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History of Sto. Nino

Sto. Nino

In April 1521, Ferdinand Magellan, in the service of Charles V of Spain, arrived in Cebu during his voyage to find a westward route to the Indies.] He persuaded Rajah Humabon and his chief wife Humamay, to pledge their allegiance with Spain. They were later baptised into the Catholic faith, taking the Christian names Carlos (after Holy Roman Emperor Charles V) and Juana (after Joanna of Castile).

According to Antonio Pigafetta, Italian chronicler to the Spanish expedition, Ferdinand Magellan himself presented the Santo Niño to the newly baptized Queen Juana as a symbol of the alliance. To her husband Carlos, Magellan presented the bust of “Ecce Homo”, or the depiction of Christ before Pontius Pilate. He then presented an image of the Virgin Mary to the natives who were baptized after their rulers. Magellan died on 27 April 1521 in the Battle of Mactan, leaving the image behind. Legends say that after initial efforts by the natives to destroy it, the image was venerated as the animist creation deity Bathala. Many historians consider the facial structure of the statue made from Belgium, where Infant Jesus of Prague statues were also common.

In 1980, Filipino historian Nicomedes Márquez Joaquín wrote about the 44 years after Magellan’s soldiers left before the next Spanish expedition came under Miguel Lopez de Legazpi. Joaquín said that the statue was once denounced by natives as originally brought by Magellan, but was re-inforced again by de Legaspi which the natives continued to dispute claiming that the statue came originally from their land.

On 28 April 1565, Spanish mariner Juan de Camus found the statue in a pine box amidst the ruins of a burnt house. The image, carved from wood and coated with paint, stood 30 centimeters tall, and wore a loose velvet garment, a gilded neck chain and a woolen red hood. A golden sphere, a replica of the world, was in the in the left hand, and the right hand is slightly raised in benediction. Camus presented the image to Miguel Lopez de Legazpi and the Augustinian priests; the natives refused to associate it with the gift of Magellan, claiming it had existed there since ancient times. Writer Dr. Resil Mojares wrote that the natives did so for fear that the Spaniards would demand it back. The natives’ version of the origin of the Santo Niño is in the Agipo (stump or driftwood) legend, which states r=that the statue was caught by a fisherman who chose to rid of it, only to have it returned with a plentiful harvest.

The statue was later taken out for procession, afterwards which Legaspi then ordered the creation of the Confraternity of the Santo Niño de Cebú, appointing Father Andres de Urdaneta as head superior. Legaspi instituted a fiesta to commemorate of the finding of the image, and although the original celebration still survives, Pope Innocent XIII moved the celebration to the Third Sunday of January to avoid conflict with Eastertide.

The Minor Basilica of Santo Nino (Spanish: Basilica Minore del Santo Niño) was built on the spot where the image was found by Juan de Camus. The parish was originally made out of bamboo and mangrove palm and claims to be the oldest parish in the Philippines. Pope Paul VI elevated its rank as Minor Basilica on its 400th year anniversary.

Watch this presentation on the CoronaVirus Vaccine by Dr. Patricia Whitley-Williams
It is highly recommended.

Understanding Depression. The OLM Wellness Committee invites you to view a video featuring committee members and expert guests as they discuss depression and depressive symptoms. (Click here)

Flu Vaccine Q&A with Drs. Norie and Rey Ramos

Watch “Stress: A Discussion.” A series by OLM Wellness Ministry, Episode 2 | Episode 1


WELLNESS WEDNESDAY

To help keep you all moving, the OLM Wellness Ministry will be sharing exercise videos on Wednesdays that will help guide you through some exercises that you can do at home. (Watch the second video here). If you missed the first one, it’s here.

New Parish Office Hours

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday
9 am to 3 pm
Wednesday
9 am to 12 noon
Saturday & Sunday
9 am to 1 pm

Confessions Times
Monday through Friday
9 am to 9:30 am
Saturday
4 pm to 4:30 pm

UPLIFTuesday

Shiloh Guanlao | Tiffany Liora Velarde | JJ Ohri | Jedrik Digao | Margarette Rivera | Alexandre Lewis Cheng | Kyle Arano | (Joachim Dalloran) | Mikaela Christie Catuncan | Rafael Reyes | Ysabelle Baculod | Zachary Zulueta| Julz Balbutin | Evan and Lauren Nguyen | Bridget Benoit | Gelayne Lim | Alyssa Bacay | Emily Gocon | Justin Nguyen | Tiffany Esteban

Our Lives At This Time

Previous Posts: Alain Aldea | Rey Ramos | Lambert Pitao | Angel Juan | Michael Rivera | Bobby del Rosario | Dominic Rivera | Jayvee Dacasin | Annjo Balbutin | Julie Nguyen | John Flora | Gigi Macalintal | Tina Lanting | Regina ‘Jeng’ Matias-Villa

Care For All God’s Creation

(The following reflection was written by Cardinal Tobin. It appeared in the September 11, 2020 issue of Rejoice in the Lord. The full text is available at www.rcan.org.)

Faith Formation

Faith Alive @ Home! A guide to family worship and family faith fun! (Click here)

The OLM Mission Statement

We, the faith community of Our Lady of Mercy Parish, joyfully and humbly seek to make our Lord Jesus Christ ever more real in our lives and in the lives of all people. We enliven our Mission by a commitment to Stewardship as a Way of Life. We strive to pursue our mission by being a welcoming community that provides a home for all and celebrates life, hope and reconciliation through WORD, WORSHIP and SERVICE.

Stewardship of Treasure

Thank you so much for your generosity.
January 10 Collection = $7,336
Maintenance Collection = $800

Thank you so much for your generosity and support!

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Mass Schedule

WE HAVE RETURNED TO OUR USUAL DAILY MASS SCHEDULE

Monday through Friday 7:00 am & 8:30 am

Saturday 5:00 pm
Sunday 8:00 am, 10:00 am, 12:00 noon

OLM MASSES ARE LIVESTREAMED
Sundays at 10 am
Monday – Friday at 8:30 am
Go to olmnj.org and click on Facebook l Livestream

Our Lady of Mercy Roman Catholic Church • 40 Sullivan Drive, Jersey City, NJ 07305 • Phone: 201-434-7500