CFD Buanoy Chapter

Happy Blessed Birthday, padre! 🎉❤️

ＨＡＰＰＹ ＢＩＲＴＨＤＡＹ, ＦＲ. ＣＵＩ！

The St. Vincent Ferrer Parish – Buanoy joyfully greets our beloved Parish Priest, Rev. Fr. Reynaldo Cui, on his birthday today.

We thank God for the gift of your life, your priestly vocation, and your tireless service to our parish. Your pastoral care, leadership, and dedication continue to inspire us to grow in faith and love as one parish family.

May the Lord grant you good health, renewed strength, and abundant blessings as you continue to shepherd God’s people. Be assured of our prayers and gratitude.

Happy Birthday, Father!

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐎𝐔𝐋𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐀𝐈𝐓𝐇𝐅𝐔𝐋 𝐃𝐄𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐍𝐄𝐄𝐃 𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐏𝐑𝐀𝐘𝐄𝐑𝐒, 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐅𝐎𝐎𝐃 !

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC, 1030-1032), prayer is the most powerful and essential offering for the souls of the faithful departed. These prayers, along with sacrifices and the offering of the Mass, help purify these souls and hasten their journey to heaven. This is considered the greatest spiritual work of mercy we can offer them.

The Church teaches that the most effective ways to help the souls in Purgatory are:

-Having a Mass offered for the departed.

-Praying the Rosary for them.

-Gaining indulgences (a remission of temporal punishment) and applying them to the souls in Purgatory.

-Offering personal sacrifices and acts of charity in their name.

𝗪𝗛𝗬 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗙𝗢𝗢𝗗?

Halad / alay is a practice that has pre-colonial, indigenous roots, stemming from beliefs that the spirits of the dead journey and require sustenance (pabaon). The practice of packing the deceased loved ones’ favorite foods and bringing them to cemeteries, believing that food offerings keep the departed loved ones well-fed in their journey to the afterlife, is incompatible with the teaching of the Church because their souls no longer have their physical bodies and, therefore, cannot consume or be helped by physical food (CCC 366, 1016).

Their needs are purely spiritual, which is why the Church teaches us to help them with the spiritual "suffrages" of prayers, the Mass, and works of penance (CCC 1032).

𝙈𝙞𝙭𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝘾𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙘 𝙛𝙖𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙥𝙧𝙚-𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙥𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙚𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙨𝙞𝙣 𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙨𝙮𝙣𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙨𝙢.

However, when families and friends gather at a grave to share a meal, incorporating it with prayers and vigil, and spending time with their departed loved ones by sharing stories and keeping their memory alive, these are beautiful ways to love, honor, and remember them, rather than leaving food on the grave with the belief that the spirit will physically consume it or needs it for a journey.

Stay informed and let us always pray for the souls in Purgatory.

Stay safe during this Undas!
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sources:
https://usa.inquirer.net/159446/filipino-undas-food-offerings-superstitions
https://scjphil.org/2023/11/01/undas-a-unique-tradition-of-honoring-the-dead-in-the-philippines/
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AVAILABLE BOOKS AT THE PARISH OFFICE

The spiritual books “Luwasa Kami sa Dautan” and “Luwasa Kami sa Dautan-III” by Fr. Reynaldo T. Cui are now available at the SVF Parish Office.

Filled with prayers and reflections, these books remind us to continually seek God’s protection and deliverance from evil. A meaningful companion for strengthening faith and deepening our daily walk with the Lord.