The Miraculous El Glorioso Patriarca, Señor San Jose de Mandaue
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| El Glorioso Patriarca, Señor San Jose de Mandaue |
The image
The venerated image of San Jose de Mandaue is an image of St. Joseph standing with the Child Jesus. St. Joseph is holding his staff with a sheaf of lilies on his left hand which is diagnostic to the iconography of St. Joseph where according to tradition when the men from the house of David were summoned to the temple to ask for the hand of the Blessed Virgin Mary for marriage, lilies began to grow on the staff of St. Joseph - a sign that he was chosen by God to be Mary's pure spouse.
St. Joseph – Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Foster Father of Jesus
Saint Joseph is an important figure in Christianity as the husband of the Virgin Mary and the earthly father of Jesus Christ (in distinction to God, his "heavenly father"). The gospels describe Joseph as a "tekton" (τέκτων); traditionally the word has been taken to mean "carpenter", though the Greek term evokes an artisan with wood in general, or an artisan in iron or stone.
Very little other information on Joseph is given in the Gospels, in which he never speaks. Joseph is the patron of the dying because, assuming he died before Jesus' public life, he died with Jesus and Mary close to him, the way we all would like to leave this earth. Joseph is also patron saint of the Universal Church, families, fathers, and working people in general.
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| El Glorioso Patriarca, Señor San Jose De Mandaue |
According to Jesuit historian Fr. Rene Javellana, SJ, the image might have been locally made sometime in 1600, under the supervision of the Spanish Jesuit missionaries. In this composition, Joseph holds the ambulant boy Jesus with the left hand, while his right carries the usual flowering stick. The boy Jesus carries a carpenter's tool box in his left hand while his right is raised to the guiding hand of His foster-father. That's why it is called “El Patrocinio” or the Patronage of Saint Joseph.
The Shrine
The shrine's beginnings traces back during the time of the Augustinian missionaries where they were the first to serve the spiritual needs of Mandaue populace until it was handed over to the Jesuits in 1599. The Jesuits in turn established their mission the following year and built a church in 1601 and St. Joseph the Patriarch was installed as the patron saint of the parish. The image is the oldest image that is public venerated in the Philippines. When the Jesuits were expelled in 1768, the administration of Mandaue was handled by the Recollects until 1898.
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| The National Shrine of St. Joseph, Mandaue City, Cebu |
The church was declared a national shrine by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines on August 6, 2001.
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| The procession of San Jose de Mandaue during the famed Sinulog festivities |
The National Shrine of St. Joseph Parish in Mandaue City also plays a role in the annual Sinulog festivities. The images of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the Santo Niño are brought to the church in the annual translacion or transfer. The event reunites the image of Mary and Jesus with St. Joseph. The images of the Holy Family will stay the night before the images of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the Santo Niño will board a yacht for a fluvial parade along the Mactan Channel.
The devotion
The devotion to San Jose de Mandaue continues to flourish over the years, amidst the trials his shrine faced over the centuries. The Parish feast and Grand fiesta is celebrated every May 8, the traditional Feast of his patronage in the traditional calendar. Although this was no longer included in the present Roman Calendar of the Second Vatican Council, this feast is still kept by the Cebuanos and it is feasted with much solemnity. The Shrine also celebrates his Liturgical Solemnity of March 19 with a procession of the image of La Muerte de San Jose.
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| The Processional image of El Glorioso Patriarca, Señor San Jose de Mandaue |
God chose Saint Joseph for the education of His Son (and let us remember that Jesus was essentially home schooled) because He wanted the best educator for Jesus. But the role of Joseph was not strictly speaking necessary. The Blessed Virgin, best of mothers, could have brought Jesus up on her own, and there would have been many single mothers in Israel at that time. (I am thinking of the widows, frequently mentioned in the New Testament and the Old, as well as the fact that the Law allowed divorce.) But God always goes beyond the minimal in His provisions, and that is why He chose Saint Joseph for his special role as educator, guide and mentor to the boy Jesus.
References:
Checking Out The Life Size Last Supper At The National Shrine of St. Joseph Parish, Retrieved from http://www.peanutbrowas.com/blog/checking-the-life-size-last-supper-at-the-national-shrine-of-st-joseph-parish on May 1, 2019.
El Glorios Patriarca, Señor San Jose, Retrieved from https://www.flickr.com/photos/8297325@N02/4443563516/in/photolist-bA549w-bA4W8b-7LEqC5-qWXXjN-8eBtYK-2aAWXKU-JPxxZs-C4DQgD-HVKov5-bUowuY-6wcnZF-xhc8gs on June 20, 2019.
Javellana, Rene, SJ, Inquiry on the image of San Jose of Mandaue, Ateneode Manila University, 2000.
The National Shrine of St. Joseph, Retrieved form http://www.cebu-tourism.techcellar.net/the-national-shrine-of-st-joseph/on May 1, 2019.
Sendino y Redondo, Felipe, Breve reseña de lo que fue y de lo que es la Diócesis de Cebú en las Islas Filipinas. Manila: Colegio de Sto. Tomas, 1886.
Interview:
Mendez, Ellis of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, Punta Princesa, Cebu City.
Nacorda, Clodoveo of Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral
Credits to the owners of the photos that were utilized to this blogpost
+AM+DG+
Dear friend, thanks for the amazing job you’re doing with your blog. Please continue your internet apostolate. I’ve been at this shrine a few months ago and with the help of St. Joseph my fiancé said yes to my marriage proposal. May St. Joseph be praised and venerated! Blessings from an Italian faithful - C.
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