Mary, The Chamorro Matriarch of Guam
by Dr. Kenneth Lawson
Introduction
Nobody really knows when the Pacific island of Guam was first settled in ancient history by the people called Chamorros. We do know that Guam was discovered by Spanish trading and exploring vessels in 1521. The island served only as a fresh water stop for Spanish vessels until colonized in 1668 by a small band of Spanish Roman Catholic priests and a few soldiers. The next year, 1669, the first church was founded on Guam, called Dulce Nombre de Maria (Sweet Name of Mary). From the very beginnings of Colonial rule on Guam, devotion to the Virgin Mary was prevalent. Although the current population of Guam is dominated by a mix of Chamorros, Filipinos, and Japanese, veneration towards images of Mary is widespread throughout the island.
In the late 1600's, initial resistance by the Chamorros to the Spanish was intense. Spain was determined to control Guam and sent reinforcements to the island upon the ship called Nuestra Senora de Buen Socorro (Our Lady of Good Hope). The Spanish implemented what Paul Carano and P.C. Sanchez called in A Complete History of Guam, a "reign of terror." A Chamorro population of 50,000 was slaughtered to 5,000 people. The native Chamorro were forced to swear an oath "To the Most Blessed Virgin Mary" as a sign of loyalty to the Spanish crown. The Spanish Inquisition was implemented, causing the few remaining Chamorro people to convert to Spanish Roman Catholicism. Around 1800 American visitors to Guam reported on the horrendous treatment of the Chamorros by the Spanish, noting that the Inquisition was still in use on the island.
Guam became an American territory after the Spanish American War of 1898. The United States military governor of Guam made interesting observations about the rule of Spain in Guam. These comments are recorded in A Complete History of Guam, cited above. First, it was observed how the ancient myths and superstitions of the Chamorro people were easily adapted into Roman Catholicism (p.86). Second, U.S. Navy Governor Richard Leary mentioned in his 1899 report to the U.S. Government that "The Roman Catholic priests are the moral lepers of the place and are a great drawback and detriment" (p. 181). Governor Leary's report also stated that keeping Spanish Catholic priests on Guam would be "subversive of good government and prosperity, injurious to the interests of the community and incompatible with the moral teachings and principles of civilized society" (Page 190). In spite of the abuse of the Chamorro people by the Catholic Church, the traditional superstitions and ancestor worship of the Chamorro people were successfully transformed into Spanish-style Romanism on the island of Guam.
Our Lady of Camarin
In the southern Guam village of Merizo stands a distinct monument to Mariolatry and superstition. In the early 1700's a Spanish ship reportedly sank somewhere of the coast of Guam. As the legend goes, a large wooden image of the Virgin Mary washed ashore from the shipwreck onto Guam's southern coast. This supposed event was interpreted by the Roman priests as a sign of the Virgin's blessing upon the island. As fictitious as this event may be, the Our Lady of Camarin shrine is visited by thousands every year as a memorial. The idol of Mary is around 10 feet tall, made of white marble, standing along the southern harbor of the village Merizo. The image of Mary is distinctly Chamorro, as the artist carved her likeness with Chamorro facial features, traditional jewelry and garments, with exceptionally long thick hair as Chamorro women wear, and with a native style crown upon her head signifying that Mary is the Chamorro Matriarch of Guam. The toes of the statue are polished clean from those who touch and kiss the feet of the idol. On the Roman Catholic calendar of feasts devoted to Mary, tens of thousands gather around this image to pray to Mary.
Duice Nombre de Maria Basilica
This structure traces its roots to the first church founded in Guam, 1669. The original building stood until it was destroyed in World War II. The Roman Pope recently elevated the current modem building to the status of a Basilica. This structure accurately illustrates the fact that Mariolatry was a crucial aspect of Spanish Catholicism, and remains so today. The large spacious auditorium which is in pristine condition is dominated by huge stained glass windows commemorating the annunciation to Mary of the coming virgin conception and birth of Christ. Above the altar is a medium-sized idol recognizing Mary as Queen of Heaven. The fact that this image is located between the altar and a large statue of Christ hanging on the cross is significant. To get to the cross you must pass through the Roman mass guided by the intercession of Mary as a mediator.
The central image of Mary in the sanctuary displays classic Roman Catholic theology. Mary is crowned and robed as a queen and sovereign, adored by angels that worship at her feet. She is in an exalted position someplace between humanity and God. She deserves worship. Other smaller icons and images to Mary in the building, such as the portrait of Mary as seen in the apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe confirm that Mary is worthy to be adored and venerated. The centrality of devotion to Mary is obvious as a visitor approaches the main entrance to the building. Located directly before the main doors to the basilica is an enormous pillar with an image of Mary resting upon it. This elevated idol can be seen from all major points in the capital, Agana. The symbolism is obvious. To get to God and Jesus a person must first approach Mary.
Urban Mariolatry
Urban Mariolatry is less prominent than rural adoration of Mary. This is simply because of the large immigrant population in urban Guam, as well as the secularization of urban society which is so typical worldwide. Yet brief examples of urban Mariolatry survive amidst the tour buses and crowded streets of the larger urban areas.
The Blessed Diego Church is a tiny urban chapel located on the main street in downtown Tamuning, on the Tumon Bay of the Philippine Sea. A small stain glass window near the main entrance reveals a particular devotion to Mary. As is typical, the image shows Mary as crowned, displaying her role in medieval Roman superstition as Queen of Heaven. Mary is clothed in blue and white robes, which is her normal attire in Guam style devotion. The enclosure around Mary's image is a stained glass oval design which is represented on the flag of Guam and is a rich cultural symbol in Guam Chamorro history. The typology is clear. To be a patriotic citizen of Guam is equated with adoration of Mary.
For those mostly urban or suburban Catholics on Guam who can afford it, there is the private school called Notre Dame [Our Lady] Academy of Talofofo. At this well maintained institution all students and visitors are welcomed upon entering the campus by a six-foot tall idol of Mary. This elegantly carved image of white marble presents Mary as the way to access the infant Jesus. This fetish is the first and last object a person observes while visiting the school. Devotion to Mary is central to all school activities.
Another example of urban Mariolatry is seen by visiting the Archbishop of Guam's residence in Agana Heights. The Archbishop's compound is situated on a high cliff overlooking the city of Agana and the Asan and West Agana beaches. Perched between the Archbishop's residence and the view of the capital is an outdoor cliff-side garden which contains an oversized idol of the Virgin Mary. This fetish of Mary displays her in an elevated posture, praying for the island of Guam as an intercessor. Those who kiss this image believe that the hope of Guam lies in the role of Mary as a mediator. Around the neck of the idol is a replica of a golden chain recovered from the wreck of a Spanish merchant vessel lost at sea. The symbolism is again quite apparent. The dead lost at sea can be saved by Mary's intercession. Those who travel on the sea should look to Mary for protection. And those on land can adoringly look up towards the image of Mary upon the top of the cliff and see their mediator and intercessor. The agenda of the Archbishop of Guam could not be any clearer. His desire is to point people to Mary so she can take people to Christ and to God.
Rural Mariolatry
Expressions of rural Mariolatry are abundant in Guam. The Chamorro people dominate rural Guam society, with an almost 100% population in rural towns and villages. The Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Barrigada reveals typical rural/suburban Chamorro style adoration of Mary. This blue and white stucco chapel has an outdoor portrait of Mary exposing her heart which is illuminated with a flame of fire, surrounded by a crown of thorns. This is a conventional way of illustrating the medieval legend of Mary being of a sinless disposition, thus having an immaculate heart. To enter this chapel a visitor must pass beneath the feet of Mary carved on her life-size likeness above the main door.
On the west side of the Agana Heights community is a Chamorro church built in the ancient Spanish style called "Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament." Here I witnessed a unique aspect of Mariolatry. Hanging upon the large bell tower of the church was an enormous hand-made set of rosary beads, which must have weighed over a hundred pounds and been over 100 feet long. To this group of Catholics, prayer to Mary through the talisman of rosary beads was the obsession of the people. Inside this chapel devoted to Mary was an eclectic sample of Mary idols, representing a type of mini-museum of fetishes of Mary in the style of Marion apparitions at Lourdes, Fatima, Prague, and Guadalupe. Posters advertising the apparitions at Medjugorje adorned interior walls. Numerous candles were lit before these various images of Mary as expressions of devotion requesting her intercessory prayer.
Two interesting rural examples of Chamorro Mariolatry are evidenced in the villages of Asan and in Piti. The Asan site is called Our Lady of Purification Church. This tiny rural chapel contains numerous Mary idols surrounded with fresh flowers. A crude exterior shrine across the street protects a small statue of Mary encased in rough Chamorro style stonework. In this out of the way village of Piti stands the Our Lady of the Assumption Church. I was glad to have come to this building at this particular time, as the people were getting ready to dedicate a great feast to the Virgin Mary. A village-wide festival was about to begin to celebrate the arrival of the traveling Mary idol which is paraded from village to village. The idea is that the statue of Mary will bless the community in which the image resides. The mobile platform holding the paraded image of Mary was centrally located within the chapel, covered with fresh flowers. Banners hung from the ceiling of the chapel to welcome the fetish. It was tragic to observe a woman reverently approach the idol, touch the feet of the image, cross herself with a gesture of her hands, and then bow in prayer to the idol.
Both major and minor shrines to Mary adorn Guam. Examples of minor sites of devotion to Mary are seen at the San Miguel Church in Talofofo, where a tiny outdoor Mary shrine welcomes those who pass by. The same is true for the Saint Joseph's Church in the southern Guam village of Inarajan, which has a distinct outdoor Mary site of devotion encased in local sea shells. A somewhat unusual Mary idol is the centerpiece of the Our Lady of Peace Memorial Park in the south central highlands around Winward Hills. As a person enters the park they are greeted by a large bronze image of Mary situated almost sideways at a 45 degree angle. Mary is represented as sweeping above a pool of water with the baby Jesus in her arms. This odd 25 foot long almost horizontal statue apparently is attempting to portray Mary as the protector and provider of the infant Jesus. The grass in front of the idol was well-worn by those who stopped at this site to pray to Mary.
CONCLUSION
I continue to be amazed at the resiliency of the Roman Catholic Church. It has an unparalleled ability to oppress, pervert, infiltrate, and dominate a society. It is an unnatural phenomena that allows such an institution to dominate a people, oppress them financially, impose upon them an Inquisition, exploit them morally, destroy their culture, and yet have that very same people swear loyalty to the very institution that has been the major source of its own oppression and cultural decline.
About 95% of the residents of Guam's Chamorros are Roman Catholics, though certainly all do not attend the mass regularly. The myths and superstitions of the Chamorros were easily transferred to the delusions and falsehoods of Roman Catholic theology. Now, instead of the Chamorros accepting an Asian-Pacific paganism, they have embraced a European based system of Roman Catholic idolatry. It was an easy transition to exchange Asian ancestor worship for devotion to the Roman Catholic saints. The Chamorro goddesses were unified in devotion to the Virgin Mary. The pagan Chamorro priests and their sacrifices were transferred to the Roman priests and the sacrifice of the mass.
Chamorro religious relics, fetishes, and idols now had a Roman Catholic significance. Paganism simply took a different form. In the 1600's, an opportunity to preach Christ alone for salvation to the unreached people of Guam was squandered. The tragic effect of these events still plagues Guam today.
