Our Lady of the Rosary of Manaoag

in Pangasinan is one of the 13 minor basilicas of the Philippines.

Because of its significance as a center of worship, not just for the locals of the province but also for Catholics from all over the country, Pope Francis granted the then Manaoag Shrine the title of BASILICAMINORE in 2014. Also, its historical value, architectural and artistic worth makes it one of the stand-outs centers of pastoral liturgy. It doesn't come as a surprise that thousands of people come to visit this church which has been existence since the 17th century. It was said thay a farmer once saw an apparition of the Virgin Mary here.

And so the fambam decided to bridge the 130-plus kilometer distance and have Herby and Count Monty blessed.

Top: Count Monty with Miel, Manang and the Kids. Bottom: Herby with Jen, Momsie and Dad

We left Pampanga's City of Angels at 9:00am and arrived in Pangasinan a little over two hours after. As we passed through SCTEX (Subic, Clark, Tarlac Express Way) and TPLEX (Tarlac, Pangasinan, La Union Express Way), it was a smooth, scenic travel.

There was a queue with a number of motorists waiting in line to be given passage and have their vehicles receive blessings. They allow entrance to 20 vehicles per batch. After about 30 mins of waiting, we were told that it will resume at 3:00pm, so we looked around the stalls around the church vicinity selling various bites and artifacts.

We also used this time to visit the church. This was done by batch though as we needed to leave a driver to move the cars whenever needed.

Inside, there is a tourism assistance booth, where the people are ready to extend their help should visitors have questions.

There are huts with picnic tables at the area near the entrance, allowing the visitors to have a place to dine, had they bought or prepped food. There are tall, majestic trees all over, adding to the calm feel of the place.

The Rosary Garden, designed for maditation and reflection, is where you'll find statues around the garden describing the mysteries of the Holy Rosary.

Iglesia Church and Manaoag Basilica- two of the most visited churches/shrine to Our Lady of Manaoag.

By 2:30 the blessing ceremonies resumed and we are glad to have Herby and Monty showered with it!

It is a serene place that we would surely go back to.

For now Herby says goodnight.

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