Male by-standers tried to subdue him but not after the man took a swipe at one of them, sending him to the hospital nearby.  He was whisked to the police station, a few meters away from the Basilica.  He could not be interviewed that afternoon.  It was only the following day that the man opened up to the lady psychiatrist, Dra. Anggie Acosta, recently named the official doctor to the residents of the St. Joseph Seniorate, and a resident of Batangas City.  She was accompanied by the Parish Pastoral Council president, Mr. Gerry Fetalvero,  who was deputized by the parish priest, Fr. Conrado Castillo, to follow up the police investigation. Later,  Fr. Oscar Andal, ARchdiocesan Chancellor, and Fr. Mike Samaniego, ARchdiocesan Finance Officer, arrived at the police station having been sent by the Archbishop on the same mission.

According to Dra. Acosta, her examination and interview with the young man revealed that he suffered from a “brief reactive psychosis, secondary to sleep deprivation and hunger.”  Investigators learnt that Danny (real name withheld) was the eldest of four siblings.  His father Lino left them orphaned with only his mother taking care of them.  They live in the streets of Kabangkalan.  To help his mother and siblings, he went to work at a piggery in Calbayog, Samar,  where he was promised to be paid P2,000 monthly.  According to Danny, he was paid only P500.  Unable to stand this situation,  he jumped ship and landed in Manila to try his luck.  Unable to find any vacancy and no more money in his pocket,  he just took the road.  He claimed to have travelled from Makati to Batangas for five days

without sleep and food.  At this point,  he was sobbing and opened up.

“I was angry with God,” he said in halting Tagalog,  which he speaks very little.  He also disclosed that he was not a Catholic — he said he is a Pentecostal.  He further claimed that this was the first time he had committed a violent action.  He was asking for forgiveness, admitting that what he did was not right.

Archbishop Ramon C. Arguelles, in a radio interview earlier that day in the Archdiocesan radio station, DWAL-FM 95.9 Radyo Totoo, categorically stated that the Church will not press any charges on Danny, but rather find out why he was able to do this, and extend whatever possible help the Church could give.  The local city government, thru City Administrator Philip Baroja, said it would be coordinating with the DSWD in Kabangkalan so  that Danny would be repatriated.

In the meantime,  a 24-hour reparation was set December 26,  starting with a Mass at 2pm.  Different religious organizations and barangays comprising the parish took turns in vigil and prayer.  The youth held the midnight to dawn vigil.  A Mass in the afternoon the following day concluded the act of reparation.  Long-time church benefactor, Dr. Luis Pastor, is taking care of the repair of the Sto. Nino image,  soon to be honored with a fiesta on January 16  – the traditional date of the feast of the patron of the whole city!  Fr. Castillo said the parish is footing the bill for the repair of the altar,  which he hopes would be re-consecrated on Saturday, the eve of the civil’s New Year!

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.

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.

]]> http://fathernonie.wordpress.com/2011/12/13/lipa-clergy-welcomes-back-cardinal-rosales/feed/ 0 noniecdolor http://fathernonie.wordpress.com/2011/11/17/second-batch-of-lipa-clergy-off-to-taytay/ http://fathernonie.wordpress.com/2011/11/17/second-batch-of-lipa-clergy-off-to-taytay/#comments Thu, 17 Nov 2011 08:53:49 +0000 noniecdolor http://fathernonie.wordpress.com/?p=361 ]]> 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.

In attendance to witness this historic event were local political and religious leaders. Including Most Rev. Salvador Quizon, Auxiliary Bishop-emeritus of Lipa and Lucena Bishop-emeritus, Most Rev. Ruben Profugo.  Thousand devotees of St. John the Baptist, one of the most famous pilgrim images in this part of the Archdiocese, were also there.

Rev. Fr. Oscar Andal,  the Archdiocesan Chancellor read the Decree Declaring the Parish Church a Shrine, making it the seventh in this Archdiocese.  Others are The Parish Church of St. Therese of the Child Jesus in Sta. Teresita, Batangas; Parish Church of St. Joseph at San Jose, Batangas, Parish Church of St. Padre Pio at San Pedro, Sto. Tomas, Batangas; Parish Church of St. Vincent Ferrer at Banaybanay, Lipa City; Parish Church of the Most Holy Trinity at Pallocan West, Batangas City; and, the Shrine of Our Lady of CAysasay at Labac, Taal, Batangas.

Rev. Fr. Eriberto Cabrera, present parish priest, and now rector of the newly-declared shrine, thanked the Archbishop for affirming the faithful’s devotion to the highly-esteemed patron that led to the declaration of this sacred place of worship and veneration to a shrine.

            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.

            Upon reaching the Carmel grounds, which was already then teeming with thousands of pilgrims,  Archbishop Arguelles led the faithful in Benediction.  The grand choir of the Archdiocese then sang the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy.  But not all before the VIPs came:  Vice President Jejomar Binay, Batangas Governor Vilma Santos Recto, Vice-Governor Mark Leviste, Lipa City Mayor Meynard Sabili, Rep. Mark Leandro Mendoza of the province’s third district, Ambassador to Vatican Mercy Tuazon, the delegates to the Asia-Oceania Mariological Conference II, PNP and military officers and other local government and non-government officials.

            Among Church officials present were Cardinal Ricardo Vidal,  who crowned the statue of Mary Mediatrix of All Grace, Cotabato Auxiliary Bishop Collin Bogaforo, Vigan Archbishop Ernesto Salgado, Boac Bishop Rey Evangelista, Bishop-emeritus Salvador Quizon, Archbishop John Ribat of Papua New Guinea, and other priests-attendees of the AOMC2.

            In his homily, Archbishop Ramon Arguelles recounted the history of the Carmel phenomenon.  He said that despite Rome’s decision to uphold the 1951 decision of the Committee which investigated the shower of petals and declared tht there was “no supernatural” in these events”,  he said that Vatican is still encouraging devotion to Mary Mediatrix of All Grace. Later in the Mass, Bishop Bogaforo presented 6 pilgrim statues of Mediatrix to be brought all over the Philippines and even Europe to propagate the devotion to Mary.  The statues were blessed by Archbishop Arguelles and Cardinal Vidal.

            The September 12 event was preceded by the opening of the Marian Exhibit last  September 7 at the Bishop Alfredo Obviar Museum.  This featured various antique and unique Marian statues including Taal’s Our Lady of Caysasay, and other statues from Bulacan and Laguna.  The museum, taken cared of by art patron Danny Dolor, was open to the public from Sept. 8 to Sept. 15, free of charge.

            A triduum which had international rosary and masses in English and Latin was held from Sept. 9, 10, 11, participated in by the faithful of the seven vicariates of the archdiocese.  Twenty-four hour vigils in honor of the Blessed Sacrament were held at the Center for Peace, near Carmel Church, led by the various parish chapters of Adoracion Nocturna and Apostleship of Prayer. /lcd

Before the three-o’clock Mass, held on the Cathedral grounds, Archbishop Arguelles unveiled a historical marker  from the National Historical Institute, represented by its Executive Director,  Ludovico Badoy.  Vice-President Jojemar Binay and Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona, both native-born Batanguenos, assisted the Archbishop in the symbolic gesture of marking this historic event. Later,  Cardinal Rosales blest the marker.

Cardinal Vidal later blest a wall marker, which was unveiled by Bishop Salvador Quizon, Auxiliary Bishop-Emeritus of Lipa, and Lipa City Mayor, Hon. Meynard Sabili.

In his homily, the Archbishop traced the history of the diocese, which owed its existence to St. Pope Pius X in 1910, who established it as a diocese together with Zamboanga, Tuguegarao, and Calbayog,   together with the Prefecture of Palawan.

He also traced the evangelization of Southern Tagalog to the first missionaries that accompanied Martin Goite and Juan Salcedo, who embarked various expeditions around the Lake Taal, from where the evangelization of the different provinces nearby were carried out.

“After Cebu, the province of Batangas can boast of having served as the gateway of the Gospel to these islands of evangelical importance,” he pointed out.

He also referred to the Glorious Cross,  which his predecessor, Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales, upon the celebration of the Great Jubilee Year 2000, thought of, together with the clergy, that depicts on one side the Trinity and on the other side the Holy Family.

“Hardly did anyone imagine that ten years later,  during the local Jubilee, the focus will again be the Glorious Cross,” he mused aloud.  “The whole Archdiocese was drawn to a deeper reflection on the depth of the mystery of Consecratio ad Trinitatem Sanctam and Transformatio ut Sancta Familia,” he continued to explain the theme adopted in the year of the jubilee.

Lastly, he emphasized that the event is not putting a closure but rather an invitation to the next centennial event of the local church. He urged the faithful of Lipa to become steadfast in carrying out three “missions” which he put into the acronym “SEC”, standing for Sanctification, Evangelization and Communion.

The grand celebration ended with a dinner-reception at the Lipa City youth Center.  The Lipa Diocesan Catholic Schools Association (LIDICSA) took charge of the program which included welcome dance, production numbers depicting the history of the diocese and a video presentation of the highlights of the centennial celebration.  /lcd

The second of its nature,  this national gathering of diocesan and religious priests aimed at reflecting on their roles as prophets, given “the new faces of the Church of the Poor”, following the spirit of PCP II.  According to Msgr. Manny Gabriel, one of the convenors,  this is also in line with the challenge of the CBCP to “form circles of discernment” in order to examine if the priests in the Philippines have been prophetic so that the integral evangelization brings forth the desired vision of being “Church of the Poor”.

After Archbishop Angel Lagdameo’s keynote speech entitled “PCP II Perspective on Church of the Poor and the Priest’s Prophetic Mission” and Msgr. Manny Gabriel’s orientation on the framework of the workshop, which he called “Pastoral Circle”,  the assembly was divided into 12 workshops.  The participants shared their experiences,  analyzed and came up with pastoral actions on what the convenors termed as “varying faces of poverty and marginalizations in the Ministries and Lives of the Priests”.  Each workshop was assigned resource persons and facilitators, namely:  Homeless Families and Families Living under the Bridge (Fr. Florentino Atilano Fajardo, CM and Dr. Joseph Carabeo – resource persons;  Fr. Kenneth Centeno, CM – facilitators), Marginalized Indigenous Families (Sr. Eva Maano, SPC and Fr. Pedro Montallana, OFM – resource persons, Fr. Sergio Maniba – facilitator;  Marginali (Bishop Edwin de la Pena and Sr. Elsa Compuesto,MSM – resource persons, Msgr. Rey Manuel Monsanto – facilitator); Marginalization of Farmers and Fisherfolks (Fr. Mario Agunod and Msgr. Albert Rabe – resource persons, Fr. Rudy Abao, MSC); Marginalization of Workers (Bishop Gerry Alminaza and Fr. Jose Dizon – resource persons, Fr. Jesus Dumaual, MSC- facilitator); Marginalization of Informal Settlers (Fr. Manny Suarez and Fr. Delfo Canceran, OP – resource persons, Fr. Charley Ricafort, MI – facilitator);  Marginalization of Migrants and their Families (Fr. Edwin Corros, CS and an OFW family – resource persons, Fr. Fullente Suarez – facilitator); The Marginalized Youth (Bishop Roberto Mallari and Center for Trade Union & Human Rights – resource persons, Fr. Rene Mercader, MSC – facilitator); Marginalization of Victims of Domestic and Sexual Abuse [Women Issues] (Dr. Victoria Apuan of Women Gender Commission of AMRSP – resource person, Sr. Emelina Villegas, ICM – facilitator); Marginalization of Special Children/Person with Disabilities (Fr. Ambrocio Nonato C. Legaspi – Resource person, Fr. Luigi Gianbattista, SC – facilitator); Impact of Climate Change on Marginalization of Peoples (Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment – resource person, Fr. Ernie Pesimo – facilitator); and, Raising the Missionary Consciousness of the Philippine Church (Fr. Wilfredo Dulay, Mj – resource person, Fr. Socrates Mesiona, MSP – facilitator).

Aside from Msgr. Manny Gabriel, Fr. Roberto Reyes guided the participants in using “social analysis”, and with Bishop Broderick Pabillo providing the Scriptural foundations, Living Tradition and Social teachings of the Church,  the group, during the last day, came up with pastoral action.  A group headed by Bishop Gerry Alminaza will soon come up with a statement of this second discerment.

Bishop Florentino Lavarias, chairman of the commission on clergy of the CBCP, presided over the closing liturgy with the participants dedicating themselves to the Blessed Mother in this mission of being prophets in the Church of the Poor.

Aside from the bishops mentioned,  other bishops who showed their solidarity with the participants  were Bishop Ted Bacani, Bishop Sofronio Bancud, Bishop Bernardito Cortez, Bishop Chito Tagle, Bishop Deogracias Iniguez, and Bishop Edgardo Juanich.

Other activities, like a forum on the situation at Middle East and North Africa, pleas for signatures to help stop mining at Palawan, signatures for a letter to be sent to President Aquino on the labor problem in Cebu’s VECO, found their way during the four-day gathering. /lcd

In a mammoth rally, this time tagged as “Inter-faith Rally vs. RH Bill”, held at the Plaza Independencia, a stone throw away from the Metropolitan Cathedral of San Sebastian,  thousands of Batanguenos congregated after the 7 o’clock Mass led by Msgr. Boy Oriondo, parish priest of San Sebastian Parish.  After the ecumenical prayer led by religious sectors, including an Imam of the burgeoning Muslim community in the province, speaker after speaker lambasted the authors of this controversial bill which they called a bill that is anti-life. The groups represented during the rally, jointly organized by the Commission on Family and Life Ministry and the Lipa Archdiocesan Council of the Laity, included groups from the parishes in the archdiocese,  Couples of Christ, St. Bridget College Faculty and students, religious congregations in the Archdiocese, seminarians of St. Francis de Sales Minor, Major and Theology Seminaries, De La Salle Lipa Administration, and local government officials.

Only Congressman Leandro Mark Mendoza of the province’s fourth district showed up.  He vowed to block the controversial measure, together with the growing number of legislators who are slowly coming out in the open against the RH bill.  He asked the crowd to pray so that others who remain adamant to join them would relent and for those who expressed their opposition may remain steadfast in their stand and not to succumb to pressure, especially of money.

The other congressmen, namely Congressman Tomas Apacible of the first district, Congressman Hermilando Mandanas of the second district and Congressman Sonny Collantes, sent their messages assuring their respective constituents their opposition to the RH Bill.  All of them assured the leaders of the local church their support for the CBCP stand.  They also informed them that had it not for previous commitments they would have been present in the rally,  which lasted till past 10 am.

Meanwhile,  two prominent members of the Provincial Council, lawyer Florencio de Loyola and Senior Board Member Christopher de Leon, also graced the rally, each addressing the people.  Atty Florencio de Loyola, chairman of the provincial council’s committee on laws, read his proposed resolution expressing opposition to the RH Bill, which the Council referred to the Committee on Women. Senior Board member and actor Christopher de Leon assured them of his pro-life stance.  The Governor, Vilma Santos Recto, begged off from attending previous appointment with her son’s school, assured the Archbishop and the faithful her and husband Senator Ralph Recto’s pro-life and pro-family stance.

Other speakers like Dr. Rene Bullacer fired up the crowd with their salvos against the provisions of the proposed bill.  Dra. Anggie Acosta warned women not to be misled by the so-called women’s empowerment being spelled out by the bill.  Msgr. Alfredo Madlangbayan,  Vicar General, speaking on behalf of ARchbishop Ramon Arguelles, called this a fight between the forces of light and darkness.

This is the third time that a huge rally in favor of life and family has been held in the ARchdiocese of Lipa.

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