Relics of the Passion Arriving in Manila

MANILA, February 22, 2008— The relics related to the Passion of Jesus Christ will visit the country for first time.

The relics will arrive on February 24, in time for the third Sunday of Lent.

Catholic believers are invited to observe Christ’s Passion by venerating relics of the Passion to be displayed in various churches and chapels in the Manila archdiocese.

The Vatican-authenticated relics include relics of the True Cross, the Column of the Flagellation, the Crown of Thorns, the Burial Shroud and the Table of the Last Supper, as well as a replica of a nail used in the Crucifixion, and an effigy of Veronica’s Veil.

They are part of a collection of over 1500 relics under the care of Thomas Serafin, founder of the Apostolate for Holy Relics, sanctioned as an “Official Catholic Apostolate” by Roger Cardinal Mahoney, Archbishop of Los Angeles in the United States.

The relic exhibit will be brought to the Philippines from Guam through the sponsorship of benefactors from Guam and the Dulce Nombres de Maria Cathedral – Basilica in Agana, Guam.

The veneration of these relics gains special significance in this Season of Lent because it not only calls to mind the actual events of the First Holy Week but also invites the people into a deeper share in Christ’s Life, Passion and Resurrection.

Veneration of relics is as old as the Christian faith. In the Bible’s Acts of the Apostles, it was shown that already in the lifetime of the St. Paul, his relics worked extra ordinary miracles. “When handkerchiefs or clothes which touched his skin were applied to sick, their diseases were cured and evil spirits departed from them.” (Acts 19:11-12)

The relics will be on display in the Eucharistic Lord Chapel, SM Megamall; Our Lady of Peace Shrine, EDSA, QC; St. Anthony Parish Church, Singalong, Manila; Manila Cathedral and Arzobispado de Manila, both in Intramuros, Manila from Feb. 24 to 26.

They will then be brought to Immaculate Conception Cathedral, Pasig City; Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Chapel in Cardinal Santos Medical Center; Ina ng Laging Saklolo Parish, Jaime Cardinal Sin Village Punta, Sta. Ana, Manila on Feb. 27 to 28.

The relics will also be displayed on the 29th at the San Felipe Neri Parish in Mandaluyong City and at the Sto. Niño de Paz Chapel, Greenbelt Park, Ayala Center in Makati City. On March 1, it will be brought to the Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Cubao for an overnight vigil.

(Rodney Vertido)