Philippines bishops elevate 2 parish churches to shrines

Catholics of the Philippines are celebrating the elevation of two of their parish churches to the status of national shrines. The move was made by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) at its 128th plenary assembly in Cagayan de Oro City. 

According to GMA News Online, the two churches in question are the Shrine of Our Lady of the Assumption in Maasin City and the Shrine of Our Lady of Mercy in Quezon City.

Both locations are designated as diocesan shrines, meaning they were elevated by their local bishops. If they had been elevated by an archbishop, they would have been archdiocesan shrines; by the entire CBCP, national shrines; and if the Vatican had made the arrangements they would have been international shrines. 

Aleteia’s own Daniel Esparza explains that a shrine is defined as “a church or other sacred place which, with the approval of the local Ordinary, is by reason of special devotion frequented by the faithful as pilgrims,” with “Ordinary” referring to the bishop.

Shrines often house relics of the saints and artwork that is deemed extraordinary, and these are usually big draws for pilgrims who seek to venerate the relics. Shrines further nourish the faith of pilgrims with liturgical celebrations. 

The Shrine of Our Lady of the Assumption in Maasin City grew from a mission church established by the Jesuits in the 18th century, at least as early as 1776. Unfortunately, war between the Spanish and the Moro people saw the first iteration of the church destroyed and the Jesuits fled. In the mid-19th century, the parish was revived by Franciscans, but they were also forced out during a revolution before the century was over. 

In the early 20th century, the church was placed in the hands of parish priests from Cebu, and was then transferred to several different dioceses. The transfers ended in 1968, when Our Lady of the Assumption was named the seat of the Diocese of Maasin. Along with its distinction as a shrine, it remains the Cathedral Parish of the diocese. 

The Shrine of Our Lady of Mercy in Quezon City is another church with a long history, having been built in 1854. The church was built by Augustinians and, at its inception, it was under the Archdiocese of Manila. Its location in Novaliches, a large outskirts district of Quezon City, made it the prime selection as the seat of the Diocese of Novaliches when it was established in 2002.

In 2021, the Shrine of Our Lady of Mercy was recognized for a “special bond of spiritual affinity” with the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome. The honor coincided with a canonical coronation for the church’s image of Our Lady of Mercy, which continues to draw pilgrims to the newly minted shrine.