Centennial Events: The Big Day

Events for Saturday, April 10, 2010:

8:00 am: Arrival of the Papal Nuncio / Planeside Honors at the Calbayog City airport. This will be followed by a Motorcade

10:00 am: Centennial Thanksgiving Mass at the Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral

12:00 noon: Centennial Luncheon at the Calbayog City Sports Center

1:30 pm: Departure of the Papal Nuncio

Centennial Events

Events slated tomorrow April 9, 2010:

8:00 am: Congress of the Clergy with Archbishop Soc Villegas at the NwSSU Socio-Cultural Center

4:00 pm: 9th Day Novena Mass and Episcopal Coronation of the Blessed Virgin Mary at the Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral

5:00 pm: Grand Centennial Procession

7:00 pm: Diocesan Centannial Awards at the Calbayog City Sports Center

7:30 pm: The musical play "Calbayog: An Pag-Ilawod" (The Journey) at the Calbayog City Sports Center

Centennial Events

The Diocesan Centennial Events slated for Thursday, April 8, 2010:

6:00 am: Holy Mass at the Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral

9:00 am - 4:00 pm: Inter-Diocesan Clergy Friendship Games at the Calbayog City Sports Center, Joggers Basketball Court and St. Vincent de Paul College Seminary

10:30 am: Opening of the Diocesan Museum at the Centennial pastoral Center

7:00 pm: Awarding of winners of the Friendship Games at the Calbayog City Sports Center

8:00 pm: The CKC-Jose Gomez Orchestra in Concert at the Calbayog City Sports Center

Centennial Event: The Calbayog Clergy Centennial Concert

The clergy of Calbayog will be in town tomorrow for the second cultural event in line with the Centennial Celebration of the Diocese of Calbayog -

The Calbayog Clergy Centennial Concert

The said concert will be held tomorrow at 7:00 pm at the Calbayog City Sports Center.

The Diocesan Centennial Celebration Schedule of Events

The Events slated in celebration of the Centenary of the Diocese of Calbayog

April 1 - 10, 2010

April 1, 2010 (Thursday)

• 2:00 pm: Pastoral Conference (Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral)
• 4:00 pm: 1st Novena Mass and Episcopal Coronation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral)

April 2, 2010 (Friday)

• 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm: Reflection (Bassey)
• 4:00 pm: 2nd Novena Mass (Bassey)

April 3, 2010 (Saturday)

• 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm: Catechesis (Villareal)
• 4:00 pm: 3rd Novena Mass (Villareal)

April 4, 2010 (Sunday)

• 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm: Catechises (Calbiga)
• 4:00 pm: 4th Novena Mass (Calbiga)

April 5, 2010 (Monday)

• 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm: Catechesis (Catbalogan)
• 4:00 pm: 5th Novena Mass (Catbalogan)
• 7:00 pm: Calbayog Clergy Centennial Concert (Catbalogan)

April 6, 2010 (Tuesday)

• 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm: Catechesis (Paranas)
• 4:00 pm: 6th Novena Mass (Paranas)

April 7, 2010 (Wednesday)

• 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm: Catechesis (Gandara)
• 4:00 pm: 7th Novena Mass (Gandara)
• 7:00 pm: Calbayog Clergy Centennial Concert (Calbayog City Sports Center)

April 8, 2010 (Thursday)

• 6:00 am: Holy Mass (Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral)
• 9:00 am - 5:00 pm: Centennial inter-Diocesan Friendship Games (Calbayog City Sports Center, St. Vincent de Paul Seminary and Joggers Basketball Court)
• 10:30 am: Opening of the Diocesan Museum (Centennial Pastoral Center)
• 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm: Catechesis (Sta. Margarita)
• 4:00 pm: 8th Novena Mass (Sta. Margarita)
• 7:00 pm: In Concert: The CKC-Jose Gomez Orchestra (Calbayog City Sports Center)

April 9, 2010 (Friday)

• 8:00 am - 3:30 pm: Priests' Congress (Centennial Pastoral Center)
• 4:00 pm: 9th Novena Mass (Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral)
• 5:00 pm: Grand Centennial Procession
• 7:00 pm: Diocesan Centennial Awards (Calbayog City Sports Center)
• 8:00 pm: Cultural Night (Calbayog City Sports Center)

April 10, 2010 (Saturday)

• 8:00 am: Planeside Honors for the Papal Nuncio (Calbayog Airport)
• Motorcade
• 10:00 am: Centennial Celebration Mass (Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral)
• 12:00 noon: Luncheon (Calbayog City Sports Center)
• 1:30 pm: Departure Honors for the Papal Nuncio (Calbayog Airport)

Images from the Diaconal Ordination

For some pictures, please click on the image above or check this link.

Images from the Diaconal Ordination

The Diocese of Calbayog has 6 new deacons. They are Rev. Joseph Rabuya De Guzman (of San Policarpo, Calbayog City), Rev. Roger Mañoza Oñate (of Oquendo, Calbayog City), Rev. Cris Uy Tan (of Pagsangjan, Samar), Rev. Mario Benjamin Cobilla Mangubat (of Villareal, Samar), Rev. Ronjie Cabrales Raquil (of Pinabacdao, Samar) and Rev. Jake Jester Portugaliza Yboa (of Catbalogan, Samar).

Let me share some pictures taken during the ordination last Tuesday, March 17, 2010. (Thanks to Rev. Jake Yboa and the rest of the deacons for allowing me to post their pictures in this blog)

Bishop Isabelo Abarquez with Msgr. Bienvenido Chiquillo, Fr. Roland Cajegas and Fr. Renato Piczon.

Rev. Jake Yboa with Rev. Rev. Mario Benjamin Cobilla Mangubat and Rev. Ronjie Cabrales Raquil.

Rev. Joseph Rabuya De Guzman, Rev. Roger Mañoza Oñate and Rev. Cris Uy Tan.

Bishop Isabelo Abarquez

Monsignor Bienvenido Chiquillo, the Vicar General of the Diocese of Calbayog.

The new Deacons with the Priests and Knights of the Altar as they sang the Jubilee Theme Song.

The new Deacons with Bishop Isabelo Abarquez.

The new Deacons with the Bishop and some members of Calbayog Clergy.

6 new deacons to be ordained tomorrow

Bishop Isabelo Abarquez will preside over the Pontifical Mass tomorrow wherein six seminarians will be ordained as Deacons. The ceremonies will be held at the Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral at 9:00 am.

To be ordained as deacons are:

• Rev. Joseph Rabuya De Guzman (of San Policarpo, Calbayog City)
• Rev. Roger Mañoza Oñate (of Oquendo, Calbayog City)
• Rev. Cris Uy Tan (of Pagsangjan, Samar)
• Rev. Mario Benjamin Cobilla Mangubat (of Villareal, Samar)
• Rev. Ronjie Cabrales Raquil (of Pinabacdao, Samar)
• Rev. Jake Jester Portugaliza Yboa (of Catbalogan, Samar)

Just in case you'd be interested

Work to repaint the ceiling and the installation of new lights at the Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral is now at the Altar area and the two side wings. These are part of the preparations being done in line with the Centenary of the Diocese of Calbayog which falls on April 10, 2010.

Here are some pictures I managed to take this morning.

Young People to gather in Calbayog for the Diocesan Jubilee of the Youth

Young people from all over the Diocese of Calbayog will gather in Calbayog City tomorrow until Saturday for the Jubilee of the Youth. The said event is one of the highlights of the Celebration of the Centenary of the Diocese of Calbayog.

On March 5, 2010, following the registration and orientation at 8:00 a.m., a Conference with the Youth will be led by Fr. Melo Viola of DILAAB, a youth-related movement connected with the Church. Calbayog Bishop Isabelo Abarquez will preside over the mass at 5:00 p.m.. This will be followed by the Youth Barrio Fiesta at 7:00 p.m.

On March 6, 2010, the delegates will join the youth and officials of selected barangays in the Calbayog City proper for a street-sweeping / cleaning activity. This will be followed by Inputs on the Environment and Solid Waste Management.

Invited to the event are young people from the parishes in Calbayog, San Policarpo, Trinidad, Oquendo, Tinambacan, Sto. Niño, Almagro, Tagapul-an, Sta. Margarita, Gandara, San Jorge, Pagsangjan, Tarangnan, Catbalogan, Ubanon, Silanga, Jiabong, Motiong, Bassey, Sta. Rita, Osmeña, San Jose de Buan, Calbiga, Paranas, Bagacay, Hinabangan, Pinabacdao, San Sebastian, Villareal, Zumarraga, Daram, Rizal and Talalora.

Also expected to participate are representatives from the various Catholic Renewal Movements, Campus Ministries, Public and Private Schools, the Episcopal Commission on the Youth, and the Central-Eastern Visayas Regional Youth Coordinating Council.

The event being spearheaded by the Diocese of Calbayog through the Diocesan Commission on the Youth led by Fr. Ted Perez. On hand to lend support are LGU Calbayog through the City Solid Waste Management Office, PNP Calbayog, DILG Calbayog and the SK officials and the Officials of five barangays in the Calbayog city proper namely, Balud, East and West Awang, Central and Aguit-itan.

just in case you'd be interested

yup, I'm hoping that you'd be interested. Here are some pictures I managed to take before the mass this morning (my apologies for the low resolution pix, as usual I used my phone camera again). It's on the repairs being done at the Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral. The work on the ceiling, and the left and right walls at the nave area is almost complete. Work is now at the left and right wings, dome and the area where the retablo is. All these are part of the preparation for the Centennary of the Diocese of Calbayog on April 10, 2010.

Two new priests to be ordained tomorrow

Rev. Basil Salino (l) and Rev. Bryan Fajardo (r) with Bishop Isabelo Abarquez after they were ordained as deacons on August 4, 2008.

Rev. Basilio S. Salino of Oquendo and Rev. Romualdo G. Fajardo, Jr. of Santo Niño will be ordained to the Order of Presbyterate tomorrow.

Bishop Isabelo Abarquez will preside over the ordination ceremonies at the Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral.

Fr. Salino will have celebrate his Thanksgiving Mass on Sunday, February 21, 2010 at the Holy Infant Parish Church in Oquendo, while Fr. Fajardo will celebrate his Thanksgiving Mass on Tuesday, February 23, 2010 at the Holy Infant Parish Church in Santo Niño.

Diocesan Centennial Update: Pilgrimage Sites

I checked my files and I found this picture of a billboard which was installed at the Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral many months ago (yup months before they started doing the landscaping project. Don't look for it (the billboard) now, it was blown away when a typhoon hit the city a few months ago. Anyway, the billboard contained this announcement:

In celebration of the

Centenary of the Diocese of Calbayog

this Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul

has been proclaimed as Pilgrimage Site

You can gain Plenary Indulgence

Other churches which the Bishop of Calbayog proclaimed as Pilgrimage Sites are:

• St. Bartolomew Church in Catbalogan
• St. Michael the Archangel Church in Bassey
• Our Lady of the Annunciation Parish Church in Calbiga
• St. Anthony de Padua Parish Church in Zumarraga
• The Diocesan Marian Shrine in Ubanun, Catbalogan

update on the cathedral

I took some pictures at the Cathedral after the 8:00 am mass. Work is still going on. The repainting of the ceiling is almost complete with work now being done at the left wing of the cathedral. The side altars are now sporting a new gold-leaf finish.

This is the area along Senator Avelino Avenue. It was cemented after the benches, plants and lamp posts were removed.

The repainting of the ceiling is almost done. The rectangular openings which used to have those fluorescent lamps have been covered.

Scaffolding at the left wing of the Cathedral (or the area where one get to see the image of the Dolorosa)

The life-size images of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary have been removed from its pedestal (pix below). The images are being gold-leafed.

those Centennial Crosses

If you happened to pass by the rotonda in Barangay Obrero, an island in Rosales Boulevard, the corner of Magsaysay Boulevard and Burgos Street, Barangay Bagacay, and the Barangay Balud Chapel, you must have seen those newly-erected crosses.

Nope, nobody is buried in any of the areas mentioned. But needless to say, the crosses drew varied reactions. These crosses were erected to commemorate the Centennial Mission which the Redemptorist Missionaries conducted in the various barangays of Calbayog. Said activity which would have covered a good number of barangays by March 14, 2010 was among the preparations for the Centenary of the Diocese of Calbayog.

So the next time you pass by these areas, don't offer prayers for some dead people, but do thank the Almighty for the 100 years of existence - April 10, 1910 to April 10, 2010 - of the Diocese of Calbayog.

The cross at the rotonda in Barangay Obrero. As with the other crosses, on it was painted these words: "Hinumduman san Centennial Mission. Diocese of Calbayog 1910 - 2010. The Priests, Religious People of God, and Redemptorist Missionaries. January 17 - March 4, 2010."

The people of Barangay Balud opted to have their cross painted brown.

This one is at Barangay Awang. They placed it in an area which had been made as tambakan san basura by some people in the said barangay. Hmm, what a way to promote proper waste disposal.

This cross belongs to Barangay Central. It is located on the center island of Rosales Boulevard. Yup, it's the area in front of Jollibee.

A Centennial Book on Our History

I recently got hold of a flyer on the Coffeetable Book which will be published in time for the Centenary of the Diocese of Calbayog. I thought I would like to share with you the contents of that flyer and the appeal from the Bishop of Calbayog and the Centennial Book Committee for support to the project.

"Celebrating the 100th year of the Founding of the Diocese of Calbayog: A Centennial Book on Our History"

On April 10, 2010, the Diocese of Calbayog will celebrate the 100th anniversary of its founding as a Diocese. It was on April 10, 1910, when Pope St. Piux X issued the Consistorial Decree Novas Erigere Dioecesis that establshed the new Diocese of Calbayog covering Samar and Leyte islands, separate from the Diocese of Cebu.

For more than 300 years before this event, Samar island was administered by the Spanish missionaries - 173 years under the Order of the Society of Jesus and 134 years under the Franciscans - all under the Bishoperic of Cebu.

Bishop Pablo Singzon, a native of Calbiga who was Ecclesiastical Governor of the Diocese of Cebu from 1901 to 1903 was appointed as the first Bishop of the new diocese. Bishop Singzon chose the town of Calbayog in Samar which was the largest and most progressive town in the region, to be the seat of the new diocese.

The newly-erected diocese had 84 parroquias - 39 in Samar and 45 in Leyte. there were 35 priests in Samar (26 were Franciscans and only 9 were native clergy). In Leyte, there were 42 priests, all secular clergy. Bishop Singzon named Fr. Sofronio Hacbang as Provisor and Vicario General while Fr. Conrado Maga was named Secretaria de Camara y Gobierno. On May 2 - 4, 1911, Bishop Singzon convoked a diocesan Synod held at the church of Palo, Leyte.

And so,

--- the cornerstone for the foundation of the diocese had been laid.

Researching for our history
How it developed and how it transformed the lives of the faithful particularly Samareños in the last 100 years is the subject of an ongoing research.

A Centennial Book
In time for our centennial celebration on April 2010, we will publish the history of the Diocese in a coffeetable book.

We already have embarked on the project to research and write the history of the Diocese, tracing its beginnings not just to 1910 when it was erected but to go further back to 1596 when the first Spanish missionaries came to Samar to introduce the Christian faith to Samareños.

We truly believe that the centennial celebration of the founding of the Diocese can be viewed and appreciated more significantly if the church - the clergy and the laity understands its history.

------------------------------------

An Appeal from the Bishop of Calbayog:

Your generous support is needed
This cherished dream to document the growth of our faith in Samar will only be realized with your generous support for its publication.

Be part of history
May we, therefore, enjoin you to be part of our history, be part of our centennial celebration and be one of our Benefactors and Sponsors of the book.

Your names enshrined
Your names will be enshrined in the book and you will also receive free copies of the coffeetable book.

May the Lord reward your generosity and shower your family with bountiful blessings!

------------------------------------

For more information, please contact the Centennial Book Committee:

Fr. Noel Labendia: +63 927-896-4252
Fr. Niceas Abejuela: +63 918-939-4637
Charo Nabong-Cabardo: +63 915-429-6113
Rene Nachura: +63 918-900-5048
Diocesan Chancery: (+63 55) 209-13-72/ Telefax: (+63 55) 209-30-12
Email: centennialbook.calbayogdiocese@gmail.com

The Centennial Celebration

Just in case you'd be interested (again)

Let me give you an (unofficial) update on the project at the Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral. A project which a priest referred to as a landscaping project. Again, I'm featuring this, just in case you'd be interested.

I would like to correct an earlier blogpost. They have not yet torn down or totally repaired the ceiling. Instead, they have installed new lights, covered the rectangular spaces which used to have those fluorescent lamps, and painted the ceiling powder blue.

As of last Sunday, this is the extent of work or intervention done on the left side of the Cathedral.