Ruffy Magbanua“Without faith, it is impossible to please the Lord.”--excerpt from Mysteries and Miracles Magazine edited by the late Atty. Gerry Adaza, a past president of Cagayan de Oro Press Club
RIVING through the expanded Cagayan de Oro-Iligan highway on a lazy Friday afternoon en route to the iconic Divine Mercy Hills in El Salvador City, Misamis Oriental, was to my mind, a well-deserved break after a week’s grind--even just for a while.
In between humps and slowdowns however, a hodgepodge of wild thoughts was playing off my mind, foremost of which was the invite of ever passionate Press Club president Msgr. Elmer Abacahin, SSJV, to all of us press people to heed his call for a quick spiritual retreat.
And in the fullness of God’s time, we were indeed ushered inside Monsignor’s heavenly kingdom, an 11-hectare enclave developed through the years into a holy ground known far and wide today as the Divine Mercy Hills.
Blessed with a manifold of evident spirituality and sumptuous food served with delight by our gracious host, an air of reverence had engulfed us all throughout our short stay at the holy land.
Actually, that half-day activity was part of the two-day activity dedicated to celebrate the 65th founding anniversary of Cagayan de Oro Press Club, the oldest and one of the few vibrant media organizations in the country today.
There never was an occasion, as far as I can recall, that members of the local press, both print and broadcast, had been ushered in one place with one sole purpose--to seek divine guidance through shared recollection and reflection. And this happened only at a time when the press club had a compassionate SSJV priest as president.
With the full backing of the Club’s board, the recollection has to be embedded as one of the key activities of the two-day club event.
To the many who trooped to the holy ground, it was an experience worth the taking.
Fortunately, our coming over at the Divine Mercy Hills was highlighted by the 66th birthday bash of Divine Mercy Foundation president Paquits Adaza, widow of the late Gerry Adaza, COPC past president, and one of the icons in the creation of Divine Mercy Shrine.
Our stay, though brief, was capped by an overloaded dinner spiced with soul music at the Shrine’s oversized yet well-manicured lawn fronting the placid Macajalar Bay.
Spawned by a fading moonlit hovering above us, we, the bunch of hungry souls-turned-spiritual recruits of Msgr. Abacahin had joyfully shared the night blissfully with one commonality: renewed spirituality.
With its pomp and jovial ambiance, our day at the holy land effected a shining ray of gladness and hope, as well as showers of praises that occupied spontaneously into our hearts and minds, ever mindful of the serenity of the holy place.
We were told that hundreds upon hundreds of devotees from over the world come to pay homage regularly to this place nestled in the tranquil hills of Barangay Ulaliman, El Salvador City.
Testimonies of healed souls have reportedly become living symbols of spirituality and faith because they firmly believed in the saying that “when you pray for rain, be sure to bring an umbrella.”
Divine Mercy Hills started as a dream, then the dream became a vision; the vision became an inspiration, and finally, the inspiration became a reality.
Indeed, mysteries and miracles do happen freely in a place called Divine Mercy Hills.
E-mail: ruffy44_ph2000@yahooo.com
