Simala: A Pilgrim’s Paradise

The Monastery of the Holy Eucharist, more popularly known simply as Simala, is a church for Marian devotees in the town of Sibonga. The Monastery is also where the ‘Mga Monghe ni Maria’ (Monks of Mary) reside. The church is very popular among believers because it is considered the home of the image of the miraculous Virgin. Additionally, the place is truly amazing and stunning in person.




Below are the photos of the church and the surrounding areas. Check them out!

A statue of Mama Mary can be seen facing the mountains surrounding Lindogon.

Here’s a beautiful view of the ocean below.

The church is nestled on top of a hill and is surrounded by trees and tall plants.

The architecture of the church is gorgeous.

The main gate looks very nice too. Love the combination of white and yellow.

Archangels welcoming devotees to the church.

This statue of an angel and a carabao is so cute.

This giant statue of Mama Mary is one of the most photographed statues in the area.

People lining up to get a photo with the statue.

Take note of the dress code inside the monastery.

Welcome to the monastery

The church facade looks mighty fine.

Devotees in line to kiss and pay homage to the image on the second floor.

 

Despite ongoing construction work, the church was jampacked.

 The interior. The church is still undergoing some finishing touches.

The image of Mama Mary

The main altar

Mary Queen of Heaven and Earth

View from the church. Click on photo to see bigger copy.

Check out more photos of the place:




Have you been to Simala? Tell us about your experience in the comments below!

175 thoughts on “Simala: A Pilgrim’s Paradise

  1. nice church, nice place. i think this is the place my mum
    and her friends having pilgrimage last year.

    Carmen has a monk monastry too but i recon not yet
    fully develop. it’s on my list to visit during my holiday.

    nice photos Ley, rock on lacey…

  2. Why man ka wala nag say nga mo-adto di-ay ka. Ni cry-cry baya si Ludy. Iya baya na wish nga mo-adto sya didto. Bad ka Leylan kuyog unta sab ko!!!!! waaaaaaaaa…….. Shaks as in mo wake-up unta early morning si Ludy just to prepare lechon paksiw nga salin sa fiesta sa Guinsay, para lunch sa Simala.

    NIce pictures nohhhh….

  3. A friend of mine swears by this place. Says ever since she went there, great things have happened. :p We visited last summer. I especially loved the place where they burned the letters. 🙂

    PS:

    didn’t know you were a celebrity, ley. :p

  4. I don’t mean to sound dumb and stupid (considering I was born in Cebu) but how far is Simala Sibonga to Cebu City? When I come back home, this is a nice place to visit and pay homage to.

  5. We’ve been there Jan.8, nindot jud kaayo Ley. My first time in the south. I enjoy the trip. My eyes looking left and right. And we travel through SRP. I saw the pics you post. Way back we stopping at Carcar for the chicharon. Masarap!!!

    That day we suppose to have a day trip to Bohol. Irien just wearing shorts and sleeveless. But we miss our 9am trip, so we decide to go to Simala. Hala ka!!! bawal pala magsuot ng seksing damit. My sis inlaw wearing a tight jeans, she’s given a tapis. Irien have 2, for the legs and shoulder. On our way home we keep laughing coz Irien looks like a priest w/ her shawl. Funny…

  6. I have not been to Simala, sibunga Cebu before. I would like to go there I think, the photos are looking very nice. Do we have to wear something appropriate, I mean is a dress code when you go inside the church. I suppose we have to respect their tradition and culture. Filipino wala man libog, we ride on.
    Good…

  7. …if you want to go to SIMALA…, my advices are..
    ……………………..*******+++++++*******………………………
    1. From your heart, this is a SACRED PLACE………
    2. Know what you want to say and share to Mama Mary, Our GOD Jesus Christ……….
    3.If you ask something, thats must be reasonable enough for you , your love ones and the people on earth………
    4.REPENT from what you have done WHOLEHEARTEDLY and your wishes will come TRUE………..
    5.REMEMBER….STRONG FAITH BRINGS MIRACLES …………+++
    6. You must remember what you say and ask from GOD and keep a written prayers with you and the other one drop inside the box placed near the SACRED MAMA MARYs cubicle….and you will be AMAZED…GOD with MAMA MARY will BLESSED YOU HOLY….!!!!
    7.From that time on…. BE MAN – WOMAN enough and always DO GOOD ….and follow what YOU’VE PROMISED…this is your second LIFE….
    …………………………TRY THESE and YOU WONT FAIL………………………..
    GOD LOVES US SO MUCH……………………………..!!!!!

  8. OH WOW!! photos galore!
    your photos are divine!!

    you have better shots than mine, i was here last saturday..
    im now back in Cagayan de Oro City. CDO, this is my main home town..

    anyway, i was lucky enough to find your bloggy here after googling “simala” –i used your link so my friends could have a better view of the place and the church.. cause when i went there the interior of the church was under construction, taking photos was hard.. and finding a good angle was crazy! beams of steal bars were everywhere inside the basilica.. and yes, as usual, it was jam packed! we were not able to line up with the rest because it will take us time and effort and ENERGY..
    and as for my photography i had to limit it so i can be minimal and be able to blend in the crowd.. hehe was avoiding “here goes another tourist” hahaha

    anyway..
    if you go to my website, its almost for contacts only so u cant view my version of photography.. but ill be posting it somewhere soon..

    anyway, thanks for whatever! =)

  9. hope we meet pagbakasyo namo diha,
    Pista sa Sibonga sounds great naa pa me diha.Kita-kits nalang ta sa mata…he he he joke joke joke,,,

  10. I was see all the pictures view of Mother Mary;esp. the churh Berhen sa Simala. its sooo, Amäzing Place!wow! i wish i could also visits this place someday!i miss Cebu city,,im so far away this place;but,even thugh i know Mother Mary she could see me, and she will not leave me alone,
    I love you Mother Mary!!!pls,Bless My Family my friends,and most esp.my Mom My Brother Jun,that they are already pas by.I miss them sooo, much!

  11. The place is more nice na jud.I went there before and its been 2 yrs. na wala ko ka balik. Wen i come back to cebu balik jud ko sa simala. I always thanks for MAMA MARY for granting my wish..And now i am pregnant with a healthy baby GIRL..GOD is Good to us all the time.. We should always thank Him and Mama MARY Too..

  12. hai..nyce pics kuya…. truelly comes from your heart jud kuya,,, i wish i will b there n simala soon… before or after i graduate college.. plssss. pray 4 me….keep it up.. godblzzz and au2x kanunay kuya…

  13. I was there last month as I heard lots of things about the place. I went there with 2 friends and I was expecting this solemn place where once could meditate. when we arrived, it was totally the opposite of the image set on my mind. So many people and so commercialized. Totally a disappointment. Now I know better

  14. Try to visit Odlot Bogo also so you can have an experience of the miracles of Mama mary, Nuestra Senora de los Remedios. She shed tears last june 21 and 25, 2008. many people were granted of their petitions to Mama Mary.

  15. Bro,

    Ave Maria!

    Gusto unta ko mag nquire about your community as a MARIAN MONK, dugay nako gusto maka balo…. Layo man gud ang amua. Naa ra ko sa Oroquieta City, Misamis Occidental… I love a contemplative life… and to follow d way of life of Mama Mary or Marian life …. If ok pwede mag pa txt ko 09197481131.

    thanx…

  16. Mama Mary, the lady of remedies in odlot, bogo have shown so many manifestations to different pilgrims who went to odlot. september 8 on her bday she showered water to a lady praying infront of her statue. some have seen She transfered the baby Jesus from her left to the right arm. many have smelld an undetified frangrance around the place. september 20, four people have seen the baby Jesus waving his left hand to them.

  17. ive been to lindogon, simala, sibonga, cebu and its just like going to heaven, the location, the view, the lines of people, if this is the kind of life all people chooses, then there will be no wars , no crisis.

    Near the entrance are seven angels, i never failed to touch them and my most revered, St. Michael the archangel.

    My mobile: 09198768999

  18. Shalom!

    I have heard dat Blessed Mary has come to visit the Cathedral last 3-5, does anybody here knows if by sunday She will be back in Simala. coz me and my friends want to visit the Blessed Mary of Simala this coming sunday 10/12/2008.ples email me or
    tx me tru dis number 09289017090.

    thanks you.. i would be a great help.

  19. Yes, the place and the myths inspire awe. But never is it told the story of a teacher, a resident of Simala proper, who walked all the way up to Lindogon to pray for peace for her troubled family. She went home after her pilgrimage but died a horrible death. Crossing the river through a spillway, she slipped into the shallow water but right away a rush of flood waters swallowed her before her friends could pull her up. Her dead body was seen downstream full of wounds and bruises and her face full of pain and sorrow. Her family wished she never went up to pray. Others hoped that at least some miracle was done to save her. She was a good woman, a fine teacher, a martyred wife and a loving and caring mother. What could have been the message of the monks and their virgin!

  20. Under the the guidance of Cardinal Vidal, there seems to be a miracle boom everywhere in Cebu. The pious cardinal readily embraces these phenomena without first conducting a thorough investigation to determine whether these so called miracles are truly supernatural, natural or artificial. What’s so miraculous about a plague victimizing less than a dozen people to finally stop after a medical intervention? What’s so miraculous about a board exam taker who spent years of study and months of review to pass the exam? What’s so miraculous about a cancer patient experiencing temporary remission of his ailment? What’s so miraculous about about a statue carved out from freshly cut wood shedding its juice through the aperture in the eyes of the statue? Cardinal please, you owe the faithful the result of the investigation before everything turns out to be another Judiel.

  21. Who said there is no investigation conducted? To say conclusively that there is none and immediately make strong condemnations beyond the proper forum is even more condemnable himself.

  22. Simala, Carmen, Odlot, Perrelos. Looks like there is a miracle boom in Cebu. With it is the tourist and commercial boom. Miracle.

  23. And who says there is an investigation conducted? To say there is one going when there is none mirrors your credulity and gullibility to instantly believe in what appears to be uncommon as a miracle when these are only natural phenomena. These are not matters of faith where one gives faith first before reason. For if a Catholic does not believe in these new miracles, he can still go to heaven if he believes in the basic doctrines of Catholic faith and follow God’s commandments. Otherwise, going there should be ordered as mandatory for salvation. There is no investigation. The one who should do that already crowned the miraculous statue.

  24. To Dhodz of Oroquieta: Dont bother to ask about joining the so-called Marian monks. They popped out of the blue and then created a stir with their miracles in Simala and their mysterious objects in Perrelos. There is no history of their order and the circumstances of their founding, no known holy man as their founder, no literature on the nature of formation and their mission, no record of their canonical recognition, no active recruitment campaign to invite Cebuanos to join. Their origin is shrouded in mystery in the same manner as the origin of the image of the miraculous virgin. It looks like they want to keep everything in secret and mysterious. They want to keep to themselves their holiness and the gains of their activities. Try searching the net for the sites of classical monastic orders: Trappist, Carmelites, Augustinians, Franciscans, Benedictines, where everything is explained and where faith and holiness are the key points. God however has not given them miracles lately.

  25. People got healed: after a visit to a faith healer after drinking the water toned by Johnny Midnight, after visit to a mananambal in Siquijor, after praying in the Judiel chapel, after a charismatic session, after a visit to Simala, after an expensive pilgrimage to Lourdes and Fatima, after doing some exotic Hindu rite, after taking a capsule containing water.

    The healing either comes from God or the devil. No. In all the above, healing is done by the human mind who believes that he can be healed. Faith on anything whether from God or some evil power or pagan gods or in the power of a drug can cause healing. That’s the natural power of the mind over the body.

    So, even if you pray in front of an image you bought from Taboan or in any church or in your room, you can be healed as long as you believe. But don’t be mistaken, it’s not the image that healed you. It’s your mind.

    Miracles? Not after Christ turned water into wine, multiplied the loaves, raised the dead and him rising after his crucifixion.

    These new miracles? Your mind.

  26. hi!! i am a SIMALAnhun.. i live there particularly in simala.. marian monks is really nice and a sacred place, if u wanna go there its easy.. from city to simala it takes only 1 and a half hour if ur riding a public bus it takes 2 hours..
    even of that a long ride but wen u can reach the marian monks shrine u can be relax and feel good because of the good ambience for relaxation.. people who are religious, pipol who loves an overlooking place and smells the fresh breeze of the air and wants to relax herself and for the meanwhile u can just confest everything about ur life to mama mary, the bad and good, the sadness and happines happen to life.. u can talk to her after all u can receive a good meSsage from her u can feel very good and cool afterall…
    if u wanna come to visit just wear below the knee for girls and no sleeveless, for boys anykind!! no sexy clothes!! theres a mass every sunday and monthly mass every13th of the month and the biggest celebration is the birhtday of mama mary september 8.. every bday u can witness, theres always a miracle… if ur there u can really feel it… its really a sacred and a holy place.. if u wanna know more about the story and the first day why marian monks choose cmala to live for mama mary???? you can read the story in there story board… BTW, after u pass carcar city 15mins. u can reach cmala and 5minutes to monks shrine!!! thank you for visiting to those who can reach in our place and visit mama mary… i hope u always visit her, coz mama mary will love us to be with her always!!! if theres any question u can free to ask on my email – leahleiyanpadilla@yahoo.com.. thanksyou!!

    1. “Every birthday u can witness, theres always a miracle”. Now after Bro. Paul’s expose, it is clear that your monks conjure a magic show every birthday to keep the money flowing.

  27. Ms Padilla, Mother Mary is not the statue in Simala. Mother Mary is now in heaven. On earth, she is represented by many statues all over the world, all over the Philippines. Some statues are hundred years old or over. Statues made of concrete or marble do not cry or shed tears. Concrete and marble do not retain moisture. Old statues do not as well: they are made of seasoned wood which do not retain water. Your Simala statue of the virgin is a new statue made of fresh wood. The tears in her eyes are brownish, clearly the sap of the mahogany or the tree from which the statue is sculpted. When the crying was first announced, you should have asked for a scientific investigation. Swab the eyes and have the substance chemically examined to determine its chemical components.

    Yes, I believe in the healing caused by the statue. If you studied enough science in college, you should know that the believing mind can heal its body naturally. This is called psychogenesis. But this is hardly a miracle. That is the reason why some sick people do get cured after seeing a faith healer, a mananambal, a manulotho. If your remember the miracle of Judiel, many people were healed because they believed. But not after the Judiel miracle was declared a hoax. In medical practice, during studies on the effectivity of a new medicine, sample patients are given capsules containing water only and are told about the healing properties of the capsule. Most of these patients get healed. This is known as the placebo effect, one other manifestation that a believing mind can naturally heal.

    As to the passing of an exam, those who passed studied for many years and reviewed for months, so that their passing can hardly be said as a miracle. What would have been miraculous is when a person not having studied at all his subjects passed the exam. His answers must have come through divine intervention.

    In the church are displayed crutches and stretchers and nameplates of those who got healed or passed the exam. I find the display cheap advertisements of the miracle factory. It is done with cheap taste. What are those crutches and stretchers? Belonging to the lame all their lives who suddenly stood up so that they left them there? There are polio victims in Simala. Did they not go up the hill and prayed and got cured? Miracles are not advertised that way; otherwise, their real existence become suspicious. They tend to cleverly decieve one into believing.

    If the virgin is truly the miraculous virgin of Simala, she must have begun cleaning Simala. You should know your neighbors and what do they do for a living. Any miraculous change in them?

    Ok, the place is scenic. But any hilly place in Cebu always overlook the sea. That view has always been there since time immemorial.

    Finally, Ms. Mansueto, read some more and study some more, especially the Catholic catechism books in the library of the madres in the academy. There you will learn that images and statues are but representations of God or the virgin to aid our senses when we pray. The real God and Mother Mary are in heaven. They look down upon us all and God showers his graces to those who believe in him and follow his commandments and to those who pray whether in the ruins of Oslob church, Boljoon, Alcoy, Dalaguete, Argao, Sibonga, Carcar or the previously miraculous Pitalo church.

    God bless you and your family. May you find true faith, even without miracles.

    1. MGA IGSOON KONG ROMANO KATOLIKO PAGMATA NAMO WALA PABA GIHAPON KAMO KASABOT? PAGSUSI O PAG-AYO UG PINSARA PAG-AYO NINYO UG ANGAY PABA KITA MAGPASAKOP SA ROMANO , BISAG ADUNAY MGA SINYALIS NGA NAKITA NATO KO SILA MATOOD PABA? O…O… TINOOD ANG SIMBAHANG ROMANO KATOLIKO NGA USA SA GITOKOG NI CRISTO, PIRO ANG ANAA ANG MGA NAGLINGKOD DIHA USISAHA PAG-AYO NINYO………..AYAW KAMO KAHADLOK NGA MAMIYA MO DIHANG SIMBAHANA KAY DILI LANG ROMANO ANG KATOLIKO ,DAGHANG KATOLIKO SIMBAHAN NGA DILI UNDER SA ROMANO

      1. Bisan pa sa iskandalo sa Simala, dili ko mobiya sa Katoliko Romano nga simbahan ug dili mausab ang aking debosyon sa Mahal nga Birhen Maria. And Katolko Romano nga simbahan dili si Cardinal Vidal, kay pagretire niya magpabilin gihapon kini, bisan pa sa wala niya pagimbestigar sa una pa nga giayo pagadvertise sa mga monghe ang milagro ug bisan pa nga dili siya moimbestigar bisan nga napagya na ang mga binuan nga gipamuhat sulod sa monasterio. Ang Mahal nga Birhen, atua na sa langit, dili siya ang imahen sa Simala nga pinalit ra sa Tayuman nga gipatuo nga hinatag sa usa ka misteryosong babaye ug giilis-ilisan ang nawong aron ilaron ang mga matuohon. Magpadayon kita nga magbantay sa gahum sa kangitngitan nga naa sa gawas nga mosulay paglumpag sa simbahan, sama nga kita nagbantay sa mga anay nga naa sa sulod nga nangunay pagkut-kot sa atong pagtoo para molumpag gihapon kini. Limpyohan ang atong Kotolikanhon patoo sa mga too-too. Limpyohan sa mga tawo nga nagpa-uso sa mga too=too aron mangwarta. O, Langitnon namong Amahan, siloti ang mga nagbugal=bugal ug nagbinuang sa imong simbahan nga gitukod sa Imong anak para sa among kaluwasan.

    2. Very well said, Angelo. It’s very sad when slimy people use God or religion to decieve people to give them their money.

      To us who believe that God is good all the time, we see God’s miracles in all places. When we see random acts of love, goodness, kindness, mercy, charity, forgiveness, etc., we see the hands of God acting in miraculous ways.

      Yes, the miracles of God is even (and always) manifest in science and nature. The more and deeper you study nature, the more amazing the work of God becomes.

      We just have to be careful that in our honest attempt to celebrate God’s miracles, we DO NOT BECOME IDOLATROUS. Yes, Angelo, Jesus, Mary, the Prophets, and the saints are all in heaven now. To believe that they are pieces of wood or marbles would be idolatry.

  28. I’m sharing this article from: http://www.miraclehunter.com:

    Report: Vatican to Issue New Guidelines on Assessing Apparitions

    TImes Online – Sept. 12, 2008 – The London Times has reported that the Pope has asked Monsignor Luis Francisco Ladaria Ferrer, a Spanish Jesuit and secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith – which Benedict himself headed as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger – to draw up new guidelines for bishops around the world on the recognition of reported apparitions by the Virgin Mary.

    The Vatican official said the Pope wanted to avoid “excesses and abuses”. He believes bishops should resist being swayed by the emotional reaction of believers and be guided instead by strictly applied “scientific, psychological and theological criteria”.

    Vittorio Messori, an Italian Catholic writer who is close to the Pope, said the then Cardinal Ratzinger had told him in 1985 that “patrience and caution” were the key to validating Marian visions. “No apparition is indispensable to the faith” the future Pope told Messori. “The Revelation ended with Jesus Christ”.

    He said Benedict’s approach to Mariology was a mixture of “the mystical and the intellectual”.

    Guidelines for the approval of apparitions and revelations were last issued in 1978. They lay down that a diocesan bishop can “either on his own initiative or at the request of the faithful” choose to investigate an alleged apparition. He then submits a report to the Vatican for approval.

  29. Pending the promulgation of the new guidelines, this is the existing guideline on apparition and miracles. Visit (www.catholicstore.com)

    1978 Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith document on apparition discernment (unoffical English translation)

    Home Page

    Apparition Discernment

    Approved Apparitions

    1978 Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith document on apparition discernment (in French) – the sections in italics are opening and closing remarks by Joachim Bouflet – these remarks and the text from the CDF are taken from his book, jointly authored with Philippe Boutry, Un signe dans le ciel, (Grasset, Paris, 1997), pp. 396-99.

    © Joachim Bouflet & Philippe Boutry, 1997
    The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith elaborated, from 1974-1978, some new criteria for discerning apparitions and revelations, which were expounded in a normative text, which, for a long period, was only made available to the Ordinary [local bishop] who, confronted with the fact of an apparition, addressed himself to the Sacred Congregation. These standards govern the treatment of events after 1980 (notably Medjugorje), and they also brought about the resumption of certain previous investigations (those of Bonate and Garabandal, amongst others):

    Preliminary Note: Origin and character of these norms.

    At the time of the Annual Plenary Congregation during November 1974, the Fathers of this Sacred Congregation studied the problems relating to apparitions and supposed revelations, and the consequences which often result from these, and they arrived at the following conclusions:

    1. Today more than formerly, the news of these apparitions is spread more quickly among the faithful thanks to the means of information (“mass media”); in addition, the ease of travel supports more frequent pilgrimages. Also, the ecclesiastical authority was itself brought to reconsider this subject.

    2. Similarly, because of current instruments of knowledge, the contributions of science, and the requirement of a rigorous criticism, it is more difficult, if not impossible, to arrive as speedily as previously at judgements which conclude, as formerly happened, investigations into this matter (“constate de supernaturalitate, non constat de supernaturalitate”); and because of that, it is more difficult for the Ordinary to authorize or prohibit public worship or any other form of devotion of the faithful.

    For these reasons, so that the devotion stirred up among the faithful by facts of this kind can appear as a disposition in full communion with the Church, and bear fruit, and so that the Church itself is able to ultimately distinguish the true nature of the facts, the Fathers consider that it is necessary to promote the following practice in regard to this matter.

    So that the ecclesiastical authority is able to acquire more certainty on such or such an apparition or revelation, it will proceed in the following way:

    a) Initially, to judge the facts according to positive and negative criteria (cf. below, n.1).

    b) Then, if this examination appears favorable, to allow certain public demonstrations of cult and devotion, while continuing to investigate the facts with extreme prudence (which is equivalent to the formula: “for the moment, nothing is opposed to it”).

    c) Finally, after a certain time, and in the light of experience, (starting from a particular study of the spiritual fruits generated by the new devotion), to give a judgement on the authenticity of the supernatural character, if the case requires this.

    I. Criteria of judgement, concerning the probability at least, of the character of the apparitions and supposed revelations.

    A) Positive criteria:

    a) Moral certainty, or at least great probability, as to the existence of the fact, [revelation] acquired at the end of a serious investigation.

    b) Particular circumstances relating to the existence and the nature of the fact:

    1. Personal qualities of the subject—in particular mental balance, honesty and rectitude of moral life, habitual sincerity and docility towards ecclesiastical authority, ability to return to the normal manner of a life of faith, etc.

    2. With regard to the revelations, their conformity with theological doctrines and their spiritual veracity, their exemption from all error.

    3. A healthy devotion and spiritual fruits which endure (in particular, the spirit of prayer, conversions, signs of charity, etc).

    B) Negative criteria:

    a) A glaring error as to the facts.

    b) Doctrinal errors that one would attribute to God himself, or to the Blessed Virgin Mary, or the Holy Spirit in their manifestations (taking into account, however, the possibility that the subject may add something by their own activity—even if this is done unconsciously—of some purely human elements to an authentic supernatural revelation, these having nevertheless to remain free from any error in the natural order. Cf. St Ignatius, Spiritual Exercises, n. 336).

    c) An obvious pursuit of monetary gain in relation with the fact.

    d) Gravely immoral acts committed by the subject, or his associates, at the time of the facts, or on the occasion of these facts.

    E) Psychic disorders or psychopathic tendencies concerning the subject, which would exert an unquestionable influence on the allegedly supernatural facts, or indeed psychosis, mass hysteria, or other factors of the same kind.

    It is important to consider these criteria, whether they are positive or negative, as indicative standards and not as final arguments, and to study them in their plurality and in relation with the other criteria.

    II. Intervention of the competent local Authority

    1. As, at the time of a presumed supernatural fact, worship or an ordinary form of devotion is born in a quasi spontaneous way among the faithful, the competent ecclesiastical Authority has the serious obligation to inform itself without delay and to carry out a diligent investigation.

    2. At the legitimate request of the faithful (when they are in communion with their pastors and are not driven by a sectarian spirit), the competent ecclesiastical Authority can intervene to authorize and promote various forms of worship and devotion if, assuming the criteria given above having been applied, nothing is opposed to it. But there must be vigilance nevertheless, to ensure that the faithful do not regard this way of acting as an approval by the Church of the supernatural character of the event in question (cf. above, Preliminary Note, c).

    3. By virtue of his doctrinal and pastoral duty, the competent ecclesiastical Authority can intervene immediately of his own authority, and he must do so in serious circumstances, for example, when it is a question of correcting or of preventing abuses in the exercise of worship or devotion, to condemn erroneous doctrines, to avoid the dangers of a false mysticism etc.

    4. In doubtful cases, which do not involve the welfare of the Church, the competent ecclesiastical Authority may refrain from any judgement and any direct action (more especially as it can happen that, at the end of a certain time, the supposedly supernatural event can lapse from memory); but he should not remain less vigilant about the event, in such a way as to be in a position to intervene with swiftness and prudence, if that is necessary.

    III. Other Authorities entitled to intervene

    1. The foremost authority to inquire and to intervene belongs to the local Ordinary.

    2. But the regional or national episcopal Conference may intervene:

    a) If the local Ordinary, after having fulfilled the obligations which fall to him, resorts to them for a study of the event in its entirety.

    b) If the event assumes national or regional importance.

    3. The Apostolic See can intervene, either at the request of Ordinary himself, or at the request of a qualified group of the faithful, or directly by virtue of the immediate right of universal jurisdiction of the Sovereign Pontiff (cf. above, IV).

    IV. Intervention of the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith

    1. a) The intervention of the Sacred Congregation can be agreed to be necessary either by the Ordinary, after he has fulfilled the obligations falling to him, or by a qualified group of the faithful. In this second case, vigilance is necessary so that the recourse to the Sacred Congregation is not motivated by suspect reasons (for example to force, in one way one or another, the Ordinary to modify his legitimate decisions, or to confirm the sectarian drift of a group, etc.)

    b) It belongs to the Sacred Congregation to intervene of its own accord in serious cases, in particular when the event affects a broad portion of the Church; but the Ordinary will always be consulted, as well as the episcopal Conference, if the situation requires it.

    2. It belongs to the Sacred Congregation to discern and approve the way of acting of the Ordinary, or, if it proves to be necessary, to carry out a new examination of the facts distinct from that which the Ordinary carried out; this new examination of the facts will be done either by the Sacred Congregation itself, or by a commission especially established for this purpose.

    The present norms, defined in the plenary Congregation of this Sacred Congregation, were approved by the Sovereign Pontiff, Pope Paul VI, on February 24 1978.

    At Rome, the Palace of the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, February 27, 1978.

    Francis, Cardinal Seper, Prefect, Fr. Jerome Hamer, O.P., Secretary.

    ——————————————————————————–
    It is a question of avoiding a reading too strictly legal on the fact of the apparition. By taking into account various factors up to that point neglected or ignored, in particular the mechanisms of inculturation, the contribution of the social sciences makes it possible to locate the apparition in the historical and sociocultural context where it finds at the same time its roots and its application. This recent approach lays down new pastoral orientations which, without calling into question the traditional criteria of the discernment of the spirits, authorizes a calmer reading of the event and its integration, its insertion in the life of the ecclesial community: more and more, the basic community that is the parish, the communion which is the diocese, becomes the place and the test bench of the mariophanie; even when the latter remains a phenomenon of popular Christianity, it must itself respond to the expectations of the Church-communion, and not only of that of a limited section of the ecclesial community.

    © Joachim Bouflet & Philippe Boutry, 1997

  30. Sa giingnon ko na, dili kini mao ang husto nga lugar aron tuki-on ang mga panghitabo nga dili pa matugkad. Giklaro gyud nga gimugna kining maong blog aron lang makita sa kadaghanang Cebuano kon unsa nay panghitabo ug bag -ong kalambo-anhan sa Sugbo.

    Kon himoon lang kining lalisanan, mapuno lang kini ug walay katapusan nga tinubagay.

    Gipakita lamang dinhi ang mga matahom nga talan-awon karon dinhi sa tibuok Sugbo ug walay dugang pahayag sa mga butang nga lisod tugkaron.

    Naa may naghatag sa iyang address, ug ang tubag alang man kaha kaniya, palihug adto lang ipadala.

    Salamat ug hinaot nga mopadayon kita sa hustong pagsubay niining nindot nga blog.

  31. Mao ba? Asa man diay tubaga ang komentaryo nga imong gikomentaryohan, kun dili sa lugar nga siya nagpatik sa komentaryo. Og idiretso sa iyaha, dili na patas: ang iyaha nabasa sa tanan, ang ako wala.

    Tinuod nga kining blog gimugna aron matan-aw sa tanan ang maanindot nga talan-awon sa Cebu. Salamat kang Leylander. Walay pahinumdum. Wala mangayo og amot. Tanan alang sa iyang gugma sa Cebu. Kay siya man ang gamugna, siya ang tag-iya. Ug siya ang angay mamadlong dinhi. Dili ikaw. Kung nagbasa pa ka una sa iyang FAQ, naa gani siya’y gahum nga papason ang mga komentaryo nga dili niya gusto. Kung iya ning papason ang imo ug ang ako, walay ta’y mahimo, kay pagbuot sa tag-iya. Wala ka pugsa nga mobasa sa mga komentaryo, kung dili nimo gusto, di ayaw’g basa ug ipadayon ang imong pagtan-aw sa kadaghan pang mga maanindot nga hulagway dinhi sa blog.

    Naa’y mga butang nga angay lalisan. Pinaagi sa lalis, mogawas ang kamatuoran. Ang dili gusto nga molalis, dili gusto nga mogawas ang kamatuoran o nahadlok ba hinoon.

    Naa’y mga butang nga dili na lalisan kay kini gidawat o angay dawaton nga kamatuoran, sama sa tanang angay toohan sa usa ka katoliko nga naa sa pangadye-ong “Mitoo Ako”. Ang mga pagtoo nga gawas niini, angay lalisan, kay posible nga kini sila, mga too-too, kay gawas man sa pagtoo.
    Busa kung ikaw mag-ingon nga naa’y milagro, andam ka sa mga mokomentaryo nga walay milagro. Ug ang mga mobasa, maoy maghukom o maghulma sa ilang huna-huna.

    Humana unta ko sa pagbat-bat sa akong mga punto, kay ako dili sama sa mga tawo nga naa sa imong palibot nga dili mahuman ang lalis kay balik=balikon ang ilang punto, gawas kung naay bag-ong punto nga angay nga tubagon.

    Kung dili mahuman kining lalis, dili man pod tingali mapuno ning blog nga dili imo. Motubay pod diay ka, kapila ray pagbalhin aron motan-aw sa Mantayupan ug sa Kawasan Falls! Sige diay kag anhi aron motutok aning mga hulagwaya?

    Sa kataposan, ang mga butang nga lisod tugkaron angay nga sulayan nga tugkaron. Kay kung naa ra ka sa mabaw, bugaong ra ang imong makuha ug magtoo ka nga bugaong ra ang isda.

    Lastly, peace bai. Nia ta sa demokrasya.

    1. @rex/angelo,
      I’m listening right now at DYAB on the revelation of a monk who was among the first to establish this place at Lindogon, but left only this year. With him is another monk and a doctor who corroborated his story with their own experiences inside.
      This is a very sad but disturbing.

        1. Nigawas na sa tv during the newspatrol.
          Pero sa radio station DYAB mas taas-taas ang discussion. Giklaro lang nga ang ilang gi-expose bahin ra sa mga tagdumala sa congregation ug walay labot ang simbahan ug ang veneration kang Mama Mary. Dili mawala ang hisgot about money making, but ang grabe is about sodomy ug mga buhat nga dili subay sa matarong nga moralidad. Ambot unsay tubag kaha sa mga dagko didto.

          1. Dear Billy, I went back to Simala with my children before the school opening. Never told them of my suspicions but told them that there can be miracles if they believed. I prayed hard and made mass offerings, and even regreted i ever posted unsavory comments here under different names. But all I wanted is for the church to investigate along the standards set by the Vatican which I published above and categorically declare the miracle in Simala are authentic, and for the faithful not to be swayed until after the investigation. But as I looked around, I cannot but conclude that the whole set up is very well staged or orchestrated even as it is incongruous. The inducements in the cards and in the signage is beyond my understanding, including the wheelchairs and nameplates. The presence of the pagan wishing well inside a catholic shrine is theologically out of place. I am disturbed why many priests joined in the deluge of the devotion without demanding any investigation or even by the Cardinal apparent approval. I was even nmore disturbed to learn from a native there that the former parish priest in Simala Parish refused to say mass in the shrine. But I saw in the faces of the people there their faith but as I read over a petition writer, she was praying for a miracle. Nevertheless, I gave money to my children to visit the shrine again on the birthday of Mother Mary. I never visited this website again, never discussed the matter with anyone and hoped that I be proven wrong. But when I read the accounts of the witnesses in Sun Star, Freeman and Cebu Daily News, my suspicions were corroborated especially the one about the many images of the virgin in different moods displayed at different times! Also, the alleged immoral acts done inside the monastery and the pursuit of money, if proven, would only lead to the conclusion that God will not give miracles to the unholy ones. This is found in the Vatican guidelines. But I will follow the events closely and hope everything will be cleared. Thanks for remembering me. I thought you hated me. But I assure you, my faith is as strong as yours but along theological and conservatine lines. I will forever be a Catholic and a devotee of Mother Mary, but I do it here in our local church in Mindanao with or without miracles.

  32. akong mama naayo sa iyang sakit nga diabetes ako nag pasalamat gyud ko ug dako ni mama mary nga iya gyung gidungug ang akong mga pag ampo ddidto sa iyang balay alampoanan…………… thank you so much mama mary for your helping to my mother.

  33. Nice. Magpasalamat ka sa Ginoo nga Iyang gidungog ang inyong mga pag-ampo nga ma-maayo ang imong inahan pinaagi sa pangaliya ni Mama Mary.

    Thank God for hearing your prayers for the healing of your mother through the intercession of Mother Mary.

    God the Father in Heaven, have mercy on us.
    God the Son, Redeemer of the World, have mercy on us.
    God the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us.
    Holy Trinity One God, have mercy on us.
    HOLY MARY, PRAY FOR US.

    And as rightly said in the old Cebuano Marian song:

    O Maria, O Maria,
    Gipanamkon nga walay sala.
    Ig-ampo mo, ig-ampo mo kami
    Nga midangop kanimo.

    O Mary, O Mary,
    Conceived without sin.
    Pray, pray for us
    Who come to you.

  34. sobrang ganda na tlaga lalo ang marian monks…. ive been there last august 2008… so surprised wen i saw the monastery….sobrang wow! tlga…hehehe

  35. Hallo
    I am the UN Representative here in Manor Park. The UN has just

    commenced their Annual Funding to NGO and Hospital.I got your contact

    through the yahoo email directory and feel i should speak with the

    Secretary General on how to donate through you and establish a

    charitable organisation and Hospital for the poor. Can you be able to

    handle this kind of Project? Let me have your response to know the next

    discussion with the Secretary.

    God Bless you

    David

    contact rep at davimark_22@yahoo.com

  36. Br. Rex…

    Ave MAria!

    Gusto jud ko muanha diha, kaso lang layo lang mi sa cebu… pero maningkamot jud ko makaanha diha… ug gusto ko maka estorya sa usa ka mnk diha nga mao sab muhatag kanako ug tambag mahitungod sa akoang kinabuhi… ug c Lord ug Mama Mary nalang ang muhatag kanakog kadasig ug lamdag uban sa inyong mga pag-ampo br. rex. thanx

  37. Hello mama mary,

    Please continue to heal me and my family. Please guide me always .

    I want to serve my children as well

    TATA

  38. all i wish is to visit simala..but i dont know kng asa na xa dapita….yeah.,.they said,sibonga..pero,..ambot,,wa jud ko katultul dhang dapita…ASA jud diay na xa?…helppp nurseee….hehe

    1. sakay ka ug bus. ingna lang ang kondoctor nga simala shrine ka naug. muhunong gyud ang buses didto kay daghan man taw didto munaug pud. dili ka masaag. basta inig agi ninyo sa sibonga church, ayaw na katulog kay duol na.

      inig naug nimo sa bus, ayaw kabalaka kay daghan traysikol ug habal-habal. ilugan pa ka kung magkalisod. LOL.

      dritso na na sila sa shrine.

  39. I was in Simala,Sibonga last January . Swerte kaayo mi adtong adlawa , there were not so many visitors at that time . I have the chance, of course to pray longer ,meditate , write a petition, making pila to hold the hand of mama mary and embrace her , hear a mass , buy a souveneir , reading an answered prayers ,etc. I feel talaga na i am in heaven and I am so blessed. Thank you Mama Mary for everything. I love you. see yah next year!

  40. Mama Mary pls hear and answer my petition and let me see you miracle and mercy…. and i promise gyud nako nga mag rosary gyud ko para nimo my whole sundays of my life…

  41. Adto ko Simala ugma. Mangayo ko sa abag-ampo ni Mama Mary alang sa kaayuhan sa akong kamanghurang anak. Abag-ampo kay dili man siya ang motubag niini apan manghinaot ko nga abagan ako niya sa pag-ampo kay moagi man usab kaniya ang grasya nga moalim – kung itugot sa Ginoo – sa akong anak.

    Mangamuyo ako kang Santa Maria, atong inahan, nga abagan ako sa akong pangaliya sa grasya gikan ni Kristo alang sa kaayohan sa akong anak.

    To Christ through Mary!

  42. Naa na ko nag pari diri sa California sulod na sa 13 ka tuig. Last May nagbakasyon ko diha sa Pinas ug padulong mi sa Samboan niadtong higayona uban sa akong apohan. We wanted to drop by Simala, gikan mi sa siudad sa Sugbo (he told me about the place & some testimonies of miraculous cures). I wanted to see the place myself & perhaps hear testimonies from people but too bad the gate was still closed naabut mi sa Simala sayo pa man sa buntag. Pero mobalik ra jud ko diha & then spend some moments in Simala. Testimonies of simple & ordinary people about cures in Simala are for me miracles already. Matoohon ug mahadlokon sila sa Dios & they cannot fabricate stories just like that.

    1. Nice, Father. Please be there again. Please review your theology on divine revelation. Be guided by the new rules on assessment of miracles and apparitions issued by the Vatican. Make a research on natural healing and on placebo effect. Read to compare the negative result of the official investigation of the Our Lady of Lipa and the present attempt to revive it despite the negative report. Check the published claims and the well-created ceremonies. Start with an unbiased mind and apply the principles of scientific investigation. And do tell us of your evaluation on whether the published events there are “constate de supernaturalitate” or otherwise.

  43. I beleive that this Monastery of the Holy Eucharist in Simala is very miraculous because my cousin was healed from her severe breast cancer. her mom (my aunt) is a devotee. they went to this monastery before they’ve tried the best luck of treatment in america. and just a week ago, the doctor can’t beleive the lumps on her breast slowly disappear. and surgery is no longer needed because of this miracle. When i am writing this comment, i got tears of joy. we are very evry much thankful. We hope that other people who need more of HER help will be healed just as like what happened to my cousin. Thank you so much MAMA MARY!

  44. I really had regrets w/ not going w/ my mom when she was still alive..sige gyud ta sya invite nako anha Simala ky nice place daw to pray and to meditate but unfortunately na dead nalang sya wla jud ko ka adto ky bag-o pa ko sa work ato nga time and dili ka dali2 og absent. Perme man gud to sila mo adto every first friday, dili lang jud ma timing sa ako restday..now sige lang jud ko plano mo anha Simala , hopefully ma ka anha najud ko this month coz me and my hubby had planned to go there.. I know my mom will be happy to see me there since before she always asked me to go w/ her to Simala, and to think that was alrdy almost 3 yrs ago..so eager to visit the holy place called Simala…

  45. I was there for the second time last week to thank God for giving me a wonderful husband and a beautiful family, the answer to my prayer when I went the first time in Simala. I went there to ask for something else,too and now, I’m back in Texas and guess what, God answered my prayer already! Out of the blue, a very unexpected call that answered our prayers… God is so good.

  46. your blog is very nice gyud bay. im inspired to make a blog about some historical churches sad. dont worry i will not copy your work rather make it as an inspiration. More power to you and to all cebuanos!

  47. I was married in my mid-thirties and my wife in her late twenties. we both agreed not to be hopeful of having a baby right away because of our age. anyway, we went to simala praying that by God’s will we will be given one and by God’s grace, a month after we were married, my wife is pregnant. a year has passed and we visited simala again and this time, we brought along our newest member of the family, a healthy baby girl.

    1. That is hardly a miracle. A 60 year old man can sire a baby; a woman in her 40’s can still have a baby. You were only in your 30s and your wife in her late 20s and you had no known defects to make it impossible to have a baby. It would have been a miracle had you been diagnosed as having azoospermia and your wife as having polycystic ovarian syndrome, fibroids and endometriosis, etc. Since you had no such defects, you both were healthy and that is why 1 month after your marriage, she got pregnant. It’s like praying for rain on a cloudy day.

    1. Please, mary doesnt have the authority to answer prayers or make miracles, it is Our Lord Jesus Christ! Mary is just a creation of our Lord, human, a sinner, so please for the catholics please stop labelimg her as the queen of heaven and earth! That is so wrong! Please dont be misleaded by traditions, mary is NOT God, please do read your bibles! And one thimg, theres no place on earth that will make you a step closer to God, it is your relationship that would determine if your close or far. So please do establish an intimate relationship with God and stop worshiping those statues and images coz God is not made of stone or wood., Hes alive and hes in heaven. Godbless.

  48. While I have always been a vocal skeptic and an unbeliever of the authenticity of the miracles in Simala, I have always been and will forever be a staunch Catholic and a devout believer of Mother Mary and her role in the history of salvation. However, the recent expose, which confirmed my suspicions that Simala could be another Judiel Nieva, should not altogether leave us deluded. We must distinguish certain things.

    1. The Catholic Church is not Cardinal Vidal. When he retires, the Catholic church remains. His actions or inactions on Simala do not mirror the Catholic official stand on discernment of miracles and apparitions. While I admire his extreme piety and his always correct stand on moral issues, his apparent approval and tolerance of Simala is a manifestation of his self-admitted lack of higher theological or canonical degree. He succumbed to the spontaneous pouring of faith and spirituality caused. Yet I can always feel his doubt in his sermons in the shrine before miracle seekers, when he stressed that we should be strong in our faith even without miracles. After him, we need someone as pious and morally upright but with advanced theological acumen and discernment.

    2. The Catholic Church is not the shrine in Simala or its monks. As we all know now, the monks do not have Vatican recognition as a congregation and the shrine and its miracles have not been declared by the Vatican as authentic.

    3. The Blessed Virgin Mary is not the image of the virgin in Simala. We have always been devotees of Mother Mary long before Simala and we shall always be her devotees long after Simala is forgotten. Mother Mary is now in heaven and all those carved statues of her, smiling or frowning, are but visual representations of her who was assumed into heaven as Our Lady of the Assumption. We can always show this devotion in our own churches.

    3. The shrine, the monks, the image and their miracles are one and inseparable. The monks are not caretakers of the shrine. They conceived it, built it and claimed miracles to have happened there. Any final verdict on the monks morality, on the authenticity of the miracles and miraculous nature of the image and the shrine should include one or the other. A declaration that the monks are immoral should logically connect to a declaration that the image, miracles and shrine are all products of fraud. A judgment that the monks committed immoral and fraudulent acts while upholding the miracles and the shrine is a contradiction.

    Faith guided by reason should be the norm in our Catholic life. This should be learned by Catholics at the early stages of our lives. Unfortunately, Catholic education has become expensive and early catechism now is undertaking by ill-trained catechists. Even religion in Catholic schools has been reduced to instruction on piety and morals forgetting the dogmatic aspects of faith, which guard us from superstition. Amen.

  49. NOW THAT IT IS ANNOUNCED THAT THE SIMALA PHENOMENON IS SUPPOSEDLY BEING INVESTIGATED, LET US PUT TO MIND THE LAW OF CAUSE AND EFFECT. FOR A MIRACLE TO BE A MIRACLE, THE EFFECT CAUSED MUST AND CAN ONLY BE ATTRIBUTED TO SUPERNATURAL CAUSE AND NOT NATURAL OR ARTIFICIAL CAUSE.

    1. Crying Virgin: Supernatural – miracle. Natural – could be moisture trapped in the sculpture coming out from the openings in the eyes. Artificial – the statue is deliberately drowned in water or colored water. Enclosed in airtight glass receptacle which was later opened. The atmospheric pressure causes the water inside to flow before the amazed crowd.

    2. Healings: Supernatural – miracle. Natural – healing caused by the natural cycle of the disease, placebo effect which is the healing power of a believing human mind, the natural effect of medicine. Artificial – the healing testimonies are made by paid hacks who are not at all sick.

    3. Other events: passing an exam, landing a job, getting a husband or wife. Supernatural: miracle. Natural – examinee studied well, the applicant is qualified to the job, the person possess lovable qualities.

    The Vatican formed a Lourdes Commission of medical, scientific and theological experts, to investigate the miracles attributed to the virgin. Of the thousand of claimed cures, the Commission, after a thorough scientific examination, found only 64 to be caused supernaturally. The others were due to natural causes after separating fraudulent claims

    THIS IS THE PROPER PROCESS FOR THE SIMALA INVESTIGATION.

    1. It was only after this thorough investigation that the miracle of Lourdes was declared as “worthy of belief”. Only after this declaration was it allowed to carve a statue of Our Lady of Lourdes, to place the statue in Catholic altars and to offer some veneration of Our Lady of Lourdes.

      As to the Simala phenom, statues were sold left and right, marked them as Our Lady of Simala, placed them in altars and offered prayers before it. And most of all replicas were paraded as they visited other churches under that title and name. All of these without an express approval by the Vatican of the title.

      What were we doing then? WORSHIPING AND VENERATING A GRAVEN IMAGE. (Recall the First Commandment).

      1. The Lourdes visionary, St. Bernadette Sobirous, was also examined for possible psychological ailment. Her vision could be an effect of hallucination. The commission found that Bernadette was only an innocent uneducated poor honest holy and unsophisticated peasant girl. She told the commission that the lady who appeared to her stated that she is the “immaculate Conception” long before this dogma was proclaimed.

        The lady who appeared wore a white veil and gown with a blue girdle around her waist. Her hands clasped in prayer with a rosary hanging and she stood on two golden rose petals. The lady also told her that a church should be built on the site where a spring flowed. She scratched the ground. Only muddy water came out, but days later clear water was constantly flowing from the scratched ground.

        Bernadette never profited from the miracle. She remained poor and entered a monastery where she lived a prayerful life until her death.

        The Simala phenom started with a monastery with no spiritual director. Acquired a statue of the Our Lady of Fatima who allegedly cried and shed tears of blood to become the Our Lady of Simala, then Our Lady of Lindogon (because Simala is only the barrio where buses stop), and then Our Lady of Upper Lindogon (since there is another barrio called Lower Lindogon). Looks like another unapproved litany is in the making!

  50. Along with the investigation of the Simala miracles, the organization of the monks must also be investigated due to conflicting declarations of the archdiocesan officials.

    Right after the expose of sex, lies, money and guns in the monastery, Msgr. Dakay said that the group should be investigated to find out whether they enjoy some form of recognition. Msgr. Binghay stated the monastery is of diocesan right. Cardinal Vidal declared that they are only a public association of the faithful and that they do not qualify as a congregation.

    These different statements lead to the impression that church officials do not really know the true status of the monastery. The conferment of a right to exist is major event. It is the birthday of the monastery. While the monks put up markers of miracles, pictures of the crying virgin, thanksgiving letters, and other proofs of their claimed miracles, nowhere can one read about their diocesan recognition. Nowhere is it displayed the episcopal decree granting them the diocesan right or a mention of such in their press releases.

    Who conferred on the monastery the diocesan right? It can only be the Cardinal. If so, why would he say that the group does not qualify as a congregation and is only a public association of the faithful (like CWL or LOM or COM). Did he recognize something that he does not really know and without conducting an evaluation? If there is such recognition, it would have been very easy to just say “the monastery was granted the episcopal recognition as a religious institute of consecrated life on whatever date”.

    After granting recognition, a new canonical entity shall be subject to supervision by the diocese. However, it is bothersome to note when the Cardinal stated that the monks have no spiritual director and instantly appointed the parish priest of Simala. He also stated that the monastery has not been furnishing him with financial reports. Strange, as this would show that once given recognition, the church left the monks all by themselves with out supervision.

    Every entity applying for any recognition must have constitution and bye-laws. In here, the official name of the organization is stated as well as their organizational structure, etc. The name cannot be changed without amending the constitution and without consent of the authorities. But the monks sported different names. They said the were the Blue Brothers (of the Pink Sisters) being the Brothers of Eucharistic Adoration, then as Marian Brothers of the Eucharistic Adoration and then as Marian Monks of the Eucharistic Adoration, without marking the date these names were officially approved.

    In the end, unless a clear and official finding is declared, somebody must have lied on the monastery’s true status. And for now, the BEA, MBEA or MMEA, the Blue Brothers or the Blue Monks, is a non-entity.

  51. THE SIMALA SCANDAL GOES TO COURT.

    First is the Libel Case filed by ex-monk Frater Paul Mary vs. Frater Martin Mary, Cardinal Vidal and two other priests.

    And now: cases of Acts of Lasciviousness and Estafa filed by the Simala monks vs. Frater Paul Mary.

    We await more human revelations as the divine revelation through miracles are being investigated.

  52. Poor Monks, Holy Monks, Marian Monks, Miracle Monks and now LITIGIOUS MONKS.

    With so much hate and revenge in their hearts in filing these cases against one another, did the miraculous virgin ever touch their hearts? Where are the Marian traits of patience, humility, sacrifice, martyrdom and purity?

    Tsk, tsk, tsk. These Simala monks are really of a different kind!

  53. I went to Simala and happy to see the beauty of the place and it’s architecture. However i can’t feel its solemnity for it was very crowded. Anyway, when we believe in God, wherever we are we can communicate with Him. I did not go back in that place for i know that even in my garden, Mama Mary’s is there. In every place, i would appreciate the churches that were built. Hope Simala Church will still be a place for prayer and Holy….

  54. hi..
    i’m bela from caloocan..pwede hingi ng complete way going to simala?
    kung san may malapit na hotel dyan(5star or 3 star hotel)..pwede din ba ko hinge ng mga ilang pictures mo sa simala,post ko sana if pwede..salamat ha hope someday makapunta ako sa simala..

    salamat..

  55. I will be going to SIMALA this weekend.. march 28, 2010 together with closest friends. My purpose is to ask forgiveness, continuous guidance in my daily living and plans in life, good health for my family and good friends, protection from harmful elements and temptations, and most of to give Thanks for all the wonderful blessings…

    see you all there. i expect a lot of people but that wouldn’t stop me from going..straight through my heart.. i’ll faithfully enter the MIRACLA PLACE of SIMALA..I LOVE YOU MIRACLE VIRGIN..

    CP NUM: 09059049347..ONLY IF YOU have GOOD NEWS..

    1. HOW WAS UR VISIT??..THERE WAS A CHANGED IN OUR SCHEDULE.INSTEAD OF 28, THIS APRIL 8 NA LANG..ANYWAY, HOW WAS UR VISIT IN SIMALA??.. WAS IT UR FIRST TIME??..

      do u have facebook.. maybe u can add me there.. clarklyco@yahoo.com

  56. hello, ive heard about this place from my mother,me and my husband well be coming home this coming Sept 14,praying that Mother Mary well give us a safe travel,it has always been my mother’s wish to visit the place,so God willing we will be there

  57. I think it’s about time to update the pictures. Dugay na ko wala mabalik didto.
    Nakakita lang ko from a friend sa mga bag-ong shots sa interior, main altar ug sa painted ceilings. Nindot na kaayo. Ang extension sa kilid sa church kay morag nahuman na pud.

  58. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAMA MARY!!!! Salamat kaayo sa tanan mama mary now im here in UK my wishes are grandted kung makauli ko mo balik gyud ko sa Simala pohon.I love you anywhere i go

  59. mama mary and papa jesus salamat sa lahat lahat na biyaya na ipinagkaloob nyo sa akin..wish i could be there in simala again pagkatapos ng pag aaral ko..lahat talaga ng wish ko ay natutupad…salamat talaga mama mary at papa jesus…we love you so much!

  60. MAma mary 1st thank you to you blessing to give me to grand my wishes mama mary I have another wish I hope you can grad me this wish I want to get pregnant by this year so that I get my onw litlle anglei know my husband want also litlle girl i hoope you can grand it ..:) so that after give birth ganna go back cebu and no 1 ganna do to visit you
    mama mary I really miss you housei can’t wait to going you house again verhin simala. Can you give me sing mama mary if ganna get preg even you can give me sign dream my future baby I wish next time if ganna use pregcy test its ganna be possitive pls mama mary help me I want my little mery too I love you mama mary

  61. ,,yuh!/// sakto gud tong gipang ingon atong,,, mga tawo,, itss,,, xooh amzing tlaga..hehehe… gus2 pku,, mo balik dha…im xoo thnkful nga nka pag trabaho q sa church,, sa,, bacong, negros oriental its,, because dli ko mka anha dha,,, f,, wla pku gi pa kyoug ni padre pada… thnk.u tlga…hmnn,,, MOTHER MARY I HOPE NA IMU KONG TABANGAN SA AKONG PAG SCHOOL,… HOPE NGA MAKA GRADUATE KO,,.. I LOVE YOU MAMA MARY….

  62. All of you wake up!!! No offense to the catholics but worshiping those man made statues are WRONG coz our God is in heaven! and not made by human hands! Our Lord is alive and not made of stone! And please do realize that Mary is not worthy to be worahiped and not worthy to be prayed upon coz she is not our Lord! she was just one of the instruments used to bear fruit, our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ. And Please remember that Mary is just human! Shes one of the creation of Our Lord and shes Also a sinner like us! Dont treat her as our God coz shes not! N the most wrong practice is that you kiss the image and touch it and that would make you something holy or your request will be granted? Wake up! Thats so wrong! Shes not our God! she doesnt have the autority to answer our pryers coz shes just human! Please be guided by the Bible. No one deserves our worship, our offerings and tights, our prayers but our Lord Jesus Christ! Please dont be misleaded by traditions! Open your Bibles and see and experience what is the TRUTH!
    One thing, NO PLACE on Earth will bring you closer to God! I hope you pipz doesnt have the crooked idea that going to simala will bring you a step closer to God or by kissing, worshiping and knealing b4 the image will make your wish or prayers come true? NO!!!! thats so WRONG! It is the kind of RELATIOnSHIP that you have with our God that would detrmine if your CLOSE or FAR from HIM. So please do have an intimate relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ and be his faithful servant! And please do read you Bibles.
    It dosnt matter how many times you have prayed, knealed before the image which is wrong, kissed the image which is insanely wrong!, go to church, and all the religious deeds that you have performed as long as you DONT HAVe THAT RELATIONSHIp with our Lord Jesus Christ all of those will be considered as a WASTE. So please do establish an intimate relationship with our Lord and NOT to Mary, so youll experience much more blessings and you would FEEL and SEE His great works! Read your Bibles, dont be blinded by traditions, and have a relationship with our Lord!

    1. @ Ice
      Here we go again. How many times was it said that this blog is not a religious or an evangelization site but a showcase for destinations in Cebu worth visiting. It will not answer to discussion on matters pertaining to religious beliefs. It does not have the authority.
      But if you really want a lively and clean debate regarding your beliefs against the Catholics then I have the honor to suggest you to visit: http://catholicfaithdefender.wordpress.com/2010/01/29/pagsamba-sa-rebulto/#comments. They will be more ready and willing to enlighten you. God bless you.

  63. “I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.”-Isaiah 42:8

    You shall not worship those statues. WORSHIP HIM ALONE, JESUS CHRIST, for HE is OUR ETERNAL GOD, TO the GLORY of the Father.
    For God is Spirit, statues are not. SERVE GOD ALONE nothing else. NO Mary nor saints. For GOD is GOD. He is the Almighty and you won’t need to bow to saints for miracles for GOD is GOOD all the time.
    Heaven has NO QUEEN, for Mary is just an instrument for the GOD the Son to step down to earth. JESUS is the CREATOR, he just came down in flesh form to be a perfect sacrifice for our sins. HE is before all things. UNCREATED, ETERNAL, PRE- EXISTENT.

    WORSHIP JESUS ALONE. HEAVEN has no QUEEN for GOD is not like man who has wife. GOD is an ETERNAL BEING. THE FATHER, THE SON AND THE HOLY SPIRIT. JESUS…KING of KINGS and LORD of LORDS.

  64. Hi MamaMary
    1st thank you for all blessing you give me and thank you for guide me and give me hope and faith i promise to i well be visit in your home soon and hope mama mary ayaw lng pasagd ako family i love my family and also my hubby and do know ready mama mary i just only 1 wish to haveing babay and be mother to my kids if have babay girl i ganna name her start your name mary or maria thats my promise i love u mam mary thank you

  65. Cardinal Vidal has retired. And now what happened to the promised investigation about the sex scandal in the monastery? What happened to the investigation about whether or not the touted miracles are true or not? What is the inquiry as to the true canonical status of the monks? Still no answer?

    The monastery continues to reap lots of money for the Catholic Church in Cebu. And I now everything seems to be forgotten. Is money the reason for the silence? Talk about corruption in the government!!!

  66. When the miracles in Simala spread through word of mouth and publicity, the first task of the Archbishop was to investigate the truth about the claims. This is to ensure that the faithful are not led to idolatry, which is venerating or worshiping a strange god. This was not done. When the scandals broke out, an investigation was promised and still no results up to now. Thus there is still no official declaration that the Simala phenom is true or false. There is nothing wrong to believe in Mother Mary as she is part of our Catholic faith, but to focus our belief on this one statue of hers in Simala despite its doubtful origin and doubtful monk promoters is superstition. Simala will haunt the conscience of the clergy who cannot educate the believers to distinguish between true faith and superstition.

  67. there were lots of controversies surrounding the monks and their activities in and out of the church…it was in the local news (with pictures) where some monks did fashion shows og ila gi salikway ang usa ka monk nga maoy ni spill sa pictures…and besides one can become a monk here with less than a year of study and only if one has a “baquer” from the inside… a friend promised never to go back there coz the first thing she saw upon entering the church is “pay for the candles first before lighting them”…other church don’t have that sign, naa ray metal box sa ubos sa candles with a coin slot….

    1. the devotion is not all about the monks, it’s all about Mary. They are just custodian of the place or care takers of the place. Their being monk, should not affect ur devotion to Mary, if it is true and genuine. if it does not help you to live as good son/daughter of Mary, better not to, however, if it leads you to Christ through that devotion, then grab that opportunity…

    1. how to reach simala, gkan airport, unsay sakyan kanang barato lang ha, asa unya me padolong, can u please specify the place and bus og more or less pila pd plite.. kung gkan me bohol asa nga pier me dungo, dayon asa me padolong mosakay paingon ngadto semala, please do specify in details, kung magabhian adunay masak an nga hostel didto dapita? kanang baratohon ra sab nga good for a night stay lang…please tagai ko detalye… daghang salamat….

  68. My family is attending the wedding of my son in Sta. Lucia , Asturias on March 23 this year. My family hopes to visit the Blessed Virgin in Simala. Personally I want to offer the wedding bouquet of my daughter in law if she agrees to the Miraculous Mary.

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