Oh Pari Ko! Oh Pari Ko!

Covid-19 has not spared the clergy. Like many of us, they suffer from the boredom, isolation and loneliness that the lockdowns have impaled on this sick world. Suddenly, the parishes have become silent, bereft of social activities, empty of banter and chatter and denied of religious and cultural activities that define our core of being sentient, social humans that need others for companionship, friendship, comfort, support and love. Our churches have become lonely sentinels of God, voiceless witnesses to the few who brave to enter her doors to implore for hope and healing and to beg for a final end to this scourge so that we may rediscover once more the joy of being with one another.

As we celebrate the feast of St. John Vianney, Patron of Priests, we reach out to our clergy by sharing with you a few good words about them if only to prod and egg them on, to encourage and enliven them and to let them know that, yes, we care for them!

Today is Happy Priest’s Day. Let your priest know that you too care. Whisper a prayer for them. Give them a call. Send them a card. Sing them a song, perhaps. A text message or a short video chat would go a long way. You may want to cook for them or have their favorite food or snack item delivered to them. If you feel generous and magnanimous you may want to inquire on their current material and financial needs, especially the needs of their apostolate and their ministry.

To all our priests, Happy Priest’s Day!!!

Priests are taken from among men and ordained for men in the things that belong to God in order to offer gifts and sacrifices of our sins. (Cf. Heb. 5:1)

One of the priests in the Archdiocese of Davao is Fr. Allan Rodriquez who is currently the Parish Priest of Saint Paul parish located at Juna Subdivision. He was one of my professors at the Regional Major Seminary of Mindanao (ReMaSe) where he taught Sacraments II and Christology. I consider him to be a very good professor as I have learned much from him. I am now assigned to his parish where I get to witness his being a very accommodating and kind-hearted priest

Indeed, the Lord chooses the stewards in His vineyard and Fr. Allan is one among those chosen few. He continues to shepherd the souls of the faithful in his parish. As the Lord promised, “You are a priest forever”. A priest who offers acceptable sacrifices to our Lord for the forgiveness our sins.

Happy Priest Day, Padz! May God bless you a hundred fold.

Bro. Zoren Abellanosa | Pre-Deacon
Archdiocese of Davao

Sometimes in our life, we get lucky to know a priest who is special and living a life of chastity, celibacy and a passion to serve his community in the parish. Rev. Fr. Jemasol Ortiz is that one person, a dear friend and brother in Christ, who became a member of the charismatic community before his priesthood.

Throughout his entire life as a priest, he dedicated much of his time not only in building and making the church a good place of worship but also allowing the parishioners to be involved, thus enriching their Catholic faith. As Youth Director, he passionately empowered the youth by involving them in different church activities. He shares his love for music by strengthening his choir in his every church assignment.

I still remember when he allowed me to stay in Malabog how he made his church’s sound system really good to make the church truly conducive for worship. Among his many parish activities the most memorable was Concert for a Cause when he invited the famous Loboc Choir to perform.

To my dear friend, fondly called Fr. Jojo, keep up the good work in building God’s kingdom here on earth!

Glenn Remolador
Art Mentor and Editorial Cartoonist
Muzic’s Kool/Davao Catholic Herald

I want to thank and honor Archbishop Capalla, my mentor in IIREF (Institute of Religious Education Foundation).He was my teacher in Theology of Beauty and in Contextual Liturgy. As a teacher who is already an Archbishop Emeritus, I honor him for being friendly, approachable, accommodating and for treating us his students as his friends (he never terrorized us) so that we enjoyed learning from him. He shared with us his wisdom and I felt so privileged .He used to call us by our nicknames and, until now, we remain friends and textmates.

As a shepherd of God’s flock, he is a good one for he only has the best interests of his flock especially the lost ones. He shared a story with us that when he was already Archbishop of Davao and had a chance to visit Iligan again (where he was former Bishop),he was asked to see a patient at a hospital. The man was dying but still conscious, and Bishop Capalla asked him, “can you offer your suffering now for my priests in Davao city especially the ‘problematic ones’?” And the man nodded, and Archbishop annointed him. That morning, the sisters in that hospital told him the dying man now wanted to go home and was well already. I can recall more stories from Archbishop. Because of his relationship with us his students, he imparted to us his wisdom and instilled in us a deeper love of God, the source of beauty, goodness and truth

Dr. Manilee Araune
Medical Doctor and member of Holy Trinity Community
Studied Theology at the Ignatian Institute of Religious Education Foundation

One could never have been luckier to meet and befriend a pious man in the person of Fr. Erik. At first glance, this tall, mestizo, bespectacled guy in white garb could easily pass as a model. It is when you get to know him that you realize how deep his commitment is to his vocation. He goes beyond providing pastoral care to his parishioners, he makes himself a part of their family. For someone who has never had a brother, he fills the spot. He is Fr. Brother to me and my sisters.

I remember a caption in one of Father Erik’s posts during his first year anniversary as assistant priest at St. Peter & Paul Parish in Bantayan, “Here I am, Lord. I will go, Lord. I will hold Your people in my heart.” He welcomed and embraced the flock with all the flaws and imperfections. Likewise, he is very much appreciated and loved by the Bantayanons as reflected in the way he is lovingly treated and cared for where ever he goes in the island. Life is an echo, indeed. The parish is the field where you sow with love and reap with thanksgiving. Continue being a blessing and an inspiration to others, Fr. E!!!

Connie E. Zozobrado
Chief Medical Technologist
Bantayan District Hospital, Province of Cebu

“Ang mapaubsanon ug yanong Paring Bol-anon” – that’s how we, parishioners of Ascension of the Lord Parish, see Rev. Fr. Zenon B. Ampong. Low-keyed, soft spoken, simple but has a sharp memory and very intelligent, evident in his homilies when he casually quotes verses in the Bible as if we are all familiar with.

He is open minded and flexible, understanding, caring and kind—all these adjectives are still somewhat lacking to describe his total persona.

A true servant of God, he inspires us to get closer to God by caring for others as genuine stewards. Happy Priest Day, Fr. Zenon! We pray that God protect and bless you always as our shepherd.

Annie S. Libres
Program Head
DXGN 89.9 Spirit FM-DAVAO

Rev. Fr. Jeus Jardin was born on December 5, 1981, at Gabaldon, Nueva Ecija. But his family moved to Ciudad de Esperanza, Buhangin, in 2001. He is the eldest among the two children of Danilo M. Jardin and Lorelle P. Jardin. Fr. Jeus entered the seminary in 1998. He studied Philosophy for four (4) years at St. Francis Xavier College Seminary. Thereafter, he took up Nursing at Davao Doctor’s College and passed the Nursing Licensure Exam in 2006. After passing the exam, he worked for five (5) years as a clinical instructor at Davao Doctor’s College. However, Fr. Jeus decided to pursue and embrace God’s call to him and continued his journey to religious life in Spain. After years of studying and discernment, he got ordained as priest on April 22, 2017, at St. Mary of the Perpetual Rosary Parish, Buhangin. He was assigned briefly as chaplain of the St. Michael the Archangel community in Eden, Toril, and then left to continue studying in Spain.

When he returned here in Davao City he was briefly assigned as parochial vicar at San Pedro Cathedral. Currently, he is assigned at the St. Francis Xavier College Seminary as the procurator and as the priest-in-charge of the healthcare of clergy of the Archdiocese of Davao. The religious life, just like any ordinary life, comes with challenges as well. But for Fr. Zeus any challenge could be overcome with prayer coupled with faith and trust in the Lord. Fr. Jeus’ story is indeed an inspiration. Even though he was already a Registered Nurse, he still courageously embraced God’s call to him for a greater mission. He said that he has always wanted to be a priest, and it was really God who inspired him. “All inspiration comes from God, especially the vocation towards priesthood, God is the initiator of all the call”.

Happy Priest Day, Fr. Jeus!

Blanche Sofia Barimbao
Chapter ROCK Head, YFC Central C
GKK Lector and Commentator & Core Group GKK Youth Media Team of St. Mary of the Perpetual Rosary Parish

“It is not enough to be compassionate, you must act”

Kini nga mga pulong akong nakit-an ug nasinati sa usa ka pari nga kanunay nagmadasigon diha sa pagbuhat sa misyon taliwala sa iyang sitwasyon sa panglawas ug taliwala sa pandemya karon nga nagpalisod ug samot sa katawhan sa Dios. Usa ka sulogoon ug nagdumala sa parokya nga alang kanako, sa akong personal nga pamalandong naghatag og kadasig nga mopadayon taliwala sa among kahimtang.

Dunay mga higayon nga sa sinugdan dili nako masabtan ang iyang mga plano ug tuyo nga maoy hinungdan kung ngano ako usahay adunay kahiubos og kalagot ang mopatigbabaw ngadto kaniya. Mga pagbati nga tawhanon nga kanunay maoy magdala kanako ngadto sa kasal-anan.

Apan kung ato lang mapalawman ang atong pag-ila kaniya, ang iyang tinuod nga pagkatawo ug kinahiladman, makaingon ikaw nga siya sama sa mga pulong sa unahan (It is not enough to be compassionate, you must act). Usa siya ka pari nga mahigugmaon ug maloloy-on ug kanunay nagahimo og mga lakang aron ang maong gugma ug kalooy mapadayag kini diha sa buhat.

Siya mahigugmaon sa mga kabus, maoy hinungdan nga gipakusgan ang programa sa Parish Food Bank for the Poor hangtud karon bisan pandemya kay giuna niya pagtagad ang mga tawo kaysa uban pang mga proyekto nga giplanohan na unta sa miaging duha na ka tuig sukad sa iyang pagdumala sa parokya.

Labot pa niana, kaming mga parish staff iyang gipaningkamotan nga walay maundang sa pagpanarbaho bisan nga aduna nay kakulangon sa pundo sa parokya tungod kay nagtan-aw usab siya nga kinahanglan usab kami mabuhi.

Siya si FR. PEDRO P. LAMATA nga girespetohan sa mga kadagkoan sa Katolikong simbahan ug nahimong suod usab sa mga kadagkoan sa mga Muslim ug uban pang mga grupo sa laing mga Christian churches. Aktibo usab siya sa panglantaw nga Inter-religious Dialogue sa simbahan

Usa sa nakapatandog kanako mao ang akong kasinatian uban kaniya ug nakita gayud nako ang iyang pagpaningkamot sa paglahutay diha sa misyon luyo sa iyang balatian. Gani diha sa pagsaulog sa Santos nga Misa, iyang gipadayag ang iyang bokasyon sa matinud-anon gayud bisan pa nga sa miaging mga bulan aduna nay deperensiya ang iyang mga mata. Usa kini ka pagmatuod nga kining maong pari adunay kainit sa pagpadayon sa pag-atiman sa iyang mga karnero nga gisangon ngadto kaniya.

Sumala sa akong pakigkulokabildo kang Brod Ed Fernandez siya nagkanayon: “Fr. Pete is a good brother and friend. Strikto kay bright man but he showed his prophetic role in the church to the point nga ihatag niya iya kinabuhi…”

O pari ko!!!!. Dalaygon ang Dios nga ikaw gihatag kanamo isip gasa. Salamat nga nahimo kang kabahin sa among kinabuhi kung aduna ka may kakulangan, apan mas daghang ang kaayohan nga imong nahimo diha sa pag-ugmad sa gingharian sa Dios. Gitudlo mo kanamo nga ang pagtuo kung dili ubanan ug buhat walay kapuslanan.

Fr. Pete, Daghang Salamat!!!

Madelyn D. Tito
Head Catechist | GKK Animator
St. Francis of Assisi Parish, La Verna Heights

As Archdiocesan Social Action Center (ASAC) Director, Fr. Leonardo “Bong” Dublan, Jr. is a passionate and compassionate leader. These virtues drive him to develop, maintain and sustain the programs and services of ASAC. Although his passion for service is all encompassing, his discipline of delivering it is guided by the authority given to him. I always hear him say in our meeting, “Kadali lang kay ato sa ipananghid sa Obispo ug mosugot ba sya nga sugdan tani nga programa.”

Dugay daw na mahuman ug meeting? In ASAC we have different programs and services and Fr. Bong is just interested about everything. His willingness to listen to the report of all program coordinators and vicariate representatives is the same willingness he has to discuss about everything. You have nothing to worry if you are in that meeting – you are allowed to have your snacks. He says “sa kadaghan sa programa namuti na ni akong buhok, pero bahalag putig buhok basta di lang opaw.”

When I joined ASAC there were people asking me “estrikto daw na si Fr. Bong?” I said NO, he is just driven by his passion to deliver the programs and services as the embodiment of the mercy and compassion of God. He always tells us, “gisultihan naman mo naku ani, nga klarohon lagi nato ba ang atong listahan sa mga indigents para ato dayon silang matabangan.” His virtue makes him a perfect ASAC Director; and if we say ASAC it is Fr. Bong Dublan, Jr.

Dennis Mabayao
SKP Coordinator
ASAC-DAVAO

Rev. Fr. Lando Mandreza, DCD lives his life reflecting the very heart of Jesus Christ. His practicality and humility express so much of Jesus’ care for his Church. He also finds time to journey with the ReMaSe seminarians as their Spiritual Director. He is also very supportive of the Archdiocesan Social Communications Apostolate. Pads Lando, thank you for journeying with me and the other seminarians. You are indeed a Gardener of Souls. Continue to share your giftedness to all people that surround you. Daghan kaayong salamat, Padre!

Bro. Editho John Tomales
Seminarian
St. Francis Xavier Regional Major Seminary

FR. JOHNNY AUTIDA is quiet from afar; but when you start a conversation with him, he definitely will not stop sharing his infinite wisdom. A clever and diligent person, he is honest, encouraging, understanding, and is a caring priest. I admire him for he never gets tired of making modules for formation. He’s an epitome of a smart and intelligent priest, indeed a clever one. Some people may say that he is intimidating, but you will feel at ease and absorb all the wisdom that he can share when you start a dialogue with him. When you will be able to get his smile, then that’s the perfect time when you can throw simple jokes at him and make your conversation more fun and pithier.

Roy Felix Abrio
Parish Youth Coordinator
Immaculate Conception Parish, Mintal

“The priest is not a priest for himself; he does not give himself absolution; he does not administer the Sacraments to himself. He is not for himself, he is for you.” – St. John Marie Vianney

If I were to describe Fr. William using a quote, it would be this one, from a Saint he himself greatly admires. Fr. William gives himself to his calling not only with the best step forward, but with both feet. He takes the mission he has been given on earth with great seriousness and this is evident in how he deals with his responsibilities whether they may be teaching, preaching, guiding, or whatever God calls him to do at the moment. This simple, humble, passionate, caring, joyful, and loving priest has been my Spiritual Director for almost 7 years. He has not only been a guiding light for me, but also to many others who have encountered him. I can never forget our first meeting as his spiritual directee when he reminded me to develop a close relationship with Mother Mary, the best Saint intercessor in times of discernment and struggles in life.

On this significant day, we appreciate the priests who are dear to us; most especially the priests who have become a vehicle to bring us closer to God. For me, Fr. William has been a great guide and an even better friend.

Kim Amparo
Former Seminarian

Fr. Cristopher Alcayde is a personable priest and director. His love for the Catholic Church and her teachings is eminent and he serves as a role model to us young people. He can work well with others especially the youth. He has this openness to listen and respect our ideas in the apostolate. He guides us spiritually, allowing us to reflect on every situation we encounter in the apostolate. He is a priest who cares for his flock and, at the same time, cares for himself. A priest and human, not perfect but has the capacity and desire to learn more, to give more, and to do more for his vocation.

John Anthony Camangyan
Parish Youth Coordinator of Assumption Parish, DAYCA Core