Komunyon, Partisipasyon ug Misyon Uban ni San Jose nga Mamumuo

May 1, 2023, the 59th Parochial Fiesta of St. Joseph The Worker Parish was celebrated with the theme: “KOMUNYON, PARTISIPASYON UG MISYON UBAN NI SAN JOSE NGA MAMUMUO.”

The life of Saint Joseph shows us the dignity of human work. He spent his lifetime laboring as a carpenter and his primary motivation was not a quest for riches and status, but a desire to serve God and to care for his family in a loving way. Joseph never worked any miracles, he never made any important speeches, he wasn’t a public figure but was known only as a humble carpenter. The original word in the Gospel is “tekton” which means craftsman or artisan thereby suggesting that he could well have been a builder of homes as well as a carpenter. St. Joseph left an example to all those who must earn their bread by work of their hands, which constitutes an overwhelming majority of mankind, and therefore, he is the principal patron in the world of work.

Pope Pius XII instituted the Feast of Saint Joseph the Worker and chose May 1, a day the Communists used to celebrate their view of labor which is of course, very different from the Christian understanding. This important feast shows the importance of work in a Christian’s life. The Pope gave Christian workers the example of Saint Joseph to show forth the dignity of labor, no matter how low it is. (33 day Preparation of St. Joseph Booklet)

St. John Paul II said “Human work, and especially manual labor, receive special prominence in the Gospel… At the workbench where he plied his trade together with Jesus, Joseph brought human work closer to the mystery of the Redemption.” (National Catholic Register)

On its 59th Fiesta, the Parish held so many activities to commemorate the good deeds and virtues of St. Joseph, the Spiritual Father of the Catholic Church.

One of the activities held was “Misa sa Sona” (Visit of San Jose in the Zone) where the members of each GKK in the zone, gathered in one place to deepen, strengthen their faith, and trust in God through the intercession of St. Joseph.

As usual there is a 9-day Novena and “Panaw Duaw” procession by each zone, praying the Rosary and to Saint Joseph while on the way to the church, for the Novena proper followed by the Holy Mass.

St. Joseph Hot Meals on Wheels (Regular delivery is every Thursday) has delivered food to patient watchers at SPMC for nine days during the novena.

A caravan procession of GKK Patron Saints together with their members was held on April 30, at 3:45 in the afternoon.

Three (3) masses were celebrated on May 1, 2023 at 6:00am, 12:00nn and at 5:30pm. Archbishop Romulo G. Valles, DD, presided the Pontifical Mass at 6:00am. He said in his homily, that in the Gospel we are reminded that we are a people who will do and act and try to let the spirit of our patron Saint Joseph enter, so the fruit of our creative energy, hopefully will not only be human but divine. He also expressed his happiness during the fiesta because within the mass the formal giving of the Basic Guide Statutes of the Confraternity was done as a sign that devotion in the St. Joseph Parish will be deepened concretely to San Jose through the group of “Men of St. Joseph”.

Another group of aspirant devotees from Batch 12 also experienced a 33-day Preparation for the Consecration to St. Joseph which started last March 25 to April 30 and the consecration was observed in May 1 during the 6:00am mass presided by Archbishop Romulo G. Valles. The 33-day preparation gave devotees an experience of knowing the virtues of St. Joseph particularly learning the dignity of human work.

Each Barangay (Sasa, Hizon and Pampanga) made a wonderful presentation as “Salmot Pasalamat Kang San Jose”.

Two families received the help of San Jose through some generous families who happily helped and renovated two houses. Blessing of “Tabang Pabalay ni San Jose” was done at 10:00am.

Most Rev. George Rimando, DD presided the 12:00nn mass and after the mass Rev. Fr. Bong Dublan blessed the “Lamesa sa Payag ni San Jose” then followed by Community Lunch.

At 2:00pm to 5:00pm presentation of programs were initiated by Parish Youth, such as: Sayaw sa Zona (Folk Dance), cosplay of children featuring the virtues of St. Joseph.

The 5:30pm Mass was presided by Most Rev. Abel Apigo, DD. The 60th Fiesta preparation was launched during the 5:30pm mass and at 7:00pm, Fiesta Night was held. (Emy Gamorot | St. Joseph the Worker Parish, SoCCom)