As I mentioned in the previous post, the Filipino community that I’m part of here in Pennsylvania is a very tight-knit community. Indeed we party together often, but we also pray together and even sing together.
Filipinos do know how to party, but relationships based on entertainment and social gatherings can only foster a certain level of friendship. That being said, the connections we have in the Filipino community are able to reach deeper levels of caring because we share in our faith. The Philippines is a predominantly Catholic and that goes for the Filipino community here as well. Whenever possible, a Filipino priest will come to a nearby church to celebrate First Friday mass in Tagalog, and the members of our community attend. After mass, we usually have a small potluck to celebrate – it’s hard to let go of social habits. The church where this usually occurs is kind of far from my house, but we go anyway because we enjoy the opportunity to share this special time with our fellow Filipinos.
Out of this shared enterprise came the creation of the Collegeville Choir. At the start of these First Friday masses, there was usually just a pianist and one or two cantors. Eventually, the pianist (who happens to be one of my neighbors) felt that it would be nice if other people were able to contribute their voices. Thus, the Collegeville Choir began. It started out performing just at local Filipino mass and now they perform at other Christian churches and even at a church in Philadelphia. For a while my mom didn’t join the choir, even though she enjoys singing. When she finally did about a year ago, I noticed the positive impact her decision made. As a family, we got invited to more social gatherings involving the choir. I became closer to the families within the choir, because I got to see them a little more often. The greatest impact though occurred early this year. My father was having trouble with his lungs and was hospitalized for several weeks. During that time, it was stressful for my mother to watch over my sister and I, while making time to visit my dad. In our time of need, the families of the choir rose to the occasion. Not only did they send prayer cards and get well cards, but they each took turns cooking dinner and delivering it to our house so that my mom wouldn’t have to worry about preparing our meals. The Filipino community showed so much concern for my dad and my family and it was very touching to be assured of their kindness. Through this experience, I learned that being part of this Filipino community provides each member with culture, fun, and more importantly generous hospitality.