By Thelma Mendiola

Ate Josie Geronimo Parish Pastoral Council President

“I truly believe that having been given this responsibility is a calling of the Lord,” says Ate Josie Geronimo, the new president of the Parish Pastoral Council. She was referring to her appointment after the Lord answered her prayers and healed her of her ailments. She is aware of the tremendous tasks ahead of her but she is not daunted as she knows the Lord will guide her. Fr. Mar Sanchez, former OLAP parish priest who appointed her, also said that she should accept the job because “it is a grace of God.”

She is not new to taking responsibilities. In the parish, she was the first head of the Collectors’ Group, now called the Ministry of the Reception of Gifts, and past president of the Mother Butlers’ Guild. In November 2006, she was appointed vice president for Internal Affairs and eventually, acting president when Ate Auring Limon, the immediate past PPC president went on leave. She is also not new to service as she has been a faithful parishioner and church worker even during the early days of the parish as a chaplaincy, 17 years ago. She had consistently ranked fifth or sixth place in all of the fund-raising endeavors of OLAP except when her own daughter, Mary Grace, became Miss OLAP.

Asked about her vision for OLAP during her term, she zeroed in on unity among church workers/members of mandated organizations and parishioners. Succinctly, she says, “pagmamahalan, pagkakapantay-pantay (walang mahirap, walang mayaman) at pagkakaisa ng lahat.” When asked how this hard-working PPC head plans to translate these into action, she replied that she plans to elicit the active participation of the members of the parish organizations especially the youth, and to include those in the mission areas; to get her message across by attending the meetings of each of the mandated organizations; and to open all lines of communication. She voiced her agreement to the plans that the new parish priest, Msgr. Jesus Romulo Rañada, intends to pursue in the parish. But she is also committed to continue the plans and programs initiated by the past PPC administration of Fr. Mar and Ate Auring. She also asked the pastoral leaders to become role models and set the example in serving the Lord.

This low-profile, unassuming lady president is the devoted wife of newly-elected Barangay Captain Hector Geronimo (of Barangay Tandang Sora) and the loving mother of four grown-ups: Richard, Dondon, Mary Grace and Mary Mae. Her full-time job is with the Garments Division of the Bureau of Customs.

Determined to achieve her goals and to enlist the cooperation of all church workers, she invites them to see her personally and approach her directly for any church project, pastoral concern or even to comment about her management style.