Church of the Little Flower
Father JC's Page
A little about me....
I was born in the Philippines on April 14… many years ago! Growing up, I wanted to be either a pilot or a lawyer - but early on in my childhood, I realized my passion for the arts, especially for music and theater.
Music has always been my connection to God. Music brought me close to church as a youth. Music is also my best form of prayer. I have gained real friends (and families) through Music. It has always been a part of my life.
I see that the spiritual life is a journey. Life itself is a journey: an Emmaus walk with a friend, the Camino - a pilgrimage. We walk together - where Jesus Christ is at the center, and our Blessed Mother Mary holding our hand. I am thrilled that I am with you on this journey - our path - the Little Way.
Building friendships and small christian communities have always been my passion. Sharing faith and simple stories nourish me spiritually; I find that sharing the grief, pain and struggles - as well as the joys, victories and successes - of people is at the core of my calling. I thrive in places where there are real people who are searching for real questions and answers in life.
I have a lot of favorite things to do and places yet to see. I have recently found myself passionate about technology and the New Media. (I don’t like selfies, but always find myself having to do it anyway!)
I like to binge-watch series on Netflix, HBO Max, Disney Plus and Hulu. I like food and I enjoy traveling - exploring new places and learning little things about their great people and their history.
In summary - Who is JC? One who loves God and is fascinated by people:
a very happy Catholic priest!
Fr. JC Merino
Your Parish Priest
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Fr. JC's Pastoral Letter
My dear Little Flower,
Pentecost is not simply the memory of a moment long ago. Pentecost is the birth of the Church. It is the moment when frightened hearts became courageous witnesses, when locked doors were opened, and when the breath of God became fire within ordinary human souls.
Throughout these sacred weeks, we have journeyed together from Ashes to Fire. We began with ashes upon our foreheads on Ash Wednesday, remembering our weakness, our mortality, and our longing for God. We walked through the Cross, through silence, through the tomb, through Resurrection, and now we arrive at the fire.
The fire of Pentecost.
The Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Most Holy Trinity, is revealed not as a distant force, but as the living presence of God dwelling within His people. The Spirit is the fire that refuses to die. The fire that remains. The fire that stays close to us even when the world grows cold.
So often in life, we experience goodbyes. Seasons end. People leave. Hearts break. We know what it feels like to stand in the ache of absence. But Pentecost proclaims something extraordinary: when everybody else says goodbye, the Holy Spirit says, “I will be with you always.”
This is the promise of God. We are not abandoned. We are not left orphaned. The Spirit of the Risen Christ lives within us, breathes within us, strengthens us, prays within us, and loves us from the deepest places of our soul.
And because of that fire, the Church still lives.
Every act of mercy, every Eucharist (Holy Sacrifice of the Mass) celebrated, every child baptized, every sinner forgiven in the Sacrament of Confession, every poor and forgotten person reached with God’s caring love, every young men and women who say “yes” courageously to God’s call to religious and consecrated life, every family that continues to hope, every weary heart that still chooses to love — all of it is Pentecost continuing in the world.
Brothers and sisters, the journey from Ashes to Fire does not end today. It begins again within us.
May the Holy Spirit set our hearts ablaze once more. May He make our homes places of peace. May He strengthen our parish to become a people of courage, holiness, and joyful witness. And may the fire of divine love within us never grow cold.
Come, Holy Spirit.
The Church is alive because You refuse to leave us.
Your parish priest,
Fr. JC Merino
2026 Archive
Pilgrimage