Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula baptized 57 children from Baseco’s slum areas last Dec. 21, 2022, at the Santo Nino de Baseco Parish as part of the Archdiocese of Manila’s Christmas Outreach program.
In his homily, the Cardinal reminded the faithful who attended the ceremony that the sacrament of Baptism is a blessing that needs to be shared.
“Ang sakramento ng binyag ay biyayang may kalakip na misyon tayo ay nabiyayaan upang maghandog ang pananampalatayang tinanggap natin sa binyag ay hindi maaring manatili lang sa atin kailangan natin itong ibahagi sa kapwa, ipahayag sa lahat ng mga bansa at ipasa sa mga susunod na henerasyon,” said the Cardinal.
Cardinal Advincula also encouraged the parents and godfathers and godmothers to become good examples to the young people and to nourish them with the teaching of the Lord to be good members of society and the Christian community.
Meanwhile, in his message, Fr. Asis Bajao, Parish Priest of Santo Nino de Baseco thanked the staff of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila (RCAM) for choosing the Baseco community to be the beneficiary of their project.
The priest also recognized the parents who responded to the call of the church to have their children baptized and become sons and daughters of the Lord, along with the appeal to be active members of the community.
“Ako po ay lubos na nagpapasalamat sa inyo na binigyan n’yo kami ng pagkakataon na akayin kayo para mabinyagan ang inyong mga anak; ang ating pagsimba hindi lang hanggang sa nabinyagan kundi hanggang sa susunod pang sakramento,” ani Fr. Bajao.
After conducting the sacrament of Baptism, the RCAM personnel distributed toys and food packs to the children and their parents as Christmas gifts.
The Christmas Out Reach program was organized by the Archdiocese of Manila in coordination with the Santo Nino de Baseco Parish.
Currently, there are more than three million Catholics who belong to the Archdiocese of Manila from the five cities of Manila, Makati, Mandaluyong, Pasay and San Juan. (Jheng Prado | Photo by Maricar Santos/RCAM-AOC | Photogallery)
