I was on a field research project with my students in Donsol Sorsogon. As many of you will know Donsol is famous for its whale sharks known locally as Butandings. The Butanding is the largest fish in the world. Despite of their size they are the most gentle. For those of you who are interested to interact and swim with these giant creatures visit the Donsol Tourism Office. This is not an advertisement but simply a tip for animal lovers. But for one thing we were lucky to come to Donsol at a time that they were celebrating their town fiesta in honor of St. Joseph the Workman. This gave us opportunity to use our free time to interact with the locals and join in the evening procession on the eve of the feast day. The different images of the patron saints of the different villages of Donsol converge on the Church patio to participate in the procession. St. Joseph happens to be one of my favorite saints. I will share with you some of the pictures. We bought candles and we lighted this candle as we went along with the procession. Praying the rosary and from time to time join in singing the anthem to St. Joseph. While going on with the procession, I meditated on the meaning of Christian life. Like a procession, the life of a Christian is a pilgrimage. we have to pass through the narrow alley of sufferings and pains in order to arrive at our destination. As I looked at the image of St. Joseph and the images of the saints, I was reminded of a wonderful truth of our faith, -the communion of the saints. That we wether on earth, purgatory or heaven, we are one community sharing common salvation and common faith. For here we are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses who once pass through the agony of this earth and now are redeemed by the blood of the Lamb.
Here are some video clips:
Here are some video clips:
The Start of the Procession
The Image of St. Joseph the Workman
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