National consecration set

MANILA, Philippines—Catholic Church leaders urged the faithful to join them on Saturday in holding the national consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary in cathedrals, shrines and chapels in all archdioceses, dioceses and apostolic vicariates across the country.

“We wish to this as truly one people, from Aparri to Jolo, formally reaffirming that our country is indeed pueblo amante de Maria,” Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines said in a statement on Friday.

The event is part of celebrations marking the Year of Faith and the nine-year preparation for the fifth centenary of the coming of Christianity in the Philippines in 2021.

Palma said the event would help reaffirm the Filipino’s love for the Blessed Virgin Mary.

In a circular to all the priests in the archdiocese, Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle enjoined all parishes and communities to send delegates to San Fernando de Dilao Parish in Paco, Manila, where a common celebration of the Metropolitan Ecclesiastical Province of Manila will be held.

He also directed parish priests to ring the bells in churches and chapels for the Angelus at noon Saturday.