In the historic province of Nueva Ecija, located in the Central Luzon Region, where agriculture and commerce are thriving and played an important role in the Philippine Revolution as one of the provinces that revolted against the Spanish regime for the cause of Independence, the faith is still much alive and well in the province because of its devotion to the Mother of God that the people inherited to their forefathers for centuries. In almost every church in the province, one can see a unique image of the Blessed Mother known as La Virgen Divina Pastora where she has been acclaimed as the Queen of Nueva Ecija for years.
The Divina Pastora for centuries, since her arrival, has manifested to the people of Gapan and later the whole province with miracles that she earned a special place in the heart of everyone in the province and the whole of Central Luzon she was also known as “The Queen of the Central Plains”.
The Image
In her National Shrine in Gapan, Nueva Ecija, there were three venerated statues of the Virgin under this unique title of Divine Shepherdess, the original image, the Canonically Crowned image, and the Pilgrim image.
All three images share the same iconography, that is, the Virgin seated on a rock tending sheep, holds a shepherd’s staff (sometimes a crosier on special occasions) on her left while holding a caressing lamb perched on her lap on her right hand. She wears a shepherd’s cloak and wears a straw hat or at other times, a crown on special occasions. This unique Iconography of the Virgin was based on an apparition in Seville Spain that happened sometime in the 1700s.
The Title
The title “Divina Pastora” was a unique title given to Our Lady not only based on the apparitions of Fray Isidro, but because she tends to her flock that will lead them to their true caretaker, her Son Jesus, the Good Shepherd.
In recent years, there were questions arising to this particular title that Msgr. Sabino Vengco Jr., a well-known theologian comments that this particular title of the Virgin is not a “claim of divinity for her” but an expression of faith that “in her, we discover and experience divine love.” He also added: “She is the guide and shepherdess, the servant of the Lord, dedicated to our spiritual welfare, growth, and safety. We are guaranteed that she will be there for us always, never abandoning us, especially at the approach of perils and threatening predators (the forces of evil). Mary’s wish as our Divina Pastora is to lead us all, intact as the Lord’s flock, to the eternal bliss of the heavenly sheepfold.”
The Apparitions of La Divina Pastora in Seville
The Apparitions of the Divina Pastora date back in 1703 when Fray Isidro of the Capuchin Order in Seville Spain while meditating on Jesus as the Good Shepherd, saw the Blessed Virgin as the Divine Shepherdess on June 24, 1703, with the following description:
“In the center and under the shade of a tree, the most holy Virgin seated in a rock, radiating from her face divine love and tenderness. The red tunic, but covered the bust to the knees, and wore a girdle at the waist. A blue mantle, penciled to the left shoulder, will envelop the environment of her body, and to the right on her back, she wears the straw hat, and next to the right hand will appear the staff. In her right hand on a lamb that is placed in her lap. Some sheep will surround the Virgin, forming her flock and all in their mouths will carry roses, symbolic of the “Ave Maria” with which they venerate her.”
The Friar also saw St. Michael the Archangel fighting Satan who is depicted as a wolf who runs after the sheep who went to the Virgin.
The first image of the Divina Pastora was first commissioned to the artist Alonso Miguel de Tovar of the Escuela Pictórica Sevillana months later and on September 8, 1703, during the feast of the Nativity of the Virgin, the painting was exposed and a procession took place later. Miracles were later reported through the intercession of the Virgin as the Divina Pastora. Years later, Francisco Antonio Ruiz Gijón, sculpted the first life-sized image of the Divina Pastora. The devotion and the apparition received Papal Approval from Pope Pius VI on August 1, 1795.
The devotion to the La Divina Pastora became widely popular in Seville, later it spread out throughout Spain and several replicas of the Virgin were commissioned and venerated in their own localities. With the strong popularity of the devotion, the Capuchins brought along with them the devotion to the Divina Pastora to different Spanish colonies from Mexico, Latin America, and the Philippines.
The Arrival of the Devotion to the Philippines
In our country, the center of devotion to the Divina Pastora is located in her National Shrine in Gapan, Nueva Ecija where the devotion flourished over the centuries. In most books about the history of different venerated Marian images in the Philippines, almost all of them stated that it was brought by the Augustinian Missionaries on an unknown date and got lost for some time yet years later, they found the image on the trunks of the callos tree as if she is watching over the shepherds of the place. Despite the perpetuated popular belief of her arrival, there was an actual account of how the image arrived in the country.
The origin of the Divina Pastora in the country began in the late 1700s, the same period where devotion in Spain was thriving. It was through a dream that the Virgin appeared to Doña Juana Valmonte, daughter of the influential Don Bartolome Valmonte who was then the Gobernadorcillo of Gapan and also known as the overseer of their family farm in Barrio Callos, now part of Peñarada which is adjacent to Gapan.
In the dream, the Virgin asked Doña Juana to fetch an image of her from Spain and be transported to her land. Perplexed, she immediately asked her father for the meaning of her dream, her father in turn asked her daughter to ask their friar friend (probably their confessor as well) for his advice on what she should do next. Immediately, she went to Intramuros to seek guidance from the family’s friar friend regarding her dream. The friar, listened intently to her narration of her dream and then recalled the devotion to the Divina Pastora and related its history and popularity. It was then that she was convinced that this was the sign that she hoped for and she resolved to have an image of the Divina Pastora from Seville and chose her as the Patroness of the family’s farm in Nueva Ecija. With the necessary arrangements made for this providential purchase, the image (the original image) arrived months later via Manila – Acapulco Galleon Trade and received the image in Intramuros and took the beautiful petite image with her back home.
The wooden image was first enshrined in their family home in Gapan, then later transferred to their farmhouse and prayed for an abundant harvest, the Virgin in turn generously granted them these graces from her Son that led to the tradition of celebrating her feast day every First of May – which is the end of the harvest season and the beginning of the Marian month of May.
When Doña Juana died, she did not have any children as heirs to act as stewards of the Virgin yet it was decided that her siblings would take over the stewardship of the image.
The Miracles
Several miracles were reported that were attributed to La Divina Pastora and some of these were immortalized in legends like her famous “wandering” on a Callos tree that was later perpetuated as the origin of the Virgin by some Marian authors over the centuries.
When the people from other parts of the province heard of the prodigies of the Divine Shepherdess, they began to flock to Barrio Callos on pilgrimage and also celebrated the Fiesta with much fervor. When some of the faithful asked for the reason for their pilgrimage, they will always recount that a small beautiful old lady wearing a straw hat and holding a cane asked them to go to her house and pay her a visit and the people, in turn, heeded this and once they reached the Valmonte household were the image can be venerated, they were all surprised that the image was the same lady who invited them to her “house”.
A miraculous spring was also reported that sprung near the church premises and it caused many miraculous healings over the years until it was dried up due to the commercialization of some scrupulous devotees.
Years later, the Parish of the Three Kings adopted and supported the devotion to the Divina Pastora and later participated in the May First fiesta of the Virgin that further strengthened this unique Marian cultus. The Virgin, in turn, granted the people her powerful protection from different calamities, pestilence, and the ravages of the Second World War.
Official Church Recognition
With the growing popularity of the La Virgen Divina Pastora, the Diocese of Cabanatuan declared the Divine Shepherdess as the Patroness of the Diocese.
In 1963, Pope Paul VI issued the Papal Bull entitled “Novissima in Insulis” which grants the Canonical Coronation of the La Virgen Divina Pastora and the coronation rites took place on April 26, 1964. For the coronation rites, the church-owned replica was the one who received the Canonical Crown since at that time, the original image was still under the custodianship of the Valmonte family yet she was given a special place of honor and was crowned on that day.
In February 13, 1986, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) declared the Parish of the Three Kings as the National Shrine of La Virgen Divina Pastora and the solemn proclamation took place on April 26, 1986, on the 20th Anniversary of the Canonical Coronation of La Virgen Divina Pastora.
On this important occasion, the Valmonte family, represented by Donata Valmonte-Cala and her daughter Emma – the last caretakers of the Virgin, formally donated the original image of the Divina Pastora to the Shrine and she is now permanently enthroned in her retablo for public veneration.
On April 26, 2024, the Shrine will be elevated to the status of the Minor Basilica of La Divina Pastora, the first Basilica in the country dedicated to this particular title of the Virgin.
The Devotion
Two celebrations are currently held in honor of the Patroness of Nueva Ecija, her traditional feast day every First of May and the Anniversary of her Canonical Coronation where she is flanked by the patron saints of different visitas of the area. Both celebrations are well attended by her devotees from Nueva Ecija, Central Luzon, Metro Manila, and other Marian devotees from different parts of the country and other parts of the world. The pilgrim image of the Divina Pastora visits her flock throughout Nueva Ecija and other parts of the country from different towns, cities, churches, seminaries, and other public places notably in Marian processions that are held all over the country.
Pilgrims from different parts of the country continue to flock to the National Shrine of La Virgen Divina Pastora to ask for the intercession and guidance of Our Lady under this unique title of the Divine Shepherdess. In today’s world where people, like sheep, were lost and gone astray because of sin, we need the loving guidance of Our Lady, the Divine Shepherdess to help us find our way that will lead us to her Son Jesus, the Good Shepherd.
La Virgen Divina Pastora, Prinsibini ng Gitang Kapatagan, Reyna ng Nueva Ecija, Ipanalangin mo kami!
References:
Barcelona, Mary Anne.(2004) Ynang Maria: a celebration of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Philippines. Ed. Consuelo B. Estampa, P.D. Pasig City, Anvil Publishing Inc.
Delos Reyes, Michael P. (2015) Salve Regina: On Crowning image of the Virgin Mary, Diliman, Quezon City, Claret Communications Foundation Inc.
Divina Pastora de las Almas: Su História y Su Novena (2014) Madrid, Spain.
Sanchez, Francisco (1904). La Virgen Maria Venerada en sus Imagenes Filipinas, Manila: Imp. De Santos y Bernal.
Three Kings Parish. Nobena sa Birheng Divina Pastora
Valmonte, Ramon. (2014) Ave Maria, La Divina Pastora: commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Canonical Coronation and the 28th Anniversary of the Declaration of the National Shrine. Gapan: Three Kings Parish.
Valmonte, Ramon. (2014) La Virgen Divina Pastora: Canonical Coronation Golden Jubilee, 28th Anniversary of the Declaration of Her National Shrine.
Pintakasi 