October is the month of the Holy Rosary. The Holy Rosary is very close to the hearts of the Filipinos. We pray this devotion fervently as our expression of love to Our Blessed Mother, the Mother of Jesus and our mother, too.

During typhoon ‘Ondoy’, many of us prayed the rosary like in our last Mass in Chatswood.  We asked the intercession of Our Blessed Mother for those who were greatly affected in the Philippines.

‘Ondoy’ left so much destruction in our people’s lives and properties, but we have witnessed how we, Filipinos, could be united in moments like this to reach out to all affected forgetting whatever affiliations we belong to – political, religion, civic, entertainment, etc. – and wherever we are in the world. All worked just for one goal – to reach out and help our brothers and sisters!

‘Ondoy’ won’t be the last to threaten our country, there will be more challenges alike, but certainly, ‘Ondoy’ has taught us a lesson as a Filipino nation. If we are united, no mountain is too high to climb, no deep waters is too deep to cross, no natural calamity is too strong to overcome…surely we will survive.

I take this opportunity to thank all of you for generously sharing your blessings with our brothers and sisters when we had the collection after Mass last Sunday, 4 October 2009. Fr. Vlad and I have been touched and inspired by your generosity. The collection was forwarded to Caritas Manila, a Catholic organization run by the Archdiocese of Manila.

Thank you so much for your kind and very Christian example. May the good Lord continue to bless you and your families.

Fr. Casey B. Ureta

Filipino Chaplain

Diocese of Broken Bay