THE Roman Catholic Diocese of San Jose de Antique is currently preparing to receive the gifts sent by Cardinal Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples in Rome.
In an interview Wednesday, November 17, 2021, with Reverend Father Alfonso Alojipan Jr., he said among the gifts were the skull cap of Pope Francis and Cardinal Tagle and a collection of relics.
"The relics include St. John XXIII (tazzle of his stole) and those coming from St. John XXIII (tazzle of his stole), St. Maria Goretti, St. Paul of the Cross, St. Filomena, Blessed Carlo Acutis and Blessed James Alberione," he said.
Also included in the gifts to be received were Alojipan's “Presépe,” a Nativity scene depicting the entire village of the “Silent Night, [but] Holy Night" theme.
"The items are now here in San Jose. I brought them all here from Rome. We are just setting it up in time for the opening soon," he said.
The said relics and gifts were supposed to be in Pandan, Antique, but the bishop requested it to be installed at the Bishop house in the diocese.
"We are planning to open it to the public during the feast of Christ the King (November 21) or during the First Sunday of Advent (November 28)," he added.
In 2020, Alojipan was highlighted in the news as an Antiqueno priest who personally gifted Pope Francis souvenirs from his hometown Pandan. Those gifts were a handwoven hat and bag made of grass and a scarf.