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Goals

To promote religious awareness on the importance of “family advent preparation” and of the Filipino tradition of Simbang Gabi as a powerful spiritual tool to prepare for Christmas. To bring Filipino families together in a spirit of pre-Christmas preparation and celebration of Simbang Gabi in more spiritual manner and according to Filipino tradition.

To encourage Filipino Families to embrace the call of missionary discipleship by Pope Francis and Archbishop Lori and to open many families to the spirit of Jubillee Year or Mercy. To promote to all Filipino families the importance of
registration of the family in a Parish Church.

Members

Overall-Coordinator: Ms. Agnes Nepomuceno

Members: Coordinators of each parish church sponsoring the Simbang Gabi (9 coordinators) Plus added individuals whose gifts are needed to realize a very Filipino cultural tradition of Simbang Gabi:

  • Myrna Ortega
  • Tita Keeney
  • Jr Manalad
  • Luis Florendo
  • Ethan Gomez, etc.

AFC Executive Committee

Responsibilities and Tasks

  1. Designing the Plan for Simbang Gabi 2015
  • Call a meeting to determine the plan about Simbang Gabi 2015
  • Draw up the final plan based on the identified strengths and constraint as well as resources to use for this event.
  • Clarifying the norms and use of resources, e,g., inclement weather parish policy, usage of Choirs, reception after the Mass. 
  • Create a Complete Schedule of Simbang Gabi, clearly listing the presider, readers, servers, offerers, sponsor of the Mass, nd the choir who will be singing at each mass. 
  1. Coordinating the Plan  
  • Contact all 9 pastors of prospective Churches hosting Simbang Gabi
  • Contact possible leaders at each Church, hosting Simbang Gabi, to seek commitment to lead and organize a team at their respective parishes.
  • Hold a final meeting of all Parish Simbang Gabi Coordinators to discuss the plan, responsibilities and task, liturgical Norms, and expectations.
  • Contact all prospective priests who will provide the Mass based on the schedule and theme of each Mass.  There will be foru priest who committed to have Mass for this Simbang Gabi
  1. Promotion of Simbang Gabi through all avenues from November to December so that many Filipino Families may be fully informed
  • Designing and Printing of flyers
  • Publication through Facebooks, flyers, meetings, and Filipino gatherings
  • Email communication to all Filipino organizations and parish-based Filipino organizations.  
  1. Monitoring of the actual Implementation of the Plan at each parish

Parish Team Coordinator

  1. Organization of a Parish Working Team who will implement the plan at their respective parishes.  The Working team may include the Filipino families of neighboring parishes who are joining in this event.
  2. Meeting of all members of the Parish Working Team to discuss the details of the plan at their respective parish.
  3. To determine the following people needed for the Mass.
  • Readers – there are two readings: reading of the day, Responsorial  Psalm (if not to be sung), and prayers of the faith.
  • Choir – there two choirs that can be used – Filipino Community Choir, led by Tita Keeney, and JITS Praise Team, led by Myrna Ortega. A Parish choir may also be used, if you have your own Choir. 
  • Songs will be determined by AFC for the entire Simbang Gabi Season.
  • Servers and offerers.
  • Sponsor for the Mass.  Each parish will have to find a sponsor for the Mass who will prepare a stipend ($100) for the priest presider.   
  1. To determine if they will host a Reception after the Mass
  • To seek permission with the pastor of the Church and request a hall or a big room for a possible reception.
  • To organize with fellow parishioners on how to prepare for and realize this reception.  

Archdiocesan Filipino Council Documents

Description of Simbang Gabi

Liturgical Norm for Simbang Gabi 

Complete Archdiocesan Simbang Gabi 

A complete listing the Churches, priest presiders, parish team coordinators, choirs, readers, servers, sponsors of the Mass.

A complete listing of Parish Working Team of each parish participating in the Archdiocesan Simbang Gabi.

A complete listing of priests presiders with their telephone numbers.

Parish Working Team Documents

A complete table, listing the people responsible for the following:  readers, prayers for the faithful, sponsors of the Mass, offerers, collectors, 

Reception – if there is a reception, what is the plan, coordination of the place of reception with the pastor of the Church.

Parish Policy in terms of cancellation of Mass during Inclement Weather.     

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Ne duo laudem complectitur, et dicta scripserit his. Cu maiorum scriptorem sea, sea graecis temporibus ut. Regione reprehendunt an ius. At vis dolorum facilisi, ne vim munere doctus liberavisse, sed oratio integre dissentiunt in. Est option oportere indoctum et, id tollit probatus sit. Qui case probatus cu.

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Ne mei numquam theophrastus, ei dolor exerci consectetuer sea, homero tamquam accusam te nam. Ut sed tota semper nusquam, ad mea graeci forensibus, cu tamquam sensibus vis. Eruditi delicata et usu. Pro movet omnes debitis at. Liber invenire praesent ius ex.

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Ne duo laudem complectitur, et dicta scripserit his. Cu maiorum scriptorem sea, sea graecis temporibus ut. Regione reprehendunt an ius. At vis dolorum facilisi, ne vim munere doctus liberavisse, sed oratio integre dissentiunt in. Est option oportere indoctum et, id tollit probatus sit. Qui case probatus cu.

Ne duo laudem complectitur, et dicta scripserit his. Cu maiorum scriptorem sea, sea graecis temporibus ut. Regione reprehendunt an ius.

Ne mei numquam theophrastus, ei dolor exerci consectetuer sea, homero tamquam accusam te nam. Ut sed tota semper nusquam, ad mea graeci forensibus, cu tamquam sensibus vis. Eruditi delicata et usu. Pro movet omnes debitis at. Liber invenire praesent ius ex.

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In Him Alone is Our Strength

A tribute to all the unsung heroes of typhoon Haiyan and a celebration of the triumph of the resilient spirit, vibrant faith and solidarity of all Filipinos!

The Archdiocesan Filipino council of the Archdiocese of Baltimore and its Mission Partners

invite you all to the

Filipino Saints Fiesta Celebration Fiesta Mass

  • Sunday, September 28, 2014
  • Welcome Ritual at 2:45pm (Sinulog Dance and Enthronement of San Lorenzo Ruiz and San Pedro Calungsod)
  • Eucharistic Celebration at 3:00pm with Archbishop William Lori, Archbishop – Archdiocese of Baltimore
  • Cathedral of Mary Our Queen
  • 5200 N. Charles St. Baltimore, MD 21210

There will be a procession around the cathedral after the Mass. A mini-Fiesta Salu-Salo and short program follows after the procession.

Filipino Saints Triduum

  • September 24, 25 and 26 2014
  • After the 5:30pm Mass at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen

Bring your family and friends! Tell them about this great event and let us offer our gratitude to Jesys for the Grace of rising above many challenges in life!

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The Archdiocesan Filipino Council of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, in cooperation with the Franciscan Friars at the Shrine of St. Anthony (Ellicot City), cordially invites you and your family to an afternoon of prayer, worship and inter-active sharing.

The event will be culminated with a Mass, procession and flower offering to Mama Mary and a mini-salo-salo after.

For more details, please contact Edna Gan or Dr. Myrna Ortega.

We hope to see you all there –

May 18, 2014 @ 1:30pm

Shrine of St. Anthony

12290 Folly Quarter Rd, Ellicott City, MD 21042

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Praise the Lord! We made it again, and we made it the biggest attendance and most joyful so far.

Ruben, my Brothers and Sisters in AFC, and all the leaders and representatives of Fil-Am Organizations who supported the 2014 Filipino Saints Fiesta Celebration: On behalf of all the Filipino priests working in the Archdiocese of Baltimore, I wish to thank you so much for your generous sacrifices to make our 2014 Filipino Saints Fiesta Celebration an awesome success. Words by priests and the Archbishop and the new Director of Office of Worship were all so positive and commending of your display of good energy, faithfulness to the Church, and joyfulness to serving the Lord.

All the attendees were so pleased with all the preparations we have done. The overall quality of the celebration is awesome – organized, smooth, and well attended. Everyone prayed well, is happy and well-fed. As I have written my desire in the souvenir program, ‘as Filipinos in this Archdiocese, our first YES is to promote our devotion to these two Saints among our families and friends.

When we have done this, we can spread the spirit of the two Filipino Saints to other places. Confident that we have the support and encouragement of the Archbishop and priests of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, we can always make this Fiesta Celebration, honoring San Lorenzo Ruiz and San Pedro Calungsod, a fruitful spiritual gathering of all devotees, Fil-Am families, Fil-Am organizations, and friends of Filipinos.

WE DID IT AGAIN, and THIS TIME, MUCH BETTER! Because of what you have done. I thank and commend you especially ALL CURRENT OFFICERS OF AFC, ALL LEADERS OF FILIPINO ORGANIZATIONS, AND REPRESENTATIVES OF ALL FIL-AMERICAN ORGANIZATIONS FROM VARIOUS PARISHES OF AOB, who are “Mission Partners” of the AFC.

I pray that through the intercession of St. Lorenzo Ruiz and San Pedro Calungsod, God will bless all of you and your families a hundredfold.

My friends, we are always blessed by God! Let us be grateful and generous! Nothing can stop us to realize our vision and mission, because God, who is gracious and merciful, is with us. “In God alone is our strength.”

LET US CONTINUE HELPING EACH OTHER SUCCEED!

Yours in Christ,

FR. Pete

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