Bishop, priests march in procession as Clergy Congress ends

THE five-day 2nd National Congress of the Clergy came to a close today with around 5,000 priests and bishops walking the 1.2 kilometers distance from World Trade Center to Cuneta Astrodome for the 3:30 p.m. Mass.

The clergy, led by their respective bishops marched through Roxas Boulevard towards Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City waving flags bearing names of their respective dioceses.

The closing Eucharistic celebration was led by Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales.

In his homily, the Cardinal stressed that the priest is called to share his life to others through service.

“Like the man who masters suffering, the priest is the man of the Eucharist, the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ and the Sacrament of Communion,” he said.

The Cardinal explained that saying “This is my Body” at consecration means “Jesus must be received and shared.”

In the past, he said, it was the vertical dimension of communion and sharing that was given primary value, neglecting the horizontal dimension which means reaching out to others in need.

He said the situation of a great number of Filipinos living in poverty urges one to action.

“What is being done for the poor in our country today?” he asked.

“The poor in the Philippines now number more than 65% of the population… There is a feeling of urgency to address hunger of the people who live in the slums, the sick and the jobless,” the cardinal said.

The cardinal had initiated the Theology of Crumbs, also known as Pondo ng Pinoy, which other local churches have adopted to help the poor in their areas.

“Rather than be accused of doing the littlest or less, let us in the name of love of God, consistently do our littlest for the poor,” Rosales said.

The cardinal also recalled the examples of St. John Mary Vianney, whose 150th anniversary is being celebrated by the universal Church by proclaiming a Year for Priests.

He said the Year for Priests is a “call to renewal in the striving for spiritual perfection which is the root of the effectiveness of priestly ministry.”

“This is the compassionate way for Benedict XVI to say that the priests today must renew themselves in holiness,” he said.

Participants to the 2nd National Congress of the Clergy came from 87 arch/dioceses across the country. There were also some delegates from the arch/dioceses of Chicago, Los Angeles, Madrid, Madrid, Mongolia and New York.