New Notes Feb 2013 by Mel Libre

NEW NOTES TawagAwit Newsletter

February 2013

PIT SENOR FOR THE STO NINO The Feast of the Sto Nino de Cebu is an important date in the calendar of TawagAwit, and in 2013 it meant singing in one of the Novena masses and participating in the Sinulog Festival. On January 17, TawagAwit led in the singing of all the songs in the 7th day of the Novena Mass offered for Filipino Professionals in the Service Industry, in Good Shepherd Parish, Balmoral. The mass was sponsored by the Katilingbang Bisaya sa New Zealand (KBNZ), Legion of Mary-North Shore, and friends from South Auckland, Ellerslie, Panmure and Mt Wellington. TawagAwit sang two songs in Bisaya, “Kay Kita Usa Ra” and “Amahan Namo”, other than the traditional Gozos. Chichi Abadingo, mass coordinator, was elated by the number of people who gave offerings and gifts. During the Sinulog Festival on January 20 in the North Shore Event Centre, TawagAwit members joined in the mass officiated by Auckland Bishop Patrick Dunn concelebrated with other Filipino priests.

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 PLACE HERE, formation of a PHOTO chapter in a parish. The Ministry will provide all the assistance OTHERWISE DELETE BOX within its means to help in the vital task.

In the cultural presentations, TawagAwit members from Glen Eden and Albany chapters joined KBNZ and friends in a Flash Mob of Bamboo Swing, a song composed and performed by Bro Mel B Libre. Ado Flores, chairman of the cultural presentations, even joined the flash mob that delighted many spectators. (see photo below) During the celebration, Bro Jerry Matiga and Sis Ching Mandawe actively campaigned for signatures to the 13th Month Pay in New Zealand petition initiated by TawagAwit. In Taupo, TawagAwit members organized a Mass and Sinulog presentation on January 20 at St Patrick’s Parish. A short procession was held around the church, and presentations and socials followed after the mass. The theme of the celebration in Auckland was “Blessed are the Peacemakers – Faith and Action through Peacemaking.”

NEW NOTES Page 2

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

BLOTFREE by Bro Mel B Libre PLACE PHOTO HERE,

“There was so much smoke and fire, it was complete panic, and it took a long time for people to get out, there were so many dead," narrated Luana Santos Silva to Globo TV network. The survivor was responding to a question about the blaze in a nightclub that killed 233 people and injured about 117 in Santa Maria, Brazil on January 27, 2013. What was supposed to be a night of fun for nearly 1,500 people in Kiss nightclub turned into a horrific inferno of suffering. One report said, “There was no fire alarm. There were no sprinklers or fire escapes. And when a band member tried to put out a fire that had been started by pyrotechnics, the extinguisher didn't work.” Many who have lost their loved ones in the tragedy are seeking not just for answers on whom to blame, but also on the question, “Why?” Author C.S. Lewis in his book “The Problem of Pain”, wrote, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain; it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” Why? In Job, it is inscribed, Man, born of woman, lives but a few days, and full of trouble. (Job14:1) Jeff Miller in his study provides: “Reasons vary as to why God allows tragedy: At times he uses it to punish individuals or nations for their sins; other times to discipline or train up the whole individual; other times to build specific character qualities into an individual or people; other times to prepare an individual to subsequently minister to others undergoing similar tragedies. But the lowest common denominator—what God always has as His reason—is that humankind should turn our eyes toward Him.” To those who perished in the fire, we pray for their souls to return to God’s loving care. To those who suffer in the loss of their loved ones, we pray for God to give them strength in this moment of adversity.

NEW NOTES Page 3

PLACE PHOTO HERE, OTHERWISE DELETE BOX

VATICAN NOTES: Pope’s Intentions: February 2013. General: That migrant families, especially the mothers, may be supported and accompanied in their difficulties. Missionary: That the peoples at war and in conflict may lead the way in building a peaceful future…When the Christian creed refers to God as "father," it is affirming a trust that the God who created the universe loves each individual and will never abandon anyone, Pope Benedict XVI said. "It isn't always easy" to explain to people what it means to believe in God the father, especially when today's fathers and their children experience such difficulty communicating with each other, the pope said Jan. 30 at his weekly general audience. "For those who have had the experience of a father who is too authoritarian or inflexible, or indifferent and not affectionate, or particularly if he is absent, it is not easy to think of God as father and let oneself trust him," Pope Benedict said…Christians must work together to offer the faith they share to a world that seems to find it more and more difficult to believe, Pope Benedict XVI told Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican and Protestant leaders. "Unity is in itself a privileged means -- almost a requirement -- for proclaiming the faith in an increasingly credible way to those who do not yet know the Savior or who, having received the proclamation of the Gospel, have almost forgotten this precious gift," Pope Benedict said Jan. 25. Presiding over an evening prayer service at the end of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, the pope said that, even as divided Christians continue their theological dialogues in the search for full unity, "It is necessary to pursue concrete collaboration among the disciples of Christ on behalf of the cause of transmitting the faith to the modern world… Social media need to promote more logic, kindness and Christian witness than bluster, star-status and division, Pope Benedict XVI said. Given that the online world exposes people to a wider range of opinions and beliefs, people need to accept the existence of these other cultures, "be enriched by it" and offer others what "they possess that is good, true and beautiful," the pope said. Christians are called to bring truth and values to the whole world -- online and off -- remembering that it's ultimately the power of God's word that touches hearts, not sheer human effort, he said in his message for World Communications Day. The theme of the 2013 celebration -- marked in most dioceses the Sunday before Pentecost, this year May 12 -- is "Social Networks: Portals of Truth and Faith; New Spaces for Evangelization." The papal message was released on the feast of St. Francis de Sales, patron of journalists, Jan. 24…To believe in God means allowing his commandments to guide the concrete choices one makes every day, even when the values reflected in the choices are countercultural, Pope Benedict XVI said. "To believe in God makes us bearers of values that often do not coincide" with those of popular culture and which give believers criteria for judgment that nonbelievers may not share, the pope said Jan. 23 at his weekly general audience. "A Christian must not be afraid to go against the current in order to live his faith, resisting the temptation of conformity," he said. (Catholic News Service)

NEW NOTES Page 4 So Laff :-) A heartbreak is sometimes more fatal than a heart attack. 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 Mary’s 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: Sinulog in St Patrick’s Taupo on January 20, 2013. .

TAWAGAWIT

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