Holding the Hands of our Mother

(This was the reflection I shared during the Rosary recitation at Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Parish on 25 October 2025.)

During our pilgrimage to Rome last summer, the first jubilee church we visited was the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus which was a few steps away from Roma Termini. As we made our way to the front pew, the Rosary was being recited in Italian.

The leader said Ave, O Maria, piena di grazia. Il Signore e con te. Tu sei benedetta fra le donne e benedetto e il fruto del tuo seno, Gesu.

Most in church responded, Santa Maria, Madre di Dio, prega per noi peccatori adesso e nell'ora della nostra morte. Amen.

To my suprise, some responded, Santa Maria, Madre de Dios, ruega por nosotros pecadores ahora y en la hora de nuestra muerte. Amen.

As for my family, we said, Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

We initially intended to spend just a few minutes in that church before moving to another, but the experience was so powerful that we stayed until the Rosary was over. It was as though Mama Mary was gathering all her children from all walks of life to pray - some of them may have a strong faith, others may be going through some challenges in life, still others losing hope, etc. 

Here in our community, this gathering of Mary's children has also been observed over the past Saturdays of October. On the first Saturday, the Poor Clare sisters led the Rosary, meditating on the Joyful Mysteries. On the second Saturday, Our Lady's Prayer Group represented by Jean Durkin led in meditating on the Luminous Mysteries. On the third Saturday, the Legion of Mary represented by Georgina Nakafero led in meditating on the Sorrowful Mysteries. Tonight, the Filipino Rosary Crusade represented by Kryysz, Kristine, and Kyrstin led in meditating on the Glorious Mysteries.

Archbishop Socrates Villegas of Lingayen-Dagupan in the Philippines encouraged people to pray the Rosary and bring it wherever they go. He suggested holding on to it, even if we are unable to pray it, as though holding the hands of the Blessed Mother. I am not surprised with the good archbishop's suggestion. He studied at the Colegio de San Juan de Letran which has a long standing devotion to the Holy Rosary.

In the image of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, we see the baby Jesus looking at the tools of His future Passion and Death. However, we could also see how firmly His hands are holding His Mother's hands. That should also be how we must hold Mama Mary's hands!

Contrary to what Mary-bashers say against the Rosary, this devotion is Christo-centric. All the mysteries show the life of Jesus. Jesus is the main actor; Mary is a supporting actress. Indeed, Mary identifies herself as the handmaid of the Lord (Lk 1:38). 

St John Marie Vianney, who struggled in his studies that he was almost not ordained, has a strong devotion to Mary. He said, "Let us live as the Blessed Virgin lived: loving God only, desiring God only, trying to please God only in all that we do". Doing so, we could truly mean what we say: "To you our God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be glory and praise for ever and ever. Amen" (Jubilee Prayer).

October is almost over, but let us continue to pray the Rosary and bring it wherever we go. Pope Leo told how his parents committed themselves to pray the Rosary daily and how their devotion influenced his vocation and ministry. The Rosary offers graces that the Lord would generously pour on us. So let us keep on praying the Rosary!

Cardinal Orly

Years ago, when I tell some priests that I am the nephew of Archbishop Orlando "Orly" Quevedo, I would receive varied responses: 

"Ah, si Bishop!" 

"Yung Ilokano?" 

"Monsignor (addressing another priest), pamangkin pala siya ni Archbishop Quevedo!" 

"Outside, (but) Most of the time Inside" (the priest making a joke of the Archbishop's religious congregation whose acronym is OMI [Oblates of Mary Immaculate]).  

For me, this last response is the most interesting and intriguing. 

Established in 1816 by St Eugene de Mazenod and 4 companions to preach missions in Provencal, France, the Oblates have grown to 4,440 priests and brothers spread all over the world.  Religious congregations would have their 'specializations' such as education for the Dominicans, but according to the OMI website (www.omiworld.org) their order does everything: "We are not specialized, except in facing urgent needs.... It was enough for bishops to come to our Founder and say to him: "I do not have anybody..." for him to act, re-examine his manpower, cut personnel here and there, and release 2 or 3 men for these new needs. And that continues today still. You see, it is a question of passion, of missionary concern.... ".  St Eugene's challenge to his confreres: "to leave nothing undared" (www.omiphil.org).

In the Philippines, the OMI's baluarte is Mindanao.  It was here that the young Orly grew up after his brood migrated from Ilocos Norte.  It was also here that he had his calling to be a priest.  For a time he was away from that region due to studies, but he was later called back to serve as Assistant Parish Priest in Cotabato Cathedral and later as Bishop of Kidapawan.   He was called to lead the Archdiocese of Nueva Segovia for 12 years, but later made a comeback to the south when he became Archbishop of Cotabato, his current assignment.

Outside, but Most of the time Inside.  Throughout his ministry, as a priest and later as a bishop, he faced many challenges that allowed him to be 'outside', to be with the people who are in need: in Kidapawan, during the Martial Law years; in Nueva Segovia during the post-EDSA 1 revolution; and in Cotabato where he pursues inter-religious dialogue among Christians, Muslims, and indigenous groups. According to Ceres Doyo, he was one of the initiators of the Bishops-Ulama Conference (http://opinion.inquirer.net/69673/cardinal-elect-quevedo-a-gods-commando). 

For someone like me who hasn't been in Mindanao and may perhaps have my own (mis)conceptions of that region, I find his ministry truly daunting.  My father once described Tito Orly as "an unassuming and humble man who has survived countless Christian massacres in Cotabato". 

In an interview with ABS-CBN (http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/regions/01/25/14/quevedo-wont-leave-cotabato) he said: "I was not worried about myself. I was never in fear of my life when I was there. Even as a bishop, I would go alone to the barrios and go through Muslim territories. I was never afraid because Muslims are friends of mine."

Apart from looking after dioceses and archdioceses, Tito Orly was also President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) and Secretary General of the Federation of Asian Bishops Conferences (FABC).  

Outside, but Most of the time Inside.  Though he may be have been 'outside', exposed to serving the poor and being with his brother bishops and priests, he is a man from 'inside'. Thomas Fox wrote: "Bishops in the Philippines and throughout Asia have often deferred to Quevedo to draft papers on diverse issues dealing with terrorism, migration, poverty, and the Eucharist as fundamental community builder" (http://ncronline.org/blogs/ncr-today/philippine-cardinal-architect-asian-pastoral-churches).  And Fr Catalino Arevalo, SJ has this to say: "Quevedo is almost always a member of the drafting committee. The committee would very often give him the documents and he would work all night and finish it up in the early morning. That means capacity for reflection, for putting things together" (http://ncronline.org/news/global/quevedo-red-hat-boosts-hope-local-church).  

Outside, but Most of the time Inside. I was listening to Archbishop Socrates Villegas' Opening Address during the CBCP's Plenary Assembly where he urged his brother bishops to become contemplative bishops of the poor.


Modesty aside, I think Tito Orly is one of those bishops "soaked in prayer as contemplative shepherds of the people freed from fear and rejection, carrying the mark of Christ scourged, crucified yet risen". A shepherd who, borrowing from Pope Francis' words, has the smell of his sheep.

Warmest congratulations and prayerful wishes, Tito Orly on your appointment as a cardinal of the Catholic Church!  It is indeed an honor for our family, but more so to the Christian community in Cotabato and in Mindanao to have one of theirs to be chosen for such a position.  I'm sure that Pope Francis wanted someone from that region to help him in tending the sheep. May the good Lord bless you! May Mary Immaculate to whom you have dedicated yourself without any reservation guide you. Mabuhay!

Beauty So Ancient and So New

There have been recent events that have made me realize the Beauty that is God. In his Confessions, St Augustine called God as “Beauty so ancient and so new”.

A week ago, the University of Santo Tomas (UST) concluded its year-long Quadricentennial Celebrations. Looking back from its early beginnings up to the present, I could see how UST has been a reflection and a bearer of God for the past 4 centuries. As Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Soc Villegas would put it in his homily during the Closing Mass in UST: “… our alma mater feeds us Jesus, clothes us with Jesus and teaches us Jesus.”
UST may have been that ancient, yet the beauty it exudes is always new, always fresh – thanks to the abiding presence of Jesus in her.

It may be tempting to rest on one’s laurels, to be complacent, or worse to be falsely proud. A renowned theologian and professor once had a vision of Christ on the Cross and was asked by Our Lord what reward he wanted for all he had done and written. He answered, "Non nisi te, Domine"-only you, Lord. That guy was St Thomas Aquinas, UST’s Patron Saint. If the University remains humble, always seeks the Lord, and always at His service then no amount of calamity or bad publicity can bring it down. It is built on solid ground.

I’m touched that the good archbishop did not only mention UST’s renowned alumni, but also the unsung Thomasians who in their own small way share Jesus with others as well as those “ out there in the dark alleys, inside jails and prisons, in cramped government hospital wards, in unnamed graves in public cemeteries…sons and daughters of UST who did not succeed, dropped out of the way and have faded away in shame and guilt.”

Moving on to the next century, I think UST should reach out to these people since, as the prelate said: “UST will never forget.”

Go USTe!


***

Closer to home, a new member of the Samaniego-Albano Clan was born on Thursday 26 January 2011: Stella Gianna, Gio(my brother) and Marcia’s first daughter.

Every new-born baby is a reminder of how gracious God is (Incidentally, the name Gianna is the feminine equivalent of Giovanni which in turn means “God is gracious”.) and how he entrusts to us mere mortals the precious gift of life. The birth of another human reveals to us the beauty of life, the beauty of its Author. From a parent’s perspective, a baby tells us a new story based on an old one, a sequel to the enduring love of God passed on from one generation to another.

Welcome to the family, Stella! Well done, Gio and Marcia!