In Matthew 6:24, Jesus himself said a person cannot serve both God and money (or mammon). NOT that money is inherently evil; but the love of it can lead people away from God.
Alas… if you look at the way faith is practiced now, money just can’t be avoided. Take religious tourism as an example.
So it’s with trepidation that we headed to Montemaria International Pilgrimage & Conference Center in Batangas.
@outragemag Eyeing for ways to express your #LGBT faith? Head to #Montemaria in #Batangas for #religioustourism ♬ original sound – Outrage Magazine
There are some things worth stressing here…
Una, masalimuot ang history ng Montemaria. It used to be a project of a Roman Catholic priest, Fernando Suarez, with the land donated by local politician Hermilando Mandanas. That was around 2009. But Suarez moved to Cavite, so Montemaria was put in ice in 2014. The land was eventually donated to the Archdiocese of Lipa, managed by the Montemaria Asia Pilgrims Inc. (MAPI).
Prominent buildings include the Santo Niño Chapel, a replica of the Church of Our Lady Victorious in Prague, built around 2010; and yeah, the “Mother of All Asia – Tower of Peace” that was completed in 2021.
Ikalawa, Montemaria may be a pilgrimage site, and – as such – is filled by the faithful. But it is also a tourist spot, so expect lots of non-believers who are there for non-religious reasons. There are a lot of touristy attractions, like the glass bridge, accommodations facing the seas, and so on.
Ikatlo, too many of the offerings are still not functional, but yeah… sayang ang kita, so papasukin na ang tourists all the same.
Ika-apat, you will need money to fully appreciate this place. For instance, the tallest statue of the Virgin Mary, the “Montemaria, The Mother of All Asia”, is here. You can just appreciate it for free from afar… or cough up some cash to be allowed to go up.
In truth, publicly-accessible venues need to earn for their upkeep. I’d say Montemaria is no different. And yet… yeah, we can’t help but feel uneasy when money’s involved in promoting faith.
But off we go to the next rampa…
Montemaria is located in Barangay Pagkilatan, Batangas City.
