Metro Manila, Philippines – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. joined thousands of Catholic faithful in Pangasinan to mark the centennial canonization of a pilgrimage site.
The rites were held at the Minor Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary of Manaoag, managed by Dominican friars. First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos also attended the two-hour mass.
“May this celebration be with our moment as a people whom you have called in this blessed place and renew our commitment to serve you and our neighbors with love and compassion through the intercession of Our Lady of the Rosary of Manaoag, the Beloved Protectress and patron of the Prophets of Messiah,” Marcos said.
“May our lives be filled with your blessings and may we always glorify you in our words and actions,” he added.
Local health responders attended to at least 10 elderly people and two teenagers, while several others from the crowd briefly collapsed.
Church officials held the celebration, which began at 9 a.m. with a concelebrated mass held in front of the basilica.
The occasion marked the 100th anniversary of the image’s canonical coronation in 1926, a rare honor granted by the Vatican.
As part of the rites, the First Couple presented ceremonial crowns to Charles John Brown, representing the Holy See.
The program also featured a reenactment of the historic crowning of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Child Jesus.
