Tuesday, July 18, 2006

Ministry in the USA



We, Filipino Priests studying in Rome and residing at the Pontificio Collegio FIllipino, go for Ministry in the parishes of the Archidiocese of Newark in New Jersey during summer months of the year. This is my third year of summer ministry at the Most Blessed Sacrament in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey. I arrived last June 29. I will serve here till the end of October.





On my first summer on this parish, a lot of impressions about the American culture (seen in the movies) were proven wrong. Before going to the US, I thought that American Catholics are free spirited liberals and would not give much heart on that which pertains to faith. Such wrong notion changed as soon is I got to know most of the parishioners attending the daily masses. It surprised me to see more Americans going to daily masses than in the Philippines (at least in my Diocese). But of course there are more people in Sunday masses in the Philippines.



In this parish, I have the privilege of working with Most Rev. John W. Flesey, DD (the Pastor and District Bishop for North Bergen County) and Rev. Michael Donovan (the assistant pastor).

Franklin Lakes is a high-end residential area. There are about 10 Filipino families here. But there are Filipino parishioners who come from nearby cities such as Glen Rock, N. Haledon and Wayne.

G.C. UANAN
18 July 2006

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wowoweeeeeeee sossy ang us parish ni pads eving!!!!:)

Anonymous said...

a wonderful place! hope that God's blessings in this form will help keep our faith believing in a wonderful God, esp. when it becomes difficult to believe. hope to visit you again and feel God's blessing there.

Anonymous said...

hi fr. gregory, wonder if anyone have told you this but did you know that you're awefully irresistable... mind if I join you there sometime?