By Jonnah C. Abellano NAGA CITY — The winners of the 3rd Annual Peñafrancia Pilgrims’ On-the-Spot Essay Writing Contest were recognized and awarded on October 6, 2026, during the Feast Day Mass in honor of the Most Holy Rosary at the Holy Rosary Minor Seminary. The writing competition, held on September 12, 2026, at the same venue, brought together student writers from 15 schools and one parish across Camarines Sur, giving young people a platform to express their faith, insig

By Rose Civico and Caceres News Correspondents NAGA CITY, CAMARINES SUR — The river waited, but the people did not leave; and in waiting, the prayers and the sacrifices of the faithful Bicolanos revealed that devotion to Our Lady of Peñafrancia is a journey that excels time and circumstance. As the low water level of the Naga River delayed the 2026 Fluvial Procession, thousands of devotees remained in prayerful anticipation, their eyes fixed on the waters and their hearts tur

By Lilette P. Manauis The Peñafrancia Fluvial Procession continues to be the summit of Bicolano culture, faith, and identity for more than three centuries now. Every September, millions of pilgrims gather along the riverbanks of the Naga River to witness the image of Nuestra Señora de Peñafrancia, whom we affectionately call Ina, and El Divino Rostro triumphantly traverse back to the Basilica. However, recent interruptions due to unprecedented low water levels have resulted i

by Mary Rose Civico and Caceres News Correspondents Before the bells ring and before the streets are filled with the movement of thousands of devotees, another kind of procession has already begun. A line of first aid and food tents has been put up the night before September 11 when the Traslacion happens. Along the Traslacion route, faith is carried not only by the devotees but also by the hands that serve them – they do not carry the image of Our Lady of Peñafrancia but the

By Lilette P. Manauis NAGA CITY, Philippines, September 17, 2026 — The Archdiocese of Caceres, together with its suffragan dioceses of Legazpi and Sorsogon, celebrates their historic Inter-Diocesan Diamond Jubilee with a solemn thanksgiving Mass at the Naga Metropolitan Cathedral, the event also marks the conclusion of the three-day Union of Bicol Clergy (UBC) 2026. Most Rev. Charles John Brown, DD, Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines, presided over the Holy Mass. He was joi

By Jonnah Abellano Drawing an unprecedented assembly of shepherds from across the region, the Union of Bicol Clergy (UBC) 2026 is currently underway, running from September 15 to 17, 2026, kicking off yesterday with a powerful display of episcopal unity. The landmark gathering brings together 299 registered priests representing all ecclesiastical territories in the Bicol Region and beyond. Led by Archbishop Rex Andrew C. Alarcon of the Archdiocese of Caceres, Bishop Herman G

By Mary Rose B. Civico and Maria Emargelyn Garcia The Camino de Peñafrancia began in September 2022, offering devotees an experience of pilgrimage where the physical journey becomes an opportunity for spiritual reflection, prayer, and renewal. With every step, peregrines carry personal intentions as they journey toward Naga City, the heart of the Peñafrancia devotion. The initiative was inspired by Dennis Marpuri, one of the founders of the Camino, who recalled being amazed u

Lilette P. Manauis and Roj Falcon NAGA CITY, Philippines, September 11, 2026 – A thick layer of devotees, shoulder to shoulder in the Naga Metropolitan Cathedral grounds and overflowing to the outer streets of Elias Angeles and Jorge Barlin, gather to attend the Traslacion Mass presided by His Grace, Most Rev. Rex Andrew C. Alarcon, archbishop of Caceres. Joined by all the bishops in the Bicol Region, Caceres clergy, and some visiting priests from other dioceses, Archbishop A

By Lilette P. Manauis NAGA CITY, Philippines – The transfer of the image of Our Lady of Peñafrancia from the Minor Basilica to the Old Shrine on the feast day of the Divino Rostro took place early this morning, September 11, 2026 through a solemn dawn procession known as Pagbalyo ki Ina. At daybreak today, around 4:00 a.m., thousands of devotees walk through the streets of Naga City accompanying the sacred image of Ina, Our Lady of Peñafrancia, as she is transferred from her

By Lilette P. Manauis NAGA CITY, Philippines — Willed by the expectation of millions of pilgrims, devotees, and tourists turning up this September for the Peñafrancia festivities, the Naga City Local Government Unit (LGU) and the Archdiocese of Caceres have properly coordinated their operations through the activation of the city’s Incident Management Team (IMT). The signing of a standard multi-agency agreement involving local authorities and church leaders, binds the execut

By Aimee Lazaro NAGA CITY, Philippines – At midnight, the streets of Naga City are dim and quiet. But in the early hours of September 5, a procession moves through the sleeping city. The sacred images of Our Lady of Peñafrancia, our Ina, and the Divino Rostro are carried from the Minor Basilica through the streets toward Peñafrancia Avenue and back. Then, at Colgante Bridge, the procession stops. A few devotees gather near the sacred images, while others remain along both edg

By Francis Tordilla Priestly formation must begin with relationships, said Fr. Andrew Recepcion, the only Filipino member of the Vatican study group tasked with rethinking priestly formation for a synodal and missionary Church. “Synodality is fundamentally about relationship,” Recepcion told 42 seminary formators from across Bikol during the Bicol Formators’ Conference, “Formation in a Synodal Missionary Key,” held September 3–4, 2026 at the Isabelle Hotel along Peñafrancia

By Lilette P. Manauis NAGA CITY, Philippines — Members of religious organizations from parishes of the Archdiocese of Caceres gathered in the Pilgrim City on September 2, 2026, as Harubay 2026 signaled the start of the feast of Our Lady of Peñafrancia with a motorcade procession. Now on its 17th year and bearing the theme "Harubay: A Pilgrimage of Hope, Faith, and Love," the event served as the spiritual drumbeat for the month-long celebration of devotion to El Divino Rostr

By Atty. Christianne Mary Villanueva This is the evening Naga begins to walk. From the Basilica Minore of Our Lady of Peñafrancia, the faithful gathered behind an image that has journeyed through generations of faith and devotion, the merciful face of Jesus, El Divino Rostro. Yesterday, September 1, after the 5:15 p.m. Mass, the sacred image of the Divino Rostro was brought from its home at the Basilica Minore to the Parish of Our Lady of Peñafrancia, its Old Shrine. The Arch

By Queena D. Padron “Dai man ini basta sayaw. May panata ako.” It is a simple explanation, but for a devotee standing among hundreds of others during the annual celebration of St. Clare of Assisi in Tigaon, the words carry a meaning far deeper than the movement of the body. Every August 11, on the eve of the feast of Tigaon’s patron saint, the streets surrounding St. Clare of Assisi Parish become a moving expression of faith. Devotees gather, music fills the air, hands rise,

By Ejay Conmigo The Caceres Commission on Communications (CCCom), through its official digital news platform, Caceres News, conducted a retooling workshop themed “Sharpening Our Mission, Strengthening Our Stories.” The activity gathered 16 Social Communications Ministry volunteers and parish bulletin writers from across the Archdiocese of Caceres at the Holy Rosary Minor Seminary on Saturday, August 8. In his talk on the mission of Caceres News, CCCom Director Fr. Francis Tor

English Category Division 1 Winners Mater Omnis by Gerard Dean S. Villamil, Holy Rosary Minor Seminary Our Lady of Peñafrancia reminds us not only of her title as the "Mother of All Bicolanos" but also of her deep identity as the "Mother to All". Her image by the river, carried and adored by thousands of faithful who cry, 'Viva la Virgen!', shows a mother's enduring love that never abandons her children. Ina embraces each one of us, no matter how broken or how far we are. She

By Crisel Dionisio The Bishop Francisco Gainza Trade Fair (BFGTF) 2026 Media Conference gathered 19 media partners and key collaborators in Camarines Sur last August 10, 2026 at the Johanine Hall of the Naga Metropolitan Cathedral. Fr. Francis A. Tordilla, director of Caceres Commission on Communications, started the event with his opening remarks. In his speech he welcomed and acknowledged all the participants and media personnel present in the conference. After which th

By Lilette P. Manauis The Camino de Peñafrancia (CDP) embarks on its fifth year with new paths, new spiritual director, and new partnerships as the pilgrimage starts on August 30, 2026 in Sorsogon City, Sorsogon, then proceeds through Albay and continues to Camarines Sur. The pilgrimage culminates on September 11, 2026, coincides with the Traslacion and completes a 13-day spiritual journey. The devotion grows in participation and spreads in church itineraries as the Diocese

By Natalie Hazel Quimlat Three ecclesiastical territories in the Bicol region marked their 75th anniversaries this week, commemorating a historic Church reorganization that reshaped Catholic governance across southern Luzon. The milestone traces its roots to Pope Pius XII’s 1951 papal bull Quo in Philippina Republica, which elevated Caceres to a metropolitan archdiocese and created the dioceses of Legazpi and Sorsogon. The Archdiocese of Caceres celebrated the diamond jubilee