The founding anniversary of the Secular Oblates of the Holy Family (OHF) always coincides with the solemnity of its Patroness, Our Lady of Peñafrancia.

On 19 May 1434, Simón Vela, after moving a huge rock in the mountains of Peña de Francia, found an image of the Blessed Mother carrying in her arms the Child Jesus. It was hidden together with other images and church bells to prevent them from falling into the hands of the Moors/Saracens who invaded the south of Spain in the 12th Century.

When miracles of healing began to happen immediately after the finding of the image, people started coming to pay homage and pray to the Blessed Mother whom they began to address as the Lady of Peña de Francia.

Around the year 1710, Rev. Fr. Miguel Robles de Covarrubias built a chapel and from a stampita he always carried with him, had a replica of the Lady of Peña de Francia carved from wood. He then enshrined her in the chapel. Immediately, people came to visit, most especially during the Saturday Novena and Mass at the Chapel. After a while, Fr. Miguel returned to Manila. But when his left eye became totally blind, he pledged to the Lady that he will return to Nueva Caceres and build the stone church he promised her.

After returning to Naga, he started building the stone church. In 1741, it was not known if Fr. Miguel was still alive or had died but under Most Rev. Ysidro de Arevalo, DD, the stone church was finished.

A native of San Martin del Castañar where Peña de Francia is located, Fr. Miguel, who then was studying at the University of Santo Tomas, honored the invitation of the Bishop of Nueva Caceres, Most Rev. Andres Gonzalez, OP, DD to come to Nueva Caceres (Naga) where he was later ordained and became Parish Priest of the Cathedral and Vicar General of the Diocese.

A recipient himself of many miracles of healing through his devotion to the Lady of Peñafrancia, while he was in Manila, he pledged to Our Lady that he would build her a stone church near the Pasig River.

The pledge was fulfilled — not in Manila, but in Naga. When the Most Rev. Francisco Gainza, OP, DD arrived in Naga in 1863 to take possession of the See of Nueva Caceres, foremost among his priorities was the spreading of the devotion to Our Lady.

In 1895, Pope Leo XIII, acting on the petition of the Clergy and Faithful of the Diocese of Nueva Caceres led by the Most Rev. Arsenio del Campo, DD, coursed through the Sacred Congregation of Rites, issued a Rescript fixing the Feast Day of Our Lady of Peñafrancia on the First Sunday of July and declaring her the Principal Patron of the City of Nueva Caceres.

But in 1905, Pope Pius X, through a Rescript, granted the wishes of the faithful of Nueva Caceres led by the Most Rev. Jorge I. Barlin, DD that the Solemnity of Our Lady of Peñafrancia be permanently assigned to the Sunday after the Octave of the Nativity of the same Blessed Virgin. This transfer of the Peñafrancia festivities from July to September is the tradition that remains today.

Thus,to determine the annual day of the Solemnity of Our Lady of Peñafrancia in Bicol, the point of reference is still the Nativity of Mary on 8 September. The Solemnity is celebrated on the Sunday after the octave of the Nativity of Mary, that is, the Sunday after 15 September.

On 20 September 1924, the image was canonically crowned as Queen and Patroness of Bicolandia by the Apostolic Delegate Most Rev. Guiglelmo Piani, DD at the cathedral grounds where the Quadricentennial Arch now stands. It was the Most Rev. John Bernard McGinley, DD, bishop of Nueva Caceres, who petitioned the Holy Father Benedict XV for the Canonical Coronation.