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. Another year Happy 53 rd Fiesta! CARMEL light Vol. II No.2 Official Newsletter of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish, Project 6 * Diocese of Cubao JULY 2014 Here we are, once again celebrating another Parish Fiesta - - our 53rd now! It may seem as ordinary as just another year gone by since our last celebration. Yet if we look closely at what has transpired during the last 12 months, we will realize that there have been significant developments that helped contribute towards making our parish community vibrant and our faith more alive and nourished -- meaningful changes, new programs and structural improvements -- wonderful blessings to be thankful for! For one, through our concerted support for the "Raise the Roof" Project, we have successfully accomplished the renovation of our church roof and the repair of our church ceiling. For another, the parish has effectively implemented the adjustment of the schedule of the Sunday masses to allow parishioners to have full, conscious and active participation in the Liturgy. The 15-minute interval between masses on Sundays paved the way for the launching of Catholic instruction in December last year through the 5-Minute Catechesis before each mass. Hence, today, parishioners are able to have a better understanding of important teachings of the Catholic faith expounded in the simplest terms possible. Likewise, the "Simbang Pamilya" program has been launched to promote the essence of the family and help strengthen their spiritual bond. Through the program, families are encouraged to attend the mass together and participate in the Liturgy as offerors and readers of the Prayers of the Faithful. In an effort to draw the parish youth to the Church, the 6:00PM Sunday mass was designated as the Youth Mass. This has inspired them to be more dynamic and committed to serve the parish because they are now entrusted with important roles in the celebration of the Liturgy -- as lectors, collectors, and choir. Another remarkable development is that the parish is now making full use of the different forms of media to constantly inform parishioners of what is going on in our community. Our parish newsletter, Carmel light, has been successfully revived in July last year and quarterly issues have been regularly published since then. We now have a well-established, regularly-updated parish website (www.ourladyofmountcarmelparish.com) and have set up our own parish Facebook page (OLMCP). Insofar as special liturgical celebrations are concerned, we have evidently veered away from grandiosity and lavishness, and opted for simpler, more solemn, meaningful celebrations of the Simbang Gabi, Christmas Eve mass, as well as the parish observance of Lent and Holy Week. Worth mentioning, too, is the formal acceptance of five catechumens (converts) to the membership of the Catholic Church after having completed the required formation given by the parish under the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA), the final stage being their baptism, confirmation and participation in the Holy Eucharist during our recent Easter Vigil celebration. As we celebrate our 53rd Fiesta, let us be thankful for these accomplishments, however humble they may be, because they are wonderful manifestations of the Lord's faithfulness and the Blessed Mother's guidance... for it is written, "Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed." (Prov. 16:3) Fiesta!
