THE SHRINE OF OUR LADY OF

THE MOST HOLY ROSARY OF UBANON

According to the old folks the devotion of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary
of Ubanon [locally known as Birhen han Ubanon or Virgen Del Rosario han Ubanon]
focused around an image of the Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary which can be
found in a simple chapel of the Old Catbalogan Cemetery in Boao.
The devotion to Our Lady was started and developed by the family of the late
Antonia Borja Tuazon (locally known as Apoy Tonya) in the early parts of 1900; the
yearly novena and hermanidad was set on the third Sunday of October.
It was not only a village chapel for the people of Ubanon-Boao District but it
was not until when Bishop Maxiamiano "Max" T. Cruz upon his decree on the
Quadricentennial Celebration of Christianity in the island of Samar proclaiming it as a
Marian Diocesan Shrine of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary of Ubanon in the
whole Diocese of Calbayog. It is because of the many pilgrims and devotees who
came from different parts of the Samar province to visit and invoke their prayers and
devotion to the Virgin.
The crown of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary of Ubanon was not only an
ordinary crown but it was declared as Canonical which means officially and
universally recognized and acknowledged by the Catholic Church. It was blessed by
Pope John Paul II during his Papal Visit in 1995 and was presented by Bishop Max
Cruz together with Archbishop Carmelo D. Morelos of the Catholic Bishops
Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).
For the people of Ubanon-Boao District, it remained to them as part of their
rich culture, history and heritage.
MAUPAY NGA PATRON UBANON-BOAO-TOMALISTIS
PHOTO BACKDROP: The Diocesan Marian Shrine of Our Lady of the Most Holy
Rosary of Ubanon. Circa 1950. SAMCAT Archives
Copyright 2015
REFERENCE: O, Catbalogan! Coffee Table Book. 2006