Wazzup Pilipinas News and Events

Friday, April 18, 2014

Visita Iglesia on a Good Friday: Sta. Clara De Montefalco Parish

Wazzup Pilipinas !

Visita Iglesia is an annual tradition that many Filipino Catholics observe come Holy Week. Usually we will read about many travel bloggers who would go on some "church hopping" at different places in the country. Admirable, yet so old ages. Been there, done that, what's new?

We suddenly decided one day that we won't be going back to those far off but popular churches in the Philippines. They are all too over-rated already. Almost everyone has been there and seen it for so many times already.

So since we were actually a tad busy too, we decided to do our Visita Iglesia within our neighborhood only. Yes! We will be visiting just the churches of our beloved city of Pasig.

Wazzup Pilipinas !

The third church on our Visita Iglesia on a Good Friday was the San Antonio Abad Parish church located at Stella Maris Avenue in barangay Maybunga of Pasig city. It is very near the barangay hall of barangay Maybunga, and not really that big so you might miss it if you are driving too fast.

From what I have researched on, a certain Fr. Alonzo de Alvarado led the Augustinians in sailing down the Pasig River with the encomendero Juan de la Isla in January 1572. They reached Maybunga on January 17, the feast of San Antonio Abad, placing him as its titular. Maybunga was then an independent community with its own group of lakans and maginoos.

It is likely that this community was the settlement established by Dayang Kalangitan and Gat Lontok, centuries before the Spanish arrived. – Three days later, the Spaniards moved on from Maybunga to the center of ancient Pasig at Pinagbuhatan.

Wazzup Pilipinas !

The fourth church on our Visita Iglesia on a Good Friday was the "Parokya ng Sto. Rosario" or the Sto. Rosario De Pasig Parish.

Would you believe that we walked from the San Antonio Abad Parish at Stella Maris Avenue just to get here? We were misinformed that the church was very near so it took us a while to realize we've been punk'd! Bah! I guess the people we asked were also unaware of the distance.

But it was a worthwhile exercise amidst the heat of the sun.

Looking back, I think there is truth in the saying that everything is all in the mind. If you believe that your destination is just around the corner, you'll get there with less effort.