Far Greater Love

featuring Michael Shimamoto
with John Paulo Reyes, William Ocier
and Alberto Antonio, Jr.
music by Manoling Francisco, SJ
lyrics by Johnny Go, SJ

My New Home: St. Philip Howard Parish

Loving, caring, helping one another is what St. Philip Howard Parish is. The congregation in a diverse community which is so colourful where everyone is a brother or a sister, with a Tatay (Father) that is always there to help and support.

I am so blessed to have my New Home, I am starting to learn different cultures and traditions. I am meeting lots of new friends in different nationalities. I met people from Sri Lanka, India, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Portugal, Malaysia, China, Palestine, Brazil, Zimbabwe, Ghana, and from some African countries.

photos from St. Philip Howard Parish Website




Other Catholic churches in Cambridge are:


St. Laurence Catholic Church in Milton Road

photo: TheRevSteve Flickr



and the Our Lady and the English Martyrs which is situated in the heart of the City

photo: http://flickriver.com/photos/paullew/sets/72157594471079333/

My Hometown's Parish Church - Latin - Pastorella

Thanks to Our Lady of Grace Parish, I learned how to sing and say some prayers in Latin. It was a small step in understanding the Mass Setting. Thanks to the Liturgists of the Archdiocese who inspired me in Musicam Sacram and deepened my love in the Liturgy.

Pastorella

The pastorella (Misa de Pastores in honor of the shepherds at the birth of Jesus Christ - a set of Latin hymns of the 9-day Christmas Masses), ceased in Pampanga towns for 40 years after Vatican II. In Mabalacat, however, at Our Lady of Divine Grace Parish, pastorella lived on: in the dawn Mass, the pastorella repertoire included the Kyrie (Lord, Have Mercy), Gloria (Glory to God in the Highest), Credo (Apostle's Creed), Sanctus (Holy) and Agnus Dei (Lamb of God). The hymns were in Latin, except for Kyrie, which was in Greek."

Holy Week's repertoire is in the local dialect, which is Kapampangan, but some of the songs especially hymns to accompany the congregation in kissing the Holy Cross during Good Friday are in Spanish and Latin. Other latin hymns are Salve Regina, Tantum Ergo, Pange Lingua, Stabat Mater, Regina Coeli and some Taize chants.

Our Lady of Grace Parish Church

Archdiocese of San Fernando, Pampanga

Philippines

Our Lady's Feast Day

Maundy Thursday 2009 Altar of Repose

Altar of Repose 2011

Altar of Repose 2012

It all started here...

It all started here... I may be a foreigner to this country, but surely I am no foreign to whatever I feel about my vocation. Such a challenging and worth remembering experience I had as I walk and journey with my family and friends, especially with all the Priests, Nuns and co-seminarians in the Diocese,    other Dioceses and overseas.

As I continue my service to God in Cambridge, I felt HOME again... Serving as a Youth Minister, Catechist, Choir, in the Liturgy and wherever help is needed, I sometimes work on my own and finish the job overnight. Imagine all the organisations that I joined in the Philippines, I can say that I was so busy especially when Solemnities, Feasts and some traditions that we celebrate in my hometown Mabalacat in Pampanga. I can still remember at the Our Lady of Grace Parish which I served, the bond we built with the youth and those who were older than us. We established a group of young people that serves God in whatever ways that we can. What a wonderful memory of my past which I should bring here. With God's grace I have started it again.

Homesickness is when you feel like going home and you wanted your old self as to where you were before. I had a different experience and I called it Churchsickness. I want to continue what I have been doing before, I want to carry on how I serve God; busy, fully loaded, happy and tired. But full of energy, the energy that God is giving me to offer everything to Him.

I am so blessed that with this path that I am taking, I have a great Parish Priest who is really helping me a lot. A spiritual Director who is a Priest and a friend, who guides me and answers whatever question that I throw. A very supportive parish, St. Philip Howard, with different nationalities whom I met and shared their stories. I am not alone, I just started, I am praying for all as they are praying for me.

Photo taken by Fr. Ben Grist during the World Youth Day 2011 in Madrid Spain