By Paterno R. Esmaquel II
Three decades ago, medical student Bunny Bonales visited the famed Marian shrine dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary of Manaoag in the northern Philippine province of Pangasinan to have pencils blessed for board exams.
She joined thousands of students with similar wishes to the Virgin Mary, whom they believed can pray for them to God and can help them pass difficult exams.
She passed the exams in 1994 and has since excelled as an obstetrician-gynecologist.
On Apr 22, she flocked to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the canonical coronation of Our Lady of Manaoag (Lady Who Calls).
A canonical coronation is the crowning of a Marian image by the authority of the pope to recognize the fervent devotion surrounding the icon.
Like her, about 700,000 devotees joined the festival this year, defying the hot, humid weather, according to local government authorities.
Devotion to Our Lady of Manaoag is believed to be more than four centuries old. In Asia’s largest Catholic-majority nation, Our Lady of Manaoag is considered among the most miraculous and powerful.
Our Lady of Manaoag is a depiction of Mary from the early 17th century, after a middle-aged farmer is said to have seen her on a hilltop and heard her “call” to build a church there.
The reported 1610 apparition, which has never been officially recognized by the Vatican, gave the town its identity and even its name.
‘Lady who calls’
Regalado Trota Jose, chair of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, said in a live broadcast that the town was initially named Santa Monica in 1600, in honor of the saintly mother of Saint Augustine. It was the Augustinians who first led the local church, until it was turned over to the Dominicans in 1605.
Learning of the Virgin’s wish in the farmer’s story, the Dominicans eventually moved the church “from the Augustinian side across the river, to this present site,” said Jose in the Apr 22 broadcast by Manaoag Basilica. “Manaoag,” which became the town’s official name, comes from a local word that means “to call,” in reference to the Virgin’s call to the farmer in 1610.
Devotion to the “Lady who calls” eventually took root after miracles attributed to her including a 1627 case of a dead child who reportedly came back to life, according to Jose.
Dr Bonales herself attests to miracles produced with the Virgin’s help, especially for couples who could not bear children.
She draws inspiration from Our Lady of Manaoag, locally known as Apo Baket, who is depicted carrying the child Jesus.
“Apo Baket carries Jesus. As an obstetrician-gynecologist, what do we help deliver? Are they not babies?” Dr Bonales said.
“We are just instruments, really. We aren’t the ones doing the healing. We’re just being used so that healing can happen,” the gynecologist told UCA News.
Our Lady of Manaoag became the third canonically crowned image in the country in 1926. The Philippines currently has 64 canonically crowned Marian images.
The coronation centennial gained added significance with the presence of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr and First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos on Apr 22.
The First Couple attended the morning Mass, where the Church held a reenactment of the 1926 crowning of the Manaoag image.
President Marcos carried the Virgin’s crown to the front of the basilica, as the First Lady stood by his side. Bowing as he entered the sanctuary, the country’s leader presented the crown to be blessed by the apostolic nuncio, Archbishop Charles Brown, the dean of the country’s diplomatic corps.
In a symbolic gesture that depicted church and state in the Philippines, Brown eventually crowned the Virgin while Marcos stood behind him as a witness. The President later led a post-communion prayer for the centennial celebration.
Spirit of complete surrender
While the dignitaries descended upon Manaoag on Apr 22, the hundreds of thousands who flocked there remained the highlight of the celebration.
The pilgrims came in full force during the evening procession through the streets of Manaoag, which included Filipinos from all walks of life.
At the age of 64, Marilou Fajardo braved the two-hour procession in the humid weather, telling UCA News, “I am doing this to be stronger.”
Her younger sister, 60-year-old Bernadette Fajardo, is a single mother who came to thank Our Lady of Manaoag.
Breaking into tears, she said she has been single-handedly parenting her children for 12 years now. Her eldest child has finished college, the second is dead, and her third and youngest child is still a college student.
She prayed that her youngest child could finish her schooling successfully.
When asked about the characteristics of Our Lady of Manaoag that can inspire single parents like her, she pointed to her spirit of complete surrender. “Have faith, and all that you pray for will be granted,” she said.
Another devotee, 25-year-old Oning Fanio, joined the procession while holding up his cellphone during a video call. The person on the other end of the line was his 71-year-old, sick grandmother, who is unable to join the festivities physically.
“I called her so she could see Mother Mary, so that somehow, even if she’s sick, her pain might be eased. Maybe, in some way, a miracle might happen,” Fanio said.
“I love my grandmother so much,” he added, paying tribute not only to the woman in the video call, but to the “Lady who calls.” – UCA News
