Community News: May 2015

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Oro priests hold US-Canada tour this July

by Susan Palmes-Dennis

The singing priests of the Cagayan de Oro Archdiocese will hold a US-Canada tour from July to August this year.

Concert director Joseph Espadilla told me this, saying it is a “tribute concert to our retiring priests.” “It is every priest’s desire to be remembered as who they are even when they are no longer active in their vocation,” he said.

Proceeds of the concert will help build additional rooms for the retirement house of the priests. The cast of the singing priests include Monsignors Columbus Villamil, Tex Legitimas, Rey Monsanto and Frs. Rolando Gabutera. Jesse Namocot, Harren Salon, Richard Deloso and Ely Dato.

They are assigned in different parishes and are blessed with the talent to sing and perform. This is the second concert held by the singing priests after the 2011 “Only in God” concert.

Espadilla, who directed performances in the Philippines and abroad confided that the priests had several rehearsals for their parts. “They have good voices. It would be a blissful joy to see the men of God in this performance,” he said.

The concert tour officially kicks off July 2 at Reno, Nevada two days after the group arrives in San Francisco, California and it ends during the Tapok in Vancouver, Canada on August 1 and 2.

The performance would include the classic Visayan song Matud Nila and the Julio Iglesias-Willie Nelson song “To All the Girls I Loved Before.”

Fr. Rolando Gabutera, whose previous assignment at the archdiocese was the improvement of the Catholic schools run by the parish, also said they hope that Filipino-Americans especially those hailing from Cagayan de Oro and Misamis Oriental would help promote the concert so they can fully realize the dream of building a retirement home for priests.

It was also learned that many of the active priests who held different advocacies in the archdioceses like Msgr. Monsanto, Legitimas, Abelardo Cabillan and Villamil are retiring from the priesthood soon.

Most of these priests have been in the vocation for at least 30 years and their service shaped them into being instruments of God’s manifold blessings to His people.

Espadilla said the concert is divided into three parts; the vocation, reflection and remembering. Here's the breakdown:

Reflection:
They are called to serve and to listen to God’s voice. They have become the voice and hands of God. So they share the Gospel of love and salvation and reach out to those who are in need.

Their calling to serve the people is a manifestation of God’s abundant love for mankind. It is manifested through God’s servants, the Priests.

• Vocation Jamboree Theme Song All Cast

• Natawag ko na Ikaw / Ang Tawag Msgr Villamil

• Liwanagan mo Jesus Fr. Harren/Fr Datoy,
Fr. Richard

• Lord I Offer Myself All Cast

“Let your light so shine before men that they may see the glory of God in You”. Espadilla said this saying is shown in the lives of the priests who mirror the glory of God by living godly, holy lives.

Through this, the priests have also realized that as God has mirrored His life to them, they should also follow His examples so that God’s glory will reside in them too.

• Do you Hear the People Sing All Cast

• You’ll never walk alone Msgr. Tex Legitimas

• Lift up your Hands Fr.Harren, Fr Richard, Fr. Datoy

• You Raise Me Up Msgr. Villamil

• I Don’t Know How to Love Him Msgr. Monsanto

• Together Forever All Cast

Remembering

“Just as God has remembered you, remember me (us), God’s servants in your prayers.

Espadilla said it is the priests’ desire to be remembered not for what they have done but for what God has done through them and in them.

“Their life testimony would serve as best avenue where people will always remember them, the unselfish and boundless love they have given even when this love is not being returned as expected,” he said.

• Believe All Cast

• Matud Nila Msgr. Tex

• To All the Girls I love before Msgr. Monsanto

• Matt Monroe Medley All Cast

• Bring me Home Msgr. Villamil, Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro

Here's the schedule of the singing priests for those interested to catch their shows:

Reno, Nevada, July 2

Sacramento, July 3

Stockton, July 4

San Francisco, July 5

San Diego, July 10

Anaheim, July 11

Chicago, July 12

Kalayaan Hall, July 16

Boston, July 17

New York, July 18

Boston, July 19

Toronto, Canada July 23-24

Edmonton, Canada July 25

Vancouver, July 26-Aug. 2, Tapok, Thanksgiving Mass

(Susan Palmes-Dennis is a veteran journalist from Cagayan de Oro City, Misamis Oriental, Northern Mindanao in the Philippines who worked as a nanny and is now employed as a sub-teacher and a part-time teacher assistant in one of the school systems in the Carolinas.

Read her blogs on susanpalmesstraightfrom the Carolinas.com and at http://www.blogher.com/myprofile/spdennis54. These and other articles also appear at http://www.sunstar.com.ph/author/2582/susan-palmes-dennis.
You can also connect with her through her Pinterest account at http://www.pinterest.com/pin/41025046580074350/) and https://www.facebook.com/pages/Straight-from-the-Carolinas-/494156950678063)

Sunday, May 3, 2015

Filipino-American community spirit unites behind Pacquiao

At the house of Kay Antone

by Susan Palmes-Dennis

IF there's anything positive that came out of that so-called “Fight of the Century” between the Filipino people's Champ Manny Pacquiao and American champion Floyd Mayweather, it's that it united the Fil-American community in the Carolinas.

One winner is the “bayanihan” or community spirit of Filipinos or in this case Fil-Americans who welcomed each other during parties held while they watched the fight on pay-per-view TV.

The indomitable spirit of the Fil-Americans is very much alive and well as the parties gave them a chance to bond and what better way to do that than through house parties?

Boxing is a national past time in the Philippines ever since Pacquiao rose to prominence. Animosity among Filipinos is set aside whenever he fights and that's not a small achievement in itself.

Due to the prohibitive costs of pay-per-view, each Filipino-American household offered to pitch in some amount and held a potluck party to cut expenses. And there were quite a number of Fil-American households that did just that.

One was the party hosted by Dr. Henry Maglente and his nurse wife Kim at their home in Mooresville. The guests started arriving at 9 p.m. with some food and dessert. Kim said there were 30 people in hteir house including children.

Kim told me that before the fight, the men watched basketball, while the ladies chatted and prepared the sumptuous food at the table. Not to be outdone were the kids who were busy watching movie of their own selection.

“It was the first pary we hosted here,” Kim said. The guests left at one a.m. “Even the kids stayed late. We were disappointed with the results of the fight. Still it was fun to remember,” she said.

What made it memorable for the couple was the presene of friends who celebrated and commiserated with each other over Pacquiao's loss.

Among those who attended was sport enthusiast Ro Lawsin who posted on his Facebook account “the party at Casa Maglente.” The guests were mostly doctors who are friends in the community.

Another party was hosted by Kay Ronquillo Antone over at Indian Trail, North Carolina. Her family welcomed their 80 guests at their new home. “People started arriving at 7:30 pm....and stayed until almost 2 am,” Kay told me.

“I made a lot of food....and also every family brought a dish, desserts and drinks. We had people watch the fight from our living room and our movie room. The guests were as young as four years old to as old as 70 years old,” Kay said.

Kay, the immediate second vice president of the Fil-American Community of the Carolinas (FACC), said she and her guests were “disappointed with the fight because of the scores of the judges.”

“We all knew in our hearts that Pacquiao won the fight,” she said. A small group attended a party hosted by Tony and Ranni Cammarano at their Beatties Ford home while the Kelly and Lightle families hosted a more intimate party to watch the fight.

In New York City, Lorelai Jamisolanim was invited by a group of doctors to the “boxing party” and while waiting for the main event, she discussed with them how the Filipino culture got “spilintered by time” unlike those of the Indians and Hispanics.

Lorelai, who grew in a family of politicians headed by her late uncle, a mayor of Villanueva town in Misamis Oriental, northern Mindanao Philippines, said it was her first time to watch a Pacquiao fight. “Since Mayweather was undefeated it made it more interesting.”

I'm sure there were other families that did the same thing which showed that despite being divided and separated by culture and geography, somehow Pacquiao ends up uniting us Filipinos. At the end of the day, that's what matters.

Dr/ Henry Maglinte (in blue shirt, standing) with his guests

Saturday, May 2, 2015

St. Mark's Rosary Makers Ministry to distribute rosaries for 2015 Marian Congress

Susan Claire-Wild, St. Mark's Rosary Makers Ministry coordinator, poses with the group

by Susan Palmes-Dennis

Members of the St. Mark Catholic Church Rosary Maker’s Ministry are excited to participate in the 2015 Marian Congress as they committed to making hundreds of blue crystal rosaries to those attending the event to be held at St. Mark here at Huntersville, North Carolina.

During the ministry's recent monthly meeting, the group coordinator Susan Claire–Wild encouraged everyone to reserve seats for the event.

The ministry's mission is to make rosaries for the sick, hospice and the poor. They make over a thousand rosaries every year for St. Mark’s faith formation, baptism, communicants and RCIA candidates.

The ministry already made 20,873 rosaries since 2008 and these are distributed all over the world.

“We have a family here, the Lightles, at St. Mark Rosary Makers. We love to support mothers to be. It is our joy to give baby showers to our members that have been with us for a couple of years. We are all about pro-life,” Claire-Wild said.

Claire-Wild said the Lightles “make beautiful pro-life rosaries” and the ministry enjoys coming together monthly to “see friends and families, finding out where the rosaries are shipped to every month and upcoming projects.”

“We are here to help each other and support each other. We are blessed to have such wonderful caring people in our rosary maker’s ministry,” she said.

Claire-Wild said it’s not about the numbers but rather the love and all the prayers that go into each rosary given to each recipient. “We pray for the recipient's soul as we tie each barrel knot. That's what really matters!,” she said.

Claire-Wild recounted that the Rosary Maker’s ministry started six years ago and they will celebrate their sixth year of rosary making this fall. “We started with only four members at a round table more people join us each month,” she said.

“Children wanted to learn how to make rosaries. We now have over 40 active members making rosaries at home and we have meetings once a month - our church family we call it,” Claire-Wild said.

She said there are Divine Mercy rosaries for visitors, for the Our Lady of Guadalupe and also for the newcomers.

This year's North Carolina Marian Rosary Congress carries the theme “The family that prays together stays together.” The congress will be held at St. Mark Catholic Church Church at 14740 Stumptown Road, Huntersville, North Carolina, 28078 on June 13, a Saturday.

The Most Rev. Bishop P. Jugis, J.C.D would be the main celebrant. Guest priests, presenters and speakers are Fr. Pedro Nunez, an EWTN speaker from New Orleans and Father Ernesto Maria Caro, a priest from Mexico.

Nunez is a native of Cuba, an author, pastor and director of radio and TV programs in the diocese of New Orleans. He has spoken on the power of the sacraments to sanctify every evangelizer” at the Atlanta Eucharistic Congress.

Fr. Caro is from Monterrey, Mexico and his ministry helps to deeply understand what it means to pray the Hail Mary. Ticket cost is $10 (or $15 after deadline, if tickets are still available).

Children under 17 and students are free but they must register with their parents. Everyone is encouraged to register before May 15 for a discount.

The St. Mark's Rosary Makers Ministry in a group photo