Pathways of Faith: The Story of the Philippine Visita Iglesia
- museomaritimo
- 3 hours ago
- 5 min read
March 25, 2026 – Pasig City, NCR, Philippines
An article by SM Floralde
Last year, I made a commitment to fulfill my spiritual obligation. As my own way of reflecting on the passion of Christ during Holy Week, I decided to spend a whole day of traveling, trekking, and offering prayers in Rizal. Recognized as a first-class province in the Philippines, located in the CALABARZON Region on the island of Luzon, and named after our national hero, Jose Rizal, this mountainous province not only offers scenic and historical attractions but also religious sites that are conducive for reflection, repentance, and veneration of the blessed sacrament.
With these considerations, I joined a group of Catholic devotees to go on a pilgrimage tour on Good Friday and visit Rizal’s famous seven churches: 1) The National Shrine of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage (also known as Antipolo Cathedral); 2) Minor Basilica and Parish of St. John the Baptist (Taytay Church); 3) Sta. Ursula Parish (Binangonan Church); 4) Saint Jerome Parish (Morong Church); 5) Diocesan Shrine and Parish of Saint Joseph (Baras Church); 6) San Ildefonso del Toledo Parish (Tanay Church); and last but not least, 7) Regina RICA (Regina Rosarii Institute for Contemplation in Asia) Pilgrimage Site, a 13.5-hectare pilgrimage site, ecological sanctuary, and, in some contexts, a wellness center located in Sitio Aguho, Barangay Sampaloc in Tanay, where I was blessed to see the venerated 71-foot statue of Our Lady of Regina Rica.
For this coming Lenten season, I have made a new list of seven churches to visit. This time, I am going on a pilgrimage to the province of Bulacan, a historically rich province known as the “Cradle of the Nation’s Noble Heroes” and famous for the Barasoain Church (formally known as the Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish Church) in Malolos, the site of the first Philippine Republic.
Visita Iglesia
Visita Iglesia, or Seven Churches Visitation, is a Catholic tradition observed by the faithful as a symbol for accompanying Jesus during his final seven journeys from his arrest to his crucifixion, meditating on his passion, and honoring the Blessed Sacrament—the body and blood of Christ in the form of consecrated sacramental bread and wine at a celebration of the Eucharist.
Visiting seven churches on Holy Thursday is a time-honored practice. It is an act of reparation, prayer, and penance, encouraging believers to stay awake with Jesus during his darkest hours (Matthew 26:40). While popular in the Philippines as a time for silence and reflecting on Christ's sacrifice, this devotion is practiced worldwide to deepen one’s faith during Holy Week, often involving meditation, praying the Stations of the Cross, and offering personal prayers at each church.
Traditionally, the recommended number of churches to visit is seven (7), though some devotees visit 14 to match the 14 Stations of the Cross. While the day to visit the places of worship is usually performed on the evening of Maundy Thursday after the Mass of the Lord's Supper, it is also acceptable to do this pious act on Good Friday. Other religious activities done during Visita Iglesia are prayers, silent meditation, reading of the Pasyon (narrative of the passion), and sometimes personal acts of charity.
History of Visiting Seven Churches
According to Inquirer.net, “Visita Iglesia started in Rome in the 16th century as a tradition that involves visiting and praying in seven churches on Maundy Thursday. This custom was said to be popularized by Italian priest Philip Neri in 1553, where he started visiting seven churches to share a common religious encounter with his friends.”
Born as Filippo Romolo Neri, this Italian Catholic priest, who founded the Congregation of the Oratory, a society of secular clergy dedicated to pastoral care and charitable work, initiated this annual ritual as a spiritual alternative to the profane behavior of Carnival. Instead of joining the hedonistic Carnival of Venice celebrations, also known as Mardi Gras, the religious tradition of visiting seven churches counters the raucous behavior preceding Lent with prayer and contemplation, thus providing people an occasion to commemorate the solemnity of the Lenten season.
In the Philippines, Visita Iglesia began during the 16th-century Spanish colonial period. It was introduced by Augustinian missionaries as a Lenten tradition to visit seven or 14 churches on Maundy Thursday or Good Friday. Created to adore the Blessed Sacrament at the Altar of Repose on Maundy Thursday, later it evolved into a profound pilgrimage that allows reflection on the seven last words of Jesus, believed to be the Messiah and Saviour sent by God the Father for the salvation of the world.
Counterparts of Visita Iglesia in Other Religions
Established by Saint Philip Neri (22 July 1515 – 26 May 1595), Visita Iglesia is a primarily Roman Catholic Lenten tradition which has been practiced for many centuries. While it is a specific cultural expression of faith practiced by over a billion Catholics worldwide, several other religions and Christian denominations have analogous traditions. Instead of visiting seven churches, their religious tradition involves pilgrimage, the visitation of holy sites, and walking journeys of reflection.
For instance, the followers of the Eastern Orthodox Church hold a deep tradition of "pilgrimage" (proskynesis) to holy shrines such as Mount Athos in Greece, while Muslims do the act of “Ziyarat” (visitation), which involves traveling to sites associated with holy figures such as the shrines of Imams in Shi'a Islam. On the other hand, the Buddhists often visit specific sacred sites, namely Lumbini (birth), Bodh Gaya (enlightenment), Sarnath (first sermon), and Kushinagar (death/parinirvana), or several temples in a region, while the Jews pray, recite psalms, and place handwritten notes between the ancient stones of the Western Wall or Kotel, the holiest site in Jerusalem.
Following the annual Catholic tradition, millions of Filipinos are expected to visit different churches in their city or province this year to fulfill their vows or seek divine guidance. Whether a believer travels to the pilgrimage site of Our Lady of Regina Rica to trek an elevated path leading to an adoration chapel beneath a giant Virgin Mary to meditate, light scented colored candles, and pray for personal intentions, or one walks from 6 to 8 hours up to the foot of Sierra Madre as a form of sacrifice to pray for forgiveness at the altar of Nuestra Señora de la Paz y Buen Viaje (Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage) in Antipolo Cathedral, both ways have the same spiritual value in Roman Catholic Church. By keeping this centuries-old tradition alive, we follow the path Jesus took to Calvary, as this aligns with the theological core of the Visita Iglesia.
References:
1. Fred Hawson (2017, April 14). 7 churches in Rizal province for Visita Iglesia. abs-cbn.com.
2. Lorenz Pasion (2023, Mar 19). FAST FACTS: Antipolo Cathedral, the first international shrine in the Philippines. rappler.com. https://www.rappler.com/philippines/things-to-know-antipolo-cathedral-first-international-shrine-philippines/
3. Arrianne Guzman (2021, November 15). Contemplative Visit at Regina Rica. gotravelfirst.com.
4. Bulakenya (2024, Jan 21). Barasoain Church: A Journey Through Time and Faith in Malolos, Bulacan. thebulacan.com.
5. JISELLE ANNE C. CASUCIAN, GMA Integrated News (2024, March 26).
Visita Iglesia? Where to go in Metro Manila and nearby cities. gmanetwork.com.
6. Samuel Yap (2023, April 05). Undiluted devotion: Exploring the centuries-old tradition of Visita Iglesia.
7. Maricel Eballo Arnulfo Valderama Fortunado (2017, April 7). Visita Iglesia: Filipino Catholics vow to visit seven churches during Holy Week. catholicsandcultures.org.
https://www.catholicsandcultures.org/philippines-catholics-vow-visit-seven-churches-during-holy-week
8. Manila Bulletin (2025, Apr 18). 5.1 M devotees join Alay Lakad. mb.com.ph.
Comments