Caramoan: The Giant Image of Our Lady of Peace

This blog is a continuation of the earlier posts I had about Caramoan. People usually go on trips or visit places for various reasons. Even on a business trip and even on purely leisure trips, there could be other underlying motivations and purposes that may go along with it. I for one came to this place known as Caramoan just for the purpose of doing social research, but enjoying the scenery and living my Catholic Faith are other moving factors that put meaning on my life. There is a place of pilgrimage in the village of Tabgon in Caramoan that if you decide to visit this place, you will appreciate this. In the Village of Tabgon there is a giant image of Our Lady of Peace perch on top of a hill overlooking the ocean and the valleys. Take note of the Photo below which I took from the pump boat we were on. The white image on top of a hill with the cell tower at the backround is the image of Our Lady of Peace.

We approached the docking area of the village. Luckily it was high tide so it was not so difficult to dock. You must have a good sense of balance in order not to fall over. The one you see on the boat is our boatman and the children at the dock immediately presented themselves to us as "tour guides" for a small fee. The one wearing the orange T-Shirt insisted that he be our tour guide. He took my bag and water jug and helped along with the onward ascent to the mount. At first I didnt feel the need for a tour guide but I was convinced by his explanation that he needed to do this because he is saving some amount of money that he would need for the approaching enrollment. According to the twon mayor most of the people here are hard up financially and sometimes children have to travel on foot on long distances in order to be able to attend school. That part of the explanatiion touched my heart. The boy was so helpful and respectful of us so that did not create a problem for us.

The steps leading to the image of Our Lady of Peace is not for the faint hearted. It consists of 526 steps!!!!!. Five of my students who are in their early 20s easily accomplished the task of scaling the 526 steps. But as for me who is entering the 40s, I had a hard time. I have to stop every 25 steps to regain my strength. After completing the 400 steps I thought I would pass out. The pull of the gravity and the enormous effort you need to climb those steps is not for the faith hearted. But luckily my little tour guide was there all along and he assisted me. "Sir you have to do it slowly, step by step, and if you feel tired dont hesisitate to stop and rest before proceeding again." said my tour guide. Look at the photo below. Look how steep are the steps leading to the grotto. Jose one of my students waves his hands urging us to hurry up.

Once on top of the hill, we felt a sense of relief and delight. The giant image of Our Lady was so inspiring. Indeed this is a place for prayer and devotion. I could feel a sense of positive energy in this place. This is indeed the image of Our Lady of Peace. Beckoning the whole Philippines and all pilgrims to come to her and allow her to show us her Son. Insurgency, conflicts, poverty and many other forms of evil have afflicted this nation. But there is hope as Mary now proclaims. As we unite our sufferings with the passion of Christ we are led to calvary and we are given the gift of faith and hope for the coming ressurection. In the photo below me and my students waves our hands in praise to the goodness of God Almighty. Our tour guide took this picture.

This "little pilgrimage" shows us that life is a journey. It is a journey towards God. It is difficult and one has to exert effort at doing this. There is a goal, there are objectives and there is the way. Jesus said we have to pass through a narrow door. But once we reach the top we could feel the sense of rest and tranquility. Christ is inviting us to enter into His Sabbath. May we all follow Him no matter how difficult the way is. God supplies all the needed grace. Mary our Mother is there to assist us and to intercede for us. Here in the photo below, the blogger knelt down in prayer before the giant image of our Lady.

The mount on which the image of Our Lady was built is a stragic location. It commands a view on the now famous islands off the shores of Caramoan. These islands are now by Law considered tourist zones. Famous for its corals, white beaches, caves and resorts. Beyond those islands is the vast Pacific Ocean. Later in another blog entry I will show you some of these scenic spots.

Caramoan is mountainous. Villages are located far apart. There are places where travel by sea is more preferable than by land because the road network remains underdeveloped. During rainy season land slides could happen and obstruct the passage to these road networks.

Below is the village of Tabgon. Tabgon has a parish church dedicated to St. Dominic of Guzman. There are two resident priests who serve the spiritual needs of the village and its surrounding environs.

Before heqding back for our boat I bought a small replica of the image of Our Lady of Peace. This to remind me that once upon a time I scaled these hights and saw the wonderful image of Our Lady. Shown below is the little statue, a replica of the image on top of the hill.