MANILA, Philippines - Seek God’s mercy and divine grace during the exposition and veneration of the Sacred Relic of the True Cross of Christ at the Monasterio de Tarlac in San Jose, Tarlac on Sept. 21, a Saturday.
Pray with bishops and priests, sing with worshippers, and absorb the extraordinary atmosphere of this powerful and moving occasion of reaffirming one’s faith. It will be an experience you will never forget.
The holy relic, authenticated by a papal seal, is exposed for veneration only twice a year — every Jan. 19, the anniversary of its enshrinement at the Monasterio de Tarlac, and every third Saturday of September, in celebration of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross.
Most times, pilgrims are only able to touch the golden arquetta that contains the holy relic enshrined beneath the altar of the Chapel of the Risen Christ.
It is believed that the True Cross of Christ is the greatest and most precious of all relics. It is only to the True Cross that the Christian faithful are instructed to genuflect (every other image and relic is venerated by a bow).
It is the only relic which is given a special feast in the calendar of the Roman Liturgy. This is because it is through the Cross that Jesus redeemed mankind. It is Christ’s crucifixion on the Cross that defines who He is.
La Isla Pilipinas Tours offers a one-day guided tour with Fr. Nelson Osorio, OSJ, as spiritual director. Ensure your place during the Mass with La Isla’s guaranteed front-row seats. Be among the first in line to venerate the sacred relic. Listen to an in-depth presentation on the search for the True Cross of Christ and the history of the veneration of the Cross from La Isla’s knowledgeable tour director.
On the way back to Manila, the tour stops at the ancestral house of Ninoy Aquino where three generations of the Aquinos have lived since it was built in 1933. Fr. Osorio will then lead a healing pray-over for the participants at the Santuario de la Immaculada Concepcion.
For more details on the tour, call La Isla Pilipinas Tours at 926-0224 or 514-5714 on weekdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., or at 0917-8274518 after office hours. Only 43 participants will be taken in.