Antipolo Cathedral now ‘Int’l Shrine’
Antipolo Cathedral, formerly the National Shrine of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage, officially bore the “International Shrine” status on Saturday, 25 March, making it the first in the country and in Southeast Asia and the 11th worldwide.
Parishioners marked the occasion with a Saturday Mass, coinciding with the Christian observance of the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord, which looks into the period when Angel Gabriel announced to the Virgin Mary that she will bear Jesus Christ.
“I am very happy to inform you that the Dicastery for Evangelization has decided to grant your petition to elevate to international shrine, the National Shrine of Our Lady of
Peace and Good Voyage in Antipolo in the Philippines,” Antipolo Bishop Francisco de Leon said in a video message played during the Mass.
In his homily, Antipolo Church Administrator Rev. Fr. Reynante Tolentino shared that they have waited for two years since their petition for the elevation of the Church’s status before Filipino bishops and the Dicastery of Evangelization in the Vatican.
“Pope Francis and the whole Church recognizes the Blessed Virgin Mary of Antipolo is truly miraculous that it gained devotees not just in the Philippines but also in the whole world,” Tolentino said.
The Holy See declared the elevation of the church as an international shrine, in accordance with the Catholic Church’s Canon Law that defined shrines as sacred places where pilgrims gather for a special reason of piety.
Antipolo Church, being a famed pilgrimage site, particularly during late April to May, received approval from the Vatican to elevate the church’s status as an international shrine June last year, with them announcing the decree on the status change on 13 May.
They will join 10 other international shrines across the globe, including the Pontifical Basilica of Saint Anthony of Padua in Italy, Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes in France, and Seoul Catholic Pilgrimage Route in South Korea.
In a statement, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. congratulated the Church for its newly-elevated status, joining the Catholic faithful on the occasion.