DIOCESE OF ANTIPOLO

DIOCESAN SHRINE AND PARISH OF OUR LADY OF THE HOLY ROSARY

RIZAL ST. BGY. REAL, 1950 CARDONA, RIZAL, PHILIPPINES

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE PARISH

During the early years of the Spanish colonization the town of Cardona which used to be called

“Sapao” was only a lakeside settlement along the northern shore of Laguna de Bay. When the

Franciscan missionaries arrived in 1577, they took on the evangelization of these dwellers. It was from

these Franciscan missionaries that the natives learned about the devotion to the Blessed Mother long

before Sapao became a parish.

The first chapel built in 1608 was called

Chapel of St. Francis after the name of the

founder of the Franciscan Order. There was an

image in the chapel described as a Lady with a

child seated on her arms to whom the natives

gave the name “Nuesra Senora de Sapao. Not far

from the chapel was a fountain to which the

natives attributed miraculous cure so they called

The antique Image of Nuestra Senora del
it Fuente de la Virgen. Santissimo Rosario de Cardona
Many people from neighboring towns came to pray to the Image and bathe in a nearby fountain to cure

their illness. They called this fountain Fuente Bendita with certain respect and reverence that they have

for the Image. (Cronicas de la Provincia de San Gregorio)

Tradition said that the Image was originally housed in the church of San Geronimo in Morong.

Many times, on Saturdays before the mass, local folks would find stuck on the hemline of her tunic

amorseco seeds from plants that grew abundantly in Sapao, now Cardona. Coming to the conclusion

that Our Lady preferred to be in Cardona the

church authorities made the decision to transfer

her to Cardona.

It became a parish in 1872; however, the

parishioners continued to receive pastoral care

from Morong under the jurisdiction of the parish

priest. It was finally separated from

Parish late
 DIOCESE OF ANTIPOLO
DIOCESAN SHRINE AND PARISH OF OUR LADY OF THE HOLY ROSARY
RIZAL ST. BGY. REAL, 1950 CARDONA, RIZAL, PHILIPPINES

Morong and became an independent parish in 1890 with its own parish priest. Consequently, the

parish was named “Our Lady of the Holy Rosary.” It could have been divine providence that it was Our

Lady herself who chose this parish to be her home, a sanctuary for Marian Devotees. St. Francis, after

whom the parish was named initially, became the secondary patron of the town.

The fountain now locally called “Bukal” is located in Barangay Del Remedio, not too far away

from the church where local folks as well as those from neighboring towns came to pray and bathe to

gain miraculous cure for their illness. A small statue was found hanging from a bamboo tree nearby by

the great, great grandmother of the fourth-generation caretaker. The statue and the spring waters from

Bukal were regarded to have healing powers. After a long period of devotion to our lady a childless

couple was gifted a healthy baby girl who grew up to be a loving and devoted daughter.

During the Japanese occupation a group of

townsfolk who sought refuge in Bukal were able to

avoid the pursuing soldiers by hiding squeezed in a

crevice while praying to Our Lady for protection. The

soldiers left finding no one in the vicinity. And these

people lived to tell the story of their miraculous

escape.
Bukas Spring , Barangay Del Remedio
Stories related to the image of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary have been handed down through

generations from parishioners who actually witnessed what they believed occurred with the intercession

of the Blessed Mother. One is the occurrence of lake waters that used to cover the streets over a large

area of the town proper during the rainy season, but it never got farther than the first step of the church

keeping the inside warm and dry.

Towards the end of the Japanese occupation its army set fire all around town to inflict as much

damage as they could before they retreated to avoid the approaching liberation forces. Residents who

evacuated that night witnessed balls of fire being thrown at the church. When they returned to the

poblacion the following day they found the church untouched by the fire, but the surrounding houses

and the municipal building located just across the street from the church were all burned down. The

parish church being spared from the floods and the fire was a mystery that those who witnessed would

not forget believing that deliverance from these disasters could only come through the intercession of

the town’s Patroness.

 DIOCESE OF ANTIPOLO
DIOCESAN SHRINE AND PARISH OF OUR LADY OF THE HOLY ROSARY
RIZAL ST. BGY. REAL, 1950 CARDONA, RIZAL, PHILIPPINES

The oldest religious organization in the Parish, the Cofradia de Nuestra Señora Del Sto. Rosario

believed to have started in 1872, is still active and quite effective in the promotion of the strong devotion

to Our Lady of the Holy Rosary. The Children of Mary and the Mary Help of Christians were

established later. The Legion of Mary, currently one of the most active organizations in the Parish was

established in 1943 by the Columban Fathers who served in Cardona for 50 years.

From the simple chapel, the St. Francis Chapel

originally made of bamboo and nipa, the parish church

gradually evolved into a bigger and more complex structure

throughout the successions of parish priests. In gratitude of

the parishioners and a manifestation of their devotion to the

Patroness they made every effort to give her a proper home.

Renovations were undertaken in collaboration with

generous and supportive parishioners residing locally and

abroad.

Through the years the church has been a Marian

sanctuary for the parishioners and out-of-town devotees

who come regularly not only during feast days, and has also Venerated Image of Nuestra Senora
del Santissimo Rosario of Cardona
the “Virgen de Sapao”
been a site of pilgrimage especially during the Lenten season

and during the Rosary Month.

It was granted the status Diocesan Shrine on August 17, 2017, followed by the Episcopal

Coronation on September 27, 2018, upon approval by His Excellency, Bishop Francisco M. De Leon,

DD, Bishop of Antipolo.

DIOCESE OF ANTIPOLO
DIOCESAN SHRINE AND PARISH OF OUR LADY OF THE HOLY ROSARY
RIZAL ST. BGY. REAL, 1950 CARDONA, RIZAL, PHILIPPINES