St. Anthony de Padua Church
Iriga
City, Camarines Sur
Last December 31, we went South of CamSur
in Iriga
City for our annual Thanksgiving
Mass.
We used to have this mass at the beautiful church
on a hill in Taguntong, Goa every
year end
that also happened to be the death anniversary
of my father in law, but the new parish priest
assigned to the
church was not available then.
We were told that Fr. Lillo, the former parish priest
that accommodated us every year in this church was
transferred to Iriga
City Church,
and when we
called him up he immediately said yes and scheduled us
called him up he immediately said yes and scheduled us
for a 3 PM mass at the last day of the year 2013.
So my family trooped to Iriga City
and we were
delighted to see that the city has boomed economically.
Their beautiful Iriga Public Market that looked like
a mall was full of impressive tenants like LCC Mall,
Photos by kiasog of SSC CamSur
...and popular restaurants like Chow King,
Mang Inasal, and Graceland,
Photos by kiasog of SSC CamSur
....and just in front
was the iconic Jollibee.
We dined at Biggs Iriga upon arriving.
Nearby was the Iriga Shopping Center
Nearby was the Iriga Shopping Center
which also houses Shakey’s Pizza,
…and a long list of popular brands like Cinderella ,Osh Kosh,
…and a long list of popular brands like Cinderella ,Osh Kosh,
Plains and Prints, and Rusty Lopez as their tenants.
Iriga City is also home to a 3 star Iriga Plaza Hotel
Iriga City is also home to a 3 star Iriga Plaza Hotel
and convention center, the beautiful Moraville Hotel
and two Triple A graded hotels in the nearby Nabua
Macagang Resort Hotel and Regal Hotel.
The city is also home to huge colleges and universities,
The city is also home to huge colleges and universities,
like Unversity of Saint Anthony or (USANT),
Source; https://www.facebook.com/USANT.official
…the University of Northeastern Philippines (UNEP).
Source; https://www.facebook.com/USANT.official
…the University of Northeastern Philippines (UNEP).
It has Santa Maria Josefa Hospital, very modern
Catholic Church owned tertiary hospital, one of
the best equipped in the region that offers services
like CT Scan, hemodialysis center and endoscopy.
When we arrived at the Iriga City Church
When we arrived at the Iriga City Church
or St. Anthony de Padua Church, it looked
rather very
conventional on the outside,
…but the interiors took our breath away.
…but the interiors took our breath away.
It had an unpainted Baroque ceiling and despite
being devoid of any color, it was eye-catching .
The altar was one of the most intricate
The altar was one of the most intricate
Baroque art that I have seen in the region.
Intricate geometric patterns gilded in dazzling
Intricate geometric patterns gilded in dazzling
gold and silver are sure to impress visitors.
The grandeur of some of the most beautiful
The grandeur of some of the most beautiful
churches n Europe seemed to
have been
recreated in this unassuming church.
We were also pleasantly surprised to discover that
it also houses the Shrine of the Black Nazarene.
We were also pleasantly surprised to discover that
it also houses the Shrine of the Black Nazarene.
The thanksgiving mass went on smoothly,
…and despite our initial disappointment of not
having our traditional year end mass in Goa,
this Iriga
Church mass was a
blessing in disguise.
It introduced us to the sights and sounds of this
wonderful booming city south of CamSur.
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