Jaro Cathedral: An irresistible stopover

It was Dinagyang Festival week when I had to make the stop in Iloilo before I could get home to my Family in Estancia.  That trip was not for pleasure. That was to compensate for not being able to go home to my Family last Christmas - also to check how they had been after Yolanda, the devastating  Typhoon that hit  most of the Visayas region. I knew before getting home that they were all safe. Though they had to start from scratch, after all the material losses. I then,  just wanted to spend time with them.

Before getting to the Terminal at Tagbak Station, the Jeepney I was riding in passed by the Jaro Cathedral as the locals call it also known as  The Parish of Our Lady of Candles.  So I cried out "Lugar lang"  our very own version of "Mama, para".

Upon walking towards the church, from above the trees of Jaro plaza, the bell-tower facing the church stands with might. The Parish of Our Lady of Candles is one of those churches that have bell towers detached from the actual Church building. Here, the belfry is across the street.

Another cool thing about the church is its façade. It has stairs leading up to the statue of Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria.  This statue, according to Wikipedia, was found floating  by fisherman in the Iloilo river before it was brought to where it is now.

 I was able to walk up the stairs and I took pictures of the belfry across the street, the statue in the altar covered with glass, the intricate wall of the church  and I was left with one dilemma.  I had no picture of my own in this church. So I asked a boy to take my picture. He's one of those kids who stay at church selling candles. I gave him five pesos after he took two shots. I reviewed the pictures and I couldn't complain. It's the downside of travelling alone- no one is there to take your pictures. 

I remember when I was 9 or 10 , my Nanay usually brings me to a Catechism meeting with her friends every Wednesday night. When I grew older, I joined the annual summer youth camp of our church and there I learned so many things. These may be the main reasons why Churches amaze me big time!

Fun Fact: Graciano Lopez Jaena was baptized in this same church. He's one of our national heroes. He's Ilonggo and is famous for his revolutionary news paper, La Solidaridad. At 18, he also wrote the satirical story "Fray Botod".  I knew about this through the funny conversations I had with Drew.  He's a Social Studies teacher . Ask him a question and he would have supporting facts  that would give you a feel of that same Araling Panlipunan nostalgia in grade school.

I went inside the church and said my prayers and I thanked the Lord for keeping my family safe.  I was not able to take pictures inside the church so as not to bother the devout churchgoers praying at that same time. Then, I went out, feeling excited to take that Jeepney ride to Tagbak, then I'm a 3-hour ride away from home.