Sto. Niño in the home of faith

CEBU, Philippines - The Sto. Niño exhibit at the Ayala Center Cebu is not only an annual event, it is already a tradition woven into the fabric of malling culture.

Msgr. Cris Garcia of the Society of the Angel of Peace acknowledged mall management as well as tenants "who have graciously given way to the exhibit by politely giving up some business spaces." The exhibit is located at the Exhibit Area II (between Celine and Kamiseta stores).

Putting up the said exhibit, Msgr. Cris added, helps remind mallgoers that "Sto. Niño is something unique."

"The Holy Child is not only a cultural icon but somebody who stands for our story – the story of our history," he said in his welcome speech during the exhibit opening last January 6, 2012.

"It is not so much of a collector's item being displayed in here, but a story of a person's struggle, hope and sense of community," he added.

Msgr. Cris mentioned, for example, how a man possesses a Sto. Niño in the image of a child with Down Syndrome. "His is a story of a father who doesn't know at first what to do with it. So he resorted to keeping an image of the Sto. Niño having the countenance of a child with Down Syndrome and so he has found hope being touched daily with the likeness of the Holy Child to that of his own child."

The Sto. Niño stands for our story of "coming to life," the monsignor further said.

He cited he was there comforting some fire victims in a community here in Cebu City recently. He was expecting the affected residents to be coming to him, complaining and asking for immediate aid. But he was so surprised that the first man to have approached him asked him: "Magmisa ta, Monsignor?!"

"I didn't expect that in their moment of crisis, they would rather go and celebrate Holy Mass with me. I was thinking they would ask for material assistance to be able to survive that day and later on rebuild their settlement, but Misa ang ilang gipangayo," he added.

"So, gibuhatan ko nila’g altar made of burnt tire and other pieces of burnt materials. And as I was offering the Mass, I saw that they were holding on to their treasures – Sto. Niño icons – ang pinakauna nilang gi-save during the fire."

In concluding his speech, Msgr. Cris said that this shows how we have grown as a people in a home of faith. We have already strongly believed that when we first seek Him, we can readily give up every material possession and chose only Him: our greatest treasure.

Images featured in this exhibit are owned by devotees like fashion designer Harley Ruedas, the prominent Frasco family of Liloan, Msgr. Cris' own collection, to name a few.

Msgr. Cris' collection of a Sto. Niño whose groin was exposed caught the attention of most guests present during the opening. The image shows how a child's heart and nature is stripped of wordly cares.

Exhibit runs until January 17, 2012.  (FREEMAN)