MANILA Archbishop Cardinal Jose Advincula, O.P. will lead the episcopal coronation of the centuries-old image of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, patroness of the UST Santísimo Rosario Parish, on Sunday, Oct. 4.
The Fiesta High Mass and Rite of Episcopal Coronation will be held at 10 a.m. under the theme “Mahal na Birhen ng Santísimo Rosario: Ina at Guro.”
Santísimo Rosario Parish Priest Fr. Glen Mar Gamboa, O.P. said the theme reflects the role of the Marian image in the lives of Thomasians and parishioners.
“Guro ang ating Mahal na Ina… She is also pointing students to Jesus, who is her Son and our Lord,” Gamboa said.
(Our beloved Mother is a teacher… She is also pointing students to Jesus, who is her Son and our Lord.)
Gamboa said the image had long been associated with Thomasian student life, having once been housed in an oratory at the old UST campus in Intramuros that was later converted into a classroom.
“She is a witness to the student life of the Thomasian community,” he said.
The image represents Mary both as a teacher who leads the faithful toward Christ and as a mother who guides and cares for the community, Gamboa added.
Parish activities leading to Oct. 4
Activities will begin on Sept. 24 with a motorcade through the 29 barangays covered by the parish, followed by an opening rite and procession inside the UST campus.
Gamboa said the procession would serve as a student activity. The enthronement of the Marian image and a Mass will follow.
Novena Masses will be celebrated from Sept. 24 to Oct. 3, while public veneration will be held on Sept. 28 and 30 and Oct. 2 following the novena Masses.
The parish will also hold the fundraising concert “Himig Para sa Ina at Guro” on Sept. 26, featuring the Dominican singing duo “Fratres!” and parish choirs. The concert will be open to the public.
Coronation day
A Paseo de Banda will open the Oct. 4 activities ahead of the 10 a.m. Fiesta High Mass and Rite of Episcopal Coronation.
Public veneration will follow at 11:30 a.m., while a fiesta will be held for guests and parish servants.
Gamboa will preside over the afternoon High Mass at 4 p.m., followed by the fiesta procession at 5 p.m.
The procession will pass through P. Noval St., Lerma St., Quezon Blvd., Andalucia St., Laong Laan Road and P. Florentino St. before returning to UST through España Blvd. and proceeding back to the parish.
Long-awaited event
The image’s exact date and place of origin remain unknown, although the parish believes it was carved sometime in the 18th or 19th century.
According to Gamboa, the earliest known photograph of the image dates to 1887, when it was housed in an oratory at the old UST campus in Intramuros.
Gamboa said the parish considered the present period an appropriate time to honor the image and its longstanding place in the lives of Thomasians and parishioners.
The coronation will mark a new chapter in the devotion to the image, which has long been regarded by the community as its “Ina at Guro.” Bruce L. Buenaventura
