By Julma M. Narvadez
An exhibition and lecture series on the Peñafrancia devotion will highlight this year’s centenary of the canonical coronation of the image of Our Lady of Peñafrancia. The Archdiocese of Caceres, through the Commission on Ecclesiastical Museum, Library and Archive, presents a month-long exhibition titled “Ina: Power and Intimacy.”
The project brief issued by the commission says that the exhibition “aims to locate significant historical events in the history of our devotion to Our Lady of Peñafrancia. By way of curating selected artefacts relevant to the devotion, we set the goal of giving devotees and pilgrims a renewed perspective on Mary’s role as our queen and mother.”
The exhibition, featuring eight stations designed by architect and visual artist Cocoi Base, will include multimedia presentations that invite reflection and interaction.
“Through this exhibition, we hope to emphasize the importance of a devotee, a pilgrim, as a bearer of the devotion,” says priest-painter Fr. Nunilon Arnold F. Bancaso, Jr., head of the commission. The exhibit will run from September 8 to October 7 at the Holy Rosary Minor Seminary, Naga City, from Monday to Saturday, 8:00AM to 5:00PM. Requests for guided tours on Sundays will need prior notice. Preceding the exhibition is a lecture series on September 6 to 8, in collaboration with the Ateneo de Naga University Press and the National Book Development Board. Speakers include Dr. Ambeth Ocampo, Dr. Filomeno Aguilar, Jr. both of Ateneo de Manila University; Dr. Maddie Yakal, University of California-Los Angeles; and Fr. Andrew Recepcion, ordained for the Archdiocese of Caceres, currently professor at the Faculty of Missiology of the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome. Caceres Archbishop Rex Andrew C. Alarcon, D.D. will cap the series with “The Peñafrancia Devotion A Century Hence: A Letter to 2124.” His talk will formally open the exhibit.
The lecture series is open to the public. Interested parties may contact the commission’s secretariat through the project’s fb page of the same name. The commission invites religious and civic organizations, local government units, schools and universities to visit the exhibit. General admission is Php 100.00. Students, senior citizens, persons with special needs will enjoy 50% discount upon presentation of ID.
Pilgrims and devotees who wish to contribute their resources may coordinate with the Secretariat. “Their donation will help us to provide a truly memorable experience to those who will visit and participate in the exhibit and lecture series,” says Fr. Bancaso.
The image of Our Lady of Peñafrancia arriving at the Metropolitan Cathedral through the Porta Mariae during the annual Traslacion Procession. (Photo credit: Fr. Nunilon Arnold F. Bancaso, Jr. )
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