The devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Diocesan Shrine and Parish of Our Lady of the

Holy Rosary in the simple town of Cardona, in the Province of Rizal, is immense and
unfathomable. One of the devotions to Blessed Mother, is the Dawn Procession held every First
Saturday of the Month. It was first practiced in the parish, as early as 1990’s, through the
initiative of Rev. Fr. Lito Rocero, the Parish Priest at that time. This gained support from the late
Municipal Mayor of Cardona, Bernardo F. San Juan Sr., and his wife Aurora P. San Juan.
Members of the Legion of Mary and other church organizations, as well as devotees of Our Lady
regularly join the dawn procession which starts at 5:00 o’clock in the morning, passing through
the main roads and side streets of the town, while praying, holding lighted candles, and
meditating on the Joyful Mysteries of the Holy Rosary. The solemn procession is then followed
by the celebration of the Holy Mass in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
This devotion has passed through generations, still existing and being practiced until today. The
threat brought by the pandemic has not stopped the people from expressing their faith, love and
devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. In spite of the restrictions that limit the activity in the
community, the devotees still find ways to continue the dawn procession which for some time
had to be conducted inside the church. By the grace of God, the local government eventually
allowed the shrine to conduct the dawn procession again through the roads of the town, with
proper consideration to the health and safety protocols for the protection of the parishioners.
Aside from the dawn procession, the parishioners and devotees are spreading the devotion by
promoting the praying the Holy Rosary in every household within the parish. One of the
apostolic duties of the Legion of Mary in the parish is home visitation with the image of Our
Lady of Fatima whereby the Holy Rosary is recited together with the family. The image will stay
in that specific house for 1 week, then transferred to another house with the guidance of the
assigned legionaries. There are cases when the family would request for extension after having
experienced the attachment to the Blessed Mother. In addition, the replica images of Our Lady of
the Holy Rosary, were being brought to the house of the one who requested to have the image in
their house for a month. They offer prayers, and they recite the Holy Rosary every day, together
with their family members.
These people who have experienced the close association with the Blessed Mother shared stories
of faith, with teary eyes, because of the maternal love that they had felt from these visits.
Through this evangelism, the devotion to the Holy Rosary was propagated, and it strengthens the
bond of the families, by means of praying and glorifying the Lord, as one, together with Mary,
our Mother.