Piat (AsiaNews) The four hundred year anniversary of the arrival of Our Lady's image in the Archdiocese of Tuguegarao, Cagayan province is being celebrated, along with the golden Anniversary of the Canonical Coronation of Our Lady of Piat on June 21st. Cardinal Francesco Marchisano, President of the Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archaeology, is in the country to witness the event's culmination at the coronation re-enactment and Grand Quadri-centennial Thanksgiving Mass at the Basilica Minor of Our Lady of Piat.
"I, like the Holy Father, love the Philippines, " stated the 75- year-old Italian cardinal in an interview with AsiaNews. Noting that the Filipino people have a special devotion to the Blessed Mother, he stated, "This celebration is very significant because, from the beginning of the Church, the Blessed Mother has a very important role, because she is the mother of Jesus."
"Fifty years ago, the Blessed Virgin was crowned in the name of the Basilica of St. Peter, and as arch-parish priest of St,. Peter's, it will be a pleasure to see this beautiful re-enactment here."
Archbishop Diosdado Talamayan of the Tuguegarao Archdiocese will lead the Thanksgiving Mass.
The 'Brown Madonna' image of Our Lady was brought in 1604 from Macau by the first Dominican missionaries to northern Philippines to invite the natives to conversion to Christ. It was then transferred to the town of Piat in 1920. Today, the image has become one of the most venerated Marian shrines, as many Filipinos pilgrimage to the Minor Basilica where miracles have been attributed through Our Lady's intercession. The origin of the image has been illustrated in "Our Lady of Piat", a new book launched during the celebrations, authored by Roberto Caballero.
The celebration, which began with processions to every parish along the Cagayan River on June 4th, corresponds with a three-day Marian Congress, "Becoming a Community of Disciples" in Solana. (S.E.)
