The Lovely Nuestra Señora del Santisimo Rosario of Siena College, Quezon City

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Nuestra Señora del Santisimo Rosario
of Siena College, Quezon City
A tricycle ride from the famed Santo Domingo Church and UST-Angelicum Collge in Quezon City is the renown Siena College of the same city that is administered by the Congregation of the Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine of Siena, originally known as Beaterio de Santa Catalina founded by Venerable Mother Francisca del Espiritu Santo de Fuentes.

Just like the friars, the Siena Sisters, as they are popularly known, are also known for honing future leaders and figures with their Siena Schools in different parts of the country and one key distinction that they impart to their students is the devotion to Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary.

In every Siena College Campus, there will always be a chapel dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary that is frequented by its students and faculty.

For this blogpost, we're going to feature this particular image of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary venerated in her chapel in Siena College in Quezon City for the origin of this image is uncertain yet it created a stir with the release of a commemorative book about the historic image of Nuestra Señora del Santisimo Rosario - La Naval de Manila in line of the celebration of the centenary of the Virgin of La Naval's Canonical Coronation in 2007.

Nuestra Señora del Santisimo Rosario
of Siena College, Quezon City
The image

The image of Nuestra Señora del Santisimo Rosario of Siena College, Quezon City is a de vestir image of Our Lady of the Rosary where she is vested with different set of vestments. The image has a wooden bastidor body with hands, face and the Child Jesus made of ivory, The image is dressed regally as a lady of the Spanish court and wears a set of metal works and jewels from crowns, an aureola with estrellas, rostrillo, baston de mando and other royal accesroies for the Virgin.

The image is patterned after that of Nuestra Señora del Santisimo Rosario - La Naval de Manila which explaines the similarity of presentation of the image, except on the Child Jesus where his arms are extended.

La Mexicana?

In a study conducted by the Centennial committee, they found in the recovered records from Old Santo Domingo Church, they found significant records and inventory of the existence of another de vestir image of Nuestra Señora del Santisimo Rosario with a wooden bodya nd ivory features, aside from La Naval and La Japona. This Rosary image was dubbed as "La Mexicana"and this image is intended for the first Sunday processions, or the "domina". Although these records mentioned the existance of "La Mexicana", it is not clear which image in the Dominican custody taht the records were mentioned if it was the image in the Museo de Santo Domingo, which was later dubbed as the "La Japona" or the Siena image who would be later called as "La Mexicana".

Nuestra Señora del Santisimo Rosario
of Siena College, Quezon City
From Old Santo Domingo to Siena College

Although the origin of the Siena is uncertain due to lack of substantial records that would prove that the Siena image was indeed the "La Mexicana", the modern history of this image was fortunately documented in the recent years.

In 1965, the Siena sisters requested the Dominican fathers of nearby Santo Domingo Church for an image of Our Lady of the Rosary for their chapel in their new campus in Quezon City due to the establishment of Family Rosary Crusade. Fr. Aniceto Castañon, then assistant of the Provincial and later prior of Santo Domingo gave them the image of Our Lady of the Rosary of a wooden body and ivory parts to the sisters that was saved from the Old Santo Domingo Church in Intramuros and was at that time housed in the old Tiples House in Quezon City. The Siena Santo Rosario image was refurbished in the 1970's to have the likeness of the La Naval de Manila image that is currently seen today. The Santo Rosario of Siena's feast day was then celebrated every February 2, the Feast of the Purification of Our Lady and Presentation of Our Lord in the temple.

Nuestra Señora del Santisimo Rosario
of Siena College, Quezon City in procession
The devotion at present

The devotion to Nuestra Señora del Santisimo Rosario of Siena College - Quezon City campus steadfastly grew since her enthronement in the College's chapel. Students, faculty and the nuns frequented her chapel to ask for the Virgin's help on all their needs. The Rosary devotion was successfully propagated to the students and this is evident with a good number of them participating the Family Rosary Crusade activities.

The feast of the Virgin of Siena College - Quezon City campus is celebrated every Friday before the first Sunday of October and it is preceded with novena masses attended by the Siena College community. on the Virgin's feast day, the image would go in procession with students, accompanied by their parents joining the procession in honor of the Virgin of the Rosary.

Regardless of the image's sketchy origins, what matters most is the inspiration that she provided to her devotees. The presence of Nuestra Señora del Santisimo Rosario in Siena College - Quezon City campus is vital to the life of its students, faculty and the Siena sisters for she keenly guides them in their formative years and listens to their prayers and supplications to continue their journey for a better future.

References:

Dagohoy, Herminio, "The Saga of La Naval, Triumph of the People's Faith", Dominican Province of the Philippines, Quezon Avenue, Quezon City, 2007.

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