Rector: Interior is safe for public worship; repair done in time for January feast
Devotees both local and foreign freely enter the Basilica del Sto Nino Church to pray and hear Mass more than a year after the church was closed due to damage during the October 2013 earthquake. (CDN PHOTO/ TONEE DESPOJO)
The historic Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño in Cebu City has reopened to the public after being closed for over a year to repair cracks caused by the 7.2 magnitude earthquake in October 2013.
Fr. Jonas Mejares, rector of the centuries-old church, said the Augustian priests were given the clearance by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) to reopen the basilica last December 24.
Since then, morning Masses, except on Fridays and Sundays, are held inside the church while other liturgical celebrations, including the activities in line with the Fiesta Señor, would remain outdoor at the basilica’s Pilgrim Center.
Mejares said the main entrance door of the basilica is still being cordoned and remains off limits to the public due to ongoing restoration of the belfry that was destroyed during the earthquake.
But he said people can use the other doors adjacent to the main entrance in going inside the church.
“I’m absolutely happy that the interior of the basilica has been reopened to the public. People have been longing to get back inside the church,” Mejares told CDN yesterday.
“It’s really a different feeling if you’re inside the basilica. You will really feel God’s presence inside.”
A post-quake assessment showed cracks in some parts of the basilica but repairs were made in time for the feast of the child Jesus on January 18, said Mejares.
The roofs of the basilica were repainted while the chandeliers inside were refurbished.
“Reopening the basilica brings a sigh of relief on our part because there were impressions that the interior portion of the church was damaged by the earthquake. But we’re assuring everyone that the basilica is safe for public worship and veneration,” Mejares said.
The basilica is home of the image of the Sto. Nino de Cebu which was given as a gift by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan to Cebu’s Queen Juana in 1521.
The novena Masses leading to the feast of the Sto. Niño will kick off on January 8 with the traditional ” Walk with Jesus ” at 4 a.m. from Fuente Osmeña Circle to the basilica.
Mejares, who is on his third year as rector of the basilica, said everything is in place for the 2015 Fiesta Señor celebration.
He said it’s not yet certain who will preside over the pontifical Mass on the feast day of the Sto. Niño.
Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma begged off after he was summoned to attend all the activities during Pope Francis’ visit to Manila and Leyte from January 15 to 19.
“We were told that all the bishops are not available on those days due to the papal visit. We’re coordinating with the secretary of the archbishop. But if we fail to find one, then I might as well be the one to preside in the the fiesta Mass,” Mejares said.
In earlier interview, Palma said he would have wanted to stay in Cebu for the religious feast activities and give other priests a chance to see Pope Francis whom he has met several times in Rome.
Since he assumed as archbishop of Cebu in January 2011, Palma has presided over the pontifical Mass on the feast day and joined the fluvial procession in Mactan Channel for four years and carried the image of the Sto. Niño from the altar to its carroza before the solemn foot procession.
This year marks the 450th anniversary of the finding of the Sto. Niño image on April 28, the 450th year of Augustinian’s presence in the Philippines, and the 50th anniversary of church’s title as Basilica Minore.