Archdiocese assures Calungsod templete done in 2 weeks

CEBU, Philippines - The San Pedro Calungsod templete at the South Road Properties is expected to be completed in less than two weeks, way ahead of the National Thanksgiving Mass on Nov. 30.

Fr. Brian Brigoli, vice chairman of the Archdiocesan Commission on Cultural Heritage of the Church, yesterday said the project is 75 percent complete.

“We’re almost done.  In less than two weeks mahuman na gyud ang templete. Furnishing na lang ang atong gihimo kay humana man ang flooring before the holidays,” said Brigoli.

He added that the construction was stopped since Oct. 31 due to the All Saints’ and All Souls’ holidays and work will resume tomorrow.

It can be recalled that the groundbreaking for the templete started in August and Brigoli is glad that they are almost done.

Earlier, Brigoli explained the different segments of the templete.  It will be a pyramid structure with a cross at its apex, the center is the sanctuary where the altar is located.

Aside from the approximately 1,500-square-meter-templete, the venue will have a vesting area, operations center, press center, police and security center, power lines, media stand, Blessed Sacrament chapels, souvenir stores, first-aid stations, water stations, food stalls and portable toilets.

Off-site, a parking area will be provided for vehicles of church dignitaries, vehicles for elderly and persons with disabilities, buses for out-of-town and Cebu pilgrims and emergency vehicles.

Brigoli said that the templete can only occupy 350 persons.  During the National Thanksgiving Mass, only the archbishops and the bishops will be at the templete and the rest will be in the open space surrounding the templete that can accumulate thousands of pilgrims all over the country.

Meanwhile, Fr. Charles Jayme, the custodian of the official image of St. Calungsod, expects a warmer welcome of the image in Cebu as the Luzon faithful were consistent in their eagerness to welcome and receive the image of the martyr saint in their respective dioceses.

“Consistent kaayo ang faith sa mga taga Luzon, warm kaayo ang ilang pagdawat kang San Pedro Calungsod. Eager gani ang Luzon samot na siguro nganhi sa Cebu, we’ll see that,” said Jayme.

Yesterday, the image was in the Vigan Cathedral in the Archdiocese of Nueva Segovia, Vigan and today it will be transferred to St. John the Evangelist Cathedral in the Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan and tomorrow it will be in the Cathedral of St. Ferdinand in the Archdiocese of Pampanga.

The Visayas and Mindanao leg of the “Duaw Nasud” will start on Nov. 13 in Catarman, Camiguin.

Before the image will be taken to Camiguin for the start of the Visayas-Mindanao leg, the image will be in Legaspi, the last stop for the Luzon leg.

From Catarman, the image will be taken to the different dioceses of the Mindanao and Visayas area and it is expected to arrive in Cebu on Nov. 27 from Getafe, Bohol, in a fastcraft that will dock in Pier 1.

Upon arrival, the image will be brought to the Calungsod Shrine at the Archbishop’s Palace at D. Jakosalem St., just in time for the triduum Masses, a three-day period of prayer, from Nov. 27-29, leading to the National Thanksgiving Mass.  — (FREEMAN)