Santa Ana Church declared a national shrine

ELEVATED STATUS This ancient church in Sta. Ana, Manila, is the newest national shrine. —INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — The 18th century Santa Ana Church in Manila was declared the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Abandoned, a status that Manila Bishop Broderick Pabillo said brought both “honor and responsibility” to the Catholic Church.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said it had approved the petition to elevate the church’s status to a national shrine over a year after it was filed in January 2020.

In a ceremony held on the church’s feast day on May 12, Pabillo called on the faithful to “intensify [their] faith in God and service to others.”

The church, also known as an archeological site, was constructed between 1720 to 1725.

It houses the 300-year-old image of the Our Lady of the Abandoned, also known as “La Gobernadora de Manila,” that has drawn pilgrims for many years.

In a Nov. 1, 2020, decree, the CBCP attributed to the image “miracles of every kind” from healings to answered prayers.

There are now 27 national shrines in the Philippines, the CBCP said.