Pintakasi

San Jose de Navotas  (original image) The City of Navotas, located in the northern part of Manila, is known as a fishing city due to the extant of the thriving industry up to this day. The industrious city of Navotas was placed under the patronage of St. Joseph since the Spanish era and it was proven to be providential. The people of Navotas sought the help and protection of St. Joseph and their devotion to the Foster Father of Our Lord and Chaste Spouse of Our Lady became part of everyday life and history of the parish. The image There were two images of San Jose that is currently venerated in the parish, the centuries old original image where the de datallado image is covered with metal covering and the bigger altar image. The first image is a detallado image of San Jose with the Child Jesus beside him. San Jose is seen holding his staff with azucenas (an allusion to his purity and to the pious tradition that when a spouse for the Virgin Mary was being selected, his sta...

San Juan Bautista of San Juan City In the modern city of San Juan, known for its modern feel with the existence of a famed shopping center, some notable schools and convents and played an important role during the Philippine revolution. One of the most enduring devotion in the city is their devotion to the city's titular patron - St. John the Baptist. St. John the Baptist became part of the history of the city that his fiesta, known for its "basaan" tradition became one of the city's much awaited event. San Juan Bautista of San Juan City The image The venerable image of San Juan Bautista of San Juan City is a de tallado image of St. John the Baptist that is currently venerated in his shrine in Pinaglabanan, San Juan City. The image presents a standing St. John the Baptist in his full iconography: long wavy hair, a beard covering his majestic face, wears a hair shirt, wears sandals, his hand holding a book with a lamb on top of it, and his walking staff si...

Nuestra Señora de la Divina Providencia de Siquijor Siquijor, an island province in the Visayas island group infamously known as island of local witchcraft, sorcery and allegedly a den of "aswangs" - a mythical creature that devours children or induce harm to some people. Despite this unflattering portrayal of the province, the Catholic faith in the province prevailed with the presence of old Churches that are frequented by the locals. One of these chruches is the parish of Nuestra Señora de la Divina Providencia of Maria, siquijor where two know images are enshrined in this parish: the controversial Santa Rita de Cascia image known as "Black Mary" and the beautiful image of Nuestra Señora de la Divina Providencia, the patroness of Siquijor. The image The image of Nuestra Señora de la Divina Providencia is a beautiful de tallado image of the seated Madonna and Child where the Child Jesus seated at the lap of the Blessed Mother. Both image has a sweet and te...

Our Lady of Papaya Us Filipinos are known to have high disposition to the supernatural since the Pre-Hispanic times. Stories of miracles still amazes the majority of the faithful and at the same time, something that skeptics will try to debunk. Some of these miracle stories are the finding or discovering of images with unusual origin ranging from stones, unusual silhouettes from trees resembling different figures of Christ, Our Lady and the saints. For this blogpost, we're going to learn the existence of an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary that was found inside of a papaya fruit - yes, you read it right, from a papaya fruit. This particular image of the Blessed Mother, known as "Birhen ng Papaya" became afocal point of devotion since its discovery in the 1930's and it is said that miracles were reported through the help of the Virgin of the Papaya fruit. The image The image of Our Lady of Papaya is a tiny image of the Blessed Mother whose appearance seemed lik...

Nuestra Señora de las Merced de Bacoor In the modern area of Bacoor, Cavite, aside from its thriving commerce and its historical importance in the province of Cavite, it is also the home of some notable churches that are frequented by the locals, the old Parish of St. Michael the Archangel were it enshrines the town's patrons San Miguel Arcangel and Nuestra Señora del Santisimo Rosario and the modern Holy Trinity Parish where the miraculous image of Nuestra Señora de las Merced, or "Nana cedes" to her devotees, are frequented by her devotees. Nuestra Señora de las Merced de Bacoor The image The image of Nuestra Señora de la Merced of Bacoor, Cavite is a de vestir image of Our Lady of Mercy where both Mother and Child are vested with simple robes, capes and veil made from different materials. Both Mother and Son are wearing crowns to symbolize their rulership of heaven and earth. The Virgin holds a scepter and a shackle or a chain to symbolize the purpose of he...

Blessed Pedro de Zuñiga Whenever we encounter the term "fraile", it gives the common and the historically amnesiac Filipinos a negative picture of Spanish friars being wicked, self centered and corrupt, just like the fictional Padre Damaso de Vardolagas of Dr. Jose Rizal's often misinterpreted "Noli me Tangere". But if will only look deeper in our history, these "bad fruits" overshadowed the good and saintly ones due to the strength of the Propaganda movement that promotes anti-Spanish agenda. Aside from the famed Franciscan saint and martry St. Pedro Bautista who developed several towns in the country who later became a martyr for the faith in Japan, the companion martyrs of St. Lorenzo Ruiz who worked tirelessly on evangelizing Nothern Luzon and became part of the faculty of University of Santo Tomas who also suffered the same fate in Japan, another friar also did much to the faith and culture of the Province of Pampanga who also suffered martyr...

Blessed Diego Luis de San Vitores In the previous blogposts, we have featured the life and martyrdom of St. Lorenzo Ruiz and the heroic martyrdom of his companion martyrs in a separate article. Due to its good number of readership on both the lives of St. Lorenzo Ruiz and his companions, it is just fitting to do the same to our second Filipino saint, St. Pedro Calungsod where he is in fact one of the assistants of the great Missionary and Martyr of Guam - Blessed Diego Luis de San Vitores. Blessed Diego Luis de San Vitores gained much renowned for his missionary work in Guam and his martyrdom that it was recorded prominently in the annals of the Archdiocese of Manila and the cause for his canonization is still under process. Early Life Diego Luis de San Vitores was born into a noble family in Burgos, Spain, in 1627. His father had been appointed the city treasurer and had received honors and titles from the king for his service; later he became one of the ministers of the Roy...

Santo Niño de Bago Bantay In confines of Quezon City, one of the most visited, and somehow controversial, shrine in this city draws local devotion and pilgrims for decades, this is the Diocesan Shrine of Santo Niño de Bago Bantay. This miraculous and cute image of the Child Jesus would became a catalyst of social change when Bago Bantay faced much moral struggles and became a witness to the change and development of the area. Sto. Niño de Bago Bantay The image The image of Santo Niño de Bago Bantay presents the Holy Child in its traditional attributes, wears a princely garb of a velvet cape covering his princely attire, holds the scepter and the globus cruciger - symbols of power and dominion, wears an ornate crown, wears a pair of boots and standing in an ornate base. The face of the Child is round and chubby with his charming smile adds charm to this image. The beginnings The story of the devotion to Sto. Niño de Bago Bantay is intertwined in the beginnings of Bago Ba...

San Miguel de Iligan Iligan City is a highly urbanized city in Mindanao and one of the most progressive and biggest in the country. Here, one can witness a rich diversity and co-existence of Christians and Muslims in the city. In this modern and progressive city, the Iliganons attribute their prosperity to their beloved patron, San Miguel Arcangel. The miraculous image of San Miguel de Iligan is the focal point of devotion in the city and one of the most important for he became part of the history of this city as he became their protector and refuge. San Miguel de Iligan (original image) The image There were two statues of San Miguel Arcangel venerated in Iligan City. The first is the older old brown skinned statue who sports the traditional warrior vestments of different colors, holds a shield, stepping wears a helmet with colorful feathers patterned to the Aztec iconography of San Miguel that can also be seen in other images of San Miguel in Bacoor, Cavite among other...