NEW NOTES TawagAwit Newsletter z
July 2013
CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF GINA Gina Galvez Batuto one of the dedicated members of TawagAwit in St Patrick’s Taupo died peacefully after a lingering illness on June 17, surrounded by loved ones and friends. She left behind husband Enrique (Bro Ricky) and son Erick. Earlier on June 9, she and Bro Ricky had their nuptial officiated by Fr Leonard Danvers, parish priest. The activity also served as the 46th birthday celebration for Gina. She was in high spirits as family, friends and acquaintances attended the event. Everyone was deeply touched when Gina spoke. She thanked everyone whose lives she touched, and those who cared and loved her especially during the most difficult phase of her life.
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
When Gina settled in New Zealand, she worked as a caregiver to elderly individuals. Dedicated in her vocation, she was well liked by patients and co-workers. Despite the demands of work, she was committed to her faith, serving in the parish, and sharing her talent as a member of TawagAwit. According to Bro Ricky, “Gina was dearly loved by family and friends, she gave importance to her family; is a woman full of inspiration. She left a sad gap in our lives, our memories and moments together will always be in our hearts.” For the first time, St Patrick’s permitted the wake for two days inside the church and on June 20, the Requiem Mass was attended not just by Filipinos but other ethnicities as well. TawagAwit sang the hymns during the mass. Ladine Chua and Danica Buerano rendered beautiful songs dedicated to Gina. Bro Ricky sent this message, “There are simply no words to express my heartfelt thanks to you all for attending Gina’s vigil mass and funeral service. Your sympathy and thoughtfulness have been a tremendous blessing to us in honoring Gina and capturing her spirit with such wholehearted words. Our gratitude to you all is unending.” As we pray for the repose of the soul of Gina, we also call on our fellow TawagAwit members to offer their prayers for the eternal rest of Serina Rodriguez, who died on June 23. She is the mother of Ching Mandawe, one of our active members in Our Lady of Lourdes – Glen Eden chapter.
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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
Immortality by Bro Mel B Libre “If we make the right breakthroughs in the next 25 years, then there is a 50:50 chance that people alive today could live to be 1000 years old,” says Dr Audrey de Grey, editor-in-chief of the journal Rejuvenation Research and co-founder of the SENS Foundation. The statement was made by Dr de Grey during the 2009 SENS Conference participated in by 200 scientists who have been described as “the immortalists”. Among other things, they look at body parts like those of machines that can be replaced once these wear out thereby prolonging life, if not attaining immortality. The claim has statistics to support it with more than 300,000 people receiving tissue-engineered parts since 12 years ago when the technique was developed in a laboratory that made a human ear grow on the back of a mouse. There is no argument that science has allowed people to live longer through advance techniques in medicine, better understanding of diseases, knowledge in prevention and modern approaches on wellness. But going into the realm of immortality is but a continuation of the search for the legendary fountain of youth. Richard Faragher, chairman of the British Society for Research on Ageing, is urging caution: “There are many ways that public health can be improved through simple measures such as managing hip fractures more effectively. We should be focusing on these things rather than dreaming about immortality.” The health and wellness industry has grown steadily through the years with health gurus and miracles diets cashing in on promises of longevity and physical youthfulness. Nothing wrong really in seeking longer physical life, but then that is not how God will measure our worthiness in His kingdom. King Solomon wrote that God has planted eternity in the human heart. (Ecclesiastes 3:11) The concern of God is what is in our heart, what is in our soul. Jesus Christ shared: “I have come that they may have life, and they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10) And how can we live life abundantly? The answer: “And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.” (Deuteronomy 6:5) Christ could have lived amongst us in person on earth forever, if He so willed. But He lived for only 33 years to assure us that there is life beyond life, there is life after death. “Jesus told her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying’.” (John 11:25) God the Father sent Jesus to lead us to a blissful life for all eternity, immortality in the truest sense. “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
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PLACE PHOTO HERE, OTHERWISE DELETE BOX
Papal Intentions July 2013: General. That World Youth Day in Brazil may encourage all young Christians to become disciples and missionaries of the Gospel. Mission. That throughout Asia doors may be open to messengers of the Gospel‌ Christianity isn't a school for teaching a superficial form of being nice to everyone, but it's also not a boot camp where everything is rigidity, rules and long faces, Pope Francis said. "The Lord calls us to build our Christian life on him, the rock, the one who gives us freedom, the one who sends us the Spirit, who keeps us going with joy on his path, following his proposals," the pope said June 27 during his morning Mass in the Domus Sanctae Marthae... Don't be fooled by worldly treasures that seduce people but leave them tired, loveless and empty, Pope Francis said. Seek out and gather divine treasures like "love, charity, service, patience, goodness and tenderness," he said June 21 during the homily at morning Mass in the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae, where he lives. In his own version of the common saying, "You can't take it with you" when you die, the pope said, "I've never seen a moving truck following behind a funeral procession. Never." While material possessions will remain here on earth, there are treasures that "we can bring with us" to heaven, he said. However, they are not the things "that you have saved up for yourself, but rather those you have given to others," which is the gift and presence of "Jesus Christ in us," the pope said‌ The goal of politics and economics is to serve all of humanity, starting with the poorest, the most vulnerable and the unborn, Pope Francis told British Prime Minister David Cameron, president of the Group of Eight industrialized nations. "Money and other political and economic means must serve, not rule," the pope said, adding that "in a seemingly paradoxical way, free and disinterested solidarity is the key to the smooth functioning of the global economy." The pope also urged the world leaders, including U.S. President Barack Obama, to help broker an immediate cease-fire in Syria and bring warring sides to the negotiating table. The leaders were holding their annual summit at Lough Erne resort in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, June 17-18. "Peace demands a far-sighted renunciation of certain claims in order to build together a more equitable and just peace," the pope wrote, adding that peace "is an essential prerequisite" for protecting human life and eradicating hunger‌ Getting caught up in worldly things is like being an adulterer, cheating on God and his love, Pope Francis said in a morning homily. The only path that will lead people to God is faithfully putting him before everything else with "nuptial love," the pope said at Mass June 6 in the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae. "Idolatry is subtle, he said, and "all of us have our hidden idols," big and small, getting in the way of one's journey toward God's kingdom. Living as if God weren't the only God means risking the "danger of idolatry, an idolatry that is brought to us with the spirit of the world," he said. Finding the only path that leads to the kingdom of God requires discovering and destroying one's "hidden idols," which can lie tucked away "in our personalities, in the way we live," the pope said. (Catholic News Service)
NEW NOTES Page 4 So Laff :-) “The future belongs to the youth, but let’s not kid about what they do today.”
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: Our message to Sis Ching on the passage of her beloved mother, Serina Rodriguez.
TAWAGAWIT
PLACE LOGO OR http://www.tawagawit.host56.com PHOT O HERE email: tawagawit@gmail.com
Also read:
CORD
http://issuu.com/magazinecord/docs/cord_jan_2013