Celebrating 20 Years at the Eucharistic Banquet
The year 2016 had been a milestone year in my life because I celebrated my 25th anniversary as a religious of the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament. I am so blessed and grateful for the many years I have been nurtured by the tremendous grace of vocation I am embracing. I was not able to attend the celebration in Manila with my SSS confreres and co-jubilarians; nevertheless, I had the opportunity to celebrate the occasion with majority of jubilarians in the Diocese of Cleveland, Ohio, presided by the bishop, now emeritus, Most Rev. Richard Lennon.
While 2016 had been a celebratory year, there was also pain and sadness because I lost my Papa Johnny to illness in November that same year. He served his parish church for more than forty years in various capacities. Although I was able to see him and talk to him before his passing, I was not ready to accept his death. The emotional pain and grief of my mother and the rest of my siblings in the hospital room were really excruciating, especially the moment of letting go. But it was apparent that my father was ready to go…
This is the paradox of life: Sometimes we need to celebrate the passing of days and years in life, but and most of the time, we need to celebrate life on the way to life eternal. We just have to let go and let God work His ways in our life. For me this is a Learning experience to accept that our life is greater than our loss; our life is greater than our pain.
The Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament (SSS)Rule of Life (RoL) #12 – Infirm or Elderly Religious,states: “When one of our brothers is ill thecommunity shall unite itself with him in his suffering… . Thus, are provided with all the care they needand that, depending on the condition, they receivethe sacrament of the sick, in the joy of the Lord andsurrounded by their brothers.” This particularguide and lifestyle affirms my own life experienceas one of the professed members living in thecommunity since the initial stage of my formationuntil this present time.
Saint Peter Julian Eymard, founder of SSS, made adefinitive witnessing of his own life experiences ofbeing weak and sick, thus integrating his own lifeto the practice and the mission of thecongregation, to care for the sick and suffering inthe Church and those in the community as well.This is a concrete reminder for all of us membersthat RoL #12 is a mission directive to be a caringcommunity with compassion and support for theinfirm and elderly.Even as a young priest assigned at a parish inMonteynard, France, Fr. Eymard would visit thesick and ask the nature of their illness. He haddeveloped an interest in herbal medicine andwould teach those who were interested how torecognize such herbs, how to prepare and usethem.
St. Eymard made sure that the community hefounded included the care for the priest. RoL #44 –At the service of the priest, confirms that SSS seeksto share with the mission of the priest a life offaith, prayer and friendship as we welcome andaccommodate them (the infirm and elderly) byoffering hospitality, formation and animation. Theholy SSS founder explicitly said, “I would leaveeverything for priests.” Indeed, his thoughts andvision were more than adequate to see thegoodness of taking care of one another in thecommunity as reflected in his own past pastoraland communal life experiences.— Fr. Lito Hitosis, sss
This experience also made me reflect on myvocation more deeply as I marked my 20thpriestly anniversary this year, 2017, everthankful for this gift of vocation and thegraces God has bestowed upon me toperform my ministry with greatperseverance.
Before I began my journey as a chaplainclergy serving full time as pastoral careminister, I remembered being immersed inour Blessed Sacrament community in Davaowhen I was a postulant. I was tasked toassist a religious brother who had suffereda minor heart attack. Little did I know thatit was already an initial formation of caringfor the elderly and sick in the community.When I was taking care of him, I thought Iwas just being respectful to a senior andinfirm member of the local community,unaware of my potential for this type ofservice and its impact on my future ministry.
For the past several years, I am not onlycalled to minister to my brethren in thecommunity but also to attend to thepastoral needs of members of the Catholicchurch like those in the hospital, as part ofmy responsibility as ordained priest and aschaplain, and those in nursing institutions,visiting them, administering the sacramentof anointing of the sick, hearing confessionsand giving holy communion.
During the visit of His Holiness Pope Francisin Manila, Philippines, in January 2016, hecelebrated Mass with bishops, priests,religious and seminarians, and his homilyexpounded on the theme of all pastoralministry as born of love. I then realized thatmy ministry of taking care of the sick is a callto be love in the heart of the church.
I thank God for the grace of mercy andcompassion. Most of all, I thank God forgiving me the willingness to explore somuch more the call for healing ministrywithin the grace of my vocation in thebanquet of the Eucharistic celebration. I ambeing challenged constantly and called tobe bread, broken and shared to the peopleof God. It is absolutely a blessing tocelebrate twenty years of religiousmissionary priest.
(Note: Fr. Lito Hitosis, SSS, serves as an associatepriest at St. Paschal Baylon Parish in Cleveland, Ohio,USA, which is administered by the Blessed SacramentCommunity. He is also a full time Chaplain in thenearby private hospital, Hillcrest Hospital. He is in thePhillippines for the first death anniversary of his PapaJohnny.)
The Council members met with theArchbishop of Lipa in the morning ofOctober 30, 2017. The purpose of themeeting was simply to inform thearchbishop of the two parcels of land theProvince had bought in the Municipality ofCalaca, Batangas. The council memberswere surprised by the archbishop’s reactionas they were expecting the archbishopsimply to acknowledge the information;instead he welcomed the Congregation intohis archdiocese and promised the Council toinform his presbyterium of this matter. Thearchbishop also told the Council that theCongregation is free to promote vocationssince the Sacramentinos are already part ofhis archdiocese.
Before leaving, the Council gave thearchbishop images of the Our Lady of theBlessed Sacrament and of Saint Peter JulianEymard plus the commemorative stole forthe 60th anniversary of the Congregation inthe Philippines. In turn, the archbishop gavethe Council two coffee table booksregarding the history, life and ministry of theArchdiocese of Lipa.