Pedro Calungsod: Patron for the Filipino Youth

Last week, When I went out to buy my mom a Christmas present (I got her a copy of Our Daily Bread) I  was looking for a good book, then I saw a book, I grabbed it then dashed to the counter.

I'm only halfway throught it and I might post a book review when I'm done.

Belated Merry Christmas

Paron for the late Christmas greetings, better late than never 😊😊😊

Photo taken at Nuestra Senora del Santissimo Rosario Parish

The Simbang Gabi Diaries

Since I usually post serious stuff around here, I decided to post my experiences in the "simbang gabi" on my Tumblr account where I tend to post more random, unpolished, funny things unlike the stuff I post here. If you ever want to read my "Simbang Gabi Diaries" here's the link to my other blog/Tumblr (http://angelsagadganda.tumblr.com/tagged/simbang-gabi-diaries)

Just a jeep away... (A blog post dedicated to Rev. Fr. Gino Carlo B. Herrera)

That's me with Rev. Fr. Gino Carlo B. Herrera or Fr. Gino, way back in February this year. Placed it here before my exact post for those who have no idea who he is. He transferred to Basilica Minore of the Immaculate Conception (Malolos Cathedral) last November 15.

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He was the priest that never ran out of laughs. He was the priest that always greets random churchgoers warmly. He was the priest that you'd never get bored with, whether it's just a small talk between you and him or during his homily. He was the priest that everybody loves.

Two years? That's a pretty short time if you ask me because that's how long he has been an assistant priest in our mother parish (National Shrine and Parish of St. Anne, Hagonoy). When I found out that he was going to transfer to another parish on November 15, I almost cried, I was pretty sad and gloomy for a couple of days and I was sure I'm not the only one.

One more thing that I was pretty sad with is the fact that I won't be able to serve him in the holy mass, which is one of my ambitions in life. Him, being the chairman of the Commission on Youth and Liturgy of our vicariate, he was obviously good with the altar servers of the parish. I have a confession to make, I was pretty jealous of the altar servers who get to spend a lot of time with him.

What do I admire/like/love about Fr. Gino? Oh, well, where do I start. First, maybe because he's nice? He's probably one of the nicest priests I have met. He smells good, No, I don't go around sniffing priests, even though I'm a kilometer away, I can already smell his scent, yes, his perfume's that powerful, but he smells so good, I promise. He's cheerful and jolly, he has a ready smile for anyone. Whenever you would kiss his hand (or pagmamano) his lips are already formed in a smile, showing his shiny braces. He's one of the best homilists ever, he always have stories with moral lessons or funny stories. Sometimes, he has these corny jokes and quotable quotes. He also shows us videos on the projector/tv screens inside the church and one thing that will never make me forget him, his love for Jollibee. When I tell you that Fr. Gino loves Jollibee, I'm serious.

          A few days before he left, I caught the 9:30 mass that day since it was the 22^nd anniversary of our mother parish as a national shrine that day (see blog post here: http://puellaparumcatholicam.blogspot.com/2013/10/ika-22-anibersaryo-ng-pakakatalaga.html) There were 10 priests that celebrated the mass, and Fr. Gino was one of them, during the mass, I caught him staring at random places in the church, as if he was reflecting on everything inside the church, as I told my friends “parang inaalala nya.”  After the mass, I greeted him when I happened to pass by him in the patio, he weakly smiled at me, he looked really sad, his eyes were almost watery as he was staring down at the people, actually, he was staring at everything. He looks as if he was leaving his home, oh wait, our parish has been his for 2 years.

          Fr. Gino may not be saying the mass at our beloved parish ever again, but he will always be saying the mass in our hearts. he will always be the beloved assistant priest of our parish that everyone loves. If you ever miss him, he’s just a jeep away. :)

Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (December 9, 2013)

//pardon the quality of the photos :|
photos are taken by me using my iPad's oh so low quality camera

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Immaculate Conception (National Shrine and Parish of St. Anne, Hagonoy, Bulacan)

Immaculate Conception (Nuestra Senora del Santissimo Rosario Parish, Hagonoy, Bulacan)