The Philippines proudly boasts as the only Christian nation in Asia. More than 86 percent of the population is Roman Catholic. I was born and raised a Roman Catholic and Sundays are usually a day to be in church and hear mass. While in the region, I vowed to visit The Basilica of Our Lady of Piat located an hour away from Tuguegarao, in the outskirts of the town of Piat in the Cagayan province.
Our Lady of Piat has a special meaning in my life. On August 19, 2010, my son Jude- who was 5 years old then- was diagnosed with leukemia. My mom made the pilgrimage to Piat and prayed for his survival. With so much pain and suffering (and perhaps this will be another post later), Jude survived albeit the doctor’s prognosis of zero to 30% survival. Two days before Christmas (exactly 4 years ago today, December 23) our other son, Joshua, donated his blood for a bone marrow transplant. A Christmas miracle indeed.
Back to my “holy” journey, we first visited the Calvary Hills, where each of the Stations of the Cross is depicted in life sized images. About 27 acres of rolling hills in Iguig, the Calvary Hills also provide a beautiful view of the Cagayan River, the longest river in the Philippines. During the Lenten season, this place gets very crowded with visitors.
After circling the Calvary Hills, we proceeded to Piat, about an hour drive from Iguig.
Our Lady of Piat is a black image of the Virgin Mary holding the infant Jesus on her left arm. The image was brought from Macau by the Dominican friars to the city of Manila and later to the town of Piat, where she is now housed permanently. She has been attributed to many miracles, making Piat as the “Pilgrimage Center of Cagayan Valley”. Each year, the basilica gets thousands of devotees (including tourists) who pay homage to the Virgin praying to be blessed. In our case, a miracle.
Before you reach the church grounds, there are several stalls lined up selling different images of Our Lady of Piat, rosaries, candles, etc. There are also ladies selling souvenirs by carrying a basket tied around their body.
The people who bought religious articles either from the stalls, the ladies, or from the church’s gift shop line them up in one area and wait for the priest to finish the mass service. Then the priest comes over to bless the articles with holy water.
Outside the church, we spotted a kakanin called Pawa (rice cake found in this region) and other delicacies. We ended our “holy” trip with these delicious rice cakes.
I’m from this place where the church that house the Lady of Piat stands.
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You’re from Piat? How cool is that!
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To be exact, my hometown is close to the province where Piat is located. It’ll only take a 30-40 minute drive to go to Piat (from Cabagan).
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It sounds it is a nice area for religious holiday break! Love the opening image!
I think East Timor (Timor Leste) is now joining the Philippines as a Christian nation in Asia. But I am not 100 percent sure if they are really a Catholic governed country or the religion and the government are separated…
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I know several Indonesians here in Texas who are Catholics but not sure if they are from East Timor. Although majority of Indonesia is Muslim right?
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Majority is Muslim but still quite number of Catholics. My mother is a Catholic and my father is a Muslim – it was common to have mix-religious marriage in their time and Indonesia does not practicing Islamic laws.
So I don’t think the Indonesians you met in Texas are from East Timor. BTW I went to Catholic school in Jakarta – all girls school 😀
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Oh I also went to an all girls catholic school in the Philippines! My boys now go to a catholic school as well. It must be interesting to have both religions present in your life. I think Islam is a beautiful religion. I am impressed at how dedicated they are, praying 4 times a day. When my husband went to Indonesia, his hotel was close to a mosque and he could hear all the praying, that starts at dawn. He was impressed.
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