While it is going to be a prayer meeting (and we know that God will grant the petition of even one person who prays with humility), it will be very important to secure numbers. God will do His part, but we must do ours, too. Can we do our part? What is that?
We are not in heaven, so spiritual messages -- qualitative -- must be matched by a human message which says that we have the quantity. Can we get the numbers?
Here are some historical notes and considerations.
August 1994. Every parish and shrine, every school, every covenanted community, every caring institution and mandated organization operating in RCAM was "mandated" by the jolly Cardinal Sin to commit a quota of participants to march from their locations to the Luneta. That was when the Archdiocese of Manila had jurisdiction over 268 parishes/shrines.
NB: Out of the original 268 in 1994, RCAM today has only 53 parishes/shrines under its jurisdiction. That's roughly an 80% reduction of numbers. For the directory of RCAM, visit http://www.rcam.org/directory.htm
.
Sunday, August 14, 1994. 1.2 million persons attended the pro-life PRAYER rally at the Luneta called by the Cardinal against the Cairo International Conference on Population and Development. It was a show of force that stopped the DOH and FVR campaign to erode the Catholic Church's influence on the Filipino people. The quadrangle fronting the Quirino Grandstand was packed, and the crowd overflowed all the way to Taft Avenue. The crowd estimate was given by the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
NB: If the circumstances were equal, pro-rata, RCAM should be able to muster 20% of 1.2M pax, or 240K pax. That is 40K over the 200K pax required to pack the Quirino quadrangle.
Monday, August 15, 1994. The day after the show of force, Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, FVR imposed a moratorium on family planning communications and pleaded for an immediate meeting between CBCP and the Philippine delegation to the Cairo ICPD. This marked the official silencing of Sec. Juan Flavier, and the appointment of Tita de Villa to the Philippine Delegation (unofficially, the Church's observer).
It was clear to see that FVR conceded that we had the numbers and that the USAID/UNFPA were giving too much credit to their anti-Catholic propaganda.
September 1994, Cairo ICPD. Against all standing orders for a government moratorium on attacks against the Church, SecDOH Flavier delivers a speech to NGOs on how to conduct a population control program by ridiculing the Catholic Church. A video of this reached the RCAM F&L Commission and was disseminated to the bishops even before Philippine delegation had arrived from Cairo. Bp. Jesus Y. Varela of ECFL sent a formal letter of protest to FVR.
Flavier was told to lay low (!) during the Papal Visit, and was "kicked up" to run for the Senate thereafter. His protege Jaime Galvez-Tan became acting SecDOH, and it was during his watch that the pro-life movement pinned DOH and USAID to the wall through the Tetanus Toxoid - antifertility vaccine expose.
Back to the prayer rally.
I guess what needs to be done is the math and the nitty-gritty of mobilization.
Let's phrase the challenge, thus:
THERE ARE ONLY TEN (10) DAYS
TO MOBILIZE 200,000 SOULS
ON A FRIDAY AFTERNOON.
CAN RCAM DO THIS ?
If it cannot, can it rely on adjacent dioceses to send reinforcements?
Failing even that, can it rely on alternative media to magnify the impact of the event?
Just making sure someone is asking the hard questions.
I am in no position to give the answers, but if this cannot be done,
IMHO, perhaps there could be a merger between the March 23 and March 25 prayer rallies
for maximum economy, solidarity, attendance, coverage, and impact.
Suggestion lang naman 'yun.
Z
PS: The spirit of division inserts itself in times like these when tension mounts.
Let us find it in our hearts to LISTEN RESPECTFULLY to the suggestions people are volunteering.
Ponder on the signs. What is at stake here is not "personal reputations" but innocent lives
and the plan of God.
RCAM TODAY
Geographical Aspect
The Archdiocese of Manila is made up of seven (7) cities, namely, Manila, Makati, Pasay, Mandaluyong, Pasig (excluding Santolan and Rosario District), Quezon City (excluding Northern part from Tandang Sora Avenue and Mactan), Kalookan and five (5) municipalities, namely, San Juan, Taguig, Pateros, Malabon and Navotas. It covers a land area of 315.26 sq. km.
It is bounded by the Diocese of Malolos (Bulacan) in the north; Diocese of Antipolo (Rizal) in the East; Diocese of Imus (Cavite) and San Pablo (Laguna) in the south; and the Manila Bay in the west.
On Tue, Mar 15, 2011 at 6:24 AM, Willy Arcilla
FINALLY! THIS IS THE TRUE SPIRIT OF EDSA.
A CALL FOR FREEDOM, NOT FROM THE TYRANNY OF A DICTATOR.
BUT FREEDOM FROM THE TYRANNY OF SIN.
LET THIS BE THE START OF OUR ROAD TO HOLINESS AS A NATION AND AS A PEOPLE. IF THE JEWS WERE GOD'S CHOSEN PEOPLE, LET THE FILIPINOS BE A PEOPLE WHO HAVE CHOSEN GOD.
WHILE NINOY AQUINO ENNOBLED THE FILIPINO WITH THE WORDS "THE FILIPINO IS WORTH DYING FOR", WE SHALL SANCTIFY THE FILIPINO BECAUSE "GOD IS WORTH DYING FOR!"
LET THE NATIONAL ANTHEM BECOME A NATIONAL PRAYER AS WE SING "AMING LIGAYA NA PAG MAY MANG-AAPI, ANG MAMATAY NG DAHIL SA DIYOS."
