Philippine Church ready for 5th centenary celebrations
Catholicism in the Philippines is believed to have arrived in 1521 when renowned Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan first set foot in what is now Cebu province.
By Robin Gomes
The Philippine Church is set to kick off celebrations to mark 500 years of Christianity in the country. Two Philippine dioceses have anticipated the celebrations ahead of the national inauguration in April.
Easter Sunday launch
Dioceses across the Philippines will designate “jubilee churches” for the 500th anniversary celebrations. Archbishop Romulo Valles, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines will formally inaugurate the jubilee year at the national level by opening the pilgrim churches’ “holy door” on Easter Sunday, April 4. This, he said, is to recall that on this day, the first recorded Eucharist was celebrated in the land.
“This will serve as our recessional song in all our Masses in parishes, schools, and communities in the Archdiocese of Manila, until the culmination of the celebration in 2022,” Father Kali M. Llamado, Minister of Music Archdiocese of Manila, said in a circular letter dated January 28.
“We encourage our choirs to start learning the song and to highlight it on February 7, Sunday, as we open the 500 Years celebrations in our parishes,” he added.
Llamado asked parish priests, shrine rectors, chaplains, parish worship coordinators coordinators of music ministers, and transparochial communities in the archdiocese to coordinate with their parish Youth Ministry, Catechetical Ministry, and school Campus Ministry “so they could guide the people in doing the action for the song.”
For weddings and baptisms, only a limited number of people were allowed.
When the quarantine restrictions were eased, churches could only allow the faithful to fill 30 percent of its capacity.
Senior citizen were not allowed inside church premises.
For Simbang Gabi and the midnight Christmas Eve Mass, people practiced health protocols wore face masks, face shields and kept a social distance.
Sunday Holy Masses were held online.
Religious activities were put on hold in 2020, with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) lockdowns and quarantine restrictions closing church doors and cancelling traditional religious rites.
(PIXABAY / MANILA BULLETIN)
Among those cancelled were the Holy Week ceremonies, Feast Day procession of the Our Lady of La Naval in Quezon City last October, and the Grand Marian procession in Intramuros held early December.