Anecdotes about the Virgin Mary

Saint Marian Kamalen, the Virgin found in the sea off Guam

Guam (Mariana Islands)

Saint Marian Kamalen is a Marian image carved from wood and ivory, of the Immaculate Conception type, venerated as the patron saint of Guam and the Mariana Islands. Today it is kept in the Cathedral-Basilica of the Holy Name of Mary in Hagåtña, placed high above the main altar and protected behind glass; an accessible replica is used for daily public veneration. This is documented history, as is the reference made by Pope Saint John Paul II to this devotion during his visit to Guam in 1981. However, nothing is known for certain about its creator or the exact date of its carving: sources generally place it in the 17th century or earlier.

A cherished pious tradition surrounds its origin, which should be clearly distinguished from proven facts. The story goes that a Chamorro fisherman saw the image floating in the sea, in the bay between Guam and Cocos Island. He tried to retrieve it with his net but was unsuccessful, and only when, ashamed of his poor appearance, he went to dress in his best clothes, was he able to pull it from the water. The most endearing version adds that the image appeared flanked by two golden crabs holding lit candles, hence the popular title of Our Lady of the Crabs. Local sources themselves present it as a local legend and devotion, not as a verified fact: there are no contemporary records or chronicles to support it, and the dates don't quite align. It is a deeply rooted pious tradition, not proven history.

The name Kamalen comes from the Chamorro word for dressing room, the small chamber where an image is kept: tradition holds that it was first kept in a military barracks in Merizo before arriving at the church in Agaña. A metal plaque on its base also preserves the memory that it was brought on the Manila galleon Nuestra Señora del Pilar, which sank in 1690 near Cocos Island, where the sailors sang the Salve Regina. This is plausible material evidence and local memory, but without independent documentary corroboration.

What is firmly rooted is the grand procession on December 8, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, when the original image travels through the streets of Hagåtña on a flower-covered float. The local Church teaches that this procession fulfills a promise made by the people after the earthquakes of 1825 and 1834, in gratitude for the protection received; and in 1941, after the Japanese bombing, the image remained unharmed, which strengthened the Chamorro people's faith in their Mother. The details of the promise belong to local tradition, but the faithfulness of a people who renew it every year is a solid and moving devotional act.

Mother of the sea and the storm, Mary continues to be for Guam the one who sustains the boat and protects the island. And just as that fisherman needed to dress in his finest clothes to take her in his hands, so too do we, when we take up the Rosary, approach her with hearts clothed in faith, so that she may lead us, slowly, to her Son.