Monday, February 18, 2008
st. josef freinademetz, svd: video (silent)
http://mysvd.multiply.com/video/item/14/Life_of_St._Joseph_Freinademetz
Monday, February 11, 2008
St. Bernadette Soubirous (1844-1879)
Re: Virtues, Humility; St. Bernadette Soubirous (1844-1879); Feast: April 16 (death); Canonized 1933 by Pope Pius XI
Fr: http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/0416.htm, accessed 2008 Feb 11 (highlight mine)
-- oldest of 6 children to the impoverished miller Francois
-- lived in the basement of a damp building
-- contracted cholera in 1854 and had asthma
-- at age 14: ailing, undersized, of pleasant disposition, sensitive, and a SLOW STUDENT – even stupid – but was a kind, helpful and obedient child
-- for some years, suffered greatly from suspicious disbelief of some and the tactless enthusiasm and insensitive attention of others; these TRIALS she bore with impressive patience and dignity
-- prevented by bad health to enter convent for 2 years
-- health remained fragile in convent
-- worked as infirmarian, then sacristan
“Here [convent] she was more sheltered from trying publicity, but not from the 'stuffiness' of the convent superiors nor from the tightening grip of asthma. "I am getting on with my joy," she would say. "What is that?" someone asked. "Being ill," was the reply.
“The nuns, disappointed by the simplicity of this child of nature, in whom they had expected to find a second Teresa of Ávila or another Catherine of Siena, made the peasant girl feel bitterly the scant esteem in which they held her; and even her superiors, with the aim of protecting the visionary of Lourdes from the sin of pride, were not sparing in humiliations.
“With the excuse that she was a "stupid, good-for-nothing little thing," her profession was continually delayed. God gave to the despised creature, who was punished for 13 years because of her visions, the strength to say: "You see, my story is quite simple. The Virgin made use of me, then I was put into a corner. That is now my place. There I am happy and there I remain."
“Thus, she lived out her self-effacing life, dying at the age of 35 …. The events of 1858 resulted in Lourdes becoming one of the most important pilgrim shrines in the history of Christendom, ending with the consecration of the basilica in 1876. But Saint Bernadette took no part in these developments; nor was it for her visions that she was canonized, but for the humble simplicity and religious trust that characterized her whole life (Attwater, Benedictines, Bentley, Delaney, Encyclopedia, Farmer, Sandhurst, Schamoni, Trochu, Walsh, White).
Saint Bernadette is the patron saint of shepherds (White).
Fr: http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/0416.htm, accessed 2008 Feb 11 (highlight mine)
-- oldest of 6 children to the impoverished miller Francois
-- lived in the basement of a damp building
-- contracted cholera in 1854 and had asthma
-- at age 14: ailing, undersized, of pleasant disposition, sensitive, and a SLOW STUDENT – even stupid – but was a kind, helpful and obedient child
-- for some years, suffered greatly from suspicious disbelief of some and the tactless enthusiasm and insensitive attention of others; these TRIALS she bore with impressive patience and dignity
-- prevented by bad health to enter convent for 2 years
-- health remained fragile in convent
-- worked as infirmarian, then sacristan
“Here [convent] she was more sheltered from trying publicity, but not from the 'stuffiness' of the convent superiors nor from the tightening grip of asthma. "I am getting on with my joy," she would say. "What is that?" someone asked. "Being ill," was the reply.
“The nuns, disappointed by the simplicity of this child of nature, in whom they had expected to find a second Teresa of Ávila or another Catherine of Siena, made the peasant girl feel bitterly the scant esteem in which they held her; and even her superiors, with the aim of protecting the visionary of Lourdes from the sin of pride, were not sparing in humiliations.
“With the excuse that she was a "stupid, good-for-nothing little thing," her profession was continually delayed. God gave to the despised creature, who was punished for 13 years because of her visions, the strength to say: "You see, my story is quite simple. The Virgin made use of me, then I was put into a corner. That is now my place. There I am happy and there I remain."
“Thus, she lived out her self-effacing life, dying at the age of 35 …. The events of 1858 resulted in Lourdes becoming one of the most important pilgrim shrines in the history of Christendom, ending with the consecration of the basilica in 1876. But Saint Bernadette took no part in these developments; nor was it for her visions that she was canonized, but for the humble simplicity and religious trust that characterized her whole life (Attwater, Benedictines, Bentley, Delaney, Encyclopedia, Farmer, Sandhurst, Schamoni, Trochu, Walsh, White).
Saint Bernadette is the patron saint of shepherds (White).
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Our Lady of Lourdes
Re: OUR LADY of LOURDES (1858), Feast: Feb 11
Fr: Little Pictorial Lives of the Saints, a compilation based on Butler’s Lives of the Saints and other sources by John Gilmary Shea (Benziger Brothers: New York, 1894) as quoted in http://magnificat.ca/cal/engl/02-11.htm, accessed 2008 Feb 11
"The first of the eighteen apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary to the humble Bernadette Soubirous took place at Lourdes on February 11, 1858. On March 25th, when Bernadette asked the beautiful Lady Her name, She replied: “I am the Immaculate Conception.” The Church for long centuries had believed in Her Immaculate Conception, Her exemption from every trace of the original sin which through Adam, our first and common father, separated man from his God. It was never proclaimed a dogma, however, until 1854. Mary Herself, in 1830, had asked of a Vincentian Sister at the Rue du Bac in Paris, that a medal be struck bearing Her likeness and the inscription: “O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to Thee.” Our Lady by Her apparitions at Lourdes in 1858 seems to convey Her appreciation for the formal proclamation of Her great privilege, by Pius IX, in 1854. Countless and magnificent miracles of healing have occurred at Lourdes, confirmed by physicians and recorded in the Lourdes shrine “Book of Life.” To name but one: a doctor wrote a book describing the great miracle he had witnessed for a dying girl, whom he had observed on the train that was carrying handicapped persons from Paris to Lourdes. He had not expected her to survive and return home from the sanctuary.
"Through the Lourdes Apparitions, the devotion of persons in all parts of the world to the Immaculate Mother of God has been wonderfully spread, and countless miracles have been wrought everywhere through Her intercession. The Virgin Mother of God is truly the chosen Messenger of God to these latter times, which are entrusted to Her, the chosen vessel of the unique privilege of exemption from original sin. Only with Her assistance will the dangers of the present world situation be averted. As She has done since 1858 in many places, at Lourdes, too, She gave us Her peace plan for the world, through Saint Bernadette: Prayer and Penance, to save souls."
Fr: Little Pictorial Lives of the Saints, a compilation based on Butler’s Lives of the Saints and other sources by John Gilmary Shea (Benziger Brothers: New York, 1894) as quoted in http://magnificat.ca/cal/engl/02-11.htm, accessed 2008 Feb 11
"The first of the eighteen apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary to the humble Bernadette Soubirous took place at Lourdes on February 11, 1858. On March 25th, when Bernadette asked the beautiful Lady Her name, She replied: “I am the Immaculate Conception.” The Church for long centuries had believed in Her Immaculate Conception, Her exemption from every trace of the original sin which through Adam, our first and common father, separated man from his God. It was never proclaimed a dogma, however, until 1854. Mary Herself, in 1830, had asked of a Vincentian Sister at the Rue du Bac in Paris, that a medal be struck bearing Her likeness and the inscription: “O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to Thee.” Our Lady by Her apparitions at Lourdes in 1858 seems to convey Her appreciation for the formal proclamation of Her great privilege, by Pius IX, in 1854. Countless and magnificent miracles of healing have occurred at Lourdes, confirmed by physicians and recorded in the Lourdes shrine “Book of Life.” To name but one: a doctor wrote a book describing the great miracle he had witnessed for a dying girl, whom he had observed on the train that was carrying handicapped persons from Paris to Lourdes. He had not expected her to survive and return home from the sanctuary.
"Through the Lourdes Apparitions, the devotion of persons in all parts of the world to the Immaculate Mother of God has been wonderfully spread, and countless miracles have been wrought everywhere through Her intercession. The Virgin Mother of God is truly the chosen Messenger of God to these latter times, which are entrusted to Her, the chosen vessel of the unique privilege of exemption from original sin. Only with Her assistance will the dangers of the present world situation be averted. As She has done since 1858 in many places, at Lourdes, too, She gave us Her peace plan for the world, through Saint Bernadette: Prayer and Penance, to save souls."
St. Onesimus
Re: Saint Onesimus, Bishop of Ephesus and Martyr (+95), Feast: Feb 16
Fr: Kerygma Family (2008 Feb 11) adapted from http://magnificat.ca/cal/engl/02-16.htm
and www.catholic-forum.com
From the first century A.D. came Onesimus, slave to the Colossian Christians Philemon and Apphia.
Onesimus committed theft from Philemon and in order to escape punishment, fled to Rome where he sought the help of St. Paul . The apostle converted Onesimus and sent him back to his master with the canonical Epistle to Philemon. In the letter, Paul asked Philemon for Onesimus’ freedom so he could have him as one of his assistants. Because of the apostle’s request, Philemon granted Onesimus pardon and gave him his freedom.
Onesimus became a faithful servant of St. Paul . And with Tychicus, he became bearer of the Epistle to the Colossians. Onesimus continued his service, until he became a preacher of the Gospel then a successor of St. Timothy as bishop of Ephesus.
Because of Onesimus’ merit of celibacy, the governor of Rome had him tortured for 18 days. His legs and thighs were broken with bludgeons, then Onesimus was stoned to death.
Fr: Kerygma Family (2008 Feb 11) adapted from http://magnificat.ca/cal/engl/02-16.htm
and www.catholic-forum.com
From the first century A.D. came Onesimus, slave to the Colossian Christians Philemon and Apphia.
Onesimus committed theft from Philemon and in order to escape punishment, fled to Rome where he sought the help of St. Paul . The apostle converted Onesimus and sent him back to his master with the canonical Epistle to Philemon. In the letter, Paul asked Philemon for Onesimus’ freedom so he could have him as one of his assistants. Because of the apostle’s request, Philemon granted Onesimus pardon and gave him his freedom.
Onesimus became a faithful servant of St. Paul . And with Tychicus, he became bearer of the Epistle to the Colossians. Onesimus continued his service, until he became a preacher of the Gospel then a successor of St. Timothy as bishop of Ephesus.
Because of Onesimus’ merit of celibacy, the governor of Rome had him tortured for 18 days. His legs and thighs were broken with bludgeons, then Onesimus was stoned to death.
Monday, January 28, 2008
st. therese of lisieux: loving a difficult person
Fr: Patti Maguire Armstrong (2008 Jan 28). "Grouchy Treasures". http://www.catholicexchange.com/node/69351
"... I suppose this thought might be a scary one in a way. Does that mean that, if I pray for my persecutors, God is going to send me more? Do you want more of these sorts of people in your life?
If you read the lives of the saints, you know that they would have answered this last question with a "yes". They were not only kind to people who treated them harshly, they seemed to be attracted to such souls. Consider the example of St. Therese of Lesieux who took it upon herself to help the one nun in her convent who everyone found to be extremely difficult. She did such a good job at showing love that this elderly nun wanted to know what it was about her that attracted St. Therese. Being prudent as well as loving, St. Theresa just smiled. Whenever I read biographies of the saints, this merciful behavior always abounds. Because the saints show us the way to God through their examples, it would seem that the road to heaven is paved with challenging people...."
"... I suppose this thought might be a scary one in a way. Does that mean that, if I pray for my persecutors, God is going to send me more? Do you want more of these sorts of people in your life?
If you read the lives of the saints, you know that they would have answered this last question with a "yes". They were not only kind to people who treated them harshly, they seemed to be attracted to such souls. Consider the example of St. Therese of Lesieux who took it upon herself to help the one nun in her convent who everyone found to be extremely difficult. She did such a good job at showing love that this elderly nun wanted to know what it was about her that attracted St. Therese. Being prudent as well as loving, St. Theresa just smiled. Whenever I read biographies of the saints, this merciful behavior always abounds. Because the saints show us the way to God through their examples, it would seem that the road to heaven is paved with challenging people...."
st. thomas aquinas
fr: excerpted from fr. rudy horst, svd (2008 Jan 28). "the dumb ox."
Today, the Church honors the Dominican St. Thomas Aquinas. He became an intellectual giant under the tutelage of one of the greatest medieval thinkers, St. Albert the Great. Thomas seldom opened his mouth. His classmates thought he was a simpleton and teased him by calling him “Dumb Ox.”
In Italy , Thomas wrote the Catena Aurea to help the clergy better understand the Word of God. This work was followed by the Summa Contra Gentiles to provide doctrinal material for missionaries to the Muslims. He composed the texts for the new feast of Corpus Christi . While teaching at the university of Paris , he justified the use of the “pagan” Aristotle’s philosophy in the study of theology, wrote his commentaries on several works of Aristotle and the greater part of his most famous work, the Summa Theologiae. Then he died at the age of 49. Throughout his life, Thomas was totally dedicated to the ministry of the Word, nourished by intense prayer and mortification.
Thomas never finished his Summa. During a Mass on the feast of St. Nicholas, he received an interior revelation. He never spoke about it and no longer did any writing after this experience. He said, “I cannot go on. All that I have written seems to me like so much straw compared to what I have seen and what has been revealed to me.” Thomas’ humility was born out of a deep spirituality. He felt small before the crucifix, before what Christ has done for humankind. He acknowledged that all his wisdom and writing is nothing but a small expression of gratitude for Christ’s work of salvation. Shortly before his death, he received the Eucharist and said, “I receive you, Price of my soul’s redemption. All my studies, my vigils, and my labors have been for love of you.”
From St. Thomas we learn that our successes are due to talents God has given us, talents we develop for the greater glory of God. Fr. Rudy Horst
Today, the Church honors the Dominican St. Thomas Aquinas. He became an intellectual giant under the tutelage of one of the greatest medieval thinkers, St. Albert the Great. Thomas seldom opened his mouth. His classmates thought he was a simpleton and teased him by calling him “Dumb Ox.”
In Italy , Thomas wrote the Catena Aurea to help the clergy better understand the Word of God. This work was followed by the Summa Contra Gentiles to provide doctrinal material for missionaries to the Muslims. He composed the texts for the new feast of Corpus Christi . While teaching at the university of Paris , he justified the use of the “pagan” Aristotle’s philosophy in the study of theology, wrote his commentaries on several works of Aristotle and the greater part of his most famous work, the Summa Theologiae. Then he died at the age of 49. Throughout his life, Thomas was totally dedicated to the ministry of the Word, nourished by intense prayer and mortification.
Thomas never finished his Summa. During a Mass on the feast of St. Nicholas, he received an interior revelation. He never spoke about it and no longer did any writing after this experience. He said, “I cannot go on. All that I have written seems to me like so much straw compared to what I have seen and what has been revealed to me.” Thomas’ humility was born out of a deep spirituality. He felt small before the crucifix, before what Christ has done for humankind. He acknowledged that all his wisdom and writing is nothing but a small expression of gratitude for Christ’s work of salvation. Shortly before his death, he received the Eucharist and said, “I receive you, Price of my soul’s redemption. All my studies, my vigils, and my labors have been for love of you.”
From St. Thomas we learn that our successes are due to talents God has given us, talents we develop for the greater glory of God. Fr. Rudy Horst
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
st. josehine bakhita
Re: Saints, Josephine Bakhita; Short Biography
Fr: Excerpted from Pope Benedict XVI (2007 Nov 30). Spes Salvi [Encyclical on Christian Hope] # 3. http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20071130_spe-salvi_en.html
“The example of a saint of our time can to some degree help us understand what it means to have a real encounter with this God for the first time. I am thinking of the African Josephine Bakhita, canonized by Pope John Paul II. She was born around 1869—she herself did not know the precise date—in Darfur in Sudan. At the age of nine, she was kidnapped by slave-traders, beaten till she bled, and sold five times in the slave-markets of Sudan. Eventually she found herself working as a slave for the mother and the wife of a general, and there she was flogged every day till she bled; as a result of this she bore 144 scars throughout her life. Finally, in 1882, she was bought by an Italian merchant for the Italian consul Callisto Legnani, who returned to Italy as the Mahdists advanced. Here, after the terrifying “masters” who had owned her up to that point, Bakhita came to know a totally different kind of “master”—in Venetian dialect, which she was now learning, she used the name “paron” for the living God, the God of Jesus Christ. Up to that time she had known only masters who despised and maltreated her, or at best considered her a useful slave. Now, however, she heard that there is a “paron” above all masters, the Lord of all lords, and that this Lord is good, goodness in person. She came to know that this Lord even knew her, that he had created her—that he actually loved her. She too was loved, and by none other than the supreme “Paron”, before whom all other masters are themselves no more than lowly servants. She was known and loved and she was awaited. What is more, this master had himself accepted the destiny of being flogged and now he was waiting for her “at the Father's right hand”. Now she had “hope” —no longer simply the modest hope of finding masters who would be less cruel, but the great hope: “I am definitively loved and whatever happens to me—I am awaited by this Love. And so my life is good.” Through the knowledge of this hope she was “redeemed”, no longer a slave, but a free child of God. She understood what Paul meant when he reminded the Ephesians that previously they were without hope and without God in the world—without hope because without God. Hence, when she was about to be taken back to Sudan, Bakhita refused; she did not wish to be separated again from her “Paron”. On 9 January 1890, she was baptized and confirmed and received her first Holy Communion from the hands of the Patriarch of Venice. On 8 December 1896, in Verona, she took her vows in the Congregation of the Canossian Sisters and from that time onwards, besides her work in the sacristy and in the porter's lodge at the convent, she made several journeys round Italy in order to promote the missions: the liberation that she had received through her encounter with the God of Jesus Christ, she felt she had to extend, it had to be handed on to others, to the greatest possible number of people. The hope born in her which had “redeemed” her she could not keep to herself; this hope had to reach many, to reach everybody.”
Fr: Excerpted from Pope Benedict XVI (2007 Nov 30). Spes Salvi [Encyclical on Christian Hope] # 3. http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20071130_spe-salvi_en.html
“The example of a saint of our time can to some degree help us understand what it means to have a real encounter with this God for the first time. I am thinking of the African Josephine Bakhita, canonized by Pope John Paul II. She was born around 1869—she herself did not know the precise date—in Darfur in Sudan. At the age of nine, she was kidnapped by slave-traders, beaten till she bled, and sold five times in the slave-markets of Sudan. Eventually she found herself working as a slave for the mother and the wife of a general, and there she was flogged every day till she bled; as a result of this she bore 144 scars throughout her life. Finally, in 1882, she was bought by an Italian merchant for the Italian consul Callisto Legnani, who returned to Italy as the Mahdists advanced. Here, after the terrifying “masters” who had owned her up to that point, Bakhita came to know a totally different kind of “master”—in Venetian dialect, which she was now learning, she used the name “paron” for the living God, the God of Jesus Christ. Up to that time she had known only masters who despised and maltreated her, or at best considered her a useful slave. Now, however, she heard that there is a “paron” above all masters, the Lord of all lords, and that this Lord is good, goodness in person. She came to know that this Lord even knew her, that he had created her—that he actually loved her. She too was loved, and by none other than the supreme “Paron”, before whom all other masters are themselves no more than lowly servants. She was known and loved and she was awaited. What is more, this master had himself accepted the destiny of being flogged and now he was waiting for her “at the Father's right hand”. Now she had “hope” —no longer simply the modest hope of finding masters who would be less cruel, but the great hope: “I am definitively loved and whatever happens to me—I am awaited by this Love. And so my life is good.” Through the knowledge of this hope she was “redeemed”, no longer a slave, but a free child of God. She understood what Paul meant when he reminded the Ephesians that previously they were without hope and without God in the world—without hope because without God. Hence, when she was about to be taken back to Sudan, Bakhita refused; she did not wish to be separated again from her “Paron”. On 9 January 1890, she was baptized and confirmed and received her first Holy Communion from the hands of the Patriarch of Venice. On 8 December 1896, in Verona, she took her vows in the Congregation of the Canossian Sisters and from that time onwards, besides her work in the sacristy and in the porter's lodge at the convent, she made several journeys round Italy in order to promote the missions: the liberation that she had received through her encounter with the God of Jesus Christ, she felt she had to extend, it had to be handed on to others, to the greatest possible number of people. The hope born in her which had “redeemed” her she could not keep to herself; this hope had to reach many, to reach everybody.”
Sunday, January 20, 2008
fr. eduardo p. hontiveros, sj
Re: Fr. Eduardo P. Hontiveros, SJ (1923-2008)
Date: Tue, 15 Jan 2008 13:40:11 +0800
From: Office of University Development & Alumni Relations
Subject: Death Notice: Fr. EDUARDO P. HONTIVEROS, S.J. (20 Dec. 1923
- 15 January 2008)
FR. EDUARDO P. HONTIVEROS, SJ
(20 December 1923 – 15 January 2008)
Fr. Eduardo P. Hontiveros, SJ, was born on 20 December 1923 in Molo, Iloilo City. He was one of eight children born to Jose Hontiveros and Vicenta Pardo.
Fr. Honti, as he is fondly known, was educated at the Capiz Elementary School and the pre-war Ateneo de Manila in Padre Faura, graduating from high school in 1939. From 1939 to 1945 he was at San Jose Seminary. He entered the Society of Jesus after the war in 1945, pronouncing first vows at Sacred Heart Novitiate in Novaliches in June 1947. There he finished his studies in philosophy and then proceeded to Ateneo de Zamboanga for his three-year regency, teaching religion, Latin, and English, and moderating the Choir String Band. In 1951, he traveled to the United States to study theology, and was ordained in 1954 by Francis Cardinal Spellman. After earning a doctorate in theology from the Gregorian University in Rome, he returned to teach in the Philippines in 1958.
He pronounced final vows in the Society of Jesus in 1960.
Fr. Honti had a long career as a theology professor and seminary formator for Jesuits and San Jose seminarians. He served in various capacities, including as Rector of San Jose Seminary and Dean of Loyola School of Theology. For more than thirty years until 1991 when a stroke seriously hampered his mobility and capacity to communicate, he was a fatherly figure to generations of Jesuit and Josefino seminarians.
But Fr. Honti is best known for his music. In 1965, as the Second Vatican Council ended and called for inculturation of the liturgy, Fr. Honti, whose family is musically inclined, was already composing Mass hymns in Tagalog. He asked the church choirs in Barangka, Marikina, and Pansol, both communities near the new Ateneo campus in Loyola Heights, to sing his songs, and he readily adjusted the notes if the choir found his compositions too difficult. Before long, he had composed a complete set of hymns for the Mass. Thus began Fr. Honti’s love affair with heartfelt liturgical music. His songs spread to other parishes and by the 1970s, aided by a fresh wave of nationalism, his songs
had become staple fare at Masses.
His name may not be familiar to all, but his music certainly is. He was not the only Filipino who experimented with sacred music in the vernacular starting in the 1960s, but he was certainly the most prolific, and most successful, if success is measured by the popularity of one’s work. Over a period of twenty-five years, Fr. Honti composed hundreds of hymns, many of which with moving stories of ordinary people behind them. He has inspired younger generations of composers like Fr. Nemesio Que, Fr. Fruto Ramirez, Fr. Manoling Francisco, Fr. Arnel Aquino, and Fr. Jboy Gonzales. It is no exaggeration that Fr. Honti has been called the Father of Filipino Liturgical Music.
Today it is a testament to Fr. Honti’s pioneering spirit that so many styles of church music are sung in our Masses and other gatherings. The choices can seem quite daunting, and it is never easy to select songs that various generations of churchgoers can follow, but play the opening notes of Fr. Honti’s Pananagutan, or intone his Luwalhati, Santo, Kordero ng Diyos, or his Magnificat, and everyone can join in. That is the surest way to show that while his name may not ring a bell, his music does.
Fr. Honti’s initiatives have been recognized with the Ateneo de Manila University’s
Tanglaw ng Lahi Award (1976), the Asian Catholic Publishers’ “Outstanding Catholic
Author” (1992), and the Papal award Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice (2000), among many other awards and citations. He suffered another major stroke in early January, and went home to the Lord on 15 January.
His wake is being held at the Oratory of St. Ignatius, Loyola House of Studies, Ateneo de Manila University, where daily masses will be held at 8:00 p.m. The funeral Mass is scheduled for Saturday, 19 January, 8:00 a.m. at the Church of the Gesu in Ateneo Loyola Heights campus. Interment will follow at the Sacred Heart Novitiate in Novaliches.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Loyola School of Theology, for the Eduardo P. Hontiveros, SJ, Professorial Chair.
15 January 2008
Philippine Province of the Society of Jesus
Date: Tue, 15 Jan 2008 13:40:11 +0800
From: Office of University Development & Alumni Relations
Subject: Death Notice: Fr. EDUARDO P. HONTIVEROS, S.J. (20 Dec. 1923
- 15 January 2008)
FR. EDUARDO P. HONTIVEROS, SJ
(20 December 1923 – 15 January 2008)
Fr. Eduardo P. Hontiveros, SJ, was born on 20 December 1923 in Molo, Iloilo City. He was one of eight children born to Jose Hontiveros and Vicenta Pardo.
Fr. Honti, as he is fondly known, was educated at the Capiz Elementary School and the pre-war Ateneo de Manila in Padre Faura, graduating from high school in 1939. From 1939 to 1945 he was at San Jose Seminary. He entered the Society of Jesus after the war in 1945, pronouncing first vows at Sacred Heart Novitiate in Novaliches in June 1947. There he finished his studies in philosophy and then proceeded to Ateneo de Zamboanga for his three-year regency, teaching religion, Latin, and English, and moderating the Choir String Band. In 1951, he traveled to the United States to study theology, and was ordained in 1954 by Francis Cardinal Spellman. After earning a doctorate in theology from the Gregorian University in Rome, he returned to teach in the Philippines in 1958.
He pronounced final vows in the Society of Jesus in 1960.
Fr. Honti had a long career as a theology professor and seminary formator for Jesuits and San Jose seminarians. He served in various capacities, including as Rector of San Jose Seminary and Dean of Loyola School of Theology. For more than thirty years until 1991 when a stroke seriously hampered his mobility and capacity to communicate, he was a fatherly figure to generations of Jesuit and Josefino seminarians.
But Fr. Honti is best known for his music. In 1965, as the Second Vatican Council ended and called for inculturation of the liturgy, Fr. Honti, whose family is musically inclined, was already composing Mass hymns in Tagalog. He asked the church choirs in Barangka, Marikina, and Pansol, both communities near the new Ateneo campus in Loyola Heights, to sing his songs, and he readily adjusted the notes if the choir found his compositions too difficult. Before long, he had composed a complete set of hymns for the Mass. Thus began Fr. Honti’s love affair with heartfelt liturgical music. His songs spread to other parishes and by the 1970s, aided by a fresh wave of nationalism, his songs
had become staple fare at Masses.
His name may not be familiar to all, but his music certainly is. He was not the only Filipino who experimented with sacred music in the vernacular starting in the 1960s, but he was certainly the most prolific, and most successful, if success is measured by the popularity of one’s work. Over a period of twenty-five years, Fr. Honti composed hundreds of hymns, many of which with moving stories of ordinary people behind them. He has inspired younger generations of composers like Fr. Nemesio Que, Fr. Fruto Ramirez, Fr. Manoling Francisco, Fr. Arnel Aquino, and Fr. Jboy Gonzales. It is no exaggeration that Fr. Honti has been called the Father of Filipino Liturgical Music.
Today it is a testament to Fr. Honti’s pioneering spirit that so many styles of church music are sung in our Masses and other gatherings. The choices can seem quite daunting, and it is never easy to select songs that various generations of churchgoers can follow, but play the opening notes of Fr. Honti’s Pananagutan, or intone his Luwalhati, Santo, Kordero ng Diyos, or his Magnificat, and everyone can join in. That is the surest way to show that while his name may not ring a bell, his music does.
Fr. Honti’s initiatives have been recognized with the Ateneo de Manila University’s
Tanglaw ng Lahi Award (1976), the Asian Catholic Publishers’ “Outstanding Catholic
Author” (1992), and the Papal award Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice (2000), among many other awards and citations. He suffered another major stroke in early January, and went home to the Lord on 15 January.
His wake is being held at the Oratory of St. Ignatius, Loyola House of Studies, Ateneo de Manila University, where daily masses will be held at 8:00 p.m. The funeral Mass is scheduled for Saturday, 19 January, 8:00 a.m. at the Church of the Gesu in Ateneo Loyola Heights campus. Interment will follow at the Sacred Heart Novitiate in Novaliches.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Loyola School of Theology, for the Eduardo P. Hontiveros, SJ, Professorial Chair.
15 January 2008
Philippine Province of the Society of Jesus
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