As president of the Parish Pastoral Council of St. Catherine of Alexandria Cathedral Parish, I was tasked to welcome the participants of the grand launching of the Catholic Advocates for Religious Action (CARA) held about two weeks ago.
CARA in Spanish means face. And being created in the image and likeness of God, CARA members, who are young girls, are challenged to be “the face of Christ” wherever they are — at home, the community, school, or among peers.
CARA is a product of the church’s full-blast religious celebration of Santacruzan which used to be a highly- commercialized activity by the previous City government. I was then Vice-Mayor when I convinced the late Mayor Agustin Perdices to avoid the over-commercialization of Santacruzan, and to have it conducted purely by the church, it being a deeply- religious event.
So under the spiritual guidance of Msgr. Julius Heruela in 2007, a meaningful Santacruzan was organized by the community of Sis Bingbong Mericido of Lingkod ng Panginoon.
To this day, every year, this community, in close collaboration with the Parish Pastoral Council, organizes this religious event.
The Santacruzan, a celebration during Flores de Mayo (Flowers of May), is a re-enactment commemorating the finding of the True Cross found by St. Helena, mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great during a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. St. Helena journeyed to the Holy Land, and eventually discovered where the three crosses used at the crucifixion of Jesus and the two thieves were hidden.
In Dumaguete, each of the 26 sagalas (young women) led by Reyna Elena, dressed up in their best gowns, carry an object that symbolizes their character, with a prayer Dios te Salve being sung throughout the procession along the main thoroughfares of the City.
Members of CARA are mostly former and current Reyna Elenas and sagalas who have gone through a four-week values formation program.
After eight years of practising this time-honored Catholic Christian tradition in Dumaguete, a spirit-filled inspiration came to form a community for these young women as a support group for their personal lives, for spiritual development, and personality development.
Their parents also benefit from this community as the young women continue to learn more being “the face of Christ”.
CARA was formally established in December 2014 although it was initially launched four months prior. It officially got its imprimatur from Bishop Julito Cortes, supported by Dumaguete Cathedral Parish Priest Rev. Msgr. Marino Ybo, and Diocesan Commission on Youth Director Rev. Fr. Hendrix Alar.
CARA is a big help to the church and to society. This is because our young women of today live in a social environment where there are many conflicting values. Sad to say, they can be easily confused and misled.
But CARA can help them gain an understanding about their situation, about life, and about crucial issues facing them such as the self, peer influence, family, and their love life.
On the issue of self, many young people go through life insecure and afraid. They don’t realize their value as a person, so they look to vices and other destructive measures to feel special. On peer influence, friends have a huge influence on the thinking and action of the other person. But many friendships cause pain and suffering because they lead each other to harm.
On family life, the basic unit of society is, on many instances, the main source of hurt for young people. That is why more and more of them would rather hang out with friends out in the streets than spend quality time at home with the family. On love life, many romantic relationships have led many young people to misery.
These crucial issues facing our youth serve as challenges for CARA and the church. With God’s grace and guidance and with us working together, we can achieve the very purpose why CARA was born.
CARA stands to be truly a community that inspires young women to establish a deep and loving relationship with God through Mother Mary for family renewal and nation-building. Every single young lady is invited to join.
I congratulate the initiator and organizer of CARA led by the adviser Sis Bingbong, and CARA President Maeben Xyza Marie Ho who believes that giving their lives to God is the only way to be happy.
Happy New Year everyone! May we be blessed more abundantly this 2016.
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Author’s email: [email protected]
