My Family

I was born to a couple named Genaro T. Dolor and Juana Castillo, of lower middle class. My father comes from a fishing and farming village of San Andres, Bauan, Batangas. My mother came from San Roque of the same municipality. It was from my father that we all took our love and dedication to education.
It was from my mother that we took our determination and love for household chores. It was indeed a very good combination. My father was honed in ecclesiastical chores, having been a household help/sacristan major/a jack-of-all-trades to some of his relatives who were priests. My mother comes from a very religious family.

We were eight siblings. However, the seventh died at the age of 3, of leukemia! Jim was born when I was at the Juvenate. He died when I was a Novice in the Redemptorists. Ate Coring is our eldest.
I came in second -- the oldest among the five boys, and by Filipino culture the "heir" to my father's patriarchal role in the family! After me came Ermie, then Danny, El, and Fr. Lou. Jim was in between him and Mayet, our youngest.
My father died on October 24, 1975. Of him, I will write later and much more! That left me, Ate Coring and Inay to fend for the others who at that time were not yet through with their formal education. It was providence that kept the boys and Mayet in school. Ermie finished in about a year and was soon employed as teacher at St. Bridget's where she is now the College registrar. It could be said that we were never been in want since Tatay's death and my eventual (re)entry to the Seminary. By the grace of God, Danny and El got through with their studies and landing on decent employments. Then Lou decided to leave his engineering course to enter the seminary. How we financed his priestly formation, that itself is another story.
All the girls are now married. Ate Coring has two girls; Ermie has three boys; Danny has a boy (out of wedlock but not necessarily without love); El has a boy and a girl. It is only Mayet who did not have her children -- however, she is mother and provider to our nieces and nephews that keep her company.

We still gather for a family get-together at least once a month. Together with Inay, we go out to eat, to take a sight-seeing tour, or simply to gather at the house to have informal programs and prayers. This is what that saying goes "the family that prays together stays together!" We are not materially rich; it is our sense of family that is our treasure!
I love my family!