Author: Cristopher Sy

I am currently at the San Diego Airport waiting to end my quick day trip in San Diego. I had no intention to go see anything in particular but to see where the Spirit would lead. I was drawn to San Diego primarily because I have family within 2 hours of the city and wanted to surprise them. This leisure trip ended up becoming some sort of a short pilgrimage or retreat away from my routine at home into a city by myself.

 

I did the usual tourist thing, by hitting up the places that popped up on the google suggestions for the city. I was wrapping up my quick tour of the waterfront and headed for my Aunt’s house about 2 hours away to surprise them. Something felt off, and I wanted to make a turn thinking I missed my initial turn. I then ordered Siri to find the nearest Catholic Church, and found out that I was within meters of a church. I parked my car and walked around the block and found myself into the church.

 

This church was called “Our Lady of the Rosary.” The church had a simple layout on its exterior and was a complete opposite from the inside of the church. The church was painted white and when you looked at the church, the sun made it stand out even more. Upon walking inside, you would be surprised at the sudden change of lighting from bright to very dark. Not sure if it was because the lights were off, or if my eyes have yet to adjust to the brightness of the outdoors. I walked in and knelt in awe of the artwork. My prayer included a brief history of the church given by a local tour guide accompanying a group of about 20 people.

The church had a very unique beginning. Locals in the neighbourhood came from Italy, and contacted the local Bishop to set up a church. The Bishop, who knew that the locals were Italian, urged for an Italian priest to come. Within a few months of discernment, called one priest. The priest arrived by boat and train and ended up in a very unfamiliar area in San Diego. All he knew was that the locals wanted to set up a church, and being a priest could help with that need. He knocked on the door of a small house and greeted the family. The family was shocked because of the accent of the priest, which originated from their local town in Turin. The family welcomed the priest and offered their home to the priest. The family moved out of the house and moved into their grocery shop a block away so that the priest can fulfill his mission in the area. The Priest set up 45 chairs in the home, and prepared 5 masses that was full every Sunday.

After a few years of having mass in the home, the community grew even bigger and many supported the idea of having a bigger church. Within a month of this thought, the community came together and provided financial support for the church. Construction of the church began and in the transition period between the first and second World War, the church began to experience great financial trouble. Not only was the church running out of money, the locals had to be removed from the shores of San Diego. According to the tour guide, the Allies were fighting against many in Europe and that Italy was on the enemy’s side. At the cost of being near big US Naval Bases, the Italians had to be relocated to avoid rumours of possible spies and smaller wars amongst citizens on American soil.

Despite the removal of his people, and the lack of money to continue decorating the interior of the church, the priest continued. The priest took up a paintbrush and painted all of the artwork and assembled the stained glass windows by hand. After 2 years of decorating the church, the priest finished and many of the locals were welcomed back home.

I recall the history of this church through the sharing of the tour guide with a very promising heart. In my discernment in my career and vocation as a man of God, my heart is at peace with the path the Lord has paved for me. I pray, that like the Priest who was called by the people, I may be ready and give my all in the work and the fulfillment of the Lord’s plan.

“His calling is a declaration of Love”-St.John Paul II

The Great Reveal

This morning while awaiting mass at my home parish I had to leave my pew to simply blow my nose in the washroom. On my way to the washroom an old teacher of mine from the elementary school stopped me near a processional box of the resurrected Christ. (It was a small-scale version of the parade cars that you see on TV for Christmas or different celebrations) She asked me if I could help them out with the Salubong procession.

What is “Salubong?” Salubong in its literal translation from Tagalog to English is “Meeting.” It essentially is the meeting of a sorrowful Mother Mary with the Resurrected Christ. The procession starts off with a group of women veiled and following a processional Mother Mary surrounded in flowers and covered in a black veil. The women accompanying the processional box are reciting the rosary while processing around the church. The procession meets at the centre of the church near the overhang of the church balcony and the processional box of Jesus approaches. Jesus is accompanied by men with instruments and tasked with making noise to alert people of the resurrection. Angels dressed in white are also singing a jubilant song in Latin. At the meeting of the Mother and Son, a dove is lowered and the Angels sing the Regina Caeli, at the same time the black veil is taken off Mother Mary. The Mother and Son are surrounded in song and Alleluias as they two are processed to the front of the church.

Simply taking part as a drummer in the procession gave me goose bumps. I tried imagining myself with the disciples and upon hearing the news of the resurrection of Christ eager to share with others the great miracle. I imagined how happy Mother Mary must have been after seeing her son alive again and in the flesh and how happy Jesus would have been to see his Mother smile and to wipe away her tears.

I pray that we may all experience the great miracle of the Easter season with our friends and families.

God Bless and See you in the Eucharist

Cristopher Sy

In God’s Time

There is this saying that is always repeated when something happens and it goes like “everything happens for a reason.” No matter what the situation good or bad, this quote is often used as words of encouragement towards the storyteller. In my reflection of the various highlights, and milestones of the first three months of the year I was able to tell myself that very same quote. I was able to understand that everything that has happened was a result of God moving pieces and planning our every move. It was in this realization that I was filled with joy knowing that just by letting the Lord use me, he has allowed me to experience his works in the people that I meet.

“The world’s thy ship and not thy home.” –St. Therese of Lisieux

See you in the Eucharist!

Cristopher Sy

The Eyes of the Innocent

After experiencing my first SFC International Conference in the Philippines I was drawn to the simplest encounters of Christ in the eyes a child. During the pre-ICON immersion activities, I was able to visit an orphanage and home for young pregnant women known as Grace to be Born. Upon entry into the facility, we were welcomed by a handful of babies in cribs getting up and waving franticly at the numerous faces walking past. Many of us were taken by surprise because of the initial thought of encountering older children, but there they were little babies in cribs. The group consisted of brothers and sisters from around the world and various tongues, but the greatest obstacle was to communicate with these children. Despite having a difference in tongue, the group was reminded that as people of God, we all spoke and understood the language of love. Each communicated this special language in the various interactions, facial expressions, and laughter between the children.

A very special Jesus moment presented itself in the eyes of a very cute and gentle child dressed in purple. Many members of the group took turns trying to rock the child to sleep and a sister and I were challenged to do the same. I held the child in my arms and began a gentle rocking side to side. Resting in my arm, the child and I stared at each other. As we rocked from side to side, the sister simply joined the motion and began singing to the child. The child began losing the fight to stay awake and fell asleep in my arms.

In my reflection of this moment, I was honoured to receive Christ in the eyes of the child. I was also taken back at the idea that this child was waiting to be adopted and that this may be of few encounters since she was placed for adoption to be in the arms of a man.

“A word or smile is often enough to put fresh life in a despondent soul.”

-St Thérèse de Lisieux

Yours in Christ,

Cristopher Sy

Breaking Through the Threshold of Comfort

Hello All!

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

-Joshua 1:19

I was never one to step aside from my comfort zone, until I felt uneasiness in this comfort. This break of rhythm bothered me enough to being open to different aspects of my service in the community. I was a newly transitioned member of CFC-Youth into Singles for Christ and not once did I feel the urge to continue on in this new ministry. I felt a weird calling through a friend to go on an international mission to Trinidad and Tobago. I found myself attending online meetings with people of higher calibre, wisdom, and experience. Not really paying attention to these meetings, I often dozed off thinking about how I’m going to survive a week with these people. After a few of these meetings, I boarded a plane to a place I have never been to, to serve with people I have never met in person.

Being a very shy, and anxious person, I had the hardest time looking forward to meeting these new people. I even instructed a brother to promise me that he will never leave me alone with the new people because of the fear I had in meeting them. It was in this promise of the brother where everything began. Instead of following through with his promise he ended up throwing me into the deep end and got me to follow him as we introduced each other to the group of missionaries. I began following him and mimicking every introduction adjusting only to my name and where I was from.

The next day, the same brother avoided staying beside me and opted for a seat with no space beside him. This forced me to actually sit with someone new and meet other people. At this same time we were all reminded of the tasks that we had been discerned for to complete during the conference. I was lucky and got only one task, to lead a recollection, while others had multiple tasks overarching each other. I had my heart set on doing my part and stepping aside to witness the conference. It was here again where the brother began stating my abilities to the leaders and other missionaries and from there I had added another role to the conference.

In my first two days on mission I was challenged so much to step out of my comfort zone. It wasn’t until now, where I realized that although the brother was the one physically pushing me past my comfort zone, but it was the Lord. The Lord was simply calling me to break out of my comfort zone to experience the mission to its fullest. For me not to confide in the easiness of comfort or to set sail onto still waters but instead to journey alongside my fellow missionaries in this uneasiness.

In Christ,

Cristopher Sy