Lighting a Candle in a Dark Room: Reflections from Last Night

Fr. Tony Ong celebrated mass at the Holy Trinity Chapel in Beaverton, OR last night at 7:30pm to gather the Filipino community in prayer and love for the victims of the recent Typhoon Ondoy that has devastated various cities in the Philippines. There was an estimate of 49 attendees who came and shared their sorrows upon the unexpected loss of their family members' livelihood and homes.

Despite having deep worries and concerns about loved ones affected by the disaster, the group also expressed hope and steadfast faith in the Lord as God will help us get through this unfortunate incident and provide strength and love in this difficult time. Mass goers at Holy Trinity Chapel last night was able to raise over $1,100 and chose to donate this amount to Ayala Foundation as the vehicle for cash donations.

Thank you to Fr. Tony for spiritually leading the group and allowing us to share our inmost thoughts and concerns about our loved ones back at home. Thank you also to Franz and Monette Mallari for organizing the mass and calling everyone to gather in prayer. Thank you to those who shared their thoughts and personal information about their loved ones back at home who were affected by typhoon Ondoy. Thank you to everyone who attended and donated what they could at the mass.

Although the disaster is devastating and heartbreaking, we should be reminded that we are not alone in our sufferings. As we share our happiness with God, we also share our sufferings with the Lord. We are not alone in our hurts, frustrations and fears. We gather as one community to help others in every possible way that we can by donating money, goods, time and support. Our strength lies in our love for our God, our country and each other. We need to show that love is present in our lives especially in times like this. We need to remind ourselves that we are not alone in this and that, by helping each other, we are manifesting God's love to those in need.