May 2014 - Servants of Charity

NEWSBITS
OF THE
GUANELLIANS
IN THE
PHILIPPINES
The Servant of
Charity
CELEBRATING LIFE AND LOVE
MAY 2014
“GO IN HASTE AND SET OUT TO WORK” AND MOVING UP!!!
“God worked six days creating the world and on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done and he
rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had
done” (Gen 2:2). “Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not
his mother called Mary?” (Mt13:55) We begin this
month by celebrating St. Joseph, the worker, as St. Joseph, foster father of Jesus Christ, earned his livelihood
through his hard work. He too was a silent man fulfilling
God’s plan through his absolute co–operation in the
redemptive plan of salvation.
Run, run to
Mary...with
affection too
great to be
described, she
gives us Jesus,
she gives us
Jesus who
saves us
ST. LUIGI GUANELLA
As we are going to celebrate solemnly the founder’s 148 th ordination anniversary, he
had taken as a theme of his ordination Make me a fiery Sword. St. Louis Guanella said that
“Work, Work until you rest in heaven.” “Our penance was working, working, and more working; we were supposed to go to bed tired like a donkey”. He also said that “Providence gave
me virtuous parents, who instilled in me a spirit of work and sacrifice.” As a seminarian, as a
priest, as a founder, he never stopped working; he never enjoyed a moment of relaxation. “He
worked truly a lot and made us work a lot too” said Sr. Ghidoni. Therefore the Servants of
Charity must be great in the exercise of mortification by taking on their shoulders the sweet
yet continual work which is assigned to them. The work is a jewel worn by the Servants; it is a
delight/duty which beautifies the Servants; it is a treasure and must be accepted with pleasure. As our founder has taken a great motto, Pray and Suffer, so the Servants have to be ready
warriors with arms out-stretched to work in the vineyard of the Lord. The founder loved to
work and spread the devotion of Our Lady of Workers. The whole world celebrated the workers day on May 1st. To celebrate this day, many have struggled and gave their lives in order to
minimize the working hours and to claim a just salary for their livelihood.
Our Blessed Mother set out and went with haste to help Elizabeth in her
old age (Lk. 1:39). Our founder also at his old age set out and went with
haste to help people who were affected by earthquakes in Marsica. We
too need to inculcate the virtues of our blessed Mother while celebrating
the Feast of Visitation in visiting the sick, the suffering, the “good children”, persons with handicaps and all our recipients of our mission. May
our love be the charism! May our service be the mission! May our mortification be the program! May our work be our only motto! Then only “we
can be always like little chicks under the wings of providence. It is God
who does”
Fr. Soosai Rathinam, SdC
St. Louis Guanella as
Provincial Superior
a young priest
CELEBRATING LIFE AND LOVE
Page 2
SUMMER ENRICHMENT PROGRAM
The Summer Enrichment Program is part of the Servants of Charity and
Guanella Center summer enrichment strategy for our Sponsored Children under the
ministry of Servants of Charity. The objective of this Summer Enrichment Program is
to have initiative to expand and improve their difficulties especially in those subjects
that they need to improve. In the thirteen days of my teaching I found that the children made very good improvements in their vocabulary skills, spelling, and reading
comprehensions and even in mathematics. They strengthened their connections to
peers and to us teachers, and sustained their academic habits and attitudes. The
summer enrichment program started on April 9, 2014, with a roughly estimated of 80
students attended the program. Then it followed by orientation that was given to the
children who would undergo the said program.
On April 29, 2014, the said activity ended with a simple yet meaningful graduation rite and each of them received a certificate and ribbon that symbolizes their
efforts and achievements in the lessons that they finished. Snacks after the graduation were served. Personally, I realized the importance of teaching especially those
who are in need and cannot afford by their parents to send them in schools. I feel
blessed also to be a part of the program. I hope and pray that for the next Summer
Enrichment Program, I would be again part of the team.
BUTCH MENDONES
GUANELLIAN ELDERLY MINISTRY PILGRIMAGE
Last March 21, 2014 the Guanellian Elderly Ministry went to Our Lady of Piat in
Doña Remedios Trinidad, Bulacan. It is
also known as Tahanan ng Mahal na Birhen ng Pagdalaw (Our Lady of Visitation).
The image venerated is a
replica of the
original Our Lady of Piat (Our Lady of the
Holy Rosary) in
Cagayan Valley. This
pilgrimage site in Bulacan has been known
for its
numerous devotees because
of their testimonies of cure and answered
prayers. The Community is rapidly expanding because of Mama Mary’s image visiting various homes and groups.
The group attended the Mass which was presided over by Fr. Edgardo de
Jesus, a healing priest. His homily stressed the importance of forgiveness and
healing. Unforgiveness breeds bitterness and resentment and destroys our
relationship with God. Unforgiveness is analogous to a big stone that blocks
God’s continuous blessings flowing upon us. It also blocks our relationship with
God and with our neighbors. If we have unforgiveness in our heart, our prayer
will not reach God for in Psalm 66:18 says “Had I cherished evil in my heart, the
Lord would not have heard.” Moreover unforgiveness prevent us from obeying
God for St. Paul in his letter to the Col. 3:12-13 he urges us to “Put on then, as
God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has
a grievance against another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”
It was tiring for the most of the elderly yet it was an experience to remember.
“The Lord never
tires of forgiving.
It is we who tire
of asking for
forgiveness.”
(First Angelus as Pope,
March 17, 2013)
Pope Francis
CELEBRATING LIFE AND LOVE
Page 3
IMMERSION 2014: OUR JOURNEY WITH THE LORD
“If our heart burns with God’s love then it is likewise burns to love others”
(Blessed Charles de Foucauld)
We are on the road of the world to meet Christ
and to seek the meaning of our life and vocation.
Our journey started when we entered the door of
Servants of Charity Seminary. We were eight participants in this experience. We come from different places: Bicol, Metro Manila, Mindoro, Aklan,
Mindanao and Cavite. Though we are from different provinces, family background, status in life and
languages, we still tried our best to be one.
“UNITY IN DIVERSITY” is the mentality we are
trying to live in the group. Immersionist 2014; our
Journey with the Lord reminds us about our goal
to meet and encounter the Lord of Vocation in
our journey. For almost one month of seminary
experience from April 7 to May 3, we actively tried
to have a foretaste of community life. We have
lived with the priests, seminarians, special children
and lay partners of the community. We prayed the liturgy of the hours, we had
recreation with the community, ate and worked with them. We have experienced
the presence of God not only during prayers but also through our apostolate with
the poor. Some of us were assigned to assist the youth, teaching dynamic catechism to the small children and to the elders. Some of us were also assigned to
the ministry of bringing the body of Christ to the bedridden and those who do not
have the capacity to attend Holy Mass. We experienced bringing Christ to the
poor and marginalized of our society. We carry
the people in our hearts and in our untiring
prayers for them. Each day is filled with the
presence of God every time we encounter the
beautiful smiles of the children and the people
around us.
We learned from our experiences inside
the seminary. We realized that when we give
something, we also receive something. When
we give love, we also receive love. We also realized the concept and thought of Cardinal
Suennens in his book titled “The Hidden Life”
that the world needs love and appreciation rather than money. These are the gifts they want
to receive from us. Everywhere we go we are
witnesses to cries of the needy and the poor. As
we go on farther in our journey, our spiritual
life deepens and our sincere relationship with the Lord thus established well. This
immersion program has been an opportunity for us to respond to the call of God
to each one of us. It is to experience the love of Christ and to bring this love to
other people. This program will not just end in saying “GOODBYE” to one another rather the learning we gained will continue to abide in our hearts forever.
ALFIE ALCOY
SC
at
25
Join us as we
celebrate our
Silver Anniversary
in the Philippines
JUNE 12, 2014
Thursday
10:00 AM
San Isidro
Labrador Parish
Church
Philand Drive,
Tandang Sora, Q.C.
NEWSBITS
OF THE
GUANELLIANS
IN THE
PHILIPPINES
SAINT JOHN PAUL II’S VISIT TO SERVANTS OF CHARITY
It is good to remember the visit of Pope John Paul II who
was canonized last April 27, 2014 to the Mother House of
Servants of Charity in Como, Italy on May 5, 1996. It was
originally planned as a 15-minute visit, but when the Pope
was leaving, he greeted many of our elderly and persons
with disabilities, and he ended up in staying for almost an
hour. The following are excerpts from his speech to the
crowd who enthusiastically welcomed the Pope:
The Superior
Servants of Charity
Centerville
Subdivision, Pingkian
Road, Bgy. Pasong
Tamo, Tandang Sora,
1107,
Quezon City
Telefax: 931-5549
456-8550
E-mail:
[email protected]
We’re on the Web!
www.servantsofcharity.org
SERVANTS
OF CHARITY
PHILIPPINES
Celebrating
God’s love in
the footsteps of
St. Louis
Guanella
Dear sons and daughters of Father Guanella, thank you for
all that you do in the service of the Church and the poor:
continue to walk faithful to the spirit of your founder and the
glowing example of Sr. Clare Bosatta. As your founder loved
to say “Give bread and Paradise to those entrusted to your
care.” I know that many volunteers work in the institutes of
Father Guanella. Dear ones, I desire to convey to you also
my true appreciation for the genuine evangelical witness,
which you offer through your service. The gratuitousness of
your dedication to the least makes you particularly sensible
to the needs of the neighbor and open to the suggestion of
the Sprit.
And you, dear disabled and aged, your suffering and your praying are greatly useful for the
life of the Church and the world. Implore the Lord and offer your trials particularly in favor
of men and women who are against or indifferent to the call of the grace.
With generous offering of your spiritual contribution you can obtain from the Lord the inner conversion of the hearts, which is a miracle not less significant of the miracles concerning the health of the body.
FREE
VOCATION
SEMINAR
For male graduating high
school students, college
students, or young
professionals
The growing number of indigent
and
children
Every Seconddisabled
Weekend
of entrusted by
the Lord to our care make us seek
the Month
and welcome any help and
expression of solidarity.
Saturday 9:00 am to
If you5:00
arepm
interested in sharing our
Sunday
mission as a cooperator or
benefactor, you may write, call or visit
our address.
For more information:
0915-648-0362