Feast of St. Lorenzo Ruiz in New York

Sept. 24, 2006

His Eminence Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales presided over the Holy Mass offered in honor of the First Filipino Saint Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila at St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York City. The Rector of the Cathedral, Rev. Msgr. Robert Ritchie, read the greetings of the Archbishop of New York to the Filipino Cardinal and to the Filipino parishioners served by the Filipino priest Fr. Erno Diaz who invited the Filipino Cardinal to celebrate this feast here in New York. The gothic Cathedral was filled to oveflowing. The Cardinal talked about in his homily "the Filipino diaspora" in a positive sense. Of the 38 conclebrating Filipino priests, five were PCF resident-priests: Frs. Arlou Buslon, Freddie Billanes, RJ Pinero, Jimel Varela, and Oscar Cadayona. Msgr. Barnie Auza, who is now assigned to the United Nations, and his former classmate in UST, Fr. Patrick Paraiso, were also there.