CFD Compostela Chapter

23/01/2026

It is very important to pray for the dearly departed ones, especially those in our direct bloodline.

It is much more important to have our living loved ones receive the Healing Sacraments while they still can.

23/01/2026

Alam nyo ba na limang tao lang ang kailangan sa Kasal ito ay ang mga sumusunod:
✅Isang ninong at ninang
✅Groom and bride
✅Pari

Pero kung meron ka ng Ninong, Ninang at Pari ngunit walang pakakasalan malabo padin.🤣

✅Church fee: 2,500
✅Dress and Polo : 500-2000 depende kung uupa ka nalang mas mura pa.
✅Pamasahe
✅Kain nalang kayo sa labas na Apat kasama ang ninong at ninang o kung sino pang kasama mo tulad ng kapatid, at magulang

Yes matutuloy ang kasal kahit walang abay, walang photographer, walang Coordinator, basta yang lima lang na yan.

Kaya hinihimok namin kayo na sa SIMBAHAN MAGPAKASAL

30/10/2025

The English word church (or the Scottish kirk or the German kirche) is derived from the late Greek kyriakon which meant “the Lord’s house.”

This word is in turn derived from an earlier version of the Greek used for Sacred Scripture, where we find the word ekklesia. When the Old Testament was translated into Greek to produce the Septuagint version, the word ekklesia was used for the Hebrew word kahal, meaning the religious assembly of God. Kahal also distinguished God’s covenant people from all others.

In the New Testament, we also find the usage of ekklesia for church for the same reason. Our Lord called the apostles to follow Him, and with other disciples formed a distinct group of followers. They were personally committed to Him even at the cost of separation from family and friends. Moreover, they were commissioned to make disciples of all the nations and to carry on the mission of Jesus.

More clarity is given to the idea of church in Acts of the Apostles and the epistles.

Here we see ekklesia used to describe both local churches and the Church as a whole, but the local church is always seen as inherently part of the overall Church. Membership in the church involves baptism and a clear acceptance of Jesus as the Lord and Savior who suffered, died, and rose from the dead.
With the admission of the Gentiles and the Fall of the Temple in AD 70, the Church has a clear distinction from Judaism.

This Church has a hierarchical organization with bishops, presbyters, and deacons. Through the Church, the divine will of the Lord is revealed; for example, the Church guided by the Holy Spirit has preserved the writings of the
Old Testament and recorded the revelation of the
New Testament, and then set the canon of Sacred Scripture to produce the Bible. Not forgetting the communal dimension, the Church has had a genuine concern for the needs of each member, and each member plays a role in continuing the mission of Christ.

Interestingly, in the year 100, St. Ignatius of Antioch in his Letter to the Smyrnaeans used the term Catholic (meaning “universal”) to describe the unity of this church.

“The Church in Christ is in the nature of sacrament
– a sign and instrument, that is of communion with God and of unity among all people…”.

Using images found in Sacred Scripture, the Council described the Church in
many ways:
The Church is a sheepfold or flock, entrusted to the care of human shepherds by the Good Shepherd, Jesus,
who gave His life
for His sheep
(John 10:1ff).

Just as Christ is the vine and the faithful the branches who receive life from Him, through the Church the life of Christ
flows to us
(John 15:1ff).
St. Paul described the Church as the body of Christ:
just as a body has many organs with various functions under the direction
of the “head,” so the Church has many members each sharing in the mission of Christ in various ways and ministries all under the
“head,” Christ.

(I Corinthians 12:1ff).

Finally, St. Paul speaks of the Church as the Bride of Christ: Through our baptism into the Church, we, as individuals and as a community of believers, share in that covenant of love and life sealed by the blood of Christ.

“Four Marks of the Church”:
First, the Church is
one, in that all members are united in their belief, worship, sacraments, tradition, and leadership.
For instance, a person can travel anywhere in the world and find the same exact Mass, same beliefs preached, and same leadership.

Second, the Church is holy because our Lord established it and continues to share His divine life
– His grace
– with its members.

In turn, the Church continues the mission of Christ with each member striving to live a Christ-like life in accord with His teachings and with the help of His grace.

Third, the Church is Catholic
(meaning “universal”) because it is destined to last for all time, and all the faithful on earth are united with the faithful in heaven and the souls in purgatory.

Finally, the Church is apostolic because Christ founded it upon the apostles, giving the authority to
St. Peter, the first Pope, and the other apostles, the first bishops.

This authority has been handed on to their successors as in the case of the choosing of St. Matthias to replace Judas.
Because of these distinctive marks, Vatican II affirmed, “This Church, constituted and organized as a society in the present world, subsists in the Catholic Church, which is governed by the successor of Peter and by the bishops in communion with him” ( #8).

Therefore, even though a visitor might not be a regular part of the community of that particular parish, in a sense he is because of his membership in the one, holy, Catholic, and apostolic Church.

Therefore, the word church evokes a beautiful image intrinsically linked to the mystery of salvation.

19/10/2025

STOP USING WORDS WRONGLY: IT’S MASS, NOT SERVICE, DISCOVER SOMETHING NEW TODAY!
_________________

✝️ 1. The Confusion We Often Hear

It happens every day.
You return from Mass, and someone smiles and says,
“Father, how was service today?”
Or maybe, “Sister, hope you went to service this morning?”

It sounds polite, but in the Catholic Church, that word service doesn’t mean what people think.

Many Catholics, without realizing it, have borrowed a Protestant word and used it in place of a sacred one: the Mass.

But wait, why does this matter? Aren’t both “Mass” and “service” just worship?

Let’s go deeper.

✝️ 2. What a “Service” Means

The word “service” is commonly used in Protestant and Evangelical communities to describe their gathering for prayer, preaching, and worship.
A service is a time of fellowship and Scripture reflection, centered on the Word and prayer, but not the Eucharist.

It is a beautiful act of worship, but it does not include the Sacrifice of Christ made present on the altar.

So when our separated brethren say, “Sunday Service,” they mean the time they gather to hear the Word, sing, and pray together.

That’s why Catholics must be careful. Because what happens in a service and what happens in the Mass are not the same reality.

✝️ 3. What the “Mass” Really Is

The word Mass comes from the Latin “Missa”, meaning “to be sent.”
It comes from the final words of the priest: “Ite, missa est”, “Go forth, the Mass is ended.”

But deeper than the name is the mystery itself.

The Mass is not just a prayer meeting. It is the re-presentation (not a repetition) of the one sacrifice of Jesus Christ on Calvary, made present sacramentally on the altar.

At Mass, heaven touches earth.
Christ, the Eternal High Priest, offers Himself again, not in pain, but in glory, for the salvation of the world.
That’s why we say the Mass is a sacrifice before it is a service.

It is the highest form of worship possible on earth, because it is Christ Himself who offers and is offered.

So when a Catholic says, “I’m going to Mass,” they are saying, “I am going to Calvary, to stand at the foot of the Cross, to witness the saving sacrifice of Christ made present.”

✝️ 4. When Can We Say “Service” in the Catholic Church?

Now, it’s true that the Church also uses the word service, but in a different sense.

We talk of:

Divine Office or Liturgy of the Hours as a “prayer service.”

Funeral service (when no Mass is offered).

Communion service (led by a deacon or lay minister when a priest is absent).

Penitential service, adoration service, or healing service.

So, in Catholic language, “service” means a gathering of prayer without the Eucharistic sacrifice.

But once the Holy Eucharist, the Body and Blood of Christ, is offered on the altar, it ceases to be just a “service.”
It becomes the Holy Mass, the Eucharistic Sacrifice.

✝️ 5. Why Words Matter

Our words shape our faith.
If we call the Mass “service,” we risk forgetting what makes it unique, the presence of Christ Himself in the Eucharist.

Calling it “Mass” reminds us that we are not spectators at worship, we are participants at Calvary.
The priest is not just leading prayers; he is standing in persona Christi, in the person of Christ, offering the once-for-all sacrifice of the Lamb.

✝️ 6. So the Next Time Someone Asks...

When someone says, “How was service today?”
Smile and answer gently:
“We don’t call it service, it was the Holy Mass.”

Because service is good,
but the Mass is holy.

Service is man reaching out to God.
But the Mass is God coming down to man.

And that’s the difference between prayer and sacrifice, between fellowship and salvation.

✝️ Before you go, know this

Every time we attend Mass, heaven opens.
Angels adore.
Saints join in.
And the same Jesus who hung on the Cross stands before us on the altar, saying again:

“This is my Body… this is my Blood.”

So no, dear friends, we didn’t just go to service.
We went to Calvary.

And from there, we are sent, Ite, missa est,
to bring Christ to the world.


__________________

19/10/2025