The Sto. Niño carroza inches it way through the huge crowd gathered in Imus Avenue, Barangay Lorega, Cebu City during last year’s procession. /CDN file
Cebu City, Philippines – All is set for the feast of the Señor Sto. Niño de Cebu.
Fr. Ric Anthony Reyes, OSA, spokesperson of the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño, said they have long been ready for Cebu’s biggest feast as they expect hundreds of people to pay homage to the child Jesus starting next week.
“We are now very prepared for the Fiesta Señor,” he said in an interview.
The Fiesta Señor 2019 officially starts at 4 a.m. on Thursday, January 10, with the annual “Walk with Jesus,” a penitential foot procession from Fuente Osmeña to the Basilica. The two-kilometer walk is expected to draw thousands of devotees.
This year’s fiesta Hermano and Hermana Mayores, lawyer Paul Yabao and wife Dioscora Yabao, will be installed during the liturgical celebration.
This year’s celebration carries the theme “Sto. Niño: Guide of God’s Children to Humility and Service,” which is patterned to the pastoral thrust of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) on the Year of the Youth.
Except on January 10 and 18, when there are dawn processions, 11 Masses will be held at the Pilgrim Center every day leading to the feast of the Sto. Niño.
“It is always better to be spiritually prepared for the Fiesta Señor. Let us pray for peace and understanding in our community,” Reyes said. bjo