Best websites on Catholic churches in the Philippines

Are you fascinated with Philippine Roman Catholic churches? Here are some of the best websites on colonial churches in the country arranged in alphabetical order.

Table of Contents

Blogs

1. Augustinian Churches

The Augustinian Churches is a WordPress blog by a priest of the Augustinian order. It is one of the best resources online on churches built by friars of the order during the Spanish conquest. It offers an interesting perspective in history and church-building efforts of the Spanish pioneers, as well as the rich and productive history of Augustinian presence in the country.

2. Benjie Layug

Architect Benjamin “Benjie” Layug is a writer and traveler, and his interest in churches is deep and undeniably palpable. His eponymous blog contains chock-full of information, beautiful images, and knowledge. He has visited and written articles on over 270 churches in the Philippines and other countries so far as of this writing. Aside from writing for the Business Mirror, he authored the book entitled “A Tourist Guide to Notable Philippine Churches” printed in 2007.

3. Ivan Henares

Ivan Henares‘ blog contains his travels and heritage stories, particularly on Spanish colonial-era churches.

4. Pintakasi

James Malabanan is the author of Pintakasi, a blog about holy images in the Roman Catholic Church. Previously, his posts were available on Blogger and he has since migrated to WordPress starting March 14, 2021. He describes his work as “Chronicles of Philippine Popular Piety and Local Ecclesiastical History.” His blog has earned nomination in Best Blog category for two consecutive years in the Catholic Social Media Awards in 2018 and 2019.

Government resources

1. National Commission for Culture and the Arts

The National Commission for Culture and the Arts has books for the public on various cultural and artistic fields. The most notable in its collection is a book on Bohol churches written by Regalado Trota Jose. It is available for a free download in PDF format. Additionally, it also has publications on other topics by other authors.

2. National Historical Commission of the Philippines

The blogsite of National Historical Commission of the Philippines is a treasure trove of churches deemed important by the Philippine Government. These are houses of worship that are given heritage status on the basis of their historical, architectural, artistic, and cultural significance: Level 1 (National Historical Landmark, National Historical Site) and Level 2. Aside from pictures of the structures, it also has markers that provide historical account of the church. Other information include the history of the markers themselves such as the date that it was installed and on what legal basis they are bestowed. The official NHCP website contains updates and news on restoration efforts undertaken by the commission.

Institutions

1. Archdioceses and dioceses in the Philippines

Other Another great sources of information about churches in the Philippines are the websites and social media pages of respective archdioceses. They contain information about the founding of the dioceses, directories, parishes, suffragans, archbishop, ministries, news, and updates.

2. BluPrint

BluPrint, the architecture and design publication of One Mega Group Inc, is a fantastic resource for heritage churches in the country. It boasts of crisp images and excellent articles by professionals and experts in their respective fields. The stories may engage existing scholarship surrounding history and architecture of a particular church and offer learned opinions on the matter.

3. Claretian Communications Foundation Inc.

Claretian Communications Foundation Inc. offers an organized directory of Roman Catholic parishes in the country. They are arranged into their respective archdioceses and dioceses, and in the more minute levels into vicariates and districts. It has information on the different ministries of the arch/dioceses, contact details, vicars, parish priests, addresses, patronal saint, feast day, and date of founding.

4. Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines

Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) is an institution made up of church authorities of the Roman Catholic in the country. Created as an offshoot of the Second Vatican Council, its aim is “…according to the norm of law, they jointly exercise certain pastoral functions on behalf of the Christian faithful of their territory in view of promoting that greater good which the Church offers to humankind, especially through forms and programs of the apostolate which are fittingly adapted to the circumstances of the time and place.”

5. Catholink

Catholink is a website of Radio Veritas 846. It was founded on June 24, 2016 as an online directory of the churches in the Philippines. The site was also created as part of the celebration of 500 years of Christianity in the country.

6. Filipinas Heritage Library

Filipinas Heritage Library was founded by the Ayala Foundation in 1996. As a research center, it endeavors to collaborate with individuals on preservation of documents and objects that concern with Philippine heritage. Its archive of images of old colonial churches are equipped with historical tidbits and descriptions, making them invaluable sources of information. Their other activities include public education programs and onsite Filipiniana collection.

7. Philippine church directories

There are websites that offer information about churches. They deal with details about church’s services such as mass schedules, baptism, confession, contact details, social media accounts, website, feast day, patron saint, etc.

Here are some of them:

8. Union of Catholic Asian News

Union of Catholic Asian News (UCANEWS) is an independent Catholic news portal that covers Asian countries. They have presence in Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, East Timor, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, South Korea, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. They have comprehensive coverage on archdioceses and dioceses in Asia, providing information on their history, geography, church, etc.