Facade of the Redemptorist Church in Parañaque City. (Screengrab from PTV)
MANILA -- The icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help inside the Baclaran Church, also known as Redemptorist Church, in Parañaque City will be temporarily removed from the altar which will be renovated starting on Thursday.
In a statement Wednesday, the National Shrine of Our Mother of Perpetual Help said the image will be officially removed after the 9:30 a.m. mass.
“On September 5, 2019, the icon will be temporary removed from the altar,” it said.
The statement added that on Saturday, the icon will be displayed for public veneration and vigil after the 5:45 p.m. mass until midnight.
It said that the Saturday schedule is timely as Roman Catholics will celebrate the birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary on September 8.
Also, the icon will be on display on September 10, after the 9:30 a.m. mass until midnight.
After the scheduled public venerations, the Baclaran Church will secure the icon until the renovation has been completed.
“Otherwise, the icon will be secured by the Redemptorists until the altar is ready for her return,” it said.
At the same time, the National Shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Help urged devotees to visit the icon since it is a rare occasion for them to have a closer encounter with the religious icon.
“This is a very significant religious event for us, devotees of Our Mother of Perpetual Help. In this rare occasion, we will have a rare occasion, we will have a lifetime chance to have a face to face encounter with the icon,” it said.
“May this experience help us to reflect from heaven to meet us in the rough grounds of daily living,” the statement added.
It noted that this is only the third time that the icon will be removed from the altar -- the first time was during World War II for safekeeping and the second time was in 1992 when the icon underwent restoration.
“Now, 27 years later, it will be taken down to give way for the altar renovation,” the statement added.
The Baclaran Church has been a center of Marian devotion in the last 70 years with thousands of miracles attributed to Mother Perpetual Help.
The icon placed high above the altar of the church is the focus of devotion and is considered miraculous. (PNA)
