Thousands of devotees attend ‘Walk With Jesus’ procession

Thousands of faithful attend the Walk With Jesus procession (CDN PHOTO/CHRISTIAN MANINGO)

On spending 10 years in jail, Temoteo Lucernas had one prayer.

“Nanghinaut ko nga mahatagan og laing kahigayonan sa kinabuhi. (I wanted to be given a second chance at life),” he said.

Lucernas’ plea was granted in February last year after a court cleared him of rape charges which he said stemmed from a fabricated accusation that ruined his life.

At dawn yesterday, the 39-year-old ex-detainee woke up early to fulfill a promise to someone whom he credited for his newfound liberty.

“Ang Sto. Niño maoy nagpagawas kanako sa prisohan. Mao ni ang akong unang Fiesta Señor human makagawas sa priso. Og karon ania ko aron magpasalamat kaniya. Wala gayud niya ako pasagdi, og akong nasinati ang iyang kalooy. (The Sto. Niño set me free. This is my first Fiesta Señor after I was released from jail. And now I’m here to give Him thanks. He never abandoned me, and I have been a recipient of God’s mercy),” he said.

Lucernas was part of a huge throng of devotees who joined the annual “Penitential Walk With Jesus” from Fuente Osmeña to the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño at 4 a.m. today.

The two-kilometer prayer walk opens this year’s Fiesta Señor celebration in honor of the Child Jesus.

Lucernas opted to remain at the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC), not as an inmate, but as an adviser to detainees and an all-around maintenance man.

Cebu City Transportation Office (CCTO) chief of operations Joy Tumulak estimated the number of devotees who took part in today’s opening salvo at 300,000.

Young and old devotees carried with them images of the Sto. Niño as they recited the holy rosary and sang liturgical hymns which were aired live on radio and loud speakers.

There were no fireworks or balloons along the route of the solemn procession. The basilica’s courtyard which has a capacity of 3,500 was packed. Several devotees spilled over to the streets surrounding the church for the first novena Mass.

They watched the Eucharistic celebration through larged LED screens and television monitors installed around the basilica.

The flower-decked carroza that carried the image of the Sto. Niño arrived at the basilica at 5:26 a.m.

For the first time after more than two years, the bells at the centuries-old church pealed while people clapped and repeatedly shouted “Viva Pit Señor!” to welcome the image of the child Jesus.

The basilica’s bell tower collapsed during the 7.2-magnitude earthquake on Oct. 15, 2013. Its reconstruction was finished recently although finishing touches are still being applied.

Of the six bells, however, only three have been re-installed and were manually sounded during the procession yesterday.

At the start of his homily, Fr. Jonas Mejares, rector of the basilica, said he was extremely happy to hear the pealing of the bells after a long time. “I was overjoyed upon hearing the sound of the bells.

How wonderful it is to look at the bell tower rise again. All these are God’s gift,” he said in Cebuano as the congregation applauded. Mejares encouraged the faithful to contemplate God’s mercy and compassion, experience them, and to share them to others.

“The world we live in was originally so wonderful. And yet man destroyed it through its actions, through conflicts, and other unpleasant means. But thanks be to God. He sent His Son to teach us to be merciful and compassionate,” he said.

A selfie break for some of the faithful attending the Walk With Jesus procession. (CDN PHOTO/ JUNJIE MENDOZA)

This year’s Fiesta Señor carries the theme “Sto. Niño: Wellspring of Mercy and Compassion” which echoes the celebration of Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy as declared by Pope Francis.

Mejares, known as the singing Augustinian priest, ended his homily by singing a medley of “What a Wonderful World,” “Heal the World,” I Believe,” and “For Thine is Thy Kingdom.”

As part of tradition, the fiesta’s Hermano and Hermana Mayores for 2016—businessman Mario King and his wife Haydee–for were installed during the Mass with about 50 priests as concelebrants.

When the special hymn of the Sto. Niño “Bato-Balani sa Gugma” was sung, people waved their hands in the air in unison.

The basilica complex is open 24 hours a day starting yesterday until the feast day on January 17. Except on January 7 and 15 where there are dawn processions, 11 Masses will be held at the outdoor Pilgrim Center everyday leading to the feast day of the Sto. Nino.

The schedules are 4 a.m. (except on Jan. 8 and 16), 5:30 a.m., 7 a.m., 8:30 a.m., 10:00 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 4 p.m., 5:30 p.m., and 7 p.m.