National Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish Essay

I. Historical Background The initiative to establish a parish on Retiro Street began in 1941, with the request of the Capuchins in the Philippines to the Rev. Michael ODoherty, Archbishop of Manila. On march 28, 1942, a decree was issued establishing the Sta. Teresita del Nino Jesus Parish, the original name of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish. Construction of the church, however, was delayed because of World War II. Enshrined within the temporary church was the image of our Lady of Lourdes. To keep the image safe during the war, it was moved from place to place, until it rested for a long time in the chapel of Sta. Teresita on Mayon Street. On February 10, 1951, the image was brought back to Sta. Teresita Parish on Retiro. In 1997, on the forty-fifth foundation anniversary, Our Lady of Lourdes parish was declared a national shrine, with the approval of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines. It has its own parochial school offering education from pre-school to high school. II. Activities/Programs of the Church SCHEDULE OF MASSES: Monday to Saturday: 5:30, 6:30, 7:30 am and 6:00 pm Sunday: 5:00, 6:00, 7:00, 8:00, 9:00, 10:00, 11:00, 12:00 am and 3:30, 5:00, 6:00, 7:00 pm A.Umbrella of all youth organizations of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes. Composed of 13 youth organizations (Basic Ecclesial Community (BEC), Catholic Womens League Jr. (CWL Jr.), Coro de Angeli, Franciscan Youth Movement (FYM-NSOLL Fraternity), Knights of the Altar (KOTA), Lectors and Commentators for Childrens Mass (LCCM), Legion of Mary (LOM), Salvacion Choir (SC), Singles for Christ (SFC-NSOLL Chapter), Squirettes of Mary Immaculate (SMI), Young Artists for Culture Arts and Advocacy (YAFCA-NSOLL Repertory), NSOLL Youth Choir (YC) and Youth for Christ (YFC-NSOLL Chapter). B. Regular Activities Advent Recollection, Youth Night, Organization Fair, Lenten Retreat, T-shirt Selling, Barya Para Sa Kabataan, Sportsfest, Youth Mass sa BEC, Youth Camp, PYM election and induction, Harana kay Maria and General Assembly III. Plan of Action/Realizations Being aware with what is happening in our Parish and knowing the Activities and Programs of the Church are the things that I developed after I did my research. I learned that we must serve our Parish first before anything else so that we can extend our gratitude to them. I also learned that there are so many things and ways that we can do to become closer to God and to strengthen our faith in God. We must learn to spend time to serve God and to bond with our neighbors. With that, we became closer and bonded as a Christian Community to serve and to strengthen our faith in God.