Pilgrims in unprecedented numbers

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The increasing number of pilgrims who attend the festivities in honor of Señor Santo Nino was a topic among broadcast anchors after witnessing the annual solemn procession last Saturday and the grand parade that followed yesterday.
At least two million people, or 200,000 more compared to last year’s, joined the annual solemn procession on the eve of the feast. The crowd estimate was based on police reports given by ground commanders assigned along the procession route.
May I offer three factors to the unprecedented numbers?
One, many delegates to the upcoming International Eucharistic Congress slated next week arrived early to witness the Sinulog. Two, Cebu City is an all-time favorite among foreign tourists because of our unique culture, best illustrated in the Sinulog which also keeps getting better and better every year. Three, we live in the digital age and whatever we share in the Internet through social media generates a lot of interest around the world.
Last Saturday’s solemn procession which wound up at the Pilgrim Center of the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño lasted more than four hours. Out of two million who joined the procession, I wonder how many attended the 6 p.m. Mass because it was impossible for them to get inside the Pilgrim Center. The place was already filled when my family arrived there at 3 in the afternoon. We had to go to the second level where a sea of umbrellas greeted us. I learned pilgrims started arriving as early as 1 p.m. and braved the scorching heat of the sun. Fortunately, the basilica supplied the early birds with umbrellas.
I’m not sure if the Augustinians who tend to the basilica and the icon of the Senor Santo Niño are studying ways to expand the Pilgrim Center because every year, the pilgrims keep coming in unprecedented numbers.
Built in 1990, the Pilgrim Center can accommodate only 3,500. During the novena days, devotees fill every square inch of the area including the streets surrounding the basilica.
A conservative estimate of attendance per novena mass would be around 10,000. Multiply that with 11 daily masses and you get 110,000 people going in and out of the basilica complex a day. Multiply that with 11 – 9 novena days plus one day dedicated for rites installing the Hermano and Hermana mayor and yesterday’s fiesta mass – and you have at least 1.2 million people who have gone in and out of the basilica these past 11 days.
Last Saturday’s solemn procession lived up to its narrative: very fervent. Along the procession route, participants joined in the recitation of the Holy Rosary by listening to broadcast feeds of AM and FM stations, from where the pre-recorded prayers are played. Marian songs were interspersed and animated the rosary prayers until the procession ended in the basilica.
This year, the mass which capped the foot procession started 30 minutes early. The main presider was Archbishop of Palo John Du who, like other ordinary pilgrims, makes it a point to visit the basilica every year, except last year because Pope Francis visited Palo, Tacloban City and other areas badly hit by Super Typhoon Yolanda.
Archbishop John Du shared his experiences at the height of the supertyphoon which destroyed 56 out of 58 parish and mission churches in the Archdiocese of Palo. The memories of Yolanda continue to linger, but the visit of Pope Francis gave Archbishop Du and his flock much strength and inspiration. According to the good bishop, he went to the basilica filled with so much thanksgiving that I think when he saw the icon of the Santo Niño in the office of Rector Jonas Mejares, he must have turned emotional.
Devotion to the Santo Niño is a mark of childlike faith and when ordinary Catholics see the same fervent belief among members of the Catholic hierarchy like Archbishop John Du, the example gives them a lot of inspiration. The effect for others can be transformational, from just being believers, they become evangelizers through the witness of their lives.
Last Saturday’s mass was followed by the religious Sinulog, in which the main presider led the throng of devotees, dancing and praying to the Santo Niño. Archbishop John Du stayed up for one hour, carrying the image and handing it over to the next priest or religious who lined up to kiss, carry and dance with the icon.
The praying and dancing lasted until 8 o’clock in the evening and it seemed mass goers wanted the religious event to go on and on. It was only when a lay minister bade the crowd good night and asked everyone to disperse because church workers needed to clean the Pilgrim Center for next day’s High Mass that the people finally called it a day.