Baguio cathedral rector denies church offering theft

MANILA, Philippines - The rector of the Our Lady of Atonement Cathedral in Baguio City denied Monday reports that thieves ran away with some P50,000 in Church offerings from a dawn Mass. Fr. Benedict Castañeda said no such incident had taken place, adding he was saddened that such "inaccurate reporting" found its way in a national newspaper. He referred to newspaper reports last Dec. 19 that Msgr. Leopoldo Jaucian of the Baguio Cathedral noticed the offerings made during the first Misa de Gallo were stolen. The report also claimed that several weeks before the supposed theft, thieves broke into the offices of the Baguio Cathedral. "To set the record straight, Most Rev. Leopoldo Jaucian, D.D., is the Bishop of the diocese of Bangued in Abra. Bishop Jaucian is not the parish priest of Our Lady of Atonement Cathedral, popularly know as Baguio Cathedral, as the erroneous report claimed. The Rector and Parish priest of Our Lady of Atonement Cathedral Parish is Rev. Fr. Benedict Castañeda, or Fr. Benny as his parishioners and friends dearly call him," a report on the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines website said. It added it was even ironic to note that the paper said the so-called theft happened on the first Misa de Gallo (Dec. 16), which happened to be Fr. Benny's birthday. The CBCP article also said that As part of its massive renovation project, Our Lady of Atonement Cathedral has put in place security measures for the safety of the parishioners and for the security of the church's property. "Security personnel, with the aid of multiple close-circuit cameras, monitor not only the Cathedral interiors but also other strategic places of the Cathedral grounds. Security guards constantly patrol the Cathedral and the surrounding areas. The guards even make sure to know the people who regularly visit the Cathedral," it said. As for the offerings made during Mass at the Cathedral, only designated personnel with proper identification, do the rounds for the collections. Counting of all Mass collections is made not by one person only but by a group of parish personnel to assure security and accountability. The Cathedral has implemented a renewal program in these past years upon the indication of Baguio Bishop Carlito Cenzon. The renewal covers major physical improvements on the Cathedral. More doors were made to facilitate the entrance of Mass goers. It said TV monitors were installed to help the faithful participate in the liturgy even if they find themselves far from the Sanctuary. A permanent Baptistry outside the main temple was constructed to allow the continuous celebration of Masses in the main Sanctuary especially on Sundays and holy days of obligation. The former Columbarum was expanded and dignified to encourage people to pray for the faithful departed. Other major physical improvement projects on the Cathedral are still underway and the help of benefactors are welcome. - GMANews.TV