Ten churches in the Archdiocese of Manila will be declared as pilgrim churches in celebration of the 500 years of the arrival of Christianity in the Philippines.
Published January 31, 2021, 10:21 AM
The Archdiocese of Manila will officially launch the celebration of the 500 Years of the Arrival of Christianity in the Philippines at the Manila Cathedral in Intramuros, Manila on Feb. 6.
Apostolic Administrator of Manila Bishop Broderick S. Pabillo will lead the celebration of the Holy Eucharist at 9 a.m. with the new Papal Nuncio to the Philippines Archbishop Charles John Brown.
According to the Archdiocese of Manila Office of Communications, aside from priests, religious, and laity, also expected to attend the Mass are five mayors in the cities covered by the archdiocese.
The 500 Years Mission Cross, which serves as a reminder of being Christians, will also be launched during the event.
Retired Novaliches Bishop Teodoro Bacani
(RCAM / Paul Guanlao / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
The prelate, however, explained that this has long been allowed in practice.
“He is just formalizing approval of what is being done,” Bacani said in an interview Monday.
In fact at the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene or Quiapo Church in Manila majority of lectors are women.
“At present, a great majority of lectors are women. Our sacristans are all boys to encourage some to enter the seminary. Young girls and boys are in the children’s ministry and youth ministry,” Quiapo Church Rector Monsignor Hernando Coronel said.
(Photo by Jansen Romero / MANILA BULLETIN)
“As we receive the Eucharist today we thank God for the gift of our Catholic faith. We thank God for the gift of the very successful traslacion of the Black Nazarene yesterday,” he said during a Mass at Quiapo Church in Manila.
“[On] behalf of Pope Francis, thank you volunteers who worked so hard yesterday to make sure that in this time of COVID-19 the traslacion was done in [as safe a] manner as possible,” added Brown.
It was the first time the nuncio presided over a mass at the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene or Quiapo Church in Manila.
(Quiapo Church / MANILA BULLETIN)
The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has completely changed the way Filipino Catholics celebrate this year’s feast day of the Black Nazarene.
Hourly masses in Quiapo Church or Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene were live-streamed on its official social media page so devotees could still hear mass even in the comfort of their homes.
Church officials limited the number of people inside Quiapo Church to 30 percent to ensure that physical distancing is observed, and in compliance with the guidelines of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.
Devotees who were unable to physically attend masses posted their prayers on the official Facebook page of Quiapo Church where the hourly masses are live-streamed.