– Ross Belle Balatbat
It is a Filipino tradition for a statue of Mary go from house to house, all year round, staying in each house for a week or two. The image’s presence moves the family to find time to pray the Rosary and recite other devotional prayers together. Filipinos who came to Macau in the late 1980s, continued this practice and devotion through the Legion of Mary led by Teodora Nicdao, thus helping families of migrants to keep their Catholic faith and remain united, even when they were physically separated from one another.
Mimi Alcantara recalls that immediately upon arrival in Macau, she joined the Legion. Family and friends then gathered in a place at a vacant room in Saint Augustine Church. Whoever was able to come and to pray the Rosary was welcomed. Now, the Legion of Mary is affiliated to the Pastoral Care for Migrants under the spiritual direction of Fr Ryan June Real, SOLT. The itinerary of the image is almost fully booked for the whole year, and some devotees have to wait for a few months before the image comes to their home.
“Our Lady keeps us safe,” they say. “It’s like a physical sign of blessing for them that Mary visits their homes. They pray for health, for peace, and see their faith ignited.”
The popular Rosary Crusade in the Philippines was brought by Fr Patrick Peyton CSC, who used to repeat: “The family that prays together, stays together.”
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