Good Friday 2007

Joshua and Sonny Boy stand in front of Sto. Domingo Church

Good Friday - Joshua and Sonny Boy joined me to a visit to Santo Domingo Parish Church along Quezon Avenue last April 6 to listen to the “Siete Palabras” (The Seven Last Words) live. The church run by priests from the Order of Preachers or O.P. (more popularly known as Dominicans) was named after their Saint founder, Saint Dominic. Sto. Domingo Church evokes various memories from my past. I used to serve as an altar boy during school sponsored Masses there during my high school years. I married my wife Odette in that church in early 1991. Throughout the years, particularly during Holy Week, I try to make it a point to visit and pray in that church with at least some of my family members.

As expected, the church was filled with people there to listen to the reflections of the Dominican priests on Christ’s Seven last Words and/or to pray the Way of the Cross or simply to spend time with the Lord. The kids and I stayed on the hall way at the fringes. From time to time we went from one location to another. I bought some material at the church bookstore and at some point visited the Museo de Sto. Domingo. That visit was a first for all three of us where we saw different antique religious statues and items. One piece of the exhibit states that encased inside was a piece of wood from the true cross where Christ was nailed and died. To look at that small piece of wood was truly an indescribable experience!

We visited the Museo de Sto. Domingo

St. Martin de Porres – my favorite saint – humility personified and a godly person with a strong empathy for the poor

The carriages are part of the early evening procession for the Santo Entierro

Sto. Domingo like churches around the archipelago were filled with the faithful

From the church, the kids and I had some halo-halo (a mixture of sweet ingredients like purple yam, leche flan [somewhat like custard pie], a variety of beans, macapuno, jackfruit, banana, pinipig, sago and gulaman [I believe that’s tapioca and jelly in English] with condensed milk and finely crushed ice) the version with ice cream on it at a nearby Chowking fastfood restaurant. Delicioso!

Trying to beat the intense summer heat at Chowking

On our way home to Fairview, something (which I thought God willed) happened. The FX vehicle we were commuting on had engine trouble and had to stop along Commonwealth Ave. Lo and behold, we were in front of St. Peter’s Church. The whole incident beckoned me to stop over and come inside the church with the kids before going home. The scene was similar to Sto. Domingo, the church was filled with Good Friday penitents.

St. Peter’s Parish in Commonwealth Ave. with the Vatican inspired church dome

From St. Peter’s, we had a round of our ambulant vendor food in front of the church. You know, - fish balls! To the unfamiliar, they’re not really made of fish but more of flour with some flavoring, deep fried in oil and matched with your preferred condiment – sweet, sweet and spicy sauce or spicy vinegar. We bought some stuff at the nearby Mini-stop before going home.

Yes - religious traditions and food always formed an interlocking pattern during my Holy Weeks. Years back, I used to fast for a couple of days during the Holy Week but I only stayed home on those days. I guess going out meant I needed to eat to counter the physical exhaustion.

So, that was how my Good Friday went this year.

For more on my succeeding Holy Week activities, browse onto the Families for Christ blog site at the Life with Christ Christian blogging community through the provided link at the side bar.