– Ross Belle Balatbat
In union with the whole Church, the Pastoral Care for Migrants celebrated the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Christ – the Paschal Triduum. It was held with special expectation because this year the faithful were able to use Saint Augustine’s church once more. The church was filled with worshippers on those three days.
At the start of the Paschal Triduum on Holy Thursday, April 18, the main observance of the day was the Mass of The Lord’s Supper concelebrated by six priests. This included a re-enactment of the washing of the feet of the twelve apostles. In the homily, Fr Ryan June Real, SOLT spoke about the challenge to let go of the culture of death and be open to the life that the Lord had offered to redeem us from our sinfulness. The Mass concluded with the procession of the Blessed Sacrament to the altar of repose. Eucharistic adoration was held until midnight led by different ministries and communities while confession was going on. Many of the faithful also observed the Visita Iglesia, visiting seven churches to adore the Blessed Sacrament in each church’s Altar of Repose.
Good Friday was a long day for many of those affiliated with the Pastoral Care of Migrants. For the fifth straight year, they held the Way of the Cross in the Penha Hill at 7:30 in the morning. More than two hundred Catholics came to meditate on the Passion and Death of Jesus Christ. In each station, the SOLT fathers alternately read the Gospel while the lectors led the lay faithful in reading the reflections and prayers.
At three in the afternoon, the Commemoration of our Lord’s Passion started off with the Liturgy of the Word, followed by the Veneration of the Cross, then the Liturgy of the Holy Communion. At the end of the Good Friday Liturgy, it was noted that many still do not understand the Paschal Triduum and may need catechesis on the subject.
For the first time at St Augustine Church, the long day ended with the reflection on the Lord’s Seven Last Words from 6:30 to 9:30 in the evening. All seats were occupied.
On Saturday evening, despite the drizzle, the Easter Vigil Mass begun outside the church. The parishioners waited in darkness, blessed the fire and lighted the Paschal Candle and processed into the church. The Exultet was sung by the main celebrant, Fr. Alejandre Vergara, SOLT. Then, the faithful once again heard the major moments in the history of salvation. During the Gloria, children dressed as angels surrounded a model of the open tomb. In his homily, Father Andy challenged the congregation to sustain the joy that we experience in Easter.
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