THE National Shrine of Saint Joseph will hold an overnight Traslacion of the Santo Niño de Cebu, as part of the parish’s major religious activities for 2026, according to shrine rector Rev. Father Ian Fel Balankig.
Father Balankig said the Traslacion is a long-standing tradition in the local celebration of the feast of Santo Niño de Cebu, symbolizing the visit of the Child Jesus and the Blessed Virgin Mary to Saint Joseph, the head of the Holy Family, at the National Shrine of Saint Joseph.
“This is the first major event of our parish for the New Year 2026. The Traslacion is part of our tradition in celebrating the Santo Niño here,” Balankig said.
“It represents the visit of the Child Jesus and the Blessed Virgin Mary to Saint Joseph at the National Shrine.”
For this year’s celebration, Balankig said the image of the Santo Niño will stay overnight at the shrine, allowing parishioners, pilgrims, and devotees more time to pray and venerate the image.
“This year, the image will stay overnight, which means our parishioners and pilgrims will have a longer time to visit and pray before the Santo Niño here at our parish,” he said.
The Traslacion will take place on January 15, 2026. The welcome Mass is scheduled at 9 a.m. at the National Shrine of Saint Joseph, followed by continuous veneration and kissing of the image after the Mass.
The church will remain open throughout the night, with several Masses to be celebrated until dawn the following day.
The farewell Mass is set at 4 a.m. on January 16.
Balankig said the event is significant not only as a church activity but also as part of Mandaue City’s wider celebrations, as it coincides with the Panagtagbo Festival.
“This is a big event for Mandaue City. It is a church activity, but it is also a government activity because it is connected with the Panagtagbo Festival,” he said.
He added that the parish has already conducted an internal coordination meeting and is set to meet with the local government unit and other partner agencies, including the Traffic Enforcement Agency of Mandaue (Team), the Philippine National Police (PNP), the Department of General Services (DGS), and the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO).
After the stay at the National Shrine of Saint Joseph, the Santo Niño image will also have an overnight visit at the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Rule, or Birhen sa Regla.
The last Mass there will be celebrated at 8 p.m., after which continuous prayers and veneration will follow, with the church remaining open throughout the night.
“This will be a longer visit of the Santo Niño at the National Shrine of Saint Joseph and also a longer overnight stay at the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Rule,” Balankig said.
“The local government, the PNP, TEAM, DGS, and the CDRRMO are all very much part of this celebration.” (ABC)