History

Nuestra Señora del Santissimo Rosario de Caracol

Patroness of Rosario, (Salinas), Cavite

Feast Day: 1st Saturday of October and 3rd Saturday of May

There are three legends that surrounds the image of Our Lady.

The first legend says that the icon of the Virgin and the Child was one day found floating on the water by a group of youngsters playing along the seashore. The kids played with it, using it as a toy and afterwards they would hide it in the bushes near the sea. But every time they came back they saw the image already floating leisurely on the water, as it waiting for them. They thought it strange, but could not explain how the icon got back to the water.

Not long afterwards their elders learned about the holy icon, and they took it to an empty nipa shack thus began the public adoration of the Madonna and Child. The hut was then transformed into a place of worship. News of the miraculous happenings attributed to the image spread around.

The second legend states that the icon of the Mother of God and her Chld was found on a Sampaloc tree. The people decided to have a small chapel made to enthrone the icon.

The third legend is from Rev. Fr. Virgilio Saenz Mendoza, a historian in Cavite. It was said that during the Spanish era, a violent storm ravaged the houses and livelihood of those who lived along Manila Bay. There were even sailors who were stranded in the middle of the sea, one of which was a cargo ship from Mindoro. The sailors tied themselves on the ship to save their lives. But the captain went inside the vault of the ship to save what ever he could get. While inside he noticed the icon of the Blessed Virgin hanging on the wall. He prayed to the Virgin and promised her that he would have a chapel built in honor of her if she would save them from the storm. The Blessed Virgin heard his prayers and the captain fulfilled his promise.