Thursday, October 20, 2011

Sto Niño to ‘return’ to Leyte

TACLOBAN CITY – After almost 500 years since the image of Santo Niño set foot in one of the islands in Leyte (Limasawa Island) brought by Portuguese explorer under Spanish flagship and armada Ferdinand Magellan, the Holy Image of Child Jesus will once again visit the island of Leyte for the second time.

Dubbed as Du-aw, the second visit of the Santo Niño image will happen this Friday first in the island of Biliran, then a vigil at the St. Therese Dioceses Shrine in Calubian town, Leyte, according to Nerito Rey Martinez, the shrine founder.

The visit of the Sto Niño image in the region particularly in Biliran and Leyte is in preparation for the 500 years celebration in 2021 since He arrived in 1521.

Another important part of the visit is the ecological evangelization of the faithful in the island, said Martinez.

“Ecological evangelization means reminding us that we have responsibility to protect the environment from the various destructions that it experience due to mans neglects,” Martinez explained.

Among the environment that should be protected, according to Martinez, is the sea which most people in the region depends as source of their livelihood.

The two-day event will start on October 20 with a send-off activity in Malacañan sa Sugbo in Cebu, where the image of Santo Niño will be carried by Navy ship and assisted by the Coast Guard on His journey to the region.

A Holy Mass at the Naval Cathedral to be officiated by Bishop Filimeno Bactol and a symposium at the Naval State University on ecological evangelization are to be held before the Holy Child travels to Calubian.

While on Oct.22, members of the Santo Nino de Cebu Augustinian Social Development Foundation Inc., the Philippine Navy, Coast Guard and officials of Biliran will conduct a “eskubasurero” and mangrove plating.

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