Couples for Christ nat'l conference in Charlotte on June 30

by Susan Palmes-Dennis

About 1,000 youth and parent delegates from all over the US are expected to attend the 24th Couples for Christ Youth Conference to be held at the University of North Carolina in Charlotte, North Carolina on June 30 to July 2.

Lorena Ostrea, said the delegates include 100 delegates from North Carolina and 45 from Charlotte. The CFC Youth is the youth ministry of the Couples for Christ. 

Lorena and John Ostrea are CFC Couple Coordinators for CFC-Youth in Charlotte.

The conference theme for this year is “Rekindle the Gift: Fulfill your Ministry 2nd  Timothy.” 

The Couples for Christ is a movement aimed at the renewal and strengthening of Christian family life. It is now a global Catholic/Christian organization of men and women.

It grows mainly through the establishment of localized units in different parishes. Incidentally, the Couples for Christ started in the Philippines in 1993 and was brought to the US a year later. 

Members of the Youth ministry of Couples for Christ are aged 12-20 years old.
The CFC national confernece is held in a different location every year with last year's event held at the University of Las Vegas, Nevada.

The year before that or in 2016, it was held at the Catholic University of America and in 2010 it was on Riverside, California.

In 2009, the CFC national conference was held in Urbana Champaign, Illinois and the year before it was in Jacksonville, Florida. In 2007 and 2006 the conference was held at Anaheim Southern California and Las Vegas, Nevada respectively. 

Last year's participants in Las Vegas numbered 820, while conferences in Jacksonville (2008) and Illinois (2009) were attended by more than 600 delegates and there were 1,100 delegates in the CFC conference in Southern California Riverside the year after. 

For this year's event, his eminence Bishop Peter Joseph Jugis was invited to concelebrate the Mass on the first day from 12 to 2 pm but he was unavailable on that date. 

In his place Fr. Patrick Winslow, parish priest of the St. Thomas Aquinas Church will concelebrate the first Mass. Ostrea said there will be daily Masses, Eucharistic adoration and hourly intercessory prayers. 

Incidentally it was Dr. Eumelia "Nini" Bautista, past president of the Filipino-American Community of the Carolinas Inc. (FACC) who was instrumental in securing the UNCC as venue for the conference. 

The three-day conference also lined up activities like volleyball and basketball contests, events like original song, band, dance, slam poetry and spoken word competitions as well as photography, video and banner contests.

There are also workshops, teaching of songs, praise and worship. “A major conference is a powerful expression of the mission of the community, and in the area the conference is being hosted,” Ostrea said. 

The event is a collaboration of service teams and volunteers from the Couples for Christ ministries, Singles for Christ’s and the youth.

CFC organizing committee heads in Charlotte and North Carolina include, John and Lorena Ostrea, Jake and Marie Miranda, Joy and Manny Arrojado, Richard and Nenette Costes, Art Aquino, Oscar and Rina Goco, Lindo and Betty Javelona.

A new chapter unfolds for Forest

Me with Forest

by Susan Palmes-Dennis

Charlotte, North Carolina--It was last June 3, when close to 100 friends of Lin and Miguela Grant gathered for the post-graduation party of the couple's eldest son Forrest held a the Lake Pavilion at Manchester Meadows.

The Grant family had been living in Rock Hill, South Carolina for years. Miguela or “Ghing” to close friends is from Cagayan de Oro City in Misamis Oriental, northern Mindanao in the Philippines.

She traces her roots to the Barros of Tagoloan town in Misamis Oriental on her mother's side. Miguela is a relative of mine on my father's side. Her son Forest graduated from Rock Hill High School.  

Forest with his brother Ian Micah

The party started at 3 pm when the sun is out and the weather was cool. It was like a village fiesta in the Philippines with a mix of Filipino and American food laid out buffet style at the long tables.

Among the dishes served were Filipino favorites like adobo (chicken and pork stew), Filipino style barbecue, pancit (noodles) ginat-ang mongo (stewed mung beans), beef stew, lumpia (vegetable and meat rolls), chili, grilled hot dogs and so on. 

The sweets and fruits made me forget my diet and I reminded myself that it was a party and so I considered it my cheat day. But I did balance it with fresh vegetables like lettuce, celery, carrots and tomatoes. 

But back to Forest. The 18-year-old Forest is headed to Winthrop University to study engineering and music.  Based on what I learned, Forest was born here in Charlotte and baptized in the Philippines.

He eats rice and barbeque and loves Filipino and Italian food especially pizza.  Forest is a Marvel Cinematic Universe fan and superhero films in general and played percussion instruments and piano in high school.

Forest's mother Miguela told me that they buy Garfield comic books for him and his brother Ian Micah so they won't have to argue over who gets to read them first. 

“Kung akong bana mag palit ug Garfield books, kinahanglan duha gyud kabuok pero mao ra ang title kay mag away sila ug mag ilog kinsa ang una mobasa (If my husband buys Garfield books, he needs to buy the same issues for the two of them since they would fight and argue over who gets to read first),” she said. 

Ian Micah in particular, likes Lego blocks. Aside from comics, Miguela said her sons also share a common love for jigsaw puzzles.

A family friend, Zybel Opolentisima Riano, has this advice for Forrest: “Forrest, make a choice to wake up and be grateful for life. List and count your blessings. As you do,you will find out that it will open doors for you to be equipped in the next chapter of your journey. Cheers for your life.”

Aside from me and my husband Ronnie Dennis, others who attended the party Andy Villaluz Pagilagan and wife, Zybel Opolentisima Riano” Zee”, Sarah Jane Drake, Grace Williams, Imee Aguila Riano, Mike Riano, Bea Marie, Julland dela Cruz, Liezel Huckleberry and daughter, Julita Serviss and so many others.

Forest with his family

Filipino teacher cited anew for outstanding work in the US

Roditha Fuentes Terado (in black skirt) receiving her award

by Susan Palmes-Dennis

A Filipino teacher based in North Carolina is a recipient of the Ulirang Guro 2018 award given by the United Federation of Fil-Am Educators (UNIFFIED) in simple ceremonies held at Washington DC last May 26, 2018.

Roditha Fuentes Terado, a native of Tacloban, Leyte province in the Philippines, received the UNIFFIED award nearly a year after she was also cited as one of the outstanding teachers in the Carolinas by the Filipino-American Community of the Carolinas Inc. (FACC).

The United Federation of Fil-Am Educators or UNIFFIED is an organization with chapters all over the US and abroad comprised of teachers, educators and professionals.

The group is committed to promoting excellence in teaching and providing community services through projects that will benefit the communities in the US and the Philippines.  

UNIFFIED awardees are noted for their exemplary literary or artistic talents. When she was cited as an outstanding teacher awardee by the FACC, Terado said she loves teaching because it  is both challenging and awesome. 

“Because you deal with multi-diverse students, a multicultural community and a different educational system,” she said. Terado credits her teaching stint in the US for making her a better person and expanding her perspective in life.

To be a good teacher, Terado said one must be strong, tough and consistent with one's rules and procedures. She said she is trying to be the best version of herself. 

Terado said her passion for problem solving enhanced her passion for imparting her knowledge to the students.

“That way I can make a difference and be a catalyst of change because I believe that I am teaching the country's next generation of engineers, scientists, doctors and teachers,” she said.

When not teaching, Terado finds work as a civil engineer and she has a deep interest in structural engineering.

She's also into cooking Filipino delicacies and is making a name for herself in cooking “ puto (rice cake), biko (sweetened sticky rice), suman, pancit, lumpia, adobo and other Pinoy food. 

Terado teaches at the Harding University High School and has 20 years of teaching experience, a decade of which was spent at Philippine Science High School and Eastern Visayas State University. 

She attended school at Divine Word University and Eastern Visayas State University.