by mir321

Our Life So Far ..

LVF – Cubao – Enhanced Community quarantine
By: Sr. Ana Guerrero, FMA

March 12, 2020, The President of the Republic of the Philippines announced on national TV that Metro Manila will be on an Enhanced Community Quarantine.  Almost all are groping, trying to understand what it is about, what shall happen next?, what is happening?…  COVID-19, PANDEMIC, DEATHS, FEAR…

… and like a caring mother, our community animator, Sr. Marivic Sta. Ana, FMA, gathered all of us, Sisters, Staff and LVC girls around Jesus in our small, cozy chapel to just be still, quiet, before Jesus and gently explained to us what is happening.  The first and perhaps the most important and unanimous decision we’ve made was to have a daily Court of Honor to the Blessed Sacrament, we knew that in Him alone we find solace and strength!

The next couple of days, the community (Sisters, Staff and girls) was led to a discernment and decision on matters that need urgent attention, one of which was OJT (On-the-job-training) girls should stop going to their offices and LVF Staff including caregivers of Sr. Corazon Jaca should live-in for the whole ECQ period for the safety of all.  It was really tough but we were united and we solely relied on God’s promptings. 

All were repeatedly enjoined to PRAY, REST and TAKE CARE of oneself!  Sr. Marivic pounded on us the SYS Element of BEING CHURCH!  “Now is the most opportune time to live our being CHURCH, we are the Body of Christ, whatever we do or refuse to do, affect others and everything that we offer become ripples of goodness and healing to the bigger society we belong.  We continue to accompany our ailing world with the strength of Jesus through our sacrifices and prayers.  And as St. Paul said;“always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.” – 2 Cor 4:10;  she said.

With this in our hearts and minds, we embarked on the Enhanced Community Quarantine, hand in hand, we laid-out simple plans and directions to make this ECQ a healthy and fruitful intense community living. Daily Exercise and bathing on sunshine was the day starter.  The LVC girls took turns in animating the 30 minute spree, letting out their physical genius to ward off colds, flu and any unhealthy cells in their bodies.  Zumba, combination of workout exercises and more.  Sr. Gloria Agagon never failed to accompany the girls as they rise from sleep to face a new day in optimism and hope.

Our Social Workers prepared LIFE SKILLS SESSIONS for our girls.  These are meant to harness their inner strength to face life head-on.  Sessions are on Taking on Challenges, Resolving Conflicts, Understanding Oneself and others, Self Acceptance, Problem Solving and more. Life Skills sessions are essential to their healing and recovery, it equips them with skills in coping with reality side-by-side with the ‘baggage’s of the past that we are trying to heal.  Mr. Ryan   Azucena, Ms. Rosea Marie Monsay and Ms. Joy Hugo, spearheaded these activities consisting of inputs, sharing and group dynamics.

Featured in this ECQ is the DEBRIEFING done by Sr. Marivic. She conducted it smoothly and gradually.  In the series of Buona Notte, she has guided the girls to be aware of the present situation and concerns locally and the world.  She allowed the girls to surface certain feelings of fear, anxiety… emotions and give voices to them. She emphasized that God is walking with us in this difficult time and inspired them that this ECQ can be meaningful, life-giving and fruitful. The girls were receptive and cooperative, they were able to express themselves and map out reachable plans dealing with the matter.  Some said that they were determined to intensify making sacrifices and offerings for their loved ones who are far from them, others said they will keep themselves healthy and be more faithful to their daily tasks in the house, some promised to be more serious in their studies and in their task for healing and recovery and still others vouched to obey the rules and time table of the center which they have drawn.  Debriefing for us is psycho-spiritual, all will be lost if not seen with the eyes of faith.  The experience of the Israelites in the Book of Exodus was shown to the girls via a film and guide questions for reflection were given.  As a conclusion, each composed a personal prayer to the Lord. Indeed, heart-warming to hear from these girls.  Sr. Marivic reiterated the importance of always raising our hearts to God, staying in front of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament praying to God for help to end this pandemic, reflecting on their lives and their experiences in the Light of Christ.

The Da Mihi Animas Coetera Tolle is very much alive in the hearts of the Sisters and Lay Mission Partners, it is an impelling spirit that every Salesian heart cannot contain, it is ‘love in action’, creative, sacrificing but most of all ‘life giving’! 

Salesian assistance is remarkably done by everyone; from the kitchen to the laundry, the garden, entertainment, Chapel, dormitory, name it and we are there! Ever present with the young! 

We do chores together, done general cleaning/disinfecting our areas.  Sr. Maria Clara Alacapa, Sr. Mary Tran and Ms. Verna Soberano ‘Nanay Verna’ were the ‘super chefs’ in our kitchen, of course, our ‘chef wannabes’ are always present; girls took turns in cooking and managing our kitchen.  They feed us with a balance and nutritious food that no single cell of corona virus could ever thrive.  Thanks to the fresh vegetables and other food groups made available for us by purely Divine Providence.

Our ‘small but terrible’ vegetable potted garden is a sure source of delight and calmness for all, the girls and the Sisters enjoyed its oxygen emission and so tilling and watering them diligently is a ‘must’ on a daily basis. Green leafy and other endemic veggies were served at table though it cannot sustain the whole community.  Other homemaking skills were done by the girls such us sewing, baking, DIY crafts, bead making, etc. added skills in English Proficiency – conversational skills as agents of products, food servers, hospital and office staff, receptionists are but a few workshops done and book keeping – basic accounting were taught. All through the generous contributions of each other, the Sisters and the staff.  We are blessed to have Vicunians who become leaders among their peers, they are the ‘ates’, big sisters of the younger ones and are the Sisters’ partners in assisting the group.  It would be unforgivable not to mention film viewing and news watching.  It is ‘good news’ to them to hear announced that we have film-viewing today!

We are a 100% Salesian House and therefore music and theatre are not wanting.  In fact, we have been preparing our repertoire for Easter, thinking most positively that we shall be back at AIM Saturday Masses, our Robinson’s Magnolia and Immaculate Conception Cathedral Mass animation via our singing.  Not to mention, the valuable sharing of resources Bro. Paul Dungca, SDB rendered to our girls with his processing-sharing on how to stage a play as we prepare for the Paschal Triduum of our Lord. Session was done online via skype, with technology on hand, nothing is impossible!

The Salesian Youth Movement/Salesian Youth Spirituality will absolutely take its center stage in this ECQ.  One could only marvel as to how deep the Salesian Youth Spirituality has taken root to the hearts of our girls.  We have sessions on the lives of our Salesian Saints particularly the BIG FOUR – Don Bosco, Mother Mazzarello, Dominic Savio and Laura Vicuna.  We want to draw out from them, from their experiences with us the ELEMENTS of the SYS.  The simple question thrown to the girls was WHAT IN THE LIVES OF OUR BIG FOUR YOU SEE PRESENT UP UNTIL TODAY?

Lo and behold, their answers were AMAZING! They just don’t identify tangible, physical realities like the oratory, schools etc. but they have clearly identified Sisters and lay mission partners’ accompaniment of the young (presence ng mga madre kahit saan), education (nagtuturo ng lahat ng bagay pati good manners), helps given for the transformation of youth  (pagpapanibago ng buhay ng kabataan), kindness (kabutihan sa isa’t-isa), love, forgiveness, Kaagapay sa aming healing and recovery, guiding us to identify our purpose and goal in life – kasama sa pagtuklas ng aming purpose sa buhay,  journeying towards holiness – naglalakbay tungo sa kabanalan.  A Salesian Consecrated person could only give a sigh of thanksgiving to God and whisper‘ Indeed, everything is grace!’

Part and parcel of our being Church, particularly of being an outgoing Mornese, is to be of service to others, we are challenged to give even if we experience scarcity ourselves.  “The gift that you have received, give as a gift”. – Mt 10:8 and so the community braved cooking dinner for our less fortunate brethren.  Though not so many, 50 to 130 packs of cooked food per distribution as well as one box of hand soap; we networked with our barangay to share it to those in dire need, the ‘barangay’ slum dwellers at the riverside.  We also targeted garbage collectors, The National Children’s Hospital, frontliners and other street dwellers to be recipients of our simple home cooked dinner to augment their other needs.

This ECQ made us all think less of ourselves, love each other more, serve others, and kneel together with ardor.  Sunday Masses online were participated very well via the reading, breaking and sharing together the Word of God.  The Sisters had their daily mass and prayers making do with the host- the Body of Christ left in the tabernacle, imagine, one small host for the 5 of them.  This only manifest fervor to receive Jesus in their hearts and in their lives.  We celebrated the feasts of St. Joseph and Mary’s Annunciation with special prayers and initiatives, daily recitation of the Holy Rosary, Oratio Imperata, Extraordinary Novena to Mary Help of Christians, The Way of the Cross and attending the Urbi Et Orbi of our dear Pope Francis made us feel in solidarity with the world and closer to our brothers and sisters.

But Hey, Guys! Do not think that we are a perfect community, NO!  We are far from being perfect, we are being tried every day, we are trying very hard every day to pick each other up to move on and get on.  Always moving forward! Rising up when we fall, building each other up!  We live day by day, we strive to make OUR HOME THE HOUSE OF THE LOVE OF GOD!