Antipolo church gears up for international shrine declaration

MANILA - The Antipolo cathedral is gearing up for the solemn declaration of the church as the Philippines' first-ever international shrine.

• Antipolo Cathedral is PH’s first international shrine

The cathedral announced on Monday that the decree was sent to them by the Holy See and will be effective on March 25, 2023.

This coincides with the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord and the anniversary of the departure of the sacred image of the Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage from Acapulco, Mexico to the Philippines.

The said image of Mary, enthroned in the cathedral's main retablo, has been the subject of veneration by many devotees throughout Antipolo's history.

In June 2022, the Vatican approved the petition seeking to elevate the Antipolo church as the world's eleventh International Shrine.

This also makes the cathedral as the third international shrine in Asia. The other two are the St. Thomas Church Malayattoor in India, and the Haemi Martyrdom Holy Ground and Seoul Pilgrimage Routes in South Korea.

"As the months have passed, we have prayed fervently to Our Mother that the petition be granted upon us, and now, our prayers have received a favorable response, hence, we are forever grateful," the cathedral said in a Facebook post.

"We are now in full anticipation of the solemn declaration of our international shrine in the coming months." -- Ian Jay Capati, ABS-CBN News Intern

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