Feb. 13-20 declared as Blessed John Paul II week

Saturday, February 4, 2012

THE Bacolod City Council passed a resolution, declaring February 13 to 20, 2012 as Blessed John Paul II week in the city.

Per the resolution, Bacolod was one of the few cities in the Philippines visited by then Pope John Paul II, world leader of Catholics, in February 20, 1981. Pope John Paul’s cause for sainthood in the Catholic Church started with his death on April 2, 2005.

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The rare and distinct honor accorded the city having been visited by His Holiness has spawned the rise of a number of landmarks and institutions honoring him in the city. These 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 reclaimed area, the JP Cultural Center at the Sacred Heart Seminary along Lacson St., the Centro Giovanni Paolo II which serves as retreat and resort facility in Punta Taytay, the Centro Giovanni Paolo II for Research in Lacson St., the JP II National Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family at the USLS campus, the resolution said.

The resolution added that these landmarks and institutions bolster the city’s tourism program, especially in the area of religious pilgrimages, as they attract visitors from all over the country and even the world.

The JP II NISMF is launching “Totus Tuus! Celebrating Blessed John Paul II”, a celebration of the 31st anniversary of the Pope’s visit to Bacolod City.

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 country.