MANILA, Philippines - Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop His Eminence Bishop Socrates Villegas recently inaugurated, blessed and officiated the perpetual closure of the Monastery of the Poor Clares of St. James the Apostle built in a beautiful site within the vast expanse of the Arenas farm in Malasiqui, Pangasinan. The Poor Clares was founded by St. Clare and St. Francis of Assisi in 1212, making this year’s inauguration fall exactly on the 800th year of the order of the Poor Clares.
The solemn occasion is made more significant because this is the first and only cloistered convent in the entire province of Pangasinan. It is long overdue and it has opened a whole new center of prayer for the faithful. Along with the Monastery is the Chapel built beside it where daily Masses are held and public viewing and veneration of the miraculous image of St. James the Apostle is allowed.
Bishop Villegas delivered a touching homily which almost moved him to tears, just as the rest of those in attendance. He recalled that the date of the inauguration of the Monastery in his Archdiocese holds a profound meaning for him because it marks the 40th anniversary of the priesthood of the late Jaime Cardinal Sin under whom Bishop Villegas worked for so many years and to whom he credits his spiritual transformation and growth in religious life. One of the indelible teachings of Cardinal Sin was his legacy of invoking the power of prayers of the religious, particularly the contemplatives, like the Poor Clares who had a special place in his heart. We still remember how the late Cardinal enriched and empowered the EDSA Revolution in 1986 by mobilizing the priests and nuns to join the throngs of activists and led them in prayer.
The affair was attended by the community, all the parish priests, religious sisters from different congregations, pilgrims of course, socio-civic worker and philanthropist Rosemarie “Baby” Arenas and the dynamic public servant and humanitarian Rep. Rachel Arenas who made the offertory during the Mass. The choir was comprised of seminarians whose heavenly voices touched the soul.
The affair culminated in sumptuous lunch prepared by Rep. Arenas and her mother, Baby, in open house at the farm where hundreds of guests and pilgrims all partook. The mother and daughter made sure they left no stone unturned to make the affair a great success, as they are famous for.
The verdant trees of the Arenas farm form a sea of green as backdrop for the Monastery and the Chapel. There is an atmosphere of peace which overcomes one upon entering the Holy Grounds. The place is a genuine spiritual oasis conducive to prayer and contemplation. Daily Masses are now held in the chapel and the pilgrims are rapidly increasing by the day. There are accounts of answered prayers and miracles for those who make personal devotion and petition to the image of St. James the Apostle. The daily Masses are sung by the nuns themselves.
The Monastery is not only a religious place but a spiritual experience that Rep. Arenas and her mother invite everyone to share. This is also an everlasting gift to the faithful of Pangasinan and to everybody.