Thousands of Devotees Flock Peñafrancia Tercentenary

NAGA City, Sept. 18, 2010-Thousands flocked the Bikol region's commercial center as the Archdiocese of Caceres rolls out the red carpet to the faithful devotees of Our Lady of Peñafrancia in celebration of the three hundredth year of devotion to the revered icon.

Msgr. Romulo Vergara, Rector of the Basilica Minore de Nuestra Señora de Peñafrancia told CBCPNews their preparations paid off as everything has gone smoothly well according to plans.

"The lay faithful and the religious had their different committees from the spiritual and physical preparations and all the other activities we had," Msgr. Vergara said.

He added they begun the month of September with the Harubay announcing the coming novena masses and coming fiesta of Ina involving various organizations with the appropriate recollections.

A trade fair in honor of Bishop Francisco Gainza y Escobas, a former prelate of Caceres who passed away in 1863, will end on Monday, September 20 at the SM Naga grounds.

Bishop Gainza is being acknowledged as responsible for bringing new farm equipment to the rich farming community in the Camarines provinces during his time. The fair showcases the products of farmers and entrepreneurs from the archdiocese.

"The traslacion was a success, from the procession from the Peñafrancia Shrine to the Metropolitan Cathedral to the security and the traffic," Msgr. Vergara said.

He acknowledged the close coordination between the archdiocese and the city government and other agencies including the military and the medical professionals.

"The procession which usually last for four hours, has been significantly reduced to an hour and a half, through the spiritual formation of the participants," he added.

Cultural Presentations

"All the activities were done by the Church with the exception of the traditional Civic-Military Parade, which was supervised by the city government," Msgr. Vergara further said.

He said this year's theme "Growing in Holiness with Ina" is more than appropriate because it emphasizes the devotion should not end with Ina but rather on God as the Blessed Mother is just an instrument, a way to God. (CBCPNews)