English: 1638 St. Mary Magdalene Church of Kawit[1] (Parokya ni Santa Maria Magdalena) is one of the oldest churches in the Philippines. [2] Poblacion, Kawit, Cavite. Coordinates: 14°26'41"N 120°54'12"E Vicariate of St. Mary Magdalene celebrated its Golden Jubilee in November 2011. It was initially said to be built of wood as early as 1638 through the help of six Filipino families from the towns of Maragondon and Silang, Cavite. Saint Mary Magdale Church It belongs to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Imus,[3] the diocese that has jurisdiction over all the Catholic parishes in Cavite. Kawit celebrates St. Mary Magdalene feast 07/11/2009 [4] St. Mary Magdalene Parish Poblacion, Kawit, Cavite This church was built in 1624 and is one of the oldest churches in the Philippines. [5] Pope Francis names new Imus, Cavite bishop, his first appointment in PHL urrent Boac Bishop Reynaldo Evangelista [6] The town Kawit which was formerly known as Cavite Viejo during Spanish occupation was frequent by Spanish marines and slowly turned into a "Red Light District" and to help solve the bad reputation of the place Manila Archbishop Miguel Garcia Serrano (1618–1629) ordered to place St. Mary Magdalene.[7] as patroness of the town. Some people and researchers say that it is possible that she may not be the original patron saint of the town since most of the old parishes in Cavite was consecrated to the Virgin Mary. The Church is known for healing and helping resolve personal problems. Mary Magdalene (original Greek Μαρία ἡ Μαγδαληνή), or Mary of Magdala and sometimes The Magdalene, is a religious figure in Christianity. She has been called the second-most important woman in the New Testament after Mary the mother of Jesus. Mary Magdalene traveled with Jesus as one of his followers. She was present at Jesus' two most important moments: the crucifixion and the resurrection. Within the four Gospels, the oldest historical record mentioning her name, she is named at least 12 times, more than most of the apostles. The Gospel references describe her as a courageous, brave enough to stand by Jesus in his hours of suffering, death and beyond. St. Mary Magdalene's statue The antique and miraculous life-size image of Mary Magdalene in Kawit, Cavite has a "mark" in the middle of her forehead, it resembles a mole and no living local in Kawit knows why the statue has such a mark. Speculations suggests that this is the symbolic mark of Jesus's finger tips during the resurrection when he had appeared to Magdalene and said Noli me tangere (Touch Me Not). Some suggests that this mark is to clearly identify her identity from the Virgin Mary. ---[N.B. Today, May 15, 2013, Wednesday, Philippines ---[N.B. Photography of Kawit, Cavite: cloudy and 80% sunny weather using my Nikon AW100 waterproof shockproof camera. From Bulacan about 11:00 a.m. I took photo of famous heritage and landmark Philippine cultural treasure Aguinaldo Shrine[8], the1896 Old Town Hall of Kawit, Cavite and St. St. Mary Magdalene Church of Kawit[9] starting about 1 p.m. I am sharing Wikimedia Commons and Wikipedia these rare, original and sole photos of Kawit, Cavite, 98% never photographed since the Battle of Imus. I finished photography at 4:14 p.m. and started uploading via slow internet at 9:00 pm - I hereby certify that these photos are exclusive for Commons and Wikipedia never uploaded in any Internet or any site, and for the public domain without any condition. IN FINE, since 2010, I shared Commons more than 28,000 photos, large files of 6-8 MB each or 4,600 x 3,400 each: today, at 3:33 p.m., DSCN 1329, File:Kawit,Cavitejf1448 03.JPG raw, unedited and Original is shared to all believers, photographers and infidels alike, a miracle Photo perfect of mysticism never magic, in the very Sanctuary and main Altar of the 1624 Church of Kawit - 6.42 MB 4,608 x 3456.]