The Backpack Adventures

Located at 364 Real St. Talon, Las Pinas City in Metro Manila, The Shrine of the Five Wounds of Our Lord Jesus Christ Parish is one of the modern unique looking Catholic churches in the Philippines.  The Shrine of the Five Wounds of Our Lord Jesus Christ Parish The Shrine of the Five Wounds of Our Lord Jesus Christ Parish History Before it came to be the church that it is today, The Shrine of the Five Wounds of Our Lord Jesus Christ Parish was once a small chapel located in front of PLDT in 1985. It then transferred to its present site a few years later. Then the construction of the unique-looking architectural design that we see now started.  The Shrine of the Five Wounds of Our Lord Jesus Christ Parish facade Speaking of being unique-looking, interestingly, its architectural design was inspired by a marine animal called the nautilus ( nautilus belauensis ). According to its principal architect, he chose the nautilus as his inspiration as its shell is often associated with

If you're a Catholic and you're living in Manila, probably the first thing you'd do is to head to the beaches this Holy Week. To most of us, especially the working class, the Holy Week is almost synonymous with summer vacation. However, to some, it's a chance to visit Christ and show devotion to Him through Visita Iglesia   (and that's what I plan to do this 2013!). 2013 Las Piñas, Pasay, Manila Visita Iglesia Adventure So join me and my family as we go around Manila and the neighboring cities of Las Piñas and Pasay to visit some of their historical churches. Since I live in the province of Cavite, I had to carefully plan the route that we'd take to maximize the number of churches that we could visit in a day. We originally planned to visit only the ones in Manila but I pointed out that since our route to Manila would pass by some old churches in nearby cities, we might as well visit them.   Las Piñas Church  - Las Pinas City From our home, the fir

Located in Las Piñas City, Bamboo Organ Church is known for its nineteenth-century pipe organ made entirely from bamboo. The organ, popularly known as the Las Piñas Bamboo Organ , is declared as a National Cultural Treasure of the country. Bamboo Organ Church Bamboo Organ Church details Bamboo Organ Church , also known as  St. Joseph Parish Church and also Las Pinas Church , was founded by Augustinian Recollects on November 5, 1795. The construction was started and supervised by Father Diego Cera de la Virgen del Carmen . Bamboo Organ Church - Las Pinas City NHI Marker of Las Pinas Church Bamboo Organ Church Facade Father Cera was known as a very gifted man. Aside from his inborn leadership skills, he was also known as an artist whose forte was building organs. He was known for the organs that he built for the Manila Cathedral and San Nicolas de Tolentino Church in Intramuros, Manila. In 1816 Father Cera constructed the now famous Las Piñas Bamboo organ an

Located in Apollo III Moonwalk Village Talon V, Las Piñas City, Nature's Church also known as Mary Immaculate Parish is unlike the Spanish era churches that I have featured in my Visita Iglesia articles. It is due to the simple fact that it was not built during the Spanish era. Nature's Church What makes the church unique is its nature-inspired concept. It was believed that more than 40,000 anahaw leaves were intricately woven to form what is considered the biggest anahaw roof in the Philippines. Aside from that flying spirally to the center of the ceiling and illuminating the interior of the church is a flock of 176 capiz lanterns in the form of doves. The Capiz Doves The altar, on the other hand, is made from a coral marble slab resting on two madre cacao driftwood pedestals. Behind the altar is the image of the Crucified Christ which is supported by the branches from the nearby 50-year old sampaloc tree. The Crucified Christ Church altar