Miraculous Mama Mary in Simala -From Cagayan de Oro City a 8hrs and 35mins. trip of MV Saint John Paul II or Saint Leo the Greet (2Go Travel) to Pier 6 Cebu City or, -30mins. Flight from Laguindingan International Airport to Mactan International Airport via Cebu Pacific Air. -The Two-hour Trip from Cebu City to Sibonga Town from E-mall, I walked to the South Bus Terminal. While I still walking, many van conductors were persistently telling us to ride in their van, and said they will take off really soon. I know it will save us much time if I took the van, but by the looks of it, it is already crammed with passengers and the lack of ventilation makes me nauseous. So I took the non-aircon Sunray/Ceres bus which costs 70 per person. The bus trip itself was exploratory. I passed by Pardo, Talisay, Minglanilla, Naga, San Fernando, and Carcar. For someone like me who did not grow up in Cebu, it was like a tour. I passed by a lot of markets, schools, rice farms, houses (mansions and nipa huts), churches, and a lot of people. The Simala Church in Marian Hills, Lindogon, Simala, Sibonga, Cebu. After almost two hours, I reached the town of Sibonga. I dropped off the local park and from there, I rode a habal-habal (motorcycle) since the church is located in the Marian Hills of Lindogon, a few kilometers away from the Sibonga highway. The ride costs 20 pesos per person. Upon arrival, the 12noon mass was started- I immediately went inside the church to attend the holy mass.While looking at the church, I amazed of its grandeur and magnificence. It’s very huge like a palace! The church is undergoing even more renovations and extensions. From the looks of it, I think they plan to encircle the church grounds since the new walls and buildings are curved. Everywhere you go, you would see signs that tell you to pray and pay respect as you are entering the sacred house of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Since it also houses the monks of the Monastery of the Holy Eucharist, they prefer silence and meditation from everyone. After the mass I fall in line that led to the church’s altar that shelters the miraculous statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary. While taking the line, I asked to remove my shoes as I enter the sacred church. I also saw the cabinets that contained a lot of proof of answered prayers: letters, nurse caps, teacher’s pins, wheelchairs, walking cranes and many more. The love, thanksgiving and gratitude of the people seem to resonate every corner of this majestic church. You can only imagine how many people have walked through the halls of the church, asking, begging and calling Mama Mary to heal their illness, to help them pass the board exams, to grant them peace of mind, and anything else. And as I still waiting in line, I can’t help but feel something that just made me cry. Was it Mama Mary’s generosity, goodness, love? Maybe it was, because it did show through these miracles in people’s lives. Mama Mary, you are so full of grace indeed, blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Praying at the Miraculous Statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Simala. Upon reaching the back of the church altar, I saw the beautiful image of the Virgin Mary clothed with jewels. Last February I prayed hard to Mama Mary intercession to help me passed the Licensure Examination or Board Exam. for RME and to give me something. After knowing the results, I visited the Shrine 24 June 2014 to says: “Thank You”. And what I asked from her last February was being fulfilled. That was a very big thank you indeed. Now its my second to visit the Simala Church. -:-The Simala Church History and the Beautiful Collections of Marian Statues:- After having prayed at the altar, we went to the church museum and looked at all the memorabilia and history artifacts of the monastery and the church. From what I’ve read, it was the monks themselves who built the church from stone to stone. One of the paintings showed a gathering of the natives, and there was a caption that says: (1840-1880) Pious Native of Lindogon once predicted and said, “There come a time, a hill of Lindogon will become “balaan”, a white lady will stand soon and she will be the center of all people, but her pious servants will endure great suffering and persecutions.” This caption is incomplete and the first words were names of people whom I can’t read clearly, the dates included.There were also a diverse collections of statues of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Each statue represent a unique image of Mama Mary such as Lady of Fatima, Help of Christians, Perpetual Help, Victory, Guadalupe, and even a Korean Mama Mary. There was also an infant Mary called “Ninya Maria” which means Baby Mary. As we were walking in the museum and reading the history, I am amazed by the monks’ great sacrifices for the church. Lindogon Hills, Simala is a very far place and the Blessed Virgin Mary chose it to be one of her homes. I assume she chose the place because she knows she will be taken care of by the monks and natives, she will be visited by so many devotees who come from far places, she will be immensely honored for her love and generosity. I am glad that we Filipinos don’t have to go as far as Portugal, Mexico or Rome to visit an abode wherein Marian miracles have occurred. The place itself is a manifestation of the grandeur of her love, magnificence and Queenship. It is one of her many Queendoms. The Phenomenal Miracles of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Simala was September 8, 1998 (her birthday) that the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary reportedly shed tears. Witnesses to this phenomenon said that they saw Mama Mary shed tears which flowed from her nose to chin. Her face also transformed into a wrinkled, shrunken old woman and turned back to a beautiful youthful face again. Seeing that mirace must have been a very beautiful experience, and confusing at the same time. Some devotees said that her tears were sad tears, some say it was of joy for her birthday. The status is made of fiber glass, created from Pampanga and rejected because it did not pass quality. The monks got the statue for free. Scientists in the country also could not explain the phenomenon since fiber glass is not able to produce water on its own. Time to time, there were other miracles that occur. A laceration once appeared on the forehead of Mama Mary, but then it disappeared later on. Just recently on her birthday, September 8, 2012, in celebration of her birthday, Mama Mary was clothed and decorated by a monk, priest, and a devotee and while they were doing this, Mama Mary again shed a tear and the monk had to wipe it. As you walk outside the church, the locals would insistently sell to you their bracelets with Mama Mary’s pictures and oils contained in bottles with her pictures too. The habal-habal drivers would also ask you to ride in their motorcycles in going to the highway. We took a ride from the same driver who drove us uphill, and he dropped us off at the bus terminal where we again rode a non-aircon bus bound for Cebu city. Going home was another two-hour ride, but the church visit was worth it. We home around four o’clock in the afternoon, so tired and I think my cough became worse. But pilgrimages require sacrifices, sacrifices that does not equate enough to the rewards and blessing she gives afterwards. Ave Maria! Ora Pro Nobis!
Posted on: Sun, 19 Oct 2014 09:05:00 +0000
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