New route for Sto. Niño journey
Instead of a direct route to Mandaue City, the motorcade of the annual traslacion or ritual transfer of the image of the Sto. Niño will pass by more Cebu City streets.
The change will allow more city residents to witness the passage of the images of the Child Jesus and his mother Mary, Our Lady of Guadalupe de Cebu, as they travel to the St. Joseph’s Shrine in Mandaue City on Friday, Jan. 13.
Devotees usually wait by the roadside, sometimes with flaglets, to wave at the passing images.
After a 7 a.m. Mass at the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño, images of the Child Jesus and Mary, Our Lady of Guadalupe de Cebu will board separate panel trucks for the motorcade.
“Traslacion” is a Spanish word which means “to transfer or move.”
This kicks off the journey of the miraculous image of the Sto. Niño from the basilica to the national shrine in Mandaue City for a “reunion” of the Holy Family—baby Jesus, his mother Mary and foster father Joseph.
From there, it’s a sea voyage down the Mactan Channel and the annual solemn foot procession down Cebu City’s major streets on Saturday, the vesperas of the Fiesta Señor.
Msgr. Cristobal Garcia, chairman of the Commission on Worship of the Archdiocese of Cebu, will celebrate the misa de traslacion at 7 a.m. on Friday.
The motorcade will go down D. Jakosalem Street, the longest road in the city, turn right to General Maxilom Avenue, left to Gorordo Avenue, right to Gov. M. Cuenco Avenue, and right again to Juan Luna Avenue (San Jose dela Montaña) and then left to MJ Cuenco Avenue.
At the boundary of the cities of Cebu and Mandaue, the images will be welcome by Mandauehanons then escorted to the church for a Mass officiated by Msgr. Adelito Abella, the shrine’s head priest.
After an overnight vigil, follows the fluvial procession from the Ouano Wharf to Pier 1 in Cebu City on Saturday. In the afternoon, the grand solemn procession of the Sto. Niño will bring thousands of devotees major thoroughfares of the city.
On Sunday, Jan. 15, the feast day of the Sto. Nino, Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma will officiate a pontifical Mass at 6 a.m. /ADOR VINCENT S. MAYOL
