Rev. Fr. Rey D. Rosal, center, and family members of the late Francisco “Tun Ko” Palacios pose for a photo with Saipan Mayor Ramon B. Camacho during the public veneration of the Lenten cross at Mt. Carmel Cathedral on Tuesday.
AS part of their annual Lenten devotion, the family members of the late Francisco “Tun Ko” Palacios erected a wooden cross at Mt. Carmel Cathedral on Tuesday in preparation for the Good Friday procession to Mt. Tapochao on April 7, 2023.
Saipan Mayor Ramon Blas “RB” Camacho joined the children, children-in-law and grandchildren of Tun Ko, a longtime parishioner of the Diocese of Chalan Kanoa in the public veneration of the cross led by Rev. Fr. Rey D. Rosal at 5 p.m.
Rep. John Paul “Pacho” Sablan, one of Tun Ko’s grandchildren, said, “The time has come when we prepare ourselves for the Lenten season.”
He said Lent is “a time to seek forgiveness for our sins — a time to fast and a time to be together and prepare ourselves for the Passion of the Christ and reflect on the ultimate sacrifice of our dear Lord Jesus Christ who gave up His life to save us all from our sins.”
Sablan said he is grateful for his Palacios family and friends for continuing the tradition of building the Lenten cross.
He also thanked the mayor for joining them and for providing a boom truck that was used in hoisting the cross on the day before Ash Wednesday.
“I look forward to the feast of the resurrection of our dear Lord Jesus Christ on Easter Sunday which all families celebrate every year. Let us all continue to pray for life, strength and peace in our daily lives,” Sablan said.
