CBCP elevates 2 churches to nat’l shrine status

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has designated two parish churches in Maasin City and Quezon City as national shrines during its 128th plenary in Cagayan de Oro City on July 6.

In a statement on the CBCP website, the first church to receive this honor is the Diocesan Shrine of Our Lady of the Assumption in Maasin City. 

Established in 1771 by Jesuit missionaries and later dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption by Franciscans in 1843, the church became a cathedral in 1968 when the Diocese of Maasin was formed. 

On Aug. 15, 2018, the shrine's revered image of Our Lady of the Assumption received an episcopal coronation led by Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle. 

On Aug. 13, 2022, Papal nuncio Archbishop Charles Brown presided over another episcopal coronation for the venerated image.

CBCP said the Diocesan Shrine of Our Lady of the Assumption is the first national shrine in the Eastern Visayas.

Novaliches church

CBCP said the second church elevated to national shrine status is the Diocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Mercy in Novaliches, Quezon City. 

Founded by Augustinian missionaries from Spain, it is the oldest church in its diocese. 

Initially a chapel of Corpus Christi, it was elevated to Parroquia de Nuestra Señora de la Merced in 1856. 

In 2008, the church was declared a diocesan shrine, and in 2021, it received a special bond of spiritual affinity with the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome. 

The image of Our Lady of Mercy at this shrine was granted a canonical coronation the same year. 

This designation also makes it the first national shrine in the 19-year-old Diocese of Novaliches.

The CBCP said shrines are integral to popular piety and devotion to Mary and the saints, serving as centers for pilgrimage and spiritual nourishment through liturgical celebrations.

The plenary assembly, attended by more than 70 bishops, marks the first time the CBCP has convened in Mindanao.