Bishop Ruperto Santos of the Antipolo Diocese invites the faithful to participate in May's pilgrimage season at the International Shrine of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage, or Antipolo Cathedral, Philippines.
According to the prelate, it is an excellent opportunity for the Christian community to participate in the diocese's rich culture and heritage through a pilgrimage.
"I would like to extend my warm invitation to everyone. Come and be part of a pilgrimage that runs from the first Tuesday of May until the first Tuesday of July. You can come as a group of family or friends," Bishop Santos invited the faithful over Radio Veritas Philippines. "Within this timeframe, you can spend a moment for your reflection, personal prayer, and petitions."
On April 30 of this year, the Blessed Virgin of Antipolo made her customary visit to the enshrined Jesus of the Black Nazareno at the Minor Basilica and National Shrine of Jesus Nazareno, or Quiapo Church. They planned the visit to mark the beginning of the pilgrimage season.
Millions of devotees joined in the traditional walk for peace, which lasted for about 10 hours, from Quiapo Church back to the international shrine after that.
Bishop Santos believes that the pilgrimage season's activities, particularly the visit to the miraculous image of the Blessed Virgin of Antipolo, will help to strengthen people's faith in Jesus.
"I believe this pilgrimage will be inspiring as it will deepen your faith, allowing our Blessed Mother to protect us and point us even more to her Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, urging us also to 'do whatever He tells you ((John 2:5), said Bishop Santos.
One of the main goals of the bishop's service as chief shepherd of Antipolo is to extend an invitation to the people to participate in the annual "Ahunan," which means "going upward" to the international shrine. He has the hope that the diocese may one day become the "pilgrimage capital of the Philippines," which would be a means of providing more assistance to the Christian community and fostering higher levels of faith among its members.
On July 8, at 8:00 p.m., the Antipolo Cathedral will host a special Laudate Mariam concert, as well as a procession to the Virgin of Antipolo image and novena masses throughout the pilgrimage season.
On July 9, the cathedral will host a holy mass to commemorate the end of the pilgrimage season at the International Shrine of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage.
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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