A little bit of History
Because FCSL is primarily a worshiping community, perhaps the Worship Committee can be considered the foremost committee in the Community. Like the FCGM and the Charismatic Group, it actually antedates the FCSL. The Worship Committee already existed years before FCSL began.
When the FCGM began organizing the Tagalog Masses in Milan in 1989, the tasks of seeking a suitable Church to use, getting permissions from the authorities, inviting a Filipino priest from Rome to preside, organizing the liturgy, and providing stipend, transportation, and food for the priest all fell on the hands of Ms. Lucy Bauyon. She alone was the Worship Committee. This carried on for some time, until the Masses increased in frequency to twice a month and eventually to one every Sunday.
It was in 1991 when the Masses became a regular Sunday feature of the Basilica of San Lorenzo Maggiore that the Filipino Community was formally formed and a Worship Committee established in order to ensure a fruitful liturgical celebration. The first Worship Committee was composed of the sisters Ms. Marina Bautista and Ms. Lucy Bauyon. Foremost among their responsibility is to make sure that there will always be a priest for the regular Sunday celebration. During that time, there were no Filipino priests residing in Milan. All of them were coming from Rome where most priests were taking post-graduate theological studies.
Fr. Emil Santos, SDB was the regular visiting chaplain for fourteen years from 1989-2003. Fr. Noel Osial, SDB became the second regular visiting chaplain for two years from 2003-2005. Whenever these regular chaplains were not available, it is left to the Worship Committee to make sure that there will be a priest to celebrate Mass. That is why the Worship Committee has a large network of priests, majority of which are Filipino Salesians studying in Rome.
Life became easier for the Worship Committee in 2005 when the chaplain became resident in Milan. Fr. Dave Buenaventura, SDB became the first resident chaplain in Milan for FCSL. He served for two years, from 2005-2007. In 2007, the FCSL was very happy to have Fr. Emil Santos, SDB back as a resident chaplain in Milan. He continued to serve until 2015. The third resident chaplain, Fr. Noel Osial, SDB, came direct from the Philippines.
The Worship Committee is now able to focus on enriching the ritual celebration of all the liturgical and paraliturgical services of the community.
Duties and Responsibilities
Before Vatican II, only the ordained assumed all the roles in our liturgical celebrations. But thanks to the reforms initiated by Vatican II, the laity had been empowered to participate and get involved in the different liturgical and paraliturgical celebrations of the Church.
The FCSL recognizes this partnership between the clergy and the laity right from the very beginning. She has empowered the Worship Committee to be responsible for ensuring that all liturgical & paraliturgical celebrations are done in a worthy, attentive, and devoted manner.
Thus, the Worship Committee organizes and supervises the celebration of the Sacraments, particularly the Holy Mass, Baptism, Confirmation and Matrimony. It makes sure that devotional practices like the rosaries, processions, floral offerings and the Lenten “Pabasa” are done in a prayerful manner. Parishioners that seek the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation or Matrimony approach the Worship Committee for proper coordination with the priests, the Parish, and the Education Committee.
The Worship Committee also takes to heart the formation and training of Ministers involved in the Mass, namely: Extraordinary Eucharistic Ministers, Commentators, Lectors, Collectors, Ushers and Altar Servers.
