Revisiting Nuestra Señora de Aranzazu of Colegio de San Juan de Letran

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Nuestra Señora de Aranzazu de Colegio de San Juan de Letran

Nuestra Señora de Aranzazu de
Colegio de San Juan de Letran
For some Filipino faithful, the term "Aranzazu" is synonymous to the popular and miraculous Marian image venerated in San Mateo, Rizal where the Virgin, under this unique title is acclaimed as the Patroness of the Pueblo and succor against natural disasters since 1716. However, there were records and proofs that the devotion to Nuestra Señora de Aranzazu already existed in the Walled City of Intramuros before it was introduced to San Mateo, Rizal in 1716.

For this blogpost, we are going to discover the story of then one of the venerated Marian images in Old Intramuros and how the devotion kept going in for the students, faculty and the Dominican friars of Colegio de San Juan de Letran.

The image

The image of Nuestra Señora de Aranzazu shows the Blessed Virgin Mary with the Child Jesus in his arm holding a scepter, with an absence of an apple, on top of thorn tree and a quadrilateral bell on one of its trunks appearing to a shepherd named Rodrigo de Balzategui that is depicted kneeling on the base of the image. The image wears a manto and the faces of the Mother and Child were serious, looking straight to the beholder.

Nuestra Señora de Aranzazu de
Colegio de San Juan de Letran
The beginning of the devotion in Manila

A Spanish captain brought the first image of the Virgin Mary from Mexico sometime in 1732. The devotion to the Virgin of Aranzazu in Letran flourished that led to the establishment of the Archconfraternity of Nuestra Senora de Aranzazu on December 16, 1772 by virtue of a Pontifical Brief issued by Benedict XIV on September 18, 1748.

The confraternity was installed amid solemn ceremonies at the Letran Chapel and the image occupied the epistle side for public veneration on December 16, 1772 and its members grew in numbers. Devotions to her in the succeeding years were held with much fervor, at which the members attend decked in their special gala uniform of white tunic, red cape and a blue band with a medal with her image on it. Her feast day was once celebrated every December 16.

During the War years, the image was safely kept in one of the rooms of the college and she was spared from the damages the war have caused to the Walled City. When classes resumed in Letran after the Second World War in 1946, the image of Our Lady of Aranzazu comes out for public veneration every December 16, during the first day of Simbang Gabi or Misa de Aguinaldo, which is considered as her patronal feast in Manila and in accordance with the decree of Pope Benedict XIV and the older provisions in Mexico drawn by Admiral Echeveste and Fr. Arrechedera that the feast be made on the said date. The nine days novena to her is also serve as a mini-recollection for Christmas.

Due to series of unfortunate events since the Second World War and the death of one of its esteemed member, Rev. Fr. Antonio Robles, OP, then the Rector of Letran (1794 - 1798) and former Prior Provincial of the Dominicans in the country, the festivities that accompanied the enthusiasm to Our Lady  of Aránzazu was reduced to an observance of a novena and a celebration of the Mass. Membership to  the Archconfraternity gradually declined and to this day remained dormant. At present, the image is kept in a private chapel of the Friars in the college and the image is exposed on rare occasions.

The new image of Nuestra Señora de Aranzazu from the San Mateo Shrine
enthroned at the college's chapel
The Letran and San Mateo Shrine relationship 

The relationship between San Matero and Letran began when Rev. Fr. Lupo Luamndan, an alumnus of Colegio de San Juan de Letran became the parish priest of Our Lady of Aranzazu Parish of San Mateo, Rizal sometime in the 1800s - 1900s. During his tenure, he invite students from Letran, especaily the Basques, to join the festivities in San Mateo. THe relationship between the colegio and the parish continued until the Second World War ended when the Basques returned to Spain. The special bond between the two institutions rekindled when the image stayed in the Colegio in 2013 months after the Episcopal Coronation of the image for her participation to the annual Grand Marian Procession in Intramuros, Manila. This became a tradition since then that the Virgin would stay in Letran for three days prior to the procession and held vigils in her honor. The Letranites would also accompany the San Mateo Virgin joining her devotees form San Mateo and other parts of the country singing the joyful hymn dedicated to the Virgin at the Grand Procession held every First Sunday of December.

Nuestra Señora de Aranzazu
de Colegio de San Juan de Letran
In 2017, the Colegio received a new image of Nuestra Señora de Aranzazu from the San Mateo Shrine and was enthroned to the Colegio's chapel on September 8, 2017 - Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the image can still be seen today.

Plans for revival

At present, efforts are being made to give new life to the devotion to Nuestra Señora de Aranzazu in Colegio de San Juan de Letran. In 2015, in preparation for the Quadricentennial celebrations of the Colegio in 2020, the Friars of the Convento de San Juan de Letran, in collabotation with the Dominican Tertiaries, the faculty and the students is set to revive the dormant Archconfraternity of Nuestra Señora de Aranzazu.

With these developments of the devotion to Nuestra Señora de Aranzazu of Colegio de San Juan de Letran, we can see the efforts of the Letran community to revive this centuries old devotion to the Virgin on the thorn tree.

As they are about to celebrate their 400th founding anniversary in 2020, let us all hope that the devotion will come full circle and be renown once again, just like in the old days.

Nuestra Señora de Aranzazu de Colegio de San Juan de Letran, pray for us! 

References:

Aviado, Lutgarda, "Madonnas of the Philippines", Manlapaz Press, Quezon City, 1972.
Robles, Christian, "Re-enthronement of Aranzazu at the Letran chapel", Retrieved from https://aranzazushrine.ph/home/index.php/2017/10/06/re-enthronement-of-aranzazu-at-the-letran-chapel/ on December 10, 2019.
Losanta, Richard, "San Mateo, Letrán and the Nuestra Señora de Aránzazu: A Bond of Friendship and Devotion", unpublished manuscript, 2019.
Sanchez, Francisco, "La Virgen Maria Venerada en sus Imagenes Filipinas", Manila: Imp. De Santos y  Bernal, 1904.

Special credits to Mr. Michael Daquioag, Mr/ Davy Chioa and Mr. Christian Robles for the recent photographs of Nuestra Señora de Aranzazu of Colegio de San Juan de Letran and to Mr. Richard Losanta for additional documents relating to the devotion to Nuestra Señora de Aranzazu of Colegio de San Juan de Letran.
+AM+DG+

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