The Little Apostle of the Mountain Province

Media

Part of The Little Apostle of the Mountain Province

Title: The Little Apostle of the Mountain Province
Description: The organ of the Missionaries of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (Scheutveld) Fathers in the Mountain Province of the Philippines.
Issue Date: Volume 1 (No. 1) June 1924
Publisher: The Catholic School Press.
Year: 1924
Language: English
Subject: Baguio (Philippines) -- Periodicals.; Catholic Church -- Missions -- Philippines -- Periodicals.
Rights
Place of publication: Baguio
extracted text: Letter of Right Rev. Peter J. Hurth Rishop of Nucva Segovia to the Superior of the Be(qian Catholic J lfissfonaries Ver// Ra. A. Van Zuyt, Ba.quio, Benguet. Ver.lj Rev. and Dear Father, - - - March, 25, 1924 With all m.11 heart I wish Godspeed to .l/our project of publishing a periodical for the purpose of making known better and enlisting a wider interest in the great u:ork which the Scheut Fathers are doing in the ]J:lountain Province. The undeniable results of their apostolic labors amon,q those lgorot tribes and the splendid possibilitie.~ which lie open before them need only be known, in order to make a strong appeal to those who are in a position to give aid towards a work, whfrh shows itself so eminent(lj deserving of the s.1;mpath.1J and support of all good men. Sincere(lj yours in Xto. ~ P . J HVRTH, Bishop of Bueva Segovia 2 A M issionarv Before we come into contaet with mi;;sionary labor in the pagan field, it may be good to know what a missionary is. Having finished his studies at the cost of much expense in a college for sPveral years, at the moment he could enter the university and follow a career which might make him wealthy and eowr him with honor, the eandidate for missionary enters the seminary. During another six years he is given a speeial training to acquire not only the seiences all priests must acquire to preach the gospel and administer the sacraments, but also to practice the special virtues a missionary should have for his hard and sometimes ungrateful labors among pagans. In the meantime he makes the threefold vow of religion and the vow binding himself forever to the foreign mission. By the vow of poverty he sacrifices all the goodi< of the world. By the vow of rhastiy he sacrifices the joys and pleasures that are found in the matrimonial state and by the vow of obedience he sacrifices his will, ready to do God's will for His greater glory. By the vow to go to the missions forever, he makes the supreme sacrifice of his home, his family, his country. He gives his time, energy, talents for the rest of his life, perhaps even his life, to unknown pagans, to bring them into heaven. The day comes for him to make these last sacrifices. ·who shall desnibe the heartrending of the missionary "·hen he receiws for the last time the blessing uf his father and mother·? ~ e\·er again to see 1 hem pei"liaps ... and the . mif'sionary too has a loving heart for hi~ beloved parents. He arrives at his mission after a long arduous jounwy. "'hat a task lies before him ! He has to learn a language, perhaps two or more. And he studies day and night, heeause he knows that he mu!'lt make him;;:elf understood to reaeh ~he heart of hi>' unknown but already beloved floek. He i:" sent to a mission. A few shaeks surround his rnqdest dwelling. What a difference with his own home, his own town. :Nobod.Y to welcome him. Xobody to gi\'e him an encouraging word except at the rare visits of a eonfrere or a superior. But that ice he will break through. He visits his neighbors. They do not care for him. Xever mind, he will care for them. Somebody is sick . . the missionary has studied medicine. He looks after the siek, consoles them, tries to cure them and procuring their health, he sows the seed that must cure their soul. He talks with the first frightened little children, he attracts them with the few trifles all children like, he teaches them the sign of the cross. He hears of a man in distress behind a distant mountain, he jumps on his horse or walks on foot to the spot where, healing the hocly, he may sa\·e a soul. At home he has a poor bed, a poor kitchen, poor food, 110 comfort or what might be called by that name in this century of eomfort, but he has God and, while hi:o pngan neighbors honor perhaps the cleYil, he knef'ls down bt>fore the little tabernacle to implnre 8trength for himself a11rl light for tho:"e who :'it in the darkness of hell. He wirn' some souls. \\'hat a joy! There is no joy on earth like the happiness of bringing some souls into the outstretched arms of the crucified God-man. But there are more to be won for heaven. Farther and farth2r he spreads his activities. Often he is tired. His travels are exhausting in the mountains. Dangers surround him: precipices, sickness without help, unknown roads, perhaps enemies who hate him as does Satan their master. But there is a guardian angel to guide him and a Providence to take care of him as long as it shall please God. He builds a more decent chapel, a modest school, he writes letters upon letters to expose his necessities to his parents and friends. How 3 often does he write in vain! How excrueiating to see the good to be llone thru schools and catechists and not to have the means to do it! Bnt on he goes. And when suceess has crowned his superhuman efforts, some day a letter arrive;: from his superior saying "go" and he is sent to another di:"tant u11known place to find it in thf' same eondition as his first misSJ on. Dis('onragr<l '? -- No. He will begin all his work over again and later he will begin it a third time and more, till finally an unwritten letter arrin's from his Great Superior not ~a.ring: "go" but "come". And ewn there the work of the :\lissionary shall not stop. Yes, even there he \\·ill remain a missionary praying for the missions, praying for his benefactors. Must not these prayers be powerful before the Lord'? Yes, the missionary will remember you in his daily mass; the converts you make by your help, owing to you their salvation, will be grateful and above all, Christ Your Redeemer, 'Vhom you help by redeeming others, will reward you here and hereafter. If You Don't, Who Will 1 The object of this monthly Review is shown by the title: "THE LITTLE APOSTLE OF THE :MOUNTAIN PROVINCE." My dear readers: You are all acqainted with the Mountain Province of Northern Luzon. It is inhabited by 300,000 non christian people, Filipinos as well as are the Tagalogs, the Ilocanos, the Visayans. In the year 1907 the Belgian Mission4aries of the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of M:ar,v were called by the then Bishop of Vigan, now Cardinal of Philadelphia, Monsenor O'Dougherty and the then Apostolic Delegate, )lonsenor Agius, and were ordered by the Sacred Congregation of the Propagation of Faith and the Ho· ly Father to undertake the C'onversion of these 300,000 Filipino inhabitants of the )lountain ProvinC'e. Eight Missionaries arrived during the month of November of the same year and went immediately to that un· cultivated vineyard of the Lord. Since that time about 16,000 Igorotes have been converted at the price of great sacrifices, both in money and personal hard work. 16,000 out of 300,000 seems very few after 16 years. Little by little, however, this Review will show why no more than 16,000have joined the Cathoiic Church, exposing the enormous difficulties in the conversion of that vast province, the Alps of the Philippines. But let it be said now that the strongest reason why only 16,000 have been baptized is: the lack of resources for real missionary work, especially schoolwork. The Missionaries have sacrificed their personal fortune and income. Belgium, already supporting missions in China, Congo and other pagan countries, has backed its Missionaries as far as it could, especially before the war. The United States have contributed largely to the evangelization of the Igorotes. But ... yes, there is a but ... but the Philippines could have done more. Certainly some good Catholics have sent in their alms to the organization of the "Union that nothing be lost." Lately too, many children from Manila have offered their mites for the building of a few chapels in God's desert of the Mountain Province. But more could and should have been done by the brethrt'Tl of the trilJes of the ~foun tain Prm·irwe. And why is it that eomparatiYely so little has been sacrificed by the Filipino catholics':' Because they have not been informed enough of the actual eonditions of the faith among the Igorotes. Ber-ause they have not enough understoud the necessities of the '.\lissionaries among the pagan tribes of this countl'y. Beeau~e the generosity of the Filipino eatholies has not enough bPen stirrPd up. Appeals to their catholic faith and duty. to their high patriotism. to their ncble charity. have been very few. NeYPrtheless whPT1ever thesp appeals have been made, thPy have been answered immPdiately. alas! airain tu be more or less neglected later. Therefore it is the purpose of this little Review to visit the catholic homes and especiall~- the eatholie schools of the Archipelago. to show the needs of the missions in the '.\fountain Province, thP work of its missionaries. the com·ersion of the pagans. the results and success of both thP Missionaries in the field and the mi~ sionaries at home, who are you, my dear readers, who by yt•ur generous help are really missionaries as 'veil as those who saerifice thPmselves personally: yes, without the missionaries at home, little or nothing can thP missionaries in the field do. In you. Ca· tholics, is their hope. In you is the hope of the 300,000 pagans of the Mountain Province: by your help shall the word of Christ reach them. If then you have any interest in the work of Christ, in the christianization and civilization of your brethren in Christ and your compatriots, read this little Review, make a subscription to it. After you have read it give it to a neighbor: be a missionary of the "Little Apostle of the Mountain Province" and you will be a real apostle to receive some day the reward of the Apost,ies in heaHll. Xow is the time. The :\fountain Province must be converted. It shall be converted, and that within a short tiine. if you. dear re~d<:>rs, do your part. Let more help c··ime in and the mL.;sionaries in the )[ountain Province shall be n1ultiplied, their work too shall ue mt:ltiplied thru more and !Jetter or;'j ganization. It all depends on YO'C, on YOUR apostle~hip. Sure you will answer my appeal for a subscription to this little Review and for spreading it among your frieds : for all this, rest assured, the :Missionaries in the )fountain Province will not only thank you but they will pray for you. A Letter from father Claerhoudt, Missionary in Bokod :\OTE: Bokod is a small lirorote town in the north<'rn part of Beniruet. In former years it was visited now and then by the Missionary of itugon (near Bag-uio). But the people of Rokod and sm·roundings seemed to be so well dis1KJsed towards Christianity. that a year ago i l was dt>cided to send a missionary there. And the means to supPQrt him? I. the un<l<>rsign<'<I. promised to collect a fund sufficient to pro>i<lt> the Father at Bokod with one hnntfrt><l pe,os u month. In the meantime he should lh~<' on camotes. rice and what else l'rovidPn<'e would send. ~o Father Claf'rhoudt. old soldier of the world war. was sPnt to that promising place. If he- tnf"ntions a wondPr in his following lettPr. he iorgrts to sa1· that h<> himself he has Lef'll a continous wonder in his work. Poor in hralth. lw ha,; worked day and night and that without tlw necessary food he should ha'" had. He can easily figure out how often lw ta st rd mPat at his mission. - Why? -Well. the fund wa:-; not rPad:r and is not read,\~ as ~n-:r) tPll thf' truth. P 10.000 more are rPqui1ed. But now that THE LITTLE APOSTLE OF THE ;\IUCXTAIX PROYINCE will make a little noise about the fund. I hope to complele it within a short time. Ma1· I be a true prophrt ! · Any alms sent for this purPQse will IJe announced in this re,iew.-0. Yan&iralle. Here follows the letter of Father Claerhoudt. Bokod, Feh. 11, 1924. Dear Father Yandewalle. I thank you a thousand times for the 50 yards of cloth you sent to cover the nakedness of the dear little lgorote angels of my mission. How they like to have a dress, but they do not always have it : they are so poor! Thanks be to Gt)d, there is progress at Bokod. It is true the old pagans of Bokod refuse still to be baptized, but. those who are already baptized become more fervent. Several of then1 receive Holy Communion every day. You understand what a sacrifice it is for them to <'Orne to the <'hapel every morning. Yery early they have to go to their fields and they return late in the e\·ening to pound rice and do other heaYy work, before they can take their well earned rest of the night. )I ow these fen·ent converts pray for their townmates. I am sure that, within a short time, Our dear Lord shall be loved and served here by all His children from Bokod an<l that with a pure heart. Blessed Little Theresa of the Infant Jesus has cured here a young girl, a pagan as yet who, I hope, will later ask for baptism. It is not for nothing that the Bles~ Little Theresa is the patroness of my mission. Yesterday I found a young boy, the fj !'On of Andres . .\.lvarez, I niay say, dying. I said the prayers of the dying and put around the nel'k of the child a relic of the Blessed Little Theresa of Jesus. This morning the mother of the dying l·hild came to the chapel, received Holy Communion ancl told rne the hoy ,,·as safe. She had received Holy Communion to thank the Lord, the author of all graces, and the Blessed Little Theresa of Je><ns, such a powerful intercessor. I ban~ decided to take the Little Flower as patroness of Kabayan. He gives me good health : I am thin hut strong. The climate 11f the mountains does me good. Later when the chapel shall be ready in Kabayan and another Father shall be here to help me : then we shall see great things! Yesterday I baptized number 110. Herewith a picture of some adults I baptized. Thus I may say that at least a few will go to heaven who, without the grace of rn.v vocation, would probably not have found their way there. Please send me sorne more relies of the Bles,;;ed Little Flo,,·er: they work wonder!' for both body and son!. The pag,.ns of Kahayan, h um an l y speaking, will not accept christi an it y. They are besieged by protest an ts and scientists. But I Father Claerhoudt an<l some n.f Iii" neu· Cl1rist;,111.,. The diapel at Karaw paid hy student,.; uf the Cathedral S<:hool :Manila, is finished. I will perseYere visiting them. The Little Flower will help me and could I only convince the few catholics of Kabayan to receiYe the Sacraments more often, I am sure that, within a few years, the town will become Christian. During the month of January, I distributed more than 200 Holy Communions. To-morrow I go to Adaway and Kabayan and hence to Daklan. From there to Li bong and Bisale, and so I have continually to travel, and I thank the good Lord am Yery poor but :he Lurd blesses me abundantly. Facienti quod est in se, Deus non denegat gratinm. ·who does what he can is certainly blessed by God. All for the greater glory of God. The days of greater poverty and of the deeper sorrows and misery are the days of special blessings. There is no greater happiness of soul than that which I enjoy when I have suffered for the conversion of souls. There is not a more beautiful life than that of the misContinued on page 14 The Psychology of the Filipino By Hon. Norberto Romualdez .h:>oriate J11.~lice of the Supreme Court rd the l'hilij!pine lslwHI:> I. Preliminary Rtmarks j A story i~ told of a certain missionary who was asked to write his opinion of the Filipinos, and was given big books in blank for this purpose. The missionary accepted the task. Years elapsed and the 8 missionary died. Time anrl efforts were not spared in looking for the I. books to find what the missionary The Need of Knowing the Filipino. had written. The books were found; but upon turning over the pages, not more than a single line was written on the first page of the first volume. And it runs thus: 'Here is all that I have found about the Filipinos". The rest of the page, as well as the next succeeding pages and books, was in blank. This was understood to mean that the Spanish missionary must ha;-e found it impossible to comprehend the Filipino, and that the same was for him a blank page, fittingly represented by the blank books. I cannot vouch for the veracity of this story, but I give it here merely to emphasize the fact that it is, indeed, difficult for the occidental to understand our idiosyncracy. The peculiar Psychology of the Filipino was recognized, although not fully understood, I think, by the Spanish legislators, .as shown by the insertion in our Ptnal Code, of the provision contained in act. 11, which says : "the circumstance of the offender being a native, mestizo. or chinaman, shall be taken into consideration by the judges and courts in their discretion, for the purpose of mitigating or aggravating the penalties, according to the degree of intent, the nature of the act, and the circumstances of the off ended person.'' Thi,; difficult~· of knowing the Filipino, is due, in my judgement, to the differenc0 in the manner of thinking and aeting between the oecidentals a 1Hl the orientals; and thif' is aggrarnted b,v the fact that, very often, we have tn communicate our thoughts and ferlingf< in a language not our own, aml must make our manner of thinking and speaking tn conform with it. I refer, of course, to the great mass of Filipino,., and not to some of the new generation who begin to grasp more readily American ideas and ways. The present lecture is airne<l a,t facilitating this knowledge of the Filipino, and is here given upon invitation by the Rev. Fr. President of the Ateneo, my Alma Mater. Our dear President wants the Americans, in general, and the American community in the Philippines. in particular, to know the Philippines and the Filipinos better, that thereby, out of this better understanding, mutual respect and esteem may grow between the two peoples. I do not feel equal to the responsibility imposed upon me, but I shall try my best to respond to such a laudable desire of the Rev. Fr. President. 2. Explanation of the Subject. The nwthod followed in thi:; le('.ture is more analytic than synthetil·, be,-ause thesubjPet itf'elfso reqnirei3, it being a broad and fertile field not wholly explored; anrl right at the outset, I am thus giYing you an instance of the manifef'tation of the Filipino psychology, whieh is that of leaving the obsen·er to draw his own conclusions. I shall talk to you about the psy\'hology of the Filipino, as especially mani fe:0ted in our Ii teratu re a nll arts. I deem it neces,;ary, however, to give first, the historical background of our i;;lands, that you may better grasp the natural . relati011s which our history ha:- with our arts and literature. Hi;;tory and literature are kindred <'OIH'eptions, both being the written :<tory of the life that has been lived. While Philippine history places before us the life of the pioneers of our ral'e, as exhi bited by their action, literature presents the inner life, - thought, emotion, and ideals - of our people. Both history and literature reveal to us the life of a 11ation. In giving !'lome historical data, I shall not aim designedly at any particular epoch of history, but shall pick up those historical points which, in my judgment, may be taken as demonstrative of the Filipino idiosyncrasy. Thus, the data I shall give, refer more to the preSpanish times. J. Historical Data. a). Primitive Inhabitants and Immigrations. There i:< a diYersity of opinions among the hi;;torian;; a~ to the ethnology of the <1ifft>n•11t r:u·es that people the Philippine Arehipelago. Following, howe\·er, what we may consider we! I founded cont! usio11s, we <·.an say that, besides the aboriginal °i'\pgritos, there 1wre two separate immigrations, the fir>'t heing the Indonesian, and thP next, the Maln.v, both oceuring many <'Pnturies before Christ. ~Ian.v of ll" haYe seen :'\egritos, the aboriginal race in the Philippine~. The Indonesians, forced the ~eg ritos to the mountains, and, afterwards, the '.\falays can1e, and occupied, 111 turn, the l'Oasts and plains, and compelled the Indonesians to work their way to the interior regions of the Islands. The Igorots, Ginanes Apayos, and Gaddans in Luzon; the Bagobos, and Mandayas in l\Iindanaw; the Tagbanwas in Pala wan; and the Samals, in the island of Samal near Daba w, are the rem nan ts of those Indonesians who formed the first stream of immigrants. The Tingyans are also Indonesians. But it must be observed that the name Tingyans (derived from the Malay 'tinge'' which means "mountain") 10 rneans, in general, men of the rnom1tainR: hence, the word tinge or tyangc ha,; heen used for market, that is, a pla<·e where people of the mountains bri 11g down their products to the plai 11s, to sell. However, nowadays, the name Tinzyans is only applied to the inhabitants of some parts of Abra, the Ilokos provinces, and Vnion. In the Philippines, we can see every day, types of the first immigrants, - the Irnlonef'ians. There are some of these types in this hall. I myself being a nati,·e of Leyte, might haw_, something Indonesian in my type. The .Malays who definitely occupied the «oa;;:t" and plains, are the predominant race among the Moros of Mindanaw, the Bisayans, the Tagalogs, the Pampangans, the Ilokanos, and the Kagayans. T:1e Malay race is a product of a fusion of different peoples of Southeastern Asia, and of Malacca, Java, and other Oceanic Islands. .Many of the Malay immigrants to the Philippine::::, came from )lalaeca. \Vith reference to the l\Ialay immigration, there are certain accounts relatiw to the first :Malay chiefs called datus who arrived at 'the island of Panay. According to one of these acemmts, the said datus were called Puti, Bankaya, Paiburog, Sumakwel, Padohinog, Dumansol, Lubay, Dumalogdog and Bakalsusa, disgusted with their king named Makatunaw, who abused them cruelly. This information appears in a nianns<Tipt \Yhid1 trrn.\be found in the ar<'hin'::< of the Agu:<tinian Father". It i,: very probable that thi:=< same <l<'l'<>unt wa,.: eopied in a pamphlet entitled "1'1 aragtas", published in Iloilo in the year HlO/, with a prologue by the ex-~eeretary of Commerce and Communications, Hon. ~alrndor Laguda. )Jr. :\Jannel A tiigas, a bibliograpliPr i 11 l'harge of tlw Filipiniana Divi~io,J. of the Fhilippine Library and ,\[u8eum, makes referenl'e to thci:;enarne;; and rna1111seri11t itt hi" "Historia de Fili-pinas." b). Conquests. There is a belief that, hefore the coming of the Spaniards, this Arcl'ipelago was subject to Hindu-,'\1al:iyan empires in ~umatra, Indochina, and Borneo. In my opinion, the historical data availahle do not fnll,\justify such a co ncl lll"ion. As we h:we ;;:een, tht> }[,;Jay datus jltst referred to, left their land, due to trouble!" with their king, for whieh rea:lon it eannot be sairl that they cvnquered this Archipelago in the name of said king. There are historians, like Hen·as y Panduro, \Yl10 assure that the immigrations of the Brown or .Mongoloid race into the Philippines was due, in part, to troubles with their country-men in their native land, which confirm!" the account about the immigration to the island of Panay above referred to. To be continued. 11 Chapel Built at Mayaoyao, lfugao T:wnks to the yener"sily mid the m1&<1nnw:1 spirit rf the Rer .. Sisters und the stwlen's ot' the Assw11ption Colleye ot" Jfrrnilu. What a lovely chapel, is it not, 111.v dear readers? It stands in the rn id st of God'" wildPrness at ~Iayao y:w, in the district of Qniangan. Do not think it is tilled whenever the father from Quiangan visits the place. ~Iayaoyao is one day's journey from Quiangan. Until lately the town was visited only rarely by the mis:;ionaries. As it is a center of many Ifugaos, none of them converted to the true faith, and as last year another Father was sent to Quiangan, it became imperative to extend the mission a" far as :Mayaoyao. But, on a visit to this pagan part of the Mountain Province, where would the Father pass the night, where could he offer up the sacrifice of the Mas::; ? In the house of an Ifugao ·? fmpos:;ible. Thus no other means 1wre left but to build a house for the Father and another one for God. Who would build it"? Our la.vhrothers and ::;ome other carpenters. All right. And who would pay the expenses ? - Becausr to build ~uch a chapel as this means an expense oi over one thousand pesos. - A great, almost an impossible problem which was solved .... guess by whom .... by the students of the Assumption College of Manila and their virtuous teachers, the Sisters. How? The students big and small, young and old, all of them, with an enthusiasm which oniy faith can create, set a working. They sacri12 lic-ed thern:-'c'.ve,.;. They eeouu11Jized on their daily and "·eekly buying of 1':llldie:0 and other delicaeies, they begged from their g,enerom• parents, they !'poke to their friends aht1nt their i ntelltion to build a 1·hapel. Little by little a fund was started. It inr.-rpased and, in no tirue, the great amount was gathered. As ,:0011 as the money was giYen in, two laybrother,.; were ordered t•> proceed to :\l<1y;1oyao. \\'ith the help of t10111e more or le!'s skilled Ifugao earpelitcr:", who1u they taught how to handlP a saw and a chisel, and, at the eust of much labor a:1d patience, of many hardships and pri mt ions they finished their work in six months. And there now it stands : the house of God at a place where God is unknown. The fathni' from Quiangan will visit that house. They will bring the God of heaven into that chapel. He will vi::<it His house, take possession of it, take possession of the inhabitants of :\layaoyao and ,.;o bring thern to Hi!:' house for e\·er. Reverend Sister:; and dear students of the Assumption college, I congratulate and thank you i 11 the name of God. :So doubt, God'" hle>'sings will return tn yon a hundredfold, what yon ha\·e so generously offered for His glory. l wi 11 ac:k you, nl'vertheless, something more: please, do not forget (.Jod's children of :\fayaoyao in your daily prayer,-. The :\lissionary may teach and preach, but God has to grant the graces of conversion. You ha \'e begun the com'ersion of l\layaoyao by permitting God to reside now-and then among His children, complete it by your fervent prayers. 1'he valiant boys of Room 11 (l(the catholic school of Kitchener, Carwda, 'who sold iron, tfres, etc. to support tM missions of the Jloiintain Province. f1 kl N [of auR LAt\Y of tbc ATONEMENT Our Lady of the Atonement Have you been in Ba1rnio? Did you see on top of one of the highest mountains the beautiful but only half finished Church'! It is the Church of Our Lady of the Atonement. Herewith on top of this page go the pictures of the said Church and of the Statue of Our Lady of the Atonement. ·when St. John the Baptist preached the CDmj ng of the kingdom of Christ, he preached penanee or atonement. Jes us came and He atoned for our sins. Tlw Blessed Virgin appeared at Lourdes and thr·ee times she sighed for atonement. If unhappily in the Philippines our faith is being shaken, if we see religious duties neglected on Sundays and at Eastertime. but above all if we ,-ee that much has to be done in the Philippines to restore the Church of Christ, let us first begin by atoning fur the sins committed: it is the will of Goel, the will of the Blessed Virgin. If ~lary were on earth, how she would do penance for sinners! and try to satisfy for those who offend Her beloved Son day and night, year in, year out. This will of God and of the Blessed Virgin, r.hat penance should be done, was the reason why the Church of Baguio was consecrated to the Blessed Virgin under the special title of OuR LADY OF THE ATONEMENT. But this is not enough. To make real atonement, each month of the year a solemn novena is celebrated at the church of Baguio in honor of Our Lady of the Atonement to satisfy for sins and to obtain the conversion of sinners in general and to beg- God's favors in particular for all those who make the novena. Moreover. anyone. interened in the conver~ion of a particular sinner or in need of a special favor, is requested to join the novena, hy making it at home as explained hereunder. However as union in prayer gives it greater strength aceording to the words of Jesus: "that whenever two shall pray together He will be with them". we should not pra) individually for the g-raees we need, but pray with all those who make the novena, to obtain the graces asked by each person in particular. Therefore whenever you a1 e in need of some particular grace, send the intention per letter to the Rev. Father Carlu. rector of the Atonement Church, Baguio, or drop it into the box erected for the purpose in the said Church. No names shall be published, unless desired. ·what should you write in your letter? Just mention the grace or favor you wish to be recommended to the prayers of those who make the novena. That intention shall be published in this review so that all the readers and others who make 1he monthly novena may know what they have to pray for. The first novena of this kind began 14 January 5th, HJ~+, in the Church of Our Lady of the Atonement. Six intentions only had come in. But 15 persons attended the no,·ena daily, although a few others claimed the~· made the novena at home. This first novena did not seem a suceessif one regards either the intentions prayed for, or thf' number of the faithful who attended Lhe exercises. "Nevertheless as four of the six who had brought in their intentions came later to announce that the favors they asked for had been granted, we may call the first novena a i;?Teat succe~s. Does that not show Our Lady wisht>s to be honored at her shrine of Baguio':' Does that not pro\·e that atonement offered for sins pleases her immensely? The novena of the month of February was a novena not only of petition but also of thanksgiving- for the above said favors granted. This time 27 petitions were found in the box at the foot of the statue of Our Lady of the Atonement and a good number of Her devotees followed daily the exercises. Each ernning at 5:30 the rosary was said, followed by the Litany of 0. L. of the Atonement and the exercises closed with the Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. On the 10th, how impcessive it was to see many mothers present their babies to be blessed. Thus erer.1· month the exerci$eS are being more and more at.tended. They bPgin on the Saturd;;~-. following- the first Frid:.iy of the month. Therefore intentions tn be reC'ommended should be sent in time.. Those who obtain the requPst asked for, should, plea!'e, inform Father Carlu, and the Review will gladly pulillsh the favor granted. for the greater glor)· of God and 0. L. of the . .\ toneme11t. Tho~e who make the n"owna ~hould, morem'er, recehe Holy Communion at least once during the nine days and, after the daily recitation of the rosary. should sa~· the following prayer : I salute thee. Holy ~[ ar:·, Daughter of God the Father. and entreat thee to obtain for us a devotion like thine own to the mol't sweet '"ill of Gnd. I salute thee, Viqrin :\!other of God the Son, and entreat thee to obtain for us such union with the Sacred Heart of Jesus that our own hearts may Lurn with love of God and an ardent zeal for the salvation of souls. I salute thee, Immaculate Spouse of God the Holy Ghost and entreat thee to obtain for us such ;yielding of ourselves to the Bles>'ed Spirit. that He may in all things direct and rule our hearts and that we may never grieve Him in thought, or word, or deed. A Letter from father Claerhoudt Continued from page 6 sionary I know already a little of the Igorote dialect, but the lgorotes know so well to turn the letters, to suppress and to add syllables, that they seem to me very handy to talk. Thanking you again, dear Father, and with best wishes I remain : Yours in Jesus and Mary. Alphonse Claerhoudt. After such a consoling letter. Pxpressing so much hope. showing such great povert~· and activity. who would refuse some help to the Father of Bokod? The fund for his mission. the mission of the Blessed Little Flower of the Infant .Jesus should swell to overflowing. Anl· help mal· he sent to Rev. 0. Yandewalle. Herran 20211. Paco, Manna. 15 ftAILBAG OFTHE LITTLE APOITIE For all COl'l..,SPOHdence with "THE LITTLE APOSTLE". send your letti>rs tu The Little Api.stle, Box 1393, Jianiln. Dear Litt1e Apostles of the ~foun tain .Province: I call ~·ou, my little friends, students of catholic colleges and schools. the Little Apost1es of the Mountain Province. In you, the hope of the future of the Philippines, lies my hope for the future of the Mountain Pro\·ince. In that big provir:ce are thousands and thousands of little children, your brethren in Christ, your compatriots. Of the same race. of the same country. created by the same God and for the same heaven as you, no doubt, you have an interest in those children and you love 1 hem. \Vho does not love a poor, weak and, in a certain way, abandoned child? They are poor, these children of the "'.lonntain Province, most of them without even the means to provide for a decent cover for their body. Have you ever seen the miserable shacks in which most of them live? Do you know that they live mostly on camotes and rice with some vegetables and only now and then a little meat? And yet this is not their real poverty. What makes them the neglected of the earth, is that they are born and reared pagans. And pagans the:i- shall remain and die, if the Missionary can not reach them, teach them, and open catholic schools for them. And after such a death, what shall be their eternity? And have they not a soul made to the image of G:id as is yours'? And did not .Jesus Christ die for them too as well as for You? Does Jes us Christ not loYe them '? Does He not wish them with all 1 he loYe of His tender Heart to go to heaven? You, who help to ed uca 1 e and ch ristianize them, know ye this: that first you help them to better their material condition of life, for a better education means a less miserable life and more efforts to live according to a hig-her standard. But above all know ye that you bring at least many of them to heaven. into the outstretched arms of your Savior. After t.hat could the Lord, your judge, refuse you an ent ranee into His paradise? It will be difficult to emer hearnn without bringing a companion along. Here is your chance to bring in that companion, that "pass" which opens heaven. But you might say : I am poor myself, what can I do? Read the letter which follows and which was sent to me, not by Filipino children, but by Canadian young students. Dear Reverend Father: We received your 1etter a few days ago. We are glad to be able to send you a money order for three dol1ars which we got by sel1ing paper, iron, tires etc. \Ve are beginning over again for you, Father. \.Ve are praying for you daily, Father, that al1 our 16 best wishes in your regard may be fulfilled. We beg for an occasional remembrance at holy )Jass. Your loving boys of St. l\-Iarv's school, Kit.chener. • Is this nice letter not an evident proof that anybody, however poor, can and should do something for the poor pagan children? First, everv catholic child can pray, and the.praye.rs of pure children are all-powerful. Pleai::e. sav at least one "Our Father" a dav. fo.r the conversion of the pagans of the l\-fountain Pro,·ince. But when you say: ;•our Father, thy king-dom come". remember you talk to a Father, who is yours and the Father of the poor pagan children too, becauE<e these pagan children are vour brethren in God and. consequently, you can not call on God as your Father, without recognizing the children of the )fountain Province as vour brethren. Now brethren of one. divine family mus~ help each other materially and spiritually. Materially. Say how much do you spend a year in •)andies, and other trifles? I am not against your using candies, but a few less each month would leave you some surplus money which could help to make an Igorote's life sweeter and his eternity glorious. And at the end of the year, would you be less happy, less strong? The other day I received a letter from a little boy from the United States. It was an answer on an appeal for the fund of the Blessed Little Flower. The boy was poor. He wished to do something for God. He had received from his mother a little chicken. He raised it carefully and, when it was big, he made a raffle on it. This brought him five dollars "for your missions, Father", he wrote to me. Say, when God from heaven contemplates such a noble disinterested deed, what a reward must He have put aside for that generous American bov ·~ Ard wlwt must have been his sati~faction when that e\·ening. after he sent thP money order, he could say a lit tie more trul~-: "Our Father, who art in heaven. thy kingdom come"? Are the Filipino boys and girls less generous than the American uovs? Should they not be more generous e~en, because their gifts are intended for their own country-peopie, for the conversion of their compatriots? Thus. dear boys and girl!'. littie apostles of the .Mountain Province. in ~-ou is placed the hope of thousands and thousands of Igorote children. From you many, all of them. expect. some help for the salvation of their souls. Suppose now, you have something to sacrifice for them. How would vou send it? Send a money order, s~nd stamps even, or give it personally to the Rev. 0. Vandewalle. Add a letter. The part of' the Review entitled: "'Ihe Little Apostle's 'Mailbag" is at your disposition. In. it you will read the answer to your letter if one is required and the acknowledgement of the gift. But I dare to suggest a little more. When you have made agreat sacrifice. when you have sent let me say fiv~ pesos, then if you happen to have any picture of yourself, add a copy of it. It will be printed in these pages. Because then you are an example. Good examples must be seen and known to be imitated. This way you send your picture at a low cost to hundreds and thousands of your friends and Filipino brethren. Good-bve. dear bovs and girls. Look once over the hou8e. No iron, no tires, no paper, no bottles for sale? I am waiting for vour answer with the proof that you love your countrymen and women and, above all, God, for Whom you make the sacrifice. will reward you a hundredfold ori earth and in hea Yen. Father Vandewalle. Box 1393 Manila. CUM LICENTIA ECCLESIASTICA.