Celebrating Lent in 2016

Every year Lent Weekly Reflections booklets are handed out to parishioners and I always make it a point to get one for the family so we can do our own reading and reflections at home.

Celebrating Montfort Schools Centennial

 "Celebrating our past. Charting the future."

Yesterday was not our normal Saturday routine. I was up and about by 530am preparing the boys to be in school before 715am. What's the special occasion? Their schools (Montfort Junior School and Montfort Secondary School) were kicking up the centennial year with a mass held at the Church of the Nativity, which was beside the former location of the schools. And they were both part of the school choir/chorale. What an honor to be able to take part in this special centennial celebration.

Pope Francis visits the Phillipines

“If He asks much of you, it is because He knows you can give much.” - Pope John Paul II

As Catholics in the Philippines (and Filipinos all over the world) welcome Pope Francis, we unearthed this memento I got from the last time a Pope (John Paul II) visited the country. Ira got this from my stash of papers as we were revising his spelling list few hours ago. Coincidence?

Advent Calendar of Activities 2014

'Tis the time of the year when shopping malls compete for the coveted title of the most beautifully decorated, when streets glimmer with Christmas lights at night, when you can see some homes liven up with the Christmas spirit. It's the season when we put up  and decorate our Christmas tree with a different theme every year and hang our parol (Christmas lantern) and set up a timer so that everyday at around 7 at night our home is filled with colorful lights coming from our tree and our parol. Then we play Christmas carols, old and new, and sing along to the lively tunes as we count the days to Christmas.

Advent Booklet 2014

Last week marked the beginning of Advent when we prepare, through prayers and contemplation, for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. As mentioned in my earlier blog, we had a very blessed first week of Advent as we were chosen to participate in the Offertory during mass. A week before that, our parish church has already started giving out advent booklets (which I collect annually). This year's theme is "Bearers of the Good News".

A Meaningful Start to the Advent Season

Today marks the beginning of Advent, that special time when we all pray as we prepare for the Second Coming of our Lord, Jesus Christ. This year's theme is "Bearers of the Good News" which calls for us to follow Mary in bringing the Good News closer to those who are in need - friends how may be losing hope, people who may feel unloved or those who are experiencing low self-esteem.

Today, a Sunday, is also the day when our family usually goes for mass. What made today more special than other Sundays though was that we (hubby and I) were chosen to be the couple to participate in the Offertory. I had a feeling something good was going to happen during mass the moment one of the church ushers glanced in our direction before the mass started. After a few minutes, one of the Filipino ushers approached us and asked us if we were a couple. We nodded. She asked if we were baptized and we said yes. She asked us if we would agree to bring the offerings to the altar. We looked at each other and we said yes. Of course, we said yes. 

Ira's First Holy Communion

* here's another very much delayed blog

 

A First Communion

My Jesus, I believe that You are present in the Most Holy Sacrament. I love You above all things, and I desire to receive You into my soul. I believe it because you have said it and I’m ready to give my life to maintain this truth. Amen. 

* http://www.prayers-for-special-help.com/communion-prayers.html

Ira received his First Holy Communion on 08 September 2013 at St Anne's Church. An important tradition for Catholic families like us and Ira's third sacrament to receive (after his baptism and first reconciliation).

Ira's First Reconciliation

Confession is an act of honesty and courage - an act of entrusting ourselves, beyond sin, to the mercy of a loving and forgiving God.  

-- Pope John Paul 2

Catechists have prepared primary 2 students the whole year for what can be deemed as the culmination of their second year of primary catechism. Ira was among the cohort of primary 2 catechism students at St Anne's Church who went for their First Reconciliation or Penance.

Bisita Iglesia 2011

Our third year of visiting churches during Good Friday. This time we explored the churches on the west district - that means we travelled from the north east side of Singapore to the western side. Here is the map of our Bisita Iglesia route:

Same as every year, we started at St Anne's Church in Sengkang, the one closest to our place.

We left home a little bit later in the morning as the kids got up late. We read the first and second stations from the booklet given out by the church weeks ago for lent reflections (From Wilderness to the Waters of Life). We also let the kids have their share of reading and reflection. Let me share them with you:

First Station: Jesus is condemned to death

Jesus is brought to stand in front of Pontius Pilate, the judge. He is innocent but Pontius Pilate condemns him anyway and sentences Him to death.

It is really our bad thoughts, mean words, and angry actions that You are being punished for, Jesus. We are praying the Stations of the Cross to tell You that we are sorry for all our sins.

Second Station: Jesus takes his cross

Jesus has been beaten by soldiers. He has been laughed at and spat upon. Now he must pick up the heavy cross and carry it while the crowd yells. He is so tired and sad, but no one cares.

We care that You are tired, Jesus. We are sorry that You are sad. We would like to help You carry Your cross with our prayers.

Then we headed to Church of St Ignatius (church #2) at 120 King's Road. It was around an hour's bus ride, taking bus 136 to Blk 302, Upper Serangoon Road, then transferring to bus 153, alighting at Spanish Village, Farrer Road. 

Since we started quite late in the morning, it was already 12 noon when we got Spanish Village. We decided to have lunch first (no meat for the adults).

After lunch, we headed to the Church of St Ignatius which was a block or so away - an uphill walk.

When we got there, they were in the middle of the mass so we decided to wait it out. We visited the bookshop while waiting. The bookshop lady was very nice and accommodating. When she saw us standing outside the shop for a very long time (we had gone back and forth to the church which was on the second floor for a few times then), obviously very hot, she came out and invited us in the shop where we could be more comfortable with the aircon. We found out she was about 1/4 or 1/8 Filipina. Her grandmother (who she was not able to meet personally) was a Filipina. 

After about 30 minutes or so, we headed back up to the church. Finally, the mass was over. We were able to read the next two stations of the cross.

Third Station: Jesus falls the first time

The cross is too heavy. It is so heavy that Jesus falls down under its weight. The blood from the crown of thorns is running into His eyes and His back aches from the scourging. People are still screaming and throwing things at Him. His heart must be as heavy as the cross He carries. 

It is our sins that make Your cross heavy, Jesus. We are sorry. We love You and we try to be good for You with our prayers and with our lives.

Fourth Station: Jesus meets His Blessed Mother

Suddenly, Jesus sees His mother. She is standing at the side of the road surrounded by the crowd. Her eyes filled with tears when she sees Jesus. She wants to help Him out but she cannot. Both their hearts ache at the other's pain.

Jesus, You and Your Blessed Mother help us whenever we ask. Our hearts ache too with the pain of the Stations of the Cross. We promise to pray to You both often, for help in our lives.

Moving on to our third church, the Blessed Sacrament Church at 1 Commonwealth Drive. It was around 20 mins bus ride from the Spanish Village taking either bus 93, 153, 855, 961, alighting at Opposite Blessed Sacrament Church.

Fifth Station: Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus carry the cross

The soldiers are in a hurry. They grab Simon of Cyrene out of the crowd to carry the cross and make Jesus go faster. Jesus was grateful to Simon for his help.

Simon did not know he was blessed when he was carrying Your cross - he only felt how heavy it was. Praying the Stations of the Cross will help us to remember that carrying our crosses helps You too.

Sixth Station: Veronica wipes the face of Jesus

Jesus' face is covered with sweat, blood and dust. It is itchy and uncomfortable. In pity, Veronica runs out to the road to wipe the dirt from Jesus' face. This small act of kindness is all she can do to help Him.

Jesus, we want to see and touch Your face, shining in glory in Heaven. We know that our small acts of kindness and our prayers help us grow closer to You and Your Father in Heaven.

Then we headed to our fourth church - Church of the Holy Cross at 450 Clementi Avenue 1 via bus 196 from After Commonwealth Drive, Queensway bus stop. It was a 26-minute bus ride, alighting at Transview Golf Club, Clementi Road.

Seventh Station: Jesus falls the second time

The road is so long and the cross is so heavy. Exhausted, Jesus falls down again. The soldiers yell at Him and whip Him to make Him up. Don't they know that they are hurting Him more? Jesus knows that He is suffering for the sins of the world. He gets up and keeps walking.

Jesus, sometimes we get tired, discouraged and impatient with the world. When we fail and fall into sin, it hurts You more. We are sorry and we ask You to help us be as patient and brave as You.

Eigth Station: Jesus speaks to women of Jerusalem

Next, Jesus meets some of the women he taught. They are crying. They are crying for Jesus, and for their own loss - what will they do without Jesus? Jesus tells them not to weep for Him, but for all the sinners of the world.

Jesus, You told the women of Jerusalem to weep for us. Even in Your pain, You remembered us. Thank you. We will pray for sinners, too.

We stayed at the Church of the Holy Cross for almost an hour I think because we were held up by the rain. As expected, it usually rains in the afternoon of Good Friday. 

On to our fifth church - Church of St Francis of Assissi at 200 Boon Lay Avenue, we took bus 198 from the bus stop at Blk 610, AYE, which was quite a walk from the church. We crossed the overpass to the other side of the AYE. The next church was 24 stops away, alighting at Blk 185, Boon Lay Avenue.

It was still drizzling when we walked to the church. The mass was almost starting so we had to read the two stations while sitting on the bench.

Ninth Station: Christ's Third Fall

Jesus reaches the last hill before Calvary. He looks up to see how far He has to go. When He sees the hill where He knows He is going to die, His strength leaves Him and He falls to the ground. There is still more pain, still more sorrow to endure. But Jesus loves us, so He keeps going.

Jesus, You kept going even though You were tired, scared and sad. You loved us then, and You love us now. We offer our prayers to tell You that we love You, and want to comfort You in Your great sacrifice.

Tenth Station: Jesus is stripped of His garments

The crowd has followed Jesus and the soldiers to the top of Calvary Hill. Now they laugh as the guards pull off His clothes - His robe has stuck to the blood on His back. The guards push and shove Jesus. They do not care who He is, they only see that He is an object of scorn.

Jesus, even wounded, bleeding, roughly treated by the guards and mocked by the crowds, You were and are still our King. We ask You to remember us in Your Kingdom.

We didn't waste anytime, and walked to the bus stop under the rain with our very small umbrella to shield us. Our sixth church - Church of St Mary of the Angels, was 16 bus stops away from Blk 176, Boon Lay Avenue via bus 174, alighting at Church of St Mary, Bukit Batok East Avenue 6.

As with most of the churches we visited, there was a mass going on. The church was packed. Chairs were arranged outside to accommodate the rest of the congregation that did not fit inside the church. We had to stand on the side and read the remaining stations. We decided this would be our last stop.

Eleventh Station: Jesus is nailed to the cross

Is this the worst? The feet that carry the message of God's love and the hands that healed are pierced with nails as Jesus is nailed to the cross. More wounds, more pain and more humiliation for Jesus.

Jesus, they tried to stop Your hands and feet from doing Your Father's work by nailing You to a cross. You endured the pain of it for us, as You gave Your whole life for us. We thank You and we love You.

Twelfth Station: Jesus dies upon the cross

The sword the Simeon prophesied has pierced Mary's heart/ The hopes of the Apostles are crushed. The veil of the Temple, symbol of the old covenant of God's Love, is torn in two as Jesus' death opens a New Covenant with God.

Jesus, You spoke lovingly to everyone gathered at the foot of Your cross. You knew the new life that Your death made possible. Speak lovingly to us when we come before You and make us worthy of the new life in You.

Thirteenth Station: Jesus is taken from the cross

Now, all that is left is to take Jesus' body down from the cross. All the gentleness, reverence and love denied through this terrible day is possible now. May and the Apostles wonder, is it too late? Is it over?

Jesus, with our prayers, we join in taking Your body down from the cross. We touch You; take the nails out, wash Your wounds, take off the crown of thorns, with love and sorrow. We grieve with Mary, and want to comfort her.

Fourteenth Station: Jesus is laid in the sepulcher

Even in this time of sorrow, there is help. Joseph of Arimathea arranges for Jesus to be buried in a nearby tomb. His body is wrapped in clothes and sealed away. Everyone walks away, weeping. Finally, all is quiet, peaceful even.

Three days later, something wonderful happens - Jesus rises from the dead! The Light of the Resurrection cracks open the tomb - Jesus' light is stronger than death.

As we say our final prayers to end this year's Bisita Iglesia, we reflect upon what has happened, and look forward to the coming of the Risen Christ. 

We ended our day with a celebration. It is not a easy feat to go from one side of Singapore to the other side, especially with kids in tow. Our children rose up to the challenge, they enjoyed the journey, no one fell asleep in the bus, they took part in the reading and the prayers. It was then time to honor our eldest on his 11th birthday after focusing much of the whole day remembering Jesus. That would be in another blog though :)

(personal pictures to follow)

How to be FREE: Passover Lessons

I got this from my mail box thru my subscriptions at beliefnet.com. I thought it was just in time for the celebration of the Holy Week and I would like to share it here in my blog.

How to Liberate Yourself

We all long to be free from the struggles, fears, hurts and resentments which creep into our lives. We are all entitled to the liberation from them which is promised by the Passover story. Here are ten steps, inspired by Passover traditions both ancient and contemporary, which will help you liberate yourself and enjoy the freedom you deserve.

THROW IT AWAY

Pick a small symbol of whatever is holding you back, and throw it away. Declare that for a specific period of time, say a week, you are simply not going to accept the presence of that problem in your life.

TREAT YOURSELF

Treat yourself to something new that makes you feel fresh -- a new garment or anything else which, when worn, used, etc. makes you feel like you deserve a do-over and are getting one.

Hmm. What a good way to really start fresh! And just in time for the coming school holidays.

GOOD DEEDS

Go out and do something nice for somebody else. It need not be big, but there is no better path to empowerment than serving another person in need.

Well, I just might be able to do so. And this particular help I have in mind is going to make the other person really feel special because it’s a very important event in her life.

REFLECT

Take a moment to identify some things that are already going well. Where do you see even the first signs of new positive potential emerging in your life? They need not be big to be real.

Sometimes we forget to notice the blessings that we receive because they are not that grand or life-changing. Every positive thing, no matter how small, that happens in our lives is something to be thankful for. Sometimes even a negative happening deserves our thanks for it makes us a little bit wiser and a lot stronger.

EMPATHY

Consider where you see others wrestling with challenges in their lives, and think about what you could do to lighten their burden. What abilities do you possess that could brighten someone else’s life?

I don’t really have any special abilities. But if by listening to someone share his/her bad experiences, even if we are only acquaintances, makes him/her feel slightly better, I am willing to do so. I have done it so many times before some people even thought that I was a fake – pretending to be nice to someone I don’t even know personally. But I guess that is just how I was raised. I don’t choose who to listen to or give advice to, as long as it’s needed.

GET SUPPORT

Don’t go it alone. Identify people who could share in your process of liberation and invite them to be part of your circle of support.

I’m quite lucky to have a BIG support group – my immediate family, my in-laws, my close friends, my long distance friends, my co-parent volunteers. It just keeps on growing. I couldn’t ask for more.

LIMIT YOUR WORRIES

Articulate a limited number of challenges, no more than four, and limit your worry to that short list. You have to start somewhere and this is where you choose to do so. The rest can wait.

This is something I am really good at – worrying. I’m a worry-freak and sometimes it just hinders me from really enjoying the moment. Instead of 4, I should just limit the challenge to 1. Because I know that Someone up there (pointing up) will take care of the rest and help me get through them one by one, in His time. No worries.

GET INSPIRED

Find stories of people who have overcome similar challenges and share those stories with your circle of support. If it worked for others, it can work for you.

I’ve always loved reading inspirational books. It’s true, no two people are alike, and no two people can be in similar situations. But I believe that we can always learn something from their stories. And what we have learned, we can pass on to others.

BE GRATEFUL

Make a list of the people and things for which you can be grateful no matter how jammed up your life may otherwise be. Make sure to say ‘thank you’ to those who make the good stuff happen. Gratitude is liberating.

We should be grateful for even the little things in life. Everything we have is a gift. Everyone we meet is a blessing.

FLESH OUT YOUR DREAMS

Articulate your dreams, even if you have no idea about how to make them come true, or any rational expectation that they will. If there was, they would not be dreams. And once you articulate them, you are that much closer to making them real.

I remember an advice in one of the books I’ve read – write your dreams and they will come true. When we write our dreams and see them in paper, we are constantly reminded of what we want to achieve. We tend to focus on them and make steps towards achieving them. There’s nothing wrong in dreaming. Dream big, achieve even bigger! Not I gotta put that in action.

Source: Passover Lessons

Live in the "Now"

I have been contemplating on some things in life. When I have some things that are confusing me or puzzling me, I usually open up in the forum, to get other people's view on it (aside from mine and my husbands). I usually get a good perspective after discussions on the forum - with friends and other forumers.

Bisita Iglesia 2010

It's our second year in a row. This time I decided to visit churches mostly on the eastern part of Singapore and then ending with 2 churches in the city. Our Bisita Iglesia last year took a lot of walking time  due to wrong calculations in distances, and also a little bit of bad weather, so we finished quite late in the afternoon. 

This year I planned our itinerary so we wouldn't need to travel a long way, no long walks and hoped for a better weather. With the help of more organized planning and better technology (google maps on-the-go, gps, gothere.com, etc), we breezed through the whole day finishing early in the afternoon.

We left home around 10am. Took bus 86 going to:

St Anne's Church

66 Sengkang East Way

Singapore 548593

for the Stations of the Cross 1 and 2. 

view of St Anne from the bus stop for Bus 88

waiting for the bus

After saying our prayers, we walked to Blk 231 Punggol Road (bus stop 65041) to take bus 88 to:

Church of the Divine Mercy

19 Pasir Ris Street 72

Singapore 518771

for Stations of the Cross 3 and 4. We alighted at After Pasir Ris Drive 1, Pasir Ris Drive 12, 3 stops later. The church was around 334m from the bus stop. We had to cross the street and walk towards Pasir Ris Street 22.

The mass was just about to start and they were inviting the kids over to have a separate celebration 

(the one that's more fun, according to the ushers). 

The people (ushers) there were very accommodating - all smiles, greeting everyone who comes along. 

We entered the church for a while to say our prayers.

the church entrance

rested for a while before walking to the bus stop for our next bus ride

We walked on the side of the church at Blk 734 car park to go to the bus stop at Blk 738 (77289) Pasir Ris Drive 1, where we took bus 39 to our 3rd church.

Church of the Holy Trinity

20 Tampines Street 11

Singapore 529455

The bus ride was about 30mins. The church was just behind the bus stop. 

The bus stop is located on the left side of the picture.

entering the church

We were sort of lost. We climbed the stairs to the second floor but the church itself was not there. We saw some offices and preschool classrooms instead.

stopped by near this aquarium for a break

and another one

Then we took the lift going to the third floor. We were shocked to see a hall full of the congregation celebrating the mass. There was no way we could have squeezed in to get to the stations so we had no choice but to go back to the 2nd level and say our prayers in front of the statue of Jesus in the lobby.

Kelvin reading the 5th and 6th stations of the cross

Coming out from the church, we saw this eating place just across the street. We had our lunch there since the bus going to our next destination was not arriving in 15 minutes time (thanks to iris service). 

we had pork! oh no....

can't get enough of the iced tea. The kids were bothered by the hot weather.

After lunch, we walked back to the bus stop (76089), but stopped by at the church gate to take a photo.

We were just in time for bus 28. Few more minutes and were have reached our destination. We alighted at After Perpetual Succour Church, Changi Road, 13 stops later.

Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour

31 Siglap Hill

Singapore 456085

we read Stations of the Cross 7 and 8.

kids exploring the church

At the same bus stop, we took bus 30 and alighted at CDAC Building, Tanjong Katong Road, 8 stops later, for Stations of the Cross 9 and 10 at:

Church of Our Lady Queen of Peace

4 Sandy Lane

Singapore 437321

waiting to cross the street

we saw a big Filipino group also going to the same church

making our way to the church entrance

Kelvin reading the stations of the cross

We sat for a while and headed outside to check if there was a bus that would take us to City Plaza, Geylang Road. One of the people waiting at the bus stop informed us that it was easier to just walk since there is no bus going to that side. It was just around 2 blocks away so we walked there. They were right, it was not really that far. 

At City Plaza we took bus 2... 

Ira checking out the GPS while in the bus

...and alighted at Bras Basah Complex, Victoria Street, 14 stops later. Then we  walked towards the junction to get to:

Cathedral of the Good Shepherd

31 Victoria Street

Singapore 187997

For Stations of the Cross 11 and 12

a short detour at this bridge 

From the cathedral, we took the left gate exit, and walked to:

Church of Sts Peter and Paul

225A Queen Street

Singapore 188551

Only to realize that it we had to walk around because we entered on the back end of the church. 

We read Stations of the Cross 13 and 14.

the church was under construction

Mark helping out one of the church officials to move the table used during the re-enactment

resting before moving on to suntec city

Singapore Catholic Churches

Source: http://www.veritas.org.sg/parishes_list.php