At 24 knots, the 91,000-ton Celebrity Constellation, with 2,400 plus passengers and 941 crew members on board, cruised the Baltic Sea towards St. Petersburg. Thanks to Flor Rodriguez and her staff at Travel Best in National City, who so ably organized the 14-day Scandinavian trip, forty-seven Filipino-Americans from San Diego went the way of 11th century seafaring Vikings.
In two weeks, these lucky San Diegans traveled 3,294 nautical miles, docking at historic ports for a day or two. They visited Oslo, Copenhagen, Warnemunde, Tallin, St. Petersburg, Helsinki and Stockholm, while succumbing to the allure of a wide open sea.
It was a memorable trip for various reasons, one of which was sitting down for dinner each evening at the elegant San Marco restaurant on Deck 4 to select from a first rate menu. The unique culinary experience was particularly special because of the basket of hot pan de sal which the Filipino kitchen crew baked daily for its beloved Filipino patrons.
Pan de sal was served at specific tables occupied by Filipino guests. Soon, other passengers learned of the distinctive bread. Crew members of other nationalities -- from Bulgaria, Honduras, Jamaica,etc. --- also acquired a taste of the mildly sweet Filipino bread.
The generous kitchen crew made homemade pan de sal which was tastier than commercially baked bread, if a bit sweeter. Appreciative of the special treat, we requested a copy of the "secret" pan de sal recipe and the hospitable crew obliged.
The Celebrity Constellation's (exclusive) delicious pan de sal was made out of:
10 lbs flour
16 oz sugar
3 oz salt
3 lbs butter
5 lbs bread crumbs
5 lbs milk
5 lbs eggs
15 oz yeast
Filipinos, undoubtedly, are making their significant contribution to the rapidly rising industry of cruise vacations (in the last decade, cruise lines have doubled their fleets and the business is expected to triple by 2009). Of the 900 plus crew members, 300 or a third, were Filipinos. Our kababayans ran the kitchen (the chief pastry chef was Filipino); they attended to diners as waiters and maitre' d; they populated the guest relations counter, patiently taking care of complaints and dutifully exchanging foreign currency; they assisted at the gangway, assisting passengers on and off the ship; they maintained the engine room and handled the ventilation system, plumbing, desalinization, etc. -- they were literally everywhere, from bow to stern, on all eleven decks.
For a company that is headquartered in Miami and employing an international crew recruited from 60 countries worldwide ((the master captain was Greek), the extent of Filipino involvement is phenomenal. One obvious reason is that Filipinos, in addition to fluency in English, provide friendly customer service. They work hard, are uncomplaining, and resilient. Recruitment agencies in the Philippines facilitate the steady supply of Filipino workers for cruise line companies.
Life at sea, despite free board and lodging and other perks, can be difficult, particularly with regards to strained family relationships. Contracts vary from 3-9 months. Filipinos usually sign up for 6-month contracts.
Base pay is a lowly $50/month for the average stateroom steward, cabin attendant or housekeeper. They rely on gratuities from passengers but are guaranteed $900/month, particularly during dry dock days when the ship is empty.
Still, it is job that entails sacrifice. Cruises go back to back so the crew hardly enjoys days or holidays off. However, the stewards admit that work on a cruise ship is preferable to scrounging for irregular jobs back home in the Philippines. Furthermore, they consider their working conditions to be better than those of overseas workers in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere in the Middle East.
I wish the 14-day cruise could have been extended. It was a wonderful vacation and an eye-opening experience for both Filipino passengers and their kababayan crew members.
Showing posts with label Travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Travel. Show all posts
Friday, May 23, 2008
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Welcome Home
The Embassy clerk slid our brown passports -- imprinted with the gilded seal of the Republic -- across the counter. He shook his head: “Sorry, I cannot give you visas. Why?... because you are Filipinos, and you have the worst passport in the world!”
August 1988. It was our first trip to Europe. We were beyond excited. My wife Lucie and I had immigrated to the United States in 1976, two years after graduating from medical school, two months after our wedding in Baguio. Actually, Lucie could not travel with me to New York until Thanksgiving, five months later. The U.S. Embassy in Manila had declined to grant her a dependent visa on the basis that she was a physician. But that is another story.
For years, we pursued postgraduate training on paper-thin ground – me with a J-1 student visa; Lucie with an H working visa. After a series of extensions, petitions, and queuing in line at the immigration office in Manhattan -- at 4 or 5 AM in the bitter cold of midwinter -- just to get a number to secure an interview, we had gotten used to the idea of being inconsequential droplets in the rising wave of the Filipino Diaspora.
I recall driving to Manhattan from Long Island before daybreak, waiting for hours in zero degree weather outside the immigration building, intermittently rubbing my hands together and blowing warm air into them to prevent frostbite. Finally, at seven thirty the line would move. Like shackled prisoners, we shuffled forward. However, when we reached the door, the security officer would hold up a hand to say: “That’s it, folks. That’s all the applications we can handle. We will be open at eight tomorrow. Better luck next time. Have a nice day!”
After years of such tribulations, Lucie and I received our “green cards”, which were not green but white. Soon thereafter, we would be eligible to apply for US citizenship. Yet we postponed our application, wanting to hold on to Filipino citizenship as long as possible, treasuring the last official document that linked us to the motherland.
Thereafter, the opportunity came to visit Europe; to visit the Marian shrines of Lourdes and Fatima; to visit Rome, the seat of Christendom and the Holy Land, where Jesus Christ had walked this earth. It was a dream come true. Most countries in our itinerary did not require visas for US citizens. But, being United States “resident aliens” bearing Philippine passports, we were directed by the travel agency to secure visas from the various embassies and consulates in Los Angeles.
Each foreign office had different rules and protocol. Some issued visas in a day or two. Other diplomatic offices directed us to leave our passports and related documents with them for a week for the required processing. Thus, it took several early morning trips to Los Angeles from San Diego to obtain visas from the Portuguese, Spanish, French, and other embassies. In the end, we got everything done except for the Italian visa which the embassy recommended we obtain upon our arrival in Europe.
Easier said than done. When we arrived in Lisbon, the Italian embassy there balked. The embassy official said the proper procedure was for us to return to the United States and apply for visas in Los Angeles. He understood that we had just gotten off the plane after an eleven-hour transatlantic flight. However, rules were rules. The correct procedure was to catch a flight back to Los Angeles, present our papers at the Italian embassy there, get our visas, and then rejoin our group in Europe.
That was the only solution, he said. The basic problem was we were Filipinos. “Simply put”, he explained, “you have the worst passport in the world! Filipinos visit Rome and they never leave!”
We were just touring Europe and the Vatican Museum would surely be a treat but we had no plans to abandon the United States, we assured him. No, the embassy clerk did not think that was a good enough guarantee to allow us to enter Italy. I asked to see the Ambassador. The stubborn clerked refused. We stood our ground. Finally, at the end of a very long day, we got our passports stamped with the necessary visa.
The travails of traveling to Europe recurred upon returning to the United States. Customs and immigration officials in New York wanted to know how long we had been away, which countries we had visited. Did we purchase anything contraband?
It was the same story after every trip back from the Philippines. Were we bringing in forbidden delicacies? Did we stack balut in our bags? Were we smuggling chorizo, adobo, dried fish?
A wonderful Philippine vacation inevitably ended up in grueling interrogations at the port of entry, triggering delays at customs, and rushing for connecting flights. Being tagged an unwanted if tolerated segment of American society was downright humiliating.
What did the late mayor Tom Bradley say at a Filipino convention? “If Filipino nurses and doctors in California decided not to get out of bed in the morning, the entire California hospital system would collapse”. We faithfully got out of bed each morning. Yet, society took our substantial contributions for granted.
International travel being in our future plans, we finally applied for US citizenship. We lined up at the federal building in San Diego to take the test. The official seemed surprised that I knew grass was green, the sky blue, and that I could spell and make a complete sentence. He was also surprised that the amendments to the Bill of Rights, and other stuff Americana, were not alien to me.
The day of our swearing in as new citizens came. We pledged allegiance to the US flag and everything it stood for. It was a happy day but I also felt like I had abandoned the country of my birth.
My father assured me I was still a Filipino; nothing essential had changed. Years later I found comfort in what Fr. Thomas Green, a Jesuit teacher in Ateneo, wrote about himself. After 30 years in Manila, he no longer felt like a New Yorker. But neither could he claim to be Filipino. For better or worse, he had become part of a third culture – half Filipino, half American.
The next European trip was a breeze. We had exchanged our brown Philippine passports with blue US. We were not peppered with questions at ports of entry. Nobody bothered to stop us in Geneva, Frankfurt or Cairo. As American pilgrims, we passed unhindered through Rome and Jerusalem.
After a long intercontinental flight, we arrived at customs and immigration in New York. Weary and tired, I braced myself for another long interview. Would we have time to catch the connecting flight to San Diego?
The customs official scanned our blue passports. I was prepared with rehearsed answers. Instead of inquiring how long we had been away or if we had adobo hidden in our suitcases, the official asked: Did you have a nice trip? We said yes.
“Welcome home,” he smiled.
August 1988. It was our first trip to Europe. We were beyond excited. My wife Lucie and I had immigrated to the United States in 1976, two years after graduating from medical school, two months after our wedding in Baguio. Actually, Lucie could not travel with me to New York until Thanksgiving, five months later. The U.S. Embassy in Manila had declined to grant her a dependent visa on the basis that she was a physician. But that is another story.
For years, we pursued postgraduate training on paper-thin ground – me with a J-1 student visa; Lucie with an H working visa. After a series of extensions, petitions, and queuing in line at the immigration office in Manhattan -- at 4 or 5 AM in the bitter cold of midwinter -- just to get a number to secure an interview, we had gotten used to the idea of being inconsequential droplets in the rising wave of the Filipino Diaspora.
I recall driving to Manhattan from Long Island before daybreak, waiting for hours in zero degree weather outside the immigration building, intermittently rubbing my hands together and blowing warm air into them to prevent frostbite. Finally, at seven thirty the line would move. Like shackled prisoners, we shuffled forward. However, when we reached the door, the security officer would hold up a hand to say: “That’s it, folks. That’s all the applications we can handle. We will be open at eight tomorrow. Better luck next time. Have a nice day!”
After years of such tribulations, Lucie and I received our “green cards”, which were not green but white. Soon thereafter, we would be eligible to apply for US citizenship. Yet we postponed our application, wanting to hold on to Filipino citizenship as long as possible, treasuring the last official document that linked us to the motherland.
Thereafter, the opportunity came to visit Europe; to visit the Marian shrines of Lourdes and Fatima; to visit Rome, the seat of Christendom and the Holy Land, where Jesus Christ had walked this earth. It was a dream come true. Most countries in our itinerary did not require visas for US citizens. But, being United States “resident aliens” bearing Philippine passports, we were directed by the travel agency to secure visas from the various embassies and consulates in Los Angeles.
Each foreign office had different rules and protocol. Some issued visas in a day or two. Other diplomatic offices directed us to leave our passports and related documents with them for a week for the required processing. Thus, it took several early morning trips to Los Angeles from San Diego to obtain visas from the Portuguese, Spanish, French, and other embassies. In the end, we got everything done except for the Italian visa which the embassy recommended we obtain upon our arrival in Europe.
Easier said than done. When we arrived in Lisbon, the Italian embassy there balked. The embassy official said the proper procedure was for us to return to the United States and apply for visas in Los Angeles. He understood that we had just gotten off the plane after an eleven-hour transatlantic flight. However, rules were rules. The correct procedure was to catch a flight back to Los Angeles, present our papers at the Italian embassy there, get our visas, and then rejoin our group in Europe.
That was the only solution, he said. The basic problem was we were Filipinos. “Simply put”, he explained, “you have the worst passport in the world! Filipinos visit Rome and they never leave!”
We were just touring Europe and the Vatican Museum would surely be a treat but we had no plans to abandon the United States, we assured him. No, the embassy clerk did not think that was a good enough guarantee to allow us to enter Italy. I asked to see the Ambassador. The stubborn clerked refused. We stood our ground. Finally, at the end of a very long day, we got our passports stamped with the necessary visa.
The travails of traveling to Europe recurred upon returning to the United States. Customs and immigration officials in New York wanted to know how long we had been away, which countries we had visited. Did we purchase anything contraband?
It was the same story after every trip back from the Philippines. Were we bringing in forbidden delicacies? Did we stack balut in our bags? Were we smuggling chorizo, adobo, dried fish?
A wonderful Philippine vacation inevitably ended up in grueling interrogations at the port of entry, triggering delays at customs, and rushing for connecting flights. Being tagged an unwanted if tolerated segment of American society was downright humiliating.
What did the late mayor Tom Bradley say at a Filipino convention? “If Filipino nurses and doctors in California decided not to get out of bed in the morning, the entire California hospital system would collapse”. We faithfully got out of bed each morning. Yet, society took our substantial contributions for granted.
International travel being in our future plans, we finally applied for US citizenship. We lined up at the federal building in San Diego to take the test. The official seemed surprised that I knew grass was green, the sky blue, and that I could spell and make a complete sentence. He was also surprised that the amendments to the Bill of Rights, and other stuff Americana, were not alien to me.
The day of our swearing in as new citizens came. We pledged allegiance to the US flag and everything it stood for. It was a happy day but I also felt like I had abandoned the country of my birth.
My father assured me I was still a Filipino; nothing essential had changed. Years later I found comfort in what Fr. Thomas Green, a Jesuit teacher in Ateneo, wrote about himself. After 30 years in Manila, he no longer felt like a New Yorker. But neither could he claim to be Filipino. For better or worse, he had become part of a third culture – half Filipino, half American.
The next European trip was a breeze. We had exchanged our brown Philippine passports with blue US. We were not peppered with questions at ports of entry. Nobody bothered to stop us in Geneva, Frankfurt or Cairo. As American pilgrims, we passed unhindered through Rome and Jerusalem.
After a long intercontinental flight, we arrived at customs and immigration in New York. Weary and tired, I braced myself for another long interview. Would we have time to catch the connecting flight to San Diego?
The customs official scanned our blue passports. I was prepared with rehearsed answers. Instead of inquiring how long we had been away or if we had adobo hidden in our suitcases, the official asked: Did you have a nice trip? We said yes.
“Welcome home,” he smiled.
Friday, November 23, 2007
The Pontificio
The Pontificio
The Pontificio
Along Via Aurelia, three subway stops or so from the Vatican, stands a four-storey building designed by Edoardo Cherubini and inaugurated on October 7, 1961 by Pope Blessed John XXIII. Dedicated to Nuestra Senora de la Paz y Buen Viaje (Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage), it is the mother house of Filipino priests and seminarians enrolled in advanced studies at the Gregorian University and other pontifical universities in Rome. One might say it is one of the best-kept secrets in Rome. It is the Pontificio Collegio Filipino.
The 757 landed at Aeroporto di Fiumicino-Roma as the sun was setting. After retrieving baggage and clearing through customs, I checked to find out it would cost about 40-50 euros to get to my destination. Short on cash, I went to the nearest ATM only to find out it was broken. A currency exchange counter was open. Following a brief transaction, I walked over to the taxi stand outside the terminal. "Buona sera, signore", the Italian driver was very courteous. He loaded my bags and, honest driver that he was, drove me straight to 490 Via Aurelia.
Standing before an imposing iron gate, I pressed the side button. The heavy gates opened and I ascended the entrance steps to the lobby, where a statue of a Filipina Virgin Mary caught my attention. Sr. Helen Pepito, the cashier, apologized that the porter was not available to help. She led me to my room on the second floor and handed me a set of keys, for the room, the lobby, and the main gate.
It had been a long trip; I was tired and hungry. After freshening up, I came down to the refectory on the ground floor. Dinner started at 7:30 PM as resident priests came home from their day's work at various campuses and offices. In the best Filipino tradition, with a touch of Benedictine hospitality -- St. Benedict always instructed his monks to treat visitors as if they were hosting Christ himself -- I joined the community in prayer and was graciously invited to partake of the buffet meal.
An inviting bowl of hot sinigang and a bandehado of delicious chop suey were just right to nourish thirty priests and a handful of Filipino pilgrims. The kitchen crew made sure there was enough rice, hot and steaming rice. I had not tasted rice for over a week. That plus an array of native delicacies and cappuccino made the Pontificio "Home Sweet Rome ". I was in heaven!
The idea to build a college in Rome for Filipino seminarians and ordained priests studying for advanced degrees was proposed by the late Rufino Cardinal Santos at a meeting of the Catholic Hierarchy of the Philippines on January 1959. On August 1959, the cornerstone of the future edifice was laid on the site, with the solemn prayer that "Filipino young men...endowed with science and strong faith, under the shadows of Peter and the tombs of the Martyrs, will one day go back to their country to diffuse this treasury of faith to those under their care".
To date, 600 priests have passed through the portals of the Pontificio, 51 of whom have become bishops, according to Msgr. Ruperto Santos, Rector of the College. I am grateful to have made friends there, in particular, Fr. Alberto Uy who is now professor of Moral Theology at Saint John Vianney Theological Seminary in Camaman-an, Cagayan de Oro City and Msgr. Barney Auza, recently transferred to the Holy See Mission at the United Nations in New York. The buzz at the Pontificio is that the gifted and talented Msgr. Barney is slated to become the next Filipino nuncio.
If not for Msgr. Barney, I would never have seen the inside corridors of the Vatican or the most sacred site where the first Christian martyrs sacrificed their lives for the faith. Nor would Lucie and I have the memorable experience of celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary and renewing our vows at St. Peter's Basilica.
I am truly grateful for the Pontificio's hospitality -- it is an oasis away from home. The goodness and kindness of the people there warms my heart. Mr. Bernardino Piccioni, the retired chauffeur who transported church dignitaries like Jaime Cardinal Sin through the years, makes you feel like a VIP as he patiently waits for you to pack your bags, and then skillfully maneuvers you through Roman traffic, on the way to the airport. Fr. Sam Gacias from Sorsogon and the librarian Dominican sister whose name escapes me now went out of their way to help me xerox important documents.
I have also enjoyed talking to many academic priests there, some serving in Pontifical commissions, like Fr. Greg from the diocese of Manila, whose knowledge of world populations is prodigious. Fr. Greg tells me that China's one child rule will impact China's economy adversely in the next decades when the generations most affected by the abortion policy carry the biggest burden of the labor force. China may have to resort to importing workers then, as West Germany did when it achieved zero population growth and found to its dismay that the labor force was not broad enough to support an aging population.
Fr. Enrico Emmanuel Ayo, the Procurator, says in a cool U-tube segment that the program at the Pontificio is four-dimensional. It aims to foster community life, academic training, spiritual formation, and apostolic outreach. The latter takes on more significance, as Filipino migrants flock to Italy. It is estimated that 45,000 Filipinos today live and work in Rome. Many of them are well-educated professionals -- teachers, accountants, etc. Unfortunately, the limited job opportunities there compel them to labor as domestic workers. The pay is better than back in the Philippines but it takes a toll on their sense of self worth. They tell me there is not a single Filipino physician in Rome.
The Filipinos in Rome find comfort in small and big gatherings. Each year in May, they celebrate Filipino Day or Fiesta at the Pontificio. We attended the event in 2006. It was a joy to see the Filipinos in Rome gathering on the grounds of the Pontificio, celebrating, as they would do in the towns and barrios back home, complete with beauty queens and princesses accompanied by proud escorts and entourages.
Monsignor Santos tells me that while the seminary can accommodate 50 priests, enrollment is down to 30 because scholarship grants from Germany and other countries are drying up. Likewise, Licentiate programs are now offered in Philippine universities. It is ideal for Filipino priests to study sub umbra Petri (or under the shadow of St. Peter) but that training is getting expensive, with European currency gaining strength against the Philippine peso.
Thus, it takes P600, 000 to sustain a priest including board and lodging for one year. That seems like a huge amount but not so if we consider that it costs $40,000 (or P2M) to educate our kids in private colleges and universities in the U.S. Sr. Helen, from Cebu, tells me that she gets a headache (masakit ang ulo) when she sees the expense sheet but, thankfully, pilgrims come in and help with donations. With proper recommendation from their bishops and/or priests, Filipino pilgrims are welcome to stay at the Pontificio.
If you wish to help keep this Filipino beacon shining brightly in the Eternal City, please send your contributions to:
Monsignor Ruperto Santos, Rector
Pontificio Collegio Filippino
Via Aurelia 490, 1-00165 Roma
pcfroma@hotmail.com
www.pcfroma.org
The Pontificio
Along Via Aurelia, three subway stops or so from the Vatican, stands a four-storey building designed by Edoardo Cherubini and inaugurated on October 7, 1961 by Pope Blessed John XXIII. Dedicated to Nuestra Senora de la Paz y Buen Viaje (Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage), it is the mother house of Filipino priests and seminarians enrolled in advanced studies at the Gregorian University and other pontifical universities in Rome. One might say it is one of the best-kept secrets in Rome. It is the Pontificio Collegio Filipino.
The 757 landed at Aeroporto di Fiumicino-Roma as the sun was setting. After retrieving baggage and clearing through customs, I checked to find out it would cost about 40-50 euros to get to my destination. Short on cash, I went to the nearest ATM only to find out it was broken. A currency exchange counter was open. Following a brief transaction, I walked over to the taxi stand outside the terminal. "Buona sera, signore", the Italian driver was very courteous. He loaded my bags and, honest driver that he was, drove me straight to 490 Via Aurelia.
Standing before an imposing iron gate, I pressed the side button. The heavy gates opened and I ascended the entrance steps to the lobby, where a statue of a Filipina Virgin Mary caught my attention. Sr. Helen Pepito, the cashier, apologized that the porter was not available to help. She led me to my room on the second floor and handed me a set of keys, for the room, the lobby, and the main gate.
It had been a long trip; I was tired and hungry. After freshening up, I came down to the refectory on the ground floor. Dinner started at 7:30 PM as resident priests came home from their day's work at various campuses and offices. In the best Filipino tradition, with a touch of Benedictine hospitality -- St. Benedict always instructed his monks to treat visitors as if they were hosting Christ himself -- I joined the community in prayer and was graciously invited to partake of the buffet meal.
An inviting bowl of hot sinigang and a bandehado of delicious chop suey were just right to nourish thirty priests and a handful of Filipino pilgrims. The kitchen crew made sure there was enough rice, hot and steaming rice. I had not tasted rice for over a week. That plus an array of native delicacies and cappuccino made the Pontificio "Home Sweet Rome ". I was in heaven!
The idea to build a college in Rome for Filipino seminarians and ordained priests studying for advanced degrees was proposed by the late Rufino Cardinal Santos at a meeting of the Catholic Hierarchy of the Philippines on January 1959. On August 1959, the cornerstone of the future edifice was laid on the site, with the solemn prayer that "Filipino young men...endowed with science and strong faith, under the shadows of Peter and the tombs of the Martyrs, will one day go back to their country to diffuse this treasury of faith to those under their care".
To date, 600 priests have passed through the portals of the Pontificio, 51 of whom have become bishops, according to Msgr. Ruperto Santos, Rector of the College. I am grateful to have made friends there, in particular, Fr. Alberto Uy who is now professor of Moral Theology at Saint John Vianney Theological Seminary in Camaman-an, Cagayan de Oro City and Msgr. Barney Auza, recently transferred to the Holy See Mission at the United Nations in New York. The buzz at the Pontificio is that the gifted and talented Msgr. Barney is slated to become the next Filipino nuncio.
If not for Msgr. Barney, I would never have seen the inside corridors of the Vatican or the most sacred site where the first Christian martyrs sacrificed their lives for the faith. Nor would Lucie and I have the memorable experience of celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary and renewing our vows at St. Peter's Basilica.
I am truly grateful for the Pontificio's hospitality -- it is an oasis away from home. The goodness and kindness of the people there warms my heart. Mr. Bernardino Piccioni, the retired chauffeur who transported church dignitaries like Jaime Cardinal Sin through the years, makes you feel like a VIP as he patiently waits for you to pack your bags, and then skillfully maneuvers you through Roman traffic, on the way to the airport. Fr. Sam Gacias from Sorsogon and the librarian Dominican sister whose name escapes me now went out of their way to help me xerox important documents.
I have also enjoyed talking to many academic priests there, some serving in Pontifical commissions, like Fr. Greg from the diocese of Manila, whose knowledge of world populations is prodigious. Fr. Greg tells me that China's one child rule will impact China's economy adversely in the next decades when the generations most affected by the abortion policy carry the biggest burden of the labor force. China may have to resort to importing workers then, as West Germany did when it achieved zero population growth and found to its dismay that the labor force was not broad enough to support an aging population.
Fr. Enrico Emmanuel Ayo, the Procurator, says in a cool U-tube segment that the program at the Pontificio is four-dimensional. It aims to foster community life, academic training, spiritual formation, and apostolic outreach. The latter takes on more significance, as Filipino migrants flock to Italy. It is estimated that 45,000 Filipinos today live and work in Rome. Many of them are well-educated professionals -- teachers, accountants, etc. Unfortunately, the limited job opportunities there compel them to labor as domestic workers. The pay is better than back in the Philippines but it takes a toll on their sense of self worth. They tell me there is not a single Filipino physician in Rome.
The Filipinos in Rome find comfort in small and big gatherings. Each year in May, they celebrate Filipino Day or Fiesta at the Pontificio. We attended the event in 2006. It was a joy to see the Filipinos in Rome gathering on the grounds of the Pontificio, celebrating, as they would do in the towns and barrios back home, complete with beauty queens and princesses accompanied by proud escorts and entourages.
Monsignor Santos tells me that while the seminary can accommodate 50 priests, enrollment is down to 30 because scholarship grants from Germany and other countries are drying up. Likewise, Licentiate programs are now offered in Philippine universities. It is ideal for Filipino priests to study sub umbra Petri (or under the shadow of St. Peter) but that training is getting expensive, with European currency gaining strength against the Philippine peso.
Thus, it takes P600, 000 to sustain a priest including board and lodging for one year. That seems like a huge amount but not so if we consider that it costs $40,000 (or P2M) to educate our kids in private colleges and universities in the U.S. Sr. Helen, from Cebu, tells me that she gets a headache (masakit ang ulo) when she sees the expense sheet but, thankfully, pilgrims come in and help with donations. With proper recommendation from their bishops and/or priests, Filipino pilgrims are welcome to stay at the Pontificio.
If you wish to help keep this Filipino beacon shining brightly in the Eternal City, please send your contributions to:
Monsignor Ruperto Santos, Rector
Pontificio Collegio Filippino
Via Aurelia 490, 1-00165 Roma
pcfroma@hotmail.com
www.pcfroma.org
Friday, November 2, 2007
THE WEEPING CHRIST at Medjugorje
Reprinted from the Asian Journal
November 2, 2007
By Dr. Edgar A. Gamboa
Medjugorje, Bosnia-Hercegovina -- In years past, it was, as in Fatima, the miracle of the “dancing sun”. Pilgrims from all over the world flocked to the tiny, quiet village of Medjugorje (formerly part of Tito’s Communist Yugoslavia but since 1993 of independent Bosnia-Hercegovina) to gaze at the spinning sun and to marvel at ordinary rosaries turning to gold. Multicolored lights burst forth like impromptu fireworks around the cross at the peak of Mt. Krizevac. And in the early days of the now famous Marian apparitions, the word “MIR” (meaning peace in Croatian) was prominently scrawled across the early evening sky.
Nowadays, it is the phenomenon of the weeping Christ.
Recently I stood in line awaiting my turn to witness this latest Medjugorje happening. Before the start of the 10 o’clock English Mass (in addition to the 6 PM Croatian Mass, liturgy is celebrated daily for Italian, French, Spanish and many other pilgrim groups), I walked to the miraculous site, which is located about a hundred yards behind St. James Church, towards the direction of Mt. Krizevac.
Already, clusters of devoted pilgrims – Croatians, Hungarians, Poles, Nigerians, Irish, Germans, and Americans – were lining up to see the weeping Christ at close range. Many were there to touch the bronze statue, to wipe (like St. Veronica) the miraculous tears, even to collect them in tiny vials.
My turn finally came and I stood in awe looking up at the approximately 30-foot bronze modernistic sculpture of the risen Christ. The statue was verdigris green except for the large shiny golden patch on the right leg. The distal thigh and the lateral side of the knee were remarkably smooth and shiny from pilgrims touching and wiping that accessible part of the statue for over a year. It reminded me of St. Peter’s “gold clubfoot” in St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, reverently touched by pilgrims for hundreds of years.
Clearly I could see a droplet of fluid slowly forming, then oozing from the thigh and trickling down the knee and lower leg every second or two. Pilgrims would promptly catch the fluid before it reached the foot. Many would place their rosaries, medals, or other religious objects against the wet statue; others would blot the leg with tissue paper or wipe it with a handkerchief. Still others collected the trickling fluid in small containers.
Some pilgrims have claimed that the “tears” tasted salty while others are not too sure. Some say that at certain days the clear watery fluid feels thick and oily. In any event, the weeping Christ is today drawing even more crowds to Medjugorje.
I have heard and read of “crying statues”, of holy pictures or sacred images oozing oil, tears, even blood – but this was the very first time I had witnessed firsthand such an incredible phenomenon. Standing before what appeared to be miraculous, or at the very least unexplainable, I could not help but dab the statue with a handkerchief that was promptly soaked.
This bronze statue of the risen Christ, now the focus of so much attention, is a new addition to the religious attractions in Medjugorje, which traditionally include Podbrdo (or the Hill of Apparitions where the Blessed Virgin Mary first appeared to the children on June 24, 1981), Mt. Krizevac (or the mountain where the 1933 cross was erected and where the popular Stations of the Cross are located), and St. James Church (where the visionaries hid when pursued by Communist authorities and where pilgrims now gather daily for liturgy).
The statue is a replica of a 277 cm. silver image of “The Resurrection”, sculpted by Andrej Ajdic and presented to Pope John Paul II on the occasion of his Papal Visit to Slovenia in 1996. The mystery of Christ’s resurrection is expressed by the image of an elongated, slender Christ, arms outstretched as if still nailed to the cross but at the same time globally embracing redeemed mankind, while triumphantly rising from a cross which is laid flat on the ground, overcast by the silhouette of Christ or God’s presence on earth. Another unique feature of the sculpture is that Christ is not wrapped by a loincloth but by a newspaper, signifying the ephemeral event of the crucifixion, in contrast to Christ’s everlasting and infinite nature.
To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the apparition of “Gospa, Kraljice Mira” (“Blessed Mother, Queen of Peace” in the native Croatian language), a 30-foot bronze replica of Ajdic’s “The Resurrection” was erected behind St. James Church. A day or two after the anniversary, around June 25-26, 2001, pilgrims started noticing that the statue was visibly oozing clear fluid.
The Franciscan community, guardians of St. James Church and Medjugorje, has not officially acknowledged the phenomenon of the “weeping Christ”. While not discouraging pilgrims from congregating and praying around the statue, the friars refrain from actively fostering devotion to it, in contrast to their efforts to promote the daily Rosary and Mass, and the weekly Stations of the Cross and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Our Blessed Mother has time and time again requested the latter devotions.
In her daily apparitions to the visionaries, spanning over the last 21 years, She has tirelessly requested -- kindly, gently, and lovingly, as the visionaries report, and never in a strict or authoritarian manner -- that the traditional Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be are recited seven times daily as well as the Apostles’ Creed for the cause of peace; that families gather together to pray the rosary, to “pray with the heart”, to pray for “unbelievers”, to read Scripture; that we all attend Mass, receive the Holy Eucharist, and go to monthly confession. She has also asked for fasting on bread and water, if possible, on Wednesdays and Fridays. And at the end of every apparition, which usually lasts from 2-8 minutes, She never fails to thank the visionaries. “If you knew how much I love you,” she has said, “ you would cry for joy!”
When pilgrims ask the visionaries how the Blessed Virgin Mary appears to them, they say: “She is the most beautiful person…we see her like we see you or any other person. She always appears with a cloud around and covering her feet, which never touches the ground. Sometimes, She is accompanied by angels…She wears a gray gown with a white veil; on Christmas and special feast days, She comes dressed in a golden gown. She has blue eyes, rosy cheeks, and long dark hair. She is incredibly beautiful beyond words and She has the loveliest smile”.
Many pilgrims, who would visit Fatima or Lourdes or Guadalupe, established and ecclesiastically approved Marian sites, do not include Medjugorje in their itinerary because the Church has not yet officially approved it. But they forget or probably are unaware that the Catholic Church does not review, much less, approve of on going apparitions. The Church will officially review the authenticity of an apparition only after such has ceased.
Thus, at Lourdes where St. Bernadette encountered 18 apparitions from February 11th – July 16th, 1858, the event was not officially recognized by the Church, until four years later, on January 18, 1862, when Bishop Laurence, Bishop of Tarbes, officially declared the apparitions to be authentic and submitted his recommendation to the Holy Father.
In the case of Fatima, where the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared six times to the three shepherd children, Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta, between May 13th - October 13th, 1917, official ecclesiastical recognition that the Fatima message was “worthy of belief” did not happen until 1930.
Since at Medjugorje, the daily apparitions continue for three of the original six visionaries -- “Gospa” appears to Vicka, Marija, and Ivan daily but only on special occasions now to Ivanka, Mirjana, and Jacov -- official church recognition is not anticipated for some time to come. However, Medjugorje presents a special opportunity for many to visit a Marian apparition that is occurring to the present day.
______________________
Dr. Edgar A. Gamboa (pseudonym John Paul Noel) is the author of “From Mt. Krizevac to Mt. Carmel: A Medjugorje Pilgrim’s Conversion”, ISBN 0-9639536-0-5, Mir Communications, 1995, available at Pauline Books & Media & Amazon.com.
more . . . E-mails from the Desert - Dr. Ed Gamboa
November 2, 2007
By Dr. Edgar A. Gamboa
Medjugorje, Bosnia-Hercegovina -- In years past, it was, as in Fatima, the miracle of the “dancing sun”. Pilgrims from all over the world flocked to the tiny, quiet village of Medjugorje (formerly part of Tito’s Communist Yugoslavia but since 1993 of independent Bosnia-Hercegovina) to gaze at the spinning sun and to marvel at ordinary rosaries turning to gold. Multicolored lights burst forth like impromptu fireworks around the cross at the peak of Mt. Krizevac. And in the early days of the now famous Marian apparitions, the word “MIR” (meaning peace in Croatian) was prominently scrawled across the early evening sky.
Nowadays, it is the phenomenon of the weeping Christ.
Recently I stood in line awaiting my turn to witness this latest Medjugorje happening. Before the start of the 10 o’clock English Mass (in addition to the 6 PM Croatian Mass, liturgy is celebrated daily for Italian, French, Spanish and many other pilgrim groups), I walked to the miraculous site, which is located about a hundred yards behind St. James Church, towards the direction of Mt. Krizevac.
Already, clusters of devoted pilgrims – Croatians, Hungarians, Poles, Nigerians, Irish, Germans, and Americans – were lining up to see the weeping Christ at close range. Many were there to touch the bronze statue, to wipe (like St. Veronica) the miraculous tears, even to collect them in tiny vials.
My turn finally came and I stood in awe looking up at the approximately 30-foot bronze modernistic sculpture of the risen Christ. The statue was verdigris green except for the large shiny golden patch on the right leg. The distal thigh and the lateral side of the knee were remarkably smooth and shiny from pilgrims touching and wiping that accessible part of the statue for over a year. It reminded me of St. Peter’s “gold clubfoot” in St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, reverently touched by pilgrims for hundreds of years.
Clearly I could see a droplet of fluid slowly forming, then oozing from the thigh and trickling down the knee and lower leg every second or two. Pilgrims would promptly catch the fluid before it reached the foot. Many would place their rosaries, medals, or other religious objects against the wet statue; others would blot the leg with tissue paper or wipe it with a handkerchief. Still others collected the trickling fluid in small containers.
Some pilgrims have claimed that the “tears” tasted salty while others are not too sure. Some say that at certain days the clear watery fluid feels thick and oily. In any event, the weeping Christ is today drawing even more crowds to Medjugorje.
I have heard and read of “crying statues”, of holy pictures or sacred images oozing oil, tears, even blood – but this was the very first time I had witnessed firsthand such an incredible phenomenon. Standing before what appeared to be miraculous, or at the very least unexplainable, I could not help but dab the statue with a handkerchief that was promptly soaked.
This bronze statue of the risen Christ, now the focus of so much attention, is a new addition to the religious attractions in Medjugorje, which traditionally include Podbrdo (or the Hill of Apparitions where the Blessed Virgin Mary first appeared to the children on June 24, 1981), Mt. Krizevac (or the mountain where the 1933 cross was erected and where the popular Stations of the Cross are located), and St. James Church (where the visionaries hid when pursued by Communist authorities and where pilgrims now gather daily for liturgy).
The statue is a replica of a 277 cm. silver image of “The Resurrection”, sculpted by Andrej Ajdic and presented to Pope John Paul II on the occasion of his Papal Visit to Slovenia in 1996. The mystery of Christ’s resurrection is expressed by the image of an elongated, slender Christ, arms outstretched as if still nailed to the cross but at the same time globally embracing redeemed mankind, while triumphantly rising from a cross which is laid flat on the ground, overcast by the silhouette of Christ or God’s presence on earth. Another unique feature of the sculpture is that Christ is not wrapped by a loincloth but by a newspaper, signifying the ephemeral event of the crucifixion, in contrast to Christ’s everlasting and infinite nature.
To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the apparition of “Gospa, Kraljice Mira” (“Blessed Mother, Queen of Peace” in the native Croatian language), a 30-foot bronze replica of Ajdic’s “The Resurrection” was erected behind St. James Church. A day or two after the anniversary, around June 25-26, 2001, pilgrims started noticing that the statue was visibly oozing clear fluid.
The Franciscan community, guardians of St. James Church and Medjugorje, has not officially acknowledged the phenomenon of the “weeping Christ”. While not discouraging pilgrims from congregating and praying around the statue, the friars refrain from actively fostering devotion to it, in contrast to their efforts to promote the daily Rosary and Mass, and the weekly Stations of the Cross and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Our Blessed Mother has time and time again requested the latter devotions.
In her daily apparitions to the visionaries, spanning over the last 21 years, She has tirelessly requested -- kindly, gently, and lovingly, as the visionaries report, and never in a strict or authoritarian manner -- that the traditional Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be are recited seven times daily as well as the Apostles’ Creed for the cause of peace; that families gather together to pray the rosary, to “pray with the heart”, to pray for “unbelievers”, to read Scripture; that we all attend Mass, receive the Holy Eucharist, and go to monthly confession. She has also asked for fasting on bread and water, if possible, on Wednesdays and Fridays. And at the end of every apparition, which usually lasts from 2-8 minutes, She never fails to thank the visionaries. “If you knew how much I love you,” she has said, “ you would cry for joy!”
When pilgrims ask the visionaries how the Blessed Virgin Mary appears to them, they say: “She is the most beautiful person…we see her like we see you or any other person. She always appears with a cloud around and covering her feet, which never touches the ground. Sometimes, She is accompanied by angels…She wears a gray gown with a white veil; on Christmas and special feast days, She comes dressed in a golden gown. She has blue eyes, rosy cheeks, and long dark hair. She is incredibly beautiful beyond words and She has the loveliest smile”.
Many pilgrims, who would visit Fatima or Lourdes or Guadalupe, established and ecclesiastically approved Marian sites, do not include Medjugorje in their itinerary because the Church has not yet officially approved it. But they forget or probably are unaware that the Catholic Church does not review, much less, approve of on going apparitions. The Church will officially review the authenticity of an apparition only after such has ceased.
Thus, at Lourdes where St. Bernadette encountered 18 apparitions from February 11th – July 16th, 1858, the event was not officially recognized by the Church, until four years later, on January 18, 1862, when Bishop Laurence, Bishop of Tarbes, officially declared the apparitions to be authentic and submitted his recommendation to the Holy Father.
In the case of Fatima, where the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared six times to the three shepherd children, Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta, between May 13th - October 13th, 1917, official ecclesiastical recognition that the Fatima message was “worthy of belief” did not happen until 1930.
Since at Medjugorje, the daily apparitions continue for three of the original six visionaries -- “Gospa” appears to Vicka, Marija, and Ivan daily but only on special occasions now to Ivanka, Mirjana, and Jacov -- official church recognition is not anticipated for some time to come. However, Medjugorje presents a special opportunity for many to visit a Marian apparition that is occurring to the present day.
______________________
Dr. Edgar A. Gamboa (pseudonym John Paul Noel) is the author of “From Mt. Krizevac to Mt. Carmel: A Medjugorje Pilgrim’s Conversion”, ISBN 0-9639536-0-5, Mir Communications, 1995, available at Pauline Books & Media & Amazon.com.
more . . . E-mails from the Desert - Dr. Ed Gamboa
Friday, October 26, 2007
Kraljica Mira
Reprinted from the Asian Journal
October 26, 2007
Dobar Dan or “good day” as they like to greet each other here in Medjugorje.
Twenty-six years and thirty million pilgrims later, Medjugorje, situated in the heart of mountainous Bosnia-Hercegovina, is no longer the quiet, God-forsaken village that it was in Tito’s Communist Yugoslavia. It has, in fact, become one of the most visited pilgrimage sites in Christendom.
The story is now well known. On June 24, 1981, the feast of St. John the Baptist, six children, walking by the hill of Podbrdo on their way home to Bijakovici, saw an incredibly beautiful lady. Dazzling like the sun, she wore a luminous white veil over her head and cradled a baby in her arms. The children claim that no words are adequate to describe her lovely face and smile.
Since that momentous afternoon in 1981, Kraljica Mira (translated to “Queen of Peace” in Croatian) has miraculously appeared to the six visionaries every day at around 5:40 PM. The daily apparition may last from two minutes to an hour, but usually occurs in five to ten minutes.
The children go into ecstasy when the apparition occurs and they report that they see Kraljica Mira or Gospa (“Our Lady”) just like they see you and me. They converse with her freely and she in turn gives them private and public messages. Through Marija, a public message is given to the parish (and the world) every 25th day of each month. In the early years, the message was promptly posted on the front door of St. James Church. With the advent of the Internet, such message is disseminated world wide by a click on the keyboard (log on to http://medjugorje.org).
Today, only three of the visionaries -- Marija, Vicka and Ivan -- continue to see Kraljica Mira each single day. The other three -- Ivanka, Mirjana, and Jacov -- no longer see Our Lady except on special occasions. Reminiscent of the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal, the last three children (now adults) have received ten secrets each, which are to be revealed to a priest of their choice, at the proper time.
The secrets of Medjugorje understandably scare people who link them to the Book of Revelations or an apocalyptic end of the world scenario. But the visionaries emphasize God’s love and say that people who strive to live the messages of Medjugorje have no reason to fear. Theologians who have analyzed the hundreds of messages through the years see them as consistent with lessons in the Gospel. Fr. Jozo Zovko, the parish priest of Medjugorje when the apparitions began, summarizes the messages into five main points or requests by Our Lady, namely:
1. To “pray with the heart” or to pray the Rosary each day (preferably to pray together with family).
2. To attend Mass and receive the Holy Eucharist regularly.
3. To read and reflect daily on Scripture.
4. To fast on bread and water on Wednesdays and Fridays (assuming one’s health allows; otherwise, to fast from other things, i.e., TV, movies, video games, internet, and other distractions).
5. To practice monthly confession (Sacrament of Reconciliation).
American pilgrims frequently ask if morning coffee is consistent with fasting to which Mirjana responds with an impish smile: “Sure, just drink it before Our Lady wakes up!” Italians typically ask if pasta can substitute for bread (rice for Filipinos?). The visionaries respond with good humor. The point, they say, is that Our Lady does not wish to give us a hard time. Far from it, she just wants us to advance spiritually, step by step.
Actually, none of the above Christian practices are radically new. Fasting may have been forgotten along with other ascetic traditions known since the time of the Apostles. The purpose of fasting is to develop the virtue of self-discipline, which is essential for spiritual maturity. Kraljica Mira frequently invites the visionaries (and the world through them) to make every effort to incorporate these virtuous practices in our daily life.
The Vatican has not officially approved the apparitions at Medjugorje. But that is not unusual; traditionally, the Church waits until apparitions or supernatural phenomena have ceased before embarking on a full theological investigation, as in the case of Fatima and Lourdes.
The visionaries, however, have been subjected to a battery of medical and scientific tests. A local physician, Dr. Ante Vujevic, conducted the first examination when communist police brought the children to the doctor four days after the first apparition took place. On June 29, the children were rushed to a clinic in Mostar and examined by Dr. Dzudza Mulija. The psychiatrist reportedly remarked that the frantic officers who brought the visionaries to the clinic were the ones who acted insane. The children were clearly psychologically normal.
Other psychiatrists, including Croatian Dr. Nikola Bartulica who practices in Missouri, have evaluated the visionaries from October 1981 to 1989. In 1991, Dr. Bartulica published his conclusions in the book, “Are the visionaries telling the truth?” All the medical and scientific experts to date have uncovered nothing out of the ordinary or pathological with the visionaries. They have all been assessed to be physically and psychologically healthy and definitely not epileptic or hysterical.
The most exhaustive series of examinations, utilizing technically advanced monitoring devices, were performed from March to December 1984 by a team of French experts, led by Dr. Henri Joyeaux. Their findings were published in the book, “Etudes medicales et scientifiques sur les apparitions de Medjugorje”.
The following year, a scientific and theological commission composed of 17 French and Italian experts, including a vision and a hearing specialist, interviewed and tested the visionaries. The consensus was invariably the same -- the visionaries were physically and mentally fine.
In 1998, at the request of the Franciscans, a team headed by Dr. Andreas Resch, Professor of Theology at the Papal University Alfonsianum in Rome, expanded on the tests conducted by the French and Italian team.
The most recent scientific investigation was performed on the 24th anniversary of Medjugorje, at the behest of the Holy See. It was conducted by Professor Joyeaux, with the assistance of neurologist, Dr. Philippe Loron. When the visionaries went into ecstasy, their brain waves and vital signs were recorded in detail. Ivan resents being “treated like a guinea pig” but endures having a nest of electrodes and wires taped all over his body if only to persuade skeptics and unbelievers.
All the medical and scientific testing through the years have arrived at the same conclusion: the visionaries are undoubtedly normal, healthy individuals. They are not under the influence of drugs or any mind-altering substance. They are not pretending, imagining things, or hallucinating.
Needless to say, the daily appearance of Kraljica Mira cannot be proven scientifically. But, indirectly, scientific methods applied to the visionaries have not detected fraud, delusion, hallucination, or any other subjective irrationality. Granted, for the sake of argument that the visionaries are pretending to see things and making up stories, it is humanly impossible to go through such acts fraudulently every day for 26 years.
To believers of the supernatural events in Medjugorje, no further proof that the Mother of God is appearing daily is needed. To unbelievers, no amount of proof, scientific or otherwise, will suffice.
more . . . E-mails from the Desert - Dr. Ed Gamboa
October 26, 2007
Dobar Dan or “good day” as they like to greet each other here in Medjugorje.
Twenty-six years and thirty million pilgrims later, Medjugorje, situated in the heart of mountainous Bosnia-Hercegovina, is no longer the quiet, God-forsaken village that it was in Tito’s Communist Yugoslavia. It has, in fact, become one of the most visited pilgrimage sites in Christendom.
The story is now well known. On June 24, 1981, the feast of St. John the Baptist, six children, walking by the hill of Podbrdo on their way home to Bijakovici, saw an incredibly beautiful lady. Dazzling like the sun, she wore a luminous white veil over her head and cradled a baby in her arms. The children claim that no words are adequate to describe her lovely face and smile.
Since that momentous afternoon in 1981, Kraljica Mira (translated to “Queen of Peace” in Croatian) has miraculously appeared to the six visionaries every day at around 5:40 PM. The daily apparition may last from two minutes to an hour, but usually occurs in five to ten minutes.
The children go into ecstasy when the apparition occurs and they report that they see Kraljica Mira or Gospa (“Our Lady”) just like they see you and me. They converse with her freely and she in turn gives them private and public messages. Through Marija, a public message is given to the parish (and the world) every 25th day of each month. In the early years, the message was promptly posted on the front door of St. James Church. With the advent of the Internet, such message is disseminated world wide by a click on the keyboard (log on to http://medjugorje.org).
Today, only three of the visionaries -- Marija, Vicka and Ivan -- continue to see Kraljica Mira each single day. The other three -- Ivanka, Mirjana, and Jacov -- no longer see Our Lady except on special occasions. Reminiscent of the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal, the last three children (now adults) have received ten secrets each, which are to be revealed to a priest of their choice, at the proper time.
The secrets of Medjugorje understandably scare people who link them to the Book of Revelations or an apocalyptic end of the world scenario. But the visionaries emphasize God’s love and say that people who strive to live the messages of Medjugorje have no reason to fear. Theologians who have analyzed the hundreds of messages through the years see them as consistent with lessons in the Gospel. Fr. Jozo Zovko, the parish priest of Medjugorje when the apparitions began, summarizes the messages into five main points or requests by Our Lady, namely:
1. To “pray with the heart” or to pray the Rosary each day (preferably to pray together with family).
2. To attend Mass and receive the Holy Eucharist regularly.
3. To read and reflect daily on Scripture.
4. To fast on bread and water on Wednesdays and Fridays (assuming one’s health allows; otherwise, to fast from other things, i.e., TV, movies, video games, internet, and other distractions).
5. To practice monthly confession (Sacrament of Reconciliation).
American pilgrims frequently ask if morning coffee is consistent with fasting to which Mirjana responds with an impish smile: “Sure, just drink it before Our Lady wakes up!” Italians typically ask if pasta can substitute for bread (rice for Filipinos?). The visionaries respond with good humor. The point, they say, is that Our Lady does not wish to give us a hard time. Far from it, she just wants us to advance spiritually, step by step.
Actually, none of the above Christian practices are radically new. Fasting may have been forgotten along with other ascetic traditions known since the time of the Apostles. The purpose of fasting is to develop the virtue of self-discipline, which is essential for spiritual maturity. Kraljica Mira frequently invites the visionaries (and the world through them) to make every effort to incorporate these virtuous practices in our daily life.
The Vatican has not officially approved the apparitions at Medjugorje. But that is not unusual; traditionally, the Church waits until apparitions or supernatural phenomena have ceased before embarking on a full theological investigation, as in the case of Fatima and Lourdes.
The visionaries, however, have been subjected to a battery of medical and scientific tests. A local physician, Dr. Ante Vujevic, conducted the first examination when communist police brought the children to the doctor four days after the first apparition took place. On June 29, the children were rushed to a clinic in Mostar and examined by Dr. Dzudza Mulija. The psychiatrist reportedly remarked that the frantic officers who brought the visionaries to the clinic were the ones who acted insane. The children were clearly psychologically normal.
Other psychiatrists, including Croatian Dr. Nikola Bartulica who practices in Missouri, have evaluated the visionaries from October 1981 to 1989. In 1991, Dr. Bartulica published his conclusions in the book, “Are the visionaries telling the truth?” All the medical and scientific experts to date have uncovered nothing out of the ordinary or pathological with the visionaries. They have all been assessed to be physically and psychologically healthy and definitely not epileptic or hysterical.
The most exhaustive series of examinations, utilizing technically advanced monitoring devices, were performed from March to December 1984 by a team of French experts, led by Dr. Henri Joyeaux. Their findings were published in the book, “Etudes medicales et scientifiques sur les apparitions de Medjugorje”.
The following year, a scientific and theological commission composed of 17 French and Italian experts, including a vision and a hearing specialist, interviewed and tested the visionaries. The consensus was invariably the same -- the visionaries were physically and mentally fine.
In 1998, at the request of the Franciscans, a team headed by Dr. Andreas Resch, Professor of Theology at the Papal University Alfonsianum in Rome, expanded on the tests conducted by the French and Italian team.
The most recent scientific investigation was performed on the 24th anniversary of Medjugorje, at the behest of the Holy See. It was conducted by Professor Joyeaux, with the assistance of neurologist, Dr. Philippe Loron. When the visionaries went into ecstasy, their brain waves and vital signs were recorded in detail. Ivan resents being “treated like a guinea pig” but endures having a nest of electrodes and wires taped all over his body if only to persuade skeptics and unbelievers.
All the medical and scientific testing through the years have arrived at the same conclusion: the visionaries are undoubtedly normal, healthy individuals. They are not under the influence of drugs or any mind-altering substance. They are not pretending, imagining things, or hallucinating.
Needless to say, the daily appearance of Kraljica Mira cannot be proven scientifically. But, indirectly, scientific methods applied to the visionaries have not detected fraud, delusion, hallucination, or any other subjective irrationality. Granted, for the sake of argument that the visionaries are pretending to see things and making up stories, it is humanly impossible to go through such acts fraudulently every day for 26 years.
To believers of the supernatural events in Medjugorje, no further proof that the Mother of God is appearing daily is needed. To unbelievers, no amount of proof, scientific or otherwise, will suffice.
more . . . E-mails from the Desert - Dr. Ed Gamboa
Friday, October 19, 2007
Wanderlust, Kempis, and Chardin
Who in the world does not want to travel? I certainly count myself among humanity's inveterate adventurers. Indeed, I write this piece on my way to Rome by way of San Francisco. Most Filipinos in the United States, by the mere fact that they mustered the courage to venture halfway around the globe, automatically qualify as bona fide "wanderlusters".
Wanderlust seems like an archaic word. But, in fact, the German derived term first appeared in the English dictionary in 1902, about the time when the effects of the second industrial revolution rendered the world dramatically mobile.
Not knowing any better, I simply assume everyone wants to get out there to see the whole wide world. Strangely, I've met people who have not ventured more than a few miles from their place of birth! When I lived in Buffalo, New York, I had patients who had never seen the Statue of Liberty in Ellis Island! In Southern California, I've known folks who have not crossed the border into Baja California. Why would people not take the opportunity to travel to another country next to their doorstep? In Hawaii, I met several natives in the outer islands who had not surfed or at least trekked along world famous Waikiki Beach.
Perhaps, these souls have been influenced by the famous writer Thomas a Kempis who said: "...they who travel much abroad seldom become holy." (Imitation of Christ, Book 1, Chapter 23).
I think I understand what the German mystic Thomas a Kempis was concerned about. The world, during his time (1380-1471), was not conducive to leading a decent life. He found peace and solitude “only in retirement and in books”. Earlier, around the 3rd century, the Desert Fathers fled to the Scetes desert in Egypt, far away from the reaches of the hedonistic Roman Empire. For centuries thereafter, holy men and women viewed the world with justifiable contempt, cautious about being contaminated by its secularity.
It took the genius of Jesuit paleontologist Teilhard de Chardin (1881-1955) to make the world attractive again, for indeed, if God created the world – “The Divine Milieu” -- why wouldn’t it be good? Subsequently, the social activist Dorothy Day, founder of the Catholic Workers Movement, and the Trappist Thomas Merton made engagement with the world theologically sound. We cannot retire to the chapel even as the world teetered in the brink of nuclear self-destruction. It was imperative that we immersed ourselves in world affairs and play active roles in the direction of history.
The Peruvian Dominican priest Gustavo Gutierrez and liberation theologians of South America remind us that it is good to pray but that we can ill afford to spend hours in the altar while our brothers and sisters go to bed hungry each night because of society’s unjust economic and political structures. In the 1960s, Vatican Council II acknowledged that the pathway to sanctity was through the world, not outside of it.
As Filipinos, we can be proud that our people, in the darkness of crisis, found a way to balance prayer and action. I must say it took a while for us to take action in the face of an increasingly oppressive dictatorship. But we did act. And the way we did it, in the innovated form of people power, effectively blended prayers in churches and demonstrations in the streets. It was such a powerful combination of prayer and action that Lech Walesa’s Solidarity in Poland learned from it, triggering Communism’s downfall, which culminated in the fall of the Berlin Wall. Today, we see the continuing ripple effect of people power in Myanmar (Burma), as non-violent Buddhist monks take to the streets to protest the military stranglehold of their nation.
But, active involvement in world shattering events aside, isn’t it pure joy to travel and marvel at the exhilarating beauty and expanse of the world in which we live? Seeing the world, interacting with people of various cultures and customs, we realize that despite the differences, we are all basically the same – blessed with the same dreams, the same hopes, the same aspirations for ourselves and for the next generations.
Wanderlust seems like an archaic word. But, in fact, the German derived term first appeared in the English dictionary in 1902, about the time when the effects of the second industrial revolution rendered the world dramatically mobile.
Not knowing any better, I simply assume everyone wants to get out there to see the whole wide world. Strangely, I've met people who have not ventured more than a few miles from their place of birth! When I lived in Buffalo, New York, I had patients who had never seen the Statue of Liberty in Ellis Island! In Southern California, I've known folks who have not crossed the border into Baja California. Why would people not take the opportunity to travel to another country next to their doorstep? In Hawaii, I met several natives in the outer islands who had not surfed or at least trekked along world famous Waikiki Beach.
Perhaps, these souls have been influenced by the famous writer Thomas a Kempis who said: "...they who travel much abroad seldom become holy." (Imitation of Christ, Book 1, Chapter 23).
I think I understand what the German mystic Thomas a Kempis was concerned about. The world, during his time (1380-1471), was not conducive to leading a decent life. He found peace and solitude “only in retirement and in books”. Earlier, around the 3rd century, the Desert Fathers fled to the Scetes desert in Egypt, far away from the reaches of the hedonistic Roman Empire. For centuries thereafter, holy men and women viewed the world with justifiable contempt, cautious about being contaminated by its secularity.
It took the genius of Jesuit paleontologist Teilhard de Chardin (1881-1955) to make the world attractive again, for indeed, if God created the world – “The Divine Milieu” -- why wouldn’t it be good? Subsequently, the social activist Dorothy Day, founder of the Catholic Workers Movement, and the Trappist Thomas Merton made engagement with the world theologically sound. We cannot retire to the chapel even as the world teetered in the brink of nuclear self-destruction. It was imperative that we immersed ourselves in world affairs and play active roles in the direction of history.
The Peruvian Dominican priest Gustavo Gutierrez and liberation theologians of South America remind us that it is good to pray but that we can ill afford to spend hours in the altar while our brothers and sisters go to bed hungry each night because of society’s unjust economic and political structures. In the 1960s, Vatican Council II acknowledged that the pathway to sanctity was through the world, not outside of it.
As Filipinos, we can be proud that our people, in the darkness of crisis, found a way to balance prayer and action. I must say it took a while for us to take action in the face of an increasingly oppressive dictatorship. But we did act. And the way we did it, in the innovated form of people power, effectively blended prayers in churches and demonstrations in the streets. It was such a powerful combination of prayer and action that Lech Walesa’s Solidarity in Poland learned from it, triggering Communism’s downfall, which culminated in the fall of the Berlin Wall. Today, we see the continuing ripple effect of people power in Myanmar (Burma), as non-violent Buddhist monks take to the streets to protest the military stranglehold of their nation.
But, active involvement in world shattering events aside, isn’t it pure joy to travel and marvel at the exhilarating beauty and expanse of the world in which we live? Seeing the world, interacting with people of various cultures and customs, we realize that despite the differences, we are all basically the same – blessed with the same dreams, the same hopes, the same aspirations for ourselves and for the next generations.
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