Our Lady of Maulawin


Our Lady of Maulawin, also known as the Virgin of Maulawin and Virgin of Molave, is an Aglipayan title of the Blessed Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus venerated by the Iglesia Filipina Independiente'', one of only two images of the Virgin Mary to be indigenous to the nationalist church from the Philippines.

Etymology

Maulawin is the Tagalog name of the hardwood species Molave.'' The tree, native in Asia, Central America and South America, is valued in the Philippines for its dense, termite-resistant lumber used in construction of wooden structures and furniture.

Origins

In 1921, the Novena sa Virgen Maulawin ñg Katagalugan: na pinipintakasi sa Iglesia Flipina Independiente sa Sta. Cruz, Laguna, K. T. was published by L. Reyes, and recounts a hagiography of this Marian title.
In May 1910, a group of loggers climbed Mount Sembrano on the Jalajala side to select and cut lumber for sale in Santa Cruz, Laguna. Upon inspecting it, Telesforo Cruz, to whom they had offered the log, deemed the wood not to his liking.
The group then brought the logs to Daáng Malusak, where Tomás "Tomeng" de los Santos bought the lumber, intending to build a storehouse. The wood sat unused for a year until June 4, 1910, when De los Santos decided to start construction with the help of carpenter Hipólito "Poleng" Pimentel.
In preparing the wood, Pimentel sawed off a crooked piece of the log and discovered the image of Our Lady imprinted on it. Cutting more of the wood revealed more imprints. The first imprints were placed in the storehouse, which eventually became a chapel. Visitors and curious onlookers made it a pilgrimage site, hoping for miracles and healing. On the other hand, Mount Sembrano also became a Santong Lugar for Aglipayan pilgrims to remember the source of the wood.
On June 4, 1911, a year after the image’s discovery on the wood, Obispo Máximo Gregorio Aglipay said Mass in the chapel, now the Cathedral of Our Lady of Maulawin .

Veneration

The original pieces of Molave wood with the image are venerated in a side chapel of the cathedral, which also functions as a gallery of church practices over the years. One of the pieces is also in a chapel at the Santong Lugar site on Mount Sembrano, while another can be found in the Parish of the Holy Child in Marikina.
Fluvial and foot processions are done by devotees on the images feast day, and other special occasions.
In September 2024, the cathedral was declared the Shrine of the Blessed Virgin of Maulawin by the Supreme Council of Bishops of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente.