Press Release

Philippine Consulate General, Toronto Joins the 39th Annual Filipino Pilgrimage at Martyr’s Shrine in Midland, Ontario

2019-08-14

(L-R) Deputy Consul General Bernadette Therese Fernandez, Ms. Fe Taduran of the Bicol Canada Community Association (BCCA), and Cultural Officer Ms. Cecile Santos joined the procession composed of Catholic priests, lay ministers, devotees and pilgrims who come to the Martyr’s Shrine in Midland, Ontario every year for this pilgrimage. This year’s celebration, which opened with the procession, was hosted by the Devotees of Our Lady of Peñafrancia in Ontario and supported by the BCCA, honoring Ina, Our Lady of Peñafrancia.

The procession led by the Devotees of Our Lady of Peñafrancia and the the Bicol Canada Community Association.

The procession ended in front of the stage where the Holy Mass was said. Nine Filipino priests and one Canadian priest concelebrated the mass with Rev. Msgr. Edgardo S. Pan

03 August 2019, Toronto, Canada – The Philippine Consulate General in Toronto, represented by Deputy Consul General Bernadette Therese C. Fernandez, Cultural Officer Cecilia Santos and Consular Assistant Oliver Baranda, joined thousands of pilgrims at the 39th Annual Pilgrimage at the Martyr’s Shrine in Midland, Ontario. Labor Officer Rachel Zozobrado-Nagayo, Welfare Office Assistant Marisol Ebron and SSS Office Assistant Nilda Guiang also joined and took the opportunity to disseminate information about the services of the Labor and SSS Offices.

The theme of this year’s pilgrimage, which was hosted by the Devotees of Our Lady of Peñafrancia in Ontario, Canada and supported by the Bicol Canada Community Association (BCCA), is “An Exodus of Faith: The Role of Mother Mary in the Faith of Filipino Immigrants,” honoring Ina, Our Lady of Peñafrancia, the Patroness of the Bicol Region.

The whole-day celebration commenced with a procession around the grounds of the Martyr’s Shrine, followed by the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Rev. Msg. Edgardo S. Pan celebrated the mass, along with Rev. Fr. Michael Knox, SJ, Director of the Martyr’s Shrine, and nine (9) other Filipino priests from other Catholic parishes in Ontario.

The annual Filipino pilgrimage in Midland, Ontario draws thousands of devotees and pilgrims of all faiths and cultures from different parts of North America, to celebrate their faith and religiosity. END.

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