Manila Archbishop Jose Cardinal Advincula will preside over the thanksgiving fiesta mass at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 14, at the St. John of the Cross Parish in Pembo, Makati City, in celebration of the feast day of Saint John of the Cross (San Juan de la Cruz), a Doctor of the Universal Church and co-founder, with Saint Teresa of Avila, of the Discalced Carmelites.

The celebration coincides with the 29th parish fiesta and the parish’s lighting of its Christmas tree. A motorcade/procession was held on the evening of Dec.13. Novena masses were held on Dec. 5 to 13 which was marked with the giving of food packs to 30 families known as the Obra de Caridad ni San Juan dela Cruz.
Considered as a major figure in the Catholic reformation, St. John worked with St. Teresa in the reformation of the Carmelite Order, and together, they founded the Discalced Carmelites in 1568, a religious order devoted to the service of the Blessed Mother through prayer, solitude, humility, and penance.
Born on June 24, 1542 in Fontiveros, Spain, St. John studied under the Jesuits. He was especially popular for his writings. He died on December 14, 1591 and was canonized on Dec. 27, 1726 by Pope Benedict XIII. In 1726, Pope Pius XI declared him a Doctor of the Universal Church. His major shrine is the Tomb of St. John of the Cross in Segovia, Spain.