Let Psalm 91 comfort you amidst COVID-19
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
The Board of the Filipino Catholic Community of Gouda & Surroundings decided to cancel the mass this coming March 22. We continue to monitor the changing conditions related to COVID-19. Of any changes we will keep you informed and updated regarding our church services and activities.
We encourage members to pray and reflect this Lenten season, to continuously care and help one another, and to keep protecting yourself and others from any harm. We are all God’s sons and daughters. Rest assured that the love of Jesus is with us during this challenging and difficult times. Meanwhile, let Psalm 91 comfort and bring you peace amidst the ongoing pandemic we are in at the moment.
PSALM 91
1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
3 Surely he will save you
from the fowler’s snare
and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5 You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
8 You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.
9 If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
and you make the Most High your dwelling,
10 no harm will overtake you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
14 “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 He will call on me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.”
Please be guided accordingly and stay informed by monitoring recent updates and developments via the website of the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM): Updates on novel corona virus (COVID-19).
Sincerely yours,
The FCC-Gouda Board
Love is in the air
By Myra Colis | Photos by Jenny Luna
This month’s theme during the 4th Sunday mass of FCC-Gouda is all about love, a four-letter word that also means four different kinds of love. Ancient philosophy categorizes these kinds of love into four: the romantic or intimate love (eros), the brotherly/sisterly or friendly love (philia), the unconditional or Godly love (agape), and the affectionate or familial love (storge). Interestingly, these classic four were revered to and celebrated by members of the Filipino Catholic Community of Gouda & Surroundings who came for today’s service despite the bad weather.
Couple’s Blessings
It was just a week past when many lovers and couples celebrated Valentine’s Day. The sweetness and warmth of this February 14 lingered on as Fr. Marcel called for all couples to come forward for prayers of blessings and years of happy and harmonious marriages with the Lord God as center of the couple’s relationships. The leaders of the church prepared roses for the women and nicely crafted jars (made by Jenny Luna) for the men.
Specially mentioned of all the couples were Henk and Marietta Boswinkel whose years of togetherness as husband and wife have just turned 32 this month of February! Seeing a couple reaching this far with their pledged love still shining bright from within has certainly brought inspiration not only to the couples present but to all who were there to witness the couple’s blessing ceremony (and picture taking).
Children’s Bible Corner
The theme of love continued from the service in the main hall to the children’s corner in the other room. When asked what love is, the children responded with words like “being nice to others”, “being friendly at school”, “giving a hug”, and “caring”. And they are absolutely right. They have just described philia, that friendly, brotherly or sisterly kind of love. Interestingly, when asked whom do they love, their answers covered all the four kinds of love as each one answered with the words “mother”, “father”, “oma and opa”, “girlfriend”, “my best friend”, and “God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit”. But when asked whether or not to also love that bully at school or that someone who is not treating someone nicely, the children unanimously shouted “NO”. And this is where John 13:34 was taught to the kids as Jesus told his disciples His new commandment, “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you may love one another.” The children understood that loving one another also means loving even those who are not nice to us by simply praying for them to become better persons.
Preaching of God’s Word
If the children got the simplified version of speaking about God’s love, then the adults at the main hall received a more in-depth preaching about what love is. In Fr. Marcel’s homily, he spoke of the nature of our Loving Father, who spoke of us as His children. What then does it mean to be children of the Most High? God’s love is unconditional, and if we are God’s children, could we also love unconditionally like our Loving Father does? Are we indeed able to love our enemies or the mean people around us? Did you also know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? These questions were answered during the preaching of God’s Word and you can also find the full transcript of the homily by clicking here.
“Our homily today may sound idealistic, impossible and fantastic. But it is not. Take the example of a normal human behavior. When a person is interested in doing something or in achieving a goal, he/she can spend a lot of time and energy on it, without any external coercion or obligation. Think of football fans. They could stay in the cold winter rain to cheer their club during a football match. At such time, they would be so focused on the game that one may wonder if it is really cold outside. When we want to become like God our Father, our minds would be only focused on how to achieve our objective. In like manner, we abandon sin and do not remember to commit sin because all our energy is dedicated to becoming like God. Here is where we experience and feel the power of love. When we love, there is no obligation, we find an inner motivation to crave for what we love.” ~an excerpt from Fr. Marcel Uzoigwe’s homily
Family Fellowship
As usual, the church service is always followed by a family fellowship where all attendees of the day’s service could stay for a cup of coffee or tea coupled with some snacks (typically home-made Filipino snacks or dish) that were lovingly prepared and brought by some generous members of the church to share with the community. This tradition of sharing meals or simply spending extra hour to sit down and catch up with everyone has all the more enhanced this time of fellowship as children of God and, therefore, as one big family. Part of this fellowship time is also the communal celebration of the birthday celebrants of the month. For those celebrating their birthdays in February, those who were present to receive blessings and prayers were Elpi, Irene and Dirk!
Christmas Mass and Party 2019
By Mary Lynn van Dijk
22 December 2019 was the fourth Sunday of Advent, and the day the FCC Gouda held its last mass for the year at the Sintjosefskerk on Aalberseplein 2.
Father Marcel, who’d been in Africa last year, proved to be a very capable emcee (master of ceremonies). After a brief welcome, he invited everyone to have a cup or two of coffee or tea and some baked goodies.
After everyone was refreshed, it was time for Stephanie de Jong to sing along to “Last Christmas” by Wham.
Then the FCC Gouda dance group – with Luz van Starre, Elpi de Clerq, Christy Seno, Marietta Boswinkel and Marivic Adema – entertained everyone with their red Christmas outfits and dance.
Father Marcel then called for Elpi, dressed as Mama Santa, to come in front and distribute gifts to the children, with a large dash of humor that had everyone laughing.
Then came the first game, the Trip to Jerusalem, or Musical Chairs, for the children, with the child who failed to get a seat when the music stopped being eliminated. Each child received a consolation prize but Dirk van Rijn prevailed and with his proud parents, posed for a photo with Elpi and Father Marcel, and his prize.
Then it was time for the adults to play the same game. After a few very exciting elimination rounds, Myra Zymelka-Colis, who with quick thinking, and very good timing, managed to sit on the last chair, and won the prize.
Gifts of appreciation to the (male) volunteers were handed out by Maryjane Streefland: to Teun Blanken, for being our koster and our staunch defender on those occasions when the Dutch church group meets; to Piet Hoogendoorn, who is always behind the counter, ready with cutlery and plates to use at each of our after-Mass eating occasions; Martin Streefland, always ready to provide us with liquid refreshments, and who was also rewarded with a kiss from his loving wife, Maryjane; and to Arjan Camfferman, who has supported us by allowing us to use his audio equipment at every occasion we needed it. And last, but not the least, to Father Marcel, for his hard work and dedication to our spiritual needs as a group. Tony Farma, and Noriel Santiago, respectively, our guitarist and pianist, already received their gifts of appreciation during the Mass.
Pascal Kroeze was our disc-jockey for the evening, and when he played music from Saturday Night Fever, he got (almost) everyone to go to the dance floor and groove. Eve Donaire took photographs and filmed some of the dancing which was pretty good.
The highlight of the evening was the Manita-Manito, the Filipino version of Secret Santa. All those who had picked out names gathered in a circle, sang and swayed to the “I love my Manita, yes, I do” song with the gift giver presenting his/her gift to his/her Manita/Manito at the end of the song.
This was followed by another dance by the FCC Gouda dance group in their green elves’ outfits. And more dancing by the rest of the group followed, to some Latin music.
Everyone could say that it was a wonderful evening, and that everyone is looking forward to a similar event in 2020.
Merry Christmas to all and wishing and hoping that 2020 will be a great year for the FCC Gouda and for each of us.
Dirk van Rijn posing with friends as he shows off his prize
On featured photo above: Most of the FCC Gouda members singing Christmas songs with the beautiful Christmas wall decorations created by Marivic Adema and Luz van Starre.
FCC-Gouda Social Gathering
By Maria Lovella I. Modillas
The Filipino Catholic Community of Gouda organized a social gathering event. Members of other Filipino communities, like the FCC Dordrecht, as well all interested guests were welcome to participate. The purpose of the event was to create more social and spiritual conviviality among members and to offer opportunity to people who like to connect with the community, especially those who share similar ideals and needs. It was also meant to offer opportunity for growth and transformation in various areas of the human person. Thus, the activities were planned to touch on the spiritual, emotional, social and relational dimensions such that participants would be enriched in one way or the other.
It was a well attended event and participants were blissfully engaged and fully enjoyed themselves. The hall was packed with over 60 people. It was vividly an evening to remember; an event like no other because aside from the bible reflections and dances presented, there were testimonies given by those who wanted to share their spiritual journey as well as experiences with the FCC community.
The evening started with Father Marcel leading a bible reflection session with the Theme: Encounter with Jesus. The encounter of two biblical figures with Jesus formed the basis of the reflection. The first reading was taken from John chapter 4 verses 1 to 10 . It deals with the meeting of Jesus with the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well. Jesus, passing through the town of Samaria , was tired and sat down by the well. Then came a woman of Samaria to draw water from the well, and Jesus asked if she could give him some water to drink. The woman, hesitant, told Jesus, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” ( Bear in mind that during that time, Jews do not associate with Samaritans.) Jesus replied, “ If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked Him and He would have given you the living water. With that request for water, Jesus opened a conversation with this stranger, who in turn got so engaged in conversation that she began to ask deeper questions regarding true worship as she noticed that Jesus could be a prophet or someone special. “ The conversation between Jesus and the Samaritan woman so touched the latter that she went to invite members of her village to come and experience the good news regarding this man called Jesus.
Fr Marcel leads bible reading 
Socio-gathering participants
The second reading was taken from Luke chapter 19 verses 1 to 10. This is the story of Zaccheaus, the tax collector, wealthy and despised by his fellow Jews. Tax collectors worked for occupied Roman forces. They collected taxes for the imperial rulers and enriched themselves through smart but corrupt practices. When Zaccheaus heard that Jesus was passing through Jericho, he wanted to see Him. But due to the crowd surrounding Jesus, he could not gain access to Jesus. He ran ahead and climbed a tree. Jesus saw him, asked him to come down and told him that he must stay at his house. Zaccheaus came down and welcomed Him gladly, showed repentance by offering to give half his wealth to the poor as well as pay back fourfold to anyone he defrauded.
These two bible passages were the focal point of the bible reading, though other passages like the call of Matthew (Matthew 9:9-13) and the encounter with Mary Magdalene in the house of Simon (Luke 7:36-39) were brought in to highlight certain points, including the following:
- Jesus did not meet any of these people in the church or where people refer to as holy places.
- Jesus neither looked down on any of them nor condemned them. When you condemn someone, you don’t have time to love him or her. Only love changes people, not force or condemnation.
- None of these people expected that Jesus would meet them and that there would be a great change in their lives.
- People murmured against Jesus meeting with these people due to their reputation in the society.
- The disciples were surprised to see Jesus talking with a Samaritan woman alone in such an open place.
- The ‘holy’ people complained about Jesus eating with Matthew and Zacchaeus. Also against the sinful woman (Mary Magdalene) that anointed Jesus in Luke 7:36-39
Jesus’ encounter with these people brought so much changes in their lives that made them became productive and examples of Christian living. Besides, they ended up being great men and women of God. This is a great encouragement on what we can become with the grace of God.
- The woman at the well became the first evangelist, even before the disciples (He spoke about Jesus to the people even before Jesus could send out his disciple for the first time).
- Zacchaeus became a philanthropist and an example of restitution as a sign of repentance.
- Matthew became the writer of the Gospel according to Matthew which is the first book in the New Testament Bible.
- Mary Magdalene became the first to see Jesus after the resurrection (Mark 16:9).
Sharing reflections 
Sharing ideas 
Sharing smiles 
Sharing thoughts 
Sharing experiences
Participants were divided into groups to discuss on any of the two passages. Guiding questions given to facilitate discussion on the topics were as follows: 1. What encounters have brought something new to your life? 2. What is your personal encounter with Jesus? 3. What are the obstacles to building a strong relationship with God? 4. How has/can the FCC family improve(d) my relationship with God. Members who wanted to share their testimonies about life experiences , spiritual journey , and whatever they want to share with the group could do so.
FCC Dordrecht testimony 
Pascal Kroeze testimony 
Tess Arcilla testimony
Jesus was neither allowed by tradition to have a conversation with a Samaritan woman because he is a Jew nor was he permitted by social convention of his society, as a Godly figure, to be friendly with a tax collector because of the latter’s unpleasant reputation. These, however, did not hinder him from reaching out to these people condemned by society because he is there for everyone, without discrimination. Relating to the two biblical stories, which were interesting and practical, the participants had engaging and fruitful discussions. The testimonies that followed were all uplifting and inspirational.
Participants took time to share how contact with FCC has brought them closer to God, strengthened their faith, gave them new friends and a community that is there for them during their darkest moments. FCC in like manner, extends it’s helping hands to everyone in the community, undertakes visits to prisoners, organizes novena for the departed loved ones or for the sick, helping with some documents, sharing or giving a ride and sending uplifting words or messages. But among the testimonies , two people gave an extraordinary story of strength and faith.
Kathy Grimme shared her personal battle with cancer. She bravely shared that inspite of the hardships she went through during doctor’s appointments and chemotherapy, she saw silver lining on the cloud as she remained positive and trusting in God in the midst of the overwhelming darkness. More important is the fact that she was given time to prepare her loved ones emotionally, especially her two little girls. She gave all her burden to the Lord and that made it easier for her to face the challenges ahead. As she successfully won one battle, another was readily at hand. Eventually her left foot was amputated. But that was a victory considering the fact that most of those who suffered the type of cancer she had never lived to tell their stories. Despite all these trials, Cathy remains unfazed , her strength comes from her family and friends’ support and above all, from her firm believe in Jesus Christ.
Pascal Kroeze’s testimony is also one of triumph. He recalled the difficulties of growing up and being negatively influenced by peers. He lost knowledge of God like most of his peers and took a path of spiritual decline thereby experiencing negative spiritual, emotional and physical consequences. . His life changing moment came when he was diagnosed with a tumor on his right kidney and that gave rise to a chain of bad news: his health deteriorated, he lost his job and lost his car. During those times, he recalled his past mistakes and realized he needed to have a change in the direction his life was going. During this dark period, he needed God to convince him of his loving presence, which he received in an extraordinary manner. With the help of few believers around him, especially his wife who prayed earnestly with him, he made a decision to give his life to Jesus and strengthen his faith in Him. This led to his baptism and active participation in the life of the Christian community. By the grace of God, the operation to remove the tumor was successful and he is now building a stronger relationship with Jesus Christ.
The fun continued after the testimonies. Both the FCC Gouda and FCC Dordrecht members showcased their dancing talents with some Filipino cultural dances as well as other heart-warming dancing steps. The event also provided sumptuous dinner including some Filipino delicacies. The night ended with everyone being happy, inspired and rejuvenated.
Children’s Bible Corner: “Jesus teaching us how to Pray”
By Maria Lovella I. Modillas
Every 4th Sunday of the month, FCC Gouda and Surroundings holds a Children’s Bible Corner. Its aim is to teach children the liturgy for that particular Sunday in words and activities they can understand. On this 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time, the reflection is about Jesus teaching us how to pray and why praying is important .
Last Sunday, there were only four children present in the church, ( Lucas, Derek, Zeanna and Lorraine), nevertheless, the interaction among them was enthusiastically light and interesting.
This photo below of both hands together was shown to them and immediately the children recognised that it is a photo of someone praying.
The children were asked if they pray and all answered in the affirmative. Derek said that he prays that no one in his family will become sick while Lucas prays for a new toy. Do they pray with both hands together? Everyone answered “Yes!” Zeanna mentioned that she even closes her eyes when she prays. When do they pray? One said before sleeping and the other, before eating and another in the car before going somewhere. When asked if they can tell God everything, they responded that they can. They learned that God loves and wants us to talk to Him.
Indeed, prayer can be done with both hands together or both hands open, swaying their hands praising God , kneeling or bowing their heads. The children must learn to pray and talk to God as their Father just like how Jesus taught us how to pray, short or long, anytime and anywhere.
With that said, the children presented the photo above( which they colored) in the church. Zeanna led the prayer for the group, reminding everyone that Prayer is conversation with God; He loves us and He wants us to talk to him.
