Ferdie Pangan
The Rescue of the Our Lady of La Naval
This is a small black-ballpen drawing, done on short-bond paper; it depicts the dramatic rescue of the Our Lady of La Naval. It may also be called as "The Miracle of the Vault", since out of the incredible fact that the vintage bombs the Japanese imperial army rained on Intramuros, may have atomized the old Santo Domingo church, but had spared the vault in which the La Naval Madonna was kept by the Dominican priests out of fear for her safety in the impending war.
I do not know whether the La Naval Coffee Book had ever included a photograph of her rescue, and all that we have are eyewitness accounts, which had been dutifully written down in the annals concerning the La Naval. I sincerely doubt if there was anyone in the rescue party who had brought a or a vintage camera. All that was in the minds of those who went to that vault was to rescue of the Santo Rosario in absolute secrecy ( that is if she survived the holocaust -- which she did!).
I along with many other people can only imagine the scene of her rescue. So I tried the elucidate on it by drawing it.
It was reported that upon seeing the Madonna miraculously intact, the people fell on their knees, crying and praying the "Salve Regina" -- this is what the drawing is showing. One Dominican priest gestulated with hands upraised, and falling on his knees in ecstatic thankgiving, just like the other Dominican who fell on his knees, crying. Three other women, probably members of some religious laity group, are also seen, and they too are besides themselves in near ecstasy. Two men are holding flashlights, which I am sure they had indeed brought with them. They are throwing their light on the Santo Rosario. She is only wearing her linen camisas and skirt, since her regalia had been carefully packed into the crates and boxes which are stacked up right behind her. Another man on top is holding a wooden bar to help open the iron door of the vault. The friar next to the other man with the flashlight, is leaned aback and seems to be frozen in stunned astonishment, as if witnessing a supernatural prodigy in progress.
I did not complete shading the rubble-strewn floor. I would like to emphasize the dramatic positions of some of the people who are kneeling or gestulating. To shade or darken the floor would have ruined the heightened drama of their emotions.
Forgive me -- I really would like to express my sincere apologies, especially to those who are knowledgeable of the history of La Naval -- if there are some details in the drawing that might not match what the eyewitnesses recounted during that fateful night. I am only trying to do my best to depict what had happened, out from the eyewitness accounts that I had read.
The rescue of the Our Lady of La Naval has a significant message, which is timely, especially in these disaster-filled times. When we are all but overwhelmed with catastrophe, we have to bear in mind that God is always there in the midst, and that He is always there with us. The light of faith never falters even in the midst of the darkness -- This faith and grace borne out of God's sincere love for us, cannot be overcome even by the very gates of Hell itself. And for us to access into that efficacious grace of God, all that we have to do, is to dig ever deeper in our souls until we find Him +. God is a God-with-Us -- the "Immanuel".
The Rescue of the Our Lady of La Naval
This is a small black-ballpen drawing, done on short-bond paper; it depicts the dramatic rescue of the Our Lady of La Naval. It may also be called as "The Miracle of the Vault", since out of the incredible fact that the vintage bombs the Japanese imperial army rained on Intramuros, may have atomized the old Santo Domingo church, but had spared the vault in which the La Naval Madonna was kept by the Dominican priests out of fear for her safety in the impending war.
I do not know whether the La Naval Coffee Book had ever included a photograph of her rescue, and all that we have are eyewitness accounts, which had been dutifully written down in the annals concerning the La Naval. I sincerely doubt if there was anyone in the rescue party who had brought a or a vintage camera. All that was in the minds of those who went to that vault was to rescue of the Santo Rosario in absolute secrecy ( that is if she survived the holocaust -- which she did!).
I along with many other people can only imagine the scene of her rescue. So I tried the elucidate on it by drawing it.
It was reported that upon seeing the Madonna miraculously intact, the people fell on their knees, crying and praying the "Salve Regina" -- this is what the drawing is showing. One Dominican priest gestulated with hands upraised, and falling on his knees in ecstatic thankgiving, just like the other Dominican who fell on his knees, crying. Three other women, probably members of some religious laity group, are also seen, and they too are besides themselves in near ecstasy. Two men are holding flashlights, which I am sure they had indeed brought with them. They are throwing their light on the Santo Rosario. She is only wearing her linen camisas and skirt, since her regalia had been carefully packed into the crates and boxes which are stacked up right behind her. Another man on top is holding a wooden bar to help open the iron door of the vault. The friar next to the other man with the flashlight, is leaned aback and seems to be frozen in stunned astonishment, as if witnessing a supernatural prodigy in progress.
I did not complete shading the rubble-strewn floor. I would like to emphasize the dramatic positions of some of the people who are kneeling or gestulating. To shade or darken the floor would have ruined the heightened drama of their emotions.
Forgive me -- I really would like to express my sincere apologies, especially to those who are knowledgeable of the history of La Naval -- if there are some details in the drawing that might not match what the eyewitnesses recounted during that fateful night. I am only trying to do my best to depict what had happened, out from the eyewitness accounts that I had read.
The rescue of the Our Lady of La Naval has a significant message, which is timely, especially in these disaster-filled times. When we are all but overwhelmed with catastrophe, we have to bear in mind that God is always there in the midst, and that He is always there with us. The light of faith never falters even in the midst of the darkness -- This faith and grace borne out of God's sincere love for us, cannot be overcome even by the very gates of Hell itself. And for us to access into that efficacious grace of God, all that we have to do, is to dig ever deeper in our souls until we find Him +. God is a God-with-Us -- the "Immanuel".