Church Service

An orientation was given to us before starting our church service. It was the San Isidro Parish Church's respected head priest, Rev. Msgr. Cesar Pagulayan that led the orientation. During the orientation he discussed about the history of Christianity, how important the community is to him, the rules and regulations of the church, and the activities they are about to launch that aims to help the people. One of which is what they call Hapag-asa. It is a program which is done by giving food to the poor people in the community.

I have been a part of the event. It was a very nice opportunity to be able to see the smiles of the kids that were fed. Seeing them happily eating with friends and with smiles on their face despite of poverty was very priceless. We assisted the nuns by distributing food to everyone. If I had the time, I may go back to the church and lend a hand.

Some experiences were not as memorable as the Hapag-asa but it was fun, actually. One was cleaning the church. I went there after our game. We had our UAAP that day and won against University of the East. Me, my block mate, and some of the church staff tidied up the place and removed the dust on the church seats. It was tiring but my block mate was there with me making the work less difficult. Another was joining the choir sing some songs during the mass. At first we thought they would mind us being there, but then after a while they showed us that they were glad to see us with them. They even talked to us after the mass and asked us a lot of questions like why were we there. We explained to them that it was a requirement for a specific subject and that we had to do it for us to pass. I went there after our game.

The staffs that were always present at the church had been a very big help to me. They make sure that I finish my church service and give me updates on when there is a possible activity that I can attend to. There were a lot I haven't done that I heard of from some of the students that were doing their church service there. There was this Pre-baptismal Seminar. It is a one hour seminar where the parents and the guests of the baby that will be baptized get additional information about the church. There was also the Visiting of the Sick. It is done by priests going to the houses of old men and women that have a difficulty of walking and because they are more or less 80 years old making them weak.

To Rev. Msgr. Cesar Pagulayan, the community is very important. He and the staff find a way to see the children's smiles. They find joy in that. Who wouldn't?