by Ma. Teresita Arvisu
Friday, June 25, 2021 was a special day at NSOLL. It was the first time since the pandemic started more than a year ago that parishioners attended the monthly Lay Formation Talk face-to-face. With the assistance of the Sanitation Ministry who strictly implemented health and safety protocols, all attendees were properly screened and assisted.
The Lay Formation talk was the first part of the program. Organized by the Formation Ministry, the evening’s host was Sis. Ruby P. Macario. Br. Matt Martin led the opening prayer and introduced the speaker, Rev. Fr. Artemio T. Raymundo, OFMCap., Guardian of the NSOLL Fraternity, who told “The Story of Our Parish”. Fr. Ting, as he is fondly called, spoke about his personal experiences from the time Lourdes Church was built in 1951 until the present time.
Fr. Ting’s talk was packed with interesting revelations. Highlights included a stunning photo of the altar of St. Anthony’s Church at Zaragoza, Spain which was the inspiration of the altar at the National Shrine. Then there were 2 photo perspectives, each showing a majestic edifice, one from the Kanlaon side, another from the Retiro side, that indeed Lourdes Church was built like a cathedral. That Capuchins, known for their love of music, attracted people to the church whenever the great big pipe organ at the loft was played. Another was the fact that the big tract of land on which the church stands was a donation to the Capuchins by Mr. and Mrs. Tuazon. A photo of the Blessing of the Sick circa 1954 showed the people packed in the church, the sick and infirm on the front row near the communion rail. It was a long list of eye-opening historical and personal revelations. Many from the audience wished he had more time to speak.
Rev. Fr. Artemio “Ting” T. Raymundo, OFMCap., ended with, “ You must realize how important is your parish. But the parish cannot work without the people. It is not simply the building, but it is you – people who make up the church and who make up the parish. We must continue to build it with our service, prayer and liturgical celebrations.”
The audience gave a resounding applause for “the Lady of Lourdes as recognition of her presence in our needs until today.”
Thereafter, Rev. Fr. Jefferson E. Agustin, OFMCap. together with Br. Victor Jose I. Luciano, Lay Coordinator, gave a plaque of appreciation to Fr. Ting for his inspiring Story of Our Church.
The second part of the program was the General Assembly. Officially this was the first time Rev. Fr. Jefferson E. Augustin, OFMCap. met the organizations, on his “monthsary” from the day he arrived NSOLL on June 24th. Following the roll call of organizations, he spoke in depth about the forthcoming Dedication of the Church and 70th Anniversary Jubilee celebration.
General Assembly ended with an action song video shoot of the whole assembly, guided by the energetic animators from the Youth Ministry.
Congratulations to the Formation Ministry for organizing the Lay Formation.
Thank you to all the organization members who came to the church as well as those who followed on Nsoll’s FB Live and NSOLL’s You Tube channel.
Join next month’s General Assembly. Details to follow.
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