National Shrine of the Divine Mercy in Marilao Bulacan

If you're in Metro Manila or north of the capital, here's a place you can visit during the holy week or when you need a spiritual escape or intervention or just about anytime you feel like it. The National Shrine of the Divine Mercy in Marilao, Bulacan could be the haven / spiritual retreat you are looking for. People go there during holy week usually for the way of the cross. Others go there to meditate and reflect all throughout the year.

There have been stories of devotees who miraculously healed from their ailments after making a pilgrimage to the place. Others believe in the healing powers of the water streaming down the walls of the man-made cave and grottoes. So much so that the people at the Church had put up signs limiting the amount of water one could take to one gallon. When I first read that I was like, how much do some people take? A pail? Isn't that kinda heavy? Do they bathe in those? Hmm, maybe they do.

Father Vic Robles, who used to say mass at the school I went to, is largely responsible for the Divine Mercy Shrine in Marilao coming into being. There have been instances when we would go to the shrine as a class.

As a kid then a teen, the place was wondrous. It was nothing like any church I have seen. It was labyrinthine with lots of nooks and crannies to discover. And before I get accused of being there just for sightseeing, please, I know I took faith and religion way more seriously than other kids my age at that time. I was far more religious then than I am now. Sadly.

We used to go to the Divine Mercy Shrine during Lent and for the annual Feast of the Divine Mercy on the 2nd Sunday of Easter (the next Sunday after Easter Sunday). The last time I have been to the shrine was three years ago so the pics below are that old. The place has undergone several developments over time.

At first it was just the open air altar and courtyard with log pews, wishing well, waterfalls, grottoes and the church with its man-made cave aside from a few structures:

Church facade. Note the staircase on the side which lead to the lofts.

At the Church entrance is a painting of Saint Faustina and Jesus Christ.

Confession area. To your right as you enter the church, next to the staircase to the choir loft.

Choir loft. As with most choir lofts, it faces the altar.

Church interior. There's a staircase at the side of the altar leading to the Lourdes Cave. Or at least there used to be. There's a painting? woodwork? of heaven and hell also at the side of the altar which is my least favorite part of the shrine. I don't like seeing people or anything suffering.

 Church altar with its painted ceiling and stained glass windows.

Church side ceilings. Again with the intricate details.

Stations of the Cross. At the end of the hallway is staircase to the open air altar at the courtyard.

Courtyard with log pews and open air altar. They have replaced the weathered (which I personally think adds character to the) logs with new ones.  At the center  is the grotto of Our Lady of Fatima. Water flows down the wall to a wishing well. To the left and not in the picture is the grotto of the Resurrection where a statue of the risen Christ sits on a rock formation. There are stairs leading up to the statue. In front of it is a fountain and at the back is a statue of Mother Theresa of Calcutta.

Chapel of our Lady of Guadalupe. This is at the back of the church and beside the courtyard. It now holds bulletin boards with pictures and articles about the holy land.  Up the steps, I think the Santo Entierro is at the back of the Divine Mercy painting, I'm not sure. Beyond and visible in the pic is the open tomb with the tabernacle. Water cascades down the painting of Our Lady Guadalupe at right. If you continue down the path to the right of the painting you'll find yourself at the Lourdes cave where water cascades down from the walls. You will exit at the driveway which is at the left of the church. In the past, when there are lots of people at the place, to control foot traffic, the doorway at the driveway is the entrance and the opening at the chapel is the exit. Also, I'm referring to it as a driveway since it leads to the gate but private vehicles are to take the road at the back, not this one, to get to the parking lot.

Souvenir shop. Like most religious stores in most churches, they offer statues and religious items like rosaries and prayer booklets. I've been intrigued by the bridge leading to the shop from the church.

Chapel of St. Therese of the Child Jesus. There are candle rows here where you can light one and offer a prayer for someone.

Inside the structure is a diorama of Bethlehem. This is where they used to put up the Belen on Christmas. If memory serves me right, there's a public toilet near this structure.

Daan ng Kagalingan. Also known as rosary hill because the life-size rosary beads lining the pathway. There used to be life-size statues here amidst the cool shades of the trees. This was where we would have the via crucis before the Stations of the Cross surrounding the parking lot were built. The place was padlocked during our visit. It's at the back of the Our Lady of Fatima grotto.

Next came the buildings, which I am not sure if I am identifying correctly since I haven't gone into these places:

Multipurpose building.

 Information center.

 Food court and pay toilet.

 

Then they developed the area beyond that used to only be the parking lot and the one behind the souvenir shop.

Covered court. Built because of the growing number of people who hear mass.

Covered court altar. This was where an apparition was caught on cctv. This is not how the altar looks like now.

Life-size statues depicting the fourteen Stations of the Cross are found along the pathway encircling the covered court and the parking lot at the back. It starts to your right just at the end of the driveway and goes counter clockwise.  

Pope John Paul Activity Center.

Columbarium.

Parking lot with a chapel beyond.

Another chapel which I can't name.
 

Promenade. A quiet spot running along the Marilao River.
 

A fixture you will find along the way of the cross.

There are prayer and reflections guides next to the statues of the station of the cross

 

Pond separating the 13th station - Jesus is placed in the tomb.

The last station, the resurrection.

Back up, at the back of the souvenir shop is the "Little Poland Museum that feature the house and the basement where Pope John Paul II lived."

Next to it are replicas of "the Chapel where St. Faustina had a vision of the Divine Mercy and the eerie Prison Cell of St. Maximillian Kolbe where he was martyred."

Beyond those is an area for devotees of our Lady of Perpetual Help.

At the back of the Information center and in front of the Little Poland Museum is a semi tree-covered amphitheater. A public toilet is a stone's throw from it.

The latest addition to the shrine is a 100 foot Divine Mercy statue being constructed at the parking lot.

I am unable to take pics of three spots at the shrine: the amphitheater, the grotto of the Resurrection and the Lourdes cave. It's a testament to these spots popularity. There was always someone having their pic taken at the grotto. There were teenagers practicing dance routines at the amphitheater. The Lourdes cave was closed for renovation that time we were there. I was also unable to take a pic of the little Poland museum because there was a guard. Nahiya ako.

I've marked the areas on this map I've screen grabbed from Wikimapia.

One of the best thing about the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy is that every time we went there, the doors were always open. There are some churches which close their doors after mass. Pretty understandable since churches nowadays are not spared from looting.

For those with kids, aside from the food court, there are stores outside the church gates which sell food, kakanins and pasulobong. There's also a 7-11.

To get to the shrine from NCR, travel by NLEX then take Marilao exit. Turn left at the Marilao-San Jose Del Monte road. The shrine is to your right but since you will be parking your vehicle, when the road forks just before Alpha Steel and a few meters after Meralco Marilao substation, you need to take the right road for the parking lot. If taking public transport, there are jeepneys for Prenza at the terminal of SM Marilao as well as the terminal at the Tabing Ilog Market of Marilao which is along MacArthur Hiway, beside Marilao river. Just ask manong driver to drop you off at the shrine. There are also buses that pass by the shrine. Take the Sapang Palay via Marilao Exit (ask, since there are via Bocaue Exit buses) bus at the bus terminal near Doroteo Jose station of LRT. Have the conductor to let you off at the shrine.

Edited 4/20/22: note that the directions for taking public transport is prepandemic and before the construction of the PNR so these may no longer be accurate.

Unfortunately traffic going to and from the place is hellish especially during the feast. And if there are road repairs going on because the Marilao-San Jose road is not really that wide. But hey, think of it as your way of sacrificing.

I hope when you go there you find, more than the beauty of the place, whatever it is you are looking for.

Disclaimer: I am not associated with the shrine nor do I claim to be familiar with the place more than anybody. What I have written here is culled from memory and from Wikimapia. If there are people reading this who know the place, I would greatly appreciate your input/corrections on this piece I have written. Thank you.