A DAY OF HOPE, A DAY OF GRACE

​We visited the orphaned and vulnerable girls at the Children’s Home of Mary of the Eucharist in Telebastagan, San Fernando City, Pampanga, run by the Franciscan Sisters of Mary of the Eucharist. The morning was full of music, laughter, and good food as the kids enjoyed an early Christmas celebration. They were so thankful for the donations and essentials shared by the sponsors and volunteers.

​Huge thanks to everyone who made this mission of hope possible! Our prayer is that you find peace this Christmas—in your families, workplaces, schools, parishes, and most of all, in your hearts. “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of good will.” (Luke 2:14) If you’d like to spread a little Christmas joy, you might want to visit the children and sisters at CHME too.

We also dropped by Caryana Monastery along Monastery Road in San Isidro, Magalang, Pampanga. This 68-hectare private property is home to more than 200 monks—celibates who follow the rule of St. Benedict and married or widowed members who follow the rule of St. Basil. Among the priests living there are Msgr. Henry Gueco, Bishop Emeritus Florentino Cinense of Tarlac, and Fathers Jun Trinidad and Peter Zang. The monks live a disciplined life of prayer, observing the rhythm of seven daily prayers just like other monastic communities. They’re also self-sufficient, with their own rice mill, petrol station, poultry, piggery, vegetable farm, and fishponds, plus farm animals like turkeys, donkeys, horses, dogs, and cats roaming freely around. Their beautiful chapel, dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe, feels like an oasis of hope surrounded by Magalang’s vast greenery. Its striking altar features a large crucifix and an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, along with stained glass windows depicting her 1531 Mexico apparitions. The chapel also houses relics of St. Rita of Cascia, patron of impossible causes; St. Pier Giorgio Frassati, patron of young adults; St. Carlo Acutis, patron of Eucharistic devotees and internet evangelizers; and Bl. Ivan Merz, intercessor of youth ministers and animators. Whether you’d like to pray and leave petitions, enjoy some quiet away from the city, or simply take in nature’s peace, the monastery is a wonderful place to visit.
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Special thanks to the Montesines and Rodrigos for giving us a ride to and from Pampanga! May God bless you with good health, success, and lasting joy.