New Notes April 2013 by Mel Libre

NEW NOTES TawagAwit Newsletter z

April 2013

GOOD FRIDAY IN AUCKLAND Upon the invitation of the Auckland Catholic Tertiary Chaplaincy (ACTC), members of TawagAwit participated in the Auckland Stations of the Cross procession held on Good Friday, 29 March 2013 along the streets of the Auckland City. The TawagAwit delegation formed part of the 1,500 brethren who stopped and prayed in the 14 stations starting from Albert Park to St Patrick’s Cathedral. Some TawagAwit members volunteered as traffic marshals ensuring that the procession was safe and orderly. The biggest delegation came from the Blessed John Paul II Community Centre-Albany, while chapters from Our Lady of Lourdes, Glen Eden, St Thomas More Glenfield and St Mark’s Pakuranga were represented. Auckland Bishop Patrick Dunn opened the activity with a brief message at the assembly area in Albert Park. Fr Bernie led the procession as volunteers carried the cross, while brethren acted the part of Jesus.

We Need You TawagAwit invites you to help in spreading God’s Word through music and other acts of love. You can be a: (1) member; (2) supporter or (3) organizer A member is one who can attend to the regular activities of the Ministry. The minimum participation are: attendance during practice sessions of songs, usually once a week or once every two weeks AND singing with the group during the assigned mass usually once a month or once every two months. A supporter is one who can donate services or resources to the Ministry. There are special events that TawagAwit organizes and the events need finances or helping hands. An organizer is one who initiates the formation of a PHOTO chapter in a parish. The PLACE HERE, Ministry will provide all the assistance within OTHERWISE its means to help in theDELETE vital task. BOX

After the crucifixion, “Jesus” was wrapped and carried inside the church and placed in front of the altar. The cathedral was full of people who kept silent and prayed. Members of the different chapters mostly participated in the Stations of the Cross in their respective parishes; while others opted to join the early morning Way of the Cross in Mt Roskill. On Easter Sunday, TawagAwit in Our Lady of Lourdes Glen Eden offered to sing during the 9:00am mass though they had already sang on the third Sunday of March. Fr Mario, parish priest, just prior to the mass asked them to add one more song to be sang as he baptized churchgoers with water. With accompanist Bro Adolf, the group rendered “The Power of Your Love”.

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Our Vision: Harmony in the World

Our Mission: To spread God’s Word through music and other acts of love.

Our Values: Godliness We believe in God and live His Word. Offering We share our talents, time and resources for God’s greater glory. Devotion We commit ourselves to the mission of the Ministry. Love We love God with all of our heart will all our soul, with all our minds and with all our strength. Originality We promote artistry and creativity to express our faith. Victory over Sin We fight Satan in each and every moment of our lives. Evangelization We bring the Light of God to those who are in the dark. Sustainability We contribute and manage our resources effectively. Unity We are one with the Lord, one with the Church, one with the community, and one with the Ministry.

For more information about TawagAwit, please contact Bro Mel Libre sl at librelaw@yahoo.com

ONE Jesuit said that Pope Francis “was not in the short list, long list or any kind of list.” Those words spoke a lot, as there was a time when Jesuits were banished in 1773 from its missions not due to theological grounds, but on political and economic reasons when Spain, Portugal and France were ruled by monarchs. The Jesuits had become too powerful that the monarchs (and some Vatican insiders) felt threatened. Today the leader of the Catholic Church is a Jesuit. I spent the first quarter of my life as a parishioner of a Jesuit-administered parish, the Sacred Heart Parish along D. Jakosalem St. But all those years, I thought the priests, all foreign, were detached and unapproachable. True that they delivered sermons that may have molded my young mind but they seemed distant to me. It was not helpful for one coming from public schools as there was that general perception among students in public schools that the Jesuit-run school, Sacred Heart School for Boys was an institution for the elite and the rich. I observed this as a boy scout during parades and jamborees where SHS Boy Scouts carried an air of confidence and arrogance. But I must say though that a number of SHS alumni that I’ve encountered have shown their care for the community especially the vulnerable in society through charitable institutions and private foundations. A humble and selfless Cebuano Jesuit who served as parish priest of Sacred Heart Parish once provided me with spiritual guidance in a year-long program. The Jesuits do attract the wealthy and the elite to their schools as parents only want their children to get the best education that the Jesuits are good at. In a way, the Jesuits are able to provide moral and spiritual grounding for the children of the wealthy and elite. Sadly, the few alumni who lack the values of humility and charity put the Jesuits in bad light. First impressions are lasting, and what the world saw of the Jesuit Pope Francis was humility. In his first address he said, “Now I would like to impart the blessing, but first, first I ask a favor of you. Before the bishop blesses the people, I ask that you pray to the Lord that He bless me: the prayer of the people asking a blessing for their bishop. Let us pray in silence, this your prayer for me.” It is so written, “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” (James 5:16) Let us pray for Pope Francis as he leads us in God’s pastures. (Bro Mel)

NEW NOTES The First Easter Message of Pope Francis:

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Dear brothers and sisters in Rome and throughout the world, Happy Easter! Happy Easter! What a joy it is for me to announce this message: Christ is risen! I would like it to go out to every house and every family, especially where the suffering is greatest, in hospitals, in prisons. Most of all, I would like it to enter every heart, for it is there that God wants to sow this Good News: Jesus is risen, there is hope for you, you are no longer in the power of sin, of evil! Love has triumphed, mercy has been victorious! The mercy of God always triumphs! We too, like the women who were Jesus' disciples, who went to the tomb and found it empty, may wonder what this event means (cf. Lk 24:4). What does it mean that Jesus is risen? It means that the love of God is stronger than evil and death itself; it means that the love of God can transform our lives and let those desert places in our hearts bloom. The love God can do this!

PLACE PHOTO HERE, OTHERWISE DELETE BOX

This same love for which the Son of God became man and followed the way of humility and self-giving to the very end, down to hell - to the abyss of separation from God - this same merciful love has flooded with light the dead body of Jesus, has transfigured it, has made it pass into eternal life. Jesus did not return to his former life, to earthly life, but entered into the glorious life of God and he entered there with our humanity, opening us to a future of hope. This is what Easter is: it is the exodus, the passage of human beings from slavery to sin and evil to the freedom of love and goodness. Because God is life, life alone, and we are his glory: the living man (cf. Irenaeus, Adversus Haereses, 4,20,5-7). Dear brothers and sisters, Christ died and rose once for all, and for everyone, but the power of the Resurrection, this passover from slavery to evil to the freedom of goodness, must be accomplished in every age, in our concrete existence, in our everyday lives. How many deserts, even today, do human beings need to cross! Above all, the desert within, when we have no love for God or neighbour, when we fail to realize that we are guardians of all that the Creator has given us and continues to give us. God's mercy can make even the driest land become a garden, can restore life to dry bones (cf. Ez 37:114). So this is the invitation which I address to everyone: Let us accept the gracee of Christ's Resurrection! Let us be renewed by God's mercy, let us be loved by Jesus, let us enable the power of his love to transform our lives too; and let us become agents of this mercy, channels through which God can water the earth, protect all creation and make justice and peace flourish. And so we ask the risen Jesus, who turns death into life, to change hatred into love, vengeance into forgiveness, war into peace. Yes, Christ is our peace, and through him we implore peace for all the world. Dear brothers and sisters, to all of you who are listening to me, from Rome and from all over of the world, I address the invitation of the Psalm: "Give thanks to the Lord for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever. Let Israel say: 'His steadfast love endures forever'" (Ps 117:1-2). To all of you I affectionately say again: may the risen Christ guide all of you and the whole of humanity on the paths of justice, love and peace.

NEW NOTES Page 4 So Laff :-) “When you are young, enjoy your childhood; when you become a parent, enjoy your children.”

Invitation: +TawagAwit invites everyone to join the ministry: (1) St Mary’s Church, Northcote (2) St Thomas More Church, Glenfield (3) Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Glen Eden (4) St Mark’s Church, Pakuranga (5) St Patrick’s Church, Taupo (6) Blessed John Paul II Mass Centre, Albany (7) Mount Saint Mary Church Titirangi +Should you be in another area in New Zealand or other parts of the world, TawagAwit will help organize a chapter. Existing music groups or choirs can also affiliate as a chapter. Email: librelaw@yahoo.com Photo at right: Congratulations to Bro Peter and Sis Jamelle Gayaman for the second baby girl in their family.

TAWAGAWIT

PLACE LOGO OR http://www.tawagawit.host56.com PHOT O HERE email: tawagawit@gmail.com