FilCom in Victoria welcomes 2021 with two religious fests
The Filipino Community in Victoria greeted the start of the year with two iconic Filipino religious festivities coinciding with the 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines -- bringing hope of renewal amidst the challenges of the past year.
The Feast of Jesus the Black Nazarene was commemorated with a concelebrated Mass on 8 January 2021 at the St. Mary Star of the Sea Church in West Melbourne. According to Fr Anthony Bernal, parish priest of the church, the Feast of the Black Nazarene though it depicts the passion of Jesus Christ is “a happy occasion” especially 
for Filipinos who hold the devotion as miraculous. He referred to the history of the original Black Nazarene that travelled from Mexico in 1606 and now housed at the Quiapo Church in Manila.
This year’s celebration of the Feast of the Black Nazarene had to be scaled back due to COVID health restrictions. It was preceded by Triduum Masses on 5-7 January 2021 led by Filipino chaplain Fr Litoy de Asis, Melbourne’s Episcopal Vicar for Catholic Migrants and Refugees, and sponsored by former PhiHonCon Gigi Kalong. The life-sized Nazareno was donated by Dr. Gus Tablante from Sydney and it took many years before it found a home at the St. Mary Star of the Sea. The church itself has a significant history with its foundation stone laid in 1882 and the building completed after 18 years.
Meanwhile, the Cebuano Association of Victoria spearheaded this year’s Sinulog Festival on 17 January 2021 attended by some 300 Filipinos and friends at the St. Agatha Parish in Cranbourne, Victoria some 50 kms from Melbourne CBD. The mass, which was reminiscent of the devotion to the Child Jesus in Cebu, was officiated by parish priest Fr Joseph Abutu and beamed in two other nearby buildings in the parish compound due to strict observance of physical distancing.
The attendees cheered “Viva Pit Senor!” as they strolled in procession around the grounds after the mass. The festivities led by Sinulog Queen Nelia Ciar, Deacon Neil Daculan, other organizers and sponsors including Lulu Lorenzo, continued through the day at the huge sports oval with a program of dancing, singing, raffle draw and salu-salo of lechon, pansit and fruits. END
