For this year’s Visita Iglesia, we have decided to go to Bataan to visit 7 churches this Maundy Thursday. Bataan is a province located at the Central Luzon of the Philippines.

Although it resembles the baroque-style Spanish Colonial-era churches in the Philippines that are centuries old, St. James the Great Parish is a relatively recent building, completed in 1993. Situated at the intersection of Cuenca and Ibaan Streets within Ayala Alabang Village in Muntinlupa City, this church serves as the primary place of worship for the Catholic community residing in this exclusive neighborhood.

Despite its appearance resembling an old church, the San Juan Dela Cruz Parish is actually a relatively recent establishment, having been founded in 1996. The church is under the jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Malolos and can be found in Barangay Ugong, Valenzuela City.

In the busy area of Guadalupe Nuevo, Makati City, known for its large billboards and its location near San Carlos Seminary, stands a simple but important church, the National Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Celestial Patroness of the Philippines. The place was once known for its large urban poor population, and out of concern for the people living there, a parish was established in 1951.

The Sto. Niño de Taguig Church traces its humble beginnings to the devotion and unity of a small military community. In 1964, eighteen military families from the Signal Service Corps of the Philippine Army relocated from Diliman, Quezon City, to what would later be known as Signal Village. It was on February 11, 1987, when the Sto. Niño Parish was officially established.

During this New Year of 2023, I had the chance to visit the San Sebastian Church in Pasig. Its story dates back to January 20, 1572, when the Augustinian friars led by Fr. Alonzo de Alvarado, together with encomendero Juan de la Isla, arrived through the riverside to an ancient barrio that would later become the foundation of Pasig. On the very day of their arrival, they celebrated the first Mass in honor of San Sebastian, adopting him as the town’s patron saint. From then on, the place came to be known as “San Sebastian de Pasig”.

Aside from the Metropolitan Cathedral of San Fernando, we went to another church located in San Jose Road within the City of San Fernando, Pampanga. It’s the Arzobispado de Pampanga, the home of the Archbishop of Pampanga.

The San Fernando Cathedral, originally constructed in the 1750s under the patronage of San Fernando III, King of Castille, was initially built using wood and thatch. However, it underwent renovations in the 1780s. Regrettably, the structure faced destruction by fire on two occasions: first during the Philippine Revolution Army in May 1899 under Gen. Antonio Luna’s orders, and again in 1939.

The Church of Lubao played a pivotal role in Pampanga’s history. In 1898, it was occupied by Filipino rebels during the Philippine revolution, and a year later, it functioned as a makeshift hospital for American troops amid the Philippine-American War. Tragically, in 1942, the 17th-century church fell victim to Japanese bombings during World War II. Reconstruction efforts began in 1949, and in 1952, a historical marker detailing its history was installed on the church facade by the Historical Committee of the Philippines. Recognizing its significance, the National Museum designated the San Agustin Church as an Important Cultural Property in 2013.

The San Guillermo Church in Bacolor. Pampanga was initially built by the Augustinian Friars in 1576. However, in 1880, the church was devastated by an earthquake and subsequently reconstructed in 1886. Tragically, on September 3, 1995, lahar flow from the slopes of Mount Pinatubo, which had erupted on June 15, 1991, engulfed the church, burying it to half its original height of 12 meters.

The Military Vicariate was established on December 8, 1950 by Pope Pius XII. In April 1986, Pope John Paul II issued a decree elevating military vicariates globally to ordinariates, granting them the same status as territorial dioceses. Consequently, on July 21, 1986, St. Ignatius of Loyola Cathedral was officially designated as the seat of the Military Ordinariate of the Philippines.