The Diocesan Shrine and Parish of Our Lady of Mercy (; ) is a Roman Catholic church under the Diocese of Novaliches. It is the oldest parish in the diocese, established in 1856 by the Augustinian missionaries from Spain.
This church was originally under the Archdiocese of Manila when it was established on September 24, 1856, by then Manila Archbishop José Julián de Aranguren. Since then, this parish had become an established landmark in the Novaliches area, witnessing the historical development of this district.
It is located along Quirino Highway, Barangay Sta. Monica, Novaliches, Quezon City. The current rector and parish priest is Rev. Fr. Jose Peregrino V. Tomas. The annual feast day of the church is September 24.
History
Beginnings as a parish
The establishment and history of Novaliches are linked to this church. After the Novaliches district was established in 1854, the first church was built two years later by the Augustinians under the decree of José Julián de Aranguren, Archbishop of Manila. On September 24, 1856, the church was established and was initially called the Chapel of Corpus Christi, dedicated to the Blessed Sacrament. The chapel was elevated to the status of a Parroquia (parish church) and Fray André Martín, OSA was appointed as the first parish priest. It is said that he brought an image of Our Lady of Mercy holding the Child Jesus, similar to the iconography of the image of Nuestra Señora de la Consolación y Correa (Our Lady of Consolation and the Cincture) enshrined in San Agustín Church in Intramuros, Manila, and enshrined the said image in the parish.
The devotion to Our Lady of Mercy developed over the years until the Philippine Revolution of 1896 against the Spanish Empire, when the original image disappeared. The church was burnt, and the assigned Augustinian priests returned to Spain. The sole relic of the old church saved from the Revolution is a golden chalice encrusted with amethysts. This was donated by Manuel Pavía y Lacy, First Marquis de Novaliches (1814-1896), who served as the Governor-General of the Philippines from 1852 to 1854. The parcel of land where the church once stood was donated to the Archdiocese of Manila. In 1899, Novaliches was annexed to Caloocan. For about thirty years, nothing was heard about the Parroquia de Novaliches.
In 1928, the parish was restored with the appointment of a diocesan parish priest, Rev. Fr. Victor Raymundo. The parish was renamed Our Lady of Ransom Parish, then later reverted to Our Lady of Mercy Parish. Under Rev. Fr. Segundo Alto in the 1950s, an image of Our Lady of Mercy, without the Child Jesus, emerged. According to oral history, this image was first seen by Novaleños in the 1930s; it was actually commissioned by Macaria Sarmiento-Mendoza in the early 20th century and was identified to have been carved by Graciano Nepomuceno. This image was considered to be "La Verdadera", being the oldest extant icon of Our Lady of Mercy in Novaliches, and was then enshrined at the high altar.
During the 1980s, the growing number of faithful residing in Novaliches prompted Rev. Msgr. Manuel Sebastián to renovate and expand the church. He also thought of commissioning a bigger replica of La Verdadera since it was too small. A de vestir ("in vestments") replica carved by Rufino Rivera was completed in 1985 and enshrined in its own marble side altar. In the 1990s, the image was sacrilegiously toppled by an unknown individual, damaging it to the point it needed repairs. The image once again underwent restoration for a diocesan tour around Novaliches to propagate the devotion to Our Lady of Mercy. This second image is currently brought out for processions.
Renovation and recognitions
In preparation for the elevation of the church as a diocesan shrine, another major renovation began in 2001 through the initiative of Rev. Fr. Miguelito Lagrimas and the concerted efforts of the Novaleños and devotees of Our Lady of Mercy. The Susano family commissioned Wilfredo Layug to make a new altar with a new image of Our Lady of Mercy that is now seen today. The present image is bigger than life-size and this time, it deviated to the iconography of La Verdadera and the procession image. The new altar was consecrated on March 4, 2007.