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Evelyn Macairan - The Philippine Star
June 25, 2025 | 12:00am
In the historic pilgrimage city of Antipolo is the International Shrine of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage.
IONEL BONILLA INDUCTIVO
MANILA, Philippines — Amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran, the Diocese of Antipolo yesterday said it would start a Weekly Holy Hour for Peace.
In a Facebook post, Antipolo Bishop Ruperto Santos issued a pastoral letter addressed to the clergy and lay faithful on the observance of a Weekly Holy Hour for Peace.
He said that while the Diocese of Antipolo is far from the Middle East, they cannot remain unmoved.
“As a shepherd of this local Church, I come to you with a father’s heart deeply burdened by the ongoing violence, suffering and unrest in the Middle East and other troubled regions of our world. With each new headline, we are confronted not only by wounds of war but by the quiet cries of the innocent: families torn apart, children displaced and communities silenced by fear.”
“While the Diocese of Antipolo is geographically distant from these battle-scarred places, our Christian duty binds us to the global Body of Christ,” Santos said.
“The pain of one is the concern of all. And prayer is our most potent act of peace-building,” he added.
The hour-long prayer for world peace would begin at 5 p.m. tomorrow, June 26.
“Let our prayers rise like incense for those who suffer, for leaders tasked with difficult decisions and for a world in need of reconciliation,” the Antipolo prelate said.
He also asked the parishes, chapels and lay organizations belonging to the diocese to hold their own respective prayers.
“I particularly appeal to our priests and the ministry of liturgy: please prepare your communities and lead them in this united diocesan act of intercession,” Santos said.
“For our lay faithful, may your presence before the Lord be a sign of our Church’s unwavering trust in divine mercy. May our diocesan family become a wellspring of peace,” he added.
He also entrusted their advocacy to pray for peace to the Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage, the image of which is enshrined in the Antipolo Cathedral. — Jose Rodel Clapano, Emmanuel Tupas
