History
ARCHDIOCESAN SHRINE OF THE DIVINE MERCY
PSB-ULALIMAN, EL SALVADOR, MISAMIS ORIENTAL
THE VISION AND INSPIRATION FROM GOD
First, it started as a dream…..
The dream became an inspiration….
The inspiration became a vision….
The vision became a reality.
CY 2000. By the inspiration and guidance of the Holy Spirit, the Divine Mercy Foundation of Mindanao (Phils.), Inc. (DMFMPI) was inspired to undertake the task of establishing the Divine Mercy Shrine of Mindanao. It took the Foundation three years of prayers and discernment if this mission really came from the Lord before the Board of Trustees was finally convinced that indeed it was a calling from the Lord to build the Shrine of His Mercy.
CY 2002. The search for the ideal place started in May 2002. The chosen place as seen in the vision is a hill overlooking the sea. It is the ideal place expressed in the 3:00 o’clock prayer of the Divine Mercy which says, “Jesus, the source of life gushed forth for souls, and the ocean of mercy opened up for the whole world”.
CY 2003. After ten months of unceasing search for the ideal place and looking through 13 possible places, the four members of the Board of Trustees, namely, Mrs. Paquita G. Adaza, Mrs. Agustina A. Tante, Mrs. Vivian P. Dayot and the late Mr. Domingo Dayot, finally found the ideal place with the grace of God. It was overlooking the wide sea. It was a significant day because it happened on February 11, 2003, the day of the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. The Mother of the Lord led the group in discovering this place. The name of the town is El Salvador which is after the name of our Lord which means “The Savior”.
The Foundation had so much hesitation to purchase the 9.8 hectares lot because it only had P2,900.00 in the bank. However, awed by the natural beauty of the place, the Foundation officers believed that it was really God who wanted the mission done. It was the Foundation’s leap of faith that made them say “YES, LORD!” They accepted the responsibility to do the project with an unwavering belief that God would provide the resources, first the P8.5 Million to buy the chosen lot. The lot was purchased from the original owners by installment for two years. Exactly after two years, the lot was fully paid. Atty. And Mrs. Guerrero and Paquita Adaza initially donated a substantial amount as seed money to purchase the lot so others will be inspired to share their resources too. Funds were gathered from contributions of people from all walks of life, from ordinary to the affluent people. They gave because they believed.
In April 6, 2003, the first Holy Mass was celebrated at the Divine Mercy Hills and was presided by the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate (FFI). It was also a celebration of gratitude and the 97th birthday in honor of the late Mr. Juan Bahian, Jr., the owner of the prime lot at the Divine Mercy Hills. He was inspired by the Holy Spirit to sell his property to the Shrine at a very reasonable price. He died at the age of 101 years old.
CY 2004.
April 04, 2004: The Site Dedication of the Divine Mercy Hills was held attended by thousands of Divine Mercy devotees.
April 18, 2004: With the approval of the then Archbishop of Cagayan de Oro, Archbishop Jesus B. Tuquib, D.D., the Feast of Mercy was first celebrated at the Divine Mercy Hills where about 5,000 people who yearned for God’s mercy came to be one with the Lord on that day.
September 4, 2004: The Foundation signed the Deed of Donation of the 10,000 square meters of the prime lot to the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro, then represented by Archbishop Jesus B. Tuquib and witnessed by Msgr. Rey Manuel Monsanto, and the Foundation Trustees. It is where the 50 ft. Statue of the Divine Mercy is located and the future Church of Mercy will be constructed.
October 7, 2004: The ground breaking for the 50 ft. Statue of the Divine Mercy was joyfully witnessed by the same people who came during the Mercy Sunday Celebration and they brought more family members, relatives and friends.
CY 2005 – 2008
The Foundation started fund raising for the construction of the 50 ft. Statue of the Divine Mercy which cost P25 Million. The Foundation is grateful to the following donors who have been touched by the Lord to give their contributions: UKC Builders, Mr. and Mrs. Dodong and Lydia Uy who provided the use of heavy equipments free of charge; the late Madame Gloria Laureana Rosales who donated all the cement requirements; the members of the Board of Trustees who also gave their donations; and the people from all walks of life. As of the moment, it is the biggest Divine Mercy Statue in the world. The sculptor, Mr. Nick Reyes from Angeles, Pampanga, a multi-awarded Fine Arts graduate of UP, Los Banos, Manila, was commissioned to do the design and the construction works.
Miracles happened, big and small. The people who came up to visit the place could experience the serenity of the place. They professed to feel the presence of the Lord. They were touched by the Lord and they gave their donations. Thus, there was an outpouring of contributions from the people from all walks of life.
The statue was completed in 2008. The base which is the Healing Chapel, the Heart, the Stairs, the stained glasses and aluminum claddings were all put in place. On the beautiful dawn of the birthday of the Blessed Mother of God, September 8, 2008 thousands and thousands of people coming from all over the country joined and witnessed the quadruple grand celebration of:
a) The Birthday of the Blessed Mother Mary;
b.) Blessing of the Divine Mercy Statue;
c.) Formal Entrustment of the 50 ft. Statue of the Divine Mercy to the Archdiocese of
Cagayan de Oro; and
d.) Decree of the Canonical Erection of the Archdiocesan Shrine of the Divine Mercy,
Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro;
THE CELEBRATION OF GOD’S VICTORY
The grand affair was a celebration of God’s victory because it was the culmination of the five (5) years of hardships and struggles in making the projects, the years of sacrifices, the sweat and tears, the struggles and the sleepless nights of planning where to look for money, the camaraderie and efforts of everyone, the enthusiasm of the devotees and pilgrims in giving their donations, big or small. Victory was sweet because the work was completed inspite all the odds and lack of funds.
Everything was a miracle because nothing of this grand achievement could be done by man, if not by the love and mercy of God alone. God Himself showed the way and touched the hearts of the faithful. For with God, everything is possible.
Following the canonical declaration of the Divine Mercy Shrine last September 8, 2008 which is also its anniversary, the management of the Divine Mercy Shrine at the Divine Mercy Hills in El Salvador, Misamis Oriental is now managed by three (3) parties, namely:
a. The Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro;
b. The Marians of the Immaculate Conception; and
c. The Divine Mercy Foundation of Mindanao (Phils.), Inc.
Everything that happened, activities, regular and new programs, development projects, are being jointly and severally deliberated and decided upon by the Tripartite Council which regularly holds meeting every last Thursday of the month.
ARCHDIOCESAN SHRINE OF THE DIVINE MERCY
PSB-ULALIMAN, EL SALVADOR, MISAMIS ORIENTAL
THE VISION AND INSPIRATION FROM GOD
First, it started as a dream…..
The dream became an inspiration….
The inspiration became a vision….
The vision became a reality.
CY 2000. By the inspiration and guidance of the Holy Spirit, the Divine Mercy Foundation of Mindanao (Phils.), Inc. (DMFMPI) was inspired to undertake the task of establishing the Divine Mercy Shrine of Mindanao. It took the Foundation three years of prayers and discernment if this mission really came from the Lord before the Board of Trustees was finally convinced that indeed it was a calling from the Lord to build the Shrine of His Mercy.
CY 2002. The search for the ideal place started in May 2002. The chosen place as seen in the vision is a hill overlooking the sea. It is the ideal place expressed in the 3:00 o’clock prayer of the Divine Mercy which says, “Jesus, the source of life gushed forth for souls, and the ocean of mercy opened up for the whole world”.
CY 2003. After ten months of unceasing search for the ideal place and looking through 13 possible places, the four members of the Board of Trustees, namely, Mrs. Paquita G. Adaza, Mrs. Agustina A. Tante, Mrs. Vivian P. Dayot and the late Mr. Domingo Dayot, finally found the ideal place with the grace of God. It was overlooking the wide sea. It was a significant day because it happened on February 11, 2003, the day of the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. The Mother of the Lord led the group in discovering this place. The name of the town is El Salvador which is after the name of our Lord which means “The Savior”.
The Foundation had so much hesitation to purchase the 9.8 hectares lot because it only had P2,900.00 in the bank. However, awed by the natural beauty of the place, the Foundation officers believed that it was really God who wanted the mission done. It was the Foundation’s leap of faith that made them say “YES, LORD!” They accepted the responsibility to do the project with an unwavering belief that God would provide the resources, first the P8.5 Million to buy the chosen lot. The lot was purchased from the original owners by installment for two years. Exactly after two years, the lot was fully paid. Atty. And Mrs. Guerrero and Paquita Adaza initially donated a substantial amount as seed money to purchase the lot so others will be inspired to share their resources too. Funds were gathered from contributions of people from all walks of life, from ordinary to the affluent people. They gave because they believed.
In April 6, 2003, the first Holy Mass was celebrated at the Divine Mercy Hills and was presided by the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate (FFI). It was also a celebration of gratitude and the 97th birthday in honor of the late Mr. Juan Bahian, Jr., the owner of the prime lot at the Divine Mercy Hills. He was inspired by the Holy Spirit to sell his property to the Shrine at a very reasonable price. He died at the age of 101 years old.
CY 2004.
April 04, 2004: The Site Dedication of the Divine Mercy Hills was held attended by thousands of Divine Mercy devotees.
April 18, 2004: With the approval of the then Archbishop of Cagayan de Oro, Archbishop Jesus B. Tuquib, D.D., the Feast of Mercy was first celebrated at the Divine Mercy Hills where about 5,000 people who yearned for God’s mercy came to be one with the Lord on that day.
September 4, 2004: The Foundation signed the Deed of Donation of the 10,000 square meters of the prime lot to the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro, then represented by Archbishop Jesus B. Tuquib and witnessed by Msgr. Rey Manuel Monsanto, and the Foundation Trustees. It is where the 50 ft. Statue of the Divine Mercy is located and the future Church of Mercy will be constructed.
October 7, 2004: The ground breaking for the 50 ft. Statue of the Divine Mercy was joyfully witnessed by the same people who came during the Mercy Sunday Celebration and they brought more family members, relatives and friends.
CY 2005 – 2008
The Foundation started fund raising for the construction of the 50 ft. Statue of the Divine Mercy which cost P25 Million. The Foundation is grateful to the following donors who have been touched by the Lord to give their contributions: UKC Builders, Mr. and Mrs. Dodong and Lydia Uy who provided the use of heavy equipments free of charge; the late Madame Gloria Laureana Rosales who donated all the cement requirements; the members of the Board of Trustees who also gave their donations; and the people from all walks of life. As of the moment, it is the biggest Divine Mercy Statue in the world. The sculptor, Mr. Nick Reyes from Angeles, Pampanga, a multi-awarded Fine Arts graduate of UP, Los Banos, Manila, was commissioned to do the design and the construction works.
Miracles happened, big and small. The people who came up to visit the place could experience the serenity of the place. They professed to feel the presence of the Lord. They were touched by the Lord and they gave their donations. Thus, there was an outpouring of contributions from the people from all walks of life.
The statue was completed in 2008. The base which is the Healing Chapel, the Heart, the Stairs, the stained glasses and aluminum claddings were all put in place. On the beautiful dawn of the birthday of the Blessed Mother of God, September 8, 2008 thousands and thousands of people coming from all over the country joined and witnessed the quadruple grand celebration of:
a) The Birthday of the Blessed Mother Mary;
b.) Blessing of the Divine Mercy Statue;
c.) Formal Entrustment of the 50 ft. Statue of the Divine Mercy to the Archdiocese of
Cagayan de Oro; and
d.) Decree of the Canonical Erection of the Archdiocesan Shrine of the Divine Mercy,
Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro;
THE CELEBRATION OF GOD’S VICTORY
The grand affair was a celebration of God’s victory because it was the culmination of the five (5) years of hardships and struggles in making the projects, the years of sacrifices, the sweat and tears, the struggles and the sleepless nights of planning where to look for money, the camaraderie and efforts of everyone, the enthusiasm of the devotees and pilgrims in giving their donations, big or small. Victory was sweet because the work was completed inspite all the odds and lack of funds.
Everything was a miracle because nothing of this grand achievement could be done by man, if not by the love and mercy of God alone. God Himself showed the way and touched the hearts of the faithful. For with God, everything is possible.
Following the canonical declaration of the Divine Mercy Shrine last September 8, 2008 which is also its anniversary, the management of the Divine Mercy Shrine at the Divine Mercy Hills in El Salvador, Misamis Oriental is now managed by three (3) parties, namely:
a. The Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro;
b. The Marians of the Immaculate Conception; and
c. The Divine Mercy Foundation of Mindanao (Phils.), Inc.
Everything that happened, activities, regular and new programs, development projects, are being jointly and severally deliberated and decided upon by the Tripartite Council which regularly holds meeting every last Thursday of the month.