The Basilica of the Holy Infant of Jesus in Tacloban, the Philippines, has been a pilgrimage site for the archdiocese since November. When Pope Francis visited the country in January 2015, he visited Tacloban to visit the victims of the typhoon and presided over a Thanksgiving ceremony for them.
(Vatican News Network)The Santo Niño parish church in the Philippines will be promoted as a pilgrimage site for the archdiocese from November, with the permission of the local archbishop John Du. The priest of the church, Kelvin Apurillo, explained that the request was made to make this sanctuary “a place of pilgrimage, where believers can experience not only physical healing, but also “God The kindness, compassion, and infinite and unconditional love”. There will be a parade before the promotion of the sanctuary to a pilgrimage site. From October 15th to 16th, the baby Jesus will be carried around the city. Next, October From the 20th to the 22nd, the statue of the Holy Child will tour the three parishes of the archdiocese.
In the Philippines, the statue of the Infant Jesus is highly respected by believers. In Cebu Class B Temple, there is a very respected statue of the Holy Child. On April 14, 1521, 500 years ago, the Portuguese navigator Magellan arrived in Cebu, took the statue of the baby Jesus there, and gave it to the baptized Queen Juana. Later, the queen’s husband Humabang and about 800 indigenous people were also baptized. The first Christian community in the Philippines was then formed. When Delegaspi of Spain arrived in Cebu in 1565, one of his soldiers found a small statue of the baby in a private house destroyed by fire, but the statue of the baby Jesus was still intact and was held high. Parade throughout the city. Since then, Filipino Catholics have celebrated the Infant’s Day of Jesus on the 3rd Sunday of January every year, and held a grand parade to commemorate this important event.
In the hearts of the faithful of Duvanlu, apart from the statue of the Baby Jesus, there must be a pastoral visit by Pope Francis in January 2015. On that occasion, the Pope celebrated Mass for the survivors of Typhoon Haiyan. It was hit by Typhoon Haiyan in November 2013, killing more than 6,000 people. In a sense, the mass scene was also unforgettable. The pope celebrated mass for the victims during the storm. He said in Spanish during the Mass sermon, “I don’t know what to say to you. But the Lord knows. We are not alone: we have a Lord who can cry with us, who can accompany us in the most difficult moments of life. Our Lord”.
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