The country’s first parish church under the patronage of St. Paul of the Cross has been declared a diocesan shrine.
In a decree made public on March 19, the Solemnity of St. Joseph, Bishop Francisco De Leon of Antipolo approved a petition to elevate the parish to such status.
Located in the city of Marikina’s SSS village, it also holds the distinction of being the diocese’s only parish dedicated to a male patron saint.
The bishop’s approval came five months after a petition to declare the church as a shrine was filed by Father Vicentico Flores, Jr., its parish priest.
The declaration also coincided with the 300th foundation anniversary of the Passionist Congregation, which administered the parish for 29 years.
Established in 1975, the parish was turned over by the Passionist Fathers to the pastoral care of the Antipolo diocese in 2004.
The new diocesan shrine, the eighth in the diocese, keeps a first-class relic of St. Paul of the Cross, which was acquired in 2010.
The other diocesan shrines include the St. Mary Magdalene in Pillilla, Our Lady of the Holy Rosary in Cardona, Our Lady of Light in Cainta, Our Lady of Aranzazu in San Mateo, Our Lady of the Abandoned in Marikina City, and St. Therese of the Child Jesus in Antipolo City.
The Antipolo Cathedral is the oldest national shrine in the country.
