The Church of St. Francis Javier is said to be miraculous and is frequently visited by both tourists as well as locals. It sits on top of a mountain, within the village of Hanginan in Maasin, Southern Leyte - named as such because of the gentle and cool winds that pass the town throughout the day. It is a quiet little town home to people who sell souvenirs, coconut bibingka, and food to tired but successful trekkers.
For non-professional hikers, the trek to the top of the mountain takes around 2 hours and 1 hour to go back down. One starts the hike on rocky and uneven soil, but after 45 minutes, one will be surprised to find a cemented path. The steepness of the climb ranges from around 40 to 60 degrees.
The last stretch was the hardest, as one has to climb steep stairs on to the village of Hanginan. These stairs were made harder by the fact that each was a meter apart, so one had to take big steps for every step.
But the view was spectacular - land formations ala chocolate hills of Bohol on one side and the mountains meeting the ocean on the other - which greatly helped in alleviating our exhaustion.
Going up, we didn't know that the church was named after St. Francis Javier. Upon reaching
the top, Patring, our wikipedia of saints, excitedly proclaimed St. Francis Javier as the bestfriend of St. Ignatius of Loyola, Ateneo's patron saint. We sincerely believed that it wasn't just a coincidence, and fervently prayed and offered candles for our group to pass the bar.
