Nuestra Señora de Peñafrancia de Manila - The Mother of the Poor

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Nuestra Señora de Peñafrancia de Manila
In the suburbs of Paco, Manila, a peculiar Parish can be found within the complex near Gomez St. where the common masses reside. This particular Parish houses one of the most miraculous Marian Icons in the country - the prototype of The Queen of Bicolandia - Nuestra Señora de Peñafrancia de Manila.

The icon became the beacon of light of the masses of Paco for the Virgin continues to shower many graces to her devoted children through centuries.

The image

The icon of the Virgin is an easel painting depicting the apparition of the Blessed Virgin to Simon Vela. The Peñafrancia devotion started when a French Friar, Simon Roland found an icon believed to have been buried since 711 A.D., after a long search. Mary's image was excavated in a cave on a rocky mountain of Salamanca, Spain.

The complete details of the image
The image is an easel painting done on thick canvas, which restores date to the 1660s. At the upper register, an oval aureole surrounds the Madonna and Child who sit on a golden throne on top of a rocky peak. The child, holding an azure globe, rests on the Mother’s lap on a throne and raises the right hand in benediction. Much later, the image came to be known as Our Lady of the Poor and Our Lady of the rosary, thus, a large golden rosary was added to the image. To the virgin’s right kneels Simon Vela, his arms outstretched in prayer, the brown robes of the Franciscan draped over his body. From the bottom to the top snakes a road marked with golden crosses. The road is filled with figures showing scenes from Simon Vela’s epic search for the Peña de Francia.

History

The Dominican priests spread the advocacy to Our Lady of Peñafrancia throughout the world which led to the coming of the image to the Philippines.

In a mission to spread the devotion to Our Lady, several expeditions were sent to the Philippines. Fr Alonso Delgado and Fr. Pedro Bolaños, Superior of the convent and Master of Novices, led the first of which with twenty four Dominican Friars. The expeditions arrived at a part of Cavite on July 21, 1587 but Fr. Delgado didn’t reach the Philippines. The second expedition headed by Fr. Jacinto Calvo left for Manila.

The Saga of the Paco Virgin

Presently kept in the Our Lady of Peñafrancia Parish (then a Chapel) in the district of Paco, Manila, it traces its roots to Don Miguel, who is said to have enshrined an image of the virgin in a chapel made of wood in the year 1697. this image may be the same painting that Gainza refers to when he says:” he promised that at any time he should come into some money, he would have a reproduction of the image of Our Lady of Peña de Francia made, like that printed in the history book.”

It is believed that the painting reached the Philippines when the ship made by Fr. Miguel sank. Accidentally, the rolled painting of the image was washed away by waves until it got into a riverlet or sapa. Some old folks found it on May 14, 1651. It was rolled up and tucked among the branches of Bakawan trees along the small river. It was raining hard at that time, but the painting wasn’t ruined. The people made a canopy made of pawid near the river and had it framed and decorated with several candles and flowers.

Parish of Nuestra Señora de Peñafrancia de Manila
The image was taken to San Fernando de Dilao Parish where an altar was built for her. It disappeared more than three times so the residents of the Dela Peña decided to keep her in the exact place where it was found. A chapel was built although the Japanese soldiers tried to destroy it in August 11, 1951, but it seems the Virgin protected her chosen shrine for that chapel was spared from the attacks during the devastating War, the chapel became a parish.

Centuries later, Fr. Jorge Borlongan, then the Parish priest of the time, sought the help of Fernando Amorsolo to restore the painting because it was heavily damaged by the constant change of weather. The rough estimate to complete the painting’s restoration was Php 35,000. In the process, Jun Gonzales revealed that the face of the Blessed Virgin remained unaltered.

Canonical Coronation of Virgin of Peñafrancia de Manila
The Canonical Coronation of the Virgin

During the time of Fr. Alfredo Santos, he spearheaded a petition for the Canonical Coronation of the image and this was granted. During a Marian Year November 10, 1985, Jaime Cardinal Sin Canonically Crowned the image of the Nuestra Señora de Peñafrancia de Manila at the Independence Grandstand (now known as Quirino Grandstand) at Rizal Park where thousand of devotees from different places in he Philippines gathered together to make devotions to the Blessed Mother and child.

Tatarin Dance
Festivals in honor of the Virgin

The feast day is celebrated every third Sunday of May. Her other Feast day is the Tatarin Festival in honor of the Virgin. The “Tatarin”, street dancing in honor of the Mother of the Poor, is celebrated every second Sunday of November to commemorate the Canonical Coronation of the Blessed Virgin. The procession is accompanied by bands to the tune of Filipiniana Music wherein people are dressed elegantly in colorful Barong Tagalog and Baro’t Saya.

According to devotees, she was the real Mother to the unfortunate ones because she always brings forth abundant graces to those who venerate her.With the Lord’s outpouring blessings, through the intercession of the Blessed Mother, the parish advanced steadily both temporal and spiritual. Multifarious constructions and renovations took place.

The example of the Blessed Virgin will be our encouragement, as we endeavor to walk in her footsteps.  She will gently wean us from the love of all earthly possessions, guiding us, as we can bear it, to a more and more perfect life.  We need not be discouraged at the sight of our own self-love, nor at our great repugnance to mortification.  We shall not learn detachment all at once, nor in the easy way our imaginations have pictured.  But with Mary for our model we cannot wander from the right path  As things temporal recede little by little from our view, things eternal will draw nearer to us.  The chains that bind us to earth will be broken one by one, and the love of God will be the only solace of our free spirits.  Who would compare corruptible treasures with the infinite wealth of God, who becomes Himself the possession of His saints?

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