THE DIOCESE of Kalibo opened on Sept.1 a museum at the ancestral house of the late Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin in New Washington, Aklan, dedicated to the cardinal’s legacy and ahead of the diocese’s golden jubilee.
Museo Kardinal features the history of the diocese and the profile of its parishes, as well as a “unique perspective” of the life and legacy of Sin who played a key role in the 1986 and 2001 “People Power” uprisings.
It was inaugurated on Aug. 31 coinciding with the cardinal’s 96th birth anniversary before it was officially opened to the public.
“This museum is a product of that contemplation, serving as a humble means to share and preach our insights and spread the light (Lumina Pandit),” Fr. Justy More, chancellor of the Diocese of Kalibo, told the Varsitarian.
“The Museo Kardinal is our preaching.”
The first floor also has a chapel dedicated to St. Pope John Paul II, who made two apostolic visits to the country in 1981 and 1995 that were hosted by the cardinal.
Exhibits on the second floor, divided into six sections to show the cardinal’s early years up to his death, include his personal belongings and memorabilia.
Museo Kardinal is the first ecclesiastical museum in Western Visayas.
According to More, the idea to build a museum came from his “joking suggestion” during a Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines meeting in Kalibo to discuss the diocese’s plans for its 50th anniversary in 2026.
“Finding a suitable location was tough, but hope arose when it was suggested that Cardinal Sin’s house could serve as the museum,” More, a UST Central Seminary alumnus, said.
The support of Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas, former private secretary of the cardinal, led to the signing of the memorandum of agreement exactly a year before the museum’s inauguration.
Capiz Archbishop Victor Bendico and Kalibo Bishop Jose Corazon Tala-oc led the canonical blessing of the museum.
Sin became auxiliary bishop of Jaro in 1967 and became archbishop in 1972.
He was appointed 30th Catholic archbishop of Manila by Pope Paul VI in 1974. After two years, he became the youngest cardinal in the world at 48. Vince Alfred M. Pillagara
