A strange dream brought me to Baclaran Church

This blogpost of mine is kind of creepy especially since it's Easter Sunday. Last February 27, I had a strange dream. I was in Baclaran Church. There were a lot of people on the left side of the church where many nipa houses are found in which the faithful go to pray. I went to a nipa hut of my choice to pray. Inside that hut, I saw an image of who at first I thought was the Virgin Mary. She was veiled in black. Actually, I wasn't sure exactly if she was the Virgin Mary. Because of the black veil over her head, maybe it was an image of a canonized nun. The image was sitting down.

All of a sudden, the image stood up! I was really surprised because the image was actually alive, and it smiled at me! The image of this lady then hugged me! I knelt in front of her, then started to pray. Then I saw my husband Pepe and Mómay listening to what I was praying about. I continued praying even though I knew that they were listening to me. Then suddenly I woke up from that dream.

I was really wondering why I experienced that strange dream. I had already dreamed of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (I forgot when it exactly happened, because that was a long time ago). And now, I dreamed of the image of His Blessed Mother. So I thought: is she trying to send me a message? I prayed right away to her and promised her that I will go to Baclaran Church the following Sunday, March 5. So off we went on that day to attend the first Sunday Mass of Lent (click here for the photos).

Santuario Nacional de Nuestra Señora del Perpetuo Socorro.

So on the afternoon of that Sunday, as we were about to enter the church for the next Mass, I told my family that the front of the church was the starting point of my dream, and that we need to go to the left side of the church because that is where I saw the image of Mama Mary. But then, as we arrived on the spot where I dreamed of the nipa hut and the Virgin Mary, I was stunned to find out that the image I dreamed of wasn't the Virgin Mary all along... it was Santa Teresita!

Santa Teresa del Niño Jesús (Saint Thérèse of Lisieux), or simply Santa Teresita.

I was very surprised and even got teary eyed because she was wearing the exact same veil that I saw her wearing in my dream. Santa Teresita was indeed the exact same person in my dream. I only thought that she was the Virgin Mary, or a nun, because I honestly didn't know how an image of Santa Teresita looked like. I immediately prayed to her, still in great awe as to why she appeared to me in my dream. Does she have a message for me?

Love locks surround Santa Teresita's image. Lovers do this to swear their undying love for each other. This trend is a mystery. Nobody knows who started it, or when. 

After paying our respects to Santa Teresita, we saw a wishing well (or a prayer well) right behind her. And because the next Mass was still several minutes away, we thought of visiting Redemptorist Road right beside the church. It is quite popular among Filipinos because it is the site of countless vendors selling various merchandise, from street foods to vinyl mats that are sold at a bargain. The food stalls on wheels offer snacks that are so tempting, we couldn't help but buy some. We also tasted one very delicious melon juice that even after attending late afternoon Mass, we helped ourselves to some more! =)

A wishing —or more correctly, prayer— well where the faithful drops coins (some even throw huge sums of paper money) and pray to Santa Teresita.

 

The National Shrine of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, popularly known as Baclaran Church, is the only church I saw with a huge number of people. It's as if you are in a musical concert. The huge crowd is a sign that  this church is really miraculous. Thousands of devotees come here, particularly on Wednesdays, for prayer petitions.

There was a beautiful full moon that night.

The church now has a pictorial museum. A balcony on top of it is attached to the church building.

We Filipinos have strange stories to tell, about having a third eye or other similar creepy tales that we love to share during chit-chats with friends and relatives. I am not forcing you to believe me with this story about my dream, but I am not going crazy or making up stories here. It really happened to me. I do not know why I dreamed of Santa Teresita, but I do hope that she will always pray for us and guide our family to keep us safe in every travel that we do. Amen.

¡Feliz Pascua a todos!

—Yeyette— 

DID YOU KNOW? Baclaran Church was initially dedicated to Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, that is why an image of her stands outside the church.