Cardinal Jaime Sin Museum set to open in central Philippines

By Jun Aguirre - Philippines, LiCAS News

The Cardinal Jaime Sin Museum will open on September 1, 2024, as announced by the local government of New Washington and the Diocese of Kalibo in the central Philippines. 

This museum, the first ecclesiastical museum in Western Visayas, will showcase the life and legacy of Cardinal Sin, who played a key role during the 1986 Edsa People Power Revolution.

“Already, we are thankful to the Serviam Foundation and the Kalibo Diocese for making the house of Cardinal Sin a museum,” said Mayor Jessica Panambo of New Washington. 

The local chief executive said the government plans to open the museum to the public, especially the youth “so that they would learn all the good things about the good Cardinal.”

The National Museum in Visayas has been training the museum staff since June to prepare for the opening. Exhibits will include personal belongings of Cardinal Sin, preserved by the Serviam Foundation. 

Fr. Rufino Sescon, Jr., former personal secretary to Cardinal Sin and current rector of the Minor Basilica and National Shrine of Jesus Nazareno in Quiapo, has donated items and memorabilia to the museum.

The opening events will include a cultural event on August 30 at the New Washington Community Center, followed by an unveiling and blessing on August 31, coinciding with what would have been Cardinal Sin’s 96th birthday.

Fr. Justy More, chair of the Historical Research and Cultural Council and project coordinator, said the idea for the museum was proposed at the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines meeting in Kalibo to mark the 50th-anniversary jubilee of the Kalibo Diocese in 2026.

The Kalibo Diocese has been preparing for this event since July 2023, following an agreement with the Serviam Foundation to secure and display the late Cardinal’s memorabilia.

Cardinal Sin, the 30th Catholic Archbishop of Manila and the third Filipino cardinal, was a prominent figure during the 1986 Edsa People Power Revolution. Hailing from Chinese-Filipino descent, he left a significant legacy in both the Church and national history.

He was born in New Washington on August 31, 1928. He died of kidney complications due to diabetes on June 21, 2005.

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