Baclaran Church

Baclaran Church, officially the National Shrine of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, is a major Roman Catholic church on Redemptorist Road in Baclaran, Parañaque, Metro Manila. Administered by the Redemptorists, it enshrines the icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help brought in 1906. Completed in its present modern Romanesque form in 1958, it is renowned for its weekly Wednesday Novena that draws thousands of devotees.

Visitors can expect a large modern Romanesque church with a spacious nave, prominent altar enshrining the icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, stained-glass windows and devotional areas. The compound includes a candle chapel, open plaza, and stalls selling religious items and flowers outside. The atmosphere is active with Masses and novenas throughout the day, especially crowded on Wednesdays, with devotees praying, lighting candles and queuing for veneration.

The devotion to Our Mother of Perpetual Help was introduced by Redemptorist missionaries who brought the icon to the Philippines in 1906. A small chapel in Baclaran was built in 1932, destroyed during World War II, and replaced by the present larger church constructed from 1953 to 1958 to accommodate growing numbers of devotees. It was declared a National Shrine and remains under the care of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer.

The church is one of the most visited Marian pilgrimage sites in the Philippines. The weekly Wednesday Novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help is a deeply rooted Catholic tradition, drawing devotees from across Metro Manila and beyond for prayer, thanksgiving and petitions, reflecting the strong Marian devotion in Filipino Catholic culture.