Every July, the Diocesan Council of Filipino Catholics (DCFC) sponsors a nine-day novena, held at different churches in the diocese.
The novena and Masses will be held July 19 to 27, culminating in a Mass/fiesta celebration, Sat., July 28, 11 am at St. John Vianney Church, San Jose. The full schedule with participating parishes will be published in the calendar at www.dsj.org. Everyone is invited.
Our Lady of Antipolo is known as Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage in the Philippines. This devotion originated in 1675 during Spain’s colonization of the Philippines.
At that time, the galleon trade began during which traders brought with them a wooden image of the Virgin Mary for their protection. After many successful trips, the image was given a home in a mission east of Manila and named “Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage.”
The image disappeared and later was found on the branches of the “tipolo” (lemon) tree on a hilltop. A church was built there in her honor.
The combination of the Tagalog word “ang” which means “the” and “TIPOLO” became the name of the town “Antipolo.” It soon became a national tradition to make a pilgrimage to Our Lady of Antipolo, particularly before going on a long journey.
In 1995, the Diocese of San Jose joined Filipinos across the country to raise funds for the construction of the Oratory of Our Lady of Antipolo at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC.
For more information, call Carol at 408-921-0091, email september1154@gmail.com ; or Poi at 408-729-7228, email poyvb@yahoo.com.