Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula presided over the Thanksgiving Mass for the new President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. at the National Shrine of St. Michael and the Archangels, the parish beside the Malacanang compound on July 1, 2022, at 8 in the morning.
“We gather today to pray to God so that he may shower his graces upon our beloved nation…We pray in a special way for our national leaders, so that God may guide and help them in their daunting task,” Cardinal Advincula said.
In his homily, the Cardinal reflected on the traits of Christ being the model of leadership in the government as well as in the church.
“Dear brothers and sisters, for us, government as well as church leaders, our model of leadership is Our Lord Jesus Christ himself. As we pray for our leaders, let us ask God to grant them these two traits of the Good Shepherd: listening leadership and life-giving leadership,” he said.
The Archbishop challenged in his homily the newly elected leaders, especially the president and the vice president, to follow and imitate the traits of Christ’s leadership as they serve the Filipino people.
“Yes, we leaders are expected to speak and act with skill and zeal. But along with these, may we also be leaders with depth and grounding depth gained by listening to God and grounding gained by listening to the people, by being in touch with the lives of ordinary Filipinos” he said.
Present also at the mass were Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio, the members of the cabinet of the new administration, and also other government officials. Members of the family of President Marcos were also in attendance.
The Cardinal was joined by Cotabato Archbishop Emeritus Cardinal Orlando Quevedo, Fr. Genaro Diwa, rector and parish priest of the national shrine, and other priests of the archdiocese.
Recently, the Holy Father extended his congratulations to President Marcos. And on June 30, 2022, he was inaugurated at the National Museum as the 17th President of the Philippine Republic. (Jheng Prado/RCAM-AOC | Photos by Fr. Mico Dellera)
