The Municipality of Sison, Pangasinan, a seemingly quiet town that is often bypassed when tourists travel to Baguio, has a very rich and interesting history that shaped its community and the province of Pangasinan over the years. In the course of Sison’s life and history, there lies their unwavering devotion to their beloved Mother and Patroness that became a silent yet loving witness in the ever-changing life of her children in Sison.
The image
The image of Nuestra Señora del Carmen de Alava is a de tallado image of Our Lady of Mount Carmel which is vested with beautifully made regalias consists of a dress, a long manto, a brown cape and the long Brown Scapular of a Carmelite religious while the Child Jesus wears a white robe with trimmings. The Virgin wears the diagnostic doce estrellas and both Mother and Child sport crowns. The Mother and Child, standing on a cherub laden cloud base, looks sideways to the beholder while their hands are holding the brown scapular as if they are in a manner of handing them over to the faithful.
The Missionary work in Pangasinan and establishment of Sison
We should look at the history of the devotion to the Virgin of the Brown Scapular in Sison, Pangasinan if we look at the history of the evangelization of the province of Pangasinan itself. The Missionary work in Pangasinan began with the arrival of the Augustinians in the province in 1575 yet they faced many difficulties with the hostility from the natives. The Dominicans took over the mission work in 1587 facing the same hostile atmosphere, but with their persistence and hard work, the natives were converted. With the success of the conversion of the natives, pueblos were established including San Fabian on March 12, 1717 where the barrio of Bolaoen is located which would become the Pueblo of Alava.
The Pueblo of Alava was established on December 15, 1862 yet its formal inauguration took place on February 24, 1868. Centuries later, with the jurisdiction expansion, the municipality took its present name “Sison” in 1918.
The Lady of the Brown Scapular in Pangasinan
From the early beginnings of Sison, the townsfolk fostered the devotion in honor of Nuestra Señora del Carmen with the establishment of the visita in her honor in 1868 administered by the Dominicans for centuries until the outbreak of the Philippine Revolution in 1896. Apart from the petition of creation of the pueblo, the faithful of Alava petitioned for the erection of the parish under the Virgin of Mount Carmel’s Patronage in 1858. On November 20, 1896, a Royal Decree was issued and promulgated for the establishment of the Parish, which was then located Amagbagan, under the jurisdiction of the then Diocese of Nueva Segovia yet the formal inauguration took place in 1897. The unfinished parish was later moved to its present location in Poblacion in 1909 by the efforts of the townspeople after the outbreak of the Revolution.
The origins of the image of the Virgin may be uncertain from its carving or its enthronement yet records would show that the image was brought from its old site to its present location. Unfortunately, the original image of the Child Jesus that is held by the Virgin was sacrilegiously stolen sometime in the 1997. A replacement image of the Niño Jesus was later commissioned that can still be seen at present.
In 1928, the Parish was incorporated into the Diocese of Lingayen-Dagupan and was consecrated under the patronage of “La Reina Del Monte Carmelo”. The Parish was later included in the then newly established Diocese of Urdaneta in 1985.
The devotion to the Virgin prospered over the centuries that locals would call her lovingly as “Ina Carmel”. The Pangasinense devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel is an interesting chapter in the Carmelite devotion in our country with its existence in Northern Philippines centuries prior to the arrival of the actual Carmelite friars and nuns during the American regime.
On November 20, 1996, the parish was elevated to the status of the Diocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Mount Carmel on the occasion of the centenary of the establishment of the parish.
Miracles
Over the years, numerous miracles were reported through the maternal intercession of the Virgin of Sison.
In 1990, after the mass was offered at the parish, the killer earthquake hit Northern Luzon, yet the parishioners recalled how the Virgin saved them from the terror quake. There were also reports of childbearing of mothers who experienced difficult conceptions, numerous cures from cancer, and other diseases that devotees continued to testify up to the present.
During the ravages of Typhoon Cosme in 2007, the parish was also affected by the typhoon yet they noticed that the unscathed image of the Virgin was standing below her altar which surprised many. Some parishioners would also recount that a strong fragrance would come from the altar of the Virgin every time they would clean her throne.
Ecclesiastical Recognition
On April 21, 2024, Good Shepherd Sunday, the Parish announced that the venerable image of Nuestra Señora del Carmen de Alava is set to receive the honor of Episcopal Coronation on July 16, 2024, the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
The Devotion at present
The devotion to Nuestra Señora del Carmen de Alava continues to flourish up to the present. The townsfolk and devotees flock her shrine especially on her feast day July 16 which is celebrated with a solemn festivity in her honor.
Ina Carmel became the stable force and figure in the municipality of Sison as she is forever intertwined to its history that she immediately become a mother to her children. As she gazed on her beloved children, giving her protective gear – the Brown Scapular – to the beholder, let us look at her with confidence as what her beloved children did and entrust ourselves under her protection.
Mary, Flower of Carmel, Fill us with your joy!
Nuestra Señora del Carmen de Alava, pray for us!
References:
Lomague, Mervin G. “Pasen ed Agew (A Place in the Sun) : The Formative Years of Sison, Pangasinan”, Philippine Dominican Center of Institutional Studies, Quezon City, 2022.
Panganiban, Kendrick, “The Role of Shrines in View of the New Evangelization: Pope Francis’ Theology on Shrines and Pilgrimages applied in the Philippine Context”, Claretian Publications, Quezon City, 2021.
Sanchez, Francisco, “La Virgen Maria Venerada en sus Imagenes Filipinas”, Imp. De Santos y Bernal, Manila, 1904.
Interview:
Gutierrez, Romel
Lomague, Mervin, OP
Photos:
Bernardo, Fritz, MD
Diocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Sison, Pangasinan Facebook page
Special thanks to Bro. Mervin Lomague, OP and Mr. Romel Gutierrez of the Diocesan Shrine and Parish of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Sison, Pangasinan for the guidance and insights on the devotion to the Virgin of Alava.
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Pintakasi 