Filipino Gala Evening 

In the region of North Rhein Wesfalia, the existing Filipino organizations are organizing carefully their schedule of main activities to avoid overlapping of dates and schedules.  Last August 23, the Filipino-German Organization in Wuppertal celebrated its summer gala evening. As chaplains, Fr. Weber and Fr. Manny were invited, together with the out-going consul in Bonn, Consul Gary Auxilian, as guests of honor.

Combined festivity of two communities

The former St. Camillus Parish and the Ascension Parish (Christi Himmelfahrt) are now merged into one. They are no longer considered individual parishes but combined communities as part of the main parish of St. Ludgerus in Werden. Due to this merging, the two communities held a combined 3-day feast last August 29 to 31 in Fishlaken with various programs and activities. Even the Filipino Choir from the St. Camillus community shared its number since the Filipino Community in Essen is now officially integrated to the new assigned main parish.

Pilgrimage to Lourdes

The Filipino Catholic Community in Essen organized a pilgrimage to Lourdes on September 5 to 13. The 50 pilgrims, led by Fr. Weber and Fr. Manny, will depart on Friday afternoon with a tourist bus from the main train station in Essen. They expect to arrive in Lourdes the following day. The 150th anniversary of the apparition in Lourdes is being celebrated this year.  Even Pope Benedict XVI is scheduled to arrive and to grace the holy place.

Klostermarkt in Kamillushaus

Preparation is now going on in Kamillushaus for the scheduled religious market (Klostermarkt) which will be held on September 20. Religious houses and convents are invited to take part and to sell their various products on that day. The atmosphere will surely be like an “open market” or “palengke” in Tagalog.