Our Lady of the Poor of Taguig - The Simple and Caring Lady of Taguig City

- December 16, 2018

Our Lady of the Poor of Taguig City

In the modern City of Taguig, located in the Southern part of Metro Manila, known of
it's fast paced Bonifacio Global City that became the latest commercial hotspot in Metro
Manila. Despite the modern facade that Taguig projected, poverty is still present in the
sidelines.

Although this contrasting situation is still dominant, Our Lord did not left a deaf ear to
his poor children by sending his beloved mother and introduced herself as "The Virgin
of the Poor". Our Blessed Mother identified herself as such for she knew how poverty is
like and she came to console her children and relieve their sufferings and they in turn
gave their confidence to her.

The image

Our Lady of the Poor of Taguig City

 (Notre Dame de Banneuax)

The simple yet beautiful image of Our Lady of the Poor is based from the description
that Mariette Beco, the visionary, in her testimony during the investigation phase:

"The Virgin was enveloped in a "great oval light" and wore a long white gown with a
sash of "unforgettable blue" and a white, tranparent veil covering her head and
shoulders. Her right foot was visible and "crowned with a golden rose" between the
toes. She had a rosary on her right arm with diamond-like beads and a golden chain
and cross. She stood on a cloud with her head and shoulders bent sllightly to the left."

Mariette Beco during the time of the apparitions

The Banneaux Apparitions

In a garden behind the Beco family's cottage, the Blessed Mother is said to have
appeared to Mariette Beco (age 11) eight times. Calling herself the "Virgin of the
Poor," Mary promised to intercede for the poor, the sick and the suffering and
requested to build a chapel in her honor. Additionally, Mariette Beco had reportedly
received a secret which never was made public. In the course of the Apparitions, she
gave the following messages that concerned her children, especially the poor and the
sick:

"I am the Virgin of the Poor. (01/19/1933) I am the Mother of the Savior,
Mother of God.(03/02/1933) I come to relieve the
suffering.(02/11/1933) Believe in me, I will believe in you. Pray
much (02/15/1933), I will pray for you. (01/19/1933)"

Regarding the Spring:

"This spring is reserved for me. (01/18/1933), For all nation's, for the
sick." (01/19/1933)
Many people, including Mariette's father, were converted to Catholicism upon hearing
accounts of the apparition. Five hundred thousand pilgrims visit the site of the
apparitions every year. Over fifty miraculous cures have been documented at the spring.

The Miraculous spring of Banneuax

Banneux was investigated from 1935 until 1937 by an Episcopal commission, after which
the evidence collected was submitted to Rome. Meanwhile growing numbers of pilgrims
came to the shrine, and on March 19, 1942 Bishop Mgr. Louis-Joseph Kerkhofs of Liege
approved the cult of the Virgin of the Poor. In 1947 the apparitions themselves received
preliminary approval, with this becoming definite on August 22, 1949.

"Two times, first in 1942 and then in 1947, we have officially recognized the reality of
the apparitions of Banneux. Today after two new years of prayer and observation, we
believe in conscience to be able and to be required to recognize without reserve this
reality, namely, the reality of the eight apparitions of the Holy Virgin to Mariette
Beco" (Dessain. Notre Dame de Banneux, Paris, 1967, p. 207)

In 1985, Pope John Paul II went to Banneux and had an audience with Mariette at the
sacristy. On July 31, 1999, the Vatican issued a letter to the Bishop of Liege to
commemorate the 50th anniversary of the apparitions.
Mariette lived a quiet life since the apparitions ceased. She got married and bear
children while she dedicated her entire life living and sharing the message of the
beautiful Lady she met. Mariette Beco passed away in the "Home de la Vierge des
Pauvres" at Banneux, Belgium on December 2, 2011.

The arrival of the devotion in the Philippines

The devotion to the Virgin of the Poor, based from the apparitions in Banneaux, arrived
in the Philippines in 1958 when Rev. Fr. Joseph Heuwagen, SVD brought a faithful
replica of the Virgin from Banneaux, Belgium in St. Joseph Parish in Claveria, Cagayan
and was enthroned in that parish. The enthronement of the image of the Virgin of the
Poor sparked the spread of the devotion to the Blessed Mother under this sobriquet
aided by different religious congregations like the Sisters of Mary based in Silang,
Cavite. Soon afterwards, several religious and secular institutions, parishes, chapels, and
public places began to enshrine images of the Virgin of the Poor all over the country.

The Taguig story

Our Lady of the Poor Parish in Taguig City

The first Parish dedicated to Our Lady of the Poor is located in one of the poorest areas
in Metro Manila, in FB Tenement, Taguig City. This particular site somehow became the
chosen abode to the pioneering parish to Our Lady who introduced herself as one of the
Poorest of the Poor.

The parish had its humble beginnings from the bosom of F.B. Tenement Housing as
early as 1965 and placed under the Patronage of Our Lady of Fatima. A portion of the
basement was allotted for classrooms and a chapel for the parishioners. It was then a
sub-parish of St. Martin de Porres Parish, Parañaque. The rapid increase of the
population on account of the occupancy of Bagong Lipunan Condominium and the
industrial growth of the Food Terminal, Inc. and the Veteran’s Complexes created an
urgent need for the construction of the bigger church. In 1982 the National Housing
Authority (NHA) approved a new site for the construction of the new church. The actual
construction of the present parish started in 1984.

The devotion to the Virgin of the Poor in Taguig began in 1993 when the Parish located
in FB Tenement, Western Bicutan, Taguig was formally dedicated to the Virgin under
this title. The image of the Virgin however arrived from the actual apparition site in
Banneaux, Belgium in 1999. Since her enthronement, she became their consoler in their
trying times as she promised to Mariette in one of her visits "I came to relieve the
suffering."
The Episcopal Coronation of Our Lady of the Poor of Taguig
Church Recognition

In a span of years, numerous miracles were attributed through her intercession that in
line of the 25th anniversary of the dedication of the parish, the Virgin of the Poor
received the honor of Episcopal Coronation on December 29, 2018.

Devotion

The devotion to Our Lady of the Poor in Taguig City grew stronger as kept alive since her
arrival and she continues to fulfill her promise to the poor, through Mariette to "relieve
the suffering". The message of the Our Lady, seems to be appropriate in our present
time for she invites us to show !ore concern to the poor, not only through prayer, but
also by doing something to alleviate their suffering, that way we truly lived the message
of the Virgin who chose to be known among the lowly.

As we conclude this blogpost dedicated to the Our Lady of the Poor of Taguig, here is
prayer that is prayed by her devotees.

Mary Virgin of the Poor, You lead us to Jesus, source of grace, and you come to
alleviate our suffering. We implore you with confidence: Help us to folow your Son
with generosity, and to belong to Him unreservedly. Help us to welcome the Holy
Spirit Who guides and sanctifies us. Obtain us the grace to look like Jesus everyday
more, so that our life will glorify the Father and contribute to the salvation of all.
Amen.
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