The pilgrimage to the Mother of God /Lady of Fatima (Philippines)

XIV Pilgrimage of Catholic Tradition took place on Bohol Island on April 16-19th, starting from Tagbilaran, the capital of Bohol and ending in the town of Carmen. It was a three day walk of about 60 kilometers. The first stage was a 15 km long coastline, followed by much climbing up and down the many steep hills (with the renowned “chocolate hills” among others).
This year over 850 people signed up for the pilgrimage but by the final day there were more than 1000 participants.

On a pilgrim’s route
I had to fly in to join the pilgrimage at the first stopover which was a place close to the church that had been almost completely destroyed during the earthquake of 2013 (like the majority of the churches on the island).
The pilgrims were divided into 25 groups, each one consisting of the faithful (around 30-50) from different chapels of the Society of Saint Pius X in Philippines. Each of the groups prayed separately, mostly in Latin, sometimes songs or prayers were intoned in English or in one of the main local dialects .The pilgrims prayed and sang along the route almost the whole day, including two full Rosaries per day.
As walking and marching in this hot and humid tropical climate is an arduous challenge , there were special cars for the pilgrims along the whole route – so called jeepneys, bigger than a car but smaller than a bus. An exhausted pilgrim could take a ride on the jeepney to the top of the hill and then walk down again.
Starting in the morning and lasting the whole day, the pilgrims usually made about three stops which were mostly in or close to a church. During two of these stopovers a priest would give a lecture. I gave two such lectures in the churches.
Lodgings were in big schools close to the route of the pilgrimage. The Holy Mass was celebrated in a gymnasium. After the pilgrims entered, an adoration of the Blessed Sacrament started, while the pilgrims prayed the Rosary. The first day of the pilgrimage is always finished with a Benediction.
After refreshing themselves and after supper, the pilgrims met again in the gymnasium for the evening programme – the competitions. Eight delegations were chosen among all the groups, with the priests serving as referees. The first evening contest was dedicated to songs about the Virgin Mary – the pilgrims sang polyphonic songs and the chorus from our church in Manila turned out to be the most professional one. Poetry was the contest of the second evening. It was divided into two categories: women recited pieces in honour of the Immaculate Heart of Mary while men extolled the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Both made extraordinary and profound performances. All the participants were attired in formal wear. On the third evening there was a contest of the catechism and folk dances. The teachers of choreography from the local high schools were chosen to be the judges. Each contest began with a prayer and with a national anthem. Participants sang standing and with their right hand placed on their hearts.

The Pilgrimage Destination
On the third day around 4 pm we reached the pilgrimage destination: Mother of God/Lady of Fatima’s sanctuary, BOHOL FATIMA HILL. It is a hill rising among the others in the very heart of the island. There is a 150 meters stairway leading from the street at the foot of the hill to the top, where there is a statue of the Immaculate Heart of Blessed Virgin Mary. There is also a chapel just below the hilltop. Not all the pilgrims reached the hilltop at the same time. We prayed the Rosary at the feet of the statue and it was followed by a short sermon and a blessing.
A group picture was also taken, amidst great joy and exuberance . At about 6 pm buses ferried the pilgrims back to the school in Tagbilaran where the final ceremonies took place – a supper and the last of the abovementioned contests.

New Knights of the Immaculata
On Sunday morning, at 6:30 (as during the pilgrimage) the priests celebrated the Holy Masses or heard the confessions (all the priests from Philippines took part in the pilgrimage, on Sunday just a half of them left). At 7:30 a solemn Holy Mass was celebrated, followed by a great ceremony of admitting new members to the Militia Immaculatae. We prepared the faithful to join the MI from the first day of the pilgrimage. Everybody received a brochure, containing a little catechism – a candidate has to know it in order to become a knight of the MI. The catechists examined the candidates who received a registration number allowing them to take part in the ceremony. It was quite a complex and time-consuming procedure. Unfortunately, not every aspirant managed to be examined but at last on Sunday 453 people joined the ranks of the Knights of the Immaculata of the Traditional Observance. Four of the priests bestowed the miraculous medallions. The whole ceremony lasted for more than an hour. Then each newly admitted MI member had to stand in front of me to receive a signed and stamped certificate. It also took more than an hour but thanks to that I could see each new knight of the Immaculata face to face.
After the ceremony further contests were carried out, this time sport games: volleyball, basketball, ping pong and chess, giving the youth different avenues of expression. The games finished with the prize-presentation and a beautiful gift for each participant. The best team received a big statue of the Mother of God /Our Lady of Fatima.

A meeting of the highest levels of the Legion of Mary of Catholic Tradition (REGIA) took place concurrently, with the presence of all the presidents of the CURIA. The Legion of Mary is divided into the PRAESIDIUM (about 15-20 legionaries) at the lowest level. The PRAESIDIA form the CURIA (about 4-10 PRAESIDIUM). There is also the REGIA coordinating all the CURIAE. There are 10 CURIAE in Philippines which makes about 60 PRAESIDIA.
This time the REGIA debated about the ways of promoting the Militia Immaculatae in Philippines. Another issue discussed was the forthcoming congress of the Legion of Mary in Manila in October in which delegates of all the PRAESIDIA should participate.
I cannot forget the beautiful flags and banners which accompanied the pilgrimage, held by each of the groups. At the head and in the middle of the procession the pilgrims carried a big statue of the Mother of God, almost completely covered with flowers. Each evening the places where the contests took place were charmingly decorated as well.
The pilgrimage’s logistics was quite modest and quiet. The kitchen for 1000 people worked very well.
The wardens didn’t use whistles. It was enough to raise a hand and cars would stop to make way for the pilgrims. There was also a medical service which had almost nothing to do as none of the pilgrims fainted even during the hottest period from around 11:00-16:00, with temperature hovering at 40 degrees and extreme humidity. If Polish pilgrims experience this, they would definitely collapse after just an hour!
In general, people living close to the pilgrimage route (especially in the places noted for great hostility towards the clergy which is unfortunately quite common in Philippines) pretended they didn’t see the pilgrims walking by. However, in several villages we were welcomed with open arms. In previous years some of the churches were closed so that pilgrims couldn’t enter them. This time all, except for one, were opened for us. In two of them even the lights and sound systems were switched on .
This time there were 200 more participants compared to the last year, including about 150 new faithful. It will not be an exaggeration to state that this pilgrimage is one of the most important events during the whole year, with many blessings from the Mother of God, especially for the youth. A great thing about this pilgrimage is the spiritual and physical balance in daily life activities. the Holy Mass, the prayers, the lectures and the meetings, the music and the healthy entertainment. Everyone was glad to participate in such a combination and lived for it – for example the choirs practiced their repertoire at least 4-5 months before the pilgrimage.
As the summer holidays in Philippines take place in April and May, several camps were organized after the pilgrimage. Around 120 young people aged 16-25 years stayed in Bohol, participating in catechetic camps: the camp for 55 girls in a retreat house and another one for 65 boys in the school 4 km away, where the pilgrimage ended.
Deo et Immaculatae gratias for the fact that I could be present at such a manifestation of Her mercy!

Fr. Karl Stehlin