Honoring Our Lady and the Pope

ADS & Ends
Nanette Franco-Diyco

AWARENESS of Our Holy Father Pope Francis is at a particular high again with his forthcoming visit to New York and Philadelphia this week.

I was surprised but very pleased to find an elegant tent card on our table as my daughter and I were going over the restaurant’s menu, deciding what to order for lunch at Rockwell Club’s Cafe Jessie over the weekend. The tent card was simply headlined “THE HOLY FATHER’S MENU,” which Chef Jessie had been asked to prepare for the Pope during his visit in our country.

These were what the Holy Father ate for his dinner:

— Chef Jessie’s ciabatta bread, media luna, rolls, and butter;

— beef consomme with herbed dumplings;

— roast US black angus beef au jus served with baked potato and steamed broccoli florets, OR pan-fried Chilean sea bass in tomato-artichoke heart sauce served with grilled vegetables and wild rice risotto; and

— flambeed mango with mantecado ice cream

What we found most interesting was the very last line on the tent card: “50% of the price will be donated to Tulay ng Kabataan Orphanage.”

At the back of this menu was printed: “To our dear loving patrons: We are still euphoric about the Holy Father’s visit! Like the Holy Father, I would like to put into action what he clearly stated in his talks: ‘Love the poor, most especially the little children, the little orphans!’

“This is the reason why I was moved to offer this menu, composed of the dishes that we served him on his dinner on Sunday, Jan. 18, 2015 at the Apostolic Nunciature.”

“If you order this menu, 50% of the sale will be donated to the poor orphans of the Tulay ng Kabataan, an orphanage that Pope Francis visited even though it was not included in his itinerary.”

“Let us not put to waste the Holy Father’s effort.  If we really meant what we chanted, ‘Papa Francesco, we love you!’, let us show this in action!  Remember the Holy Father walks his talk! Let us do the same and make God happy!”

“Maraming salamat po! Chef Jessie & staff”

Jessie Cruz Sincioco, a couple of Saturdays ago, also hosted a most delicious luncheon at her White Plains home in celebration of Our Blessed Mother’s feast of the Holy Name of Mary. September and October are indeed two special months of the Blessed Virgin Mary, given these feast days:

• Sept. 8, the birthday of Our Lady;

• Sept. 12, the Holy Name of Mary;

• Sept. 15, Our Lady of Sorrows;

• Sept. 24, Our Lady of Ransom;

• Oct. 7, Our Lady of the Rosary;

• Oct. 12, Our Lady of the Pillar.

Billboards honoring Our Lady of Guadalupe, such as a huge one currently standing along C5 and another humongous one above the Greenhills area last month, trumpet the Filipino’s devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Alvin Carranza of MacGraphics Carranz International Corp., one of the biggest outdoor companies in the country, has time and again put up spectacular billboards of Our Lady of Guadalupe, reflecting Mr. Carranza’s closeness to his patron.

Pope Francis venerates Our Lady as his very special patron. Let us ourselves specially honor her this coming Rosary month of October with a daily rosary prayer.

“We marvel at the gifts God has bestowed on Our Lady. We are filled with awe before the countless divine graces she is adorned with. How fortunate we are to have such a Mother constantly at our side.”

Nanette Franco-Diyco ended her 15^th year advertising career as Vice-President of JWT, segueing into the world of academe, currently teaching communications at the Ateneo de Manila University.

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