Cardinal calls Marian devotion to justice, care for poor at Manaoag centennial

Saturday, April 25, 2026

Cardinal calls Marian devotion to justice, care for poor at Manaoag centennial

Posted by Herbert Curia - Promoter at Saturday, April 25, 2026 0 comments

From the Website of CBCP
From: https://cbcpnews.net/cbcpnews/cardinal-calls-marian-devotion-to-justice-care-for-poor-at-manaoag-centennial/

Cardinal calls Marian devotion to justice, care for poor at Manaoag centennial

MANAOAG, Pangasinan— Devotion to the Virgin Mary must be expressed in concrete acts of justice and care for the poor, a leading Catholic prelate said Wednesday as thousands of devotees marked a historic Marian milestone.

Cardinal Jose Advincula of Manila made the appeal during Mass for the 100th anniversary of the canonical coronation of Our Lady of Manaoag, one of the country’s most revered Marian images, at the Minor Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary of Manaoag.

“Let our love for Mary lead us to be more just, holy and loving,” Advincula said in his homily.

“In a world torn by war, poverty and indifference, let our Marian devotion bear fruit in Marian action, a concrete care for the poor, a tender attentiveness to the vulnerable and a steadfast commitment to justice and peace,” he said.

Advincula said Marian devotion loses its meaning when reduced to ritual or tradition that does not shape behavior, relationships and social engagement in a fractured world.

“The real coronation of Mary is not by jewels but by lives transformed,” he said, calling the faithful her “living crown” through holiness and self-giving love.

The cardinal also encouraged continued devotion to the rosary, describing it as a “crown of roses” offered daily in prayer.

The shrine traces its origins to a reported 1610 apparition, when a farmer said he heard a call and saw Mary holding the child Jesus and a rosary.

The account shaped the town’s identity, with “Manaoag” derived from a local word meaning “to call,” reflecting belief that Mary summons the faithful to her hilltop sanctuary.

Church officials said the 1926 canonical coronation, carried out in the name of Pope Pius XI, formally recognized a devotion already deeply rooted among generations of Filipino Catholics.

The Mass was presided over by papal nuncio Archbishop Charles Brown and attended by thousands of devotees, including President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and first lady Liza Araneta-Marcos.

As part of the rites, the presidential couple presented ceremonial crowns to the nuncio, who led the reenactment of the 1926 coronation of the Marian image.

The image’s aureole was placed by Archbishop Gilbert Garcera of Lipa, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, and Fr. Felix Legaspi III, rector of the Manaoag basilica.

Toward the end of the Mass, Marcos led the congregation in reciting the prayer for the centennial celebration of the coronation of Our Lady of Manaoag.

Archbishop Socrates Villegas of Lingayen-Dagupan echoed the call for mission beyond devotion, saying the Eucharist must move believers from thanksgiving to action in a world “thirsty for peace.”

He said Mary’s maternal care assures the faithful they are not abandoned, urging them to extend the same compassion to communities facing hardship and uncertainty. The archbishop added that the devotion endures beyond milestones, calling the faithful toward “everlasting life beyond counting.”