seminary sunday 5 years after

The Seminary Sunday of the Parish of Our Lady of Candles of Jaro started 5 years ago, in 2011, at the time when Most. Rev. Gerry Alminaza was still our parish priest, and Frs. Macky Sortido and Marvin Tabion were his assistants. I had just finished my term in the Parish of Jaro then and I was starting my term as Rector of the St. Vincent Ferrer Seminary. To be very honest, it was one assignment that did not give me any excitement at all, not only because I thought serving the seminary for more than 8 years already was long enough and serving the cathedral for a full second term was already too much, but also because a rural parish was a lot more appealing. Except for a 6-month tenure in Pototan, all my assignments were in the city, and I wanted to experience then the simple and uncomplicated life of a country priest.  This is one experience I would not like to miss, and life is short!

Aggravating further the hesitancy, the seminary budget at that time was so dire that even the food of the seminarians and the salaries of the personnel were affected.   So practically my first weeks in my new assignment was spent either in front of the computer writing letters making appeals, or on the telephone asking for assistance from benefactors and friends, or in the chapel, knocking on the doors of heaven begging for help.  The response miraculously was tremendous.  People (and God) were sympathetic especially when the need was as basic as food and salaries.  The faithful from as far as the parishes of Janiuay, Pototan, Miag-ao, Tigbauan, Lambunao, Oton and the Sto. Nino Chapel in SM Delgado, all responded to the appeal.  They came individually and some came in groups.  Some responded in kind, (bananas, fish, chicken, rice) and some in cash.  A popular local TV host even came telling me that he heard that the seminary needed financial assistance for food but he forgot about it.  Then one morning while he and his wife were reading the bible they read something about "bread" from the book of Kings and it reminded them of our need. 

Then, Jaro, what about Jaro? 

Although the popular "parish angels" were no longer the "choir" they used to be, many were still there to lend a hand, as always, when asked. Like their counterpart in heaven they always have a soft spot in their hearts reserved for priests and would be priests. 

The "jollibee girls" came also to help – some making yearly and monthly pledges for the seminary.  The only return they asked was a prayer that God preserved their good health and happy streaks despite their being early morning fast-food junkies.

Some parish religious organizations responded to our need – the Daughters of Mary Immaculate International made a monthly pledge, the CWL-Jaro and the Ladies of Charity-Jaro would not be outdone, and so did MBG-Oton.

Some parishioners who were celebrating their birthdays and anniversaries asked for cash gifts from their friends and guests and gave this for the support of the seminary.

In the MKK's (Magagmay nga Kristianong Katilingban) of our parish we also experienced love and concern in action.  They may not have much to share but charity is never measured by the amount given.  Fund raising after all is more than just raising much needed funds.  It is above all raising consciousness on the real needs of the community (the need to support vocations) and evoking in individuals that common feeling of concern that binds us together to help.

These by the way, were not orders "from the top", but simply spread by word of mouth generating sympathy and initiating individual action.

But then the parish could not just stand at the sidelines.  It intervened.  Pope Benedict XVI in his Encyclical letter Deus Caristas Est said that love, if it is to be an ordered service to the community, needs to be organized.  And that is what the parish did.  It institutionalized its love and concern for the seminary and its mission in the local church, by appointing the 5^th Sundays of the month as Seminary Sundays.  This means that all the colecta in the 10 masses on this Sunday are given to the seminary after the social fund of 10 percent is deducted.  In a year there are 4 Fifth Sundays (although some have 5) and this fund has sustained us through these 5 years.  We would like to thank Frs. Macky and Marvin for proposing this program to our parish priest.  Even now Fr. Macky who is presently assigned in far far away Estancia is the only other parish which has a Seminary Sunday and a seminary priest would be assigned there to say mass and to bring home fresh fish, dried fish, vegetables, etc.  Thank you also to Msgr. Gene Velarde, our parish priest, to his former assistants Fr. Ronald de Leon (now in the Sta. Barbara Leprosarium) and Fr. Nathaniel Gentizon (now in Rome doing further studies), to Frs. Francis Angostura, Mark Senina, Martin Alarcon and Ryan Teves, for continuing the program despite the many needs too of the Jaro Cathedral Parish. 

But the Seminary Sunday of the parish of Jaro is not just about raising funds.  Actually it is a lot easier to look for funds than to convince young boys and men to try it out for the priesthood.  This is the more important task of every Seminary Sunday.  The priesthood and religious life have lost their luster and they are no longer the ideal they once were for every catholic family to have.  In the posters we did for the parish campaign for vocations this year, we selected three families of priests as our "poster families" to call on catholic families to encourage and support vocations to the priesthood.  These poster families are Msgr. Rody Napial and his two brothers, Fr. Maynard Balofiños and his mother, and Fr. Paul Patrick Alipao and his relatives.  Families are the seedbed of vocations – this is where they first germinate to become seedlings – through the encouragement of their parents, through the help and sacrifices of their brothers and sisters and through the support of relatives.

This Seminary Sunday, if you know a young man in your family whom you think should entertain the idea of the priesthood, speak to him, encourage him and assure him of your support.

May our efforts and sacrifices today produce more holy priests for the future of our parish and our archdiocese.