つぶやき BLOG
2010 Filipino Marian Festival Sｒ.マリアニータ 2010/9/27(月)
| Some 400 Filipinos,many with their Japanese husbands,“bi-cultural” children”and foreign friends braved the intense summer heat to join the Second Marian Festival last August 29,2010 , held at the Franciscan Friary , Kiryu City, Gunma prefecture. It started with a Marian procession with children carrying ribboned placards of “AVE MARIA” walked up the grassy slopes followed by Filipinas holding Marian images. Then Bishop Marcelino Tani, Fr. Jack and Fr. Stanley concelebrated mass where a symbolic offering of a Phil. flag, a globe, a passport ,etc. were offered by chosen Filipinos and Japanese volunteers. Before the final blessing, a Filipino led the “Migrant’s Prayer” to Mary and Bishop Tani crowned the image of Our Lady of the Phils. as the Maebashi choir sang, “MARY IS OUR QUEEN”. At lunch time, a Marian Quiz for adults and an “On- the- Spot” Marian Draw-ing contest joined by eleven children(3-12 years old) were held simultaneously. Then a cul-tural presentation and the “Balik-Buhay” charity raffle draw for the benefit of Filipino migrant returnees followed. This year, 3 Filipino migrant youth bands from Ibaraki and Gunma played, Kawagoe,Oyama and Shibukawa Filipino Communities rendered traditional Philipine dances and others rendered English and Filipino songs. Awesome and “towering” as stage they built that day, the Filipinos’ love for Mary surely soured high above the heavens that beautiful Sunday! |
