Antipolo Cathedral to be elevated into international shrine

ANTIPOLO CITY – The city government on Wednesday advised the public to expect heavy traffic along certain routes downtown because of a flurry of religious activities ahead of the elevation of the Shrine of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage here into an "international shrine" on Jan. 26.

In an online travel advisory by Mayor Casimiro Ynares III, it was announced that daily Marian processions will be held originating from the Antipolo Cathedral and passing through several key roads around the city beginning Jan. 17 to 25.

The series of processions is also expected to draw thousands of devotees and tourists from outside Antipolo, exacerbating traffic congestion in affected roads from 6 p.m. onwards throughout the nine-day span of the religious celebration.

“We are advising motorists to avoid these roads and instead use alternative routes towards their destinations if they do not want to be encumbered,” Ynares said in Filipino.

M.L. Quezon, Sumulong, Lawis and Sto. Niño streets, all main city roads, are said to be the focus of the processions of replica images of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage (Virgin of Antipolo), a 17th-century Roman Catholic wooden image of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, an exhibit showcasing different replica images of the Virgin of Antipolo was launched at the Robinsons Mall here in time for the 70th anniversary of the Antipolo Church’s declaration as the National Shrine of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage.

Rev. Fr. Reynante Tolentino, shrine rector and parish administrator of the Antipolo Cathedral, said "the exhibit showcased the profound devotion of the countless devotees of the Blessed Virgin of Antipolo."

The exhibit is being heavily promoted by the Antipolo City Culture, Arts and Tourism Promotions Office. (PNA)