OMI culminates 75th diamond jubilee celebration
MIDSAYAP, North Cotabato (Sept. 20) – All roads lead
here starting Tuesday as the Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI) culminate 75th
Diamond Jubilee celebrations with a cardinal, a bishop and hundreds of
priests and religious in attendance.
His eminence Orlando Cardinal Quevedo, OMI, DD,
archbishop of Cotabato, will officiate the 9 a.m Diamond Jubilee mass on the third
day (Sept. 25) of the celebration dubbed as Festival of Hoping,” at the NDMC
grounds after the 7 a.m. parade around town with the Sto. Nino Parish Church as
assembly area.
On the second day (Sept. 24) of the culminating
activities, dubbed as Festival of Reliving,” Jolo Bishop Angelito Lampon, OMI,
DD will preside the 8 a.m. Eucharistic celebration at the NDMC gymnasium. It
will be followed by Talks and Group Sharing (reliving) the life and missions of
the OMIs in the Philippines in the past 75 years.
Plenary session will commence at 1 p.m. and followed
by the Guided Tour to photo exhibit, memorabilia and booths.
Reliving the past 75 years
Want to see the early years of Oblates in the
Philippines through the old photographs?
Come and visit the memorabilia and booths inside the NDMC gymnasium.
View through photographs and memories ofhow the OMIs dared the difficult missions when
nobody knows mobile phones and electronic gadgets and Microsoft was not even in
the mind of Bill Gates, and the mode of transportation ranges from pre-war
jeeps to horseback riding and the most common, missionary priests riding on
their feet for kilometers to reach far-flung and isolated communities.
Non-stop musical showat night, witness the OneMomentIn75 jubilee concert
featuring RnB Knight Duncan Ramos, Princess Velasco and Luke Mejares beginning
at 8 p.m.
The non-stop musical show will be followed by an overnight
vigil.
At the start of the 3-day event (Sept. 23), dubbed
as Festival of Remembering” is the 4 p.m. opening Eucharistic celebration with
OMI Philippine province Provincial Superior Fr. Larry de Guia as the main
celebrant at the Sto Nino Parish Church. Before that, Fr. Jun Matas, OMI will
orient the delegates.
At night, see the colorful but entertaining cultural
presentation at the NDMC gymnasium performed by local artists.
Early in the day is the arrival of guests from here
and abroad, including OMI supporters, friends, co-apostolate, relatives and family members.