The Easter Season ends as the Roman Catholic Church observes Pentecost Sunday on May 28.
The solemn feast commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples of Jesus Christ as He had promised.
Diocese of Cubao Bishop Honesto F. Ongtioco will celebrate a feast mass at 9:30 a.m.at the Our Lady of Pentecost Parish in Loyola Heights, Quezon City on Sunday.
A procession was held on May 27 while novena masses were offered from May 19 to 27.
Also known as the Feast of the Holy Spirit, Pentecost Sunday is observed 50 days after the resurrection of Christ on Easter Sunday.
In Holy Masses on Sunday, Church rites will include the recitation of special prayers and the Litany to the Holy Spirit, prayers for the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and the Act of Consecration to the Holy Spirit.
Red vestments will be worn by the clergy “to symbolize God’s burning love for mankind and the supreme power of the Holy Ghost.”
Mass readings will focus on the events of Pentecost, which, according to the Acts of the Apostles, took place in a house in Jerusalem, where the Last Supper was held. Witnessed by the Blessed Mother and other loyal followers of Jesus, He blessed His apostles and bestowed on them the gift of the Holy Spirit. He said, “Receive the Holy Spirit, whose sins you forgive are forgiven, and whose sins you retain are retained.”
In Rome, Italy, the Pope traditionally celebrates the Mass of Priestly Ordination in recognition of the apostolic succession - from the apostles to the priests who have been tasked by God to undertake the evangelical mission of the Church to spread the Word of God.
Considered as the birthday of the Roman Catholic Church, “Pentecost is a powerful feast of salvation, a day to celebrate hope that God, through His Holy Spirit, is at work among His people. It is a celebration of newness, of renewal, of purpose, mission, and calling as God’s people. It signifies the extension of the Divine Body of Christ in all believers,” Church leaders said.
Pentecost is one of the great feasts in the Eastern Orthodox Church, a solemnity in the Roman rite of the Catholic Church, a festival in the Lutheran Churches, and a principal feast in the Anglican Communion.
