December 7 -Filipino Mass and Paskuhan

ANG MISA NG BAYANG FILIPINO AT PASKUHAN
ST. JOSEPH CHURCH
767 PROSPECT ST., MAPLEWOOD, NJ 07040
973-7615933 ext. 13

SUNDAY, 7 DECEMBER, 2008, 2:00 PM

KULTURA SA PAGSIMBA

Among the millions of Filipinos living in America today, many have likely missed the experience of riding a jeepney, eating fishballs from the passing street vendor, sitting at side walk chatting with friends or feasting on balut and litson. More so, Filipinos are likely to become emotional when it comes to culture and tradition. Thus, we celebrate the Santo Nino Festival, the festival of Filipino Folkloric Dances and kundimans during Independence Day celebrations, the colorful Santacruzan in May, the festive Simbang Gabi in December and a lot more.

Many Filipino families here in America strive to introduce to their children the richness of Filipino culture and these kids, despite growing up with video games instead of patintero or piko, or visiting Disneyland instead of Baguio or Boracay, many of them strive to define for themselves what being a "Filipino" is all about.

Responding to this felt need, programs are developed that aim to reconnect young Filipino-Americans with the land of their heritage, giving them a chance to be introduced to Filipino culture and tradition as well as the social issues that confront their homeland. In order to meet this deep desire, Catholic Filipino families in and around St. Joseph Parish with the leadership of the Lord of Pardon Prayer Group have thus banded together to create the Filipino Catholic of St. Joseph Parish and hold monthly Misa ng Bayang Filipino every first Sunday of the Month at 2:00 pm with a Filipino Fellowship, the SANTACRUZAN FESTIVAL during the month of May and the HAKBANG NI KRISTO, a Good Friday Stations of the Cross with the reading the the PASYON NI KRISTO. All of these continue to be stable institutions, an indispensable medium for enhancing Catholic spiritual wellbeing within the local Filipino community, with its constituents committed to its perpetuation for as long as they live in beautiful St. Joseph Faith Community.

Our latest addition to the ministry is the MARRIAGE CONVALIDATION PROGRAM for couples whose marriage is somehow not fully recognized by the Catholic Church which ordinarily requires baptized Roman Catholics to marry before a priest. Catholics who exchange marriage vows in the presence of ministers from other religious traditions or authorized civic officials are not considered validly married in the eyes of the Catholic Church. Those couples may seek to have their union officially recognized by the Church.

Our mission is to enhance our Catholic spirituality by recreating the authentic Filipino Catholic community experience among Filipino families.

Share this information to your family, friends and relatives and invite them to come with you.