we the alumnae - december 2016

Christmas Holiday with the Nuns

laughter from the players (theyplayedforelderlynunswhogottheirprizes) and the audience as well. Atrivia gamewith a twist was held tothetuneofTwelveDaysofChristmas!

Music and dancing topped theprogram where sisters and alumnaedancedtothetuneofdiscoChristmasmusic. Allwenthomewithasongintheirhearts,smilesontheirfaces,andthemessageofChristmasfromSisterMelVictoria’sclosingnote…

“Inspiredby the Love thatbegets Love, shallwe celebrateChristmasthisyearbywideningourcirclesofcommunion:goingoutofourselvestoencounterChrist inthe least,thelast, and the lost,whoever theymay be?... And ifwe cankeepChristmasforaday,whynotalways?”

isthatGmeofyearwhenmostof us look forward to. Christmas iscoming and December 3, 2016 was asignificantdate to rememberandonepartywewill never forget! Over100peoplegatheredforahappyChristmasmoment with our SSpS elderly nuns.We had so much fun with thePoinseSa Convent Community,College of the Holy Spirit AlumniFoundaGon Board, Holy Spirit AlumniManagement CorporaGon, CHSMalumnae,guestsandfriends,whenwegatheredasonehappyCHSMfamily.

A program becoming a tradiGon forChristmas included superb rendiGonsof popular and Broadway songs byKatsieLlaveandChinggoyAlonso.Youcould see the wonder and life in theeyes of our beloved elderly nuns asthey swayed and hummed to familiartunes.

More life and funwere etched in thenuns’ faces when they heard it wasGme forgames.Thegameof“Siomai,Siopao,Suman”elicitedsomuch

It ByMa.EdwinaS.Meily

DECEMBER 2016

Tel.No.(632)735-5986FBpage:www.facebook.com/CHSAlumniFoundaGonFBgroup:www.facebook.com/groups/chsaf

Christmas 2016 My dear fellow Alumnae, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light…

for unto us, a child is born; unto us, a son is given… … Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Prince of Peace! - Isaiah 9:6

The circumstances surrounding the original Christmas event are not unknown to us, nor are they unfamiliar: the census, the discontent with Roman colonizers, the poverty of the stable, the shepherds and wise men: visitors of the Christ Babe, the animosity in the air because of the sinister plot to kill the “successor” to the throne…

And yet, in this very darkness, Jesus is born! God becomes human, vulnerable, dependent…, truly in all things, the Son of God becoming the son of man! What greater communion can there be than this? What better cause for joy?

Christmas then does not require the best of times in order to be celebrated. That unfortunate time of God’s first coming was also God’s “appointed time,” a time of grace! Our Christian faith is not a flight from reality, but a challenge to confront the harsh realities of life with the power that comes from God: the power of Love!

Inspired by the Love that begets Love, shall we celebrate Christmas this year by widening our circles of communion: going out of ourselves to encounter Christ in the least, the last, and the lost, whoever they may be? “Are we willing to look around us for a place where we can sow a few seeds of happiness? Are we willing to make a grave for our ugly thoughts, and a garden for our kindly feelings, with the gate open? Are we willing to believe that love is the strongest thing in the world: stronger than evil, stronger than death, and that the blessed life which began in Bethlehem is the image and brightness of the Eternal Love? If we so believe, then, we can keep Christmas. And if we keep it for a day, why not always?” (AdaptedfromareflecGonofHenryvanDyke)

May the Holy Triune God live in our hearts!

A Blessed Christmas  & a Spirit-filled New Year to all!

Sr. Carmelita Victoria, SSpS Provincial Leader

DecemberhascomeandsohasChristmas.Christmasis theGmeof theyearwhenwecelebratewith familyandfriends.ChristmasiswhenweputupourChristmastrees,hangoursocks, lightupourhomesandpreparepresents. It is the Gme when we prepare our specialdressesandshoestobewornonChristmasday.But isthisreallyChristmas?

Formanypeople,Christmas isaGmeof sorrow.Manyare saddenedatChristmasGmewhen they thinkoftheirlovedoneswhowillnotbeabletocomehomefor various reasons. For those who are away fromhome,theyaresaddenedbecausetheyarealone.Manyare sad because they don't have the extra money tobuypresentsfortheirchildren,family,andfriends.

Yet,Christmascanbeaseasonofgreatjoy.ItisaGmeofGod showingHis great love forus. It canbeaGmeofhealingandrenewedstrength.

Christmas is whenwe celebrate the birth of the Christchild.GodsentHisSon,Jesus,intotheworldtobeborn.Hisbirthbroughtgreatjoytotheworld.

AswewaitforthecomingofJesusmoreimportantly,weprepareourselvestoreceiveHim.ThisyearwehavehadtheExtraordinaryJubileeofMercy.Itisaperiodforremission of sins and universal pardon focusingparGcularly on God's forgiveness and mercy. I hopeeveryonewasabletotakeadvantageofthisopportunityfromPopeFrancisandhadpreparedforJesus’coming.

MayIgreetyou,notahappyholidayseasonbutaMerryChristmasforChrististhereasonfortheseason.DaisyVillasis-Montesa CHSAFPresident2016-2017HS-68/BSChem-73

…andaboveall,ChristmasisaGmeforLove.TheChristmasstoryisthegreatestlovestoryevertold.Mayitinspireyouandfillyourheartswithloveforoneanotherforloveisthegreatestgikwecangiveothers.OnbehalfoftheHolySpiritAlumniManagementCorporation,wewishyouandyourlovedonesthemerriestandmostblessedCHRISTmas!!!Ma. Theresa a Abeleda- Llave HSAMCHS-73

…RemembranceItisareminderthatGodsolovedtheworldthathesentHisonlybegolenSon,JesusChrist,tobebornasmanandbecomeourLordandSaviour.MayyoutakeGmeduringtherushoftheseasontoreflectonthereasonoftheseason.

…ThanksgivingItisaGmetobegratefulforalltheblessingsinlifethatwesomeGmestakeforgranted.EverythingthatweareandeverythingthatwehavearegiksfromAbovesomayyouusethisopportunitytosay‘thankyouLord’.

…HopeAsthepeaksandvalleysofthepreviousyearendsandanewonebegins,ChristmasfillsuswithrenewedhopeinthepossibiliGesoftomorrow.MayyoubestrengthenedbytheknowledgethatthesourceofallhopeisGod’senduringloveforus.

…JoyChristmasbringsfamiliesandfriendstogetherforallfesGviGesandmerrymaking.Mayyoucelebratethisseasoningoodcheerwithgikgiving,sharingandfeasGnginthecompanyofyourlovedones.

…PeaceOnChristmasDay,thePrinceofPeacewasborn.MaythisseasonbringyoupeacewithGod,peacewithinyourselfandpeacewithothers.

Me r r y C h r i s tm a s 2016

AsthedaysofAdventleadtothegloriousdaysofChrist’scoming,theCHSAFBoardwishesallalumnaeandfamilytheJOYandPEACEthat‘TruthinLove’brings.

AsyougatherforChristmasdinnerorwhenthechildrenopentheirgiks,

enjoythewonderofaHOLYNIGHT

hlp://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=Y7PPDPNX

AsthedaysofAdventleadtothegloriousdaysofChrist’scoming,theCHSAFBoardwishesallalumnaeandfamilytheJOYandPEACEthatTruthinLovebrings.

AsyougatherforChristmasdinnerorwhenthechildrenopentheirgiGs,

enjoythewonderofaHOLYNIGHT

hLp://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=Y7PPDPNX