COVID-19-stricken healing priest holds online Mass from isolation room in Quezon

Fr. Joey Faller, a popular healing priest, holds an online Mass Thursday in isolation inside his room at the Kamay ni Hesus Shine compound in Lucban, Quezon, after testing positive for COVID-19. DELFIN MALLARI JR. Screengrab from Father Faller’s Facebook Live feed

LUCENA CITY –– Amid his battle against COVID-19, popular healing priest Fr. Joey Faller still held his daily healing Mass from his isolation room at the Kamay ni Hesus (KNH) shrine in Lucban town in Quezon province Thursday.

“I understand your pain because I am in pain right now. But I choose not to dwell on my pain. I choose to use my pain to offer this pain to all of you,” Faller said in his homily.

He added: “Wag po tayong mawalan ng pag-asa. Gagaling rin po tayo (Let us not lose hope. We will heal).”

Faller took the video of the 41-minutes Mass by himself inside his room at the five-hectare religious complex at the base of the mystic Mount Banahaw shortly before noon.

Faller, who is believed to possess a gift from God to cure the sick, is the administrator of KNH, which is under the supervision of the Diocese of Lucena.

Before he started the Mass, Faller requested online devotees to send text messages to know if his broadcast had no technical glitches.

“Wala akong staff. Sarili ko lang. Kayo lang ang kasama ko. Hindi ko naman kayo mahahawahan. Tsinambahan ko lang ang mga microphone na nakakabit,” Faller explained.

(I have no staff. I am doing this on my own. I am alone. I will not infect anyone. Just hoping my microphone will work)

“Do I sound okay? May audio po ba? Hindi ko alam kung tama yung ginawa ko,” added Faller.

(Did you hear my audio? I actually don’t know what I am doing.)

One of his avid devotees, Bethelda Fontarum, sent her comment: “Loud and clear po, Father Joey.”

After he got the assurance from devotees, Faller momentarily shut off his online connection to prepare himself for the Mass. After five minutes, he returned online and started the rite.

The Mass was beamed live on his Facebook page “Fr. Joseph A. Faller.”

During the Mass, he approached the video camera placed in front of him several times to check its connection.

The religious songs heard during the Mass came from the priest’s mobile phone, which he turned on via Bluetooth link.

On Wednesday afternoon, Faller announced in a video message on his social media page that he was positive for COVID-19 based on the laboratory test result that came out on the same day.

According to Faller, he could have contracted the virus on May 27, during one of the Masses that he co-celebrated with a visiting bishop, who turned out to be COVID-positive.

Faller said his symptoms were mild, as he submitted himself to a 15-day quarantine period.

Faller said he had received his first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine and was scheduled to get his second jab by June 14.

The KNH Healing Church inside the complex will be closed to the public from June 3 to June 10 for cleaning and disinfection.

LZB