POPE FRANCIS: COME BACK TO THE LORD WITH ALL YOUR HEART DURING LENT By: Sr. Bernadette Mary Reis, FSP

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1 We Carre Be We Becaus ca aus use We We Pray ra ay Febr Fe bru ua ary 18, 8, Fiirrs F st Su Sunday y of Lent Le en ntt POPE FRANCIS: COME BACK TO THE LORD WITH ALL YOUR HEART DURING LENT By: Sr. Bernadette Mary Reis, FSP Pope Francis 2018 Lenten Message is inspired by words Jesus spoke near the end of His life on the Mount of Olives regarding the end of time: Because of the increase of iniquity, the love of many will grow cold (Matthew 24:12). FALSE PROPHETS False prophets whom Pope Francis calls snake charmers and charlatans lead us astray. They mesmerize God s children who then mistake true happiness for momentary pleasure ending in slavery to profit or become trapped in loneliness. Many young people enticed by other swindlers buy into the panacea of drugs, disposable relationships, dishonest gain, or a virtual existence. Thus people are robbed of what is most precious: dignity, freedom and the ability to love, he says. A COLD HEART After recognizing the false prophets to whom each of us has fallen prey, the question Pope Francis would like us to reflect on this Lent is What are the signs that indicate that our love is beginning to cool? Above all else, he says, What destroys charity is greed for money. Rejection of God follows, and we prefer our own desolation rather than the comfort found in His Word and the Sacrament. As a result, even creation bears silent witness to hearts gone cold. Refuse litters the earth, the seas are polluted with the bodies of countless shipwrecked victims of forced immigration, and the heavens meant to sing God s praises are rent by engines raining down instruments of death. WHAT ARE WE TO DO? The Church offers us the Lenten practices of prayer, almsgiving, and fasting which Pope Francis calls a soothing remedy. Prayer allows us to eradicate secret lies and self-deception, and we find the consolation God offers, he says. Almsgiving frees us from greed; it helps us regard others as brothers and sisters. How I would like almsgiving to become a genuine style of life for each of us! he says. Fasting weakens our tendency to violence reviving our desire to obey God, who alone can satisfy our hunger. THE FIRE OF EASTER The Pope reminds us that although the flame of charity may die in our hearts, it never dies in God s. He invites us to participate in the 24 Hours for the Lord on Friday and Saturday, the 9th-10th of March. After Eucharistic Adoration and Sacramental Confession, he says that the new fire of the Easter Vigil, the light of Christ will enable us to listen to God s word and nourish ourselves on the Eucharist, making our hearts more ardent in faith, hope and love. Source: Full text: Santuario de San Antonio Parish Forbes Park, Makati City Tel. nos.: / 31

2 PARISH BULLETIN Various Visions of Our Parishioners for SSAP The Catholic Church is a growing community where people serve God together, by nourishing spirituality in the Christian Faith and responding to God s call by caring for His creations and helping those in need. In attending Church activities, we make way for allowing Jesus to come in our lives. From there, we can learn to love more, to forgive and to become Christ-like. We follow the greatest Commandment of Jesus in John 13:34 where He said, My command is this: love each other as I love you. Adhering to His words can make us instruments of His love. We can help others without expecting from them. With that, we can do everything in love and care for His creations. We can help by extending our hearts and hands to those in need through ministries and programs. - Cheycel Joy E. Calosor 2 SSAP can be a second home for the youth, a place to learn, to grow, and to be with peers. - Shelli Tomacruz A Parish community of Catholics well-steeped in the knowledge and practice of their Faith, moving forward in loving conviviality towards becoming a living witness of God s love. - Mike Gomez A community of active youth --- one where the youth are given opportunities to grow in leadership and service, and are actively engaged in community-building and social justice. - Clarisse Gomez A dynamic and resilient Church able to cope up with the demands of the new tides, yet able to preserve the integral disciplines, beliefs and practices of the Church as a strong example of the Roman Catholic Faith. A Church that is Inclusive and not exclusive. - Lyn Arcilla Santuario de San Antonio Pastoral Team Fr. Baltazar A. Obico, OFM - Guardian Fr. Reu Jose C. Galoy, OFM - Vicar Provincial, Parish Priest Fr. Judee Mar Maquinad, OFM - Bursar Fr. Jesus E. Galindo, OFM - Member Fr. Efren C. Jimenez, OFM - Member RDIP - PB Editorial Team & General Information Marie Tycangco - Head, RDIP-PB/Editor-in-Chief Javier Luis Gomez - Asst. Editor/Writer Ramon M. Ong - Asst. Editor Dennis Montecillo - Asst. Editor/Writer Clarisse Gomez - Asst. Editor/Writer Ervin Co - Asst. Editor/Writer Pisha Banaag - Asst. Editor/Writer Peachy Maramba - Contributor Lianne Tiu - Contributor Conchitina Bernardo - Contributor Jeannie Bitanga - Website Administrator Alexa Montinola - Asst. Website Administrator Edward Lu - Art & Design Colorplus Production Group Corp. - Production Santuario de San Antonio Parish Center Office Tel. nos / 31 ssap_info@yahoo.com Website: Website webi@ssaparish.com Parish Pastoral Council Jun Rodriguez President Girlie Sison Vice President Marie Tycangco Secretary

3 February 18, 2018 OUR VISION: PROVIDING A CHRIST-CENTERED SERVICE FOR THE PARISH By: Ma. Belen R. Salano Santuario de San Antonio Parish has gone through so many administrations and each one has its own goal and objectives together with its amazing story. Defi nitely, there is one thing in common to all administrations and that is, we all work behind the scenes to support the Parish Priest, Pastoral Team, the PPC and Ministries, our awesome benefactors, their benefi ciaries and all other stakeholders. We all believe that God placed us here in SSAP because He has a plan for us individually and collectively. All of us, SSAP personnel, collaborate our energies toward a shared goal, that is, to provide an effective and efficient support to all the needs of the community and with Christ in the center. We aim to deliver good service by using the resources of the Church efficiently. The entire staff embraces our tasks at hand not only because it is our job to do so, but more so, we view our job as our pathway to Holiness. We follow our ultimate administrator, our Lord Jesus Christ. Quoting St. Teresa de Avila, Christ has no body now, but yours. No hands, no feet on earth, but yours. Yours are the eyes through which Christ looks compassion into the world. Yours are the feet with which Christ walks to do good. Yours are the hands with which Christ blesses the world. The SSAP Community consists of very dynamic parishioners. In the performance of our mundane work, we encounter different personalities and many times, we face challenges. These are the days when we feel the monotony that goes with our tasks and we need to face head-on these situations. These are times that we call loudly on the Lord and we realize that the Lord is using these times to teach us to be stronger and to draw Him closer to us. We ultimately realize our true worth that God bestowed on each and every individual. The vision of the SSAP Administration is to acknowledge the true value of every person, which is often not visible. Quoting the Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the naked eye. Deep in our hearts, we desire to be able to meet all expectations of the community but then we all know we will never be able to do so. Everyone of us has fl aws and cracks which are constantly under repair. We are under construction, modifi ed, overhauled and transformed until we take our last breath. We are undergoing changes, so please be patient; God isn t fi nished with us yet. 3

4 PARISH BULLETIN Taste of Silence By: A Contemplative Parishioner was lonely. It was my time to work on my spiritual life. Centering Prayer, and COP became my source of strength and I met new friends there. In COP, I belong to a community of Faith that offers support, direction, and mutual concern. The prayer of silence that has brought us together in search of transformation; and union with God has made my life a joy. Knowing friends in the journey has made me happy. While I may be alone, I do not feel alone any more. In the United States, I could not go on Retreats. Here, the Retreats have deepened my Faith. In times of quiet and refl ection, I was communing with God, and in the silence I truly heard Him. I continue to listen. As I grew spiritually, I felt I had a calling. I had to do something to serve Him. I prayed for guidance. When I was a teenager in the province, I used to teach in the slums and the public schools. I taught basic Catechism. He led me to the Ministry of Catechism. Today I teach 8-year-olds and prepare them for their First Communion. In the process, I too am learning more about Him. Truly I can say my Shepherd has guided me all my life! As I look back, God s love has provided me with all the people and events -- be they favorable or unfavorable -- always for my good. He has channeled my life so that it evolved step-by-step and has brought me to where and to what I am today. All in His time, and in His way. My vision for the Santuario de San Antonio Parish is that of a community and a place of worship that can respond to the spiritual needs of its parishioners. Having had to live in the United States, where for many years I was a single parent, I was too busy to belong to a community, and had to pray in my own way. It was my Faith that guided me in growing with my children in a different culture. It was very difficult, but by God s grace I was able to deal with my situation for 10 years. Upon returning home, I was invited by my neighbor Josie Tordesillas, who took me to a cenacle and to Centering Prayer. I joined the Contemplative Outreach Philippines (COP). Coming home without my children 4 In all these, I can say, that when I worked on my spiritual life, it mirrored His presence at every moment, especially when I had diffi cult times. In silence I feel His presence and love. God is good! The author is an active member of COP and the San Antonio Centering Prayer Support Group. For those who want to experience the Prayer of Silence, there are formation workshops offered. Please call the COP office (Herbie) at or Betty Florendo Visit our web site at

5 February 18, 2018 My Vision for My Parish By: Jolly Gomez San Antonio has been my home Parish for almost 50 years. This is where I discovered my Faith, I was married, my children were baptized, I buried my relatives, and where I worshipped on a daily basis. This is also where I have developed lifelong relationships with parishioners who have played a signifi cant part in my growth as a Catholic. I have lived overseas and have traveled to several countries for work and will always fi nd time to go to Mass. I have been to beautiful churches in Europe where Masses had only a handful of old people. I have been to warehouse churches in Malaysia were the Mass was standing room only. Often times I would look at a Parish with some envy when I see how vibrant the worship is, how welcoming the parishioners are, how comfortable everyone seemed to be in their church. There was a recent survey on why Catholics leave the Church*. We often say that people move to the other Christian churches because they like the speakers, or the music, or the service, but the surveys actually revealed that people move to another church because they feel that they BELONG. Looking at San Antonio, I see two churches. The fi rst is the physical church where the Mass is celebrated and then there is the other church across the yard -- the Parish Center where our faith takes action. Through the years, we have been able to bring many casual churchgoers across the yard where they get to KNOW more about being Catholic, choose to LOVE and belong to a group in our Parish, and most importantly use the power of this conversion to SERVE the Jesus in our midst. There was one Friday night when I had to meet with someone in Church who had a problem. We went to the Parish Center to look for a room. All the rooms in the fi rst fl oor were fully packed for an outreach program, a choir practice, prayer meeting, team meeting, and household help Catechism class. There was also a youth weekend in the 2nd fl oor, and the Adoration Chapel had payday prayer. I ended up sitting on a bench by the driveway with the person and share with her, the joy of a Church alive. This is what a Church community is all about. Jesus was present all around us. Many parishioners come to Mass on Sundays to fulfi ll their obligation and are disconnected with the Parish. My vision for our Parish is to make every person who comes to church (like you who are reading this article) feel that they belong to this amazing Church. Then one day the church across the yard and the church where you now sit will be one celebration of love and belonging. THIS is the Kingdom of God. *America s Changing Religious Landscape, Pew Research Center May

6 PARISH BULLETIN The Continuing Journey: Long-Term Vision for Our Parish By: Edmund Lim (Admin Council Chair and Development Committee Member) Our Parish Priest, Fr Reu Galoy -- with the approval of the Board of the Franciscan Order -- established a Development Committee (DevCom) to oversee the long-term constructions goals and needs of our Parish, allowing the PPC and Pastoral Team to focus more on the spiritual aspects of the Parish. I was very honored that Fr. Reu invited me to become a member of this committee. While a lot was completed last term, many things still need our attention and remain unfi nished. I would like to share with you what we want to accomplish under the current term within the next two years. First, we want to complete the construction of Crypt 3 Annex as soon as possible. It is already undergoing preparatory works and we hope to proceed to the next stage of the project soonest. Second, we have begun studies to install an elevator in our Parish Center. This elevator will help improve access of our disabled and elderly parishioners, greatly easing their comfort, in going to and leaving our Parish Hall. We hope to complete this, if not by this year s Fiesta, then by the end of the year. Lastly, the church s roof needs attention. While we have wanted to fi x the roof since 2015, the limited time, talent and resources available meant that only now could we start envisioning how to fi x and repair our aged roof and ceiling. The goal is to renovate and change without disturbing our Liturgical services within. Like before, the task ahead of us is not easy. Once more, we members of the Devcom and the PPC Execom Team, call upon your prayers and support. Thank you for continuing to journey with us as we continue to serve our Parish. 6

7 February 18, 2018 PARISH ANNOUNCEMENTS 7

8 LEASE / SALE FORBES DASMA URDA SAN LO BEL AIR MAGA CONNIE PERIQUET GATMAITAN CYNTHIA GATMAITAN MENCHACA TELS.: CELL (0917) /F SEDCCO BLDG., RADA ST., LEGASPI VILL., MAKATI CITY