Mga milagro ng Birheng Maria (Miracles of the Virgin Mary): Symbolism and expression of Marian devotion in the Philippines

• Main Author: Tallara, Mark Iñigo M.
• Format: text
• Published: Animo Repository 2017
• Subjects: Mary, Blessed Virgin, Saint—Devotion to—Philippines; Religion
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/faculty_research/6341
• Institution: De La Salle University

This paper is about Catholicism in the Philippines, highlighting the events, and objects on the popular devotion to the Birheng Maria (Virgin Mary), that could give fresh look onto the process of formulating an alternative discourse on religious piety and identity formation. This study also calls for more scholarly attention on the historical and religious connection between Spain, Mexico, and the Philippines, focusing on the legacies of the Manila Galleon that through them we can better appreciate the Latin American dimension of Filipino Catholicism. In addition to the goods, the Manila Galleon facilitated the first transpacific people to people exchange and their ideas, customs, and most importantly the aspects of religious life. This study will examine the symbolism and expression of Filipinos’ devotion to the miraculous image of Nuestra Señora de la Paz y Buen Viaje (Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage) or popularly known as the Black Virgin Mary of Antipolo1 . What are the motivations of the devotees to the Black Virgin? How has the popular devotion to the Virgin Mary changed overtime? Observing a particular group of devotees and their practices could provide materials for the study of pilgrimage and procession. Then apply those features and analysis in order to formulate a method that is suitable for the study of popular piety in the Philippines. Although the origin of the devotion to the Black Virgin Mary of Antipolo is central to my arguments, the study will also take a broader consideration of the origins of Marianism in the Philippines. This analytical step is consistent with the hypothesis that a consideration of the cult of saints particularly to the Virgin Mary are crucial to the understanding of the historical, cultural, and religious connections between Mexico and the Philippines.