Our Lady Of Guides
Country :
Year : 1570
One of the sailors to land on the island of Luzon in 1570, while walking in the woods near the native settlement of Manila, came upon a religious ceremony held by the natives. They were honoring an image of the Mother of God, a statue on a rough pedestal. Since nothing of its origin could be learned, the sailors determined to name the statue by some “Lady Title”; the lot fell upon “Our Lady of Guidance”; everyone agreed she had guided them on their dangerous journey.
When the cathedral at Manila was built the statue was enshrined there. A hundred years later, this cathedral having been destroyed, a new church was built. This is visible from the sea. In its high tower a light was set as a beacon to incoming ships, a fit place for Our Lady of Guides. Later the statue was placed within the walls of the restored cathedral.
As to the unknown origin, some think the statue floated in from a wrecked ship, and was so seized by the natives.
Today the devotion to Our Lady of Guides still flourishes. For all of us who travel this wide lonely world, she is the patroness, the “Queenly Lighthouse”, the Star of the Sea.
