Filipino community celebrates Santacruzan

Intermountain Catholic

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Sagalas (queens) and their escorts and angels carry titles to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Santacruzan procession to the church for Mass. IC photo/Christine Young

SANDY — A lone drummer led a procession of elegant queens and their escorts, angels, and a statue of Our Lady of Manaoag carried on a pedestal and followed by devotees praying the rosary to honor the Blessed Virgin in the Santacruzan celebration held at Saint Thomas More Parish May 15. The Filipino community from throughout the Diocese of Salt Lake City, friends and family then processed into the evening Mass that was followed by a dinner party of traditional Philippine cuisine.

The Santacruzan is a popular religious festival held in many towns and cities throughout the Philippines as the highlight of the month-long celebration of Flores de Mayo (Flowers of May). Flores de Mayo is a Catholic festival held in the Philippines during May in honor of the Virgin Mary. The Santacruzan refers to the procession of flowers during May and commemorates the mythical event of Queen Helena, mother of Constantine the Great, finding the Holy Cross on which Jesus was crucified. This festival was introduced in the Philippines by the Spaniards 300 years after Christ’s death and has since become a part of the Filipino tradition.

In his homily, Father Joseph Frez, a native of the Philippines, welcomed the Filipino community, parishioners and Christians from other faiths to the first Santacruzan celebration held in Utah. "It gives me joy to see that our ‘kababayans’ (fellow countrymen) of other Christian faiths have joined us and are actively participating as sagalas or queens and escorts," said Fr. Frez, associate pastor of Saint Francis Xavier Parish. "Santacruzan can be viewed as a beauty pageant, but its true meaning is a witness to true beauty itself. All of the queens carry a royal title that tells the story of the birth of Christianity in the Philippines and titles of our Blessed Virgin Mary. Through their titles they witness the virtues of faith, hope and charity in our very secularized cultures. By centering this celebration on the liturgy, we show the importance of God in our lives. How wonderful it is that it is our youth, the hope and future of our Church, who are actively participating in this Santacruzan."

The goal of the Santacruzan was to unite the Filipino community and introduce the community at large to the traditional Filipino custom. Because of the complexity in staging the Santacruzan celebration, Fr. Frez had thought about canceling it. But he was encouraged by the memory of Maria Loren Mejia, a member of the Filipino community who passed away in February in a car accident. A Filipino community member reminded him the community should gather in times of joy as well as in sorrow. So a special tribute was paid to Mejia and her family in the procession with her photo and angels.

For Chiqui Arguelles, the Murray queen, participating in the Santacruzan was exciting. "I’d like to do it again" she said. "It was a special way to honor our Blessed Virgin Mary."

The areas such as Murray, Park City, West Jordan and Layton were represented; participation went beyond what Fr. Frez had expected. He had expected about six queens and ended up with 30. "We ran out of titles," he said. "But in the Philippines they also recognize towns."

"It was overwhelming how many people joined our celebration," said Jun Enriquez, a Santacruzan organizer. "We were expecting about 450 and there are about 500 or so people here. It was truly successful with people of different faiths and cultures coming together to share in our tradition."