TACLOBAN CITY- Devotees and even ordinary believers are to pay their homage to Senior Santo Nino, patron of Tacloban as the city celebrates its 126th fiesta this year.
Palo Archbishop John Du will lead the pontifical concelebrated Mass scheduled at 9 a.m. while Naval Bishop Bactol will be presiding in the afternoon pontifical Mass at 6 p.m.
Borongan Diocese Bishop Crispin Varquez was the main celebrant during the pontifical concelebrated vigil Mass during the vesper day.
The city is to celebrate its 126th fiesta, 20 months after it was pummeled by supertyphoon “Yolanda” that resulted to massive destructions of properties and loss of lives of more than 2,200 people.
Fr. Ronel Taboso, pastor of the Sto. Niño Parish (SNP) in this city, said in his homily at the commemorative mass that the face of the Sto. Niño that smiles convey a message that we shall not worry for tomorrow.
The number of parishioners increased dramatically from 11,970 before the typhoon to 12,947 in 2014.
Church officials, mindful that full recovery is still far and that the poor people still need much help, appealed those who are fortunate to do justice and kindness, taking off this year’s theme of ““Look at Jesus…’Do justice and kindness.” (Mic. 6:8)
Father Wilson Chu, co-pastor of SNP, said that the theme “tells us to do justice to all the people even if they are poor or rich and we can do that if we look at Jesus who is the model who really gives importance to the poor.”
“Since we are victims of Yolanda and for the people who are in need, not just materially but in need of the presence of God, (the theme) is an invitation to all devotees to at least share the blessings that we receive that these people will feel the importance of Señor Sto. Niño in their lives,” Chu expounded.
This year’s celebration is not simply one with the usual devotion, but with gesture for more noble intent – creation of a foundation that will cater to the charity works of the parish.
This year also coincides with the universal Roman Catholic Church observance of the “Year of the Poor”, thus, the parish leadership feels that it is more momentous to be of service to others after almost the entire populace of the city, more severely those within the parish, are slumped to economic, psychological, emotional and even spiritual difficulty.
In this year’s concelebrated novena (nine-day) masses daily themes were set that swayed the drift of the sermon of the homilists.
Each day was presided by a priest who was not among the parish pastor or assistant parish priests of SNP.
The mass presiders were immediate past pastor of SNP Msgr. Alex Opiniano, Sacred Parish pastor Fr. Gil Manaog, Miraculous Medal Parish pastor and Palo Archdiocese Episcopal Vicar for Pastor Action Fr. Gilbert Urbina, Holy Rosary Parish pastor Fr. Danny Pongos, Palo Cathedral parish priest and Archdiocesan Vicar-General Msgr. Rex Ramirez, Archdiocesan Chancellor Ric Marpa, Sacred Heart Seminary Rector Fr. Erlito Maraya, Virgen de la Candelaria priest-in-charge Fr. Felomeno Borgueta and SVD priest Fr. Andy Guban.
