On bearing fruits
(For my article this week, I’m presenting a weekday homily I gave to our seminarians at St. John’s which can give you some insight on how we prepare seminarians to…
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PACCAL confers Award of Distinction on 18 during its 23rd Anniversary
(Part 2) After having successfully attained the vocation they had long ambitioned aside from being on the top of their craft, there’s a great number of flourishing and accomplished men…
10 car care tips to save gas
Don’t top off. Don’t bother topping off when filling your car’s gas tank. Any additional gas is just going to slop around or seep out. Why waste your money paying…
Pope Francis on ecology
SPEAKING before the United Nations General Assembly, Pope Francis challenged the international organization to bring peace and environmental justice, placing blame on “a selfish and boundless thirst for power and…
When a man turns 70
Today, he seemed only slightly older than himself. In his heart, he doesn’t judge the pace of time, only its effect on others. He knows age does not come in…
Francis, the people’s pope
PHILADELPHIA – From the moment that his plane, Shepherd One, landed, everyone was rewarded with a perfect, early autumn day. He came to America as planned. He said “Greetings, to…
The God who speaks to us
AN elderly Mexican woman developed a deep devotion to St. Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila. She would pray before the statue of the Filipino saint every time that she visited her…
PACCAL confers Award of Distinction on 18 during its 23rd Anniversary
There are well-rounded professionals who are qualified experts, duly certified, highly skilled, and rigidly trained, but what pale them in comparison with the achievers are the achievements of the latter….
The violation of a woman
It was my first police beat assignment. We felt that we had no right to do what we were doing. The killing of a fellow human being was repulsive and…
Age GRACEfully Cookbook debuts at Four Seasons event
Like many big projects, writing a cookbook requires years of preparation, hard work and worry, culminating with that moment when you present your ‘baby’ to the world. I was excited…
The rock star fascination with Pope Francis
Philadelphia—Pope Francis sits on the most exalted throne on earth with no army or kingdom, beyond a tight fist of land in the middle of Rome that is filled with…
The Pope and his tireless efforts to enter into dialogue with all people of the earth, our ‘common home’
“To give to each his own, to cite the classic definition of justice, means that no human individual or group can consider itself absolute, permitted to bypass the dignity and…
Olivia C. David’s imperturbably affable nature
Being born to both educators, former college dean Teofilo B. Caliolio and retired school principal Leonila Castro, inevitably molded young Olivia’s mind to embrace the noblest profession and be different…
When the engine warning light is lit, get it checked immediately
OF the nearly four dozen concerns that can cause a car’s Check Engine light to illuminate, none is so small it can reasonably be ignored. There are more than 40…
How can we live longer?
Is it safe to warm breast milk in a microwave oven? No, it is not safe to warm breast milk in a microwave oven. Collected breast milk should never be…
Maestro Dexter Grey’s dexterity upon the magnificent sounding pianoforte
IT seems only last night when the Maestro gave an exhibition. Inside the Griffith Hall at the Beverly Hills Country Club, there was compelled admiration and awe from the elite…
Rosemarie Bell Mejia on what success means
THE alpha lunch, the stage setting for our first gathering at the Kapistahan, which lasted two hours, was no big deal. “This is good,” she said. I felt an instant…
Pope Francis: A courageous ambassador of faith and advocate for the poor and the weak
THIS coming Tuesday, Sept. 22, Pope Francis will start his journey to the United States of America. He will be arriving in Washington DC from Cuba at 4pm and will…
Grandparents…the (almost) forgotten linkage to the past
A secular holiday specially dedicated to grandparents is celebrated in the United States and being adapted by all countries worldwide. Grandparents, too, like mothers and fathers, were legitimately given their…
Effective solutions to hair loss
Hello everyone! I am so thrilled by the influx of your emails! And as I am so happy that you trust me with your concerns, I would also like to…
On being credible witnesses to the truth of the Gospel
LAST Sunday after my Mass in a parish, a Nicaraguan woman spoke to me. She said, “Father, our new priest is wonderful. He is good. He says Mass with a…
Getting to know the real Ai-Ai Delas Alas
If laughter is truly the best medicine then Ai-Ai Delas Alas could easily be an effectual stress-reliever by merely injecting a dose of her own brand of comedy which is,…
The worship of style
I AM reluctant to write about fashion. It does not fascinate me; on the contrary, I find the subject repellent. But I did not choose the times I live in,…
Ephphatha! Be opened!
THERE is a Catholic social service center in Pampanga, the province where I grew up in the Philippines, named Ephphatha, an Aramaic word that means “Be opened.” The word is…
Work from the heart
AT the Filipino American Service Group, Inc. (FASGI), work is love made visible as it charms, cajoles and caresses. There we find dreamers who do– those who don’t just entrust…
Breast milk and microwave
Is it safe to warm breast milk in a microwave oven? No, it is not safe to warm breast milk in a microwave oven. Collected breast milk should never be…
A sanctuary at twilight
This little piece takes us, not just to a place, but into the minds and hearts of those, who are in their twilight years, in a society that glorified youth….
The heart of the matter
” Traditions and rituals are meant to transform our relationships, to make us relate with one another with humility, love, mercy, and compassion.” What is the heart of the matter?…
The gift of heritage from yesterday, today and tomorrow
THEY are the sons and daughters of dramatic journeys and fantastic tales, their stories carried like treasures as they lay down a shadow of stunning proportions, shaped both by the…
Outstanding Fil-Ams honored with Empowerment Awards at the 17th Fiesta in America
While education fuels man to strive even farther beyond and his objective inspiringly motivates him to aspire for higher goals, it is society and the community where he lives that…