Antipolo Cathedral starts series of Lenten activities, invites public to participate
By Nel Andrade
The Antipolo Cathedral, International Shrine of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage, has begun a series of activities in observance of the Lenten season this year.
On the first Friday of Lent, Feb. 20, participants in the Way of the Cross prayed and reflected on the passion, death, and resurrection of Christ at each of the 14 designated stations, each marked by a picture frame depicting a moment in Jesus’ journey to Calvary.
An image of Christ, wearing a crimson robe and bearing the wooden cross, was part of the Way of the Cross procession.
A frame depicting a moment in the sufferings of Jesus Christ is on a makeshift alter in a street in Antipolo on Feb. 20 (Photo from Antipolo Cathedral's Facebook page)
Parishioners join the Way of the Cross procession in the streets of Antipolo City (Photo from Antipolo Cathedral's Facebook)
Other activities, such as the Lenten exhibit, which is ongoing until March 1 at the cathedral’s Mater Dei Hall, feature religious images of the characters in the passion and death of Jesus Christ on display for the public.
The priest and parishioners also perform the “Daan ng Krus” (Way of the Cross) in the vicinity of the Antipolo Cathedral shrine every Friday afternoon.
The church encouraged parishioners, pilgrims, and visitors from the city and outside Antipolo City and Rizal Province to take part in the Lenten activities.
In its message, the church said the activities are meant “to slow down, reflect, and draw closer to Christ in the Lenten experience that walks one through powerful moments of sacrifice, prayer, and renewal, helping prepare the hearts for Easter.”
In his Lenten pastoral letter, Antipolo Bishop Ruperto C. Santos urged the people to reflect on Jesus's sufferings as a way of “getting closer to God, through prayer, fasting, and acts of charity.”
Daily Masses at the Antipolo Cathedral shrine are held at 6 a.m., 7 a.m., 8 a.m., 9 a.m., 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 12 noon, 2 p.m., 3 p.m., 5 p.m., and 6 p.m.