APITONG, TACLOBAN CITY – The Philippine government has been battling COVID-19 for almost six months now. It has shut down businesses, schools, public meeting places, churches, and has placed the whole country in total lockdown, yet the number of positive cases continues to rise every day. In the latest report of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), the Philippines has the most number of COVID-19 cases with a whopping total of 269, 407 among all Southeast Asian countries. 

Tacloban, one of the cities in the country that was initially placed under Modified General Community Quarantine (MGCQ) in July for having only a handful of cases, is now back to General Community Quarantine (GCQ), as advised by the Inter-Agency Task Force due to the escalating number of COVID-19 cases in the city. Business establishments, schools, and churches, which reopened two months ago, were forced to retract operations until a new classification is directed for the city come September 30, 2020.

This pandemic has fundamentally changed everything people do in their everyday lives, but as they adapt to the new normal, Taclobanons and everyone in the country are compelled to be creative and innovative in delivering their services.

Rev. Fr. Kim Margallo, parish priest of St. Josemaria Escriva Mission Station in Brgy. Apitong, celebrated the first “Drive-in Mass” in the country attended mostly by families in their vehicles on Sunday, September 12, 2020. 

Churchgoers, assisted by traffic marshals, parked their cars in the church grounds to hear mass without having to leave their vehicles. A makeshift platform served as the altar where Margallo performed the celebration. All in all, there were around 33 cars that joined in the Sunday service, with each car carrying about three to five family members. In other words, kids and old ones brought along the ride were present in the eucharistic celebration.

This idea crossed Margallo’s mind at the onset of lockdown period, but he doubted if it would work out. And not until he posted an invitation on social media, his idea came into fruition. It was such that moments after his post, he was surprised to receive a number of messages from people asking him for details.

“I was overwhelmed of the positive response I received from people. I felt their willingness and enthusiasm to come to church and hear mass,” Fr. Kim said.

Although the church offers online mass every Sunday for those who cannot go to church, Fr. Kim feels that it is not enough. He believes that people should be physically present in church to actively participate in the liturgy of the mass and to receive communion.

“Being in church during a holy mass is the best way to attend the service because the church is the proper place for worship, and it is the right place to receive communion. It is during the mass where we encounter the Lord Jesus himself coming unto us to meet us personally,” Fr. Kim explained. 

To optimize the solemnity of the mass every Sunday, the prelate intends to do more by having his altar painted with the image of Mother Mary, and by having churchgoers tune in to a certain frequency on their vehicle’s FM radio where the mass’s audio will be broadcast right into their cars. 

“This whole thing really excites me that is why I ordered an online radio frequency transmitter so that churchgoers do not have to lower their windows while listening to the mass. All they have to do is to tune in to a specific frequency to hear me and as God in omnipresent, so will He be in our celebration of the Holy Eucharist,” a beaming Fr. Kim said.

This attitude that Fr. Kim possesses is what he shares with St. Josemaria Escriva. Both have the yearning to do more and be more, and as the faithful yearns for spirituality in the midst of this pandemic, so will the promptings of the Holy Spirit continue to inspire people to reach out to the church and to others. 

The Sunday “Drive-in Mass” will continue for as long as the lockdown lasts. More time schedules will be added in the next few weeks to accommodate more churchgoers in the service. 

When all roads lead to somewhere, Fr. Kim Margallo found another way… a “Drive-in Mass” that blesses the heart that yearns.

by: BERNIE JUDE LAMOGRAR