CBCP Monitor - CBCP Media Office

•A6
Pope names
PPCRV head to
Vatican council
Prelate urges hike in
worker’s pay
WHILE lauding the additional pay for soldiers,
a senior Catholic bishop called on the government to also consider raising salaries of
ordinary laborers.
Lipa Archbishop Ramon Arguelles said the
substantial wage hike must also be given to
public teachers, government employees and
other workers.
“It’s right to increase salary of soldiers. But
they (government) should also give more dePrelate / A6
•B7
•C1
A painful quest
for economic
prosperity
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A
A supplement
supplement Publication
Publication for
for KCFAPI
KCFAPI and
the
the Order
Order of
of the
the Knights
Knights of
of Columbus
Columbus
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Protagonist of Truth, Promoter of Peace
October 15 - 28, 2007
CBCP head lauds PNP
‘transformation’
program
cbcpmonitor@cbcpworld.net
Vol. 11 No. 21
Php 20.00
THE head of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference
of the Philippines (CBCP) lauded the Philippine
National Police (PNP) for ‘igniting spaces of
hope’ in their ‘already problematic’ image.
CBCP president and Jaro Archbishop Angel
Lagdameo is referring to the “PNP Transformation Program” through the Police National
Training Institute (PNTI) in Calamba City that
CBCP head / A6
CBCP questions bribery
scandal, seeks probe
THE Catholic bishops’ leadership has backed calls for an official investigation into allegations of bribery by Malacañang.
Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP)
president and Jaro Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, in a statement last October 16, said the matter had to be cleared up.
The bribery accusations allege that the government paid
congressmen and local public officials after their meeting with
President Gloria-Macapagal Arroyo recently to win support.
Arroyo critics said the “cash gifts” ranging from P200,000
to P500,000 were tied to the impeachment complaint against
her.
Lagdameo said such scandal, if proven true, only shows the
current administration’s moral bankruptcy.
“With this sort of thing happening, our country is not only
suffering from economic bankruptcy but also moral bankruptcy, disappointingly being shown by our leaders,” he said.
“I encourage and support the plan of our respectable senators to make the appropriate inquiry on the matter of distributing said cash gifts,” he added.
The prelate also said something is fishy into the alleged
pay-off to government officials among whom is priest-turnedpolitician Pampanga governor Ed Panlilio.
“What was the purpose of the cash gifts? Where did they
come from? Who was the personal source of the cash? Were
they for local government projects? Were they for the forthcoming Barangay Elections? Why were they distributed only
to pro-administration local officials? Why not also to the opposition? Who ultimately will profit from these cash gifts?
Are they really gifts or bribes?” Lagdameo asked.
The CBCP head also warned those officials who accepted
the huge amount of money from the Palace.
CBCP questions / A6
© Roy Lagarde / CBCP Media
by Roy Lagarde
INDIGENOUS PEOPLES’ SUNDAY, October 14. In the legal arena, the indigenous peoples may have triumphed in pushing the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act in 1997 and other international
laws that gained them recognition to their rights as people and their title to their ancestral domain, but today they still find themselves locked up in a struggle for ethnic and racial survival.
Church asks new approach to criminal justice
THE Roman Catholic Church renewed
calls for a new approach to crime and
punishment focusing on “restorative justice.”
Puerto Princesa Bishop Pedro Arigo,
head of the CBCP-Episcopal Commission on Prison Pastoral Care (ECPPC)
made the appeal yesterday for the people
to veer away from retributive justice.
“Recent events show that crime has
escalated. Yet the traditional means of
Ilocos bishop
blames officials for
jueteng resurgence
JUETENG is alive in Ilocos provinces because some local officials
and even law enforcers are supporting it, a Church official said.
Laoag bishop Sergio Utleg alleged that some of these officials
were even running the illegal
numbers game themselves and
stepping up operations.
“They are in favor of jueteng of
course because they profit from
it,” he said.
Utleg said they are planning to
release another pastoral statement
against jueteng to show their continuous opposition and remind
the people about its negative impact to society.
“Jueteng is bad because it promotes graft and corruption and
disrespect for the law. It really has
to be stopped,” he said.
In another development,
Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop
Oscar Cruz yesterday hailed Manila mayor Alfredo Lim in his effort to stop jueteng operations in
his jurisdiction.
“In Manila I know there’s no
jueteng,” said Cruz who heads the
Krusadang Bayan Laban sa Sugal
(People’s Crusade Against Gambling).
But the prelate said Lim’s effort
should continue because jueteng
and other forms of illegal gambling remained pervasive in other
areas.
“I will encourage anybody to do
away with it because jueteng is an
exploitation of the people,” he also
said. (Roy Lagarde)
dealing with such crime seem unable to
bring about reconciliation and healing,”
he said.
Arigo urged the faithful to adopt a justice that heals, stressing that the gravity
of a crime, does not call for a severe penalty that entails the ancient rule of “an
eye for an eye, a life for a life.”
Besides appropriately punishing the
offender, the concept of restorative justice focuses on offering the chance for
reformation of a criminal.
He said criminal justice system must
not be built upon a philosophy of retribution, focusing mainly upon punishment flowing from feelings of revenge.
“A negative philosophy will produce
negative results,” he said.
In celebration of the 20th Prison
Awareness Sunday on October 28, the
CBCP challenges the said means of dealing with criminals on the basis that it is
“negative” and “usually counterproductive.”
“We hold that compassion, mercy,
healing, sanction where appropriate and
forgiveness leading to reconciliation lie
at the heart of a fair and just criminal
justice system,” said Arigo.
“Even the worst of offenders remain
children of God. We are called to discover the face of Christ among them,”
he added. (CBCPNews)
Faith-based groups score Bishop lauds USAID pullout
‘illegitimate debts’
of contraceptives
VARIOUS faith-based groups criticized the government for setting
a bad example over debts.
Representatives from different
religious groups, academe and
other civil organizations gathered
yesterday in a Faith-Based Congress Against Illegitimate Debt at
the Maryhill School of Theology
in Quezon City.
Drawing its inspiration from
the Scriptures, the meeting aimed
to unify faith-based groups and individuals on the illegitimacy of
debts.
In their joint statement, they declared that not all debts are legitimate and the high level of borrowing for wrong purposes are risky
for the soul of society and should
be reined in.
They said that debts that came
from anomalous transactions, under onerous terms and were incurred to finance anti-people development are deemed illegitimate.
The participants vowed to
mount a grassroots’ effort to spur
the government to act on the issue of “illegitimate debts.”
Specifically, they called on public officials to implement policies,
laws and actions that will lead to
ending of illicit debts.
“Foremost among our social ills
is the debt trap we find ourselves
in. Heavily into debt, we are
forced into economic conditions
that perpetuate dependency and
poverty, so much so we can hardly
pay the interest of these loans,”
they said.
To date, the statement said, an
average of 30-40 percent of the national budget is used to pay for
government loans, “thus shrinking the funds used for social services and those needed for economic development.
“In truth, we have been in debt
for more than forty years now!
Our children’s children will forever be in debt,” the statement
read.
Fr. Ben Moraleda, CSsR, of
Kaalagad Katipunang Kristiyano and
also the Freedom from Dept Coalition (FDC) vice president, said
the debt problem turned worse
when corruption and injustices
entered the picture.
“This situation has become unchristian and immoral! Therefore,
illegitimate debts are immoral!”
the priest said.
Institute for Studies in Asian
Church and Culture (ISACC)
president Dr. Melba Maggay,
meanwhile, stressed the moral dimensions of the dept problem.
As vice-chair of the Micah Challenge Philippines campaign, she
shared that the Evangelical Christians, a largely conservative community, are becoming involved in
social and economic issues by focusing on debt cancellation and
responsible governance.
She also encouraged other faithbased groups to work towards alFaith-based / A6
A CATHOLIC prelate could
not help but ‘praise the Lord’
as an American international
agency known for its active
role in population control
plans to stop giving free contraceptives in the Philippines.
San Fernando Archbishop
Paciano Aniceto, who chairs
the Episcopal Commission on
Family and Life (ECFL) of the
Catholic Bishops’ Conference
of the Philippines (CBCP),
said the Church opposed all
forms of artificial contraceptives.
“Praise the Lord! …Because
by promoting contraception
you do not eliminate poverty
by weakening and killing the
poor,” he told Church reporters.
Aniceto said using contraceptive is “immoral”, as he
vowed a continued fight
against massive depopulation agenda of some political
leaders.
The senior bishop has been
saying that contraceptive
mentality is not the way to
promote authentic development for the country.
“It should come out from a
real serious economic management and proper economic planning of our country,” he said.
The United States Agency
for International Development (USAID) said it would
end its free supply of contraceptives for the country soon.
The USAID in fact has already stopped giving
condoms since 2004 and plans
to cut the rest of its donation
of other birth control products next year.
The agency, which is the
main supplier of contraceptives in the country for the
past 30 years, said its phase
out is in line with the
government’s promotion of
natural family planning.
Bishop / A6
Religious group ready to
help victims of repression
THE country’s influential religious congregations are ready to help victims of human rights
violations under administration of President
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
The Association of Major Religious Superiors of the Philippines (AMRSP) yesterday
called on civil society groups to notify them
about reports of oppression for them to act
soonest.
The call was made by AMRSP co-chairperson Fr. Jess Malit, SSS, in a press conference
held right after the Eucharistic celebration of
the Indigenous Peoples (IP) Sunday in Baclaran
Church.
“Continue reporting to us that we may able
also to respond accordingly. We can assure
you that we are one with you in your
struggles,” he said.
The group has long been saying they have
been consistent in their concern for victims of
human rights violations.
The AMRSP, formed in 1972, is the joint forum of the Association of Major Religious Superiors of Men (AMRSMP) and the Association of Major Religious Superiors of Men
(AMRSWP) in the Philippines both founded in
1955 and 1957 respectively.
Religious / A6
World News
A2
”Kidnapped” by
Christ and the poor:
Fr. Bossi tells his
story in a book
MILAN, Italy, October 16, 2007—Much has
been written of Father Giancarlo Bossi and
of his kidnapping. Up until now, however,
what has been missing is a portrait of the
man in his daily life, a profile of this missionary capable of delving into the reasons
for his missionary choice and the secret of
his witness of the faith. Now, this void has
been filled by a book, “Rapito” (Kidnapped),
published by Editrice Missionaria Italiana (EMI)
on sale in bookshops (pp. 128, 10 Euro), in
which Father Bossi gives an account of his
life and of himself.
The subtitle reads: “Forty days in the hands
of rebels, a lifetime in the hands of God”. It
is further developed in the preface by PIME
Superior General Father Gian Battista Zanchi:
“Fr Bossi’s kidnapping takes on a deeper
meaning when read in the light of the missionary vocation which brought Giancarlo
to the Philippines (had it been otherwise, it
would merely have been the case of a misadventure with a happy ending).
At the same time the ‘extreme’ experience
of the kidnapping itself throws light on ‘daily’
missionary life. Before having been kidnapped by a band of delinquents, Father
Giancarlo—he himself says so—was spiritually ‘kidnapped’ by the radical nature of the
Gospel and Christ’s appeal ‘Go throughout
the world’ and to the poor, who are the privileged. The kidnapping therefore can no
longer be read as an unpleasant incident
along the way, but rather as a milestone in a
much longer journey: the missionary journey”.
In the book, Father Bossi re-evokes the
beginning of his missionary vocation. Starting from the family hearth of Abbiategrasso,
he retraces his 27 years of missions in the
Philippines, during which he touched the
lives of diverse peoples, experiencing both
the love and solidarity of the ordinary people
and the hostility of the fundamentalists.
The book is much more than a diary of his
captivity, an experience which Father
Giancarlo in spite of everything comes to
judge as “a time of grace”, almost as an Exodus of purification and a return to the essentials. Fr. Bossi is categorical in regarding the
motives behind the kidnapping: money and
not anti-Christian persecution. Regarding his
kidnappers he says: “Simple criminals, they
did not do it because they were Muslims.
ROME, October 15, 2007—The Holy See suspended a priest who declared himself a homosexual on an Italian television program.
Monsignor Tommaso Stenico, who worked
at the Congregation for Clergy, is being investigated by the Disciplinary Commission
of the Roman Curia.
The 60-year-old priest claims he is the victim of a trap set by the television station.
Cardinal Julián Herranz Casado, president
of the Disciplinary Commission, confirmed
the suspension today in the Italian daily La
Repubblica.
The cardinal affirmed that the Holy See
“has promptly intervened already, with suspension,” but noted that a final decision will
only come with a decision from the commission.
Cardinal Herranz asked that investigators
be allowed to work “with serenity […] away
from the clamoring of the media” as they try
to clarify the situation, “since the process
should not be done in the newspapers, but
rather by the institutional structures.”
“The Holy See is the first one to be interested
in cleansing itself from within, but always respecting human rights and after judicial authority pronounces itself,” he continued.
The cardinal affirmed that with these kinds
of cases, there is certainly “sadness, but one
must be aware that these are exceptional cases,
I would even dare to say, unique.”
During the Italian program “Exit,” broadcast Oct. 1, the priest, who remained anonymous on-screen, declared that he was homosexual and that “he didn’t feel he was in sin.”
The priest said he was not aware that the
interview was being recorded. Despite the
fact that in the television images, the priest’s
face and voice are unrecognizable, his office
was identified by a reporter and on Oct. 9,
Monsignor Stenico was accused.
The Muslim-criminal equation is wrong”.
And yet in spite of all of this, the book—
complete with pages of great beauty in which
the missionary reflects on forgiving his kidnappers—is not without reflections, at times
provocative, on Islam and the commitment
to dialogue. This, for Fr. Bossi must begin
with mutual respect, “otherwise it is not authentic”.
Complete with photo inserts and a dossier
on the reality of Mindanao by Stefano
Vecchia, the book is enriched by the testimony of Pino Scaccia, the correspondent who
followed Fr. Bossi’s odyssey first-hand and
an introduction by Gerolamo Fazzini, co director of Mondo e Missione. (AsiaNews)
The monsignor, a doctor of theology with
a licentiate in psychology, has worked as a
psychotherapist for 30 years. He said he
claimed to be homosexual because he was
seeking information “to write a book about
the problem of homosexuality among
priests.”
Monsignor Stenico added: “Definitely, it was
nothing more than an experiment, a study
about the theme, and I have fallen in the trap,
but I will explain it to my superiors.”
Vatican spokesman Jesuit Father Federico
Lombardi said on Saturday that officials “are
following this situation with strict discretion
and with respect for the person concerned,
even if this person committed these errors.”
He clarified, “The authorities, however,
must intervene with the appropriate severity for such behavior, which is incompatible
with the ministry of a priest and the mission
of the Holy See.” (Zenit)
Fatima opens “one of the world’s largest churches” in
time for 90th anniversary
grimage sites in the world.
The Church of the Holy Trinity, built to accommodate the estimated 5 million annual pilgrims to Fatima, can hold nearly
9,000 people. Its interior measures 130,000 square feet, containing five chapels, fifty confessionals, and a cafe. It will be decorated with an enormous mural
of the New Jerusalem, and the
walls will bear passages from the
Bible in twenty-three languages.
Pope Benedict XVI delivered a
live televised message to
congregants on Sunday, the 90th
anniversary of the final apparition of the Virgin Mary.
The Blessed Mother appeared
to three shepherd children over
a six-month period in 1917. She
counseled prayers for those in
danger of hell and for the conversion of Russia. She also conveyed a vision that some interpret to have prophesied the assassination attempt on Pope John
Paul II, who himself credited Our
Lady of Fatima with saving his
life.
Two of the children, Francisco
Marto and his sister Jacinta, have
been beatified. The third visionary, Lucia, became a nun and died
two years ago.
The new church’s low-slung
profile complements the existing
basilica by not overshadowing
the older structure. (CNA)
500 Spanish martyrs to be beatified
VATICAN, October 10, 2007—In
St Peter’s Square in Rome, there
will be the largest number of beatification in Church history,
among them almost 500 martyrs
of religious persecution in Spain
in the 1930s.
Fr Juan Antonio Martínez
Camino, spokesman of the Spanish Bishops’ Conference said during a conference on 5 October in
Rome at the Pontifical
Agustinianum Institute called
“The century of martyrs and religious persecution in Spain (19341939)”, this beatification “will be
an extraordinary event and a reminder that the testimony of
martyrs is a great sign of hope”.
Fr Martínez Camino said the
celebration will be exceptional
for three reasons: the number of
the Blessed “never have so many
servants of God been beatified
together: this is the most numerous beatification in Church history”; the organization: this is
the first experience of networking among the various postulators, and with the Congregation
for the Causes of Saints; from the
pastoral point of view because
“practically all the dioceses in
Spain, because of the place of
birth, apostolic life, or martyrdom of the new Blessed, are the
main actors of this great celebration of faith and holiness”.
Although it is the most numerous beatifications in history
every case has been given careful individual attention.
With these new Blesseds a total 977 Spanish martyrs have
Vol. 11 No. 21
October 15 - 28, 2007
The AP mistakenly
reports that Pope
approves of ‘therapeutic
cloning’
Holy See suspends embroiled Monsignor
FATIMA, Portugal, October 15,
2007—One of the largest churches
in the world was dedicated on
Sunday in Fatima, Portugal one
of the most popular Marian pil-
CBCP Monitor
been recognized by the Church,
and 11 of them are already
Saints. “Many more cases could
be proposed” said the spokesman of the Spanish Bishops’
Conference, because in Spain at
that time about 10,000 people
were martyred. Processes of beatification have already been
started for about 2,000.
Fr Camino said nearly every
Spanish Bishop will be present
for the occasion. “They all, with
their respective diocesan
Churches, feel involved in the
event” and “they thank the Holy
Father for allowing this beatification to take place in Rome”.
The
celebration
will
“strengthen the faith of Spanish
Catholics at this time of great
difficulty and enable them to be
builders of justice and reconciliation in the light of the testimony of our martyrs, witness of
faith and forgiveness”.
Among those present at the
academic act, Andrea Riccardi,
founder of the S. Egidio Community, and Vicente Cárcel Ortí,
scholar in History of the Church
in Spain, who said that religious
persecution in that epoch “was
the most widely known in the
history of Spain and perhaps in
the history of the whole
Church”.
He also recalled that “Pope
Pius XI, in his encyclical
Dilectissima nobis 3 June 1933, denounced to the world the situation of authentic religious persecution being experienced by
the Church in Spain “. (Fides)
PHILADELPHIA, USA, October
15, 2007—While gaffes by the
secular press covering religion
are somewhat common and often humorous, they usually
aren’t as bad as the Associated
Press’ latest error. On Friday, AP
reporter Nicole Winfield incorrectly wrote that Pope Benedict
XVI supports therapeutic cloning.
The article accurately states
that Pope Benedict XVI has asked
the South Koreans not to resume
embryonic stem cell research,
now that the scandal caused by
Hwang Woo-suk is receding
from their collective memory.
Hwang claimed to have cloned
human embryos and was lauded
as a national hero until his work
was proved to be fraudulent.
At the end of Winfield’s article,
she states: “Benedict noted that
the Vatican does not oppose—
and in fact encourages—somatic
stem cell research, also known as
‘therapeutic cloning’, which uses
human eggs specifically for research from which stem cells are
harvested.”
The National Catholic Bioethics Center (NCBC) reacted to
Winfield’s mistake saying, “This
is false. Ms. Winfield has con-
fused the terms. The Catholic
Church does support “somatic”
stem cell research, if by this
Winfield means adult stem cell
research. The Church is resolutely opposed to “therapeutic
cloning,” which is the production
of a cloned human being solely
for the purpose of destroying
him or her in research.”
The AP was also taken to task
for failing to pick up on a key
point of the Pope’s address in
their headline: “Pope to South
Korea: No Stem Cell Research.”
The NCBC pointed out that,
“[i]f the Church encourages adult
stem cell research, as Winfield
notes, how can it be true to say
that the Pope told the South Koreans ‘no stem cell research’?”
According to the NCBC, this is
more than an editorial error,
“This is a clear example of bias.”
“The media casts the Church’s
position in absolute terms, ignoring her careful distinction between licit and illicit forms of
research.” The Pope has not told
the South Koreans “no stem cell
research.” Rather, he has encouraged the pursuit of ethical stem
cell research,” said the bioethics
group. (CNA)
Oblate missionary
murdered in South Africa
JOHANNESBURG, October 12,
2007—The Oblate novitiate community in South Africa and the
Northern Province are mourning
the death of the Associate Novice Master, Fr. Allard Msheyene
Mako shot and killed by roadside
carjackers on October 5.
The 42 year-old Oblate priest,
ordained in 2003, had gone to
lend weekend help at St. Peter’s
parish in Nelspruit. After celebrating a Friday evening liturgy
at 6 pm in Ka Nyamazane, he took
a young man home and returned
to the parish.
A short time later, he was
found lying by the road at
Msogwaba township, and was
taken at 7.30pm by ambulance to
Themba Hospital, Kabokweni.
He was soon transferred to a
larger hospital in Nelspruit,
where he underwent emergency
surgery. He was conscious and
recognized those who spoke to
him, and at that stage could give
some response.
The bullet had done its fatal damage, however. Fr Zweli Mlotshwa,
anointed him at 5:30 Saturday
morning, October 6. Fr.Allard died
a couple of hours later.
Just a few days earlier, he was
in a jovial mood as he and the
novitiate community visited the
Intercapitular meeting in session
north of Johannesburg. He
laughed and joked with Oblates
who were his friends from his
days at the International
Scholasticate in Rome.
His death leaves a void, not
only in the hearts of those who
knew and loved him, but also in
the pastoral plan of his province
where he had revived the vocation apostolate and was being
prepared for further formation
work. The Interchapter meeting
will suspend its work to attend
his funeral Mass on Thursday,
October 11, at the Oblate parish
in Victory Park.
Car-jacking in South Africa is
widespread with more than
12,000 cases every year, although
in recent years have diminished
slightly in number after reaching
a peak of 16,000 in 1998. (Fides)
Pope calls for full
communion between
Catholics and orthodox
VATICAN CITY, October 10,
2007¯At the end of today’s general audience at St. Peter’s
Square, the Pope recalled how
“the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between Catholics and
Orthodox is currently holding
its 10th plenary assembly in
Ravenna, Italy, where it is deliberating upon a theological
subject of particular ecumenical
interest: the ecclesiological and
canonical consequences of the
sacramental nature of the
Church—ecclesial communion,
conciliarity and authority.”
“I ask you to join me in my
prayer,” said the Holy Father,
“that this important gathering
may help us to progress towards full communion between
Catholics and Orthodox, and
that we may soon be able to
share the one chalice of the
Lord.” (VIS)
Muslim scholars send
note to Pope
LONDON, October 12, 2007—
Muslim scholars have written to
Benedict XVI and the heads of
Christian churches to propose
that the two faiths cooperate in
creating peace and understanding
in the world.
Thursday’s text comes a year
after 38 Muslim scholars sent an
open letter to the Pope in the wake
of his address given at the University of Regensburg in September. The discourse had sparked
controversy among some Muslim
circles.
The 138 signatories of this
year’s letter offer an open invitation to Christians to unite with
Muslims over what is most essential to their respective faiths—the
commandment of love.
With over a half of the world’s
population consisting of Muslims
and Christians, the letter’s authors
believe that easing world tensions
can only come from peace and justice between these two faiths.
The document calls for tolerance, understanding and moderation, and is signed by Muslim
leaders, politicians and academics. (Zenit)
CBCP Monitor
News Features
Vol. 11 No. 21
October 15 - 28, 2007
A3
The many faces of World Mission Sunday
Cardinal says Africa has duty to help Europe
For example, the cardinal continued, “proclaiming the Gospel
may require some structural support, as in India, Latin America,
and Africa.”
“Also, there are places where
proclaiming the Gospel will take
the form of the simple presence
of witnesses, as in northern Africa and the Middle East; for instance, something as simple as
carrying a Bible. In this case, the
testimony is in the form of the
witnesses’ lives and what they
do,” he added.
Cardinal Turkson continued:
“In China, and places like this,
people may have an opportunity
to say something, but it is limited, so new ways must be discovered.
“Mission is ways of doing all of
these. The same thing applies here
in the West. Here also we can do
mission, though not in the same
form as elsewhere. Here in the
United Kingdom there are actually too many churches. So different forms must be used to present
a new proclamation of what the
Gospel message is.”
Sharing in need
Cardinal Turkson said he believes Africa has a duty to support the Church in Europe.
The 59-year-old cardinal explained that just as Europe was
generous in its missionary outreach to Africa, so now the Church
in Africa must be equally forthcoming in sharing in the worldwide mission of the Church.
While Ghana has one priest for
every 2,400 Catholics, Cardinal
Turkson highlighted that “we are
not talking about sharing personnel, since we don’t have a surplus,
but a recognition that we are a
world Church—a Church together.
As much as possible we must re-
spond to people’s needs because we
see what our brother needs. If this
is what is needed in Europe, this is
something we can share.”
Cardinal Turkson places heavy
weight upon formation to bring
future priests to a more mature
faith that they can bring to their
parishioners.
“So very crucial, which may
have been a problem of Europe,
is this type of evangelization,” the
cardinal explained.
In Africa, he continued, “we
have been the product of missionary evangelization. They did their
best in putting together the essentials of the faith that they tried to
share with the people.”
“But people where admitted to
the Church because they were
taught notions they considered
indicative of what the Catholic
faith was about and merely recited what they had to,” he emphasized.
What the Pauline Year is all about
ROME, October 9, 2007—Next
year’s jubilee for the 2,000th anniversary of St. Paul’s birth will
offer pilgrims the opportunity to
gain a plenary indulgence.
Father Oliviero Plichon, the
coordinator of the Pauline Year
who works in close collaboration with Cardinal Andrea
Cordero Lanza di Montezemolo,
archpriest of the Basilica of St.
Paul’s Outside the Walls, said
this when speaking with ZENIT
about the events planned for
next year’s jubilee.
“We don’t know exactly
which year St. Paul was born,”
explained Father Plichon, “but
the experts say that they date is
between A.D. 5 and 10.”
Father Plichon said that when
Cardinal Lanza di Montezemolo
presented the idea to Cardinal
Angelo Sodano, the Pope’s secretary of state at the time, and
then to Benedict XVI, the Holy
Father welcomed the idea with
interest and gave permission for
the dates of the Pauline Year to
be set.
The Pauline Year, beginning
on June 28, 2008, and ending on
June 29, 2009, will include a
myriad of events in areas of
ecumenism, liturgy, prayer, art,
history, archaeology, pastoral
initiatives and pilgrimages.
The Basilica of St. Paul’s Outside the Walls, which welcomes
between 2,500 and 4,000 pilgrims
a day, will open its jubilee door
and will host a special liturgy
each Tuesday and Thursday afternoon.
Pilgrims will be able to pass
through the Pauline Door, pray
at St. Paul’s tomb and at the
chains of St. Paul, go to confession, participate in Mass and vespers in order to receive a plenary
indulgence.
The left nave of the basilica
will be reserved for exhibits, including depictions of St. Paul’s
voyages, excavations, letters, the
building’s history, and commemorative stamps and medals
made for the jubilee year.
Two concerts will be performed for the event. Handel’s
Pope Benedict XVI visits the crypt of St. Paul the Apostle during Vesper prayers at
the Basilica of St. Paul's Outside the Walls, in Rome. (© Osservatore Romano/
POOL/Corbis)
“Messiah” will be performed and
directed by Lorin Maazel for the
opening of the Pauline Year.
For Easter Sunday, 2009, Gustav
Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, “The
Resurrection,” will be preformed
and directed by Zubin Mehta.
For pilgrims visiting Rome,
there will be a Pauline “pilgrim-
age” within the city to places connected with St. Paul’s life, including the Basilica of St. Paul’s Outside the Walls, the Church of St.
Paul of the Rule, where he was
said to have lived and the Basilica
of the Three Fountains, where
tradition says he was beheaded.
(Zenit)
Church supportive of agrarian reform program
“THE Church has remained
supportive
of
the
government’s comprehensive
agrarian reform program
since it began 19 years ago,”
said Cagayan de Oro Archbishop Antonio Ledesma, S.J.
In an interview aired at
Catholic-run Veritas 846, Archbishop Ledesma said he and
the entire Catholic leadership
in the Philippines hope small
farmers would eventually own
the land they till.
Archbishop Ledesma is
Catholic Bishops Conference
of the Philippines’ Vice President.
He said the agrarian reform
law provisions are enough
“and what’s needed is implementation.” He explained
farmers have sought the assistance of the Catholic Bishops
Conference of the Philippines
to have the implementation
program extended beyond
2008.
Archbishop Ledesma said
farmers are wary of the RPChina deal on the propagation
of hybrid rice which requires
over a million hectares on areas previously covered by
agrarian reform.
Asked why agrarian reform
program appear to have failed
in the rural areas, the prelate
said “it is possibly due to the
weakness of the Department of
Agrarian Reform and lack of
pressure from other support
groups, church groups included.”
He explained the Second Rural Congress scheduled early
next year would bring to the
fore the real situation in the
countryside.
He concluded that while
they support CARP’s extension, “the law should be
amended to plug its loopholes
and assure everyone of a more
vigorous implementation.”
(Melo Acuña)
Sacred Music: an integral part of liturgy
cred Music, and by Msgr.
Valentin Miserachs Grau,
president of the institute. The
Holy Father paused a few moments before the Blessed Sacrament in the institute’s
church before moving on to
the library, which has also
been restored recently.
In his brief address Benedict
XVI highlighted the fact that sacred music, as Vatican Council
II had made clear, “is a treasure
of inestimable value, greater
even than that of any other art.
The main reason for this preeminence is that, as sacred song
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united to the words, it forms a
necessary or integral part of the
solemn liturgy.”
John Paul II, said Pope
Benedict, “observed that today, as always, three characteristics distinguish sacred
music: its ‘sanctity,’ its ‘true
art,’ and its ‘universality,’ in
other words the fact that it can
be presented to any people or
assembly.
“Precisely for this reason,”
he added, “the ecclesial authorities must undertake to
guide ... the development of
such an important form of
○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ ○ ○ ○ ○
VATICAN CITY, October 13,
2007—This morning, Benedict
XVI visited the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music, the
headquarters of which has recently been completely refurbished, at the initiative of the
Holy See and thanks to the support of various benefactors including the “Fondazione pro
Musica Sacra e Arte Sacra.”
At his arrival, the Pope was
welcomed by Cardinal Zenon
Grocholewski, prefect of the
Congregation for Catholic
Education and chancellor of
the Pontifical Institute of Sa-
music, not by ‘freezing’ its
heritage but by seeking to
combine the legacy of the past
with the worthwhile novelties
of the present, so as to achieve
a synthesis worthy of the exalted mission [sacred music]
has in the service of God.
“I am certain, “Benedict XVI
concluded, “that the Pontifical
Institute of Sacred Music, in
harmony with Congregation
for Divine Worship, will not
fail to contribute to an
‘aggiornamento’ ... of the precious traditions of which sacred music is so rich.” (VIS)
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“If a priest has to preach about
conversion, he cannot do it if he
himself has not experienced it, if
it is missing in his life,” explained
the African cardinal.
He continued, “The people then
leave the Church and enter other
groups, like the evangelicals, because they did not have a deepening of their faith. The people
learned a few notions and concepts, but not about the offer of
God’s love, and the richness of
what the Church has to offer.”
“What is needed is the experience of God’s love for us in Christ
Jesus, not just to be talked about
but lived and experienced. When
this is the case, something is lasting in the experience of the person,” Cardinal Turkson added.
“We need to discover new pathways of inviting people—not
simply philosophizing—to enter
into a relationship with God.”
(Zenit)
Pope ‘hopeful’
about RP Church
“TO you (people) of the Philippines, you are the number one
missionaries of the world,” Daet
Bishop Gilbert Garcera quoted
the Pope as saying during an orientation seminar given to newlyordained bishops in Rome.
Garcera said Benedict XVI is
“hopeful” in emphasizing how
the Philippines can respond to the
Catholic Church’s missionary
work especially through Filipinos abroad.
The Pope received a total of 103
prelates, six of them from the
Philippines, in a gathering of new
bishops in Castelgandolfo last
September 22.
Aside from Garcera, the Filipino prelates who attended the
event were Bishops Leopoldo
Jaucian of Bangued, Julius Tonel
of the Prelature of Ipil, Crispin
Varquez of Borongan and Auxiliary Bishops Ricardo Baccay of
Tuguegarao and Francisco De
Leon of Antipolo.
It has become a tradition for
recently consecrated bishops to
be called by the Pope to Rome
for an orientation to their Episcopal ministry.
During the orientation, the
Pope stressed the important roles
of a bishop as “the shepherd, man
of faith and man of holiness.”
The Pontiff reminded them of
their role in inspiring the whole
Church, particularly the clergy,
who in turn lead and care for the
lay people.
He took the bishops through a
10-minute reflection giving them
a “key” to success in their mission—that they must be, above
all, men of prayer.
In praying, Benedict told the
bishops that they should have “the
trust of children, the boldness of a
friend, and the perseverance of
Abraham, who was tireless in his
intercession.”
“Prayer educates us to love and
opens our hearts to pastoral charity to welcome all those who look
to the bishop,” he said.
The Pope also told the prelates
to keep praying for new vocations.
He called on them to reserve a
special mention for priests in their
prayers, “that they may persevere
in their vocation, faithful to the
priestly mission with which they
have been entrusted.”
“In the same way the bishop
must never cease praying for new
vocations. These supplications
must be offered up with persistence to God, until he calls ‘those
he wants’ for the sacred ministry,”
Benedict XVI said. (CBCPNews)
‘Human dignity is
priceless,’ Cruz says
LINGAYEN-DAGUPAN Archbishop Oscar Cruz said it pains
him a lot to hear of stories about
money changing hands, “especially when one’s loyalty is at
stake.”
Speaking over Catholic-run
Veritas 846 , the 73-year old prelate said it has become common
for one to extract loyalty from
perceived supporters and for
someone to sell one’s loyalty to
government leaders. He said
one’s strength would be tested
should he opt to refuse cash being offered by people in influential positions.
Asked of his reactions to reports of at least three provincial
executives, including Catholic
priest-turned Pampanga Governor Eduardo Panlillo received
cash amounting to P500,000.00
each, the archbishop said “what
○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ ○ ○ ○ ○
LONDON, October 16, 2007—
World Mission Sunday is not just
about economic aid to impoverished countries, said an African
cardinal who believes that Africa
has a duty to support the Church
in Europe.
Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah
Turkson, archbishop of Cape
Coast, Ghana, is visiting England
this week to strengthen links between the two countries and highlight the importance of World
Mission Sunday, scheduled to be
observed on Oct. 21.
Cardinal Turkson told ZENIT:
“My first concern is to explain the
vision of the mission in the
Church—this objective is not simply to be equated with development and economic aid in the
south.
“The point of mission is the promotion of the Gospel and faith in
Jesus. This will take many forms
in different countries.”
pains me is the fact nobody’s
strong enough to resist ‘benefits’
from powerful persons.” Governor Panlillo said he will use the
amount for priority programs in
his province.
He said it appears almost everyone has a “price tag.” He
added “if one’s to consider half a
million pesos, it wouldn’t be
enough to make an impact on
public service programs as it is
too small.”
“One cannot just remain noble
in serving the poor and needy
without knowing where the donated money comes from,” he
explained.
Archbishop Cruz said the price
could have been a “bit higher
because what’s involved is one’s
dignity.” He further said, “One’s
dignity is priceless.” (Melo
Acuña)
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CBCP Monitor
Opinion
A4
Vol. 11 No. 21
October 15 - 28, 2007
EDITORIAL
Churches for the World
“EXCHANGE of Gifts” is how the Holy Father sees the generosity
of “missio ad gentes”—and aptly so for if the medium is the
message, as Marshall McLuhan puts it, the missionary lives the
Good News himself or the “gift” that he has become. So that
sending one to other Churches transcends the routinary work
element in the apostolate into a flowering of the faith that defuses
to be shared with others. It is perhaps in this sense that no
missionary becomes burnt-out because he is sent not to work—
in the professional sense of the word—but to share a profound
faith with the end in view of becoming a leaven, a salt and a light.
Pope Benedict XVI in his message for the 81st World Mission
Sunday picks on the theme, “all Churches for all the world.” He
enjoins all local churches of every continent to relaunch missionary
action in the face of the many challenges of the present time which
include a secularized culture, the crisis of the family, the dwindling
number of vocations vis-à-vis the progressive ageing of the
clergy, and the consequent weakening of missionary effort.
The Pontiff says: “…we could say that for the individual members
of the faithful it is no longer merely a matter of collaborating in
evangelizing work but of feeling that they themselves are
protagonists and co-responsible. This co-responsibility entails
the growth of communion between the communities and increases
reciprocal help with regard to the personnel (priests, men and
women religious and lay volunteers) and the use of the means
necessary for evangelization today.”
In the context of missionary co-responsibility and cooperation,
the Philippines has so much to offer to the world. More than the
work of “professional” missionary priests and nuns, the millions
of overseas Filipino workers are “de facto” missionaries that
have shared their faith with other cultures with tremendous
magnitude. This is the reason why Filipino-born faith communities,
such as Couples for Christ, El Shaddai, Bukas Loob sa Diyos and
others, thrive in other countries and fill up churches which,
otherwise, have already been long converted into museums.
Abp. Angel N. Lagdameo, DD
In and Out of Season
With the burgeoning number of Filipinos leaving for other countries
everyday in search of employment, there may not be a workable
system to prepare them to become “de facto” missionaries. But
preparing Catholic Filipinos in every parish to become good and
mature Christians is enough—because missionary work is not a
method or a technique in missiology, but a sharing of one’s life
and faith into becoming a gift for others.
PREVENTION is better than cure; nevertheless it leads inevitably to cure. This is how I
look at the Values and Leadership School and
Heroic Christian Citizenship that the group
of PC Supt. (General) Samson Tucay and of Fr.
Carmelo O. Diola had started with the new
recruits for the Philippine National Police. The
former is the Director of the Police National
Training Institute (PNTI) while the latter is
the Coordinator of “Dilaab” based in Cebu.
In the mind of many people, the PNP was
the second most corrupt agency in government. That picture is changing for the better.
Within six months time, the PNT Institute
offers new police recruits such modules as Life
in the Spirit Seminar (LSS), Basic Bible Seminar (BBS), Heroic Christian Leadership (HCC)
module, Values and Leadership Seminar
(VLS), Empowering Decisions to Change Module. This brings a wind of fresh air in the otherwise rigid military-like training of our public servants in the police force, certainly “igniting spaces of hope” in our already prob-
The Politics of Buying
THERE are some questions that can be legitimately asked about
the more recent events in the country that are begging for credible
answers—if such were still possible. How gross can a national
government become when it buys the loyalty and support of
certain regional and local public officials? How corrupt and
corrupting can an administration display itself by freely and
liberally distributing millions of pesos to many of its minions as
if it owned all the money in the country? How callous can a
national leader become by paying for its greed for power, by
assuring its tenure of might and influence?
With the way someone thinks and acts, it appears that there is no
more distinction between right and wrong, no more difference
between virtue and vice. It looks like some individuals are
considered as having affordable price tags. There appears to be
a calculated and deliberate scheme to bribe certain persons in
order to prop up a miserable credibility and lost respectability.
Anything at any cost for whatever amount—all these are considered
fair and square on proviso only that egoistic interests could be duly
promoted, and selfish motives accordingly safeguarded.
And more questions: Is it to successfully quash impeachment
complaints from 2007 to 2009 at least? Is it already to prepare for
a constitutional change from a bicameral to parliamentary form
of government especially through a constituent assembly? Is it
this an early preparation for the approval of such a change through
the loyal response of the local officials plus an election to the
parliament for continuing hold on power from 2010?
It was not enough that there was one scam after another since
2004. It was neither enough that there was that recent shameless
ZTE deal. It is not even enough that even the supposedly marvelous
cyberspace education project is already the object of either
objection or decision. There is this concluded series of someone
buying, others selling, bought and bribed.
It is almost certain that the poor people of the Philippines have
definitely not heard the last of such serious socio-moral aberrations.
It can be safely said that there will be others—perhaps more
errant, odious and disastrous.
In the meantime, fund sources are bottomless so that the spread
of scandal, corruption and more anomalies, are easily bought and
silenced day after day—or so it seems.
Issues and Concerns
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Pinky B. Barrientos, FSP Kris P. Bayos
DURING the past two months, Metro Manila’s
shopping malls started playing Christmas carols to entice Filipinos to begin thinking of commodities to buy for the Christmas season. In
fact, some companies have already paid their
staff the second half of their 13th month pay to
make it easier for them to dispense with Christmas bonuses come early November.
Even the country’s economic planners expressed optimism over the unusual strength of
the Philippine peso, enough to bring overseas
Filipino workers wondering whether they
should still remit hard-earned dollars home.
The recent news developments revealed we
really have ample supply of money. In fact, if
one’s to believe news reports and personal accounts of lawmakers and local government
executives, the administration is full of cash it
has so much to hand out to whoever is “worthy” of their “blessings.” It’s Christmas everyday!
The recent events brought about by the ZTE
scam (which was eventually scrapped) and attempt to convincingly “coerce” Anakpawis Con-
ish priests in order to develop further their
formation in Christian life. The priests as well
as the parish organizations can lend them their
pastoral and evangelizing experience. Some
of the graduates of the PNT Institute can also
become lay ministers. The Bukas Loob Covenant Community has given some of the recruits of PNT Institute marriage encounter.
Something good for the PNP families, too.
To make their experience an evangelizing
experience, one initial step would be to motivate the graduates of the PNT Institute to share
their values and leadership experiences with
the parish communities where they are stationed. Such will develop and enhance mutual trust, based on pro-active rather than reactive relationship. Goodness begets goodness… the power to unite!
I encourage this healthy initiative which I
consider as a step towards a new image of policemen. I congratulate the Leadership of the
Philippine National Police for allowing and
empowering this initiative among their ranks.
Bp. Guillermo V. Afable, DD
DADITAMA
toral reforms that has been on the peoples’
agenda for years, but left unheeded by government officials? Whatever is the real reason,
there seems to be no excitement about this coming elections.
I, for one, was in favor of the postponement
of elections; for two reasons. The most compelling reason for me is the sad state of our
electoral processes and the ineptitude and lack
of integrity of the very institution mandated
and funded to ensure honest, peaceful and orderly elections. As it is right now, we cannot
expect the COMELEC to conduct credible elections. It is simply an exercise of futility. What
we need first, is electoral reforms and the reconstruction of the COMELEC.
Second, grassroots democracy is not working. What we have is still the tyranny of the
aristocracy, where the grassroots remain perpetually dependent on and marginalized by
the rich, powerful and famous for their own
selfish interests. What is required is no less
than a grassroots’ cultural and moral revolution—a massive and relentless education, mo-
Melo M. Acuña
ISSN 1908-2940
P r o ta g o n i s t
lematic situation. I would call it a “redeeming
factor”¯ in the midst of the bad news about
police men, here is a piece of good news.
It is encouraging to know that there are some
3,000 graduates of the PNT Institute, some of
them belong to the government agencies,
many are out-of-school youth, but majority
are recruits for the Philippine National Police. The Institute envisions to spread through
the 17 regions, with more than 500 in-house
staff members and a swarm of volunteers from
organizations and associations who have the
capability of offering help in the transmission
of the modules. The seminars are anchored on
the vision of a God-Centered, Service-Oriented
and Family-Based PNP.
Anything that is for the common good of the
country has “Power to Unite”, and to build.
Evil intentions and projects tainted with selfish
interest have “power to divide”, and to destroy.
The Police National Training Institute, with
its graduates hopes to start a working-relationship with parish organizations and par-
Barangay, SK Elections
2007
AS I write this piece, we are two weeks away
from the Barangay and SK elections. There
seems to be no more stopping the elections of
October 29.
No less than the acting chairman of the
COMELEC, Resurrecion Borra, admits on national television last October 15, that the
Barangay and SK grassroots democracy, though
by law should not be partisan, has been, since
the beginning, highly politicized under the
strong influence of the powerful political kingpins and their operators. Expecting violations
of the law, Chairman Borra, in the same program, appealed to the citizenry to be vigilant
so that violations of the electoral laws may at
least be minimized.
Although I had said in previous articles that
Daditama would be quite active in the upcoming elections, this does not seem to be the case.
Two weeks from the elections, there has been
no observable extensive mobilization of
church people as in previous national and local elections. Do we sense fatigue here? Futility and frustration, due to lack of genuine elec-
Towards a new image
of the police
bilization and organization of peoples for good
governance and entrepreneurship. Our BECs
should be in the forefront of this movement
and crusade.
Mindanao Sulu Pastoral Conference
Daditama BECs have already sent the results
of their focused group discussions on moral
values of BEC members. At least ten participants from each diocese in Daditama are expected
to participate in this triennial church convention to be held on October 22-26, 2007, in the
Diocese of Surigao.
The Bishops in Mindanao will have their
annual recollection prior to the said convention to be held also in the Diocese of Surigao
hosted by Bishop Antonieto Cabajog. During
the said gathering of Bishops, two other regional events will most likely be discussed
namely the Mindanao Catechists’ Convention held
in Butuan City last August 17-21, 2007, and the
ECC Conference on the Impact of Mass Media on
Filipino Family values held in Cagayan de Oro
City last September 21-23, 2007.
‘Hallelujah’ chorus and
some ‘miracles’
gressman Crispin Beltran to endorse an impeachment complaint against President Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo to the recent P500,000 “cash
gifts” to Governors Ed Panlillio and Jonjon
Mendoza of Pampanga and Bulacan, respectively, would show there’s enormous money
at the disposal of very powerful people.
No less than Archbishop Angel N. Lagdameo
asked direct questions that need explanation:
“What was the purpose of the cash gifts? Where
did they come from? Who was the personal
source of the cash? Were they for local government projects? Were they for the forthcoming
Barangay elections? Why were they distributed only to pro-administration local officials?
Why not also to the opposition? Who ultimately will profit from these cash gifts? Are
they really gifts or bribes?”
If we are to believe Budget and Management
Secretary Nonoy Andaya’s statement his
agency had nothing to do with the releases and
Interior and Local Government Secretary
Ronaldo Puno’s statement ULAP (Union of
Local Authorities of the Philippines) should be
asked to explain about the “gifts” then we could
only conclude “miracles do happen.” If the
cash didn’t come from DBM, it may have come
from PAGCOR, a government-owned and controlled corporation. There’s got to be responsibility, accountability and transparency, right?
The Israelites woke up one morning and discovered manna from heaven. Over in
Malacanang, “unknown angels” hand out gift
bags reeking with cash which senators and congressmen may find it too hot to investigate.
Were these cash gifts (aguinaldo tuwing Pasko) or
bribes (suhol)?
During the feudal days of the panginoong
maylupa, the campesinos would be told to line up
on Christmas to pay respects (homage) and
receive gifts. If one’s to believe that almost all
received cash from the Palace, boy they have
an influential Hallelujah chorus out there.
A friendly suggestion: let the Archdiocese of
Manila’s Office for Extraordinary Visions and
Phenomena look into these strange events. One
thing’s sure: money’s there for the powerful as
there’s less for the common man.
CBCP Monitor
Opinion
Vol. 11 No. 21
October 15 - 28, 2007
Jose B. Lugay
Oscar V. Cruz, DD
Views and Points
NO matter how much or less it is, how crisp
or crumpled it appears, money is basically
intended to buy commodities, to pay for personal effects, to purchase things. Something
is seriously wrong when money is used to
buy persons, to secure their support, gain
their loyalty. It is not true that money is the
root of all evil as it is bad not to have any. It
is the person using money for odious motives and devious designs, who hands out
money for egoist and self-serving purposes,
who is vile—especially so when the money
is not really his or hers.
No matter what is the title given to it, and
how it was distributed, the money thus changing hands is downright bribery. The money
is usually given in cash and in sizable amount
depending on the desired objective and the
stature of the recipient. It can be given in envelopes or in paper bags. But one thing common about bribes is that it is usually given
surreptitiously. And when exposed, the standard approach is either to claim that the money
came from nowhere or given by no one—even
if it amounted to millions of pesos.
So rude. So crude.
But hideous as well are those who sell
themselves, who have prices in exchange for
their otherwise sound value system. They
debase their persons, shame their families,
show their putrid principles. They are the
living images of men and women who sell
their bodies with their souls to those willing
to pay for them. It becomes extremely difficult for others to respect and honor both the
sellers and the buyers. This inglorious and
super-gross transaction has particular relevance to individuals who hold leadership
positions in government and who even demand special treatment in society.
There is really nothing new about such errant practice among a good number of politicians today from the national to the local
levels of government. But the disgusting
event took place recently in a very rude and
crude manner among many presumably honorable men and women in the country. Furthermore, it happened in a place that was
supposed to be hallowed grounds for being
the distinct symbol of national governance
in high moral ground.
When will this disgusting and even bizarre
display of viciousness hand-in-hand with
nonchalance ever stop? It already began in
2004 and lately topped by the ZTE fiasco. And
there was the most recent debacle of the abundant rainfall of millions of pesos in the Palace grounds. And now, immediately after,
was again the tired and tiring call for Charter Change. The means, the manner and the
costs are considered irrelevant provided the
principal mover will be able to continue
holding power and having immunity from
suit.
Where has all decency gone? What happened to the elementary norms of ethics and
the basic mandate of morals? Is there no
more difference between right and wrong,
no more distinction between virtue and vice?
How long can and will the people endure
their poverty and misery vis-à-vis the abundance and opulence of those who precisely
pick their pockets with indirect taxes from
their birth to death?
When will honest and upright governance
come?
Nicolo F. Bernardo
Inculturating the Youth
“AND I, brethren, could not speak to you as to
spiritual people but as to carnal, as babes in
Christ: ‘I fed you with milk and not with solid
food.” (1 Cor 3:1-2).
A missionary devotes himself reaching
out to an estranged fold—learning their foreign language, living their ways, valuing
their peculiar traditions and gifts, and finally, spreading and grounding the Word
through their culture.
Inculturation, as this is called, is the goal
in non-Christian communities, drawing
converts. We hear of apostolates slowly but
surely assimilating the gospel to strange,
unfamiliar frontiers.
But what about inculturating post-Christian communities? There seems to be a need
for pastors who can well immerse themselves, learn the language, and understand
the postmodern culture today, especially the
lifestyles of the youth. Can we not be as interested with youth culture as much as we
are interested with foreign, new cultures?
In delivering the Good News, generation
gap can be a problem, and I think it is more
a problem now than ever before with the
fast-changing technology, information exchange and perpetual migrations that break
the continuities of traditions and values. You
can call this growing problem, “space/time
gaps.” The lacuna has to be bridged by the
more secure and experienced faithful—parents, priests, educators—by keeping themselves updated and responsive to the vast,
divergent, and emerging culture.
For centuries, it would be enough for a
pastor to simply write, deliver sermons,
perform the sacraments, and build social
networks with key figures, with the certainty
that the same ways could be effective and
the same hermeneutics could be recycled all
Lifeguard
over again. But times are calling for new
ways to keep the fold. No conscientious pastor, I think, could simply let himself be left
behind to see his young and vulnerable flock
unable to follow his voice because of their
different language and culture. No faithful
would like his castle of faith swept away
because only the generations past could understand him.
Blame that tempting tendency to turn
one’s generation into one’s comfort zone,
the better-than-thou generation, as if the
Holy Spirit has stopped its work for the generation after. Truth to tell, in many church
activities, young people find it hard to get
and stay in because they feel that many of
the older faithful are not really interested
with them or who find them ignorant or
suspect. It shows in so obvious ways in how
the youth and the old now, more than the
youth and the old before, have totally different cultural make-ups and moral sensibilities. The apparent consequence is the
“aging population” even of believers. This
incidence could be reduced with better communication, sharing of experiences, openness, and exposure.
Possible reflections could be: When is the
last time you devoted yourself listening and
sharing with young people? Do you value
them, their concerns and presence, as much
as you would your own generation in your
movement/community? What is your opinion about the youth’s music, dance, arts, behavior, entertainment, lifestyle? Do you
communicate with them through their medium—the Internet, computers, visuals and
animations, technology, the media? How
do you like to learn things with them? Do
you keep your church young? If the answers
are in the negative, chances are, message
Abp. Antonio J. Ledesma, SJ, DD
Pastoral Companion
MINDANAO, the southern island of the
Philippines, is home to three general cultural groups—the indigenous people communities comprising 18 ethnic groups;
Muslim communities from another 8 ethnic groupings; and the Christian population coming from at least 12 language regions of the country. It is this tri-people
composition that has at times caused intercultured hostilities in several sub-regions
of Mindanao. In particular, the protracted
conflict between Muslims and Christians
has erupted into periods of violence.
At the same time religious leaders have
made repeated calls for promoting a culture of peace wherein warring parties can
lay down their arms—and prejudices—to
build a brighter future for their children.
It is in this light that we can examine six
social concerns in promoting a culture of
peace, which also constitute the foundations
of a Christian ethical framework.
The starting point and core of these social concerns is Human Dignity—i.e., that
every human being is a person endowed
with reason and free will and made in the
image of God. Thus, as the social teachings of the Catholic Church states, “far from
being the object or passive element of social life,” the human person “is rather, and
must always remain, its subject, foundation and goal”.
The first social concern is Personal and
Family Integrity. Wholeness and fullness
of life are goals for every individual as well
as for every family. These can be more
readily attained through value formation
and a deepened spirituality—vis-à-vis the
mass media values of materialism and consumerism.
A second social concern for forging a culture of peace is promoting Human Rights
A5
channels are down. No understanding possible, only skewed judgments.
In the battle for values at the level of institutions—the law, the hierarchy, the government, with the professional and influential adults, let us not forget the battle for the
hearts of the young. Let us not forget the
new breed, who will soon fill up the system
as the adult vanguards age. Are there already
a sizable number of youngsters who could
dedicate the same passion to what their elders hold true? Have the faith, love, and idealism been passed? Is there no need to get
stuck with the same players and movers?
Are many of the youth engaged with Church
discourse and activities? If the answers are
most likely no, then its time to pray for the
gift of tongues that draws the young.
The postmodern condition, as French author Jean Francois Lyotard would describe
it, is basically skeptical of fundamentalisms,
or the appeal to any fundamental law over
personal relationships and subjectivities. He
is not saying that this is what ought to be, he
is describing what is happening. So from arguing based on codes and laws—legal, natural, and divine—the adult faithful may consider inculturating the youth first by sharing about narratives they value: true-to-life
stories, better relationships and living, better spiritual and bodily health, real freedoms
and happiness, empirical data. Perhaps that
way, the youth—and their media mouthpiece—could understand more their elders
and draw them to the fundamental beliefs
their elders are holding. Perhaps that way, a
coming revolution and change is possible.
For no sustained revolution has been done
with the passionate young at the back seat.
The state of the youth today, the face of
the Church tomorrow!
Promoting a Culture of
Peace
and Democracy. Human rights are moral
claims to the means needed to protect and
promote human dignity. These are concisely
articulated in the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights adopted by the United Nations in 1948. For Pope John Paul II, this
Declaration “remains one of the highest expressions of the human conscience of our
time.” Some of these major rights are enunciated in his encyclical, Centesimus Annus—
such as the right to life; the right to live in a
united family; the right to develop one’s
intelligence and freedom in seeking the
truth; the right to work; and the right to
live in the truth of one’s faith. Respecting
these rights is a matter of justice.
A third social concern is Poverty Eradication. Peace in society is illusory if the basic
needs of individuals and families are not
met. A nation’s economy must be able to
utilize its natural and man-made resources
in order to create wealth and income for all
its citizens. The virtue of compassion and
sharing should be inculcated in all citizens.
Complementing personal and family integrity along the social continuum is Intercultural Understanding and Solidarity.
In Mindanao, Christian and Muslim religious leaders have engaged in a quarterly
bishops-ulama dialogue over the past decade to highlight this need for mutual acceptance and appreciation of cultures. Every November, the Bishops-Ulama Conference has been promoting a Mindanao Week
of Peace wherein local communities are
encouraged to organize common activities
for peace-building—such as multi-cultural
programs, peace marches, etc.
Disarmament and Cessation of Hostilities are immediate steps to take toward creating a culture of peace. As part of the political continuum, the ending of armed hos-
tilities represents a shift from recourse to
force to recourse to reason in a democratic
society. As exemplified by Gandhi in India, Mandela in South Africa and the People
Power Revolution of 1986 in the Philippines, active non-violence can be a more
potent force than recourse to arms in building a culture of peace.
The sixth social concern and part of the
economic continuum is Environmental
Protection. In a rapidly modernizing and
globalizing society, the irreversible destruction of the environment is not a remote possibility. Indeed many countries
have learned lately to conserve and manage carefully their watershed areas, fishing preserves, and clean air domains. In
Mindanao, local communities have raised
outcries against irresponsible logging and
mining operations that are usually undertaken by multinational corporations.
Stewardship is an operative value that
has been stressed to highlight the responsibility of everyone for the common good
and to remind us that we are only caretakers of God’s creation. Conservation of the
environment is an imperative for sustainable development for our present and future generations.
These then are six social concerns revolving around the core value of Human Dignity—which are essential in promoting a
culture of peace. Although arising from
Christian ethical principles, one could also
point out that this framework resonates
with the human and spiritual values of other
faith traditions as well as of secular governments that endeavor to work out a more
comprehensive paradigm for human development. There is no peace without development; but neither can there be development without peace.
Laiko Lampstand
Laiko 15th National
Biennial Convention
EVERY two years the Sangguniang Laiko ng Pilipinas holds its
National Convention participated by delegates from member
National Lay Organizations and Diocesan Councils of the Laity. It is also on this occasion that the new set of officers of the
LAIKO Board of Trustees are elected.
This year, the National Biennial Convention was held in
Angels’ Hills Retreat and Formation Center, Tagaytay City. Planned
and managed by Convention chairman, Bro. Carlitos Villaraza,
member of the LAIKO Board of Trustees, about 150 delegates
came from Metro Manila, Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao to
dwell on the convention theme, “A Path to Unity.”
The success of the convention was assured by the well-selected resource speakers and experience sharers. Pope Benedict’s
exhortations, Deus Caritas Est, and Sacramentum Caritatis were
the bases of inspired sharings of selected participants relevant
to their experiences in their work in the Church.
The highlights of Day 1, October 12 was the talk of “Deus
Caritas Est” and Unity by Cendi Alisangco of Focolare, and
Petrine and Marian Profile in the Church by Bishop Roberto Mallari,
D.D., of the Diocese of Pampanga, and the homily by Bishop
Gabriel V. Reyes, the National Director of LAIKO, on “The
Spirit of Communion.”
On Day 2, October 13, Cres Gabijan talked on Word of Life—”I
leave you a new commandment – Love one another as I have loved
you”. Bishop Warlito Cajandig, D.D of Diocese of Calapan,
talked on Pope Benedict XVI Apostolic Exhortation, Sacramentum Caritatis. It was much appreciated by the audience as he
explained the relevance of the Eucharist to the laity’s life in the
world. This was followed by LAIKO President, Ernie Burdeos
by his talk on Reciprocal Love”. An opinion was voiced that the
talk of the perennial bachelor should have been entitled, “Agape
Love”
On Day 3, October 14, the first talk was the Word of Life—
”Whatever you do to the least of my brothers, you did it to me,” delivered by Aurora Santiago, Diocese of Caloocan. This was followed by a well-researched presentation of Mary – The Model
Lay Person, ably presented by no less than the President of the
Teresian Association, Emma Melgarejo.
Bishop Honesto C. Pacana, S.J. of the Diocese of Malyabalay
and also one of the members of the Episcopal Commission on
the Lay Apostolate, capped the proceedings of the third day
with his explanation of the theme, “Who is My Brother (Neighbor), with reference to the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the
Catholic Church.
Laiko / A6
After fatalism, Japan
opens to faith
By Jennifer Van House Hutcheson
WHEN asked about her religious beliefs, a Japanese friend and
co-worker of mine replied with a smile and the standard, wellrehearsed explanation, “We [Japanese people] aren’t religious;
we don’t really believe anything.” In the same vein, I vividly
recall an esteemed college professor and Asia expert stating
that Japan and religion, specifically Christianity, are quite simply incompatible.
An extensive 2006 Gallop poll in which a mere 30 per cent of
Japanese avowed a religion seems to confirm the widely-accepted understanding of an agnostic and even fatalistic Japan.
Of this 30 per cent of believers, 75 per cent considered themselves Buddhist and 19 per cent considered themselves Shinto.
Yet today, both of these traditional religions have become
mainly ceremonial and do not play an active role in the daily
life or moral outlook of most Japanese.
Is the adoption of Christmas and Christian-style weddings
simply a superficial result of Japan’s interest in Western culture? While for many this is the case, for others the outward
imitation of Christian holidays and sacraments seems to create
an inward feeling for Christianity and an attraction to it.
At first glance, Japan is one of the most secular nations in the
world. This is evidenced by a disturbing trend in suicides, abortion used as birth control, rampant pornography that businessmen shamelessly imbibe in supermarkets and on subways,
and a general lack of hope. Bill McKay, research director for
the 2006 Gallop Poll, explains: “There is a degree of fatalism in
[the Japanese people’s] sombre mood. Teens’ perspectives on
life tend to a sense of nihilism to an alarming degree. A note of
hopelessness is found in the responses to a number of questions. And there is little evidence of eternal hope, although a
considerable number do believe in some form of life after life.”
Masaaki Suzuki, founder of the Bach Collegium in Japan, once
said (First Things, 2000) that the Japanese language “does not
even have an appropriate word for hope. We either use ibo,
meaning desire, or nozomi, which describes something unattainable.”
Do a lack of hope and low numbers of believers mean that
Japan and Christianity are indeed mutually exclusive?
A brief review of history indicates otherwise. In 1549 the
great Jesuit priest Francis Xavier and fellow missionaries arrived in Japan with their sights set on evangelization. Remarkably, 10 per cent of the Japanese population became baptised,
believing Christians. This mass conversion began to make
Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the ruler of Japan, afraid that the missionaries were paving the way for colonisation. Consequently,
he outlawed Christianity under pain of death. Many of the new
converts risked their lives, taking their beloved religion underground.
In 1597 Toyotomi made an example of 26 Christians—six
missionaries and twenty Japanese—by cutting off their ears
and marching them from Kyoto to Nagasaki in the dead of
winter. Upon their arrival in Nagasaki he had them crucified.
During the underground years countless Christians were tortured and thousands were martyred for their faith. But when
Christianity was legalized in 1873 a small but dedicated community of believers remained.
Nevertheless, in the 21st century Christianity often seems
little more than a blip in Japanese history. Materialism attempts
to fill the void of religion and the hope that traditionally accompanies it. The recently popularised tradition of Christmas
in Japan poignantly illustrates this. For most Japanese, Christmas consists of date with a lover, fried chicken, Christmas cake,
After / A7
Local News
A6
Inter-faith groups pray
for peace in Myanmar
Buddhist monks march during a protest rally in Mumbai. Hundreds of Buddhist monks gathered to protest the
military junta in Myanmar. (© epa/Corbis)
INTER-FAITH groups offered prayers for a
peaceful resolution to the political crisis in
Myanmar on October 10.
Priests, students and members of various
religions and congregations gathered at the
Philippine Women’s University (PWU)
joined some 30 Burmese nationals and Buddhist monks in praying for an end to violence in Myanmar.
The occasion was sponsored by the Minis-
try of Ecumenical and Interfaith Affairs of
the Archdiocese of Manila, in cooperation
with the Episcopal Commission on Inter-religious Dialogue (ECID) of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).
“We want to be in solidarity with the
people of Burma through prayers and maybe
move people into action so that justice and
democracy be made there,” said Fr. Carlos
Reyes, ECID executive secretary.
and other international laws
that let them gain recognition
to their rights as peoples and
have been able to assert their
title to their ancestral domains.
Utleg, who chairs the CBCP
Episcopal Commission on Indigenous Peoples (ECIP), said
tribesmen now also have a
greater awareness about their
need for a kind of education that
is appropriate for them.
“They have been involved in
bringing concerns into the national consciousness and the
Church has partnered with them
in advocating for more environment friendly practices,” he
said.
He appealed to all the authorities concerned,
including various international organizations,
to immediately take action and lead non-violent solution to the situation in Myanmar.
“I hope our prayers move them especially
our friends from the media that they may become instrumental in making our appeals
happen,” he said.
The priest said the Church is following the
state in Myanmar with great concern after the
reported bloody action taken by security forces
of the ruling military junta against anti-government protesters.
In late September, government soldiers violently dispersed demonstrations led by Buddhist monks in Yangon, Myanmar’s capital,
firing crowds, occupying or barricading Buddhist monasteries and arresting many of the
monks.
The prayer gathering was held following
an appeal of the CBCP to pray for people being affected by the continued unrest in
Myanmar.
Also in attendance were PWU president Dr.
Amelou Reyes, university chancellor Dr.
Dolores Lasan and Msgr. Hernando Coronel,
PWU chaplain. (Roy Lagarde)
The bishop said, however,
much still needs to be done to
uplift their living conditions and
own apt rights they deserve.
Despite the gains, Utleg said,
the deep-rooted injustices
against IPs “continue to inflict
neglect, deprivation, injustice
and even death to many native
communities and cultures.”
“These situations of violence
have uprooted IPs from their territories, severing their life-giving relationships and sense of
identity,” he said.
The prelate also lamented
long-felt aggression through
land grabbing, human rights of
violations and militarization
causing displacement of indigenous communities.
To draw attention to the hapless members of over 100 ethnic
groups in the country today, the
Church will celebrate the annual
“Indigenous Peoples Sunday” on
October 14.
The Catholic bishops’ hierarchy
considers this year’s celebration
special because it is also the 30th
year of the creation of the ECIP.
“For thirty years, the Church
has lent her moral authority and
her human and material resources to support the struggle
of our Indigenous Peoples for
justice and self-determination,”
said Utleg. (Roy Lagarde)
Bishop notes cold feedback on gov’t corruption
NOVALICHES Bishop Emeritus
Teodoro Bacani, Jr. said he experienced mixed feelings about latest reports on hundreds of thousands of pesos distributed to local officials who attended a meeting at the Malacañang Palace.
Speaking over Catholic-run
Veritas 846, Bishop Bacani said he
felt sad because of the lukewarm
reactions from the general public as most citizens may have
been “calloused” by the series of
reports on graft and corrupt practices.
“As broadcast journalists and
columnists have continuously
discussed the issues, it appears
the general public has not reacted vigorously to the recent
events,” Bishop Bacani said. He,
however, added there were a few
who expressed frustration with
the so-called distribution of cash
gifts.
Jaro Archbishop Angel
Lagdameo earlier said “bribery
is not an acceptable word even
to culprits: so, it is better called
“gifts.” And so, in order to feel
good and escape the blame of
conscience, …bribe is also called
a “gift.”
“The Lord Jesus Christ expressed anger at the hypocrisy
of the Scribes and Pharisees,”
said Bacani. He added the people
should condemn such shameful
events, referring to the distribution of half a million pesos to
provincial governors and some
favored legislators.
He said he is wondering why
only two governors came out in
the open to admit they received
half a million pesos each immediately after a meeting at
Malacañang.
He, however, surmised
should these local officials admit receiving money from
Malacañang, they will be bound
to spend the money on government projects.
Asked what the Catholic
Church ought to do, Bishop
Bacani said it should denounce
the practice. “We ought to be
strong in our statements as what
St. Gregory the Great said when
a shepherd refuses to speak he
would lose his sheep,” the
former Novaliches bishop said.
Quoting from Ecclesiastes,
Bacani said “there’s a time for
everything, a time for silence, a
time for speaking” as the lay
people should take the cue from
the hierarchy. He further said he
is saddened by the fact the
Catholic lay has not matured as
expected.
When asked what if the money
is intended for the poor, Bacani
said one ought to admit who distributed the cash and “if it is really intended for the poor, the
people in Malacañang should be
transparent and accountable.”
(Melo Acuña)
CBCP questions / A6
Faith-based / A6
CBCP head / A5
From the moral standpoint, Lagdameo
said, one should not accept money about
which questions can be asked because it
renders responsibility, accountability,
and transparency a dubious subject matter.
“Bribery is not an acceptable word
even to culprits: so, it is better called
“gifts.” And so, in order to feel good and
escape the blame of conscience, …bribe
is also called a ‘gift,’” he said.
leviating the poverty by eliminating
the causes of poverty, and debt is one
major factor.
FDC head Ana Maria Nemenzo, for
his part, said continued payment for
such illegitimate debts is “unacceptable.”
“All this responsible for these illegitimate debts from government,
creditors and even from the private
sector must be held accountable,” said
Nemenzo.
The Faith-Based Congress Against Illegitimate Debt aims to achieve a
strong-faith based constituency to
raise, promote and popularize the
moral dimension of the debt issue.
Also present during the occasion
were Manila Auxiliary Bishop
Broderick Pabillo, Bishop Efraim
Tendero of the Philippine Council for
Evangelical Churches, Fr Brian Gore,
MSSC, of the AMRSP and Dr. Grace
Jamon of Micah Challenge Philippines.
(CBCPNews)
doesn’t just train future officers how to
shoot and investigate but also teach
them with Christian values.
The academy started this year offering
new police recruits with modules of Life in
the Spirit Seminar, Basic Bible Seminar,
Heroism Christian Leadership Module,
Values and Leadership Seminar and Empowering Decisions to Change Module.
The seminars are anchored on the vision
of a “God-centered, service-oriented and
family-based” agency.
“I encourage this healthy initiative which
I consider as a step towards a new image of
policemen. I congratulate the leadership of
the Philippine National Police (PNP) for
allowing and empowering this initiative
among their ranks,” said Lagdameo.
“This brings a wind of fresh air in the
Bishop / A6
The CBCP earlier denounced a plan in
the lower House to purchase P1 billion
worth condoms, pills and other “reproductive health products” to control population growth.
It called on legislators to instead spend
the huge amount on projects that would
alleviate poverty and provide free education to poor children.
CBCP president and Jaro Archbishop
Angel Lagdameo said using abortifacient and contraceptive pills are against
nature and God’s teachings. (Roy
Lagarde)
Religious / A6
It is a forum to share common interests, to be an avenue for collaborations,
and to be a means to actively pursue the
role of prophetic witness of being religious.
The group is composed of over 360
congregations including the Dominicans, Jesuits, Benedictines, Augustinians,
Lasallian Brothers and Franciscans.
The organization played a crucial role
during the Martial Law years. The association and various congregations
opened its seminaries and convents to
provide sanctuaries to countless victims
of human rights. (Roy Lagarde)
Prelate / A1
cent living pay to ordinary laborers,”
he said.
The government recently approved
an Executive Order giving special
privilege to the soldiers rendering
combat duty.
In issuing E.O. 658, President Gloria
Arroyo and her administration recognize the heroism of the members of
the military who are directly involved
in combat operations.
Under the new Executive Order
signed early last month, government
troopers assigned in field units will be
given an additional incentive of P150
per day apart from the current P240
monthly allocation. (CBCPNews)
Vol. 11 No. 21
October 15 - 28, 2007
Pope names
PPCRV head to
Vatican council
Oppression still the indigenous norm, says Bishop
DESPITE headway in their status, the indigenous peoples (IPs)
still find themselves locked in
a struggle for ethnic and racial
survival, a Catholic prelate
said.
Laoag Bishop Sergio Utleg
said it’s good to see crucial advances that IP populations have
gained years ago, but still many
of them are living under cruelty.
He noted that native Filipinos
are now more open and assertive in fighting for their rights,
development aggression and
environmental destruction.
In the legal arena, he said, IPs
triumphed in pushing the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act in 1997
CBCP Monitor
POPE Benedict XVI recently
named former Philippine
Ambassador to the Vatican,
Henrietta de Villa, as Consultor to the Pontifical Council
‘Cor Unum,’ an administrative body that manages the
Church’s charitable activities
around the world.
Cor Unum serves in the
name of the Pope “for humanitarian initiatives in cases
of disaster or in an integral
promotion of humanity.”
The appointment of De
Villa, current head of the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), took effect on October 11, 2007 and will
end in year 2012.
The Council is part of the curia of the Vatican. It was established by Pope Paul VI in 1971 and is based in the Palazzo San
Callisto, in Piazza San Callisto, Rome.
Its mission is “the care of the Catholic Church for the needy,
thereby encouraging human fellowship and making manifest
[the] charity [of] Christ,” and it undertakes this mission by
carrying out humanitarian relief operations following disasters, fostering charity and encouraging cooperation of other
Church organizations.
The agency has a president, secretary, under-secretary, 38
members and nine consultors, all appointed for five-year terms,
plus a permanent staff of nine. It is currently headed by Archbishop Paul Josef Cordes.
Since its creation, Cor Unum has worked against drought and
desertification. Its efforts are also directed at the service of
indigenous, racially mixed Afro American and the poor of Latin
America and the Caribbean aside from distributring papal
funds to disaster-torn areas in the world.
This is not the first time that De Villa has been appointed by
the Pope to a position in the Vatican. From 1990 to 1995, the
late Pope John Paul II appointed her as Consultor to the Pontifical Council for the Laity. In 1998, she was again chosen as a
member of the papal entourage to the International Eucharistic Congress in Poland.
In July 2005, she was invited by the Vatican as a special delegate to the World Meeting of Families in Valencia, Spain.
Benedict XVI also appointed De Villa as the only Asian laywoman auditrix to the Synod of the Eucharist in Rome in 2005.
The Pontifical Council ‘Cur Unum’ is set to hold its XXVII
Plenary Assembly on February 28 to March 1, 2008 in Rome
which De Villa will be attending. (Roy Lagarde)
Negative effects of mining
feared in Sibuyan Island
ROMBLON Bishop Jose Corazon
Tala-oc expressed concern over
reports that Sibuyan Island
would be severely affected by
mining “as soon as the company
begins to operate.”
In an interview with Catholicrun Veritas 846, Bishop Tala-oc
said ever since the company was
given the necessary permits, residents from the three municipalities where there are six parishes
“have expressed grave concern.”
He added Sibuyan island is
mountainous and blessed with
deep forest cover. “This is where
Mt. Iting-Iting, frequented by
tourists, could be found,” the prelate said.
“This is where Catingas River,
otherwise rigid military-like training of
our public servants in the police force, certainly igniting spaces of hope in our already problematic situation,” he said.
Lagdameo called it a “redeeming factor”
in the midst of awful news hounding the
police hierarchy.
“In the mind of many people, the PNP
was the second most corrupt agency in government. That picture is changing for the
better,” he said.
Headed by Chief Supt. Samson Tucay,
the PNTI is a major constituent unit of the
Philippine Public Safety College that is envisioned to become the main training
ground for morally upright and competent uniformed men and women.
The Police Training Institutes also hopes
to start a working-relationship with parish
an awardee in 2005 for being the
cleanest river could be found,”
the 57 year-old prelate added.
Local residents expressed concern
that once mining operations begin, landslides and severe flooding may not be far behind.
The bishop said the former
governor admitted having signed
the permit citing earlier approval
from town executives “although
there were questions about social
acceptability.”
Bishop Tala-oc said incumbent
Governor Natalio F. Beltran, Jr.
is scheduled to meet with local
residents soon. “We have not yet
talked about mining in Sibuyan
island,” Bishop Tala-oc added.
(Melo Acuña)
organizations and parish priests in order
to develop further their formation in Christian life.
Lagdameo said the priests as well as other
parish organizations could lend them their
pastoral and evangelizing experience. He
said PNTI graduates could also become lay
ministers.
Lagdameo also advised the Institute that
for their students to have a real evangelizing experience, “one initial step would be
to motivate the graduates to share their
values and leadership experiences with the
parish communities where they are stationed.”
He said such initiative would develop
and enhance mutual trust, based on proactive rather than reactive relationship.
(CBCPNews)
Laiko / A5
The election of the new set of LAIKO officers during the
second day of the convention was officiated by the Committee on Elections (Comelec) of LAIKO—Pete Villanueva as
Chairman, Pepe Lugay and Ernie Burdeos as Members. There
were 83 qualified voting delegates who voted for 15 members of the Board of Trustees. These 15 members elected among
themselves by secret ballot, the officers of the Board in the
presence of LAIKO’s National Director, Bishop Gabriel V.
Reyes.
It was proclaimed by Chairman Pete Villanueva that this is
a Committee on Elections of LAIKO and not the COMELEC.
Ours is a “clean, honest and orderly election”, hence here are the
uncontested results:
President–
Executive Vice-President Vice-President for ManilaVice-President for LuzonVice-President for VisayasVice-President for MindanaoSecretaryAsst. SecretaryTreasurer-
Linda T. Tacorda
Ma. Amelia Menez Zafra
Estelita A. Macalaguim
Candido P. Villanueva
Roy B. San Buenaventura
Ernesto M. Burdeos
Aurora A. Santiago
Julieta F. Wasan
Manuel D. Recto
Public Relations OfficerAuditorTrustees-
Kiko E. Josef
Ma. Luz S. Lozano
Carlito M. Villaraza
Eladia B. Inocencio
Perry B. Dimarucut
Edgardo J. Tirona
CONGRATULATIONS to the new officers of LAIKO for the
years 2008 to 2010! May God’s love be bountiful as you guide
LAIKO to attain its vision and mission as it journeys towards
the Kingdom of God!
To the Convention participants, all of you deserve to be
congratulated for your full participation in the open forum of
each talk and the sharing during the group dynamics. Our
accolade also to the lay participants who shared their life experiences, relevant to the topic of the resource speakers.
We do hope that the next Biennial Convention will be participated by more delegates from the South. Can we hold a
special one for them in a place nearer the LAIKO participants
of Visayas and Mindanao? With Dr. Linda Tacorda who is
tasked right now to complete a catechetical project for the
Diocese of Malaybalay, there is a greater chance to hold the
next convention in a place nearer Mindanao, probably Cebu.
Let us all pray for that!
CBCP Monitor
Features
October 15 - 28, 2007
Date set for 1st
beatifications in Japan
Father Pietro Kassui Kibe and 187 companions.
TOKYO, Japan, October 9,
2007—Father Pietro Kassui Kibe
and 187 companions, Japanese
martyrs of the 17th century, will
be beatified next year in
Nagasaki. The beatifications
will be the first held on Japanese soil.
The Vatican informed Archbishop Takeo Okada of Tokyo, president of Japan’s episcopal conference,
that the beatification will take place
Nov. 24, 2008, reported
AsiaNews.
Cardinal José Saraiva Martins,
prefect of the Congregation for
Saints’ Causes, will represent
Benedict XVI at the ceremony.
In a letter to Japan’s Catho-
lics, Archbishop Okada announced “with joy” the
Vatican’s decision: “I hope that
we take to heart the meaning of
the treasure our predecessors in
the faith left us.”
There were priests, religious
men and laypeople among the
188 Japanese martyrs.
Kibe, a convert to Christianity, had fled persecution from
the government and moved to
Rome, where he entered the Society of Jesus and was ordained
a priest. He returned to Japan
to carry out his ministry among
the oppressed faithful, and in
1639 was captured, tortured and
killed in Tokyo. (Zenit)
The crucifix a sign of love, even for Hindus
KATHMANDU, Nepal, October
15, 2007—”One day, says brother
Rakesh to AsiaNews, as I was
travelling on the bus, sitting beside a Hindu with a tika [or tilaka:
a mark on the forehead which indicates their religious beliefs].
After a short while he touched the
crucifix which I wore around my
neck, and then he bowed and
kissed it with reverence. This
showed me the love that all
peoples bear for Christ”.
Brother Zeno Rakesh was born
in Shillong, India, and has been in
Nepal for the last 5 years. He is the
only Catholic of a protestant family and he founded the Pius union
of the poor servants of Christ,
based in Kathmandu. “I always
desired to be a priest, he tells, but
then I felt that Christ had called
me for a special vocation and so I
wrote the Rules of this community.
Our charisma lies in our fourth
vow [the three vows of Catholic
religious are chastity, obedience
and poverty] that is to dedicate
ourselves freely to the needy”.
Brother Rakesh visits families of
all faiths and shares in their problems and sufferings and helps
them both materially and with
his advice.
“I am equally loved by the
people from other religions too,
continues the religious brother.
So, sometimes I visit those
people. I listen to their stories.
The needy are not always poor.
There are the rich who are in
need too; to talk to, to pray with,
and to be listened to. When they
share in the name of God, they
feel better”. The order dedicates
its services free of charge and survives on the gifts of providence.
“Please, pray for us so that we may
become instruments of God,” he
urges.
Nepal’s Catholics are circa 7
thousand out of 28 million inhabitants. But it is a religious
country, where, continues
Rakesh, people respect other beliefs and religions, a part from
small localized conflicts. He recalls another similar experience
when Hindu security personnel
deployed at Kathmandu airport,
once, while security check, instead of checking, kissed his crucifix and took to his forehead.
Rakesh is the only member
of the Pius Union, which celebrated its first anniversary on
October 8th. With him there is
also a novice, also from India
who is preparing to take vows.
The Pius Union also comes to the
aid of poor students. (Kalpit
Parajuli / AsiaNews)
Website launched in memory of slain priest in Iraq
BAGHDAD, Iraq, October 12,
2007—Father Rayan Atto, pastor of the Chaldean Catholic
parish of Mar Qardagh in Erbil,
announced this week a new
website has been launched in
memory of Father Ragheed
Ganni, a Chaldean priest who,
together with three deacons,
was brutally killed in Iraq last
June together by Muslim extremists.
According to the website
Baghdadhope, the initiative has
the support of Bishop Faraj
Rahho of Mosul. “It will be a
website dedicated to collecting
the written memories of those
who knew Father Ganni while
he was alive, those who walked
with him spiritually or those
who remember him and want
to share them with those who
loved him,” Father Atto said.
He explained that the content
for the site would come from
material that “underscores the
character of Father Ganni, his
communion with God and His
sons and daughters. The memories that people have of him as a
man, a seminarian and a priest.”
“The world needs to know the
story of Father Ganni through
the website and the book that
will be published with information from site,” he continued.
Likewise, Father Atto explained that those who wish to
can send the information they
have on Father Ganni either in
“Arabic, English or Italian,” as
the book, “which will be published by the Chaldean Church
After / A5
and presents. Opposed to bowing to the Christ child, Christmas
enthusiasts bow to materialism,
completely ignoring all religious
origins and implications. When
asked the reason for celebrating
Christmas, about half of my teenage students responded that it
had something to do with Santa
Claus (his birthday, perhaps?), a
quarter said to get presents,
while only the remaining quarter knew it was related to Christ.
Another instance of the adoption of a Christian tradition hollowed of its religious significance
is the prevalence of Western
“church” weddings. It is estimated that as many as 90 per cent
of Japanese weddings are conducted in this style. The bride
wears a white wedding dress and
is escorted down the aisle to her
groom; rings are exchanged; a
cross adorns the front of the
chapel; Christian hymns are
sung; Bible verses are read; and a
“minister”—frequently a Caucasian English teacher earning
some extra cash—presides. The
vast majority of these newlyweds, however, are not Christians.
So then, is the adoption of
Christmas and Christian-style
weddings simply a superficial
result of Japan’s interest in Western culture? While for many this
is the case, for others the outward
imitation of Christian holidays
and sacraments seems to create
an inward feeling for the faith
and an attraction to it. This may
help to explain a recent discovery. Since the legalization of
Christianity in the late 1800s, the
number of believers had stubbornly hovered around one percent. The 2006 Gallup poll, how-
ever, disclosed that an astounding 12 per cent of Japanese who
claim a religion are now Christian, making six per cent of the
entire nation Christian.
However, there is no inherent
reason why that should surprise
us. Other Asians have taken to
the Christian faith. The Philippines—thanks to a lot of help
from Spanish colonizers—is the
stand-out example with over 90
per cent of its population Christian, but South Korea is a substantial 26.3 per cent Christian, Vietnam 7.2 per cent, and even China
has been reported to be approximately 5 per cent Christian. It is
impossible to determine the exact percentage in China because
many Christians there remain
underground in fear of the communist security forces, which use
discrimination, torture, and harsh
jail sentences in an attempt to
thwart evangelization and conversions. Yet, like Toyotomi
Hideyoshi’s attempts to stifle
Christianity in 16th century Japan, modern China’s attempts are
also in vain: thousands are said
to convert daily.
Confronting, as it does, the
problems of an advanced industrial society—a critically low
birth rate, an ageing population
and the unraveling of family ties
that once bound society together
— Japan has every reason to look
for sources of hope beyond its old
traditions. The Christian faith
that won so many staunch converts nearly five centuries ago is
an obvious candidate.
(Jennifer Van House Hutcheson is a
freelance writer who recently returned
from Okayama, Japan, to her hometown
of Atlanta, Georgia. This piece was lifted
with permission from MercatorNet)
in Mar Qardagh, will be in English and Italian, and a translation will also be made into Arabic.”
Anyone who has pictures of
Father Ganni can also send them
to the webmaster. More information can be found at: http://
www.baghdadhope.blogspot.com/
(CNA)
A7
Argentina’s bishops
lament priest’s crimes
convicted for felonies
during dictatorship
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina, October 12, 2007—The Argentinean
episcopate says that it regrets the
crimes committed by a priest
during Argentina’s 1976-1983 dictatorship. The priest has been condemned to life in prison.
Former Buenos Aires police
force chaplain Father Christian
Von Wernich was convicted Tuesday of complicity in seven homicides, 31 cases of torture and 42
kidnappings. An estimated 30,000
disappeared during the military
junta’s rule.
After the sentence was made
public, the Argentinean bishops’
conference said that “the steps
that justice is taking to clarify
these facts must help us renew the
efforts of all citizens toward the
path of reconciliation and they
are a call to stay away from both
impunity and hate.”
The text, signed by Cardinal
Jorge Bergoglio, president of the
conference, added: “If any member of the Church, no matter his
condition, would have endorsed
with his recommendation or
complicity some of these acts—e
violent repression— would have
acted under his personal responsibility, in a wrong way and committing a sin against God, humanity and his conscience.
“We pray for him, so God helps
him and gives him the grace he
Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio
needs to understand and amend
the harm he has caused.”
Bishop Martín de Elizalde of
the Diocese Nueve de Julio, to
which Father von Wernich belonged, said that he regrets “that
we have found in our country so
much division and hate, which
we could not prevent or heal as a
Church.”
The fact “that a priest, by act or
omission, was so far from the requirements of the mission that
was given to him ... leads us to
ask for forgiveness with sincere
regret, while praying to our Lord
to enlighten us in order to accomplish our vocation of unity and
service.” (Zenit)
Cat writes biography of
Pope Benedict
ROME, October 4, 2007—A new
authorized biography of the
Holy Father, aimed at younger
readers, was published yesterday. Written by Chico, a ginger
tom, with help from children’s
author Jeanne Perego, the book
recounts his memories of the
young Joseph Ratzinger, growing up in a Bavarian family in
Nazi Germany.
It follows his early years as a
priest and ends with his election
as leader of the Church in April
2005.
In his introduction to ‘Joseph
and Chico’ Father Georg
Gänswein, Benedict’s private secretary, writes that “everything in
the book is true and interesting”.
He says: “Here, dear children,
you will find a different sort of
biography, because it is told by a
cat, and it does not happen every
day that a cat considers the Holy
Father to be his friend. They have
known each other for a long
time.”
He added: “The Pope of course
loves cats and all animals because
they are creatures of God, and
often, like Chico, they have lessons for us that are worth learning.”
The nine-year-old cat lives next
door to his holiday home in the
Bavarian village of Panting, and
used to spend time with the then
Josef Ratzinger as he read or
played the piano.
Since his friend became Pope,
the pair have probably not met.
The Pope’s love for cats is well
known. When he was a cardinal
he used to feed the strays that
congregated outside his apartment. Many previous popes have
also been animal lovers: Pope
Leo XII had a dog and a cat, while
Pius XII kept caged birds and a
goldfish called Gretchen. (Claire
Bergin / ICN)
Study suggests religious life helps ward off Alzheimer’s
CHICAGO, USA, October 4, 2007—A study
of nearly 1,000 Catholic nuns, priests and
monks over 12 years has revealed that those
most conscientious in following their duties
had a lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s.
The study, led by Dr. Robert Wilson, from
Rush University in Chicago, followed a group
of nuns, monks and priests from across the
United States. They were chosen as a group
as they were considered more likely to be
willing to take part in a study that might help
others in the future, but not themselves.
As well as assessing their medical wellbeing, the researchers also asked the group
to rate themselves on areas such as self- discipline, reliability and being hard- working.
Dr. Wilson, said that during the study, 176
people developed Alzheimer’s. But those
with the highest scores for conscientiousness
appeared to have a lower risk than lazier
counterparts.
Nuns, priests and monks with scores in the
top 10 per cent had an 89 per cent lower risk
of developing Alzheimer’s than those with
scores in the lowest 10 per cent.
The researchers, writing in the journal Archives of General Psychiatry, also found that
conscientiousness was associated with a
slower rate of mental decline.
But an examination of 324 brains of those
who died during the study did not find any
link between conscientiousness and signs of
the disease. The brains of the conscientious
had similar levels of plaques and tangles
which build up and cause Alzheimer’s as
those of the less conscientious.
Dr. Wilson said this was not unexpected.
He said the trait of being conscientious may
just help the brain cope better with the physical causes of Alzheimer’s.
One reason for the link between being conscientious and a lower risk of Alzheimer’s
may be that people who are hard-working
experience educational and career success,
which are linked to a lower risk of the disease.
The researchers said that being conscientious has also been linked to resilience and
to coping with difficulties. Dr. Wilson said
that, by working hard and being conscientious, people might reduce their risk of
Alzheimer’s.
However, Professor Clive Ballard, director of research at the Alzheimer’s Society,
urged caution, saying: “It is important to remember that this study only looked at one
group of people and may not translate to the
whole population.”
Establishing how conscientious a monk,
nun or priest is involved detailed questioning. Group members were asked to rate themselves on a scale of 1-5 on statements such as:
· I keep my belongings clean and neat. · I
work hard to accomplish my goals. · I strive
for excellence in everything I do. (Claire
Bergin / ICN)
Bush calls for religious freedom in China
BEIJING, China, October 19, 2007—”The
move is a blatant interference in China’s internal affairs. It has hurt the feelings of the
Chinese people and gravely undermined bilateral relations,” said an official foreign
ministry statement made in response to the
US awarding the Dalai Lama of a Congressional Gold Medal and the meeting between
the Buddhist leader and US President George
W. Bush.
For many analysts, Beijing’s violent reaction stems from the fact that after the meeting with Tibet’s spiritual leader President
Bush urged China before the world media to
grant its citizens freedom of religion and stop
its policies of cultural and political repression in Tibet, which was occupied by Mao’s
troops in 1950 and annexed to the People’s
Republic of China.
Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi summoned the US ambassador right after the
president’s statement. Although nothing is
known about what was said during the meeting, foreign ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao
said that the recognition given to the Dalai
Lama “is a blatant interference in China’s
internal affairs. It has hurt the feelings of the
Chinese people and gravely undermined bilateral relations.”
Mr Liu said that Tibet was an inalienable
part of China and a purely internal affair.
Beijing resolutely opposes any country or
people using the Dalai Lama to interfere in
its domestic affairs.
“The words and deeds of the Dalai Lama in
the past decades have showed that he is a political exile engaged in secessionist activities
under the camouflage of religion,” Liu said.
© Brooks Kraft/Corbis
Vol. 11 No. 21
The award of this medal and the meeting
of US leaders with him “have severely
trampled on the norms of international relations and violated the US government’s reiterated position on the Tibet issue,” Mr. Liu
said.
“We express our strong dissatisfaction and
resolute opposition toward this,” he added.
(AsiaNews/Agencies)
A8
People, Facts & Places
ŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒ³
Markings
ORDAINED. MOST REV. CRISPIN
BARRETE-VARQUEZ, 46, as the new
Bishop of the Diocese of Borongan,
Eastern Samar, October 18, 2007 at
the Cathedral of St. Joseph, Tagbilaran
City. Born in Sevilla, Bohol, Bishop
Varquez studied Philosophy at the Immaculate Heart Seminary in Tagbilaran
City and Theology at St. Augustine
Major Seminary in Tagaytay City. Ordained priest at the age of 28, he did
Postgraduate studies on Seminary
Formation in Cebu City and on Family
Counseling in the Center for Family
Ministry, at the Ateneo de Manila University. He served as Formator in
the Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary in Tagbilaran for four years and
as Formator at St. Augustine Major Seminary in Tagaytay, for five years
more. Bishop Varquez was Vicar General of the Diocese of Tagbilaran
prior to his appointment as new bishop of Borongan.
CELEBRATING. SANTA ISABEL COLLEGE, 375th anniversary of foundation as
an educational institution, October 24, 2007;
with the theme: “Santa Isabel College at 375:
Celebrating Life, Faith and Graces as Steward of the Loving Father.” The institution’s
humble beginnings dates back on October
24, 1632, with its first school building situated right where the CBCP compound is
now located in Intramuros. At present,
Santa Isabel College’s main thrust as an
educational institution is to provide Catholic education and make it affordable, especially to the less privileged. The Daughters of Charity,
who manage Santa Isabel College offer this legacy of service to the
poor through Catholic education to the Church of the Archdiocese of
Manila. The thrust will continue to be Santa Isabel’s main reason for
existence.
CELEBRATED. ST. FRANCIS
OF
ASSISI
PARISH,
BALAMBAN, CEBU, 150th anniversary of foundation; October 4, 2007.
Also coinciding with the anniversary celebration was the feast day of
the parish. The parish fiesta
celebration started as early as
September 24 with a joint procession of the images of the
Pillar Saints of the Franciscan Order, Saint Francis of Assisi and Saint
Clare. His Eminence, Ricardo J. Cardinal Vidal presided the solemn
Pontifical Mass on October 4 with visiting priests concelebrating. The
theme for the Fiest a’s Eucharistic Celebration was DEUS CARITAS
EST: Living the Spirituality of Stewardship in the Year of Social Concerns. Various church councils, committees, organizations, chapels,
local government offices, public and private schools and private business establishments participated in the anniversary celebration which
will run for a year up to October 4, 2008.
ELEVATED. PARISH OF ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI TO ARCHDIOCESAN
SHRINE, Naga City, Cebu, by his Eminence Ricardo J. Cardinal Vidal,
October 10, 2007. Cardinal Vidal presided the Eucharistic celebration
concelebrated by 100 priests from the archdiocese of Cebu. Naga City
is the oldest parish in Cebu which has St. Francis as patron saint.
Members of the Franciscan family in the archdiocese were present
during the elevation rites. The shrine is now the center of various
Franciscan activities, ecological programs and related advocacies.
Pilgrimages are observed every 4th day of the month.
PASSED TO ETERNAL REWARD. Rev. Fr. Simplicio Camacho, August
2007, Diocese of Talibon; Rev. Fr. Rogelio Calim, September 2007,
Diocese of Borongan; Rev. Msgr. Quirino Parcero, September 2007,
Diocese of Daet; Rev. Msgr. Jose Bulao, October 2007, Archdiocese
of Cot abato; Rev. Msgr. Gorgonio Encarnacion, October 2007, Archdiocese of Manila; Rev. Fr. Edwin Agapay, October 2007, Prelature of
Infanta.
CBCP Monitor
Vol. 11 No. 21
October 15 - 28, 2007
LAIKO holds 15th Biennial
National Convention
AROUND 200 lay leaders nationwide participated at the 15th National Biennial Convention of the Sangguniang Laiko ng Pilipinas, the
Secretariat of the Episcopal Commission on
the Laity.
The lay leaders were representatives of all
LAIKO affiliated Diocesan Councils on the
Laity, National Lay Organizations and Lay
Leaders of the different archdioceses and dioceses in the country.
The convention was held at Angels’ Hills
Retreat House and Formation Center,
Tagaytay City, on October 12-14, 2007.
The meeting explored the theme: “A Path
to Unity”.
A statement from the LAIKO secretariat
said the 3-day summit aimed to “build and
experience UNITY among the Laity with
the Hierarchy,” emphasizing that “it is a
gift from the Holy Spirit that has to be
prayed and worked for.”
The convention participants elected new
board members of LAIKO for 2008-2009.
The elected President of LAIKO, who will
assume office in January 2008, automatically
becomes the Executive Secretary of the Episcopal Commission on the Laity (ECLA).
ECLA Chairman and Antipolo bishop
Gabriel Reyes presided the Eucharistic celebration on the first day of the convention.
Bishop speakers include San Fernando,
Pampanga Auxiliary bishop Roberto
Mallari who spoke on Petrine and Marian
Profile; Calapan Vicar Apostolic Warlito
Cajandig, on Benedict VXI’s Apostolic Exhortation ‘Sacramentum Caritatis’; and
Malaybalay bishop Honesto Pacana, SJ
who expounded the topic “Who is my
Brother?”
Other speakers came from the laity.
Cindy Alesanko on ‘Deus Caritas Est’ and
Unity; LAIKO Executive secretary Ernie
Burdeos on Reciprocal Love; while Emma
Melgarejo shared her insights on Mary: the
Model Lay Person. (Pinky Barrientos, FSP)
NASSA hosts 3rd International Farmers’ Confab
SUSTAINABLE agriculture will receive a
boost as farmers from south and Southeast
Asia gathers for the Third International Farmers Conference on October 18 to October 23,
2007 at Flushing Meadows Resort in
Tagbilaran City.
CBCP Commission on Social Action, Justice and Peace Chair and Marbel Bishop
Dinualdo Gutierrez said “we lead the way”
in pushing for sustainable agriculture as farmers and Church-based groups from
Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka,
Mongolia, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar
and Vietnam and partners from Asia Partnership for Human Development, Caritas
Internationalis, SEACON, SAWTEE and
Caritas Hong Kong gather to share common
experiences and listen to experts on climate
change, sustainable agriculture technology,
advocacy and marketing strategies.
NASSA (National Secretariat for Social
Action) Executive Secretary and Convenor of
APHD’s Pan-Asia Sustainable Agriculture
and Farmers Rights Program Sr. Rosanne
Mallillin, SPC expressed optimism farmers
would be open to alternative technology.
Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap will address the delegates as keynote speaker. He is
expected to discuss his department’s program
for farmers and emphasize support for sustainable agriculture.
“The participants will discuss sustainable
agriculture technology including effective
microorganism nature farming, system rice
intensification, alternative pest management
and organic farming, all designed to boost
production,” Sr. Rosanne added.
The participants will also be exposed and
immersed with local farming communities
in Talibon, Bohol.
It will be recalled the Department of Agriculture recently signed a Memorandum of
Agreement with NASSA for a “Joint Program
on Sustainable Agriculture” in Pigdaulan,
Butuan City.
A sub-regional meeting for Central
Visayas will be held immediately after the
opening rites. Compost shredders, decorticating machines, soil test kits and rice seeds
will also be distributed during the event.
(Honey Beso/NASSA)
Bishop-emeritus of Kalibo dies
BISHOP-EMERITUS of Kalibo, Most Rev. Juan
N. Nilmar died of lingering illness at St.
Paul’s Hospital in Iloilo City on October 18.
He was 91.
A native of Miag-ao, Iloilo, Bishop Nilmar
attended his early schooling in his hometown. He finished his seminary studies St.
Vincent Ferrer Seminary in Jaro, Iloilo, and
was ordained priest on June 29, 1942 by then
bishop of Bacolod Most Rev. Casimiro
Lladoc, at the Bacolod Cathedral.
He was assigned as assistant parish priest
of Calinog, Iloilo shortly after his ordination; and was appointed its parish priest a
year after.
Bishop Nilmar was Diocesan consultor and
vicar general of Jaro archdiocese prior to his
appointment as auxiliary bishop of Jaro. He
was ordained bishop on May 11, 1959.
On January 3, 1967, Bishop Nilmar was appointed auxiliary bishop of Davao. He served
as parish priest of St. Peter Cathedral Parish
in Davao until his appointment as auxiliary
bishop of Tagbilaran in April 18, 1970. He
was Apostolic administrator of Tagbilaran
diocese until he was named first bishop of
Kalibo in June 3, 1976.
He was succeeded by Most Rev. Gabriel
Reyes upon his retirement on November 21,
1992. (Pinky Barrientos, FSP)
Bishop Juan Nilmar taken in 2006 (File photo)
Dipolog bishop commended police for nabbing
gambling operators
DIPOLOG bishop Most Rev. Jose
Manguiran, commended the city
police force for apprehending
gambling operators of illegal
numbers game locally known as
“swertres”.
PNP personnel led by OIC
Chief of Police PSI Isidro
Sasuman, with three other officers and 11 policemen conducted
the raid last October 11.
An aggressive campaign
against “swertres” was recently
launched by Dipolog Mayor
Evelyn T. Uy, supported by
Bishop Jose R. Manguiran, various NGOs and business sector of
Dipolog City.
A nephew of Zamboanga del
Norte vice-governor, Ricky
Olvis was arrested with twentysix others during the raid. Ricky
Olvis, alleged financier of the illegal numbers game locally
known as “ swertres “, was allegedly caught in the act of
checking/controlling “ swertres
“ lotto tally sheets.
Four minors were also apprehended but were immediately
returned to their parents. The rest
were detained at the police station and presented to the media
the following day.
The raid also yielded cash,
equipments, and other paraphernalia used in the operation
of the game.
Acknowledging that the police only apprehended the small
“fish”, Manguiran is nonetheless
hopeful that the recent raid will
send a clear signal to the big
people behind the illegal numbers game.
Manguiran explained “that
gambling is immoral, and
swertres is making the poor even
poorer as they use whatever
little money they have to bet
daily with the hope of winning
a few pesos.”
He reiterated the Church’s
stand against gambling saying
that “it is milking the poor
people” of their resources.
The proliferation of swertres
in Dipolog has resulted in the
increase of petty thefts and other
crimes.
The diocese is seriously campaigning against illegal gambling.
Manguiran urged the people
to cooperate with the authorities so that illegal gambling in
the diocese will be totally eradicated. (CBCPNews)
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to
the
Magisterium
rather than
contemporary
expediency.
VIVA LA VIRGEN! Marian devotees flocked around the image of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary as they joined in procession around Sto. Domingo Church, Quezon City, in
celebration of her feast day last October 14.
Evangelization
being
its
overarching
objective,
CBCPNews is
circulated to
the global community free-of-charge through its online
facility.
CBCP Monitor
B1
Vol. 11 No. 21
October 15 - 28, 2007
B2 Updates
B5 Statements
B3 Diocese
B6 Reflections
B4 Commissions
B7 Social Concern
A call to discover the face
of Christ among the
prisoners
The prohibition for clerics
to engage in business
The Apostolic Vicariate of
Calapan
God forgives a humble and
repentant sinner
The Prison Ministry
program of the Church
A painful quest for
economic prosperity
Pastoral Concerns
Raw Deals for John Paul
II and Mother Teresa?
Authors Speculate if Media Reports Are Intentional
WITH new charges against Mother Teresa and
Pope John Paul II, it appears that the secular
media are trying to cast doubts on the reputation of two saintly world figures.
A recent story from Time magazine speculated on whether John Paul II was euthanized
by the removal of feeding tubes during his
last days.
The story was prompted by the speculation of Dr. Lina Pavanelli, an anesthesiologist in Italy. Time magazine reported that
the doctor “believes that the Pope’s doctors
dutifully explained the situation to him, and
[Pavanelli] surmises that it was the Pontiff
himself who likely refused the feeding tube
after he’d been twice rushed to the hospital
in February and March.”
Pavanelli’s speculation, originally published in May, was picked up by the Italian
press and Time magazine, but not until after
the Congregation for the Doctrine of the
Faith issued a document in mid September,
explaining the moral guidelines for providing food and water for patients in the “persistent vegetative state.”
George Weigel, author of “Witness to
Hope,” a biography of John Paul II, told
ZENIT: “Pavanelli is either ignorant or malicious ¯ perhaps both.
“The Italian left is unhappy with the Vatican
over its recent statement on care for patients
in a vegetative state; this is the revenge they
take.
“No serious person will take this seriously.”
Dark night
Before the latest scuffle over the events surrounding John Paul II’s death, there was the
much publicized discussion of Mother
Teresa’s experience of feeling a deep sense of
doubt about God’s existence.
Secular media cast doubts upon Mother
Teresa’s sincerity, given her strong temptations against faith. Time magazine again reported on the phenomenon.
Father Brian Kolodiejchuk, the postulator
of Mother Teresa’s cause and editor of the
book of her writings, “Mother Teresa: Come
Be My Light,” told ZENIT: “First of all, we
need to recognize that the aspects of the Christian spiritual life discussed in the book are
not so well known or easy to grasp, and for
some, to accept, even among committed
Christians ¯ e.g., ‘Why do the saints have to
suffer so much?’
“With regard to the secular media, I think
one basic reason why Mother Teresa’s darkness has been misinterpreted is the superficiality with which the darkness was treated.
“The Time [magazine] piece for the most
part, apart from the title and cover photo,
tried to present the nuances of Mother
Teresa’s darkness.”
Ignorance?
The priest continued: “Many others just
jumped on some expressions of Mother
Teresa and thus entirely misrepresented the
darkness, for example one headline was:
‘Mother Teresa’s Secret: I Have No Faith.’
Some may have done so out of ignorance and
others out of an effort to discredit her.
“Perhaps some who have lost their faith,
or have little or no faith, felt ‘justified’ in some
way, thinking: ‘If even Mother Teresa had no
faith or at least doubted her faith, then how
do you expect me to have faith?’ And others
in the ‘culture wars’ were happy to discredit
one of the other side’s heroes.
“Those who have no experience or expertise in spirituality or psychology should have
the good sense and humility not to presume
to analyze what is indeed so far beyond
them.”
Father George Rutler, author of “Coincidentally,” published by Crossroad Books, and
a regular columnist for Crisis magazine, told
ZENIT that journalists often have their role
backward: “Journalism is supposed to report
events. Bloated egos in journalism think they
should shape events.
“This unfortunately encourages a significant minority actually to lie to achieve an
end. When there is no confidence in objective truth, all is propaganda, just as in politics, justice is replaced with sheer power.”
The commentator also acknowledged that
faulty reporting is not always intentional:
“Having worked with the media for a long
time I have learned that most of those involved in the various media are not willfully
deceitful. Many of them are limited by a lack
of formation.” (Zenit)
Mindanaoan, minority and peacebuilder
By Diwa Aquino-Gacosta
Rehoney, a 17 year-old Moslem girl from
troubled Mindanao talks about the pressures of growing up in a community
divided by generations of violence.
MY name is Rehoney. I am 17 years
old. I am a Moslem.
Peace remains elusive in the land
of my birth. I’m used to conflict,
prejudices and biases. I have lived it
all through the 17 years of my life.
Being a Moslem in this predominantly Christian nation is not
easy… it never has been, especially
because Moslems are often regarded as sources of conflict,
troubles and violence.
Mindanaoan
The tensions in Mindanao have
existed for so long and the
Mindanaoan—Muslims, Christians
and Lumads (indigenous people)—
have been enduring these tensions
with much apprehension.
I believe the problems in
Mindanao are more than political,
more than religious. I believe the
core of the continuous conflict in
Mindanao is the lack of effort of one
another to understand each other.
This comes from a long history of
hatred and prejudice that has been
passed from generation to generation. What makes it even worse is
the fighting over land or for selfdetermination by Islamist separatist groups.
Land ownership has caused a huge
gapbetweentheLumad,Muslimsand
Christians. It is such a sensitive issue
that any chance of misunderstanding
would definitely cause another war
in Mindanao.
This gap has existed for so long. It’s
passed from one generation to another
and caused most of the attitudes and
behavior of Mindanaons today.
When there is also poverty, differences in faith and culture, lack of
regard for the rights of children, a
poor political system and lack of
political will, the conditions of
people, especially children, in
Mindanao continue to worsen.
It also makes me feel sad when I
hear that Christians from Luzon
and Visayas also regard Muslims
as a threat to national security—not
just Mindanao.
Minority
I may not have experienced actual war happening. The tensions I
see may not be the same tensions
my parents, and grandparents, witnessed during their time, which I
believe were too painful to erase.
But every time a person judges me
for what I am not… I feel pain.
People in the community where
I live have been putting labels on
people. Muslims, Christians,
Lumads… each has its own labels
on each other. Sadly, children, like
my self, often imitate what elders
do, adopting and practicing the culture of bias and discrimination. We
think that’s just the way it is.
I remember one day when I was
in class, there had been a bombing
incident in General Santos City. The
majority of my classmates were
Christians. While I believe that I
have a fairly good relationship with
my non-Muslim classmates, I still
heard them say that the bombers
were Muslims, unmindful that
there are five Muslims, myself included, in our class.
Another incident of this culture
of bias and prejudice against Muslims was when I and my friends
went out to eat in a restaurant in
the city. One of my friends jokingly
predicted that the restaurant would
be spared from bombing because
“there is a Muslim around,” apparently referring to me.
Often, we are insensitive with our
comments and ideas in relating to
one another, thinking that it is normal… it is ok.
Now, I know better.
However different we seem to
be, we all deserve to be respected
and regarded for who we are. We
do not have to fight or look down
on each other just to prove that we
are different.
Peacebuilder
The children in ADP Saranggani
have identified the culture of bias
and discrimination as a barrier to
peace. (ADP - Area Development Program, “a child-focused approach that
seeks to partner with children and their
families and communities in selected or
neighboring areas in the pursuit of development or specifically, transformational development”.)
We know that we cannot solve
the complex problems in
Mindanao, but we know that we
can do something to bridge relationships among ourselves.
I can say that the children in ADP
Saranggani have really been helping with the peace process in our
community, influencing not only
children like ourselves but adults
as well.
I was invited to speak on peacebuilding and children during the
CIVICUS World Assembly last May.
I talked about our initiatives, how
we recognize our differences but respect them. We want to end the culture of bias and discrimination! We
want to eliminate the wrong perceptions we have of one another.
Erasing the stains of biases and discrimination in our culture is not going
tobeeasy.Therearefamilieswhorefuse
to allow their children to join our activities. There are children who have
adopted these attitudes so much that
they won’t listen. Personally, we have
to consciously balance our time spent
with the activities in the ADP, our studies, and our obligation to our families.
But then, there are so many
things to be thankful for. Promoting the culture of peace in our community has helped bring out the
best in me and of the other children
in our community. We have learned
so many things about peace, love
and respect of one another.
Peace does not come with age.
That is why we as children should
not demand it, but instead work out
what we can do to help achieve it.
7
QUESTIONS
Most Rev. Jose R.
Manguiran, D.D.
MOST Reverend Jose R. Manguiran was appointed second bishop of
Dipolog on May 27, 1987. He was installed on September 9 of the
same year. In this issue of CBCP Monitor, the prelate shares his
thoughts on the fundamental task of the diocesan social action ministry, which is the formation of basic ecclesial communities in the parishes; the BECs, as new way of being Church; the evangelizing charism
of the Laity; the family as the center of evangelization; the increase of
vocations in the diocesan seminary; and the ongoing formation of
diocesan clergy.
How is the Social Concern agenda of the Church being implemented in your diocese?
The fundamental, the constant agendum of the Social Action
Ministry is the formation of the faithful about the Social Doctrine of
the Church. To expand this social formation to the level of BEC, our
Diocesan Social Action Center has set up at every parish a Parish
Social Action team whose task is to attend to social issues in the
Basic Ecclesial communities.
How active are the Basic Ecclesial Communities in your diocese?
When a local church shifts gear from the old way of being church
according to Vatican I, to a “new way of being church” such as the
Basic Ecclesial Community (BEC) according to Vatican II and PCP
II, she becomes active. We do the shifting, so we are busy, active.
What makes us active is the implementation of the 9-point agenda
of the PCP II and how to get the BEC communities involved in the
agenda of the National Rural Congress. The significant event at the
entry of the Third Millennium was the launching of our Diocesan
Pledge System of support (modified Tithing). If we claim a success
to our new support system it is due to our extensive structuring of
the BEC’s and our extensive education–drive on modified tithing in
the last three years of the second Millennium.
PCP II has defined the greater role of the laity in the Church. How
is this being realized in your diocese?
When PCP II declared that the Church of the Philippines is the
“Church of the Poor” it means that the poor should not remain passive,
as a receiver, as an evangelized, but rather should be active, as a giver,
as an evangelizer. To activate the evangelizing charism of the Laity, we
emphasize the importance of creating “community” by BEC. It is within
the BEC community that the Lay can fully participate.
Up to what degree do you think should be the participation of the
laity especially in terms of decision making in the local Church?
The lay participation in decision making is exercised mostly at
Pastoral council, Formation Committee and Construction Committee. In our Diocese, the lay can participate in the financial matter.
We made a Diocesan Directive that all parishes should set up a
Parish Finance Committee which manages the income from our
Pledge System Support.
How is the Family and Life Program in your diocese?
We are sustaining our Family and Life Team at the Diocesan
level and at the Parish Level. Our current challenge is how to bring
home the PCP II agendum on the Family that says, “The family
stays as the center of the activity of evangelization”.
Do you get many vocations in your diocesan seminary?
Thank God that we have enough vocations. This year our Diocesan College Seminary has accepted 90 young boys. When someone from any religious congregation requests from me permission
to campaign for vocations, I always welcome them to do so. I am
just sharing our vocation–resource to Missio Ad Extra.
How does the diocese look after the ongoing formation of the clergy?
We have chosen a priest in-charge for the clergy’s ongoing formation program. We regularly send a priest to the Clergy Assist
Program as scheduled by the CBCP Commission on the Clergy.
The young clergy are encouraged to have their own spiritual recollection or meeting.
B2
Updates
CBCP Monitor
Vol. 11 No. 21
October 15 - 28, 2007
Mentioning the Mass
intention
(Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy at the Regina Apostolorum university, answers the following question:)
Q: Unlike our present pastor, our former priest always would mention the intention
for the Mass. Is this up to the individual priest? It gets printed in our bulletin, but I
would hope the priest would mention who the Mass is for at some point, even though
I know God knows who it is for. – L.S., St. Louis, Missouri
What a deacon
can do
Q: In our parish we have a temporary overseas priest and a married deacon. During
Benediction our married deacon consistently wears the full vestments that a priest
wears for Benediction; says the Divine Praises; and elevates the monstrance while
the overseas priest either sits watching in the pew or acts as an acolyte, swinging the
thurible. The priest only wears an alb or even just plain clothes with no vestments,
and remains kneeling. Several parishioners are much disturbed and have said so. I
have asked the deacon why he wears the priest’s vestments. His answer: “I’m an
ordained minister.” My reply was, “But you are not a priest.” I asked, “Who has
given you authority to do this?” He stated that the bishop has. There are other
irregularities which he persists in during the Mass. He stands throughout the prayers;
takes the host from the ciborium given to him by the overseas priest; mouths the
doxology; and even holds the paten containing the host. – R.I., state of New South
Wales, Australia
A: Some distinctions should be made. Although the deacon is an ordained
minister, he is of a lower grade than a priest and therefore he should not
preside over the community if a priest is present.
Therefore in normal cases a deacon may not give a blessing, and even less
so Benediction, if a priest is present and available.
He may do so if the priest is legitimately impeded, for example, if the
priest were hearing confessions during exposition of the Blessed Sacrament
and could not leave the confessional to impart Benediction.
In those cases where the deacon legitimately imparts Benediction, either
because there is no priest or the priest is impeded, the deacon may wear the
same vestments as the priest: the stole albeit worn in the manner of a deacon, the cope and the humeral veil. He may also recite or sing the same
prayers as the priest. He does not need any special permission from the
bishop to wear these vestments as the rubrics already foresee it.
The other actions that our correspondent describes are aptly termed irregularities. The deacon should usually kneel for the consecration, silently
hold up the chalice (not the paten) for the doxology, and should always
receive Communion from the priest and not self-communicate.
Rather than any special permission or dispensation from the bishop (who
is unlikely to dispense from basic liturgical law for no reason), such errors
are more probably due to bad habits and imperfect liturgical formation.
The person responsible for correcting them is the pastor, the priest celebrant, or even the bishop if the local priest is unwilling.
When a deacon is ordained he promises the bishop and the Church that he
is willing to carry out the diaconal service with humility and love as a
cooperator of the priestly order and for the good of the Christian people. If
he lives up to his promise, then he will gladly correct any errors that might
have crept in. (Zenit)
On multiple ciboria
and chalices
Q: “When several chalices are prepared for a concelebrated Mass, my understanding is that it is correct to add water to the wine only in the ‘main’
chalice, and that it is not necessary to add water to the wine in all the
chalices. Is there any official document in which this is specified?”
A: This point has been discussed by liturgists, but no consensus has been
found. Nor am I aware of any official norms on this particular subject.
Some liturgists hold the position that it is sufficient to add water to the
chalice of the principal chalice, which thus forms a moral unity with the
other chalices for the purpose of consecration.
This argument is fairly solid from the theological standpoint, and there
would certainly be no doubt that the consecration would be valid and licit.
It also solves the problem of the rather ungainly sight of a deacon or
priest pouring a drop of water into several chalices already arrayed upon
the altar.
It is not, however, universal liturgical practice. Many celebrants prefer to
place water in all chalices, along with wine, so that all communicants can
receive from wine that has been mixed with water according to ancient
Church tradition.
This may be done in two ways. If there are only a couple of extra chalices,
then wine and water, or just water (if the extra chalices are already prepared) may be placed in all of them during the preparation of the gifts.
If there are many chalices, then water and wine may be placed in all but
the principal chalice when the chalices are prepared before Mass begins.
This latter solution is generally practiced by the Vatican sacristans for
large concelebrations at St. Peter’s. (Zenit)
The prohibition for clerics
to engage in business
By Fr. Jaime B. Achacoso, J.C.D.
WE would like to consult you on an issue similar to the priest who is fond of cars and pets. We are in a rural area and have a parish priest who
has a beach resort, one of the better ones in our province. He comes from a middle-class family and so people do not mind it if he owns a resort;
they think the priest has his own money and is not getting their money. Besides, the priest claims the resort is largely owned by his sister.
We try to tell ourselves it’s none of our business, but deep inside we think his time would be better spent on activities that would improve the
lives of his parishioners instead of tending to his resort. We only have contact with him during Sunday Mass and occasionally at meetings
of the parish council, but generally the parish runs without him. Are things like this covered by Canon Law? Do we have a right to ask him
to give up his resort and focus on his priestly duties instead?
The prohibition for clerics to engage in
business or trade.
A general prohibition is contained in
c.286 of the Code of Canon Law: Clerics
are forbidden personally or through others to
conduct business or trade either for their own
benefit or that of others without the permission of legitimate ecclesiastical authority.
Furthermore, the Code typifies the
infraction of this norm as a punishable
crime in c.1392: Clerics or religious who
practice trade or business against the prescriptions of the canons are to be punished in
accord with the seriousness of the offense.
More recently, n.67 of the Directory on
the Ministry and Life of Priests, issued by
the Congregation for the Clergy on
31.I.1994, clearly stated: Therefore, the priest
will deny himself those worldly activities which
are not in keeping with his ministry.
What constitutes business and trade?
Canon Law prohibits clerics from engaging in either business or trade (or
commercial activity) without permission
of legitimate ecclesiastical authority,
which in most cases would be the diocesan bishop. Now what is meant by business and trade that constitute activities
prohibited by Canon Law for clerics?
Business is a generic term which covers any activity marked by two essential properties:
(1) The profit motive, understood as a
pretension for something more than the
normal conservation of one’s own patrimony. This is an important point that
was somehow lost in the English rendering of the above-mentioned Directory of 31.I.1994, which simply proscribed “worldly activities”. A check of
the Spanish, Italian and German versions
of the all-important document, however,
shows that the functional word is lucrative and not simply worldly:
- “Por ello se abstendrá de actividades
lucrativas impropias de su ministerio”
(Spanish).
www.cbcpworld.com | training@cbcpworld.net | +632 4041612, 4042182
A: While there are no universal laws regarding this topic, some dioceses
have published norms with common-sense indications that all priests may
take into account.
My reply is inspired by the norms issued by the Diocese of Rome.
There is no requirement to mention the priest’s intention at the Mass.
Thus, a mention in the bulletin or some other public notification is a legitimate option, especially when the pastor is aware that the person who requested the Mass will not be present at the celebration.
If the person or family who requested the intention wishes to be present,
then it is good that the celebrant mention the name of the person for whom
the Mass is being offered.
This may best be done either after the greeting at the beginning of Mass
or as an intention of the prayer of the faithful.
The name should not normally be mentioned during the Eucharistic prayer.
This naming is best left for funeral Masses, Masses at the notification of
death, and significant anniversaries. The special formulas for funerals, especially in Eucharistic Prayers 2 and 3, were specifically composed with such
occasions in mind and were not conceived for daily recitation.
It should be remembered that the Mass intention refers above all to the
intention of the celebrating priest who took upon himself the commitment
to celebrate for a specific intention when he accepted a stipend.
Since the Mass is infinite the priest may also have other personal intentions that may or may not be reflected in the Mass formula used.
For example, a priest may offer the Mass for a deceased soul while at the
same time using the Mass formula “For Vocations,” with the personal intention of asking God to bless the Church with abundant vocations.
Likewise, while any person assisting at Mass is free to associate his prayer
with the intention of the priest celebrant, he or she is also free to offer up
participation at the Mass for any number of personal intentions. (Zenit)
- “Pertanto, si asterrà da quelle attività
lucrative, che non sono consone al suo
ministero”(Italian).
-“Daher
wird
er
sich
gewinnbringender
Tätigkeiten
enthalten, die nicht seinem Amt
entsprechen” (German).
There’s no doubt that the mens
legislatoris is to proscribe those activities
driven by the profit motive.
(2) The habitual character, thus excluding occasional economic activities from
the canonical prohibition. What is crucial is that such activity converts the cleric,
in the perception of prudent and objective observers, to a businessman. Thus,
for example, the investment of one’s patrimony in the stock market is not included in the canonical prohibition, because such operations—according to the
common perception of people—are not
considered as business while they do not
constitute a professional activity.
Trade (or commerce), on the other hand,
is a specific form of business activity typified by four characteristics: (1) being an
intermediary between producers and
consumers, (2) being an intermediary
through exchange, (3) such exchange
must be habitual such that it becomes
professional, and (4) motivated by profit.
What Canon Law prohibits clerics from engaging in is any business (trade or otherwise).
The spirit behind the Law
It is easy to understand the spirit behind this prohibition, expressed already
by the misgivings of the parishioners in
the present query. Aside from the desired spirit of poverty (detachment from
temporal goods), so necessary in the
cleric as discussed previously in this column, there is the matter of the needed
dedication by the cleric to properly
priestly and pastoral functions, which—
as the present query shows—are naturally jeopardized by his engagement in
business. Thus, c.286 points out that not
even the fact of carrying out such activities through intermediaries or for the
benefit of others is reason for tolerating
such activities among clerics.
Such nefarious consequences have been
amply experienced in the past, so that the
previous norm—instituted by a Decree
of the Sacred Congregation of the Council of 22.III.1950—had even imposed an
excommunication latae sententiae reserved especially to the Holy See, and
even the reduction to the lay state in the
more serious cases, against clerics violating this prohibition. While the present
canons have abrogated this sanction, the
spirit behind it remains valid.
Conclusion
There definitely is reason for raised
eyebrows in the behavior of the parish
priest in question. Nevertheless, in the
interest of justice—not only of charity—
a fuller investigation is necessary before
condemning such behavior. After all,
c.286 itself provides for the possibility
of an exception, with the permission of
legitimate authority. One can imagine,
for example, the case when there is such
a lack of any other means of support for
the priest—who may have needs unknown to the parishioners (e.g., expensive medicines or treatment)—that he
has to engage in business in order to
subsist.
In any case, the need to be a witness to
the spirit of poverty cannot be overstressed, especially on the part of the
shepherds of a flock like the Church in
the Philippines, which is largely composed of poor people. Thus, priests must
always be sensitive to the possibility of
causing scandal in this regard. In any case,
by being transparent in his activities, the
good priest can always gain the trust and
support of his parishioners, even in those
extraordinary cases when he has to engage in some form of business with the
previous permission of the Bishop.
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CBCP Monitor
Diocese
Vol. 11 No. 21
October 15 - 28, 2007
The Seed of Faith: Early Beginnings
The seed of the Christian faith in
Mindoro was planted by religious
missionaries whose dedication and
perseverance despite all adversities
bore fruit in the hearts and minds of
the faithful. The first among these
missionaries were the Augustinians
(Calzados) who arrived on the northern part of the island of Mindoro in
1572 and established a mission center in Minolo, Puerto Galera. For
three years, they preached Christianity from here. In 1575, they shifted
their center to old Baco and founded
the town and the parish. In 1578, the
Order of Franciscan Missionaries
(OFM) came and they also established
mission centers and founded the parish in Naujan. After they left, the
pastoral care of the baptized was left
on the hands of the Spanish secular
priests stationed in the island. Missionary activities were revived and
eventually flourished when Mindoro
became part of the Archdiocese of
Manila in 1595.
The year 1627 marked the entry of
the Jesuits who started the mission
to the Mangyans. They were very
effective in their preaching and
catechetical instructions. Due chiefly
to the initiative of Friar Diego dela
Madre de Dios, the new parish and
town of Calapan, now the seat of the
local Church, was founded in 1679
by the Augustinian Recoletos. The
Augustinians’ friary was transferred
from Baco to Calapan in 1733 mainly
on account of the depredation of
Muslim sea warriors who preyed on
and plundered the Christian coastal
settlements in Luzon and Visayas.
Until the Philippine Revolution
against the Spaniards in 1896, the
Augustinian Friary in Calapan had
ecclesiastical juris-diction over the
whole of Mindoro.
One of the important milestones
in the history of Mindoro
Christianity before the
revolution was the
establishment of key towns and parishes
throughout the island. However, the
subsequent years after 1896 were turbulent periods for the people of Mindoro,
largely Christian then. The struggle for
nationhood, first against Spaniards and
then against the Americans, left the island province in great disarray. With the
defeat of the Filipinos in the war with
the Americans (1899-1901), American
rule came to Mindoro. In the mean-time,
the Christians were left to fend for themselves to a great extent in their life related to religion until the erection of the
Diocese of Lipa in April 10, 1910 of which
Mindoro became a part.
From Apostolic Prefecture to Apostolic
Vicariate
The next significant event in the history of the local Church in Mindoro was
the transfer of the island to the spiritual
care of the Society of the Divine Word
(SVD). On July 2, 1936 Mindoro was
made an Apostolic Prefecture by virtue
of a declaration con-tained in the Apostolic Letter, Ad Catholicum Nomen, and
Most Rev. William Finnemann, SVD, was
designated as Apostolic Prefect. In October 1951, Mindoro was elevated into
an Apostolic Vicariate as declared by
Pope Pius XII, and Most Rev. William
Duschak, SVD, became the first Apostolic Vicar. It was also during this time
that Mindoro was divided into two provinces, Oriental and Occidental.
Since the take over of Mindoro by the
Divine Word Missionaries (SVD), the
local church has made great strides towards progress. This is reflected in the
increase of Church membership, in the
establishment of new parishes, in the
erection of churches, convents, schools,
financial foundations, and
most significantly, in the
foundation of St. Augustine
Minor Seminary (SAS) in
Calapan, in 1962 and St. Augustine Major Seminary
(SASMA) in 1969, to commence the formation
of diocesan clergy.
Aside from
these,
the
SVDs put
premium
on education, formal catechetical formation, and fostered missions to the
Mangyans. The Holy Spirit Sisters
(SSpS.) and religious women belonging
to the Order of St. Benedict (OSB) were
invited to spearhead these apostolates.
It was also during this time that the
Cursillo and Charismatic Move-ments
were introduced in the parishes which
created a great impact in the renewal of
the faithful and the enlivening of communities. Since then, the local Church in
Oriental Mindoro was well on its way
to maturity and self-reliance.
Diocesan Pastoral Plannings of Calapan
On February 10-16, 1977, the First Diocesan Planning was held under the leadership of Most Rev. Simeon O. Valerio,
SVD. This was followed by another diocesan planning in February 16-22, 1982,
just before the division of Mindoro the
fol-lowing year into two Apostolic Vicariates: Calapan, Oriental Mindoro and
San Jose, Occidental Mindoro. Great
events were then celebrated such as the
Holy Year in 1983, Marian Year in 1985,
and the Golden Jubilee Celebration of
the Vicariate in 1986. On both assemblies, two important thrusts of the pastoral life and ministry of Calapan were
defined, namely: Catechesis and Basic
Chris-tian Communities (BCCs).
First Diocesan Bishop
Year 1989 was a beginning of a new
era in the life of the vicariate with the
installa-tion of its first diocesan bishop
in the person of Most Rev. Warlito I.
Cajandig, D.D. He then embarked on a
steadfast drive towards pastoral renewal. Among the concrete pas-toral
initiatives that were implemented in
support of this vision are the following:
(1) the division of the Apostolic Vicariate into 5 Vicariates Forane accompanied
by a pro-cess of decentralization and
devolution meant to encourage broader
participation among the religious and
lay faithful; (2) the introduction of the
BEC-CO Program right after the Second
Plenary Council of the Philippines (PCP
II) spearheaded by both religious sis-ters
and trained lay community organizers;
(3) the establishment of Formation
Founda-tions for self-sufficiency pro-
B3
gram; (4) the grand project to put into
reality the ideals of PCP II starting with
a Participatory Action Research (PAR)
in 1994 up to the 3rd Dioc-esan Pastoral
Planning in 1997 where a Vision-Mission-Goal was formulated and a 5-year
pastoral program leading to the threshold of the new millennium was laid
forth.
Vision-Mission-Goal
Vision. A dynamic Community of Disciples of Christ, living the Word of God in
unity and is ruled by justice, freedom, peace,
and love.
Mission. We, the Community of the Apostolic Vicariate of Calapan, following the will
of the Father, rooted in Christ, journeying
under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and
answering the call of the Church and society
for renewal towards the realization of the
Kingdom of God, jointly and wholeheart-edly
commit ourselves to: a) advocate and enhance the faith that is lived in active
propagation of the Good News, in communal worship that is rooted in the Filipino culture, and in faith-ful service to
others, most especially the poor; b) develop ourselves continually in knowledge, skills and interpersonal relationship and promote each one’s vocation;
c) uphold the simple way of life, develop
and preserve God-given abilities,
strength, talent, time and treasure, and
share them with those who are most in
need; d) strengthen the families as foundation of divine and human values and
as prime advocate of renewal in the community; e) protect the welfare and rights
of the youth, recognize their God-given
talents, strengths and abilities and give
them the freedom to engage in responsible actions of renewing and animating the community; f) be one with the
poor in their struggle to rise from poverty; g) be one with our Mangyan brothers in the effort to make fairness and
equality in dealing with them as human
beings prevail, support and recognize
their potential for self-reliance; h) respect
and enhance the unique identity, sacredness and beauty of the Mangyan culture;
i) recognize and promote the security of
tenure of the Mangyans in their ancestral lands; j) be involved in the apostolate
of the Church, issues and concerns of the
society, and affairs of the government to promote the liberating system and structure that recognize the
dignity of persons, social justice and
common good, and ac-tively participate in politics and other fields for
its realization; k) promote a free,
peaceful and realistic dialogue with
brethrens of other faiths and ideologies; l) uphold the rights and responsibilities of people in the care, development, just distribution and use
of land, extend humane assistance to
squatters during relo-cation, and reinforce organized protests against
unjust and irrational conver-sion of
agricultural and ancestral lands; m)
promote communion with nature,
protect all those who support life and
re-nounce those who destroy it; n)
support an alternative media that
will be an instrument of evangelization and gospel values.
Goal . To make an “integral evangelization” towards the building-up of Basic
Ecclesial Communities (BECs) in the
Apostolic Vicariate of Calapan.
From Dekada ng Pamilyang
Mindoreño to Hapag ng Pamilyang
Mindoreño
The three-year preparations focused on the Trinity and the eventual meaningful cel-ebration of the
Great Jubilee 2000 also enlivened the
local Church and provided the impetus for a committed effort to heed
the Holy Father’s call for Integral
Evangelization. This was pursued
through the inauguration of the pastoral program—Dekada ng Pamilyang
Mindoreño (2001-2010), in which the
pastoral focus is on the evangelization of families towards the building-up of Basic Ecclesial Communities (BECs).
On September 2004, the Diocesan
Pastoral Council Meeting was convoked to evaluate and re-design a
suitable, effective, and systematic
pastoral program based on the Vision-Mission-Goal of the Apostolic
Vicariate of Calapan without prejudice to the present demands of the
local Church. Attendant to the colCalapan / B7
The Apostolic Vicariate of
Calapan
By Fr. Vicente R. Uy, JCD
ON BACKGROUND: Sto. Niño Cathedral, Calapan
City. RIGHT: Bishop Warlito I. Cajandig, D.D.,
Vicar Apostolic of Calapan.
IMPORTANT FACTS:
Bishop …………………………….............. 1
Diocesan Priests:
Working in the Diocese …………...... 38
Abroad …………………………............ 6
Study Leave ……………………............ 1
Religious Priests:
Filipino………….…………................... 10
Foreigner…………………………........... 9
A local
local Church
Church in
in transition
transition
A
from aa mission
mission territory
territory to
to aa
from
renewed, vibrant,
vibrant, and
and mature
mature
renewed,
Christian community
community
Christian
Brother:
Foreigner …………………………........... 1
Women Religious ..………………….... 62
Seminaries:
College (Philosophy) ………………...... 1
Theologate ………….………………...... 1
House of Spirituality ………………....... 1
Seminarians:
Theology …………………………....... 24
College (Philosophy) ……………….. 37
Pre-College (Initial Formation
Year) ………………………………........ 9
From other dioceses:
Theology .………………................... 17
Diocesan Divisions:
Vicariates Forane ……………………... 5
Territorial Parishes ………………….. 20
With Resident Pastors ….……..... 20
Entrusted to Diocesan Clergy ....... 16
Entrusted to Religious Clergy ……. 4
Personal Parish ………………………...... 1
Quasi-Parishes ..………………………... 2
Chaplaincies ………………………........... 4
Mission Areas …………………………..... 4
Pamayanans ………………..……….... 634
Educational Centers:
College
Owned and Administered
by Religious .………...................... 1
High Schools
Owned and Administered
by the Diocese …......................... 17
Owned and Administered
by Religious ………………........... 1
Elementary Schools
Owned and Administered
by the Diocese ………………..... 9
Owned and Administered
by Religious .……...…………...... 1
Institutions:
Educational ……………………........... 1
Formation Houses ………….....…... 6
Retreat Centers …………………….. 4
Clergy Houses …………………….... 2
Pastoral Centers:
Diocesan …………………………...... 5
Parish ……………………………..... 20
Mangyan Heritage Center …………....... 1
Population ……………………… 707,676
Area ………………….. 4,364.72 sq. kms.
Catholics ……………....... 681,987 (83%)
Commissions
B4
The Prison Ministry
program of the Church
CBCP Monitor
Vol. 11 No. 21
October 15 - 28, 2007
The Prison
Chaplaincy apostolate
By Rudy Diamante
By Rodolfo Diamante and Joven Velasco
TROUBLE and danger, brought about by
an apparent lack of focused attention to look
after the welfare and interest of prison inmates, prompted the creation of an agency
that would plan and administer the proposed Prison Ministry Program of the
Catholic Church.
The inmates of the New Bilibid Prison
Maximum Compound were restless then
and staged trouble among themselves
which, like those that came before it,
claimed lives.
It was the era of prison gang wars that
started to occur in alarming frequency since
the early 1950s when regional prisoners
coming from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao
grouped among themselves for common
protection and survival in prison. Manila’s
Sigue-Sigue Gang and Visayas and
Mindanao’s OXO Gang stood out as notorious examples and the two engaged in
countless riots that ended in heavy casualties on both sides. Splinter groups developed from the two warring factions and
the new groups took a more regional character. There was one for the Ilocanos, another for the Bicolanos, and still others for
the Cebuanos, the Warays, and the
Mindanaoans. And they all took part in
bloody melees.
The most violent of prison riots occurred
in 1958, the last of the bloodiest in 1975.
That was the time when, finally, a Cursillo
group inside the prison walls gathered and
sought help.
In the midst of prison riots, the Inmate
Cursillo secretariat met at the prison
chaplain’s office of the New Bilibid Prison
and agreed to seek assistance from the
Catholic bishops. They drafted a letter, dated
25 March 1975, that proposed the creation of
a religious body under the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).
The vision and goals of the proposed body
were presented. The signatories were 11 inmates, 3 prison guards, a lay adviser, and 2
prison chaplains. They promised to serve
the prison society through this body. The
prison society consists of inmates, released
prisoners and their families; as well as prison
workers and their families, chaplains, and
volunteers in prison work.
The Church responded. The CBCP created in April 1975 an ADHOC Committee
for the Welfare of Prisoners that conducted
studies, met, and presented reports towards
the creation of a permanent body. In July
1975, during the CBCP’s annual meeting
held in Baguio City, the Episcopal Commission on Prisoners’ Welfare or
ECOPRIW was created. It was composed
of three Bishop members, three auxiliary
members, and two secretaries. Immediately, an Integrated Pastoral Program for
the Rehabilitation of the Prison Society was
drawn up and the slogan, “Prison is
People!” was adopted as its battle cry.
The implementation of the Church’s
prison ministry was not left solely to the
officials and secretariat of the newlyformed agency; in fact, volunteer prison
workers had to be recruited and they eventually did much of the work. Nonetheless,
the implementing structure had to be arranged within the Church itself, through
the dioceses. Prison apostolate work, therefore was done through the dioceses, the
prison chaplains under the payroll of the
Department of Justice, and the volunteers
in prison work.
The dioceses were mobilized to look after prison welfare. Awareness of prison life
and conditions were raised in the local and
regional levels, or more appropriately in
the parishes. Chaplains were encouraged
to draw up their own programs and plans
for prison rehabilitation in their respective
turfs. Volunteer prison workers were recruited from among interested private individuals and they were organized into
working corps collectively known as the
Volunteers in Prison Service (VIPS). Originally, seven such corps was formed primarily for the seven national prisons and
largely for the New Bilibid Prison.
The mobilization of whichever group
necessitated organizational spadework.
Consultation conferences were held with
prison chaplains that led to the creation of
the National Conference on Prison
Apostolate (NACOPA), in 1978; Luzon
Prison Ministry Consultation (LUPRIMCO),
in 1988; and Visayas-Mindanao Prison Ministry (VIMIPRIMCO), in 1990. Resolutions
and petitions addressed to pertinent government bodies and agencies were drawn
at the end of the conferences to consolidate
and integrate efforts towards a more efficient and humane penal administration and
progressive prison reforms. Petitions to appropriate government agencies for improved services were also a main preoccupation of these conferences.
Meanwhile, the organization of VIPS
chapters was preceded by a seminar on the
Philippine criminal justice system, penal
administration, and prison and jail conditions all over the country. ECOPRIW facilitators appealed to the potential recruits’
sense of idealism and perhaps awakening
social justice. From 20 volunteers in 1975,
the ranks of VIPS rose to 2,000 today and
VIPS chapters, 86 on last count, have been
established all over the country, from
Luzon, to the Visayas and Mindanao. The
First General Assembly of VIPS was held
in 1994. VIPS local chapters report directly
to their respective dioceses but they raise
their own funds, making their self-imposed dedication doubly admirable. At the
moment, there are more VIPS in detention
centers than in prisons or penal colonies
where the chaplains concentrate.
In 1991, the ECOPRIW (which eventually came to be known as the Episcopal
Commission for Prison Pastoral Care
[ECPPC] starting in 1998) led in organizing a conference that gathered all government, non-government, and church agencies involved in prison work to talk about
common issues and problems and come
up with consolidated efforts toward enlightened prison reforms. The agencies
later coalesced into the Integrated Correctional Association of the Philippines (ICAP)
in 1995, one of ECPPC’s grand alliances and
linkages. All together, the agencies observed the National Correctional Consciousness Week some time in October,
starting in 1995.
Linkages are imperative to strengthen
advocacy and networking towards meaningful change in the criminal justice system
in the country. Locally, aside from the ICAP,
ECPPC is an active founding member of the
PAYO (Philippine Action for Youth Offenders) and the CADP (Coalition Against Death
Penalty) for very specific concerns.
On the international front, the ECPPC
has started to join hands with the inter-denominational International Prisons Chaplains Association (IPCA) which is based in
Sweden; and the International Commission
of Catholic Prison Pastoral Care (ICCPPC),
in Netherlands; whose objective is to bring
to the worldwide Church a greater awareness and sensitivity to the exercise of Prison
Pastoral Care and to contribute to the reform and revision of the penal system
throughout the world.
Notwithstanding its advocacy campaign
against death penalty, the creation of a more
comprehensive juvenile justice system pursued with unrelenting passion and conviction; ECPPC embarks on an advocacy campaign on the adoption of restorative justice
in our justice system.
This year’s Prison Awareness celebration
focuses on the offenders’ role in the restorative paradigm that is to accept direct and full
responsibility for the crime they have committed and challenges the community to discover the face of Christ among the prisoners.
Christian communication
workshop held in Baguio
EPISCOPAL Commission on Biblical
Apostolate (ECBA) Executive Secretary
Fr. Oscar Alunday, SVD, and ECBA staff,
participated in a biblical workshop organized by the Philippine Bible Society
(PBS) last September 3-7 at the PBS Sanctuary in Baguio City.
Alunday said the workshop was an experience of the Word ‘alive and kicking’
in the hearts of persons who are active
in the promotion of the Bible.
“The workshop was also an experience
of solidarity of people sharing and reflecting together as sisters and brothers,”
Alunday said. “It was an experience of
communion where each one freely
shared ideas, feedback, challenges, shadows and lights of life and ministry,” he
added.
Alunday emphasized the liberating
aspect of communication during the
workshop saying it was so because, “the
participants were gathered around the
Communicator—the Word of God.”
“The resource persons shared their life
experience on the Word of God—how
they are inspired ‘to do more and to be
more’ and not so much ‘to have more’,”
he further said.
The workshop, designed to equip
Christian communicators on the theology and methodology of communicating God’s word, was attended by some
30 participants from the Bible Society
and representatives from partner organizations including ECBA and the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches
(PCEC).
The panel of speakers included Dr.
Julian Sundersingh, Program Consultant of the United Bible Society in the
Asia-Pacific; Rumel Caballero, Vice
President and CEO of Verumed International Pharmaceuticals, Inc; Carlo
Dino, Domestic Broadcast Service Director of the Far East Broadcasting Company; and Charles Javier, an inter-confessional resource speaker on Creative
Communication to Youth and Children.
Dr. Sundersingh discussed Biblical Principles of Communication, Understanding Audiences and their Needs, Audience Research,
Church Structure
The Episcopal Commission on Prison Pastoral Care is one of the 30 offices and commissions of the Catholic Bishop’s Conference of the Philippines formed in 1975 that is tasked to promote the total development of the
members of the prison community all over the country. It is composed of a
chairman and four members elected from the bishop-members of the conference for a term of 3 years with re-election. The commission carries its
task through the Secretariat headed by an Executive Secretary appointed by
the chairman.
State Structure
In the Philippines, there are three levels in our approach to institutional
correction namely, the national penitentiaries, the provincial jails and the
city and municipal jails. There is also the community based treatment approached for first adult offenders whose sentence is six years below and for
children in conflict with the law. The jails and prisons have full-time chaplains employed by the state. We also have volunteer chaplains appointed
by the local bishops to minister to the members of the prison community.
Main events in the Chaplaincy
· Organizations of 82 units of Volunteers in Prison Service Units nationwide that deliver the Integrated Pastoral Program—namely worship, formation, service, advocacy and linkages/networking. The Chaplains and
Volunteers conducted the 6 th General Assembly of Chaplains and Volunteers in Prison Service last December 6-9, 2004 in Lipa City, Batangas. It also
held 3 regional assemblies: Central and North Luzon last April 21-23, 2006
in Baguio City; East, West, South Luzon last July 28-30, 2006 in Lucena City
and Visayas and Mindanao region last December 4-7, 2006 in Cebu City.
These assemblies explored the theme “Healing and Restoring Hope and
Dignity to the Community”. Theological and pastoral updating were also
given in these gatherings.
· The Abolition of Death Penalty and the passage of Juvenile Justice Welfare
Act of 2006 otherwise known as Republic Act 9344¯an act abolishing the death
penalty” and Republic Act 9346¯an act that provides for the institution of restorative justice paradigm in dealing with children in conflict with the law.
· Observance and celebration of the Prison Awareness Sunday every last
Sunday of October with themes that underlined the need to look at the
welfare of the members of the prison community. The celebration focused
on community’s role in the repair of the social injury caused by crime; the
need for the offenders to ask for forgiveness and do some restitution and for
the victims to heal and to be given the opportunity to forgive. The traditional and yearly Gawad Paglilingkod Award was conferred to individuals
and groups of the various archdioceses/dioceses in the country who have
rendered invaluable services in the prison for at least 3 consecutive years.
· Promotion of the Restorative Justice paradigm through the holding of
various seminars, fora and symposia among policy makers, legislators and
church and government personnel involved in correction.
Issues and problems
Subhuman living conditions of our jails and prisons. There is an inadequate food, beds, toilets and other sanitary facilities. The budget allocated
by government is always too small for the basic needs of prisoners. Most of
our jails are congested, overcrowded and dilapidated.
Human rights violation. Corporal punishment is practiced by some employees and prisoners. Some prisoners had experienced forms of physical
and psychological torture.
Slow judicial process. Many suspects, not yet found guilty, are already
detained while awaiting hearings and sentence that take months and years.
The injustice is greater when they are found not guilty as charged.
Retributive system of justice. Our penal system is still characterized by long
sentences and lack of rehabilitative program because of the retributive paradigm.
Failure of government to provide facilities and services to prisoners with
special needs. There are no facilities for the mentally ill, the handicapped,
the young, the old and the sick.
Absence of after care release program. There is lack if not absence of
programs that will address the problems of released prisoners for employment, livelihood and provision for basic needs.
Corruption exists in almost all levels of the criminal justice system. The institutions are still saddled with graft and corrupt practices of some employees.
Lack of financial support, even with the Church hierarchy. It is not a
priority program in the government and in some Arch/dioceses.
Growing number of children in conflict with the law. Some are still locked
up together with adult offenders despite the passage of the Juvenile Justice
Welfare Act of 2006.
Hopes and Aspirations
· The final and absolute abolition of the death penalty in our criminal
justice system when the Senate ratifies the 2nd Optional Protocol to the UN
Convention on Civil and Political Rights
· Passage of a PRE-TRIAL Release Program that will be an alternative to the
current bail system. This program when pass will decongest our jails by 70%.
· The full implementation of the Juvenile Justice Welfare Act of 2006 that
provides better treatment of the children in conflict with the law.
· Integration of all agencies involved in correction into one Department of Correction.
· Adoption of the Restorative Justice approach in our criminal justice system
· Declaration by the UN and Vatican of World Prisoners’ Day
Statistics
Population: 87 Million
Number of Prisons
National Penitentiaries: 7 for those sentenced to 3 years above (6 for men and 1 for women)
Provincial Jails: 78 for those sentenced to 3 months to 3 years
City Jails: 86 for those sentenced below 3 months
Municipal /District Jails: 1040 for those sentenced below 3 months
Number of Youth Center for those whose sentence has been suspended: 12
Youth Rehabilitation Centers, and only about 5 youth detention centers.
Number of Prisoners including pre-trial detainees and remand prisoners
128,134 as of February 2007
The number does not include those confined at the provincial jails,
police detention centers.
Number of Prison Chaplains (Only priest are considered chaplains)
Full-time- 15
Volunteers - 61
Number of Prison Chaplaincy Pastoral Workers
Priests – 76
Religious Sisters – 11
Lay Persons – 86 Volunteer in Prison Service Unit Coordinators
Participants to the PBS Christian communication workshop with Fr. Oscar Alunday, SVD (kneeling,
second from right).
Understanding Media in Scripture Communication, Creative Programming, Strategic
Approach in Carrying Out Our Mission, Spoken Language in Media Communication and
Critical Success Factors in Scripture Communication.
Mr. Caballero, an expert in strategic
marketing and business planning spoke
on The Filipino Consumer and Its Changing
Demographics, The Philippine Publishing Industry, and Research Tool in the Filipino Context.
Meanwhile, Mr. Dino, whose media
involvement includes theater, television, marketing communication and
corporate training tackled the Models for
Social Change and Media Possibilities.
Enjoyable and lighthearted moments
sprinkled the sessions with Mr. Javier
who shared on and demonstrated Com-
munication through Music, and Communication with a Difference (Music for Youth
and Children).
The workshop featured a challenging
mix of lectures, small group discussions
and presentations on proposed communication projects. On the whole, it challenged the participants, an ecumenical
group composed of clergy, lay workers,
marketing professionals, media practitioners and information technologists;
to be bolder in communicating God’s
Word. It also convinced them that a paradigm-shift is necessary for stakeholders
to start thinking of themselves not
merely as Bible publishers but as true
Bible Communicators.
Third Fermin, IT Officer of the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches acknowledged how the workshop taught
About 1700 volunteers
him to be more focused and become effective communicator of God’s message
of Love, Hope and Salvation.
“I have no previous background on
mass communication or marketing. But
the four-and-a-half day Christian Communication Workshop helped me appreciate
and understand the biblical foundation
of communicating, the way God designed it to be,” he said.
France Torreja, PBS Marketing Manager and workshop coordinator sums up
the sentiments of her team positively.
“We enjoyed the workshop immensely,” she said.
She remarked that the seminar both
enlightened and challenged them to
communicate the word of God more
than the usual way, instead, reach out to
people in a manner they would truly
appreciate and understand, the word of
God.
“Thus, let lovers of music hear the Divine Love Story through chords of
music...let radio enthusiasts hear of
God’s love on the airwaves… and let TV
and computer aficionados see and hear the
Good News live on their monitors and
screens,” said Torreja.
The Philippine Bible Society has been
in the ministry of Making the Bible Known
for almost 108 years. It constantly seeks
to discover and devise ways of realizing
its vision of a transformed Philippines
through God’s Word.
The Christian Communication Workshop, undertaken in partnership with
the United Bible Societies, is the first to
be conducted in the Philippines. (Hazel
Salariosa-Alviz)
Vol. 11 No. 21
October 15 - 28, 2007
Pastoral Letter
Indigenous Peoples
Sunday 2007
“In the beginning was the
Word, and the Word was with
God, and the Word was God.”
(John 1:1-2, 14)
DEAR Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
This coming 14th of October, we will celebrate INDIGENOUS PEOPLES SUNDAY . We consider this
year particularly important because it is the 30 th year
of the creation of the Episcopal Commission on Indigenous Peoples (ECIP). The ECIP embodies the official
and conscious Apostolate of the Church, together with
the Dioceses and Religious Congregation, for our Indigenous brothers and sisters. For thirty years, the
Church has lent her moral authority and her human
and material resources to support the struggle of our
Indigenous Peoples for justice and self-determination.
Last September 18-21, 43 dioceses all over the Philippines participated in the 25 th ECIP-IPA National
Convention in Baguio City, reflecting on the theme:
The Word of God and the Indigenous Communities.
We realized that the Word of God is alive in our indigenous peoples’ life and culture as manifested in
their relationships with creation, their ancestors and
their community. These relationships are living witnesses to the ways they feel and hear the presence of
God articulated in epics, chants, prayers, and the
community’s way of life particularly through life-giving customs and traditions.
In the Convention, we saw the many significant advances that IP communities have gained since thirty
years ago. As our country’s IPs continue to listen to
the wisdom of their ancestors and heritage, they have
been asserting their views about the detrimental effects of development aggression and irresponsible extraction of our natural resources. They have been involved in bringing these concerns into the national
consciousness and the Church has partnered with them
in advocating for more environment friendly practices.
In the legal arena, they have pushed for the recognition of the distinctiveness of their communities in the
1987 Philippine Constitution and successfully lobbied
for the passage of the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act
in 1997. Through this law, as well as through the UN
Declaration on Indigenous Peoples Rights that was recently approved by the United Nations General Assembly, IP communities in our country have gained
recognition to their rights as peoples and have been
able to assert their title to their ancestral domains.
In the socio-economic arena, there is a growing effort to protect and recover indigenous knowledge
which can be used in the present times to be a basis of
their economic activities. There is also greater awareness now about their need for a kind of education that
is appropriate for them.
Despite these gains, the deep seated prejudices and
biases against IPs that have been instilled in us over
the centuries continue to inflict neglect, deprivation,
injustice and even death to many indigenous communities and cultures. These situations of violence have
uprooted IPs from their territories, severing their lifegiving relationships and sense of identity. Until today, acts of aggression continue in the form of landgrabbing, human rights violations, militarization and
displacement of IP communities.
A few of the demands of IPs that surfaced during
this convention are these:
· that the National Commission on Indigenous
Peoples (NCIP) speedily process and award the Certificate of Ancestral Domain Titles (CADTs) to the
Ati of Boracay and similarly situated IP communities;
· that the armed forces of the Government and the
New Peoples’Army respect the dignity of the indigenous peoples and stop their widespread recruitment
as Citizens Armed Forces Geographical Units, CVOs
or “Bagani”, and that their areas be proclaimed as
Peace Zones;
· that everything must be done to stop the injustice
done to the Subanon community of Mt. Canatuan in
Siocon, Zamboanga del Norte due to the:
o failure of NCIP to register their CADT with the
Register of Deeds,
o procurement of an invalid Free Prior and Informed
Consent (FPIC) by a mining company, namely, Toronto
Ventures Inc. (TVIRD SCAA),
o food blockade and forced eviction of the communities by TVIRD SCAA.
Historical circumstances have created the mindset
of majority of us of looking down on our indigenous
brothers and sisters, bringing about their
marginalization and oppression. This same mindset
has erased from our historical memory the fact that
all Filipinos alive today have an indigenous heritage.
Only recently are we learning to remember this heritage and to appreciate that the seeds of God’s Word
are present in the IPs’ way of life and culture. The
Word of God is enfleshed, albeit unknowingly, in their
connectedness to and deep respect for creation as they
care for their ancestral domains. It is also present in
their rituals and community life, which is their way
of expressing their connectedness to God and to one
another.
In this year’s celebration of IP Sunday, therefore, I
am inviting you first of all to value our own indigenous heritage as Filipinos. Instead of condemning
and judging our IP brothers and sisters as backward
or pagan let us learn to listen to the presence of God
in their lifeways and culture. Let us condemn the injustices they are subjected to and support their legitimate struggle for self-determination. Let us, above
all, strive to live out God’s love in whatever culture
and expression of faith we find ourselves.
For the Episcopal Commission on Indigenous Peoples:
+MOST REV. SERGIO L. UTLEG, D.D.
Bishop of Laoag and ECIP Chairperson
October 14, 2007
Statements
B5
A call to discover the face of
Christ among the prisoners
IN every society, crime and issues
of law and order loom large in public consciousness. The Philippines is
no exception. Fair and just dealings
between and among people constitute the heartbeat of a good society.
We all need to feel safe in our homes
on our streets, in our communities.
Recent events show that crime has
escalated. Murder, rape, robbery,
drug trafficking, and graft and corruption have become more widespread. Yet the traditional means of
dealing with such crime seem unable to bring about reconciliation
and healing. The prison industry is
expanding. Fear of crime dominates
too many lives.
The Episcopal Commission on
Prison Pastoral Care (ECPPC) in celebration of the 20th Prison Awareness Sunday on October 28, 2007 reaffirms that from our Christian perspective criminal justice system must
not be built upon a philosophy of
retribution, focusing primarily upon
punishment flowing from feelings
of revenge; a negative philosophy
that produce negative results. An
adversarial system by definition
does not seek always to find the truth
of a particular matter, but rather
seeks a victory for one or other party.
Such a system does not encourage
offenders to take personal responsibility for their actions and can leave
victims feelings that they are on trial
too. It does not bring peace in the
community.
Photo courtesy of RCAM
CBCP Monitor
The ECPPC challenges this philosophy of retribution on the basis
that it is negative and usually counterproductive. We hold that compassion, mercy, healing, sanction
where appropriate and forgiveness
leading to reconciliation lie at the
heart of a fair and just criminal justice system. Even the worst of of-
fenders remain children of God. We
are called to discover the face of
Christ among them.
The ECPPC believes that victims
need to be more actively engaged
in the criminal justice system, provided that healing and reconciliation
are the focus of such engagement.
The ECPPC strongly urges our
society to adopt a more restorative
intervention in our criminal justice
system and work for justice that
heals.
+MOSTREV.PEDROD.ARIGO,D.D.
Bishop of Apostolic Vicariate of
Palawan
Chairman-ECPPC
ECIP-IPA National Convention
September 18-21, 2007
Sta. Catalina Spirituality Center, Baguio City
STATEMENT
WE, the 93 representatives of the 43 dioceses,
who participated in the 25th ECIP-IPA National Convention held on September 18-21,
2007 at Santa Catalina Spirituality Center,
Baguio City, Philippines, have reflected on
the theme “The Word of God and the Indigenous Communities”, and are united in declaring that:
The Word of God is alive in indigenous
peoples’ life and culture as manifested in their
relationships with creation, their ancestors
and their community. These relationships are
living witnesses to the ways they feel and
hear the presence of God articulated in epics,
chants, prayers, meaningful silence and the
community’s way of life particularly through
life-giving customs and traditions.
Over the centuries, deep seated prejudices
and biases against IPs have wrought neglect,
deprivation, injustice and even death of many
communities and cultures. These situations
of violence have uprooted IPs from their territories, severing their life-giving relationships and sense of identity.
Until today, these acts of aggression continue in the form of land-grabbing, human
rights violations, militarization and displacement of IP communities.
We, therefore, protest the following incidents:
The slow implementation of the resolution
on the CADT application of the Ati community in Boracay;
The systematic recruitment of the indigenous people to become members of the
CAFGUs, CVOs and other para-military
groups like “Bagani”;
The case of the Subanon communities in
Siocon, Zamboanga del Norte against
Toronto Ventures Inc. (TVIRD SCAA)
* Failure of NCIP to register the CADT of the
Subanon communities with the Register of
Deeds;
* Procurement of an invalid FPIC by TVIRD
SCAA;
* Food blockade and forced eviction of the
communities by TVIRD SCAA.
And strongly support:
The demand of the Ati of Boracay and simi-
larly situated IP communities for a speedy
resolution by the NCIP in favor of the processing and awarding of their CADTs;
The call on the government and the NPAs
to respect the dignity of the Indigenous
Peoples, who are sons and daughters of God,
by stopping their widespread recruitment;
The efforts of IP communities to make their
areas Peace Zones;
The filing of the case of the Subanon community of Mt. Canatuan, Siocon, Zamboanga
del Norte, on racial discrimination and human rights violations in Geneva, Switzerland
adopted by the CERD on its 71st session held
from 30 July to 17 August 2007;
Let us recognize that Jesus, the Word of
God, identified Himself with the IPs when
he said that: “Whatsoever you do to the least
of my brothers and sisters, you did it to Me.”
(Mt. 25, 40)
For the participants of the 25 th ECIP-IPA National Convention,
+MOST REV. SERGIO L. UTLEG, D.D.
Bishop of Laoag
ECIP Chairperson
‘Watch and pray’
October 4, 2007
WE, concerned Church people
from the Association of Major
Religious Superiors in the Philippines (AMRSP), the Catholic
Educational Association of the
Philippines (CEAP-NCR), the
Manila Archdiocesan Parochial
School Association (MAPSA) and
the Parish Pastoral Council for
Responsible Voting (PPCRV)
gathered today, October 4, 2007,
at the Sta. Isabel College, Manila
to reflect on the present turbulence in the Philippine society
caused by the unfolding of events
in the on-going Senate hearings.
We gathered credible information on the events and issues and
sought to reflect on these in the
light of our faith.
The present controversy has
affected us deeply and awakened
many feelings:
· Confusion because amidst
charges and counter-charges, the
truth behind the latest NBN controversy still elude us, and government leaders involved refuse
to be accountable and transparent to the people who have a right
to know
· Anger and outrage at the potential harm done to the Filipino
people, by a contract, now mercifully already scrapped, that
would have placed an enormous
economic burden on the Filipino
people, for the sake of the vested
interests of a few.
· Even greater anger when we
glimpse, that this project, carried
out with great secrecy, involved
corruption on a very large scale,
apparently among leaders in very
high places. How high this corruption goes still remains to be
discovered.
· Deep dissatisfaction and loss
of trust, because this is but the
latest instance in a long series of
still unresolved cases of apparent corruption among public officials, in which the truth is hidden from the people who have
the right to know.
· Sadness and disillusionment,
because this new controversy, is
just the latest manifestation of the
culture of corruption, non-accountability and impunity,
which plagues government but
also much of our Philippine culture (and indeed the Church) and
which exacerbates the already
terrible poverty of our people.
Moved by our Christian faith in
the Lord who is Truth and our adherence to the Catholic social vision which calls all and especially
those in public office to work for
the common good, we commit
ourselves to the following:
1) ADVOCACY FOR TRUTH
AND ACCOUNTABILITY:
Despite our weariness, we resolve to advocate the continued
search for truth behind what
seems like a cover up aimed at
misleading the Filipino people.
We refuse to “move on” in the
name of a promised progress, because we know that unless a culture and the protocols of transparency and accountability are in
place, no progress will be real
and lasting. This resolve includes
a demand to bring to justice those
whom a credible process of inquiry reveals to be guilty of
crimes against the Filipino
people.
2) CULTURAL REGENERATION:
We acknowledge that corruption is ingrained in our culture,
indeed in ourselves. We commit
ourselves and our Institutions to
cultural renewal. We will examine ourselves in humility and
honesty and find ways to
heighten our awareness of the
taint of corruption in our lives
and institutions as well as finding ways of correcting that which
we find to be corrupt. We will
proactively promote a culture of
integrity and practices of transparency and accountability in our
own lives and in our institutions.
We will reinvigorate and
strengthen values formation and
education at all levels.
3) ENGAGEMENT TOWARD
GOOD LEADERSHIP:
We will help train leaders,
work toward the emergence of
alternative leaders and work so
that the electoral exercises of 2007
and 2010 will result in honest
elections that will place in power
leaders who are accountable,
competent and committed to the
real service of our people especially the poor. This will involve
working toward electoral reform
and revitalizing voters’ educa-
tion and advocating a credible
COMELEC. This also means educating the young towards political participation and holiness.
Despite the magnitude of the
challenges we face, we dare to
hope extravagantly, because we
believe in the goodness of our
people and the power of the Lord
working in and among us.
We call to mind the teachings
of the Church: “Men and women
have the specific duty to move always
towards the truth, to respect it and
bear witness to it. Living in the truth
has special significance in social relationships…” (Compendium of the
Social Doctrine of the Church #197).
Bearing this in mind and carrying hope in our hearts, we will
seek to create “islands of excellence and light” amidst a sea of
darkness in our country. However modest these beginnings, we
believe that when these “islands”
are joined together in a network,
we will have built up a country
of excellence and light, of integrity and truth.
- Association of Major Religious
Superiors in the Philippines
(AMRSP)
- Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines-the National Capital Region (CEAPNCR)
- Manila Archdiocesan & Parochial Schools Association
(MAPSA)
- Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV)
CBCP Monitor
Reflections
B6
THIS parable is not a typical parable in the sense that it is a straightforward description of religious
attitudes and the lesson flows directly from the description. Two
types of men found in Israel are
presented. They are attending the
same worship service most likely
the atonement ritual because in
his prayer the tax-collector implores “atonement” of his sins.
The atonement ritual was the only
daily service in the temple during that time. The atonement
ritual comprised an interval of
private prayers offered during the
burning of incense.
he practices. What he mentioned
in his prayer is the truth about
himself. It is not hypocrisy. Outwardly the Pharisee prays, but
in reality he is talking to himself. He placed himself in the
presence of the Lord and at the
same time congratulated himself
with his own piety. What spoils
his prayer is the self-pride which
inspires it and his contempt for
other men. When we look down
on others, we tend to be arrogant. Genuine prayer does not
destroy our love for others but
rather deepens our compassion,
mercy, and love for our neigh-
he change his life? Can he make
reparation for all his dishonesty
by giving up his profession? He
needs God’s mercy.
The parable ends with “… the
tax-collector, and not the Pharisee
was in the right with God when he
went home”. It means that the taxcollector was justified, having
found favor before God. The
paradox here is that the one who
prides himself on not needing
justification returns home un-justified, whereas the one who regards himself as a worthless sinner returns home justified. Since
the Pharisee asks nothing, he re-
ceives nothing. The Pharisee is
already satisfied with what he
has, how could God give him
anything?
God justifies the repentant
sinner, but does not justify
him who trusts in his own selfrighteousness.
Sometimes we are like the
Pharisee in the parable. Whenever we encounter serious problems in our life like financial setback, sickness, or death in our
family, we ask God—”Why did
these things happen to me? I go
to mass every Sunday, I donate
God forgives / B7
God forgives a humble
and repentant sinner
30th Sunday in Ordinary Time
(Luke 18:9-14)
October 28, 2007
The two men presented in the
parable embody the very extremes of Judaism. The Pharisee
is the personification of the scrupulous observance of the Law,
whereas the tax-collector represents notorious sinners, one
whose life is the very negation
of the Law. The Pharisee has a
reason for standing alone by himself. As a Pharisee, he believes
that if he comes in contact with
the clothes of one ordinary Jew
who does not follow the Law,
then he has to undergo a ritual of
uncleanness. The standing posture of the tax-collector was the
normal posture for prayer.
The prayer of the Pharisee begins with an expression of
thanksgiving; then he continued
with an enumeration of vices he
refrains from and of the virtues
bors. Authentic prayer is always
offered to God and to God alone.
In his desire to practice the
Law perfectly, the Pharisee fasts
twice a week. The Law requires
only one annual fast, on the Day
of Atonement. Tithe-giving was
obligatory only for certain agricultural products, but the Pharisee pays tithes on all that he gets.
The tax-collector on the other
hand was lax in his observance
of the Law. For him, money is
the important thing in life, thus,
he served the interest of the Roman Empire and the benefits that
are connected to it. And he is
aware of the shamefulness of his
profession. His posture during
prayer (not even daring to look
up to heaven and beating his
breast) is a recognition of his inner feelings of misery. How can
Bo Sanchez
Angels are ready to
escort you
WHEN I was an impish kid, I recall regularly
visiting the cloistered Carmelites with my
family—those cute brown-clad nuns behind
the steel bars and black curtain. Contemplative sisters, they called themselves, but as a
kid, I had my own secret nickname for them:
penguins, because they looked so much like
them. I noticed they were small. They’d trot
around in their black sandals in tiny little
steps; and they’d be bopping their heads up
and down whenever they see someone.
No one could enter their holy house, my
parents told me. It must be very special, I
told myself, because only God and His penguins were living there.
One day, as my family was still inside the
church, I ran and peeked through the iron
fence of the convent to see if the Almighty
was indeed there. All of a sudden, one of the
penguins peered through the door and saw
me. I froze in terror. But a happy face greeted
me and said, “Do you want to come in?”
Did she say “come in?” Before I could answer, she opened the iron gate and gave me
her hand. I was dumbfounded. “One, two,
three, four, five…” I counted. Yep, she had
five fingers. Funny, I always thought they
never had hands. They kept hiding them
behind their brown robes! Hmm. My penguin theory was falling apart.
We walked hand-in-hand and it felt good.
In fact, I felt I was holding the hand of an
angel. Behold, a new theory in my brain was
being formed.
She led me to their fabulous garden and it
struck me how beautiful the garden of God
was. I caught a glimpse of a guava fruit high
on a tree. She saw me look at it, so she grabbed
all of me and lifted me up, enough for my
hand to pluck it off myself.
The fruit tasted sweet, but not as sweet as
being in the arms of the angel of God.
After a few minutes, she carried me back
to the gate where my parents were now waiting. Outside.
Because only I was able to enter the house
of God.
I recall that experience and feel the same
way every time I pray today.
When I make the sign of the cross, the iron
gate opens.
And an angel gives me her hand.
We walk into the garden of God.
I gaze at His beauty and even eat the fruit
of answered prayer.
It is sweet, yes, but not as sweet as being in
the arms of love.
Enter into God’s house more often.
The angels await in tiptoes, ready to escort
you to the Throne.
Fr. Roy Cimagala
Lay spirituality
THERE are yet many obstacles to
be hurdled, yet many things to
be done before we in general can
have a good understanding, let
alone live the very important
role the laity plays in the Church
and in the world.
At the moment, we don’t have
to look far to see how gravely
misunderstood the lay people
are. They are largely seen as second-rate citizens if not pariahs in
the Church, unavoidably immersed in the dirty mundane
things of the world.
They are also regarded as some
kind of accessories to the clergy.
It would seem that their status
only acquires a whiff of dignity
when they act as assistants and
servers to bishops and priests.
For them to have some semblance of goodness and holiness,
they are expected to keep distance
from the world as much as possible, if not to hate it. They are
pressured to fit into a certain religious mentality, doing churchy
chores, that tends to suffocate
their true lay and secular character.
Whatever may be the causes of
this sad phenomenon, the fact is
crystal clear that we are still light-
years away from the ideal insofar as the role of the laity in the
Church and in the world is concerned.
The laity is supposed to be an
integral and essential part of the
Church. As such, they, like the
bishops, priests, religious men
and women, have the same calling to sanctity and to the
apostolate in ways proper to their
condition.
They should not feel nor should
they be treated as if they are just
a baggage in the Church, or
merely a resource to be taken
advantage of, as in being used as
source for money, or treated as
the clergy’s long arm.
They are as much the Church
as bishops, priests and the religious are. They
are not merely in the Church,
but the Church herself together
with the clergy and the religious,
lifted to her supernatural nature
and intrinsically involved in her
mission.
Another thing that should be
made clear is that the Church is
not just some human social structure. The Church is the people of
God, the mystical body of Christ,
communion with Christ and ev-
erybody else in Christ.
This sublime nature of the
Church has to be understood and
consciously and freely lived by
all of us, depending on what role
we play, whether as clergy, religious or lay.
In this tricky matter, we with
God’s grace have to help one another. We should not reduce the
Church as a social phenomenon,
though it certainly has social
manifestations. Its supernatural
character should always be upheld and defended.
Though everyone has different
duties, everyone should also realize, whether clergy, religious
or lay, that he forms an indivisibly organic unity with everybody else with Christ as head in
the Holy Spirit.
We just have to learn to relate
with one another properly,
knowing how to keep the mutual need for one another, while
avoiding confusion as in
clericalizing the laity or laicizing the clergy.
There unfortunately are indications these irregularities are
taking place in some areas. The
Popes and the Vatican in general
have issued guidelines in this re-
gard. These should be religiously
followed to avoid perverting the
Church.
But what is most important is
to vigorously promote what may
be called as lay spirituality. This
is the authentic lay empowerment many people are talking
about. This equips lay people
with the correct knowledge and
appropriate ways to live their
role in the Church and the world
properly.
This lay spirituality can mean
many things. For one it can mean
having a right theology about
the world in general, a right understanding of freedom and respect for the autonomy of temporal affairs, etc.
The link from the earthly to the
sublime, the material to the spiritual, the temporal to the eternal,
should be shown to be very practicable. Everyone, especially the
lay people, should be assured of
this reality.
The Church’s social doctrine
and the more basic Christian anthropology are
indispensable in developing a
true lay spirituality. There has to
be massive and continuing
catechesis about these truths.
Vol. 11 No. 21
October 15 - 28, 2007
The Rosary, a treasure
to be rediscovered daily
By Fr. Santosh Digal
”MARY is a window through which humanity first catches a glimpse
of Divinity on earth. Or perhaps, she is more like a magnifying glass
that intensifies our love for her Son, and makes our prayers more
bright and burning.”
- Archbishop Fulton Sheen
ONCE a priest went for home vacation. By the time he arrived
it was already evening, after nine hours of travel. Soon after
the initial socialization at home and meeting parents and dear
ones, the priest-son wanted to have supper and sleep early.
The father said to the priest, “My dear son, did you forget that
before dinner we always prayed the rosary?” The priest replied, “Oh, I am too tired for that now.” The father insisted,
“No praying of rosary, no supper.” And the father added,
“how come as a priest you can excuse for not praying rosary
on account of tiredness? Come on, let us sit together and pray
the rosary before we eat our supper as all did when you were
a child.” The son obliged without much fuss and the father led
the rosary. Praying rosary in that family was a legacy and
tradition that each member cherished and treasured always.
In the month of October, dedicated to the Holy Rosary, we
ponder with Mary the mysteries of our salvation, and we ask
the Lord to help us grow in our understanding of the marvelous things He has done for us. As we celebrate the feast of the
Virgin of the Rosary every year Our Lady invites us daily to
rediscover the beauty of this prayer, so simple and profound.
The rosary is a contemplative and Christocentric prayer,
inseparable from the meditation of sacred Scripture. It is the
prayer of the Christian who advances in the pilgrimage of
faith, in the following of Jesus, preceded by Mary. We need to
pray the rosary as a family during this month, and daily in
communities and parishes, for the mission of the Church and
for peace in the world.
The Church has always attributed particular efficacy to this
prayer, entrusting to the Rosary, to its choral recitation and to
its constant practice, the most difficult problems. At times
when Christianity itself seemed under threat, its deliverance
was attributed to the power of this prayer, and Our Lady of
the Rosary was acclaimed as the one upon whose intercession
brought salvation.
The world today estimates and thinks every profession and
work in terms of cost benefit. In that sense, what are the cost
benefits of praying rosary? Some of the effects of praying it
are these as revealed by Mary to St. Dominic in 13th century.
· Recitation of the Rosary brings extraordinary graces and
Our Lady grants special protection
· It is a very powerful armor against vice
· Rosary makes virtue and good works flourish and elevates
people to desire heavenly and eternal goods and our souls are
sanctified by this means.
· By reciting Rosary prayerfully a sinner is converted and
becomes worthy of eternal life.
· What we shall ask through the rosary we shall obtain.
· All those who propagate the rosary shall be aided by Mary
in their necessities.
· All who recite the rosary are Mary’s children.
Our devout and prayerful investment that we put in praying rosary in terms of our trust and piety in God and Mary
brings such tremendous power, grace and strength. Thus, the
Rosary is a perfect prayer. It combines the most sublime vocal
prayers with meditation. It is the sum and substance of our
redemption. It is thinking of Christ—his ministry, joys, sorrows and triumphs—that we begin to appreciate more what
he has done for us, that we begin to love him more and more
and imitate him more. We begin to understand too, the role
Mary has played in our salvation. The mysteries of the rosary,
which is said to be “the sweet chain linking us to God,” bring
us closer to Jesus and to Mary.
The family prayer
As a prayer for peace, the Rosary is also, and always has been,
a prayer of and for the family. At one time this prayer was particularly dear to Christian families, and it certainly brought them
closer together. It is important not to lose this precious inheritance. We need to return to the practice of family prayer and
prayer for families, continuing to use the Rosary.
The family that prays together stays together has become a
cliché. The Holy Rosary, by age-old tradition, has shown itself
particularly effective as a prayer that brings the family together.
Individual family members, in turning their eyes toward Jesus,
also regain the ability to look one another in the eye, to communicate, to show solidarity, to forgive one another and to see
their covenant of love renewed in the Spirit of God.
Many of the problems facing contemporary families, especially in economically developed societies, result from their
increasing difficulty in communicating. Families seldom manage to come together, and the rare occasions when they do are
often taken up with watching television. To return to the recitation of the family Rosary means filling daily life with very
different images, images of the mystery of salvation: the image of the Redeemer, the image of His most Blessed Mother.
The family that recites the Rosary together reproduces something of the atmosphere of the household of Nazareth: its members place Jesus at the center, they share His joys and sorrows,
they place their needs and their plans in His hands, they draw
from Him the hope and the strength to go on.
Children
It is also beautiful and fruitful to entrust to this prayer the
growth and development of our children. Parents are finding
it ever more difficult to follow the lives of their children as
they grow to maturity. In a society of advanced technology,
of mass communications and globalization, everything has
become hurried, and the cultural distance between generations is growing ever greater. The most diverse messages and
the most unpredictable experiences rapidly make their way
into the lives of children and adolescents, and parents can
become quite anxious about the dangers their children face.
At times parents suffer acute disappointment at the failure of
their children to resist the seductions of the drug culture, the
lure of an unbridled hedonism, the temptation to violence,
and the manifold expressions of meaninglessness and despair.
To pray the Rosary for children, and even more, with children, training them from their earliest years to experience
this daily “pause for prayer” with the family, is admittedly
not the solution to every problem, but it is a spiritual aid that
should not be underestimated. It could be objected that the
Rosary seems hardly suited to the taste of children and young
people of today. But perhaps the objection is directed to an
impoverished method of praying it. Furthermore, without
prejudice to the Rosary’s basic structure, there is nothing to
stop children and young people from praying it—either within
the family or in groups—with appropriate symbolic and practical aids to understanding and appreciation. Why not try it?
Rosary / B7
CBCP Monitor
Social Concern
Vol. 11 No. 21
October 15 - 28, 2007
A painful
nful quest for
micprosperity
economic
Hapag-asa: Feeding
children with hope
for a better future
By Pinky Barrientos, FSP
MALNOURISHED children can now look
forward to a hearty meal and balanced diet
to nourish their frail bodies.
An integrated nutrition program for the
poor and malnourished children dubbed
HAPAG-ASA was launched by Pondo ng
Pinoy Community Foundation just recently.
The program has two major components:
supplemental feeding and education classes.
The feeding program targets malnourished
children between 6 to 12 years old. Each child
enrolled in the program is given Vitamealenriched meals. This is a scientifically prepared rice and lentil meal filled with protein,
calcium, iron, vitamins and minerals. Local
ingredients, such as rice, chicken, and potatoes are mixed with the food to make it more
appealing and palatable to children.
Consisting of 120 feeding sessions, the children
are fed once a day, five days a week for six months.
According to nutrition experts this regimen
will reverse the devastating effects of malnutrition on children. Although brain damage
caused by malnutrition is irreversible, the nutritious meal however, will restore the
children’s health and give them a future.
HAPAG-ASA aims to feed 120,000 malnourished children nationwide. Around 50,000 are
currently enrolled under the program.
The first batch of 120,000 children was enrolled in 2005. It saved around 76,000 from
malnutrition and health-related illnesses.
Although admittedly small in scope in the
face of millions of children experiencing
hunger in the country today, HAPAG-ASA,
nonetheless acts as a beacon of hope to the
country’s hungry children.
Studies by Food and Nutrition Research
Institute (FNRI) showed that 3 out of 10 Filipino children, ages 0 to 5 years are suffering
from chronic malnutrition.
The program is currently being implemented in the Archdiocese of Manila, dioceses of Kalookan, Pasig, Novaliches, Cubao,
Daet, Paranaque, San Pablo, Antipolo, Imus,
Puerto Princesa, Malolos, and in 20 other
dioceses in the provinces.
Non-government organizations (NGOs),
foundations and local government units
(LGUs) have likewise took the cause and
adopted the program.
Meanwhile, parents of malnourished children are also beneficiaries of the program in
the form of education classes. Seminars on
topics of Spiritual/Value formation, Health
and Nutrition, Natural Family Planning
(NFP) methods, and livelihood/skills training are given to parents to equip them with
skills that would help improve their lives.
Pondo ng Pinoy is circulating a poster to create greater public awareness on the program.
The campaign poster features the famous
“Hapag ng Pag-asa” painting of Mr. Joey Velasco
accompanied by a bible verse: “For I was hungry and you gave me food…” (Mt. 25:35).
By Joyce O. Palacol
SINCE 18th century, small scale mining has
been widely practiced throughout our archipelago as attested by mute artifacts that
lay in our museums some of which are
handed down as family heirlooms. This
served as witness to both our rich cultural
heritage and abundant natural resources. In
the world, our country is ranked 3rd in Gold
deposit, 4thin Copper, 5thin Nickel and 6th in
Chromite, not to mention the non-metallic
mineral deposits throughout the country
most of which are within the ancestral lands
of the Indigenous People.
Today, various documentation on Philippinemineralresources/depositsareavailable both for local and foreign investors.
Major mineral deposits are widely distributedinthecountry’sfertileland.Itisnowonder that our revenue from mining has
reached multi millions of dollars. This is
one of the bases why the present administration sees mining as the ultimate solution
to our annual budget deficit and projected
resurgence of economic prosperity. It is with
this forward projection that the Philippine
Mining Act of 1995 and other related laws
pertaining to mining were drafted and enacted thus prepare the stage for the revitalizationofminingindustryinthePhilippines.
Thisawakeningofinterestinmininggave
birth to the 24 priority mining sites. The
priority areas include Far Southeast Gold
project, Itogon Gold project, Pacdal Expansion Project and Teresa Gold project in the
province of Benguet, Batong Buhay GoldCopper project in Kalinga-Apayao, Didipio
Copper-GoldprojectinQuirino,Rapu-rapu
Polymetallic project in Albay, Aroroy gold
project in Masbate, Nonoc Iron fines project,
Nonoc Nikel project and Siana gold project
in Surigao del Norte, Adlay-CagdianaoTandawa(ACT)nickelprojectandBoyongan
copperprojectinSurigaodelSur,andPujada
nickel project in Davao del Sur, Tampakan
copper project in South Cotabato, Diwalwal
direct state utilization project, King King
copper gold project and Amacan copper
project/HijogoldprojectinCompostelaValley, Canatuan gold project in Zamboanga
del Norte, Toledo copper project in Cebu,
San Antonio copper project in Marinduque,
Nickel project in Palawan and lastly, Nickel
project in Mindoro.
A recent check with the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) under the DepartmentofEnvironmentandNaturalResources
(DENR) defined the areas covered by Exploration Permit (EP), Mineral Production
Sharing Agreement (MPSA), and Financial
and Technical Assistance Agreement
(FTAA). The present exploration site and
areas with pending applications revealed
that major areas covered by mining concessions overlap not only with ancestral land
but also protected areas under National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS)
act such as watersheds and natural parks.
Current developments in priority areas
classifiedbythegovernmenthaddampened
the spirit of most mining enthusiast. As a
result of the cyanide spills at Rapu-rapu Island in Albay, the President issued EO 145,
creating an independent fact finding committee to investigate the effects of mining
operations on people’s health and the environment. This served as a test case for all the
mining concerns throughout the country
since it would later uncover lapses in the
government, loopholes in the law and lack
of transparency and accountability which
accounts for disasters or unforeseen events
that run havoc to mining operations.
Unaddressed issues on the insufficient
mitigating measures employed by
Marcopper mining resulted to delisting of
said mine from the priority mining list. SubsequentaccidentssuchasthecollapseofembankmentportionofSulphideTailingsDam
of TVI processing plant in Siocon, the mining protest movement that resulted to the
recent death of Councilor Armin Marin in
the province of Romblon and failure for the
project proponent to secure social acceptability and the Free and Prior Informed
Consent (FPIC) in the province of Mindoro,
had put a question of morality and justice on
mining.
We Christians have but one basis of morality from which we weigh environmental justice, the Bible; the ultimate word of
God. When God made man, His intention
was to have him lord over all His other
With God’s help, an earnest approach to
children and youth that is positive, impassioned and creative—is capable of
achieving quite remarkable results. If
the Rosary is well presented, I am sure
that young people will once more surprise adults by the way they make this
prayer their own and recite it with the
enthusiasm typical of their age group.
But no time?
The Book of Ecclesiastes says there is
time for everything. As we live in highly
mechanical, professional, sophisticated,
rapidly technological and competitive
world, we have time for work, eating,
texting, internet, sleep, concert, games,
UAAP Championship, vacation, shopping in malls and indulging in good and
not so good things. Relatively speaking, we have no time for prayer, more
over, for praying the rosary. At the end
of the day, we are over exhausted, fatigue for everything, including prayer.
These are existential realities, yet we
have no budget time for praying rosary.
However, no amount of lame excuse or
work load can justify for not praying
the rosary. We have to find time for it
anyway. If there is will, there is a way.
Due to last year’s “Milenyo” typhoon,
landline, cell phone and internet network
came to a standstill for sometime. How
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creations—the land, the seas and all the living things on it. “...fill the earth and subdue it.
Have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the
birds of the air and over every living thing that
moves on the earth.”(Genesis 1:28)
Furthermore, He admonished man to
take care of his creation. God, too, made
available everything that He created at
man’s disposal and use...“a land with streams
and pools of water, with springs flowing in the
valleys and hills; a land where the rocks are iron
andyoucandigcopperoutofthehills.”(Deut.8:9)
However, everything is permissible but not
always beneficial. Thus, precautions were
given by God when He said to man, “Do not
defile the land where you live and where I dwell.”
(Num 35:34) This stresses that while man
was permitted to mine what he needs, He
was warned not to destroy the very source
of his sustenance….nature.
It is heartbreaking to know that years of
mining in our country had taken tolls on our
environment—depleted forest, displaced
communities,pollutedairandcontaminated
rivers. Our very own government revealed
there are twenty seven contaminated rivers
nationwide due to mining operations. On
top of this, numerous species of flora and
faunahavedisappearedwhileothersremain
threatened to the brink of extinction.
Inthepast,wethechurchhavetakenvarious significant steps through issuance of
statementofconcernsbypastoralletters,conducting dialogues with concerned government agencies and personalities, and active
participationinadvocacymovementinvarious sectors of society. In the light of what
had transpired in the mining industry, the
condition of the environment and the health
of the people, there seem to be a need to reassess our policies and redirect our efforts as
an institution for us to realize the full economic benefits of mining within God’s parameters.
God forgives / B6
for the construction of our parish
church, I take care of my family
conscientiously... And now all these
things are happening to me!” In
other words, we think and relate to
God like the Pharisee as if we are
telling God... “I am a good person;
spare me with all the trials and
problems of this world.” Before
God, we cannot boast of any claim
whatsoever. No matter what we accomplish, we should maintain a
humble attitude that we are “mere
servants” (Luke 17:10). To forget
this is to give in to Phariseeism.
We all want to identify ourselves
with the humble tax-collector. We admit that we are sinners and in need of
God’s forgiving love. The tax-collector was genuinely humble because he
focused his attention on God. He did
not compare himself to anybody else.
It is through the merciful eyes of God
that the tax-collector discovered the
depth of his sins. No man who is
proud can pray. An author once said,
“The gate of heaven is so low that
none can enter it save upon his knees.”
We are also reminded by the words
of the Prophet Isaiah on what the Lord
said, “I myself created the whole universe!
I am pleased with those who are humble
and repentant, who fear me and obey me”
(Isaiah 66:2). It is only by living a life
of authentic humility that we can be
pleasing to God.
Calapan / B3
Rosary / B6
CBCPMonitor
B7
hard we found life without all these? We
thought life too impossible to live without these. How many of us prayed Rosary
during this time as there was no signal for
cell phone or internet or electricity instead?
Possibly, this was good chance to pray for
the rosary because other times we are too
busy with many other things. We take our
cell phones wherever we go, how many
of us carry rosary wherever we go? Certainly, some or most do, if not all.
So the richness of this traditional prayer,
which has the simplicity of a popular devotion but also the theological depth of a
prayer, has to be experienced daily.
Our Lady loves the rosary. It is the
prayer of the simple and of the great.
Everyone can so easily pray it anywhere,
any time. It honors God and our Lady in
a special way. When our Lady appeared
to Bernadette at Lourdes, she had a rosary in her hand. When she appeared to
the three children in Fatima, she also
held a rosary. It was at Fatima that she
definitely called herself by the title she
dearly loves, “The Lady of the Rosary.”
All of us of every state of life, Christian families, the sick and elderly, and
the young people need confidently to
take up the Rosary once again. We have
to revive the Rosary in the light of Scripture and in the context of our daily lives.
Perhaps the greatest blessing of pray-
ing the rosary is the overall harmony
we share. Despite our differences, each
family member needs to commit to pray
for peace, grow in grace, and passing our
faith along to the next generation. The
gospels tell us that prayer can change
anything. It can convert hearts and produce peace. It provides spiritual protection, discernment, comfort and grace.
And so we have to pray for everything,
no intention is too small. Thus it requires
a determined effort.
In the Philippines, Mama Mary is a very
special Woman who is regarded and accepted as the Patron of the country and
Filipinos love her so much. Let our praying Rosary daily in the families show that
we really love her. Praying rosary should
be a family tradition just like the anecdote that is mentioned in the beginning
of this write up. Mary invites us to frequent prayer, especially the rosary. Our
communal prayer would become a strong
bond, ground, guide and heal all of us.
Pope John Paul II says, “O Blessed Rosary of Mary, sweet chain that unites us to
God, bond of love that unites us to the angels, tower of salvation against the assaults
of Hell, safe port in our universal shipwreck, we will never abandon you. You
will be our comfort in the hour of death…”
Let rediscovering the Rosary as a treasure
becomes a family priority and tradition.
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lective spirit and common resolve on
the imperative for one and unified pastoral agenda towards renewed and integral evangelization rooted in the
Word of God and the Eucharist, the Diocesan Core Program HAPAG NG
PAMILYANG MINDOREÑO was conceived and it was officially promulgated
for implementation on July 15, 2006. We
call our program Hapag ng Pamilyang
Mindoreño (literally, Table of the
Mindoreño Family) . We recognize the
family as the focus and locus of the
evangelization.
The
modifier
Mindoreño emphasizes that the program is our distinctive way of evangelizing our people.
“Hapag ng Pamilyang Mindoreño” is
a three-pronged program which guarantees integral evangelization. ‘Hapag’
(Table) is the main component of the
program. It refers to three main elements of the Core Program, namely,
“Hapag ng Salita ng Diyos” (Table of the
Word of God), “Hapag-Kainan” (Dining
Table), “Hapag ng Eukaristiya” (Table of
the Eucharist). We want the Mindoreño
families to work for the three tables and
be nourished by the same.
“Hapag ng Salita ng Diyos” seeks to
open the way to holiness. It opens different avenues for the proclamation of
the Good News at home, in schools, in
offices, and in the different communities. The program promotes bible distribution to every Catholic family and
encourages daily Bible reading so that
the Word of God becomes the guide in
the people’s day-to-day living. Included in the program is the training of
different ministers of the Word who
will facilitate Bible sharing, conduct
Bible studies, facilitate biblical recollections among children, youth, and
adults. Through the Hapag ng Salita ng
Diyos, Mindoreños are expected to mature in faith and be ready for the service of the Hapag-Kainan.
“Hapag-Kainan” seeks to open the
way to peace. Through socio-economic
programs we want to assist needy families (mostly farmers, fisherfolks and laborers) so that they can be liberated
from poverty. We want to see that every Mindoreño family has enough food
on the table and is able to meet the basic necessities of life such as shelter,
health, and education. It serves as symbol of all material and temporal needs
of the Mindoreños. Hence, the program
includes training people for active participation in socio-political matters and
environmental advocacies. The program encourages linkages with government and non-governmental organizations who are similarly involved in addressing the social concerns of our
people.
“Hapag ng Eukaristiya” opens the
way to unity. It invites the families to
participate actively in the celebration
of the Eucharist in Basic Ecclesial Communities (BECs) and in the parish
church. By means of catechesis and wellprepared liturgy, we hope to have meaningful celebrations so that families may
experience the Eucharist as a high point
in their lives.
With our core program, we hope to
achieve our long-range plan of establishing Basic Ecclesial Communities
(Munting Kapitbahayang Kristiyano or
MKK) in all our parishes. The core program is initially designed for six years,
after which it will be thoroughly evaluated so that appropriate adjustments can
be made.
Apostolic Vicariate of Calapan Administrative Manual (AVCAM)
On September 2002, the Episcopal
Council was convoked in a special meeting to review and redesign the diocesan
ecclesiastical organizational structures
according to the mandate of the law to
better the delivery of ecclesial service to
the Christian faithful. Some pertinent
resolutions were made thereafter,
among others, the reconstitution of the
Curia institutes and persons, the establishment of Parish Finance Councils, the
creation of policy directions in the administrative and pastoral sections. After three long and tedious years in the
making, the First Diocesan Administrative Assembly was convoked on September 5-6, 2005 for the official promulgation of the so-called Apostolic Vicariate
of Calapan Administrative Manual
(AVCAM). The Manual is a compendium
of essential administrative documents
that define certain rules and norms of
action for ecclesial administration of this
ecclesiastical jurisdiction. It serves as the
fundamental legislative document for
the attainment and preservation of right
order, both in individual and social life
of the local Church.
CBCP Monitor
Entertainment
B8
Moral Assessment
Abhorrent
Disturbing
Acceptable
Wholesome
Exemplary
DUNSTAN Thorne (Nathaniel
Parker) crosses the wall which
is portal to the magical kingdom of Faerie and Stormhold.
There he meets Una (Kate
Magowan) and they bore a son,
Tristan. Eighteen years later, the
King of Stormhold (Peter
O’Toole) is dying, and his seven
sons fight for who will be the
next king. The King turns a ruby
into a diamond and says that
whichever son retrieves it and
returns it to a ruby will be king.
The ruby knocks a star out of
the sky, which the grown
Tristan Thorne (Charlie Cox)
sees. Tristan promises to retrieve the fallen star for Victoria
(Sienna Miller) to prove his love
for her. However, at the same
time, three ageing witch sisters
see the falling star, and one of
them, Lamia (Michelle Pfeiffer),
leaves to capture it so, by eating its heart, they will restore
their beauty and power. Tristan
is unable to cross the wall so his
father, Dunstan, gives him a
package left with him by his
mother, which turns out to be a
Babylon candle that allows one
to travel wherever one wishes.
Then Tristan accidentally finds
himself at the star’s crash site in
Stormhold where he meets
Yvaine (Claire Danes) who
turns out to be the star. Now,
the King’s sons and Larnia are
all after Yvaine. Will Tristan be
able to protect Yvaine and keep
her promise to Victoria?
A dark fairy-tale epic, Stardust
is a triumph in storytelling. The
soap-operatic approach of lay-
Technical
Assessment
Poor
Below average
Average
Above average
Excellent
Title: Stardust
Running Time: 128 min
Cast: Charlie Cox, Claire Daines, Michelle Pfeif fer, Robert de Niro,
Sienna Miller, Nathaniel Parker
Director: Matthew Vaughn
Producers: Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Michael Drayer, Neil Gaiman,
Matthew Vaughn
Screenwriters: Jane Goldman, Matthew Vaughn, Neil Gaiman,
Charles Vess
Music: Ilan Eshkeri
Editor: Jon Harris
Genre: Fantasy-Adventure
Cinematography: Ben Davis
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Location: UK and US
Technical Assessment:
Moral Assessment:
½
CINEMA Rating: For viewers 14 and above
ered plots and subplots has
worked well for the film. Like a
masterpiece dish, all flavors of
wit, humor, drama, fantasy, adventure, black and white magic
blend well together in this adult
fantasy. The actors have delivered
stellar performances. Most commendable of them is Michelle
Pfeiffer playing the role of the
villain witch, Larnia. She practically steals the movie from its
protagonists. Though a fairy-tale,
the film is far from predictable
as is able to offer varied twists
and turns without diverting from
the continuum of emotions. All
in all, Stardust is one magical
viewing experience.
Though a fantasy fairy-tale,
Stardust is not a film meant for
children. With its frequent representation of consent to premarital sex, black magic and
comical representation of murder, such undertones can only be
discerned by a mature audience
so children must be accompanied
by parents in watching. But then
in totality, as any fairy tale would
go, Stardust is full of morals
which both adults and children
can learn from. There’s vanity
and hunger for power as both
humans’ and immortals’ favorite sin. The lessons of love in the
film are timeless. Oftentimes,
humans look too far only to find
out that their true love is right in
front of them. In the battle of
good versus evil, the one with
the pure heart always prevails.
The metaphor of love as star is
an effective visual treat with a
message that lingers in the hearts
and minds of the viewers. Like a
star, one’s life shines brighter
with love in their hearts. Something people may already know
but oftentimes take for granted.
For the cynic and pessimistic,
Stardust is a reminder of the
magical and divine powers of
love.
Title: Resident Evil:Extinction
Running Time: 95 min
Cast: Milla Jovovich, Oded Fehr, Ali Larter, Iain Glen, Ashanti, Christopher Egan
Director: Russel Mulcahy
Producers: Paul W. S. Anderson, Jeremy Bolt, Robert Kulzer
Screenwriter: Paul W. S. Anderson
Music: Tyler Bates, Charlie Clouser
Editor: Niven Howie
Genre: Science Fiction/ Horror
Cinematography: David Johnson
Distributor: Sony Pictures Releasing
Location: Mexico
Technical Assessment:
Moral Assessment:
CINEMA Rating: For mature viewers 18 and above
Alice (Milla Jovavich), a geneticallyenhanced product of a research at the
Umbrella Corporation, seems to be
the only person alive in Raccoon
City. She was (in the original Resident Evil of this trilogy) a scientist
at the same research facility which
has its secret, fantabulous underground laboratory called The Hive.
Alice manages to evade the laser
barriers of The Hive and soon escapes into the earth’s surface. Then
she discovers she is not alone: the
virus that had infected and turned
people into man-eating zombies had
not been contained—it has now
spread all over the globe and the
zombies are just out there in the
desert waiting for fresh flesh to chew
on, and turn into more zombies as a
result. Alice is a gun-toting superwarrior, the remaining protector of
un-infected humanity and the archPAWANG nagsisikap sa kanilang
paghahanap-buhay ang apat na
magkakaibigang sina Brite
(Ruffa Mae Quinto), Gay
(Pokwang), Dolly (Eugene
Domingo) at Res (Candy
Pangilinan). Subalit sa kabila ng
kanilang sipag ay di pa sapat
upang lubusang maisaayos ang
kanilang kalagayan gayundin
ang kanilang mga pamilya.
Bagamat magkakaiba ang mga
sitwasyon nila bilang mga
babaing nagtatrabaho. para sa
kani-kanilang pamilya ay
nagkakasundo naman sila sa
pagkakaibigan, pag-unawa at
suporta sa isa’t isa. Si Brite na may
negosyong punerarya ay
nagpapa-aral ng kapatid. Si Gay
na isang traffic aide ay
nagtataguyod ng asawa at
dalawang anak. Si Dolly na isang
piano teacher ay inuubos naman
ang maliit na kita sa pag-aasikaso
sa
kinakasama
niyang
pipitsuging artista. Si Res na may
asawang batugan at dalawang
anak
ay
di
naman
magkandaugaga sa pag-aasikaso
sa mga ito at sa buong pamilya
na pawang mga lalaki at
basagulero. Wala silang mga
trabaho at umaasa lamang sa
maliit na pasugalan sa kanilang
lugar hanggang sa masangkot sa
gulo at nakulong. Ang buong
pamilyang ito ay sobrang
nakadepende kay Res pati
Vol. 11 No. 21
October 15 - 28, 2007
enemy of zombies, but she is hardly
aware that she is being tracked by
Umbrella’s power-mad scientist Dr.
Isaacs (Iain Glen).
The last of the Resident Evil trilogy, Resident Evil: Extinction is stylized violence packaged as entertainment. Well, what do you expect of
take-offs from video games? After
having watched too many movies
with zombies in them you begin to
wonder if they can’t be more entertaining than that. All they do is stagger, growl, and flash their canines.
They look menacing in a CGI-kind
of way, though, and subhuman
enough to seem they can kill you
with just their bad breath. Jovavich
is reminiscent of Angelina Jolie
baddies with her guns-around-thethighs and her agility at fights but
she isn’t blessed with bee-stung lips
and bountiful breasts, so she comes
across as a Max Mara model who
crashed in the desert on the way to a
fashion show. And anyway, Jolie
wouldn’t be caught dead in a movie
warding off zombies. But there are
“entertaining” moments, too, as
when the crows behave more like
vultures, and with just one demure
breath Alice turns them into barbecued birds.
What is there to learn from a
movie where a principal character
(Dr. Isaacs) is a power-hungry scientist who uses his genius to play God?
Here he wants to domesticate the
zombies, remove their appetite for
human flesh, and to restore a considerable part of their human mental
functions but not their will. He wants
to make slaves out of the recycled
zombies, he wants the domesticated
zombies to do his bidding. So why
does his plan include cloning Alice,
his fabulous-looking, genetically altered project, but what for? So he and
his harem of Alice-duplicates can repopulate the globe and start a new
heaven and a new earth? As lemonade can be made out of lemons, you
can still squeeze something good
from Resident Evil: Extinction—
you’ve paid 170 pesos to watch it anyway. Turn the movie as leverage for
discussion, especially with videoplaying young people, of the following topics: wasting God-given gifts,
the abuse of power, DNA, cloning,
self-sacrifice, hope in the face of the
destruction of humankind.
Title: Apat Dapat, Dapat Apat
Running Time: 110 mins.
Cast: Rufa Mae Quinto, Eugene Domingo, Pokwang, Candy
Pangilinan
Director: Wenn V. Deramas
Producer: Vicente G. del Rosario III
Screenwriters: Mel Mendoza-del Rosario, Arlene Tamayo
Music: Vince de Jesus
Editor: Marya Ignacio
Genre: Comedy
Cinematography: Sherman So
Distributor: Viva Films
Location: Manila and Hongkong
Technical Assessment:
Moral Assessment:
CINEMA Rating: For viewers of all ages
paggawa ng paraan para
makapagpiyansa. Dahil sa kanikanilang pangangailangan ay
sama-samang nagtungo sa
Hongkong ang apat bilang mga
domestic helper kung saan ibayong
hirap ang dinanas nila. Sa
kasamaang-palad napunta si Res
sa mas malupit na amo at siya ay
napatay nito. Paano ngayon
sasabihin
ng
tatlong
magkakaibigan sa pamilya ni Res
ang sinapit nito sa Hongkong?
Mahusay ang daloy ng pelikula
bilang satiriko at malaki ang
naiambag ng magaling na
pagganap ng mga pangunahing
artista. May komplimentaryo
ang kani-kanilang istilo sa
pagpapatawa kaya nakaaaliw
ang mga eksena at paghahatid ng
punch line. Kwela ang paggamit
ng mga sikat na linya mula sa
lumang pelikula. Nakatulong
din ng malaki ang ginamit na effects sa mga eksenang aksyon
gayundin ang mga inilapat na
tunog at musika kung saan
nabigyan-diin ang pagpapalabas
ng damdamin patawa at drama.
Kapuri-puri ang tratong satiriko
ng Direktor sapagkat malinaw na
naihatid ng pelikula ang mga
mensaheng tumatalakay sa mga
pakikibaka sa buhay ng mga
kababaihan at isyung hinaharap
ng mga OFW sa ibang bayan na
dapat bigyan-pansin ng mga
embahada ng bansa. Bagamat
may mga pagkakataon na tila
pinahahaba lang ang pelikula sa
kabuan ay maganda ang teknikal
na aspeto.
Ang “Apat Dapat Dapat Apat”
bagamat komedya ay may
seryosong mensahe na ibinibigay
ANSWER TO THE LAST ISSUE:
WHY IS THE SO-CALLED CIVILIZATION OF “CONSUMP TION” AND
“CONSUMERISM” ... ONE QUICKLY LEARNS THAT THE MORE ONE POSSESS THE
MORE ONE WANTS. POPE JOHN PAUL II
sa manonood, babae man o lalaki
na magmuni at umaksyon sa
temang tinalakay ng pelikula.
Ang mga kakayahan ng
kababaihan ay dapat kilalanin
unang-una sa loob ng pamilya
bago pa man maging huli na ang
lahat. Gayundin naman ang
respeto ay dapat magsimula sa
sarili lalo na sa pagpapakita ng
pagmamahal upang maiwasan at
hindi na umabot pa sa sukdulan
at maging marahas ang
kahihinatnan. Samantala isang
hamon sa mga kinauukulan na
tiyakin ang proteksyon ng mga
OFW
sa
kanilang
paghahanapbuhay sa ibang bansa.
Ang higit na mahalagang
mensahe ay gaano man kasama
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kapwa o kaibigan na handang
tumulong at magmalasakit sa iyo.
May kasabihan, “a friend in need is
a friend indeed ”. Bagamat
nakakaaliw sa kabuuan ang
pelikula, dapat bantayan ang
konteksto nito lalo na sa mga
eksena ng mga patay na katawan,
homosexuality, at live-in relationship.
C1
Vol. 11 No. 21
October
October 15
15 -- 28,
28, 2007
2007
The Cross
A Supplement Publication for KCFAPI
and the Order of the Knights of Columbus
The Knights of Columbus Priests during their bi-annual gathering held in Cagayan
de Oro City in April this year. To date, there are already 96 priests who graduated
from the KC scholarship program, and there are still more in seminaries in
Rome and in the Philippines.
Two members of the Knights of
Columbus to join College of Cardinals
POPE Benedict XVI, on Oct. 17,
announced the elevation of two
K of C members to the College
of Cardinals: Archbishops John
P. Foley and Daniel N.
DiNardo. The Cardinals-designate will join 21 other churchmen in receiving their red hats
and rings during a Nov. 24
consistory in Rome
Cardinal-designate Foley is
a Pennsylvania native and
member of Our Lady of
Lourdes Council 4546 in Philadelphia. He was recently named
pro-grand master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem after serving
for 23 years as the president of
the Pontifical Council for Social Communications.
Cardinal-designate DiNardo
was born in Steubenville, Ohio,
and was ordained a priest for
the Diocese of Pittsburgh. He
is a former bishop of Sioux
City, Iowa, and was installed
as archbishop of GalvestonHouston in 2004. He is a member of Father Vincent Joseph
Guinan Council 13940 at the
University of St. Thomas in
Houston. (KC News)
Visayas Knights kick off Columbus Day 2007
Cardinal-designate DiNardo
Cardinal-designate Foley
THE different Provincial Jurisdictions of
the Knights of Columbus in the Visayas
formally opened Columbus Day 2007 celebration during the month of September.
The traditional month-long activity that
culminates October 2007, provides opportunity for brother knights and their families from the different councils and districts,
to get together and renew fraternal ties.
The event also serves as a venue to exchange views and experiences on the different service programs of the Knights of
Columbus that seek to have positive impact on the Church, Family, Community,
Youth and Council.
Knights and families paid tribute to
Christopher Columbus on Columbus
Day, whose discovery of the Americas and
the new world, paved the way for the
spread of the Catholic faith in the different continents throughout the world.
The per provincial jurisdiction celebration of Columbus Day 2007 is the brainchild of the Worthy Visayas Deputy, Bro.
Dionisio “Jun” Esteban, Jr. to maximize
the participation of brother knights and
families from councils and districts belonging to the same provincial jurisdiction.
The Cebu Central Provincial Jurisdiction
in particular, celebrated the Columbus Day
Opening Ceremonies last September 16, 2007
in the City of Naga, Cebu. Councils from
Talisay City, Minglanilla, Naga City, San
Fernando, Toledo City, Balamban and
Asturias, comprising Districts V-18, V-19, V20, V-21 and V-22 were welcomed by Cebu
Central Provincial Deputy Bro. Carmelino
“Junjie” N. Cruz, Jr. and Naga Council Grand
Knight Edmundo Rivera, Sr.
Rev. Fr. Trinidad “Daddy” Silva, Jr., Naga
City Parish Priest; celebrated the thanksgiving
mass. He acknowledged the Knights of Columbus as a strong pillar of church endeavors. He
invited brother knights and families to grace
the proclamation of Naga Parish as the
“Archdiocesan Shrine of St. Francis of Assisi”
by His Eminence, Ricardo J. Cardinal Vidal,
Archbishop of Cebu, on October 10, 2007.
As memento of their visit to Naga for the
Columbus Day Opening Ceremonies,
brother knights joined the rest of the parishioners in making modest offerings during
the mass’ second collection to help raise funds
for the on-going construction of the St.
Francis of Assisi Shrine.
The local government also gave a warm
reception to the Knights of Columbus. City
Mayor Valdemar “Val” Chiong graciously
offered the city’s facilities for the different
games. The Naga City Council passed Resolution No. 030-B-2007: “A Resolution Declaring September 16, 2007 as Knights of Columbus Day in the City of Naga, Cebu.”
Visayas Deputy Esteban, who was in
Tacloban City to confer with brother knights
in Eastern Visayas, was ably represented by
Visayas Secretary, Bro. Al Ceniza and Master
of the 4th Degree, Bro. Gines Abellana.
The activity in Naga City, Cebu was replicated in the rest of Visayas, namely: Metro
Cebu Province with Provincial Deputy Vic
Queniahan, Cebu North Province with Provincial Deputy Vic Lavador, Cebu South Province with Provincial Deputy Anecito Carillo
as well as in the different provincial jurisdictions of Iloilo, Aklan, Negros Occidental,
Bohol, Siquijor, Negros Oriental, Samar and
Leyte. (Bro. Junjie Navales Cruz)
FR. GEORGE J. WILLMANN CHARITIES, INC.
Archbishop
Teofilo B.
Camomot
remembered
By Denise Solina
Photo by Dennis Dayao
ON August 14, 1965, in connection with the celebration
of his Golden Anniversary in the Society of Jesus, Fr.
George J. Willmann made an appeal “for support for his
priest successors especially in religious missionary work”. This
dream was finally realized in June 29, 1977 when the
“Father Willmann’s Fund for seminarians” was established by the Knights of Columbus in the Philippines as
a gift for Fr. Willmann in his 80th Birth Anniversary. The
objective was “to support a scholarship program for seminarians for a maximum period of five years”. Its name was later
changed to KC FR. GEORGE J. WILLMANN CHARITIES,
INC.
With the support of the KC FR. GEORGE J. WILLMANN
CHARITIES, INC. religious scholars were able to pursue
their vocation and continue honing their skills to be of
good service to our Mother Church by providing for
them full scholarship assistance and book allowance.
Scholarship programs
The Foundation Scholarship Program is consists of
three major categories:
1) Theology Scholarship - this is open to diocesan-seminarians in Theology level. Selection process is based on
financial need, scholastic standing and the strength of
vocation. Priority is given to dioceses who have not yet
been beneficiaries of the program. There are currently 31
diocesan-seminarians in Theology level who are able to
continue their studies without worrying about their financial obligations in the seminary; nineteen of them
are from Luzon, five from Visayas, and seven from
Mindanao,
2) Two-year Licentiate/Doctorate Programs - the twoyear Local Licentiate Program is open to all Knights of
Columbus chaplains and assistant chaplains and available only at the following schools: University of Santo
Tomas, Loyola School of Theology, and Asian Social Institute. There are six Priest-scholars currently being supported in this program.
3) Supreme Council Fr. McGivney Fund for Advanced
Studies in Rome - a 2-year scholarship program being
funded by the Knights of Columbus Supreme Council in
New Haven Connecticut, U.S.A. and administered locally
by the KC Fr. Willmann Charities, Inc. There are three
Priest-scholars who are currently enrolled in Rome.
Ordained Priest-Scholars
The number of our ordained Priest-scholars already
totaled to 97 and there are 7 priests supported in their
Licentiate Studies locally and 18 priests finished their
The Knights of Columbus Priest-scholars concelebrating at the Opening Mass of the 7th Knights of Columbus National
Convetion held in Cagayan de Oro City.
Licentiate/Doctorate studies in Rome.
The Foundation continues to guide its religious scholars after their ordination. Gatherings every two years
are being organized to keep abreast with the scholars’
current status, and promote camaraderie among its scholars. Latest of which was last April 18-20 coinciding with
the Knights of Columbus National Convention in
Cagayan de Oro City wherein 36 priest-scholars were
able to attend. Our priest-scholars concelebrated during
the Convention’s Opening Mass last April 20.
Cause of Fr. Willmann
Another priority project of the Foundation is the
CAUSE of Fr. George J. Willmann. A Quest for his possible elevation to the honors of the altar was started by
gathering documents and testimonials on his life, works
and virtues. Every 14th of September of each year, the
foundation commemorates the death anniversary of Fr.
Willmann, by holding a Family TV Mass and solicit funds
for the said project.
The foundation is appealing to all Brother Knights and
the general public to seek Fr. Willmann’s intercession in
all their petitions for God’s graces by praying the following prayer for the beatification of Fr. George J.
Willmann, S.J. and to report to the Foundation all blessings you have received:
Lord God, look down upon us, your
children, who are trying to serve Youwith
all our hearts, in our beloved land, the
Philippines.
Deign to raise Father George J.
Willmann, of the Society of Jesus, to the
honors of the altar.
He is the wise, strong, cheerful,
dauntless model that all of our Filipino
men need in this new era, in this new
millennium.
He was Your knight, Your gentle
warrior, especially in his ministry with the
Knights of Columbus; a man leading other
men, in the war of good against evil, in the
war of the Gospel of Life against the
Culture of Death.
Make him the lamp on the lampstand,
giving light to all in the house.
Make him the city set on the mountain,
which can not be hid, so that all of us may
learn from his courage, his integrity, his
indomitable spirit in the struggle to lead
men to God, and to bring God to man.
We ask You this through Christ Our
Lord, AMEN.
THE Knights of Columbus 4th Degree
Assembly 2295, commemorated the 19th
death anniversary of the late Archbishop Teofilo B. Camomot, in whose
honor Assembly 2295 was named, with
a mass and program at Sangat, San
Fernando, Cebu.
The assembly, during the incumbency of Past Faithful Navigator
Ernesto Deiparine, Jr., built the “Archbishop Teofilo B. Camomot Memorial
Monument” in Sangat, San Fernando,
Cebu, at the very site where the good
archbishop died due to a vehicle mishap way back September 27, 1988.
Faithful Navigator Basilidez Alicante
led 4th degree knights in paying tribute
to the late Archbishop Camomot who
inspired ordinary people and whose
trademark kindness touched the lives
of many from Cebu, Iloilo and Misamis
Oriental where he served as priest and
bishop, transforming them into devout
Catholics. During his lifetime, Archbishop Camomot was regarded by
many as a “Living Saint” for living a
virtuous life.
Rev. Fr. Fulton Varga of Carcar City,
Cebu and the religious sisters belonging to the congregation of the Daughters of Saint Teresa, which Archbishop
Camomot founded, took turns in sharing with the brother knights their personal experiences how Archbishop
Camomot touched their lives, thus,
strengthening them in their religious
vocation.
The activity of the Archbishop
Teofilo B. Camomot 4th Degree Assembly 2295 is in the pursuit of the Knights
of Columbus thrust to be always the
“Strong Arm of the Church” and “In
Solidarity of the Bishops and Priests”.
(Bro. Junjie Navales)
Photo by Dennis Dayao
CBCP Monitor
The Cross
C2
CBCP Monitor
Vol. 11 No. 21
October 15 - 28, 2007
Joseph P. Teodoro
For Brother Knights by Brother Knights
The KC Fraternal
Association
THE Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of the Philippines, Inc.
(KCFAPI) is a scientifically designed mutual benefit insurance system exclusively for Knights and the immediate members of their family.
As an insurance system, KCFAPI meticulously observes all actuarial underwriting principles as well as all requirements of Philippine laws. It is professionally managed and is under the supervision of the Office of the Insurance
Commissioner.
As a mutual benefit association, KCFAPI is non-stock. All its insured members participate in the ownership of the company and equitably share its
profits. Members’ dividends substantially reduce the cost of their protection
coverage.
As of December 31, 2006, KCFAPI has: a) 5,0623 members with individual
and group benefits; b) insured over 24,668 lives; c) contracted and guaranteed
over Php 7 billion in future benefits to its members and their beneficiaries; d)
paid out over Php 40.4 million in death and life benefits to members; e) over
Php 21 billion in assets.
Man’s responsibility
When you get married and generated life into the world, you assumed a
responsibility which extends beyond death.
As husbands and fathers, one of your first concerns is your families’ economic needs—food, clothing, shelter and the children’s education.
For as long as you are alive, you do everything in your power to see to it
that they are adequately provided for. What happens to them when you die
would depend largely upon the protection you provided through a planned
insurance program during your lifetime.
Children, too often, are the innocent victims of an inadequate and inappropriate protection plan. When your monthly income expires with you at death;
would the amount of insurance you now carry be adequate to maintain the
lifestyle to which you have accustomed them, or at least, to provide them
with the minimum necessities of a truly Christian home until they become
economically self-sufficient?
A loving and provident man will definitely not expose his family to unnecessary financial distress in the event of his premature death. Neither will a
self-respecting man wish to become dependent on his children, should he
live to retirement age.
An adequate and appropriately designed KC life insurance plan will provide a man an instrument which is to satisfy his economic responsibility to his
family (if he dies too soon) or himself (if he lives to a ripe old age).
Your privilege as Knight
You know about the advantages and the privileges you enjoy as a member
of the Knights of Columbus—the warmth of fellowship, the enjoyment of
working for good causes, the power of achieving common goals and the
satisfaction from group activities. But if you are not now under the protection
of a K of C life insurance certificate, you may have missed a great deal. This
is among the least expensive and most beneficial insurance available to you.
Thousands of fellow Knights now enjoy this protection. It is to your advantage to join this money-saving, insurance-protected group. One of the main
benefits of belonging to a fraternal society is the low-cost life insurance made
available to you by the Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of the
Philippines, Inc.
Mace Insurance Agency, Inc.
By Honesto Meera
MACE Insurance Agency, Incorporated
was established on May 10, 1980 by the
Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of the Philippines, Incorporated, better known as KC Fraternal.
The primary objective of the agency is to
provide service to the members of the
Knights of Columbus, their families and
their private enterprises. It aims to assist
members in securing their general non-life
insurance needs such fire insurance, motor
car insurance, medical insurance, personal
accident and other unforeseen eventualities which may result in financial losses
and bring about grief to the family.
Mace, by special arrangements with
the commercial non-life insurance companies, can provide the most beneficial
and inexpensive insurance coverage.
In the fulfillment of our commitment,
the management takes pride in being
able to assist clients in the settlement of
just and valid claims in speedy fashion. It
gives the highest priority to the interest
of the members of the Knights of Columbus, their families as well as the insuring
public.
Some of our exclusive package
products are:
KC HOME PROTECTOR – This special
package plan provides a comprehensive
coverage for residential building and its
contents except cash and jewelries due to
fire and lightning including allied perils
and other extensions.
KC CAR SHIELD – This package product provides a comprehensive coverage
due to physical loss or damage to the vehicle and its accessories from an accidental collision or overturning, fire, lightning, external explosion, self-ignition,
burglary, carnapping, carjacking and
malicious acts.
KC HEALTH CARE – This is a comprehensive protection and benefits for losses
resulting from serious sickness or accidental bodily injury. The benefits are provided in the form of reimbursement of
eligible expenses subject to the specific
limits enumerated in the medical insurance policy or through the use of your
EA Medical Card.
Other non-life insurance products and
services offered:
• Marine Hall, Marine Cargo, Inland Marine
• All kinds of Personal Accident Insurance (Individual, Group, Family and
Student-Guardian Plan)
• Medical or Hospitalization Insurance
• Travel Insurance
• Engineering Insurance (Contractor All
Risk, Machinery Breakdown, Erection
All Risk and Electronic Equipment)
• Property Floater Insurance
• Casualty Insurance (Comprehensive
General Liability, All Risks, Fidelity
Guarantee, Error and Omission, Director and Officers Liability, Golfers
Policy, Comprehensive Personal Liability, Money, Securities and Payroll)
• Bonds except bail bond.
The Holy Trinity
Memorial Chapels
HOLY TRINITY MEMORIAL CHAPELS (HTMC), is owned and operated
by Keys Realty and Development
Corporation, a subsidiary of the
Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of the Philippines, Inc. It is
a three-storey building located along
Dr. A. Santos Avenue, Paranaque
City, fronting entrance to San Antonio Valley I Subdivision and about
0.50 km. away from Manila Memorial Park.
Established in 1982, it has gained
in its course of business an expertise
equal to other mortuaries ahead of
it. Although it was conceived to be a
mortuary for K of C members, it later
extended its services to the general
public. Over the years, HTMC has
curved its name in the funeral industry and is now the biggest and most
modern funeral homes in Metro
South.
priest for mass and interment, or cremation arrangements.
A. Memorial Services
1. Retrieval of body from place of
death.
2. Preservation of body for seven (7)
days.
3. Provision of casket (Local and Imported)
4. Mortuary arrangement at HTMC
chapel or other site at family’s
choice for five (5) days.
5. Registration of death certificate and
securing of necessary transfer and/
or burial permits.
6. Appropriate funeral hearse for interment.
7. One (1) copy of certified true copy
of death certificate.
B. Cremation
Provisions of Urns (Local and Imported)
Facilities
HTMC has four (4) first class chapels (Royal, Fr. Willmann, Premier
and De Luxe), 13 regular chapels
(three in second floor, and ten in
third floor). All chapels are air-conditioned and have private rooms
where families can rest. The company
owns the latest model of Cadillac
hearse which is the only one in the
country. It has ample parking space
(front and back of the building) and
landscaped gardens.
Services offered
HTMC offers complete funeral services and wide range of casket selection (local and imported). Its courteous and knowledgeable staff are always ready to attend to the needs of
the families. Assistance is also extended for obituary placements,
C. Other Assistance
1. Obituary placement (Manila Bulletin/Phil. Daily Inquirer/Phil. Star)
2. Priest Directory of nearby parishes
3. Flower Arrangements
4. Shipment of remains abroad
Benevolent activities
Our company, as a subsidiary of the
Knights of Columbus Fraternal, is
also involved in benevolent activities. Every year, part of our income
is remitted to KC foundation to support their projects such as scholarship
programs for priests and collegiate
scholarship to poor but deserving
students and donations to different
religious orders/congregations and
other social/civic foundations. Thus,
our clients who patronize our mortuary are indirectly doing apostolic
work.
The HTMC Company Profile
Our Roots
Established by the Knights of Columbus
Fraternal on October 10, 1982 as a mortuary for K of C members, Holy Trinity Memorial Chapels was later opened to the
general public.
Our Vision/Mission
To be the premier provider of memorial
care befitting the dignity of a man; To provide compassionate memorial care to the
departed and their bereaved families
through the delivery of excellent services.
Our Core Values
Honesty and Courtesy in dealing with clients and associates; Responsiveness to client needs regardless of value of service;
Quality Service in the form of personalized,
compassionate and affordable memorial care
that satisfies client needs and requirements;
Cleanliness and Orderliness maintained
through high standards of sanitation and
tidiness in our facilities and surroundings at
all times.
Our brand of Service
Complete 24-hour funeral services and a
wide range of casket selections, both local
and imported; Two units of state-of-the-art
cremation machines with advanced technology that passed US industry and DENR
standards for quality and performance; Accredited servicing mortuary of all major life
plan companies
Our Facilities and Amenities
A three-story building with home-like chapels complete with family rooms, kitchen,
toilet and bath, and extended lobby to accommodate visitors and catering services;
Top-of-the-line funeral hearses (Cadillac &
Mercedes Benz); The only funeral parlor
in the area with a DENR-approved water
treatment facility
Ample parking space
Our Advocacies
Supports the KC Philippine Foundation’s
scholarship programs for priests and collegiate scholarships to poor but deserving students, and donations to different religious
orders/congregations and other social/civic
foundations; Manifests corporate social responsibility through its great concern for the
preservation and protection of the environment; Provides special funeral package for
indigent families, priests and nuns.
CBCP Monitor
The Cross
Vol. 11 No. 21
October 15 - 28, 2007
C3
Reflections of Bishop Lori, Supreme Chaplain
‘Strong Right Arm
of the Church’
By Most Rev. William E. Lori
AS a young priest I was privileged
to serve as priest-secretary for the
late James Cardinal Hickey,
former Archbishop of Washington. Shortly after I began to do
so, the Cardinal asked me if I
were a Knight of Columbus.
“No, I’m not,” I replied. “You
soon will be,” was his retort.
True to his word, the Archbishop of Washington personally
delivered me to Father
Rosensteel Council #2169 in Silver Spring, , where, in 1986, I received the first and second degrees of the Order. On the way
home from the ceremony, the
Archbishop started quizzing me
about the next day’s schedule.
That’s when I received “the third
degree”!
Sheer magnitude
I am very grateful to Cardinal
Hickey for urging me to become
a Knight of Columbus. Over the
next twenty years, my appreciation of the Knights of Columbus
turned into amazement. As a
former State Chaplain of the District of Columbia State Council
and now as Supreme Chaplain, I
continue to be astonished at the
sheer magnitude of the charity
which the Knights of Columbus
accomplish locally and internationally.
When hurricane Katrina and
Rita struck, the Knights of Columbus raised more than $10
million for relief services. In 2005
alone, volunteer and charitable
efforts were valued at more than
$1 billion. This does not include
the tremendous support the
Knights of Columbus provide to
the Holy See, to dioceses, to
Catholic institutions and many
other worthy causes. In 2005,
Knights, in their local Church,
raised and donated a record
$139.7 million and provided
64,685,401 hours of volunteer service.
But even these numbers don’t
tell the whole story. During the
125th Anniversary Year, it’s good
for us to recall that the Knights
of Columbus was founded at
Saint Mary Parish in nearby New
Haven by a dedicated visionary
parish priest, Father Michael J.
McGivney. He founded this organization out of genuine pastoral concern for the families he
served. So often, husbands died
prematurely, often because of
industrial accidents, thus leaving
their widows and children destitute. Father McGivney envisioned a fraternal organization
that would help these men deepen
their faith while providing for
their families in the event of
death.
With a small group of leaders,
he launched what has become a
very successful $63 billion insurance company and a fraternal society that he rightly envisioned
as “the strong right arm of the
Church.”
Teamwork
Father McGivney was ahead of
his time—not only in his astute
business acumen but also in his
teamwork with the lay leaders.
He easily could have become the
first Supreme Knight but instead
maintained that the Knights of
Columbus was to be a lay organization that would cooperate
with the hierarchy in the mission
of the Church. His vision is alive
and well today as the Order continues to grow in parts of the
United States, Canada, Mexico,
Central America, the Philippines
and Poland.
Under the inspired leadership
of Carl Anderson, Supreme
Knight, the Knights of Columbus
will no doubt continue to grow
vigorously in the years ahead.
The Knights are well-known
for their support of the Pope and
bishops. But they also seek to
support parish priests. Local,
parish-based K of C Councils are
being fostered to assist priests
whose task has grown more
complex and demanding even as
the numbers of priests has diminished.
The Knights of Columbus recently re-launched its program,
“In Solidarity with Our Priests,”
and avidly pray for the canonization of their founder, Father
McGivney. I ask everyone to
pray for his cause. Wouldn’t it
be a wonderful grace for a Connecticut parish priest to be declared a saint?
Grow in holiness
The Knights of Columbus
provide a means for men to
Message
GREETINGS to the Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of the Philippines, Inc. (KCFAPI) on the occasion
of the launching of its golden jubilee
celebration!
The KCFAPI is devoting this entire
year to a meaningful celebration of its
continued existence driven by its
members’ desire to serve God by serving their fellowmen, especially the
poor and the marginalized. Indeed, the
organization deserves praise for its
many noteworthy endeavors during
the past 50 years.
This year-long celebration will gain even more relevance in
the lives of its members and collaborators if it also becomes a
time for reflection on how to bring about more creative and
authentic witnessing to the Gospel through the mandate that it
has vowed to uphold. It is my prayer, therefore, that KCFAPI,
in this special year of grace, gain more wisdom and insight
about the message of the Gospel and how this can be best lived
out in their families, communities and society.
May the celebration of their golden jubilee bring the members of the KCFAPI and their cooperators and friends on to the
road that leads to our vision of fullness of life and the Kingdom of the Father.
Congratulations and God bless you always!
GAUDENCIO B. CARDINAL ROSALES
Archbishop of Manila
grow in holiness and to live
their vocations more fully. The
Knights are committed to building a culture of life by defending the unborn and affirming the
dignity of the disabled. They are
second to none in promoting
vocations to the priesthood and
religious life, in defending the
family—and much more.
One of the best ways we can
celebrate the 125 th Anniversary
of the Knights of Columbus is
to grow the Order by starting
Round Tables where there is no
Council, by encouraging the
Columbian Squires and by inviting qualified parishioners to
join.
May a strong and vibrant
Knights of Columbus continue to
strengthen our dioceses and the
Church throughout the world!
Vivat Jesus!
Our Marian Year
As our Marian prayer program unfolds over the next 12 months,
let us pray that Our Lady of Charity will guide us.
By Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson
SINCE I dedicated my administration as supreme knight to Our
Lady of Guadalupe in 2000, and
every year thereafter, I am more
than pleased that our Order’s historically strong devotion to
Mary continues.
Our longstanding program of
distributing free rosaries, particularly to new members at the time
of their First Degree, along with
a wallet-sized card on how to
pray the rosary, continues in full
force.
Since this program started
nearly 30 years ago, we have distributed hundreds of thousands—
if not millions—of rosaries.
On Sept. 8, the feast of the Nativity of Our Blessed Mother, we
launched our Marian Prayer Program for 2007-08. This year
Knights Orderwide are honoring
Our Lady of Charity, patroness
of Cuba.
With Charity being the first
and foundational principle of
our Order, this is a program that
every member should plan on attending when it is held locally.
Prospects should also be invited
to a local prayer service so they
can experience one of the spiritual programs Knighthood offers.
With this in mind, I encourage
grand knights and district deputies to schedule their Marian
prayer service as soon as possible
with their state chairman. Local
prayer services will continue
through Sept. 8, 2008. At the conclusion of this Marian year, a
spiritual bouquet comprising the
number of services and attendees will be presented to Pope
Benedict XVI.
Earlier this year, the pope traveled to the great Marian shrine
of Mariazell in Austria. He said
that the Church needs to be a
“teacher and witness” of Mary’s
unconditional “yes” to God and
life and also be “at the service of
a future of peace and true social
progress for the whole human
family.”
As our Marian prayer program
unfolds over the next 12 months,
let us pray that Our Lady of Charity will guide us toward those
goals.
Vivat Jesus!
Witnessing the ‘Yes’ of Jesus Christ
Remarks of Archbishop Antonio J. Ledesma, SJ, during the 125th Supreme
Convention of the Knights of Columbus in Nashville, Tennessee, August 7-9, 2007
IT is an honor and distinct privilege for me to be here as part of
the Philippine delegation to the
125th Supreme Convention of the
Knights of Columbus.
Although this is my first time
to attend a Supreme Convention,
I feel that am not a stranger but
actually continuing the legacy of
my father, the late OSCAR
LEDESMA, who had attended several of these Supreme Convention
when he was Philippine Deputy
in 1977-1983.
When he started his term in 1977
there were 457 KC Councils which
reached almost 700 in 1983. At
present, I am told that there are
1,900 councils throughout the Phil-
ippine islands. From
a membership of
30,000 in 1977, there
are now 252,000
members after three
decades of growth.
The local councils
of the Knights of Columbus continue
many of the projects
that have been
started in earlier
years—e.g., socioeconomic projects, youth development, care of the aged, defense and
promotion of pro-life and profamily issues. Particularly in
Mindanao (in the Philippines)
where I am based, several K of C
members have also helped the
local church in promoting a culture of peace through inter-religious dialogue and inter-cultural
understanding.
The Knights of Columbus in
the Philippines have also been
supporting young men studying
for the priesthood. We have 96
priests-graduates of the program
(which was started by Fr. George
J. Willmann, SJ, in 1977), while
another 30 seminarians are still
pursuing their theology studies.
With the help of the K of C Supreme Council here in the United
States, several priests from various dioceses in the Philippines
have been able to take up graduate theology course in Rome.
I would also like to acknowledge the generous support of the
Supreme Council for the yearly
subsidy (worth $75,000) for the
women’s advocacy program of the
Catholic Bishops’ Conference of
the Philippines. The most recent
support of $30,000 was given by
the Supreme Council for the rehabilitation of the roofing of the
headquarters of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines
in Manila. (Last year, when the
Philippines was hit with two very
strong typhoons which claimed
about 2,000 lives in the Bicol region, the Supreme Council donated a total of $100,000 for the
typhoon victims.
In all these activities and years
of growth, we thank the Lord for
enabling the Knights of Columbus in the Philippines to show our
faith in action and to witness the
“yes” of Jesus Christ.
THE KEY IN
REAL ESTATE
Founded on August 18, 1992, the KEYS REALTY AND DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION (Keys Realty) has joined the real estate industry where bright prospects for the country’s economic development abound. Having been assured
of its noble mission, financial strength and acumen, the Securities and Exchange Commission affixed on December 23, 1992 its seal of approval on Keys
Realty’s registration. In the Knights of Columbus, keys are symbolic of knightly
ideals of responsibility and authority over funds, particularly their safekeeping.
Keys Realty’s specific objective is to engage in the acquisition and development of real estate and its management or disposal. On March 24, 1995, its
authorized capital was increased from Php30 Million to Php100 Million. To
achieve operational efficiency and to optimize use of resources, Keys Realty
merged with Holy Trinity Memorial Chapels, with the former as the surviving
company, on June 30, 1999.
CBCP Monitor
The Cross
C4
Meet the
KCFAPI
Chairman
Sir Knight Patrocinio R. Bacay
By Joselito Mañalac
THE new Chairman of the Board of Trustees
of the Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of the Philippines, Inc. (KCFAPI) is
Sir Knight Patrocinio R. Bacay. He was elected
to the position by KCFAPI’s Founding Members Committee last June 2007 and assumed
the post July 2007. He brings to the Board of
Trustees many years of experience as an active member of the Order of the Knights of
Columbus. He has previously served as
Trustee for KCFAPI and member of the Board
of Directors of Anchor Savings Bank, an affiliate of KCFAPI, from 1997-2005.
Chairman Bacay, or, “Brod Pat”, as he is
commonly called, is an active charter member of Guadalupe Council 5883 and the
Arellano Assembly of the 4th Degree in Cebu
City under the Knights of Columbus Visayas
Jurisdiction. He served as Council Grand
Knight during the Columbian Year 1968-1969.
Because of his council’s achievements under
his leadership as Grand Knight, he was immediately promoted and appointed as District Deputy of District II – Cebu City where
he served the councils assigned under his district during the Columbian Years 1969-1973.
After which, he served the Knights of Columbus in various positions until he was chosen by then Supreme Knight, Virgil O. Decant, to head the whole Knights of Columbus Visayas Jurisdiction as Territorial
Deputy, the Jurisdiction’s highest officer, for
the Columbian Year 1995-1999. He was selected and appointed by Supreme Knight
Virgil O. Decant to the position as member
of the Board of Directors of the Supreme
Council, the governing body of the worldwide Order of the Knights of Columbus, the
second Filipino who was privileged to occupy such exalted post in the Order. He
served from Columbian Years 1997-2000, succeeding Mardonio R. Santos who was the first
Filipino to be appointed to the post.
Chairman Bacay was born in Cebu City on
November 10, 1929 and is married to Gloria
C. Bacay, MD. They are blessed with two children, namely, Angelito and Nanette, who are
now both residing in the USA. Chairman
Bacay and Sister Gloria reside at Guadalupe
Heights, Guadalupe, Cebu City.
Chairman Bacay is a civil engineer by profession and retired from work having served
from 1968-1987 as the Provincial Engineer of
the Province of Cebu. He is an alumni of
Mapua Institute of Technology in Manila.
Besides being the new Chairman of the
Board of KCFAPI, he is also actively involved
with other civic, charitable, and professional
organizations, foremost of which is the
Visayas Columbian Foundation, Inc. as Chairman and President. He is also an incumbent
member of the Visayas Skills Development
Foundation, Inc. He was president of the Rotary Club of Cebu South. He served as Regional Couple from 1978-1982 and Vice President of the Visayas from 1982-1986 of the
Christian Family Movement.
Vol. 11 No. 21
October 15 - 28, 2007
KCFAPI Golden Jubilee Logo
THE Knights of Columbus epitomizes the
ideal Catholic gentleman. True to the objectives of the Order, the life of a Brother
Knight is imbued with faith, fraternity and
concern for the family.
The man at the helm of the Luzon jurisdiction
THE Supreme Council of the
Knights of Columbus based in
New Haven Connecticut,
U.S.A., decided to divide the
Philippine Jurisdiction into
three because of huge membership. To be able to govern it
more effectively, the Philippines
were divided as Luzon, Visayas,
and Mindanao Jurisdiction.
The Knights of Columbus
Luzon Jurisdiction, since its
separation from the former Philippine Jurisdiction, has been piloted by men of integrity and
unquestioned loyalty to the
principles of Charity, Unity,
Fraternity, and Patriotism.
The first Luzon Deputy Lauro
M. Cruz had left a legacy contin-
ued by a succession of Luzon
Deputies. They are the late Dr.
Alfredo V. Silva from Tanauan
Batangas, Arsenio R. Lopez of
Quezon City, Antonio T. Yulo of
Pasay City, Rodolfo C. Magsino
of San Pedro, Laguna. They had
adhered to the principles of the
Knights of Columbus. These men,
whose service to the Church and
The KC Foundations
By Denise Solina
THE Knights of Columbus
Philippines Foundation, Inc.,
is another social arm of the KC
Fraternal Association of the
Philippines. It was established in October 21, 1970 to
undertake activities for the
betterment of the citizenry
through various health, education, community and environment programs.
Although the real purpose
of the foundation is “to be ready
to come to the aid of disaster vic- One of our scholars, Mr. Donnie Jan Segocio (1st from left), with his fellow
Passer during their oath-taking ceremony for new Medical Technolotims, at all times” (Gentle War- Board
gist. With them is PRC Commissioner Avelina dela Rea.
rior page 310), it has shifted its
main program to the granting of scholarship to Quezon City); and Mary Rose Macaraig (Co. 4407
poor but deserving students to help parents in – Batangas). (Visayas) Mary Ann Noquillo (Co.
their dream of providing good education for 7396 – Cebu); Grazele Joy C. De Ocampo (Co.
their children. Education is a key for indigent 12324 – Capiz); and Mary Gwendolyn S. Jimeno
Filipino families to rise up from poverty.
(Co. 12732 – Cebu). (Mindanao) Harriette Anne
The Foundation provides collegiate scholar- Guigayoma (Co. 9480 – Misamis Or.); John Paul
ships to graduating high school students with C. Descallar (Co. 12550 – Iligan City); Allyn Kim
the following qualifications: 1) the father should Sabacahan (Co. 10237 - Misamis Or.); Rona Mae
be a Knights of Columbus member in good Baligala (Co. 9541 – Davao City); Adrian Jay
standing; 2) the student should have an average Barcelona (Co. 12506 – So. Cotabato); and April
grade in high school of not lower than 85% and Liz Parreño (Co. 5307 – Tacurong City).
has not yet entered college; and 3) of good health
A total of 66 collegiate scholars are being supand of good moral character
ported both by the KC Philippines Foundation
The new scholars for school year 2007-2008 and Supreme Council Office as of current school
are: (Luzon), Mary Anne Jelli Gaza (Co. 10642 - year.
Bataan); Kathleen Kay De Guzman (Co. 4407 –
To date, a total of 217 scholars nationwide are
Batangas); Princess May Reyes (Co. 8537 – being assisted by the Foundation in their colleIsabela); Jerrica Pearl Lucena (Co. 10971 – giate studies and 114 students in their vocational
Cavite); Richard Obnamia (Co. 7439 – Quezon courses.
Prov.); and Suzette Mercado (Co. 14019 – Or.
Aplications for the schoolyear 2008-2009 are
Mindoro). (Visayas), Francis Gerard Redido (Co. now being accepted and application forms are
12732 – Cebu); and Madelyn Beros (Co. 8326 – E. available at the KC Foundation Office at the folSamar). (Mindanao), Claudette Gasendo (Co. lowing address:
7658 – Koronadal City); Francis Ryan Parcasio
KC Fr. George J. Willmann Center
(Co. 11250 – So. Cotabato); Catherine Joy Cadut
Gen. Luna cor Sta. Potenciana Streets
(Co. 12550 – Iligan City; Jag Iesu Iñigo Murillo
Intramuros, Manila
(Co. 3364 – Bukidnon); and Merlyn Almedilla
Tel. Nos. 527-2223 local 219
(Co. 12723 – Cagayan de Oro).
The Foundation also provides assistance to
Currently, the Foundation supports 27 schol- calamity victims. It has donated P50,000.00 for
ars nationwide, receiving full tuition fee assis- the victims of Guimaras oil-spill; and P45,000.00
tance and P 2,000.00 book allowance per semes- for the evacuees of Mayon Volcano eruption. It
ter while 3 scholars received P 10,000 per semes- also assisted in the repair of school buildings of
ter.
Veritas College of Irosin which were destroyed
Inspired by the outcome of the Philippine Schol- by typhoon Milenyo by donating an amount of
arship Program, the Knights of Columbus Su- P15,000. The victims of typhoon Reming in Albay
preme Office gave their share in assisting Filipino also received assistance of P100,000.00 from the
students. Financial assistance for 36 scholars is pro- foundation. And recently, it released an amount
of P25,000 to the National Shrine of Our Lady of
vided annually through the Foundation.
The following are the new beneficiaries of the Lourdes for the repair of their Parish center.
Another program of the Foundation is the
Supreme Council Scholarship Program for the
current semester: (Luzon) Christian Allan Vibar Gawad Kalinga project which was established with
(Squire-Cavite); Jose Gabriel Mallari (Co. 6632 – the objective of helping promote activities that
Quezon City); John Erik Sanoria (Co. 8753 – would empower people towards building integrated, holistic and sustainable communities focusing on depressed areas
in the Philippines. The
foundation already donated a modest amount to
Gawad Kalinga for the construction of houses. The
possible site for these
houses is still being determined.
Livelihood Programs for
Mr. Raul Dizon, Gawad Kalinga Metro Manila Coordinator is shown receiving a
the
indigents
of
check from SK Alberto P. Solis, former Chairman of KCFAPI, representing the
Intramuros are also curinitial donation of the Knights of Columbus Philippines Foundation to Gawad
rently being discussed.
Kalinga for the construction of houses for the less-fortunate.
Sir Knight Alonso L. Tan
to the community cannot be
measured in terms of monetary
value, offered their own time for
the fulfillment of their desire to
be of service to the Lord by way
of serving the community. They
offered their own talents and resources to lead the members and
officers of the Knights of Columbus to greater heights in the
fields of service to the community.
The Jurisdiction governed by
men who swore allegiance to the
Catholic Church, contributed
immensely to the tremendous
growth of the Knights of Columbus in Luzon.
The Philippine Jurisdiction,
which gave birth to the Luzon
Jurisdiction on July 1, 1989, has
ceased to exist. Since then, the
Luzon Jurisdiction has been governed and steered to greatness in
the field of service to the Church,
Family, and Youth and to the
Community.
The leadership in the Knights
of Columbus Luzon Jurisdiction
has changed hands last July 1,
2007. A new Luzon Deputy was
entrusted by the Supreme Council to govern and lead the Knights
in Luzon.
Alonso L. Tan of Council 1000
was formally installed by outgoing Luzon Deputy Rodolfo
Magsino at the Grand Boulevard
Hotel last July 1, 2007 as the new
Luzon Deputy. Intimately called
Alon by his friends and those
close to him, he brought new perspective and new direction to the
Luzon Jurisdiction. His ascension
to the helm of the organization
was like a breath of fresh air. Energetic, young and dynamic and
possesses new ideas which will
surely help the jurisdiction to
climb to still greater heights in
the field of volunteerism.
A native of Cuyo, Palawan,
Alon was born January 11, 1949
to the late Enrique Tan and
Concepcion L. Tan. He is happily married to Teresita Herrera
and blessed with three children. All of them support him
in his activities in the Knights
of Columbus.
He took up elementary education at the Westminster High
School. He graduated from high
School at the Mapua Tech High
School. He studied at Mapua Institute of Technology taking up
Engineering. He also took
Commerce major in management at the University of the
East. Not content in finishing
these courses and still yearning
to learn more, he took up a
course of Bureau of Small Business and General Management
in Ateneo de Manila University
in Manila.
Always a man on the go, he
continues his quest for more
knowledge and took up courses
related in their personal family
business.
He was recruited to the
Knights of Columbus council
1000 in 1977. He distinguished
himself in the council and continued to rise in the hierarchy
of the organization.
Like a magnet people are
drawn close to him because of
his ready smile and approachable manner. Alon was selected
as Knight of the Year of Council 1000 in 1981 and 1986.
Shortly thereafter, he was
elected Grand Knight by an
overwhelming majority vote in
the election of 1986. With his
management expertise the council won the much-coveted Star
Council Award and Century
Award. Because of his performance in the Order and dedicated service to the Church he
won the admiration and respect
of the members of his council.
He was appointed State
Church Director of the Knights
of Columbus in 1989-1991, during the time the late Lauro M.
Cruz was Luzon Deputy.
His sterling performance and
amiable character did not escape
the attention of the Luzon
Deputy at that time. He was appointed District Deputy. He
served the Order as District
Deputy from 1992-1995. This
gave Alon a new field of endeavor. As a District Deputy, his
talents as guide and advisor to
the councils under his supervi-
sion came to shine. His guidance proved to be beneficial to
the councils. Each council under
his district got the Star Council
Award.
Alon Tan again distinguished
himself as District Deputy. In the
selection for the Most Outstanding District Deputy for the
Columbian Year 1993-94 he was
the clear winner of that prestigious award. His star in the
Knights of Columbus continues
to shine.
In the year 2002, he was
elected Faithful Navigator of
the Padre Burgos Assembly.
His election to the association
of 4 th degree members of the
Knights of Assembly came as no
surprise to the council. His election brightens his shining star.
The Board of Trustees of the
Knights of Columbus Fraternal
Association of the Philippines,
financial arm of the Knights of
Columbus noticed the honesty
and integrity of Alon Tan. They
also noticed his sound managerial expertise and good relationship with the members and officers of the Order. That’s exactly
what they need in the foundations of KCFAPI.
In 2001, the Board of Trustees
of KCFAPI elected Alonso L. Tan
as President of Fr. GEORGE J.
WILLMANN CHARITIES, INC.
This foundation helps poor families in the education of their children. By a unanimous vote,
again, he was elected as the
President of the K of C Philippines Foundation. It is noteworthy to mention that this foundation helps our priests continue
their studies in their doctorate
and masteral studies. This foundation also gave opportunity for
priests to continue their advancement in their chosen vocation.
The Knights of Columbus
Luzon Jurisdiction gains new
hope and new perspective with
the ascension of Alonso L. Tan.
As Luzon Deputy, Alon Tan carries a lot of responsibility. But
his steadfast faith in the Lord Almighty helps him overcome the
weight of his office. He viewed
his position as a way to do service to others. Only a few knights
knew that he did not aspire to
become Luzon Deputy. But as
fate would have it, he was chosen to lead the Luzon Jurisdiction. As the saying goes, “Let the
position seek the man.” And so
Alonso L. Tan was chosen. (Paul
Oblea)
SK Alonso L. Tan, Luzon Deputy, during courtesy call to His Eminence Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales.