The Diocese of Tarlac in central Luzon will soon have its first pontifically crowned Marian image.
Pope Francis has approved the canonical coronation of the Nuestra Señora de los Dolores de Capas enshrined at the Our Lady of Sorrows Parish Church.
The Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of Sacraments approved the petition on October 1 but the decision was only made public by the diocese on Monday, October 26.
Father Melvin Castro said the Vatican’s approval only “affirms our faithful’s devotion to the Mater Dolorosa”.
“Our Lady heard our prayer,” said the priest, adding that in the midst of the pandemic the parish “prayed more fervently than ever to Our Lady”.
Through live streaming, the priest said they campaigned for prayers, sacrifices, and held Eucharistic and Marian motorcades on a regular basis.
“To this day our parish has been spared from deaths caused by the pandemic,” he added.
It will be the first such coronation in the Diocese of Tarlac’s 57-year history.
But Father Castro said the devotion to the Mater Dolorosa has been recorded to have started as early as 1923.
In 2018, the image was honored with an episcopal coronation.
The Tarlac diocese has yet to announce the date for the canonical coronation of the Marian image.
