Father Vidal Gonzales could hear the intense wind — and peoples’ panic — during his cell phone call with his brother in the Philippines. On that day — Nov. 8, 2013, Typhoon Yolanda was tearing through his home province of Aklan on Panay Island.
Then, the call cut out. Father Gonzales, then pastor of St. Jude Parish in Hopatcong, didn’t hear from his family for two weeks. They were safe and invited neighbors who had lost everything to stay with them. Online, he saw shocking photos of flattened buildings and desperate people without shelter, food, or other necessities.
“Yolanda was one of the strongest storms in history, leaving devastation, loss, and suffering behind. It was a mess. When phone service was restored, my brother said people need help,” said Father Gonzales, now pastor of Notre Dame of Mount Carmel Parish in the Cedar Knolls neighborhood of Hanover Township.
Responding to the people’s desperate needs, Father Gonzales started the Share Your Blessing Program. That January, thanks in part to a Beacon story, he returned to Aklan Province with $15,000 in donations from parishioners and others. Family and friends helped Father Gonzales buy canned goods and rice. Some donations funded lumber to rebuild devastated homes and a chapel on islands as far away as eight hours away. Some supplies arrived at remote locales by small boat and helicopter.
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Since then, Father Gonzales has taken a working — or serving — holiday each January to the Philippines, especially his province, long after the destroyed communities had been restored. He brings clothing, toys, school supplies, dental kits, and food — rice, noodles, canned goods, and coffee — for their daily needs through his Share Your Blessing Program
“Typhoons and other calamities have shown us the worst of nature but also the best of humanity. They remind us that while storms can destroy, they cannot take away our ability to love, serve, and hope,” Father Gonzales said. Many of his friends and parishioners, he said, “extended their help, realizing that their contributions make a big difference, and recipients find renewed strength in knowing they are not forgotten.”
On Feb. 5, Father Gonzales and friends gathered about 200 people as they celebrated and gave honor to the Child of Jesus for the annual Ati-Atihan Festival. They fed them, played games, and gave them the children Christmas gifts. The priest works with a Filipino-owned company, which donated a container to be shipped to his homeland.
Notre Dame and Father Gonzales’ previous parish, St. Kateri Tekakwitha in Sparta, have also been generous with Share Your Blessing.
“As a priest, my role is to preach and lead by example. This mission is not mine alone; it belongs to everyone who believes that we are all called to be instruments of God’s love, mercy, and compassion,” Father Gonzales said. “The work is not done. Every day, there are new challenges, new people in need, and new opportunities to be a blessing to others. May we continue to be blessings to others, knowing that in giving, we receive far more than we could imagine.”
