One common yet unofficial belief of religious and unreligious Catholics is that they can make a wish every time they enter a Catholic Church for the first time.  Others, may they have a religion or none, would take the opportunity to make a wish every time they came across a wishing well.

I love churches and wishing wells, these spots gives me the feelings of positivity, optimism and upbeat emotional strength.  Both feels like they have strange and mysterious healing powers!

one massive door of st. martin de tours basilica, the largest church in asia

Almost all people, I guess, after making a wish in these places would either forget about it or let fate and providence be the arbiter if such longing will be granted or not.  No one I guess ever thought or dared of going back to the church or wishing well to follow up his or her wish.  Relaying a reminder for the granting of a yearning is not part of the tradition or the custom of making wishes.  This is definitely something rare and uncommon.

And since I am rare and uncommon, I did the rare and the uncommon.  I followed-up.

Last Thursday, after touring a very interesting meat processing plant in Malvar, Batangas, me and my colleagues decided to go for a side trip.  We went to the old heritage town of Taal, Batangas.  For a very brief exploration, we went to 2 old churches and one mystical wishing well in Taal.

We went to the St. Martin De Tours Basilica, the largest Catholic Church in Asia and at the Shrine of Our Lady of Caysasay, one of the few churches in the world that was given the special privilege by the Vatican for plenary indulgence.  To cap our short Taal trip, we went to the old spring-fed wells of Sta. Lucia, a miraculous wishing well.

Since I have been to all these three spots just a couple of weeks ago, this means, I would not have the opportunity to make a wish.  Thus, to make this trip a more fruitful one, I simply expressed a reminder for the granting of my wish.  The same request I made the first time I went there.

a day to wish! (at sta. lucia wishing wells)

At the miraculous Sta. Lucia wishing well, people are obliged to return to this site when their wishes has already been granted.  Grantees return so as to offer white or violet-colored flowers and to pray their deepest thanks.  Since my wish has yet to be granted, I did not bring with me any flower but nevertheless say a short prayer of thanks for being well and alive.

Still at the miraculous Sta. Lucia wishing well, while dampening my face, my neck, my arms and my hair with the banal na tubig (sacred water) fetched from the well  I was literally uttering in a sweet gentle tone, “Follow-up lang po… follow-up lang po…”.

a day to follow-up…

Everyone was laughing when they heard me say this.  Maybe it’s because it’s unusual to follow-up.  My colleagues knew that I was just there few days ago, that is why they were giggling when I was making a follow-up.

So, to make my wish become more potent, I called for reinforcements! I requested my colleagues’ that part of their wishes is that they wish that my wish be granted!

Siguro naman matutupad na… Palow-ap lang po…