Our Lady of Piat (formally: Nuestra Seora de Piat,) is a 16th century Roman Catholic icon of the Blessed Virgin

Mary and the central figure at the altar of her shrine in Piat in the province of Cagayan, Philippines. Locally known as the patroness of the town, it is one of the most venerated Marianimages of Mary in the Republic of the Philippines and is referred to as the Mother of Cagayan. The image of Our Lady of Piat is one of the most revered images among Catholics. Flocking everyday to the shrine are devotees queueing to touch the images feet seeking her intercessions. Her devotees include the rich and powerful who spare no expense at showering the Blessed Virgins shrine with donations and gifts. She was originally called Nuestra Seora del Santissimo Rosario (Our Lady of the Rosary) by the Dominican friars. The lady has been attributed to many miracles including an end to a drought that threatened famine in the Itawes region. Piat is now dubbed as the "Pilgrimage Center of Cagayan Valley" because of the thousands of devotees and tourists who come here to pay homage. She continues to be the source of inspiration and object of devotion of many Catholics in the region. The lady is also called as the "Black Virgin Mary" because of its color being brown or "muy morena". That [1] was referred to as the appealing characteristic of the Blessed Virgin. Our Lady of Piat is one of the oldest Marian images in the Philippines. On June 20, 1954, in a ceremony led by Papal Delegate Egidio Vagnozzi, she was named Queen of Heaven and Earth. The Ibanags call her Yena Tam Ngamin (Mother of Us All) and to the natives of Piat, Cagayan, she is known as Apo Baket (Grand Matriarch). Our Lady Apo Baket of Namacpacan was the title given to our Blessed Virgin Mary by the natives of La Union because she appeared to the indigenous people of the Cordilleras as an old woman and offered them food and invited them to be baptized. Apo Baket is how the people call the elderly woman as a sign of respect. The Image got the name from the town itself. Namacpacan was a place of refuge for those people running from the tyranny of colonizers. It also served as a stopover intersection for those going to Vigan,Ilocos Sur. [edit]

Origin of the Miraculous Image of Our Lady of Namacpacan

According to the historical sketch done by Msgr. Quintin Velasquez, the image was ordered by the Augustinian friars of Vigan from Spain in 1871 came to Luna accidentally. The galleon set to sail to the Philippines was heading toward Vigan was caught by a storm in the coast of La Union. When the storm ended, they tried to continue their journey but the wind urged them to come back to the port. The captain decided to return to the port and have the statue delivered to Vigan by land. When the statue was about to be transported to Vigan, the men could not remove the statue from its place. They took it as a signal that the image wanted to stay. It was negotiated upon by the Augustinian friars and Fr. Marcelino Ceballos that the image would stay in Namacpacan. A bienvenida party was held in welcoming Our Lady. The town's name was changed to Luna, in honor of the national heroes, Antonio and Juan Luna, whose mother is a native of the place. Presently, Luna's boundary arch proudly announce, "Welcome to Luna, Shrine of Our Lady of Namacpacan." [edit]

Our Lady's Miracles

Rosa Roldan is a thirteen year old, lame girl who is often left alone by her farming family. One day, an old woman knocked on her door asking for a drink and food. Rosa let her come in. She told the old woman to help herself to the jar and get some leftover food in the kitchen. The old woman drank, water trickling from the cup falling on Rosa's feet. Before the old woman left, she told Rosa top meet her at the church's altar. When she had left, Rosa began to walk. When she came to the church, she recognized the statue of Our lady as her visitor. Since then, Rosa led a moral life, healing the sick and praying for the fishermen to catch more fish. In early 1900 Tribal families from the Mountain Province came to Luna for baptism. They claimed that a tall beautiful lady had invited them there. After seeing the image in the church, they said that it was the same lady who came to the mountains who gave them food and purchased blankets from them. In return, she asked them to come to Luna for christening. When they came nearer, they saw the blankets she bought from them, laying at the foot of the altar. Shortly before the death of Pope Pius XII, he saw Our Lady of Namacpacan in his dream. Upon waking, he asked the Vatican staff where Namacpacan was. Since the image was in Luna, a remote town in the Philippines, no one could provide an exact answer. It was only after the pope's death, when the request for canonization was raised by the local church to the papacy, was the answer obtained.

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Veneration

Our Lady of Namacpacan was canonically crowned on November 24, 1958 by the high-ranking officials led by Papal Nuncio Salvatore Siino. She is acknowledged as the the Filipina who generously grants wishes, particularly in times of economic crisis. She is the refuge of farmers, fishermen and planters threatened by calamities, pests, and drought. The Confraternity of Our Lady of Namacpacan leads the movement for religious cultural revivals in Luna, which becomes the center of the Marian celebration in the North. Santa Catalina de Alejandria (Luna,La Union) Church houses the image of Our Lady. The church has many projects that include medical and dental missions, programs for the youth and pastoral and evangelical ministries.