Author: Lana Kaczmarek

ORLANDO  |  Filipinos from across Florida filled the Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary, Queen of the Universe, Jan. 26, 2025, to celebrate their devotion to the Santo Niño, or Holy Child Jesus.

This gathering honors the birth of Catholicism in the Philippines more than 500 years ago. Historical accounts say Spanish explorer Ferdinand Magellan landed on the shores of Cebú in 1521, and gifted a statue of the Child Jesus to the king and queen when they and other natives converted to the faith.

“It reminds us of who we are as Filipino American Catholics living in the United States,” said Father Nathanael Soliven, parochial administrator of St. Anthony Parish in Lakeland. “It strengthens our identity.”

Father Soliven is originally from Pangasinan, a northern Filipino province. He was ordained three years ago and has participated in the celebration ever since. Each year the crowd grows. He imagines a time when the basilica may be too small for the gathering.

“Even the first generation of Filipinos born in the U.S. are participating in the celebrations,” he shared. “We’re seeing, even though they weren’t born in the Philippines, the tradition is being passed down.”

At Mass, families had their Santo Niño statues blessed. Children brought flowers, prayed, sang and received blessings.

The community continued worship outside with Sinulog, cultural prayer-dances especially choreographed to honor the Child Jesus. The dances depict historical accounts of the Spaniards’ arrival and subsequent conversions. The word Sinulog describes the forward and backward movements to the sound of drums.

The Filipino ministry will celebrate its 20th anniversary in the Diocese of Orlando July 27, 2025, the feast of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage (Our Lady of Antipolo) at the Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary, Queen of the Universe.

To learn more click here.

By Glenda Meekins of the Florida Catholic staff, January 31, 2025

ORLANDO | There’s a new project in the works at the Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary, Queen of the Universe. The celebrated pilgrimage site is preparing for the new Gospel Gardens.

Staff of the basilica, Ecclesiastical Properties, and Ovation Construction joined Bishop John Noonan in breaking ground Sept. 13, 2024. Bishop Noonan also blessed the space.

Fourteen Stations of the Cross sculptures created by Timothy Schmalz will arrive in three shipments beginning in November. The purpose of the art is to create a visual experience for both Christians and non-Christians to more deeply understand Christ and the Gospels.

The colossal sculptures feature a life-size representation of Jesus and the principal events of His crucifixion. Schmalz is the artist who created Life Monument, and other works installed in historical churches in Rome and at the Vatican. On his website, Schmalz noted, “I am devoted to creating artwork that glorifies Christ. The reason for this devotion, apart from my Christian beliefs, is that an artist needs an epic subject to create epic art.”

The Gospel Gardens is made possible by the generosity of patron Barbara Papitto and is expected to open in Spring 2025.

By Glenda Meekins of the Florida Catholic staff, September 19, 2024

ORLANDO | The Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary, Queen of the Universe was dim, mostly lit by dozens of candles that flickered at the altar, their flame casting light on a cross and an image of the Madonna. This was the Vigil to Dry Tears, February 27.

Many knelt before the image of Christ crucified and Our Lady, tethered to the altar by a purple fabric flowing from the images to those kneeling – a sign of Lent, of repentance, of healing. Each person bearing their hearts and allowing Jesus and His Mother to cleanse them of their fears, their guilt, their burdens.

“We come to you for healing Lord, of body, mind and soul. And pray that by your Spirit’s touch, we may again be whole,” sang the choir at the opening of the service. Pausing between reflections, the music allowed the words to take root. A reading from the Gospel of Matthew proclaimed, “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.”

After various reflections, Bishop John Noonan offered a short homily, assuring those gathered of God’s “matchless love”. “To experience God’s mercy in our lives is to know and experience God’s love,” he said. “Tears cleanse the mind, heart and the soul. So that our response to God is simply, mercy Lord. Thank you, Lord, for your love and merciful care for each and every one of us.”

Alex Carey from Corpus Christi Parish in Celebration participated in prayer with several others from the young adult group. As one by one people went to kneel at the steps of the altar to pray, Carey too approached the crucifix and knelt before the image of the Virgin Mary. Overcome, he began to sob. After some time, he rose to find a new friend in Christ, Patricia Marques, reaching out to comfort him. As she hugged him, he began to weep again.

Consecrated to Mary, she said it was Our Mother who gave her courage to go to Carey and give him a rosary and image of Jesus. She told him, “Mary is with you. When you feel alone, hold this rosary and you are holding the hand of Mary. She is with you. And Jesus is with you.”

Marques contained her own tears as she hugged him again. “At a moment like that, the person needs your strength,” said the Resurrection Parish in Winter Garden parishioner. “I wanted him to feel that human affection. I don’t know what he is carrying. The Virgin Mary kept telling me, ‘Hug him’.” Marques said she wanted Carey to feel Mary’s arms embracing him, by using her own.

“The tears are necessary for freedom because we must clean the soul to give that cross to Jesus and Mary. He’s not going to remove it, but will give you the strength to continue as they did,” she said. “What we did here tonight was beautiful. I saw many people crying, and one must cry to cleanse, because Jesus cried, we must too. But there are also tears of joy.”

Carey shared how much the experience helped him. Driving to the shrine with his friend, Carey recalled thinking, “There must be a meaning behind this.” “When I went up to the crucifix, that’s when I experienced it,” he said. “That’s when I knew.” He explained he struggled with great anxieties and fears and that his mother passed away in 2022 from a heart attack. “I was very close to my mom, and I miss her. It’s still hard because I loved her,” he shared. “I really needed the healing. I really needed it. This place is a very spiritual place.”

“I not only felt that I was able to release what was burdening me, but I knew there was something there. And when the woman came up to me and said the Virgin Mary’s with me, I knew what it was. I felt close to Jesus and Mary. I love them.”

His friend, Austin Adams, said simply bringing his friend was probably the most powerful thing for him. “To see his healing… Then when I was up there, I prayed for my friend whose father has chronic pain. It was nice to be able to bear it all out there and trust in the Lord. We can all learn something from Alex.”

Nicole, Marques’s daughter, found the music and the atmosphere led to deeper reflection and an examination of conscience. “It encourages more reflection on how one can grow spiritually, as a brother or sister in their community, as a child of God, as a daughter of Mary.”

During the remaining hour, four priests were available for the Sacrament of Reconciliation, offering further healing.

Click here to watch the Vigil to Dry Tears.

By Glenda Meekins of the Florida Catholic staff, February 29, 2024

ORLANDO | It’s not Lourdes, but it’s close, said Father Anthony Aarons, Missionary of Mercy and rector of the Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary, Queen of the Universe.

After his own pilgrimage to France in 2023, seeing the lines of those waiting to be anointed and healed of their afflictions, it occurred to him he could do the same at the basilica. Believing miracles are occurring in central Florida as well, he inaugurated the first Pilgrimage of the Sick in the Diocese of Orlando.

On Feb. 10, pilgrims poured into the basilica to pray the rosary and receive the Sacraments of Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick and Eucharist. The pilgrimage coincided with World Day of the Sick and the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, of course.

Father Miguel González, rector of St. James Cathedral also traveled to the basilica to speak with the faithful. After the rosary, he spoke of, “the graces a person with an illness receives when they pray and abandon themselves to God’s presence.”

He added not only is the person evangelized by the support of the people, family, friends, and others praying for them, but “he is also an evangelizer because he’s bringing them to prayer and he’s giving witness of his great trust and confidence in the healing power of God.”

For him, the pilgrimage was an answer to prayer. Father González knew pilgrims would find comfort at the basilica, “where our Blessed Mother welcomes us and leads us to her son.”

Noting the event was “grace-filled”, he found joy and excitement on the pilgrims’ faces as they brought their concerns, conditions, and pains before the Lord, “knowing the Lord will restore them to wholeness.”

“He will heal us physically and spiritually,” said Father González. “All we have to do is present ourselves before Him so we may open our ears and our mouths, to listen to His words, to trust in His healing power, to trust in His promise of salvation, so that we may profess it with our lips and give witness of how the Lord has restored us; of how the Lord has not failed us. He accompanies and embraces us with His healing touch.”

Father Aarons agreed. He anointed young people with cancer, those with disabilities, the elderly in wheelchairs and was touched by their sincere faith.

Recalling the day’s Gospel reading from Mt 8:5 where the centurion asks Jesus to heal his servant, but feels unworthy that Jesus should enter his home, he likened the centurion to those present recognizing their own need for healing.

“Through this Eucharist and anointing, we invoke His healing power,” Father Aarons said. Praying for those in pain, distressed or otherwise afflicted, he reminded them “they are chosen among those proclaimed blessed and are united to Christ in His suffering for the salvation of the world.”

The pilgrimage will be an annual event offering the Sacraments of Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick, and Eucharist to all in search of peace.

The Mass and anointing moved Mary Regina Harms to tears. With an impending surgery that week, Harms said her tears have always made her feel the Holy Spirit is near. She was grateful the pilgrimage was offered for the community, acknowledging there is great need, evident by the more than 400 who attended and the more than 200 who received the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick.

“And to have the special grace of this special Sacrament given to us today is wonderful,” she said.

Guerda Jean-Pierre also received the Sacrament. She prayed for her own healing and that of her 4-year-old granddaughter, diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. “They say there is no cure for it, but I know God is the God of the impossible,” she said.

Jean-Pierre said the pilgrimage brought her peace, a peace she prayed extended to her entire family. “It was beautiful,” she said. “It reinforced our faith in God. It gives us hope. He is the only One. There is no other.”

By Glenda Meekins of the Florida Catholic staff, February 15, 2024

Father Anthony Easter message

Click here to watch the video!

ORLANDO | As a high school seminarian living in the Philippines, Father Glenn Lopez credited Santo Niño, the image of the child Jesus dressed as a king, with helping him remain steadfast on the path toward his vocation.

“After high school, my mother and I attended Mass at the Basilica del Santo Niño in Cebu, where Santo Niño originated,” said Father Lopez, parochial vicar at Most Precious Blood Catholic Church in Oviedo. “She dedicated me to Santo Niño, praying for me to become a priest. After the Mass, my mother had a Cebu prayer dancer pray for me by name in the native language. This could very well have been the moment of grace for me in my vocation.”

On Jan. 29, Father Lopez joined other Filipino priests along with roughly 800 laity for the 17th Diocesan Annual Eucharistic Celebration for the feast day of Santo Niño. Bishop John Noonan of Orlando celebrated Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary, Queen of the Universe, with Father Peter Puntal, pastor of St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Wildwood, as the homilist.

“The beatitudes first show us the childlike faith of Santo Niño – be humble of heart and poor in spirit,” Father Puntal said. “Children know how to have fun – they play, they laugh…it is easy for them to forgive. We were created for light. We must learn to have fun, to have joy when Jesus said, ‘don’t worry about tomorrow.’”

In his homily, Father Puntal provided several ways of how to cultivate joy in our lives. First, he advised to start the day off right by thanking the Lord for the gift of life and asking Him to guide us away from negativity. Second, he encouraged spending time with family and friends. Third, he recommended growing our sense of humor. And lastly, he said we gain joy by helping others.

The Mass was followed by Sinulog dancing and a re-enactment of the Spaniards led by Ferdinand Magellan who presented Santo Niño to Queen Juana of the Philippines in 1521. This event marks the beginning of Christianity in the Philippines. It has been said, while holding the image of Santo Niño, the newly baptized and converted Queen Juana danced with joy which led other native Filipinos to follow. This moment is regarded as the first Sinulog, an annual cultural and Catholic festival traditionally held in the Philippines on the third Sunday of every January. It includes dancing to honor Santo Niño.

The sculptural image of Santo Niño looks similar to the Infant Jesus of Prague – both originating from Spain. The original wooden statue of Santo Niño is still intact today, more than 500 years since its gifting to Queen Juana. Pope Francis mentioned the Holy Child as the protector of the Philippines during his visit to Manila in 2015.

“The reverencing of Santo Niño is the oldest of all devotions that we have in the Philippines,” said Father Kenny Aquino, pastor of Divine Mercy Catholic Community in Merritt Island, and liaison to the Filipino Ministry of the Diocese of Orlando. “There is an identity of love for Santo Niño that Filipinos have passed on from one generation to the next. You will see the image of Santo Niño in almost every Filipino home. Santo Niño reminds us that through Jesus we will never be abandoned in our suffering.”

While the feast of Santo Niño is a celebration of Filipino heritage, Father Aquino said it is the reassurance that the Holy Child of Jesus will be a companion to migrants as they journey from home. “Santo Niño is a source of solace and hope. It is a blessing to be with Santo Niño,” he said.

The feast of Santo Niño holds a particularly special place in Father Aquino’s heart. The Jan. 15 feast day, while a moveable feast day, also happens to be Father Aquino’s birthday. “I’ve been very close to the Holy Child of Jesus. In many instances of my life, I find encouragement and affinity to the Holy Child,” he shared.

Tribu Orlando, a group of local Sinulog dancers, first started as a group of 20 Filipino families across the Diocese, coming together to pray a novena ahead of the Sinulog festival. A priest later recommended they open their celebrations and prayer to the larger Catholic community to participate. After the Jan. 29 Santo Niño celebration Mass, Tribu Orlando led several Sinulog dances.

“I love the devotion of Sinulog to Santo Niño,” said Lei Mosqueda, one of the Sinulog dancers and event organizers. “I apply this devotion every day in my life. I always ask Santo Niño to answer my prayers.”

Mila Ecle grew up in Manila and moved to the United States as young woman with her husband who was in the Navy. Event coordinator of the Diocese’s Filipino Ministry, Ecle said, “Santo Niño teaches us that our love to the Lord should be innocent like a child’s. Whatever children have, they are happy.”

By Dana Szigeti, Special to the Florida Catholic, February 02, 2023 

Santo Niño 2023