Priest for a day on Palm Sunday

The Catholic Church will make the dreams of a seven-year-old boy afflicted with leukemia come true this Palm Sunday.

This, as the EDSA Shrine, together with the Make-A-Wish Foundation Philippines, will allow Tanggol Manalili to become a priest for a day and celebrate Mass with Bishop Socrates Villegas tomorrow at 4:30 p.m.

The boy will wear priest vestments during the Eucharistic Celebration and will stay at the altar with Villegas.

Children of the EDSA Shrine community, including shrine scholars at the Makabata School Foundation Inc., will join Manalili. They will be wearing nun habits and priest vestments as well.

Manalili’s wish to become a priest was relayed to the foundation by his fellow parishioner at the Our Lady of Fatima parish in Las Piñas.

Apart from being a priest, Manalili wants "to help other kids and go to Pizza Hut."

"We will grant the wish of Tanggol and make it an experience that is truly memorable, significant, and happy for him and his family. The celebration will also be a time to keep Tanggol’s attention away from his condition," said Villegas, EDSA Shrine rector and board member of the Make-a-Wish Foundation Philippines.

The foundation is the 20th international affiliate of the Make-A-Wish family, which strives to ensure that a special child’s wishes become a reality.

In the country, the first child with a life-threatening disease to have his wishes come true was Christian Lanzar, who wanted so much to sing a song to the world.

Lanzar was able to realize his dreams, singing a song of love, hope and peace before billions of viewers in 60 countries during the global telecast of the millennium celebration.

Since the foundation began in the US in 1980, it has granted over 60,000 wishes of children with life-threatening diseases worldwide. In the Philippines, the foundation has granted 170 wishes of children since it was established here in 1999.