Returning from New York

I have just returned from my trip to the United States, and it has indeed been both refreshing and reaffirming. It has been refreshing because I have had the opportunity to visit my family, who I had not seen in almost a year and half, and being with family is always good. It has been reaffirming because it has reaffirmed my faith and given me the opportunity to participate in wide range of religious activities, from feeding the hungry with the Franciscans of the Renewal, to attending Latin Mass, to participating in some very reverent Novus Ordo Masses. I only wish that so many activities existed in Singapore. Without a doubt there are many things to do, but the abundance of Masses and Divine Liturgies, volunteer activities, and Church related functions are not comparable; nevertheless, I would still choose to live in Asia.

Of my many experiences, a few stand out in my mind. The greatest of these is the fact that no matter my location there always seems to be parish within walking distance which offers morning Mass. I found it truly wonderful to be able to walk to parish in the early morning and attend Mass almost daily; whereas, I usually would have to take a 25-30 minute bus ride to participate in the same wonderful opportunity in Singapore. As a result, I could not get enough of Mass, though I did have some days where I did not adjust well to the time difference so I did not attend.

It was a very heartwarming experience to have Latin Mass available on such a regular basis. I know for a fact that Holy Innocents has Latin Mass most every day, and where I was staying in Yonkers there is St. Eugene’s which offer Latin Mass on Sundays, and does also occasionally have it during the week as well. As a result, I was able to take my family in New York to the TLM and it was great experience.

I was very pleased to walk through my hometown and see a church most every place I traveled. That is always a contrast from Asia, but sadly, I wish that more would take advantage of the wonderful gift that they have in daily Mass, or even Sunday Mass for that matter, but I digress. It was nice to be able to walk into a church most anywhere I went, and to be able to go to confession in so many places, and to be met with such hospitality. This was especially evident at the Church of St. Joseph, where I was pleased to so many receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation before Mass. I entered the parish with my wife and niece, and though being an abundance of people, the ushers at the church did their best to ensure that my family and I had our confessions heard, and the priest was patient in ensuring that this happened. I must add that the priest in the confessional must have been in there for an hour and a half hearing confessions, and there were so many people that the celebrant even came out to hear confessions before Mass. I was truly moved by this gesture, but especially by the parish community who were so gracious to my family, as they cannot speak Spanish. My family and I had come for confession before the Spanish Mass, and while I can communicate in Spanish, neither my niece nor wife can. Nevertheless, the ushers and parishioners greeted them, and made every effort to not only welcome them, but to make them feel comfortable. I was deeply touched to say the least. As far as confession, I had never had a priest peer into my soul or hit so many things as precisely as I did that Sunday. (Thank you Fr. Rojas!)

I was quite sad to leave New York, and my family. I was also disappointed because I had wanted to attend a Maronite and Ruthenian Divine Liturgy before departing, but I guess that will have to wait until my next trip home. I really must thank all the people who made my trip so special, those who prayed for me and my family, and for all those who sacrificed their time to make me comfortable and welcomed. Thank you all and God bless you.