From here I came to
reminisce about our own hometown of Hagonoy and how Apo
Ana (it has been such a coincidence that we
use the word “Apo” like
the Pampangeños use as a sign of respect to their patron saints) has
been such an importance to us. During those times of nostalgia, I
read on that history written in stone markers and painted pages of
books. In seeing the book of blessing of the church of St. Anne as a
national shrine, it came to me to know how our church as well as our
town received such an honor. Here I was surprised to know about some
details which have been crucial for the shrine’s approval. Here I
saw how the parish council answered the interrogation by the Catholic
Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP)
as to why such a community had its church to be declared the national
shrine. Usual answers came up like the number of masses, the special
occasions for which it hosted among others. Yet what struck me was
the number of favors given through her intercession. The response of
the council is as follows:
It is very common
in Hagonoy to hear very touching experiences of devotees to St. Anne…
In particular, there are very recent favors, that we call miracles.
(a) The miraculous
cure of Dr. Juan B. Santos who had cancer (in the tongue) who was
cured through his ardent prayers to St. Anne.
(b) A family
closely devoted to St. Anne saved from a car head on accident or
collision, where nobody was injured and this was attributed to their
prayer and intercession to our patroness.
(c) Mrs. Damiana
Castañeda who was pregnant but with complications and advised by her
sister to undergo an abortion to avoid sudden death. But she
cling(ed) to her devotion and novena to St. Anne and she delivered
safely and normally were free from danger.
(d) There are many
miraculous cures from hopeless illness – commonly attributed to our
Patroness, as attested by letters of thanksgiving.
(e) Wayward
husbands converted due to this devotion.
(f) Separated
husbands and wives reconciled.
(g) Jobless
persons who got lucrative jobs.
(h) Broken homes
solved; indifferent Catholics and public sinners also converted and
countless cases of favors humanly impossible granted thru the
Grandmother of Jesus, St. Anne.
(i) There were
also many other miracles during the Japanese occupation which I no
longer mention here.
All these are
testimonies of the great faith of an inspired people of God. It
speaks of the wonder of a remarkable devotion, one that has given
this shrine of Hagonoy the gift of being a sanctuary for believers.
The church of St. Anne in the town of Hagonoy has been a beacon of
hope for so long that even from the boundaries of Halang
and Hangga (eastbound
side) one may still hear the call of the shrine through its antique
belfry that has been calling the community of Hagonoy to prayer for
centuries.
Such is the rich
history of the shrine of Hagonoy and its longtime devotion to Apo Ana
that I see the value of its preservation and its promotion. In this
Year of Faith, as well as in the face of people are losing their way
towards God brought by worldly values, the battle line to raise the
cross of Christ is indeed very relevant and important today. Such is
the legacy of churches and towns like in Apalit or here in Hagonoy
that we need to be able to let them “ennoble” the hearts of the
Catholic faithful. May we be fervent devotees and believers in the
end and remember what we have learned from our faith. A saying of one
Hagonoeño priest presents to us this value: Know
your history, love the Church!
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