Over 300 priests in Cebu for liturgy conference

• Source: https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1762448/Cebu/Local-News/Over-300-priests-in-Cebu-for-liturgy-conference
• Monday, September 3, 2018

(JKV)

MORE than 300 liturgical directors from different dioceses in the country gathered in Cebu on Monday, September 3, for a yearly conference focused on updating them on liturgical concerns.

The 33rd National Meeting of Diocesan Directors of Liturgy (NMDDL) formally kicked off Monday and will end on Friday, September 7.

The yearly activity, organized by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP)’s Episcopal Commission on the Liturgy, will be focused on discussions on Pope Francis’ apostolic letter entitled Magnum Principium.

Issued almost a year ago, the Magnum Principium or the Great Principle was created by Pope Francis to modify the 1983 Code of Canon Law to shift responsibility and authority for the translation of liturgical texts into modern languages to national and regional conferences of bishops.

Fr. Japheth Geonzon, assistant chairman of the Cebu Archdiocesan Commission on Liturgy, told SunStar Cebu that the five-day conference will be focused on discussing Pope Francis’ apostolic letter to the context of translating liturgical text in all areas of the country.

“Since the liturgy is the summit of our Christian life, without it, the Church cannot live. The life of the Church revolves around the liturgy. This gathering calls us to renew our being part of the Church, not just on the clergy, but even its people,” Geonzon added.

In a separate interview, Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma welcomed the participants to the activity and hoped that they would learn something from the experience.

“We hope that this activity will help in making people more appreciative of the liturgy,” Palma said.

This was the second in almost two decades that the NMDDL was held in Cebu. The last time was on its 17th year back in 2002.