Summer Kick Start: Simala

School finally got to a close and everyone of us was just itching to shake off the piled up stress.  The gang decided to pay Mama Mary a visit.  It was my third time to do this pilgrimage to Simala and with each visit I always find new captivating architectural improvements.  Like that newly constructed left wing of the monastery.  If I remember my Humanities class right, the structural design seems baroque.

Cebuanos frequent Mama Mary's Shrine in Simala because of the serenity and enchanting appeal of this miraculous place.  Sibonga is just less than two hours away from the main city.  People flock the monastery all year round.  The first time I was here I felt the strong urge to want to come back.  It's as if Mama Mary beckons me.  I hope to visit at least once a year you know to keep my horns at bay hehehe!

If you do plan to go there in Simala, do dress appropriately as the place house monks and nuns that pledge purity.  Bring a pen and paper too so that you can write down your petitions and prayers.  Writing will help release the bottled up anguish you have inside.  Then you can drop your letter on the provided slots.  

I always come here with family and some friends, exactly the same people I pray for all the time, and I just feel so blessed and thankful to have them around.