Passaic parish hosts Jubilee Cross marking 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines

PASSAIC  St. Anthony of Padua Parish here is hosting the Jubilee Pilgrim Cross celebrating 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines. The Jubilee Cross is a replica of the cross that was raised by Ferdinand Magellan during the first Mass that was celebrated on the island nation on Easter Sunday in 1521. Statues of Santa Nino de Cebu and the Blessed Mother accompany the Pilgrim Cross. All the objects of devotion have been traveling throughout parishes in the Diocese and the Arch­diocese of Newark since last April. The theme of this yearlong celebration to mark the quincentennial is “Gifted to Give.”

To mark the presence of the Pilgrim Cross in the Passaic church during the month of February, the parish will host a Mass in Tagalog, the native language of the Philip­pines, every Wednesday at 7 p.m. The parish will also have Holy Hour and confessions from 6 to 7 p.m. on Friday evenings and early on Satur­day mornings at 6 a.m., the rosary will be recited. The parish will host the Pilgrim Cross until March 5.

“We started this journey with the Jubilee Cross last year in April and we will end next month. We encourage our brothers and sisters especially those who are Filipino to visit this cross and to pray. We made this initiative for us to be one with our fellow Filipinos in the Philip­pines living our faith that all may be one,” said Father Vidal Gonzales, adviser to the Diocesan Commission for Catholic Filipino Ministries (DCCFM) and pastor of St. Kateri Tekakwitha Church in Sparta.

Coordinating the activities at St. Anthony’s this month is Ellen Ollet, who is president of the Filipino-American organization at the parish. “We are so proud that our church is hosting the Jubilee Cross, which has traveled throughout Northern New Jersey. We have a lot of Filipinos at our parish and for Filipinos our faith gives us life and the faith Filipinos have for the Church is strong,” she told The Beacon.

For Filipinos in the Paterson Diocese, this celebration has brought joy and excitement as they celebrate 500 years of the Catholic faith in their native land. Last August, when the cross was hosted at Sacred Heart Church in Rock­away, Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney celebrated Mass to mark 500 years of Christianity in the Philip­pines. The Mass was attended by Filipino Catholics in the Diocese and beyond.

At that Mass, the Bishop said, “The Church and our Diocese give thanks for the faith of our Filipino Catholic community and for all that you do to teach catechism and religious education and to raise your children and grandchildren to participate in parish life.”

With several diocesan priests serving in the Diocese from the Philippines and many parishes with Filipino communities, there are many activities for Filipino Catholics in the Diocese. On the first Sunday of each month at Sacred Heart Church in Rockaway, there is a Filipino Mass at noon. The Masses for the next year are scheduled for March 6, April 3, May 1, June 5, July 3, Aug. 7, Sept. 4, Oct. 2, Nov. 6, and Dec. 4.

After the visit to St. Anthony Church in Passaic, the Jubilee Cross will be hosted in its final month at St. Joseph Church in Lodi. The 500 Years of Christianity in the Philippines celebration will commence during the Easter season.

In the Philippines, the Vatican has designated 537 Jubilee churches spread throughout the archipelago and Filipinos in the homeland are encouraged to visit these churches until April 22. Pilgrims who visit these Jubilee churches in the Philippines will be granted plenary indulgences by Pope Francis. The idea for the Jubilee Cross was inspired by that idea. It must be noted there is no plenary indulgence here unlike the Philippines according to Father Gonzales.

Pope Francis marked the occasion at the Vatican at a Mass on March 14, 2021 commemorating the arrival of the Gospel of Jesus in the Philippines. Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, former archbishop of Manila, and prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, concelebrated the Mass. Pope Francis said to Filipinos, “You received the joy of the Gospel — the good news that God so loved us that he gave his Son for us. And this joy is evident in your people.”

Elmer Lopez Maximo, president of the DCCFM and a parishioner of Sacred Heart, told The Beacon, “For the second time around, the Jubilee Pilgrim Cross is visiting our Diocese. This time the Holy Cross is together with images of the Santo Nino and Our Lady of Peñafrancia at St. Anthony Church in Passaic. To continue our journey in celebrating 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines, I’m encouraging our fellow Filipinos to be part of this pilgrimage and with a grateful heart let us visit the Holy Cross in St. Anthony Church.”