Fil-Am at Saint Robert’s
The Fil-Am group is open to all Saint Robert’s parishioners and their friends. Fil-Am is involved with social as well as religious and spiritual activities to meet the needs of our members and of our parish. There are three major devotional practices/festivities each year:
- Flores de Mayo is celebrated to honor and commemorate our Blessed Mother during the month of May. A flower offering by the children of the parish takes place at a special 11:30 a.m. Mass during the entrance procession, and the statue of our Blessed Mother is crowned with a floral tiara. Hospitality follows after the Mass at the entrance of the church. All are welcome.
- San Lorenzo Ruiz, the first Filipino canonized saint, is honored on the weekend closest to his feast day of September 28th. The statue of the saint is processed before Mass inside the church. The Mass is followed by some type of hospitality in front of the church where food is shared among friends and the St. Robert’s community.
- Simbang Gabi is a nine-day novena of Masses before Christmas. It is traditionally held from December 15th through the 23rd at 7 p.m. This is a beautiful tradition that expresses the culture and religious heritage of the Filipinos. It is a joyous way to prepare for the birth of Christ and prepare for the Christmas holidays. A Christmas party is held on the last day (December 23rd) at Hennessy Hall where the Fil-Am members, family and guests share home cooked or purchased food to celebrate the completion of Simbang Gabi and share the joy of the season.
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Lorenzo Ruiz (November 28, 1594 – September 29, 1637), also called Saint Lorenzo of Manila, is a Filipino saint venerated in the Catholic Church. A Chinese Filipino, he became his country’s protomartyr after his execution in Japan by the Tokugawa Shogunate during its persecution of Japanese Christians in the 17th century.
Lorenzo Ruiz is the patron saint of, among others, the Philippines and the Filipino people.