A GLIMPSE OF HOW FLOCK USED TO WORSHIP THEN
The Archdiocesan Museum of Cebu will be among the 27 sites that will be featured during this year’s Gabii sa Kabilin. Heritage lovers can visit all the sites until midnight on Friday using only one ticket that costs P150.
The solemn nod or quick peck on the cheek that Catholics offer these days as a sign of peace during the mass used to be more elaborate.
A flat silver plate was handed to a parishioner, who would then kiss the crucifix in the middle of the plate before passing it down the pew for all the other faithful to kiss, one at a time. One such plate or portapaz, found in the Archdiocesan Shrine of St. Michael the Archangel in Argao town, gleams with a brass crucifix in its center and is among the treasures that will be on display this Friday night in the Archdioc- esan Museum of Cebu.
The museum is one of 27 sites in the Gabii sa Kabilin, the annual celebration when Cebu’s museums stay open until midnight to give visitors time to explore Cebuano heritage. A single P150 ticket will be honored in all the participating sites.
Located across the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral, the Archdiocesan Museum is within 500 meters of other interesting stops like the Casa Gorordo Museum and Museo Parian or the 1730 Jesuit House.
“Exploring a museum entails time,” said Fr. Brian Brigoli, director of the Archdiocesan Museum of Cebu and chairman of the Cebu Archdiocesan Commission for the Cultural Heritage of the Church since 2014. Fr. Brigoli, who completed a master’s degree (magna cum laude) in cultural heritage studies from the University of Sto. Tomas, is fascinated by religious objects that are no longer in use today, and what they reveal about the lives of church communities.
Unlike other museums that focus on valuable art or historical artifacts, religious museums also face the challenge of inspiring guests to reflect on their faith.
Fr. Brigoli’s advice to the museum’s guests is: “Let the items speak to you. If something catches your attention, focus on that, and try to dig deeper. Perhaps that item has something spiritual to tell you.”
Before it was transformed into a museum in 2006, this stone and wood building served as a coop store, a school, a rectory for the Cathedral, and a Jesuit chapel before that. It has survived a fire, two wars, temporary abandonment, and various renovations. Its floor is now about a foot and a half higher than when it was first built.
Memorabilia
In his early days in Cebu, before he became archbishop, Ricardo Cardinal Vidal lived in the rectory there. Now, his memorabilia are displayed in one of the galleries on the second floor, along with the highlights of the 29 years Cardinal Vidal served as archbishop of Cebu.
A few steps away are precious books, including a census record dating back to 1880 with the names and birthdates of parishioners in the Sta. Rosa de Lima in Daanbantayan; a book of accounts where someone had written a list of materials used in building the San Fernando Rey Parish in Liloan in March 1868, the ink now faded to a pale gold; and a large choir book or cantoral, easily two feet long.
“Imagine if the choirmaster would throw the book at you if you sang out of tune,” Fr. Brigoli joked. “You would have had to be vigilant and sing in tune, or else this book would land on your head.”
Another gallery shows visitors different styles in the carving and decoration of religious statues. Images of the mother-and-son tandem of St. Monica and St. Augustine of Hippo, made of wood and more than 200 years old, are displayed side by side. Near them stands an image of St. Joseph the Patriarch with bright glass eyes and gold leaf designs visible on the garments. There is another statue of St. Joseph, much smaller and believed to be more than 300 years old, leading the Child Jesus by the hand.