With the ease of restrictions, organizers of the much-awaited feast of La Naval de Manila in honor of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary (Nuestra Senora Santissimo Rosario) have begun preparations for La Naval 2022.
Held at the Santo Domingo Church in Quezon City, this year’s grand celebration will be held on October 9. Novena masses will be celebrated from September 30 to October 8.
Enthronement rites for the revered image will be held on September 29. Interested mass sponsors for La Naval 2022 may get in touch with the parish office. The church also continues to accept mass intentions online.
More devotees are expected to join this year’s celebration which has been limited mostly to virtual masses and prayers during the last two years because of the pandemic.
The first celebration of the Feast of La Naval de Manila was held on Oct. 8, 1646, in Intramuros, Manila to mark the naval victory of the Spanish and Filipino Catholic forces against the invading Dutch fleet. Reminiscent of the victory of the greatly outnumbered Christian naval forces against the Turks at the Battle of Lepanto in 1571, which was attributed to the intercession of the Blessed Mother, the joint Spanish and Filipino forces, upon the advice of the Dominican friars, prayed the Holy Rosary before each encounter with the invading forces between March 15 and Oct. 4. Finally, the Dutch fleet gave up and left the country.
In thanksgiving to God and the Holy Mother for the victory, Spanish church leaders initiated the celebration of the first feast of La Naval de Manila, which has since then been annually marked with holy masses and a grand procession of the sacred image.