The document summarizes several religious celebrations held by the Philippine Liturgical Society of St. Louis, the foremost Filipino Catholic group in the area. It describes annual traditions like Simbang Gabi (a nine-day novena in December), monthly masses, and the celebration of saints' days. Two larger annual events discussed are the Sinulog Festival in January commemorating the Christianization of the Philippines, and Santacruzan in May depicting the finding of the Holy Cross. The document also briefly mentions The Way of the Cross tradition honored during Lent.

1. Celebratio
ns

2. Introduction
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• The foremost Filipino Catholic group is
the Philippine Liturgical Society of St. Louis. Its
services encompass most of the religious activities
of the community that are practices from the
Philippines, such as the Annual Simbang Gabi,
Todos Los Santos, Lenten Recollection, and the
monthly Filipino Mass. The celebration of the feast
of San Lorenzo Ruiz, the first Filipino saint, is now
part of the list of activities, as well as the Feast of La
Naval de Manila marking the naval victory of the
Spanish and Filipino Catholic forces against the
invading Dutch fleet. 20XX 2

3. Simbang Gabi
- an annual nine-day novena
dedicated to the Virgin Mary in her
pregnancy. The novena starts on Dec.
15 and ends Dec. 23. A Mass is
celebrated every night for nine days,
officiated by different volunteer priests
from the greater St. Louis area.
Archbishop Mitchell Rozanski will
celebrate the concluding Mass. All the
Masses will be celebrated at 7 p.m. at
Sacred Heart Church in Valley Park
and will be livestreamed.
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4. A novena to Our Lady of
Perpetual Help and a
Mass
• is celebrated every first
Wednesday of the month at
Our Lady of the Snows Shrine
in Belleville, Illinois. On Sept.
8, the birthday of Mary, the
Mother of Jesus, is observed.
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5. Sinulog Festival
• held in January commemorates the beginning of
Christianization of the Philippine Islands. It is a festival
honoring the Infant Jesus, “Santo Nino de Cebu.” The
Santo Nino icon was gifted to Queen Juana by
Ferdinand Magellan, upon her baptism into the
Catholic religion. There are two Sinulog celebrations in
the Greater St. Louis area, one in north St. Louis
County and one in St. Charles County. Both
celebrations are similar. A Mass is always celebrated,
then a reenactment of the gifting of the Santo Nino
Icon and Queen Juana dancing with joy, followed by
the whole congregation dancing the two-step, back
and forth steps with each dancer carrying a Santo Nino
statue. No Filipino event is held without a lavish spread
of Filipino delicacies, although this practice was
reduced to the very minimum during the pandemic.
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6. The
Way
of the
Cros
s • is a traditional devotion in honour of the life, death and
resurrection of Jesus. Known also as Stations of the Cross,
Via Crucis, and Via Dolorosa, the Way of the Cross had its
origins in the Holy Land, but it did not become popular around
the world until the 17th Century.
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7. Flores de Mayo at Santacruzan
• A Santacruzan is a religious-
historical beauty pageant held in
many cities, towns and even
small villages throughout the
Philippines during the month of
May. One of the most colorful
May-time festivals in the
Philippines which depicts the
finding of the Holy Cross by
Queen Helena, mother of
Constantine the Great
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8. Thank you
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