Philippine stuff

Pilgrims continue to pray at Lipa,

In 1948, devotees believed, the holy Virgin Mother appeared to a postulant on several occasions in the grounds of the monastery, founded only two years earlier. The Lipa Carmel was the site of a series massacre of Batanguenos at the closing days of World War II. Said to be the scene of an awful tragedy the place was transformed into what they described as “oasis of prayer.”

It will be recalled that on April 11, 1951, six Filipino bishops declare there was nothing supernatural in the reported apparitions and shower of petals in the Carmelite Monastery of Lipa.

The signature of the Apostolic delegate, later the first Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines, Archbishop Egidio Vagnozzi, stamped the document with the official position of the Holy See on the Lipa phenomenon.

A follow-up document signed by the apostolic administrator after the resignation of the diocesan bishop that time, Most Rev. Alfredo Versoza, and transfer as Lucena Diocesan administrator for 22 years of Bishop Alfredo Ma. Obviar, Bishop Rufino Santos, who later became the country’s first cardinal, forbade among others the veneration of the image of Mary, Mediatrix of All Grace and the distribution of petals and holy water bottles.

I first heard about the vision, not from my Pinoy relatives, but from a Spanish exchange student living with us in the US...who told the story from his Uncle, a bigshot Jesuit...that the bishop thought it was true, but at that time the Vatican didn't like visions so the Nuncio arranged to have it officially rejected, and ordered the local bishops to go along with their decision.

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Miss Philippines came in number three in the Miss Universe program.

no problem, since Miss Angola is also beautiful.

But some pinoys think her rejection was because they asked her what she would do if she wanted to marry and her boyfriend insisted she change religions, and she said she'd go along with God and not marry him.

From MediaSocietyGodblog:

She was asked by Vivica Fox if she would change her religion or religious views if it is because she would marry the man she loves. And this was her answer:


"If I would have to change my religious beliefs, I would not marry the person that I love. Because
the first person that I love is God, who created me.

"I have my faith and my principles, and this is what makes me who I am. If the person loves me,
he'll love my God too."


Maybe this answer cost her opportunity for the crown. Some even say that the competition is biased or "lutong labanan"

Either way, it was a good answer.