On a lighter note...

I busied myself in taking some pics of the Oratory and took the pleasure of also taking shots of Fr. Andy and some of the servers including myself yesterday . Sorry for the poor quality. I only used a cam phone. :)

Our Lady of Atonement, Baguio Cathedral's patroness. Her statue located in the Oratory.

The Sanctuary.

A beautiful window of St. John the Baptist. (Notice the native elements in the border and their vestments.)

The Cathedral from the back of the grounds.

Msgr. Andres Cosalaln, Jr., our regular celebrant and the spearhead of all of this.

(Left to right) Ali, Angelo and Paul, our dedicated servers.

(Middle) Myself of course. At HIS service.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Aguinaldo Masses being held in Baguio Cathedral Oratory

Since the 16th of December the Missas de Aguinaldo are being held at the Baguio Cathedral Oratory in the Tridentine Rite, 40 years after the last Tridentine Aguinaldo Masses were held in the Cathedral. We are very honored to have this special privilege to have our traditional Filipino "Simbang Gabi" as popularly known, in the Extraordinary Form. We are extending our invitation to many who would like to experience these special 9 days in the traditional way as done in the past centuries- with the Tridentine Mass.

The Missas are held every 5 in the morning starting the 16th up to the 24th of December at the Cathedral Oratory at the back of Our Lady of the Atonement Cathedral, Baguio City, Philippines.

Chapel veils and our newly-published Latin-English Missalette are available at the entrance to the Oratory.

Also, the Solemn Mass of Midnight on Christmas Eve, December 24 are going to be held in the Traditional Latin Mass in the same Oratory at 10 in the evening with Rev. Msgr. Andres Cosalan (the Vicar-General of the Baguio Diocese) celebrating.

Again, there is no better way of experiencing Baguio's winter-like climate than going to Aguinaldo Masses but what's more unique are Aguinlado Masses in the Tridentine Rite! We would like to share this blessed Christmas season with you. So come, let us adore Him!!!

The Missa de Aguinaldo: A Reflection

It is truly a great challenge to wake up for the Traditional Aguinaldo Masses or Missa de Gallo here in the Philippines. With the cold wind blowing and the chill of early dawn, it is a bit intimidating to go out for Mass. I give the Filipino much applause for still retaining this custom which is held only here in the country as approved by the Holy See since the 17th Century.

Even though other countries have the Rorate Masses (the origin of the Missa de Gallo) held every Saturday of Advent, it would not compare to the specialness of the Missas de Aguinaldo in the Philippines where it is held 9 consecutive days as Novena not only for Christmas but in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary also.

It is also quite special with regard that Aguinaldo Masses do not bear so much a theme of Advent (i.e, violet vestments and the suppression of the Gloria) but are designated to be of joyful character (i.e, flowers in the church, decoration abounding, and the Gloria sung) because it is a celebration of the Dawn of Salvation (which Mary symbolizes) and the joy of Christ's Incarnation.

What remains of Advent in these dawn Masses is the element of penance wherein you must wake up early at dawn to give God glory and the gift of yourself, hence "aguinaldo". This is not so much as receiving a wish after completing the nine days, it is given that one receives many graces at Mass and at a time like this but it is more on giving Christ your time and sacrifice.

It is also, a joyful waiting. Waiting is usually anxiety-filled and very stressful but the Church, having designated Advent and these Aguinaldo Masses as a period of such wait, gives stress to the joy of promised Salvation rather than the pain of waiting. As in childbirth, the wait is not for the pain but for the joy of a child.

The Missas de Aguinaldo are a time to reflect upon the true meaning of the season and the joy God has given to men by being one of them. It is also a time to share in the great joy of the Blessed Virgin in her bringing forth of Salvation. These are the things that must come first. The other things like bonding with friends, getting wishes granted or tasting the goodies after Mass are not very important as the things that these nine days have and are going to teach us about Sacrifice,Thanksgiving, Adoration and Propitiation- the essence of the Holy sacrifice of the Mass.

Let us not be burdened by how hard it is to get to Mass in the cold dawn, but in the joy we give God and Mother Mary in giving ourselves fully as gifts to them in this Blessed Christmastide.

"MERRY CHRISTMAS" vs. "HAPPY HOLIDAYS"

The fullness of Christmastide is almost upon us...A few more days 'til we celebrate the great day when God showed Himself as a humble babe as a sign of redemption for the earth. But there's something that is truly bothering me. As a Filipino used to the merriness and length of the Christmas season in the Philippines, I cannot avoid being bothered by the greeting "Happy Holidays" in many malls and establishments and programs on radio and TV in the country, which they prefer rather than using "Merry Christmas."

Let us have a look at how many really are attempting to be "Grinchy" enough to wage a war on good Christmas. First they try to avoid putting up Nativity scenes or even mentioning the real essence of Christmas (as mentioning Jesus' coming as the Word made Flesh). Then they try to cram our mind with many other things like sales and material glory to cover up the Divine aspect of the season. Next, they try to introduce more and more secular songs into the scene that neither mention Jesus nor lead the people to contemplate on the specialness of what we are celebrating. Christmas songs today often mention receiving gifts, and merry-making and drinking but never Christ. Why is that?

But still it adds on. The Missa de Gallo or Missa de Aguinaldo popularly known as Simbang Gabi (the annual Philippine Dawn Masses offered to Our Lady 9 days before Christmas Day) somehow has kept its charm but many of todays youth have often misplaced its meaning as just a way to bond with friends, to chat in church grounds, to grab a wish after the 9 days or even as a way to cuddle up with a love one which leads to unpleasant behavior in church.

Another big thing is replacing or even abolishing the greeting "Merry Christmas" in preference to "Happy Holidays." It is very good  to consider that in a predominantly Catholic country like the Philippines, and with many other Christian denominations to top it all, it is very ridiculous to use "Happy Holidays" if we are knowledgeable that there is no other holiday in the Philippines than Christmas. We do not have extra holidays this season such as Kwanzaa or Hanukkah like in the USA. It is out of the context and out of the question.

This is a good evidence of how hard Christ's enemies try to influence us into losing what we ought t know about Christmas. Many are pursuing also for a "Christmas for everyone" not only for us Christians hence the secularization of Christmas songs, greetings and making "politically correct" terms for this season. But alas, the name Christmas cannot be separated from its root, Christ. I'm afraid that maybe one day they'd be ridiculous enough even to replace Christmas with "Shopsmas" or "Lightsmas" or even "Boozemas" as some have taken the season as meaning the same.

What do we need to do? Well it's simple. Let's start from small beginnings like our Savior did, shall we?

Let's consider using the greeting Merry Christmas, because that is properly so. Second, let's try to reflect upon, in everything that we do, whether at Missa de Gallo or planning for Noche Buena or buying gifts, on the true meaning of why we have this season. Third, let us not drown ourselves too much in the hectic race of shopping frenzies and parties but rather consider focusing ourselves on God  and the Mystery of the Incarnation. Let us take time to go to church this season mindful of the thanksgiving and love we owe Him. Fourth, let us be like our Blesses Mother Mary, "who pondered and kept within her heart all these things", because she is the greatest example of being a good Christian.

Lastly, let us teach the younger ones the meaning of Christ in Christmas. Making them used to a non-materialistic and a non-secularized Christmas within family and home can be a great start to make them good Christians.

Let's not forget nor forsake Christ from Christmas... After all, it is His day. "Venite Adoremus" (Come, let us adore) Him that cometh not as a great king but to be humbled and to be among us as Example and Salvation. He is the Emmanuel, Born of the Virgin Mary! Merry CHRIST-mas!

La Immaculada Concepcion (The Immaculate Conception)

Was any human person ever preserved from original sin?

-The Blessed Virgin Mary was preserved from original sin in view of the merits of of her Divine Son, and this privilege is called her Immaculate Conception.

"And when the angel had come to her, he said, 'Hail full of grace, the Lord is with thee.

Blessed art thou among women'" (Luke 1:28).\

1. From the very first moment of her conception the Blessed Virgin was preserved from all stain of original sin. She was conceived and born without original sin.

God, having ordained that Mary was to be the Mother of His Son, could not permit her soul to lack

for a single instant all those graces that would make her most pleasing to Him.

2. Our Blessed Mother's soul was created as pure and spotless as the soul of Eve. Where Eve committed sin and lost her spotlessness, our Mother Mary kept herself pure and spotless to the end of her life.

We commemorate the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary on December 8.

3. St. John the Baptist was cleansed from original sin while he was still in the womb of his mother. He was born free from sin, but he was, like us, conceived in sin.

(From:Morrow, Bishop Louis LaRavoire. My Catholic Faith. N.P.: International Copyright Union, 1954.)

Sanctuary Lamp

At last our Oratory will have its own "real" sanctuary lamp. With the word real, I mean that it has a real flame, unlike the old one which has an electric bulb in it.

I don't get the idea with the electric bulb. If they want a real sense of God's presence as is in the old days and also like in the Old Testament, shouldn't a real flame be more appropriate? Is there anything in Vatican II that dictates that all sanctuary lamps be electric from then on? I think there's none of that written.

Now, back to our new sanctuary lamp. Thanks be to God that our parish was generous enough to give funds for the lamp. It has been months since the Latin Mass Committee has been wanting to place a sanctuary lamp in the Cathedral Oratory. After all, it is traditional and befitting the Traditional Latin Masses celebrated there. And by this week it has come true. The lamp is not that perfect, just a simple equivalent to the golden one in our Cathedral, but still it gives off that special feeling. Utilizing coconut oil of the commercial brand and a large glass container complete with a beautiful and tall iron stand, it's still unsatisfactory but it's all we can do right now I guess.

But then, it's still the best 'cause we managed to get a true lamp into the Oratory. I hope this would give off more of the sense of holiness one wants to achieve especially in the sanctuary.

I'll update you with pictures soon. God bless you. That's all for now.