Members of the IEC 2016 Committee on Finance-Cebu led by Mariquita Yeung, Noel Alicaya, Carmel Salvodor and Marylou Ang together with their families join Msgr. Boy Alesna, committee chairman, in praying the Stations of the Cross inside the Eukaristiya-Garden of Thanksgiving at the Archbishop’s Residence in D. Jakosalem St., Cebu City. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)
Aside from the different churches and places of worship in Cebu City, the faithful can look forward to visiting and performing the Stations of the Cross at the Eukaristiya-Garden of Thanksgiving located inside the Archbishop’s Residence Compound at D. Jakosalem Street., Cebu City.
The Eukaristiya is a sanctuary for prayer and reflection where pilgrims can freely come to meditate and offer prayers.
The Eukaristiya’s garden consists of different features best for prayer and reflection in the midst of Cebu City’s bustling commercial area.
Entry Gateway
The garden’s Entry Gateway, a contemporary symbolism of the entrance of the heavenly paradise, will welcome the visitors as they start their journey to the heavenly banquet on earth, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Their symbolic journey with Jesus through the meditative walk in the Way of the Cross starts as they pass through the Eternal Flame at the Entry Gateway.
Interactive sculptural representations of the Paschal Mystery — the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Our Lord will greet the faithful as they start their walk through the Stations of the Cross. A life-size statue of Jesus’s Agony in the Garden is where the first triad phase of the mystery starts.
Cross Tower
However, the main feature of the Eukaristiya and the highest point of this symbolic journey is marked by a 40-meter-high monolithic structure of raw concrete encasing the Cross lighted at night from within called the Cross Tower.
It has three sides and a triangular shape from the top view with a devout reference to the Blessed Trinity, and an interior stairway to the top with 12 stair landings representing the 12 articles of the Catholic Faith as summarized in the Creed.
Each landing is an invitation to pause and offer prayers of praise, thanksgiving, atonement and petition. It culminates with a view deck, bringing the faithful physically to the highest possible aspiration — to be with God in heaven. This can also be reached by an elevator for the elderly, sick and physically challenged individuals where one may have a panoramic view of the entire Eukaristiya and the city.
Walk on Water
The Cross Tower and the garden will be connected by a pathway called Walk on Water, which symbolizes the Sacrament of Baptism that initiates us to our Catholic Faith. It also refers to the biblical event when Jesus walked on water in the midst of a storm to inspire his disciples to have faith in him. It serves as a constant reminder to have faith and to grow in faith whenever we encounter the inevitable storms of life.
Prayer Intention Bells
Another Eukaristiya feature, the Prayer Intention Bells, is a symbolic representation of the prayers of the faithful. These bells are traditionally used to create a joyful noise for the Lord. It is in here where the faithful can make their intentions and offer prayers. The sound of the bells is a loud reminder of the power of prayer and the power of God, who answers and hears every good-willed petition.
The Eukaristiya-Garden of Thanksgiving is a project specially built to stand as Cebu’s lasting legacy of faith and realized with the help of the people who unselfishly and selflessly shared themselves in love to make this Eucharistic Garden a reality, together with the 51st International Eucharistic Congress 2016 Committee on Finance-Cebu headed by Msgr. Roberto F. Alesna, the appointed chairman, and its project team. /PR