10/31/2010 - CHURCH officials want to discourage the use of the term “kalag-kalag” to refer to All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days, saying it promotes superstition, rather than prayer.
“This would lead to the belief that there are wandering souls around us,” said Msgr. Achilles Dakay, media liaison officer of the Cebu Archdiocese.
The Visayan term “kalag” means the soul or spirit.
Msgr. Dakay, in an interview yesterday, said Catholics should not dwell on the superstitious in celebrating the two holy days.
All Saints’ Day, which is celebrated on Nov. 1, is dedicated to the saints while All Souls’ Day, which falls on the day after, is supposed to be dedicated to praying for the departed.
Prayer and respect for the dead, not revelry, should set the tone for these days, Dakay said.
Msgr. Esteban Binghay, episcopal vicar of the Metro South 2 parishes, said loud music and liquor inside cemeteries should be discouraged.
Such acts “destroy the propriety of a sacred place.”
“Let us observe the two days with due respect and a prayerful manner,” added Binghay.
Dakay lamented that some Catholics seem to have forgotten the purpose of these two holy days.
“We are supposed to pray for our dead loved ones as this would be greatly helpful in cleansing the sins they carried when they were still alive,” said the monsignor.
“We go there (cemeteries) to pray, not to socialize,” he added.
Candles are lit to symbolize the light that guides the souls to God, while flower offerings are a sign of one’s respect, Dakay said.
As part of the Archdiocese’s pastoral thrust, “The Evangelization of Culture,” church officials hope to improve some parts of commonly practiced Catholic traditions. (Sun Star)
“This would lead to the belief that there are wandering souls around us,” said Msgr. Achilles Dakay, media liaison officer of the Cebu Archdiocese.
The Visayan term “kalag” means the soul or spirit.
Msgr. Dakay, in an interview yesterday, said Catholics should not dwell on the superstitious in celebrating the two holy days.
All Saints’ Day, which is celebrated on Nov. 1, is dedicated to the saints while All Souls’ Day, which falls on the day after, is supposed to be dedicated to praying for the departed.
Prayer and respect for the dead, not revelry, should set the tone for these days, Dakay said.
Msgr. Esteban Binghay, episcopal vicar of the Metro South 2 parishes, said loud music and liquor inside cemeteries should be discouraged.
Such acts “destroy the propriety of a sacred place.”
“Let us observe the two days with due respect and a prayerful manner,” added Binghay.
Dakay lamented that some Catholics seem to have forgotten the purpose of these two holy days.
“We are supposed to pray for our dead loved ones as this would be greatly helpful in cleansing the sins they carried when they were still alive,” said the monsignor.
“We go there (cemeteries) to pray, not to socialize,” he added.
Candles are lit to symbolize the light that guides the souls to God, while flower offerings are a sign of one’s respect, Dakay said.
As part of the Archdiocese’s pastoral thrust, “The Evangelization of Culture,” church officials hope to improve some parts of commonly practiced Catholic traditions. (Sun Star)
Cebu City is located on the central eastern part of Cebu Province, an island at the center of the Visayas in Southern Philippines.
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