Bishop Broderick Pabillo, apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of Manila, appealed to the faithful to help rebuild the Sto. Niño De Pandacan parish church, which was damaged by a fire on July 10.
“Let us be part of its rebuilding so you can say to your children or grandchildren: ‘Our family was part of its reconstruction.’ Let us help each other,” said the bihsop.
“I’m appealing to priests in the archdiocese to give your own contribution no matter how little,” he said during Mass outside the church.
“My dream is for this not only to become an effort of (the people of) Pandacan but of the whole archdiocese,” said Bishop Pabillo.
Parish officials, meanwhile, warned the public against individuals who would use the incident to solicit money.
“It has come to our attention that there are certain individuals who pretend to be the official representative of the parish,” read the parish’s statement.
The local church warned against those who take advantage of the fire to solicit “for their own self-serving interest.”
To ensure that donations reached the “rightful beneficiary,” the parish asked the public to deposit money directly to the parish’s bank account and to ask for an official receipt.
The faithful can also visit the church’s parish office to give their donations.
Among those lost in the fire was a 400-year old image of the Child Jesus.
Fire broke out at the Sto. Niño Parish church, home of the image of the Child Jesus, in Manila’s Pandacan district on July 10.
Although there were no reported casualties, the church’s altar collapsed, pews were burned, and religious images were destroyed.
The first stone church in Pandacan was built in 1732 by Father Francisco del Rosario. The church would take 30 years to complete.
The image of the Child of Jesus was enshrined in the church and its feast is traditionally celebrated on the third Sunday of January.
