Wednesday, July 27, 2005

Pwede Ba Magbakasyon Bilang Filipino?

ni Angel Sy

Pwede ba magbakasyon bilang Filipino, pwede ko bang maranasan kahit sa sumandali lamang na maging first class citizen?

Lubha na akong napapagod maging Pinoy! Nakakalungkot isipin na sa kanilang pag kukulitan sa Pulitika, lalong nagdarahop ang inang bayan, bumaba ng 75% ang mga namumuhunan sa Pilipinas sa taon na ito.

Ang ibig sabihin nun ay milyon milyon pinoy ang walang trabaho.

Kasi sa pag pull-out ng kanilang investment kasamang nawawala ang trabaho para kay Juan de la Cruz.

Masakit man isipin ngunit yan ang katotohanan.

Tulad na lang nang isang kusinera, na may 3 anak, ang kanyang asawa ay dating nagtratrabaho bilang taga linis ng aircon, nangongontrata sila ng malalaking opisina na kanila naman nililinisan ng aircon, ngunit kasabay ng kaguluhan sa ating bansa, kasabay din nawala ang mga namumuhunan at ang trabahong dati niyang ipinangtatawid gutom sa kanyang mag iina.

Ngayon, araw at gabi siya na umaasa na muli magbalik ang sigla ng pangangalakal, para maibsan niya ang pagkagutom ng kanyang maybahay at 3 anak.

Sa ngayon, siya ang nag aalaga sa 3 anak at ang misis niya na nag papadede pa sa wala pang isang taon sanggol ang syang naghahanapbuhay bilang kusinera, labandera at kung ano na lang para lang may pang gatas at kain ang kanilang pamilya.

Hindi lamang sila ang may ganyan kwento ng pagdarahup, lubhang naka kaantig ng puso ang pag isa isa sa kanilang mga kwento...

Saturday, July 16, 2005

RPV Team

RPV Team

The team members of Radyo Pilipino Ng Vaticano (RPV). Front row, from left to right: Sr. Tess, Fr. Stephen, Fr. Albert, Remy and Jocelyn. Back row, from left to right: Ermie, Rommel, and Sr. Gloria.

Thursday, July 14, 2005

RESTORING TRUST: A PLEA FOR MORAL VALUES


The Pastoral Situation


1. As a people we seem to have passed from crisis to crisis in one form or another. For many analysts, reinforcing these crises are ambivalent cultural values such as palakasan, pakikisama, utang na loob, and family-centeredness. As Bishops we have long contended that the crises that we have suffered are basically moral – the lack of moral values in ourselves, in our relationships, in our social structures.

2. Today we are beset with yet another political crisis of such magnitude as to polarize our people and attract them to various options ranging from the extreme right to the extreme left. In this grave situation, various groups take advantage of one another, manipulate situations for their own agenda and create confusion among our people sometimes by projecting speculation or suspicion as proven fact, with the aim of grabbing power.

3. At the center of the crisis is the issue of moral value, particularly the issue of trust. The people mistrust our economic institutions which place them under the tyranny of market forces whose lack of moral compass produces for our people a life of grinding, dehumanizing poverty. They also mistrust yet another key institution – our political system. This mistrust is not recent. For a long time now, while reveling in political exercises, our people have shown a lack of trust in political personalities, practices, and processes. Elections are often presumed tainted rather than honest. Congressional and senate hearings are sometimes narrowly confined to procedural matters and often run along party lines. Politics has not effectively responded to the needs of the poor and marginalized.

4. This question of trust in national institutions has taken a critical urgency with the resignation of some key Cabinet members, the realignment of political parties and the creation of new alliances. Amid this realignment of forces we commend the clear official stand of our military and police authorities who reiterated their loyalty to our Constitution that forbids them from engaging in partisan politics.

5. Moreover within academe, business, professional and civil society varied positions have been taken with regard to President Macapagal Arroyo. Some want her to resign; others want her to go through due process. Some want a Truth Commission. Others impeachment. Some want a constitutional process and others an extra-constitutional process. On the other hand there is also a wide manifestation of support for the chief executive by a cross section of society.

6. Today we ask ourselves, “As Bishops what can we offer to our people? Can we provide some clarity and guidance in the present confusing situation?” We can only answer these questions from who we are. We are not politicians who are to provide a political blueprint to solve political problems. Rather we are Bishops called by the Lord to shepherd the people in the light of faith. With Pope Benedict XVI we do not believe in the “intrusion into politics on the part of the hierarchy.” But we are to interpret human activities such as economics and politics from the moral and religious point of view, from the point of view of the Gospel of Jesus and of the Kingdom of God. We are to provide moral and religious guidance to our people. This is what we offer in the present crisis. Not to do this would be an abdication of our duty.


Our Pastoral Role and our Stand

7. In the welter of conflicting opinions and positions our role is not to point out a specific political option or a package of options as the Gospel choice, especially so when such an option might be grounded merely on a speculative and highly controvertible basis. In the present situation we believe that no single concrete option regarding President Macapagal Arroyo can claim to be the only one demanded by the Gospel. Therefore, in a spirit of humility and truth, we declare our prayerfully discerned collective decision that we do not demand her resignation. Yet neither do we encourage her simply to dismiss such a call from others. For we recognize that non-violent appeals for her resignation, the demand for a Truth Commission and the filing of an impeachment case are not against the Gospel.

8. In all these we remind ourselves that a just political and moral order is best promoted under the present circumstances by a clear and courageous preference for constitutional processes that flow from moral values and the natural law. Hence, we also appeal to the people, especially their representatives and leaders, to discern their decisions not in terms of political loyalties but in the light of the Gospel values of truth, justice, and the common good. We urge our people in our parish and religious communities, our religious organizations and movements, our Basic Ecclesial Communities to come and pray together, reason, decide and act together always to the end that the will of God prevail in the political order. People of good will and credibility who hold different political convictions should come together and dialogue in order to help move the country out of its present impasse. We believe with Pope Benedict XVI that through prayer the Filipino people and their political representatives and leaders, guided by moral principles, are capable of arriving at decisions for the common good that are based not only on political realities but above all on moral precepts.

9. Yet having said this we wish to subject specific situations to moral inquiry to guide our people in deepening their moral discernment.

Restoring Moral Values

10. On Moral Accountability: “Political authority is accountable to the people. Those who govern have the obligation to answer to the governed” (Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, 408). President Macapagal Arroyo has admitted and apologized for a “lapse of judgment” for calling a COMELEC official. The admission further eroded the people’s trust on the already suspected electoral system and raised serious questions on the integrity of the elections. Beyond apology is accountability. Indeed, with forgiveness is justice. To restore trust would require a thorough, credible, and independent process to examine the authenticity of the so-called Garcillano tapes, verify any possible betrayal of public trust, and mete out due punishment on all those found guilty. Punishment should also be imposed on those duly found guilty of corruption and illegal acts, such as jueteng and wire-tapping. Moral accountability calls for radical reforms in various agencies of government to make them more responsive to the requirements of integrity as well as to the needs of the poor.

11. On Constitutionality: In the present crisis some calls are being made for measures that are counter-constitutional. The Constitution enshrines cherished values such as human dignity and the common good, freedom, the rule of law and due process. On this basis, we reject quick fixes that cater to selfish political agenda and advantage rather than to the common good. We deplore the attempts of those groups who seek to exploit our vulnerable national situation in order to create confusion and social chaos, in order to seize power by unconstitutional means. We reject calls for juntas or revolutionary councils. Our political leaders have to be the first to observe and faithfully implement the Constitution. Resolving the crisis has to be within the framework of the Constitution and the laws of the land so as to avoid social chaos, the further weakening of political systems, and greater harm in the future.

12. On Non-Violence: Violent solutions, as Pope Paul VI taught us, “produce new injustices, throw more elements out of balance, and bring on new disasters” (Populorum Progressio, 31). There are today, on different sides of the social and political spectrum, those who would instigate violence in order to promote their own agenda or causes. We reject the use of force and violence as a solution to our problems. Such cannot be an option of the Gospel, for we know that Jesus the Lord taught a Gospel of love and non-violence.

13. On Effective Governance: “Public authority in order to promote the common good…requires also that authority be effective in attaining that end” (Pacem in Terris, ch. IV). Together with competence, personal integrity is one of the most necessary requirements of a leader. Ineffective governance may be due to a lack of personal integrity or lack of competence. It could also be the result of a confluence of factors that have eroded trust and credibility and hence effectiveness. In our present situation we recognize that blame could be attributed to many, even to all of us. Yet we would ask the President to discern deeply to what extent she might have contributed to the erosion of effective governance and whether the erosion is so severe as to be irreversible. In her heart she has to make the necessary decision for the sake of the country. We all need to do the same. Indeed, moral discernment is very difficult since it is not based on political allegiances and alignments but on moral considerations.

Conclusion

14. Dear People of God, sadness and anxiety were our feelings when we as Bishops first met to study the various aspects of the crisis. To confront the fears and hopelessness that are the daily companions of our poor is to realize that we of the Church likewise contributed to them by our neglect, our bias, our selfishness.

15. To respond to the pastoral situation we commit ourselves to a more effective evangelization in word and deed so that moral values might become dynamic forces of human life in economics, politics, and culture. We especially commit ourselves to the formation of men and women endowed with competence and integrity and empowered to effective leadership in the economic and political spheres. With the Gospel of truth, justice, peace and love in their hearts they might, indeed, be a leaven of social transformation for our country.

16. This Year of the Eucharist reminds us of the abiding, loving and healing presence of the Lord Jesus in our midst. By the grace and mercy of God and the maternal protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we pray that a deep sense of hope will prevail in these dark moments of our history. Our loving God will not abandon us no matter what pit of evil we have fallen into. We shall emerge stronger from this crisis. We shall rise endowed with greater integrity. We shall be witnesses to the power of God’s grace to transform us into a noble nation, a holier Church, a united people.


FOR THE CATHOLIC BISHOPS’ CONFERENCE OF THE PHILIPPINES:


+ FERNANDO R. CAPALLA, DD
CBCP President
Archbishop of Davao

Litong Lito Na Ang Pinoy

ni Angel Sy


Ako'y litong lito at di alam ang gagawin...

Isang bagong simula o isang bagong kaguluhan ang pangyayari kahapon sa Makati ay lubhang nakakairita ayon sa mga commuters na ininterbyu sa TV dahil kinakailangan nilang maglakad mula EDSA dahil sa ipinasara ang AYALA, Makati.

Ilang Raliyista, nagpaiwan sa AYALA, at doon natulog, dahil umaasa na sila na ang laban ay tuloy tuloy na sa MALAKANYANG.

Expectation nila makonsensya si GMA at bumaba na sa pwesto!

Sa ganang akin naman ay lubhang nakakabahala ang kawalan ng stand ng majority ng Filipino. Ikaw ba naman na gumamit lang ng salita laban sa GMA administration ay sasampahan kaagad ng kaso ni Justice Secretary Raul Gonzales! Hello Garci????

Lubha akong naguguluhan sa mga nangyayari ngayon sa aking mahal na Pilipinas! Sisimulan na ang Oral arguments sa Supreme Court ngayon araw na ito tungkol sa e-vat!

Aba, may rally rin pala ang pro-Gloria, ano ba??? Ang gugulo nila lalo nila pinababa ang piso, di na nila kailangan gawin yun! It's a waste of time & money, hmmm... magkano kaya ang hakot fee??

Dati ay si Cesar Purisima ngayon ay si Sec. Gary Teves na ang finance secretary. Ang unang ginawa nila ay ang paghahabol sa lifting ng e-vat na lubhang MAGPAPAHIRAP sa bansa!

Papalitan ko na ba ang aking Piso sa DOLYAR?

Thursday, July 07, 2005

Update on Yvier George Torremocha

Good news! Yvier George Torremocha is recovering well. Last 01 July 2005, he was brought to the Operating Room of the Pediatric Hospital of Bambino Gesù in Rome, Italy. The 10-hour operation was successful in keeping his heart valves to function normally. His doctors said that it is possible that Yvier will live longer than what they have previously predicted. What a blessing from the Author of Life! Praise be the Lord, the God of Life!

On behalf of the baby, his parents, relatives and friends, I am greatly delighted, honored and pleased to thank God for listening to the cry of the poor. Thank you Holy Father Pope John Paul II for your intercession, God has made miracle through the hands of the physicians. Thank you my dear brother priests and sisters for your fervent prayers. Thank you my dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ, because of your generosity and kindness, God made everything possible through human hearts and hands. Thank you above all for your great faith in God, nothing is impossible!




Serving you in Jesus Christ,

Rev. Fr. Alberto M. Guevara, CS
Chaplain
Rome, July 5, 2005

Monday, July 04, 2005

A Tooth For A Tooth?

ni Angel Sy

Nabuhayan ako ng loob ko nang magkaroon ng Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) sa E-VAT!

Katawa-tawa kasi, noong a uno ng Hulyo ang presyo ng halos lahat ng bagay ay nagsitaasan, pati tabloids na dati ay ibinebenta sa halagang 8 pesos ay 9 na! Noong Sabado, July 2, ito ay muling bumaba sa halagang 8, haaaay! Salamat makakapag-cross word puzzle pa rin pala ako, yan ay dahil sa pansamantalang bisa ng TRO!

Ang Diesel ay naging 31 pesos na dito at ngayon ay muling ibinalik sa 29.71! Yehey!

Ayun sa Philstar.com, "President Arroyo vowed yesterday to fight tooth and nail to convince the Supreme Court to lift its temporary restraining order (TRO) indefinitely suspending implementation of the expanded value-added tax (EVAT) law."

A tooth for a tooth ba ang gustong laban ni Ginang Arroyo??

OO nga malaking pera para sa Gobyerno, ang pera mula sa E-Vat, ang tanong?? Sigurado ba sila na mapapasakamay ng gobyerno ang malaking halagang ito o muli na naman mapupunta sa Bulsa ng mga ganid natin lingkod bayan???

Humihingi ka ng Sorry at pang unawa-compassion! …ngunit ano ang ginagawa mo kontra sa sinasabi mo? Ang boses ng bayan ay naghuhumiyaw - bigyan sila ng trabaho para makuha nilang lumangoy kontra sa tubig na ibinuhos mula sa DAM ng Malakanyang, paano mo maaatim ang milyon-milyong Filipino na nalulunod sa E-Vat at tax measures na iniimplement ng pamahalaan??

Sabi mo hindi kami maaapektuhan?? Di po ba ang LPG ay 387 lamang bawat tangke? Bakit magiging 420 dahil sa E-Vat, yan ba ang sinasabi mong hindi kami maapektuhan??

Anong palagay mo sa amin tanga? Gago? PGMA alam ko na alam mo na madaming kababayan natin ang apektado ng krisis, ano ang ginagawa mo? Nagpapa-implement ka ng E-Vat dahil sa palagay mo ay kaya naman ni Juan na mag survive! Ikaw na nasa pwesto na yan mula 2001?? Ano na? Ano ang nagawa mo? Sa tingin mo ba umunlad ang Pinoy?

Naging mas masagana ba ang kanilang hapag kainan, a oo nga pala hindi mo naramdaman ang magutom kahit na kailan, isa kang pinagkakapitaganan anak ng dating Presidente ng Pilipinas! At asawa ng isang Tuazon-Arroyo na ubod ng yaman! Naranasan mo na bang sumakay sa jeep na ikaw mag-isa bitbit ang pinamili mo? Nalipasan ka na ba ng pagkain, dahil nawalan ng trabaho ang tatay mo? Nagbigay ka na ba ng sulat pakiusap sa teacher mo dahil di ka maka exam dahil wala kang pangbayad sa Tuition?

Hindi! Hindi mo pa nararanasan ang lahat ng Yan! Ipokrita ka kung sasabihin mo na alam mo ang maging mahirap!

Ang taong may pagmamahal sa bayan serbisyo ang pinagkakapitagan! Ano ang servisyong 220? BIGYAN ng mapagkakakitaan ang masang Pilipino!

HUMIYAW KA JUAN! Magbigay ng sapat na trabaho para makaya ni Juan ang unos ng E-VAT!

Parang bata na pinapalo ng Malakanyang si Juan de la Cruz, tama na po Ina ng Bayan! Maawa ka na po sa amin!

Friday, July 01, 2005

Buhay OFW, May Pagbabago Nga Ba?

ni Jocelyn Ruiz
jocelynruiz3333@yahoo.com

Isa sa mga bansa na may pinakamaraming Pilipino na nangingibang bayan o OFWs ay ang bansang Italy. Dito pa lamang sa Roma libo-libo na ang mga Pilipinong sa kasakuluyan ay nagtatrabaho na may papel at ganun din ang mga walang dokumento. Marami ang nagtatrabaho dito na halos bilangin ang taon at kung minsan ay kulang ang mga daliri sa paa at kamay kung bibilangin ang taon ng pananatili nila sa bansang ito.

Pero may katanungan na dapat nating bigyan ng kasagutan at pansin, TOTOO BANG MAY MGA PAGBABAGO NA NAGAGANAP? MAY PAGLAGO BA AT PAG-UNLAD? Alam nating lahat na iisa ang ating pinanggalingan at may kanya-kanya tayong dahilan kung bakit tayo ay patuloy na nakikipagsapalaran sa ibang bansa. Pero nasaan nga ba ang tunay na pagbabago? Hanggang dito na lang ba tayo? Pagbabago? Isang salita na hindi madaling bigyan ng tamang pakahulugan. Kung ito ay susuriin ito ay tumutukoy sa paglago at pag-unlad. Ito ay ay tumatalakay din sa pag-iiba ng tao, bagay o pook. Marami ang pakahulugan nito at marahil kayo ay may sariling pakahulugan sa nasabing salita.

Kung iisa-isahin ang mga pagbabago na naganap sa buhay ng mga Pilipino dito sa Roma ay marami talaga. Una, ang pagkakaroon ng “permesso di soggiorno o permission to stay” nating mga dayuhan na nakakapagbigay sa atin ng karapatan na makapagtrabaho at gumawa ng mga bagay na nais nating gawin sa legal na paraan na walang pag-aalinlangan.

Ikalawa, ang pagkakaroon ng mga ahensiya at organisasyon o asosasyon na may kinalaman sa pagpapalago ng mga Pilipino tulad ng Philippine Embassy at Embassy to the Holy See. Mayroon tayong mga asosasyon na tumutulong sa karapatan nating mga Pilipino tulad ng Balikabayani Foundation, Kapakanan, Umangat, Migrante Party List at kung anu-ano pa.

Ikatlo, Ang pagkakaroon natin ng mga simbahan at community dito sa ibang bansa na malaya tayong makapagmisa at mayroon pa tayong sentro-Pilipino na tinatawag. Malaya din tayong magkaroon ng mga palabas tulad ng mga concert , mga proyekto na lumilinang ng ating kultura.

Ikaapat, nagkaroon tayo ng representative sa commune o consigliere di agguinti sa pamumuno ni Yrma Tobias upang mapakinggan ang boses ng mga dayuhan sa Asya. Ikalima, marami na sa ating mga Pilipino ang nagamit ang kanilang natapos sa ating bansa na nakakapagtrabaho dito sa mga opisina. May mga nurse, may nagtatrabaho sa commune at stranieri in italia tulad ni Annaliza Bueno Magsino, may nagtatrabahong Pilipino din sa FAO o Food and Agricultural Organization, nagkaroon ng asilo nido tulad ng Munting Paaralan. Nagkaroon din ng mga radio station at isa nga dito ang Radyo Pilipino ng Vaticano at nagkaroon din ng mga TV Station na Ito ang Pinoy at sa kasalukuyan ay ang Pusong Pinoy.

Tayo ay binigyan na rin ng pagkakataon na makapag–aral sapagkat may mga paaralan dito para sa mga dayuhan kagaya ng Daniele Manin sa Santa Maggiore at Leonardo Da Vinci sa Via Cavour at marami pang iba. Ilan lang ito sa mga pagbabago na naganap sa ating mga Pilipino. Kaya sa pagpapatuloy ng mga pagbabagong ito dapat mas lalo pa tayong magkaroon ng pagsisikap at pagtitiyaga para lalo pa tayong umunlad. Kaya nais ko pong ipaabot ang mensahe na ito sa lahat upang magpatuloy tayo sa ating nasimulan.

Sa Philippine Embassy, sana naman po maglunsad kayo ng proyekto na makakatulong sa ating mga kababayan dito sa abroad na magpapalago ng turismo at kultura ng bansang Pilipinas at ng makatulong tayo sa pag-ahon sa lugmok nating bansa. Kung ito po ay hindi ninyo kayang gawin sana naman ipaalam ninyo sa mas nakakataas sa inyo. Kayo rin po ay makilahok sa iba-ibang okasyon na nagaganap sa iba-ibang communities dito sa Roma bilang pagsuporta sa aming nanangangarap ng malaking pagbabago. Sa inyo pong pangserbisyong paggawa na ipatupad po ang magandang pagngiti at pagiging “HOSPITABLE” sa amin lalo kung kami ay nag-aayos ng aming mga pasaporto o anumang dokumento.

Hiling din po namin sa inyo na kumpletuhin ang inyong mga ipinadadala sa amin na dokumento at kung maari ay magkaroon ng mas mabilis na serbisyong tutulong sa ating mga kababayaan na lalot higit ang nasa labas ng Roma.Ganun din ay sana maibigay ninyo ang sapat na inpormasyon na dapat naming malaman. Sa Embassy to the Holy See, maganda po ang naririnig namin at nakikita sa inyo. Totoo pong nakikita ang inyong magandang serbisyo lalo’t higit po ang magandang layunin sa naganap na Family Day sa Fatima noong nakalipas na Oktubre at ang pagkakaroon na ng taun-taon na Family Day. Ganun din po batid namin na bukas-palad kayong tumutulong sa mga simbahan at community sa pagpapalago ng buhay pisikal lalot higit ay ang spiritual.

Marami pong salamat at hiling namin na ito po ay inyong ipagpatuloy. Sa inyo po YRMA TOBIAS ng CONSIGLIERE DI AGGUINTI, isang karangalan na kayo ay mapabilang sa nanalo bilang representative ng Asya ng mga dayuhan dito sa Roma. Napansin po namin na matapos ang eleksiyon ay wala ng ingay na nagaganap. Tanong po namin ay ito: MAY MGA PROYEKTO PO BA NA PWEDE KAMING MAKIBAHAGI? MAY MGA INPORMASYON PO BA AT MENSAHE NA DAPAT KAMING MALAMAN?

Ito po ang mga tanong na nais naming mabigyan ng kasagutan. Hindi po ito pagmamagaling pero ito ay tanong na dapat naming malaman.Gusto po namin kayong matulungan at kami naman po ay matulungan ninyo rin bilang mga PILIPINONG DAPAT MAGKAISA AT MAIAHON SA LAYUNING MAKAKAPAGPABAGO. Ito po ay hindi pagbatikos kundi upang kayo po ay aming suportahan. Para naman sa ating lahat, ito po ang tanong na dapat din nating pagnilayan, may pagbabago na ba sa ating sarili? Sa dami ng taon ng pamamalagi natin dito sa ibang bayan may nagawa na nga ba tayo? Kahit ikaw, na bumabasa nito ngayon, may nagawa ka na rin ba? Paano kung dumating ang panahon na wala na tayong lakas na panlaban, may kasiguraduhan ba tayo na may tutulong din sa atin balang araw? Hindi po masama ang pagtulong pero sana isipin din naman natin ang ating sarili?

Baka tayo ay nagkautang-utang na sa 5-6 na porsyentuhan, o kaya naman ay di na tayo nakakabayad. Nakakawa naman tayo kung ganito ang mangyayari sa ating buhay. Dapat po tayo ay may plano, kung tayo po ay magtatagal dito wag na po nating sayangin ang panahon pwede tayong gumawa ng mga maraming bagay tungo sa pagbabago at pag unlad. Para po sa akin, sa paghakbang natin sa ating buhay lagi nating isipin na makakabuti ba ito sa aking kapwa, sa ating bayan, sa ating sarili lalo’t higit sa Diyos.

Dapat maramdaman din natin na masaya tayo at mayroon tayong layunin. NASA ATING MGA KAMAY ANG MAGANDANG BUKAS UPANG MAKAMIT ANG PAGBABAGO NA SAPAT!.

SAINT OF THE WEEK: St. Thomas

SAINT THOMAS

St. Thomas was a Jew, called to be one of the twelve Apostles. He was a dedicated but impetuous follower of Christ. When Jesus said He was returning to Judea to visit His sick friend Lazarus, Thomas immediately exhorted the other Apostles to accompany Him on the trip which involved certain danger and possible death because of the mounting hostility of the authorities.

At the Last Supper, when Christ told His Apostles that He was going to prepare a place for them to which they also might come because they knew both the place and the way, Thomas pleaded that they did not understand and received the beautiful assurance that Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. But St. Thomas is best known for his role in verifying the Resurrection of his Master. Thomas' unwillingness to believe that the other Apostles had seen their risen Lord on the first Easter Sunday merited for him the title of "doubting Thomas."

Eight days later, on Christ's second apparition, Thomas was gently rebuked for his scepticism and furnished with the evidence he had demanded - seeing in Christ's hands the point of the nails and putting his fingers in the place of the nails and his hand into His side. At this, St. Thomas became convinced of the truth of the Resurrection and exclaimed: "My Lord and My God," thus making a public Profession of Faith in the Divinity of Jesus.

St. Thomas is also mentioned as being present at another Resurrection appearance of Jesus - at Lake Tiberias when a miraculous catch of fish occurred. This is all that we know about St. Thomas from the New Testament. Tradition says that at the dispersal of the Apostles after Pentecost this saint was sent to evangelize the Parthians, Medes, and Persians; he ultimately reached India, carrying the Faith to the Malabar coast, which still boasts a large native population calling themselves "Christians of St. Thomas." He capped his left by shedding his blood for his Master, speared to death at a place called Calamine.

His feast day i s July 3rd and he is the patron of architects.