THE “stripping of the altar” that marked the departure of the Queen of Peace Parish Church from St. John’s Institute (SJI) brought some parishioners to tears during the last mass held Wednesday morning, May 31.
Hundreds of parishioners came to witness the mass which Bacolod Bishop Patricio Buzon dubbed as an “extraordinary thanksgiving celebration” as it also commemorated the feast day of Our Lady Queen of Peace.
While it is ironic that the Diocese of Bacolod lost a church in the Year of the Parish, the bishop said in his homily that a parish is more than just a physical structure.
The Queen of Peace Parish Church is located inside the premises of SJI, also known as Hua Ming. The controversy about the ownership of the property on which the church stands led to the separation of the diocese and the school.
“I myself couldn’t help ask: why Lord, why do you allow this to happen? Then, it dawned on me, perhaps, this is his way of making us understand more deeply that a parish is more than a physical structure of the church... The parish is the people of God, the community of Christ’s disciple,” Buzon said.
Buzon also encouraged the parishioners to continue celebrating the life of Christ sans the structure.
“After this mass, we shall leave this church. The tabernacle will be empty of the Eucharist. We shall be taking with us the Blessed Sacrament from the tabernacle. Where shall we take it? I don’t know, but the Lord will tell us. He will lead us to his home... Meantime, let us carry the Eucharist in our hearts,” he said.
He also told the parishioners “to fill their hearts with humility, forgiveness and compassion” instead of “languor, anger and bitterness.”
The bishop issued two decrees Wednesday which were read during the mass.
In the Decree on the Transfer of the Queen of Peace Parish Church, it was stated that “the parish will temporarily be attached to the Redemptorist Shrine until a new parish church is constructed/established.”
It also said that the duly appointed priests, Fr. Arnold Deletina and Fr. Raymon Asoy, will “continue to minister to the pastoral needs of the community.”
A temporary office of the parish will also be set up at the rectory of the Redemptorist Shrine where records of the parish will be placed for safekeeping and transactions for the displaced parishioners will be made.
The decree also tasked the Diocesan transition team to ensure proper assessment, inventory, and turnover of the church’s assets to proper authorities.
Meanwhile, the decree on the relegation of the Queen of Peace Parish Church reiterated that the church structure located at the school premises has already ceased to be a parish church and a Diocesan shrine.
All clergy were asked to abstain from celebrating the sacraments at the church’s former structure.
The mass on Wednesday was capped by the removal of the Blessed Sacrament, Paschal candle, and the Holy Cross from the church.
Financial report
Moreover, the Diocese also presented the financial report of the parish, which states available funds amounting to P14.690 million.
The amount, which comprises the parish and trust funds, are “all intact.”
Under the trust fund, the scholarship program was allocated P3 million; special event, P75,020; mass, P257,554; stewardship, P1.178 million; and Yolanda fund, P500,000.
In a post-mass interview, Buzon said all the funds were held in trust at the Chancery of the Diocese, “but all those funds belong to the parish,” he said.
Also, Buzon said that he is still open for negotiation.
“If they want to resume, it’s up to them. As I always said, we never intend to leave Hua Ming, we were forced out,” he added.
He maintained that the school was stripped of its Catholic status, however, he pointed out that Hua Ming is known as a “very deep Catholic school.”
“The thing is that we withdrew the community of priests, it’s now an ordinary private school. What makes it a Catholic school is the recognition of the Bishop, the presence of religious congregation,” he said, adding that “intrinsically, it’s a Catholic school.”
‘Very consoling’
SJI Board of Trustees (BOT) president Cesar Villanueva said they are saddened by the departure of the church, but he remained optimistic that something can still happen in time.
“We accept and respect the decision of the Bishop,” he added.
BOT vice president Arabelle Lopue said the message of the bishop was “very consoling.”
“Even it is being taken away from us in physical sense, I feel the message there, we need to be more mature in our faith, transcend this, and see that God is Emmanuel and He is with us... That’s a beautiful message I’d like everyone to ponder,” she added.
Meanwhile, Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia and wife Elsa also came to the church Wednesday.
The couple said the church was sentimental to them as they got married there in 1988. Their son EJ was also baptized there.
The Leonardia couple prayed that both parties will reconcile for the good of the church and its people.
“It is really sad that it happened. We don’t want to take sides on the matter. We have been so attached to this church,” the mayor said.
He added that the church was also a tourist attraction due to its unique architectural design. (with reports from Carla N. Canet)