An upcoming national convention slated in the Diocese of Dumaguete will focus on ramping up awareness of heritage workers for the conservation and preservation of church cultural heritage.

Msgr. Julius Perpetuo Heruela, chair of the Diocesan Commission on Church Cultural Heritage, bared Monday that experts and renowned heritage conservationists have been invited to speak during the 13th Biennial National Convention of Church Cultural Heritage Practitioners from Nov. 27 to 30 in this capital city.

More than 200 participants from across the country are expected to attend the convention, Heruela said.

“We need to increase the awareness of these workers particularly on how to sustain our efforts in the conservation of church collections, especially with our tangible heritage,” he said.

Participants will also learn from the experiences of other dioceses on how they manage and sustain their church cultural heritage programs and projects, he added.

Several key speakers for the convention include Fr. Ted Torralba who is the executive secretary of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines-Episcopal Commission for the Cultural Heritage of the Church (CBCP-ECCHC); Dr. David Kendall, historical musicologist with interests in Spanish colonial music in the former Spanish colonial world; and Regalado Trota Jose from the University of Sto. Tomas, among others.

Heruela said topics will include experiences and history from the Spanish era, conservation practices and even disaster preparedness and response to protect church properties.

Participants will be given a tour of the different heritage churches and sites in the diocese during the convention.

The CBCP-ECCHC, in collaboration with the Diocese of Dumaguete and the University of Santo Tomas Graduate School Center for Conservation of Cultural Property and Environment in the Tropics, organized the biennial gathering.

The theme for this year’s convention is “Working Together, Journeying Together: The Synodality of Church Heritage Work”. (PNA)