277. THE 1924 CANONICAL CORONATION OF OUR LADY OF PEÑAFRANCIA

THE QUEEN OF BIKOLANDIA, NTRA. SRA. DE PENAFRANCIA, Revered as "Ina" by Bikolanos, the small wooden image, which is already more than 275 years old, was canonically crowned in 1924, 

It was the canonical coronation of our Lady of the Peña de Francia, the regional patroness of Bicol, as had been authorized by Pope Benedict  XV. It took placein Naga on September 20, 1924. The concourse of mitred dignitaries of the church headed by the Apostolic Delegate himself, including Manila archbishop Michael J. O’Doherty, a number of bishops and monsignori, not to say priests of the regular and secular clergies from all over the country who came for the ceremonies was the biggest ever seen in the Bicol region.

THE CHURCH OF NAGA, now a metropolitan cathedral, built in 1595

 Metropolitan newspapers had directed public attention towards this event long before it was held. During the week of September  13-20, all roads led to Naga as thousands over thousands of pilgrims from all walks of life packed the streets of the episcopal capital. Solemn pontifical masses were celebrated daily by the visiting bishops from the 18^th to the 21^st. During the triduum that preceded the coronation the people overflowed daily the cathedral and its surrounding yards and premises where open-air altars stood and masses were offered continually from morning to high noon.

 

THE ORIGINAL IMAGE OF THE VIRGEN DE LA PENA FRANCIA
in Salamanca, Spain.

The coronation which was a pompous pageant in the afternoon of the 20^th climaxed the week-long ceremonies. On the platform erected in the open field fronting the cathedral sat governors and high civil official of the Bikol provinces side by side with purple-rocheted prelates. Never had such a congregation been seen hereabouts. As Msgr. Piani, the Pope’s own representative, dressed in pontifical regalia, raised the bejeweled crown and rested it on the head of the statue of Our Lady, the teeming humanity which crowded every available inch of space sung to cried of “Viva la Virgen!” amidst the detonation of rising rockets, blare of band music and ringing of church bells.

 

MSGR. GUILLERMO PIANI crowns the image of our Lady of Penafrancia

To the visiting prelates and laity there was something more than the success and brilliance of the affair that they could ill afford to pass unnoticed. The whole credit would have naturally gone to the incumbent bishop, had there been one. But they were the guests of a vacant see. Who were their hosts? Two figures loomed prominently as the rains of the event that made history, two future bishops from the Bikol clergy: Frs. Francisco S. Reyes and Casimiro M. Lladoc

 

THE CANONICAL CORONATION OF FR. COVARRUBIAS' STATUE OF OUR LADY 
OF PENA DE LA FRANCIA, officiated by the ApostolicDelegate to the Philippines, 
Msgr. G. Piani in the afternoon of 24 Sept. 1924.Extreme right: Sponsors of the ceremony, 
Gov. Manuel Crescini of CamarinesSur and Dna. Antonia Pardo.

A year later, on July 4, 1925, the happy and long-expected tidings of Pope Pius XI’s appointment of Msgr. Reyes to be bishop of Nueva Caceres was received in the Bikol region. He had been proclaimed in secret consistory in Rome the previous June 20. Eight years later, Father Lladoc received the mitre, as first bishop of Bacolod.

 

BIKOL'S PATRONESS, as she appeared at her coronation.

When on September 19, 1925,Bishop Reyes received consecration at his cathedral, Naga once again became a center of pilgrimage.It was at the same time, the first anniversary of the coronation of Our lady, and almost all the same dignitaries who had taken oart at the previous year’s pageant were in attendance. Msgr. Piani, the Apostolic Delegate, was the consecrator. Co-consecrators were the bishops of Nueva Segovia,  Msgr.Peter Hurth and of Lipa, Alfredo Versoza.

SOURCE:
Bicol 

264. TRIO OF DEAD CHRIST VENERATED IN VILLAGE

 A DEVOTEE OFFERS PRAYERS at the shrine of the Tolong Hinulid
in Gainza, Camarines Sur Provinve. Photo: Juan Escandor Jr.

By Juan Escandor Jr.

Published in: Inquirer Southern Luzon March 24th, 2016 

 WITH ONLY eight villages, Gainza is the smallest among the 35 towns and two cities of Camarines Sur province, but it is expected to draw a large number of pilgrims who will venerate its three statues of the dead Jesus Christ.

 These statues, reverently called Tolong Hinulid (“tolong” means three while “hinulid” refers to someone laid to rest), were discovered in the same spot along a river in different periods of flooding in Gainza, according to accounts of residents of Cagbunga. The village is 5 kilometers northwest of Naga City and is accessible from the national highway through a concrete road crossing ricefields.

Photo: FB page, Kristian Sendon Cordero

 Nobody could say when the images comprising the trio of Hinulid were completed.

 Salvacion San Juan, 64, recalled that when she was young, she used to sneak into a bed in a room in their house where the Tolong Hinulid are kept. She giggled, remembering her father picking her up every time she would fall asleep beside the Tolong Hinulid.

 San Juan believed the devotion to the Tolong Hinulid might have started 100 years ago because her grandfather had told her about his devotion since childhood.

 When her father died several years ago at age 84, San Juan said the Tolong Hinulid was entrusted to the community. From then on, the Parish Pastoral Council (PPC) took care of the statues in a chapel built to house these.

Placed inside a glass-encased platform at the backroom of the chapel, the wooden statues have different tortured expression, with bloody cuts in the faces.

 Their lengths or heights vary. The tallest, at 1.52 meters (5 feet), lies in the middle and is flanked on the right by a 1.25-meter (4 feet, 11 inches) Hinulid and on the left, the shortest image at 1.21 meters (4 feet).

 They have identical garb of white satin embroidered with gold stitches along the neckline and knotted belt of gold-colored rope and are accompanied by replicas of two white doves placed on their legs, which devotees say help bring their messages to God.

 A devotee has to touch and kiss the bare feet of the statues while praying, and hold the dove replica as they say their prayers and deliver other wishes to God.

 The ritual of bathing the Tolong Hinulid every Maundy Thursday has become a tradition that has drawn devotees from neighboring towns. It begins at 2 p.m. after the members of the PPC had prayed around the Tolong Hinulid. They dab the statues’ bodies with cotton dipped from several pails of water that would, in turn, be used to treat ailments.

 Water used during the bathing is apportioned to devotees who wait until the ritual is completed.

 Jose Teodoro Jr., 52, PPC chair, does not have enough information as to how and when the three statues ended up in their village, which is crisscrossed by meandering tributaries of the Bicol River.

Picture: Kristian Cordero

Neither could he not find a rational explanation how these remained together, even though they were swept away by floodwater from the chapel when Typhoon “Sening” battered Bicol when he was 6 years old.

 From a chapel made of nipa shingles and bamboo years ago, the Tolong Hinulid is now housed in a concrete chapel with the elevated backroom of the altar constructed to protect the statues from floods.
The Tolong Hinulid are sustained by donations from devotees that reach an average of P3,000 a month and thousands of pesos during the Lenten season, he said.

 Teodoro said the number of devotees was increasing by the year. During the observance of the Holy Week last year, more than 1,000 came until Good Friday, with people standing shoulder to shoulder as they crowded the streets going to the chapel.

POSTCRIPT:
A movie entitled "HINULID" , starring Nora Aunor and directed by award-winning poet and columnist Kristian Sendon Cordero, has begun filming. It tells the story of a woman and her son, who died a violent death by hazing while studying in a law school in Manila.

WATCH THE TEASER OF "HINULID" HERE"

For those who are interested to help, kindly send your donations to this bank account “Kristian S. Cordero” BDO SM NAGA CITY Account Number: 006828010354. Kindly scan the deposit slip and send it to cinerinconada@gmail.com for confirmation. Should you need more information regarding this project, the team can be reached thru this mobile phone number 09167615121. 

Among those who have sent their support to this film project aside from the Noranians are award-winning screenwriter Ricky Lee, Albay lawmaker Edcel Greco Lagman, Pasacao Mayor Niño Tayco, and Naga City Mayor John Bongat.

22. RETRO-SANTO: Ntra. Sñra de Peñafrancia , Patroness of Bicolandia

The most revered image of Bicolandia , the Virgen dePeñafrancia is based on an image found in the rocky hills between Spain and France. It was said that the Virgin appeared to Simon Vela and it was on the apparition site that an image of the Holy Virgin was found among the rocks on 19 May, 1434.

In 1712, a Spanish government official—a Covarrubias—was assigned to Cavite. He had a son—Miguel Robles, who got sick while studying for priesthood at the University of Sto. Tomas. He recovered after praying to Our Lady of Peñafrancia, whose picture he held all throughout his illness. He also made a vow that if cured, he would construct a chapel by the bank of Pasig River in Manila, in gratitude to Her. Miguel later became a priest and was assigned eventually to Nueva Caceres (now known as Naga City).

There, he fulfilled his promise; he asked the help of natives to build a chapel by the banks of Bicol River, in lieu of Pasig. He then commissioned a local artist to carve an image of our Lady patterned after the picture he clutched while sick. The image was painted with the blood of a dog—which miraculously came alive even after being dumped in the river. News of this miracle and many others spread all over Bicol and miracles spread like wildfire and devotees grew in number as the devotion spread beyond Bicol, reaching Tayabas, Marinduque, Laguna, Isabela and all the way to the Cordilleras.

The official coronation of Our Lady of Peñafrancia as Patroness of Bicolandia took place on September 20, 1924, officiated by the Rt. Rev. Msgr. Guillermo Piani. “Ina”, as she is fondly called, is honored during her feast day with a festive tribute that begins with the famous Traslacion procession during which the images of the Lady of Peñafrancia and the Divino Rostro (Holy Face) are brought by barefooted male voyadores from the Basilica through the main streets of the city to the Cathedral. The 4-hour procession is participated in by pilgrims from all over Bicol and other parts of the country. A fluvial procession in which the Virgen is placed in a pagoda and cheered to the shout of “Viva La Virgen!”, is the highlight of the festivities.


A pall of gloom was cast over Bicolandia region on 15 August 1981 when the antique image was stolen from her shrine at the Peñafrancia Church. A massive search was launched and it was only over a year after that the image was mysteriously returned to Rt. Rev. Msgr. Florencio Yllana, a former Rector of the Shrine of Our Lady of Peñafrancia.

A motorcade from Manila to Naga accompanied the precious Virgin, arriving finally in the city on 8 September 1982, the Feast of the Nativity of Our Lady. Not even a raging typhoon could deter the thousands of exulting devotees from giving their beloved “Ina” a warm and rousing welcome. The image was safely installed at the Metropolitan Cathedral on the same day, where a pontifical concelebrated mass was offered in thanksgiving for the safe return of Our Lady.

The image of Our Lady of Peñafrancia is now enshrined at the Basilica Minore at Calle Balagtas in the City of Naga. Her Feast is on every 3rd Sunday of September

The Grand Tercentenary Celebration of Our Lady of Peñafrancia will be observed this September 2010 and the Archdiocese of Caceres is at the forefront of the 300th year festivities, the preparations of which were began three years ago.