CBCP's new 'Visita Iglesia' site now online

Disabled and overseas Filipino workers who cannot make it home for the Holy Week to observe the traditional Lenten rites can do so online again. The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) launched over the weekend its revamped "Visita Iglesia online" (http://visitaiglesia.net/) to let Catholics experience Holy Week virtually. As of 5pm Saturday, the site had over 200 visitors. But CBCP media director Msgr. Pedro Quitorio III stressed that the site should not be used as a substitute to the liturgical celebrations done in parishes. Quitorio said that people who are capable of celebrating the liturgical services in person should do so at their respective parish churches. “The liturgy is a community act and being so it is most meaningfully celebrated in the context of the community or the parish," he stressed. However, it remained unclear whether or not the site is prepared to handle heavy online traffic, as the site slowed to a crawl last year due to the sheer number of visitors. Last year, the original site had some 47,473 visitors but succumbed to "technical difficulties" particularly on Good Friday and Black Saturday, when the Holy Week traditions are at their peak. The old site was still online as of Saturday morning, however. Updated 'Visita Iglesia' This year's edition of the "Visita Iglesia Online" site appears to have several improvements over last year's version. For one, the site's home page features an introductory YouTube video of the site by Quitorio. Its main attraction is the Visita Iglesia, which features seven churches, mainly in Metro Manila:

• Manila Cathedral
• San Agustin Church
• Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene (Quiapo Church)
• San Lorenzo Ruiz Church (Binondo Church)
• Sta. Cruz Church
• Nuestra Señora de Remedios (Malate Church)
• Our Lady of Perpetual Help Shrine (Baclaran Church)

Images of each church are featured in the "Visita Iglesia" pages. Last year's version of the Visita Iglesia site had featured the Santo Niño de Tondo church instead of the Sta. Cruz Church. The site also has new sections, such as catechesis and catechesis on the Holy Week. It also has a page on traditions such as the Pasyon and the Seven Last Words. — TJD, GMA News