One of the stations of the cross at the sprawling Iguig Church grounds, Cagayan province

Calvary Hills is located within the grounds of the Spanish colonial era church of Iguig, Cagayan. This area is known for its lifesize images of the stations of the cross which is popular with devotees during the Holy Week. Its elevation provides breathtaking views of the valley made fertile by the Cagayan River.

People portraits in prayer hours before the La Naval procession

People portraits in prayer hours before the La Naval procession

While browsing through my images of the La Naval procession last October in Sto. Domingo, Quezon City, I saw these images and decided to post these. People in prayer portrait studies, part of my Pagtu-o series.

Sto. Niño devotees venerating the image at the Basilica

Especially on the month of January wherein the third Sunday of the month is the feast of the Sto. Niño, many devotees come to the shrine to pray

I was at the Minor Basilica of the Sto. Niño yesterday afternoon to take images of people venerating the image of the Holy Child for a writer friend’s article at a local news daily. Especially that the icon’s feastday is near, devotees visiting the shrine are expected to surge and culminates on the 17th of January.

The Filipino’s devotion to the Sto. Niño de Cebu is one of Catholic Philippines cherished religious tradition and is being celebrated in many parts of the country on the 3rd Sunday of the month. Check out my post about the devotion in langyaw.com.

Sunday mass at Ayala Center Cebu. The Catholic Church is adapting to the malling culture of the Filipinos by offering these masses inside the malls. Image taken at 1630H, 3 January 2010.

Having come from my second day of covering a cockfighting event, I almost missed this mass as I thought it will start on 1630H. Instead, the schedule is 1600H at the activity center of Ayala Center in Cebu. Other than the Sunday mass, there is also one, the anticipated, during Saturday and it is held at a smaller venue which I plan to take an image this weekend.

This project, mass at the mall, is part of my Pagtu-o long term project on Filipino Faith and Spirituality and when I have enough images, this will be posted at my Pagtu-o portfolio with a downloadable PDF.

A Catholic mass at the 3rd floor of the Shangri-la Mall in EDSA Mandaluyong

Every big mall in the country do have scheduled Saturday (anticipated) and Sunday masses every week, a way for the Catholic Church to adapt with the malling culture of Filipinos.