THE priest the Diocese of Novaliches has warned the public about for reportedly celebrating Mass in some parishes is rendering Masses and funeral services “as part of the missionary endeavor the Church is trying to respond to the religious needs of the people.”
This was stressed by the Metropolitan of the Ancient Apostolic and Catholic Church of the East Inc. in its letter signed by its bishop, Mar Shimmun-Artemus Bar Kepha, and addressed to Novaliches Bishop Roberto Gaa on November 20, 2021.
Gaa issued last Friday, November 19, Circular 2021-10, warning the Catholic faithful in Quezon City against Fr. Alladin Castro and Richard Bolaton, saying they “may not be invited to celebrate Mass or administer the sacraments in churches and semi-public oratories of this Diocese, not even funeral masses at funeral homes or to perform blessings.”
Gaa said Castro is not an ordained Catholic priest, while Bolaton of the Diocese of Tarlac went Awol (absence without official leave).
But the Ancient Apostolic and Catholic Church of the East Inc., in a letter forwarded to SunStar, told Gaa that Castro, who is under its Eparchial authority, has not claimed that he is an ordained priest of the Roman Catholic Church and has been allowed to work in order to support his own family.
“Our jurisdiction maintains the policy that each member-clergy shall have work in order to support his own family, and not be dependent upon whom we served,” it said.
“We use the ‘Qurbana Qaddisha’ for our liturgical rite and we strongly request our clergy to use it and inform the individuals attending the services that we’re of the Eastern jurisdiction of the Church. Only through invitations from our friends and those we personally know that we respond,” it added.
The Ancient Apostolic and Catholic Church of the East Inc. also said that Castro is currently a staff of Erwin Tulfo’s program and is receiving a salary from such work.
“The masses and funeral services that he rendered to the people are part of the missionary endeavors that the Church is trying to respond to the religious needs of the people,” it said.
As to funeral services, the Church said members of its clergy do not give their names indiscriminately to funeral parlors or to any individual or institutions.
“We are serving mostly the informal settlers in small communities in Metro Manila, especially those who can’t avail of the high-paying services of the Roman Catholic parishes,” it said.
Bishop Mar +Shimmun-Artemus Bar Kepha also told Gaa that the Apostolic and Catholic Church of the East, the Ancient Aramaic jurisdiction of the Church, is alive in the Philippines since 1994.
“We have several missionary bishops and priests doing services all over the Philippines catering particularly to our poor brothers and sisters. We are invited to the different places to administer the sacraments without charge as we believe, ‘what is given free, must be given free,’” he said.
The Apostolic and Catholic Church of the East vowed that in the spirit of Ecumenism, it will “continue to work in parallel with the churches and religions in areas that we have our existing communities, so as to build, a deeper and lively Christian presence.” (LMY/SunStar Philippines)