As the oldest church in Bataan and a cradle of early Philippine Christianity, Saint Dominic de Guzman Parish Church, more commonly known as Abucay Church, holds a place of exceptional historical importance in the country’s religious and cultural story. Established as a parish in 1587 and entrusted to the Dominican friars a year later, the church is not only one of the earliest centers of Catholic worship in the region; it is also directly linked to the beginnings of Christian education through print. It was here that the Dominicans established a pioneering press where the Doctrina Christiana, the earliest printed book in the Philippines, was produced, firmly anchoring Abucay Church to the spread of Christianity through both preaching and the written word.

Our Lady of the Pillar Church in Morong, Bataan is over 400 years old and stands as one of the oldest churches in the entire province. Founded in 1607, it has long been an important part of the town’s history, serving as one of the earliest centers of Christian worship in the area.

We attended the New Year’s Eve Mass at the Our Lady of La Salette Quasi-Parish, a quiet and meaningful way to close the year before returning home to prepare for the traditional media noche. The quasi-parish, established in 2021 under the Roman Catholic Diocese of Malolos, stands in Barangay Muzon, San Jose del Monte, Bulacan.

Along the provincial highway in Barangay Culis, Municipality of Hermosa, Bataan stands the National Shrine and Parish of Saint John Paul II, a sacred landmark of memory, mercy, and migration. The church was elevated from a diocesan shrine to a national shrine on January 29, 2023.

We visited the National Shrine of St. John Paul II in Hermosa, Bataan as it was one of the stopovers of the pericardium heart relic of Saint Carlo Acutis during its first visit to the Philippines. The relic arrived in the country on November 27, marking the start of an 18-day pilgrimage that would bring this first-class relic to more than 30 churches in 16 dioceses across Luzon.

The devotion to the Immaculate Conception has been deeply woven into the fabric of Filipino Catholic life for centuries. It is a title that does not simply belong to theological discourse, but to the nation’s heart, history, and identity. Every December 8, the entire country pauses to honor Mary as the Immaculate Conception. She is the Patroness of the Philippines.

Molo Church, officially dedicated to St. Anne, is one of Iloilo’s most iconic heritage structures and the only Gothic church in the Philippines outside Metro Manila. Its origins trace back to 1831, when the first structure, made of tabique pampango with a chalk roof, rose in the heart of Molo District of Iloilo City. As the community flourished, plans for a more permanent stone church were drawn up in 1866, approved in 1869, and finally completed in 1888 through the efforts of the parish and local leaders.

The Jaro Metropolitan Cathedral traces its beginnings to March 3, 1575, when it was established by the Augustinians as a visita of Oton. It became a visita of Arevalo in 1584 and was elevated to a parish in April 1587 under the advocation of Our Lady of the Nativity. In 1636, the población moved from Alanga to its present location due to better weather conditions and protection from Moro attacks. On October 31, 1636, the parish changed its patron to Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria.

In the early 1960s, the Balagtas church underwent further renovations to strengthen its structure and adapt it to contemporary liturgical needs. Despite these updates, it has preserved its earthquake Baroque character, with thick adobe walls, simple ornamentation, and a functional design suited to the region’s seismic activity. Inside, the church features wooden ceiling beams, antique retablos, and religious images that continue to be objects of devotion.

The St. James the Great Church of Bolinao, also known as Bolinao Church, stands majestically in the heart of Bolinao, Pangasinan. Built out of black coral stones, the church exudes a commanding presence, its weathered walls telling stories that span more than four centuries. It was canonically erected in 1609, when the Augustinian Friars took over the mission territory that had earlier been entrusted by the Spanish Colonial Government to the Dominican Friars in 1594. The Dominicans eventually left in 1607 due to the vastness of their mission territories and the limited number of missionaries, paving the way for the Augustinians’ return and the church’s formal establishment.

The Archdiocesan Shrine of the Santo Niño in Tacloban traces its beginnings to 1770, when it was founded by the Augustinian missionaries. On June 30, 1889, the image of the Santo Niño, once believed to be lost at sea, mysteriously arrived at the Port of Tacloban. The timing of this miraculous return coincided with the sudden end of the epidemic, which the people gratefully attributed to divine intervention. From that day on, the Santo Niño was venerated as the city’s patron, and Tacloban’s annual Sto. Niño Fiesta has continued to celebrate this miracle with heartfelt devotion and vibrant cultural expression.

Standing proudly within the historic walls of Fort Pilar in Zamboanga City is the Nuestra Señora del Pilar Shrine, one of the most revered Marian pilgrimage sites in Mindanao. Facing the sea and open to the sky, the shrine is both a spiritual sanctuary and a living symbol of the city’s deep devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, known locally as Nuestra Señora del Pilar de Zaragoza, the patroness and protectress of Zamboanga.