There will be two “replica” celebratios of the famous Feast of Penafrancia in Greater Sydney this September, one in the diocese of Sydney with celebration in Silverwater on 14 September and the other, the diocese of Parramatta with the centre of celebration in Penrith on 21 September.
The original Penafrancia devotees festivities in the Philippines will be celebrated on 21 September in Naga City in the Bicol region. Thousands of Catholic devotees troop to Naga City and would join specifically in the fluvial procession at Naga River to fulfil their ‘panata” (vow) to the venerated virgin Mary of Penafrancia or INA (Mother) to many devotees.
In Sydney, the Bicolano organisation Nuestra Senora de Penafrancia Sydney diocese or NUSPAS is hosting the Penafrancia festival in Silverwater on Saturday 14 September whilst the Australian Devotees of Our Lady of Penafrancia or ADOLP is hosting the celebration in Penrith on 21 September.
Majority of Filipino residents in Sydney either live within the Catholic diocese of Parramatta which includes Blacktown or the Sydney diocese. The Penafrancia celebration consists of novena devotion weeks before, and on the festival day, a concelebrated mass, a fluvial procession and a fellowship lunch combined with cultural and entertainment festivity.
NUSPAS and ADOLP tried to combine their efforts for a single Penafrancia celebration last year, but at the 11th hour they hosted their individual celebrations, both holding the obligatory fluvial processions, at Parramatta river for NUSPAS and a Nepean river for ADOLP.
NUSPAS has invited the public to the Penafrancia festivity on Saturday 14 September at the Silverwater Park in Silverwater, NSW. Novena starts at 9:00 am followed by a fluvial procession with watercraft t Parramatta river. A concelebrated Catholic mass will be held at 11 am at the park, followed by fellowship lunch at 12:30 pm, and a cultural and entertainment program at 1:00 pm
ADOLP will celebrate the Penafrancia festival on 21 September with a concelebrated mass at the St Nicholas of Myra Catholic church on High Street, Penrith. It will be followed by fluvial procession aboard watercrafts on the Nepean River with assembly time at midday at Tench Reserve beside the river.
Lunch and entertainment program will be held at the Factory St. side of Tench Reserve where the fluvial procession ends. For more info, please call Tito or Neria Soliman on 0404 011 524.