The Lenten Season is also about reflection and prayer about the passion of Christ.
There are days to fast and during the Holy Week on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, the Catholic faithful usually practice the Visita Iglesia or the tradition to visit 7 or 14 churches, where they pray and reflect and do the stations of the cross.
Aside from that, it is also good to know something about the place of prayer that you visit.
READ: Holy Week traditions: What is Visita Iglesia?
Although it is not a requirement, but it may make you appreciate more the place of worship that you visit and perhaps, add to the solemnity of the place.
This can also put you more at ease to go about your duties for the day — to pray and reflect on the passion of Christ.
Holy Week 2024: 7 Metro Cebu churches to visit
Here are some churches in Metro Cebu that you can visit or add to the churches that you would want to visit for your Visita Iglesia and some tidbits for you about these places of worship.
Facade of Sto. Niño de Cebu Mactan Parish. CDN Digital Photo/Niña Mae Oliverio
Lapu-Lapu City
Sto. Niño de Cebu Mactan Parish
In Lapu-Lapu City, aside from the well known Shrine of the Nuestra Señora Virgen de Regla at the city’s Poblacion, there is a parish in Barangay Mactan called the Sto. Niño de Cebu Mactan Parish.
— Church was established 28 years ago.
— Its structure was designed after the morion or the helmet worn by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, who led a Spanish expedition that arrived in Cebu islands in 1521.
More details about the church and how to get there. READ THIS: Sto. Niño de Cebu Mactan Parish
Churchgoers attend Mass at the San Fernando Rey Parish church in Liloan town in northern Cebu. CDN Digital photo/Niña Mae Oliverio
Liloan town
San Fernando Rey Parish Church
— established in 1847.
— It was named after San Fernando El Rey (Saint Ferdinand III), King of Castille and Defender of the Church.
—the church is different in the sense that it is oriented to the west unlike most churches in coastal towns which are oriented or the front of the church facing east.
More details about the church and how to get there this Holy Week 2024. READ THIS: San Fernando Rey Parish Church
The Gethsemane Parish, also known as Catholic Church of Christ of the Agony, is located in Barangay Casuntingan, Mandaue City. | Emmariel Ares
Mandaue City
Catholic Church of Christ of the Agony – Gethsemane Parish
— it was established in June 7, 1978
— this church in Barangay Casuntingan, Mandaue City got its name from the aramaic word “Gethsemane,” a suburban area in Jerusalem where the Agony of Christ took place.
— its titular name however is the Catholic Church of Christ of the Agony.
More details about the church and how to get there this Holy Week 2024. Read this: Catholic Church of Christ of the Agony – Gethsemane Parish
The Adoration Convent of Divine Peace Chapel, which is also known as the Pink Sisters Chapel, is located in Barangay Banilad, Mandaue City. | Emmariel Ares
Adoration Convent of Divine Peace Chapel (Pink Sisters Chapel)
— chapel situated along the roadside of A.S. Fortuna St., Barangay Banilad, Mandaue City, was inaugurated in July 27, 1974.
— it is the chapel of the convent that belongs to a German congregation called the Sisters Servants of the Holy Spirit and Perpetual Adoration.
— this chapel is also the home of the “Pink Sisters,” nuns who wear bold pink habits instead of the traditional and unassuming black and white ones.
More details about the church and how to get there. READ THIS: Adoration Convent of Divine Peace Chapel (Pink Sisters Chapel)
The San Isidro Labrador Parish sits atop a hill in Barangay Talamban, Cebu City. | Emmariel Ares
Cebu City
San Isidro Labrador Parish
— the church, which sits atop a hill in Barangay Talamban, Cebu City, was established 66 years ago.
— its patron saint is Saint Isidore the Laborer and its second patron is Virgin de los Desamparados (Our Lady of the Forsaken).
— two glass stained walls inside it featuring its patron saints are notable features of the church.
More details about the church and how to get there. READ THIS: San Isidro Labrador Parish
The facade of the Archdiocesan Shrine of San Nicolas de Tolentino Parish. | Pia Piquero
Archdiocesan Shrine of San Nicolas de Tolentino Parish
— Archdiocesan Shrine of San Nicolas de Tolentino Parish, which is located along C. Padilla Street in Barangay San Nicolas, Cebu City, is a significant Roman Catholic landmark in Cebu City, and it honors St. Nicolas of Tolentino.
— The church was founded in 1565 as Villa de San Miguel by Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, it was later renamed Villa Santisimo Nombre de Jesus in 1571.
— The construction of the church, however, started in 1787 and was completed in 1804.
— It has undergone several changes through the centuries and survived wars, storms and earthquakes.
More details about the church and how to get there this Holy Week 2024. READ THIS: Archdiocesan Shrine of San Nicolas de Tolentino Parish
Archdiocesan Shrine of Sta. Teresa de Avila in Poblacion, Talisay City. | Pia Piquero
Talisay City
Archdiocesan Shrine of Sta. Teresa de Avila
— The Archdiocesan Shrine of Sta. Teresa de Avila is a stunning Romanesque-style church nestled in the coastal barangay of Poblacion in Talisay City, located about 12 kilometers south of Cebu City.
— Originally part of the San Nicolas Parish, like Pardo Church, the Sta. Teresa de Avila Church became a parish on August 16, 1836.
— In 2004, it gained prominence as a pilgrimage site, leading to a Year of Grace declared from August 16, 2005, to October 15, 2006.
— It was officially designated as an Archdiocesan Shrine during the 2007 fiesta celebration, offering pilgrims plenary indulgence on specific visitation days.
More details about the church and how to get there this Holy Week 2024. Read this: Archdiocesan Shrine of Sta. Teresa de Avila
ALSO READ: Holy Week 2024: Heritage churches beckon for ‘Visita Iglesia’