A Philippine Shrine of San Vicente Ferrer Declared Twin of the Saint's Basilica in Spain

The Diocesan Shrine of San Vicente Ferrer in the Diocese of San Pablo in the Philippines was formally recognized by the Basilica de San Vicente Ferrer in Valencia, Spain, on June 6 as its spiritual twin in a deep devotion to the Spanish Dominican saint.

This recognition was granted by Fr. Francisco Javier Carballo Fernández, Rector of the Basilica de San Vicente Ferrer, in recognition of the shrine’s vibrant devotion to San Vicente Ferrer.

“The benefits of the spiritual twinning are those inherent in the Vincentian devotion,” the basilica community said. The shrine “can establish a designated day each month for a Mass to be offered for the intentions of the Basilica, and the faithful can obtain the plenary indulgence on the feast of St. Vincent under the conditions required by the Church.”
 

This twinship deepens the spiritual bond between the two churches and strengthens the devotion to San Vicente Ferrer in the Philippines and overseas. The solemn proclamation of the spiritual connection between the two churches on March 26, 2025, coincided with the 570th anniversary of the canonization of San Vicente Ferrer and the 15th anniversary of the diocesan shrine.
 

The shrine is located in the village of Mamatid, in Cabuyao, a city in Laguna, about 40 kilometers southeast of Manila, the country’s capital. Its origin can be traced to the miraculous discovery of San Vicente Ferrer’s image under a huge tree on the land where the church is located today.

The faithful in the community initially built a small chapel at the site, which was donated to the church by a Bella family in Cabuyao. The devotion to the saint thrived and grew and crossed to the neighboring towns and cities.

It was made a parish under the Diocese of Lipa in Batangas in 1946. Today, it is under the oversight of the Diocese of San Pablo, which was created in 1966, twenty years following this Philippine church’s establishment as a parish. In 2010, it was declared a shrine.

San Vicente Ferrer, born in Valencia, where the basilica in Spain stands in his honor, was a Spanish Dominican, credited for the conversion of an estimated 25,000 Jews by preaching.

He was known for powerful preaching, missionary work, and efforts to address the Great Western Schism that divided the Church in the late 14th and early 15th century. He travelled across Europe, preaching and spreading the Catholic faith in France, Italy, Germany, and the British Isles.