San Agustin Church

Concealed behind the walled city of Intramuros, built by the Spaniards in 1570, is the church of San Agustin. This church is a significant monument to the Spanish colonization of the Philippines, being the first religious structure built in the island of Luzon, after the Spanish relocated from Cebu in the south.

Built within the administrative center of the Spanish government, San Agustin church enjoyed privileges not commonly dispensed to most colonial churches. It was built by the Spaniard Juan Macias in 1586 and was completed in 1606. Luciano Oliver later renovated it in 1854. The book Great Churches of the Philippines points out that the church was designed “according to the plans approved by the Royal Audencia of Mexico and by a Royal Cedula.”

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The church pictured below is San Pedro de Alcantara Church in Pakil, Laguna. It was posted to see whether Rolly N. still remembers where he spent his Sunday mornings as a young man in his hometown. He is the declared winner for sending in the first correct entry. As a consolation, I owe EKM a drink for sending her comments. Her long absence from the homeland left her to wonder the present condition of her beloved church. A picture, for her to reminisce, of San Agustin Church is posted sans the 'Wall of Intramuros.'

Name the Church Game

In order to have an exciting and interesting blog, let's post some guessing games so everyone could actively participate. The winner will get a free drink the next time we get together as a group. Can you guess the location and name of this church? Clue: This is located in the Philippines and one of our bro used to attend 'Simbang Gabi' in this church.

"Church isn’t where you meet. Church isn’t a building. Church is what you do. Church is who you are. Church is the human outworking of the person of Jesus Christ. Let’s not go to Church, let’s be the Church."~Bridget Willard~

This is the San Pedro De Alcantara Church in Pakil, Laguna. Completed in 1767 after 35 years of construction, its architectural design is reminiscent of the Corinthian and Ionic styles.

The icon of the Virgin of Turumba was enshrined in the church in 1788. The icon was believed to have been fished by some fishermen along Laguna de Bay. It is said that when the fishermen tried to row the other way going to another town, the boat would not budge. It was only when they rowed toward Pakil that the wind caught the sail and on they went as if guided by the Virgin herself.

Since then sets of nine-day novenas called "lupi" have been said during the month of September. After every 'lupi" is the dancing of the "turumba". People from far away come to Pakil in fulfullment of a "panata" or to ask a favor from the Virgin of Turumba.

Hi, I'm Oscar!

HmmmHmmmHmm!! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Be careful, I have my eye-sight on you.

. . . . . . Look, I'll just take a couple of zzzzzzzzz's . . . . . Hmmp . . . Hey Lolo, don't sneak out and play golf near Hoover Dam without me!

Hoover Dam Bypass

Creeping closer inch by inch, 900 feet above the mighty Colorado River, the two sides of a $160 million bridge at the Hoover Dam slowly take shape. The bridge will carry a new section of US Route 93 past the bottleneck of the old road which can be seen twisting and winding around and across the dam itself. When complete, it will provide a new link between the states of Nevada and Arizona . In an incredible feat of engineering, the road will be supported on the two massive concrete arches which jut out of the rock face.The arches are made up of 53 individual sections each 24 feet long which have been cast on-site and are being lifted into place using an improvised high-wire crane strung between temporary steel pylons. The arches will eventually measure more than 1,000 feet across. At the moment, the structure looks like a traditional suspension bridge. But once the arches are complete, the suspending cables on each side will be removed. Extra vertical columns will then be installed on the arches to carry the road. The bridge has become known as the Hoover Dam bypass, although it is officially called the Mike O'Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge, after a former governor of Nevada and an American Football player from Arizona who joined the US Army and was killed in Afghanistan.Work on the bridge started in 2005 and should finish next year. An estimated 17,000 cars and trucks will cross it every day. The dam was started in 1931 and used enough concrete to build a road from New York to San Francisco. The stretch of water it created, Lake Mead, is 110 miles long and took six years to fill. The original road was opened at the same time as the famous dam in 1936. An extra note: The top of the white band of rock in Lake Mead is the old waterline prior to the drought and development in the Las Vegas area. It is over 100 feet above the current water level.

Basilica in Orlando, Florida?

This modern day Basilica is a 'must' visit for all, especially those of Catholic faith. It was began as a small ministry and grew to a magnificent house of faith built upon the spiritual involvement and generosity of visitors from all over the world. Vacationers can enjoy the tranquil surroundings and commune with their Creator and Lord.