Hello hivers! Allow me to introduce myself again, @amishu, and welcome to my blog.🌷
📍Join me as we visit the Monastery of the Holy Eucharist, also known as the Our Lady of Lindogon Shrine and commonly known as the Simala Shrine or the Simala Parish Church. Let’s step into a world where serenity meets spirituality.💒
Here is a short history of the Simala Shrine:
It was built in 1998 by the Marian Monks of Eucharistic Adoration from Pampanga.
A place of pilgrimage for Roman Catholics is the Simala Shrine. The location is home to the image of Our Lady of Lindogon, which is revered by followers of the Virgin Mary and is thought to be miraculous. In 1998, after it was said to have shed tears, the picture was associated with the cure of dengue patients in the region.
We visited the Simala Shrine because my aunt thinks that it’s been a long time since the last time we visited Simala together. We prepare early in the morning because it will take a long ride before we get there. The best time to visit the shrine is during their opening hours, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. We were very excited to explore the Simala Shrine once again.
Outfit Check👗
We dressed in proper attire because it is not allowed to go inside if you wear shorts or sleeveless because it is a religious place. As we finish, we wait for a bus that will take us to our destination.
My Family👨👩👧👦
We arrived there early and safe before we could go to the exact place we needed to take a tricycle to Simala Shrine. Since Simala Shrine is one of the most prestigious places, many people were already waiting there when we arrived. We needed to fall in line before we could get there. We bought some souvenirs to be blessed inside the church, like bracelets and rosaries.📿
We also bought flowers for the offering.🌹
Let’s have a short tour.🔔
As we entered the Simala Shrine, the place became more beautiful. We walked and saw the beautiful spots in each corner.
At the center outside the church is a landscape where grass forms the words "We Love Mama Mary." It really caught my attention.
Once we get inside the monastery, you will be greeted by a magnificent view of the site's interior. It is a wide-ranging structure that is full of terraces and columns surrounding the area, and that makes it more elegant. There are also letters displayed on a board that are from locals who claim their illnesses were healed by the Blessed Virgin Mary, which is really heartwarming, and it also helps the place to be more sacred.
And the church altar has some images of different saints surrounding the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary placed in the topmost middle part. The ceilings have paintings that somewhat look like the ones at the Sistine Chapel in Rome. Our eyes are really full of awe at what we see.
One part of the church is a place where people can write letters to the Blessed Virgin Mary, so we write some letters that we want to tell Mama Mary. Beside it is a prayer room where a replica of the Virgin Mary is preserved. You can say your prayers here. And the image is said to be the one who shed tears and, since then, is believed to be miraculous. In addition to that, a museum that holds the various forms of the Virgin Mary can also be located inside. It also houses the clothes of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the ones she was wearing by the time she shed tears. It’s so interesting, right?🧐
Simala Shrine⛪️
For travelers, they can also shop in the souvenir store inside the church. The items sold in the shop are images of the Virgin Mary, saints and angels, crucifixes, bibles, rosaries, and prayer guides. Since we already bought some souvenirs outside, we didn’t buy anything inside. If you want to save money, I can recommend you buy souvenirs outside the church rather than inside because they're cheaper but have the same quality. You can just have the blessing inside the church, and it’s free.
The most interesting part is that there is also a dedicated part where visitors can light candles and say their prayers or wishes. The candles sold here vary in colors that correspond to a specific need.🕯️So, I really find it interesting, so we buy some candles that really correspond to our needs, light the candles, and we sincerely pray together with my family.🧎🏻♀️
It felt so good after we visited the Simala Shrine. ✨
SM Cebu📍
We decided to head to SM Cebu, our favorite mall, to spend time together. We took a taxi to go to SM Cebu.
Boy Zugba📍
When we arrived, we decided to eat first because we hadn’t had lunch. We ate at Boy Zugba. Their foods are amazing and mouthwatering🤤, we just ordered chicken inasal, Sinigang, Lumpia and many others since we were starving.
After that delicious meal, we took a stroll to let our food digest.🍽️
Then we head to SM Supermarket to buy some stuff. And all I did was take selfies and mirror shots with my aunt.📸 (HAHAHAAHAHAHHAHA)
Tealive📍
We also had some milk tea to satisfy our cravings.🧋
We visited a guitar store, and we just looked around because we didn’t even know how to play the guitar. It just captured our attention because of the different styles.🎸 It looks amazing!
Since it is almost 6 in the evening, we decided to have dinner at Majestic before we go home. We just ordered some basic foods, and I will tell you, it was all good. Chef’s kiss.👩🏻🍳💋
Ice Cream😍
We are all full, so we took some dessert, and guess what? a Dairy Queen (DQ) ice cream.🥳🍦 It’s just a perfect dessert for all.
After that wonderful day, we head home.🏠
See, spending time with your family is the best among the rest. It’s just a very great time for us, having so much fun together, learning new things together, and loving each other.
So, remember, don’t take your family for granted; they are the most precious thing that you’ll ever have.👨👩👧👦
As I draw to a close, let us never forget that supporting one another is what will always make us stronger.
Let’s wrap this up and continue our engaging conversations in my next story.
I'm very grateful that you took the time to read my blog post. I'm excited for our more upcoming insightful talk. Stay tuned for more interesting dialogues and captivating stories that will pique your attention!
See you! and have a nice day!🫶
Lovelots!💌🌷