Catholics urged to aid ‘Nina’ victims
On Christmas Day Typhoon “Nina” ravaged Bicol and other provinces in Southern Luzon.
Caritas Manila appeals for prayers to help alleviate the sufferings of victims. It is also accepting donations in cash and in kind for relief and rehabilitation efforts.
Donations can be coursed through the following ways: online via http://ushare.unionbankph.com/caritas; bank deposit at Banco de Oro savings account (SA) no. 5600-45905, Bank of the Philippine Islands SA 3063-5357-01, Metrobank SA 1753-175069543; Cebuana Lhuillier (free of charge); or dropped off at Caritas Manila office: 2002 Jesus St., Pandacan, Manila.
Caleruega concert
Caleruega Philippines in Nasugbu, Batangas, is holding a free New Year concert today, Jan. 1, at 12 noon, featuring the Caleruega Children’s Choir and Caleruega Chorus, said Fr. Allen de Guzman, OP.
Caleruega Philippines is the famous Dominican monastery whose Chapel of Transfiguration and well-landscaped garden are a favorite of altarbound couples. It is also a pilgrimage center.
Caleruega Children’s Choir and Caleruega Chorus perform in the 11 a.m. Sunday Mass of the monastery. They are composed of the monastery employees’ children and other youth from poor communities around Batulao, Nasugbu.
Their education, said Fr. De Guzman, is supported by the Dominican friars. Musical training is provided by conductors Nick Infante, Maria Lulu Orlina and experts from the University of Santo Tomas Conservatory of Music.
Bookings of the two choirs as well as donations are accepted. Call 0921-8304226; e-mail caleruega_philippines @yahoo.com.
‘True door of mercy’
Archbishop Giuseppe Pinto, apostolic nuncio to the Philippines, called on Catholics to promote a “culture of mercy.”
Attending the installation of Archbishop Martin Sarmiento Jumoad as Metropolitan of Ozamiz, Pinto noted that, despite Pope Francis’ closing of the jubilee of mercy door in St. Peter’s Basilica last week, the call to mercy lives on. The “culture of mercy will open our eyes to the sufferings of our brothers and sisters,” said Pinto.
RV head wins award
Radio Veritas president Fr. Anton Pascual was given the Outstanding Filipino (Tofil) award by the JCI Senate Philippines last Dec. 12 at Malacañang.
He was cited for his 30 years of work as a priest, especially for his effective leadership and management of Catholic programs on education, cooperative development, and social services.
As chaplain of Greenbelt Chapel in Makati City in the ’90s, he became founding director of the Metro South Cooperative Bank, whose total assets has grown to P2.5 billion with 823 member-cooperatives nationwide and two million individual members.
In 2004, Fr. Pascual became executive director of Caritas Manila (CM), which then had an annual budget of P25 million. He shifted CM programs and made them nationwide—education, preventive health, disaster management, prison apostolate. Now CM has an annual budget of P250 million.
Novenas
Santo Domingo Church in Quezon City is holding every Wednesday, 5:30 p.m., a perpetual novena to Saint Dominic de Guzman, founder of the Dominican Order.
It is also holding the perpetual novena to the Santissimo Rosario La Naval de Manila every Saturday, 5:30 p.m. Mass follows at 6 p.m. For announcements, e-mail lzulueta@inquirer.com.ph.