CEBU CITY: The Augustinian friars of the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño here on Saturday said it’s all systems go for the celebration of the 459th Fiesta Señor 2024.
In an advisory, the Basilica said the nine-day novena in honor of the Sr. Sto. Niño will begin with a penitential ‘walk with Jesus’ at 4 a.m. on Jan. 11 and will be followed by a Holy Mass.
The novena will end on Jan. 19 with ‘walk with Mary’ at 4 a.m. and will be followed soon after by Misa de Traslacion at 5 a.m. at the Basilica.
The Traslacion, which will bring the sacred image of the Holy Child Jesus to Mandaue City, will be held at 6:45 a.m. of the same day, and another Traslacion to Lapu-Lapu City will start at noon on Jan. 20.
Also on Jan. 20, the traditional solemn foot procession will be held at 1 p.m. shortly after the reenactment of the first Mass, baptism, and wedding, commemorating the first Catholic sacraments that ever happened in Asia 502 years ago in 1521.
The Augustinian friars reiterated the changes in procession routes as
agreed through a series of meetings with the stakeholders.
This came as the penitential walk with Jesus will follow the shorter route from Fuente Osmeña, Osmeña Blvd., and back to Basilica while the penitential walk with Mary will use the V. Rama-B. Rodriguez corridor instead of the traditional walk from the Guadalupe Church via Capitol Site due to the ongoing construction of Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (CBRT) terminals.
Due to the massive construction activity along Osmeña Blvd., the traditional solemn foot procession will also take the six-kilometer southern cross towards Natalio Bacalso Ave.
‘The decision to change the processions for the 459th Fiesta Señor announced last November 15, 2023, was a collective decision of all concerned agencies both from Basilica del Sto. Niño and of the Cebu City Government,’ the advisory read.
It said that the safety of all devotees joining the procession is the primary concern of the Augustinian community and the fiesta working committee.
‘Moreover, for safety purposes, we
urge all devotees of Señor Santo Niño de Cebu who will join the processions to be always mindful of the yellow separator of CBRT development in Osmeña Blvd. In coordination with the Cebu City government headed by Mayor Michael Rama, we will take necessary measures for the safety of the devotees during the processions,’ the advisory added.
Source: Philippines News Agency