Francis' Soliloquy: Twenty-Eight Years and Counting

This evening, a block rosary prayer session was once again held in our home. Beloved neighbors came, and together with my entire family we all prayed the Holy Rosary before the image of Our Lady of Fatima.

After praying the rosary, we had a “salo-salo” (a casual dinner party), and then we transferred the image to the home of a neighbor. My nephew Miguel carried the image of Our Lady to bring it to the nearby home of Mr. and Mrs. Acebedo. After two weeks there will be another rosary prayer session in their home, and the image will once again be transferred to the home of another neighbor. This process will go on and on for the rest of the year, just as it already has for nearly three decades. Indeed it was only last January 2011 that the rosary prayer sessions started to be held only every other Saturday, because for all the previous years it has always been every Saturday. My Mom is not as young as she used to be, therefore I advised her to make it easier for herself by adopting the two week interval.

For exactly twenty-eight (28) years now, my Mom has been leading the Mystical Rose Block Rosary of Phase 3-A (Gatchalian Subdivision, Las Piñas) in bringing the image of the Blessed Mother to virtually every home in the neighborhood. Thus, by the grace of God, the Mystical Rose Block Rosary has been able to pray the Most Holy Rosary for the benefit of each host-family, practically every Saturday starting at 7:00pm, with near perfect continuity and regularity from the time that my Mom started this activity in June 1983. Evidently, this blessed image has been a significant instrument of faith and prayer – and of the resulting graces and blessings – for the more than forty (40) families that have repeatedly and wholeheartedly welcomed and prayed to it every year since 1983.

A full-fledged devotee to the Blessed Mother since childhood, Mom is a Pharmacist-Entrepreneur and Piano Teacher by profession. She used to be the President of the Catholic Women’s League – and she also used to serve as Lector, Cantor, and Commentator – at the Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Parish Church in Multinational Village when Gatchalian (the subdivision we live in) was still a part of that parish. She has semi-retired from parish activities but still attends Holy Mass every day, most often at the Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Parish Church in Gatchalian.

Mom was motivated to start Mystical Rose when her youngest son, my baby brother, Franco Nilo passed away (due to a congenital heart disease) at the age of 9 in April 1983. Dad, Francisco Sr. or “Frank,” subsequently also passed away (also due to a heart ailment) at the age of 42 in June 1984, thus further increasing Mom’s dependence on God.

My Kuya Manny and I were merely in third-year and first-year college respectively back in 1983. Mom therefore struggled to raise the two of us, with some help coming only from her own mother, my grandma, Aurora (otherwise known to everyone as Nanay), who also already passed away in November 2009.

Manny has now long been a professional Engineer, indeed even his eldest son Miguel (who turns 23 next week) has already earned his own engineering degree, having recently graduated from Mapua. Manny’s marriage to his wife Luz has also always been blessed, and their only daughter Mariz (18) is a Pharmacy student following in the footsteps of her Grandma. Their youngest Mark Luiz (11), on the other hand, is being doted upon and closely watched by his blogger of an uncle so that just like his elder siblings Miguel and Mariz he will be more likely than not to someday have a fulfilling life and career. The uncle on the other hand have so far had his prayers often answered too as regards his own life and career – just a simple guy doing okay in his own simple way.

As for Maria Nelda, aka Mommy, figuratively and literally she has already come a long way from the tribulations of the early 80s. (“Nelda,” by the way, means “torch.” Thus Maria Nelda can perhaps be translated as “the torch of Mary.” Naks!) She busies herself nowadays with the Block Rosary, attending Holy Mass everyday (sometimes even twice in one day, morning and afternoon), doing church and charity work to the extent that she can, taking care of her family, and doting on her grandchildren. One of my heart’s desires is to someday be able to take her to the actual grotto of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal, where the devotion originally started. I also hope to take her to the grotto at Lourdes in France. She has already been to Medjugorje, the Holy Land, and Rome. Ours is a family of humble means; it has been nothing short of miraculous that Mom was able to visit those places. Thus I am praying real hard and counting on a few more miracles.

Whenever she is asked what her “secret” is, Mommy is always quick to reply that there is, was, and will always be only one secret, and that secret … is prayer.

The image of Our Lady of Fatima, which has been repeatedly visiting the homes in our neighborhood for the past 28 years now.

Mommy leading the prayer in front of the image of the Blessed Mother.
(It is the homeowner or current host who leads in prayer.)

The Mystical Rose Block Rosary, a close-knit neighborhood, a community of pray-ers.

Mommy is all smiles after prayer and dinner. To her left are Mark Luiz (youngest grandchild), Luz (daughter-in-law), and Kumareng Cora (Godmother to Manny and Luz). Having dessert on the stairs is Mariz, it's a full house you see.