HOLY PROCESSION TO MARK SEASON FILIPINO CHURCH PREPARES FOR TWO MAJOR FESTIVALS.Byline: Holly Andres Staff Writer VAN NUYS - Pretty girls in party dresses, carrying roses and walking in a candlelight procession pro·ces·sion n. 1. The act of moving along or forward; progression. 2. Origination; emanation; rise. 3. a. A group of persons, vehicles, or objects moving along in an orderly, formal manner. , will be one of the highlights May 15 when the Parish of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Immaculate Conception In Roman Catholicism, the dogma that Mary was not tainted by original sin. Early exponents included St. Justin Martyr and St. Irenaeus; St. Bonaventure and St. Thomas Aquinas were among those who opposed it. , Philippine Independent Church Philippine Independent Church, religious body that separated from the Roman Catholic Church in 1902 and rejected the spiritual authority of the pope. It is known popularly as the Aglipayan Church, after its founder Gregorio Aglipay. , celebrates its annual Flores de Mayo Flores de Mayo is a Catholic festival held in the Philippines in the month of May. It lasts for a month, and is held in honor of the Virgin Mary. The Santa Cruzan is a parade held on the last day of Flores de Mayo in honor of Reyna Helena. and Santacruzan festivals. The event is a mix of Filipino culture, history and a Holy Eucharist service conducted in English and Tagalog, the language of many Filipinos. ``The festivals come after the dry season in the Philippines. Rain comes in May and it's springtime with flowers there,'' said the Rev. Gerry Engnan, senior pastor at the parish. ``There is a thanksgiving for rain, for flowers and plants. Flores de Mayo also shows the deep devotion that Filipinos have for the Virgin Mary Virgin Mary: see Mary. Virgin Mary immaculately conceived; mother of Jesus Christ. [N.T.: Matthew 1:18–25; 12:46–50; Luke 1:26–56; 11:27–28; John 2; 19:25–27] See : Purity .'' Flores de Mayo, Flowers of May, and Santacruzan, Festival of the Holy Cross, are annual events in the Philippine Islands during May, when children offer flowers and blessings to the Virgin Mary. Santacruzan refers to the traditional story of the discovery by St. Helena of the cross on which Jesus was crucified. The Spanish, who once ruled the Philippines, introduced this Roman Catholic tradition, which is celebrated by a procession. One girl, chosen to represent St. Helena and known as the Reyna Elena, carries a cross at the end of the procession. The Philippine Independent Church, established in the Philippines in 1902, also follows the Santacruzan observance. Engnan said the church is part of the Anglican communion Anglican Communion, the body of churches in all parts of the world that are in communion with the Church of England (see England, Church of). The communion is composed of regional churches, provinces, and separate dioceses bound together by mutual loyalty as and shares the same services and activities. ``The festivals are very important for those who came here as adults. The adults want to carry on the tradition for their children who were born or grew up here,'' said the Rev. Peter Tagdulang, who will deliver the homily homily (hŏm`əlē), type of oral religious instruction delivered to a church congregation. In the patristic period through the Middle Ages the focus of the homily was on the explanation and application of texts read or sung during the at next Saturday's service. ``We're trying to pass on a tradition.'' The parish's observance of the festivals will begin with a thanksgiving Eucharist service. During a part of the service the congregation will make individual offerings of flowers, usually roses. The parish choir will offer a hymn to the Virgin Mary during the floral offering. ``We kind of mix it up with using English and Tagalog. The songs and hymns are usually in Tagalog and the liturgy and readings are in English,'' said Engnan. ``The homily may be said in both languages. We try to accommodate everything into the services.'' The Filipino-American parish meets for the worship service every other Saturday evening. Owing to owing to prep. Because of; on account of: I couldn't attend, owing to illness. owing to prep → debido a, por causa de the commonality com·mon·al·i·ty n. pl. com·mon·al·i·ties 1. a. The possession, along with another or others, of a certain attribute or set of attributes: a political movement's commonality of purpose. of the liturgy, the approximately 76 families may also choose to attend Sunday services with the congregation of St. Mark's Episcopal Church St. Mark's Episcopal Church may refer to one of hundreds of Episcopal churches throughout the United States, including:
The procession may be mystifying mys·ti·fy tr.v. mys·ti·fied, mys·ti·fy·ing, mys·ti·fies 1. To confuse or puzzle mentally. See Synonyms at puzzle. 2. To make obscure or mysterious. for people who don't have that cultural or faith tradition, said Tagdulang as he recalled the reaction of friends. ``They said, 'What's going on? Where are we going?' If you're Italian you know about processions, otherwise you may not,'' Tagdulang said with a smile in his voice. ``The procession is a public thing. It's saying to others we are proud of our faith. I think people who may visit are grateful to see other Christians practicing their faith in public. It encourages people to not be afraid to say that they are Christians. It's witnessing through action.'' Flores de Mayo and Santacruzan will be held at 5:30 p.m. May 15 when the Parish of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception meets at St. Mark's Episcopal Church, 14646 Sherman Way, Van Nuys. A potluck dinner will follow. Call (818) 785-4251. Holly Andres, (818) 713-3708 holly.andres(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo Photo: The Rev. Gerry Engnan is senior pastor of the Parish of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, Philippine Independent Church. Charlotte Schmid-Maybach/Staff Photographer |
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