Nuestra Señora de la Santisima Trinidad de Manila - The Mother of Balic-Balic, Manila

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Nuestra Señora de la Santisima Trinidad de Manila
In the remote yet peaceful area of Balic-Balic in Sampaloc, Manila, where the Holy Trinity Parish is located - the center of the Holy Trinity devotion in the CIty of Manila, there is a budding devotion to Our Blessed Mother that was recently introduced in our modern times which focuses on her role as the Daughter of God the Father, Mother of God the Son and Spouse of the Holy Spirit which is making rounds in the area and being develop. The promising devotion to Nuestra Señora de la Santisima Trinidad de Manila (Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity) is not taking its root in the Balic-Balic community

The Image

The image of Nuestra Señora de la Santisima Trinidad of Balic-Balic, Sampaloc, Manila is a Filipinized version of the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary under this particular title. In this image, the Virgin is presented wearing a typlical Filipina garb: baro't saya, a tapis on her waist, long wavy hair, a veil with the diagnostic doce estrellas on he head. the Virgin stands on a half globe holding a sunburst flames with the insignia of the Holy Trinity namely the hand (God the Father), the cross (God the Son), and the dove (God the Holy Spirit).
Notre Dame de la Trinite in France
The origin of the devotion

The devotion to Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity began in  1890 when Rev. Fr. Jean-Baptiste de Chémery, Capuchin of the convent of Blois, France, becomes the ardent apostle of popular devotion to the "Three Hail Marys" by his preaching, then by leaflets written in multiple languages ​​which are widely distributed. These leaflets became known as the "Novena to Our Lady of the Three Hail Marys" He was succeeded by father Clovis, who studied and got to know the theological basis for Marian devotion to the Three Hail Marys, which found its expression in the title 'Our Lady of the Trinity'. On June 30, 1921, Pope Benedict XV approved the Archconfraternity of the the Three Hail Marys for further promotion of the devotion to the world.

The Minor Basilica of de la Trinité Basilica was established in 1932 as a center of the devotion to Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity. The church was consecrated in 1949. Father Grégoire completed the sanctuary and gained its promotion to a Minor Basilica by Pope Pius XII in 1956.

The Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity was founded in 1958 by Father James H. Flanagan, a priest from the United States. Its members strive to live to the fullest their distinctive vocations in the Church: priests living in the image of Christ the Good Shepherd and the Head of his Mystical Body, brothers living and serving in fraternal communion, sisters living as consecrated spouses of Christ, and lay faithful living as members of Christ's Body striving to sanctify the temporal order.  Each of the vocations has its source and identity in the Most Holy Trinity.  In their distinctiveness, the members of the various vocations complement one another on ecclesial family teams and in this way express in a profound way the nature of the Church and the grace of the Most Holy Trinity which sustains it.

The older image of Nuestra Señora de la
Santisima Trinidad de Manila
The beginnings of the devotion in Balic-Balic

The devotion to Nuestra Señora de la Santisima Trinidad de Manila began on August 15,  2006 - Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary by Fr. Enrico Martin Adoviso  when the parish garden was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary under this particular title that soon became the catalyst of this particular devotion to Mary. A decade later, on August 15, 2018, a new altar image of Nuestra Señora de la Santisima Trinidad was unveiled and enthroned to her own altar in the same parish. The new altar image was carved by Willy Layug and interestingly, the image of the Virgin of Balic-Balic was similar to the famed Our Lady of Hope of Palo which he carved for the Papal Mass in Tacloban, Leyte in 2015.

 The devotion at present

The devotion to Nustra Señora de la Santisima Trinidad de Manila is gaining much momentum and gradual devotional following in the Parish of the Holy Trinity in Balic-Balic, Sampaloc, Manila. The Feast of the Virgin of the Most Holy Trinity is celebrated every August 15, the day the devotion was introduced to the people of Balic-Balic and coincides with the Solemnity of Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

What can we learn on this unique title of the Blessed Virgin Mary as Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity. In the visions of St. Gertrude the Great, she recounts that she suddenly saw spring out of the Heart of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, three bright flames which penetrated the Heart of the Holy Virgin. In this revelation, we then can see the source of the iconography of “Our Lady of the Blessed Trinity” especially in terms of the Trinity flame. By Honoring Our Blessed Mother, we also giving honor to the Most August Trinity for the graces they bestow to the Mary as the Immaculate Daughter of God the Father, Mother of God the Son and Inviolate Spouse of the Holy Spirit.

Nuestra Señora de la Santisima Trinidad
de Manila
As we conclude this blogpost, here is a prayer to Nuestra Señora de la Santisima Trinidad which is also known as the Prayer to Our Lady of the Three Hail Marys:

With all my heart I praise you most Holy Virgin above all angels and saints in paradise, Daughter of the Eternal Father, and I consecrate to you my soul with all its faculties, and I beg you to obtain for me all of the graces necessary for salvation. 

 Hail Mary, full of grace… 

 With all my heart I praise you most Holy Virgin above all angels and saints in paradise, Mother of the Son of God, and I consecrate to you my body with all its senses, and I beg you to obtain for me all of the graces necessary for salvation.

 Hail Mary, full of grace… 

 With all my heart I praise you most Holy Virgin above all angels and saints in paradise, Spouse of the Holy Spirit, and I consecrate to you my heart with all its affections, and I beg you to obtain for me all of the graces necessary for salvation.

 Hail Mary, full of grace… 

 Nuestra Señora de la Santisima Trinidad, pray for us!

References:

Notre Dame de la Trinite, Retrieved from http://imagessaintes.canalblog.com/archives/2008/11/03/11214912.html on August 1, 2020.
Our Lady of the Blessed Trinity, Retrieved from https://curatormuseo.wordpress.com/2006/08/17/our-lady-of-the-blessed-trinity/ on August 1, 2020.

Interview:

Simpelo, Reggie

Special thanks to the owners of the photographs used for this blogpost, and to Mr. Reggie Simpleo for the interview regarding the Nuestra Señora de la Santisima Trinidad de Manila.
+AM+DG+

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