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
