Florida Catholic | Señor Santo Niño

Señor Santo Niño (Infant Jesus) connects cultures

Panhandle residents of various ethnicities join in the Filipino religious celebration that is growing locally.

CHRISSY CUTTITA | FLORIDA CATHOLIC CORRESPONDENT

Published: 02.01.08

•• SINULOG IN THE PHILIPPINES ••

In Cebu City, the second largest metropolis in the Philippines, the Sinulog celebration traditionally lasts for nine days, culminating on the third Sunday of January with the Sinulog grand parade. The day before the parade, the fluvial procession is held at dawn with the statue of Santo Niño carried on a boat decked with hundreds of flowers and candles from Mandau City to Cebu City. The procession ends at the Santo Niño Basilica where a re-enactment of the Christianization of the island of Cebu is performed.

In the afternoon, a more solemn procession takes place along the major streets of the city, which lasts for hours due to the large crowd participating in the event. On the feast day at the basilica, a pontifical Mass is celebrated by the cardinal with the assistance of several bishops of Cebu. Most devotees go to the basilica to attend the Mass before heading out to the streets to watch the parade.

PANAMA CITY | What started as a small gathering in Panama City homes has become a northwest Florida regional devotion to the Infant Jesus and, for the seventh year, was celebrated at St. Dominic Parish Jan. 18.

As the story is told, Nora Perron, St. Dominic parishioner, was asked in 2001 to organize Sinulog, a religious dance that honors the Señor Santo Niño, the Infant Jesus. Since then, every third Sunday in January has been dedicated to it.

Performers came from Pensacola to Chattahoochee to compete during the feast held after a praise-filled Mass at the Panama City church. Two of the four judges came from out of state to determine the winner.

“In the Philippines, this is the most celebrated event and the whole island participates,” said Perron. “I started (Santo Niño) here with a novena held at different houses as a devotion to Christ.”

Now, those early participants and many more gathered at St. Dominic to present an Infant Jesus statue at the altar.

“It’s a good way of celebrating, bringing cultures together and giving thanks to Jesus for our blessings,” said Divine Word Father Florencio Lagura, parochial vicar of Our Lady of Victory in Crestview.

Perron can’t explain how her small gathering became the large event it is today, because she said that words couldn’t describe the guidance and miracles that came with discovering how to organize and plan everything needed for the celebration.

“This statue of Infant Jesus is an image we all know for a long time and there is a history behind the boy holding the globe,” she said. “The image has deep-rooted tradition and meaning in many areas. Sometimes he is holding a ring or baton. Even if he is dressed differently, the image is the same today.”

The comparison she gave is similar to what Catholics believe about the Eucharist in the adoration chapel: Jesus is really present, and he is not “bread,” just as the infant is not a “doll.”

According to Perron, the celebration is done in the name of Jesus and follows a tradition of praying with his infant statue.

Even the Sinulog dance itself must be traditional, following certain appropriate steps no matter what nationality the dance group competitors are.

“We are honored to be here for the first time,” said Susanna Arnold, a St. Dominic parishioner and member of Arirang Hansori, a Korean music team. “Our name means one nation, one voice.”

It’s fantastic for people to come together in one spirit to celebrate the baby Jesus, our one Lord, Arnold added. The Korean music team and the Spanish community performed the Sinulog steps to their traditional music and competed with other Filipino dance groups. Judges ranked the teams based on originality, costumes, steps and overall performance.

“I hope people will look at this as something that belongs to the church, not just me,” said Perron. “I hope to promote this with other churches, get together and gain popularity. Once its known, (Santo Niño) can be built up and make a name in our community.”

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Señor Santo Niño (Infant Jesus) connects cultures

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