CHULIPA, Loraine T.2012-14615REACTION PAPER15 March 2012Churches With HistoryWe, Kasaysayan I students, as well as other students under Prof. Regulus Tantoco, went to a field trip in Bulacan on February 10, 2013. The trip included visits at the Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto, The National Shrine of the Divine Mercy, Quingua Church, Santisima Trinidad Parish, and the Barasoain Church. Each of these churches has some history that will be discussed in the following paragraphs.I. Our Lady of Lourdes GrottoLocated at the San Jose del Monte, many patrons and people frequent this church. Its most famous feature is the Holy Water from the so-called miracle spring, that can seem to heal various illnesses. People usually bring bottles to fill, especially on the Maundy Thursday and Good Friday.Interestingly, this church is not of Philippine origin. Rather, it is a replica of the Lourdes Grotto in France. It was built by the Guanzon family as a shrine to keep the replica of the Our Lady of Lourdes. Research says that the reason for this is because Mrs. Anita Guidote-Guanzon was healed from her cancer after she journeyed to Lourdes, France. The architecture of the church itself is grand, with curved pathways that leads to the upper level of the church although the interior is not as amazing as the exterior. There is an adoration chapel inside in which several statues of Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, and other saints are heavily featured.According to residents, the current priest of the church is Father Cirilo. Meanwhile, the current owner of the Grotto are still the Guanzon Family.II. The National Shrine of Divine MercyThis church is located at Marilao, Bulacan. It is actually a shrine dedicated to the Divine Mercy. As was with the healing water at the Lourdes Grotto, this place is a destination for pilgrimages due to numerous cases of healings and conversions. The current Parish Priest and Shrine Rector is Mons. Mar DJ Arenas while the current Parochial Vicar is Fr. Joseph Fidel Roura.It features an Adoration Chapel for the Last Vision of Fatima. According to their official website, the origins of this image are associated with the vision that Saint Faustina of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy had in the convent in Poland on 22nd February, 1931.Although there were other interesting things in this church, I was most intrigued by the image at the ceiling of the upper level. The bright colors of the painting that features the Last Supper and other people instantly captivated my eyes. I also like the intricate details that were near the main painting.Outside, there are rows and rows of wooden benches where devotees or visitors seat. There is also a Little Poland Museum there that shows the house as well as the basement where late Pope John Paul II lived. Other places that should be visited are the life sized Stations of the Cross at the Open field and the miniature Christmas Scenery depicting the Nativity of the Child Jesus in Bethlehem. Sad to say, the Stations of the Cross are not as well cared as the other places as depicted by the missing descriptions for some and the broken parts.III. Quingua ChurchThe third church we went to was the Quingua Church located at Plaridel, Bulacan. According to its plaque, it is the first church to be made by Augustine Priests at the old town, headed by Reverend P. Pedro Vasquez. Construction started on 1580 until 1595. It was transferred to the new town on 1605 by Reverend P. Diego Pardo. It was once again renovated in the year 1722.Interestingly. the first Filipino parish priest Rev. P. Victorino Lopez joined the revolutionary movement as a leader under the command of Kapitan Jose Serapio. The convent was made the American headquarters in 1898.When we went there, there was a marriage going on so we did not stay long but the first impression that I had when I saw it was King Midas Castle. The golden accents of the church peculiarly matched the gray of the hollowblocks. IV. Santisima Trinidad ChurchThe Santisima Trinidad Church is located in Malolos, Bulacan. When we were on the way there, I was expecting grandeur as were to the previous churches we went but it was a lot simpler. The main feature in the church is its images and statues of the Holy Trinity. I saw the ones in front but I also climbed the narrow stairway up and saw the original statues (according to the usher) of the Holy Trinity.In a blog of curatormuseo, it stated that there are four devotional images of the Santisima Trinidad that is in the community. During the fiesta of the Santisima Trinidad, these images are paraded.The current Hermano Mayor, Abraham Santos of Barangay Pinagbakahan, has the three images.V. Barasoain ChurchArguably the most famous church in Malolos, Bulacan, the Barasoain Church is the last one we went to. At first though, we were led to a museum wherein we saw tarpaulins about the heroes of the Philippines. We were immediately led to an audio- visual area wherein we were shown a presentation involving the First Philippine Congress and the process of making the Malolos Constitution. After the presentation, we were led out and left to our own devices. Outside, there were people demonstrating a traditional dance. After the dance, I explored the church for a while. At first, I was apprehensive with joining the field trip especially since it was just in Bulacan but now, I am glad I took this field trip. The pictures posted in the internet do not justify the grandeur of seeing the real things. This experience definitely beat mere knowledge I had. In this trip, I learned a lot of things, especially about the Philippine history. I was able to appreciate the architecture skills of the people long ago. I was also amazed with the overall beauty of the churches they constructed. Each church was special in its own right and I felt privileged to be able to observed them.I was also able to make new friends during this trip which made it more memorable and more enjoyable.I hope the other people also enjoyed the trip as much as I did.

PICTURES Grotto.png Frontal View of The Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto in BulacanMiniature grotto.pngMiniature of the Grotto found at the Upper Level

Holy Spring Water.pngDirection to the Holy Spring WaterGrotto Prayer.pngDevotee of the Our Lady of the Lourdes Grotto

Divine.pngFrontal View of the National Shrine of Divine MercyDivine Ceilign.pngCeiling inside the National Shrine of Divine Mercy

Bata Di.pngChildren by the Miniature Christmas Sceneryrows div.pngRows of Wooden BenchesPopo Divine.pngDirections towards the Poland Museumquingoa.pngFrontal View of the Quingua Churchsant.pngInside the Santisima Trinidad Churchplaq.pngPlaque of the Quingua Church

Bara.pngSignage of the Barasoain Churchbaraso.pngFrontal View of the Barasoain Churchavr.pngLife Sized Images at the AVR of the Museumtrip.pngHoly Trinity at Santisimafr.pngSculpture at the MuseumSn lore q.pngStatue of San Lazaro at the Quingua Church