Devotion back after 72 years

After 72 years in hibernation, the Catholic Church in the Philippines has revived the devotion to the Nuestra Señora de la Salud (Our Lady of Health) Novena with a Holy Mass held at the San Nicolas de Tolentino Parish in Project 6, Quezon City on Nov. 17.

More than a thousand devotees of the Blessed Virgin Mary attended the concelebrated Mass, which was followed by a procession on Neptune St. and nearby subdivisions.

It was the first time in 72 years that the miraculous holy image of Nuestra Señora de la Salud was shown to the public for veneration, especially to the sick who need miraculous cures.

From this day on, the miraculous image of Nuestra Señora de la Salud will have a permanent home at the San Nicolas Parish Church in Barangay Toro.

According to Fr. Rommel L. Rubia, Nuestra Señora de la Salud was the title given to a small miraculous image of the Virgin brought by the Order of Recoletos fathers in 1634 from Mexico.

The 380-year-old image made of ivory and adorned with costly and colorful stones “was a precious gift from the Discalced (Barefoot) Carmelite nuns of Mexico to the Recollect missionaries on their way to their missions in the Philippines” in 1634, Fr. Rubia said.

Records of the long and arduous sea voyage resulted in numerous illnesses to those on board the vessel. /