THE Archdiocese of Davao will hold a Penitential Walk and Holy Mass on October 25 in response to the National Day of Prayer and Public Repentance declared by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).
In Circular No. 49, Series of 2025, Davao Archbishop Romulo G. Valles urged Dabawenyos to join in a collective act of prayer and repentance. He said the faithful will humbly ask the Lord to heal the nation amid growing concern over widespread corruption.
“We echo the CBCP's call to make corruption shameful again - “ang pagpangakaw makaulaw [Stealing is shameful],” he said on October 15, 2025.
The Penitential Walk will have three starting points:
Coastal Road Tulip open space for participants from the Sacred Heart, La Purisima, Sto. Rosario, and San Pablo vicariates, ACLAIM members, and Catholic schools.
Magsaysay Park for those from the Sta. Ana, Immaculate Conception, and St. James vicariates.
Doña Vicenta Park for participants from the San Pedro Vicariate.
Introductory prayers will begin at 4:14 a.m., followed by the simultaneous start of the walk at 4:30 a.m.
The Holy Mass will start at 6:00 a.m. at St. Peter’s Square, specifically at the Agila Stage along San Pedro Street, in front of Unitop. The Church announced that no other activities will be held after the Mass.
Participants are encouraged to wear white, preferably with white ribbons, and to bring a rosary, candle, drinking water, and rain gear. All Gagmay’ng Kristohanong Katilingban (GKK) servant leaders from every GKK in the archdiocese are expected to attend and bring their own breakfast provisions (baon).
There will be no 6 a.m. Masses in parishes and public chapels on October 25, except in monasteries such as those of the Pink Sisters and Carmelite nuns. For security reasons, backpacks are prohibited.
“Let us come together as one family of faith- walking humbly with the Lord, praying for forgiveness, and committing ourselves anew to honesty, integrity, and justice,” Valles said.
The CBCP earlier called for the National Day of Prayer and Public Repentance on October 7, coinciding with the Feast of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, in light of the nation’s struggles with calamities and corruption.
In a letter to dioceses, CBCP President Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David invited parishes, schools, families, and church organizations to join the observance, citing the prophetic exhortation from the Book of Baruch (Bar 1:15–22), a call for national confession and contrition. RGP