The Healing Priest Hits Hard
“I really like this game,” said Suarez, 40, at the Subic Bay Yacht Club inside the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority. “Tennis keeps me fit.” The priest was then scheduled to hold a healing mass at the Holy Trinity Parish in New Cabalan, Olongapo City.
Away from the maddening, adoring crowd, Fr. Fernando “Dodo” Suarez finds joy whacking down the line shots with his two-fisted backhand and forehand shots. Also known as the healing priest, Suarez’s reputation has drawn thousands of believers who seek his touch. Ironically, he has a more prosaic way to keep himself well and fit: playing tennis.
The healing priest proves himself as human as the rest of us with his take-no-prisoner stance while exchanging shots with his rival. For Suarez, a member of the Companions of the Cross Healing Ministry based in Ottawa, Canada, it’s perfectly normal to play a scorching game of tennis before plunging into his unusual vocation of comforting and healing the sick.
“I really like this game,” said Suarez, 40, at the Subic Bay Yacht Club inside the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority. “Tennis keeps me fit.” The priest was then scheduled to hold a healing mass at the Holy Trinity Parish in New Cabalan, Olongapo City.
The parish headed by Fr. Rey Mangulabnan is known for attracting parishioners from the middle to the lower classes. Well loved by his brethren, Mangulabnan is a friend of Suarez.
In a tennis game hidden from the prying eyes of the public, I was lucky enough to experience playing with Suarez against the solid partnership of SBYC tennis pro Ogie de la Torre and Fr. Jeff Shannon, whose groundstrokes can put to shame even the most experienced netter.
Soft-spoken when performing his “miracles,” Suarez the netter can be passionate chasing a timely drop shot and generous in acknowledging a wonderful return. Clearly, this priest likes to win.
Before our doubles encounter, Suarez fought Shannon in singles and the two priests engaged in a spirited baseline battle. Suarez, though, played fresh and showed no signs of slowing down during our doubles encounter.
Short as it was, the match was something to remember. I knew I had to conquer my nerves and complement Suarez’s game.
“I don’t care whether you are Class A or B. Let’s just play,” Suarez said when I told him about my reservations.
There was no miracle as we bowed 3-6 because of my wayward shots. Suarez cracked winners from all angles, and the score was still tied at 3-3 when I surrendered my serve as the sleek-moving De la Torre “killed” us with two drop volleys from 30-30. Things started to fall apart but even during the crucial moments of the match, Suarez was game enough to give me high-fives whenever I hit a thunderous forehand or missed an easy smash.
“That wasn’t a bad game really. We managed to get three games and I beat Fr. Jeff in singles,” he said, good-naturedly, while resting. Suarez is a fan of recently-crowned Serbian superstar Novak Djokovic and Spanish matador Rafael Nadal. “But I also like tennis babes like Maria Sharapova and Ana Ivanovic,” he added. Djokovic and Sharapova won the singles titles in the recent Australian Open in Melbourne.
Though still rarin’ for another set, Suarez said he had to leave, knowing that people have been waiting for hours, some of them even days, to see him. “Shower and a quick lunch,” said the Batangueño cleric of his immediate plan after the game. “I have a mission to fulfill.”
In tennis parlance, that’s an ace. By Dennis U. Eroa - Philippine Daily Inquirer
Away from the maddening, adoring crowd, Fr. Fernando “Dodo” Suarez finds joy whacking down the line shots with his two-fisted backhand and forehand shots. Also known as the healing priest, Suarez’s reputation has drawn thousands of believers who seek his touch. Ironically, he has a more prosaic way to keep himself well and fit: playing tennis.
The healing priest proves himself as human as the rest of us with his take-no-prisoner stance while exchanging shots with his rival. For Suarez, a member of the Companions of the Cross Healing Ministry based in Ottawa, Canada, it’s perfectly normal to play a scorching game of tennis before plunging into his unusual vocation of comforting and healing the sick.
“I really like this game,” said Suarez, 40, at the Subic Bay Yacht Club inside the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority. “Tennis keeps me fit.” The priest was then scheduled to hold a healing mass at the Holy Trinity Parish in New Cabalan, Olongapo City.
The parish headed by Fr. Rey Mangulabnan is known for attracting parishioners from the middle to the lower classes. Well loved by his brethren, Mangulabnan is a friend of Suarez.
In a tennis game hidden from the prying eyes of the public, I was lucky enough to experience playing with Suarez against the solid partnership of SBYC tennis pro Ogie de la Torre and Fr. Jeff Shannon, whose groundstrokes can put to shame even the most experienced netter.
Soft-spoken when performing his “miracles,” Suarez the netter can be passionate chasing a timely drop shot and generous in acknowledging a wonderful return. Clearly, this priest likes to win.
Before our doubles encounter, Suarez fought Shannon in singles and the two priests engaged in a spirited baseline battle. Suarez, though, played fresh and showed no signs of slowing down during our doubles encounter.
Short as it was, the match was something to remember. I knew I had to conquer my nerves and complement Suarez’s game.
“I don’t care whether you are Class A or B. Let’s just play,” Suarez said when I told him about my reservations.
There was no miracle as we bowed 3-6 because of my wayward shots. Suarez cracked winners from all angles, and the score was still tied at 3-3 when I surrendered my serve as the sleek-moving De la Torre “killed” us with two drop volleys from 30-30. Things started to fall apart but even during the crucial moments of the match, Suarez was game enough to give me high-fives whenever I hit a thunderous forehand or missed an easy smash.
“That wasn’t a bad game really. We managed to get three games and I beat Fr. Jeff in singles,” he said, good-naturedly, while resting. Suarez is a fan of recently-crowned Serbian superstar Novak Djokovic and Spanish matador Rafael Nadal. “But I also like tennis babes like Maria Sharapova and Ana Ivanovic,” he added. Djokovic and Sharapova won the singles titles in the recent Australian Open in Melbourne.
Though still rarin’ for another set, Suarez said he had to leave, knowing that people have been waiting for hours, some of them even days, to see him. “Shower and a quick lunch,” said the Batangueño cleric of his immediate plan after the game. “I have a mission to fulfill.”
In tennis parlance, that’s an ace. By Dennis U. Eroa - Philippine Daily Inquirer
Labels: Olongapo City, suarez, Subic Bay
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