Roads to be closed Sunday for kickoff of 500-day countdown to Holy Child’s quincentennial celebrations

Magellan’s Cross. | CDN File Photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Expect road closures along Streets M.C. Briones, Urdaneta, P. Burgos, and D. Jakosalem in Cebu City on Sunday, December 1, 2019, for the countdown of the 500 years celebration of the Señor Santo Niño de Cebu to be launched with a Mass at the Magellan’s Cross.

Ronnie Nadera, the spokesperson of the Cebu City Transportation Office (CCTO), told CDN Digital in a phone interview that these roads would be closed from 4:30 a.m. until 8 a.m. or until the procession from the Magellan’s Cross to the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral would be over.

He encouraged the public who would be travelling on Sunday morning to find alternative routes.

“Since the area is impassable, I suggest they use the uptown routes instead to avoid heavy traffic, although we don’t expect heavy traffic because it is a Sunday,” said Nadera.

The Archdiocese of Cebu will kick-off the 500-day countdown to the 500th year commemoration of the first baptism in the Philippines on Sunday in front of the Magellan’s Cross kiosk.

Read more: Archdiocese of Cebu to highlight first baptism in 2021 quincentennial celebrations

The 500th commemoration of the first baptism in the Philippines will be held April 14, 2021, which will be the start of the quincentennial celebrations of the Señor Santo Niño.

Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma will be celebrated Mass at 6:00 a.m. followed by a foot procession through P. Burgos Street going to the Cathedral.

The Basilica Minore del Santo Niño de Cebu regular Mass schedules at 5:30 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. will not be celebrated to give way to this opening salvo.

One of the highlights of the celebration is the blessing of the Tindalo Cross, a replica of the Magellan’s Cross.

“The Tindalo Cross, which will be named the 2021 Jubilee Cross, will be visiting 500 parishes of the Archdiocese of Cebu and other dioceses of the country together with the pilgrim image of the Señor Santo Niño de Cebu,” said the Archdiocese of Cebu in as statement.

This activity is in collaboration with the Augustinian friars of the Order of St. Augustine Province of Santo Niño de Cebu – Philippines. The Augustinians were the first missionaries in the Philippines and the caretakers of the miraculous image since 1565.

The Basilica Minore del Santo Niño also announced that no backpacks would be allowed during the celebration for safety purposes. /dbs