By Julie Ann Loong, for the North Star
The Feast of the Immaculate Conception is centered on the fact that the Blessed Virgin Mary was conceived by her parents, Saints Ann and Joachim, and with the grace of God to be conceived and born free from original sin. The last time this Catholic holy day of obligation fell on a Sunday was in 2013. This year, the celebration was moved to Monday the 9th instead. For the Diocese of Chalan Kanoa whose only cathedral is dedicated to the Blessed Mother, this celebration was immense.
The novena, which had been going on for the past eight days in preparation for the feast, started at 3:30PM. By then, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral was already near its seating capacity. Students from Mount Carmel School and the individual parishes’ CCD Program, along with families, parishioners, religious sisters, and devotees of Marianne groups sat together. When it was time for the mass to begin at 4PM, the church was packed. Attendees stood by the walls and at the back of the church. Some sat on plastic chairs propped at the back of the cathedral for seating accommodations.
During the mass, Bishop Ryan’s homily spoke of the gifts that we as a church receive on this feast day.
“Our devotion tells us something about our humanity and the nature of our Catholic faith. On this feast, The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, there are at least two things that we learn from. First is the gift of being in touch with our feelings. When we pray, when we sing, we are touched with our emotions. We recognize how we feel and sometimes we are even moved to tears. These words, this music, gives us the opportunity to be in touch with who we really are. The second is that our devotion to the Blessed Mother reminds us of this gift of intercession. Because of Mary, we know that faith is more than an intellectual sense.Our devotion to her helps us to get in touch with our hearts just as she kept and pondered all these things in her heart. Faith engages our heart, our soul, and our strength.
“Our closeness to the Blessed Mother enables us to have an even closer relationship with God. In the scripture, we are given the wonderful examples of the role of the Blessed Mother. Mother Mary came to the sense that they had no more wine at the wedding in Canaan. This particular passage means that they had no more joy or hope in life and that the party would be boring. But it was the Blessed Mother who told the servants, ‘Do whatever Jesus tells you.’ This is the love and the instinct of a mother. It was also the maternal courage that brought Mary to Calvary, being there at the difficult moment of her only son. It is to her that we ask to intercede for us to God… As it was said in the opening prayer, ‘Through her intercession, may we too be cleansed and admitted to Your presence.’”
The songs were sung loudly and beautifully as the voices of the many youth in attendance echoed within the high ceilings.
The Lukao followed immediately after the mass. The statue of Our Mother was adorned in a golden attire embellished with rhinestones and delicate, gold lace patterns. On her head, she wore a golden crown fit for a queen, to which she is referred to 12 times within the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Her cart was turned into a throne and was decorated with roses, imported flowers, palms, and ferns. With her arms open and her eyes raised to heaven, she was brought through the main and inner streets of Chalan Kanoa, accompanied by hundreds of Catholics from every parish. Mt Carmel Students carried banners with the titles of Mary, and altar servers carried banners with the names of their parishes. The mysteries and songs were acclaimed in various languages and in one voice as the techas, who remained in the cathedral with the elderly and others who weren’t able to join the procession, were broadcasted live on the KKMP radio station, playing on speakers along the roads to guide those who did walk in the procession.
At the end of the celebration, the sun was down and the lights went out. Candles were lit and raised as everyone became a one harmony of young and old alike singing, “Abe Maria,” in multiple languages. There, it was impossible to sense anything except to see the place quietly illuminated hundreds of tiny, swaying flames, and to hear the piano blend with the joy in the voices adoring God and the Blessed Mary. For those minutes, heaven became visible on earth.
Let us continue to pray to Mary for her intercession so that we may be prepared for the coming of her Son. Mary, Mother of God, pray for us. Biba Santa Maria!
For more photos, check here.
