AHEAD of the installation of Cardinal Jose Advincula as 33rd archbishop of Manila on June 24, the Archdiocese of Manila yesterday called on the faithful to join a nine-day spiritual preparation that will start on Tuesday next week.
The June 15-23 novena will feature prayer, catechesis, and charity, said Manila apostolic administrator Bishop Broderick Pabillo.
He said that for prayer, all Masses during the novena will use special Mass formularies in line with the theme for the day as well as feature the Prayer of Thanksgiving for a New Archbishop after the post-communion prayer of the Mass.
For the evening of June 23, all parishes and communities are encouraged to spend an hour of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament and prayer for Advincula.
For the catechesis part, Pabillo urged everyone to spend the days listening to the teachings of the Church by studying and reflecting on the mystery of the Church, the role of bishops, and realities of the Archdiocese of Manila.
He said the Commission on Catechesis and Education is preparing short video presentations on these topics.
For charity, Pabillo asked all parishes to dedicate some days during the novena to organize activities that would promote charity and generosity, such as feeding programs, distributing of food bags, or gift certificates.
The “red hat” ceremony for Advincula has been set on June 18 at the Immaculate Conception Metropolitan Cathedral in Roxas City, Capiz.
The ceremony was originally pushed back from May 28 to June 8 because of the unavailability of the Papal Nuncio to the Philippines, Archbishop Charles Brown, who had to complete the mandatory 14-day quarantine upon his arrival from the United States. The June 8 ceremony also had to be pushed back also by the Archdiocese of Capiz after Roxas City was placed under modified enhanced community quarantine until June 15.
It was back in October 2020 when Pope Francis announced the 13 new additions to the College of Cardinals, including Advincula.
Advincula’s installation is set at 8:30 a.m. of June 24 at the Manila Cathedral.
It falls on the day of the 450th anniversary of the founding of the City of Manila as well as of the first parish in Manila that will later become the Manila Cathedral.
On June 25, Advincula will lead a Mass with the representatives of the laity and young people in the Archdiocese of Manila, and the Solemn Vespers (Evening Prayer) with the religious men and women on June 26.
On June 27, Advincula will visit the community of Maricaban in Pasay City and celebrate Sunday Mass at the Mary, Comforter of the Afflicted Parish.
And due to pandemic-related limitations on the capacity of churches, the Archdiocese of Manila is inviting everyone to join the live broadcast of the celebrations on the cable channels of TV Maria and on the Manila Archdiocesan and parish social media pages.
