Visita Iglesia 2019: Our Lady of the Abandoned Church of Marikina City

Marikina is my favorite Metro Manila City because of its cleanliness and the discipline of its citizens. Compared with other Metro Manila cities, Marikina's streets are litter-free, its public market is clean and organized, and its government provide the best sanitation services. I placed this city in high regard that I considered moving. Alas! Real property in Marikina is very expensive and, therefore, beyond my financial capacity.

Another thing that I like is the effort of Marikina City government to preserve heritage structures. They even have a programs to promote heritage in the city like this Heritage Mapping Project that involved school teachers in the city. One of the heritage structure that Marikeños are proud of is their main parish church: Santuario y Parroquia de Nuestra Señora de los Desamparados, popularly known as Diocesan Shrine and Parish of Our Lady of the Abandoned. Tagalogs call this church as Dambana ng Ina ng mga Walang Mag-Ampon.

We visited this church after our morning walk along the Marikina Riverbanks. My jaw dropped the moment I saw the stone structure of this church.

I am always overjoyed whenever I see old churches like this church in Marikina. Such ancient and beautiful structures are great relief from banal and tasteless architectural style of today. Sadly, many “modern” church adopted the ugly modern style.



Our Lady of the Abandoned Church in Marikina is of Baroque architectural style, which was said to be promoted by the Catholic Church to counter the simplicity and austerity of Protestant architectural style. Baroque meant to inspire worship by filling the eyes with beauty inspired by God.

Marikina was once ruled by the descendants of Lakan Dula, ruler of the Bayan ng Tondo. In 1571, Spanish conquistador Miguel Lopez de Legazpi landed in Maynila and proclaimed the place as the capital of the young Spanish colony. Some of the Augustinian missionaries that accompanied Legazpi ventured out of Maynila and, in 1572, reached Chorillo in the present-day Barangay Barangka. A church dedicated to San Isidro Labrador stands on the site, where I believe the Augustinians built their first chapel in Marikina.

Marikina was the site of intense rivalry between the Augustinians and the Jesuits. The Augustinians were the first to reach Marikina and established a visita in Barangka. The Jesuits reached Marikina in 1630 and established a new visita in the now Barangay Jesus de la Peña. The Jesus de la Peña Chapel that was established by the Jesuits still stands today. The Jesuits also crossed Marikina River and established a visita in Barangay Sta. Elena. In the same year, Marikina was transferred to the Jesuits by the Archbishop of Manila.

The Jesuits started improving Marikina by inviting Chinese traders and agriculturists. The visita's population grew and its economy improved so much so that Marikina was elevated into a full-pledged parish in 1681 and was placed under the patronage of Our Lady of the Abandoned.

Mama Mary began to be honored as Our Lady of the Abandoned in 1401 in Valencia, Spain when a hospital for the mentally ill, homeless, and abandoned children was established. The original image of Nuestra Señora de los Desamparados (Our Lady of the Abandoned) was said to be created by three angels. Legend says that three pilgrims requested free board and lodging of three days in the hospital. The hospital administrators, after noticing that no sound emanated within the room where the pilgrims stayed, forced open the door on the fourth day. The pilgrims were gone but inside the room is the image of Mama Mary, which later on called as Our Lady of the Abandoned. The wife of a hospital administrator, who was blind, regained her sight after touching the image. Thus, it was believed that the pilgrims were in fact angels who gifted them with the miraculous image of the Virgin Mary. 

In the Philippines, the oldest image of Our Lady of the Abandoned is in the old church of Santa Ana, Manila. The said image was made in Valencia, Spain and was touched to the original image of Our Lady of the Abandoned before being sent to the Philippines. Unfortunately for Marikeños, their original image of Our Lady of the Abandoned was burned during the Filipino-American War. The image enshrined in their church was made in 1902. The image was made through the generosity of Marikeños, who provided the funds and materials for it. 

Marikeños love the Virgin Mary and many of them experienced miracles through their devotion to Our Lady of the Abandoned. Notable of these miracles happened during the Second World War when a Japanese aircraft dropped two bombs over the church. The first bomb destroyed most the church but the Marian image was unharmed while the second bomb did not explode, thus saving the townspeople. I remember a similar miracle, also attributed to the Virgin Mary, that saved the Baguio Cathedral from aerial bombs.

Other miracles attributed to Our Lady of the Abandoned in Marikina include the safe passage of a guerilla from Japanese checkpoint during the War, rescue of kidnapped children of a Filipino-Chinese, and the full-healing of a man from lung cancer.

Because of Marikeños devotion to Our Lady of the Abandoned and the miracles attributed to her, the image was episcopally crowned in 2002 and then canonically crowned in 2005 during the reign of Pope Benedict XVI.

The construction of the current stone structure of Our Lady of the Abandoned Church was started 1687 after the parish was returned to Augustinians. The old church in Jesus de la Peña was abandoned because of incessant flooding of Marikina River. The parish was transferred to higher ground at Our Lady of the Abandoned Church. The parish was finally transferred to the Jesuits in 1690, the same year when the construction of Our Lady of the Abandoned Church was finished. A royal decree in 1696 firmly placed Marikina under Jesuit jurisdiction, thus ending the Augustinian-Jesuit “War” in Marikina with the victory for the Society of Jesus.

“Dios te Salve, Maria” is the phrase that welcomes visitors entering. It is the opening phrase of the Hail Mary prayer that is usually said while praying the Holy Rosary.

On the ceiling are paintings depicting the life scenes of our Lord Jesus that are being meditated while praying the Holy Rosary. 

The altar features the miraculous image of Our Lady of the Abandoned on a beautiful retablo. Too bad that there was a wedding during my visit so I was not able to take a good photo of the altar.

My visit Our Lady of the Abandoned introduced me to the beautiful heritage of Marikina. I did not expect that this city have hidden gems and those gems are being preserved and taken care of by the Marikeños and their city government. 

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(Source: OLA Parish FB page)

Prayer to Our Lady of the Abandoned or Nuestra Señora de los Desamparados (Tagalog) 

Ave Maria, ikaw ang mapagmahal na Inang kumakalinga sa aming lahat. Ikaw ang mahabaging Ina na kumukupkop sa mga walang masilungan. Kami ay lumalapit sa iyo, bukod na pinagpalang Ina ng aming Panginoon. Ikaw ang aming Reyna; pamunuan mo kami sa paglaban sa kasamaan. Ikaw ang aming Guro; papaglinawin mo ang aming isip sa panahong kapos kami sa pang0unawa. Ikaw ang aming Ilaw; tanglawan mo kami nang 'di kami maligaw sa dilim. Ikaw ang aming Lunas; hilumin mo ang sakit ng aming kaluluwa at katawan. Amin Ina, ipagtanggol mo kami sa aming pagkaapi. Aliwin mo kami sa amin hapis. Palayain mo kami sa aming pagkaalipin sa aming mga kahinaan. Onang mapagkawanggawa, ilahad mo ang iyong mga kamay sa mga kapus-palad na nangangailangan ng iyong tulong. Inang sangkatauhan, ipanalangin mo kami at akayin sa landas patungo kay Hesukristong Panginoon namin. Amen.

Kami'y iyong ipanalangin, mahabaging Ina ng mga Walang Mag-ampon.

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Writing this blog post felt like I was writing a thesis. I made in-depth research about the history of Marikina and its churches. I made this timeline, compiled from various Internet sources, which I believe would be useful for those doing their own research about Marikina City.

1572 - Augustinians arrived at Chorillo in Barangka. Maria Concepcion Rapisora-Lagos mentioned in her dissertation that the Augustinian friars built Jesus de la Peña Chapel (or precursor structure) in Nangka. 

1630 - The Jesuits arrived to Mariquina and celebrated mass at a warehouse. The warehouse is now the Jesus de la Peña Church. The Archbishop of Manila transferred Marikina from the Augustinians to the Jesuits. The Jesuits crossed Marikina River and established Barangay Sta. Elena. Probably, they built the first structure of Our Lady of the Abandoned Church.

1681 - Marikina was elevated into a parish and placed under patronage of Our Lady of the Abandoned.

1687 - Marikina is returned to Augustinians with the town San Mateo, Rizal. Jesus de la Peña was abandoned because of incessant flooding. The parish was transferred to the church in Sta. Elena. The construction of the current stone structure of Our Lady of the Abandoned was started this year.

1688 - Marikina parish became independent from Pasig.

1690 - Marikina was returned to the Jesuits. The construction of Our Lady of the Abandoned Church was finished.

1696 - Jesuits’ jurisdiction over Marikina was confirmed by a Royal Decree.

1791 - The church in Barangay Sta. Elena was consecrated to Our Lady of the Abandoned.

1898 - Wikipedia source claims that the first image of Our Lady of the Abandoned in Marikina was burned during Filipino-American War. However, that War started in 1899. It is more probable that the image was burned during the Tagalog Rebellion led by Katipuneros. 

1902 - The second image, which is the one currently enshrined in in the church,  was made.

2002 - Episcopal coronation of Our Lady of the Abandoned in Marikina.

2005 - Canonical coronation of Our Lady of the Abandoned in Marikina.

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Visita Iglesia is a Catholic tradition of visiting seven churches during Maundy Thursday. For each day, this Holy Week, I will feature one church as a sort of virtual Visita Iglesia.

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Churches that I featured for Visita Iglesia 2019

Palm Sunday - Our Lady of the Abandoned Church in Marikina City
Holy Monday - Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Chinese Parish Church in Binondo, Manila

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References:

Chapter 1 of Dissertation Sapatero in Marikina City: Enacting Economies in the Philippines' Footwear Capital by Maria Concepcion Rapisora-Lagos

Panalangin sa Nuestra Señora de los Desamparados, Birhen ng Marikina transcribed from the photo of Lloyd Rainier Sexon

Mother of Refuge article by Tomas U. Santos in The Varsitarian

Virgen de los desamparados in Wikipedia

Barangays of Marikina in Wikipedia

Our Lady of the Abandoned Parish Church (Marikina) in Wikipedia

Jesús dela Peña Chapel in Wikipedia
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Laag-Laag sa Cebu (Part 12): Why Cebuanos Call Mama Mary as Birhen sa Regla?

There is one church on Mactan Island that piqued my curiosity during my first visit to the Province of Cebu. That church is dedicated to the Virgin Mary under the title of “Birhen sa Regla”.

“Why regla?”, I asked. Is Mama Mary a patron saint for ladies suffering dysmenorrhea and pains related to menstruation? Is regla the Cebuano word for blood?

These questions popped to my mind because we Tagalogs define regla as menstruation. I didn’t find having a patron saint for ladies suffering menstrual pains implausible because the Catholic Church has many saints for “random” and “weird” things. An example would be St. Eligius who is the patron saint of gas station and garage workers. In fact, there is a saint who is called upon during menstrual cramps. He is a guy and the general of the Theban Legion named Maurice.

A little Google search revealed that my assumption that regla means menstruation is wrong. Regla is actually an abbreviation of the Spanish word reglamento, which means rule. In short Birhen sa Regla is Our Lady of the Rule in English.

The veneration of Our Lady of the Rule was said to be begun by St. Augustine. According to tradition, St. Augustine has an image of a black Virgin Mary and through that image the saint received the rule that he used to guide his monastic community.

The islands of Cebu and Mactan were placed under the care of the Augustinians. Thus, it is not surprising that they brought the veneration of the Birhen sa Regla to the islands. The veneration became so popular that the people of Opon (the old name of Lapu-Lapu City) has a big fiesta honoring the black virgin.

The image of Birhen sa Regla was so dear to the people that they offer their precious jewelries for every answered prayer. The image was adorned by precious things until the parish priest decided to remove it after a robbery incident.

I was so oblivious of the fame of the Birhen sa Regla that I didn’t even know that the church where I attended a Sunday mass during my first visit to Cebu housed her famous image!

As newbie collector of Marian images, I found the image of Birhen sa Regla in Cebu unique to the many Marian images that I saw in this archipelago. I considered her as a defining image of Cebu.

I brought home an image of the Birhen sa Regla and she is now placed in our living room.

What I like with this image is that she holds another image that is so popular in Cebu. And that is the image of the Santo Niño.

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Read more of my latest adventure in the island of Cebu!

Laag-Laag sa Cebu (Part 19): Temple of Leah - The House of Vanity
Laag-Laag sa Cebu (Part 18): A Better Stay in Bayfront Hotel in Cebu
Laag-Laag sa Cebu (Part 17): A Great View of Cebu City from Tops Busay
Laag-Laag sa Cebu (Part 16): A Taste of Mandarin in Cebu City
Laag-Laag sa Cebu (Part 15): Taboan the Pasalubong Center of Cebu City
Laag-Laag sa Cebu (Part 14) – My Accidental Visit to Mt. Carmel Church
Laag-Laag sa Cebu (Part 13): Another Visit to the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral
Laag-Laag sa Cebu (Part 11): Sto. Niño Basilica - Mother and Head of All Churches of the Philippine Islands
Laag-Laag sa Cebu (Part 10): A Visit to the Fake(?) Magellan’s Cross
Laag-Laag sa Cebu (Part 9): The Story of Rajah Humabon - King of Cebu
Laag-Laag sa Cebu (Part 8): Calle Colon, the Oldest Street in the Philippines
Laag-Laag sa Cebu (Part 7): The Worst Cebu Hotel
Laag-Laag sa Cebu (Part 6): The Colorful Lighthouse of Lilo-an
Laag-Laag sa Cebu (Part 5): The Mysterious Church of Lilo-an
Laag-Laag sa Cebu (Part 4): Bagacay Point Lighthouse

Laag-Laag sa Cebu (Part 3): Feasting on Consolacion’s Fresh Talaba
Laag-Laag sa Cebu (Part 2): Finding Consolation in Consolacion Church

Laag-Laag sa Cebu (Part 1): My Boat Ride Under the Bridges of Mactan Channel

A Foretaste of Cebu in Mactan Cebu International Airport
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Thai Catholics' Procession for the Mother of God

January 1 is not just the first day of 2013 but it is also a holy day for the Catholic Church. This day is the day when we celebrate the Solemnity of Mother of God.

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I am so blessed that I was able to go to a Mass today because a church here had a Holy Mass dedicated for the Mother of God. That church is the Church of Our Lady Mother of God, located in the town of Rangsit, which is just north of Bangkok.

Honoring the Mother of the Word Incarnate is the perfect way of starting the year that's why I made sure that I will not miss today's Mass. I woke up early even though I'm still sleepy due to last night's New Year celebration.

I think that the Mass was great even if I didn't understand most of it because the langage used is Thai.

I am about to leave the church after the Mass but I noticed that people were gathering outside, waiting for something. I was surprised (and delighted) that the Parish will do a procession!

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Little girls in Thai traditional dress holding the banner of Mary.

I was delighted because I never expected to join a Catholic procession in Thailand.

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I was so happy that I was willing to walk for miles even under the sun. Sadly, the procession was just around the church. It was a very short walk. I thought that we will be walking along the highway to make the Virgin Mary known to other people.

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Tons of roses were offered to Mary this day. The Thai Catholics really love Mama Mary like the Filipino Catholics do.

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Red roses for Mama Mary.

I have no rose so I just prayed one “Hail Mary” as my offering to her.

I then left the church, thankful that God allowed me to attend the Holy Massand the procession for the Solemnity of Mother of God.
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Happy Mother's Day to all Mothers

Today, I join the whole world in greeting all mothers a happy and blessed Mother's Day!

What will be the fate of the world if there are no mothers to bear, rear and sacrifice for all of us. I bet that this world would be a dull one.

I remember the days of my youth when my mom is doing everything just to bring food to the table and support our education. My father has a job, but like many Filipino fathers, his salary is not enough to support the family. My mother didn't hesitate to wash other people's clothes and sell various things to increase the family income. She even had to humble herself to borrow money that will be used for our tuition every start of a semester.
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(Source: 100% Katolikong Pinoy)

I know that my mother sacrificed a lot for me. That's why I can say that I am so blessed to have her as my mother. I feel so loved even now that I am already a grown-up man.

Did you know that Mother's Day originated in the Catholic Church's fourth Sunday of Lent, which is the day when Mama Mary is honored as the mother of the Church?

Mama Mary is mother of Christians. Remember when Jesus, while He is nailed on the cross, told the beloved disciple (Saint John the Evangelist) that Mary is to be his mother. Thiese words of our Lord signify that He is appointing His mother to be the mother of all of his disciples. All of us, “modern day” Christians, are also her sons and daughters because we are the current disciples of her Son. That is why it is very fitting to greet Mama Mary a HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY.

Today is an extra special day because we also celebrate to feast of Our Lady of Fatima.
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I love you Mama Mary!

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Hail Mary! Immaculate and Blessed

Today, the whole Church is celebrating the Feast of Immaculate Conception.

In this Feast, the Catholic Church affirms her teaching that Mary, the mother of our Lord Jesus Christ, was born without original sin.

Years ago, I don't believe in Mama Mary. I had a belief, back then, that the Church exaggerated the role of a woman who wasn't featured much in the Bible. How wrong I was! Mama Mary has a large role in salvation of humankind. Her obedience to God paved the way for the Word to be made flesh. Mama Mary asked Jesus to turn water into wine in wedding in Cana. This incident shows how intimately Mary knows her son because she knows that Jesus can do miracles even before He conducted His public ministry. Mama Mary suffered greatly in seeing her only son flogged and nailed to the cross. Her heart might have been broken to million pieces when Jesus gave His last breath.

Mama Mary may not always be present on the Bible but surely she is in the background. She is with the Apostles waiting for the descent of the Holy Spirit. Mama Mary fulfilled her role as the mother of the early Church. She continues to fulfill that role unto this day for she intercede for us in front of our God.

Mama Mary, thank you for the love and the care. Happy Feast of Immaculate Conception!

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Tota pulchra es, Maria,

et macula originalis non est in te.

Vestimentum tuum candidum quasi nix, et facies tua sicut sol.

Tota pulchra es, Maria,

et macula originalis non est in te.

Tu gloria Jerusalem, tu laetitia Israel, tu honorificentia populi nostri.

Tota pulchra es, Maria.

You are all beautiful, Mary,

and the original stain [of sin] is not in you.

Your clothing is white as snow, and your face is like the sun.

You are all beautiful, Mary,

and the original stain [of sin] is not in you.

You are the glory of Jerusalem, you are the joy of Israel, you give honour to our people.

You are all beautiful, Mary.

Today is a Blessed Day

"Hail Mary, full of Grace. The Lord is with you. Blessed are you amongst women and blessed is the Fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and unto the hour of our death. Amen."

Today, we celebrate the birthday of one of the Filipinos most loved person. Today is the birthday of Mama Mary.

We are blessed through Mama Mary because through her, the Son of God (who is God) became a human being. Through her care and love, together with Saint Joseph, Jesus Christ grew well to fulfill the tasks gave to Him by the Father.

We are likewise blessed for our Lord, Jesus Christ, gave her to us to become our own Mother. Mama Mary is our Mother and her love to us can't be surpassed by no other saints. Mama Mary continues to pray for us and lay our petitions in front of the throne of her Son.

Let us celebrate this day praising and thanking God. For in His mercy and wisdom. Let us thank Him for giving Mama Mary to us.

Procession of the Virgin of Antipolo

I happened to drop by Quiapo Church while I'm on my way to NAIA Terminal 3. I was surprised to see many people inside the church even though it is not Friday.
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When the Mass ended, I saw the image of Mama Mary being carried from the altar to Plaza Miranda amidst the throng of devotees waving their white handkerchiefs.
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What I witnessed is the start of the "Alay Lakad" of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage, who is popularly known as Our Lady of Antipolo. The procession proceeded to the image's permanent residence in Antipolo Cathedral.

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A devotee's close encounter with Our Lady of Antipolo.

The "Alay Lakad" is done in the evening of April 30th until dawn of May 1st. The procession done to commemorate the return of the blessed image from Quiapo Church to Antipolo Cathedral on 1945. Our Lady of Antipolo reached Quiapo Church when she was evacuated from Antipolo Cathedral during the Second World War.

The faithful devotees, with their great gratitude to God, join the yearly Alay Lakad in honor of Mama Mary.

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