FIRST PERSON-Rhythmic Tranquility

Democratand Chronicle May 30, 2006: A Weekly Column that explores the ordinary,
and extra ordinary, moments of our lives.
by Carlos Ortiz

Father Peter Abas, 45 moved to Rochester three years ago from Borneo, Malaysia.
He founded and leads the Peaceful Rhythmic Hand Drumng Session, which takes
place three time each month at St. Anne Church in Rochester, where he is an assisting
priest. Abas also counsels students at the University of Rochester and is very active
with nonprofit organizations within the community.

really love counseling, helping people. One of the methods I'm using now is to the sounds of the drum. I learned to play the drum from Mr. Blair (Blair Horbuckle) from Bushmango.
I've played the drum for the last three years, and what makes me play is helping elderly and

young people feel the inner peace in themselves. When they beat the drum, they can express themselves emotionally, feel the tranquility and they and have that peaceful moment in their lives.

Normally I get around 10 to 15 people different ages, the youngest is 11 years old and the oldest is 86 years old.
I use different instruments; jembe, which is a typical Africa drum, the dun dun which is
also from Africa, and I also have a drum from the Native Americans and many
other percusssions.

The culture that has a big influences in me are my own people, because back at home we play drums and gongs. When I came over here, I tried to integrate the East and West Afro-culture and I would say that the greatest influences is from my own tribal people of the

Kadazandusun of Borneo, Malaysia, because we are really in love with music.
If you want to have inner peace, it really has to start from our inner self through the
peacefulness of the soul, so that we can produce harmony when we work or mingle
with people.

Wisdom of the Sacred Drums

Diversity + Unity = Harmony

The powerful expression of each individual is very unique. It is the expression of the inner-self.

IRONDEQUOIT POST November 19, 2009


NEWS IN BRIEF

Visting priest gives presentation tonight

INRONDEQUOIT - The Rev. Peter Abas, a priest who is a native of Borneo, in Irondequoit

on a temporary assignment in the Irondequoit cluster of Roman Catholic churches, is

giving a drumming presentation at 7p.m. tonight, Thursday, Nov, 19 at St. Margaret Mary

Church, 401 Rogers Parkway.
The Presentation, sponsored by the Irondequoit Regional Evangelization Comittee,

is titled "Diversity and Unity equals Harmony inChrist." It is open to all.

"He is very talented, has several degress, does family counseling, helps with art therapy for

Alzheimer's patients and also is quite musical." said Irondequoit resident and

Christ the King Church parishioner KyraNiklewicz. "He (Abas) has been

known to pull out his harmonica during Mass and play along with the music ministry!

Why you should try the Wisdom of the Sacred Drums? 

Get in touch with your Life Experiences and recognize your "Sacred Story" with color and drums. Storytelling, paint and drumming with our gifted facilitator, Fr. Peter Abas.

Are you willing to share your Sacred Stories? If so this might be the session you are searching for...

Enhances sense of community among elderly individuals

Creates engaging & positive experiences for elderly individuals.

Communicate your deep seated commitment to the spiritual well being of elderly individuals.

WISDOM of the Sacred Drums


- Peaceful Rhythmic Expression -



Each of us has been blessed with abundant grace in our lives. Knowing this

blessedness is a gift that often comes wrapped in change.

Day by day, we face inevitable changes and our spirit goes

where we allow it through the personal choices we make.

It is when we stop to reflect on our sacred stories that we can recognize

the Gift of Wisdom in our life experiences.

Wisdom holds a special dignity and depth. It is not a spontaeous gift. It is acquired


through grace from the Holy Spirit, reflection and sharing.

(Charism, December 2009 Volume 7, Issue 4)

Some workshops which Dr. Abas presented

Some workshops which Dr. Abas Presented.

Feb 9-12, 2006 32nd Annual Meeting and Educational Leadership Conference, Indianapolis, Indiana
Presented: Phythmic Art: Counselors Create Empathy with Elderly through Peaceful Rhythmic Hand
Drumming.

March 5-8, 2006 Southern Gerontological Society in Lexington, Kentucky
Presented: Integrating Peaceful Drumming in Reminiscence Group with Elderly Individuals.

April 28-30, 2006 New York Mental Health Counselor Association Convention in Albany, New York
Presented: Rhythmic Art: Counselor Creates Empathy with Elderly Individuals in Group
Counseling Through Rhythmic Hand Drumming.

June 13-17, 2006 33rd Annual Organizational Behavior Teaching Conference in Rochester,
New York
Presented: Diversity, Unity and Harmony: Realizing Human Potential with the heartbeat of the drum.

Oct 12-14, 2006 North Aantic Regional Association for Counselor Education and Suervision,
Lake George, New York.
Presented: Tapping into the Rhythm of Life: Drumming, Empathy and Elderly.

There were more past evening workshops on hand drumming workshops to be posted soon!

Loneliness Scale 1999

With Professor Dr. Theo van Tilburg
Professor Social Gerontology
VrijeUniversiteit Amsterdam

With Professor Dr. J. Gierveld, J. (Honorary Fellow)
Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute

The scale consists of 11 items; six are formulated negatively and five are formulated positively. The items are sometimes preceded by a short introduction.

English
Dutch

Please indicate for each of the 11 statements, the extent to which they apply to your situation, the way you feel now. Please, circle the appropriate answer.
Wilt u van elk van de volgende uitspraken aangeven in hoeverre die op u, zoals u de laatste tijd bent, van toepassing is? Omcirkel het antwoord dat op u van toepassing is.
Manual of the Loneliness Scale 1999
(Updated from the printed version: 30-3-2011)

Jenny de Jong Gierveld & Theo van Tilburg
VU University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Sociology

1
There is always someone I can talk to about my day-to-day problems
Er is altijd wel iemand in mijn omgeving bij wie ik met mijn dagelijkse probleempjes terecht kan

2
I miss having a really close friend
Ik mis een echt goede vriend of vriendin

3
I experience a general sense of emptiness
Ik ervaar een leegte om me heen

4
There are plenty of people I can lean on when I have problems
Er zijn genoeg mensen op wie ik in geval van narigheid kan terugvallen

5
I miss the pleasure of the company of others
Ik mis gezelligheid om me heen

6
I find my circle of friends and acquaintances too limited
Ik vind mijn kring van kennissen te beperkt

7
There are many people I can trust completely
Ik heb veel mensen op wie ik volledig kan vertrouwen

8
There are enough people I feel close to
Er zijn voldoende mensen met wie ik me nauw verbonden voel

9
I miss having people around me
Ik mis mensen om me heen

10
I often feel rejected
Vaak voel ik me in de steek gelaten

11
I can call on my friends whenever I need them
Wanneer ik daar behoefte aan heb kan ik altijd bij mijn vrienden terecht

1 Updated from the printed version: de Jong Gierveld, J., & van Tilburg, T.G. (1999). Manual of the loneliness scale. VU University Amsterdam, Department of Social Research Methodology (ISBN 90-9012523-X). A hard copy is to obtain from the authors.

Acknowledgement
The Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sports financially supported the revision of this manual.

Correspondence address
Prof. dr. J. de Jong Gierveld, Prof. dr. T.G. van Tilburg
VU University Amsterdam
Faculty of Social Sciences
De Boelelaan 1081, NL-1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Phone (van Tilburg): (+31) 20 - 598 6870; Telefax: (+31) 20 - 598 6810
E-mail: Gierveld at planet.nl, T.G.van.Tilburg at vu.nl