Holy Week in the Philippines is usually marked by social gatherings – churches brim with devotees and dramatic processions are held to remember the sacrifices of Jesus.
But as these are not possible at the moment due to COVID-19, our celebration of this year’s Holy Week is being held in ways we haven’t seen before.
During Palm Sunday on 5th April, the tradition wouldn’t be complete for devotees without their palaspas getting blessed. So Filipino Catholic priests sought ways to reach out to their flock by giving their blessings along the streets.
For instance, Head of the Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan in Pangasinan Archbishop Socrates Villegas, in his usual white cassock but wearing a face mask, roamed around the streets of Dagupan on top of a van as he gave blessings to the palaspas of the locals.
Image credit: CBCP News
In Leyte, Fr. Mark Ivo Velasquez of the Archdiocese of Palo toured the barrios of the province via a tricycle to offer his blessings in the form of whispered prayers to his devotees’ palaspas displayed in front of their homes.
Image credit: CBCP News
Image credit: Holy Rosary Parish – Pisamban Maragul
While churches cannot be filled with the physical presence of their devotees, the Holy Rosary Parish in Angeles City, Pampanga, found a way to still be close to its churchgoers from afar.
Even though Holy Week masses in the church were not attended by their kapampangan devotees, they attended in spirit by having their family photos placed in the church’s pews.
These scenarios in various churches and provinces around the Philippines indeed show how deeply tied Filipino Catholics are to their religious traditions.
We may not commemorate many religious events with one another this year, but nothing can stop us from finding ways to be close to one another in spirit.
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Cover image adapted from: CBCP News, Holy Rosary Parish – Pisamban Maragul
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