13 October 2025

 

 

FOR: MBG ARCHDIOCESAN/DIOCESAN/PRELATURE/APOSTOLIC VICARIATE/MOP COUNCILS

 

REF: Thanksgiving… the MBG Prayer and Nature

 

My Beloved Mother Butlers,

 

The Peace of Christ.

 

It has been a stressful week.  The natural calamities – storms, floods, earthquakes – one after the other causing massive destruction and death.  And the cruelty that even now generates our grief and rage is to realize that these calamities were triggered by the horrendous corruption engineered by public officials and bureaucrats.  Their insatiable greed for money caused substandard flood control projects, worse even citing projects (ghost) that didn’t exist.  I had to look at Jesus… feel his presence so that his peace may control my heart.

 

How I feared for our Mother Butlers in flood inundated areas.  The earthquake in Mindanao that began in Davao rushed me to call our Mother Butlers there.  But God is so good.  In the face of calamities, he favors his MBG with reasons for thanksgiving… with delightful alternates for sadness. 

 

The MBG presence in Cebu is mostly through the MBG Military Ordinariate of the Philippines (MOP).  We had one MBG parish unit, Sacred Heart of Jesus, in Lapu-Lapu City.  But with the death of Janet, its president the MBG disintegrated.  Last month, Elizabeth “Beth” Valiente a former MBG member of SHJ parish called up the office.  Their new parish priest wanted them to re-activate the MBG.  I asked Beth how we could help.  She said she’ll gather possible members and will let me know.  Then the terrible earthquake hit Cebu.  I called up Beth to ask how they were. She told me the earthquake hit the northern part of Cebu, particularly Bogo.  She then said they will have the induction of the MBG in their parish on Oct. 11… that they badly needed to be given an Orientation/Formation session prior to induction.  

 

With barely a week to go, and the fear of earthquake aftershocks, O, my Jesus, whom shall I send to Cebu?  I thought of only one person… Lee Santos, our National Vice President for Pastoral Concerns.  But then she was in the throes of preparations for the feast of St. Therese of the Child Jesus, and the Antipolo celebration would be in her parish.  On October 2, the next day after their fiesta, I called up Lee.  Without hesitation, not even a question about how safe a 

 

flight to Cebu would be, Lee said she would call up Beth to work out arrangements.  Lee and her St. Therese Mother Butler angels flew to Cebu early morning of October 7… gave a full day orientation workshop… flew back to Manila on the late evening flight. 

 

Beth Valiente sent me a very touching thank you message: “it was truly a wonderful experience for all of us… deeply inspired by the presentations and insightful talks… Lee and the other speakers were very knowledgeable and shared their wisdom with such warmth and sincerity.”

She thanked me profusely.  Fr. Eugenio Narciso, their parish priest also extended his appreciation and gratitude.  Our MBG Cebu Sacred Heart Parish Unit after their induction, Beth said:  ”Everyone went home renewed in spirit and more motivated to serve.”

 

When I thanked Lee during our MBG National Executive Board (NEB) meeting on October 8, she was very grateful for the re-birth of MBG Cebu.  She even quipped that her MBG St. Therese angels who accompanied her were thankful for the chance of tasting the famous Cebu lechon.  The Mother Butlers …  joyful servants of thanksgiving.

 

October 10, a magnitude of 7.4 earthquake hit Davao Oriental.  I called up Mamerta Lemana our MBG servant-leader of Marbel. Thank God, she was alright.  She was also busy rounding up her Mother Butlers to ask how they were.  Mamerta was so thankful none of them were hurt. 

 

Next, I called up Cristy Azul, our hard-working MBG Mindanao Regional Coordinator.  She wasn’t answering.  I called again several times, texted too… still no reply.  I got very worried because it wasn’t like Cristy not to reply. After an hour, Cristy called.  She said she was on the bus when I called on the way to Tandag to orient 2 parishes for the MBG… and the bus was shaking due to the tremors.  Cristy proceeded to the two Tandag parishes sans worry of aftershocks.   She thanked God since everything was fine.

 

I called up Adelle Yumo, our very dedicated servant-leader of MBG Butuan… worried so much for them because Butuan was also hit.  Again, it took some time before Adelle could respond.  She said: “brownout the whole of Butuan, malakas talaga ang lindol.”  Assured Adelle of my non-stop prayers for them … also asked her to please find out how our Mother Butlers from Prosperidad (the new diocese) were doing.  After a while Adelle sent me the text messages of Fr. Bong Ong, their Spiritual Director, also messages from various MBG parishes in Butuan and Prosperidad: “thanking  the Lord for your love and protection” … “MBG members are safe, thank you, Lord and Mama Mary…” and many other prayers of thanksgiving.

 

In Cagayan de Oro, I called up Sonia Chang… she assured me all CDO Mother Butlers were okay and she was very thankful for that.  The only one I couldn’t reach was Bing Florida of Ozamiz… I am still trying to get in touch with her.

 

In all these places hit by the earthquake, none of the Mother Butlers I called ever complained, or expressed fear and anxiety.   All of them echoed one refrain: THANK YOU, LORD!   

 

The Eucharist, the sacrament of thanksgiving.  The MBG… women of the Eucharist.  Dear Jesus, make your Mother Butlers ever be the humble, joyful, loving sacraments of your thanksgiving.

 

Loving you all … thanking God for all of you.

 

National President

 

 

 

 

To know Jesus and make him known.  To love Jesus and make him loved.