Ad Maoirem De Gloriam

"I prefer the monotony of obscure sacrifice to all ecstasies. To pick up a pin for love can convert a soul." These are the words of Therese of the Child Jesus, a Carmelite nun who lived a cloistered life of obscurity in the convent of Lisieux, France. And her preference for hidden sacrifice did indeed convert souls. Few saints of God are more popular than his young nun. Her autobiography, The Story of a Soul, is read and loved throughout the world. Therese Martin entered the convent at the age of 15 and died in 1897 at the age of 24. Life in a Carmelite convent is indeed uneventful and consists mainly of prayer and hard domestic work. But Therese possessed that holy insight that redeems the time, however dull that time may be. She saw in quiet suffering that was indeed her apostolate. Therese said she came to the Carmel Convent "to save souls and pray for priests." And shortly before she died, she wrote "I want to spend my heaven doing good on earth." Nove...

I have often raised my hand in the silence of the night and in my solitary cell, blessing you all and presenting you to Jesus and to our father, St. Francis of Assisi. Pray, pray to the Lord with me, because the whole world needs prayer. And every day, when your heart especially feels the loneliness of life, pray. Pray to the Lord, because even God needs our prayers." Stay with me, LordPrayer of St. Pio of Pietrelcina after Holy Communion Stay with me, Lord, for it is necessary to have You present so that I do not forget You. You know how easily I abandon You. Stay with me, Lord, because I am weak and I need Your strength, that I may not fall so often.Stay with me, Lord, for You are my life, and without You, I am without fervor.Stay with me, Lord, for You are my light, and without You, I am in darkness.Stay with me, Lord, to show me Your will.Stay with me, Lord, so that I hear Your voice and follow You.Stay with me, Lord, for I desire to love You very much, and always be in Your ...

General Theme: With Mary, Growing in Faith as the Body of Christ.

Our lady of Guadalupe of Cebu, Once more we come before you, full of confidence, that you will help us because you are our mother given by Christ at the cross and we are your children.We Pray not only for ourselves but also for the whole world. Obtain, O dearest Mother, from your Devine Son, that the blood and water that gushed forth from His pierced side as the fountain of grace and mercy may wash the whole world now from this virus that threatens us. Cover us, Our Lady of Guadalupe of Cebu, with your mantle of Love and Protection, so that like you we may always be ready to be generous, to be of service, and to be of help to those in need. So that the whole world will know that with you, O Virgin Mary, nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.

By Ma. Bernadette A. Parco Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal yesterday chose the controversial Reproductive Health Bill as the topic of his Homily during the Mass that marked the 75th anniversary of the Archdiocese. Knowing the event would be attended by many political leaders, some of whom are Catholic but support the bill, he took the opportunity to raise the subject, Vidal said after the Mass. The celebration at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral was attended by local and national political and church leaders, led by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Papal Nuncio Edward Joseph Adams. More than 5,000 parishioners and 42 other bishops, including Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Rosales and Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines president Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, attended the two-hour celebration, which also included the ceremonial opening of the Holy Door and unveiling of a marker by President Arroyo. Also present were more than 300 religious and diocesan priests and lay l...

By Mitchelle L. Palaubsanon In rites celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Archdiocese of Cebu, Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal talked instead of shortcomings, publicly asking for forgiveness on behalf of his priests and auxiliary bishops and for himself for the wrongs they have done, and the rights they failed to do. Vidal however did not elaborate on the priestly wrongs he mentioned. Describing the archdiocese as “far from being the new Jerusalem and a holy city,” Vidal blamed the shortcomings on a wide variety of “killings” that stunted the growth of a true community of God. Deliberately seizing the opportunity brought by the presence of public officials, including President Arroyo and members of Congress espousing reproductive health measures that run counter to church teachings. “There is killing instantly of true love with sex made safe from unwanted pregnancies and they call it reproductive health,” said Vidal in his homily, triggering unexpected applause in the middle of th...

By Ador Vincent Mayol, Reporter Even after 444 years since the image of the Sto. Niño de Cebu was recovered unscathed from a torched Cebuano settlement, the faith of Cebuanos has remained similarly intact, said Cebu Auxiliary Bishop Julio Cortes. In celebrating the Kaplag Festival of barangay San Nicolas yesterday, Cortes, in his homily, reminded the faithful to rediscover Christ in their lives just as the Sto. Niño was rediscovered four centuries ago. He also asked the faithful to be witnesses of the Lord’s goodness. “We are here in a journey of faith to retrieve what is pure and ideal,” Cortes said during a Mass morning at the Basilica del Sto. Nino. Kaplag is an annual celebration in San Nicolas recalling the rediscovery of the Sto. Niño by Spanish soldier Juan Camus on April 28, 1565. Camus was a member of the Spanish expedition led by Miguel Lopez de Legaspi to colonize the archipelago and convert the natives to Christianity. The image was the same one that explorer Ferdinand Mag...