Our Lady of Antipolo is a special devotion of the Filipino people to Mary and honors her title under Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage. In 1626, the Governor General of the Philippines brought a statue to Manila that had been carved and blessed in Mexico. When the governor died, the statue was cared for by the Jesuits at San Ignacio. It eventually ended up in a church in Santa Cruz, cared for by a pastor in the Laguna region. After this move, it would disappear from the church and reappear in the branches of a nearby breadfruit tree. The people were amazed by these appearances and so they built a church near the tree, cut it down and made a pedestal for the Virgin Mary from its trunk. In Tagalog, tipolo means “breadfruit tree” and ang means “the.” The full title, then, translates to Our Lady of the Breadfruit Tree. Our Lady of Antipolo is the patroness of travelers and pilgrims and her image attracts millions of pilgrims from the Philippines and abroad each year! Learn more about the Oratory of Our Lady of Antipolo and pray the special prayer to Our Lady of Good Voyage here.

For information on joining the Our Lady of Antipolo Association, please contact Marylou Gonzalez at (571) 437-8461.