The National Shrine of St. Joseph in Mandaue City. | Mary Rose Sagarino
MANDAUE CITY, Cebu – With the lifting of pandemic restrictions, a large crowd is expected to flock the National Shrine of St. Joseph in Mandaue City this Holy Week.
Auxiliary Bishop Midiphyl “Dodong” Billones said that the church is ready to accommodate faithfuls who are joining the different religious activities here. These include the annual lenten recollection, procession of the pasos, and Easter Salubong, among others.
All of these religious activities were temporarily suspend when pandemic restrictions were imposed.
Billones anticipates a ‘normal’ Holy Week celebration at the National Shrine this year. This means the presence of a large crowd attending the different religious activities, especially the processions.
“For the spiritual [aspect], we encourage you to really bring your heart back to the Lord through the sacrament of reconciliation, we have daily confessions until Friday noontime and also participate actively, I always tell people you are on a long break but make the lord an essential part of your break,” said Billones.
The National Shrine of St. Joseph, being the mother church of all churches in Mandaue City, is a favorite destination during the Holy Week.
The shrine can a accommodate about 2,000 people. Hundreds more also crowd its grounds and the nearby Mandaue City Hall grounds.
Billones said that while pandemic restrictions were already lifted, it would still be wise if the elderly and those who are vulnerable to diseases, would continue to wear face masks as they attend religious activities at the national shrine.
He is also urging churchgoers to prepare for the very humid weather.
Meanwhile, a help desk was already set up inside the church compound for use by the police and security volunteers.
The Mandaue City Police Office (MCPO) has sent augmentation personnel to bigger churches in the city, including the National Shrine of St. Joseph.
Force multipliers, that include personnel of the Traffic Enforcement Agency of Mandaue (TEAM) and barangay tanods were also deployed to ensure proper traffic management within the vicinity of churches.
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