unfolded in the parish of St. Agatha Cranbourne (Victoria), Diocese of Sale.  The Filipino Catholics of the parish celebrated its first Simbang Gabi on December 2018 and this became an annual novena to the Blessed Virgin Mary.  Flocking to the Church at 5 o’clock in the morning, the parish priest, Fr. Joseph Abutu, was amazed to find out on the first dawn mass that the Church was almost full.  This went on for nine mornings and finally Fr. Joseph realised the faith of the Filipinos.

In December 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic was raging, the kind-hearted priest revisited the ‘whispers’ amongst the Cebuanos about the novena to the Holy Child known as the Sr. Sto. Niño.  Those ‘whispers’ gathered momentum and eventually reached ‘fever pitch’ after the conclusion of Simbang Gabi masses in December 2020.  Finally, January 2021 was the first time Sinulog would be danced through the masses for the Holy Child, Sr. Sto. Niño.

On hindsight, the Blessed Virgin Mary planned it this way: She would not let us miss the celebration for Her Son, our Saviour, especially in a time of need!  Our Blessed Mother knows that Her Son will always be with us…

Thus, December and January are very busy months for the Filipino Catholic faithful in the parish of St. Agatha: first, because of the dawn masses called Simbang Gabi, and then the Sr. Sto. Niño masses in the following month of January.  Both are votive masses, being that these are masses offered for a votum, a Latin word which means ‘special intention.’  These votive masses are otherwise considered novena masses: the Simbang Gabi is celebrated for nine consecutive days to honour the Blessed Virgin when She said Yes in Her Magnificat and carried Her Son and Our Saviour in Her womb through the Holy Spirit; and later in January, another novena to the Holy Child, the Sr. Sto. Niño, the ‘Word made flesh and dwelt amongst us” (John 1:14) and the fulfillment of the promise.

The great proclamation of prophet Isaiah continually reverberates in our midst for “the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light…” (Isaiah 9:2).