Mary, Mother of Hope, Lead us to Christ

In this Jubilee Year of Hope, the Archdiocesan Council for the Lay Apostolate and Integrated Movements (ACLAIM) of the Archdiocese of Davao, spearheaded the 15th Archdiocesan Marian Procession, May 31, 2025 with the theme: “Mary, Mother of Hope, Lead us to Christ”.

As the Church honors the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary that day, lay organizations live that hope by holding the procession at 4:00 o’clock dawn from San Pablo Parish, Juna Subdivision, Matina to San Pedro Cathedral Parish for the culminating Mass. With its members, mostly in their middle and senior years, the early morning procession, which was preceded by a vigil the night before, poses a challenge to make that ray of hope alive when we are able to pass on that Marian devotion to our young people of today.

In a message forwarded by Mr. Eduardo Pacana, ACLAIM lay coordinator, there were more or less 28 lay Marian groups who joined the procession with their Marian images. Some group members were also able to join even without bringing their community’s Marian image. “It was the 3rd Marian Procession since the pandemic. We resumed in 2023,” Pacana said.

Among those images brought for the procession were the Our Lady of Czestochowa, Nuestra Senora de la Paz y Buenviaje, and the Ina Poon Bato by St. John Paul II Parish. The AJC Sisters also brought their image of the Our Lady of Grace.

Indeed, believers must journey as in a procession with Mary towards the life of eternity. This is possible only when every devotee accepts the challenge to imitate the example of Mary and live her virtues daily.