MANAOAG, Pangasinan, Philippines — The Minor Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary of Manaoag, founded in 1605, may have withstood the test of time, but the coronavirus pandemic caught the church’s leaders off guard like everyone else.
“We were not ready,” said parish priest Allan Lopez. He said they had to rise to the occasion and prepare for the worse “according to science and reason.”
The Manaoag shrine is also home to the image of Our Lady of the Rosary of Manaoag that is deemed miraculous by many Catholics. An affiliate of the Papal Basilica of Sta. Maria Maggiore in Rome, the shrine obtained the title of “minor basilica” a few months before Pope Francis visited the country in 2014.
With its status, the church has been accorded special privileges by the Pope.
AWAITING DEVOTEES The area where people light candles and offer prayers to Our Lady of the Rosary of Manaoag at the basilica’s compound in Manaoag, Pangasinan, has been largely empty since March. This prayer nook is perhaps among the busiest areas before the pandemic struck, but church officials say devotees are slowly returning as quarantine restrictions are eased. —WILLIE LOMIBAO
Eerie silence
“We complied with all the requirements of the law and heeded doctors’ advice, while we kept looking for ways to bring sacramental services to the parishioners,” Lopez said.
During the first days of the enhanced community quarantine in Luzon in March, the church shut its doors to the parishioners and visitors. Its stores were closed and the blessing of vehicles and religious articles was suspended.
Even vendors of candles, religious images and food were gone. An eerie silence pervaded the normally busy church and its surroundings.
The shrine considers as most daunting task its observance of the Holy Week, a yearly event when the minor basilica and its compound used to accommodate more than a million devotees and pilgrims.
The lockdown, however, did not stop the church from celebrating Masses through livestreaming.
Lopez said it was a good thing that the church had been using social media for its Masses before the lockdown.
Online Masses
“During the pandemic, we observed that more people attend the online Masses. They comment, they answer and type ‘amen.’ Even senior citizens and children, who are not allowed outside their homes, have joined the Masses,” he said.
The Masses have drawn viewers abroad, too, with Canada having the most number of online audiences. Catholics from the United States and the Middle East also tune in to the online Masses.
But Lopez said observing the rituals of Holy Week and bringing the liturgical services to the people in the face of a pandemic were challenging.
During Lent, they held processions on Holy Thursday and Good Friday, and “salubong,” or meeting of the image of the resurrected Christ and of Virgin Mary with black veil, on Easter Sunday.
TURNING TO PRAYERS Residents of Manaoag, Pangasinan, seek a moment of silence and pray at the Minor Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary of Manaoag as the country deals with a health crisis. —WILLIE LOMIBAO
Gradual opening
“But these were all done on the streets and not inside the church,” Lopez said.
When quarantine restrictions eased a bit, the church gradually reopened, accommodating only 10 people at a time. It now allows less than 50 percent of its 1,500-seating capacity because of the social distancing protocol imposed by the government.
The church has also resumed the blessing of vehicles and religious images and artifacts.
“We are ready for a 100-percent capacity and services when the pandemic is gone. But as of now, all we can offer are the basic services,” Lopez said.
But even as the world is dealing with the pandemic, the minor basilica reaches out to its parishioners to help them deal with the impact of the health crisis.
Going to villages
For instance, this year, the parish is holding the first communion and confirmation activities in the villages rather than in schools, or in the church, where hundreds of children normally attend.
“We will hold these activities following the pandemic protocols. We will hold them in villages by batches, with small groups of children practicing physical distancing. Anyway, in the villages, the residents know each other and they know if one is sick or not,” Lopez said.
He added: “This is the first time that we will do this, as we cannot deny the children this experience of having the first communion, but in a safe way.”
Under its educational apostolate, the church is getting involved with the children’s education through the provision of internet connection in the 25 chapels in the town.
Parish rector Stephen Redillas has asked businessman Manuel Pangilinan to provide Wi-Fi to chapels where children can stay to download and upload their lessons for free.
“Children in the villages may have tablets, but they may not have the budget for internet connection. The Wi-Fi in the chapels would be a big help to them. Thankfully, PLDT (Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co.) has agreed to our request,” Redillas said.
HOLY SITE The Catholic church in Luna, La Union, which hosts the shrine of the Our Lady of Namacpacan, is among the major religious sites in northern Luzon. —EV ESPIRITU
Lack of budget
Lopez is grateful that many people still give to the church. “But we are running on a deficit budget. We are still managing but until when, I cannot say,” he said.
While many companies are laying off employees, the minor basilica has no plans to let go of its workers. “It would be painful for them to lose their income. At least, even with reduced wage, they still get paid,” he said.
The church also arranged for workers to start planting vegetables in its vacant lands so they could have sources of food, he said.
“Everyone is reeling from the effects of the pandemic. We are all hurting. But if we help each other, we can overcome,” Lopez said.
Barricade
In La Union province, devotees of the Lady of Namacpacan in Luna town are not allowed to touch the image, which is protected by a barricade.
Before the pandemic, everyone was free to touch the Lady as a show of devotion, but the practice had to be stopped to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, said parish priest Perpetuo Concepcion.
He said regular Masses were celebrated daily in May when the province was placed under modified general community quarantine but with strict minimal health requirements.
For now, the church can accommodate between 500 and 700 people, but only 200 are allowed during Masses.
Limited attendance
The limited church attendance has resulted in dwindling alms collection, affecting the budget for operations and wages of employees, Concepcion said.
He said he understood that donors have also been affected by the pandemic. Some of them have to close their businesses, or have been retrenched from their jobs.
“But we can survive with God’s providence,” Concepcion said. “Our Gospel for today is how Peter and other disciples went out to the sea to fish, but returned to the shore with an empty net. But Jesus Christ told them to go back to the sea and when they did, their fishing net was so full they could hardly carry it. Just like the apostles, we can survive the pandemic,” he said.