Heading for Davao:
Left Poblacion Alabel in Saragani Province, passed by Lagao, General Santos City and arrived in Malandag, Malungon, Sarangani Province
Highlight: 29.88 kilometers walk under the smiling gaze of a very bright sun. Received warmly at the 1002nd Infantry Brigade of the Philippine Army. Rosary and Marian Conference for 40 soldiers, imposition of scapulars. Camp out for the night.
Pilgrim's Diary:
Today, November 9, we moved out of Alabel, Sarangani Province. We thought we would only walk 17 kilometers but in fact we walked almost twice the distance - 29.88km to be exact but not one of the walkers complained. Everyone was smiling at the end of the walk. Who wouldn't be smiling? We had conditioned our minds to rough it out: sleep on the side of the road on the bare ground with just used cartons for a bed, and eat only whatever nature provided for us along the way (foraging for survival). But contrary to our expectation, we were welcome to sleep in the military camp and our team leader had made provisions for our food. So we had much to be grateful for. Our lunch and our supper consisted of rice and mung beans with some fish.
As we left Gensan, we knew enough not to expect any welcome for us in the chapels and churches along the road for, after all, we were not "mainstream" Catholics and were unregistered in the GKK chapels because we attended exclusively the Latin rite of the Mass by the traditionalist priests of the Society of Saint Pius X. We did not know what lay ahead for the Pilgrim Virgin. We did not want her to be rejected by the society. Certainly, we prayed fervently that people would welcome Our Lady in their homes, in their barangays, and in their chapels and parishes because we wished Our Lady to touch and bless them and gather them all to Her Immaculate Heart.
But even as we placed our confidence in Our Lady, we were anxious because the Parish Priest of Sts. Peter and Paul Parish had not welcomed us in Lagao (General Santos City) though 2 weeks previously, we had taken the necessary steps to inform his secretary and made courtesy calls to him and informed him of the purpose of the pilgrimage. He simply could not accommodate Our Lady in his heart and in his parish so we sincerely prayed for him and his parish as we stood waiting in front of the Church which was part of our route on our way to Alabel. Now, on our way to Davao, we would be passing by the chapels that are under the jurisdiction of the parish priest of Lagao. Some barangay leaders loyal to the parish priest had already notified us that they could not welcome the Pilgrim Virgin and the walkers in their municipal or barangay gym or basketball court. Moreover, the Bishop of Davao del Sur, which we have to pass before we could enter Davao City, had officially disapproved our request to bring the Pilgrim Virgin to the parish churches and chapels in his diocese.
Despite our apprehensions, our day started calmly. We woke up at 3:30am and started preparing the food for breakfast. At 4:48am, Fr. Tim Pfeiffer offered the Holy Mass at the municipal gym attended by 38 people. The Mass ended at 5:50am, after which, 14 persons knelt before the Pilgrim Virgin. Thirteen were enrolled in the Brown scapular and one was given a Rosary. Two minutes after, another 2 persons knelt down to be enrolled in the Brown scapular. At 6:00am, we had breakfast which consisted of boiled sweet potatoes and boiled bananas and a cup of hot coffee. Then we packed up, cleaned up the gym and loaded our trucks.
Afterwards, we lined up, moved out of the gym, knelt in prayer before the Pilgrim Virgin, stood up and sang a hymn to Our Lady and at 7:53am, started the walk. There were 21 walkers. Along the road, as the Pilgrim Virgin passed by, we could see some people making the Sign of the Cross. At 8:28am, we made a short stop at the highway. Fr. Timothy Pfeiffer gave instruction to the catechists and the walkers changed their uniforms. At 8:52am, we resumed walking. At 9:18am, we reached the crossing to Maribulan where 5 persons were enrolled in the Brown Scapular.
As we headed towards the crossing to Baluntay, one person was enrolled in the Brown Scapular. At Baluntay crossing, another 2 persons received the Brown Scapular. At 9:44am, we stopped at the junction where Sarangani Highway joins the Gensan-Davao Highway. There, the pilgrims from Sarangani and Gensan bade goodbye to the Pigrim Virgin and to the Delta team that was to continue the walk from Lagao to Davao. We resumed walking at 11:05am. We had been given 10 days to reach Davao. And most of us had no money in our pockets and no sponsor had pledged to provide for our food. But we wanted very much to assist Our Lady on her Mission Tour so we had pledged to be resourceful and be content to forage for food wherever we would need to to eat. We were confident that nature could provide for us abundantly. But what do we know?!!
As we exited Sarangani and entered Gensan, a man kindly offered a box of biscuits! Then, as we prodded along under the very hot sun, a private car stopped and the driver took out a box of bottled water to give to us pilgrims! O kind strangers, may the good God and His Mother bless you forever for your mercy! Lesson for the day: Trust in the Lord, you shall not fear. Serve ye the Lord, you shall not weaken!
We reached Barangay Ligaya at 11:57am and had lunch on the sidewalk. For a table, we used a folding bed, and as we did not have chairs, we sat on cartons that were simply spread on the ground.
At 1:03am, we headed towards Barangay Katangawan. After 15 minutes, we stopped to let the catechists who had lagged behind catch up. We resumed walking at 1:30pm. Then at 2:15am, we again rested to wait for the catechists to catch up. At 2:25am we resumed walking. We arrived in Tinagacan at 3:00pm. Again, we noted some people making the Sign of the Cross as they passed by the Pilgrim Virgin. At 3:30am, we walked towards Batolaki. We were passing by the rock mountains and there was hardly a tree in sight. The grasses were green but the sun was a golden fire and we could feel very well its very generous warmth. A few people who passed us by came up near the Pilgrim Virgin to pray and drop money on the donation box. At 4:30PM we stopped again to wait for the pilgrims who had lagged behind.
At 4:45pm, we arrived in Batolaki and waited for Fr. Tim and the pilgrims who assisted him. They arrived at 5:00PM and we learned that Fr. Timothy had to bless a sick man. After some catechism, Father invited the man to go to Confession but the man refused. Instead, he asked for coffee. There were two other sick persons visited, to whom Father gave Miraculous Medals. One was not ready to make his Confession so Father instructed the family to call in another priest to minister to that sick man. We walked again until we reached Batomelong. There, Father Tim gave a short catechism and 8 persons were enrolled in the Brown Scapular. At 5:16pm, we reached Pulatana where 54 persons (40 soldiers, 12 children, a mother and her little child), were waiting to receive the Pilgrim Virgin. When the Pilgrim Virgin was placed on the stage, the soldiers offered to her their banner and knelt down to pray the Rosary. Then we had dinner. At 7:00pm, Fr. Tim gave a conference on the Militia Immaculatae for 40 persons. At 8:45pm, 18 persons were enrolled in the Brown Scapular. Two persons made their Confession. We spent the night safe and secure at the military camp. Deo gratias. Ave Maria!
Meanwhile, at the mission base in Gensan, a patient came with a story to tell: one of the pilgrims who had come from Norala to walk from Koronadal to General Santos was a poor patient who had availed of medical assistance from the Rosa Mystica Mission. She wanted to accompany the Pilgrim Virgin in thanksgiving for the benefits that her family had received and to pray for the mission sponsors. Each time that she felt her feet getting tired, she would whisper a short prayer of confidence to the Blessed Mother and caress the feet of the pilgrim statue and her fatigue would disappear. That way she was able to walk all the way to Gensan.
On the following day, she brought her sickly child to the appointment with the heart specialist. After evaluating her child, the cardiologist told her that she can already prepare a feast because her child is already well. Her joy could not be contained and before long, all her neighbors had already learned of the good news. The result? Many people want to come to the traditional Mass and to join the pilgrimage! The catechist got nervous and told the patient, "Stop sharing your story! Our little car cannot ferry all those people who want to come along!" Can she really stop the poor people from wanting to come along? What next?
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