THE FILIPINO-AMERICAN ASSOCIATION ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST PARISH CHURCH
The Mission of the Filipino-American Association of St. John the Baptist is to engage every Filipino family in the parish, become a model of fervent Catholic faith, family togetherness, and religious celebrations, and help in making each Filipino a better steward of traditions amidst our flourishing parish community. Our Vision is that of a thriving Filipino community in our parish, celebrating our religious rituals as we do at home with our children and our children’s children, contributing to our parish as stewards of those cherished traditions, and prospering in our new homes in America with our fervent Christian and family values. Our goals are: 1. Expand our membership by encouraging every Filipino family in the parish to actively participate in the community through the stewardship, especially of traditions, as a way of life. 2. Celebrate Filipino religious traditions with family and the parish community to strengthen communal bonds with other parishioners. 3. Help bring other ethnic groups closer to Christ and each other through testimonies of our words and appreciation of our own religious and cultural traditions. 4. Provide social opportunities for the whole parish to gather together to appreciate and celebrate our cultural heritage. 
As one of the fastest growing minority groups in the parish, the Filipino community will blend devout traditions and unique cultural celebrations to create a distinct contribution to the parish community. According to statistics, we are the largest Asian population in the state. Filipinos bring fervent Catholic faith and church-centered families to the parish. There is an increased presence of Filipinos in the parish and, hopefully, quantity will lead to quality.
The Philippines is one of only two majority Christian countries in Asia. According to the 2000 Census of Population and Housing conducted by the National Statistics Office in Manila, (Web site: http://www.census.gov.ph) about 90 percent of Filipinos are Christians and 81 percent are Catholic. And our Catholic faith is so ingrained with rituals dating back from Spain’s 300-year colonization of our country. Each town in the Philippines celebrates a saint and feasts of the Blessed Virgin are very important. Through the Church, newly emigrated Filipinos feel a stronger connection to their new home in America. As immigrants, we initially feel like outsiders in the Church and may even have been treated that way by the established community in the beginning. We must be encouraged to become eucharistic ministers, lectors and readers. Parents must encourage their children to become altar servers. Slowly but surely, we will become integrated to the main fabric of the parish community. It's hard severing ties to your home in the Philippines, so that is the benefit of having a close-knit community — you feel as though you belong and you no longer feel so lonely. Celebrations such as the Advent novena of Simbang Gabi will continue to draw large Filipino crowds to the Church. As the Filipino community increases its visibility, longtime parishioners will begin to accept the new members.
Another issue facing the Filipino community is the clash of cultures as traditional, Catholic parents raise first-generation American children. There is a difference in culture here in America. In the Philippines, the culture is centered on the family; here, the culture, as a whole, is more individualistic. Children who are born here have a different outlook. They are more independent. However, we still want our kids to practice the same values that we were raised with. Faith-based activities will increase the likelihood that such values will be perpetuated or at least recognized, acknowledged, and appreciated. 
For example, Filipinos are known for their deep devotion to Mary. Novenas for Our Lady of Perpetual Help and anything connected to the Infant Jesus (Santo Nino) are celebrated with masses and special feasts. The first Filipino saint, St. Lorenzo Ruiz, is celebrated in September with a novena and it is a big feast day. We also focus on saying the rosary and there are groups that say the rosary from house to house. A group of people will gather their money together and buy a statue of the Blessed Mother and rotate it in different houses every week and gather for prayer. Coming from a poorer and politically turbulent country, we are especially grateful for our good fortune. Filipinos who live in America are better off than our brothers and sisters at home. We appreciate that within our community and praise Him for what He has given to us. The Philippines has natural calamities, from typhoons to mudslides and earthquakes. Politically there is always fighting, accusations of political killings and there is always a threat of rebellion to overthrow the government. The economic situation keeps getting worse. Despite all of these problems, we are a people who are still standing proud and are faithful to our religion. The more problems we have, the more faith we have. Especially for those of us who have the great fortune to be in America. We thank the Lord that America is now our home for it is a land that embraces diversity, looks for unity in the face of diversity, and cherishes the coming together of many perspectives as a way to bring about the best in humanity. This is regularly seen in our parish and our leaders are foremost believers of this principle that has roots in Christ’s teachings. Thus, in this nurturing religious environment, our aspirations as a people will flourish and, in turn, influence to help others flourish. In this scenario is a different face of stewardship…a stewardship of traditions.
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