Nuestra Señora de Namacpacan - The Lady who feeds

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Nuestra Señora de Namacpacan

In the quiet yet historic town of Luna, La Union is known as a pilgrims town because people come to this place because it was here that the famed image of Nuestra Señora de Namacpacan is enshrined. The Virgin of Namacpacan chose this simple town to be her abode and it was here that she showered many graces to her devotees for centuries up to this day.

 The Image

The image of the Our Lady of Namacpacan is an image of the Immaculate Conception yet it was depicted in an unsual manner: standing upright, hands were outstretched, her head and eyes looking downwards with a motherly gaze. The image wears a veil and has a set of vestments made from different materials and styles that were given by devotees through the years.

The image stands 6 feet 4 inches (1.92 m) tall, which makes her one of the tallest venerated and canonically crowned Marian image in the Philippines and is known as the patroness of Ilocano travellers.

Nuestra Señora de Namacpacan
The arrival of the Virgin

The wooden image of the Blessed Virgin Mary venerated as the Our Lady of Namacpacan (locally known as Apo Baket) in Luna was ordered from Spain by an Augustinian priest assigned in the Immaculate Conception Seminary in Vigan in 1871. While on its way to Vigan, the galleon ship from Mexico carrying the image of our Lady took shelter in Darigayos due to a storm. When the sea was calm, they resumed their journey but strong winds forced them to return to the port of Darigayos.

The captain of the ship decided to send the image by land and it was temporarily placed in the church's convent. However, the image was too heavy to be transferred onwards overland. Father Camilo Naves, an Augustinian priest, interpreted the incident as meaning that the image of the Virgin Mary wished to be enshrined in the town of Namacpacan.Father Marcelino Ceballos, then parish priest requested to the Augustinian priest to give the image to the town. Upon the agreement that the people of Namacpacan would reimburse all expenses incurred during the image's journey from Spain, the rightful owner gave the image to the town. The people welcomed the Virgin to town with feasting, and enshrined it on an altar in the northern part of the church.

Nuestra Señora de Namacpacan
Miracles

Several miracles attributed to the Virgin of Namacpacan are widely known and duly recorded. One of them is the cure of a young girl named Rosa Roldan who was unable to walk since birth. Rosa stated that an old lady came to her home and restored to her ability to walk and later asked Rosa to visit her in the parish of Luna. When Rosa came to the parish, she recognizes that the lady who went to her home is the Virgin herself since the Virgin looked exactly like the old lady.

It was also recoded that some Igorots came down from the highlands to fulfill a mission requested by a beautiful tall "Señora" who visited them, fed them and instructed them to go to Luna to be baptized. When they came to the parish, they recognized the image of the Virgin as the tall "Señora" who visited them and kissed her image and received baptism. Hence, the term "Namacpacan" means "The Lady who feeds".

In 1950, the town people were surprised by the radiance of light emanated from the statue of Our Lady, filling the whole Church with it's brilliance.

The Canonical Coronation of
Nuestra Señora de Namacpacan
Church Recognition

Due to the numerous miracles were attributed to her intercession, the image was canonically crowned on November 24, 1959 through a special decree issued by Pope St. John XXIII through Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines Salvatore Siino.

During the Coronation rites, the Papal Nuncio revealed to the faithful of Luna that before Pope Pius XII died on 9 October 1958, he reportedly saw the Blessed Virgin Mary enshrined in Namacpacan in a dream. He asked where Namacpacan was, but none of his staff were aware of the place's existence; the answer was only revealed after the pontiff's death.

The devotion

The devotion to the Virgin of Namacpacan continues to flourish up to this day. Her feast day is celebrated every November 24 and pilgrims from Ilocos region and other parts of Luzon, Metro Manila and the rest of the archipelago would visit her shrine to join the solemn festivities. The devotion grew over the years which proves how the Virgin manifested herself through miracles and wondrous graces she bestowed her devotees as she feeds their physical and spiritual hunger with his Son - the Bread of Life.

References:

Dela Torre, Visitacion (2006). The Ilocos Heritage. Makati City: Tower Book House, 2006.
Barcelona, Mary Anne; Estepa, Consuelo (2004). Ynang Maria: A Celebration of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Philippines. Anvil Publishing, 2004.
Legarda, Benita (1960). "Colonial Churches of Ilocos". Philippine Studies. Ateneo de Manila University, 1960.
Layug, Benjamin Locsin (2007). A Tourist Guide to Notable Philippine Churches. New Day Publishers, 2007.
Novena to Our Lady of Namacpacan, St. Catherine of Alexandria Parish, Shrine of Our Lady of Namacpacan, Luna, La Union, 2001.

Credits to the owners of the photos that were utilized for this blogpost.
Special thanks to Mr. Michael Daquioag of Buen Viaje PH for the recent photographs of Nuestra Señora de Namacpacan.
+AM+DG+

Comments

  1. AnonymousNovember 19, 2020 at 5:51 AM

    Take note also of the complete accounts of Apo Msgr.Quintin Velasquez and that of former San Fernando City Mayor Maryjane C. Ortega

    ReplyDelete

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