Our Lady of Manaoag in Manila: A call to grace

Tucked away in the busy inner streets of Sampaloc, Manila is a spiritual gem.

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It is hidden in a concrete labyrinth not many know of it. But it calls you. To those who have prayed there, the chapel’s grace is in plain sight.

The Our Lady of Manaoag Chapel in Barangay Sta. Teresita, not far from Malacañang Palace, is known for its replica of the miraculous Our Lady of Manaoag in Pangasinan. The chapel is a spiritual sanctuary for devotees, especially those unable to travel to the main basilica in Pangasinan, which marked last April 22 the Centennial of the 1926 canonical coronation of Our Lady of the Rosary of Manaoag.

Established by the late Felipe Sikat Legaspi, the chapel in Sampaloc has grown to become a pilgrimage site itself.

Philanthropist Alice Eduardo, known as the “Woman of Steel” in business circles, the CEO of Sta. Elena Construction and Development Corp. and a devoted Marian servant, is this year’s hermana mayor for the chapel.

(A hermana mayor is a prominent community member chosen to sponsor and organize a town’s religious fiesta or feast day in the Philippines.)

“When Our Lady of the Rosary first called a humble farmer in Manaoag to build a church in her honor, he answered with faith and obedience. Today, as she calls upon me to serve, I, too, humbly respond,” began Alice in ceremonies before a concelebrated Mass with Archbishop emeritus Ramon Arguelles as main celebrant.