143/365: The Church of Meycauayan, Bulacan–Parish of St. Francis of Assisi

24th of May 2014

I was imagining the faces of Crisostomo Ibarra and Maria Clara stealing glances with each other at the church patio while the “Guardia Civil” are scattered all over the church yard watching the simply dressed “indio”.  Horses hooves can be heard approaching holding the reigns are the “konstable”.  “Donyas” in thick “colorete” fanning profusely under their ruffled umbrellas hurrying to be inside the church to avoid the blazing heat of the sun. 

Someone called my name and I was jolted back to reality!  I found myself under the blazing heat of the sun wearing jeans and flip flops and holding a camera to document this unbelievably old-looking structure.

I looked at the direction where my name was called and found hubby gesturing me to move a little closer to the structure while taking this photo from another camera and a mobile phone.



That call from hubby confirmed that I was in the modern time. It was during the lent of the year 2012 and I was doing my Vicita Iglesia at Bulacan (Philippines)  area when we chanced upon this church. I was really flabbergasted when I had my first glimpse of this structure.  I remained just standing there speechless and mouth agape while appreciating the beauty of it.  It is so old and yet so beautiful.



The church structure is a story itself.  I was not surprised at all when I found about the the rich history behind it when I did my research back home.

I will let you read by yourself about the history of this church but I can’t help but to particularly mention a part that really amused me.  The acacia tree that is planted in front of the church yard and seen on these photos plays a huge part on its history.  According to records, the late President Manuel L. Quezon played under this acacia tree during his childhood days.  Wow!

The front façade alone made me speechless,  What more when I saw the inner structure?  I don’t exactly know how to describe the architecture and art of this church so I am again letting you to read by yourself through the link that I provided.

What I can share to you are the photographs that I took.

 

I saw some renovation and re-painting was on-going during my visit.  I just hope that it was being done by heritage experts.  It’s a pity to lose the original structure and design of this church.

~***~

Written on the church marker is:

The first church was destroyed by a typhoon in 1588.  The construction of the present church was started shortly after 1628.  The town was moved from Lagolo  to the present site.  Rev. Franscisco Cascueña, O.F.M, who built the belfry in 1600, preached the gospel in China for six years, and on being exiled from that kingdom out of opposition to his religious teachings, returned to Meycauayan.  He served this parish for 31 years and died here on November 18, 1831.  The convent was built from 1731 to 1759.  Both convent and church were seriously damaged by the typhoon of 1882.

For the rest of the history about this church you may read it from here.

137/365: Fresh From Budapest The (Not So) Wholesome Kid Talks About A Church Inside A Cave Called Sziklatemplom

17th of May

“Shameless syet” , “inorgasm”, “kilig-b*y*g”, “k*nt*t”, “lamp*ngan” are some of the the regular words being used by the smart-cracking-mouth of this young guy on his social media statuses and on his blog  which by the title itself is a warning - Hindi Ito Wholesome (This Is Not Wholesome).

My apologies to my foreign readers because there are no decent exact translation for the opening words to the English language.  If I will find one and translate them for you my blog might be re-classified ha ha!

If you judge this kid through his words probably you will never like understand him.  I honestly cringed during the first time that I was coming across his statuses and blog posts.  But when you read beyond words you will realize that they are logical and sensible.  I took it that this kid uses words to emphasize his points which I think is very effective.  Plus his presence in the blogosphere by his own unique way of expression serves as a balance versus the abundance of the “goody-goody” blog sites. “Pang-balanse ika nga at maiba naman.”

Funny thing is that, in spite of this kid’s blatant way of expression I found it very contrasting to his angelic face.  Meet Cyron – tadaah!

Cyron's talent came in bundle.  Aside from his talent in writing he is also very good in art.  And attention ladies – he is SINGLE! (as far as I know ha ha).  Go get your passports and chase him in Hungary  

I had the chance to be in conversed with Cyron a few times because we share the same love for cats.  From there I found that there’s really a sweet boy behind those censored-risk-defying-expression (lol).

Now considering how Cyron expressed himself do you think it was easy for me to ask him to be my guest blogger and write about something that is related to ”holy” ?  Yep!  I did not hesitate!,  In fact he is one among the first people that I asked because I am certain that behind those “censored-risk-defying-way-of-expression is an intelligent and sensible sweet boy. 

And I was not wrong.  After clarifying some details about my invitation his “orgasmic” reply was “look forward for my post”.

So here it is for the first time in history!  Fresh from Budapest the Wholesome Cyron! 

~ *** ~

When it comes to places of worship, Budapest (Hungary) is rich in historic places of it representing many faiths and traditions. I have been living here for more than 10 years now and I must say this country is a must to visit here in Europe.

The spire, tower, dome or minaret is usually the most distinctive feature in any village or urban neighborhood, and often is the most significant historic building.  Fortunately, most are still used for worship, and some have found new sympathetic uses.  But investment in their care is also a significant responsibility, so congregations and communities can find it difficult to raise funds and maintain the buildings and their beautiful decorations and furnishings.  For the tourists and visitors, it is not easy to find interesting places of worship or learn of their history. 

As a person living here in the city, this is one of my favorite places of worship. To be tell the truth, I am a religious person in away that I don’t schedule myself to go to church on Sunday but instead just go in whenever I have a time and feel like to be alone and talk to myself and to God.

Sziklatemplom



Sziklatemplom pronounce as ’Sikla Templom’ or Cave Church is one of the unique church in Budapest, Hungary. It is located inside of the hill called Gellért Hill. It was founded in 1926, by a group of Pauline monks after a pilgrimage to Lourdes, France.

If you are not familiar, Budapest is home to a number of natural caves and cellar systems formed by thermal springs.

This church is not your typical church with high ceilings and gilded interior. The altar itself is located at the entrance of the cave and the congregation was seated outdoors on the terrace.












According to the legend, used to be, this place was a place for healing. Some time in the medieval ages there was a hermit called Ivan who cured many people with the thermal healing waters that kept flowing from the underground hot springs from the karst caves of the Gellert Hill. At that time the name of the hill was ‘Pest
Hill’ pest pronounce as ‘pesht’ – meant ‘cave’ in the Slavic languages, and Hungarians used the Slavic word for this area (part of Budapest now) indicating that the natural cave existed many centuries ago. St Ivan cave was not too big, so to make the church more spacious, there was a series of explosions carried out.

During World War II, the church served as a hospital and asylum. After the war, the monks were arrested and their superior, father Ferenc Vezér was sentenced to death by the Communist regime.

~ *** ~

By the way if you need more amusement and laughter in life you may want to tumble with Cyron here.

123/365: How The Grumpy Blue Blogger Was Able To Write About A Place of Worship: OMKARESHWAR, INDIA: JYOTIRLINGA SHRINE OF SHIVA

3rd of May

His name happens to be my favorite color - BLUE.  He said he is GRUMPY but I don’t think so! … well, usually he also said,

I am posting this a bit late than the intended schedule that this is supposed to be posted.  The main content has long been queued on my draft but...I honestly can’t find an ideal introduction for our guest blogger for today.

Probably because I don’t know him personally.  I can’t stalk him either because he is NOT on Facebook.  He has this “MENTAL NOTE” posted on his site:

“Though we cannot make our sun stand still, yet we will make him run. Blue, resist the urge to use Facebook. You can do it. Good luck.  Cats and dogs can be friends. So can cowboys and Indians. So can we.”

All I know is that it never fails to amused, amazed and puzzled me every time I read his blog posts.  Sadly he deleted most of his (earlier) entries (so I also consider him a bit WEIRD for that). Yes he deprived me of my pleasurable habit of back reading so I can also call him CRUEL.

“WIT“ is the best word to describe his writings.  I was suspecting an intelligent mind behind those posts and I was not surprised at all when I found that he is a University Professor!

When I ask him to be my guest blogger this was his reply…

“I'm not really into places of worship, Balut. The best I could do is write a post about why I wouldn't ever visit a particular church. In my view faith and buildings are not related. That's borderline rude, I know, so I have to pass. But.... here's what I could do for you:”

And so I was smiling from ear to ear when I found his email in my inbox one day.  He really made my day.  Isn’t he AWESOME!?

~~***~~

OMKARESHWAR, INDIA: JYOTIRLINGA SHRINE OF SHIVA

In Madhya Pradesh, a central province in India, there's a seemingly insignificant little island located in the sacred Narmada River called Mandhata Island which happens to have special religious importance for Hindus across the globe. So much for appearances. It is there that my then girlfriend and Bollywood princess Angie went to stay at her mother's nephew's house right before she made a life-altering decision, and it's through her eyes that I'm writing this post for my friend Balut.

Mandhata Island is better known as Omkareshwar, so named after the famous white Hindu temple that is situated on the island. Don't ask me to pronounce the word Omkareshwar, but Angie tells me the island oozes tranquility and spirituality. Which does not come as a surprise given that Omkareshwar is a place of pilgrimage where visitors are welcomed to spend the night at an ashram, that is, a spiritual hermitage or monastery. Just like in the temple itself, people come to an ashram to perform a prayer ritual known as puja (poojah, pooja), which is what Angie did. She also walked around the island, which took her only one hour and a half.



Omkareshwar, the temple itself (also known as the Shri Omkar Mandhata temple), is dedicated to the notable god Shiva. The reason why pilgrims come to this particular place in India is that it houses an actual jyotirlinga shrine, a sacred devotional object representing Shiva of which there are twelve in the entire country. Jyoti meaning 'radiance' and lingam meaning 'sign of Shiva,' a jyotirlinga shrine is said to be a place where Shiva appeared as a fiery column of light. People come from afar to kneel before said object to pray and offer mala (garland), phal (fruit) and prasaad (sweetened confection). When Angie came to visit the temple in February 2012, there weren't many visitors - that is to say, not many in the Indian sense of the word. Everything is relative.



The temple itself is white (if a bit smudged) and clearly visible from the river, reminiscent of a big beehive on top of a big square. There are two entrances, one on each side of the building. Once you're inside you'll notice the impressive high ceiling, entirely white too, with few decorative patterns that are so typical of Indian art. In contrast to many other temples, you can stay here for a couple of hours and speak with the priests.

Although I am not much of a believer in visiting holy shrines and religious buildings myself, the fact that Angie was connected to Omkareshwar in more than one way made me think hard about my own life and the direction I would want to be heading in. I came to the conclusion I wanted to marry her in spite of our huge religious differences. I picked her up from the airport on February 18, popped the question and luckily she said yes. Omkareshwar will forever be connected to me too. Even if I'm not planning on visiting it in person, it feels like I've already been there. All I need to do is close my eyes and watch by future bride walk along that river toward the big white temple.

~~***~~

After reading Blue's entry  I am sure you will agree with me that he is also sooo SWEET and ROMANTIC!

116/365: Places of Worship: Let Us Travel To Long, Phrae, Thailand With The Master of Metaphor As He Talks About Temple Wat Salaeng

26th of April

Metaphorically Speaking is one among my favorite and “regular reads” blogs.  I had been back reading the entries from time to time.  The author might not know about my back reading because I don’t regularly leave comments on his earlier entries.

I love reading this blog not only because it talks about interesting topics especially about life’s journey but also because each entry is a well-written piece with perfect grammar.  I think I said about this several times because this is not the first time that I feature the author here.

I had the privilege of personally meeting our guest blogger Jonathan whom I had instant rapport with.  Probably I am bias in liking him because I was impressed first with his writings prior to meeting him in person.  But I was not biased at all.  Jonathan is a total sum of a naturally intellectual person enhanced by his well-traveled and well-experienced/exposed life.  It was not surprising when I got drawn to our conversation.  It was just a short meet up but it was a very worthy and interesting talk.

At first I though Jonathan’s writing is good because of his mastery and unique skills in playing with the English language.  I thought also that all his writings are always on the serious tone.  The I realized he is a real versatile writer when I came across his hilarious article written in the Filipino language.

Jonathan is Filipino by nationality who has a mix blood of Chinese. He is currently based and working in Thailand as a teacher. He can speak fluent English, Filipino and Chinese and some few more languages.

Go check out his blog and get drawn with his metaphor.  But first let’s see one of his piece as he talks about one place of worship.

~~***~~

A temple, just like a church, is a place of worship, a spiritual refuge, and a man's home for those who wanted to serve monk hood for a certain period of time or for a lifetime. Travelling to Phrae, which is 55 kilometres away from Bangkok, was a trip of picturesque sceneries. The views over the countryside, the rice paddies, the long line of trees, the rivers and the mountains offered distractions to the long journey by car.
Long, Phrae boasts of a temple called Wat Salaeng. The entrance looks like a park what with its fountain and Buddha structures.



The vast property boasts of new structures in smaller houses of worship for different purposes.




There is also a portion where three huge Buddha structures are lined up side by side. They are made of jade and marble so imagine how they transported those images in there.




There is an area of old structures, ruins and an old, wooden Ubosot (the holiest prayer room) with several Buddha images.


This is where monks usually go before doing their usual routines. It is also called an “ordination room” as where ordination for novices takes place.
At the back of the temple ground is the famous Wat Salaeng structure where the Buddha's footprint is housed. It is close and accessible only by monks. I guess one can actually take a peek if we intend to do merit making.





While walking around, I happened to stumble upon a huge gong where people were queuing up. There were some younger people and mostly elderly and they were filled with smiles and anticipation. When it is one's turn, you need to stand in front of the gong and then rub it in circular motion. There are two things that can happen: it can make a loud reverberating sound or it makes nothing or a faint, weak 'hmm' sound.


It is a belief that when it resonates, one leads a good life. If there's none or a very weak one, it's the opposite. That's the reason why after each person's turn, the people around either smile or start
to chatter.

The temple is just a structure just like a church. It is a house of meditation and recollection. However, Christ or Buddha is in our hearts. One is never lost when we believe. With mindfulness, a person always prosper. (Buddhist quote)

109/365: Churches: Vicita Iglesia 2014. From The City To The Highlands

19th of April

As much as I am excited to post today the next entry for Churches and Places of Worship series, I am taking a break to give way to my annual post and sharing about my observance of  Vicita Iglesia.

We started a bit late again this year and the sun is already at its killer rays when we head out to visit seven churches at around past 7AM. We decided that we will be visiting 7 churches again this year because we are not sure that we will find 14 churches along the route that we plotted on this day only.

1st Station: SHRINE OF THE FIVE WOUNDS OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST

Administered by the Stigmatine Fathers and Brothers located at Real Street, Talon I, Las Piñas City, Philippines.  One of the churches that surprised me because I’m not expecting to find it by chance – majestically built in the heart of this town.

2nd Station: ST. JAMES THE GREAT PARISH

Located inside the posh Ayala Alabang Village in Muntinlupa City.  A combination of modern and classic architecture that is definitely worth writing about so I will not elaborate about this magnificent edifice,  Just watch out for the special post.

3rd Station: NOTRE DAME DE VIE CHAPEL

I was looking for a church and I found a fairy tale place!  Located in Las Piñaz Rizal, Philippines - adjacent to the breathtaking Fernbrook Gardens.  A special post is definitely coming up!

4th Station: OUR LADY OF SACRED HEART

A modern and well –maintained church located in the town of Bacoor Cavite, Philippines

5th Station: JESUS NAZARENO PARISH

A humble and yet mysterious looking church located at Dasmariñas, Cavite.

6th Station: NUESTRA SEÑORA DE CANDELARIA

Also known as the Silang Church because it is located at the town of Silang, Cavite, Philippines  A church built in the 1500 is definitely worth writing about.

7th Station: ADORATION CONVENT OF DIVINE MERCY (Pink Sisters Convent and Monastery)

The famous home of the Pink Sister located in the peaceful highland city of Tagaytay.  A wish come true for me and it would be my pleasure to share you the story. 



Though we know that there will be more churches that we will be passing by as we head to the commercial center of Tagaytay, I opted to complete the 14 Stations on this convent to take advantage of the solemnity of this place that has long been listed on my wishes.

ANGELS’ HILLS CHAPEL

Located at Angels’ Hills Retreat House just right beside the Pink Sisters Convent in Tagaytay City also.

OUR LADY OF LOURDES PARISH

Located along the Tagaytay-Nasugbu- Highway.  This church is known for wedding and I am also including among the list that I will be writing more about.



After we’re done with our Vicita Iglesia we headed to the Summit Ridge to freshen up and have our delayed lunch.  I had never seen Tagaytay like this day. There was heavy traffic specially along the roads leading to the Pink Sisters Convent and the other retreat houses.

It is kind of amusing to see that malls and establishments in Tagaytay were all operational on Good Friday.  Unlike in Manila where almost all the the malls are closed starting Maundy Thursday up to Good Friday.  But in spite of the buzz in the commercial areas, this city remains to emanate the presence of peace and tranquility that made our observance more meaningful.

He who has learned to pray has learned the greatest secret of a holy and happy life. ~William Law~

102/365: Churches: A Church from Sagada Philippines in the Eye of The Soul Explorer.

12th of April

The mysterious Marco The Soul Explorer is one among the first bloggers that I have regular and fun interaction with in the blogosphere when I was just starting this blog.  And it is such a pleasure thought that he is still around exploring and blogging up to this day.  Some of our common blogger friends had gone hiatus and has not come back yet.

Marco is one among my favorite person in the blogosphere.  Probably because we share the same passion for running  and exploration.  I usually call him “lakwatsero” – the most fitting Tagalog word that best describes his personality and passion.  I wish someday I can also do his other passion - mountain climbing.

For me to describe Marco as a blogger and in person? (Yep I already met him in person ha ha). Apart from being one good looking guy (no argument on this!) he is also a pleasant and a well- mannered guy.

As a blogger he is supportive and thoughtful.  In spite of being the male and older counterpart of “Dora” he never fails to surprise me with his simple yet sincere thoughtfulness. Out of the blue he will drop a comment to my blog or a “hi” or any conversation anywhere online. That is, as long as he's not in any mountain top, backpacking, going against rapids, dancing in festivals, tasting weird food or finishing a race!

Take for example this request.  I did not even ask twice. I was really delightfully surprised finding this entry on my email inbox!   THANKS Marco!  More power to you and may you never get tired sharing your exploration to all of us!  Now let’s see/hear it from you!

  ~~**~~

The Episcopal Church of Saint Mary the Virgin



Before heading to our next activity, we passed by at the only church in the town. This is a well-known landmark in the town of Sagada –is the only town in the Philippines that is almost Anglican where in 95% of locals baptised into the Episcopal Church of the Philippines. It is located at the Episcopalian Mission compound and it was sanctified on the 8^th of December 1921.

Behind of the church is the school of Saint Mary’s Highs School, the Calvary Hills and fifteen to twenty five minutes hike is the echo valley, and you can see the hanging coffins. You can pass by at the Sagada Cemetery before you reach to the echo valley. Truly a nice view at the back!

We were able to get inside the church because it was open and able to take some pictures in it. So lucky! And, minutes after the mass had begun. The church is quite small, but it simple and looks nice. The altar has rocks at the back which looks so different.



This should not be missed when visiting the place!

95/365: Churches: Magnificently Featured By A Fine Lady from Norway

5th of April

They say that “buena-mano” is always the luck bringer and I believed so specially when I saw this email on my inbox.  I can’t contain my happiness while reading this email sent by one fine lady from Norway.

I can’t remember when Joy and I started following each other in the blogosphere.  But what I am  certain about is that there are three things that I admire most from this lady when I’m visiting her blogs.  Her inspirational features, her photography, and her crafts which she shares through her two wonderful blog sites Joy's Notepad and Will You Hear From Me. .

And mind you she does all of this in between having a regular job, a wife to loving husband and a mother to grown kids. Seems like we came from the same league of Super Women eh? (grin).

C’mon and get drowned with me as we feast in the beauty of Joy’s feature about churches!  Gasp! 

~~**~~

Balut, a sweet woman behind the blog Balut Manila invited co -bloggers to make a post about churches in different places from bloggers who would want to participate. I mean to be write a guest post on her blog.

Well, it was really quite a challenge, but also an exciting post because  I am a church lover.

Anyways, since I am in Norway, I want to show first the church who is nearest to my place. This is a not a Catholic church, but more on Protestant church way of preaching. I really go seldom here because I am a member of a free church which we called here : 

Fosen Kristne Senter ( Fosen Christian church)



So let us move to another church. This church is one hour drive from our place. I just took picture of the church when we drove by one day.



This church is in Kragerø which I took a picture when I was invited to the  baptism of one of my sister's grandson.



A church in Trondheim city when I was invited to the confirmation of my cousin's son.



Following are churches in Stavanger city where my younger sister lives here in Norway and one of her daughter too.







But the best church I visited was Familia Sagrada in Barcelona.

It was really my husband who was very interested to see this place. I was really surprised because he was not fond of visiting churches.  Well, I hope I contaminated him of being a believer:)



The Sagrada Familia is still under construction. Building work begun in the late 19th century and is now funded by churchgoers and devotees, and through ticket revenue from visitors or the tourists. It was Antoni Gaudi's dream, an  architect, to which he devoted much of his life. At the time of his death in 1926, only one of the towers had been completed. The continuation of  Gaudi's project has become unmistakable symbol of Barcelona.

Come along and see this magnificent place with me.

The entrance



This is the front facade who is decorated with statues of Jesus and the saints. It tells the  story of Jesus life. One can really tell or feel that here is a holy ground.





Inside the church is decorated with colorful glass windows. It was meant to make the visitors feel the beauty of nature inside the church.



This is the altar. They held mass many times a day. Open for everybody who wants to participate.



The ceilings 



It is really fascinating. 



This is the back of the church. The walls are decorated with curved figures of the saints like in the front facade. As if one is reading bible stories upon looking at the pictures. 







Anyway, we wanted to visit the tower too. So we took the elevator up to 50 meters . We had to pay extra for that. As you can see, we are now on top. 



It was scary to look down.





The only  negative thing was that we had to go down these stairs after leaving the tower. Since the passage was so narrow, we couldn't go back because there were people behind us. 

And the nightmare begun. My knees were shaking and I believe my husband too because he was not really happy going downstairs. He was afraid that the construction wouldn't hold. 



But, anyway, we survived and ended in this museum where they shows the small models of the church constructions.





The museum was huge and there were  lot of pictures, models and relics in there. But I believed I have to end this post before you get bored. 

Anyway, me and my hubby agreed that we will not visit another church or museum that day. We just wanted to breathe some fresh air. Our knees were still shaking after the visit from the tower. Well, what could we expect? We are getting older....



Leaving you this thought:

Although there are thousands of magnificent churches all over the world, but keep it in mind that we are God's temple and therefor a church  that should bring life and haven to all the people that  God sends into our lives.



JOY