Roofing of St. Joseph the Worker Church

The Advent in SJWC

In this season of advent, we are called to patiently wait and prepare ourselves... this virtue of patientlty waiting and preparing became more significant in our community....while building a place of worship we call - St. Joseph the Worker Church.

As we have said it before, it took us awhile to gather enough funds for our trusses. And in God's timing... we started the construction last September 8, 2010 with the signing of the contract. We only have enough funds for the trusses. In fact, it is specifically indicated in the contract that after the completion of the trusses, the contractor will put the temporary roofs we had been using for awhile. It is also stipulated that the contractor will apply a metal primer to protect the trusses for long exposure without the roof panels. This safeguard is necessary because of the limited funds we have....indeed we don't have enough to complete the 4th phase (the complete roofing stage) of the construction.

But the waiting has finally paid off...not only the trusses was now in place but also the roof panels....we have completed the roofing stage... we attribute this thru the intercession of St. Joseph the Worker and our Blessed Mother Mary... This is God's way and timing.... all we need to do.. is to patiently wait and hope....trusting in God's ways and timing....we only hoped for the trusses but He gave us to include the roof panels by opening the hearts of the faithfuls to be generous once again....

And in this advent.. we are preparing the place where our Lord Jesus will dwell... the place we call - St. Joseph the Worker Church.

We are about to finish the Roofing Stage

Finally, The Steel Trusses is in place. Our gratitude to all who have been very generous in our effort to build St. Joseph the Worker Church. It took us three (3) years putting up funds for this stage of the construction development. The most expensive indeed in our stage of construction (Php 2.573M).

We could still remember when we first asked for estimates for the steel trusses of the church. We all wonder how could we put up such a huge cost for the trusses. We took a second look at our financials and think of other alternative ways to augment funds for the construction.

Eventually, we realized that this is a place of worship.. a House of God.. we just have to do what we are supposed to do...and leave the rest to God's providence...besides, we have St. Joseph..the patron of our community.. lest we forget that he is a carpenter by profession... We know that St. Joseph will not let us down and will continue to intercede for us.

We went through a lot of fund raising... The Decorate the Christmas Tree for several Advent and Christmas seasons, An Evening of Music for St. Joseph Concert at the Cathedral, The Php 20 para sa Bubong ng Simbahan....our Brown Envelop Pledges offered in the Holy Mass, the District Sponsorships Every Sunday and the most recent Mutya ng Robinsons 2010. We looked back at the effort and perserverance of St. Joseph the Worker Community.... we can now say.. its all worth it.

Our experiences in the past.... in building a church, made as grow spiritually too, the encouragement we received from churchgoers ... the generosity of the faithful ... our shortcomings ......even the negative remarks we received from those who doubted our intentions and the capacity of the faithfuls to build a beautiful place of worship..... made us more mature in our endeavor... constantly asking our God for guidance and wisdom... realizing, our journey will not always be a smooth sailing we need always God's blessing....

We could still remember Fr. Joel of the Missionaries of Jesus,...telling us that we are not just building a physical structure of the church...that we should also commit ourselves in building a community of faithfulls...That's the reason for our several activities... like the Gift Giving, Mass for the Elderly and the Sick, Praying for the souls of those who passed away in our community... and our promotion of the devotion to Mother Mary or Block Rosary... and of course our on-going formation like our recent Advent Recollection.

Fr. Dom of the Order of Franciscan Minor (OFM).. reminds us of the abundance of God's love for all of us....that we should be an instrument of God's abundance .....we continue our journey.. in building a church and a community of faithfulls... with perserverance and a pure heart....

1sang Libong Pamilya Para Sa Yero ng Simbahan!

The roof frame (SteelTrusses) of St. Joseph the Worker is about 80% complete. We thank everybody who in one way or another contributed for the trusses to be put up. As we have said before, this is the most expensive stage of the construction and it drained our fund.

The next stage is the installation of Roof Panels (Long Span). We ask formal quotation from a steel company fabricating roof panels so that we can determine the cost. The Roof Panels was estimated to be P600,000. We immediately convene how to finance the cost. We again consulted people from our christian community about these things. After much deliberation, we have decided to approach individuals within our community to finance (as loan) the installation of roof panels of our church due to the urgency of the situation.

We launch the 1sang Libong Pamilya who will pledge P600.00 pesos to put up the P600,000 for paying these individuals who will finance our roof panels.

Our initial launching last week is very encouraging so far...we have almost 100 families donated or pledge to donate for our Roof Panels...

We also wrote letters to persons outside our community to solicit for the roof panels of St. Joseph the Worker Church. Whatever donations from this will be used to pay for our loan for the Roof Panels of the place of worship we call St. Joseph the Worker Church.

With the grace of God and the intercession of St. Joseph, we hope to have completed the roof before Christmas Time... we hope this to be the gift of our christian community to the birthday of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Photos - Activities at SJWC

Our Sunday Mass is temporarily held at the Basketball Covered Court

Fr. Rhing

Working with a Smile in the Vineyard of the Lord

We held our regular Sunday Mass at the Basketball Covered Court for several weeks now because of the on-going construction of the roof frame or trusses of the St. Joseph the Worker Church.

I would like to thank the members of St. Joseph of the Worker Community who volunteered to prepare the basketball court so that we have a clean and orderly celebration of the Holy Eucharist. They wake up as early as five in the morning to prepare everything from cleaning the area, preparing the chairs, bringing-in the sound system, the altar table, linens and the sacred vessels.

Again, after the celebration of the Holy Eucharist, they have to carry out everything they prepared for the Holy Mass for safe keeping. They are the first to be there and last to come home. These are the people who works in the background and sometimes unnoticed without complaining...... working with joy in their hearts and smile in their faces in the vineyard of the Lord.

Constructing the Roof Frame (Trusses)

Dismantling of Temporary Roofing of SJWC

The construction of our Trusses of St. Joseph the Worker church actually started last September 13, 2010 (Monday) and so far we are on schedule on the construction. If God permits, we will finish the Main Trusses of the church in the early weeks November 2010.

We held our regular meeting at the basement of SJWC (The Carpenter's Shop) on how to finance the second stage of roofing.... that is the acquisition of roof panels (long span) and installation of the same.

The Signing of Contract for the Trusses of SJWC

Fr. Nolly C. Buco, JCD - Parish Priest

of San Antonio De Padua Parish

Mr. Danilo Leyva Columa, The Contractor

Discussing the details of the Contract

Fr. Alex

devotees outside the carpenter's shop

The Carpenter’s Shop

Liturgical Services in St. Joseph the Worker Community continues while the construction of the roof trusses is on-going. Yesterday (Sept 15, 2010) the novena to our Lady of Perpetual Help was held in a room at the basement of St. Joseph the Worker Church. It was the first time we held our Novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help including the celebration of the Holy Mass. Fr. Alex of PACEM presided over our first Holy Mass in the basement. We shall be gathering again this Friday in the same place for our Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

The room at the basement of St. Joseph the Worker Church was a multi-purpose room where we hold our regular meetings and it also where we received our visitors during important occasions in our community. But for now, it will be used for our novenas and devotions. One member suggested that we give a name to this room. I suggested that since St. Joseph is known as a carpenter from Nazareth, we shall call it “The Carpenter’s Shop”.

This coming Sunday because of the volume of faithful going to the Holy Mass, it will not be held at the Carpenter’s Shop. Instead it will be held at the Basketball Court. We thank the officers of our subdivision for allowing us to use the basketball court temporarily every Sunday until the completion of the roof trusses of St. Joseph the Worker Church and hopefully, the roofing.

We start the 4th Phase of construction of SJWC

at the Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Mary and Child reading the Word-Michael D. O'brien

September 8, 2010 is a special day for us because it is the Feast of the Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary and it became more meaningfull for the St. Joseph the Worker Community because it is the start of construction for the 4th phase - which is the installation of roof frame (steel trusses). This phase is the most expensive so far in the development of the construction. After arduous effort to raise funds and thru the intercession of Mother Mary and St. Joseph, we are starting once more to a new phase in our construction. Yes, it took us three (3) long years before we able to raise enough fund and continue our construction but we learned so much while patiently working, praying and hoping to reach this stage of the construction.

Our gratitude to all who have helped and participated in this noble endeavor to build a place worship we call St. Joseph the Worker Church. May the good and merciful God continue to guide us in our effort to finish this stage through the intercession of St. Joseph - our patron saint and Mother Mary who is celebrating her birthday.

Holy Mass for the elderly and the sick

Last August 28, 2010, the St. Joseph the Worker Community (SJWC) held the Mass for the Elderly and the Sick. This is a yearly activity, in which we gather the elderly and the sick in our community who could not come for Sunday Mass regularly because of advanced age or ailment. We invite and encourage their family to bring them to the church to receive the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick and to receive Holy Communion.

The objective of course of this event is to provide the elderly and the sick opportunity to come to the Church at least once a year to receive the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick and to receive Holy Communion.

Again, I would like to thank the members of the SJWC who participated in this event. We would like to thank Fr. Nolly C. Buco, JCD, our parish priest for his blessing and support. Our gratitude to Fr. Rhing Malbog, SVD for presiding the Holy Mass and the Anointing of Holy Oil for the elderly and the sick. Fr. Rhing is our former parish priest. Although he was given a new assignment as missionary of the SVD, he still finds time to help in the different communities of our parish during Sundays and activities like this one.

And most of all, we would like to thank our loving and merciful God for giving us once again the opportunity to serve Him.

"The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.'' Matthew 25:40

Coronation Night 2010

SantaCruzan 2010

After the oath taking of the officers of our subdivision, the St. Joseph the Worker Community (SJWC) invited the officers for a meeting concerning our fundraising within our subdivision. The SJWC explained the development of our church particularly how to augment our resources for the continuation of our construction (particularly the roofing of our church) and how homeowners can participate actively in our endeavor to build a church.

It is in this meeting that we disclose our plan to revive of Mutya ng Robinsons Homes - East. The meeting went well for all of us. Thanks for the mango cake with juice served after the meeting.

The following week we met our prospective candidates for the Mutya ng Robinsons 2010 together with their parents. We explained to them mechanics of our fundraising and their participation is an opportunity for them to help in building a church. After clarifying everything... we set the dates for the event. We have our first canvassing last April 9, 2010 Just after the Holy Week Season... I could still remember at the opening of our 1st canvassing, I announced that we will duplicate if not surpass the previous Mutya ng Robinsons held five years ago. And indeed, the event surpassed the previous event with its elegance and beauty because of the zeal and commitment of those who volunteered to help from St. Joseph the Worker Community.

Holding such fund raising proved to be tedious especially for those who volunteered to help from practicing the candidates, preparing the venue, preparing the tickets to be sold, taking care of the snacks, preparing the programs and line-up of presentations during the canvassings and the Coronation Night, preparing letters of invitations, for the photo and video coverage, etc. Adding to that, as if we still have enough energy, we incorporate it with our traditional Santacruzan.

Before the start of our Coronation Night, we experienced a heavy downpour of rain. Again, we understood it as a blessing for our event. After the downpour, the atmosphere was full of smartness and splendor as the Mutya ng Robinsons arrived and together with our guests. Truly, I could say, it was a night to remember.

Our Santacruzan also came with grace and beauty as we line up the procession of sagala. The image of Mother Mary was so impressive with beautiful flowers surrounded her float. After reciting the Holy Rosary, we rung the bell in our chapel signifying the start of the procession. After the procession and long line of sagala , we end up offering flowers for Mother Mary in the altar and singing Dios Te Salve.

photo essay of the feast of st. joseph the worker in our community
created by felicia

Feast of St. Joseph the Worker

Last May 1, 2010, we celebrated the feast of St. Joseph the Worker – the patron saint of our community. We were greatly honored by the presence of Bishop Gabriel V. Reyes, D.D. who presided the Holy Mass, together with our parish priest Fr. Nolly C. Buco, JCD and Fr. Leo Schmitt, SVD our former parish priest.

We are very grateful too for Mayor Danilo O. Leyble and Atty. Romeo Acop (and now newly elected congressman of our city) for gracing our celebration.

The beautiful celebration was attributed to the collaboration of the members of St. Joseph the Worker Community. Really, I could say that the weeks of preparation and creativity of the members of SJWC and their untiring effort paid-off by the solemnity and joyful atmosphere of thanksgiving celebration in honor of St. Joseph the Worker.

We would like also to thank our sponsors for their generosity. These sponsors who understood the complexity of building a church are always there to lend a helping hand.

The traditional procession in the afternoon was equally solemn when the image of St. Joseph was brought around the community to be gaze by everyone and many made the sign of the cross as the procession pass by their houses.

Our theme of this year “Working with gratitude and joy for God and family”, have been realized by the effort displayed by St. Joseph the Worker Community in the preparation and during the fiesta itself.

Maraming salamat sa aming mahal na patron

St. Joseph the Worker

at

Maraming Salamat sa lahat ng tumulong at nakibahagi sa aming pagdiriwang.

"Working with gratitude and joy for God and family"

With Easter Joy in our hearts, we are preparing for the feast of St. Joseph, the Worker, the patron of our community, on May 1, 2010. Once again, we will be visited by His Excelency Bishop Gabriel Reyes,D.D.,the Bishop of Antipolo, who will preside in our Thanksgiving Mass in honor of St. Joseph the Worker.

While preparing for the fiesta, We are also preparing for the continuation of the construction of the roof. We have savings for the trusses after two years of fund raising. Kudos again to the lay volunteers in our community who patiently organized the districts in Sponsoring the Holy Mass every Sunday. Early this year, we met with the newly elected leaders of the districts in our community. We explain to them the importance of participation of everyone for the completion of the place of worship in our community. We all agreed to have another fund raising with the cooperation of the district representatives in a fund raising contest called Mutya ng Robinsons.. reviving the successful fund raising we had in the year 2005, when the district representatives joined us in our fund raising effort. We hope to duplicate, or even surpass the Mutya ng Robinsons 2005 this time around.

All this activities we do it with gratitude and joy in our hearts for God and family and always through the intercession of our patron saint - St. Joseph the Worker.

Saint Joseph was a just man, a tireless worker, the upright guardian of those entrusted to his care. May he always guard, protect and enlighten families (John Paul II).

Happy Fiesta!

Gift Giving 2009

The natural calamities that struck our parish last year led us to knock at the doors of the faithful in our community to help and be generous for the victims in our parish. They responded generously and some even went out of their comfort zone and volunteered for the actual re-packing and distribution of relief.

Once again in our simbang gabi we asked the faithful to be generous for our traditional gift giving for the less privilege. We didnt expect much because of the help they had already provided on the victims of Typhoon Ketsana (locally named 'Ondoy) but somehow we were still hopeful that the traditional gift giving push through.

But as the nine (9) days novena Mass on the advent ended, we found that most of the churchgoers were bighearted. As we were repacking the offered gifts, we discovered that most of the offererd gifts for gift giving were not the usual noddles but canned goods, coffee and powdered milk. Others provided sack of rice. Our chrisian community continues to surprise us of their generosity in helping especially when they had already given much on the recent relief effort.

This time we went to Sitio Sumilang (one of the most remote community in our parish) last December 27, 2009. As we arrived at Sitio Sumilang we were greeted by the smiles of the people of that simple community. We were jam-packed in the small chapel of Sitio Sumilang but again the church workers and faithful of Sitio Sumilang had fun that day. They received their bag of groceries and the children their chocolate,candies and cookies.

We thank the christian community who offered gifts for our traditional gift giving last advent season. We, christians can only be like Christ if we also become blessing to others.