Saturday, May 30, 2009
Moved in Ibo Lapu-Lapu City
I'm finally moved in Ibo today (May 30, 2009), to have full quality time with my family before I join on Blessed John XXIII Seminary on June 12. Eventhough I'm separated with them for 5 years for personal and "good reasons" I have often time visiting them. Spending my time apostolating with my family aside of my every Sunday catechism in "Gasa sa Gugma," Mabolo, Cebu.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Granted letter
"Thanks God! With His divine providence this letter granted of whole year tuition and board & lodging in seminary paid by concerned foundation."
Wednesday, May 06, 2009
Mr. and Mrs. Juan Mercado
C/o Sister Helen, MC
Missionaries of Charity “Gasa sa Gugma”
Mabolo, Cebu City
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Mercado:
Ave Maria!
I am writing to your good office applying for sponsorship in my vocation.
I’m Marcelino Rapayla Jr., 37 years old. I was not able to finish my studies in college however; I’m fortunate I have reached my 3rd year in college in spite of the hardship that I have gone through in life. I took up Bachelor of Arts major in Industrial Psychology and I got a blue collar job in a private firm in which I had served for my 18 years. However, due to the present global recession, I’m one among the employees who were laid off on April 15, 2009. I kept moving on and continued my apostolate work in “gasa sa gugma” which started in August 2008 then, I pursued my dream to become a priest. I took up the phase 1 screening for applicants in Blessed John XXIII Seminary on March 07, 2009 and passed. By then, I was recommended to undergo the phase II screening on April 14-18, 2009 it’s a live-in orientation where the Fathers interviewed us and the seminarians who facilitated the activities evaluated our performance inside the seminary. Praise God! I passed again the phase II screening. The final list of applicants who passed in the said screening was posted in the rector’s corner in seminary on May 4, 2009.
I am now recommended for enrollment this school year for pre-college on May 18-22, 2009. Since my family cannot support me in pursuing my dream I plead for any support from those who have the benevolent heart to shoulder my financial needs such as; tuition fee, board and lodging, uniforms, books and miscellaneous (other expenses).
I want to give you a bit background of myself.
Way back at the age of eleven, believe it or not, I had been a scavenger once. I remember one time that I ate food thrown into the garbage because of hunger. And the money I earned from the scrapped materials I picked up supported me in my studies until I completed high school. I had lost a loved one, my mother, whose death took me a long time to recover. I was a breadwinner and sending my siblings to school, supporting them financially and giving them the motherly care were my priority. I also encountered heartaches when I got busted by the woman I loved. To improve my life I worked during the day and studied at night. To make my long story short, I was able to reach my studies in 3rd year of Industrial Psychology. I had experienced much sadness and hardships but all these paid off in my job as Production Operator. I was awarded as Best Production Operator of the Year (2003) and not only that I had been promoted to Engineering aide, then to Process Engineer, and lastly to Car Leader (program management position). Now that all of my siblings had their own job and some of them have their own family. I am now free like a bird, to fly in any direction. Presently, I choose not to work again for but I prefer to serve God by pursuing my long-time dream in life (since high school) of becoming a priest.
On my part, I pledge myself to be more conscientious in fulfilling the obligations of my state in life, and to strive to be a source of healing in this broken world of ours.
Sincerely yours,
Marcelino Rapayla Jr.
Wednesday, May 06, 2009
Mr. and Mrs. Juan Mercado
C/o Sister Helen, MC
Missionaries of Charity “Gasa sa Gugma”
Mabolo, Cebu City
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Mercado:
Ave Maria!
I am writing to your good office applying for sponsorship in my vocation.
I’m Marcelino Rapayla Jr., 37 years old. I was not able to finish my studies in college however; I’m fortunate I have reached my 3rd year in college in spite of the hardship that I have gone through in life. I took up Bachelor of Arts major in Industrial Psychology and I got a blue collar job in a private firm in which I had served for my 18 years. However, due to the present global recession, I’m one among the employees who were laid off on April 15, 2009. I kept moving on and continued my apostolate work in “gasa sa gugma” which started in August 2008 then, I pursued my dream to become a priest. I took up the phase 1 screening for applicants in Blessed John XXIII Seminary on March 07, 2009 and passed. By then, I was recommended to undergo the phase II screening on April 14-18, 2009 it’s a live-in orientation where the Fathers interviewed us and the seminarians who facilitated the activities evaluated our performance inside the seminary. Praise God! I passed again the phase II screening. The final list of applicants who passed in the said screening was posted in the rector’s corner in seminary on May 4, 2009.
I am now recommended for enrollment this school year for pre-college on May 18-22, 2009. Since my family cannot support me in pursuing my dream I plead for any support from those who have the benevolent heart to shoulder my financial needs such as; tuition fee, board and lodging, uniforms, books and miscellaneous (other expenses).
I want to give you a bit background of myself.
Way back at the age of eleven, believe it or not, I had been a scavenger once. I remember one time that I ate food thrown into the garbage because of hunger. And the money I earned from the scrapped materials I picked up supported me in my studies until I completed high school. I had lost a loved one, my mother, whose death took me a long time to recover. I was a breadwinner and sending my siblings to school, supporting them financially and giving them the motherly care were my priority. I also encountered heartaches when I got busted by the woman I loved. To improve my life I worked during the day and studied at night. To make my long story short, I was able to reach my studies in 3rd year of Industrial Psychology. I had experienced much sadness and hardships but all these paid off in my job as Production Operator. I was awarded as Best Production Operator of the Year (2003) and not only that I had been promoted to Engineering aide, then to Process Engineer, and lastly to Car Leader (program management position). Now that all of my siblings had their own job and some of them have their own family. I am now free like a bird, to fly in any direction. Presently, I choose not to work again for but I prefer to serve God by pursuing my long-time dream in life (since high school) of becoming a priest.
On my part, I pledge myself to be more conscientious in fulfilling the obligations of my state in life, and to strive to be a source of healing in this broken world of ours.
Sincerely yours,
Marcelino Rapayla Jr.
Monday, May 25, 2009
THE WORLD’S GREATEST MOTHER
“Hi! I would like to share with you some words about my Mother.”…Mars
My mother is the anchor of my life – my greatest supporter. I know that even during the time when everybody left me, and there were no friends to support me, she was always there behind me. Her heart understood when I needed a friend. Her strength and love guided me, and gave me wings to fly. She had taught me on how to stand in the midst of a storm, to make a difference and purpose in life.
Now, physically my mother is no longer by my side but what she had taught me has remained in my heart. What she had lit is still my guiding light throughout my journey in reaching the summit of my dream in life. I love her. May God give her everlasting peace and happiness to enjoy beside our creator.
My mother is the anchor of my life – my greatest supporter. I know that even during the time when everybody left me, and there were no friends to support me, she was always there behind me. Her heart understood when I needed a friend. Her strength and love guided me, and gave me wings to fly. She had taught me on how to stand in the midst of a storm, to make a difference and purpose in life.
Now, physically my mother is no longer by my side but what she had taught me has remained in my heart. What she had lit is still my guiding light throughout my journey in reaching the summit of my dream in life. I love her. May God give her everlasting peace and happiness to enjoy beside our creator.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Officially enrolled
Praise God! I am glad informing you that May 16, 2009, a concerned Foundation paid my whole year tuition and board & lodging in seminary. Then yesterday (May 18, 2009), I was officially enrolled. June 12 after lunch will be the arrival of all new and old seminarians in Blessed John XXIII seminary. Please include me in your supplication that I may faithful throughout my journey until I reach the summit of my vocation.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Pedro Calungsod: The Young Martyr of the Visayas
by Louie Jon A. Sanchez, The Varsitarian
It has been more than a decade since the first Filipino saint was beatified. Lorenzo Ruiz. He was martyred in Nagasaki along with eight other Dominican priests. Since then, the Philippine Church has been paving the way for other noble Filipinos who, through their past heroic faith and courage, are deemed worthy of being officially proclaimed beatus, blessed. There are Ignacia del Espiritu Santo, founder of the Religious of the Virgin Mary, the largest religious congregation for women in the Philippines, and Francisca del Espiritu Santo, founder of the Dominican Sisters of Siena in the Philippines. Both women lived in the 17th century.
It was faith, and fate that brought them to the church's mission of evangelization. They came from all walks of life; regardless of color, wealth or origin, their missionary zeal stood as a living witness to the faith even at the point of death.
Pedro Calungsod, a 15th century Visayan, was no exception. At about 13 or 15, he was already helping in the local Jesuit catechesis. At 18, he was martyred "in hatred of the faith" by two Guam natives, while trying to protect Jesuit priest Diego Luis San Vitores. San Vitores was later beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1985.
The road to sainthood
For many years, the figure of Calungsod had been left to oblivion, until the Archdiocese of Manila pushed for his elevation to the pantheon of saints.
The Archdiocese of Cebu has been working on Calungsod's case since the 80's. It has included in its masses a prayer for beatification before the final blessing. A growing number of literature is also being produced about Calungsod.
Many devotees feel that Calungsod's beatification is imminent, in time for the several beatifications scheduled on the great Jubilee Year 2000.
A report published in Today newspaper said the vice postulator for Calungsod's beatification, Father Ildebrando Aliño Leyson, had recently been informed by the Roman Congregation for the Canonization of Saints, that the body would "take up the dossier on the young Filipino proto-martyr from the Visayas, formally discussing and passing at least a preliminary judgment on his case," an optimistic phase for Calungsod's speedy elevation. A plus factor in Calungsod's cause is that he died a teenager and he should thus stand as a model and inspiration for the Filipino youth. Calungsod is the perfect example to Pope John Paul II's idea of a youth dedicated to the Church's mission of evangelization.
Humble beginnings
Calungsod's beginnings haven't been solidly established, and there are disputes regarding his birthplace which could be Cebu, Bohol, or Iloilo, although the former already laid the process for beatification.
Based on accounts, Calungsod was taught in a Jesuit minor seminary in Loboc, Bohol. For young recruits like him, the training consisted of learning catechism, Spanish, and Latin. They would be later sent with the priests to the countryside to perform daily religious functions as altar boys or catechists. Some of them were even sent to missionary centers overseas to accompany the Jesuits in their arduous task of proclaiming the Good News and establishing the Catholic faith in foreign lands.
Heeding the call
On June 18, 1668, the zealous Jesuit superior San Vitores, answering a "special call," began a new mission composed of 17 young laymen and priests to the Isles de los Ladrones (The Robber Islands), which the Spaniard renamed as Marianas, after the Queen Maria Anan and the Virgin Mary.
The task of converting the islands was first successful. The missionaries reached out to the backward poblaciones and baptized over 13,000 natives. Capillas began to rise at various sites as Catholic instruction became extensive. A school and church were even built and dedicated to St. Ignatius of Loyola in the City of Agadna in the northeast. Calungsod and other young missionaries were instrumental in realizing the Jesuits noble objectives.
Dilemmas
The Marianas missions were eventually shaken by difficulties, conflicts of interests, and challenges from the natives themselves. Some converts broke away from the new faith and turned against the Jesuit for odd reasons, like fearing what some of the natives claimed as the "magical" rituals and ceremonies of the missionaries.
Choco, an influential Chinese who earlier came from a sunken wreck, misled the local folk about the religious practices of the priests, such as baptism, which he claimed to be a way of killing the children. He also claimed the Mass wine was poisonous. He was later arrested by San Vitores and converted to the faith.
Fierce native leaders made life hard for the Jesuits and their young helpers. Armed rebellions and movements took place in the localities. One major insurgency was the 40-day siege by a chieftain named Hurao of the Spanish garrison where the Jesuits were housed. The Spaniards overcame the insurrection and San Vitores revived their mission. The meek priest later forgave Hurao and asked authorities to release him.
The fighting did not stop there. The natives continuously seized and set afire the Spanish settlements. San Vitores and his companions were able to renew their evangelization only after a cease-fire agreement ended the hostilities.
Martyrdom
The Jesuit mission in Marianas gradually declined as member of the mission were killed.
On April 2, 1672, San Vitores and Calungsod went to Agadna after a mass, to baptized new-born children and to visit and bring back to the faith an elderly Filipino named Esteban, who was once hired by San Vitores as his tutor in the local dialect.
While passing in the area of Tumhon, the two encountered the native Matapang, who had converted to the faith but broke away after being influenced by anti-Christian macana groups. Matapang's wife had just given birth to a baby girl, and San Vitores offered her baptism. Matapang in disgust sent the priest and Calungsod away.
However, San Vitores and Calungsod stayed and went to the nearby beach. They gathered the children playing around and other adults for catechism. Like Christ gathering the little ones around him, San Vitores admonished Matapang to join them. Matapang resisted the call and left with a plan of getting back at the priest for good.
Matapang saw another native, Hirao, and asked for help in killing the priest and his companion. Hirao was at first hesitant, being aware of the priest's kindness. He even reminded Matapang of the big help San Vitores showed him when he was severely wounded. But Matapang was resolute and even convinced Hirao to turn against the priest. They looked for weapons and plotted the death of the missionaries.
Upon their return, Matapang and Hirao attacked Calungsod, but the young missionary was able to escape the spears aimed at him. He tried to get closer to San Vitores to protect the priest, until a spear suddenly pierced through his chest, wounding him. One of the killers breached his skill with a machete axe. the priest suffered the same fate, with only "May God have mercy on you," to utter.
News of the bloody sacrifice of the Jesuit missionary and his companion reached the Philippines and on May 3, 1672, a Te Deum and requiem was held in their memory in Manila.
Although he might have lived more than 300 years ago, Pedro Calungsod is perhaps representative of the Filipino's youth's dynamic commitment to the Catholic Church's mission of evangelization.
True "fishers of men" and "harvesters in the Lord's vineyard," modern day Pedro Calungsod are all around the globe. They risk their lives in foreign lands while proclaiming the Good News of salvation to everyone.
It has been more than a decade since the first Filipino saint was beatified. Lorenzo Ruiz. He was martyred in Nagasaki along with eight other Dominican priests. Since then, the Philippine Church has been paving the way for other noble Filipinos who, through their past heroic faith and courage, are deemed worthy of being officially proclaimed beatus, blessed. There are Ignacia del Espiritu Santo, founder of the Religious of the Virgin Mary, the largest religious congregation for women in the Philippines, and Francisca del Espiritu Santo, founder of the Dominican Sisters of Siena in the Philippines. Both women lived in the 17th century.
It was faith, and fate that brought them to the church's mission of evangelization. They came from all walks of life; regardless of color, wealth or origin, their missionary zeal stood as a living witness to the faith even at the point of death.
Pedro Calungsod, a 15th century Visayan, was no exception. At about 13 or 15, he was already helping in the local Jesuit catechesis. At 18, he was martyred "in hatred of the faith" by two Guam natives, while trying to protect Jesuit priest Diego Luis San Vitores. San Vitores was later beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1985.
The road to sainthood
For many years, the figure of Calungsod had been left to oblivion, until the Archdiocese of Manila pushed for his elevation to the pantheon of saints.
The Archdiocese of Cebu has been working on Calungsod's case since the 80's. It has included in its masses a prayer for beatification before the final blessing. A growing number of literature is also being produced about Calungsod.
Many devotees feel that Calungsod's beatification is imminent, in time for the several beatifications scheduled on the great Jubilee Year 2000.
A report published in Today newspaper said the vice postulator for Calungsod's beatification, Father Ildebrando Aliño Leyson, had recently been informed by the Roman Congregation for the Canonization of Saints, that the body would "take up the dossier on the young Filipino proto-martyr from the Visayas, formally discussing and passing at least a preliminary judgment on his case," an optimistic phase for Calungsod's speedy elevation. A plus factor in Calungsod's cause is that he died a teenager and he should thus stand as a model and inspiration for the Filipino youth. Calungsod is the perfect example to Pope John Paul II's idea of a youth dedicated to the Church's mission of evangelization.
Humble beginnings
Calungsod's beginnings haven't been solidly established, and there are disputes regarding his birthplace which could be Cebu, Bohol, or Iloilo, although the former already laid the process for beatification.
Based on accounts, Calungsod was taught in a Jesuit minor seminary in Loboc, Bohol. For young recruits like him, the training consisted of learning catechism, Spanish, and Latin. They would be later sent with the priests to the countryside to perform daily religious functions as altar boys or catechists. Some of them were even sent to missionary centers overseas to accompany the Jesuits in their arduous task of proclaiming the Good News and establishing the Catholic faith in foreign lands.
Heeding the call
On June 18, 1668, the zealous Jesuit superior San Vitores, answering a "special call," began a new mission composed of 17 young laymen and priests to the Isles de los Ladrones (The Robber Islands), which the Spaniard renamed as Marianas, after the Queen Maria Anan and the Virgin Mary.
The task of converting the islands was first successful. The missionaries reached out to the backward poblaciones and baptized over 13,000 natives. Capillas began to rise at various sites as Catholic instruction became extensive. A school and church were even built and dedicated to St. Ignatius of Loyola in the City of Agadna in the northeast. Calungsod and other young missionaries were instrumental in realizing the Jesuits noble objectives.
Dilemmas
The Marianas missions were eventually shaken by difficulties, conflicts of interests, and challenges from the natives themselves. Some converts broke away from the new faith and turned against the Jesuit for odd reasons, like fearing what some of the natives claimed as the "magical" rituals and ceremonies of the missionaries.
Choco, an influential Chinese who earlier came from a sunken wreck, misled the local folk about the religious practices of the priests, such as baptism, which he claimed to be a way of killing the children. He also claimed the Mass wine was poisonous. He was later arrested by San Vitores and converted to the faith.
Fierce native leaders made life hard for the Jesuits and their young helpers. Armed rebellions and movements took place in the localities. One major insurgency was the 40-day siege by a chieftain named Hurao of the Spanish garrison where the Jesuits were housed. The Spaniards overcame the insurrection and San Vitores revived their mission. The meek priest later forgave Hurao and asked authorities to release him.
The fighting did not stop there. The natives continuously seized and set afire the Spanish settlements. San Vitores and his companions were able to renew their evangelization only after a cease-fire agreement ended the hostilities.
Martyrdom
The Jesuit mission in Marianas gradually declined as member of the mission were killed.
On April 2, 1672, San Vitores and Calungsod went to Agadna after a mass, to baptized new-born children and to visit and bring back to the faith an elderly Filipino named Esteban, who was once hired by San Vitores as his tutor in the local dialect.
While passing in the area of Tumhon, the two encountered the native Matapang, who had converted to the faith but broke away after being influenced by anti-Christian macana groups. Matapang's wife had just given birth to a baby girl, and San Vitores offered her baptism. Matapang in disgust sent the priest and Calungsod away.
However, San Vitores and Calungsod stayed and went to the nearby beach. They gathered the children playing around and other adults for catechism. Like Christ gathering the little ones around him, San Vitores admonished Matapang to join them. Matapang resisted the call and left with a plan of getting back at the priest for good.
Matapang saw another native, Hirao, and asked for help in killing the priest and his companion. Hirao was at first hesitant, being aware of the priest's kindness. He even reminded Matapang of the big help San Vitores showed him when he was severely wounded. But Matapang was resolute and even convinced Hirao to turn against the priest. They looked for weapons and plotted the death of the missionaries.
Upon their return, Matapang and Hirao attacked Calungsod, but the young missionary was able to escape the spears aimed at him. He tried to get closer to San Vitores to protect the priest, until a spear suddenly pierced through his chest, wounding him. One of the killers breached his skill with a machete axe. the priest suffered the same fate, with only "May God have mercy on you," to utter.
News of the bloody sacrifice of the Jesuit missionary and his companion reached the Philippines and on May 3, 1672, a Te Deum and requiem was held in their memory in Manila.
Although he might have lived more than 300 years ago, Pedro Calungsod is perhaps representative of the Filipino's youth's dynamic commitment to the Catholic Church's mission of evangelization.
True "fishers of men" and "harvesters in the Lord's vineyard," modern day Pedro Calungsod are all around the globe. They risk their lives in foreign lands while proclaiming the Good News of salvation to everyone.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Praise God! I made it!
I went to Blessed John XXIII Seminary this morning to find out the result from our one week live-in orientation as phase II screening of applicants and Praise God! I am one of them listed in the final list of applicants who passed the evaluation made by fathers and seminarian who’s facilitated the activities. I am now recommended for enrolment of pre-college this school year 2009-2010 on May 18-22, 2009. As of this moment, I would like to take this opportunity to “thank you” those people who believed and prayed for me. For those who pledge to support my study I will continue praying that God pour out His blessings to you as you’ve shared to others tenfold in return.
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