Holy Week in Tabor Hill: Where faith is carried one step at a time
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The steep, unpredictable terrain of Tabor Hill reflected the ups and downs of life.
A narrow path cut through the hillside of Barangay San Jose, Cebu City, winding past trees and stone markers.
On the slopes of OAD Tabor Hill, some paused to catch their breath. Others, meanwhile, pressed on the trail, with heads bowed and rosaries in hand.
It was Good Friday, and despite the climb, the faithful continued to come.
Tabor Hill: A climb that mirrors sacrifice
The path was not easy.
From the first station onward, the trail fell and rose before stretching into a long uphill path toward the summit.
Due to the blazing afternoon heat, sweat gathered on people’s foreheads, while murmurs of prayer echoed along the path.
Some carried children, bags, or even instruments. Others bore small wooden crosses on their shoulders, mirroring the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the way to Calvary.
But no one seemed to mind.
“Bisan og tungason gyud kaayo […] nindot gihapon,” said 27-year-old Rommel Salaum, a first-time visitor from Mandaue City.
Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, which he wiped away as he paused to catch his breath.
It was not an easy climb, he admitted.
But for Salaum, the difficulty made the experience more meaningful.
Encouraged by his mother, who had made the pilgrimage before, he came to Tabor Hill for the first time this Holy Week.
Despite the exhaustion, he said the view at the top and the quiet atmosphere along the way made it worth it.
“Nindot kaayo […] peaceful ba,” he added, describing the calm that settled in after completing the journey.
READ: ‘Bahalag init ug hago’: Faith at Cebu’s Celestial Garden
Faith in rhythm
But not all prayers here were whispered.
Behind one group, the soft strumming of a guitar broke the silence.
Marvin Velasco, 34, walked with his family and community, providing music as they moved from one station to another.
For him, the instrument is more than accompaniment — it is part of the sacrifice.
The guitar hung across his shoulder as he climbed, its weight shifting with every step along the uneven trail.
Around him, fellow devotees paused, prayed, and pressed forward, but Marvin kept a steady rhythm, fingers plucking at the strings as the group sang from one station to the next.
“Mahimo sad ni nako nga cross nga atong gidala-dala kada adlaw,” he said, referring to the guitar slung over his shoulder.
The songs he played were familiar, mostly drawn from old religious hymns. But here, in the open air and along the hillside, they took on a different form.
For Marvin, the climb and the music became a personal offering. It was his way of sharing in the sacrifice that the Way of the Cross represents.
To him, the music deepened the experience, transforming prayer into something people felt not just in words but also in melodies.
Service and sacrifice
Among the crowd were not just pilgrims but also workers who went to the site after their shifts ended.
Nancy Opigal, a Barangay Environmental Officer (BEO) of Barangay San Jose, where Tabor Hill is located, had spent hours ensuring their area of responsibility remained clean and orderly.
But before heading home, she and her colleagues decided to walk the steep path together.
“Amo nasabutan nga mag-Station of the Cross before mi mopauli,” she said.
Still in uniform, they joined the flow of devotees, stopping at each station — not to manage the crowd, but to pray.
For Opigal, the walk became more than routine. It was a moment of reflection after a long day of service, a chance to pause and turn inward.
“Kaming tanan naghinulsol gyud mi sa among mga kasal-anan,” she said.
Each step, she added, blended the physical demands of the climb with a deeper spiritual purpose.
Stations beyond tradition
For many, the hardship is the point.
At Tabor Hill, the Way of the Cross is not just recited — it is felt. Each step upward mirrors the burden carried by Christ, turning the terrain itself into part of the prayer.
Unlike most pilgrimage sites, Tabor Hill’s Via Crucis does not end at the crucifixion.
Here, there are 16 stations — two more than the traditional set — culminating not only in death but also in the resurrection and the descent of the Holy Spirit.
The journey stretches farther, both physically and spiritually.
Along the path, images depicting the Passion of Christ and other biblical scenes line the trail. Some devotees pause at every station, lingering longer in quiet prayer.
At the summit, the reward is both rest and revelation. A sweeping view of Cebu City below, its bridges stretching toward Lapu-Lapu, offering a nice contrast to the solemn climb that led there.
Tabor Hill’s beginnings
Tabor Hill has long been a destination for those seeking silence, reflection, and renewal.
Founded in the 1990s by missionaries of the Order of Discalced Augustinians, the site was inspired by Mount Tabor in the Holy Land, where the transfiguration of Christ is believed to have taken place.
Today, it stands not just as a place of prayer but as a place people return to — year after year, step after step.
Prominent place during Holy Week
As the sun began to set and temperatures began to ease that Good Friday, the flow of devotees doubled.
Even in the fading light, figures could still be seen moving along the hillside. Some were nearing the top, others just beginning.
Behind them, the city hummed. Ahead of them, the final stations waited.
And in between, the climb went on slow, steady, and steep.
Because for those who come to Tabor Hill each Holy Week, faith was not found at the top.
It was carried, one step at a time.
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