Among the thousands of devotees who celebrated the first day of the Novena Mass of the 460th Fiesta Señor celebration is a student nurse who went straight to the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño de Cebu immediately after her graveyard shift at a hospital.

Alynna Alcisto, a fourth-year Nursing student at Southwestern University-PHINMA, was with her friends to attend the 7:00 AM Mass.

Aside from their university’s assignment to sponsor the Mass, the 21-year-old aspiring nurse from Agus, Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu, wholeheartedly made a vow to complete the nine days of Novena Masses leading to the feast of Señor Santo Niño.

Like any other devotee, Alynna bears a heart filled with prayer petitions. She firmly believes that the Miraculous Holy Child has played a significant role in her life as a faithful individual and soon-to-be nurse.

“Siya akong symbol of hope and at the same time (source of) guidance pud,” she said. 

She shared that her dream of becoming a nurse is a heavenly calling.

“Ever since I was young, I (already) see myself working in a medical field regardless kung unsa siya nga department or specialized field. (But) as I grew older, nakita gyud nako nga mura’g nursing ang mas bagay sa akoa and at the same time calling na pud,” Alynna recounted.

As a student nurse and a devotee of the Holy Child, she prays for everyone’s good health, especially for her family.

In this year’s Fiesta Señor celebration, Alynna humbly pleads to the Holy Child that she may be granted enough courage to face every obstacle that might come her way. She acknowledges that her battles also become more arduous as she gets older.

With just a few more steps closer to her dreams, Alynna also fervently prays that as soon as she finishes her degree and finally becomes a registered nurse, may Señor Santo Niño bestow her with even greater passion in offering comfort, healing, and hope to those in need.

“If makapasar nako ug ma-registered nurse na, unta hatagan gihapon ko Niya og same nga passion,” she hoped./Nicholas Jon Malaga, BMSN Media Centre student volunteer