Church starts 200-day online countdown to Christianity’s quincentenary celebration

Screenshot of the Archdiocese of Cebu’s virtual briefing on September 26, 2020.

CEBU CITY, Philippines – The Roman Catholic Church here in Cebu have started the 200-day countdown for the quincentenary celebration of Christianity.

The Archdiocese of Cebu, through an online briefing on Saturday, September 26, kicked off the start of virtual activities in line with the celebration of the 500 years of Christianity.

Fr. Mhar Vincent Balili, the over-all chairperson of the event, said they decided to migrate the segments leading to the celebration online due to government restrictions brought about by the coronavirus pandemic.

“We will be maximizing our social media to inform the public of all the events leading to the 500 Years of Christianity celebration,” said Balili in a mix of Cebuano and English.

However, Balili said they are still ironing out their plans and preparations for the event, particularly for the first baptism.

The Philippines will be commemorating the 500th anniversary of the arrival of Christianity this 2021 as well as the quincentenary celebration of the historic Battle of Mactan and the first circumnavigation expedition.

The Archdiocese of Cebu is expected to lead the quincentenary of the first baptism while the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) recommended having the commemoration of the first Mass in Limasawa Island.

READ: Limasawa, not Butuan, affirmed as site of first Mass in PH

Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma, for his part, assured the public that the celebration of the 500 years of Christianity will not be halted.

“Not even COVID (coronavirus disease 2019) can stop the celebration of the 500 years of Christianity. It was even pushed to last until April 2022,” said Palma in Cebuano.

“We may not be able to celebrate it meaningfully, joyfully, and solemnly as we want and yet 500 years is a great event and we have to celebrate it,” he added.

The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), in an earlier advisory, announced they have prolonged the celebration of the 500 years of Christianity due to the effects of the pandemic.

The event will be launched this April 2021 and will span up to one year. This means that it will conclude in April 2022.

CBCP said all bishops agreed that the kick-off will be held on April 17, an Easter Sunday, to commemorate the First Easter Sunday Mass in the country. / dcb