The following entry is part of a documentary on Church service.
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| St. Martin De Porres Parish |
To start off this journey of mine, let's first take a look at what exactly forms the parish of St. Martin.
- Official Name - St. Martin de Porres Parish
- Complete Address - Narra St., UHV1, Paranaque City
- Parish Priest - Rev. Fr. Rodel Paulino
- Asst./Guest - Fr. Lenard Dollentas
- Diocese - Paranaque
- Bishop - Rev. Jesse Mercado, D.D.
- Patron Saint - St. Marting de Porres
- Youth Organizations - Youth Ministrry, Youth Assembly
- Schedule of Services
Mon-Fri 6:00am, 6:30pm
Sat 6:00am, 6:00pm
Sun 6:00am, 7:00am, 8:30am, 10:00am, 4:30pm, 6:00pm. 7:30pm
- Outreach/Social Services - PREX, Feeding program and others
Reflection: For the longest time, my parish has always looked the same with the exception of new additions and renovations. It is set in the middle of a small quiet village (where I live too!), yet it is the closest church for other neighboring villages/barangays, bringing in masses of people every mass. I was able to have glimpse into a deeper understanding of my parish. As a Catholic, going beyond attending mass, by actively participating in church, one gets to appreciate the value of a community. At the end of the day, I learned to appreciate my parish church more. It no longer was just a place of worship, but that of importance to many people who are in the community.
After exploring further into my parish, I decided that I would be able to get a bigger picture by questioning someone who has served for quite some time in the community.
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| me and Chris Codillo |
We go to the same church, yet we are not familiar to each other. He lives outside of my village which makes contact even harder. Despite all that, Chris is one of the many youth involved in my parish, who as much as possible gives his time to serve the church. Already he has been part of the parish for 12 years (since he was 8!). Through time and effort, he has become a youth minister and is one of the more prominent figures among the young in my parish.
I joined him in one of my parish's youth assembly. There I witnessed his vast experience with God, church and community. There we sang songs, read some scripture, reflections, prayers and many more. So I asked him why he chose this organization. His reply was simple, "It's fun". That was pretty obvious from the start. Then I asked him next, "How did your membership in the organization help you become a better person? -a better Christian?". His answer was that by being a member in this organization, he was able to have a renewal of himself and that he increased his self awareness. Also, this pushed him to try to know God even more and made him spread the Lord's word through this assembly.
Reflection: After meeting Chris, it proved to me that the youth are not at all wasting their lives. It sometimes does not surprise me that the more zealous members of our church are still teenagers. Going out there and experiencing what Chris does for his fellow Christians is truly something to admire. But what strikes me the most is his being truthful to himself. Out in the open, Chris is bisexual, but he does not use that circumstance to prevent him or others from serving the church and the youth.
Now that I've had enough of investigating what my Church does, I thought that it was high time that I jump into the action myself.
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| SMDP Teen Assembly |
Held only once a month, the SMDP Teen Assembly aims to increase awareness among the youth. Gathering at least 40 or more teens every meeting. The atmosphere is comforting. You are amongst people who are willing to give up some of their time over the weekend to learn more about Christianity and have fun while doing so. Most of the time, it's fun and games, but behind all of it is a lot of reflection and prayer.
Reflection: I had sat down in these assemblies at least 3 times. All of which gave me different experiences. Embarrassment. Boredom. Relief. I admit I'm not really into these kind of things. Singing lively songs, reading texts from the bible and reflecting on them, all I can get by going to mass. But this is different. The way the facilitators reach out to these youth is something much more. 95% of the teens who gather here are outside of my village and live in less fortunate areas. Some of which even came from harsh upbringings with gangs and different sorts of trouble. Through the years, this assembly has changed them. Turned them to be better persons. I find it amazing that even to this day and age, there are those who devote themselves to such gatherings.
Final Reflection: At the end of it all, what can say? I'm glad it's done. I never really took being active in my church seriously until now. Would I do it again? Certainly not. Why you ask? Because as I witnessed, my parish is filled with so people who are kind enough to give time and effort into taking care of the community. These people were blessed to do God's work the right way. It may sound cynical, but I think I'd just get in the way. This project has definitely been an eye opener. It made me appreciate my parish even more. That this tightly knit community is doing more than fine. That God can be found in many places. I'm happy to be a part of St. Martin de Porres Parish.
