Earlier feast for San Pedro Calungsod

CEBU, Philippines- To make way for the observance of Holy Week, the fiesta celebration for San Pedro Calungsod will come earlier this year.

Instead of April 2, the feast day of the teenage martyr who was killed in Guam will be held on March 28 at the Archdiocesan Shrine of San Pedro Calungsod.

A Novena Mass will start on March 19 and will be celebrated twice a day until the 27th. The first mass will be celebrated is 12:15 p.m. preceded by novena prayers, both in English.

At 5:30 p.m., rosary and confessions will be done to be followed by a Novena in Cebuano and a Holy Mass in English, except on Saturdays wherein the Mass will be celebrated in Cebuano.

On March 28, a dawn procession will open the feast, which will be followed by a concelebrated Mass at 6 a.m.

At 9:30 a.m., another concelebrated Pontifical Mass will be celebrated. The third concelebrated Mass will be celebrated at 2 p.m. By 5 p.m., a solemn procession will take place, which will be followed by a concelebrated Mass at the shrine at 7:30 p.m.

A day before the start of the Novena Mass, a Holy Rosary and Holy Mass with exposition will be conducted at 5:45 p.m.

Meanwhile, the pilgrim image of the Our Lady of Fatima is in Cebu as part of the Philippine pilgrimage. The image will stay until today, March 3.

The pilgrim image arrived last February 19 at the Archdiocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Guidance in Ermita, Manila. It will visit parishes across the country until March 14.  (FREEMAN)