The feast of the Santo Nino or Child Jesus in the central Philippine city of Cebu was celebrated this year with a visit to the city’s prisons. During the celebration of Mass, Augustinian priest Pacifico Nohara asked the inmates to “always do good, especially once you are free.” Encased in glass, the image of the Child Jesus carried by jail guards was brought to various reformatories, jails, and prisons on 19th January.
As reported by ucanews.com, Pacifico Nohara remarked that “Many devotees have been requesting that the image be brought to their places this year but it was the prisons that were given the chance to have a glimpse of what is reportedly a miraculous image.” Nohara reminded the inmates that “He came here to visit you and remind you that you are special to him. Though it is just an image, the presence of the Holy Child Jesus is always with you and he will never forsake you.”
The image of the Santo Nino in Cebu was reportedly a gift from Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan to the queen of the island during her baptism as a Catholic, thus bringing Christianity for the first time to Philippine shores in 1521.
Source: www.ucanews.com
