Novena Mass faith sharing – Santuario de San Antonio Parish

We are featuring a series of nine Faith Sharing of Virtues of St. Anthony of Padua that were presented during the fiesta 9-day novena masses. This will temporarily replace the Sunday Gospel Reflections; after which the Gospel Reflections will return.

Seeking God
by Rocky Chan

Good evening, I am Rocky Chan, ministry head for the Luke 18 Community here at San Antonio. My wife and I were called to serve our parish as adult leaders for Luke 18 sometime in the summer of 2008, just a few months after we got married. Six years, two children, nineteen retreats (which we call Weekends) and about 400 lukers later, Yen and I are still here.

What is Luke 18?
Our name comes from the passage of Luke 18:16-17 “and Jesus said to them: Let the children come to me and do not prevent them because the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the kingdom of heaven like a child shall not enter it.”

Simply put, Luke 18 is a church community for children from Grade 6 to 4th Year High School. It starts with a weekend that is given by the children with the help of adult leaders such as myself, my wife, and a whole team of volunteers who have made this community their ministry. We have been around for 25 years and a few of the original Lukers have children that are a part of the community.

The mission of our ministry is summed up in three words. Spread God’s Love. And this has been our credo for almost 30 years.

Through these 6 years, Yen and I have borne witness to an ever-evolving community of young people, finding their place in their new faith family and the world around them. We watched awkward teens grow into fine young adults, many of whom have continued their faith journey in Antioch upon entering college age and gone on to bigger and better things, with the seeds of their first faith community blossoming into a mature understanding of their role as Catholics in the modern world.

As young Catholics, we encourage Lukers to start looking into their own burgeoning faith, and, through our prayer meetings and outreach activities, we expose them to an ever widening world around them, a world that needs the love of Christ in the unique way that only the youth can share.

I am personally inspired by the way the youth is called to action in times of calamity. Since Ondoy, the youth has taken an active role in the calamity ministry of San Antonio, and it always moves me to see throngs of lukers troop to San Antonio to spend endless hours repacking goods and hauling them from the staging areas to the trucks. During the relief efforts, everyone in the youth of San Antonio has a role to play. The lukers would repack the goods along with the Antiochers, while the SYAers would typically go with the trucks to distribute. Just like the body of Christ, every part has a purpose. It’s an amazing sight to behold.

As a result of my experience as an Antiocher in the 90s, an SYAer as a single adult, and now as a parent leader for Luke, my Catholic life has been blessed with a true sense of belonging and mission. I feel myself a part of a larger parish community and my participation in the Council has deepened my commitment not only as a Catholic, but as a servant of something bigger than my personal Luke 18 ministry. My experience in the Parish has likewise had a great impact on my young family’s prayer life, as my children, as young as they are, have made prayer a part of their daily lives, and I can’t wait for them to grow into their roles as young Catholics alive with their faith and spreading God’s love, in whatever way they are called to do.

And this dream for my children is exactly my vision for my ministry. As future leaders of this Parish, it is always my fervent hope that their experiences in Luke embolden them to seek out greater opportunities to serve as they mature in their faith. Whether they find themselves in Antioch, SYA or any of the other ministries of the Parish, I will ask the Lord’s forgiveness in the little pride I will take when I see my Lukers grow into their roles in our parish.

Already I see the fruits of the labors of my community, as former Lukers who are now into their adulthood have come back to serve the Luke 18 Community as bridge builders for their younger brothers and sisters, closing the gap not only between us oldies and the teenagers, but to the Antioch community as well. I bear witness to this and can only say: God is truly good.

Peter Soo
CARING FOR THE SICK

Good Evening. I am Peter Soo and I represent the hospital ministry more specifically the Philippine General Hospital outreach program. We still have one of the original members Mrs. Maria Clara Canoy. We serve the pediatric charity wards 9 & 11 and the orthopedic ward. Our mission is to be able to serve the poorest of the poor, Giving HOPE BY GIVING them treatment or medications for their illness. This is not just a dole out. The regular visits, interaction with the parents and children show them THAT SOMEONE CARES. We also pray with them, reminding the parents that they should not lose hope, that the Lord will provide and can work miracles as their faith will heal them.

WE ALWAYS REMEMBER ONE OF THE BEATITUDES OF OUR LORD DURING THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT WHEREIN HE SAID “BLESSED ARE THE MERCIFUL, FOR THEY SHALL OBTAIN MERCY…..JESUS REMINDS US THAT WHATEVER YOU DID TO THE LEAST OF MY BRETHREN, YOU DID IT TO ME (MATTHEW 25: 31-46) AND PART OF THE CORPORAL WORKS OF MERCY IS TO VISIT THE SICK.

As a cancer warrior myself, seeing these children smiling when we visit them makes me stronger and that I am a living proof that when you have cancer, it is not the end of the world. I make it a point to tell the children that the belief in the cure comes from within and having the faith and that they are not the only one suffering as the Lord suffered for them and you offer it up as I do with my visits to them.

It is not easy visiting and seeing these sick children. PGH is hot, especially in the summer heat with only a ceiling electric fan trying to cool the ward. What is more difficult though is seeing the conditions of the children in the wards, with their illnesses and in pain, with the bare comfort that a ward bed which is made in the hospital can give. Sometimes, it is even hard to look at some of the children because of the physical deformities brought about by their severe condition. Or having a makeshift incubator made from plywood and fluorescent lights to heat the baby as there is not enough in the hospital. These are the ones who need comforting the most.

I learned about the Hospital Ministry through my friend and classmate Vince Pacheco, he saw my name one time in the parish newsletter seeking prayers for illness. He has been an active leader and member of this ministry for years and he knew I wanted a way to give back and help the less fortunate.

We are just a small group but we are committed to bringing whatever comfort and hope we can to these patients in need. And my joining is to thank the community for the prayers you offer for us in need.

The population of PGH is happy that we from the Sanctuario de San Antonio Parish go out of our way in helping them.

Membership is voluntary and donations help in our effort to give these children the chance of having a new leaf in life. Parishioners are most welcome to join us. Our parish is a blessed one and our ministry is here to provide an avenue for everyone to be able to serve and share in their blessings with the less fortunate.