ICC Note: Four months in captivity and a bandage on his left eye did not prevent Father Soganub from doing what he was determined to do after his rescue – to hold Mass. About 40 military personnel attended the Mass which served as a thanksgiving for all the lives that were saved in Marawi. According to the military, holding Mass, a rosary, and a Bible were among his first requests after he regained his freedom.
09/25/2017 Philippines (Rappler) – Reverend Father Teresito “Chito” Soganub had a bandage on his left eye after he was treated for cross eye, but it didn’t stop him from doing what he had always wanted to do since he was freed from captivity: say Mass.
On Sunday, September 24, the former hostage of the Maute local terror group in Marawi wore his priestly vestments to celebrate Mass inside the military headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo.
The military said he prayed for the soldiers fighting in Marawi and hoped that he could return to the city to say Mass again at the Saint Mary’s Cathedral, where he was taken the night the war erupted on May 23.
According to the military, saying Mass was among the priest’s first requests, along with getting a Bible and a rosary.
He was accompanied by Second Lieutenant Roegen Janaban of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chaplain Service.
“About 40 military personnel attended the Mass which Father Chito considered a celebration of life after he was saved by government forces from the battle-stricken city. It also served as a thanksgiving for the lives of all the civilians rescued from the hands of their captors in Marawi,” said Colonel Edgard Arevalo, chief of the AFP Public Affairs Office.
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