In the historic and pilgrimage town of Hagonoy, Bulacan which is known as the home of the famed National Shrine of St. Anne, there is also another site that is a point of local devotion over the centuries since the Spanish era – the Parish of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary where the image of the patroness is deemed to be miraculous from the day it arrived in Hagonoy.
The image
The image of Nuestra Señora del Santisimo Rosario de Hagonoy is classified as a Brown Madonna due to her complexion. The image is that of Our Lady with the Child Jesus where the Child is in her arms while the hand of the Virgin seems to presenting her Son to the beholder and holding a rosary. This particular depiction of the Virgin is similar to those other famed Marian images in the country from the Virgin of Manaoag in Pangasinan, Virgen del Pilar of Santa Cruz, Manila, La Virgen Milagrosa of Badoc, Ilocos Norte among others.
The Virgin’s carved cloak and mantle was painted in estofado style, wears a wig and both faces of the Mother and Child are deemed to have Filipino features. This image at times wears a set of vestments given by her devotees over the years.
Nuestra Señora del Santisimo Rosario de Hagonoy
The miraculous arrival
The origins of the images happened between 1770 to 1800 where it is said that the image was found floating near the riverbanks of Barrio Caingin. It was believed that right after they have found the image, the people have started their devotions through a lutrina, which is a nine-day candlelight procession. A chapel in front of the river where the image was found was built to house the image of the Virgin.
The bell, which was still placed at the belfry of the present parish church, can serve as the basis of the existence of the chapel since the start. It was seen that a date was etched in the bell with the words “Mayo 1858”. Along with the progress of the community was the progress of the devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title Nuestra Señora del Santisimo Rosario.
The development of the devotion
Years later, the barrio saw the expansion and development of the Chapel due to the increase of number of devotees and pilgrims flocking her chapel. During the 19th century, there is only one chapel under the patronage of the Virgen del Rosario within the barrios under Barrio Caingin. They are joyfully celebrating the fiesta every second Sunday of May, which is the old fiesta of the barrio. The elderly residing in the barrio the during the old times, the procession reaches the bridge near the town proper since Barrio San Jose is under Barrio Santo Rosario.
Between the years 1900-1930, the areas under Barrio Santo Rosario were able to build their own chapels, which became the root of the foundation of the new barrios today. In 1952, the chapel was soon elevated as an independent parish with the Decree of Erection of the New Parish from then Manila Archbishop Gabriel Reyes issued on January 16, 1952.
Through the years, the devotion to the Virgin of the Rosary developed over the years and these became part of the very culture of the people of Hagonoy. Two fiestas were then celebrated in Hagonoy, one every third Sunday of May and October 7th, the Liturgical feast of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary.
Several rites and traditions were introduced to the devotees of the Virgin of the Rosary that continues to be observed at present, the Dalaw Patron where the a replica of the Virgin visits the homes of the parishioners, the solemn processions in her honor on her fiestas and the fluvial procession to commemorate her finding in the river. The Cofradia del Nuestra Señora del Santisimo Rosario de Hagonoy was established in 2002 as a fitting honor of the Year of the Rosary and the propagation of the devotion to the patroness.
Nuestra Señora del Santisimo Rosario de Hagonoy
Church recognition
Through the efforts of the parishioners, devotees and the local clergy, they petitioned for the Episcopal Coronation of their miraculous patroness and it was granted by Bishop Honesto Ongtioco, DD, Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Malolos. The Coronation was held on October 7, 2019, the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. The crowning rites were officiated by the His Excellency Bishop Dennis Villarojo, DD, the current Bishop of the Diocese of Malolos.
The devotion at present
The devotion to Nuestra Señora del Santisimo Rosario de Hagonoy continues to flourish up to this day. Devotees continued to flock her parish as numerous miracles were attributed to her intercession. The main feast of the Virgin is celebrated every 7th of October, the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary in the General Roman Calendar. The devotion of the Rosary in this narrative showed us once again how the Blessed Mother and her rosary shaped the history of the locality and helped t oboost its morale as the devotees continued to foster this devotion from the day she miraculously aarived in the town. In these dark times, we have to cling more to her rosary for her rosary is proven to be community builder and also a weapon against the evils that hounds in our midst.
References:
Aguinaldo, Rev. Msgr. Jose B.”Ika-400 Bantayog ng Simbahan. Hagonoy: Parish of St. Anne. 1981. Lunod, Rev. Fr. Roberto G. Bakas ng Ala-ala: Parokya ng Santisimo Rosario, Hagonoy, Bulacan”. Hagonoy: Nuestra Señora del Santisimo Rosario Parish. 1997. Manahan, Rev. Msgr. Macario R. “Hagonoy sa Taon ng Jubileo”. Hagonoy: National Shrine and Parish of St. Anne. 2000. Raymundo, El Gideon and Panganiban, Kendrick Ivan, “The History of the Parish of Nuestra Senora del Santisimo Rosario and of the Devotion to the Patrona”, unpublished manuscript, 2019. Reyes, Most Rev. Gabriel M. “ERRECION DE LA NUEVA PARROQUIA DEL SANTISIMO ROSARIO EN HAGONOY: Mediante desmembración de la Santa Ana, Hagonoy, Bulacan” in Curia Diocesana. Manila: Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas Heritage Library. 1952.
Credits to the owners of the photos that were utilized for this blogpost. Special thanks to Bro. Kendrick Ivan Panganiban for providing the documents and some photos cited in the this blogpost. +AM+DG+
If we look on the church history of the province of Batangas, numerous events that were deemed miraculous have reported through the centuries, from the discovery and later the appearances of Nuestra Señora de Caysasay in Taal, Batangas, the stomps from the horse of St. Martin of Tours of the same town, the miraculous arrival of Santo Niño de Batangan, the miracles of San Rafael of Calaca, the controversial events in Lipa in the 1940’s and the influx of pilgrims to St. Padro Pio’s National Shrine in our modern times. In this colorful annals of the province of Batangas, one of the most renown is that of the miraculous Holy Crosses of Bauan and Alitagtag. Since the discovery of the Holy Crosses of 2 neighboring towns of Batangas, it became an object of great devotion that became
The Holy Cross of Bauan
The Holy Crosses
The Holy Crosses of Bauan and Alitagtag came from one cross that was made of anubing (Artocarpus cumingiana) wood, it is 2.5 metres (8.2 ft) high with a 1 metre (3.3 ft) crosspiece. A golden sun, with radiating rays and embossed with a human face, was added at the point where the cross’s arms intersect. Both Crosses sport the alampay or the cloth that is hangign on the Crosses.
Based on a document found in the Bauan Parish Archives in 1790, Castro y Amoedo stated that the cross was made from a very strong post of a demolished house and erected in the village of Alitagtag to drive away a plague of ghosts.
The Discovery of the Cross
Some years after the establishment of the ecclesiastical mission of Bauan by the Augustinians, in 1595, an apparition was beheld by a gambler’s wife who was on her way to fetch water from the distant Taal Lake. It is said that on this hill, which is now called Labak, a strange blinding light that turned the vicinity into midday was beheld by the woman. Thereupon, the lady knelt before the cross from whence the light came. She prayed, and a voluminous flow of water came from the trunk of the cross which filled her water jar in no time. She thanked God and proceeded home, thereafter keeping to herself alone the marvelous incident that took place.
The Holy Cross of Alitagtag
But, as designed by the Almighty, the miracle did not escape the knowledge of the people. For, while the woman was keeping it a secret, the light coming from the cross was also seen by the people in the neighborhood. The news spread to neighboring towns until the priests of Batangas, Bauan and Taal were also informed of the phenomenon.
They went to the scene and each one of them tried to move and excavate the cross.The priests from Taal, Batangas failed to have the cross when “the sky became cloudy, and it began to thunder and emit dreadful lightning bolts.” When the chance of the priest of Bauan came, he pulled the cross very easily off the ground. It was brought to Bauan and confirmed as its patron.
Before its enshrinement in Bauan however, the cross has decreased in size because devotees has chipped away pieces of the cross that were made into miniature replicas and were worn as necklace talismans.
When Alitagtag became a town in 1910, the consensus of opinion was to have the cross divided into two so that Alitagtag might have a share of the cross. The proposition having been peacefully agreed upon, one half of the cross was given to Alitagtag and was made its patron saint as well.
A pendant containing a chip of the Holy Cross of Alitagtag
In honor of the Holy Cross, a small chapel was erected at the very spot where the cross was found (now called Labak) and a mass is said every third of May simultaneously with the town fiesta of Bauan.
Miracles
The miracles attributed to the cross attracted many devotees and a decision was made to move it to the bigger Bauan parish church. Soon, more miracles were attributed through its help which it was aid to have protected people of Bauan from pestilence, locusts, droughts, volcanic eruptions, and Moro raids.
A Fr. Manuel de Zamora was also reported to have cut more than 1/3 from the foot of the cross (that were perhaps made into more miniature replicas) and distributed in Manila where a number of miracles were reported. What was left is what is being venerated today in the Bauan church.
The Subli Dance
The devotion
The devotion to the Holy Crosses of Bauan and Alitagtag continues to prosper up to this day. Bauan celebrates its feast of the Holy Cross every May 3. the Traditional feast of the Finding of the True Cross while Alitagtag celebrates it every May 7. Today, the people of Bauan and Alitagatg pay homage to the Cross by dancing the “Subli”. It is said that the “Subli” preceded Christianity in the Philippines and is said to be a pre-Hispanic religious ritual.
It’s easy to understand that the Cross is special because Christ used it as the instrument of our salvation. But after His Resurrection, why would Christians continue to look to the Cross? Christ Himself offered us the answer: “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23). The point of taking up our own cross is not simply self-sacrifice; in doing so, we unite ourselves to the sacrifice of Christ on His Cross.
The Visayas region is known as one of the strongholds of the Catholic Faith in the country where along with the Luzon island group, Visayas have a huge number of Catholics that comprises the majority of the Catholic population in the Philippines. It was in the Visayas region where the seeds of the Catholic faith were planted and cultivated with the arrival of the famed image of Santo Niño de Cebu in 1521 and built the country’s first Church in his honor years later that served as a catalkyst of the Christianization in the Philippines.
The Blessed Mother also made herself known in the Visayas region with numerous miracles images of the Virgin is scattered and venerated in these islands throughout the centuries. It is no wonder that she was chosen as the Queen of the Visayas. Although it is already a knowledge to all of us that Our Lady is the Patroness of our country as the Immaculate Conception, this appelation to Our Lady emphasizes her role as Queen in the Visayas region for through the centuries, she showered graces, miracles and protection to her devotees and to the aforementioned island group.
The image
The regal image of Nuestra Señora, Reina de las Visayas is a de tallado image of the Blessed Mother, pattered after the Immaculate Conception. The Virgin wears a white robe and gold cloak covering her robe. The Virgin’s hair was long and loose, standing on a clod base with cherubs, her hands are in prayer position, a scepter in her arm and sports a crown and the estrellas on her head – the traditional iconography of her queenship.
Facial detail of Nuestra Señora, Reina de las Visayas
Origins
The title and devotion to Our Lady, Queen of the Visayas began in 1996 when the Visayas Region Pastoral Assembly voted unanimously to celebrate the feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary for the entire Visayas. The feast chosen was the feast of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
In 1997, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines confirmed the request of the Bishops of the Visayas. In the same year, Pope John Paul II granted the indult for the Visayas to Celebrate August 22 as a Patronal Feast and added the title: “Our Lady, Queen of the Visayas” to the feast.
The image was soon commissioned and it is currently enshrined at the Archdiocesan Shrine of Jesus Nazareno in Talisay City, Cebu.
The devotion
Nuestra Señora, Reina de las Visayas
The devotion to Our Lady, Queen of the Visayas eventually became know and gained devotees over the years. The August 22nd feast is celebrated with much solemnity that is fit for the region’s Queen.
It is known throughout history that placing a city, province, region, and a country to the Patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we are assured of her protection and shower of graces that she will grant from her Son and this is proven several times in different parts of the world, even in our own history. In these dark moments in our country, let us all realize once again the need to place our contry to her hands completely to obtain peace for our land and give honor to whom it is due – to her Son.
Special thanks to Mr. Ellis Mendez of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, Punta Princessa, Cebu for the photographs and information regarding Nuestra Señora, Reina de las Visayas. +AM+DG+
The municipality of Calaca, located in Batangas province, known for its scenic beaches, resorts and its tasty atsara, is also known as a local pilgrim shrine in the province of Batangas. Pilgrims would flock Calaca because it was here that the miraculous dark skinned San Rafael Arcangel is enshrined in his Archdiocesan Shrine – the only one of its kind in local religious art. The Black San Rafael gained much local following over the centuries due to the numerous miracles that were attributed to his intercession and the devotion became part of everyday life of the people of Calaca that one can see replicas or posters of San Rafael in homes, public and private transport among others.
The image
The image of San Rafael Arcangel of Calaca, Batanags is one of the most unique venerated images in the country for this is the only image of St. Raphael with dark skin.
The reason of the dark complexion of this image was connected to the accounts of St. John of God. Saint John of God, founder of the Hospital order that bears his name, is said to have received visitations from Saint Raphael, who encouraged and instructed him on different matters. On one occassion, a fire broke out in the house, John ran back into the burning building countless times, carrying the sick out on his back with the help of St. Rapahel the Archangel and it is said that the angel was covered with smoke and soot the he became visible to others.
San Rafael de Calaca
Aside from his dark complexion, the image is covered with metal from his vestment, crown, shoes, wings and even his walking staff with fishes and his basket of bread.
Saint Raphael the Archangel – Healer of God
St. Raphael is one of the seven Archangels who stand before the throne of the Lord, and one of the only three mentioned by name in the Bible. He appears, by name, only in the Book of Tobit. Raphael’s name means “God heals.” This identity came about because of the biblical story that claims he “healed” the earth when it was defiled by the sins of the fallen angels in the apocryphal book of Enoch.
Disguised as a human in the Book of Tobit, Raphael refers to himself as “Azarias the son of the great Ananias” and travels alongside Tobit’s son, Tobiah. Once Raphael returns from his journey with Tobiah, he declares to Tobit that he was sent by the Lord to heal his blindness and deliver Sarah, Tobiah’s future wife, from the demon Asmodeus. It is then that his true healing powers are revealed and he makes himself known as “the angel Raphael, one of the seven, who stand before the Lord” Tobit 12:15.
The demon Asmodeus killed every man Sarah married on the night of the wedding, before the marriage could be consummated. St. Raphael guided Tobiah and taught him how to safely enter the marriage with Sarah. St. Raphael is credited with driving the evil spirit from Sarah and restoring Tobit’s vision, allowing him to see the light of Heaven and for receiving all good things through his intercession.
St. Raphael is the patron saint of travelers, the blind, bodily ills, happy meetings, nurses, physicians and medical workers. He is often depicted holding a staff and holding a fish.
The Archdiocesan Shrine of St. Raphael the Archangel, Calaca, Batangas
The origins
The devotion to Saint Raphael the Archangel in Calaca, Batangas began in 1836 where the chapel was made from wooden materials and it became a parish on October 24, 1861 when the at the same time, the present stone Church was completed and it the structure and it’s foundations are still seen up to the present.
Through the centuries, since it’s enthronement, the Black San Rafael continues to garner many devotees and pilgrims and more miracles have been attributed to his intercession. In recognition, on October 24, 2014, former Archbishop Ramon Arguelles, DD elevated the parish as the Archdiocesan Shrine of St. Rafael the Archangel.
Procession of San Rafael de Calaca
The devotion at present
The devotion to St. Rafael the Archangel continues to flourish over the years. Devotees would flock on his shrine, especially on Wednesdays, the day dedicated to San Rafael. The feast of the miraculous dark image is celebrated every October 24, the Traditional feast of St. Raphael in the Tridentine calendar. The feast is celebrate with much Solemnity and color with a fluvial procession, a street fair known as the “Archangel Festival”, the annual offering of Lua (a dalit or intercessory poem) and closes with a solemn procession.
The name Raphael, means “the remedy, or the physician of God,” and shows that this holy Angel assists particularly those who are sick, either in soul or body. The Church teaches those who intend to undertake a journey to pray: “May the Angel Raphael be with us on our way!” from which we infer, that he is the especial patron of all travelers. As we continue in this journey towards our true home, let us not forget to ask for his help, just like he did in the Old Testament and in the latter times, especially in these times of peril that hinder us in this journey.
Credits to the owners of the photos that were utilized to this blogpost. Special thanks to Mr. Pier Giorgio Moral of the Archdiocesan Shrine of St. Raphael the Archangel, Calaca, Batangas. +AM+DG+
We have already made a feature about the miraculous Amamang Badong of Cavinti, a quiet yet historical town in the mountainous portion of Laguna province, the principal Patron of the town and its miracles that developed a strong devotion to the Transfigured Lord. Now we will also feature the accompanying Marian Patroness of the town, the miraculous Nuestra Señora de las Nieves.
The image
The miraculous image of Nuestra Señora de las Nieves of The Transfiguration of Our Lord Parish in Cavinti, Laguna is a de tallado image of the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Our Lady of the Snows – one of the few venerated titles of Our Lady in the country. The image presents the Blessed Virgin Mary, standing in a moon, holds an long imperial scepter and holds the Child Jesus. The Virgin wears a white robe and a blue cloak, has loose long hair and sports the her traditional metal accessories of her queenship: the crown, a rostrillo and estrellas. The Child Jesus on the other hand was carved uniquely for the Child was carved a bit smaller than the usual proportions of a Madonna and Child image, wears a robe and looks upwards to His mother.
Nuestra Señora de las Nieves de Cavinti (processional image)
The origin of the devotion
The devotion to Nuestra Señora de las Nieves originated in Rome where a wealthy but childless Roman couple, John and his wife decided to leave their fortune to the Church. The Virgin appeared to them on the night of August 4th and told them that she wished a basilica to be constructed on the Esquiline Hill which would be outlined in snow. Pope Liberius also received the same message from the Virgin and ordered the construction of St. Mary Major Basilica.
Nuestra Señora de Las Nieves de Cavinti
The following day, August 5, 358, John and his wife and Pope Liberius went to the top of the Equiline Hill which had been covered with snow. After they measured out the area for the basilica, the snow disappeared. Pope Liberius immediately called for the construction of the Basilica and was completed in 360. This Basilica became the Mother Basilica of all Marian shrines in the world and the lone Major Basilica dedicated to the Mother of God.
The Feast of the Our Lady of the Snows is celebrated on August 5th. Locals drop white rose petals from the dome during the feast mass. White jasmine is used to symbolize the purity and innocence of the Blessed Virgin.
The devotion in Cavinti
The arrival of the image of Nuestra Señora de las Nieves of Cavinti is not known yet in the parish records, it is indicated that the image was already present since the 1600’s together with that of the image of the Transfiguration of Our Lord.
Nuestra Señora de las Nieves became the Secondary Patroness of the Cavinti due to numerous miracles that were attributed to her intercession. In the parish records, there was a particular event that further strengthen the cultus of the Virgin – miraculous snow falls.
The miraculous snow fall occurred first in 1885 and in 1895. On the second recorded snow miracle, it is testified that they saw a strange cotton plant which is unheard of in the town and it has glistening white material on it, but when they examine the material, it was not cotton but snow and suddenly the Virgin made an appearance near the parish vicinity. From then on, the Blessed Mother as Nuestra Señora de las Nieves was made the secondary Patroness of the town up to the present.
The devotion at present
Nuestra Señora de las Nieves de Cavinti
The devotion to Nuestra Señora de las Nieves of Cavinti, Laguna continues to flourish up to the present. The feast of the Virgin is observed every August 5, the Feast of the Dedication of the Basilica of Sancta Maria Maggiore which also coincidentally the eve of the Feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord.
Morally speaking, we experience this truth whenever she sends us consolations in the most heated hours of our battles, trials and sufferings. At such moments, she lets fall on us an immaculate, white and refreshing snow that gives us a foretaste of Heaven. Therefore, even though someone can dispute the veracity of the legend of the snow that fell, he cannot dispute that Our Lady is able to make this miracle if she desires, and that in fact she does so frequently in a moral sense. This is the superior truth the legend contains.
Let us pray to Our Lady that under this very poetic invocation of Our Lady of the Snow, she will help us to love and fight for the sacred traditions of the Church and open our souls to the most astonishing miracles in the midst of the challenges of modern times.
References:
Fiesta 2012 Parish Fiesta Souvenir Program, Transfiguration of the Lord Parish, Cavinti, Laguna, 2012. Huerta, Felix de,. Estado geográfico, topográfico, estadístico, histórico-religioso. Binondo: Imprenta de M. Sanchez y Ca. 1865. Our Lady of the Snows, Retrieved from http://www.miraclehunter.com/marian_apparitions/approved_apparitions/rome/index.html on July 30, 2019.
Special thanks to Mr. Edward Ramos of the Transfiguration of the Lord for the narrative and photo of the processional image of Nuestra Señora de las Nieves of Cavinti, Laguna that were utilized for this blogpost. +AM+DG+
St. John of the Cross receiving a vision of Jesus carrying His Cross
Us Filipinos are very fond of images, most especially religious images. We cannot deny the fact that religious images became part of our identity as Catholics and we always defend the correct teachings regarding to this aspect to other so-called “Christian sects”. So much so that some of our venerated images played vital roles that shaped our history.
Although these holy images, whether they are venerated in a church or in a shrine or privately kept in their home oratories, there were some instances that some of the faithful became very particular on which image that they will give their outmost devotion with and it will come to a point that they will have this mentality that this image is more miraculous than the other. Often times, some would go overboard on it’s decorations and vestments, this is more common on privately owned Lenten and Marian images which they would claim as an “act devotion” yet it goes opposite to what they really represent as if it was some sort of a pageant which is a scandal to the eyes of the common faithful.
While I was studying the writings of St. John of the Cross as part of my own personal search for spiritual guidance and reflection, I came across his treatise on how holy images should be treated as instruments of devotion that should help on the goal to have a union with God and never be too attached to it to prevent the danger of idolatry and how God allowed miracles to happen through some images. It is quite interesting to read this and I felt the need to share it here on my blog as act of fraternal correction and charity so that we will have proper guidance on how we should treat our holy images that is conforming to God’s will and law and to what the Church teaches.
The following treatise that is presented here in this blogpost in verbatim is taken from his famed book “Ascent of Mount Carmel” which is a more systematic study of the ascetic endeavor of a soul seeking perfect union with God and the mystical events encountered along the way that was composed some time between 1581 and 1585. When St. John of the Cross wrote this treatise, he was well aware of this situation in Spain were the people easily grew attached to these images, often becoming superstitious about them, thinking that an image would assure them a good harvest, or bring good fortune and the excessive on how they are presented. It was in this situation that he wanted to clear these notions and help the faithful on how they should treat holy images as instruments of God’s presence and grace.
Of the delectable spiritual good things which can be distinctly apprehended by the will.
As touching images and portraits, there may be much vanity and vain rejoicing in these. For, though they are most important for Divine worship and most necessary to move the will to devotion, as is shown by the approval given to them and the use made of them by our Mother Church (for which reason it is always well that we should employ them, in order to awaken our lukewarmness), there are many persons who rejoice rather in the painting and decoration of them than in what they represent.
The use of images has been ordained by the Church for two principal ends — namely, that we may reverence the saints in them, and that the will may be moved and devotion to the saints awakened by them. When they serve this purpose they are beneficial and the use of them is necessary; and therefore we must choose those that are most true and lifelike, and that most move the will to devotion, and our eyes must ever be fixed upon this motive rather than upon the value and cunning of their workmanship and decoration.
Santo Niño de la Salud (From a private collection)
For, as I say, there are some who pay more attention to the cunning with which an image is made, and to its value, than to what it represents; and that interior devotion which they ought to direct spiritually to the saint whom they see not, forgetting the image at once, since it serves only as a motive, they squander upon the cunning and the decoration of its outward workmanship. In this way sense is pleased and delighted, and the love and rejoicing of the will remain there. This is a complete hindrance to true spirituality, which demands annihilation of the affections as to all particular things.
This will become quite clear from the detestable custom which certain persons observe with regard to images in these our days. Holding not in abhorrence the vain trappings of the world, they adorn images with the garments which from time to time vain persons invent in order to satisfy their own pleasures and vanities. So they clothe images with garments reprehensible even in themselves, a kind of vanity which was, and is still, abhorrent to the saints whom the images represent. Herein, with their help, the devil succeeds in canonizing his vanities, by clothing the saints with them, not without causing them great displeasure.
Sta. Veronica (From a private collection)
And in this way the honest and grave devotion of the soul, which rejects and spurns all vanity and every trace of it, becomes with them little more than a dressing of dolls; some persons use images merely as idols upon which they have set their rejoicing. And thus you will see certain persons who are never tired of adding one image to another, and wish them to be of this or that kind and workmanship, and to be placed in this or that manner, so as to be pleasing to sense; and they make little account of the devotion of the heart.
They are as much attached to them as was Michas to his idols,or as was Laban; for the one ran out of his house crying aloud because they were being taken from him; and the other, having made a long journey and been very wroth because of them, disturbed all the household stuff of Jacob, in searching for them.
St. Longinus (From a private collection)
The person who is truly devout sets his devotion principally upon that which is invisible; he needs few images and uses few, and chooses those that harmonize with the Divine rather than with the human, clothing them, and with them himself, in the garments of the world to come, and following its fashions rather than those of this world. For not only does an image belonging to this world in no way influence his desire; it does not even lead him to think of this world, in spite of his having before his eyes something worldly, akin to the world’s interests. Nor is his heart attached to the images that he uses; if they are taken from him, he grieves very little, for he seeks within himself the living image, which is Christ crucified, for Whose sake he even desires that all should be taken from him and he should have nothing. Even when the motives and means which lead him closest to God are taken from him, he remains in tranquility.
For the soul is nearer perfection when it is tranquil and joyous, though it be deprived of these motives, than if it has possession of them together with desire and attachment. For, although it is good to be pleased to have such images as assist the soul to greater devotion (for which reason it is those which move it most that must always be chosen), yet it is something far removed from perfection to be so greatly attached to them as to possess them with attachment, so that, if they are taken away from the soul, it becomes sad.
Let the soul be sure that, the more closely it is attached to an image or a motive, the less will its devotion and prayer mount to God. For, although it is true that, since some are more appropriate than others, and excite devotion more than others, it is well, for this reason alone, to be more affectioned to some than to others, as I have just now said, yet there must be none of the attachment and affection which I have described.
La Virgencita Nina Maria (From a private collection)
Otherwise, that which has to sustain the spirit in its flight to God, in total forgetfulness, will be wholly occupied by sense, and the soul will be completely immersed in a delight afforded it by what are but instruments. These instruments (we) have to use, but solely in order to assist (us) in devotion; and, on account of (our) imperfection, they may well serve (us) as a hindrance, no less so than may affection and attachment to anything else.
But, though perhaps in this matter of images you may think that there is something to be said on the other side, if you have not clearly understood how much detachment and poverty of spirit is required by perfection, at least you cannot excuse the imperfection which is commonly indulged with regard to rosaries; for you will hardly find anyone who has not some weakness with regard to these, desiring them to be of this workmanship rather than of that, or of this color or metal rather than of that, or decorated in some one style or in some other.
Yet no one style is better than another for the hearing of a prayer by God, for this depends upon the simple and true heart, which looks at no more than pleasing God, and, apart from the question of indulgences, cares no more for one rosary than for another.
Nuestra Señora de Las Angustias (From a private collection)
Our vain concupiscence is of such a nature and quality that it tries to establish itself in everything; and it is like the worm which destroys healthy wood, and works upon things both good and evil.For what else is your desire to have a rosary of cunning workmanship, and your wish that it shall be of one kind rather than of another, but the fixing of your rejoicing upon the instrument? It is like desiring to choose one image rather than another, and considering, not if it will better awaken Divine love within you, but only if it is more precious and more cunningly made. If you employed your desire and rejoicing solely in the love of God, you would care nothing for any of these considerations. It is most vexatious to see certain spiritual persons so greatly attached to the manner and workmanship of these instruments and motives, and to the curiosity and vain pleasure which they find in them: you will never see them satisfied; they will be continually leaving one thing for another, and forgetting and forsaking spiritual devotion for these visible things, to which they have affection and attachment, sometimes of just the same kind as that which a man has to temporal things; and from this they receive no small harm.
[In this and the next paragraph the Saint is more than usually personal in his approach to the reader.]
On how we should treat of images, and describes the ignorance which certain persons have with respect to them.
There is much that might be said of the stupidity which many persons display with regard to images; their foolishness reaches such a point that some of them place more confidence in one kind of image than in another, believing that God will hear them more readily because of these than because of those, even when both represent the same thing, as when there are two of Christ or two of Our Lady. And this happens because they have more affection for the one kind of workmanship than for the other; which implies the crudest ideas concerning intercourse with God and the worship and honor that are owed to Him, which has solely to do with the faith and the purity of heart of him that prays. For if God sometimes grants more favors by means of one image rather than by another of the same kind, it is not because there is more virtue to this effect in one than in another (however much difference there may be in their workmanship), but because some persons better awaken their own devotion by one than by another. If they had the same devotion for the one as for the other (or even without the use of either), they would receive the same favors from God.
Nuestra Señora del Santisimo Rosario – La Naval de Manila of the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary
Hence the reason for which God works miracles and grants favors by means of one kind of image rather than by another is not that these should be esteemed more than those, but to the end that, by means of the wonder that they cause, there may be awakened sleeping devotion and the affection of the faithful for prayer. And hence it comes that, as the contemplation of the image at that time enkindles devotion and makes us to continue in prayer (both these being means whereby God hears and grants that which is asked of Him), therefore, at that time and by means of that same image, God continues to work favors and miracles because of the prayer and affection which are then shown; for it is certain that God does it not because of the image, which in itself is no more than a painted thing, but because of the devotion and faith which the person has toward the saint whom it represents. And so, if you had the same devotion and faith in Our Lady before one image representing her as before another, since the person represented is the same (and even, as we have said, if you had no such image at all), you would receive the same favors. For it is clear from experience that, when God grants certain favors and works miracles, He does so as a rule by means of certain images which are not well carved or cunningly formed or painted, so that the faithful may attribute nothing to the figure or the painting.
Furthermore, Our Lord is frequently wont to grant these favors by means of those images that are most remote and solitary. One reason for this is that the effort necessary to journey to them causes the affections to be increased and makes the act of prayer more earnest. Another reason is that we may withdraw ourselves from noise and from people when we pray, even as did the Lord. Wherefore he that makes a pilgrimage does well if he makes it at a time when no others are doing so, even though the time be unusual. I should never advise him to make a pilgrimage when a great multitude is doing so; for, as a rule, on these occasions, people return in a state of greater distraction than when they went. And many set out on these pilgrimages and make them for recreation rather than for devotion. Where there is devotion and faith, then, any image will suffice; but, if there is none, none will suffice. Our Savior was a very living image in the world; and yet those that had no faith, even though they went about with Him and saw His wondrous works, derived no benefit from them. And this was the reason why, as the Evangelist says, He did few mighty works in His own country.
The painting of Nuestro Padre Jesus Nazareno kept by St. John of the Cross that spoke to him in a vision.
I desire also to speak here of certain supernatural effects which are sometimes produced by certain images upon particular persons. To certain images God gives a particular spiritual influence upon such persons, so that the figure of the image and the devotion caused by it remain fixed in the mind, and the person has them ever present before him; and so, when he suddenly thinks of the image, the spiritual influence which works upon him is of the same kind as when he saw it — sometimes it is less, but sometimes it is even greater — yet, from another image, although it be of more perfect workmanship, he will not obtain the same spiritual effect.
Many persons, too, have devotion to one kind of workmanship rather than to another, and to some they will have no more than a natural inclination and affection, just as we prefer seeing one person’s face to another’s. And they will naturally become more attracted to a particular image, and will keep it more vividly in their imagination, even though it be not as beautiful as others, just because their nature is attracted to that kind of form and figure which it represents. And some persons will think that the affection which they have for such or such an image is devotion, whereas it will perhaps be no more than natural inclination and affection. Again, it may happen that, when they look at an image, they will see it move, or make signs and gestures and indications, or speak.
This, and the variety of supernatural effects caused by images of which we have here been speaking, are, it is true, quite frequently good and true effects, produced by God either to increase devotion or so that the soul may have some support on which to lean, because it is somewhat weak, and so that it may not be distracted. Yet frequently, again, they are produced by the devil in order to cause deception and harm. We shall therefore give instruction concerning this in the following.
Nuestra Señora de Caysasay of the Archdiocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Caysasay, Taal, Batangas
Of how the rejoicing of the will must be directed, by way of the images, to God, so that the soul may not go astray because of them or be hindered by them.
Just as images are of great benefit for remembering God and the saints, and for moving the will to devotion when they are used in the ordinary way, as is fitting, so they will lead to great error if, when supernatural happenings come to pass in connection with them, the soul should not be able to conduct itself as is fitting for its journey to God. For one of the means by which the devil lays hold on incautious souls, with great ease, and obstructs the way of spiritual truth for them, is the use of extraordinary and supernatural happenings, of which he gives examples by means of images, both the material and corporeal images used by the Church, and also those which he is wont to fix in the fancy in relation to such or such a saint, or an image of him, transforming himself into an angel of light that he may deceive.
For in those very means which we possess for our relief and help the astute devil contrives to hide himself in order to catch us when we are least prepared. Wherefore it is concerning good things that the soul that is good must ever have the greatest misgivings, for evil things bear their own testimony with them.
Hence, in order to avoid all the evils which may happen to the soul in this connection, which are its being hindered from soaring upward to God, or its using images in an unworthy and ignorant manner, or its being deceived by them through natural or supernatural means, all of which are things that we have touched upon above; and in order likewise to purify the rejoicing of the will in them and by means of them to lead the soul to God, for which reason the Church recommends their use, I desire here to set down only one warning, which will suffice for everything; and this warning is that, since images serve us as a motive for invisible things, we must strive to set the motive and the affection and the rejoicing of our will only upon that which in fact they represent. Let the faithful soul, then, be careful that, when he sees the image, he desire not that his senses should be absorbed by it, whether the image be corporeal or imaginary, whether beautifully made, whether richly adorned, whether the devotion that it causes be of sense or of spirit, whether it produce supernatural manifestations or no.
The soul must on no account set store by these accidents, nor even regard them, but must raise up its mind from the image to that which it represents, centering the sweetness and rejoicing of its will, together with the prayer and devotion of its spirit, upon God or upon the saint who is being invoked; for that which belongs to the living reality and to the spirit should notbe usurped by sense and by the painted object. If the soul do this, it will not be deceived, for it will set no store by anything that the image may say to it, nor will it occupy its sense or its spirit in such a way that they cannot travel freely to God, nor will it place more confidence in one image than in another. And an image which would cause the soul devotion by supernatural means will now do so more abundantly, since the soul will now go with its affections directly to God. For, whensoever God grants these and other favors, He does so by inclining the affection of the joy of the will to that which is invisible, and this He wishes us also to do, by annihilating the power and sweetness of the faculties with respect to these visible things of sense.
St. John of the Cross
About the Saint:
St. John of the Cross [Spanish: San Juan de la Cruz] was born Juan de Yepes y Alvarez, in Fontiveros, Avila, Spain in 1542. A Carmelite friar and priest of Marrano origin, is a major figure of the Spanish Counter-Reformation, a mystic and together with St. Teresa of Avila, reformed the Carmelte Order which would later led to the foundation of the Order of the Discalced Carmelites (OCD).
St. John of the Cross is known especially for his writings. Both his poetry and his studies on the development of the soul, mysticism, critiques on popular devotions and mystical phenomena are considered the summit of mystical Spanish literature. He died on December 14, 1591, he was canonized by Pope Benedict XIII in 1726. He was proclaimed “Doctor of the Church” in 1926 by Pope Pius XI.
Reference:
Kavanaugh, K. ‘The Complete Works of St. John of the Cross”, Institute of Carmelite Studies, Ohio, 2000. Rodriguez, Jose Vincente, “God Speaks in the Night. The Life, Times, and Teaching of St. John of the Cross”. Washington, DC: ICS Publications, 1991.
In the recent weeks, we are all elated with the news of the development of the causes of Venerable Mother Rosario Arroyo de la Visitacion of Dominican Sisters of the Holy Rosary based in Molo, Iloilo and Venerable Mother Francisca del Espiritu Santo de Fuentes of the Domiinican Sisters of St. Catherine of Siena (then Beaterio de Santa Catalina of Intramuros) based in Quezon City. Also, the topic of the role of Filipina women in the Philippine CatholiC church during the Spanish regime gained a renewed interest. These development slowly gives us a picture how Filipina women gained the right of establishing their own religious communities despite the racial and gender limitations during the Spanish era. One of these women religious was a Filipina by birth yet she established her congregation outside the Philippines to help spread and nourish the Catholic faith through education of the young.
Isabel Larrañaga Ramírez (Madre Isabel de Sagrado Corazon de Jesus) was a woman who made the call. God chose her at a precise moment in history, the nineteenth century, to experience with the power of the Spirit a charism, as a gift to humanity, and to leave her daughters a concrete way of living the Gospel.
Life
Venerable Isabel Ramirez was born in Manila, the Philippines, on November 19, 1836, to Juan Andres Ma. de Larranaga (the Military Governor of Manila at that time) and Isabel Ramirez Patino. Her father was from Spain, and her mother was born of Spanish descent in Lima, Peru. She was the youngest of ten children. Her parents were Spanish and she was a Filipina by birth and by virtue of citizenship. She was baptized in San Miguel de Arcangel in Malacanang 30 days after her birth.
After the death of her father died in 1838, her mother returned to Spain with the children. Isabel spent her childhood and early adolescence in Madrid and in Lima. Her mother ensured that Isabel received a good education, learning music, painting, and languages (French, English, Italian).
In 1855, Isabel accompanied her mother and brother, Francisco Adrian, to Lima, Peru. There, the eighteen year old Isabel became a teacher and engaged in charity work. She visited patients in hospitals, and became a catechist for children and young people Seven years later, she and her mother went back to Spain, and they resided in Madrid.
Venerable Isabel Larrañaga Ramírez
The Call
Doña Isabel with her children returns to Spain. Isabelita’s childhood, adolescence and youth go through the cities of Madrid and Lima. She practiced, especially in Lima, the teaching work, as a teacher in some schools. She also committed to works of charity and apostolate, catechesis for children and young people, visits to patients in hospitals to help them die well.
From a young age he felt the vocation to religious life born in his soul, but she always found strong opposition from his mother who, although very Christian, could not stand the idea of separating from her beloved daughter. In order to dissuade her from these purposes, Doña Isabel decided to take her daughter on a tour of different places: from Lima they will go to the island of Cuba, where providentially years later the Mother will found some of her schools; they return to Europe, spend several months in Rome; again they return to Spain: Malaga, Seville, Alicante, Madrid.
Finally, after a hard test, and already in the mature age of 40, it seems that the horizon is opening. She has done the Spiritual Exercises annually and knows the great spiritual good that the Exercises produce in people and also as a source of renewal for society. And he decides to start his foundation. Thus, on February 2, 1877, along with three other companions, he made his consecration to the Lord and opened a Spirituality House in Madrid. At the beginning they constitute an Association or Pious Union of Slave Ladies of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, dedicated to this work of the Spiritual Exercises. Later, he will guide his work in a special and priority way towards the educational field.
Venerable Isabel Larrañaga Ramírez
The Congregation
Education is one of the most urgent needs of nineteenth-century Spain, especially in the areas of towns and the periphery of large cities. With generous devotion and endearing love to children and youth, will begin to open colleges and boarding schools where it is most necessary their presence and that of their religious in Spain and in Cuba. And what had its beginning in 1877 as a Pious Union, was consolidated as a religious Congregation in 1883, with the diocesan approval of the Constitutions and the Congregation, on the part of the then Archbishop of Toledo, Msgr. Juan Ignacio Moreno. Since then, the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus with which it continues to distinguish itself today.
Mother Isabel had to suffer many setbacks, which are the mark of God in his works. The first compañeras leave her and then some more Sisters. But soon more Sisters are arriving, and the work is spreading. Mother Isabel, together with her daughters, to tend to the poorest and most needy; material deficiencies, but also lack of affection and culture. Their great love will be the children, their integral formation, to bring them the message of the love of the Heart of Jesus. She will devote her efforts to them. She wants her daughters to practice with them the office of authentic Christian mothers. The Sisters dedicated to teaching, fulfill it with all will and care. Teach the girls and boys with all care how much they care: the sciences, the material tasks and, above all, the virtue.
The mortal remains of Venerable Isabel Larrañaga Ramírez
Her Death
In 1894 Mother Isabel sent a religious expedition to Cuba in spite of the delicate political situation during that time. During her second trip to Cuba, she suffered from heart problems which was aggravated with sufferings from the war which eventually led to her death on January 17, 1899. She left a flourishing Institute that, after her death, has extended on the following nations: Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Peru, Chile.
Years later, in 1961, at the beginning of the Castro revolution, the Sisters who were in the Colleges of Cuba, having to leave, forced, this beautiful field of mission, will obtain authorization to bring with them the venerable remains of Mother Isabel. Since then, they rest in the chapel of the College of Villaverde Alto, in Madrid.
The Cause of Beatification
On December 17, 1982 her Beatification cause was formally opened by Pope John Paul II; thereby, bestowing upon her the title “Servant of God”. Seventeen Years later on March 26, 1999, Servant of God Ramirez was declared venerable by the same Pontiff.
Venerable Isabel Larrañaga Ramírez
Her Legacy
According to the will of Mother Isabel: “Our vocation is to make life in any part of the world where we expect more service from God and help souls, dedicating ourselves to Christian teaching.” Today the Congregation continues, founded by the Venerable Mother Isabel Larrañaga, and her work, extended by several countries of the world: Spain, Portugal, Chile, Angola, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Peru.
The Congregation has a broad apostolic task in the Church, an educational-evangelizing mission, carried out in schools and colleges, missions, residences, boarding schools, social centers, pastoral activity: catechesis, parishes; houses of spirituality, spiritual assistance to the sick, social action and human promotion, etc.
This is the life and work of this great woman, who was Mother Isabel. Today, his life continues to be a challenge for the entire Corazonista Family, especially for her daughters. Her work continues to be the living presence of a God made tenderness and welcome, commitment, gesture, word, encouragement, and life.
Her life, and her spirit can be summarized in these trilogies:
-Her Three loves: the Heart of Jesus, the Blessed Virgin and the Church. -Her Three virtues: ardent charity, deep humility, joyful and surrendered obedience. -Her Three instruments of apostolate: the teaching of the catechism, the Spiritual Exercises and the promotion of divine worship .
As we conclude this blog post dedicated to Venerable Isabel Larrañaga Ramirez, here is the prayer for her beatification that us faithful to pary with to hasten her beatification and canonization:
PRAYER FOR THE BEATIFICATION OF VENERABLE ISABEL LARRAÑAGA RAMIREZ
Oh God, You granted Your servant Venerable Isabel Larrañaga live intensely united to the Heart of Your Son through a life of prayer and of an exquisite charity for everyone; this we ask that, encouraged by your example, we remain always in Your love and serve with simplicity and joy to our brothers.
Grant us, through her intercession, the favors that we beg you now through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Sacred Heart of Jesus, I trust in you.
(Mention your petitions)
Our Father … Hail Mary … Glory Be …
For favors granted through her intercession, you may communicate it to:
Curia General Hermanas de la Caridad del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús. Jorge Juan, 165. 28028-Madrid (España). Tel.: 91 726 21 93 secretgral@scj-corazonistas.org http://www.hermanascorazonistas.net
We have already featured in this blogpost the role of the Virgen de los Remedios de Pampanga on stopping the spread of communism to the province of Pampanga after it posed a threat after the Second world War through the initiative of the late Bishop Cesar Ma. Guerro of then Diocese of San Fernando and his Crusade. Now we are going to feature the story of the image of Santo Cristo del Perdon that accompanies the Virgin up to the present to bring the message of faith, hope and charity.
The image
The venerable image of Santo Cristo del Perdon is a de talado image of Our Lord Jesus Christ crucified on the Cross. The Cross is a round logged type which a unique feature for such in the country and it is decorated with metal accessories from rayos on the four inner corners of the cross, the 3 ends coverings and the “INRI”. The corpus also sports metal tres potencias and crown of thorns.
Santo Cristo del Perdon in procession
The origins
Due to the success of the first round of the Crusade, on November 23, 1954, a new decree of the Crusade was issued that the crusade will be renamed to “Crusade of Penance and Charity.” The image of the Santo Cristo del Perdon was added to accompany the procession to inspire repentance of sins and renewal of life among the people.
Seven Caballeros de Cristo were appointed. Processions of the Crusade were accompanied by seven symbolical lanterns. The Caballeros de Cristo took turns in carrying the image of the Crucified Christ. Number seven was agin chosen by the Bishop Guerrero to signify the seven Archangels who adore the Triune God.
A successful Crusade
The Bishop, with full confidence in the Mother of God and her Son who is always ready to come to the aid of people, inaugurated the Crusade of Charity and Goodwill. Missions and catechesis were given, Holy Masses were celebrated, priests patiently waited for peninents for confessions, rosary was prayed for twenty four hours, “lamac” kept on multiplying immensely, the love and concern for the poor flourished.
Santo Cristo del Perdon with Virgen de los Remedios de Pampanga on the Virgin’s Canonical Coronation anniversary
It was through these that peace in Pampanga was restored, and faith grew and was strengthened because of the constant prayers and penance of the people of the province. Her transfer from one town to town to another was inspiring manifestation of the people’s devotion. Solemn processions voluntarily attended by the majority of the townspeople accompanied her as she brought from one town to the next. All these were attributed through the intercession of the Virgen de los Remedios and the Santo Cristo del Perdon gained meaningful importance in the life of the Capampangans.
The devotion
The devotion to the Santo Cristo del Prdon flourished and kept alive in the recent years and he continues to accompany His mother to spread the Good News to the Kapampangans. The image at present is enshrined at the Archdiocesan Chancery Chapel in San Fernando, Pampanga, along with the Virgen de los Remedios. Fridays are dedicated for the devotion to the Santo Cristo and he also accompany the Virgin on the annual commemoration of the her Canonical Coronation every September 8.
Reference:
Espiritu, Charles Henry C. (2009), “History of the Crusade of Penance and Charity and the Canonical Coronation of Virgen de Los Remedios”, University of the Assumption Press, Pampanga.
Credits to the owners of the photos that were utilized on this blogpost. +AM+DG+
In the progressive city of Mandaue, a few kilometers form Cebu City known for its sceneries and its fast economic growth. It can be missed out by many faithful that it was in this city were the center of devotion to St. Joseph in the Philippines is located – the National Shrine of St. Joseph.
The image
The venerated image of San Jose de Mandaue is an image of St. Joseph standing with the Child Jesus. St. Joseph is holding his staff with a sheaf of lilies on his left hand which is diagnostic to the iconography of St. Joseph where according to tradition, when the men from the house of David were summoned to the temple to ask for the hand of the Blessed Virgin Mary for marriage, lilies began to grow on the staff of St. Joseph – a sign that he was chosen by God to be Mary’s pure spouse.
St. Joseph – Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Foster Father of Jesus
Saint Joseph is an important figure in Christianity as the husband of the Virgin Mary and the earthly father of Jesus Christ (in distinction to God, his “heavenly father”). The gospels describe Joseph as a “tekton” (τέκτων); traditionally the word has been taken to mean “carpenter”, though the Greek term evokes an artisan with wood in general, or an artisan in iron or stone.
Very little other information on Joseph is given in the Gospels, in which he never speaks. Joseph is the patron of the dying because, assuming he died before Jesus’ public life, he died with Jesus and Mary close to him, the way we all would like to leave this earth. Joseph is also patron saint of the Universal Church, families, fathers, and working people in general.
El Glorioso Patriarca, Señor San Jose de Mandaue
The Origins
According to Jesuit historian Fr. Rene Javellana, SJ, the image might have been locally made sometime in 1600, under the supervision of the Spanish Jesuit missionaries. In this composition, Joseph holds the ambulant boy Jesus with the left hand, while his right carries the usual flowering stick. The boy Jesus carries a carpenter’s tool box in his left hand while his right is raised to the guiding hand of His foster-father. That’s why it is called “El Patrocinio” or the Patronage of Saint Joseph.
The Shrine
The shrine’s beginnings traces back during the time of the Augustinian missionaries where they were the first to serve the spiritual needs of Mandaue populace until it was handed over to the Jesuits in 1599. The Jesuits in turn established their mission the following year and built a church in 1601 and St. Joseph the Patriarch was installed as the patron saint of the parish. The image is the oldest image that is public venerated in the Philippines. When the Jesuits were expelled in 1768, the administration of Mandaue was handled by the Recollects until 1898.
The National Shrine of St. Joseph, Mandaue City, Cebu
The church was damaged in an earthquake in 1922 and repairs were completed in 1936. The top of the church façade also saw the addition of a bell tower in 1936. But the church was severely damaged after an American bomb blew open the roof of the church during the Second World War. A major renovation was undertaken in 1998 where the pillars supporting the roof were removed. The renovation made the church rather different from its original appearance. A book published by Felipe Redondo in 1886 described the church as being shaped like a Greek cross featuring a pair of octagonal chapels.
El Patriarca San Jose de Mandaue with his Chaste Heart
The church was declared a national shrine by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines on August 6, 2001. On September 26, 2021, The image was pinned with the Chaste Heart of St. Joseph in lieu of the supposed Episcopal Coronation of the image of San Jose de Mandaue due to the 1973 Ruling from Rome that only images of the Blessed Virgin will be bestowed such honor.
The procession of San Jose de Mandaue during the famed Sinulog festivities
San Jose de Mandue and Sinulog
The National Shrine of St. Joseph Parish in Mandaue City also plays a role in the annual Sinulog festivities. The images of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the Santo Niño are brought to the church in the annual translacion or transfer. The event reunites the image of Mary and Jesus with St. Joseph. The images of the Holy Family will stay the night before the images of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the Santo Niño will board a yacht for a fluvial parade along the Mactan Channel.
The devotion
The devotion to San Jose de Mandaue continues to flourish over the years, amidst the trials his shrine faced over the centuries. The Parish feast and Grand fiesta is celebrated every May 8, the traditional Feast of his patronage in the traditional calendar. Although this was no longer included in the present Roman Calendar of the Second Vatican Council, this feast is still kept by the Cebuanos and it is feasted with much solemnity. The Shrine also celebrates his Liturgical Solemnity of March 19 with a procession of the image of La Muerte de San Jose.
The Processional image of El Glorioso Patriarca, Señor San Jose de Mandaue
St. Joseph is the greatest of saints, for it was to him that God entrusted the upbringing of His only Son. The human upbringing of Jesus was of the greatest importance, as it was, indeed is, His Blessed Humanity that is God’s chosen instrument for the salvation of the world. Thus it is that the Son of God’s human mannerisms, which were so very attractive to His fellow human beings, would have been ways of behaving that He learned from the Carpenter of Nazareth.
God chose Saint Joseph for the education of His Son (and let us remember that Jesus was essentially home schooled) because He wanted the best educator for Jesus. But the role of Joseph was not strictly speaking necessary. The Blessed Virgin, best of mothers, could have brought Jesus up on her own, and there would have been many single mothers in Israel at that time. (I am thinking of the widows, frequently mentioned in the New Testament and the Old, as well as the fact that the Law allowed divorce.) But God always goes beyond the minimal in His provisions, and that is why He chose Saint Joseph for his special role as educator, guide and mentor to the boy Jesus.
Nuestra Señora de las Victorias of Victorias City, Negros Occidental
In the prosperous City of Victorias, located in the province of Negros Occidental, the people were proud to the origin of the name of their city for the city was named after their powerful protectress – Nuestra Señora de las VIctorias. The Blessed Virgin Mary, together with the city’s first patron Saint Casimir of Poland, protected the city from a series of Moro and tulisanes raids that spreads terror in the city during the Spanish era.
The image
The image of Nuestra Señora de las Victorias is an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary with the Child Jesus standing on guard looking rightwards as if they are guarding the faithful from enemies. The Virgin stands beside her Son who on the other hand stands on a pillar of clouds imparting His blessing and protection.
The depcition of the Virgin of Victories of Victorias City is one of the few images venerated in our contry under this title and representation which is popular in Europe, particualrly in France.
Our Lady of Victories Parish, Victorias City, Negros Occidental
The seemingly hopeless origins
During the Spanish era, the city was called Tugkagawan and later Malihaw. The name was taken from Malihaw trees which are in abundance along the banks of the Malihaw river. During Capitan Gregorio Conlu’s term, Moro pirates and tulisanes reigned unmolested. One day the Capitan’s household was robbed. Capitan Gregorio was able to escape together with his secretary Alfonso Pachera, but his wife Capitana Tutang and their servant Micay, were taken aboard the sailboat which immediately sailed for the open sea.
When Capitana Tutang was asked whether she knew how to swim, she replied that she could not. She and her servant were thrown overboard while the vessel was just outside the Malihaw river’s mouth. The robbers sailed on believing that Capitana Tutang and her servant were drown. but that was not the case, for Capitana Tutang and her servant were good swimmers.
Nuestra Señora de las Victorias of Victorias City, Negros Occidental (Parish image)
The Manifestations of the Virgin
While struggling in the water, Capitana Tutang saw a beutiful Lady whom she believed was the Blessed virgin. When she reached home she prayed and promised to buy an image of the Lady who helped them. But having been divested of her possession, it took her several months of careful savings to accumulate a sizable sum for the purchase of the image from Barcelona, Spain. Since she did not specify what image she wanted, the Capitana received the statue of the “Nuestra Señora de las Victorias” which to her amazement held the likeness of that Lady who saved them from drowning.
One year before the expiration of the term of Capitan Gregorio, in 1880, two boatloads of Moro pirates entered the Malihaw river to attack Daan Banua (Old Town), At the mouth of the river the plunderers were met by a small banca riden by a Lady who had a long sword and a very big man with a spear. Upon seeing the two, the Moros sailed back in flight.
Three months later, four vintas bearing Moro pirates approached the river’s mouth to sail inland, but again the same banca with a Lady and a very big man stood guard and the marauders steered towards the town of Manapla, where they took captives.
During the raid, two captives were able to escape in the direction of Malihaw. These two related their adventure and collaborated the story of the Lady and the very big man in the banca. The two captives upon seeing the images of Nuestra Señora de las Victorias and San Casimiro (St. Casimir), the reknown Polish prince who was the first Patron of the City. The story which spread like wild fire reached the ears of the Parish Priest of Saravia Fr. Crispino Hinolan, a Visayan, who immediately went to Malihaw to verify the story.
Nuestra Señora de las Victorias and San Casimiro
After a thorough investigation, the priest declared that the town was saved by the Virgin and San Casimiro her companion. The proclamation of the Parish Priest resulted in the occasion of rejoicing and celebration. Capitan Gregorio and Padre Crispino proposed to the inhabitants that the name of the town Malihaw be changed to “Nuestra Señora de las Victorias” to perpetuate the miraculous incidents. the suggestion was at once received with unanimous enthusiasm and acceptance and the citizens enjoined the Capitan to ask the Governor to approve the change of name. The Governor gave his consent, but retained only “Victorias “ as the official name.
The Devotion
Since the news of the miracle of Our Lady of Victory in Victorias City, the devotion to the Blessed Mother under this title developed , grew and maintained by the Negrenses over the centuries. Pilgrims would flock the parish of Our Lady of Victories to ask for her powerful protection and intercession. The Feast of the Virgin is celebrated every April 26 and it is celebrated with much solemnity and pomp with the Malihaw Festival.
Monument of Nuestra Señora de las Victorias of Victorias City
As we end this blogpost dedicated to Nuestra Señora de las Victorias, here is a prayer composed by Pope Pius XII to Our Lady of Victories for the protection of the Church and our land:
O Mary, merciful Refuge of Sinners and Mother of all mankind! Behold how many souls are lost every hour! Behold how countless millions of those who live in India, in China, and in barbarous regions do not yet know Our Lord Jesus Christ! See, too, how many others are far from the bosom of Mother Church which is Catholic, Apostolic, and Roman! O Mary … life of our hearts … let not the Precious Blood and fruits of Redemption be lost for so many souls!
Grant that a ray of Heavenly light may shine forth to enlighten those many blinded understandings and to enkindle so many cold hearts. Intercede with thy Divine Son, and obtain grace for all pagans, Jews, heretics, and schismatics in the whole world to receive supernatural light and to enter with joy into the bosom of the true Church. Hear the confident prayer of the Supreme Pontiff that all nations may be united in one faith, that they may know and love Jesus Christ, the blessed fruit of thy womb … And then all men shall love thee also, thou who art the salvation of the world, arbiter and dispenser of the treasures of God . . . And, glorifying thee, O Queen of Victories, who, by means of thy Rosary, dost trample upon all heresies, they shall acknowledge that thou givest life to all nations, since there must be a fulfillment of the prophecy: “All generations shall call me blessed.” Amen.
Pintakasi 