By Christina Hermoso
Commemorative rites will be held in celebration of the Manila Cathedral’s 60th anniversary of post war reconstruction and consecration.
Luis Cardenal Tagle
(Ali Vicoy/Manila Bulletin File Photo)
On Saturday, December 8, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Osaka Archbishop Thomas Aquinas Manyo Cardinal Maeda will lead the Holy Mass in honor of the patroness of the cathedral at 12 noon. As the official representative of Pope Francis, His Eminence will also bring a message and a special blessing from the Holy Father. Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle will co-celebrate the mass with Cardinal Maeda.
Cardinal Maeda will also visit the Chapel of the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, the San Carlos Seminary, the Sto. Domingo Church, and the University of Santo Tomas. He will be accompanied by Msgr. Esteban Lo of the Archdiocese of Manila and Episcopal Vicar for Foreign Communities Concern, and Fr. Eric de Guzman, a Filipino priest working in the Archdiocese of Osaka.
On Monday, December 10, rites will be held at 5 p.m. for the Solemn Dedication of the Altar of the Manila Cathedral according to the Rites of the Second Vatican Council.
“This is a great time for many of us to come together in our Mother Church, as we dedicate the table where, as one people of God, we offer our sacrifices and our prayers. One special feature of the celebration will be the veneration of the altars of the eight side chapels of the Manila Cathedral which were all consecrated in 1958 by bishops who came from different parts of the country,” said the Archdiocese of Manila.
“It is interesting to note that two Filipino prelates who are on their way to sainthood were present during the consecration rites in 1958 – Archbishop Teofilo Camomot and Bishop Alfredo Ma. Obviar who consecrated the altars of the Pius X Chapel and the Our Lady of the Pillar Chapel respectively,” the archdiocese added.
Cardinal Tagle invites the faithful to the celebration, an occasion “when the Filipino people can come together as brothers and sisters in our Mother Church, and show that hate and destruction can be overcome by God’s rebuilding love.“