Being Media For God, Servants On Stage

I Know My Savior Lives

2011-04-23T23:02:00.005+08:00

In my heart, I know my Savior lives

I can hear him calling tenderly my name.
Over sin and death he has prevailed
In his glory, in his new life we partake!

One of the famous characters I truly admire in the Lord's Passion narrative is St Mary Magdalene. Known as the "apostle to the apostles", this beloved saint has been often misidentified with the adulterous woman in the Gospel of St John or the sister of Lazarus who has the same name.

Unlike the disciples of the Lord, Mary of Magdalene did not hid herself from the shame and ridicule that would befall any follower of Christ that first Good Friday. The popular movie of the 70s, "Jesus of Nazareth" showed her crying for Jesus' release when almost all of the mob in Pilate's court were shouting the opposite. Mary was there at the foot of the cross together with the other Marys, especially the Blessed Virgin Mary. She was there too guarding the tomb when Christ was laid to rest there and, she was on her way there to anoint the body of the Lord when she saw the stone rolled.

Mary Magdalene experienced how gracious this carpenter-turned-itinerant teacher was. She began to know Him more and more! From that knowledge she developed a love for Him, a love that prodded her to serve Him come hell or high water. She was privileged to be one of those faithful followers to whom the Lord appeared when He rose again from the dead. The Lord rewards those who would remain faithful to Him to the end, isn't it?

The above song entitled "Song of Mary Magdalene" sums up Mary Magdalene's belief in the resurrection and its effect on all who would share in her belief. We ask her intercession and inspiration that our lives would truly bear witness to Jesus' triumph over sin and death; that our lives would truly be a message of hope of that new life in union with our Lord.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your support and participation in our online Lenten and Holy Week projects particularly The Seven Last Words. Through this journey we hope that the lessons we learned in Lent would make us more knowledgeable of who the Lord really is in our life and from that we may truly love Him and dedicate ourselves wholly to His cause. If we have died with Him on the cross, we'll surely rise with Him to new life, a life to the full!

This May we welcome a new staff writer: Ms Herminia "Grace" Jamandri-Flores. Grace will be writing the God-speak reflections for the coming month. We hope you stay tuned so we could all continue to know more about our Lord, nurturing ourselves with His Word so we could ensure that the new life He has breathed on us at Easter would be as vibrant and inspiring to others as possible.

A Blessed Easter to you and your loved ones!

God bless.

In behalf of www.anluwage.com

Pietro S Albano
Editor-in-Chief

Glow and Grow!

2010-10-06T17:15:00.003+08:00

One more year and we will now be out of the “teen” years. The previous "teen" years were full of challenges involving the short but bitter-sweet comeback in the parish and the subsequent outreach to Catholic Christians outside of Gagalangin and even outside the Philippines!

Anluwage can now be called as a full blow man, flourishing its ministry of evangelizing through communication using all sorts of media specially the web.

I would like to thank all the men and women behind the website and also all of our contributors all over the world.

Hopefully we will continue to glow, grow, and maximize the use of the web as our way of spreading the Good News to all men.

Many more years to come for all of us and congratulations for a job well done!

Vladimir V Reyes
President
Tanghalang Anluwage, Inc

Welcome, Patty!

2010-07-01T21:40:00.004+08:00

The year has already gone mid-way and the web looks back at the first 6 months with gratitude for the Lord’s continuous guidance, the perseverance of our staff, the support we receive from our readers, the networking that has been developed, and the growing number of our writers for God-speak.

Last month, we read in God-speak the reflections by Tita Rose Markell. We thank her for sharing her thoughts and experiences via her articles and look forward to receive and read more write-ups from her in the future.

As July ushers in a new leader in the Philippines, so is this month opening its doors to a new God-speaker in the person of Patty De la Rosa-Paat. Patty began contributing articles to us since 2007 when she was invited to take part in the web’s Advent special, The Nine Gifts. I must say that this special as well as The Seven Last Words, have been spring boards for recruitment!

By 2008, she was appointed as a Researcher for the web. Most of her work can be found in the Ano Yun? sub-section. Having taken her experience there on board, she has accepted the challenge to be part of God-speak.

Welcome to God-speak, Patty! Wishing you God’s blessings on your role this month and always.

We would welcome more volunteers to join us in our apostolate. God’s vineyard is so huge. The more workers the better!

God bless.

Piet

Grace Confirmed

2010-06-03T17:06:00.005+08:00

It is with pleasure that I confirm Grace Madriñan's permanent appointment as Pahina 3 Editor with immediate effect.

Time has really flown so fast that it has been six months since we invited her to look after this sub-section on a temporary basis.

From Day 1, Grace has been hitting ground with the various articles featured in Pahina 3. Our weekly issue will not be complete without an article or two from that budding sub-section.

We would like to congratulate and thank Grace for all her efforts and wish her all the best as she continues to perform her role.

If you have any poems, songs, essays, short stories, and other creative works that you wish to publish in the web or you would like to be part of Grace's team, please do not hesitate to get in touch with her: erickagwen@gmail.com

Refreshed by the Spirit poured out upon us at Pentecost a few Sundays ago, let us work together to proclaim God's love in the web!

God bless us all!

On behalf of the Editorial Board,

Pietro S. Albano
Editor-in-Chief

Welcome, Tita Rose!

2010-05-30T22:26:00.003+08:00

It's almost June and in that month, we remember in particular all the lay faithful who are involved in the various ministries in the Church.

When I started serving in a parish many years ago, one of the lay persons that won my admiration was Tita Rose Guevarra Markell. A beauty in her own right, she was a lector in one of the many Sunday Masses in Gagalangin. Apart from that she was an active member and later Regent of the Daughters of Mary Immaculate which my late grandmother Pilar founded. Tita Rose was also involved in the Lions Clubs International; she is the Chartered President of Gagalangin Lions Club. I got to know more about her through my brother Giovanni whose high school classmate RJ is Tita Rose's youngest son.

Tita Rose is like a mom to me and I'm very glad that she has accepted our invitation to be part of the God-speak team. We appreciate her contribution and look forward to a fruitful collaboration with her.

We are indeed growing in numbers and are open to more volunteers. If you have the talent, please share it!

Looking forward to hear from you!

God bless!

Pietro S. Albano
Editor-in-Chief

Be Faithful!

2010-04-03T16:29:00.004+08:00

Filipino religiosity would not be complete without the Salubong, that renactment of the encounter between the Risen Christ and His Mother Mary. The Bible didn't mention if anything like that occured, but it seems already obvious that it is no longer necessary to mention it at all.

I enjoyed watching this event as a child and as an adult. My late aunt, who used to organise the repertoire of 'angels' taught me the song Regina Caeli, which these 'angels' would sing during the Salubong. So much have I learnt it that I sang it when it was performed!

Easter dispels that sadness and pain that was felt in Good Friday. Easter breaks away the death that almost stole Our Lord from us. Easter shows us how faithful Jesus was.

If you go back to The Seven Last Words, our Holy Week Special, you would notice that almost all our priests mentioned the need for and importance of faithfulness. In fact, the theme we chose for this year points to the same thing. Fr Ranhilio Aquino wrote in his column in Manila Standard Today that God the Father wasn't glorified with Jesus' bloody death on the cross. How could a loving Father be pleased with that? Even human fathers, no matter how bad they are, couldn't stand seeing their children suffer like that. God was pleased with His Son's faithfulness even to the point of losing His own precious life!

We who have been saved by Jesus's blood should do the same. If we claim Jesus as Savior and King, then we too must imitate Him. Snatched from the hands of Satan, we must now put on the cloak of faithfulness!

As we celebrate the Lord's triumph over sin and death, let us be mindful of our vows as Christians, our vows as spouses/parents, our vows as priests/religious, our vows as leaders of nations and communities. And as we bear these in mind, let us keep ourselves focused on this. Temptations of every sort would come, but let us continuously trust in Christ's abiding presence in us. Let us confide to Mary our Mother.

Fidelity should be part of our criteria in choosing our nation's leaders. If we vote for someone who has proven to be unfaithful - in either public office or private life - then we are putting our country in danger. It's high time we give the Philippines a taste of Easter!

Holy Week has been a time to look back at what Jesus has done for us. It has been a worthwhile time for us at anluwage.com to have done our share in this journey. We thank our seven priests for their generosity in sharing with us their reflection on The Seven Last Words. We also thank all other benefactors and friends - that includes you! - for giving us this chance to be of service. You will all be remembered in our prayers, sacrifices, and good works; particularly in the Holy Mass that will be celebrated for you at Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Church (Bulwell, Nottingham, UK) on 11 April 2010, Divine Mercy Sunday.

Refreshed by the Lord's Easter blessing, we keep up the good work; we proclaim without fail that He is indeed risen!

May you and your loved ones have a Happy Easter!

On behalf of Tanghalang Anluwage, Inc. I remain

Sincerely yours in the Risen Lord,

Pietro S. Albano
Editor-in-Chief

Thank God it's Holy Week!

2010-03-25T21:26:00.009+08:00

Hello everyone!

Please allow me to start this message by inviting you all to walk with us as we take that spiritually satisfying journey with Christ this Holy week and Easter. The spiritual journey includes meaningful reflections from our several invited guest priests through our special feature, The Seven Last Words; personal reflections from our writers in God-speak and other readings and videos related to Holy Week. May you encounter Christ and grow in Him as we go through this journey together, with the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

Holy Week might be the busiest time for the Church with the most meaningful events as we relive Jesus sufferings and victory over death. I remember how we in Anluwage, way back in the 1990s, are working double time to lead and participate in the different Holy Week activities while trying to renew and recharge our faith with the Lord. We have held street Senakulo, done visita iglesia on foot, participated in "Pabasa", Stations of the Cross, "Salubong", and many more. Indeed, Holy Week is filled with soul saving activities. It is the time fully dedicated to our Lord, to purify our souls and to strengthen our faith. It offers a lot of opportunities for us to reunite with the Lord, to repent and be renewed, to further strengthen our connection with Him and to savor the so many blessings we have received and are continuously receiving from Him.

Let us grab that chance to walk with Jesus this Holy Week and with Him, celebrate Easter, His victory, which won us the eternal life in heaven! And as we honor the gifts of Easter, may Jesus resurrect and reign in our hearts forever!

Mabuhay si Jesus!

Anabelle Payod-Balla
Faith Section Editor

Couples in Christ

2010-03-02T18:07:00.002+08:00

I’m often touched to see couples having the same interest, profession, and the like, particularly serving the People of God. This only shows that both of them see things together and put their actions together. The Virgin Mary and St Joseph is a pair we could think of. Perhaps you could also recall your own parents or grandparents or any other relatives who have been together in worshipping and serving the Lord.

The web is truly blessed to have Benj and Fely Santiago as part of the God-speak Team. Benj, as you know, was our writer for last month. This month, it’s his better half’s turn to share with us her insights and experiences in the Sunday Mass readings. The Santiagos have been active in the Magis Deo Marriage Encounter Community as well as the Brotherhood of Christian Businessmen and Professionals. They have been blessed with four children: Reuben James, Chai, Rocky, and Chiara.

We thank both Benj and Fely for being part of our evangelization and look forward to a fruitful relationship with them. May they inspire other couples out there to always remain in the Lord’s love and to stay focused in bringing His message of hope to a world that is continuously being dragged to despair.

As Lent goes into full swing, we would like to invite all of you especially married and would-be married couples to do something different this season. Why not join us in our apostolate, for a change? Whatever talent you have would be most welcome.

Let me also take this opportunity to ask for your prayers for the success of our forthcoming ‘The Seven Last Words’ which will come ‘live’ on 28th March, Palm Sunday. This year, being the Year of Priests, we have invited 7 priests to share their reflection on the words of Jesus.

In March we also celebrate the feast of St Joseph (19th). We continue to thank the Lord for the blessings received through St Joseph’s intercession. In preparation for his feast, please join us in praying ‘The Seven Sorrows and Joys of St Joseph’.

May God bless us all!

Pietro S Albano

Editor-in-Chief

Five Years Na!

2010-02-02T17:25:00.012+08:00

Five years ago, Tanghalang Anluwage, Inc brought forth a new, innovative, and challenging ministry into the World Wide Web. It was an opportune time – the organization was then in a healing process following its disbandment in 2003.

One of the first features of our website was the reflection on the Sunday Mass Readings. This was previously known as ‘Before Sundays’. As the name suggests, reflections are made available to web surfers days before the Sunday when the particular readings would be proclaimed at Mass. Apart from ‘Before Sundays’ were opinion columns like ‘Tanggero’ penned by Mike Flores and ‘Bits and Bobs’ by yours truly. We never lose time in having our devotional specials too that year: ‘The Seven Last Words’ in Holy Week, while ‘The Nine Gifts’ in Advent. These and many more became our main stays in the web since then. In 2008, we streamlined our web contents and classified them under their respective sections.

By 2007, we started to recruit more hands to write the reflections for ‘Before Sundays’ which was renamed ‘God-speak’ to emphasize that what is being ‘spoken about’ is God and His message as contained in the Mass readings. We had our ‘Tres Marias’ taking turns in sharing their reflection to our readers: Anabelle Payod-Balla, Elizabeth Eguia, and Nicola Albano.

In 2008/09, ‘God-speak’ was able to attract more ‘God-speakers’ each sharing their experience on God’s Word which has been a source of inspiration and hope for our readers. We welcomed Grace Madriñan in 2008; the following year we opened our doors to Fidji Rivera-Sarmiento, Gharri Tulabut, Mayzelle Atienza, and Nette Andres. Anabelle is currently leading the Faith Section where ‘God-speak’ belongs. Incidentally, Grace has recently been tasked to head ‘Pahina 3’, another promising sub-section in the web.

This year, I am happy to announce that we will be having 12 writers in ‘God-speak’. Gharri, who is on his second year stint with us, ushered our readers in January. We thank Gharri for his lively and personal writings and look forward to his contribution in the future not only in ‘God-speak’ but elsewhere.

We welcome now Engr Benjamin ‘Benj’ Santiago, our February God-speaker. A family man whose apostolate is to keep families together and help them gain financial independence, Sir Benj was one of our writers in ‘The Nine Gifts’ last year. Rest assured, Sir Benj, of our prayers and support as you guides us in reflecting God’s Word this month.

More faces will be introduced as go through the year. Of course, there's still more spaces for everyone who would like to hone their skills in the web. We would need additional news writers and researchers as well as layout artists. Whatever talent you could contribute, you're more than welcome in this ministry! So feel free to contact us.

In the mean time, let’s continue to remember each other in our prayers and keep that light of Christ burning and shining for all to see, for all to follow, for all to abide with.

Thanks you once again for your unrelenting support. May the good Lord bless us all.

Happy 5th Birthday, www.anluwage.com !

Regards,

Piet

Christmas 2009 Message

2009-12-23T23:56:00.006+08:00

Christmas is a memorable time for most of us. My first memory of this blessed season was seeing a Nativity scene. Indeed, this is the most popular Christmas decor for it reminds us of the very core of what we are celebrating year after year: God was born in our midst.

We have often received this God-made-Man in various occasions. In a way, we become 'pregnant' with the Lord. The only natural thing to do is to bring Him forth in our many acts of kindness, words of encouragement, and deeds of love.

At Anluwage, each of us has brought forth Jesus from our hearts and into the hearts and minds of our readers. This month, I must admit, has been a busy one for us with the "Nine Gifts" devotion as our preparation for the Lord's Birth. Previous to that, our whole group raised funds for the victims of two destructive typhoons that hit the Philippines in October - the funds have now been turned over to GMA Kapuso Foundation, Inc. who has been tasked to disburse the funds for school supplies to elementary school students who have lost these during the onslaught of the typhoons.

As we once again celebrate Christmas, let's approach the Nativity scene and renew our dedication to be the Infant Jesus' bearers in a world that has often denied and rejected the truth that He alone is its saviour.

Thank you for all your hardwork, support, and prayers to the web. We'll leave 2009 with a heart full of good memories and thanksgiving for all the wonders God has done for us. We'll welcome the New Year with hope and assurance that He is with us forever!

May Jesus, the King born for us, bless us all in our endeavours.

In behalf of the Editorial Board, I wish you all a Happy Christmas and a Christ-filled 2010!

Pietro S. Albano
Editor-in-Chief

Welcome Nette!

2009-11-28T22:01:00.008+08:00

Happy New Liturgical Year, dear readers!

The Advent Season, apart from being a period of hopeful waiting and joyful preparation for the Lord's Birth, marks the beginning of a new year for the Church. And for us in the web, this new year ushers in a new volunteer writer for God-speak.

Mga kapatid, may I introduce you to Jeanne Therese Hilario-Andres who will be our writer for the December issue of God-speak. Nette, as we call her, is the wife of Dr Roberto 'Obet' Andres, my former colleague and tutor at the University of Santo Tomas. She and her family are residents in the UK. She has once taken part in our Nine Gifts 2008 devotion.

We would like to extend to Nette our prayerful wishes as she guides us through her writings our Advent and Christmas journey. Grazie mille to Mayzelle too for her contributions in the November issue of God-speak.

As each of us gets ready for Christmas, looking for the gift we could give to others, more specifically to the Lord, here's an expense-free, soul-refreshing, Spirit-filled suggestion: be part of our growing family! Whatever talent you have, you'll be more than welcome to utilize this in the web for God and His Church.

May the Blessed Mother and St Joseph continuously pray for us this blessed season of Advent.

Pietro S. Albano
Editor-in-Chief

Pahina 3 Sub-Section Editor

2009-11-20T19:15:00.004+08:00

The web continues to grow thanks to its dedicated staff and avid readers. Thanks too, of course, goes to our Lord for constantly giving us the grace to continue our mission.

God-speak has been a popular sub-section with a growing number of team members taking turns to share their reflection on the Word. Another item that has the potential to attract more readers is Pahina 3, one of 4 sub-sections under the Features Section.

In line with my vision to make the web a relevant and reliable Catholic and Filipino website, we felt that we would need more people to make this a reality. We have begun it in Faith Section with Ana Payod-Balla at the helm and now we believe that it's Pahina 3's turn to have someone looking after it.

Friends, it’s my pleasure to introduce to you Grace Madriñan, Pahina 3’s first Editor. Grace started with us as one of our volunteer writers in God-speak a year ago. Considering her sterling performance in that sub-section, we believe that it's high time now for her to progress onto the next level in the web.

Her appointment will take effect on 1st December 2009, but let me tell you that she has started to buckle down to work as soon as she was named into the position. That’s what I call exceeding expectations!

We thank Grace for accepting the challenge and we ask you all to offer her all the support that you could muster.

We hope that in the coming months we would be able to promote more members to various leading roles in the web. We’re also getting ready for our Christmas Novena – The Nine Gifts. So watch this space!

Like what I always say: please include us in your prayers, please be part of our growing team so we could reach out for more souls.

God bless us always!

Pietro S. Albano
Editor-in-Chief

Hello Mayzelle!

2009-11-04T18:06:00.001+08:00

“Tell it to others.” That’s our constant advice to whoever gets inspired, enlightened, touched by the various writings in our website. There have been a number of recommendations made to family, friends, acquaintances, colleagues, etc about the web and these have started to bear fruit through additional volunteers being welcomed into the team.

We continue to see all our efforts paying off. Friends, let’s welcome Mayzelle Atienza, our 7th God-speaker who is currently writing the November reflections. Mayzelle used to be with Intel Technology, but is presently involved in a Catholic Charismatic group.

We thank Mayzelle for taking part in our apostolate and wish her God’s blessings in all her contributions in God-speak.

Our gratitude also goes to Fidji Rivera-Sarmiento who wrote the last 2 months reflections in our fastest growing column. It has been a challenge for Fidji especially that she now has a baby boy to look after. We look forward to working with her in the near future.

Telling others about the web can make a difference. Filled with God’s Spirit, let us keep on telling others about our ministry. For sure, there are hidden gems out there that need to be unearthed, polished, and displayed for all to see. Anluwage would definitely be a good home for them!

Keep in touch,

Piet

Aid to Ondoy and Pepeng Victims

2009-10-14T18:19:00.004+08:00

Dear friends,

The recent typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng have devasted numerous parts of our country: submerging houses and other establishments in flashfloods, forcing people to leave their homes and properties, destroying farmlands and their produce, placing the entire nation under a state of calamity.

Tanghalang Anluwage, Inc in celebration of its 18th Foundation Anniversary and in recognition of its visions as an acive contributor to the "building and rebuilding of a favorable society" is reaching its hands to our countrymen affected by these typhoons, particularly elementary school children who have no access to school supplies (e.g. pens, notebooks, pencils, etc).

In coordination with GMA Kapuso Foundation, a non-stock, non-profit organization that seeks to provide assistance to our less fortunate brothers and sisters anywhere in the country, we would like ask for your financial assistance in our noble endeavor.

We are collecting donations between 19 October 2009 and 19 November 2009. If you are interested, please contact and/or send donations to:

Philippines: Vladimir Reyes (vladimir_reyes_vvr@yahoo.com.ph)
UK: Pietro Albano (pietroalbano@yahoo.com; Bank info: Pietro Albano; HSBC; Account No. 20003344; Sort Code: 40-35-63)
USA: Art Reyes (artbreyes@yahoo.com; Bank Account info: Arthur B. Reyes; Bank Of America; Account No. 0080647902; Swift Code: BOFAUS3N)

Together let us be part of the nation's recovery from these typhoons. Let us contribute in making the country a more pleasant place to live in.

Thank you.

On behalf of Tanghalang Anluwage, Inc I remain

Yours sincerely,

Vladimir V Reyes
President

Mystery and Ministry

2009-10-07T20:04:00.004+08:00

"How can this be?" has often been the first reaction when we encounter a mystery. Even the saints have a similar way of behaving. Mary asked the Archangel Gabriel "How can this be?" when told that she would be God's Mother. Elizabeth asked the same thing when her Lord's Mother came to visit her.

"How can this be?" has also been the question when young people from across religious organisations in Gagalangin Parish came together to form Anluwage 18 years ago. Some asked in disbelief (i.e. eyebrows raised), others in sheer wonder, while still others in hope.

Mysteries have always been part of our lives. As Christians we have 20 mysteries in the life of Our Lord and Our Blessed Lady that we reflect on everytime we recite the rosary whose devotion we promote and practice more fervently this month.

However mysteries remain as such if we don't move on after asking the question "How can this be?". For Mary, she accepted God's invite to be His Mother and therefore her whole life became forever united with the Lord. For us who welcomed Anluwage in our community then, our lives too were changed: actively taking part in a new way of serving for God and His people, be it in theater or print or both.

"Amen!" is the best word we could utter once we accept these God-given mysteries.

If we accept God-given mysteries, if we live them, I believe they become ministries. You cannot and should not keep the experience to yourself. You have to share it for the glory of God and the good of others. On the other hand, if we decline these, we end up experiencing miseries.

We thank the Lord for allowing us to experience the Anluwage mystery and enabling us by His Spirit to respond to that experience through ministry. Another year has been given to Anluwage for which we are so grateful for. Another year to keep that ministry aflame and ever responsive. Thanks too goes to you, our dear readers for staying tuned to us through the years.

Have you too experienced that Anluwage mystery? Would you like to put that experience forward? Then join us in taking on the challenge! Be with us in saying "Amen!"

Happy 18th birthday, Anluwage!

Pietro S. Albano
Editor-in-Chief

Hello, Teacher Fidji!

2009-09-03T16:13:00.003+08:00

Filipinos, in general, find themselves adapting quite easily in their new setting like working in a foreign country. We learn things quickly, we get along with people without much of a hassle, and if possible we bring and share our faith and culture in our new destination.

The headlines are full of Pinoy expatriates contributing to the development of their newly-found communities, particularly enriching the Catholic Faith with the fervor and religiosity that our forebears have inculcated to us when we were still kids.

This month we remember all our kababayans spread all over the world that in spite of all the challenges and adjustments they have to face, they would remain steadfast in living our faith.

Anluwage.com, I am proud to say, has been an avenue where migrant Pinoys are able to hone their skills and nurture their faith for the glory of Him who endowed us with these skills and offered us this faith. Through the years our projects have gathered Pinoys from across the world to bring Christ’s light so as to affirm our readers’ faith (readers not necessarily 100% Pinoys).

During the last 2 months, we had Gharri Tulabut, based at home writing reflections in God-speak. We thank Gharri for all his hard work. We continue with that apostolate, this time with a Pinay based in the US – Mrs Frances ‘Teacher Fidji’ Rivera-Sarmiento. Fidji, one of my former Psychology students in UST, has actually been one of our reflection contributors in last year’s The Nine Gifts. After having that ‘baptism of fire’ if you like, she has accepted our invitation to be part of this growing sub-section.

Let’s give Fidji a warm welcome in the web and wish her our prayers and best wishes in her role for the next 2 months. Also, as Fidji is expecting Baby No. 2, let’s pray for a safe delivery.

Could anluwage.com be an avenue for you too to to answer the Lord’s call wherever you are based? Please let us know!

God bless.

Pietro S. Albano
Editor-in-Chief

Welcome, Gharri!

2009-06-26T14:58:00.002+08:00

Dear readers,

We continue with our progress in the web by having another volunteer writer for the much-subscribed God-speak section.

Please join me in welcoming Gharri Tulabut who will be sharing his experiences with us in the July and August reflections in God-speak.

Gharri is an Industrial Engineering graduate and has worked in a semiconductor company in various supply chain management roles. He also is a part time staff of a concert-organizing group which brings various Christian bands in the Philippines.

He was actually introduced to us by Grace Madrinan, another volunteer writer for God-speak. Indeed if there is something good in the web, then the next step is to tell it to others. The beauty of it all is when these ‘others’ come along and, hopefully, never leave.

The web, more than ever, needs more people to make our mission realized. If that’s you please let us know. And if you know someone else who would also be interested, please help us spread the Good News.

Yours sincerely,
Pietro S. Albano

Faith Section Editor

2009-06-10T17:49:00.005+08:00

Dear readers,

It has been two years since I assumed the role as Editor-in-Chief of our website. Part of my vision is to have a relevant and reliable Filipino Catholic website. Thanks to the support of both readers and writers, this vision is continuously being realized. I am convinced that as we get more people involved in the life of the web, the better we are in serving our readers. It is in this mindset that we recruit more writers and, in the process, develop them into leaders.

Faith section to which "God-speak", "Ano Yun?", "Call Center", "Tanong Po" and "i.e." fall under has been a growing section which showcases the richness of our Catholic Faith. In order to sustain that growth, we thought that it is high time for someone to take the lead.

It is indeed with happiness and pleasure that I announce Anabelle Payod-Balla's appointment as Faith Section Editor effective 6th August 2009.

Ana or Aye has been a leader in the various projects that Tanghalang Anluwage has spearheaded. Apart from that is her experience in Human Resource Management in Intel Philippines.

Please join me in welcoming and wishing her well in her much deserved appointment. Kindly extend too all the support that you could muster so she could effectively lead this section.

Thank you.
Pietro S. Albano
Editor-in-Chief

Resurrexit

2009-04-12T00:02:00.002+08:00

Resurrexit sicut dixit, alleluia!
(He is risen as He said, alleluia!)

Jesus' rising from the dead three days after that horrible scene in Golgotha conveys to us that our God is faithful, one who neither deceives nor can be deceived, one who is true to His word no matter what.

The great feast of Easter then calls us to be faithful like Him. To stand up for God and burn bridges with the devil. It does make sense why we have the Renewal of our Baptismal Vows during the Masses held in the Easter Vigil and on Easter Sunday. At Lent, we shared in Christ's passion and death through the various sacrifices and other pious and charitable works. This season, it's high time we share in the glory of the resurrection following the exhortation of St Paul, whose 2000th birth anniversary we are commemorating this year: "Christ, our passover, has been sacrificed; let us celebrate the feast, then, by getting rid of all the old yeast of evil and wickedness, having only the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth."

We at anluwage.com have always valued serving God's people. It is through reaching out to others that we are able to proclaim Jesus' Good News. In order to make a better impact on others, we have linked up with other Catholic communities complementing each other's work. Two years ago we have began a partnership with the Parishes of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour and Divine Infant of Prague. Last year, we welcomed PREDA and the Confraternity of Catholic Saints. This year, we opened our doors to Radio Maria Philippines, a Catholic radio based in Tarlac, Philippines. We thank these communities for welcoming us too and we look forward to working more closely together to bring Jesus and His Good News to more people.

During those years we have also welcomed more volunteers into the fold. Early this year, we have two new God-speak volunteers - Fidji Rivera-Sarmiento and Gharri Tulabut. We hope that by next year we will have twelve volunteers each writing the Gospel reflections per month. Could you be one of these we are looking for? Please don't stifle that calling in your heart! Do get in touch with us.

We thank you too, beloved readers, for staying tuned to us during this Holy Week and always. In your small ways, you too have been one with us in evangelizing the world. Keep up the good work!

The Faithful Risen Jesus is counting on all of us! This Easter and always let's be His faithful people!

Happy Easter!

Pietro S. Albano
Editor-in-Chief

Be Holy

2009-04-01T22:09:00.008+08:00

It has been said that the word sacrifice comes from Latin which means 'to make holy'. If you read the Gospel readings leading to Holy Week, Jesus has made it crystal clear why He was sent into this world: to do the Father's will. Doing the Father's will entailed that He has to suffer and to suffer much even to the point of dying. Yet He humbly accepted all that. He offered those to the Father, thus making all those hardships, all those pain, all those heartaches HOLY.

For the foolish, Jesus' suffering and death on the cross are nothing. They perceive Him as just any ordinary criminal who has to die as a punishment for crimes committed. But for us who follow Jesus, it means more than than. As our Holy Week 2009 theme would put it, Christ won us, making us His own.

Human suffering has been all over the place especially these days when the world economy is collapsing, when justice and peace are not upheld, when the Gospel's message is not being paid attention to. We are all affected by these one way or the other. We can complain about it. We can cry over it. We can fight against it. But let's not forget that we can sanctify it! How? By offering it to God in union with Jesus His Son whose Body and Blood is offered to the Father in the daily Mass all over the world.

Let's do our share in making Holy Week truly holy by uniting ourselves with Jesus all the time. Here in our website, we are offering you once again The Seven Last Words as well as other regular items as companions in our Hoy Week journey. Time has flown so fast that it has been 4 years already since The Seven Last Words have been first introduced in the web. We couldn't thank enough the men and women who have given their time, talents, and efforts to this project. We ask the Lord to bless them in all their endeavors. We ask too His blessings on you, dear readers for being with us through and through.

One with Christ Crucified, may we all have a meaningful Holy Week. One with Him, may we all become and remain holy.

Pietro S. Albano

Editor-in-Chief

What Makes...

2009-03-16T19:05:00.002+08:00

"What makes an Anluwage an Anluwage?" was a question I casually asked while getting myself ready anchoring for a video presentation way back in Manila in 2002. "What makes an Anluwage an Anluwage even if you don on him/her another parish organization's uniform?" I continued. The question went unanswered...at least for a couple of years.

Having moved to the UK, I am grateful to have been given the chance to serve the Lord through the web ministry of Tanghalang Anluwage, Inc. Come to think of it, I have been to at least three ministries of this group: first in the parish newsletter, then to the theater, and now in the web. In spite of that 'movement', the question was still left unanswered. The question was still waiting for that definitive reply.

At the beginning of 2008, we have unveiled the new vision and mission statements of the web. Following suit, the entire group adopted the same statements. Aware of these statements; one serving as our dream, the other as our means of achieving that dream, we feel that it's time to define who we really are.

And so on this solemn feast of St Joseph, the Great Anluwage of old, our very own patron saint, we are presenting to you "What makes an Anluwage?" in the hope that you will know more about us and what makes us unique. Through this, we look forward to working even further with you and for you. Read here.

- Piets Albano

Wisdom Behind the Prayer

2008-11-06T16:21:00.000+08:00

When Piet asked me to come up with an Anluwage prayer, I was deeply honored. It was another opportunity for me to praise the Lord. Though I normally start my prayers praising God, my extreme delight for this opportunity brought me to write the words, “leap for joy” and “shout praises”.

I consider serving the Lord as an opportunity, a blessing to be grateful for, to look forward for. This is the reason why the tone of the prayer is quite upbeat. I also thought of how dedicated the people are behind the Anluwage. Their commitment has inspired me to ask the Lord for continued guidance, to keep the gladness in our hearts as we serve Him and His Son with the help of the Holy Spirit. I pray with my heart that Anluwage will continue to exist as long as possible. And one thing that can help make that happen is if all of us in Anluwage will continue to find joy and meaning in doing our respective roles.

I hope that when we say the Anluwage prayer, we pray with our hearts, in an upbeat tone. There is excitement, there is faith and there is burning desire to receive what we are asking for.

May God bless us all!

Anabelle Payod-Balla
Senior Writer

At Work and at Prayer

2008-10-24T22:48:00.000+08:00

Nowadays we tend to be in a rush. We want to accomplish quite a lot of things in such a short period of time. So busy have we become that we have failed to recognize the spiritual aspect in us.

We look at how Jesus was so active in His ministry, yet we may not have noticed how He took some time off to commune with His Father, to reflect on His mission, to be energized by the Holy Spirit in those quiet times.

I guess we also are amazed at how strong and passionate St Joseph was as a carpenter. Although Holy Scriptures did not contain much of his life, we would be certain that he was a man of prayer and surely was Jesus' model in life.

It is in this vein that we at Anluwage, on our 17th foundation anniversary, decided to come up with a prayer, a prayer that humbly seeks God's Spirit to move us continuously in responding to the challenges of the times. It is also a prayer that remembers a particular monthly intention.

We thank Anabelle Payod-Balla for her kindness in composing this prayer. Ana was also the responsible for the lyrics of our group's song.

As a start, our November intention is focused on all college students across the country who are about to begin a new semester in their academic lives. Reminiscing, Anluwage began with almost all of its members being college students. Personally, it was both an exciting and trying time to balance apostolate and study.

Let me also take this opportunity to welcome our newest addition to the web: Grace Madrinan. Grace is Ana's colleague at work who has been very kind to take part in our apostolate as a contributor writer for God-speak. More volunteers welcome!

As you are one with us in our ministry, please join us in reciting this prayer. Recite it everytime you browse the web or as you start your day. Together both in work and prayer we will be able to carry on the mission that the good Lord has entrusted to us.

Birth, Nourishment, Growth

2008-10-07T14:15:00.000+08:00

Seventeen years ago, a group of young parishioners - most in either teens or early 20s - congregated to organise the St. Joseph de Gagalangin Parish Youth Council (PYC). During that period when the PYC was being conceived Anluwage came into being. Anluwage was the forerunner of the PYC. I wouldn't dismiss though Anluwage's birth as mere coincidence but more of a prod of the Holy Spirit in a community which needed change and revival.

Birth, nourishment, growth. All important steps for anyone who has life and has a mission. Personally, these three have now come into the fore as I become a father to a beautiful 3 week old daughter.

We have given birth to Anluwage not only in 1991, but through the various articles or theatre presentations we have passionately participated. And like the human birth, we experienced the labour pains before we could bring about the best in us.

We have nourished Anluwage through our inputs - time, talents, efforts, etc. As a baby would need to be fed and changed regularly 24/7, each of us have been there for the group day in and day out to keep her alive and responding.

We have a hand in Anluwage's growth and development. Every hand, mind, and heart put together works for the good of all. Gazing on my daughter, I am pleased to see how she grew since her birth. In the same vein, we're all happy to note how an infant group is now a teenager! The challenge now is to support Anluwage through and through, making it more relevant and responsive to the needs of the Church and society.

The web has been well subscribed during Holy Week via The Seven Last Words. It also looks promising in the collaborative efforts it has undertaken with other Catholic communities like the Confraternity of Catholic Saints and the Our Lady of Perpetual Succour and Divine Infant of Prague Parishes in Nottingham, England. There is still more work to be done and we hope that there would be more volunteers to act as writers, researchers, and the like. Could you be this one? The Holy Spirit might be prodding you - please don't ignore His invitation!

As we celebrate our 17th anniversary, we thank God for calling us into this mission. I believe Anluwage is God's work and not ours. May He then continue to guide and inspire us the way He enlightened the minds of our founding fathers so we could persevere in building and rebuilding our society according to His will. May His Spirit which He sent to our pioneers touch our hearts so we could allow Anluwage to be reborn in our midst.

Our sincerest thanks goes to you all who have stayed tune to us over the last year. May you too be blessed a hundredfold!

On behalf of Tanghalang Anluwage, Inc

Pietro S. Albano
Editor-in-Chief

How Is Our Web?

2008-04-30T19:32:00.000+08:00

"How's your website?", a colleague asked me as she had previously known my involvement in anluwage.com. I mentioned to her how we organised our Holy Week special as well as our increasing number of volunteers.

Right after that rather short conversation in the office kitchen, I suddenly asked myself: "How's our website?"

During the first few days of April, and as you may already have been aware of, key staff of the web came together for the annual assessment and planning. Valuable inputs have now been consolidated and you would have noticed that there have already been some improvements and introductions in the web like the move of some items to new sections as well as inception of new items like i.e. (as In mga Example natin) to drumbeat the call for holiness among us.

I am delighted to introduce to you Patty De la Rosa-Paat, another new face and fresh blood in our web, who was recently appointed as Researcher. Patty at the moment deals with "Ano Yun?" sub-section and you would have already seen a few of her articles in that area. Welcome, Patty!

Through your comments, suggestions, prayers, and (if possible) interest to become a member of staff there is indeed more things to come and hope for in the web. (I hope I didn't sound like a politician in those last lines...)

Thank you for your support. Join us once again as we usher in the month of May, another chance to continue spreading the Word to the world.

We entrust ourselves to Mary, the Queen of May.

Pietro S. Albano
Editor-in-Chief

Easter Message

2008-03-22T17:26:00.000+08:00

Dear friends,

The month of March has been both a challenging and learning experience for us at anluwage.com. It is a special month because of Holy Week. Ever since we went on the web in 2005, one of the ideas that propped up our minds was to have The Seven Last Words (TSLW) available to you, our readers. A mere 'wishful thinking', this project involved most colleagues and friends from all parts of the world.

This year's devotion is quite different as most of the reflection writers come from various ministries in the Philippines, personalities who have etched their names in their respective fields. We are truly grateful to all of them who took the time to share their thoughts on the words of Jesus. We are also thankful to His Eminence Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales, Archbishop of Manila, for gracing the affair by his inspirational message.

Can I just mention that we have quite a huge number of visits to the web over Holy Week compared to the previous weeks of this month. This same pattern has been observed during the last 12 months. Thank you very much indeed to all individuals and communities who have taken part in TSLW and other Holy Week specials. At the moment, we have been received some positive feedback on this endeavour. We take to heart what Vladimir Reyes, our President, told us: The special feature (i.e. TSLW) is going to the next level year after year.

Talking about the next level, we recently have a new member of the Anluwage family. Please join me in welcoming Mark Rodney Vertido who was recently appointed News Writer for the web. Rodney, as he prefers to be called, is one of our reflection writers for TSLW 2008. We look forward to see more faces and new blood to be part of our apostolate.

In my New Year message, I have unveiled the web's vision and mission statements. Next month, key members of staff would meet to assess the web vis-a-vis these statements. Through our assessment we would be able to plan and implement a course of action which will make the web more relevant and responsive.

Please keep us in your prayers and, if you could, in your writings.

May the Risen Jesus, our real life (Colosians 3:4), grant you and your loved ones His Spirit that we could all continue to spread His Good News to the world.

On behalf of anluwage.com I wish you all a Happy Easter!

Yours in the Word-made-Flesh,

Pietro S Albano
Editor-in-Chief

Holy Week Message

2008-03-17T05:32:00.000+08:00

"For what is life?
To me it is Christ" (Phil 1:21)

Such were the words of St Paul the Apostle whose 2000th birth we celebrate this year. He has been a renowned figure in the Church for his preaching the Good News of Jesus to many parts of the world. Yet before he became a Christian, he was actually a staunch persecutor of the Church. The Acts of the Apostles would reveal how he tried to destroy the Christian community by dragging believers out of their houses and throwing them in prison (Acts 8:3). On his way to Damascus - to get rid of more Christians - a 360 degree change happened. He followed Christ. To signify his decision, he changed his name; from Saul he chose the name Paul.

His desire to serve Christ and His Church was enormous that it is not surprising why he wrote those powerful words. Personally, the words 'center' and 'pattern' come to mind.

As Christians, we ought to make Jesus the center of our lives. It is Christ or nothing. And as we make the Lord the center of our lives, we cannot avoid to let His life serve as a pattern of our own. How did He deal with sinners and outcasts? He welcomed them. How did He treat women and children (the second class citizens of His time)? He respected them. How did He obey the Father's will? He obeyed it "all the way to death- death on the cross."(Phil 2:8).

Life has never been the same to St Paul ever since he opted to unite himself with Jesus. There is untold happiness and perseverance in our Christian faith and life if we follow St Paul's exhortation.

As we observe Holy Week, we at anluwage.com would like to invite you to join us in the events that we have organized. Together, let us recall and give thanks to God who, according to St Augustine, "loved each one of us as if there were only one of us to love."

In Christ our Life, I remain

Yours faithfully,

Pietro S Albano
Editor-in-Chief

You Raise Me Up

2008-03-08T01:23:00.000+08:00

Walking On Sunshine

2008-03-08T01:20:00.000+08:00

Goodbye Version 6?

2008-03-07T14:22:00.000+08:00

It's really hard to say goodbye but life has to go on.

Nagkaroon po ng issues ang lay-out ng Anluwage.com sa Internet Explorer version 7 ayon na rin sa mga reklamo ng mga visitors ng ating site na gumagamit ng version na ito. Na kesyo disalign ang mga graphics at overlapping maging ang mga texts sa ilang bahagi ng site. Kaya minabuti namin na ayusin ang problemang ito.

Subalit sa upgrade na nangyari ay nagkaroon naman ng konting problema ang mga users ng IE version 6 at pababa at Firefox - sila naman ngayong ang nakaka-experience ng konting inconvenience.

Hindi kaya nagiging tapat lang kami sa ating tagline na "Kakaibang Online Experience 'To?"

Nevertheless, our IT team ( read as: I Try ) is doing the best to fix the bugs. We'll keep you updated kung may na-try na sila.

- Mk

New Year Message

2008-01-02T01:16:00.000+08:00

Dear friends of anluwage.com,

2007 has been a blessed year for all of us. It was yet another year filled with challenge and excitement conveying the Gospel across the world through the web. The year saw us reaching out to more people and involving still some more in our ministry. Thanks to all of you, we kept our focus to provide better service for the glory of God and the salvation of men.

The year that has just gone has been a fulfilling year for us and, like Mary the Mother of God, we will treasure all that had happened in our hearts. That way, we will be more inspired to face what’s in store for us in 2008.

It is with gratitude and pride that I present to you the new vision and mission statements of the web. Through your prayers and support, our contemplation these past few months bore fruit. These statements encapsulate what and where the web is heading for. Please continue to hold hands with us in making sure that we get there.

May God, through the powerful intercession of His Mother and ours, bless us all for a prosperous, enthusiastic, and grace-filled New Year!

Yours truly,
Pietro S Albano
Editor-in-Chief

Christmas Message

2007-12-26T03:46:00.000+08:00

Words have always been part of our lives as human beings. Through these, we are able to express our inner thoughts and intentions to others. For us in anluwage.com, this has always been our bread and butter.

And yet, at times, we as humans become lost for words or rather lost for appropriate words, words that would inspire, challenge, and rekindle each of us. However, we are all blessed that “The Word was made flesh and he lived among us.” (John 1:14). With Him, our lives are made anew, our apostolate made more responsive to the call and signs of the times.

In the past few months, you have witnessed several changes and improvements to the web. A leadership has been established. More new faces have been added to our roster of contributors and still some more individuals have expressed interest in taking part in the web.

One challenge that is posed at me is to formulate the vision and mission statements of the web. At the moment, the old statements are under review. Please include us in your prayers so we could generate more relevant statements. Clear and relevant statements would direct us to where we should go.

It has been a pleasure to be of service to you, dear readers. And I hope that together we can make OUR web a worthwhile endeavour inspired by the Word-made-Flesh.

On behalf of the Editorial Board, I wish you all

A Blessed Christmas and a Prosperous New Year!

Pietro S Albano
Editor-in-Chief

Stop Overs, Ano 'Yun, Mukhang Ok

2007-07-06T03:20:00.001+08:00

Tatlong bagong segments ang naidagdag natin sa Anluwage.Com this week: Stop Overs ( isang kakaibang journey ), Ano 'Yun ( mga bagay-bagay sa loob ng simbahan na kadalasan ay nakikita lamang natin pero di natin alam ang tawag ) at Mukhang Ok ( ang iba't ibang mukha ng mga isyu ).

Madugo pa rin ang week na ito para sa team pero ok lang kasi we are so blessed with a lot of positive feedbacks from our visitors. Special mention ang email na ipinadala sa atin ni Tita Rose Guevarra ng Daughters of Mary Immaculate. Guys, pasado tayo sa mapanuring taste ni Tita Rose. Inspired po ito ni Lord, Tita Rose.

Tapos nagbalik-Anluwage ang isa sa pinakanamimiss ng grupo - si Jon de la Llana. We still remember his imortal lines: "I'm getting bored," "Mas pa" at "Oh my little children!" Welcome home, Jon!

Expect more resurrection in the coming days.

IKAW LANG PO, LORD, WALA NG IBA!

Watta Week

2007-07-02T05:49:00.000+08:00

It was a busy week for the people behind our Anluwage.Com unit. Kase naman po para talagang sumailalim sa isang major surgical operation ang web site natin. Maraming re-alignment, revisions, editing, blah, blah. We’ve wanted kase to give our visitors extreme online experience. ‘Yung tipong mawiwindang ang sino mang magkakakamaling magbukas ng web site na ito. Kailangan pag nabasa nila ang mga articles at features ay susugod na sila sa seminaryo at kumbento para magpari at magmadre. Ganito katindi ang aming motivation sa ngayon. And we are dead serious about it. Ha-ha-ha!

Kudos to our Editor-in-Chief Manong Piet dahil hindi nahahalata sa opisina nila na nag-e-edit siya ng mga articles during break time. Composed pa rin siya kahit na minimized-maximized, minimized-maximized ang drama ng browsers niya dahil baka makita ng immediate table neighbor niya ang pag-check niya sa mga emails namin sa kanya.

Samantala, halos sumuka na rin ng mga html codes ang aming mga nagdudunung-dunungan na web admin. Di kasi nila maintindihan kung bakit pag-click sa Editorial eh mga jokes ang lumalabas.

Siguro pinag-aaralan na ng mga lawyers ng Blogspot at Google kung paano nila kami ididemanda sa sobrang paggamit namin ng kanilang band with.

Madugo pala ang mag-maintain ng web site. Partida, nasa free platform pa kami. What more kung nasa sariling server?

Sisiw yan with God ‘s help siyempre. Ano ba naman ang kaya nating gawin nang wala yung Bossing sa itaas? Wala di ba? We are nothing without God.

We are blessed with 2 major reinforcements this week. First, Ate Ana Payod, our ex-Chair, who is now Mrs. Balla, has finally accepted writing one of our newest addition sa web, ang God-speak, despite her busy sked.

Malufet ang vision ni Manong Piet para sa column na ito. Masasabing hindi ka pwedeng magsimba hanggat hindi mo nababasa ang column na ito. Nakapaloob kasi dito ang mga Readings para sa bawat Linggo, may illustrations ng Gospel at may reflections pa na alternately isusulat ng Tres Marias. Kung sino pa yung 2 Maria, abangan na lang sa mga susunod na mga buwan. Sooner, baka mag-volunteer si Arnold Vidar, not to be part of the Tres Marias (hello!?), kundi upang magbigay ng mga recommended songs for each week with matching midi sequence. O san ka pa?

Second reinforcement is Ewha Lumabi. Isa sa pinakamabangis na illustrator ng Tanghalang Anluwage. Isang email lang ni Manong Piet sa kanya to help us come out with original Editorial cartoon and within no time, buong puso siyang tumugon, kahit pa ultimo ora. Thanks, Ewha. Sana tuloy-tuloy na, ha?

We are expecting more reinforcements coming in the next couple of months. May mga panggulat pa nga, na kahit mga members ay mapapa-OMG. Promise ‘yan. Just stick around.

Trust us, we’ll do everything and anything to glorify God and serve mankind sa pamamagitan ng Anluwage.Com. We are going to push all limits. Panindigan na natin na talagang tayo ay “Media for God, Servants on stage.”

All these hard work, Lord, all these pressures, all these headaches ay iniaalay namin sa Iyong kaluwalhatian.