Filipino mall exhibits more than 50 images of the Virgin Mary to celebrate her nativity

By Diego López Marina

ACI Prensa Staff, Sep 8, 2022 / 14:30 pm

The oldest major shopping center in the Philippines is exhibiting more than 50 Marian images to celebrate the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The exhibition “Salamat Maria: Tribute to the Beloved Mother’s Birthday” was inaugurated Sept. 1 and will be open until Sept. 10 at the Ali Mall in Quezon City.

Ali Mall property manager Aileen Ibay said in a Sept. 7 statement: “Together with our partner Marian devotees, we open this exhibit to show the love of our community to Mama Mary in time for the celebration of her birthday.”

“It is our aim to strengthen the fervent faith of mall-goers and ignite devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary,” Ibay said.

Father Diogo D’Souza, pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help parish in Quezon City, opened and blessed the exhibit.

Ibay noted that on Sept. 8, a working holiday in the Philippines, Masses were scheduled in the chapels of the Gateway Mall, Ali Mall, and Farmers Plaza shopping centers.

Among the images featured in the exhibition are Nuestra Señora De Las Flores, who is venerated in the Oriental Mindoro province; the replica of the Immaculate Conception of Malabón; and Our Lady of the Abandoned in Manila.

The images of the Blessed Virgin Mary are available for public viewing during mall hours on the lower ground floor.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Diego Lopez Marina has a degree in Communication Sciences with a specialization in journalism from the University of San Martín de Porres (Peru). He began his professional career in 2015, as an editor for the Journalistic Archive area of the Diario El Comercio. In 2016 he began working as an writer for ACI Prensa and since 2018 he has been working as a web editor.