Fiesta Señor celebrated in Naga City, devotees urged to follow Sto. Niño as global standard

By Natalie Hazel Quimlat

In the Pilgrim City of Naga, the feast of the Sto. Niño is joyfully celebrated every 3rd Sunday of

January, in union with the central celebration in the Archdiocese of Cebu. Each year,

Immaculate Conception Parish (ICP), in partnership with the local government of Naga,

organizes the celebration.

The local devotion to the Sto. Niño began in 1979, when the Cofradia del Sto. Niño was

organized in the ICP after a group of devotees from Cebu visited Naga City with the image of

the Child Jesus. Fr. Alfonso Grageda, then Parish Priest, hosted these devotees, whose aim is

to promote devotion to the Sto. Niño. After seeing the spiritual impact of their visit, Grageda,

with the support of then Archbishop Teopisto Alberto, allowed the Parish to flourish into what is

now known as the seat of the widespread Cebuano devotion in Caceres.

This year, the feast of Sto. Niño was held last January 18, with the theme: “In Sto. Niño, we are

one.” Hundreds of devotees gathered at the Immaculate Conception Parish before making their

way to the Balatas Development Complex, where a mass was celebrated after the procession

and street dance. Present during the celebration were ICP Parish Priest Fr. Emmanuel Marc

Real, Parochial Vicar Fr. Roy Gueriña, Naga City Mayor Leni Robredo, and Vice Mayor Gabby

Bordado.

Priest decries ‘pwede na’ attitude

In his homily for the Fiesta Señor, Holy Rosary Minor Seminary Rector, Fr. Francis Tordilla,

largely spoke about the iconography of the globe held by the Child Jesus in His hand and the

culture of complacency and tolerance of substandard work.

Addressing the devotees of the Child Jesus, Tordilla asked, “When will we go beyond and be

better than the ‘pwede na iyan’ attitude?” The feast of the Sto Niño, he said, reminds us that the

Child Jesus is the global standard for one’s work, attitude, and relationship with God.

Tordilla emphasized that God did not become complacent, nor was He contented with band-aid

solutions to show His love and mercy for His people. “Instead, God became one of us,” he said.

The Child Jesus also teaches us three things: how to pray, how to obey the Father, and how to

show compassion to the poor, in whom one could possibly encounter the Lord.

In closing, Tordilla called the faithful to personal transformation and spiritual growth. “When we

see the image of the Sto. Niño, it is an invitation to change our quick-fix mentality,” he said. “To

change from within, without any shortcuts,” Pope assures spiritual closeness to Sto. Niño

devotees. The Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, also expressed his closeness to the devotees of the

Child Jesus. Pope Leo, who had been to Cebu many times prior to his election as Pope, sent

his greetings to the Augustinian community in the Minor Basilica of Sto. Niño.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State, who sent Pope Leo’s message, said “the Holy Father

prays that this feast will once again be an opportunity to grow in the sacramental grace of

baptism that incorporates us into Christ.”

The Pope also urged devotees of the Sto. Niño to go to the marginalized sectors of society and

be of service to those in need. “It is, therefore, his hope that you will be inspired by a greater

desire to embrace the baptismal call to live a grace-filled life in Christ and in service to your

brothers and sisters, especially those on the margins of society.”