APOLOGETICS APOSTOLATE IN BACOLOD NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL, SORSOGON PROVINCE

Last March 24, 2010 Fr. Abe was invited to give the recollection and Holy Mass to the students of Bacolod National High School. The school official that invited him specified that they wanted to invite him because their values education teachers are receiving questions from students about the faith, church history and the Bible of which they are not prepared to give convincing answers. Knowing that Fr. Abe answers these questions on local radio and tv they chose him to be the right guy to face the inquiring students.

Fr. Abe of course accepted the invitation. He was helped by Fr. Bobby Sabayton, a fellow Somascan for the Confessions of the students and in the afternoon Fr. Abe arrived. He brought with him the camera men of AITV5 to record the event so that if possible the event could be aired later on AITV5. Indeed, it was later aired on TV during the Holy Week to the delight of the students and teachers.

The apologetics session lasted for two hours with the students freely giving their questions well prepared before hand. Despite the simplicity and poverty of the facilities of the National Highschool of this place the students are very bright, they are witty and humurous. They came in full force. Not captured by my camera are the students peeping through the wooden windows and reaching the nearby garden. They were so eager to learn.

The questions given by the students are very common in apologetics. Normal accusations hurled by the INC, ADD and Born Again against the Catholic Church about Mary, the Sacred Images in the churches and the Papacy. The students who brought their Bible with them were surprised to see the passages we showed them showing that the Tiara and the Mitre used by the Popes are Biblical materials ordered by God for His priests in the service of the Covenant Tent and of the Temple.

As agreed upon the apologetics session culminated in the celebration of the Holy Mass in which the students celebrated with simplicity and dignity. They were singing, responding and in reverent silence at the proper time. It was a marvelous, beautiful experience especially the marvelous photos of the Bulusan Volcano which I posted the other day were taken right in front of this classroom. MAY THE LORD BLESS THIS STUDENTS OF BACOLOD ESPECIALLY NOW THAT THEY ARE PREPARING FOR THEIR COLLEGE EDUCATION. GOD BLESS ONE AND ALL.