Marian pilgrims begin gathering at the site of the 1st Capelinha de Fatima replica in Asia in Tinubdan Hills, San Remigio, Cebu on April 3, 2022. | Photo courtesy of the Archdiocese of Cebu
CEBU CITY, Philippines — At least 6,000 pilgrims and church officials are expected to attend the ceremonial consecration and opening of Asia’s first replica of the Capelinha de Fatima in San Remigio, north Cebu this Monday dawn, April 4.
On Sunday afternoon, April 3, the Archdiocese of Cebu on social media announced that they have started accepting devotees who want to join Monday’s event.
“As the gates to the Capelinha de Fatima Replica officially open today at 4 p.m., Marian Pilgrims who have IDs and wristbands now enter the area with allocated seats,” the Archdiocese stated on their official Facebook page.
“An estimated total of 6,000 devotees and guests are expected to occupy these seats,” it added.
Several notable figures of the Roman Catholic Church, both local and international, are also expected to attend Monday’s activities.
These included priests and officials from Portugal, where the Sanctuary of Fatima is located, such as Rev. Fr. Francisco Pereira, chaplain of the Santuário de Fátima in Portugal, and Nuno Prazeres Executive Director of the World Apostolate Fatima (WAF) and International Secretariat of the Domus Pacis, Fatima, also in Portugal.
The Capelinha replica, which is situated in Barangay Lambusan, will not only serve as the first of its kind in the Philippines but also in Asia.
It will also be the fourth replica in the world. The other three are located in New Jersey in the United States, Puerto Rico, and Brazil.
San Remigio is a third-class municipality located approximately 91 kilometers northwest of Cebu City.
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