Feast of Saint Jerome on Sept. 30

BY CHRISTINA HERMOSO

Sep 29, 2023 08:44 AM

  

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Devotees of Saint Jerome (San Geronimo) from different parts of the country will celebrate his feast day on Saturday, Sept. 30.

Saint Jerome (Photo courtesy of the Catholic News Agency)

Known as the greatest translator of the Holy Bible and the patron saint of theological learning, translators, and librarians, fiesta masses will be celebrated at 6 a.m., 9 a.m. (concelebrated), and at 6 p.m. at the St. Jerome Parish Church (Morong Church) in Morong, Rizal.

A solemn procession will follow the 6 p.m. holy mass. Novena masses were offered from Sept. 21 to 29.
Holy masses in his honor will also be offered in parishes placed under his patronage in Duenas, Iloilo; Tapaz, Capiz; and Sto. Domingo, Nueva Ecija. 

In ancient Latin Christianity, St. Jerome was considered as the second most voluminous writer, next to St. Augustine.

Considered as the most learned of the Fathers of the Western Church, he was a brilliant scholar, bishop, and confessor. 

A protégé of Pope Damasus I, St. Jerome is recognized as a saint and Doctor of the Church by the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Lutheran Church, and the Anglican Communion.

The “Vulgata,” a translation of the Holy Scriptures from Greek and Hebrew into Latin, which took him 40 years to finish, is so far the only official translation of the Holy Bible used by the Roman Catholic Church.

Every year, particularly on his feast day, devotees visit the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome, Italy where his sacred relics are kept.

Radio Veritas to hold Grand Marian exhibit

BY CHRISTINA HERMOSO

Aug 25, 2023 09:41 AM

  

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Church-run Radio Veritas is inviting the faithful to a Grand Marian Exhibit, a prelude to the celebration of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Sept. 8.

 Grand Marian Exhibit (Photo courtesy of Radio Veritas)

“The Marian exhibit aims to help spread devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and is part of our evangelization efforts, especially since the venue is inside the mall where mall goers can visit and learn more about our Blessed Mother,” said Veritas Religious department head Renee Jose over Radio Veritas.
 

The Grand Marian Exhibit will be held at the Fisher Mall’s activity center in Quezon City from Aug. 30 until the Solemnity of the Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Sept. 8.

Rev. Fr. Anton Pascual, Radio Veritas president and Caritas Manila executive director will lead the launching of the exhibit on Aug. 30.

To be featured are 70 reverend Marian images under different titles from around the country including Our Lady of Veritas. 

Interested parties may get in touch with Ms. Jose at 0917-6314589 for love offerings and mass donations. 

Feast of Our Mother of Perpetual Help on June 27

BY CHRISTINA HERMOSO

Jun 26, 2023 09:28 AM

  

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Devotees will celebrate on Tuesday, June 27, the Feast of Our Mother of Perpetual Help (Ina ng Laging Saklolo).

Our Mother of Perpetual Help (Catholic Tradition)

A fiesta mass will be officiated by Fr. Rogerio Gomes, superior general of the Redemptorists, at the Shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, also known as the Baclaran Church or Redemptorist Church, in Baclaran, Paranaque City.

This year’s feast marks the 75th year (1948-2023) of devotion to Our Mother of Perpetual Help at the Baclaran Church. Preparations for the celebration and countdown to the 75th year of novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help began last year.

Novena masses were offered from June 18 to 26.

Papal Nuncio Archbishop Charles John Brown who officiated the 8th novena mass on June 25 said, perpetual means “always and forever. She is a Perpetual one who helps us always and forever. She helps us overcome our fear,” the Papal envoy stressed.

Devotees traditionally light candles, pray the Holy Rosary, recite novena prayers, sing hymns, and offer flowers in thanksgiving for answered prayers, ask for the Blessed Mother’s powerful intercession, or simply, pay homage to Our Lady under the special title of Mother of Perpetual Help. Some even walk on their knees from the church door to the altar to ask for special favors.

Church officials encourage the faithful to pray and reflect on the “Memorare,” a special prayer of devotion and confidence on the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Known as one of the most visited Catholic churches in the country, the Baclaran Church receives hundreds of devotees particularly every Wednesday when traffic in the area is particularly heavy.

The novena masses are an old tradition rooted from the Wednesday public novena established by the Redemptorist fathers in 1948.

Catholic Church marks Pentecost Sunday on May 28

BY CHRISTINA HERMOSO

  

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The Easter Season ends as the Roman Catholic Church observes Pentecost Sunday on May 28.

The solemn feast commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples of Jesus Christ as He had promised.

Diocese of Cubao Bishop Honesto F. Ongtioco will celebrate a feast mass at 9:30 a.m.at the Our Lady of Pentecost Parish in Loyola Heights, Quezon City on Sunday.

A procession was held on May 27 while novena masses were offered from May 19 to 27.

Also known as the Feast of the Holy Spirit, Pentecost Sunday is observed 50 days after the resurrection of Christ on Easter Sunday.

In Holy Masses on Sunday, Church rites will include the recitation of special prayers and the Litany to the Holy Spirit, prayers for the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and the Act of Consecration to the Holy Spirit.

Red vestments will be worn by the clergy “to symbolize God’s burning love for mankind and the supreme power of the Holy Ghost.”

Mass readings will focus on the events of Pentecost, which, according to the Acts of the Apostles, took place in a house in Jerusalem, where the Last Supper was held. Witnessed by the Blessed Mother and other loyal followers of Jesus, He blessed His apostles and bestowed on them the gift of the Holy Spirit. He said, “Receive the Holy Spirit, whose sins you forgive are forgiven, and whose sins you retain are retained.”

In Rome, Italy, the Pope traditionally celebrates the Mass of Priestly Ordination in recognition of the apostolic succession - from the apostles to the priests who have been tasked by God to undertake the evangelical mission of the Church to spread the Word of God.

Considered as the birthday of the Roman Catholic Church, “Pentecost is a powerful feast of salvation, a day to celebrate hope that God, through His Holy Spirit, is at work among His people. It is a celebration of newness, of renewal, of purpose, mission, and calling as God’s people. It signifies the extension of the Divine Body of Christ in all believers,” Church leaders said.

Pentecost is one of the great feasts in the Eastern Orthodox Church, a solemnity in the Roman rite of the Catholic Church, a festival in the Lutheran Churches, and a principal feast in the Anglican Communion.

Feast of Saint Arnold Janssen on Jan. 15

Published January 13, 2023, 9:54 AM

by Christina Hermoso, MB

Devotees will celebrate on Sunday, Jan. 15, the feast day of Saint Arnold Janssen, the revered founder of the Society of the Divine Word, marking his 114th death anniversary.

St. Arnold Janssen (Facebook)

Commemorative masses will be offered at the St. Arnold Janssen Shrine in Cainta, Rizal, and at the Archdiocesan Shrine of St. Arnold Janssen in Cebu and in parishes dedicated to his honor and memory. 

Novena masses will be held from Jan. 6 to 14.

Saint Arnold was the founder of the missionary congregations Society of the Divine Word (1875), the Missionary Sisters Servants of the Holy Spirit, also known as the blue sisters because of the color of their habit (1889), and the Servants of the Holy Spirit of Perpetual Adoration, also known as the pink sisters (1896).

The well-venerated saint worked for the unity of Christians, developed the apostolate of the press, and pioneered sending women to foreign missions. A man of prayer, he began his ministry as a teacher and was known as a great devotee of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Born in 1837 in Goch, Germany, he has ordained priest in 1861. He died in 1909 and was canonized by Saint John Paul II on Oct. 5, 2003. 

Today, there are more than 6,000 Divine Word missionaries working in at least 63 countries all over the world including the Philippines

 

CBCP expresses support for Pope Francis’ prayer for educational emergency

Published January 12, 2023, 10:05 AM

by Christina Hermoso

La Union Bishop Daniel Presto, vice chairman of the CBCP-ECCCE (CBCP ONLINE)

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines-Episcopal Commission on Catechesis and Catholic Education (CBCP-ECCCE) has expressed support to the Holy Father’s prayer intention for educational emergency.

La Union Bishop Daniel Presto, vice chairman of the CBCP-ECCCE, said Pope Francis’ prayer intention for the first month of the year highlights the importance of an educated population. 

“The prayer intention of Pope Francis for Jan. 2023 is part of the global impact on education launched by the Holy Father. The global impact on education is a movement that seeks to counter the growing educational emergency around the world. This might have been a result of division or the inability of the youth and women to attend formal schooling,” Bishop Presto said over Radio Veritas.

“The global impact on education teaches the youth the importance of education as well as unity and cooperation in attaining the objective of the advocacy,” he added.

The Church leader cited the need for peace and order to prevail in countries experiencing violence to

“Let us also preserve and protect our common home from the exploitation of resources. Pope Francis is calling for unity and for the youth in schools to value the importance of solidarity and cooperation,” the prelate said.

Families prepare for ‘pre-pandemic’ Christmas eve celebration

Published December 23, 2022, 9:49 AM

by Christina Hermoso

With the ease in Covid-19 restrictions and with more people vaccinated against the coronavirus, age-old Christmas Eve traditions that have been passed on from one generation to the other will, once again, be observed around the country as the nation celebrates Christmas Eve on Saturday, Dec. 24.

Christmas Eve (Facebook)

Many families will observe a pre-pandemic celebration this year marked by reunions, gatherings, and the traditional Noche Buena feast. 

Many will also be physically attending the Misa de Gallo (Christmas Eve Mass), the culmination of the nine-day ‘Simbang Gabi’ novena masses in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary that began last Dec. 16. It will be celebrated in all Catholic churches shortly before midnight or earlier in some parishes.

In some churches, the Eucharistic celebration will be marked with the reenactment of the journey of Saint Joseph and the Blessed Mother in search of lodging for the soon-to-be-born Messiah.

The religious play, which was patterned after the Spanish “Las Posadas,” is known as “panunuluyan,” “pananawagan,” or “pananapatan.” Churchgoers excitedly await the play as it serves as a ‘reenactment’ of the events surrounding the Birth of Jesus Christ more than 2,000 years ago.

Church rites during the holy mass on Dec. 24 will include the lighting of the white center candle – the Christ candle -in the Advent wreath to herald the Birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. The Belen will also finally be complete with the addition of the Baby Jesus, which has been conspicuously missing in some manger since it was set up. 

The Christmas Eve Mass is traditionally held at midnight following the belief that Jesus was born at night (Luke 2:6-8). This is also reflected in reference to Christmas Eve as the Holy Night, or “Heilige Nacht” in German, and Good Night, which is Noche Buena in Spanish, and in widely popular Christmas songs like Silent Night and Oh, Holy Night.

After the midnight mass, families will once again gather after missing it for the last two years for the Noche Buena, the traditional Christmas Eve feast where popular holiday fares and Filipino favorites are served.

The feast is in part in thanksgiving for the blessings of the current year while prayerfully anticipating a better year ahead for the family. Gifts are usually opened after the festive dinner while children excitedly await their surprises from “Santa Claus.”

The Christmas season liturgically begins on Christmas Eve and lasts through the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord in January.

Traslacion festivities to resume in Davao

Published December 22, 2022, 10:25 AM

by Christina Hermoso

Devotees of the Nuestro Padre Jesus Nazareno (Black Nazarene) in Davao City have announced the resumption of all activities related to the feast of the Traslacion of the revered image on Jan. 9.

Black Nazarene (Quiapo Church)

“As the situation here in our city has slowly returned to pre-pandemic levels, we are announcing that the face-to-face activities including the foot procession will return in this year’s Traslacion festivities,” the Davao Nazareno said over Radio Veritas. 

Organizers said devotees are looking forward to the resumption of activities in honor of the Black Nazarene which had been canceled for the last two years.

The Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene (Quiapo Church) in Manila earlier called on devotees to celebrate the feast of the Traslacion on January 9 in their respective parishes to help decongest the crowd in Quiapo.

The Quiapo Church has canceled the annual Traslacion procession in view of the ongoing pandemic and has instead encouraged devotees to go to the Quirino Grandstand for the holy mass and the “pagpupugay” in lieu of the traditional “pahalik.”

The official replica of the Black Nazarene will be enshrined at the Our Lady of Peñafrancia GKK Chapel in Buhanginan Davao City which is under the San Alfonso Maria de Liguori Parish, the Davao Nazareno said.

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“The devotees of the Black Nazarene here in the Archdiocese of Davao are hoping that with the smooth return of all face-to-face activities we will be able to spread the love and mercy of the Risen Lord, the Nazareno, to all Catholic faithful in our city as they are facing new challenges brought by complex geopolitical and economic situations,” the group stressed.

Cardinal Advincula cites strong faith of Filipinos

Published December 18, 2022, 9:57 AM

by Christina Hermoso

Manila Archbishop Jose Cardinal Advincula cited the strong faith of the Filipino people as more parishioners are going back to hear the live masses just as the Catholic Church began its observance of the nine-day “Simbang Gabi.”

cardinal jose advincula (manila bulletin photo)

“Jesus is the light of the world. Jesus is the bread of life who will satisfy our hunger, Jesus is the Emmanuel who will guide us in our journey and serve as our ally in our struggles,” Cardinal Advincula said over Radio Veritas. 

His Eminence cited the resilience and perseverance of the faithful in attending the “Simbang Gabi” which he said is a way of showing gladness on the Birth of Christ.

“The strong faith of Filipinos serves as the fuel for him to complete the nine-day holy masses. Despite the crisis and hardships, the faithful return to the Church as a manifestation of his faith in the Savior Jesus Christ,” the Church leader said.

Cardinal Advincula urged the faithful to remain active in the church’s activities not only during the “Simbang Gabi” but even beyond.

The Catholic Church began its observance of the nine-day “Simbang Gabi” on Dec. 16 with anticipated masses that started on Dec.15. The votive masses in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary in preparation for Christmas will culminate on Dec. 24 with the Christmas Eve mass at midnight. 

With the ease of Covid-19 restrictions, more are able to attend the holy masses at the church instead of just joining online.

9-day ‘Simbang Gabi’ begins on Dec. 16; anticipated masses to begin tonight

by Christina Hermoso, MB

(CATHOLIC YOUTH ONLINE)

With the ease in Covid-19 restrictions and with more people vaccinated against the coronavirus, more parishioners are expected to attend the nine-day “Simbang Gabi” votive masses, which begin on Friday, Dec. 16.

As in the pre-pandemic years, devout Catholics are expected to attend physically on Friday instead of joining online the first of the nine-day “Simbang Gabi” dawn masses, which will be held at dawn in all Catholic churches across the country and in many parts of the world. 

Church leaders are encouraging the faithful to attend the “Simbang Gabi” masses in churches this year while still being mindful of the safety health protocols.

Considered as one of the oldest but well observed Christmas traditions in the Philippines, church bells will peal before the break of dawn for the duration of the ‘Simbang Gabi’ which are held at 4 a.m. and 5 a.m. with the final mass, the Misa de Gallo (rooster’s mass) on Dec. 24, Christmas Eve, traditionally held shortly before midnight.

In recent years, to accommodate the needs of the faithful on different work schedules, anticipated ‘Simbang Gabi’ masses will be held starting on Thursday, December 15, at 7 p.m. or 8 p.m. in many parishes and chapels.

Also known as Misa de Aguinaldo (gift mass), churchgoers offer the gift of sacrifice in waking up before the break of dawn for nine consecutive days to attend the dawn masses for different intentions: in thanksgiving, as a form of worship, or for a petition.

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Others, in traditional Filipino belief, attend to obtain special graces upon completing the nine-day masses.

The Simbang Gabi is an old tradition with deep roots in the country’s religious culture, dating back to 1565 when Spanish “conquistador” Miguel Lopez de Legazpi celebrated the first Feast of the Nativity.

The practice originated in Mexico when in 1587, Fray Diego de Soria, prior of the Convent of San Agustin Acolman, asked permission from the Holy Father to hold Christmas masses for the farmers who wake up very early to work.

During the 16th century, Pope Sixtus V decreed that the dawn masses should also be held in the Philippines every 16th of December.

At that time, it gave the farmers a chance to hear mass before working in the fields.