Feb. 13-20 is John Paul II Week

Friday, January 27, 2012

THE City Council passed a resolution declaring February 13 to February 20 as the Blessed John Paul II week in Bacolod City.

The resolution was authored by Councilor Caesar Distrito, chairman of the committee on laws, ordinances and good government.

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The proposed resolution was passed unanimously.

Bacolod City was one of the few cities of the Philippines that was honored with a visit by then Pope John Paul II in February 20, 1981.

Pope John Paul II died in April 2, 2005 and his cause for sainthood in the Catholic Church has been started.

That rare and distinct honor of historical proportions accorded to Bacolod City has spawned the rise of a number of landmarks and institutions honoring the Pope in the city.

These institutions include the Pontifical Pope John Paul II National Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family, the first of its kind in Southeast Asia.

Other landmarks and institutions are the JP II Tower at the reclamation area, JP II Cultural Center at the Sacred Heart Seminary along Lacson St., Centro Giovanni Paolo II which serves as retreat and resort facility in Punta Taytay, Centro Giovanni Paolo II for Research in Lacson St., and JP II National Institute for Studies on Marriage and the Family at the University of St. La Salle campus.

The JP II National Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family is launching “Totus Tuus! Celebrating Blessed John Paul II,” a celebration of the 31st anniversary of the Pope’s visit to Bacolod.

The celebration will be highlighted by a national conference on JP II’s Nuptial Theology and is expected to draw 300 delegates from all over the country, including the highest officials of the Catholic hierarchy in the Philippines.