Congratulations! His Eminence Luis Antonio G. Cardinal Tagle, D.D., S.T.D.

 Congratulations and we are proud of you! Truly deserving of the title, a very gentle and humble shepherd of his flock and servant of God.

Click here to learn more about the good Archbishop Tagle...

In Memoriam: Sec. Jesse M. Robredo (May 27, 1958 — August 18, 2012)

 Hon. Jesse M. Robredo
Secretary of the Interior and Local Government
May 27, 1958 — August 18, 2012

Thank you for the inspiration! and for being a role model of a TRUE SERVANT LEADER! We, Bikolanos and Filipinos are very proud of you! May your legacy continue to inspire those in the government service.

+Eternal rest grant unto him, Lord and let your perpetual light shine upon him. Receive Him Lord into your Kingdom - being one of your faithful servant. And maybe the mantle of our beloved 'Ina', Virgin of Peñafrancia, protect and embraced you, Manoy Jess! Amen.

For your stories/photos/tributes, visit: http://www.gov.ph/salamatjesse/

Mabalos, Sec. Robredo! Click here for more photos...

In Memoriam: George E. Doty+

Our sincerest and deepest condolences to the bereaved family of our beloved, George E. Doty - a very generous man and a very loyal supporter of the wonderful programs of Fr. Aloysius Schwartz and the Sisters of Mary not just in the Philippines but in other countries as well especially in Korea. 

Eternal rest grant unto him Lord, may he rest in peace with his lovely wife - Marie J. Doty and our dear Fr. Al :(

***

“If I did not have the Catholic faith and I wanted to invent a faith for myself, what would I do? I think I would reinvent the Catholic faith. It may sound foolish, but I think of a loving God, a forgiving God. How can you beat that?” ~ George E. Doty

His Eminence, Jaime Cardinal Sin confers the Serviam Award to George and Marie Doty for their outstanding support to the Sisters of Mary. The Serviam Award is the highest award in Service given by the Philippine Catholic Church in recognition of the great service to the Filipino people and the Catholic Church.

George Doty receives the Degree of Doctor of Humane Letters (Honoris Causa) from the Adamson University, Manila, Philippines (July 14, 1994)

George and Marie Doty with children of the Sisters of Mary - Girlstown in the Philippines

CNEWA at 75: Into The Future: George and Marie Doty, seated with Msgr. Stern at the inaugural service, gaze at the renovated dome of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, 2 January 1997. (photo: Joel Fishman)

Truly, the George E. and Marie J. Doty Award by the American Federation for Aging Research is a fitting tribute to these two great people. 

The last but definitely not the least in the inaugural class of the Founding Spirit: The Fordham University Hall of Honor.

The Charles Carroll Award in Catholic Philanthropy : George and Marie Doty (1999). In a spirit of profound admiration, affection, and gratitude, and in recognition of their generous and caring lives in service to humanity and to the church.

More about this great man can be found on the links below:

George E. Doty, FCRH ’38
Alumnus Sets Standard for Giving Consistency
Giving back: the generous legacy of George E. Doty 
CNEWA: Remembering George Doty
Obituary: George E. Doty Sr. (1918 - 2012)
Former Board Members of FADICA Mourned
Betlehem University: Remembering Mr. George Doty
BusinessWeek NewsFromBloomberg: George Doty, Who Guarded Goldman Sachs Purse, Dies at 94

Photo Credits: The Sisters of Mary, CNEWA,  Fordham University

Related Post: Congratulations Sisters of Mary on the Inauguration of the Marie J. Doty Memorial Infirmary

 

Philippines religious keep alive monsignor's drive against poverty

Mar. 19, 2012

By N.J. Viehland

Welcome banner I created for His Excellency! :)

CAVITE, Philippines -- Manila's Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle challenged Sisters of Mary, Brothers of Christ and the thousands of students celebrating Monsignor Aloysius Schwartz's 20th death anniversary Friday to emulate the example of love and humility of their founder and to keep his legacy alive.

Later, almost like a pep rally for the nuns and priests, Korean students of his schools beat drums and banged gongs in a musical number for the Tribute Concert for Fr. Al after lunch that day.

Schwartz followed Christ and worked to uphold the value of human dignity in his various projects, Tagle said in his message at the end of the thanksgiving Mass on Friday at Girlstown gym in Silang, Cavite, south of Manila. He said the priest's efforts to build children's villages were motivated by a deep love for the poor.

Born in Washington D.C., on Sept. 18, 1930, "Father Al," as Schwartz is known here, reportedly entered St. Charles seminary in Maryland at 14 years old and finished his Bachelor of Arts degree at Maryknoll Seminary College in Glen Ellyn, Ill. He studied theology at Louvain Catholic University in Belgium and became exposed to poor sectors in Europe, including rag-pickers' camps, and nurtured a deep devotion the Virgin of the Poor in Banneux, Belgium.

Shortly after being ordained a diocesan priest in 1957, he left to take up an assignment in Busan, Korea, as the East Asian country reeled from the Korean War (1950-1953). He established Boystown and Girlstown in Busan in 1962, providing education from kindergarten through technical and vocational courses as well as junior college for more than 1,000 of the most underprivileged children. He founded the Religious Congregation of the Sisters of Mary in 1964 to "serve the poorest of the poor."

Schwartz also built hospitals for indigent patients and hospices for the homeless, handicapped, elderly men, mentally challenged children and unwed mothers. In 1981, he founded the priests' congregation Brothers of Christ.

When he was given the Asia's premier prize, the Ramon Magsaysay Award for International Understanding, in 1983, his citation said Schwartz raised three-fourths of his annual budget of about $8 million at the time.

Cardinal Jaime Sin, then archbishop of Manila, reportedly invited Schwartz to help the Philippines church's apostolate to children and youth. About 30 percent of the 98 million Filipinos live below the poverty line, and 26.5 percent of children under 5 are malnourished, Save the Children reports. "Education is the only hope for children to break free of poverty," the Sisters of Mary maintain.

Schwartz's health deteriorated after he was diagnosed with the terminal illness Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease) in 1989, but he was able to establish Boystown and Girlstown in Mexico. In 1992, just before he died, he named Korean Sr. Michaela Kim his successor and director of his charity programs. She was named Superior General after he died on March 16, 1992.

Children, women religious, priests and guests joined in prayer and offered flowers during the blessing of his tomb in the Girlstown compound, where participants from the Philippines, Korea, Guatemala and other countries released balloons and butterflies before Friday's Mass.

Sisters of Mary welcome Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila. I was privileged to take their photos, greet Archbishop and kiss his ring...unfortunately no photo with him 'coz I'm the cameraman :)

In his message after Mass, Tagle also urged the more than 2,000 high school girls present to search for true meaning and purpose in life.

"What are you living for?" he asked them.

He said they must have a deeper purpose than just getting a job or earning money. He also reminded them to "keep in mind your dignity as a woman." Be humble and compassionate when you graduate and succeed in life, he said. Do not be proud and look down on those who didn't go to school.

He also encouraged the male students from Boystown to search for deeper meaning in life, avoid jumping into marriage and to remember to respect women. He invited them to consider joining the priesthood.

The case for sainthood

Monsignor Jesus Romulo Ranada of Novaliches diocese, who wrote a book on Schwartz, said in his homily that in Rome, Augustinian Recollect Fr. Samson Silloriquez, main postulator of the cause of sainthood of Schwartz, was submitting more reports.

The Manila archdiocese received approval from Rome for the cause for beatification and canonization of Schwartz on May 20, 2005. The position paper for the heroic virtues of the servant of God was submitted to Rome in January 2009, and further research was done.

However, Ranada said it could take a while before a response arrives. He cited the pile of causes for beatification of other people, saying those with reported miracles are likely to be taken up first.

Schwartz used to tell the sisters that his wish for the Sisters of Mary was to "show to the world your love for one another, and when you love one another, that would be enough to sustain you," Ranada said. "He used to tell the Sisters of Mary, The Virgin of the Poor would help you."

Ranada added, "Now, 20 years after Father Al's death, the Sisters of Mary have continued his work not only here in the Philippines, Korea and Mexico, but also in Guatemala and Brazil."

He said during his research, he found youths in various countries speaking with great gratitude to Schwartz, even though they had not met him. He credited the sisters with "conveying Father Al's love for the poor" to today's students.

Children's villages

Sisters of Mary villages in the Philippines offer live-in secondary education with intensive vocation training for boys and girls 12-18 years old who come from the "poorest of the poor."

Two Girlstowns and two Boystowns in the Philippines have dormitories, workshops for sewing and other vocational skills, classrooms, auditoriums, swimming pools, basketball courts and other facilities on sprawling lots.

Reizque Palo, a graduate who was at Friday's Mass celebrating Schwartz, told NCR she joined Girlstown because her family has eight children and her father could not send them to school on a temporary driver's wages.

"Homesickness was the toughest battle for me," she said. Now a wife and mother, she praised the program for giving "a lot of time to study."

After graduating from high school at 17, the sisters helped train her to sew garments, but pulled her out when they learned the salary she received was low. They found her another job as a secretary, where she worked for six years. Nuns and teachers at the Mass were Girlstown students.

Relevant mission response to poverty

Is this institutional approach relevant and helpful in solving poverty at its root?

"I know some people would say the approach of the sisters does not address the structural roots of the problem, but I beg to disagree," Tagle told NCR. "First of all, mission is not a one-dimension reality. It is a multifaceted reality. There is proclamation, there is prayer, there are relationships, there is advocacy, there is all of these things."

He said no one person can claim he or she "can encompass the totality of mission. In the same way, no single group in the church can claim that they have all the secrets for mission. Mission is complex as it is, and its different layers must be an ecclesial event."

Archbishop Tagle delivering his message to the community

He stressed that the way Schwartz and his collaborators, the Sisters of Mary and the Brothers of Christ, handle mission is specific to their charism.

"What they are doing is definitely a contribution to the totality of mission, and they're dealing with specific groups of people in need of urgent response," he said.

"If you look closely at the roots of poverty, you cannot deny that it's not only structures or systems that have given rise to poverty, but there's lack of human development, lack of education, lack of access, lack of love, lack of caring and the basic respect that is due to the human person -- these are the things that make them poor."

Tagle said poverty is usually gauged only according to quantitative measures, such as amount of money one has or earns.

"But there are also social and cultural roots of poverty," he said. "These are the things this type of educational approach gives to the children and the poor. So, it is mission and it is providing in a way a response to the so-called structural evils leading to poverty in that specific dimension."

"To cite Pope Benedict XVI in his first encyclical, he said even if we have complied with all the demands of justice, people will still look for love," Tagle said. "People will still hunger for love. So our fight against dehumanizing poverty should not be reduced to providing all the opportunities for earning money and for employment. All of these are good, but let us also give love." 

***

Original article view here.

Fr. Al's 20th Anniversary (Blessing & Mass)

Fr. Al's 20th Anniversary (Tribute Concert)

Tagle leads commemoration of Aloysius Schwartz’s 20th death anniversary

Servant of God Msgr. Aloysius Schwartz died on March 16, 1992, from Lou Gehrig’s disease which left him incapacitated for years. He died in the presence of his Sisters of Mary and Brothers of Christ, which he founded in Busan, South Korea, and brought to Manila in 1985.

The amazing ministry of Father Al, as he is affectionately called, was putting up the Girls Town and Boys Town in Silang, Cavite, and Cebu. These institutions have given at least 11,000 less privileged Filipino youth access to education.

The nuns and students mark the 20th anniversary of his death on March 16 at the Girls Town in Barangay Biga in Silang. Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle will lead the Concelebrated Mass at 10 a.m.

Full article: Tagle leads commemoration of Aloysius Schwartz’s 20th death anniversary

SMS Adlas Boystown Soars again in 2 Competitions

The team (Ronald Tolentino, Wilmar Sabalsa & Jeffrey Bonzo) with Coach Mr. Juanito A. Sariego II and Sr. Nory Espulgar, SM

The “Cavite Search for Math, Science and Computer Wizards 2012” was held last February 15, 2012 at the De La Salle University, Dasmariñas Campus. Twenty (20) schools, private and public, within Cavite joined the annual search for the best.  The Sisters of Mary School Boystown earned First Runner-up with Php 4,000.00 cash gift and certificates.

The team (Christian Mahilom, Ray Anthony Dela Cruz, Maucel Caacbay, Noel Garcia Jr., Lexter John Fulgencio and Roman Baluyot Jr.) with Coach Mr. Mark Lester Agellon and Sr. Nory Espulgar, SM

The Manila Tytana College (MTC) sponsored the “MTC – IT Wizards and Artists Competition” last February 22, 2012 with twenty-two (22) teams vying for the title. The team entered the Final Ten the last yet eventually ended as the events’ champion. They received medals and certificates plus a 50% off on Tuition Fee (for the first sem. only) if they decide to study in MTC.


Visit SMS - Philippines website here!

Congratulations! Kuya Randy Gimeno (ASMSI Batch '96)

Congratulations Kuya Randy! Thanks a lot also for the support and prayers!

Hopefully more vocations will come from ASMSI and The Sisters of Mary School.

God Bless you and more success in your vocation! 

We're so proud of you! :)

New Book About Fr. Al - Now Available!

Aloysius Schwartz, a missionary priest, was totally dedicated to serving the poor despite the struggles and sacrifices involved. In the process he was instrumental in bringing hope to thousands.


My Brother's Witness, Msgr. Aloysius Schwartz is the story of a missionary priest, raised in a poor neighborhood in Washington, D.C. who literally saved the lives of thousands of Korean orphans in the early 1960's by providing food, clothing ,shelter and his own fully-accredited school program. He simultaneously opened clinics, dispensaries and two hospitals offering free services to the poor. He founded two religious congregations to help bring his programs to thousands. He then established similar programs in the Philippines and Mexico just before his early death from a debilitating disease, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. His programs continue to flourish.

Dolores Vita, Author
Annapolis, Maryland

The author was quite content with her life as a wife, mother, and grandmother, with all of its joys and challenges. At the same time, from an early age, she was drawn into the life and work of her brother, Father Al, a missionary priest. After her first visit to his programs in Korea and the Philippines in 1989, she began writing about the overwhelming experience. She believes it is a story that will inspire, motivate and uplift all those who are searching for the good in life and who are striving to become part of it.


Click Here for a SNEAK PEEK of this book. Courtesy of Infinity Publishing.

***

Reserve your copy now! E-mail us at info@facfi.org.ph 
Call us at  (046) 865-3097 or (+632) 529-8321 

You may inquire at our campuses in Cavite and Cebu on how to get your copy.

You can buy your copies on March 18, 2012 during our Grand Alumni Homecoming

in Cavite.

Thank you very much!

2012 ASMSI E-Newsletter : Download Now!

Alumni of the Sisters of Mary School, Inc. (ASMSI) in it's effort of keeping it's members up-to-date and well-informed launches it's first electronic newsletter last February 14, 2012. After a month or two of compiling reports from it's local and international office and active chapters and from searching our computer files and Facebook pages.

May you be filled with joy and excitement and be awed by how far our Association has gone. It is through your support and cooperation that we were able to accomplish these things.

This is also a timely tribute to the man behind it all - our dear Fr. Aloysius Schwartz as we celebrate his 20th death Anniversary on March 16, 2012.

This is our Association. Making a Difference…

More power and God bless, ASMSI!

You may downlaod the high-resolution PDF version thru this link: ASMSI 2012 E-Newsletter

*Please bear with the slow download. It is quite a large file. Be sure you have Acrobat Reader as well.

For those having difficulty downloading large PDF file. Check out the ASMSI 2012 E-Newsletter Image files. Feel free to download each image and upload it in your FB albums and share to others.

Click here: Subscribe to our newsletter

Life is just beginning for Mary’s boys and girls

Article from Philippine Daily Inquirer, published February 5, 2012.

One morning in December, more than a thousand students of Sisters of Mary School (SOM) Boystown and Girlstown in Silang, Cavite, sat upright and proper to listen to not one but two very important inspirational speakers.

The first was no less than the Education Secretary himself, Bro. Armin Luistro. The second, United States Ambassador Harry K. Thomas Jr.

The education secretary, an alumnus and a former president of De La Salle University, exhorted the graduates to soar like eagles.

In his message, on the other hand, the US ambassador said, “Whatever you do, wherever you go, come back. And if you can’t come back, give back.”

The Sisters of Mary have combined the commencement exercises of their high school with the graduation rites of the SOM Technical Education Institute’s third batch of students.

SOM, which was founded by Msgr. Aloysius Schwartz in 1985, has served as both school and home for these graduates who came from poor families. The congregation runs similar charity programs in Korea, Mexico, Guatemala, Brazil and Honduras.

Donations from generous people provide not only for the education of the more than 11,000 students at the SOM campuses in Cavite and Cebu, but for food, clothing, shelter and other needs as well.

In addition to the required academic subjects in high school, the students are also given more hours of training in vocational skills.

The girls learn dressmaking, industrial sewing machine operation, steno-typing and bookkeeping, electronics, advanced dressmaking, basic computer systems, and culinary arts.

The boys are trained in electricity and electronics, machine shop and welding, computer technology (CADD), auto mechanics and driving, and mechanical processes.

After the commencement rites, the students regaled their guests with a cultural presentation.

Read Excerpt of Valedictory Address of Jerald O. De la Cruz, Sisters of Mary Boystown - Adlas

Read Excerpt of Valedictory Address of Darren Danielle Q. Delos Santos, Sisters of Mary Girlstown - Biga

The Sisters of Mary Boystown - Adlas Batch 2012 Awardees and Guests

US Ambassador Harry Thomas Jr., Addressing the graduates

Education Secretary Bro. Armin Luistro, FSC, Addressing the graduates

It's more FUN in the PHILIPPINES!

It's TIME to SHOW our LOVE for our dear PHILIPPINES! Let's all support Department of Tourism's new slogan...It's more fun in the Philippines...

God Bless us all - Filipinos! Tara na Byahe Tayo! :)

Visit http://itsmorefuninthephilippines.com/ for updates! :)