Sometimes the most important factor in a community's situation is not IQ but EQ. Being high performance persons come not from out Intelligence Quotient but rather from our Emotional Quotient. IQ gets you the job done, but EQ gets you to enjoy the job. Wouldn't be a tragedy if we let technology and function completely overrun our human communities functioning replaces growing in friendship and camaraderie?
After the Holy Week parish celebrations, the Conventional friars spent Easter Week at the plush Sea Wind Resort in Boracay Island, Aklan. From 6-10 April we enjoyed the warm welcome and gracious hospitality of MAMA RUTH and TITO BOY JARANTILLA who left no stone unturned to make us feel at home. The indefatigable MANANG MILAY, the resort manager, together with MOMON and PALOY LACHICA made sure we enjoyed our daily buffet breakfasts and dinners. JAYJAY NGHIA, our incoming Vietnamese postulant, particularly enjoyed his summer break. He wholeheartedly recommend Boracay to his sister in Vietnam that she plans to come to the island for her next summer vacation! While enjoying sun and sea, we met FR. VICENTE CAJILIG, OP who had just returned from his mission post in Sri Lanka and was in Boracay for some rest and recreation. He entertained us with his stories and reflections. A true Dominican, he introduced us to his reflections for a new set of five Mysteries for the Rosary (to add to the present twenty mysteries) which he called the "Mysteries of the Way".
It was back to work after that week in paradise! The renovation and repair work in Monastery went in full swing immediately after our return. The re-tiling of the corridors, laundry room and toilets; the renovation of the receiving room and laundry, rewiring, repainting and termite treatment were all on full throttle when our young Korean Definitor-General FR. PETER CHUNG and Philippine Commissar FR. CHITO REYES arrived for fraternal visitation from 18-21 April. Providentially their visit coincided with two celebrations: the joint birthday celebration of our well loved BROS. HERMAN GAYLAN and ARNEL PANIQUE on 20 April; and the golden wedding anniversary of old friends SIM and LINA GRINO. Much as I wanted to see our two guests off, I had to fly ahead to Manila to give summer spirituality inputs at the O. Carm.-run INSTITUTE OF SPIRITUALITY FOR ASIA in Quezon City.
Before leaving the country for Australia, FR. PETER CHUNG met the Commissariat Council and the House Superiors in the House of Studies to share his impressions and recommendations after his first visit to the country as the new Difinitor-General. He not only updated as for fr. General's plans plans for the sexennium, he also left us several points to ponder on and "homework" to do in the face of the many challenges facing the Order.
The most important event the merry month of May ushered in was the parish fiesta of ST. JOSEPH THE WORKER on 01 May. ARCHBISHOP ANGEL LAGDAMEO presided at the evening Mass on fiesta day. After the con celebrated Mass a simple ctared dinner and program were prepared for the guests and invited parishioners. Soon after, on 03 and 04 May, five Pinoy postulants arrived in Jaro to join JAYJAY NGHIA: Negrense JAROM CELESTIAL (25 years old who holds a BS in Education from the Carlos Hilado Memorial College); Capampangan PAUL MICHAEL LACSON (28 yeras old who holds a BS in Commerce-Computer Science from the Centro Escolar University); plus three from the "Land of Promise"-ROY MONTESCLAROS (a 23 year old former Davao del Norte barangay kagawad who finished BS in Commerce-Marketing from the Bukidnon State University); RUEL SEMEON (a 27 years old from Compostela Valley gradutae of Education in Mathematics from Bukidnon State University); and RYAN TALATALA (a 29 year old BS Commerce-Marketing from General Santos). Six men in all! Pray with us that all six benefit from the ten month program that will be handled by FR. RAMIL ORAIZ, the new Postulant Director. So far, the men have finished their Orientation Classes, an Introduction to the use of the Breviary, an introduction to Prayer, some Conversational Ilonggo Classes and an Introduction to the Sacraments.
The second week of May found me with the OCDS Communities of Pampanga, Tarlac and Zambales in Angeles Carmel. These communities had requested me months before for a weekend recollection and a Mass with a Ceremonial. We agreed on mutually convenient date: the weekend before the Elections. Facilitating the activities was newly elected OCDS national President CELIA F. TIMBOL. That was indeed one weekend of excellenct food, wonderful company and stimulating conversation capped by an evening one act comedy presentation by the very talented JOHN SANTOS: "FOR VOTER OR FOR WORSE" at the Holy Angel University.
While in Angeles City, I was informed of the death of TERESA GUADARRAMA, matriarch of prestigious family that owns BISCOCHO HAUS and CARLITO's. The carmelite Friars of Jaro will always be deeply grateful to this wonderful family. Way back in the 1950s, the Guadarramas (CARLOS and TERESA) donated the lot on which our Monastery now stands. Throughout the years,, their children have been faithful their parent's wonderful legacy by being very supportive of the Parish and the Carmelite Community. To show our solidarity, FR. DAN and the postulants offered Mass at the wake; I also made time to offer Mass on the last night before the burial.
The middle of May found the Community (except FR. DAN who had to "mind the store") in DAVAO CITY and GENERAL SANTOS for the Ordination and Thanksgiving Mass of newly minted FR. RAMIL ORAIZ. With a dozen priests concelebrating, the solemn ceremonies for Ordination were presided by ARCHBISHOP FERNANDO CAPALLA at Davao Carmel. An excellent catered lunch (with lots of "tuna sashimi'' and roasted calf!) was ready for the hundreds of guests at the nearby OCDS House in Bajada. The following day, the Community motored to General Santos for the early morning Thanksgiving Mass at FR. RAMIL's parish church in Barangay Bula. Thanks to FR. BING's sister SUSAN who lent us their SUV, we traveled the 175 kms. to General Santos in comfort! Present at FR. RAMIL's First Mass were the new priest's family, relatives, classmates and friends as well as a coaster load of Student Friars doing rtheir 2nd Novitiate in Tugbok. Immediately after the sung Mass in the full packed church, catered lunch was served at the parish gym for FR. RAMIL's guests.
Towards the end of the month, the Community was delighted to welcome the House of Studies Community for lunch on 25 May. Not only were they treated to a first class home cooked meal, they were given first class entertainment by our dancing brother ARNEL and our parish workers after several song numbers from the Student friars. The Student friars were in Bacolod-Iloilo area during the third weekend of May of their Annual Retreat at OUR LADY'S HILL and outing in RAYMEN'S RESORT in Alubihod, Nueva Valencia, Guimaras Island. Even though I was still out facilitating the Annual Retreat of the Cebu OCDS Santo Niño Community at the time of their visit, the Community did an excellent job in welcoming our brothers from the House of Studies.
Finally on the last week of May our brand new 1oo KVA Generator arrived from Manila, it has already been installed in the renovated generator house beside the parish ministries building and is ready to service all our power needs and more. Our new 100 KVA generator can easily carry all the power needs of the church, community center and monastery at the same tiome. Local servicing and maintenance is readily available for this particularly model because the likes of Jaro Petron, Ted's Batchoy, SMART Telecom and PRC use the same type of generator. While the rotating brownouts continue to affect us in Panay, we are more confident that with our new genset, all bases are covered!
There is still a lot to do as regards the maintenance and repair of our Monastery. One work begets another. In the meantime, we hope to begin looking at the ST. JOSEPH COMMUNITY CENTER this June. Funds permitting, we might even do some repainting and refurbishing of the multipurpose rooms and banquets halls. With BROTHER ARNEL at the helm, we want to give priority to finalizing the policies for the use of our mortuary and banquet hall facilities to find more and more people using our Community Center, it is important that efficient service is rendered to all who come to us.
Last Monday, 07 June, FR. EKING FUENTES left Iloilo for a much needed Sabbatical. He will be gone for the rest of his triennial. We said our "goodbyes" over dinner on Saturday. We pray that the Lord guide him always. In the meantime, FR. RAMIL returned to Iloilo on 11 June and plans a private Rite of Initiation for the Postulatns come Saturday, 19 June. The following day, he will offer his Thanksgiving Mass in the parish at 9:30 am on Sunday, 20June. We will serve heavy merienda for his guests immediately after the Mass.
In all this, we strive to keep the healthy tension between person and function, friendship and work. Easier said than done but not impossible to attain. Through all this, we count our blessings. It's not all a bed of roses! But everything is Grace, even the unpleasant and the painful. May Jesus teach us to be more grateful.
