Father Purdy's Letters     November - December 2006 Dear Friends and Benefactors, Early in the year 2006, on February 25th, the ground was broken for the building of a new church in the city of Bacolod. Our mission in Bacolod is about a one hour boat ride to the neighboring island of Negros. Because of building permit delays, the actual construction began in early May of the same year. That project is now coming to an end and the result is a beautiful new church building. In September, Bishop Williamson visited this new church for the sacrament of Confirmation. Having been completed in its foundation, walls, and roof, His Excellency also blessed the new building. Since we spoke of the Iloilo mission in the last newsletter, let us speak to you of the history of the Bacolod mission now. Here is the account given by one of our faithful founders there: Bacolod Mission “There had been some contacts with the Society of St. Pius X by the Bacolod group as early as 1993. Some ladies from the city, through the invitation of the Traditional faithful from the neighboring province of Iloilo, joined the Society conference and function there; the former in a hotel and the latter in a beach. It was in one of the casual moments then that Fr. Morgan expressed his intention to the group to make a visit. This did not materialize due to lack of priests. Also many were attending an Indult Mass elsewhere, so the importance of the mission was not top priority. That Indult Mass was said by an independent priest in Victorias, a city north of Bacolod, about an hour and a half hour drive. “The trip to Victorias was not easy for some who had to wake up early and tug the kids for a long and at times dark travel by public jeepney. It was a need then to have the Mass nearby. By prayers, it happened one day in August 1995 that a mother from the group approached a priest unknown to her inside the Bacolod Cathedral and asked if he can say the Latin Mass. It was then the start of the indult Mass in Bacolod held in a chapel of a hospital in the heart of the city. This mass later proved to be the link with the SSPX. During the years that followed, two ladies, both Traditional faithful from Manila and Iloilo, at times came to attend the indult Mass with their relatives here and it was through their urging and encouragement that the SSPX made their way to Bacolod City. Indeed, God works in mysterious ways. However, not all in the group followed. “Fr. Benoit Wailliez came in 2001 to have the first SSPX Traditional Latin Mass in Bacolod. He named this mission the Immaculate Conception. The Mass was held in a rented open space which was the entrance of a closed down movie theater at the 2nd floor of a downtown mall. We could not do away with some distractions during the Mass especially that the mall’s rest room is just beside the entrance and that some people did pass by to that room. It was a struggle then for the group to remain focused on the Mass in that environment. But, generally, the Mass remained solemn and the faithful ‘prayed with the priest and followed all that happened in the Altar’. The Mass was twice a month. Bacolod was blessed with such frequency being only an hour by boat from Iloilo where the Novitiate is. The priest stayed in the house of a lady faithful. The following year, Bishop Richard Williamson came to give Confirmation to 49 children and young adults. After some time, however, the group was not allowed to hold the mass in that mall. “This obstacle did not deter us from holding on. It was, in fact, a blessing in disguise. Another mall allowed us to rent by the hour a space at its 3rd floor. We were happy to get at an affordable rate an air-conditioned room that could hold about a hundred people. But just like the previous mall, the rest rooms were just beside where the altar was. To avoid distractions, its door signs were covered with paper and nobody was allowed the use of these rest rooms during Mass. Also, we needed to clear the place right after each Mass because a protestant sect was using it immediately after us for their worship. “In that same year 2002, Fr. Loren Gerspacher took over the reins of the Novitiate from Fr. Wailliez. He carried forward the mission where it was started. He continued to stay in the house of the lady faithful but not for long because she got sick and could not really attend to him. Understanding the situation, a couple from among the faithful took him in as well as the other priests that joined him in the mission. With this development, there were times when Sunday Mass was held not only twice but three times or almost weekly in some months. Also, the Mass was said during the First Friday and some Saturdays. “We started to raise funds for the construction of the church when the news of a lot donation came out. It was then that Fr. Daniel Couture informed our chapel that Society will put a counterpart fund to add to whatever amount was raised for the construction. We had raffle bonanzas, did solicitations and went caroling during the Christmas seasons. To back it up were many prayers, novenas to the Immaculate Conception and processions. The Prayer to St. Joseph said at the end of the Mass for the construction of the church proved very helpful as well. Finally, some benefactors donated 2 adjoining lots in Brgy. Taculing, Bacolod City. These were turned over to the Society through Fr. Gerspacher in December 31, 2004. “With the guidance of Fr. Gerspacher, the Legion of Mary with the name Praesidium Immaculada Concepcion was formed on March 26, 2005. The group is mixed of males and females with 3 married couples among the members. Through the Legion, we were able to reach out to more people. Our congregation further grew to more than a hundred in Mass attendance. The highest attendance so far was 176. Our Legion apostolate brought many to confirmation, baptism, first communion, confession and to the Mass. A male legionnaire also entered the Novitiate where he is pursuing a vocation. For all of these we are thankful to the Blessed Virgin Mary, our Queen and Mother.     page 2 back to Philippine page