The Parish of San Isidro Labrador

THE CAMILLIAN EFFORT TO “PREACH THE GOSPEL AND HEAL THE SICK” is also felt in San Isidro Labrador Parish in Marikina Valley.  Scholastics Bernard Busa and yours truly have been doing their apostolate in this sixteen-year old parish for six months now.

Bernard has focused on a settlement area in the parish while I concentrate on the community around the makeshift Doña Petra Chapel.  When able, we also visit other chapels in the parish from time to time.

Our participation in the life of the parish takes various forms.  We join the lay ministers in the liturgical celebrations. Sometimes we preside at Communion services and share our reflection on the Sunday Gospels.  At one time we introduced the novena to St. Camillus.  That started the people praying more often to St. Camillus and asking for his intercession.

After the Communion service, we spend time with the youth and the choir members and then bring Holy Communion to the sick people in their homes.  We get to meet sick people without the financial means to get medication.  We try to coordinate and help them find ways and means to obtain medication. We also talk with the family members of the sick and listen to the stories of their struggle to cope with their situation.

As we labor in San Isidro Labrador parish, we can only hope that our involvement would be fruitful for the parishioners as it is for us.  With gratitude we recall how the Camillians found their way to this parish.

The story of our linkage with San Isidro Labrador parish has the same pattern as that of San Lorenzo Ruiz parish.  In 2008, a team of scholastics were sent to help out in the Holy Week and Easter services in the parish.  From that experience emerged the decision of our Scholasticate community to carry out a regular apostolate in the parish.  Certainly, that decision was inspired by the welcoming stance and consent of the parish priest–Fr. Giovanni Osias Delfin Yago.  And guess what–Fr. Giovanni is also a former Camillian.