In cooperation with the parish, the FCCR assists members wishing to receive the Sacraments of Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation, and Marriage. Interested parties are requested to download the form from:

http://www.lourdesparochie.nl 

For more information, including house blessings and other church services, please contact:

Maria Levy Martin: 0646123926 

In the past two decades, FCCR volunteers gave catechism to those who wanted sacramental services. Since 2018, volunteers cooperate with the Holy Maria Magdalena Federation for a combined preparation.

In collaboration with officiating priests, volunteers help prepare for and assist during the celebration of the Eucharist:

• with the preparation of the mass text with song lyrics and projecting these during mass;
• as lectors, readers, psalmists and mass servers; 
• as the choir; and
• clearing/cleaning up the space after the mass. 

There are spiritual events to mark feast days such as:

• Easter
• Feast of the Divine Mercy (Sunday after Easter Sunday)
• Flores de Mayo (Mary Month of Flowers)
• Living Rosary (October)
• All Saints/Souls (November)
• Simbang Gabi or Christmas Novena

Our service orientation stems from the devotion to the Divine Mercy as espoused by Sta. Faustina.

For FCCR, this means direct assistance or referrals:

• Incidental material assistance to Filipinos in distress which include the undocumented, victims of trafficking, battered wives, among others.
• Individual moral support in the form of advice, counselling and giving words of comfort for the confused and those in need of attention.
• Visitation of the sick, the lonely, and the isolated.
• House visits to widows to comfort them and to pray the novena after their spouses die.
• Incidental support for families in the Philippines as requested by churchgoers, e.g., financial support for the sick, for funeral expenses, and for financial help rebuilding homes destroyed by fire, earthquake, flood, and typhoon.
• Support for Philippine parishes to help calamity victims in their respective areas.

Some FCCR volunteers are part of the diaconal group of the parish. The FCCR was able to solicit goods and foodstuffs from a local businessperson for distribution to the less fortunate in the parish. A group of volunteers visited a detention center before the pandemic. With the pandemic over, hopefully, this will be allowed again soon. 

During the pandemic:

• Volunteers held an online daily prayer hour at 18.00. Hundreds watched or joined the prayer to reflect on the situation, drawing comfort from sharing in the communal prayer.
• FCCR and neighboring churches collaborated with Serve the City Rotterdam in reaching out to the elderly, through the distribution of plants, flowers, cakes/pastries, holding of garden concerts in front of the homes for the aged and mobility-challenged, as well as in preparing lunch packages for frontline workers in the neighborhood. 

All that FCCR does is geared towards community building. 

Volunteers have successfully completed the modules of the Pastoral School; new and potential volunteers are encouraged to do as well.  

Participation in sacramental and spiritual (e.g., healing) events and attending community activities. 

Usually after the Mass, short meetings are held, though some consultations are still done virtually, a remnant of the pandemic situation. Facebook groups and chat rooms are fully utilized.

There are special blessings asked for Relationships, for mothers on Mother’s Day, for fathers on Father’s Day, and for Birthday Celebrants.

FCCR enjoys an ongoing and mutually fruitful partnership with organizations that align with our vision and mission both here in the Netherlands and in the Philippines, such as: Serve the City Rotterdam, Platform L&R (Koken met Overtuiging), and The Philippine Embassy in The Hague, etc.

We are in the process of formally joining Samen Kerk in Nederland (SKIN).

In the Philippines, we are actively supporting projects and visits of groups such as Music for Environment and National Development (MEND) with the Nightingales, Mary’s Immaculate Heart Missionaries (MIHM) for Healing Tour, the Manila Chamber Singers (MCS), Loboc’s Children Choir, Palawan Chamber Choir, etc.