[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 16067]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   HONORING FATHER ISAAC MASGA AYUYU

                                 ______
                                 

                  HON. GREGORIO KILILI CAMACHO SABLAN

                    of the northern mariana islands

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, October 24, 2011

  Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, we recently celebrated an important 
anniversary in the Northern Mariana Islands: between our community and 
one of our longest-serving spiritual leaders. Reverend Father Isaac 
Masga Ayuyu, a native of Rota, has led the faithful in our islands for 
twenty-five years. Pale' Ike, as he is fondly known, was ordained to 
the priesthood in the Diocese of Chalan Kanoa on August 30, 1986. He is 
now the Parochial Vicar of Mount Carmel Cathedral on Saipan and the 
Director of Worship in the Diocese. Pale' Ike is the first ordained 
priest from Rota, and the first ordained priest of the new Diocese of 
Chalan Kanoa, Saipan. He is the fifth local priest to serve our 
islands.
  Hailing from a large family, Pale' Ike has a diverse, well-educated, 
and well-traveled background that is belied by his humble nature. As a 
youngster, he attended grade school in Rota. He then moved to our 
neighboring territory of Guam for his junior high and high school 
years, which was followed by college in California and Connecticut. 
Pale' Ike received his spiritual training at Saint Patrick's Seminary 
in California before returning to his home in the Northern Marianas. 
The decision that the church was his true calling was formed during his 
youth, when he was an altar server for two of our region's most well-
respected leaders: Bishop Emeritus Tomas A. Camacho of the Northern 
Marianas and the late Archbishop Felixberto Flores of Guam.
  Pale' Ike's parents, Francisca Masga Ayuyu and the late Corbiniano 
Songao Ayuyu were also supportive of their son's path, which he recalls 
each time he celebrates mass with the chalice that was a gift from 
them.
  In addition to his duties in the church, Pale' Ike is a strong 
advocate of, and a member of the Ecclesial Team for, our local chapter 
of the Worldwide Marriage Encounter program, which is designed to 
strengthen couples' relationships with one another and with God. His 
involvement in Marriage Encounter has improved the lives of countless 
married couples in the Northern Marianas. In his typically unassuming 
and candid fashion, Pale' Ike explains to others that the program has 
even improved his relationship with the people to whom he ministers.
  Spirituality has always been an important component of life in our 
islands, even before the arrival of what we think of as ``organized 
religion.'' The Chamorros and Carolinians of our islands have always 
held spiritual leaders in high regard. In our small, faith-based 
community, local priests are in demand. Pale' Ike is a man whose work 
truly is never done. He baptizes the newly-born and conducts funeral 
rites for the recently departed; he tends to the spiritual needs of 
those who are homebound or in the hospital; he conducts weddings; he 
hears confessions; and he celebrates the Mass. Just a few of his 
Diocesan titles offer a glimpse into the scope of his responsibilities: 
he is the hospital chaplain, the coordinator of pre-baptismal seminars, 
and the coordinator of the marriage preparation program for the 
Diocese. Outside of traditional priestly responsibilities, in our 
culture if there is a village fiesta, he plays a lead role; if there is 
a large family party, he's expected to attend; if someone builds a new 
home, he is called upon to bless it before it is occupied. Pale' Ike is 
very much a part of the daily life of many residents of the Northern 
Mariana Islands.
  Please join me in congratulating Pale' Isaac Masga Ayuyu in 
celebration of his twenty-five years in the priesthood.

                          ____________________