[VIA CRUCIS at la salette]

For about 5-6 years now, we have been going to this shrine for our yearly Holy Week tradition, the Via Crucis.

[the only LOVE that's constant]

Sometimes the hassles of life bear me down. Whenever those times come, I just turn to nature to remind me that GOD's love is constant 

[giving back]

This is the church that the parishioners helped build through monthly love offerings. After many years of saving up money to pay for the lot & construction of the church, this is how it looks now

from the outside (church patio)

[our small sanctuary]

When we were working out the spaces for our house, hubby made sure we included a prayer room. We decided  to construct it on the second floor, where the bedrooms & the family area are found.

This is our small sanctuary.

[hiatus]

The last 4 days of Holy Week served as a weekend hiatus for our family. 

Day 1: Maundy Thursday VIA CRUCIS

We drove all the way to Silang, Cavite to do our yearly VIA CRUCIS. The place, La Salette Seminary, is a one-stop Stations-of-the-Cross venue for devotees. It's already our 5th annual visit here ever since we discovered the place. 

15th Station

From La Salette, we went to the Pink Sisters Convent in Tagaytay. We stopped by to visit, meditate & offer prayer requests which we wrote on small pieces of paper & slipped inside envelopes provided there.

source

Next stop was the Picnic Grove in Tagaytay. We ate picnic-style in the park grounds & enjoyed our packed lunches of native vegetable salad & chicken pork adobo.

source

Before going home, we had a lay-over at the new SOLENAD 2 in NUVALI, Sta Rosa, Laguna. We ordered light meals like the Kaya toast, pork floss toast, fishball soup with our brewed coffee, ginger lime sodas & milk teas at TOAST BOX. The restaurant is still in its "soft opening" phase so the place was  in a slight disarray.

food service counter

2 kinds of MILK TEA & GINGER LIME sodas

Singaporean FISHBALL soup

KAYA toast

PORK FLOSS toast

the art of making COFFEE

Day 2: Good Friday lunch get-together with my in-laws & coffee time at Bonifacio High Street

We spent Good Friday in my husband's hometown to visit my mom-in-law who just got out of the hospital.  After a filling seafood lunch prepared by my in-laws, my girls spent the rest of the afternoon playing with my sister-in-law's 2-year old tyke, JV.

From there,  off we went to Bonifacio High Street for some coffee time at FIGARO & viewed the WALKWAY Stations of the Cross.

Day 3: Black Saturday lunch get-together with my side of the family

Here at home, it was a luncheon get-together with my mom, my siblings with their families & a birthday celebration of sorts for my brother & his almost triplet sons.

FB file photo

Day 4: Easter Sunday Mass at the Chapel of the Eucharistic Lord & dinner at AMICI

We attended the 3:30 pm mass, after which was an early dinner at AMICI, Megamall. We each had a pasta   dish & shared a vegetarian pizza with a pitcher of soda.

Linguine al Prosciuto e Tartufo

Spaghetti Aglio Olio e Pepperoncino

Margherita Pizza

Ravioli di Pesce Mousseline

Ravioli di Spinachi 

Thanks to long weekends,  families like us get the chance to take a respite & bond with each other.

Belated Happy Easter everyone!

[smell the roses]

The rosary beads smell of roses... 

Belle, a good friend & former classmate from elementary/high school, gave this during our last batch get-together. She was among those who attended the canonization ceremony of St. Candida Maria de Jesus, F.I.  in October of 2010 at St. Peter's Square, Rome. The nun in the picture was the foundress of Hijas de Jesus or Daughters of Jesus, the congregation to which my former school belongs. In the homily Pope Benedict gave during the canonization mass, he praised her inspiration for other Sisters to dedicate themselves to education & the promotion of women.

More on St. Candida's life here.

[essential]

i just had to impart this quote from mother teresa.  it came from a wall post of a good friend/co-parent in my youngest daughter's school.

it boils down to one thing, material possessions & fleeting aspirations are nothing compared to becoming a "person for others", just like what mother teresa did when she was alive. she practiced what she preached & for that, she was elevated to being a saint in no time at all after her death.

[KERYGMA CONFERENCE 2011]

be in GOD's company,

harvest the blessings,

register & join this year's  KERYGMA CONFERENCE!

from november 18-20, 2011 (friday till sunday), various streams/talks will be held at different venues:

• youth stream: transformers: rise of the youth - world trade center tent, 19 nov 2011, 8am-5pm, ticket price php 300.00
• inner healing stream:  renew the glory - picc reception hall, 19 nov 2011, 8am-5pm, ticket price php 600.00
• faith stream:  the glory of believing - le pavillon, 19 nov 2011, 8am-5pm, ticket price php 600.00
• solo parents stream:  raising glory - picc meeting room 11, 19 nov 2011, 8am-5pm, ticket price php 600.00
• single blessedness stream:  a glorious calling - picc meeting room 12, 19 nov 2011, 8am-5pm, ticket price php 600.00
• leadership conference: real glory - picc plenary hall, ccp conplex, 18 nov 2011, 8am-5pm, ticket price php 800.00
• family stream: multiply the glory - picc plenary hall, ccp conplex, 19 nov 2011, 8am-5pm, ticket price php 600.00
• singles stream: go for glory - aliw theater, 19 nov 2011, 8am-5pm, ticket price php 600.00

on the last day, a GRAND FEAST- with holy mass & special ministering time with Bo Sanchez - will be held at the picc plenary & reception halls, ccp complex from 5pm-8pm.

block-off the dates & go here for additional details.

*photo source - facebook account of  kerygma conference
*video source - youtube

[driving with mama mary]

praying the rosary while driving can now be easy.

i chanced upon this audio cd by the aquino sisters' "PRAY THE MYSTERIES OF THE HOLY ROSARY" while i was in SM taytay.  i thought this would help me in praying while in transit. you see, much as i want to pray the rosary while inside the car, i cannot do it properly. the music coming from the radio (when i'm with my hubby) or little distractions, like thinking of my to-do list while driving, somehow get in the way.  so, i end up not finishing it at all. kaya, when i saw this cd, i thought it was "heaven-sent" and immediately bought it.

the pack contains 2 cd's with 2 mysteries/cd. the mysteries are recited by the aquino sisters themselves:  joyful mysteries (by viel aquino-dee), sorrowful mysteries (by ballsy aquino-cruz), glorious mysteries (by pinky aquino-abelleda) & luminous mysteries (by kris aquino-yap). each mystery is even accompanied by a theme song that helps in your reflection. plus if you buy it, part of the proceeds goes to the SAN  CARLOS SEMINARY.  retail price is PHP 250.00 & available at record bars.