Filipino volunteers served as flag bearers during the Festival of Families, one of the highlights of the World Meeting of Families 2018 in Dublin, Ireland. (Photo courtey of Joseph Reed)
26 August 2018 LONDON — After weeks of preparation, Filipino families in Ireland pulled off a dazzling performance for Pope Francis at the Festival of Families in Dublin, a concert-style gathering where families from around the world shared their personal stories of faith.
Close to 30 members of the Filipino Community organization, Lumad nga Bisaya, joined the flash mob during the Festival, performing alongside a powerhouse lineup of contemporary Irish and international singers, choirs, musicians, dancers, and performers.
Other members of the Philippine contingent served as flag bearers. Lumad Bisaya is composed of Filipinos who hail from the Philippines’ Visayan regions such as Cebu, Negros, Bohol, and Leyte, among others.
Filipino choir Voce Christiana also sang during the Final Mass of the WMOF which Pope Francis presided on 26 August.
Members of the Filipino Crumlin Association of Ireland, the Kilkenny Filipino Community, the Bray Filipino Community, and the Filipino Cultural Organization of Ireland also served as volunteers during the event, which drew more than 80,000 families from all over the world.
“It is inspiring to see the passion and fervor of Filipinos in freely offering their time and talent at the Festival,” said Philippine Ambassador to Ireland Antonio M. Lagdameo. “The participation of Filipinos in such an important gathering offers us a glimpse of how they positively contribute to the faith communities in Ireland.”
Jinny Malazarte, who moved to Ireland from the Philippines 17 years ago, was registered as the WMOF’s 2,500th volunteer. “It has been really inspiring to see how many people are willing to make a contribution to an event like this – to just give of their time and talents. It’s going to be an amazing event for all those who attend and while I am going to be really busy as part of the volunteer team, I know that I am going to gain a once-in-a-lifetime experience from it,” Malazarte said in an interview by the WMOF organizers.
The Festival is the highlight of the triennial World Meeting of Families (WMOF) which was held this year in Dublin from 21 to 26 August. The next WMOF will take place in Rome in 2021.
The last time a papal visit took place in Ireland was in 1979. Apart from meeting with Irish leaders on the sidelines of the event, Pope Francis also spent time with homeless families.
“God wants every family to be a beacon of the joy of His love in our world,” said Pope Francis during the Festival of Families “All of us are called to find, in the family, our fulfilment in love.”
Archbishop of Manila Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle also delivered a presentation during the WMOF Pastoral Congress entitled “Choose Life: Pope Francis on the ‘throw-away’ Culture”. END
Jinny Malazarte (centre), a Filipino who lives in Ireland for the past 17 years, is the 2,500th volunteer of the World Meeting of Families in Dublin, Ireland. Jinny joins thousands of other volunteers, many of which are fellow Filipinos in Ireland, to help prepare for the much-anticipated papal visit. (Photo from WMOF Organizers)
Filipinos in Ireland actively participated during the recent papal visit as performers and volunteers. (Photo courtesy of Joseph Reed)