Onglonan Festival marks parish silver anniversary

By Myrna. S. Bermudo

In celebration of the 25th foundation anniversary of Our Lady of the Remedies Parish, the parish invites everyone to be part of the Parochial Fiesta First Onglonan Festival that started April 23 and will last until May 2, this year.

From the book Caceres in Bikol, the parish was founded on April 29, 1997, “having in mind the pastoral care and spiritual welfare of those residing in the barangays living on the slopes of Mt. Isarog and considering the distance of these barangays from the parishes of either Pili or Ocampo, Msgr. Noriel Priela and Fr. Amado Cañaveral jointly proposed the creation of Our Lady of Remedies Parish that would serve the barangays and sitios.” The parish church is located in Curry, an upland barangay of the municipality of Pili.

Daily novena masses are scheduled to honor various sectors: on the 1st day: Mass for jeepney, tricycle, door to door drivers and operators’ association; 2nd day: Mass for Senior Citizens; 3rd day: Mass for students and teachers; 4th day: Mass for Women; 5th day: Mass for the Barangay/ Municipal officials and government employees; 6th day: Mass for Farmers; 7th day: Mass for the Youth and Children; 8th day: Mass for the Indigenous Persons (IPs) and on the 9th day, the Feast Day Mass.

Curry Parish celebrates Onglonan Festival. On April 23, 2023, the 1st Day of Novena Mass at Our Lady of Remedies Parish, Curry, Pili, the parish gave honor to the Jeepney, Tricycle, Door-to-door Drivers and Operators . Fr Ricky A. Colinares blesses the honorees with holy water who gathered in front of the church. (Photo by Our Lady of Remedies Parish)

Various civic and religious activities were also lined -up: Seminar on Violence Against Women and Children on April 26; Street Dancing and Float Competition on April 27; Children’s Activity on April 29; Tribal Dance on April 30; Procession of barangay and sitio patron saints on May 1 and the Feast Day Mass on May 2.

“Onglonan” comes from the word ‘hunglon’ which means a gathering, meeting or assembly to work together and or to engage in mutual help. (Malcom W. Mintz, 2004).

Fr. Ricky A. Colinares, parish priest, together with the parish youth ministry and parish pastoral council conceptualised the Onglonan Festival to gather different sectors in the community for a more participative celebration of the silver jubilee of the parish foundation.