Seton Hall University President A. Gabriel Esteban was inducted as knight in the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem at an investiture Mass at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral. Being knighted in the Order of the Holy Sepulchre is one of the highest papal awards for clergy and laity in the Catholic Church. Esteban was […]
By Wendell Gaa Visiting the Holy Land was a lifetime goal of mine since college, and a part of my heart and soul felt fulfilled on a spiritual, emotional and intellectual level after I finally achieved that objective this year. Having been born a member of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church denomination, my trip to Israel […]
By Sharon Adarlo and Cristina DC Pastor When the Simbang Gabi Masses were banned from the Philippine Center in 2011 during the holiest time of the Christian calendar, some Filipino Americans harbored angry, unholy thoughts about the decision by the Archdiocese of New York. The Simbang Gabi, the tradition of celebrating dawn Masses (In the […]
UPDATE: DNA Info is reporting that the Chapel of San Lorenzo Ruiz is being sold for $7.35 million to a real estate developer. The sale is expected to close by July 25, 2017. Below is the story of the church dedicated to Filipinos and yet forsaken by the community. By Sharon Adarlo Amidst the trendy […]
On October 15, 2013 at 8:12 a.m., a 7.1 magnitude earthquake hit the island of Bohol, Philippines. About 350,000 people were displaced and several of the Philippines’ historic coral stone churches, dating from the 18th through the 20th centuries, were damaged or destroyed. This sudden and devastating event is a reminder that the country lies […]
By Cristina DC Pastor I know very few Filipino priests in America. Three to be exact. One of them is this elderly priest, a favorite in the community, whose touchy-feely ways give me the heebie-jeebies. Another is the priest in my parish whose homilies I find a little gimmicky. In one homily, he brought a […]
By Wendell Gaa We know very well that Christianity has its roots in the Holy Land of Israel, but it may not be as widely understood that as an established religion and social institution, Christianity actually first blossomed in the ancient lands of Asia Minor, what is today known as Turkey. This is something my […]
The announcement was made by the Philippine Consulate in a statement issued September 10th. On September 16th there will be a community meeting to finalize the details of reviving the Filipino tradition of attending nine consecutive evening masses leading up to Christmas. In a statement the consulate said the Simbang Gabi will be held at […]
By Wendell Gaa As a high school student in the summer of 1993, I took my first trip to Europe, and it was in Rome, Italy where I had a chance to meet then-Philippine Ambassador to Israel, the late Amante Manzano. A very humble diplomat with a genial demeanor, Ambassador Manzano encouraged me to visit […]