‘Moving’ Christ takes center stage in Mass

Fr. Gilbert Urbina, who heads the preparations for the papal Mass at the Tacloban City airport, answers questions from the media. (CDN Photo/Lito Tecson)

A “peculiar” image of Jesus Christ nailed on the cross will take center stage during the open air Mass to be officiated by Pope Francis at the Tacloban City airport on January 17.

“The antique corpus (Christ’s body) literally moves,” said Fr. Gilbert Urbina, chairman of the Commission on Liturgy of the Palo Archdiocese and the papal visit in Leyte.

He said the life-sized statue, which the Archdiocese of Palo traditionally used during the “tanggal” or crucifixion reenactment on Good Friday, has flexible arms, neck, and jaw—a feature designed for a dual purpose.

“This image serves as the crucified Christ at the same time as the Santo Entiero (dead Christ) of the Palo Cathedral. Hence, it’s body parts are movable depending on how you intend it to be,” Urbina said.

He said the image will be placed on a seven foot tall cross to be venerated by Pope Francis during the papal Mass in Tacloban City.

Commissioned
The crucifix shall be accompanied by an icon of the Sto. Niño de Tacloban and a seven foot tall image depicting Our Lady of Hope holding the child Jesus whose hand is extended through a cross to three children in the middle of a storm.

The Marian image was created by Presidential Merit Awardee for Ecclesiastical Art Willy Layug who hails from a family of sculptors and woodcarvers in Guagua, Pampanga.

He was commissioned by papal organizers to make three sculptures of religious images to be used for the pope visit in Manila and Leyte from January 15 to 19.

The Archdiocese of Palo, which has ecclesiastical jurisdiction over Tacloban City, is in the final stretch of their preparations for the upcoming papal visit.

Privilege
Fr. Urbina said 30 bishops and 500 priests from the dioceses of Borongan, Calbayog, Jaro, Capiz, San Jose de Antique, Taytay, Kalibo, Talibon, Tagbilaran, Maasin, Catarman, Naval, and the Archdiocese of Cebu are expected during the papal Mass in Tacloban City.

He said 500 lay ministers were tapped to help distribute Holy Communion to hundreds of people at the Tacloban City Airport.

The area where the Mass will be held can accommodate 160,000 people.

But Urbina said they are expecting about a million people, including those along the streets.

“This is the first time that a pope will ever visit Tacloban and even the whole of Leyte. It’s both a privilege and a challenge. And we’re definitely thankful. It’s a privilege many would have wanted to experience,” he said.

At 10 a.m. on January 17, Pope Francis is set to arrive at the Daniel Romualdez Airport in Tacloban City Airport where he will preside over a Mass.

From there, he will be brought in a motorcade to the Palo Archbishop’s Residence to have lunch with 30 survivors of super typhoon Yolanda.

This will be followed by the blessing of the Pope Francis Center for the Poor at 3 p.m.

The Supreme Pontiff will also meet with priests, women and men of the different religious communities, and seminarians at the Cathedral of Palo at 3:30 p.m. before he departs for Manila.

Fr. Urbina, who is on top of the preparations for the papal Mass in Tacloban, said they await the delivery of the furniture that will be used during the liturgy.

The altar table, the ambo or lectern, and the papal chair is made by the Manila-based Philipine Chamber of Furniture.

Radical simplicity

“Everything with regard to the liturgy including the music, the design of the altar, the spaces, the arrangements had to be approved by the Office of the Papal Ceremonies in the Vatican,” he said.

Urbina said the Holy Father’s representatives advised them not to and instead heed the pontiff’s call for radical simplicity.

Just recently, Fr. Urbina said they were told that the pope will celebrate the Mass  in English during his visit to Leyte as well as at the Rizal Park in Manila.

During the papal Mass in Tacloban, Urbina deemed it proper to add a local flavor in the liturgy.

First reading

He said the first reading as well as the Responsorial Psalm is set to be read in the Waray (Leyte’s dialect)—a move approved by the Vatican.

He said the first reading will be read by a woman who lost 11 family members at the height of super typhoon Yolanda on Nov. 8, 2013.

The Responsorial Psalm, on one hand, is assigned to a male survivor. Urbina, however, declined to reveal the identities of the liturgical readers.

For the Prayers of the Faithful, he said there will be four languages that will be used.

“There are six prayers or petitions that are being prepared. Two shall be read in Waray-Waray, two in Cebuano, while each of the remaining petitions will be in Hiligaynon and English,” he said.

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