Procession echoes devotion to Nuestra Sra de Salvacion

Text and photos by Rhaydz B. Barcia

THE chanting of children’s voices, “Viva La Virgen,” echoed across the sea and mountains as the miraculous image of Nuestra Señora de Salvación passed through the coastal villages during the weekend maritime procession in Tiwi, Albay.

The children’s praises for the 248-year-old image of Albay’s heavenly patroness sent chills down the spines of the pilgrims aboard the armada of boats. Their voices resonated even louder than those of the adult pilgrims.

As the armada made its way through the coastal villages, a shoal of fish could be seen swimming beneath the sea, occasionally leaping into the air, creating a magical scene as they accompanied the pilgrimage.

The event, locally known as the “Aurora sa Dagat,” also featured the participation of two other revered images—Nuestra Señora de Soledad from La Soledad Parish in Tambo, and San Antonio De Padua from St. Francis of Assisi Parish in San Roque, both from Buhi town in Camarines Sur.

The images of Nuestra Señora de Salvación, Nuestra Señora de Soledad, and San Antonio De Padua were all carved from the Calpi (citrus) tree, linking their origins and deepening their spiritual significance. Throughout the procession, pilgrims sang hymns and prayed the rosary, led by Fr. Joseph Salando, until the procession returned to the shrine on the hill of Joroan village.

Fr. Salando, the parish priest and rector of the diocesan shrine, shared with Bicol Mail that the annual religious festivity attracts pilgrims from across the country, including Balikbayans. Pilgrims, representing diverse backgrounds, typically travel as families, friends, and neighbours to honor the miraculous image. Many set up camps around Joroan village, near the shrine, and within the parish compound where the original 248-year-old image is housed.

Those unable to find space within Joroan village camp in nearby villages and park their vehicles—be they private cars, buses, jeepneys, or tricycles—along the road.

One such pilgrim, Lioneda Gracilla, 74, from Magsaysay village, Bulan town, Sorsogon province, arrived with her sister Myrna Tolosa Guray, 68, and 15 other pilgrims.

They camped at Joroan High School after arriving by bus on Saturday afternoon. “We are among the hundreds of pilgrims from Bulan, Sorsogon, where five buses left our town to attend the Mass on Sunday (August 18). I have been a devotee for 45 years now,” Lioneda shared in the local dialect. “Yearly, people from our village travel to Joroan to honor the miraculous image of Ina, to give thanks for all the blessings and answered prayers.”

Lioneda, a widow and mother of eight, was joined by fellow pilgrim Nenita Gueta, 67, also from Magsaysay, Bulan, Sorsogon. Nenita has been a devotee of Nuestra Señora de Salvación since she was 23 years old. “I started praying to Ina after being diagnosed with a tumor in my right fallopian tube at 22. The doctor had to remove the tube, and I was told I could no longer bear children,” she recounted. “But after becoming a devotee, I was blessed with four children—two sons and two daughters.”

Nenita also reflected on the changes at the shrine. “When I first became a devotee, the church was made of stone, including the chairs and the priest’s seat. The church has since improved, though it remains small for the growing number of pilgrims.”

A special Mass for the pilgrims from Bulan was officiated by Fr. Joel Bilan of the Immaculate Conception Parish in Bula town. “We return to Joroan every year, except during the pandemic, to honor Ina,” Nenita said.

The devotion to Nuestra Señora de Salvación, a centuries-old tradition in Albay province, is a significant religious festivity in the Diocese of Legazpi. The origins of this devotion trace back over two centuries to Buhi, Camarines Sur, where the original image was carved from a Calpi tree trunk from Joroan’s forest. This tree also yielded the sacred images of Nuestra Señora de Soledad and San Antonio de Padua, creating a deep spiritual connection between them.

Fr. Salando mentioned that the shrine has 15,000 parishioners and will celebrate its 250th anniversary in 2026. This year marked the second reunion of the three “sibling” images, the first being in 2019 during the 100-year canonical celebration of Nuestra Señora de Salvación.

Devotees of Nuestra Señora de Salvación celebrate two feast days: the Parochial Fiesta on July 2 and the Diocesan Fiesta on the third Saturday of August. Every year, from August through September, tens of thousands of pilgrims flock to the Joroan Shrine to honor Ina.

The devotion to Our Lady of Salvation is said to be as popular as the devotion to Our Lady of Peñafrancia in Naga City due to numerous reported miracles attributed to her intercession. The image of Ina was stolen from Joroan Shrine in October 1992, after a typhoon, but was miraculously returned on September 8, 1993—the Blessed Virgin’s birthday.

As the monsignor of Our Lady of Edsa Shrine, Msgr. Socrates Villages But, to everyone’s surprise, the blessed icon was returned on September 8, 1993, which was the birthday of the Blessed Virgin.

“The thief got sick. So, he just returned the image to the parish priest of Our Lady of Edsa Shrine, Msgr. Socrates Villegas, who is now the archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan,” Balubar narrated.

As the monsignor received the icon, he immediately contacted Reverend Nestor Cariño, a Bicolano who was then the secretary general of CBCP, knowing that the latter was well aware of the missing 248-year-old image, Balubar recalled.

“Indeed, it was Bishop Cariño who identified that the returned image was that of the stolen image of Nuestra Señora de Salvacion,” he told the Manila Times in an interview when he was the parish priest of Joroan.

Numerous stories were told about the image of Nuestra Señora de Salvacion focusing on strong devotion not only of the Bicolanos but also of Filipinos elsewhere to the miraculous mother, Bishop Joel Baylon of the Diocese of Legazpi said.

He said that the Our Lady of Salvacion the heavenly patroness of Albay reminisces the past even as it celebrates a strong devotion of faith, love and unity among the Bicolanos from all walks of life.

Voyadores of Nuestra Senora de Salvacion, the heavenly patroness of Albay carry her image back to the Shrine of Ina after the maritime procession on Saturday.

Voyadores of Nuestra Senora de Salvacion including the images of San Antonio De Padua and Nuestra Senora de Soledad back to the Shrine of Joran after the maritime procession.