shrine and translated to the place where the Pope stayed
NUESTRA SEÑORA DE GUIA
(OUR LADY OF GUIDANCE)
HISTORY AND ORIGIN
The Image of Nuestra Señora de Guia (Our Lady of Guidance)
is a 16th-century image of the Blessed Virgin Mary depicted
as the Immaculate Conception and widely venerated by
Filipinos. The wooden Black Madonna is considered the first
and the oldest existing Marian statue in the Philippines.
There were different historical theories regarding the origin
of this image, either from the Ferdinand Magellan
expedition, Chinese traders, or apparently, the storied
Bolinao Mission of Odoric of Pordenone, a Franciscan
Missionary, of 1324 prior to the Magellan expedition.
The statue is locally venerated as patroness of navigators
and travelers since the Spanish times. The image is enshrined
at the Archdiocesan Shrine of Nuestra Señora de Guia,
popularly known as the Ermita Church, in Ermita, Manila. She
is the titular patroness of the City of Manila. Pope Paul VI
granted this image a canonical coronation on December 30,
1955.
One of its iconic attributes is the placement of real or
imitation Pandan leaves around the image's base. The feast
of Our Lady of Guidance is celebrated every May 19.
The church was granted Archdiocesan Shrine status in 2005
under former Archbishop of Manila Cardinal Gaudencio
Rosales.
During the visit of Pope John Paul II (1995) and Pope Francis
(2015) in the Philippines, the statue was removed from the
during their visit. The icon was later present at Quirino
Grandstand for the Pope Francis open-air Mass on January
18, 2015.
Due to the church's proximity to the United States Embassy,
the statue is often visited by locals who petition the Virgin
for safety in overseas travel. Devotees claim that when
invoked under this title, the Virgin’s intercession is speedy
and miraculous, particularly in securing approval of requests
for United States visas. She is also considered the patron
saint of all Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW).
Through centuries, the Virgin of De Guia continues her
maternal guidance by the miracles that she brought to her
devotees. With the discovery of her image, she formally
initiated the Christianization of Manila and the rest of the
country. The arrival of her image prior to the Spanish
colonization is considered as a plan from the Almighty God
to put the newly discovered islands of the Philippines under
the Patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary as the Immaculate
Conception. She witnessed the turbulent yet glorious history
of the country and she never failed to give her guidance
through the course of our history. May the Blessed Virgin
Mary, the Sworn Patroness of our land guide us as we
continue in our earthly pilgrimage until we reached our
eternal goal - to be with His Son for all eternity.