March 24, 2016; It was Holy Thursday and instead of the Bisita Iglesia we decided to have a pilgrimage to the Jubilee Churches of the Archdiocese of Manila. This year marked the Holy Year of Mercy as announced by Pope Francis. This gave Catholics a chance to obtain indulgence during the Year of Mercy by passing through a designated Holy Door and by performing one corporal work or spiritual works of Mercy. In the Archdiocese of Manila, Cardinal Antonio Luis Tagle declared the following five churches as designated churches with a Holy door:
- Manila Cahtedral
- Santuario del Santo Cristo Parish
- Archdiocesan Shrine of the Divine Mercy
- Our Lady of Sorrows Parish
- National Shrine of the Sacred Heart
We started our pilgrimage at the Santuario del Santo Cristo. To start our pilgrimage, we secured our Pilgrim's Passport at the Parish office and followed the activities for pilgrims as listed in the passport. After completing the different activities listed for each Jubilee Church, the Parish office will put a stamp signifying that one has completed the activities for their parish. After completing the activities in our last Church which is at the Manila Cathedral, we were given certificates that we had made a pilgrimage to all Jubilee Churches of the Archdiocese of Manila.
Before we ended our day, we dropped by at the Parish of San Miguel located near Malacanang Palace to offer and light candles.
It was a worthwhile experience for us and the kids to remember the passion and death of our Lord during this Lenten season.
