VISITA IGLESIA DE ILOCANDIA #THROWBACK 2012

On my way down from the Belfry Tower of Bantay Church, Ilocos Sur

It's good to explore and learn from life itself. This summer, we have time for trips and exciting adventures outside of the classrooms. There is so much to learn, places to visit and knowledge to conquer. I remembered a quote, Ms Elvie shared with me on our trip to Boracay, "The wider the shoreline of knowledge, the greater the ocean of wonder." Can you tell who said that? Sorry guys, I still need to find out. Anyway, I find it really brilliant. Don't you?

Do you know that the brick walls of Bantay Belfry Tower was put together using egg whites. They must have eaten tons of eggs to collect egg whites as much as the amount they used to put this Belfry Tower together. And do you know that FPJ as in Fernando Poe Junior jumped from this Belfry? He did that in the blockbuster movie, "Panday". He got the magic sword from this belfry. So, as I went up the belfry and as I touched the old bell, I told myself, may I get that magic sword so I could be dauntless in fighting all the evils of this life.

Belfry Tower of  Paoay Church

On trips like this, we learn not only about belfries and how they were built. We also learn history such as: Who were the persons behind there construction and reconstruction? When they were constructed and reconstructed? The earthquakes that destroyed them. It made me think of Bohol. Will the Churches destroyed in the 2013 earthquake in  Bohol stand a chance to be reconstructed? Why not? If all of these Churches and Bell Towers were built and rebuilt, that shows that life is really a process of building and rebuilding. 

Facade of Paoay Church, Ilocos 

Katipuneros and Guerilleros used the Bell Towers as observation posts in the past. Today, we use them as tourist destinations where we take selfie pictures to make a statement: "Oh yes, I was here!" Above all, we learn from history. History repeats itself. How I wish I was Mr. Peabody who has a WABAC or simply the way back machine, a time machine so we can all go back to that time when they were constructed and how the people who constructed them struggled everyday. Ahah! and maybe there were love stories, too! How exciting! As I touched the walls, they seem to communicate that they are living stones and I seem to feel the pulse of the past.

Conversion of St. Paul Cathedral, Vigan

We visited so many places that Summer of 2012. It was really a LAKBAY- ARAL. For me, it was a VISITA IGLESIA, too. Our last stop was in the Cathedral of Vigan where we could barely understand the Mass because it was in ILOCANO. So different from our own HILIGAYNON or ILONGGO dialect. We're all Filipinos but we speak different dialects. We have a common past and we share the same present. We all look forward to a better and brighter tomorrow. 

As I look up to St. Paul riding his horse in the facade of the Vigan Cathedral, I asked for my personal conversion. It made me realize how much I still needed this reconstruction. We're all saints in the making. The process may be painful but always for our good. We're like sandpaper trying to refine and polish each other so that the end result will be all for God's greater glory.

For more Visita Iglesia sites this YEAR OF THE LAITY please click the links below:

http://www.claretianpublications.com/index.php/religious-women/310-oar-order-of-augustinian-recollect-contemplative-nuns

http://www.cityofpines.com/catholiccathedral.html

http://home.catholicweb.com/BacolodDiocese/index.cfm

http://wowbatangas.com/destinations/churches/basilica-of-st-martin-de-tours-taal-batangas/

http://wowbatangas.com/features/latest/visita-iglesia-a-religious-expedition-in-batangas/