A call to all Catholic Pangasinenses

source: http://rcald.org/

This Christmas day I attended mass here at my very own parish here in Dulag Binmaley, Pangasinan. During and after the mass the priest presider mentioned that the Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan under Archbishop Socrates Villegas is asking the help of the Catholic Laity in Pangasinan in the construction of its very own Theology seminary.

As per the Archbishop's words it would be great if the people of Pangasinan will be able to build this Theology seminary from their own funds so that Pangasinenses can call it their own thus the theme "It is a legacy that will transcend our lifetime."

I would like to ask the help of all Pangasinenses all over the world to help in building this institution that will form young men with priestly vocation.

Below is an excerpt from the official blogsite of the Archdioceses of Lingayen-Dagupan:

source: http://rcald.org/?p=564

ALD launches Fund Drive for the Theology Seminary

December 10, 2011 | Author rcald media office

9 December 2011 – Dagupan City. “We need priests because we need Christ.” Hundreds of parishioners from the different parishes of the Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan listened to the homily ofArchbishop Socrates B. Villegas in a holy mass to launch the fund raising project for the construction of the theology seminary of the Archdiocese. The launching of the fund raising project was one of the three events celebrated by the whole archdiocese.

Libro na Panangaro para Seminario

The  Fund Raising drive will provide for the initial fund for the construction of the Theology seminary.  It will focus on the“Libro na Panangaro para Seminario”. The initial drive is also an awareness drive regarding the construction of the new Theologate. It will tap the majority of the faithful of ALL the parishes, chaplaincies, pastoral stations and schools of the Archdiocese.

Each parish/chaplaincy/pastoral station/school shall be given a common “book”, “Libro na Panangaro para Seminario”. The book will contain the names, address, amount given and signature of the donor. The book after the campaign will be placed in the cornerstone of the new building. There is no fixed amount to be donated. The book will be offered during the 16 February 2012 Eucharistic Celebration opening the Golden Jubilee celebration of ALD. The archdiocese will celebrate its golden jubilee on 16 February 2013.

It is an appeal to history and posterity: that each one with their donation shall become part of the history of the seminary. The donors will be enshrined in the cornerstone.

“It is not the amount that matters. It is the love we have for God, for the church that matters the most”, Archbishop Soc further said in his homily.

A further more widespread fund drive will follow after the initial drive, “Libro na Panangaro para Seminario”.

Why Theology Seminary?

Archbishop Soc said we need priests because we need Christ. We need the seminary to form priests who will give us Christ!

The Archbishop mentioned that 400 years after the first Augustinian friars came to Pangasinan, the Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan will build the first theology seminary in Pangasinan. “We need to form priests from Pangasinan, for Pangasinan, in the culture of Pangasinan. We need to form priest with the clergy of Pangasinan, among the people of Pangasinan”.

A Legacy that will transcend our lifetime.

The Archbishop encouraged the people to share and to help build the theology seminary. “It is an opportunity given to you today to become part of the construction of the seminary. It is not always that we are given this opportunity. It is  a legacy that will transcend our lifetime. We will all pass away, but the seminary will remain beyond our lifetime, forming priests of Pangasinan  who will be  ever ready to give Christ to you!”

Palapad, San Fabian, Pangasinan

The Archdiocese of Lingayen Dagupan has assigned a lot in Barangay Palapad, San Fabian, Pangasinan measuring twenty seven thousand square meters as the future site of the theology seminary.

A pious lady architect who has been a recipient of the papal award Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice, Architect Susana Castillo, has made the design for the future seminary. Once completed, it will be able to accommodate eighty seminarians who can also take their classes in theology within the same compound.

The Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan has already two formation houses for future priests: the Mary Help of Christians High School Seminary in Binmaley, Pangasinan and the Mary Help of Christians College Seminary in Bonuan Gueset, Dagupan City.

The Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan comprises sixteen municipalities and two cities including the capital town of the Province of Pangasinan. It has a Catholic population of one million two hundred thousand composed of thirty three parishes. There are only fifty nine diocesan priests and twelve religious priests ministering to the huge Catholic population.

As of the year 2011, there are one hundred three high school seminarians, thirty-two seminarians in philosophy and eighteen seminarians in theology. The nearest theology seminary is three hundred kilometers away from the archdiocese in Vigan City, the Immaculate Conception School of Theology.

Blessing of patronal statues

The blessing of the statues of the patron saints of the different parishes of the Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan took place before the eucharistic celebration. The slight drizzle could not hold back the enthusiasm of the parishioners from the different parishes to witness the blessing of the statues of their patron saints. The statues were put on the perimeter fence of the St John Cathedral. The Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan has 36 parishes, chaplainces and pastoral stations.

Launching of Archbishop Soc’s Book

After the mass, the book of Archbishop Soc entitled “Stewards of Jesus” was launched. The book is a collection of homilies, talks and conferences he has given since he arrived in the Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan in 2009. The Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan has embarked on a Stewardship Program since then involving the different parishes, chaplainces, pastoral stations and schools of the archdiocese. Archbishop Soc has consistently been giving stewardship talks to groups of lay leaders who were formed to become the “School of Lay Leaders”. These lay leaders have been attending lectures and conferences given by Archbishop Soc himself since 2010.

Archbishop Soc personally signed the books bought after the mass. The sale of the books will go to the construction of the theology seminary.

Target Cost: PhP 50 Million

The Archdiocese is raising the seed funds necessary for the start of the seminary construction project from the Catholic lay faithful and clergy of the Archdiocese of Lingayen Dagupan. There is a remarkable enthusiasm among of the Catholic faithful with regard to the project. The fund drive hopes to raise five million pesos (PhP5M) from the Catholic faithful as the initial fund for the project. Obviously and understandably, this seed money will not be enough. The fund drive will need  to raise fifty million pesos (PhP50M) for the completion of the project. Archbishop Soc said, “Every donation no matter how small is a gift for the future of the Church. “

To kick off the fund drive, the clergy of the Archdiocese led by the Archbishop were the first to sign the “Libro na Panangaro para Seminario”. TheOlupan na Laiko na Arkidiosis na Lingayen-Dagupan (ONLA) facilitated the initial signing and collection of donations after the mass.

Feeding Program in partnership with Tulay sa Pagunlad Inc.

Reposted from www.investinginphilippines.blogspot.com

source: http://www.zazzle.com

I hope I don't disappoint you on this because this is my personal story just recently and also like any other moment that we as humans will encounter when given choices.

As everybody knows today is Black Friday in America and nearly all stores are on sale since midnight. Well yesterday while waiting for the Thanksgiving dinner at my brother-in-law's parents house one of his nephews(who is by the way the same age as I am) told us that there is a sale laptop at Kmart. With the specs we noted that its a good price deal at $47.000 and I look at Kmart's catalog for the Black Friday at another think caught my eye. Its a Nikon D3000.

source: http://www.nikon.com/

It has been a dream to one day own an SLR camera. Back then all I can do is to stare at those who has one while they tweak their lenses before taking the shot. As years passed my kabalens(our term for my dear fellow seminarians and ex-seminarians of Mary Help of Christians High School/Minor Seminary) have their own and scattered as we are, some are in Canada(like Ian Rayray), 

source: http://www.ianrayray.ca/ (image copyrighted)

some in Dubai, some became priest and as they are assigned to far flung places they have their camera capturing good moments and nature's landscape,God's beautiful creations. While me I am stuck with my humble Pentax Optio although it is good enough that DJ Cure of 101.9 FM Megamixx here in Guam ask what SLR I am using when I posted some snapshots of my Cocos Island adventure with my co-workers.

DJ Cure of Megamixx 101.9 FM in Guam

Ok lets get back tot he topic.

So I told my beloved Krissy and she asked how much would it be in pesos   and I told her it would be around 20,000.00 pesos and there was silence in the other side of line. I called out to her and she said she fainted with the price(just to exaggerate a little). Then I came back to m sense.

Yes I can buy a SLR camera even better than Nikon D3000 like the Canon Rebel t3i but if I do so what would I sacrifice? Yup I can easily have back $470.00 in a month but the thing is right now it is just a dream or to make it precise it is a want.

source: http://www.canon.com/

There are other things more important than a camera and by the way I still have my handy dandy Pentax Optio, 

source: http://www.pentax.jp/english/globalsites/index.html

just needed some lithium batteries for my vacation this coming December. And more importantly would it be better if instead of buying my wants why not give it to those who are in need the most?

Friend the story above is my story of self-control and a story of sacrifice as well.

Me, my beloved Krissy, and a bunch of friends organized a one day feeding program in partnership with Tulay sa Pag-unlad Inc. (http://tspi.org/)

Tulay sa Pag-unlad Inc. is  a gospel-driven, microfinance NGO, whose mission is to provide individuals and communities the opportunities to  experience fullness of life through small and micro-enterprise development. They provide the poor with opportunities to lead self-sufficient, responsible and dignified lives, through a broad range of microfinance services for micro and small enterprise development.

Information of the feeding program are below:

Organizer: Our small group & Tulay sa Pagunlad Inc.

Venue: Taguig City(exact location to follow)

Who will benefit: 70 kids and families

Target date: December  11,2011 Sunday

Our initial plan was to distribute some school supplies and rice in the streets of Quezon City but due to the busy schedules my beloved Krissy contacted Tulay sa Pagunlad Inc. and they have this feeding program. Also initially the plan was for a simple feeding for kids with a Jollibee meal and some school supplies but the organizer humbly ask if we can cover also the parents that will accompany their kids. 

With the budget we have(we ask 70 volunteers from our friends who will shoulder 100 pesos for the kid and another 100 for themselves)  the additional parent might not be covered. And so with your kind heart we would like to ask your help.

I know I might have fooled you with my story above but I hope you do understand.

That is why I am foregoing my dream of a SLR camera to serve a better cause. I know it might hurt since you are making a sacrifice and that a small and one time feeding program might not make that  big impact in these children's lives but how about you would it make a difference in your life if you donated to a cause and made a small child happy even for a day? 

Again we humbly ask for your help. 

Any amount of money or in kind, or probably even a referral to a caterer who can help us work out our budget or a wholesaler who can give us discount on the giveaways that we are giving on   December 11 is already a great help. Also your sharing this blog post or request to your friends in your social network like Facebook or Google Plus or even in your email list is already a big help.

For your donations you can deposit it to my beloved Krissy's accounts:

Account name: Krissy

BPI Rufino Makati Branch: 

BDO Cubao QC Branch :

Metrobank Rufino Makati Branch :

Please email her at  or at  with your donation amount, your name, and ways to contact you.

Also for those who would like to donate via Paypal 

and contact me through my email at louis.delosangeles@gmail.com

As for those who can give us referral please email us name and contact number so that we can directly communicate with them.

We need:

1. A caterer or somebody who can cook the meal we are planning and would help us with our limited budget.
2. Supplier of milk and vitamins for the kids
3. Supplier of bread or groceries for the family

We thank you in advance for your donation and help in making this small feeding program a successful event. We may not be able to repay your help but we pray that God will bless you more.

Their Dreams, Our Dreams, We can Help

source: http://blog.imaginaryfoundation.com

Are you fortunate enough to have an education?

It is a sad truth that our beloved Philippines has so many out of school children. You can find these children in the streets of Metro Manila begging, wiping shoes in jeepneys, peddling cigarettes and candies, doing hard labor and other sorts of things instead of going to school.

source: http://blogs.bootsnall.com

Every street child wants to be out of such miserable situation and they could attain such if these youths have a chance of attaining education. Its a dream they may not be able to say out loud in our faces but you can find that desire to learn deep in their hearts. This is Their Dream.

My friend Jerry Villeta recounts how some of the street kids would go to his place to clean the creek and ask a small amount of money for them to go to school. Each of those kids needs 34 pesos each day for their transportation expense to go to school. 

My beloved Krissy once had an experience about a street kid sitting in the back entrance of a jeepney. It was late already and this kid is still awake when he should be sleeping. My Krissy gave her 50 pesos hoping that this kid would get a decent dinner but didn't get any reply from the kid. When it was time for the jeepney to leave the kid step down and said "Tenk you po!!!" My beloved realized that these kid's main aim is survival. 

source: http://retiringphilippines.org

Most of the time we brush off these kids thinking they might be a "syndikato" that is why we advice not to give them money but instead food. But again these kids as I said have dreams. What if with our small donation we can give these street children a chance at life? 

This is Our Dream. A helping hand for these less fortunate to survive and be someone in the future. 

One plan is a feeding program this coming December and another is "adopt a poor boy/girl program."

On our own we cannot do anything about the problem but with your help we can do something about it.

source: http://www.joeyvelasco.net

Please help us in making Their Dream and Our Dream possible. Suggestions on how to start this project would greatly help. Sharing ideas of how you have helped in the same manner is highly solicited. You can leave your ideas or stories by leaving your comments or by contacting us via email:

Jerry Villeta jsev57704@yahoo.com

Louis Delos Angeles louis.delosangeles@gmail.com

Or make a donation via Paypal  by clicking the donate button below

The solution to the world's problem is not a single big action by an individual but a small action by all of us who can change the lives of others.

Source: http://blogs.unicef.org.uk

GK needs your time, talent, and if it permits you your resources

Again we call on your giving hearts to have time for the ongoing GK Build at Bulaklakan, Brgy. Holy Spirit, Quezon City.

What can you do to help?

You can donate your time and help in the project building homes for the poor

source:http://www.philippinespringcleaningday.com/home/the_spring_cleaners/type/1/6

source: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Gawad-Kalinga-Ateneo

Be a big brother or sister to the kids

 source: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Gawad-Kalinga-Ateneo

 source: http://www.maxima.com.ph/resources/csr1.html

 Share you extra things that are just sitting in your garage or cabinets

 source: http://www.sluconnection.com

 source: http://thesmarterwallet.com

Or if you are a doctor or nurse or a health worker or a dentist you can donate time to attend to the GK Bulaklakan's health concerns 

 source: http://www.dualtech.org.ph/main/medical-missions

You can also donate medicines or other medical supplies that might be of use for the GK Bulaklakan residents like:

Paracetamol for kids and adults

Vitamins for kids and adults

Pain reliever for hypertension

Antacids 

Amoxicillin

source: http://journalismania.blogspot.com/

For more information on the GK Bulaklakan Build on July 31, 2011 please contact:


For medicine donations and other donations

Ryan Verdejo

GK Volunteer

GK Ateneo

contact no.: 09052872620
email: ryanverdejo@gmail.com


For the July 31, 2011 build details
GK Volunteer
contact: 09228574728
email:  

Thank you in advance for your help !!!!