Pope meets with the Episcopal Conference of Catholic Bishops of the Philippines

I guess nothing was discussed about Summorum Pontificum? (Ha!) From Rome Reports:

November 30, 2010. Benedict XVI met with the Episcopal Conference of Catholic Bishops of the Philippines. During the meeting, the Pope emphasized the close relations the Vatican and the Philippines have always maintained.

The pope asked the Episcopal Conference of the Philippines to try and develop initiatives in favor of human life to increase respect from conception to natural death and in defense of the integrity of marriage and family.

Benedict XVI told the Philippine bishops that “thanks to the clear presentation of the Gospel, it has promoted an increasingly just social order in the country, because politics and the Church, each in its own field, serve the comprehensive development of human beings and society as a whole.”

The Philippines is a country with an area of 300,000 square kilometers, with a population of 93 million people, of which 89% are Christians.

Sri Lanka welcomes Cardinal Ranjith with Giant Galero

Photo credit: White Monks Blog

Back to blogging and photos from recent events at St. Margaret Mary's

First of all, many thanks to all the readers and friends who included my dad in your prayer intentions. Our family flew to the Philippines last month for his burial and it was edifying that he was given not just one, but two, Requiem Masses (one here in the US and one in the Philippines) in the Extraordinary Form. I'll post on a separate entry some reflections and photos. With all the stuff that's been going on, my blogging had to be limited to posting just announcements, but now things are slowly getting back to normal. In the meantime, I'd like to share with you some photos taken from recent events at St. Margaret Mary's.

External Solemnity of Our Lady of the Rosary (October 17, 2010)

Mass was followed by a pancake breakfast fundraiser, organized by the Knights of Columbus:

Pilgrimage and High Mass at Angel Island, San Francisco (October 2, 2010)

Hiking towards the Military Chapel while praying the Rosary

More photos here and here.

Feast of Christ the King (October 31, 2010)

Canon Moreau with the Knights. More photos here.

All Soul's Day (November 2, 2010)

HLI Pro-Life Congress in Manila (Nov. 6 - 8)

I hope this pro-life congress is well attended (I'm sure my friend, The Pinoy Catholic, will also post this). From the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines:

HLI holds international pro-life congress

MANILA, Nov. 1, 2010—Human Life International (HLI) for Asia and Oceania is holding its 17th Asia-Pacific Congress on Faith, Life and Family, at the Dusit Hotel, Makati City on Nov. 6-8.

The congress will be preceded by a three-day international pro-life training for clergy, religious and lay leaders of Asia and Oceania on Nov. 3-5.

Ligaya Acosta, executive director of HLI-Asia/Oceania said that the congress is timely and urgent in the face of “massive attacks on the church and the much more aggressive push for the passage of the RH bill.”

“I pray that our clergy, religious and lay leaders will take this opportunity to know much more about the global agenda, and the many deceptions [and] subtle attacks against life and family,” she said.

Resource speakers during the pro-life training for clergy, religious and lay will be Dr. Brian Clowes, Dr. Ligaya Acosta, Atty. Jo Imbong, Fr. Francis Lucas, Fr. Melvin Castro and Archbishop Paciano Aniceto.

Dr. Brian Clowes is the director for research and training of Human Life International in its USA central office.

He will speak on two topics during the pre congress. On November 4, Clowes will talk on “How dissenters plan to remake the Catholic Church to their own image” and on November 3, he will speak on the topic, “Winning pro-life debate.”

Clowes will again speak on the congress proper. Other speakers include Raymond de Souza, an international Catholic apologist and program host of EWTN; and Dr. Rene Bullecer, Executive director of Human Life International, Philippines.

CBCP president and Tandag Bishop Nereo Odchimar will give an inspirational message to the participants during the congress while Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal will deliver the keynote address.

The closing mass on November 8 will be presided by Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales.

A press conference will be held on November 6 at 9-10:30 am.

Participants will be required to pay a registration fee of P2,500 for the pre-congress training while those attending the congress proper will pay a registration fee of P3,700. (CBCPNews)