Several Catholic shrines in Rizal Province remain favorite pilgrimage sites of devotees from within and beyond the province.
In Cardona, the lakeshore municipality in Rizal Province, the Diocesan Shrine and Parish of the Our Lady of the Holy Rosary -- home of the pontifically crowned Marian image and centuries-old painting of the Madonna and Child -- remains on the bucket list of Catholic pilgrims year-round.
Fr. Reynante "Nante" Tolentino, rector of the Cardona shrine and parish church located just across the Cardona municipal hall, said the number of Marian devotees continues to grow, especially during October, the month of the Holy Rosary.
Just over the weekend, a group of pilgrims from Paranaque in Metro Manila -- the Kaagapay ng Mga Senior Citizen ng Barangay La Huerta, led by Dr. Mel Capistrano and Mrs. Mely Martin -- visited the shrine in Cardona to pay homage to the Nuestra Senora del Santisimo Rosario de Cardona ( Our Lady of the Holy Rosary of Cardona) and the painting of the Mother and Child, known locally since 1608 as La Virgen de Sapao.
Fr. Reynante Tolentino poses with pilgrims from Parañaque City during a visit at the Diocesan Shrine and Parish of the Our Lady of the Holy Rosary
Fr. Nante told Manila Bulletin that during the recent feast day of the two venerated images on Oct. 7, hundreds of parishioners joined the Holy Masses and the Siete Dia Devocion as part of the celebration of the parish's 417th anniversary and the third anniversary of the pontifical coronation of the sculptured image of the Our Lady of the Rosary.
The pilgrims, together with Fr. Reynante Tolentino below the giant statue of the Our Lady of the Holy Rosary (photo by Nel Andrade)
During the fiesta celebration, devotees, dressed in colorful cultural dresses, danced to the beat of the drums in the traditional Sapao-an Festival street dance.
History records reveal that "Sapao" was the former name of the present-day Cardona, hence the the Marian title “La Virgen de Sapao,” which applies to both the 1608 painting of Mother and Child and the current statue of the Our Lady of the Holy Rosary.
The Our Lady of the Holy Rosary of Cardona
The Cardona shrine rector, who also heads the Association of Catholic Shrines and Pilgrimages in the Philippines, offered prayers for the Paranaque pilgrims and blessed them before the group left for Morong and Tanay.
La Virgen de Sapao painting
In Morong, the pilgrims visited the Saint Jerome Parish Church, the structure built in 1615 with a Chinese-Baroque architecture and dedicated to San Geronimo.
The senior citizens group concluded their day-long pilgrimage at the San Ildefonso Parish Church in Tanay, another pilgrim attraction in Rizal Province.
St. Jerome Parish Church (photo by Nel Andrade)
The interior of the Tanay church still features portions of its original walls from the 1773 to 1783 structure.
The church’s interior walls also display over 200-year-old wooden murals depicting an earlier version of the Stations of the Cross, with its seventh station showing a man holding what appears to be a pair of sunglasses.
The sacristan mayor (head of the sacristan) told Manila Bulletin that the story behind this particular mural remains a mystery to locals and tourists, as no one can explain why the centuries-old wooden sculpture depicts a man wearing spectacles - especially since the first wearable eyeglasses were only introduced in Italy in 1284.
The Paranaque pilgrims said they plan to continue exploring other Catholic churches and pilgrimage sites in Rizal Province, which is part of the Southern Tagalog Region and rich in cultural and religious heritage.
The wooden mural bearing the image of a man on sunglasses (in red square) (photo by Nel Andrade)
The Kaagapay group said they expressed their gratitude to the City Government of Parañaque and Mayor Edwin Olivarez for providing transportation to their sector, which advocates for equal opportunities for the elderly.
Their visit to Tanay also made possible through the assistance of Tanay Mayor Rex Manuel Tanjuatco and Municipal Administrator Jeff Pino, who offered Daranak Falls as a stopover venue for the senior citizens during their pilgrimage.
The pilgrims arriving at St. Jerome Parish Church (photo by Nel Andrade)
The Tanay municipal government said arrivals of local and foreign tourists peak during the summer months but visits to upland resorts usually increase during the cold weather months from October to end of February.
Daranak Falls (photo by Nel Andrade)