Archdiocesan Celebration of Sto. Niño Feast 2023
By Fr. Louie Occiano
On the 2nd Sunday of January, we witnessed the Solemn Feast of the Hesus Nazareno. It was commemorated nationwide with Quiapo, Manila leading all celebrations. On January 15, all roads led to Cebu City to commemorate the Feast of the Santo Niño.
In the Archdiocese of Caceres, several parishes celebrated the feast of Santo Niño. In Tierra Nevada, Tinambac, a parish was established and named after Santo Niño, the titular patron. Likewise, a big celebration was held in Naga City. The Immaculate Concepcion Parish in collaboration with the city government of Naga held a solemn procession.
A concelebrated Eucharistic Celebration on the Feast of the Sto. Niño was presided by Rev. Fr. Domingo R. Florida as part of the 2023 Naga City Children’s Festival at the Jesse M. Robredo Coliseum, Ninoy and Cory Ave., Pilgrim City of Naga.
We, Filipinos love the Holy Child Jesus (Santo Nino) so much. He is very popular among us. Rich and poor alike maintain a strong, almost fanatical devotion to the Holy Child. Fiestas and processions are held in His honor. Statues and images have various forms and we dress Him up in royal robes, in police and fireman uniforms and many more. We have endearing names like Santo Nino de Suerte, Santo Nino Lagalag, Santo Nino na Sumasayaw, Santo de Cebu and many others. The image of the Child Jesus is displayed almost everywhere: in market stalls and business establishments, in public and private offices, in buses and jeepneys, private cars and in homes.
The devotion came to the Philippines in 1521 when Ferdinand Magellan gave Juana, the queen of Cebu, a statue of the Santo Niño as a baptismal gift. The image would later be known as El Santo Niño de Cebu. In 1565, Legazpi and a group of Augustinians arrived and found this image in a hut. This was a concrete proof that it was an object of veneration by the people. The Augustinians took the image and installed in Cebu Basilica and later, enshrined the image there. Santo Niño de Cebu was declared patron of the First Spanish Christian settlement in the Philippines. From this site, the devotion to the Santo Niño would spread throughout the archipelago.
The devotion to the Santo Niño can be traced back to the city of Prague in Czechoslovakia. A Spanish princess gifted the Carmelites with a 19-inch statue of the Child Jesus. The image of the Holy Child dressed in royal robes caught the attention of the people and they liked it. There were those who claimed to have received certain favors through the invocation of the Child Jesus. The number of devotees grew and, in no time, the devotion spread throughout Europe.
Group photo after the concelebrated Eucharistic Celebration on the Feast of the Sto. Niño which was presided by Rev. Fr. Domingo R. Florida, parish priest of the Immaculate Conception Parish. Priest concelebrants and altar servers joined the group photo. The mass was part of the 2023 Naga City Children’s Festival held at the Jesse M. Robredo Coliseum, Ninoy and Cory Ave., Pilgrim City of Naga on January 15. (Photo credit: Immaculate Conception Parish)