Nuestra Señora de la O and Santo Niño de la O - The Unique Patrons of Pangil, Laguna

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Santo Niño de la O and Nuestra Señora de la O and 
In the quiet yet historic town of Pangil, Laguna, there was a unique Marian Shrine in the country that Marian devotees flock in the recent years. The Parish of Our Lady's Nativity houses the venerated miraculous image of Nuestra Señora de la O, the Virgin of Expectation, the only image under this title venerated in the country as of this writing.

The Madonna and Child of Pangil

The images of the Virgin and of the Holy Child is one of the unique in the country that can only be found in Pangil, Laguna. The image of the Virgin depicts her as an Expectant mother who was about to give birth to her Son, Jesus. with her hands extended to emphasize her state of pregnancy. The Virgin wears the typical robe of venerated Marian images in the country, a nice robe, with blue cape/mantle with the signature palikpik on the shoulders, wears a crown and a correa.

The image of Santo Niño de la O on the other hand is also a unique presentation of its own. The child is placed inside a specially made circular piece in a specialized handle. The presentation of the image suggests that the Child was inside the womb of the Virgin. The Niño is standing upright and he is in a gesture of blessing the beholder. The Niño is also richly vested with red and white robes and the diagnostic tres potentias. The specialized handle is also covered with a special cape for the image.

Nuestra Señora de la O
The origins of the devotion

This unique devotion to the Virgen dela O and Santo Niño de la O can be traced to Spain where the devotion in honor of the Expectation of the Blessed Virgin Mary was popular in Spain and its colonies.  The devotion began when the traditional Feast of the Virgen de la O or the Feast of the Expectation of the Virgin was established by the bishops of the tenth Council of Toledo, in 656. Owing to the ancient law of the Church prohibiting the celebration of feasts during Lent (a law still in vigour at Milan), the Spanish Church transferred the feast of the Annunciation from 25 March to the season of Advent, the Tenth Council of Toledo (656) assigning it definitely to 18 December. It was kept with a solemn octave. When the Latin Church ceased to observe the ancient custom regarding feasts in Lent, the Annunciation came to be celebrated twice in Spain, March 25 and December 18, in the calendars of both the Mozarabic and the Roman Rite. The feast of December 18 was commonly called, even in the liturgical books, "S. Maria de la O", because on that day the clerics in the choir after Vespers used to utter a loud and protracted "O", to express the longing of the universe for the coming of the Redeemer.

Santo Niño de la O
This feast, which sometimes goes under the name of Nuestra Señora de la O, on account of a special antiphon, not the Roman "O" antiphons which have nothing to do with this term, because they are unknown in the Mozarabic Rite,  which goes something like this: "O Virgo virginum, quomodo fiet istud? quia noc primam similem visa es, nec habere sequentem. Filae Jerusalem, quid me admiramini? Divinum est mysterium hoc quod cernitis." [O Virgin of virgins! how shall this be? for never was there one like thee, nor will there ever be. Ye daughters of Jerusalem, why look ye wondering at me? What ye behold, is a divine mystery.] and because on that day the clerics in the choir after Vespers used to utter a loud and protracted O, to express the longing of the universe for the coming of the Redeemer. A High Mass is sung at a very early hour each morning during the octave, at which all who are with child, whether rich or poor, consider it a duty to assist, that they may thus honor our Lady’s Maternity, and beg her blessing upon themselves.

The feast was always kept in Spain and was approved for Toledo in 1573 by Gregory XIII as a double major, without an octave. The church of Toledo has the privilege of celebrating this feast even when it occurs on the fourth Sunday of Advent. The "Expectatio Partus" spread from Spain to other countries.

The Original image Nuestra Señora de la O
that was destroyed during World War 2 
The arrival of the Devotion in Pangil

Sometime in 1724, Prince Carlos, the son of King Philip V of Spain was exiled from his country for his alleged misdeeds. He was sent to the Philippines and stayed for more than three years. The young prince stayed in the Franciscan convent of Pangil Church. In 1728, the King lifted the ban on the prince and ordered him to return to their kingdom. Upon the prince’s ascension to the throne of Spain as King Charles III in 1759, he sent the images of Nuestra Señora dela O and Sto. Nño dela O to the people in Pangil in gratitude for their hospitality.

It was said that the emissaries had gone to another town by mistake and when they tried to deliver the images, they could not move them. However, when they arrived at the original destination of  Pangil, they had no trouble lifting them and a safe delivery ensued. The town’s menfolk, wearing their traditional headdresses or bandana, together with the other inhabitants joyously welcomed the images. The original image of Nuestra Señora de la O, however was destroyed during the Second World War yet the Niño was kept safely. Years later, a replacement image of the Virgin was immediately commissioned that can still be seen and venerated up to this day.

Parish of Nativity of Mary, Pangil, Laguna
The Church of Pangil

The town of Pangil was founded by Franciscan priests Juan de Plasencia and Diego de Oropesa in 1579 and was administered by the nearby Lumban due to lack of priests. The first church dedicated to the Nativity of Mary was built out of cane. In 1611, a stone church and convent was built under the direction of Father Gonzalo del Roble. Restoration of the church's woodwork and improvement of the convent was done by Father Lucas Fernandez in 1711. The church was remodeled in 1749 to 1751 by Father Luis de Nambroca. 

Church Recognition

In commemoration of the 300th anniversary of the arrival of the two images, The miraculous image of the Virgin was granted the honor of Episcopal Coronation on December 17, 1949, officiated by the Servant of God Bishop Alfredo Ma. Obviar. 

Pag- Oo to Santo Niño de la O
The devotion

Since the arrival of the Mother and Child image, numerous miracles were attributed to thier intercession that is still happening up to this day. The people hold a nine-day novena  every year to honor the Blessed Mother and Her Child, from December 9 to 17 (Nuestra Señora de la O) and December 16-24 (Sto. Niño dela O) respectively. 

The singing and jiggling for the Sto. Niño dela O, known as "Pag-Oo" is held twice a day became a very popular tradition in Pangil. The first is held in the morning after the Misa de Gallo and the other is held in the afternoon. Parents from neighboring towns also bring their children to the novena wearing their Bandana. A solemn procession in honor of Virgen dela O culminates every December 18. 

Nuestra Señora de la O and Santo Niño de la O
The song of the novena was a chant sang by the pregnant mother, Nuestra Señora de La O to comfort her son, Sto. Niño de La O who was in her womb. The lyrics of the chant were based on stories from the Scriptures, the "Dic Mihi". 

Every year, many families vie for the honor to be the sponsor of the Sto. Niño de La O novena. A young son or daughter in the family is usually given the privilege to carry the Sto. Niño de La O. This is their way of showing their gratitude and appreciation to the Lord for the Blessings given them as a Family. 

The devotion to Neustra Señora de la O and Santo Niño de la O continues to grow strong and becoming popular in the country due to its unique image, history and tradition that surrounds it. Through this devotion, we are able to meditate in a different way the Mystery of the Incarnation, the Word made flesh. 

And who better than Mary to show us how to expect Jesus’ coming? She who, in the penetrating phrase of Saint Augustine, “conceived Christ in her mind before conceiving Him in her body,” is the perfect model of holy “great expectations.”

Santo Niño de la O, Kaawaan mo kami!
Nuestra Señora de la O, Ipanalangin mo kami!

References:

Huerta, Felix de (1865). Estado geográfico, topográfico, estadístico, histórico-religioso . Binondo: Imprenta de M. Sanchez y Ca.
Nativity of Our Lady Parish (2015), Nuestra Señora de la O at Santo Niño de la O, Nativity of Our Lady Parish, Pangil, Laguna.
Yu, Kendrick (2013), Virgen Expectación, Nuestra Señora dela O (Pangil, Laguna), Retreived from https://lasagradaexpedicion.weebly.com/venerada/virgen-expectacin-nuestra-seora-dela-o-pangil-laguna on December 6, 2017.
Zuhlsdorf, John (2009), Expectation of the Blessed Virgin – interesting customs, Retrieved from http://wdtprs.com/blog/2009/12/expectation-of-the-blessed-virgin-interesting-customs/#.TuN1im5AQGU.blogger on December 5, 2017.

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