Archbishop urges devotees to honor commitments

By Myrna S. Bermudo

A clergy recollection ushered in the Peñafrancia festivities in the Archdiocese of Caceres, seat of the devotion to Ina, Our Lady of Penafrancia and Divino Rostro.

‘This is an expression of our commitment. We, as clergy, would wish to be faithful to the commitment, “ said Most Rev. Rex Andrew C. Alarcon, DD, Archbishop of Caceres.

“Many times in history, the clergy made a vow to Our Lady of Penafrancia and Divino Rostro. Kaya ngani pag-minaluwas an Divino Rostro an enot na minaalsa kaini an mga kapadian, nin huli ta iyo yan an saindang pangako. Pangako bako lang para sainda, kundi para sa banwaan nin Dios. Asin kita nangako na aatamanon, dai pagpabayaan an mahal na debosyon sa Mahal na Ina. (Whenever the image of the Divino Rostro is processed, it is first carried by the clergy, because it was their vow. A vow made not only for themselves but for the people of God. We also made a vow to take care of the devotion to Ina.)”

Every year, a day before the start of the novena to the Divino Rostro, the priests of the Archdiocese of Caceres gather for a recollection to prepare themselves spiritually for the Peñafrancia festivities.

Official portrait of the newly restored 142-year-old image of El Divino Rostro of Bicol.(Portrait photo: Vince Puno)

Alarcon presided over the Mass at the Minor Basilica and National Shrine of Our Lady of Peñafrancia after the clergy recollection held on September 3 at the Legaspi Hall. After the mass, a procession was held to transfer the image of the Divino Rostro from the Basilica to the Old Peñafrancia Shrine where the novena masses would be held. The Caceres clergy carried the image of the Divino Rostro.

The Archbishop, seminarians, the religious and hundreds of devotees accompanied the image and were warmly welcomed at the Old Shrine as devotees applauded and shouted, “Viva el Divino Rostro!”

“Sisters and brothers, our commitment for this year and the challenge for all of us is that we all grow in keeping our vows and promises or commitments whatever is the status of our life – commitment to God, commitment to our family, commitment to the community, commitment to our advocacies and friends. May nurturing our devotion to the Divino Rostro and to our Ina, give us renewed fervor towards God and caring for our neighbor,” Alarcon added.

Challenging the devotees, he said: “To be true to our commitment, we must continue to use the symbols of our commitment because these remind us of and reinforce our commitment.”

Referring to the importance of the restoration project of the image of the Divino Rostro, he said: “Thus, this year is special because, concretely, we were able to restore the painting of the Divino Rostro.”

The National Historical Commission of the Philippine, in collaboration with the Archdiocese of Caceres and Our Lady of Peñafrancia Basilica Minore and National Shrine, restored the image last June. It was unveiled with its newly crafted andas and frame during the clergy recollection.

Furthermore, the archbishop said that the condition of the centuries-old image of Our Lady of Penafrancia was also evaluated. Its preservation will be looked into. “It was this image which received the canonical coronation in 1924 for two criteria: antiquity and the miracles attributed to the intercession of Our Lady of Penafrancia. Concretely, we take care of the images of devotion; by doing so, we nurture, preserve, and hopefully continue to share the devotion.”

Warning that commitments might crumble, he gave some advice: “Tanganing maging maimbod kita digdi sa panuga na atamanon, padanayon asin palakupon an debosyon sa Mahal na Ina asin sa Divino Rostro, kaipuhan an pagtao kan sadiri. Kun mayo an pagtao kan sadiri, mawawara an panuga, magin sa kapwa, magin sa agom, magin sa trabaho o anuman na adbokasia, yaon an pagtao kan sadiri. Kaya uya kita ngunian, ipinapanuga man an satuyang sadiri an satong panahon, an satong espwerso, an satong kakayahan. Iyo ini para kita magin totoo asin mautob ta an satong pinanindugan, an satuyang pinapanugaan. (To commit ourselves in nurturing, preserving and sharing the devotion to Ina and to the Divino Rostro, we need to give our own selves. Without the giving of self, the vow of commitment will fade, the commitment to others, to spouse, to work, or to advocacy. Thus, we are all here, making a vow, a commitment of ourselves, of our efforts, our skills and talents so we can stand by principles and fulfill our vows.)

The tradition to hold a clergy recollection before the start of the novena to the Divino Rostro began during the tercentenary of the devotion in 2010, as an opportunity for introspection and to emphasize the spiritual character of the Peñafrancia Festivities.