Nuestra Señora dela Soledad

2010-10-18T01:35:00.000-07:00

Nuestra Señora dela Soledad has had a unique history of how she was brought to the City of San Carlos in Pangasinan before the turn of the 20th century. Her primary shrine is in Cavite City where She is known and venerated as the Nuestra Señora dela Soledad de Porta Vaga. Her presence, therefore in San Carlos resulted from a serendipitous set of circumstances.

A great-great grandfather of the Acosta Family, Jose Torres, was a sailor in the Spanish merchant ships that plied the Manila to Acapulco, Mexico route in the late 1890s. This continued on despite the cancellation of the Spanish Galleon trade in 1815 since the trading between the two countries remained to be robust and bountiful. Jose Torres saved her from the sea waters where she floated as a white object, mistaken for a bandana before Jose’s ship departed for Acapulco. Little did he realize that what he recovered from the water was a silken piece of cloth graced with the Image of the Nuestra Señora dela Soledad (see water-marked Icon) . He may have heard of the Prime Icon being enshrined in Porta Vaga, which was located a short distance away and may have assumed the article to have either been discarded or carelessly misplaced by someone. He brought this treasured Icon to the town of San Carlos in Pangasinan after he retired and was offered a job in the area.

The legend of the Nuestra Señora dela Soledad and the miracles attributed to Her grew slowly. The end of the Spanish regime in the Philippine Islands in 1898 followed by brief period of Filipino-American war which subsequently ended in the final acquisition of the Islands by America (having been ceded by Spain to America in 1898) did not alter the growing number of devotees. She was passed to the Bandong Family, then largely to the Acosta Family in 1926 after Ambrosio Bandong’s death. She is now in the hands of the fifth generation of this family.

Her miraculous occurrences had become legend. It all started with the safe arrival of Jose Torres’ ship after having been pummeled by a thunderous storm that they met in the Pacific in route to Acapulco. Two ships out of their convoy of three perished and were never found. The Pacific, which was appropriately named by Ferdinand Magellan for having had a smooth sailing, is known to be crossed by violent storms but for the most part was and is a peaceful body of water to navigate through. It was apparently during the midst of the storm that Jose Torres brought to the attention of the ship’s friar the Icon of the Nuestra Señora dela Soledad, which he carefully hid away from sight at the start of their voyage. The Icon was awarded to Jose by the Archbishop of Acapulco after hearing their account of the incident at sea that saved them, emphasizing how their veneration of the Nuestra Señora dela Soledad could only explain the safe continuation of their voyage.

Various other miraculous incidents had been attributed to the Nuestra Señora dela Soledad such as the restoration of the health of a woman who was declared to be terminal by her physician. She and her husband came precisely from another town to implore for help. She and her husband spent nearly the day in adoration to the Lady. They also brought home with them a stub of the candle that they used and a sample of the coconut oil which was used to fuel the light of vigil. This woman claimed, after she returned a few months later, that her recovery was related to her continued use of the stub of candle and for anointing herself with dabs of the oil. Indeed, while she was clinging to her husband with a sickly and rundown profile when she first visited, she was noted to walk with confidence and health on their return trip to express their thanks and pledge their continuing adoration.

The legend behind the miraculous oil was received by many devotees with resolve and optimism. They related how they have recovered from many illnesses ranging from the mundane to some considered to be serious enough to merit medical attention. Since many of these devotees were from the farmlands and were poor, medical care was unaffordable. Their next best alternative was to pay a visit and adoration to the Nuestra Señora dela Soledad, which according to them, brought them, not just relief but ultimate restoration of their health. They all attributed these benefits from the anointing with the “miraculous” oil and for relighting the stub of candle until used after which time, they implied that, their recovery followed.

Other known incident described how the children of a very close member of the family were saved from being poisoned. The sudden awareness of the nature of the medications she gave her children, when she passed by the Nuestra Señora dela Soledad’s altar, which was then housed in a small corner of the Acosta house, made her acutely aware of her error. Her essential knowledge of first aid under these circumstances saved her children. Granted, that the outcome would not have been critical, although possibly serious and could have been attributed to her skills, her having been subconsciously alerted of this possibility after passing in front of the altar can be described as either serendipitous or miraculous, at best. Her prayers for guidance gave her the strength to think clearly before a doctor, who was not immediately available, would arrive. The physician confirmed her action to be most relevant at that very moment.

The annual festivities celebrating the Nuestra Señora dela Soledad’s day has been traditionally observed on the same day as that of the Shrine in Porta Vaga, which falls on the second Sunday of November. A nine day novena would precede the main event. Traditional festivities included a luncheon for all attendees followed by the final recitation of the devotional hour that would culminate into a procession. Over the years, the numbers of devotees have multiplied by three to four times the original, dating from before the First World War. The increase in numbers can only be attributed to the intensity of adoration displayed by those who have received “special” favors from their prayers to the Nuestra Señora dela Soledad. Indeed many have continued to express their thanks for having achieved considerable gains in their professions and ventures into various fields. In turn, where, they would miss the opportunity to attend, they have resolved to support the needs of the Nuestra Señora dela Soledad.

The festivities were also not without any attachment to modern scientific progress. Many years ago, before the advent of the loud speakers, prayers were said and choruses were sung in multiples of loud voices during the novena and procession. Technology has enhanced this process with highly appreciated outcomes. Although candles are still traditionally used, electricity played an enormous role in enhancing the lighting, not only of the shrine which is ferried on a carriage but also the lanterns, which were carried by dedicated boys and some girls, throughout the procession.

At the very beginning, the Señora had to be placed in a small corner of the Torres, then, the Bandong House. Devotees had to suffer from the not-too uncommon house activities. But after WWII, and after nearly twenty years in the Acosta family, a chapel was erected for her. The construction of this building was next to a miracle as it began with nary a cent to begin with. But prayers to Her by all concerned generated the essential funds and the chapel was completed in time for the next annual festivity in 1949. Forty seven years later, the wooden building was replaced by a more durable and well designed chapel, once again, in time for the festivity for the year. The Señora is now housed in a modern, concrete Shrine where her venerators would experience privacy and solace.

The Nuestra Señora dela Soledad has been in the hands now of the Torres-Bandong-Acosta family for over a century. The longest custodians from the Acosta Clan are determined to insure that She remain to be a constant Temple of community adoration and activity and that Her Shrine shall never fade as time goes by. A sixth generation is now being groomed to take over and more generations after them to come.

A brief by Antonio AB. Mataban, MD (Antioch, CA).

Nuestra Señora dela Soledad de Porta Vaga

2010-09-16T06:40:00.000-07:00