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For the Filipino Catholic Mission of Montreal, singing is one way to spread Christmas joy.
Photo from Filipino Catholic Mission of Montreal
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OSV Newsillustration/Dado Ruvic, Reuters
It is a stereotype that Filipinos love to sing, but it is a stereotype the parishioners of the Filipino Catholic Mission of Montreal (FCMM) willingly embrace and use to spread Christmas joy.
At the start of Advent, the FCMM music ministry team began a “caroling outreach” which took it into the homes and businesses of those who were willing to receive them.
Like singing, the tradition of going from house to house to carol and raise money for charity is a familiar one to Filipinos.
“They’re visiting homes, spreading the Christmas cheer, because this is what we used to do back in the Philippines,” parishioner Len Lalic told The Catholic Register.
Accompanied by Fr. Regie Lavilla, MSP, the music team serenade the householders. Lavilla gives his priestly blessing and the families are gifted a picture Our Lady of the Philippines.
Ohda Guia-Foz is director of the music ministry at the mission church and says the connection with the Christmas traditions of their country is very important for the community.
“A lot of families are not able to go back home any more, and Christmas is a very big thing in the Philippines,” said Guia-Foz.
“A lot are very, very touched by it, especially those elders that are not being visited by their families any more. There are elders that haven’t gone to the Philippines for a long time, and they miss their families. It’s just kind of a reminiscence, because this is how we Filipinos celebrate Christmas.”
Like Dickensian carolers, the musicians ask for donations. The money received is directed to the support of seminarians for the Mission Society of the Philippines, the order that serves the parish, sponsorship of Filipino students and a “big vision” plan for a residence for Filipino elders in Montreal.
The team also understands itself being “ambassadors” for the parish.
“Our ministry lets the Filipino community, and all Catholic people here in Montreal, know there is an existing Filipino Catholic mission here. We are like an instrument of knocking at the door of the heart of the people,” said Guia-Foz.
A life of outreach and service is one that parishioners are hoping to nurture in the young people of the parish.
Lalic and her husband Lito are part of a parent’s group that support the young men who serve the Mass, the “Knights of the Altar.”
The couple describe a recent parish council meeting that was an open forum for all parishioners.
“We were brainstorming. What more could we do?” said Lito. “One of the suggestions was to do outreach, and to expose our children to outreach.”
The parish subsequently connected with the Missionaries of Charity sisters and different parish groups have helped with serving and feeding the homeless in Montreal.
For the “KotA boys,” as they are nicknamed, outreach has taken the form of spending December weekend afternoons at long-term care facilities. Wearing festive Santa hats, the boys and their parents go to each floor of the residence to sing Christmas carols.
For Lalic, accompanying her son at the parish outreach brought its own satisfaction.
“It was an experience of true joy when you give your time to bring Christmas cheer to others you don’t know, and don’t know you, without expecting anything in return. To show them that they are important, they matter.”
A version of this story appeared in the December 22, 2024, issue of The Catholic Registerwith the headline "‘This is how we Filipinos celebrate Christmas’".
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