By Helen Castaño | 02:31PM December 16, 2022
Church bells rang as Filipinos marked the first day of the nine-day Misa de Gallo (dawn mass) on Friday, Dec. 16.
At St. Joseph the Worker Cathedral Shrine,
Catholic faithful attended the 4 a. m. Holy Mass celebrated by Bishop Abet Uy.
“We have come here in the hope of dawn. We have come here trusting that the darkness that oppresses us will soon be defeated. In the tender compassion of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us,” said Bishop Uy in his homily.
His homily centered on humility saying
without humility Christmas is not possible.
“The Who will be born during Christmas is a God who is very humble. So, we need to be humble kay ang Ginoo humble man. Important nga virtue kining humility,” said the prelate.
Bishop Uy said the faithful were excited to experience Misa de Gallo again.
Last year, the Misa de Gallo was interrupted by typhoon Odette (international name: ‘Haiyan’) after it devastated the province and some parts of Visayas on the night of Dec. 16, leaving at least 111 people dead and thousands without homes, electricity, potable water and food.
“Misa de Gallo” is the Spanish phrase for Midnight Mass, more literally translated as ‘Rooster’s Mass’.
It is said that the Rooster’s Mass owes its name in the idea that a rooster would have been among the first to witness the birth of Jesus, and thus be the one to announce it.
This custom lasts for nine days, starting on December 16 up to December 24.