Four centuries of unwavering faith and a quarter-century of sublime recognition converge in the city of Parañaque as sons and daughters celebrate the double jubilee of the beloved patroness, Nuestra Señora del Buen Suceso. This year-long, profound commemoration marks the 400th anniversary of the enthronement of the miraculous image and the 25th anniversary of its canonical coronation, a dual milestone framed by the theme, “Grace Upon Grace,” drawn from the Gospel of St. John (1, 16).
The very title, Nuestra Señora del Buen Suceso–literally, Our Lady of Good Event–encapsulates the devotion’s spiritual core, pointing not merely to a fortunate outcome, but to Jesus Christ Himself as the ultimate ‘Good Event’ in the lives of the faithful. Through her maternal intercession, the Blessed Mother continues to channel this divine grace to her sons and daughters. The celebration is not a mere retrospection but a vital, living expression of faith manifest through a kaleidoscope of projects rooted in prayer, charity, and propagation.
PILLARS OF PREPARATION
The jubilee year has been meticulously paved with initiatives designed to bring the Blessed Mother’s presence and grace into every corner of the community, preparing hearts and homes for the central feast.
The dawn procession, held on the first Saturday of every month, is a tangible act of spiritual consecration. The pilgrim image is solemnly borne through the shrine’s vicinity, a gesture mirroring the belief that the Blessed Virgin Mary actively blesses and hallow the streets and communities she passes through.
Her sons and daughters process while reciting the Holy Rosary, culminating in novena prayers and the Holy Mass inside the shrine. This communal morning offering is a monthly invocation for the Blessed Mother’s intercession, offering guidance throughout the ensuing month and setting a rhythm of faith for the community.
In an act of profound charity, Kalinga ng Birhen (Care of the Virgin) extends the embrace of the Blessed Mother to the marginalized and forgotten. Every third Saturday, the pilgrim image is brought into jails and shelters, ministering to male and female offenders, juveniles, battered women, abandoned children, and the elderly. The visits are a holistic ministry of hope, featuring the praying of the rosary, the sacrament of confession, and the Holy Mass–a truly powerful moment of grace for society’s neglected members.
Echoing the biblical account where the Virgin Mary hastened to visit her cousin, Elizabeth–“In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.” (Luke 1:39-40)–the Dalaw Buen Suceso” (Buen Suceso Visit) initiative brought the pilgrim image to the eight communities under the parish’s jurisdiction.
Each community hosted the image for a week, fostering intense periods of prayer and leading to meaningful house-to-house visits to the sick. This practice revives the earliest recorded miracles attributed to Nuestra Señora del Buen Suceso, which often involved healing, reaffirming her role as a source of physical and spiritual comfort.
To secure the legacy of the devotion, the Sa Bisig Ni Maria (In the Arms of Mary) project focuses on the young. Held every May as part of the traditional Flores de Maria, this catechism effort introduces the Blessed Mother’s title and story to children. The project’s name is a gentle nod to the Niño Jesus nestled close to her heart in the revered image, emphasizing the Virgin Mary as the safest spiritual home.
Further cementing the devotion in the domestic sphere is Si Nana Ciso At Ang Aking Pamilya (Nana Ciso and My Family), a house-to-house propagation effort where priests of the shrine assist families in enthroning an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary in their home altars. This initiative makes the devotion a constant presence, sanctifying the Christian home.
RITUALS OF LOVE
A truly solemn scene of devotion is the Maringal Na Pagbibihis (solemn vesting), the ritual changing of the original and miraculous image’s vestment. Conducted thrice a year–before Flores de Maria, before the August feast day, and before the feast of the Cathedral’s patron, St. Andrew–this rite is a spiritual highlight.
While the camareros (vestment caretakers) perform the task, her sons and daughters pray the rosary and novena. The spiritual climax is the Besa Manto (kissing of the mantle), where the cape is lowered to the people, allowing them to be covered by Our Lady’s maternal protection. Simultaneously, a profound act of intercession occurs: names of sick loved ones, written on paper, are offered, prayed for, and placed close to the newly vested image, a powerful symbol of entrustment.
The Serenata Kay Maria (serenade for Mary) is an annual night of music and devotion held during one of the novena masses. It is a harmonious celebration where the sons and daughters of Our Lady express their love through a chorus of Marian songs, transforming the shrine into a temple of musical praise.
Acknowledging the temporal needs of her children, Sa Kabutihang Palad Ni Maria (by the good grace of Mary) is a recurring livelihood program offering mothers tangible skills like candle-making and soap-making. This initiative marries spiritual devotion with social action, providing a path for the women of the community to gain an additional source of income and to secure the well-being of their families.
As a crowning spiritual gift, the Holy See, through the Apostolic Penitentiary (Paenitentiara Apostolica), has granted the immense spiritual privilege of a Porta Sancta (jubilee door) at the shrine. The opening of the jubilee door is the ultimate testament to the graces received during this celebratory year, inviting the faithful to pass through and obtain the plenary indulgence attached to the jubilee.
The double jubilee of Nuestra Señora del Buen Suceso is far more than a historical marker; it is a dynamic, grace-filled outpouring that reaffirms the Blessed Mother’s enduring presence in Parañaque. It is a year where the message of Buen Suceso–of Christ as the ultimate Good Event is lived out daily, echoing the theme: Grace Upon Grace. It calls every son and daughter to recognize, receive, and radiate the blessings of the Mother of God.
