It all started in Bacolod National Convention.
Now, in this beautiful island, we bonded just like the old times
in Mother of Life Center in Novaliches.
We were not complete but we carry in our hearts
the rest of the 30th Generation of Mother of Life Center
- the Pearl Generation...
So mga ka-Perlas na nagpaiwan, naiwan, nawala, hindi nagparamdam, at kung anu-ano pang dahilan, enjoy my photoblog - mamatay kayo sa inggit! hahaha!
Joke lang! Labs ko naman kayong lahat!
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Using different modes of transportation we all arrived safely at the Holy Rosary Parish in Boracay.
This is the parish of Fr. Arnaldo Crisostomo,
the brother of a MOLian in Kalibo,
Ate Cita Crisostomo (20th Gen)...
See, anywhere you go there is a MOLian,
a fri-MOL, a bro-MOL, a sis-MOL, chi-MOL
around to help you out.
In our case, there was Fr. Arnold to help us out
in this Boracay adventure.
The parish:
It is simple, with a quiet atmosphere, maaliwalas...
The people in the parish are all kind, welcoming and hospitable...
The parish priest - Fr. Arnold... tatay namin sa Bora!
That would best describe him...
Upon arrival, we were given a hearty lunch!
Everybody was so famished that we really turned the bowls, plates, and bandehados upside down... :-)
After 19 years, eto na kami ngayon...
Sino ba present?
Tina from Kalibo...
Solly Rose from Jaro...
Daisy from Jaro...
Nira from Bukidnon...
Cita from Dumaguete...
Maricel from Bicol...
Kitte (that's me!) from Malolos...
(plus one fri-MOL, niece of Daisy from Jaro)
We all decided that our stay in Boracay will not just be a "vacation" adventure. We all agreed that we will somehow replicate our life in MOL in Bora.
We made our schedule just like the way Ms. Margie Recio
would prepare our schedule a day before.
We scheduled our silent prayer and Eucharistic celebration.
We even had a spiritual life session with
Fr. Arnold as our speaker in the evening.
We had our leisure time, too!
Pasyal-pasyal din naman...
And the best part, for me, was the outreach-visit
to the Ati Village.
The celebration of the Eucharist will always be a part of our life as MOLians. I think you, guys, will agree with me.
All throughout our stay in the Holy Rosary Parish,
we always gather at 4:00 in the afternoon to "silently pray"
for an hour... then we go out and see the sunset :-)
Tatak MOLian ang manalangin ng isang oras araw-araw tuwing ika-6 ng gabi saan mang sulok ng mundo
and see the sunset...
One of the best sunsets I have ever seen...
here in Bora, here in the Philippines :-)
And just like in MOL, we do our dishes together...
Believe it or not, it was in the scullery that we got
to discover our uniqueness, individuality and
even our craziness...
So, we keep the tradition whenever we are together,
"ang maghugas ng pinggan"
in the scullery/ kitchen of anybody...
In the evening, we gathered again for our spiritual life session with the guidance of Fr. Arnold Crisostomo, the parish priest and the brother of Ate Cita Crisostomo.
He used the Gospel story of the wedding in Cana where Jesus turned water into wine... From his sharing, this is the best insight that I took to heart because of the situation where I am in now...
In life, when we have given all our best and served
all the "wine during the feast" it is with humility
that we let our Lady take over and intercede for us... .
Of course, when in Bora, you also enjoy
what Bora has in store for you.
So on our second day we all geared up for the island tour.
And OMG! This is the shortest island tour I've ever had.
Hindi talaga ako maka-get over sa mga kapatid ko
na umuwi na after 3 hours of island hopping.
Hahaha! Sige na nga... malakas kasi alon,
ayun, natakot ang mga perlas!
Parang hindi galing sa tubig 'tong mga ito!
Kaloka!
At dahil ang aga-aga naming nakauwi,
maglilibot na lang daw kami from station to station...
window shopping ala Bora... :-)
Aside from shopping, we also visited a kuya inside the mall.
Kahit saang lugar talaga may MOLian.
Sa haba ng lakad, napagod ang mga perlas,
ayun, sa harap ng simbahan muna tumambay
bago pananghalian :-)
Pero siyempre, silent prayer sa hapon at
pasyal-pasyal habang takip-silim...
The third day for me was the best day of our stay in Bora.
We started the day with the Sunday Mass in the parish.
After the mass and breakfast, we geared up with all
the school materials we brought for the Ati kids.
We went to the Ati village and met Lourdes, an Ati teacher.
We all learned the life of the Ati in Bora,
their history and even their advocacy.
We learned their way of living, education and livelihood.
I bought bars of soap (papaya and calamansi)
made by the women in the village.
If ever I will go back to Boracay,
I will also go back to this village.
Before we left Boracay, we had early lunch with Fr. Arnold.
We personally thanked him for adopting us
for 3 days in his parish.
We are forever grateful to you, Fr. Arnold!
Maraming maraming salamat po!
19 long years my dear pearls...
It's worth the wait, isn't it?
We traveled all the way to the south -
took the plane, rode the bus, hailed a cab, took the boat,
literally got swamped in a trike and walked a kilometer
to be together once again.
The experience was amazing for me.
It practically summarized our formation in MOL
19 years ago when we figuratively
made a journey of a lifetime.
19 years ago I gained not just new acquaintances
or classmates but 4 brothers and 19 sisters,
how cool can that be?
And here's to another 19 years of friendship,
family spirit, camaraderie and love.
Boracay made us remember our MOL formation.
And we thank our Lord for bringing us back together again,
we thank Our Lady, Notre Dame de Vie, ang ating Ina
for keeping us in her bosom all these years.
At the grotto in Boracay, we all say - Magnificat!
Ang puso ko'y nagpupuri sa Panginoon,
nagagalak ang aking espiritu,
sa 'king Tagapagligtas!
Maraming salamat sa ating Ina ng Buhay,
sa pagmamahal mula noon hanggang ngayon.
'Yan ang sabi ni Manang!