Claret College of Isabela Campus Ministry

AUGUST 16, 2025
ST. ROCH, PATRON SAINT OF DOGS
SATURDAY DEVOTION TO THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY

On August 16, we honor the memorial of St. Roch, a revered patron against plagues and illnesses, coinciding with a Saturday devoted to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, a devotion emphasizing her love, purity, and maternal care for humanity. This concurrence highlights a day rich in spiritual significance, encouraging the faithful to seek intercession from both St. Roch and the Blessed Virgin Mary, fostering themes of healing, protection, and heartfelt devotion.

GOOD FRIDAY IS A DAY OF FASTING & ABSTINENCE

A friendly reminder from your HugotSeminarista family:

The 18th Day of April is Good Friday. As Catholics, we are encouraged to do the following practices: FASTING and ABSTINENCE.

(1) FASTING
- It is a form of penance that involves limiting kinds or amount of food or drink consumption.
- Catholics who are 18-59 years old are eligible to this practice.
- Days of fasting (with abstinence) are Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.
- During fasting, the faithful should only eat 1 regular meal and 2 small meals (should not exceed the main amount of the main meal)
- Fast is broken by eating between meals and by drinks which could be considered food (milk shakes, but not milk).

(2) ABSTINENCE
- It is another form of penance that involves refraining from kinds of food or drink.
- This should be practiced by Catholics who are 14 years old and above (until death).
- During abstinence, the faithful should refrain from eating meat (i.e. flesh and organs of mammals and birds), but may consume fish and shellfish.
- Days of abstinence are Fridays in Lent.

N.B. Some people can be excused from fasting and abstinence. They are:

- persons with disabilities which make it difficult to understand or observe the practice (e.g. people with mental health concerns)
- the sick, frail, pregnant, or nursing women, according to need for meat or nourishment
- manual laborers, according to need
- guests at a meal who cannot excuse themselves without giving great offence or causing enmity
- those in other situations of moral or physical impossibility to observe the penitential discipline
________________________

Sources:

(1) Chapter II: Days of Penance — Code of Canon Law

(2) Fast & Abstinence — United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB)

(3) Fasting and Abstinence: A Guideline for Catholics — Catholic Fortress

(4) What's the point of fasting, anyway? — Catholic News Agency:

(5) Why do Catholics fast and abstain? — St. Peter Parish, Covington, LA

(6) Why Do Catholics Practice Fasting and Abstinence during Lent? — Catholic Answers

Thank You, Jesus!

I am here, Lord, to thank you for what you have done for my life in the past, in the present and will do in the future; and also for what you suffered for me. Thank You!

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐉𝐄𝐒𝐔𝐒

It is Good Friday. This is the day we look to the cross to see the Lamb of God taking on the weight and shame of our sins.

But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed.
(Isaiah 53:5)

By the time the sun set on that fateful day, Jesus’ body bore the wounds of our punishment.

The “five wounds of Christ” refer to the wounds he received specifically from crucifixion: one for each hand and foot, and then the piercing in his side with a lance. This is not the total number of wounds he suffered during his entire passion.

Remember, Christ was flogged, beaten, crowned with thorns, and carried his cross in addition to the crucifixion itself. That’s a lot of suffering for the sins of the world.

THE PASSION OF CHRIST THROUGH THE EYES OF MARY

Just imagine, how painful it would be to witness the Passion of Christ through the eyes of Mary. Try also to contemplate how our Heavenly Mother accompanied Jesus from WOMB to TOMB: from birth to death, and with this, we will truly see a motherly perspective on the Passion of Christ.

May we be forever amazed on how God filled the empty womb of Mary and eventually emptied the tomb outside of Jerusalem: the story of Annunciation to RESURRECTION. May we be like Mary, who never abandoned the Lord from joy to sufferings.

Credits: 📷 AliExpress | Art Renewal Center, Pinterest

THE 7 LAST WORDS OF JESUS (SIETE PALABRAS)

1. Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. (Luke 23:34:)
2. Truly, I say unto you, today thou shalt be with me in paradise.
3. Woman, behold thy son. (Says to disciple) Behold thy mother.
4. My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?
5. I thirst.
6.It is finished.
7. Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit.

'The blood of Christ is His sacrifice applied to us, it enters the soul of the redeemed. It is inextinguishable source of Heroism.'— St. Pope John Paul XIII

The way of the cross is full of persecution. It began as soon as Jesus took on flesh. When Jesus was only a baby, already King Herod was seeking to kill him. When he returned to his hometown Nazareth, He was driven out by his own neighbors. As he preached, healed the sick, and cast out demons, He drew the hatred and persecution of the Pharisees and Jews.

You often hear Christians quip, “Be like Jesus,” and say they want to take up their cross. But where does it ever say the way of the cross is smooth and easy? Be sure of this: the way of the cross is full of persecutions beyond what we can imagine.

God has not promised us blue skies and smooth sailing on the way of the cross. It was not smooth sailing even when Jesus was on the earth! He constantly encountered all sorts of persecution and hardship. Scripture reminds us that when Jesus finished ministering, he would go by himself to a desolate place to pray. In fact, Jesus was praying in the garden of Gethsemane right at the moment when his greatest suffering began. He did not pray to the Father so as to remove that suffering; instead he submitted to the Father’s will, and faced the coming suffering.




Credits: 📷 Pinterest

HAPIsabela! Mabuhay!

For our next Visita Iglesia, we proudly feature the POOR CLARE MONASTERY!

Cradled in the lush greeneries of Barangay Tabiawan, Isabela de Basilan, the Poor Clare Monastery stands as a testament to devotion and spiritual commitment. The monastery was established when the Poor Clare Sisters (Order of St. Clare, OSC) started their mission in Basilan last October 29, 1986. This was an affirmative response to the invitation of then Bishop Romulo Dela Cruz to establish a contemplative community in the province. Since then, the monastery has been a spiritual beacon, drawing the faithful who seek a deeper connection with God through prayer and reflection.

The Poor Clare Sisters (OSC) are cotemplative or cloistred nuns whose charism is prayer, simplicity, and poverty. Their apostolic mission is the whole of the Prelature. Mother Mary Clare M. Litigio, OSC was the first Superior in Basilan. Today, the Poor Clare Sisters are led by Mother Mary Trinitas A. Nalagon, OSC, who continues to guide the community in living out their charism of prayer and service.

Up until today, the Poor Clare Monastery in Tabiawan continues to be a place of deep spirituality, tranquility, and prayer in the heart of Isabela de Basilan.

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This online initiative is brought to you by the Local Goverment Unit of Isabela de Basilan under the inclusive and dynamic leadership of Mayor Sitti Djalia A. Turabin-Hataman through the City Tourism Office led by City Tourism Officer Claudio Montebon Ramos II. It aims to highlight the beautiful places of worship for our Catholic faithful—churches and chapels—across the City of Isabela de Basilan.

Visita Iglesia (Church Visit) is a pious practice of Filipinos during Holy Week at least seven, nine or fourteen churches to pray. It is among the popular Holy Week 'panatas' (sacred vows) the Filipino Catholics make and observe.

Have a blessed Holy Week to everyone. May this observance give you a chance to express your gratitude to Jesus for all HIS sacrifices. May the faith you have in God always bring you hope and peace and fill your soul with everlasting love!