Nuestra Señora de la Medalla Milagrosa de Muntinlupa - The Lady in a city's hill

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Nuestra Señora de la Medalla
Milagrosa de Muntinlupa
Sucat is located between Parañaque City and Muntinlupa City where a picture of a City escape is seen, especially in Posadas Village. It is in this hilly village that the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal is located where the city people can find a solace and peace in the outstretched arms of the Blessed Virgin Mary as she did to St. Catherine Laboure when in 1890.

The image

The image of Nuestra Señora de la Medalla Milagrosa de Muntinlupa is a life size version of the image of the Blessed Virgin as seen by St. Catherine Laboure. In this image, the Virgin is standing on a globe, crushing the serpent, her hands outstretched with rays attached to it, her head stooped downwards yet looking straight to the beholder with a lovely expression. She wears a white robe, blue mantle done in estofado style of painting. She wears a white veil and sports a crown with the diagnostic doce estrellas on her head.

The image is enthroned at the main altar of the image and can easily be seen from a distance.

The devotion in Muntinlupa

Sometime in 1957, the Miraculous Medal Apostolate was established in St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Manila. Barely six months after assuming the post of CoM Director, Fr. Teodoro Barquin took over as well that of the MMA following the death of Fr. Luis Angulo, CM the first director of the Miraculous Medal Apostolate. Fr. Barquin had subscribed to the idea of holding vision to spread devotion to the Immaculate Mother of God by means of the Miraculous Medal and to help in the education of Vincentian seminarians for the priesthood.

Nuestra Señora de la Medalla
Milagrosa de Muntinlupa
Fr. Barquin visualized in 1964 two ambitious projects: a Marian Center and the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal would rise in a 5-hectare lot somewhere in Quezon City in the near future; two superb, modern structures in steel and stones proclaiming the glory of God. The Marian Center was realized, not on a five-hectare lot, but on some 400 sq. m. lot beside the 85-year old church of St. Vincent de Paul, also a Shrine of Our Lady, on the busy street of San Marcelino, Manila where the headquarters of the Miraculous Medal Apostolate is located up to this day.

From 1964 to 1978, the vision for a National Shrine never got blurred in the mind of Fr. Barquin. It was temporarily relegated to the background, busy as he was in his numerous duties and functions. But in moments of personal reflection, especially when alone before the image of Mary, his thoughts would relish the vision, praying for the day when it would be realized.

The answer came unexpectedly. Sometime in 1978, a friend introduced him to a matron, Mrs. Estela Posadas, a Marian devotee herself, whose family owned the Posadas Village in Sucat, Muntinlupa. She said that her family decided to donate some 500 sq. m. lot in their subdivision. With the Deed of Donation already signed, Fr. Barquin contracted two prominent professionals: Jose Zaragosa, National Artist for Architecture, and Eduardo Santiago, contractor.

And so, it was on July 19, 1979 the blessing of the cornerstone of the new shrine took place lead by the late Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin. The laying of the cornerstone took place on that day, a day after the 18th, which in the history of the Miraculous Medal, is significant as it was on the 18th of July 1830 that Mary first appeared to St. Catherine Laboure.

The work on the Shrine went on smoothly with the help of generous donation and sponsors and by July 1980 it was completed. Its inauguration and blessing was set two months later, September 7, 1980, eve of Mary’s nativity. Moreover, the year 1980 was declared the Marian Year, this being the 150th anniversary of the Miraculous Medal – the very Medal for which the Shrine was built and consecrated to propagate. A close to three thousand Marian devotees and pilgrims, including guests, gathered to witness the Solemn Dedication of the National Shrine. The Vatican sent a telegraphic message, read by the very Rev. Rolando dela Goza, Provincial of the CM. The presiding prelates, their Eminences Jaime Cardinal Sin of Manila and Julio Cardinal Rosales of Cebu.

The symbolic coronation of Nuestra Señora de la
Medalla Milagrosa de Muntinlupa
On that day, the altar image of Nuestra Señora de la Medalla Milagrosa, commissioned and ordered from Spain, was solemnly enthroned to her altar and was symbolically crowned by then Papal Nuncio Bruno Torpigliani and Fr. Frank Vargas, CM.

In order to address the growing pastoral needs of the community, the National Shrine was established as a parish, then covering sub-parishes from Taguig to Cupang, Muntinlupa City on February 2, 1981.

The devotion

Since the establishment of the shrine, it became an instant pilgrimage site for Marian devotees.Saturday Perpetual Novenas are held regularly in the shrine. Miracles were also reported through the intercession of Nuestra Señora de la Medalla Milagrosa de Muntinlupa. Her feast day, November 27, is well attended by the residents of Posadas Village, it's neighboring barangays, pilgrims, students from different schools in the area and devotees of Our Lady.

In a homily of Bishop Teotimo Pacis, he stressed out on why the shrine in  a very serene part of the city is necessary which sums up this blog post dedicated to the Virgin of the Miraculous Medal: 

 "The Shrine is a home for everyone: the poor and the rich; the lowly and the mighty; the believers and unbelievers; the sinners and the saintly. A home where the Mother of God prays for mankind. Surmounting the shrine is a tall and towering cross, so tall that the world may know that the salvation of the world is Christ, but through Mary. The Shrine beckons us to come to Christ through the loving arms of His mother – Mary, whose medal we wear as symbol of our faith, hope and love.”

O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!

References:

"Pilak 2005: 25 Years of Graces through Mary, Hope of Humanity", National Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, Posadas Village, Sucat, Muntinlupa City, 2005.
"30 years of Unending Grace" National Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, Posadas Village, Sucat, Muntinlupa City, 2010.

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