By Christina Hermoso The Sta. Cruz Parish Church in Manila has been elevated and is now known as the Archdiocesan Shrine of the Blessed Sacrament through the decree of Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle. (via Wikipedia / MANILA BULLETIN) His Eminence presided over the rites held last June 3, which coincided with the Solemnity of Corpus Christi. According to Rev. Fr. Rudsend Paragas, parish priest and the first rector of the archdiocesan shrine, the event is both “a blessing and a mission. It is a rare blessing for our parish to be entrusted with the mission to further spread the Good News. I feel very grateful for this new task and bigger responsibility,” Paragas said over Church-run Radio Veritas. “As the first rector of the Archdiocesan Shrine of the Blessed Sacrament, I feel both excited and pressured. It is a privilege as I am aware of the bigger responsibility entrusted to me by our Cardinal and our provincial, because as a shrine, you have a greater mission to evangelize and for people to know more about Christ,” Paragas added. Sta. Cruz Church is a baroque Roman Catholic church located in Santa Cruz district in Manila. It was built when the arrabal (suburb) of Santa Cruz was established by the Jesuit Order in the early 17th century. The church had undergone many repairs and reconstruction, with the last reconstruction done in the 1950s. The church’s façade is topped with an image of Our Lady of the Pillar, the patroness of the church, whose feast is held every third Sunday of October. On December 7 last year, Pope Francis granted the canonical coronation of the venerated image.