We, the Passionist Community, gathered together on one of the glorious feasts of
the Filipinos, the devotion to the Child Jesus known as the Sto. Niño on the 20th of January 2024. We started the day with a novena for the Señor Sto. Niño. It was then followed by a very lively mass which was presided by Rev. Fr. Mark Reagan G. Tobias CP and co-celebrated by Fr. Ramel S. Poquita, CP and Fr. Benzen Valiyaveetil, CP. Not only was the whole Community present at the time but we were also joined by young seminarians from the Salesian community in Jerusalem.
Just after the mass, everyone gathered outside the church to honor Señor Sto. Niño
with a dance procession around the church vicinity going to the basketball court for the showdown of our very known Sinulog dance. This was performed by volunteer members of the Community.
What is the Sinulog, you might ask. This is a very popular festival in the Philippines to
pay tribute to the Sto. Niño, which literally means “Holy Child.” This is also to commemorate the conversion of the Cebuanos to Roman Catholics during the Spanish colonization. The original image of the Sto. Niño that exists until this very day was a gift from the conquistador Ferdinand Magellan in the year 1521. It survived the test of time including a conflagration during the Spanish era. The discovery of the unharmed image of the Sto. Niño was considered a miracle. Thus, this started the celebration of the devotion to the Holy Child.
Seeing that this event is a strong symbol of the faithfulness of the Filipino people to
our Lord Jesus Christ, the feast of Señor Sto. Niño was adopted into the Holy Land by the Passionist Priest here in Sta Martha, Jerusalem. Every year the community excitedly celebrated this festivity as it brought out the goodness instilled in each other’s heart. To sum up the day’s activity, the Community enjoyed each other’s company by sharing food, playing games, and having lots of laughter.
Viva pit Señor Sto. Niño!
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