MANILA, Jan. 11, 2012—A public oral reading of the Bible dubbed “i-proclaim 3” was held at the Aguinaldo Shrine in Cavite to kick off the celebration of the National Bible Week on January 23-29.
First launched in 2010 at the historic Bonifacio Shrine in Manila, the “i-proclaim” activity is a joint effort of the Philippine Bible Society and the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines’
Episcopal Commission on Biblical Apostolate (ECBA)
i-Proclaim is a campaign to conduct public oral readings of the Bible in the country to bring God’s Word closer to Filipinos and to encourage everyone to explore its riches and relevance.
ECBA executive secretary Dr. Natividad Pagadut said the Aguinaldo Shrine was chosen as venue in this year’s “i-proclaim 3” event because of the place’s historical significance.
“The shrine is the place where our independence was proclaimed and we find it a significant place to proclaim the word of God,” she said.
The public reading of the Bible was held January 13 from 8 am to 8 pm.
Pagadut said that proclaiming the word of God in a significant place is one way of popularizing the bible to all Filipino families.
She said PBS and ECBA are working together towards equipping every family through the bible.
“We want to encourage our ‘kababayans’ to set aside differences, come together and be one in reading God’s Word,” said Mrs. Nora G. Lucero, PBS General Secretary and Chairperson of the Global Board of the United Bible Societies.
This year’s Bible week celebration is themed “Proclaiming God’s Word Towards National Transformation” as a response to the current administration’s goal of abolishing corruption and promoting the moral development of the people.
Celebrated every January, the National Bible Week is empowered by three presidential decrees —Proclamation No. 2247 by President Ferdinand Marcos, Proclamation No. 44 by President Corazon C. Aquino and Proclamation No. 1067 by President Fidel V. Ramos.
The presidential decrees identify the importance of reading and studying the Bible in molding the morality of the community, and encourage every Filipino to do so in daily basis. (Jandel Posion)
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