Thanksgiving Mass of Fr. Joey Frez

You are cordially invited

What: Thanksgiving Mass of Fr. Joey Frez

When: Sunday, September 26, 2010

Time: 10:45 AM

Where: St. Cecilia Catholic Church
5120 SW Franklin Avenue
Beaverton, Oregon

Fr. Joey Frez took his vows to serve the Diocese of Salt Lake City and was ordained by The Most Reverend John Charles Wester to the Priesthood last May 29th, in the Cathedral of Madeleine in Salt Lake City, Utah. Click this link for the full coverage of his ordination, http://www.icatholic.org/indstory/2010/06%20June/060410p01a.html20June/060410p01a.html20June/060410p01a.html20June/060410p01a.htmlml. Fr. Joey Frez was very blessed that her Mom and several members of his family came for his ordination (above photo). The Core Team members in the Filipino Community in Oregon and Salt Lake City were delighted and grateful that they were able to attend and participated in the event (photos on the right). Fr. Pat McNamara, the Pastor of St. Cecilia and several of his professors, mentors and collegues at the Mt. Angel Seminary were able to witness the joyful occasion. Prior to his ordination, he served as a Deacon at St. Cecilia Catholic Church. On September 26th, he will celebrate the 10:45 AM Sunday mass at St. Cecilia. The Parishioners and the Filipino Community will host a welcome reception in the Parish Hall right after his Thanksgiving Mass.

The Filipino Seminarians invited Fr. Joey Frez also to celebrate mass at Mt. Angel Abbey in honor of San Lorenzo Ruiz on Monday, September 27th at 10:00 AM. He will be one of the concelebrants during the Feast of San Lorenzo which will be held at Our Lady of Sorrows on Sunday, September 26th, at 2:00 PM

Please come and join us for the celebrations.

People might be surprised to know that I would have felt fulfilled after achieving everything that I wanted in life. But I only felt the satisfaction when I left behind all that I have worked so hard for and followed the call from God. Fr. Joseph Frez

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