Child King

The Feast of the Child Jesus occurs on the third Sunday of January but so many Filipinos have a devotion to the Santo Niño that January effectively has become his month. Three of the four biggest and most well-known festivals in the Philippines during January are dedicated to the Sto. Niño. He also has his own chapel in the Manila Cathedral.

My favorite model

The geometric lines and shapes of the Ateneo Church of the Gesù make for some interesting and fun photos. This is the exterior corridor with skylights running the entire length of its facade.

Amidst the bustle

A street-side shrine in Binondo, Manila's Chinatown. I can't figure out what religion it serves though, since it has both incense sticks and a crucifix, and the sign on the right was announcing a Mass. Are incense sticks used instead of candles in Chinese Catholic churches? If anyone knows, I'd appreciate a little cultural lesson.

Carillon

The bells of the Ateneo Church of the Gesù, housed in a tower separate from the church, were a gift to the university from the alumni class of High School 1960 / College 1964. Six years after the bell tower was constructed, the class has raised funds to add more bells, which I think have already been cast because the discussion now is which saints will have their names inscribed on the bells. It would be interesting to see where and how the new bells will be added to the tower.

Tolling for a century

Here is a side view of the 1896 Church of San Juan del Monte, better known locally as Pinaglabanan Church, showing the bell tower which is separate from the main church. You can also see here where its unusually-shaped but beautiful stained glass window is.

Simple blessing

A relief of the Madonna and Child in the gardens of the Santa Maria della Strada (Our Lady of the Way) parish church in Quezon City.

A simple feast

This stained glass window is located over the door of the chapel of the Loyola Retreat House in the town of Angono in the province of Rizal where we had a spiritual retreat last April. I thought it appropriate to post today because many Filipinos will be attending Mass in celebration of the Nativity of Our Lady. It is not a holiday but it is a holy day in this largely Catholic country.

Old and new

The facade and bell tower of the Minor Basilica of San Lorenzo Ruiz, better known as Binondo Church after the district in the City of Manila where it is located, date back from 1852 and are the only parts of the church, built by Spanish Dominicans for Chinese immigrants who converted to Christianity, which survived WWII. The roof over the driveway is definitely part of the 1946 to 1984 restoration, as you can tell from the smoothness of the stone.

God and mammon

The Philippines is the only country I know where Sunday Masses are celebrated in shopping malls. They are usually held in big, open areas where performances and other special events also take place. Some shopping centers that have many buildings sprawled over a large space even have their own chapels. I showed the one in Greenbelt last year. This one is the Chapel of the Holy Family in the Greenhills Shopping Center in the City of San Juan.

Safe travel

Santa Maria della Strada parish church in Quezon City has a lovely outdoor columbarium. I find it fitting for Our Lady of the Way to be watching over those who have traveled on before us.

Just call him Fr. Jojo

July 31 is the Feast Day of St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus. Last year, I introduced the order's Superior General, the Very Reverend Adolfo Nicolás, SJ. This year, let me introduce the head of the Society's Philippine Province, Rev. Jose Cecilio J. Magadia, SJ. His official title is Provincial Superior though his continued humility belies the exalted position. Every now and then, I see him walking from the Province House in Loyola Heights to the Ateneo de Manila University—alone, in t-shirt and jeans.

Rosy moment

The delicate pink stained glass windows of the Chapel of St. Thomas More in the Ateneo Professional Schools do not have obviously religious images unlike those in other Catholic churches and chapels I've seen.

Urban or rural, natural or man-made, take a sightseeing tour of our world's diverse scenery!

In defense of the faith

Fort Santiago, named after St. James the Greater, the Patron Saint of Spain, was built in 1571, soon after the arrival of Spanish conquistador Miguel López de Legazpi. Renovations were done on the fort in 1773, which included the construction of the Reducto de San Francisco Javier (Redoubt of St. Francis Xavier) and a tunnel leading to it from the main fort. The redoubt added to the defense of the seashore and the mouth of the Pasig River. In the 1980s, the redoubt was restored and converted into a shrine for Our Lady of Guadalupe. A replica of her image was brought to the islands by Fray Andrés de Urdaneta, one of the first five Augustinians in the Legazpi expedition.

Beacon

When the sun has completely set, the Church of the Gesù is a beacon of light in the Ateneo de Manila University campus. Especially for the students who live in the dormitories beside it.

No less grand

The main facade of the Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, better known as the Manila Cathedral, has three doorways. The central doorway, which is the biggest, has large wooden doors with bronze relief panels depicting the history of the church, over which is a grand arch inscribed with the dedication of the church. The two side doorways are slightly smaller though their arches are just as richly ornamented with elaborate reliefs.

Spanish mission

Another view of the facade of the Church of San Juan del Monte, better known locally as Pinaglabanan Church, this time with its bell tower. The church is located in the City of San Juan which were still the boondocks in 1896, the year that the church was built. That year also saw the start of the Philippine Revolution, when Filipinos took up arms against the Spanish colonial authorities.

Steel tower

This is the bell tower of the Santa Maria della Strada (Our Lady of the Way) parish church in Quezon City, still draped in its Easter robes. I remember how, when it was first unveiled, reactions to its design were varied, to put it mildly.

In her heart

This is the companion piece to the stained glass window featuring St. Ignatius of Loyola behind the altar of the chapel of the Loyola Retreat House in the town of Angono in Rizal Province. It is a depiction of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, a devotion to Mary which focuses on her interior spiritual life. The 19th verse of the 2nd chapter of the Gospel of Luke, after Mary learns from the angel that she will soon be a mother, sums up the concept well: "And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart." Quite appropriate for a spiritual retreat center.




Many countries, including the Philippines, are celebrating Mother's Day today. So, to all mothers: may you have a wonderful day filled with love and joy. And to everybody: no matter how flawed or imperfect our mothers are, they dedicated a large part of their lives to us—please tell them how much you appreciate that in any way you can.

Happy Mother's Day!

A gym for the spirit

The two-day prayer recollection that I went to earlier this week was held at the Loyola Retreat House in the town of Angono in Rizal Province, east of Metro Manila. It is run by the Society of Jesus and visitors and retreatants are greeted by a statue of St. Ignatius of Loyola holding his Spiritual Exercises, which was the basis of our recollection, though in a much shorter form.




Almost hidden among the trees at the back of the retreat house is a small shrine depicting one of the most important events in the life of Ignatius. He was a Basque soldier and after his conversion, he made a pilgrimage to the Benedictine monastery of Santa Maria de Montserrat in Catalonia, Spain where he lay down his arms and armor in front of an image of the Virgin Mary.




The Loyola Retreat House is nowhere near as gorgeous as last year's Caleruega. It is actually quite spartan in its furnishings and design, but since it is used strictly as a venue for spiritual retreats, I think it was a much better choice—it was completely quiet. The most extravagant adornments in the center are the beautiful stained glass windows in the small chapel. Again, St. Ignatius is depicted holding the book of the Spiritual Exercises in one of the four large windows behind the altar.

Urban or rural, natural or man-made, take a sightseeing tour of our world's diverse scenery!

The resurrection and the life

This hopeful image of the resurrected Christ greets visitors and mourners at the entrance of the crypt of Our Lady of Mount Carmel church in New Manila, Quezon City. The odd lighting pattern comes from the fact that the columbarium is in the basement of the church and fluorescent tubes had to be installed behind the panels. Nevertheless, I think that the stained glass is beautiful.