An alternative way for those people who really cannot visit churches for some valid reason is Visita Iglesia at www.cbcponline.net. However the site seems to be having problems as I browse it.

Seven famous churches in the country are included in the site: the San Lorenzo Ruiz Church and Santo Nino de Tondo Parish in Tondo, Manila; Manila Cathedral Basilica and San Agustin Church in Intramuros, Manila; Nuestra Senora de Remedios in Malate, Manila;Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene in Quiapo, Manila;  and Our Lady of Perpetual Help Shrine in Paranaque

As you visit these churches online, the 14 Stations of the Cross with the corresponding prayer are included. I was browsing the net for the 14 stations and prayers, but it seems all the available copies on the net are the old ones.

We have visited the Laguna Churches in 2008 , it is still the best Visita Iglesia we had as a family. By Thursday off we go again for our yearly Visita Iglesia.

For our families and friends who are far away , join us in our yearly Visita Iglesia via the net;

Visit : http://visitaiglesia.brinknotes.org/E-Visita_Iglesia/E-Visita_Iglesia.html

St. John the Baptist Church (Calamba, Laguna)

Diocesan Shrine of San Antonio de Padua (Pila, Laguna)

Immaculate Conception Parish (Sta. Cruz, Laguna)

Church of Bartholomew (Nagcarlan, Laguna)

St. John the Baptist Parish (Liliw, Laguna)

St. Gregory the Great Parish (Majayjay, Laguna)

Parokya ng Santa Maria Magdalena (Magdalena, Laguna)

San Guillermo Parish, Bacolor, Pampanga

Kraft Eden Cheese aimed to bring back the joy and faith of Filipinos during this festive occasion.  The well-loved cheese brand launched the Keso de Gallo - a nationwide event coinciding with the traditionally celebrated Misa de Gallo (a Catholic Christmas tradition wherein nine dawn masses are held starting December 16, which will culminate on Christmas Eve).

Parallel to the nine-day Simbang Gabi, Eden brought the goodness of Filipino dishes to Pinoys in nine different towns including Bacolod City, Iloilo, Davao, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu City, Naga, Butuan City, Laoag and Pampanga.

At least 300 “kabalens” enjoyed the “Cheesy Squash Puto” a recipe done by pupils from the San Matias Elementary School in Pampanga.

Kraft Eden Cheese Squash Puto

Squash Puto (Pampanga)

Ingredients:

2 ¼ cup squash, cooked and mashed

3 ¼ cup all purpose flour, sifted

1 ½ cup washed sugar

4 tbsp baking powder

1 bar Eden Cheese

½ cup margarine, melted

1 ½ cup butter milk

8 pcs. eggs, medium, beaten

1 tbsp. vanilla

2 cups water

Procedure:

1. Combine all dry ingredients together.
2. Make a well at the center and add the liquid ingredients.
3. Blend until smooth.
4. Add smashed squash and grated cheese. Mix well.
5. Pour mixture in a molder.
6. Steam for 45 minutes.

“With Eden cheese, we will explore the wonders of our country’s cuisine while providing an extended feast that will bring joy and delight to as many families as possible,” says Alex Tacderas, Category Marketing Manager for Cheese and Spoonables, Kraft Foods Philippines.

For more recipe with Eden Cheese, visit http://www.sarapngbuhay.com.

P.S

This Christmas I had the chance to connect to the roots of my DAD this Christmas. Attending mass said in  Kapampangan dialect  and reminiscing the culture and traditions of Kapampangan during Christmas. How I wish I were fluent in the dialect.

Thanks to Kraft Eden Cheese, and Keso de Gallo, I felt my Christmas was complete. The Keso de Gallo  in San Guillermo Parish Church in Bacolor Pampanga event will be in our memories for a long time.

The Keso de Gallo experience was our topic during the family gathering we had on Christmas Day.

Department stores, have their usual trick or treat for kids. My youngest nephew had his day in one of the SM malls. So many amenities for kids these days!

My ultimate event this Halloween This is It movie of Michael Jackson. Who’s gonna beat the King of Thriller anyway? You don’t get scared but you get to swoon him and be entertained.

June 12, 2009 marks the 111^th Philippine Independence Day 

On June 12, 1898, Gen Emilio Aguinaldo formally declared the independence of the Philippines in a ceremony held at his house in Kawit Cavite.

Other two significant events highlighted this event, the first official display of the Philippine flag and the playing of the Philippine National Anthem.

During the 70’s  of the Marcos era, celebrations were centered at the Luneta or Rizal park. There was a flag raising ceremony by the First Family, all dressed in Filipiniana costumes and wreath lying at Rizal monument. A parade depicting Philippine history including civic military march were the activities in the afternoon until late evening.

I miss to see that kind of parade where the participants were all in different Filipino costumes, how I wish my children would be able to see such parade. It gives me a sense of being Filipino; it reminds me of the grandeur of our culture and history.

I am always looking forward to Holy Week, because to my mind it is the real vacation time for everybody. It’s the time that you are with your family, time to reflect on your spirituality, just stay at home , so quiet, no malls to go to, no traffic, stress free days and its really rest time for most of us.

From the prayer “He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried, on the third day He rose again, He descended into heaven and sat at the right hand of the Father”. I think Easter should be really a grand celebration more than Christmas time, because it’s the time that Jesus rose again from the dead.

What I did this Lent?

• Bisita Iglesia with the family to 8 churches, 5 in Manila, San Sebastian Church, San Beda Church, St Jude Church, Saint Therese in Villamor Air Base, Las Pinas Church with Bamboo organ, San Pedro Church, Binan Church, Cabuyao Church. Some of these Churches have the old Stations of the Cross, so we have to adjust our prayer. We have been doing this for the last 6 years and I must say nothing beats the Laguna churches for their grandeur and history.
• Church activities, masses and of course Salubong
• I am reflecting on what will be my mission for mydelf self specially the health aspect for the coming days ahead taking advantage of having a clearer mind.
• Family gathering ,had night swimming in a private pool with my mom, brothers ,sisters, nephews and nieces, just being at home, lazying around , catching on reading and cooking

What I did not do this Holy Week vacation? Really a respite from my other so hectic activities
• No classroom lecture, no LRT MRT rides, no traffic, no so many people to see, no patients to see, no blogging activities to attend, no text messages to answer.

Of course I surf the net, but as I was searching for Lent messages I came across this:

Catholic bishops and priests in Italy are calling on churchgoers to give up text messages, TV and iPods for Lent. Bishops in Italy want young people to “detox from the virtual world”
”We want people to pause for reflection during Lent and think about this before they send an SMS text message.
“It would be a sign to remember that, as that message is written, we are shaping the lives of people far away.”
The NO SMS for Lent initiative was also backed by Modena’s bishop Benito Cocchi who said that it was an ideal way for ”young people to detox from the virtual world and get back in touch with themselves”.
Besides texting, church officials have also suggested giving up Facebook and all other forms of virtual entertainment – fasting and abstinence is a cornerstone of the Catholic Church’s following of Lent.
The period marks the 40 days between Ash Wednesday and Good Friday when Christ was crucified, and is a way for Catholics to remember the Passion and prepare for Easter.

I got this text message:

“It’s really no coincidence that this season is LENT, the past tense of LEND, may it remind us that we are living on borrowed life and time, LENT to us by God, .Today may we all be reminded that God’s love surpasses every cross we carry, every pain we endure , every love we profess. Have a meaningful Lenten season.”

Message Highlights of His Holiness Benedict XVI for Lent 2009

• As part of Christian tradition, one has to do three penitential practices – prayer, almsgiving, fasting.
• He focuses his reflections on the value and meaning of fasting. He traced the Sacred Scriptures and the entire Christian tradition that fasting is a great help to avoid sin and all that leads to it. For this reason, the history of salvation is replete with occasions that invite fasting.
• Fasting represents an important ascetical practice, a spiritual arm to do battle against every possible disordered attachment to ourselves. Freely chosen detachment from the pleasure of food and other material goods helps the disciple of Christ to control the appetites of nature, weakened by original sin, whose negative effects impact the entire human person.
• The faithful practice of fasting contributes, moreover, to conferring unity to the whole person, body and soul, helping to avoid sin and grow in intimacy with the Lord.
• Denying material food, which nourishes our body, nurtures an interior disposition to listen to Christ and be fed by His saving word. Through fasting and praying, we allow Him to come and satisfy the deepest hunger that we experience in the depths of our being: the hunger and thirst for God.
• How the ultimate goal of fasting is to help each one of us, as the Servant of God Pope John Paul II wrote, to make the complete gift of self to God (cf. Encyclical Veritatis splendor, 21). May every family and Christian community use well this time of Lent, therefore, in order to cast aside all that distracts the spirit and grow in whatever nourishes the soul, moving it to love of God and neighbor.