this is your invitation to our ordination

This is your invitation to our Ordination
to the Sacred Order of Presbyters
by the grace of God and the laying on
of hands of our bishop. That day
will be rife with meaning and filled
with possibilities; timely, too, for
celebrating the kindness of friends
and family who helped made that day
possible. We hope you can join us
in the Eucharist and Ordination Rite
at 8:30 a.m., 8 December 2006,

pope meets world

The Post-9/11 world that is. And he’s finding it too thrilling for comfort. What started as an innocuous homecoming lecture, filled with the usual erudition and staidness as one would expect from Pope Benedict XVI, churned out the most controversial and dangerous results. The offending words: “Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new and there you will find things only evil and inhuman

senti

Today it has been 1 year, 1 week & 2 days since I got ordained as a deacon.This anniversary fact first came last 16 September when I went to the ordination to the diaconate of some members of the batch next to us at San Jose. It was a bright Saturday morning. The ordinandi were visibly beaming as well. Their family and friends were present. Bp. Bacani was the ordaining prelate. Loyola House's St.

we don't want to delve into that

“Technically Lafayette has been compliant with all the conditions. The political and economic issues would be a different matter… we don’t want to delve into that.” So said Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) Director Horacio Ramos (Phil. Star, Fri, 8 Sept. 2006, p.2). What’s wrong with this statement? Two things:1. A high-ranking DENR official gives advance notice of yet another anomalous

apathy is bliss

let us be united for our country's sake.no more impeachment.no more protests.they won't listen anyway.i'd still go for elections, for it's part of our democracy.but no more election watch.no more namfrel. no more ppcrv.everybody cheats and steals anyway.let's just ask the cbcp to issue another pastoral letter,then cheer them for doing their prophetic duty.amen for critical collaboration.amen for

pastoral letter: mining in rapu-rapu

in light of relatively recent events: the 11 and 31 oct 2005 mine spills in rapu-rapu island, albay; the fish kills and the subsequent fish scare; the final report of the rapu-rapu fact-finding commission, also known as the bastes commission, on 19 may 2006; the recent DENR announcement allowing a 30-day test run of mining operations; & other events pertaining to the lafayette mining operations

ehemplo anti-corruption music video

heto ang isang music video mula sa ehem - kampanya laban sa corruption ng phil province ng kapisanan ni Hesus (heswita), kasama na ang tanggapan ng ombudsman (omb. merceditas guttierez, kasama kayo, talaga po?).EHEMPLO. ang mga kumanta - ng libre - para sa produksyong ito ay sina noel cabangon, cookie chua, lolita, gary granada, himig heswita, pendong & susan fernandez. mula sa panulat ni paring

4-point agenda in the 'tricameral' budget hearings

after following peripherally in the news the recently conluded anc teledrama, otherwise known as the 'tricameral' budget hearings, it was a delight to read pdi most aptly capping (for now) the whole thing with its independence day editorial offering. the write-up succinctly spoiled what could have been another well-polished act for bunye, faithful as ever to malacañang's

bishops and deacons

“I cannot as a priest but be poor. It is in being poor that we can better live out our vocation and be more effective in our ministry. People can see Christ better in us and can have a clearer idea of who Jesus really is if we are poor priests."bishop-elect broderick pabillo, auxiliary bishop of manila, speaking at the national clergy congress 2005.last sunday, 28 may, i read the happy news on

how not to solve the problem of ALECO

admittedly, the result was not unexpected.last 6-7 may, our electric coop's miembros-consumidores voted for the new ALECO board of directors. well, at least, 13% of them/us. i voted in behalf of the bishop's house. you can look at 13% in two ways: glass is half-empty - small voter turn-out; glass is half-full - largest ever voter turn-out. an optimist by preference, i choose the half-full version

reactionaries! (the da vinci code - take #2)

this thu, 18 may, da vinci code will be shown in phil theaters. finally. finally, too, the phil bishops stepped into the fray. how could they not? the movie's pr-strategy: hype the elements of the book deemed contrary to the christian faith & let the media do what they do -- voila! reactions guaranteed (the more extreme, the better). end result: greater public attention and higher revenues for mr

can't resist joining the da vinci band wagon ;-) here's my take (#1)

CHALLENGING DAN BROWN'S CODE (OF ETHICS) ABOUT HIS "FACTS"from the “fact page” of the novel da vinci code:FACT: The Priory of Sion – a European secret society formed in 1099 – is a real organization. In 1975 Paris’s Bibliotheque Nationale discovered parchments known as Les Dossiers Secrets, identifying numerous numbers of the Priory of Sion, including Sir Isaac Newton, Botticelli, Victor Hugo and

triple whammy! e.o.464, cpr, p.p.1017. but why the negativity?

three little pigs: e.o. 464, cpr, p.p. 1017. three little pigs housed on arguments of hay which the arroyo administration devised to suppress the search for truth and expression of legitimate dissent. three little pigs oinking their way to martial rule. until the supreme court (big bad wolf?) blew their house away and exposed them for what they are: the delusions of mad-persons corrupted by power

how do you solve a problem like ALECO?

tomorrow, 6 may, is the election of the new board of directors of our aleco (albay electric cooperative). though only a small segment of our province's population will get to exercise their right to vote (only registered members, i.e., those whose name appears on the bill), we have been actively promoting and giving it extensive media exprosure.aleco is saddled with so many problems - technical,

much ado about judas

the gospel, that is. national geographic primed an interested public on the 'revelations' of the recently studied and translated gospel of judas by debuting its story at the start of the christian holy week. expectedly, it drew reactions that range from incredulity to hostility, following, of course, the near-exact formula: the strength of negative reaction is directly proportional to the degree

domingo de ramos & the politics of personality

today is palm sunday, the whole catholic church celebrates the start of the holy week: blessing of palm fronds, mark's passion narrative as gospel, red vestments. also very heavy traffic on nlex and slex as regular city folks start their twice, or so,-a-year pilgrimages to their home provinces.this early morning's blessing of the palms, recalling Jesus' 'triumphal' (over what?) entry to jerusalem

an auspicious beginning

an arsonist is haunting legazpi city these days.last week he razed the b.u. little theater to the ground.before that, a portion of aquinas hospital,as well as some other hospitals.two attempts were made at st. raphael's church,both of them frustrated by timely discoveryof small starting fires - fire on a pew; burning jacketdraped on the church's sound system controls.yesterday i saw a portion of