The Wise Friar

Venerable Francisca del Espiritu Santo de Fuentes:  Tagapagtatag ng Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine of Siena Si Francisca de Fuentes, anak nina Simon de Fuentes at Ana del Castillo y Tamayo ay isinilang sa Maynila noong taong 1647.  Siya ay isang insulares  sapagkat siya'y may purong dugong Espanyol subali't sa Pilipinas ipinanganak at nagkaisip. Nang nasa wastong gulang na, siya ay ipinagkasundo ng kanyang mga magulang sa isang maginoo at sila’y nagpakasal.  Ngunit halos isang taon lamang ang kanilang naging pagsasama sapagkat maagang binawian ng buhay ang kanyang kabiyak.  Nabiyuda sa edad na 20 taon at hindi biniyayaan ng anak, ginugol ni Francisca ang kanyang panahon sa pananalangin at sa  pagtulong sa mga mahihirap at mga may sakit. Sa isang pangitain, nagpakita sa kanya si San Francisco at Santo Domingo at nakita niya ang kanyang sarili na nagpatirapa sa harapan ni Sto. Domingo.  Itinuring niya itong isang palatandaan mula sa langit kung kaya'...

In the vibrant yet rigid society of the 17th century colonial Manila, where race and class often determined one's destiny, emerged a woman whose faith and perseverance would ignite a movement that still burns brightly today.  Madre Ignacia del Espiritu Santo (1663 - 1748), a Filipina of Chinese descent, chose the narrow, thorny path of offering her self to God - at a time when native women were excluded from entering religious life.  Her life, though quietly lived, remains a profound witness to the enduring power of faith, courage and indigenous leadership. Madre Ignacia can be considered an exemplary Filipina because of her dedication and service to God and others and for paving the way for other Filipinas who wanted to pursue religious life by establishing the Beaterio de la Compania de Jesus, the origin of the congregation of Filipino sisters currently known as the Religious of the Virgin Mary, Although the then beatas and the present day RVM sisters had made a great impa...

Fr. Francis Vernon G. Douglas (May 22, 1910 - July 27, 1943) 78 years after the gruesome death of Fr. Francis Vernon Douglas in the Philippines, his name continues to reverberate and to be remembered in the local Church of New Zealand, whose faithful regard him with deep affection and considers him a source of inspiration because of his dedicated life as a missionary and his heroic death. Many New Zealanders have long thought that his heroic death was a martyrdom that should be recognized officially by the Church.  As a matter of fact, the story of Fr. Douglas has entered into the traditions of New Zealand Catholicism. He is honored for his steadfast devotion to his religious duties, and stands with Mother Mary Joseph Aubert and Emmet Mchardy as one of the local Church’s three great inspirational models.  As a testimony of the high regard New Zealand Catholics have for this great priest, a boys’ Secondary School was named Francis Douglas Memorial College in 1959 in New Plymo...

Lipa Cathedral interior I was born and grew up in a city where it is not uncommon to see nuns garbed in habits of various shades of blue, grey, brown and white and seminarians and religious brothers garbed in their cassocks, clerical shirts or religious habit, in any given day, attending church services in the different churches, shrines and monasteries in the city and its outskirts. On Sundays, all churches are full to capacity of people coming from all walks of life fulfilling their Sunday obligation. On a typical Wednesday, the Redemptorist shrine of Divino Amor welcomes throngs of devotees of Our Lady of Perpetual Help coming from different places. Every 12th of the month, there is a penitential procession from the Cathedral going to Carmel and there are also liturgical activities in Carmel every first Saturday of the month dedicated to the Blessed Mother. Welcome to the city of my birth, Lipa City, the "Little Rome of the Philippines." With its elevation of 1,025 feet ab...