March 19, not on April 2: Church to celebrate in advance San Pedro Calungsod feast day

CEBU, Philippines - The feast of Visayan martyr San Pedro Calungsod will be celebrated at an earlier date this year since April 2, the regular date of his festivity that marks his martyrdom’s anniversary, falls within the Easter Week.

As contained in March 6 issue of Bag-ong Lungsoranon, the official newsletter of the Archdiocese of Cebu, the feast was moved to March 19 (Saturday) to conform to the liturgical rules of the Roman Catholic Church.

As set by the Church, no festivity can be celebrated during the Holy Week and the Easter Week other than the observance of the week’s accustomed religious practices.

“Walay mga pangilin ug kasaulogan nga mahisagol niining mga adlawa gawas sa kasaulogan sa maong panahon, sa Easter Triduum sa Semana Santa ug sa Easter Week. Subay niini, ang kasaulogan sa fiesta ni San Pedro Calungsod itimaan sa Sabado sa dili pa ang Semana Santa,” read the announcement.

Easter Triduum is the three-day period recalling the passion, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus from the evening of Maundy Thursday to the evening of Easter Sunday and covers different dates each year.

Following the Easter Triduum of the Holy Week is the Easter Week, which starts from the Easter Sunday that falls on March 27 until April 2.

April 2 is the martyrdom anniversary of Calungsod, the second Filipino saint, who was persecuted and murdered while doing missionary work in Guam in 1672.

Thus, the clergy, religious and lay faithful are invited to take part in a series of activities lined up for his 17th annual fiesta celebration at the decade-old Cebu Archdiocesan Shrine of San Pedro Calungsod.

The shrine, dedicated to the young lay catechist and martyr, is housed inside the Archbishop’s Palace compound along D. Jakosalem Street in Cebu City.

Calungsod’s feast day celebration will kick off with a foot procession at 4:45 a.m. from the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral to the Cebu Archdiocesan Shrine of San Pedro Calungsod followed by a solemn procession in the afternoon.

Since March 19 is also the Solemnity of Saint Joseph, which also cannot be replaced with other celebrations, the Masses in five different schedules that day will be offered to Saint Joseph but will be preceded by the Saturday Devotional Prayers to San Pedro Calungsod.

The Holy Masses set on that day will be celebrated by Cebu Auxiliary Bishop Oscar Jaime Florencio, D.D. (6 a.m.), Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma, D.D. (9:30 a.m.), Msgr. Ildebrando Jesus Leyson (2 p.m.), Retired Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal (4 p.m.), Reverend Father Charles Louis Jayme (7:30 p.m.)

Before the feast day, the Holy Shrine will hold a nine-day Novena Mass starting on March 10.

There would be two Novena Masses on each day—the 12:15 p.m. Mass preceded by a novena and the 6 p.m. Mass preceded by a Holy Rosary and afternoon confession. — (FREEMAN)