Santo Nino de Puncan - El Milagroso Salvador del Mundo of Nueva Ecija

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Santo Niño de Puncan
In a quiet yet historic place of Brgy. Puncan, Nueva Ecija, there one can find a solace in the midst of it's evergreen fields, a pilgrim site known to Nueva Ecijanos for centuries, the Shrine of Señor Santo Niño de Puncan - El Milagroso Salvador del Mundo, the oldest known image of the Child Jesus in Nueva Ecija.

This demure looking image of the Child Jesus became known throughout the province and became a center of devotion in the province.

The image

The demure image of Santo Niño de Puncan is that of an image of Child Jesus as a Boy-King - a typical depiction of the Child Jesus in the Philippines and some parts of Europe. The Child Jesus holds a globus cruciger on his right hand, a scepter on his left while his left hand is in gesture of blessing, wears a crown and vested with numerous vestments that were given by his devotees for centuries.  The image of the Child Jesus has this charming yet demure smile that gives devotees a feeling of awe and reverence at the same time with his presence.

The origins
Santo Niño de Puncan


The story of the devotion to the Holy Child of Puncan dates back in 1668 when an old man found a wooden box floating around the creek of their barrio. When the man opened the mysterious box, he found a 1.5 ft. image of the Child Jesus and it was brought to the priest of the area and recognized it as the image of the Santo Niño.

According to history, Puncan, along with Carranglan and Pantabangan were founded by the Augustinians in 1701 and this part was known as “Alta Pampanga o Pampanga delos Montes” as part of Provincia de La Pampanga. Each location was dedicated to different patrons: San Andres Apostol for Pantabangan, San Nicolas de Tolentino for Carranglan and Puncan to “Dulcisimo Nombre de Jesus” Soon after, the three visitas became towns when these locations's administration nwas transferred to the Franciscan Order since Setyembre 1, 1759.

However, since Puncan was not as progressive as expected, it was relagated as a barrio of Carranglan up to the present.  It is also said that in 1661, Puncan was already a barrio when it was still part of Pangasinan.

The abode of the Boy-King
St. Niño de Puncan Quasi-Parish


The chapel of the Child Jesus was soon built upon the finding of the image, yet the chapel was completed in 1785. It is said that Aetas were captured by the locals of Puncan to speed up the construction of the chapel and during the process, the Aetas developed a special devotion to the Child Jesus that is still evident up to the present. Other records would show that the visita was constructed in 1801 during the time of Rev. Fr. Fr. Jose Cordero, OFM.

The shrine was one of the casualties of the Second World War and the last remains of the old edifice were destroyed during the Mount Pinatubo eruption in 1990. A new shrine was constructed after the great disaster and it was soon declared as a Quasi-Parish under the Diocese of San Jose de Nueva Ecija.

Procession of Santo Niño de Puncan
The devotion

The devotion to Santo Niño de Puncan continued to flourished up to this day. Devotees from all over Nueva Ecija continued to flock his shrine to fulfill their devotions to this beloved Holy Child of the province. His Feast day was originally celebrated every January 14, yet years later, the feast is currently celebrated every Third Sunday of January - the Liturgical feast of the Santo Niño in the Philippines.

The love of the Nueva Ecijanos to the Santo Niño de Puncan was surely proven to be strong after all these years despite the difficulties that the barrio faced and just like a child, they confided to everything to the Child Jesus with confidence and he rewarded them with great graces.

Viva El Milagroso Sto. Niño, Salvador del Mundo!

References:

Estado Geografico, Tofografico, Estadistico, Historico – Religioso de la Santa y Apostolica Provincia de San Gregorio Magno de Religiosos Menores Descalzos de la Regular y Mas Estrencha Observancia de N. S. P. S. Francisco en las Islas Filipinas, Binondo, Manila, 1863.

Interview: 

Martin, Erizz Kevin

Special thanks to Mr. Erizz Kevin Martin for the narrative and photos of Señor Santo Niño de Puncan of Nueva Ecija.
+AM+DG+

Comments

  1. UnknownFebruary 2, 2022 at 11:07 PM

    Oh how I loved to know the history about Santo Niño del Mundo Salvador. How can I find or buy the image of this miraculous Santo Niño del Mundo Salvador anybody please help me. Thank you so much.

    ReplyDelete

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