By Pam Rances
In the Philippines, Holy Week is a much-anticipated event that is replete with religious traditions.
The most popular panata or sacred vow among Catholics is the “Visita Iglesia” which was derived from a 16th-century Roman tradition led by St. Philip Neri.
The completion of this religious practice mainly involves visiting seven to 14 churches during Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. Catholic devotees believe that visiting seven or 14 churches would lead to answered prayers and granted wishes. The fervor could be seen in the way they do long treks, some even barefooted, or going long distance for the churches that are part of their Visita Iglesia.
With the high volume of crowd and traffic to be expected, a little planning goes a long way. To save you some time, we will help you map out the churches that you can visit.