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