Sa araw na ito...

Isinilang si Arsobispo Artemio Gabriel Casas sa Poblacion, Meycauayan, Bulacan noong ika-20 ng Oktubre 1911. Panganay sa  mga supling nina Exequiel Casas at Maria Gabriel. Nag-aral siya sa Colegio de San Juan de Letran at nagtapos sa Pamantasan ng Santo Tomas.

Ika-20 Marso, 1938 nang ordinahan siya sa pagkapari at unang naging destino niya ang Paombong, Bulacan bilang coadjutor. Di lumaon at nalipat siya sa Parokya ng San Roque sa Probinsya ng Rizal at Inmaculata Concepcion sa Tayuman Maynila.

Ika-17 ng Enero, 1956 nang siya ay italaga bilang Monsignor (Domestic Prelate) sa San Miguel, Maynila ni Lub. Kgg Rufino J. Santos D.D., Arsobispo ng Maynila. Kasabay niyang itinalaga sina Reb P.  Pedro Abad na tubong-Meycauayan din at ng lima pang paring taga-Bulacan na Sina P. Guillermo Mendoza ng Bocaue, P. Jose Aguinaldo ng Hagonoy, P. Fernando Mempin ng Baliauag, P. Honorio Resurreccion at Francisco Avendano na parehong taga-Obando. Kasabay din nila Si P. Felix Sicat na naging kura paroko ng ating simbahan. Siya ay nahirang na Rector ng Katedral ng Maynila mula 1956 hanggang sa mahirang na Obispo ng Imus noong ika-1 ng Disyembre, 1961 at Inordinahang Obispo ni Rufino Jiao Cardinal Santos noong ika-24 ng Pebrero, 1962 sa Imus, Cavite kung saan siya naglingkod hanggang 1969.

           

Ika-4 ng Setyembre, 1968 nang hiranging siya bilang Katuwang na Obispo ng Maynila at Obispo Titular ng “Macriana Minor”. Si Obispo Casas ay nanilbihang Chancellor sa Arkidiyosesis ng Maynila sa kapanahunan ni Cardinal Santos at nanungkulan din bilang Censor Librorum.

Noong yumao si Cardinal Santos, siya ang nahirang na “Vicar Capitular” at di naglaon ay naging Arsobispo ng Jaro Iloilo kapalit ni Jaime Cardinal Sin na nahirang naman bilang Arsobispo ng Maynila noong ika-11 ng Mayo, 1974. Nanungkulan siyang arsobispo sa Jaro hanggang ika-25 ng Oktubre,1985.

            Pumanaw noong ika-25 Marso 1989 sa gulang na 78, bilang Arsobispo Emerito ng Jaro, pari sa loob ng 51 taon at obispo ng 27 taon. Tunay na alagad ng simbahan,  mapagmahal na ama ng Jaro at dakilang Anak ng Meycauayan. Siya ay inilibing sa may paanan ng kampanaryo ng ating Simbahan, ang simbahang umugit at naging inspirasyon niya sa pagtahak sa buhay paglilingkod sa Diyos at sa Kapwa.

*Sanggunian: N. S. P. S. Francisco de Asi: Kasaysayan ng Buhay-Pananampalataya ng Meycauayan ni Ronaldo Dionisio et al.

Sa araw na ito...

Ika-18 ng Oktubre, 1973, itinalaga ang Lubhang Kagalang-galang Cirilo R. Almario, Jr., D. D. bilang Obispo Titular ng Zaba at Katulong na  Obispo (coadjutor bishop) ng Diyosesis ng Malolos sa Katedral ng Lipa, Batangas.

Si Obispo Cirilo ay ipinanganak sa Caridad, Lungsod ng Cavite noong ika-11 ng Enero, 1931 at inordinahang pari noong Ika-30 ng Nobyembre, 1956 sa Maynila. Humalili siya kay Obispo Manuel Del Rosario, ang kauna-unahang obispo ng Diyosesis ng Malolos. Pansamantala namalagi si Obispo Cirilo sa bagong kumbento ng Parokya ni San Idefonso ng Toledo sa Guiguinto at nanatili doon sa loob ng tatlong taon matapos ang pagpapagawa ng kumbento ng Katedral ng Malolos na siyang magiging Palasyo ng Obispo. Ilan sa mga posisyong kanyang hinawakan ay ang mga sumusunod: Kalihim ng Kapulungan ng mga Katolikong Obispo sa Pilipinas (CBCP) mula 1976-1981, puno ng CBCP Public Affairs Committee and CBCP Commission on Biblical Apostolate. Naging punong abala siya sa paghahanda sa kauna-unahang pagbisita ng Santo Papa, Beato Juan Pablo II noong 1981. Bumaba sa tungkulin at naging Obispo Emerito ng Malolos noong ika-20 ng Enero, 1996. Kasalukuyang namamalagi sa kumbento ng mga madre ng Religious Catechists of Mary na kanyang itinatag.

Narcism strikes!

Awiting Pilipino: Mamang Sorbetero

Tulad noong nakaraang taon, bilang gawaing panapos para sa Buwan ng Wika, ang korong pampaaralan na aking pinamumunuan ay maghahandog ng isang awitin para sa mga mag-aaral ng St. Mary's College of Meycauayan. Sa taong ito ay aawitin nila ang kantang "Mamang Sorbetero".

Ang awiting “Mamang Sorbetero” ay pinasikat ni Celeste Legaspi nang magsimulang sumahimpapawid ito noong katapusan ng dekada 70. Ang himig ng awit na ito ay nilikha ng sikat na mag-aawit at kompositor na si Jose Mari Chan noong 1979 para sa pelikulang “Mamang Sorbetero” na ginampanan ni din Celeste Legaspi at ng dating Pangulong Joseph Estrada bilang isang pelikulang kalahok sa Metro Manila Film Festival. Ngunit alam nyo ba na ang himig o ang melody ng awit na ito ay hango sa isang awiting sinulat din ni Jose Mari Chan noong kalagitnaan ng dekada 70 na pinamagatang “Mr. Songwriter?” Si Gryk Ortaleza, isang sikat na advertiser noong kanyang panahon, ang naglapat ng mga titik sa wikang Tagalog para sa awiting ito. Dahil sa tagumpay ng pelikulang “Mamang Sorbetero”, naging popular ang nasabing kanta kasabay din ng pagsikat ni Celeste bilang isang aktres at mang-aawit.

Noong ika-27 ng Hulyo, 2012, inawit ng Marian Music Ministry ang nasabing kanta sa isang konsyerto na pinangunahan ng Our Lady of Fatima University Chorale na pianagatang "Heal the World: A Night of Chorale Music na ginanap sa Pambansang Dambana ng Mahal na Birhen ng Fatima sa Marulas, Lungsod ng Valenzuela.

August 15 - Bulacan Day

Today, August 15, as the Catholic world commemorates the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Bulaqueños celebreates the foundation of their beloved province, Bulacan. 

Although the foundation year of the province is believed to be in 1578, the first pueblo established in Bulacan is the town of Calumpit which is founded by the Agustinians friars in 1575. Calumpit is also the birthplace of Christianity in the province. It has been said that in 1578 the Augustinian conquered Bulakan (the town, where the name of the province was named after). The Franciscan Friars Juan Plasencia and  Diego de Oropesa also founded Meycauayan on the same year and for a time was the capital of the province of Meycauayan, which is then renamed as province of Bulacan.

Historically speaking, the province played an important role in achieving Philippine Independene. Malolos, its present capital, is the cradle of the First Republic in Asia as the Malolos Constitution and the First Philippine Republic was drafted and ratified in the historic Barasoain Church. The rays of the sun in the present Philippine Flag which symbolize the eight provinces who fought for independence includes Bulacan.

To this day, Bulacan is one of the richest and the second most populated province in the Philippines.

BULACAN: Lalawigan ng mga Bayani, Bulaklak at Magagandang Dilag.

Thoughts on the effects of K-12 Curriculum

Because of the recent changes (changes every now and then) in the Basic education system, we now call freshmen students in the Junior High School as "Seventh Graders." Commonly they are referred to as  Grade 7. And because they were labeled as "graders", they still act like students from the grade school. (My classmates in MA are also airing this out.)

Being a Grade 7 adviser, I could sense that there's a lot of difference from the first year students whom I have handled four years ago. My students this year are very childlike, some are even childish! Students I am handling are very difficult to control in terms of behavior and discipline."Konting kibo't, daldal" as the Filipino phrase states. I think their behavior were affected by the term "grader" branded to them. They still think that since they are called as Grade Seven, it is ok to act like a child. And this is true to all sections from that level. Teachers in our level are having difficulty on how to solve discipline problems.

If only DepEd sensed this one before the K-12 implementation.

16th of July: Our Lady of Mt. Carmel

Tomorrow, 16th of July, the Catholic Church will celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. It is the title of the Blessed Virgin Mary given to her as the patron of the Carmelite Order. Catholic tradition believes that Mary is said to have given the Scapular to St. Simon Stock, promising "whosoever dies wearing it shall not suffer eternal fire. It shall be a sign of salvation, a protection in danger and pledge of peace." Devotion to her reached the Philippine soil during the 17th century.

Mt. Carmel image of San Sebastian

In 1617, the image of Our Lady of Mount Carmel was brought to the Philippines by the Spanish Recollects. She was enshrined in a makeshift church in Calumpang, where the present steel basilica of San Sebastian in Plaza del Carmen, San Sebastian, Quiapo District now stands. A cofradia dedicated to her was founded in 1625 which later grew in numbers. The image withstood all the earthquakes and fires which had destroyed old church, but the Virgin's ivory head and hands as well as the solid ivory Holy Child, were stolen in 1975. The Santo Niño and the Virgin's hand were returned later. However, the Virgin's head has not been recovered. Replacement for the stolen head was made by the famous taller of Maximo Vicente. The image was canonically crowned on Aug. 18, 1991 by the bull issued by the great pope, Blessed John Paul II on the occasion of the basilica's centenary.

Shrine of Independence, Shrine to Mary

Barasoain Church in Malolos City, the cradle of Asia's first republic is also dedicated to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. Its first church was built by the Augustinians in 1630. It was used to be an independent town separated from Malolos during the Spanish era. It had its first stone edifice in 1871 to replace a temporary one but was burned later. In 1885, the current structure was started while the belltower was constructed in 1889. The church is the home of three historical events in the history of Philippine Independence: the first Philippine Congress, the Drafting of the Malolos Constitution and the Proclamation of the First Philippine Republic. As a parish dedicated to Mary, one could find an image of the Lady of the Brown Scapular enthroned at the central niche of its retablo.

  

 

Celebration in Meycauayan

 

At around 6 am and 7 am, masses in her honor will be offered at the Parish of St. Francis of Assisi in Meycauayan City, Bulacan. Distribution of holy scapulars will be done after each mass.