Among the most cherished religious and cultural traditions in the Philippines is the celebration of Flores de Mayo, a month-long observance held every May in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Derived from the Spanish phrase meaning “Flowers of May,”…
The Paschal Mystery is the heart of Christian faith: the passion, death, resurrection, and glorification of Jesus Christ. In Catholic theology, it is not merely an event remembered once a year but the central mystery made present in the Church’s…
Introduction Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent in the Roman Catholic Church and serves as one of the most recognizable penitential observances in the Christian liturgical calendar. On this day, the faithful receive ashes upon the forehead as a…
Introduction In contemporary culture, Valentine’s Day is associated primarily with romance, courtship, and the exchange of affectionate tokens. Yet the date of February 14 entered Western consciousness first through the Christian liturgical remembrance of St. Valentine. The challenge for theology…
The Child at the Center: Why the Santo Niño “Works” for the People In Cebu every January, the devotion to the Señor Santo Niño gathers together liturgy, street ritual, family memory, and civic identity in a single religious season. The…
The Feast of the Black Nazarene remains one of the most powerful and contested religious phenomena in the Philippines. Every January 9, millions participate in the Traslación surrounding the image enshrined at the Black Nazarene. Theologically, the devotion is often…
Introduction Christmas, originally celebrated as the Feast of the Nativity, is one of the central liturgical celebrations in Christianity. Historically grounded in the theological affirmation that God became human in Jesus Christ, Christmas emphasized worship, humility, and charity (Kelly, 2014)…
The Aguinaldo Mass remains one of the most distinctive liturgical practices in Philippine Catholicism, symbolizing both deep incarnational devotion and the enduring interplay between faith, culture, and community life. Celebrated as a novena of dawn Masses from December 16 to…
Abstract The choice of December 25 as the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ is a complex development rooted in early Christian theology, Roman historical contexts, and evolving liturgical traditions. Although the New Testament offers no explicit date for…
Introduction The Advent season marks the beginning of the liturgical year in the Catholic Church and serves as a period of hopeful expectation for the coming of Christ—past, present, and future. Among the season’s most prominent devotional practices is the…