Final Jubilee of Mercy Church

The Archdiocesan Shrine of the Divine Mercy in Mandaluyong City is a familiar place of worship as it is located just a few blocks away from our former residence. On October 11, 2016 we headed to our 5th and last Jubilee of Mercy Church. It was a balmy day due to the afternoon showers but we performed all the assigned tasks even if there were a lot of stairs involved and it was a bit difficult for my aged parents to go up and down. We received our certificate of completion from the parish office and truly enjoyed this enriching and spiritually fulfilling experience that will further cement our Catholic faith.

Jubilee of Mercy Churches (Part 2)

We had three more churches to visit on our pilgrim's passport. We scheduled it during my sister's vacation here as she was the one who informed us about this special decree from Pope Francis regarding the Jubilee of Mercy pilgrimage.

On October 06, 2016, we visited (3) Our Lady of Sorrows Parish in Pasay City. After asking for directions from a tricycle driver, we found the church along a main road amidst the busy bustle of a congested city like Pasay. Thankfully it had its own parking space within its compound. It was our first time to visit this place of worship.

On the same day, we proceeded to another church since it was on our way, home. (4) The National Shrine of the Sacred Heart is in Makati City. I've heard of this church but it was our first time to set foot inside. By the time we arrived a heavy downpour had swept the entire city. It was also almost 6 PM because a traffic jam had developed from the rains, we barely had time to properly reflect as the parish office was closing for the day.  But we were able to complete all the assigned tasks. It is a spacious and lovely shrine, hopefully I can visit it again to hear mass some day.

Jubilee of Mercy Churches (Part 1)

Well hello there ... yes I'm still around a bit busy with personal stuff and life in general. Sorting through my pictures is a good distraction for me. This made me realize I wasn't able to blog about our pilgrimage to Jubilee of Mercy designated churches, last year. This being Holy Week, blogging about churches would seem appropriate, no?

In the Jubilee Year of Mercy, from Dec. 8, 2015, to Nov. 20, 2016, some selected churches in the Archdiocese of Manila opened doors to make the pilgrimage an enriching experience. To accomplish this, Catholics need to pass through the church’s Holy Door of Mercy, profess the faith by reciting the Creed and pray for the intentions of the Holy Father. In the Archdiocese of Manila, the Jubilee churches are: the Manila Cathedral; Santuario de Santo Cristo Parish in San Juan; Archdiocesan Shrine of the Divine Mercy in Mandaluyong City; Our Lady of Sorrows Parish in Pasay City; and the National Shrine of the Sacred Heart in Makati City. Since this is a pilgrimage—although a local one—the five churches in Manila made sure participants have a “passport” to guide them in their journey. After they accomplish the required activities they should proceed to the parish office for stamping of their passports.

Last May 3, 2016, we got our pilgrims' passports at (1) The Manila Cathedral.

It was a really hot day and we were drenched in sweat by the time we were done but it was an enriching and solemn experience towards being more merciful in every possible way.

(2) Sanctuario de Santo Cristo Parish in San Juan which we visited on May 05, 2016 is a church I am quite familiar with as it is located just a few blocks away from where I attended high school in the late 1980s. I remember my late aunt would hear mass at this parish every single day back then. So her driver would pick us up from home, she will be dropped off at this church then we would be taken to our school.

To be continued ... part 2!