Auxilium Christianorum
Nuestra Señora Virgen de la Regla
the ORIGINAL IMAGE of NUESTRA SEÑORA VIRGEN DE LA REGLA enshrined and venerated at the NATIONAL SHRINE OF NUESTRA SEÑORA VIRGEN DE LA REGLA, Opon, Lapu-lapu City, Cebu, Philippines.
It was in the year 1735, when Father Francisco Avalle, an Augustinian Monk, became the first Parish Priest of Opon, of the historic island of Mactan, opposite of Cebu Island. As a true son of St. Augustine, and having lived for ten years in the Monastery of Nuestra Señora de la Regla, in Chipiona, Andalucia, he showed the people of Opon a small picture of the miraculous Virgen de la Regla, so well known in his native land, Spain. St. Augustine himself had venerated this particular image during his lifetime, and when the great Bishop of Hippo, Africa, died in 430, his spiritual sons continued the devotion until the vandals invaded Africa in 443. They had to flee, taking with them the image of Virgen de la Regla to Spain, where for several centuries, the fame of the Blesed Mother spread under the name of Virgen de la Regla, Virgen Libica, Virgen del Sagrario, Estrella de los Mares, La Virgen Morena or Morenita. Then another invasion took place in spain in the year 711, where the Saracens or Moors persecuted the Church in Andallucia, destroying churches and images. Then the prior of the Augustinians, a certain Simeon, decided to conceal the image in a cave in which he and his monks, after fervent prayers, lighted a small oil lamp, and placed the image in box on an improvised altar
Centuries passed by and the hidden image was almost forgotten until the year 1330. Our Lady appeared to another priest of the same order of St. Augustine, residing in the city of Leon, where King Ferdinand, after re-conquering Spain, had dedicated to the Queen of Kings, Santa Maria de la Regla. The Augustinian saw the Blessed Virgin with black complexion, holding a child in her arms, speaking the following words: “Stand up, and proceed to the east till you reach the Sea of Cadiz. It has been many years since an image of mine has been hidden away in a cave near its shores. Go and get it and place it in my church. I will show you the way by a celestial light.”
With his superior’s permission, the faithful priest set out on the long journey to find the blessed image. Exhausted, on day, he reached a tree where he intended to rest for a while, and soon he fell into a deep slumber. In his sleep, he heard a sweet voice saying: “This is the Place”. He awakened and knew he had come to the end of his sacred quest. He prayed and asked the Blessed Virgin to show him the exact spot. A ball of fire fell from heaven to the place where he was resting. Miraculously, the fire did not burn the tree. He called together the people living nearby and told them what had happened. They willingly assisted him in digging up the soil around the spot, until they came to a big rock. When the heavy stone was lifted, they beheld the opening of a cave. Entering it, they found on an altar with a wooden case on it and a lamp burning in front. The priest found the statue of Our Lady, the very same image that appeared to him while still in Leon. A large church was constructed by the devotees of Mary on the spot where her image was then permanently enshrined.
When the people of Opon heard this wonderful story, they wanted at once to make the Virgen de la Regla to become their Patron Saint. A large picture was framed and placed in the church, and at once, several miraculous happenings took place, showing to the people how right they were in invoking the Blessed Mother under this title. It was decided that the 21st of November of each year, be the official feast day, which has remained until now. Although no records were left of the growth of the devotion in these islands, after two hundred years, the Redemptorist Fathers who came to Opon in 1906, wrote: “The church of Opon is a very famous shrine of the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title Nuestra Señora de la Regla (Our Lady of the Rule). This famous statue is said to be a copy of the one St. Augustine had in his study. It is about two and a half feet high, the face is rather dark, the hair, long and flowing, and she holds the Divine Infant in a standing Position in her arms. The statue is richly dressed, both figures having rich crowns on their heads, and many rings on their fingers. The people, not only in the island of Mactan, but of all the neighboring islands have great devotion to this statue and it has made Opon famous in all the Visayas. On the 21st of November when the feast is celebrated, thousands of Pilgrims come to Opon from far away places. Moreover, every Saturday morning, there is a sung votive mass of the Blessed Virgin. After the mass, the statue is venerated by the people and there is a special room set apart for this at the back of the shrine.
The Nuestra Señora de la Regla was canonically crowned by his grace, the Archbishop of Cebu, Julio Cardinal Rosales, D.D., during the Archdiocesan Marian Congress on November the 27th in the year 1954.
The Church of Our Lady of the Rule was raised to the honors of being a National Shrine in November of 2007 being the only Marian Shrine dedicated to Mary under this title. People who partake in the religious services there partake in the special graces devotees enjoy when joining religious services in this shrine.
Nuestra Señora Virgen de la Regla
the ORIGINAL IMAGE of NUESTRA SEÑORA VIRGEN DE LA REGLA enshrined and venerated at the NATIONAL SHRINE OF NUESTRA SEÑORA VIRGEN DE LA REGLA, Opon, Lapu-lapu City, Cebu, Philippines.
It was in the year 1735, when Father Francisco Avalle, an Augustinian Monk, became the first Parish Priest of Opon, of the historic island of Mactan, opposite of Cebu Island. As a true son of St. Augustine, and having lived for ten years in the Monastery of Nuestra Señora de la Regla, in Chipiona, Andalucia, he showed the people of Opon a small picture of the miraculous Virgen de la Regla, so well known in his native land, Spain. St. Augustine himself had venerated this particular image during his lifetime, and when the great Bishop of Hippo, Africa, died in 430, his spiritual sons continued the devotion until the vandals invaded Africa in 443. They had to flee, taking with them the image of Virgen de la Regla to Spain, where for several centuries, the fame of the Blesed Mother spread under the name of Virgen de la Regla, Virgen Libica, Virgen del Sagrario, Estrella de los Mares, La Virgen Morena or Morenita. Then another invasion took place in spain in the year 711, where the Saracens or Moors persecuted the Church in Andallucia, destroying churches and images. Then the prior of the Augustinians, a certain Simeon, decided to conceal the image in a cave in which he and his monks, after fervent prayers, lighted a small oil lamp, and placed the image in box on an improvised altar
Centuries passed by and the hidden image was almost forgotten until the year 1330. Our Lady appeared to another priest of the same order of St. Augustine, residing in the city of Leon, where King Ferdinand, after re-conquering Spain, had dedicated to the Queen of Kings, Santa Maria de la Regla. The Augustinian saw the Blessed Virgin with black complexion, holding a child in her arms, speaking the following words: “Stand up, and proceed to the east till you reach the Sea of Cadiz. It has been many years since an image of mine has been hidden away in a cave near its shores. Go and get it and place it in my church. I will show you the way by a celestial light.”
With his superior’s permission, the faithful priest set out on the long journey to find the blessed image. Exhausted, on day, he reached a tree where he intended to rest for a while, and soon he fell into a deep slumber. In his sleep, he heard a sweet voice saying: “This is the Place”. He awakened and knew he had come to the end of his sacred quest. He prayed and asked the Blessed Virgin to show him the exact spot. A ball of fire fell from heaven to the place where he was resting. Miraculously, the fire did not burn the tree. He called together the people living nearby and told them what had happened. They willingly assisted him in digging up the soil around the spot, until they came to a big rock. When the heavy stone was lifted, they beheld the opening of a cave. Entering it, they found on an altar with a wooden case on it and a lamp burning in front. The priest found the statue of Our Lady, the very same image that appeared to him while still in Leon. A large church was constructed by the devotees of Mary on the spot where her image was then permanently enshrined.
When the people of Opon heard this wonderful story, they wanted at once to make the Virgen de la Regla to become their Patron Saint. A large picture was framed and placed in the church, and at once, several miraculous happenings took place, showing to the people how right they were in invoking the Blessed Mother under this title. It was decided that the 21st of November of each year, be the official feast day, which has remained until now. Although no records were left of the growth of the devotion in these islands, after two hundred years, the Redemptorist Fathers who came to Opon in 1906, wrote: “The church of Opon is a very famous shrine of the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title Nuestra Señora de la Regla (Our Lady of the Rule). This famous statue is said to be a copy of the one St. Augustine had in his study. It is about two and a half feet high, the face is rather dark, the hair, long and flowing, and she holds the Divine Infant in a standing Position in her arms. The statue is richly dressed, both figures having rich crowns on their heads, and many rings on their fingers. The people, not only in the island of Mactan, but of all the neighboring islands have great devotion to this statue and it has made Opon famous in all the Visayas. On the 21st of November when the feast is celebrated, thousands of Pilgrims come to Opon from far away places. Moreover, every Saturday morning, there is a sung votive mass of the Blessed Virgin. After the mass, the statue is venerated by the people and there is a special room set apart for this at the back of the shrine.
The Nuestra Señora de la Regla was canonically crowned by his grace, the Archbishop of Cebu, Julio Cardinal Rosales, D.D., during the Archdiocesan Marian Congress on November the 27th in the year 1954.
The Church of Our Lady of the Rule was raised to the honors of being a National Shrine in November of 2007 being the only Marian Shrine dedicated to Mary under this title. People who partake in the religious services there partake in the special graces devotees enjoy when joining religious services in this shrine.