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Showing posts from August, 2018

Nuestra Señora de Barangay - The Mother and Protectress of the Barangay

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Nuestra Señora de Barangay Of all Marian images venerated in the country, there is a simple yet beautiful image of Our Lady that is very unique in our consciousness, the very Filipina image of the Virgin of the Barangay. The image of the "Virgen sang Barangay" gained much attention since its first public appearance in the 1950's as the Patroness of the Barangay sang Birhen Organization and began touring the nation for some years and numerous replicas of this image, whether it is a painting or a three-dimensional statue, this particular Venerada clearly shows how the Blessed Virgin became became our own Mother of the Filipino Nation and became a unifying force for centuries and still enjoys much love and veneration as time passed by.  The image The icon of the Virgin of the Baranggay depicts the Virgin presenting her Son to the barangay. The Virgin wears the traditional balintawak and wearing a red and yellow tapis on her waist while the Child is covered with

San Juan Bautista de Liliw - The Watchful Patron of Liliw, Laguna

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San Juan Bautista de Liliw In the historic town of Liliw, located in Laguna province, is known for the historic red bricked church dedicated to St. John the Baptist, the cousin and precursor of Our Lord Jesus Christ. The locals have a grown a great devotion to St. John the Baptist for years with numerous miracles that he wrought to his devotees. The image There were two images of St. John the Baptist venerated in Liliw, Laguna, the first was the young San Juan Bautista that is venerated every June 24, the Feast of the Birth of St. John the Baptist and the famed grown up image of St. John the Baptist made of ivory that is venerated, especially on his feast day, August 29, the day of his Martyrdom that is considered as the town fiesta. The image of the Child St. John the Baptist is sitting on a rock, vested in a beautiful set of clothes, holds a shepherd staff and tends a sheep. The beautifully carved ivory image of the grown up St. John the Baptist is standing upright, wearing

Nuestra Señora de la Luz de Bohol - Loon's "Birhen sa Kasilak"

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Nuestra Señora de la Luz de Bohol In the historic area of Loon, Bohol, where once the historic and then well preserved church of Bohol can be found before the devastating earthquake of 2013, is the strong devotion to the Blessed Virgin as "Birhen sa Kasilak" that is clearly seen and well known in the whole province. The miraculous image of Nuestra Señora de la Luz of Loon, Bohol gained much devotees over the past years and she later became the guiding light of the province amidst the dangerous circumstances that the province endured for centuries up to the present. The image The image of Nuestra Señora de la Luz of Loon, Bohol is that of a statue version of the famed Our Lady of Light venerated in Palermo, Sicily in Italy. The image of "Birhen sa Kasilak", as she is known to her devotees, is that of the Virgin holding the Child Jesus on her arm while the opposite holding a scepter. The Child Jesus on the other hand was holding a heart of a soul. This image

La Inmaculada Concepcion de Malolos - The Mother of the Diocese of Malolos

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La Inmaculada Concepcion de Malolos In the historic City of Malolos, the Historic Capital of the Province of Bulacan, where the historic Barasoain Church which is an important site of Philippine history, is located, is the chosen diocesan see for the province of Bulacan. The Malolos Cathedral, or the Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception houses the miraculous venerated image of La Inmacualda Concepcion of Malolos, the Patroness of the Diocese of Malolos. The miraculous image of La Inmaculada Concepcion of Malolos became a silent witness to the modern history of Malolos and became a symbol of faith to the people of Malolos and the aforementioned Diocese. The Visage of the Lady The beautiful is image of La Inmaculada Concpecion of Malolos is that of the typical image of La Inmaculada Concepcion based from the famed painting of Bartolome Esteban de Murillo. In his iconic work, he represented the Virgin in a heavenly realm, moments after her creation, the spirit of Mary (in t

The Heavenly Nuestra Señora Delos Angeles of Santa Maria, Laguna

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Nuestra Señora Delos Angeles of Santa Maria, Laguna In the town of Santa Maria, Laguna, a simple yet historic parish was built as a humble shrine of the Patroness of the Franciscan Order, Nuestra Señora delos Angeles which later on became the patroness of the town. The unique story of the origin of the Virgin of Sta. Maria, Laguna shows how Our Lady made herself known to her children and she became their loving mother and Protectress through the centuries. The image The venerated image of Nuestra Senora Delos Angeles of Santa Maria, Laguna is a de-vestige image of the Madonna and Child which is believed to be as old as the town itself. The image stands on a cloud base with cherubs, wears a set of jewels, crowns and the diagnostic Doce Estrellas for the Virgin. Both have a set of vestments made from different materials from neatly embroidered vestments to a metal plancha. The face of both Mother and Child were serene and welcoming. What was unique to this image is that the Virg

Sto. Domingo de Sucat, San Nicolas de Tolentino de Cupang and San Roque de Alabang - The Triumvirate of Muntinlupa City

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Sto. Domingo de Sucat, San Nicolas de Tolentino de Cupang and San Roque de Alabang Behind the modern and developed facade of Muntinlupa City there were some hidden traditions that kept the faith alive in this progressive city. Aside from the ancient devotions to the Nuestra Señora de los Desamparados de Muntinlupa and Sto. Niño de Muntinlupa to the modern ones from St. Peregrine Laziozi, St. Jerome Emiliani, Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal among others, there is a very unique tradition and devotion that is still going strong and a unifying force of the three barangays of Muntinlupa City. Through the years, the devotion to St. Dominic de Guzman of Barangay Sucat, St. Nicholas of Tolentino of Barangay Cupang-Buli and St. Roch of Montpelier of Barangay Alabang is very unique for these images have a shared history and later became a unifying force that led to the development of the faith and camaraderie between the three barangays of Muntinlupa City. The origin of the devotion A

El Señor de la Transfiguracion de Cavinti - Cavinti, Laguna's Beloved "Amamang Badong"

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Señor de la Transfiguracion de Cavinti In the simple yet historic town of Cavinti, Laguna, a few kilometers away from Lumban, Laguna, one of the oldest Churches in Laguna is located in this simple town where it is dedicated to the Señor de la Transfiguracion - one of the earliest known in the country since 1619.  A simple yet great devotion to Our Lord Jesus Christ of the Transfiguration developed over the past centuries and it continues to be vital to the people of Cavinti.  The image The image of the Señor de la Transfiguracion of Cavinti is that of a free standing image of Our Lord Jesus Christ at the moment of his glorious Transfiguration where all four Canonical Gospels tells us that on the moment of his Transfiguration, his garments were white as snow and his countenance was majestic.  There were three images of the Señor de la Transfiguracion that is venerated in Cavinti, Laguna, the original image that is located at the facade of the Church, the majestic al

Nuestra Señora de Nieva de Caloocan - The Queen and Mother of Caloocan City

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Nuestra Señora de Nieva de Caloocan In the busy city of Caloocan, known for its role in history during the Philippine Revolution and one of the most progressive cities of the National Capital Region, lies one of the most notable place where the faith is kept alive for centuries, the Cathedral of San Roque, the Seat of the Diocese of Kalookan. The Cathedral of San Roque in Caloocan houses two of the most important Patrons of the City, the titular Patron St. Roch of Montpelier and the Queen and Mother of the City, Nuestra Señora de Nieva de Caloocan. The Virgin of Nieva of Caloocan garnered much devotion for centuries yet for sometime around the 1970's, controversy and confusion arose due to the misinterpretation of her title that somehow contributed to the dwindling of the devotion to her. However, with the recent declaration of the current Bishop of Caloocan, the era of confusion finally ended when he released a decree to correct the errors of the past that cost the devotion