Pedro Calungsod parish in Cebu wants to be shrine
-A A +ATuesday, October 23, 2012
CEBU CITY -- Renaming a Toledo parish as National Shrine of San Pedro Calungsod is being considered after at least 15,000 pilgrims and devotees went to the church last Sunday.
“This (church) is the center of pilgrimage for devotions to San Pedro Calungsod,” Fr. Russell Sungcad, Blessed Pedro Calungsod parish priest, told Sun.Star Cebu.
“Being the first parish of San Pedro Calungsod, I’m sure we’ll become the center of attention of many devotees. I’m more passionate now to double our efforts to finish the church,” he said.
Sungcad, the only priest in the parish, celebrated four masses last Sunday, along with healing sessions.
“I was running late. I continued with our healing sessions even as the live telecast (of the canonization rites Rome, Italy) started,” he said.
The number of people was three times the usual number during fiesta celebrations in the past years.
Before working on declaring the church as a shrine, the parish will have to follow a process to change the name of the church from Blessed Pedro to San Pedro Calungsod.
“It’s a simple process. We will just write a letter to Archbishop (Jose) Palma through the Archdiocesan Commission on Worship. And in less than a year, the change in name will be implemented,” he said.
After the canonization of Pedro Calungsod last Sunday, Sungcad is also considering moving the feast day to October 21.
The parish celebrates its founding anniversary on March 5, which is the beatification date of the Visayan martyr.
The parish is perched on a hill in Barangay Cantabaco, Toledo City and was designed by architect Servillano Mapeso.
The parish will also have to finish the structure of the semi-circular church before it can be made a shrine.
The church is about 80 percent complete. A budget of P6 million to P8 million is still needed, said Sungcad.
The installation of stained glass, railings and church granite flooring is complete. But the sounds and lighting still need to be improved.
By December, a layout for the parish rectory and convent will be ready.
“The presence of pilgrims coming to our parish on canonization day is awesome and inspiring. Sa mga six times na namo pag celebrate og annual parish fiesta, dili gyud matandi ang sobra kadaghan nga mga pilgrims midagsa gahapon (Sunday) and to think it was raining,” said Sungcad.
“To keep the pilgrims coming, we decided to hold a healing mass every 21st of the month,” he said. (BAP/Sun.Star Cebu)
Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on October 23, 2012.
Local news
Forum rules: Do not use obscenity. Some words have been banned. Stick to the topic. Do not veer away from the discussion. Be coherent and respectful. Do not shout or use CAPITAL LETTERS!
