Cardinal visits DC, says Mass at Basilica
Jul 11, 2007
Manila Archibshop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales, who has reportedly tendered his resignation with the Vatican, presided at a Mass for the 10th annual Filipino Pilgrimage of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage (Birhen Antipolo) at the Basilica of the Natonal Shrine of the Immaculate Conception on June 23.
(manilamaildc.net, July 11, 2007) WASHINGTON D.C. – Hundreds of the Virgin of Antipolo followers and the Catholic faithful attended the Mass. The Cardinal’s visit to Washington is part of a two-week visit to the United States on his way to the Vatican to attend a meeting of Cardinals next month. With him is his secretary, Fr. Reginald Malicdem.
Many Catholics say they were not aware of the visit of the Cardinal or the Mass at the Basilica because it was not well publicized by the organizers of his visit.
Before coming to DC, he stopped over in San Francisco June 20 to meet with the Rosales clan and officials of the Philippine consulate. The Cardinal celebrated Mass at the St. John the Baptist Parish in Milpitas in San Jose, California, whose pastor is Fr Norman Segovia, the vicar for Filipino clergy of the Diocese of San Jose. Then he returned to the Bay Area for masses at St. John the Evangelist Church in San Francisco on June 21 at 9 a.m. and in the afternoon of the same day at the St. Anne of the Sunset Parish Church in San Francisco, where he talked about “Pondo ng Pinoy.” This was followed with a dinner with the Filipino community in the Bay Area. On June 22, Rosales proceeded to Washington D.C. where he was formally welcomed at a reception at the World Bank by Msgr. Walter Rossi, Rector of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Theodore Edgar Cardinal McCarrick, Archbishop Emeritus of the Archdiocese of Washington D.C., Archbishop Pietro Sambi, Apostolic Nuncio to the United States of America, Fr. Joseph Holcomb, Director of Pilgrimages, Msgr. Godfrey Mosley, Spiritual Adviser of Birhen ng Antipolo, and priests and lay leaders of the archdiocese.
The Antipolo mass was the highlight of his five-day visit to Washington at the basilica at 2 p.m. June 23. Principal celebrant and homilist at the Mass was visiting Gaudencio Borb_n Cardinal Rosales. Concelebrants were Msgr. Godfrey Mosley, Fr. Jaime Noel Deslate, Fr. Jovy Roldan, Fr. Franco Liporace, Fr. PJ Camiring, Fr. Regie Malicden, Fr. Gary Villanueva, Fr. Pete Literal, Fr. Nixon Negparanon, Fr. Valeriano Cabahug, Fr. Venancio Balarote, Jr., and Fr. Jerome A. Magat.
The Mass was followed by a procession to the Oratory at the Crypt Church Cardinal Rosales was personally invited by a group of Filipino American devotees of Our Lady led by Msgr. Rossi when they visited the Philippines and made a courtesy call to him in February 2006.
Rosales also visited various community leaders in the Metropolitan Washington DC area, celebrating Mass at St. Columba Church in Maryland on June 24.
On June 25, he visited the offices of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops where he was welcomed by Msgr. David Malloy, USCCB General Secretary and its Filipino employees led by Cecile Motus. The Cardinal’s next stop was Chicago where he met with Filipino Community at the Our Lady of Ransom Parish Church in Niles, Illinois.
On June 28, he departed for Italy where he will celebrate Sunday Mass on July 1 with Filipinos in Milan. He will attend a meeting at the Vatican of the Council for Economic and Organizational Affairs of the Vatican City State on July 2 and 3. He is expected to be back in Manila on July 5.
Cardinal visits DC, says Mass at Basilica