Like a fanfare for a royalty in full regalia, the Ateneo de Naga community welcomed the Lady of Penafrancia, Patroness of Bicolandia, in her traditional visit to the High School campus on August 15, 2011.

The welcome rites started with the deeply-moving procession of the image of the Lady from the school’s main entrance to the venue of the Eucharistic celebration. The acolytes marshaled the procession and students bearing the banners of the Lady’s titles (in the Litany of Loreto) in multiple colors followed.

In the middle of the procession was the image of the Lady on the shoulders of selected CAT officers. The image was flanked by the Jesuits in the High School – Fr. Ruben Reyes, Bro. Sherwin Santos and Bro. Philip Yohan. To the end of the procession was the Drum and Bugle Corps playing the “Himno a la Virgen”, a popular song in Spanish especially composed for the Lady in her canonical coronation in 1921.

As the image entered the Covered Courts, it was warmly received by the students, faculty and staff with the deafening screams of “Viva la Virgen!” and heart-stopping sea of blue-and-yellow flaglets waving.

Following the procession was a mass presided by Rev. Fr. Andrew Recepcion, Parish Priest of the Penafrancia Shrine and Parish. Fr. Recepcion, in his moving homily, prodded the students to follow the examples of Mary, the mother of Christ, in the way of love. He added that “following Christ, like what Mary did, is to love God and to love others without exception.”

The mass was concluded by blessing the additional Litany banners to be used by the Ateneo High School community in the forthcoming Traslacion. Then,  carried by male faculty members, the Lady’s image was processed to the school chapel for the vigils of all the learning groups.

The activity received positive feedback.