Patronal Feast Celebrated at the Parish of St. John of Shanghai in Santa Maria, Philippines
On October 12—the feast day commemorating the uncovering of the relics of St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco, the Wonderworker—the parish dedicated to him in Santa Maria (Davao Occidental province, Philippines) celebrated its patronal feast.
This year also marked the 130th anniversary of the saint’s birth.
The Divine Liturgy was celebrated by Hieromonk Korniliy (Molev), Secretary of the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese, assisted by diocesan clergy: Priests John Mahinay, Joachim Gonzales, and Stephen Bingcal. An All-Night Vigil had been held at the parish the previous evening.
The Liturgy was celebrated in the Cebuano language.
Those who wished to do so were able to go to confession and receive the Holy Mysteries of Christ.
Following the Liturgy, a service of glorification (slavlenie) to St. John was held, after which the faithful venerated an icon of the saint containing a portion of his relics.
Father Korniliy offered congratulations to all those present and delivered a sermon.
After the service, the celebration continued with a communal meal.
