The Diocesan Shrine and Parish of Our Lady of the Abandoned (

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: ''Santuario y Parroquia de Nuestra Señora de los Desamparados''; Tagalog: ''Dambanang Pandiyosesis at Parokya ng Ina ng mga Walang Mag-Ampon''), better known as Our Lady of the Abandoned Parish Church, is a

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church in

Marikina Marikina (), officially the City of Marikina ( fil, Lungsod ng Marikina), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 456,159 people. It is loca ...

, the

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. The church enshrines one of several images of the

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venerated as miraculous, which has received a Pontifical decree of coronation. The church itself is a testament of a religious controversy rooting back from Marikina's early history wherein both the

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and Augustinians fought over the ecclesiastical control of the area. The church is also known for featuring Metro Manila's longest Holy Week procession with around 83 floats as of 2019, and the third overall after the St. Augustine Parish in the Town of Baliuag and the San Isidro Labrador Parish in the Town of Pulilan, both located in the province of Bulacan and featuring at least 110 floats.

History

Early years

Catholicism in what is now Marikina began when the settlement was again ceded to the Augustinians by the

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. On March 10, 1687, Governor Gabriel Cruz Elasque ordered the transfer of Marikina to the oversight of the Augustinians and merged with the ministry of San Mateo. He instructed Don Juan Pimentel, the Mayor of Tondo, to vacate and demolish the '' visita'' of Jesús de la Peña as the

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would flood the site during the rainy season. The ''visita'' could not accommodate the growing congregation, forcing the Austin friars to transfer operations across the Marikina to higher ground, where the much larger, present structure was built. The church was subsequently made an independent parish in 1690.

The venerated image

On October 23, 1791, the church was consecrated by the

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for the Virgin's said title so that it could not be used for any secular purpose. In 1898, during the Philippine–American War, the first image was burnt along with pertinent records of the devotion in Marikina. In 1902, a new image was created, and is the one presently venerated in the parish.

Restoration

The church suffered major damages during the tumultuous years of the Philippine–American War in the early 1900s and the ''carillion'' was totally destroyed during the second world war. By 1957, OLA church was restored and refurbished by Father Silvestre dela Cruz of Archdiocese of Manila with the help from various religious and civic organisations.

The episcopal coronation

The community initially approached the

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to petition for the Canonical Coronation of the image; however, the petition was declined due to few supporting documents. Meanwhile, then Bishop of Antipolo Crisostomo Yalung honored the Patrona with an Episcopal Coronation to remember the 100th Anniversary of the venerated image. The celebration was held on May 12, 2002, wherein the coronation was facilitated by Former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

The canonical coronation

Pope

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granted the venerated image a decree of canonical coronation on 22 April 2005, one of his first formal institutional acts as a Pontiff. The coronation would later take place on 23 October 2005. Former Archbishop of Manila,

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presided over the Mass and canonical rites together with the Antipolo Bishop Gabriel V. Reyes.

The Architecture

The church was first constructed from bamboo and leaves by the Augustinian friars in a place called Chorillo (present-day Barangka) on 1572. On 1687, the real construction began in its present location to stabilize an ecclesiastical jurisdiction over the area. Constructed in Baroque style, it is characterized by a heavily fortified facade, large-scale ceiling paintings, a dramatic central projection of the facade, a round-style pediment for the bell-tower and the opulent blending of painting and architecture.

Shrine rectors

On August 5, 2007, which is the Feast of the Dedication of the

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, the Bishop of Antipolo, Gabriel V. Reyes, D.D., consecrated the Parish Church of Our Lady of the Abandoned as a diocesan shrine in honor of Our Lady under the title ''Maria, Inang Mapag-Ampon ng Marikina, Nuestra Señora de los Desamparados''. On September 8, 2007, a little more than a month after the dedication of the church as a shrine, Bishop Francisco de Leon, who had been appointed by Pope Benedict XVI as Auxiliary Bishop of Antipolo, was assigned by the Bishop of Antipolo as Parish Priest of Our Lady of the Abandoned. Msgr. Mariano Balbago Jr. relinquished the title of parish priest, but was appointed Rector and Parish Administrator, assisting Bishop De Leon in his duties. Upon the departure of Msgr. Balbago from the shrine and parish, Bishop De Leon was also appointed rector by the Bishop of Antipolo, but this time assisted by vice rector and parish administrator Fr. Reynante U. Tolentino. Assisting in the Pastoral Team of the parish are as follows: *Francis Roi Madarang - Parochial Vicar *Conegundo Garganta - Resident Priest *Sandy Anonuevo *Casiano Anthony Cotiamco

Gallery

File:OLA Church Nuestra Senora.JPG, Nuestra Señora de los Desamparados in front of the OLA Church File:View altar OLA.JPG, A closer view of the altar with the massive overhead arches File:View from behind OLA.JPG, Arches are a common feature of the church. File:OLA Interior.JPG, An inside view of the OLA Church File:The OLA Church aisle2.JPG, Another view from the aisle File:Ceiling painting OLA.JPG, The Our Lady of Abandoned's ceiling is painted with various images of Jesus' ministry according to the Bible. File:Ceiling painting dome OLA.JPG, A ceiling painting of the main dome depicting the descent of the Holy Spirit as tongues of fire which settled over the head of each of Jesus' disciples

Sources

The Official Website of the City of Marikina

References

External links

Diocesan Shrine and Parish of Our Lady of the Abandoned of Marikina
on

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Official website
{{Marian Images in the Philippines Roman Catholic churches in Metro Manila Statues of the Madonna and Child Buildings and structures in Marikina Cultural Properties of the Philippines in Metro Manila Churches in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Antipolo