Special to The Texas Catholic
For decades, the feast of Santo Niño has been a spiritual anchor for Filipino Catholics in north Texas — a tradition that, according to Jorge Sosing, first took root among a small circle of new Filipino immigrants in 1979.
“As early devotees recalled, our community began simply,” said Sosing, a member of Señor Santo Fraternity, the Secular Franciscan Order, and co-chairman of the feast of Santo Niño celebration in the Diocese of Dallas. “A few Filipino emigrants working in the Dallas area gathered in their homes to pray the nine‑day novena and attended Mass to honor the Santo Niño.”
As more Filipinos arrived in the region, the celebration grew. Sosing said the community soon began hosting Masses in various churches across the Diocese of Dallas, often with Filipino priests presiding. By 1987, St. Pius X Catholic Church opened its doors to the expanding devotion, a welcome that would eventually make the parish the permanent home of the annual feast.
In the years that followed, the liturgy was celebrated by a number of Church leaders, including then-Bishop Charles V. Grahmann, then-Bishop Kevin J. Farrell, then-Auxiliary Bishop Mark Seitz, and then-Auxiliary Bishop Greg Kelly.
“Each year’s celebration reaffirmed our faith and strengthened our community,” Sosing said.
The devotion also continued to evolve. Sosing noted that for decades, the first six days of the novena were hosted in the homes of Filipino‑American prayer groups, with the final three days — the traditional triduum — celebrated at St. Pius X. Attendance commonly ranged from 400 to 900 people, and some years included cultural groups such as the parish’s Matachines dancers. After each Mass, the community gathered for fellowship, sharing food, cultural performances, and the beloved Sinulog prayer dance.
In 2022, the celebration took on added significance when the community marked both the feast of Santo Niño and the 500th anniversary of Christianity in the Philippines at the National Shrine Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe, with Bishop Kelly presiding. The following years saw different celebrants, including Bishop Edward J. Burns in 2023.
This year, Jan. 18 marked the 46th celebration of the feast of Santo Niño in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The principal celebrant was Father Arthur Unachukwu, vicar general of the Diocese of Dallas; with concelebrants including Father Jet Garcia, Father Alfred Asuncion, Father Wilson Paculan, Father Paul Mallam, Father Don Zeiler, and Father Paul Bechter. Deacons Boy Arocha and Gabby Hernandez assisted. Twenty‑five propaedeutic men from Holy Trinity Seminary also attended.
Sosing said the celebration began with a procession featuring the “andas,” a decorated, carried platform bearing the Santo Niño statue, followed by a Sinulog prayer dance performed by the Sinulog Dance Company of Dallas. About 800 devotees attended the Mass before continuing the festivities in St. Pius X Catholic School’s communion hall, where cultural presentations, more Sinulog dancing, and a shared Filipino meal continued the spirit of fellowship.
“Our prayer is for our feast of Santo Niño that we have continued from our dear Philippines will be continued by generations to come in the Diocese of Dallas,” Sosing said. “Viva Señor Santo Niño! Pit Senyor!”
Cutline for featured image: Members of the Sinulog Dance Company of Dallas perform a cultural prayer dance during a celebration for the feast of Santo Niño, held Jan. 18 at St. Pius X Catholic Parish. The feast of Santo Niño, celebrated on the third Sunday of January, commemorates the arrival of Christianity in the Philippines. (SAMUEL HSU/Special Contributor)
