Religious shrine rises in Bataan

ORANI, Bataan — A beautiful religious shrine known as Santuario Diocesano Dela Sagrada Familia that stands at the foot of Mount Natib in Barangay Tala here is being readied for the 500th anniversary of Christianity in the Philippines on March 2021.

Norberto Gonzales, the donor of the shrine and also former secretary of the Department of National Defense, said the shrine was a product of eight months of labor with more than 200 workers mostly from Barangay Tala benefitting during the lockdown caused by the coronavirus disease.

On a ravine, some 30 meters below the concrete road, lies the grotto of the Virgen Milagrosa Del Rosario de Orani, the miraculous patron saint of the town. As of now the grotto can be reached through wide concrete steps. For the convenience of the elderly, Gonzales said an elevator will be installed.

He said he and his family searched for various areas in the country where to build a shrine, only to find the right place right in his home province. Gonzales is from Puerto Rivas in Balanga City.

“When I saw this ravine, I knew that the Blessed Mother should be here. Until now, hindi ko maipaliwanag kung bakit dito inilagay ang shrine but I am more and more convinced that the Blessed Mother wants to be here. Dinagdagan pa ni Bishop Ruperto Santos na paminsan-minsan naglalayas ang Mahal na Birhen ng Orani at nagpapasyal towards the mountains,” Gonzales said.