Evangelii Gaudium

Dear parishioners and friends on behalf the Fathers I wish you all:

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Maligayang Pasko at Manigong Bagong Taon!

Buon Natale e Felice Anno Nuovo

Christmas for us assumes as specific color this year particularly after the catastrophic effects brought by super-typhoon Haiyan-Yolanda. However Christmas brings always a message of Hope and Love for all of us. ”God makes all things new” someone repeated during the Mass celebrated at the end of November by Cardinal Tagle in the Cathedral of Palo destroyed by the typhoon and without roof.   This is our faith. 

Christmas celebration reminds us of the greatest gift of the Father for us: Jesus and the Son of God brings true and lasting joy to us. Pope Francis in his latest document ‘Evangelii Gaudium’ says: “the joy of the Gospel fills the heart and lives of all who encounter Jesus. With Christ joy is constantly born anew…. Whenever our interior life becomes caught up in its own interests and concerns, there is no longer room for others, no place for the poor… on the other hand being a Christian is the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction… For if we have received the love which restores meaning to our lives, how can we fail to share that love with others?”.   

 

We are called to live and share this love and hope brought by the Jesus here in the reality of Tondo even though at times we might be tempted to give up because we feel overwhelmed by the many problems, frustrated by our failures or lukewarm response.

Honestly I have already seen the love and joy of Jesus present among us in the good will and commitment of a lot of leaders - lay people working generously in the different ministries of the parish and I am grateful for this. On the other hand we are challenged by our Pope to go out, to be “evangelizers” among those who are far from the church, and here in Tondo we have a lot of people who are oftentimes not just materially poor but also spiritually hungry and the ‘food’ they find around is neither healthy nor giver of real joy.

We have started the ambitious project of the new church and, thanks to the Divine Providence and the endeavor of a lot of people we are making progress but we are still far from seeing our dream come true! So we ought to continue with our effort.  As we approach the New Year let’s renew our faith in Jesus and our commitment and surely we will progress together.

Thanks for your support and generous help; be sure of my prayer that the Lord might grant you good health, prosperity and serenity in the New Year. 

- Fr. Carlo

Launching of Phase 2

Launching of  Phase II (flooring, walls and roofing) of the New Church of San Pablo Apostol Parish in Tondo Manila was held last April 28, 2013 at the site of the New Church. 

The presence  of his Eminence, Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, who officiated the Thanksgiving Mass, inspired and energized the sponsors and benefactors including the parishioners to work for the completion of the new church.

The first phase was completed with the construction of the strong foundation and columns of the church and convent.

To complete Phase II of the new church will cost more or less Ph30,000,000.00.  Contributors and benefactors are earnestly welcome to make our dream of a new church a reality.

For donations, please visit us at http://ushare.unionbankph.com/sanpablo/ and know more about us.

Thank you. 

Bistia Iglesia 2013

Message from the Parish Priest

Bisita Iglesia 2013 of San Pablo Apostol Parish 

to the Churches in the Diocese of Lucena, Quezon Province

Our ‘BisitaIglesia’ last Saturday, March 23,  was not a tour done during vacation time. It was a pilgrimage, a spiritual journey, an experience of prayer and spiritual growth. Though we used tourist  buses, we were not tourists but pilgrims. We surely enjoyed the trip, the company of our friends, the nice food and the time spent together even though we felt tired at the end of the day. In coming back late in the evening we might have felt a bit cold inside the buses because of the strong aircon but surely we kept and brought home the warmth of the encounter with the Lord that we had as we entered different churches and spent time in prayer.

The visit to old churches in the Diocese of Lucena built several years or even centuries ago became an opportunity not only to understand more the history of Christianity here in the Philippines but to look back with gratitude at the roots of our faith. This pilgrimage was done during the year of Faith and therefore it surely has helped us grow in our Catholic faith.

Our ‘BisitaIglesia’ was also a fund-raising project for the construction of the ‘New Church of San Pablo Apostol’ and we know that we still have a long way to go before we can fulfill our dream. The old churches we visited in the Diocese of Lucena were built mainly by Franciscan missionaries with the help of the local poor people who contributed with what they had. We have learnt from them that the contribution and involvement of everybody is what really matters.

  

Thanks again to everybody: the finance committee that organized the activities, the coordinators, the volunteers and all the participants from our parish and from nearby parishes for being part of this beautiful experience of faith. May the Lord bless you and your family in this Holy Week. 

Yours in Christ, 

Fr. Carlo