By Salve Nasol Pakson
The clouds were forebodingly gray that day. But it didn’t bother me. I was just a kid – about five years old-and, all I knew, this was going to be another fun day with my Papa. He was a driver for ALATCO Pantranco Bus Company, daily plying the Ligao – Albay route surrounding scenic Mayon Volcano, winding along the seashore. Papa often brought me along because I suffered asthma and the breeze from the sea did wonders for my lungs.
They live in the Northern Philippines and have retained their own way of life for two thousand years despite many attempts to make them change. The catastrophic eruption of Mount Pinatubo in 1991 presented a new challenge to their existence.
By Fr. Paul Richardson ssc
My father was a bus driver in Boston and always worked the earliest possible shift, so he always got up early. It was his job to drive the first of the daytime busses out of the bus company garage at 6:30 in the morning. (There were two nighttime busses that drove around our town in apposite directions all night.) My father got up at 5:30 in the morning and left the house for work at 6:00 o’clock. Between the opening and closing of doors and other related noises, I was always wide awake when he left the house. And since I didn’t have to be at school until 8:15, I became very religious. The morning Mass on weekdays in our parish was 6:30 a.m. and I started going to Mass every day. The church was only ten minutes away from our house.
By Fr. Cresencio Suarin
I arrived at Lahore International Airport via Karachi on April 30, 1993. As I went to the Baggage Claim Area to collect my belongings, to my surprise, my baggage could not be found. However I was assured that I would get it after a few days.
By Michael Dalton
Enriqueta, once one of Fr O'Brien's community leaders, visits him at Misyon Office with her husband, Michael Dalton
In 1993, Enriquita arrived in Western Samoa to begin her role as a lay missionary at Paul VI College and as an Incola Mariae of Legion of Mary to share her gift and to learn about life outside the Philippines. After two years in Western Samoa she moved to American Samoa in 1995 to work at Fasso High School and work as Math and Science teacher for another two years.
By Maricel Bedra
Today Catholic Ireland is going through a crisis. Undreamed of wealth has arrived along with a nightmare of scandals. Young people struggle to deal with the new reality. Some leave the church, some drift into indifference, a small but growing number even commit suicide. But some remain faithful and Maricel Bedra, a Columban Lay Missionary from the Philippines, joined these youthful people in an arduous pilgrimage of the Holy Mountain, the mountain of Patrick, the original apostle of Ireland. She shares the experience with us.
By Sr. Xavier Marie Bual, spc
Lanao del Sur, Which holds the beautiful Lake Lanao that empties to the North through Lanao del Norte at the majestic Maria Cristina Falls, is the main source of electricity for most of Mindanao, generated by the falls’ hydroelectric power plant managed by NAPOCOR. Lake Lanao is surrounded by untouched forest to the east, south and west. The southern area extends its forest far to the south of the province near the boundary of North Cotabato particularly the mountains of Wao which is the last municipality of Lanao del Sur. The main product of the area is corn, planted on rolling hills extending beyond the boundary to North Cotabato. Their area used to be covered with thick forest. The loggings companies cut these forests, built the roads and connected the small towns of Bukidnon, Lanao del Sur and North Cotabato. There is no road that cuts through the forest around Lake Lanao. This is precisely to protect the watershed of Lake Lanao.
By Sr. Rosalinda Gonzales, mmm
Sr. Rosalinda recalls her trip back to Africa where she is the only Filipino in an Irish Congregation of Sister Doctors.
My last holiday home to the Philippines was a great relief and a great rest but then the hour came to return to Africa. To be honest, I literally dragged myself to pack up my bags to travel back to Africa. I didn’t realize until then that I was spent and tired. It was difficult leaving home again now that I have only my remaining sisters Eulenia and Angeline. Papa was called to his ‘final home’ since my last home leave. Long before that was Mama, followed later by my brother Ruben. As Eulenia said, we will be three years older on our next reunion.
With the new set-up at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), my sisters had to leave shortly after seeing me off at the departure gate.
I boarded the British Airways (BA) flight to London Heathrow Airport and even before reaching Hongkong, the first stop-over, I was already feeling homesick. I prayed the Rosary and feel asleep most of the time during the journey to London.
By Sr. Mary Angela Battung RGS
In the late 19th century, many Filipinos went and settled in Europe to continue their studies, to flee from persecution by their Spanish colonizers, or to seek reforms. They were called “Filipinos in exile”.
My name is Vincent Acierto. I am 9 years old, Grade IV, studying at Southville International School. I was born onFebruary 1, 1988 and since birth I cannot walk, the doctors said it was a miracle that I survived. I have had eight major operations since I was born. I have to be always in my wheelchair. I was a sickly boy since birth. I was always in the hospital almost every two months. But for three years now, I don’t get sick anymore. And I thank God and Mama Mary very much for it. All of my pains and sufferings I just offer them to our Lord because it was He who gave me and all of us our lives. Without God we are nothing, we can do nothing in this world without him. When I was 4 years old, I was given Holy Communion and I served the Mass of my priest friend Reverend Fr. Jerry Orbos, and SVD missionary. Do you know what a missionary is? They are those who leave their family, home and country, go out and teach the people how to go to heaven. Sometimes they are killed or get sick in other countries or they die without seeing their family anymore. And we have to pray for them so that they will always be protected by Mama Mary and our Lord.
