Despite the threat of rain, thousands of Kapampangans gathered on Monday, September 8, 2025, to mark the 69th anniversary of the Pontifical Canonical Coronation of the Virgen de los Remedios.

The Archdiocese of San Fernando led the celebration with Archbishop Florentino Lavarias, Archbishop Emeritus Paciano Aniceto, and more than 100 priests. Organizers estimated the crowd at 16,000 to 18,000 devotees.

“Basta sa Birhen hindi talaga aano ang mga Kapampangan, they believe really in faith…. Mary is always there interceiving for us, not only for Catholics but for all… Sa ating paglalakbay kasama natin si Maria. Nakikita yung hope when there’s a feeling of hopelessness,” Archbishop Lavarias said.

The annual coronation has long been a centerpiece of Kapampangan faith and unity. Highlights of the event included a grand procession, a concelebrated mass, and the solemn coronation of the Virgen de los Remedios.

For devotees, the Virgin Mary represents more than a patron.

“Yearly namin ginagawa ito ng partner ko and si Mama Mary naman ang patron ng Pampanga… Sabi nga nila, when it rains, that’s the blessing of Mama Mary,” Joyce Castro, a devotee, said.

Another devotee, Wilson Isidro, prayed for “Good health and progress for our country.”

For nearly seven decades, devotion to the Virgen de los Remedios and Sto. Cristo del Perdón y Caridad has remained strong, serving as a source of unity and hope for Kapampangans amid life’s struggles.