the fifth year of CL

With this issue, Candle Light begins its fifth year in serving our parish through the printed media. We have gone through a lot of difficulties - financially, intellectually, a temporary privation of imagination and one time a loss of morale when two very important staff members left us because of a more pressing need. We missed them and I believe they missed the excitement and the headaches of the work too.

However, every time a door closes another door of opportunity is opened for us and for this I thank God who never abandons us in our need. And I would like to thank in particular our new staff members and contributors who have extended to us their help and expertise on different subjects even though this meant an added load on their part. What gives me strength and encouragement is their eagerness, their total availability to contribute and their joy in lending a hand, in becoming part of the efforts of our parish to bring the message of God to everyone. May our Lady, the real candlelight who holds in her hand the light of our lives, smile at them and their families.

With this fifth year issue we would like to experiment on something new - half a page of the ever popular literary form loved by most Filipinos - the comics. I say it is the most popular kind of writing because according to statistics, the form is the most widely read among different literary materials available in our country. And if it is so as the experts say they are then it has tremendous power in shaping the values of ordinary Filipinos. 

These comics are intended not merely to amuse or to entertain, though we hope it would be so as to attract mass readership. Neither will it be used to titillate our imagination to romantic adventures as most comics in the market provide. Yes it will have as secular theme but we would use it as a channel to inculcate Christian values which our usual articles could not communicate as interestingly. As I have said this is on an experimental basis and I would like therefore to solicit your opinion on this regard so that we would be guided accordingly and cater more faithfully to your wishes. After all Candle Light is at your service.