PRIM AND PROPER

This photo was taken during Meanne's Wedding at the Manila Cathedral last May of 2009. Ate Josie and daughter Angie were still here in the Philippines then...

I wonder how MSC manages to pull off such an act when we get invited to sing at other "famous" churches... How can we manage to present ourselves in a very "presentable" way when we are not at our own local church?...

HOW???

Today, together with the other choirs of the Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Parish, we had our very first General Assembly under our Parochial Vicar, Fr. Nap. My apologies for not being resourceful enough to get his family name.

The meeting was long and very blunt. Blunt, for there were a lot of corrections, criticisms and improvements to be done especially regarding the individual choir's behaviors. That there were even pictures of the choirs behaving badly in church. The issues of Latecomers, chatters and cellphone users during the Holy Mass are of high priority in the discussion! Yes, I felt a bit guilty in those departments for I know very well how my choir behaves compared to the other choirs. I somehow tolerated it over the years and failed to do anything about it when I had all the chance being their present musical adviser.

The choir being part of the LITURGY (which means public service) and in every aspect of it not just confined to singing during the Mass. The whole aspect of the mass must be observed by each and every choir member. For public service should be taken seriously for the common good of everybody and not being treated as a joke. How can we be able to convince the congregation to sing with us when all they see from our "service" rendered is POOR service? Service that encompasses the relationship between choirs and choir mates and the attitude that we display when we are on that wooden Loft inside the church in front of the all these people. I'm talking solely of the behavior and not the quality of singing, my dear choir mates, as far as MSC is concerned, that is! (hehe!)

Well, being an advocate of progress, I am NOW willing to abide by these new rules that will be imposed immediately, according to our Vicar. I am also asking for support from my choir mates so that MSC will set a good example for the other choirs to emulate since we always claim to be the OLDEST CHOIR ever founded in this Parish. It's time to get a bit serious, folks! No more fooling around this time. I pray that through our efforts, God will be delighted. For we go to church not to please the authorities but only God.

God bless us all!

(special thanks for the photo, Meanne)

PAPURI FEAST RECLAIMS ITS FORMER VENUE

Okay. Let's go a few days backwards...

On October 29, at the Valenzuela Centre for the Arts (A.K.A. Valenzuela Auditorium) the Kerygma feast was held after being rescheduled due to... you guessed it, TYPHOON ONDOY. The activity transpired on a Thursday. Because that was the only time the Auditorium was available.

The topic was about FAITH.

Where do you place faith in the middle of a typhoon, I wonder? Then I remembered the passage about the "walking on the water". Peter, Jesus' apostle, bold as he is, as always, he wanted to go near where Jesus stood in the water amidst gigantic waves during a storm. As he was so eager to walk on the water, he failed to grab the most important ingredient to make him float alongside Jesus. AND THAT IS FAITH!

But then, Peter made a grand comeback when he realized that Jesus was just beside him, ready to rescue him from drowning. Now that's what I call a comeback. It doesn't really matter how many times we fail in our lives. What matters is how much God is willing to pick us up where we stumbled.

I was privileged to sing with the people I have been singing with for this spiritual activity for years now. Of course there were new faces, too. But at the back of my mind, I still think of the moments I spent singing with Ate Josie (alto) and Angie (soprano) with me during the feast...

JUST ANOTHER FUN DAY WITH MSC

MSC welcomes back Glady Mendiola (soprano), a resident of Bahayang Pag-asa Subdivision. This was her first time to attend the Mass and rehearsals after almost three years (I think!). May your comeback be as fruitful as ever!

MSC FUND

This topic has long been overdue... But I'll still post it nonetheless:

Because Christmas is just around the corner, the elders of MSC have decided for the group to have a weekly collection of twenty bucks from each member who have been with us for a certain period of time.

Members who will come late during the Mass and rehearsals shall pay an additional 20 bucks as penalty. Even the members who fails to attend the mass and the rehearsals will definitely not be spared. This aims to teach the members of punctuality and reliability to the group. There were no complains nor violent reactions from the members so the plan materialized on September, 2009!

All the proceeds would automatically be spent during most of our special activities like Christmas Party and Summer Excursions. Our newest "tax collectors" are sinister sisters, Ode and Ikang... Be good and pay up, everyone!

ALL SAINTS DAY-ALL SOULS DAY 2009

We, Filipinos have always been sentimental people. We show how much we care for other people, relatives and friends even if they are not with us anymore. It is very much exemplified by the fact how much we spend time at the cemetery during All Souls' and All Saints' days. MSC is not an exemption.

Our current president, Cocoy was spotted spending time with her family and close relatives at a certain cemetery on Nov. 1. Perhaps many other members were doing the same thing too during this time...

Happy Long Weekend, everyone!