20,000 UST students to attempt world record for largest human cross

On Ash Wednesday, March 9, some 20,000 students at the University of Santo Tomas (UST) in Manila will attempt to set a world record: forming the largest human cross. A report of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) quoted UST Student and Public Affairs director Giovanna Fontanilla as saying the students will form the cross at the open space in front of the campus’ grandstand at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday. “The attempt at a world record is imbued with religious significance since on the said date, as the foreheads of the faithful are marked with the sign of Christ’s saving cross, the entire University community will ‘mark’ a portion of the UST campus with a huge Dominican Cross, symbol of the Catholic and Dominican identity of the University," Fontanilla said. The event will be both joyful and prayerful, she said. Holy Mass, presided over by UST Rector Fr. Rolando de la Rosa, will follow the attempt to form the world’s largest human cross, she added. “Members of the University community are invited to participate in this symbolic activity that can also be their act of penance during the Lenten season," Fontanilla said. In December last year, UST shelved its bid to set the record for the world’s largest “living rosary" because there was not enough time to have the attempt authenticated. Even though it was not an official world record bid, some 20,000 UST students still gathered to form the largest human rosary in the country on December 8 last year. – VVP, GMA News