The Wise Friar

Throughout the centuries, the Church has honored the Blessed Virgin Mary in many ways.  Among the most solemn and celebrated expressions of this reverence is the canonical coronation - a papally authorized act of crowning a Marian image that has been the object of long-standing and widespread devotion.  The sacred rite is more than a ceremonial crowning; it is a recognition of the deep faith of the people and the enduring presence of Mary in their spiritual lives.  The roots of canonical coronation go back to the early Church when crowns and precious ornaments were offered to images of the Virgin as tokens of gratitude and honor.  Over time, this devotional practice gained formal recognition.  The first officially recorded canonical coronation was that of La Madonna della Febbre (Our Lady of Fever) in 1631 in St. Peter's Basilica, Rome.  Canonical coronation is granted by the Holy See based on specific criteria: a long history of devotion to the image, re...

Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage (Spanish: Nuestra Senora de la Paz y Buen Viaje ,  Tagalog:  Mahal na Ina ng Kapayaapaan at Mabuting Paglalakbay ) or more popularly known as Birhen ng Antipolo is an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary venerated in the city of Antipolo, Rizal in the Philippines.  The brown image of the Blessed Virgin of the Immaculate Conception is enshrined in the International Shrine dedicated to her, also known as the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, at the foot of the Sierra Madre mountains, east of Manila. The revered image travelled across the Pacific Ocean from Mexico to the Philippines aboard the galleon El Almirante , arriving in the Philippines in 1626 through the generosity of Governor General Juan Nino de Tabora. The peaceful and safe voyage of the El Almirante was attributed to the image of the Blessed Mother, named Nuestra Senora de la Paz y Buen Viaje.  The powerful intercession of the Blessed Virgin was further proven by th...