Welcome to your new and improved site!
After a long year of hiatus, I love Ina Penafrancia is back in the cyberspace, and this prayer site just got even better, continuing to serve its purpose to spread the devotion to our beloved Ina, and to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, that inspired the site developer's spirituality through a Novena Booklet in honor of Ina that he bought several years before, that led the creators of this site to not just love Ina; but to love the Holy Eucharist - as the Source and Summit of Christian Life.
This new and improved site offers the most comprehensible resources on the Devotions to Virgen de la Pena de Francia, Our Lady of Penafrancia and the Divino Rostro, and making sure that the information indicated in these pages about their history is carefully researched using modern technology and old sources that the developers have.
We hope that you will enjoy visiting this site, as we all know and love Ina and her son, Jesus Christ - the El Divino Rostro.
This new and improved site offers the most comprehensible resources on the Devotions to Virgen de la Pena de Francia, Our Lady of Penafrancia and the Divino Rostro, and making sure that the information indicated in these pages about their history is carefully researched using modern technology and old sources that the developers have.
We hope that you will enjoy visiting this site, as we all know and love Ina and her son, Jesus Christ - the El Divino Rostro.
2021-2022 Overall Theme:
“Sharing the Gift of Faith in the Spirit of the Faithful Obedience of Mary and Joseph.”
MESSAGE FROM THE DEVELOPERS OF THIS PRAYER SITE
To Share the Gift of Faith with our Families
In the 500 year history of our Catholic Faith, Catholic families are indeed a gift to the Church and Society. They play a crucial role in forming their children to grow in virtue, for they are the future of the Church. In the spirit of the Holy Family of Nazareth, we began to share the same faith that we receive from God, first to our families - the basic unit of our society; for families are among the first to teach their children and the first to share with them the gift of our faith; but before anything else, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre reminded parents to "give to children a solid ascetic education which carries them to the respect and the practice of the fundamental Christian virtues: fraternal charity, humility, docility, obedience, abnegation." (1)
Rediscovering Marriage and Family
It is important to know and rediscover about the primary end of this Sacrament is the procreation and education of children, and its marvelous fruits of this Sacrament, notably the Birth of Christian Family, the Birth of Vocations, and finally, the Birth of Virtues
And in every good Christian Family, where parents play their role in nurturing, caring, and educating their children, and also, where they have some prayer time and quality time, especially attending Mass together as a family, children will grow to virtue, and with their proper support from parents, they will consider their vocation in life that they chose, in which God called these children to become - either for Marriage (for Fatherhood or Motherhood), Priesthood or Consecrated Life (Lay Brother, Nun, etc) or Single Blessedness. Woe to those parents who willfully block a Vocation!
And what responsibility for selfish fathers and mothers when the day of the frightening judgment will come! What to answer then to the Divine Judge, for whom nothing is hidden, when one has willfully either blocked a vocation (in the style of, ‘No, you will not go to this foreign monastery!’), or worse, prevented them from coming into the world? (2)
"Marriage is for the birth of the Christian family and for the birth of vocations which will come in the future, the birth of children who will consecrate themselves to God. It is truly the birth of the Church. The sanctification of the family by the cross, by the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, is very important. That is where family virtues are born. Since society is none other than the gathering of families, then if families sanctify themselves, society will be holy. That is how the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is the source of Christian civilization. The Catholic societies that used to exist were built around the altar." (3)
Combating Dysfunctions in the Family
The Swiss Prelate once wrote in his booklet Christ the King; "The woes currently afflicting our world may be traced back to the family. The family, our first great bastion of support and stability, has succumbed to profane values and has thus been desecrated." (4) In our epoch, we witness how the liberals and woke politicians keep on destroying nuclear family through their novelties, most especially the rise of Sexual Revolution in the 50s, Legalization of Abortion, up to the present day diabolical LGBT agenda that result to dysfunction in the family, and in the cultural aspect, they are now being "promoted" and "normalize" in Pop culture. These atomic bomb threats, therefore, not only lead to dysfunctional individuals, it leads to dysfunction in the whole of society, and ultimately, the suicide of humanity, as Padre Pio warned. This is immediately evident in modern times, in which the dying society degrades the Family life (i.e. the nuclear family that comprises a Mother, father, and children) as an "old fashion", and it is being replaced with alternative lifestyles, such as the single life, shared accommodation, cohabitation, and even homosexual partnerships. And we are in a moment of history in which the family is the object of numerous forces that seek to destroy it or in some way to deform it.
Imitating the Hidden Life of the Holy Family of Nazareth - Our Response to the Theme
Now, we affirm that the Family is a little kingdom living with Jesus in our midst, and as combat these dysfunctions, we must begin at home - as in Filipino idiom; "Simulan sa tahanan" in spiritually forming the children and equipping them for the future, and to create an atmosphere that fosters the practice of family virtues in the home. as Archbishop Lefebvre wrote, "Children are the extension of parents and that's why parents have the duty to raise them, to educate them, to prepare them for life, by instilling in them the principles of the faith, the practice of virtues, the necessary knowledge to make their life easier by orienting them toward a profession." (5) Contemplating this year's logo of the Penafrancia Fiesta 2021, where a Voyador whose outstretched hand expresses a gesture of sharing. To his family, he shares our five-hundred-year-old faith which is symbolized by the Cross, our love and devotion to Ina which is symbolized by her miraculous image, and our imitation of St. Joseph which is symbolized by the three lilies. These symbols remind us of our mission of “Sharing the Gift of Faith in the Spirit of the Faithful Obedience of Mary and Joseph.” (6) as I end this, I'll quote once again Archbishop Lefebvre, to serve as your reflections;
Our Lord Jesus Christ willed to be born into a home. He could have chosen another means than that of coming to earth to save us. That is the way He chose. He willed to have a mother and He willed that mother to have a spouse, St. Joseph. He willed to be born into that home. He willed to live in that home for 30 years out of the 33 which He spent here below. What could be the meaning of our Lord's staying such a long time in a family? It is not because He needed it. He is the one who gave all of the qualities to the home of Mary and Joseph. He was God; He had nothing to receive from them. But He willed to remain in that home precisely in order to show the importance of the family, because it is from the family that children are born and that is where they prepare for the mission which they are going to have to carry out in the world, just as Jesus willed to prepare Himself for His mission in the midst of His family. What a great lesson! Our Lord wished by these signs to manifest His will to sanctify the Christian family and to show that the family is the privileged means by which souls are prepared for their mission here below and for their Heavenly mission as well. (7)
And at this point, where we stay together as a family, as we pray as a family, we all implore the help of Ina and of Saint Joseph, the pillar of families, to begin within our families the rebuilding of the Christendom, as we all "make disciples of all nations" by sharing the same gift faith, and of devotion to Ina to others, as we wait filled with hope, to soon go back to normal and to celebrate again the joyous feast of Ina - as a family, under the loving manto of Ina, and the protection of our spiritual father Saint Joseph.
VIVA LA VIRGEN!
VIVA EL DIVINO ROSTRO!
VIVA SAN JOSE!
To Share the Gift of Faith with our Families
In the 500 year history of our Catholic Faith, Catholic families are indeed a gift to the Church and Society. They play a crucial role in forming their children to grow in virtue, for they are the future of the Church. In the spirit of the Holy Family of Nazareth, we began to share the same faith that we receive from God, first to our families - the basic unit of our society; for families are among the first to teach their children and the first to share with them the gift of our faith; but before anything else, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre reminded parents to "give to children a solid ascetic education which carries them to the respect and the practice of the fundamental Christian virtues: fraternal charity, humility, docility, obedience, abnegation." (1)
Rediscovering Marriage and Family
It is important to know and rediscover about the primary end of this Sacrament is the procreation and education of children, and its marvelous fruits of this Sacrament, notably the Birth of Christian Family, the Birth of Vocations, and finally, the Birth of Virtues
And in every good Christian Family, where parents play their role in nurturing, caring, and educating their children, and also, where they have some prayer time and quality time, especially attending Mass together as a family, children will grow to virtue, and with their proper support from parents, they will consider their vocation in life that they chose, in which God called these children to become - either for Marriage (for Fatherhood or Motherhood), Priesthood or Consecrated Life (Lay Brother, Nun, etc) or Single Blessedness. Woe to those parents who willfully block a Vocation!
And what responsibility for selfish fathers and mothers when the day of the frightening judgment will come! What to answer then to the Divine Judge, for whom nothing is hidden, when one has willfully either blocked a vocation (in the style of, ‘No, you will not go to this foreign monastery!’), or worse, prevented them from coming into the world? (2)
"Marriage is for the birth of the Christian family and for the birth of vocations which will come in the future, the birth of children who will consecrate themselves to God. It is truly the birth of the Church. The sanctification of the family by the cross, by the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, is very important. That is where family virtues are born. Since society is none other than the gathering of families, then if families sanctify themselves, society will be holy. That is how the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is the source of Christian civilization. The Catholic societies that used to exist were built around the altar." (3)
Combating Dysfunctions in the Family
The Swiss Prelate once wrote in his booklet Christ the King; "The woes currently afflicting our world may be traced back to the family. The family, our first great bastion of support and stability, has succumbed to profane values and has thus been desecrated." (4) In our epoch, we witness how the liberals and woke politicians keep on destroying nuclear family through their novelties, most especially the rise of Sexual Revolution in the 50s, Legalization of Abortion, up to the present day diabolical LGBT agenda that result to dysfunction in the family, and in the cultural aspect, they are now being "promoted" and "normalize" in Pop culture. These atomic bomb threats, therefore, not only lead to dysfunctional individuals, it leads to dysfunction in the whole of society, and ultimately, the suicide of humanity, as Padre Pio warned. This is immediately evident in modern times, in which the dying society degrades the Family life (i.e. the nuclear family that comprises a Mother, father, and children) as an "old fashion", and it is being replaced with alternative lifestyles, such as the single life, shared accommodation, cohabitation, and even homosexual partnerships. And we are in a moment of history in which the family is the object of numerous forces that seek to destroy it or in some way to deform it.
Imitating the Hidden Life of the Holy Family of Nazareth - Our Response to the Theme
Now, we affirm that the Family is a little kingdom living with Jesus in our midst, and as combat these dysfunctions, we must begin at home - as in Filipino idiom; "Simulan sa tahanan" in spiritually forming the children and equipping them for the future, and to create an atmosphere that fosters the practice of family virtues in the home. as Archbishop Lefebvre wrote, "Children are the extension of parents and that's why parents have the duty to raise them, to educate them, to prepare them for life, by instilling in them the principles of the faith, the practice of virtues, the necessary knowledge to make their life easier by orienting them toward a profession." (5) Contemplating this year's logo of the Penafrancia Fiesta 2021, where a Voyador whose outstretched hand expresses a gesture of sharing. To his family, he shares our five-hundred-year-old faith which is symbolized by the Cross, our love and devotion to Ina which is symbolized by her miraculous image, and our imitation of St. Joseph which is symbolized by the three lilies. These symbols remind us of our mission of “Sharing the Gift of Faith in the Spirit of the Faithful Obedience of Mary and Joseph.” (6) as I end this, I'll quote once again Archbishop Lefebvre, to serve as your reflections;
Our Lord Jesus Christ willed to be born into a home. He could have chosen another means than that of coming to earth to save us. That is the way He chose. He willed to have a mother and He willed that mother to have a spouse, St. Joseph. He willed to be born into that home. He willed to live in that home for 30 years out of the 33 which He spent here below. What could be the meaning of our Lord's staying such a long time in a family? It is not because He needed it. He is the one who gave all of the qualities to the home of Mary and Joseph. He was God; He had nothing to receive from them. But He willed to remain in that home precisely in order to show the importance of the family, because it is from the family that children are born and that is where they prepare for the mission which they are going to have to carry out in the world, just as Jesus willed to prepare Himself for His mission in the midst of His family. What a great lesson! Our Lord wished by these signs to manifest His will to sanctify the Christian family and to show that the family is the privileged means by which souls are prepared for their mission here below and for their Heavenly mission as well. (7)
And at this point, where we stay together as a family, as we pray as a family, we all implore the help of Ina and of Saint Joseph, the pillar of families, to begin within our families the rebuilding of the Christendom, as we all "make disciples of all nations" by sharing the same gift faith, and of devotion to Ina to others, as we wait filled with hope, to soon go back to normal and to celebrate again the joyous feast of Ina - as a family, under the loving manto of Ina, and the protection of our spiritual father Saint Joseph.
VIVA LA VIRGEN!
VIVA EL DIVINO ROSTRO!
VIVA SAN JOSE!
“In our time Our Lady has helped us comprehend and love her dear and chaste husband, St. Joseph. She has told us of the mystery surrounding him and of his greatness. She has let us know something of her love for St. Joseph, that most lovable saint who for years held the Word made flesh in his arms.”
-Saint Teresa of Avila-
-Saint Teresa of Avila-
Footnotes:
1. Letter to Brother Priests, Rome, March 25, 1960 2. Editorial of Rev. Fr. Daniel Couture, The Apostle (Newsletter of Asian District of the Society of Saint Pius X) 3. Spiritual conference, Zaitzkofen, February 7, 1980 4. cf. Maeder, Robert; Christ the King (p.18), Family and education in today's world by Fr. Franz Schmidberger FSSPX, Originally published in the November 2007 issue of The Angelus magazine. 5. Pastoral Letter, Dakar, Lent 1955 6. Penafrancia 2021 logo, Archdiocese of Caceres (https://www.archdioceseofcaceres.org/2021logo) 7. Sermon, Econe, January 8, 1989, in Priestly Holiness, pp. 346-347 |
Penafrancia Festival 2021 highlights
“Let us love Jesus above all, let us love Mary as our mother; but then, how could we keep from loving Joseph, who was so intimately united to both Jesus and Mary? And how can we honor him better than by imitating his virtues? Now, what else did he do in all his life but contemplate, study, and adore Jesus, even in the midst of his daily labors? Behold, therefore, our model.”
-Saint Madeline Sophie Barat-
-Saint Madeline Sophie Barat-
Penafrancia Documentaries
VIVA INA (Courtesy to Arjanmar Rebeta)
Penafrancia documentary (Part 1 - Bicolano)
(Courtesy to Katekismo of Archdiocese of Caceres) |
Penafrancia documentary (Part 2 - Bicolano)
(Courtesy to Katekismo of Archdiocese of Caceres) |
Ina - Motherly Connection (courtesy to Arjanmar Rebeta)
O my Redeemer, will that terrible moment ever come, when but few Christians will be found animated with a spirit of faith? that moment when, provoked to indignation, Thou wilt remove from us thy protection? The vices, the evil habits of our children, have perhaps irrevocably moved thy justice this very day to vengeance! O Thou who art the author and finisher of our faith, we conjure Thee, in the bitterness of our hearts, humbled and contrite, not to permit the beautiful light of faith to be extinguished in us. Be mindful of thy mercies of old, cast a compassionate regard upon that vine which Thou hast planted with thy right hand, which was bedewed with the sweat of the Apostles, watered with the precious blood of thousands upon thousands of martyrs and the tears of so many generous penitents, and made fruitful by the prayers of so many confessors and innocent virgins. O divine Mediator, have regard for those zealous souls who incessantly raise their hearts to Thee and pray for the maintenance of that most precious treasure, the true Faith. Suspend, O must just God, the decree of our reprobation, turn away thine eyes from our sins, and fix them on the adorable blood, shed upon the Cross as the price of salvation, and daily pleading for it, on our behalf, upon our altars. Oh, preserve us in the true Catholic Roman Faith. Infirmities afflict us, annoyances wear us away, misfortunes oppress us: but preserve to us thy holy faith ; for, endowed with this precious gift, we shall willingly bear every sorrow, and nothing can affect our happiness. On the other hand, without this supreme treasure of the faith, our misfortunes will be unspeakable and immense. O good Jesus, author of our faith, keep it pure; keep us safe within the bark of Peter, faithful and obedient to his successor, thy True Vicar here on earth, that so the unity of holy Church may be preserved, holiness fostered, the Holy See kept free and protected, and the universal Church extended, to the advantage of souls. O Jesus, author of our faith, humble and convert the enemies of thy Church ; bestow on all Kings and Christian Princes, and on all the faithful, peace and true unity; strengthen and maintain all in thy holy service, to the end that we may live by Thee and die in Thee. Ah! my Jesus, author of our faith, in Thee I would live, and in Thee would I die. Amen.
(Indulgence 300 days--Leo XIII.)
(Indulgence 300 days--Leo XIII.)