Ice cream vendor pursues a GKK

After the 4th Fiesta Mass Celebration at the Señor San Jose Chapel in Buhangin, Bro. Romualdo A. Dimaano or “Brod. Romie,” as he is popularly known in their GKK, could still very well remember how their GKK started. He recalled that when he transferred his family in year 2000 from Ponciano Reyes Street to Purok Catitipan of Barangay Cabantian, he situated their house just in front of a wooden chapel of Señor San Jose. “This could be a nice place to live…just in front of a chapel,” said Romie as he, along with his family arrived in Catitipan.

“But this is quite far from your common clients in Ponciano,” complains his wife Celerina. Brod Romie was then an ice cream vendor. He peddled ice cream cones on board his own motorcycle and sold them to a public school along Ponciano Reyes Street where he once lived. “This is better than nothing… we have nowhere to go,” he insisted. They were forced to vacate their previous house in downtown after they lost their legal ownership. At that time, the couple already have two daughters, Rocel and Dhona, and two sons, Jay-Ar and Romie. All their children continued their education in downtown despite the distance. Their family has befriended other families, and eventually became part of one community in the area.

The Greenhills Homeowners’ Association purposely built the chapel as venue for their meetings and sometimes, if not often, a hang-out. Even Brod. Romie used to hang-out in the chapel to relax. Since they were new then in the community, he did not mind at all nor ask a question about the usage of their chapel, not until October 2009 came after he attended a Fiesta Mass at the Saint Mary’s Perpetual Rosary Church. As he went back to the community, he met Mario, a former President of their homeowners’ association. “It seems that we haven’t celebrated our feast with a Mass in our chapel ever since,” Romie commented. “We haven’t compelled a thing as required by our parish,” Mario quickly replied. This bothered Romie and it prompted him to take active participation in their association, until he was elected as the President in 2010.

As the head, he was able to convince some residents to attend the required basic seminars after the parish fiesta in October 2010. He was able to convene one PSK, two PSLs, two PSPs, two PSAs, two PPIs (including himself), four PSBs, a Secretary, a Treasurer and an Auditor. Roughly for about a week, the volunteer residents attended the basic seminars in the parish. “It was a week-long seminar in the parish, and we made it,” proudly shared Brod Romie. The community leaders went through the Evangelization Seminar, the Basic Bible Seminar, the Basic Liturgy Seminar, and the GKK Orientation Seminar. Shortly a month after, the Señor San Jose Chapel was blessed with a Thanksgiving Mass by then Parish Priest Fr. Pedro Lamata. It was an honorable accomplishment of Bro. Romualdo Dimaano. Their GKK has been created and was has been officially acknowledged by the Parish Priest.

The Señor San Jose Chapel which was once a venue of homeowners’ meetings, and hang-outs became God’s house in Purok Catitipan. Brod Romie designated a separate shed for meetings and other occasions.

On March 19, 2011, the Señor San Jose Chapel had its first Fiesta Mass in the Solemnity of Saint Joseph, Husband of Mary. This was just the beginning of the power of goodness that blessed Romie and his family. He created a GKK and God built him a home. He became financially stable; and all his children graduated at the University of Southeastern Philippines (USeP). His eldest daughter Rocel became a bonafide teacher at the Doña Pilar Elementary School in Marfori; and his second daughter Dhona graduated as Computer Engineer. His two sons Jay-Ar and Romie are now automotive mechanics working in Australia.

The power of goodness overwhelmed the family of Brod Romie with bountiful blessings. But Brod Romie never ceased nor quit. He said, “…I will continue to serve, to know and to love Jesus for He is the ultimate source of the power of goodness that showers on me and my family.” Romie, an ordinary ice cream vendor with an extraordinary missionary spirit. Sail on, Romie! (Vonz Hijada | OLLP SoCCom)