Fe Barino of the Commission on Laity discusses the events for Aug. 5’s Day of Thanksgiving in a press conference at the IC3 Pavilion.
Instead of bullets, give priests flowers.
The Commission on the Laity of the Archdiocese of Cebu has set August 5, 2018 as a day of thanksgiving for all priests here to remind lay people about the value of the clergy.
Fe Barino, chairperson of the commission, said priests, despite their shortcomings and limitations, remained to be God’s chosen ministers who were sent forth to perpetuate the mission of saving souls throughout the world.
Killing priests, she said, is uncalled for and inappropriate.
“Priests greatly contributes in our spiritual life. Their presence and service inspire us to grow in faith, and through them we received blessings from heaven,” said Barino.
“While there are people who hate some priests, it is not enough reason to kill them. Life is sacred whether it’s that of a priest or an ordinary person. No one, except God, has the right to take it away,” she added.
At least three priests in the country were killed by assailants over the past six months.
Barino said the news cut her to the heart even if all priests were prepared to shed their blood for the sake of proclaiming God’s word.
She said there is a need to rekindle the relationship between priests and lay people for the growth of God’s kingdom.
Barino called on parishioners and other lay people to organize events to honor priests in the parishes, seminaries, and other institutions on August 5, Sunday and the day after the feast of St. John Vianney, the patron of priests.
Dubbed as “Salamat Padre (Thank you, Father),” the event will highlight the roles and significance of the clergy while also reassuring them of the lay people’s support.
“In serving God and His people, priests too experience a handful of dificulties, sacrifices, and tests. It is but proper to let them feel our love and gratitude,” Barino said.
At present, Cebu is the home of about 400 diocesan priests, 200 others from various religious congregations, and around four million lay Catholics, the largest in the Philippines.
Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma has condemned the killing of three priests in Luzon—two of whom were gunned down in a time when the Catholic Church in the Philippines is celebrating the Year of the Clergy and Consecrated Persons.
Last Dec. 4, 2017, Fr. Marcelito Paez, 72, was on board his vehicle when motorcycle-riding men gunned him down in Jaen town, Nueva Ecija province. Paez, a retired priest, had facilitated the release of a political detainee.
On April 29, 2018, 37-year-old priest Mark Anthony Ventura, a human rights and antimining advocate, was shot dead after saying Mass in Gattaran town, Cagayan province.
Over a month after, on June 10, Fr. Richmond Nilo of the Diocese of Cabanatuan, 40, was shot by unidentified men while he was preparing to say Mass at the Nuestra Señora de la Nieve Chapel in Zaragoza, Nueva Ecija. A suspect in the killing of Nilo was arrested by police last Thursday.