Hundreds of devotees crowd the image of the Sto Niño as it was about to leave the basilica for the National Shrine of St. Joseph, Mandaue City, in this January 13, 2017 photo.
CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA
Oponganons have something to smile about.
The images of the Sto. Niño and the Our Lady of Guadalupe will pass by the Nuestra Señora de Regla National Shrine in Lapu-Lapu City for the first time, before the start of the fluvial procession on January 20, 2018.
The Augustinian fathers of the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño have decided to extend the annual Traslacion from Mandaue City to the adjacent island of Mactan in response to numerous requests from Oponganons who want to be visited by the images during the festivities.
“We’re not in any way changing the spirit of the Traslacion. We will simply extend it to Lapu-Lapu City to allow more devotees to venerate the sacred images. We’re doing this for the pastoral need of reaching out to more people as the devotion to the Child Jesus continues to grow year after year,” said Fr. Ric Anthony Reyes, OSA, the secretary of the 2018 Fiesta Señor Executive Committee, in a press conference on Friday.
The modifications were approved by Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma.
Next year’s Traslacion or ritual transfer of the images of the Sto. Niño and the Our Lady of Guadalupe from the basilica will start after the 5:30 a.m.
Mass on January 19, Friday. From the basilica, the images will be brought to the National Shrine of St. Joseph in Mandaue City.
The motorcade will pass along D. Jakosalem Street, right to General Maxilom Avenue, left to Gorordo Avenue, right to Archbishop Reyes Avenue, straight to Gov. M. Cuenco Avenue and right to A.S. Fortuna Street.
Mandauehanons will welcome the images at the boundary of the cities of Cebu and Mandaue in Banilad, said lawyer Paul Yabao, overall Fiesta Señor consultant.
From Banilad, the motorcade will then proceed to A. del Rosario and S.B. Cabahug Streets before reaching the shrine in Mandaue City where the two images will stay for an overnight vigil.
At 2 a.m. on January 20, Saturday, a send-off Mass will be celebrated at the National Shrine of St. Joseph. But unlike in previous years, there will be no more foot procession that will bring the images of the Sto. Niño and the Our Lady of Guadalupe to the Ouano Wharf in Barangay Looc.
Instead, the images will be transported in another motorcade to the Nuestra Señora de Regla National Shrine in Lapu-Lapu City for a public veneration.
At around 5:30 a.m., the images will be transferred to the nearby Muelle Osmeña for the start of the fluvial procession along the Mactan Channel.
Another modification in next year’s religious activity is the use of another sea vessel to transport the two miraculous images back to Cebu City by sea.
Fr. Aladdin Luzon, OSA, director of the Safety, Security, and Peace and Order Committee of the Fiesta Señor celebration, said they will no longer be using the yacht owned by the family of the late Ernesto Ouano, which was traditionally used as the “galleon” for about three decades.
Luzon said they decided to use the BRP Bagobo AT-293 of the Philippine Navy that has a capacity of 150 persons, for next year’s galleon.
Luzon said among those who will be allowed to board the vessel are Archbishop Palma, some priests, the present and former Hermano and Hermana Mayores, and men dressed as Spanish soldiers who will take part in the reenactment of the first Catholic Mass, baptism and wedding that will be staged after the fluvial procession.
“We will entertain bidders or ship owners who want to accommodate the images of the Sto. Niño and the Our Lady of Guadalupe in future fluvial processions. The Ouanos of Mandaue can still join,” Luzon said.
Luzon said there were requests from the Ouano family to forgo the planned modifications in next year’s Traslacion, and instead continue the tradition of bringing the images to their private wharf as well as use their galleon for the fluvial procession.
But the Augustinians, he said, stood firm on their decision to extend the Traslacion to Lapu-Lapu City, and to allow other ship owners to transport the images of the Sto. Niño and the Our Lady of Guadalupe.
“We expect oppositions as we implement the modifications in the Traslacion. We apologize. But we consider the wide-ranging benefits, or the pastoral need of reaching out to more devotees,” Luzon explained.
Given the growing number of Sto. Niño devotees, Fr. Reyes appealed to the people to consider the greater good these modifications will bring about.