Wednesday, February 8, 2017

The biggest religious gathering in 31 years

The second anniversary of El Shaddai, which coincided with the birthday of Bro. Mike Velarde, the group’s leader, in Quirino Grandstand, Rizal Park, Manila, held on August 23 to 24, 1986, with no less than President Corazon Aquino as guest of honor for the event.
Bro. Mike Velarde

Former President Corazon Aquino
January 9 at Quipo Church in Manila, The Black Nazarene, a life-sized statue of Christ is carried through town by barefooted men yelling, "Viva Señor, while huge crowd tries to touch the statu. The statue was bought by a priest in Mexico and brought it to Manila in 1606. Since 1787 the statue has been housed at Saint John the Baptist Church in Quiapo. For more than 200 years the church has been placing the statue on a gilded carriage every January and pulling it through the streets of Quiapo. People who touch it are reported to sometimes be healed of diseases. Catholics come from all over Manila on the chance that they will be able to get close enough to touch the image and perhaps receive a miracle. They also throw towels to the police who guard the statue and ask them to rub the towel on the statue in hopes of carrying some of that power away with them...

The 380th Feast of the Black Nazarene overnight vigil at Quirino Grandstand, Rizal Park, Manila and a midnight mass presided by Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin on January 8 to 9, 1987.
Manila Archbishop-emeritus Jaime Cardinal Sin
Followed by the 2nd World Youth Day in Manila presided by Pope John Paul II on January 15 to 19, 1987. The theme of the event is "We ourselves have known and put our faith in God’s love towards ourselves (1 John 4:16)". First WYD held in Southeastern Asia, First WYD in Asia, First WYD in a country with a non-Indo-European language and First WYD to be held outside the months of July/August.
The Closing Mass of the event was held at Quirino Grandstand, Rizal Park, Manila on January 18, 1987. Over 5 million people attended the World Youth Day 1987 in Manila, Philippines, to see Pope.
Even the Pope was late for Sunday Mass: a fretful 1 hour and 41 minutes.
His schedule called for a 15-minute, two-mile drive from the Apostolic Nunciature to the altar, but he was trapped for more than an hour in the nunciature, where he spent the night Saturday. Police finally decided to fly him in a helicopter over the vast crowd.
"This is the biggest crowd I have ever seen in my life; bigger than the ones in Poland when the Pope went back for the first time," said Vatican TV commentator Archbishop John P. Foley.
Festive Filipinos so far from the Mass site that they would have no chance of seeing the Pope lined the street 50 deep.
Flags of dozens of nations, including the Stars and Stripes, waved under gray skies in the humid air to salute the pontiff, who sat on a red velvet throne in the same park Saturday night to hear the ideas and concerns of young pilgrims.

On June 12, 1998 - THE CENTENNIAL President, Fidel V. Ramos waved the Philippine flag, from the same spot as the first president of the Philippine Republic did a hundred years ago.
As Mr. Ramos proudly hoisted the tri-color, a young boy sang the opening verse of the Philippine National Anthem á capella, later to be joined by a choir. The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra surged through the song for a heartwarming crescendo. The crowd burst into cheers, ''Mabuhay and Pilipinas.''
A group of veteran soldiers from Cavite, who squeezed themselves through the crowd to get a better view of the President, quietly wiped away their tears.
''We mark a hundred years of learning what it takes to rise from a diverse mix of language groups, islands and regions into a self-conscious unity into what Rizal called 'One Filipino Nation,''' President Ramos yesterday said in Kawit, Cavite as the country began a weekend fiesta to mark a 100 years since declaring independence from Spain.
A crowd of about 15,000 packed the Liwasang Hen. Emilio Aguinaldo to witness the reenactment of the declaration of the country's declaration of independence on June 12, 1898.
The men came in sterling barong and the women in gay baro't saya. Their parade was accompanied by the familiar strains of fiesta march songs played by small town bands.
The festivities were part of a grand celebration by Filipinos who temporarily forgot the regional economic crisis to mark the centennial of their independence.
At daybreak, church bells across the archipelago tolled for three minutes as officials gathered at key population centers for flag-raising ceremonies.
Every province, city and municipality hosted a Thanksgiving lunch for the country's achievements and blessings.
The celebration in Manila included a parade depicting the country's struggle against 333 years of Spanish colonialism, a regatta, sky-diving exhibitions and brass band competitions.
An evening of concerts and ''nationwide street dancing'' were preceded by a massive fireworks display over Manila Bay.