ATE BHING'S TREAT AT DENCIO'S GRILL

About more than a week after landing in the Philippines for a homecoming holiday visit, Ate Bhing (Alto) finally met with MSC and had the chance to share her blessings with the group in a special dinner at Dencio's Grill in Quezon City, last Saturday, December 12, 2009.

This group consists of the older batch of members that Ate Bhing was able to serve in the church with when she has not yet migrated to Australia. The dinner was intimate with just a not so long table (but a whole lot of food served). Memories of the past, especially the funnier ones were most of what have been talked about and laughed at that night. Most importantly, there was a chance for Ate Bhing to catch up with the happenings of each and every person present that night on a personal level.

The dinner came to an end at 1AM, Sunday after finishing a pitcher of Dencio's Frozen Blue Margarita for MSC has to serve for the Mass at 8:30 the following morning. Brief yet memorable.

ATE BHING'S HOMECOMING

Hello MSC! Our very own Ate Bhing (Alto) is here in the Philippines! It was a surprise homecoming that only my sister, MSC alum, Pam (Soprano) knew and kept secret from all of us, her family, until she had no choice but to tell me about it for she needed someone to be with her when she picks Ate Bhing from the airport at (supposedly) 7:00 in the morning.

It was a long ride to the airport and I was restless in my seat. I couldnt wait to see Ate Bhing again after almost a year! She didn't know that I was with Ate Pam and she herself got surprised to see me there.

Her main purpose of coming home is to see the family and her friends and to attend to a batch reunion consisting of former classmates from St. Jude Academy (now named La Consolation Colleges) where she had her secondary schooling. She's here to spend another warm Christmas in the Philippines where most Filipinos abroad yearn to have an opportunity of doing.

It was a glorious flight she says and is very happy to see all of us, her family and some friends. Worry not, my dear MSC for she will make time to see the group very soon!

CHRISTMAS SONGS GALORE

Hello again, everyone! We were given new songs to be studied for the coming Christmas season this year by our Parochial Vicar after the General assembly we had just this afternoon. And I need your full support on this so we can be able to finish studying the songs ahead of time.

The songs are arranged in unison. And I have no plans of making it SATB. We'll just settle for plainly the melody for now. We don't have the luxury of time to study in different sections, as in SATB because the song pieces were given at such short notice. Im sure everyone would agree with me on this one.

MY PERSONAL MIRACLE

I attended the Feast in Valenzuela last Thursday. As always, I was part of the music ministry of the gathering .

The day after, I got a lost friend back. God gave me the courage to go and try to reconnect. And I did! And now, I'm free!

The Feast in Valenzuela is so awesome! Miracles do happen! Attend the Feast, my friends. Recieve the shower of abundant blessings! Who knows... the next one to get a miracle might be YOU!

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)