The Filipino Catholic Community of Gouda and Surroundings held its annual Family Fun Day last June 29, 2019 at the Antonius Hall in Gouda. Its goal is to raise funds to support FCC Gouda activities. To captivate the beauty of summer, this year party theme is Havana look. The hall was decorated with colorful and summer-like articles. Despite a very warm (32°C) day, people, attired in colorful clothes, started to fill the hall at around 5pm with smiles and joyous greetings.
Rightly so, the program started with an opening prayer of praise and gratitude led by Fr. Marcel Uzoigwe. Dinner was served afterwards while Stephany Alison renders a sweet song. The party went on with surprise dance and song numbers and games for young and old.
The highlight of the night is the appreciation of all volunteers who gave time and resources and worked hard for the maintenance and betterment of the FCC Gouda. The volunteers were each given a ribbon of recognition for their contributions (diaconal work, choir, altar servers, making and printing of mass handouts, creative works and the Children Bible Corner (CBC) guides). Appreciations were extended to the members of FCC Dordrecht and FCC Rotterdam for their support in the FCC Gouda activities. Special acknowledgements were also given to persons who generously donated things/items/articles and funds to FCC Gouda.
Towards the end of the party, the best havana costume was selected by a panel of judges. Ma Luz vd Starre and Gina Lea van Rijn were chosen to be the best havana dressed girls of the night.
It was indeed a fun filled family day, just as how the people came in, everyone left not only with smiles on their lips but joy in their hearts.
Sunday, May 26, 2019, the Filipino Catholic Community of Gouda and Surroundings held the first ever Flores de Mayo, Santacruzan and the Children’s Mass at the OLV Hemelvaartkerk in Gouda.
Flores de Mayo (flowers of May) and Santacruzan ( holy cross) are devotional native festivities of Filipinos to the Blessed Virgin Mary in the month of May. Flores de Mayo involves offering flowers to the image of the Virgin Mary. It is being done for the entire month of May. Santacruzan, which commemorates the alleged finding of the true cross by Helena of Constantinople, is done on the last day of the Flores de Mayo. It is a procession of people, mostly women, representing biblical characters and Marian titles. At the end of the procession is the Reyna Elena (in honor of Helena) carrying a cross.
The activity started at 1 o’clock in the afternoon with the Flores de Mayo, participated by the adult members of the church, each carrying a flower and offering at the altar bearing the image of Mama Mary.
It was immediately followed by the Santacruzan. Young members of the church took part in the procession, each carrying symbols from the bible and Mary titles. Three children each carried a figure of a cross, an anchor and a red heart, representing the three theological virtues of faith, hope and charity, respectively. Other participants were carrying symbols such as a star (Mary Queen of the Stars), flower boquet (Mary Queen of Flowers), dove (Mary Queen of Peace) and the cross in honor of Reyna Elena (Queen Helena who allegedly found the true cross).
By 2 o’clock, led by Fr. Charles Ajogi, CSSp, the Children’s mass follwed. It is a eucharistic celebration with texts and readings simplified for children to understand. The young members of the church did the liturgical readings, prayer of the faithful and joined in the choir singing. Towards the end of the mass, Fr. Charles summoned the children in front and blessed them.
On a joyous note, with the FCC Gouda members, parents and children working hand in hand as one community, the month of May was a victorious month!
On March 24, 2019, the Board of the Filipino Catholic Community of Gouda (FCC-Gouda) and Surroundings headed by Amor van Os presented to the community a concise report for the year 2018 and the plans for 2019. Through this report, the FCC-Gouda Board aims to achieve transparency of all events and transactions for all its members.
FCC-Gouda 2018 Report of Finance & Activities
The Board Chairman, Amor van Os, began her report with the activities of the FCC-Gouda and surroundings in 2018.
Summary of FCC-Gouda Activities in 2018
Most importantly, Amor also reported the financial status for the year 2018, including sources of income and to where the money was spent. In 2018, FCC-Gouda had a lot of expenditures, including the fixed expenses for the monthly mass and church use. The Community also allotted financial support for its diaconal work and for all the other activities done last year. With the help of volunteers and generous donors, the activities in 2018 were realized.
FCC-Gouda 2019 Plans & Activities
The Chairman proceeded in reporting the activities and plans of FCC-Gouda and Surroundings to the Community for 2019. The monthly mass will continue every 4th Sunday.
In January 2019, the community has launched the Children´s Bible Corner (CBC). Its goal is to start the young members of the community to be actively involved in deepening their knowledge of God. Another service that started beginning of this year is the Detention Visitation, which is a part of the community’s diaconal work.
The Couple’s Blessing was initiated during the mass in February. FCC-Gouda plans to do this activity every year.
March marked the beginning of the annual Holy Retreat. On March 9, 2019, the FCC-Gouda and Surroundings sponsored and attended a Holy Retreat in Handel.
Some of the FCC-Gouda members are also doing a Pastoral Course on Initiation Sacraments with the modules on Baptism, First Communion and Confirmation (Initiatiesacrament: Module Doop, Eerste Communie en Vormsel als initiatie), for 5 consecutive Mondays starting from March 4 till April 1, 2019. This course will enable the members of FCCGouda and Surroundings to give information and hold seminars prior to the sacraments and to conduct these sacraments with the help of the priest during the FCC-Gouda Holy Mass.
Other planned activities for 2019 are presented below.
Aside from the above mentioned plans, Amor also announced that a Website Course for few members of FCC-Gouda and Surroundings is in the planning. This course will train interested participants in understanding at least the basics of website management, including the value of hosting and domain names. Furthermore, the Board is also busy with the application for ANBI (algemeen nut beogende instelling) status.
Members of the community expressed gratitude to all members of the FCC-Gouda Board after the reporting, which is the very first community report made. Community members were delighted to know the status of the Filipino Catholic Community of Gouda and Surroundings, especially the activities and financial standing. Some made valuable suggestions and further support for the betterment of FCC-Gouda. Some even complimented the works done by the whole team. Everyone left with appreciation and a happy heart.
The meeting was adjourned with happy faces and contented hearts.
After the successful launching of the Children Bible Corner (CBC) last month, the Filipino Catholic Community of Gouda (FCC-Gouda) and Surroundings commenced the blessings of couples last February 24, 2019. For starters, the community leaders aim to have the Couples’ Blessing ceremony every year in the month of February. The primary purpose of having Couples’ Blessings is to ask God’s strengthening of relationships, marriages, and parenting in each family belonging to the community.
Fr. Marcel Uzoigwe prayed over the couples of the FCC-Gouda & Surroundings for God’s blessings and that may each couple’s love and unity be strengthened with Christ Jesus in their midst.
Meanwhile, the CBC continues with Maryjane Streefland-Osigan and Lovella van der Weiden-Modillas leading the children’s activities of the day and assisted by Lennart van der Weiden. In line with the Sunday’s gospel sharing and homily, the children also get to learn more about God’s love and forgiveness.
Furthermore, Fr. Marcel also prayed over for the sick members of the community. He called the people who are or have members of their families who are sick and anointed them with oil. Let us all include sick members of our community in our prayers.
January 27, 2019 (Sunday) is the 4th Sunday of the month, and, therefore, is the first Sunday celebration of the year for the Filipino Catholic Community of Gouda (FCC-Gouda) & Surroundings. On this day, the members of the community happily gathered together to welcome the year with a fully packed agenda of the day.
The one-hour service started with early arrivals of church members, greeting one another and welcoming back two of the community’s valued priests– Fr. Marcel Uzoigwe and Fr. Mark Robin Hoogland as concelebrants of this Sunday service.
Fr. Mark Robin and Fr. Marcel
One of the highlights of today’s Sunday activity was the ‘launch’ or start of the FCC-Gouda’s Children Bible Corner (CBC), an initiative to also get the young ones actively involved and get started in deepening their knowledge of God.
Children reading today’s gospel in Luke 4:18-20– “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to proclaim Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Officiated by Fr. Mark, the community was also delighted to witness the Confirmation of Pascal Benjamin Hendrikus Kroeze. The confirmation ceremony comes in four acts: (1) the laying on of hands, a biblical gesture by which the gift of the Holy Spirit is invoked; (2) reciting of the creed to profess one’s faith; (3) the anointing of Chrism, which signifies that the person being confirmed is now sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit; and (4) receiving the cross, which symbolizes the person’s Confirmation.
Laying on of hands on Pascal with his partner, Eve, by his sidePascal recites the Creed to profess his faith and renew his baptism vows.The Annointing of Chrism (consecrated oil): Fr. Mark Robin dips his thumb in the Chrism and makes a sign of the cross on the forehead of Pascal, signifying that he is being sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit. Fr. Mark gives Pascal a cross to signify Pascal’s confirmation.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the room, the children were all enthusiastic in meeting the other kids, sitting face to face, and knowing each other by name. Above all, through CBC, the children get the chance to be heard as well as to share their thoughts, feelings and experiences.
The children listen to the story of creation, read by Isabelle Hameete and followed by Daphne Streefland, two of the four CBC volunteers of the day. The other two were Lovella Modillas and Myra Colis.Time for writing and colouring!
For the four volunteers helping out with this first CBC, they too find it delightful to have the children say something about who God is and why they are in the church. To sum up the brief but delightful conversations, CBC coordinator of the month, Myra Colis, taught the children an English song called, “My God is so Big” with the following lyrics saying, “my God is so big, so strong and so mighty… there’s nothing my God can not do.”
Attendees of the first ever Children Bible Corner (CBC) of FCC-Gouda showing their works, Bjorn reading Luke 4:18-20, and ending up their presentation with the song, “My God is so Big.”
As usual, the mass ended by greeting the birthday celebrants of the month, followed by the fellowship & salu-salo time to complete the day’s provision of food not only for the mind and spirit but also for the body.
Contributor: Susan Horn | Photo credits: Susan Horn, Kathy Grimme, Lovella Modillas
Before the year ends, the Filipino Catholic Community in Gouda (FCC-Gouda) and the Filipino Catholic Community in Dordrecht (FCC-Dordrecht) joined forces and have successfully completed the first of many more upcoming leadership and organizational trainings to help the community move forward. Members of the Board, leaders or officers and future leaders as well as active members from both communities joined together on November 24, 2018 at the O.L.V. Hemelvaartkerk in Gouda for the 5-hour training on transformational leadership.
Led and facilitated by Myra Zymelka-Colis, Content & Concept Developer at E3 Data Intelligence Services (e3dis) and the Founding Chairperson of MABIKAs Foundation-The Netherlands, the interactive training focused more on understanding the WHYs, WHATs and HOWs of the organization and clarifying what the FCC communities are here for (vision, mission and goals).
What further added value to the training is the presence and support of Father Marcel Abouchi, of whom FCC will always be grateful for for his commitment and dedication in helping us meet the needs of the church and community members.
Seven (7) of the participants are from FCC-Dordrecht and eleven (11) are from FCC-Gouda. Apparently, the 7/11 attendees find the training workshop valuable and were all happy to end the day with positive and constructive feedback such as follows:
“A useful day with lots of information on how to improve, maintain, give info, grow and connect with people.”
“The content of the workshop meets the expectations and is spelled out. Presentation is very well, clear and engaging. The atmosphere was nice, informal yet adequate for learning.”“I’ve learned a lot from this training. It has given me a direction on where we are going as an organization. The training also helped me to realize what our vision, mission and goals are for the community as well as the activities that we need to focus onto to achieve our goals.”“The workshop was really worth attending. I’ve learned a number of things that I’m quite positive will greatly help improve how we as Board Members run our organization/ foundation. I’ve always been looking for ways to “professionalize” our organization and bring it to a higher level somehow, and our trainer & facilitator has given us insights and suggestions on how to achieve that.”Group discussion on spiritual maturityGroup discussion on time managementGroup discussion on human resourcesGroup discussion on fundraising“The speaker/facilitator is knowledgeable of the topic. The informal atmosphere enables us to openly speak our minds.”“The training is very informative. It opened my eyes to new ideas and also value what we are already doing as a group in the church. We learned a lot of ways to improve; there’s more room for improvement.”The FCC-Gouda TeamThe FCC-Dordrecht Team
“Thank you, Myra, for the educational and spiritual leadership training. It has enlarged my mission as a Christian and as a member of FCC. It was worth listening to every word.”
