Our Lady of Manaoag (Spanish: Nuestra Señora del Santísimo Rosario de Manaoag) formally known as Our Lady of the Most
Holy Rosary of Manaoag is a title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary, associated with a
statue in Manaoag, Pangasinan from the 16th century. She is the patroness of
the sick, the helpless and the needy.
The church is one of the Philippines' most
widely visited Roman Catholic Pilgrimage sites. Many people from across the
Philippine archipelago come and visit the town of Manaoag, where the statue of
the Blessed Virgin Mary is enshrined in a church dedicated to this name. The
church is administered by the Dominican Order in the Archdiocese of
Lingayen-Dagupan.
Tradition holds the town's name itself was born
from The Virgin Mary’s call or "taoag" to the young man. The
term manaoag was derived from Pangasinan Language word
"mantaoag" which means "to Call".
The title Our Lady of The Rosary of Manaoag is the
same title of Our Lady of the Rosary used universally just like the other titles of Mary or labels of reverence. All
of these names really refer to the same polyonymous Mary, The Mother of Christ.
The “of Manaoag” epithet is an appendage to that title to merely associate her
to the host town and to the parish.
Statue
A closer look at the image of Our Lady of Manaoag
Documents
dating back to 1610 attest that a middle-aged farmer walking home heard a
mysterious female voice. He looked around and saw on a cloud-veiled treetop an
apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary, holding a Rosary in her right hand with
The Child Jesus on
her left arm amidst a heavenly glow. Mary told the farmer where she wanted her
church to be built. A chapel was built on the spot where Mary appeared to the
man and the town quickly grew around it.
Worldwide,
Our Lady of The Rosary is depicted by the same images of The Blessed Virgin Mary holding a rosary, with The
Child Jesus on her left arm. These figures vary basically in the material used,
the rendition by the respective artists, the regalia, and the style of the
vestments according to the native culture. Thus Our Lady of The Rosary of Manaoag can be distinguished from the
other statues by its distinctive sculpture and regalia, and most especially by
her crown.
It should
be understood that The Real Mary, The Mother of Jesus Christ, is the one being
addressed as Our Lady of The Rosary of Manaoag. She is the one actually
performing the miracles, granting the requests, or formidably interceding for
those that implore her miracles or intercessions and not the inanimate icon
with all its majestic royal and opulent grandeur. The veneration, devotion, and
prayers should be directed to the Blessed Virgin Mary and not to the statue
depicting her or in any of her various titles. It would not be just a fallacy
but a sin of idolatry.
The Shrine of Our Lady of Manaoag
The Shrine of Our Lady of The Rosary, located on a
hill in Manaoag, has been canonically affiliated with the Papal Basilica
of Saint Mary Major in
the Vatican since June, 2011. The parish serving Manaoag and the surrounding
towns is administered by the Dominican Order under
the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of
Lingayen-Dagupan.
Some of the miracles attributed to Our Lady of
Manaoag are in the murals inside the church. The Paschal Chapel beside the
south side of the church has the icons of The Nazarene, The Santo Entierro, and
the Blessed Virgin. The sanctuary at the left side of the main entrance has a
large Crucified Christ image.
The Shrine of Our Lady of Manaoag Church in 2012
The reredos of the Altar of our Lady of Manaoag Shrine
Depiction of Our Ladys' Apparition on a painting at the side of the altar
Depiction of the town spared from a wildfire at the side of the altar shrine
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