Camarines Sur in 1 Day

February 16, 2018;  Happy Chinese New Year. Since it was a long weekend, we were itching to go on another road trip.  Our initial plan was to visit the Black Nazarene of Capalonga in Camarines Norte.  It was already 2pm when we left Antipolo.  When we reached the Capalonga-Daet junction, it was already 8pm.  This made us decided to  look for a hotel in Daet to spend the night.  We stayed at Canimog hotel, a very cozy hotel with a big family room that was very comfortable and with very friendly staff. 

The next morning, we decided to drive to Naga since it was just a 2 hour drive away.  First stop was the Shrine of the Our Lady Peñafrancia.  This is the same location in Nueva Cacares (Naga) where the first chapel built of nipa and bamboo was constructed.  In 1750, under Bishop Isidro Arevalo, the present day stone church was built.  This church served as the home to the Our Lady of Penafrancia for almost 2 centuries.  It was said that the facade was donated by the Chinese community of the locality.  The church is also 2 kilometers away from the Episcopal Palace.

A Basillica dedicated to the Our Lady was built on the outskirts of Naga.  Known as the Basillica Minore de Penafrancia, the place had a bigger church and church grounds that can accomodate more pilgrims.  One of the largest Marian Pilgrimage site in Asia, it now houses the 1710 sculpture of the Lady.  

Next stop was the Naga Metropolitan Cathedral.  Built in 1808, the Cathedral is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Caceres.  The cathedral was designed to counter earthquakes thus explaining the massive arcades and columns inside the cathedral.

Just in front of the Cathedral is the Porta Mariae a triumphal arch built to commemorate the momentous celebration of the jubilee year. The arch resembles the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France.

When we tried to check the mass schedule in Capalonga, there was no anticipated mass scheduled on a Saturday and since the church is only open until 5pm, we wont be able to arrive on time. This made us decide that since Albay is only 2 hours drive away, we decided to see the Cagsawa Ruins.

Cagsawa ruins is the remnants of a 16th century church and is what was left of the town of Cagsawa during the eruption of Mayon volcano in 1814.  Mayon volcano or simply Mt. Mayon was a sight to see. She is one if not the only volcano tagged to have a perfect cone.

As part of the adventure, we also tried the ATV ride.  Unfortunately, Mt. Mayon is still under alert level 4 which means that she is still very active and any activity within the permanent danger zone is still prohibited.  The river trail was the only option.

On our way home, we dropped by the century old church of Camalig.

The kids enjoyed the trip and adventures we had for that short road trip to Camarines Sur.

Hacienda Dolores Chapel

June 11, 2017; Curious with the small chapel in Hacienda Dolores, we drove along the mega dike road in Porac, Pampanga.  Built in 1856 by the Dolores family within their Hacienda, the chapel was dedicated to the Our Lady of Sorrows. Although we visited the chapel on a Sunday afternoon, we found no parishioners in the area to ask for details or a brief history of the chapel.  Very little information is available on the internet regarding the history of this chapel.  Although we felt that all eyes were on us and was not welcome to the place, we thank the Lord for the safe trip and the blessing of being in this place.

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.