Christ Resurrected! Church Reawakened!

After two years of dreadful pandemic, the Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Bangkal once again was reawakened with many parishioners who participated in various liturgical activities in observance of the Holy Week.

Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion, as the faithful paved their way for the blessing of the palms marking the beginning of the Holy Week, crowd control team ensured that minimum health protocols, which are wearing of face masks and maintaining of social distance are being observed.

As the Church opened its doors for public confessions on Holy Wednesday, many people went to church to confess. Surprisingly, a great number of youth and children managed to line up seated along the pews following health protocols and received the Sacrament which then lasted for four hours.

Maundy Thursday has regained back the Catholic faith as the Church once again was filled with the faithful to hear the Mass of the Lord’s Supper and to witness the portrayal of the washing of the feet of the twelve apostles. As the Church bell tolls, the congregation inside the Church joyfully sung the Gloria since it is a solemnity. “Today, we begin our commemoration of the Paschal Triduum,” OLLP Parish Priest Fr. Henry Campeon proclaimed in his homily.

As the Blessed Sacrament was carried outside the Church onward to the altar of repose, hundreds of people singing Tantum Ergo were outside and surrounding the parish grounds.

Good Friday was still observed by vast congregation following the procession around the parish perimeters during the Via Crucis and the procession of the Santo Entierro, also with the Veneration of the Cross officiated by OLLP associate priest Fr. Arnulfo “Pong” Cubero where many parishioners participated.

As our parish priest enkindled the new light, the parishioners eagerly observed as it glowed amidst the dim of darkness. The singing of the Gloria highlighted the celebration as veils were slowly removed from the statues, and the altar table was dressed white anew.

Jam-packed with parishioners and their lighted candles the church was filled as Jesus Christ resurrected. During the same ceremony, two jars of new water were blessed by Fr. Henry to be used as Holy Water and Baptismal water for the use of the parish whole year round; also three parishioners received the Sacrament of Adult Baptism and were welcomed by the congregation as new members of the Catholic Church.

Despite the heavy downpour of rain the following dawn, many still witnessed the ‘Sugat’ and heard the voices of little children dressed as angels and the unveiling of Mother Mary’s black veil as she met the Risen Jesus Christ. On the same day, scheduled Sunday Masses in the parish welcomed a great number of parishioners physically. The Church has regained its full conscious and active participation. “The Resurrection of Christ brings joy to our hearts,” said Fr. Romeo Coronel of the Order of Saint Augustine, resident priest of OLLP. (Vonz M. Hijada, MAT, OLLP SoCCom)