A Book on the Divine Mercy devotion

by Joel Paredes
 

Our late beloved brod Frankie Llaguno was described by his wife Jenny as a " true believer with a fine agnostic spirit."

I guess this goes true with many of us. So it's not surprising - and it's really an honor - to see our brods traveling all the way from the city to Marilao in Bulacan at the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy to join me in the book launching of the "Divine Mercy in the Philippines: Continuing to Spread the Devotion" which I wrote with an old journalist colleague, Lourdes Molina-Fernandez.

Author Joel Paredes with Fr. Mar Arenas and co-author Lourdes Fernandez

Brod Nonoy Bautista came with his classmate Lito Atienza, the former mayor of Manila and leader of the Prolife Movement in the country. I never thought that our old reliable Brod Nonoy was a "devotee."

I didn't see Brod Chito Tapawan during the mass, but he played the role of mother hen for the launch and even coordinated our modest lunch for the guests. Brod Chito already looked impatient when I fetched him at his house on Times Street, Q.C. ( a neighbor of President Aquino), considering that I was just about 10 minutes late.

Brod Dr. Chito "Wow" Protacio, a horticulture professor at UPLB, came all the way from Los Banos with his wife Marisse to be with us. Marisse later confided she was cured of a lump near her neck after persevering with her devotion to St. Padre Pio.

Brod Ed "Chax" Baldoria arrived late, but (wow) he was one of the first buyers of the book (which was priced at P1,200).

l-r: Marisse Tapawan (Chito's wife), Merci Paredes (Joel's wife),

Chito Protacio, Nonoy Bautista & Chax Baldoria.

Brod Cris Michelena couldn't make it, but he really helped a lot in the preparation of the book, which we finished within a record three weeks.

The coffee table book was a project of the devotees of the Divine Mercy-Philippines as their gift to the 2nd World Congress of the Divine Mercy in Poland, which was led by Pope Benedict from October 1 to 5, 2011. It was later declared as the official documentation of the Divine Mercy in the Philippines.

Brod Rolly Reyes didn't join us at the Shrine although he lives in the adjacent town of Sta. Maria. To be candid about it, Brod Rolly was actually busy preparing our pulutan (kambing) with his Carlos I to cap the gathering. Oops!

Cheers!
 

*Web note: This is informative news, not an endorsement of the book or any religion.

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