Maraming Salamat Po!

Our souls and spirits were overwhelmingly blessed with the fiesta experience. We felt assured that Our Lady of Lourdes would bless our families, neighbors, and barangays as the Holy Rosary was prayerfully recited in procession during the Dalaw Patrona. Our vehicles received sprays of holy water before the motorcade. Our troubled and aching hearts found peace and consolation at every Novena Mass. Touched that every Mass Presider shared a personal story of healing, we learned that She was a real Mother to them. We cheerfully braved the early morning rain during the penitential procession. We received healing during the Blessing of the Sick. In the Grand Procession, we endured the 2.5-hour walk, once in a while glancing at her carroza, comforted at the thought of being in a crowd of familiar faces, where every single person loved her. Siya nga ang Mahal na Birhen ng Lourdes, Reyna at Ina ng Tanang Kristiyano.

In a way, our fiesta experience was not unique. Because miracles and answered prayers were the norm, the devotion to Our Lady of Lourdes rapidly spread and stayed in the heart of every devotee. We look forward to this annual tradition started by the Capuchin Fathers shortly after their arrival in 1886, that continued year after year, due to the growing number of devotees in every generation, to this day.

This very same devotion paved the way to the Canonical Coronation on May 2, 2020. The venerated image of Our Lady of Lourdes will receive a crown of precious gems, expressing high respect, zeal and love. The Canonical Coronation is the highest distinction the Church grants to an image, by way of a Papal Bull issued on September 5, 2019, by the Holy Father Pope Francis.

This historic occasion will be a grand celebration like never before. Let us be with Our Lady of Lourdes by joining every activity leading to the Canonical Coronation. Together let us all welcome Nuestra Señora de Lourdes who promises JOY IN EVERLASTING LIFE. LǼTITIA IN VITA ETERNA!

#NSOLLPH