Valley of the Half Moon · Portobelo, Panama
Welcome to Cien Ovejas
“Pray for peace in Panama, pray for peace in the world; this place has been chosen by God.”
Discover the story How to reach the Valley
Love God. Love your neighbor. Serve with joy.
Our mission
Serve
NUTEJE — Nutricional Teresa de Jesús — feeds more than 500 children every day in Panama, Nicaragua and Venezuela: physical, spiritual and intellectual nourishment.
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The Valley
Since 1986, the Valley of the Half Moon in Portobelo has been a place of pilgrimage, conversion and healing for thousands of devotees.
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Teach
The teachings and catechesis received in the valley are being prepared in written form, in Spanish and English, to share them with the world.
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Why “Cien Ovejas”?
The lost sheep
“Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it?”
Luke 15, 4
That is the heart of what happens at Media Luna: no one is so far away that the Good Shepherd will not go out to find them. Thousands of people have come to the valley and returned home changed.
The story in brief
Four decades of faith
The first visions
Rolando “Ito” Muñoz Cedeño, a young man from the province of Los Santos, begins to live extraordinary experiences: the Blessed Virgin Mary manifests herself in his life and he receives the spiritual name Elías Epifanía. On December 12 he receives the message of the chosen place.
The valley is found
With a map from the Comptroller’s Office and the words recorded on a small tape recorder, the Muñoz brothers find the Valley of the Half Moon near Buenaventura, on the road to Portobelo, province of Colón. On March 20, 1987, lines of buses and cars from all over the country arrive for the first great Encounter.
Sanctuary and prayer
The valley becomes a center of pilgrimage, conversion and healing. The Mary Immaculate Conception Prayer Group is born and the temple is built, accompanied by the Bishop of Colón, Monsignor Carlos María Ariz.
The story continues
Pilgrims keep arriving every year. The book Más Allá del Sol by Ronald Muñoz gathers the complete story, and this site shares it with the world together with the teachings and the work of the NUTEJE Foundation.
Multimedia
See the Valley
A video tour of the Valley of the Half Moon: the temple, the green cross, the spring and the paths walked by the pilgrims.
Explore the Valley
The instrument
Rolando “Ito” Muñoz
A humble young man from Azuero through whom it all began. His devotion, his suffering and his faith gave rise to the Marian movement of the Valley of the Half Moon.
His story
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