Virgen de los Desamparados de Logon - The Mother of Malapascua Island

Virgen de los Desamparados de Logon

In the quiet and simple island town of Logon, located in the municipality of Daanbatayan, Malapascua Island in Cebu, There lies a simple community who lived a very simple life away from the metropolis. The island of Malapascua is known one of the hotspots for diving. In that community, there is a simple church that became a beacon of hope to the residents where a miraculous image of the Blessed Virgin Mary, known as Virgen de Los Desamparados de Logon is enshrined. Numerous miracles were reported through her intercession over the years since she was found in 1881 and the town developed a great devotion to Our Lady as the Lady of the Forsaken.

The image

The image of Virgen de Los Desamparados de Logon is an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary has a fair complexion and it is vested with simple yet ornate vestments that only shows her head and her clasped hands. Wears a crown and sports a unique Doce Estrellas and a rafaga, which is somehow reminiscent to the style of the image of Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe de Cebu. The image stands a two layered base and she has a motherly yet queenly expression that would impact the beholder.

The mysterious origin

The story of the Virgin of the Abandoned of Logon began in 1881 where two children named Aquirinia, aged 10 and Balbina Montelcar, aged 6, were picking some driftwood and coconut guts for firewood for their grandfather named Francisco Bruxes, a known salt maker in the island. However, the children and Francisco found another group of driftwood that found beneath the salt farm that was not yet burned and since the salt farm was found near the sea, they threw the unused driftwood away from their place. Strangely, the next morning, the said pile driftwood returned to their salt farm and tried every means to eliminate it on four different attempts. Then out of curiosity, Francisco looked the pile of driftwood and found an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary with no hands and he later took it in his home and he later relayed his story of finding this image and the residents decided to pray before this image every afternoon and hold a dawn procession everyday.

Ten years later, in 1891, Francisco's neighbors reported that there was a stranger with a gentle voice every hour dawn singing the Marian hymn "Ave Maris Stella". As a result of this unusual event, the residents to decided build a chapel where Francisco's image will be enshrined and be made as the Patroness of the whole island of Malapascua. Francisco agreed to the communities proposal and they built a chapel with the rooftop made out of nipa and the walls are made of salirap (A typical Cebuano wall weaved out of a coconut leaf or palm during the olden days).

Devotees would recount that when the image was found, she was a bit small and has no hands. This would change some years later that the hands began to appear. Also, as years passed, they would notice that the image was growing and as per reports, the image grows on approximately at four to five centimeters in height and at present and counting as of present.

The naming of the image

One time, there was a boatman from Balamban, Cebu who wanted to light candles to the Virgin of Logon and asked the custodians to pray the rosary. However, Aquirina was hesitant because they didn't have a novena dedicated to the Virgin. The boatman took out his rosary and a novena booklet and began their devotions. The boatman later gave the novena booklet to Aquirina and the novena was "Novena de la Virgen de Los Desamparados" and this is how the Virgin got her name and the tradition of praying the rosary and the novena every Thursday began. On Thursday as well, the image will be bathe using juices from coconuts.

Virgen de los Desamparados de Logon

Miracle

In 1907, a certain Rufo Dublin of Tapilon, a Barangay in Daanbatayan, took the initiative of having the image blessed formally by the Cura Parroco of their parish, Rev. Fr. Inocentes Maga, parish priest of Kandaya (now Daanbatayan). Rufo made this initiative due to the fact his son, David Dublin was miraculously cured from a seriousness illness and made a vow to have the image be formally blessed. Rufo's proposition was accepted by the custodians of the image and the whole town with Andres Cuyos, the treasurer of the chapel and a lieutenant of Barangay Logon.

As the are sailing their way to Daanbatayan, a strong storm hit the waves and they were about to be drifted away to the sea between Carnaza (an islet under Daanbatayan) and Masbate. The voyagers prayed to the Virgin of the Abandoned for help and their prayers were immediately heard and they arrived safely to their destination. The image was formally blessed by Fr. Maga on May 11, 1907 and the image was formally given the title "Inahan Sa Walay Sinaligan" (Virgen de los Desamparados)

Virgen de los Desamparados de Logon

The devotion

Through the centuries since her finding, numerous miracles were reported through her intercession and her chapel became a place of solace and consolation to the people of Logon. Then came the time were the devotees petitioned that her chapel will be elevated into a parish and this request was approved. The Chapel of Virgen de los Desamparados de Logon was formally elevated into a parish on October 13, 2013, presided by Bishop Juliyo B. Cortes, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cebu and appointed Rev. Fr. Clarito Lasala Salve as its first parish priest. The feast of the Virgin is celebrated every May 12, like those in Santa Ana, Manila, Mandaluyong City and Muntinlupa City.

The story of the Virgen de los Desamparados of Logon once again shows us how God really cared for his children by sending the Blessed Virgin Mary to their protectress and beacon of hope. She became a mother for her forsaken children where she nurtured them with graces and miracles that she distribute from His Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ.

As we end this blogpost dedicated to the Virgin of the Abandoned of Logon, here is a prayer to the Virgin of Logon that is prayed by her devotees:

Merciful Lady, we call you as the Virgin of the Abandoned, you gave strength to all sinners, who lived In great adversity by separating them from your Precious Son, for they have been denied knowingly the mercies which he gave because of fulfilling their worldly happiness. Hear my prayers, Oh Merciful Lady, for just because of your help, my heart was full of great confidence; so pray for me, Dear Lady to Your Beloved Child. Though no one else will not be able to fulfill my request, if not only to cure my soul. Amen. 

Virgen de los Desamparados de Logon, pray for us!

Reference:

___________ (2013), "Virgen de los Desamparados de Logon", Parish of Virgen de los Desamparados de Logon, Daanbatayan, Malapascua, Cebu. Translated by Ellias Codilla.
___________ (2002), "Malapascua Island" Retrieved from http://www.malapascua.de/Go_to_Malapascua/Logon02a__BarangayLogon/logon02a__barangaylogon.html on May 2, 2018.

Special thanks to Mr. Ellias Codilla for the translated English account of the Virgen de los Desamparados de Logon from its original Cebuano manuscripts.

Credits to the owners of the photos of the Virgin that were used to this blogpost.