Make a kid happy this Christmas!

CatC:H catechism Project Magpasaya 2012

The Christmas season is coming up! Have you thought of how you can celebrate it more meaningfully this year? Here’s an idea: bring joy to others, especially to those who are close to the Birthday Celebrant’s heart—little children.

This Christmas, CatC:H will hold another Project Magpasaya to bring cheer to the young beneficiaries of the feeding program of the Center for Peace Asia Foundation in Bgy. Highway Hills, Mandaluyong City. In this regard, we wish to invite you to take part in this project by sponsoring the Christmas party on December 7, 2013, Saturday, 9am to 12nn. Apart from food and games, CatC:H will also give gifts that will help the children in school.

A donation of P150 covers a child’s meal and gift. Imagine! You can make a child happy by simply foregoing your favorite Starbucks Christmas drink, a fast food meal, or popcorn and soda at the movies. Your little sacrifice will give an underprivileged child something nice to remember of Christmas in years to come!

Helping out is easy. You may give your pledge (P150) to any CatC:H member. You may also sponsor in kind by donating notebooks, ballpens, pencils, file cases, or other school materials.

If you cannot meet up with us, you may deposit your pledge in our Union Bank savings account: Arlyn Gladys Cabanting or Mary Jane Donado 101670000067. Kindly scan and email your deposit slip to calayancatechists2010@gmail.com or text Nicole at (0916) 341-3366 or Jocelyn at (0918) 497-1870 to let us know.

Thanks a lot and may you have lots of blessings this Christmas and in the coming year!

September 7 Prayer for Peace

Pope Francis declared September 7 as a day of fasting and prayer for peace in Syria, the Middle East, and the whole world. Catholic or not, let's unite with the Church in this universal call. Peace is something that all must possess.

From EWTN NEWS:

Vatican City, September 1, 2013 - Departing from his typical reflections on the Sunday gospel, Pope Francis used his Angelus audience today to call for peace throughout the world, particularly in conflict-ridden Syria.

“I appeal strongly for peace, an appeal which arises from the deep within me,” he said to the crowds in St. Peter’s Square on Sept. 1.

“There are so many conflicts in this world which cause me great suffering and worry, but in these days my heart is deeply wounded in particular by what is happening in Syria and anguished by the dramatic developments which are looming,” continued the Pope.

“For this reason, brothers and sisters, I have decided to call for a vigil for the whole Church,” he announced.

It will be “a day of fasting and prayer for peace in Syria, in the Middle East, and throughout world.”

The vigil will take place on Sept. 7, the vigil of the birth of Mary, Queen of Peace. Those who can will gather in St. Peter’s Square from 7 p.m. until midnight: other local Churches are requested to join in the fasting and prayer by gathering together.

Read more: http://www.ewtnnews.com/catholic-news/Vatican.php?id=8358#ixzz2e571ioJn

Girl Meets World: A Rural Service Project

CatC:H is inviting young professional women to celebrate the culmination of the Year of Faith by taking up the challenge given by Pope Francis to the young people all over the world. Sign up for CatC:H's Rural Service Project in Iriga, Bicol, on November 21-24, 2013.

Get ready to teach female student leaders in the different high schools in Iriga. You will be an "Ate" who can help them to face college life (and real life) with the right disposition and spirit.

Your time is valuable, and so there is no better way to spend it! Challenge yourself and step out of your comfort zone. Don't wait for somebody to do something someday. That "somebody" is you, that "something" is this, and that "someday" is NOW!

A small sacrifice each day will help you save up for the coming activities! 

Other ways to help include sharing some of your blessings: donate a chair to a school...

...or help start a festive tradition of setting up a Belen in a rural school. Advent and Christmas will be just around the corner, after all.

For more details or to be a volunteer, text Nicole at 0916-341-3366. We only have 30 slots available, so sign up now!

Flashback Friday!

This Friday, August 23, 2013, at 7:30pm, Rio 2013 volunteer Karen Crisostomo will share her experiences and what she learned from Pope Francis in last month's WYD. Come to Calayan Cultural Center and invite your friends!

You're invited!

Rainy week, this! But that doesn't mean we should stop working. So we invite you to a special talk, given by hubby-and-wife team Jason and Crystalina Evert, on Sept 7, 2013, Saturday, at the PICC Plenary Hall. Here's the poster for the details. See you there! 

Dalawang Bayani - Big Thank You!

ALBTPM - at Teatrong Mulat's lobby.   

Our first showing of Dalawang Bayani taught us two important things (and a lot of small lessons in between). The first important thing is that nothing ever turns out as planned. The second is that even if nothing turns out as planned, you can still make circumstances work for you if you are flexible, creative, and... cheerful!

We initially planned two shows on September 8, but the schools we invited suddenly scheduled some make-up classes for that day. As it was too late to invite other public schools, we decided to move the morning show to November 30, 2012, at 3pm.

Meantime, September 8's 3pm show pushed through: Teatrong Mulat ng Pilipinas performed the shadow play Ang Pagong at ang Tsonggo and the bunraku-style Dalawang Bayani, as well as treated the kids from Center for Peace Asia to a short demo on puppetry. They all loved it!

Before the show...

...looks like everyone's excited!

Cello's Doughnuts donated 10 boxes of their cute and delicious cocktail doughnuts for us to sell outside the theater, delighting the kids (and kids at heart) after the puppet show.

We're Cello's "employees" for the afternoon! ^_^

A chance to be generous
As you can see from the pictures, many kids who would not have had the chance to watch an educational and cultural show were able to experience puppetry and learn something new about history and the arts because of the pledges of generous people. The good news is the chance is still here! You can still sponsor an underprivileged child to watch this eye-opening puppet show on November 30, 2012, Bonifacio Day, for free.

Tickets are pledge cards that may be bought for Php 300, 500, 700, or 1000, depending on whether you wish to Share a Step, Go in Strides, Take a Leap, or Fly a Catechist to Brazil respectively. This is a fundraising for the 2013 World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil--proceeds will help send a CatC:H catechist to Rio--and at the same time it is an outreach event that will help underprivileged children and public school students to appreciate their national heritage.

Big thank you! 
Thanks to all the people who made this show possible with your generous support. You made many kids happy!

Albert Donado
Alvin Donado
Amalea Dulcene Nicolasora
Amy Villanueva
Angela Aninao and friends
Apollo Marco Lizano
Arra Labadan
Belle Gonzales
Carmela Castro
Cecil delos Santos
Chelle Batalia
Cherryanne Cristobal
Christian Cruz
Dan Ramirez
Diana Buenaventura
Edlyn Santiago
Egoy Gomez
Elise Cruzada
Gabi Francisco
Ghiselle Villorente
Gino Garcia
Grace Floria
Honey Cruz-Grapa
Isis Bautista
Jena Pastor & Xoce Divina
Jennifer Alambra
Joy Indrinal
Judith Octavo
Julie Ann Icotanim
Kitchie May Sumaylo
Kris Monzales
Laarni Capistrano
Laura Tumala
Laurice Juarez
Leddie Agoncillo
Ley Lacar
Lexie Estacio
Loribelle Ribleza
Lydia Aclan
Mae Servanillo
Mai Marsangca
Malou Magbojos
Maricar Pimentel
Mark Louie Gomez
Meyn Marasigan
Michelle Angelo
Natasha Bautista
Nerie Montuya
Noriza Loisa Castillo
Norman Baes
Olay Lackar
Raul Chavez
Richard Lasam
Richie Cruz
Rino Paez
Rossana Sandagon
Shane Custodio
Shasha Vargas
Sonny Espiritu

The Mulat cast at the curtain call. Applause!

Sofia Movlazadeh
Tata Francisco
Teresa Gomez

Of course, a big thank you, too, to Teatrong Mulat ng Pilipinas, without whom we wouldn't have a show. Thank you for a great show! :-)

ONE MORE WEEK to treat a kid to watch a puppet play!

Do you want to help kids from the urban poor community of Mandaluyong to appreciate their national heritage? Sponsor a child (or more!) to watch the Teatrong Mulat ng Pilipinas production, Dalawang Bayani. 

In this Palanca award-winning one-act play, Amelia Lapeña-Bonifacio puts the two key figures in Philippine history together in a dialogue that gets them to talk of their joys, sorrows, hopes, loves, and special vision for the Nation that they both dream of passing down to the new generation of Filipinos.

The Catechists of Calayan (Catc:H) invite you to this rare restaging of Dalawang Bayani, the 1995 winner for One Act Play in Filipino in the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature. Proceeds will help send a catechist to the 2013 World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Watch Dalawang Bayani on September 8, 2012, at 10am or 3pm, at the Amelia Lapeña-Bonifacio Teatro Papet Museo, 64 Mapagkawanggawa St. Teacher's Village East, Diliman, QC.

Tickets are pledge cards that may be bought for Php 300, 500, 700, or 1000, depending on whether the person wishes to Share a Step, Go in Strides, Take a Leap, or Fly a Catechist to Brazil respectively. Those who can't watch may also support us by sponsoring a child from the urban poor communities of Bgy. Highway Hills, Mandaluyong City, or public school students from Ramon Magsaysay and Rizal High School to watch the play for free. Whichever way you would like to help, you’re sure it is for a good cause!

For tickets or to pledge, please contact Nicole at 0916-341-3366 or any Catc:H member you know. Thanks!