Icons of faith

Apart from shopping and strolling, mall goers can view  icons of the Sto. Niño and contemplate the childhood of Jesus.

About 50 images, many of them antiques and family heirlooms, are on display at the Ayala Center Cebu, which hosts the annual exhibit every Sinulog.

The exhibit “Sto. Niño in the Home of Faith”, curated by Lourdes Jereza,  opened yesterday to the public.

Mall goers are quickly drawn to a six-foot statue of the Child King at the entrance of a makeshift prayer room.

Visitors can pause inside to venerate a smaller image  that looks  similar to the original icon given by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan to Cebu’s Queen Juana in 1521.  The replica is enthroned on a table decked with flowers and accompanied by images of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Our Virgin of the Rule, Our Lady of Manaoag, and St. Joseph.

Msgr. Cristobal Garcia, who blessed the exhibit, said malls have become the modern day “marketplace” where Jesus often stayed.

“More or less, the mall has taken that place now. The mall is where everybody congregates,” he said, explaining the venue.

The chairman of the Commission on Worship of the Cebu archdiocese often lends Sto. Nino images from his own extensive collection for the annual exhibit.

“Jesus is not far away. He is within our midst. That is why we call him bato-balani sa gugma (magnet of love), ” Garcia said.

“We hope, then, that by coming to this exhibit you see a semblance of a Filipino home whose heart is indeed the Sto. Niño.”

“The Sto. Niño is something unique. It is not only a cultural icon but it is also a story about our history. It is also a coming to life of many stories,” the monsignor said.

Garcia said the icons on display are “not so much of a collector’s item but it tells a story of a person’s faith.”

The monsignor started collecting various kinds and sizes of the Sto. Niño when he was five years old.

His grandfather gave him his first image of the Child Jesus.

“I hope, in this modern day and age, we will learn to still go to Him and treasure Him so that in our hearts, He can find a home,” Garcia said.

“You do shopping here but you can go to the exhibit and go to you own pace. It’s more peacefulll here,” he said.

The exhibit will run until Jan. 17.