Santa Caterina da Siena

"Only he who is based in charity, is he who is disposed to die for the sake of God and salvation of souls; but when he is deprived of love he will not be disposed to offer his life."  - Caterina Benincasa aka. Catherine of Siena, 1347-1380 , Saint, Tertiary Dominican, Philosopher, Theologian, and Doctor of the Church.

NUESTRA SEÑORA DE LA PAZ Y BUEN VIAJE

{ Our Lady of Antipolo, Philippines }

prayer:

Most holy virgin of peace and good voyage, you merited well these two excellent titles, exercise them in our favor to the greater honor and glory of God. Obtain for us that peace which your blessed son left in the custody of his apostles, a peace with which pardoning our enemies the many offenses they have acommited against us, we may love all our neighbors with true love and Christianity. Obtain for us peace of heart and soul so that our desires will not rebel against reason, or our reason against God. And, while we are all travelers and strangers in this valley of tears, be our guide so that amid the many pitfalls which surround us, and the many dangers which beset us, we may, by the observance of the divine commandments be able to take the royal road that leads to glory. Free us from the snares of the devil so that with your protection we may be able, in the hour of death, to reach the happy end of our travel and enjoy for eternity the glory of your most sweet company as also that of your Divine Son. Amen.
Nuestra Señora de la Paz Y Buen Viaje, pray for us.

Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage (Spanish: Nuestra Señora de la Paz y Buen Viaje), also known as the Virgin of Antipolo (Filipino: Birhen ng Antipolo), is a 17th-century Roman Catholic brown wooden statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary venerated by Roman Catholics in the Philippines. The statue depicting theImmaculate Conception of Mary, is enshrined at the Antipolo Cathedral in the city of Antipolo in Rizal province.

On March 25, 1626, the galleon trading ship El Almirante left Acapulco, Mexico. On board was the newly appointed Governor of the Philippines Don Juan Niño de Tabora who brought with him the statue from Mexico. He arrived in Manila on July 18, 1626. The statue was first taken to Saint Ignatius Church (Spanish: San Ignacio Church), the Jesuit church in Intramuros. When Governor Tabora died in 1632, the statue was donated to the Jesuits for enshrinement in the church of Antipolo inbarangay Santa Cruz. During the construction of the church, the statue would allegedly disappear and later found on top of aTipolo (breadfruit) tree (artocarpus incisa).

In 1639, the Chinese rose in revolt burning the Antipolo town and church. In fear that the statue would be destroyed, GovernorSebastian Hurtado de Corcuera ordered the statue be transferred back to Cavite where it was temporarily venerated.

Don Sebastian ordered the statue removed in 1648, when it was transferred from its Cavite shrine and was shipped back to Mexico aboard the San Luis galleon. At the time, having a statue of a saint on the ship served as a patroness or protector of the Acapulco trade.

The statue crisscrossed the Pacific Ocean on Manila-Acapulco Galleon trade ships six times from 1648 to 1748 aboard the:

• San Luis — (1648–1649)
• Encarnacion — (1650)
• San Diego — (1651–1653)
• San Francisco Javier — (1659–1662)
• Nuestra Señora del Pilar — (1663)
• San Jose — (1746–1748)

A royal decree from the King of Spain in May 19, 1864 ordered that the curias of San Nicolas de Tolentino be turned over to the Jesuits and in exchange, the curias of Antipolo, Taytay and Morong were tuned over to the Agustinian Recollects. The statue, by virtue of being under the jurisdiction of Antipolo became owned by the Augustinian Recollect priests.

The statue was canonically crowned by the Archbishop of Manila, Rev. Michael J. O'Doherty on November 26, 1926.

Japanese Occupation

In 1944, the Japanese Imperial Army invaded the town and turned it into their garrisons, while the shrine was turned into an arsenal. Fearing for the statue, the head sacristan Procopio Angeles wrapped the image in a thick wool blanket and placed it in an empty gasoline drum. He then buried the statue under the kitchen. The altercation of the Japanese and the combined American and Filipino soldiers caused Procopio and other devotees to transfer the statue to a hill between Antipolo and Angono called Kulaiki. From this location, it was sent to Santolan then to Pasig city. The statue was then transferred to the Ocampo family residence at Quiapo, Manila and was later transferred to the Quiapo Church. After the war from the Japanese and combined American-Filipino ground troops in the invaded and liberated in Antipolo, the statue was returned on October 15, 1945 to the present Antipolo shrine, where it resides today. The shrine is under the patronage of the Immaculate Conception of Virgin Mary, depicted by the Virgin of Antipolo.

hymn to our lady of antipolo

Himala ng Birhen ng Antipolo -1947

Other prayers to our Lady of Antipolo

Masintahing Ina, sumasamo at dumudulog kami sa iyo. Tulungan mo kaming magpasalamat sa Panginoon sa lahat ng mga grasya at pagpapalang ipinagkaloob Niya sa amin. Sa tulong at awa mo, kami po ay iyong gabayan at akayim sa aming paglalakbay sa buhay. Sa aming pagtahak sa buhay na puno ng pagaalinlangan at pangamba, pagkalooban po ninyo kami ng lakas at tapang na tahakin ang landas ng iyong Mahal na Anak.

Mahal na Ina, lumalapit po kami sa iyo na dulutan mo ng mapayapang kalinga ang aming tahanan. Tulungan mo po kami na maitaguyod ng maayos at matuwid ang aming pamilya. Sa aming paglalayag sa buhay, palakasin at patatagin mo ang bawa't isa sa amin na makabuo ng isang pamayanan na pinaghaharian ng iyong Mahal na Anak.

Nawa'y sa tulong at biyaya mo, Mahal naming Ina, kami ay kupkupin ng iyong Mahal na Anak at ilagay Niya kami sa ilalim ng Kanyang pagkakandili at huwag kaming iwanan sa paglalakbay sa buhay lalung-lalo na sa oras ng kagipitan. Sa pamamagitan mo, Inang Mahal, pagpalain at tangkilikin mo po ang aming paglalakbay upang mabuhay kami sa kapayapaan at marating namin ang kaluwalhatian ng buhay na walang hanggan. Amen.

Ina ng kapayapaan at mabuting paglalakbay, Birhen ng Antipolo...ipanalangin mo kami.

Architect Jose L. de Ocampo

Sites in Antipolo