Prayer is best way to celebrate Sinulog

The Feast of Sto. Niño on Jan. 15 is full of festive food, overflowing drinks, and street parties. But nothing beats a solemn prayer to celebrate the day, according to two Sto. Niño devotees.

Gloria Enclonar, who has been a devotee since she was 19 years old, said that beyond the food and the dances, people must remember prayer as still the best way to thank the Holy Child.

“Prayer is still the best gift for Sto. Niño and the best way to celebrate. For me, I would complete the novena masses every year even under threats of a storm,” she said in Cebuano during the Pagtuki episode last Saturday.

Pagtuki is the radio program of Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI), which airs every Saturday, 10-11 a.m. at dyLA.

Enclonar said that she personally experienced the miracle of the baby Jesus when she was 35 years old. The doctor had informed her of her difficulty to get pregnant. A believer in the power of prayer, Enclonar asked Sto. Niño to grant them even just one child.

Now, she and her husband are raising their three biological children.

For Julia Maru, another Pagtuki guest who has been battling breast cancer for three years, the miracle of Sto. Niño is manifested through the love and support of her family.

She continues to encourage her three sons to celebrate the Sinulog by attending the novena masses.

“My Sinulog will be complete when I attend mass and give thanks to Sto. Niño. For me, prayer is most important of all our Sinulog activities,” she said in Cebuano.

Karl Damayo, exhibitions and museum collections officer of the Casa Gorodo Museum of RAFI, said that Sinulog is really intended for giving thanks to Sto. Niño.

“The Vatican acknowledges the Sinulog as a prayer through a dance. There are only two dancing prayers recognized by the Vatican. The other one is in Spain,” he said.