‘Show of faith’ as Cebu opens Sto. Niño feast

Thousands of devotees join the annual ‘Walk With Jesus’ procession from Fuente Osmeña to the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño to mark the start of the 455th Fiesta Señor celebration.
(GERARD FRANCISCO/CEBU DAILY NEWS DIGITAL PHOTO)

CEBU CITY—Thousands of devotees braved chilly and wet dawn to join the penitential “Walk with Jesus” to mark the start of the 455th Fiesta Señor celebration on Thursday.

People, young and old, carried their own images of the Sto. Niño, prayed the rosary and sang liturgical hymns which were broadcast live on radio and amplified by speakers during the early morning procession and the first novena Mass.

The 2-kilometer prayer walk opens this year’s activities in honor of the Child Jesus. There were no fireworks or balloons along the procession route following an appeal from the Augustinian priests in charge of the basilica to maintain the solemnity of the event and for public safety.

Crowd

Police Maj. Keith Allen Andaya, city police chief and overall ground commander, estimated that at least 300,000 devotees took part in the activity and Mass.

The flower-decked “carroza” (carriage) that carried the image of the Sto. Niño arrived at the basilica at 5:30 a.m. and was welcomed with shouts of “Viva, Pit Señor!” and “Viva, Señor Sto. Niño!” as church bells pealed.

The 3,500-capacity church courtyard was packed with thousands more spilling into the streets outside of the basilica. They watched the Eucharistic celebration through large LED screens and television monitors installed around the church complex.

Evangelization

In his homily, Fr. Pacifico Nohara Jr., rector of the basilica, said the dawn procession was a manifestation of faith.

“Not even the rain could stop us from coming to join the prayer walk,” he said.

The image of Sto. Niño was given as a baptismal gift by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan to Cebu’s queen, Hara Humamay, in 1521. Two other icons—the “Ecce Homo” (an image of Jesus Christ) and the Madonna (Blessed Virgin Mary carrying a child)—were given to local chieftain Rajah Humabon and the natives.

Nohara called on the people to live out their faith and to evangelize through words and deeds.

“If we love God, we should also love others even our enemies,” he said.

Spiritual journey

This year’s celebration carries the theme, “Sto. Niño: Cause of our Unity and Charity,” which is patterned after the pastoral thrust of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) on the Year of Ecumenism.

In 2013, CBCP launched a nine-year “spiritual journey” leading to the 500th Jubilee of Christianization of the Philippines in 2021 with different themes for each year.

As part of tradition, the fiesta’s “hermano” and “hermana mayores” for 2020—Alan Doromal and Elvie Doromal—were presented to the people during the Mass.

The basilica complex, which has been the center of the 400-year devotion to the Sto. Niño, will be open 24 hours from Jan. 9 to 19 to accommodate devotees who come to pay homage to the original image of the Child Jesus, which is kept in a glass case at a side chapel inside the basilica.