To signal the end of the Marian pilgrimage month of May, the Children of Mary of the Three Kings Parish staged the annual "Flores de Maria" featuring zagalas representing the different barangays and sitios of the parish, and seven  images of the Virgin Mary.

After the Mass officiated by Rev. Fr. Bill Villaviza, the coronation image of La Virgen Divina Pastora was taken down from the main altar where she had been enthroned since the start of Her novena last April 17, and transferred to a carroza for the final procession.

This year's "La Flor de Gapan" was Maru Cellis Ison;  the adult sector's "Reyna delas Flores", Ma. Teresa O. Hirata; and the youth sector's "Reyna delas Flores", Mayako O Hirata.

The hermano and hermana for the "2010 Flores de Maria" celebration were
Chester Manuel Basa and Cistelle Ongpauco Castillo. ###
 
 

Thousands of Marian devotees  converged in Gapan City last April 26 as the Three Kings Parish celebrated the 46th canonical coronation anniversary of the miraculous image of La Virgen Divina Pastora and the 24th anniversary of the declaration of Her National Shrine.

Bishop Sofronio A. Bancud of the Diocese of Cabanatuan led a concelebrated Mass at 2:00 PM, highlighted by a re-enactment of the coronation rites.

Top government officials led by Gov. Aurelio M. Umali, former 4th District. Rep. Julita L. Villareal and Vice Mayor Christian U. Tinio participated in the offertory.

After the Mass, a grand procession of the images of the Divina Pastora, the Three Kings and patron saints of all of the city’s barangays and sitios was held, accompanied by contingents of street dancers from different parishes and Catholic schools in the diocese.

The festivities reeled off on April 17 with the enthronement of the crowned image of the Divina Pastora in the main altar and the start of the daily novena that lasted until April 25.

Meanwhile, the Sixth Grand Marian Exhibit opened at the Parish Center on April 28.

The traditional feast day of the Divina Pastora fiesta is May 1.

The devotion to the Divina Pastora was started by the Valmonte family sometime in the 1700s when they received the miniature wooden image as a gift from an Augustinian friar. The image was passed on to generations of caretakers, among them General Pantaleon Valmonte, hero of the 1896 “First Cry of Nueva Ecija”. The devotion eventually spread because of miracles attributed to Her, that the parish eventually adopted Her as its second patron saint, together with the Three Kings. The May 1 feast day of the Divina Pastora draws thousands of devotees who come from various places in Nueva Ecija and adjoining provinces, giving Gapan its reputation as a “Pilgrimage City”.

On April 26, 1964, through the joint efforts of the late Archbishop Emilio A. Cinense of the Archdiocese of San Fernando which then had jurisdiction over the Gapan parish; Archbishop Mariano G. Gaviola, the first bishop of the newly created Diocese of Cabanatuan,; Msgr. Paterno E. Bernabe, former parish priest; and the people of Gapan, the image of the Divina Pastora was canonically crowned by virtue of a decree issued by Pope Paul VI. She was also declared Patroness of the Diocese of Cabanatuan and the province of Nueva Ecija.

On February 19, 1986, the Valmonte family donated the original image of the Divina Pastora to the Gapan church where it is now permanently enshrined at a side altar. On April 26 of the same year, the church was declared as National Shrine of La Virgen Divina Pastora in ceremonies presided over by Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal, then president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines. ###
 

Three Kings parishioners paid tribute to their parish priest, Fr. Antonio Mangahas, who marked his 53rd birthday last April 17, and treated him to a simple program and dinner at the parish center.

An urgent project recently undertaken by the Three Kings Parish was the restoration of the church dome painting or "bovida".

The delicate project was done by Heritage Asia Plus and EJR Construction and Development Corporation.

Lean more about the project, including the artist who created the painting. CLICK HERE.