Santuario de San Antonio Parish discloses how they use the funds they receive

Santuario de San Antonio Parish (SSAP) in Forbes Park, Makati City on Friday issued another letter signed by Fr. Reu Jose C. Galoy, OFM to address the persisting concerns about their wedding rates. 

More: Santuario de San Antonio Parish to review wedding rates following backlash.

In particular, the letter addressed questions about how the Parish uses the funds they receive. Aside from the physical upkeep and maintenance of the Parish grounds and facilities, Galoy explained the money is also used for SSAP's ministries and outreach activities.

"These include the Prison, Hospital, Health Care, Scholarship and Relief and Rehabilitation ministries," he said. "Moreover, SSAP assists ten (10) rural Franciscan Parishes in Luzon, several foreign missions, the formation of Franciscan seminarians and the care of our aging and ailing brothers in the province."

Galoy in the letter reiterated that what was presented in the Wedding Congress should be considered a work in progress. 

"The new regulations were meant to preserve the solemnity of the Sacrament of Marriage," he wrote, "Our objective is to ensure all wedding ceremonies at the Parish are simple, prayerful, and highlight the true meaning of the union between a man and a woman in Holy Matrimony."

Galoy went on to say that levying the fees to wedding suppliers will not achieve this goal. "In lieu of an accreditation fee, we shall thus institute a screening process to ensure that suppliers observe proper decorum during the wedding ceremony," he said.

He added, "In the coming days, we shall engage key stakeholders in the wedding industry for guidance in relation to the other regulations we wish to adopt."

The letter in full:

— Aya Tantiangco, GMA News