San Juan Nepomuceno de Malibay - Malibay's Beloved Patron

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San Juan Nepomuceno de Malibay
In the historic town of Malibay in Pasay City where cultural heritage and modernization uniquely blends in the area, the people of Malibay for centuries entrust their endeavors to their beloved patron - San Juan Nepomuceno, the famed Martyr of the Sacrament of Confession, patron against calumnies and protector from floods and drowning.

San Juan Nepomuceno, or Tata Juan as he is affectionately called by his devotees, guided his people for centuries that helped them spawn many traditions that are still being practiced up to the present. He became part and parcel of the town and became a father figure to the people of Malibay and his visits to every home in Malibay is much sought after event in their lives for he granted numerous graces that the people needed in their everyday lives.

 The image

 The original image of San Juan Nepomuceno (St. John Nepomucene or St. John of Nepomuk) is an 18th century image from Spain that stands in a special base that resembles a bridge where his body was thrown to the Vltava River. The image is a de tallado image yet he is richly vested with a vast number of vestments made from different fabrics embellished with metal accessories. He holds a Crucifix and gazes at it meditatively which gives the beholder an idea that he is reflecting for his future suffering like what Christ suffered.

He is garbed in a Traditional priestly vestment, complete with his biretta for he was a holy and eloquent priest. A very distinct feature of the image is that he sports a Five-Star halo which alludes to the story that after his martyrdom, the people of Bohemia saw five stars in the river that surrounds the head of the saint and when his body was recovered, the stars was still seen in his head. A larger image of San Juan Nepomuceno can also be seen and venerated in the Parish.

San Juan Nepomuceno en gloria
by Juan Patricio Morlete Ruiz
The Life of St. John Nepomucene

Saint John Nepomucene was born in 1330, in answer to the prayer of his parents, who were poor folk of Nepomuk in Bohemia. In gratitude they consecrated him to God and became a priest. His holy life as a priest and his eloquent teaching led to his appointment as chaplain to the court of the King Wenceslaus, where he converted many by his preaching and example. He settled arguments and did many kind deeds for the needy people of the city. He also became the queen's confessor.

When the king became jealous to the queen, St. John taught her to bear her cross patiently. One day, about 1393, the king asked him to tell what the queen had said in confession. When he refused, he was thrown into prison. A second time, he was asked to reveal the queen's confession. "If you do not tell me," said the king, "you shall die. But if you obey my commands, riches and honor will be yours." Again Father John refused. He was tortured. The king ordered to be thrown into the Vltava River. Where he drowned, a strange brightness appeared upon the water. He is known as the "Martyr of the confessional." He is patron of Czech Republic, where he is invoked against floods and against slander. His feast day is celebrated every May 16.

 The arrival and the development of devotion in Malibay


The origin of the devotion to San Juan Nepomuceno in the town of Malibay, Pasay City has a unique beginning, during the 18th Century, a old Spaniard resided to Malibay for sometime and he is a devotee of San Juan Nepomuceno and he cherished this devotion along with the image. When he decided to return to Spain, he brought along with him the image yet strangely, the image was not found in his luggage and he always found the image in his altar in Malibay. The Spaniard took it as a sign that the image wanted to stay in Malibay and he gave the image to Saturnino and Basilia dela Cruz. The image of San Juan Nepomuceno was miraculously spared from the ravages of the Philippine Revolution and the Second World War

San Juan Nepomuceno Parish
of Malibay, Pasay
When miracles were reported through his intercession, a Chapel was built to accommodate the growing number of devotees. Centuries later, the Chapel became a Parish on July 15, 1965.

The image was being taken care of by different families in Malibay over the centuries and this became one of the treasured traditions in Malibay. The image will stay to the house of the hermana mayor, fiesta after fiesta and the family welcomes devotees and pilgrim from the town and other parts of Metro Manila. The image will be brought out by the family in charge to the church for the morning and afternoon daily masses and stay in the parish all Sundays of the year. The families consider this as a privilege to be the caretaker of Tata Juan for a year for they always mention that numerous miracles were reported thru his intercession. For instance, a poor couple were assigned as the Hermana Mayor for the fiesta of Tata Juan, yet they were worried because of lack of funds and their meager earnings are enough to survive for a day. On the eve of the fiesta, a stranger went to the residence of the poor couple and gave them a cow for the fiesta meal. The couple were surprised because the haven't ordered such due to their living conditions yet the stranger related that a man bought the cow and he instructed to bring it to their home in Malibay. The couple immediately went to the altar where Tata Juan was enthroned and the stranger was surprised that the man who bought the cow was Tata Juan himself and the couple gave thanks to the Lord thru the intercession of their beloved patron.

Such tradition sprung out for it was told that when it was decided to permanently enshrine the image in his parish, the people will find an empty urn every night and tiny footsteps are seen in the streets leading to different houses. This was taken as a miraculous sign that he wanted to visit every household to bless them.

The petite original image and the larger church image of
San Juan Nepomuceno de Malibay
The Devotion

With numerous miracles that were attributed to San Juan Nepomuceno de Malibay, the people of Malibay celebrated his fiesta with much rejoicing in thanksgiving. His feast day is celebrated every May 16 in the Liturgical calendar. In the past, they also celebrate a separate fiesta every Third Sunday of February, a Sunday after the Thanksgiving Fiesta in honor of Santa Marta of Pateros until it was halted in the 1970's and concentrated on his liturgical feast.

Arches with different images of San Juan Nepomuceno, made from myriad of materials from prints to statuettes are seen every fiesta in almost every household and business establishments. There were two fiesta processions in his honor, one in the morning and one in the evening and in the evening, he is accompanied by the centuries old image of La Inmaculada Concepcion de Malibay in line with the Flores de Mayo traditions.

Like Saint John Nepomucene, who by his invincible sacramental silence won his crown, teaches us to stand for our Catholic faith rather offending the Creator and help us to strive for holiness and value the importance of the Sacrament of Confession.

 Pinatakasing tinuturan
ng puring iniingatan
Gawin ka naming uliran
O San Juan, sa kabanalan.

 San Juan Nepomuceno de Malibay, Ipanalangin mo kami!

 References:

Guérin, Paul (1882) Les Petits Bollandistes: Vies des Saints, Bloud et Barral: Paris.
Shea, John Gilmary (1894), Butler’s Lives of the Saints, Benziger Brothers: New York,
Rubio, Ellen, (2008), Ang Parokya ng San Juan Nepomuceno, Retrieved from  http://sjnparishmalibay.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2008-07-12T09:43:00-07:00&max- results=7&start=6&by-date=false.

 Special thanks to John Valenzeula Santos, Louie Neil and Nonie Gamboa for further information about San Juan Nepomuceno of Malibay, Pasay.

Comments

  1. UnknownJuly 30, 2021 at 12:09 AM

    I hope you also feature san juan nepomuceno de alfonso cavite

    ReplyDelete

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