About the PGG
It all started in a small church in Vienna’s 20th district, the Allerheiligen parish church, where one can notice a white plaster relief of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove high up in the ceiling; and in the main altar, a large wooden cross and behind it was a mural depicting some images from the Book of Revelation. One can reflect on this as a sign from the Holy Spirit for people, particularly Filipinos, to gather together as a community. This was a sign that the seed of the community had been planted.
Why people were close to him, particularly his charisma, was a summary of where he was before his calling and the present as a priest. His calling came 10 years later when he was already moving upward in his career as a professor of veterinary medicine in the state-run University of the Philippines both in its Diliman and Los Banos campuses. He also came from humble beginnings in the province of Batangas. His being a professor and a licensed veterinarian was enough guarantee for a poor family to rise up. He heeded his calling though and chose to be a missionary priest of the Society of the Divine Word (SVD).
From a handful of Filipinos attending the afternoon Sunday Mass, the number grew to more than 20. Soon there was a service team assisting Fr. Ron, as he is fondly called by everyone. The team was composed of Filipinos and one Austrian, Herta Niedermayer. Herta is the darling of the team and of the community whose dedication, energy and charm in promoting the welfare of PSG is beyond comparison.The small group was then joined by another group from the Yahweh EI Shaddai Community. Sunday afternoon masses were always followed by an agape. Mass participants cherished these moments as an occasion to get know each other.
While the seed that the Spirit planted was growing and came to be known as the Philippinische Sonntags Gemeinde (PSG), a small group led by Bro Henry Dizon and Bro Andrew San Buenaventura, a musician, organized the Allerheiligen Chor (now known as the AC) to provide music during liturgical celebrations. Soon AC, from a handful of “people who love to sing to love”, which is their group’s motto, it grew to more than 30 members and has performed in concerts and other events. Meanwhile, the Yahweh EI Shaddai Charismatic Community was also formalizing its own choir, led by its youthful choirmaster, Bro. Lester Padua. This group too took off and came to be known as the Yahweh EI Shaddai Community Choir or simply, YES Choir. This group too grew from a handful to more than 20 members. Also, members of the Handmaids of the Lord (a ministry of the Couples for Christ community) organized their own choir. This all-ladies choir came to be known as the Handmaids of the Lord Choir or HOLD Choir.
One can always say that an indication of the presence of the Holy Spirit is joy and this joy in the PSG was manifested through music.
Aside from the regular Sunday afternoon masses, the small community also began to add the celebration of Simbang Gabi (a tradition al Filipino 9-days mass celebration before Christmas), and the traditional Filipino celebration of Holy Week. A Bible study group was also organized and participated in by members who were not members of mainstream church groups.
The fateful and somewhat turbulent months of the first quarter of 2002 in the life of the Filipino community at large was also a turning point for the Philippinische Sonntags Gemeinde. As the PSG continued to grow, the clamor grew for a bigger church and assigning Fr.Ron as a special pastor of the Filipino Catholic community in Vienna through the Allerheiligen Parish. A petition signed by hundreds of Filipinos was forwarded to His Eminence Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn through Vicar Franz Schuster. After months of waiting and as the Spirit led, the petition was granted.
The seemingly sleepy yet imposing box-like structure of the church with its heavy concrete walls and beams and giant stained-glass walls near the altar, reminiscent of the architecture of the seventies, was then to become the new home of PSG, the Sankt Johann Kapistran church. This new home with its spacious church grounds and the historical chapel of St. Barbara would soon be humming with activities from the PSG community. It’s transfer was highlighted by the pastoral visit of Mag. Franz Schuster, the Vicar General of Vienna.
It was in September of 2003 that PSG was officially called the PGG or Philippinische Gottesdienst Gemeinde, as an official Catholic faithful community for the Filipino faithful in Vienna. With the continued growth of the community, the service team was also expanded. The service team is PGG’s “hands and feet”, assisting Fr. Ron in all the community’s activities. Among these many activities were the formation program for Confirmation candidates, regular formation and fellowship for Lay Ministers, Lectors, Collectors, and Sacristans. The liturgical celebrations also expanded to include Novena and Mass at the Maria von Siege on Wednesdays and Mass at St. Georg church every third Sunday of the month. Celebration of the Holy Week was also made more solemn with the addition of the rites of the palm on Palm Sunday and the Via Crucis to Heiligen Kreuz. These and many more activities add to the vibrancy of the new community.
It was also at St Johann Kapistratan’s that the community saw a succession of visitors from bishops, to priests, to seminarians. In the words of Fr. Ron, the community is honored and blessed by their visits. The PGG was also lucky to have the Fr. Mars Sahulga who was ready to provide help aside from captivating the community with his singing prowess.
Joy expressed in music through groups seemed to be a trade mark of PSG. It was during the early months of the community’s transfer to its new home at St. Johann Kapistran that 2 more music groups were born: the children’s choir and the Arnoldus Company, an Acapella Choir in honor of St. Arnold Janssen, SVD, its newly canonized Founder. These groups are special in that they are, as of now, seasonal. The revitalized youth choir of the Youth for Christ of the Couples for Christ community was also added to the list. On special dates, the groups notably the AC Choir, the YES Choir, the HOLD Choir, and the YFC Choir all add to the liveliness of the occasion.
It was also during the transfer to the St. Johann Kapistran’s church that “PGG Notes” was born. This paper envisioned to evolve into an official PGG newsletter, presented monthly events in the community, mainly through pictures.
As the first year anniversary of PGG came near, a pilgrimage to the miraculous shrine of our Lady of Mariazell was made as an act of gratitude for her motherly protection of the community. The culmination of PGG’s one year anniversary was a mass and fellowship held at St. Johann Kapistran’s last Sept 12, 2004.
All that was born experienced birth pains and PGG was no exception. With the protection of Our Mother Mary and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the PGG weathered all difficulties and challenges. There is no other reason why PGG came to be – it was led by the Spirit.
