NATIONAL SHRINE. Manila Archbishop Jose Cardinal Advincula leads the consecration of the Maasin Cathedral as the National Shrine and Parish of Our Lady of the Assumption in Leyte on Wednesday (Aug. 14, 2024). Advincula called on the faithful to emulate the qualities of Jesus Christ to attain holiness. (Photo courtesy of the Maasin Cathedral Facebook page)
MANILA – Manila Archbishop Jose Cardinal Advincula on Wednesday called on the faithful to emulate the qualities of Jesus Christ to attain holiness.
During the consecration of the Maasin Cathedral as the National Shrine and Parish of Our Lady of the Assumption in Leyte province, the prelate said the faithful's embodiment of the virtues of Jesus Christ makes the shrine sacred.
“These are the virtues of Mary assumed into heaven. These, too, are the virtues of a church that we hope to receive from God. May our new national shrine become a place, a beacon, a milieu for these virtues," the Cardinal added.
The Manila archbishop also expressed hope that the designation of Maasin Cathedral as a national shrine would result in the faithful helping each other "rise up in the hope of the resurrection."
The Maasin Cathedral is the 30th national shrine in the Philippines and the first in Eastern Visayas.
Maasin Bishop Precioso Cantillas, prelates from other dioceses, and hundreds of devotees from the diocese of Maasin also witnessed the event.
In its plenary assembly in Cagayan de Oro City in July, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines approved the status of the Maasin Cathedral as a national shrine. (PNA)
