08/08/2026
CAMINO DE SANTA RITA: πππππ πππππππππ!
It takes more than a typhoon and the relentless habagat to stop a Kapampangan on a pilgrimage.
At 3:00 AM today, August 8, 2026, while most of the province sought shelter from the monsoon, some 300 devotees gathered in the dark outside the St. Catherine Church in Porac. Their objective was clear: navigate a 14-kilometer stretch of wet, winding roads going to the Sta. Rita Parish Church.
This is the Camino de Santa Rita. Organized for the Tricentennial Celebration of the Santa Rita de Cascia Parish, the dawn trek is a historical retracing, honoring the mother parish in Porac that nurtured the community before Sta. Rita gained its independence 300 years ago.
Despite the occasional drizzles, the devotees pushed forward. Flanking the procession were the caros of Santa Rita (Apung Dita) and Saint Catherine of Alexandria (Apung Tali)βglowing beacons in the pre-dawn gloom. The grueling walk was softened by communal solidarity; townsfolk waited by the roadside, handing out water and food to the passing pilgrims. Understanding that each pilgrim walks at a different pace, others joined the procession at designated points like San Basilio, Dila-Dila, and San Vicente.
By 6:30 AM, the massive crowd finally reached the parish doors. The rain hadn't washed away their resolve; it had only cemented it. What united them was not just the physical distance covered, but a shared journey of gratitude.
πππ ππππππ πππππ π
ππππππππππ, πππππ πππ π πππππππ. π©πππππ πππππ ππππππ, πππππ πππ π πππππππππ. π¨ππ
ππππππ 300 πππππ ππ πππππ... πππππ ππππ ππππππππ πππππππππ ππππ πππ
ππ ππππ.
πππ¦π’π§π¨ ππ πππ§ππ ππ’ππ.
πππ€ππ π§π’π§π πππ©ππ§ππ²ππ§.
πππ€ππ π§π’π§π πππ¬ππ₯π©ππ§πππ²ππ§ππ§.
πππ€ππ π§π’π§π πππ©ππ¬ππ₯ππ¦ππππ§
