The Cult of the Young Thaumaturgist - The Devotion to St. Philomena in the Philippines

St. Philomena of Masambong

In Catholic Philippines, there were several saints aside from the Blessed Virgin Mary, that became the "go-to" persons to ask for their miraculous intercession and their shrines became the center of devotions and pilgrimages over the centuries since the Spanish conquest. However, there were some saints that were known because of their miracles that they wrought worldwide that it took sometime that the Filipino faithful to catch-up. One of the these saints is St. Philomena. St. Philomena is one of the few saints that are associated with Miracles that happened immediately through her intercession.

Though there were earlier shrines that were dedicated through her, it was only in the recent times that the devotion to this young miracle worker thrived over the years and fair enough, miracles were reported through her miraculous intervention. Almost every Catholic altars began to have an image of St. Philomena and pilgrimages to her shrines increased.

A popular depiction of St. Philomena

But how it all began? That is the question that we would find out as we trace the devotion to St. Philomena in the Philippines.

The visage of the Thaumaturgist

The young Thaumaturgist (Miracle worker) is depicted as a beautiful young woman that are typically seen during the height of the Roman Empire. She has loose hair, wears a beautiful robe and sometimes, sports a crown of flowers for according to her apparition to a Dominican religious, she is a Grecian Princes.

She is depicted holding an anchor, rope, and arrows - symbols of her martyrdom ,a sheaf of lilies, a symbol of her purity and the diagnostic palm of martyrdom. The attributes of St. Philomena were based from the tiles in her tomb that are interpreted as symbols of her martyrdom.

A lithograph depicting the life of St. Philomena and the tomb tiles
that were found in the Catacombs of St. Priscilla

The Life of St. Philomena

Little is known about the life of St. Philomena. However, it is believed she was a Greek princess who became a virgin martyr and died at 13-years-old. The remains of a young lady were discovered in May 1802 at the Catacombs of Priscilla on the Via Salaria Nova with three tiles reading "Pax Tecum Filumna" ("Peace be to you, Philomena.")

All that is known about St. Philomena's life comes from a Neapolitan nun's vision. Sister Maria Luisa di Gesu claims St. Philomena came to her and told her she was the daughter of a Greek king who converted to Christianity and was born in January 10. When Philomena was 13-years-old, she took a vow of consecrated virginity. After her father took his family to Rome to make peace, Emperor Diocletian fell in love with Philomena. When she refused to marry him, she was subjected to torture.

The Martyrdom of St. Philomena

St. Philomena was scourged, drowned with an anchor attached to her, and shot with arrows. Each time she was attacked angels took to her side and healed her through prayer. Finally, the Emperor had Philomena decapitated. According to the story, her death came on a Friday at three in the afternoon, the same as Jesus. Her martyrdom happened on August 10. Although controversy sometimes surrounds the truth behind St. Philomena's life and sainthood, many believers all around the world continue to see her as a miraculous saint, canonized in 1837 by Pope Gregory XVI. The Feast of St. Philomena is celebrated every August 11.

Devotion to St. Philomena began to spread once her bones were exhumed and miracles began to occur. Canon Francesco De Lucia of Mugnano del Cardinale received relics of St. Philomena and had them placed in the Church of Our Lady of Grace in Mugnano, Italy. Soon after her relics were enshrined, cancers were cured, wounds were healed and the Miracle of Mugnano, when Venerable Pauline Jaricot was cured of a severe heart issue overnight, were all attributed to St. Philomena. Other Saints began to venerate Philomena and attributing miracles in their lives to the young martyr, including St. John Marie Vianney and St. Peter Louis Marie Chanel.

Sta. Filomena de Alcala of Cagayan

The Devotion in the Philippines

In the Philippines, the devotion to St. Philomena already began during the Spanish period, notably in Alcala, Cagayan where a Church was built in 1881 under the term of Fr. Casamiro Gonzalez, which was completed by Fr. Pedro Perez. the Shrine in Alcala, Cagayan became the center of the devotion to St. Philomena in the northern part of the Philippines.

In Sibonga, Cebu, the devotion to St. Philomena began in the Parish of Our Lady of the Pillar sometime between 1827 - 1830 when an image of her was enshrined in the church.

Sta. Filomena de Sibonga

Numerous miraculous happenings occurred through her intercession. It is said that St. Philomena appeared during the Japanese invasion in the Philippines at the pier in Sibonga to protect the town. Since that apparition, witnesses initiated devotional exercises such as the novena, parades and processions in thanksgiving to the protection that she gave to her chosen town. There were other accounts that the St. Philomena would roam around Sibonga to visit her devotees at nocturnal hours that there were amor seco burs that are found her dress and most especially on her feet. The fiesta of St. Philomena in Sibonga is celebrated by holding the annual Bonga Festival every August 9 which consists of street dancing, parades, a fluvial and terrestrial procession in thanksgiving.

The National Pilgrim image
of St. Philomena

In Metro Manila, the Santuario de Santa Filomena is the center of the devotion that is located in Masambong, Quezon City. The devotion was introduced in 1999 in the Parish of the Most Holy Redeemer by its former parish priest, Reverend Father Michell Joe B. Zerrudo and it gained much acceptance from the local parishoners and later to the Catholic faithful that the Sanctuary found themselves thronged with pilgrims from different parts of the country. In 2002, with the help of the Universal Living Rosary Association of St. Philomena - Philippines, the current altar image of St. Philomena in Masambong was formally enshrined and the began the celebration of her fiestas every January 2, the Feast of the Patronage of St. Philomena, and August 11, the actual Feast of St. Philomena with a series of novenas, devotions and processions. Friday devotions to St. Philomena was also proven to be popular to the Sanctuary and more pilgrims flock her shrine through the years.

A pilgrim image that is known as the National Visiting Statue of St. Philomena that is enshrined in the National Center of the Living Rosary Association located in Mayon, Quezon City is making rounds to different schools, parishes and hospitals, communities and other institutions to propagate the devotion to St. Philomena to the other parts of the country.

The devotion to St. Philomena is very timely and relevant in the modern times for we are living in a world were immorality is very rampant in everywhere and being holy is now being ridiculed by the world. Let us ask the intervention of St. Philomena to help us in our spiritual battle that we face today.

We will end this blog entry dedicated to this Wonder Worker with the words of St. John Marie Vianney, one of the most ardent devotees of St. Philomena:

"My children, Saint Philomena has great power with God, and she has, moreover, a kind heart; let us pray to her with confidence. Her virginity and generosity in embracing her heroic martyrdom have rendered her so agreeable to God that He will never refuse her anything that she asks for us."

St. Philomena, pray for us!

References:

Castro, Alex (2016), "Sta. Filomena of Alcala, Cagayan", Retreived from http://andalltheangelsandsaints.blogspot.com/2016/11/271-sta-filomena-of-alcala-cagayan.html#comment-form.
Di Lucia, Francesco,  Relazione istorica della translazione del corpo di S. Filomena vergine, e martire da Roma a Mugnano del Cardinale.
Hallack, Cecily, (1936), Saint Philomena : Virgin martyr and wonder worker.  . Dublin, Ireland; Anthonian Press, 1936.
History of the Devotion to St. Philomena, Retrieved from http://saintphilomenaph.weebly.com/santuario-de-santa-philomena-manila.html.
Miravalle, Mark (2007), It Is Time to Meet St Philomena (Queenship Publishing Company, P. O. Box 220, Goleta, California 2007
The National Visiting Statue of St. Philomena An Apostolate of the Universal Living Rosary Association of St. Philomena, Philippines, Retreived from http://saintphilomenaph.weebly.com/the-visiting-statue-of-st-philomena.html.

Potestas, Clint Holton (2016), "Are you a believer?", Retreived from http://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/102153/are-you-a-believer.