ILOILO CITY — The San Jose Parish church handling the religious activities of the annual Dinagyang Festival is asking the support of the Department of Education (DepEd) to heighten the religiosity of the event in 2018.
Rev. Fr. Raymund Edsel Alcayaga, O.S.A. said on Friday that they target the participation of public and private schools in their daily masses in honor of Señor Santo Niño in January.
He said they will be communicating with DepEd and various schools starting November this year. He banked on the backing of the DepEd regional director “to encourage public schools to join scheduled mass.”
The parish is targeting the participation of more people in the religious activities as Dinagyang Festival celebrates its golden anniversary in 2018. It also marks the 50th year when the image of Señor Santo Niño was brought to Iloilo.
Aside from the daily masses, another event that is expected to draw larger crowd is the “sadsad,” or the big merry-making in the evening after the Sponsors’ Mardi Gras parade.
Next year the “sadsad” will occupy the entire stretch fronting the Plaza Libertad.
“Most of those people who attend the ‘sadsad’ really give importance to religious activities and not on the other events,” he said.
Fr. Alcayaga said that they are currently scouting for the next Hermano and Hermana Mayor who will help run the religious events.
Meantime, Alcayaga said the Santo Niño image in Iloilo will be brought to Cebu during the final leg of the celebration of their feast for a wardrobe change.
Thereafter, the image will be brought back to Iloilo via plane, the way he was brought to Iloilo 50 years ago.
The image will pass by parishes and hospitals while on its way to the San Jose church in Plaza Libertad. (PNA)
