MANILA, Philippines - Proving the universality of the Church and borne out of the generosity of the international subscribers of Living with Christ worldwide, Bayard Presse is donating more than 100,000 of the pastoral liturgy guides for the Apostolic Visit of Pope Francis to be used from Jan. 15 to 19. In the Philippines, Bayard is the publisher of Living with Christ that is widely used in parishes and schools for Christian formation.
In his foreword, Manila Archbishop Cardinal Tagle emphasizes the importance of active participation in the masses, saying, “the liturgy, being the source and summit of Christian life, engenders a faith that does justice and faith that is lived in charity. Our worship will only have meaning if we have a sustained commitment to the poor even outside the confines of communal worship. Every Eucharist empowers us to work towards healing the brokenness of society.”
Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines president and Lingayen Archbishop Socrates Villegas says, “The pastoral liturgy guide invites us to a more meaningful encounter with Pope Francis through the liturgy that he will preside. It will deepen our understanding of the rites; it will draw us to more active and communal participation to lift up our spirit to God with more fervor and passion.” Villegas also conveyed his gratitude for the liturgists for the Papal Visit headed by Fr. Genaro Diwa and for the donation of the Augustinians of the Assumption and Bayard Presse, publishers of Living with Christ. “They have labored hard and intensely to make our liturgical celebrations truly channels and instruments of grace,” Villegas added.
Archbishop Giuseppe Pinto, Apostolic Nuncio to the Philipines welcomed the printing of the papal liturgy books by Bayard Presse and the Augustinians of the Assumption. “May it contribute to a more fruitful living of these days of communion with the Vicar of Christ and may it lead all who use it to that goal of every sacramental celebration: A renewed personal encounter with Jesus Christ (Evagelii Gaudium, 3).”
Fr. Bernard Holzer of the Augustinians of the Assumption said that the donation was made possible through the International Solidarity Fund of the international subscribers of Bayard. He hopes that the special edition of Living with Christ “may allow the Filipino faithful to accompany the Holy Father in prayer and, with mercy and compassion, bear witness with him to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
The official pastoral liturgy guide contains the liturgies for all the papal activities such as the Mass for Priests and Religious (Manila Cathedral, Jan. 16), Encounter of Families (Mall of Asia Arena, Jan. 16) Tacloban Mass, Visit to Palo Cathedral and Blessing of Pope Francis Center (Tacloban, Jan. 17), Encounter with Youth (University of Sto. Tomas, Jan. 18) and the Culminating Mass of the Sto. Nino (Luneta, Jan. 18).
The Mass for Priests and Religious at the Manila Cathedral will bear the theme of Mercy and Compassion will have an additional element, the Confessio Peccati, which aims to illuminate the general theme of the priests and religious being ministers of and witnesses to God’s mercy and compassion.