By Christina Hermoso
Diocese of Zambales Bishop Bartolome Santos, Jr. recently declared the St. Therese of the Child Jesus Chapel as the first diocesan shrine in Zambales.
Bishop Bartolome Santos, Jr., has formally elevated the St. Therese of the Child Jesus Chapel in Subic, Zambales into a diocesan shrine on Oct. 1.
(PHOTO FROM THE DIOCESE OF IBA VIA CBCP / MANILA BULLETIN)
The shrine will also serve as the diocese’s first youth center for the pastoral needs of the young members of the diocese.
“What the youth need at this time is a good place where they are able to pray, to think, to reflect, to express their concerns and worries and to discern,” Santos said in a Catholic Bishops 'Conference of the Philippines News post.
The declaration of the chapel as a shrine was held during the celebration of the feast of Saint Therese of the Child Jesus last Oct. 1.
Rev. Fr. Eric dela Cruz was also installed as the shrine's first rector.
Located in Manggahan village in Subic, the new shrine was a former monastery chapel of the Discalced Carmelite nuns. Established in 1997, the chapel has become a sanctuary for pilgrims and devotees of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
In 2014, the chapel was donated to the diocese when the monastery was transferred to Castillejos.