Radyo Veritas is holding its traditional Mary and Saints exhibit until Feb. 8 at the second floor of the Entertainment Center of  SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City, in which one of the items on display is the blood relic of Blessed John Paul II. This is the blood gathered during the operation of the pope after he was shot on May 13, 1981.

 

Theme of the exhibit is “Mary and the saints are one with the ‘Yolanda’ survivors.”

 

Ninety life-size images of the Blessed Virgin Mary under her different titles are being exhibited. Felicidad “Nanang” Sy cut the ribbon opening the exhibit last Jan. 26.

 

Radio Veritas president and Caritas Manila executive director Fr. Anton Pascual said that the exhibit is a “fundraising campaign” of Radio Veritas for the rehabilitation of the Yolanda survivors.

 

Caritas Manila, with the Archdiocese of Manila, will take part in the five-year rehabilitation program of Catholic churches destroyed by Yolanda in the Visayas.

 

Sto. Niño de Providencia

 

Devotees of the Sto. Niño de Providencia came for the 22nd anniversary of the “miracle oil” last Jan. 27.

 

The image started emitting oil from its body in the living room of the late Corazon Gonzales on Jan. 27, 1992.

 

Some 5,000 people gathered at the  festival grounds of Pijuan Street in BF Resort Village. They prayed the Holy Rosary and attended the Thanksgiving Mass of Msgr. Benedicto Aquino at 7:30 a.m. and the healing Mass of Fr. Gerard Deveza at 9:30 a.m.

 

Barangay Talon Dos, headed by Ruben Sanchez and Lourdes Padua, gave full support to the celebration.

 

I saw Bong Aumentado II who donated Monk’s Blend coffee for the anniversary; Marissa Alfaro of Alavar restaurant in Zamboanga City; sponsors Amelia and Val Ramos; Yolanda Madamba from Dumaguete City; Lindy Lopez Vito and Betsy Reyes, a cancer survivor.

 

Devotees include Mila Candelaria Fernandez, Rebecca Enriquez. A bus full of devotees from La Union also graced the celebration.

 

The image of the Child Jesus was brought in a motorcade from the chapel to the Mary Mother of the Church Parish at 2 p.m. where healing priest Fr. Fernando Suarez officiated the concelebrated Mass at 3 p.m.

 

 Laity as bearers of Christ

 

In 2021, the Church will celebrate the 500 years of the coming of the Christian faith in the Philippines. As part of the nine-year journey toward the Jubilee, the Church is celebrating the Year of the Laity this 2014.

 

Joining in the celebration is the Chapel of San Pedro Calungsod in SM Aura through a lecture series, entitled “The Laity as Bearers of Christ,” to be held every last Saturday of each month at 7 p.m. until November.

 

Fr. Bong Gino, director of the Institute of Catechetics of the Archdiocese of Manila, spoke on “Remembering the blessing of 1521” during the first lecture last Jan. 25.

 

Pasig Bishop Hubert Mylo Vergara  and Fr. Ronnie Samaniego, chaplain of the Chapel of San Pedro Calungsod, are inviting the faithful to be bearers of Christ by committing to be active members of the laity. To preregister and for complete schedule of topics, call tel. no. 4033372.

 

Blessed Mother Theresia Bonzel

 

It is understandable that  Edgar  Lozano, a native of Malitbog in Leyte, is excited about bringing two three-foot statues of Blessed Mother Theresia Bonzel to Baybay, Leyte, by plane to Tacloban.

 

He has been a devotee of the founder of the Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration since he came to know about the order which  arrived in Baybay 50 years ago.

 

Although he works at the Regional Trial Court in Macabebe, Pampanga,  and is settled with his wife and two sons in San Simon, this didn’t stop Edgar from gathering donations to be able to order the statues from Loy Aguirre of Colgante, Apalit.

 

Donors are Joann P. Hizon of Quezon City; Amelia C. Esteban of ACE Kitchenette in Macabebe; Jocelyn M. Flores of Apalit; Edgar’s townmates who are now OFWs; and high school batchmates in Malitbog, Southern Leyte.

 

To Rome with Fr. ‘Momoy’

 

Fr. Efren “Momoy” Fuentebella, a well-known healing priest, is bringing pilgrims to Rome for the canonization of Blessed John Paul II and Blessed John XXIII by Pope Francis on April 27, Divine Mercy Sunday, by way of a Marian pilgrimage starting April 11.

 

With tour escort Annie Lukban, the group will first go to Lisbon, Portugal, where they will visit the Shrine of San Antonio de Padua; then drive on to Fatima where they will pray in the Shrine in Cova de Ira and visit the tombs of Blessed Francisco and Blessed Jacinta.

 

From Fatima, the pilgrims will drive to Ermesinde and visit the Parish of the Sacred Heart and pray before the incorrupt body of Blessed Maria Droste.  From there, the group will proceed to Santiago de Compostela, the  famous pilgrimage site that holds the tomb of St. James the Apostle.

 

For more details, call Adam’s Travel at tel. nos. 5211651 or 5211698 or Anna Ayo at  0917-5514468.

 

‘The New Era’

 

Fr. Omer Prieto will discuss the “New Era” during the First Quarter Marian Formation on Feb. 8, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., at 10/F Chancery Building of the Diocese of Cubao on Lantana St., Quezon City. Call tel. no. 5057825.  No registration fee.

 

In Quezon, the Calauag Elementary School Batch ’62 will hold a reunion on Feb. 14, while the Calauag Central College, Batch ’66, will hold theirs on Feb. 15.

 

Contact Lulu Danseco-Gahol at 0917-6669063 or Lourdes Estrada at 0906-2174472.