 |
| Palm Sunday (using Traditional Catholic rites) at the Holy Family Church in Roxas District, Cubáo, Quezon City. Click here to view the complete photo album. |
Even before reaching a year older, our beautiful baby daughter Junífera Clarita already made her first televised appearance — while sleeping in my arms! And it happened on recently launched CNN Philippines earlier this month! Actually, it was a very, very brief interview; it was done right after a holy event: Palm Sunday (last March 29) at the Holy Family Church in Roxas District, Cubáo, Quezon City. The Mass took more or less three hours long because it was done under Traditional Catholic rites.
 |
| This rare Palm Sunday ritual was covered by CNN Philippines. |
 |
| After the Mass. |
What was the interview all about? CCN Philippines reporter Brian Poe (son of Senator Grace Poe-Llamanzares) was gathering information about the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM) for his next reportage which aired on April 2. After the Mass, he interviewed several attendees. The focus was on young people who attends the TLM (yes, young people, that's why they forced me to be interviewed), and why they prefer it over the Novus Ordo Missae (the one which everybody is most familiar with). What I said was a bit long compared to what was shown on TV. They edited out the controversial part — my personal belief that the Tridentine Mass is the real Mass and not the Novus Ordo Missae. However, since we live far, far away from Ciudad de Quezon (don't wonder now why we call ourselves La Familia Viajera), we are compelled to attend the Novus Ordo Mass on Sundays because our parish doesn't celebrate it. We try to attend the TLM at the Holy Family Church at least once a month.
For those who don't know yet, the TLM (also known as the Tridentine Mass, "The Mass of All Times") was the most widely celebrated Mass liturgy in the world —celebrated for more than 2,000 years!— until it was replaced by the error- and abuse-prone "Mass of Pope Paul VI" (Novus Ordo Missae) in December 1969. Thankfully, in 2007, Pope Benedict XVI, who resigned six years later, issued a personally signed document (motu proprio) entitled Summorum Pontificum ("Of the Supreme Pontiffs"), accompanied by a letter to the world's bishops. In it, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI stated that the Tridentine Mass is to be considered as the "extraordinary form" (forma extraordinaria). This, in effect, relegated the Novus Ordo Mass as an "ordinary form".
But before I get too technical on Church matters (of which I am not, by the way), please click here to watch the interview. Fr. Jojo Zerrudo, the parish priest of Holy Family Church, is also there and he explained what he had observed about those who attend the TLM: strangely enough, while many people consider the TLM as something of the past fit only for the elderly or the "old school", they are gravely mistaken. As reported by Poe, many of the attendees, including those in the choir, are only in their 20s! The altar boys, many of whom are also our friends, are either in their 20s or 30s. Even the Mass goers are not that old.
The TLM is not only the Mass of All Times, it is also the Mass of All Ages, the Mass for young people (no wonder me and Yeyette are drawn to it, hehehe!).
And yes, you heard what I said in the interview. Junífera Clarita will be baptized under Traditional Catholic rites! And it will happen tomorrow in the same church! According to our friend, young church historian Jesson Gonzaga Allerite (who is also part of the church's choir), the last time such a baptism happened in the country was way back in the 1960s, most probably shortly before Vatican II. So, like my wedding with Yeyette last 2013, Junífera Clarita's baptism is another milestone in contemporary Filipino Catholicism. The event is simple yet holy, rare, and historic! Stay tuned for it here on La Familia Viajera!
And it's a safe bet it won't rain tomorrow. Aside from the fact that it's already summer, our youngest was named after Saint Clare of Assisi (get it?). =)
For those who don't know yet, the TLM (also known as the Tridentine Mass, "The Mass of All Times") was the most widely celebrated Mass liturgy in the world —celebrated for more than 2,000 years!— until it was replaced by the error- and abuse-prone "Mass of Pope Paul VI" (Novus Ordo Missae) in December 1969. Thankfully, in 2007, Pope Benedict XVI, who resigned six years later, issued a personally signed document (motu proprio) entitled Summorum Pontificum ("Of the Supreme Pontiffs"), accompanied by a letter to the world's bishops. In it, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI stated that the Tridentine Mass is to be considered as the "extraordinary form" (forma extraordinaria). This, in effect, relegated the Novus Ordo Mass as an "ordinary form".
 |
| Brian Poe interviewing me and Yeyette as I carry Junífera Clarita. This was right after the TLM Palm Sunday Mass (a Novus Ordo Mass was already being celebrated in the background). |
But before I get too technical on Church matters (of which I am not, by the way), please click here to watch the interview. Fr. Jojo Zerrudo, the parish priest of Holy Family Church, is also there and he explained what he had observed about those who attend the TLM: strangely enough, while many people consider the TLM as something of the past fit only for the elderly or the "old school", they are gravely mistaken. As reported by Poe, many of the attendees, including those in the choir, are only in their 20s! The altar boys, many of whom are also our friends, are either in their 20s or 30s. Even the Mass goers are not that old.
The TLM is not only the Mass of All Times, it is also the Mass of All Ages, the Mass for young people (no wonder me and Yeyette are drawn to it, hehehe!).
And yes, you heard what I said in the interview. Junífera Clarita will be baptized under Traditional Catholic rites! And it will happen tomorrow in the same church! According to our friend, young church historian Jesson Gonzaga Allerite (who is also part of the church's choir), the last time such a baptism happened in the country was way back in the 1960s, most probably shortly before Vatican II. So, like my wedding with Yeyette last 2013, Junífera Clarita's baptism is another milestone in contemporary Filipino Catholicism. The event is simple yet holy, rare, and historic! Stay tuned for it here on La Familia Viajera!
And it's a safe bet it won't rain tomorrow. Aside from the fact that it's already summer, our youngest was named after Saint Clare of Assisi (get it?). =)
♥L♥A♥F♥A♥M♥I♥L♥I♥A♥V♥I♥A♥J♥E♥R♥A♥
I dunno what just happened. But all of a sudden, Facebook decided to disable my account. I can still log in, but they're asking me for legal documents proving that I am Pepe Alas. I start to wonder... is there another drop-dead gorgeous Filipino on earth named as such? Unfortunately, all my legal documents (birth certificate, IDs, etc.) bear my real name: José Mario Alas. Enabling my account with them might take a while... if it will still happen. This is all to stressing because, aside from thousands of precious photos I've uploaded on my Facebook account, I've been inviting people to Junífera Clarita's baptism using it. And now this happened. Anyway, to all those we invited, Junífera Clarita's Traditional Catholic Baptism will still be at the same venue, same time tomorrow. To our lady friends: please don't forget to wear your veils (if you have one). For more details, please text or call me at (0908)484-2013. ¡Gracias!
No comments:
Post a Comment
Send us some love!