Devotees of the Blessed Virgin Mary will offer special prayers, light candles, and recite the holy rosary on Monday, Nov. 21, in celebration of the Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Temple of Jerusalem, which is believed to be the beginning of the preparation for Mary’s mission and destiny as the Mother of Jesus Christ.
The Marian feast is observed by the Catholic Church, Orthodox Churches, and some Anglo-Catholic Churches.
In the Catholic calendar, it coincides with the observance of ‘Pro Orantibus’ Day, which means ‘For those who pray.’
According to accounts, Saints Joachim and Ann, the parents of the Blessed Mother, who had been childless, offered Mary at the young age of three, to God in thanksgiving and to consecrate her to the Lord as promised. Mary remained in the temple serving and helping the priests until her engagement to Joseph.
Meanwhile, the Catholic Church will also mark on Monday, the ‘Pro Orantibus Day,’ a day of prayer for the cloistered and monastic religious throughout the world or those who have dedicated themselves to God in prayer, silence, and concealment.
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI refers to the cloistered religion as “the heart of the Church which pumps life to the rest of the Body of Christ.” Saint John Paul II initiated the observance of ‘Pro Orantibus’ Day in 1997.
Also on Monday, Nov. 21, the Nuestra Senora de Regla Parish National Shrine in Lapu Lapu, Cebu City will commemorate its 287th patronal fiesta. Activities for the celebration include a solemn procession on Nov. 20 after the 3 p.m. novena mass; and novena masses from Nov. 12 to 20.
Starting Nov. 19, after two years, devotees were once again allowed to kiss the relic of the revered image as well as to touch the glass urna