Bishop: Be good examples to youth this Holy Week

DIOCESE of Baguio Bishop Carlito Cenzon is urging the people to set a good example to the youth in observing Holy Week.

This as a growing number of Roman Catholics continue to perceive the Holy Week as a time of going to the beach, enjoying the long vacation and forgetting the observance of the annual celebration that 75 million Catholics in the Philippines observe yearly.

“We cannot do anything but hope that our call for the people will be heard,” he said.

The bishop said people need this time out to pray, to think, to be with others and most importantly give the youth a good example and keep Roman Catholic traditions of Visita Iglesia and attending the mass as important.

“This time of the Holy Week, we will show the youth that we are trying to be good,” he added.

The bishop said the Holy Week is a good time for families to reflect and spend time together.

“The Easter time is the end of the Lenten season where we reflect and remember the sufferings of Jesus Christ who sacrificed Himself for our salvation. The Lenten season is a time for individuals to think and reflect on things we do for our whole year-round activities,” he said.

He understands the Holy Week for the Philippines is also a time for vacations and the height of tourism especially for Baguio City. The bishop said there is nothing wrong with enjoying the long holidays just as long as Catholics attend mass of obligation such as the Easter Sunday mass and observe the Visita Iglesia.

As part of the yearly summer vacation activities of the City Government, the bishop is thankful that religious celebrations are now being included in the list of institutionalized activities of the city.

This way, he said, tourists will also visit different churches and places for prayer and reflection in the city to make their family vacations even more memorable and fruitful.