Devotees started arriving in the church as early as 5 a.m. to hear the first mass.

The succeeding masses were well-attended, mostly by people who felt they could no longer attend the procession in the afternoon.

Church officials were not surpised on the turnout in the masses. They cited the Filipinos’ devotion to the La Naval as the reason for the turnout.

Fr. Rolando dela Rosa, O.P., who presided the 8 a.m. mass, reminded the faithful of the importance of the story of the La Naval.

He said the feast day of the La Naval is really about the deep faith of the Filipino-Spanish crew in the Our Lady of the Rosary that helped them defeat the Dutch fleet in the 1640s.

These people, he said, showed their faith in God by praying the rosary not only in times of battle but also in victory. In fact, he said, these people even walked from Cavite to Manila to fulfill a promise they made to the Our Lady of the Rosary.

From then on, he said, the promise has grown into a devotion among many Filipinos.

He also expressed hopes that the people of faith today will also learn do the same thing by invoking God’s grace and assistance in facing their everyday battles in life.

La Naval de Manila was first celebrated in Oct. 8, 1646 and is now being celebrated every second Sunday of October.