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April 9 is Easter this year 2023 but before that, Filipinos flock churches for Visita Iglesia!
Visita Iglesia (also known as 7 Churches Visitation) is a Lenten tradition of Catholics all over the world. But in the Philippines, a lot of Catholics still do this today. It is a tradition wherein Catholics visit 7 churches on the evening of Maundy Thursday following the mass of the Lord’s Supper and Blessed Sacrament. Some families visit 7 churches, some 14, some depends on what they prefer to pray to the Blessed Sacrament and pray the Station of the Cross per church they visit.
In the Philippines, Visita Iglesia are done by most Catholics on Maundy Thursday , some on Good Friday. During Black Saturday, churches are closed to signify the mourning on the commemoration of Jesus’s death. It is also a way for the Filipino family to bond in prayer and sacrifice. It is also an opportunity for the pious to see new and other churches, chapels, and cathedrals around them.
These cities in Metro Manila – San Juan and Mandaluyong are close to my heart since I grew up in Mandaluyong and frequent San Juan which is a nearby area from where we live. There’s so much memories in these two cities including the Churches we visit.
Sharing our top picks and list of churches, chapels, and cathedrals you can visit this coming Holy Week in Mandaluyong and San Juan. Here’s the list of Quezon Citychurches for reference too.
Don’t forget to make 3 wishes on a place you’ll visit for the first time and plan ahead!
ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISSI
Address: St. Francis St. corner Shaw Blvd., Mandaluyong City
Contact details: (02) 6316359
Facebook page: https://m.facebook.com/StFrancisMandaluyong/
Interesting facts:
- Lourdes school Mandaluyong is beside the church
- The church is spacious and it has a parking lot beside it. You can also parking along the side street but not along Shaw Boulevard which is a main road.
- Walking distance from Shangrila-La Plaza Mall and its hotel. It’s also nearby SM Megamall, and University of Asia and the Pacific (College).
- We used to always hear mass in this church with the family
- I was baptized in this church and this where majority of my church service works were
SANCTUARIO DE SAN JOSE
Address: Buffalo corner Duke Streets, East Greenhills, Mandaluyong City
Website: https://www.santuariodesanjose.com
Contact details: (02) 725 2044, email- parish@sanctuariodesanjose.com
Interesting facts:
- It has a small parking space but you can park around the church inside the village. Just be careful not to park along driveways and in front of the gates of the houses
- Airconditioned church
- Where my parents got married in 1983
- Walking distance from Greenhills shopping center
SAN FELIPE NERI
Address: Boni Avenue corner Aglipay Street, Mandaluyong City
Contact Details: (02) 531 4827, 0915 719 6889
Website: https://www.rcam.org/sanfelipeneriparish/
Interesting facts:
- a beautiful and solemn haven in the middle of a busy city
- It was run by Spanish friars
- parking area is not that big though
- Church is beside the San Felipe Neri school
- One of the oldest churches in Manila
ARCHDIOCESAN SHRINE OF THE DIVINE MERCY
Address: Maysilo Circle, Mandaluyong City
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/divinemercymanila/
Contact details: (02) 531 4598, email – asdm_infocomm@thedivinemercyshrine.com
Interesting facts:
- Founded in June 1996
- There’s a multilevel parking nearby and along the sidewalk parking
- This was the nearest church in my childhood days in Mandaluyong.
- Church is not big so if you’re late for mass, you’ll have to stand up or sit in extra chairs.
ARCHBISHOP’S PALACE
Address: Villa San Miguel -Shaw Blvd., cor. Jaime Cardinal Sin St., Mandaluyong City (beside Toyota Shaw)
Contact details: (02) 531 7034
Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/vsmchapelcommunity/
Interesting facts:
- Used to be the home of Archbishops
- Has a parking area inside the compound
- Big chapel is air conditioned
- there’s a small non- air conditioned chapel too
- the way of the cross is usually outside in a space designated for devotees
- surrounded by garden areas
- Archbishop Gabriel Reyes is the first archbishop to stay in this place
- Where Pope John Paul II stayed in 1981
MARY THE QUEEN
Contact details: (02) 722 9711
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/MTQParish/
Interesting facts:
- Feast day is August 22 and built in 1963
- There’s parking around the church but not a lot
- Beside Immaculate Concepcion Academy (ICA)
SANTUARIO DEL SANTO CRISTO
Contact details: (072) 454 6669
Website: https://santuariosantocristo.com
Interesting facts:
- Baroque architecture design
- Also known as Church of San Juan Del Monte
- built in between 1602-1604
- it has an adjacent convent
ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST
Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/sjbp1894/
Contact details:(02) 797 7731
Interesting facts:
- also known as Pinaglabanan Church
- Established in 1894
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