A group of singing priests dubbed the Cebu Clergy Performing Artists shared their voices with St. Sebastian parishioners at “Saulog: A Night of Serenade” on Sept. 4.

With bright lights, dancing and upbeat tunes, the four priests – Fathers Jun Gutierrez, Kipling Agravante, Zachary Zacarias and Rudy Ibale – enlivened the evening while singing Christian songs, Filipino classics and pop songs like One Direction’s “What Makes You Beautiful.”

They also sang the official song for the 51st International Eucharistic Congress to be hosted by the Archdiocese of Cebu in January, 2016. Inviting the community to the Congress was one of the goals of the two concerts in the Diocese of Brooklyn. The Church of the Ascension, Elmhurst, was scheduled to host a second concert on Sept. 11.

“We feel very much proud and blessed that the trust and the confidence had been given to us as an archdiocese to host” the Congress, said Msgr. Guillermo Gorre, who is in charge of the Cebu Clergy Performing Artists’ production.

The concert was part of the priests’ second U.S.-Canada tour in which they sought to reach out “to our Filipino brothers and sisters there, who, because of their love for their families and their faith in God’s abiding presence, have risked their lives to seek for greener pastures in a foreign land,” according to an endorsement letter signed by Archbishop Jose S. Palma, D.D., of Cebu.

The concerts in Queens were coordinated by the archdiocese and Cebuanos Engaging in Building Unity (C.E.B.U. Inc.), a local nonprofit that has Father Jovito Carungay, administrator of Ascension Church, as its spiritual director.

Proceeds of the Saulog – or celebration in Cebuano, a dialect in the Philippines – will fund the completion of a pavilion at the major seminary in Cebu City that will host most of the conferences during the Eucharistic Congress, help rehabilitate some churches damaged by a devastating earthquake and promote vocations.

Hilda Mantalaba, a St. Sebastian parishioner and member C.E.B.U. Inc., said the Filipino community was happy to support the singing priests and help to raise awareness about the International Eucharistic Congress. Brooklyn Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio and New York Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan will be hosting a pilgrimage to Cebu for this Congress (Click here, for more information).

“We hope that the focus on the Eucharist will ignite others,” Mantalaba said. The concert featured songs about love, faith and hope, seeking to entertain but also to teach. “We are preachers; we cannot separate from that,” said Father Rudy Ibale, M.S.C., who started the singing group 13 years ago. “God wants us to be happy and we are happy to share what we have … Everybody has his own burden, so if for a minute or so we can ease that pain, we can lift (people’s spirits) a little because that is a promise of God: ‘Come to me all that you are labored and burdened and I will give you rest.’”

For community members like Gloria Leona and Marivir Montebon, the music brought back memories from their native land. Montebon added that the priests’ modern renditions of classic songs and improvisations were entertaining.

“The songs remind us of home, but on top of it, they were always imparting the message of love of God,” said Tessie Cerna, a parishioner of St. Nicholas of Tolentine, Jamaica, who attended the concert.

Father Kevin Abels, pastor, said this was a big event for St. Sebastian, especially for its large Filipino community.

“There is a lot of enthusiasm, a lot of effort that has gone into it,” he said.

After the priests’ concert, parishioners saw about 30 Sinulog dancers in bright-colored garb dancing to pay homage to the Santo Niño, or Holy Child, a popular devotion in the Philippines. The dance was the same interpretation that gave the dancers the first-place award during the Filipino Independence Day Parade in New York this year.

Parishioner Adela G. Inez, with other members of C.E.B.U. Inc., helped to coordinate the dance.

“We offer a dance to the Child Jesus, Santo Niño, and this dance is really a combination of native dance and the Spanish influence in the dance,” she said.

The three centuries of Spanish colonization in the Philippines were also reflected in the clothing worn by the dancers, which included golden headdresses symbolizing the offering of one’s best possessions to the Child Jesus.

“It’s dancing as a sign of prayer,” said Mantalaba, who also participated in the ritual dance to the Santo Niño, asking for favors and offering thanksgiving. “In the Philippines, in times of tragedy, of devastation, they turn to the Child that has always been there as a constant source of refuge and support and strength over the centuries,” Father Abels said. “(Their devotion) is impressive and is an example to me and all the people of St. Sebastian.”

At the end of the celebration, parishioners rushed to take pictures with the Santo Niño’s image and the Cebu Clergy.

Maureen Omvalino, who came with the concert with her husband and two children, said that her family enjoyed the inspiring performances. “I loved coming to the concert,” she said. “It was very uplifting.”