The Sinulog Festival in honor of the infant Santo Niño was celebrated by Filipino-German communities across Germany in January. Philippine Ambassador to Germany Melita S. Sta. Maria-Thomeczek was with the Filipino-German community in Bayreuth during their Sinulog celebration on 7 January 2017.  After the Mass, the community held a procession, braving below freezing temperatures to observe a national religious tradition.

Ambassador Sta. Maria-Thomeczek also graced the Sinulog festivities in Hamburg on 15 January which started with the celebration of the Holy Mass led by Fr. Simon Boiser SVD and featured a reenactment of the first celebration of the Sinulog in the Philippines commemorating the Filipinos´ acceptance of Christianity.

In her remarks to the celebrants in Bayreuth and Hamburg, Ambassador Sta.Maria-Thomeczek extolled the Filipinos’ strong sense of Faith which could be seen in the practice of  our  national devotions. She enjoined one and all, in the spirit of our pagka-makatao, makabayan and maka-Diyos not to miss passing on Filipino values to their children and to continuing supporting and praying for one another and for the Philippines.   The good news about the fast economic growth of the Philippines was also shared.

The Filipino Community in Berlin, led by Filipino Chaplain Fr. Jun de Ocampo SVD, commemorated the Feast of Santo Niño on the same day with a concelebrated Mass, blessing of Santo Niño images and Sinulog dances.  Consul General Donna Rodriguez delivered remarks in celebration of the occasion at the Holy Ghost Church in Bayernallee.  She spoke of the community´s unwavering faith and devotion to the Santo Niño and how this had strengthened them as they built new lives for themselves and their families in foreign lands:  “For many years now, the Philippine community in Berlin has celebrated the feast of the Sto. Niño every January. The yearly re-enactment of what we believe to have happened during the very first Sinulog in 1521 serves not only to renew our devotion to the Sto. Niño but to rejuvenate our oneness as a community even as we face both the challenges and opportunities of the year ahead.” END