Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal

November 27: Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal (1830)

It was almost midnight, when Sister Laboure was awakened by someone calling her. She
saw at the foot of her bed a beautiful child, beckoning her to follow; arriving at the chapel,
she beheld Our Lady, who spoke to her for two hours.

On November 27, while the community was assembled for prayer, Mary came for a second
visit. Her head was covered with a soft white veil, she stood on a ball on which was a
serpent with crushed head. In her hands Our Lady held a small ball, the globe, with a tiny
cross at its top, and offered it to God as she prayed. Upon her fingers were many rings,
filled with precious stones of varied beauty and brilliancy. As rays of light shot forth from
those stones, Our Lady lowered her eyes and spoke to Catherine Laboure:

“This ball which you see is the world; I am praying for it and for everyone in the world. The
rays are the graces which I give to everyone who asks for them. But there are no rays for
some of these stones; many people do not receive graces because they do not ask for
them.”

Then Mary’s arms were lowered and she became brighter and lovelier; a group of words
encircled her head:

“O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.”

And a voice said:

“Have a medal made according to this picture. All who wear it when it is blessed will receive
many graces especially if they wear it suspended about their necks.”

The vision of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal turned and showed the letter “M”
surmounted by a cross with a crossbar beneath it; under the initial of the name Mary were
the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary: the first encircled by a crown of thorns; the second
transfixed by a sword. Encircling the entire picture were 12 stars with a golden frame.

In December 1831, the third apparition repeated the request for the making of the medal of
Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. Sister Catherine told her superior and her confessor
about Mary’s request. When Father Aladel told the archbishop, his Excellency said, “Have a
medal made at once and send me some of the first made.” In June, 1832, the first 2,000
medals appeared. So many miracles were wrought by the use of the medal, that it was
called “The Miraculous Medal.”

Six years later another desire of Our Blessed Mother’s was answered when an altar was
constructed on the very spot where she appeared, in the Chapel of the Apparitions.

Sister Catherine Laboure died in 1876, December 31, and all felt she had gone directly to
Heaven. On July 27, 1947, she was canonized by Pope Pius XII. When her casket was
opened shortly before, her body looked as lovely as it did when she died fifty-six years
before.

The Miraculous Medal and the account of the apparitions continued to inspire widespread
devotion so that the Church deemed it fitting that the love of Mary manifested so
generously and powerfully by the Miraculous Medal should not be over looked, and that the
devotion to the Immaculate Conception should become worldwide. The Apostolic See,
therefore, expressed its desire to have a special day set aside each year to celebrate the
marvelous events attending Our Lady's apparition. Upon careful examination of all the facts,
Leo XII proclaimed to the universal Church the "Feast of the Miraculous Medal" with a
special Office and Mass.

The Miraculous Medal is a badge stating that the wearer has on ideal: the Blessed Virgin,
and one ambition: to retain purity of soul throughout life by keeping that soul in the state of
grace always. If you wear Mary’s Miraculous Medal and live for what it represents, you
should be one of the happiest people in the world.

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

Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal

*from the Woman in Orbit and Mary's Book

𝕺𝖚𝖗 𝕷𝖆𝖉𝖞 𝖔𝖋 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝕸𝖎𝖗𝖆𝖈𝖚𝖑𝖔𝖚𝖘 𝕸𝖊𝖉𝖆𝖑
𝕺𝖚𝖗 𝕷𝖆𝖉𝖞 𝖔𝖋 𝕮𝖆𝖞𝖘𝖆𝖘𝖆𝖞

𝕺𝖚𝖗 𝕷𝖆𝖉𝖞 𝖔𝖋 𝕲𝖚𝖆𝖉𝖆𝖑𝖚𝖕𝖊

𝕺𝖚𝖗 𝕷𝖆𝖉𝖞 𝖔𝖋 𝕷𝖔𝖚𝖗𝖉𝖊𝖘

𝕺𝖚𝖗 𝕷𝖆𝖉𝖞 𝖔𝖋 𝕱𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖒𝖆

𝕹𝖚𝖊𝖘𝖙𝖗𝖆 𝕾𝖊𝖓𝖔𝖗𝖆 𝕯𝖊 𝕾𝖔𝖑𝖎𝖉𝖆𝖉

𝕴𝖒𝖒𝖆𝖈𝖚𝖑𝖆𝖙𝖊 𝕮𝖔𝖓𝖈𝖊𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓
𝕺𝖚𝖗 𝕷𝖆𝖉𝖞 𝖔𝖋 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝕳𝖔𝖑𝖞 𝕽𝖔𝖘𝖆𝖗𝖞

𝕺𝖚𝖗 𝕸𝖔𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖗 𝖔𝖋 𝕻𝖊𝖗𝖕𝖊𝖙𝖚𝖆𝖑 𝕳𝖊𝖑𝖕

𝕷𝖆 𝕷𝖎𝖓𝖆 𝕸𝖆𝖗𝖎𝖆

𝕸𝖆𝖗𝖞 𝕳𝖊𝖑𝖕 𝖔𝖋 𝕮𝖍𝖗𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖎𝖆𝖓

𝕺𝖚𝖗 𝕷𝖆𝖉𝖞 𝖔𝖋 𝕸𝖔𝖚𝖓𝖙 𝕮𝖆𝖗𝖒𝖊𝖑
𝕹𝖚𝖊𝖘𝖙𝖗𝖆 𝕾𝖊ñ𝖔𝖗𝖆 𝖉𝖊 𝖑𝖆 𝕾𝖔𝖑𝖊𝖉𝖆𝖉

Our Lady of Caysasay

he Story of OUR LADY OF CAYSASAY

            In 1603, a fisherman by the name of Juan Maningkad fished out his net in the Pansipit River,
in Taal, Batangas, a twelve inch tall image of  OUR LADY OF CAYSASAY, radiating with heavenly
luster.  Upon seeing this image, Juan, being a pious man prostrated himself and venerated it, after
which he carried the image home.  Soon enough, the whole village came to know about his
remarkable catch.  The town authorities and the Vicar, who represented the King of Spain, went to
Juan’s home to verify the story.

            The image was later placed under the care of Doña Maria Espiritu, the widow of the town’s
judge, who had a special urn made for its safekeeping.  Then, strange things began to happen.  Doña
Maria found the urn empty one day, but the next
morning, the image was back in the urn.  The incident was repeated a number of times, so Doña Maria
reported the matter to the parish priest.  To investigate the mysterious coming and going of the
image, the priest decided to set up parish volunteers to keep vigil beside the urn.  With eager hearts
they sat waiting and praying, and they did see the urn open by itself, as they saw with their own eyes
the glorious image going out and coming back again.

            This time, the priest decided that the villagers should now come with lighted candles and
follow the image the next time it left.  When this finally happened, the image led them to Caysasay, to
the place where it was originally found.  When the image returned to the urn, the priest decided to
transfer it from Doña Maria Espiritu’s house to the town church for safekeeping.  But the same thing
happened in the church, until the image completely disappeared and was nowhere to be found.

            After Several years in 1611, two women by the names of  Maria Bagohin and Maria Talain,
were gathering firewood  near the place where the image ws originally found.  They saw the image
reflected in the spring water that had sprung on the spot.  They looked up and saw the image atop the
branch of a tall sampaga bush with two lighted candles on each side, amongst kingfisher birds called
casaycasay which the Spaniards at that time pronounced as caysasay.  They hurried back to town and
reported to the parish priest.  The people and the parish priest finally concluded that it was the
Virgin’s wish to stay in Caysasay, so they decided to build a chapel on the very spot where the image
was found.

            It was also in 1611 that the first apparition of Our Lady to an almost blind native servant girl,
Juana Tangui and around 30 women, was recorded by the church ordinario.  This was the first
recorded Marian apparition in the country.  From the miraculous cure of her eyes during the
apparition, the well water, now known as “Balon ng Sta. Lucia” and the adjoining stream, now known
as “Banal na Tubig” have been known to possess miraculous attributes of healing to this day.  An arch
with pediment was constructed after 1611 over the wells, which generally marks the spot of her
apparitions, and is today called “Banal na Pook”.

Our Lady of Guadalupe, Spanish Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, also

called the Virgin of Guadalupe, in Roman Catholicism, the Virgin Mary in her
appearance before St. Juan Diego in a vision in 1531. The name also refers to
the Marian apparition itself. Our Lady of Guadalupe holds a special place in
the religious life of Mexico and is one of the most popular religious devotions.
Her image has played an important role as a national symbol of Mexico.
Virgin of GuadalupeVirgin of Guadalupe(Spanish Virgen de Guadalupe), oil on canvas by Antonio de
Torres, c.  1720; in the collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, California. Los Angeles County
Museum of Art, gift of Kelvin Davis through the 2014 Collectors Committee (M.2014.91), www.lacma.org

According to tradition, Mary appeared to Juan Diego, who was

an Aztec convert to Christianity, on December 9 and again on December 12,
1531. She requested that a shrine to her be built on the spot where she
appeared, Tepeyac Hill (now in a suburb of Mexico City).
The bishopdemanded a sign before he would approve construction of a
church, however. Mary appeared a second time to Juan Diego and ordered
him to collect roses. In a second audience with the bishop, Juan Diego
opened his cloak, letting dozens of roses fall to the floor and revealing the
image of Mary imprinted on the inside of the cloak—the image that is now
venerated in the Basilica of Guadalupe.
The traditional view has been questioned by various scholars and
ecclesiastics, including the former abbot of the Basilica of Guadalupe. The
primary objection is that there is no documentary evidence for the apparition
until 1648; critics claim that documents purporting to be from the 16th century
are actually from the 17th. Critics have also noted that the bishop approached
by Juan Diego was not consecrated until 1534, and he makes no mention of
Juan Diego or of Our Lady of Guadalupe in his writings. Defenders of the
Virgin of Guadalupe—including Pope John Paul II, who canonized Juan Diego
and declared Our Lady of Guadalupe the patroness of the Americas—accept
the authenticity of the early documents and point also to various oral accounts
of the apparition.

John Paul’s actions were only the latest in a series of developments affirming
the importance of Our Lady of Guadalupe. A shrine to the Virgin has existed
on the site since at least 1556, when the archbishop of New Spain promoted
devotion to the image of Mary at a chapel in Tepeyac. The image was
described by an English prisoner in Mexico City in 1568, and by the end of the
16th century Our Lady of Guadalupe formed part of a wide network of shrines
to the Virgin throughout Mexico. The story of Mary’s appearance to Juan
Diego was codified in the work of Miquel Sánchez in 1648, and an account in
the indigenous language (Nahuatl) was published in 1649 and widely
accepted as accurate. The devotion continued to grow, especially after Our
Lady of Guadalupe was credited with ending a
deadly epidemic of hemorrhagic feverthat ravaged Mexico City in 1736–37. In
1737 she was proclaimed patroness of Mexico City, and in 1746 her
patronage was accepted by all the territories of New Spain, which included
part of present-day California as well as Mexico and regions as far south
as Guatemala and El Salvador. In 1754 Pope Benedict XIV approved her
patronage and granted her a proper feast and massfor December 12.
Pope Pius X proclaimed her patroness of Latin America in 1910, and in
1935 Pius XI approved her patronage over the Philippines. Veneration of Our
Lady of Guadalupe has been particularly strong among women, especially in
Mexico, and since at least the early 18th century the devotion was spread
throughout the world by the Jesuits and other religious.
 The Old Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mexico City. © Byelikova/Dreamstime.com

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Our Lady of Guadalupe’s role in Mexican history is not limited to religious
matters; she has played an important role in Mexican nationalism and identity.
In 1810 Miguel Hidalgo y Costillapromoted her as the patroness of the revolt
he led against the Spanish. The image of the Virgin of Guadalupe appeared
on the rebels’ banners, and the rebels’ battle cry was “Long Live Our Lady of
Guadalupe.” During a religious revival in Mexico in the late 19th century,
preachers declared that the foundation of Mexico could be dated to the time of
the apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe, because she freed the people from
idolatry and reconciled the Spanish and indigenous peoples in a common
devotion. Emiliano Zapata’s peasant rebels carried the banner of Our Lady
when they entered Mexico City in 1914, and, during the civil war in Mexico in
1926–29, the banners of the rebels bore her image. Her continuing
significance as a religious and national symbol is attested by the hundreds of
thousands of pilgrims who visit her shrine every year.
Our Lady of Lourdes

On Feb. 11, the Catholic Church celebrates the liturgical memorial of

Our Lady of Lourdes, recalling a series of 18 appearances that the
Blessed Virgin Mary made to a 14-year-old French peasant girl,
Saint Bernadette Soubirous.

The Marian apparitions began Feb. 11, 1858, ended July 16 that
year and received the local bishop's approval after a four-year
inquiry.

Coming soon after the 1854 dogmatic definition of her Immaculate

Conception, the Virgin Mary's appearances at Lourdes turned the
town into a popular travel destination. Thousands of people say
their medical conditions have been cured through pilgrimage, prayer
and the water flowing from a spring to which Bernadette was
directed by the Blessed Virgin. Experts have verified 69 cases of
miraculous healing at Lourdes since 1862.

St. Bernadette also has her own liturgical memorial, which occurs
Feb. 18 in France and Canada and April 16 elsewhere. Born in
January 1844, the future visionary was the first child of her parents
Francois and Louise, who both worked in a mill run by Francois.
Their family life was loving but difficult. Many of Bernadette's
siblings died in childhood, and she developed asthma. Economic
hardship and an injury suffered by her father cost them the mill in
1854.

Years of poverty followed, during which Bernadette often had to live

apart from her parents and work rather than attending school. In
January 1858 she returned to her family, whose members were
living in a cramped single room. Strongly committed to her faith,
Bernadette made an effort to learn the Church's teachings despite
her lack of formal education.

On Feb. 11, 1858, Bernadette went to gather firewood with her

sister and a friend. As she approached a grotto near a river, she
saw a light coming from a spot near a rosebush. The light
surrounded a woman who wore a white dress and held a rosary.
Seeing the lady in white make the sign of the Cross, Bernadette
knelt, took out her own rosary, and began to pray. When she
finished praying, the woman motioned for her to approach. But she
remained still, and the vision disappeared.

Her companions had seen nothing. Bernadette described the lady in

white to them, demanding they tell no one. But the secret came out
later that day. The next Sunday, Bernadette returned to the grotto,
where she saw the woman again. The identity of the apparition,
however, would remain unknown for several weeks.

Some adults accompanied Bernadette on her third trip, on Feb. 18,

though they did not see the vision she received. The woman in
white asked the girl to return for two weeks. “She told me also,”
Bernadette later wrote, “that she did not promise to make me
happy in this world, but in the next.” A group of family members
and others went with her to the cave the next day, but only the
young peasant girl saw the woman and heard her words.

Over the next few days, the number of people in attendance at the
cave swelled to more than 100. A parish priest, Father Peyramale,
became concerned – as did the police. On Feb. 24, 250 people saw
Bernadette break into tears, but only she heard the woman’s
message: “Penance! Penance! Penance! Pray to God for sinners. Go,
kiss the ground for the conversion of sinners.”

A larger crowd was there on Feb. 25 – but they were shocked to see
Bernadette drinking from a muddy stream and eating weeds. The
apparition had told her to drink the water, and the weed-eating was
a penitential act. Onlookers, meanwhile, saw only the girl’s unusual
behavior, and popular fascination turned to ridicule and suspicion.

On Feb. 27, Bernadette made a joyful discovery: the spring from

which she drank was not muddy now, but clear. As the crowds
continued to gather, this change was noticed, and a woman with a
paralyzed arm came to the water hoping to be healed. Four years
later, her case would be recognized as the first miraculous healing
at Lourdes. Public interest continued, and Bernadette heard a
recurring message from the vision: “Go, tell the priests to bring
people here in procession and have a chapel built here.”

While others were quick to conclude that Bernadette was seeing the
Virgin Mary, the visionary herself did not claim to know the woman’s
identity. As she conveyed the repeated message to Fr. Peyramale,
the priest grew frustrated and told Bernadette to ask the woman
her name. But when she did so, the woman smiled and remained
silent. Her identity remained a mystery after the initial two-week
period.

Three weeks later, on the Feast of the Annunciation, Bernadette

visited the cave again. When she saw the lady, she kept asking to
know her identity. Finally, the woman folded her hands, looked up
and said: “I am the Immaculate Conception.” The seer, devout but
uneducated, did not know what these words meant. She related
them to Fr. Peyramale, who was stunned and informed his bishop.

Bernadette saw the Blessed Virgin Mary two more times in 1858: on
the Wednesday after Easter, and on the feast of Our Lady of Mount
Carmel. In 1862, the local bishop declared the apparitions worthy of
belief.

St. Bernadette left Lourdes in 1866 to join a religious order in

central France, where she died after several years of illness in 1879.
By the time of her death, a basilica had been built and consecrated
at the apparition site, under the leadership of Fr. Peyramale.

Our Lady of Fatima

May 13 is the anniversary of the apparition of Our Lady to three

shepherd children in the small village of Fatima in Portugal in 1917. 
She appeared six times to Lucia, 9, and her cousins Francisco, 8,
and his sister Jacinta, 6, between May 13, 1917 and October 13,
1917.

The story of Fatima begins in 1916, when, against the backdrop of

the First World War which had introduced Europe to the most
horrific and powerful forms of warfare yet seen, and a year before
the Communist revolution would plunge Russia and later Eastern
Europe into six decades of oppression under militant atheistic
governments, a resplendent figure appeared to the three children
who were in the field tending the family sheep. “I am the Angel of
Peace,” said the figure, who appeared to them two more times that
year exhorting them to accept the sufferings that the Lord allowed
them to undergo as an act of reparation for the sins which offend
Him, and to pray constantly for the conversion of sinners.

Then, on the 13th day of the month of Our Lady, May 1917, an
apparition of ‘a woman all in white, more brilliant than the sun’
presented itself to the three children saying “Please don’t be afraid
of me, I’m not going to harm you.” Lucia asked her where she came
from and she responded,  “I come from Heaven.”  The woman wore
a white mantle edged with gold and held a rosary in her hand. The
woman asked them to pray and devote themselves to the Holy
Trinity and to “say the Rosary every day, to bring peace to the
world and an end to the war.”

She also revealed that the children would suffer, especially from the
unbelief of their friends and families, and that the two younger
children, Francisco and Jacinta would be taken to Heaven very soon
but Lucia would live longer in order to spread her message and
devotion to the Immaculate Heart.

In the last apparition the woman revealed her name in response to

Lucia’s question:   “I am the Lady of the Rosary.”

That same day, 70,000 people had turned out to witness the
apparition, following a promise by the woman that she would show
the people that the apparitions were true. They saw the sun make
three circles and move around the sky in an incredible zigzag
movement in a manner which left no doubt in their minds about the
veracity of the apparitions.  By 1930 the Bishop had approved of the
apparitions and they have been approved by the Church as
authentic.

The messages Our Lady imparted during the apparitions to the

children concerned the violent trials that would afflict the world by
means of war, starvation, and the persecution of the Church and
the Holy Father in the twentieth century if the world did not make
reparation for sins. She exhorted the Church to pray and offer
sacrifices to God in order that peace may come upon the world, and
that the trials may be averted.

Our Lady of Fatima revealed three prophetic “secrets,” the first two
of which were revealed earlier and refer to the vision of hell and the
souls languishing there, the request for an ardent devotion to the
Immaculate Heart of Mary, the prediction of the Second World War,
and finally the prediction of the immense damage that Russia would
do to humanity by abandoning the Christian faith and embracing
Communist totalitarianism.  The third “secret” was not revealed
until the year 2000, and referred to the persecutions that humanity
would undergo in the last century: “The good will be martyred; the
Holy Father will have much to suffer; various nations will be
annihilated'”.  The suffering of the popes of the 20th century has
been interpreted to include the assassination attempt on Pope John
Paul II in 1981, which took place on May 13, the 64th anniversary
of the apparitions. The Holy Father attributed his escape from
certain death to the intervention of Our Lady: “... it was a mother's
hand that guided the bullet's path and in his throes the Pope halted
at the threshold of death.”

What is the central meaning of the message of Fatima? Nothing

different from what the Church has always taught: it is, as Cardinal
Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict the XVI,  has put it, “the exhortation
to prayer as the path of “salvation for souls” and, likewise, the
summons to penance and conversion.”

Perhaps the most well known utterance of the apparition of Our

Lady at Fatima was her confident decalaration that  “My Immaculate
Heart will triumph”. Cardinal Ratzinger has interpreted this
utterance as follows: “The Heart open to God, purified by
contemplation of God, is stronger than guns and weapons of every
kind. The fiat of Mary, the word of her heart, has changed the
history of the world, because it brought the Saviour into the world—
because, thanks to her Yes, God could become man in our world
and remains so for all time. The Evil One has power in this world, as
we see and experience continually; he has power because our
freedom continually lets itself be led away from God. But since God
himself took a human heart and has thus steered human freedom
towards what is good, the freedom to choose evil no longer has the
last word. From that time forth, the word that prevails is this: “In
the world you will have tribulation, but take heart; I have overcome
the world” (Jn 16:33). The message of Fatima invites us to trust in
this promise.

Nuestra Senora De Soledad

VIRGEN de la SOLEDAD in
thePHILIPPINES
Our Lady of Solitude or Nuestra Señora de la Soledad is a title of the Blessed Virgin Mary during Her life’s
most desolate period.  This is the time between Jesus’ horrible death on Good Friday and His glorious
resurrection on Easter Sunday.  She has been widowed by St. Joseph and has just witnessed Her Son’s
Passion, Crucifixion and death.

This sad but meaningful title of Our Lady is portrayed in three venerated icons --- one in Cavite city,
Province of Cavite; one in Binondo, manila and another in San Isidro, Nueva Ecija.

In all three icons, Our Lady is shown clad in black mourning clothes, kneeling before the instruments of
torture-the nails, crown of thorns, INRI, sign, spear, ladder, pliers, hammer,  rope, scourge, etc. Angels
are shown on both sides as if parting the curtains to reaveal the grieving Mother.*

Virgen de la Soledad de MANILA

Venerated in a little chapel a few meters away from CM Recto Ave. in Manila, is another version of the
Virgen de la Soledad.  Though not much is known of the icon, many believe that it is one of the many
representations of the famous and miraculous Virgin of Porta Vaga in Cavite and that this replica may
have been honored in this community since 1884.  According to accounts and stories of old people, the
Camba area has been inhabited by mostly residents from Cavite city that’s why it has been called in the
older days as Barrio Soledad.

Miracles have also been attributed to this mysterious icon.  It is said that the entire neighborhood where
it resides has always been protected from the fires which guttered the Binondo district many times.   The
Camba area has always been spared from other kinds of calamities and even the ravages of wars.
Her feastday is celebrated annually every 1st of January through a traslacion going to the Mother Parish
of Sto. Niño de Tondo capped by a festive caracol procession going back to its home in Camba St.,
Manila.*
Virgen de la Soledad de NUEVA ECIJA.
A lesser known version of the Soledad is venerated in Nueva Ecija.  In a leaflet written and published by
Jaime C. Laya, he narrated that the icon has occupied a niche above a side altar of the town church and
that it was honored in a fluvial procession on the Rio Grande de Pampanga.  This tradition was held from
the mid-19th century till the 1920’s.  In 1982, the image mysteriously vanished.  It was thought to have
been stolen but no police records exist to support this.  

Sometime after its disappearance, the image found its way to an antique dealer in Manila and was
purchased by a private individual.  Upon hearing rumors of a missing icon venerated in Central Luzon,
the buyer confronted the antique shop owner who insisted that it was taken to the shop legitimately. 
The owner kept the icon but informed some of his friends (including Mr. Laya) of its story.

In October 2002, Mr. Laya had a business meeting with Arch. Cristina Turalba who mentioned a project
in San Isidro.  Remembering the icon, he asked her if she knew anything about the town’s Patron.   Arch.
Turalba also researched on the Patron and upon further inquiries, it was confirmed by Mayor Sonia R.
Lorenzo that their “Patrona” has been missing.

An old sacristan of the church by the name of Ruperto Flores provided the icon’s description.  He
narrated that it was a painting on wood, enclosed in an ornate solid-silver frame.   It is a 19th century
work, depicting the grieving Mary—similar to the one honored in Cavite.  Aside from the instruments of
torture, the painting is embellished by gold and silver appliqués—the Holy Spirit, angels, Virgin’s golden
rostrillo, her cloak with it’s silver lining and metal stars, silver boat-like pillow, a letter “V” and a galleon.

The elaborate silver frame done in baroque, shows ines, leaves and flowers.  Within this frame is a
faded, crimson velvet background with silver miniatures of an empty cross, two ladders, nails, and
hammer.  Also shown are an angel holding a chalice, Veronica’s veil with 3 faces of Christ, a reed, a man
in priestly robes, a spear, a pitcher (Pilate), a rooster and key (St. Peter), a pillar (scourging), a sponge on
a pole, and eyes (probably an ex-voto given in thanksgiving for restored sight).  

Upon hearing the sacristan’s exact description of the icon, the buyer returned the missing icon to its
rightful owner, hoping it will receive better security and care.  After about 20 years, Nuestra Señora de
la Soledad is again venerated in San Isidro Labrador church.*
Virgen de la Soledad in Tambo, BUHI, Camarines Sur. Photo courtesy of Glenn Inocencio.
 Virgen de la Soled

Virgen de la Soledad in BUHI, Camarines Sur.

 This is one of the three carvings on the calpe tree on the Story of Our Lady of Salvacion. One was of San
Antonio de Padua. As the Story goes, it all began on a certain day when Dacoba was clearing the land
which he was tilling. He cut a calpe tree, which is good for use as firewood or post. However, he was
amazed because despite the many hours that passed by, the tree remained as fresh as it was before; its
leaves did not wilt “Milagro!” he said to himself. He informed his landlord about it. That landlord was
Don Arcilla who then consulted the pastor of Buhi of what could be done with it. The friar  pastor of Buhi
summoned as sculptor named Bagacumba. Out of the tree, he was able to carve three statuettes-
Nuestra Señora de Salvacion, San Antonio de Padua, and Nuestra Señora de Soledad—now in Brgy.
Joroan of Tiwi, and in the poblacion and Brgy. Tambo both of Buhi, respectively.   

RAYER OF PETITION TO OUR LADY OF SOLITUDE

O most holy and sorrowful Virgin of Solitude, you who stood at the foot of the
cross and witnessed the last breath of your Son, you who were expectant while
you are reflecting at the crown of thorns and the nails, which caused the
suffering and death of your Son. We come to you on bended knees to give
reverence to your sorrows 
and offer our petitions confidently of taking refuge in the sanctuary of your
wounded heart. We ask you to offer these supplications to Jesus Christ through
the merits of His holy sacrifice, together with your sorrows at the foot of the
cross, and with their merits efficaciousness. May we come to obtain the grace
and favors that we ask…
( Mention here your special intentions )
To whom can we have recourse in the midst of our needs and suffering but only
to you, Oh mother of mercy? You who have partaker from the chalice of your Son
and having a compassionate heart to the supplications of those who journey in
this valley of tears. Oh most loving mother, whose soul was pierced by a lance of
anguish upon seeing the suffering of your Son, pray for us and obtain for us from
Jesus all our petitions if it is in accordance for His praise and glory and for the
healing of our souls. Amen.
Our Lady of Solitude of Porta Vaga,
Pray for us.

Immaculate Conception
ROMAN CATHOLICISM

WRITTEN BY: 

 The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

See Article History
Immaculate Conception, Roman Catholic dogma asserting that Mary, the
mother of Jesus, was preserved free from the effects of the sin
of Adam (usually referred to as “original sin”) from the first instant of
her conception. Although various texts in both the Old and the New
Testaments have been cited in defense of the doctrine, it seems to have
arisen from a general acceptance in the early church of Mary’s holiness.
Especially after Mary had been solemnly declared to be the mother of God at
the Council of Ephesus in 431, most theologians doubted that one who had
been so close to God could have actually experienced sinful acts.
The view that Mary had been spared also from the disposition to
evil inherent in original sin was not clearly articulated until the 12th century,
when considerable debate was centred on an English celebration of Mary’s
conception. The discussion was clouded by medieval views of the biological
aspects of conception and by a concern that the belief in the universal
redemption effected by Jesus should not be threatened. The latter concern
(particularly associated with St. Thomas Aquinas in the 13th century) was
countered not long after by the Franciscan theologian John Duns Scotus, who
argued that Christ’s redemptive grace was applied to Mary to prevent sin from
reaching her soul and that this special intervention resulted in a more perfect
redemption in her case. Mary’s privilege, thus, was the result of God’s grace
and not of any intrinsic merit on her part.
A gradual acceptance of the Franciscan’s views over the next several
centuries was reflected in the teaching of various popes (especially Sixtus
IV in the late 15th century) and the councils of Basel (1439) and Trent (1546).
It was not, however, until December 8, 1854, that Pius IX, urged by the
majority of Catholic bishops throughout the world, solemnly declared in the
bull Ineffabilis Deus that the doctrine was revealed by God and hence was to
be firmly believed as such by all Catholics. The feast of the Immaculate
Conception is celebrated on December 8 and is usually a holy day of
obligation (on which Catholics are required to attend mass).

Our Lady of the Rosary

October 7: Our Lady of the Rosary

In the year 1571 the Moslem Empire of Asia, the Ottoman Empire, had reached a point of
great power and military might. Spurred on by the desire for conquest, as well as by hatred
of the Christian cross, the Moslem forces had attacked and overcome the outer bastions of
the Christian world, and were now making threatening gestures at Italy and the Christian
countries bordering the western Mediterranean Sea. Information was at hand that a huge
Moslem fleet stood poised and ready to attack.
Pope Saint Pius V, recognizing the danger, organized a papal fleet and found a brave and
brilliant commander, Don Juan of Austria, to take command. In the early days of October
1571, he sailed to meet the enemy and encountered them in the Bay of Lepanto. Although
the Christian troops were heavily outnumbered, skill in maneuver, together with the bravery
of the Christian troops, brought about a great victory and the Moslem fleet was all but
destroyed.

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Our Lady of the Rosary

Before and during the decisive battle, the Christian world lead by Pope Saint Pius V, invoked
the Blessed Virgin in a special way for her assistance; and they were convinced that the
victory at Lepanto was a result of Mary’s help. The Pope proclaimed a special feast in honor
of Our Lady of Victory, to be celebrated on the first Sunday of October.
Two years later Pope Gregory XIII changed the name of this feast to that of the Holy
Rosary, honoring the special prayer to which the victory was ascribed. The celebration of
the feast is now observed on October 7, the date of the Battle of Lepanto. Out of this
celebration arose the custom of dedicating the entire month of October to Mary and the
Rosary, Our Lady of the Rosary, a custom highly sanctioned and approved by succeeding
Pontiffs.

Pope Leo XIII, in more modern times, added to the Litany of Loreto the invocation: “Queen
of the most holy rosary, pray for us.”

The devotion of the rosary is not only an important practice in the Church but it is a
devotion singularly honored by having a special feast dedicated to it. The devotion of the
rosary preceded the feast by centuries, and the institution of the feast was a glorious tribute
to the power of the devotion. The origin of the devotion is probably the vision granted to
St.Dominic in which the Blessed Virgin bade him use it as a means of overcoming heresy.
Tradition tells us that the great Dominican beheld this vision in 1206 when he was mourning
the inroads made by the Albigensian heretics. Later the signal defeat of these heretics at
the battle of Muret in the same century was attributed to the recitation of the rosary by St.
Dominic.

The weapons of war have changed drastically since the battle of Lepanto well over 400
years ago; but without doubt the spiritual weapon of the rosary remains as potent for
winning the final victory; if only enough people will properly make use of it. At Lourdes and
at Fatima Mary appeared to the favored children holding in her hands a rosary. She made it
clear to them, and through them to the world, that the frequent and devout recitation of the
rosary was the means by which the world could be brought back to God and lasting peace
could be achieved.

Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for us.

OUR MOTHER OF PERPETUAL HELP

The image of Our Lady of Perpetual Help is an icon, painted on wood, and seems to
have originated around the thirteenth century.  Traditionally, the image is also known as
“Our Lady of Perpetual Succour.”  The icon (about 54 x 41.5 centimeters) depicts our
Blessed Mother Mary, under the title “Mother of God,” holding the Child Jesus.  The
Archangels Michael and Gabriel, hovering in the upper corners, hold the instruments of
the Passion– St. Michael (in the left corner) holds the spear, the wine-soaked sponge,
and the crown of thorns, and St. Gabriel (in the right corner) holds the cross and the
nails.  The intent of the artist was to portray the Child Jesus contemplating the vision of
His future Passion.  The anguish He feels is shown by the loss of one of His sandals. 
Nevertheless, the icon also conveys the triumph of Christ over sin and death,
symbolized by the golden background (a sign of the glory of the resurrection) and the
manner in which the angels hold the instruments, i.e. like trophies gathered up from
Calvary on Easter morning.

In a very beautiful way, the Child Jesus grasps the hand of the Blessed Mother.  He
seeks comfort from His mother, as He sees the instruments of His passion.  The
position of Mary’s hands– both holding the Child Jesus (who seems like a small adult)
and presenting Him to us– convey the reality of our Lord’s incarnation, that He is true
God who became also true man.  In iconography, Mary here is represented as
the Hodighitria, the one who guides us to the Redeemer.  She also is our Help, who
intercedes on our behalf with her Son.  The star painted on Mary’s veil, centered on her
forehead, highlights her role in the plan of salvation as both the Mother of God and our
Mother

According to popular tradition, a merchant acquired the icon of Our Lady of Perpetual
Help from the island of Crete and had it shipped to Rome towards the end of the
fifteenth century.  During the voyage, a terrible storm arose, threatening the lives of all
on ship.  The passengers and crew prayed to our Blessed Mother, and were saved.

Once in Rome, the merchant, dying, ordered that the image should be displayed for
public veneration.  His friend, who retained the image, received further instructions: in a
dream to his little daughter, the Blessed Mother appeared and expressed the desire for
the image to be venerated in a Church between the Basilicas of St. Mary Major and St.
John Lateran in Rome.  The image, consequently, was housed at the Church of St.
Matthew, and became known as “The Madonna of Saint Matthew.”  Pilgrims flocked to
the church for the next three hundred years, and great graces were bestowed upon the
faithful.

After Napoleon’s troops destroyed the Church of St. Matthew in 1812, the image was
transferred to the Church of St. Mary in Posterula, and remained there for nearly forty
years.  There, the image was neglected and forgotten.

By divine providence, the forgotten image was rediscovered.  In 1866, Blessed Pope
Pius IX entrusted the image to the Redemptorists, who had just built the Church of St.
Alphonsus, down the street from St. Mary Major.  As a boy, the Holy Father had prayed
before the image in the Church of St. Matthew.  He ordered the public display and
veneration of the image, and fixed the feast of Our Lady of Perpetual Help as the
Sunday before the Feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist.  In 1867, when the
image was being carried in a solemn procession through the streets, a young child was
cured, the first of many recorded miracles attributed to Our Lady of Perpetual Help.

To this day, the Church of St. Alphonsus displays the icon of Our Lady of Perpetual
Help and welcome pilgrims for prayer.  May each of us never hesitate to invoke the
prayers and intercession of Our Blessed Mother in time of need.
MARY HELP OF CHRISTIANS

The Feast of Mary Help of Christians is celebrated on May 24.

The tradition of this advocation goes back to 1571, when  the whole
of Christendom was saved by Mary Help of Christians when
Catholics throughout Europe prayed the Rosary. The great battle of
Lepanto occurred on October 7th 1571. For this reason this date has
been chosen as the feast of the Holy Rosary. In 1573 Pope Pius V
instituted the feast in thanksgiving for the decisive victory of
Christianity over Islamism.

Near the end of the 17th century, Emperor Leopold I of Austria took
refuge in the Shrine of Mary Help of Christians at Pasau, when
200,000 Ottoman Turks besieged the capital city of Vienna, but a 
great victory occurred thanks to Mary Help of Christians: on
September 8th, Feast of Our Lady's Birthday, plans were drawn for
the battle. On September 12, Feast of the Holy Name of Mary,
Vienna was finally freed through the intercession of Mary Help of
Christians. All Europe had joined with the Emperor crying out "Mary,
Help!" and praying the Holy rosary.

In 1809, Napoleon's men entered the Vatican, arrested Pius VII and
brought him in chains to Grenoble, and eventually Fontainbleau. His
imprisonment lasted five years. The Holy Father vowed to God that ,
if he were restored to the Roman See, he would institute a special
feast in honor of Mary. Military reverses forced Napoleon to release
the Pope, and on May 24th  1814, Pius VII returned in triumph to
Rome. Twelve months later, the Pope decreed that the feast of Mary
Help of Christians, be kept on the 24th of May.
St. John Bosco (1815 - 1888) was a dynamic priest who founded
the Salesian Order in the XIX century in Italy. His many prophetic
dreams, beginning at age nine, guided his ministry and gave
insights on future events.

On May 14, 1862, Don Bosco dreamed about the battles the Church
would face in the latter days. In his dream, the  Pope of those days
anchors the 'ship' of the Church between two pillars, one with a
statue of Mary (Auxilium Christianorum or 'Help of Christians') and
the other with a large Eucharistic Host

St. John Bosco wrote about his congregation, the Salesians:  "The
principal objective is to promote veneration of the Blessed
Sacrament and devotion to Mary Help of Christians. This title seems
to please the august Queen of Heaven very much."

The Salesian Sisters of St John Bosco or Daughters of Mary Help of

Christians, are the sister order of the Salesians of Don Bosco.

St. John Bosco, himself, on June 9 1868, dedicated to Our Lady

Help of Christians, the mother church of his congregation at Turin
(Italy). The Salesian Fathers and their Sisters have carried the
devotion to their numerous establishments.

OUR LADY OF MOUNT CARMEL

he feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, celebrated  on July 16, was

first instituted in the late 14th century in commemoration of the
approval of the rule of the Carmelite Order a hundred years earlier.
According to legend, a religious community was established even
before the time of Christ on Mount Carmel. This is the mountain
overlooking the Mediterranean Sea on which the prophet Elijah
successfully challenged the priests of Baal and won the people to
the true God. The feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel entered the
Calendar of the universal Church in the early 18th century.
Although there is no historical evidence for the pre-Christian
Carmelite community, references in the 12th century record a
community of monks on the holy mountain. Despite continual
difficulties, the community built a monastery and church dedicated
to the Virgin Mary on Mount Carmel in 1263. Saint Louis, King of
France, had visited Mount Carmel in 1254, and brought back six
French hermits for whom he built a convent near Paris.

Mount Carmel was taken by the Muslims in 1291, and the brothers
were killed and the convent burned. The spread of the Carmelites in
Europe is largely attributable to the work of Saint Simon Stock
(1247-1265). The Carmelite Order was formally approved in 1274
at the Council of Lyon.

The Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel

The brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, according to the

Carmelite tradition, was presented by Our Lady to St. Simon Stock,
the then Father General on July 16, 1251.  Our Lady gave St. Simon
a scapular for the Carmelites with the following promise, saying :
"Receive, My beloved son, this habit of thy order: this shall be to
thee and to all Carmelites a privilege, that whosoever dies clothed
in this shall never suffer eternal fire .... It shall be a sign of
salvation, a protection in danger, and a pledge of peace."

Another important aspect of wearing the Scapular is the Sabbatine

Privilege. This concerns a promise made by Our Lady to Pope John
XXII. In a papal letter he issued, he recounted a vision that he had
had. He stated that the Blessed Virgin had said to him in this vision,
concerning those who wear the Brown Scapular: "I, the Mother of
Grace, shall descend on the Saturday after their death and
whomsoever I shall find in Purgatory, I shall free, so that I may lead
them to the holy mountain of life everlasting."

Many popes and saints have strongly recommended wearing  the

Brown Scapular to the Catholic Faithful. Pope Pius XII  said: "The
Scapular is a practice of piety which by its very simplicity is suited
to everyone, and has spread widely among the faithful of Christ to
their spiritual profit." In our own times, Pope Paul VI said: "Let the
faithful hold in high esteem the practices and devotions to the
Blessed Virgin ... the Rosary and the Scapular of Carmel" and in
another place referred to the Scapular as: "so highly recommended
by our illustrious predecessors."

According to Church tradition, there are three conditions necessary

to participate in this Privilege and share in the other spiritual
benefits of the Scapular: wear the Brown Scapular, observe chastity
according to your state in life, and pray the Rosary. In addition to
the Sabbatine Privilege, enrollment in the Brown Scapular also
makes a person part of the Carmelite family throughout the world.
They therefore share in all of the prayers and good works of the
Carmelite Orders.

In order to receive the spiritual blessings associated with the

Scapular, it is necessary to be formally enrolled in the Brown
Scapular. The enrollment is made only once by a priest or
authorized person. The Scapular can be replaced afterwards by a
medal, which has on one side the image of the Sacred Heart of
Jesus and on the other, the image of Mary.

There a short  form for giving the scapular: "Receive this Scapular,
a sign of your special relationship with Mary, the Mother of Jesus,
whom you pledge to imitate. May it be a reminder to you of your
dignity as a Christian in serving others and imitating Mary. Wear it
as a sign of her protection and of belonging to the family of Carmel,
voluntarily doing the will of God and devoting yourself to building a
world true to his plan of community, justice and peace."

The scapular  stands for:

- A commitment to follow Jesus, like Mary, the perfect model of all

the disciples of Christ. This commitment finds its origin in baptism.

- It leads  into the community of Carmel, a community of religious

men and women, which has existed in the Church for over eight
centuries.

- It reminds of the example of the saints of Carmel, with whom it

establishes a close bond as brothers and sisters.

- It is an expression of the  belief that the bearers of the scapular

will meet God in eternal life, aided by the intercession and prayers
of Mary.
The Carmelites insist that the  scapular is not:

- A magical charm to protect someone.

- An automatic guarantee of salvation.
- An excuse for not living up to the demands of the Christian life

It is instead a sign which has been approved by the Church for over
seven centuries and which stands for the decision to

- Follow Jesus like Mary:

- Be open to God and to his will.
- Be guided by faith, hope, and love.
- To pray at all times
- To discover God present in all that happens around us.