HomeBaclaran Church, officially the National Shrine of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, is one of the most visited Catholic pilgrimage sites in the Philippines. It stands along Roxas Boulevard in the Baclaran district of Parañaque, Metro Manila, within the Diocese of Parañaque, and has been cared for since its earliest days by the Redemptorists — the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (CSsR).
The Redemptorists first arrived in the Philippines in 1906 and moved to Baclaran around 1932, when the district was still a relatively quiet area beside Manila Bay. Their ministry took root in 1948, when the church's first Wednesday novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help drew just 70 people. Word spread quickly and the crowds multiplied. In January 1958 the Philippine hierarchy formally declared the church a national shrine, and the present sanctuary — designed by architect César Concio in a Modern Romanesque style — was completed that same year.
The heart of the Wednesday novena
The shrine enshrines the revered icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help and is best known for its Wednesday Perpetual Help Novena, which still draws thousands of devotees each week — so much so that Wednesdays are widely called “Baclaran Day.” The feast of Our Mother of Perpetual Help falls every June 27, marked by processions and Masses that fill the vast church, which can accommodate roughly 11,000 people. On June 27, 2023 the National Museum of the Philippines recognized the building as an Important Cultural Property.
Whether you arrive as a devoted pilgrim or a first-time visitor, the shrine offers a place for quiet prayer amid the bustle of Metro Manila. See the weekly Mass schedule below and get directions to plan your visit.