Cebu City road closures for Walk with Mary on Sunday and Osmeña Day on Monday

Thousands of Marian devotees join the “Walk with Mary” procession at dawn of Sept. 8, 2018, with more than 20 carousels boarded with the images of the Blessed Virgin, from Fuente Osmeña Rotunda to the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral, to celebrate the birthday of Mama Mary.|CDN FILE PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA

CEBU CITY, Philippines —  Some key roads in the city will be closed early tomorrow, Sunday, and on Monday morning due to the two significant celebrations in the city on these days, the Cebu City Transportation Office (CCTO) announced Saturday, September 7.

On Sunday, September 8, the stretch of Osmeña Boulevard from the Fuente Osmeña Circle to the P. Burgos Street junction, and the roads around the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral will be closed from 3 a.m. to 8 a.m. for the “Walk with Mary,” an annual Catholic procession held every first Sunday of September and organized by the Archdiocese of Cebu to commemorate the birth of the Blessed Mother Mary.

CCTO spokesperson Ronnie Nadera told CDN Digital by phone on Saturday that the closure will only involve one lane of Osmeña Boulevard, going to P. Burgos Street. The other lane, heading to the Fuente Circle from downtown Cebu City,  will still be open to motorists.

The annual Walk with Mary, a two-kilometer dawn procession, has been drawing thousands of Marian devotees each year.

Fr. Eric Orio blesses one of more than 20 images of the Blessed Virgin Mary on board a carousel which arrived at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral from a solemn procession (Walk with Mary) on Sept. 8, 2018, in celebration of Mama Mary’s birthday. CDN FILE PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA

Now a national holiday, September 8, 2019 will be celebrated by the Catholic faithful with a procession of Marian images and devotees walking from the Fuente Osmeña Circle to the Cathedral.

The Commission on the Laity has invited the public to join the prayer walk as a celebration of the Marian holiday that President Rodrigo Duterte has just signed into law.

Meanwhile, on Monday, September 9, the Osmeña Boulevard-Lapulapu Street junction will be closed from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. for the commemoration of 141st birth anniversary  of Sergio Osmeña Sr., the fourth president of the Philippines.

Nadera said all vehicles will be redirected either to P. Burgos Street or M.J. Cuenco Avenue.

Cebuanos pay homage to former President Sergio Osmeña Sr. by offering flowers at his marker along Osmeña Street, Cebu City during the commemoration of his birth anniversary on September 9, 2016. | CDN FILE PHOTO

The Cebu holiday will celebrated by the Cebu City government, led by its Cultural and Historical Affairs Commission (CHAC), at the Osmeña marker, which marks the place where Sergio Osmeña was born.

CHAC said in a statement that a no-frills, no-drama but a solemn program can be expected for this year’s celebration of Osmeña Day.

A Mass will be presided by CHAC Commissioner, Rev. Fr. Erik Orio, and will be followed by a solemn commemorative ceremony to be led by Acting Mayor and CHAC Chairman, Vice Mayor Michael Rama.

Heirs of Sergio Osmeña are expected to attend the commemoration, but CHAC said that Cebu City’s former mayor, Tomas Osmeña, will not be able to attend.

To speak on behalf of the clan would be  Richard Osmeña, director of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board in Western Visayas (LTFRB-6).

CHAC Commissioner Margarita Matheu is expected to give the opening remarks. Acting Mayor Michael Rama will deliver his Osmeña Day message.  A wreath-laying ceremony will follow after the short program. /elb