NEW NOTES January 2012 by Mel Libre

NEW NOTES TawagAwit Newsletter z

January 2012

Accomplishments in 2011 Challenges in 2012 In his message to members on December 30, Bro Mel B Libre, Lead Servant, thanked everyone for their support to the activities of TawagAwit in the chapters and in the ministry. The message that also served as yearend report cited the accomplishments in 2011 including the formation of the Blessed John Paul II Mass Centre, Albany and the joint activities such as Food & Music FEAST and OG: Open Gathering (see photo below), the fundraising for deserving youths through GigAlive, the pursuit of the Alay Laya Parish Reach Out by singing in other parishes.

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 chapter in a parish. The Ministry will provide all the assistance within its means to help in the vital task.

He also made mention of the Sow&Harvest backyard gardening programme that gave out 100 seedlings courtesy of Romy Loay and the donation to the victims of typhoon Sendong in the Auckland Pinoy Fund Drive that raised as at 29/12/2011, $2375.85. For 2012, he asked the members to participate in the ministry’s joint projects such as FEAST (May 27), OG (Dec 23) and GigAlive to raise funds for our major projects and to build confidence among our talents. He hoped that the TawagAwit SONGBOOK will be complete during the year. He asked members to look for opportunities of organize other chapters anywhere in New Zealand and in the world. He concluded his message with an appeal that “as we continue to pursue our lives through our work, our family and other temporal activities, let us find time to pray to the Lord for ourselves and for those who need healing, let us find time to render service to the Lord through our singing.”

(photo by Peter Gayaman)

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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

Blessed John Paul II Chapter offer their songs during the Christmas Mass on Dec 24 officiated by Fr Sam Pulanco. (photo courtesy of Nida Gray)

Quick Notes On December 18, OG: Open Gathering 2011 was able to attain its objectives of “sharing, caring and giving” to new migrants. Donors generously gave gifts and brought food, artists heartily gave outstanding performances and volunteers rendered service to create a professionally staged program. The gifts were more than enough for the new migrants; the songs were interpreted superbly, while the dances excellently executed. Emceed by Bro Mel B Libre, the program kicked off with the prayer led by Fr Sam Pulanco followed by the welcome remarks of Blessed John Paul II Mass Centre coordinator Nida Gray. The entertainment numbers had the dance crew JAC, power-pop girls KIS, smooth band OBG!, acoustic artist Cecille Muhal and award-winning choreographer Jam Parado. While the children had “The Ship is Sinking” game, gentlemen competed for the “Sing Like Jose Ma Chan” competition won by Alfred Belleza. The highlights of the program were the gift-giving to the new migrants by the santas – Bro Sendo/Sis Claudia Menchavez and Sis Ching Mandawe, in fitting red attires; and the offering of the birthday cake to the child Jesus as the T-Kids of St Mark’s Pakuranga sang the original Christmas song, “Happy Birthday Jesus”. All of the new migrants were grateful to the organizers for the efforts to make them “at home and special”. Not only were they given at least two wrapped gifts, they also had lots of toys and bagful of clothes donated by kind-hearted santas. The program closed with the traditional group picture-taking to capture the God’s moment…Three chapters (St Patrick’s Taupo, Our Lady of Lourdes Glen Eden and Blessed John Paul II Albany) sang during the Christmas Mass in their respective parishes. Kudos to all the members who gifted the Child Jesus with songs…TawagAwit-Blessed John Paul II joined the parish community in a caroling effort to bring joy to homes of families and to raise funds to purchase sound equipment for the mass centre…Two chapters (St Thomas More Glenfield and Our Lady of Lourdes Glen Eden) will served as choirs in the Novena Masses of the Sto Nino de Cebu on 7 and 12 January respectively. The Sinulog festival happens on January 15 in the North Shore Event Centre.

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Vatican Notes: Papal Intentions January 2012. General: That the victims of natural disasters may receive the spiritual and material comfort they need to rebuild their lives. Mission: That the dedication of Christians to peace may bear witness to the name of Christ before all men and women of good will .... God sent his

GigAlive ELEANOR ADVIENTO Plus Mia Go, T-Kids, Yes Way Jose, and John Fabian 27 November, 2011 @ 2pm St Mary’s Social Hall, Onewa Road, Auckland

STUDENTS ARE INVITED TO ATTEND

son into the world to save it from evil, pride and violence, Pope Benedict XVI said in his Christmas message "urbi et orbi" (to the city and the world). "The child whom we contemplate is our salvation! He has brought to the world a universal message of reconciliation and peace," the pope said Dec. 25 as he stood on the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica and gave his solemn Christmas blessing. In his Christmas message, like in his homily at Mass the night before, Pope Benedict spoke about God's desire to save humanity and his decision to do that by being born in Bethlehem, living among people, dying for them and rising from the dead. "Come to save us! This is the cry raised by men and women in every age, who sense that by themselves they cannot prevail over difficulties and dangers," the pope said. Jesus "is the hand God extends to humanity to draw us out of the mire of sin and to set us firmly on rock, the secure rock of his truth and love." Pope Benedict said most of the world's problems are caused by human sin, "the evil of separation from God, the prideful presumption of being selfsufficient, of trying to compete with God and to take his place, to decide what is good and evil, to be the master of life and death"… An interfaith meeting in Assisi, a new book on Jesus of Nazareth and a website-launching tap on an iPad were among the highlights of 2011 for Pope Benedict XVI. Although the year saw a further cutback in individual papal audiences, the 84-year-old pope still enjoyed a productive and busy 12 months, meeting privately with nearly 400 church or civil leaders, addressing more than 180 groups and presiding over about 40 public liturgies. He traveled to Croatia, Spain, Germany and Benin, delivering 60 speeches on the road. In weekly talks at the Vatican, attended by nearly half a million people, he gave a series of reflections on the great teachers of the church and on prayer -- a continuation of the "back to basics" approach that has marked his…Knowing one is loved by God gives life meaning and gives one the energy needed to carry on with joy, even in difficult personal or societal situations, Pope Benedict XVI told top Vatican officials. Meeting members of the Roman Curia Dec. 22 for his annual exchange of Christmas greetings, the pope said the "faith fatigue" seen in various areas of church life contrasts sharply with the faith and joy he witnessed during World Youth Day in Madrid and during his November trip to Benin. The two trips, he said, hold lessons for church leaders and for the faithful. In what usually amounts to a review of the past year, Pope Benedict's speech to the Curia included acknowledgment of the global financial crisis, particularly in Europe, as well as of the dwindling number of practicing Catholics and the priest shortage on the continent. (All items taken from Catholic News Service)

NEW NOT ES Page 4 So Laff :-) “Don’t start the New Year with fire crackers, you earn nothing out of it, and you may be at a loss…of a finger.” 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) Good Shepherd Church Balmoral +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: Cake for Jesus presented by the children during OG: Open Gathering 2011. (photo by Peter Gayaman)

TAWAGAWIT http://www.tawagawit.host56.com email: tawagawit@gmail.com