My dear people of God in the Archdiocese of Manila,
We have started the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ESQ) last March 15. Now the month of May is upon us. We never thought then, that the quarantine would be so long. We have accepted the lockdown for the sake of the common good, though by now it is taking its toll on us. There is restlessness, and even fear, mostly because of its economic effects. Many people are unsure of their future. It is in this situation that we need to be strong with the strength that comes from above. St. Paul wrote: “When I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor. 12:10). This strength no longer comes from him.
As we enter the month of May, what comes to our mind is the Blessed Virgin Mary. May is the month of Mama Mary. We have many fiestas of our Lady on this month. We have the Flores de Mayo celebrations. We will all miss these this year. Nevertheless, let us keep the month of May as a Marian month. During this month let us intensify the devotion to our Blessed Mother in our homes. We can decorate the altar of Mama Mary. We can daily pray the Holy Rosary as a family. We may not be able to offer flowers but we can daily offer some small good deed to Our Mother.
As we try to do these individually in our homes, let us also do something together as an Archdiocese. The main patron of our Archdiocese is the Immaculate Conception. We are a Marian local church. On May 13, which is the 103rd anniversary of the apparition of Our Lady at Fatima, at 12 noon, we will have a Holy Mass in the Manila Cathedral during which we will consecrate the whole Archdiocese of Manila to the Blessed Virgin. The prayer of consecration will be done by all of the faithful of the Archdiocese to be led by the mayors of the five cities that comprise the Archdiocese: Manila, Mandaluyong, Pasay, Makati, and San Juan. It will be beautiful when all the people God, led by their civil and religious leaders, put themselves under the protection of the Blessed Virgin.
In order that this act of consecration be meaningful, from the first week of May, there will be a series of catechetical instructions online explaining the meaning and implication of such consecration. Then from May 10, we will start a triduum (three days) of daily penance and rosary which will culminate on the common Act of Consecration on the 13th. We do this to implore the protection of the powerful intercession of our Blessed Mother in this difficult time, especially as we move to the transition to a new way of life after the quarantine. We need strength from above, and we have a powerful intercessor in Mama Mary to get that heavenly help.
Already I thank the honorable mayors of our cities, Mayor Francisco ‘Isko’ Domagoso, Mayor Carmelita Abalos, Mayor Abigail Binay, Mayor Imelda Calixto-Rubiano, and Mayor Francisco Zamora, for showing their willingness to join us in the Holy Eucharist to pray together in filial devotion to the Blessed Mother. We thank them for their gigantic effort to serve their constituents in this difficult time.
Yours sincerely in Christ,
+ BRODERICK PABILLO
Apostolic Administrator of Manila April 28, 2020
