THE novena Masses leading to the feast of St. Pedro Calungsod begins today.
This year’s feast would be the fourth since the Visayan martyr was canonized and invoked as a saint.
There will be two daily Masses at 12:15 p.m. and 6 p.m. at the Cebu Archdiocesan Shrine of St. Pedro Calungsod on D. Jakosalem Street starting today until March 19, Calungsod’s feast day.
Msgr. Ildebrando Leyson, the shrine’s rector, said Calungsod’s feast should have been April 2, the day the saint was killed by angry natives in Guam. But since April 2 falls on Easter Saturday, Calungsod’s feast was moved to an earlier date — the Saturday before Palm Sunday.
The young missionary, along with Jesuit priest Fr. Diego de San Vitores, was killed by two angry natives in Guam who opposed the Catholic teachings on April 2, 1672, the Saturday before Palm Sunday.
Since this year, Calungsod’s feast day falls on March 19 — the Solemnity of Saint Joseph, patron of the universal Church — Masses on that day will be dedicated to Jesus’ foster father but preceded by the devotional prayers to the Visayan martyr.
On the feast day, a dawn procession will bring the image of Calungsod from the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral to the saint’s shrine.
Cebu Auxiliary Bishop Oscar Jaime Florencio will preside over the first fiesta Mass at 6 a.m.
Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma will lead the Pontifical Mass at 9:30 a.m.
At 2 p.m. Msgr. Leyson will preside over another Mass to be attended by various acolytes in the archdiocese.
Archbishop Emeritus of Cebu Ricardo Cardinal Vidal will say another Mass at 4 p.m. to be followed by a solemn procession of Calungsod’s image.
The feast day will conclude with a 7:30 p.m. Mass to be presided by Fr. Charles Jayme who served as the custodian of Calungsod’s image during the canonization activities in 2012.
A thanksgiving Mass will be celebrated at 6:30 p.m. on April 2.
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