MANILA, Jan. 15, 2012—A brief, yet a fruitful visit. This was the description of the faithful of Antipolo after the international pilgrim image of the Lady of Fatima left for Bacolod City today.
The image, which was accompanied by Rev. Fr. Melvin Castro, the executive secretary of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines Commission on Family and Life (CBCP-CFL), arrived at the Antipolo Cathedral yesterday, 5 pm.
A concelebrated mass was officiated by Rev. Msgr. Sabino Vengco to welcome the image of Fatima. He said in his homily that the visit of our Lady is a reminder for parents and for the adults to become good examples for children, whom the Lord Jesus loved. Bengco also said that one must not hinder a child to come to Jesus, as the Kingdom of God is for those who possess faith and love like children's.
On the other hand, in the farewell mass for the Our Lady of Fatima, Castro said that all devotions to the Virgin are leading to Jesus. Mentioning the rosary as the concrete example, he said that when we pray the rosary, we start from the Cross and ends up to the Cross—a proof that every prayer to the Blessed Mother always goes back to Jesus. He also said that the Hail Mary’s that we pray “do not remain to the foot of the Blessed Mother, but She carries it all to his Son”.
After visiting Bacolod, the image will go to Cebu. The image will stay in the Philippines for only 21 days and will leave the country on January 25, with a farewell mass to be held at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Manila. [Noel Sales Barcelona/CBCPNews]
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