Father Carlos De La Rosa presided over his first Mass of Thanksgiving at his childhood parish Our Lady of Perpetual Help, on June 19. Surrounded by family, friends and parishioners.
Father De La Rosa concelebrated Mass with Father Frank Martinez, the pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Father R.J. Regalado from Most Precious Blood, Father Pete Elizardo, rector of Corpus Christi Cathedral and the pastor of Sacred Heart and several visiting priests.
At the end of Mass, Father Regalado presented his mother, Janida De La Rosa, with his manutergium and his father, Charles De La Rosa, with his stole.
“Father Carlos is now a priest of Jesus Christ, and his hands are not just ordinary hands; they are sacred hands used to bless, forgive, anoint, and serve. Father Carlos’ hands were anointed yesterday morning by Bishop Mulvey and wiped with the manutergium,” Father Regalado said.
“When a priest is ordained, he retains the manutergium and presents it to his mother at his first Mass of Thanksgiving. When the mother of a priest dies, her hands are to be bound in the same manner as the hands of her son with the manutergium. When she goes before the Lord, He will ask: ‘I have given you life. What have you given me?’ And the mother’s response will be: ‘I have given you, my son.’”
In the tradition of the church the stole a priest uses to give his first confession will be given to his father at his Mass of Thanksgiving. The stole is a long cloth a priest wears around his neck to remind us of the yoke that Christ asks us to put on daily.
“The priest puts on his stole to celebrate Mass and hear confessions ... this stole is probably the greatest testament to carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders, Father Regalado said. “Father Carlos will bring Jesus to the people while wearing a stole. “Charlie, at the end of your life, like many fathers before you, you will be able to show the Lord Jesus that you have given a son to the church.”
“Father Carlos’ first Mass was extremely humbling,” said his father, Charlie De La Rosa. “As Father Carlos celebrated his first Mass, I realized that the small hands I used to hold were now going to bring Jesus to the people,” said his mother, Janida De La Rosa. “It was overwhelming.”
Father Martinez has always been impressed with Father Carlos’ humble service. “Ever since I’ve been a pastor at OLPH, he would always ask if I needed any help, even to this day. Father Carlos puts himself out there with the people, which impresses me.”