TawagAwit New Notes April 2010

NEW NOTES TawagAwit Newsletter

April 2010

2010: Back to Basic Servant Leaders of TawagAwit met for their first meeting of the year to discuss the direction that the ministry will pursue in 2010. Bro Mel B Libre, Lead Servant, called the gathering at St Mary’s Northcote with the aim of gaining a consensus among the leaders of the chapters, so members will find activities meaningful in their journey as Christians.

Bro Jerome Ortiz opened the meeting with a prayer that sought for Holy Spirit’s guidance to those in attendance, as they decide on the key activities of the group. Bro Mel furnished attendees with a list of accomplishments of the past year, thanked all of the Servant Leaders (SL) for their contributions.

Caroling: TawagAwit spreading the joy of the Christmas season

We Need You TawagAwit invites you to help in spreading PLACE God’s Word through PHOTO HERE,music and other acts of love.

OTHERWISE DELETE BOX 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.

The SLs engaged in a fruitful exchange of ideas with a collective agreement for a “Back to Basic” program. The leaders agreed that the chapters concentrate on their main task of singing in the parish. The objective is for TawagAwit to improve in its offerings in the assigned masses, which in effect, not only will honor the Lord, but also, entice others to join the group. The chapters are encouraged to do caroling during the Christmas season to spread the joy of the season and to raise funds to support programs. (See photo at left) On the ministry level, the SLs adopted the Food & Music Feast, an event of sharing and learning with a music expert invited to speak on enhancing music performances. For the greater community, TawagAwit will concentrate most of its efforts in Open Gathering 2010 with more involvement of other lay organizations under the auspices of the Auckland Chaplaincy of the Filipino Community.

The attendees included Bro Peter-Sis Jamelle Gayaman and Bro Jerome-Sis Farrah Ortiz (St Thomas More, Glenfield); Bro Cyril-Sis Rose Bas, Bro Bert-Sis Rosana Adviento and Sis Josie Matiga (St Mary’s, Northcote) and Bro Mel-Sis Debbie Libre (Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, Glen Eden) 1-19 Danube Lane, Glen Eden, Waitakere City Auckland, New Zealand P 09 813 1616 F 09 813 1616 www.tawagawit.host56.com

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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 tawagawit@gmail.com

Ph Quick Notes: Fr Bernard Dennehy, parish priest of Our Lady of Lourdes, Glen Eden, accepted the offer of West Auckland parishioners to establish a TawagAwit chapter in the parish. In a meeting on March 25 arranged by Fr Reno Alima, assistant parish priest, Fr Bernard welcomed the participation of the group in the parish, assigning it the 10:30am mass on the third Sunday every other month beginning on May 16, 2010… Members of TawagAwit-Our Lady of Lourdes, Glen Eden chapter, joined the Katilingbang Bisaya sa New Zealand (KBNZ) in a song-dance number during the celebration of Race Relations Day on March 21. The group led by KBNZ president Rosendo Menchavez, sang “Paradista”, a bouncy tune that paid tribute to the calesa driver, to the delight of the multi-ethnic audience. Ferdie Esclamado choreographed the number. MP Pansy Wong, the keynote speaker, called for active participation of migrants in nation building…On March 20, 2010, TawagAwit-St Thomas More, Glenfield chapter wowed everyone with its music offering in the mass, not only obtaining the congratulatory gesture of Fr Francis Benedict but also the applause of the congregation. The next engagements of the group are on May 16 at St Thomas PLACE PHOTO HERE, More and during the Filipino mass on May 30 at Good Shepherd Parish in Balmoral. The chapter also had a sports competition on March 20 with the following winners: Bro Greg (mini golf), Bro Junnes (pro dart) and Bro Noel (fun dart)…The establishment of a TawagAwit South Auckland chapter is currently pursued with a core group practicing songs for the Filipino mass on June 6, 2009 at Good Shepherd Parish, Balmoral. Residents in South Auckland may email: tawagawit@gmail.com to join the group.

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PLACE PHOTO HERE, OTHERWISE DELETE BOX

Papal Address: Pope Benedict XVI (above) WYD: Pope Benedict in Sydney in 2008; Pope John Paul II in the Philippines in 1995 (below)

Vatican Notes: Pope’s Intention for April 2010: General prayer: That every tendency to fundamentalism and extremism may be countered by constant respect, by tolerance and by dialogue among all believers.

Mission: That Christians persecuted for the sake of the Gospel may persevere, sustained by the Holy Spirit, in faith... God's mercy is patient, but we should not let pass by the opportunities he gives us, says Benedict XVI. The Pope made this reflection on March 7 when he celebrated Sunday Mass at one of the parishes of Rome, San Giovanni della Croce in Colle Salario. The Holy Father's homily drew Lenten lessons of conversion from the Gospel reading."During Lent each of us is invited by God to bring about a change in our lives, thinking and living according to the Gospel, correcting something in our way of praying, of acting, of working and in our relations with others," he said.

The Pontiff affirmed that Jesus makes this appeal to us because "he is concerned about our good, our happiness, our salvation. Christ's appeal, he continued, must be answered with "a sincere interior effort, asking him to make us understand those particular things about us that we need to change. (Zenit.org)...Pope Benedict XVI reflected on the day's Gospel that presents the parable of the prodigal son during the Angelus Prayer in St Peter’s Square on March 14. He explained that “only experiencing forgiveness, recognizing ourselves loved by a free love, greater than our misery, but also our justice, can we finally enter into a truly filial and free relationship with God.” In the parable, explained the Pope, “the two sons behave in opposite ways: the younger falls ever lower, while the older remains at home, but also he has an immature relationship with the Father, in fact, when the brother returns, the older of the two is not happy like the Father, instead he becomes angry and does not want to enter the house.” “The two sons,” he said, “represent two immature ways of relating with God: rebellion and infantile obedience. Both forms are overcome through the experience of mercy.

Only experiencing forgiveness, recognizing ourselves loved by free love, greater than our misery, but also our justice, can we finally enter into a truly filial and free relationship with God.” (ewtn)...On March 26 in St. Peter's Square more than 70,000 young people met with the Pope for an encounter of prayer, meditation and dialogue, in an event organised to commemorate the twenty-fifth anniversary of World Youth Days, established by John Paul II in 1985. On his arrival in the square, Benedict XVI thanked the young people for their participation, their "magnificent witness of faith" and their "eagerness to follow Jesus". He responded to questions put to him by youthful participants. "What can I do with my life to make it great and beautiful?" was the first question put to the Holy Father who, referring to the parable of the rich young man, replied by saying "in the first place, do not waste life, but live it profoundly, not living only for oneself". “Perfection (that is, being good, living in faith and truth) is substantially one thing, but has many different forms. ... Finding my vocation and living it everywhere is important and fundamental, whether I am a great scientist or a labourer". (vis)

NEW NOTES Page 4 So Laff :-) The melody in your heart is the top tune of all time.

Next Events: TawagAwit will sing on April 10, 10:30am in St Mary’s Parish along Onewa Road, Northcote, North Shore City Invitation: +TawagAwit invites everyone to join the ministry: (1) The St Mary’s Church, Northcote meets every Sunday 11:30am at St Mary’s Church at Onewa Road (coordinators: Bro Cyril-Sis Rose Bas) (2) St Thomas More Church, Glenfield meets every other Friday 7:30pm at St Thomas More Church in Glenfield (coordinators: Bro Peter-Sis Jamelle Gayaman) (3) Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Glen Eden meets every other Saturday afternoon (coordinators: Bro Mel –Sis Debbie Libre) +Should you be in another area in New Zealand or other parts of the world, TawagAwit will help organize a chapter.

Photo at right. TawagAwit-St Thomas More during the birthday celebration of Bro Junnes

PLACE PHOTO HERE, OTHERWISE DELETE BOX

PLACE LOGO OR PHOT O HERE TAWAGAWIT

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