This a delayed report on my second pilgrimage to the Philippines. On the flight over, I think, I picked up a bug from the airplane. Wherever the cause, this sufficiently distracted me from providing an account of the journey.
Once again, I am relying on the able and amicable leadership of Fr. Jovito Rata. We are fortunate that Fr. Alfredo Tamayo took the time to join us on this journey as well. Both of them are immigrants who have lived long in the United States. It is privilege for me to now travel with them in their homeland. I feel myself less a stranger and more a guest thanks to my brother priests and most of our fellow travelers who are Filipinos. We are pilgrim crew of about 40.
January is the best time, climate-wise, to travel to the Philippines. The days are hot as opposed to unbearably hot. We arrived in Manila in the early morning hours. Stepping into the jetway gave the first indication we had changed temperature from Sacramento.
Our first day we offered Mass at a home for children living on the streets of Manila. The name of the home is Bahay at Yaman Ni San Martín de Porres. The home was located outside the city in a rural area. The site is comprised of an array of buildings housing boys and girls separately. There is a school on the campus. While the campus has a rustic rural appearance there was an attractive charm about the place. Plants and flowers made the space breathe with life. The building themselves were colored brightly with a boldest I would not have the palette to attempt.
Upon arriving, we rushed our introductions with the founder and director, Fr. Boyet. The children were already waiting for us in the chapel. It was about 11 in the morning. As we began the Mass, we paused to call to mind our sins and prepare ourselves for the sacred mysteries. In that moment of silence the whistling and rustling of birds in the foliage that shelters the church filled the Church. Those soothing sounds made apparent how both the work of the Mass as well as the work of this shelter were harmonious with God’s creative and saving work.
Fr. Boyet responded to the dire circumstances of street children. He explained to me that a variety of agencies are trying to address the plight of thrown-away children. He focuses most on those from families ravaged by drugs and violence. He also takes in children who have suffered from sexual abuse. This is a highly traumatized population. There was no need to hear their stories. The brutal, numbing narratives of their lives were written on their faces. They looked at me and fellow pilgrims with curiosity, craving yet wary of affection. Fr. Boyet was sober about his purpose. Feeding, housing, clothing, and educating them was the easy part. Cultivating a renewed religious sense of personhood and a life of virtue was the challenging part of the work.
On the campus are two old buses. These were where the first children slept before Fr. Boyet began his home. Why Father keeps them, I do not know. For many of us that day, it was a rude reminder of Pope Francis’s lament about the throw-away society.
We enjoyed a reception with the children following the Mass. They presented a variety of demonstrations of their musical abilities. I was impressed with the two MCs who had command of the program. A group of young boys were going to do some breakdancing for us but their recording would not work. I shared their disappointment.
They did a musical portrayal of the birth of Jesus and the visit of the Magi. One detail caught my eye; a 3-dimensional paper star hung from a string on a bamboo pole. A semi-circle of children formed around those portraying the Holy Family. The pole with the star was passed from person to person as the costumed magi followed the star around the semi-circle until it reached the last child who was the smallest of the group. This child took the pole, leading the magi to the place of The Holy Family in the middle of the stage, then took his place directly behind the Virgin and infant so that the star came to dangle over Jesús. The special effects were rudimentary but more eloquent than a Spielberg spectacular. The guiding star went from hand to hand. Each one taking a part in what was once a cosmic journey across the night sky. In a harmonious manner they guided magi-vested peers to the place where they could meet Jesus.
Next on our itinerary was a visit to the Filipino office of Catholic Relief Services. The offices of CRS are located in the old colonial part of Manila, the Intramuros, next to the Cathedral. We were given a review of many of the developmental and agricultural projects as well as disaster relief services. As we met, two teams had been deployed to respond to areas stricken by typhoons, Urduja and Vinta. The CRS presence in the Philippines is the oldest operation since CRS was established by the bishops of the United States.
With the pilgrims there was a lively dialogue about the range of services and their effectiveness. One pilgrim then lamented why we do not hear more about the work of CRS in the Diocese. My response: mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa. I’ll try to do better in the future. Needless to say, CRS was grateful to share their work with a group of the Catholic faithful from the US whose sacrificial generosity makes their global work of mercy possible.
One last note, the name of the home, Bahay at Yaman, means home and treasure. Echoing the words of St. Lawrence the Martyr, Fr. Boyet believes his poor wounded children are the treasure of the Church. Fr. Boyet helps this divine treasure to shine once again in the life of these young girls and boys.
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Click here for a Facebook photo album that follows Bishop Soto's journey in the Philippines.
Did you miss a dispatch? Find them all here: First | Second | Third | Fourth | Fifth | Sixth | Seventh