Devotees of the Child Jesus, popularly known as the Santo Niño, in the central Philippine province of Cebu are reminded to always keep the faith amid the challenges they encounter.
“This is the time to turn to Señor Santo Niño, not only to heal us, but to give us the courage and strength to face our own battles in life and to give us his true and lasting peace,” said Msgr. Jan Thomas Limchua, a Filipino priest who works in the Vatican.
The priest made the call during the start of the nine-day Masses for the Child Jesus at the Basilica Minore del Sto.Niño de Cebu.
On Thursday, January 5, thousands of devotees joined the Penitential Walk with Jesus ahead of the celebration of the feast of the Santo Niño in Cebu.
At least 2,000 security personnel were deployed for the entire celebration, consisting of members of the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office and the Philippine National Police.
It was the first time in three years that a Walk with Jesus was held since the pandemic started.
Father John Ion Miranda of the Secretariat of the Fiesta Señor 2023 noted that the number of people who attended the Mass after the procession increased compared to the previous years.
Father Miranda said at least 35,000 people attended the Mass after the procession.
“In our assessment, the attendees doubled or even tripled. We do not have the crowd estimate for the procession but for the Mass, the crowd inside and outside the church may have tripled,” said Father Miranda.
Father Miranda noted that despite the large crowd, the procession started and ended smoothly.
“It was very orderly. We are very thankful to the police and other agencies as well as the devotees for making the procession solemn,” Father Miranda said
