285. ALL THAT GLITTERS IS REALLY GOLD, by Nancy T. Lu

OUR LADY OF THE HOLY ROSARY. De Jesus family. by Maximo Vicente

By Nancy T. Lu  /  Photos by Ben Santos

Originally appeared on The Sunday Time Magazine, 16 February 1969 issue. pp. 26-27

The art of decoration by means of needle and thread is an ancient one. But what remained most fascinating is the needlework done in genuine gold.

Elaborate embroideries of fine floral pattern generally adorn the vestments of religious sttaues gracing the altars and the affluent homes of today. The glitter of gold somehow never fails to catch the attemtion of the human eye because of its richness. The leaves and the flowers  as a continuous sheet of burnished metal.

Such an observation calls for a closer scrutiny leading to the discovery that gold threads and lintejuelas are used artistically for decorative purposes.

Fine needlework in the making is shown here as four trained sewers from
the shop of Maximo Vicente embroider gold designs on the silk foundation
material stretched on the embroidery frame.

Gold threads passed and sewn at intervals vary considerably in structure and quality. A closer look that they are made by winding a high-carat gold around some silk thread. Mrs. Soledad Vicente from the shop of Maximo Vicente announced that she uses only threads imported from France. This, in some ways, accounts for the forbidding cost of ordering a santo for private use or for the church.

Furthermore, the gold leafing process used, for instance, on the Our Lady of Guadalupe in Pagsanjan makes it all the more expensive but pious individuals who are devotees of the of the Blessed Mother do not exactly mind the cost.

Some four sewers expertly-trained in the artwork on the embroidery of one assignment for months. Different kinds of stitches are tried after the silk or velvet foundation material has been stretched and temporarily sewn to an embroidery frame.

Designs are patterned after  that of antiques. Enterprising sewers try out original floral patterns. In some cases, the gold embroidery is lifted from centuries-old santos and transferred elsewhere because the original foundation materials fails to survive the onslaught of time.

Embroidering in gold used to be an uncontested preoccupation of nuns in convents. Gradually, lay families took to the trade. To date the tallere de Maximo Vicente which was established in 1908, has tuned out a good number of religious images found in parishes all over the archipelago.

Its most recently-completed commissioned jobs include the Our lady of the Rosary which has a height of one meter and sixty centimeters, including the base. It was finished in time for the fiesta of San Fernando, Pampanga. An even bigger finished work is the Our Lady of Guadalupe statue, roughly 2 meters in size with a diamond studded diadem for its crowning glory.The residents of Pagsanjan are proud of it.

French-imported gold threads varying in structure and quality
are used to bring the fine floral patterns on the vestments
of our Lady of the Rosary.

213. Retro-Santo: THE FRIENDLY LADY OF ORANI

OUR LADY OF ORANI, The Miraculous Lady of the Holy Rosary. ca.1950s photo

 Source: The National Catholic Almanac
ALMANAC OF THE MOST HOLY ROSARY 1948
Publicado Por Las P.P. Dominicos
 pp.93-94.

 Thrice, she returned.

 It was during the early years of the Spanish regime in the Philippines. Spome villagers had gone hunting one morning and as they, later, discovered thay had come upon the neighbourhood of what is now known as Orani town, they made haste to depart, for, somehow, the story had gone the rounds to the effect that the inhabitants of this place were none too friendly with strangers. But, as they turned back, they found an image of the Virgin of the Most Holy Rosary under some shady “camatsile”trees.

Won over by its friendly countenance, they took it with them to Samal, where she was ensconced in the main altar of the town church, there to be their Patroness. Early the next day, the villagers went to church to hear the morning Mass. It was the acolyte that first noticed it as he approached the altar to light the candles. The image was missing . A diligent search was immediately started upon direction of the parish priest. Nowhere in Samal was the image to be found.

Sometime after, they found her in the place where she had originally been discovered—under the shady “camatsile”trees. She was brought back to Samal. Twice did she disappear again, being once more found in the same place. The thought then, struck the people of Samal that, perhaps, the Virgin wanted herself revered in that site.

In no time, they erected a church in that place, which became the foundation-center of the town of Orani, for the Samal villagers soon found that the inhabitants of that hitherto unfrequented place were not unfriendly at all with strangers. Hence, the name “Orani”, which comes from “Kauri”, or “Kaurani”, meaning friendly. The Virgin had befriended the two towns.

 Through the centuries, this image has been most beloved by the faithful, who ceaselessly recount the many favors She has bestowed upon them, which include saving them from savage tribes’incursions, a locust pest, and massacres during the Japanese occupation. The image is richly dressed and has, as usual, the Child in one arm, although in the other, instead of the Rosary, which the image has a round the neck, She has a cane.

 According to information released by Acting Chief Nieves Baens del Rosario, of the Workmen’s Compensation Division, through a request from Rev. Fr. Calimbas, Parish Priest of Orani , “a deluxe crown worthy of her honor is being finished to crown her glory. The people, by popular contribution, will have a new dress prepared for her”.

 Rumours have it that this contribution was started “by a woman who was asked by the Virgin for a new dress.” The same information narrates that, “When the Japanese occupied Bataan, the image of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary was in the Church of Orani. About March of 1942, the people of Orani were able to visit the town. They brought the image to Sapang Lucas, Lubao, Pampanga.

 In September of the same year, the image was brought back to Orani. The whole town was jubilant and gave its patron saint a warm welcome. Because of threats that Orani would be burned by the Japanese, the image was brought on January 7, 1945 to Tamblan, a fishpond near Hermosa, Bataan. In the early part of the same year, the image was brought back. She is one of the few original saints which survived the ravages of war.”

 We end with some of the stories going about on the intercession of this image during the battle of Bataan: Ä big group of retreating Fil-American soldiers was almost annihilated by the Japanese had it not been for thick clouds emanating from two merciful hands. When the clouds cleared and the enemies were dispersed, the image of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary was seen as the Saviour. “”Evacuees from Zambales and Bataan hiding in the mountains narrated that Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary used to visit them.

” We give no credence to these tales save that worth a human story. We abide by what the church will officially declare thereon. Biut, they are only given here to show our people still conserve that age-old love for the Divine Mother, Queen of the Holy Rosary.

166. THE SANTOS OF LA NAVAL

The Virgin of the Most Holy Rosary, the most important Marian image in the Philippines commisioned by Gov. Gen. Luis Perez Dasmarinas, is closely associated with the Dominicans as it was to them that the image was entrusted after its completion in 1593. It was later enshrined at the Sto. Domingo Church.

As such, the venerable image is honored with annual processions participated in by carrozas bearing the likenesses of Dominican saints made with ivory head and hands. The age of the ivory images has not yet been ascertained, but most seemed to be from the 19th century. The first images to be made were those of Sto. Domingo and San Pio Quinto.

Santo Domingo Guzman, from a noble family in Caleruega, Spain was first a priest, then a Canon Regular in the Cathedral Chapter at Osma, He went on to found the the Order of Preachers ("Dominicans") , approved by Pope Honorius III in 1216. His iconography includes a dog with flaming torch in its mouth, based on her mother's dream. His name has become a pun for "domini canis" (God's dog) and "Dominicanus", or a Dominican priest. He is also represented with  star on his forehead, a vision seen by a godmother during his baptism. A staff and a rosary are also his attributes, as a legend states that the Virgin personally gave him a rosary. He died in 1221 and was canonized by Pope Gregory IX in 1234.

San Pio Quinto was born in Bosco, Tortona, Piedmont, Italy, in 1504, and baptized as Michael Ghislieri. He joined the Dominicans and rose to become bishop, grand inquisitor, and cardinal. Elected pope in 1566, he zealously implemented the decrees of the Council of Trent. He had the rosary prayed throughout the battle against the Turks at Lepanto until these were defeated; he instituted the fiesta of our Lady of the Victories, later changed to the Rosary, on October 7. Died on May 1, 1572, at the Vatican, April 30. Beatified 1672, canonized 1712.

The image of San Vicente Ferrer is one of the original images to join the La Naval processions. It survived the war by being kept in a vault at the Sto. Domingo Church. Standing under 5 feet, its metal accessories--banner, book and aurelo, are of silver.  Valencia-born San Vicente Ferrer joined the Order of Preachers at age 17, and became known as an "Angel of Peace" during turbulent times in Europe. Hence, he is represented as a winged saint. He gained fame as a charismatic preacher, and was miraculously understood by many people of different nationalities who listened to his sermons despite speaking in his native language. Thousands of Jews and Moors in Spain were successfully converted this way. A trumpet is also an attribute, referring to his preaching of the coming of Judgment Day.

Other La Naval santos: San Lorenzo Ruiz, Beata Juana de Aza, Beata Margarita de Castelho, Santo Thomas Khuong, San Juan de Capillas, Santa Rosa de Lima, Santa Ines de Montepulciano, San Vicente de la paz, Santa Magdalena de Nagazaki, San Juan Macias, San Martin de Porres, Santa Rosa de Lima, Santa Catalina de Ricci,  San Juan de Colona, San Luis Beltran, San Antonio de Florencia, Santa Catalina de Siena, San Alberto Magno, Santa Ines de Montepulciano, San Raymundo de Penafort, San Jacinto de Polonia, San Pedro Martir, Santo Tomas de Aquino, Santa Margarita de Ungria and San Jose.

123. VIRGEN DEL ROSARIO: A Patron Recovered, A Devotion Restored

For many years now, I have been looking for an affordable antique Nstra. Sra. Del Rosario ivory; we have long considered the Virgin of the Holy Rosary as our family patron. After all, my mother’s surname was Del Rosario, and as a young woman growing up in Angeles, she would pay homage to Our Lady at the ancient Sto. Rosario Church.

When my mother passed away in 2009, it became even more imperative to look for a Del Rosario image. Sometime in December 2009, I texted a free-lance dealer on a whim, asking if he had old ivories for sale. Sure enough, he texted back—he had one, he said—a Virgen del Rosario. I didn’ expect him to respond too soon, as I realized that my antiquing budget had been stretched too far with my almost-weekly acquisitions of vintage paintings, processional images (a pair!) and other sacred art.

But when he sent me an MMS photo of the antique image, I was taken by the simple yet beautiful qualities of the image, despite its flaws. Obviously, this is not a top quality image—the carving shows that: the facial features are not well defined and the fingers are of the usual “tinidor” style, associated with folk images. But the ivory parts of this Virgen del Rosario are complete, from the heads and hands of the Virgin to those of the Child Jesus. It is becoming increasingly rare to find complete Del Rosarios these days. Often,  antique shops separate the Virgin from Jesus, which are then sold individually.
  

A closer look at the images reveal that the bodies are without any damage and the original gilded base, though ridden with holes, remains intact. While the images still have their original human hair cabelleras (wigs), they have lost their glass eyes.

The vestments, with simple and sparse gold embroidery,  have also survived,  but I doubt if the tattered clothes can still be salvaged. I would be crazy if I passed up this Del Rosario, and so, after a short wheeling-and-dealing, the seller agreed to my offer and came rushing to my office to personally deliver the antique Mother and Child santo.

After Christmas, I came a –calling once more on Dr. Raffy Lopez, my suki restorer. He still had to finish my 3 santo projects with him, and here I am again with yet another one. Already harassed with vestment orders for the approaching Sto. Niño Malolos Exhibit on January 24, Dr. Raffy nevertheless took on my usual “no-rush” Del Rosario project.

Two and a half weeks after, I got a text that the Virgen del Rosario  was ready for pick up. Now, that was fast! As always, the results were amazing. Now outfitted with glass eyes, daubed with color and wearing new wigs (I had wanted to save the original frizzy human hair wigs  on the images as they gave them a real antique look, but alas, they had become too brittle to be re-used), the ivory faces looked more expressive.

Although we initially agreed on a blue and pink ensemble--a quick examination of the faded vestments actually showed her cape to be blue—I eventually opted for a cream and gold ensemble. Besides, I already had an Immaculate Conception vested with the same color scheme.
 

The vestment design was based on some antique metallic embroidery I had long ago saved from an a lost Del Carmen image. The rosette and trefoil patterns were re-assembled on the front of the robe and the cape, supplemented with new embroidery.

As I was absolutely clueless about  crowns and halos, I left the choice of metalworks to Dr. Lopez, who commissioned his platero, Dodong Azares, to make identical gold plated brass crowns.

A few before and after photos are shown here, to give you an idea of the extent of restoration done on the Virgin:

Thus restored, our antique Virgin del Rosario is housed inside a 20 in. made-in-Spain virina purchased from ebay, with a customized base provided by Dr. Lopez. 

Maybe I’ll add a mini-rosary and a scepter later, but for now, I consider this project completed.

82. MANILA’S OLD VOTIVE FEAST: LA NAVAL

By Nick Joaquin
Philippine Quarterly, Vol. II No. 1—October-December 1961. p. 1-2.

(Nick Joaquin was a Rockefeller Foundation fellow in 1954. He won the Eugene Saxon Memorial Fellowship in 1955, the Palanca Prize in 1957, the Stonehill Award in 1958 and recently, the Republic Heritage Award. Many of his stories evoke the Manila of olden days. The feast of La Naval described here celebrates the victory over the Dutch armada which invaded the Philippines in 1646.)

The festivities began on the Saturday before the first Sunday of October. One went to Sto. Domingo to find the great image of the Virgin transferred from the Lady’s Chapel to the main altar and arrayed in gold robes and jewels.

In the afternoon, the novena began. The music of Santo Domingo was famous; the monastery had a fine boys’ choir and eminent friar musicians; and the novena of the Rosary was, in effect, a series of 9 superb sacred concerts. One heard polyphonic renditions of the Litany of the Virgin, old Castilian motets and, every evening, a different Salve, a different Tantum Ergo, sung to organ and orchestra. But the ceremonies always ended with the Despedida, the lovely hymn of farewell so associated with this feast. As the tiples went into the haunting closing phrases of the Despedida, a descending curtain slowly hid the radiant image of the Virgin, the bells rang.

Outside, in the patio, a band played, people clustered around the feria stalls to buy lanzones and roasted chestnuts, the internos from Letran and internas from Santa Rosa romped through the crowd, squealing with delight at the prospect of 9 nights with no study periods after supper.

On the morning of the 1st Sunday of October, before the high mass, the image of the Virgin was borne in procession from the Plaza de Santo Tomas to the patio of Santo Domingo. The morning procession commemorated the Battle of Lepanto in 1571, when Christian forces crushed the last attempt of Islam to conquer Europe. From this victory arose the Feast of the Rosary.

From a side portal of Santo Domingo emerged the carrozas of St. Pius V, the Pope of Lepanto and of St. Dominic. Then, though a cloud of incense, appeared the Santo Rosario, the most splendid image of the Virgin in the Philippines. (The image was carved in 1612 by a pagan Chinese sculptor who later embraced Christianity.) Down the street, past the Colegio de Santa Rosa, rode the Virgin, the crowds on the sidewalks falling to their knees as this image that had been the palladium of the city for three centuries passed by, in a rainbow of precious stones. (The gem of the Virgin’s brow, was, according to legend, wrested from a serpent.)

Into the patio flowed the procession, the bells pealing as the Santo Rosario entered the gothic portals of Santo Domingo, the lit chandeliers now illuminating the crown of the Virgin wrought of gold and jewels that had come as offerings from all over the country for the Virgin’s coronation in the early 1900s. (The Santo Rosario was the first image of the Virgin in the Philippines to be crowned canonically.) At the altar waited the Archbishop of Manila, or the Apostolic Delegate, to celebrate the mass of the victory of Lepanto, the victory in which Cervantes lost an arm.

During the first week of October, all Manila gathered, morning and evening, at the Dominicans, and Manila houses filled with visitors from the provinces who had come to attend the novena of the Santo Rosario but would stay the whole month, for after the Naval came the fiestas of Sta. Cruz and Binondo, once the city’s gayest celebrations. What Manileño can forget the old-time merriment of October in Manila?

The novena of the Santo Rosario ended on the second Sunday of October with the Feast of the Naval. This is one church feast special to the Philippines; it began in 1646, when a might Dutch armada sought to invade Manila but was routed in a series of 5 naval battles (from March 15 to October 3) by 2 decrepit galleons, the city’s only defenders. The victories were attributed to the Santo Rosario, to whose shrine at Santo Domingo the crews of the galleons had vowed to go on pilgrimage if they would triumph over the Dutch. Manila was saved; and the returning victors fulfilled their vow, marching barefooted from the gates of the city to the shrine of the Virgin. That was the 1st Naval procession, on an October day in 1646.

Six years later, the cathedral chapter of Manila decreed that the 5 victories of 1646 were “miracles vouchsafed by the Divine Majesty of God through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin, Our Lady, and the devotion to her Holy Rosary”. For four centuries now, Manileños have annually been reenacting the fulfillment of a vow made in 1646, when their city was saved through a small naval triumph that has become, for them, as magnificent and memorable as the victory of Lepanto.

On the afternoon of the Dia de La Naval, all roads led to Intramuros for the “procession of processions”, and a multitude lined the traditional route: from the Plaza de Santo Tomas to Plaza McKinley to Arzobispo to the faded grandeur of Calle Real. Above would be the wild dark skies of October, but the streets of Intramuros would be ablaze with light as, once again, across the ancient cobbles, moved the city’s ancient Queen, symbol of the traditions that once welded Manileñans into one.

Manila lost unity when Intramuros perished, and old palladium was borne away to another shrine, far from the city’s gates. The Feast of the Naval has not died, but much of its old glamour has vanished, now that one must go to Quezon City instead of Intramuros. The feast and the setting were one; they should never have been separated And October in Manila has ceased to be magical now that Intramuros and Sta. Cruz and Binondo have decayed into mongrel communities, without a common memory, a common tradition.

But one can still get an idea of what the Naval used to be. Two years ago, the Dominicans finally released all the old beloved images that used to accompany the Santo Rosario in the Naval processions in Intramuros. One can see them again now, in procession, in Quezon City, on the Day of the Naval---St. Vincent Ferrer with his wings, St. Thomas with his sun, St. Catherine of Sienna with her lilies, St. Dominic with his dog. Only one, the most dramatic of the images perished in the war: that of St. Peter Martyr, the image that provoked the most curiosity among the children, because St. Peter Martyr had a bolo through his head.

Now “exiles”, like Santo Rosario, in Quezon City, these lares and penates of the old Manila again emerge in October, after a long absence, to provoke wonder and nostalgia, on the feast called La Naval de Manila.

81. RETRO-SANTO: Ntra. Sñra. del Rosario de Orani

Bataan’s most well-known and most revered Marian image is a dark-skinned, carved-in-the-round figure of a Madonna and Child, that follows the iconography of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary. It was said to have been brought by the Dominicans to Bataan in July 1587 through the galleons that plied the seas from Spain or from Mexico. Another claim was that the image was carved in the Philippines after the religious order’s arrival.

A chapel in Orani was built to house the image, which continues to be the home of the Virgin since. Ntra. Snra. Del Rosario of Orani wields a scepter and a bastón while carrying with her left hand, the carved figure of Child Jesus, who holds a globe. On their necks are rosaries. At the back of the Virgin, a ‘suksok’ has been carved to simulate the tucked portion of her tunic in her waist. The ‘suksok’ is believed to be a distinct Philippine touch, leading art historians to believe that the Virgin and the Child Jesus were carved locally. As was the custom, the Virgin is dressed in real fabrics even if she is fully carved.

Several miracles are attributed to the Virgin, that is why it is also called “Virgen Milagrosa”. The earliest involves the apparition of Our Lady to a group of Aetas who attempted to overrun the town in reprisal against the Spaniards who had driven them up the mountains. The Aetas stopped on their tracks in fear and awe, thus the attack was aborted.

When the town was threatened with a plague of locusts in 1718, people prayed for deliverance from the pests that were about to swoop on their rice harvest. A tornado suddenly materialized and swept the locusts away.

During the last War, a Japanese attempted to deface the image by shooting it with his gun, but the gun would not fire. The soldier fled in abject fear and left the image alone. As recent as the Red Tide season, the Virgin of Orani is credited by fishermen of Bataan for saving their catch by driving the deadly tide from the Bay of Orani. It was said that the hem of her dress was found wet and soiled with sea water. Survivors of the Pinatubo eruption also told stories of the appearance of the Virgen del Rosario before many victims, offering solace and comfort.

Orani’s Lady of the Rosary was canonically crowned on 18 April, 1959.
Feast Day: Every 2nd Sunday of October.

64. RETRO-SANTO: Ntra. Sñra. del Santissimo Rosario de Manaoag

The province of Pangasinan is home to one of the most precious and honored Marian image in the country: Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary of Manaoag. The ivory image was brought to the Philippines by an Augustinian, P. Juan de San Jacinto via the Manila Galleon route, originating from Spain, in the early 1600s.

The title of the Virgin comes from an event in 1610, when a Pangasinense, on his way home, heard a woman’s voice, calling out to him ("taoag” means to call, in the native language). He tracked down the voice to a Lady with a rosary and a child, atop a cloud hovering above a tree. He quickly recognized this beautiful apparition as that of our Blessed Virgin Mary with the Christ Child.

On the spot where our Lady appeared, a chapel was built. Here, devotion grew and wondrous miracles were reported. One of the earliest account was the saving of the church and the people from a fire set by pagan pillagers who swooped down on the town. This miracle was repeated during World War II when the shrine of Our Lady of Manaoag remained unscathed even after bombs were dropped onto the roof of the church by Japanese planes.

The Marian image was canonically crowned on 21 April 1926 by the Papal Nuncio, the official emissary of His Holiness Pope Pius XI.

Both the images of Our Lady and the Christ Child have ivory heads and hands which are now lined with age. The Virgin herself owns gem-encrusted crowns donated by mostly Filipino devotees living here and abroad. It is enshrined on the altar behind bullet-proof glass. Pilgrims and devotees can venerate the Virgin by ascending a second-floor landing that allows them to touch the her holy vestments from the back.

The Shrine of Our Lady of Manaoag continues to be one of the most popular pilgrimage destinations. It also houses a shrine museum and a souvenir religious shop. Regular dawn processions are held every first Saturday of the month. Her feast day is on the 3rd Wednesday after Easter while its universal feast day (as Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary) is observed on the first Sunday of October.

18. Santo Stories: HOLY GUARDIAN ANGEL, TITULAR PATRON OF ANGELES, PAMPANGA

Don Angel Pantaleon de Miranda (ca. 1765) , together with his wife, Dña Rosalia de Jesus, founded the town of Culiat in the year 1829. Culiat was renamed Angeles, dedicated to the Los Santos Angeles Custodios (The Holy Guardian Angels, or its singular Holy Guardian Angel or Holy Angel). Thus, Holy Angel became the titular patron saint of the new town while Our Lady of the Holy Rosary (La Naval) was declared as the patron saint.


Both images were commissioned and finished in the year 1830. After the death of Don Angel, the image of the Holy Angel was taken by his son-in-law, Don Mariano Henson (ca. 1798-1848, Doctor of Laws, married to Juana Ildefonsa de Miranda), who later passed it on to Maria Agustina Henson (1828-1905), who later married Pio Rafael Nepomuceno (1817-1858 ).

The image was handed down to son Juan Gualberto Nepomuceno (1852-1923), who, in turn passed it on to son Juan D. Nepomuceno (1892-1973), founder of Holy Angel University.


It is said that it was this image that inspired Don Juan to name the school that would become the biggest university of Central Luzon. Don Juan’s daughter, Teresita N. Wilkerson (1929-)took care of the image after his father’s death.


Today, it is the Holy Angel University that is the designated caretaker of this treasured image. The Holy Angel, about 48 inches tall, stands side by side with the two-foot Child he is protecting. His antique silver accoutrements include a flowered tiara, beaten wings and a cloud base in the shape of a half-orb, made during the time of Augustinian Fr. Guillermo Masnou, parish priest of Angeles.


It was last restored in 2006 by Apalit carver, Nicolas Lugue under the supervision of Mr. PJ Nepomuceno, grandson of Don Juan Nepomuceno and an antique santo collector of note. He also had a new set of vestments made for the tableau, using recovered gold embroidery from an antique santo cape, ably put together on velvet fabrics by Sasmuan bordadero and vestment maker, Ely Mangalindan. The image stayed in a small chapel housed in one of the school buildings.


In 2010, a magnificent chapel for the University was completed, and there, inside the main niche of a gothic altar carved by Spanish-trained carver Willy Layug, the Holy Angel now reposes, a grand and permanent home for a historic icon, one of the most beautiful and most important relics of the city of Angeles.

PRAYER TO THE HOLY ANGEL

My Good Angel, God has sent you to take care of me. Shelter me under your wings, lighten my path and direct my steps. Do not leave me, stay near and defend me against the spirit of evil. But above all, come to my help in the last struggle of my life. Deliver my soul so that with you, it may praise, love and contemplate the goodness of God, forever and ever. Amen.

Angel of God My Guardian dear
To whom God’s Love
Entrusts me here
Ever this day Be at my side
To light and guard
To rule and guide.
Amen