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Coming from a religious family has significantly influenced our twin's faith. Mama Rose and Papa Bisting religious identity in membership in religious organizations and practiced through attendance of mass, showing the virtue of hope and resilience was imbibed by us twins.
Don Joaquin Ortega, our grandfather was a student of the University of Santo Tomas. UST is run by the Order of Preachers in Manila with St. Thomas Aquinas, known as the "Angelic Doctor," as its patron saint. Evaristo, the youngest of the 14 children of Don Joaquin and Dona Francisca Lacsamana is our father who was a law graduate from UST. Four children were graduates from UST —Florita from the College of Commerce in 1971, while Rosa from the College of Medicine, and we twins, Artlets in 1974.
Our thirst for knowledge continues believing that "education is for life”. It doesn't stop emphasizing the continuous and on-going nature of learning, encompassing formal schooling and informal experiences throughout one's life. And our dear Lord, also grants the desires of our heart when we landed in the Pontifical Gregorian University in 2004 for a 10-weeks special course on Practical Communication: Planning and Practice. The Pontifical Universities are Roman Catholic universities under the authority of the Holy See.
Starting in 1999, the Year of God the Father, we committed ourselves always striving to do God's will. We make a conscious effort to align our actions, thoughts, and choices with what we believe God desires for our lives, seeking His guidance and wisdom in all decisions. This is put into practice our daily prayer of the “Our Father”. I am amused to see the Certificates of Participation, issued by the Communication
Foundation for Asia for having participated in the Film & Faith Seminar held on January 15-17, 2007 conducted by Fr. Peter Malone, MSC on the use of Film for evangelization and values education. Why? We were attending a seminar during our birthday on the 16th of January.
We joined the Arch confraternity of Our Lady of Lourdes Convention at Lipa, Batangas some time in 2009. Since we twins like to act, we prepared a Christmas skit to be performed by the diocese of La Union members. The skit was based on Sr. Lucia’s book “Calls from the Message of Fatima,” on the three little Portuguese shepherd children
Lucia Santos, and her cousins Jacinta and Francisco Marto. The setting was the Carmelite Convent in Pontevedra, Spain where Sr. Lucia, the visionary of Fatima resided.
Narrator: St. Thomas Aquinas maintains that no one can subsist on earth in complete unhappiness. To support the suffering of life, a person needs to have some pleasure, even if it is small. He was not speaking of pleasures as the world imagines them, but about the good Catholic pleasures and joy. Today, we the members of the Archconfraternity of Our Lady of Lourdes from the Diocese of La Union have prepared a short Marian play in the hope that it could give some pleasure and joy to all of us.
(Ma. Luz portrays Sr. Lucia and she reads a testimony) Ma. Luz: I was very busy at my work beyond the vegetable garden. I had met a child. I had asked him if he knew the Hail Mary and he said he did, where upon I requested him to say it so that I could hear him.
But as he made no attempt to say it by himself, I said it with him three times over, at the end of which I asked him to say it alone. I asked him if he knew where the Church of Santa Maria was, to which he replied that he did. I told him to go there every day and to say this: “O my heavenly mother, give me your Child Jesus!” I taught him this, and then left him.
On the 15th of February, 1926, I found a child who seemed to me to be the same one whom I had previously met, so I questioned him: “Did you ask our heavenly Mother for the Child Jesus?” The child turns to me and said: “And have you spread through the world what our heavenly Mother requested of you?”
With that, He was transformed into a resplendent Child. Sr. Lucia knew then that it was Jesus.”
Narrator: And what did our Lady of Fatima requested from the three children when she appeared to them on August 15,1917?
Member: Our Lady of Fatima requested during her apparition on the 15th of August 1917 to: “Pray, pray very much, and sacrifice yourselves for sinners, so many souls end up in Hell because there is no one to pray and make sacrifices for them.”
During the Joint Christmas program of the St. Teresa of Avila Community and the Carmel of the Holy Family Nuns at Pindangan in 2009, Luz wearing a Carmelite nun habit, was seen with two statues of Sto. Nińo and she performed the same skit.
Many pilgrims come to Ilocos Sur during Lent. This Lenten Pilgrimage brings joy and hope to the Church for it strengthens the Catholic faith. In 2008, the Pater Noster LearningCenter, pupils had a Lenten Presentation at Pantay Fatima. Here is a short story that speaks of the significance of the play.
Traveling in a train were an elderly bishop and a newly ordained priest. The bishop asked the priest to tell the story of his vocation. The priest said, “All I can say is that the Lord has need of me.”
“So far as I can remember, only once in the Gospels did the Lord ever say that he had need of anything.” In Luke 19:31, on the occasion of his triumphal entry into Jerusalem, He had in need of a donkey. Jesus instructs his disciples, if questioned about untying a colt, to simply state, "The Lord has need of it". The time of our Lord’s Passion was at hand, and Jesus, accompanied by his disciples and a considerable crowd of pilgrims, left Bethany to go to Jerusalem. He stopped at the Mount of Olives and asked two of his disciples to go into a nearby village and borrow a donkey just inside the gate.
He said: Untie it, and bring it here.
Jesus said: If anyone asks you, Why are you untying it? You shall say, “The Lord has need of it.” The disciples found the young colt and untied it. As they were doing so the owners came up and asked, Why are you untying the colt? “The Lord has need of it,” the disciples said, and took it away.
The disciples and the people spontaneously organized themselves into a procession. They helped Jesus to sit upon it. Suddenly the donkey took a step forward. As Jesus road along, the people spread their cloaks on the road and others cut branches from the trees waving them joyfully. Men and women rushed to join the procession. At the top of their voices they shouted:
Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed be the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest! People came running from all directions to find out what was going on, “What is happening?” they cried. What is going on here?” “It is Jesus of Nazareth, the great teacher of Galilee.”
It was a great day for the disciples, for all the people who followed Him. Never would they forget the thrill of that wonderful procession. And it was a great day for that little donkey. If donkeys think he may have thought, ‘The Lord could have chosen a lion, an elephant, or a horse for such a wonderful occasion as this, but instead He chose me, a little donkey!’ And what was it that the two disciples said as they went to untie the donkey?
“The Lord has need of it.”
What a lesson for us all! The donkey ,the Lord used in his triumphal and I are like that little donkey, perhaps thinking that we have shortcomings and limitations. Jesus knows who we are and He has need of us. He wants to make use of us to carry out his plans, just as He made use of the donkey for his entry into Jerusalem. Let us all recite this lovely little prayer: Lord, if Thou need me, show me how, and where, and when. Help me to do my best for Thee. Use me as Thou will—all the way to the New Jerusalem.
Amen.
The Five First Saturdays Devotion, a request from Our Lady of Fatima, involves making reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary by going to confession, receiving Holy Communion, praying five decades of the Rosary, and meditating on the Rosary mysteries for 15 minutes on the first Saturday of five consecutive months.
The 100th anniversary of Our Lady's apparition to Sr. Lucia in Pontevedra, Spain, to request the Five First Saturdays Devotion. The Five First Saturdays Devotion, a request made by Our Lady of Fatima, is on-going and not yet fully carried out in the way she intended, with the promise of assistance at the hour of death for those who faithfully follow it.
On February 15, 1926, Jesus asked Sr. Lucia if she had already “spread through the world” the devotion of reparation (the First Saturdays) that our heavenly requested. This is a food for thought and we the Ortega twins of La Union, Philippines would like to make it our mission. Luz Bolong, and Nila Argel, being President and Vice–President respectively of the World Apostolate of Fatima, of the San Fernando Chapter would like to respond on the Call of Bishop Daniel O. Presto to implement this Five First
Saturdays Devotion in the Diocese. Of course, belonging to the San Fernando Chapter, it will be acted upon at the Vicariate of St. Ferdinand, San Fernando. Sr. Lucia expressed a desire that more people would embrace the Five First Saturdays devotion, acknowledging that she felt she hadn't done enough to promote it, as it was a request of the Virgin Mary during the Fatima apparitions.
Could it be that “The Lord has need of the World Apostolate of Fatima in San Fernando, La Union for a greater, a wider, and stronger devotion as the Blessed Mother wants?
Let us seek the intercession of Venerable Patrick Peyton, C.S.C., who first proclaimed the phrases "The family that prays together stays together" and "A world at prayer is a world at peace,” that the Our Blessed Mother will be happy of the faithful’s determination to devote themselves for the Five First Saturdays Devotion as their gift of the grace on its coming Centenary Anniversary at Pontevedra, Spain.
View the contents of our Photo Gallery. This page includes selected photos that bring back memories. It is a mixture of religious events and projects, the pilgrim sites of beautiful La Union and Ilocos etc. We dedicate this page to all those whom we have encountered in our lives and thank them for the beautiful gift of life and love.
Archbishop Edward Joseph Adams, Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines statement before the Catholic Media Network (CMN) practitioners are the National Office on Mass Media, Manila on February 2008. “We have a perspective on truth. We have a precious contribution to make and we don’t want to abuse it being destructive.”
Coming from a religious family has significantly influenced our twin's faith. Mama Rose and Papa Bisting religious identity in membership in religious organizations and practiced through attendance of mass, showing the virtue of hope and resilience was imbibed by us twins.
Aug 25, 2007 11:38—Midnight 12:01
To Mother Prioress John Sr. Esther and all nuns here at Infanta Monastery, Praise God! We made it. How kind of you to accommodate us arriving very late at night. Our worry was the monastery would be close. Your set-up where there is no gate—unique to the other monasteries worked to our advantage. Imagine we twins were received very warmly with open arms just like our loving Father. Thanks for the food.
Again, the name you have chosen for the monastery—Carmelo Pangarap ng Ama (Carmel of the Father’s Dream). God certainly paved the way
for us to deliver His statuette on the eve of St. Teresa’s Transverberation. What a coincidence —our community is aptly called St. Teresa of Avila Community. Good, we followed God’s inspiration to proceed to Infanta paved the way for us to deliver His statuette on the eve of St. Teresa’s T r a n s v e r -beration. What a coincidence —our community is aptly called St. Teresa of Avila Community. Good, we followed God’s inspiration to proceed to Infanta despite of the distance. In God we trust. It’s really a privilege to spend the night in such a holy place.
Our warmest thanks,
Ortega sisters—Emily and twins Ma. Luz O. Bolong, ocds Ma.
Nila O Argel, ocds
Les Buissonnets - The childhood home of Sainte Thérèse in Lisieux. After leaving Alençon, the Martin family moved to Les Buissonnets in November 1877. Thérèse lived there from the age of 4 and a half until she entered Carmel at the age of 15.
Pacifico “PJ” Ortega Argel Graduation San Beda College Year 2007
Nila Argel attends Foundations on Early Education class at Ateneon de Manila University
Evaristo “Resty” Ortega Argel Graduation Centro Escolar University Year 2008
Participants to the seminar conducted by Communication Foundation for Asia (CFA)
Our books on God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit and Mama Mary chronicles our life experiences. We share it to many people. As Carmelites we shared our books to General Superior Fr. Luis Arostegui, OCD during his visit here in Manila.
Most Rev. Ernesto A. Salgado, D. D., archbishop of Nueva Segovia and twin Luz (l) Bolong were special guests during the Graduation ceremonies of the Pater Noster Learning Center for school year 2006-2007.
The Way of the Cross
L-R: Luz prepares a small altar at the Sea and Sky Hotel for the 12th station of the cross. With the same décor stand, Nila prepares the altar for the 2nd station at their residence in Vigan City, Ilocos Sur
Blessing and unveling of a life-size statue of St Teresa of Avila, first woman Doctor of the Church, to commemorate the 34th death anniversary of our beloved father, Judge Evaristo Ortega. It was a prelude on St. Teresa’s 425th death anniversary on October 15, 2007.
The statue was brought by a procession from the highway junction of Pindangan to the Carmelite Monastery Chapel. At 6 a.m. followed by a high mass at 6:30. Ortega twins seated on angelic chairs.
640 Days Countdown to the 10th Celebration of the La Union Consecration of the Philippines to God the Father at Sea and Sky Hotel last January 19, 2008. Consecration prayers was led by Most Rev. Artemio Rillera, Bishop of the diocese of La Union. Beside him are the Ortega twins.
Twins’ unexpected encounter with Bishop Antonio R. Tobias at the St. Peter’s Square, Rome. They witnessed the canonization of six Blesseds among them is Padre Annibale Maria de Francia.
CHRISTMAS SKIT ON SR. LUCIA’S BOOK
“CALLS FROM THE MESSAGE OF FATIMA”
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