AS WE celebrate the month of the Holy Rosary, let us pray it every day, offering a beautiful crown of roses to the Blessed Virgin Mary. With one Hail Mary, we offer a rose. We will also ask her protection from calamities.
The Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to St. Dominic in 1214, accompanied by three angels, and gave him the rosary. She said that the Hail Mary is the principal weapon to reach hardened souls and win them over to God. St. Dominic promoted the rosary for the rest of his life. Bring the rosary every day; place it in your pocket.
La Naval procession
Today is the grand procession of La Naval de Manila, Our Lady of the Rosary, at Santo Domingo Church in Quezon City.
La Naval is the first Marian image in Asia to be canonically crowned on orders of the Holy See, in 1907.
Cubao Bishop Honesto Ongtioco will celebrate the Grand Mass today at 8. The traditional grand procession will be at 4 p.m.
According to the Dominican fathers of Santo Domingo, the Act of Consecration to Our Lady after the procession will be led by the family of the late former President Corazon C. Aquino.
Ninth Rosary Congress
World Fatima Apostolate Philippines will hold its Ninth Rosary Congress on October 13, 8 a.m.-l2 noon at the St. Ignatius Cathedral in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.
Rosario Melchor, president, told me that the event will commemorate the “Great Miracle of the Sun” which occurred on October 13, 1917 in Fatima, Portugal, where 100,000 people witnessed it.
The group will also celebrate the 100th birth anniversary of Father Patrick Peyton, the Rosary priest, whose cause for beatification is pending in the Vatican.
World Fatima Apostolate has a membership of 25 million people in 113 countries.
Rosaries to soldiers
Organizing the event on October 13 are members of the AFP Officers Ladies Circle. Rosaries will be blessed and given away to the Family Rosary Crusade and to the soldiers in Mindanao. During Mass, the national pilgrim image of Our Lady of Fatima will be crowned. Monsignor Sabino Vengco will celebrate Mass at 11 a.m. Another church marking the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary on October 11 is the Basilica Minore de San Lorenzo Ruiz in Binondo.
Marian exhibit at MOA
To raise funds for victims of tropical storm “Ondoy,” Radio Veritas 846 is holding its Fourth Grand Marian exhibit on the second floor of SM Mall of Asia until October 14. In addition to the 200 life-size images of the Blessed Virgin, there are Marian paintings by inmates of the National Bilibid Penitentiary on exhibit/sale.
Entrance is free, but donations for flood victims are welcome.
For details, please text 0915-515-6417. Father Anton Pascual, president of Radio Veritas, encourages Marian devotees to see the exhibit which is also a drop-off point of donations for Caritas Manila’s relief efforts.
Living with the saints
I marvel at the tenacity of Antonio Aguilar Medina, former vice governor of Masbate, in organizing the “Living with the Saints” seminar every year.
Now on its third year, the seminar (October 17) aims to create awareness about the lives of saints.
With the help this time of the Knights of Columbus, Legion of Mary and the Faithful Heroes Shining Times, the seminar will be held at the Veritas Parochial School gymnasium, Gil Puyat St., BF Homes Phase II. Registration is at 8 a.m.
Speakers
Monsignor Mario Martinez, parish priest of Resurrection of Our Lord Parish, will welcome the participants. The speakers are: Fr. Rolly Agustin (St. John Mary Vianney and the Year of the Priest); Fr. Ed Pacete (St. Ignatius de Loyola and St. Francis Javier); Sir Knight Ted Dominguez (Venerable Michael McGivney and The Knights of Columbus); Fr. Vic Robles (Sts. Monica and Augustine and the Blessed Mother); and Fr. Lorenz Festin (Mary and Eucharist).
Emcees are lawyer Al Lopez, past grand knight of 7147 Pagkabuhay Council, and this columnist.
Millet Espiritu, VPS principal will give closing remarks. Mass at 4:15 p.m. by Father Festin.
College of the Holy Spirit
In 2013, the College of the Holy Spirit on Mendiola St. will mark its centennial, according to Guillermina “Ging” Ong (Class ’68) who works in the office of the Bangko Sentral governor.
Holy Ghost College started in a small rented house at 663 Legarda St., Manila, with five nuns belonging to the Missionary Sisters Servants of the Holy Spirit (SSpS), and 20 girls and four boys as students. The nuns came in response to the invitation of Manila Archbishop Jeremias Harty.
By the time it had elementary and high school departments, the student body had grown to 4,000 girls. Dedicated to the Holy Spirit, the school’s motto is “Truth and love.”
On April 5, 1965, the school name was changed to College of the Holy Spirit of Manila (CHSM). Today, the school president is Sister Genoveva Salva, SSpS. It’s no longer an all-girls school.
Open house on November 7, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. CHSM is inviting interested fourth year high school students and Grade VI pupils. Call 735-5981.
October 18 is the feast day of Our Lady of Ubanon, patroness of Catbalogan, Western Samar. Bishop Emeritus Max Cruz brought me to Barangay Ubanon years ago and told me about the miracles wrought by God through her intercession. Happy feast day, Mama Mary!
Church repair
Although Batanes was spared by Ondoy, Father Bridge Casas called to say that church repair continues in preparation for the fiesta on November 4. Please text Fr. Bridge at 0920-951-8313.
