Bacolor Church

May 21, 2017: We dropped by the Bacolor Church in Pampanga.  Named after the town's patron saint, San Guillermo, the church is witness to one of natures wrath in the 20th century,  the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in 1991.  After the eruption, lahar flows or debris from the eruption of the volcano, came down the slopes of the volcano burying the whole town of Bacolor.  In 1995, the church, all of its 12 meter high baroque and neoclassical design, was left half buried in lahar.  20 years after the devastation, the church still stands witness to the devotion of its town folks and their faith.  To date, they were able to get back on their feet and lived a normal life as if nothing happened.  Most of the religious icons were dug-up and cleaned and reinstalled in the same church.  Regular masses are still heard in the church everyday.

Truly, our Lord works in mysterious ways.

Lourdes Grotto

May 7, 2017;  We had a quick visit at the Lourdes Grotto in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan.  I was surprised that the facade of the church was almost finished.  The last time I was here was years back and only the church ramp was finished.  The church was a replica of the Our Lady of Lourdes church in France.

Faced with a lot of controversies, the place used to have thousands of devotees.  But none the less, it is still our belief that what matters most.

We prayed and thank the Lord for guidance and blessings at the grotto located at the back of the church.

Our Lady of Piat

May 7, 2017: We made a visit to the Our Lady of Piat located in the town of Doña Remedios Trinidad in Bulacan.  A replica of the original image was made and is now known as Mama Piat.  Now based in Bulancan, the original image of Mama Piat was a 16th-century paper mache image that originated from the St. Dominique Church in Macau and was initially enshrined in the Dominican sanctuary of Sto. Domingo Church.  Since the image had no markings, it was initially called the Our Lady of the Rosary.  There were series of transfers as to where the imaged would finally be enshrined mainly due to its color and was not made of ivory.  Finally, it was transferred to Nueva Segovia in Piat, Cagayan Valley and is referred to as Mother of Cagayan.

A shrine of the Our Lady of Piat also known as the Our Lady of Visitation, will rise at highest peak of DRT overlooking the whole town. Church construction started in 2009 and is at least 50% complete.  Sunday masses are already held in the area and attracts devotees from all over.

Truly blessed to have visited this place on a fine sunny day.