DADITAMA Church Ready for 500 YOC; Stewardship pushed

The Church in the suffragan of Davao, Digos, Tagum and Mati or DADITAMA is ready for the celebration of the 500 Years of Christianity national launching on April 4, 2021.

Pastors, Heads of Ministries and Pastoral Workers of DADITAMA met after one year of being suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Pressed with the urgency to meet and discuss on the 500 YOC, the meeting was held online via zoom with more than 30 participants who joined the whole day virtual gathering held March 17, 2021 hosted by Davao Archdiocese.

CBCP President Davao Archbishop Romulo G. Valles, D.D. reminded everyone of two important points for the simultaneous celebration on April 4. “Historically, the first recorded mass was held March 31, 1521, and Easter Mass,” he said.

Though the national launching falls on an Easter Sunday, Abp. Valles explained that the Mass will have special emphasis on the 500 YOC.

The celebration in Davao will be held at San Pedro Cathedral, 9:00 am, with the opening of the Holy Door. Other parishes and even chapels celebrating the Holy Mass are encouraged to celebrate the opening of the Jubilee Year.

Jubilee Churches in the Archdiocese of Davao are slated to have their own schedule of the opening of the Jubilee Door within the octave of Easter.

During the meeting, it was also agreed as suggested by Digos Bishop Guillermo Afable that the DADITAMA will come up with a common outline for each diocese to work on with details or plan of action according to their creativity in response to the Pastoral Letter of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines on Stewardship.

This will be collated during the next quarterly DADITAMA meeting on June 1, 2021 in order to come up with a manual for the implementation of the gradual abolition of the arancel system.