parishworks! 1Vol. 08 No. 27 October 20, 2012

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Mary Is No DeserterBy Susan Amoroso

The world is full of deserters. Deserters are people who run away from something. You run away from a person, from your home, from a relationship, from a responsibility, from the truth. The sad part is running away from oneself and your chance to be rejoined with the creator. Deserting from one’s spirituality is denying God and his invitation of salvation.

Thursday ,October 11, 2012, the Vatican formally opened the Year of Faith ( Door of Faith , Porta Fidei). It is a call and a challenge for the Catholic Church to bring more souls to God through the Catholic faith; and secondly to bring the lost and wayward Catholics back to the grace of God through renewal of faith.

Pope Benedict XVI lamented the growing spiritual void in the mystical body of Christ which is the Church. He particularly focused on the lukewarm and deserter- Catholics. He urged them to rediscover their faith and go back to the fold of the Church. His message to the priests, bishops, lay leaders and still vigilant Catholics “to be the new evangelizers of the Church” and “stop the advance of spiritual desertification.’’

In his homily held at St. Peter Square which coincided with the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council, the Pope said “the void has spread and we see it all around us.’’

Retreat on Faith by: Gene Quintero

A day and week ago, some 27 young (in Faith) EMHC left SAAP for a remote and quiet sanctuary somewhere in Cavite via Tagaytay. Indeed a contrast of ambiance from the sunny hot noisy Buendia traffic of a Friday morning, around 9:30+, to the tranquil, cool and smooth but speedy ride to St. Paul Center for Renewal in Brgy Taywanak, Alfonso. Its unassuming gate betrays the lush greenery, trimmed lawns and spacious dining halls, bed rooms and conference halls not to mention two chapels depending on capacity. The place has been in operation for 13 years to the surprised information of most.

Blessed Pedro Calungsod Now a SaintBy Susan Amoroso

On 21st of October 2012, Pope Benedict XVI will canonize Pedro Calungsod , the second Filipino to become a saint. Born in the year 1654, he died a martyr on April 2, 1672 at the age of 18 in the Islas de Mariana, now Guam. The young Filipino martyr was beatified by Blessed Pope John Paul II on March 5, 2000.

Ms. Loudetter Banson, second from left, with Msgr. Dennis Odiver and other SAAP parishioners, during the recent Parish Leaders Conference.

the SAAP EMHC during their retreat at St. Paul Center for Renewal in Brgy Taywanak, Alfonso

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Mary is no Deserter- ... from page 1

On the same day, Ms. Loudette Banson spoke in the same vein before lay leaders at the St. Andrew the Apostle Parish (SAAP), Bel Air, Makati.

She urged Catholics to emulate the Blessed Virgin Mary as a model for the new evangelization. Mary, the mother of God did not desert Christ and the Church. She remained steadfast in her role as co-redemptor to the very end of her life for the salvation of the world through the Church that Jesus built.

Ms. Loudette said the Church must adapt to the times and respond to the challenges of the post-modern era. In the 1800s up to the early 20th century which is classified as the modern times, the Church has followed the traditional method of evangelization .

In today’s post-modern times, the advent of the information technology and the surge of information with a click of the mouse pointer, the mindset of today’s generation is calling for a new way of evangelization, a challenge the Church has to contend with today.

She said that to be effective new evangelizers, we must communicate our faith with joy , not a guilt-trip. We must be made credible by witnessing with our own grace-filled lives. A true evangelization is not a sentimental journey, not a shallow yes and not mere lip service. It must be a journey to bring the joy and love of God in the faith with humility, with credibility, with conviction, and with a willingness to stand up for the faith.

She specifically pointed to Mary’s journey of faith :from the time the Angel Gabriel appeared to her in the Annunciation in the gospel of St. Luke when Mary said yes to God to be the mother of Christ our savior; in the visitation where Mary recited the Magnificat as she rejoices even as she humbly acknowledges that she a lowly person was chosen to be mother of Jesus, the savior; to the passion and death of her son Jesus as she stood at the foot of the cross, steadfast and courageous. There was Mary standing steadfast even as she witnessed the horrendous death of her dearly beloved son before her very eyes. Finally, her role as the guiding courage of the Church from whom the apostles breathe in their strong hold of faith . Mary’s role in the early days of the Church was written and acknowledged in the Acts of the Apostle (Act 1, 13-14), believed to be the first book written by the Apostles.

Mary’s life could be summed up in three words: Fiat

(Yes, let it be); Magnificat( rejoicing and glorifying God); Stabat (standing courageously). Fiat, when she said yes to God in the Annunciation, Magnificat, when she rejoiced about her status to Elizabeth her cousin in the Visitation, and Stabat , when she was the epitome of courage and steadfastness even in the face of great pain and suffering as she stood at the foot of the cross at Jesus’ crucifixion.

Mary’s role in the life of the Church is crucial in the sense that if she hadn’t said yes to God when Angel Gabriel announced that she was chosen to be God’s mother here on earth, Jesus could not have been born to save mankind. Second, Mary’s role in Christ’s public ministry is very evident from the very start when Mary asked Jesus to perform His first miracle at the wedding at Cana when Jesus changed water into wine. Third, and most inspiring is Mary left standing at the foot of the cross and even after during the Pentecost. She did not desert Christ in the crucifixion and she did not desert the Apostles even after Jesus was gone and went up to heaven. Mary stayed with the community of Jesus’ disciples and believers. To be true evangelizers, we must belong and work with a Christian community.

Mary was not a deserter. She remained steadfast in her faith and in her responsibility to the Church. The new evangelizers must be like Mary: joyful; patient; credible; courageous ; steadfast and faithful. Mary worked with and belong to the Church that Jesus founded and built. Jesus’ Church was headed by Peter and the Apostles. Mary was the guiding mother of the Church at the time when the Jewish society was dualistic. Women were regarded as inferior and possessions of the husband and the males of the clan. Mary gave impetus to the words courageous faith in times of adversity and suffering. When Jesus said “mother behold thy son, son behold thy mother”, Mary took on the role of the mother of the Church.

The new evangelization ,according to Ms. Banson must be patterned after Mary’s heart and disposition.

Ms. Loudetter Banson is a breast cancer survivor which she claimed is a miracle wrought by God’s love for her. She is a mother, a TV personality, the head of the Family Rosary Crusade and spearheaded the just concluded prayer campaign, ``a million roses for the world.’’ According to Ms. Gene Alberto ,SAAP Education Ministry head coordinator, and FRC lead coordinator Ms. Lita Caasi,`` Ms. Loudette is a true Marian in words and deeds.”

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Retreat on Faith ... from page 1

With a hearty lunch supervised under the direction of the St. Paul Sisters of Chartres , we were ready to start our recollection with the recitation of the Holy Rosary. The main thrust of our retreat centered on the apostolic letter “Porta Fidei” of Pope Benedict XVI for the Year of Faith which started on Oct. 11, 2012 till Nov.24, 2013. Our young retreat-priest master was Fr. Richard James Babao (yes, related to the familiar Julius) from “Parokya ng Ina ng Laging Saklolo” in Punta, Sta. Ana, He broke up the apostolic letter into three sessions of 1.5 hrs each under the theme: Faith: Confessed, Celebrated and Communicated. That Faith is a gift of the Holy Spirit which begins with Baptism…as a gift truly it is unworthy to demand from nor complain to God but be joyfully grateful that we are born Catholics.

Some of the pastoral recommendations for the Year of Faith are:

• to read and reflect on this apostolic letter which can be downloaded from internet

• to study the documents of Vatican Council II

• to read or review the CCC (Catechism of the Catholic Church) or CFC (Catechism for Filipino Catholics)

• to actively participate in the celebration of the Holy Mass where our Faith is strengthened with the proclamation of the Word of God and partaking of the Holy Eucharist

Those are the notes I have from that deep talk. As EMHC, Porta Fidei will help us deepen our devotion to the Holy Eucharist whom we receive the real presence of Jesus as man and God.

Besides the sessions, we also had Holy Hour, evening and morning prayers, group sharing and private prayer hours as part of our schedule. Interspersed were group pictures during long breaks as well as during conferences, lunch/dinner and even in the chapel. With special mention is a picture of all EMHC retreatants wearing dark green soft collared shirts with matching caps, compliments of Bro. Pet, our 2012 EMHC head coordinator. For night snacks, the 2-storey building holding our single rooms had a pantry with tea and coffee…Sky crackers included.

The end of our retreat culminated with Holy Mass at 11:30 Saturday morning (Oct. 13) with Holy Communion in both species. Then we had lunch before heading back to SAAP… again in less than 2 hrs.

OCTOBER BABY: A movie about Love and ForgivenessBy: May Leonor Reyes

Last Saturday October 13. 2012 the St. Andrew Parish Youth Ministry watched the film entitled “October Baby”: a fund raising project of Every Life is Beautiful Fund which aims to help frontline organizations helping women facing crisis pregnancies, life affirming adoption agencies and those caring for orphans worldwide. In cooperation with Heartbeat Asia, a nonprofit Christian association of life affirming pregnancy resource centers presently serving in the Philippines and in Asia.

“You saw me before I was born.” Psalm 139:16(NLT) Hannah a college girl who experienced many medical conditions since childhood collapsed in the middle of her performance on stage. After countless medical tests, all signs point to one underlying factor: Hannah was born premature because she was actually adopted after a failed abortion attempt. This revelation is nothing compared

to what she then learns from her parents. In anger and confusion, she finds herself in a trip with Jayson, her best friend since she was young. In her journey in finding herself she gets to know her biological mother with the help of the nurse that’s been the witness of her failed abortion. She also knew that she has a twin brother but he died four months after his birth. Her mother refused and lied to her that made her anger burst out. In deepest sorrow, she went to the cathedral; she opened her heart and talked to a priest. She was enlightened by what the priest told her, in forgiveness you will find yourself

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Matthew LizaresParish Works StaffSusan Amoroso, Emilio Medina, Irene Gonzales, Noemi Sta Anna, Jennifer Reyes, Ann Lopez, Jessica Samantha LimBulletin Board EditorHarley Dave PunzalanPowerpoint CoordinatorsEllie Medina, Ging Santos, Vince Eduard Reyes, Mria Rhea Pia Libao, Leomar Alvarez, SAAP Facebook AdminKaren Ann Phoa

ContributorGene Quintero, May Leonor Reyes

Spiritual AdvisorRev. Msgr. Dennis Odiver

PublisherSt. Andrew the Apostle ParishN. Garcia St. cor. Kalayaan Ave.Bel-Air II, Makati CityPhones: (632) 890-1796 / 890-1743 media@saaparish.com

Parish Works is the official weekly newsletter of Saint Andrew the Apostle Parish. Media and Communications Ministry Coordinator

Answer Key: 1) Offering; 2)Throne; 3) Glory, Asking; 4) Indignant; 5)Serve

Puzzle CornerOctober 21, 2012 – 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Readings: Isaiah 53:10-11 / Psalm 33 / Hebrews 4:14-16 / Mark 10:35-45By: Karen Ann Phoa

1. “If he gives his life as an _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ G N I R E F F O for sin, he shall see his descendants in a long life, and the will of the Lord shall be accomplished through him.”

2. “So let us confidently approach the _ _ _ _ _ _ H O R N E T of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help.”

3. “Grant that in your _ _ _ _ _ Y O R G L we may sit one at your right and the other at your left.’ Jesus said to them, ‘You do not know what you are _ _ _ _ _ _ G I N K S A.”

4. “When the ten heard this, they became _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ N N N I D G A T I at James and John.”

5. “For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to _ _ _ _ _ E E R V S and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Announcements

• Come and be part of PREX Class 32 on November 9, 10 and 11. Registration forms are available at theParishOffice.

• Kumpisalang Bayan, October 26, Friday, 5:00 pm onwards.

519-2454880-0030 897-9565

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October Baby...from page 3

Pedro Calungsod...from page 3

and be free; you cannot find it on a trip or even in this Cathedral.

The story touches everyone’s heart; it makes us feel sad, angry and happy in the end because even if tough circumstances and trials put Hannah down she still finds love and forgiveness. With love and acceptance, she forgives her birth mother who abandoned them. Life is not always in black and white for it also has a colorful side. Let go and let God handle everything and it will happen perfectly not in the way you want it but how God wants it to happen.

Earlier, news of a miraculous cure through the intercession of Blessed Pedro Calungsod was broadcast on a TV network. It reported of a Filipino neurosurgeon who certified that a coma patient of his recovered miraculously after the family prayed for the young martyr’s intercession.

The image of Blessed Pedro Calungsod, who is being promoted as a role model for the young and OFWs’ patron. Palo Archbishop John Du smiles as he joins the procession with other bishops. Behind him is Archbishop Emeritus Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales of Manila. (Phil Inquirer)