ILOILO City – Flores de Mayo has started in parishes under the Archdiocese of Jaro.
But Most Rev. Fr. Jose Romeo O. Lazo, archbishop of Jaro, told parishes to either have Flores de Mayo for the entire month of May or once a week from May to October, which follows the narrative of the Fatima story.
Lazo issued Circular No. 002/77/2023 on April 25 with the subject “The Celebration of the Flowers of Mary 2023” addressed to “the clergy, consecrated persons and Christ’s faithful.”
According to Lazo, the coronavirus pandemic brought challenges that altered the normality of people’s lives as well as religious practices and traditions.
“In this time of pandemic, school year started very differently. Instead of the usual start of the school year in June, the school openings were adjusted to either August or October, which also altered the scheduling of semester and summer breaks for the students,” read part of the circular.
It added: “One significant religious practice that is affected by this is our tradition of Flores de Mayo or Flores de Maria. The month of May remains a school month, and classes will end in July.”
Thus, facing this reality, the Jaro Archdiocesan Commission on Catechesis and Catholic Education (ACCCE) presents the following recommendations that respective parishes can choose.
Flores de Mayo for the whole month of May
* The traditional Flores de Mayo continues, starting May 1 until May 30 and culminating on May 31 or any other day the parish chooses to celebrate.
* The scheduling of Flores de Mayo must be properly considered. Respect the needs of the students to study for their school requirements. If it is done daily, careful considerations must be made, such as its schedule, timeframe, and venue. We should value the traditional aspect of Flores de Mayo without sacrificing the other needs of the children, such as study and rest.
* Parishes must make sure that the conduct of Flores de Mayo emphasizes catechesis. ACCCE prepared the necessary catechetical modules and materials for the daily celebration of the Flores. The topics revolve around the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Creed and Church, and the Historia Sagrado.
Flores de Maria-Narrative of the Fatima, from May to October
* For parishes that wanted to opt for a more flexible approach to conducting Flores de Maria, this one option offers an approach that is only on a weekend basis, or simply, once a week, preferably every Saturday or Sunday.
* This approach will be called “Flores de Maria” as it follows the narratives of Our Lady of Fatima’s apparition to the three children: Lucia, Jacinta and Francisco. It starts on the first weekend of May and will continue for six months (every weekend) until the last weekend of October.
* The culmination of Flores de Maria will be in October and will also coincide with the culmination of the Holy Rosary Month celebration, which is also the Catechetical Month in the Archdiocese of Jaro.
* ACCCE also prepared materials for this, with a special add-on regarding the story of the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima, which will be narrated at the end of every month for six months from May to October.
Reverend Father Angelo Colada, director of the Archdiocese of Jaro’s social communication office, said parishes have the discretion, although many have already started Flores de Mayo this month.
“May iban nga parishes ang nagasugod na sang ila Flores de Mayo kay indi lamang para sa children ang religious practice, kundi open for all, pati adults ang gina-invite,” Colada told Panay News.
What is important, he said, is for the youth to be taught devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and to be more faithful to Jesus Christ.
Here, Colada encouraged everyone, especially the adults, to attend the religious practice or to pray with their families at home.
In terms of protocols, Colada said that churches are not strict and wearing of facemask is optional./PN
