Archbishop Arguelles Invites Batangueno Clerics & Religious for Centennial Celebration

(June 27, 2009) – This early,  Archbishop Ramon C. Arguelles has written major religious superiors in the world to allow their members who are Batanguenos to come back home to the Archdiocese of Lipa to celebrate the Centennial Jubilee,  which will commence on April 10, 2010 and last till April 10, 2011.  The Festival of Batangueno Priests and Religious is one of the many activities lined up for the year-long celebration.  This, according to Fr. Toter Rosuello,  chairman of the Commission on Vocations,  which is spearheading this activity,  will be held the whole month of August 2010,  declaring it  ”Vocation Animation Month”.  Proir to this,  Vocation MOnth is always February,  which was one of the legacies of the much-revered former Archbishop of Lipa,  Ricardo Cardinal Vidal.  On his part,  Archbishop Arguelles said the consensus to have these Batangueno priests and religious now working and/or residing outside the archdiocese was due to the fact that usually August is vacation month especially for those abroad.  He also stated that the object of this special gathering of Batangueno priests and religious is primarily to arouse more missionary vocations among the Batangueno youth.

Groundbreaking for a Training Center

(June 17,2009) – Pondong Batangan,  the fore-runner of the more popular Pondo ng Pinoy, has not stopped in its efforts to help those in need.  After putting up the program “Dunong Batangueno” which grants scholarships for poor but deserving college students,  it has successfully saw its other program – “Galing Batangueno” – produce its first two batches of out-of-school-youth scholars.  To make sure of the stability of this program,   the Board of Directors of Pondong Batangan Community Foundation has approved the plan to put up a training center,  whose groundbreaking ceremonies took place this afternoon.  

Pandayan ni San Jose to be Built

(June 10,2009) – A P14 million edifice, to be called Pandayan ni San Jose will soon rise at the Villa San Jose, Marawoy, Lipa City,  site of the housing project of the Archdiocese of Lipa for the poor,  Fr. Manuel Guazon, Executive Director of Pondong Batangan Community Foundation, Inc. (PBCFI), announced recently.    This planned training center will house PBCFI’s student-recipients of its livelihood projects, currently being held at the vicariates level.  The livelihood projects, tagged as “Galing ng Batangueno”, are really technical and vocational courses, duly accredited by TESDA, intended mainly for out-of-school youths and those who could not afford the normal four-year college courses.  The ground-breaking rites will be held on June 17 at 2:00 pm, with Archbishop Ramon Arguelles presiding.

Nuncio to grace Festival of Fathers

The Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines, Archbishop Joseph Adams,  will grace the Festival of Fathers to be held at the newly-constructed multi-purpose hall of the  Parish of the Immaculate Conception at Balayan, Batangas this coming June 20.  This was announced by Msgr. Ruben Dimaculangan, Moderator Curiae and newly-installed Vicar General, after the Executive Committee for the Centennial Celebration wound up its meeting for this particular event.  This will be the first time that the present Apostolic Nuncio will set foot in the Archdiocese of Lipa.