Roman Catholics will observe on Wednesday, Nov. 30, the Feast of Saint Andrew the Apostle (San Andres Apostol), the first apostle of Jesus Christ.
Commemorative masses will be celebrated at the Saint Andrew Cathedral (Diocesan Shrine of Nuestra Senora del Buen Suceso) in La Huerta, Quirino Avenue, Paranaque City to mark the 442nd parish fiesta.
Novena masses in honor of the popular saint were held from Nov. 21 to 29. A mass confirmation was held on Nov. 26. The parish children’s day was held on Nov. 27.
Incidentally, the parish announced that the original and miraculous canonically crowned image of Our Lady of Buen Suceso (Good Events) will be part of the Intramuros Grand Marian Procession, the biggest and grandest Marian procession in the country, on Dec. 4, Saturday, at 4 p.m. in Intramuros, Manila.
Venerated as the patroness of the Diocese of Paranaque, the Nuestra Senora del Buen Suceso is the third oldest Marian image in the country. It is enshrined at the St. Andrew Cathedral Parish.
In Patras, Greece’s third largest urban center where his sacred relics are kept and revered in special ceremonies on his feast day, devotees traditionally gather on his feast day to say special prayers and light candles.
Also called “protoclet” (first called), St. Andrew and his brother, Simon Peter, were fishermen before they were invited by Jesus Christ to be His disciples. He was with Jesus during the most important events of His life such as the Last Supper, the Resurrection, the Ascension, and the first Pentecost.
St. Andrew preached in Asia Minor, Palestine, and Greece where he was martyred. According to accounts, St. Andrew was bound to an x-shaped cross to prolong his suffering. He was said to have preached from the cross for two days before he died.