Celebrating faith amid the coronavirus crisis
Cebu Auxiliary Bishop Midyphil Billones presides the online Pontifical Mass for the celebration of the Mandaue City patronal fiesta in honor of St. Joseph.
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The seats and the churchyard of The National Shrine of St. Joseph missed the usual large crowd of faithfuls as they celebrated the city’s patronal fiesta on Friday, May 8, 2020, amid the coronavirus crisis.
All activities relating to Mandaue City’s fiesta has been cancelled amid the threat of COVID-19.
But while the church may be empty, its faithful celebrated their faith as the Church streamed online at 10 a.m. the Pontifical Mass for the patronal fiesta presided by Cebu Auxiliary Bishop Midyphil Billones. The live streamed Mass peaked at over 2,000 live views.
Despite the physical absence of the devotees in the church, Bishop Billones said no pandemic can destroy the faith celebrated during the patronal fiesta.
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The bishop added that the city’s patron, St. Joseph, has, himself, suffered several crises during his own lifetime.
“He knows how it feels to be under the struggle, the pain and the burden of encountering a crisis. However, he conquered them all because of his deep love, deep faith and his dialogue with God in prayer,” Billones said.
“In our fiesta during this pandemic period, we Mandauehanons, celebrate this heritage of faith that no pandemic can destroy. The faith that keeps us strong through tough times. The faith that will help us survive. The faith that will help us overcome no matter what,”Billones added.
Billones said that amidst the COVID-19 crisis, “modern extensions” of St. Joseph may be found among the frontline workers who sacrifice their time away from their families in order to serve others.
“I keep thinking of the front liners who sacrifice to help others even though they long to be with their families, the families who hold on to hope, our people struggling to be healed and even those unknown people nga nitabang lang without even getting recognition to help alleviate the sufferings of others. In the midst of crisis, they become the modern day extention of San Jose,” Billones said. /bmjo
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