La Inmaculada Concepcion - La Patrona Principal de las Islas Filipinas

La Inmaculada Concepcion of the Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception
or more popularly known as Manila Cathedral

The Philippine Archipelago is known worldwide as the "Pueblo Amante de Maria" - The people in love of the Blessed Virgin Mary, for its strong devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary that is persistent up to the present. Among all Marian devotions in the Philippines, one is the most persistent and important, the devotion to Mary as the Lady of the Immaculate Conception.

Every year, every December 8, the  Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception is the principal Patroness of the Philippine Islands. Though after the suppression of several Church holydays in the Catholic Calendar of the Philippines, still her feast stays as one of the three holy days of obligation during the year, the other two being Christmas and January 1, when the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, is celebrated. The devotion to her under this singular prerogative remained one of the strongest, from numerous pilgrims flock  churches and shrines dedicated to her honor, holding grand fiestas and processions, and girls with the names "Concepcion" and its derivatives are still popular today, are a clear evidence of the strength of the devotion in our country.

A Filipiniana version of the Immaculate Conception
venerated in Mary, Mother of God Parish
in Muntinlupa City

The Dogma

The Immaculate Conception is commonly confused with the Virgin Birth of Jesus. Jesus's birth is covered by the Doctrine of Incarnation, while the Immaculate Conception deals with the conception of Mary, not that of her Son. The Immaculate Conception, according to the teaching of the Church, is the conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary free from original sin by virtue of the foreseen merits of her son Jesus Christ. The Church teaches that Mary was conceived in the womb of her mother, Saint Anne, but God acted upon her soul, keeping it "Immaculate".

Scriptural Basis

As used in the liturgy, in the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, two key biblical scenes emerged from the Old and New Testament pertaining the doctrine. In Genesis 3:15, Our Lord said: "I will put an emnity between you (the Serpent) and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; He will strike at your head while you strike at his heel." which narrates the victory over sin and death, through the woman, which is the Blessed Virgin Mary.

In the New Testament, a parallel text is to be found in the account of the Annunciation taken from the Gospel of St. Luke: "Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you.", this greeting by the Archangel Gabriel was said to express the truth of the Immaculate Conception, i.e., that Mary could not be full of grace if she has been conceived in original sin.

The original Festejada image of
Manila Cathederal carved by Santiago Santos

This special privilege of Mary does not apply to the rest of humanity, nor is it derived from her nature, but is a special grace granted to her by God in view of Christ. The reason behind Mary's singular grace of being immaculately conceived is based on her election by God to be the Mother of Jesus, the Redeemer of the World.

As the Mother of the Redeemer, she is the first to share in a primary and special way in the salvific mission of her Son - liberation form sin. Her Immaculate Conception proves and affirms the victory of God's loving goodness over sin which her Son totally manifested by becoming man.

The developments and arguments

Mary, the one who is "full of grace" and the one whom "all generations will called 'blessed'" has been viewed as unique since the earliest days of the Christian faith. Just as Christ has been called the "new Adam," the Church Fathers, especially Saints Justin (AD 150) and Irenaeus (AD 180), saw Mary as the "new Eve," who humbly obeyed God, even though Eve disobeyed. The Church Fathers also called Mary the "new ark of the covenant" and theotokos, God-bearer. It is from these titles that the doctrine of Mary's Immaculate Conception and sinlessness unfolded. Thus St. Ephrem the Syrian (d. AD 373) spoke of Mary as without stain or blemish, calling her "all-pure, all-immaculate, all-stainless, all-undefiled, all-incorrupt, all-inviolate" (see Nisibine Hymns, and "Precationes ad Deiparam"). St. Ambrose (d. AD 397) wrote "lift me up not from Sarah, but from Mary, a Virgin not only undefiled, but a Virgin whom grace has made inviolate, free of every stain of sin" (Commentary on Psalm 118).

The Feast of Mary's Conception is clearly known as early as the 7th century in the East, and may even date to as early as the 5th century in the Churches of Syria. The feast spread to the West, at least by the 9th century. The feast and doctrine initially were opposed by the some priests and religious orders, while the Franciscans, with the help of Blessed John Duns Scotus, argued in favor of the Immaculate Conception and its feast. His arguments would later be used for the Dogmatic definition of the Immaculate Conception centuries later.  For awhile, a great debate raged about the doctrine, even up until the 19th century. The Council of Basle in 1439 affirmed that the Immaculate Conception was a pious belief in accord with the Catholic faith. In 1476 Pope Sixtus IV approved the feast with its own Mass and Office, and in 1708, Pope Clement XI extended the feast to the universal Church, making it a holy day of obligation.

The Guadalupe Apparitions

Notable Marian apparitions

With the ongoing developments of the devotion and dogmatic definition of Mary's Immaculate Conception at that time, three notable Marian apparitions further helped on the dogmatic definition and popular devotion to the Immaculate Conception.

In the Guadalupe apparitions of 1531, after St. Juan Diego unraveled his tilma and revealed the miraculous picture of the Blessed Virgin as what he have seen since December 9, 1531. A few days later, After a few days, St. Juan Diego, accompanied by Spanish clergy, officers and new converts to his home to check on his uncle Juan Bernardino who was at that time dying. All of them were amazed when they say Juan Bernardino in robust health and he too was graced with an apparition of Our Lady. The Virgin cured him and revealed that she wished that the image will be known as "Santa Maria de Guadalupe". The title Guadalupe that Juan Bernardino revealed might have been mistranslated by the Spaniards for it is believed that what the Virgin actually wished to be called as "Santa Maria de Tecoataxopeuh" which literally means "The one who crushes the head of the Serpent", a further confirmation of her Immaculate Conception. St. Juan Diego was canonized in 2000 by Pope St. John Paul II.

The Miraculous Medal apparitions

In the apparitions in Rue de Bac, Paris, France in 1830, The Blessed virgin appeared to St. Catherine Laboure, a Vincentian novice at that time and gave a series of messages and prophecies regarding the importance of the Sacraments, Marian devotion and the future of France, most specifically the French Revolution that happened a few years later. Several months later, on November 27, 1830, she received a message detailing the designs for a medal, later known as the Miraculous Medal, now reproduced over a billion times and distributed around the world.

The Miraculous Medal was also known as the Medal of the Immaculate Conception because of the inscription that was written surrounding the first phase of the medal: "O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to you." 

The apparition was investigated in 1836 and later approved. Catherine worked for 46 more years in hospices of her Order until her death in 1876.  Her body lies incorrupt at the site of the apparition to this day. She was canonized by the Church in 1947.

The Lourdes Apparitions

Years after the dogma of the Immaculate Conception was proclaimed in 1854, the dogma gained additional significance from the apparitions of Our Lady of Lourdes in 1858. At Lourdes a 14-year-old girl, St. Bernadette Soubirous have seen the Blessed Virgin Mary eighteen times and called for penance and prayer for the conversion of sinners. On March 25, 1858, the Blessed Virgin introduced herself when St. Bernadette asks for her identity:  "I am the Immaculate Conception". This declaration from the Blessed Virgins confirms the dogmatic definition of her pure conception.

After a 4 year investigation commission, the bishop of the Diocese of Tarbes declared on January 18, 1962: "We judge that Mary Immaculate, Mother of God, really appeared to Bernadette Soubirous on February 11, 1858, and on subsequent days, eighteen times in all. The faithful are justified in believing this to be certain." 

St. Bernadette Soubirous later entered religious life and died in 1879 due to tuberculosis of the bone. Her body was exhumed in 1925 and found to be incorrupt. She was beatified in 1925 by Pope Pius X and was later Canonized on December 8, 1933 by the same Pontiff on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.

Nuestra Señora de Triunfo de la Cruz
of Ozamiz City, Misamis Occidental

The Formal Dogmatic Definition

Although the belief that Mary was sinless, or conceived with an immaculate soul, has been widely held since Late Antiquity, the doctrine was not dogmatically defined until 1854, by Pope Pius IX in his Papal Bull "Ineffabilis Deus". which states:

"We declare, pronounce and define that the doctrine which asserts that the Blessed Virgin Mary, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God, and in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of the human race, was preserved free from every stain of original sin is a doctrine revealed by God and, for this reason, must be firmly and constantly believed by all the faithful."

The Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception on December 8; in many Catholic countries, it is a holy day of obligation or Patronal feast, and in some a national public holiday.

Immaculate Conception by Piero di Cosimo 

The Iconography

Many artists in the 15th century faced the problem of how to depict an abstract idea such as the Immaculate Conception, and the problem was not fully solved for 150 years. The Italian Renaissance artist Piero di Cosimo was among those artists who tried new solutions, but none of these became generally adopted so that the subject matter would be immediately recognizable to the faithful.

The definitive iconography for the Immaculate Conception, drawing on the emblem tradition, was established by the master and then father-in-law of Diego Velázquez, the painter and theorist Francisco Pacheco. Pacheco's iconography influenced other Spanish artists such as Bartolomé Murillo, Diego Velázquez, and Francisco Zurbarán, who each produced a number of artistic masterpieces based on the use of these same symbols.

La Inmaculada Concepcion by Bartolome
Esteban Murillo

The popularity of this particular representation of The Immaculate Conception spread across the rest of Europe, and has since remained the best known artistic depiction of the concept: in a heavenly realm, moments after her creation, the spirit of Mary (in the form of a young woman) looks up in awe at (or bows her head to) God. The moon is under her feet and a halo of twelve stars surround her head, possibly a reference to "a woman clothed with the sun" from Revelation 12:1–2. Additional imagery may include clouds, a golden light, and cherubs. It also notable that most depictions of the Virgin wears white and blue robes and wears no veil. In some paintings cherubs are holding lilies and roses, flowers often associated with Mary.

In the Philippine setting, there where two types of images of the Immaculate Conception that is commonly seen in the country, first is the Murillo style where the image was done in a detallado style of carving that mimics those of the painting of Murillo, though often times the windblown effects on the dress of the Virgin adds to the dramatic presentation of the Virgin Best examples of these are the Inmacaluada Concepcion de Malabon and Nuestra Señora de Triunfo de la Cruz of Ozamiz City).

La Purisima Concepcion of Santa Maria, Bulacan

Another popular depiction of the Immaculate Conception is the that the Virgin is standing upright while crushing the serpent, her hands clasped in prayer or held together, the face either looking down or looking to the beholder, wearing an intricate vestment, mostly a de bastidor vestment (A vestment with a wide opening) and sports a crown, a scepter, the diagnostic doce estrellas and oftentimes, a rostrillo.

Often times, the palikpik is utilized like those of the La Purisima Concepcion of Santa Maria, Bulacan and the Festejada image of the Intramuros Administration. Other image on the other hand use the verdugado cut, with the absence of the Palikpik like those of Nuestra Señora de la Paz y Buen Viaje of Antipolo, Rizal and Nuestra Señora de Caysasay of Taal, Batangas.

A reproduction of the La Purisima Concepcion
of the Old San Francisco Church in Intramuros
that was destroyed during the Second World War

The Patronage in the Philippines

In his Papal Bull "Illius fulti praesidio", dated February 6, 1578, Pope Gregory XIII established the diocese of Manila and decreed that its cathedral should be under the invocation of the Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The same invocation was given to the cathedrals of Nueva Segovia and Cáceres by Pope Clement VIII by decree of August 13, 1595.

After the Philippines ceased to become Spanish colony, the first Provincial Council of Manila petitioned the Holy See for the privilege to continue using blue vestments for the Feast of Immaculate Conception. Pope Pius X granted this request via in a special audience, with the privilege included in a list of indults granted to the Philippines, dated February 11, 1910, executed by Cardinal Rafael Merry del Val.

By the Apostolic Letter "Impositi Nobis" of September 12, 1942, Pope Pius XII, at the request of the bishops in the Philippines, declared the Virgin Mary under the title of the Immaculate Conception as Principal Patroness of the Philippines with Saints Pudentiana and Rose of Lima as secondary patronesses, mentioning that the 1907 Provincial Council of Manila invoked "Maria Immaculata" as patroness of the whole Filipino people and that historical documents indicated Saint Pudentiana as Patroness of the Philippines from the 16th century and Saint Rose of Lima from the 17th.

Nuestra Señora de Guia of Ermita, Manila

The bull only affected those patronesses of the Philippines that were Ordinally ranked. Since 1571, Saint Pudentiana was principal patroness of the Philippines; and since 1670, Saint Rose of Lima was principal patroness of the Indies, thereby also becoming a de jure principal patroness of the Philippines.These two patronesses were later became the official Secondary Patroness of the country in deference to the Immaculate Conception.

The Enduring Devotion

In the early years of the Spanish conquest in the Philippines, it seemed that the devotion and patronage of Our Lady as the Immaculate Conception was evident on different circumstanced that surrounds the early years of the conquista.

The original image of La Purisima Concepcion
of Old san Francisco Church in Intramuros

One of Magellan's ship is aptly named "Concepcion" when he set sail to the oceans to find the Spice Islands and later discovered the Philippines in 1521. 50 years later, one of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi's soldiers found the image of Nuestra Señora de Guia in a pandan bush worshiped by the natives and later enshrined in a chapel now an Archdiocesan Shrine.  The image of Nuestra Senora de Guia is an image of the Immaculate Concepcion, the Principal Patroness of the Philippines and became the Sworn Patroness of Manila.

Since the early days, although the pious belief of Mary's Immaculate Conception was not yet defined dogmatically, the Filipinos held this belief for centuries and before the term "Inmaculada" was used, the Filipino faithful would refer the Virgin as "La Purisima". The usage of the term is evident with the images of the Immaculate Conception in some provinces in the country still used the term "Purisima", like those of Santa Maria, Bulacan.

In the early days, the Church of Old San Francisco of Intramuros, administered by the Franciscan Order, was once the center of the devotions to the Immaculate Conception and the beautiful image was one of the most venerated in the country, Unfortunately, the image and the Church was destroyed during the Second World War.

La Inmaculada Concepcion - Mater Purisima of
the Grand Marian Procession in Intramuros,
Manila, more popularly known as
La Festejada

The Philippines celebrated the 1954 Marian year by releasing a commemorative stamp featuring an image of the Immaculate Conception, another postal stamp was re-issued in 1958 as well.  On March 29, 2017, the Philippine government through the House of Representatives approved Bill # 5241 declaring December 8 as a non-working official holiday in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary as patroness of its country. As of this writing, the Bill is for approval of the Senate and for signature of the President of the Philippines.

As centuries passed by, numerous devotions and fiestas emerged in honor of the country's Principal Patroness. Among various fiestas and rituals honoring the Immaculate Conception's patronage is the annual Grand Marian Procession in Manila that began in 1980, where various statues of the Virgin Mary depicting her different titles and apparitions are borne in procession. The images are brought to Intramuros from their respective shrines and private homes to join the annual event.

The Grand Marian Procession became an avenue to propagate the devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary under her different titles and sobriquets that are venerated in different shrines in the country. The event is administered both by the Cofradía de la Inmaculada Concepción and the Intramuros Administration, in cooperation with the City Government of Manila and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila.

La Inmaculada Concepcion
of Dasmariñas, Cavite

In each town in the country where a miraculous image of the Immaculate Conception is enshrined, numerous stories of miracles and other manifestations of the Inmaculada were reported over the centuries from saving towns from destruction of natural calamities and plagues, restoration of health of different individuals, making nocturnal visits to her devotees, guiding voyagers to their travels, even forseeing the economy of the country, like in the case of Nuestra Señora de la Paz y Buen Viaje, an image of the Immaculate Conception, made a series of appearances to some devotees, like in the case of Nuestra Señora de la Inmaculada Concepcion de Caysasay among others.

Several shrines in the country are often visited by pilgrims to pay homage to different miraculous images of the Immaculate Conception in the Philippines. Out of hundreds of images of the Immaculate Conception in the Philippines, Six images of the Inmaculada were granted Canonical Coronation, namely: Nuestra Señora de la Paz y Buen Viaje of Antipolo, Rizal (1926), Nuestra Señora de Caysasay of Taal, Batangas (1954), Nuestra Señora de Guia of Ermita, Manila (1955), Nuestra Señora del Pronto Socorro de Marinduque of Boac, Mariduque (1958), La Inmaculada Concepcion de Malabon of Concepcion, Malabon (1986), Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de Cebu of Guadalupe, Cebu (2006), La Inmaculada Concepcion de Pasig of Pasig City  (2008) and La Inmaculada Concepcion de Malolos of Malolos, Bulacan (2012).

The Canonically Crowned images of the
Immaculate Conception in the Philippines

Other images of the Immaculate Conception were also known for being miraculous and devotions and pilgrimages to these shrines were proven to be popular as well, notably Nuestra Señora de la Inmaculada Concepcion of Salambao of Obando, Bulacan, La Purisima Concepcion of Santa Maria, Bulacan, Nuestra Señora de Agua Santa of Los Baños, Laguna, La Inmaculada Concepcion of Cebu Cathedral, La Inmaculada Concepcion de Baliwag of Baliwag, Bulacan, La Inmaculada Concepcion de Dasmariñas of Dasmariñas, Cavite, Nuestra Señora de Triunfo de la Cruz of Ozamiz City, Misamis Occidental, La Inmaculada Concepcion of Batanes, La Virgen de Porteria de Majayjay of Majayjay, Laguna, La Inmacaluda Concepcion de Baclayon of Baclayon, Bohol, Nuestra Señora de Namacpacan of Luna, La Union, Virgen de Salawag of Salawag, Dasmariñas, Cavte among others.

The Importance of the devotion to the Inmaculada

The Immaculate Conception is a celebration of God's victory over sin and death. In Mary, the ever Immaculate Virgin, we profess that the true destiny of humankind and the world is to live fully in God's love where sin and death, and the forces that surrounds it, no longer exist. In our own lives, the Immaculate Conception  becomes a symbol of the divine reality present in everyone at the core of one's being, where one experiences God's graceful presence.

In our present times, where we face different adversities in our everyday life, as a nation and people of God, the Mary, the Ever Immaculate Mother of God is our rallying force that we cling to in our struggles. Her presence reminds us that God is always with us and empowers us to commit ourselves to the work of goodness - the one thing that we need to imitate from our Patroness.

iAve Maria Purisima, sin pecado concebida!
La Inmaculada Concepcion, Patrona Principal de Filipinas, iRuega por nosotros!

Reference:

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