Manila Archbishop Jose Cardinal Advincula will preside over a concelebrated high mass (Misa Mayor) on Friday, May 19, at 6 p.m. at the Archdiocesan Shrine of Nuestra Senora de Guia (Our Lady of Guidance), on the corner of M.H. del Pilar and A. Flores Streets, Ermita, Manila, in solemn commemoration of the Feast of Our Lady of Guidance, the revered patron saint of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), navigators, and travelers. (Our Lady of Guidance / Facebook)

This year’s feast coincides with the 452nd founding anniversary of the revered image. Holy masses will also be offered at 6:30 a.m. and at 7:15 a.m. A procession will be held at 5 p.m. Novena prayers and novena masses were held from May 10 to 18. Also known as the Ermita Church, the parish church is considered one of the foremost Marian shrines in the country. It was erected right on the site where the image of the wooden Black Madonna was found on May 19, 1571, making the Marian icon the oldest among all those venerated in the Philippines. In 1578, the king of Spain, in a royal decree, declared Our Lady of Guidance, which is depicted as the Immaculate Conception, as the “sworn patroness” of the city of Manila. On December 30, 1955, Pope Pius XII granted the image a canonical coronation. During the papal visit in January 2015, the 16th-century image of Our Lady of Guidance was temporarily transferred to the Apostolic Nuncio on Taft Avenue, Manila, where Pope Francis stayed. The image was also brought to the Quirino Grandstand in Luneta for Pope Francis’ concluding mass.