Our Lady of La Naval de Manila
| Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary – La Naval de Manila | |
|---|---|
National Shrine of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, Quezon City, Philippines | |
| Patronage | Philippine Navy Quezon City |
| Feast day | Second Sunday of October |
Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary – La Naval de Manila (
The Philippine government in 2012 designated the icon and its shrine as a National Cultural Treasure, making it one of the country's Cultural Properties.[1]
Description
Measuring approximately four feet and eight inches high, the body is made of hardwood in the cage or Bastidor style. The face and hands, as well as the entire Child Jesus, are made of solid ivory. Since its creation, the statue – considered the oldest dated ivory carving in the Philippines – has always been decorated with elaborate garments and a crown.[2]
Some 310,000 individuals led by professors of the University of Santo Tomas, donated their heirloom jewels, gemstones, gold and silver to the image for its canonical coronation in October 1907. These now form part of the icon's vast collection of elaborate regalia, with some pieces dating to the 18th century.[3]
History
In 1593, the new
In 1646, naval forces of the Dutch Republic made several repeated attempts to conquer the Philippines in a bid to control trade in Asia. The combined Spanish and Filipino forces who fought were said to have requested the intercession of the Virgin through the statue prior to battle. They were urged to place themselves under the protection of Our Lady of the Rosary and to pray the rosary repeatedly. They went on to rebuff the continued attacks by the superior Dutch fleet, engaging in five major battles at sea and losing only fifteen members of the Spanish Navy. After the Dutch retreat, in fulfillment of their vow, the survivors walked barefoot to the shrine in gratitude to the Virgin.
Later, on 9 April 1662, the
Granted by the Sovereign Lord through the intercession of the Most Holy Virgin and devotion to her Rosary, that the miracles be celebrated, preached and held in festivities and to be recounted amongst the miracles wrought by the Lady of the Rosary for the greater devotion of the faithful to Our Most Blessed Virgin Mary and Her Holy Rosary.[4]
The image was transferred in October 1954 to a new
_2023-10-01.jpg)
During the
Filipino historian
In December 2011, the
The image, its church and convent, along with the other objects stored in the complex were declared a "National Cultural Treasure" by the National Museum of the Philippines on 4 October 2012. This declaration is in accordance with Republic Act 10066 ("National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009") announced officially by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines and by the National Museum.[1][7]
Pontifical approbations
The statue has merited several papal honours, namely the following:
- In an undated 1903 letter to Leo XIII issued an exhortation for people to come in pilgrimage to the Virgin's shrine in Santo Domingo Church (then in Intramuros).
"...Go to the temple of Santo Domingo, to the sanctuary of the excellence of the Most Holy Virgin of the Rosary in the Philippines, to the place where your elders bent their knees to give thanks to her who liberated these Islands from Protestant heresy, to the spot consecrated by the piety of one hundred generations who had gone there to deposit their piety and confidence in Mary most holy...
Leone XIII, P.P. "
- Dom Ambrose Agius of Malta on 4 April 1906 from the letter of Papal Audience granted to the chaplain of Santa Catalina Normal School, Dominican priest Santiago Paya. The ceremony was carried out on 5 October 1907.
- Pope Pius XII also sent an apostolic letter, "Philippinas Insulas", on the occasion of the tricentenary of the Battle of La Naval de Manila on 31 July 1946.
- Second World War) on 13 October 1973.
- Pope John Paul II dedicated the Asian continent to the same title, using a replica of the icon on 18 February 1981. The Pontiff blessed the original image the next day in another public Mass.
Feast
| Feast of Our Lady of La Naval de Manila | |
|---|---|
 The grand La Naval procession | |
| Also called | Procesion de las Procesiones |
| Observed by | Quezon City |
| Type | Religious / Cultural |
| Date | Second Sunday in October |
| 2023 date | October 8 |
| 2024 date | October 13 |
| 2025 date | October 12 |
| 2026 date | October 11 |
| Frequency | Annual |
The feast of Our Lady of La Naval de Manila is on the second Sunday of October, having been celebrated on that date since 1646. The celebrations start with the enthronement of the image at the main altar of Santo Domingo Church on the Thursday before the
"We, the students of the Colegio de Santa Catalina, dressed in our white gala uniforms, with veils on our heads and lighted candles in our hands, headed the long procession. My schoolmates and I walked in front and behind the image of
Letran band. We arrived at the patio of the church way ahead of the others and stayed at the side to await the arrival of the image of Our Lady. I saw the carrozas of famous Dominican saints being pulled by sweating men, the decorated images swaying in the night whenever there was a rut underneath. And then, at last, after a long time, I heard the music coming from the UST band signaling her imminent arrival. Finally i caught a glimpse of her statue soaring above the multitude of devotees. In front of her, beside her, behind her walked the Dominican priests in their white habits and black capes looking like the brave medieval knights of old, jealously protecting their Lady. And then, once more, the huge bells of Santo Domingo started pealing and the sounds reverberated in my heart. A sense of wellbeing enveloped me and I felt protected, secure and happy. I felt that I loved anyone. I thought my people to be lovely people and my country the best place in the world."
- Lourdes Syquia-Bautista, a student of the nearby Colegio de Santa Catalina
In 2020 and 2021, the image's procession was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines. Instead, the image was enshrined outside the shrine for devotees to venerate.[9][10]
In 2023, city-wide celebrations were held in Quezon City to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the declaration of the Marian title as patroness of the city.[11]
See also
- Catholic Church in the Philippines
- Manila Cathedral
- Santo Niño de Cebu
- Our Lady of Manaoag
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Cubao
- Quezon City
External links
Media related to Our Lady of La Naval de Manila at Wikimedia Commons
References
- ^ a b CBCP: Sto Domingo church to be named 'national treasure' Oct 4, GMA News.
- ^ The National Shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary, La Naval de Manila
- ^ La Naval de Manila Online: The Story of La Naval
- ^ Shrine
- ^ Shrine
- ^ La Naval Online
- ^ Sto. Domingo Church to be declared national treasure[usurped], CBCP News.
- ^ a b Hermoso, Christina (26 September 2023). "Bishop Ongtioco declares second Sunday of October as Solemnity of La Naval". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
- ^ "No procession in pandemic, but faithful still mark Our Lady of the Rosary's La Naval de Manila feast". BusinessMirror. 12 October 2020. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
- ^ Castillo, Ma. Alena O. (7 October 2021). "Mary to gaze devotees once again on La Naval feast". The Varsitarian. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
- ^ Hermoso, Christina (29 September 2023). "City-wide celebration begins for feast of La Naval". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved 18 October 2023.