Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary La Naval Philippine Navy

Our Lady of La Naval is celebrated every last friday of October at Sangley Point Cavite City. In 1646, when Dutch invaders tried to gain possession of the country, the image of La Naval was believed to have helped and guided the Spanish fleet. Before each of the battles, the intercession of Our Lady was fervently sought. Crew members Spanish soldiers, religious persons, and Filipinos paid special homage to Our Lady for a victorious battle. With five battles to face against the Dutch, the Filipino and Spanish forces led by Commander Lorenzo de Orella y Ugalde won despite being shorthanded: they had only two merchant galleons against 18 Dutch warships. They vowed that if they emerged triumphant, they would make a pilgrimage to the church -- barefoot. On 9 April 1662, sixteen years after the successful defense of Manila, these five battles was proclaimed miraculous by the Cathedral Chapter of the Archdiocese of Manila. The Council consisted of theologians, canonists, and prominent religious people. After studying all the written and oral testimonies of the participants and eyewitnesses, the Council declared that the victories were:

The Our Lady of La Naval was canonically crowned on October 1907 upon the orders of Pope Pius X, a first in the country and in Asia. Since then, processions and masses in honor of the Blessed Mother have become a tradition.