Basilica to celebrate the 445th finding of the 2nd oldest religious relic, Ecce Homo
On August 19, 2017, Saturday, the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño de Cebu will celebrate the 446th finding of the image of the bust of the suffering Christ, the Ecce Homo. The image is believed to be the 2nd oldest religious relic in the country. It was found on August 20, 1572, at the burial place of Raja Humabon and six (6) years after the arrival of the first Augustinian missionaries together with Miguel Lopez de Legazpi in 1565.
The Augustinian friars moved the celebration earlier in time for the first day of novena in honor of their spiritual founder, St. Augustine and the sporting event of Augustinian Pinoy Olympics.
Rev. Fr. Pacifico Nohara, OSA, rector and prior, will be the main presider of the Holy Mass at 8:00 a.m. while Rev. Fr. Ric Anthony Reyes, OSA will give the homily. A portion of Fr. Reyes’ homily is the overview of the devotion to the Ecce Homo. There will also be a short information video of the historical image created by the BMSN Media Center.
One of the goals of this celebration is to really intensify the almost forgotten devotion to the Ecce Homo. It was only in 2012 that the image returned home to the Basilica after it was transferred to San Agustin Museum since 1965. Prior to the transfer in Manila, the image was already displayed and venerated at the right side of the altar (the present location of the tabernacle and the Blessed Sacrament).
