A MUSEUM dedicated to the legacy of the late Manila Archbishop Cardinal Jaime Sin in New Washington, Aklan will mark its first anniversary with a Mass and tribute on Sunday, Aug. 31.
Coinciding with Sin’s 97th birth anniversary, the program will begin with a Mass that will be celebrated by Archbishop Victor Bendico, apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Kalibo.
The tribute to the cardinal will include a musical homage and a message by Regalado Trota Jose Jr., chairman of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines.
“Museo Kardinal’s first anniversary is a celebration of grace,” Fr. Justy More, museum director and UST Central Seminary alumnus, told the Varsitarian.
He recalled the museum’s beginnings in 2024, when money for initial expenses had to be loaned.
“Unexpected visitors and donors arrived, reminding us that God’s provision is always enough,” More added.
Opened on Sept. 1, 2024, the first ecclesiastical museum in Western Visayas has a chapel dedicated to St. John Paul II, who visited the country in 1981 and 1995. The late pope was hosted by the late cardinal.
The second floor of the museum is divided into exhibits showing the cardinal’s life and his personal belongings and memorabilia.
More said the museum has registered some 6,000 visitors since opening last year.
“It has generated more interest in Cardinal Jaime Sin, Philippine history and culture, and the arts. Students come to Museo Kardinal not only to do sightseeing but to research,” he said.
Sin played a key role in the 1986 and 2001 “People Power” uprisings.
In 1976, he became the youngest cardinal in the world at 48. He was appointed the 30th archbishop of Manila by Pope Paul VI in 1974.
