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Beatus exhibit of Blessed John Paul II at the Gateway Mall

A SKULL cap used during the May 13 assassination attempt and the chasuble used during the beatification of the Philippine’s first saint. A Jubilee Year brick which was part of the "Holy Door" in Year 2000. A piece of linen from his death bed in April 2005 and the chalice used in a mass during one of his pastoral visits. And the papal chair used as the pontiff addressed professionals at the Big Dome more than three decades ago.

These are just some of the relics of the Blessed John Paul II that will be displayed at the Activity Area of the Gateway Mall from October 9 to 21, 2011. Dubbed as "BEATUS: Embracing the Holiness of John Paul II", the relic and photo exhibit is part of the Araneta Center and Diocese of Cubao’s celebration of the first feast day of the newly Blessed Pope John Paul II whose actual feast falls on October 22. Beatus is Latin for "blessed".

The beloved pontiff visited the country in 1981 and 1995 and is fondly remembered by many Filipino faithful because of his innate charisma and the call to evangelization he imparted on both pastoral visits. Pope John Paul’s Pontificate of almost thirty years was both long and of a historically incisive importance especially in the events that took place at the turn of the millennium. He was the pope who beatified the most number of saints, the "globe-trotter pope" and was primarily responsible for giving instant visibility to the Catholic Church. His sense of missionary responsibility took him to every corner of the earth and his ecumenical and interreligious sensitivity endeared him to people of all faiths.

More than 300,000 pilgrims attended his beatification last May in Rome. In the Philippines, the beatification of the beloved pope likewise became a reminder to the faithful that sanctity is not beyond anyone’s reach. Pope Benedict XVI says of the newly Blessed John Paul II, " The life and work of John Paul II…is a great call to be faithful witnesses to the faith, hope and love, as he himself continuously taught."
The BEATUS exhibit is considered as one of the largest public collections of Pope John Paul II’s relics mounted in the country. The items come from the collections of the Loyola House of Studies, Carmelo Francisco Cortez, Dave Ceasar Dela Cruz, the San Carlos Seminary, Araneta Center and Bishop Cirilo Almario among others.

The BEATUS exhibit is likewise a prelude to a much larger celebration being prepared by the Diocese of Cubao and the Araneta Center. On Saturday, October 29, a liturgical concert entitled BLESSED: A CALL TO HOLINESS will feature messages and testimonials from Fr. Francis Gustilo, SDB, member of the Vatican’s International Theological Commission and the Spiritual Director of the Couples for Christ, Foundation for Family and Life (CFCFFL), Ambassador Henrietta de Villa, former Ambassador to the Holy See, and Jo Grafil, former Executive Director of the World Youth Day.

From www.malaya.com.ph