Society of the Divine Word fathers led by Fr. Ernesto Vitor, rector of the provincialate community at the Catholic Trade Center in Tayuman, Manila, led the cornerstone laying for the construction of the Arnold Janssen Kalinga sa Kapuwa.
The center, according to Fr. Flavie L. Villanueva, mission secretary and coordinator for justice and peace issues of the Philippine Central Province of the SVD, will be located at one corner of the Catholic Center Trade complex.
Named after the canonized German founder of the SVD, it is a proposed feeding and hygiene (toilet and bath) center for the poor.
It will be established in connection with the declaration by Pope Francis of 2015 as the Year of the Poor. Moreover, it heeds the call of the Pope in his Malacañang address during his recent Philippine visit for all levels of society “to reject every form of corruption which diverts resources from the poor, and to make concerted efforts to ensure the inclusion of every man and woman and child in the life of the community.”
Those who would like to help financially the very timely and worthwhile pro-poor program may contact Father Flavie, tel. 0908-8838268.
Heritage conference
The 9th Biennial National Convention of Church Cultural Heritage Practitioners will be held June 1-4 at Villa Isabel Hotel, Sorsogon City, Sorsogon. The event is organized by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines’ Permanent Committee for the Cultural Heritage of the Church, whose executive director is Fr. Milan Ted Torralba. Host of the conference is Sorsogon Bishop Arturo Bastes, SVD.
Keynote speaker is Maria Serena I. Diokno, chair of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines.
Other speakers and their papers: “Future Directions of the Cultural Heritage of the Church in Sorsogon,” by Fr. Cyben Laurence S. Vitug; “Liturgical and Devotional Music in the Philippines under Spanish Influence: Sources, Locations and Research Prospects,” by professor David J. Kendall; “Upon Shoulder and Wheels: Understanding Andas and Carrozas,” by Billy Ray Macura;
“The Historic Organs of the Philippines and Their Significance to Philippine Culture,” by Leo Renier; “Rococo Church Art in the Philippines, 1750s to Early 1800s,” by professor Regalado Trota José; “Risk Analysis of the Bohol Earthquake of 2013: Its Relevance to Church Built Heritage,” by engineer Arthur Saldivar Sali; “The Bohol Earthquake of 2013: Why Heritage Structures Failed and the Need to Retrofit,” by engineer Carlos M. Villaraza;
“Maintaining Traditional Liturgical Architecture in Contemporary Philippine Setting,” by architect Stephanie N. Gilles; “If Walls Could Speak: Authenticity in the Philippine Context,” by professor Eric B. Zerrudo.”
There will be a roundtable discussion on “Making History and Heritage: The Papal Visit 2015 and Its Significant Objects,” by Fr. Alex O. Bautista, UAP, and sculptor Wilfredo T. Layug.
Those who would like to participate may contact Maria Russel Guab (tel. 0915-8708249; e-mail mariarusselguab0324@gmail.
com) or Fr. Cyben Lawrence S. Vitug (0920-5623698; cyben
Medical mission
Dominican student brothers and their lay affiliates and volunteer medical personnel participated in the medical mission spearheaded by the Katarungan ng Diyos ang Ugat ng Payapang
Adhikain at Immaculate Conception Parish Church in Guagua, Pampanga.
Br. Mark Philip Goroza, OP, lay affiliates coordinator of Kadaupan, was project head.
The services rendered during the mission were general medicine, pediatrics, dentistry, OB-Gynecology and minor surgery. Medicines were also given for free. In all, 600 patients were served.
In the afternoon, a solemn Mass of the Eucharist was celebrated by Fr. Lorenzo Sarmiento, with Fr. Francisco Mendoza, OP, who’s from Guagua, as homilist. Father Sarmiento expressed his gratitude for the medical mission.
Assisting in the mission were the acclaimed UST Medical Missions Inc., the oldest of its kind in the Philippines; Rex Publishing Inc., Santo Domingo Clinic and National Children’s Hospital.
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