City Sponsors Novena Mass

Mayor Michael Rama and Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella led the thousands of employees of the city government here in sponsoring the 1pm Novena Mass for Señor Santo Niño de Cebu yesterday January 7, 2016 Thursday.

Thousands of devotees of the Holy Child from the different walks of life also partook in the religious activity. The Basilica del Santo Niño management provided umbrellas to the pilgrims to protect from the scorching heat of the sun while attending the mass.

The Holy Mass was presided by Father Bartolome C. Sagadal, retired Jail senior superintendent and chaplain of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology regional office 7.

In his homily, Father Sagadal appealed to everyone to pay homage to Senior Santo Niño citing that He is the reason why we are celebrating the Festivity and also to live morally upright in accordance with the teachings of the Church.

The officiating priest also blessed Mayor Rama and Vice Mayor Labella right after the Holy Mass. The 15 other priests who concelebrated the mass together with other lay ministers also blessed the religious items mostly images of the Holy Child brought by the devotees who flocked in the Pilgrim Center.

Big light-emitting diodes screens and television monitors are also installed around the Basilica to cater the other Devotees.

The devotees waved their hands when the Gozos of the Sto. Niño hymn entitled “Bato-Balani sa Gugma” was sung during the offertory. Others clapped and shouted “Viva Pit Señor!” at the end of the Novena Mass.

Series of masses are scheduled for the 9-day Novena Masses at 5:30, 7, 8:30, 10, and 11:30 in the morning and at 1, 2:30, 4, and 5:30 in the afternoon, and at 7 o’clock in the evening everyday.

Today marked the first day of the 9-day Novena Masses for the 451st Fiesta Señor celebration. This year’s festivity bears the theme, “Santo Niño : Wellspring of Mercy and Compassion,” coinciding with the Catholic Church celebration of Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy as declared by Pope Francis.

Furthermore, to give an ample time to the devotees coming from the different parts not just in the Philippines but also around the world to visit and pay homage to Señor Santo Niño, the Basilica complex is now open 24 hours everyday since yesterday until January 17, the Feast Day of the Holy Child Jesus. (Cebu City Public Information Office PIO/Greggy Jiggs P. Senados)