By Sister Mary Moylan SSC

Sister Mary Moylan, who worked before in the London Filipino Chaplaincy, writes about the Euro-Santacruzan, when Filipinos living in Europe walked in procession from Hyde Park to Battersea Park, London, England, in 1997. Each year the festival is celebrated in a different European city.

One of the most colorful May processions in the Philippines is the Santacruzan. A popular devotion brought by early Spanish missionaries, it is based on the legendary Finding of the Holy Cross in 4^th century Jerusalem by Helena, mother of the Emperor Constantine, at the end of a long pilgrimage-search.

The Santacruzan

Today’s Santacruzan procession continues to include Helena, as Santa Elena, and the boy Emperor Constantine, combining the memory of that pilgrimage with the Flores de Mayo, the Philippine devotion honoring Our Lady with floral offerings. She has a special place in Filipino hearts.

The zagalas, beautiful young ladies in magnificent dresses, walk in procession under arches of flowers, accompanied by their escorts dressed in the traditional Barong Tagalog. At the end of the procession, with music and prayer, each zagala offers her garland of flowers to Our Lady.