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VESSEL OF HOPE: QUIAPO CHURCH OPENS THE JUBILEE YEAR OF HOPE 2025

Jan. 25, 2025 02:21 PM

Bishop-elect of the Diocese of Balanga, Bataan, Rev. Fr. Rufino C. Sescon Jr., present rector and parish priest of the Minor Basilica and National Shrine of Jesus Nazareno presides the opening of the Jubilee 2025: Year of Hope at 4:30 PM on January 11, 2025. The rite takes place at the Plaza Miranda with a procession of the cross inside the church and heads to the baptistery. This was followed by the Eucharistic Holy Mass at 5:00 PM.

During the ceremony, Fr. Sescon Jr. dons the “capa pluvial” worn previously by the late Jaime Cardinal Sin during the Great Jubilee of 2000. Fr. Sescon Jr. had served as both assistant and secretary to Cardinal Sin until his death in 2005. In the history of Quiapo church, Jaime Cardinal Sin was among the main petitioners for the elevation of the church to the rank of Minor Basilica.

In his homily, Rev. Fr. Sescon Jr. expresses this thought: “…Sa ating Panginoon, laging may simula. Hindi siya nauubusan ng simula” (…In our Lord, there is always a beginning and will never end). He adds, that this event is symbolic because it falls on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, the liturgical ending of Christmas season and the beginning of Jesus’, the Nazarene, ministry.

He adds that a real devotee never loses hope for someone, who is a real faithful filled with hope always believe in beginnings. In relation, a true devotee does not show up occasionally every January 9th, Good Friday and Thanksgiving procession, but for the whole year and beyond.

“Maging daluyan tayo ng pag-asa katulad ni Hesus Nazareno. Hindi lang tayo tagatanggap ng pag-asa; Tayo rin tagapaghatid ng pag-asa”. (May we become the vessels of hope like Jesus. The Nazarene. Not only we are the receiver, but we are also the giver of hope).

The role of the Minor Basilica and National Shrine of Jesus Nazareno for the 2025 Jubilee is Media Evangelization, which the church has been doing for years. This year’s Jubilee started with the rite of the opening of the Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican by Pope Francis on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2024. This is based from the papal bull, “Spes Non Confundit” (Hope does not disappoint – Romans 5:5). The 2025 Jubilee will conclude on January 6, 2026, Feast of the Epiphany, but on December 28, 2025 for local dioceses.

– Kidanzac A. Tallada (Shrine & Pilgrims’ Ministry)