Sts. Peter and Paul Parish Makati

PRIMER ON THE HISTORY OF THE PARISH AND OF THE VIRGEN DE LA ROSA

In 1578 an inconspicuous ‘visita’ served as the seat for the introduction of the Catholic faith and doctrine to the families who formed the early community along the banks of the Pasig River in a place referred to as ‘Macati.’ The Franciscans, having established their mission house in Sta. Ana de Sapa of which Makati was then a village, faithfully tended to the spiritual needs of the natives for 42 years. Besides being tutored in God’s love and the brotherhood of men, an ardent devotion to the Mother of God was inculcated early in them during the mass celebrated every Saturday and sung will all solemnity in her honor.

Owing to the ‘encomienda’ system of the Spanish crown, the land which comprised Macati became the sole ownership of Capitan Pedro de Brito, a retired aide to the Spanish army Chief. In 1608, Capitan de Brito, who was then elected Alferez General of Manila, and his wife Ana de Herrera executed an instrument of foundation whereby one-half of their landholdings in Makati were bequeathed to the Society of Jesus. One of the conditions of this bequest was the establishment of a novitiate and church on a hill named Buenavista and that they were to be placed under the patronage of Saint Peter. Since the income from the foundation financed the construction of the church and novitiate, progress was slow. But by 1620 the church, which named San Pedro Macati, was completed with Rev. Fr. Pedro Montes as its builder.

The arrival of the image of the Virgen de la Rosa (Our Lady of the Rose) in 1718 from Acapulco was most welcomed by its parishioners who remained faithful to their Saturday Marian devotion. An extraordinary feature of this image, according to the testimony of Fr. P. Delgado, SJ who brought the image from Mexico, is a reliquary on her breast, in which was conserved a strand of hair of the Blessed Mother. A Jesuit historian, Rev. Fr. Pedro Murillo Velarde, in his “Historian de la Provincia de Filipinas de la Compania de Jesus,” included an actual photograph of the Virgen de la Rosa and described it as a statue of great beauty and perfection. He also confirmed the singular reliquary of the hair of the Blessed Virgin. He wrote, among other things in his dedication:

“Your most holy image of NUESTRA SEÑORA DE LA ROSA has on her breast a most precious treasure, greater than those which Tharsis had in his opulence, or Ophir with his most valuable metals can offer. This is a strand of hair of her most holy head, whose authencity I read with great admiration. In the vast extent of the Indies that I know of, there exists no similar reliquary…”

He further expressed the sentiments of his heart before the loveliness of this Lady, mentioning that he considered it a singular fortune, his being appointed chaplain of the church of San Pedro Macati.

In 1856, seven years after death of Fr. Murillo Velarde, the first novena prayers of the Virgen de la Rosa was printed in Tagalog under the guidance of Fr. Mariano Sta. Ana Marcial who was once the parish priest of the Manila Cathedral.

The Flores de Mayo was also begun in her honor. And in gratefulness to the Virgin who they believed to have interceded for favors for her devout parishioners, they honor her every June 30. Thus the town fiesta became a two-day affair, June 29 being the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul

Due to political unrest during the Philippine revolution in 1899, the head and hands of the image, which were in ivory, were stolen and the reliquary also disappeared, which up to the present time has not been recovered nor its whereabouts known. These parts have since been replaced by wooden replicas. The reliquary however may be lost forever. The original body of the image is still intact and an oval cavity where the reliquary had been placed may be found on its breast.

The parishioners of Sts. Peter and Paul continue to honor her every June 30 with the traditional ‘Baile de los Arcos’ still being practiced and is known to residents as the “Panatang Sayaw.” This devotion is truly unique to this locality and to the Virgen de la Rosa and Sts. Peter and Paul and that is should be considered as the dance of Makati. The Saturday novena prayers to her have also continued up to the present.

The devotion to the Virgen de la Rosa remains and continues to be revered by the parishioners. To propagate the devotion to her, Cofradia de Virgen de la Rosa was established in 2007. Its establishment is to enhance the devotion to her, keeping its importance to the history and culture of Makati.

In the coming 2018, the Parish community will be celebrating the 300th year of the arrival of the Virgen de la Rosa and in 2020, the 400th year of the Parish Church as an edifice of faith and as a community of believers.