Press Release

On 12 July 2025, the Consulate General, represented by Consul Melvin Almonguera, ATN Officer Atty. Mark Arinquin and Ms. Maria Victoria Rivera, attended the mass in celebration of the feast of Our Lady of Piat held at St. Padre Pio Church in Chicago.

Some 150 Filipinos, mostly with roots in Cagayan Valley coming from all over Chicago and its surrounding suburbs, attended the event. Fr. Don Cambe, a Filipino priest, was the celebrant and homilist.

The image of Our Lady of Piat, considered as one of the oldest in the country, was brought to the Philippines from Macau by the Dominicans in 1604. From Manila it was taken to Nueva Segovia (now Lallo, Cagayan) to aid in evangelization. A replica of the image was brought to Chicago in 1986. END