CEBU, Philippines – There will be a Holy Mass in honor of the Santo Cristo de Limpia at 4 p.m. at the Basilica del Sto. Niño today.
The devotion to the Santo Cristo de Limpia in Cebu started in the 1900s when Don Juan Rivera and Doña Andrea Rivera, parents of the late Inday Pining Gullas, donated the image to the Basilica’s Augustinian fathers.
According to Dr. Jose “Dodong” Gullas, the image is made of hardwood that his Lolo Juan “scouted for and imported from Spain.” Gullas, together with his wife Nena, has continued the tradition of celebrating the feast of the Santo Cristo de Limpia started by his maternal grandparents.
The Santo Cristo de Limpia originated from a small village called Limpias in Covadonga in Asturias, Spain. The name “Limpia” comes from the thermal waters known as the Waters of Limpias. The village is small, about 1,200 residents, and it is here where the Church of St. Peter was built.
The image depicts Christ in agony looking towards the heavens. It is said that depending on what angle you look from, the expression of Jesus as depicted in the image is not only of pain, but also of prayer and contemplation. (FREEMAN)