June 13, 2024
Post courtesy of
Rafael Villongco
June 11 - Today is the 555th Anniversary of the Apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title: OUR LADY OF ARÁNZAZU (“NUESTRA SEÑORA DE ARÁNZAZU”) to the shepherd boy, Rodrigo de Baltzategui on a thorn bush located along the Aloña Mountains - Oñate (Basque), Spain 🇪🇸 on June 11, 1469.
While tending his sheep, Rodrigo saw the Blessed Mother on top of a thorn bush and asked him to build a chapel in that place in Her honor and promised protection and graces to the people. At his amazement, he uttered the words “Arántzan Zu?!” in the Basque dialect that is translated in Spanish as “Tu en el espino?” (“Dear Lady, why are you on the thorn bush?”).
At that time, a severe drought hit Oñate and they were preparing for a penitential procession for rain. Rodrigo immediately went to the crown and revealed the apparition and convinced them to climb the mountain to prove the authenticity of the event people were skeptical at first yet when Rodrigo was willing to vouch for the authenticity of the apparition, the people decided to see it for themselves.
When the people got to the mountain, they found a quadrilateral bell in the branch of the tree where the Lady appeared and the image of the Virgin that he saw and the people soon built the chapel and several miracles were recorded. Pilgrims flocked the shrine in Onate and saints also frequented Her shrine, most notably Saint Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus or the Jesuit Order.
The Marian devotion would soon spread in the Philippines as Her images under this title were enshrined at ‘Colegio de San Juan de Letran’ - Intramuros, Manila and at the Diocesan Shrine of Nuestra Señora de Aránzazu - San Mateo, Rizal.
OUR LADY OF THE THORNBUSH,
pray for us!
“NUESTRA SEÑORA DE ARÁNZAZU”,
¡ruega por nosotros!
* Article credit: James Benedict Malabanan from his Catholic / Marian blog website: “PINTAKASI: Chronicles of Philippine Popular Piety and Local Ecclesiastical History “a