Yr 2005 - the year that was ... Yr 2006 - the year ahead

Dear Parishioners & Friends,

01. For the year that just passed by (Yr 2005), we need to thank God for the generosity of 106 SGC Donors who pledged to donate P4.5 million - 50% received in cash by the Parish Treasurer and already spent in the on-going construction of the Parish Complex. Likewise, a special "Thanks" to all those SGC Authorized Solicitors who went out of their way calling upon Prospective Donors - day and night·

02. As the St. Gabriel Columbary Board (in its meeting January 18, 2006) has affirmed with finality its repeatedly pronounced decision that Yr2005 “Promo CDE” was valid only until Dec 31, 2005, herewith is Yr2006 “Regular CDE” - Single @ 30K / Double @ 50K / Quadruple @ 80K – effective 1 Jan 2006. On the other hand, "Promotional Discount" is being offered to all - but valid only for a specified period.

03. In the Yr2006 ahead of us, we trust that more People-of-God would come to help build our Church - as each of us would continue giving more of ourselves to hasten the completion of our envisioned St Gabriel Church-cum-Columbary.

04. God bless.

Dear Co-Parishioners & Friends,

01. As a Parish, we are just nearing 2 years old. Nevertheless, we have bought our own Parish Lot (2000 M2) and have started having our Masses in this Parish site for about a year now; are nearing completion of our concrete 2-sty Multi-Purpose Building; and are likely to start groundworks for our St Gabriel Parish Church-cum-Columbary - come February 2006. With God's grace, all these are attributable to the combined efforts and pooled contributions of Parishioners and Friends-of-the-Parish.

02. Among the many Fund Raising Activities, "Collections" coming from the Cash Donation Equivalents (CDE), in exchange for the exclusive Privilege-of-Use granted to Columbary Donor-Beneficiaries of their own Choice-of-Crypt in our very own St Gabriel Columbary, is expected to account for the fast completion in the construction of the Parish Complex - Church-Columbary, Multi-pupose Building, Convento. With everybody's help, we may yet be even able to acquire the adjacent lot (2000 M2) to expand our cramped/tight present site. While another soon-to-rise parish have sought permission to also construct their own Columbary, they have been denied. On the other hand, we are so privileged to have been granted Authority by our Bishop-of-Antipolo.

03. Comparing our St Gabriel Columbary (SGC) against others, ours is Parish-owned - not Corporate-owned. The basement of our envisioned Parish Church could only accomodate a limited number - about 8,000 individual interments vs. about 200,000 internments of Corporate-owned Columbaries. Moreover, SGC Columbary Donor-Beneficiaries, not only, get to have the exclusive Privilege-of-Use of their own Choice-of-Crypt, but also, they get to have a FREE Package-of-Services - not granted by others. Our SGC CDEs are believed to be "competitive" vs. the Pricing of others. Lastly, our St Gabriel Columbary is open to "All People of Goodwill".

04. Considering that our SGC "Promotional" CDEs shall expire by Year-end 2005, we strongly urge you to "contract" for your own Choice-of-Crypt during these remaining days of the year 2005. You have only until December 31, 2005. Starting January 1, 2006, SGC CDEs shall be as follows:
Yr 2005 Promo CDE : P30K (single), P40K (double), P50K (quadruple)
Yr 2006 Regular CDE : P 30K (single), P50K (double), P80K (quadruple)

05. Our SGC Terms-of-Donations are as follows:
1st Option : Full One-time Donation entitled to a 10% discount
2nd Option : 1-Yr Installment Donation @ 10% Minimum Initial Donation

06. For more information, please visit our website - http://columbary.blogspot.com Also, you may contact any of SGC's Authorized Solicitors - or the undersigned.


Yours in Christ,


Ernie C del Castillo
Project Manager - St Gabriel Columbary Project
# 3, Venus Street, Meteor Homes Subd., Bgy Fortune, Marikina City
Tel # 9413195 / 0919-7213878

Reasons for choosing St Gabriel Columbary

• As One-of-the-Living, presently blessed by our Heavenly Father with the Gift-of-Life, I recognize the certainty of DEATH - and that my end could come at any time without notice. On the other hand, I believe: (1st) that DEATH is only a Passage from Mortality to Eternity; (2nd) that, by the Grace-of-God, I am commanded to serve HIM, love HIM, and glorify HIM here and now; (3rd) that Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, shall come again on the Last Day to judge the Living and the Dead - resurrected in their perfected bodies;
• As a Catholic, I am instructed to respect the Dead Person with dignity - regardless of the Cause-of-Death, of Religious/Political Affiliation, and of Citizenship. While BURIAL has always been the preferred option, our Church allows the less costly CREMATION - provided however, that the Cremated Ash Remains (otherwise known as Cremains) are interred completely and reverently in a COLUMBARY;
• As a Parishioner of the Parish of St Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows, my CASH DONATION would help in the building of our Physical Church [the Parish Complex made up of: (1st) the St Gabriel Church-cum-Columbary, (2nd) the Parish Seminar Building, and (3rd) the Parish Convento], as well as, would support the Pastoral Ministries to benefit our very own Co-Parishioners - our Institutional Church;
• As Non-Parishioners residing nearby, the Traffic-free convenience would be a definite advantage in wanting to visit, as often desired, their respective "Dear Departed" interred in St Gabriel Columbary situated just beneath the St Gabriel Parish Church;
• As Overseas Filipinos, they could choose to have their Cremains "returned" to their Homeland to enable Kinfolks easy visitation in St Gabriel Columbary which is centrally located in Barangay Marikina Heights in the well-planned multi-awarded City of Marikina, Metropolitan Manila, Philippines;
• As Future Beneficiary of St Gabriel Columbary, my Cash Donation Equivalent (CDE) is in exchange for the transferable exclusive Privilege-of-Use for my Choice-of-Crypt (COC) - with its accompanying FREE Package-of-Services defined in SGC's Certificate;
• As Prospective Donor of St Gabriel Columbary, I may choose any of 2 Options in SGC's Terms-of-Donation: (1st) One-time Full DONATION entitled to maximum 10% discount; (2nd) Installment Donation PLEDGE valid for a maximum 12-months period - but with a minimum 10% First Installment;
• As Year 2005 DONOR of St Gabriel Columbary, I get to have better options for my Choice-of-Crypt: (1st) Nearer the Altar/Mortuary Chapel - or, nearer the Garden; (2nd) Eye Level - or Upper/Lower Levels. Moreover, I get to benefit from SGC's Promotional CDE Schedule valid only until Year-end 2005.

Columbary Donor-Beneficiaries help build our Church - God bless!

Dear People-of-God,

01. Yr 2005 is fast coming to an end. And after barely 2 years since its formal installation in February 2004, the "Catholic Parish of St Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows" is starting to take shape in Barangay Marikina Heights (inclusive of its neighboring communities) - Marikina City, Metro Manila, Philippines. Parishioners (Poor & Rich, Friends & Strangers) are becoming a Lay Community-of-Believers sharing Time, Talent, and Treasure to form (together with our Religious Communities) the Spiritual Church. Moreover, Parishioners and Non-Parishioners (specially from neighboring Parishes) pool their respective limited resources to help build the physical structure of the St Gabriel Parish Complex - Church-cum-Columbary (& Mortuary Chapel), Seminar Building, and Convento. To-date, with the pooled donations (in CASH and in KIND) of many, the 2-sty Seminar Building is already nearing completion - being built upon its own Parish Lot (2000 M2) which had to be acquired from the very start. If God willing, construction of the Physical Church could begin January 2006.

02. As Fr Willy Estraza c.p (Founding Parish Priest of our St Gabriel Parish) recognized the "Felt Need" of all People-of-Goodwill (opting for the Church-approved low-cost high-tech reverential CREMATION) to have a COLUMBARY as the sacred repository of the cremated remains (Cremains) of their "Dear Departed", we have been granted permission by our Bishop to build a Columbary beneath our St Gabriel Parish Church. Due to limited space, only about 8,000 Cremains could be interred. In exchange for Cash Donation Equivalents (CDE), St Gabriel Columbary Donor-Beneficiaries would have the exclusive "Privilege-of-Use" of their "Choice-of-Crypt" (COC) limited to as follows: 100 Crypts for SINGLE Internment, 1000 Crypts for DOUBLE Internment, 1600 Crypts for QUADRUPLE Internment.

03. The St Gabriel Columbary CDE Schedule (valid only until December 31, 2005) is as follows: P30K for Single Internment Crypt, P40K for Double Internment Crypt, P50K for Quadruple Internment Crypt. Due to rising cost of construction, the St Gabriel Columbary Board had approved a reasonable INCREASE in the new CDE Schedule effective January 1, 2006. Thus, prospective St Gabriel Columbary Donors are enjoined to finalize their "Donation Agreement" according to these options in the "Terms-of-Donation": (1st) Full CDE Donation entitled to 10% MAXIMUM Discount; (2nd) 12-months Installment CDE Donation entitled to 10% MINIMUM First Installment - WITHOUT further delay.

04. Wouldn't it be good to wait upon the Lord in the Columbary of HIS Church?

To Give OR not to Give: When is it RIGHT?

01. As Christians, we are taught that God favors those with a generous heart... and that we are to continue on giving until it hurts - for "What does it matter to a Man who builds treasures here on Earth if he looses his soul"? On the other hand, we are ever made conscious that we would be made to account for all of God's Blessings measured up against our respective individual responsibility - as we should be the Salt-of-the-Earth. Is KEEPING and GIVING at opposite ends? Does Christian Discipleship mean discerning the BALANCE to attain Peace-of-Heart? As many view MAN as a Social Animal with an insatiable appetite for more of the material, must the Human Spirit have less?

02. As Christians, we believe that Jesus (by his Teachings and by his Example) showed us the spiritual dimension of Giving-until-Death - and that Jesus instituted his Church for us to become one with HIM as HIS People.

03. As the Catholic Faithful now coming together as the People-of-God generously sharing Time, Treasure, and Talent to quicken the building of the new Parish Church-cum-Columbary of St Gabriel of our Lady of Sorrows (Marikina Heights, Marikina City, Philippines), do we need to ask: "When is it right to give?"

Burial or Cremation?

01. When Mama was still alive, her birthdays would be reason for our Family's Get-togethers - and everybody was expected to be present despite tight schedules. Oftentimes, our Family Reunions would be good occasions for getting updates on each other's lives. But I cannot forget one Mama's Birthday, sometime in the mid 1970s - when the concept of a well-planned Memorial Park was so novel such that the talk of death was unspeakable to many people and that the over-crowded Public Cemeteries were expectedly the only place to bury the dead. On this particular birthday, she insisted that each of us (Sons & Daughters) along with our own respective families go to mass with her at the San Jose Seminary Chapel (Ateneo de Manila University, Loyola Heights Compound) - and to proceed, right after mass, to the Loyola Memorial Park in Marikina. She pointed to us the spot where she wanted us to bury her. Mama chose 4 Burial Lots (double internments each) in Loyola's Garden-of-Peace which she envisioned to become the hallowed burial ground for herself - and her Children. She was proud to show us her choice of a Family Burial Ground which she painstakingly paid on installments - and which she had just then paid in full. On this one happy occasion, all of us, all in good health, felt eerie about the thought of dying. Nevertheless, she said: "Here, I shall rest and shall be at peace". The emotional pain and financial burden occasioned on the deaths of my youngest Brother and my Father (while our Migrant Family was yet fighting for survival in the Manila), could have made Mama even more determined to prepare for death long in advance. Mama lived on for another 25 years. Mama died of Old Age in Yr 2002.

02. As the cost of Urban Space has become expensive for the Living and the Dead, Columbaries (a sacred secured repository of cremated human remains - otherwise known as cremains) are now a felt need in the city. Moreover, other attendant costs have made Burial less and less affordable to many. As reverential Cremation has for a long time been accepted by the Catholic Church as an alternative to its preferred traditional Burial Option, some new Parishes in the Philippines have secured their respective Bishop's Permission to build their Churches-with-Columbaries.

03. As I cannot tell where the future lies for my very own Children, I will to be cremated and for my cremains to be buried in my Choice-of-CryptVault at the St Gabriel Columbary Marikina. By having my remains cremated and my cremains reverently interred in the sacred and secured St Gabriel Columbary (located beneath the St Gabriel Parish Church), it becomes conveniently practical for them to carry along my cremains wherever they so decide. I trust my Children to handle me with care.

04. Mama is not wrong - nor am I right. It is simply not a case of Right and Wrong. As Catholics believing in the Resurrection of our "perfected" bodies upon the Second Coming of Jesus on Judgment Day, our Church instructs us to handle the Deceased with respect and dignity. In any case, I believe that I shall be with Mama in heaven.

05. What is your choice: Burial or Cremation?

St Gabriel Columbary welcomes all People-of-Goodwill

Dear People-of-God,

01. The Catholic Community of the new Parish of St Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows has been privileged to be granted permission by the Bishop of the Diocese of Antipolo to construct a one-of-kind easily-accessible secured COLUMBARY beneath the envisioned imposing beautiful St Gabriel Parish Church which is centrally located in Barangay Marikina Heights, Marikina City, Metro Manila, PHILIPINES 1809.

02. Unlike other Commercial Columbaries, our Parochial St Gabriel Columbary has only a limited number of CryptVaults with 3 choices of Internment Plans as follows: (1st) 100 units of SINGLE Internment Crypts; (2nd) 1000 units of DOUBLE Internments Crypts; (3rd) 1600 units of QUADRUPLE Internments Crypts. Prospective Donors have 2 Modes-of-Donations: (1st) One-Time Full CASH Donation @ 10% MAXIMUM Discount; (2nd) 12-months Installment Donation-Pledge @ 10% MINIMUM First Installment Donation. The St Gabriel Columbary Cash Donation Equivalent (CDE) in exchange for Donor-Beneficiary's "Certificate Privilege-of-Use" of their respective Choice-of-Crypt (COC) are as follows: (1st) P30K for a SINGLE Internment Crypt; (2nd) P40K for a DOUBLE Internment Crypt; (3rd) P50K for a QUADRUPLE Internment Crypt. This St Gabriel CDE Schedule is valid only for Yr 2005. Due to the continuing rise in the cost of construction, the St Gabriel Columbary Board has decided to increase the CDE Peso Values - effective January 1, 2006. Hence, we strongly urge you to make your reservation of your own Choice-of-Crypt NOW.

03. We trust in your generosity. God bless.

Ernesto C del Castillo

Project Manager, St Gabriel Columbary

Parish of St Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows

Marikina Heights, Marikina City, Metro Manila, Philippines 1809

Tel # (63) 2-9413195 / 2-4392827

Email: manilaman_ecc@yahoo.com

URL: http://columbary.blogspot.com