Here we go again, bringing you to a PH tourist destination, one step at a time. Join us on our trip to a miraculous place in Cebu.
Have you been here before?
Located just south of Cebu City, this place is another one to add to your bucket list. 👌
Hi everyone, it's me - Teresa - your tour guide for today 👋 Let's goooo.
I bet almost all Cebuanos have already visited this place at least once in their life... But if you still weren't able to, then this blog is perfect for you.
My family and I decided to visit Simala Church to celebrate our faith. As a responsible tourist, we went to this place while still following minimum safety protocols.
Cebu is not only known for its Basilica Minore del Santo Niño de Cebu which has the oldest religious relic in the Philippines, Holy Child Jesus. It also has The Monastery of the Holy Eucharist (Simala Church).
A lot of people, from tourists to locals, can be seen coming in here especially before the pandemic broke out.
Weekends are not the best time to come here if you don't like lining up or waiting for too long because of the surge of people. This place is home of the Miraculous Blessed Virgin Mary or "Birhen sa Simala" wherein a lot of locals claimed to have been healed by her.
We left Cebu City at 7:30am and arrived at the shrine 9:00am. The first thing we did when we arrived is go to the CR hahaha 😂, that was a long ride indeed. Then we fall in line to enter, and finally was able to at around 11am already. But before we were able to enter, we were told by the guards that our outfits don't follow their guidelines, so we rented a “malong” - a piece like a small blanket to cover us up.
Don't be like us please hahaha ❌❌❌. The church is a religious place and they follow a lot conservative things, that we should abide to if we want to enter. Sleeveless, shorts, and skirts above the knee are not allowed. Drones are also not allowed in here.
Safety procedures are also followed in here like washing of hands first, alcohol, and temperature check. 😷
We went to the candle lighting area and bought candles at PHP 35 each. We bought a lot of candles in different colors. Different meaning per color (e.g. black for souls or forgiveness, yellow for peace and hope, red for love, family, & friends, etc).
We went to the stairs going inside. But the church is still not allowed for tourists. So we just took a pic of us on the stairs. Then we went to the place where we can kiss the enclosed statue of Mama Mary that is said to do wonders and miracles.
🚫 Falling in line for hours wouldn't really matter if you are really a devotee, but please be mindful if you have an elderly or someone with a complication with you.
We ate lunch just outside the gate of the church. We didn't really stayed there for long because my grandma needs to rest. We rode a van for hire again in going back and arrived at around 2pm already in Cebu City. 🤗
When there was still no pandemic, the inside of this castle is something you can only see on textbooks. You'll need to remove your shoes before entering. So inside are people who walks on their bare feet. The last time we went there, a lot of people are inside the church.
Eucharistic celebration is also held here daily. There are a lot of statues of Blessed Virgin Mary and you can also write a letters to Her. There is also this place full of things from people who claims to have been healed by Her.
HOW TO GET THERE
VHIRE | BUS | TAXI | CAR
My fam and I decided to go there via VHire. We went to the van terminal at Junquera St. just beside USC - main campus. Fare is PHP 150 each person (one way). We were dropped off exactly at the gate of the shrine.
You can ride a bus to the church by going to South Bus Terminal. Ride the with the bus with the sign Oslob or Santander and just tell the driver to drop you off for simala church (around PHP 80). Then you’ll ride a motorcycle going up the church (PHP 20).
You can also have taxi but it will be really expensive (more than PHP 1,000). 😬
The most safest one is through own car. Just pin Simala Church and you’re good to go.
Our family trip to Simala Church is not that complete unlike before, but it's the thought that counts right? 😊 We went there to celebrate our faith and to visit Mama Mary. We left Simala Church with glee in our hearts and faces, thankful that we are still here and kicking.
Hope this pandemic will end already so that we can enter this church and your visit in here will be more worthwhile too. Stay blessed everyone 😇.
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