Corazon Cojuangco Aquino 1933-2009

Corazon Cojuangco Aquino, died this morning at 3;18 a.m. May she rest in Peace.

(Photo Source: Wikipedia)

Madam, Cory thank you so much for what you have done for the country, for your generosity, love and devotion to God, Church and Country!

To A Champion of the Church

St. Ignatius of Loyola. Pray for us.

Persevering Devotion

How do I spend my lunch break? My lunch break starts at 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m. but instead of taking a nap or eating my lunch, I make it a habit to attend Daily (Novus ordo) mass at this Chapel - the Good Shepherd chapel located beside the Cathedral. Sometimes doing this on a daily basis gives me strength. I am inspired to know too that every day i see same faces all earnest and sincerely working out our salvation with fear and trembling as the Scriptures said.

The Chapel of the Good Sheperd at the Cathedral of St. Gregory the Great. Daily Mass for a small gorup is done on this chapel.

The Courtyard of the cathedral

The more than a life size image of St.Paul one of the founders of the Church

Praying for the Holy Father

Let us pray for the health and well being of the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI.

Abolition of mandatory Celibacy for Roman Catholic Priests will not Solve the Vocation Crisis

Archbishop Emeritus Carmelo Guiaquinta, of Argentina has this to say....

“the minister who was ordained while celibate should remain celibate, and that the one ordained while married should remain married” will not be changed either. For this reason, he explained, “celibacy will never be optional in the sense that many in the media understand it: that ordained ministers who are celibate can contract marriage.”

More of these can be read from The CBCP Monitor

Note: Indeed there are many who believe that allowing priests to marry will bring in vocations. True vocation is not about getting married but it is about consecration and dedication as well as vocation or a divine calling from God whose grace will enable the candidate to persevere. But even with God's grace there is the need to for men to respond and cooperate with God.

Different Faces of Mt. Mayon

Allow me to share with you some of my treasured photos of Mt. Mayon.

Mayon as seen from the fence of a construction company.

At dusk when day light starts to fade away to give way to the darkness of night. I took this while on my way home. I pulled over and took this snap shot.

On a windy and cold afternoon.

On a windy day

Silvery lines on the sky after a heavy downpour.

Stunning Beauty of Mt. Mayon

I feel so lucky to be living in one of the Philippines, most beautiful province of Albay whose natural landmark is the world-famous Mayon Volcano. Mayon is an active volcano. Recently there were warnings that the volcano is undergoing some activity and alert level was raised to number 2. My home city is just a few kilometers away from this mountain. Today is rainy season and for this mountain to blow up on wet season would indeed be a very bad event. The rain will push down the lahar and giant boulders from the slopes down to the rivers and may destroy bridges, roads and villages. Help us pray for the safety of everyone.

Ecclesiae Unitatem: Expression of Papal Solicitude for the SSPX

I am impressed by these lines from the motu proprio ecclesiae unitatem, and I opine that this line can serve as a gentle rebuke for those who refuse to open their hearts for the Society of St. Pius X. The Holy Father has gone a long way and even suffered a great deal of negative publicity because of this. But how much shuld we love our Pope and pray for Him, for he indeed has always desired the unity of the Church and is solicitude for everyone's welfare. The Pope is in the service of Church unity and is the principal teacher of the visible church in terms of Faith and Morals and all of us are bound by conscience to obey, just as we must obey the teachings of the apostles. Here is the excerpt:

"With this decision I wish in particular to show paternal solicitude towards the Society of Saint Pius X, with the aim of rediscovering the full communion of the Church. To everyone I address a pressing invitation to pray ceaselessly to the Lord, by the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, "ut unum sint".

From Rome, at St. Peter's, 2 July 2009, fifth year of Our Pontificate."

Full Text in English can also be read from NLM

ECCLESIAE UNITATEM

His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI has signed the Motu Proprio Ecclesiae Unitatem decreeing the merger of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia with the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Here is an excerpt:

"In faithfulness to this mandate, following the act with which Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, on June 30, 1988, illicitly conferred the episcopal ordination on four priests, Pope John Paul II, of venerable memory, instituted, on July 2, 1988, the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei "whose task of collaborating with the bishops, with the Departments of the Roman Curia and with the circles concerned, for the purpose of facilitating full ecclesial communion of priests, seminarians, religious communities or individuals until now linked in various ways to the Fraternity founded by Mons. Lefebvre, who may wish to remain united to the Successor Peter in the Catholic Church, while preserving their spiritual and liturgical traditions, in the light of the Protocol signed on 5 May last by Cardinal Ratzinger and Mons. Lefebvre"

The English version of the text can be read in full from Rorate Coeli

CARITAS IN VERITATE

Pope's new encyclical speaks about the importance of Life.... here is an excerpt.

"Openness to life is at the centre of true development. When a society moves towards the denial or suppression of life, it ends up no longer finding the necessary motivation and energy to strive for man's true good. If personal and social sensitivity towards the acceptance of a new life is lost, then other forms of acceptance that are valuable for society also wither away. The acceptance of life strengthens moral fibre and makes people capable of mutual help. By cultivating openness to life, wealthy peoples can better understand the needs of poor ones, they can avoid employing huge economic and intellectual resources to satisfy the selfish desires of their own citizens, and instead, they can promote virtuous action within the perspective of production that is morally sound and marked by solidarity, respecting the fundamental right to life of every people and every individual."

Read from the The Holy See's Website

Benedictine?

As customary among Filipinos, every major social activity is preceded by a Holy Mass. The students in our University department were set to hold their general assembly and decided to have a mass, albeit in Novus Ordo as this is the only form of mass available. In our diocese no one among the clergy could say the extraordinary form. Indeed sad. But here look at the following pictures.

Photo 1: Our makeshift altar. Covered with linen and the candles and the altar arranged in a Benedictine Fashion. Critics perhaps will criticize this but this is the only resources available to us. The Lord knows how our students labored hard within their means to give glory and honor to God.

Photo: 2: Reverend Fr. Jovic Lobrigo, the celebrant.

Photo 3: Here you can see the dedicated and enthusiastic members of our school choir. They practiced several days before the mass. Here before the start of the Mass, could be seen practicing those little pieces. Our organist is Kim Oriola a Junior Student. The girls making the "peace" sign. Obviously they need more practice, but the enthusiasm and the willingness to give praise to the Lord is overwhelming. The Lord looks into the hearts of men.

Patience is Virtue in Trying Times

The opening of classes seem to be one of the most difficult time of the year, plenty of work, plenty of things that would annoy us and try our patience. But these trying times provide us with the best opportunity to be patient and be charitable.

Trial number 1: As I was driving home from the university, a smoke began to emerge from the engine of my old red car, only to find out that the tube connecting the carburetor with the battery was busted. Here in the photo, I took my car to the shop of an electrical specialist. Expensive indeed, but nonetheless efficient work.

Trial number 2: The work in the office is accumulating. Deadlines to meet. Meetings to attend. problems to solve. Students to look after. Does my desk look desperately disorganized?