Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary of Manaoag

The Philippines is one of two Catholic countries in Asia. As such, it piously observes the many different Catholic feasts. One of the Feasts celebrated universally in the Catholic Church is the Feast of the Holy Rosary.

Since there are many shrines in the Philippines bearing the title of Our Lady of the Rosary, with many of them having distinct honors albeit of the same degree, there are different dates that the Feast is observed in the Philippines. Two of such celebrations are the Feasts of Our Lady of the Rosary of Manaoag and Our Lady of the Rosary of La Naval de Manila (second Sunday of October). Both images of Our Lady of the Rosary are under the custody of the Dominicans. The Dominicans have a special affiliation to the Rosary because legend claims that their Founder St. Dominic had a vision wherein the Blessed Virgin gave him the rosary as a tool against heretics.

The Feast of the Rosary recalls the Battle of Lepanto on 07 October 1571. The victory of the Holy League, a group of Catholic states convened by Pope St. Pius V, a Dominican, against the Ottoman forces prevented the Turkish forces from further expanding into Europe. The Pope attributed the victory to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, particularly by the praying of the rosary. Pope Gregory XIII changed the title of the "Feast of Our Lady of Victory" to "Feast of the Holy Rosary" two years later.

Postcard featuring the venerated image of Our Lady of the Rosary of Manaoag
and the stamp used for the postcard

I have been fortunate to have been able to visit the Shrine of Our Lady of Manaoag in Pangasinan during the sixth day of the novena prior to her Feast on 06 October 2013.

The image of Our Lady of the Rosary of Manaoag during one of the Novena Masses
prior to hear feast in 2013.

The original ivory image was brought from Spain via Acapulco in the early 17th century to the Philippines by Fr. Juan de San Jacinto who was the first Dominican priest to work in the Manaoag mission. Documents dating back to 1610 claim that a farmer walking home heard a female voice calling him (hence, “Manaoag” from the word taoag—tawag—“to call”). The voice came from an apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary holding a rosary in her right hand while carrying the Infant Jesus on the other. The apparition told the farmer that she wanted her church to be built where she appeared. A chapel was built on the spot of the apparition and the town grew around it.

Postcard featuring the centuries-old image of Our Lady of the Rosary of Manaoag
and the façade of her Shrine in Pangasinan, with the stamp used for the postcard

Construction of the present Church commenced in 1882 was finished in 1912. The Holy See placed the custody of the Shrine under the spiritual administration of the Dominicans in perpetuity in the year 1925. The image was canonically crowned by the authority of Pope Pius XI on 21 April 1926.

Postmark of the town of Manaoag, Pangasinan

In June 2011, the Archpriest of the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major Cardinal Bernard Law, with permission of Pope Benedict XVI, granted the Shrine of Our Lady of Manaoag a special bond of spiritual affinity with the Papal Basilica.

The facade of the Shrine of Our Lady of Manaoag