Recoletos de Hinatuan celebrates first fiesta of Quasi Parish

Hinatuan, SURIGAO DEL SUR — Most Rev. Raul B. Dael, D.D., a month old bishop of the Diocese of Tandag, presided over the Holy Mass in celebration of the patronal fiesta of the Recoletos-administered Quasi Parish of Nuestra Señora del Carmen on July 17, 2018.

It was the first fiesta as a quasi parish which was established on August 12, 2017 by then Bishop Nereo Odchimar, D.D., who retired five months ago.

In his homily, Bishop Dael mentioned the exemplary life of the Blessed Virgin Mary saying: “She opened herself to God’s plan as her sign of love.”

He also added that, with open heart, She endured all the pains in Her heart and persevered until the end. He beautifully expressed it in the vernacular: “Kung asa mudagayday ang luha sa gugma, mulahutay ang kinabuhi.” (Roughly translated as: Where the tears of love fall, life goes on perseveringly.)

The concelebrated Mass was attended by 16 local diocesan priests and four Recollect friars led by Fray Albert Pellazar, OAR, the parish priest; Fray Jerome Virtudazo, OAR, liturgist; Fray Mark Saludes, OAR, parish choir director; and the visiting confrere, Fray Vicente “Enteng” Cadeliña, OAR. Two other OAR friars were present: Fray Teodulo “Dodong” Hayahay, a religious brother, and Fray Rey Jay Quevedo, a newly-professed religious.

After about two hours, the traditional distribution of the scapulars followed.

The Recoletos de Hinatuan, the sole Recollect community in Mindanao at present, was the fourth community in the Province of St. Ezekiel Moreno to have celebrated its patronal fiesta under the title of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. The other three were the communities of Cebu, Inagawan (Palawan), and Manila.

Last May 4 at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila, thousands of devotees of Mt. Carmel gathered to reenact the first arrival of the image of Mt. Carmel in the Philippine island way back in 1618 when a group of Recollect missionaries had arrived from Spain. This year marks the 400^th year of the arrival of the said image which was given by the Discalced Carmelite Nuns to those missionaries during their stop-over in Mexico.

By: Fray Rey Jay Quevedo, OAR