The Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño. | Contributed photo
MANDAUE CITY, Cebu – If you are looking for a religious place to visit this Holy Week, join the pilgrimage to Jubilee churches in scenic southern Cebu.
This way, you get to breathe fresh air and receive plenary indulgence.
The Southern Cebu Jubilee Churches Tour was designed by the Central Visayas Office of the Department of Tourism (DOT-7) and the Archdiocese of Cebu.
This two-day tour is highly recommended for both the local and foreign tourists and pilgrims this Holy Week.
In a statement, DOT-7 said, the tour will include visits to the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño in Cebu City and other old churches in the province of Cebu that are located in Carcar City and Argao, Dalaguete, Boljoon and Barili towns as well as to the St. Gregory the Great Parish Church in Ginatilan, where the roots of San Pedro Calungsod, the teenage second Filipino saint, was said to have come from.
Holy Doors
“Pilgrims, together with their chaplain, will pray at the Holy Doors before entering the churches,” the DOT-7 statement reads.
“Holy doors” in 13 historic churches in Cebu were opened on Easter Sunday in 2021 to mark the official start of the year-long celebration of the 500th anniversary of Christianity in the country.
READ: Cebu officially starts 500 Years of Christianity celebrations
Pilgrims, who pass through the Holy Doors within the Jubilee year, from 2021 to 2022, and has recently gone to confession, received Holy Communion, and prayed for the intercession of the Holy Father and the Church, will receive plenary indulgence or complete remission of all temporal punishment due to sins.
“Entering through the Holy Door at five (5) of the seven (7) churches [included] in the [tour’s] itinerary is a key feature of the pilgrimage,” the DOT-7 statement added.
Jubilee Churches Tour
DOT-7 said the tour will start at the historic Basilica in Cebu City, the center of the celebration of the 500 Years of Christianity in the Philippines.
The church is the oldest in the country and the only basilica in the Visayas and Mindanao.
Pilgrims will hear Mass at the Basilica and join a tour at the Sto. Niño Pilgrim Center and its museum.
The Archdiocesan Shrine of St. Catherine of Alexandria in Carcar City. | Photo from FB page of theArchdiocesan Shrine of St. Catherine of Alexandria
The tour will then proceed to the Archdiocesan Shrine of St. Catherine of Alexandria in Carcar City, which is “one of the best-preserved heritage churches in the province and stands out for its byzantine-influenced architecture with Moorish onion-shaped domes crowning twin belltowers.”
“The city itself is a heritage zone showcasing Spanish and American period structures,” DOT-7 said.
Stops will also be made at the Archdiocesan Shrine of St. Michael in Argao town that is known for its pipe organ.
READ: After the silence, comes the music
Another stop will be made at the San Guillermo de Aquitania Church in Dalaguete, which is considered as “another prized heritage site renowned for its distinct artistic quality and serene atmosphere.”
Patrocinio de Maria Church in Boljooon town. | Contributed photo
National Cultural Treasure
The most important stop during the pilgrimage will be made at the Patrocinio de Maria Church in Boljooon town which has been declared a National Cultural Treasurer by the National Museum of the Philippines and a National Historical Landmark by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines.
This has also been considered for the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of the Philippines and a member of the Baroque Churches of the Philippines.
The church complex includes an expansive plaza and a two-storey convent with a museum on the ground floor.
Experience Culture
And after engaging in a religious tour and other faith-based activities, pilgrims will then get to also experience the other prides of southern Cebu when they make their final stop in Barili town.
The Sta. Ana Church in Barili. | Photo from the Municipality of Barili
While in the area, pilgrims will get to visit the Sta. Ana Church, also a Jubilee Church and the only parish in Cebu dedicated to the mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the first to be run by secular priests.
Pilgrims will also get to experience culture and taste yummy meals with the integration of a visit to a torta maker’s shop and canyoneering in Badian town to the tour’s itinerary.
Those who are interest to join the pilgrimage this Holy Week “are advised to contact DOT-accredited tour operators.”
/bmjo
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