Archdiocese of Manila Apostolic Administrator Bishop Broderick Pabillo has called for a nine-day spiritual preparation in the archdiocese from June 15 to 23, in anticipation of the installation of Jose Cardinal Advincula as the 33rd Archbishop of Manila on June 24.
In his Pastoral Instruction "Your servant is listening" dated June 8, the prelate asked that the novena be marked with prayer, catechesis, and charity.
"Let us spend these days listening to God in prayer. In our Masses during the novena, we will use special Mass formularies in line with the theme for the day. We will also pray the Prayer of Thanksgiving for a New Archbishop after the Post-Communion Prayer of the Mass," said Pabillo.
"On the evening of June 23, we encourage all parishes and communities to spend an hour of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament and pray together for Cardinal Advincula," he added.
Pabillo said the days should also be spent listening to the teachings of the Church.
"Let us study and reflect on the mystery of the Church, the role of the bishop, and the realities of the Archdiocese of Manila," he said.
Pabillo added that their Commission on Catechesis and Education is already preparing short catechetical video presentations on the said topics which could be shown before a Mass.
Lastly, he asked all parishes to dedicate some days during the novena to organize activities that would promote charity and generosity, like feeding programs, distributing food bags or gift certificates.
Pabillo said Caritas Manila will also distribute gift certificates for 50,000 families (worth P50 M) to the parishes.
"Let this be a gift of Cardinal Advincula to our needy brethren in the archdiocese," he said.
Pabillo then thanked everyone, especially the priests and lay leaders, for their collaboration and support during the 16 months that he was tasked to administer the archdiocese.
"Through prayer and hard work, we were able to carry out the Lord's
mission, especially during this challenging time of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic," he said.
"With the coming of our new Archbishop, let us pledge to him our filial obedience and love," added Pabillo.