The Essence, Center, Climax, and raison d’être of the entire September Peñafrancia Festivities.
Notes
The Sunday after the Octave of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is the designated day for the annual celebration of the Solemnity of our Lady of Peñafrancia.
September 8 is the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary and its octave (eighth day) is September 15. The Sunday that comes immediately after September 15 is the day of the Solemnity. Thus, the earliest possible date for the Solemnity is September 16, and the latest, September 22. Very often, the Solemnity falls on the Third Sunday of September, but this is not always the case. For example, in the year 2024, the Sunday after September 15 is September 22, and it is the Fourth Sunday of September.
In the Jewish Tradition, the Octave of Nativity, or the eighth day after birth, is when a child is solemnly given their name. This is why in the Liturgical Calendar there is celebrated the Feasts of the Most Holy Name of Jesus and the Most Sweet Name of Mary, respectively. In the letters of Fr. Miguel Robles de Covarrubias, and from the decrees of Bishops Grijalvo and Gainza, the focal points for the celebration of the Peñafrancia Fiesta are the Feast of the Nativity of Mary and its octave, the Feast of the Most Sweet Name of Mary that is always celebrated in the month of September. In fact, the novena to our Lady of Peñafrancia was derived from the novena to the Most Sweet Name of Mary.
In 1895, the celebration of the Peñafrancia Fiesta was transferred to the First Sunday of July after Pope Leo XIII, through a rescript dated June 4, 1895, approved the request of Bishop Arsenio Campo.
In 1905, the celebration of the Peñafrancia Fiesta was brought back to September after Pope Saint Pius X, through a rescript dated April 8, 1905, approved the petition of Bishop Jorge Barlin permanently fixing the Solemnity of our Lady of Peñafrancia on the Sunday after the Octave of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
2023 Schedule:
| DATE | CHURCHES/ VENUE |
| September 17, 2023 (Sunday) | Basilica Minore and Shrine of our Lady of Peñafrancia |
