CALLING for Gospel-rooted integrity and shared governance, more than 2,000 Catholics from across Cagayan walked through the streets of Tuguegarao City on November 23 in a Pilgrim Walk of Hope, lifting placards calling for honesty, justice, and peace as they moved from four assembly points to the Saints Peter and Paul Metropolitan Cathedral.
The archdiocesan-wide walk, held on the Solemnity of Christ the King, became a public call for moral leadership amid simmering frustration over corruption and misuse of public funds.
Rooted in prayer and devotion, the gathering reflected broader demands for reform and accountability, echoing civic actions such as the Trillion Peso March, first held on September 21 and set for a major repeat on November 30.
Church on the Move, Governance on the Move
Fr. Manuel Vicente Catral, Archdiocesan Director of Pastoral Programs said, “Our pilgrim walk is a testament that we are a Church on the move, a shepherding Church. In these footsteps, we see a desire for a Church and society that values a governance structure of transparency, accountability, and collaborative leadership.”
He added that such values are not merely administrative or political but “deeply rooted in the Gospel’s call to justice and peace.
Launch of Five-Year Pastoral Plan
The event also marked the launch of the Archdiocese of Tuguegarao’s new five-year pastoral plan, which will guide the archdiocese from 2026 to 2031.
Titled “Walking Together in Faith: A Missionary Conversion Towards a Synodal Church,” the plan calls for “missionary conversion”, a transformation of individuals, communities, and Church processes so that decision-making becomes more participatory, structures more transparent, and ministries more deeply attuned to the needs of the people.
Archbishop Ricardo Baccay said the plan emerged from extensive consultations during the Vatican’s global synodal process and responds to the people’s “quiet but persistent longing for spiritual renewal”, as well as increasing calls for discernment, shared governance, and co-responsibility in Church life.
The pastoral roadmap outlines priorities such as strengthening family life, revitalizing Basic Ecclesial Communities, deepening lay participation, promoting transparency and accountability, forming servant leaders, and fostering ecological conversion and stewardship.
“Our Pilgrim Walk and pastoral plan underscore the Church’s commitment to both spiritual renewal and active engagement in Church and society. Conversion of processes is not an abstract ideal but a practical expression of Gospel values,” Catral said.