Tradition tells us that November, especially All Souls’ Day, is a time for visiting the graves of our loved ones. Flowers, candles, food and prayers are so common an offering in observing these days. All of these are manifestations of our faith in our communion...
In this Year of the Laity, as declared by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), the celebration of World Mission Sunday takes a more poignant significance. Now, the support for the mission is not only a matter of material donation, tucked into some...
The Second Vatican Council, so inspired by the Holy Spirit, came out clearly on the role of the laity in the Church The laity (all the faithful except in Holy Orders and who belong to a religious state approved by the Church) by virtue of their...
In the Ordo for the use of the dioceses of the Philippines we read: Today’s feast celebrates a double anniversary. In Jerusalem, Constantine erected a round church, the Anastasis, above the empty grave of Jesus, and a basilica, the Martyrium; in the square between the two churches, a shrine,...
What gift can you give Our Lady on the occasion of her birthday? If you have not thought of it yet, you still have time. Tomorrow, September 8, is the feast day of her birth. A heartfelt greeting, sincere and true, is most fitting. But in...
As vocation month is celebrated every September, let us rediscover our vocation in life—as what God wants us to do. God has called us to three forms of vocations: Priestly and religious life, single blessedness, and married life. The Archbishop of Davao, Romulo G. Valles, urged us...
What makes St. Monica a model of virtuous mother is her unwavering hope and prayer for her son, Augustine. She poured forth many tears and prayer to God for his conversion. Thirty years after, her prayers were answered. Augustine converted to the faith and was...
As an annual festival in Davao during the third week of August, Kadayawan is a celebration of life and thanksgiving for the gifts of nature and the wealth of multicolored culture which make up the identity of the city. In the past, ethnic tribes residing at...
The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven at the end of her earthly life is a defined dogma of the Catholic Church. On November 1, 1950, Pope Pius XII declared in Munificentissimus Deus that it is a divinely revealed dogma: "that the Immaculate...
Today is St. John Baptiste Marie Vianney Sunday. The universal Church remembers this compassionate confessor and spiritual counselor. His life serves as an inspiration to us all, priests and laity alike. First, no matter how many times he failed in class, his determination has not failed....
