Subdued Christmas after the deadly typhoon, “Please don’t forget us!”

Hundreds of thousands of people in the Philippines have been marking Christmas, without homes, adequate food and water, electricity, and mobile connections following a deadly Super Typhoon Odette (Rai) on December 16, 2021. Continue reading

Wishing You a Blessed Christmas!

The birth of Jesus fulfills God’s promises. Christmas celebrates God’s love and forgiveness for humankind. This Christmas, let us share not only gifts, cards, carols, and Noche Buena, but much more. As we greet people with “Merry Christmas”, let us share with them God’s joy and forgiveness. For Christmas greetings, let us exchange words of acceptance and love. Let us also not forget those who are alone, sick abandoned, and poor for whom Christmas will be another day of struggling and suffering. Let us remember the victims of the typhoon Odette (Rai), which passed some days ago through Mindanao and Visayas (Bohol, Cebu, Leyte, Samar, etc.) claiming lives and leaving so many people without a roof over their heads, food, electricity, and water. Continue reading

Christmas Celebration at Sacred Heart Formation House in Cagayan de Oro City

It’s almost Christmas, and according to some people, it’s “the most wonderful time of the year”. The Christmas season in the Philippines, one of the six predominantly Christian countries in Asia, is traditionally one of the longest in the world, it starts as early as September 1. The “Ber months” countdown, which runs from September to December, is one of the most important traditions that sets apart Christmas in the Philippines from celebrations in the rest of the world. Continue reading