MANILA, Philippines?More people attended this year?s Simbang Gabi?or the nine dawn Masses leading to Christmas?compared to previous years, according to Catholic prelates.

One parish in Batangas, for example, had to tap up to 15 seminary professors to accommodate the community?s ?requests? for more Masses. In Cebu, groups of teenagers squeezed into packed churches by bringing their own chairs.

Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales said churchgoers were likely motivated by the looming domestic fallout from the global economic recession.

?We sometimes overlook this trait that we Filipinos have, especially in the face of crises, criticisms and even black propaganda. We forget that Filipinos have a deep faith in God,? a statement from the Catholic Bishops? Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) yesterday quoted Rosales as saying.

He said some churches in Metro Manila had to hold two to three dawn Masses within a day upon the request of parishioners. These are aside from the so-called ?anticipated? Simbang Gabi held the night before.

At the Manila Cathedral in Intramuros, Msgr. Nestor Cerbo reported an increase in Simbang Gabi attendance from those living in depressed communities such as Baseco and Parola in Tondo, Manila.

Running out of priests

Rosales said he also learned that in Balayan, Batangas, (where he served as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Lipa before he was appointed to the Archdiocese of Manila), requests for Simbang Gabi Masses were so many that the parish ran out of priests.

The parish priest reportedly had to request 15 seminary professors to say dawn Masses in the chapels in at least three villages.

?Kapag hindi mo dinaluhan ay magagalit ang tao at magsasabing tamad ang pari (If you don?t accede to their request to say Mass, the people will get angry and say the priest is lazy),? the cardinal said.

Archdiocese of Cebu spokesperson Msgr. Achilles Dakay said more churchgoers in his area attended the dawn Masses. He said it also helped that the weather was good during the Simbang Gabi.

Dakay said Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal was delighted to see churches filled with people. ?The archbishop noted that even teenagers would bring their own chairs to churches just to attend the Simbang Gabi,? he said.

Encouraging turnout

In Marawi City where Catholics comprise a mere 3.5 percent of the predominantly Muslim population, the turnout for the Simbang Gabi was also encouraging.

Bishop Edwin Dela Peña reported that most of the 1,000 Catholics attended.

Dela Peña also noted a significant number of Catholics at the Mindanao State University campus in the city. ?We minister to them although they come from different provinces outside the prelature,? he said.

The dawn Masses are traditionally held at 4 a.m. as a countdown to Christmas Day. These start on Dec. 16 and culminate in the Misa de Gallo (Spanish for Rooster?s Mass) on Christmas Eve, Dec. 24.

According to popular belief, those who complete the novena will have their wishes granted on Christmas Day.