Thanksgiving Message of FIDES Class
(Vicariate of Our Lady of Guadalupe)
Delivered by Joselito Santos
Most
Reverend Bishop Bernardino Cortez, D.D., Rev. Fr. Amado “Bong” Gino, Rev. Fr.
Benjamin Jugueta Jr., Rev. Fr. John Jayoma,, Rev. Fr. Richard Magararu, Rev.
Fr. Jose Alan Dialogo, Rev. Fr. Johnix Barro, Rev. Fr. Roderick Castro, all the
Parish Pastoral Council heads and coordinators of the different Parishes of the
Vicariate of Our Lady of Guadalupe, fellow Catechists – allow me to greet you
all with peace, love and fellowship of our Lord Jesus Christ, today as we are
gathered here on this wonderful occasion of our graduation.
For
almost a year, we have shared and spent our Saturdays together as we learned
and gained knowledge on Catholic Church teachings that for so long we thought
we already knew. And all of this knowledge will no doubt be valuable as we move
forward in life. But my dear batch mates of the FIDES Class – all of these
would not have become a reality had it not been through the patience and hard
work of our formators, Parish Priests and not the least to mention, our Vicar
Forane, Fr. John Barro.
I
only recently learned that actually, this Basic Faith Formation, otherwise
called “Ang Katolisismo” was initially offered to be held at a different
Vicariate. But when for God’s grace and will, they had to decline, Fr. John
readily accepted without hesitation and so the Vicariate of Our Lady of
Guadalupe became the pioneer batch of this BFF. To somehow recall, I remember
Fr. John noticed on the first day that the venue (originally at St. John Mary
Vianney Parish) would not be conducive enough to accommodate all 60 plus of us!
When we came to the Mary Mirror of Justice Parish the following Saturday (we
were advised that we were moving to a new venue) we learned that even the
chairs were newly purchased for our use! He made sure that we were really
looked after as we attend our classes. Thus MMJP became our home during those
Saturdays for almost a year. And for all of these, we are extremely grateful to
you, Fr. John!
To
all our Parish Priests, we would not be here if not for your guidance and
generosity. You saw in us that we can be formed to be your Catechists and we
thank you for that trust. We would like to return the favor, as we can now say
we have “Chosen to be Brave, called to be saints, and are willing to be sent
forth as heroes”. We are aware that you all have been monitoring our activities
and probably our grades, when you get to huddle during the Vicariate meetings,
which all the more encouraged and motivated us to keep us going and study even
more. I admit, that there were times, I myself and my wife (we are one of two
couples on this formation) would have quit already, as do some of our
classmates. But through your prayers and intercessions by our Holy Mother, we pushed
on and here we are!
Next
I’d like to take a moment on behalf of myself and my FIDES classmates to thank
the people that have brought us here. Mr. Art Barbadillo, Mr. Ed Frando, Ms.
Malou Celada, Mr. Jesus Angelo dela Cruz, Ms. Josephine Javier, Ms. Annette
Angeles, Ms. Peachie Yap, Sis. Noe Surmieda, Mr. Leo Asuncion, Fr. Bobby Titco,
Fr. Clyde Cabuenas, Fr. Mon Pedroso. You are the people who took us on this
journey. You who kept us frantic and nervous on our quizzes and exams! You also
made us reflect on our lessons and encouraged us to share these with one
another and through our Facebook page, got them to be read and liked as much as
we want!
Truly,
generosity is very contagious, as what you have unselfishly given, much of your
time and effort for us. As what Fr. Bong enlightened us with during our
Integration session. It is when we have nothing that generosity is at its best.
When we see others giving, even their own set of clothes on them, or personal
items (the famous pustisos and underwear), we feel compelled to do the same.
Thank you Fr. Bong for your patience and wisdom. Being Paulinians ourselves (me and my wife), I remembered our
institution’s motto of “Caritas Christi Urget Nos” or the Charity of Christ
Impels Us. It is the Holy Spirit at work when we share ourselves for others. It
is the love of Christ Himself, as He commanded all of us to love one another as
He had loved us. We offer our sincerest gratitude to God the Father for making
you all instruments of His love. And so with the love of God, through His Only
Begotten Son, and with the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, once again on behalf
of the Basic Faith Formation “Ang Katolisismo” FIDES class – thank you all for
your generosity and God Bless Us all! Magandang Umaga po sa inyong lahat!
