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Articles Pastoral Team Reflections

“Repent, the Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand.” by Fr. Jesus Galindo, OFM

…to establish the kingdom of God, a kingdom of justice, peace, truth and love… for this task to succeed, …(Jesus needed to find) …only a humble and docile heart.

Historical note: Zebulun and Naphtali, mentioned in today’s first reading from the prophet Isaiah and in the gospel, are two of the twelve tribes of Israel named after the twelve sons of Jacob. When the Israelites conquered Palestine after their Exodus from Egypt, they divided up the land among the twelve tribes (save for the tribe of Levi). The tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali settled in the Northernmost part of the country, later called Galilee (Cf. Book of Joshua,19:10-16, 32-39). Zebulun and Naphtali were the first provinces of Israel to be overrun by Tiglath-pileser III of Assyria in 733 BC, who turned them into an Assyrian province–hence the moniker “Galilee of the Gentiles.”

* * *

“Repent, the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” These are the very first words uttered by Jesus at the beginning of his public ministry. These were also the very first words of John the Baptist when he began his public ministry in the desert (Mt 3:1). What is the relationship between repentance and the kingdom of heaven? First of all, what is the kingdom of heaven? Where is it to be found? Most of us have the idea that the kingdom of heaven is, where else, but up there in heaven. We get there after death. (Mark and Luke use the expression ‘kingdom of God”). Jesus, however, tells us that “… the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Mt 4:17). “The kingdom of God is among you” (Lk 17:21). It exists right here and now.

God’s kingdom is not territorial. God does not rule over towns and cities. God reigns over the hearts of men and women who accept his rule and obey his will. God’s kingdom is found in our hearts, if indeed God is in control of our lives.

And it is precisely here that repentance comes in. Repentance means conversion. It consists not so much in beating our chest as in removing from our hearts any obstacle, which may stand in the way between us and God; anything that may pull us apart from God and from our fellowmen. Paul asks the Corinthians to shun divisions and factionalism (2nd reading). With us, it might be pride, vanity, anger, hatred or envy; it might be money, alcohol, drugs, sex … whatever. God cannot set His throne in our hearts if they are already filled with something else. Hence Jesus’ call for repentance.

Jesus’ primary concern throughout his public ministry was to establish the kingdom of God, dismantling in the process the kingdom of Satan, namely, hunger, illness, suffering and injustice. This he did, as the gospel tells us, by preaching and by curing every disease. The cures that Jesus performed were meant not only to restore people’s health but also to restore their faith in God.

In the task of building up God’s kingdom Jesus did not want to go it alone. He chose 12 disciples to carry out that task — even after he was gone. We heard in today’s gospel how he called his first disciples, two pairs of brothers: Peter and Andrew, James and John. We might think that Jesus made the wrong choice. Instead of going to the temple or to the synagogue of Jerusalem to look for learned and competent people (priests, scribes, Pharisees), he went to the seashore to look for rude and unlearned fishermen.

Indeed it is often difficult to understand Jesus’ way of doing things. He always seems to oppose or challenge our ways of thinking: “The first will be the last and the last will be the first.” “He who exalts himself will be humbled…” “He who saves his life, will lose it…” But we can be sure that he knew well what he was doing, and in no way can we improve on it. He did not come to set up a business enterprise, a chain of banks or restaurants, but to establish the kingdom of God, a kingdom of justice, peace, truth and love. And for this task to succeed, no managerial skills or degrees are needed; only a humble and docile heart. That is exactly what he found in the rude fishermen, and not in the learned scribes and Pharisees.

Hopefully, he will find it in each one of us too!

About Fr. Jesus and more of his reflections

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Random Thoughts by Peachy Maramba

Voices from Yesterday and Today-Random Thoughts By Peachy Maramba

OUR BELOVED SANTO NINO

Original Sto. Nino de Cebu
Do you know that the original Sto. Nino de Cebu is the oldest religious image brought by the Spaniards to the Philippines?

Although the odd thing was that the image was not really Spanish at all but came from Flanders, Belgium, which was then a colony under Spanish rule. However, it is known as a Spanish image because Ferdinand Magellan brought it with him to the Philippines at the beginning of the 16th century as he was colonizing it and claiming the archipelago for Spain.

It is believed that when Juana, the wife of Rajah Humabon, Cebu’s chieftain, was shown by Magellan a crucifix, an image of the Blessed Mother and the Sto. Nino, which was dressed in rich Flemish costume with a velvet cloak and a plumed hat, she openly admired the statue and immediately asked for it to take the place of her idols.

Probably, it was because the Sto. Nino, in all its princely robes, contrasted sharply with the cruder and more ritual character of the native idols. It suggested pomp and riches which the indios of that time valued highly. It is no wonder that Juana did not respond at all to the crucifix and to the Blessed Mother statues.

Magellan, thus, gave the Sto. Nino to Humabon’s wife, Juana, thereby introducing a new religion embraced by Humabon, his household and his followers, making them the first converts in the Philippines.

However, forty years of unrecorded history left no trail as to what happened to the Sto. Nino during that time.

Recovery by the Legaspi Expedition
According to tradition, the image was “recovered” by the Legaspi-Urdaneta expedition in 1565, that came forty-four years after Magellan’s incursion into the islands.

The story goes that when the villagers saw the Spaniards approaching, they not only set fire to their villages but fled to the hills with Tupas their chieftain. Poking around the houses for loot, the sailor Juan de Camus, on that fateful April 28 found, in one of the unburned huts, the wooden image of the Sto. Nino which they suspected was the same image Magellan had given Humabon’s wife Juana for being the first Christian convert in the Philippines. The Spanish historian, Esteban Rodriguez, wrote that the image was “covered with a white cloth in its cradle and its bonnet was quite in order. The tip of the nose was rubbed off somewhat and the skin was coming off its face.” The Adelantado, Miguel Lopez de Legaspi, added that the image was still in its gilded cradle and except for its missing cross, it was in perfect condition.

When the image was found, it had flowers placed before it, leading the people to conclude that the image must have been valued highly by the descendants of Juana. In later reports by Pedro Chirino, SJ he said the natives “had recourse to it in all their necessities…anointing it with their oils as they were accustomed to anoint their idols.”

First Church in the Country
Years later a church was built on the exact spot where they found the image of the Holy Child and dedicated to the Holy Name of Jesus. Most probably, it was the first church in the country and was made of nipa and bamboo.

Both the statue and the Church were referred to by the Spaniards as Santo Nino (Holy Child).

The image of the Sto. Nino was canonically crowned in the name of His Holiness Pope Paul VI on the Fourth Centennial of the Christianization of the Philippines in 1965.

Controversy over the Sto.Nino
However, a Franciscan priest, Fr. Lorenzo Perez, does not agree with this tradition on the origin of the Sto.Nino. He believes that the Sto. Nino and the Nuestra Senora de Guia, which was found in 1571 were brought to the Philippines by Franciscan missionaries.

Because the Franciscan mission was established in China sometime in the thirteenth century continuing up to the fifteenth century, Fr. Perez argues that they may have passed the archipelago before the coming of the Spaniards.

He also claims the images were made in China because of the oblique slant of the eyes.

The Sto. Nino Today
This image that has managed to survive centuries of wars and earthquakes is now once again restored to its former glory. Now crowned and ornamented with gold and precious stones dressed in a replica of its original gold embroidered garments, He is ensconced and greatly venerated in the Basilica of Sto. Nino, near the so-called Magellan Cross under the custody of the Augustinians who came with the Legaspi-Urdaneta expedition.

Devotion to the Sto. Nino rapidly spread. One possible explanation for this is the fact that Filipinos have a soft spot for children.

Many Sto. NInos
As the devotion to the Sto. Nino continued to spread, the original Sto. Nino de Cebu “became the prototype for thousands of images in wood carved by local artisans in the Visayas particularly in Cebu, Panay, Samar, Iloilo and Negros where popular devotions center on the Infant Jesus.”

The Cebu Sto. Nino became the inspiration of Filipino art and greatly influenced the Christian sculptural movement in the Philippines.

It is no wonder that one of the favorite popular folk santos for the home altar is the Sto. Nino or the image of the Child Jesus.

Rarely is He seen as an “official” statue in the church. Most often, His images are small, home-sized types meant for intimate devotions. His features are often modeled on Malay faces rather than on the Spanish, as most santos are.

In the Visayas, the Sto. Nino is commonly mounted on a mortar-like stand.

In Manila
The Sto. Nino is also the patron of Tondo, one of the oldest and most populous districts in Manila.

A famous image of the child Jesus can also be found in Pandacan, Manila.

Found in the San Agustin Museum in Intramuros is Sto. Nino the Conqueror in the ornate style made in Ivory and wood.

Santo Nino de Ternate
This image dated 1663 originated from the East Indies. Made of dark wood, it was brought over by Ternatan converts who chose to follow the Spaniards when they abandoned the fort of Ternate, Cavite.

The personal dressmakers of the Nino enshrined in the Ternate Church claim that the Nino sometimes plays with his clothes.

Nino Dormido
Sometimes the Sto. Nino is portrayed as a “sleeping infant” set in a crib or bed. In the Church of Morong in Rizal province east of Manila is a charming ivory image of Nino Dormido with eyes half closed wearing a dreamy half-smile.

Other Sto. Ninos
Many of the images have highly personalized names such as Sto. Nino de Bombero(holding a fireman’s hose), De lasFlores(holding flowers) and De La Esperanzade la Luna(holding an anchor symbolizing hope and standing on a moon).

Some are replicas of existing famous images as Sto.Nino de Praga, de Cebu, de Pandacan and de Tondo.

A few bear Tagalog names such as Sto. Nino Mapagkawanggawa (Charitable Child Jesus) or Sto. Nino Maawain( Merciful Child Jess).

Besides being found in home altars, the Sto. Nino is found in almost every shop. Go to Divisoria and one will be amazed to see how the image of the Child Jesus can be found everywhere. It is as if He is a talisman of good luck.

Historical Background of Devotion
While many Filipinos believe their devotion to the Christ Child is a truly Filipino devotion, this devotion seems to have actually originated in Spain at the beginning of the sixteenth century. It later spread from Spain to the rest of Europe and later on to the other parts of the world.

In fact, the devotion to the Child Jesus was already popular in Belgium by the beginning of the 16th century so that, tradition says, the original Sto. Nino de Cebu was actually made in Flanders.

While our devotions here were spurred by devotions to the Infant of Prague, the Cebu Sto. Nino antedates the Sto. Nino de Praga by at least thirty-three years.

But though European by birth and school (half-Spanish, half-Flemish) the Sto. Nino is purely Filipino by adoption and veneration and remains the oldest and best-loved image of the Filipinos. “Viva Sto. Nino!”

Congregacion del Stomo Nombre del Nino Jesus
Many people, especially Manila couturiers, attribute their good luck to the personal image of the Sto. Nino which they dress up with jewels, fineries and festoon with flowers and fruit offerings.

They organized in 1979 the Congregacion…whose goal was to propagate devotion to the Holy Child. The Congregacion sponsors an annual procession on the last Sunday of January and as many as 260-300 images of the Sto. Nino are carried, some in carrozas, on pushcarts, tricycles, jeeps and even on foot.

Other Sto. Nino Festivals
The annual procession of Sto. Nino in Malolos, Bulacan is a must see for Filipinos and tourists and is not to be missed.

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Articles Hospital Ministry

New Hope for New Year

January marks the start of a new year, new hopes and new wishes.

Last Friday, January 10, the Hospital Ministry had their first visit for 2014 at the PGH Pediatrics Wards to give out medication we had sponsored to patients. A lot of these patients were newborns/babies, not even having the chance to be discharged from the hospital when they were born. A lot of them were already there last December, spending Christmas and New Year confined in the wards.

Our visits and sponsorship of medication always brings smiles to the patients and their parents. It is not just the availability of the medication that makes them smile, it is also our presence, the hope that we bring to them, knowing that they have not been forsaken and that there are people who remember them.

This is but one of the many sources of fulfillment for the Hospital Ministry. This would not be possible without the generosity and the presence of our parishioners.

If you would like to know more about the Hospital Ministry or join us in our activities, please feel free to contact Nimfa Dumago at 8438830 or drop by the parish office.

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Reflections

Can God do anything? Is he almighty?

“For God nothing is impossible” (see Luke 1:37).
He is almighty. Anyone who calls on God in need believes that he is all-powerful. God created the world out of nothing. He is the Lord of history. He guides all things and can do everything. How he uses his omnipotence is of course a mystery. Not infrequently people ask, Where was God then? Through the prophet Isaiah he tells us, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways” (Is 55:8). Often God’s omnipotence is displayed in a situation where men no longer expect anything from it. The powerlessness of Good Friday was the prerequisite for the Resurrection.

Does science make the Creator superfluous?
No. The sentence “God created the world” is not an outmoded scientific statement. We are dealing here with a theological statement, therefore a statement about the divine meaning (theos = God, logos = meaning) and origin of things.

The creation account is not a scientific model for explaining the beginning of the world. “God created the world” is a theological statement that is concerned with the relation of the world to God. God willed the world; he sustains it and will perfect it. Being created is a lasting quality in things and a fundamental truth about them.

Can someone accept the theory of evolution and still believe in the Creator?
Yes. Although it is a different kind of knowledge, faith is open to the findings and hypotheses of the sciences.

Theology has no scientific competence, and natural science has no theological competence. Natural science cannot dogmatically rule out the possibility that there are purposeful processes in creation; conversely, faith cannot define specifically how these processes take place in the course of nature’s development. A Christian can accept the theory of evolution as a helpful explanatory model, provided he does not fall into the heresy of evolutionism, which views man as the random product of biological processes. Evolution presupposes the existence of something that can develop. The theory says nothing about where this “something” came from. Furthermore, questions about the being, essence, dignity, mission, meaning, and wherefore of the world and man cannot be answered in biological terms. Just as “evolutionism” oversteps a boundary on the one side, so does creationism on the other. Creationists naively take biblical data literally (for example, to calculate the earth’s age, they cite the six days of work in Genesis 1).

Contributed by Fr. Jesus Galindo OFM
From: Catechism in a Year
Cathechism of the Catholic Church

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Articles Pastoral Team Reflections

“Some Challenges Of The Feast Of The Sto. Nino” by Fr. Robert Manansala, OFM

The Feast of the Sto. Nino celebrates our nation’s great devotion to the child Jesus that has been maintained since 1521 with the gifting of the new Christian queen Juana with the image of the Sto. Nino by Magellan. The devotion has acquired different cultural trappings and practices, foremost of which are the Sinulog festivities that can be called as indigenously native.

The following are some of the challenges that the Feast of the Sto. Nino poses to us as Christians.

First, the Feast of the Sto. Nino reminds us of Jesus humbly identifying Himself with us in our humanity. The Son of God became flesh and dwelt among us. He was born a helpless and vulnerable child. He grew up in age, strength, knowledge, wisdom, and virtues and in the love and the grace of the Lord. He experienced what we experience in terms of human growth processes. He became close to us, near to us, becoming like us in all things except sin.

We have seen images of the Sto. Nino wearing a “Barong Tagalog,” in a basketball uniform, in a “kamiseta,” or in shorts. These devotional and indigenous images all boil down to the reality of God being one with us in all things except sin. Many people can identify with the Sto. Nino because He has first identified Himself with us.

Second, the feast challenges us to be childlike and to reclaim the inner child within us in the face of growths, sophistications and experiences of pains as adults. The child possesses so many endearing qualities that we must keep even when we are already adults. Child-like qualities such as trust, forgiveness, simplicity, gentleness and transparency, among others, must continue even in the lives of adult people.

The gospel reading from St. Matthew on this Feast of the Sto. Nino (Year A) deals with the issue of true greatness in the Kingdom of God. The discourse is occasioned by the disciples’ question about who is the greatest in God’s Kingdom. In the context of the Jewish society in that time, there was a good deal of preoccupation with position, status and placement in the coming Kingdom.

Jesus’ answer to the question of the disciples is composed of powerful actions and words. He calls a child and sets him in the midst of the disciples and admonishes them to become like little children. In ancient society, a child was a “nobody,” someone unimportant and without legal rights or standing and who was completely dependent on his parents. For a child, everything was a gift.

Anybody, therefore, who wants to be great in the Kingdom of God must be like a little child, a “nobody”. He/she must be someone who sees and receives everything as a gift from God. No one has a rightful claim on God’s Kingdom. The only precondition for entry into the Kingdom is the childlike and humble attitude of recognizing and receiving the Kingdom as a gift.

In presenting a child as a symbol of the Kingdom, Jesus makes him/her a model of innocence, humility and dependence on God. All forms of lobbying and status climbing are dismissed as anti-Kingdom values and practices.

Finally, we cannot have a devotion to the Sto. Nino and at the same time neglect our children. We refer here not only to our own biological, adoptive or surrogate children, but also to all the children in our midst. The Feast of the Sto. Nino must also impel us to take care of and protect all children, especially the most vulnerable among them. In the gospel passage, Jesus shows that people of the Kingdom manifest God’s special care and concern for the little ones.

According to the He Cares Foundation: Streetchildren Caring Center, there are more than 1.5 million street children in the Philippines – about 70,000 of them in Metro Manila alone. The Feast of the Sto. Nino reminds us that the inherent Filipino love for children must be translated into concrete deeds and programs that address the sufferings and problems of vulnerable children, including the street children. We cannot accumulate images of the Sto. Nino, some of which are even very expensive, while neglecting the poor and abused children. Genuine devotions must always lead to good deeds in the name of God and for the sake of others, especially the little ones.

About Fr. Robert and more of his reflections

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Photo Gallery

Visit of the Pilgrim Image of Our Lady of Fatima In Pictures

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The Pilgrim Image of Our Lady of Fatima arrived at Santuario de San Antonio Church December 17 and departed December 23, 2013. Sponsored by the Catholic Women’s League (CWL) Archdiocese of Manila, CWL ladies devotedly greeted and bade farewell to Our Lady.

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Ministries

Lecoms, During Fiesta Week

Fiesta Week 2013, LeComs with their daughters attended to the Breakfast Feeding program of CWL
photo1st row bending Catherine Ong, Dani Remulla, Lia Lesaca
2nd row standing Jackie Ong, Billie Remulla, Micki Poe, Estée Cerilla, Angeli Ong, Zari Poe, Edmund Lim, Chloe Romulo-Periquet

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Articles Pastoral Team Reflections

“Feast of the Lord’s Baptism” by Fr. Baltazar Obico, OFM

Francesco Albani's 17th century painting

NEW LIFE WITH CHRIST
Incorporation into the Church and Sharing in the Trinitarian Life
In baptism, we are made “beloved children” of the Father.

The word padrino or ninong comes from the church-religious vocabulary to mean godparents, someone who will assist the parents of the child in order that the baptized child grows to be mature Christians. In other words, they serve as 2nd parents to their godchild that the latter should grow into Christian discipleship.

The word padrino has deteriorated into what is known as the padrino system in our culture that is contributive to our inefficient and corrupt bureaucracy. It has eroded the merit system; what is important is who your well-placed padrino is, who can facilitate favors on your behalf either through employment or government contracts.

The deterioration can be traced to the reduction of baptism becoming merely social events. Chief concern is given to the numerous ninongs and ninangs and to the lavish feasts for these invited guests. Less interest is shown in the explicit religious dimension of the sacrament itself. The obvious result is nominal Catholicism sometimes labelled as K.B.L. (Kasal, Binyag at Libing) as those are the only occasions where the baptized go to the Church.

Today, we celebrate the Lord’s Baptism. In Matthew’s account, John is reluctant to baptize Jesus due to his awe of Jesus; to the fact that he perceives in Jesus the “more powerful one.” While the Pharisees and Sadducees apparently lack remorse and a sense of sinfulness, Jesus appears to John to have no need for baptism. Jesus responds, “It is proper… to fulfill all righteousness.” The adjective “all” means that it is not simply a special requirement for the Son of Man, but one that joins Him with fellow Christians in carrying out all that God requires. It is Jesus’ solidarity with the messianic community that he allowed himself to be baptized. Secondly, the baptism of Jesus means the public recognition of His divine Sonship; the Spirit descends like a dove and a voice reveals who Jesus is, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” And lastly but not part of the Gospel proclamation, immediately after baptism, Jesus begins His public ministry.

In baptism, we are made “beloved children” of the Father. Traditionally we have associated Baptism with the cleansing of original sin. We experience a painful moral weakness in trying to do what our conscience tells us but also an inclination to evil which is traditionally called “concupiscence.” As a consequence we find ourselves in a society structured by sinful structures, injustice and moral observations. The struggle against sin must go on, but with our baptisms we are marked with Christ, indwelt by the Spirit and supported by the Christian community. Therefore baptism focuses on our having new life in Christ, not our washing away of original sin.

In baptism, we are with others as members of Christ’s body, the Church. This means our personal relation with Christ is never a private affair but always a loving relation that originates, develops and grows in union with fellow members of Christ’s body. Our baptismal life is never a solitary, isolated thing but a communal sharing with others.

Lastly baptism enables us to share in its three-fold ministry of Jesus; as Prophet, Priest and King. In baptism we are not only recipients of the privilege of being the children of the Father but we are also tasked to proclaim His message and establish His Kingdom through our words, deeds and courageous initiative. This ministry entails that we have to bring to the political arena our commitment to establish God’s Kingdom of justice and peace.

About Fr. Tasang and his reflections

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Articles JPIC Prison Ministry

“Christmas at the Makati City Jail” by Jolly Gomez

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The Single Young Adults and the JPIC Prison Ministry held their annual Christmas gift giving activity with 600 male and female inmates at the Makati City Jail. The activity started with a mass officiated by Fr. Joel Sulse OFM and attended by SYA members together with PPC President Jayme Blanco.

During the homily of the mass, members of the SYA community were able to share their stories of conversion on what Jesus had done in their lives and why they are active in church. One of the inmates gave a response which was as follows: “My crime was carnapping, I would use duplicate keys to open cars in a parking lot and drivethem away. I was a poor man that had very few opportunities, when I would walk in the mall, I see rich people who look at poor people like us like we were invisible. This is why I did not feel bad about stealing their cars. In MCJ I have realized that Jesus still loves me. I met members from SYA who are from Forbes Park who take time out to talk to me and share about Jesus. Maybe this is why I was caught and put in jail, I am sad that I am not with my family but happy that I have found Jesus.”

The message of Fr. Joel was about the celebration of the incarnation of Jesus and how this doesn’t just happen during Christmas but every day of the year. This is why the parish continues its ministry all throughout the year with masses, bible class, special events, and legal assistance. This ministry does these activities all year round and not only during Christmas time.

Each inmate received a plastic box with a T-shirt, slippers, towel, toiletries, a few snacks and a rosary. We were also able to provide each cell with pancit and one lechon. Much of these funds were raised by SYAers who set aside some money every month for the Prison Ministry. Other funds came from the Parish through the different fund raising activities throughout the year. The gifts may have been very small to us but meant so much to many inmates who have very little and for some who did not have any visitors this Christmas.

Like in the gospel story of the Multiplication of the Loaves, after giving every one their share (including the prison guards) we had 40 packs left over. We decided to share it with the security guards and maintenance personnel in our parish. God is truly generous and his graces are bountiful.

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Ministries

CCD Students Reach Out

Putting into practice what they learn in the classroom about their faith, and specifically the Commandment of love, CCD’s (Continuing Catholic Development) Level 7 students (Confirmation Level), celebrated the holy season of Advent and brought forward the joyous season of Christmas, to children at the convent of the Daughters of Charity Sisters of St. Vincent de Paul at Parañaque City.

On Saturday morning, 7 December: students, teachers, committee and helpers, departed by bus from the Parish for Paranaque – loaded with food, drinks, presents, good cheer and a strong sense to share with those children who were the beneficiaries of the first CCD Outreach program for this school year. Funds to pay for these goodies and to make the Outreach a distinct possibility, was raised from CCD’s own annual Light A Parol fund-raising project.

CCD’s contact with the children and the Daughters of Charity Sisters of St. Vincent de Paul, was through BINHI, an English Literacy Foundation, which begin in 2008 by a group of women bonded by a common vision to help improve the future of Filipino children in the marginalized areas, through education.

The CCD students were tasked with giving and grading Mid-Test to their young hosts, girls and boys aged 3 and 4 years old – to determine whether the child can already recognize upper and lower case letters. The overall results would also indicate whether the child is ready for enrolment in the elementary schools. The report back from BINHI was that 71% of the total number of children passed the test; 7% would have to re-do the test.

The whole exercise and the project itself was one of caring patience, kindness and consideration to the younger children some of whom quickly formed a bond with their guests from CCD. “Love your neighbour as yourself” as clearly and widely in evidence that day and as told to a teacher by a student: “today, we are the Good amaritan”. Clearly those from CCD were indeed putting their Faith in Action.

After an enjoyable interval of singing and dancing, eating and resting, we bade goodbye to the children, their parents, their teachers and the nuns who care for them, and made the bus ride back to Santuario de San Antonio Parish, mentally and spiritually refreshed and happy, that we had just spent a very worthwhile morning with some very deserving people – in an Outreach of caring and sharing.

To know more about Santuario de San Antonio Parish CCD Program>>>>>

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