The Philippine Churches and its Faith

The Philippines is famous for some its natural wonders like Mt. Mayon in Bicol, the hundred islands in Pangasinan, the beautiful Chocolate hills in Bohol and the stunning Maria Christina falls in Iligan.But one can’t resist visiting some of its historical structures. Among these are the beautiful churches found around the archipelago. Having the chance to travel around the country gave me a good opportunity to see how Christianity spread all over the country.Exploring the many old towns in the Philippines, always leads me to centuries old churches. Each unique in its influence and structure. Several fortress church can be found in the areas attacked by rebels during the Spanish times. Among the beautiful fortress church is the Sto Thomas de Villanueva church or more known as Miagao church. It’s a Unesco World Heritage site because of its baroque structure. Majority of the old churches around the areas of Iloilo and the rest of the Visayas are built as a structure built to sustain rebel attacks. In contrast to those churches, others were beautifully made with paintings on its ceilings and elegant chandeliers without the concern of being destroyed.The churches are also unique in the composition of its façade and bell tower. The common ones have strong resemblance with those found in Europe but differs when it comes to its material. The churches here are mostly composed of what’s abundant in that area. That is the reason why many of the churches in the country are made of coral stones and huge blocks of lime stones.But with all these differences, one thing stands equal to the churches in the Philippines. It is the Filipino faith. It retained strong despite the many challenges that it has undergone. The modern lifestyle though, has slightly affected the church goers and other old traditions but not much on the value of going to the Holy Mass. So the challenge today is how each Christian will grow in their faith.