Magallanes Village in Makati is known as that posh village that straddles along the busy chokepoint thoroughfares that are EDSA and Osmeña Highway/South Luzon Expressway. As such, it would be easy to not notice its presence, if not for the presence of an iconic landmark there: the Catholic parish church of St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori, also known as the Magallanes Church.
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Baclaran Faith: The Baclaran Redemptorist Church
If you have been in the metropolis for quite a while, one of the most common phrases you will hear is that other word to call Wednesday: Baclaran Day. The day when devout Catholics go to this busy part of Parañaque for their weekly devotions to the Marian icon of the Our Mother of Perpetual Help. At the center of this devotion is the towering contemporary Romanesque church dedicated to the Mother of Perpetual Help, which by itself has become a well-known and beloved landmark in this part of the metropolis. Being a Wednesday at the time of this entry’s release, it’s about time that the Urban Roamer checks out this particular…
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Parañaque Cathedral: The Catholic Bastion of South Metro Manila
Whenever one talks about the Catholic heritage of Metropolitan Manila, the focus is always on the Catholic Churches of the City of Manila. That should not come as a surprise as the city itself has been the center of activity for centuries while those outside Manila were then just considered as rural outbacks. In that context, while it is nice to see these towns progress to the cities they are now, it is unfortunate that in the process, some of that old town flavor got lost in the midst of urbanization and, sadly mostly unchecked, planning. Nevertheless, some vestiges of heritage remain throughout the metropolis beyond the City of Manila…
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The Saga of Malate Church
Malate district in Manila has gone through so much in the last 100 years or so. From being once part of the city’s so-called “Millionaire’s Row” in the prewar years to the district’s destruction as well as much of the city during World War II into becoming a beloved evening hangout that’s had its share of ups and downs. Regardless of those transformations and the changing fate of this fabled district, there is one constant that has managed to weather them, becoming a beloved Malate landmark in its own right. Today, the Urban Roamer checks out this storied structure that is the Our Lady of Remedies Church, also known as the…