While the parish celebrates the solemnity of Corpus Christi annually, this year was the first time that a procession in honor of the Body and Blood of Christ happened. Led by Fr. Luke, and ably assisted by the lay ministers, the caretakers of the Holy Eucharist, the short procession wended its way around some areas of the parish right after the 6AM Sunday mass. Though it was raining for most of the week, last Sunday's procession was held under an overcast sky and a cool breeze but without the rain. It was participated in by mostly by those who attended the 6AM mass.
Pentecost Sunday was made more special for 52 young parishioners who underwent three consecutive Saturdays of intensive catechetical instructions in May. They all received the Sacrament of Confirmation from Bishop Antonio Tobias, affirming their Catholic faith and committing themselves to becoming soldiers in Christ’s mission to live and spread the Gospel.
As additional preparation, all candidates submitted themselves to the Sacrament of Confession the day before Confirmation while their parents and guardians spent the same morning for Recollection under the combined guidance of Sr. Pilar SRA, Sr. Salve, DM and Sr. Juliana, ASC with members of the Catechetical Ministry serving as workshop facilitators. The theme of the Recollection centered on the “the role of parents as shepherds of their own children” and the critical role they play in building their Christian faith. From questions raised in these workshops, the parents expressed their wish for further catechetical instructions on the Catholic faith. This was valuable learning point for the Ministry to include adult catechism classes in the coming school year.
The church was filled to the rafters, leaving hardly any seat available for other parishioners regularly attending the 10am Mass. Despite the big number of confirmants, the rites were generally orderly. As they were called to march down the aisle towards the altar, their ninongs and ninangs quickly stood side by side with their respective inaanak walking solemnly in procession towards Bishop Tobias who also gave a special dispensation to Fr. Luke to assist in administering the Sacrament. SLRP’s Grand Choir provided the liturgical music.
A simple buffet lunch was served for the Bishop by members of the Catechetical Ministry with assistance from members of the Mother Butler’s Guild and the Parish Pastoral Council.
Of these 52 candidates, 4 young ladies received the Sacrament of Communion for the first time during Saturday’s anticipated Mass. They were joined by a young 9 year old girl who missed receiving her First Communion earlier. Again, all received further instructions on the Sacrament of Communion.
The growing cadre of young adults being confirmed each year at SLRP is a testament to the Catechetical Ministry’s important role in helping spread the faith and grow its membership from among the residents of the surrounding community. This is a call for more members to join the Ministry to help actualize its mission: make each parishioner a catechist and help bring Christ to the community.
On June 11, five young ladies received the Sacrament of Communion for the first time during Saturday’s anticipated Mass. After completing their basic catechism and getting instructions on the Sacrament, they finally received the body and blood of Christ in Holy Communion. They were Mary Joyce V. Magpusao, Aira D. Mamawag, Fia Mari M. Montemayor, Jenelyn Faith M. Montemayor and Mikaela Marie D. Simbre.
I set foot in Lucban, Quezon for the first time last June 4 2011. It was truly a day to remember. As I attended mass weeks before the said date, Fr. Luke gave several reminders about the activity before he ended the mass. At first, I honestly didn’t mind what he was saying but when he mentioned that there will be an upcoming youth event which was the yearly “youth camp”, I was all ears. It caught my attention because I really wanted to join the youth camp since I started serving the parish years ago. I wasn’t able to join the previous youth camps because my friends from MAS told me that I could only join the camp when I turned 15 years. Now that I was old enough, I didn’t hesitate to sign up for it. I was hyped up and I just couldn’t wait for the event to happen.
The other youth in the Parish Youth Ministry were very sociable and fun to be with. They gave me a warm welcome as I joined the group. Unfortunately, some of the youth who signed up for the camp could not afford to pay the fee. So, we thought of ways to raise funds for the group - we offered car wash services, collected recyclables and solicited cash donations from people who were kind enough to donate. Everything went well because we did everything together, with the guidance and help of our dear coordinator, Ate Cora.
The night before we left for Lucban, Father Luke gave his talk. It really inspired me to be more realistic in my view of life. I learned a lot from his talk which I know will help me now and in the future. As he was finishing his talk, my heart was pounding knowing that I only had a few more hours to wait before we would leave for Lucban.
The next day we started the trip by praying the rosary. We stopped at a gasoline station for bathroom break and to buy whatever provisions we needed. We played games inside the bus and it really made me laugh so hard.
Kamay ni Hesus was so beautiful and solemn. I was amazed when I saw the enormous statue of Jesus Christ. To appreciate the place more, we had to climb up the long and steep stairs while doing the Stations of the Cross. It took us some time before we reached the top. The weather kept changing but we didn’t let it stop us from what we wanted to achieve, which was to reach the statue at the top of the hill. When we got to the top, I thought that it was all worth it because the view was very rewarding.
After being soaked in the rain, everyone was so excited to swim so we went straight to the resort where we were to spend the rest of the day. Most of us were eager to swim as soon as we saw the tempting pools. The water was freezing cold! We also had games that made us laugh non-stop because of the jokers in the group. We swam a little bit more then went home and ended the day with a prayer with Fr. Luke.
June 4 2011 was truly an extraordinary day for me and for all the rest who participated in the event. We were given the chance to make our friendship stronger and to build new ones as well. It made my first ever youth camp memorable. For me, it was one of the best days of Summer 2011. I really learned a lot from the experience. I am thankful because this experience helped me grow more as an individual. I learned to be more patient, humble and sociable. Most importantly I learned that if I do everything with my faith in God, anything is possible.
'Yan ang bukod-tanging salitang nasabi ko nang marating namin ang Kamay ni Hesus sa may Lucban, Quezon. Alam kong 'di sapat ang napakaikling salitang 'yon para maipahayag ko ang aking pagkamangha sa lugar na 'yon. Talaga namang words are not enough to express my amazement nang makarating kami roon.
Alas singko ng umaga ng June 4, 2011 nang magsimula kaming bumiyahe patungong Lucban, Quezon. Kasama ang 46 pang mga kabataan, labis akong namangha sa magagandang tanawing aming nakita. Naging masaya ang aming paglalakbay 'di lamang dahil sa mga nakita naming 'yon, kundi dahil na rin sa masisiglang diwa ng bawa’t isa. At matapos nga ang mahigit 3 oras na biyahe ay narating din namin ang bayan ng Lucban at tumuloy sa Barangay Tinamnan kung saan naroroon ang Kamay ni Hesus. Doon ay inakyat namin ang 295 na baitang ng burol kung saan matatagpuan ang mga naggagandahang life-size figure na nagrerepresenta ng 14 stations of the cross at doon humihinto't nagdarasal. Matapos akyatin ang burol na 'yon ay natunton din namin sa wakas ang napakalaking istatwa ni Hesus na may taas na 50 talampakan at sinasabing pangatlo sa pinakamalalaki sa buong mundo. Tampok din dito ang simbahang tinatawag na “Kamay ni Hesus healing church” kung saan ipinagdiriwang ang mga healing mass na pinamumunuan ni Fr. Joey Faller.
Tunay ngang naging sulit na sulit ang paglalakbay naming 'yon, paglalakbay na naging paraan upang alalahanin ang naging matuwid na buhay at mga paghihirap ni Hesus bilang tao. At kasabay nito ay ang pagkakaroon ng mas malawak pang pang-unawa sa kakayahan naming mga kabataaang bigyang kabuluhan ang bawa’t paglalakbay na aming tinatahak.
Planning an outing for a big group is not easy. More so as I happened to belong to the core group that planned it. We had to meet several times to make sure that the outing would be a success. Planning the games, groupings and activities took a lot of time that meetings sometimes extended late into the night, but all of it was fun.
As the big day came, all were excited. Everyone was very busy taking pictures, fixing their things and chatting with one another inside the bus. The trip was long but we had games along the way. Kamay ni Hesus in Lucban Quezon was very beautiful. One could see several statues and beautiful structures like the Garden of Eden. When we started the first activity, The Way of the Cross, the weather was sunny. We could feel the heat on our skin and sweat dripped on our faces. When we got to the top, it suddenly rained, drenching all of us. I couldn’t believe how suddenly the weather changed! This experience of going uphill in such a beautiful place was memorable especially when we stood under the big statue of Jesus with his arms stretched, sending a message that He is open to all of us.
After the mini mountain climbing in Kamay ni Hesus, we went to a resort called Batis Aramin. It was also a very nice resort with many swimming pools to choose from. Everyone enjoyed swimming and exploring the place but one of the most exciting events was the games. I really liked the game “Picture-picture” (a game where we acted a certain scenario). I literally laughed out loud(Lol)! Each group tried their best to present the scenes. The judges had a hard time choosing the winner because all the contestants were really very good. All were cooperative in the games; they all tried their best and applied all sorts of strategies. It was so heart warming to see smiles on their faces.
We all worked hard for this event, we offered our time, talent and efforts and seeing everyone so happy made it all worth the difficult tasks we went through. In this outing, my circle of friends grew as I met participants who I came to know better. As the day ended, I thanked the Lord for that wonderful day, for all the people who made it beautiful and for all the people who helped us. It is a memory that will be with me forever and a gift that is priceless.
I’m very lucky that I am one of those whom God called to serve Him. I will strive to continue to offer my life to God and serve Him to the best of my ability. Serving the Lord is time well spent. The outing served as a good venue to know my fellow youth in the parish. Hopefully this experience can bind us together to form closer relationships and face whatever tasks we need to do in the future.
Barely a month before June 3, the youth of San Lorenzo busied themselves again for yet another tedious task — preparation for the recently held Youth Camp at Kamay ni Hesus in Lucban, Quezon. This included raising P30,000 for the projected expenses. Luckily for them, classes had not yet opened, so, almost everyday, groups of five or more trooped to parishioners’ houses to pick-up recyclables, sort them and sell them to raise some money. They also ventured into washing cars.
Weeks before the Formation and Youth Camp, I can honestly say that, being with these young men and women, they, who persevered under the heat of the sun and gathered recyclables while getting wet in the rain, had already started their formation. They were being formed, in more ways than one – through perseverance, hard work, cooperation, unity, the value of money, teamwork, responsibility and generosity. And all of these paid off! They raised more or less P8,000 — a big amount that helped meet the P30,000, aside from the donations and payments.
I am very proud of them because they persevered and they worked very hard. In the end they got their reward. With Father Luke opening the Youth Camp and blessing them as they travelled to and returned from Lucban, with the youth advisers who were our parents for the day, with the trekking up the 290-or-so steps to reach the summit of Kamay ni Hesus, to the multiplication of food that was more than enough for everyone, to the teambuilding activities at Batis Aramin Resort, it was the culmination of a beautiful summer formation for the youth. What better reward could anyone ask for?
