The Diocese of Bacolod will request approval from the Vatican of the pontifical coronation of the devotion and image of the Virgen sang Barangay.
A ceremonial signing of the Virgen sang Barangay (VSB) dossier was held at the Bishop’s House in Bacolod City during the Solemn Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Aug. 15.
The dossier will be sent to the Vatican’s Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments to request approval for the pontifical coronation of the devotion and image of the Virgen sang Barangay on Oct. 16, 2025, the Adsum Diocese of Bacolod posted.
The 400-page document contains historical, theological, liturgical, devotional, and organizational materials, as well as testimonies of reported miracles through the intercession of the Virgen sang Barangay, it added.
Present at the signing ceremony were Bacolod Bishop Patricio Buzon, San Sebastian Cathedral rector, Msgr. Ronald Quijano, Br. Kendrick Ivan Panganiban of the Association of the Catholic Shrine and Pilgrimages; and coordinator-members of the VSB Ad Hoc Committee.
The committee was represented by delegates from the archdioceses of Cebu and Jaro, and the dioceses of Parañaque, Antipolo, Kalibo, San Carlos, and Bacolod. Members of the Parish Pastoral Council of San Sebastian Cathedral, where the original image of the Virgen sang Barangay is kept, also witnessed the signing ceremony.
The episcopal coronation of the VSB image was held March 25 this year during the Solemnity of the Annunciation, led by Buzon, and witnessed by hundreds of devotees and clergy from across the country at San Sebastian Cathedral.
The Virgen sang Barangay is the first Marian image to receive an episcopal coronation in Negros Island, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) had said, adding the ceremony also marked the 75th anniversary of the Barangay sang Virgen movement.
Buzon had described the coronation as “a profound expression of faith”.
The devotion originated in Silay City, Negros Occidental, and was founded by Antonio Gaston. The late Bishop Manuel Yap formally established the movement, the CBCP said.
Recognized for its artistic and spiritual significance in 1954, the image has become a symbol of grassroots devotion. Then Pope John Paul II also venerated the icon during his Philippine visit in 1981, it added.
Episcopal coronation involves the consecration of a bishop or church leader, while pontifical, specifically associated with the Pope, encompasses a more elaborate ceremony. ||
