Br. Eugene L.

Maoy, SSS
Philippine Church History

Title: EDSA Shrine, Anamnesis of Filipino Bravery, Faith, Democracy, and Filipino Arts.

A. Abstract:

To elaborate on how the Shrine of Mary, Queen of Peace to the Filipino citizens became the aid in aiming
for a better nation democratically and peacefully. It embodies how Filipinos strived for good governance, and
represents a courageous and unwavering commitment to change, demonstrating that the power of peaceful
activism can achieve remarkable results even without the use of arms. Central to this extraordinary narrative is
the role played by the local artists, who, through their creative vision, contributed significantly to the building of
the shrine.

B. Introduction:

In the annals of history, a shrine transcends mere architectural beauty and stands as a profound symbol of
Filipino determination and aspiration to reach a dream of good governance for the country in a bloodless and
peaceful way united with prayers and hopes. The EDSA Shrine, a magnificent edifice that rises from the heart of
Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, is one such embodiment. This remarkable shrine is more than just a place of
worship; it stands as a testament to the unwavering spirit of the Filipino people who came together in a
peaceful yet resolute manner to demand and secure good governance. Built on the foundations of a collective
desire for justice, the EDSA Shrine is a living testament to the power of peaceful activism and the enduring
legacy it leaves in its wake.

C. History:

The Shrine of Mary, Queen of Peace, “Our Lady of EDSA”, (also in some way, Mary is entitled as
“Patroness of the Bloodless Revolution”) is a small church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila,
located in the intersection of Ortigas Ave., and Ephifania De los Santos Ave. in the Brgy. North Ugong,
Quezon City.

The church was built in 1989 from a donated land to commemorate the historical People Power
Revolution. The shrine witnessed the historic gathering of the people to have the current leaders in the
country removed from their leadership. The first gathering happened in 1986, or what we used to call the
first EDSA Revolution, wherein the late President Ferdinand Marcos was forced to leave his position. The
second gathering was held in 2001, or what we used to call EDSA Dos, or EDSA Revolution of 2001, wherein
former President Joseph Ejercito Estrada was forced to leave his position. Jaime Cardinal Sin, planned and
proposed to build the church two days after the Marcos family was sent to Hawaii and Corazon Aquino was
being held as the replacement president. According to him, the building of the shrine is for the devotees of
Mary who believed interceded to have a peaceful revolution. The concept of the shrine was formed when
Cardinal Sin and Bp. Gabriel Reyes was currently going to Camp Aguinaldo to attend a Thanksgiving mass.
Bp. Reyes showed Cardinal Sin the exact location where he saw the nuns and sisters holding flowers and
praying the rosary during the first revolution. They have decided then, in the exact location their plan of
building a shrine. Cardinal Sin convened the Gocongwei and Ortigas family where they donated the exact
location where the shrine is now located. The shrine started to build by Arch. Francisco Manosa, Leandro
Locsin and William Cuscolluella. It was completed in 1989, and on the 8th of December of the same year,
 the plan for the official inauguration of the shrine. Unfortunately, because of the coup d’etat against the
Aquino Regime, of the Reformed Arm Forces Movement, it was postponed. The Reformed Arm Forces
Movement decided to end their movement on 7th December; the inauguration was moved to 15th
December of the same year.

EDSA Dos made a successful movement to remove the Estrada family in Malacanang in 2001.
Cardinal Sin declared the shrine as “holy ground.” A sculpture was put in the shrine that symbolizes what
happened during the revolution days. Several rallies, as well, were held in the shrine, like the “Pro-Estrada”
rally from April 25 until May 1, 2001. The protest against the Reproductive Health bill on August 4, 2012.
“Edsa Tayo” Rally against Pork Barrel on September 7, 2013. And the protest of the members of Iglesia ni
Cristo on August 27 until 31, 2015. And the last was the “Lord, Heal our Land” concelebrated mass last
November 5, 2017. In the year 2019, the National Commission for Cultural Arts declared the shrine as an
important cultural property.

D. Filipino Craftsmanship:

Architecture and Design: Franciso Manosa is responsible for the architectural design of the EDSA
Shrine. The National Commission for Culture and Arts said that Manosa’s design is modern. People’s plaza can
be seen in the shrine, and the giant statue of the Virgin Mary at the top of the shrine can be compared to the
Cathedral of Brasilia. The giant monument of Mary is the primary symbol of the shrine. The committee behind
the building of the statue was commissioned Virginia Ty Navarro to do the statue. Napoleon Abueva was
considered originally to have the design, but he refused it as he was still recovering from a stroke. Secondly,
Manny Casal was also considered to do the design, but it was also not materialized. In the end, it was Virginia Ty
Navarro who designed and finished the statue inside their house property in San Juan. The said statue was
placed in EDSA Shrine using a helicopter with the help of the United States Embassy. It was said to be the
easiest way as the way from Navarro’s house to Ortigas is too tight and cannot fit the statue.

Our Lady of EDSA sculpture: The original plan of the statue is different from the one we can see today.
Napoleon Abueva, Bobby’s first choice to make the statue, and due to a heart attack resulting in a stroke, the
task was passed to Manny Casal with the design of the face of Mary with a very calm look made of marble with
the arms comforting the people at her foot. However, the committee chose Virginia Ty Navarro to do the statue.

Paintings, Glass and Metal Sculptures:

The artists:

Francisco T. Manosa The Architect

Adoration Chapel

The Adoration Chapel is approximately 5.8 meters by 10.3 meters space, with an entrance tucked under
the stone-clad terrace that flanks the west side entrance of the main church. The space is a rectangular box
whose main feature is the monstrance sculpture by Eduardo Castrillo. At 2.5 meters high by 3.3 meters wide,
the metal sculpture dominates the room, its rays radiating from the circular frame containing the Blessed
Sacrament.
 The presence of the Adoration Chapel at EDSA Shrine pertains to encouragement, as described in Pope Paul
VI’s 1965 Encyclical on the Holy Eucharist, “Mysterium Fidei,” of “paying a visit during the day to the Most
Blessed Sacrament in the very special place of honor where it is reserved in churches…, since this is a proof of
gratitude and a pledge of love and a display of the adoration that is owed to Christ the Lord who is present
there.”

The chapel is entered via a glass-and-aluminum-frame vestibule. A pair of glass divider screen walls defines
a narthex at the first quarter of the chapel. A set of sliding windows brings natural light into the chapel from the
light well next door. One of the divider wall panels ends in an arbitrary way mid-pane at one of the windows.
The original ceiling of the Adoration Chapel was vaulted, similar to the current ceiling design of the San Lorenzo
Chapel. An early 1990s renovation of the Adoration Chapel flattened the ceiling, presumably to accommodate
the piping and conduit required to bring air conditioning to assist the room next door. It is evident on-site that
the level of the piping and conduit is below the outline of the original vault. 1

The Baptistry

The baptistery is located in the light well to the immediate right of the sanctuary. The Baptistery was
completed in 2002, commissioned by Rev. Fr. Socrates Villegas, EDSA Shrine’s very first Rector who was Rector
at the time and who provided the concept of the new space: Exodus. Fr. Villegas stated that the metal basin
that had been used in San Lorenzo Ruiz Chapel was no longer considered sufficient for baptisms.

John Paul II speaks of Exodus in his 1995 encyclical “Evangelium Vitae”: “The fullness of the Gospel message
about life was prepared for in the Old Testament. Especially in the events of the Exodus, the center of the Old
Testament faith experience, Israel discovered the preciousness of its life in the eyes of God. When it seemed
doomed to extermination because of the threat of death hanging over all its newborn males (cf. Ex 1:15-22), the
Lord revealed himself to Israel as its Savior, with the power to ensure a future for those without hope. Israel
thus comes to know clearly that its existence is not at the mercy of a Pharaoh who can exploit it at his despotic
whim. On the contrary, Israel's life is the object of God's gentle and intense love.”

Fr. Villegas’ selection of Exodus as the theme of the new Baptistery adheres to the goal of EDSA Shrine to
evoke the country’s deliverance from bondage and “despotic whim.

The Baptistery is a gathering of distinct architectural components that help maintain the clarity of the
existing context created by Bobby Mañosa.

The space of the Baptistery is a perfect circle at the exact center of the light well located to the immediate
right of the sanctuary of EDSA Shrine. Depending on the need, the Baptistery can be visible to the rest of the
worship space or be shielded from view by sliding into place a series of capiz door panels that are sufficient in
number to surround the space completely. The capiz ceiling of San Lorenzo Ruiz Chapel inspires the capiz of the
door panels, capiz being a material that shields the view but permits the light through. The central element is
the solid marble Baptismal Font, composed of two basins. Closer to San Lorenzo Ruiz Chapel is an upper basin in
the shape of a deltoid triangle for the baptism of infants by pouring. Concentric with the circular plan of the
space is the lower, larger basin, a larger immersion pool at floor level, for the baptism of adults by immersion.
Connecting the upper basin with the lower basin is a pair of carved marble blocks that represent the parting
waters of the Red Sea, reflecting the moment described in Exodus Chapter 14, Verse 16 when God commanded
Moses to “lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea, and split it in two, that the Israelites may
pass through the sea on dry land.”

The staff of Moses plays an important role in the story of Exodus and is first mentioned in Chapter 4 when
God tells Moses to use it “to perform the signs” by which the people would be brought to freedom. At the
1
Sub Tuum Praesidium: The Proposed Renovation of the Adoration Chapel and the Installation of the New Marian Altar at EDSA Shrine
http://www.domgalicia.com/2019/09/sub-tuum-praesidium-proposed-renovation.html
 Baptistery, the long Bakawan handle of each capiz door panel that surrounds the Baptistery symbolizes the staff
of Moses.

Shielding the Baptistery from direct sunlight and suspended from the pyramidal glass skylight is a large
capiz “cloud” or shield in the shape of a curved equilateral triangle or deltoid curve. It symbolizes the cloud and
the Trinity that Pope John Paul II refers to in June 2000: “…the mystery of the Church, which has been made a
community of salvation by the presence of God the Trinity. Like the ancient People of God, she is guided on her
new Exodus by the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night, symbols of God's constant presence.”

The Baptistery thus augments the significance of EDSA Shrine by introducing the Exodus narrative close to
the sanctuary.2

The Organ

By Diego Cera Organ-builders. In 1990, Cealwyn Tagle and the late Edgar Montiano went to Bonn, Germany,
and commissioned the construction of the organ, which was constructed and assembled in Manila in January
1992. It is placed on the right side of the sanctuary, facing the altar.

Feast days

The Feast Day of the EDSA Shrine, also known as the Feast of Our Lady of EDSA, is celebrated on February
25th each year. This date commemorates the People Power Revolution of 1986, which culminated in the ousting
of President Ferdinand Marcos and the restoration of the country’s democracy. The EDSA Shrine holds a special
significance on this day as it was the focal point of the peaceful revolution, where millions of Filipinos gathered
to protest and pray for a change in government. It serves as a reminder of the power of collective action and
the triumph of democracy in the Philippines.

E. Landmark: The shrine is located at the intersection of Ortigas Avenue, and Epifania De los Santos Avenue in
the Barangay. North Ugong, Quezon City.

F. Rectors:

Name Tenure
Most Rev. Socrates B. Villegas, D.D. December 8, 1989 – July 3, 2004
Rev. Fr. Victor Y. Apacible 2004 – 2008
Rev. Fr. Leo Nilo S. Mangussad, M.S.M. 2004 – 2015
Rev. Fr. Lazaro B. Abaco July 1, 2015 – 2022
Rev. Fr. Jerome Secillano 2022 – Incumbent

G. CONCLUSION

The EDSA Shrine, at its core, is a multifaceted symbol of Filipino culture, faith, democracy, and artistry. It
represents not just a place of worship but a focal point where the faithful can encounter the merciful face of
Christ. It functions as a parish in its encompassing of services and characteristics that should define a faith
community. Frequenting shrines like EDSA can lead to a rediscovery of one's faith and baptismal consecration,
emphasizing charity, evangelization, and unity among Christians. As a destination for pilgrims, it renews hope
and strengthens faith, symbolizing the importance of pilgrimage and unity among people. In the end, the EDSA

2
Sub Tuum Praesidium: The Proposed Renovation of the Adoration Chapel and the Installation of the New Marian Altar at EDSA Shrine
http://www.domgalicia.com/2019/09/sub-tuum-praesidium-proposed-renovation.html
Shrine stands as a powerful reminder of the enduring spirit of democracy, faith, and the Filipino people, who
continue to draw inspiration from its historic significance.

The involvement of National Artists in the creation and development of the EDSA Shrine is a testament to
the profound connection between art and national identity. These artists elevated the shrine beyond a mere
monument; it became a symbol of cultural resilience and artistic innovation. Their works, deeply rooted in
Filipino traditions, helped shape the shrine's identity, encapsulating the Filipino experience during the EDSA
Revolution. These artistic elements represent the emotions, aspirations, and struggles of the people who united
for democracy and good governance. Today, the EDSA Shrine remains a vibrant celebration of Filipino artistry,
cultural heritage, and the enduring spirit of the nation.

Furthermore, the EDSA Shrine's contemporary impact is far-reaching. It serves as a reminder of the
potential for peaceful collective action and change through unity and democracy. The shrine continues to
inspire Filipinos, who draw strength from their history of a peaceful transition of power, offering hope in a world
marked by political and social challenges. The spiritual dimension of the EDSA Shrine provides a place of
reflection and solace for those who seek guidance in their religious beliefs. It reinforces the importance of faith
in Filipino culture. Additionally, the shrine's artistic features deepen the appreciation for local culture and
heritage, encouraging the celebration of traditional Filipino art forms and cultural roots. Overall, the EDSA
Shrine remains a symbol of unity, faith, and hope, where the lessons of the past inspire and guide the present
and future of the Filipino nation.