Last November 22nd at 10:30 AM , His Eminence Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales officiated Mass at St. Christopher’s Church in Taipei with the Filipino community. The Cardinal made an impact to the lives of the Filipinos and gave them courage to persevere in their faith. The homily was so moving because it touched the core of being a Filipino and how we should be happy being a Filipino. He cited many instances in which Filipinos abroad made the local Church alive because of their presence. He even mentioned that as of this year, there are more than 10 million Filipinos staying overseas. Funny but true that even in the remotest part of the globe there are Filipinos. He mentioned how resilient we are as a people that even with tragedies we can still smile and be ready to start a new life from scratch. He challenged all the Filipinos attending the M ass that they have a role to play in evangelization, not just to earn money in order to help the family back home.

     He also mentioned that Taiwan and the Philippines are related not only economically and culturally but also spiritually because the first missionaries who arrived in Taiwan came from Spain and the Philippines. The Filipino missionaries worked in the different sectors here in Taiwan. They have contributed to the spiritual welfare of the Taiwanese.

     After the Mass, the parish community offered to Cardinal Rosales a simple lunch attended by the members of the Parish Pastoral Council and with some religious sisters.

     It was really a blessing that the Cardinal of Manila visited us here in the parish on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the evangelization of Taiwan. He made a difference to the lives of the Filipinos and there was a feeling that he made each one of us proud to be a Filipino.

by Fr. Leonilo Mantilla, CS