustine Parish, an adobe church with historical significance at Lubao, Pampanga. 

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Before going home, I had my usual toasted naked longganisa at Breakfast Bin.  

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I am grateful for the opportunity to pray, tour, and worship with the men and women of NKTI at Pampanga. I am inspired to remain steadfast in faith as I carry on with life, and it is my hope that I can share this faith with others through this blog, and social media. 

May you have a blessed Holy Week ahead!