The Paraclete June 2016 Issue

The Vol. 9 Issue 3

PARACLETE The little paper that feeds on prayer

Parish of the Holy Spirit, BF Homes, Quezon City

Laudato Si

The 3rd General Assembly of the Novaliches Diocese Association of Parish Prex Secretariats (NDAPPS) (“LAUDATO SI’, mi’ Signore” [“Praise be to you, my Lord”] is the second encyclical of Pope Francis. Subtitled “On Care For Our Common Home,” Pope Francis critiques consumerism and irresponsible development, laments environmental degradation and global warming.

He calls all people of the world to take “swift and unified global action” to address concerns over, among others, poverty and the environment.

Laudato Si was the theme of the 3rd General Assembly of NDAPPS. The following is an excerpt of the article written by Ham De la Torre which first appeared in www.filcatholic.com) ONE THOUSAND-STRONG participants showed up at the General Assembly held on May 7 at the Santuario de San Vicente de Paul Parish.

While the PREX Music Ministry of The Our Father Parish gathered the flock through joyful songs, the registration counters filled up with delegates from the member-parishes of NDAPPS and NAPPS (National Association of Parish PREX Secretariats). At 7:30 am, the Bible enthronement was presided by Msgr. Romy Ranada, NAPPS and NDAPPS Spiritual Director.

His Most Reverent Bishop Antonio Tobias said the concelebrated Mass assisted by Liturgist Mario Sanchez, parish priest of the Cathedral Shrine and Parish of the Good Shepherd and several other Continued on page 2

June 2016

THE FEASTS OF THE MONTH OF JUNE

June 3: Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus; Feast of St. Charles Lwanga and Companions June 4: Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary June 24: The Nativity of St. John the Baptist June 29: Solemnity of St. Peter and St. Paul, Apostles

Regular Parish Schedule

Daily Mass from Monday thru Saturday at 6:00 AM. The Saturday anticipated Mass (or first Mass of Sunday) is at 6:00 PM. Sunday Masses are at 6:30 AM, 8:00 AM, 4:30 PM and 6:00 PM. The 5:45 and The the

Holy Rosary is recited at the Church at AM except on Wednesdays (5:30 AM) every first Saturday of each month (with Our Lady of Fatima procession around BF Homes Park starting at 5:30 AM).

Devotional Prayers: Prayer to the Holy Spirit (after each Monday Mass), Novena to the Mother of Perpetual Help (Wednesdays, 5:45 AM), Divine Mercy prayer (after Mass of the first Tuesday of the month), Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus (Fridays, after the Mass), Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary (Saturdays, after the 6 AM Mass).

Regular Confession every Saturday at 5:30 PM or you may approach the Priest after Mass.

Liturgy of the Hours: Ten minutes before the Saturday Anticipated Mass and each Sunday Mass.

Baptism: Sundays, 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM or by appointment.

Regular second collection is every first Sunday of the month.

Laudato Si, from page 1

priests. The Bishop’s homily focused on the ascension of Christ, leaving behind the Holy Spirit as His commander-in-chief to lead us in evangelizing the earth so that the second coming may be hastened.

The time is now, he enjoined, to build more BECs, PPCs and PREX classes and not when we have already become mere souls.

Speaking on her husband Joe’s behalf, Ate Mila Galinato welcomed the congregation with a confession that she belongs to the church because of the crowd. She cited the PREX music ministry as proof that we do not grow old, singing, listening, dancing and merrymaking – our live and living share in the legacy of Jesus. The Galinatos are NDAAPS Vice-President for Novaliches and Kalookan.

Kuya Manny and Ate Abel Gaite delivered an inspirational message.

One day, their son Justin came up to Kuya Manny and asked for them to move out of Bulacan.

When he asked why, his seven-year-old said that, from what he has read about climate change, Bulacan will sink in 2050.

It so touched him that the concern came from his child, not from a fellow, concerned adult. His wife Abel picked up from where he left off by advocating a vigilant citizens’ watch if we truly want to save the earth.

Emcees Gelo Reyes and Issy Camat announced the morning break after which they called on the first speaker, Fr. Daniel Pilario, Dean of Studies of St. Vincent School of Theology.

Fr. Danny talked about the ten key words of Pope Francis’ encyclical letter Laudato Si. He introduced it with the phrase “memories of a place.” He meant that our history of friendship with God was always linked to particular places which take on an intensely personal meaning. As a chance to recover something of the self, he used a dynamic where seatmates would ask each other of a place s/he remembers and its connection to her/him. Volunteers took

turns in recalling a ricefield, a carabao, a river in Pangasinan, trees in a barrio, etc. Those recollections had accompanying incidents both bad and good.

Fr. Danny processed the experiences and summed them up thus: God is in one place and the places they remember are those where God first showed His face to each one of them. And he added his very own Cebu, where he was a three-year-old among 11 children (because, he joked, there was no RH Bill yet and definitely no electricity) and where his mother would stand by the window every morning before breakfast, stare at the sea and cry, and he would cry with her. After three months of the routine, he said he got tired and ventured to ask his mother why they were crying. His Mom said she was sad because she misses his lolo and lola. He still could not relate (which 3-yrold can?) so he would hold her hand and simply join her in looking at the sea and the mountains beyond it. Much, much later, he realized that it was easy for his mother to cry looking at the sea because the sea is God’s presence. With people who suffer, relationship with God is grounded in a place like that, the spirit of Laudato Si. Then he segued into our common home being an immense pile of filth causing disasters and loss of biodiversity due to deforestation, urban pollution and waste mismanagement. It should not surprise, therefore, that 1,000 tons of trash/day sped up global warming, he rued. The cry of the earth is the same cry of the poor because, in disasters, the rich have access to lifelines.

It is time to heed the call to till and keep tilled the environment. Nature is not divine and should not be treated like god but it deserves respect. By the same token, humans are not divine, because the earth was here before them. Nature caressing us is God. Like the time when he talked to an almond tree, it blossomed. Today’s technology is a onedimensional paradigm where factory workers look, talk and breathe alike. Unlike the bahaykubo of old,

the lack of biodiversity still produces occasions of pleasure but it is now difficult to engender joy.

We cannot, he stressed, dismiss integral ecology and interconnectivity. He cited singer and environmentalist Joey Ayala’s line in his song, “… ang lahat ng bagay may kaugnayan.” Precisely, he concluded, we borrow the world from our children, not from our ancestors.

Dean Danny impressed upon his audience the need for ecological conversion, spirituality, climate advocacy, lifestyle change, practice of ecological virtues and to not leave too much carbon footprints.

We don’t need more space, he said, only less stuff.

Before we knew where the gods were, they were in the trees. Now there are no more trees, the poor are planting trees again.

For the gods to come back.

He concluded his talk with a question and a vision. What after Yolanda? His dream was to go back quickly to the ricefield.

Like that Christmas in San Antonio when it was raining and the poor were planting again.

Ate Mila gave him a plaque of appreciation and a Laudato Si T-Shirt.

Lunch was hearty and reinvigorated the audience enough to answer the roll call with varying degrees of applause and cheer and laughter. This after singing and acting out PREX songs with the Sto. Nino de Congreso PREX Music Ministry.

Part II was assigned to Fr. Dexter Toledo, a selfproclaimed prayle from the Order of Friars Minor.

Youngish and matinee idol-like (Kuya Gelo could not control saying “Gwapo ni Father”), his gait seemed to belie his youth and belong to an older person. At once, he made known the theme of the gathering, Sangnilikha, Sambuhay, Sangtawag (One Creation, One Life, One Call) and lost no time in injecting humor to where he comes from, which is Bagbag, sa kanan, seminaryo, sa kaliwa, sementeryo (on the right, a seminary, on the left, a cemetery). Clearly, the former Radio Veritas cohost owned his audience. Fr. Dexter was proud of his order, St. Francis of Assissi, who founded it, and

the Pope, who was evidently equally enamored of the saint. Like the Holy See’s life of humility and poverty, he espouses the plight of the poor.

He recalled that after his ordination, he kissed his Mother’s tummy, in dual thanksgiving for their mutual dream. Fr. Dexter is not only a humorist. Making his Mom’s (and others like her) morning facial ritual parallel to voting, he enumerated the following: salungguhitan ang kilay, bilugan ang lipstick, i-shade ng tamang blush-on. He is also a singer, which he validated by responding to the audience’s clamor of his sample. He had every right to claim that credential, agreed the audience’s rousing approval. He sang (his) modified version of Ang Panginoon ang Aking Pastol with a Franciscan twist so that it sounded like an instrument of peace.

That he is also a poet was already evident in his lyrical speech. He said it is so hard now to teach kids about the environment because they are very busy with gadgets, the overview effect of which is pearl-gazing, instead of nature-caring. We are so caught up in pag-aagad-agad (rapidification) we use a cell phone when talking with someone. The Pope described us as so interconnected but not related, tayo ang inaalagaan ng mundo (we are being taken care of by the world), instead of the other way around. In anthrocentrism, he said, repeating Fr. Daniel’s earlier statement, ang lahat ay haplos ng Diyos (everything is God’s caress). Climate change is crucial, let us, if we can, keep the atmospheric degree at 1.5 before it becomes a nightmare. He recounted an interview of Willie Revillame, where the once popular host was asked why he had all the accoutrements of high living. The wannabe singer’s answer was to surround his loneliness.

To drive home his point, the singing friar told the story of the starfish. A girl was picking up a starfish on the beach and throwing it back to the sea. She did it repeatedly. An old man was watching her and asked what she was doing. She said she was trying to save the creatures from dying. The old man said

there are so many, can she save them all. In reply, she picked up one and threw it back out to sea and said, “No, but I made a difference for that one.”

Friar Toledo was also awarded an appreciation plaque and a commemorative T-Shirt by Ate Mila.

The emcees called on Kuyas Noel Tamase and Lito Martinez to present the assembly’s resolutions based on the proceedings. Reliably, the duo delivered an impressive delineation of PREX’s dreams and aspirations it resulted in a consensual ratification. After which, Kuya Cesar and Ate Gina Zurbano rendered their closing remarks. The couple focused on the fact that an assembly only becomes a success if their parts arrive. One thousand arrivals could not agree more.

Rev. Fr. Rolando Tuazon, Santuario de San Vicente de Paul Parish Priest, gave the closing liturgy. As a homage to Mary, the earth and PREX, the liturgist recalled their ecumenical cleaning of Tandang Sora and Mindanao Avenues, a physical parallel to the current cleansing. He wondered whether we, after hearing all that transpired, thanked God. Which is what PREX is all about, he declared. Because in PREX, whatever we learn, we share with others, which is why PREX replicates. Because it has the essence of the Word being handed down from Jesus to His apostles, the same sense of loving God and neighbor. Mary did this to Elizabeth, making her the star of evangelization. So must we bring Laudato Si to others, making us stardust evangelizers.

Most fittingly, as Fr. Roland bestowed the final blessing, the congregation queued up to offer flowers to the Blessed Virgin Mary while the Sto. Nino de Congreso PREX Music Ministry filled the majestic church with strains of Paglalayag. TP

The Paraclete Official Newsletter published by the Parish Pastoral Council, Parish of the Holy Spirit, BF Homes, Quezon City.

Editor-in-Chief: Abraham de la Torre Contributors: Angeli Francis S. Rivera Aleli Francis S. Rivera Lilia F. Antonio Adviser: Fr. Bobot Clemen

Pilgrimage to the Jubilee Churches

TENTATIVELY, THE DATE was set on May 17. At least 12 members of the Our Lady of the Annunciation Praesidium of the Legion of Mary based in the Holy Spirit Parish, BF Homes, Q.C. signified their desire to join the pilgrimage to the Jubilee churches. The plan was broached by Sis Gelly Fernandez, who embarked on it with her family but did not complete it, so would like to finish the journey with her fellow legionaries.

The day arrived. Out of the 12 pilgrims, the number was trimmed down to 7 for different personal reasons. Sis Gelly herself was not feeling very well but would have forced herself to brave the trip had not her husband expressed concern that she was catching her breath and he would rather have her with him than worry about her. Sis Amy, whose generosity is legendary, was willing to shelve the activity if the others were not inclined to travel but, at the last minute, the uncertainties of the journeyers were firmed up into a resolve to do it. For one, the Grandia would be roomier with the number of passengers considerably lessened.

En route to the Manila Cathedral, the first logical stop, we discussed our itinerary. There were five churches to visit. From the cathedral, we planned to make Pasay next, then Makati, then Mandaluyong and finally San Juan. That way, we all agreed, we won’t make uneccesary detours and - we hoped shorten our travel time so as to avoid the rush-hour traffic on the way back. The plan proved feasible.

It wasn’t hard to wend our way into the cathedral.

A popular landmark in historic Intramuros, the magnificent Mother Church of the Philippines expected a heavy influx of pilgrims from all over Metro Manila. It was evident in the strategicallyplaced arrows and signages from the Holy Jubilee Door to the other designated stations where the pilgrim is conducted to invariably cross the door, embrace God’s mercy and dedicate himself to being merciful with others as the Father has been with him. All these are based on the guidelines in the granting of indulgence during the Jubilee of Mercy, which are enumerated in the passport.

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The Paraclete

I signed for all our passports and we were off.

We only needed one modification on the passport’s itinerary, that is, make its recommended last stop, Our Lady of Sorrows Parish in Pasay, our second, and its second, third and fourth stops, the National Shrine of the Sacred Heart in Makati, the Archdiocesan Shrine of the Divine Mercy in Mandaluyong and the Santuario de Santo Cristo in San Juan our third, fourth and last legs, in accordance with the feasible plan we mapped out in the van.

We did the following in the cathedral: upon entering the Holy Jubilee Door, recite the Year of Mercy prayer in front of the Jubilee Cross (containing a relic of the True Cross of Christ); pray to the bronze image of St. Peter the Apostle for the intentions of Pope Francis; offer prayers and Masses in the Blessed Souls Chapel for our dearly departed; spend some silent moments of adoration and meditation in the St. Peter Adoration Chapel; pray in the cathedral crypt for the eternal repose of the four former Archbishops of Manila; renew in the Baptistry our baptismal promises; donate in the St. Joseph Chapel to the homeless; pray in front of the main altar to Mary the Immaculate Conception; and, finally, go back to the office to have our passports stamped.

The two things that we we were not able to do, because they were not in the schedule of the cathedral (and the other churches), were confess and pray the Mass.

The other churches had other activities for the pilgrims.

The Our Lady of Sorrows Parish asked us to pray the rosary, donate to the prison apostolate and give food to street children and the homeless. These last two we were able to fulfill at our last stop in San Juan, where we gave our lunch doggie bag (Sis Amy hastened to squeeze in cash) to a young scavenger and an ample portion of our snacks to a street mother and child.

At the National Shrine of the Sacred Heart, we prayed Pope John Paul’s daily offering, prayed to the Crucified Christ for plenary indulgence

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and offered it to one soul in purgatory, visited the adoration chapel for a few moments of thanksgiving, dropped our petitions and donations in separate boxes and had our passports stamped.

Sis Irene left her passport in Pasay City. Seeing that she was unperturbed, we ribbed her about it, which she took in pleasant stride. Sis Amy suggested she tell the passport lady about it and ask if it were possible to ask for a replacement; the lady said she’ll look into it. Later, she was told to issue an affidavit of loss, I witnessed to it, and she was given a brand new passport. From the joyful banter in the van, to losing her document, to getting a replacement therefor, our collective high would not ebb. We nurtured it while breaking for lunch at Gerry’s Grill.

In Mandaluyong, we were on time for the three o’clock prayer which was led by two ladies. We prayed it in front of the main altar where a huge painting of the Divine Mercy looked down on us. We prayed to the Reliquary of St. Faustina for the salvation of sinners and to the Crucified Christ for those who suffer in mind and body. From there, we went down to the Columbary to pray for the dead and dropped our donations for the sick. Then back to the office for passport stamping.

Erected in 1942, the Santuario in San Juan is an old structure of labyrinthine history. At the Holy Door, we prayed for the Pope’s intentions and the devotion to the Santo Cristo. Then we proceeded to the cemetery to lift up the faithful departed. While we were waiting for our certificates, Sis Amy again broached an idea.

That Sis Irene ask the office if it were possible for her, by virtue of the replacement passport, to get a certificate like her fellow pilgrims. God must have been journeying with us all the way. There was no need for an affidavit or sad recounting of the loss.

She was issued, like all of us, a certificate signed by no less than Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle.

That final stage of our common pilgrimage put a jubilant lid on our encounter with our God of

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mercy. Sis Irene was beside herself with joy as we commiserated the mild sacrifice that she must have suffered by an almost loss, foiled as it were by her unflinching faith that if it is for you, God will give it.

We celebrated the euphoria - fittingly - over glasses of Razon’s halu-halo and endless

June 2016 Issue

recollection of how spiritually fruitful and uplifting the journey has been. The accompanying pictures paint more than Michaelangelo’s dream.

The Pilgrimage, started on December 8 last year, will run until November 20 this year. (Ham De la Torre) TP

San Juan Bautista: Tulay sa Luma at Bagong Tipan

TUWING IKA-24 NG Hunyo ipinagdiriwang ang kaarawan ni San Juan Bautista. Siya ang tanging santo, maliban kina Hesus at Birheng Maria, na ipinagdiriwang ng Simbahan ang mismong petsa ng kaarawan dahil silang tatlo lamang ang nabuhay sa lupa nang walang kasalanang orihinal.

Sino si San Juan Bautista? Ano ang kanyang pangunahing misyon sa buhay? Bakit isa siyang angkop na modelo sa pagtupad sa ating buhay-Kristiyano? Anu-ano ang mahahalagang aral na iniwan niya para sa atin na angkop hanggang sa kasalukuyang panahon?

Anak si San Juan nina Zacarias at Elisabet, mag-asawang tapat sa Diyos bagamat matatanda na at baog. Minsan, habang naglilingkod si Zakarias sa templo bilang saserdote, ibinalita ng Anghel Gabriel sa kanya na siya ay magkakaroon ng anak na lalaking tatawaging “Juan”.

Sa paglaki, hindi ito iinom ng alak, mapupuspos ng Espiritu Santo at ipaghahanda niya ng isang bayan ang Panginoon. (Lucas 1:11-18) At ito na nga ang naganap. Mula sa ilang ng Judea, nangaral si Juan. Sinabi niya, “Pagsisihan ninyo’t talikdan ang inyong mga kasalanan, sapagkat malapit nang maghari ang Diyos.” (Mateo 3: 1-3) Lubhang payak ang kanyang pamumuhay. Hinabing balahibo ng kamelyo ang kanyang damit at ang pagkain niya’y balang at pulot-pukyutan lamang. Bunga nito, nadama ng mga tao ang kanyang katapatan at nakinig at sumunod sa kanya ang mga taga-Jerusalem at -Judea. Ipinahayag nila at pinagsisihan ang kanilang mga kasalanan at bininyagan sila ni San

Juan sa ilog Jordan.

(Mateo 3:4-6) At nang dumating si Jesus para magpabinyag sa kanya, natupad ang pinakapangunahing misyon sa buhay ni San Juan: ang hawanin ang landas ng Panginoon at ituro ang Anak ng Diyos na bumaba sa lupa para magalis sa kasalanan ng sanlibutan. Ayon nga sa kanya, “Ang dumarating na kasunod ko ang magbabautismo sa inyo sa Espiritu Santo at apoy. Siya’y makapangyarihan kaysa sa akin, hindi ako karapat-dapat kahit tagadala ng Kanyang panyapak.” (Mateo 3:11) Sa mga pahayag at paraan ng pamumuhay ni San Juan, masasalamin natin ang kadakilaan ng kanyang pagkatao. Una, lubos ang kanyang kababaang-loob. Si Hesus ang tanging mahalaga sa kanya at ang sabi nga niya - “kinakaila-ngang Siya ay maging dakila at ako nama‘y mababa.”(Juan 3:30) Sa paglalagom, paano maiaangkop sa kasalukuyan ang mga pinaninindigan ni San Juan? Sa gitna ng matinding pagdurusang dinaranas ng mga mahihirap: gutom; kawalan ng maayos na tirahan; kawalan ng perang pantustos sa mga pangunahing pangangailangan; at iba pa, nawa’y matutuhan din nating mamuhay nang payak at magbahagi sa ibang nangangailangan. Gayundin, mahalagang isaisip na bagamat may mga bagay na sangayon man sa batas (gaya ng diborsyo at aborsyon) ay hindi naman ito katanggap-tanggap sa ating pamumuhay bilang Kristiyano. At higit sa lahat, gaya ni San Juan, may tungkulin din tayong maging tagapagbandila ng ating Diyos at masalamin sa ating buhay si Hesus na Siyang daan, katotohanan at buhay. (Lilia F. Antonio) TP

June 2016 Issue

The Paraclete

Sacred Heart of Jesus

“Look at this heart which has loved people so much, and yet they do not want to love Me in return. Through you, My divine heart wishes to spread its love everywhere on earth.”

- Jesus’ words to Margaret Mary in 1675

CHRIST HAD CHOSEN visionary Margaret Mary Alacoque - whom He had called the Beloved Disciple of the Sacred Heart- to be revealed of the desires and of the devotion that would propagate the treasures from honoring His heart. Margaret Mary consulted Jesuit priest Claude de la Colombiére who, after declaring the visions as genuine, consecrated himself to the Sacred Heart, and directed the Religious of the Visitation to write the accounts of the apparitions. The mission of propagating the devotion was also entrusted to the priests of the Society of Jesus. After Clement XIII officially approved the devotion in 1765, an array of religious men and women consecrated themselves to the Sacred Heart. It was in 1899 that Leo XIII solemnly consecrated all mankind to the Sacred Heart.

The requests of Christ as noted by Margaret Mary were as follows: 1) to honor the figure of the heart of flesh (crowned with thorns); 2) to receive communion frequently and most especially on the first Friday of the month; and 3) to observe the Holy Hour.

With these, he made the following twelve promises to those who will honor the requests: 1. I will give them all the graces necessary in their state of life.

2. I will establish peace in their homes.

3. I will comfort them in all their afflictions.

4. I will be their secure refuge during life and, above all, in death.

5. I will bestow abundant blessings upon all their undertakings.

6. Sinners will find in my heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.

7. Lukewarm souls shall become fervent.

8. Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection.

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9. I will bless every place in which an image of My heart is exposed and honored.

10. I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.

11. Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in my heart.

12. I promise you in the excessive mercy of My heart that My all-powerful love will grant to all those who receive Holy Communion on the First Fridays in nine consecutive months the grace of final perseverance; they shall not die in My disgrace, nor without receiving their sacraments.

My divine heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.

Devotion to the Sacred Heart in the Philippines was immense before, during and after the World War II. Hymns were dedicated such as Manuel Bernabe’s No Mas Amor Que El Tuyo, which was used to consecrate all Filipino families during the National Conference on the Holy Eucharist in 1937. Scapulars, medals and statues carrying the image became popular then. These days, the beautiful tradition had sadly waned. But the abundant graces of God remind us that there’s still hope. To this, the role of the Filipino family must be strengthened to carry on with the legacy of Christ’s selflessness and pure love for our eternal salvation. (Angeli Francis S. Rivera) TP

Members of the Apostleship of Prayer (AP) are devotees of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Moss Viado, right, is installed as AP President along with Nerisa Garduño (left) and Elisa Quiambao as members

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June 2016 Issue

Devotion to Mary, Devotion to Jesus

FILIPINOS DEVOTED THEMSELVES to the Immaculate Heart of Mary due to her compassion, love and virtues owning that these traits embodied by the Blessed Mother have a special connection to Filipinos as a “mother-loving” race. The Blessed Mother has shown her love to Jesus throughout His years from conception to the last day, and to the salvation of human race when she was present at the foot of His cross. “Son, behold your mother, mother behold your son.” The words represent Mary giving her love and obedience for the redemption of mankind.

The Immaculate Heart of Mary is popularized with an image that wears a heart pierced with seven wounds or swords (Simeon’s prophecy) depicting her seven sorrows. The symbol of the heart is also occasionally entwined with roses. Devotion to Mary has been hand-in-hand with the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus evident in the two images popularized together and joined by famous Catholic saints and popes in our history. Jesus’ divine heart depicts His love for the human race while Mary’s heart goes to her love of God and Jesus and her role to unify the nation for God. It truly is with Mary that we imitate her virtues as we prepare ourselves for the Kingdom of Heaven. The alliance of the Sacred Heart and Immaculate Heart of Mary was initiated during the 17th century by St. John Eudes, expounded further in the 18th-19th century by St. Louis Marie de Monfort who pioneered Catholic Mariology through his writings and St. Catherine Laboure’s Miraculous Medal. The devotions extended to the 20th Century during the apparition of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal on July 13, 1917, where she reminded the three children of the devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the consecration of Russia to her Immaculate Heart. In 2013, Pope Francis consecrated the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary as part of Marian Day celebration involving the iconic statue of Our Lady of Fatima.

The popes were also known for their devotion to the Blessed Mother. Pope Pius the XII established the feast day of the Immaculate Heart of Mary on August 22, 1944. In 1969, Pope Paul the VI also celebrated the feast day in August 22 in connection with the

feast of Our Lady of the Assumption. The popes have supported the union of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary evidenced by encyclicals Haurietis Aquas in 1956 by Pope Pius XII and Redemptor Hominis in 1979 by Pope John Paul II. The human heart of Mary is a living epitome of her life as a mother, her compassion to mankind, her happiness, her sorrow and her virtues which we should embody, and her love for God and Jesus. It is always analogous to the devotion to the heart of Jesus and simply means love above all things. (Angeli Francis S. Rivera) TP

Fr. Bobot celebrated his 31st Sacerdotal Anniversary on May 16, 2016 with a simple party hosted by the PPC and attended by the parishioners