Santo Niño Leicester
Santo Niño Leicester
Blessed Sacrament Church
Gooding Avenue
Braunstone, Leicester LE3 1JS
info
Santo Niño
The Devotion to the Infant Jesus
The Santo Niño de Cebu, the Infant Jesus of Prague (or the Divine Infant of Prague), and many more related devotions to the Child Jesus are all related – they’ve got one origin which is attributed from Spain. The heart of this devotion is the person of Christ, God-the-Son (the 2nd Person of our Triune-God), who is both fully human and fully divine – a fundamental doctrine in our Catholic Faith.
Santo Niño comes to Leicester
(based from an interview with Mr Lorenzo Bacus)
In February 2001, upon returning to England after his holiday in Cebu, Philippines, Lorenzo Bacus decided to bring with him an image of the Santo Niño de Cebu as a gift for Fr John Joe Maloney, parish priest of the Blessed Sacrament Church in Leicester. Along with it are some novena booklets he intended to share with his Filipino friends.
The Santo Niño de Cebu is well known to be a miraculous image. He did not spare his first journey to Leicester with a miracle. Lorenzo was just surprised that he was not charged for his overweight baggage containing the Image and booklets -- all the way from Cebu to Manila (domestic flight), Manila to France, France to London Heathrow; non-connecting flights, i.e. checking-in the same overweight baggage through 3 airport check-ins; and finally through the Heathrow customs, no questions asked by the inspecting customs officer.
Once in Leicester, Fr John blessed the image and together with some Filipinos began to organise the devotion. Four months later, the every first Friday devotion began. Everybody, Filipinos and non-Filipinos, was welcome to join in the celebration of the Holy Mass followed by the novena prayers with benediction.
Keeping the tradition in Cebu, the feast of Señor Santo Niño began to be celebrated in Leicester every January. This annual event has been celebrated in the Filipino-style of 'Fiesta Señor' since then.
Our centre for the devotion to Sñr Sto Niño is the Blessed Sacrament Church, Braunstone, Leicester LE3 1JS. We are currently having the every 1st Friday 8:30 PM Holy Mass at the side chapel ending with the benediction and the novena prayers. The Holy Rosary is also being prayed 15 minutes prior to the Holy Mass.
COME JOIN US IN THIS DEVOTION!
VIVA SEÑOR SANTO NIÑO!!!
Santo Niño Leicester, Blessed Sacrament Church, Braunstone, Leicester LE3 1JS
Perpetual Novena (every Friday) to Señor Santo Niño in our homes
If you wish more information about this and/or to participate in this devotion and have the Pilgim Image of Señor Santo Niño visit your home, please submit your contact details to info@stoninoleics.com. (Our apologies that we cannot accomodate everybody. 'First come, first served' basis will be observed)
The Santo Niño de Cebu*
(from the "Novena to the Holy Child Jesus of Cebu Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño" prepared by the Augustinian Fathers of Cebu, 1979)
On April 28, 1565, Juan Camus, a sailor in Legaspi's fleet, found in a modest house of the then village of Cebu the Image of Santo Niño which at the time all agreed had been brought from Europe. Deeply impressed by this finding and aware of its significance, Legaspi ordered an official inquiry conducted; the document drawn on May 16 of the same year and still extant in the archives of the Santo Niño Convent of Cebu, tells us from the testimony of eyewitnesses that the Image was found inside a small pine box, preserved in almost perfect condition; it had on a little shirt and a cap; two of its right hand's fingers were raised in a gesture of blessing, while the left hand held a globe symbolizing the world.
In solemn procession the Image was carried to the provisional Church the Augustinian Fathers were using at the time; later, another Church was built on the exact location where the Image had been found; this is the site of the Santo Niño Church where the Augustinians have cared for the Image and the Filipino people have venerated it through the centuries.
An earlier authenticated entry in the Journal of Pigaffeta, clerk in the Magellan expedition, explains the origin of Santo Niño; on the day Queen Juana was baptised by Father Pedro Valderama, chaplain of that expedition, Pigaffeta himself presented her with the Image.
During the last War a bomb fell inside the Church, but the Image was found unscathed. At present Santo Niño Church has been renovated in the interior and given the rank of Basilica, to make it a still more fitting shrine for the beloved Santo Niño, Comforter of the first missionaries and divine Protector of the Philippines.
* Cebu is a province of the Philippines. It is an island located at the central region of the country. Cebu City is where the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño is located.
Wish to know more?
- Santo Niño de Cebú c/o en.wikipedia.org
- A Tale of the Santo Nino c/o www.malapascua.de
- The Infant Jesus of Prague c/o http://www.pragjesu.info/en/
- The Sinulog festival in honor of Señor Santo Nino c/o en.wikipedia.org
Santo Niño Leicester
Blessed Sacrament Church
Gooding Avenue
Braunstone, Leicester LE3 1JS
info
