Archbishop Leads Prayer Rally vs. Lodges

(December 10,2009) –  With hundreds of students coming from the various schools in Lipa City, and the lay faithful mostly from the Parish of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage attending,  reinforced by close to a hundred seminarians and priests,  Archbishop Ramon C. Arguelles amassed his troops in front of the Lipa City Hall and prayed the Rosary and later on led the concelebrated Mass to pray for “a clean and healthy Lipa City, as well as the province of Batangas”.

“Please,  do not think that we are doing this to condemn the local government or even the owners and operators of the lodges,” cautioned the Archbishop during his homily.  ”We are here to also acknowledge our failure.  If we allow these places of sin to exist,  it is because we have not been faithful to our families, to our spouses and even to our children.”

Noting the presence of students,  he said, “Even our schools are part of this.  The owners of these places are products of our Catholic schools.  We have failed to instill in them Catholic moral values.  If our leaders, educated as they are in Catholic schools, failed to live up to the moral standards,  then we as educators are also a failure,” he continued.

Archbishop to lead mass action vs. lodges

(December 3, 2009) – After personally visiting the Parish of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage, a barangay parish in the Marian city of Lipa, and saw that the construction of a lodge which was formerly in another barangay has been continuing despite an order of stoppage from the City’s Engineering Office,  Lipa Archbishop Ramon C. Arguelles decided to lead anew another prayer rally at the Lipa City Hall grounds this December 10, 2009.

Paring Batangas doing well in Pari-lympics

(November 30, 2009) –  In what was their last game for the time being in the long-running Pari-lympics, also known as the Cardinal Sin’s Cup, Paring Batangas continued to pile up win after win, notching its eighth win against two losses as they thumped the Cubao priest-cagers in a twinbill game held at the Holy Apostles Senior Seminary gym in Makati City this afternoon. Earlier before the Cubao-Lipa match-up, the Novaliches thwarted Malolos,  who just came from a morale-boosting win over Lucena last week.   Organizers informed the teams that the games would resume February next year as the Manila clergy would be busy preparing for the National Clergy retreat in January next year. The long-delayed basketball tournament involving the cagers from the Archdioceses of Manila and Lipa, Dioceses of Malolos, Lucena, Antipolo, Paranaque, Cubao, and Novaliches had a grand opening last August at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay.

Archbishop bares pilgrimage churches for Jubilee year 2010

(November 28,2009) –  Lipa Archbishop Ramon C. Arguelles formally bares the pilgrimage churches where the faithful can come and enjoy the spiritual benefits that accrue to them during the “year of grace”.  During the Saturday evening,eve of the First Sunday of Advent, in a Mass broadcast live in the two radio stations of the Archdiocese of Lipa and shown in local cable television,  he enumerated the twenty one churches, shrines and monasteries that the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, endowed the privilege of granting plenary indulgence to pilgrims visiting these during the Centennial Year (April 10, 2010 to April 10, 2011).  He enumerated the following churches as “jubilee churches”:  Vicariate I – Parish Church of St. John the Baptist (Lian, Batangas), parish Church of the Immaculate Concepcion (Balayan, Batangas), Parish Church of St. Francis Xavier (Nasugbu, Batangas), Parish Church of St. Raphael (Calaca, Batangas);  Vicariate 2 – Minor Basilica of St. Martin of Tours (Taal, Batangas), Shrine of Our Lady of Caysasay (Labac, Taal, Batangas), Archdiocesan Shrine of St. Therese of the Child jesus (Sta. Teresita, Batangas); Vicariate 3 – Parish Church of the Most Holy Trinity and Archdiocesan Shrine of the Glorious Cross (Pallocan West, Batangas City), Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Concepcion (Batangas City); Vicariate 4 – Parish Church of St. John Nepomucene (San Juan, Batangas), Archdiocesan Shrine of St. Joseph the Patriarch (San Jose, Batangas); Vicariate 5 – Metropolitan Cathedral of St. Sebastian (Lipa City), Archdiocesan Shrine of St. Vincent Ferrer (Banaybanay, Lipa City), Divino Amor Chapel (Redemptorist, Lipa City), Mnastery of Mt. Carmel of Our Lady of Mediatrix of all Grace (Antipolo del Norte, Lipa City), Monastery of Clarisas Capuchinas Sacramentarias (Lipa City), Monastery of St. Benedict (Pinagtungulan, Lipa City), Monastery of Minims Nuns of St. Francis de Paola (Lumbang, Lipa City); Vicariate 6 – Parish Church of St. Padre Pio (San Pedro, Sto. Tomas, Batangas), Parish Church of St. John Evangelist (Tanauan City).  He also announced the late inclusion of the Parish Church of Nuestra Senora de la Soledad (Darasa, Tanauan City), Monastery of the Missionary Catechists of the sacred Heart (Sabang, Lipa City), Chapel of Binukalan (Alitagtag, Batangas) and the Parish Church of the Holy Family (Bolo, Bauan, Batangas).

Monte Maria Board, nagpulong

Nagkaroon ng meeting ang Board of Trustees ng Mary Mother of the Poor Foundation ng Pilipinas noong September 14, 2009 sa Saint Paul retreat house sa Alfonso, Cavite upang pag-usapan ang mga updates sa paggawa ng Montemaria Shrine. Ang mga dumalo ay sina Father Fernando Suarez, Father Jeff Shannon, Father Ronilo Javines, Father Ernesto Mandanas at Bishop Salvador Quizon, Ms. Ching Cruz, Mr. Arthur Cabrera, Ms Teresas Chan, Ms Paz Monteclaro, Architect Susan Castillo, Architect Reggie Ragojos at Brother Andrew Gamilla. Ang mga sumusunod ang mga pinag-usapan:

PressCon for November 28

Archbishop Ramon Arguelles, through Fr. Nonie Dolor, chair of the Commission on Social Communications and Mass Media, is calling for a press conference to brief media on the pilgrimage churches for the Centennial Year 2010.  The date is set for November 28, Saturday, 9:00 am at his residence in Lipa City.  There are more than twenty churches/shrines and chapels to be declared pilfrimage sites for the whole centennial celebrations.  The Archbishop is set to formally announce this to the faithful of the Archdiocese during the evening mass of the same day, marking the First Sunday of Advent.  

Archbishop Challenges Youth to Bring Christ to the Community

(Lipa City, Nov. 22,2009) – Lipa Archbishop Ramon C. Arguelles challenged the youth of Lipa and the other youth delegates from Asia and other parts of the country to bear witness to the Gospel message of love in their communities.  Presiding over the closing ceremonies of the Archdiocesan Youth Day at St. Francis de Sales Major Seminary Gym,  he said that the youth more than anybody else in our modern societies are more challenged to really prove that Christ is their King.

More Vicariates and Parishes Try CiDEs

Since the  Council of the Laity of the Archdiocese of Lipa decided to promote the Circles of Discernment for Elections and Beyond (CiDE),  Fr. Nonie Dolor,  the main promoter of this Dilaab-inspired response to  ”evangelize politics” and give “pastoral accompaniment” to lay people in their political involvement as enunciated by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) in their July pastoral statement “Lay participation in Politics and Peace Building”,  was kept busy moving from one vicariate to another, and even visiting parishes to give the orientation for CiDE.

Last November 7,  310 participants from Vicariate 2 gathered at spacious Our Lady of Caysasay Gymn for a whole day seminar-workshop. The representatives of nine parishes, mostly from the Parish Pastoral Assembly and religious organizations, made 7 circles, since there were seven towns represented.  Fr. Lito Malibiran, Lemery parish priests gave a doze of video presentation, depicting the present political realities.  Fr. Nonie Dolor painstakingly explained the different role of the clergy and the laity in politics.  He batted for the full involvement of the laity as it is “the duty of the lay faithful to directly engaged in politics” and the clergy to maintain a non-partisan role in making sure that the elections be peaceful, clean and credible.   Fr. Gami Balita, Vicar Forane, personally accompanied the group during the entire exercise.  Other parish priests lent their presence to inspire their lay partners in this  endeavor,  fully supported by Lipa archbishop Ramon C. Arguelles.

The following day,  Fr. Dolor was orienting lay leaders of Vicariate V gathered at the San Sebastian Parish hall.  He was held into a lively and animated discussion on  the challenges of Christians in evangelizing thee political culture.  The good priest emphasized “personal conversion” as the starting point of their involvement in social change.  ”There are a lot to change in our existing political culture of political patronage.  Our Bishops pointed this out in their pastoral exhortation in 1997 — politics, as practiced in our country, is doing us harm as a nation!” After explaining the Nominal Group Technique,  he bid them goodbye to motor to nearby Padre Garcia Parish.

Here,  there were more young people than the elders.  Fr. Ferdie Jumaod, OSJ welcomed them.  Bro. Ading Tejada of Ibaan gave the orientation to CiDE.  Fr. Nonie Dolor facilitated the NGT with six circles of 50 participants getting the feel of the process.  The adult lay leaders promised to bring this to the barangay level.

Paring Batangas Failed to Defend General Champion Title

(October 23, 2009) – Paring Batangas fell one point short to Paring Lucena as the Batangas clergy failed to defend the general championship title they held for the past two years.  This despite the 40s and above recovered the title in basketball,  where their 39s and below yielded the tile and settled for the runner-up trophy in the same sport.  Fr. Oscar Andal, reporting to DWAL-FM program “Dito Po Sa Atin”,  also disclosed that the next Southern Luzon Tagalog Region (SOLTARE) sportfest will be held next year with Lipa as host.  It will be remembered that 2010 is the centennial year of the local church of Lipa.

“The players vowed to regain the title as we host this event for the second time,” Fr. Chancellor quoted the players from Lipa.  If ever,  this will be the fourth staging of this event,  which was first hosted by Lipa, then Lucena, and this year by the Diocese of Boac.

CiDEs, Catching Fire in the Archdiocese

(October 19, 2009) –  The Circles of Discernment for Elections and Beyond is slowly catching fire in the Archdiocese of Lipa.

It started with the eagerness of the officers and members of the Archdiocesan Council of the Laity, headed by Bro. Loreto “Ito” Guinhawa.  The ACL made the CiDE as one of their activities in the celebration of the Laity Week.

“We are responding to the challenge posed to us lay people, especially the leaders, to take an active part in social change in our country.  We know that the forthcoming May elections is a means towards that change.  However,  the CBCP is right in pointing out that it is incumbent on us, lay people, to evangelize politics in our country,” declared Bro. Ito in appearing in an interview over the Archdiocesan radio, DWAL-FM 95.9 RAdyo Totoo, in the program hosted by Fr. Nonie Dolor and Lita Bicol, both veteran broadcasters of the defunct AM radio of the Archdiocese.  The newly-opened FM radio is what Archbishop Ramon Arguelles calls “evangelization radio”.

After the CiDE, facilitated by Fr. Nonie Dolor and Fr. Lito Malibiran,  the ALC officers decided to bring CiDE to the vicariate level, after conferring with Fr. Oscar Andal,  the spiritual director of the Council of the Laity in the Archdiocese.  Archbishop Ramon Arguelles, on his part, gave his support, noting his disappointment with the few turn-out of a previously set July CiDE, where only 12 parishes and two schools sent representatives despite his previous announcements in the priests’ assemblies.   The team of Fr. Carmelo Diola from Cebu, where CiDE was born and currently being spread through the country, came over for that July CiDE, intended to be an orientation for priests and lay leaders of the Archdiocese.  Frs. Dolor and Malibiran previously attended CiDE workshops in Cebu, separately.

Last October 10,  Vicariate VII, under Fr. Matty Orario and its lay Vicarial Coordinator, Bro. Demmy de la Cruz, invited Fr. Nonie Dolor to give the CiDE orientation to the Vicariate lay leaders. Close to 50 leaders came to the Parish of Our Mother of Perpetual Help.  Fr. Nonie Dolor said that he needed to explain the role of the laity in political involvement to these leaders who have been indifferent even to volunteer to the usual political engagement of the Church during elections in movements like PPCR and Namfrel. Of those who attended only three have said that they were volunteers of PPCRV and Namfrel during election; the others were mere by-standers saying that they did not know that it is the duty of Catholic faithful to participate directly in politics. Fr. Dolor took pains in explaining to them the laity’s vital responsibility in evangelizing the political sphere.

Last October 17,  Fr. Nonie Dolor went to Tanauan City to give the CiDE orientation to the lay leaders of Vicariate VI.  Fr. Cris de Guzman,  the newly-installed Vicar Forane, welcome the more than 70 participants.  He emphasized the call of the Holy Father, Benedict XVI, for the faithful’s active participation and duty  in social transformation.  CiDE, he said, is a way to do this, especially given the worsening political situation and culture in our country. After Fr. Dolor’s presentation,  which zeroed in on the two CBCB recent documents relating to lay participation on politics and peace-building,  the leaders, headed by Bro. Cris Perez of Sto. Tomas Parish, promised to bring CiDE even to the barangay or MSK level. The CiDE orientation was held in the morning.

Simulataneously with the Tanauan CiDE, Bro. Ding Tejada presided over the orientation to CiDE at San Juan Nepomuceno Parish, San Juan, Batangas.  The half-day seminar-workshop drew some 260 participants coming from the various barangays and church-based organizations, headed by the Parish Pastoral Assembly, including lay-faculty members of Joseph Marello Institute.  Bro. Ting Tejada reported that Fr. Randy Marquez,  parish priest and Vicar Forane of Vicariate IV, was with them the whole of the CiDE exercise.  He also said that they were able to hold a real CiDE, with 25 participants composing a circle.  Fr. Marquez promised to bring this down to the “tuklongs” of the parish, as a way of political education of the people.

Some 196 participants gathered that same afternoon at St. James Academy Gym to hear Fr. Dolor’s orientation on CiDE.  With the help of Fr. Jorge de Chavez, OSJ,  who recently joined the National Discernment of the the Clergy in Their Role as Prophets, the participants were able to get a glimpse of how CiDE works and more importantly,  why it is important in changing the political scene in the community.

Lastly,  yesterday, October 19,  the lay leaders of the Parish of St. Joseph, San Jose, Batangas underwent a similar orientation with close to 90 participants.  It will be noted that it is only Vicariate IV that took the initiative to have parochial CiDE orientation.  Others have scheduled their by Vicariates.  The parishes composing these vicariates would decided on their future moves of accepting or not CiDE as a means of their political education.