New Year 2016 is undoubtedly one of the most challenging times for the Cebu Archdiocese as it puts the finishing touches to preparations for the 51st International Eucharistic Congress (IEC). The international Catholic gathering kicks off on January 22 with a Mass in the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral to be attended by members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines. The CBCP is the national organizer of the 51st IEC. The plenary sessions begin on January 24 and will continue until January 31.
At the helm of preparations is Cebu Archbishop Jose S. Palma who takes on this greatest challenge after his appointment as Cebu prelate by Pope Benedict XVI in October 2010.
Palma is a native of Dingle, Iloilo, who, prior to his Cebu assignment, served as the Archbishop of Palo.
In 2011, he was elected president of CBCP. It was to become a propitious function because as CBCP president and at the same time Archbishop of Cebu, he had a tutorial in handling massive Church events that needed organizational skills worthy of a topnotch corporate CEO.
The canonization of the first Visayan saint, Pedro Calungsod, in 2012 back to back with the thanksgiving Mass that followed in Cebu City, was one such event which put to the test all the talents, skills, energy and patience of Archbishop Palma.
Of course, he did not do all things single handedly because he relied on the Cebu clergy and other religious communities, including lay leaders, around the archdiocese. Fortunately for the Church in Cebu, the local government has also been very helpful in providing logistics to ensure the success of Church undertakings. The private sector too has been a great supporter when it comes to raising needed funds.
In other words, Palma already had exposure to mammoth Church gatherings and the enormity of challenges and problems that go with such events. “Kaya ra” is the street expression which means “no problem.”
But nothing prepared him for the double tragedy that hit the Visayas in 2013.
A 7.2-magnitude earthquake hit Bohol and Cebu on October 15. Relief operations had barely begun when Supertyphoon Yolanda lashed at northern Cebu and the rest of central Philippines on November 8 of the same year.
The double whammy put a lot of pressure on the archdiocese because the Church needed to prioritize relief, recovery and rehabilitation services over preparations for the international Catholic congress.
Moreover, Palma was then at the helm of CBCP, and he needed to coordinate with international Catholic charities in bringing assistance to calamity victims.
All in all, preparing for the 51st IEC was not only an epic job, but because it was running in parallel with the humanitarian work of the Church, the challenges were also compounded.
In the end, I think it all came down to addressing the challenges one at a time, fully aware that the archdiocese cannot play a symphony by just a whistle but by an orchestra playing under the direction of a great conductor.
I get this sense when I interviewed Archbishop Palma in connection with the documentation of the making of the IEC Pavilion, a project that I have been commissioned to do for Duros Development Corporation (DDC).
The story behind the construction of the IEC Pavilion was a struggle for the couple behind DDC, Rafaelito and Fe Barino, because many doubted their capability to accomplish the project. But as we all know, Palma stood by his decision to tap DDC even against the advice of some influential clergy. The narrative of how the Barinos surmounted the pressure and eventually accomplished the project of a lifetime is a powerful story that will not be forgotten in a long time.
I attempted to probe into Palma’s personal struggle, but he opted not to issue any more statements other than saying he would rather be “magnanimous in victory,” referring to his own vindication after Duros Development Corporation turned over the IEC structure on Nov. 21, 2015. The construction firm finished the project in record time without the archdiocese spending a single centavo for it.
The confluence of events leading to the 51st IEC was staggering to ponder. There are plenty of lessons to be learned along the way; one of them perhaps is to have more trust in the capabilities of local talents with modest resources to handle a massive project.
We thank Archbishop Palma for putting together everything despite the lack of resources, limited time and incessant carping that could have costed the completion of the IEC Pavilion.
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