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April 9 is the start of Easter this 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 (but other Churches are closed after 3pm). 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.
Our family always do this yearly and now that we have our own little family of our own, we also do this with our bigger family or if circumstances don’t permit, we will continue this tradition and pass it on to our children. We rarely or maybe never leave during Holy Week. We used to fix our own religious float for the procession and join the procession too. We also prefer to stay in in the city and enjoy less cars on the road and enjoy the more quiet city for several days since majority of the establishments are closed.
Sharing our top picks and list of churches, chapels, and cathedrals you can visit this coming Holy Week in Quezon City.
Don’t forget to make 3 wishes on a place you’ll visit for the first time and plan ahead!
IMMACULATE CONCEPTION CATHEDRAL of CUBAO
Address: 40 Lantana St, Quezon City
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cubaocathedral
Interesting facts:
- Established in 1950
- We got married here in 2012. The celebrant was Bishop Honesto Ongtiongco. I personally fell in love with this cathedral when we first heard mass here years before our wedding.
- They have parking spaces but limited only around the cathedral
- The church has a long aisle
- It has a chapel where some couples choose for their wedding
- It also has a crypt under the altar
- It has a school beside the cathedral – Immaculate Conception Academy
- This cathedral has been made more famous by a celebrity couple who got married here. I heard form a friend that it’s now more difficult to book the cathedral due to full schedules on weekends.
Holy Week 2023 schedule
MT. CARMEL SHRINE
Contact details: (632) 8724-5938 , 0918-4077760, 0928-3758867 , 0928-3758905 (the mobile numbers can receive calls, or be messaged through text messaging, or chat messages on Viber or Messenger)
email- mtcarmelshrine@yahoo.com
Website: http://www.mtcarmelshrine.com
Interesting facts:
- Established February 1975
- There are parking spaces available
- It became a shrine last December 2015
- It has crypt at the side of the church.
STO. DOMINGO CHURCH
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stodomingoparishofficialpage/
Interesting facts:
- Largest church in Metro Manila
- Declared as a National Cultural Treasure which is built in Spanish Modern style
- Established in 1972
- It has a parking space but not as many as the capacity of the church.
Holy Week 2023 Schedule
Click this link and fill-out the Google Form for petitions you’d like to make- bit.ly/OPpetitions
SHRINE OF MARY, QUEEN OF PEACE a.k.a. EDSA SHRINE
Address: EDSA corner Ortigas Avenue, Quezon City
Contact details: (02) 631 5734
Website: http://www.edsashrine.org
Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/EDSAShrineOfficial/
Interesting facts:
- Established in 1989
- a memorial of the People Power Revolution
- no parking lot. Usually people park in Robinsons Galleria which is at the back of the church or there are few slots of parking around.
Holy Week 2023 Schedule
CARMEL OF ST. THERESE OF LISIEUX (a convent chapel)
Address: Gilmore Avenue , Quezon City
Interesting facts:
- Carmelite nuns’ convent chapel
- it has a small parking area inside the convent
- it was built in 1926 and was said that the lot was donated by the rich Hemady family
- We used to go here even before I got married. It’s not a solemn chapel. I love how peaceful and not so big and famous it is.
CHRIST THE KING PARISH
Address: Green Meadows Ave, Bagumbayan, Quezon City, Metro Manila
Contact details: (+632)6315734
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CTKPGreenmeadows/
Website: http://christthekingparish.ph
Interesting facts:
- Established in 1979
- They have mortuary chapels
- The church has a crypt as well
- The church has a very spacious parking area
- They have function rooms for wedding receptions too
- There’s a smaller chapel under the main church where sometimes daily masses are held
CHURCH OF THE GESU
Address: Fr. Masterson Drive, Ateneo De Manila University , Quezon City
Website and Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/churchofthegesuateneo?mibextid=LQQJ4d
https://www.ateneo.edu/churchofthegesu
Interesting facts:
- Built in 2002
- The church’s triangular structure represents the Holy Trinity and the Ateneo’s three-fold mission and vision. The design are also meant to suggest the outstretched arms of the Sacred Heart, and the traditional Filipino nipa hut
- There are a lot of parking spaces inside the campus but you have to fill out a car form before you enter. All links for the car form per day are in their Facebook page
SANTA MARIA DELLA STRADA (Our Lady of the Way)
Address: Katipunan Ave., Pansol, Quezon City
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stamariadellastrada?mibextid=LQQJ4d
Interesting facts:
- Established in 1981
- The church is simply beautiful and solemn
ST. IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA CATHEDRAL
Address: Camp General Emilio Aguinaldo, Quezon City
Contact details: (02) 911-6001
Interesting facts:
- has a lot of parking spaces
- a very solemn and simple place of worship. We love hearing mass here.
- Very nice church. Not so big and not too small.
- They have solemn Holy Week Masses here.
NATIONAL SHRINE OF OUR LADY OF LOURDES
Contact details: 02- 87319306, email nsollvam@gmail.com
Facebook: click here
Instagram: click here
Interesting facts:
- has a lot of parking spaces inside the Church and in nearby areas
- Know more about the church’s history here way back from 1892
- Inaugurated in 1951
- 2023 Holy week Schedulensollvam@gmail.com
- We also love going to mass here.
- The church is not air conditioned
- This is where my grandmother from my mom’s side got married
PARISH OF THE HEARTS OF JESUS AND MARY
Contact details: 0917 897 9370
Check their FB page for updated 2023 Holy Week activities (below)
Facebook: click here
Interesting facts:
- established in 1988
- It has a crypt. This is where my late grandfather from my mom’s side is. We frequent this church to
- There’s a small garden on the side of the church and playground
- Limited parking around. The parking is safe since the church is inside a private and gated village.
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