Faith

LCFAITH | A53D
Engagement
Program
Presented to:
Prof. Alvenio G. Mozol, Jr.

Date of Submission:
April 17,2023

Presented by:
Belascuain, Jewel Irish S.
Melon, Lauryn Melon G.
Paghari-on, James Matthew M.
Ramos, Sophia T.
Trinidad, Pauline C.
About the
Interviewee
A. Complete name
Prof. Edita L. Trinidad, Ph.D.

B. Age

74 years old

C. Educational background
Undergraduate: Bachelor of Science in
Elementary Education major in English at
Far Eastern University
Graduate School: Doctor of Philosophy at
Manila Central University

D. Occupation

College professor at the Lady of Lourdes

Hospital and Colleges

E. Age when s/he became involved

in the Church/Community/Organization

43 years old

F. No. of years as a member

31 years
 Interview
Transcript
1. Kindly tell us about yourself. What is your personal, family, and religious
background?

"Since child, I am already a church goer person. Every Wednesday, I had my Mother of
Perpetual Help Novena, Thursday, St. Jude, Friday, Black Nazarene and Sunday, Mass/ I
was an officer of Legion of Mary and Chapter Cursilista leader. In 1992 I became a
Charismatic member, warrior, sharer and outreach. At present, I am a Charismatic
coordinator.."

Dr. Edita L. Trinidad is an esteemed career woman with a credible academic

record. With significant years of practice and teaching, Dr. Trinidad is a professor at the
College Professor at the Lady of Lourdes Hospital and Colleges, continuing to instill
values of service and excellence to her students and manifesting kindness to those
around her. She is the loving wife of Paulino G. Trinidad, the father of her three children
—two boys and one girl.

Moreover, Dr. Trinidad shared that ever since she was a child, she has already
been an active church member and a religious person. In her testimony, she has her
Mother of Perpetual Help Novena on Wednesdays, St. Jude on Thursdays, Black
Nazarene on Fridays, and the Mass on Sundays; this showed her immense passion as a
believer and follower of the Word. Looking back, she was once an officer of Legion of
Mary as well as a leader of Chapter Cursillista. In 1992, she became a Charismatic
member, warrior, sharer, and outreach coordinator. With active participation and
training, she is now the Charismatic coordinator.
 Interview
Transcript
2. What is your role and position in the community or organization? How long
have you been serving in this capacity? What form of involvement in the
community or organization does this entail?

"I support the programs and projects of our Barangay particularly in cleanliness and
greening of surroundings. I plant vegetables and fruit trees around our small compound
and share what I harvest from my backyard garden to my neighbors and close friends. I
help and support financially for the programs and projects."

As mentioned before, Dr. Trinidad is the current Charismatic coordinator, where she
teaches and mentors future spiritual leaders and collaborates with different
institutional structures in sharing the goodness of the Lord. She has been serving the
ministry for 31 years now.

In her community, she always finds ways to support the programs and projects of
their barangay, particularly in cleanliness and greening of surroundings. She also finds
the time to plant vegetables and fruit trees around their small compound. Once they
have come to fruition, she shares what she has harvested from their backyard garden to
her neighbors and close friends. Additionally, she also partakes in financially
capacitating for the programs and projects of the barangay that focuses on spiritual,
wellness, and communal development advocacies.
 Interview
Transcript
3. Do you receive monetary compensation for doing your job or work in the
church, community, or organization? (If yes) Are you happy with the salary/
honorarium you receive? (If no) Why do you not accept compensation for your
service?

"No, It is my service to mankind and God."

Dr. Trinidad does not receive or accept monetary compensation for these kinds of
services. Dr. Trinidad emphasized that her position is an honor and a responsibility she
has made. It simply brings her happiness to be of service to God and mankind. Just
doing so is her greatest accomplishment. It is best to believe that the compensation of
all forms of genuine kindness or favoring the act back to the community is one that she
would most want to smile upon.

4. How did you get into an active involvement or engagement in this

community or organization? What motivates you to keep on being engaged
and involved through the years?

"As a Retired Educator, it is always your mission to help others not only through academic
involvement but also through community works and service. I would like to keep myself
busy servicing others. Service to people is service to God. I am highly motivated by the
teachings and learning from the Lord."

Service to people is service to God.

As a retired educator, Dr. Trinidad believes that it is always one's mission to help
others not only through academic involvement but also through community work and
services. She mentions that she prefers keeping herself busy by doing productive and
meaningful activities, such as serving others. Dr. Trinidad is highly motivated by the
teachings and is always eager to learn from the Lord. Indeed, there are different ways
where people can share and extend God's goodness and show that humanity still
prevails.
 Interview
Transcript
5. What are the challenges you go through being an activist, worker,
volunteer, leader of the Church, community, organization? How did you
overcome them?
"Being persecuted by some people on my involvement in church activities makes
challeges in me.. Telling me that we don’t need Bible Study, Prayers Meetings and other
activities. But I am happy doing these things because it makes me feel younger, strong
and happy. And lastly it makes me closer to God."

Dr. Trinidad said that one of the issues that she faces is the persecution of some
people in regards to her involvement in her church activities. Other people tell her that
she does not need to conduct or attend Bible Study, prayer meetings, and other
religious activities; however, despite all of that, she still feels happy when doing those
things because it makes her feel younger, stronger, happier and closer to God. She
continues to focus on what's important and carry through with her endeavors, ignore
the hatred and rather focus on positivity, and have faith in the Lord.

6. If you were given a second life, would you still choose to do what you are
doing right now, to be where you are right now? Why?

" Precisely YES. I have not regrets with what I am doing, serving people is serving God."

If she was given a second life to continue what she actually loves doing—serving
people—and to be where she currently feels most empowering, her answer? Precisely, YES.
For her, it is a God-sent gift to be where she is right now and she is doing a difference for
her community. She also has no regrets with what she is doing for she firmly understands
that serving people is serving God. It is one of the best ways and experiences to encounter
the Lord.
 Interview
Transcript
7. What is the most memorable experience you have as a church /
community / organization worker/volunteer / leader / activist? Why?

"Helping other people and they appreciate what you are doing is the happiest and
memorable part of my life. No need financial awards or plaque of appreciation for me.
These are earthly rewards. Just seeing people happy and contented with what you are
doing is a great reward from heaven."

To Dr. Trinidad, her most memorable moments are when she helps others and when
they appreciate the things she does as well. To her, financial awards and plaques of
appreciation do not mean a lot because for her, those are just earthly rewards and she
believes that seeing people happy and content with what she is doing is a great reward
from heaven.

8. How did your engagement as volunteer / member / activist / leader help

you enrich your faith as a person? As a believer / Christian?

"If I will rate myself as to my faith in God, I rate 10 (Rating of 1-10) Answered prayers and
proof in the “Promises of Love” of the Lord. Being a good example as a Christian, inspires
people in what you are doing. You will be able to motivate others to go closer to God."

She said that being a good example as a Christian helps with inspiring people in what
she does and it motivates people to become closer to God. If she would give herself a
rating from 1-10 based on her faith in God, she would give herself a 10 because of her
answered prayers and proof in the Lord’s “Promises of Love.”
 Interview
Transcript

9. Having been in this church / community / organization for many years,

how do you think it helps the society and the world? How does it make a
difference in the lives of people?

"You help people prepare themselves for eternal life. You will be able to teach and share
with them the goodness of the Lord. You can let them feel how the Lord blesses and
loves us. Everyday people must be thankful and knows how to glorify the Lord.."

She says that she helps people prepare themselves for eternal life because she is
able to teach and share the goodness of the Lord with them and let other people feel
how the Lord blesses and loves them because she believes that every day, people must
be thankful for and know how to glorify the Lord.

10. What do you like most in your church / community / organization? What
do you least like? What are your dreams for you church / community /
organization?

"Churchgoers are like real brothers and sisters. We help one another, pray for one
another and enjoy ourselves with one another. When one is sad, we make them happy,
when one is happy, we are all happy.

We always try to patch up differences among each other.

It is my dream to have a big church with many people enjoying the love and goodness of
the Lord."

To Dr. Trinidad, churchgoers are like real brothers and sisters. They help and pray for
each other, enjoy each other’s company, and cheer each other up when they feel sad.
They always try to patch up differences among each other and when one is happy, they
are all happy. Dr. Trinidad’s dream is to have a big Church with many people enjoying
the love and goodness of the Lord.
Reflections
Belascuain, Jewel Irish S.

Meeting Prof. Trinidad has been such a treat to the group because you can tell from her
disposition how confident and kind she is. In our conducted interview, she provided us brief
but powerful answers, mainly focusing on the power of God's goodness and passion for
service. Dr. Trinidad is a clear manifestation of a woman of God and a community service
devotee. She also shared that as long as you have the capacity to help and the ability to
emphatize, service to our fellow human beings, especially those who direly need it, will come
natural and emancipating along the way because God will empower.

With her words "Service to people is service to God", the prominent dimension of faith
among other kinds that she brought to life was the performative model. This model of faith
was strongly shown as her acts of service and obedience in carrying out God's kindness and
His Word to the people she encounters proved that these actions must be a part of faith. She
did this through her vocation as a leader of her church and being a supporter in holistic
programs in hopes to empower the marginalized, alleviate burdens, and reach more people
for the Lord.

Overall, the conversation was profound and I was inspired and motivated to always
make a difference to the community I am in today and in the future. I learned that "people
create meaning in their lives by being of service to others and from that, they are able to find
their purpose in life", which I find precise because it not only helps you have a close
connection with god and other people but also harness a great understanding of oneself. Dr.
Trinidad is a role model and I have acquire new discorveries about how we can carry out our
faith to the best of our ability and despite the challenges in our lives.
Reflections
Melon, Lauryn Hannah G.

For me, I thought that this encounter felt refreshing in a way that it feels different from
the typical interview process. With the more laid-back feel of the atmosphere and answers
that were easy to understand, I felt that the interview session was overall a pretty good
experience. Although Dr. Trinidad’s answers seemed to be a bit short, they were
straightforward and her devotion towards what she does was made clear as well making
them easy to interpret her beliefs and passion for her job.

Looking at her answers to the questions, I think that she embodies the fiducial model
of faith. With how she says that she’s close to God even in the things that she does makes it
clearer to me. The fiducial model of faith is about trusting God and to Dr. Trinidad, the
things that she does brings her into a closer relationship with God.

During the interview, I realized that in one of her answers, she stated that she was
happy when she knows that she’s appreciated for what she does and it has got me to think
a little. Recently, I’ve been dealing with a bit of nasty thoughts about being alone and when
I read her answer about how she’s appreciated for what she does made me realize that I
don’t really appreciate myself all that much. Hopefully this interview will help me a bit in
regards to my lack of confidence in myself and I’ll be able to appreciate myself eventually.
Reflections
Paghari-on, James Matthew M.

Prior to this interview, I’d always had these preconceived notions when it comes to
expressing faith. And with Dr. Trinidad, I realized that I needed to explore more upon this
particular concept more. And when it came to assessing her answers when it came to the
questions that were asked I felt there was this sense of confidence, an aura of accomplishment,
and someone who is quite knowledgeable when it comes to the different aspects of life.

And with the question of faith, the answers she had evoked in my head the idea of the
performative model in which she expressed her faith from the various actions she had done
through the church she is in part of, from the church meetings, bible studies, and other religious
activities in she has participated and organized. It’s when then one could realize faith does
make people do great things, regardless of one’s religious affiliation.

Overall, the interview made me ponder upon this “greater idea” of what faith is when it
comes to people of differing faiths and that I may still have much more to learn when it comes
to life itself. I felt the entirety of the interview had this profound philosophical effect on me in
which I want to explore more such concepts and gain a deeper understanding of them.
Reflections
Ramos, Sophia T.

It is quite rare to come across someone as genuine and dedicated to their faith as Dr.
Trinidad. You can feel her passion for her work even only through her words. What she has
shared with us has given me important reminders and realizations about my faith as well as
inspired me to become a good Christian like her.

The thing that struck me the most about the interview was the saying, “Service to people
is service to God.” I think that, most of the time, we are so focused on pleasing God that we
forget what our faith entails, which is to help our brothers and sisters because God is
present in each of us. Dr. Trinidad manifests performative faith because of her good deeds
and actions which has caught the attention of many. No one can doubt that she is
committed to her faith and will do what she can to help others.

Dr. Trinidad has found happiness and fulfillment in her life by living out her faith and
giving help to those in need. However simple it may seem, it holds great meaning and
influence over the life of others. She truly is an inspiration to many people, including myself,
to become a better person and be able to create an impact on the lives of others as well. I
may not be able to do as much as her yet, but will do my best to make a difference in my
own little ways.
Reflections
Trinidad, Pauline C.

Dr. Trinidad, who also happens to be my grandma, was gracious enough to take some
time out of her hectic schedule as a teacher to speak with us during our interview. She
oozed assurance and warmth, and her responses emphasized the strength of God's
goodness and her dedication to serving others. She frequently referred to the adage,
"Service to people is service to God," which represented the performative model of faith, in
which faith is demonstrated by deeds of compassion and adherence to God's Word.

Dr. Trinidad displayed her faith via her participation in church gatherings, Bible studies,
and other religious activities. She has served as a leader in her church for more than thirty
years and takes part in initiatives to empower vulnerable people. Our group was greatly
impacted by what she shared, and it inspired and motivated us to make a difference in our
own areas. She served as an example of how to live out one's religion via deeds of
compassion and fidelity to the Word of God.

The interview also got us thinking about faith in general, especially as it relates to
people of different faiths and its various facets. We came to the realization that there is still
so much to learn about faith, and the interview had a significant intellectual impact on us
that inspired us to delve deeper into these ideas. In conclusion, Dr. Trinidad's discussion
with us was enlightening and motivating, and we are appreciative of the knowledge she
provided to us.
Attachments