Nuestra Señora de Guia feast

Ermita district in Manila will mark the feast of Nuestra Señora de Guia on May 18 in honor of the oldest Marian image in the Philippines and patron saint of the Archdiocesan Shrine of Nuestra Señora de Guia on M. H. del Pilar Street.

ASNDG Rector Rev. Fr. Sanny de Claro said the  10-day fete which began on Friday includes praying the rosary, novena prayers, and daily 6 p.m. Masses presided by Marian Rectors of the Philippines. It will culminate in a Eucharistic Mass on May 18.

There will also be a floral offering (“Bata Flores”) to be led by parish pastoral council president Mercedes Rosas, together with  participants from five barangays, as well as a grand procession on May 19 along Ermita’s major streets after the 6 p.m. Mass to be celebrated by former Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales.

The presence of the Nuestra Señora de Guia image was officially recorded in 1571 when soldiers of Miguel Lopez de Legaspi saw the natives worshipping a Marian statue on the same spot where Ermita Church now stands. Call the ASNDG Parish Office at 523-2754.