CITY OF SAN FERNANDO--There was no stopping Roman Catholic Marian devotees who woke up early on Thursday to attend the 60th Canonical Coronation Anniversary celebration of Virgen Delos Remedios, dubbed the "Patroness of the Kapampangans".
The celebration revolved around the wooden image of the Virgen Delos Remedios which was bestowed the Canonical Crown on September 8, 1956.
Sixty years after the said coronation and on the same spot at the Provincial Capitol, the devotion to the Blessed Virgin under the said title remains ever more vibrant. Some students have waited at the Capitol Grounds as early as the evening of September 7.
Marian devotee Nino Lawrence Sotto from Santa Rita town had joined friends in heading to San Fernando the night before just to be on time for the Mass.
Representatives from parishes from different parts of Pampanga trooped to the coronation, as they have done so in the past years. Archbishop of San Fernando Florentino "Dong" Lavarias led the mass for the occasion.
'Let the poor evangelize us'
Lavarias, in his homily, took note of the strong attendance saying that "Kapampangan Catholic faith is alive."
Lavarias also called on the Kapampangan Roman Catholics to learn from their experience with helping the poor adding that people should "let the poor evangelize them" in the spirit of mutual love and trust.
The prelate addressed hundreds of Roman Catholic devotees, mostly students and Marian devotees, in homily that centered on the lessons of the Virgin Mary's trust in God's plan. He said that other than people helping the poor, people can learn from the poor themselves as they can see God through them.
"While heading here I realized that the faith of Kapampangan Catholics is alive," Lavarias said, taking notice of the huge crowd that gathered at the Metropolitan Cathedral of San Fernando. The crowd joined in the procession that ushered the image of the Virgen delos Remedios and Santo Cristo del Perdon all the way to the Capitol Grounds where an equally large crowd had gathered as early as 2:00 am.
During his homily, Lavarias mentioned the enduring love of the Kapampangans for the Blessed Mother. He added that the Kapampangans would always honor Mary during religious events. He reminded those in attendance to keep the imitate Mary's trust of the Lord. Lavarias also highlighted the enduring message of of the Catholic Church in taking care of the poor and putting love and peace at the center of everyday activity.
The Mass, despite its early morning schedule, was attended by huge crowds from different parts of Pampanga. There were also devotees coming from Metro Manila and nearby provinces. The return to the Capitol grounds is in remembrance of the first canonical coronation some 60 years ago. On 11 February 1956, Bishop Guerrero submitted a petition to Cardinal Federico Tedeschini, who at the time was the Apostolic Dataria to Pope Pius XII requesting to grant a canonical coronation. On 15 July 1956, Pope Pius XII issued the pontifical decree on the Canonical Coronation of the image, which occurred on 8 September 1956, the same day of its current feast.
At present, there are 17 churches listed in the Philippines dedicated to Nuestra Señora de los Remedios.
The most popular devotion is Pampanga's Crusade of Charity and Penance, which was entrusted under the patronage of Virgen de los Remedios and initiated by Bishop Cesar Maria Guerrero, who incidentally is from Malate.
With the devastation of World War II, Pampanga became a center for communism and breeding ground of socialism. There was a huge gap between rich and poor, thus peasants and farmers were up in arms against their landowners.
Thus in 1952, Bishop Guerrero set the image of Nuestra Señora de los Remedios to visit every church and chapel around the diocese that brought together the faithful in prayer with non-stop recitation of the rosary.
There were daily Masses and the faithful were encouraged to return to the sacraments. Likewise, care for the poor was emphasized where aid was solicited by the host parish and brought to the needy of the next parish.
In between prayers and devotions, folks were working and sharing together for peace.
As recognition of Kapampangan's enthusiastic and deep devotion to Mary, Pope Pius XII bestowed the Canonical Crown on September 8, 1956.