By: Erik Espina
There is a premiere parish in Cebu where the married brood, their children in tow, gets free board and lodging (in-house) in every new posting of a sibling Parish Priest. Previous lay workers were replaced. The “religious dynasty” took over the parish office, including accounting of collections. In Negros Oriental, once a high church official prohibited unwed parents to have their new born baptized.
The Sacrament of Baptism was withheld from innocent children as punishment for the sins of the parents? A Monsignor friend I consulted from nearby province explained, it is not done in their diocese. Perhaps it is the edict of the Bishop concerned (To date, Pope Francis has spoken against this impervious arbitrariness). The strict diocese prescribed centralizing church collections.
Priests on allowance. Masses and weddings in hilly chapel barangays not allowed. Mountain folk had to come down to municipal or city centers for masses or weddings. Mass for the dead limited to one, to equalize the rich and poor. Part of “Political correctness”? There was a “prince of the church” who also barred his priests saying mass in the home chapel of his political nemesis in a plush Makati village.
Hence, the high legislator sought clergy from Bulacan and other localities, with permission from respective Bishops for anticipated masses. The Lady of Montserrat in San Beda College (SBC) Mendiola, starting 2004 and carried over today, is disallowed from hosting weddings by the “head shepherd” of the Metro archdiocese. Bedans who prefer exchanging vows in a place of worship they were reared in their Catholic formation are now denied this once in a lifetime opportunity to be wed in their alma mater.
The reason for the ban is, it is only a chapel? Devotees and church goers acquainted with SBC chapel can only speak in admiration at the solemn, elaborate, and European-like décor of the place e.g. marble holy figures, frescos, and size etc. Regular masses are still permitted, but the Sacrament of Matrimony is a “no-no” in this day and age when spiritual combat is peaking in end times. Or is it also about the offertory in weddings?
