As a tribute to COVID-19 frontliners, the Diocese of Novaliches will unveil on Tuesday the biggest altar mural in the Philippines.
Novaliches Bishop Roberto Gaa D.D., will bless the altar mural at the Parish of Our Lady of Fatima Urduja in Caloocan City.
According to the diocese, the mural, which depicts the “Miracle of the Sun” also known as the “Miracle of Fatima”, features the painting of Guerrero M. Saño, a renowned and multi-awarded Filipino artist who has painted more than 700 murals in 16 countries depicting peace and environment.
The “Miracle of the Sun” or the “Miracle of Fatima” occurred during the 6th Apparition of Our Lady on October 13, 1917, and was witnessed by over 70,000 people at the Cova da Iria, in Fatima, Portugal, where the Virgin Mary appeared to the three shepherd children named Lúcia dos Santos and her cousins Francisco and Jacinta Marto from May 13 to October 13, 1917.
"The mural altar is our way of honoring and remembering the sacrifices of our front liners and, at the same time, including them in our prayers and mass intentions,” the Diocese of Novaliches quoted Father Aristeo M. de Leon, the parish priest of the Our Lady of Fatima, in a Facebook post.
“We will pray for the intercession of St. Francisco and St. Jacinta Marto, two of the three visionaries in Fatima and who themselves died of the Spanish Influenza," he said.
"We will ask Saints Francisco and Jacinta’s intercession for healing and strength for those who are afflicted with COVID-19 and their families," added de Leon.
The parish will actually start praying the Prayer to St. Jacinta and St. Francisco, which was translated and revised in Tagalog by de Leon, after the 6 p.m. blessing of the altar mural.
The mural was commissioned by Father de Leon with the help of CMA Meat Corporation and Aaron V Transport.