August 12, 1993

The forthcoming visit of Pope John Paul II to the Philippines in 1995 will certainly be another moment of grace for the Church in the Philippines. He will come to attend the World Day of Youth. 1995 will also be the quadricentennial year of Manila as an archdiocese. 1995 will also be the silver jubilee year of the Federation of Asian Bishop’s Conference which was first held in Manila in 1970.

We must prepare for this year of jubilees.

My dream is to see a greater flowering of the Christian faith in the Philippines as a result of the papal visit. The best way to insure that 1995 will indeed become a moment of grace for us is to prepare our people spiritually for it even now.

Therefore, on September 8, 1993, we shall have our archdiocesan commitment day for the poor. We shall gather for a Eucharistic Celebration at the Manila Cathedral at 8:30 in the morning to commit ourselves to the task of reaching out to the poor, after the example of Christ Himself who was sent to bring Good News to the poor (Lk 4:18). I encourage our pastors and lay faithful to launch special programs of service for the poor in our midst. Caritas Manila is ready and willing to assist us in every way to translate our commitment into deeds.

On December 8, 1993, we shall gather together at the Rizal Park to launch a period of missions for the Archdiocese. Starting December 8, our thrust shall be to reach out to the non-church goers, the spiritually deprived, so that the Good News may reach them as well. This will be our day of commitment to launch parish evangelization programs focused on renewal and missions. Beginning this day, all parishes and communities should embark on community based retreats, recollections and seminars dwelling on the spiritual significance of the papal visit. Each parish must have a mission team that will take the main responsibility for the program. In order to keep our goals united, I shall create a diocesan team of trainors who will undertake the formation of the various parish mission teams. Msgr. Jose Bernardo will chair the diocesan team of trainors.

On August 15, 1994, we shall declare our archdiocesan jubilee year in preparation for the quadricentennial celebration in August 15, 1995. The jubilee year will be a period of even more intense spiritual preparation for the papal visit. The papal visit will actually happen in the middle of our jubilee year. The graces of January 1995 will serve to inspire us to deepen our Catholic faith and to be ready to share the faith that we have received.

The time to get moving is right now.

I trust that you will give your hearty cooperation and undivided attention to make 1995 a true jubilee year for the archdiocese, for the nation and for the world.

(SGD.) + Jaime L. Cardinal Sin, D.D.

Archbishop of Manila