Last Friday evening a multi-ethnic group of more than 100 South
County residents gathered at St. Mary Catholic Community in Gilroy
to celebrate a special occasion, the Feast of the Holy Child. They
were commemorating an event which is very important in the history
of the Philippines.
Last Friday evening a multi-ethnic group of more than 100 South County residents gathered at St. Mary Catholic Community in Gilroy to celebrate a special occasion, the Feast of the Holy Child. They were commemorating an event which is very important in the history of the Philippines.
In 1521 the explorer Ferdinand Magellan landed in the port of Cebu in the Philippine Islands on behalf of the King of Spain. Within a week, 1,000 Filipinos, including their leader, Rajah Humabon, were baptized. Magellan marked the occasion by presenting Queen Juana with a wooden statue of the Christ Child.
When the Spanish returned more than 40 years later under Miguel Legazpi, a battle occurred with some natives hostile to Spain. The Spanish who came ashore later found a small wooden hut undamaged by the raging fire caused by artillery and inside, also undamaged, was the statue given earlier to the Queen.
This miracle was just the first of many attributed to the statue, now called The Holy Child or El Señor Santo Niño. Devotion to the Holy Child grew; during World War II Cebu was spared the devastation of Japanese bombing, according to legend, because cloud cover repeatedly hid the city from enemy bombers.
The Holy Child/Santo Nino de Cebu has been recognized by the Vatican. In 1964, on the 400th anniversary of Legazpi’s expedition, Pope John XXIII sent a papal legate for the Pontifical crowning of the statue.
The statue itself, a replica of which was present for veneration at St. Mary, is a two-foot tall smiling child dressed in regal robes and crown, holding the earth in his left hand with his right hand held up in gesture of peace. He is considered the Divine Protector of the Philippines.
The Gilroy celebration included a procession into the church, a mass featuring special prayers to Santo Nino, a homily by Father Peter Seimas stressing the theme of God’s power to support and protect Christians through their faith in Jesus, and a potluck meal welcoming all who participated in the happy occasion.
Gilroy’s celebration was only one of many held throughout the Diocese of San Jose during a Novena (nine days of special prayers) to the Holy Child. Parishes in Mountain View, Milpitas, and San Jose are also holding events, culminating with a Santo Niño Festival at St. Joseph Cathedral tomorrow at noon which will be presided over by Bishop Patrick McGrath.
Santo Niño is a major festival in the Philippines, where approximately 87 percent of the population is Roman Catholic. The crowds dance with the holy figure, using a peculiar beat and movement called “sulog” which suggests a “river current,” representing the voyage of the Santo Nino through the seas to the Philippine Islands. The occasion is much like Mardi Gras, marked with music, fireworks, carnival, and cultural shows.
The Holy Child Feast was sponsored by St. Mary’s Filipino community as a chance to share with others an aspect of their Filipino culture. According to Dorie Sandow, one of the event’s organizers, “The more people know about each other, the more people share something of themselves, the easier it is to break down barriers. We all benefit from the American culture; we hope that by sharing what we are all about, the South County community will also benefit from what we have to offer.”
Anyone of any ethnic group is welcome to join this group and share its cultural, spiritual and civic goals. For more information call 847-5151; for more about the Holy Child see the Internet at www.santoninodecebu.org/
Chuck Flagg teaches English at Mt. Madonna High School in Gilroy. He lives in Morgan Hill with his wife and two sons. For correspondence, write him at The Times, 30 E. Third St., Morgan Hill, 95037.
