In 2015, however, we decided to go somewhere we didn't venture before: the churches of Bulacan.
Except for past visits to the Shrine of Divine Mercy and Barasoain, we had little to no knowledge of the Bulacan countryside (though ironically we actually lived in Bulacan).
Technology offered a way: Google Maps. Though I had installed Waze before, I still wasn't quite sure how to use it, and besides, Google Maps was much more familiar territory. So I researched the churches to visit, and mapped them out in Google Maps, which I printed.
Though we didn't get to visit most of the churches that were mapped out (especially those beyond Barasoain), we at least would visit much of the popular churches in the province.
As I mentioned before, Filipinos normally visit 14 churches, after the four stations of the cross. However, the recommended minimum is seven churches. This was the number we aimed for.
Divine Mercy
We began the journey from Meycauayan, and the nearest and most familiar of the churches we visit (and I remembered visiting it often in childhood) was the Divine Mercy Shrine in Marilao. It was a short journey, and though I had Google Maps, my family was familiar enough with the place that they provided directions.
The general overview of the altar
A cross on the side
Sister Faustina, who had an apparition of Christ
The altar up close
St. Martin of Tours
I considered this a very fortuitous part of the journey. We were journeying towards San Ildefonso and St. Lawrence, but my brother was more spontaneous than that, and wanted to explore the nearby churches. He saw a poster for a church after a Korean saint, and gave directions that relied merely on gut feeling. We didn't reach the church he was referring, but we actually ended up in another church I had given up on visiting: St. Martin of Tours.
I had given up on it because despite all attempts to locate it on Google Maps, apparently no one bothered to put a mark on it. I saw other churches mapped out, so I just skipped the church and mapped out the others. It was I think under renovation when we visited, but the church was beautiful and I was mostly basking in what luck we had away from our Google Maps.
The interior of the church
A statue of the Blessed Mother
Apparently, there was a nativity scene...
...and a Roman soldier being exhibited
St. Martin of Tours was the 2nd church we visited. We were aiming for seven churches, and this time we'd be relying mostly on Google Maps. The next stop was San Ildefonso.
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