UB December 2011.pmd - Archdiocese of Lipa
advertisement
S E - va n g e l i z a t i o n C - o m m u n i o n1 Fr. Jonas, Now a Trappist Novice! -anct ification DECEMBER 2011 PAPAL INTENTION FOR JANUARY 2012 For Victims of Natural Disasters VATICAN CITY - His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, is asking everyone, especially the members of the Apostleship of Prayer to pray for victims of natural disasters, as his general intention for the month of January 2012. He will pray that the victims of natural disasters “may receive the spiritual and material comfort they need to rebuild their lives.” For his special mission intention, he is emphasizing “dedication for peace”. He urges all to pray “that the dedication of Christians to peace may bear witness to the name of Christ before all men and women of good will.” #UB Maki-PANALIG Maki-UGNAY Maki-DASAL sa EVANGELIZATION RADIO AL-FM 95.9 Mhz YEAR VII NO. 12 “Lakas ng Katotohanan” OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE ARCHDIOCESE OF LIPA DECEMBER 2011 Isa na namang pari para sa Arsidiyosesis (Calaca, Batangas) - Di matapus-tapos ang mga biyaya ng Diyos para sa lokal na Simbahan ng Lipa. Isa na namang bagong pari ang ipinagkaloob Niya sa sambayanang ito nang si Rdo. Vicente “Boyet” Ramos II ay tumanggap ng banal na orden ng pagkapari sa Parokya ni San Rafael sa bayang ito noong ika-14 ng buwang kasalukuyan. Tubong Barangay Salong, maagang naulila si Rdo. P. Boyet sa kanyang ama. Pumasok siya sa St. Francis de Sales Minor Seminary matapos ang kanyang elementarya sa kanilang barangay. Nagtuloy siya sa St. Francis de Sales Major Seminary para sa kanyang Pilosopiya at lumipat sa St. Francis de Sales Theological School para naman sa Teolohiya. Pinangunahan ng Lubhang Kgg. Arsobispo Ramon C. Arguelles ang Misa Konselbrada at siyang naggawad ng Banal na Orden sa simbahang pinuno ng mga taga-Calaca, mga parokyang pinaglingkuran ni P. Boyet noong siya ay seminarista at diyakono. Si Msgr. Fred Madlangbayan, Bikaryo Heneral, ang siyang nagISA NA NAMANG PARI... P. 2 No To RH Bill, No to Same-Sex Union... para sa larawan tingnan sa p.12 Taunang Pagtitipon ng Instituted Lay Ministers, Tagumpay SIS. NELLIE SALUDO Matagumpay na pinamahalaan ng Instituted Lay Ministers Fund Aid (ILMAF) ang taunang pagtitipon ng mga Instituted Acolytes at Lectors na ginanap sa Lipa City Youth and Cutural Center sa Lungsod ng Lipa noong December 3, 2011. Ang nasabing pagtitipon ay dinaluhan ng tatlong daan at walumputlimang (385) acolytes at lectors na nagmula sa iba’t -ibang parokya ng Arsidyosesis ng Lipa. Naging panauhing tagapagsalita si Rdo. P. Virgilio B. Hernandez, tinaguriang Ama at Tagapagtatag ng Institute of Lay Ministries, ang institusyong humuhubog sa mga itinatalagang acolytes at lectors. Si P. Hernandez din ang nagtatag ng Instituted Ministers Aid Fund na ang layunin ay matulungan ang mga tagapaglingkod sa altar na nangangailangan ng tulong pinansiyal sa panahon ng karamdaman o kamatayan. TAUNANG PAGTITIPON... P. 2 Prolifers ng Arsidiyosesis ng Lipa, Naki-isa sa Idinaos na National Marian Pilgrimage For Life ETHEL ROBLES (Lipa, Batangas) - Sa lungsod na ito na itinuturing na “Tahanan ng Mahal na Birheng Maria” at kinikilala bilang “Marian Capital of the Philippines” tumuloy at nagkatipon-tipon ang mga prolifers mula sa iba’t ibang panig ng bansa makaraang maging host ng National Marian Pilgrimage For Life ang Arsidiyosesis ng PATER PUTATIVUS Publishing House Lipa noong ika-10 ng Disyembre. Ang National Marian Pilgrimage for Life, binubuo ng mga layko, ay gawaing pitong araw na paglalakbay, pananalangin at pagsasakripisyo sa adhikaing sumapit ang awa ng Diyos laban sa kultura ng kamatayan o D.E.A.T.H.S. bills (divorce, euPROLIFERS... P. 2 Family Life Bldg., Villa San Jose Marawoy, Lipa City Telefax: (043) 756-2410 e-mail: paterputativus2000@yahoo.com • paterputativus2000@gmail.com SERVICES OFFERED: COMPUTER COLOR SEPARATION LASER PRINTING OFFSET PRINTING LETTERPRESS PRINTING RISOGRAPH PRINTING PHOTO TYPE SETTING PHOTO SCANNING NYLOGRAPHIC CLICHE ART SERVICES PLATE MAKING OFFSET RUNNING BINDING LAMINATION ALLIED PRINTING SERVICES DIGITAL PRINTING “Your One-Stop Printing Partner in Batangas” NEWS & EVENTS 2 “PAR”, Isinagawa Ang taunang PAR o Parish Advent Recollection ng Saint Joseph the Patriarch Parish na may temang "Starting and maintaining giving and sharing" ay muling isinakatuparan, Disyembre 4, sa bagong ayos na Convento de San Jose. Ayon sa simbahan, bukas lagi ang paanyaya nito sa mga mananampalataya na maging kabahagi ng mga gawain na magpapalalim sa pakikipagugnayan ng sambayanan sa Diyos at isang paraan para maisakatuparan ito ay ang pagdaraos ng taunang Parish Advent Recollection. Ang nasabing rekoleksyon ay naglalayong buksan ang puso ng mga mamamayan sa tunay na diwa ng pagdiriwang ng Pasko. Bilang isang sambayanang kilala sa pagkakaroon ng pinakamahaba at pinakamakulay na pagdiriwang ng Kapaskuhan, hindi nga ba at unang araw pa lamang ng buwan ng Setyembre ay ramdam na natin ang pagsapit ng kapaskuhan sa maagang pagbati ng Maligayang Pasko, sa mga palamuting pauntiunting ikinakabit sa mga kabahayan at lansangan. Nagsimula ang rekoleksyon sa pamamagitan ng Joyful Songs na inihatid ng Youth at sinundan naman ito ng pambungad na panalangin ni Bro. Judge Renato Castillo na siyang tagapangulo ng Parish Formation Committee. Nagbigay ng kanyang Pambungad na Pananalita si Bro. Apol Gonzales na siya namang PPC President. At upang maging mas makabuluhan ang rekoleksyon, nag-imbita ang mga kinauukulan ng isang Recollection Master sa katauhan ni P. Junie Maralit na ipinakilala ni Bro. Ed Villalobos. Sa apat na oras ng panayam na inihanda ni Fr. Junie, kanyang binigyang-diin ang iisa at tunay na mensahe ng Pasko, at ito ay ang pagsilang ng isang sanggol sa lubos na kapayakan sa kabila ng kanyang karingalan, ang sanggol na nag-alay ng lahat, maging ng Kanyang buhay dahil sa Kanyang dakilang Pag-ibig sa tao. Nagkaroon din ng bilang ang Joseph Marello Youth sa pamamagitan ng kanilang mahusay na pag-awit. Unang bahagi ng panayam ni P. Junie ay tumuon sa iba-t-ibang mukha ni Kristo. Binanggit niya na ang unang pasko ay nakaraan na at di na muling babalik. Kaya nga dapat nating ituon ang ating pansin sa pagbabalik ng Diyos sa "Parousia" na ang hatid ay habag at pag-ibig para sa atin. Aniya, marahil katabi na natin si Kristo pero di pa natin Siya nakikilala. Sa ganitong kaisipan ay minabuti niyang ibahagi ang apat na mukha ni Kristo. Ang unang mukha ay kapayakan o simplicity. Ito ang simbolo ng pagsilang sa sabsaban. Kapag di natin nakita si Hesus sa mukha ng mahihirap, di na natin Siya makikita sa ating buong buhay. Ikalawa, sa Kanyang public life. Tanong ni P. Junie, sino nga ba ang unang nakakita kay Kristo? Walang iba kundi si Jose at si Maria. Nagsimula ang Kanyang public life ng Siya'y binyagan sa ilog Jordan. Ikatlo, ang Kanyang paghihirap at kamatayan o suffering and death na hindi para sa Kanya kundi para sa iba. Dahil hindi Niya kailangan ito, tayo ang may kailangan. Sukatan ng tunay na pananampalataya, ang isang Kristyano ay nabubuhay hindi para sa kanyang sarili kundi para sa iba. Ikaapat, Resurrection and Glory. Ito ang nais Niyang ibahagi sa sinumang nais sumunod sa Kanya, sapagkat kung walang muling-pagkabuhay ay walang kabuluhan ang lahat ng ating ginagawa. Unang bahagi pa lamang ng kanyang panayam ay labis ng nakaantig sa mga dumalo. Isa sa pumukaw sa damdamin ng mga nakinig ay ang kwento ng maginang humihingi ng tulong dahil sa sakit ng bata. Lubhang malaking halaga ang kinailangan at sa abang kalagayan ng mag-ina, nakita ni P. Junie ang mukha ni Kristo sa katulad nilang walang ibang inaasahan kundi ang Diyos. Aniya, hindi makikita ang mukha ng Diyos sa karangyaan na mayroon ang tao kundi sa mukha ng mga nangangailangan. Ang pangalawang bahagi ng panayam ni P. Junie ay dumako naman sa apat na pangunahing pangangailangan ng tao. Hindi ito ang kinagisnan nating pangangailangang panlipunan kundi hinango sa mensahe ng Santo Papa, Papa Juan Paulo Ikalawa - "Four Basic Human Needs": 1) The need to be needed, 2) The need to be wanted, 3) The need to help and be helped, 4) The need to forgive and be forgiven. Angkop na angkop ang tema ng Recollection sa paglalahad ni P. Junie. Ito'y dahil na rin sa paglalapat niya ng kanyang karanasan bilang Pari. Isa na rito ang karanasan niya sa mga batang may cancer na kanyang tinutulungan. Ito ang nagturo sa kanya ng tamang pakikipagrelasyon sa Diyos lalo na sa karanasan ng mga batang maysakit at kanilang mga pamilya. Na sa kabila ng kanilang mapait na karanasan, bukang-bibig pa rin nila ang awa ng Diyos. Bilang konklusyon sa naganap na rekoleksyon ay nagkaroon ng pagdiriwang ng Banal na Misa na pinangunahan ni Rdo. P. Ed Carandang, OSJ, Kura-Paroko. Naging malaman din ang mensahe ni P. Ed sa kanyang pangaral na nakatuon sa diwa ng pagpapatawad at sa pagtuturo sa tao ng pagbibigay para sa pangangailangan ng kanyang kapwa. Nagkaroon din ng pananariwa sa tungkulin ng mga Lectors at Commentators na naging bahagi ng pagtatapos ng misa. Naging makabuluhan ang rekoleksyon na dinaluhan ng mahigit 430ng mananampalataya na kumakatawan sa lahat ng organisasyon ng Parokya at sa Barangay Liturgical Committee o BLC. Naging aktibo rin ang lahat ng organisasyon sa pagsuporta sa gawain ng pormasyon. Salamat sa Diyos sapagkat masasabing kakaiba ito sa mga nauna ng mga rekoleksyon dahil na rin sa maringal at bagong bihis na Convento De San Jose na bunga ng Pledge System Project ng Parokya, sa buong puwersang pagtugon at pagtutulungan ng mga organisasyon ng Parokya sa ganitong gawain at sa nilalaman ng mensahe ni Fr. Junie na puspos ng aral sa ating pakikipagrelasyon sa Diyos. Bilang personal na repleksyon, gumuhit sa aking puso ang mensahe ng katatapos lamang na Advent Recollection lalo't higit sa aspeto ng pangangailangan ng pagbabago sa aking pakikipagugnayan sa Diyos at sa aking kapwa. Sumagi sa aking gunita ang isa kong kaibigan na naninirahan sa Karachi, Pakistan, isa siyang Kristyano. Minsan ko ng naitanong sa kanya kung ano para sa kanya ang kahulugan ng Pasko, lalo na at sa isang Muslim na bansa siya naninirahan at ang naging kasagutan niya sa akin ay ganito, "Sapat na ang makasalubong ako ng kawangis ni Kristo dito sa Karachi". Sa atin kayang bayan, dito sa Pilipinas na isang bansang malayang naipapahayag ang ating pananampalataya, kinakauhawan din kaya natin ang sa isang araw ay makasalubong ng kahit isa mang kawangis ni Kristo sa ating paglalakad? #UB TAUNANG PAGTITIPON... P. 1 niya ang nasimulang programa at ang nakaraang kasaysayan ng ILM. Sa homiliya ibinahagi ni Msgr. Ruben Dimaculangan ang tilamsik ng diwa tungkol sa Adviento at Pasko. Binanggit din niya sa loob ng Banal na Misa ang paghanga niya sa ginagawang pagtatalaga ng mga lay ministers na sa kabila na may binubuhay na pamilya ay nagagawa pa ring magtalaga ng sarili sa gawaing paglilingkod. Bawat regular na taunang pagtitipon ay pinamamahalaan ng nakatalagang batch o pangkat na nakatapos ng paghuhubog. Sa kasalukuyan ang Institute of Lay Ministries ay nakabuo ng labingwalong batches. Ang mga tagapag-ugnay ay sina Elmar Alvarez (Batch 1), Apolonio Javier (Batch 2), Mario Hiwatig (Batch 3), Virgilio Magbuhat (Batch 4), Moises Ortega (Batch 5), Edgardo Latina (Batch 6), Gil Aggari (Batch 7), Antonio Naling (Batch 8), Santos Litong (Batch 9), Ernesto Baet (Batch 10), Ciriaco Lado (Batch 11), Domingo Manes (Batch 12), Alex Buenafe (Batch 13), Joselito Lingao (Batch 14), Delfin Torres (Batch 15), Felicisimo Clet (Batch 16), Macario Rodriqueza (Batch 17) at Bernardo Carpio (Batch 18). Ang matagumpay na taunang pagtitipon ay naganap sa pagtutulungan ng mga nabanggit na coordinator. Sa kasalukuyan ang mga opisyales ng ILMAF ay sina Moises Ortega bilang Chairman, Felicisimo Clet, Vice Chairman, Elmar Alvarez, President, Joselito Lingao, Secretary, Gil Aggari, Treasurer at Apolonio Javier, Auditor. #UB Binigyang diin ni P. Hernandez ang tungkol sa pagtugon ng mga tagapaglingkod sa tawag ni Kristo ngayon at magpakailanman. Nagising ang damdamin ng mga tagapaglingkod nang banggitin ng tagapagsalita na ang ibigay ng isang naglilingkod kay Kristo ay ang kanyang kalakasan at kabataan, na kabalintunaan ng ginagawa ng ibang tagapaglingkod na sa panahon lamang ng pagiging retirado naaala-alang maglaan ng sarili sa gawaing paglilingkod. Sa taunang pagtitipong ito, nakilala ng mga lay ministers si P. Ericson Tio, ang bagong Director ng Institute of Lay Ministries. Sa kanyang pambungad na pananalita, binanggit ni P. Tio na sa pasimula ng kanyang panunungkulan, ipagpapatuloy PROLIFERS... P. 1 thanasia, abortion, total population control, homosexuality at sex education), partikular ang nilalaman ng isinusulong na Reproductive Health Bill. Sinimulan ang "caravan for life" noong ika-5 ng Disyembre kung saan tumulak ang mga pilgrims mula sa Davao patungo sa mga convergence points kabilang ang Cagayan de Oro, Cebu City, Tacloban City, Calbayog City, Sorsogon, Lipa City at ang pinakahuling destinasyon ay sa Maynila. Bilang tugon, nagsama-sama noong ika-10 ng Disyembre ang iba't ibang komisyon at samahang pansimbahan sa Arsidiyosesis upang itaguyod at pangunahan ang mga gawain na ginanap sa simbahan ng Carmel sa lungsod na ito. Nagmula sa Pastoral Center sa Sabang ang isinagawang caravan kasama ang mga pilgrims at representatives mula sa Davao, Cebu, Sorsogon, Laguna, Mindoro at iba pang lugar kung saan ang mga kapulisan ang nanguna sa convoy na sinundan ng pitong talampakang imahen ng Mahal na Birhen ng Tagapamagitan ng Lahat ng mga Biyaya mula pa sa Davao. Kasama rin sa caravan ang Glorious Cross mula sa Archdiocesan Shrine sa Holy Trinity Parish sa Pallocan West sa Lungsod ng Batangas. Ang mga pro-lifers sa Arsidiyosesis na sumama ay pinamunuan ni Bro. Loreto Guinhawa, Pangulo ng Council of the Laity. Naging aktibong kabahagi rin sa gawaing ito sina Atty. Jo Imbong ng Kapatiran Party, Former Governor Sally Lee ng Sorsogon at Kilusang Kabataan Kay Kristo (4K) ng Diocese of San Pablo, Laguna. Pinangunahan ng Commission on Family and Life Ministry, Council of the Laity, Divine Mercy Apostolate, World Apostolate of Fatima, Apostleship of Prayer at Archdiocesan Youth Commission ang maghapon at maitaimtim na pananalangin, prolife meditations of the holy rosary, Marian songs, station of the cross at Chaplet of the Divine Mercy. Hali-haliling namuno sa pagdarasal ang mga kinatawan ng bawat komisyon na nagsidalo. Nagkaroon rin ng pagbabahagi si Dra. Ligaya Acosta, Executive Director ng Human International Life - ASIA / OCEANIA na may kaugnayan sa tema ng pilgrimISA NA NAMANG PARI... P. 1 administer ng Profession of Faith na sinaksihan ni Rdo. P. Oscar Andal, Kansilyer ng Arsidiyosesis. Ikinasiya naman ni Rdo. P. Aurelio "Odong" Dimaapi na ang nasabing ordinasyon ay ginanap sa kanyang parokya. "Di lamang dahil sa si P. Boyet ay taga-Calaca, at sana nga dumami pa ang mga magpari ditto sa parokya," sabi ni P. Odong. "Subalit ito ay maganda ring pagkakataon na makita ng marami ang bago naming "renovated parish church" at ang aming kumbento," dugtong pa niya. Pagkatapos ng ordinasyon at bago ibigay ang panghuling bendisyon, binasa ni P. Oscar ang DECEMBER 2011 age na "No to RH Bill, No to Same Sex Union" kung saan mariin niyang ipinahayag na nagmumula sa mga pag-aaral, pananaliksik at mismong personal na testimonya ng mga tao ang mga impormasyon at detalye na kanilang ipinaglalaban, ipinakikita at ipinagbibigay alam sa publiko. Ayon pa kay Acosta, hindi kailanman iniutos o nanggaling ang mga ito sa simbahan. Malakas na "YES!" naman ang itinugon ng lahat nang sambitin na ni Dra. Acosta ang tatlong pangunahing tanong na dahilan umano ng pagsasagawa ng naturang aktibidad, "Do we all reject RH Bill; Do we want unborn child to live; Do we say no to same sex union?" Umani pa ng pagsang-ayon at malalakas na palakpak mula sa mga prolifers ang mga tinuran ng doktor. Sa kaganapang ito, nakadalo rin si Rdo. P. Eugene Pe?alosa, Director ng Family and Life na naglaan ng oras upang makaisa sa pananalangin gayudin si Rdo. P. Eyong Ramos ng Parokya ng Invencion dela Sta. Cruz sa Alitagtag. Bagamat kakaunti ang nakapunta noong umaga bunsod ng maraming nakasabay na gawaing pamparokya, pambikariya maging pang Arsidisyosesis, unti-unting namang napuno ang simbahan ng Carmel pagsapit ng tanghali hanggang hapon. Naging tampok sa pangwakas na gawain na isang Banal na Misa ng Lubhang Kgg. Arsobispo Ramon Arguelles. Kasama niya sina Msgr. Rafael Oriondo, kura paroko ng San Sebastian Cathedral at Rdo. P. Magno Casala Jr., Direktor ng Archdiocesan Youth Commission. Live namang napakinggan ang mga kaganapan mula sa Carmel sa pamamagitan ng Evangelization Radio, DWAL - FM 95.9. Kinabukasan, December 11, muling nagkatipon ang mga prolifers sa San Sebastian Metropolitan Cathedral sa pagdiriwang na Misa kung saan tinanggap nila ang bendisyon mula kay Archbishop Arguelles para sa pagpapatuloy ng paglalakbay ng "Caravan for Life". Muling nanguna sa pilgrimage ang imahe ng Mediatrix of All Grace at ang Glorious Cross. May 15 mga sasakyan mula sa Lipa ang sumama sa paglalakbay patungo sa Quirino Grandstand, Manila kung saan ginanap ang malawakang prayer rally. #UB "letter of appointment" ng bagong inordinahang pari. Ayon sa nasabing liham, si P. Boyet ay itinatalagang katulong na pari sa Parokya ni San Francisco Javier sa bayan ng Nasugbu. Ang nasabing gawain ay magsisimula sa ika-2 ng sunod na buwan ng Enero sa bagong taong 2012. Sang-ayon kay P. Boyet, magkakaroon pa rin siya ng pagkakataong magpasalamat sa mga tao sa mga parokyang napaglingkuran niya bago siya ordinahang pari. Siya ay nagSimbang Gabi sa Parokya ng Inmakulada Konsepsyon sa Batangas City, kung saan naglingkod siya ng tatlong buwan bilang diyakono. #UB NEWS & EVENTS DECEMBER 2011 Pagdalaw ng Mahal na Birhen sa Brgy. San Fernando, Malvar, Batangas Araw ng Biyernes, Nobyembre 18, ganap na ika-8 ng umaga, ng dumalaw ang Mahal na Birhen sa aming nayon. Ito ang takdang GNG. TESS ONG araw na aming pinakahihintay… ang muling makaniig ang Mahal na Ina sa aming nayon. Ito ay aming iprinusisyon at makikita ang mainit na pakikiisa ng bawat pamilya sa pamamagitan ng paglalabas ng kani-kanilang imahen ng Birhen at ibang mga santo sa daraanan ng prusisyon. Naging napaka-trapik din sa dami ng mga sumama sa prusisyon kabilang ang mga sangguniang bayan at mga karatig na barangay. Ito ay aming iniluklok sa aming kapilya at tatlong araw itong namalagi sa amin habang patuloy ang pagdarasal ng santo rosaryo ng bawat purok na may kanya-kanyang oras ng pagdarasal. Sa iyo Mahal na Birhen, tanggapin mo ang aming taos pusong pasasalamat at sa mga pagpapala at pagdarasal mo para sa amin patungo kay Hesus, lalo na sa aming Barangay San Fernando. #UB Balitang Bik ariya IV Ang mga parokya ng Bikariya 4 ay patuloy na nakikiisa sa gawain ng ARSIDIYOSESIS NG LIPA at mayroon din naman silang magkakatulad na gawain sa ilalim ng Worship, Youth, Vocation, Mass Media, Historical, Education, Special Action, Family and Life, LACMMI at Aral Batangueno. Subalit sa kabila ng kani-kanilang iisang gawain ay mayroon din namang pagkaka-iba-iba. Ang SAN JUAN NEPOMUCENO ng San Juan, Batangas sa panahon ng SIMBANG GABI o MISA DE GALLO ay may sampung pari na tumutulong sa kura paroko na makapag-misa sa napakaraming barangay ng nasabing bayan.. Ang parokya naman ng BANAL NA MAG-ANAK sa Alupay, Rosario, Batangas, bukod sa kanilang pagtatanghal ng Panunuluyan noong Pasko ay nagkaroon din ng panahon na makapagbigay ng seminar sa mga public school teachers tungkol sa Marriage and Family Life na pinamunuan ng LACFALM noong December 03, 2011. Ang PAROKYA NI SAN JOSE ay naglalaan naman ng mga pangaginaldong regalo sa mga higit na nangangailangan ng tulong noong SIS. ALICE ALDAY ika-apat na Linggo ng Adbiyento. Ang kanilang Panunuluyan ay ginanap noong ika- 9 na araw ng mga Misa Aguinaldo sa ganap na ika-8 ng gabi bago mag misa. Ang OUR LADY OF THE MOST HOLY ROSARY PARISH sa bayan ng Roasrio, bukod sa mga regular na pagpupulong, proyekto at iba pang gawain ay nagtuon naman ng pansin sa mass media, kung kayat ang kanilang publication ng newsletter ay handanghanda na sa kanilang balitaan. Ang Ibaan na parokya ng ST, JAMES THE GREATER ay naglaan din ng gift giving sa 200 higit na nangangailangan (indigent) at mismong ang taga PPC ang naghanap ng mga taong bibigyan nila ng regalo upang makasigurado silang karapat-dapat ang tatanggap nito. Naglunsad din sila ngayong Kapaskuhan ng Parol at Belen Making Contests upang mapatuon ang kaisipan ng mga tao sa diwa ng Pasko. Nagkaroon na din sila ng tinatawag na Eternal Belen na kung saan ay ilalagak ang malalaking imahen ng mga tauhan sa Belen na ang tanging layunin nila ay maala-ala na "Dito sa Ibaan, Araw Araw ay Pasko". Ang isa pang natatanging naganap sa parokya ay ang paglalagay sa mga posteng bakod sa harapan at tagiliran ng simbahan ng mga Banal na ipinagkaloob ng mga mamamayan ng Ibaan. Layunin nito ang maipabatid ang talambuhay ng mga banal na kanilang pinagdedebosyonan. Ang Parokya naman ng Padre Garcia, ang MOST HOLY ROSARY ay may kakaiba ding gawain/ proyekto. Natapos na ang St. Joseph Garden sa gawin kaliwa ng simbahan na kung saan ay maaaring pagdausan ng mga okasyon katulad ng reception sa binyag, kasal, at iba pa. Ang El Shaddai ay nagkaroon ng Archdiocesan Prayer Rally sa gymnasium ng P. Garcia noong nakaraang December l4, 2011. Ang Knights of Columbus Council No. 15169 bagong tatag na organisasyon sa parokya ay nagkaroon na ng ikalawang feeding program noong ika-27 ng Nobyembre 2011 sa Bucal Elementary School na may apat na daang (400) mag-aaral.Naglunsad din ng Light a Christmas Tree, na nagsimula noong ika-l5 ng Disyembre. Ito'y isang fund-raising project na ang bawat magpapalingas sa bombilya ay magdo-donasyon ng limang daang piso (P500.00) para sa mga proyekto ng simbahan. #UB Linggo ng Pagkakaisa: Inihahandang Batangas City Ecumenical Council Sa pangunguna ni Reb. P. Christian Rey (Iglesia Filipina Independiente) kasalukuyang pangulo ng BCEC (Batangas City Ecumenical Council) kasama ang mga namununong-lingkod ng mga Kristiyanong komunidad : Reb. P. Nepo Fruto (Roman Catholic Church), Reb. P. Lauro Bool (Apostolic Catholic Church), Ptr. Ino Samonte at Ptr. Jun Aguila (United Church of Christ in the Philippines), Ptr. Rey Viernes (United Methodist Church) at mga laykong kinatawan ng Batangas Presbyterian Church, International Communion of the Charismatic Episcopal Church (ICCEC) at Iglesia Evangelica Metodistas en las Islas Filpinas (IEMELIF) ay samasamang nagpasya ng mga gawaing karapatdapat sa pagdiriwang ng Linggo ng Pananalangin sa Pagkakaisa ng mga Kristiyanong ipinagdiriwang taon-taon tuwing ika-18 hanggang 25 ng Enero. Ang tema ng pagdiriwang, "Mababago tayo ng tagumpay ng ating Panginoong Jesu-kristo." (1 Cor 15:51-58) ay mula sa napagkasunduan sa pagpupulong ng International Committee na pinili ng Faith and Order Commission ng World Council of Churches at ng Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity. Ang pangkat ay nagkita noong Setyembre 2010 sa secretariat ng Catholic Bishops Conference sa Warsaw kasama sina Arsobispo Jeremiaz, Pangulo ng Polish Ecumenical Council, at kay Obispo Tadeusz Pikus, Pangulo ng Council of the Conference of the Polish Episcopate for Ecumenism, Reb. Ireneusz Lukas (Evangelical Lutheran Church) at Reb. Slawomir Pawlowski (Roman Catholic Church). Ang maghapong gawain, iisa at pangkalahatang pagdiriwang ay itinakda sa ika-21 ng Enero, Sabado, 9:00 n.u.-4:00n.h. na gaganapin sa St. Bridget College Gym. Bilang pagtataguyod sa tema ang gabay sa kaayusang panambahang ekumenikal ay mula sa Pahayag 3:21, "Ang magtatagumpay ay uupong katabi ko sa aking luklukan" tanda ng pagkilala sa Paghahari ni Kristo. Pagbibigay diin sa katuruang ang tagumpay ni Kristo ay nakakatulong na tingnan ang hinaharap nang may pag-asa. Ang tagumpay na malampasan ang lahat na nagpapanatili sa atin mula sa pakikibahagi ng kaganapan ng buhay kasama Siya at isa' isa. Kalagayang kaloob ng Diyos ang maluwalhating tagumpay ni Kristo. Ang inanyayahang mag homiliya ay ang unang pangulo ng BCEC, Reb. P. Cecillo M. arce, kura paroko ng Our Lady of Mercy Parish, Taysan. Inaasahan ding makadalo ang mga layko at punong lingkod mula sa ibang simbahan. #UB 3 Balitang Bikariya Dos ETHELIZA ROBLES, Chief, UB News Bureau Agoncillo, Batangas - Apatnapu't dalawang mga kabataan mula sa Parokya ng Ina ng Laging Saklolo sa bayang ito ang sumailalim sa Youth Encounter. Ang tatlong araw na formation activity ay idinaos sa Agoncillo Montessori School (Poblacion) noong ika- 9 hanggang 11 ng Disyembre. Ito ang kauna-unahang pagkakataon na nagkaroon ng ganitong gawain ng paghuhubog sa mga kabataan sa parokya na isa sa mga hangarin ng kura paroko, Rdo. P. Raul Martinez. Ang mga participants ay nagmula sa Our Lady of Miraculous Medal Academy (OLMMA) at mula sa ilan pang mga matataas na paaralan dito. Sang-ayon kay P. Raul, nais niyang masimulan sa mga kabataan ang paghuhubog upang makilala at mapalapit ang mga kabataan sa Panginoon at kalauna'y maging tagapaglingkod sa kanilang parokya. Ninanais rin umano ng parish priest na madagdagan ang mga kabataang naglilingkod lalo't higit sa kasalukuyan ay ang choir pa lamang ang aktibong youth organization sa parokya. Lubos umanong ikagagalak ng pari ang makaganyak ng mas marami pa na magiging bahagi ng parokya at may puso ng paglilingkod para sa Diyos at kapwatao. Sa loob naman ng tatlong araw ay nakatulong ng ilang lider kabataan sa parokyang ito ang mga youth volunteers mula sa iba't ibang mga bayan gayundin ang mga opisyales ng lupon ng mga kabataan sa ikalawang bikariya. Cuenca- Batangas - Unang linggo ng adbiyento nang manumpa ang mga bagong opisyales ng Parish Pastoral Council o PPC sa Parokya ni San Isidro Labrador. Makalipas ang halos dalawang dekada, may bago ng pamunuan ang PPC sa parokyang ito. Nahirang na bagong Pangulo ng pangunahing samahan si Bro. Tony Vargas at Sis. Pacita Alday (Pangalawang Pangulo). Nanatili naman sa kanilang mga posisyon sina Bro. Ambrocio Climaco, Jr. (Kalihim) at Dra. Cleofe Chavez ((Ingat-Yaman). Bukod dito, nagtalaga na rin ng bagong pamunuan sa mga pangunahing komite tulad ng Formation Committee na pangangasiwaan na ni Engr. Apolonio Carandang, ang dating Pangulo ng PPC. Ang Worship Committee ay pamumunuan na ni Sis. Maria Vargas habang sa Service Committee ay itinalagang chairman si Sis. Agustina Remo. Magsisilbing mga Area Coordinators sina Sis. Maria Robles (Area 1), Efren Mendoza (Area 2) at Dra. Cleofe Chavez (Area 3). Kaugnay nito, itinuturing naman ng mga napatalagang pinuno bilang panibagong hamon at tawag ng serbisyo ang pagkakahirang at pagtitiwala sa kanila upang mamuno at maglingkod sa simbahan. Taal, Batangas - Matagumpay na naidaos ang Coronation Night ng Lakan at Lakambini ng Dos 2011 noong ika-3 ng Disyembre sa Our Lady of Caysasay Academy (OLCA), sa bayang ito. Tulad ng nailathala noong nakaraang isyu, kinoronahan bilang Lakan at Lakambini ng Dos 2011 sina G. Aian Red Villalobos at Bb. Roan Meldricka Reyes mula Parokya ni San Roque sa Lemery habang tinanggap naman ng 18 pang mga lakan at lakambini ang tokens at plaque na alaala mula sa Vicarial Youth Council, ang nangasiwa ng fund-raising project. Bukod sa mga lakan at lakambini mula sa bawat parokya, kinilala rin ang mga taong nasa likod, sadyang nagbigay ng sarili at sumuporta sa proyektong ito na pinagkalooban rin ng sertipiko ng pagkilala. Kabilang dito ang lahat ng parokya sa bikariya dos na lumahok, magulang ng bawat isang kandidata, mga naging tagapagtaguyod at mga samahan ng kabataan sa bawat parokya. Sa pangunguna naman ni Rdo. P. Joseph Rodem Ramos, Bikaryo Poranyo, suportado ng mga paring dumalo sa OLCA ang aktibidad na ito ng mga kabataan. Lubos ang pagbati ng poranyo sa mga kabataan sa pangangasiwa ng matagumpay na aktibidad. Naroon din ang presensiya nina AYC Director Rdo. P. Magno Casala Jr. kasama sina Asst. AYC Director Rdo. P. Gerbert Cabaylo, OSJ at Ermelita Kasilag, Pangulo ng AYC. Abot-abot naman ang pasasalamat ni VYC Director Rdo. P. Ephraim Cabrera sa lahat ng dumalo sa gabi ng parangal at naging kabahagi ng Lakan at Lakambini ng Dos Fund-raising Project. Samantala, kinabukasan, ika-4 ng Diyembre, idinaos naman ang makulay na motorcade ng dalawampung mga Lakan at Lakambini sa Parokya ni San Roque sa Lemery, ang parokya kung saan nagmula ang nakakuha ng titulong Lakan at Lakambini ng Dos 2011. Ang motorcade ay nagsimula sa may harapan ng simbahan at munisipyo ng Lemery na umikot sa buong Poblacion Area. #UB OPINION 4 DECEMBER 2011 G U E S T E D I T O R Y A L ... POPE’S MESSAGE FOR WORLD DAY OF JUSTICE AND PEACE (VATICAN CITY, DEC. 16, 2011 (Zenit.org).- Here is a Vatican translation of Benedict XVI’s message for the 2012 World Day of Peace, which will be celebrated Jan. 1. The theme of this year’s message is: “Educating Young People in Justice and Peace.” The document is dated Dec. 8 and was released today.) Msgr. Fred Madlangbayan EDUCATING YOUNG PEOPLE IN JUSTICE AND PEACE Straight From the Heart 1. THE BEGINNING OF A NEW YEAR, God’s gift to humanity, prompts me to extend to all, with great confidence and affection, my heartfelt good wishes that this time now before us may be marked concretely by justice and peace. With what attitude should we look to the New Year? We find a very beautiful image in Psalm 130. The Psalmist says that people of faith wait for the Lord “more than those who watch for the morning” (v. 6); they wait for him with firm hope because they know that he will bring light, mercy, salvation. This waiting was born of the experience of the Chosen People, who realized that God taught them to look at the world in its truth and not to be overwhelmed by tribulation. I invite you to look to 2012 with this attitude of confident trust. It is true that the year now ending has been marked by a rising sense of frustration at the crisis looming over society, the world of labour and the economy, a crisis whose roots are primarily cultural and anthropological. It seems as if a shadow has fallen over our time, preventing us from clearly seeing the light of day. In this shadow, however, human hearts continue to wait for the dawn of which the Psalmist speaks. Because this expectation is particularly powerful and evident in young people, my thoughts turn to them and to the contribution which they can and must make to society. I would like therefore to devote this message for the XLV World Day of Peace to the theme of education: “Educating Young People in Justice and Peace”, in the conviction that the young, with their enthusiasm and idealism, can offer new hope to the world. My Message is also addressed to parents, families and all those involved in the area of education and formation, as well as to leaders in the various spheres of religious, social, political, economic and cultural life and in the media. Attentiveness to young people and their concerns, the ability to listen to them and appreciate them, is not merely something expedient; it represents a primary duty for society as a whole, for the sake of building a future of justice and peace. It is a matter of communicating to young people an appreciation for the positive value of life and of awakening in them a desire to spend their lives in the service of the Good. This is a task which engages each of us personally. The concerns expressed in recent times by many young people around the world demonstrate that they desire to look to the future with solid hope. At the present time, they are experiencing apprehension about many things: they want to receive an education which prepares them more fully to deal with the real world, they see how difficult it is to form a family and to find stable Ang isa sa mga magagandang alaala ng Centenaryo (100 years) ng ating Arsidiyosesis na maaari nating pagukulan ng pansin at pagninilay ay ang naganap sa Misa ng Pagtatapos ng Centenaryo na ginawa sa labas ng Kathedral sa Lipa noong ika-sampu ng April, 2011. Ang aking tinutukoy ay ang tatlong letrang salita na binanggit ng ating Arsobispo sa kanyang Homiliya. Ito ay ang salitang SEC na sa kanyang paliwanag ay nangangahulugan ng SANCTIFICATION, EVANGELIZATION at COMMUNION. Napakahalaga ng salitang ito (SEC) sa buhay pananampalataya ng Simbahang Lokal ng Lipa sapagkat sa aking paniniwala ito' y nabanggit ng Arsobispo sa udyok at gabay ng Espiritu Santo. Sapagkat, sa alam niya o sa hindi ang salitang SEC ay nakakatulad at hindi naiiba sa nakapaloob sa Pananaw (Vision) ng Arsidiyosesis na binalangkas sa loob ng matagal na panahon sa pamumuno nina Cardinal Vidal, Arsobispo Gaviola at Cardinal Rosales. Ating maalaala na matagal ding panahon mula nang dumating ang ating Arsobispo na ang ating pananaw (vision) ay hindi napag-ukulan ng pansin at pahalaga. Kaya, noong ito ay banggitin ng Arsobispo, sa makasaysayang araw ng pagtatapos ng Centenaryo, ako' y naniniwala na ito ay isang biyaya ng Jubileo kung hindi man isang himala. Sa mga nakaraang Ulat, nabanggit ko na ang SEC at ang Pananaw (Vision) ng Arsidiyosesis ay walang pagkakaiba at sa halip ay magkatulad na magkatulad ang nilalaman at diwa maliban sa pagkakasunod-sunod ng mga letra-SEC. Sa aking palagay, ang mas akmang daloy ng mga letra ay ECS, alalaumbagay EVANGELIZATION, COMMUNION AT SANCTIFICATION. Bakit? Hindi ba't ang nasasaad sa pananaw na "Isang Bayang tinawag ng Ama kay Hesu-Kristo" ay ang katumbas ay Evangelization? At ang mga salitang "Upang maging mga sambayanan" ay ang katumbas ay Communion? At gayundin, "Ng mga taong may kaganapan ng buhay…sa kapangyarihan ng Espiritu Santo" ay ang katumbas ay Sanctification? Sumakatuwid, ang Pastoral of Evangelization bukod sa Pastoral of Sacramentalization, sa aking palagay, ay hindi na nalalayo na magaganap sa ating Arsidiyosesis. Lalo na't kung ating maalaala, na ang malaking karatulang palamuti sa labas ng Katedral sa Misa ng Pagtatapos ay "Humayo at Pumalaot" (Go & Launch into the deep) o sa ibang salita ay "Preach the Gospel o Evangelize"! Bukod dito, kapansin-pansin din ang marubdob na pagnanais at panawagan ng Arsobispo na sa mga Parokya ay mabuo ang mga MSK o Munting Sambayanang Kristiyano. Ano ang ibig sabihin nito? #UB POPE’S MESSAGE... P. 5 OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE ARCHDIOCESE OF LIPA E D I T O R I A L S TA F F Fr. Nonie C. Dolor Editor-in-Chief Fr. Oscar L. Andal Managing Editor Jesusa D. Bauan Circulation Manager Contributors: Msgr. Ruben Dimaculangan Mrs. Norma Abratigue Fr. Bimbo Pantoja Fr. Manny Guazon Fr. Oscar Andal Emma D. Bauan Mrs. Elsie A. Rabago Sis. Divine Padilla Ms. Ethel Robles Fr. Eric Joaquin Arada Fr. Nonie C. Dolor Photographers Niño Balita Cartoonist Atty. Mary Antoniette E. Arguelles Legal Counsel Archdiocese of Lipa Publisher Lenny D. Mendoza Lay-out Artist Printer: Pater Putativus Publishing House For your comments, submission of articles, and/or subscriptions email us at ulatbatangan@yahoo.com Most Rev. Ramón Argüelles, DD, STL MERRY CHRISTMAS; HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Will Christmas 2011 really be merry? No less than Pope Benedict XVI foresees a bleak Christmas. He speaks of course from the European/ Western perspective. The financial outlook of Europe and America is far from being bright. There is a great deal of uncertainty in the economic world. On the other hand in the same unfortunate sphere Christmas does not mean much any longer. Just recently in North America I heard the lament that people are advised not to greet each other MERRY CHRISTMAS anymore. Suffice to say Happy Holidays. Worse than the financial slump is the spiritual drought afflicting the Western World. The expression ‘Merry Christmas’ has long seemed trite and hollow. The greeting ‘Happy Holidays’ may provide a little ephemeral feeling of glee. But there is no real Christmas joy. After all they have removed Christ from Christmas. The seeming gloomy state of the world might be the right time to bring back the real meaning of Christmas. Was there not merriment in the surroundings of Bethlehem. But the fleeting joys are all in the palatial habitat of the evil ruler or the crowded rowdy pubs where the author of Christmas found no decent welcome. This boisterous setting still dominates most Christmas gatherings. Many yuletide merriments betray the real Christmas character. Is it possible that the present unhappy state is a prelude to the coming of an authentic Christmas? Is it possible that the poor victims of calamity in Mindanao who proclaimed they face a desolate Christmas are closer to the sentiments of the Saviour? Pope Benedict XVI challenges all to ponder the poverty of the first Christmas and discover the true cheers of the original Christmas. For those who cannot celebrate the joys of Christmas without sharing their blessings with the unfortunate victims of SENDONG, Christmas 2011 is genuine. The year 2012 can still be a happy year. The Pontifical Missionary Societies would like 2012 to be the year of Missions. Why not? It is almost 450 years (if we reckon official evangelization of the Archipelago as having started in 1565; that’s why in 1965 the Church in the Philippines feted 400 years of evangelization) since the faith spread in our shores. It is almost 500 years since the first Mass and first Baptism was celebrated in our islands (1521). An yer we still are proud that we are the only predominantly Christian nation in the whole Asian continent. We do not see it as a reason to be worried that we have kept our faith to our own. To be a Filipino is to be a Catholic. TO BE FILIPINO SHOULD BE TO EVANGELIZE!!! The time has come, we must not tarry any longer. Pope John Paul is right: The Good News should return to where it all started: ASIA. Who will be the imstrument for the proclamation of the Word in Asia? Catholic Philippines!!! All Asians expect that. I want to see the year 2012 as the year of awakening to our great evangelical responsibility. The Word of God should not be announced only by a handful of priests and religious. The faith must be witnessed to by every baptized Catholic Filipino. He should proclaim a faith that changes the lifestyle of the poor Asian people. The Evangelizer of the Third Millennium should preach be his whole being bringing newness to socio-political, cultural, economic and spiritual life of every Asian. The Filipino evangelizer should be a humble bearer with others of the salvation brought by Jesus Christ. The Filipino Evangelizer must be thoroughly MARIAN in his evangelizing role. I look forward to 2012 as a year of faith, Mary’s faith. Let us be merry in spite of everything. Let us enter 2012 with great hope. God will not abandon us. He expects us to bring true Christmas glee and New year hope to all. We will not fail Him. We will not fail the Blessed Mother. #UB I T U T U L O Y. . . . . OPINION DECEMBER 2011 POPE’S MESSAGE... P. 4 employment; they wonder if they can really contribute to political, cultural and economic life in order to build a society with a more human and fraternal face. It is important that this unease and its underlying idealism receive due attention at every level of society. The Church looks to young people with hope and confidence; she encourages them to seek truth, to defend the common good, to be open to the world around them and willing to see “new things” (Is 42:9; 48:6). Educators 2. Education is the most interesting and difficult adventure in life. Educating – from the Latin educere – means leading young people to move beyond themselves and introducing them to reality, towards a fullness that leads to growth. This process is fostered by the encounter of two freedoms, that of adults and that of the young. It calls for responsibility on the part of the learners, who must be open to being led to the knowledge of reality, and on the part of educators, who must be ready to give of themselves. For this reason, today more than ever we need authentic witnesses, and not simply people who parcel out rules and facts; we need witnesses capable of seeing farther than others because their life is so much broader. A witness is someone who first lives the life that he proposes to others. Where does true education in peace and justice take place? First of all, in the family, since parents are the first educators. The family is the primary cell of society; “it is in the family that children learn the human and Christian values which enable them to have a constructive and peaceful coexistence. It is in the family that they learn solidarity between the generations, respect for rules, forgiveness and how to welcome others.”1 The family is the first school in which we are trained in justice and peace. We are living in a world where families, and life itself, are constantly threatened and not infrequently fragmented. Working conditions which are often incompatible with family responsibilities, worries about the future, the frenetic pace of life, the need to move frequently to ensure an adequate livelihood, to say nothing of mere survival – all this makes it hard to ensure that children receive one of the most precious of treasures: the presence of their parents. This presence makes it possible to share more deeply in the journey of life and thus to pass on experiences and convictions gained with the passing of the years, experiences and convictions which can only be communicated by spending time together. I would urge parents not to grow disheartened! May they encourage children by the example of their lives to put their hope before all else in God, the one source of authentic justice and peace. I would also like to address a word to those in charge of educational institutions: with a great sense of responsibility may they ensure that the dignity of each person is always respected and appreciated. Let them be concerned that every young person be able to discover his or her own vocation and helped to develop his or her God-given gifts. May they reassure families that their children can receive an education that does not conflict with their consciences and their religious principles. Every educational setting can be a place of openness to the transcendent and to others; a place of dialogue, cohesiveness and attentive listening, where young people feel appreciated for their personal abilities and inner riches, and can learn to esteem their brothers and sisters. May young people be taught to savour the joy which comes from the daily exercise of charity and compassion towards others and from taking an active part in the building of a more humane and fraternal society. I ask political leaders to offer concrete assistance to families and educational institutions in the exercise of their right and duty to educate. Adequate support should never be lacking to parents in their task. Let them ensure that no one is ever denied access to education and that families are able freely to choose the educational structures they consider most suitable for their children. Let them be committed to reuniting families separated by the need to earn a living. Let them give young people a transparent image of politics as a genuine service to the good of all. I cannot fail also to appeal to the world of the media to offer its own contribution to education. In today’s society the mass media have a particular role: they not only inform but also form the minds of their audiences, and so they can make a significant contribution to the education of young people. It is important never to forget that the connection between education and communication is extremely close: education takes place through communication, which influences, for better or worse, the formation of the person. Young people too need to have the courage to live by the same high standards that they set for others. Theirs is a great responsibility: may they find the strength to make good and wise use of their freedom. They too are responsible for their education, including their education in justice and peace! Educating in truth and freedom 3. Saint Augustine once asked: “Quid enim fortius desiderat anima quam veritatem? – What does man desire more deeply than truth?”2 The human face of a society depends very much on the contribution of education to keep this irrepressible question alive. Education, indeed, is concerned with the integral formation of the person, including the moral and spiritual dimension, focused upon man’s final end and the good of the society to which he belongs. Therefore, in order to educate in truth, it is necessary first and foremost to know who the human person is, to know human nature. Contemplating the world around him, the Psalmist reflects: “When I see the heavens, the work of your hands, the moon and the stars which you arranged, what is man that you should keep him in mind, mortal man that you care for him?” (Ps 8:45). This is the fundamental question that must be asked: who is man? Man is a being who bears within his heart a thirst for the infinite, a thirst for truth – a truth which is not partial but capable of explaining life’s meaning – since he was created in the image and likeness of God. The grateful recognition that life is an inestimable gift, then, leads to the discovery of one’s own profound dignity and the inviolability of every single person. Hence the first step in education is learning to recognize the Creator’s image in man, and consequently learning to have a profound respect for every human being and helping others to live a life consonant with this supreme dignity. We must never forget that “authentic human development concerns the whole of the person in every single dimension”,3 including the transcendent dimension, and that the person cannot be sacrificed for the sake of attaining a particular good, whether this be economic or social, individual or collective. Only in relation to God does man come to understand also the meaning of 5 human freedom. It is the task of education to form people in authentic freedom. This is not the absence of constraint or the supremacy of free will, it is not the absolutism of the self. When man believes himself to be absolute, to depend on nothing and no one, to be able to do anything he wants, he ends up contradicting the truth of his own being and forfeiting his freedom. On the contrary, man is a relational being, who lives in relationship with others and especially with God. Authentic freedom can never be attained independently of God. Freedom is a precious value, but a fragile one; it can be misunderstood and misused. “Today, a particularly insidious obstacle to the task of educating is the massive presence in our society and culture of that relativism which, recognizing nothing as definitive, leaves as the ultimate criterion only the self with its desires. And under the semblance of freedom it becomes a prison for each one, for it separates people from one another, locking each person into his or her own self. With such a relativistic horizon, therefore, real education is not possible without the light of the truth; sooner or later, every person is in fact condemned to doubting the goodness of his or her own life and the relationships of which it consists, the validity of his or her commitment to build with others something in common.”4 In order to exercise his freedom, then, man must move beyond the relativistic horizon and come to know the truth about himself and the truth about good and evil. Deep within his conscience, man discovers a law that he did not lay upon himself, but which he must obey. Its voice calls him to love and to do what is good, to avoid evil and to take responsibility for the good he does and the evil he commits.5 Thus, the exercise of freedom is intimately linked to the natural moral law, which is universal in character, expresses the dignity of every person and forms the basis of fundamental human rights and duties: consequently, in the final analysis, it forms the basis for just and peaceful coexistence. The right use of freedom, then, is central to the promotion of justice and peace, which require respect for oneself and others, including those whose way of being and living differs greatly from one’s own. This attitude engenders the elements without which peace and justice remain merely words without content: mutual trust, the capacity to hold constructive dialogue, the possibility of forgiveness, which one constantly wishes to receive but finds hard to bestow, mutual charity, compassion towards the weakest, as well as readiness to make sacrifices. Educating in justice 4. In this world of ours, in which, despite the profession of good intentions, the value of the person, of human dignity and human rights is seriously threatened by the widespread tendency to have recourse exclusively to the criteria of utility, profit and material possessions, it is important not to detach the concept of justice from its transcendent roots. Justice, indeed, is not simply a human convention, since what is just is ultimately determined not by positive law, but by the profound identity of the human being. It is the integral vision of man that saves us from falling into a contractual conception of justice and enables us to locate justice within the horizon of solidarity and love.6 We cannot ignore the fact that some currents of modern culture, built upon rationalist and individualist economic principles, have cut off the concept of justice from its transcendent roots, detaching it from charity and solidarity: “The ‘earthly city’ is promoted not merely by relationships of rights and duties, but to an even greater and more fundamental extent by relationships of gratuitousness, mercy and communion. Charity always manifests God’s love in human relationships as well, it gives theological and salvific value to all commitment for justice in the world.”7 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” (Mt 5:6). They shall be satisfied because they hunger and thirst for right relations with God, with themselves, with their brothers and sisters, and with the whole of creation. Educating in peace 5. “Peace is not merely the absence of war, and it is not limited to maintaining a balance of powers between adversaries. Peace cannot be attained on earth without safeguarding the goods of persons, free communication among men, respect for the dignity of persons and peoples, and the assiduous practice of fraternity.”8 We Christians believe that Christ is our true peace: in him, by his Cross, God has reconciled the world to himself and has broken down the walls of POPE’S MESSAGE... P. 7 F E AT U R E 6 Letter of Encouragement to Rectors of Shrines “A Great Treasure in the Life of the Church” (Mula sa Patnugot: Dahil sa marami tayong mga dambana o shrines, inarapat naming ilimbag ang liham na ito na may lagda nina Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, ang Prefect ng Congregation for the Clergy, at ng kanyang kalihim, Arsobispo Celso Morga Ruzubieta. Ang nasabing liham ay may petsang Agosto 15 ng taong ito. Sana makatulong ito hindi lamang sa mga rector ng mga dambana kundi pati sa mga deboto at mananampalataya na tumutungo sa nasabing mga dambana.) To the Most Eminent and Most Excellent?Diocesan Ordinaries At Their Sees Reverend and Dear Rector, I would like to convey my cordial greetings to each one of you, which I willingly extend to all those who assist you in the pastoral care of Shrines, along with an expression of my sincere gratitude for the attentive dedication with which you come to the assistance of the pastoral needs of the pilgrims who approach the places of Worship entrusted to your care in ever greater numbers from every part of the world. With this letter I allow myself to reflect above all on the sentiments of the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI, who considers the presence of Shrines to be of great importance and to be a great treasure in the life of the Church. This is so because, as places of pilgrimage, they "summon and bring together a growing number of pilgrims and religious tourists, some of whom are in complicated human and spiritual situations, somewhat distant from living the faith and with a weak ecclesial affiliation" (Letter on the Occasion of the II World Congress on the Pastoral care of Pilgrims and Sanctuaries, Santiago di Compostella, 27-30 September 2010). Blessed John Paul II declares, "Christian Sanctuaries have always and everywhere have been or have sought to be signs of God, of his entering into human history" (Allocution to Rectors of Sanctuaries, 22 January 1981). Shrines are then "a sign of the living Christ among us, they recognize in this sign the initiative of the love of the living God for mankind" (Pontifical Council for the Pastoral care of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples, The Sanctuary, Memory, Presence and Prophecy of the Living God, 8 May 1999, n.5). Conscious, therefore, of the particular value that Shrines hold in the experience of faith of every Christian, the Congregation for the Clergy, competent in the material (cf. John Paul II, Apostolic Constitution Pastor Bonus, 28 June 1988, art. 97, 1°) would like to offer for your consideration some reflections directed towards renewal and a more effective motivation of the ordinary activities of the pastoral work that is carried out there. In a climate of widespread secularism, the Shrine continues to be, even to our day, a privileged place in which the human person, a pilgrim here on earth, experiences the loving and saving presence of God. He finds there a fruitful space, away from daily distractions, where he can recollect himself, gather his thoughts and reacquire the spiritual health to re-embark upon the journey of faith with greater ardour. It is there too that he can find space to seek, find and love Christ in his ordinary life, in the midst of the world. What is the heart of the pastoral activity of Shrines? The canonical rule with regard to these places of worship sees, with great theo- logical wisdom and ecclesial experience, that in them, "the means of salvation are to be supplied more abundantly to the faithful by the diligent proclamation of the word of God, the suitable promotion of liturgical life especially through the celebration of the Eucharist and of penance, and the cultivation of approved forms of popular piety. can. 1234, §1 CIC). The canonical norms trace a valuable synthesis of the pastoral undertaking particular to Shrines and provides an interesting point of departure to reflect briefly on some fundamental elements that characterise the office that the Church has entrusted to you. 1. The Proclamation of the Word, Prayer and Popular Piety. The Sanctuary is a place in which the Word of God resounds with unique power. The Holy Father Benedict XVI, in his PostSynodal Apostolic Exhortation Verbum Domini (30 September 2010) underlines that "the Church is built upon the Word of God; she is born from and lives by that Word" (n.3). She is the house" (cf. Ibidem, n.52) in which the divine Word is heard, meditated upon, announced and celebrated (cf. Ibidem, n. 121). What the Pontiff says about the Church can be said, by way of analogy, also of Shrines. The proclamation of the Word has an essential role in the pastoral life of Shrines. The sacred pastors have the task of preparing such a proclamation, in prayer and in meditation, filtering the content of that proclamation through the help of spiritual theology at the school of the Magisterium and the saints. The principle source for the proclamation will be, of course, the Sacred Scriptures and the Liturgy (cf. Second Vatican Council Constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium, 4 December 1963, n.35), to which is joined the greatly valued Catechism of the Catholic Church and its Compendium. The ministry of the Word, exercised in various forms in accord with the revealed Deposit, will be all the more effective and close to the soul the more it is born from the heart in prayer and expressed in a language which is at once beautiful and accessible that is capable of showing the perennial immediacy of the eternal Word. Prayer is the human response to a fruitful proclamation of the Word of God: "For pilgrims seeking living water, shrines are special places for living the forms of Christian prayer "in Church." (Catechism of the Catholic Church [CCC], 11 October 1992, n. 2691). The life of prayer develops in various ways, amongst which we find forms of popular piety that always "give due space to the proclamation and hearing of God's word; "popular piety can find in the word of God an inexhaustible source of inspiration, insuperable models of prayer and fruitful points for reflection" (Verbum Domini, n. 65). The Directory for Popular Piety and Liturgy (Congregation for Di- vine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments, 9 April 2002) dedicates an entire chapter to Shrines and pilgrimages, where it augurs "a correct relationship between liturgical action and pious practices" (. 261). Popular piety is of great importance for the faith, culture and Christian identity of many peoples. It is the expression of the faith of the people, a "true treasure of the People of God" (Ibidem, n.9) in and for the Church. To appreciate this one has only to imagine the great poverty that would result for the history of the Christian spirituality of the West were it to lack the Rosary, the Via Crucis and processions. These are but three examples but sufficient to show the invaluable contribution of such practices. In carrying out your ministry in the Shrine you often have the opportunity to observe the pious gestures, as particular as they are expressive, with which the pilgrims visibly express the faith that gives them life. The multiple and varied forms of devotion, frequently deriving from intense feeling and cultural traditions, bear witness to a fervent intensity of the spiritual life nourished by constant prayer and the intimate desire to belong ever more closely to Christ. The Church, always conscious of the intimate meaning of such religious manifestations in the spiritual life of the faithful, has always recognised their value and has respected the genuine expression of them. Indeed, through the teachings of the Roman Pontiffs and the Councils, She has recommended and favoured them. At the same time, however, wherever She has noticed attitudes and ways of thinking that are not consistent with a sound religious sense, She has found the need to intervene, purifying such acts from unwanted elements and providing timely reflections, courses and lessons. In fact only if it is rooted in a Christian tradition for its origin can popular piety be a locus fidei, a fruitful instrument of evangelisation and a place in which elements of the indigenous cultural environment can be welcomed and find their dignity in a consistent manner. You have then the task, as those responsible for the pastoral care of Shrines, to instruct pilgrims of the absolutely preeminent character that the liturgical celebration must assume in the life of every believer. The personal practice of expressions of popular piety is in no way to be absolutely rejected or hindered, indeed it is to be encouraged, but it cannot replace participation in liturgical worship. Such expressions of faith instead of contrasting with the centrality of the sacred liturgy must be placed alongside it and be always oriented to it. The celebration of the liturgy of the Sacred Mysteries expresses the common faith of the whole Church. 2. The Mercy of God in the Sacrament of Penance DECEMBER 2011 Remembering the love of God, which is rendered present in preeminent fashion at Shrines, leads to the seeking of pardon for sins and a desire to implore the gift of fidelity to the deposit of faith. The Shine is the place of the permanent actualisation of the mercy of God. It is an hospitable place in which to have a real encounter with Christ, experiencing the truth of his teaching and his pardon so as to draw close in a dignified and fruitful way to the Eucharist. To this end it is necessary to bring about and to intensify, where possible, the constant presence of priests who, with a humble and welcoming soul, give themselves generously to the hearing of sacramental confessions. In administering the sacrament of Pardon and Reconciliation, let confessors, who act as "the sign and the instrument of God's merciful love for the sinner" (CCC, n.1465), help penitents to experience the tenderness of God, to perceive the beauty and greatness of His goodness and to rediscover in their own hearts the intimate desire for sanctity, the universal vocation and ultimate goal for every believer (cf. Congregation for the Clergy, The Priest, Minister of Divine Mercy, 9 March 2011, n.22). Let confessors, by enlightening the conscience of penitents, make clear as well the strict bond that ties sacramental confession with a new way of existence, oriented towards a definitive conversion. Let them exhort the faithful, then, to approach this sacrament with frequency, regularity and fervent devotion, sustained by the grace it bestows, they may constantly nourish their faithful undertaking of belonging to Christ, progressing thus in evangelical perfection. Let ministers of Penance be available and willing, cultivating within themselves an attitude that is understanding, welcoming and encouraging (cf. The Priest Minister of Divine Mercy, n. 51-57). In order to respect the freedom of every member of the faithful and also to allow for their complete and sincere honesty in the sacramental forum, it is suitable that there be confessionals with a fixed grille found in suitable places (such as, for example, a Chapel of Reconciliation). As Blessed Pope John Paul II says in his Apostolic Letter Misericordia Dei (7 April 2002): "confessionals are regulated by the norms issued by the respective Episcopal Conferences, who shall ensure that confessionals are located "in an open area" and have "a fixed grille", so as to permit the faithful and confessors themselves who may wish to make use of them to do so freely" (n. 9b; cf. Can. 964, §2; Pontifical Council for the Interpretation of Legislative Texts, Responsa ad propositum Dubium: de loco excipiendi sacramentales confessiones [7 July 1998]: AAS 80 [1998] 711; The Priest, Minister of Divine Mercy, n.41). Let ministers also take care to bring about an understanding of the spiritual fruits that flow from the remission of sins. The sacrament of Penitence, in fact, "brings about a true "spiritual resurrection," restoration of the dignity and blessings of the life of the children of God, of which the most precious is friendship with God" (CCC, n.1468). Considering the fact that Shrines are places of true conversion, it would be opportune to see attention given to the formation of confessors for the pastoral care of those who have not respected human life from conception to its natural end. Priests, in dispensing divine mercy, should conscientiously carry out this special ministry by adhering with fidelity to the authentic teaching of the Church. Let them be well formed in doctrine and let them not neglect to bring themselves up to date every so often concerning those questions that pertain especially to the sphere of morals and bioethics (cf. 5 CCC, n. 1466). In the matrimonial area too let them respect what the ecclesial Magisterium teaches authoritatively. Let them avoid setting out private doctrines in the sacramental seat - personal opinions and arbitrary estimations that do not conform to that which the Church believes and teaches. It will be useful for their ongoing formation to encourage them to tale part in specialised courses, such as those that might be organised, for example, by the Apostolic Penitentiary and by some Pontifical Universities (cf. The Priest, Minister of Divine Mercy, n. 63). 3. The Eucharist, Source and Summit of the Christian Life. The Word of God and the celebration of Penance and intimately united to the Holy Eucharist, the central mystery in which, "contains the entire spiritual boon of the Church, that is, Christ himself, our Pasch" (Second Vatican Council, Decree Presbyterorum Ordinis, 7 December 1965, n.5). The Eucharistic celebration constitutes the heart of the sacramental life of the Shrine. In it the Lord gives himself to us. Pilgrims who come to the Shrines ought to be made aware that, if they trustingly welcome the Eucharistic Christ in their most intimate being, He offers them the possibility of a real transformation of their entire existence. The dignity of the Eucharistic celebration ought also to be placed in evidence by the use of Gregorian chant, polyphony and popular sacred music (cf. Sacrosanctum Concilium, nn. 116 & 118). This is also achieved by selecting adequately both the most noble musical instruments (pipe organs and the like, cf. ibidem, n. 120), and the vestments that are worn by the sacred ministers as also by the sacred utensils and furnishings employed in the sacred Liturgy. They should be marked by reference to the rules of nobility and sacredness. In the case of concelebration, care should be taken to provide a Master of Ceremonies, who is not one of the concelebrants, and every effort should be made so that each celebrant might wear a chasuble as the proper vestment of a priest who celebrates the divine mysteries. The Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI wrote in the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Sacramentum Caritatis (22 February 2007) that "the best catechesis on the Eucharist is the Eucharist itself, celebrated well" (n.64). In Holy Mass, DECEMBER 2011 F E AT U R E then, let the ministers faithfully respect all that has been established by the norms of the Liturgical Books. The rubrics are not, in fact, discretionary suggestions for the celebrant but rather obligatory prescriptions that he must observe accurately and with fidelity in each gesture and sign. There is a underlying theological meaning, in fact, to each norm that cannot be dismissed or misunderstood. A style of celebrating that introduces arbitrary liturgical innovations other than generating confusion and division amongst the faithful harms the venerable Tradition and the very authority of the Church, as it does also ecclesial unity. The priest who presides at the Eucharist is not, however, the mere executor of ritual rubrics. Rather, the intense and devout interior participation with which he will celebrate the divine mysteries, accompanied by an appropriate evaluation of the established liturgical signs and gestures, will transform not only his praying soul but will also show itself to be fruitful for the Eucharistic faith of the believers who take part in the celebration with their actuosa participatio (cf. Sacrosanctum Concilium, n.14). As a fruit of His gift in the Eucharist, Jesus Christ remains under the sign of bread. Celebrations in the form of Eucharistic Adoration outside of Holy Mass, by the exposition and benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament, manifest that which is at the heart of the celebration: Adoration, or union with Christ the Host. Pope Benedict XVI teaches in this regard that "in the Eucharist, the Son of God comes to meet us and desires to become one with us; Eucharistic adoration is simply the natural consequence of the eucharistic celebration, which is itself the Church's supreme act of adoration (Sacramentum Caritatis, n.66), further adding, "the act of adoration outside Mass prolongs and intensifies all that takes place during the liturgical celebration itself"?(ivi). Accordingly, let there be notable importance given to the place of the tabernacle in the sanctuary (or also in a chapel set aside exclusively for the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament) because in itself this is a beckoning, invitation and stimulus to prayer, adoration, meditation and intimacy with the Lord. The Supreme Pontiff in the aforementioned Apostolic Exhortation underlines that "the correct positioning of the tabernacle contributes to the recognition of Christ's real presence in the Blessed Sacrament. Therefore, the place where the Eucharistic species are reserved, marked by a sanctuary lamp, should be readily visible to everyone entering the church" (ibidem, n.69). Let the tabernacle, the Eucharistic treasury, occupy a preeminent place in the sanctuary, and in the same fashion, calling to mind the relationship between art, faith and celebration, let there be attention given to "the unity of the furnishings of the sanctuary, such as the altar, the crucifix, the tabernacle, the ambo and the celebrant's chair" (ibidem, n.41). The correct positioning of these eloquent signs of our faith, in the architecture of the places of worship, undoubtedly fosters, especially in Shrines, the correct priority that is to be given to Christ, the living stone, prior to any salutation directed to the Virgin or to the Saints who are quite properly venerated in those places, thus giving the opportunity to popular piety to show its truly Eucharistic and Christian roots. 4. A new Dynamism for Evangelisation. Finally, it gives me great pleasure to note how even today Shrines maintain an extraordinary attraction for the faithful, shown by the growing number of pilgrims that go to them. Frequently one finds men and women of every age and condition, with complex human and spiritual situations, sometimes removed from a sound life of faith or with a?fragile sense of ecclesial belonging. To visit a Shrine can be for them a valuable opportunity to encounter Christ or to rediscover their sense of baptismal vocation and to hear its saving call. I exhort each of you to direct your sights to these persons in a particularly welcoming and attentive manner. Even in this regard nothing should be taken for granted. With evangelical wisdom and with a generous sensitivity, it would serve as an example to make oneself the companion the journey with pilgrims and visitors, seeking to identify the reasons of the heart and the expectations of the spirit that have brought them there. In giving this service the collaboration of people with specific abilities, characterised by a welcoming humanity, spiritual insightfulness and theological intelligence, will help in introducing the pilgrims to the Shrine as an event of grace, a place of religious experience and of rediscovered joy. In this context it would be opportune to consider the possibility of facilitating spiritual appointments in the evening or at night as well (nocturnal adoration, prayer vigils etc.) wherever the flow of pilgrims shows itself to be considerable or permanent. Your pastoral charity will be able to build a provident opportunity and a strong stimulus so that in their heart the desire to set out upon a serious and intense journey of faith may take the first steps. Through the various forms of catechesis you can bring them to understand that the faith, far from being a vague and abstract religious sentiment, is concretely tangible and expresses itself always in love and justice between one another. Thus, in Shrines the teaching of the Word of God and of the doctrine of the Church through preaching, catechesis, spiritual direction and retreats constitutes an excellent opportunity to welcome God's pardon in the Sacrament of Penance and the active and fruitful participation in the celebration of the Sacrifice of the Altar. Eucharistic Adoration, the pious practice of the Way of the Cross and the Christological and Marian prayer of the Holy Rosary will be, along with sacramentals, votive blessings, will be examples of human piety and walking with Jesus towards the merciful love of the Father in the Spirit. In this way too the pastoral work of the family will be reinvigorated and the prayer of the Church will be richly fruitful that "the Lord of the Harvest send labourers into his harvest" (Mt 9, 38): numerous and holy vocations to the priesthood and to special forms of consecration. Moreover, let Shrines not forget, faithful to their glorious tradition, to be engaged in works of charity and assistance, human development, protecting the rights of the human person, the challenge of justice, all according to the social doctrine of the Church. It would also be good if there developed around them cultural initiatives, such as congresses, seminars, exhibitions, exhibitions, shows, and artistic events on religious themes. In this way Shrines will also become promoters of culture, both high and popular, contributing to the cultural project directed in the Church's Christian understanding. In this way the Church, under the direction of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Star of the New Evangelisation, through whom Grace itself communicates itself to humanity in need of redemption, prepares herself in every part of the world for the coming of the Saviour. Shrines, those places where we go to seek, to hear, to pray will becomes mysteriously places in which we will really be touched by God through His Word, the sacraments of Reconciliation and of the Eucharist, the intercession of the Mother of God and of the saints. Only in this manner, moving through the swells and tempests of history, challenging the pervasive sense of relativism that currently reigns, will Shrines become places that facilitate a renewed dynamism directed towards the greatly desired new evangelisation. In thanking each Rector once more for the dedication and pastoral charity with which they carry out their ministry, so that each Sanctuary may become an ever more loving sign of the presence of the Incarnate Word, may you be assured of the most cordial closeness of the Lord, under the gaze of the Blessed Virgin Mary. #UB POPE’S MESSAGE... P. 5 active within the community and concerned to raise awareness about national and international issues and the importance of seeking adequate mechanisms for the redistribution of wealth, the promotion of growth, cooperation for development and conflict resolution. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God”, as Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount (Mt 5:9). Peace for all is the fruit of justice for all, and no one can shirk this essential task of promoting justice, according to one’s particular areas of competence and responsibility. To the young, who have such a strong attachment to ideals, I extend a particular invitation to be patient and persevering in division that separated us from one another (cf. Eph 2:14-18); in him, there is but one family, reconciled in love. Peace, however, is not merely a gift to be received: it is also a task to be undertaken. In order to be true peacemakers, we must educate ourselves in compassion, solidarity, working together, fraternity, in being 7 Kamanyang sa Mahal na Birhen • Lamberto B. Cabual Maligayang Pasko, Ina! O! Ina, dinggin mo yaring tulang alay Sa pag-uumaga ng banal mong araw; Ngayon ay Pasko na ... at nag-aawitan Yaong mga anghel sa kaitaasan! Ikaw yaong birheng hinirang ng langit, Pagka't ang puso mo'y walang bahid-dungis; Ang taglay mong gandang walang kahulilip Ay sula ng diwang wagas kung umibig. Pusong walang sigla - nabigyan mong buhay, Budhing nagdurusa - iyong dinamayan; Pusikit na gabi ay nabigyang kulay Sa ningning ng Paskong may Talang sumilay. Hiwagang di kayang liripin ng diwa Ang unang Pasko mong balot ng hiwaga; Nanganak kang Birheng tuwa'y di kawasa Kay Hesus na Haring Diyos na dakila. Ina ka ng Diyos, ikaw ang pinili Sa babaeng lahat ay pinakatangi; Reyna at Ina kang walang pasubali Ng lahi sa ngayo't darating pang lahi. Kaya ngayong Pasko, Birheng Ina namin, Tanggapin mo yaring handog na paggiliw; Abang aginaldong aming ihahain Sa iyo'y masuyong tapat na dalangin. Maligayang Pasko, Ina naming irog, Kaarawan ngayon ng Anak ng Diyos; Loobin mong diwa nami'y manibulos Sa makalangit mong Pasko sa bulaos! seeking justice and peace, in cultivating the taste for what is just and true, even when it involves sacrifice and swimming against the tide. Raising one’s eyes to God 6. Before the difficult challenge of walking the paths of justice and peace, we may be tempted to ask, in the words of the Psalmist: “I lift up my eyes to the mountains: from where shall come my help?” (Ps 121:1). To all, and to young people in particular, I wish to say emphatically: “It is not ideologies that save the world, but only a return to the living God, our Creator, the guarantor of our freedom, the guarantor of what is really good and true … an unconditional return to God who is the measure of what is right and who at the same time is everlasting love. And what could ever save us apart from love?”9 Love takes delight in truth, it is the force that enables us to make a commitment to truth, to justice, to peace, because it bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things (cf. 1 Cor 13:1-13). Dear young people, you are a precious gift for society. Do not yield to discouragement in the face of difficulties and do not abandon yourselves to false solutions which often seem the easiest way to overcome problems. Do not be afraid to make a commitment, to face hard work and sacrifice, to choose the paths that demand fidelity and constancy, humility and dedication. Be confident in your youth and its profound desires for happiness, truth, beauty and genuine love! Live fully this time in your life so rich and so full of enthusiasm. Realize that you yourselves are an example and an inspiration to adults, even more so to the extent that you seek to overcome injustice and corruption and strive to build a better future. Be aware of your potential; never become selfcentred but work for a brighter future for all. You are never alone. The Church has confidence in you, follows you, encourages you and wishes to offer you the most precious gift she has: the opportunity to raise your eyes to God, to encounter Jesus Christ, who is himself justice and peace. All you men and women throughout the world, who take to heart the cause of peace: peace is not a blessing already attained, but rather a goal to which each and all of us must aspire. Let us look with greater hope to the future; let us encourage one another on our journey; let us work together to give our world a more humane and fraternal face; and let us feel a common responsibility towards present and future generations, especially in the task of training them to be people of peace and builders of peace. With these thoughts I offer my reflections and I appeal to everyone: let us pool our spiritual, moral and material resources for the great goal of “educating young people in justice and peace”. From the Vatican, 8 December 2011 BENEDICTUS PP XVI 8 NEWS & (IN)FORMATION DECEMBER 2011 Balitang Galing Batangueno: “Isang Gunting, Isang Suklay” Ginanap sa Parokya ng Inmaculada Concepcion, Bauan, at Nagsipagtapos naman ang mga ALS Participants ng Don Jacobo Elementary School, Calatagan Rev. Fr. Manuel Luis R. Guazon Ang Pagsilang ni Jesus at ang Iba pang mga Pagsilang Pasko, pagdiriwang ng pagsilang ni Jesus. Para sa mga Kristiyanong Pilipino ay talagang malaki at masayang pagdiriwang ang Pasko. Kasunod nito ay ang pagdiriwang naman ng pagsilang ng Bagong Taon. Makahulugang isinasalarawan ang lumilipas na taon bilang isang matanda at ang bagong taon naman ay ipinapakita na isang sanggol. Sa mga pagdiriwang na ito ay lalong tumitingkad ang kagandahan ng pagsilang. Sa ating mga tao ang pagsilang natin ay isang mahalagang kaganapan. Ito ay ipinagsaya ng ating mga magulang. Taontaon ito ay ipinagdiriwang, kahit pa nga tumatanda na (sukdulang ipagyabang pa ng ilan ang tunay na edad). Ang pagsilang din ng isang institusyon ay minamahalaga. Isang engrandeng okasyon ito para sa malalaking institusyon o establisimiyento. At sa kanila ay markadong-markado rin ang bawat taon ng pagiral kaya't ipinagdiriwang din, ang tawag ay kanilang anibersaryo. Ang Pagsilang ng Pondong Batangan sa Arsidiyosesis ng Lipa Isang LAGPAS (LAGPAS III) ang ginanap noong 2000 upang isilang o ilunsad ang Pondong Batangan. Isang malaking pagtitipon ng mga pari, madre at layko ng Arsidiyosesis ng Lipa ang naging saksi sa pagsilang na ito. Subalit ang pagsilang na ito ay inihayag na dalawang taon bago pa mangyari ang lahat. Sa pahina 96 ng Aral ng Batangueno na inihayag noong LAGPAS II, 1998 ay nasusulat: "Itatatag ng ating Simbahang Lokal ng Batangan (Local Church of Batangas) o Arsidiyosesis ng Lipa ang PONDONG BATANGAN - a Community Foundation." Magandang sariwain na si Jesus, ang Mesiyas, ay isinilang dalawang libong taon na ang nakaraan. Saksi sa Kanyang pagsilang ang Kanyang mga magulang na si Jose at Maria at ang mga mapapalad na pastol. Subalit ang kanyang pagsilang ay inihula na ng mga propeta. Sana ay makabuluhan nating ipagdiwang ang Pasko. Ang Pagsilang na Muli ni Jesus at ang Paulit-ulit na Pagsilang ng Pondong Batangan Mabiyaya ang taunang pagdiriwang ng Pasko, ang pagsilang ni Jesus. At magandang balikan at sariwain ang pagsilang ng Pondong Batangan. Subalit makahulugan ding mapagnilayan at unawain ang patuloy na pagsilang ni Jesus sa ating buhay ngayon. Kailan muling isinilang si Jesus sa ating buhay? Sa tuwinang ang Diyos ay suma-atin, sa tuwinang si Jesus ay magpadama ng Kanyang presensya sa ating buhay, siya ay personal na isinisilang para sa atin. Sa bawat sandali ng pananalangin, sa mga pagkakataon ng pagkakawanggawa, si Jesus ay isinisilang at nagiging buhay para sa atin. Kaya't tama ang sabihing - "arawaraw ay Pasko" Ang pagsilang ng Pondong Batangan sa Arsidiyosesis ay naganap mahigit na sampung taon na ang lumipas. Subalit ito ay isinisilang lamang sa buhay ng isang Batangueno sa kanyang paghuhulog ng beinte singko sa Tibyo ng Pondong Batangan. Hangga't ang isang Batangueno ay hindi nakapag-aalay ng barya para sa Pondong Batangan masasabi na ito ay nabubuhay lamang sa guni-guni para sa kanya. Kaya naman, ang paulitulit na pagsilang ng Pondong Batangan ay napangyayari sa malimit nating pagbibigay sa Pondong Batangan. Ito ay nabibigyan naman natin ng angkop na pagdiriwang kapag ang ating Tibyo ng Pondong Batangan ay dala-dala nating alay sa Misa sa ating simbahan o kapilya. Ang Pagsilang ni Jesus sa Barya ng Pondong Batangan Nakatutuwa para sa ating mga Batangueno na si Jesus at ang Kanyang pag-ibig ay nabigyang patotoo natin sa abang barya. Subalit lagi nating itanim sa ating kamalayan na ang dakilang Diyos ay isinilang na isang munting sanggol sa katahimikan ng gabi at nasaksihan ito ng mga pobreng pastol. Nagpaka-aba ang Diyos upang iligtas tayong mga tao. Kaya't makita sana natin ang kadakilaan ng Pondong Batangan sa kabila ng abang barya. Aba nga ang barya, subalit sa pagtitipon at pag-iipon nito, dakila ang mga gawang nagtataas ng antas ng buhay ng mga kababayan nating nangangailangan. Sa kaliitan ng barya ay naisasabuhay nating mga Batangueno ang pag-ibig ni Jesus. Ang bawat paghuhulog ng barya ay hudyat ng pagsilang ni Jesus sa ating panahon at sitwasyon dito sa Batangas. Nakakalugod sa Diyos ang Pondong Batangan at ang gawain nito. Ipagdiwang natin sa tuwina ang Pondong Batangan. Ipagsaya nating mga Batangueno ang Pasko! Ipagsaya rin natin ang ating Pondong Batangan! Ipagpapasalamat natin sa Diyos ang biyayang ito! #UB Noong Disymbre 5 - 7, 2011 ay ginanap ang "Isang Gunting, Isang Suklay" sa Parish Hall ng Parokya ng Inmaculada Concepcion, Bauan. Ito ay pinamahalaan ng Pondong Batangan Core Group ng parokya at sila ay nakapag-anyaya ng 47 trainees. Katulad ng unang pagsasanay, ito ay naidadaos sa pagtutulungan ng Fil-Hair Cooperative at ng Pondong Batangan Community Foundation,Inc. Sa maikling programa ng pagbubukas ng proyekto ay nagsalita si Rdo. P. Ernesto Mandanas Jr., kura paroko ng nasabing parokya, at si Rdo. P. Manuel Guazon, Executive Director ng Pondong Batangan. Matapos naman ang maikling pagpapakilala at pagbabahagi ng karanasan ay sinimulan na ang pagtuturo ni Ivory Malanguena. Nakasama niya bilang trainors sina: George Campos at Zaldy Devidor. Ang pagtatapos na ginanap noong Disyembre 7, 2011 ay nagsimula sa Pambungad ng Pananalita ni P. Mandanas. Matapos naman ang pagbibigay inspirasyon ni Ivory Malaguena, Vice President ng Fil-Hair Coop, ipinamahagi na ang mga Certificates of Training at ang mga training kits. Nagbigay ng Pangwakas na Pananalita si Gng. Monina Villanueva. Sa kabilang bahagi naman, noong Disyembre 2, 2011 ay ginanap ang pagtatapos ng Live- lihood Training ng Alternative Learning System (ALS) ng Jacobo Zobel Elementary School. Sa pagsasanay sa Food and Beverage Services ay 46 ang nagsipagtapos at sa Construction Electrical Installation and Maintenance ay 21. Ang proyekto ay naisakatuparan sa pagtutulungan ng Calatagan District ng Departmenty of Education, Local Government Unit ng Calatagan, Enrique Zobel Foundation at Pondong Batangan Community Foundation. Ang Pondong Batangan ay naging kabahagi nito dahil ito ang gumanap sa values formation ng mga participants at nagpahiram ng mga kagamitan para sa Food and Beverage Services. Sa programa ng pagtatapos nagbigay ng mensahe si G. Peter Oliver Palacio tumayong kinatawan ng kanyang maybahay at Mayor ng Calatagan, si Konsehal Michael Anzaldo, kinatawan naman ng Vice Mayor at si Gng. Marissa Concepcion, kinatawan ng District Supervisor. Si P. Manuel Guazon ng Pondong Batangan ang naging Panauhing Tagapagsalita at si G. Jose Rodriguez ng E. Zobel Foundation ang nagbigay ng Pangwakas na Pananalita. Ang mga nagsipagtapos na ALS participants ay sinamahan ng kanilang mga magulang at kapatid sa masayang kaganapang ito. Dama sa mga nagsipagtapos ang saya at pagmamalaki habang tinatanggap nila ang kanilang mga Certificates. PB Parish Animation Makahulugan at Mabungang Idinaos sa Parokya ni San Francisco Javier, Nasugbu Napakamakahulugan ang Pondong Batangan Parish Animation sa Parokya ni San Francisco Javier, Nasugbu sapagkat ito ay idinaos nitong Disyembre 8, 2011. Maaalaala na ang Pondong Batangan Community Foundation, Inc. ay narehistro sa Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) noong Disyembre 8, 1999. Samakatuwid, parang anibersaryo na rin ng Pondong Batangan noong araw na iyon. May161 na mga lider layko na mula sa iba't ibang mga barangay at sitio, mga kilusan at samahang pangsimbahan ng parokya ang dumalo sa nasabing parish animation. Ito naman ay naidaos sa pagtutulungan ng Parish Pastoral Council, Daughters of Mary Immaculate at Pondong Batangan Core Group ng parokya. Naging pangunahing abala sina G. Dante Villajin, PPC President, Bb. Sally Dasta, Vice Regent ng DMI at Gng. Nene Lagos, Parish Pondong Batangan Coordinator. Sa kabuuan ng parish animation ay ipinaliwanag nina Fr. Manuel Guazon at Gng. Monina Villanueva ang Pondong Batangan sa balangkas ng S-E-C o Sanctification, Evangelization at Communion na ipinahayag ni Arsobispo Arguelles sa pagtatapos ng pagdiriwang ng Centenario ng Arsidiyosesis ng Lipa: S - May Sanctification o Pagpapabanal na nagaganap sa Pondong Batangan dahil sa Spirituality of the Crumbs, E Ang Pondong Batangan ay isang pamamaraan ng Integral Evangelization at ito ay maipagmalaki rin ng Arsidiyosesis sa pagsasakatuparan nito bilang New Evangelization, C - Nagaganap naman ang Communion sa Pondong Batangan sa kanyang pagiging isang Community Foundation. Sa mayamang kahulugan ng Pondong Batangan ay tunay na mabiyaya naman ang pagtataguyod ng Pondong Batangan. Kaya't sa huling bahagi ng naturang parish animation ay hinikayat ang mga nagsidalo na maglatag ng isang plano para sa pagpapalaganap ng diwa at gawa ng Pondong Batangan sa kanilang komunidad. Ang nakuhang kaalaman tungkol sa Pondong Batangan at ang plano ng pagpapalaganap nito ay nagbibigay katiyakan na magiging masigla ang pagtataguyod ng mga taga-Nasugbu sa Pondong Batangan. #UB DECEMBER 2011 Gng. Norma Abratigue Kasiyahan sa Pasko Kung may isang institusyong nakakaranas ng lubos na kasiyahan sa pagsapit ng kapaskuhan, iyan ay ang pamilya. Gaano man kapayak ng kanilang pamumuhay, masaya sila sapagkat nadarama nila ang pagmamahalan ng bawat isa sa tahanan. Subalit, hindi laging ganito ang pamilya, dumarating ang panahong nagkakalayu-layo, nagkakaroon ng sari-sariling buhay na tinatahak, ngunit, may naiiwang masasayang alaalang nakakintal sa kanilang gunita. Ikaw, may naaalaala ka rin ba? Ano ang naalala mo? Marami nang Pasko ang nakalipas. Naaalaala kong kasabay ng aking ina at malalaki nang mga kapatid na lumalakad patungong simbahan sa alas-kuwatro ng umaga para sa Misa de Gallo. Nanunuot ang lamig sa katawan wari ba'y tagos hanggang buto. Napakalamig ng panahon! Pagkatapos ng misa, nagbibigay ng tiket ang mga katekista tanda ng kung ilang ulit nakadalo sa misa. May mga istampitang ibinigay bilang gantimpala. May programa sa grotto para sa mga bata. Tandang tanda ko pa, pinaawit ako at ang inawit ko'y: "Like a Camia Flower" . Alam mo ba ang awit na ito? Marahil sa mga kaedad ko alam ito, itinuro ito sa grade school. Ito ‘yon: Like a camia flow'r, like a camia flow'r Little children ought to grow Sweeter every hour All so silvery white All so silvery white… Ayun, nakalimutan ko na ang kasunod dahil sa katandaan. Iyon ang tipo ng mga awitin ng mga bata noon panahon. Ang ganda ano? Alaala ko rin na dadalaw raw si Santa Claus. Paniwalang paniwala ako sapagkat may nagigisnan nga kaming mga laruan sa ibabaw ng kulambo kundi man sa tabi ng munting krismas tri. Natuklasan ko isang pasko ang "pagdalaw" ni Santa Claus. Ikaw, dinalaw ka rin ba ni Santa? Sa paglaki ko, kasali ako sa koro ng parokya namin, ang Nuestra Senora dela Porteria sa Calabanga, Camarines Sur. Minsang Misa de Gallo, pinaawit sa akin ang "Ave Maria", di ko na matandaan kung sinong kompositor. Lumakad ang panahon, nag-aral, nagdalaga at nag-asawa - nagtayo ng sariling pamilya. Anim ang aming naging anak. Noong sila'y lumalaki, paminsanminsan lang silang nakakasama sa pagsimba sa gabi. Pero, sa gabi ng Kapaskuhan sinikap naming magkasama-sama sa pagsalubong kay Hesus sa pagbati sa Kanya ng Happy Birthday! Nakasisiyang pagbalikang alaala noong sila'y mga bata pa, simpleng laruan lamang ang nailalagay namin sa krismas tri. Subalit habang lumalaki, iba-iba na ang nagugustuhan - at dahil natuto sila sa paaralan ng tungkol sa exchange gifts, nagkaroon din kami ng monituan daw. Pagsapit ng adviento, nagpapalabunutan na Balitang Sta. Maria Euphrasia MIRA CONTRERAS CLET Noong nakaraang ika-27 ng Nobyembre, sampung (10) bagong sanay na Extra Ordinary Lay Minister ng Parokya ang ipinakilala at iniharap sa sambayanan ni Kura Paroko Johannes Arada. Ito’y isang programa ng parokya bilang paghahanda upang ang mga ito’y maging Instituted Lay Minister sa 9 NEWS & (IN)FORMATION darating na panahon. Ito ay sina Leandro AgraviaMarciano Andal, Fructoso Apostol, Francis Ashipauloye, Herminio Chicotle, Toriano Datingaling, Eladio Ebreo, Aquilino Eslabra, Efren Garcia, at Armando Zaraspe. Itinalaga din ang dalawamput pitong (27) Altar Knights matapos at masayang naghihintay, nananabik kung sinong nakabunot ng kanyang pangalan. May ilang panahon ding naganap ito sapagkat marami pa kami, kumpleto pa halos. Napakasayang alalahanin - di masyado kung ano ang natanggap na regalo, mura man o mamahalin, kundi kung paano ito binalot, paraan ng pagbibigay, at símbolo ito ng pagsasama-sama at pagkalinga sa bawat isa. Napakasaya at mahalagang regalo rin ang pagkakabati ng magkapatid na di nag-imikan ng ilang panahon. Di nawawala sa magkakapatid ang nagkakatampuhan. Ngayon ay Pasko na naman! Minsan pang aalalahanin ang Gabi ng mga gabi nang ang Anak ng Diyos, ang Tagapagligtas ng sangkatauhan ay ipinanganak upang tubusin tayo sa kasalanang dulot ng mapanuksong kapaligiran. Sa mga pamilyang buo pang magkakasama, guna-gunahin ninyo, sabi sa Batangas, habang nariyan pa ang mga mahal sa buhay ay ipadama na ang mataos na pagmamahal lalo na sa mga panahong ganito upang magkalayu-layo man ay may mapapagbalikang alaalang magdudulot ng kasiyahan. Kapag malayo na, nagkakausap na lang sa telepono, may nag-i-skype para lang maglapit-lapit kahit na papaano. Talagang mahalaga sa panahong ito, dapat malimutan ang di pagkakaunawaan at manaig ang pagkalinga sa isa't isa. Magkakalayo man sila ay may kasiyahang napagbabalik-balikang walang kasing saya ang Pasko kapag magkakasama pa. May iisang damdamin, punungpuno ng mga pangarap at adhikain. Kung walang naganap na masayang Pasko sa pamilya, ano ang ating mababalikan sa alaala? At higit sa lahat, kung hindi naging bahagi si Hesus sa ganitong kasayahan, anong kasiyahan ang tunay na madarama sa Pasko? #UB ang kanilang pagsasanay sa gawaing ito .Ito’y upang ikintal sa mura nilang kaisipan ang pagmamahal sa Diyos at paglilingkod sa altar. Ang dalawang programang ito ng parokya para sa may sapat na gulang at mga kabataan ay naglalayong maragdagan ang mga maglilingkod sa altar mula sa ating parokya. Kasabay din sa petsa na ito, matapos ang 7:15 na misa iniharap din sa sambayanan ang mga opisyales ng Parish Liturgical Committee. Ito’y pinapangunahan ni Gng. Lucila Ada bilang pangulo. Noong nakaraang ika-4 ng Disyembre, ang 1St National WAF at YAP Formators Assembly na ginanap sa Don Bosco Retreat House Talisay, Cebu City ay dinaluhan ng apat (4) na Formators mula sa SMEP. Sila’y sina Ludy Aguilar, Cely BALITANG SMEP... P. 10 Rev. Fr. Bimbo Pantoja ANG PAGBABALIK NG PROBINSYANO Nagbabalik po ang inyong kasamahan sa kolum na ito. Medyo natagalan po ang pagkawalay ng inyong lingkod dahil sa mga di maiiwasang mga gawain. Napakarami pong pangyayari ang sa atin ay dumating. Ang pasko ay sumapit, bagong taon na naman, tuloy pa rin ang ikot ng mundo, trahedya dito, kaguluhan sa banda roon at buhay pa rin si Juan. Nitong nakaraang buwan ng Oktubre ay nagsagawa po ng mga Mission Day ang mga Bikariya ng ating Arsidiyosesis. Kaya lubos po ang pasasalamat ng LACMMi sa mga bikaryo sa kanilang suporta gayon na rin po ang mga kura paroko ng mga parokyang pinagdausan ng Mission Day at sa mga kura parokong nagpadala ng kanilang mga delegado. Maraming salamat po! Kaya’t heto po ang isang panayam na ginawa ni Fr. Jojo Mendoza sa Bikariya Siete noong Oktubre 22 sa parokya ng Mabini, bilang pagdiriwang ng Buwan ng Misyon. Salamat Fr. Jojo sana’y makatulong ito sa pagpapalaganap ng Misyon ng simbahan na gawain ng bawat isang binyagan. As of year 2004 the Archdiocese of Lipa has: Total population of 1,905,348 Of which: 1,843,617 are Catholics Church attendance: 68% Ratio of Catholics per priest: 1:12,541 On the 12th assembly of the Synod of Bishops held in Rome last October 6-26, 2008 which was attended by 253 bishops representing 113 Bishop’s Conferences from around the world, assisted by 39 biblical experts, also attended by 37 guests and 10 non-catholic religious leaders and Pope Benedict XVI the theme was: “The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church.” the message can be summed upon the following: The voice of the Word is the Divine Revelation; the face of the Word is Jesus Christ; the house of the Word is the Church; and the roads of the Word is MISSION. Having said this, allow me therefore to share my reflections on the Gospel passage that says: “...He send me to bring glad tidings to the poor, to proclaim liberty to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind and release of prisoners, to announce a year of favor from the Lord.” (Lk 4:118-19). This passage is a proclamation of: salvation from sin, liberation from everything oppresive, development of man in all dimensions, and renewal of society in all strata. And “it impels us” (2 Cor 5:14). Obviously it is a multifaceted task, a tall order, you might say. Try to consider our local church, our province, our horizon stretches from our parishes to as far as foreign shores particularly Europe where Christianity is fading at an alarming rate. Pope Benedict XVI himself lamented that the Holy Land is a land filled with memories but deprived of faithful. The wave of secularism is steadily engulfing Christianity. There is anticlericalism in Spain, the very country that brought us our faith. Muslim population is steadily gaining grounds in France and neighboring countries. Seminaries and religious houses in Europe seem to start fading into oblivion. Don’t be surprised if you find that the remaining young missionaries there are Filipinos. We might be tempted to think that we are better off than other Catholic countries just because we are predominantly Catholics back here at our homeland. We must never be overconfident in sheer numbers. We must also reflect on the quality of our faith and how we live in our day to day existence. As a matter of fact we need to grapple with our being “maintenance church” where we actually retain the flock we have yet we have still to reach out to those faithful we have lost and never really had. It is tragic if we profess God with out lips but deny Him with our lives. It is sad reality that sometimes we lose some members of our flock due to our lack of witnessing. The most powerful witness to the truth of God’s word is what others see in our lives. We should live in such a way that people would say, “I want your God to be my God.” #UB 10 NEWS & (IN)FORMATION Emma D. Bauan Sa paghahanda para sa Kapaskuhan . . . Mga tagapagtaguyod at mga magulang, nagsama-sama Sa kauna-unahang p a g k a k a t a o n , nakadaupang-palad ng mga tagapagtaguyod ng Kapisanan ni San Francisco de Sales ang mga magulang ng mga seminarian-beneficiaries (mga s e m i n a r i s ta n g tumatanggap ng tulongpinansyal mula sa KSFS). Ito ay naganap noong ika10 ng Disyembre sa SFS Minor Seminary gymnasium. Hindi pa man lubusang handa ang mga minor seminarians na silang tatanggap sa mga panauhin nang umagang iyon ay may dalawang grupo nang dumating sa seminaryo – isang grupo mula sa Nasugbu at isang grupo mula sa Mabini. At pagkalipas nga ng ilan pang minuto ay patuloy na ang pagdating ng mga delegasyon mula sa iba’tibang KSFS chapters na malugod naming tinanggap ng mga seminarista. Ganap na ika-walo at kalahati ng umaga nang ipakilala ni Reb. P. Toter Resuello, KSFS director, ang naimbitahang tagapagbahagi sa katauhan ni Reb. P Ericson C. Tio, sa itinakdang advent recollection. Nahati sa dalawang bahagi, ang ginawang panayam ni P. Ericson ay sumentro sa Adbiyento: paghahanda sa pasko at Pasko: tanda ng pagmamahal at pagiging mapagbigay ng Diyos sa tao. Bilang panimula ay tinalakay niya ang kahulugan ng Adbiyento at ipinaliwanag ang mga rito ng Simbahan na makatutulong sa mga mananampalataya sa ginagawang paghahanda para sa araw ng pagsilang ni Hesus.Sa kanyang ikalawang panayam, nagbigay siya sa mga tagapagtaguyod ng ilang puntos na maaari nilang pagnilayan sa diwa ng Pasko. Aniya, “Ang inyong pagtulong sa Kapisanan ay konkretong paraan ng pagtulad ninyo kay Kristo. Kaiba ang ginagawa ninyong pagbibigay sa pagbibigay ng ibang tao, sapagkat ang inyong tinutulungan ay ang mga hinaharap na alagad ni Kristo (alter Christus)... Huwag manghihinayang tumulong sa mga nagpapari kahit marami ang hindi natutuloy sa pagpapari. Batid ng Diyos ang inyong mga itinulong sa mga potensyal niyang mga alagad. “ Sa pagtatapos ng kanyang pagbabahagi, sinabi nyang “Ang pagmamahalan at pagbibigayan ay palatandaan na ang Diyos ay kapiling natin, Emmanuel, Diyos sa gitna natin. Sa ating pagkakawang-gawa, tanging Diyos na ang bahala.” Bago ipinagdiwang ang Banal na Misa na pinangunahan ni P. Toter , kasama si P. Jonathan Tamayo (SFS Minor Seminary Vice Rector), naglaan ng oras sina P. Toter at P. Ericson upang sila ay makapagpakumpisal. Habang nanananghalian ng ipinahandang binalot sa dahon ni P. Toter, nagsimula na ang pamimigay ng mga regalo sa pamamagitan ng raffle draws. At bilang pasasalamat sa kanilang mga tagapagtaguyod, naghandog ng tampok na bilang ang mga seminarista mula sa ibat’t-ibang antas. Bagama’t ang pakay ng mga seminarista ay magpasalamat sa pamamagitan ng mga awit at sayaw, tila nagkaroling sila sapagkat karamihan sa kanila ay nagbigay pa rin ng pera sa kanila. Patunay itong, tunay na mapagbigay ang mga promoters at benefactors ng KSFS. Ikatatlo na ng hapon ng naghiwa-hiwalay ang mga nagsidalo. #UB PAALALA: ANG UNANG KSFS PROMOTERS’ MEETING PARA SA 2012 AY GAGANAPIN SA UNANG SABADO NG TAON, ENERO 7, 9AM, SA SFS MINOR SEMINARY . BALITANG SMEP... P. 9 Gonzales, Zeny Palas at Mila Clet. Dito pinagtalakayan ang mga tungkulin at responsibilidad ng formators at mga paraan upang ma- ging matagumpay ang Evangelization Program ng World Apostolate of Fatima. Samantala, noong ika-15 naman ng Disy- embre, iniharap naman ni P. Romy Barrion, Asst. Parish Priest ang mga seminarista ng St. Francis Major Seminary na beneficiaries ng My Pledge of Rice ProjectBIGAS: Biyayang inyong grasya sa aming Seminarista. Ito ay “Isang Sakong Bigas - Isang Taon para sa mga seminarista ng Parokya”. Ito’y upang makibahagi sa kanilang materyal na pangangailangan. Marami ang tumugon sa panawagan kaya’t di lamang mga seminarista ng parokya manapay pati na ang mga seminarista ng St. Francis Major Seminary ay nabiyayaan. #UB DECEMBER 2011 PAGPAPAHAYO 2011 NG LACFaLIM Nakasaad sa ipinahayag na Jubilee Pro-Life Declaration of the Archdiocese of Lipa ni Msgr. Ruben Dimaculangan ( Vicar General) sa pagdiriwang ng Banal na Misa noong ika-06 ng Nobyembre 2010 ang pagpapalakas ng ministri ng pamilya at buhay sa mga parokya . Tinugon ito ng mga laykong tagapangasiwa ng Komisyon ng Pamilya at Buhay upang maiayos ang "retooling" at makapag-anyaya ng mga taong nais maglingkod sa ministri. Isinagawa ang paghuhubog sa mga laykong nagtitipon buwan buwan sa mga bikariya para mabigyan ng kaalaman at kasanayan sa pagpapadaloy lalo na ang mga paksang para sa pre-cana. Samantalang tuwing unang Linggo ng buwan ay mayroong pagsasanay na isinasagawa sa tahanan ng arsobispo ukol sa Natural Family Planning-Billings Ovulation Method. Ang mga 32 nakatapos ay napagkalooban ng accreditation mula sa WOOMB sa Layforce, San Carlos Seminary, Manila. Ito ay sa pamamahala nina Vic at Donna Alvarez, Dante at Nina Ilagan. Noong ika-11 ng Disyembre 2011 nagkatipon ang 358 layko mula sa iba't ibang parokya para sa PAGPAPAHAYO 2011 sa Mountain Rock Resort, Talisay, Lungsod ng Lipa. Sa pagdiriwang ng Banal na Misang pinangunahan ng Lub. Kgg. Ramon Arguelles, Arsobispo ng Lipa kasama si Reb. P. Eugene Penalosa (Direktor)kanilang ipinagkaloob ang katibayan ng pagtatapos sa 358 nakadalo ng ng Marriage Enrichment Seminar ganoon din ang mga naging guro ng Natural Family Planning. Sa hapon, naganap ang Christmas Party na nakapaghandog ang mga mag-asawahan ng sayaw at awit. Naghandog rin ng awit si Gng. Norma Abratigue at lalo pang pinasigla sa musika ng banda ng Los Lipanianos. Lubos rin ang pasasalamat ng Komisyon sa Sto. Nino Choir ng Marawoy na umawit sa Misa at kay Ompong Manalo. Narito ang datos ng mga parokyang nakipagtulungan. DECEMBER 2011 11 NEWS & (IN)FORMATION Health Risks in ‘Reproductive Health’: New Studies on the Pill More Research on What Women Are Not Being Told ARLAND K. NICHOLS ported." Users of second and third generations of oral contraceptives have a two to seven times greater risk of VTE than non-users. The newest (fourth) generation of combined oral contraception contain both synthetic estrogen and a progestin called "drospirenone." Marketed under the trade names of Yaz, Beyaz, Yasmin, and Safryal, these contraceptives have led to a financial windfall for Bayer Pharmaceuticals, earning over $780 million in the first nine months of 2011. This financial success can be attributed in part to the marketing campaign which, until recently, was directed toward young women in their teens and early 20s. Television and online advertisements showed spry, independent, and carefree young women who had been set free from the "burden" of their fertility, monthly cycles, Premenstrual Syndrome, and acne. The Yaz Web site featured an interactive, colorful, and trendy city block in which young women could peruse the stores and learn all about the positive benefits of Yaz. This light hearted sales approach has changed, however, as 10,400 lawsuits have been served upon Bayer in response to side-effects from Yaz as of Oct. 8, 2011. Further, in early 2011 two studies were published by the British Medical Journal indicating that women who use Yaz had a two to three times greater risk of blood clots than women who use other combined oral contraceptives. In May, the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) responded by launching a safety investigation, and announced in September that "preliminary results of the FDA-funded study suggest an approximately 1.5 fold increase in the risk of blood clots for women who use drospirenone-containing birth control pills compared to users of other hormonal contraceptives." In late October, the FDA confirmed these findings. On the heels of this confirmation came another extensive study of 329,995 women in Israel, which was published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) on Nov. 7.[8] This study corroborated the FDA's investigation, showing an increased risk of 1.5 times that of other forms (second and third generation) of oral contraceptives. The authors noted that "the risk of venous thrombotic events was significantly greater among drospirenone users than among users of third generation combined oral contraceptives." This study concluded that one out of every 1,000 women who use drospirenone containing contraceptives will experience a VTE during use. This was followed four days later by yet another study conducted in Denmark and published in the British Medical Journal, which found that the risk for women who use Drospirenone OCPs have "a sixfold to sevenfold increased risk" of VTE compared to nonusers.[9] The authors of the CMAJ study noted that they do not know the reason why the risk is so much greater, but stressed that "it is important to raise awareness of the increased, albeit small, risk of venous thromboembolism relative to third-generation pills." It is laudable that the authors want to raise awareness of this risk to women's health, and it is surely also a moral obligation. Before addressing this moral obligation one rightly asks, is this risk really "small?" To consider this question it might be helpful to crunch some raw numbers from the two recent studies. If the 100 million women who use oral contraception today did not do so, we could expect 30,000 women from this group to experience VTE. If we use the most conservative numbers from the studies cited here and assume that half of the women on oral contraceptives used second and third generation pills and half used drospirenone containing oral contraceptives, we can expect some 80,000 women to face lifethreatening blood clots. This means that 50,000 more women would suffer from life-threatening blood clots in one year alone! Now consider the Guttmacher Institute's suggestion that women should be on contraceptives for 30 years if they are to have the typically desired number of children -- two.[10] To continue our projection, if 100 million women used the pill every year over 30 years, some 2.4 million women will experience deep vein thrombosis, 1.5 million of whom would face this life threatening event because they used oral contraception. Perhaps we should not be surprised that such significant health risks would follow the embrace of ideals that are also morally problematic. The Catholic Church has consistently taught that married couples may not deliberately make the marital act infertile. Regrettably, most couples ignore or are ignorant of this teaching. Also, many women are prescribed oral contraceptives who are not married, often to alleviate painful periods, irregular cycles, and other reproductive health difficulties. Such use is not intrinsically immoral, though it may be imprudent. Regardless, people of good will should agree that physicians have a moral obligation to inform women of the potential negative side effects of any drug they prescribe, including oral contraception. Yet, women regularly report that they are not informed of the wellestablished risks. A nationwide survey conducted by HLI America in November of 2010 found that only 40% of those who use oral contraception report being warned by their physician that using the drug increases the risk of blood clots. This is unsettling: Women have a right to such information and physicians have a responsibility to provide it. The use of oral contraception today has become so routine and the contraceptive mentality has become so pervasive that women do not know about the well-established risks they face when they use combined oral contraceptives. Women, not to mention marriage and society, would be better served if greater knowledge of the wellestablished health risks encouraged a cultural shift away from the de facto use of contraceptives and encouraged greater openness to the gift of life. Blessed Pope John Paul II emphasized that the contraceptive mentality is at the root of the culture of death. Scientific studies like those cited here only strengthen the case that health and life are better served when we refuse to rely on contraception and are open to new life. --- --- --Arland K. Nichols is the national director of HLI America, an educational initiative of Human Life International. His writing can be found on HLI America's Rev. Fr. Oscar Andal BIRTHDAY CELEBRANTS: • Fr. Russell Matuloy (Jan.10) • Fr. Godofredo Mendoza and Fr. Richard Rodelas (Jan. 12) • Fr. Antonio Mendoza (Jan. 14) • Fr. Virgilio Hernandez and Fr. Pablito Malibiran (Jan. 15) • Fr. Leo Edgardo Villostas (Jan.17) • Fr. Antonio Platon Tolentino (Jan.21) • Fr. Carmelo Gozos and Fr. Ericson Tio (Jan. 23) • Fr. Tiomoteo Gamelne Balita and Fr. Mateo Orario (Jan. 24) • Fr. Hermes Losbañes (Jan. 25) • Fr. Jaime Cunanan and Fr. Dexter Mojares (Jan.29) SACERDOTAL ANNIVERSARY: • Fr. Ernesto Mandanas Jr. (Jan.26) EPISCOPAL ANNIVERSARY: • Archbishop Ramón C. Argüelles (Jan.06) HAPPY FIESTA! • Parish of Sto. Nino, Pinagtung-ulan, Lipa City (Jan. 02) • Parish of the Immaculate Conception, Malvar, Batangas (Jan. 10) • Parish of the Holy Family, Alupay, Rosario, Batangas (Jan. 12) • Parish of the Immaculate Conception, Batangas City (Jan.16) • Parish of San Sebastian Cathedral, Lipa City (Jan. 20) • Parish of the Holy Family Flight to Egypt, Luyos, Tanauan, Batangas (Jan. 22) • Parish of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage, Lodlod, Lipa City (Jan. 24) • St. Francis de Sales Seminaries (Jan. 24) DEATH ANNIVERSARIES: • Msgr. Domingo Librea (Jan. 05) • Msgr. Emilio Mendoza (Jan.06) • Fr. Justo delos Reyes (Jan.12) • Msgr. Clemente Yatco (Jan.26) PRAYERFUL CONDOLENCES: Please pray for the eternal repose of the souls of: + Jose Buensalida, Sr., father of Fr. Jing + Eriberta Macalipay, mother of Fr. Abet CONGRATULATIONS! • Fr. Vicente D. Ramos II, newly ordained diocesan priest WELCOME BACK ! • His Eminence, Gaudencio B. Cardinal Rosales NEW APPOINTEES: • Fr. Vicente D. Ramos II, Parochial Vicar, St. Francis Xavier Parish, Nasugbu, Batangas • Fr. Oscar Larry F. Famarin, Parish Priest, Our Mother of Perpetual Help Parish, Agoncillo, Batangas • Fr. Raul Francisco A. Martinez, Parochial Vicar, Most Holy Trinity Parish, Pallocan West, Batangas City • Fr. Jose Maria Loyola D. Cumagun, Rector, Shrine of Our Lady of Caysasay, Labac, Taal, Batangas Yes! I want to subscribe to ULAT BATANGAN, the Official Newspaper of the Archdiocese of Lipa. Please accept my donation of two hundred pesos (PhP 200.00) for one year subscription. Name Address : _________________________________ : _________________________________ _________________________________ Contact Number(s) : _________________________________ ULAT BATANGAN St. Francis de Sales Minor Seminary Compound San Lorenzo Ruiz Road, 4217 Lipa City (043) 981-1292 • (043) 756-2175 Ask for Ms. Emma Bauan e-mail add: ulatbatangan @yahoo.com website: www.archlipa.org Approximately 100 million women worldwide use some version of "the Pill," or combined oral contraceptives. In the developed world, the use of some form of contraceptive is nearly universal, with surgical sterilization and oral contraception the most popular methods. As the United States and other Western powers continue to spend billions of dollars on the "reproductive health" of women in the developing world, the numbers of users continue to rise. In spite of the Church's consistent teaching through the centuries, Catholic women use contraception at the same rate as non-Catholics. The contraceptive mentality, as Blessed John Paul II described it, has a dramatic impact on the lives of Catholics everywhere and is a root cause of the culture of death. This mentality was described by him in "Evangelium Vitae" No. 13 as "a hedonistic mentality unwilling to accept responsibility in matters of sexuality … a self-centered concept of freedom, which regards procreation as an obstacle to personal fulfillment." It is characterized not only by widespread promiscuity and diminishing respect for women, but by a view that only life that is "wanted" or convenient is to be valued and protected. Considering the growing body of evidence which calls into question the safety of the most popular forms of oral contraceptives, we can see that the negative social and moral effects so presciently identified by Pope Paul VI in "Humanae Vitae," are now correlated with increased and serious risks to women's health. It is well established, if not well known, that combined oral contraceptives bring a heightened risk for a number of maladies -- breast, liver and cervical cancers, heart attack, stroke, and blood clots, to note a few. To exacerbate the problem, two recent studies have shown that one of the newest and most popular types of oral contraceptives brings an even greater risk of what one study describes as "the most important safety issue for these products" -- venous thromboembolism, or VTE. VTE refers to the formation of blood clots in large veins (deep vein thrombosis) that can break loose, travel through the blood stream, and eventually block an artery in the lungs (pulmonary embolism). VTE may be responsible for some 100,000 deaths each year in the United States alone. The surgeon general of the United States considers VTE "a major public health problem, exacting a significant human and economic toll." Though the majority of VTE events occur in older populations, combined oral contraceptives increase the risk of blood clots for women during their childbearing years. Normally, after a given drug has been in circulation for some time, the medical community arrives at a consensus concerning the risks posed by the drug. Such a consensus has arisen with reference to the second and third generation of combined oral contraceptives and the incidence of blood clots. The Physicians Desk Reference states that "an increased risk … is well established" and the Federal Drug Administration confirms that "[a]n increased risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) (deep venous thrombosis [DVT] and pulmonary embolism [PE]) is well established and has been consistently re- 12 DECEMBER 2011
