THE centennial celebration of the Archdiocese of Lipa closes at  2 p.m. today at the San Sebastian Cathedral grounds, Lipa City. 

More than 20 bishops, almost a hundred priests and thousands of the laity from all over Batangas will converge for this important event. You may even tune in for a live coverage via internet.  Just log in to the website of the Archdiocese of Lipa,  www.archlipa.org and at the left side, click Batangas and click the radio station to hear the proceedings. Archbishop Ramon C. Arguelles  will lead the celebration.

The Archdiocese of Lipa was established  on April 10, 1910 and elevated to the status of Archdiocese on June 20, 1972. As a new Diocese in 1910 it comprised what is now the Provinces of Batangas, Laguna, Quezon, and the islands of Mindoro and Marinduque. Even some parts of Northern Camarines once belonged to the Diocese of Lipa. 

It is important to note that the year-long Centennial Celebration is about the establishment of the historical Diocese of Lipa which was established by a saintly Pope, Pius X. Originally the territoies covered by the Diocese of Lipa were part of the Diocese of Manila that was then a suffragan Diocese of the Archdiocese of Mexico.

A centennial book is being prepared to document the journey of abundant faith of the people of Batangas and is expected to be released by the end of 2011. For the faith-filled people of Batangas, the past year was all about remembering the past with gratitude and love.  The history of this Diocese is filled with extraordinary stories of brave men and women, particularly priests and bishops and nuns who overcame obstables to strengthen the church in the area. 

The first missionaries to Batangas were the Augustinians and the Franciscans. Arising from these missionary efforts of these two religious orders, Batangas, which was central to the Southern Tagalog region, had its important pole position in the evangelization work in this part of Luzon. The Patron or Titular Saint of the Diocese of Lipa is St. Joseph the Patriarch.  This was clearly stated in the Bull of Pope Leo XIII.  However, the diocese of Lipa has also been given the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Immaculate Conception as her Secondary Patron. 

This corrects the common impression that St. Sebastian is the Patron Saint of the Archdiocese because he is the Patron Saint of the Cathedral Parish, according to the Centennial Primer prepared by the Archdiocese. 

Centennial celebrations do not often happen.  Not many have the opportunity to celebrate the centenary of an event.  What moves others to celebrate is the enduring significance of an act or an event.

For the celebration which had a three-year preparation, the following were their themesL Remembering the Past with Gratitude and Love; Living the Present with Enthusiasm and Faith; and Facing the Future with Courage and Hope with renewed evangelization. These are timely themes considering the many challenges facing Catholics and the Filipinos as a whole with all the disasters occurring daily.  Let the people of Batangas inspire you on how to face up to these challenges.

Visit the website and tune in to their radio station and be inspired by the enduring faith of the people of  Batangas.