On July 7, 2007, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI issued a document that is popularly known among Catholics as the Summorum Pontificum. It is an apostolic letter addressed to the Roman Catholic church motu proprio, or in other words out of his own initiative and personally signed by him. The letter was about the celebration of the Holy Mass according to the Missal promulgated by Pope John XXIII in 1962. For the sake of those who may not be familiar with such Catholic technical terms, Pope Benedict XVI’s letter was all about relaxing the rules in celebrating the Traditional Latin Mass or simply the Tridentine Mass. If before one needs the permission of the bishop of the diocese in order to celebrate the Tridentine Mass, nowadays no permission is needed as long as a sizeable number of people request for it and as long as there is a priest who knows how to celebrate it.

The Tridentine Mass was the kind of Mass that most of our grandparents attended before. It had been celebrated in Roman Catholic churches for more than four hundred years until the sweeping reforms of the second Vatican council took effect in 1969. In the Tridentine Mass, Latin is used all throughout the celebration and the priest turns his back to the people facing an altar that is attached to a retablo. To an outside observer, the celebrating priest and the people appear to be praying in one direction. In the contemporary Mass that most of us are used today, the Mass is celebrated in a free-standing altar either in English, Latin or in the vernacular, whichever is most comfortable, and the priest is facing the people. There are also some differences such as the Second Reading, the Responsorial Psalm, and the Prayers of the Faithful which are not in the Tridentine Mass.

(Left) Flower pots have replaced the candlesticks and the Latin altar cards of a Tridentine side-altar at the Santa Teresa de Avila church in Talisay. (Right) A Tridentine Mass being celebrated at the original marble altar of the Asilo dela Medalla Milagrosa chapel.

On October 11, 1962 Pope John XXIII opened the second Vatican Council, a gathering of ecclesiastical dignitaries and theological experts of the world. The purpose of the council was to introduce reforms so that the Roman Catholic Church will become relevant with an ever growing and modernizing society. Pope John XXIII introduced some minor reforms to the Tridentine Mass which gives the reason why the present form of it is also called the Mass of John XXIII or the 1962 Edition of the Roman Missal. On June 3, 1963 Pope John XXIII died while the council was still ongoing and he was succeeded by Pope Paul VI who on April 3, 1969 promulgated a revised rite of the Mass. This revised rite of the Mass is also known as Novus Ordo Missae (New Order of the Mass) otherwise known as the Mass of Paul VI. It is totally different from the Mass of John XXIII. This is the same contemporary Mass that everyone born after 1969 are accustomed to.

It is acknowledged in various books and journals that there was confusion right after the reforms of the council took effect in 1969. This was natural since there is always a period of adjustment after every major change affecting any large organization comes into full force. According to Professor Michael Rose in his article entitled Church Renovation, Re-Renovation, and the Third Millennium published in the Winter 2000 edition of the Sacred Architecture Journal, one of the first ways Bishop Bernard Flanagan of the diocese of Worcester in Massachusetts, U.S.A. sought to implement in the “spirit of Vatican II” after returning from the second Vatican council was to remodel his cathedral church. He removed the sacred furnishings that had been universally identified with the Catholic sanctuary. He replaced the main altar retablo with a concrete block wall, removed the communion rail, and transferred the tabernacle to a simple corner of the church. Other churches followed suit. And this was happening not just in the United States but with the rest of Western society including the Philippines.

A homily being delivered from the pulpit during a Tridentine Mass in Carcar.

Here in the Philippines, some old stone churches built during the Spanish colonial-era which luckily survived the ravages of World War II were demolished and replaced with modern ones. Other old churches however were spared except for the interiors which were modernized. Just like in the United States, several altar retablos were also torn down and replaced with a blank wall. Church furnishings such as communion rails, candelabras, altar table crucifixes, and ornate reliquaries containing relics of saints were removed – some were kept in storage rooms while the others were either stolen or sold unscrupulously. Several antique religious images were also carted away and kept in storage rooms, others were stolen or sold. Sacred vestments rich in hand-embroidered art that have liturgical meanings were kept in suitcases and replaced with simpler vestments. If an old church was not demolished it was instead enlarged without respect to its architecture and form which at most times made the building look just like a large assembly place that resembles a warehouse. A perfect example of enlarging churches without respect to its original design would be the Saint Joseph the Patriarch church in Mabolo which was originally gothic. Another example would be the Santa Teresa de Avila church in Talisay city.

Latin songs that are sung during the Tridentine Mass are more fine and solemn.

The liturgy was not spared too. Nowadays many of us see priests celebrating the Holy Mass even without properly wearing the sacred vestments. Worst, there are others who celebrate the Mass in a hurriedly manner as if they are catching up with something. Sacred music also does not sound sacred anymore. There are some Masses where the music is not so solemn and pleasing to the ears that it sometimes resembles a rock concert already. Gone are the enchanting Gregorian hymns of yesteryears. We must understand that the Holy Mass is different from the praise-and-worship activity of the charismatic movement and a border between the two must be maintained.

The reforms of Vatican II are actually good and commendable since it brought the people closer to understanding the mystery of the liturgy. What is not acceptable though is when anyone takes it as an excuse to recklessly destroy, either literally or figuratively, what has been in place for generations be it a thing or a tradition in the guise of creativity and innovation. Post-conciliar reforms never dictated that priceless altars full of sacred art be torn down, or ancient churches built of heavy stones and embellished with sculptures and relieves that took decades to be completed to be just utterly levelled and replaced with what looks like a drab and tacky assembly hall. It is sad to note that church renovators after 1969 even until today were merely acting on their own subjective whims and desires rather than on the authority of the Council fathers according to Professor Rose.

The Tridentine Mass revives the wearing of vestments rich in hand-embroidered art that have liturgical meanings and the use of ornate candelabras and altar table crucifixes that have long been kept in stock rooms.

Think of the efforts of our forefathers who labored for days or months or even years just to complete a masterpiece (i.e. building a church out of stone and carving sculptures and relieves). They piously worked hard under the assumption that they will easily enter paradise over the others because of what they have done and accomplished. Destroying such great masterpieces is tantamount to erasing their dreams and aspirations and we do not want to be accomplices to that.

What then is the connection with the Tridentine Mass or the traditional movement that is slowly building up in Cebu today and in other parts of the country and the world with restoring and preserving church heritage?

The Tridentine Mass for one makes use of some of the very same elements that church heritage workers are fighting to save for. For example, renewed interest in the Tridentine Mass has brought back the use of the communion rail, the use of sacred vestments rich in hand-embroidered art that have liturgical meanings, the use of the pulpit, and the utilization of the choir loft. Candle stands and altar crucifixes that have once been kept in the sacristy or in storage rooms have now been brought out and put back in the altar. Relics of saints encased in ornate reliquaries that were once locked in cabinets are now exposed in the altar either for use during the Mass or for public veneration. In Carcar, the parish priest was encouraged to plan for the restoration of the dilapidated main altar retablo including the ad orientem altar that was originally attached to it after a Tridentine Mass was celebrated there recently by the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate. The Mass however was celebrated using the post-conciliar free-standing altar since the original altar was long gone. It was notable though that the homily was delivered from the still intact wooden pulpit.

The traditional movement has influenced the way the modern Mass is being celebrated such as the use of six candlesticks (seven if a bishop celebrates in his diocese) and a crucifix, an arrangement known as the Benedictine altar.

It is not necessary that we make abrupt changes by replacing the contemporary Mass of today with the Tridentine Mass. It is enough that renewed interest in the Traditional Latin Mass has influenced the way the modern Mass is celebrated. It is enough that it has brought back order to the liturgy and what it ought to be. During the 75th anniversary of the archdiocese of Cebu, Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal celebrated Mass on an altar with seven candlesticks and a crucifix. The same altar set-up was also observed during the installation rites of Archbishop Jose Palma as the new archbishop of Cebu. These are clearly influences from Pope Benedict XVI’s liturgical reforms and are very commendable. The Summorum Pontificum does not bring us to the “medieval times” as what some hard-line liberals and modernists are saying. It is important to know that in order for us to move clearly into the future we must have an understanding of our past including our traditions.

There are actually a few contemporary sculptors in Cebu who have made their mark in carving religious images. Most of these found their way into the altars of churches and into the ornate carrozas owned by private individuals. However, none of their works are nearer to those made in Spain or even those made by known carvers in Luzon when it comes to quality and the fine attention to details. Not until a few months ago when we discovered that there is actually someone who has the ability to produce images that are at par with its Iberian counterparts.

The attention to details is easily recognizable. Notice the movement of the hands.

The carver is actually a furniture-maker who produces furniture for export. He was “discovered” out of a never-ending quest to find someone in Cebu who can really match the abilities, at least, of the best known santo-makers in Luzon. And the blind search paid off when a Discalced-Augustinian priest commissioned him to render the bas-relieves of the prophets Moses and Elijah for the new Chapel of the Holy Relics. His remarkable ability was further proven when he carved a life-sized image of the Cristo de la Columna for a private collector.

The carver lives in Mactan island. Coincidentally, there are also two other known carvers who live in the area but their works are nowhere in comparison to this person since his style is different — and better. The movements of the images that he make go with the natural flow thus producing stunning and quite realistic images that have a baroque flavor. He also pays so much attention to details in various aspects where other local carvers easily miss out.

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I have always thought that the best Good Friday processions in Cebu are limited only to some parts of the province particularly those towns that are so steep in history and tradition until I went to this beautiful little city up north which is Danao. Certain towns in the province are already known for their life-size images of biblical figures that are paraded on huge carriages during Good Friday but it seems like some of them are already overrated to the point that certain visitors would want something new for a change.

A calvary scene is wheeled to the church for the start of the procession.

An image of the crucified Christ wrapped in cloth is unveiled for the public veneration.

It was my first time to stay for a longer time here since I usually only pass by this place every time I go to my grandparents’ house in Bogo in the northernmost part of Cebu. Danao has always been etched in my mind as that charming city with a spacious public square that contains tall trees and a playground for children. The city layout is in the form of a grid and there is ample street lighting at its well-paved streets. It is perhaps the only place in Cebu that stands out among the other towns and in fact it was awarded as the cleanest and greenest city in the province many years back. I think this city has a very promising future considering also that there is so much space for expansion.

A tricycle carries a set of speakers to provide background music during the procession.

After last Friday’s procession another mark has been etched in my mind about this place. I did not expect that its devoted families can bring out some of Cebu’s finest religious images. I was also quite impressed with the care that they have rendered to it. In other towns, antique images are haphazardly restored using the wrong kind of paint and the wrong color combination which usually results to very funny looking images that badly need total makeover. Anyway, below are photos of some of Danao’s Good Friday images. Notice how well-taken cared such images are.

Calvario.

Santa Maria Magdalena.

Santa Marta de Betania.

Pieta.

Santa Maria Salome.

Santo Entierro.

I have managed to capture these images despite my last minute preparations. I would not have gone there if not for the prodding of a friend to witness the event. The experience made me decide to come back again next year and to stay perhaps for a much longer time. I was told that a ritual is observed during the vesting of the Santo Entierro and that alone aroused my curiosity since I missed it.

(Photos below) The locals are very religious and it seemed like the entire population of the city joined the procession.

In Danao city there is a tradition where some people would whisper at the ear of the Santo Entierro (Holy Burial) while it is being dressed up in preparation for the Good Friday procession. The sense of hearing is really the last to be lost when a person dies and there are some people who immediately whisper their final respects to someone who has just passed away but the peculiar practice of whispering to this cold wooden depiction of a dead Christ is quite unimaginable and perhaps it stemmed from the fusion of folk and Christian beliefs — a tradition that had been handed over by the ancestors of those who practice it. Whereas one may bid farewell to a loved one who has just died, those who believe that a dead Christ in wood can really hear may actually whisper for favors such as winning the lottery or getting more luck at work.

There are many practices that abound religious images. The image of the La Virgen Dolorosa (Sorrowful Virgin) for example is swarmed with prayers and songs throughout the entire time that it is being dressed and prepared. There are also some DOs and DON’Ts like it is not allowed to take pictures of the image while it is being vested and the door of the room where the vesting of the image is done must be closed at all times.

The Santo Entierro is displayed in a prominent area of the church to allow people to pay their respects.

Such images are treated with the dignity and respect that is due to the biblical figures that it represent. Like royalty, the images are handled with utmost care and paraded with all the necessary pomp and pageantry. After the procession, the Santo Entierro itself is displayed in a prominent area of the church and people line up to “pay their respects” in the same way that a fallen leader would be accorded such by his subjects.

This post is part of the Visita Iglesia Cebu series. A Cuaresma 2012 feature.

The most beautiful altar in Cebu.

A few months ago we featured a Cebuano master encarnador performing restoration works on an antique image of San Agustin. Today, as part of the visita iglesia series for this year’s Holy Week, we show to you the Chapel of the Holy Relics embellished to full splendor with ornate altars and reliquaries by another imaginative and equally talented Cebuano artist.

Holy Relics temporarily displayed in cardboard holders.

The chapel was established just recently to house almost a thousand relics under the custody of Father Dennis Duene Ruiz, a discalced augustinian priest who used to work at the Vicariate of Rome while finishing his studies for the priesthood. Pious Christians will find the chapel interesting as it has in its collection the relics of the passion of Christ which include a piece of the actual wooden cross where Jesus was crucified.

Ornate wooden reliquaries.

All relics under the chapel’s possession are housed in ornate wooden reliquaries that are locally hand-carved and gold-leafed. The main altar itself including its various embellishments are all products of local imagination. According to Father Ruiz, a very large empty wall that faces the altar will soon be painted with biblical scenes by another local artist mimicking the beauty of the Sistine Chapel.

Details of a side-altar retablo.

Cebu has earned various monickers in the past one of which is the title of Furniture Capital of the Philippines due to its steady pool of talented artists who have produced and exported furniture for various clients abroad. The Chapel of the Holy Relics is itself a testament to the ingenuity of the Cebuano craft. Aside from it being a repository of sacred relics, it is also a museum that pays tribute to the talents and abilities of our local artists.

(Left) An intricately-carved niche of Santa Rita de Cascia, notice the large reliquary beside it. (Right) Relief of Elijah above the main altar.

The Chapel of the Holy Relics is located in Tabor Hill — a religious venue for spiritual retreats and other activities run by the Order of the Discalced Augustinians — in Barangay San Jose, Cebu City. There are no jeepneys that go directly to Tabor Hill however one can ride a habal-habal for just ten pesos from the town proper of Barangay Talamban.

This post is part of the Visita Iglesia Cebu series. A Cuaresma 2012 feature.

The upper half of the church’s main altar retablo.

The main altar retablo of the Santa Catalina de Alejandria Church in Carcar will soon be restored, a source mentioned after yesterday’s historical Traditional Latin Mass (TLM) at the 152-year old stone church.

The TLM, also known as the Tridentine Mass, was celebrated in connection with the “Day with Mary” activity which was organized by the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate, a Roman Catholic Institute of Religious Life with Pontifical Right established by Pope John Paul II in 1998.

A full view of the retablo reveals a concrete covering at the lower half.

Carcar’s main altar retablo, a beautiful wooden masterpiece in Graeco-Roman style, is currently in a bad state; a thin slab of concrete covers the lower half of it. The Mass was celebrated using the post-conciliar free standing altar since the original altar, which was attached to the retablo, was removed many years ago. The homily, however, was delivered at the wooden raised-pulpit. The communion rail was also used during Holy Communion and the choir sang from the choir loft located at the narthex.

The Tridentine Mass seems to have put everything back into order and I hope that more Tridentine masses will be celebrated in other Spanish-era churches in Cebu. Kudos to the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate!

A vintage photo showing the main altar retablo in its unaltered state. (Photo from Google images)

Just a few days after Archbishop Jose Palma’s Pontifical Solemn High Mass in the extraordinary form of the Roman rite last Monday, another Tridentine mass will be celebrated again tomorrow and this time it will be in the 152-year old church of Santa Catalina de Alejandria in Carcar, a charming small city in the southern part of Cebu.

It seems like Archbishop Palma’s Tridentine Mass has sent ripples and Carcar is obviously just the start of it. The Tridentine Mass in Carcar’s age-old church will be a bit significant since it will be the first time that such a Solemn High Mass in the extraordinary form will be celebrated there since the sweeping reforms of Vatican II took effect in 1969. Secondly, the Mass will give life to the church’s elegantly-carved wooden pulpit because it will be used by the celebrating priest in delivering his homily, again for the first time since Vatican II.

May the Traditional Latin Mass be an instrument for the preservation of Cebu’s old Spanish colonial churches just like in Bohol. We have to remember that the Tridentine Mass is very rich in all aspects — and changes in the liturgy are the reasons why several old churches are being bastardized.

The Most Reverend Jose S. Palma, archbishop of Cebu and president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), celebrated a Pontifical Solemn High Mass in the Extraordinary Form last March 26 on the occasion of the Solemnity of the Annunciation at the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate’s Church of Mary Coredemptrix in Barangay San Jose, Cebu City.

As a lost intangible heritage of the church, there is renewed interest in it after Pope Benedict XVI’s new Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum.

The Extraordinary Form of the Mass is also known as the Tridentine Mass or the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM), a Mass celebrated exclusively in Latin with the priest facing an altar attached to the wall of the church apse, as opposed to the contemporary altar that we see today, effectively turning his back on the congregation. The Tridentine Mass was celebrated in Roman Catholic churches for more than 400 years until changes made to the liturgy during Vatican II took effect in 1969. As a lost intangible heritage of the church, there is renewed interest in it after Pope Benedict XVI’s new Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum.

In a ritual-laden ceremony such as the Tridentine Mass the archbishop is donned with the Cappa Magna or Great Cape as soon as he arrives at the church after which he sprinkles the congregation with holy water.

The Tridentine Mass is full of symbolism and rituals that make it very theologically rich. As one priest puts it, “The extraordinary form is in itself a product of the Baroque age. Everything is like a theater from the vestments rich in symbolism to the well-choreographed movements that have also meanings in it.”

(Photos below) At the sacristy the archbishop is vested with vestments rich in symbolism and meanings. A ritual is observed during the vesting.

For a Tridentine Mass celebrated by a higher prelate such as an archbishop, the rituals begin with his arrival to the church and to his vesting at the sacristy. It is quite opposite to the Novus Ordo Missae or the modern Mass that we have today where at most times the priest no longer even recites the necessary prayers associated with the wearing of the vestments. A great number of priests nowadays also do not wear their vestments properly.

The start of the Mass.

Over-all the experience of attending the Pontifical Solemn High Mass in the Extraordinary Form is very beautiful and moving. During his homily, Archbishop Palma mentioned that there will be more Tridentine Masses in the future. Finally, the Roman Catholic Church in Cebu has entered its renaissance towards a golden era.

(Photos below) The Mass proper.

This post is part of the Visita Iglesia Cebu series. A Cuaresma 2012 feature.

Satellite view of the Cebu Cathedral. (Photo from Google Maps)

If we are to rely on Google’s satellite image of the Cebu Cathedral then we can very much surmise that the plan of Domingo de Escondrillas, a 19th-century Spanish architect, to expand the cathedral was really implemented but not finished.

According to the Cathedral Museum of Cebu’s A Colorful History of the Cebu Cathedral penned by Jose Eleazar Bersales:

“Escondrillas proposes tearing down of the walls of the cruceros and the main altar in order to follow the Greek cross style. The arches are also extended so that it can accommodate 1,400 people more than the 4,300 residents that can be accommodated inside the church. The altar mayor is moved so that it can be seen from any point inside the church.”

A Greek Cross is a cross with arms that are of equal length thus a church built in Greek cross style has a cruciform plan where both transepts are of equal length with the nave and the apse. A church designed in Greek cross usually has the main altar at the crossing as was the case of Iloilo’s defunct 19th-century Oton Church.

The cathedral today.

Looking at the satellite image provided by Google Maps, we can see that the length of the nave or the main body of the church is equal to the length of the apse where the sacristy and the storage rooms of the cathedral can be found. Such is the size of this apse that a mausoleum was built in the 1980s and a new chapel that can fit many people where private weddings and baptisms can be conducted was opened just recently. The transepts though are shorter which means that the expansion was not fully implemented for whatever reason there was.

Escondrillas was commissioned to expand the cathedral following a letter by Bishop Romualdo Jimeno (1846-1872) to Governor-General Rafael Echague. Had the plan been fully implemented, the transepts now would have been of equal length with the nave and the apse thus accommodating more people than it can now.

There are more than a hundred reasons to visit a particular place. For this season of Lent, however, there are only seven reasons to visit seven magnificent churches in Bohol to complete the traditional Visita Iglesia. Bohol used to be a part of the diocese of Cebu and it basically shares the same language and culture with the Cebuanos. Although now a separate province southeast of Cebu, Bohol is very much accessible through a two-hour boat trip.

A typical church trip to Bohol starts in Tubigon going all the way to Jagna. Along the way one will pass by several beautiful stone churches that have withstood the ravages of time and man. Accommodations can be easily found in Tagbilaran, the capital of the province. Several houses in certain towns have also been converted into little hotels that offer cozy rooms at affordable prices.

1.) Marvel at the ceiling frescoes in Tubigon.

2.) Take photos of the pipe organ in Maribojoc and the various other historical pipe organs throughout the province.

3.) Kneel down at the timeless beauty of the Tagbilaran Cathedral.

4.) Look up high at the Gothic church spires of Calape.

5.) Get struck with the enigmatic play of light in Baclayon.

6.) Drool at the marvel of art in Jagna.

7.) Pass the time at the classic interior of Dimiao.

Starting next week we will take you on a journey to some of the most notable churches in Cebu for the yearly Visita Iglesia as part of the Holy Week ritual. Visita Iglesia, which is Spanish for “church visit,” is a Filipino tradition of visiting seven churches on Holy Thursday. Some go to the extent of visiting fourteen churches to symbolize the fourteen stations of the cross. Whatever one’s belief is, Visita Iglesia can generally be regarded as an act of penance. Simple gestures such as having to travel from one church to another is itself a form of piety that some believe will earn merits in heaven.

Cuaresma is a period of penitential preparation in Christianity for Easter. It comes from the Latin Quadragesima meaning forty thus the forty days of Lent. In the Philippines and in Cebu in particular, cuaresma is characterized by a number of events and religious activities leading to Holy Week. It is during this season that a number of traditions and beliefs are practiced and observed.

This blog will be a witness to some of these as it tries to document each of them with black and white images that describe Lent in Cebu.