Make this your preferred source to get more updates from this publisher on Google.
The Santacruzan should be seen as more than a colorful procession or spectacle, but a reminder of the importance of the Catholic devotion to its flock, Manila Cardinal Jose Advincula has said.
According to a report by CBCP News, Advincula conveyed this in his message for the annual celebration.
Speaking on Radio Veritas, the Manila archbishop said, “The Santacruzan is not merely a colorful tradition, and certainly not a beauty pageant, but an invitation and reminder for us to take pride in and live out our faith.”
“We commemorate not only the search of St. Helena for the Holy Cross, but also the deeper meaning of the Cross in our lives as Christians,” he added.
The Santacruzan is a grand procession held during the Flores de Mayo festivities every May in honor of the Virgin Mary.
The procession concludes the month-long celebration and depicts the discovery of the Holy Cross by Helena of Constantinople and her son, Constantine the Great.
Young women and their escorts feature in the procession dressed as biblical and historical figures to symbolize virtues such as faith, hope, and charity.
Meanwhile, the CBCP News report said Cardinal Advincula also encouraged the Catholic faithful to emulate Christ and “learn to carry the crosses of our daily lives with hope and love.” — Lyjah Tiffany Bonzo/ VDV, GMA News
