Families advised to keep Saints, Souls’ day solemn

MANILA, Oct. 30, 2011—A priest reminded people going to cemeteries to light candles and pray for their beloved dead on All Saints and All Souls Day to express their Christian faith meaningfully.

La Loma Cemetery chaplain Fr. Leo Gilbero said he is proud of this unique Filipino tradition of gathering the whole family during this time of the year to pray for their loved ones, but he also stressed the importance of keeping the faith within character.

“We should also set boundaries to keep with our faith, like for example the bringing of food [and partaking of meals] in the cemeteries. What is that for?” he asked.

Filipino families traditionally gather in cemeteries every All Saints and All Souls Day to light candles and pray for their deceased family and friends.

But the gathering involves not just about lighting a candle, it also serves as a kind of small family reunion among family members and friends, where they not only pray but also eat together.

“All Saints’ Day is a family tradition. In a sense, it helps the family,” Gilbero said. “Even though it is because of a death of [a] loved one, [but] it helps bring the family together.”

“According to Church teachings, every time we visit the tomb or grave, and every time we pray for the dead, we gain a partial indulgence,” Fr. Gilbero pointed out.

“For us, there is a meaning to each visit that gives us indulgence. Maybe there is significance for the family — the reunion that happens around the tomb — but the Church teaches us that when we visit the dead we can gain partial indulgence with the conditions that we visit the grave or pray for the dead,” he explained.

The priest said efforts had been done to address the practice of bringing food in the cemetery but to no avail so far.

“Maybe it is due to the culture and the influence of other cultures,” he pondered. (Ana Valenzuela)

La Naval de Manila feast focuses on respect for life

http://cbcpforlife.com/?p=3948

MANILA, Oct. 4, 2011–Ina ni Kristo, Ina ng Buhay is the theme of 2011′s La Naval de Manila, a yearly celebration honoring Our Lady of the Rosary and held on the second Sunday of October. This year’s celebration will be on October 9

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Every year the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary — better known as Sto. Domingo Church — in Quezon City celebrates the feast of La Naval with a theme that the parish church would like for its parishioners and mass goers to inculcate and integrate into their daily lives.

“Every year we have a theme to highlight what kind of attitude we want to give to the people,” says Fr. Giuseppe PietroArsciwals, OP, convent prior of Sto. Domingo Church.

Last year’s theme, Tagumpay at Pagbago, was about the election and the changes that it would hopefully bring. 2011′s theme brings relevance to social issues and pressing matters as it focuses on life.

“Our theme for the year is Ina ni Kristo, Ina ng buhay. It reflects the issues that are very important these days, which is the Reproductive Health (RH) bill. We want to emphasize the importance of life. The church is pro-life, Jesus the mother of Mary as well is pro-life,” Arsciwals said.

Part of the La Naval celebration are its traditional novena masses which for this year commenced on September 30 to kick off the celebration.

Ina ni Kristo, Ina ng Buhay is a message that seeks to emphasize the sanctity of life. Apparently, the message has already reached some parishioners.

“One person approached me, who of course I found out was pro-RH, he said, ‘Father I like the virgin, but I do not like the virgin to be used as a political tool.’ So, the message already has an effect. With the ‘Ina ng Buhay’ people have already immediately associated it to the RH bill,” the priest related.

“Well, [the bill's proponents] are trying to present it as a health bill, but if you examine their arguments, it is against population. [Based on the claim that] population is the reason why we are poor, if we want to race against poverty we have to eliminate [the population],” he said.

“We are pro life. Life is sacred. It is a gift from God, and any threat to life, be it abortion or contraception, we should oppose,” Arsciwals pointed out.

Full schedule

Besides the novena masses, there will also be an exhibit at the Sto. Domingo Museum, which houses the history of the rosary, the La Naval and the saints of the rosary.

Celebrating La Naval, a deeply entrenched tradition in Philippine society, centers on the more than 400-year-old image of the Our Lady of the Rosary La Naval, the hands and face of which are carved from ivory, and which helped the Spaniards and the Filipinos defeat the Dutch armies attacking the country in 1646. The devotion to Mary and to praying the rosary continue for numerous Filipinos today.

Masses will be held everyday starting at 5:00 a.m. until 12:00 noon. Evening masses will be at 6:00.

On the feast day it self, October 9, there will be novena masses from 5:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, followed by the ones at 3:00, 5:00 and 7:00 p.m. The traditional novena masses will be presided by Fr. Isidro Abano, Fr. Orlando Aceron, Fr. Jose Antonio, Aureda, Fr. Dexter Austria, Fr. Charles Moises Barrientos, Fr. Ferdinand Bautista, Fr. Franklin Beltran, Fr. Gallardo Bombase, Fr. Winston Cabading, Fr. Victor Calvo, Fr. Rodel Cansancio, Fr. Filemon dela Cruz, Fr. Napoleon Encarnacion, Fr. Julius Paul Factora, Fr. Alfred, Fernandez, Fr. Nilo Lardizabal, Fr. Tamerlane Lana, Fr. Rolando Mactal, Fr. Mandy Malijan, Fr. Dennis Maquiraya, Fr. Clarence Victor Marquez, Fr. George Moreno, Fr. Quidrico Perdegosa, Fr. Hermel Pama, Fr. Roger Quiroa, Fr. Romulo Rodriguez, Fr. Efren Rivera, Fr. Paul Reagan Talavera, Fr. Gaspar Sigaya, Fr. Gerard Francisco Timoner, Cubao Diocese Bishop Honesto Ongtioco, and Archbishop Leonardo Legaspi, DD.

To cap off the feast of La Naval, there will be a grand possession at 4:00 pm on Sunday, October 9. The procession will take the centuries-old image of Our Lady of the Rosary La Naval around the parish vicinity of Sto. Domingo Street, D. Tuazon and Quezon Avenue. (Ana Valenzuela)