Misamis church to reopen as bishop heeds appeal
PAGADIAN CITY—The century-old St. John the Baptist Parish Church in Jimenez, Misamis Occidental province, which was shut on Aug. 5 for being desecrated by a vlogger, is set to reopen on Saturday.
Ozamiz Archbishop Martin Jumoad told the Inquirer on Tuesday that the decision to open the church’s doors again came after the local clergy, led by parish priest Rolly Lagada, listened to the appeal of the town’s parishioners.
On Monday, Lagada petitioned Jumoad to have the parish church reopened, noting that the parishioners “have come together in prayer, penance and unity” as “concrete spiritual steps” to have the town’s seat of faith restored.
Spiritual home
Lagada cited the parishioners’ participation in the Holy Hour of Adoration and confession on Aug. 7 and the nine-day prayer vigil which started also on Aug. 7 and held at 6 p.m. daily.
“These efforts have not only deepened our faith but also united our community in a spirit of repentance, hope, and longing to return to our parish church for the full celebration of the Holy Eucharist and the Sacraments,” Lagada said.
“For many generations, our parish church has been our spiritual home, the sacred place where we were baptized, received the Sacraments, and celebrated the milestones of our faith. It has been the center of our worship, our devotions, and our works of charity,” he added.
Jumoad said Lagada’s letter-petition prompted him to convene the archdiocese’s board of consultors on Tuesday.
The board, according to Jumoad, recommended the reopening of the church on Saturday, in time for the feast of St. Roch, or San Roque, known as “the healer.”
Jumoad said the parishioners had already “made reparations and penance due to the desecration of Jimenez church” when a vlogger allegedly spat on one of its holy water font.
The archbishop earlier said church leaders were “serious in this matter because it concerns our faith.” Jumoad said it was not a matter of just throwing away the desecrated holy water font and replacing it. “It’s not as easy as that, that’s why we needed to work it out so that there would be reconsecration of the church,” he said.
On Aug. 8, the Jimenez municipal council passed a resolution declaring the vlogger persona non grata “for publicly and maliciously disrespecting sacred and cultural sites in Jimenez town.”
The resolution denounced her behavior in the strongest terms, saying “no amount of publicity or apology could erase the deliberate nature and public impact of the act.”
