The Archdiocese of Cebu houses the Santo Niño de Cebu, one of only four canonically crowned images of the Child Jesus in the world.
Newsroom(09/05/2022 12:22, Gaudium Press) The image of Our Lady of the Patronage, kept in the parish of Boljoon City, Cebu Province, Philippines, was canonically crowned at the age of 442.
The ceremony, which took place within the celebration of a Holy Mass, was presided over by the Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines, Archbishop Charles John Brown, together with the Archbishop of Cebu, Bishop Jose Palma; the Archbishop of Palo, Bishop John Du; the Auxiliary Bishop of Cebu, Bishop Midyphil Billones; and the clergy of Cebu.
Our Lady and the arrival of Christianity in the Philippines
In his homily, the Nuncio emphasized that “Mary Most Holy is our protector. She is our patroness. She is our defender. She is our mother who loves us with a deep and maternal love.”
Bishop Brown also expressed the link between devotion to the Virgin Mary and the arrival of Christianity in the country, which occurred 500 years ago. According to him, the Filipino people should thank God for the gift of Faith, the gift of being able to say ‘I believe in God.
Crowning of the Images of Our Lady and the Child Jesus
In a message of thanksgiving, Bishop Jose Palma expressed his gratitude to Our Lady “For being a Mother to us and for being a Patroness from the beginning of this parish in 1606 until today.
Bishop Brown and Bishop Palma then placed the crowns blessed in the name of Pope Francis on the images of the Mother and the Son, as well as a scepter, which was placed in the hand of Our Lady.
Canonically crowned images in the Archdiocese of Cebu
The Archdiocese of Cebu is home to the Santo Niño de Cebu, one of only four canonically crowned images of the Child Jesus in the world. It is also home to two other canonically crowned Marian images: Virgen de la Regla in Lapu-Lapu City and Virgen de Guadalupe in Cebu City.
The Archdiocese also has six Marian images with episcopal crown: Our Lady of the Rosary, Cebu; Our Lady of Remedies, Labangon; Our Lady of Remedies, Odlot; Our Lady of Lourdes, Punta Princesa; The Immaculate Conception, Cebu; and Our Lady of Mount Carmel – La Limpia, Cebu. (EPC)
Compiled by Teresa Joseph