Hello everyone! How are you today? How did your new year go? What did you do after the New Year? Well, I am pretty sure you did a lot of stuff after celebrating the new year, full of hopes for a blissful year ahead.
It is my yearly devotion to say a little prayer to the church after the new year. And because we didn't have duty last January 2, I grabbed the chance to visit Cebu City and went to the Santo Niño church and offer prayer.
Basilica Minore Del Sto. Niño Church
A short background about the place, Basilica Minore Del Sto. Niño is known as the oldest Catholic Church in Cebu. The church is the holy chamber of the image of Snr. Santo Niño, the city's patron saint. Its fiesta celebration is annually celebrated in Cebu every third Sunday of January.
I am so blessed today because the weather is so hot and it's not difficult to go to the place knowing that I need to travel 3 to 4 hours just to reach downtown Cebu City.
After saying a little prayer, I made a short stroll inside the church and took a picture of the beautiful altar inside where you can see a lot of Patron Saints in front. Staying inside for a while, you can feel the place's holiness and the people's sincerity.
On the left side of the holy altar, you can see a mini plaza with a wishing well and a fountain where children and parents will have time to sit and enjoy the time being for a while. There are chairs allotted for the visitors to pray and make a prayer in silence.
The Basilica Minore Del Sto. Niño during night time
The unique architectural style of the church is a mixture of Muslim, Romanesque, and neo-classicism. The exterior of the church shows a wide open space for devotees to say a prayer and also a place where a large number of people can attend masses. The church has an arched-shaped entrance. The bell tower is located adjacent to the church.
While making the most of my time strolling, I light a candle and say a prayer in the candle area located on the right side facing the altar of the Pilgrim Center.
After lighting the red candle, this image catches my attention. This is located near the candle area. It proves how creative and hospitable Cebuano's ancestors were. The picture shows the expedition of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi to different parts of the world before arriving in Cebu. You can also see in there an image of Senior Santo Niño arriving in Cebu where people were very happy receiving the given gifts and in return, they dance the famous Sinulog Dance. It's quite impressive how they present the image as if it's real.
Cebu's All New Freedom Park in Downtown Area
After visiting the holy place of Basilica Minore Del Sto. Niño, I decided to have a short walk in the Carbon Public Market area to buy some important stuff.
After strolling in the carbon public market, I made a little stop at its newly renovated park - Freedom Park.
This Freedom Park is a newly renovated park that opened last October 2022. From a crowded market of vendors to a free open space for leisure walks is the new image of the freedom park. Located across the main campus of the University of San Jose – Recoletos (USJ-R) on Magallanes Street.
An obelisk can be seen at the center, which lights up at night, which is the same spot where an obelisk also once stood many decades back before the park had been populated by vendors in 1998.
It was Mayor Michael Rama, Cebu City mayor who pushed through the revival of the park aiming to visualize a Singapore-like area.
At its center is a 15-meter-high obelisk. The park has pathways and trees that provide shade where people can take respite from the heat. It has also allotted chairs for the people and students to drop by and have a short talk after a stressful day.
On the back portion can be seen the newly built establishment "The Barracks" which become the city’s newest food hub. One thing I love about the place after strolling, you can rest for a while in front, while you can eat and sip nutritious and delicious foods from The Barracks which is a go-to place for leisure and hungry stomachs.
That's it for today's blog. I am so blessed today for all the duties I need to finish ended with happy moments saying a little prayer for a blissful year ahead and seeing the newly renovated place in Cebu.
Have a nice day everyone😊
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