The feast of Nuestra Señora dela Candelaria is a religious activity in Jaro district, Iloilo City held every second day of February.

Available references would note that the feast traces its past in 1527 when a limestone statue of the Blessed Mother carrying the Child Jesus was discovered by fisherfolks along Iloilo river and by order of the bishop, it was brought to the Jaro church. It is said that the statue was too heavy to be lifted but suddenly became lighter when it was decided to be brought to the then Jaro church.

Initially, it was said that the statue was placed inside the church but based on the account of local folklores, the statue has grown over the centuries until it was decided that it will be placed on the balcony of the now Jaro Cathedral.

There are several accounts and stories as to the statue’s miraculous acts. It is said that there were times when she disappears early in the morning and people will see a beautiful lady bathing her son in a well at the Jaro plaza and a mist would appear and cover her niche at the cathedral. Another account also speaks of an instance before the war when the church was covered with darkness and suddenly when the light came back, the statue has grown larger.

A more recent account was during the preparation for the papal visit of Pope John Paul II. The statue of the Blessed Mother denied any attempt of the parishioners to move her from her niche to the balcony of the cathedral. The chains holding her simply snap each time they attempt to move her. They have to call then the late Archbishop Alberto J. Piamonte to help and personally take charge of the job. It was only then that she relented and today everyone can see her at the balcony of the cathedral.

Pope John Paul II canonically crowned the image on February 21, 1981 during his Apostolic Visit in the country and declared it as the patroness of Western Visayas making it as the only Marian Statue in the Philippines personally crowned by the pope.

The Diocese of Jaro was elevated to an archdiocese on June 29, 1951 by Pope Pius XII and in January 2012, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines approved an additional title for the cathedral as the National Shrine of Our Lady of Candles.

Today, the statue of Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria is visited and frequented by devotees of all ages and status asking and praying for intercessions on their concerns and problems. Some are praying for healing while some are asking for her help to survive board examinations.

The celebration of her day is grand. A fiesta queen and escort are chosen and crowned in her honor and a solemn procession precedes the coronation. Perdon candles are distributed and lighted. It is believed that these candles are miraculous and is lighted by devotees in times of need. People also line up outside the cathedral for the palapak. Small replicas of the Our Lady of Candles are placed on the forehead of devotees for purification and the aching body parts of the sick as it believed that such will start the healing process.

The stories about the statue and her miracles may border between fiction and the surreal however it doesn’t really matter for the people. Devotees from around the country and even from some parts of the world have their own healing stories to tell through the intercession of the Holy Mother. Perhaps, it is the reason why people flock the feast in her honor to catch a glimpse of her physical presence at the cathedral.