SAMAL, Bataan: More than 700 Catholic faithful from the Diocese of Imus in Cavite on Tuesday, March 5, went on pilgrimage to old churches in Bataan declared as 7 Pilgrim Churches as part of the Visita Iglesia during the Lenten Season.
The pilgrim churches are in seven out of the 11 towns and one city in Bataan and all along the MacArthur Highway.
The pilgrims were in 13 tourist buses and started their Visita Iglesia in the 268- year old Saint Peter of Verona Church in Hermosa, stopping next at the 314- year old Virgen Milagrosa del Rosario Church in Orani, now a minor basilica.
The third stop was at the second oldest church in Bataan, the 428 -year old Saint Catherine of Siena Church in Samal.
The 436 – year old Sto. Domingo de Guzman Church in Abucay, the oldest in Bataan and considered as one of the oldest in the country, came in as next pilgrim site for the Visita Iglesia, a Catholic tradition during the Lenten Season.
The next stop was at the 310 – year old Saint Joseph Cathedral in Balanga City, now known as Cathedral Shrine Parish of Saint Joseph where the bishop of the Diocese of Balanga holds office.
The last two pilgrim churches are the 223 – year old Virgen Milagrosa del Pilar Church in Pilar and the 357 – year old Saint Michael de Arcanghel Church in Orion.
The churches built during the Spanish rule under the supervision of Dominican priests have undergone renovations because of destructions caused by earthquake and war.
