‘Miracle’ may be sign to ‘strengthen faith’

CEBU, Philippines - While he opted not to say his piece, the parish priest of St. Augustine Parish in Poblacion, Alcantara town said Archbishop Jose Palma told him the “miracle” in his church could mean a need to strengthen everyone’s faith.

 In a phone interview by The FREEMAN, Fr. Peter Monteron said that in his talk with Palma, the latter said that considering that this is a year of faith, the alleged turning of the head of the image of our Lady of the Holy Rosary may be a message for the faithful “to strengthen our faith” and to continue to believe in her, as she is the mother of  all.

Palma, Monteron, said it could mean an “invitation to prayer” during this time of trials and adversities.

He opted not to comment on whether the alleged shift in the direction of  the gaze of the image of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary can be considered a “miracle” or not, saying he already informed Palma about it.

 â€œI was able to talk to Archbishop Palma and he told me ‘let it be…we can’t understand, there might be a scientific explanation to that…we can’t interpret why it is happening,” Monteron said.

Likewise, Monteron said he cannot say whether the head of  the Our Lady of the Holy Rosary really turned to its right, toward the direction of Bohol, which was ravaged by the 7.1-magnitude earthquake that struck the province and Cebu last Oct. 15.

“Maybe it is lay minister Eddie Rojo who can attest to that, kay siya man ang nagkuha niini gikan sa sudlanan (because he was the one who took the image from where it was kept safe) then placed it in front of the altar. Pero matod niya it (But, according to him, it) originally faced straight daw,” the parish priest said.

To secure the safety of the image of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, Monteron said Palma advised him to place the statue beside the altar and to enclose it in a glass.

Residents of this southern Cebu municipality believe that it was a miracle.

Bebe Quiroga, a Parish Pastoral Council-Worship Committee member, told The FREEMAN that they were surprised upon seeing the image, which originally faced front, already facing right after the earthquake.

She said they tried but could not move the head back to its original position.

Parish Youth Coordina-ting  Council (PYCC) president Russell Guardina, 21, said it was not the first time that they noticed the statue move its head.

Monteron also said  that up to now, the head of the image of the Virgin Mary, which the church acquired in the 1980s, still faces right. — (FREEMAN)