Sisters in Blood, Sisters in Christ: The Talangpaz Sisters

The Talangpaz Sisters are not just blood sisters, but also Sisters for Christ and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. Dionisia Talangpaz was born on March 12, 1691 and Cecilia Rosa Talangpaz on July 16, 1693 in Calumpit, Bulacan, Philippines from the union of Don Andres Talangpaz and Dona Isabel Pamintuan. They are the kin of Felipe Songson, a martryr from Pampanga who is one of the companions of St. Pedro Calungsod and Blessed Diego de San Vitores.

Driven by inner strength and union of desires, they both offered themselves to the service of the Lord in twofold way of contemplation and action: thier lives centered in the daily Holy Eucharist, nourished by the filial devotion of the Blessed Mother under the title of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel as they engaged in silent hard work in the sanctuary. Their fidelity did not escape the notice of the OAR Friars of San Sebastian convent headed by Fray Diego de San Jose and the residents of Calumpang. 

In blessed time, the two sisters pleaded to the Friars to don the habit of Mantelatas of the Third Order of St. Augustine which was granted on July 16, 1725. 

In their new life, Mother Dionisia de Sta. Maria and Mother Cecilia Rosa de Jesus, as they were now called, experienced difficulties and trials. They suffered severe interior sufferings which an ordinary heart could not bear. It was only the grace of God that sustained them. yet in humility and silence they bore and lovingly endured them all, telling Fray Diego: Father, it is clear that God and the Most Holy Virgin deigned to test us and purify our souls in the crucible of sorrows. But for now, we must be patient and suffer till Our Lord and His Most Holy Mother will have mercy on us. 

In God's due time, their immense sufferings turned into joy. The trials blew off. They sttled peacefully now in a new house built by the priest, who become their great provider and protector. 

Quite prophetic were the words of Fray Benito de San Pablo, OAR who spoke of them: Living under God's watercourse, these striving Beatas may increase in number in God's due time and cheerfully hover over the branches of the Biblical mustard. 

From the Beaterio de San Sebastian de Calumpang started the growth of the Congregation. The foundation which the Sisters had laid on solid rock continued to flourish and develop even after they were called to their eternal reward-Mother Cecilia Rosa on the 31st of July 1731 and Sor Dionisia on 12th of October 1732. 

The Congregation of the Augustinian recollect Sisters, which originated in 1719, is he fruit of the missionay zeal of the Augustinian Recollect Fathers in the Philippines. It was canonically established as a Religious Congregation on August 19, 1929 and was declared of juridical autonomy by Pope Paul VI on November 20, 1970. 

The cause for their beatification was introduced in Rome through the Sacred Congregation for the Causes of Saints in 1999. 

Prayer for Favors

Merciful God, you have called your servants Dionisia and Cecilia Talangpaz to manifest your grace of humility and fortitude in serving your Church, under the mantle of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. Grant this favor (mention your intention) united with the loving supplications of your dear courageous and faithful Mother Dionisia and Mother Cecilia, whose glory and joy in your kingdom we ask you to reveal her holiness and grant her beatification through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen

(One Our Father, One Hail Mary and One Glory Be) 

For all the favors received, kindly report in writing to: 

Beatification Commission

Augustinian Recollect Sisters Motherhouse, St. Rita College

Plaza del Carmen, Quiapo

1001 Manila Philippines 

This Just In: Medjugorje, "NO HOAX" claimed by the Commission

Our Lady of Medjugorje, Queen of Peace

The dossier on the alleged apparitions of the Virgin Mary at Medjugorje has been passed on to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The verdict could be positive albeit partial but no concrete decision has yet been reached.

A verdict on the Medjugorje apparitions is not far off. The Mejugorje inquiry commission which was set up in March 2010 and is chaired by Cardinal Camillo Ruini has concluded its work. Fr. Federico Lombardi confirmed that the commission held its last meeting on Friday and the results of the inquiry will now be examined by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith headed by the Prefect Gerhard Müller.

All the material gathered, the interviews with the seers and many other witnesses, the stories told by the various people involved, expert reports and theological reflections on the messages, has been summarized in one final report and passed on to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith for a careful evaluation. The report will be studied alongside other documentation which the Congregation has gathered over the course of the years.

The Commission has focused mainly on the first phase of apparitions. There is apparently no proof of any tricks, hoaxes or abuse of popular credulity. However, it is proving difficult for the Church to form a definitive verdict on the supernatural nature of a phenomenon that is ongoing.

Of the six seers who reported apparitions in June 1981, when they were still children or in their teens, three claim that they still see daily apparitions of the “Queen of Peace” at the same time every afternoon, wherever they happen to be at the time. These seers are: Vicka (who lives in Medjugorje), Marija (who lives in Monza) and Ivan (who lives in the US but returns to his homeland often). A fourth seer, Mirjana, sees an apparition on the second day of each month.

The Visionaries

The large volume of messages going round poses a problem for the Commission. As does the forecasting of supernatural signs and secrets which the seers have refused to share, even with Church authorities.

Some of the Commission’s members have highlighted the need for a change of pace in the provision of pastoral care to millions of faithful who come to Medjugorje from all over the world. The Commission and Cardinal Ruini himself thanks to visits by people close to him have noticed that people really are converting to the faith or returning to the sacraments – what the Church refers to as spiritual fruits –  in a significant way.

But this alone does not a decision on the part of the Church with regard to the supernatural nature of the apparitions. In fact, over the past few months, Prefect Müller has cautioned bishops in the US to keep a close eye on meetings held by Medjugorje seers. These are often public meetings with lots of apparitions on the agenda. During last 14 November’s mass in St. Martha’s House, the Pope very eloquently said that Mary is a Mother "not a postmaster of the post office sending out messages every day." These words were addressed to those who continuously communicate messages and prophesies about the future.

The Bishop of Mostar, Ratko Peric, who also serves Medjugorje, is notoriously sceptical about the phenomenon, as was his predecessor. Then there is the age-long problem of the relations between the diocesan clergy and the Franciscan friars of Herzegovina at the time of the apparitions. A couple of solutions proposed in the recent past,  have been to restore the old diocese of Trebinje  so as to remove Medjugorje from the territory of the Mostar diocese or to create a Marian shrine that would be managed by a rector from another diocese.

- GIACOMO GALEAZZI - ANDREA TORNIELLI

Nuestra Senora del Carmen de San Sebastian, the Queen of Quiapo

Nuestra Senora del Carmen de San Sebastian

 During the Black Nazarene feast last January 9, an almost-forgotten-now-resurrected tradition of "Dungaw" was once again made for it was later discovered in the archives of San Sebastian Church that the said tradition was part of the now iconic Traslacion of the Black Nazarene feast every January 9. 

When the said tradition was commenced, a resounding jubilation was seen in the crowds for the Miraculous images of the Black Nazarene and the Nuestra Senora del Carmen met once again after so many years.

The Newly encarna-ed image

With this in mind,it's about time to introduce and re-introduce Nuestra Senora del Carmen to the people.

The image of Our Lady of Carmel housed at the San Sebastian Church on Plaza del Carmen, depicts the classical theme of the Mother and Child with the signature Carmel scapular in their hands. The title of "Our Lady of Mount Carmel" was given to the Blessed Virgin in honor of the brown scapular given to St. Simon Stock, who organized the Carmelite Order in England. The members were required to wear the brown habit as well as the scapular which became a symbol of Mary's love and protection

The revered statue of the Virgen del Carmen was brought to the Philippines in 1617, by Spanish Recoletos, on their 3rd mission to the country, led by Fray Rodrigo de San Miguel. The sacred statue was  a gift presented by the Discalced Carmelite Sisters of Mexico while their ship was anchored there, en route to Manila. The crew elected the Virgen del Carmen the ‘capitana’ of their ship in their voyage to the Pacific. 

The original image before the theft of mid 1970's

It is interesting to note that the Augustinian Recollects and the Discalced Carmelites were the offspring of the Reformed orders from their parent religious orders, hence this image is a sign of the special bond between these reformed orders who adopted more strict discipline to follow the rules of their perspective parent orders.  

When the Agustinos Recoletos safely arrived, the image was enthroned in a makeshift church that was built in an area called Calumpang, the same place where San Sebastian now stands.

Dungaw

The Cofradia of the Virgen del Carmen was established in 1625, and quickly gained popularity, attracting members not only from Manila but also from nearby provinces like Laguna, Pampanga, Bulacan and Batangas. They were primarily responsible for spreading the devotion to the Virgen del Carmen, with Her feast initially celebrated every January 21. Rome later moved her feast day to July 16 for the universal church.

In 1964, the Mt. Carmel Shrine and the Monastery was built in New Manila, becoming only the second shrine dedicated to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel .

The head and hands of the Virgin and the Child Jesus are of ivory, and both wear heavily embroidered vestments in traditional gold and brown colors. Unfortunately, the heads of the Virgin and Jesus were stolen in the mid 1970s, and has not been recovered since. The head of the sacristans, Felipe Dy, head of the sacristan mayores, offered to restore the statue from the generous donations of parishioners. The well-known religious sculptor of Maximo Vicente re-created the missing parts of the original images.

The image before the encarna

The devotion to her was still evidently strong and miracles continued to happen that in 1991, under the Papal Decree issued by Pope Blessed John Paul II, the image was canonically crowned making her the 25th Marian Image in the Philippines to be given such honor. The coronation coincided with the church's Centennial Celebration in 1991.

Through a Presidential Decree in January 14, 1974, the San Sebastian Church was declared a National Historical Landmark and it was later declared a National Treasure by the National Museum on August 20, 2011. In 2018, she will celebrate her Quadricentennial anniversary (400th anniversary) of her arrival to the Philippine shores in 1618.

The Return of the Sto. Nino de La Correa of Betis

MR. TOM JOVEN, WITH THE RECOVERED NINO OF THE VIRGEN DE LA CORREA
Photo from the FB page of Auxiliary Bishop Pablo Virgilio David

A few days after the reported theft of the ivory Nino, the Archdiocesan Commission on Church Heritage (ACCH) of the Archdiocese of San Fernando, announced the successfully recovery of the revered image, with the help of yet another collector and renown ecclesiastical artist, Tom Joven.

Joven, who heads the Parish Pastoral Council of San Guillermo Parish of Bacolor and who also serves as member of the Tangible Heritage Committee of ACCH, reported his find to diocesan church authorities as the image surfaced in the antiques market, days after it was reported to be missing. His network of collector-friends provided him leads that allowed him to track the image in Manila, and which he eventually purchased the ivory parts brought to him discreetly in a plastic bag, minus the wooden body.

Immediately, he notified the church authorities headed by Auxiliary Bishop Pablo Virgilio David and the Pastoral Council of Betis. The acknowledged santo expert offered to restore the image and have it ready for official turnover to diocesan and local church authorities in time for the celebration of the Santo Niño Feast on January 19 (3rd Sunday of January).

The ACCH circular acknowledged with gratitude the role that antique collectors played in the recovery of the Nino—alongside media entities, heritage advocates and netizens who helped spread the word about the theft of this treasured image which is imbued with priceless historical, cultural and spiritual meanings—a special part of the Augustinian legacy in Betis, Pampanga.

This Just In: The Sto. Nino de Betis was found!

At last, he was found!

While the Feast of the Black Nazarene was ongoing and the Novenas in Honor of the Sto. Nino started, the the Sto, Nino de La Correa of Betis, Pampanga was finally found.

More info will be posted on the following days as the facts will be unraveled.

Welcome Back Senor Sto. Nino!

The Forgotten Nuestra Senora da La Salud

Nuestra Senora de La Salud

The principal treasure of Museo recoleto is the dark image of the Blessed Virgin, "Nuestra Señora de la Salud" brought by the first Recollect missionaries to the Philippines in 1606. 

The discalced religious of the great father of the Church, St. Augustine, entered Manila in the year 1606. Although they were the last evangelical workers, their apostolic zeal has extended in rivalry to the first ones, and they have attained abundant results from their labors, in the reduction of the most barbarous islanders, and in the exemplary lives of their reformed religious. 

The first convent in which they lived was the one now called San Juan de Bagongbáyan, outside the walls of the city of Manila. It was established with the title of San Nicolas de Tolentino, which is still preserved (without adminis tration), with the veneration merited, not only by their primacy but by the miraculous image of Nuestra Señora de la Salud [i.e., "our Lady of health"] who is venerated there. 

Later, a convent was erected in due form under the ancient advocacy of St. Nicholas of Tolentino, that saint being today the titular of that most strict province. In that convent, which is inside and near the walls of Manila, there are generally maintained thirty or forty religious. 

They have the reputation of being a community as well regulated as the best in Castilla, and one in which have been known a great number of fathers of holiness and learning. From that convent they go out to perform their laborious ministrations in these islands.

During World War II, most of the Churches in Manila were destroyed, this church is not spared but the image was found intact and was transferred to their Monastery and remained there permanently.

Prayer to Nuestra Senora de La Salud

Virgin, most holy, Mother of the Word Incarnate, Treasurer of graces, and Refuge of sinners, I fly top your motherly affection with lively faith, and I beg of you the grace ever to do the will of God. 

Into your most holy hands I commit the keeping of my heart, asking you for health of soul and body, in the certain hope that you, my most loving Mother, will hear my prayer. 

Into the bosom of your tender mercy, this day, every day of my life, and at the hour of my death, I commend my soul and body. 

To you I entrust all my hopes and consolations, all my trials and miseries, my life and the end of my life, that all my actions may be ordered and disposed according to your will and that of your Divine Son. Amen 

Missing: The Sto. Nino of Our Lady in Pampanga

Nuestra Senora de La Consolacion Y Correa de Betis, Pampanga

The Image of the Sto. Nino from this image
is currently missing

 An Appeal to Cultural Heritage Workers, Antique Collectors and to the Public from the Archdiocesan Commission on Church Heritage - Archdiocese of San Fernando:

The centuries-old, ivory image of the Child Jesus of Betis Church's Virgen de la Correa (see attached photo) was stolen today, 30th of December 2013 before the town fiesta procession.

We appeal to you to be on the look-out for this significant piece of Betis heritage and let us know of possible leads that can help us recover it. 

We appeal to you to be on the look-out for this significant piece of Betis heritage and let us know of possible leads that can help us recover it. 

Betis folks have always been proud and protective of their religious and cultural heritage. The images of Virgen de la Correa and the Child Jesus are among the legacies left by the Augustinian missionaries who established a mission in Betis in 1572. These are properties of Betis Church, as documented in the 1790 Santa Visita de la Iglesia de Betis (Archdiocesan Archives of Manila Box 6.A.3, Folder 9).

If you can offer information about the missing image of the Child Jesus, please contact:

Office of Aux. Bp. Pablo Virgilio S. David 
Cellphone No. 0917-508-0302
Tel. No. (045) 888-63-55 Loc. 2
Email Add: ambo.david@yahoo.com

St. James the Apostle Heritage Foundation, Inc.

Tel. No. (045) 900-00-22