04 June 2015 - Philippine Ambassador to South Korea Raul S. Hernandez and his family joined the Filipino community in celebrating Mother’s Day in a special mass officiated by Reverend Fr. Felixberto Perez, Jr. in Ansan City, home to one of the biggest concentrations of Filipino nationals in South Korea, last May 10.
In his remarks to 200 people hearing mass at Ansan’s Wongok-dong Catholic Church, Ambassador Hernandez congratulated Fr. Perez and the Ansan Filipino Community (AFC) for organizing the “Santacruzan sa Ansan” street procession, as the Filipino way of giving honor to the Virgin Mary. The event also showed to Korea glimpses of Filipino culture and tradition, he said.
He also paid tribute to all the Filipino mothers living in Korea for all the sacrifices they make and the difficult situation they face in being away from their families to ensure a better life for their children.
Ambassador Hernandez also enjoined Filipinos to give more for the transformation and development of our motherland, the Philippines, by helping one another, espousing and practicing the values of peace, justice, solidarity and love.
After the Mass, Fr. Perez asked all mothers, including the ambassador’s spouse, Madame Ana A. Hernandez, to receive special blessings for the occasion and bouquets of flowers from the male members of AFC.
In keeping with the Filipino festival of Flores de Mayo, the AFC organized the Santacruzan, which was participated in by AFC women members, their escorts and their children, who all wore colorful Philippine traditional costumes. Ms. Ella Karina R. Mitra, the Embassy’s Third Secretary and Vice Consul, joined the parade as Reyna Emperatriz, the second most important role in the pageant.
The Santacruzan is the pageant held on the last day of Flores de Mayo, a month-long celebration dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary and held in honor of Helena of Constantinople (known as Reyna Elena), mother of the Roman emperor Constantine the Great.
Founded in 1991, the Filipino Community in Ansan is guided by the Galilea Migrant Workers’ Pastoral Center in its activities, with the objective to safeguard the welfare of spouses of any religious denomination regardless of their visa status. Fr. Jun runs the Center and serves as adviser of the AFC. END