Remembering Rev. John W. Lennon, M.M.
Posted On Tuesday, July 22, 2008 at at 9:21 PM by TAGABUNGTOD
Among the Maryknoll missionaries that was assigned to Sta. Terestita Parish, many would best remember Rev. John W. Lennon. From Maco, he was transferred to Nabunturan in 1964. Aside from taking over the parish, he was also designated Dean of College of the ACN, having finished his Ph.D in Education from the University of Santo Tomas that year.
We were in our fourth year in high school then and our teenage notoriety for harrassing and sowing fear among some of our teachers was common campus knowledge. Only the likes of Mr. Alexander Mumar, Mrs. Aurora Suazo, Ms. Erlinda Cababa, our chabacana English and Public Speaking teacher (crush ng bayan) are some of the very few who knew how to handle us.
Fr. Lennon would be one of them, too. His friendliness and his intelligence was very inspiring to young, hyperactive boys like us. Our parents must have been delighted no end with the friendship we have established with him because they were assured that we are kept away from undesirable activities and influences in the community. To us, Fr. Lennon was a regular guy. When he says he'll say the Sunday mass in 30 minutes, it is done in 30 minutes flat! He also repeatedly swore and confided to us that the prettiest Filipina she has ever set his eyes on was a tagabungtod -- the demure Mansueta Guirigay who was a freshman in college then.
Aside from 'nang Epay Olaco's post office (because that is where love letters changed hands with Aqui "Jun" Santiago as the postmaster-general)/tindahan/maruyaan/padudingan, the kumbento also became our after-class dismissal hangout. We were welcome to sit by the hagdan entrance and make all the boisterous chatter and laughter, to the dismay of the Legion of Mary, the Holy Name Society, and the CWL, who held their regular meetings there. There was nothing much they can do about it because we believed and behaved like we were Fr. Lennon's "untouchables".
But he taught us a lot of things. On weekends, instead of making us waste our time, he made us plant coconut seedlings along the parish and campus perimeters. Some of those coconuts are still there. It offended him when we smoked and drank. Because of him, we would learn to love and appreciate Mainit. Every opportunity he got and as many as can be squeezed in his VW Kombi, he would drive us there for a dip and swim in its hot and cold springs---with pansit and american bread from Lee's Canton Restaurant and Bakery as balon.
He demonstrated to us the value of organizing people in order to work for a common goal. Most of us would remember that aside from building the church where it stands now, he converted that once-swampy, muddy enclave underneath it into an elementary school for the Assumption. A lot of tagabungtod would spend their elementary days there. He organized and mobilized parishioners on weekends to manually excavate the mud, bayanihan style, until it was ready for concreting. That was how the basketball court and the stage were also constructed--through volunteer work.
His biggest and most lasting contribution to Nabunturan would be the cooperative. With about 25 parishioners contributing P100.00 each, he organized and established a credit union in our town. It is now known as NICO (Nabunturan Integrated Cooperative) the asset of which has grown to hundreds of millions. It has earned the distinction of being accredited with the World Council of Credit Unions as a platinum credit coop and is one of the biggest cooperatives in Mindanao. A few years ago, the coop invited him to visit Nabunturan once more, at its own expense, with the intention of having him as guest speaker in its general assembly and honoring him as its founding father. He was not available.
Anywhere he was assigned, he made an indelible mark. In Tagum where he was first assigned, he was a major fund raiser, through donations from the US, that enabled the diocese to construct the Christ the King Hospital, now known as the Bishop Regan Memorial Hospital. In Maco, he built the parish church and convent.
After three years in Nabunturan, Fr. Lennon was transferred to Tagum again. A few years later, he went home to the US. We learned later that he became a teacher and administrator at the Cardinal Hayes Roman Catholic High School in the Bronx, New York. His last assignment was as parish priest of the St. John the Baptist Parish in Yonkers, NY. He retired at age 75 in 2003. He was last heard to have moved to his vacation home somewhere in Maine.
anyone know of any support groups for people abused by priests
Hi, as you can see this is my first post here.
I will be happy to get any help at the start.
Thanks in advance and good luck! :)
This site is intended for the sharing of information pertaining Father John Lennon, NOT shoes. Does anyone know if Father John Lennon from cardinal Hayes, Saint Gregory, Saint Johns,Yonkers and Maine is still alive????????MM