the biggest ordination
Here are some facts and stories from behind the scenes regarding the ordination and the thanksgiving mass of Fr. Ron and Fr. Peter.
It was the biggest ordination in recent memory! Ten new priests, a jam-packed church (and we’re talking about St. Clement’s Church here) with more or less 200 priests and exactly four bishops attending. It was also by far the longest – we started at exactly 2 in the afternoon and ended up at 5:30 P.M., that’s 3 hours and thirty minutes! And to think that some people were standing all the while! Some were already in church as early as 11 in the morning (that’s how excited people coming from Estancia were)! It took us two nights to prepare the church and we stayed until nine in the evening to gather everything we have brought with us.
Thanks to the Irish Clergy of St. Clement’s, they were there all the time during the practices, the set up and even after the ordination. They even went around the church apologizing to would be 5:30 PM mass goers because they have to cancel that mass. Actually we forgot to calculate the duration of the ordination and to ask whether there was a mass after it. But the fathers were so kind to let the picture-taking continue and did not hurry up the newly ordained probably not wishing that such a once in a lifetime event be distracted and abruptly stopped. We thank the St. Clement’s clergy for their sensitivity and profound hospitality. Indeed they served as good examples to our ten new priests as they start that very afternoon their ministry.
__________
For the thanksgiving mass of Fr. Ron and Fr. Peter we in the parish of Jaro prepared for 1,000 guests. And to do that we did the following: All the barangays (except for two barangays who opted not to join) prepared one menu – menudo, which explains why our menudo that evening came in all tastes and ingredients! The religious organizations gave a thousand pesos (some gave two) for the dessert including the plates and the utensils. The Commission on Vocations gave five thousand pesos for the softdrinks. The accounting office deducted a thousand pesos each from the allowances of the priests in the cathedral (two thousand from the parish priest) for the lechon and other expenses. Barangay San Roque and Tabuc Suba Ilaya who gave us our two new priests, also gave lechon, and so did other generous individuals from the Pastoral Council. From the parish fund we provided rice and another menu – chopsuey.
The young people of the parish provided the manpower (most especially our ever reliable altar boys), including a beautiful rendition of the Holy Rosary before the mass complete with a beautiful and meaningful pantomime (from the young people coming from our different barangays). Fr. Philip and Fr. Bong Villariza (of St. Vincent Ferrer Seminary) became the emcee for the program together with Princess who had to do some last minute shopping for her kimona that evening (she looked “grandly” marvellous). Jaro I Elementary School (where Fr. Peter is an alumnus) provided for the Drum and Lyre Corps and a beautiful folk dance during the program. Again Barangay San Roque and Tabuc Suba Ilaya each gave a dance number including that fancy folk dance where they “stripped”(OMG!) their curtain-like-apparels to dance something more modern, to the delight of the crowd. Several parishioners provided for the door prizes too. Our catechists came in full force to collect the food coming from the different barangays and distribute these to the guests (they ended up making do with what was left). Our parish helpers were there too – from the pastoral secretariat and parish office workers to the driver and janitors. Even the carpenters in the cathedral provided for our parish gift – a cross for each priest made from wood taken from the beams of the cathedral with their names and date of ordination intricately carved on it. And of course our seminarians, Mark, Fremar and Ryan organized everything from the liturgy to the program. It was really a parish affair.
At a certain point though somebody called in subdued alarm: “They have no more rice!” But it was not to be another wedding in Cana. We just have to do without rice for the thanksgiving banquet. Well, it was an embarrassing thing, but nevertheless we managed and some ended up going vegetarian that evening – what with so much chopsuey!
________
I did give the homily for their thanksgiving mass – forced by circumstances (including threats). And I have to suffer for a week trying to figure out what to say during this once in a lifetime event in the life of Fr. Ron and Fr. Peter. Doing so was a cathartic experience for me for I have to go through my experiences with them as their formator where I did make some good for their formation including a lot of mistakes. If you’re interested just log on to www.andyesperancilla.blogspot.com – this is where I deposit all my English homilies. They are not really strictly speaking, homilies but some sort of a diary of what went through my mind when I see and experience the events that transpired and look at them from the point of view of gospel of the day. Anyway you can browse over it if you have the time.
And so to all those who have helped us one way or the other, recognized or unrecognized, the parish would like to say thank you for your generosity in welcoming Fr. Peter and Fr. Ron to the priesthood. When Fr. Ron was being pushed and jostled about during the thanksgiving dinner I remember whispering to him telling him, “don’t worry Ron, this happens once in your life – just once. . . after this, no more.” Well, thank you all for making this “once in your life” memorable for our two new priests.
It was the biggest ordination in recent memory! Ten new priests, a jam-packed church (and we’re talking about St. Clement’s Church here) with more or less 200 priests and exactly four bishops attending. It was also by far the longest – we started at exactly 2 in the afternoon and ended up at 5:30 P.M., that’s 3 hours and thirty minutes! And to think that some people were standing all the while! Some were already in church as early as 11 in the morning (that’s how excited people coming from Estancia were)! It took us two nights to prepare the church and we stayed until nine in the evening to gather everything we have brought with us.
Thanks to the Irish Clergy of St. Clement’s, they were there all the time during the practices, the set up and even after the ordination. They even went around the church apologizing to would be 5:30 PM mass goers because they have to cancel that mass. Actually we forgot to calculate the duration of the ordination and to ask whether there was a mass after it. But the fathers were so kind to let the picture-taking continue and did not hurry up the newly ordained probably not wishing that such a once in a lifetime event be distracted and abruptly stopped. We thank the St. Clement’s clergy for their sensitivity and profound hospitality. Indeed they served as good examples to our ten new priests as they start that very afternoon their ministry.
__________
For the thanksgiving mass of Fr. Ron and Fr. Peter we in the parish of Jaro prepared for 1,000 guests. And to do that we did the following: All the barangays (except for two barangays who opted not to join) prepared one menu – menudo, which explains why our menudo that evening came in all tastes and ingredients! The religious organizations gave a thousand pesos (some gave two) for the dessert including the plates and the utensils. The Commission on Vocations gave five thousand pesos for the softdrinks. The accounting office deducted a thousand pesos each from the allowances of the priests in the cathedral (two thousand from the parish priest) for the lechon and other expenses. Barangay San Roque and Tabuc Suba Ilaya who gave us our two new priests, also gave lechon, and so did other generous individuals from the Pastoral Council. From the parish fund we provided rice and another menu – chopsuey.
The young people of the parish provided the manpower (most especially our ever reliable altar boys), including a beautiful rendition of the Holy Rosary before the mass complete with a beautiful and meaningful pantomime (from the young people coming from our different barangays). Fr. Philip and Fr. Bong Villariza (of St. Vincent Ferrer Seminary) became the emcee for the program together with Princess who had to do some last minute shopping for her kimona that evening (she looked “grandly” marvellous). Jaro I Elementary School (where Fr. Peter is an alumnus) provided for the Drum and Lyre Corps and a beautiful folk dance during the program. Again Barangay San Roque and Tabuc Suba Ilaya each gave a dance number including that fancy folk dance where they “stripped”(OMG!) their curtain-like-apparels to dance something more modern, to the delight of the crowd. Several parishioners provided for the door prizes too. Our catechists came in full force to collect the food coming from the different barangays and distribute these to the guests (they ended up making do with what was left). Our parish helpers were there too – from the pastoral secretariat and parish office workers to the driver and janitors. Even the carpenters in the cathedral provided for our parish gift – a cross for each priest made from wood taken from the beams of the cathedral with their names and date of ordination intricately carved on it. And of course our seminarians, Mark, Fremar and Ryan organized everything from the liturgy to the program. It was really a parish affair.
At a certain point though somebody called in subdued alarm: “They have no more rice!” But it was not to be another wedding in Cana. We just have to do without rice for the thanksgiving banquet. Well, it was an embarrassing thing, but nevertheless we managed and some ended up going vegetarian that evening – what with so much chopsuey!
________
I did give the homily for their thanksgiving mass – forced by circumstances (including threats). And I have to suffer for a week trying to figure out what to say during this once in a lifetime event in the life of Fr. Ron and Fr. Peter. Doing so was a cathartic experience for me for I have to go through my experiences with them as their formator where I did make some good for their formation including a lot of mistakes. If you’re interested just log on to www.andyesperancilla.blogspot.com – this is where I deposit all my English homilies. They are not really strictly speaking, homilies but some sort of a diary of what went through my mind when I see and experience the events that transpired and look at them from the point of view of gospel of the day. Anyway you can browse over it if you have the time.
And so to all those who have helped us one way or the other, recognized or unrecognized, the parish would like to say thank you for your generosity in welcoming Fr. Peter and Fr. Ron to the priesthood. When Fr. Ron was being pushed and jostled about during the thanksgiving dinner I remember whispering to him telling him, “don’t worry Ron, this happens once in your life – just once. . . after this, no more.” Well, thank you all for making this “once in your life” memorable for our two new priests.
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