St. Peter, Bring Us To Jesus

Our walk with the Lord Jesus Christ with faith and in full obedience to Him is indeed a celebration itself. It is filled with joy, sorrow, hope, victories, failures–and above all–it is filled with the amazing love of God. The love of God for us propels us to love Him even more, love others as we love ourselves, and enable us to see the beauty and purpose of life.

St. Peter–one of Jesus’ disciples has experienced the amazing love of God. The life of St. Peter has been used by the Lord as His vessel to let the whole world see how amazing His love is in spite of all the world’s shortcomings. That is why, he has been called the fisher of men. Furthermore, the life and ministry of St. Peter has been and will always be remembered through events and celebrations by the Catholic Church. In fact, one of the Churches in the city of Davao is named after St. Peter or San Pedro in Filipino.

Last May 16, 2023, the San Pedro Cathedral Parish began celebrating its 175th Parochial Fiesta. On the same day, the said Parish also started the celebration for its 43rd anniversary of the Cathedral Dedication. These two (2) important events have been rolled into one (1) celebration with the theme, “O, San Pedro, nga gamhanan, mangingisda sa katawhan, dalha kami Kang Hesus, ang matuod nga dalan paingon sa Amahan.”

The said celebration is not just a one-day event; but a festival in an extraordinary celebration by the devotees, within forty four (44) days. (May 16 until June 29)

Thirty (30) GKKs joined the GKK Pilgrimage Mass last May 16 up to June 14. And, this coming June 28, 2023, a procession of the St. Peter’s different images mounted on tricycles will roam around the parish’s jurisdiction.

In preparing for the celebration, the parish did not only empower the thirty (30) GKKs; but has also used youth participation in many forms of involvement. (Michael David Nerosa – HCDC Intern)