Ramon Orlina’s epiphany

This December, renowned glass sculptor Ramon Orlina unveils his masterpiece — an eight-foot high image of Our Lady of Caysasay. It was cast in a state-of-the-art foundry in Ayutthaya, Thailand. It is not made of glass. It is made of bronze.

- TONY LOPEZ

Orlina worked on the statue over four months. The Lady in bronze will be donated to the National Museum under director general Jeremy Barns. The donation is timed with the Dec. 8 celebration of the Solemnity of the Immaculate Concepcion, which coincides with the Feast of Our Lady of Caysasay in Taal, Batangas. Orlina hopes that when the sculpture’s installation is completed and inaugurated by mid-January 2026, it will draw more of the Catholic faithful to the Caysasay Shrine.

Orlina is a native of Taal and a longtime devotee of Our Lady of Caysasay, a miraculous image. For him, the bronze sculpture is divine inspiration plus profound inspiration from his parents, who were strong Marian devotees, especially his mother, Paulina Gahol Orlina, author of the only coffeetable book on Taal.

The National Museum is doing extensive restoration of the Our Lady of Caysasay in Labac, Taal, a most treasured Batangas heritage site. It sustained significant damage during the 2020 earthquakes. The bronze Orlina will be permanently installed in a contemplative courtyard behind the shrine, part of the cultural heritage of the Archdiocese of Lipa under Archbishop Gilbert A. Garcera.

Orlina has had an epiphany from what he believes was a miraculous experience with the beloved “Birhen ng Caysasay.” He narrates: