I. REMEMBERING THE PAST WITH GRATITUDE AND LOVE

With gratitude and love, the Archdiocese of Lipa celebrates its centenary, dedicating the Jubilee Year 2010 as a “year of transformation and consecration” for the entire Local Church of Lipa which at present comprises the whole province of Batangas.

What is a Jubilee?

The word jubilee is traced from the Hebrew jobel, which means “a ram’s horn”, an instrument used in proclaiming a particular commemorative celebration, and hence in announcing festive rejoicing leading to the grand event. Deriving also from the Greek iobelaios, or iobelos, the Latin jubilo, which means “to shout”, has given us the forms jubilatio or jubilaeum now used in modern languages.

When is a Jubilee celebrated?

In Luke 4: 19, jubilee is a “year of grace”, a time of joy, the year of remission or universal pardon. Jubilee celebration was observed long before, as stated in Leviticus 25: 10, “This fiftieth year you shall make sacred by proclaiming liberty in the land for all its inhabitants: for it is the year of jubilee.” The fiftieth year is the year after seven, seven years, the year after the forty ninth year. Pope Boniface VIII, in his Bull Antiquorum fida relatio (22 February 1300), instituted the first Christian Jubilee in the year 1300, a celebration of special solemnity which was to occur every hundred years. However, some time before the middle of the 14th century Pope Clement VI assented to anticipate the term of Jubilee to render it possible for many to celebrate any Jubilee in their own generation. Henceforth, jubilee celebrations were held after twenty-five years (silver), fifty years (golden), and seventy-five (diamond).

Why a Jubilee in Lipa?

Now in its 100th year of life and mission, the Local Church of Lipa looks back to that historic year, 1910, when Pope St. Pius X created the Diocese of Lipa, which included what are now the Provinces of Batangas, Laguna, Quezon, Aurora, and the islands of Mindoro and Marinduque. Originally, the territories covered by the Diocese of Lipa were part of the Diocese of Manila that was then a suffragan Diocese of the Archdiocese of Mexico and of the Diocese of Naga. Now only Batangas province remains comprising the entire territory of the Metropolitan See of Lipa (Cf. Primer for the Centennial Celebration).

What were the events leading to the Centennial Celebration?

In a pastoral letter dated November 13, 2006, His Excellency Ramon C. Argüelles proclaimed a three-year preparation leading to the grand centennial celebration in the year 2010. He dedicated the year 2007 as the Year of Jesus Christ, the Son of God which dwelt on the theme “Conversion and Evangelization”; 2008 was the Year of Mary, the Spouse of the Holy Spirit with the theme “Spirituality, Prayer and Contemplation”; and for 2009, Year of St. Joseph, Faithful Icon of the Fatherhood of God, the theme was “Communion and Solidarity”.

What is the focus of the Holy Year 2010?

After the three-year intense preparation for the year of grace in 2010, the centennial celebration will highlight the meaning of the Jubilee Cross, also popularly known as the Glorious Cross, in view of “renewing a People towards transformation like the Holy Family and consecration to the Holy Trinity.” Throughout the jubilee year the Local Church of Lipa will be echoing the call to conversion and personal encounter with the Lord as well as the invitation to rejoice in the abundant gifts God bestows upon the entire archdiocese. Adopting the words of Pope John Paul II, Archbishop Ramon C. Argüelles exhorts that this special milestone be “a new springtime of faith” in the life of the Local Church and “a renewed vigor” for the mission of the whole Archdiocese.

Living the present with faith and enthusiasm, a pilgrim’s journey reflects the earthly sojourn of Christ who faithfully and obediently carried out the will of the Father.

What is a Pilgrimage?

A pilgrimage is a journey for a spiritual reason. It is a journey inward as well as outward. Pilgrims seek to strengthen and renew their faith through travel – a sacred travel. Travel in the context of pilgrims becomes a sacrament. Travel to a sacred place is the outward sign that enables the drawing closer to God which is the inward grace. That makes a difference between a pilgrim and a tourist. For a tourist, travel is an end in itself. For a pilgrim, travel is a means to an end. Pilgrims travel with a clear intention, to draw closer to God. The life of a Christian is seen as the lifetime pilgrimage towards the heavenly home. Procession actually and fittingly signifies this life’s pilgrimage.

Why is Pilgrimage a Jubilee Action?

The most distinctive action in the jubilee year is the pilgrimage to the churches which the pilgrims are required to visit. It is done for the purpose of healing a sick relative, obtaining a spiritual favor, or just to spend spiritual time with God. During the year 2010 pilgrimage to the jubilee churches is strongly encouraged to deepen one’s faith and in view of obtaining a plenary indulgence for oneself or for a deceased person.

What are the Jubilee Churches in the Archdiocese of Lipa?

As deemed appropriate by His Excellency Ramon C. Argüelles, and duly approved by the Sacred Penitentiary, the Jubilee Churches are as follows:

Vicariate 1

• Parish Church of the Immaculate Conception – Balayan
• Parish Church of St. John the Baptist – Lian
• Parish Church of St. Francis Xavier and Nuestra Señora de la Escalera – Nasugbu
• Parish Church of St. Raphael Archangel – Calaca

Vicariate 2

• Shrine of Our Lady of Caysasay – Labac, Taal
• Minor Basilica of St. Martin of Tours – Poblacion, Taal
• Archdiocesan Shrine of St. Therese of the Child Jesus – Sta. Teresita

Vicariate 3

• Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception – Poblacion, Batangas City
• Shrine of the Glorious Cross – Pallocan West, Batangas City

Vicariate 4

• Archdiocesan Shrine of St. Joseph the Patriarch – San Jose
• Parish Church of St. John Nepomuceno – San Juan

Vicariate 5

• Metropolitan Cathedral of St. Sebastian – Poblacion, Lipa City
• Archdiocesan Shrine of St. Vincent Ferrer – Banaybanay, Lipa City
• Divino Amor Chapel – Barangay 1, Lipa City
• Monastery of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Mary Mediatrix of All Grace – Antipolo del Norte, Lipa City
• Monastery of the Minim Nuns of St. Francis of Paola – Lumbang, Lipa City
• Monastery of St. Benedict – Pinagtong-ulan, Lipa City
• Monastery of Clarisas Capuchinas Sacramentarias – Mabini Homes, Lipa City

Vicariate 6

• Parish Church of St. Padre Pio – San Pedro, Sto. Tomas
• Parish Church of St. John the Evangelist – Tanauan City

Vicariate 7

• Parish Church of the Immaculate Conception and of the Holy Cross – Poblacion, Bauan

Other Pilgrimage Sites:

• Parish of Church Nuestra Señora de la Soledad – Darasa, Tanauan City
• Missionary Catechists of the Sacred Heart – Sabang, Lipa City
• Chapel of Sta. Cruz – Binucalan, Alitagtag
• Parish of the Holy Family – Bolo, Bauan

Journeying towards the fullness of life, with courage and hope, we must “put on” Christ who “takes away the sins of the world” – the Divine Mercy.

What is an Indulgence?

The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines indulgence as “a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under certain prescribed conditions through the action of the Church, which, as the minister of redemption, dispenses and applies with authority the treasury of the satisfactions of Christ and the saints. An indulgence is partial or plenary according as it removes either part or all of the temporal punishment due to sin. The faithful can gain indulgences for themselves or apply them to the dead” (CCC 1741; see also CIC, can. 992-994).

Where does the Church derive her authority to grant indulgences?

The granting of indulgences is founded upon three doctrines of Catholic faith, namely: the treasury of the merits of the communion of saints, Christ himself, and the Blessed Virgin Mary and the saints. “An indulgence is obtained through the Church who, by virtue of the power of binding and loosing granted her by Christ Jesus [Mt 18:19], intervenes in favor of individual Christians and opens for them the treasury of the merits of Christ and the saints to obtain from the Father of mercies the remission of the temporal punishments due for their sins” (CCC 1478).

What is the link between the effects of the Sacrament of Penance and the Indulgences?

It is wrong to think that indulgences forgive sins; they only relieve the temporal punishment, either part or all, that at the moment is due for sin. An indulgence is not a remission of guilt but of the penalty. A person must go to sacramental confession to have his or her sins absolved by a priest. The Church teaches that “sin has a double consequence. Grave sin deprives us of communion with God, and therefore makes us incapable of eternal life, the privation of which is called the ‘eternal punishment’. On the other hand every sin, even venial, entails an unhealthy attachment to creatures, which must be purified either here on earth, or after death in the state called Purgatory. This purification frees one from what is called the ‘temporal punishment’ of sin… The forgiveness of sin and restoration of communion with God entail the remission of eternal punishment of sin, but temporal punishment of sin remains” (CCC 1472-1473). Through indulgences, works of mercy and charity, prayer and various practices of penance the faithful can obtain the remission of temporal punishment resulting from sin.

What are the conditions required for gaining a plenary indulgence?

To be capable of gaining an indulgence, one must be baptized, free of excommunication, and in the state of grace. If seeking it for oneself, one must have the intention of gaining it, must perform the work for which the indulgence is granted and must fulfill the three conditions, namely: sacramental confession, Eucharistic communion, prayer for the intentions of the Holy Father (Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be, The Creed). It is further required that all attachment to sin, even venial, be absent. If the latter disposition is in any way less than perfect or if the prescribed three conditions are not fulfilled, the indulgence will be partial only.

What is the prescribed work to gain a plenary indulgence during the centennial celebration?

Jubilee year is a year during which plenary indulgence may be obtained by the performance of certain pious acts. The work prescribed for acquiring a plenary indulgence during the centennial celebration consists in visiting any of the twenty one jubilee Churches in the Archdiocese. Nevertheless, in order that one who is capable may actually gain a plenary indulgence, it is necessary to perform the enjoined work at the time and in the manner prescribed. The three conditions may be fulfilled several days before or after the performance of the prescribed work; it is, however, fitting that the Communion be received and the prayer for the Holy Father’s intentions be recited on the same day the work is performed. As to when pilgrims must go to confession, it should be within eight days of the pilgrimage. A single sacramental confession suffices for gaining several plenary indulgences.

Who may gain indulgences and how many times can it be obtained?

It is important to note that no one, acquiring indulgences, can apply them to other living persons, only to oneself or to the faithful departed by way of suffrage. Archbishop Argüelles stressed that the sick, the aged, and the imprisoned may also gain indulgences even at home or in jail provided they have the intention of gaining them and they recite the prescribed prayers. He also noted that a pilgrim may receive indulgences again and again as he or she visits every jubilee church if it is applied to the souls in purgatory, but only once when applied to self.