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 22nd 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. :)
Hi, do you know what time is his mass in malolos cathedral?
TumugonBurahinFr. Gino was one of the best priests who was destined in our national shrine. His mass are truly heartwarming. No one gets bored on his homily, everybody is listening. Every time he sings, everyone sings with him. He is a gift from God. When he was transfered many was saddened :( he is truly missed.