The feast is even celebrated elsewhere in the world. Pinoys gather along the River Thames in London to celebrate the anniversary of Our Lady of Peñafrancia. Photo courtesy of Patrick Camara Ropeta, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau, London.

NAGA CITY - At least 1,000 devotees of Our Lady of Peñafrancia swamped the Metropolitan Naga Cathedral Grounds in Camarines Sur early Saturday evening to celebrate the start of a once-in-a-lifetime event.

Saturday (November 14) marked the start of the 300-day countdown to the 300th (tercentenary) Feast of Our Lady of Peñafrancia.

Josephine Fulgentes, 39, of Dalisay in Milaor municipality was among those who left her village to join the long procession.

She said the sheer number of people who attended the event showed that "the Catholic faith continues to flourish in [Bicol]."

Fulgentes also had a particular request for the religious icon: that Bicol might be spared from further calamity. Bicol areas were recently hit by storms Pepeng, Ondoy, and Santi.

She is also worried that a nearby volcano, Mount Mayon in Albay, will erupt soon after showing signs of increased volcanic activity.

History

The first apparition of Our Lady of Peñafrancia, or the Virgin Mary in Christian religion, was in France and was seen by a Parisian holy man named Simon Vela.

Devotion to the apparition or "Holy Image" was brought to the Philippines by a Spanish priest, Miguel de Carrubias, who promised to build a church in her name.

Our Lady of Peñafrancia is referred to by Bicol locals as "Ina" or mother.

The 300-day countdown to her 300th Feast Day is tracked by 4 large countdown boards throughout Bicol.

One of the countdown boards was placed at the Metropolitan Naga Cathedral, where a yearly novena is held before the Feast of Our Lady of Peñafrancia, and another at the Basilica Minore in Naga City.

A third countdown board is placed at the Peñafrancia Church and the last is placed at the Immaculate Concepcion Church. The boards track each day's passing before September 10 next year.

Long procession

In September this year, Filipinos in London also celebrated the Feast of Our Lady of Peñafrancia. Photo courtesy of Patrick Camara Ropeta, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau, London.

Waving their white handkerchiefs and shouting "Viva La Virgen! (Long Live the Virgin)", the devotees welcomed the procession of the Lady's image.

Next year's celebration of her feast is considered a milestone in the nation's religious history.

Caceres Archbishop Leonardo Legaspi presided over a mass on Saturday evening at the Cathedral grounds. In his homily, Legaspi thanked the throng of devotees who showed up to pay their respects.

He emphasized, however, that such a show of faith must be sincere.

The mass was preceded by an hour and a half-long procession of the Virgin Mary's image from Milaor municipality in Camarines Sur to Naga City (about 6 miles east of Milaor).

This is where the devotees from the nearby Diocese of Libmanan turned over the image to the Archdiocese after its customary visit to various towns weeks ago.

The entire procession was accompanied by music from various school marching bands, as well as devotees who wore specific colored clothing to identify them as a member of a particular sector - students, the elderly, and priests.

The traditional town visits of the Our Lady of Peñafrancia image stems from a narrative in the Catholic Bible where the Virgin Mary visist her cousin Elizabeth, who is 6-months pregnant with the future St. John the Baptist. Report by Gerard Lorbes, ABS-CBN Naga.