A second-class relic of Our Lady of Guadalupe will tour at least 54 churches nationwide starting in June, in a pilgrimage church leaders say comes at a moment of hardship and uncertainty.
The relic, a cloth replica of the tilma associated with St. Juan Diego, has touched the original image enshrined at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico, making it a second-class relic.
Businessman Ernest Escaler, chairman of the Guadalupe Pilgrimage Committee, said the replica, a gift to the Philippines, will be blessed at the basilica before being brought to the country.
“It’s the exact replica, same size. It will be attached to the original tilma and blessed in the basilica, making it a second-class relic,” Escaler said at a press briefing in Manila on March 25.
Mexico is also sending a commemorative statue marking the 500th anniversary of the apparition and an official portrait of St. Juan Diego, with all three items to be displayed during the pilgrimage.
The images will first visit the Manila Cathedral from June 13 to 19, before traveling to 16 churches in Mindanao, 10 in the Visayas and 27 in Luzon. The final stop will be at the Shrine of St. Therese of the Child Jesus from Dec. 2 to 4.
One stop is scheduled in Ozamiz City on July 6, coinciding with the Catholic bishops’ plenary assembly.
Organizers said the images may also be brought to the House of Representatives and the Senate before while being enshrined at the Manila Cathedral ahead of the Dec. 12 feast.
Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo, the pilgrimage’s spiritual director, urged Filipinos to take part, calling the nationwide visit a “moment of grace.”
“When the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe arrives in your churches and dioceses, let us visit it and unite in welcoming her,” Bagaforo said. “This is a good opportunity for us to pray.”
He said the pilgrimage comes as many Filipinos face economic hardship, conflicts abroad and political and social tensions at home.
“What a great blessing for the Philippines that this image of Our Lady of Guadalupe will come to us,” he said. “Let us come together and pray to her, and she will grant us graces, especially in these times.”
