MANILA, Philippines – It was standing room only at Landmark Chapel on Ash Wednesday, February 14, as mallgoers and professionals in the Makati business district took a break from a busy workday to fulfill an age-old religious tradition.
More than a thousand Catholics flocked to this place of worship, formally known as the Mary Mother of Hope Chapel, to have their foreheads marked with ashes as a symbol of repentance from sin. On this day, Catholics begin the 40-day penitential season of Lent, a period of fasting, prayer, and almsgiving in preparation for Holy Week and Easter.
Rappler senior multimedia reporter Paterno Esmaquel II brings us to Landmark Chapel on Ash Wednesday to witness this unique dimension of Catholicism in the Philippines: religious worship in shopping malls, as the day of ashes falls on the day of hearts.
Watch the video in the topmost part of this story page. – videography and video editing by Errol Almario/Rappler.com
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