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Father Purdy's Letters
On the second day there were also some churches the pilgrims stopped at. In each church, the Apostles of Mary, with all others attending, sang the Nicene Creed and Sancte Pie Decime. We offered some prayers for the pope - the Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory be…, and concluded the visit with the song of the Apostles of Mary, Holy Mary, now we Crown Thee.
On the second day also was the dance competition. This happened in the evening at the campfire in Bilar. The different clans of the Apostles of Mary were responsible for preparing and dancing various numbers, competing with one another. All the dances were folk dances, graded according to originality, unity, costumes, singing with the dance, complication of the step, etc. The young men from Jaro who make up the Arch-Confraternity of St. Stephen were the winners of the competition. They were the only all male group to perform. They are seen in the picture with the shells attached to various parts of their bodies, which they would strike as they moved around in dance. Many great moves, jumps and acrobatics made their number a very amusing one.
Prior to the Pilgrimage in Bohol, the Apostles of Mary had a camp of five days to re-form and solidify the youth group which has been struggling for the last couple years. The camp was like a kind of formation session in which the chaplain and the other priests gave conferences and talks to remind of the duties and rules of the Apostles of Mary. Around 80 youths attended, making the outings and campfires also very fun. Overall the camp bore good fruits and hopefully will continue to do so in the future. In one picture is Mr. Michael Sestak giving a conference to the AOM as they lean against the walls of Baclayon Church. The other is of Fr. Couture giving a conference during one of the daily outings.
At the Novitiate, classes began in June. Here the brothers and pre-seminarians are seen taking a test. The classes are being held in the dining room, for it is the only room big enough to seat all the members of the community. To begin the year there are four classes being given to the brothers: Catechism, Catechism of the Modern World, Spirituality, and Scripture. Classes are from 9am to 12 noon. These classes are important for the formation of the brothers so they may be able to assist the priests in the various apostolates to which they may be assigned.
Also in June, I took my vacation to America. During my stay, I was able to visit many chapels to give a conference and slide-show presentation of our missions in the Philippines. A sincere Thank You to all who received me! I was able to visit Arcadia, Los Gatos, Long Island, Ridgefield, Washington D.C., Atlanta, Kansas City, St. Mary’s, Dickenson, Sanger, Syracuse, and of course my own Glens Falls. Thank you for your great generosity. Please continue to support St. Bernard Novitiate. As more young men enter the house our bills get larger!! In the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, |
