DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/22 October)– Around 30,000 Catholic faithful are expected to participate in the “Archdiocesan Penitential Walk and Holy Sacrifice of the Mass” in Davao City on October 25.
During the Davao Peace and Security Press Conference at the Royal Mandaya Hotel on Wednesday, Monsignor Paul Cuison, rector of the San Pedro Cathedral, said the gathering will be the largest event the Archdiocese of Davao will hold in response to the collective call of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) to condemn corruption.
“If you remember, the CBCP has called for a National Day of Prayer and Public Repentance, which was supposed to be October 7, and this response of the Archdiocese of Davao is just one of those, and the church all over the country would have their own responses to this call,” he said.
The prelate emphasized the crucial role of the Church in the fight against corruption, describing it as the “moral voice of the people” and a credible institution in condemning corrupt practices.
“We know that the topic of corruption is multifaceted, but one thing is certain – this is not just a political issue. This is also a moral issue. And how crucial is the role of the church? We say that we are the moral voice of the people, and as a church, we say that corruption is morally evil, it is shameful,” he said.
He said the majority of participants are expected to come from parishes and Catholic schools.
Fr. Ritschie Gamaya, managing director of the Archdiocesan Commission, said that Catholic faithful participating in the penitential walk will gather at three designated points.
He said those from the Sacred Heart Vicariate, La Purisima Vicariate, Santo Rosario Vicariate, San Pablo Vicariate, Archdiocesan Council of Lay Associations and Integrated Movement (ACLAIM) members, and Catholic schools will assemble along Tulip Road at the Davao Coastal Road; Magsaysay Park will serve as the starting point for participants from the Santa Ana Vicariate, Immaculate Conception Vicariate, and Saint James Vicariate; and members of the San Pedro Vicariate will begin their walk from Doña Vicente Park.
The event will begin with prayers at 4:15 a.m., after which participants will simultaneously march to the Agila Stage (fronting Unitop) along San Pedro St., where the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is scheduled to start at 6 a.m.
Davao Archbishop Romulo G. Valles will preside over the celebration of the Holy Mass, according to Cuison.
Except for monasteries such as the Pink Sisters and Carmelite Nuns, there will be no 6 a.m. Mass in all parishes and public chapels in the Archdiocese to give way to the event.
Gamaya urged participants to come in white shirts or clothing or attach white ribbons to their attire. They are also encouraged to bring rosaries, candles, drinking water, and an umbrella or raincoat.
Cuison said that the archdiocese did not invite “big personalities” such as politicians to the gathering, but if they choose to attend, he reminded them that they should come as “ordinary citizens.”
He said that the October 25 event is not a “one-time, big-time” event, but part of a continuing effort to “condemn immoralities in our land” and “make corruption shameful again.”
“We are sad to point out the reality that people are forgetting that corruption is shameful, as if it is something common, natural, or normal. It’s as though anybody could just do it,” he said. (Antonio L. Colina IV/MindaNews)
