A requiem mass for President Cory Aquino is being organized on behalf of the Philippine Catholic Mission of Switzerland. The mass will be held tomorrow, Wednesday August 5, at 6:30 p.m. at the John 23rd Parish in Geneva.

The requiem mass is a special mass that is offered for the repose of the soul of a deceased person. The term "requiem" came from the Latin word "requies", which means "rest" or "repose". It is commonly called the "Mass for the Dead", and is also referred to as the "black Mass" because of the traditional color of the priestly vestments and altar cloths. Nowadays, however, the black color has been replaced by purple or violet.

The ceremonies of the requiem are the same as those of the "Mass of the Living" with a few omissions and variations.

For this Wednesday's requiem, the following has been agreed upon with Fr. Richard De Lord, the kind-hearted parish priest of the John 23rd Parish who will be the main celebrant:

Preparations for the mass are being made in collaboration with Ugnayang Bayan, Couples for Christ, and the Filipino Catholic Community Group.

In Zurich, the regularly scheduled 5:00 p.m. mass at the Christ the Redeemer Parish (Erlosser Church) last Sunday was offered for the much-loved former President.

In Winterthur, Fr. Benignus Ogbunanwata, parish priest of the St. Pirmin Parish in Pfungen, sends his condolences to all Filipinos in Switzerland and reports that his mass this morning, Tuesday, was offered for Aquino.

In the Philippines, requiem masses for the former president are being held in churches around the country until her final burial tomorrow, Wednesday.