austraLasia #2847
New life from the rock
'TULOY', ALABANG (Phil): 26 April 2011 -- "We grow things on rock here" said Fr Rocky Evangelista with a certain pride, and proceeded to demonstrate just how! Anyone who knows Tuloy, the outstanding Salesian work for the truly poor amongst Manila's youngsters, has little difficulty seeing a daily resurrection story at work amongst these youngsters; but if you look hard around the rocks and refuse, the hard ground and the rocky hill to one side, you see another miracle at work - one which is very deliberately meant to coincide with the miracle of grace as well and enhance the educational and Christian message in this jewel of the Preventive System.
Fr Rocky has done his homework - read up on hydroponics and ecological systems, basically, and put it all into action. He went the 'Aussie' rather than the Israeli way, he tells us: same result or better, but without chemicals. Formerly unserviceable 'dumping' areas around Tuloy are now turned over to growing anything you can imagine, feeding not just the bodies but the very souls of the youngsters, many of whom play their part (never mind the little ones who had just drowned thousands of hard-working worms and possibly weeks of work with some good fun with a hose on a hot day, as he was leading us around!). Lettuce, tomatoes and herbs on rocks, or charcoal, fed with water containing nutrients starting with the cycle of chicken manure. And nothing is burned or tossed away anymore at Tuloy. Cardboard boxes, paper, anything biodegradable is worked over by the worms and produces a unique organic and completely odourless fertilizer fed back into ponds with fish - which have their work to do as well - and in turn fed to the plants, and the plants feed the people, and on it goes.
Rock and water seems built into our faith tradition - from Moses to the Resurrection, but somehow at Tuloy, especially in the Easter octave, it comes alive in a special way. Kids who began growing up in the midst of refuse, knew only rock in the hardest physical and human senses of the word and the metaphor, learn something quite different, about transformation. And the key has been not to leave it at that, not even at the 'miracle' of nature at work. In the midst of all this rock and water stands the church, built of broken bricks, each brought, one by one, from abandoned buildings and now offering a sacred place where the real miracle of transformation is celebrated each morning. Grace completes nature.
He started out as 'Rocky' for an obvious reason - named Marciano by his mum and dad, the nickname soon caught on. But today you'd be forgiven for thinking of another etymology.
_________________
AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome. For queries please contact admin@bosconet.aust.com . RSS feeds - just go to Bosconet, click on austraLasia 2011 in the sidebar. You will see the RSS orange icon in your browser address bar - add it from there. Or be interactive with the EAO blog Cetera Tolle. Avail yourself of the Salesian Digital Library at http://sdl.sdb.org
New life from the rock
'TULOY', ALABANG (Phil): 26 April 2011 -- "We grow things on rock here" said Fr Rocky Evangelista with a certain pride, and proceeded to demonstrate just how! Anyone who knows Tuloy, the outstanding Salesian work for the truly poor amongst Manila's youngsters, has little difficulty seeing a daily resurrection story at work amongst these youngsters; but if you look hard around the rocks and refuse, the hard ground and the rocky hill to one side, you see another miracle at work - one which is very deliberately meant to coincide with the miracle of grace as well and enhance the educational and Christian message in this jewel of the Preventive System.
Fr Rocky has done his homework - read up on hydroponics and ecological systems, basically, and put it all into action. He went the 'Aussie' rather than the Israeli way, he tells us: same result or better, but without chemicals. Formerly unserviceable 'dumping' areas around Tuloy are now turned over to growing anything you can imagine, feeding not just the bodies but the very souls of the youngsters, many of whom play their part (never mind the little ones who had just drowned thousands of hard-working worms and possibly weeks of work with some good fun with a hose on a hot day, as he was leading us around!). Lettuce, tomatoes and herbs on rocks, or charcoal, fed with water containing nutrients starting with the cycle of chicken manure. And nothing is burned or tossed away anymore at Tuloy. Cardboard boxes, paper, anything biodegradable is worked over by the worms and produces a unique organic and completely odourless fertilizer fed back into ponds with fish - which have their work to do as well - and in turn fed to the plants, and the plants feed the people, and on it goes.
Rock and water seems built into our faith tradition - from Moses to the Resurrection, but somehow at Tuloy, especially in the Easter octave, it comes alive in a special way. Kids who began growing up in the midst of refuse, knew only rock in the hardest physical and human senses of the word and the metaphor, learn something quite different, about transformation. And the key has been not to leave it at that, not even at the 'miracle' of nature at work. In the midst of all this rock and water stands the church, built of broken bricks, each brought, one by one, from abandoned buildings and now offering a sacred place where the real miracle of transformation is celebrated each morning. Grace completes nature.
He started out as 'Rocky' for an obvious reason - named Marciano by his mum and dad, the nickname soon caught on. But today you'd be forgiven for thinking of another etymology.
_________________
AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome. For queries please contact admin@bosconet.aust.com . RSS feeds - just go to Bosconet, click on austraLasia 2011 in the sidebar. You will see the RSS orange icon in your browser address bar - add it from there. Or be interactive with the EAO blog Cetera Tolle. Avail yourself of the Salesian Digital Library at http://sdl.sdb.org
