ALFRED PUCAY OF E.A.M.:
RECONCILER, ENABLER, ENCOURAGER
Homily by The Rev. Cn. Dr. Winfred B. Vergara ,
9/13/2015 at Church of our Savior, 48 Henry Street, New York
We are here
gathered today in the name of God and in God’s presence to give thanks for the
life and work of Alfred Pucay. Florence,
his widow and Peter Ng, one of his best friends will give the eulogies. Some of
you may also give words of remembrance.
But there is
something about Alfred that I must tell you. Before I followed The Rev. Dr. Winston
Ching as missioner for Episcopal Asiamerica Ministries (EAM), I first followed Alfred as
managing editor of a publication in the Philippines known as The Christian
Register. It was a publication of the Philippine Independent Church whose
editor-in-chief was no less than the Obispo Maximo of the PIC. In that
capacity, the managing editor also served as recorder of the Supreme Council of
Bishops and sometimes speech writer of the Obispo Maximo. So Alfred, even
before coming to the Episcopal Church Center in New York had already experienced
being in the Obispado Maximo or
Central Office of the Philippine Independent Church.
Now Alfred
as you know was an Episcopalian. How did he ever get to work in the Philippine
Independent Church? This is the story:
Alfred, as some of you know, graduated for Dentistry but later realized he
did not enjoy cleaning other people’s teeth. So he studied Journalism and
that’s the first reason why he landed a job as managing editor.
The second
reason is connected to the Concordat of Full Communion between the Philippine
Independent Church and The Episcopal Church (TEC) signed in 1961 (following its
return to the Catholicity by virtue of the bestowal of apostolic succession
bestowed by the TEC way back in 1948).
At that
time, TEC was known as PECUSA or the Protestant Episcopal Church in the
Philippines and so there was a coordinating body known as the Joint Council
PIC-PECUSA. It existed to implement the
terms of the concordat which basically included sharing of personnel and funds
while maintaining the independence and integrity of each denomination.
It was in
the decade of the 1970’s when Alfred got involved in the PIC-PECUSA and Philippine Society was in ferment. Marcos was in power and political activism was
in the air. There was an emerging anti-American sentiment and the activists were
clamoring to oust the U.S. military bases and any vestiges of American
imperialism.
In the
church, particularly among the PIC, some youth activists in Manila were picking
on the Joint Council as a symbol of American interference to a nationalist
Church. The PIC or (Iglesia Filipina Independiente) was a product of the
Philippine Revolution of 1896-1898 and they were questioning the congruency of
its revolutionary history and connection with an American Church. The
ultra-nationalists were also worried that the PECUSA might swallow-up the PIC.
The Obispo
Maximo at that time was The Most Rev. Isabelo Delos Reyes, Jr. , son of the
illustrious Don Isabelo Delos Reyes, Sr. who, along with Gregorio Aglipay, was
the founder of the PIC. He had to contend
with the critics of the Concordat and deal with threats of schismatic groups.
It was a
hard time to lead the church. The Joint Council offered hope for the PIC in the
renewal of its churches by providing funds and personnel for its national programs,
in addition to St. Andrew’s Theological Seminary which included both
Episcopalians and “Aglipayans” (other
name for PIC members), but the
resistance from the militants provided quite a challenge. And while the Joint
Council had to deal with the critics from the PIC, some clergy and lay leaders belonging to the
Philippine Episcopal Church, which at that time was still a missionary district
of the PECUSA, were also clamoring that the funds and resources coming from USA
should be given directly for the growth of the Episcopal parishes and missions
and not to Joint schools and projects.
It was in
that period of animosity and misunderstanding about the Concordat that Alfred
played a part in the work of reconciliation. As managing editor of The
Christian Register and having his feet grounded in both PIC and PEC (his father-in-law, The Most Rev. Benito Cabanban, Sr. , was also the Bishop of the PEC at that time), he helped
foster a better communication and understanding of the relationship that must
exist between the two churches. He was a great help to the Obispo Maximo as well as his father-in-law.
So first, and foremost, Alfred was a
reconciler.
When Alfred
went to the United States and after the death of Obispo Maximo Delos Reyes,
Jr.) I took over Alfred’s job as managing editor (Bishop Emerson Bonoan was the
Editor-in-Chief and The Most Rev. Macario V. Ga was the Obispo Maximo). It was a smooth transition for me because
Alfred had already helped to take off the heat.
Fast forward
to the late ‘80’s and 1990’s, my wife and I came to the United States and
became involved with the EAM, mainly through Alfred’s encouragement. I became
Canon Missioner for Asian Cultures in the Diocese of El Camino Real and founded
Holy Child Church and became convener of the EAM Filipino Congregation.
In 2001, after
serving for 27 years Alfred retired from the Episcopal Church Center. A year
later, in 2002, Winston Ching also retired.
In 2004, I was appointed by then Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold to be
the next Missioner for Asiamerica Ministries to take over Winston job. I came
to 815 on May 2004 and who was there to meet me? Alfred Pucay! It turned out that
even though he retired in 2001, he graciously returned to 815 as special
assistant to Asiamerica Ministries under Bishop Arthur Williams, who was then
Director of the Ethnic Congregational Development.
Again as it
was in Manila, so it would be in New York. It was a smooth of transition for me
because Alfred was there to mentor me and to facilitate that transition.
So secondly, Alfred was to me, an
enabler.
Alfred was a reconciler, an enabler
and finally---an encourager.
Alfred did
not draw people to himself but he drew them to God and to God’s mission. One of
the members of the EAM Network wrote to say “Alfred has done so much to so many
people in such a quiet and humble way.” Another one wrote that Alfred was “such
a wonderful man, always ready and willing to help.”
Presidents
of the EAM Council, past and present wrote to say that the memory of Alfred
will linger in their minds because “he was as much a pioneer as Winston was.”
Dr. Jim Kodera wrote, “What I remember most is a wonderful, disarming sense of
wit, with which he greeted and worked with so many of us.” Dr. Fran Toy wrote, “Alfred
was special. As a recipient of Alfred always-cheerful help, I could only echo
what so many friends have expressed.”
Current EAM Council President Bayani Rico wrote, “We will always remember Manong Alfred for his dedication in the early
years of the EAM helping out the late Winston Ching. “ Someone also
recalled that Alfred often went beyond the call of duty, by spending
after-office hours in New York and communicating with EAM members from the West
Coast, because Pacific Time is three hours behind Eastern Time.
I believe so
many of us here today, could say the same thing about Alfred.
During my
sabbatical in 2010 in Hong Kong, I spent some time with
the late Winston Ching. We talked a lot about EAM and about Alfred Pucay and Winston
said, “Frankly. I could not have done what I have done, had it not been for
Alfred.” With his clear communication skill, managerial efficiency and administrative
ability, Alfred almost became indispensable to the EAM.
In the Bible, we have a parallel between St.
Paul and St. Barnabas. St. Paul was always the one in the open, always on the
limelight, but Barnabas was the one working in the background. While Paul was
preaching on stage, Barnabas was going around the room, in the back rows, in
the side aisles, encouraging the marginalized, lifting up those who are
downtrodden, and inspiring those who are lonely and forgotten. If Winston was
Paul, surely Alfred was Barnabas. Alfred
was an encourager.
As we say
goodbye to Alfred today, let me remind you of some thoughts which Alfred and I
shared. From the book, “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People,”
the author Steven Covey wrote: “Each one of us should have a personal mission
statement and it is a four-fold mission and that is To live; To love; To learn;
and to leave a legacy.”
First, we must live life to the full. No matter how long or how short our life is, our
first mission is to give meaning to the life that is borrowed. As one writer
puts it, “sing like nobody’s listening, dance like nobody’s watching and live
like it’s heaven on earth.” Methuselah lived to be 969 years old but nothing
much had been written about him; Jesus of Nazareth died at the age of 33 but so
much had been written about him because he lived life to the full!
Second, we must live to love. Love, in all its protean forms, is
the greatest motivator. God’s agape love, unconditional love is what holds us
together. If God takes his love from me, my lips shall turn into clay. God
loves us so much and showed us how to love and care for one another. As Christ
has loved us, so we must also love.
Third, we must learn continuously. Alfred did not settle as a dentist; he did not
settle as a journalist; he did not settle as a secretary of Asiamerica
Ministries. He moved on to learn. He even wrote the lyrics of the song we have
just sung, “You Gave Us Light To See.” Our world has so much mystery to
unravel; our faith has so much theology to discover; and our lives has so much meaning
to understand.. Though he did not look young to me, the great genius Albert Einstein said, “People like
you and me never grow old. We never cease to stand like curious children before
the great mystery into which we were born.” When Alfred’s obituary was
published on my Facebook, many people asked me, “So Alfred was past 80 years
old? He certainly did not look like he was 80! He looked so boyish!” Well,
because at 82, he was still a learner!
Finally, we must leave a legacy. I was once walking in a beautiful park and I saw this sign, ”Take
nothing but photographs; leave nothing but footprints.” Yes, as mortals, we are
but visitors in this earthly park. We cannot take anything with us. Naked we
come into this world and naked we return to our Maker. We can only take
memories, and sometimes even our memories fade. But we can leave something in
this world: the legacy of our deeds, the example of our virtues, the prophecy
of our lofty dreams.
Alfred was
endowed with such humility and grace and has left us with a legacy of a
reconciler, an enabler and an encourager. The psalmist says: “Precious in the sight of
God is the death of his faithful servants”(Ps. 116:15). And wisdom says: “The
souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and no torment shall
touch them” (Wisdom of Solomon 3:1).
By the life he led, by the relationships he made and by his
faith in Jesus Christ, Alfred is an
inheritor the promise: “Let not your
hearts be troubled. In my Father’s house are many mansions. I go to prepare a
place for you and then I will come again, and bring you with me, so that where
I am, there you may be also” (John 14:3). Yes, yes, in that place where there
is no more pain, no more sickness, no more death, but only life of everlasting
peace. Amen.
