Ancient bells to toll for diocese’s jubilee countdown

CITY OF MALOLOS—The Catholic Church has assured the faithful that Bulacan’s church bells, some dating back to the 1800s, will be in top condition and ring simultaneously during the celebration of the golden jubilee of the Diocese of Malolos on March 9.

Rev. Fr. Pablo Legaspi, chancellor of the diocese and rector of the Malolos Cathedral, said the bells would help the diocese reach out to its three million parishioners.

Legaspi said the diocese had been busy making sure the bells would be ready for the celebration. A total of 107 parishes and big churches will join the event, he said.

The Malolos diocese was originally part of the Diocese of Manila before it was separated, along with the Diocese of Imus, by an Apostolic Constitution led by Pope John XXIII on Nov. 25, 1961. (The Imus diocese marked its golden jubilee in November last year.)

It was inaugurated on March 11, 1962, coinciding with the installation of its first bishop, Rev. Fr. Manuel del Rosario.

Bishop Jose Oliveros said 216 priests would celebrate Mass during the event.

Legaspi said the Malolos Cathedral (Minor Basilica of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception) had in custody eight centuries-old bells, including the oldest forged in 1809. Three of the bells, he said, could no longer be repaired and would be kept in the province’s museums.

Rev. Andres Valera, the diocese’s vicar general, said the church had yet to hear from the US government about its plan to return the bells taken by American soldiers from a church in Meycauayan during the Philippine-American War of 1899 to 1902.

“We heard about it from the newspapers. We are still waiting for the United States to return the bells to the diocese,” he said.

Oliveros said the diocese had taken part in outreach projects, such as funding the Jubilee Homes in Plaridel town, as part of its charity work.

Caritas Australia and Caritas Germany helped fund the project to build 180 houses for victims of Typhoons “Ondoy” and “Pedring” in Bulacan.

The first 20 units of the Jubilee Homes will be ready for occupancy in the first week of March, in time for the jubilee, Oliveros said.

Valera said the diocese also released a set of commemorative stamps featuring the Malolos Cathedral. The stamps were produced in partnership with Postmaster General Josefina dela Cruz, a former governor of Bulacan.

The sale of the stamps would benefit the diocese’s social and community projects.