National Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes, Quezon City, the Philippines, 23 October 2021 -- The Elementary Department of Don Bosco Technical Institute Makati (DBTI) held its Marian Pilgrimage in celebration of the Month of the Holy Rosary.
This event forms part of the tradition of the Educative Pastoral Community (EPC) of DBTI and the culminating activity of the month-long Marian festivities. The pilgrimage displays the Bosconians and Lay Mission Partners’ great love and devotion to the Mother of Jesus Christ--the Blessed Virgin Mary.
To observe safety, a few of the Lay Mission Partners went onsite while the rest of the members of the EPC participated through the Zoom platform and the Pastoral Office Page on Facebook.
The theme for this year’s pilgrimage was: “Maria Salamat sa Biyaya at Gabay sa Amin” (Thenk you Mary, for your Guidance and Blessings). It expresses our gratitude to Mary as our Mother, Protectress, and Health of the Sick through sharing our giftedness and is in line with the celebration of the 500th year of Christianity in the Philippines.
The event started with the recitation of the Holy Rosary. After every decade, the “Harana Kay Maria” (Serenade to Mary) video was inserted. The presentations were prepared by the different levels from Kindergarten to Grade 6. The pilgrimage is also an occasion for the Bosconians to showcase their talents in singing and dancing as they serenaded the Blessed Mother with the different Marians songs. Apart from the Harana, the presentation was also enriched by the narration of the history of the different Marian devotions in commemoration to the 500th year of Christianity in the country and the prayers of the Bosconians and their families asking for the intercession of the Blessed Mother.
Right after the rosary prayer, the Eucharistic celebration followed. Rev. Fr. Cyril Vincent Noel, SDB, the Assistant Principal for Pastoral Affairs presided over the Holy Mass. He was assisted by our Rector, Fr. Jose Favie V. Faldas, SDB.
In his homily, Fr. Cyril led the members of the EPC into the deepening of their experiences as he pointed out that a pilgrimage is a journey that all of us encounter in different ways. He said that one’s journey begins with a certain invitation just like how God called Abraham as narrated in the First Reading. He added that such an invitation was also extended to Mary as mentioned in the Gospel which changed her life forever. These two great personages in the Bible are our examples of people whom God had invited and have had responded to His invitation to journey.
Fr. Cyril did not also forget to express his delight and gratitude to the Bosconians for sharing their talents and giving their best for the Harana Kay Maria. He recognized the efforts of everyone saying that the preparation of the videos entails a process but it is in that process that we learn, grow and become better persons. He even toyed with the idea that the Bosconians are “Mama’s Boys,” which signifies “Mary always!” because Mary is already a part of a Bosconian’s identity. They have a deep love for Mary being the model of the beautiful virtues of how we should live, that is saying “YES” to God, obeying His will, and enduring sacrifices because that is what a journey is!
Lastly, Fr. Cyril invited everyone to take the journey that would allow us to offer sacrifices because of love. The journey that would draw us to love not only ourselves but all the more God who loved us first reminding us that this is the reason why we do the pilgrimage. He wrapped up his reflection by bringing back the image of Mary who embodies the best model of obedience and sacrifices and who will lead us to Jesus.
The Marian Pilgrimage is always a beautiful expression of how much we love our Blessed Virgin Mary. The pandemic could not prevent us from continuing this beautiful tradition. We might not be together physically, but we are united in our prayers.
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