Salt that flavors, light in the dark

As far as the heavens are above the earth, and so is God’s genuine love toward us all. Indeed, God’s love to the world shines brighter in our darkest selves, and that despite who we are and what wrong we have done, His love continues to give us enlightenment and never runs out. His love is indeed great. That is why, the great love of God has become one of the reasons why we ought to continue to thank God in prayer and worship, and continue doing our ministry of service to others.

The San Antonio de Padua Parish – Agdao has indeed been captivated by God’s great love, and joyfully moved to respond to His love by continuing to pray to Him, worshipping Him, and serving Him and His people in the ministry.

Recently the San Antonio de Padua Parish – Agdao has celebrated its 60th Parochial Fiesta and all of its members had witnessed how great God’s love is within its 60 years of existence. The Parochial Fiesta was celebrated last June 13, 2023 with the theme, “Reliving the past, thanking the present, and moving forward with faith, hope, and love.” The celebration was somehow a way to commemorate the ministry of St. Anthony of Padua and how he responded to God’s great love through the ministry of service he had while he was still on earth.

The said Parish conducted competitions with the participation of the seventy five (75) Gagmay’ng Kristohanong Katilingban (GKK) in nine (9) zones that started exerting effort for the 60th fiesta of San Antonio de Padua Parish last August 2022 by allowing all of the GKK’s under each zone to participate in the folk dance, arc making, basketball, volleyball, and bahay kubo making contest. With this, the said Parish–aside from preparing programs in line with the celebration’s theme has also motivated them with the prizes worth more than 350,000.00 Php and a raffle-to-win-a-car on the day of the celebration prepared by the parish and other sponsors for the 60th anniversary.

Before meeting the month of June, the nine (9) zones had been assigned to conduct a parade, representing each zone inside the Parish, and to exert much effort in cleaning and decorating the whole Parish in accordance with each month’s theme starting last August 2022 up to May 2023.

Notwithstanding, last June 13, 2023, before starting the program proper and the declaration of the winners from each competition, the San Antonio de Padua Parish – Agdao started their celebration for its 60th anniversary with a mass that was presided by Rev. Msgr. Julius Rodolfa. In his homily, he emphasized the ministry of St. Anthony de Padua when it comes to bringing those people who turned away from God back to His presence and started to become the salt and light to this broken world. In the last part of the mass, Rev. Msgr. Rodolfa has also introduced to the whole Church and prayed for the newly restored image of the said saint.

If all the members of San Antonio de Padua Parish will always be united in imitating the works and ministry of St. Anthony–the servant of God–by being the salt and light to the world, the love of God will indeed be evident in the lives of each devotee who imitate St. Anthony in giving glory to our Lord Jesus Christ now and forevermore. (Michael Dave Nerosa – HCDC Intern)