An oil painting that depicts ordinary people in fervent prayer in front of a crucifix in the Sto. Niño Basilica is the winning piece in the International Eucharistic Congress painting contest. (Contributed photo)
Since he was a child, Mark Lloyd Belicario loved to paint.
However, his father didn’t think it was practical.
“Papa didn’t want me to pursue painting because, according to him, I won’t get anywhere with that,” Belicario told Cebu Daily News in Cebuano.
Last Friday, he proved his father wrong.
Belicario, 27, won the grand prize in the first painting contest of the International Eucharistic Congress (IEC), besting 81 entries from different parts of the Philippines.
His oil painting shows a throng of people praying before an image of Jesus on a cross inside the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño, a scene that unfolds daily in the centuries-old stone church in downtown Cebu City.
“I visit the Sto. Niño basilica often. I’m inspired by the devotion of the Cebuanos,” said Belicario.
He pursued a degree in electronics and communications engineering at the University of San Jose-Recoletos before he decided to stopped schooling several years ago to focus on painting.
The resident of barangay Basak, Cebu City, said he plans to return to school, this time, to enroll in a course in Fine Arts.
The Eucharistic Congress is a gathering of clergy, religious and laity of the Roman Catholic church held almost every four years in different parts of the world. The purpose is to bear witness and to deepen understanding about the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, a basic tenet of the Catholic church.
About 15,000 foreign and local delegates are expected to gather in Cebu City, with a soon-to-be-completed Pavilion behind the Mabolo seminar as the main venue of the conference.
The last IEC was held in Dublin, Ireland in 2012.
As a preliminary activity, two other contests were held for the logo design of the 2016 IEC and theme song. Jayson Jaluag of Mandaue City got the top prize in the IEC logo competition, while Jay-arr Felisilda Librando of Lapu-Lapu City won the theme song contest.
Belicario took home P100,000 as the top prize for the painting competition during award rites last Friday at the Ayala Center Cebu activity center.
Malvin Lim won second place with P75,000 , while Rolando Yakit finished third with P50,000.
Five merit awardees received P5,000 each while the 10 finalists got P10,000 each.
Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma said he was touched by the different artworks.
“As I view these paintings, I can only thank God for the talents of these artists. Our spirits are lifted up. What’s mundane can become sacred,” he said.
“As Archbishop (Piero) Marini said ‘We may be a poor country, but we are rich in many ways.’ We are rich in talents.”
All the artworks will be displayed at the Eucharistic Pavilion in Mabolo during the conference on Jan. 24 to 31, 2016, said Msgr. Agustin Ancajas, chairman of the special events committee of the IEC.
The paintings will also be offered for sale.