Simbang Gabi is a Filipino Christmas tradition. It is a series of nine dawn masses on the days leading up to Christmas. It begins on December 15 and ends on the 23rd of December, when a culmination mass and Fellowship is held. The tradition of Simbang Gabi continues at the Shrine of the Sacred Heart with the nativity scene or Belen in the Church as one of the focal points with baby Jesus in a manger with Mother Mary, Saint Joseph and the three wise men carrying their gifts to the infant Jesus and the star of Bethlehem that guided them in their journey. Over the years, Filipino communities have made some changes in the way that this event is celebrated. The Shrine of the Sacred Heart Parish celebrates Simbang Gabi or Misa de Gallo at around 7:00 in the evening in order to accommodate the needs of the community who have different work schedules.

Sinulog is an annual cultural and religious festival held on the third Sunday of January and the Santo Niño is the center of the celebrations. Sinulog is the ritual prayer-dance honoring Señor Santo Niño or the Child Jesus. An image of the Child Jesus is said to be the baptismal gift the Portuguese conquistador Ferdinand Magellan gave Hara Amihan (Humanay) of Zebu (now Cebu) in April 1521.

The word "Sinulog" means graceful dance, derived from the same word as "sulog" - the word that refers to a current passing through water - which poetically describes the rippling steps of the traditional Sinulog celebration dance that are basically two steps forward and one step backward as the dancer sways to a distinct rhythm of drums.

Shrine Parishioner, Tita Siozan, explains the Sinulog tradition and the dance offering to Santo Nino:

Flores de Mayo (Spanish for “Flowers of May”) is a festival held at the Shrine of the Sacred Heart Parish in the month of May. It is one of the May devotions to the Blessed Virgin Mary and lasts for the entire month.

Every single night in May our parish gathers for a praying of the Rosary.  The parish celebrates Flores de Mayo and Santacruzan religious festivities during the whole month of May in the evening with daily rosary, novena prayer and flower offerings at the grotto of the Blessed Virgin in the garden of the Shrine of the Sacred Heart Church.

The rosary is Scripture-based prayer and the Mysteries of the Rosary center on the events of Christ’s life. There are four sets of Mysteries: Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious and the Luminous.  The repetition in the Rosary is meant to lead one into restful and contemplative prayer related to each Mystery. The gentle repetition of the words helps us to enter into the silence of our hearts, where Christ’s spirit dwells.

The Santacruzan (from the Spanish Santa Cruz, “Holy Cross”) is the ritual pageant held on the last day of the Flores de Mayo.  The Shrine celebrates Flores de Mayo and Santacruzan religious festivities during the whole month of May at 6:30 in the evening with daily rosary, novena prayer and flower offerings at the grotto of the Blessed Virgin in the garden of the Shrine of the Sacred Heart Church.

Flores de Mayo 2020

For the first time in our Parish history, we held a virtual Flores de Mayo & Santacruzan for 2020!  For the entire month of May, we brought the May devotions to the Blessed Virgin Mary via the rosary and novena prayers, live streamed from parishioner’s homes.
 

At Pentecost, the Apostles and their followers were gathered in a room. At this time, a great wind blew and a flame appeared as a tongue of fire, which split itself into many individual flames above the heads of all those present. The Holy Spirit came upon these people and each began to speak in tongues. Despite the fact many had no common language, they were perfectly able to understand one another.

Each year our church gathers to celebrate Pentecost, the birth of our Christian Church, and the diversity of the cultures within our own Parish.