By Christina Hermoso
Tomorrow is the feast day of Saint James the Great, one of the 12 Apostles of Jesus Christ, and the brother of another apostle, St. John the Evangelist.
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Commemorative masses will be held tomorrow ay at the St. James the Great Parish in Ayala, Alabang, Muntinlupa City, as well as in Libon, Albay, where the “Katalingkasan” Festival will be celebrated. Feast rites will also be observed in Buenavista, Agusan del Norte; Bulusan, Sorsogon; Dapitan, Zamboanga del Norte; and in Paete, Laguna.
In Santiago de Compostela in Spain, which is considered as the third most holy town of Roman Catholicism after Jerusalem and Rome, devotees and pilgrims will observe the Way of St. James, the traditional pilgrimage to his grave. Prayers will also be offered at his major shrine and burial site, the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, which is visited by hundreds of pilgrims and tourists every year.
St. James is the patron saint of Spain and of pilgrimages. He, along with Sts. Peter and John, witnessed the Transfiguration of Christ. He was one of the first disciples to follow Jesus, was a witness to His Agony in the Garden, and was the first apostle to die a martyr.