Fiftieth Anniversary of Santo Domingo Church

FIFTIETH FOUNDATION ANNIVERSARY OF THE CHURCH AND CONVENT OF SANTO DOMINGO, QUEZON CITY

Fr. Pedro Tejero, OP

October 10 of this year 2004 marks the 50^th foundation anniversary of the church and convent of Santo Domingo, in Quezon City. This date brings to our memory important historical events  worth being remembered and treasured with gratitude. Forgetting the tradition inherited from our ancestors is tantamount to renounce to our own personality, while remembering and reviving that tradition means to enrich ourselves and to deepen in the life and development of the individuals, institutions and peoples.

           

On December 27, 1941 a squadron of Japanese airplanes flew over the city of Manila, leaving behind a rain of destructive and incendiary bombs. On that fatal day, in a matter of hours, the convent and church of Santo Domingo were reduced to a heap of embers and ashes. Very little or nothing was spared from fire and destruction. The next day, at noontime, the Japanese airplanes hit again destroying and burning the Beaterio of Santa Catalina, Santa Rosa College and part of the College of San Juan de Letran and adjacent buildings. Those who witnessed it described the entire scene as dantesque, unforgettable.

Amid these fateful events and misfortunes, what happened to the venerable image of Our Lady of the Rosary (La Naval) enthroned in Santo Domingo church? Thank God the Virgin was spared from flames. The Santo Domingo Fathers, foreseeing the worst possible scenario, a few days earlier, took down the Virgin from her altar and placed it in the safety vault of a building adjacent to the convent, called Procuracion de la Provincia del Santo Rosario. Three days after these events took place, a group of Dominican Fathers approached the place where the safety vault was. After removing a heap of still smoking ashes, they managed to open the safety vault. With immense joy and feelings of gratitude to God, they saw that the image of the Virgin was unscathed. It had been saved from the fire! With devoted veneration they put in on a wagon and transferred it to the chapel of the University of Santo Tomas. Therein it was placed at the center of the altar for the cult and veneration of the faithful who came in crowds to see it again on her throne. From the date until its transfer to the convent and church of Santo Domingo, in Quezon City, on October 10, 1954 the Virgin presided and graced all the worship activities, novenas and celebrations of the parish and of the University of Santo Tomas.

The cornerstone of the Santo Domingo convent church, in Quezon City, was blessed in 1950 by the Bishop of Batanes, Msgr. Peregrin de la Fuente. The lands where the present convent and church were at that time rice fields. The completion of the convent and of the church construction took four years. Thus the Dominican community settled in the convent on September 25, 1954 and it was composed by a quite large number of members.

The transfer of the venerated image of Our Lady of the Rosary (La Naval) to the new church took place on October 10, 1954. On that very day, at ten o’clock in the morning, the church was blessed by the Archbishop of Manila, Msgr. Rufino Santos. At four o’clock in the afternoon, around one million faithful had gathered to join and watch the procession. The Virgin, enthroned on a soberly adorned carroza, traveled from the chapel of the University of Santo Tomas to Santo Domingo church. Throngs of people crowded together all along Espana and Quezon Boulevards. A good number of bishops joined the procession together with the members of the Central Seminary and the UST Dominican community. Upon reaching the church, at the sunset, the Virgin was placed at the gate and there the Exposition and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament was held, presided by Fr. Esteban Gómez, OP, Pro-vicar General of the Order of Preachers and delegated by Rome to preside at those acts. Since the church was still unfinished, a temporary wooden altar had to be constructed to accommodate the image of the Virgin.

The morning of October 11 gave us a pleasant surprise. As soon as the gates of the church were opened, a crowd of faithful filled it up in a matter of minutes. This was totally unexpected. A mass was celebrated but the communicants were so many that there was shortage of hosts to the point that many faithful were unable to receive communion!

Although the Virgin had taken possession of her magnificent shrine, however, the construction work of the church was on going. For this reason the community Fathers deemed necessary to transfer the image to an improvised chapel, in the Sala de las Cofradias (Guild’s Hall), at the entrance of the interior cloister of the convent. That was the venue where the community gathered together to pray the Divine Office, the rosary and celebrate the morning masses. Large numbers of faithful came to this chapel to see the miraculous image closely and enjoy her sweet and merciful look.

When the construction was finally completed and the altar of the Virgin had been covered with marble brought from Italy, the image was transferred to its throne, located then at the right side looking towards the main altar. On the left side altar there was the beautiful and inspiring carving of the Cristo del Santo Entierro, a very popular confraternity in the church of Intramuros.

At this stage, the apostolate and pastoral activities started being organized. The schedule of masses was established, both on weekdays and on Sundays and Holydays of obligation. The attendance to those Eucharistic celebrations was truly massive from the very beginning. The confessional boxes were approached by a large number of penitents coming from all over the Archipelago. The Third Order and the Confraternity of the Holy Rosary were reestablished. Also the Holy Name Society, with its national headquarters. Another confraternity that was revived with powerful vitality was the one of the Santo Entierro y Virgen de la Soledad: Former members returned to the bosom of the Confraternity, which held annually with great solemnity of the Santo Entierro on Good Friday. It can be said that the apostolic activities of the church were, from the very beginning, intense and spearheaded for a promising future.

These were the beginnings of Santo Domingo convent and church in Quezon City, declared as National Shrine of the Rosary by the Philippine hierarchy. We close this historical footnote giving thanks to God and to the Blessed Virgin of the Rosary for having inspired in the Superiors of the Holy Rosary Province the construction and enhancement of the grandiose shrine. Thanks also to the many people who worked and made possible such magnificent project. Surely their names are written in the book of life, in the presence of God, who rewards everyone according to their deeds.

Source: Boletin Eclesiastico de Filipinas Vol LXXX, No. 845 (November-December 2004)

SAN JOSE: Husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary

SAINT JOSEPH

Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Saint Joseph is an important figure in Christian belief as the husband of the Virgin Mary and the earthly father of Jesus Christ (in distinction to God, his "heavenly father").

The earliest Christian records, the epistles of Paul, make no reference to Jesus's father, and nor does Mark, the first of the Gospels.The first appearance of Joseph is therefore in the the gospels of Matthew and Luke, both of which have a genealogy that traces Joseph's lineageback to King David. The two lists are contradictory: Matthew says that Joseph's father was called Jacob,[Mt. 1:16]but Luke says he was the son of Heli.[Lk. 3:23]Matthew and Luke are also the only Gospels to include the Infancy Narratives, the stories of Jesus' birth and infancy. In Luke, Joseph lives in Nazareth, travels to Bethlehem in compliance with the requirements of a non-historical Roman census. Subsequently, Jesus was born there. In Matthew, Joseph was in Bethlehem, the city of David, where Jesus is born, and then moves to Nazareth with his family after the death of Herod. Matthew is the only Gospel to include the narrative of the Massacre of the Innocents and the Flight into Egypt: following the Nativity, Joseph stays in Bethlehem for an unspecified period (perhaps two years) until forced by the evil King Herod to take refuge in Egypt; on the death of Herod he brings his family back to Israel, and settles in Nazareth. After this point there is no further mention of Joseph by name, although the story of Jesus in the Temple, in Jesus's 12th year, includes a reference to "both his parents". Christian tradition represents Mary as a widow during the adult ministry of her son.[Jn. 19:26-27] The gospels describe Joseph as a "tekton" (τέκτων); traditionally the word has been taken to mean "carpenter", though the Greek term evokes an artisan with wood in general, or an artisan in iron or stone.Very little other information on Joseph is given in the Gospels, in which he never speaks.

STO. TOMAS KHUONG, Dominican Tertiary

Thomas Khuông belonged to a noble family on Tokin and was a well son of a Mandarin. A Christian since childhood, he became a Dominican Tertiary. He was imprisoned many times because of his faith. When he was in his 80`s in 1859, He was arrested again. The judge triedin vain to make him trample on the crucifix and invited him in vain to prusuade his Christian followers to apostilate but he firmly replied "to redeem mankind, Christ voluntarily suffered death. . .I too, want to give love for love, spilling all may blood for him. While he was genuflecting to adore crucifix his head was cut off, it was the 30th of January 1860.

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L : Santo Tomás Khuông

A : Pray for us

SANTA MAGDALENA DE NAGASAKI: Dominican Tertiary

SANTA MAGDALENA DE NAGASAKI

c. 1610 - 1634

Dominican Tertiary

Sister Magdalena was born in Nagasaki about the year 1610 of Christian parents. 

She was left on her own resources at the age of twenty-two when her parents perished in the great persecution in Japan. 

Left orphan and imbued by a profound religious spirit, she made a vow of perpetual virginity and dedicated herself to prayer and works of apostolate. 

She placed herself under the direction of a Dominican father, Fr. Jordan de San Esteban, OP, and received the habit as a tertiary. 

When her spiritual director was imprisoned, Magdalena presented herself to the authorities confessing her faith and offering herself for martyrdom. 

She was submitted to varied and terrible tortures and finally executed in the torture of the gallows and the pit on the 15th of October 1634. 

Her body was reduced to ashes. 

She was beatified with the illustrious group of San Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila by Pope John Paul II on February 18, 1981 at the Luneta, in the Philippines, the first beatification to be held outside of the Vatican. 

The same Pontiff also approved their canonisation at St. Peter's in Rome on October 18, 1987. 

Blessed are those who suffer persecution for justice’s sake; theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

V. Pray for us Blessed Magdalena,

R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let Us Pray:

O God, fountain and origin of all fatherhood, you made Blessed Magdalena faithful to the Cross of Christ to the point of shedding their blood; grant through their intercession, that, spreading Your love among the brethren, we may be called and become in reality Your Children. Through Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen. 

FEASTDAY: September 28

SAN JUAN DE COLONIA: Priest and Martyr of the Eucharist

SAN JUAN DE COLONIA

c.1550 - 1572

Canonized in 1867 by Pope Pius IX

Feast day: 9 July

Priest

Martyr of the Eucharist

John was born in Germany towards the end 16th century.

He joined the Dominicans in Cologne, Germany, though the persecutions of the time made it impossible for him to wear his habit.

He was sent to work in the Netherlands.

He was the Parish Priest of Horner, the Netherlands.

When he heard of the arrest and abuse of Catholics in Gorkum, the Netherlands, he visited them in prison, smuggling in the Eucharist.

He brought relief to the Catholic cruelly persecuted by the heretical Calvinists.

When he was discovered to be a priest he was arrested, and tortured.

He was offered his freedom if he would deny the pope's authority over the Church; he declined.

He is one of the Gorkum Martyrs.

With 18 other religious of different Orders and secular priests, he was hanged in 9 July 1572 for the defense of the Holy Eucharist and the Primacy of the Pope.

He was beatified in 1675 and was canonized by Pius IX on 29 June 1867.

The souls of the saints who followed Christ in His footsteps now rejoice in heaven, and because they shed their blood for his love will reign with Christ forever.

V. Pray for us Blessed John and Companions,

R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray:

O God, You gave us an outstanding example of faith and fortitude in the glorious martyrdom of Blessed John and his companions; grant, we beseech you, that, through their prayers and example we may strongly resist the adversities of this world and be found persevering in the confession of the true faith. This we ask through Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen.

SAN FRANCISCO FERNÁNDEZ DE CAPILLAS: Priest and Protomartyr of China

SAN FRANCISCO FERNÁNDEZ DE CAPILLAS

Saint Francis Ferdinand of Capillas

1607 - 1648

Canonized in 2000 by Pope John Paul II

Feast day: 15 January

Priest
Protomartyr of China

Francis was born in Baquerin de Campos, Palencia, Spain on 14 August 1607.

He entered the Dominican priory of Saint Paul in Valladolid.

He arrived in Manila in February 1632 where he was ordained a priest and said his first mass before the image of the Nuestra Señora del Santísimo Rosario in the Old Santo Domingo Church in Intramuros, of which he has a special devotion.

Thereafter he was assigned to Nueva Segovia or Cagayán until 1641 when he attended the Provincial Chapter held in Manila and asked the new Provincial to give him permission to evangelize China.

In 1642, with his friend Fr. Francisco Díaz, he arrived in Fukien, China. The saint went to all the towns and villages in Fogan and Funing converting huge numbers of Chinese.

He was captured and remained incarcerated for two months. After undergoing much tortured he was eventually beheaded on 15 January 1648.

Pope Benedict XIV proclaimed him the Protomartyr of China on 16 September 1748.

Pope Pius X beatified him on 2 May 1909 and Pope John Paul II canonized him on 1 October 2000.

The souls of the saints who followed Christ in His footsteps now rejoice in heaven, and because they shed their blood for his love will reign with Christ forever.

V. Pray for us Blessed Francis and Companions,

R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray:

O God, You gave us an outstanding example of faith and fortitude in the glorious martyrdom of Blessed Francis and his companions; grant, we beseech you, that, through their prayers and example we may strongly resist the adversities of this world and be found persevering in the confession of the true faith. This we ask through Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen.

Blessed are those who suffer persecution for justice’s sake; theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

SAN MARTIN DE PORRES: Cooperator Brother

SAN MARTIN DE PORRES

1579-1639

Cooperator Brother

           

Saint Martin was born at Lima in 1579, the son of Juan de Porres, a Spanish nobleman and Anna, a freed Panamanian.  At first the father abandoned his little family and Martin’s earliest years where spent in dire poverty.  Later, Juan de Porres’ conscience smote him and, taking the two children to himself and gave them at least the rudiments of an education.

At the age of 15, Martin presented himself at the Dominican Priory of the Holy Rosary in Lima, and was received as a Donado or Tertiary Servant.  In this capacity, he gave himself to the lowliest duties in the house.  It was only after several years that, seeing his evident goodwill and sanctity, his superiors invited him to make a solemn profession as a Cooperator Brother.  He served in various offices in the convent – barber, infirmarian and wardrobe keeper.  He founded an orphanage and a foundling hospital, was put in charge of the convent’s food distribution to the poor, and ministered to African slaves brought to Peru.

Saint Martin de Porres, who all his life cherished a deep devotion to Jesus crucified and longed to make return in some small manner for the immense blessings of the Redemption, died on November 5, 1639.  He was canonized by Pope John XXIII on May 5, 1962, the first Negro from the New World to attain the rank of Sainthood.

                   O God, you led Blessed Martin through humility to the eternal glory: grant that imitating his glorious examples now, we may deserve to be exalted with him in Heaven.  This we ask you through Christ our Lord.  Amen

FEASTDAY:  NOVEMBER 3

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