La Virgen Milagrosa: Sanctuary of the Miraculous Statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary

     It was a such a lovely day. Excitement was building up as we're told that we'll have to board fishermen boats from the shores of Badoc, a municipality in Ilocos Norte, Philippines to reach its nearby island. Visible from the inside of the bus as we reached or destination were small stores  with displays of local produce, mostly garlic and onion, at this seemingly far end of the northern Philippines.

    The most surprising was the sight of a building set apart by its unique architecture compared to the native residential houses near it. I entered this building and inside the concave structure, it dawned on me that am inside a chapel. The chairs were made of varnished tree branches while the walls and ceiling were decorated with bamboos.

    In the middle of the altar in front stood a wooden cross while enclosed in a glass was a statue. I asked one of the locals who told me it's called La Virgen Milagrosa. According to the story, the statue was brought by the waves from Japan in the 1600's. Found by the local fishermen, the La Virgen Milagrosa was became the patron of this barangay (small community).

     Every day is a gift and a miracle. Waking up to another day to enjoy life is a privilege, a gift, a miracle. For my first post in this blog- "Deo Grazia" which means "Thank God" - it is but fitting to share with you that there is such a beautiful sanctuary in the northern Philippines that venerates the La Virgen Milagrosa.

     My prayer is that we will all be thankful as we wake up to a new day. Let us count the blessings received as we go through the daily grind. 

     Thank you for taking time to read this blog. Hopefully, a post or two will inspire you as I share bits and pieces of information while enjoying this journey called life.