The annual Vigilia de Pentecostés (Pentecost Vigil) at St. Patrick’s Cathedral is scheduled for Saturday, May 23, at 7 p.m. Auxiliary Bishop Joseph A. Espaillat is assigned to serve as principal celebrant and homilist.
The Hispanic liturgy is overseen by the Cultural Diversity Apostolate of the Archdiocese of New York, which will also oversee two other cultural diversity Masses that weekend: the 100th Anniversary of Our Lady of Manaoag (Philippines), which is the archdiocese’s first Santacruzan at the cathedral, and the annual Mass in Honor of Our Lady of Lujan (Argentina).
The Pentecost Vigil is a solemn liturgical celebration held on the Saturday evening before Pentecost Sunday, marking the end of the Easter season. It acts as a “watch” or prayerful anticipation of the descent of the Holy Spirit, imitating the Apostles and Mary waiting in the Upper Room.
Our Lady of Manaoag
Auxiliary Bishop Efren V. Esmilla, Archdiocese of Philadelphia, will serve as principal celebrant and homilist at the Our Lady of Manaoag Mass, which is considered “an historic milestone” for the Filipino Catholic community of the New York archdiocese because of the anniversary and Santacruzan significance. Bishop Esmilla was born in the Philippines. The Mass is set for Sunday, May 24, at 2 p.m., preceded by a brief procession from East 51st Street into the cathedral, with a figure of Our Lady of Manaoag.
“This is to give honor and veneration to the Blessed Mother who is always with us,” Bishop Esmilla told The Good Newsroom in a phone interview, citing also the importance of Mary’s Manaoag title to the Filipino-American community.
“We have attributed a lot to the intercessions of Mary, through challenges and difficulties; she is always there. Her role is to bring more people closer to her Son, Jesus. We should always realize that like Mary, we should be united to Jesus,” the bishop noted.
Santacruzan is a vibrant, Catholic-historical pageant held in the Philippines throughout May, culminating on the last day of the Flores de Mayo festival. The image of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary of Manaoag was canonically crowned on April 21, 1926.
The Minor Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary of Manaoag in Pangasinan, Philippines, is a prominent pilgrimage site housing a 17th-century ivory image of the Virgin Mary, which is reportedly miraculous. Known as “Apo Baket” (Venerable Lady), she is the patroness of the sick, helpless, and needy. The basilica site is managed by the Dominican Order.
Our Lady of Lujan
Father Pablo Ruani, parochial vicar at St. Leo the Great R.C. in the Corona area of Queens, Diocese of Brooklyn, (Iglesia Católica Romana de San León Magno), is designated to serve as principal celebrant and homilist during the Our Lady of Lujan Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. The Mass is set for Sunday, May 24, at 4 p.m. Our Lady of Lujan is the patroness of Argentina. (She is also considered patroness of Uruguay and Paraguay.) Father Ruani was born in Argentina.
Although it is primarily an Argentinian cultural liturgy, organizers said in promotional material, “Todo son bienvenidos,” (All are welcome).
The figure of Our Lady of Lujan is a small statue that has been venerated in Argentina since 1630. It was crowned canonically in 1887 and was moved to its current sanctuary, which was given the title of basilica in 1930 by Pope Pius XII. May 8 is the feast day of Our Lady of Lujan. And it was on May 8, 2013, that Pope Francis (who was originally from Argentina) visited the Basilica of Lujan to commend Argentina to the protection of its patroness.
For more information, visit the website of the Cultural Diversity Apostolate of the Archdiocese of New York.
