Our Lady of Salvation (), also known as Our Lady of Light, is a Catholic title of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The devotion to Our Lady of Salvation is based on a wooden statue of the Virgin Mary that was first venerated in Joroan (now part of Tiwi, Albay) in the Philippines.
The image was episcopally crowned 25 August 1976 by Cardinal Jaime Sin, Archbishop of Manila. The former Bishop of Legazpi, Teotimo Pacis y Cruel declared the Virgin Mary under this title as the patroness of Albay province.de Leon (1988). p I. Introduction.de Leon (1988) p III
Description The original, 18th-century image of Our Lady of Salvation reflects her role as Co-Redemptrix, the 15th-century name for the Catholic belief in her cooperation in the salvation of the world through Jesus Christ. The Virgin is portrayed as carrying the Christ Child in her left arm, while her right arm grasps a manThe man portrayed in the original image as being saved from the devil is usually misinterpreted as a child. by the wrist as he is about to fall into a gaping Hellmouth. An angel kneels by the left foot of the Virgin, offering a basket of burning hearts to the Christ Child, who holds a burning heart in his right hand. His left hand is stretched in a gesture of accepting the hearts.Diocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Salvation shrines.healthypinoy.com accessed May 24, 2012
History Much of the history regarding the statue of the Lady of Salvation and the Marian devotion centered on it rely heavily on the written accounts, based on tradition, of the first parish priest of Joroan, Rev Lamberto S. Fulay (1919–1935), in his booklet An Kasaysayan Kan Ladawan Ni Birhen de Salvación (“The Historu of the Image of the Virgin of Salvation”).
The Calpi tree According to the Fulay account, in the 1770s a certain haciendero named Don Silverio Arcilla of Buhi, assigned a tenant farmer called Mariano Dacoba, to one of his vast estates in Joroan (once known as Cagnipa), then a satellite barrio of Buhi. While Dacoba was clearing parts of Arcilla's hacienda one day, he cut down a large Calpi (Citrus webberii) tree. Although already severed at the base, the tree's leaves did not wilt and maintained its life and freshness. The tenant informed Arcilla, and the latter consulted with the curate of Buhi.de Leon (1988). pp 2-3.Nuestra Señora de Salvación and Joroan Albay Tourism Website accessed May 25, 2012Joroan was under the jurisdiction of Buhi during the Spanish colonial period
A certain sculptor called Bagacumba was commissioned by the curate of Buhi to carve an image from the wood of the felled but living Calpi. The resulting images were: the statue of Our Lady of Salvation, a relief of Our Lady of Solitude, and that of Saint Anthony of Padua.The statues of Our Lady of Salvation, Our Lady of Solitude, and St. Anthony of Padua were given to the barrios of Joroan, Buhi, and Tambo respectively On 25 August 1776, the image of Our Lady of Salvation was lent to Joroan on condition that the villagers build a chapel at the centre of their barrio. Consequently, a certain Sotera Cababag was assigned as the chapel's Hermana Mayora, in charge of caring for the image.de Leon (1988). pp 2-3.
The 1853 agreement Buhi was initially the image's rightful owner as it was the residence of Arcilla (who owned the land where the statue's wood came from), the curate who had commissioned the image, and the sculptor Bagacumba. On 21 January 1853, Buhi and Joroan had an agreement transferring rights over the image to the latter. Buhi's parish priest and its gobernadorcillo, Rev Antonio Guadalajara and Mariano Buenaflor, respectively, made the pact with Joroan's barrio lieutenants. In accordance with the agreement, Buhi surrendered all rights over the image to the people of Joroan for an offering of fifty pesos, and an additional twenty-five for a bell.de Leon (1988). pp 3-4.
Miracles
First miracle Joroan, according to Fulay, was often the target of Muslim marauders due to being on the coast of Lagonoy Gulf. During one attack, the people of Joroan would flock to the image and pray to the Virgin for protection. Tradition notes that Muslims pillaging Joroan would constantly fail to ignite houses, and this was attributed to the Virgin.de Leon (1988). pp 2-3.According to Fulay, the exact period of the phenomenon of the torch is unknown, although he suggests that it was sometime during the reign of Manuel Grivaljo as Bishop of the See of Nueva Cáceres (1748-1761)
Deliverance of Hermana Tiray The second miracle was when a Hermana Mayora known only as "Tiray" was captured in a Moro raid. After a year of being held captive in Sulu, Tiray fell into a deep sleep and upon waking, realised she was not in her quarters but was standing in an unknown forest. She then saw in a strange, white deer in the woods, and out of curiosity, she followed it through the mountains until losing sight of the creature. Tiray soon discovered she had been miraculously transported to Legazpi, and was now only 38 km south of Joroan. After this incident, the people of Joroan moved the chapel further away from the sea to a higher location in the mountains, in order to avoid its desecration by raiders.
Apparition
The third miracle was an apparition of Our Lady of Salvation. Four devotees from the island of Catanduanes sailed west to Joroan for a pilgrimage, bringing with them a set of beeswax candles they intended to offer at the shrine. Upon reaching land, three of them made a detour to Buhi to light candles for Saint Anthony of Padua, while the fourth pilgrim was left to guard their boat. As the fourth man strolled along the beach at dusk, he met a woman carrying her child. She asked him for a candle to light the way to her home in the mountains, as it was almost dark. The man refused as the candle was not his, but the insistent woman promised she would return the candle the next morning if he would come to her upland house. Out of generosity, the man acquiesced to the lady, who told him he can the next day enquire where she lived from the town lieutenant of Joroan, that she might return his candle.
The next day, the man did as he was told, but the town lieutenant did not know where the mysterious lady lived. The lieutenant referred the pilgrim to the Hermana Mayora, who was also of no help, save for advising the man to seek divine guidance at the shrine of Our Lady of Salvation. Upon arriving at the chapel, the shocked man found at the foot of the image the exact same but unused candle he had lent the mysterious lady at the beach the day before. He looked at the image of the Virgin Mary and it resembled the mysterious lady, and so the man was filled with compunction. After leaving the candle with her, he prostrated and asked the Virgin to pray for his sins.de Leon (1988). pp 4-5.
Final Muslim raid
The fourth miracle attributed to Our Lady of Salvation occurred during the years that a Dominga de los Reyes succeeded Tiray as Hermana Mayora. While on one of their raids, the Moro pirates were said to have retreated almost immediately after seeing a vision of heavily armed men. The vision was said to have traumatised the raiders so much that it was the last Muslim attack on the shores of Joroan.de Leon (1988). p 5.It can be said that the vision was just a means of scaring the Muslim raiders; no actual army was ever recorded to have been on that occasion, hence an illusion
The Boat On the eve of the feast of Our Lady of Salvation in 1884, a group from the Partido was sailing to Joroan when a whirlwind attacked the boat. Giant waves almost drowned them, but the passengers’ boat suddenly regained its balance, and their clothes were completely dry as though freshly ironed. The group attributed their escape from death to Our Lady of Salvation.de Leon (1988). p 7.
Boundary dispute In the late 19th century, a territorial dispute arose over whether Joroan was governed from Buhi in Ambos Camarines, or Tiwi in Albay. A certain Captain Vera from Albay argued that Tiwi's relative proximity to Joroan gave it rightful jurisdiction. Vera won the case, and Joroan was annexed by Tiwi as a barangay, becoming a part of Albay.de Leon (1988). p 6.
Construction of a new church Joroan became very peaceful in the 1860s, as the boundary dispute was resolved, and the Muslims no longer attacked the barrio. During this time, Doña Clara de Vera, the wife of a certain landlord named Don Vicente de Vera,Don Vicente de Vera was known in Joroan as a wealthy landlord became the image's Hermana Mayora. Doña Clara vowed to care for the image until her death, and financed its silver and gold plating.de Leon (1988). pp 6-7.
Unsatisfied with her lifetime of service, Clara de Vers began building a new church at the centre of Joroan. In her eagerness to construct, she sought the help of her friend, Doña Saturnina de Bayot of Tabaco, to finance the project. Another acquaintance, Don Manuel Casa of Manila, also contributed greatly, sending the needed materials and an architect. During the long trip to Joroan, the architect whom Casa had dispatched fell seriously ill, and men had to support him as he supervised construction. After a great deal of pain, the architect was suddenly cured on the ninth day of his work.
Disputes with Tiwi
Traslación After the church was finished, the image was translated from its mountain chapel to the new shrine, beginning the annual custom of the image's traslación to Tiwi.
The people of Tiwi had also become ardent devotees of Our Lady of Salvation, and tradition holds that before the fiesta, the parish priest of Tiwi would personally retrieve the image from Joroan.Traslación can be generally defined as a Spanish term for an action and effect of moving from place to someone or something The arrival of the image in Tiwi was a moment of great rejoicing, and a band would accompany its entry into the town.de Leon (1988). p 8.Transportation from Joroan to Tiwi was either by land or by sea. However, a 9km land travel was very difficult during that time due to the lack of proper roads leading to Joroan, so travel by sea was more convenient
The practice was cut short by a typhoon that devastated Joroan in 1895. The chapel was completely destroyed, but the image was miraculously still standing intact on its pedestal. The people of Joroan rebuilt half of the chapel from the debris, but everything later deteriorated. A long and bitter rift between Joroan and Tiwi began: since the former was governed by the latter, Rev Francisco Borondia kept the image in Tiwi until a proper chapel was built in Joroan.de Leon (1988). p 8.
This meant that the direction of the traslación was reversed, as the people of Joroan would borrow the image during fiestas— an arrangement they greatly resented. They almost lost their right to enshrining the image, which they had spent a lot of time, effort, and money to recover, and thus inevitably earning the ire of the people of Tiwi.
Disputes with Ricardo Sayson
In 1917, Joroan planned to hold a grand celebration from the beginning of the novena honouring the image up to a few days after the fiesta. On the ninth day, the people of Joroan requested of Rev Ricardo Sayson, the Tiwi parish priest, that the image be allowed to stay a little longer in Joroan so that might make further homage to the Virgin. Sayson refused, and arrogantly taunted the people, daring them to file a complaint at court.de Leon (1988). pp 9-11.