The 5th visit of the pilgrim relics of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus to the Diocese of Bacolod will be held from February 28 to March 2, Fr. Nitodel Soriano, diocesan coordinator for the visit, announced Monday, February 13.
Soriano was joined by Fr. Tomas Rito, Juan Sergio Tan, Rosalinda Jover and Virginia Lopo at a press conference in Bacolod City on Monday.
Rito said the pilgrim relics will visit numerous areas of the Diocese of Bacolod, and will not just stay at the Carmelite Monastery in Bacolod City as was done in the past.
The St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus reliquary will arrive at the BREDCO Port in Bacolod City from the Dumangas Port in Iloilo at noon of February 28.
A motorcade to the San Sebastian Cathedral where welcome rites and veneration of the relics will be held for the San Sebastian and Alijis vicariates will then be held.
At 4:30 p.m. the relics will be transferred to the Carmelite Monastery for welcome rites and a concelebrated mass with Bacolod Bishop Patricio Buzon as the main celebrant.
Veneration of the pilgrim relics will be held following the mass.
The pilgrim relics will then stay overnight at the Carmelite Monastery.
On March 1 the relics will be transferred to the St. Therese of the Child Jesus Quasi Parish in Cameroli at 5 a.m., a concelebrated mass will be held for the Sum-ag Vicariate, to be followed by a motorcade to the St. Mary Magdalene Parish in Hinigaran.
Veneration of pilgrim relics will be held for the Bago, La Carlota, and Hinigaran vicariates at the St. Mary Magdalene Parish starting 9 a.m. of March 1.
After lunch, the motorcade will proceed to the Triumph of the Holy Cross Parish in Camingawan passing through the Murcia, Mansilingan, Bakyas, the Bacolod City Government Center and the Negros Occidental Provincial Police Office headquarters.
On the relics arrival at the Camingawan Parish at 2 p.m. veneration of the Pilgrim Relics will be held for the Murcia and Camingawan vicariates after which the motorcade will drop by the University of Salle Chapel.
On the arrival of the Pilgrim Relics at 5:30 p.m. welcome rites and a concelebrated mass followed by veneration of the relics for the Bata and Villamonte vicariates will be held.
The relics will stay overnight at the Redemptorist Shrine and at 7:30 a.m. of March 2 its motorcade will proceed to the Shrine and Parish of San Nicolas de Tolentino in Talisay City then to the San Diego Pro-Cathedral in Silay City.
On the pilgrim relics arrival at the San Diego Pro-Cathedral at 9 a.m. a farewell mass will be held followed by the veneration for the Silay and Victorias vicariates.
At noon the relics will depart for the Our Lady of Victory Parish in Victorias City and at 2 p.m. will be turned over to Diocese of San Carlos.
The visit of the pilgrim relics of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus to the Philippines began on her 150th birthday on January 2 and will end in time for the centennial of her beatification on April 29, Tan said.
The pilgrim relics will visit 50 dioceses of the Catholic Church during its visit to the Philippines this year, he added.*