Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de Cebu - The Patroness of the City and the province of Cebu

Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de Cebu

Cebu, the cradle of the Catholic faith in the Philippines and center of the devotion to the Child Jesus in the country. The city and its province also have a plethora of devotions, sacred traditions and patrons and their shrines are frequently visited by pilgrims from the province and other parts of the country.

One of the most visited shrines in Cebu is the Archdiocesan Shrine of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe in Guadalupe, Cebu where the miraculous statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Patroness of the City and the province of Cebu is enshrined.

The image

The brown skinned image of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de Cebu is a de tallado image of the Blessed Virgin Mary carved in a folksy manner. The images sports a crown, a rostrillo around the face,a set of jewelry from necklaces, earrings, rings, bracelets, etc., carried a scepter and at times, a  rafaga surrounds the image. The image also wears a set of vestments patterned from of the famed Virgin of Guadalupe of Mexico in terms of its color made from different materials given by her devotees over the years.

A vintage photograph of
Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de Cebu
without her vestments

The origins

The origin of the Cebuano devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe dates back  in 1880, when Ricardo Ramirez, a "Mangangayam" or wild chicken trapper who lived in the forested area of what was then Barrio Banawan (now Barangay Guadalupe), in the course of his trapping activities, one day saw a flashing light coming from inside the cave known as "langub nga duha'y baba" (cave with two mouths). It is near the river called Sapang Diyot of Barangay Kalunasan. Surprised by what he saw, Ramirez called the attention of the other trappers who were near him but when they looked, they could not see anything. Ricardo decided to investigate the source of the light inside the cave. He got inside and saw that the light flashes came from an image of Our Lady. The statue was standing atop a naturally formed rock, beside which a slow drip of water cascaded into a basin -shaped rock on the floor. The light and the flashing stopped when Ricardo got inside. He took the statue and gave it to the teniente del barrio, Eustaquio Abapo, in turn showed it to the barrio's "mananabtan" (prayer group leader), Placido "Edo" Datan. Placido advised Eustaquio to keep the unusual find until they would know what to do with it.

The cave where the image of Nuestra Señora de
Guadalupe de Cebu was found which later became
a pilgrimage site.

Soon afterwards, the men decided to go to their parish priest and told him what Ricardo Ramirez found inside the cave. When the priest saw the statue, he told the group that it was the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. He asked for it and kept it at the parish. He later gave his consent for the construction of a small chapel in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and agreed to lend them the two-foot wooden image they saw in the convent on their yearly novena and fiesta every December 12. However, he also made them promise that the image should be returned to San Nicolas after the fiesta.
From that first Fiesta in 1889 until 1901, Our Lady of Guadalupe was just a local barrio devotion. Every year, the image was borrowed from San Nicolas in December, then returned on the Sunday after December 12, because on the Saturday after December 12, the image would be brought inside the cave where the estampita was found for another Mass. The image would stay inside the cave overnight and would be brought back to San Nicolas the next day, a Sunday.

Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de Cebu

The Miracles

In 1902, there was a cholera epidemic outbreak. The epidemic hit the whole city but hardest hit was Barrio Guadalupe. Probably because the source of our drinking water then was the river, which was also renamed Guadalupe, and some open wells. It was devastating. Hundreds of residents died. It was said that those who buried the dead, did not return as they themselves died along the way or right on the cemetery while grieving for their dead relatives. The cholera outbreak was so bad in the barrio that there was burial everyday. Later, the burial had to be done en masse on a carabao cart.

It was sometime in the month of May. Anyway, the "mananabtan" Placido "Edo" Datan initiated a move and called on the barrio leaders to hold a penitential dawn procession to invoke the help of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the Holy Cross of Jesus, and end the epidemic. The melody for the so-called "Antifon" was written by Silverio Gonzales, the catechist. One of the ardent supporters of the movement was Don Joaquin Labra, who, unfortunately, became one of the victims of the epidemic himself. The "Antifon" is actually the prayer Hail Mary in Spanish (Dios Te Salve Maria) but sung repeatedly in a very plaintive tune.

The Holy Cross of Guadalupe, Cebu

The Antifon was held for one month, from mid-May to Mid-June. What was placed on the andas (palanquin) and carried during the dawn procession was a small image of the Holy Cross and an estampa of Our lady of Guadalupe

The cholera epidemic stopped but not immediately. As the dawn procession went on, the number of deaths decreased until there were no more deaths in the barrio. The devotion and strong faith of our elders to the Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe and to the Holy Cross of Jesus saved them from death. As an act of thanksgiving to God and to the Virgin of Guadalupe, Silverio Gonzales and the other people involved, decided to hold a thanksgiving novena from July 8 to 16 1902, with a grand procession of the Holy Cross and the imageof the Virgin. Melchor Abella paid for the brass band that accompanied the procession Since then, July 16 has always been celebrated as the second fiesta of the Virgin of Guadalupe.

During the World War 2, the church was bombed. Fortunately, the image was saved because it was kept in Amado Gabutan's house in a place called Nabongturan, what is now the Petron Gasoline Station along V. Rama Avenue. Unfortunately, Amado Gabutan’s house was hit by a bomb and burned down. What was really strange and surprising was that the image escaped unscathed from the bomb and the fire.The stories of Lt. Ambrosio Gacayan and a Capt. Navarro of the Philippine Army, said that every time the Japs would attempt to raid their camp, a vision of a woman would be seen prancing along the hills of Babag mountain. The Japs got scared of the vision because she would just vanish into thin air, then show herself again. The army and the Gabutan Family also believed it was the Virgin of Guadalupe whose image was with them.

More miracles were also reported through the intercession of the Virgin of Gudalaupe of Cebu.A miraculous cure happened to Aniana Sacamay. She developed breast cancer but she was miraculously cured after praying to Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de Cebu

Another was when the image of the Virgin would be brought inside the cave for the post December 12 Mass, it would be placed in the exact place where the estampita was found, where the water drips from the ceiling of the cave. Despite the image is being placed directly in the water's way, it would remain dry.

The slowly dripping water inside the cave reportedly had curative powers. A long queue of people used to wait for their bottle to get full. Some devotees used the water from the cave to cure disease, and that there were a lot of cures that happened.

The water in the cave stopped dripping during the time of Mons. Esteban Binghay as parish priest of Guadalupe (parish priest 1975-1987), after he ordered the renovation of the cave with tiles and an overhead tank of water was placed atop the cave with the tube descending down the cave. People stopped gathering the water because they realized it was already water piped from the river and not from the original source.

The Shrine

It is only in the 1920's, after the Labra and to lesser extent, the Lopez families, donated a sizable portion of their lot (which is now the present church and plaza) to the diocese, that the chapel was transferred from Kalunasan to the present site. In 1927 or 1928, an inexplicable event occurred that prompted the permanent enshrinement of the image in Guadalupe.

The Archdiocesan Shrine of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de Cebu

On the Sunday after the December 12 fiesta of that year, the image was, as usual securely tied with ropes to the andas for her return trip to San Nicolas, accompanied by a huge number of people. upon reaching a place we used to call Gucro, short for Guadalupe Crossing, along what was called Calamba road, now V. Rama Avenue, near the corner of M. Velez Street, near the Suzara property, the image suddenly fell from the andas, feet first to the ground but instead of tumbling, it remained standing and made a 180 degree turn by itself, facing the direction of the chapel where she came from. This happened in full view of many people who joined in the procession, including Florencio Tabal and Maximo Gabutan. (an area where a huge acacia tree is, right across Lacto PAFI office, as the place where the image fell. The spot was pointed by Mr. Maximo Gabutan who was an eye witness of the event).

The people secured the image back to the andas and brought it to San Nicolas. There they told the priest, Fr. Emiliano Mercado  what happend in the procession. Fr. Mercado was the one who decided that the wooden image of the Virgin of Guadalupe should already stay in the newly-built chapel. So in 1929, the image of Our Lady was permanently enshrined in Guadalupe. In 1933, four years later, Guadalupe became a parish with Fr. Emiliano Mercado himself acting as concurrent parish priest until 1936. Then Fr. Sancho Abadia took over in 1937.

The Canonical Coronation of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de Cebu

Church Recognition

In 2002, then Cebu Archbishop +Ricardo Cardinal Vidal declared the Our Lady of Guadalupe de Cebu as the patroness of Cebu.

Due to the numerous miracles that were attributed to her intercession, on July 16, 2006, the image was canonically crowned through solemn rites held at the Shrine of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de Cebu at Guadalupe, Cebu City by virtue of a pontifical decree which was issued on May 9, 2006 issued by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. The coronation symbolized the official and formal recognition of Our Lady of Guadalupe as the patroness of the Archdiocese of Cebu.

The participation of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de Cebu
to the Sinulog festivities

The devotion

There are two feast days celebrated in honor of Cebu’s Patroness. The first being held every July 16, her feast as Cebu’s Patroness to commemorate the anniversary of the ceasing of the epidemic through her intercession, and the anniversary of her canonical coronation. The second is celebrated every December 12, the liturgical feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The image also participated in the annual Sinulog festivities every January. The images of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de Cebu and El Glorioso Patriarca san Jose de Mandaue of the National shrone of St. Joseph of Mandaue City joins the Santo Niño 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 to Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de Cebu continues to grow strong everyday with more pilgrims visiting her shrine to ask for her help and for the favors granted through her intercession and the devotion soon spread outside of Cebu. The story of the miraculous protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de Cebu demonstrates once again how powerful her intercession and protection is we need her more than ever in these times, a mother who cares, protect and leads her children to her Son.

Reference:

Bagui, Marjun, "Our Lady of Guadalupe de Cebu: A Homage", Retrieved from https://www.philstar.com/cebu-news/2009/12/10/530799/our-lady-guadalupe-de-cebu-homage#GZiq2fB3pWEp1c1W.99on Uagust 18. 2019.
"Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de Cebu", Retrieved from https://www.flickr.com/photos/23595035@N07/2252504098 on August 17, 2019.

Credits to the owner of the photographs  that were utilized to this blogpost.
+AM+DG+