16 Davao City churches open for Holy Week

RAIN CAN’T STOP THEM | Despite the drizzle, vendors outside Our Mother of Perpetual Help church in Davao City sell palm fronds shaped into crosses on Sunday. (Photo by GERMELINA LACORTE / Inquirer Mindanao)

DAVAO CITY, Davao del Sur—“In the face of injustice, are you going to stand up for the truth or will you just remain silent because your position will be affected?” a priest asked the faithful in one of the 16 churches that the city government allowed to open here to celebrate Holy Week Masses for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic struck in 2020.

Fr. Gary Arevalo, who officiated the noon Mass at Our of Mother Perpetual Help church here, recalled the inability of authorities to stand up to the truth that led to the crucifixion of Christ, an event that happened more than two thousand years ago but still resonates with what’s still happening up to this day.

“As what you’ve heard from the passion, Jesus was not guilty [of the crime he was accused of] but [he was crucified] due to the people’s inability to stand up for the truth — Pilate knew Jesus was not guilty but he will not stand to the truth because that will affect him,” Arevalo said during his homily. “It will affect his position as governor, it will affect his relationship with the Jewish leaders who might send a report to the emperor of Rome and the emperor of Rome might remove him from his position.”

No road closures

“The hope, the tragedy and the horrors of injustice that continues in our day even today, do we just rather be silent, even if we know the truth because we are afraid that our own interests might be at stake?” he asked during his homily without delving into the details.

Our Mother of Perpetual Help Parish, where Arevalo said Mass, was one of the 16 churches here allowed to open for the Holy Week, the first time that crowd-drawing Church activities were allowed since the start of the pandemic two years ago.

Dionisio Abude, head of the Davao City Transport and Traffic Management Office assured the public there would be no road closures in the city although motorists might have to adjust to one-way lanes implemented on roads near the 16 churches for the Holy Week activities that began on Palm Sunday.

At least 925 personnel were to be deployed in the vicinity of these churches to control and manage the traffic flow for the entire week. Aside from the Palm Sunday procession, Church activities will continue on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, when the faithful observe the stations of the cross; on Black Saturday; to reach its peak on Easter Sunday.

Abude said they already prepared the traffic plan since the stations of the cross would cover several routes in the city and traffic personnel would have to ensure that the roads would be safe for both participants and motorists.

He also urged motorists to be patient and to give consideration to those doing the stations of the cross, reminding them to drive safely to prevent accidents and for the public to keep wearing their face masks and maintain a safe distance from each other to protect themselves from COVID-19.

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