THE spirit of faith lived in SM Supermalls as the Felicidad T. Sy (FTS) Foundation, an affiliate of SM Foundation, held its third mass wedding for SM employees.
Fifteen couples, with at least one of them an SM employee, received the sacrament of matrimony at the Shrine of Jesus the Way, the Truth and the Life in Pasay City on October 10. It was sponsored by the FTS Foundation and presided by Fr. Reynaldo Reyes of the Society of Saint Paul.
For the couples, it was something they wished for—a wedding inside a beautiful church.
For Imelda Elido, CEO of the FTS Foundation, it is a fulfilling moment to grant their employees’ wishes and also fulfilling the goals of the foundation itself.
“When I joined the Felicidad T. Sy foundation, I was tasked to handle the lectors and commentators of those serving in the mall Masses. One of the requirements to become a lector is for them to submit a marriage contract,” Elido said in an interview with the BusinessMirror. She later found out that most of the employees that served as lectors and commentators were not married.
So she turned in to Fr. Reyes and asked for help. Hence, aside from the recollection and other programs of the FTS Foundation, the mass-wedding program was formed into a five-year project by the foundation. It is a selfless act by Felicidad “Nanang” Sy to sponsor these mass weddings for already three years since its first event in 2014. For Father Reyes, the kind of faith culture that SM promotes is very unique. It also encourages its own people to turn to God through holy sacrament of matrimony.
“There are many couples going into marriage by convenience. Still, we prefer church weddings because our life of faith prefers to go into what we have been practicing traditionally in the Catholic Church because there is no substitute for it,” Father Reyes explained in an interview.
He added, “Considering our life of faith and living our Christian faith, we have to be true and faithful to the teachings of our Lord as part of our Christian witnessing.”
When asked about some couples who view getting married as the act of only signing a piece of document, he said it is an expression of faith.
“When couples come to the altar and receive the sacrament, they receive the grace from the Lord, the spiritual grace that they need [in marriage],” he added.
The SM mass weddings will go on until 2018. SM malls also hold Masses in more than 35 of their establishments nationwide. The Felicidad T. Sy Foundation takes care of the people behind each successful and organized religious celebration in these establishments. Stephanie Tumampos
Image credits: Stephanie Tumampos
1 comment
Maraming SALAMAT po kay Felicidad “Nanang” Sy..isa po kami sa masuwerte at blessed couple na nasama sa KASALAN na yan. DREAM po talaga namin mag aswa na maikasal sa church (Shrine of Jesus the Way, the Truth and the Life) na yan.