RICHARD FORD and Bayanihan News
Filipinos in the Liverpool City area of Western Sydney celebrated the traditional Filipino May Day festival of Sta Cruz de Mayo with the usual Filipino Catholic flavour of veneration to the virgin Mary the mother of Jesus, the re-enactment of the historic beginnings of Catholicism during the reign of Empress Helena of the Holy Roman Empire and the added twist of community disapproval to the recent move by the Australian Attorney General George Brandis to amend provisions of the Australian Racial Discrimination Act.
Liverpool city’s 19th Annual Santa Cruzan and Flores De Mayo started at All Saints Liverpool last 18th May, namely the church bound the Flores de Mayo featuring veneration of the Virgin Mary and ended with the Santa Cruzan procession to cap the monthlong festival.
During the Florez de Mayo, young girls resplendent in white dresses each with basketful of flowers and petals, visited the church in a religious ceremony, and strewn flowers along the church aisle as form of veneration and worship as part of a festival rite.
The children eventually left bouquets of flowers at the church altar, and this is followed later by nine days of prayer by devotees and faithful.
The festival wound up with a night procession called Sta Cruzan which re-enacted the story of the rise of the Roman Emperor Constantine and the beginnings of Roman Catholicism, including people’s search for the relic of the holy cross to which Jesus Christ was hung at Calvary.
The event started with Mass at 11.00am officiated by Father Julian Belich, followed by a community lunch and fellowship with speech by Mrs Cora Paras, president of Fil-Oz Liverpool organisation, dance presentation by the Fil-Oz Dancers, Visayan Dance Group and Fil-Oz Liverpool Junior Dance Group under the direction of Carmen Fraser.
Other highlights of the day were a Filipino Martial Arts demonstration by Sikaran club led by Master Jesse Diestro, and song numbers by Stephanie Bernardo. Not to be ignored was the little miss beauty pageant called Princesses and Queens in the Procession.
As add ons to the occasion were the speeches in opposition to Federal Attorney-General Brandis’s proposal to repeal Amendments to the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 (Cth), especially section 18c of the Act.
They came from Federal MP for Fowler, Chris Hayes, the State MP for Liverpool, Mr Paul Lynch and APCO Inc. founding president, Dr Cen Amores,
In summary the speeches outlined how the multicultural community deeply disapprove Minister George Brandis’ proposal and called the move a boost to discrimination and boon to vilification on racial grounds.
Philippine Consul General Anne Jalondoon Louis attended the event as guest of honour and for the first time Liverpool Councillor Mr Gus Balloot who was warmly welcomed and applauded.