BARCELONA, December 5, 2021 — An international mass in honor of the Santo Niño de Cebu will be held today, December 5, 2021, at 9 am CET (4 pm PH Time) at the Basilica de la Sagrada Familia to promote the devotion to the Santo Niño de Cebu in Spain. The mass is organized by the Philippine Consulate General in Barcelona, Spain (“PCG Barcelona”), and the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) in partnership with the Basilica de la Sagrada Familia.

The mass is part of the 2021 Quincentennial Commemorations (“Quincentennial Events”) in the Philippines, which, among others, commemorates the 500th anniversary of the introduction of Christianity in the country.

The Quincentennial Events in Barcelona will include a procession and an exhibit of the Santo Niños in the Philippines. The procession will precede the mass.

The exhibit, which will highlight the historical and cultural commemoration of the Santo Niño de Cebu, will also showcase the replicas of historic and culturally significant images of the Santo Niño in the Philippines. The exhibit will be held at PCG Barcelona.

The Santo Niño images to be included in the exhibit and procession, as curated by the NHCP, are:

1. Santo Niño de Cebu – Presented by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan to the Queen of Cebu in 1521.
2. Santo Niño de Tondo – One of the most celebrated images of Child Jesus in the Philippines. Enshrined in the Church of Tondo since 1572.
3. Santo Niño de Pandacan – Carved out of dark wood. A religious and cultural event every third Saturday of January is celebrated in honor of this Child Jesus.
4. Santo Niño de Ternate – Brought to the Philippines by the Catholic soldiers of Ternate in the Maluku (now part of Indonesia) after Spain abandoned the area in 1663 and occupied by the Dutch.
5. Santo Niño de Praga of Manila – In the Benedictine Abbey of Nuestra Señora de Montserrat in Mendiola, Manila, devotees flock to pay homage to the Santo Niño de Praga of manila. It slightly resembles the image in Prague, Czech Republic.

The Order of St. Augustine – Province of Sto. Niño de Cebu, the caretakers of the original Santo Niño de Cebu image housed in the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño de Cebu (“BMSN”) donated the Santo Niño de Cebu image that will be part of the procession and exhibit. The donated image will also be enshrined at the Basilica de la Sagrada Familia which will serve as its home in Spain.

As confirmed by Rev. Fr. Andres D. Rivera, Jr., OSA, the Prior Provincial of the Sto. Niño de Cebu Province, friars from the Order will grace the events. One of whom is Fr. Ericson Borre, OSA, a Filipino historian from Universidad de Valladolid, Spain.

For more information, check out the website and Facebook page of these organizations:

Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño de Cebu:
https://santoninodecebubasilica.org/ and https://www.facebook.com/BMSNCebu

Order of St. Augustine – Province of Sto. Niño de Cebu:
https://www.augustiniansphilippines.com/ and https://www.facebook.com/AUGUSTINIANSPH

Santo Niño at 500:
https://www.facebook.com/SantoNinoAt500/

National Historical Commission of the Philippines:
https://nhcp.gov.ph/ and https://www.facebook.com/nhcp1933

Philippine Consulate General in Barcelona:
https://barcelonapcg.dfa.gov.ph/ and https://www.facebook.com/PHinBarcelona

Basilica de la Sagrada Familia:
https://sagradafamilia.org/historia-del-temple
and https://www.facebook.com/BasilicadelaSagradaFamilia