23 September 2005
Devotees flock to Bolinao to see alleged apparition
BOLINAO – Devotees are flocking to this town, some 280 kilometers north of Manila, to see an alleged apparition of the image of the crucifix said to have appeared in the concrete walls of the century-old St. James Catholic church.
Mayor Alfonso Celeste said over the radio that he saw the image of Jesus formed on the walls of the Catholic church. He said the image is more visible with little illumination at night than during the day.
The image of the crucified Jesus, he said, was formed from vein-like cracks over the walls of the church that was built way back in the Spanish era and believed to be the oldest church standing in the province today.
Long queues of vehicles bringing devotees have been arriving in the town. Tourism in the town has grown overnight.
A television crew from Manila is now in Bolinao documenting the alleged apparition and the swell of devotees to the town, the mayor said.
Bolinao was an old Spanish port lying west of the Lingayen Gulf. It served as a trading center in the Spanish era where Spanish galleons and Chinese sampans were stopping over to trade with the natives.
Mayor Alfonso Celeste said over the radio that he saw the image of Jesus formed on the walls of the Catholic church. He said the image is more visible with little illumination at night than during the day.
The image of the crucified Jesus, he said, was formed from vein-like cracks over the walls of the church that was built way back in the Spanish era and believed to be the oldest church standing in the province today.
Long queues of vehicles bringing devotees have been arriving in the town. Tourism in the town has grown overnight.
A television crew from Manila is now in Bolinao documenting the alleged apparition and the swell of devotees to the town, the mayor said.
Bolinao was an old Spanish port lying west of the Lingayen Gulf. It served as a trading center in the Spanish era where Spanish galleons and Chinese sampans were stopping over to trade with the natives.
