NWFASA Sponsorship Letter

Greetings!

Founded 16 years ago in Washington, the Northwest Filipino American Student Alliance (NWFASA) has grown to 16 student organizations from different campuses in the state of Washington and Oregon. Portland State University’s Kaibigan (FASA) is hosting the 16th annual NWFASA Conference on April 9-11, 2010, in Portland, Oregon on the campus of Portland State University. The conference is a weekend-long event for various Filipino-American student organizations from Oregon and Washington to gather and learn about leadership, networking, and team-building.

The theme of the conference this year, Isulong: Building, Creating, Forging Ahead, encompasses the whole objective that the NWFASA is trying to achieve – to empower Filipino American youth through workshops and speakers that will educate them about their history, identity, culture, and the important issues that are facing their community. By building a stronger community we begin creating a movement (Isulong) that will allow us to forge ahead towards social justice and social change.

With this in mind, PSU Kaibigan would like to extend a personal invitation to you and your organization to look into our group and our conference as vehicles to promote and strengthen the market positioning of your company brands/products. We believe that a partnership between (NAME OF COMPANY) and NWFASA will help you meet your marketing objectives which will be attained through the ingenuity of our promotional methods and the exposure that our upcoming conference will provide.

Please feel free to contact us for any specific queries that you may have. All monetary donations are tax deductible and we will send a receipt letter with our 501(c)3 Tax ID number. We are prepared to make reasonable concessions to facilitate any concerns that you may have in order to make our partnership more fruitful to both your company and our organization.

Thank you for your consideration. We sincerely hope that we will be able to work together as partners in making this event successful and are hoping for your immediate favorable response.

Sincerely,

Consuelo Rivera
Conference Planning Committee, NWFASA Conference 2010
welo.rivera@gmail.com

Irynne Padua
Conference Co-Chair, NWFASA Conference 2010
irynne_padua@hotmail.com

Greetings from Bishop Oscar Solis

My Dear “Kababayan”,

Greetings from Hollywood! Guess what – it’s been raining in Southern California and it feels I never left Portland, Oregon.

I apologize for this late communication. I long wished to extend my profound gratitude to all of you, the Filipino community in Oregon – Pinoy seminarians, the entire seminary community including the blonde honorary Pinoy seminarians as well as to the holy monks in Mt. Angel. THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH! You all have made my first visit to Portland awesome and exceptional – priceless! Memories of the event and your very warm hospitality are still vividly kept in my mind - from the day I sat foot at the airport till the last ride back to the terminal – superb and unforgettable in spite of the rain. You were such a gracious hosts and It was a blessing and also a privilege presiding and joining you in your celebration.

It was truly a joy to be a part of you Santo Nino celebration. I enjoyed every moment of it and was inspired by the spirit of solidarity among the Filipinos there, most especially our Pinoy bayanihan spirit very much visible in your endeavor. The Dambana ng Ina is a banner and a source of pride for us. I wish we can showcase this so many more people may come to discover this treasure at the National Shrine of our Sorrowful Mother.

Please know how grateful I am for everything you did for me during my stay in Portland. The visit was quite brief but filled happy and beautiful memories. As I keep you all close in my thoughts and prayers, I hope you include me in yours. Prayerful wishes of God’s blessings to everyone!

Mabuhay!
Bishop Oscar Solis
Auxiliary Bishop
Archdiocese of Los Angeles

Online Petition on Maguindanao Massacre

Dear Friends,

I have just read and signed the online petition:"Strike against Impunity, Strike for Peace and Democracy"hosted on the web by PetitionOnline. com, the free online petition service, at: http://www.PetitionOnline.com/Ampatuan/

I personally agree with what this petition says, and I think you might agree, too. If you can spare a moment, please take a look and consider signing yourself.

Peace and justice,

Malou Diaz-Johanson

Happy Thanksgiving

Letter from the President
Dear Friends,

A blessed Thanksgiving to all!

The events of the past few months run the gamut of human experience. In the worst flooding in 40 years, we saw death and destruction, but we also saw kindness, compassion and unfathomable generosity. We saw Manny Pacquaio and CNN Hero of the Year Efren Peñaflorida bring tremendous honor to our country – one for his prowess in sport; the other for his quiet but determined work to educate children in the poverty-stricken areas of Cavite.

Just a few days ago, we have been confronted with the most despicable crimes in recent memory in the Maguindanao massacre which resulted in the killing of at least 57 innocent Filipinos – unarmed women, lawyers, journalists, and civilians going about their daily lives.

How do we deal with this tragedy of monumental proportions? It was the German poet Rainier Maria Rilke who said, to endure is all. But surely there is more to life than enduring. We celebrate the triumph of spirit that Manny Pacquiao and Efren Penaflorida exemplify. We try to learn from the lessons of Ondoy and Pepeng in order to re-orient our urban planning to take into consideration the limits of development and the need to respect the laws of nature. The recent massacre, we can only hope, will strengthen our resolve to demand accountability from our leaders to end the culture of impunity that political exploitation and warlordism have spawned. Our weapons against such wanton display of power is education, the reduction of poverty, the inculcation of moral values, the strengthening of our democratic institutions, and the election of servant leaders through a truly honest and clean election in May 2010.

In this season of thanksgiving, let us pause for a moment to thank the good Lord for giving us our lives, our family, and all the blessings He has bestowed upon us. Let us also respond to His call to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, educate the children, shelter the homeless. You may wish to visit our website at http://www.af-usa.org/ to choose a project that will feed one child, educate a student, heal a sick person, plant a tree, or provide a home for a family.

Perhaps our individual acts of kindness and generosity, no matter how small, will spark the flame of compassion, of caring, of giving, of sharing, and of loving our fellow Filipinos.

Mabuhay and God bless!

Sincerely,

Victoria P. Garchitorena

President

Ayala Foundation

Gratitude from Fr. Cary Reniva

To the Filipino Faith Community:

Allow me to begin this email by asking for my sincerest apology for sending this “thank you” letter quite late. I have planned to do this before I even went back to the Philippines for my Thanksgiving Mass but due to unforeseen schedules it took me almost forever to finally sit and write this email. I would like to express my profoundest gratitude to all of you who have helped in one way or another during my priestly ordination and my Thanksgiving Mass at St. Cecilia. I cannot express enough how appreciative I am for your efforts and presence during those special days. You have taught me in a deeper way what ministry and collaboration are all about in concrete and powerful terms. I know that all the assistance and support that you have extended not just during the ordination days but also during my seminary years were sincere gestures of care and encouragement. They also inspired me to take good care of my vocation and strive to be a good and holy priest. Though it gave me a lot of pride to be showered by your generosity and goodness, it has also humbled me in many ways because I know that the priesthood is truly a gift from the people in as much as it is a gift of God. If there is something that I can boast of about my priesthood it is the fact that I share and live it with you, mindful that we are in the same boat in our service for the Lord. My family too especially my Mom wants to express their gratitude for everything that you have done to make the ordination and Thanksgiving Mass extra special. Every time I call my Mom she always reminds me to be thankful especially to the Filipino community and to really serve the Church with utmost compassion and simplicity.

As some of you might have known already, I am presently assigned at Sacred Heart Parish in Medford. It’s a wonderful parish and the people are very supportive. It’s very vibrant and we have a growing Spanish community just like in most parishes in the Archdiocese. Life here is quite busy. We have two daily masses and nine masses during the weekends. But I cant really complain because we have all the help that we need. At the start, the parish was a little confused with their priests. My pastor’s name is Father Liam Cary, so people got mixed up many times whenever they try to call the office and ask for a priest. The secretary has always to ask which Father Cary are they looking for. But other than that my two months as priest has been fun and great with all its challenges and difficulties. If ever you find yourself driving to California, please do not hesitate to drop by the parish. I will be more than happy to have you here. The parish is just five minutes away from the freeway exit.

Thanks so much again and hope to see you some time. Please continue to pray for me as I always do for our community.

One with you in the service of the Lord,
Cary

Gratitude from Deacon Maro Escano

Dear Everyone,

Thank you very much for all the support, prayers, and sacrifices you have been offering for us. My journey to the priesthood has been very beautiful and all of you played a very big part of that beautiful journey. I know that I won't be able to express fully how grateful I am, but I am very sure that all of you will always be in my prayers as I begin to live my life as a minister of Christ's altar... as a minister of Christ's church... yes, as I begin to live my life as a priest of Christ.

Living away from home is made easier by your unselfish love and friendship. When times get lonely and really challenging or when I get confused and discouraged... I am always strengthened and encouraged whenever I get the chance to hear the familiar laughter and see the familiar smiles and friendly faces that can only come from the people I can call my own - the Filipinos. Because of you, it is easier for me to call this beautiful albeit foreign country, my new home. I am looking forward to the priesthood and I am looking forward to becoming a servant of the Church and in that Church are all of you. I know that the ministry I will face will not be easy and it will be challenging most of the time, but I am comforted by the knowledge that the Filipinos in Oregon (the Filipino communities) are always there... as my support, as my prayer warriors, as my ates and kuyas... indeed... as my friends.Again, thank you.

May God continue to bless all of you, your families, and those you love as you continue to share His love with others.

I know that there are so many more people who are not in this email list... I hope that I can also make known to them my gratitude and joy, please extend it to them or forward this email to them if you can. All of you are God's gift to me... unworthy as I am, I am grateful and I will always hold you in my prayers.

In Christ's love I remain,
Maro.

Manolito End of the Year Letter

May 06, 2009

To all my friends, family, and benefactors:

I hope this letter finds all of you well.

I cannot believe that my third year of priestly formation at Mount Angel Seminary is coming to a rapid close. There are only a few days left in this academic year and I would like to take a moment to update you on all the events this past year at the seminary.

This is the third year that I am studying philosophy specifically exploring modern and contemporary thought. Philosophy is not an easy subject to grasp. Most of the time philosophers leave me in utter confusion. Yet, amidst this, I persevere one day at a time with my seminarian brothers in writing papers, class presentations, and ongoing class discussions. Along with intellectual formation, I have also grown in pastoral formation with my weekly visits to the elderly at Marian Estates in Sublimity, Oregon. I have shared many stories with them over lunch, desserts, community activities, and visits to their rooms. I have even been blessed to be with a few of them in their dying moments. I give thanks to our God for allowing me to grow through these experiences.

Some of the greatest highlights of the year have been with the people of the Archdiocese of Portland. In the fall, I composed my first musical work, Dambana, for the dedication of the first Filipino shrine in the archdiocese. In the spring, I composed ?Let Us Gather at your Altar? as the gathering song for the liturgy celebrating Santo Nino which was presided by the Archbishop of Portland. Along with my ministry of music, I have completed my two year term as chair to the Cultural Commission and active member of the Pastoral Council. My last big project with the council was organizing and hosting the annual talent show for the seminary. I look back and find myself in gratitude to God for allowing me to serve the community in these many capacities.

As the year draws to a close, I look towards the summer. I will return to the Bay Area on May 16. Shortly after, I will make my first visit to Salt Lake City in Utah to witness my friend?s diaconate ordination. In late May I will facilitate the annual retreat for the 8th graders of Saint Stephen Parish School. I also hope to attend a few graduations and catch up with old friends. The most exciting part of my summer will be my time in Plano, Texas. I have been offered a job as interim music director for Prince of Peace Catholic Church for six weeks (June 13 - August2). It will be a very new experience for me and I hope to meet a lot of new people and gain new insights. It is my hope that I will find August to be a quiet time with family and friends. I will make my way back to the seminary later that month and embark on my fourth year with the monks and seminarians to Mount Angel!

Words cannot express my gratitude to you for your ongoing support and prayers as I journey day by day with God. Know that I hold you in my thoughts at the celebration of the Eucharist.

Manolito "J.R." Jaldon
Seminarian


Archdiocese of San Francisco
mjaldon@gmail.com
PO Box 511
Saint Benedict, OR 97373
415.215.9907