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During Angelus, Pope Decries Massacre in Congo
Pontiff Prays Mary Obtains for All People Sentiments of Harmony, Compassion, and Understanding
‘Enslaved Women Deserve Peace, Justice, Love,’ Says Pope
“The Canticle of Mary also leads us to think about many actual sad situations, in particular those women overwhelmed by the weight of life and the drama of violence; of women who are slaves to the arrogance of the powerful; the girls forced into inhumane work; the women forced to surrender in both body and spirit to the avarice of men.”
ANGELUS: On the Feast of the Assumption
‘Mary’s Assumption is a great mystery that concerns each one of us; it concerns our future.’
ANGELUS ADDRESS: On the Fire of the Holy Spirit
‘The Apostolic courage that the Holy Spirit kindles in us is like a fire that helps us overcome walls and barriers, making us creative and encouraging us to put ourselves in motion to even walk down unexplored or inconvenient roads, offering hope to those we meet.’
How Is Your Heart? Examine This, Pope Urges at Angelus
Tells Pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square to Let Fire of Holy Spirit Dispel ‘Cold’ or ‘Lukewarm’ Hearts
Pope Makes Surprise Visit to Program for Women Saved From Prostitution
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As Summer Ends in One Hemisphere and Begins in Another, a Look at Leisure
“The Kingdom is a person, and the faith is often best transmitted between persons: from one heart, alive in Christ, speaking to another”
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Jesuit describes ministry of feeding the poor left in Aleppo
For Koreans, Feast of Assumption Is Also National Celebration
A message from Cardinal Yeom Soo-jung: We should trust in the Lord, as Mary did, and believe that the impossible will be made possible
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![The relief of Our Lady of the Pillar, Zamboanga, Philippines 2014
The Real Fuerza de Nuestra Señora del Pilar de Zaragoza (Royal Fort of Our Lady of the Pillar of Zaragoza or Fort Pilar) is a 17th-century military defense fortress built by the Spanish colonial government in Zamboanga City, Philippines. The fort, which is now a regional museum of the National Museum of the Philippines, is a major landmark of the city and symbol of the its cultural heritage. Outside the eastern wall is a Marian shrine dedicated to Our Lady of the Pillar, the patroness of the city.
In 1635, upon the requests of the Jesuit missionaries and Bishop Fray Pedro of Cebu, the Spanish governor of the Philippines Juan Cerezo de Salamanca (16331635) approved the building of a stone fort in defense against pirates and raiders of the sultans of Mindanao and Jolo. The cornerstone of the fort, originally called Real Fuerza de San José (Royal Fort of Saint Joseph), was laid by Melchor de Vera, a Jesuit priest-engineer, on June 23, 1635, which also marks the founding of Zamboanga as a city, then known as Jambangan.[2][3]
The construction of the early fort continued within the governorship of Sebastián Hurtado de Corcuera (16351644), ex-governor of Panama. Because of insufficient manpower, laborers from Cavite, Cebu, Bohol, and Panay had to be imported to help the Spaniards and Mexicans in the construction of the fort. This period also marks the beginning of the Zamboangueño Chavacano as a pidgin that eventually developed into a full-pledged creole language for Zamboangueños.
Early attacks
Fort San José was attacked by the Dutch in 1646 and was later abandoned by the Spanish troops who went back to Manila in 1662 to help fight the Chinese pirate Koxinga who had earlier defeated the Dutch. In 1669, the fort was reconstructed by the Jesuit missionaries after pirates and raiders continued to destroy it.
In 1718-1719, it was rebuilt by the Spaniard engineer Juan Sicarra upon the orders of Spanish Governor General Fernando Manuel de Bustillo Bustamante y Rueda and was renamed as Real Fuerza de Nuestra Señora del Pilar de Zaragoza (Royal Fort of Our Lady of the Pillar of Zaragoza) in honor of the patron virgin of Spain, Our Lady of the Pillar. A year after, it was stormed by Dalasi, king of Bulig and 3,000 Moro pirates but they were repulsed.
In 1798, the fort was bombarded by British troops, but again it proved robust enough to repel strong military attacks. Fort Pilar was the scene of a mutiny of 70 prisoners in 1872.[3]
Marian apparitions
It was in 1734, when a relief of the Our Lady of the Pillar was placed above the eastern wall of the fort making it an outdoor shrine with an altar for praying. Tradition reveals the Virgin Mary appeared to a soldier on December 6, 1734, at the gate of the city. Not recognizing her, the soldier asked her to stop. Upon recognizing her, he fell down to his knees.
On September 21, 1897 at 1:14 PM in the afternoon, a strong earthquake struck the western region of Mindanao. The Virgin Mary made an apparition, according to the people who witnessed it, they saw the virgin standing mid-air over the Basilan Strait, she had her right hand raised to signal the onrushing waves to stop, saving the city from a tsunami.[4]
American Colonial Period
Following the Spanish-American War, the Fort Pilar and its Spanish troops surrendered to the Revolutionary Government of Zamboanga on May 18, 1899, under General Vicente Álvarez, a Zamboangueño, at the onset of the Philippine Revolution against Spain. The Spaniards, in reality, again abandoned the fort after Spain ceded the Philippines to the United States a year before in 1898 by the Treaty of Paris. On November 19, 1899, the fort was captured by U.S. expeditionary forces.
World War II
During World War II in 1942, Japanese forces captured and took control of the fort. It was recaptured by the United States and Filipino troops on March 1945 and was finally and officially turned over to the government of the Republic of the Philippines on July 4, 1946.
Restoration of the Fort
Fort Pilar was recognized as a National Cultural Treasure on August 1, 1973 by Presidential Decree No. 260, though by then the fort had been in disrepair since World War II. Restoration was started in the early part of 1980 by the National Museum of the Philippines, which reconstructed three of the four structures inside the fort. After six years of rehabilitation work, the museum branch opened its doors to the public with a special exhibit on Philippine Contemporary Art.[1]
In October 1987, a permanent exhibit on the marine life of Zamboanga, Basilan and Sulu was opened at the second floor of Structure II showing 400 species of marine life specimens in giant dioramas. Also opened was a special exhibit on the 18th century relics from the Griffin Shipwreck at the ground floor, which coincided with the formal inauguration of the structure.[1]
Former congresswoman and Zamboanga City Mayor Maria Clara Lobregat, one of the staunch supporters of Fort Pilar Museum, and the civic-minded residents of the city greatly contributed to the realization of development projects in the museum.[1]
Zamboanga Fortress (now Fort Pillar), from before (left) and present (right).
Fort Pilar today
Fort Pilar is now an outdoor Roman Catholic Marian shrine and a regional branch of the National Museum of the Philippines. Inside the fort, only the southern structure is still in ruins; inside and outside the fort are well maintained gardens. The Paseo del Mar, a reclaimed esplanade, protects the fort from the ravages of the sea.](https://zenit.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Shrine-of-Our-Lady-of-the-Pillar-400x266.jpg)
Missionary: Christian-Muslim Relations in Philippines Taking Downturn
Says fundamentalist influence is growing in islands
Pope Lunches With Refugees He Brought Back From Lesbos
Kids present Pope with their drawings; he gives them toys and gifts
Pope Francis Mourns Death of Bishop Who Symbolized Peace During N Ireland’s ‘Troubles’
Praises his ‘generous and dedicated episcopal ministry in the service of peace and justice’
Jubilee of Mercy to Be Celebrated in the Americas With Continent-Wide Conference
Rich program includes initiatives of mercy as well as saints of mercy
Koreans Invite Prelates and Youth Who’ve Experienced War to Pray for Peace
“By inviting religious leaders and great scholars to Korea, the world’s only divided country, we will be able to diagnose the reality of the world that is threatened by constant disputes, and collect everyone’s idea for building peace in the world”
Medical Professionals Working in Aleppo Basements to Avoid Bombs
Report comes in from only children’s hospital in rebel-held section of city
