The St. Joseph the Carpenter Parish in Nueva Caceres, Oslob, Cebu marked the third day of its novena in preparation for its 149th Annual Fiesta.

Cebu Archbishop Alberto “Abet” Uy presided over the Holy Mass. He was joined by Fr. Ponce Jed Bellones (Parish Priest) and other visiting priests.

Reflecting on the life of St. Joseph, Archbishop Abet, in his homily, emphasized that holiness is found not in extraordinary deeds, but in daily openness to God’s will. He encouraged the faithful to remain hopeful in their journey of conversion, reminding them that transformation is always possible.

He further stressed that an authentic encounter with Christ is not a one-time experience, but a relationship that must be nurtured each day.

“If we want to stay close to Jesus, if we want our faith to remain alive, if we want our hearts to keep changing—we must remain in Him. And how do we remain in Him? Through the Eucharist,” said Archbishop Abet.

Amid the busyness of daily life, he cautioned against becoming so preoccupied that God is set aside. Drawing from the example of St. Joseph, he urged the faithful to live simply, work faithfully, and remain close to the Lord.

“My dear brothers and sisters, today many of us are busy: trabaho, pamilya, problema, daghang hunahunaon. And slowly, we become preoccupied with so many things until we no longer have time for God. But St. Joseph teaches us: Be simple. Work faithfully. Stay close to God. And one concrete way to stay close to God is this: Keep receiving Jesus in the Eucharist,” he said.

The parish will celebrate its fiesta on May 1, 2026. Vicar General Msgr. Vicente Rey Penagunda will preside over the 10:00 AM Fiesta Mass.