By Clemencia Balanay
HONG KONG (SE): The Santacruzan, the festival of Flores de Mayo [Flowers of May], was celebrated on May 28 at St. Joseph’s Church, Garden Road, by the Filipino community.
Five communities participated in this devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary: the Apostleship of Prayer, the Filipino Catholic Group, the Filipino Prayer Group, the Legion of Mary, and the Sowers Group.
The procession began with children dressed as angels and women dressed as sagalas carrying the cross, while four people carrying the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary processed inside the church compound praying the rosary and singing hymns. Father Paul Chen Zhongxue, assistant parish priest, and Jinky Apinado dressed as Reyna Elena crowned the Blessed Virgin Mary’s image with garlands before the Mass.
Following the Tagalog Mass celebrated by Divine Word Father Jay Flandez, chaplain for Filipinos, participants prayed the rosary in the grotto. Choir members sang hymns after each mystery, and children tossed flower petals around the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary after each mystery. Father Chen blessed the statue at the end.
