Destined to be ‘the altar of the nation’

(Part III of “Where Divinity Descends for Humanity to Ascend”)

A total of eight Filipino mystics and clairvoyants and three American mystics from California and Texas had “confirmed” that the Hidden Temple Shrine of Mt. Pinatubo in Palan has been destined to be “the Altar of the Nation” or the Medjugorje of the Philippines. Among them were Irish Fr. Patrick Dugan of Subic, Zambales and his assistant, Pacita; Lorie Ignacio of Sta. Maria, Bulacan; Lorei Petallo of Pasig; Murring de Jesus of Sacramento, California; Elizabeth Huffer of Santa Barbara, California and Annie Kirkwood of Texas.

The mystic message of the Praying Blessed Mother of the Hidden Temple Shrine of Mt. Pinatubo, Zambales - May 1992

All the way from Sta. Barbara, California through the mystic Elizabeth Huffer, the Praying Blessed Mother of Mt. Pinatubo spoke these words to the author last May 1992.

“It was with much pleasure that we come to you on your land for it is not only a sanctuary in the visible, but a magnificent sanctuary in the spiritual. It covers much, much ground than what shows in the physical.

“As you add to this each day with who you are and what you pray, this extends very far out spreading across even much more land.

“There will be a day when another sphere of activity takes place. For the earth will turn on its side but never fear. The land will hold the light and what you hold dear will rise again.

“You see dear one, you are setting not only what is right in the eyes and heart and the mind of God. You are setting the stage for future civilizations. It is a mighty task to where your conscious mind cannot really conceive of what you have done. But it will flower. Many, many thousands of flowers will grow from there before this earth, this world is done.”

How the Mt. Pinatubo Hidden Shrine started

Years before the 1991 eruption of Mt. Pinatubo, a young housewife in the isolated village of Palan, San Marcelino would often dream of our Blessed Mother standing on the same hill of the shrine watching over the small village. At times, she would see our Lord join His Mother. He would appear from the hills behind.

After the volcanic eruption, which devastated the third district of Olongapo, then Mayor Gordon and his wife Congresswoman Kate Gordon were given a message from two visionaries – one from Sta. Maria, Bulacan and the other in Olongapo. They must bring the statue of our Blessed Mother to Mt. Pinatubo to help stop the calamity. Since the Gordons were both busy with rescue operations for the victims of Mt. Pinatubo, they had no way of working this out. After a year, they attend a social gathering hosted by my husband Max and I at the O.B. Montessori Center in Greenhills. The holy monuments there reminded them of the messages concerning Mary’s Statue. They asked our help to commission the special statue of the Blessed Mother.

The praying blessed mother

In contrast to the traditional Fatima and Lourdes, where Mother Mary’s face is serious looking with her hands clasped together, the Praying Blessed Mother’s hands are stretched out, one holding a purple candle with an orange flame and the other, a golden chalice with a purple Star of David. The chalice symbolizes our need to unite and suffer together. The torch symbolizes the perpetual light of our Lord to raise our hopes high.

The mystical message to the late Mrs. Punay Fernandez was that the Blessed Mother did not want a cult built around her. It must be Her Son who should be worshipped as God, while she, being His personal emissary, may intercede for the faithful. Our Lord’s complementary message with His Mother was that the Filipinos were especially beloved by them. Nevertheless, Filipinos need very much an inner transformation. Through constant prayers and penitence, we shall endure the numerous national problems and we shall be helped.

A close-up picture of the Praying Blessed Mother stands nine feet tall and weighs three tons. She wears a long gown in tallow-blue with a floor length 14K gold cape. A galactic gold belt around her waist symbolizes her being the Queen of the Universe. The smiling, pinkish face of our Lady has a long dimple on her left cheek and cleft chin. Her eyes are closed in prayer.

Our Lord of Love and Redemption echoes papal encyclical

Our Lord of Love and Redemption is 13 feet high and weighs six tons. His smiling and bedimpled face is framed by golden yellow hair. His eyes are purple blue. His lavender robe and golden cape are in big folds, widely blowing in the wind. The Star of David covers the knot of the sash tied around the waist. His right hand is raised in blessing while His left hand is raised higher holding a golden cross.

Our Lord helped rush the completion of His figure. While the face would have taken a whole week to do, the sculptor Pempe Floriano found that he was able to finish the face in an hour – a dimple even appeared on the left cheek. My husband Max and I watched this miracle happening at 10:00 in the evening, with Punay Fernandez guiding Pempe to meet the late night deadline, at the temporary studio in front of the school building along Eisenhower St., Greenhills.

Our Lord of Love and Redemption was brought to the Palan Shrine to join His Mother on March 20, 1992. His title which our Lord Himself mystically dictated to Mrs. Fernandez echoes the papal encyclical letter of His Holiness Pope John II, “Redemptor Hominis,” the Mystery of Redemption and Dignity of Man … “The Cross symbolizes the Son of the Living God. It is in His life that speaks, His humanity, His fidelity to the truth, His all-embracing love. His death on the Cross speaks – that is to say, the inscrutable depth of His suffering and abandonment. The Church never ceases to relive His death on the Cross and His Resurrection, which constitutes the content of the Church’s daily life.”           

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(Part IV – “The Miracles of the Mt. Pinatubo Hidden Temple Shrine”)