Monasterio De Santa Clara

Monasterio De Santa Clara, Saint Clare Monastery or Monasteryo ni Santa Clara in Katipunan is one of my favorite places of worship. I have been attending Sunday mass here religiously for almost two years but I haven’t blog about this beautiful place yet.

I love hearing mass here because the place is peaceful and solemn, Father Andres Ranoa who regularly celebrates the mass give thought provoking homilies and because every week I get to hear the  nuns in brown habit sing beautiful old Tagalog songs that are no longer sang in other churches during the mass. 

A lot of people flock to Saint Clare Monastery to offer eggs and prayers. Many came to her to ask her intercession for good weather, to be able to conceive, to pass board exams and other various petitions.

But why are eggs offered to Saint Clare? Clare means "clear'' so it only fitting that we asked for her intercession for clear skies, clear mind and clear conscience.Others add that “clara” in Spanish refers to egg white while in Castillian it means having a short interval of a fair weather in a rainy day so an egg is offered for a good weather. Eggs are associated with fertility and the egg whites are clear hence it symbolizes a clear mind.

Saint Clare (also spelled as Clair or Claire) of Assisi is a good friend and one of the first followers of Saint Francis of Assisi. They both came from noble and well-off families but both turn their backs from wealth and lead a life of prayer and sacrifice. She founded a religious order known as the Order of the Poor Ladies. Saint Clare’s mother, Ortolina, also entered this religious order as well as her sisters Beatrix and Agnes (who is also declared as saint). Her feast day is every August 11.

The Order of the Poor Ladies led by Sor Jerónima de la Asunción and other nuns

came to the Philippines in 1621 and established the Real Monasterio de la Inmaculada Concepción de la Madre de Dios de las Monjas de Sta. Clara (Royal Monastery of the Immaculate Conception of the Mother of God of the Nuns of Sta. Clara) in Intramuros, Manila. The monastery in Intramuros was destroyed in World War II when American soldier heavily bombed Manila to liberate it from the Japanese invaders. Because no structure was left standing in Intramuros except for the San Agustin Church after 300 years in Intramuros, the monastery transferred to Aurora Boulevard, Cubao, Quezon City. In the 1990s the monastery transferred again to the lot opposite the Aurora Boulevard site which is Katipunan Avenue because the monastery has to give way for the construction of C5.

Schedule of Masses

Masses are said at the Monastery everyday at 6:00 a.m. except for Sunday which is at 6:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Special blessings are said for birthday celebrants of that particular month every first Sunday of the month and special blessings of healings for the sick are prayed by the priest every second Sunday of the month before the mass ends. The intention for the successful board examination of a particular profession for that particular week is also prayed for during the Prayers of the Faithful part of the mass. During the feast day of Saint Clare masses are said every hour throughout the day.

The monastery is open every day from 5:30 am to 7:00 pm.

After the mass you can proceed to the area adjacent to the church to drop off your petitions and eggs, have your religious materials and board examination paraphernalia like pencils, calculators, etc. bless and kiss the relic of Saint Clare.

The area where people write down their petitions for Saint Clare

It is here where the eggs, prayer petitions are offered, where materials are blessed and where you can find the relic of Saint Clare

Picture taking of the relic is not allowed.

How to go to Monasterio de Santa Clara

1. Hop on LRT line 2 and alight on Katipunan Station South Wing. From there walk  towards Katipunan Avenue and turn right once you see the C5 fly over then you can see the monastery from there.

2. Ride a jeep in Cubao and look for those with Katipunan or Parang, SSS signboard and tell the driver that you want to get off at Santa Clara.

3. If you have your own car, drive along Aurora boulevard towards Marikina when you reach the Katipunan intersection turn right. The convent is at the left so turn left towards the first U-turn slot.

Other facts about Monasterio de Santa Clara and Saint Clare

In Jose Rizal's novel "El Filibusterismo" it was the Monasterio de Santa Clara that Maria Clara entered to become a nun.

Saint Clare of Assisi is the same patroness of Obando, Bulacan  that people go to to perform fertility rites.

Saint Ursula Parish and Kalbaryo at Binangonan Rizal

Last April 19, 2014, my brother, his wife and another brother’s girlfriend and I went to Binangonan, Rizal.

How to Travel to Binangonan?
From Aurora Boulevard, we took a jeepney ride to Sta. Lucia Mall and from Sta. Lucia Mall we hailed a jeep with a Binangonan signboard. Aurora to Sta. Lucia Mall fare was P10.00 and then from Sta. Lucia to Binangonan was P35.00. Judging from the fare we paid going to Binangonan we knew it was a long ride.

We passed by the towns of Taytay and Angono. I wonder why the main road, Manila East Road, that the jeepney took became narrower and narrower as we approached the town of Binangonan? 

The image of Saint Ursula by the belfry tower, she is the Patron saint of orphans and students and her feast day is celebrated  every October 21

Our first stop was the Saint Ursula Parish Church. This 200-year-old church is one of the oldest churches in Rizal. Construction of the church started in 1792 and was completed in 1800.

St. Ursula Parish is located at Paterno Extension, Barangay Libid, Binangonan, Rizal and the parish office number is 625-3413.

How to reach Saint Ursula Parish
The narrow streets of Barangay Libid can be confusing so asked the jeepney driver to drop you off at Paterno Street and the church is just a short walking distance.

It was sad that the church was closed during our time of visit. We were not able to see the church’s interior. 

How to go to Kalbaryo
From Saint Ursula Parish we took a short tricycle ride to Kalbaryo or Calvary Hill. Kalbaryo is a popular religious place for locals to visit especially during Holy Week. There are Stations of the Cross along the hill where you can stop and recite a prayer. There is also a ruin of an old chapel half way through the top of the hill.

entrance to Kalbaryo

the chapel ruins

more steps to conquer

just a few more steps to take 

On top of the hill are the 15 feet big white cross, the statue of the Virgin Mary and the breathtaking view of the town of Binangonan and of the Laguna Bay. There were about 275 steps to climb to reach the top.

light a candle and say a prayer by the image of Our Lady

the scenic view of Laguna de Bay and of the town of Binangonan

Pilgrimage to Manaoag

My friend, Ate Kat; my brother, Paul; and I joined our parish's Pilgrimage to Manaoag.  Manaoag is considered to be the Pilgrims Center of the North since it's in the province of Pangasinan.

I feel really blessed because when I attended the first Friday mass for May the announcement about the pilgrimage was announced by the commentator.  I would not have learned about the pilgrimage had it been announced on a Sunday because I attend mass regularly at the Feast in Quezon City.

It was not hard to convince Paul to join me because it has been ages since we went to Pangasinan, actually, we just passed by Pangasinan on our way to Baguio City years ago.  We of course have never been to Manaoag and we all know that May is the month for Flores de Mayo which honors our Blessed Virgin.  Plus the fee for the whole trip was only P700.00 and there's a side trip to San Fabian PTA Beach also in Pangasinan.

We were at the St. Joseph's Shrine as early as 3:40 a.m. on May 19, 2012, to join the other excited parishioners in waiting for the seven chartered buses that will take us to Manaoag.

Our bus arrived at 4:30 a.m. and we left Quezon City a few minutes after. We prayed the rosary and read some bible scriptures inside the bus.  It was a long and tiring 5 hour trip to Manaoag.  We could have come much earlier had we not stopped two times for comfort room breaks  :)

my brother on board the chartered bus to Manaoag

We were instructed to explore the church grounds, buy pasalubongs and souvenirs and be inside the church for the 11:00 a.m. mass to be celebrated by Fr. Mon Eloriaga, our parish priest.  The place was full of devotees.

The facade of the church

The Shrine of Nuestra Senora del Santissimo Rosario de Manaoag  (Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary of Manaoag) was established by the Dominican Order in 1605.  The present church structure was built in 1901.  The ivory image of the Blessed Virgin Mary came from Spain.  Documents dating back to the 1610 attest that a farmer saw the apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary holding a rosary on her right and the baby Jesus on her left hand on a tree top instructing him to build a church in the spot where she appeared.  The site of the apparition is where the church now stands.

The feast days of Our Lady of Manaoag is every third Sunday after Easter and First Sunday of October.

The place was known before as "Sapa" and became known as "Manaoag" in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  The word Manaoag comes from the word "tawag" or "calls."  Because the farmer heard the call of Our Lady before the apparition.  And every pilgrim who comes to the site is called out by the Our Lady of Manaoag.

I really feel that it was the Blessed Virgin Mary telling me clearly in my heart that it is the time for me to visit her.  I hope I can go on a pilgrimage to Manaoag yearly.

The church is full of devotees 

Our Lady of  Manaoag is the patroness of the poor, the sick and the helpless.  

Aside from the beautiful church, you can also visit the wishing well building and the candle lighting area outside the church, as well as the rosary garden, the museum and the religious shop.

This image can be found at the wishing well building

At the rosary garden, life-size statues depicting the mysteries of the rosary.

Inside the museum, various church artifacts were on display.  There's an area inside the museum where you can write down your petitions to Our Lady.

There was still so much to see at the Shrine of the Nuestra Senora del Santissimo Rosario de Manaoag but we were pressed by time that we were not able to explore everything thoroughly.  We had to be back at the bus after the mass because it was still an hour drive to San Fabian Beach where will be having our lunch.We were just grateful that we were able to hear mass at this sacred place.

I'll be back soon for my San Fabian Beach post.:)