Pope Francis has granted the canonical coronation of the national pilgrim image of the revered Our Lady of Fatima.
The National Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Valenzuela City, where the image is enshrined, made the announcement citing a decree from the Vatican’s Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, said a CBCP News post.
“We are confident that this canonical coronation will contribute to an ever deepening devotion to the Mother of God on the part of God’s holy, faithful people which will, in turn, assist them in their spiritual growth,” said Archbishop Vittorio Viola, the dicastery’s secretary.
The national pilgrim image of Our Lady of Fatima was the same icon used during the People Power Revolution in 1986.
The national shrine said they have scheduled the canonical coronation on Feb. 25 next year to coincide with the 38th anniversary of the EDSA revolution.
A canonical coronation is a formal ceremony wherein a Marian image is crowned in the name of the Holy Father.
The coronation acknowledges the specific image’s local significance while also recognizing its universal importance within the Catholic Church.
The practice began in the 17th century but became increasingly popular in the late 1800s.
The pilgrim image was one of the original 50 statues blessed by Pope Paul VI in Fatima, Portugal in 1967 during the Golden Year of the apparitions and was later brought to the country by the late Jaime Cardinal Sin.
The Marian image was crowned as the National Pilgrim Image during the launching of the National Marian Year on Dec. 8, 1984. The icon was permanently entrusted to the National Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima since 1999.
Also known as the Queen of Peace, the image was given an Episcopal Coronation by the late Bishop Jose F. Oliveros of the Diocese of Malolos on May 13, 2017 in celebration of the 100th year of the Fatima apparitions.
The crown and the rosary were given by the rector of the Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima in Portugal as an expression of the Sanctuary’s union with the Filipinos in celebration of the centenary of the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima.