MANILA – Pope Francis has granted the Archdiocese of Cebu’s request to declare a “Special Jubilee Year” in the Archdiocese, along with the attached plenary indulgence, as the Catholic Church celebrates the 500th anniversary of the arrival of Christianity in the Philippines.
The Archdiocese of Cebu said in a statement on Monday that the Pope had approved the request of the Archbishop of Cebu, José Palma, to grant the Apostolic Blessing of the Holy Father to the faithful who will participate in the jubilee celebration of a year, which will begin on April 4, 2021 until April 22, 2022.
According to the Archdiocese, an “indulgence is a surrender before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven” and it is acquired by the faithful who respect “certain conditions prescribed by the action of the Church”.
“Plenary indulgence is granted to the faithful under the usual conditions (sacramental confession, Eucharistic communion and prayer for the intentions of the Pope) to Christians who, with a spirit detached from all sin, participate in the celebrations of the Jubilee Year and / or who make a visit, in the form of a pilgrimage, to the 12 declared pilgrimage churches, ”he said.
The bishopric of Cebu has declared that it will launch the festivities solemnly, through a liturgical rite. This includes the opening of the “holy door” of the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral.
Similar celebrations will take place in the following churches:
- Sts. Peter and Paul Parish (Bantayan, Bantayan Island)
- San Nicolas Parish (Cebu)
- Parish of St. Catherine of Alexandria (City of Carcar)
- Parish Patrocinio de Maria (Boljoon)
- Parish of Sainte-Anne (Barili)
- National shrine of the parish of Saint-Joseph (city of Mandaue)
- Parish of San Guillermo de Aquitana (Dalaguete)
- Parish of Saint Michael the Archangel (Argao)
The Archdiocese of Cebu has declared that the following churches will be declared pilgrimage sites:
- Sto. Tomas de Villanueva Parish (City of Danao)
- Saint-Vincent Ferrer parish (city of Bogo)
- Parish of Saint Francis of Assisi (Balamban)
- National Shrine of Our Lady of the Rule (city of Lapu-lapu)
“In addition, a series of jubilee celebrations at archdiocesan and parish levels will also be organized, which will involve the socially, spiritually marginalized and the peripheries of society, as part of the call to the new evangelization,” said the archdiocese. .
The National Five-Year Celebration of the First Easter Mass in the Philippines on April 4, 2021 will kick off the Catholic Church’s celebration of the 500th anniversary of the arrival of Christianity in the Philippines (500 YOC) with all parishes on the Philippines observing the simultaneous opening of the jubilee year.
The designated churches in each diocese will have Jubilee churches where the Jubilee doors will be open.
The closing activity of the Jubilee Year will take place from April 18 to 22, 2022 for the Second National Mission Congress in Cebu, where the Pontifical Legate or the Pope’s personal representative will be invited.
Several online activities related to 500 YOC were held throughout the year, including a virtual pilgrimage, webinars on Mission for young people, a series of lectures on the history of the Philippine Church, webinars on Mission for ecclesial movements, Mission for the clergy, as well as Mission for CLE. Teachers, university pastors and catechists.
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