Typhoon spares Palo Cathedral, people this time

PALO, Leyte—As the furious winds of Typhoon “Ruby” came to a halt on Sunday morning, Palo Archbishop John Du went down from his hilltop residence, happy to see that his worst fear did not materialize.

The soon-to-be completed five-building complex, Pope Francis Center for the Poor, to be blessed by Pope Francis himself when he comes to visit next month was not damaged by the 185-kilometer-per-hour winds of the cyclone internationally named “Hagupit.”

“We thank God for sparing our people from yet another typhoon, and our preparations for the visit of Pope Francis continues,” Du said in his homily in an early morning Mass attended by 113 families who took refuge at the center on Saturday night.

“This is a miracle, our churches, like our faith, have withstood the worst of storms yet again,” said Msgr. Rex Ramirez, vicar general of the archdiocese, outside Palo Cathedral, likewise to be visited by

Pope Francis on Jan. 17.

Except for a few broken glass windows, the church was spared by Ruby’s onslaught.

“We are survivors twice over. This is indeed a blessing,” said Ramirez, prior to a thanksgiving Mass for 500 families who took shelter at the church that was opened to evacuees on Friday.

The cathedral—built in 1768 by the Augustinians—was almost destroyed by Supertyphoon “Yolanda” (international name: Haiyan) last year.

Before Ruby hit, the archdiocese was rebuilding the church with a generous donation from Phinma Group of Companies in Manila, in preparation for the papal visit.

Pope Francis is scheduled to talk to the clergy in Leyte province at Palo Cathedral after blessing the center and having lunch with 30 victims of Yolanda and the earthquake in Bohol province earlier.

In his homily, Du asked the evacuees to go back to their homes to allow the resumption of work on the project that will house an orphanage and a nursing home for the elderly.

Bernard Yepes, project engineer, said that even with the delay of Ruby, the 16-room facility will be completed by Dec. 23. The 46-year-old Yepes said his team was in overdrive trying to finish the complex in time for the papal visit.

“It’s an honor to have your life’s work blessed by the Pope,” Yepes said.