Alay sa Mahal na Poong San Jose

Looking at this stampita-like photo above, one is by the glorious and fatherly gaze of St Joseph. This is actually the photo of the statue of St Joseph and the Holy Child which is located at the main altar of Gagalangin Church.

A few weeks ago, as we did our family shopping, I saw a little boy with long curly brown hair and blue eyes.  He was staring at me and later at Chiara.  I suddenly remembered the Holy Child in that church where I was baptized. I told this to Allan Dabu during one of our chats in Facebook. He told me that the Holy Child wants me to go home and visit Him.

Allan later recalled his visit to Manila this March.  The statue is in a sad state.  Ensconced ("Nakakulong" was Allan's exact description) in an urn made of glass, it has not been brought down for ages - even during town fiesta for the traditional prusisyon.   The statue has been damaged and parish leaders thought it best not to taken it down lest the damage gets worse.  Allan told Mang Mandy Cabarloc, the Sacristan Mayor, that the statue would deteriorate further because of the heat (I call it glasshouse effect!).  For Allan, proper restoration is needed asap.  Unfortunately,  as my good friend wrote "it seems that nobody is paying attention".

Just to give you an idea, here's a photo taken in last year's Fiesta celebration.  To your right you'll partially see a replica statue of St Joseph - this is now being used during processions.  The original is on the retablo just above the tabernacle and beneath the huge crucifix (partially seen).

Since its early beginnings, perhaps when Gagalangin was still a visita, our community already had this statue.  One priest once jokingly asked why our St Joseph was punggok (midget).  Small as the statue may be, it is a precious gem, a silent witness to Gagalangin's highs and lows.  So much so that when the parish had a bigger church in the late 50s, the statue was never changed!

To hear that this treasure is endangered is quite disturbing.  The desecration of La Muerte de San Jose (Death of St Joseph) statue way back in 1997 was something that cut a number of parishioners to the heart.  Ditto what happened to the statue of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal in 2003.  Although it would be impossible for thieves to lay their hands on the original statue, still the need to look after it is very important.  I add my voice to that of Allan's.  Restore the statue to its former glory!

Preserving or, in the case of our Patron's statue, restoring it and other similar valuable objects ensures that we have something to pass on to our children and our children's children.  Othewise, our claim as parishioners/members of mandated organizations/devotees of St Joseph/etc. would be a farce. We are not far from the Israelites of old who live in beautiful houses while the Ark of the Covenant resided in a tent during the time of King David!

The Parish really needs to take the statue's condition seriously.  A fund raising to restore the statue is a step forward.  Another that comes to my mind, again and again, is the setting up a Cultural Heritage Committee which will spearhead activities that aims at preserving and enriching events, customs and traditions, and protects treasures (e.g. buildings, statues, etc.). This Committee can be complemented by a Gagalangin Historical Society which encompasses other aspects of our town outside the confines of religion.

During fiestas, we traditionally decorate streets with arches and banderitas. On these arches, there's an inscription which states Alay sa Mahal na Poong San Jose (This is offered to St Joseph).  Let's have a heart for our Patron, to whom we frequently pray "kami nawa'y laging kupkupin ng langit" (May we always be protected by heaven).

Maligayang pista, Gagalangin! Mabuhay si San Jose!

***  



Words couldn't express my disgust at how Erap got elected as Mayor of the (once) ever loyal and distinguished City of Manila.  (Fellow Gagalanginenos in Facebook were cursing!)It wasn't that long ago when he was booted out of power, tried, and found guilty.  Although I respect the voice of the people - badly informed as it may be- I just feel how people never learn from the past. That we have lost the sense of sin or the sense of justice.   That we have settled with the Puwede na yan mentality. 

I am also aghast with the likes of the unrepentant Marcoses being back into power as well as those candidates who don't have the qualification to be elected in a particular post. Take for example Nancy Binay, a 20 year old OJT, who obviously rode on the political cloud, I meant clout of her politician parents. Look too at the Ejercito half-brothers having seats at the upper chamber.  Has public service become a family business?

George Santayana once said "Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it".  History and heritage go hand-in-hand.  If we don't value both, we'll surely lose the soul of the nation.  We'll go to the dogs!

 

Karakol Rain or Shine

Last weekend was Kawit, Cavite's town fiesta in honor of her patroness, St Mary Magdalene.  Traditionally, the karakol (from the Spanish word caracol because of the snail-paced procession with devotees dancing through the streets) was held on Saturday while other events such as Masses, Baptisms, Confirmation, Grand Procession, and Castillo (fireworks display) were held on Sunday. When I was a little boy, I enjoyed going to the karakol even though I couldn't dance gracefully.  The karakol starts off late morning going through a number of barangays in the town. It finishes off in the early evening.

Eldin, my first cousin who is based in Kawit, told me that the karakol went well this year in spite of the high tide (and the rain).  Since the late 90s, Kawit has been inundated with water from the sea even if the sun is at its peak, thanks to some irresponsible people who wanted to make profit by converting their fishpens into parcels of land or the rubbish that has been dumped into the river.  The last Maytinis I attended in 2010 was affected by this which was why a different route was used for the procession. Right after the Midnight Mass, I was shocked to see the flood covering what we called as pangalawa't pangatlong kalye (Poblacion or Town Proper's second and third road). Years before that, my cousins and I found ourselves running to the driest alley just to escape trodding on murky waters.

I also saw on Facebook how joyous the devotees were during the karakol - the original image of St Mary Magdalene was placed in a bedecked andas and it wore a raincoat to protect it from the elements.  The band was playing, but its music seemed to have been buried by the laughter and merry-making of the people.

I tip my fiesta cap to the festival organizers and the devotees for showing such patience, determination, and creativity come hell or high water.  Kawit has been a parish for a number of centuries and it has survived the test of time.  Following the footsteps of Sta Nena (Mary Magdalene's monicker) who was known for her perseverance and determination in searching for the missing corpse of Jesus, Kawit's festivities such as the karakol, Maytinis, etc. have continued to be part of the community's life through the years.  (It's worth mentioning that Kawitenos in San Diego (SD), California have brought with them the traditions of their birthplace.  My mom was took some time off from New York to join other relatives and friends in SD for the Kawit fiesta complete with karakol and the like. The Maytinis is also being celebrated in SD.)   I am sure if Kawit survived in the previous centuries it will continue to do so - for as long as people value their cultural heritage. 

Others, especially  those in the metropolis, might argue that traditions would of course continue to flourish in Kawit (and other similar towns) because it's in the province (where natives would generally reside and where there is less migration).  True. Which is why I am encouraging communities to set up a Cultural Heritage Committee which will spearhead activities that aims at preserving and enriching events, customs and traditions, and protects treasures (e.g. buildings, statues, etc.).  Regardless if you are in Manila or in Kawit or any province, if this committee is set up (in a parish, for example) then we're pretty much sure that whatever our community's traditions and treasures are would be continuously looked after, showcased, and improved for the good of the next generation. If parents would leave a legacy for their children, how much more a community?

Save San Nicolas!

Early last month, my godparents Cielito and Leonardo Lejano sent me and other relatives an e-mail containing a manifesto addressed to the Most Rev Sergio Utleg, Bishop of Laoag. This declaration expresses their concern in the Diocese's plan of selling part of San Nicolas de Tolentino Parish Church's lot to a commercial firm. They have now submitted this manifesto to Bishop Utleg, but are asking for prayers that the Church authorities would reconsider their plan. If you would like to support this move, please send an e-mail to the Diocese of Laoag: dioceseoflaoag@yahoo.com

We, the undersigned Catholics of the Parish of San Nicolas de Tolentino respectfully bring to Your Excellency our serious concern about the seemingly imminent lease or probably sale of a southern portion of the lot on which the Catholic Church stands. We only came to know this from some concerned Catholics of the town. Although we do not have a direct knowledge about this rumor, we are convinced it is true.

Visualizing what may happen next, this is the scenario we believe will transpire: that the southeastern portion of the Catholic lot immediately adjacent to the Catholic Church will be leased or maybe sold to SM, a giant commercial corporation that operates malls in different parts of the Philippines. How big the land to be leased is only a matter of our imagination but it could be the site of the convent and probably to include the eastern side of the original building of Santa Rosa Academy.

The size of the land rented or leased whether small or big is not important to us. What concerns us is the desecration of a sacred ground and the invasion of the privacy of our Catholic Church and Sta. Rosa Academy considering the fact that the commercial building will be built just beside the Catholic Church on its southern side and adjacent to the old building of Sta. Rosa Academy on its eastern side.

Please note Your Excellency, that the said place to be leased constitutes the most prominent portion of the lot of the Catholic Church. It is, to us, of sacred significance. The prominent location of the place is the reason why Father Fidel Albano, a parish priest of San Nicolas, selected the place as the site of the present convent. That was in the twilight of the 19th century. The construction of the present convento was necessary after Father Fidel Albano handed the old convento (now the main building of Sta. Rosa Academy) to the religious sisters who were asked to administer the school.

The present convento was constructed by the Catholics of San Nicolas under the leadership of the parish priest, Father Fidel Albano. We object to its being torn down and relocated.

True, renting the site of the convento and some buildings of sta. Rosa Academy on its eastern side will generate millions of pesos in revenue. But for what purpose? And at what expense? Will the end justify the means? Does the Catholic Church of San Nicolas, which comprise the Catholics of the town, need that money badly? Is the revenue of the church as of now failing so badly? On the contrary, the revenue of the church is sound. It is good!

It is worthy to note that while a house of worship and a school should be insulated from the material world, at San Nicolas a design is in the making to define the sacredness of the church by building, a mall just beside it and pollute its spiritual atmosphere with materialism. The presence of the mall just beside Sta. Rosa Academy will destroy its academic dignity. This will scandalize us, the Catholic faithful.

Relative to the operation of a mall, just beside the church, we are reminded of the scene when Jesus witnessed repulsive materialism that corrupted a church of god (temple). He saw people making money right in the temple of God, and in anger, He protested and cried aloud, “Take those things (referring to the objects sold in the temple) and do not make the house of my Father a house of business.” (John 2:16). Is not placing a mall for the sake of money, just beside the church a desecration of the church of God?

At Laoag City business establishments are indeed located around the Cathedral and this situation maybe used as justification for the building and operation of the mall beside the church of San Nicolas. However, the situation at the Cathedral of Laoag and the Church of San Nicolas are two very different things. The business establishments such as Chowking, Jollibee, McDonald’s etc operating on land owned by the Cathedral are at a decent distance from the church. At San Nicolas, SM will be sitting just beside the Catholic Church. The very thought of it is not only shocking but obnoxious and repulsive to the decency of the concerned Catholics of San Nicolas.

The undersigned would have no opposition to a mall built on the church property on the vacant lot north of the church as long as it is built at least at a decent distance of about 30 meters away from the northern wall of the Catholic Church. The Catholics of San Nicolas however desire transparency and involvement in the project itself.

In case the needs of the church for repairs is made as an excuse for the lease. Throughout the centuries when the church was destroyed by typhoon, fires and earthquakes, the Catholics of the town were forthcoming in producing the funds for such repairs.

In the construction of the floor of the church and other projects, did not the Catholics of San Nicolas (with help from other people) make the projects a reality? No less than Father Danny Laeda said so during the closing ceremony at the Plaza during the feast of Christ the King on November 2010. Therefore, there is no need to lease the site of the present convent and its surroundings to SM just to produce money.

Premises considered the undersigned and all other Catholics who may not have signed this Manifesto but support its cause voice their strong objection to the lease of the lot where the present convent stands and adjoining lots. They strongly oppose the transfer of the convent to the lot north of the Church.


Truly yours in Christ:

1. Maria Cielito Valdes - Lejano
2. Leonardo B. Lejano