The Feast of the Divino Rostro, the Holy Face of Jesus will mark its 138^th year Friday (Sep. 11). The feast marks the start of the much-anticipated Penafrancia Festival in Naga City, which will be celebrated differently this year because of the coronavirus pandemic. The traslacion procession, which commemorates the transfer of the images of “Ina” (Our Lady of Penafrancia) and the Divino Rostro from the Basilica of Our Lady of Penafrancia to the Naga Metropolitan Cathedral, has been cancelled. Archdiocese of Caceres Archbishop Rolando Tria Tirona, in a circular, has appealed to the faithful for their understanding and cooperation as the archdiocese implements some changes this year. Tirona urged the faithful “to pray the novena to the Divino Rostro from September 2 until today, September10, and the novena to Our Lady from tomorrow, September 11 to 19, at home. Novena prayers and family guide are available on the archdiocesan website,” he said. The parishes will continue to hold the novena masses with limited seating capacity to observe the necessary health protocols. “On the Solemnity of Our Lady of Peñafrancia on September 20, the fiesta mass will be streamed live from the Basilica Minore and the parishes will air the live streaming in their respective areas for their parishioners. We encourage pilgrims and devotees from outside Naga City to attend the novena masses at their respective parishes or the novena masses online,” Tirona said. The much-anticipated Fluvial Procession that precedes the feast day of “Ina” has also been cancelled. “While we cancel the traditional Traslacion and fluvial processions, let us take this as an opportunity for the devotion to become more distinctive and rooted in our families, the domestic Church. The changes in our celebration should inspire us to discover how our faith can lead us to be gentle and humble in receiving the grace of God in the face of this pandemic,” Tirona stressed. “While we are celebrating with the proper modification, it does not mean that we are trying to lessen the intensity of our celebration,” he added. All activities related to the festival like trade fairs have also been cancelled. This year’s theme is “Fostering Dialogue and Harmony in the Spirit of Mary’s Gentleness and Humility” which pays tribute to the 310th year of widespread devotion to “Ina’ and the 138th year of devotion to the Divino Rostro.