CAROLING AT SAINT DOMINIC'S

Remembering how our Lord came to earth as a vulnerable infant, born in the midst of hardship and poverty, we brought the joy of His birth to our senior brothers and sisters who live at Saint Dominic Senior Care Home in Barrigada Heights.

The carolers sang for half an hour, in English, Chamorro and Tagalog.  We certainly did bring cheer to the elderly, who started to clap or move their hands.  Some started to sing along with the carolers and one was given a microphone to really join in.  God bless our carolers!

EXTERNAL SOLEMNITY OF THE SACRED HEART IN THE PHILIPPINES

The Church of Santo Domingo (Saint Dominic) de la Naval is a Dominican church in Quezon City (greater Manila area).  It is a huge and spacious church situated on a main thoroughfare.  But its main attraction is this ivory and wood statue of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary of La Naval, dating to the 16th century. 

In 1646, the Dutch tried to conquer the Philippines.  The combined Spanish and Filipino troops begged Our Lady's intercession before this image, and the sea battles with the Dutch ended in a clear victory for the Spanish and Filipino forces.  Barefoot, the Filipino soldiers walked back to this statue to render thanks.

Holy Mass in the Extraordinary Form is celebrated at this altar of Our Lady at Santo Domingo every second Sunday of the month.  It was a privilege for me to sing Mass here before Our Lady's venerable image.

 

The Mass is usually well-attended.  Many young people make up the congregation.

That Sunday, we observed the External Solemnity of the Sacred Heart, so after Mass, we exposed Our Blessed Lord in preparation for the Eucharistic procession.  The ombrellino I ordered in Manila for our Guam community got its first use at this procession, seen unfolded on the left.

 

The Procession

LAUS DEO!

DONATION TO OAKLAND TLM COMMUNITY

The TLM Community at St Margaret Mary Church in Oakland, CA gathers after every Sunday Mass for refreshments in the church hall.  It survives on people's donations; food or cash.  Some Sundays, they barely know where to get food to meet their needs.

So last Sunday, I gave $100 in your name (the TLM Community on Guam) to Arden Glass, the lady who coordinates the refreshments.  I think it's important for the different TLM communities to support each other.  I assisted at St Margaret Mary for a year and a half, and benefitted very much from my time there.

Here is Arden's response :

Dea Father Forbes and the Latin Mass Community of Guam-

When you gave our kitchen crew the amazing donation last Sunday
fromyour Traditional Laatin Mass community, I never thought it would take almost a week to tell all of you how surprised and overwhelmed we were by this unexpected generosity.

I have to say we aren't over it yet! It has waarmed our hearts to know there are such kind and generous friends who have thought of us. Now we will think of you always and hope to get to know all of you and whata you are able to do as a group.

You have to know that if we could steal Fr. Forbes we would do it in a minute. We hope you know how fortunate you are.

I apologize for the delay in writing but my e-mail (AOL) haad done something wrong with my account and it took msot of the week to get that stsraight, and then my son did something to my computer and I couldn't turn it on. But here we are at ;ast, finally able to to show our appreciation of your kindness.

Our kitchen crew would like to learn more about you and your Latin Mass community. It seems a wonderful thing to span so many miles to find you have the same love for our beautiful Mass as we do.

If someonewould like to e-mail us, you can send it to me for the time being. We would be happy to heaer from you.

We all thank you again for your gracios and generous gift. We will keep you in our prayers.

God bless all of you,

Margaret, Diana Joan and Arden                                                                          

OUTREACH TO MANGALDAN COMMUNITY

Presenting a new copy of the 1962 Missal to the community

Mangaldan is a town in Pangasinan province in the Philippines with a small but fervent group of faithful attached to the Extraordinary Form (Traditional Mass).  This is Pale' Eric's 2nd time being with this community.  Through him, the Guam Latin Mass community is reaching out to assist the Mangaldan group.  A member of the Guam community recently donated a brand new copy of the 1962 Missal to give to the Mangaldan group.  A label has been put on the inside cover of the Missal so that the donor and the Guam community are spiritually with the Mangaldan group every time they have Mass.  Their one and only Missal before this was an old one in poor condition.

Pale' Eric also conducted two sessions for the group explaining the ceremonies of the Mass, as well as the veneration of a relic of Padre Pio.

The Mangaldan community says thanks and God bless to their brethren on Guam!

OUTREACH TO TLM GROUP IN PANGASINAN

A traditional Latin Mass community in Mangaldan, Pangasinan (Philippines) invited Pale' Eric to give some conferences and celebrate Mass in the Extraordinary Form with them.  Pale' Eric left Manila at 7AM to get to Mangaldan by 1130AM.  After lunch at a family home, Pale' Eric began giving the conference on the Extraordinary Form at 130PM at a municipal hall (though government-owned, it had a crucifix and picture of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary!).  The town mayor was there to give welcoming remarks.

Banner publicizing the event

Among those attending the conferences were parish catechists, barangay (neighborhood) leaders and faithful who do not normally attend the Extraordinary Form.  Among the topics covered were the Sacrifice of the Mass, the basic structure of the liturgy, Ad Orientem, the use of Latin as the liturgical language and the Motu Proprio of Pope Benedict XVI.  There was not enough time to cover more material, but the travel time is so long that it was the best we could do.

Holy Mass then commenced in the parish church at 3:30PM.  The church, which is huge, was 75% full.  The parish priest, who does not offer the Extraordinary Form, was still very friendly and welcoming, telling me he "cannot deny the request" of the faithful for the Extraordinary Form.  This is a priest who knows what the Holy Father is asking from the universal Church in his Motu Proprio!

Just before the Consecration

The reverent and devout communion of the faithful

Most of those attending Mass are not regular devotees of the traditional Mass, but they all knelt for communion.  The women who did not have veils borrowed veils from the women who did.  As soon as the woman with a veil received communion, the next lady put that veil on her head.

At the request of the people, Pale' Eric said prayers for the sick (pro infirmorum) and blessed the people with holy water at the communion rail.  A gold cope was all they had.  Help is needed to obtain what is needed for all the sacred rites.

God bless the TLM community of Mangaldan!

May Our Lady guide and protect them and win for them many graces.

Ad maiorem Dei gloriam!

COOKING FOR THE HOMELESS

Sean, William and Gavin

Kusinan Kamalen Karidat is a Catholic center that provides the homeless on Guam a hot meal for dinner every day.  Four young men who regularly attend the Traditional Latin Mass and who also happen to be candidates to the Capuchin Order, prepared today's meal for them.  God bless Gavin, William, Joe and Sean! 

A good number of our Traditional Mass community donated funds for the meal.  God reward you!  We can truly say this was a corporal act of mercy done by the Traditional Mass community.

Gavin, William and Joe