Dec. 8 both a religious and secular tradition in the Marianas

Dec. 8 marks the 74th anniversary of the beginning of World War II in the Marianas during the first battle of Guam in 1941 between the Empire of Japan and the United States.

According to Beyond the Fence anchor host, Dr. Vivian Dames, the American garrison was defeated by Japanese forces, which resulted in an occupation until the Second Battle of Guam in 1944. The Japanese invasion began soon after the attack on Pearl Harbor, with the bombing of Sumay Village, which is now the U.S. Naval Base in Guam.

The bombings in Guam, she said, interrupted the High Mass being celebrated at the island’s only cathedral as well as the novena and procession that normally follows the celebratory feast day of Santa Maria Kamalen, known to many as the Immaculate Conception, an iconic representation of Mother Mary, revered as the patron saint and protector for over 300 years.

“Since 1941, each Mass celebrated on Dec. 8 marks the completion of the observance of this holy day which was interrupted by war, one experienced by many Catholics as a test of faith. This day also provides a special occasion to reflect upon the meaning of peace and protection in other than military terms,” she said.

In 2003, Dr. Laura Marie Torres Souder became the techa or prayer leader of the original nobena for Santa Marian Kamalen and the kamarera or caretaker of the statue of Santa Marian Kamalen, which she inherited from her mother, Mariquita Torres Souder, who served as the kamamera for 75 years after the war.

The real Santa Marian Kamalen is used only for the islandwide procession on Dec. 8 in Guam; on other occasions a replica is used.

In the CNMI, Dec. 8 marks the 39th Constitution Day representative of the islands’ political relationship with the United States.

The Commonwealth Constitution was drafted by 39 elected delegates during a constitutional convention on Saipan 39 years ago.

Their proposed constitution was subsequently ratified by Northern Mariana Islands voters on March 6, 1977, and became effective Jan. 9, 1978. The original ratified 1976 un-amended Constitution and the latest Constitution with amendments and case annotations is reprinted in the Northern Mariana Islands Commonwealth Code and is also sold in pamphlet format by the Commonwealth Law Revision Commission.

Many provisions of the Commonwealth Constitution are mandated by the Covenant, including the bill of rights in Article I, the separate executive, legislative, and judicial branches established in Articles II, III, and IV, and the provision in Article XII restricting acquisition of long-term interests in land to persons of Northern Marianas descent.

Prior to November 1999, 21 proposed amendments failed to win approval from voters, including 19 amendments proposed by a third constitutional convention that convened in 1995 which were voted upon in a special election held in March 1996, an amendment proposed by popular initiative in 1989, and an amendment proposed by legislative initiative in 1995.

Members of the community can view the Commonwealth Constitution online at http://cnmilaw.org/cnmiconstitution.html.