Mang Nilo’s enduring devotion to Nuestra Sra. de Salvacion

For ages, its parish church has been a host to the avowed miraculous image of Nuestra Sra. de Salvacion (Our Lady of Salvation) until its loss or disappearance in the early 1980’s.

The image of Our Lady of Salvation, over-a-foot tall of wood carving, was since planted inside an open casing at the parish church’s vicinity. For generations, the sacrosanct image of the Blessed Mother has been the blissful source, not only of inspiration and piety, but remarkably of countless miracles.

Patamak

Foremost among these is the age-old practice of “patamak” (literally, “to step on”). For whatever bodily ailment, paltry or not, locals would come to Our Lady and have the image’s foot-base “step on” by rubbing on the body’s ailing parts. And propitiously so, according to the locals, their sickness is gone upon coming home from the “patamak”.

Locals have also recounted that for not only a few occasions, the image of Our Lady would mysteriously disappear from her casing, only to be back after a while with her feet stuck with flowered spikes of amorseco grass – suggesting that Our Lady has sauntered around.

Or, during typhoons, the image would likewise vanish, only to be seen by some other locals swaying above the perilous waves of Lavezares Bay. And upon re-appearing at her casing, some seagrass leaves are latched to its wet foot-base. 

Mang Nilo

One aged local recalled that the miraculous image of Our Lady saved the townsfolk from the cholera and small pox pandemic in the 1930’s.

One veritable example of an enduring devotion and has personally experienced a life-long array of blessings through Our Lady’s intercessions is Lavezaresnon Leonido Bordeos or “Mang Nilo”, now 78, a retired government employee and artist-sculptor. 

Mang Nilo, who had spent 10 years (from 4th Grade to high school graduation) with Lavezares parish church as sacristan and campanero (church’s bells in-charge), claims that all his life is a miraculous testament of his ardent devotion to Nuestra Sra. de Salvacion.

“I come from a poor family, and early on as a convent boy at Grade 4, I prayed and asked Our Lady to be able to finish even just Grade 6. Then after graduating from Elementary, I again asked Our Lady, ‘please let me finish High School’,” Mang Nilo narrated. 

Upon graduating from high school, Mang Nilo’s teachers advised him, being good in class, to try his luck in Manila and pursue college education. Good enough then, in 1964, while still working at the parish convent, Feliciano Yuson, maker of religious objects and owner of the “Taller de Escultura y Plateria”, who was then commissioned to refurbish the church altar in Lavezares, invited Mang Nilo to work at the former’s art shop in Quiapo, Manila.

Life then turned a precipitous shift for Mang Nilo – from a parochial convent boy in the province to being an artist, sculptor, and all-around staff in a prominent religious art shop in Manila.

But he didn’t stop dreaming, and praying to Nuestra Sra. de Salvacion. “Again, I prayed hard. I told Our Lady, mahal na Birhen, gusto ko po makapag-aral ng college. And so, it happened. While working with Yuson’s with only P1.00 a day salary then, I studied college and finished AB Journalism at Manuel L. Quezon University in Quiapo, Manila,” recounted Mang Nilo.

After college, Mang Nilo again pleaded to Our Lady, “Mahal na Birhen, gusto ko po makapag-aral ng Law.” And indeed, he was able to study four years of Law course, but cut short taking the Bar Examinations as he already started his work at the Bureau of Lands, where he lasted 35 years of service and ending up as concurrent Chief of two divisions, Administrative and Records, upon retiring some 13 years ago.

Wooden Sculpture

Now, already a fourth-quarter septuagenarian, Mang Nilo is an epitome of hard-earned success, obtained through his enduring devotion to Nuestra Sra. de Salvacion – with two grown up sons and 5 grandkids. But even in his golden years, he makes himself busy doing sculpture or wood carvings for select clients as well as assisting other people with land acquisition and transaction problems, a craft he mastered during his long career at the Bureau of Lands.

Reckoning, thus, Mang Nilo enumerates the long list of favors or answered prayers out of his devotion to Our Lady: “First, was my being able to experience first hand Our lady’s presence and guidance while working for 10 years at the parish convent, with almost everyday I had my ‘patamak’. Secondly, was my continued or unhampered education despite of poverty. Thirdly, was my work, career, and passion for sculpture. But most of all, is my good health, I have no chronic illnesses. All of these, I attribute and owe so much to our dear Nuestra Sra. de Salvacion of Lavezares.”

Harrowing Loss

Meanwhile, with his long years of studying and working in Manila since he arrived at 18, did Mang Nilo had the chance of going home to Lavezares and visit his beloved Nuestra Sra. de Salvacion?

“From 18 years old when I left, I was only able to go home after 20 years, when I was already 38 years old,” Mang Nilo said. 

Upon arriving at his home town, sometime in early 1980’s, Mang Nilo was met with a heart-breaking news: for unknown reasons, the image of Nuestra Sra. de Salvacion was lost! Locals surmised that it might had gone to the hands of loathsome thieves and used it as an “agimat” or amulet. 

The entire town of Lavezares mourned for the loss of their miraculous image. But it didn’t diminish, any bit, their enduring faith. Townsfolk didn’t budge any less going to church and having evening processions carrying images of saints around town.

Unmistakably so, for Mang Nilo and his fellow Lavezaresnons, what with the harrowing loss, their vibrant faith lives on – with Our Lady of Salvation fervently enthroned in their hearts. 

#WeTakeAStand #OpinYon #OpinYonColumn #ColumnbyBobAcebedo #InspiredAndBlessed