My Second Pilgrimage

Two years ago, I went on a pilgrimage in Cebu for a very special intention. Help was given to me through Mama Mary. I wanted to pass the Chemistry Board Exam in the country, along with my friends.  Since then, I have been always grateful to God. I made a series of blog entries to express my thanks to Him. You can view it at http://ultigamer.multiply.com/tag/board%20exam .

Now, I need help again. It’s something that I can’t solve on my own. Does the solution exist somewhere? I really hope so. Inspired with the success of my previous pilgrimage, I have decided yesterday to trek on a new one here in the metropolis. I will ask help from Mama Mary as what I’ve done before. Afterall, Don Bosco once said, “Trust in Mary and you will see what miracles are.”

I decided to start my pilgrimage today at The National Shrine of Mary Help of Christians. It is located in Better Living, Parañaque. The church is huge, and it is made up of gray and white stones. Furthermore, it is styled with modern architecture.  A landscape with a bronze statue of Don Bosco is seen before the church entrance, as shown below.

The next picture shows the church's Altar. I'm sorry for the quality, guys. It looks better in reality. :(

A Holy Mass was celebrated at 12 noon and I attended it to mark the start of my religious journey. After that, I prayed at the Adoration Chapel. The whole place inspired piety. The yellow lights, the visible garden, and the three pillars holding the Blessed Tabernacle all result to holy ground. The silence of the place was calm and peaceful to the soul. A photo of it is shown below:

The next photo shows my pilgrimage journal.  I will use this to write records about my church visits. It also holds prayers and reflections that I might realize along the way. The scallop shell is the symbol that I chose for this journey (I drew it by hand using a black pen). I got this inspiration from the Way of St. James. It is a pilgrimage set in Europe which I hope to trek someday.

Other than that notebook, I will also try to share my journey here in my blog. I can’t promise you real time updates though. So I do hope that whatever will be the result, I may find the journey relevant as much as the destination.