Our walking trip to the palace churches did give me a strong sense of nostalgia, having studied in a university literally under the shadows of Malacañang. The nostalgia, however, wasn’t just finished yet. Our last destination was the one that would make all the memories from a not so distant past return in such a humbling experience, as if taking me back in space and time in a rather sentimental way.

From San Miguel Church, we continued traversing Jose Laurel St. within the palace complex, then took a right turn at Nepomuceno St. At the end of Nepomuceno St. is Legarda St., the same road we walked through coming from the San Sebastian Minor Basilica. We once again took the path to the historic Mendiola bridge, until a familiar view sent me to a similarly familiar feeling.

It was just around 04:00 PM when we reached the Abbey of Our Lady of Montserrat, and the evening prayers of the Benedictine monks, which is open to the public, would not be until 05:00 PM. Since the abbey was still closed, we first took photos of the façade of the abbey church.

The mission of the Order of St. Benedict in the Philippines started in 1895, with the original intent of doing parish work in parishes established by the Society of Jesus in Surigao. They arrived in Manila on 12 September 1895. When the Americans arrived and took over as the new colonial government, the Benedictines decided to focus to education to counter Protestantism that the Americans brought with them. In 1901, El Colegio de San Beda was founded in Arlegui St., named after the renowned English Benedictine saint, the Venerable Bede. The Priorate of the Benedictines in Manila was erected three years after, in 1904.

In 1906, the tract of land in the current location of Mendiola St. in Manila was purchased. The priory was then elevated to an abbey status in 1924. In 1926, the abbey church was consecrated and dedicated to Sto. Niño de Praga.

As Ran and I would not want to be on the road after dark, I went to the porteria of the abbey and asked the porter if we may pay the abbey church a visit, since I am an alumnus after all. The kind porter gladly welcomed us and showed us the way to the abbey church.

Since there was no mass or prayer service during the time we were there, it was dark in the abbey church. I had to rely to natural light and some help from the dark vision of my camera phone in order to get some good shots. Despite the darkness though, the feeling was the same. The church did not change a bit from the way I remember it back in my college days.

We would have stayed longer, as I would have loved to show Ran around my alma mater. We do not have clearance to enter the university campus though and evening was approaching. After some personal prayers, it was time to leave.

This part of our journey which began in the Basilica Minore de San Sebastian, followed by the visit to the palace churches of the national shrines of St. Jude and St. Michael, is the part where I got too absorbed, I failed to take the usual twofies. It is a memory for keeps though, having brought my travel buddy to a place that played a pivotal role in my life.

San Beda University and the Abbey of Our Lady of Montserrat in Manila both molded me to the individual that I am now. I will always visit these places with a perpetual sense of gratitude and a renewed sense of excitement. This is the place in the world where nostalgic memories for me are not just remembered. They are relived. They are brought to the present. This is my place for anamnesis.

It was a fitting finale for our weekend walk trip to four churches in the Archdiocese of Manila. It was a weekend well spent. Tiring, but definitely worth it.