Cebu Archdiocese ‘all set’ for 2023 National Retreat for Priests

WITH the preparations already in the final stage, Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma is hoping for the success of the 2023 National Retreat for Priests (NRP) scheduled this November.

Palma said during a coordination meeting with organizers and members of the media on Oct. 17, 2023, that the retreat is aimed at the renewal of the participating clergy to their vocation in line with the church’s goal of synodality, with the theme of “Priesthood: A Call to Holiness.”

The three-day retreat, organized by the Episcopal Commission on Clergy of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) and hosted by the Archdiocese of Cebu, will take place at the IC3 Convention Center in Barangay Luz, Cebu City.

During the meeting, Fe Barino, chairperson of the NRP 2023 working committee, said they expect around 3,000 priests across 58 dioceses in the country to participate in the three-day retreat, 354 of them are members of the Cebu clergy.

Based on the data presented on Tuesday, organizers said more than 2,000 priests have already registered, and retreat kits have already been distributed.

In attendance at the event will be 30 bishops and archbishops from different dioceses, with Archbishop Charles Brown, the Papal Nuncio to the Philippines, invited to preside over the opening mass.

The committee said eight hotels in Cebu have been tapped to accommodate the priests who will be attending the retreat. Transportation and logistics have already been finalized, and the drop-off and pick-up points have been set.

The working committee has also set up a local pilgrimage for visiting priests who will join the event.

For security purposes, coordination with the local police has been finalized, and additional security personnel has been tapped.

The committee has also reported that the event’s total budget is P15 million, with 80 percent coming from donations and pledges.

According to CBCP, guest speakers will include Irish nun Sr. Briege McKenna, known worldwide for her gift of healing and ministry to priests.

McKenna will be joined by Spanish Fr. Pablo Escriva de Romani, known for his work in war zones and his missionary retreats worldwide.

Cebu’s hosting for NRP was slated to be part of the celebration of the 500 Years of Christianity in the Philippines in 2021; however, it was postponed and moved to a later date due to restrictions imposed at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.

There are over 11,000 Catholic priests in the country, with over 400 diocesan priests and 225 religious priests in Cebu.