Last Saturday, September 21, 2024, the community of the Novitiate-Recollects of St. Ezekiel Moreno in Antipolo (Philippines) inaugurated the “Pilgrimage of Hope and Healing”, an initiative that pays homage to St. Ezekiel Moreno, Augustinian Recollect bishop and considered the patron saint of cancer patients. The event was held at the International Shrine of Our Lady of Peace and Good Journey and was attended by faithful devotees and neighbors of the area.
This event also coincides with the recent decision of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) to elevate his feast to an obligatory memorial in the liturgical calendar and is part of the 25th anniversary of the Province of St. Ezekiel Moreno. The Recollect community of Antipolo, composed of novices, pre-novices, members of the Secular Augustinian Recollect Fraternity (SARF) and youth of the Augustinian Recollect Youth (RAY), gathered at the Cathedral of Antipolo for a solemn ceremony in honor of the saint from Alfaro (Spain). The central moment of the ceremony was the enthronement of the bust of the saint, which contains the largest first class bone relic of St. Ezekiel in the Philippines. The ceremony was presided over by the Vice Prior of the Novitiate,
Fr. Joseph Cyprian PanaliganRommel Rubia, master of novices, followed by the celebration of the Eucharist, concelebrated by religious priests of the community.
At the end of the mass, those present went to the chapel of the Virgin of Antipolo, where the venerated image of the Virgin of Peace and Good Journey is located. There, the faithful recited different prayers and concluded with the traditional singing of the “Salve Regina”. The bust of St. Ezekiel Moreno later returned to the novitiate, after having been publicly venerated in the cathedral. However, this was only the first step in a pilgrimage that will continue to travel to various churches in the Philippines and hopes to reach and bring hope to cancer patients in the country. The bust will visit places that marked the 15 years of St. Ezekiel Moreno’s mission in the country.
