30 December 2005 -- The Philippine Embassy in Singapore reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs that it capped the festive 2005 Christmas celebrations with the observance of the traditional 9-day Simbang Gabi from 15 to 24 December, with the final evening mass on 24 December serving as the Christmas Day mass.

Held at 8 o’clock in the evening in various parish churches all over Singapore, Fr. Angel Luciano, CICM, led the evening mass celebrations attended by some 1000 members of the Filipino community each night. The observance of Simbang Gabi in Singapore is now on its seventh year.

Ambassador Belen F. Anota said that for this year, the theme “Symbols of Filipino Christmas (Mga Sagisag ng Paskong Filipino)” was adopted – with each mass adopting one theme symbol for the evening.  This included such symbols as the Novena Mass (Simbang Gabi), the Lantern (Parol), Gift-Giving (Aguinaldo), the Christmas Tree, Greetings (Mga Pagbati), Noche Buena (Christmas Eve Dinner), Angels (mga anghel), Carolling (Awit Pamasko), Godparents (Ninong at Ninang) and Nativity (Belen).

The masses were also occasions for the community to share with the less privileged among them, particularly domestic helpers in this city state who left their employment and sought shelter in the Embassy’s half-way house.

The Filipino Welfare Resource Center (FWRC) currently houses some fifty (50) runaway domestic helpers, who were represented at each of the evening masses to receive donations by the community for their personal needs.  These included donations of  household items (soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo), food (fruits, canned goods, biscuits, rice, chocolates) and other necessities (towels, clothes, etc.)  The Christmas eve mass was attended by all the wards of the center who all received individually wrapped Christmas presents from  the community and handed over to them by Ambassador  Anota.

The various Filipino church-based groups were mobilized to undertake preparations for the celebration of the masses in their respective parishes including the holding of fellowships right after the mass – where everyone were feted to sumptuous offerings of Filipino dishes and delicacies.

Community members found the experience spiritually enriching and an opportunity to be one with their fellow-Filipinos (kababayans) in observing a Filipino tradition.  Singaporeans who had the chance to also attend the evening masses were also happy to go through the experience and expressed the hope that even more parishes would be involved in next year’s observance of the Misa de Gallo. END
 
 
 
 
 
 

/epa