Thousands of devotees are expected to participate in the Walk for Mary, from Fuente Osmeña to the Basilica del Sto Niño, at about 4:30 a.m. this Friday.
The devotees will assemble at Fuente Osmeña and wait for the arrival of the icon of Cebu’s patroness, Our Lady of Guadalupe, from the church in Guadalupe. The image of the Blessed Virgin Mary will then join the image of the Sto.Niño, for the walk to the basilica. At the basilica, the first Mass for the day will be celebrated followed by the “misa de translacion”, which will be officiated by Msgr. Cris Garcia, chairman of the archdiocesan commission on worship. Garcia earlier explained that “translacion” or translocation means holding on to the Child Jesus and being connected to the rest of the faithful. After the mass, the icons will be brought to the St. Joseph Parish in Mandaue City for an overnight stay until the next day’s fluvial procession that will bring them back to the basilica. At the National Shrine of St. Joseph, a Mass at dawn will be celebrated before the icons will be taken, via foot procession, to the Ouano wharf for the fluvial procession, which is set to begin at 7 a.m., to the port area in Cebu City. — Jasmin R. Uy/RAE