Sto. Nino gets a rowdy Christmas!

(Batangas City) – A 22-year old stranger to this city simply walked his way to the main altar of the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception this city at 3pm Christmas day,  took one of the heavy-metal candlesticks and took a single strike at the Blessed Sacrament  barely scratching it.  He then turned to the main altar and with three thundering thuds destroyed the marble altar, then took a swipe at the candlesticks at the left and another at the right side of the already-deformed altar before hurrying down to the side where the parish’s patron , the black Sto. Nino, was displayed.  With the same candlestick, he tore down the glass protecting the Holy Child, hitting the crown and the little hand that held the globe.

Lipa gets new priest

(Calaca, Batangas) –  A young man from this booming town of Calaca, site of a coal-fed power plant which was once a center of controversy, today joined the ranks of the clergy in a solemn ceremony that took over two hours.  Rev. Fr. Vicente “Boyet” Ramos II received the order of the priesthood from His Excellency, Most Rev. Ramon C. Arguelles, D.D., Archbishop of Lipa.

Fr. Boyet is full-blooded Anakiko, i.e., a product of the three seminaries, named after St. Francis de Sales; to wit,  he finished his secondary studies at St. Francis de Sales Minor Seminary, his college at St. FRancis de Sales Major Seminary, and his theology at St. Francis de Sales Theological School.

HIs ordination filled the newly renovated parish church, the influx of people, visitors and local, giving a fiesta atmosphere.  His whole baranggay of Salong was there, led by their barangay captain.  Religious sisters from different congregations and friends from the parishes where Fr. Boyet got his emersion when was still a deacon came to witness the only fourth sacerdotal ordination to be done in Calaca in recent memory.  Previous to his ordination,  Fr. Boyet followed Fr. Darwin de Leon, Fr. Anthony Esteron, and Fr. Gene Valencia.

Fr. Boyet will be posted as parochial vicar in the Parish of St. Francis Xavier, Nasugbu, Batangas.  As read publicly by Fr. Oscar Andal, Chancellor, before the final blessing,  He will report to his first  assignment in January 2, 2012.

Lipa Clergy Welcomes Back Cardinal Rosales

(Dec. 13, 2010) — This Christmas gathering was made more special for the clergy of the Archdiocese of Lipa as they welcome back their former Archbishop and now CArdinal Gaudencio B. Rosales whose resignation as Metropolitan Archbishop of Manila had been accepted by the Holy Father and whose successer was finally installed into the prime see of the Philippines yesterday at the Manila Cathedral.

Amidst the cheering and clapping,  Frs. Oscar Andal (chancellor) and Fr. Dong Rosales (not related to him) escorted the smiling prelate into the primed St. Francis de Sales Major Seminary gym!  Archbishop Ramon Arguelles escorted him to the table where the most senior members of the clergy were seated.  (The arrangement was that members of the different LIfe Groups were seated together!)  Picture taking by groups or individually were the order of the day.

In his short message,  he thanked the clergy for praying for him especially during his stint as the Archbishop of the most important see in the country.  He later sang a piece from “Sound of Music” acappella, dwelling on the lines “I must have done something” as he narrated his own vocation story.  He urged the clergy to be “good and holy priest”, and not to be afraid for “God may have found something good in you.”  He also disclosed that he was currently writing a biography of Venerable Bishop Alfredo Obviar,  whose cause for beatification is already in Rome.

Meanwhile,  Archbishop Ramon gave his personal gifts to each one, including the members of the Oblates of St. Joseph in the ARchdiocese of Lipa.  This year, aside from his personal calendar,  the package included a soutane, a set of books, including those tackling Family and Life, the whole proceedings and talks during the first Asia Oceania Mariological Conference  hel in Sept. 12-26, 2009.  The Archbishop has been consistent with his gift giving during this occasion.

The Commission on Clergy was in-charge of the event.  After the regular holy hour and confessions held at the College Seminary chapel, the priests trooped to the gym for lunch and program.  Raffles of cash prizes were held; exchange gifts were done by the Life Group members among themselves.  A Life Group, that which is composed of the second batch of senior clergy, put in their cash contributions and divided this to be given to their two sick colleagues, Rev. Fr. Ricardo Echague and Rev. Fr. Ricardo Rodelas Rodelas. A game, adopted from Eat Bulaga, was participated in by selected members of each of the seven vicariates.  Entitled “Paring Henyo”,  the Oblates of St. Joseph (Vicariate 4) won the game, besting the diocesan clergy-held vicariates.  A special entry, composed of Archbishop Arguelles, Bishop Salvador Quizon and Bishop Reynaldo Evangelista (who came to surprise his colleagues), got the second prize.

Traditionally, this Christmas party is held before the Misa Aguinaldo starts.

Second Batch of Lipa Clergy off to Taytay

The second batch of priests-participants to the Clergy Leadership in a Participatory Church will hie to the scenic Maryhill Seminary of the CICM in Taytay, Rizal for a 5-day retreat seminar to be handled by the staff of Bukal ng Tipan, headed by Fr. Marc Lesage, CICM.  The group includes MSgr. Alfredo Madlangbayan, Vicar General of the Archdiocese and 37 other priests, t be accompanied by Fr. Jayson Siapco, head of the Munting Sambayanang Kristiyano (MSK) in the Archdiocese of Lipa. The second batch will stay at this hideaway from Nov. 21 to Nov. 25.

The first group, headed by no less than Archbishop Ramon C. Arguelles, had theirs last September.  There are two other batches in line for December and January of next year.  This retreat-seminar is intended to orient the clergy of the Archdiocese of Lipa, especially those  in the parishes, on the fundamentals of Basic Ecclesial Communities.

Lipa’s 7th Archdiocesan Established

(Lian, Batangas) -  The Parish Church of St. John the Baptist in this town in Western Batangas was solemly declared an Archdiocesan Shrine during a Solemn Mass, presided over by the Most. Rev. Ramon C. Arguelles, D.D., Metropolitan Archbishop of Lipa, during the feast of the martyrdom of the Lord’s forerunner, August 29, 2010.

8th National Marian Pilgrimage, A Continuing Miracle

(Lipa City, Sept. 12) – Despite being a Monday,  thousands of pilgrims not only from the Archdiocese but also from all  over the country, including several from Malaysia and other Asean countries, flocked to Lipa City, acknowledged as the “Marian capital” of the Philippines.

            The day started with a dawn procession from the Cathedral of San Sebastian, where a whole night vigil took place, to the newly-erected Parish of Mary Mediatrix of All Grace, a kilometer away from Carmel Church.  The parish was canonically erected September 8. After the benediction,  a Eucharistic sacrifice presided over by Archbishop Ramon Arguelles, concelebrated by Bishop Renato Mayugba, Auxiliary Bishop of Lingayen-Dagupan and twenty other priests, followed.  A Marian concert which featured 7 choirs from near-by parishes filled up the time till around 11am.  After a children’s rosary,  another procession leading to Carmel Church was held at 1pm.

Lipa Closes its centennial with a bang

(Lipa City) – The year-long activities, preceded by an intensive three-year preparation, to commemorate the Centennial Jubilee of Lipa as a diocese ended with a solemn Mass, presided by Archbishop Ramon C. Arguelles, accompanied by His Eminences, Gaudencio Cardinal B. Rosales and Ricardo Cardinal J. Vidal,  thirty other Archbishops and Bishops of the Philippines, headed by CBCP Vice-President Archbishop Jose Palma of Cebu and close to two hundred diocesan and religious priests from the Archdiocese and beyond.

2nd National Clergy Discernment Tackles New Challenges

Some 56 religious belonging to 34 congregations, 111 priests from 42 dioceses and the Military Ordinariate  gathered at the LAYFORCE, San Carlos Seminary Complex gathered from March 14 to March 17 to re-visit PCP II, twenty years since it was celebrated.

Batangas Congressmen All Anti RH; Lipa Holds 3rd Rally

(Lipa City, March 5, 2011) – One of the best moves in fighting the RH Bill is to make sure where your congressmen and other government officials stand!  Batanguenos were thrilled to find that their four congressmen are pro-lifers and one of them is even a co-sponsor of HB No. 13, a proposed bill asking for the protection of the unborn.  

Fr. Ben Malaluan passes away

(Dec. 10, 2010) –  Rev. Fr. Benedicto Malaluan, who suffered a massive stroke while saying Mass last November 28, First Sunday of Advent, finally succumbed to death at around 4:45 in the afternoon at Mediatrix Medical Center, Lipa City.  Fr. Ben, as he was fondly called by friends and relatives, was declared brain-dead even after two days after his attack.  He was first brought to Nazareth Hospital in Batangas City before being transferred to MMC.

The wake will be at the mortuary of the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception as requested by the family.