Solemn Vow and Devotion to the Sto. Nifio de Kalibo When our ancestors embraced the Christian faith, they were introduced to the Child Jesus, the Son of God, borne by the womb of a woman, and who lived in our midst, God among men, the eternal child, and the hope of humanity incarnate. The tradition of celebrating the feast of the Sto. Nifio de Kalibo is the perpetuation of a solemn and pious devotion to the Child Jesus by generations after generations of the faithful community of Christians who stand witnesses to the loving presence of the Sto. Nifio in their lives and in their families. To us, Aklanons, celebrating the Feast of the Sto. Nifio de Kalibo is our unique way of expressing and nurturing our loving relationship to the Child Jesus. We attend the novena masses, we join the processions, we queue for the “paeapak" or to be (prayed over by the image of the Child Jesus), we carry the image of Sto. Nifio while shouting ‘Viva Kay Sr. Sto. Nifio’ (Hail the Holy Child Jesus), we go into an inspired frenzy while dancing to the beat of the drums and the lyres, we cover our faces and bodies with soot while doing all of the above actions, — all these constitute our expression of faith to the Child Jesus.Our tradition compels us to do all these things within the context of prayer, of reflection, of pious devotion with the humility and innocence of a child who carries with him the strength and courage of a pilgrim's heart in search of God who became man and by whose promise of divine providence never failed to grant the prayers of a humble devotee. The feast of the Sto. Nifio de Kalibo is a celebration of faith. It is a day for prayer and thanksgiving. Itis not a mardi gras. Neither is it a roman pagan ritual where wine flows to the streets and the people are dulled by too much music, too much liquor and too much indulgence in worldly pleasures. Over the years, our celebration of the feast of the Sto. Nifio has been marred by commercialism, political adventurism, morally unacceptable display of behavior and norms, incidents of violence, drunkenness and religions apathy. There is a need for a change in perspective. The feast of the Sto. Nifio de Kalibo is a religious celebration. It is a time of pilgrimage for the devotees of the Sto. Nifio de Kalibo. It is a time for prayer, for reflection, for devotion, for piety and for thanksgiving.The Holy Mass The Eucharist is the center of our celebration of the feast of the Sto. Nifio de Kalibo. The ultimate and most holy sacrifice of the Body and Blood of Christ is our only worthy thanksgiving to God for the many blessings he has bestowed upon us thru our faith and devotion to the Sto. Nifio de Kalibo.Novena Masses The nine days novena and novena masses prepare us, devotees; for the celebration of the feast day of the Sto. Nifio de Kalibo. This is a time for prayer and reflection on the daily gospels in relation to the theme of this year’s feast of the Sto. Nifio de Kalibo, “ Solemn Vow and Devotion to the Sto.Nifo de Kalibo”.PAEAPAK (To be Prayed over by the image of the Child Jesus) The “paeapak” (to be prayed over by the image of the Child Jesus) is the pilgrim’s desire to renew their vows to submit themselves to the majesty of the Sto. Nifio. Devotees believe that this symbolic act of faith is a form of prayer of protection, of deliverance, of thanksgiving and of petition. The “paeapak” shall commence on the first day of the novena masses which is the ninth day prior to the feast of the Sto. Nifio de Kalibo and shall end on the eve of the feast day itself which is the third Sunday of the month of January of every year. While the devotees are encouraged to observe the “paeapak”, once would be sufficient since the depth of one’s faith and devotion is all evident to the Sto. Nifio. It is not by quantity but by the strength of our faith that defines who we are in the eyes of God.Dawn Penitential Procession The dawn penitential procession is held on the Third Saturday of January of every year, a day before the feast day of the Sto. Nifio de Kalibo. The dawn procession starts at four 0’ clock in the morning from the Kalibo Cathedral. Pilgrims are advised to bring with them candles, rosaries and portable transistor radios to enable them to monitor the live airing of the mysteries of the holy rosary. Upon the completion of the procession, there will be a collective blessing of all pilgrims, images of the Sto. Nifio and the carriages (karos) that joined the procession. The faithful are strongly urged to join and participate in the dawn penitential procession since it is more conducive to meditative and reflective prayer considering that it enjoys the complete absence of the sounds of revelry and merry — making.Blessing of Images The blessing of images of the Sto. Nifio as well as images of saints shall be done after the dawn penitential procession (Third Saturday of January , 4 A.M.) and at designated areas beside the cathedral of St. John the Baptist whenever a priest is available.The Solemn Procession of the Blessed Image of the Sto. Nifio de Kalibo Prior to the Pilgrim's Mass At six thirty o' clock in the morning, Third Sunday of the month of January of every year, the blessed image of the Sto. Nifio de Kalibo will be moved from the shrine of the Sto. Nifio de Kalibo at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist to the venue of the pilgrim's mass which is in front of the Cathedral. This is a solemn procession attended by the devotees and pilgrims. The beating of drums and lyres shall be stayed in the mean tune for the duration of the procession. After the pilgrim's mass, the blessed image of the Sto. Nifio de Kalibo will be brought back to its shrine, this time, the drums and the lyres shall be sounded in unison with the pilgrim’s shouts of VIVA KAY SENIOR STO. NINO! VIVA! (BENDISYONI KAMI) “(Hail the Holy Child Jesus, Bless us!) after the faithful has collectively sung the song in honor of the sovereign Christ, “VIVA KRISTO Mahal Namon nga Hari” (Hail The Christ our King).Pilgrim's Mass The pilgrim’s mass is celebrated on the morning of the third Sunday of January of every year in honor of the feast of the Sto. Nifio de Kalibo. It is officiated by the bishop of the diocese of Kalibo, in con-celebration with the clergy, the laity, the faithful and devotees of the Sto. Nifio. It is the culminating point of the celebration of the feast of the Sto. Nifio and the renewal of a pilgrim's solemn vow and devotion to the Sto. Nifo de Kalibo. Those who cannot attend the Pilgrims Mass will have the opportunity to attend the mass in honor of the feast of the Sto. Nifio de Kalibo by attending the masses at the Kalibo Cathedral, the schedule of which is the same as the schedule for regular Sunday masses as well as the anticipated mass at five o’ clock in the afternoon on the Saturday preceding the feast day of the Sto. Nifio de Kalibo which is the Third Sunday of the month of January.Pilgrim's Mass Those who by reason of sickness, distance, imprisonment, legitimate occupation, vocation, and those who are in the health care service, military installations, and other similar facilities are exempt from personally attending the pilgrim’s mass but may participate in the said mass by watching the coverage aired thru various cable and radio stations. The faithful are urged to maintain a prayerful atmosphere for the duration of the mass, avoid creating distractions and observing the one-hour Eucharistic fast before receiving Holy Communion. The faithful are further advised to maintain order in receiving communion in places marked and designated by flaglets with the assistance of the marshalls.The Pilgrim’s Procession The pilgrim’s procession is a manifestation of our humble acceptance of our condition as wayfarers and travelers in this temporal world in pursuit of our heavenly home, our final resting place, our verdant pastures of eternal glory. The pilgrim’s act of carrying the image of the Holy Child is our expression of faith and trust in God who is our constant companion in our journey thru life on earth. As the pilgrims go around the town of Kalibo, he brings with him the blessings of the Sto. Nifo to all those whom he meets along the way, gloriously praising God and proclaiming the majesty of the Child Jesus, “VIVA KAY SENIOR STO. NINO! VIVA! (BENDISYONI KAMI) "(Hail the Holy Child Jesus, Bless us!), while the devotees, in the streets and in their homes, who hear a pilgrim shouts these praises, shall reply in turn, “VIVA KAY SENIOR STO. NINO! VIVA! (BENDISYONI KAMI) "(Hail the Holy Child Jesus, Bless us).The BLESSING of Pilgrims and Devotees and their Images of the Sto. Nifio The blessing is done thru the use of sacramentals and the sign of the holy cross. The cross reminds us of the ultimate sacrifice of Christ when he gave up his life for the salvation of all mankind. The cross also symbolizes the life of grace that we have gained when Christ overcame death by his resurrection. The sprinkling of the holy water reminds us that we were baptized sons and daughters of Christ and thus shares in the fruits of his paschal mysteries. The holy water when sprinkled on animate and inanimate objects sanctifies those that remind us of the glory and goodness of God.Blessing of Children On the third Saturday of the month of January of every year, at eleven o’ clock in the morning, there will be a collective blessing of children at the shrine of the Sto. Nifio de Kalibo at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. Parents are strongly urged to encourage their children to participate in this meaningful undertaking and to explain to their children who are of sufficient age the nature of this event as well as the importance of having a bond of prayer and friendship with the Sto. Nifio. It is also encouraged that the children be attired in white clothes and / or in clothes similar to that of the Sto. Nifio.The Religious Grand Procession The final act in the celebration of the feast of the Sto. Nifio is the religious grand procession. This is held on the Third Sunday of January of every year at two o’ clock in the afternoon starting from the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist and shall take the traditional route around Poblacion, Kalibo, Aklan. The faithful are reminded that this is a religious activity and hence, the street dancing must be the context of a religious activity and should not be disrespected by improper conduct such as drunkenness, rowdiness, and other similar acts causing undue disruption of the religious nature of the procession.The Religious Grand Procession Pursuant thereto, it is our humble admonition to the faithful to: 1. Refrain from holding impromptu fireworks display or intermittent and undue igniting of firecrackers and other similar pyrotechnic devices, tools, implements and materials while in the course of the procession. These could he done later after the procession has been completed at areas designated for the same. This is also to avoid injuries to the faithful who might be unwilling victims of firecracker related accidents. 2. Refrain from delaying the procession due to stationary street dancing. Those who intend to dance instead of joining the religious procession should do their non- religious activity in other places outside of the procession itself so as to respect the sentiments of the faithful who joins the procession primarily for what it is intended for, i.e, a religious activity.The Religious Grand Procession 3. Refrain from staying too long in front of the live cable and media coverage to avoid delaying the procession. After all, this is a religious activity not an opportunity for anyone to avail of his fifteen seconds of airtime fame. 4. Refrain from indulging in excessive alcohol and other substance that will result to drunkenness, violent incidents due to drunkenness, antagonistic behavior, swearing, foul — mouthing, wearing of demonic inspired costumes, cross dressing, blatant display of indecent attire, indecent conduct in public, and other similar conduct inimical to and contrary to the religious nature of the feast of the Sto. Nifio de Kalibo.RO MGA KARO (The Carriages Bearing the image of the Sto. Nino) Hereunder are the guidelines to be followed by the faithful who wish to have their ‘karos’ join the religious processions in relation to the feast of the Sto. Nino de Kalibo.: a. There must be only one image of the Sto. Nino on each Karo. This is in obedience to General Instruction of the Roman Missal, No. 318 thereof, which states “As a rule, there is to be only one image of any given saint.” b. Owners and sponsors of karos must register their karo with the secretariat of the cathedral of St. John the Baptist, the office of which is located at the ground floor of the rectory of the ST. John the Baptist Cathedral. Upon registration, the karo shall be assigned a number which shall also be the sequence number of said karo in the order of processions during the dawn _penitential procession and the religious grand procession.RO MGA KARO (The Carriages Bearing the image of the Sto. Nino) The assigned / designated areas for the karos has been marked with their respective numbers. If a numbered / registered karo is not in its post at the start of the procession, it shall take its place at the back of the last karo, along with the other unregistered karos. e. The faithful are further admonished to maintain a prayerful atmosphere during the religious processions. Let the faithful be reminded that the feast of the Sto. Nino is a celebration of faith, of thanksgiving, of devotion, of peace, of solidarity and of love. f. The faithful are likewise encouraged to carry with them their own personal images of the Sto. Nino side by side with the karos. The carrying of the image of the Sto. Nino is a meaningful act of love and devotion to the Sto. Nino.In view of the foregoing , here are some reminders on our celebration of the feast of the Sto. Nifio de KaliboIn our humble discernment; the feast of the Sto. Nifio de Kalibo was not, is not, and should not be any of the following: v Amere tourist attraction. The feast of the Holy Child Jesus is never intended to be circus nor a carnival. v Another excuse to get drunk. ¥ Anoccasion to get into a fight. v An occasion to advertise one’s products, services and or establishments. ¥ An occasion for politicians to launch a public relations stunt; v An occasion to hold beauty contests objectifying young women; ¥ An opportunity to make the Sto. Nifio de Kalibo an unwilling endorser of one's products thereby committing sacrilege and disrespect to the Child Jesus who had nothing to do with commercialism, more so when such commercialism exploits the sanctity of a religious event; v An occasion to do morally unacceptable and /or indecent behavior in public;This is our reminder to all Faithful. ¥ It is our moral obligation to deliver these admonitions to our brothers and sisters who have yet to understand the true meaning of the feast of the Sto. Nifio de Kalibo. ¥ Let us be one in this journey of faith with the Sto. Nifio. ¥ Let us make this year’s celebration of the feast of the Sto. Nifio de Kalibo be a celebration of faith and of spiritual and moral growth. ¥ Let us be the messengers of the Gospel message of peace, hope and love to all the ends of the earth (Mk. 16:15). ¥ Let us remain devoted to the Sto. Nifio. ¥ Let our faith admonish us to remember that genuine devotion to the Sto. Nifio requires of us to be active and committed advocates of the rights of children who are the living images of the Sto. Nifio in our midst. ¥ Let our prayers be heard by the Sto. Nifio who is our hope and our inspiration, our comfort and consolation, our savior and our friend.Viva kay Sr. Sto. Nifio! Viva! (Bendisyoni Kami!) “Hail the Holy Child Jesus, i Us!”