8:33 AM
Hi everyone
Summary of Uncle Al's letter: everyone please dress decently when we are serving mass very; decently, well be extremely decent, and the extent cannot be put into words. Well, sorry now I have no idea what I myself am saying. And dun worry we are on budget still!!
Original Message:
This is my update for Sunday.
I could have gone for the regular Bicol mass at 5.00am but I thought of going for the 9.00am mass in English. This is the Mass that we are going to serve in on Dec 14.
They have pre-mass prayers led by a commentator. Yes - there is a commentator who introduces every reading with a little summary, and generally tells people when to sit and stand. This person is the most prominent lay person during Mass as she occupies the ambo on the left (facin congregation) the whole time, while the priest, readers and psalmist take up the other ambo.
The sound is good as the church was built in the 1811. But if you are seated at the back, you would hear a bit of the echo. It is better to sit in front.
All those serving in the Mass are in white dresses, while the boys are in their formal black and white, and are students from the St Benedict Academy. They are supervised and trained by the nuns.
The songs -- they were all in English and I didn't know any. Only the Mass parts sounded familiar. One thing strange: they used the first verse from "We Remember" to replace "Christ has died... has is risen...".
Anyway, our team went around town after that to see how Sunday is like at Assumption parish. After lunch, we checked out food prices at the town's only supermarket, and finalised our meal arrangements with our caterer. We are pretty much on target as far as budget is concerned. Lunches and dinners would cost 110 pesos each. And we will be making our own breakfast.
Settled everything by sundown.
Monday we are going to Dona Mercedes, where we would be serving for three days during the Mission. And at 6.30 we will be able move back to Manila on a more comfortable night trip.
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