Join us as we celebrate the Feast of San Lorenzo Ruiz

• Saturday & Sunday, September 25-26, 2010
• Starts at 9:00 am on Sunday
• Traditional Filipino food and festivities
• FREE Admission!

The annual San Lorenzo Ruiz festival will provide an authentic Filipino experience without having to board an airplane.

Santo Niño Catholic Church, a Filipino Catholic Church located in the Southeast Deanery of the San Antonio Arch Diocese, will honor San Lorenzo Ruiz beginning on September 26, 2009 at 4 PM with their music concert, which runs through September 26, 2010. Join us as we celebrate with traditional Filipino food and festivities.

San Lorenzo Ruiz is the first Filipino saint. Lorenzo Ruiz was born in the early 1600's in Manila, the capital city of the Philippines. He was raised a devout Catholic and after being falsely accused of murder, he fled to Japan where he was persecuted for his Christian faith, violently tortured and ultimately martyred. Many of his companions renounced their faith during the gruesome torture; however, Lorenzo Ruiz did not waiver. On September 27, 1637, Lorenzo Ruiz was martyred and on October 18, 1987 he was canonized a saint by Pope John Paul II.

The annual San Lorenzo Ruiz Festival is a highly anticipated event at Santo Niño Catholic Church, where the mass is celebrated in the Filipino tradition and whose parishioners reside across the greater San Antonio area. The Philippines is one of the two Asian countries whose population is over 90% Christian and of which, 81% is Catholic. Santo Niño De Cebu, which translates to Holy Child of Cebu, similar to the Infant Jesus of Prague, is the oldest religious image in the Philippines.

The Catholic community of Santo Niño in San Antonio strives to continue the Filipino tradition and devotion to the Child Jesus in America. This is why the San Lorenzo Ruiz festival is so highly anticipated; not only does it bring the Santo Niño Community more into communion with one another, it also gives the Catholic communities of San Antonio an opportunity to experience Filipino tradition, food, and hospitality. For more information about the San Lorenzo Ruiz Festival or Santo Niño Catholic Church please call the Parish office at (210) 648-1705.