Manaoag Shrine soon to be pilgrimage site by law

By Eva Visperas

MANAOG, Pangasinan – A bill that seeks to make Our Lady of the Holy Rosary of Manaoag in Pangasinan, a pilgrimage site will soon become a law, Pangasinan fourth district Rep. Georgina de Venecia  said.

The House of Representatives committee on tourism passed House Bill 4481, De Venecia told local media.

The church will be formally declared as Basilica Minore next month. Pope Francis gave the title Minor Basilica to the shrine last October.

“In view of this recognition and its prominence as a pilgrims’ destination, it’s about time that the government do something to take care of the welfare and protection of the throngs of Catholic devotees, who represent 80 percent of our country’s population, who have and will continue to visit the Shrine of Our Lady of The Rosary in Manaoag,” De Venecia, whose congressional turf includes Manaoag, said.

The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines said the shrine is the parish church of the archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan, which is an affiliate of the Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome.