Many Thanks - Stations of the Cross

As soon as the pilgrims step on the ground of Mt. Angel Abbey, one of the seminarians told us that an hour ago, it was raining. Thanks be to God, the “Stations of the Cross” was held in the Chapel of St. Joseph instead of doing it outside. We also witnessed the rain with hail stones after the service.

Manolito welcomed us as we entered the chapel and it was nice to see several of our kababayans from the Portland Metro Area and Salem made it to this wonderful event. When the holy hour started, the seminarian choir burst into a familiar song "O' Salutaris Hostia" while Deacon Cary exposed the Blessed Sacrament. The different groups were assigned to read each station and the reflection. The readers did a fantastic job. Then the choir sang a song after each station. Once done with the fourteenth station, Deacon Cary read a passage from the gospel and gave a reflection. The message he conveyed was in addition to our devotions and sacrifices, it is more meaningful if we can bring the love of Christ to our loved ones, especially to our families and friends during this Lenten Journey. This will help us grow in our personal relationship with our loving God and we can make Jesus the center of our lives. The service was concluded when Deacon Cary lifted up the Monstrance and gave blessings to everyone. Afterwards, Fr. Tony Ong along with the Franciscan Nuns from "Our Lady of Peace" was acknowledged. It was a very solemn service, well attended and several of our kababayans who I spoke with like it very much.

We had a nice walk going to the Damian Center for our fellowship. A buffet of food was already waiting for us to enjoy. There were varieties of kakanin, the delightful sapin-sapin, puto at kutsinta, different types of bibingka, fresh fruit, cakes, adobong chicken, pansit, paksiw na lechon, calgareta and many more. Certainly the seminarians had a lot of left over food to eat and it seemed it will last them for few days. We are grateful for all our kababayans who came, participated and brought food. Our gratitude goes to our seminarians who welcomed us and made all the preparation for our Spirit filled pilgrimage to Mt. Angel Abbey.

Once again, Maraming Salamat Po sa mga Faithful Diciples! May we continue to seek first the kingdom of God especially during this Lenten Season. God Bless us all!