Formation Program for Lent already Set

20 January 2010 – Dagupan City. The annual Lenten Formation Program for the Lay Liturgical Ministers, Convent and School personnel as well as the office staff of the different parishes of the Archdiocese has already been scheduled. In a letter addressed to the clergy, Archbishop Socrates B. Vilelgas, DD, outlined the need to “sustain the spirit of lay empowerment in the Church” by conducting the formation program for the different lay collaborators in the Church.

The lay collaborators referred to are the  altar servers, greeters and ushers, collectors, choir directors, extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, lectors and commentators.

All the seminar participants are to present letters of recommendation from their respective parish priests or school directors. This is to ensure that only lay workers in good standing in the schools or parishes receive commissioning or re-commissioning after the formation program.

All the formation program will be held at the Lay Formation Center. Fr. Mario Sanchez, the Director of LFC, has made the schedule for the formation program.  He urged the priests to follow the schedule to facilitate the submission of the recommendation letters.

BEFORE January 31, 2010 (Sunday), the recommendation letter must contain the following:

i. ALTAR SERVERS – 9 to 15 years old, at least one year in serving the liturgy, must be regularly attending mass and receiving Holy Communion.

ii. COLLECTA TEAM MEMBERS, GREETERS, and USHERS.

iii. CONVENT WORKERS AND PARISH OFFICE SECRETARIES.

b. BEFORE February 17, 2010 (Ash Wednesday), the recommendation letter should contain the names of the Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion (EMHC) and the Lectors-Commentators.

c. BEFORE March 28, 2010 (Palm Sunday), the recommendation letter should contain the names of the Choir Directors and Instrumentalists, and the NEW Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion and Lectors-Commentators who are to attend the BASIC FORMATION.

Archbishop Villegas mandated that the rite of commissioning for lay liturgical ministers and social action ministers in the parishes will be done during the Holy Thursday Evening of the Lord’s Supper. The Archdiocesan Liturgical Ministry will  prepare the rites.

This is the first time that the liturgical ministers and the social action minister will be commissioned on Holy Thursday. Msgr. Villegas said that “Holy Thursday commemorates not only the institution of the Holy Eucharist  but the mandate to love; hence the commissioning of social action ministers must happen together with the lay liturgical ministers.

In the past, the commissioning of the lay liturgical ministers was done during the Chrism Mass celebrated at the St. John Parish Church in Dagupan City.

Msgr. Villegas emphasized in his letter that “formation is the real meaning of empowerment. True empowerment is only for ministry. Ministry is the sure path to sanctity”.

To view the schedule of the Formation Program, please click the image below or go the Lay Formation Center Website.

Fiesta of St. Fabian, Pope and Martyr, 2010

20 January 2010 – San Fabian. The feast of the patron of the Parish of St. Fabian, Pope and Martyr, was celebrated with a solemn procession followed by a mass. The annual procession in honor of St. Fabian was participated in by the different barangay chapels as the people carried their own barangay patron saint. The procession was held at 7:00 in the morning.

Msgr. Socrates B. Villegas, DD celebrated the mass in honor of the patron saint of the parish. In his homily, Msgr. Villegas talked about how Fabian as an ordinary Christian laity became a pope. During his papacy, the Church experienced peace even during the time of the persecution. Msgr. Villegas further shared his thoughts on peace to the people. The mass was celebrated after the procession at 8:00 in the morning.

The celebration of the sacrament of confirmation

Msgr. Renato P. Mayugba, DD, who is residing in the parish, presided over the celebration of the sacrament of confirmation. The parish as all the parishes in the Archdiocese usually celebrates the sacrament of confirmation during the fiestas. when the bishops visits the parish. This has been a tradition which dates back to the time when the Nueva Segovia covers the whole of Northern Luzon from the whole of Cagayan Valley and the Ilocos provinces, the Montanosa region and as far down as Zambales. At that time, the bishop of Nueva Segovia could only visit the parishes at least once a year. This was usually done during fiesta of the patron saint.

To see more pictures of the fiesta celebration, please click HERE.

“Aming Handog” successfully held

Dagupan City – 15 January 2010. The Jimmy Fernandez Stadia was jam-packed with hundreds of fans who listened, sang and danced with the various artists who performed during the almost 2-hour “Aming Handog” concert sponsored by the Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan for its pastoral programs. The audience included the Archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan, Msgr. Socrates B. Villegas, DD and the Auxiliary Bihop, Msgr. Renato P. Mayugba, DD, the priests and hundreds from the different parishes of the archdiocese. The concert was held last 15 January 2010.

“Aming Handog” was emceed by  brothers Jomari and Ryan Yllana. Mr. Dingdong Dantes also performed during the show with a song to the delight of screaming fans! Radha and band and the band Kenyo, Krys Kyzer all perfomed several songs. The Calasiao Children’s Choir had a special participation in the show. The show was highlighted by two LED Video monitors.

The “Fathers” composed of eight priests of the Archdiocese sang a song. The “Fathers” are: Frs. Jerry Cera, Antonio Quintans, Edilberto Calderon, Julius Cuison, Fernan Estrada, Manuel delos Santos, Jim Cerezo and Eric Galivo.

The benefit concert came about from the generosity of Mr. Jomari Yllana who offered to produce the whole show. Mr. Yllana is a close family friend of Msgr. Socrates B. Villegas, DD, the Archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan.

For the pastoral programs

The concert is to benefit the pastoral programs of the Archdiocese. In his letter to prospective donors, Msgr. Socrates B. Villegas was asking for help to “initiate and sustain some very important pastoral programs for the youth  and the poor in the Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan.” He further said that “we need to upgrade the formation programs of our catechists teaching religion in our public schools, We need to sustain our charitable and developmental programs for the economically poor brothers and sisters. We want to bring the bible to every Christian home. We need to sponsor more students to pursue their college education and contribute to nation building”.

  The Calasio Children’s Choir

 Pictures courtesy of Fr. Primo Aquino

To see more pictures, kindly click HERE.

“Pian makana ed Dios so sakripisyo tayo”

16 January 2010 – San Fabian. In response to the Fraternal Letter by Archbisshop Socrates B. Villegas, DD to his brother priests, the following reminders are issued by the parish priest of the Parish of St. Fabian, Pope and Martyr to the faithful of the parish so that our  “sacrifice may be pleasing to God”.

Lapud say simbaan so bibirbiren ya abong na Dios tan say kiwawala na Dios so mangiiter na kinasanto na sayan pasen, nepeg met labat ya ipanengneng tayo ed saray kiwas tayo so panangiter na galang tan dayew ed sayan masagradon pasen. Unong ed si San Pablo, “Nepeg a maabig tan maoksuy so panggawa yod antokaman (1 Cor. 14,40) no sikatayo so mandaragup ya mandasal.

Saray imano nipaakar ed say maong tan maabig ya kiwas ed dalem na simbaan pian mankabaliksan so panag-pikasi tan panangidayew ed say Dios a Katawan:

1. Nepeg ya say kawes et unong ed say pasen tan say getman gawaen diad dalem na simbaan. Say isolong ed simbaan et komon ipanengneng to no panon tayon abeten tan awaten so Katawan diad Masanton Eukaristia. Malinis tan disente iraya komon. Ag komon mansulong na antiktikey ya palda, back-less o spaghetti strap, tube ya blouse, odino paway-paway so pagew. Ag komon met mansulong na short-pants odino sando, tan sleeveless ya kawes. Sikatayo so onarap ed say Katawan tan mangidayew ed say Dios, saya komon et nipanengneng ed say panagkawes tayo.

Parad say bridesmaids: manusar na shawl parad say beneg no saya et ag nasasakoban na sulong a gown.

2. Onla lad comfort room o sumpalen iray personal necessities antes ya mimisa o onlad simbaan., a singa panag-sagaysay tan panagpolbo. Atateng, nepeg ya saray ogogaw et asumpal da la so personal necessities da tapian ag ira akis-akis o makadisturbo ed mabetbet ya panalagey ya onlad CR no peles na misa. Walay nausar ya Comfort Rooms na simbaan. (Naalmo ya diad asinger ed Parish Center). Komon, ag gagawaen ya CR so dingding o kaliber-liber na simbaan.

3. Onsabi ya masakbay. Itdan na panaon ya makapanparaan so dili pian mas makabaliksan so misa tan ag manbabtik o maningas ya onsabin mimisa.

4. Say kanen o inumen so ag awiten tan inumen o kanen ed dalem na simbaan. Impolite tan aliwan maong ya kagagawa so mangan ed dalem na simbaan. Ag nepeg ya awiten tan kanen o inumen ed dalem na simbaan iray biscuits tan tinapay, danum o softdrinks, anggan saraya et walad bote o plastic.

No say ogaw et narasan o makakainum, saya et pakanen tan painomen diad PAWAY na simbaan aliwan diad dalem odino no peles na silibrasyon.

Impolite met so mangatgat na chewing gum tan kendi ed peles na misa o arum ni ran silibrasyon diad dalem na simbaan.

5. Ag komon gawaen met ya basuraan so simbaan. Ag ira ititilak iray papel odino saray basura ed dalem; saraya so ibantak ed saray trashcans diad paway na simbaan.

6. Kaloob ed simbaan, mankrus ya masimoon. Ipapanunot na panag-krus so binyag ya naawat tayo. Man-genuflect antes ya onloob ed irongan o pew na simbaan. Sayan kiwas et mangipapaneng-neng na panangigalang ed say masanto tan madibinon kiwawala na Katawan.

No ondalan ed arap na Blessed Sacrament Chapel of the Divine Mercy (naalmo ya diad kawigi, kaloob ed simbaan), nepeg ya mantalimokor o man-genuflect. No nairapan ya ontalimokor, man-bow ya masimoon a pangipanengneng met ni na galang tan dayew ed say Dios.

Ekalen so sombrero odino cap.

Ag komon manga-awit na antokaman ya makadisturbo diad simbaan, a singa say balloon, tan saray galaw-galaw na ogogaw.

Manakar ya mareen. Ag onbabatik pian ag makadisturbo ed arum ya mandadasal.

7. Say silence o kareenan so nepeg ya manari ed dalem na simbaan. Narengel tayo labat so bosis na Dios no sikatayo so mandeen; makadasal tayo labat sirin no wala tayod kareenan. Sirin, agtayo lilingwanan ya say simbaan so pasen ya pandadasalan.

Ag oneeyeg o mansasalita ya maksil. Diad simbaan et maksil so echo, kanian say esaes no maminsan et makadisturbo no saya et narengel na amin. No walay andokey ya pantongtongan, diad paway na simbaan iya gawaen.

Erepen odino ikarga ed silent mode so cellphone. No nakaukolan ya ontawag o ebatan so cellphone, saya so gawaen ed paway na simbaan.

8. Nepeg ya amin et mi-participate ed silibrasyon na misa tan saray arum ya sakramento. Mikasakey ed karaklan laut la diad panag-ebat tan panagkansion. Onebat tan mangansion ya malinew tan maksil. Amin komon et walay full, active tan conscious participation. Man-participate ya maliket tan masimoon.

Mibansag ed say panangansion na choir (Aliwan ondengel labat ed marakep ya kansion).

Onirong tan onalagey ya maoksoy. Agkomon isasapat so sali ed say kneeler na irongan. Ag mansulat-sulat ed saray pews. Ontalimokor ya masimoon.

No man-communion, komon say lima so aka-fold. Aliwan walad bulsa o akatalikepkep. Sarag ya akoen so Katawan diad dila odino diad lima. No awaten so Katawan ed lima, malinis iraya komon. Say lima et pagmaliwen a singa trono na Dios a Katawan ya akoen ed communion.

9. Saray ogogaw so ag ira komon papaulyan ya manbatik-batik, liber-liber o mano-osilan peles na misa o silibrasyon na saray sakramento. Asikasoen iray ogogaw pian agira mandisturbo ed say pandarasal na totoo.

No say ogaw et manakis, saya komon so ipaway tan diman patundaen. Lapud saya, ag nadisturbo so silibrasyon diad dalem na simbaan. Ibangat iran mandeen; ag ira akar-akar. Say simbaan aliwan playground.

Saray ogogaw komon so walan lanang so man-aasikaso ed sikara. Ibangat iran aliwa labat ya mandeen no ingen ibangat met iran mangiter na galang tan respeto ed say Dios, tan say silibrasyon ya nagagawa ed abong na Dios.

10. Say misa et aliwan apolpoltot ya silibrasyon. Manlapud gapo ya anggad sampot, saksakey ya silibrasyon iya. Wadman tayo la komon ed gapo – diad entrance song — tan agtayo onaalis ni anggad sampot – diad recessional song.

No onsipot, nengnengen ya anggapo so atilak – say Panuntunan, tissue tan arum niran bengatla. Nengnengen ya anggapo met so atilak ya personal ya kayaryan. No bilbilang et walay atilak ya personal properties na arum, saya et ipakabat ed Parish Office.

Malinis ya asabian so simbaan, malinis ya taynan.

Man-genuflect o mantalimokor no kasumpal ya ompaway ed pew.

Misalamat ed say Dios ed say grasya tan bendision ya naawat. Komon diad pikakasakey tayod panangidayew tan galang ed say Dios et magmaliw tayon mas maaro, mas makasi, mas masanto. Tan diad pikakasakey tayod arum ed abong na Dios magmaliw tayon oliran si Jesus ya nanlingkur nen inorasan toy sali na saray disipulo to. Unong ed si Arsobispo Socrates B. Villegas, DD: “Say agew na Simba so aliwa labat ya Agew na Dios, balet saya et Agew na Panangaro met.

Rev. Fr. Oliver E. Mendoza, Parish Priest

Parish Catechists

10 January 2010 –San Fabian.

The hardworking and dedicated catechists of the Parish of St. Fabian, Pope and Martyr

Biking Bishop leads Pilgrimage to Our Lady of Manaoag Shrine

San Fabian –9 January 2010. Bishop Lasam Utleg is the Bishop of the Diocese of Laoag (Ilocos Norte). He has a passion for the protection of the environment. Biking and hiking are just but two of his hobbies. He is also 66 years old.

Together with about 200 bikers from Ilocos Norte who are members of different Biking Clubs, Bishop Utleg embarked on a pilgrimage from Luna, La Union to Manaoag, Pangasinan.

The cycling event was dubbed as "Bike for Mother Mary and Mother Earth". The trek covered 105 kilometers from the Shrine of Our Lady of Namacpacan, Luna, La Union to the Shrine of Our Lady of Manaoag, Pangasinan.

The pilgrim-bikers have been regularly biking around Ilocos Norte. The Pilgrimage by biking has been on its third leg, and on its third year. Bishop Ulteg said that they are visiting Marian shrines. This year's event is just a continuation of their pilgrimage last year from Bantay, Ilocos Sur to Luna, La Union.

Our Lady Apo Baket of Namacpacan was the title given to our Blessed Virgin Mary by the natives of La Union because she appeared to the indigenous people of the Cordilleras as an old woman and offered them food and invited them to be baptized. Apo Baket is how the people call the elderly woman as a sign of respect. The Image got the name from the town itself.

The Our Lady of Manaoag (formally: Nuestra Señora del Santissimo Rosario de Manaoag, literal translation: Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary of Manaoag) is a title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary, associated with a statue in Manaoag, Pangasinan said to be from the 16th century. She is the patroness of the sick, the helpless and the needy. She is also the patroness of the Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan.

The pilgrims left Luna at around 5,30 AM.

From Luna, the bikers went to San Fernando and then to Agoo, La Union for a rest and stopover. In every stopover, the group prayed one decade of the holy rosary.

They had a brief stopover at the Parish Church of San Fabian at around 11,00 AM where they prayed the fourth Glorious Mystery. A simple snack was prepared for the tired pilgrims. From San Fabian, they proceeded to the Shrine of Our Lady of Manaoag.

The Biking Bishop, Msgr. Sergio L. Utleg, DD of the Diocese of Laoag, Ilocos Norte.

To see more pictures of Bishop Utleg of the Diocese of Laoag and his biker-companions, please click HERE.

National Bible Week Activities in the Archdiocese

Dagupan City – 8 January 2010. Msgr. Renato P. Mayugba, DD, the Auxiliary Bishop of Lingayen-Dagupan urges the faithful of the archdiocese to celebrate the National Bible Week on 25-31 January 2010. The theme for this year’s celebration is “May They Be One”.

Msgr. R. Mayugba is also encouraging all the parishes to have a solemn enthronement of the bible in every mass on Bible Sunday, 31 January. The Pope John Paul II Biblical Center, the Archdiocesan Biblical Apostolate, has prepared a simple rite for the bible enthronement.  He also highly encourages the different Catholic Schools to have the bible enthronement in their respective schools at the beginning of the Bible Week on 25 January 2010, Monday.

The Archdiocesan Biblical Apostolate will also be facilitating a training for the parish catechists of the Archdiocese on “Creative Use of Scriptures for Catechists”. The training will be held on 31 January 2010 at the St. Therese Gym, Dagupan City, from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

In the morning of  19 January, Archbishop Socrates B. Villegas, DD will meet with the all the Catholic Schools teachers. Student representatives will meet with the Archbishop in the afternoon. The venue will be at the Binmaley Catholic School, Binmaley, Pangasinan.

On 20 January, there will be be a celebration of the Catholic Schools Bible Olympics which will be participated in by the elementary and high scho ol students. The Bible Olympics shall include the following: Bible Quiz Bee, On-the-Spot Poster Making Contest, Essay Writing and Slogan Making. The Bible Olympics will be held at the Mary Help of Christians High School Seminary, Binmaley, Pangasinan.

“Aming Handog”: ALD sponsoring a benefit concert to fund pastoral programs

Dagupan City – 7 January 2010. The Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan is sponsoring a drive to raise the necessary funds for the different pastoral programs of the Archdiocese. A concert entitled “Aming Handog” will be presented on 15 January 2010 at the Jimmy Fernandez Stadia in Dagupan City.

The benefit concert came about from the generosity of Mr. Jomari Yllana who offered to produce the whole show. Mr. Yllana is a close family friend of Msgr. Socrates B. Villegas, DD, the Archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan.

For the pastoral programs

In his letter to prospective donors, Msgr. Socrates B. Villegas was asking for help to “initiate and sustain some very important pastoral programs for the youth  and the poor in the Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan.” He further said that “we need to upgrade the formation programs of our catechists teaching religion in our public schools, We need to sustain our charitable and developmental programs for the economically poor brothers and sisters. We want to bring the bible to every Christian home. We need to sponsor more students to pursue their college education and contribute to nation building”.

Star-Studded Concert

The benefit concert will feature singers Kuh Ledesma, Janno Gibbs, Dingdong Dantes, as well as the brothers Yllana, Jomari, Anjo and Ryan, comedian Joey Marquez, Keith Martin, Radha, the SOP Artists of GMA7 “Kapuso” network, and many other surprise guests.

Tickets are pegged at P5,000.00, P2,000.00, P1,000.00, P500.00 and P200.00. The P5000.00 ticket includes a dinner with the artists and stars of the show.

Show time is at 7 o’clock in the evening.

Msgr. Villegas in his appeal to people said that ‘in contributing to the project, you will share in pursuing our vision for a more pastorally attuned Church in Central Pangasinan.”

Tickets are available in all the parishes of the Archdiocese, the Chancery and The Mouse House.