Church kicks off Pedro’s anniversary

Novena prayers marking the nine-day preparations for the first anniversary of the canonization of St. Pedro Calungsod started yesterday.

The church celebrations on Oct. 21 will focus on four sites – the new San Pedro Calungsod Chapel in SM Seaside City, the Calungsod Archdiocesan Shrine in D. Jakosalesm Street, the San Pedro Calungsod parish in barangay Cantabaco, Toledo City as well as the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral.

Msgr. Vicente Tupas, rector of the Calungsod Chapel, whose modern design features 100 walls of different heights and widths, presided over the 6 p.m. Mass yesterday.

Oct. 21 is the day Calungsod, the teenage Visayan martyr, was officially declared a saint in Rome a year ago.

His feast day is celebrated on April 2, marking his death in Guam where he was part of a Jesuit mission and was killed by native Chamorro people in 1672.

On Oct. 21, Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma will lead a concelebrated Mass at 4 p.m. at the cathedral, seat of the Cebu Archdiocese.

Margie Mattheu, executive secretary of the Pastoral Planning Board, said three archbishops and 14 bishops are expected to attend the Mass which will also open the 9th Visayas Regional Pastoral Assembly in Cebu City.

The Mass will also kick off the Duaw Lungsud/Nasud where Calungsod’s image will be brought to different places in Cebu and in Naval, Leyte

Also on Oct. 21, a procession will be held inside the Archbishop’s Residence compound where the Calungsod shrine is located.

The Rosary will be prayed every 5 p.m. followed by daily novena Mass at the shrine presided by Msgr. Ildebrando Leyson.

The Cebu celebration is led by the Commission for the Promotion of the Devotion to San Pedro Calungsod headed by Msgr. Cayetano Gelbolinogo with Msgr. Marnel Mejjia and Fr. Charles Louis Jayme.