Soul Searching in Pilgrim City of Naga : Visita Iglesia Experience for Holy Week 2016

For the first time in my adult life, I was able to experience Visita Iglesia, the catholic tradition of visiting 7 churches during Holy Week. I persuaded my Filipino-Chinese friend and travel buddy Doreen of GETS Travel to join me in this soul searching journey while I'm in Naga City,Bicol. 

It was also Doreen's first time to do Visita Iglesia so we both decided to take it seriously (solemnly) and do our share of simple penitence by walking from one church to another. 

Visita Iglesia 2016 : Pilgrim City of Naga

Welcome to the Pilgrim City of the #Philippines! @oreonfoi of #GETSTravel is accompanying me today to visit 7 Churches in #NagaCity for our #HolyWeek2016 tradition. #SemanaSanta #VisitaIglesia #BicolExplorer #BicolBloggers #solesearchingsoul #soulsearching #Bicol

Posted by Sole Searching Soul on Friday, March 25, 2016

From the Rotonda, we officially started our pilgrimage around 4 in the afternoon. The sun was still out and hot but good thing we both love walking (especially when we're travelling and exploring new places) so we're up for the soul searching "walkathon" in Naga City (CamSur). 

Our first stop was Carmelite Monastery which was in the outskirt of city center. This place is also very meaningful to me because of a little miracle that happened last January 2016 which led to a series of events in my life. 

I introduced Doreen to Ate Lydia, the caretaker whom I met during my first visit in the Carmelite Monastery. She's the one who explained to me the significance of the devotion to the Scapular and how it is related to safety and protection. Since then, whenever I meet a Catholic when I'm travelling, I give them my spare scapular. 

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After lighting some candles and praying, Doreen and I decided to attend "The Passion of Jesus" where we also experienced the cross veneration. The mass lasted for almost 2 hours so it was already dark when we went out of the monastery. 

For our 2nd church, we visited Immaculate Conception. 

To be honest, I only attended a mass here once. I think this is only my 2nd or 3rd visit in this church despite its accessibility. This church has a beautiful dome decorated with paintings and images of disciples. 

For every church we visited, we offered a candle and prayed for our intentions.

3rd Stop: After walking the whole stretch of Magsaysay Avenue, we rested a bit while we had our snacks in a convenience store. It was almost 8:30 pm when we arrived in one of the famous religious stops in Bicol, the Penafrancia Minor Basilica. 

Basilica is the new home of INA, the patroness of Bicol. This is also one the places of worship I frequently visit. If you check my personal instagram
 @msappleallison or follow the official IG @solessoul, you'll see several posts featuring the very beautiful stain glass mural window created by world renown Bicolano master artist Mr. Pancho Piano. 

The altar of INA was covered during Good Friday.

The prayer below is one of the most meaningful prayer for me. Everytime I recite it, I mean it with all my heart because it's simple, short but very deep. 

​Our 4th stop is considered as the Cradle of Devotion in Bicol Region. Penafrancia Shrine is near the intersection of Magsaysay and Penafrancia Avenue. 

It is home to the 300+ years of devotion to Our Lady of Penafrancia, one of the biggest Marian devotion in Asia. 

For God so love the world,
He gave us His only Son.
Jesus Christ saved us from our sins.
I silently prayed for forgiveness. 

DID YOU KNOW?! I used to live in Naga City, along Penafrancia Avenue (for about 8 years if I'm not mistaken) when I studied my bachelor's degree as well as when I worked for a homegrown brand so this special place in this city is very close to my heart. Penafrancia Shrine is where I usually find solitude and solace; it serves as my prayer haven especially during the time I was going through my quarter life crisis.

Worry-free! One of the things I love about Naga City is its peaceful environment so even if it was already late, we still feel very safe walking at night and the distance didn't really bother us. 

By 9:40pm, we were at the Naga Metropolitan Cathedral near downtown area, our 5th church that evening.

​This is where we also witness the start of "Soledad", a late night procession of different images of Mary as she looks for the tomb of her son, Jesus Christ. 

We continue walking towards the city center where one of the oldest parishes in Asia is located. San Francisco Church was our 6th stop but we're surprised to see that it was close. 

Doreen and I just decided to light the candles and placed it in the candle stand outside the gate. After that, I offered a moment of silence before I utter my prayer intentions. 

Our last stop was the Holy Cross Parish in Tabuco, a place I rarely visit. I only knew about this place of worship when one of my friends invited me to her wedding ceremony held at this church a few years ago. 

We had a meaningful Visita Iglesia. Doreen and I
had our moment of silence as we prayed
for our respective intentions. 

Personally, I was able to reconnect with my God and rekindle my faith in Him. 

And after enduring 7 hours of walking as our simple penitence, it is heartwarming to read this sign outside the Holy Cross Parish --- Matthew 19:26  

I firmly believe this was one of God's way of communicating with me... He's reminding me that I should let go of my fears and inhibitions as I rely to His Divine Providence.

So far, I feel contented that I was able to complete the 7 churches this year and have a solemn Visita Iglesia experience with one of my most trusted friend and travel buddies. We both feel closer to our God with our renewed faith in His great love for mankind. 

May you always remember that nothing is impossible to God. We just have to completely trust Him, believe in His great plans for us and prepare to receive His blessings. 
God Bless You All!