Our Lady of Manaoag Rosary Sanctuary
Situated on a hillside in the mountain barangay of Guba, 25 kms. (an hour’s drive away) from downtown Cebu City, the Our Lady of Manaoag Rosary Sanctuary is owned by Ms. Edna Ouano Toral who wanted to propagate the devotion of Our Lady of Manaoag in the Visayas.
The sanctuary entrance
Edna, a Cebuana from Mandaue City, once joined a pilgrimage, organized by Chito Makalintal, to Manaoag in Pangasinan for healing as she was seriously ill at the time with complicated ulcers.
The Prayer Room
In 1994, she was healed, a miracle she attributed to the intercession of Our Lady of Manaoag. Since then, she has donated 100 icons to churches in the Visayas and Mindanao.
She also built this hilltop sanctuary of quiet, serenity, contemplation and prayer. A quiet place to reflect, it is open to the public and use of all its facilities is also free. Edna simply wants to spread the devotion of Our Lady of Manaoag and to pray the rosary.
Interior of Prayer Room
The road leading to the sanctuary tended to live up to the name of the barangay (“guba,” in Cebuano, means “ruins” or “disrepair”) but, once you reach the sanctuary entrance, you feel the trip was worth it.
Statue of a cherub holding a rosary
Visitors to this sanctuary have to park their vehicles outside and enter on foot, via a concrete bridge over a creek, leading to a footpath lined with cucharita (Althernanthera ficoidea) plants and mani-mani (Arachis pintoi) plants. On the right is a small rose garden while on the left are mango trees.
The museum
Up the hill is the prayer room, a simply roofed structure, ventilated at its sides by thin strands of wood woven into sunburst patterns (solihiya), with the image of Our Lady at the end. Inside are benches for devotees and two statues of cherubs holding rosaries.
The museum display
Further up the hill is another small structure housing a museum and an outdoor chapel with a statue of Our Lady, a candle stand, a concrete altar and a number of concrete benches lining the hillside.
The outdoor chapel
Down the hill is a river where wild flowers such as camia (white ginger) abound in season.
Concrete benches lining the hillside
During the last Holy Week, the sanctuary was included in the Highland Pilgrimage Tour launched by the Cebu City Tourism Commission (CCTC).
Our Lady of the Rosary Manaoag Rosary Sanctuary: Cataline Hill, Brgy. Cabulihan Guba, Cebu City 6000.
Cebu Provincial Tourism Office: 3/F, East Wing, Capitol Executive Bldg., Capitol Site, Cebu City 6000. Tel: (032) 888-2328. E-mail: sugbuturismo@gmail.com.
Department of Tourism Regional Office VII: G/F, LDM Bldg., Cor. Legaspi and M.J. Cuenco Sts., 6000 Cebu City. Tel: (032) 412-1966, (032) 412-1967, (032) 254-3534, (032) 254-6650 and (032) 254-2811. Fax: (033) 335-0245. Email: phdot7@tourism.gov.ph. Airport Office Tel: (032) 494-7000 loc. 7548.
Cebu Pacific Air has daily flights from Manila to Cebu’s Mactan International Airport. It also has flights from Clark (Pampanga) and Davao City. Book via www.cebupacificair.com.