The Admirable La Purisima Concepcion of Santa Maria, Bulacan

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La Purisima Concepcion of Santa Maria, Bulacan
In the historic yet thriving town of Santa Maria, Bulacan, famous for its "chicharon" (dried and fried pork skin), is also known for its beautiful and historic church dedicated to the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, known as "La Purisima Concepcion". The town took pride for its name for town of "Santa Maria" was named after the their patroness, the Blessed Virgin Mary and it is no doubt that the devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary as "La Purisima Concepcion" was proven to be enduring to the people for two centuries.

The regal image

The beautiful image of La Purisima Concepcion is a wooden image of the Blessed Virgin Mary as the Immaculate Conception. This image of the Immaculate Conception is one of the most unique. The image is depicted as a regal queen rather than the typical "Murillo style" Inmaculada. The Purisima wears queenly robes, wears a set of jewelry, the Corona Imperial, Baston de Mando that is held between her hands, the diagnostic Doce Estrellas, a bejeweled resplendor to her face, a set of earings and an atocha to her forehead. The Virgin stands on a peana with sun and a crescent moon emblem on its base. Another distinction of the town's Patroness is that she retained her original title despite the dogmatic definition of the Immaculate Concepcion and most of the images under this avocation revised their titles from "Purisima" to "Inmaculada".

An old photograph of La Purisima
Concepcion
The Origin 

The town records of Santa Maria having been lost, the townspeople themselves have no idea when their beloved patroness arrived in their town and enshrined in their parish church. Though it is naturally assumed that the image was there already when the town was founded and would be the reason the town was called Santa Maria. It is also believed that the image was carved a Franciscan friar from a wood from the galleon that was heading for the Philippines during the Manila-Acapulco Galleon Trade. Some records however showed that the Parish was established sometime in 1792 and it was placed under the Patronage of La Purisima Concepcion.

The Miracles

The Purisima is known to shower many miracles to her devotees for centuries and continues up to the present. La Purisima is known to save the town from various incursions of bandits, or tulisanes, protection from different calamities among others. It is also through the miraculous intervention of La Purisima Concepcion that during the Japanese occupation, the town of Santa Maria was spared from what have been a ruinous encounter between the guerillas and the Japanese; and a postwar schism among the faithful was averted when a great wind struck the town and reunited the townspeople in the effort to help one another.

The Parish of La Purisima Concepcion in Sta. Maria, Bulacan
The image was reported to be missing twice, first in 1899 during the Filipino-American War when the town was damaged yet the image was whisked away by a faithful devotee for safekeeping. The image was later found sometime in 1931 when Teofilo Ramirez, a devotee of La Purisima, said that the Virgin visited him in a dream and revealed that the image was kept safe in a residence in Gapan, Nueva Ecija and have it returned to her shrine. The image was indeed found in Nueva Ecija and immediately she made a triumphant return after a few decades. Another incident was in 1999, when the image was stolen on the eve of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. The devotees and the whole town prayed for her return and ten days later, the image was found in an antique shop in Malate, Manila and it was about to be delivered abroad.

A close up detail of La Purisima Concepcion
The Unique town Fiesta 

Curiously enough, the Fiesta of La Purisima Concepcion is celebrated, not on the usual 8th of December, but on a Thursday after February 2 (Feast of the Presentation of Our Lord and Purification of Our Lady). There was no clear record on how this came to be, however, it is believed that the town might have been founded on the first Thursday of the month of February. Another popular reason for the February fiesta is that when La Purisima image was returned home after the Second World War, it happened to be on the first Thursday of the February, hence her feast day is somehow serves as a thanksgiving day either the foundation of the town or the finding of the image. The townsfolk would usually say that when the Fiesta of La Purisima Concepcion is approaching, a cold breeze will be felt in the area and street vendors would sell "Tuge" (a kind of rootcrop) for visitors and pilgrims from all over Bulacan, Northern Luzon, Metro Manila and other parts of the country.

The Canonical Coronation of La Purisima
Concepcion of Sta. Maria, Bulacan
The fiesta festivities is preceded by a nine day novena and on her feast day, two processions are held, one in the morning and another one in the evening. A Marian procession will be held on a Sunday after the Feast of La Purisima Concpecion soon follows. The festivities would last for a month and this is culminated with a Pistang Panapos on the last Sunday of February with the original image is brought out from her altar for procession.

Church Recognition

With several miracles that were attributed to the Patroness of Santa Maria, Bulacan, the people of the Santa Maria and the devotees of La Purisima Concepcion petitioned for the Episcopal Coronation in honor of their beloved Patroness.

The petition was granted and on February 8, 2018, Bishop Jose Oliveros announced that the centuries-old miraculous image will be given the honor of Episcopal Coronation and the coronation rite took place on March 3, 2018.

On March 28, 28, 2019, the Congregation of Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments approved the petition for the Canonical Coronation of the image. The Canonical Coronation rite took place on February 1, 2020. On November 27, 2021, the parish was elevated to the status of Minor Basilica.

The devotion

La Purisima Concepcion on her debut participation
to the Grand Marian Procession 2017
in Intramuros, Manila
The devotion to La Purisima Concepcion of Santa Maria, Bulacan continues to be strong and enduring for centuries since the image's arrival. A Confraternity was also established to help propagate and strengthen the devotion to La Purisima in Bulacan and other parts of the country. Miracles continue to happen and pilgrims from other parts of the country began to flock her throne to ask for her help. She in turn shower her devotees with graces needed for their spiritual and temporal growth.

As we end this blogpost dedicated to the admirable La Purisima Concepcion of Santa Maria, Bulacan, here is prayer dedicated to her that is seen in her camarin:

O Kalinis-linisang Birheng Maria, aming La Purisima Concepcion, buong kababaang loob kaming dumudulog sa iyo. Tulungan nawang makarating sa Poong Maykapal ang aming panalangin upang mailayo sa lahat ng kasalanan at hindi maulid sa anumang kapahamakan.

 Sa liwanag ng Banal na Espiritu, kami nawa ay matulad sa iyong kababaang loob, pagkamasunurin at lubos na pananalig nang kami ay maging karapat-dapat sa buhay na handog ng Diyos.

 O Maria, Ina ni Hesus at aming Ina, ikaw ang aming buhay, katamisan at pag-asa. Amen.

References:

Cuico, Maria Rita Reyes (2006), La Inmaculada Concepcion, Santa Maria, Bulacan Fiesta 2006 Souvenir Program, Parish of La Purisima Concepcion, Sta. Maria, Bulacan.
Corpus, Jaime Salvador (2017), "La Purisima Concepcion, Parroquia de Santa Maria, Bulacan, Parish of La Purisima Concepcion, Sta. Maria, Bulacan.
Esteban, O (1968), Sta. Maria Today, Sta. Maria Fiesta Souvenir, Parish of La Purisima Concepcion, Sta. Maria, Bulacan
"La Purissima Concepcion, Sta. Maria, Bulacan", Retrieved from http://ourparishpriest.blogspot.com/2017/10/la-Purisima-Concepcion-Sta-Maria.html (2012)
Mata, R. (2004), Ang mga Pransiskano at mga Sinaunang Bayan ng Meycauayan: Isang Panimulang Pag-aaral. [Unpublished Manuscript]
Mateo, M. (1989), Ang kasaysayan ng Bayang Sta. Maria...Mula sa Masalimuot Niyang Alamat hanggang sa Kanyang Pag-unlad. Sta. Maria Fiesta Souvenir, Parish of La Purisima Concepcion, Sta. Maria, Bulacan.
Santos, L (Publisher) (1982), Mary in the Philippines. (Coffee table book).
Suarez, C (1992), Donasyon Aring Komun. Sta. Maria Fiesta Souvenir, Parish of La Purisima Concepcion, Sta. Maria, Bulacan.
__________ (1995), Maikling Kasaysayan ng Pagkakatatag ng Parokya ng Sta. Maria de Pandi (1792 - 1898), Sta. Maria Fiesta Souvenir, Parish of La Purisima Concepcion, Sta. Maria, Bulacan.
Veneracion, J. (1986), Kasaysayan ng Bulacan, Bahay Saliksikan ng Kasaysayan, Cologne, Germany.


Special thanks to the owners of the old and recent photos of La Purisima Concepcion that were utilized for this blogpost.

Comments

  1. stenoteSeptember 28, 2020 at 6:28 PM

    Admirable devotion, I remember Emile Zola once said in his novel Lourdes: ”Thirty thousand candle lights were burning there, still and ever revolving, quickening their sparkles under the vast calm heavens where the planets had grown pale."

    I tried to write a blog about Lourdes, hope you like it: https://stenote.blogspot.com/2019/07/ave-maria-night-at-lourdes_21.html

    ReplyDelete
  2. MARK JOSHUA LUMANGTADApril 14, 2022 at 9:21 AM

    It's like a de tallado image but im in bulacan but plaridel

    ReplyDelete

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