“SPIRITUAL dryness is a state of no growth, with low energy and where one functions as if routinary and homilies carry no meaning. I came to realize that the person to be blamed is myself when I get in that state. I failed to nourish my faith. I now consciously seek growth and when I apply myself fully in what I do, even the group grows with me. When they grow, I learn, as they become my teachers, teaching me the variety of ways in expressing one’s faith.” – Fr. Ariel Durian, 2011.
His name is Durian -- the King of Fruits, a variety which has creamy, tender, succulent meat inside. It is a fruit with a distinctive taste and a memorable post-eating aroma.
Fr. Durian made me realize the concept of spiritual dryness -- one which I personally experienced from other priests in masses here in Los Angeles. But I have I found my spiritual home in Immaculate Heart of Mary Church (IHMC), whose spiritual welcoming attitude resonates and attracts parishioners to travel from the Valley and distant places.
Like IHMC’s Fr. Rodel Balagtas and Fr. Camilo Pacanza, Fr. Ariel Durian taught me spiritual vibrancy: how he learns from his parishioners who were formed in over 20 ministries in their parish. He loves the diversity of faith expressions from a diverse group of immigrants.
During Lent, a long queue of folks form to get their foreheads marked with a cross of ashes, from 7am to 10 pm. He loves ministering to this predominantly Latino church, about 90%, where he says mass in three languages: Spanish, English and Tagalog. He loves how they share food, and whatever is there, is for all to share. He appreciates their way of life -- they are mostly hardworking, yet family-oriented and with close ties.
He supports the passage of the Dream Act, for he has been an eye-witness to these undocumented children who came here, with their parents, without any choice of their own. They grow up knowing that they are American citizens, until they apply for college and realize that they’re not. Imagine how devastated they must be -- aiming for scholarships, reaching for the stars only to find themselves without options.
As an 11-year-old altar server, Fr. Durian realized that he wanted to be a priest. A catechist inspired him from San Carlos Seminary. His father initially objected to it.
Fr. Durian became active in the Youth Marian Crusade in Makati High School, then Adamson. But Adamson could not sustain his youthful curiosity. He traveled to Bulacan, Pampanga, and Nueva Ecija for adventures.
After four years of adventures and shifting majors, he finally settled with liberal arts.
“I challenged God about going to the seminary. I told Him if this is meant for me, then, he will make it easy for me to take the exams. I was heard. I got accepted into Scalabrinian Missionaries in New Manila, and I found my academic and spiritual home. I found out I had the academic discipline and rigor to finish AB Philosophy, and even though I was a transfer student from Adamson, I was getting high grades. I also found out I had leadership, that I can actually facilitate small groups. I then moved to a stage of psycho spiritual integration, then, clinical pastoral education and was assigned to National Kidney Institute where I attended to dying patients and administered sacraments to them. I also passed the program on clinical pastoral education and then, moved to novitiate and my apostolate work was with the Sisters of Charity in Tondo,” he narrated.
Tondo was dense with families, and they only ate once or twice a day. He cared for the abandoned elderly and washed their soiled diapers. I asked him how he felt and he said: “Mostly, I imagined it to be caring for my grandparents, who died when I was still small. I also helped in constructing their coffins. I was the model and I would get inside the box and my remark would be, masikip, hindi ako makagalaw. Which made me think, kakayanin ko ba ito? Sometimes, we had luxuries, when international groups would send boxes of canned goods, clothes and toys. And it would be fiesta, if we have sinabawang manok or tinola. But, I learned from the elders, their oral histories: their poor children who could not eke a living and care for them, then abandoned them. Nalaman ko ang kuwento ng buhay nila, they tried for a new life in Manila, coming from the province, but did not quite make it.”
When he became part of the Scalabrinian Missionaries, he learned to get along with a congregation of international priests from Brazil, Haiti, Mexico, Colombia and Italy. It was a challenge. There were culture clashes, which manifested when they talked. But they learned each other’s cultures.
His first assignment was to be prefect of discipline to 40 seminarians. He completed his master’s in pastoral ministry at Mary Hills School of Theology. He was then sent to Indonesia to relieve for a priest who got sick of malaria. He completed the area’s financial report and while in Indonesia, he got word of his approval as a priest. He was ordained a priest June 17, 2005 by Bishop Gabriel Reyes. Later, he was sent to North America and his parish assignment is Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Roman Catholic Church in Sun Valley, California.
I asked him about his Woodcarver reflections: “Everybody has potentials. All you have to do is look deeply at what God gave you. You will see God’s blessings: your gifts, your talents, but you have to use it. Discover it, claim it and use it appropriately. He recognizes the innate giftedness of Filipinos. All we need to do is enrich our talents, so we are on equal footing as the citizens of the First Nations. It is why I serve the schoolchildren in our school canteen; I want them to know their innate giftedness. By the way, I read Asian Journal every week; I am inspired to read the Filipino contributions to the US society, kaya pala natin.” n
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