DESPITE the lockdowns, Catholics can carry on with their Visita Iglesia tradition this Holy Week—albeit virtually—thanks to an immersive Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines online program.
Visita Iglesia is a practice where Catholics visit various churches and pray the stations of the cross in remembrance of Christ’s Passion.
Representing each station in the Way of the Cross, the online Visita Iglesia offers a 360-degree view of 14 featured Churches:
- Station 1- San Agustin Church in Manila
- Station 2- St. Joseph the Worker (Angry Christ) Chapel in Victorias City and Chapel of the Cartwheels in Manapla, Negros Occidental
- Station 3- St. Augustine of Hippo Church in Bacong, Negros Oriental
- Station 4- St. Augustine Parish Church in Bantay, Ilocos Sur
- Station 5- Our Lady of Mt. Carmel (Barasoain Church) in Malolos, Bulacan
- Station 6- St. Catherine of Alexandria Church in Carcar and Nuestra Señora del Patrocinio de Maria Parish in Boljoon, Cebu
- Station 7- St. Michael the Archangel Church in Jagna, Bohol
- Station 8- St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Laoag and San Ignacio de Loyola Parish in Capul, Northern Samar
- Station 9- San Carlos Borromeo Church in Mahatao and San Jose de Ivana Parish in Ivana, Batanes
- Station 10- San Gregorio Magno Parish in Majayjay, Laguna
- Station 11- San Bartolome Apostol Parish in Nagcarlan, Laguna
- Station 12- St. James the Apostle Parish in Paete and St. Peter of Alcantara Parish in Pakil, Laguna
- Station 13- St. Augustine Parish in Cuyo Island and Fort Sta. Isabel Chapel in Taytay, Palawan
- Station 14- Minor Basilica of St. Martin of Tours in Taal, Batangas
The program was initially launched with seven featured churches in March 2010.
Last year, Msgr. Pedro Quitorio, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) media office director, encouraged the faithful to make use of the online portal, which allows anyone to pray the Pasyon (Lord’s Passion) and the Stations of the Cross, and attend online Masses and other liturgical activities, after the government prohibited religious gatherings amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Today, when everybody is in quarantine and all liturgy in physical churches are closed to people, Visita Iglesia continues to be a portal for online retreats, catechesis, and liturgical celebrations,” Quitorio said.
Aside from the virtual Visita Iglesia, the CBCP media office has also released on Spotify podcast versions of the Way of the Cross and the Holy Rosary.
On March 21, the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases prohibited mass gatherings, including religious gatherings, in Metro Manila and surrounding provinces of Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal from March 22 to April 4, Easter Sunday. Ma. Alena O. Castillo and Sophia T. Sadang
