8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 124

A CAHOLIC bishophas called on the faith-ful to save money andescape excessive spend-

ing especially during theChristmas season

Bishop Honest Ong-tioco of Cubao said thepeople must managetheir ldquoChristmas bo-

nusesrdquo well and avoid

MonitorVOLUME 19NUMBER 25

PHP2000

PROTAGONIST OF TRUTH PROMOTER OF PEACE

December 7 -31 2015

CBCPMONITORCOM CBCPMONITORCBCPWORLDNET

CBCP

SUPPLEMENT ISSUES UGNAYAN THE NEWS SUPPLEMENT OF COUPLES FOR CHRIST THE CROSS A SUPPLEMENT PUBLICATION OF KCFAPI AND THE ORDER OF THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS

Mindanaodioceses take

hardline vs

coal miningIN manifestation of ecclesialunity the Dioceses of Dipolo-go Ozamis Pagadian Iliganand Marawi released on Nov11 a statement against coalmining and coal power plantscommon concerns in the area

ldquoAs Bishops of the Dio-ceses of Dipolog OzamisPagadian Iligan and Marawi

(DOPIM) which comprisethe civil provinces of Zambo-anga del Norte Misamis Oc-cidental Zamboanga del SurLanao del Norte and Lanaodel Sur we completely opposethe operation of coal miningand coal power plants mostespecially within the afore-mentioned provinces We dothis not only because of ourhuman responsibility but asa call intrinsic to our Chris-tian faithrdquo reads part of thedocument signed by DipologBishop Severo C CaermareDD Iligan Bishop ElenitoR Galido DD PagadianBishop Emmanuel Cabajar

CSsR DD Bishop-Prelate ofMarawi Edwin A dela Pentildea

Mindanao A6

bull A3 - Choiceis clear popesays Protectenvronment ordestroy it

WHATrsquoS INSIDE

bull B1 - Thewelcoming door(Message of Pope

Francis at his

General Audience

on November 182015)

Itrsquos time to rediscover Godrsquos mercyPope says at Jubilee launch

By Ann Schneible

Pope Francis has of-ficially commencedthe Jubilee of Mercycalling those who passthrough the newly-opened Holy Door to

rediscover Godrsquos mercyand experience the mys-tery of his love

ldquoTis Extraordinary Holy Yearis itself a gift of gracerdquo Pope Fran-cis said in his homily for Mass justbefore opening the Holy Door inSt Peterrsquos Basilica

ldquoo pass through the HolyDoor means to rediscover theinfinite mercy of the Father who welcomes everyone and goes outpersonally to encounter each ofthem Tis will be a year in which we grow ever more convinced ofGodrsquos mercyrdquo

Mercy he said must be placedbefore judgment though ldquoGodrsquos judgment will always be in the

light of his mercyrdquoldquoIn passing through the Holy

Door then may we feel that weourselves are part of this mysteryof loverdquo he said

ldquoLet us set aside all fear anddread for these do not befitmen and women who are lovedInstead let us experience the joyof encountering that grace whichtransforms all thingsrdquo

Te Dec 8 opening of the Ju-bilee of Mercy an ExtraordinaryHoly Year coincided with theSolemnity of the ImmaculateConception Te Holy Year willclose Nov 20 2016 with the So-lemnity of Christ the King

he Jubilee was officially in-

augurated by the opening of theHoly Door in St Peterrsquos BasilicaPilgrims who pass through thedoormdashwhich is only openedduring Jubilee yearsmdashcan receive

a plenary indulgence under theusual conditions

Pope Francis presided over therite of the Holy Doorrsquos openingbefore passing through himselfHe was followed by retired pontiffBenedict XVI who attended therite in one of his rare public ap-pearances

he opening of the door is

meant to symbolically illustratethe idea that the Churchrsquos faithfulare offered an ldquoextraordinary pathrdquotoward salvation during the timeof jubilee

Pope Francis in his homilyspoke of the Holy Door in con-nection to the dayrsquos Gospel whichrecounts the angel Gabriel an-nouncing to Mary she would bethe mother of God

ldquoWe carry out this act so simpleyet so highly symbolic in the lightof the word of God which we have

just heardrdquo Pope Francis saidldquoTat word highlights the pri-

macy of graceGodrsquos grace en-folded her and made her worthy ofbecoming the Mother of Christrdquo

When Gabriel entered Maryrsquoshome ldquoeven the most profoundand impenetrable of mysteriesbecame for her a cause for joyfaith and abandonment to themessage revealed to herrdquo the Popecontinued

Pope Francisrsquo reflection in hishomily centered on the Immacu-late Conception celebrated ues-day and described the feast as anexpression of ldquothe grandeur ofGodrsquos loverdquo

ldquoNot only does he forgive sinbut in Mary he even averts theoriginal sin present in every manand woman who comes into this

worldrdquoldquoTe fullness of grace can trans-

form the human heart and enableit to do something so great as tochange the course of human his-toryrdquo he said

Pinoy priest blasts lsquobig pollutersrsquo in Paris talks A FILIPINO priest attending the ongoing climate justice talks in Paris France has underlined theneed to run after big polluters including coal oiland gas producers for their ldquoclimate sinsrdquo that affectmostly the poor

ldquoWhat is worse is that the poor and marginal-ized are the ones who suffered most the threats ofthese climate change induced actions by these bigpollutersrdquo lamented Fr Edu Gariguez executivesecretary of the National Secretariat for Social Action

(NASSA)Caritas PhilippinesTe Goldman Goldman Environmental Prize

awardee is in the French capital to present a peti-tion against the so-called ldquoCarbon Majorsrdquo forldquoviolation of human rights resulting from impactsof climate changerdquoHuman rights violation

Te petition was filed earlier with the Commis-sion on Human Rights (CHR) in the Philippinesand was signed by Gariguez along with 16 otherindividuals 13 environmental groups

According to him ldquoCarbon Majorsrdquo in thePhilippines violated and posed threats to Filipinosrsquorights to life water sanitation adequate housingand self-determination

ldquoWe are no longer strangers to strong typhoonssuch as Yolanda and the recent Lando which spellindescribable miseries to our people If we donrsquotact now and do something to stop polluters fromharming further our environment then when are

Church to issue lsquopassportsrsquo for Jubilee

of Mercy pilgrims WIH the Year of Mercy set to begin nextmonth Catholics are encouraged to go on apilgrimage to designated ldquojubilee churchesrdquo

But this time in the Manila archdiocesethe clergy are pushing for the spiritual journey

with a new twistmdash pilgrims will be issuedldquopassportsrdquo

Fr Regie Malicdem the archdiocesersquosChancellor said it will be like a guide thatcontains brief history of the churches sched-ule of parish services and activities that thefaithful have to accomplish in the pilgrimage

He said the pilgrim passport is an initiativeto make common activities in the pilgrimchurches assigned by Cardinal Luis Antonioagle

Tese include the Manila Cathedral Na-

tional Shrine of the Sacred Heart in Makati

Pinoys in Paris out

lsquoLaudato Sirsquo manifesto

FILIPINO activists along withtheir foreign allies who had walked from Rome to Paris to

demand change for climate atthe COP21 released recently

the ldquoLaudato Sirsquo Manifestordquo which is a synthes is of PopeFrancisrsquo pronouncements on

ecology

Bishops urge faithful toreduce Christmas spending

Jubilee A6

Passport A6 Spending A6Manifesto A7

A climate activist holds up a placard saying in French ldquoWorld leaders do somethingfor climate nowrdquo GREENHEART HERMITAGE

Polluters A6

Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle opens the Holy Door at the Manila Cathedral formally launching the Holy Year of Mercy in the Archdioceseof Manila on Wednesday Dec 9 He is accompanied by several persons with disabilities and former street children under the careof Tulay ng Kabataan Glyzelle Palomar and Jun Chura who were blessed enough to have had a dialogue with Pope Francis at theUniversity of Sto Tomas during his January 2015 papal visit ROY LAGARDE

Cardinal Taglersquos Year of Mercyopening message lsquoEnd corruptionrsquoCARDINAL Luis Antonio aglehas called for an end to corruptionand abuse of women children andthe oppressed at the opening ofthe Holy Year of Mercy in Manila

ldquoStop the rampant corruption

Stop the abuse of women andchildren Spread mercy stop theendless abuse of the weakrdquo aglesaid in Filipino during the Massto mark the event

Te prelate opened the HolyDoor at the Manila Cathedral on

Wednesday Dec 9 marking thebeginning of the Extraordinary

Jubilee of Mercy mdash a holy yearfor Catholics

PWDs former street kidsHe was accompanied by sev-

eral persons with disabilities(PWDs) and former street chil-dren under the care of ulay ngKabataan Glyzelle Palomar and

Jun Chura who had a dialogue with Pope Franci s in US in

Manila during the latterrsquos visitin JanuaryFollowing them as they walked

through the doorway were prieststhe religious and hundreds of laypeople

During the Mass the cardinalsaid corruption and oppressionof the poor and the vulnerablemust stop

Cardinal agle also chal-lenged the faithful to makeGodrsquos mercy more evident inthe world today

Mission to spread mercyldquohis year we have a mis-

sionrdquo said agle ldquoTe missionis to spread mercyhellip a missionto build up the world on thefoundation to build Godrsquos loverdquo

he saidldquoLet us build a society on thefoundation of the merciful Jesusand let one of us be a stone ofa construction of just truthfuland loving society of mercyrdquo headded

agle also urged the people notonly to enter through the HolyDoors of cathedrals and basilicasbut also to go through ldquodoorsof charityrdquo of the homeless thepoor the imprisoned and thesick (R Lagarde CBCPNews)

Fr Edu Gariguez executive secretar y of the National Secretariatfor Social Action (NASSA)Caritas Philippines MELO ACUNtildeA

The Manila Cathedral is one of the designated ldquojubilee

churchesrdquo for the Jubilee Year of Mercy ALEXANDERAMORA JUNI

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 224

A2 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

SANIAGO Chile Dec 4 2015mdashHun-dreds of thousands in Chile will visit the LoVasquez Shrine this coming December 8 onthe Solemnity of the Immaculate Conceptiontaking part in one of the most well-attended

pilgrimages in the countryOur Immaculate Lady of Lo Vasquez knownin Spanish as ldquoNuestraSentildeoraPuriacutesimardquo is adevotion that dates back to 1850 in ValparaisoChile On Dec 7 and 8 the shrine draws almost1 million faithful to central Chile People comefrom different parts of the country in a pilgrim-age that will conclude Chilersquos month of Mary

Tis year the pilgrimage will have a spe-cial focus the opening of the Holy Door ofthe Jubilee Year of Mercy Te special yeardeclared by Pope Francis is intended toencourage acts of faith charity and broth-erly communion Specially designated HolyDoors at churches around the world are con-nected to plenary indulgences for pilgrimsduring the church year

Alre ady since Sunday Nov 29 the LoVasquez Shrine has begun to prepare for Feast

of the Immaculate Virgin with the start of thenovena in honor of the Immaculate Concep-tion of Mary

Te doctrine of the Immaculate Conceptionrecognizes that God chose the Virgin Mary tobe conceived without sin It was proclaimed onDec 8 1854 by Pope Pius IX in his papal bullldquoIneffabilis Deusrdquo formalizing the long-held

Catholic beliefTis yearrsquos pilgrimage events are based onthe theme ldquoMother of Life Mother of Mercyrdquo

On Nov 29 the pilgrimagersquos traditional reli-gious dance festival took place In this festivalthe faithful renew their promises to the Motherof God alongside dancers and musicians

Te chaplain at the Shrine of the ImmaculateVirgin of Lo Vasquez Father Marcelino oroexplained the event to CNA

He said the pilgrimage is ldquoprimarily an en-counter with someone you loverdquo

ldquoAnd from that encounter one feels completecontentment happy to have done somethinggood Tis full encounter is with Mary theMother who shows us Jesus as the only waytruth and liferdquo Fr oro added

Te priest discussed the renewal encouragedby the Year of Mercy saying ldquoit has to do with

the humble little heart thatrsquos in need Conse-quently the beginning of the Year of Mercystarts out with this feast of Mary who lived out

mercy in the humility of her heartrdquoOne of the main activities of this festival

is the Mass celebrated by the Bishop of Val-paraiso Gonzalo Duarte He will open theHoly Door of the Shrine of the ImmaculateVirgin and lead the solemn procession withthe statue of the Virgin

Te pilgrims who come to the shrine willalso be able to go to confession all day long

and attend one of many Masses which willstart on the hour from midnight to 7 pm onDec 8 (CNA)

WORLD NEWS

Vatican BriefingIn Chile massive Marian pilgrimageto open Year of Mercy

San Bernardino bishop offers prayers inwake of mass shootingSAN BERNARDINO CalifDec 2 2015mdashBishop Gerald RBarnes of the Diocese of San Ber-nardino Calif requested prayersand offered his own after at leastone gunman left more than adozen dead at a social servicesfacility in the city

ldquoPlease join me in praying forall of the victims of this horrificincident and their familiesrdquo hesaid in a statement Wednesdayafternoon

ldquoFor those who lost their lives we pray for their eternal rest andGodrsquos strength to their loved onesleft behind for those who are wounded we pray for their healthand healingrdquo

Late Wednesday morning atleast one gunman opened fire on

an event at the Inland RegionalCenter in San Bernardino a facil-ity that serves people with devel-opmental disabilities

Te San Bernardino police have

confirmed that at least 14 people were ki lled and at least 14 were wounded in the attack

Several reports say there mayhave been up to three gunmeninvolved in the attack As of 230pm PS the shooter or shootersremained at large and no arrests

have been madePolice are searching for a black Yukon SUV that drove away fromthe shooting FBI and AF teamsare on the scene

In his statement Bishop Barnesalso offered prayers for the servicemen and women on the sceneldquoLet us also ask God to protectthe brave men and women in lawenforcement who are pursuing thesuspects in this caserdquo

ldquoOur community of San Ber-

nardino has faced great challengesthrough the years Let us cometogether now in unity to bringlight to the darkness of this dayrdquohe concluded (CNA)

For Singaporersquos archbishop only mercy can save aselfish and material worldSINGAPORE Dec 5 2015mdashMsgr WilliamGoh Seng Chye archbishop of Singaporeyesterday released a pastoral letter in connec-tion with the start of the Year of Mercy which AsiaNews is publishing today

Proclaimed by Pope Francis the Jubilee ofMercy will open on 8 December with celebra-tions not only in Rome but in all the diocesesof the world and the main shrines As part ofthis the Archdiocese of Singapore is gettingready with meetings prayers and works ofpastoral outreach

For Msgr Goh ldquoWhat the world needs mosttoday more than at any time in history ismercy In the world of science and technologythere is no place for mercy Tis lack of mercyis evident in the violent destruction o f humanlife and habitat Ironically such acts are often justified in the name of justice Many of theseacts of terrorism are committed in the nameof God and love

ldquoIn the guise of mercy we advocate the abor-tion of babies so that they will not be withoutparental love euthanasia is encouraged sothat the elderly need not suffer loneliness ormeaningless pain in their illness Te truth isthat such actions are contrary to our professionof love and mercy for where there i s love andcompassion we will truly care for the helplessbabies and the elderly

In his pastoral letter Mgr Goh goes on tonote that in todayrsquos world mercy seems tohave lost its core value for society and humanrelations Tis can be seen ldquoin the way weregard sinners and those who have hurt usrdquoIndeed ldquoTe Church as the mercy of Christmust reach out to such people and show themcompassion and understanding

Terefore ldquoIn the light of the Jubilee Yearof Mercy let us join Pope Francis in reiteratingthe centrality of the gospel of mercyrdquo so that wecan meet societyrsquos marginalised downtroddenand neglected members and ldquofind a pastoralapproach to help people to live up to the idealsof perfect love and to show compassion whenthey fall short in spite of their sincerityrdquo

For the prelate ldquoif mercy is lacking it alsostems from hidden and unresolved anger andresentment in our hearts Many of us who havebeen hurt by our parents superiors and evenour peers cannot let go of the hurts or evenabuses we have sufferedrdquo

At the same time ldquothe lack of mercy comesfrom selfishness self-centeredness and slavish-ness to the pleasures of the world It comesfrom the sins of envy sloth greed gluttonyand lust We want to satisfy our own pleasuresrdquo

Hence in an ldquoage of individualism material-ism and consumerismrdquo how ldquocan we becomechannels of Godrsquos mercy By being aware and

conscious of our sins inadequacies lack offulfilment love and forgiveness

More specifically ldquoHow then can we openourselves to Godrsquos mercyrdquo o do so ldquoWe mustcontemplate on the mercy of God in Christ

Jesus Readin g and pray ing the scriptures with devotion contemplating on the Fatherof mercy and the paschal mystery of our Lordespecially on the cross and at the Eucharist isof great help

Tus ldquoDuring this Jubilee Year of MercyI propose that Catholics undertake prayerfulspiritual pilgrimages in our backyard visitingdesignated parishes particularly the Churchof Divine Mercy

ldquoIn the same vein I encourage all Catholicsto make regular confession at least once amonth and attend at least one Mass a weekin addition to Sunday Mass

Singapore is home to some 200000 Catho-lics or about 5 per cent of the total populationBuddhism has the largest following with 33per cent followed by Christianity with 18 percent Islam with 15 per cent and aoism andHinduism with 11 and 5 per cent respectively

Te local Church is going through a phase ofgrowth and dynamism illustrated by the open-ing of a theological seminary a real ldquomilestonerdquofor the local community and a Caritas facilityfor sick people and the poor (AsiaNews)

An image of the Blessed Virgin as the Immacula teConception MARIA TAN

YANGON Dec 3 201 5mdashCardinal Charles Maung Boof Yangon is urging Myanmarrsquosnewly elected government to haltthe controversial Myitsone damproject in Kachin state which is

widely viewed as environmen-tally and culturally destructive

Cardinal Bo said Aung SanSuu Kyi leader of the National

League for Democracy that wonthe Nov 8 election said beforethe poll that a government iselected by support from thepeople

ldquoSo if she really wants to ful-fill the desire of the people sheshould try to end the projectcompletely And she shouldfollow the desire of the ethnicKachin peoplerdquo Cardinal Botold ucanewscom

Te US$38 billion dam is be-ing built on the Irrawaddy RiverMyanmarrsquos premier waterwayfor hydro electricity that willbe used almost exclusively inneighboring China providing6000 megawatts of electricity

It will be the 15th largest hy-

droelectric power station in the world if completed as plannedby 2017 It will be 1310 meterslong and 1396 meters high

By 2010 the damrsquos constructioncaused at least 2000 people tobe relocated from their ancestralhomes in Aung Myin Tar village

Te military-backed govern-ment of President Tein Sein

suspended construction in Sep-tember 2011 while China vigor-ously agitated for recommencing

work on the projectldquoTe Irrawaddy is our mother

and our life-blood river so end-ing the project is not only the

will o f ethnic Kachins but alsothe people of Myanmarrdquo Cardi-nal Bo said

He promised to speak out onthe issue ldquowhen I get a chance tomeet with Suu Kyi personallyrdquo

Cardinal Bo told ucanewscom during an interview at hisresidence in Yangonrsquos St MaryrsquosCathedral compound that healso raised concerns on anotherChina-backed projectmdasha copper

mine in central Myanmarmdashand

questioned the outgoing govern-mentrsquos relationship with Chinaand neighboring India

ldquoNo matter how (much) weneed good relationships withneighboring countries such asChina the Suu Kyi-led newgovernment should consider the

will of the people in MyanmarrdquoCardinal Bo said

He warned that an accidentduring the damrsquos constructioncould destroy several villages

while environmental destructioncaused by the dam will largelyimpact local people

In his pre-election 10-pointguide about choosing candi-dates Cardinal Bo referred tothe dam project encouragingvoters to choose candidatesand parties that ldquosafeguard thecountryrsquos nature and naturalresources protecting our forestsand not selling our sacred riversand resources to foreign powersrdquo

KhetHtain Nan a Christianlawmaker from the Unity andDemocracy Party in Kachin

State also said the new govern-

ment should not let the massivedam project continue as peopleand experts have opposed it

ldquoIn a democracy the govern-ment should listen to the voicesof the people so a new govern-ment also needs to listen to thevoices and desire of the people inMyanmarrdquo KhetHtain Nan tolducanewscom

Suu Kyi toured Kachin Stateprior to the elections and duringa meeting with Christian leaderson Oct 2 promised she wouldtry to address the dam project

which remains unpopular withmany people in Kachin

Critics have long accused SuuKyi of dodging a strong com-mitment to Myanmarrsquos diverseethnic groups that surround themore populous center of thecountry In Kachin critics sayshe and her party have failedto speak out about fighting inthe state which erupted in June2011 following the breakdownof a 17-year cease-fire betweenMyanmarrsquos military and Kachin

rebels (UCAN)

Pope Stopping climate change poverty go hand-in-hand Heads of states at the UN climate change conference in Parismust do everything possible to mitigate the effects of bothclimate change and poverty for the good of our commonhome Pope Francis said Te two choices go together tostop climate change and curb poverty so that human dignitymay flourish he said Dec 6 after reciting the Angelus with

pilgrims gathered in St Peters Square Te pope said he wasclosely following the climate conference and thinking abouthow conference participants are called to respond to the ques-tion What kind of world do we want to leave to those whocome after us to children who are now growing up Te con-ference participants he said must spare no effort in combatingclimate change for the good of our common home of all ofus and future generations (CNS)

Through thick and thin Pope urges youths to readthe Bible Pope Francis said his Bible is old beat up and worth more tohim than anything money can buy If you saw my Bible you

would not be impressed he wrote to young people Youdsay What Tis is the popes Bible A book so o ld so beat up

You might even want to give me a gift of a new one somethingthat costs 1000 euro But I dont want it Pope Francis wroteabout his Bible and his Bible-reading habits in the preface to the

German-language study guide Youth Bible for the CatholicChurch It was released in late October by the Germany-basedKatholisches Bibelwerk and the YouCat Foundation Otherlanguage versions are expected in 2016 (CNS)

Potential terrorists threatened pope say policein Italy Kosovo

Italian State Police in Brescia working with their counterpartsin Kosovo announced Dec 1 that they had taken action againstfour Kosovars they believed to be terrorist risks and who policesaid made threats on social media against Pope Francis Tefour are accused by police of publishing messages against theperson of the Holy Father and saying Remember there willnot be another pope after this one he will be the last One ofthe four was arrested in Kosovo the police in Brescia said wo

were expelled from Italy and a fourth was placed on a terrorismwatch list and his travel documents were confiscated (CNS)

Church must first evangelize itself pope sayso be able to fulfill its mission of preaching the Gospel thechurch must first evangelize itself Pope Francis said Mis-sion in fact is a force capable of transforming the church

within itself even before it does so in the life of peoples andcultures the pope told participants of the plenary assemblyof the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples Teplenary assembly which commemorated the 50th anniversaryof Ad Gentes the Second Vatican Councils decree on thechurchs missionary activity focused on missionary awarenessand the work being done in regions of the world that have beenevangelized most recently (CNS)

States attempt to abolish death penalty markedat Romes Coliseum

Romersquos Colosseum was lit in honor of the US state of Ne-braskarsquos attempt to abolish the death penalty and as part of

Cities for Life Day a worldwide event that supports a globalend to capital punishment Te Rome-based lay Communityof SantrsquoEgidio which is active in a worldwide campaign toeliminate capital executions sponsors the lighting event ev-ery Nov 30 to highlight its cause Te Colosseum has beena symbol against the death penalty because of its history asa site for gladiatorial combat and executions Cities for LifeDay is held every year to commemorate the first abolition ofthe death penalty by a European statemdashthe Grand Duchy ofuscany in 1786 (CNS)

A car chapel Its a real thing and Pope Francis blessed one

A Marian chapel built into a carmdashcalled an ldquoAutocappellardquomdashreceived a blessing from Pope Francis on Dec 2 just before the

Wednesday general audience in St Peterrsquos Square Te mobilechapel belongs to the ldquoMarian Mission of the Rosary of theShrine of Pompeiirdquo and carries an icon of the Virgin of Pompeiito dioceses around the world At the request of a diocese the

mission brings copies of the icon and organizes prayer andevangelization activities at parishes schools hospitals and pris-ons So far the mission has been to several countries includingItaly the United States Canada Australia and Malta (CNA)

Make the mercy jubilee a revolution of tendernessPope urges

Pope Francis has granted an interview to the official websitefor the Jubilee of Mercy in which he expresses his intentionthat the year be an occasion to encounter Gods tendernessin a world rife with cruelty and atrocities ldquoTe revolution oftenderness is that which today we must cultivate as a fruit ofthis year of mercy the tenderness of God toward each one ofusrdquo the Pope told the official Jubilee publication lsquoCrederersquo in aninterview released Dec 2 Te Roman Pontiff gave the exampleof an employer who manages the contracts of their employeesin such a way as to deprive them of benefits and pensions Suchan employer does not show tenderness but rather treats his

workers as obj ects he said In todays world where we havegrown accustomed to hearing about cruelty and atrocities it isclear that there is need for mercy he added (CNA)

Pope Conversion is for believers and non-believers alike

In his Angelus address for the second Sunday of Advent PopeFrancis spoke against the presumption that the need for con-version applies only to non-believers and that Christians aresomehow exempt ldquoNo one can say I am holy I am perfectI am already savedrdquo the Pope said Dec 6 to the crowds inSt Peters Square ldquoNo We must always welcome this offer ofsalvationrdquo Stressing that salvation is offered to everyone thepontiff explained that this is the reason for the Year of Mercyldquoto go ever forward along this path of salvation that path which

Jesus taught us God wants all men to be saved through JesusChrist the only Mediatorrdquo ldquoIt is a pressing invitation to openour hearts and welcome the salvation which God incessantlyalmost stubbornly offers us because he wants us to be freed

from the slavery of sinrdquo the Pope said (CNA)

Myanmar cardinal wants dam project halted

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A3CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

Choice is clear pope says Protect

environment or destroy itNAIROBI Kenya Nov 262015mdashhe international com-munity is facing a stark and seriouschoice ldquoeither to improve or todestroy the environmentrdquo Pope

Francis said referring to the ParisClimate ConferenceldquoIt would be sad and I dare say

even catastrophic were specialinterests to prevail over the com-mon goodrdquo the pope said Nov 26during a visit to the headquartersin Nairobi of the UN Environ-ment Program and UN Habitatan agency concerned with urbanplanning

Under the auspices of the Unit-ed Nations the Paris conferenceNov 30-Dec 11 has the aim ofachieving a legally binding anduniversal agreement on measuresto stem climate change and protectthe environment

Pope Francis spoke at length

about the importance of the con-ference during his visit to the UNoffices and his top aides had ameeting the evening before withKenyarsquos environment minister andother officials to discuss their hopesand strategies for the Paris meeting

On his way into the meeting with UN officials and diplomatsaccredited to the two UN agen-cies Pope Francis planted a tree

Whi le his spee ch containedample quotes from his June en-cyclical on the environment thepope also referred several times tothe significance of planting treesand borrowed several lines froma speech he in made in Boliviain July to a variety of grassroots

movements advocating for justicefor the poor

In fact just as in the encyclicalldquoLaudato Sirsquordquo the pope insisted inNairobi that there is a close con-

nection between environmentaldestruction and unjust economicand political policies that penalizethe poor

ldquoWe are faced with a great po-litical and economic obligation torethink and correct the dysfunc-tions and distortions of the currentmodel of developmentrdquo he saidespecially because of their empha-sis on exploiting natural resourcesbut not sharing the benefits withlocal communities

Planting a tree he said is anldquoinvitation to continue the battleagainst phenomena like deforesta-tion and desertificationrdquo as wellas ldquoan incentive to keep trustinghoping and above all working in

practice to reverse all those situa-tions of injustice and deterioration

which we currently experiencerdquoTe Paris conference the pope

said ldquorepresents an importantstage in the process of develop-ing a new energy system whichdepends on a minimal use of fossilfuels aims at energy efficiency andmakes use of energy sources withlittle or no carbon contentrdquo

Pope Francis told those gatheredat Nairobirsquos UN offices that hehopes the Paris conference willresult in a ldquoglobal and lsquotransfor-mationalrsquo agreement based on theprinciples of solidarity justiceequality and participation anagreement which targets three

Pope Francis CNA

complex and interdependent goalslessening the impact of climatechange fighting poverty and en-suring respect for human dignityrdquo

o achieve a comprehensiveand fair agreement he said real

dialogue is necessary among poli-ticians scientists business leadersand representatives of civil societyincluding the poorest sectors ofthose societies

Pope Francis insisted that hu-man beings are capable of chang-ing course choosing what is goodand making a fresh start hekey he said will be to put theeconomy and politics at the serviceof people who are called to live inharmony with the rest of creation

ldquoFar from an idealistic utopiathis is a realistic prospect whichmakes the human person andhuman dignity the point ofdeparture and the goal of every-thingrdquo he said

A new respect for human dig-nity and for the environment arepart of the same attitude of giv-ing value to all that God madehe said

Pope Francis called for ldquothe

adoption of a culture of caremdashcarefor oneself care for others care forthe environmentmdashin the place ofa culture of waste a throw-awayculture where people use anddiscard themselves others and theenvironmentrdquo

Te idea of a ldquothrow-away cul-turerdquo is not simply a strong figureof speech he said pointing toldquonew forms of slavery human traf-ficking forced labor prostitutionand trafficking in organsrdquo

ldquoMany lives many stories manydreams have been shipwrecked inour dayrdquo the pope said ldquoWe can-not remain indifferent in the faceof this We have no rightrdquo (CindyWoodenCatholic News Service)

Pope calls Central African Christians Muslimsto unite against violence BANGUI Central African Republic Nov 302015mdashChristians and Muslims must uniteagainst acts which ldquodisfigure the Face of Godrdquoby promoting peace Pope Francis told Islamicrepresentatives on the final day of his vi sit the

war-torn Central African Republic (CAR)ldquoTose who claim to believe in God must

also be men and women of peacerdquo the Popesaid at the Nov 30 encounter at the Mosqueof Koudoukou in the CAR capital Bangui re-calling the long history of peaceful coexistenceamong people of different religions

ldquoChristians Muslims and members of thetraditional religions have lived together in peacefor many yearsrdquo the pontiff said adding ldquoWeare well aware that the recent events and acts ofviolence which have shaken your country werenot grounded in properly religious motivesrdquo

Pope Francis arrived Sunday in the CARthe final stop of his tri-nation visit to AfricaIt also marks the pontiffrsquos first time in an ac-tive war zone

ldquoChristians and Muslims are brothers andsisters We must therefore consider ourselves andconduct ourselves as suchrdquo he said

ldquoTey ought therefore to remain united in working for an end to every act which from whatever side disfigures the Face of God and whose ultimate aim is to defend particular in-terests by any and all means to the detrimentof the common goodrdquo

ldquoogether we must say no to hatred to re-venge and to violence particularly that violence

which is perpetrated in the name of a religionor of God himself God i s peace salamrdquo

Te CAR became embroiled in violence inDecember 2012 when several bands of mainlyMuslim rebel groups formed an alliance takingthe name Seleka Tey left their strongholdsin the north of the country and made their

way south seizing power from then-presidentFrancois Bozize Since then some 6000people have died in the conflict with severalthousands more displaced

Te country will hold both presidential andparliamentary elections Dec 27 after they

were postponed in October due to violenceand instability Interim President CatherineSamba-Panza who has so far struggled to keeppeace will not be a candidate

Pope Francis went forward with the sched-uled visit to the Koudoukou mosque despitesecurity concerns Tese fears were exacerbatedby reports Saturday of three young people be-ing killed in a nearby neighborhood althoughit was later announced that no one died andthat the youths had been found

In his address at the mosque the Popeexpressed his gratitude for the work done byChristian and Muslim leaders to re-establishldquoharmony and fraternity among allrdquo

Te pontiff went on to acknowledge the actsof solidarity shown by Christians and Muslimstowards persons of other religions by ldquowelcomingthem and defending them during this latest crisis inyour country as well as in other parts of the worldrdquo

ldquoWe cannot fail to express hope that theforthcoming national consultations will pro-vide the country with leaders capable of bring-ing Central Africans together thus becomingsymbols of national unity rather than merely

representatives of one or another factionrdquoTe Pope called for the CAR which is ldquositu-

ated in the heart of Africardquo to be a place of welcome for everyonemdashregardless of ethnicitypolitical affiliation or religionmdashwhich in turn

will encourage the rest of the continent to fol-low in its footsteps

ldquoIt will prove a positive influence and helpextinguish the smoldering tensions whichprevent Africans from benefitting from thatdevelopment which they deserve and to whichthey have a rightrdquo

Pope Francis concluded his address byinviting those present to ldquopray and work forreconciliation fraternity and solidarity amongall people without forgetting those who havesuffered the most as a result of recent eventsrdquo

Te Popersquos visit to the CAR is the last stop ofhis Nov 25-30 African journey which includedvisits to Kenya and Uganda

St John Paul II was the last pontiff to visitCAR when he stopped there briefly in 1985 aspart of a larger trip to ogo the Ivory CoastCameroon Zaire and Kenya (Ann Schneible CNAEWTN News)

Bangui Central African Republic - April 8 2014 Cardinal Theodore E McCarrick met with religious leaders in theCAR to discuss possible solutions to end recent violence Whitney WildingCatholic Relief Services

Pope Francis to journalistrsquoscondom question theproblem is much biggerVAICAN Nov 30 2015mdashOn aNov 30 in-flight press conferencereturning from his trip to AfricaPope Francis said that efforts topush the Church to allow condom

use to prevent HIV are too narrowand do not see the whole picture A jou rnal ist asked the Pope

about HIV in Africa sayingldquoWe know that prevention is key We know that condoms are notthe only method of solving theepidemic but itrsquos an importantpart of the answer Is it not timefor the Church to change its posi-tion on the matter o allow theuse of condoms to prevent moreinfectionsrdquo

ldquoTe question seems too smallto me it also seems like a par-tial questionrdquo the Pope replied(READ Full text of Popersquos in-flight interview from Africa toRome)

He continued in his responseldquoYes itrsquos one of the methods Temoral of the Church on this pointis found here faced with a perplex-ity the fifth or sixth command-ment Defend life or that sexualrelations are open to life But thisisnrsquot the problemrdquo

ldquohe problem is biggerrdquo thePope said ldquoTis question makesme think of one they once asked Jesus lsquoell me teacher is it law-

ful to heal on the Sabbath Is itobligatory to healrsquo his ques-tion lsquoIs doing this lawfulrsquohellipbutmalnutrition the development ofthe person slave labor the lack

of drinking water these are theproblemsrdquoldquoLetrsquos not talk about if one can

use this type of patch or that for asmall wound the serious woundis social injustice environmentalinjusticerdquo Pope Francis contin-ued ldquoI donrsquot like to go down toreflections on such case studies when people die due to a lack of water hunger env iron ment hellip when all are cured when therearenrsquot these illnesses tragediesthat man makes whether forsocial injustice or to earn moremoneymdashI think of the traffickingof armsmdashwhen these problemsare no longer there I think wecan ask the question lsquoIs it lawful

to heal on the SabbathrsquordquoHe concluded ldquoBecause if

the trafficking of arms contin-ues wars are the biggest cause ofmortalityhellipI would say not tothink about whether itrsquos lawfulor not to heal on the Sabbath I would say to humani ty ldquomake justicerdquo and when all are cured when there is no more injustice we can talk about the Sabbathrdquo(CNAEWTN News)

lsquoEstablish Godrsquos kingdom in PHarmyrsquo ndash chaplains reminded

AGUIG City Nov 28 2015mdashPriests serving in the military were reminded recently about thepurpose of their service bringingChrist to the countryrsquos armedforces

ldquoGod is inviting us to putour hearts and to set our heartsfirmly in the establishment of thekingdom of God in the Philip-pine Armyrdquo said Fr LtC StephenPenetrante homilist for the HolyMass celebrated to conclude the1st Character Enrichment Pro-gram (CEP) Conference on Nov24 at the Air Force Museum

Looking back at the period ofplanning for the soldierrsquos forma-tion the priest emphasized ldquothevision of the kingdom of God whom we hope to reign in theheart of soldiersrdquo

Focusing on JesusPenetrante reminded the 100

people gathered including chap-lains from all over the Philippinesas well as lay collaborators fromCouples for Christrsquos Order of StMichael (OSM) ministry that inthis service God is teaching focuson what is important

ldquoTe Lord is teaching us heredo not be distractedOur Lord Jesus Christ wants to set our heartsto focus on the establishmentkingdom of God in our hearts firstthen in the hearts of the soldiers

as we continue and sustain thisprogramrdquo he added

Accord ing to him the nitt y-gritty that go with programs likethe CEP like ldquostrategizing thebudgeting the management skillsthe mastering of the ropesrdquo are allimportant but focus on Jesus asthe prime mover of the work isthe priority

Lack of funds logistical con-straints

Penetrante who was also award-ed a plaque of appreciation forhis ldquooutstanding performance asChief of Plans and Programs of theOffice of the Army Chief Chap-lain Service (OACCS) called onhis fellow chaplains and lay teammembers to ldquoask the interventionof Godrsquos gracerdquo in their service

ldquoWe can see so many signshelliplack of funds logistical and man-agement constraints personalrespnses of the chaplains Manytimes we get distracted But thenour Lord Jesus Christ would wantto focus us again to set our heartsfirmlyhellipto never lose hoperdquo hestressed

Te Mass which was celebratedby Army Chief Chaplain Fr Col Andres Bonfiacio Belleza (GSC)concluded the 1st CEP Confer-ence spearheaded by the OACCSand the OSM (Nirvarsquoana EllaDelacruz CBCP News)

Army chaplains partake of the Body and Blood of Christ during the concluding massof the 1st Character Enrichment Program (CEP) Conference on Nov 24 at the Air ForceMuseum Nirva Delacruz

MANILA Dec 1 2015mdashApriest has underscored the valueof frequenting Jesus in the BlessedSacrament stressing it is one sure way current and aspiring ldquofishersof menrdquo can draw strength fortheir various undertakings

ldquohe Lord said lsquoCome aftermersquo So go to Jesus Spend time with Him Enjoy His companyGo to Jesus Be friends withHim alk to Him And thenyou will see you will accomplisheverythingrdquo said Fr Sanny C deClaro on Monday the Feast of St Andrew the Apostle at the chapelof the Arzobispado de ManilaIntramuros

Self-review Accord ing to him spending

time praying before the BlessedSacrament is one of the many waysthe faithful can express their lovefor the Lord

In line with this De Claroinvited members of Catholiccommunities to make Eucharistic Adoration a habit encouragingthem to look within and reviewtheir lives before Jesus and toshare with one another experi-ences in their ministries even theirstruggles

he head of Santo Nintildeo dePandacan went on to remind thefaithful that the first thing Christdid on meeting His would-bedisciples was not to send them atonce abroad to evangelize but to

invite them to follow Him and be with Him

Always God first ldquolsquoCome after me and I will

make you fishers of menrsquo Pleasetake note the first word of Jesusto His disciples hellip Your first dutyis to be wi th the Lord o be withGod Tat is your first callrdquo hestressed

De Claro further pointedout that an apostolate will loseits meaning without people

who are com mitte d to fil lingtheir l ives with the Divinepresence

ldquohis is the soul of ourapostolate the soul of ourpreaching teaching catechismhis is the source of our veryown existence in this grouprdquo

he added (Raymond A Sebas-tiaacuten CBCP News)

Faithful urged Go to Blessed Sacrament

MARILAO BulacanDec 4 2015mdashA priestreminded recollectionattendees to rememberthat Advent is all aboutGodrsquos mercy especially

when they feel despairexperience poverty andundergo hardships

ldquoLet emptiness leadyou to Godrsquos fulfill-mentrdquo said Fr Nap Balt-azar Nuestra Sentildeora deLourdes Parish in DontildeaRemedios rinidad Bu-lacan parish priest onNov 30 in Mother ofMercy Chapel Loma deGato Marilao Bulacan

More than teachingthe participants about

the essentials of Ad-vent and how they areto prepare themselvesfor the ldquocoming of theLordrdquo the priest sharedhis parish experiencesespecially with the Du-magats He talked aboutldquohumbling momentsrdquo

where he personally seeshow God works in many

ways as well as what hecalls ldquolifersquos simplest joysand miraclesrdquo

ldquohe real essence of Adve nt is no t be in gafraid to do good helpothers and unite withthe Churchrdquo he told

CBCP News in an in-terview

ldquoTis activity remind-ed me and my family torespond to Godrsquos call hellipthrough active BECs inattending and participat-ing in Eucharistic cel-ebrations as well as otherchurch activities andmost of all in becom-ing [a] fisher of menrdquosaid Napoleon QuizonMother of Mercy Chapelpastoral council chair-man in an interview

ldquoAdvent recollectionsenlighten us about thetrue meaning of Christ-mas and help us becomemore prepared in cel-

ebrating the birth of Je-susrdquo explained Fr Roger

Cruz in the concludingMass which he concel-ebrated with BaltazarldquoLet us become seedlingsthat grow together infaith and love especiallythis seasonrdquo

Cruz also called onthe people to supportand pray for Baltazar andhis mission to plan andexecute programs to helpthe Dumagat tribe in Si-erra Madre Dontildea Reme-dios rinidad Bulacanas he was also appointedDirector for IndigenousPeople Apostolate bythe Diocese of Malolos

(Myraine Carluen Poli-carpio CBCP News)

Advent perfect example of Godrsquos mercy ndash priest

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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A4 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

IN the summer of 1985 I ldquodatedrdquoa Swiss Guard Yes one of thosehunks guarding the pope in theVatican I put the word ldquodatedrdquo inquotation marks because it wasnrsquota date-date you know ldquoDatingrdquoa Swiss Guard I thought was aclever way that I a curious jour-nalist gradually returning to theCatholic fold could know moreabout Pope John Paul II whointrigued me at first sight duringhis 1981 visit to the Philippines

It was one of those times I was

roaming Europe alone on Eurail-pass for a month hopping on andoff the train wherever-wheneverBack then Swiss Guards were notallowed to talk or even smile toanyone while on dutymdashthey stoodthere like heartless monuments

with only their eyeballs moving

(Now they will even accom-modate your request for a selfie)Being much younger I had thetemerity to march up to a guard(letrsquos call him ldquoHansrdquo) the min-ute he got off duty to introducemyself and ask him out to dinnerthat very nightmdashfor an interviewabout his unique occupation I

was surprised he readily acceptedand without much ado he setour date ldquoEight orsquoclock at theobeliskrdquo (rust the Swiss to be soclock-driven)

Hans was already there whenI arrived at 755 at the obelisk atSt Peterrsquos Square but I almostmissed him because without theSwiss Guard uniform he didnrsquotlook so formidable So I fired thequestionsmdashabout his job his lifeas a Swiss Guard his impressions

of John Paul IImdashand he freelysatisfied my curiosity over fish andchips and beer

But why am I telling you thisOnly because my originally in-tended topic for this ar ticle todayldquoChristmas gifts for priestsrdquo led tothis recollection Hans was clearlyin awe of his boss the Polish popeand his reverence for the pontiff was evident as he shared with meabout his unforgettable first birth-day as a Swiss Guard Hans wasspeechless when he was called to

the popersquos office first thing in themorning of his birthday ldquoWhathad I done wrongrdquo he wonderedon his way Ten a smiling JohnPaul II took him to a room hehad never seen before rdquo Hansrecalled his eyes beaming ldquoIt is avery big room filled with gifts to

the pope all kinds of gifts fromall over the world and the popesaid lsquoChoose anything you wantitrsquos my birthday gift to yoursquo I wasoverwhelmed like a little boy in aroom full of chocolatesrdquo

Years later I was to discoverhow difficult it was to think ofgifts to give to pri ests because likemy rich friends ldquothey have every-thingrdquo Whether for birthday orfor Christmas theyrsquore flooded withall sorts of gifts some of whichthey have absolutely no use for

For one bishop I know the giftsvanish as soon as the celebration isovermdashbecause there are dozens ofpriests and chancery workers wait-ing in the wings for superfluousgifts Another priest I know picksonly the Christmas gifts he needs

EDIORIAL

HE Sacraments are a privileged way in which nature is taken up byGod to become a means of mediating supernatural life Trough our worship of God we are invited to embrace the world on a differentplane Water oil fire and colors are taken up in all their symbolic powerand incorporated in our act of praise Te hand that blesses is an in-strument of Godrsquos love and a reflection of the closeness of Jesus Christ who came to accompany us on the journey of life Water poured overthe body of a child in Baptism is a sign of new life Encountering Goddoes not mean fleeing from this world or turning our back on nature

Tis is especially clear in the spirituality of the Christian East ldquoBeauty which in the East is one of the best loved names expressing the divineharmony and the model of humanity transfigured appears everywherein the shape of a church in the sounds in the colors in the lights inthe scentsrdquo For Christians all the creatures of the material universefind their true meaning in the incarnate Word for the Son of God hasincorporated in his person part of the material world planting in it aseed of definitive transformation ldquoChristianity does not reject matterRather bodiliness is considered in all its value in the liturgical act whereby the human body is disclosed in its inner nature as a temple ofthe Holy Spirit and is united with the Lord Jesus who himself took abody for the worldrsquos salvationrdquo

It is in the Eucharist that all that has been created finds its greatest

exaltation Grace which tends to manifest itself tangibly found unsur-passable expression when God himself became man and gave himself asfood for his creatures Te Lord in the culmination of the mystery ofthe Incarnation chose to reach our intimate depths through a fragmentof matter He comes not from above but from within he comes that wemight find him in this world of ours In the Eucharist fullness is alreadyachieved it is the living centre of the universe the overflowing core oflove and of inexhaustible life Joined to the incarnate Son present inthe Eucharist the whole cosmos gives thanks to God

On Sunday our participation in the Eucharist has special importanceSunday like the Jewish Sabbath is meant to be a day which heals ourrelationships with God with ourselves with others and wi th the worldSunday is the day of the Resurrection the ldquofirst dayrdquo of the new creation whose first fruits are the Lordrsquos risen humanity the pledge of the finaltransfiguration of all created reality It also proclaims ldquomanrsquos eternalrest in Godrdquo In this way Christian spirituality incorporates the valueof relaxation and festivity We tend to demean contemplative rest assomething unproductive and unnecessary but this is to do away withthe very thing which is most important about work its meaning We

are called to include in our work a dimension of receptivity and gratuity which is quite different from mere inactivity Rather it is another wayof working which forms part of our very essence It protects humanaction from becoming empty activism it also prevents that unfetteredgreed and sense of isolation which make us seek personal gain to thedetriment of all else

Te law of weekly rest forbade work on the seventh day ldquoso that yourox and your donkey may have rest and the son of your maidservantand the stranger may be refreshedrdquo (Ex 2312) Rest opens our eyes tothe larger picture and gives us renewed sensitivity to the rights of others And so the day of rest centered on the Eucharist sheds it light on the whole week and motivates us to greater concern for nature and the poor

-- Laudato Sirsquo 235-237

IN Misericordiae Vultus the Bull of Indiction released in April thisyear announcing the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy Pope Francisalready gave the reason why this Jubilee Year had to be opened onDec 8 the Feast of the Immaculate Conception Te logic he gave was ldquoi ts rich meaning in the recent history of the Churchrdquo And bythat he meant the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council which was concluded on Dec 8

He would look at Vatican II as another door where the world pas sed

through fifty years ago Tat passing through was an emergence of theChurch ldquofrom the shoals which for year s had kept her self-enclosed soas to set out once again with enthusiasm on her missionary journeyIt was a resumption of a journey of encountering people where theyare in their cities and homes in their workplaces Wherever there arepeople the Church is called to reach out to them and to bring the joyof the Gospel and the mercy and forgiveness of Godrdquo

o look at Vatican II in that perspective is profound enough Butin his homily at the at the start of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercyand the opening of the Holy Door at St Peterrsquos this Dec 8 he delveseven more deeply into the theology of the Immaculate ConceptionHe contemplates that the ldquoImmaculate Conception is the grandeurof Godrsquos loverdquo in the sense that ldquoin Mary he even averts the originalsin present in every man and woman who comes into this worldrdquo Ac-cording to him ldquothis is the love of God which precedes anticipatesand savesrdquo

He says that sin can only be understood in the light of Godrsquos loveand forgiveness If sin were the only thing that mattered man wouldbe the most desperate of all creatures But this is not so because ldquothepromised triumph of Christrsquos love unfolds everything in the Fatherrsquosmercyrdquo Te Immaculate Conception is a testimony to this truth Which is why he says ldquoWe have to put mercy before judgment and inany event Godrsquos judgment will always be in the light of Godrsquos mercyrdquo

Now one understands why Pope Francis in his interview with Fr Antonio Spadaro of La Civilta Cattolica in 2013 compares the Church with a field hospi tal Now one understands why in an in-flight in-terview from Rio de Janeiro after the World Youth Day he answeredldquoWho am I to judgerdquo Now one understands why in his flight backto Rome from Africa last month he dodges the condom issue whilelooking at bigger issues that world leaders seem to ignore

Sacramental signs and

the celebration of rest

ldquoMercy before judgmentrdquo

OPINION

Partisanshipopenness charity

Fr Roy Cimagala

Candidly Speaking

MonitorPROTAGONIST OF TRUTH PROMOTER OF PEACE

CBCP

Pedro C QuitorioEditor-in-Chief

Nirvarsquoana E DelacruzAssociate Editor

Roy Q LagardeNews Editor

Kris BayosFeatures Editor

I L L U

S T R A T I O N B Y B L A D I M E R U S I

Climate change

Teresa R Tunay OCDSAnd Thatrsquos The Truth

Gifts for priests

Oscar V Cruz DD

Views and Points

The CBCP Monitor is published fortnight ly by the AreopagusSocial Media for Asia Inc with editorial and business officesat Ground Flr Holy Face of Jesus Center amp Convent 1111F R Hidalgo Street Quiapo Manila Editorial (632) 404-

2182 Business (632) 404-1612 ISSN 1908-2940

Ronalyn R ReginoDesign Artist

Gloria FernandoMarketing Supervisor

Mercedita JuaniteCirculation Manager

Marcelita DominguezComptroller

Candidly Speaking A7

And Thatrsquos The Truth A5

ldquoCLIMATE change is a global problem with grave implications environmental social eco-nomic politicalIt represents one of the majorchallenges facing humanity in our days Itsworst impact will probably be felt by developingcountries in the coming decadesrdquo (Pope FrancisEncyclical Letter ldquoOn the Case of Our CommonHomerdquo n 25 24 May 2015)

No less than Pope Francis the Sovereign ofthe Universal Catholic Church spread all overthe globe with membership from all knowncontinents races and colors made the deliber-ate option to formally and categorically addressthe phenomenon of climate change ndash the even-tual and ultimate victim of which is humanityas a whole Among other definitely seriousand deadly consequences of climate changeare the following Te progressive warmingof the global climate Te gradual destructionof the world environment Te slow but sure

wastage of earthly resources the eventual loss ofhuman lives well-includedmdashwhen nature itselfrevolts against its destructors It is definitelynot a profound truth that a bomb-maker can

be the victim thereof when it precisely explodeson him

Te Church is certainly much concerned with the truths in the supernatural sphere Butthis does not mean that the same Institutionis indifferent to the realities in the natural or-der Yes the Church is continuously teachingthe fundamental Commandment of Love ofGod But the same Ecclesial Institution is alsomuch concerned with the basic Command-ment of Love of Neighbor In other wordsthe Church is committed to affirm the gloryof God and at the same time also mandatedto safeguard the good of man And when theChurch through the Pope himself speaks aboutthe mortal dangers brought by climate changeto humanity this is but her obligation So itis that the perpendicular love of God plus thehorizontal love of man brings about no lessthan the reality of the Cross of Christ

he earth is the ldquoCommon Homerdquo ofhumanity as a whole It is Godrsquos creation forman to live on even but temporally until he iscalled to his eternal abode Te truth of thematter is that God Himself saw to it that the

earth was ready ndash the air and the waters thesun and the moon the land and the trees thegreenery and the animals ndash before He broughtman to life and live thereon What a pity ifthrough his abuse and other misdeeds he is infact slowly but surely destroying his ldquoCommonHomerdquo with all others brought about preciselyby climate change

Te vicious exploitation degradation anddestruction of nature usually on account of ava-rice and greed the consequent phenomenonof pollution on account of a throw-away socialculture the consequent loss of biodiversitymdashallthese and more challenge the integrity of na-ture all these and more demean the environsand necessarily make man the ultimate victimNo Man is not meant much less able to chal-lenge nature because by so doing he is the sureloser and victim He is instead obliged to takecare of nature so that nature takes care of him

Would that the just concluded interna-tional encounter of no less than leaders fromcountries the world over one way or anothersooner than later decidedly take remedial stepsto counter climate change

IN our political discussions andexchanges itrsquos just fine to bepartisan as long as we are open

and respectful of all other viewsincluding those that are differentand opposed to ours We shouldavoid any form of extremism bydemonizing others who do notagree with us

Partisanship is inevitable in ourpolitics And thatrsquos simply because

we have diffe rent backgroundsand orientations different prefer-ences and priorities Given ourhuman condition let alone our

weakness mistakes and failures we will always have difference samong ourselves

We should not be surprised bythese but rather learn to live withthem as befits our human dignity

We should not allow that we be

dragged by the dynamics of angeranimosity and hatred Charity

should always rule even in ourpolitical choices as it should in allother aspects of our life

Yes we can be quit e stro ngand fixed in our views but thisdoes not give us an excuse to letgo of charity In fact these differ-ences should be a good ground forcharity to grow Tus the sharperthe differences the more intenseshould be our charity

We have to avoid painting those who disagree with us as if they arethe very personification of evilcompletely incapable of doinganything good or saying anythingtrue and worthwhile Tis wouldbe a simplistic and naiumlve way oflooking at things and as such isfraught with potential dangers

If we have to disagree then letrsquosdisagree amicably respecting each

other and each otherrsquos positionNo need for harsh words to be

thrown much less uncharitablethoughts and bad intentionsCharity knows how to unite us

even in our most hopeless andirreparable differencesSad to say many of us today

are behaving the opposite of whatis proper to us It starts with ourpolitical leaders and candidatesdown to the electorate and even tothe general population includingchildren We have to stop this

We cannot paint a favorite can-didate to be so perfect and saintlythat we can observe no defectmistake or fault in him Neithershould we picture a disliked candi-date to be so bad that we can findno saving grace in him

Letrsquos always remember that allthe saints and the appointed pa-triarchs and prophets of old had

their defects and mistakes tooeven after their conversion Tey

were always struggling becausethey know that their sanctity isalways a work in progress It is

never completed in this life Also even those who are gener-ally considered as bad people arestill capable of doing somethinggood I remember one Gospelepisode where this possibility isillustrated Itrsquos in the Gospel ofSt John

ldquoBut one of them Caiaphas who was high prie st that yearsaid to them lsquoYou know nothingat all you do not understand thatit expedient for you that one manshould die for the people andthat the whole nation should notperishrsquo

ldquoHe did not say this of his ownaccord but being high priest thatyear he prophesied that Jesus

should die for the nation and not

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 524

A5CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25 OPINION

Atty Aurora A Santiago

Duc In Altum

Fr Carmelo O Diola

Spaces of HopeJesus Christ the face of

the Fatherrsquos mercy

POGI (Presence Of God Inside) Rev Fr Alan Gozo Bondoc SVD

The Family and the Eucharist

in the Jubilee Year of Mercy

Virgin of Guadalupe

The Bread of Life

Rev Eutiquio lsquoEulyrsquo Belizar

Jr SThD

By the Roadside

EVERY time we look into a mirror we see our own face Te mirrorreflects us But it cannot containus It is different when we lookinto Jesus Christ In Him we seethe face of God In Him we see

the Father who is in Him and in whom He is ldquoTe Father and I areonerdquo He declares in John 1030o Philip the Apostle He saysldquoWhoever has seen me has seenthe Fatherrdquo (Jn 149) In Him westand face to face with the Fatherand it is the Fatherrsquos mercy thatcomes to the fore and becomesvisible to anyone who encounters Jesus Christ

So particularly and emphati-cally says the Holy Father PopeFrancis in the Bull of Indiction ofthe Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercyentitled Misericordiae Vultus (TeFace of Mercy) His very first state-ment is his most forceful ldquoJesusChrist is the face of the Fatherrsquos

mercyrdquo (Misercordiae Vultus no1) Here he echoes the messageof St John Paul II who withoutmincing his words simply pointsout ldquoHe (Jesus Christ) Himself ina certain sense is mercyrdquo (Dives inMisericordia no 2)

What is the Holy Father tryingto say here

1 Tat Jesus Christ continuesand is in fact the fullest revela-tion of Godrsquos mercy Already in

the Old Covenant which we knowas the Old estament God alreadyreveals Himself to Moses as ldquoa Godmerciful and gracious slow toanger and abounding in steadfastlove and faithfulnessrdquo (Ex 346) a

truth Pope Francis refers to in MV1 God does not stop doing so Infact as the letter to the Hebrewstells us ldquoIn times past God spokein fragmentary and varies ways toour fathers through the prophetsin this final age he has spoken tous through his Son whom he hasmade heir of all thingsrdquo (Heb 11-2) Jesus is the fullest revelation ofthe Father because He the ldquoSon isthe reflection of the Fatherrsquos glorythe exact representation of theFatherrsquos beingrdquo (Heb 13)

2 In Jesus Christ we see thefullest revelation of the Fatherrsquosmercy not simply for one particu-lar person community or nationbut for all mankind In a word

the revelation of Godrsquos mercyis universal in scope God is noexclusive property even of theChosen People of Israel As Isaiahdeclares Godrsquos mind ldquoLet not theforeigner say when he would joinhimself to the Lord lsquoTe Lord will surely exclude me from hispeoplersquo Te foreigners who jointhemselves to the Lord loving thename of the Lord and becominghis servantshellip[them] I will bring

to my holy mountain and make joyful in my house of prayerhellipFor my house shall be called ahouse of prayer for all peoplesrdquo (Is561 3 7) Tis brings us pauseTe Catholicity of Godrsquos mercy is

particularly real in the CatholicChurch where every race countryor nationality finds a home Tis

was particularly brought home tome the first time I concelebratedin a Mass in Rome I was awed bythe presence even among priestsof people of all skin colors raceslanguages and cultures I couldnot help seeing the reality of the

words uttered through Isaiah ldquoMyhouse shall be called a house ofprayer for all peoplesrdquo

3 Jesusrsquo revelation of the Fatherrsquosmercy is no campaign slogan orempty claim he Holy Fatherhimself teaches ldquoJesus of Nazarethby his words his actions and hisentire person reveals the mercy of

Godrdquo (MV 1) Jesus himself pointsto his own testimony directly link-ing him to the Father in a mannergreater that even John the Baptistrsquosown testimony on his behalf ldquoBut Ihave testimony greater than JohnrsquosTe works that the Father gave meto accomplish these works that Iperform testify on my behalf thatthe Father has sent merdquo (Jn 536)Pope Francis makes us meditateon how Jesusrsquo deeds reveal the

Father His relationships with themarginalized sinners and outcastsHis ldquodeep compassionrdquo for the tiredand exhausted crowds His healingand curing of peoplersquos illnesses Hisraising of the dead particularly of

the widow of Naimrsquos son His driv-ing away evil spirits that oppressand enslave people His choosingof Matthew a sinner and tax col-lector as one of His apostles (MV8) Even Jesusrsquo words also attest tothe Fatherrsquos mercy Te Holy Fathersurveys the parables of mercy thelost sheep the lost coin and thefather of two sons (Lk 151-32)in each of which ldquoGod is alwayspresented as full of joy especially

when he pardonsrdquo (MV 9)4 You have to excuse me

if I cut down our musings Ihave come to my most impor-tant point Since Christians areChristifideles or the ldquofaithful ofChristrdquo they must also reflect

Jesus Chri st who reflects ex actlythe Fatherrsquos mercyHere we must challenge our-

selves Could we also take as ourown Jesusrsquo words ldquoI have testi-mony greater than Johnrsquos he

works that the Father gave me toaccomplish these works that Iperform testify on my behalf thatthe Father has sent merdquo Do wealso have words and deeds to showfor our works

HE year 2021 is a year of thanksgiving forthe 500th Anniversary on March 16 2021 ofthe arrival of Christianity in the country Weremember the first Mass celebrated in Lima-sawa Island on that Easter Sunday March 311521 Tat was the day of baptism of RajahHumabon given the Christian name Carlosand his wife Hara Amihan baptized JuanaTe image of Sto Nińo de Cebu the oldestreligious icon was the gift of Ferdinand Magel-lan to the first Filipino Catholics

Te 9-year journey for the New Evangeli-zation offers a different theme for each yearTe first 3 yearsrsquo themes are Integral FaithFormation Year of the Laity Year of the Poorand this year is the Eucharist and the Family which coincides with the Holy Year of Mercy

Pope Francis proclaimed the start of the

Jubilee Year of Mercy on Dec 08 2015 theSolemnity of the Immaculate Conception Heopened the Holy Door which will become ldquoaDoor of Mercy through which anyone whoenters will experience the love of God who con-soles pardons and instils hoperdquo Pope Francisopened the Holy Door on the 50th anniversaryof the closing of the Second Vatican Council

Te Holy Door of the Cathedral of Romethe Basilica of Saint John Lateran will beopened on the hird Sunday of AdventTereafter the Holy Doors of the other PapalBasilicas will be opened Te Holy Father willalso announce that in every cathedral a Doorof Mercy will be opened for the duration ofthe Holy Year

ldquoIn the Diocese of Kalookan aside from SanRoque Cathedral which will have the Rites

of Blessing and Dedication of the Cathedralon December 12 its Apostolic AdministratorMost Rev Francisco De Leon will declare twochurches in each of the 5 Vicariates in theDiocese as the Jubilee Church to give all pa-rishioners the opportunity to have immediateaccess to the Jubilee Churches they will visitrdquo

Te faithful who visit the Holy Door ofa Church is given a Plenary Indulgence aldquoremission before God of the temporal punish-ment due to sins whose guilt has already beenforgiven which the faithful Christian who isduly disposed gains under certain prescribedconditions through the action of the Church

which as the minister of redemption dispensesand applies with authority the treasury of thesatisfactions of Christ and the saintsrdquo

Gaining of indulgences whether plenaryor partial requires prescribed conditions andthe performance of certain prescribed worksTe faithful should be in the state of graceIndulgence can be gained only once a day Itis appropriate but not necessary that Confes-sion Holy Communion and praying for thePopersquos intentions take place on the same daythat the indulgenced work is performed tobe carried out within several days (about 20)before or after the indulgenced act Indulgencescan always be applied either to oneself or to thesouls of the deceased but cannot be applied toother persons living on earth

During the Synod of Bishops Pope Fran-

cis reflected on the relationship between theChurch and the family with a view to thecommon good of society ldquoWhen families

journey along the way of the Lord they offera fundamental witness to Godrsquos love and theydeserve the full commitment and support ofthe Church In the family we learn the bonds

which unite us of fidelity sincerity trust co-operation and respect even when difficultiesabound Indeed it is in family life that the mostvulnerable of society are cared forrdquo

ldquoLike Saint Peter the Church is called tobe a fisher of men and so needs a new typeof net Families are this net Tey free us fromthe sea of loneliness and indifference so that

we can all experience the freedom of beingchildren of God May the Church go out intothe deepen (duc in altum) confident that the

catch will be greatrdquo Te Papal Family of the Diocese of Kalookan

held its Advent Recollection with Most RevFrancisco De Leon as the Recollection Master

Adventus is coming the coming of Christ inthree ways He arrived when He was born inBethlehem He came in mystery (in the Sac-rament in Word the King) He will come inglory at the end of the world

How do we wait for the coming of ChristOur First Model is John the Baptist whoespoused repentance and avoidance of sinsand the proclamation of the coming of the

kingdom of God Our Second Model is Maryit is difficult to accept Godrsquos will but she ac-cepted it with its consequences She asked howshe could conceive when she did not knowany man In her time a woman who was notmarried and got pregnant was stoned to deathEverything that Mary did not understand shekept in her heart

In the Year of Mercy Bishop Francis en- joined the Papal Awardees to be merciful asthe Father is merciful Do corporal works ofmercymdashfeed the hungry give drink to thethirsty clothe the naked shelter the homelessvisit the sick visit the imprisoned and burythe dead Also do spiritual works of mercymdashcounsel the doubtful instruct the ignorantadmonish the sinners comfort the afflictedforgive offenses bear wrongs patiently prayfor the living and the dead

Forgiveness and Reconciliationmdashto forgivesin is to erase irrevocably what happened in thepast it is like punishing the victim the secondtime Victims demand repentance God is theforgiver of sins when we forgive we acceptGodrsquos love It is an act of freedom that no oneis bound to the power of the past If one is ableto forgive the victim becomes the survivor

o forget painful memories you belittle theevent or belittle the victim Urging the victimto forget is to victimize him again In forgive-ness we do not forget but we remember it ina different way in such a way that anger andresentment is no longer present It becomesconstructive o erase part of our memory isto erase part of identity We forget that we arenot bound by the sad emotions in the past

Why did the Risen Christ show Himself to the

apostles with wounds His sufferings are stillpart of His life but His wounds became a sourceof healing to doubting Tomas We rememberthe hurts and the wounds caused upon us hasbecome a source of healing for others Ask Godto heal your memory so that memory will notbring bitterness and resentment

Bishop Francis also presided over the HolyMass where he introduced new experiencesMass where everyone was seated in the Prayersof the Faithful seat mates pray for each otherrsquosintention Communion was given to each otherby seat mates Tank you Bishop Francis for

I is obvious from my bodilyfigure that I love eating It is mysimple enjoyment to eat besidesI give joy and smile to those whoprepared and served the food when I eat a lot As Andrew Zim-mern of Bizarre Foods would sayit ldquoIf it looks good eat itrdquo

We eat to live However eating without balance nutrition couldlead to an unhealthy life whichmay cause early death We haveto know what we eat every kindof food we take in has an effecton our body he food affectsour health it either weakens or

strengthens our bodyIn Gospel from John 651-58

Jesus is offering a different kindof food for us One that willdefinitely strengthen and nourishus not only our physical body butour soul He is giving us breadbread that gives life Because thebread He is referring to is HimselfldquoI am the living breadrdquo

It would be an understatementto say that this living bread if wechoose to take and eat it will havea good effect on our soul Tisliving bread will lead us to a holylife It will not cause us death but will give us life eternal

Jesus wants us to be one with

Him by taking His body We be-come what we eat Receiving the

Body of Jesus in the Communionis making Him part of our selvesIt is in the Communion that weare transformed and become ldquoAl-ter Cristusrdquo meaning ldquoAnotherChristrdquo Terefore receiving theBody of Christ gives us greaterresponsibility because when webecome ldquoAnother Christrdquo it onlymeans that we should act like Himand we should emulate Him

aking the Body of Christthe Bread of Life allows Jesus toincrease in us as we decrease inourselves

Te Bread of Life signifies Jesusrsquo

sacrificial love for us because Hegives Himself fully to us in Holy

Communion Communion is acalling to be with God Remember

we have a prayer before Commu-nion ldquoLord I am not worthy toreceive You but only say the Wordand I shall be healedrdquo Commu-nion means an invitation to those

who have lost their way It meanshealing to those who are woundedby sin It means transformation tobecome holy just as God is holy

In the Holy Communion wedo not receive mere bread but

Jesus Himself When we take andreceive the Body of Jesus we allowHim to permeate us and come into

our lives enter our heartsLet Jesus become your life

Duc In Altum A6

LAS Sept 5 to 10 I did a pilgrimage to the Basilica of Our Ladyof Guadalupe in Mexico City Tis was a humbling culminationof my silver anniversary celebration as an ordained priest with

friends and three of my brothers wo particular events in a totally-unexpected Marian pilgrimage last year led to the said pilgrimageldquoWait till you go to Guadalupe It is differentrdquo my friend

John told me in Lourdes Tis sparked my imagination Andtrue enough among other things when we were in Guadalupe

John pointed out to me the more than one kilometer distancenavigated by pilgrims on bended knees from the gate to the topof the epeyac Hill What humble long-suffering faith

Another incident was my longing for my departed motherElena and the thought during prayer ldquoAm I not your motheralsordquo I only found out last January in acloban from a Mariandevotee that similar consoling words were uttered to San JuanDiego by the Virgin of Guadalupe ldquoNo estoy yo aqui que soy tumadrerdquo (ldquoAm I not here I who am your motherrdquo)

My gratitude to God for the pilgrimage knows no bounds

One is the enjoyment of facts Hernan Cortes is no longer

just a busy street to my parish in Mandaue City Montezuma isnot just a lyric of a marching song 1521 is no longer just theyear Magellan came to our islands but also the year when Cortesvanquished Montezuma Now I know Mexico has a 40 year head-start of sustained Spanish administration and influence if we take1565 the arrival of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi in the Philippinesas our starting point

Legazpi had set sail from Mexico upon the orders of the repre-sentative of the Spanish king in Mexico I also learned that it wasa priest-secretary of Bishop Zumarraga who first saw the holyimage on the apron-like garment (ldquotilmardquo) of Juan Diego whomade a reproduction of it and sent it to the Philippines Whateverbecame of it So many connections between our country andMexico I felt at home

I am awed at how God through the Blessed Virgin Marypenetrated and transformed an existing religious culture thatencompassed every facet of the lives of the native populationGod satisfied their search for truth and divinity ndash that had un-fortunately led them to a very serious blunder regarding human

sacrifice ndash by entrusting a heavenly image of Our Lady to them Itis so amazing how specific symbols spoke to a particular religiouslonging of the natives like the roses inside the tilma that symbolizetruth Tat visual culture mirrors our own contemporary visualculture Tere are opportunities for new evangelization here

Te image defies human explanation as to its o rigin and makeand has remained unscathed and looking fresh despite manyyears of candle smoke acidity from a salty lake accidental acidspillage and the detonation of a bomb It is an image made inand preserved by heaven

Te circumstances surrounding the apparition attract meIt is moving how Our Lady appears to a 57-year old man whoresponds to her terms of endearment with his own term ofendearment (ldquoIndayrdquo) Juan Diegorsquos non-appearance before theVirgin (ldquonang-indianrdquo) due to his unclersquos deteriorating health isamusing Maryrsquos simple message is disarming Tey are words of

unconditional loveldquoListen and let it penetrate your hearthellipdo not be troubled

or weighed down with grief Do not fear any illness or vexationanxiety or pain Am I not here who am your Mother Are younot under my shadow and protection Am I not your fountainof life Are you not in the folds of my mantle In the crossing ofmy arms Is there anything else you needrdquo

Te Virgin Motherrsquos role as our companion continues Shetouched 33 hearts to undertake the pilgrimage even as we promiseto read the book entitled ldquo33 Days to Morning Gloryrdquo Whocould forget the testimony of my brother Raddy who receivedthe exact amount of money from an unexpected source for thetransportation expenses for him and his wife Carole

Pilgrimages are planned way ahead in advance Ours took aboutthree weeks Initial estimated costs were prohibitive Providenceguided Xenia a good friend and my brother Neil to look into thedetails of the pilgrimage and make it affordable Even our contactperson and guide were handpicked by Our Lady of Guadalupe

Who could forget the Mass for the birthday of the Blessed VirginMary when Monsignor Diego Monroy former basilica rector ledus in the Marian consecration that briefly unfroze the regimentedair of the basilica to allow the Holy Spirit to give us a most specialunction And lest we experience the effects of ldquospiritual implo-sionrdquo I thank the Lord for our sheer humanity Tis led to manyhumorous situations not to mention being lost for about twohours with three other persons

Besides my three siblings (Raddy Carl and Neil) and theirspouses (Carole and Lorna) my closest friend in seminary (Fr

Jim) as well as Joy (whose husband Guido was my best friendfrom college) and daughter Alexys came along Joy finally madethe Guadalupe pilgrimage on her third attempt and despite

weather problems What joy to be loved by Our Mother

and raffles away the rest duringEpiphany to needy parish workersand volunteers

On occasion I have been as-signed along with a few to openand sort out such gifts priestsreceive and on those times I wondered what guided the gift-givers to choose their presents tothe men of the cloth Many itemsare practical like cuts of polobarong fabric and cologne (ldquoParamabango kamay nila pag nagmanokardquo) but some are downrightinappropriate like luxury items A bishop who received a box ofCalvin Klein bikini briefs found

them rather odd asked ldquoIs this a joke or whatrdquo and quickly tossed

the pricey stylish collection to theeager hands of his driver

Bearing in mind the example ofSt John Paul II and the priests wholdquorecycledrdquo the gifts they receive one

would be safe to give gifts the priestcan share And we shouldnrsquot feeloffended if and when we see our giftamong those being ldquorecycledrdquo Af-ter all when we give gifts to priests

we give as well to the Lord whoenjoins His disciples to give awayspare cloaks to the bare backed

What gifts would be good togive to priests this ChristmasPlease make things easy for thegivermdashemail your suggestions to

teresatunaygmailcom and wersquollpublish them next issue

And Thatrsquos The Truth A4

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A6 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25LOCAL NEWS

PH Catholics Itrsquos the season of reconciliation

AKING their cue from Pope Francisrsquoprayer intention for December FilipinoCatholics encourage others of their faithto have hope this Advent season and totake advantage of the coming Jubilee Yearto confess their sins and be reconciled with the Merciful God

ldquoTe popersquos intention for the month ofDecember may be understood as an invi-tation to all to come to the merciful Lordthrough the sacrament of reconciliationIt is in that sacrament that all who comesto God with humility will experienceGodrsquos mercyrdquo shared Darwin Beceril avolunteer catechist from the Diocese ofNovaliches

Religious educator Nestor Limquecofrom Manila seconded pointing out that

Advent invites the faithful to avail of theSacrament of Reconciliation and to be

hopeful that all will be well despite their weaknesses and imperfections thanks to aGod Who is Mercy and Hope personified

Greatest Love of AllldquoTis season of hope and the com-

mencement of the Year of Mercy gives usreason to celebrate the greatest love the

world has known that of the God Whohas show it through the Incarnation ofHis Sonrdquo he explained

According to Limqueco mercy is Godrsquosgreatest expression of His love for human-ity and hope is the response each faithfulmust give to to this loving mercy

ldquoTe advent season reminds us thatthere is always hope to come Jesus laiddown His life to save us from our sins and

bring us to eternal life Te Lord assuresus there is always hope in our struggles

temptations and problems Never losehope and always strive to do good thingsGod fulfills his promisesrdquo said JM ua-zon a Filipino accountant based in theUnited States

lsquoJesus never lets downrsquoEchoing one of the pontiffrsquos quotable

statements on his visit to Palo Leyte in January uazon stressed that Jesus is Lord Who will not let the faithful down

he Holy Fatherrsquos universal prayerintention for the month is ldquoTat all mayexperience the mercy of God who nevertires of forgivingrdquo

Meanwhile his intention for evangeli-zation is ldquoTat families especially those

who suffer may find in the birth of Jesus

a sign of certain hoperdquo (Raymond ASebastiaacuten CBCP News)

the very enlightening talk and new experi-ences in the Holy Eucharist We learned alot and we will greatly miss you

We gr ee t Mo st Rev De og ra ci as

Intildeiguez Jr DD Bishop Emeritusof the Diocese of Kalookan and FrMario Cueto a very Happy Birthday

Happy Sacerdotal Anniversary to FrRico Ayo Fr Romy uazon Fr Jeff

Ayt onaOP Fr Den ni s Sa li se FrLarry Frias Fr Nestor Estanislao FrPatrick Hiwatig O P Happy Birthdayalso to my brother Dr Andres ldquoRoyrdquoSantiago and Kalookan Diocese Curiastaff Jun Acebuche

Duc In Altum A5

PH needs lsquorespectful leadersrsquo ndash pro-lifers

FOLLOWING Davao MayorRodrigo Dutertersquos less-than-flattering reference to PopeFrancis in a recent speech aCatholic lay group issued astatement uesday underscor-ing the importance of electedofficials who know how torespect themselves the dig-nity of fellow humans andfundamental institutions likemarriage

R-e-s-p-e-c-t ldquoA person aspiring to be-

come the nationrsquos leadershould always be respectful ofhimself his office and of otherpeoplerdquo stressed Filipinos

for Life in their Dec 1 pressreleaseTe group went on to ask

rhetorically how Duterte canbe trusted to uphold the basicrights of other innocent people

if he can verbally abuse some-one as respected as the HolyFather

Besides finding that Duterteldquogreatly erredrdquo in cursing PopeFrancis they further decried

what they consider to be thepresidential candidatersquos ldquowan-ton behaviorrdquo with regardto his public admission toadultery

ldquoIf he has no respect for theindissolubility of marriagerdquothey added ldquoWhat other in-stitutions crucial to the moral

well-being of the people is he willing to tamper withrdquo

Sanctity of life family mar-

riageldquoWe value sanctity of lifefamily and marriage aboveallmdashinstitutions that formthe very foundation of everysound society We are most

disappointed that he chose notto uphold his marriage vows which would have been themost vivid expression of hismanhood unlike the personahe projects where women aremere expendable persons tosatisfy his sexual needsrdquo thegroup lamented

While already aware of apol-ogies issued on the mayorrsquosbehalf Filipinos for Life stilldemand Duterte himself toapologize to the countryrsquos 80million Catholics for the ldquoex-treme disrespectrdquo he has shownPope Francis and the Catholicfaith as well as to the womenhe has had relations with

Collective discernmentldquoWe also ask his supportersto discern well whether MrDuterte is indeed fit to be theirchoice as the next presidentof the country Tis is a time

for serious introspection andprayer and we must listento our informed conscience

which acts as Godrsquos voice inour heartsrdquo they explained

According to them the re-cent events raise serious doubtsabout Dutertersquos readiness forthe highest office in the landgiven that the Philippines de-serves a morally upright andcompetent leader who willrevere his position as a sacredduty to serve God and hiscountrymen

ldquoWe must also considerall the consequences of ouractions the positive as wellas the negative effects of

our decisions in the shortterm and the long termand what these decisions sayabout usrdquo the group added(Raymond A Sebastiaacuten CBCP News)

Legal scientific support vs

50 lsquocarbon majorsrsquo sought A the sidelines of the widely-pub-licized COP21 discussions betweennon-government organizations legalexperts and scientists are taking placeto hold the worldrsquos top 50 pollutersaccountable

Fr Edu Gariguez executive sec-retary of the Catholic BishopsConference of the Philippinesrsquo Na-tional Secretariat for Social Action

Justice and Peace (NASSA) said heand his grouprsquos presence in Franceis meant to gather legal support fortheir international campaign andto find ways to track long-standingcomplaints

ldquoWe are also conducting dia-logue with scientists to supportthe complainantsrsquo claimsrdquo FrGariguez said in an interview

with CBCP News a day before hereturned to Manila

Continuous coal mining

Te priest added it is sad to knowmost of the countryrsquos energy sourcescome from coal-fired power plantsTe government has also continuouslyallowed coal mining

He explained President (BenignoSimeon C) Aquino IIIrsquos speech

before COP21 was good but incon-sistent with what is going on in thePhilippines While the presidenttalked about climate vulnerabilitythe government has continued torally the countryrsquos top corporationsincluding Aboitiz and San Miguelto operate more coal-fired powerplants

ldquoItrsquos been business as usual forPresident Aquinordquo Fr Gariguezsaid He said ldquoitrsquos hypocriscy to themaximum level for one not to walkthe talkrdquo

Human rights inquiriesHowever Gariguez said he hopes

the Commission on Human Rights(CHR) will do its best to inquireinto the activities of a number of the

worldrsquos 50 carbon majors present inthe Philippines He said the CHRpromised to do so during the firstquarter of 2016

He further said this is the first timethe international community has at-tempted to hold the top 50 carbonmajors accountable for the plight ofthe poor and marginalized includingfarmers and fisherfolk (Melo M

Acuntildea CBCP News)

MSP DD Metropolitan Archbishopof Ozamiz Jesus A Dosado CM DD

Te statement which was also con-curred by 166 delegates of the 40thDOPIM Bishops-Clergy Conventiondescribes the bodyrsquos ldquoserious concern onthe operation of coal mining and coalpower plant that triggers apprehension

among our people and poses environ-ment threat in the provinces where suchfacility is being establishedrdquo

Accord ing to the doc ument coalmining and coal power plants are partof the ldquounchecked human activitiesrdquothat are turning the earth into ldquoan arid

wastelandrdquoReferring to the recent natural di-

sasters and super typhoons that havehit the country recently the bishopssaid ldquoWe are living witnesses of the

destruction brought about by weatherchanges and the effects to health bycarbon emissions he calamities thatclaimed thousands of lives these pastyears and months are enough proofto awaken in us a commitment tosafeguard creation and help mitigatetheir effectsrdquo

Te statement mentioned the HolyFather as an influence for their standsaying ldquoPope Francis seeing the ur-gency of action in dealing with envi-ronmental crisis points out the use ofhighly polluting fossil fuelsmdashespeciallycoal to be progressively replaced withoutdelay (Cf Laudato Si 165)rdquo

Te document was drafted during the40th DOPIM Bihops-Clergy Conven-tion at the Diocesan Pastoral CenterDel Carmen Iligan City (CBCP News)

Mindanao A1

Vatican City - November 30 2015 Workers set up a Christmas Tree and Nativity Set in St Peterrsquos Square on November 30 2015 CNA

we going to do itrdquo the priest pointed out

Petition vs lsquobig pollutersrsquoNo less than 50 multinational compa-

nies were named respondents of the peti-tion considered as the first human rightscomplaints against big polluters

Of these 10 companies have branches orsubsidiaries in the Philippines as follows

bull ExxonMobilbull Chevronbull otalbull Royal Dutch Shell

bull BHP Billiton

bull BPbull Anglo Americanbull Lafargebull Holcimbull aiheiyo Cement CorporationBesides Gariguez the other Filipi-

nos and Asians present in Paris to givetalks are Climate Change CommissionCommissioner Heherson Alvarez CHRCommissioners Roberto Cadiz and GwenPimentel-Gana and representatives ofGreenpeace Southeast Asia as well asother civil society groups (Raymond A

Sebastiaacuten CBCP News)

Polluters A1

Te Pope made reference tothe dayrsquos first Mass reading theGenesis account of manrsquos fallin the Garden of Eden

ldquoTe words of Genesis re-flect our own daily experience we are constantly tempted todisobedience a disobedienceexpressed in wanting to goabout our lives without regardfor Godrsquos willrdquo he said

ldquoYet the history of sin canonly be understood in thelight of Godrsquos love and for-giveness Were sin the onlything that mattered we wouldbe the most desperate ofcreaturesrdquo

ldquoTe promised triumph ofChristrsquos love enfolds every-thing in the Fatherrsquos mercyrdquothe Pope said ldquoTe Immacu-

late Virgin stands before usas a privileged witness of thispromise and its fulfillmentrdquo

Pope Francis concluded hishomily recalling the 50th an-niversary of the Second Vati-can Councilrsquos closing whichis also commemorated Dec8 He stressed that the Jubileeof Mercy is a challenge for usto the ldquoopennessrdquo inspired bythe Council

Te Council was ldquoa genu-ine encounter between theChurch and the men and

women of our timerdquo in whichthe Holy Spirit ldquoimpelled theChurch to emerge from theshoals which for years hadkept her self-enclosed so asto set out once again withenthusiasm on her missionary

journeyrdquoldquoWherever there are people

the Church is called to reachout to them and to bring the joy of the Gospelrdquo the Popesaid

ldquoTe Jubilee challenges usto this openness and demandsthat we not neglect the spirit which emerged from VaticanII the spirit of the Samaritanas Blessed Paul VI expressedit at the conclusion of theCouncilrdquo

In his Angelus address de-livered after the opening ofthe Holy Door Pope Franciscalled the faithful to look onthe Immaculate Conceptionas a reminder that ldquoin our lifeeverything is a gift Everythingis mercyrdquo

ldquoMay the Blessed Virginthe first fruits of the saved themodel of the Church holy andimmaculate Bride loved bythe Lord help us to rediscoverthe mercy of God more andmore in a way characteristicof Christiansrdquo

Te Pope said the openingof the Jubilee of Mercy is anoccasion to look on the Im-maculate Conception ldquowithtrusting love to contemplateher in all her splendor (andimitate) her faithrdquo

ldquoIn the Immaculate concep-tion of Mary we are invitedto recognize the dawn of thenew world transformed fromthe saving work of the Fatherand of the Son and of the HolySpiritrdquo

Jubilee A1

City Archdiocesan Shrine of the DivineMercy in Mandaluyong City Santuariode Santo Cristo in San Juan City andOur Lady of Sorrows Parish in Pasay City

ldquoRectors and parish priests have beencoordinating on how to make pilgrim-ages fruitful and meaningful to pilgrimsrdquosaid Malicdem who is also rector of theManila Cathedral

Passport-stamping According to him the five churches

were chosen for the p ilgrimage ldquobecauseof their connection to mercyrdquo

He said Catholics may start their pil-

grimage from any of the churches butthey will have to proceed to the parishoffice after they accomplished the requiredactivities for stamping of their passports

ldquoPassports are available at all fivechurches Te may start and end at anychurch then they will also be given a cer-tificate of pilgrimagerdquo added the priest

Among the required pilgrimage activi-ties include entering the ldquoHoly Doorrdquo si-lent adoration and meditation venerationof the Jubilee Cross and donating to thearchdiocesersquos charitable programs

Te priest said the Holy Year also en-courages the faithful to understand thepractice of ldquomerciful loverdquo by dividing the

works of mercy into two kinds spiritualand corporal

He added that donations may come in

cash or in kind and will be used to feed thehungry provide housing for the homeless

and other projectsMalicdem said no other than Pope

Francis himself called on the faithfulto make a pilgrimage because ldquomercyrequires goal dedication and sacrificerdquo

Acts of mercy For Fr Jason Laguerta of the Office of

the Philippine Conference on the NewEvangelization the archdiocesersquos leadgroup for the Year of Mercy a pilgrimageis a ldquogood metaphor for liferdquo

ldquoWe are able to receive the mercy ofGod Ritual is meaningless if not coupled

with works of mercy and concrete actions

towards charityrdquo Fr Laguerta saidldquoMercy is not just a concept or anabstract idea but an action word Itrsquossomething that we dohellip perform acts ofmercy to one anotherrdquo he said

Aside from the sp iritual benefits thepriests added that a plenary indulgenceis also available to the faithful for makinga pilgrimage

Malicdem also said the Year of Mercypilgrimage may be held next year startingfrom Ash Wednesday which marks theseason of Lent until the Pentecost Sunday

Te universal Church will observe anextraordinary Year of Mercy as decreed bythe Pope from Dec 8 2015 until Nov20 2016

In Manila Cardinal agle will start thecelebration by opening the cathedralrsquos

Jubilee Door and hold Mass on Dec 9(Roy Lagarde CBCPNews)

Passport A1

consuming more than is neededldquoLetrsquos be responsible Life is hard today

and we should use our blessings given tous by God wiselyrdquo stressed the prelate

Christmas balikbayan boxes According to him advertisements and

Christmas sales subtly reshape the peoplersquosdesired around the material

For his part Bishop Ruperto Santos ofBalanga diocese issued a similar appeal to

overseas Filipino workers (OFWs)He said OFWs must not try hard to fill

up their ldquobalikbayan boxesrdquo beyond theirmeans while their families back homemust spend the remittances responsibly

Save more share moreldquoMagtabi mag-ipon at sa mga naiwan

palaging pahalagahan ang pinapadala

ng kapamilya (Set aside save and havesomething left Always value what your

family member sends homerdquo he addedOngtioco also said instead of excessive

consumption it would be better if Filipi-nos would consider sharing their blessingsto the needy

ldquoIf what we receive is more than enoughthere are also many who are in need Letus share our blessings with othershellipTisprobably is a challenge and an opportunity

for us to share with those who have less inliferdquo he said in Filipino (CBCP News)

Spending A1

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 724

A7CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25 DIOCESAN NEWS

for the nation only but to gatherinto one the children of God whoare scattered abroadrdquo (1149-52)

It is quite clear that even if byliving charity we may appear tobe suffering a defeat accordingto human standards God in hisprovidence would know how toderive good from it

We should not be afraid to suf-fer the consequences of humanpride and worldly arrogance justbecause we try to be consistent with the requirements of charityFor those who love God and oth-ers as St Paul in his letter to theRomans would say everything will always work out for the good

Now that we are going through

this delicate political processof electing our next leaders we

should try our best to avoid thepitfalls of emotional knee-jerkreactions to the issues at hand

Let us learn to be level-headedand to have a good grip of ouremotions and passions More thanthat let us see to it that we followthe requirements of charity asstrictly as possible It is preciselyin moments like this when charityis most needed

Letrsquos be careful with our wordsand especially so with our thoughtsand intentions May they alwaysbe infused with charity which isalways the way to find the truth toachieve justice and fairness properto us Charity is never a drag in ourpolitics It is what politics needs

most of all Charity is what leadsus to the common good

Candidly Speaking A4

Davao inaugurates lsquoLaudato Sirsquo organic gardenDAVAO Citymdasho give people a concreteexample on how to feed the family with-out harming the environment a parish inthe Archdiocese of Davao has put up anurban container organic garden namedafter Pope Francisrsquo encyclical Laudato Si

Auxil iary Bisho p of Davao GeorgeRimando officiated the inauguration andblessing of the Ascension of the Lord Par-ishrsquo Laudato Si Garden located at the backof the parish in GSIS Heights MatinaDavao City last Sunday Dec 6

Fr Leonardo Dublan Jr parish priestsaid they want to have a showroom forthe people as their model on how to setup their own container garden even withlimited space at home

Not impossibleldquoIt is not impossible to have a backyard

garden in the urban area Our parish islocated in a subdivision and we wereable to set-up our parish urban con-tainer garden and parishioners can alsodo the same in their respective homesrdquoexplained Dublan also the director ofthe Archdiocesan Social Action Center(ASAC)

Te parish has sought the help of JojoRom known as Father of Urban Contain-er Gardening in the country in puttingup the said garden in honor of the pope

Te garden utilizes organic fertilizersand also has an aquaculture pond belowthe structure A mini poultry area and a

wall garden are also included in the entireset-up

Rom said the waste from the kitchenlike fruit and vegetable peelings as well asother biodegradable waste are used to gen-erate fermented fertilizer for the plants

After the blessing a lecture about urbancontainer gardening was given by Romto the lay leaders and parishioners It canbe remembered that he once delivered asimilar lecture during the monthly meet-ing of the Parish Social Action Ministry(PSAM) of the Archdiocese of Davao

lsquoSafe organic foodrsquo ASAC Dav ao coordinat or Sr Ma

Marissa Arado DM said ASAC Davaohas been promoting urban container gar-dening to provide safe organic food forthe family especially with the worseningeffects of climate change

ldquoHopefully the lessons about climatechange will reach the young people andthe grassrootsrdquo Arado said

She added the use of organic fertilizersis a way of protecting not only the familybut also the soil as chemicals are used inproducing many commercially availablecrops

ASAC Davao hopes that the lessonslearned from the Laudato Si Garden willbe used in every Gagmayrsquong KristohanongKatilingban (GKK) or Basic EcclesialCommunities and every home (JohnFrances C Fuentes CBCP News)

Auxiliary Bishop of Davao George B Rimando officiated the inauguration and blessing of the Ascension of the Lord Parishrsquo Laudato Si Garden on Dec 6 2015John Frances Fuentes

Jaro takes vocation promotions to the streets JARO IloilomdashIn todayrsquos highly-modernized world where religiouslife is becoming less of an optionfor young people religious menand women in this archdioceseliterally went to the highways andthe byways to tell the youth thatreligious life is still very much aliveand relevant as part of ldquoVocationDays 2015rdquo from Nov 23 to 30

Believing always in the primacyof prayer the vocation promotersprayed even while on the roadmeditating on the Holy Rosaryand singing Marian hymns to-gether

ldquohe Vocation Caravan hasindeed become an opportunity where variou s religiou s and laypromoters from different congre-gations united as one group withthe aim to pray for one anotherfor the holy perseverance andsanctification of the clergy andreligious and to promote religiousvocationsrdquo observed Sr Susan

Matthew Cueco Carm OL

Vocation caravan and pilgrimage As a pr el ud e to Voc at io n

Month representatives of the Arch dioc esan Commis sion onVocation Promoters for theReligious also held for the first

time in Panay a three-day Voca-tion Caravan and Pilgrimage onSept 12 to 14

During the Vocation Caravanand Pilgrimage which kickedoff at the Jaro Cathedral with aMass celebrated by Jaro Arch-bishop Angel N Lagdameo withFr Paul Reagan alavera OP asconcelebrant the religious voca-tion promoters visited more than40 parishes and various collegesand universities in Capiz Aklan Antique and in the city and prov-ince of Iloilo

Aside from talking to the youngpeople the sisters also postedcampaign materials in churchesand led the prayer for vocationsfor every congregation

On the occasion of VocationMonth and in the context of the Year of Consecrated Life the Jaro Archdiocesan Commission on Vo-cation Promoters for the Religious(ACVP-R) successfully staged the

week-long event starting on Nov23 with a vocation campaign invarious educational institutionsin Miag-ao Iloilo

Confessions counselingTe religious men and women

also spearheaded the celebration

lsquoYolandarsquo women call for

more livelihood aid

BASEY SamarmdashOver 500 house- wives mothers and sisters from

ldquoYolandardquo-hit communities in Western S amar who turned en-trepreneurs have called the at-tention of government agenciesto their need for more livelihoodassistance

ldquoWe hope to receive capitalresources and machinery that wecould use for our livelihoodrdquo theysaid collectively in Waray duringthe First Rural Summit held re-cently in Basey

In a statement they specificallyasked for capital support equip-ment additional skills trainingand help in linking their productsto the market

Social services

Tey further appealed for in-creased access to social servicesparticularly for health and nutri-tion

Te Samarentildeas who came from24 barangays in Basey Marabutand Sta Rita towns also grabbedthe opportunity to stage a mini-trade fair featuring their productslike organic vegetables and fruitshandicrafts and native delicacies

Meanwhile representatives ofthe Provincial Agriculture Office(PAO) Department of rade andIndustry (DI) and the ProvincialGovernment of Samar conducted

a commitment signingTe delegates moreover had a

unity parade from the St Michaelthe Archangel Parish to the BaseyMunicipal Gym

Housewives to entrepreneurs While befor e super typho on

ldquoYolandardquo most of the womenstayed at home caring for theirchildren after the disaster theSocial Action Center (SAC) of theDiocese of Calbayog and NASSACaritas Philippines made surethey become micro-entrepreneursfarmers and mat weavers

o date about 406 women ofthem have received provisionslike egg-laying implements andcapital assistance for mat-weavingand mat weaversrsquo centers salted

egg production and backyardfarmingSAC Yolanda Rehabilitation

Program Director Fr Cesar Aculanshared ldquoYolanda may have de-stroyed the livelihood of the peo-ple of Samar but it has restoredas well the sense of self-worth ofthe womenrdquo

Besides providing livelihoodaid Calbayogrsquos SAC carried outinterventions on shelter disasterrisk reduction ecosystem and

wate r sani tati on and hygienein the province (Raymond ASebastiaacutenCBCP News)

A Yolanda survivor showcases some of the native delicacies in their province during amini trade fair held in Basey Samar NASSACaritas Philippines

ldquoOur walk is a message of sacrifice of thesuffering climaterdquo explained Rodne Galichaone of some 1500 climate pilgrims whosemessage was received well by host communi-ties en route to the French capital

ldquoI would rather continue walking ratherthan be there at COP21 We will continuethe pilgrimage for climate justice and bring

the message of Laudato Sirsquordquo shared Yeb Santildeoformer Philippine climate negotiator who ledthe Rome-Paris climate march

According to them the manifesto carries astrong message on the climate from ecologicalconversion to the paying of ecological debteven demanding the protection of indigenouscommunities who are climate victims

Te climate activists point out that theircommon statement is to work on the HolyFatherrsquos ldquoLaudato Sirsquo Manifestordquo where theybelieve the ground for discussion analysis andsolutions to ecological problems can be found

Tey add that the document also seeks tobe a reference guide for world leaders envi-ronmental activists church leaders organiz-ers and teachers among others and offers areality-check of what individuals institutionsand organizations can do for environmental

action

Te ldquoLaudato Sirsquo Manifestordquo reads1 Te Earth is our common home (LS 1)2 We demand ecological conversion both

personal communitarian and institutionalldquoTe need for each of us to repent of the

ways we have harmed the planet for ldquoin-asmuch as we all generate small ecologicaldamagerdquo we are called to acknowledge ldquoourcontribution smaller or greater to the disfig-urement and destruction of creationrdquo (LS 8)

3 We want ecological liberation ldquoWe lookfor solutions not only in technology but in achange of humanityhellip He asks us to replaceconsumption with sacrifice greed with gener-osity wastefulness with a spirit of sharing anasceticism which ldquoentails learning to give andnot simply to give up It is a way of loving of

moving gradually away from what I want to what Godrsquos world needs It is liberation from

fear greed and compulsionrdquo (LS 9)4 Care for the Earth is integral ldquoHe shows

us just how inseparable the bond is betweenconcern for nature justice for the poor com-mitment to society and interior peacerdquo (LS10)

5 We call for ecological solidarity that willfoment ecological action ldquoTe urgent chal-

lenge to protect our common home includesa concern to bring the whole human familytogether to seek a sustainable and integraldevelopmenthelliprdquo (LS 13) Ways to act divest-ment in fossil fuels converting to renewablesenergy-efficiency attitude response to climateadaptation disaster response and supportinggrassroots initiatives

6 We demand climate justice for thedestruction of our planet perpetrated bymining companies businesses multinationalcorporations and greedy countries ldquohellip afterceasing their activity and withdrawing theyleave behind great human and environmentalliabilities such as unemployment abandonedtowns the depletion of natural reserves de-forestation the impoverishment of agricultureand local stock breeding open pits riven hillspolluted rivers and a handful of social works

which are no longer sustainablerdquo (LS 51)

7 We need to pay our ldquoecological debtrdquo forthe harm we have done to the environmentcommunities and individuals suffering nowand the future (LS 51)

8 Te need to engage for a new ecologicaldialogue ldquoI urgently appeal then for a newdialogue about how we are shaping the futureof our planet We need a conversation whichincludes everyone since the environmentalchallenge we are undergoing and its humanroots concern and affect us allrdquo (LS 14)

9 We should create an integral space forldquoecological citizenshiprdquo as a practical pathof becoming witnesses for the environmentldquoOnly by cultivating sound virtues will peoplebe able to make a selfless ecological commit-mentrdquo (LS 211)

10 We are interconnected we should fo-ment connectedness with other faith-based

groups civil society and institutions ldquohellipbecause all creatures are connected each mustbe cherished with love and respect for all ofus as living creatures are dependent on oneanotherrdquo (LS 42)

11 Promote ldquoecological educationrdquo as a way of fomenting consciousness action andintegral faith-advocacy for environmental

care (LS 213)12 Our ecological concern is a compas-sion for the planet and people ldquoo hear boththe cry of the earth and the cry of the poorrdquo(LS 49)

13 Believing that ldquointegral ecologyrdquo in allaspects of life as an integral response to theglobal crisis (LS 137)

14 We need to cultivate an ldquoecologicalculturerdquo as a way of outgrowing ecologicaldestruction ldquoTere needs to be a distinctive

way of looking a t things a way of thinkingpolicies an educational programme a lifestyleand a spirituality which together generateresistance to the assault of the technocraticparadigmrdquo (LS 111)

15 Special care for the indigenous commu-nities and their cultural traditions ldquoFor themland is not a commodity but rather a gift from

God and from their ancestors who rest there asacred space with which they need to interact ifthey are to maintain their identity and valuesrdquo

As we acknowledged the richness of their wayof life we also have to protect their rights ldquoinvarious parts of the world pressure is beingput on them to abandon their homelands tomake room for agricultural or mining projects

which are undertaken without regard for thedegradation of nature and culturerdquo (LS 146)

16 Te need for ecological faith ldquoGod who calls us to generous commitment and togive him our all offers us the light and thestrength needed to continue on our way Inthe heart of this world the Lord of life wholoves us so much is always present He doesnot abandon us he does not leave us alonefor he has united himself definitively to ourearth and his love constantly impels us to

find new ways forward Praise be to Him (LS245) (Raymond A Sebastiaacuten CBCP News)

Manifesto A1

of Jarorsquos Vocation Day on Nov28 During the sessions held inSt Vincent Ferrer Seminary thereligious men heard confessions

whil e the relig ious wome n fa-cilitated counseling sessions andgroup sharing

Te religious again gave wit-ness to the faithfulrsquos role in savingthe environment as they wentto the streets on Nov 29 to jointhousands of marchers in theldquoWalk for Mother Earthrdquo in the

Archdiocesersquos participation in theGlobal Climate March

o cap Vocation Month thereligious women and men par-

ticipated in Jarorsquos Archdiocesan Youth Day in Guimbal Iloilo onNov 30 as a way to reach out toyoung people encouraging themto be open to Godrsquos call

ldquoTe activity was very enrichingas it has strengthened the bondof the vocation promoters Tepriceless moments have nourishedour friendship and have led us tobe closer to one another to reacha common goal which is to findmore holy vocations into theChurchrdquo added Sr Susan (Fr

Mickey Cardenas CBCP Newswith reports from Angelo LuisVerdeflor)

The Jaro Archdiocesan Commission on Vocation Promoters for the Religious (ACVP-R)successfully staged a week-long vocations promotions event starting on Nov 23 witha vocation campaign in various educational institutions in Miag-ao Iloilo ANGELO LUIS

VERDEFLOR

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 824

A8 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25PEOPLE FACTS AND PLACES

MarkingsDied Bishop Federico Es-caler SJ died on Nov 28aged 93

The Jesuit prelate had beenill and passed away peacefullyin his family ancestral resi-dence in San Miguel Manilaon Saturday morning

Born in Manila he served asthe rst bishop of Kidapawanfrom 1976 to 1980 until hewas appointed to head thenewly-created Prelature of Ipilin Zamboanga Sibugay

Escaler spent 17 years inIpil until his retirement in 1997

He was once the Assistantto Jesuit Provincial Superiorin La Ignacia Retreat HousePresident and Rector of Ateneode Davao Treasurer of JesuitProvince in Manila and be-came President and Rector ofXavier University in Cagayan

de Oro City

Ordained Imus Bishop Rey-naldo Evangelista DD or-dained eight deacons of theSociety of the Divine Word(SVD) to the priesthood onDec 5 at the Holy Spirit Chapelof the Divine Word SeminaryTagaytay City in a solemncelebration attended by 127priests and 2 bishops

The new priests are FrLawrence Llona SVD (to beassigned in South Sudan

Afric a) Fr Ryan Diňo SVD(to be assigned in ArgentinaSouth) Fr Diderick Andrinja-tovo SVD (to be assigned inPhilippine South) Fr Fran-ciskus Subandi SVD (to beassigned in Philippine Central)Fr June Lee Sarenas SVD(to be assigned in Ghana

Afr ica) Fr Gre gor ius Rob iDosom SVD (to be assigned in

Philippine North) Fr Roberto

Solis SVD (to be assigned inJapan)and Fr Lindsey FrancisTaeza SVD (to be assigned inTogo Africa)

Ordained The Servants ofMary welcomed four men tothe priesthood on Dec 8 atSt Peregrine Diocesan ShrineTunasan Muntinlupa City Bal-anga Bishop Ruperto C San-tos ordained Fr Leonardo MaGuiang OSM Fr Waren MaCampilan OSM Fr EdgardMa Benedi-an OSM and FrJumen Ma Arcelo OSM

Recognized The Ofce of the Army Chief Chaplain Service(OACCS) on Nov 24 recog-nized in a simple ceremony FrMaj Juan Jerome C Daluro asBest Chaplain of the Year 2015for his exemplary service as Di-

vision Chaplain of 9th Infantry

(Spear) Division from Septem-ber 2012 to September 2015Fr MSg Mario Baniqued (Inf)Philippine Army (PA) OACCSChief Clerk was recognized asBest Chaplain Assistant of theYear 2015

The office also accordedPlaques of Appreciation to FrCpt Ferdinand Abuyuan ldquoforhis improvement of the 7IDChapel undertaken during histerm as Division Chaplain of7th Infantry Division Philip-pine Army from June 2013to September 2015rdquo and toFr LtC Stephen Penetrantefor his excellent service asOACCS Chief of Plans andPrograms

The awards were given aspart of the celebration of the78th Chaplain Service Foun-dation Anniversary from Nov

23 to 27

Congress focuses onmodern family issuesHE 20th Asia Pacific Congress on Faith Lifeand Family organized by Human Life interna-

tional (HLI) from Nov 27 to 29 focused onthreats perspectives and realities affecting themodern family

Wit h the the me comin g fro m Psa lms1288 ldquoYour wife a fruitful vine in theinner places of your house your childrenround your table like shoots of an olivetreerdquo speakers and resource persons sharedreflections on the understanding of Godrsquosplan for marriage and family threats andchallenges to family the modern crisis ofconscience unmasking the gender ideologythe global holocaust of abortion

Dr Ligaya Acosta the Regional director ofthe Human Life International (HLI) for Asiaand Oceania opened the Congress sayingrdquoTe said congress will enable the participantsto re-discover and value marriage-based naturalfamilies and teach children and leaders to value

them as wellrdquo Archb isho p Vincenzo Pag lia head of thePontifical Council for the Family gave thekeynote speech on the challenges of theSynod on the Family to more than 200participants from 15 countries includingthe Philippines

Bishop John Baptist Lee Bishop of Hsinchuand chair of the Commission for family of theChinese Regional Bishopsrsquo Conference reiter-

ated in his welcome speech the goals of HLI which is to promote the moral teaching of theCatholic Church to spread pro-life insightsin society and to offer concrete and effectiveprograms for the advancement of faith

Among other speakers were Fr Shenan Bo-quet President of Human Life International

(HLI) Dr Brian Clowes HLI director of edu-cation and research and Dr Joseph Meaneya leading expert on the international pro-life

movement Dr Ligaya Acosta Atty Jo ImbongDra Eleanor de Borja Palabyab and MayorSally Lee of Sorsogon Ci ty

Bishop Gilbert Garcera Chair of the Epis-copal Commission on Family and Life headed80 delegates from the Philippines (ECFL CBCP News)

The 20th Asia Pacific Congress on Faith Life and Family organized by Human Life international (HLI) was held fromNov 27 to 29 ECFL

PH army chaplains partners hold 1stlsquocharacter enhancementrsquo meet A YEAR afte r its launch armychaplains soldiers and civilianpartners from the various partsof the country met uesday

Nov 25 at the Philippine Ai rf or ce Mus eu m Vi ll am or Airbase to discuss the prog ressof the Character EnhancementProgram (CEP) and ways toreach more uniformed person-nel and their dependents

Vision 2028Fr Andres Bonifacio O Belleza

head of the Office of the ArmyChief Chaplain Service (OACCS)pointed out that the CEP re-sponds to the directive of Lt GenHernando Delfin Carmelo AIriberri former Philippine Army(PA) commanding general toldquodevelop righteous God-fearingsoldiers loved by the Filipino

peoplerdquo in step with the 18-year Army ransformation Roadmapof 2028 (AR28) and to ldquobecomea world-class Army that is a sourceof national priderdquo

o fulfill this vision the chiefchaplain shared the Army soughtthe help of the Order of St Mi-chael (OSM) a ministry of the

A chaplain facilitates a workshop with his lay collaborators during the 1st CharacterEnhancement Program (CEP) Conference Nov 25 2015 NIRVA DELACRUZ

Couples for Christ Global MissionFoundation (CFC Global) which

caters specifically to the spiritualneeds of people in the militarytheir spouses and children

Character enhancement Retired Col Arturo Alabanza

CFCOSM head explained thatunder AR28 PA is committed toa ldquolong-term sustainable platform

for continuing CEP and spiritual wellness programrdquo

For their part local CFC chap-ters are tasked to jumpstart CEPin all PA unit chapels and parishesnationwide

Since it debuted in Apr 32014 the OACCS-CFCOSMpartnership has already givencharacter enhancement retreats(CER) to 28 PA commands and

the Philippine Military Academy(PMA) Class of 2018 gradu-ated 385 PMA-Singles for Christ(SFC) members and conducted

five CERs at V Luna Hospital inQuezon City

Challenge accepted While they have start ed out

well Alabanza admitted there isstill much to be done for Godrsquos

work to be realized fully in thelives of Filipino soldiers and theirfamilies

According to him CEP hasreached 2000 men and womenin uniform to date translatingto about 0287 percent of an es-timated 700000 population thatis fertile ground for values andspiritual transformation exclud-ing their dependents

Alabanza expressed hope that in

the coming years and with the co-operation of the parties involvedCEP will be able to touch heartsand win the souls of more allow-ing PA to communicate a brandimage consistent with its corevalues of honor patriotism andduty (Raymond A Sebastiaacuten CBCP News)

PHLPost to issueIEC stamps

HE government is set to releasea commemorative postal stamp onthe 51st International EucharisticCongress to be held in Cebu Cityon Jan 24 -31 next year

he Philippine Postal Corpsaid stamp enthusiasts from allover the world would have theopportunity to buy the stampsconsidering the importance ofthis event in the history of theCatholic Church

he stamp design illustratesthe official logo of the IEC anevent aimed at promoting aware-ness about the central role of theEucharist in the life and mission

of the Church

ldquoTe PHLPost are one in prayingfor the success of this internationalgathering of lay people and Catho-lic Church leaders from around the

world with Cebu the beautifulqueen city of the south as the hostof this celebrationrdquo said PostmasterGeneral Josie Dela Cruz

he gathering is expected todraw 15000 delegates from allover the world Te Congress willalso feature open air Masses opento the public

PHLPost commissioned AmstarCo to print 104000 copies of thestamps to be sold at Php 15 eachstarting uesday Dec 8 at post

offices nationwide (CBCP News)

Taglersquos Year of Mercyrecolletion set

IN time for the forthcomingseason the Archdiocese ofManila (RCAM) and the JesuitCommunications (JesCom) in-vite the public to a free Adventtalk to be given by no less thanCardinal Luiacutes Ant onio G agleon Dec 13 Sunday 800 amto 1100 am at the Smart- Ar an et a Co li se um Cu ba oQuezon City

Temed ldquoMerciful like the Fa-therrdquo the Word Exposed AdventRecollection is set to have the Archbishop of Manila sharing hisreflections on Godrsquos message ofmercy in keeping with the Jubilee Year of Mercy

Acc ord in g to JesCom fr eetickets will be issued on Dec 4Friday at the following select dis-tribution centers anging YamanStore Sonolux Building Ateneode Manila University anging

Yaman Store S M Megamall 5F Atrium St Pauls Bookstore SMNorth Edsa St Pauls BookstoreSM Manila St Pauls BookstoreGateway Mall

Given the limited number oftickets JesCom stresses that res-ervation is not allowed

For further information in-terested parties may call (02)426-5971 to 72 (Raymond ASebastiaacuten CBCP News)

Cardinal Luiacutes Antonio G Tagle FILE PHOTO

PBS outs Bible Week 2016 schedulePHILIPPINE Bible Society (PBS) GeneralSecretary Dr Nora G Lucero has revealed thetheme for the National Bible Week (NBW)celebrations on Jan 25 to 31 2016 sayingit will focus on ldquoGodrsquos Word Strength of theFamily Hope of the Nationrdquo and the activities

in line for the eventldquoAs we continue to coordinate with our part-

ners from different locales all over the country we will also promote other meaningful ways forour kababayans to participate in the celebrationand to proclaim Godrsquos Word in their communi-tiesrdquo shares Lucero in a recent PBS press release

Community celebration According to her PBS is prepared various

activities for the celebration among which is

the iProclaim a public reading of ScripturesLucero went on to present suggested ways

individuals families local churches and or-ganizations can celebrate Godrsquos Word in theircommunities

Some of the activities suggested include

displaying of NBW posters and streamers fea-turing Bible verses in church or school bulletinboards organizing of sports events holdingof Bible rallies concerts or song and dancecompetitions in town plazas as well as lobbyingbefore local legislature for the enactment of alaw supporting the annual NBW celebration

Raising awarenessTe NBW 2016 theme is inspired in part by

Psalm 3312 in the New American Bible Revised

Edition (NABRE) which reads ldquoBlessed is thenation whose God is the Lord the people chosenas his inheritancerdquo as well as by Acts 1631 in theGood News ranslation (GN) which readsldquoTey answered lsquoBelieve in the Lord Jesus andyou will be saved ndash you and your familyrdquo

Frontlined by PBS the annual NBS cel-ebration is decreed by Presidential Proclama-tions 2242 44 and 1067 which aims to raisepeoplersquos awareness on the importance of theHoly Book

Te week-long proclamation of Godrsquos Wordis culminated by the celebration of ldquoNationalBible Sundayrdquo on Jan 31 2016 that is expectedto feature messages and homilies during Churchservices and Masses focusing on the theme(Raymond A Sebastiaacuten CBCP News)

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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B1CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

DEAR Brothers and Sisters Goodmorning

With this reflection we arrive at thethreshold of the Jubilee itrsquos close Tedoor is before us not just the HolyDoor but another the great doorof the Mercy of Godmdashand that is abeautiful doormdashwhich embraces ourpenance offering the grace of his for-giveness Te door is generously openit takes a little courage on our part tocross the threshold Each of us hasburdensome things within ourselves

We are all sinner s Let us take advan-tage of this coming moment and crossthe threshold of this mercy of God

who never tire s of forg iving nevertires of waiting for us He watches ushe is always beside us ake heart Letus enter through this door

From the Synod of Bishops which we celeb rated in the month of Octo-ber all families and the entire Churchreceived great encouragement to meetat the threshold of this open door TeChurch was encouraged to open herdoors to go out with the Lord to meether sons and daughters on the path attimes uncertain at times dismayed inthese difficult times Christian familiesin particular were encouraged to openthe door to the Lord who is waitingto enter bringing his blessing and hisfriendship And as the door of Godrsquosmercy is always open so too must thedoors of our churches our communi-ties our parishes our institutions ourdioceses be open because this is how

we can all go out to b ring th is mercyof God Te Jubilee signifies the greatdoor of the mercy of God but also thesmall doors of our churches open toallow the entrance of the Lordmdashoroften the exit of the Lordmdashwho is aprisoner of our structures of our self-ishness and of so many things

he Lord never forces the dooropen he too asks permission to enterTe Book of Revelation says ldquoI standat the door and knock if any one hearsmy voice and opens the door I willcome in to him and eat with him and

he with merdquo (320) Let us imaginethe Lord knocking at the door of ourheart In the last great vision of theBook of Revelation the City of Godis prophesied like this ldquoits gates shallnever be shut by dayrdquo which meansfor ever because ldquothere shall be nonight thererdquo (2125) Tere are placesin the world in which doors are not

locked there still are But there are

so many where armoured doors havebecome the norm We must not give into the idea that we must apply thi s sys-tem to our whole life to the life of thefamily of this city of society muchless to the life of the Church Tat

woul d be terr ibl e An inhospi tab leChurch like a family closed off withinitself mortifies the Gospel and withersthe world No armoured doors in theChurch none Completely open

he symbolic management ofldquodoorsrdquomdashof thresholds of passagesof bordersmdashhas become crucial Tedoor must protect of course but notreject Te door must not be forced

but on the contrary one asks permis-

sion because hospitality shines inthe freedom of welcoming and dimsin the arrogance of invasion hedoor is frequently opened in order

to see if there is someone waitingoutside perhaps without the couragenor perhaps the strength to knockHow many people have lost faith donot have the courage to knock at the

door of our Christian heart at the

doors of our churches And theyare there they donrsquot have the courage we have taken away trus t please maythis never happen A door says many

things about the house and also aboutthe Church ending the door requirescareful discernment and at the sametime must inspire great faith I wouldlike to pay a word of gratitude to all

PASTORAL CONCERNS

We are all sinners Let us take advantage of this coming

moment and cross the threshold of this mercy of God who

never tires of forgiving never tires of waiting for us

Message of Pope Francis at his General Audience on November 18 2015

The welcoming door porters of our condominiums of

civil institutions of the Churchesthemselves Often a porterrsquos acumenand courtesy can offer an image ofhumanity and of welcome to the entire

house right from the entrance Tereis something to be learned from thesemen and women who are watch-men at the places of encounter and

welcome in the c ity of man o all of

you watchmen of so many doors bethey residential doors or church doorsmany thanks Always with a smilealways demonstrating the acceptanceof that house of that Church sopeople feel happy and welcomed inthat place

In truth we are well aware that wetoo are watchmen and servants of theDoor of God and what is the nameof the door of God Jesus He lightsup all of lifersquos doors for us includingthose of our birth and of our death

He himself affirmed it ldquoI am the doorif any one enters by me he will besaved and will go in and out and findpasturerdquo (Jn 109) Jesus is the doorthat lets us go in and out BecauseGodrsquos sheepfold is a refuge it isnrsquot aprison Te house of God is a refugeit isnrsquot a prison and the door is called

Jesus If the door is closed we sayldquoLord open the doorrdquo Jesus is thedoor and lets us go in and out Tose

who try to avoid the door are thievesitrsquos curious thieves always tr y to enterby another way by the window by theroof but they avoid the door becausethey have evil intentions and theysneak into the sheepfold in order todeceive the sheep and take advantageof them We must enter through thedoor and listen to Jesusrsquo voice if wehear the tone of his voice we are cer-tain we are saved We can go in with-out fear and go out without dangerIn this beautiful discourse Jesus alsospeaks of the gatekeeper whose taskis opening to the Good Shepherd (cf

Jn 102) If the gatekeeper hears theShepherdrsquos voice he opens and letsin all of the sheep that the Shepherdbrings all of them including thoselost in the wood whom the GoodShepherd went to get back Te sheepare not chosen by the gatekeeper theyare not chosen by the parish secretaryor parish administrator the sheepare all called they are chosen by theGood Shepherd Te gatekeepermdashhetoomdashobeys the Shepherdrsquos voiceTus we can well say that we must

be like that gatekeeper Te Churchis the gatekeeper of the house of theLord she is not the proprietor of theLordrsquos house

Te Holy Family of Nazareth knows jus t wha t an open or clo sed doormeans for those expecting a child forthose who have no shelter for those

who need to escape danger Chri stian

families make the threshold of their

homes a great sign of the Door ofthe mercy and welcome of God It isprecisely how the Church will have tobe recognized in every corner of theearth as the watchman of a God whoknocks as the welcome of a God whodoes not close the door in your face

with the excuse that you are not partof the household With this spirit letus approach the Jubilee there will bethe Holy Door but there is the doorof the great mercy of God May therealso be the door of our heart for all toreceive Godrsquos forgiveness and to givein our turn our forgiveness welcomingall those who knock at our door

Prayer of His HolinessPope Francis for the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy

LORD Jesus Christyou have taught us to be mer-

ciful like the heavenly Fatherand have told us that whoever

sees you sees HimShow us your face and we will

be saved Your loving gaze freed Zac-

chaeus and Matthew from beingenslaved by money

the adulteress and Magdalenefrom seeking happiness only increated things

made Peter weep after hisbetrayal

and assured Paradise to therepentant thief

Let us hear as if addressed toeach one of us the words thatyou spoke to the Samaritan

womanldquoIf you knew the gift of Godrdquo

You are the visible face of theinvisible Father

of the God who manifests hispower above all by forgivenessand mercy

let the Church be your visibleface in the world its Lord risenand glorified

You willed that your min-isters would also be clothedin weakness

in order that they mayfeel compassion for those inignorance and error

let everyone who ap-proaches them feel soughtafter loved and forgiven byGod

Send your Spirit and con-secrate every one of us withits anointing

so that the Jubilee of Mercymay be a year of grace fromthe Lord

and your Church withrenewed enthusiasm maybring good news to the poor

proclaim liberty to captivesand the oppressed

and restore sight to theblind

We ask this of you Lord Jesus through the interces-sion of Mary Mother of

Mercy you who live andreign with the Father and theHoly Spirit for ever and ever

Amen C N A

L rsquo O s s e r v a t o r e R o m a n o

Vatican City - April 11 2015 Cardinals gathered at St Peterrsquos Basilica on April 11 2015 during the Convocation of the Year of Mercy where Pope Francis publicly proclaimed

a Jubilee for Mercy which will begin December 8th and end in November 2016

The Holy Door unveiling at the Recognitio ceremony in St Peterrsquos Basilica on November 17 2015

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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B2 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25PASTORAL CONCERNS

C B C P N e

w s

Separation of Church and State lawsin the marriage of Catholics

By Fr Jaime B Achacoso JCD

I AM not a great fan of the so-calledseparation of Church and State as it

is often misunderstood as the juridicexpression of the laicist principle ofrelegating religion to the privatesphere As we had seen in a previ-ous article this was the brainchildof the French Revolution fruit ofthe prejudice against the CatholicChurch (since it was identified withthe abusive absolutist monarchiesin Europe at the time) but whichnevertheless had to be toleratedfor the sake of individual liberty Ihave always argued for the conceptof distinction between Church andState based on the fact that thesubjects of both jurisdictions are thesame people who are simultaneouslyfaithful of the Catholic Church andcitizens of the State Te State andthe Church are distinct jurisdictionsbut not separate and uncoordinated

One area of such distinctionhowever which can be considered asa veritable separation is the matter ofmatrimonial law

wo Separate Marriages heCanonical Marriage and the CivilMarriage

When a Filipino Catholic faith-ful gets married he effectively getsmarried under two separate juridicalsystems Church Law (or CanonLaw) and State Law (or the Civil Lawof the Republic of the Philippines)Each juridic system has its own set ofrequirements even if the civil law inthe Philippines regulates marriage ina way similar to Canon Law through

the Family Code of the PhilippinesIn fact the crafters of the FamilyCode got many of its provisions fromthe corresponding section of theCode of Canon Law of the CatholicChurch What most people do notrealize is that the papers signed at theend of the Catholic Wedding Massare in fact the Marriage Contract un-der the Republic of the Philippinesthe same contract which wouldhave been signed in the presence ofa solemnizing officer (the judge orhis equivalent) in the appropriategovernment office What happensis that the parish priest (or the priestto whom he delegates the functionof solemnizing the marriage) is depu-tized by the state to be a solemnizing

officer through a license which isexpedited by the National StatisticsOffice yearly In short the Catholicpriest is authorized by the Republicof the Philippines to solemnize thecivil marriage In other words thecivil marriage can be solemnized byeither a civil servant or a Catholicpriest with the license from the NSO

Insofar as the Canonical Marriageis concerned on the other handthe only paper work required is itsregistration in the Book of Marriages (Marriage Registry) in the parish

where it was celebrated as well as itsannotation in the Book of Baptisms (Baptismal Registry) in the parish

where the spouses were baptizedTere is no separate marriage cer-

tificate or marriage contract for thecanonical marriageTis fundamental juridic reality

has several consequences

A Purely Canonical Marriage only

has Purely Canonical Require-ments

When an already civilly-marriedcouple wish to contract a canonicalmarriagemdasheg when they want

to regularize their situation in theChurch in order to return to thereception of the Sacramentsmdashwhatis celebrated is just the canonicalmarriage without the correspond-ing civil marriage which had alreadybeen celebrated Hence the onlyrequirements for the solemnizingsacred minister are the requirementsstipulated by Canon Law in c1108mdashsect1 Only those marriages are validwhich are contracted in the presence ofthe local ordinary or the parish priest ora priest or deacon delegated by either ofthem who assists and in the presenceof two witnesses according to the rulesexpressed in the following canons (hellip)

mdashsect2 Te one assisting at a mar-riage is understood to be only that

person who present at the ceremonyasks for the contractantsrsquo manifestationof consent and receives it in the nameof the Church

As can be seen for this purelycanonical marriage the assistingsacred minister (the local ordinary orthe parish priest or another priest ordeacon delegated by either the localordinary or the parish priest) doesnot need the license from the State toact as solemnizing officer for the civilmarriage since such a marriage is not

being celebrated Tus the praxis inmany parishes of requiring the above-mentioned government license fromthe sacred minister in good canonicalstanding who has been duly delegated tosolemnize a purely canonical marriage

is not only improper but is an outrightinsult to the canonical order

Te So-called Secret Marriage A secret marriage is one that the lo-

cal ordinary permits to be celebratedin secret due to a grave and urgentcause (c1130) Tis involves carry-ing out the preliminary investigation(the canonical inquiry) in secret andhaving the local ordinary the official

witness (the local ordinary or theparish priest or any priestdeaconauthorized by them to solemnize themarriage) the common witnesses(the two other witnesses required bythe canonical form) and the spousesto maintain secrecy regarding theactual celebration of the marriage(c1131)

Tus there are two requirementsfor a secret marriage (1) authoriza-

tion from the local ordinary ofthe place where the marriage iscelebrated (2) a grave and urgent cause which must be assessed bythe ordinary

Te classic example of a grave andurgent cause appears in Benedict

XIVrsquos encyclical Satis vobis (17 XI1741) in the case of two persons who live together without havingbeen married canonically but who

were publicly considered husbandand wife Te gravity would stemfrom the fact that these personsmight be living in a habitual state

of sin (extramarital intercourse) orat least in a proximate occasion forsuch sin Te urgency might stemfrom other factors like unreasonableopposition from the partiesrsquo relativesfor the canonical marriage to take

place or some civil impediment forthe marriage to take place (eg apre-existing civil marriage) within areasonable period of time

Actual Filipino society presents

several scenarios(1) A couple civilly-married andstably living together in the Catholiccommunity which understandsthem to be husband and wife oregularize their situation in theChurch (to be able to return tothe Sacraments) they need to bemarried canonically but withoutdetriment to their good standingbefore the community which haderstwhile taken them to be canoni-cally married

(2) A couple stably living togetherin the Catholic community whichunderstands them to be husband and

wife but who have never been mar-

ried either canonically or civillymdashthelatter since there is an impediment incivil law for such a civil marriage totake place (eg an existing civil mar-riage of one or both of the parties thedeclaration of the nullity of which istaking too much time and expense)In this case they need to be marriedcanonically to regularize their situa-tion in the Church but cannot do socivilly yet because of the impedimentin civil law

(3) A couple one of whom hadbeen previously married civilly andcanonically and had obtained a

declaration of nullity of the canoni-cal marriage but have not been ableto get a similar declaration for thecivil marriage due to some reason(eg the high cost of the civil pro-cess) Te urgency to celebrate the

canonical marriage might be due tothe couplersquos already cohabitating anddesiring to regularize their situationin the Church and return to theSacraments Another reason could

be the couplersquos plan to immediatelymigrate to start a new life of goodstanding before the Church

(4) A couple of radically unequalsocial status or ethnic provenance

whose marriage is feared to resultin their permanent alienation fromtheir blood family or in disinheri-tance

(5) A widow who would lose her job or means of sustenance for herselfand her children should her marriagecome to public knowledge

In all of these scenarios the im-mediate celebration of the canonicalmarriage is warranted but whichcannot be divulged to the general

public or to the State either for thetime being or indefinitely

Documentation of a Purely Ca-nonical Marriage

Another consequence of theseparation of Church and State inmatrimonial law is the matter ofdocumentation Te documentationof the civil marriage is well knownthe marriage contractmdashexpeditedby the civil registrar signed by theparties the solemnizing officer (theauthorized sacred minister in thecase of a Church wedding) and the

witnessesmdashcopies of which are filedin the office of the civil registrar andin the parish office

As previously stated the canoni-cal marriage is simply noted in theBook of Marriages of the parish

where it was celebrated and in theBook of Baptisms in the respectiveparishes where the parties were bap-tized (which acts as the permanentrecord of their entire lifetime in the

Church)Of special interest in the presentsubject is the practice in some dio-ceses of filling out and signing thepro-forma Marriage Certificatemdash

with the heading of the Republicof the Philippinesmdashfrom the officeof the civil registrar even in the caseof a secret marriage albeit only forfiling in the secret archives of thediocese Not only is this a breach ofthe principle of distinction of Churchand State it might even be proof ofthe celebration of the secret marriageitself outside of Civil Law A betterpractice would be to make a Mar-riage Contract form specifically for

the Canonical Marriage only

Declaration of Nullity of a Canoni-cal Marriage

o conclude given the separa-tion of Canonical Law and CivilLaw the declaration of nullity of acanonical marriage does not auto-matically establish the nullity of thecorresponding civil marriage (andvise-versa) While the celebration of acanonical marriage normally has civileffectsmdashbecause the correspondingcivil marriage is also celebrated withthe sacred minister acting as an au-

thorized solemnizing officermdashthedeclaration of nullity in one forumdoes not carry with it a correspond-ing declaration of nullity in the otherforum wo separate processes mustbe carried out

Advent Wreaths and Incensing(Father Edward McNamara pro-

fessor of liturgy and dean of theologyat the Regina Apostolorum universityanswers the following query)

Q When incensing the altar atthe beginning of Mass should the

Advent wreath also be incensed inthe same way as the paschal candleduring the Easter season Whatabout a Nativity scene (during theChristmas season) -- D LeuvenBelgium

A Te rules regarding incensingare mostly found in the missal andthe Ceremonial of Bishops heintroduction to the missal says

ldquoIncensationldquo276 Turification or incensa-

tion is an expression of reverenceand of prayer as is signified in Sa-cred Scripture (cf Ps 140 [141]2Rev 83)

ldquoIncense may be used if desiredin any form of Mass

ldquoa during the Entrance proces-

sion

ldquob at the beginning of Mass to in-cense the cross and the altar

ldquoc at the Gospel procession and theproclamation of the Gospel itself

ldquod after the bread and the chalicehave been placed upon the altar toincense the offerings the cross and the

altar as well as the priest and the peopleldquoe at the showing of the host and the

chalice after the consecrationldquo277 Te priest having put incense

into the thurible blesses it with the Signof the Cross without saying anything

ldquoBefore and after an incensation aprofound bow is made to the person orobject that is incensed except for theincensation of the altar and the offeringsfor the Sacrifice of the Mass

ldquohe following are incensed withthree swings of the thurible the MostBlessed Sacrament a relic of the HolyCross and images of the Lord exposedfor public veneration the offerings forthe Sacrifice of the Mass the altar crossthe Book of the Gospels the PaschalCandle the priest and the people

ldquoTe following are incensed with two

swings of the thurible relics and imagesof the Saints exposed for public venera-tion which should be done howeveronly at the beginning of the celebrationafter the incensation of the altar

ldquohe altar is incensed with singleswings of the thurible in this way

ldquoa if the altar is freestanding withrespect to the wall the priest incenses

walking around itldquob if the altar is not freestanding the

priest incenses it while walking first tothe right hand side then to the left

ldquoTe cross if situated on or near thealtar is incensed by the priest before heincenses the altar otherwise he incensesit when he passes in front of it

ldquohe priest incenses the offerings with three swings of the thurible or bymaking the sign of the cross over theofferings with the thurible before goingon to incense the cross and the altarrdquo

Although there is a rite of blessingfor the Advent wreath in the AmericanBook of Blessings there is no mentionof incensing the wreath Tis blessing is

proper to the United States and is absent

from the official Book of Blessings incountries such as Italy

It must therefore be concluded thatthe Advent wreath is not incensed inthe manner of the paschal candle It isneither a relic nor an image and is morean expression of popular piety than a

liturgical object per seTe paschal candle receives special

veneration because it is a traditional andancient symbol of the risen Christ Onecould argue that in a way the wreath isa symbol of the coming Christ but we

would still be before a relatively recentcustom and one which is not presentin the universal Church Its not beingincensed does not lessen in any way theusefulness of the wreath in fostering aspiritual preparation for Christmas

A Nativity scene or at least an imageof the Child Jesus set up in the sanc-tuary could enter into the category ofldquoimages of the Saints exposed for publicvenerationrdquo mentioned above in No277 and hence be incensed

It should be remembered however

that several Church guidelines advise

against setting up the Nativity inthe sanctuary itself and above all itshould never be an obstacle to thedignified celebration of the liturgi-cal celebrations For example theUS bishopsrsquo conference says in thedocument ldquoBuilt of Living Stonesrdquo

ldquosect 124 sect Plans for seasonal deco-rations should include other areasbesides the sanctuary Decorationsare intended to draw people to thetrue nature of the mystery beingcelebrated rather than being endsin themselves Natural flowersplants wreaths and fabric hangingsand other seasonal objects can bearranged to enhance the primaryliturgical points of focus Te altarshould remain clear and free-stand-ing not walled in by massive floraldisplays or the Christmas crib andpathways in the narthex nave andsanctuary should remain clearrdquo

If as is common in many church-es the Nativity scene is outside thesanctuary area there is no need to

leave the sanctuary to incense it

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 1124

B3CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25 FEATURES

Three Macro-Challenges for the Church in the lsquoYear of MercyrsquoBy Abp Antonio J Ledesma SJ

HE last two months of this year 2015 havebrought to the fore three macro-challenges forCivil Society and the Church in the Philippinestoday Tey are challenges on a macro scalebecause no single organization nor group ofindividuals can adequately address the various

issues that are emerging Tey are also macrobecause these issues affect millions of peopleor in some cases the entire world Indeed theneed for consensus-building on a national orglobal level has been felt Tis should be basedon ethical-moral principles and shared valuesthat go beyond cultural religious and socio-economic barriers In particular the CatholicChurch plays a significant role in Philippinesociety in addressing these macro issues

I Climate ChangeOn a global scale Climate Change will

be the pressing issue at the 21st Conferenceof Partners (COP 21) on the environmentPope Francisrsquo recent encyclical Laudato Si

has opened wide the doors for scientists andreligious leaders to enter into serious dialogueover issues such as global warming and thesearch for alternative sources of energy Insteadof viewing the environment or nature simplyas an object to be exploited Pope Francis pres-ents the Christian vision of Godrsquos handiworkldquoCreation can only be understood as a gift from

the outstretched hand of the Father of all andas a reality illuminated by the love which callsus together into universal communionrdquo (LS76) He also points out the intimate connectionbetween the ecological approach and the socialapproach ldquoso as to hear both the cry of the earth

and the cry of the poorrdquo (LS 49)Here in Cagayan de Oro we have joined

other dioceses in a Global Climate SolidarityMarch for the Environment On Nov 28advocates for protecting the environmentconverged at the Divisoria from four starting-points to join the voices of the world-wideCatholic Climate Movement at the startof COP 21 in Paris Te archdiocese alsocontinues its participation in the Cagayande Oro River Basin Management Council(CDORBMC) to protect the watershed areasand downstream communities of the Cagayande Oro river system

II Bangsamoro Basic Law A second macro challenge is the continuing

quest for a just and lasting peace in MindanaoTe draft Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) has

been altered in the committee sessions of bothhouses of Congress A version called the Basic

Law for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region(BLBAR) has come out from the Committeeof the House of Representatives Moreover thecommittee report in the Senate has providedanother set of amendments With the resur-gence of biases and prejudices after the Ma-masapano incident the final outcome for thepassage of the various drafts of the BangsamoroBasic Law is not clear

Seen from a wider perspective the letterof the Catholic Bishopsrsquo Conference of thePhilippines (CBCP) in July 2015 stated ldquoOnour part viewing the issues from a moral angle

we do not want a BBL that does not effectivelyaddress the root causes of social injusticerdquo Tisechoes the view of the surviving members ofthe Constitutional Convention of 1987 thatthe Constitution focuses primarily on the spiritof Social Justice Te Citizensrsquo Peace Councilnoted that the BBL is ldquoan act of Social Justiceand Reparation to the peoples of MuslimMindanao to rectify all the injustices inflictedupon them in the pastrdquo

Over the past three months I have helpedconvene consultations among religious and

civil society leaders in Cagayan de Oro andManila to discuss the BBL issue With someclarifications practically everyone saw the needfor a meaningful basic law for a sustainablepeace in Mindanao On Nov 26 in Cagayande Oro we started the Mindanao Week ofPeace with a multi-sectoral march rally Tis

was organized by the Inter-faith Forum for

Peace Harmony and Solidarity Te theme was ldquoMindanaoansrsquo Aspirations for PeaceKalinaw sa Dios ndash Kinaiyahan ndash KatawhanrdquoRegardless of the outcome of the BBLBLBARissue in Congress all of us should continue toengage in intra- and inter-religious dialogue

Our biases and preconceived notions of othercultures and religions are the main obstaclesto lasting peace in Mindanao and the rest ofthe country

III Good Governance A third macro-challenge in the Philippines

context is the coming elections in May 2016 Already the campaign period has started andvarious political personalities and parties havefiled their candidacies Good governancemdash

with its antithesis corruptionmdashis once morea critical factor to consider for every voter In

January 2010 before the last presidential elec-tions the CBCP made three calls to voters(1) o form circles of discernment (2) For thelaity to exercise their right and duty to supportcandidates who are qualified and committed to

public service and (3) o engage in principledpartisan politics Voting for candidates with a

track record of good governance is the mosteffective way of stamping out a culture ofcorruption In an address to the International

Assembly of Penal Law Pope Francis pointsout emphatically ldquoCorruption is a process ofdeath more evil than sin ndash an evil that insteadof being forgiven must be curedrdquo

On Nov 7 the archdiocese sponsored aMarch rally for CHAMPmdashClean Honest

Accurate Meaningful and Peaceful electionsTis was well attended by various sectorsTere were calls against votemdashbuying po-litical dynasties and the conduct of patronagepolitics Te city itself has had its share ofdivisive party politics in the non-disbursementof the budget for vital basic services and morerecently in the controversy over the post ofCity Mayor

Despite these internal conflicts amongelected officials it is good to keep in mind PopeFrancisrsquo own exhortation ldquoPolitics thoughoften denigrated remains a lofty vocation andone of the highest forms of charity inasmuchas it seeks the common goodrdquo (EG 205)

IV A Year of Mercy Despite the Holy Fatherrsquos blunt words on theevil of corruption he has called for an Extraor-dinary Jubilee of Mercy starting on December8 2015 ldquoJesus Christ is the face of the Fatherrsquosmercyrdquo Tis opening statement provides thetitle of Pope Francisrsquo Bull of Indiction Miseri-cordiae Vultus He goes on to say that Mercy

is ldquothe bridge that connects God and manrdquo Itis also ldquothe fundamental law that dwells in theheart of every person who looks sincerely intothe eyes of his brothers and sisters on the pathof liferdquo (MV 2)

On Nov 3-5 our Archdiocesan Pastoral

Assembly brought together more than 450delegates from 64 parishes Tis was the cul-mination of the Appreciative Inquiry processthat was carried out in most parishes down tothe kapilya community level over the past sixmonths

What was most noteworthy was the prepon-derance of lifemdashgiving pastoral experiences interms of prayerfulness and also of service toothers Tese two characteristics and sharedvalues can just as well point the directions wecan take during this jubilee year of mercy

Tis perhaps is the perspective we can adoptin confronting the macro-challenges beforeusmdashto first bend our knees in prayer and to bemerciful like the Father especially for the poorand marginalized in addressing socio-economicand political issues to work for ecological andsocial justice and to bring about Godrsquos mercy

by rectifying deeplyndashrooted biases and injusticesin Philippine society today

A r c h d i o c e s e o f C a g a y a n d e O r o

Pinoy in RomeCountdown to the

Jubilee Yearof Mercy

By Robert Z Cortes

HE Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy announced by PopeFrancis around Holy Week this year is finally starting onDecember 8 the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception

just a couple of days from now Tat this special event in theChurchrsquos history begins on that date is of course no accidentTis Popersquos devotion to Mary shown publicly every timehe passes by St Mary Major before any major trip abroadshould have made that choice almost predictable Howeveraside from human choices one ought to consider above allthe guidance of Providence whose will it is that the most

important events in the Church happen under the mantle ofMary Mother of the Church and Mother of MercySo the idea

to p repareproximatelyfor the Jubilee

Year of Mercyby making anovena to theImmaculateConceptionmade a lot ofsense to me

And being inRome thecity that argu-ably no placein the worldcan match

in terms ofthe qualityand quantityof sacred artp r e s e n t Itook advan-tage to do thefollowing Fornine daysmdashi n c l u d i n gthe Solem-nity hencet h e t e r mldquonovenardquomdashI

was going tovisit an im-age of OurLady vener-ated in vari-ous churchesaround thec i t y B u t

which church-es though

Given the

multitude of beautiful and historic churches in Rome itseemed the best way to approach this project was simply tobe led by Providence Tis approach is not ldquoto be too mysti-cal about itrdquo asI learned quite recently from of all peoplea non-Catholic ethics professor in a very secular Americanuniversity whom I interviewed a couple of months ago Hisdefense is that ldquothere still is another dimension in terms ofa holistic being in which our reason and our spirit and ouremotions are an integrated wholehellip So you listen to thevoice of the spiritrdquoTis was actually good ecumenical adviceto which my experience in the following days would attest

Tese experiences culled from my journal of these novenadays are actually Church history lessons devotional tour-guiding tips and philosophizing all rolled into one I sharethem seeing that they can serve some purpose however onemay be preparing for the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy

Our Lady of the Sacred Hear in SantrsquoAndreadella Valle Yesterday November 30 was the beginning of the novenato the Immaculate Conception It also happened to be thefeast of St Andrew Now at the other end of the street wheremy university is happens to be a huge looming basilicadedicated to Saint Andrew with the name ldquoSantrsquoAndreadellaValle rdquo People with very limited time in Rome usually donrsquothave time to visit this magnificent church but really nexttime you come you should Tis church was actually builtby the very same people involved in the building of St Peterrsquosand used this as their ldquopracticerdquo church people like Giacomodella Porta and Carlo Maderno Te fountain in the squarefronting the church is Madernorsquos

Te paintings and the frescoes inside are even more breath-taking Te dome and the ceiling are one of the best thereis in Rome - and perhaps in Christendom Since it was thefeast of St Andrew precisely I decided to do my prayer rightthere before the huge fresco of the crucifixion of St AndrewI did my rosary in one of the side chapels dedicated to Our

Countdown B6

What was behind

that inconspicuous

door Actually a

small but amazinglybeautiful jewel of

a church

A recent rally against climate change and environmental degradation

The Sant Agnese view from the South Plazza Navona

Sant Agnesersquo double Holy Family

An Interfaith Walk for Peace held on Nov 26 2015

R o b e r t Z C

o r t e s

R o b e r t Z C

o r t e s

A

r c h d i o c e s e o f C a g a y a n d e O r o

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 1224

B4 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

By S M Evangeline A Madayag OSB

HE urgency of protecting ldquo OurCommon Homerdquo is much given em-phasis by our Holy Father Pope Fran-cis Much heat drought and differencein the weather and climate is muchfelt Many kinds of sicknesses are alsoattacking especially the poor who lacknourishment due to having no foodsecurity One can really feel the differ-ence of being in a polluted city fromthe simple rural setting where there arestill enough trees providing clean airTe other week I and my communityof Sisters together with two visitingSisters were able to enjoy the beautifulbeach of San Isidro Davao OrientalI salute Mayor ina Yu and all the of-ficers of the Municipality of San Isidrofor really defending their stand for a

ldquoNo o Mining in San IsidrordquoI wish that would also be true for the

whole province of Davao Oriental It issad that some barangays and munici-palities who make resolutions to allowmining only consider themselves as theonly ones with rights to allow miningobviously setting aside the possibleharms effect on the people and theenvironment especially to the nextgeneration We have experienced the

effect of the haze brought about theforest fire of Indonesia a true evidencethat we are all affected all around the

world of what happens in a certain partof the world As Joey Ayala reminds usin his song ldquo Ang Lahat ng Bagay ayMagka-ugnayrdquo

Just last year (July 1 2014) SenatorLoren Legarda visited our province (Davao Oriental) and congratulated theprovince for its stand on the protec-tion of our natural resources especiallyciting Mt Hamiguitan a UNESCO

World Heritage site What a heri tage what a treasure

Yet what is real ly happeni ng inDavao Oriental Even our priests inthe Diocese of Mati are alarmed onthe ldquo proliferation of alleged mining

activities in the province of Davao

Oriental particularly in the followingareas (1) Brgy Old Macopa Manay(2) Brgy iblawan Governor Gen-eroso (3) Barangay Causwagan andMaputi Banaybanay (4) BarangayDapnan and Lambajon Bagangga (5)Barangay Calapagan Lupon (excerptsfrom the letter of Rev Fr Edito SBantildeo DCM Apostolic Adminstratorof Mati to the DENR National OfficeSeptember 10 2015 He made anotherletter to the DENR on October 222015 to includeMacambol ( Magumand Salingcomot) as a concern

With much prayers for awakenings

re-awakenings and miracles to hap-pen we make this petition

A PEIION FOR HE SOP-PAGE AND REJECION OF HEIMPENDING ISSUANCE OF MIN-ING PERMI FOR AUSRAL-ASIALINK MINING CORPORAION

AND HALLMARK MINING COR-PORAION BOH UNDER HECORPORAE ORGANIZAIONOF ASIAICUS MANAGEMENCORPORAION (AMCOR) AMAGUM PUJADA BAY AND SAL-INGCOMO MAI CIY PROV-

INCE OF DAVAO ORIENAL

We the farmers fisherfolks Churchpeople youth professionals businesspeople of Davao Oriental Provincetogether with our national and inter-national supporters hereby urge MrRamon JP Paje DENR SecretaryNO O ISSUE ANY MININGPERMI to AUSRAL-ASIA LINKMINING CORPORAION ANDHALLMARK MINING CORPORA-ION both under the CORPORAEORGANIZAION OF ASIAICUSMANAGEMEN CORPORAION(AMCOR) for its mining operation in

Magum Pujada Bay and Salingcomot

Mati City Province of Davao Oriental We also demand that their mining

equipments be pulled out from themining site Macambol ldquoLodgedbetween two protected areasmdashthePujada Bay Protected Seascape (andLandscape) and Mt HamiguitanRange proclaimed wildlife sanctu-ary (Republic Act No 9303 July 302004)rdquo and as a UNESCO WorldHeritage Site at the 38th Session ofthe World Heritage Committee ( June15-24 2014 Doha State of Qatar) is not the most logical site for large-scale nickel laterite mining project (October 212009 in Environment Food Security Sensitive EcosystemsTe Philippines)

Ac co rd in g to th e st ud y pu b-lished by httpbhpbillitonwatchnet20091021pujada-hallmark-nickel-laterite-project-profile ldquo some4778 hectares of mining permitsoverlap with five major drainagesystems and watersheds which eitherdrain towards Pujada Bay or the DavaoGulf Tese bodies of freshwater arethe main water supplies for the com-munities living within and around thearea and the bays host endangeredspecies such as dugongs (sea cows)sea turtles and stingrays Te forestof Macambol is a watershed area

Additi ona lly the Puja da reg ion issituated on the ldquoPacificndashCordillerardquofault line wo branches of the activePhilippine fault flank the watershedon the southwest and southeast of theproject area which has been subjectto intense seismic activities Te 2008report ldquoPhilippines Mining or Foodrdquorecommended that no mining shouldtake place on Mount Hamiguitan ornear Pujada Bay which are centres ofbiodiversity with high ecotourismpotential Under these conditions itmay be almost impossible to minethe area ldquo (httpbhpbillitonwatchnet20091021pujada-hallmark-nickel-laterite-project-profile)

In his ENCYCLICAL LEERLAUDAO SIrsquo Our Holy Father

all processes addressing climateand disaster risks especially afterthe province experienced the

wrath of yphoon Yolanda lastNovember 8 2013

He also mentioned how theimpact of climate change cutsacross all sectors regardless of gen-der culture economic or politicalstature with the poor sufferingthe greatest impact

ldquoTerefore a plan of actionto address climate and disasterrisks must be undertaken using

PASTORAL CONCERNS

Home B7

IN solidarity with the on-goingClimate Conference in Paris the

Archdiocese of Palo Relief andRehabilitation Unit (Caritas Palo)together with at least 200 lsquoYolan-darsquo survivors signed a Declarationsupporting Climate Change andCommunity-Managed DisasterRisk Reduction in Palo Leyteon uesday

In a statement Caritas PaloDirector Fr Al Cris Badana citedhow important it is for membersof the communities to be part of

community-managed disasterrisk reduction (CMDRR) as thestrategyrdquo Badana added

Also present during the commit-ment signing are representativesfrom various church groups andgovernment agencies such as theProvincial Government of LeyteDepartment of Social Welfare andDevelopment Department ofInterior and Local GovernmentProvincial Disaster Risk Reductionand Management Office and theOffice of the Civil Defense

Aside from the declaration sign-ing the lsquoYolandarsquo survivors from15 communities in the townsof Palo Santa Fe AlangalangMayorga Dulag and MacArthureach gave a presentation of howtheir communities are presentlyengaged in community-manageddisaster risk reduction (CMDRR)measures and systems

Tere was also a mini exhibitof the organic products producedby lsquoYolandarsquo survivors to show itssupport for sustainable agricul-

ture which is part of the climatechange action

After the devastation of y-phoon Yolanda the RomanCatholic Church of the Archdio-cese of Palo through Caritas Paloand NASSACaritas Philippineshelped Yolanda-affected commu-nities in Leyte to craft their ownresiliency and contingency plans

which were already adopted bytheir barangays As of today Cari-tas Palo has invested P150 millionto build resilient communities

Te said communities also in-stalled early warning systems andevacuation plans which resultedin zero casualties and minimaldamages during the onslaughtof yphoon Ruby the strongesttyphoon in 2014

It can be recalled that the re-cent encyclical of Pope FrancisLaudato Si highlighted the ad-

verse impacts of climate changeon the poor and most vulnerableand the scale of the climate crisis(NASSA Features)

Protecting Our Common Home

Church lsquoYolandarsquo survivors in Leyte signClimate Change Declaration

N A S S A C a r i t a s P h i l i p p i n e s

C B C P N e w s

N A S S A C a r i t a s P h i l i p p i n e s

N A

S S A C a r i t a s P h i l i p p i n e s

lsquoYolandarsquo survivors together with representatives from the Archdiocese of Palo Relief and Rehabilitation Unit (Caritas Palo) signedthe Caritas Declaration on Climate Change in solidarity with the on-going Paris Climate Talks

The Archdiocese of Palo Relief and Rehabilitation Unit (Caritas Palo) displayed the organic products produced bylsquoYolandarsquo survivorsin Leyte which is part of its climate change action

Members of the New Dampigan Womenrsquos Association happily beam and show off the eggs they harvested

Women in actionONE women to explore their otherpotentials

Tis is the story of the women in thetown of New Dampigan in Samar prov-ince who found a new hobby a passionand source of livelihood all at the sametime hey are the New Dampigan

Womenrsquos Association who are engagedin poultry raising

It all started when the DiocesanSocial Action Center of Calbayog gavethe group a total of 500 ducks as partof its livelihood program for yphoonHaiyan survivors

Te group is composed of 21 mem-bers all of them women Tey raiseducks and sell its eggs salted and freshalike to the nearby towns of Sta Ritaand Basey o produce salted eggs they

preserve it for 15 to 18 daysBut it wasnrsquot all easy going especially

at first When another yphoon Hagu-pit locally known as Ruby hit the townlast December some of their ducks diedfrom the storm Tey almost lose hopeBut luckily they did not Instead the

women sticked together and took careof the remaining ducks

Now the women are the more thanhappy and contented of the productof their pure hardwork and ingenuitySeveral weeks after the onslaught ofHagupit the women are once againback in track

Currently they are harvesting 700 upto 1000 eggs every week Tey are alsofocused on marketing their products tonearby towns which they do throughthe support and trainings providedby the social action center Yes they

are truly women in action (NASSAFeatures)

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B5CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

life and refreshment from her waterrdquo (Laudato Si2)

Since climate is a commongood it is but right to be involved

in the discussion of climatechange especially that it is nowdestructive not only to proper-ties to but also to lives Accord-ingly the world is on the brink ofbecoming an arid wasteland dueto lsquounchecked human activitiesrsquo

We are living witnesses of thedestruction brought about by

weather changes and the effectsto health by carbon emissionshe calamities that claimedthousands of lives these pastyears and months are enoughproof to awaken in us a commit-ment to safeguard creation andhelp mitigate their effects

Pope Francis seeing the ur-gency of action in dealing with

environmental crisis points outthe use of highly polluting fossil

STATEMENTS

Statement on Coal Mining and Coal Power Plant

Final Statement of the 6th Bishopsrsquo Institute forInterreligious Affairs

Mayor Duterte

Asian celebration of the 50 th anniversary of Nostra Aetate

FABC Office of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs

Redemptorist Center Pattaya Thailand

November 16-20 2015

WE the one hundred sixty-six(166) delegates of the 40thDOPIM Bishops-Clergy Con-vention unanimously expressour serious concern on theoperation of coal mining andcoal power plant that triggersapprehension among our peopleand poses environment threat inthe provinces where such facilityis being established

With faith in the Lord of Cre-ation we want to heed the callof Pope Francis in his encyclicalLaudato Si that urges us all tocare for the earth as our commonhome Citing St Francis of As-sisi the Holy Father persuadesus to treat our common homelike our sister

However knowing the realityof our destructive attitude andactivities towards her the Pope

writes that ldquoTe6 sister now criesout to us because of the harm

we have inflicted on her by ourirresponsible use and abuse ofthe goods with which God hasendowed her We have come toseeeuro ourselves as her lords andmasters entitled to plunder herat will Te violence present inour hearts wounded by sin isalso reflected in the symptomsof sickness evident in the soilin the water in the air and inall forms of life his is whythe earth herself burdened andlaid waste is among the mostabandoned and maltreated ofour poor she lsquogroans in travailrsquo(Rom 822) We have forgottenthat we ourselves are dust of theearth (cf Gen 27) our very bod-

ies are made up of her elements we breathe her air and we receive

fuels ndash especially coal to be pro-gressively replaced without delay(Cf Laudato Si 165) We can-not simply sit idly while seeing

the unfolding of horrific eventsresulted by so called technologi-cal progress at the expense of na-ture Instead we recommend theuse of renewable energy whichis of course not harmful to theenvironment and to humans

As Bishops of the Diocesesof Dipolog Ozamis PagadianIligan and Marawi (DOPIM)

which comprise the civil prov-inces of Zamboanga del NorteMisamis Occidental Zamboan-ga del Sur Lanao del Norte andLanao del Sur we completelyoppose the operation of coalmining and coal power plantsmost especially within the afore-mentioned provinces We do this

not only because of our humanresponsibility but as a call intrin-

sic to our Christian faith We he re by ur ge al l co n-

cernedmdashboth the coal industryand the governmentmdashin thename of our Lord Jesus Christ tohave the same concern We alsocall the faithful and all people ofgood will be vigilant at all timesand in all places because ourcommon home is in danger ofdevastation We will not allowourselves to arrive at the pointof no return

May God hear us and come todefend the beautiful creation Hehas entrusted to us May Marythe Queen of all creation coverus with her mantle of maternalcare

Formulated during the 40thDOPIM Bihops-Clergy Con-vention on November 11 2015at the Diocesan Pastoral CenterDel Carmen Iligan City

Most Rev Severo C CaermareDDBishop of Dipolog

Most Rev Elenito R GalidoDDBishop of Iligan

Most Rev Emmanuel CabajarCSsR DDBishop of Pagadian

Most Rev Edwin A dela PentildeaMSP DDBishop-Prelate of Marawi

Most Rev Jesus A DosadoCM DD

Metropolitan Archbishop ofOzamiz

WHA the world desperately needs now is leadership byexample We have so many leaders in office and many moreaspiring to sit in office but are they examples of good citizen-ship If the leaders we choose are to be leaders for nationalprogress they must be visionaries AND exemplary

Corruption is indeed a great scourge of Philippine politics

Te usual face of corruption that we recognize easily is stealingfrom public funds Corruption like a monster is a devil withmany faces Killing people is corruption Killing is a crime anda sin whether it is done by criminals or public officials no mat-ter what the intention Adultery is corruption It makes marriedlove cheap and uses people for pleasure Adultery corrupts thefamily it destroys children and victimizes the weak Vulgarity iscorruption When we find vulgarity funny we have really becomebeastly and barbaric as a people When a revered and loved andadmired man like Pope Francis is cursed by a political candidateand the audience laugh I can only bow my head and grieve ingreat shame My countrymen has gone to the dregs

Is this the leadership by example that Mayor Duterte excitesin us Is this the leadership by example that makes a publicofficial deserving of the title ldquoHonorablerdquo

+SOCRAES VILLEGAS

Archbishop of Lingayen-DagupanCBCP PresidentDecember 1 2015

F i l e p h o t o

V i n c e n t G o

Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte

1 It is by Godrsquos grace andprovidence that we 87 par-ticipants in the Sixth BishopsrsquoInstitute for Interreligious Af-fairs (BIRA VI) from 17 dif-ferent countries have come tocelebrate the 50th anniversaryof Nostra aetate in our Asiancontext and in our time Weare grateful for the funding wereceived from Missio Aachenthat helped make this gather-ing possible

2 In this grace-filled gather-ing we have worked togetheras the Church in Asia retracing

our steps along the path of dia-logue praying reflecting andsharing our experiences andthoughts on the questions of

what we ha ve done so far and what we need to do fur ther forinterreligious dialogue in Asia

3 We recognize that Nostra Aet at e is sti ll ins pir ing andchallenging us to realize thevision of the Church as thepeople of God in dialogue inour time facing the interde-pendent reality of the com-plex and diverse influences ofglobalized socio-economic-cultural-political structures

we rea ffi rm the strong needof the ldquotriple dialoguerdquo with

the poor cultures and reli-gions in a journey towards theKingdom of justice peace andecological harmony

4 hrough our experienceof dialogue and action forthe last five decades we havelearned that interreligiousdialogue is not only to be aspecific pastoral strategy ofthe Church but rather an

Asian vis ion of the ChurchIt is a Church that proclaimsthe values of the Kingdom

without fear in dialogi cal col-laboration (partnership) withthe people of other religions

5 Struggling against anykind of fundamentalism ter-rorism and proselytism theChurch in Asia is called to

work toget her with other s asco-pilgrims In protecting thepoor and the environmentthrough our interreligious net-

work we are n ot do ing socia l work together but bui ldi ng

a mystical union of GodrsquosKingdom as inter-dependentbeings (in the harmony of ourrelationship with one anotherand with all creation)

6 he Church in Asia con-

firms that we cannot engage with other s in a real dialogue without having a clear ident ityof who we are and constantlygrowing in our own faith Inthe pluralistic contexts of Asiathe Church as a ldquolittle flockrdquois called to learn a kenotic(self-emptying) spirit of loveand service from Jesus ChristIt is through our humble andopen-minded approach thatreal trust and mutual under-standing with others can beestablished We are aware ofthe importance of grassrootsinterreligious dialogue whichusually starts from inter-per-sonal friendship and grows tocommunal action for justiceand peace

7 he Church in Asia takesseriously the challenges oftoday for all religions variousconflicts and violence massive

poverty and global inequalitythe increasing numbers ofrefugees and migrants pollu-tion and environmental crisiscorruption and moral degrada-tion human trafficking and

the breakdown of social cohe-sion terrorism and all formsof fundamentalism

8 One of the most urgentchallenges in Asia is to pro-claim Jesus Chri st as the Way

the ruth and the Life whileacknowledging and respecting

what is ldquotrue and holy in otherreligionsrdquo (Nostra AetateNo 2) As a community ofdisciples we give witness to

Jes us through our pe rs onaland communal l ifestyle oflove in three interconnected

way s sil enc e pre sence andstory-telling In an existentialsilence we empty ourselvesand listen deeply to the voicesof the other without judging

wi th a lov ing hear t In thedepth of our silence we are

aware of Jesusrsquo presence amongus which is inspiring our jour-ney of interreligious dialogueand action for transformingthe world It is by telling ourown story of transformationthrough Jesus as individualpersons and as communitiesthat the globalized culture ofindifference and greedy con-sumerism is to be transformedinto the gospel-culture of soli-darity and sharing

9 In our common journey with other s we Chri stians in Asia re cognize the importanceof basic human communitiesat the grassroots level wherethe dialogue of life and actionis going on especially together

with th e indigenous people Itis through these basic humancommunities that the Churchin Asia learns the holistic

world view and the sacred cos-mic spirituality which awakeus to take care of ldquoour com-mon homerdquo We are called togo beyond our comfort zoneand to develop a new narrativeof dialogue coming from ourcommon experience with thehope of rediscovering the har-monious relationship betweenhumanity cosmos and God forthe future generation

10 We commit ourselvesmore passionately to inter-religious dialogue in Asia indifferent ways for example

bull o develop local interreli-gious dialogue and action inthe grassroots communities

bull o organize formationprograms for interreligiousdialogue within the Catholiccommunity

bull (eg Seminaries religioushouses of formation and forthe laity)

bull o promote intra-dialoguebetween Christian churchesand within Catholic institu-tions

bull o support dialogue ac-tivities and forums (eg UNInterfaith Harmony Week)

bull o advocate i nterreligiousdialogue and action in thepublic sphere and cyberspace

bull o provide adequ ate prep-aration and pastoral care to theinterreligious family

11 After these days of re-flection and sharing of ourexperiences of and insightson interreligious dialogue inthe light of Nostra Aetateguided by the Holy Spirit

we ha ve com e to re ali ze againthe importance of opennesstowards the people of otherreligions and the indispens-able role of witness to theKingdom of God ever grow-

ing in the heart of As ianpeople hrough our sincerecommitment to dialogueldquoJesus Christ will be bet -ter known recognized andlovedrdquo (PCID Dialogue inruth and Charity No 39)

F a c e b o o k

F a c e b o o k

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B6 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

completion In this way the miracle ofthe Incarnation took place with theBlessed rinity taking the initiativeand Mary responding freely and gen-erously to the Spiritrsquos action in her

It is in response to the lead of theSpirit that Mary set out for Elizabethrsquoshouse to share with her relative theldquoGood Newsrdquo she was carrying withinher

Like mankind before Mary andChrist we too may have a bad re-cord when it comes to ldquobeing open toGodrdquo We may not be any better than

Adam and Eve or the people before theFlood (see Gn 65-6) or the builders ofthe ower of Babel (See Gn 113-4)

Tis Advent in the Year of Faith isfor all of us an opportunity to evalu-ate our standing in this respect and totake appropriate action If we decideto imitate Mary and Elizabeth in theiropenness to the Spirit we may be sure

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

HE times of John the Baptist were bad characterized as they were by selfishness greed prideaggressiveness oppression of the

weak Tis can be gatheredfrom the answers he gave tothose who had been struck byhis preaching and asked ldquoWhatought we to dordquo Johnrsquos strongly

worded call to conversion was

amply justified All needed toundergo a ldquometanoiardquo a changeof mind and attitude in order toenter the Reign of God

Te situation does not seemto have changed much since thetime of John the Baptist We livein a society plagued with the samemoral defects and vices People arestill greedy selfish aggressive

And of course the temptation isalways to see these moral failuresin others

In many cases it may be truethat there is so much evil aroundus But it is equally true that wetoo are not perfect here isevil in us too We fail morallyalmost every day and in various

ways We too need to undergoa ldquometanoiardquo a radical conver-sion ldquoRadicalrdquo here means that it

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

WE all experience the dif-ference that physical dark-ness or light produces inus Darkness makes us feeluneasy even anxious andafraid Light gives us a senseof security It enables us torealize where we are and

what to do

his is why the Bibli-cal creation story tells usthat ldquoIn the beginningrdquo (ie when nothing existedexcept God) ldquodarkness cov-ered the abyssrdquo Ten Godsaid ldquoLet there be lightrdquo And there was light Godsaw how good the lightwas rdquo (Gn 14a) Tepresence of light enabledGod to proceed with the

work of creation with allits wonders and poten-tials and thereby conquerthe darkness of chaos andmeaninglessness

should not stop at the individualactions but has to affect our at-titudes and set of values ie thevery root of our actions Tereshouldnrsquot be the least doubt so-ciety will start changing for thebetter the very moment we beginto improve

Advent and the special obser-vances for this year (Extraordinary

Jubilee Year of Mercy Year of theEucharist and of the Family) areinvaluable opportunities for us

to start or resume moving in theright direction Like those whoapproached John we should ask ldquoWhat are we to dordquo Te answersmay be as many as there are personalmoral situations but a ldquocommondenominatorrdquo easily applies to allOur fundamental attitude has gotto be one of openness availabilityand goodwill

Te first requirement is ldquoopen-ness to Godrdquo in grateful love andexpectation in prayer of ldquopetitionand thanksgivingrdquo (see Phil 46)mdashfor the Lord is coming to dwell inour midst and to be our ldquomightySaviorrdquo (See First Reading v 17)

Te second basic requirementis ldquoopenness to peoplerdquo hismeans readiness to share ourgoods generously with the lessfortunate (see Lk 311) to be fair

But aside from physical lightand darkness there are otherforms of these two oppositerealities in the intellectualemotional moral and spiri-tual domains In the JudeanChristian revelation light isassociated and even identifiedwith God while darkness is as-sociated and identified with sinand evil St John the Evangelistproclaims ldquoGOD IS LIGHrdquo(1 Jn 15) Consequently a lifelived without God is darknessmdashthe darkness of sin and hell (See

John 319-21) No wonder thenthat the Incarnation of GodrsquosSon is compared to the comingof light to earth (See Jn 15 and1246)

And this is precisely what wecommemorate and celebrate atChristmas the coming of thelight of Godrsquos holiness andgoodness to fight and defeatthe darkness of evil in all itsforms

In the extraordinary andunique event of the Incarna-

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

MANKIND has had a bad record fromthe very beginning of its historymdashthecriminal record of shutting God outof its plans and life Such an attitudehad few exceptions in Abram Mosesthe prophets And even those ex-ceptions were not always 100 clearIt was only with Mary that a differentattitude started to prevail an attitudeof total openness to the action of Godin onersquos life and of full availability tocooperate with Him in the actualiza-tion of His plan

Mary was the most open of all tothe inspirations and promptings ofthe Holy Spirit Like a very sensitiveharp she let the Spirit produce in herand through her the wonderful melodyof manrsquos salvation which only thedivine love can initiate and bring to

REFLECTIONS

P u b l i c d

o m a i n

C B C P N e w s

Christmas the triumph of light

The ldquoNEW JERUSALEMrdquo isthe perfect realization of Godrsquos

plan and the fulfillment of our

deepest aspirations

4th Sunday of Advent (C) Luke 139-45

December 20 2015

Solemnity of Christmas (C) John 11-18

December 25 2015

3rd Sunday of Advent (C) Luke 310-18

ldquoRejoice Sundayrdquo December 13 2015

Our advent priorities

Countdown B3

that He will work wonders also in usno matter how insignificant and weak

we may consider ourselves (See Mi51)

We need the impulse of the HolySpirit and His empowering supportto get out of ourselves to show aninterest in others and share with themthe blessings we have received from theLord including our joy (See attitudeof Mary Lk 146-49)

We need to be open to the Spiritin imitation of Mary in order tohave Christ formed in us or betterin order to be molded unto him If

we cult ivat e such an openn ess andavailability we shall ever more becomeChrist-like in our thoughts aspira-tions attitudes and actions Andthus we shall be totally committedto do our share in carrying out theFatherrsquos plan of saving love as Christdid (See Heb 105-7)

Open to the spirit in imitation of Mary

Lady of the Sacred Heart Andby the time I left the church

which is just a five-minute walkfrom my house what else couldI say but thank You Really thereis nothing much else one can say

Our Lady and Child in SanSalvatore in Onda

Funny what one sees whenone changes perspectives Goinghome from jogging one day Idecided to pass by the right (in-stead of the left) side of Via deiPettinari (Combmakersrsquo Street)I happened to look up by chanceand I saw this charming image of

Our Lady I had never seen be-fore even if Irsquod already passed by

here more than ten times Ten when I looked down I likewisenoticed what should have beenan inconspicuous door Now Isaw there was a paper posted onit hinting that inside was actuallya church called San Salvatore inOnda and the place where SaintVincent Pallottirsquos remains arevenerated I took mental noteof the opening schedule andresolved I would do the secondday of my novena there

What was beh ind that in-conspicuous door Actually asmall but amazingly beautiful

jewel of a church First behind

the green door commonly seenalong the street was another set

of wider doors made of beauti-ful strong old wood It had ahuge tarp proudly claiming thatSt John Paul II had visited thischurch For such a small churchI thought it would be surprisingany pope would do that

But of course if one knew JP IIand St Vincent Pallotti and whatthey each stood for one wouldunderstand For JP II loved topromote the apostolate amonglay people and St Vincent inhis own 19th century religious

way was one of the promotersof the lay apostolate at the time

when it was so much lacking

He founded the ldquoPious Unionof Catholic Apostolaterdquo Tatrsquos a

union of priests religious and la-itymdashbut the ldquoPallotinesrdquo as theyare called really just consists ofthe religious brothers and priestsand the laity are well theyrsquorethere But that was certainly ahuge start

Te church is now their homebase but it wasnrsquot so at first Builtnear the end of the 11th andbeginning of the 12th centuryit was given to the Franciscansfrom which two popes camefrom Knowing this historic-ity of the church and that StVincentrsquos body is now underthe altar one then understands

this church deserved the Popersquosvisit But to add to these therersquos

to everybody and be absolutelyhonest with all (See Lk 313-14)

All this is love of neighbor in itsmost elementary form and noone can claim to be exempted orto have done enough

o this we have to add thepursuit of all those ldquonatural valuesand virtuesrdquo that Paul lists in theSecond Reading (See Phil 48)Only on these conditions shall

we be able to ldquobe glad and exult with all our heartsrdquo (Zep 314) and

begin to enjoy ldquoGodrsquos own peace which is beyond all understand-ingrdquo (Phil 47)

If on the contrary we refuseto heed Johnrsquos (Godrsquos) call toconversion this Advent will bea series of ldquomissed opportuni-tiesrdquo Tere may still be laughterbut very little joy We may giveand receive plenty of gifts but

without experiencing the bliss ofreal generosity In other words wemay be like one of the decorationshanging on Christmas trees glit-tering and colorful outside butempty and ugly inside

It need not be so It should nothis Advent we have a chanceto really change for the betterstarting from ldquowithinrdquo And it isup to us to make the most of thisopportunity

tion the divine light becomesa human beingmdashJESUS OFNAZAREH His coming is not a lightning in the night thatsoon vanishes in the persistentdarkness of the sky Rather it isan enduring event mdashthe fulfill-ment of a well thought-out plandestined to last till the end oftime and beyond

Te Incarnation is an eventthat is not confined to the placeand time where it took placebut a permanent reality thatconcerns and affects the entireuniverse as well as the life ofeach human being Tis is sobecause the life and mission ofthe God-Man born in Bethle-

hem is to bring the light of loveand grace into the history ofmankind into the life of everyhuman person

his is why we believe andproclaim that Christmasmdashthecoming and dwelling of Godrsquoslight on earth ndash makes all the dif-ference Te world will never bethe same as before the ldquoChrist-

mas eventrdquo simply because Godldquopitched His tentrdquo among us More still He became one of us

He did so in order to enableeach individual and mankindas a whole to fight and over-come the many forms of dark-ness that oppress frighten andenslave usmdashthe darkness of

hopelessness meaninglessnessfear hatred oppression but es-pecially the darkness of sin andof whatever leads to the endlessdarkness of being separated fromGod forever

Nowadays the all-pervadingcacophony of commercialismand materialism tend to dis-robe Christmas of its sacred-ness and saving dimensionand to confine it to the realm

of a myth lost in the vaguenessof a distant past Against suchbackground it is essential thatwe Christian believers ap-preciate the importance ofthe historical event of theIncarnation and its relevanceto our life today

Christmas as the joyful com-memoration of the Incarnationof Godrsquos Son is an invitationto ACCEP Jesus Christ intoour existence as the light of the

world the light of our life It isalso an invitation to REJOICEin the light that radiates from

Jesusrsquo presence teaching and

example It is a commitmentto LIVE as children of thelight and thereby eliminatein ourselves and around usthe darkness of sin and evilin all their forms Christmasis an invitation and a chal-lenge to SPREAD the light ofGodrsquos love through our wordsand deeds

In this perspective theHoly Fatherrsquos call to be ac-

tively involved in the workof a NEW EVANGELIZA-ION becomes absolutely vital and releva nt to thisseason of light and joy Itis the first step toward anever-greater involvement inthe wonderful enterprise ofbuilding Godrsquos luminousKingdom of peace love andhope that can usher in theldquonew heavens and the newearthrdquo the ldquoNEW JERU-SALEMrdquo that is the perfectrealization of Godrsquos plan andthe fulfillment of our deepestaspirations

also the sheer beauty of medievaland renaissance art that one seeson the ceiling and the simplebaldachin under which Mass

was held when I was there Teimage of Our Lady and Child byCesare Mariani in the main altaris also arresting

Te church has the appellationldquoin Onda rdquo which means ldquoin the

waverdquo most probably becauseof the frequent flooding of theiber Irsquove seen some of thesesigns on marble stone aroundseveral parts in Rome indicat-ing where the river was at this orthat point and therersquos only one

thing I can say Te worst Manilafloods are as if only two inches

compared to Rome flooding inthose days Irsquom not sure if thishas any connection to one imageof Our Lady venerated there ona huge side altar ldquoVirgin mostPowerfulrdquomdashbecause one cer-tainly needed a huge power tosurvive such inundations

But last night I know I wasinundated by only one thingmdashthanksgiving for being surround-ed by such beauty and holiness

(Robert Z Cortes is a PhDstudent in Social InstitutionalCommunication at the PontificalUniversity of Santa Croce Rome

He has an MA in Ed Leadership from Columbia University)

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B7CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

tions might become ever more numeroustill they become the rule

It is in the family that the reform ofsociety begins because it is there that welearn to respect and help one another wepractice patience and justice we learn toshare and to love in an unselfish and practi-cal manner Pope Francis speaking to theFilipino families during his Pastoral Visit

in January 2015 said ldquoIn the family wecome to know God to grow into menand women of faith to see ourselves asmembers of Godrsquos greater family theChurch In the family we learn how tolove to forgive to be generous and opennot closed and selfish We learn to movebeyond our own needs to encounterothers and share our lives with them Tat is why it is so important to pray as afamily Tat is why families are so impor-tant in Godrsquos plan for the Churchrdquo

A family where God is at home is afamily at peace Such was the Holy Familyat Nazareth And the yearly celebration ofits feast is not just a well-deserved tributepaid to its three members It is also an in-vitation and encouragement to make ourfamilies today what the family of JosephMary and Jesus was in those daysmdasha ha- ven of love of God and neighbor at itsbest a home where God felt at home afamily according to Godrsquos heart

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

PRAYING together as a family seems nolonger fashionable nowadays Te reasonsare varied so many commitments con-flicts of schedule practical impossibility ofbeing together Tere are of coursehappy exceptions of parents who everyevening gather their children for somemoments of reflection on the Word ofGod reconciliation shared prayer andrecitation of the Rosary hese samepeople are usually the ones who on Sun-days attend the Eucharistic celebrationas a family From this they derive strengthharmony cohesion And at the same timethey become an inspiration to the wholeparish community It is when the familygathers together for prayer that its mem-bersmdashboth parents and childrenmdashseethemselves under the common fatherlyauthority of God

A family that renews every day itscovenant with the Lord will have notime for endless bickering jealousyunfaithfulness harsh manners on thepart of the parents or rebellion on thepart of their children

Te families that pray together are re-ally mini ldquofaith communitiesrdquo or ldquolittlechurchesrdquo One wishes that these excep-

SOCIAL CONCERNS

M a s t e r o f t h e A n t w e r p A d o r a t i o n

M a r k E u s e b i o

Feast of the Holy Family (C) Luke 241-52

December 27 2015

World Day of Peace (C)

Luke 216-21

January 1 2016

Baptism of the Lord (C) Luke 315-16 21-22 January 10 2016

Solemnity of Epiphany (C) Matthew 21-12

January 3 2016

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

HE world is torn by wars and conflicts of every kindmdashwarsamong nations factions families Afraid of the tragediesof war simple people yearn for peace Some governments andpeace-oriented organizations try to achieve peace throughnegotiations and compromise Fortunately many times theysucceed in establishing at least a ceasefire

But we all know that peace is not simply the absence offighting Peacemdashit has been written in so many waysmdashisthe fruit of justice among nations groups individuals Morethan this peace is the fruit of being in a harmonious rela-tionship not only with others but also with oneself andespecially with God Tere can be no peace where there isrejection of God

Peace is just another word for love another word forgrace It prospers only with the defeat of sin And just asall the sufferings and destructions of war are both a sign anda consequence of sin so the defeat of sin in ourselves andaround us produces that inexpressible feeling of satisfactionand harmony that no material riches can buy and no balanceof power can create

Real lasting peace is what God the source of all good-ness wants for all mankind But in order for that peaceto become a reality we have to do our share First of allwe have to pray for it Ten we have to work for it Tatmeans to make every effort to bring it about Ten the Lord

will bless our efforts by granting us that genuine peace thathas in Him its origin and support On our part we have toaccept Godrsquos blessing of peace with humble gratitude as Heoffers it to us not as an abstract concept but as a person ndashHis very own Son Jesus Christ He is our peace becauseHe is the One who reconciles all men with the Father andamong themselves the One who reconciles each of us

with ourselves In Him we are able to recognize all humanbeings as our brothers and sisters all members of the onebig family that has God as the common Father He is theOne who called the peacemakers ldquoblessedrdquo and gave peaceto His disciples as His farewell gift

Jesus the King of Peace comes to us not in a vision orlike rain from the clouds He comes from a human motherMary Most Holy the woman of peace who has been ableto open herself to the Source of all peace and has fashionedHim in that human form in which all can recognize andlove as their elder brother In this way Mary and peace arevitally and dynamically linked And she brings peace to ourtroubled hearts and lives as Godrsquos messenger as she givesus Jesus in this Christmas season

Pope Francis calls all of us

to CARE FOR OUR COM-MON HOME Tis is one ofthe most important remindersin our times to really show re-spect to God who created allTe issuance of mining permit

will allow tree cutting activi -ties in almost 10000 hectaresland area Tis will lead to thedestruction of the very fewremaining forest in the Philip-pines and in the world We

would expec t a more imba l-ance ecology extinction ofdiversified natural resourcesexample flora fauna insectsanimals (including the Philip-pine Eagle) floods sicknesses

We reiterate that we would not

like this to happen We must remember that the

Home B4

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

EPIPHANY is the manifestation of Jesusas the MessiahSavior of all men includ-ing the pagans of goodwill representedby the Magi As such it is also the mani-festation of the divine plan hidden forcenturies in God to unite all human beingsin Christ (See Eph 11-10)

Evermore mankind moves toward the for-mation of a great international communityTis is according to Godrsquos plan Its roots arein creation itself ldquoGlobalizationrdquo is the ldquoin-thingrdquo nowadays It is a ldquosign of the timesrdquo to

which we should pay attention Tough theconcern of most of its proponents seems tobe economic its basic assumption is correctwe are one world one family of nations

Whatever is incompatible wi th this ldquoone-nessrdquo should be abolished

Many oppose globalization because if we

limit it to its economic aspect and to tearingdown trade barriers almost surely it will leadto the rich becoming richer and the poorbecoming poorer But if we take this wordto mean essentially the abolition of all bar-riers that have been erected by human prideselfishness ghetto mentalities or racism andif it ushers in a greater solidarity of thestronger with the weaker and a generoussharing by the rich with the poor thenglobalization is according to Godrsquos planand all Christians should be its most en-thusiastic supporters

Epiphany has also a special messageconcerning the attitude of all religions

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

WE say tha t people make aldquoprophetic gesturerdquo when theydo something striking that is alsoa sign of greater things to comeTose gestures reveal the depthof their passion or commitmentthey are meant to shake peopleand somehow force them to makea choice either for or againstcertain vital issues

In his lifetime Jesus mademany ldquoprophetic gesturesrdquo

such as his driving the tradersout of the emple the healingof the paralytic and many othermiracles He performed All thosegestures were ldquospectacularrdquo intheir own way Tey attracted theattention of the crowds which

wondered what their ldquomeaningrdquocould be

Tere was in the life of Jesus aldquogesturerdquo which was not spectacu-lar at all and which went unno-ticed by almost everybody exceptHis cousin John His baptism inthe River Jordan Tat gesture

was absolutely ldquocommonrdquo andldquoordinaryrdquo for it was somethingthat almost everybody was doingin those days in response to the

exhortation of John the BaptistBut Jesusrsquo baptism at the Jor-

dan lost in the crowd of sinners who were seeking forgivenesshad a depth of meaning thatmade it one of his most dra-matic ldquoprophetic gesturesrdquo It

was his baptism in fact whichrevealed the essence of Jesusrsquomission and became the occa-sion for the revelation of hisconcealed divine identity

he ldquoprophetic dimensionrdquoof Jesusrsquo action was not so muchin his entering the waters of the

Jordan ashis immersing himselfin the crowd of sinners Tat was

something unthinkable and un-believable Only Godrsquos incrediblelove for every human being andall mankind could have conceivedsuch an ldquoimmersionrdquo which was socomplete and involving as to be atotal ldquoidentificationrdquo Tat wasthe reason why the eternal andall-holy Son of God had comedown from heaven and had un-dergone the fullest ldquoimmersionrdquoin the ocean of mankindrsquos miseryand in human history Jesusrsquobaptism is a clear manifestationof Godrsquos mercy toward mankindTe Word the eternal Son of theFather clad in human flesh in

Jesus of Nazareth becomes one with sinful mankind not to be its

judge but its Savior and the HolySpirit appearing in the form of a

dove a symbol of peace remindsus of Godrsquos mercy on the ldquorem-nantrdquo of mankind as the purifyingflood subsided (See Gen 810-11) Jesusrsquo baptism was a furthermanifestation of the meaning andpurpose of the Incarnation

hrough that ldquoimmersionidentificationrdquo the totally sinless Jesus became a part not onlyof the relatively small group ofsinners gathered by the banksof the Jordan but also of theimmense crowd of sinners thatis the whole of humankind And

just as his immersive in the watersof the river sanctified them so didhis presence among the crowd ofsinners bring them the possibilityof receiving purification from sin

Tat was exactly Jesusrsquo missionIsaiah the prophet had alreadyforeseen this when he announcedthat the mission of the ldquoServant ofthe Lordrdquo was to bring ldquojusticerdquo(that is holiness) to the nationsOf him the Lord God said ldquoIformed you and set you as a cov-enant of the people a light forthe nations to open the eyes ofthe blind to bring out prisonersfrom confinement and from thedungeon those who live in dark-nessrdquo (See todayrsquos First Reading)

In his life Jesus ldquoactualizedrdquosuch a liberating and sanctify-

ing ldquoimmersionrdquo by associatingwith sinners and even seekingtheir company ndash something thatshocked the ldquoholyrdquo people of histime His association with ldquopublicsinnersrdquo was bound to tarnishhis reputation as his opponentspointed out on several occasions

Jesus did not mind that criti-cism and continued like beforeformdashas he himself saidmdashit is sickpeople who need a doctor (SeeMt 912) But his immersinghimself in the crowd of sin-ful mankind cost Jesus much

moremdashit cost him his very lifefor he was put to death to atonefor the sins of all

Jesusrsquo vicarious self-offering was so power ful in its effec tbecause of who he wasmdashGodrsquosbeloved Son on whom the Fa-therrsquos favor rested Such a solemnproclamation of Jesusrsquo divineidentity soon after his baptismbalanced so to speak his hid-ing himself among the crowdof sinners at the Jordan RiverIt also completed the ldquopropheticnaturerdquo of what happened on thatdaymdashGodrsquos very Son coming tosave all mankind by sharing fullyits predicament of misery in or-der to transform it from within

through the superabundant holi-ness that only God is

Families according to Godrsquos heart

symbolized by the Magi toward JesusChrist He should be the one acknowledgedby all believers as the universal Savior sentby God to bring all mankind back to GodTe gifts offered by the Magi to Jesus in

Bethlehem can symbolize the different char-acteristics which the major world religionscan offer as their distinct contribution to theestablishment of the Kingdom proclaimedand established by Christ the gold of faithin one merciful God and the power of His Word as a feature of Islam the incense ofmeditation love for nature and peace thatcharacterize Buddhism the myrrh of dedica-tion and industriousness that characterizeConfucianism Jesus rejects nothingof the values these faiths have He acceptsthem all and brings them together into onepractical synthesis that makes humankindthe family of God on earth

Jesus is indeed the center of humanhistory because he is the center of Godrsquosplan for mankind He is the ldquocenterrdquonot only in the sense that his coming hasdivided the centuries into two great blocks

of ldquobeforerdquo and ldquoafterrdquo Christ He is alsothe one in whom all men can find thecommon point of reference to form a realfamily of nations and peoples withoutcoercion or exploitation Te light of hisGospel can penetrate all cultures assumeall their valid elements and purify the restfrom those negative aspects which thepower of sin has gradually introduced inthem

Only Jesus Christ can keep all men unitedin a community of sincere respect lastingsolidarity and practical love For the plan ofthe Father born of love will find its fulfill-ment only in LOVE

Mary of NazarethMother of JesusMother of peace

Christ the unifying centerof all mankind

One with sinners to save them

environment can exist even

without us but we can neverexist without the environmentnature We only have one com-mon home the Earth there isno other

We urge the Dep ar tmentof Environment and NaturalResources to take the real leadto protect our remaining ldquoenvi-ronment and natural resourcesrdquoplan with other governmentagencies and environmentallyconcern organizationsfounda-tions on how to preserve ourremaining forests and marinelife sanctuaries

NO O MINING IN MA-GUM PUJADA BAY AND SA-LINGCOMO MAI CIY

PROVINCE OF DAVAO ORI-ENAL

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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B8 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

Look for the images of Saint Joseph Mama

Mary and Baby Jesus

(Illustration by Bladimer Usi)

Bladimer UsiLolo Kiko

Buhay Parokya

KANISS Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) both a victor in andsubverter of Panemrsquos Hunger Games is now a symbol of the revolu-tion whom rebel president Alma Coin (Julianne Moore) and powerbroker Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman) want to usestrictly as a poster girl Stubborn freedom-fighter Katniss howeverhas her own agenda and that includes killing President Snow (Don-ald Sutherland]) to end once and for all the senseless deaths of somany young people Forming a team of rag-tag soldiers that includeclosest friends Gale (Liam Hemsworth) Finnick (Sam Claflin) andPeeta (Josh Hutcherson) she goes off on a mission risking theirlives through a booby-trapped war to liberate the citizens of PanemTe final confrontation between Katniss and Snow presided overby Coin is an electrifying game-changer

Te Hunger Games is not exempted from the fad of choppinginto ldquopartsrdquo the movie adaptations of popular books Harry Potterwilight Te Hobbitmdashthey have all stretched their heroesrsquo exploitsto prolong box office earning power and yet the fans wait AfterHunger Games MockingjayPart 1 which judging fromits relatively weak performanceat the tills must have been aforgettable movie that testedthe patience of fans Mocking-

jay Part 2 revs up with moreof the thrills that have madethe Hunger Games series theprototype of dystopia flicks foryoung adults (Divergent et al)Te strong cast monumentallycontributes to the realism of theHunger Games franchisemdashhowcan it go wrong with a leonineSutherland a steely Moore asly Hoffman And of coursethe winner Lawrence who canequally sell with aplomb partscalling for either vulnerability orverve In Mockingjay 2 the starsrsquo solid performances interwoven

with heart-stopping CGI make for a fitting finale to a story that

capitalizes on manrsquos inhumanity to manItrsquos surprising that a number of film critics are disappointed with the

filmrsquos ending calling it ldquosappyrdquo and an anti-climactic conclusion to anadrenalin-packed series that promised so much by way of action andheroism Teir cynical remarks remind us of biblical Israel waiting fora savior who would topple down the ruling elite with its own brandof kingship but is instead given a Jesus Christ CINEMA thinks theending is actually a statement that magnifies the upbeat message of the

whole story enough is enough Murder as spectator sport is sub-human At least when beasts kill it is to survive but in Panem the poor youngpeople are robbed of choice and must kill in order to livemdashas enter-tainment for the elite So Mockingjay mocks the elite it cries ldquoGivehumanity a chancerdquo Whatrsquos wrong with wanting to dump violence tostart afresh Choose life not death Arrows that used to kill people arealso useful for hunting fowl for the dinner tablemdashis that against the lawldquourn your swords into ploughs and your spears into pruning hooksrdquoMaybe the cynicsrsquo eyes have grown to love the Hunger Gamesrsquo darknessthat the sunlight-dappled scenery blinds them Or maybe after fallingin love with the couture of Panemrsquos stylish crowd theyrsquore simply horri-

fied by Katnissrsquo drastic costume change Whatever CINEMA wouldnrsquothave wanted the ending any other way

ENTERTAINMENT

MAGPAPAKASAL at magsump-aang magmamahalan nang wagasang dating live-in partners nasina Basya (Bea Alonzo) at Popoy(John Lloyd Cruz) Bilang mgalisensyadong enhinyero at arkitektoay magtataguyod sila ng construc-tion business na mabilis na uunladLalong magpupursige ang mag-asawa na magpalago ng negosyodahil magbubuntis si Basya Naisnilang mabigyan ng magandangkinabukasan ang kanilang anak

Subalit dahil sa pressure ng tra-baho ay makukunan si Basya attuluyang mawawala ang sanggolna kanyang dinadala Labis itongikalulungkot nina Basya at Popoykaya napagkasunduan nila ayonna rin sa mungkahi ni Basya natitigil siya sa pagtatrabaho upangmakabuo uli sila ng baby Nanatilisi Basya sa bahay at di nakialam sanegosyo sa loob ng dalawang taonPinaubaya niya ang pagpapatakbong negosyo kay Popoy Magtitiwalasi Basya sa kakayanan ng asawa namahusay nitong mapapamahalaanang kompanya katulad ng nagingproblema ng pagguho ng isangbuilding project Hindi rin gu-gustuhin ni Popoy na bigyan ngalalahanin si Basya Samantala sakabila ng magandang saloobin nilasa isarsquot isa ay ang napipintong pag-kalugi ng negosyo na siya namangililihim ni Popoy kay Basya Dahilsasarilinin ni Popoy ang problemamaapektuhan ng tuluyan angkanilang pagsasama

Sequel ng pelikulang One MoreChance na pinalabas noong 2007ang Second Chance Matatan-daang tumatatak ang naunangpelikula dahil sa mga tinatawag nalsquohugot linesrsquo nina Alonzo at Cruzsa nasabing pelikula Di namannabigo ang mga nag-abang sa se-quel na ito dahil naganap nga angsecond chance sa mga pangunah-ing tauhan na sina Basya at PopoyMalinis ang pagkakadugtong ng

dalawang pelikula --- parehongmga tauhan at kontexto gayundinang mga artistang nagsiganap Sakabila ng pagkakaroon ng prequelay napanatili ang malayang istoryang Second Chance bilang isangpelikula Bagamat predictable ang

wakas ay naging kasabik-sabikpa din ang mga eksena at mgapalitan ng linya ng lahat ng tau-han Di matatawaran ang husayng pagganap nina Alonzo at Cruzbilang mag-asawa panalo talagaang tinatawag na chemistry nilangdalawa Di rin nagpahuli nag mgakatuwang na aktor at aktres Mag-aling ang ginawang trato ng direk-

tor para mapalabas ang kalakasanng mga nagsiganap at ang mgaeksenang hinaluan ng patawa lalona sa eksena kasama ng mga kai-bigan Simple lamang ang disenyong produksyon pero nakatulongang mga kuha ng camera at edit-ing para maging makabuluhan saistorya ang setting Makahuluganang composition na nagpapakitang electric fan para sa mensahe nanagtitipid na ang mag-asawa dahillugi na ang kompanya

Mayaman sa mensahe parasa mga mag-asawa ang SecondChance Pinakita sa pelikula angrealidad ng buhay may-asawa nahindi lang puro kasarapan sa halip aymga pagsubok na maaring mauwi sahiwalayan kung hindi haharapin ataayusin Sa relasyon ng mag-asawa

ay napakahalaga ng magiging bu-kas sa isarsquot isa kaya anuman angpagdaanan ay magkatuwang nahaharapin Ang pagtatago ni Popoyng katotohanan kay Basya ang nag-ing mitsa ng lumubhang alitan dipagkakaunawaan pagkawala ngrespeto at palitan ng masasakitna salitamdashpati tiwala sa sarili aynawala At sa punto na pipiliin ngisa na lumayo at hanapin ang sariliay nakatulong na balikan ang mga

sumpaan binatiwan nuong sila ayikinasal at higit sa lahat ang kanilangpagmamahal sa isarsquot isa Mainamdin na may mga kaibigan at pamilyana pwedeng lapitan na susuporta athindi manghuhusga manunumbato mang-uudyok sa paggawa ng maliKapuna-puna lang na bagamatnagsimula at nagwakas ang pelikulasa chapel ay tila di man lang nilanaisipan na magdasal habang maypinagdaraanan sila Nais isipin ngCINEMA na ang gusto lamangsabihin ng pelikula ay ang pag-aasawa ay hindi lamang sa pagitanng dalawang tao kundi dapat aykasama palagi ang Diyos

DIRECTOR Cathy Garcia-Molina

LEAD CAST Bea AlonzoJohn Lloyd Cruz DimplesRomana

SCREENWRITER VanessaValdez Carmi Raymundo

GENRE Romantic Drama

CINEMATOGRAPHER NoelTeehankee

RUNNING TIME 130 minutesTECHNICAL ASSESSMENT

MORAL ASSESSMENT CINEMA Rating V13

A SECONDCHANCE

DIRECTOR Francis LawrenceLEAD CAST Jennifer Law-

rence Josh HutchersonLiam Hemsworth WoodyHarrelson Donald Suther-land Julianne Moore PhilipSeymour Hoffman

GENRE Adventure ScienceFiction

RUNNING TIME 137 minutesTECHNICAL ASSESSMENT

MORAL ASSESSMENT CINEMA rating V14

THE HUNGER

GAMESMOCKINGJAY 2

Buhay San Miguel Brothers Matias

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 1724

Philippine Army Chaplaincy CFC

Hold 1st National Convention

The first-ever OACCS - OSM CEP Convention further strengthened the camaraderie between the chaplaincy and the local CFC created a more solid CFC OSM Core enabledthe stakeholders to work together and recognized the efforts of those who work tirelessly under the program

CFC Metro Manila as one big happy family worshipped danced sang played gamesand had fun during the last MC Gathering of the year

By Alma Alvarez

CFC ANCOP USA Pontificio Collegio Fillipino Sign Partnership Agreement

CFC MM MC Celebrates the Family

HIS Eminence Cardinal Luis Antonio agle Chairman of PontificioCollegio Filippino and its Rector Msgr Greg Gaston recently signedthe ANCOP USA Priest Sponsorship Program (PSP) partnership

with Eric Villanueva Roger Santos and Rollie Balanza Couples forChrist - ANCOP USA leaders Te ANCOP USA PSP will assistpriests from the Philippines who will be sent by their Bishops to doadvance studies in Rome

In his letter to Villanueva Cardinal agle wrote ldquoOur partnership will

allow more Bishops to send Priests for ongoing formation and furtherstudies in Rome to better equip them in serving Gods people as SeminaryFormators and as collaborators in the different Diocesan Ministries back

HE Metro Manila Mission Coregathered as one big CFC familyduring this months MC Assemblylast December 6 2015 Leadersfrom the Family Ministries likewisecame to the Ynares Sports Arenato hear Mass together celebrateshowcase talents play in the fungames and just enjoy each otherscompany before the end of the year

CFC Spiritual Director Msgr Allen Aganon celebrated Mass Inhis homily Msgr Allen emphasizedthe enormity of the role of John theBaptist as the one who heralded thecoming of Jesus Christ despite hishumble beginnings He challengedthe CFC leaders to be like Johnthe Baptist

We are ordinary people who

home As a result our Church in the Philippines will be strengthenedso that Priests and laity alike could carry out our respective work ofevangelization and service not only to the Church but also to societyrdquo

According to the agreement the PSP is for Masters Licentiate orDoctorate studies only ANCOP USA PSP funds will cover the priestrsquosboard and lodging at the Collegio in the amount of $10000 per year

All other needs such as tuition fees medical insurance transportationbooks etc will be provided for by the Bishop as a local counterpart

Tis would ensure that priests can benefit from the partnershipo donate or to know more about the program please visitwwwancopusa-psporg

THE CFC Order of St Michael(OSM) in cooperation with thePhilippine Army Ofce of theArmy Chief Chaplain Service(OACCS) staged the rst everCharacter Enhancement Pro-gram (CEP) Convention last No-vember 24 2015 at the PhilippineAir Force Museum Pasay CityRetired Col Arturo Alabanza amember of CFC Metro Manila(South B) and head of the OSM

OSM C4

together with the OSM Corespearheaded the event

In his opening remarks Alabanza describedhow the OSM came together with the OACCS

and forged a long-term partnership to ldquodeveloprighteous God-fearing soldiers loved by theFilipino peoplerdquo through the CEP Te CFCOSM has developed modules specifically cater-ing to the soldiers their spouses and childrenOACCS on the other hand has the author-ity to mandate Commanding Officers of thevarious Army camps nationwide to employthe CEP

Te convention allowed the stakeholders toreport on the accomplishments and enabledthe Army Chaplains from the different Infan-

try Divisions to plan with their local Couplesfor Christ counterparts regarding strategies forCEP and its continuing spiritual enhancementmodules It was likewise an opportunity for

CFC OSM to present the second module forthe CEP which the group plans to roll outbeginning 2016

ANCOP Chairman Joe Yamamoto in hisinspirational talk reiterated Pope Francisrsquo callfor new evangelization and emphasized thatthe partnership is a clear response of each per-son involved whether it be the Chaplaincy orthe lay stakeholders to be agents of change inthe spiritual realm within the Philippine Army

Several of those serving in the program

His Eminence Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle and the leaders of CFC ANCOP USA f orging a strong partnership for further education among Filipino clergy

are called to herald Christ andto be missionaries of mercy heemphasized

Te Mass was followed by theopening worship led by the MetroManila Missions Director MannyGarcia and a brief message fromCFC Chairman Joe ale

Te CFC Order of St Michaelthrough its Head Art Alabanzatook the opportunity to honor the55 Singles for Christ volunteers

who served in the Christian LifeProgram for the PMA Cadets inBaguio Te fun-filled games forthe adults and children talentpresentations and face-paintingadded to the festive mood rulyit was a day for the family (CFCGlobal Communications)

Reconciliation is Key to Advent PreparationsldquoTHE best way to prepare forChristmas is reconciliation Thebirth of Jesus is Gods offering ofreconciliationrdquo

his was the essence of the Advent recollection given by FrGerard imoner OP Provincialof the Dominican Order in thePhilippines for the workers of theCFC Global Mission Office Terecollection was held last Novem-ber 28 2015 at the Obizpado deCubao in Quezon City

In his reflection Fr imoner

creatively wove reconciliation withforgiveness as well as the new

evangelization taking into account Jesusrsquo words to ldquoshake off the dust

from your feetrdquo According to hima good spiritual foot spamdashthe act

of shaking the dust off onersquos feet toremove all traces of the bad news to

enable one to proclaim the GoodNewsmdashis essential in preparing

oneself during AdventFr imoner described for-

giveness as ldquosetting a prisonerfree and realizing that thatprisoner is yourdquo He illustratesldquoJesus did not forgive whileon the cross Instead he saidlsquoFather forgive them for theyknow not what they dorsquo We canonly forgive if we engage Godsforgiveness within our ownrdquo

he best path to the newevangelization is to allow our-selves to be reconciled with God

amp each other he emphasized(A Alvarez)

The News Supplement of

Couples for Christ

C1CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 1824

Reflections on Advent

I IS the start of a new liturgical

year As in every year the previ-ous liturgical year ended withthe feast of Christ the King afitting high point indeed Aftergoing through the year observ-ing the various highs and lowsand phases of His life in theend and rightly so we proclaim

Jesus as indeed the King of kingsand the Lord of lords

And so the Church starts thecycle anew beginning fromHis birth into this world obuild up to that we have theseason of advent of waitingof anticipating of preparingfor the birth of He who werecognize and proclaim as theKing of kings

One would expect that thismajor season is ushered in

with Bible vers es express ingthe level of excitement befit-ting the birth of the King ofthe universe It is therefore abit surprising and soberingthat the opening reading ofthis season is one with a themethat speaks not of celebrationbut of foreboding of the com-ing end times

here wil l be strangethings happening to the sunto the moon and the stars Onearth whole countries will bein despair afraid of the roarof the sea and the raging tidesPeople will faint from fear asthey wait for what is comingover the whole earth for the

Joe Tale

powers in space will be driven

from their courses hen theSon of Man will appear comingin a cloud of great power andglory When these things begin tohappen stand up and raise yourheads because your salvation isnear Luke 2125-28

Moreover we are enjoined tobe on watch and to be vigilantin a specific way Be careful notto let yourselves become occu-pied with too much feasting anddrinking and with the worries ofthis life or that Day will suddenlycatch you like a trap For it willcome upon all people everywhereon earth Be on watch and prayalways that you will have thestrength to go safely through allthose things that will happen andto stand before the Son of Man

Luke 2134-36It is significant we might evensay ironic that during this seasonof merriment in anticipation ofthe birth of the Messiah we are

warned exactly not t o be merryIn this period that we normallycelebrate with much food and

wine and music we are instructedto refrain from such things

Is the verse dousing cold wa-ter on all these festivities andpreventing us from celebrating

joyously the arr ival of t he KingNot so he verse simply re-

minds us of something more im-portant whatever be the seasonof our life of being constantlyprepared and on the watch at

all times not ever to bring our

guards down whether we are go-ing through our low moments orhigh points in our life We are re-minded to always Be Preparedas the Boy Scouts motto goes

whatever our spec ific situationmay be at any given time

Als o I sense tha t the Lor d would like to bring us to a deeperlevel of rejoicing not merely onthe level of the frivolous as toomuch feasting and drinking areTe words of Jesus do not preventus from rejoicing He wants us tocontinue to be prepared even as

we celebrate He warns us not torejoice in a wanton way that takesus away from our right senses re-sulting in our being unpreparedhus our rejoicing should becoming from deep in our hearts

not shallow and hollow expres-sions of the same Our rejoicingshould be geared towards allowingus to still be prepared

hus as we hold our Christ-mas parties and dwell in themerriment of the season let usbe mindful of the words fromthe Gospel Appropriate feastingand drinking not only make usfaithful to the gospel but is alsomore healthy Significantly tooit should make us more caring tothose who have less and hope-fully lead us not to be wastefuland to share whatever we have somany others will also experiencea truly Merry Christmas

Rejoice in the Lord

HE RED Cubs harvested thegrand championship of the recentlyconcluded CFC GMC Ablaze Cup2015 held last December 2 - Decem-ber 8 2015 at the sports facilities ofCamp Crame

Te friendly games were partici-pated in by the different departmentsin the CFC Global Mission CenterTe Red Cubs romped off with the

Red Cubs are Champions in CFC GMC Ablaze Cup 2015

Go go go GMC clockwise from top left Caloy Rubio CFC Ablaze Cup Event Head exhorting participants the board of judges CFC Chair Joe Tale inspiring the athletes paradeof athletes the Orange Tigers basketball game between the Red Cubs and the Maroon on Fire cheerdance competition

Mel and Aimee Serrano talking about the highs and lows of dealing with in-laws

In Highs And In-Laws Dealing With Your In-Laws

ldquoATRASrdquo BOYS amp GIRLS

Are We Waiting For Jesus At The Right Spot

This Advent

IN983085LAWS he very word re-minds many a married coupleof discomfort awkward evenstrained relationships and some-times open conflict But are rela-tionships with the family membersof your spouse meant to be merelytolerant Te latest Couples forChrist (CFC) ndash Young Couples

Assembly on November 30 heldat St Pauls College in Pasig Citytackled precisely this topic andcame up with this wildly inge-nious insight In-laws are peopletoo ndash love them

According to the speakers Meland Aimee Serrano of CFC ndashMetro Manila West B lovingthem in all sincerity will work

wonders ldquoTat is the tried andtested formula love your in-lawsrdquoshared Mel a school owner fromQuezon City

During the talk which theypeppered with lots of insights andsharing of personal experiences as a

PASIG City Nov 29 2015 ndash What do weusually do when we find out that someone welove or an important personality is visiting ou rhome We tidy up we prepare good food butmost of all we wait his was the m essage thatabout 150 young married couples heard duringthe Family Mass at the Couples for Christ ndash

Young Couple s Assembly at St Paul Colleg eConvention Center held last November 30

Fr Ruper Solis SVD who celebrated theFamily Mass reminded the couples presentthat to wait for something or someone also

couple married for 20 years the Ser-ranos focused on several key points1 Handle them with care

Tis means giving attention tothe one who needs more takingcare of them in their old age as

well as training your kids to respecttheir grandparents

ldquoOn our part we have to makesure that our children will give duerespect [to them] and be able tounderstand intricacies that come

with old agerdquo said AimeeldquoWhether may sama ng loob

(hurt feelings) sometimes there will be times na mahirap makipag-kita (that it will be difficult to meetthem) but you have to go to themKailangan nating gawin yun (Weneed to do it)rdquo she stressed

2 Acknowledge differences According to the couple people

should recognize that their spousemay not have the same familyculture as they do Value systems

means waiting at the right placeldquoAs Christians our life is a series of waiting

Dapat maghintay ka sa tamang lugarhindi langsa tamang panahon na sinasabi ni Lola Nidora noPero sa tamang lugar din (We should wait not justfor the right time but waiting should be doneat the right place as well)rdquo explained Fr Ruper

he young priest who was an SVD missionaryassigned to Argentina for more than seven years

went on to tell the story of how once in Argentinahe was waiting by the side of the road flagging

championship crowns in badmin-ton (women) table tennis (menand women) tug-of-war and peelbanana It was a close fight with theMaroon on Fire team who grabbedthe winning titles for basketballvolleyball cheer dance and chess(men) and ended up 1st runner-up

with les s than 2 points from the winning team Te Orange igerscame in 2nd runner-up while YellowHotshots was 3rd runner-up basedon the last team standings

Te awarding ceremonies wereheld last December 8 2015 dur-ing the celebration of the CFCGMC Christmas party Tis an-nual event is an opportunity forthe mission workers to enjoy eachotherrsquos company Te Ablaze Cuplikewise serves as a venue tofoster and promote the spirit ofsportsmanship and unity amongthe GMC workers from bothpastoral and mission support(Yvonne Dolorosa)

HE WORD ldquoatrasrdquo means a backwardmovement It is generally used to refer to theldquoReverserdquo function of a vehicle In Lanao DelNorte the word has been applied to a group ofboys abd girls who guide vehicles in and out ofparking spaces the equivalent of the ldquoWatch-your-carrdquo aides in Metro Manila

he CFC leaders in the province immedi-ately thought of the Atras Boys and Girls ofLanao Del Norte when Cardinal agle said ndashldquoGo to the peripheries be a mobile clinicto heal the poor from spiritual sickness rdquo

Another ins pirat ion was from one of the mostimportant pastoral subjects of Pope Francisabout the ldquofamily and the poorrdquo

Every time I go to mass at the St MichaelrdquosCathedral with my wifeata the ldquoatras boysand girlsrdquo are all over the area assisting ve-hicles either to park or to exit the parking area

When n ot per formi ng thi s function they andother members of their family can be seenbegging for their daily sustenance hey areusually homeless their home being along theperipheries of the Cathedral or the sidewalks

he inspiration led the Area Governanceeam to the idea of bring these boys and girlsand their parents to a Christian Life Programhey moved quickly with Boy Suezo approv-ing the strategic CLP as designed by RegionalPastoral Formation Head Art Maderazo andinserting video clips appropriate to the CLPtalks With the activation of the SOLD Min-istry with Bro Roger Sultan as Provincial Co-

ordinator SOLD was made the lead ministryof the ldquoAtras Boys and Gir lsrdquo CLP

Initially the number of participants was limitedto five (5) for logistical reasons but the HolySpirit deemed otherwise ndash the attendees eventuallynumbered ten individuals and three (3) coupleshe CLPs were scheduled every hursday at 600orsquoclock in the evening with dinner provided byCFC brothers and sisters particularly the AGrsquos

wives and ANCOP members he SOLD Prov in-cial Coordinator took care of fetching the partici-pants from the Cathedral and also bringing themback to their ldquohomesrdquo It did not matter to Rogerthat his car would often retain the smell of the

unwashed he persisted in servicing the transportneeds of the participants

November 05 2015 was truly a pleasant anda memorable day to the service team On thatday five of the ten boys and girls and two (2)couples dedicated their life to CFC One of theparticipants stood up to give an inspiring testi-mony ending with ldquohank you CFC for makingus somebody in your heart hank you for beingmindful of the conditions of the poor and thankyou for bringing Christ to our livesrdquo (ldquoSalamatCFC nga aduna pa diay kami luna sa inyong kas-ingkasing Salamat CFC sa inyong pagpakabanasa susama kanamo nga mga timawa Salamat sainyong panahon pag hatag kanamo sa pagtulun-anni Kristo)

It is envisioned that this kind of evangeliza-tion can be replicated in other areas nationwidethe beginning of a truly strategic evangelizationHopefully this is also the beginning of a newlife for the new CLP graduates with CFC being

instrumental in helping them provide for theirfamilyrsquos future (Nonoy Haim)

disciplining style even views onhow to handle finances will of-tentimes be different Tat is whyunderstanding coupled with love

will go a long wayldquoDifferences and conflicts are

not unhealthy but mismanagementis Never criticize your in-lawsrdquoMel said

Also in case of confl ict themessenger or the ldquobridgerdquo shouldbe the one with the primary re-lationship (spouse to own fathermother)

he Serranos candidly sharedabout a conflict that eruptedbetween Aimee and her father-in-law during the campaignperiod for local elections whenMel ran for public office heconflict was soon followed by aperiod of silence a Cold Warso to speak ldquoIt took us at leasta year or two [My father said]kasi pag di natin inayos tolahat tayo maapektuhan (If we

dont fix this all of us will beaffected) It helped that thecouple prayed and sought DivineIntervention and asked the com-munity to pray with them heHoly Spirit worked

3 Respond appropriately What if ev en af ter l ovin g and

understanding them its stillnot smooth sailing with your in-laws Heres what the Serranoshad to say

bull iming is everythingbull Learn when to speak or keep

your mouth shutbull ake a breath cool offbull Maintain a sense of humorbull Remember unsolicited advice

is just an opiniono cap their talk the couple

brought back the participants tothe basics of loving in-laws to actout your love to build bridges andto communicate (Nirvaana EllaDelacruz)

HOMILY C3

IN A Memorandum sent to the Philip-pine Missions leaders last November23 2015 PM Director Jose Yamamotoappointedreassigned leaders for theNortheastern Luzon region

Mark Banzon has been appointedProvincial Area Head (PAH) of Isabelavice Rommel Ancheta ony de la Cruz

on the other hand was tapped to be PAHof Nueva Vizcaya vice Raul Balaquiao

O set a new tradition in the CFC Family the InternationalCouncil has agreed to make December 27 the Feast of theHoly Family as a special day for the members of the familyto honor one another Tis will allow each person in thefamily to express their gratitude to the Lord for the gift offamily and the importance of having each member of thefamily around for the love support and service As a sug-

New Appointments for CFC GMC NE LuzonFamily Honoring Night Set

Balaquiao was appointed PAH of IlocosSur vice ony de la Cruz while Cholo

Yjares is now PAH of Cagayan vice BongPagulayan Pagulayan is now PAH ofKalinga vice Cholo Yjares

he move is essentially a realignmentof the leaders in the Northeastern Luzonarea in the interest of the mission except

for Banzon who is a new appointee andfor Noel Malamug who remains as

PAH of Ifugao hese changes are to takeeffect on January 1 2016 Edythe Aven-dantildeo is also set to replace Didi Galsim asHandmaids of the Lord InternationalCoordinator effective January 1 2016

In the Global Mission Center RickyRico was appointed Head for the GAd-min effective October 1 2016 while Jay

Lucena was appointed head of the CFCEvents group also effective October 1facebookcomCFCGlobalMission CFChrist

The Ugnayan News Supplement is published by the Couples for Christ Global Mission Foundation Inc with editorial ofces at 156 20 th Avenue 1109 Cubao Quezon City

Editorial trunk line (+63 2) 709-4868 local 23

Direct line (+63 2) 709-4856

wwwcouplesforchristglobalorg cfcglobalcommunicationsgmailcom

Michael C Ariola

IC Oversight

Zenaida A Gimenez

Editor-in-Chief

Alma M Alvarez

Associate Editor

Evangeline C Mecedilla

Circulation Staff

Deomar P Oliveria

Layout Artist

The News Supplement

of Couples for Christ

gestion the guidelines indicate the following as the activitiesfor the said day hearing Mass together dining together athome praying together and in gratitude expressing theirlove to one another

hrough the Family Honoring Night the community hopesto strengthen the relationship among the family members andempower each one to truly cherish and love one another

Bong Pagulayan

Mark Banzon

Cholo Yjares

Ricky Rico

Edythe Avendantildeo

Raul Balaquiao

Jay Lucena

Tony de la Cruz

C2 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 1924

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 2024

CFC China Conducts

Mission Heads Training

CFC Greece Leaders Meet Archbishop of Athens amp Nuncio

COUPLES for Christ USA and CFC Greece leaders paid a courtesy call on Archbishop Sevastianos Rossolatos and Fr George Altouvas at the Archd ioce se of Athens he g roup in troduced Couples f or Chri st to the new Archbishop and di scus sed theirplans to initiate a CFC Youth Camp in Greek as well as to develop CFC teachings in Greek

On another occasion the CFC leaders met with the Apostolic Nuncio of the Holy See in Athens Archbishop Edward Joseph AdamsTey discussed challenges and forthcoming changes in the Greek Catholic hierarchy and laid down CFCrsquos plans for CFC Athens

SINGLES for Christ Metro Manila gath-ered at the San Carlos Seminary in Makatilast December 5 2015 at 700 pm forthe SFC Global One a two-hour non-stop worship experience Jay Laquiana fulltime pastoral worker for SFC ledthe worship

Global One was meant to be a simul-taneous praise concert with major cities

or provinces hosting the event But what

made this yearrsquos Global One event special was the fact that it was the first time it wasstaged online via youtube live broadcastTis gave SFCs all over the world an oppor-tunity to come together despite differencesin time zone

ogether as one ministry SFCs from theMetro Manila Sectors the provinces andthe various countries like the USA Canada

and the Middle Eastern countries raised

SFC GLOBAL ONEmdashUniting the World

via Online Worship

their voices in praise and worship for thecountless favors they received It likewisebecame an opportunity to ask the Lordto bless the ministry for the coming year

Te ministry sees the online Global Oneas an event they can do annually Tey alsosee it as a potential tool to reach othernon-SFC members to witness Christ andcome together with other young people to

worship (Lanie Montaos)

OSM C1

CFC Winnipeg held its 2nd Celebration of Covenant Love onNovember 21st the feast of the Presentation of Our Lady Sixteencouples attended the activity

One week prior to the Renewal of Wedding Vows the 16 coupleshad a mini-retreat conducted by their spiritual advisor Fr YollyGamallo Te mini-retreat included four couple-sharers Te HolyMass was celebrated at St John Cantius Parish presided by MsgrLouis McCloskey A simple reception followed for the 16 couples andabout 60 family members with additional witnesses from the CFCcommunity Te participants who renewed their marriage vows werefrom varied age groups with some having been married for only five

years to couples who were celebratingo 40 years of holy matrimony

Tis year makes the Celebration of Love even more relevant as itis the year that held the papal Synod on the Family and the WorldMeeting of Families Pope Francis stated when making an address tofamilies ldquoTose who celebrate the sacrament say lsquoI promise to be trueto you in joy and in sadness in sickness and in health I will love youand honour you all the days of my lifersquo At that moment the coupledoes not know what will happen nor what joys and pains awaitthem Tey are setting out like Abraham on a journey together

And that is what marriage is Setting out and walking togetherhand in hand putting yourselves in the Lordrsquos powerful handsHand in hand always and for the rest of your livesrdquo (from http

couplesforchristcanadaca)

A Celebration of Covenant Love

I cherish the treasure the treasure of you lifelong companion I give myself to you These happy couples from CFC Vancouver saying Yes again to oneanother and to God as they renew their marriage vows

CFC missionaries to South Americarejoiced as they completed a fruitfulmission to the area a fitting end to theyear Te mission to Nuevo Pueblo deColaacuten opened a new area an hour awayby land from Piura Peru establish-ing CFC ndash Parejas para Cristo in a remotetown in the desert At the end of theChristian Life Program 13 new CFCPPC members composed of 4 couples4 HOLD and 1 SOLD committed to alife with Christ

Te PVC (Programa de Vida Cristiana- Spanish CLP) was held November 27to 29 2015 (Tanksgiving weekend) byCFC USA Florida in Iglesias del Rosarioone of two parishes in town Padre LuisSerra head pastor of the main churchthe Iglesia Sagrado Corazoacuten de Jesuacutesopened the doors to CFC PPC Fourother brethren from CFC PPC RiojaPeru headed by Fr Rober Martinez cameto reinforce the missionariesrsquo efforts Teteam got a taste of their first mission

CFC China is on full throttle in its evan-gelization efforts Tey recently conducted

the first-ever CFC China Mission Headsraining from November 27 to 30 at Vilada Sta Isabel Estrada Cheoc Van MacauTe training aimed to strengthen its leader-ship ranks through several formation talksfrom the Chapter Leaders raining (CL)series Te sixty participants were mostlyChinese with some Filipino Mission Headsand their AG members from the North

West East and South of China includingMacau SAR and Hong Kong SAR

Te first day of the training was devotedto a silent retreat based on Psalm 4610ndash ldquoBe silent and know that I am GodrdquoTe three-hour retreat centered on thetheme ldquoWe need to Change How WeLead o lead like Jesusrdquo with each par-ticipant encouraged to ldquoempty oneselfrdquoFr Oliviades a member of the Opus Deifacilitated the retreat

Day 2 started with a Holy Mass concel-

ebrated by Fr Joseph Wang from YiwuEast China Te training proper began with Israel Silud CFC Country Headand Northwest Regional Head givingthe overview and citing challenges thatCFC China faces He reiterated thatCFC Chinarsquos goal of raising 1 millionhousehold heads will be driven by the

The fruits of 2015 for CFC PPC hundreds of miles away from home

In 2015 ten missions were held inSouth America by CFC USA All these

were made possible by a handful of zeal-ous and selfless CFC USA mission vol-unteers who sacrificed a lot and deniedthemselves many comforts in order tobring the Word of God to families in Co-lombia Ecuador and Peru CFC ParejasPara Cristo will not take off without thefinancial support of CFC USA

ruly God gave a very good year for

the mission team harvesting 608 souls in2015 (a total of 857 persons from June2014 to date) Te task of sustainingCFC PPC families and area countriesare enormous But with grateful heartsthe South America team humbly turnsto God thanking Him each day forHis guidance as He leads the way Teteam looks forward to 2016s adventureof bringing the banner of Christ to themiddle and corners of the earth (GlenSantayana)

whether lay or from the Chaplainsrsquo ranklikewise gave testimonies on how theirinvolvement in the CEP made them real-ize that they have become not only agentsof change but recipients of grace as well

In the afternoon the Chaplains andtheir CFC counterparts came together fora round table discussion of the plans ofthe various Infantry Divisions nationwide

Army Chie f Chaplain Fr Col Andre sBonifacio Belleza CHS (GSC) in anunexpected move expressed his recog-nition through the grant of awards ofthe initiatives of the Army Chaplainsin implementing the CEP in their vari-ous Divisions Fr Maj Juan Jerome CDaluro was awarded Best Chaplain ofthe Year 2015 for his exemplary ser viceas Division Chaplain of 9th Infantry(Spear) Division Fr MSg Mario Ban-

iqued Philippine Army (PA) OACCSChief Clerk was recognized as Best

Chaplain Assistant of the YearSince the partnership between the

OACCS and CFC OSM started in April2014 the group has conducted CharacterEnhancement Retreats (CER) for 28 Phil-ippine Army commands Trough CFCSingles for Christ volunteers a ChristianLife Program has likewise been conductedfor the Philippine Military Academy Classof 2018 graduating 385 PMA-Singles forChrist members Presently five CERs arealso being done at the V Luna MedicalCenter in Quezon City

Alabanza admit s there is still muchto be done So far the CEP has reached2000 men and women in uniformroughly 0287 percent of an estimated800000 population of soldiers theirspouses and their families Tis is indeedfertile ground for values and spiritual

transformation which is just waiting tobe conquered (A Alvarez)

Another fruitful harvest in Peru from top the 13 new members in CFC PPC all-women discussion group

Courtesy call top photos CFC leaders with Archbishop Edward Joseph Adams amp Fr George Altouvas bottom photos with Fr George Archbishop SevastianosRossolatos and Archbishop Edward Joseph Adams

CFC OSM and the OACCS reaching out to the men and women in uniform and their families through the Character Enhancement Program

personal holiness of its ser vant-leaders who will be leading the evangelization thrust

in 34 provinces in China CL talks 2-5 were given by the regional heads with their wives as sharers

Day 3 began with the recitation ofthe Holy Rosary followed by anotherconcelebrated Holy Mass Fr Oliviadesdelivered a beautiful homily on ldquoemptyingoneselfrdquo Te rest of the CL talks wereagain delivered by the regional heads withtheir wives as sharers In CL alk 9 Siludemphasized the need to pay attention tothe means to care for the spirit mind andbody of the leaders

Te last day primarily focused on plan-ning the CFC China activities for 2016One of the proposals from the planningis that the four (4) regions in China willeach be hosting the major activities linedup for the year

Te three-day training and planning was conducted by CFC China Country

Head IsraelSally Silud with the supportof North Asia Regional Coordinator Ga-rieCess Pimentel and the regional headsfrom East China (EricEvelyn Ylagan)South China (JoelErica Santos) HongKong SAR (GarieCess Pimentel) andMacau SAR (JMEmilie Yupangco) (Ericamp Evelyn Ylagan)

C4 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

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JCL ndash member while for the TeologicalCommission the experts appointed wereFr Alexander L Garces SDB JCL ndashPresident Fr Enrico Eusebio Jr SJ JCDndash member and Sr Maria Amparo SantosOP JCL ndash member As with the ribunalmembers the Presidents and membersof both Commissions individually tooktheir respective oaths and signed the Acts

Te appointed Copyist Ms RonalynRegino and Assistant Copyist Ms Ge-cerein Sayen Ocampo were called next totake their respective oaths and similarlysigned in the Acts

Ten Postulator Msgr Pedro C Qui-torio III and Vice Postulator Fr WilmerR Rosario JCD individually took their

respective oaths not compromise the truthand offend justice nor impede the free-dom of witnesses to testify in the CauseTereafter they also signed the Acts

Te Postulator then presented to Car-dinal agle for his examination a list of

witnesses to be interrogated subject to thepossible addition and revision of namesin the future Upon examining the listthe Cardinal decreed that the next sessionfor interrogation of witnesses be held on

January 11 2016 at the Arzobispado deManila

Finally after ordering the Chancellorto establish public record of this First Ses-sion Cardinal agle declared the Processfor the Causes of Beatification and Can-

onization of Servant of God FAHERGEORGE J WILLMANN SJ Father ofthe Order of the Knights of Columbus inthe Philippines OPEN

o complete the Rites His EminenceLuis Antonio Cardinal agle together withformer Chief Justice Hilario G Davide

Jr as Chairman of the National ExecutiveCommittee (NEC) for the Cause of Fr

Willmann jo intly u nveiled the portraitof Father George J Willmann SJ

Tereafter Cardinal agle began thecelebration of the Holy Eucharist Con-celebrants were Bishop Honesto FOngtioco DD Bishop Mylo HubertC Vergara DD Msgr Geronimo FReyes JCD Fr William Arana OSA Fr

Carlo Magno Marcelo Fr Marvin MejiaFr Wilmer Rosario JCD Fr Carlo DelRosario Fr Julius Paul Factora OP JCDFr Sander Niez JCL Fr Alex GarcesSDB JCL Fr Rico Garcia Fr ReginaldMalicdem Fr Darwin Faith Ponce OSAFr Ricky VIllar OSA Fr Geoffrey Eb-orda OSA Fr Genaro Supremedo OSAFr Jojo orres OSA Fr Joseph VillarealOSA Fr Roy Gallano OSA Fr MichaelSalazar and Fr Romel Cruz

Also serv ing as Conce lebrants werea number of KC Priests Scholars of theKnights of Columbus Fr George J

Willmann Charities Inc that includedMsgr Pedro C Quitorio III Fr Benjamin

The Cross A Supplement Publication of KCFAPI and the Order of the Knights of ColumbusCBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25 December 7 2015 - 27 2016

Sainthood bid opens forFr George Willmann SJBy Roberto T Cruz

On December 7 2015 Mon-

day the bells of the ManilaCathedral rang out loud as HisEminence Luis Antonio Car-dinal agle presided over themilestone celebration of theHoly Eucharist at the ManilaCathedral to formally open theDiocesan process of the Causeof Fr George J Willmann SJ

he Liturgical Rites for the formalopening of the diocesan process precededthe Mass at 900am With the entranceprocession of Cardinal agle as the MainCelebrant together with two bishops twomonsignors and thirty-three priests whoconcelebrated the Mass the Rites started

with Msgr Pedro C Quitorio III theappointed Diocesan Postulator for theCause of Fr Willmann giving biographi-cal highlights of the life of Fr George J

Willmann SJ An Invocation of the HolySpirit followed with the singing of VeniCreator Spiritus by the Manila CathedralBasilica Choir

Cardinal agle then examined anddeclared the legitimacy of the appoint-ments of Msgr Pedro C Quitorio III asthe Postulator and Fr Wilmer R Rosario

JCD as Vice-Postul ator in conformity with the Code of Canon Law

Appointed members of the Diocesanribunal for the Cause of Fr Willmann

were Msgr Geronimo F Reyes JCDas Episcopal Delegate Fr Carlo P DelRosario JCL as Promoter of Justice Mseresita F Kudemus ndash First Notary MsMarivic M Ambasa ndash Second Notary Ms

Julieta R Santos as Tird NotaryTe Cardinal reminded them of the

great responsibility importance andseriousness of the Process for the Causesfor Beatification and Canonization Asrequired by Church law all the mem-bers of the ribunal starting with MsgrGeronimo F Reyes individually tooktheir oath to faithfully fulfill hisher com-mitment and then signed the Acts

Te Experts who were tapped to formthe Historical Commission includeFr Julius Paul Factora OP JCD asPresident Fr Adolfo N Dacanay SJ

JCD ndash member and Fr Sander D Niez Sainthood D3

KCFAPI Theme and Logo for 2016HE year 2016 has been pro-claimed the Year of the Eucharistand the Family by the CatholicBishopsrsquo Conference of the Phil-ippines Te theme is part of thenine year spiritual journey thatbegan with the Year of Faith

where we experienced an authenticrenewal of faith guided by the newevangelization principles

he Holy Eucharist whichmeans thanksgiving invitesfamilies of the Catholic faithfulto commemorate the supremesacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christon the cross to receive His body

and blood in the Holy Commu-nion and to celebrate His victoryover death

Te Roman Catholic Churchpromotes strong family ties andvalues Parents are entrustedthe responsibility to prepare andteach their children to follow JesusChrist and live His gospel

KCFAPI distinguished itselfin protecting the sanctity of thefamily by providing comfortand sustenance in any loss orlife-changing event among fam-ily members KCFAPI respondsswiftly to changing or evolvingfamily insurance needs Nowon its 58th year of providingunsurpassed uncompromised

fraternal service KCFAPI vowsand advocates relentlessly to

render comfort benefit and as-sistance to all brother knightsand their families with mercy andcompassion

As part of the KCFAPI familyin a pioneering effort all wholly-owned and majority-ownedcompanies will coordinate theirschedules and manage theirresources towards one com-mon goal and will function asone well oiled machine By

joi nin g han ds gu ide d by theHoly Spirit the strength ofone is multiplied several times

over Te heart symbolizes lovemercy and compassion and is

also Charity ndash the first of fourcore principle of the OrderKCFAPI in heart-shaped bordermantles the five wholly- ownedand majority-owned companies Keys Realty amp DevelopmentCorporation Kompass Creditand Financing Corporation KCPhilippines Foundation IncKnights of Columbus Fr George

J Willmann Charitie s Inc andMace Insurance Agency IncTey are depicted by the boldshoulders of the figures symbol-izing the family Just like in any

close-knit family concentratedon accomplishing one objective

all employees will be engagedtheir support and talent pooledand harnessed to participateactively in any company activi-ties working in tandem as onecohesive unit

Te logo vividly demonstratesthe solidarity and bonding of fam-ily members if they gather togetherand allow Christ to be at the centerof their family relationship

Te different colors representthe various hues of the Order ofthe Knights of Columbus red

whit e blu e and yell ow hegreen color manifests KCFAPIrsquos

concern for our environment andits managementrsquos advocacy gearedtowards a healthy state of our sur-roundings Orange brings a posi-tive outlook in life optimism andmotivation to look on the brighterside of life

Te cup and host (in yellow)emulating the Holy Eucharist pro-vides Christ- centered way of life

Te circular flow represents in-finity or totality the unboundedtimeless and never ending lovecare and affection of KCFAPIin providing each and every KCfamily a shield of security protec-tion and hope Te acronym ALLcharacterizes KCFAPIrsquos inclusiveapproach to all forms of actions

products and services (Angelito A Bala)

As we protect families for generations Act Live Love

KCFAPI Planning Conference The Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of thePhilippines Inc held their 2016 Planning Conference last November 7-9 2015 atColumbus Plaza General Santos City Present were KCFAPI Chairman Bro Arsenio IsidroG Yap KCFAPI President Bro Jose C Reyes Jr KCFAPI Executive Vice President SisMa Theresa G Curia KCFAPI Officers and Supervisors KEYS Realty Vice President Bro

Riz Nicolas and HTMC Vice President Sis Apolonia Dominguez

Living Rosary The Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of the Philippines Inchad their Living Rosary last October 30 2015 at the KCFAPI main office This has been

a yearly practice for the Month of the Holy Rosary which is usually conducted by itsofficers and staff

Cardinal Tagle leads the unveiling of the portrait of Jesuit Fr George J Willmann as the Manila archdiocesan process for the Cause of Beatification and Canonization of the latter formally opens at the Manila Cathedralon Monday Dec 7 Willman is considered as t he ldquoFather of the Knights of Columbusrdquo in the Philippines ROY LAGARDE

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 2224

D2 The CrossDecember 7 2015 - 27 2015 Vol 19 No 25

ACQ UIR IN G a hou se and lo t which they can call their own home

and driving their own cars are twoof the priority dreams of Filipinoparents Of course seeing theirchildren finish college education iseither Number 1 or Number 2

Te Knights of Columbus Frater-nal Association of the PhilippinesInc (KCFAPI) has formed andincorporated a new company to helpmembers of the Order to have their

dream homes and motor carsKCFAPI named the new company as Kompass Credit and

Financing Corporation (KCFC) after one of the symbols of theKnights of Columbus which is the Compass Like the Compassof the ancient marines KOMPASS is here to guide BrotherKnight in having their own home and efficient mobility

KOMPASS can also extend home car and business loans tothe general public

Interested parties can call KOMPASS at el No 527-2242

527-2223 loc 215 and 252 for further details of the loan

Arsenio Isidro G Yap

Chairmanrsquos Message

Presidentrsquos Message

Ma Theresa G Curia

Jose C Reyes Jr

Reflection

Curia Settings

Michael P Cabra

Bequest LIFE this Christmas

My Brotherrsquos Keeper

FILIPINO raditions reflect the kindof people that we are All traditionscustoms and beliefs evolve from thelove and respect of the family Ourmutual and natural respect for oneanother our desire to please and notoffend each other and our willingness

to extend a helping hand are just a fewof the basic foundations which madethe Filipino people unique a one of a

kind and nowhere else could be found And certainly a must-have as a friend and neighbor

Some of the trait I like is the ldquomano pordquo expression and at thesame time reaching for the otherrsquos hand and asking for his blessingsTe respected elder would normally extend his hand to touch theforehead of the one asking for his blessings and expresses ldquokaawanka ng Diyosrdquo or ldquoGod bless yourdquo It doesnrsquot matter whether the onebeing accorded the respect is younger than the person asking forthe blessing or even if they hardly know each other

Another trait is removing onersquos slippers or shoes when enteringa neighborrsquos house Te guest expresses his respect for the hostand does not in any way want to spoil or damage the pristinecondition of the floor which is normally kept shiny and clean

Cleaning of onersquos surrounding to the point of cleaning also theneighborrsquos grounds I could still remember in our neighborhoodthat the old folks would sweep the debris on the street in front

of their houses But instead of just collecting their own trashthey would try to outdo each other by picking (or sweeping)the litter on the street up to the neighborrsquos house in front andeven on their right and left side

Everyone living along the same street knows each other very well to the point that all knows who are having a hard time and would need some assistance A neighbor would readily do somehousehold chores give some food and try to console those whoare grieving for the loss of a love one Nobody needs to askHelp is extended readily

Although the traits Irsquove mentioned above are seldom practicednowadays except for the ldquomano pordquo I still believe that those

were just some of our good traits which define us as people which define us as a Filipino a unique breed of people We arevery resilient that even though we are in grief or experiencingextreme challenges in our everyday life we still are able to lightour faces with the friendliest smile

Christmas is another tradition-field celebration that is uniquelyFilipino Te ldquoSimbang Gabirdquo ldquoputo bumbongrdquo and the like are

some Christmas traditions But let us not forget that Christmas isnot just a season of merriment but is a season for reconciliationItrsquos that time of the year when we want to ask forgiveness fromthose we had wronged and at same time forgive also those whohad wronged us and forget whatever they had done to us

Christmas is a season wherein family ties are kept stronger andmore meaningful But to be more meaningful it is better that weshare our blessings to those in need whose nights might be Holy but

would be very Silent and the only sound that they could hear arenot carols of merriment but the grumbling of their empty stomach

Make this Christmas the most meaningful Christmas ever bysharing your ldquoNoche Buenardquo with a neighbor or better still witha complete stranger May the birth of our Lord touch our heartsand be responsive to those in need

CHRISMAS is a holy day celebratingthe birth of Jesus Christ our Saviour Ithas been a tradition in the Philippines that

we go to dawn masses from December 16to the eve of Christmas day Because ourenthusiasm builds up as early as Septemberon Christmas Day itself many of us areexhausted after days of going through heavytraffic on the way to parties and to crowdedshopping malls to shop for gifts Tere arealso many events that we are enticed to at-tend for our kidsrsquo sake gatherings of relatives and friends near and farand entertainment we spend a lot for the family

While these festivities are all expressions of love we sometimes forgetthat Christmas day is the day we should go to mass to thank God forall the blessings we received from Him and in turn to offer our gift to

Jesus Christ As we enter the Advent season let us start reflecting on

how we can better love and serve God on how we can help the poorand how we can give hope to those who are losing hope Let us put intoaction the principle of charity with greater vigor and sense of urgency

May Christmas be like the ldquoJourney to the Innrdquo of Joseph and Mary- tiring yet full of hope and joy to welcome Christ in our hearts andour homes As Knights of Columbus let us lead our communities toa Christ-centered Advent celebration this year and always

My family and I wish your whole family ldquoA Merry Christmas and aBlessed New Yearrdquo

FOR this Christmas I wish tobase my reflection on a poem

written by Horacio de la Costathe first Filipino provincial ofthe Jesuits Please read and usethe poem as a Christmas greet-ing My reflection is nothingcompared to the poem

We must have visited all theBelens in our churches since we

were small In fact most of usalso put up the Christmas cribin our own homes In arlacthey even have yearly exhibits ofBelens which they call Belenis-mo We were told that it was StFrancis who started putting upthe crib in his church And thepoem of Horacio Dela Costatells us that if we meditate onthis set up we might discover

the surprises that they bring toour consciousness

Let us identify some fea-tures of the Belens that we se earound us during the Christ-mas season and together letus reflect on the meanings thatthese can offer us We shall seedifferent layers of Christmasmeaning emerge

1 he King was born poorGod has become human Tisis one of the features that wesee when we stare at the Crib

What a paradox the king ispoor God is human Life isindeed full of paradoxes andof seeming contradictions

We make sense of them only

with the passage o f t ime and

as we mature both in age andin faith

2 he Bethlehem scene isprofoundly meaningful sym-bolic and mystery-laden We

watch the figures in the Be lenand sometimes we do notunderstand When we do notunderstand the turn of eventsin our life we should not giveup We should not run awayTe world will not end onlybecause we do not understand

what we see exper ience or feelLet us stand in awe at Godrsquosvisit when we are clueless of

what i s happening 3 he King was born in a

manger But there was peacearound among the wise menand the shepherds on that holy

and starry night We see atthe Belen scene a communionamong God humans the richand the poor animals and hu-mans the stars the night andthe people It was as though ata special moment the Universe

was one As though the con-nectedness of all the elements

was not merel y ecolog ical asLaudato Si spoke of but evendivine -human No wonderthat we do not get tired of put-ting up our belens at home inchurches and in public placesNo wonder that we can stareforever at the Nativity scenealthough we do not fully un-derstand everything although

we do it yea r afte r year We

also feel that we are there andthat we are connected to the

figures they represent we areconnected to history to oursurroundings and even to ourGod

4 he Savior was born ina manger where animals eatTe meaning of the mangerscene has been the content ofmany sermons that we haveheard We were told that thisdoes not only refer to thehumility or poverty of Jesus

A dee per meaning they say isthat Jesus has come to be foodfor all who come to him Jesuscame to give Himself as foodfor the world His words histeachings his mercy and com-passion and his Good News of

Godrsquos Plan are enough to fillour emptiness with a sense ofdirection and destiny Teyquench our thirst for enlight-enment guidance and sense ofdignity as humans

5 he Baby who is born isthe Savior of the world Howcan a Baby save the w orld Wesee before us a baby wrappedin swaddling clothes And werealize that Divinity can berevealed in very human situ-ations And that the humblestreality could be a revelationthat God is in our midst If weopen our hearts and minds tothe Lord His Spirit enlightensand gives delight to our weary

and limited minds and souls

Even today we can feel Hismessage although sometimes

we do not ful ly unders tand Te truth dawns on us when

we ar e qu ie t and when we wait When we do not rush toknow Godrsquos Presence is a Giftthat we can never be worthy ofBut the point here is not thatour littleness could obstructthe Revelation of a mysteryRather the Greatness of theLord compels Him to revealHimself to the little one Evento us Now

Tat is why Liturgy invokesour ability to watch to look at

what happe ns in the Churchcelebrations Te beauty ofcandles incense and flowerscan evoke some sense of the

Sacred Space a Sacred Mo-ment and a Sacred Encounter

Te Belen does this for us inrevealing the message of Christ-mas If we open our eyes weshall see the Message of Christ-mas with our hearts If we havetime and we can keep quietbefore the Belen we might seethe surprise of the Lord

[The author Ma TheresaG Curia is the Executive VicePresident amp Chief OperatingOfficer of the Knights of Co-lumbus Fraternal Association ofthe Phils Inc (KCFAPI) andthe incumbent Diocesan Regentof the Daughters of Mary Im-maculate International Dioceseof Malolos]

IrsquoS that time of the year again We must allbegin the increasingly difficult task of buy-ing suitable gifts for our friends and familyHowever there is a different gift you shouldseriously consider giving this year Itrsquos not a fun

present nor it is exciting Itrsquos not somethingyou can play with or wear and it definitely wouldnrsquot be considered a treat Itrsquos a gift thatno one wants but everyone NEEDS So whatare we talking about A Fraternal Service Plan

A Benefit Certificate (BC) or what is simplyknown as a life insurance policy Every year

we search for that perfect gift for a loved oneSomething that will show how much we careand appreciate them What could better provethat than giving someone the gift of SECU-RIY and SABILIY

Unfortunately the recent statistics presentthe sad truth (a) more than 95 Filipinos donot have adequate levels of insurance and (b)more than 80 of Filipinos do not believethey are likely to suffer a serious illness in the

next 20 years Yet each year around 365000Filipinos face premature death either caused byaccidental death or natural sickness It equatesto 1000 untimely deaths everyday

Firstly think about your present situation

Do you have loved ones who depend on youfinancially If something were to happen toyou would your family struggle to maintaintheir current lifestyle the kind of living yoursquovebeen providing If you answered yes to thesequestions itrsquos as simple as that - you need tohave life insurance Secondly do you have aloved one (parent spouse adult children e tc)

who needs protection Tis year give them theultimate gift Having an adequate amount oflife insurance can help in paying off hospitalbills memorial bills mortgage and even in-heritance tax It can allow a family to maintaintheir current level of living and possibly evenfund long term goals such as childrenrsquos schoolfunds dream car house business and evenretirement Now wersquore not saying this is the

only gift you should give it might look a littlesad with only that under the Christmas treeHowever just consider along with the othergifts giving a present that may not be appreci-ated at that moment might come in use should

a critical time arrive You look after your familyand so this is a perfect gift ideaItrsquos important to consult a fraternal counselor

when considering life insurance as it is impera-tive that you are insured accurately dependingon your current situation and future needs

Should you wish to know more just visit wwwkofcorgph for inquiries

Did you know thatFor as low as PhP10000 you can already

start the Gift of Life to your loved ones Tisfraternal service plan is called KC Peso Saver Itis a single contribution endowment plan which

will mature at the end of the benefit certificatersquos10th year In fact a lot of Knights of ColumbusMembers invest with this Gift of Life everyChristmas for their spouse and children

Gemille Isabel P Gloria

A Meek Christmas

IMAGINE a pregnant mother who is supposed to give birth toa child at the moment and rideson a donkey with her husband

Apart from the pain of laborthe mother is enduring deathchases their yet unborn child astheir King deliberately kills allthe newborn babies that night

urned down by the innkeepersthey ended up in a crude stablesharing it with the farm animalsand the shepherds as she gavebirth to a baby boy and placedhim in a manger I bet you arepicturing a scene of a movie inyour head right now Tis isactually what the first Christmaslooked like

Going back to the presentChristmas is far more delightfuland exciting Shopping feastinggift-giving and vacation trippingare just few of the activities that

we cannot do away with in ourChristmas lists We think ofChristmas like no other ordinaryday of the year We make sure

that for Noche Buena there isabundance of bountiful feasts inour dining table from a platterof mouth-watering leche flan toa sumptuous lechon new clothesup to fifty percent sale on theselected items section and expen-sive gifts covered in a Santa Claus

wrapper under a fully decorated

Christmas tree We associate theChristmas season as a time ofsplendor since it is the birthday ofour Savior Unfortunately someof us could only imagine thesethings Tey are our fellow whoare counted by the government inabject poverty who could hardlythink of where and how to gettheir first meal for the 365 daysof the year including Christmasday One does not need to moveafar to behold this ravers-ing nearby the office we couldalready see some of the faces inpoverty If you have not takenyet the underpass connectingManila City Hall and Intramu-ros as you make your way out of

it you will see sullied children intattered clothes inhaling plasticbags containing rugby with somesoiled adults who seem to be theirparents doing the same thing

With their hunger already in theirhead some children forcibly takethe food of the passersby Duringthe night the space where people

enter and exit the underpassin the day turns into a freezinghome for the homeless Youcan see in their wrinkled face thefeeling of sleeping on the passage-

ways with only cardboard boxesand worn out fabrics in betweentheir body and the cold cementedground Teir condition is notfar from what Jesus experiencedon the first Christmas born intoand chose to live a life of poverty

Remembering martyredSalvadoran Archbishop OscarRomero who once said thatldquoNo one can celebrate a genuineChristmas without being trulypoor he self sufficient theproud those who because they

have everything look down onothers those who have no needeven of God for them there

will be no Christmas Only thepoor the hungry those whoneed someone to come on theirbehalf will have that someonehat someone is God Em-manuel God-with-usrdquo With

what he thought we canrsquot arguethat at times we want everythingTe more you have the moreyou want and the more you get

What if we have nothing Whatif we donrsquot have gifts food andnew clothes for the Christmas

What if we are in the place of thehomeless Would we still feel thesame Christmas Spirit withoutthe things we celebrate with it

We have to learn to celebrat eChristmas with how the poorperceive it Let us not reachthe point where we celebrateChristmas just because we willreceive our one-year wish listLet us learn to lose to sacrificeand to give during Christmas

Joseph P Teodoro

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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D3The Cross December 7 2015 - 27 2015 Vol 19 No 25

Deogracias Fajota Fr Jeronimo

Ma Cruz Fr Antonio Rex PalayaFr Melvin Gamelo Fr JuliusCuison Fr Felix Labios Fr Ra-melle Rigunay Fr Randy SalungaFr Joel Cariaso Fr HernandezMendoza Fr Julius de Sagun FrRonel Ilano Fr Lowie Palines andFr Emmanuel Hiipolito

In his homily Cardinal aglestarted by citing that aside fromthe formal opening of the Dioc-esan process for Fr Willmannit was also the feast day of St

Ambrose a great teacher of theChurch known for his sanctityand teachings It was also the eveof the Immaculate Conception ofour Blessed Mother Mary plus thestart of the Advent season

Te Cardinal then focused onthe question What does it meanto be holy With the opening ofthe Cause he said that Fr George

J Willmann St Ambrose andMother Mary all responded tosanctity and holiness Cardinalagle clarified that ldquoHoliness isan attribute of God and not manrsquosachievement nor his work It isGod who is Holy and our holi-ness is a gift of God ndash our oneness

with HimrdquoCardinal agle added that the

message of the First Reading is thatthe Holiness of God is seen withmarvelous work ndash like transform-ing a desert into a garden filled

with water and flowers where we

are able to drink from Godrsquos good-ness with a safe road along the

holy way Te desert symbolizes

humanity that is seen to be dryfruitless empty and even life-less However when God entersall these are transformed into abountiful garden Godrsquos Holinessalways creates miracles ldquoWhen-ever we experience hopelessnessloaded with faults we must notbe afraid for that is the time whenGod will come to infuse His Holi-ness and cure the sickness Tat isthe Good Newsrdquo Cardinal agleadded that during this season ofadvent we must look deeper intoour deserts in order to experiencethe Holiness of God

Te Cardinal then underscoredthat we need to respond to GodrsquosHoliness not like the scribes in

the reading who questioned andrejected Jesus but like the friendsof the paralyzed man who lookedfor a nonconventional way -through the roof - to bring theparalytic closer to Jesus Cardinalagle stressed the need for us to bealert discerning with eyes of faithin order for us to respond to ourHoly God in His action when weare in our desert

he Cardinal then asked thepeople to pray for those entrusted

with the Cau se of Fr Willmannthat they may be illumined witheyes of faith With no intention ofpre-empting the Diocesan processCardinal agle simply thankedGod as we are now privileged

to share Godrsquos holiness throughpersonal experiences with Fr Will-

Sainthood D1

Process for PHrsquos new lsquoServantof Godrsquo starts rollingMANILA Dec 7 2015 ndash Manila Arch-bishop Luiacutes Antonio G Cardinal agleofficially accepted on Monday Dec 7the Feast of St Ambrose the petition toopen an investigation on the sanctity andheroic virtues of Fr George J WillmannSJ founder of the Knights of Columbus(KC) in the Philippines among otherCatholic lay organizations

At least 1000 of the naturalized Fili-pino Jesuit priestrsquos spiritual children fromall over the country including no lessthan former Supreme Court (SC) Chief

Justice Hilario G Davide Jr becamepart of Philippine Church history as they

witnes sed at the Manila Metropo litanCathedral Basilica the solemn opening ofthe archdiocesan process they hope wouldlead to beatification and canonization

lsquoGreat responsibilityrsquoIn line with this agle appointed Msgr

Pedro C Quitorio III of the CatholicBishopsrsquo Conference of the Philippines(CBCP) Media Office as postulator forthe cause of the countryrsquos newest ldquoServantof Godrdquo

He also approved the appointments ofMsgr Geronimo S Reyes Fr Wilmer RRosal and Fr Ricardo P del Rosario asepiscopal delegate vice postulator andpromoter of justice respectively as wellas of a host of other experts both clericand lay who vow to work together to giveFilipinos another saint

Te prelate went on to swear in allthose involved in the cause for Willmannrsquosbeatification and canonization remindingthem of the ldquogreat responsibilityrdquo theyhave assumed and the ldquoimportance andseriousnessrdquo of the task at hand

PHrsquos Fr McGivney Dubbed ldquoFr McGivney of the Philip-

pinesrdquo due to his dedication to expand KClocally Willmann worked for the radicaltransformation of faith into action

Born on June 29 1897 to very devoutCatholic parents in Brooklyn New Yorkthe American Jesuit was granted Philip-pine citizenship by President FerdinandMarcos through Presidential Decree(PD) No 740

In 1938 he first served as chaplain

of KC Manila Council 1000 then re-turned in 1954 to become the Orderrsquosfirst Philippine Deputy until his deathin 1977

In total the priest spent 44 fruitful andproductive years in the Philippines serv-ing the poor the sick the orphans theoppressed the lonely and the desolateespecially the young ones

KCFAPI etcBesides what is formally known as the

Knights of Columbus Fraternal Associa-tion of the Philippines Inc (KCFAPI)

which he founded in 1958 Willmannestablished other organizations as follows

bull Catholic Youth Organization (1938)bull Establishment of the Catholic Press

ldquoFilipinasrdquo and the ldquoCrossrdquo Magazines(1946)

bull Columbian Squires in the Philippines(1950)

bull Daughters of Isabella in the Philip-pines (1951) reorganized as Daughtersof Mary Immaculate (1977)

bull Columbian Farmers Aid Association(1951) reorganized as Knights of Co-lumbus Community Service Inc (1962)

bull Knights of Columbus Fraternal Asso-ciation of the Philippines Inc (KCFAPI)(1958)

bull Knights of Columbus PhilippinesFoundation Inc (1971) (Raymond ASebastiaacuten CBCP News)

Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle leads the Mass of the formal opening of the ArchdiocesanProcess for the Causes of Beatification and Canonization of the Servant of God FatherGeorge J Willmann SJ father of the Knights of Columbus in the Philippines LIN REGINO

Te Gentle Warrior By James B Reuter SJ

Part II of Chapter wo of ldquoTe Gentle Warriorrdquo series

CHAPER WO-----------------

Te Ateneo de Manila

HE Ateneo was a boysrsquo schoolTe objective of a boysrsquo school is tomake a man out of a boy Te mainvirtue of a man is courage Godmirrored His virtues in His childrenBut he divided them between girls

and boys Tere is such a thing as amasculine soul and a feminine soulIf a boy and a girl are suddenly con-fronted with a wild bull thunderingdown on them if the girl screamedand hid behind the boy that wouldbe normal But if the boy screamedand hid behind the girl everyone

would be ashamed of him Tevirtue of a girl is not physical cour-age it is love and mercy Te virtueof a boy is courage and justice Butin our schools there is no course inthe curriculum called ldquoCouragerdquo

here is no subject called

ldquoCouragerdquo Tere is no mark forldquoCouragerdquo It has to be taught inevery subject through the wholelife of the school he Jesuitsunderstood this very well AndGeorge understood it He began

to learn the meaning of couragehimself when he was five yearsold sitting on the curbstone onPutnam Avenue when the wheelof the garbage truck crushed bothhis feet

In the old Ateneo there wasa strong tradition of ldquoRomansrdquoand ldquoCarthageniansrdquo Jose Rizal

was the Emperor of the RomansEvery class was competitive TeRomans would be lined up onone side of the class the Car-thagenians on the other Te firstquestion went to the Romans

If the Romans answered it cor-rectly the questioning stayed

with the Romans If any Romanmissed the question went to theCarthagenians Ten the Romanboys would growl and grumble at

the Roman who missed It wascompetition to teach courage

And the battle cry of all theteams was ldquoAnimo Ateneordquo Youcould translate that as ldquoLetrsquos go

Ateneordquo or ldquoSpirit Ateneordquo orldquoFight Ateneordquo mdash but in practiceit meant courage Never give upno matter what the odds ldquoGoget lsquoem Ateneordquo Never say dieTis was obvious in everythingthat the boys did

But it never degenerated intoldquoWin at all costsrdquo Te secondmasculine virtue is justice Tis

means honesty integrity and fairplay Both at once mdash courageand fair play Te verse that everyathlete in the school knew by heart

was ldquoIf I should win let it be bythe code with my head and my

honor held high But if I shouldlose let me stand by the road andcheer as the winner goes byrdquo

It was a tremendous amount of work mdash teaching night and dayrunning the Sodality the ACILand the magazine mdash but Georgeloved it

And his students loved him Tefriendships that he made duringthose three years of regency from1922 to 1925 lasted more thanfifty years

(o be continued on the nextissue)

mann and his life and ministrydevoted to service that providedldquofresh water and good newsrdquo

particularly to the youth the poorand the prisonersTe Cardinal cited his own basic

formation as a Charter memberof the Columbian Squires inImus Cavite where they helpedthe Church in its program for thestreet children He also mentionedhis appreciation for being a scholarof the Knights of Columbus dur-ing Fr Willmannrsquos time

Reiterating that God indeedtransforms deserts into places ofrest peace and holiness Cardinalagle ended his homily by encour-aging all in attendance to be agentsof Godrsquos holiness

People from all walks of life joined the celebration of this Mass

that formally opened the Cause ofServant of God - Fr Willmann

Also repres ent ed were var iou sorganizations established and nur-tured by Fr George including the

Daughters of Isabella (now Daugh-ters of Mary Immaculate) Catholic Youth Organization ColumbianSquires and the Knights of Co-lumbus Parishioners and residents

with their families from nearbycities and communities of ondoIntramuros Sta Cruz Malate andother more distant places likewise

witnessed the very mean ingfulOpening of the diocesan processfor the Cause of their ldquoFather andBenefactorrdquo of forty years

Fr George J Willmann SJdevoted the last forty years of hislife not only in humble serviceand dynamic leadership of theKnights of Columbus in thePhilippines but equally being a

compassionate pastor in the careand formation of the youth He

provided relief to victims of the

war and of violence while also al-leviating the sufferings of the poorHe likewise established ways topreserve and promote the sanctityof life marriage and the family

It was in 1997 or eighteen yearsago that the Knights of Columbusin the Philippines first started aconcerted thrust to formally laythe groundwork for the Causeof Fr Willmann During theOrderrsquos centennial celebration ofFr Willmannrsquos birth the Ordercreated a Committee on Causecomposed of Ramon V ConsingLauro M Cruz and Msgr PedroC Quitorio III as co-chairmenNotable activities of the Com-mittee included gathering of tes-

timonials launch of the Prayer forthe Centennial of Fr Willmann with the Impr imatur of Msgr Jose C Abriol launching of Fr Willmann Fellows meeting withthen Jaime Cardinal Sin and theFather Provincial of the Jesuits toseek their respective endorsementsof the Cause Te Order publishedand distributed the pamphlet ldquoAGlimpsehe Life and Worksof Fr George J Willmann SJrdquoin order to give due acknowledg-ment and recognition as well as toincrease awareness abou t Fr Will-mann A landmark achievement ofthis period was the publication ofldquoTe Gentle Warriorrdquo a biographyof Fr Willmann authored by Fr

James B Reuter SJEstablishing and spreading the

fama sanctitatis of Fr Willmann

included the presentation andpromotion of his works mademore concrete by direct testimo-nies of various individuals whomhe personally interacted withFr Willmann Fellowsrsquo one-timemembership donations have beenpooled to fund the productionof materials such as prayer cardspublications tarpaulins postersto effectively promote Fr George

Willmann not only to brotherKnights but more importantlyto the youth the poor and under-privileged of various communities

In 2011 through the efforts ofthe KC Fraternal Association ofthe Philippines and the Knightsof Columbus Fr Willmann Chari-

ties Inc the National ExecutiveCommittee (NEC) for the Causeof Fr Willmann was created withthe primary function of overseeingall the initiatives relative to or inconnection with the Cause

We are blessed that the Dioc-esan process of the Cause of FrGeorge J Willmann SJ has nowbeen formally opened therebygiving us significant reason torejoice Henceforth he will nowbe regarded Servant of God Letus fervently pray for continuedenlightenment from the HolySpirit for everyone involved in thisDiocesan process and the Causeas a whole so that our belovedFr George J Willmann may ulti-

mately be elevated to the honorsof the altar

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D4 The CrossDecember 7 2015 - 27 2015 Vol 19 No 25

FST IN CAGAYAN A Fraternal Service Training program was held in Cagayan De Oro last November 13 2015Participants were from Zamboanga Misamis and Butuan The event was graced by KCFAPI Vice Presidentfor FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBG Manager Michael Cabra Aside from the product specifications thetraining also gives an idea regarding the basic insurance process and conceptualization of new marketingstrategies in order to achieve their goals and improve their sales performance (FBG News)

AREA MEETING IN VISAYAS The KCFAPI Western Visayas Armor held an area meeting in Bacolod lastOctober 24 2015 led by Agency Unit Manager Randy G Bravo and graced by KCFAPI Vice President forFBG Gari San Sebastian (KCFAPI News)

FST IN DAVAO A Fraternal Service Training program (1 and 2) was held in KCFAPI Davao Service OfficeDavao City last November 20-21 2015 Participants were from Compostela Valley Cotabato City andGeneral Santos The training was attended by KCFAPI Vice President f or FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBGManager Michael Cabra (FBG News)

PRODUCERSrsquo FORUM KCFAPI Vice President for FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBG Manager Michael Cabraled a Producersrsquo Forum wherein fraternal counsellors all over Luzon were gathered for an update of theirincentives program held last November 11 2015 at the KCFAPI home office (FBG News)

New KCFAPI Board of Trustee Bro Pascual C Carbero

IN February of 1986 BroCarbero started his knightlyservice in the Knights of Co-lumbus under Council 10695

in Valenzuela City Duringhis service in Council 10695he has been appointed asChancellor for CY 1992-1993 and as Deputy GrandKnight and Program Direc-tor for CY 1993-1994 InDistrict M-31 of ValenzuelaCity Bro Carbero was GrandKnight for CY 1994-1995District Warden for CY 1996-1997 and District Deputyfor CY 1997-1999 He wasalso Chairman for the Roundable District Deputies forCY 1998-1999 At the Dr PioValenzuela Assembly ACN1772 Meycauayan Bulacanhe was the Faithful Naviga-

tor for CY 1999-2000 Onthat same term Bro Pascual

was the Luzo n State Audi -tor for CY 2000-2003 andthe Luzon State Warden forCY 2000-2003 of the Luzon

Jurisdiction After which forCY 2000-2001 he becamethe Charter Faithful Naviga-tor for the City of Valenzuela

Assembly ACN 2676 For

CY 2007-2015 Bro Carbero was re-a ppo inte d as Luzo nState Warden Bro Carbero

was a voting delegate in the

KC Supreme Convention heldat Washington DC in 2010and also a non-voting delegateheld at Anaheim Californiain 2002 and 2012 Currentlyhe is the State Secretary of theLuzon North Jurisdiction

Bro Pascualrsquos dedicationand enthusiasm in participat-ing in the Order gave himthe endeavor to author thecreation of the City of Valen-zuela Assembly in 1999 withthe assistance of the Districtand Vice Supreme Master

With his knightly serv ice he was awarded with several rec-ognition namely OutstandingDistrictDeputy for CY 1997-

1999 Star District Awardeefor CY 1997-1999 and Civic

Awardee as Charter FaithfulNavigator of the City of Valen-zuela Assembly ACN 2676CY 2000-2001

Apart from Knights of Co-lumbus Bro Carbero partakeshis services in other civic andreligious organizations He isa Special Lay Minister of the

Holy Eucharist Parish of theHoly Cross since 1989 and amember of the Parish RenewalExperience Group He is the

Director and reasurer of thePhilippine Insurers Club from2013 to 2014 and currently itsPresident He is also a memberof the Insurance Executive1st Friday Club of Makatiand an incoming Presidentof the Philippine Associationof Surety Underwriters Incthis 2016

He was Director Corpo-rate Secretary of Mace Insur-ance Agency Inc from 2012until 2014 and currentlythe Independent Director ofKompass Credit and FinancialCorporation and KCFAPIrespectively Bro Carbero isalso a fellow of Father George

J Willmann Charit ies Inc And since 2006 he has beenthe Vice President of IntraStrata Assurance Corporation

He graduated with a Bach-elorrsquos degree in Business Ad-ministration Major in Man-agement at Philippine Schoolof Business Administration in1973 and finished Bachelor ofLaws in Lyceum of the Philip-

pines in 1988Bro Pascual Carberorsquos wife

Sis Remedios was past presi-dent for three years of theCatholic Womenrsquos League(CWL) Valenzuela Chapterand currently the AssistantVice President for Underwrit-ing in Mercantile InsuranceCo Inc in Intramuros Ma-nila Tey are blessed with six

wonderful children namely

Soidemer Claire a pediatri-cian Abigail Claire a lawyerValerie Claire and ChristineClaire both of whom are reg-istered nurses Terese Claire

who graduated with Bachelorrsquosdegree in Laws and is currentlyreviewing for Bar exams and

Adrian Brian who is also aregistered nurse and presentlya 3rd year medical student

Former SC Justice tofellow lsquoPH Knightsrsquo Prayfor Willmannrsquos CauseMANILA Dec 8 2015 ndash Former Chief

Justice Hilario G Davide Jr has calledon fellow members of the Knights of Co-lumbus (KC) nationwide to keep prayingfor the eventual ldquoraising to the altarrdquo ofthe grouprsquos spiritual father Fr George J

Willmann SJ who was declared ldquoSer-vant of Godrdquo Monday Dec 7

ldquoSo what is demanded of us as mem-bers of Knights of Columbus What isdemanded of us as members of Knightsof Columbus Fraternal Association of thePhilippines Inc [KCPAFI]rdquo he askedldquoWe need to pray a lot Pray pray praythat the tribunal will listen to the evidencepresented Pray pray pray that the tribu-nal will actually collate all the evidenceand determine once and for all that whathas been presented through our postula-

tor is credible to merit the conferment ofbeatification later on Tis is our taskrdquo

Archdiocesan processDavide who now chairs the National

Executive Committee for the Causes ofFr Willmann made this observation in aspeech following a ceremony held at theManila Cathedral during which Arch-bishop Luiacutes Antonio G Cardinal agleofficially approved the archdiocesan process

for the causes for the beatification and can-onization of the naturalized Filipino Jesuit

he solemn occasion was witnessedby no less than 1000 representativesof KCPAFI and other organizations Fr

Willmann helped establish like Catholic Youth Organization Columbian Squiresin the Philippines (1950) and Daughtersof Mary Immaculate

Te former chief magistrate went on todescribe the entire process as ldquovery mean-ingfulrdquo since it had the power to make anordinary priest into a Servant of God

Ordinary priest to Servant of GodldquoImagine during our lifetime today in

the Cathedral we saw the conversion ofan ordinary priest to become a Servant ofGod And we hope that he will merit be-

ing a servant of God until the first step ofthe process will continuerdquo he exclaimed

According to him it must have been thefirst time for most people present to haveseen with their own eyes an event of suchldquohistoric and momentous significancerdquo

ldquoI have lived 20 times four years of mylife almost And this is the first time I have

witnessed the process how it evolves and what we can gather from it o me thisis not just making somebody brought to

the honors of the altar but for us to beable to witness how to live and how tocomport ourselves to be able to follow hisfootstepsrdquo he explained

Built-in holinessDavide pointed out that holiness is

already built in each person but it is onlya matter of expressing it

ldquoWhy I would say that holiness is inus already Because we are the templeof God and the Spirit of God is with usSometimes however we forget that this isso We close our ears We close our eyes to

Jesus Christ We close our hands to JesusChrist by helping others So this is theprocess that we have witnessed today Andto me it will very much workrdquo he added

Davide also credited Msgr Pedro C Qui-

torio III postulator of the causes for Fr Will-mann for the ldquodivinely inspiredrdquo occasionand the timeliness of the diocesan process

ldquoSo Msgr Quitorio you are divinelyinspired You planned everything in sucha way that everything we did and we willdo and what we are doing right now isnot only as legacy to the next generationbut even beyond the next generation forpeople and children yet unbornrdquo he said(Raymond A Sebastiaacuten CBCP News)

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A2 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

SANIAGO Chile Dec 4 2015mdashHun-dreds of thousands in Chile will visit the LoVasquez Shrine this coming December 8 onthe Solemnity of the Immaculate Conceptiontaking part in one of the most well-attended

pilgrimages in the countryOur Immaculate Lady of Lo Vasquez knownin Spanish as ldquoNuestraSentildeoraPuriacutesimardquo is adevotion that dates back to 1850 in ValparaisoChile On Dec 7 and 8 the shrine draws almost1 million faithful to central Chile People comefrom different parts of the country in a pilgrim-age that will conclude Chilersquos month of Mary

Tis year the pilgrimage will have a spe-cial focus the opening of the Holy Door ofthe Jubilee Year of Mercy Te special yeardeclared by Pope Francis is intended toencourage acts of faith charity and broth-erly communion Specially designated HolyDoors at churches around the world are con-nected to plenary indulgences for pilgrimsduring the church year

Alre ady since Sunday Nov 29 the LoVasquez Shrine has begun to prepare for Feast

of the Immaculate Virgin with the start of thenovena in honor of the Immaculate Concep-tion of Mary

Te doctrine of the Immaculate Conceptionrecognizes that God chose the Virgin Mary tobe conceived without sin It was proclaimed onDec 8 1854 by Pope Pius IX in his papal bullldquoIneffabilis Deusrdquo formalizing the long-held

Catholic beliefTis yearrsquos pilgrimage events are based onthe theme ldquoMother of Life Mother of Mercyrdquo

On Nov 29 the pilgrimagersquos traditional reli-gious dance festival took place In this festivalthe faithful renew their promises to the Motherof God alongside dancers and musicians

Te chaplain at the Shrine of the ImmaculateVirgin of Lo Vasquez Father Marcelino oroexplained the event to CNA

He said the pilgrimage is ldquoprimarily an en-counter with someone you loverdquo

ldquoAnd from that encounter one feels completecontentment happy to have done somethinggood Tis full encounter is with Mary theMother who shows us Jesus as the only waytruth and liferdquo Fr oro added

Te priest discussed the renewal encouragedby the Year of Mercy saying ldquoit has to do with

the humble little heart thatrsquos in need Conse-quently the beginning of the Year of Mercystarts out with this feast of Mary who lived out

mercy in the humility of her heartrdquoOne of the main activities of this festival

is the Mass celebrated by the Bishop of Val-paraiso Gonzalo Duarte He will open theHoly Door of the Shrine of the ImmaculateVirgin and lead the solemn procession withthe statue of the Virgin

Te pilgrims who come to the shrine willalso be able to go to confession all day long

and attend one of many Masses which willstart on the hour from midnight to 7 pm onDec 8 (CNA)

WORLD NEWS

Vatican BriefingIn Chile massive Marian pilgrimageto open Year of Mercy

San Bernardino bishop offers prayers inwake of mass shootingSAN BERNARDINO CalifDec 2 2015mdashBishop Gerald RBarnes of the Diocese of San Ber-nardino Calif requested prayersand offered his own after at leastone gunman left more than adozen dead at a social servicesfacility in the city

ldquoPlease join me in praying forall of the victims of this horrificincident and their familiesrdquo hesaid in a statement Wednesdayafternoon

ldquoFor those who lost their lives we pray for their eternal rest andGodrsquos strength to their loved onesleft behind for those who are wounded we pray for their healthand healingrdquo

Late Wednesday morning atleast one gunman opened fire on

an event at the Inland RegionalCenter in San Bernardino a facil-ity that serves people with devel-opmental disabilities

Te San Bernardino police have

confirmed that at least 14 people were ki lled and at least 14 were wounded in the attack

Several reports say there mayhave been up to three gunmeninvolved in the attack As of 230pm PS the shooter or shootersremained at large and no arrests

have been madePolice are searching for a black Yukon SUV that drove away fromthe shooting FBI and AF teamsare on the scene

In his statement Bishop Barnesalso offered prayers for the servicemen and women on the sceneldquoLet us also ask God to protectthe brave men and women in lawenforcement who are pursuing thesuspects in this caserdquo

ldquoOur community of San Ber-

nardino has faced great challengesthrough the years Let us cometogether now in unity to bringlight to the darkness of this dayrdquohe concluded (CNA)

For Singaporersquos archbishop only mercy can save aselfish and material worldSINGAPORE Dec 5 2015mdashMsgr WilliamGoh Seng Chye archbishop of Singaporeyesterday released a pastoral letter in connec-tion with the start of the Year of Mercy which AsiaNews is publishing today

Proclaimed by Pope Francis the Jubilee ofMercy will open on 8 December with celebra-tions not only in Rome but in all the diocesesof the world and the main shrines As part ofthis the Archdiocese of Singapore is gettingready with meetings prayers and works ofpastoral outreach

For Msgr Goh ldquoWhat the world needs mosttoday more than at any time in history ismercy In the world of science and technologythere is no place for mercy Tis lack of mercyis evident in the violent destruction o f humanlife and habitat Ironically such acts are often justified in the name of justice Many of theseacts of terrorism are committed in the nameof God and love

ldquoIn the guise of mercy we advocate the abor-tion of babies so that they will not be withoutparental love euthanasia is encouraged sothat the elderly need not suffer loneliness ormeaningless pain in their illness Te truth isthat such actions are contrary to our professionof love and mercy for where there i s love andcompassion we will truly care for the helplessbabies and the elderly

In his pastoral letter Mgr Goh goes on tonote that in todayrsquos world mercy seems tohave lost its core value for society and humanrelations Tis can be seen ldquoin the way weregard sinners and those who have hurt usrdquoIndeed ldquoTe Church as the mercy of Christmust reach out to such people and show themcompassion and understanding

Terefore ldquoIn the light of the Jubilee Yearof Mercy let us join Pope Francis in reiteratingthe centrality of the gospel of mercyrdquo so that wecan meet societyrsquos marginalised downtroddenand neglected members and ldquofind a pastoralapproach to help people to live up to the idealsof perfect love and to show compassion whenthey fall short in spite of their sincerityrdquo

For the prelate ldquoif mercy is lacking it alsostems from hidden and unresolved anger andresentment in our hearts Many of us who havebeen hurt by our parents superiors and evenour peers cannot let go of the hurts or evenabuses we have sufferedrdquo

At the same time ldquothe lack of mercy comesfrom selfishness self-centeredness and slavish-ness to the pleasures of the world It comesfrom the sins of envy sloth greed gluttonyand lust We want to satisfy our own pleasuresrdquo

Hence in an ldquoage of individualism material-ism and consumerismrdquo how ldquocan we becomechannels of Godrsquos mercy By being aware and

conscious of our sins inadequacies lack offulfilment love and forgiveness

More specifically ldquoHow then can we openourselves to Godrsquos mercyrdquo o do so ldquoWe mustcontemplate on the mercy of God in Christ

Jesus Readin g and pray ing the scriptures with devotion contemplating on the Fatherof mercy and the paschal mystery of our Lordespecially on the cross and at the Eucharist isof great help

Tus ldquoDuring this Jubilee Year of MercyI propose that Catholics undertake prayerfulspiritual pilgrimages in our backyard visitingdesignated parishes particularly the Churchof Divine Mercy

ldquoIn the same vein I encourage all Catholicsto make regular confession at least once amonth and attend at least one Mass a weekin addition to Sunday Mass

Singapore is home to some 200000 Catho-lics or about 5 per cent of the total populationBuddhism has the largest following with 33per cent followed by Christianity with 18 percent Islam with 15 per cent and aoism andHinduism with 11 and 5 per cent respectively

Te local Church is going through a phase ofgrowth and dynamism illustrated by the open-ing of a theological seminary a real ldquomilestonerdquofor the local community and a Caritas facilityfor sick people and the poor (AsiaNews)

An image of the Blessed Virgin as the Immacula teConception MARIA TAN

YANGON Dec 3 201 5mdashCardinal Charles Maung Boof Yangon is urging Myanmarrsquosnewly elected government to haltthe controversial Myitsone damproject in Kachin state which is

widely viewed as environmen-tally and culturally destructive

Cardinal Bo said Aung SanSuu Kyi leader of the National

League for Democracy that wonthe Nov 8 election said beforethe poll that a government iselected by support from thepeople

ldquoSo if she really wants to ful-fill the desire of the people sheshould try to end the projectcompletely And she shouldfollow the desire of the ethnicKachin peoplerdquo Cardinal Botold ucanewscom

Te US$38 billion dam is be-ing built on the Irrawaddy RiverMyanmarrsquos premier waterwayfor hydro electricity that willbe used almost exclusively inneighboring China providing6000 megawatts of electricity

It will be the 15th largest hy-

droelectric power station in the world if completed as plannedby 2017 It will be 1310 meterslong and 1396 meters high

By 2010 the damrsquos constructioncaused at least 2000 people tobe relocated from their ancestralhomes in Aung Myin Tar village

Te military-backed govern-ment of President Tein Sein

suspended construction in Sep-tember 2011 while China vigor-ously agitated for recommencing

work on the projectldquoTe Irrawaddy is our mother

and our life-blood river so end-ing the project is not only the

will o f ethnic Kachins but alsothe people of Myanmarrdquo Cardi-nal Bo said

He promised to speak out onthe issue ldquowhen I get a chance tomeet with Suu Kyi personallyrdquo

Cardinal Bo told ucanewscom during an interview at hisresidence in Yangonrsquos St MaryrsquosCathedral compound that healso raised concerns on anotherChina-backed projectmdasha copper

mine in central Myanmarmdashand

questioned the outgoing govern-mentrsquos relationship with Chinaand neighboring India

ldquoNo matter how (much) weneed good relationships withneighboring countries such asChina the Suu Kyi-led newgovernment should consider the

will of the people in MyanmarrdquoCardinal Bo said

He warned that an accidentduring the damrsquos constructioncould destroy several villages

while environmental destructioncaused by the dam will largelyimpact local people

In his pre-election 10-pointguide about choosing candi-dates Cardinal Bo referred tothe dam project encouragingvoters to choose candidatesand parties that ldquosafeguard thecountryrsquos nature and naturalresources protecting our forestsand not selling our sacred riversand resources to foreign powersrdquo

KhetHtain Nan a Christianlawmaker from the Unity andDemocracy Party in Kachin

State also said the new govern-

ment should not let the massivedam project continue as peopleand experts have opposed it

ldquoIn a democracy the govern-ment should listen to the voicesof the people so a new govern-ment also needs to listen to thevoices and desire of the people inMyanmarrdquo KhetHtain Nan tolducanewscom

Suu Kyi toured Kachin Stateprior to the elections and duringa meeting with Christian leaderson Oct 2 promised she wouldtry to address the dam project

which remains unpopular withmany people in Kachin

Critics have long accused SuuKyi of dodging a strong com-mitment to Myanmarrsquos diverseethnic groups that surround themore populous center of thecountry In Kachin critics sayshe and her party have failedto speak out about fighting inthe state which erupted in June2011 following the breakdownof a 17-year cease-fire betweenMyanmarrsquos military and Kachin

rebels (UCAN)

Pope Stopping climate change poverty go hand-in-hand Heads of states at the UN climate change conference in Parismust do everything possible to mitigate the effects of bothclimate change and poverty for the good of our commonhome Pope Francis said Te two choices go together tostop climate change and curb poverty so that human dignitymay flourish he said Dec 6 after reciting the Angelus with

pilgrims gathered in St Peters Square Te pope said he wasclosely following the climate conference and thinking abouthow conference participants are called to respond to the ques-tion What kind of world do we want to leave to those whocome after us to children who are now growing up Te con-ference participants he said must spare no effort in combatingclimate change for the good of our common home of all ofus and future generations (CNS)

Through thick and thin Pope urges youths to readthe Bible Pope Francis said his Bible is old beat up and worth more tohim than anything money can buy If you saw my Bible you

would not be impressed he wrote to young people Youdsay What Tis is the popes Bible A book so o ld so beat up

You might even want to give me a gift of a new one somethingthat costs 1000 euro But I dont want it Pope Francis wroteabout his Bible and his Bible-reading habits in the preface to the

German-language study guide Youth Bible for the CatholicChurch It was released in late October by the Germany-basedKatholisches Bibelwerk and the YouCat Foundation Otherlanguage versions are expected in 2016 (CNS)

Potential terrorists threatened pope say policein Italy Kosovo

Italian State Police in Brescia working with their counterpartsin Kosovo announced Dec 1 that they had taken action againstfour Kosovars they believed to be terrorist risks and who policesaid made threats on social media against Pope Francis Tefour are accused by police of publishing messages against theperson of the Holy Father and saying Remember there willnot be another pope after this one he will be the last One ofthe four was arrested in Kosovo the police in Brescia said wo

were expelled from Italy and a fourth was placed on a terrorismwatch list and his travel documents were confiscated (CNS)

Church must first evangelize itself pope sayso be able to fulfill its mission of preaching the Gospel thechurch must first evangelize itself Pope Francis said Mis-sion in fact is a force capable of transforming the church

within itself even before it does so in the life of peoples andcultures the pope told participants of the plenary assemblyof the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples Teplenary assembly which commemorated the 50th anniversaryof Ad Gentes the Second Vatican Councils decree on thechurchs missionary activity focused on missionary awarenessand the work being done in regions of the world that have beenevangelized most recently (CNS)

States attempt to abolish death penalty markedat Romes Coliseum

Romersquos Colosseum was lit in honor of the US state of Ne-braskarsquos attempt to abolish the death penalty and as part of

Cities for Life Day a worldwide event that supports a globalend to capital punishment Te Rome-based lay Communityof SantrsquoEgidio which is active in a worldwide campaign toeliminate capital executions sponsors the lighting event ev-ery Nov 30 to highlight its cause Te Colosseum has beena symbol against the death penalty because of its history asa site for gladiatorial combat and executions Cities for LifeDay is held every year to commemorate the first abolition ofthe death penalty by a European statemdashthe Grand Duchy ofuscany in 1786 (CNS)

A car chapel Its a real thing and Pope Francis blessed one

A Marian chapel built into a carmdashcalled an ldquoAutocappellardquomdashreceived a blessing from Pope Francis on Dec 2 just before the

Wednesday general audience in St Peterrsquos Square Te mobilechapel belongs to the ldquoMarian Mission of the Rosary of theShrine of Pompeiirdquo and carries an icon of the Virgin of Pompeiito dioceses around the world At the request of a diocese the

mission brings copies of the icon and organizes prayer andevangelization activities at parishes schools hospitals and pris-ons So far the mission has been to several countries includingItaly the United States Canada Australia and Malta (CNA)

Make the mercy jubilee a revolution of tendernessPope urges

Pope Francis has granted an interview to the official websitefor the Jubilee of Mercy in which he expresses his intentionthat the year be an occasion to encounter Gods tendernessin a world rife with cruelty and atrocities ldquoTe revolution oftenderness is that which today we must cultivate as a fruit ofthis year of mercy the tenderness of God toward each one ofusrdquo the Pope told the official Jubilee publication lsquoCrederersquo in aninterview released Dec 2 Te Roman Pontiff gave the exampleof an employer who manages the contracts of their employeesin such a way as to deprive them of benefits and pensions Suchan employer does not show tenderness but rather treats his

workers as obj ects he said In todays world where we havegrown accustomed to hearing about cruelty and atrocities it isclear that there is need for mercy he added (CNA)

Pope Conversion is for believers and non-believers alike

In his Angelus address for the second Sunday of Advent PopeFrancis spoke against the presumption that the need for con-version applies only to non-believers and that Christians aresomehow exempt ldquoNo one can say I am holy I am perfectI am already savedrdquo the Pope said Dec 6 to the crowds inSt Peters Square ldquoNo We must always welcome this offer ofsalvationrdquo Stressing that salvation is offered to everyone thepontiff explained that this is the reason for the Year of Mercyldquoto go ever forward along this path of salvation that path which

Jesus taught us God wants all men to be saved through JesusChrist the only Mediatorrdquo ldquoIt is a pressing invitation to openour hearts and welcome the salvation which God incessantlyalmost stubbornly offers us because he wants us to be freed

from the slavery of sinrdquo the Pope said (CNA)

Myanmar cardinal wants dam project halted

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 324

A3CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

Choice is clear pope says Protect

environment or destroy itNAIROBI Kenya Nov 262015mdashhe international com-munity is facing a stark and seriouschoice ldquoeither to improve or todestroy the environmentrdquo Pope

Francis said referring to the ParisClimate ConferenceldquoIt would be sad and I dare say

even catastrophic were specialinterests to prevail over the com-mon goodrdquo the pope said Nov 26during a visit to the headquartersin Nairobi of the UN Environ-ment Program and UN Habitatan agency concerned with urbanplanning

Under the auspices of the Unit-ed Nations the Paris conferenceNov 30-Dec 11 has the aim ofachieving a legally binding anduniversal agreement on measuresto stem climate change and protectthe environment

Pope Francis spoke at length

about the importance of the con-ference during his visit to the UNoffices and his top aides had ameeting the evening before withKenyarsquos environment minister andother officials to discuss their hopesand strategies for the Paris meeting

On his way into the meeting with UN officials and diplomatsaccredited to the two UN agen-cies Pope Francis planted a tree

Whi le his spee ch containedample quotes from his June en-cyclical on the environment thepope also referred several times tothe significance of planting treesand borrowed several lines froma speech he in made in Boliviain July to a variety of grassroots

movements advocating for justicefor the poor

In fact just as in the encyclicalldquoLaudato Sirsquordquo the pope insisted inNairobi that there is a close con-

nection between environmentaldestruction and unjust economicand political policies that penalizethe poor

ldquoWe are faced with a great po-litical and economic obligation torethink and correct the dysfunc-tions and distortions of the currentmodel of developmentrdquo he saidespecially because of their empha-sis on exploiting natural resourcesbut not sharing the benefits withlocal communities

Planting a tree he said is anldquoinvitation to continue the battleagainst phenomena like deforesta-tion and desertificationrdquo as wellas ldquoan incentive to keep trustinghoping and above all working in

practice to reverse all those situa-tions of injustice and deterioration

which we currently experiencerdquoTe Paris conference the pope

said ldquorepresents an importantstage in the process of develop-ing a new energy system whichdepends on a minimal use of fossilfuels aims at energy efficiency andmakes use of energy sources withlittle or no carbon contentrdquo

Pope Francis told those gatheredat Nairobirsquos UN offices that hehopes the Paris conference willresult in a ldquoglobal and lsquotransfor-mationalrsquo agreement based on theprinciples of solidarity justiceequality and participation anagreement which targets three

Pope Francis CNA

complex and interdependent goalslessening the impact of climatechange fighting poverty and en-suring respect for human dignityrdquo

o achieve a comprehensiveand fair agreement he said real

dialogue is necessary among poli-ticians scientists business leadersand representatives of civil societyincluding the poorest sectors ofthose societies

Pope Francis insisted that hu-man beings are capable of chang-ing course choosing what is goodand making a fresh start hekey he said will be to put theeconomy and politics at the serviceof people who are called to live inharmony with the rest of creation

ldquoFar from an idealistic utopiathis is a realistic prospect whichmakes the human person andhuman dignity the point ofdeparture and the goal of every-thingrdquo he said

A new respect for human dig-nity and for the environment arepart of the same attitude of giv-ing value to all that God madehe said

Pope Francis called for ldquothe

adoption of a culture of caremdashcarefor oneself care for others care forthe environmentmdashin the place ofa culture of waste a throw-awayculture where people use anddiscard themselves others and theenvironmentrdquo

Te idea of a ldquothrow-away cul-turerdquo is not simply a strong figureof speech he said pointing toldquonew forms of slavery human traf-ficking forced labor prostitutionand trafficking in organsrdquo

ldquoMany lives many stories manydreams have been shipwrecked inour dayrdquo the pope said ldquoWe can-not remain indifferent in the faceof this We have no rightrdquo (CindyWoodenCatholic News Service)

Pope calls Central African Christians Muslimsto unite against violence BANGUI Central African Republic Nov 302015mdashChristians and Muslims must uniteagainst acts which ldquodisfigure the Face of Godrdquoby promoting peace Pope Francis told Islamicrepresentatives on the final day of his vi sit the

war-torn Central African Republic (CAR)ldquoTose who claim to believe in God must

also be men and women of peacerdquo the Popesaid at the Nov 30 encounter at the Mosqueof Koudoukou in the CAR capital Bangui re-calling the long history of peaceful coexistenceamong people of different religions

ldquoChristians Muslims and members of thetraditional religions have lived together in peacefor many yearsrdquo the pontiff said adding ldquoWeare well aware that the recent events and acts ofviolence which have shaken your country werenot grounded in properly religious motivesrdquo

Pope Francis arrived Sunday in the CARthe final stop of his tri-nation visit to AfricaIt also marks the pontiffrsquos first time in an ac-tive war zone

ldquoChristians and Muslims are brothers andsisters We must therefore consider ourselves andconduct ourselves as suchrdquo he said

ldquoTey ought therefore to remain united in working for an end to every act which from whatever side disfigures the Face of God and whose ultimate aim is to defend particular in-terests by any and all means to the detrimentof the common goodrdquo

ldquoogether we must say no to hatred to re-venge and to violence particularly that violence

which is perpetrated in the name of a religionor of God himself God i s peace salamrdquo

Te CAR became embroiled in violence inDecember 2012 when several bands of mainlyMuslim rebel groups formed an alliance takingthe name Seleka Tey left their strongholdsin the north of the country and made their

way south seizing power from then-presidentFrancois Bozize Since then some 6000people have died in the conflict with severalthousands more displaced

Te country will hold both presidential andparliamentary elections Dec 27 after they

were postponed in October due to violenceand instability Interim President CatherineSamba-Panza who has so far struggled to keeppeace will not be a candidate

Pope Francis went forward with the sched-uled visit to the Koudoukou mosque despitesecurity concerns Tese fears were exacerbatedby reports Saturday of three young people be-ing killed in a nearby neighborhood althoughit was later announced that no one died andthat the youths had been found

In his address at the mosque the Popeexpressed his gratitude for the work done byChristian and Muslim leaders to re-establishldquoharmony and fraternity among allrdquo

Te pontiff went on to acknowledge the actsof solidarity shown by Christians and Muslimstowards persons of other religions by ldquowelcomingthem and defending them during this latest crisis inyour country as well as in other parts of the worldrdquo

ldquoWe cannot fail to express hope that theforthcoming national consultations will pro-vide the country with leaders capable of bring-ing Central Africans together thus becomingsymbols of national unity rather than merely

representatives of one or another factionrdquoTe Pope called for the CAR which is ldquositu-

ated in the heart of Africardquo to be a place of welcome for everyonemdashregardless of ethnicitypolitical affiliation or religionmdashwhich in turn

will encourage the rest of the continent to fol-low in its footsteps

ldquoIt will prove a positive influence and helpextinguish the smoldering tensions whichprevent Africans from benefitting from thatdevelopment which they deserve and to whichthey have a rightrdquo

Pope Francis concluded his address byinviting those present to ldquopray and work forreconciliation fraternity and solidarity amongall people without forgetting those who havesuffered the most as a result of recent eventsrdquo

Te Popersquos visit to the CAR is the last stop ofhis Nov 25-30 African journey which includedvisits to Kenya and Uganda

St John Paul II was the last pontiff to visitCAR when he stopped there briefly in 1985 aspart of a larger trip to ogo the Ivory CoastCameroon Zaire and Kenya (Ann Schneible CNAEWTN News)

Bangui Central African Republic - April 8 2014 Cardinal Theodore E McCarrick met with religious leaders in theCAR to discuss possible solutions to end recent violence Whitney WildingCatholic Relief Services

Pope Francis to journalistrsquoscondom question theproblem is much biggerVAICAN Nov 30 2015mdashOn aNov 30 in-flight press conferencereturning from his trip to AfricaPope Francis said that efforts topush the Church to allow condom

use to prevent HIV are too narrowand do not see the whole picture A jou rnal ist asked the Pope

about HIV in Africa sayingldquoWe know that prevention is key We know that condoms are notthe only method of solving theepidemic but itrsquos an importantpart of the answer Is it not timefor the Church to change its posi-tion on the matter o allow theuse of condoms to prevent moreinfectionsrdquo

ldquoTe question seems too smallto me it also seems like a par-tial questionrdquo the Pope replied(READ Full text of Popersquos in-flight interview from Africa toRome)

He continued in his responseldquoYes itrsquos one of the methods Temoral of the Church on this pointis found here faced with a perplex-ity the fifth or sixth command-ment Defend life or that sexualrelations are open to life But thisisnrsquot the problemrdquo

ldquohe problem is biggerrdquo thePope said ldquoTis question makesme think of one they once asked Jesus lsquoell me teacher is it law-

ful to heal on the Sabbath Is itobligatory to healrsquo his ques-tion lsquoIs doing this lawfulrsquohellipbutmalnutrition the development ofthe person slave labor the lack

of drinking water these are theproblemsrdquoldquoLetrsquos not talk about if one can

use this type of patch or that for asmall wound the serious woundis social injustice environmentalinjusticerdquo Pope Francis contin-ued ldquoI donrsquot like to go down toreflections on such case studies when people die due to a lack of water hunger env iron ment hellip when all are cured when therearenrsquot these illnesses tragediesthat man makes whether forsocial injustice or to earn moremoneymdashI think of the traffickingof armsmdashwhen these problemsare no longer there I think wecan ask the question lsquoIs it lawful

to heal on the SabbathrsquordquoHe concluded ldquoBecause if

the trafficking of arms contin-ues wars are the biggest cause ofmortalityhellipI would say not tothink about whether itrsquos lawfulor not to heal on the Sabbath I would say to humani ty ldquomake justicerdquo and when all are cured when there is no more injustice we can talk about the Sabbathrdquo(CNAEWTN News)

lsquoEstablish Godrsquos kingdom in PHarmyrsquo ndash chaplains reminded

AGUIG City Nov 28 2015mdashPriests serving in the military were reminded recently about thepurpose of their service bringingChrist to the countryrsquos armedforces

ldquoGod is inviting us to putour hearts and to set our heartsfirmly in the establishment of thekingdom of God in the Philip-pine Armyrdquo said Fr LtC StephenPenetrante homilist for the HolyMass celebrated to conclude the1st Character Enrichment Pro-gram (CEP) Conference on Nov24 at the Air Force Museum

Looking back at the period ofplanning for the soldierrsquos forma-tion the priest emphasized ldquothevision of the kingdom of God whom we hope to reign in theheart of soldiersrdquo

Focusing on JesusPenetrante reminded the 100

people gathered including chap-lains from all over the Philippinesas well as lay collaborators fromCouples for Christrsquos Order of StMichael (OSM) ministry that inthis service God is teaching focuson what is important

ldquoTe Lord is teaching us heredo not be distractedOur Lord Jesus Christ wants to set our heartsto focus on the establishmentkingdom of God in our hearts firstthen in the hearts of the soldiers

as we continue and sustain thisprogramrdquo he added

Accord ing to him the nitt y-gritty that go with programs likethe CEP like ldquostrategizing thebudgeting the management skillsthe mastering of the ropesrdquo are allimportant but focus on Jesus asthe prime mover of the work isthe priority

Lack of funds logistical con-straints

Penetrante who was also award-ed a plaque of appreciation forhis ldquooutstanding performance asChief of Plans and Programs of theOffice of the Army Chief Chap-lain Service (OACCS) called onhis fellow chaplains and lay teammembers to ldquoask the interventionof Godrsquos gracerdquo in their service

ldquoWe can see so many signshelliplack of funds logistical and man-agement constraints personalrespnses of the chaplains Manytimes we get distracted But thenour Lord Jesus Christ would wantto focus us again to set our heartsfirmlyhellipto never lose hoperdquo hestressed

Te Mass which was celebratedby Army Chief Chaplain Fr Col Andres Bonfiacio Belleza (GSC)concluded the 1st CEP Confer-ence spearheaded by the OACCSand the OSM (Nirvarsquoana EllaDelacruz CBCP News)

Army chaplains partake of the Body and Blood of Christ during the concluding massof the 1st Character Enrichment Program (CEP) Conference on Nov 24 at the Air ForceMuseum Nirva Delacruz

MANILA Dec 1 2015mdashApriest has underscored the valueof frequenting Jesus in the BlessedSacrament stressing it is one sure way current and aspiring ldquofishersof menrdquo can draw strength fortheir various undertakings

ldquohe Lord said lsquoCome aftermersquo So go to Jesus Spend time with Him Enjoy His companyGo to Jesus Be friends withHim alk to Him And thenyou will see you will accomplisheverythingrdquo said Fr Sanny C deClaro on Monday the Feast of St Andrew the Apostle at the chapelof the Arzobispado de ManilaIntramuros

Self-review Accord ing to him spending

time praying before the BlessedSacrament is one of the many waysthe faithful can express their lovefor the Lord

In line with this De Claroinvited members of Catholiccommunities to make Eucharistic Adoration a habit encouragingthem to look within and reviewtheir lives before Jesus and toshare with one another experi-ences in their ministries even theirstruggles

he head of Santo Nintildeo dePandacan went on to remind thefaithful that the first thing Christdid on meeting His would-bedisciples was not to send them atonce abroad to evangelize but to

invite them to follow Him and be with Him

Always God first ldquolsquoCome after me and I will

make you fishers of menrsquo Pleasetake note the first word of Jesusto His disciples hellip Your first dutyis to be wi th the Lord o be withGod Tat is your first callrdquo hestressed

De Claro further pointedout that an apostolate will loseits meaning without people

who are com mitte d to fil lingtheir l ives with the Divinepresence

ldquohis is the soul of ourapostolate the soul of ourpreaching teaching catechismhis is the source of our veryown existence in this grouprdquo

he added (Raymond A Sebas-tiaacuten CBCP News)

Faithful urged Go to Blessed Sacrament

MARILAO BulacanDec 4 2015mdashA priestreminded recollectionattendees to rememberthat Advent is all aboutGodrsquos mercy especially

when they feel despairexperience poverty andundergo hardships

ldquoLet emptiness leadyou to Godrsquos fulfill-mentrdquo said Fr Nap Balt-azar Nuestra Sentildeora deLourdes Parish in DontildeaRemedios rinidad Bu-lacan parish priest onNov 30 in Mother ofMercy Chapel Loma deGato Marilao Bulacan

More than teachingthe participants about

the essentials of Ad-vent and how they areto prepare themselvesfor the ldquocoming of theLordrdquo the priest sharedhis parish experiencesespecially with the Du-magats He talked aboutldquohumbling momentsrdquo

where he personally seeshow God works in many

ways as well as what hecalls ldquolifersquos simplest joysand miraclesrdquo

ldquohe real essence of Adve nt is no t be in gafraid to do good helpothers and unite withthe Churchrdquo he told

CBCP News in an in-terview

ldquoTis activity remind-ed me and my family torespond to Godrsquos call hellipthrough active BECs inattending and participat-ing in Eucharistic cel-ebrations as well as otherchurch activities andmost of all in becom-ing [a] fisher of menrdquosaid Napoleon QuizonMother of Mercy Chapelpastoral council chair-man in an interview

ldquoAdvent recollectionsenlighten us about thetrue meaning of Christ-mas and help us becomemore prepared in cel-

ebrating the birth of Je-susrdquo explained Fr Roger

Cruz in the concludingMass which he concel-ebrated with BaltazarldquoLet us become seedlingsthat grow together infaith and love especiallythis seasonrdquo

Cruz also called onthe people to supportand pray for Baltazar andhis mission to plan andexecute programs to helpthe Dumagat tribe in Si-erra Madre Dontildea Reme-dios rinidad Bulacanas he was also appointedDirector for IndigenousPeople Apostolate bythe Diocese of Malolos

(Myraine Carluen Poli-carpio CBCP News)

Advent perfect example of Godrsquos mercy ndash priest

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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A4 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

IN the summer of 1985 I ldquodatedrdquoa Swiss Guard Yes one of thosehunks guarding the pope in theVatican I put the word ldquodatedrdquo inquotation marks because it wasnrsquota date-date you know ldquoDatingrdquoa Swiss Guard I thought was aclever way that I a curious jour-nalist gradually returning to theCatholic fold could know moreabout Pope John Paul II whointrigued me at first sight duringhis 1981 visit to the Philippines

It was one of those times I was

roaming Europe alone on Eurail-pass for a month hopping on andoff the train wherever-wheneverBack then Swiss Guards were notallowed to talk or even smile toanyone while on dutymdashthey stoodthere like heartless monuments

with only their eyeballs moving

(Now they will even accom-modate your request for a selfie)Being much younger I had thetemerity to march up to a guard(letrsquos call him ldquoHansrdquo) the min-ute he got off duty to introducemyself and ask him out to dinnerthat very nightmdashfor an interviewabout his unique occupation I

was surprised he readily acceptedand without much ado he setour date ldquoEight orsquoclock at theobeliskrdquo (rust the Swiss to be soclock-driven)

Hans was already there whenI arrived at 755 at the obelisk atSt Peterrsquos Square but I almostmissed him because without theSwiss Guard uniform he didnrsquotlook so formidable So I fired thequestionsmdashabout his job his lifeas a Swiss Guard his impressions

of John Paul IImdashand he freelysatisfied my curiosity over fish andchips and beer

But why am I telling you thisOnly because my originally in-tended topic for this ar ticle todayldquoChristmas gifts for priestsrdquo led tothis recollection Hans was clearlyin awe of his boss the Polish popeand his reverence for the pontiff was evident as he shared with meabout his unforgettable first birth-day as a Swiss Guard Hans wasspeechless when he was called to

the popersquos office first thing in themorning of his birthday ldquoWhathad I done wrongrdquo he wonderedon his way Ten a smiling JohnPaul II took him to a room hehad never seen before rdquo Hansrecalled his eyes beaming ldquoIt is avery big room filled with gifts to

the pope all kinds of gifts fromall over the world and the popesaid lsquoChoose anything you wantitrsquos my birthday gift to yoursquo I wasoverwhelmed like a little boy in aroom full of chocolatesrdquo

Years later I was to discoverhow difficult it was to think ofgifts to give to pri ests because likemy rich friends ldquothey have every-thingrdquo Whether for birthday orfor Christmas theyrsquore flooded withall sorts of gifts some of whichthey have absolutely no use for

For one bishop I know the giftsvanish as soon as the celebration isovermdashbecause there are dozens ofpriests and chancery workers wait-ing in the wings for superfluousgifts Another priest I know picksonly the Christmas gifts he needs

EDIORIAL

HE Sacraments are a privileged way in which nature is taken up byGod to become a means of mediating supernatural life Trough our worship of God we are invited to embrace the world on a differentplane Water oil fire and colors are taken up in all their symbolic powerand incorporated in our act of praise Te hand that blesses is an in-strument of Godrsquos love and a reflection of the closeness of Jesus Christ who came to accompany us on the journey of life Water poured overthe body of a child in Baptism is a sign of new life Encountering Goddoes not mean fleeing from this world or turning our back on nature

Tis is especially clear in the spirituality of the Christian East ldquoBeauty which in the East is one of the best loved names expressing the divineharmony and the model of humanity transfigured appears everywherein the shape of a church in the sounds in the colors in the lights inthe scentsrdquo For Christians all the creatures of the material universefind their true meaning in the incarnate Word for the Son of God hasincorporated in his person part of the material world planting in it aseed of definitive transformation ldquoChristianity does not reject matterRather bodiliness is considered in all its value in the liturgical act whereby the human body is disclosed in its inner nature as a temple ofthe Holy Spirit and is united with the Lord Jesus who himself took abody for the worldrsquos salvationrdquo

It is in the Eucharist that all that has been created finds its greatest

exaltation Grace which tends to manifest itself tangibly found unsur-passable expression when God himself became man and gave himself asfood for his creatures Te Lord in the culmination of the mystery ofthe Incarnation chose to reach our intimate depths through a fragmentof matter He comes not from above but from within he comes that wemight find him in this world of ours In the Eucharist fullness is alreadyachieved it is the living centre of the universe the overflowing core oflove and of inexhaustible life Joined to the incarnate Son present inthe Eucharist the whole cosmos gives thanks to God

On Sunday our participation in the Eucharist has special importanceSunday like the Jewish Sabbath is meant to be a day which heals ourrelationships with God with ourselves with others and wi th the worldSunday is the day of the Resurrection the ldquofirst dayrdquo of the new creation whose first fruits are the Lordrsquos risen humanity the pledge of the finaltransfiguration of all created reality It also proclaims ldquomanrsquos eternalrest in Godrdquo In this way Christian spirituality incorporates the valueof relaxation and festivity We tend to demean contemplative rest assomething unproductive and unnecessary but this is to do away withthe very thing which is most important about work its meaning We

are called to include in our work a dimension of receptivity and gratuity which is quite different from mere inactivity Rather it is another wayof working which forms part of our very essence It protects humanaction from becoming empty activism it also prevents that unfetteredgreed and sense of isolation which make us seek personal gain to thedetriment of all else

Te law of weekly rest forbade work on the seventh day ldquoso that yourox and your donkey may have rest and the son of your maidservantand the stranger may be refreshedrdquo (Ex 2312) Rest opens our eyes tothe larger picture and gives us renewed sensitivity to the rights of others And so the day of rest centered on the Eucharist sheds it light on the whole week and motivates us to greater concern for nature and the poor

-- Laudato Sirsquo 235-237

IN Misericordiae Vultus the Bull of Indiction released in April thisyear announcing the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy Pope Francisalready gave the reason why this Jubilee Year had to be opened onDec 8 the Feast of the Immaculate Conception Te logic he gave was ldquoi ts rich meaning in the recent history of the Churchrdquo And bythat he meant the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council which was concluded on Dec 8

He would look at Vatican II as another door where the world pas sed

through fifty years ago Tat passing through was an emergence of theChurch ldquofrom the shoals which for year s had kept her self-enclosed soas to set out once again with enthusiasm on her missionary journeyIt was a resumption of a journey of encountering people where theyare in their cities and homes in their workplaces Wherever there arepeople the Church is called to reach out to them and to bring the joyof the Gospel and the mercy and forgiveness of Godrdquo

o look at Vatican II in that perspective is profound enough Butin his homily at the at the start of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercyand the opening of the Holy Door at St Peterrsquos this Dec 8 he delveseven more deeply into the theology of the Immaculate ConceptionHe contemplates that the ldquoImmaculate Conception is the grandeurof Godrsquos loverdquo in the sense that ldquoin Mary he even averts the originalsin present in every man and woman who comes into this worldrdquo Ac-cording to him ldquothis is the love of God which precedes anticipatesand savesrdquo

He says that sin can only be understood in the light of Godrsquos loveand forgiveness If sin were the only thing that mattered man wouldbe the most desperate of all creatures But this is not so because ldquothepromised triumph of Christrsquos love unfolds everything in the Fatherrsquosmercyrdquo Te Immaculate Conception is a testimony to this truth Which is why he says ldquoWe have to put mercy before judgment and inany event Godrsquos judgment will always be in the light of Godrsquos mercyrdquo

Now one understands why Pope Francis in his interview with Fr Antonio Spadaro of La Civilta Cattolica in 2013 compares the Church with a field hospi tal Now one understands why in an in-flight in-terview from Rio de Janeiro after the World Youth Day he answeredldquoWho am I to judgerdquo Now one understands why in his flight backto Rome from Africa last month he dodges the condom issue whilelooking at bigger issues that world leaders seem to ignore

Sacramental signs and

the celebration of rest

ldquoMercy before judgmentrdquo

OPINION

Partisanshipopenness charity

Fr Roy Cimagala

Candidly Speaking

MonitorPROTAGONIST OF TRUTH PROMOTER OF PEACE

CBCP

Pedro C QuitorioEditor-in-Chief

Nirvarsquoana E DelacruzAssociate Editor

Roy Q LagardeNews Editor

Kris BayosFeatures Editor

I L L U

S T R A T I O N B Y B L A D I M E R U S I

Climate change

Teresa R Tunay OCDSAnd Thatrsquos The Truth

Gifts for priests

Oscar V Cruz DD

Views and Points

The CBCP Monitor is published fortnight ly by the AreopagusSocial Media for Asia Inc with editorial and business officesat Ground Flr Holy Face of Jesus Center amp Convent 1111F R Hidalgo Street Quiapo Manila Editorial (632) 404-

2182 Business (632) 404-1612 ISSN 1908-2940

Ronalyn R ReginoDesign Artist

Gloria FernandoMarketing Supervisor

Mercedita JuaniteCirculation Manager

Marcelita DominguezComptroller

Candidly Speaking A7

And Thatrsquos The Truth A5

ldquoCLIMATE change is a global problem with grave implications environmental social eco-nomic politicalIt represents one of the majorchallenges facing humanity in our days Itsworst impact will probably be felt by developingcountries in the coming decadesrdquo (Pope FrancisEncyclical Letter ldquoOn the Case of Our CommonHomerdquo n 25 24 May 2015)

No less than Pope Francis the Sovereign ofthe Universal Catholic Church spread all overthe globe with membership from all knowncontinents races and colors made the deliber-ate option to formally and categorically addressthe phenomenon of climate change ndash the even-tual and ultimate victim of which is humanityas a whole Among other definitely seriousand deadly consequences of climate changeare the following Te progressive warmingof the global climate Te gradual destructionof the world environment Te slow but sure

wastage of earthly resources the eventual loss ofhuman lives well-includedmdashwhen nature itselfrevolts against its destructors It is definitelynot a profound truth that a bomb-maker can

be the victim thereof when it precisely explodeson him

Te Church is certainly much concerned with the truths in the supernatural sphere Butthis does not mean that the same Institutionis indifferent to the realities in the natural or-der Yes the Church is continuously teachingthe fundamental Commandment of Love ofGod But the same Ecclesial Institution is alsomuch concerned with the basic Command-ment of Love of Neighbor In other wordsthe Church is committed to affirm the gloryof God and at the same time also mandatedto safeguard the good of man And when theChurch through the Pope himself speaks aboutthe mortal dangers brought by climate changeto humanity this is but her obligation So itis that the perpendicular love of God plus thehorizontal love of man brings about no lessthan the reality of the Cross of Christ

he earth is the ldquoCommon Homerdquo ofhumanity as a whole It is Godrsquos creation forman to live on even but temporally until he iscalled to his eternal abode Te truth of thematter is that God Himself saw to it that the

earth was ready ndash the air and the waters thesun and the moon the land and the trees thegreenery and the animals ndash before He broughtman to life and live thereon What a pity ifthrough his abuse and other misdeeds he is infact slowly but surely destroying his ldquoCommonHomerdquo with all others brought about preciselyby climate change

Te vicious exploitation degradation anddestruction of nature usually on account of ava-rice and greed the consequent phenomenonof pollution on account of a throw-away socialculture the consequent loss of biodiversitymdashallthese and more challenge the integrity of na-ture all these and more demean the environsand necessarily make man the ultimate victimNo Man is not meant much less able to chal-lenge nature because by so doing he is the sureloser and victim He is instead obliged to takecare of nature so that nature takes care of him

Would that the just concluded interna-tional encounter of no less than leaders fromcountries the world over one way or anothersooner than later decidedly take remedial stepsto counter climate change

IN our political discussions andexchanges itrsquos just fine to bepartisan as long as we are open

and respectful of all other viewsincluding those that are differentand opposed to ours We shouldavoid any form of extremism bydemonizing others who do notagree with us

Partisanship is inevitable in ourpolitics And thatrsquos simply because

we have diffe rent backgroundsand orientations different prefer-ences and priorities Given ourhuman condition let alone our

weakness mistakes and failures we will always have difference samong ourselves

We should not be surprised bythese but rather learn to live withthem as befits our human dignity

We should not allow that we be

dragged by the dynamics of angeranimosity and hatred Charity

should always rule even in ourpolitical choices as it should in allother aspects of our life

Yes we can be quit e stro ngand fixed in our views but thisdoes not give us an excuse to letgo of charity In fact these differ-ences should be a good ground forcharity to grow Tus the sharperthe differences the more intenseshould be our charity

We have to avoid painting those who disagree with us as if they arethe very personification of evilcompletely incapable of doinganything good or saying anythingtrue and worthwhile Tis wouldbe a simplistic and naiumlve way oflooking at things and as such isfraught with potential dangers

If we have to disagree then letrsquosdisagree amicably respecting each

other and each otherrsquos positionNo need for harsh words to be

thrown much less uncharitablethoughts and bad intentionsCharity knows how to unite us

even in our most hopeless andirreparable differencesSad to say many of us today

are behaving the opposite of whatis proper to us It starts with ourpolitical leaders and candidatesdown to the electorate and even tothe general population includingchildren We have to stop this

We cannot paint a favorite can-didate to be so perfect and saintlythat we can observe no defectmistake or fault in him Neithershould we picture a disliked candi-date to be so bad that we can findno saving grace in him

Letrsquos always remember that allthe saints and the appointed pa-triarchs and prophets of old had

their defects and mistakes tooeven after their conversion Tey

were always struggling becausethey know that their sanctity isalways a work in progress It is

never completed in this life Also even those who are gener-ally considered as bad people arestill capable of doing somethinggood I remember one Gospelepisode where this possibility isillustrated Itrsquos in the Gospel ofSt John

ldquoBut one of them Caiaphas who was high prie st that yearsaid to them lsquoYou know nothingat all you do not understand thatit expedient for you that one manshould die for the people andthat the whole nation should notperishrsquo

ldquoHe did not say this of his ownaccord but being high priest thatyear he prophesied that Jesus

should die for the nation and not

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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A5CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25 OPINION

Atty Aurora A Santiago

Duc In Altum

Fr Carmelo O Diola

Spaces of HopeJesus Christ the face of

the Fatherrsquos mercy

POGI (Presence Of God Inside) Rev Fr Alan Gozo Bondoc SVD

The Family and the Eucharist

in the Jubilee Year of Mercy

Virgin of Guadalupe

The Bread of Life

Rev Eutiquio lsquoEulyrsquo Belizar

Jr SThD

By the Roadside

EVERY time we look into a mirror we see our own face Te mirrorreflects us But it cannot containus It is different when we lookinto Jesus Christ In Him we seethe face of God In Him we see

the Father who is in Him and in whom He is ldquoTe Father and I areonerdquo He declares in John 1030o Philip the Apostle He saysldquoWhoever has seen me has seenthe Fatherrdquo (Jn 149) In Him westand face to face with the Fatherand it is the Fatherrsquos mercy thatcomes to the fore and becomesvisible to anyone who encounters Jesus Christ

So particularly and emphati-cally says the Holy Father PopeFrancis in the Bull of Indiction ofthe Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercyentitled Misericordiae Vultus (TeFace of Mercy) His very first state-ment is his most forceful ldquoJesusChrist is the face of the Fatherrsquos

mercyrdquo (Misercordiae Vultus no1) Here he echoes the messageof St John Paul II who withoutmincing his words simply pointsout ldquoHe (Jesus Christ) Himself ina certain sense is mercyrdquo (Dives inMisericordia no 2)

What is the Holy Father tryingto say here

1 Tat Jesus Christ continuesand is in fact the fullest revela-tion of Godrsquos mercy Already in

the Old Covenant which we knowas the Old estament God alreadyreveals Himself to Moses as ldquoa Godmerciful and gracious slow toanger and abounding in steadfastlove and faithfulnessrdquo (Ex 346) a

truth Pope Francis refers to in MV1 God does not stop doing so Infact as the letter to the Hebrewstells us ldquoIn times past God spokein fragmentary and varies ways toour fathers through the prophetsin this final age he has spoken tous through his Son whom he hasmade heir of all thingsrdquo (Heb 11-2) Jesus is the fullest revelation ofthe Father because He the ldquoSon isthe reflection of the Fatherrsquos glorythe exact representation of theFatherrsquos beingrdquo (Heb 13)

2 In Jesus Christ we see thefullest revelation of the Fatherrsquosmercy not simply for one particu-lar person community or nationbut for all mankind In a word

the revelation of Godrsquos mercyis universal in scope God is noexclusive property even of theChosen People of Israel As Isaiahdeclares Godrsquos mind ldquoLet not theforeigner say when he would joinhimself to the Lord lsquoTe Lord will surely exclude me from hispeoplersquo Te foreigners who jointhemselves to the Lord loving thename of the Lord and becominghis servantshellip[them] I will bring

to my holy mountain and make joyful in my house of prayerhellipFor my house shall be called ahouse of prayer for all peoplesrdquo (Is561 3 7) Tis brings us pauseTe Catholicity of Godrsquos mercy is

particularly real in the CatholicChurch where every race countryor nationality finds a home Tis

was particularly brought home tome the first time I concelebratedin a Mass in Rome I was awed bythe presence even among priestsof people of all skin colors raceslanguages and cultures I couldnot help seeing the reality of the

words uttered through Isaiah ldquoMyhouse shall be called a house ofprayer for all peoplesrdquo

3 Jesusrsquo revelation of the Fatherrsquosmercy is no campaign slogan orempty claim he Holy Fatherhimself teaches ldquoJesus of Nazarethby his words his actions and hisentire person reveals the mercy of

Godrdquo (MV 1) Jesus himself pointsto his own testimony directly link-ing him to the Father in a mannergreater that even John the Baptistrsquosown testimony on his behalf ldquoBut Ihave testimony greater than JohnrsquosTe works that the Father gave meto accomplish these works that Iperform testify on my behalf thatthe Father has sent merdquo (Jn 536)Pope Francis makes us meditateon how Jesusrsquo deeds reveal the

Father His relationships with themarginalized sinners and outcastsHis ldquodeep compassionrdquo for the tiredand exhausted crowds His healingand curing of peoplersquos illnesses Hisraising of the dead particularly of

the widow of Naimrsquos son His driv-ing away evil spirits that oppressand enslave people His choosingof Matthew a sinner and tax col-lector as one of His apostles (MV8) Even Jesusrsquo words also attest tothe Fatherrsquos mercy Te Holy Fathersurveys the parables of mercy thelost sheep the lost coin and thefather of two sons (Lk 151-32)in each of which ldquoGod is alwayspresented as full of joy especially

when he pardonsrdquo (MV 9)4 You have to excuse me

if I cut down our musings Ihave come to my most impor-tant point Since Christians areChristifideles or the ldquofaithful ofChristrdquo they must also reflect

Jesus Chri st who reflects ex actlythe Fatherrsquos mercyHere we must challenge our-

selves Could we also take as ourown Jesusrsquo words ldquoI have testi-mony greater than Johnrsquos he

works that the Father gave me toaccomplish these works that Iperform testify on my behalf thatthe Father has sent merdquo Do wealso have words and deeds to showfor our works

HE year 2021 is a year of thanksgiving forthe 500th Anniversary on March 16 2021 ofthe arrival of Christianity in the country Weremember the first Mass celebrated in Lima-sawa Island on that Easter Sunday March 311521 Tat was the day of baptism of RajahHumabon given the Christian name Carlosand his wife Hara Amihan baptized JuanaTe image of Sto Nińo de Cebu the oldestreligious icon was the gift of Ferdinand Magel-lan to the first Filipino Catholics

Te 9-year journey for the New Evangeli-zation offers a different theme for each yearTe first 3 yearsrsquo themes are Integral FaithFormation Year of the Laity Year of the Poorand this year is the Eucharist and the Family which coincides with the Holy Year of Mercy

Pope Francis proclaimed the start of the

Jubilee Year of Mercy on Dec 08 2015 theSolemnity of the Immaculate Conception Heopened the Holy Door which will become ldquoaDoor of Mercy through which anyone whoenters will experience the love of God who con-soles pardons and instils hoperdquo Pope Francisopened the Holy Door on the 50th anniversaryof the closing of the Second Vatican Council

Te Holy Door of the Cathedral of Romethe Basilica of Saint John Lateran will beopened on the hird Sunday of AdventTereafter the Holy Doors of the other PapalBasilicas will be opened Te Holy Father willalso announce that in every cathedral a Doorof Mercy will be opened for the duration ofthe Holy Year

ldquoIn the Diocese of Kalookan aside from SanRoque Cathedral which will have the Rites

of Blessing and Dedication of the Cathedralon December 12 its Apostolic AdministratorMost Rev Francisco De Leon will declare twochurches in each of the 5 Vicariates in theDiocese as the Jubilee Church to give all pa-rishioners the opportunity to have immediateaccess to the Jubilee Churches they will visitrdquo

Te faithful who visit the Holy Door ofa Church is given a Plenary Indulgence aldquoremission before God of the temporal punish-ment due to sins whose guilt has already beenforgiven which the faithful Christian who isduly disposed gains under certain prescribedconditions through the action of the Church

which as the minister of redemption dispensesand applies with authority the treasury of thesatisfactions of Christ and the saintsrdquo

Gaining of indulgences whether plenaryor partial requires prescribed conditions andthe performance of certain prescribed worksTe faithful should be in the state of graceIndulgence can be gained only once a day Itis appropriate but not necessary that Confes-sion Holy Communion and praying for thePopersquos intentions take place on the same daythat the indulgenced work is performed tobe carried out within several days (about 20)before or after the indulgenced act Indulgencescan always be applied either to oneself or to thesouls of the deceased but cannot be applied toother persons living on earth

During the Synod of Bishops Pope Fran-

cis reflected on the relationship between theChurch and the family with a view to thecommon good of society ldquoWhen families

journey along the way of the Lord they offera fundamental witness to Godrsquos love and theydeserve the full commitment and support ofthe Church In the family we learn the bonds

which unite us of fidelity sincerity trust co-operation and respect even when difficultiesabound Indeed it is in family life that the mostvulnerable of society are cared forrdquo

ldquoLike Saint Peter the Church is called tobe a fisher of men and so needs a new typeof net Families are this net Tey free us fromthe sea of loneliness and indifference so that

we can all experience the freedom of beingchildren of God May the Church go out intothe deepen (duc in altum) confident that the

catch will be greatrdquo Te Papal Family of the Diocese of Kalookan

held its Advent Recollection with Most RevFrancisco De Leon as the Recollection Master

Adventus is coming the coming of Christ inthree ways He arrived when He was born inBethlehem He came in mystery (in the Sac-rament in Word the King) He will come inglory at the end of the world

How do we wait for the coming of ChristOur First Model is John the Baptist whoespoused repentance and avoidance of sinsand the proclamation of the coming of the

kingdom of God Our Second Model is Maryit is difficult to accept Godrsquos will but she ac-cepted it with its consequences She asked howshe could conceive when she did not knowany man In her time a woman who was notmarried and got pregnant was stoned to deathEverything that Mary did not understand shekept in her heart

In the Year of Mercy Bishop Francis en- joined the Papal Awardees to be merciful asthe Father is merciful Do corporal works ofmercymdashfeed the hungry give drink to thethirsty clothe the naked shelter the homelessvisit the sick visit the imprisoned and burythe dead Also do spiritual works of mercymdashcounsel the doubtful instruct the ignorantadmonish the sinners comfort the afflictedforgive offenses bear wrongs patiently prayfor the living and the dead

Forgiveness and Reconciliationmdashto forgivesin is to erase irrevocably what happened in thepast it is like punishing the victim the secondtime Victims demand repentance God is theforgiver of sins when we forgive we acceptGodrsquos love It is an act of freedom that no oneis bound to the power of the past If one is ableto forgive the victim becomes the survivor

o forget painful memories you belittle theevent or belittle the victim Urging the victimto forget is to victimize him again In forgive-ness we do not forget but we remember it ina different way in such a way that anger andresentment is no longer present It becomesconstructive o erase part of our memory isto erase part of identity We forget that we arenot bound by the sad emotions in the past

Why did the Risen Christ show Himself to the

apostles with wounds His sufferings are stillpart of His life but His wounds became a sourceof healing to doubting Tomas We rememberthe hurts and the wounds caused upon us hasbecome a source of healing for others Ask Godto heal your memory so that memory will notbring bitterness and resentment

Bishop Francis also presided over the HolyMass where he introduced new experiencesMass where everyone was seated in the Prayersof the Faithful seat mates pray for each otherrsquosintention Communion was given to each otherby seat mates Tank you Bishop Francis for

I is obvious from my bodilyfigure that I love eating It is mysimple enjoyment to eat besidesI give joy and smile to those whoprepared and served the food when I eat a lot As Andrew Zim-mern of Bizarre Foods would sayit ldquoIf it looks good eat itrdquo

We eat to live However eating without balance nutrition couldlead to an unhealthy life whichmay cause early death We haveto know what we eat every kindof food we take in has an effecton our body he food affectsour health it either weakens or

strengthens our bodyIn Gospel from John 651-58

Jesus is offering a different kindof food for us One that willdefinitely strengthen and nourishus not only our physical body butour soul He is giving us breadbread that gives life Because thebread He is referring to is HimselfldquoI am the living breadrdquo

It would be an understatementto say that this living bread if wechoose to take and eat it will havea good effect on our soul Tisliving bread will lead us to a holylife It will not cause us death but will give us life eternal

Jesus wants us to be one with

Him by taking His body We be-come what we eat Receiving the

Body of Jesus in the Communionis making Him part of our selvesIt is in the Communion that weare transformed and become ldquoAl-ter Cristusrdquo meaning ldquoAnotherChristrdquo Terefore receiving theBody of Christ gives us greaterresponsibility because when webecome ldquoAnother Christrdquo it onlymeans that we should act like Himand we should emulate Him

aking the Body of Christthe Bread of Life allows Jesus toincrease in us as we decrease inourselves

Te Bread of Life signifies Jesusrsquo

sacrificial love for us because Hegives Himself fully to us in Holy

Communion Communion is acalling to be with God Remember

we have a prayer before Commu-nion ldquoLord I am not worthy toreceive You but only say the Wordand I shall be healedrdquo Commu-nion means an invitation to those

who have lost their way It meanshealing to those who are woundedby sin It means transformation tobecome holy just as God is holy

In the Holy Communion wedo not receive mere bread but

Jesus Himself When we take andreceive the Body of Jesus we allowHim to permeate us and come into

our lives enter our heartsLet Jesus become your life

Duc In Altum A6

LAS Sept 5 to 10 I did a pilgrimage to the Basilica of Our Ladyof Guadalupe in Mexico City Tis was a humbling culminationof my silver anniversary celebration as an ordained priest with

friends and three of my brothers wo particular events in a totally-unexpected Marian pilgrimage last year led to the said pilgrimageldquoWait till you go to Guadalupe It is differentrdquo my friend

John told me in Lourdes Tis sparked my imagination Andtrue enough among other things when we were in Guadalupe

John pointed out to me the more than one kilometer distancenavigated by pilgrims on bended knees from the gate to the topof the epeyac Hill What humble long-suffering faith

Another incident was my longing for my departed motherElena and the thought during prayer ldquoAm I not your motheralsordquo I only found out last January in acloban from a Mariandevotee that similar consoling words were uttered to San JuanDiego by the Virgin of Guadalupe ldquoNo estoy yo aqui que soy tumadrerdquo (ldquoAm I not here I who am your motherrdquo)

My gratitude to God for the pilgrimage knows no bounds

One is the enjoyment of facts Hernan Cortes is no longer

just a busy street to my parish in Mandaue City Montezuma isnot just a lyric of a marching song 1521 is no longer just theyear Magellan came to our islands but also the year when Cortesvanquished Montezuma Now I know Mexico has a 40 year head-start of sustained Spanish administration and influence if we take1565 the arrival of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi in the Philippinesas our starting point

Legazpi had set sail from Mexico upon the orders of the repre-sentative of the Spanish king in Mexico I also learned that it wasa priest-secretary of Bishop Zumarraga who first saw the holyimage on the apron-like garment (ldquotilmardquo) of Juan Diego whomade a reproduction of it and sent it to the Philippines Whateverbecame of it So many connections between our country andMexico I felt at home

I am awed at how God through the Blessed Virgin Marypenetrated and transformed an existing religious culture thatencompassed every facet of the lives of the native populationGod satisfied their search for truth and divinity ndash that had un-fortunately led them to a very serious blunder regarding human

sacrifice ndash by entrusting a heavenly image of Our Lady to them Itis so amazing how specific symbols spoke to a particular religiouslonging of the natives like the roses inside the tilma that symbolizetruth Tat visual culture mirrors our own contemporary visualculture Tere are opportunities for new evangelization here

Te image defies human explanation as to its o rigin and makeand has remained unscathed and looking fresh despite manyyears of candle smoke acidity from a salty lake accidental acidspillage and the detonation of a bomb It is an image made inand preserved by heaven

Te circumstances surrounding the apparition attract meIt is moving how Our Lady appears to a 57-year old man whoresponds to her terms of endearment with his own term ofendearment (ldquoIndayrdquo) Juan Diegorsquos non-appearance before theVirgin (ldquonang-indianrdquo) due to his unclersquos deteriorating health isamusing Maryrsquos simple message is disarming Tey are words of

unconditional loveldquoListen and let it penetrate your hearthellipdo not be troubled

or weighed down with grief Do not fear any illness or vexationanxiety or pain Am I not here who am your Mother Are younot under my shadow and protection Am I not your fountainof life Are you not in the folds of my mantle In the crossing ofmy arms Is there anything else you needrdquo

Te Virgin Motherrsquos role as our companion continues Shetouched 33 hearts to undertake the pilgrimage even as we promiseto read the book entitled ldquo33 Days to Morning Gloryrdquo Whocould forget the testimony of my brother Raddy who receivedthe exact amount of money from an unexpected source for thetransportation expenses for him and his wife Carole

Pilgrimages are planned way ahead in advance Ours took aboutthree weeks Initial estimated costs were prohibitive Providenceguided Xenia a good friend and my brother Neil to look into thedetails of the pilgrimage and make it affordable Even our contactperson and guide were handpicked by Our Lady of Guadalupe

Who could forget the Mass for the birthday of the Blessed VirginMary when Monsignor Diego Monroy former basilica rector ledus in the Marian consecration that briefly unfroze the regimentedair of the basilica to allow the Holy Spirit to give us a most specialunction And lest we experience the effects of ldquospiritual implo-sionrdquo I thank the Lord for our sheer humanity Tis led to manyhumorous situations not to mention being lost for about twohours with three other persons

Besides my three siblings (Raddy Carl and Neil) and theirspouses (Carole and Lorna) my closest friend in seminary (Fr

Jim) as well as Joy (whose husband Guido was my best friendfrom college) and daughter Alexys came along Joy finally madethe Guadalupe pilgrimage on her third attempt and despite

weather problems What joy to be loved by Our Mother

and raffles away the rest duringEpiphany to needy parish workersand volunteers

On occasion I have been as-signed along with a few to openand sort out such gifts priestsreceive and on those times I wondered what guided the gift-givers to choose their presents tothe men of the cloth Many itemsare practical like cuts of polobarong fabric and cologne (ldquoParamabango kamay nila pag nagmanokardquo) but some are downrightinappropriate like luxury items A bishop who received a box ofCalvin Klein bikini briefs found

them rather odd asked ldquoIs this a joke or whatrdquo and quickly tossed

the pricey stylish collection to theeager hands of his driver

Bearing in mind the example ofSt John Paul II and the priests wholdquorecycledrdquo the gifts they receive one

would be safe to give gifts the priestcan share And we shouldnrsquot feeloffended if and when we see our giftamong those being ldquorecycledrdquo Af-ter all when we give gifts to priests

we give as well to the Lord whoenjoins His disciples to give awayspare cloaks to the bare backed

What gifts would be good togive to priests this ChristmasPlease make things easy for thegivermdashemail your suggestions to

teresatunaygmailcom and wersquollpublish them next issue

And Thatrsquos The Truth A4

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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A6 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25LOCAL NEWS

PH Catholics Itrsquos the season of reconciliation

AKING their cue from Pope Francisrsquoprayer intention for December FilipinoCatholics encourage others of their faithto have hope this Advent season and totake advantage of the coming Jubilee Yearto confess their sins and be reconciled with the Merciful God

ldquoTe popersquos intention for the month ofDecember may be understood as an invi-tation to all to come to the merciful Lordthrough the sacrament of reconciliationIt is in that sacrament that all who comesto God with humility will experienceGodrsquos mercyrdquo shared Darwin Beceril avolunteer catechist from the Diocese ofNovaliches

Religious educator Nestor Limquecofrom Manila seconded pointing out that

Advent invites the faithful to avail of theSacrament of Reconciliation and to be

hopeful that all will be well despite their weaknesses and imperfections thanks to aGod Who is Mercy and Hope personified

Greatest Love of AllldquoTis season of hope and the com-

mencement of the Year of Mercy gives usreason to celebrate the greatest love the

world has known that of the God Whohas show it through the Incarnation ofHis Sonrdquo he explained

According to Limqueco mercy is Godrsquosgreatest expression of His love for human-ity and hope is the response each faithfulmust give to to this loving mercy

ldquoTe advent season reminds us thatthere is always hope to come Jesus laiddown His life to save us from our sins and

bring us to eternal life Te Lord assuresus there is always hope in our struggles

temptations and problems Never losehope and always strive to do good thingsGod fulfills his promisesrdquo said JM ua-zon a Filipino accountant based in theUnited States

lsquoJesus never lets downrsquoEchoing one of the pontiffrsquos quotable

statements on his visit to Palo Leyte in January uazon stressed that Jesus is Lord Who will not let the faithful down

he Holy Fatherrsquos universal prayerintention for the month is ldquoTat all mayexperience the mercy of God who nevertires of forgivingrdquo

Meanwhile his intention for evangeli-zation is ldquoTat families especially those

who suffer may find in the birth of Jesus

a sign of certain hoperdquo (Raymond ASebastiaacuten CBCP News)

the very enlightening talk and new experi-ences in the Holy Eucharist We learned alot and we will greatly miss you

We gr ee t Mo st Rev De og ra ci as

Intildeiguez Jr DD Bishop Emeritusof the Diocese of Kalookan and FrMario Cueto a very Happy Birthday

Happy Sacerdotal Anniversary to FrRico Ayo Fr Romy uazon Fr Jeff

Ayt onaOP Fr Den ni s Sa li se FrLarry Frias Fr Nestor Estanislao FrPatrick Hiwatig O P Happy Birthdayalso to my brother Dr Andres ldquoRoyrdquoSantiago and Kalookan Diocese Curiastaff Jun Acebuche

Duc In Altum A5

PH needs lsquorespectful leadersrsquo ndash pro-lifers

FOLLOWING Davao MayorRodrigo Dutertersquos less-than-flattering reference to PopeFrancis in a recent speech aCatholic lay group issued astatement uesday underscor-ing the importance of electedofficials who know how torespect themselves the dig-nity of fellow humans andfundamental institutions likemarriage

R-e-s-p-e-c-t ldquoA person aspiring to be-

come the nationrsquos leadershould always be respectful ofhimself his office and of otherpeoplerdquo stressed Filipinos

for Life in their Dec 1 pressreleaseTe group went on to ask

rhetorically how Duterte canbe trusted to uphold the basicrights of other innocent people

if he can verbally abuse some-one as respected as the HolyFather

Besides finding that Duterteldquogreatly erredrdquo in cursing PopeFrancis they further decried

what they consider to be thepresidential candidatersquos ldquowan-ton behaviorrdquo with regardto his public admission toadultery

ldquoIf he has no respect for theindissolubility of marriagerdquothey added ldquoWhat other in-stitutions crucial to the moral

well-being of the people is he willing to tamper withrdquo

Sanctity of life family mar-

riageldquoWe value sanctity of lifefamily and marriage aboveallmdashinstitutions that formthe very foundation of everysound society We are most

disappointed that he chose notto uphold his marriage vows which would have been themost vivid expression of hismanhood unlike the personahe projects where women aremere expendable persons tosatisfy his sexual needsrdquo thegroup lamented

While already aware of apol-ogies issued on the mayorrsquosbehalf Filipinos for Life stilldemand Duterte himself toapologize to the countryrsquos 80million Catholics for the ldquoex-treme disrespectrdquo he has shownPope Francis and the Catholicfaith as well as to the womenhe has had relations with

Collective discernmentldquoWe also ask his supportersto discern well whether MrDuterte is indeed fit to be theirchoice as the next presidentof the country Tis is a time

for serious introspection andprayer and we must listento our informed conscience

which acts as Godrsquos voice inour heartsrdquo they explained

According to them the re-cent events raise serious doubtsabout Dutertersquos readiness forthe highest office in the landgiven that the Philippines de-serves a morally upright andcompetent leader who willrevere his position as a sacredduty to serve God and hiscountrymen

ldquoWe must also considerall the consequences of ouractions the positive as wellas the negative effects of

our decisions in the shortterm and the long termand what these decisions sayabout usrdquo the group added(Raymond A Sebastiaacuten CBCP News)

Legal scientific support vs

50 lsquocarbon majorsrsquo sought A the sidelines of the widely-pub-licized COP21 discussions betweennon-government organizations legalexperts and scientists are taking placeto hold the worldrsquos top 50 pollutersaccountable

Fr Edu Gariguez executive sec-retary of the Catholic BishopsConference of the Philippinesrsquo Na-tional Secretariat for Social Action

Justice and Peace (NASSA) said heand his grouprsquos presence in Franceis meant to gather legal support fortheir international campaign andto find ways to track long-standingcomplaints

ldquoWe are also conducting dia-logue with scientists to supportthe complainantsrsquo claimsrdquo FrGariguez said in an interview

with CBCP News a day before hereturned to Manila

Continuous coal mining

Te priest added it is sad to knowmost of the countryrsquos energy sourcescome from coal-fired power plantsTe government has also continuouslyallowed coal mining

He explained President (BenignoSimeon C) Aquino IIIrsquos speech

before COP21 was good but incon-sistent with what is going on in thePhilippines While the presidenttalked about climate vulnerabilitythe government has continued torally the countryrsquos top corporationsincluding Aboitiz and San Miguelto operate more coal-fired powerplants

ldquoItrsquos been business as usual forPresident Aquinordquo Fr Gariguezsaid He said ldquoitrsquos hypocriscy to themaximum level for one not to walkthe talkrdquo

Human rights inquiriesHowever Gariguez said he hopes

the Commission on Human Rights(CHR) will do its best to inquireinto the activities of a number of the

worldrsquos 50 carbon majors present inthe Philippines He said the CHRpromised to do so during the firstquarter of 2016

He further said this is the first timethe international community has at-tempted to hold the top 50 carbonmajors accountable for the plight ofthe poor and marginalized includingfarmers and fisherfolk (Melo M

Acuntildea CBCP News)

MSP DD Metropolitan Archbishopof Ozamiz Jesus A Dosado CM DD

Te statement which was also con-curred by 166 delegates of the 40thDOPIM Bishops-Clergy Conventiondescribes the bodyrsquos ldquoserious concern onthe operation of coal mining and coalpower plant that triggers apprehension

among our people and poses environ-ment threat in the provinces where suchfacility is being establishedrdquo

Accord ing to the doc ument coalmining and coal power plants are partof the ldquounchecked human activitiesrdquothat are turning the earth into ldquoan arid

wastelandrdquoReferring to the recent natural di-

sasters and super typhoons that havehit the country recently the bishopssaid ldquoWe are living witnesses of the

destruction brought about by weatherchanges and the effects to health bycarbon emissions he calamities thatclaimed thousands of lives these pastyears and months are enough proofto awaken in us a commitment tosafeguard creation and help mitigatetheir effectsrdquo

Te statement mentioned the HolyFather as an influence for their standsaying ldquoPope Francis seeing the ur-gency of action in dealing with envi-ronmental crisis points out the use ofhighly polluting fossil fuelsmdashespeciallycoal to be progressively replaced withoutdelay (Cf Laudato Si 165)rdquo

Te document was drafted during the40th DOPIM Bihops-Clergy Conven-tion at the Diocesan Pastoral CenterDel Carmen Iligan City (CBCP News)

Mindanao A1

Vatican City - November 30 2015 Workers set up a Christmas Tree and Nativity Set in St Peterrsquos Square on November 30 2015 CNA

we going to do itrdquo the priest pointed out

Petition vs lsquobig pollutersrsquoNo less than 50 multinational compa-

nies were named respondents of the peti-tion considered as the first human rightscomplaints against big polluters

Of these 10 companies have branches orsubsidiaries in the Philippines as follows

bull ExxonMobilbull Chevronbull otalbull Royal Dutch Shell

bull BHP Billiton

bull BPbull Anglo Americanbull Lafargebull Holcimbull aiheiyo Cement CorporationBesides Gariguez the other Filipi-

nos and Asians present in Paris to givetalks are Climate Change CommissionCommissioner Heherson Alvarez CHRCommissioners Roberto Cadiz and GwenPimentel-Gana and representatives ofGreenpeace Southeast Asia as well asother civil society groups (Raymond A

Sebastiaacuten CBCP News)

Polluters A1

Te Pope made reference tothe dayrsquos first Mass reading theGenesis account of manrsquos fallin the Garden of Eden

ldquoTe words of Genesis re-flect our own daily experience we are constantly tempted todisobedience a disobedienceexpressed in wanting to goabout our lives without regardfor Godrsquos willrdquo he said

ldquoYet the history of sin canonly be understood in thelight of Godrsquos love and for-giveness Were sin the onlything that mattered we wouldbe the most desperate ofcreaturesrdquo

ldquoTe promised triumph ofChristrsquos love enfolds every-thing in the Fatherrsquos mercyrdquothe Pope said ldquoTe Immacu-

late Virgin stands before usas a privileged witness of thispromise and its fulfillmentrdquo

Pope Francis concluded hishomily recalling the 50th an-niversary of the Second Vati-can Councilrsquos closing whichis also commemorated Dec8 He stressed that the Jubileeof Mercy is a challenge for usto the ldquoopennessrdquo inspired bythe Council

Te Council was ldquoa genu-ine encounter between theChurch and the men and

women of our timerdquo in whichthe Holy Spirit ldquoimpelled theChurch to emerge from theshoals which for years hadkept her self-enclosed so asto set out once again withenthusiasm on her missionary

journeyrdquoldquoWherever there are people

the Church is called to reachout to them and to bring the joy of the Gospelrdquo the Popesaid

ldquoTe Jubilee challenges usto this openness and demandsthat we not neglect the spirit which emerged from VaticanII the spirit of the Samaritanas Blessed Paul VI expressedit at the conclusion of theCouncilrdquo

In his Angelus address de-livered after the opening ofthe Holy Door Pope Franciscalled the faithful to look onthe Immaculate Conceptionas a reminder that ldquoin our lifeeverything is a gift Everythingis mercyrdquo

ldquoMay the Blessed Virginthe first fruits of the saved themodel of the Church holy andimmaculate Bride loved bythe Lord help us to rediscoverthe mercy of God more andmore in a way characteristicof Christiansrdquo

Te Pope said the openingof the Jubilee of Mercy is anoccasion to look on the Im-maculate Conception ldquowithtrusting love to contemplateher in all her splendor (andimitate) her faithrdquo

ldquoIn the Immaculate concep-tion of Mary we are invitedto recognize the dawn of thenew world transformed fromthe saving work of the Fatherand of the Son and of the HolySpiritrdquo

Jubilee A1

City Archdiocesan Shrine of the DivineMercy in Mandaluyong City Santuariode Santo Cristo in San Juan City andOur Lady of Sorrows Parish in Pasay City

ldquoRectors and parish priests have beencoordinating on how to make pilgrim-ages fruitful and meaningful to pilgrimsrdquosaid Malicdem who is also rector of theManila Cathedral

Passport-stamping According to him the five churches

were chosen for the p ilgrimage ldquobecauseof their connection to mercyrdquo

He said Catholics may start their pil-

grimage from any of the churches butthey will have to proceed to the parishoffice after they accomplished the requiredactivities for stamping of their passports

ldquoPassports are available at all fivechurches Te may start and end at anychurch then they will also be given a cer-tificate of pilgrimagerdquo added the priest

Among the required pilgrimage activi-ties include entering the ldquoHoly Doorrdquo si-lent adoration and meditation venerationof the Jubilee Cross and donating to thearchdiocesersquos charitable programs

Te priest said the Holy Year also en-courages the faithful to understand thepractice of ldquomerciful loverdquo by dividing the

works of mercy into two kinds spiritualand corporal

He added that donations may come in

cash or in kind and will be used to feed thehungry provide housing for the homeless

and other projectsMalicdem said no other than Pope

Francis himself called on the faithfulto make a pilgrimage because ldquomercyrequires goal dedication and sacrificerdquo

Acts of mercy For Fr Jason Laguerta of the Office of

the Philippine Conference on the NewEvangelization the archdiocesersquos leadgroup for the Year of Mercy a pilgrimageis a ldquogood metaphor for liferdquo

ldquoWe are able to receive the mercy ofGod Ritual is meaningless if not coupled

with works of mercy and concrete actions

towards charityrdquo Fr Laguerta saidldquoMercy is not just a concept or anabstract idea but an action word Itrsquossomething that we dohellip perform acts ofmercy to one anotherrdquo he said

Aside from the sp iritual benefits thepriests added that a plenary indulgenceis also available to the faithful for makinga pilgrimage

Malicdem also said the Year of Mercypilgrimage may be held next year startingfrom Ash Wednesday which marks theseason of Lent until the Pentecost Sunday

Te universal Church will observe anextraordinary Year of Mercy as decreed bythe Pope from Dec 8 2015 until Nov20 2016

In Manila Cardinal agle will start thecelebration by opening the cathedralrsquos

Jubilee Door and hold Mass on Dec 9(Roy Lagarde CBCPNews)

Passport A1

consuming more than is neededldquoLetrsquos be responsible Life is hard today

and we should use our blessings given tous by God wiselyrdquo stressed the prelate

Christmas balikbayan boxes According to him advertisements and

Christmas sales subtly reshape the peoplersquosdesired around the material

For his part Bishop Ruperto Santos ofBalanga diocese issued a similar appeal to

overseas Filipino workers (OFWs)He said OFWs must not try hard to fill

up their ldquobalikbayan boxesrdquo beyond theirmeans while their families back homemust spend the remittances responsibly

Save more share moreldquoMagtabi mag-ipon at sa mga naiwan

palaging pahalagahan ang pinapadala

ng kapamilya (Set aside save and havesomething left Always value what your

family member sends homerdquo he addedOngtioco also said instead of excessive

consumption it would be better if Filipi-nos would consider sharing their blessingsto the needy

ldquoIf what we receive is more than enoughthere are also many who are in need Letus share our blessings with othershellipTisprobably is a challenge and an opportunity

for us to share with those who have less inliferdquo he said in Filipino (CBCP News)

Spending A1

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 724

A7CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25 DIOCESAN NEWS

for the nation only but to gatherinto one the children of God whoare scattered abroadrdquo (1149-52)

It is quite clear that even if byliving charity we may appear tobe suffering a defeat accordingto human standards God in hisprovidence would know how toderive good from it

We should not be afraid to suf-fer the consequences of humanpride and worldly arrogance justbecause we try to be consistent with the requirements of charityFor those who love God and oth-ers as St Paul in his letter to theRomans would say everything will always work out for the good

Now that we are going through

this delicate political processof electing our next leaders we

should try our best to avoid thepitfalls of emotional knee-jerkreactions to the issues at hand

Let us learn to be level-headedand to have a good grip of ouremotions and passions More thanthat let us see to it that we followthe requirements of charity asstrictly as possible It is preciselyin moments like this when charityis most needed

Letrsquos be careful with our wordsand especially so with our thoughtsand intentions May they alwaysbe infused with charity which isalways the way to find the truth toachieve justice and fairness properto us Charity is never a drag in ourpolitics It is what politics needs

most of all Charity is what leadsus to the common good

Candidly Speaking A4

Davao inaugurates lsquoLaudato Sirsquo organic gardenDAVAO Citymdasho give people a concreteexample on how to feed the family with-out harming the environment a parish inthe Archdiocese of Davao has put up anurban container organic garden namedafter Pope Francisrsquo encyclical Laudato Si

Auxil iary Bisho p of Davao GeorgeRimando officiated the inauguration andblessing of the Ascension of the Lord Par-ishrsquo Laudato Si Garden located at the backof the parish in GSIS Heights MatinaDavao City last Sunday Dec 6

Fr Leonardo Dublan Jr parish priestsaid they want to have a showroom forthe people as their model on how to setup their own container garden even withlimited space at home

Not impossibleldquoIt is not impossible to have a backyard

garden in the urban area Our parish islocated in a subdivision and we wereable to set-up our parish urban con-tainer garden and parishioners can alsodo the same in their respective homesrdquoexplained Dublan also the director ofthe Archdiocesan Social Action Center(ASAC)

Te parish has sought the help of JojoRom known as Father of Urban Contain-er Gardening in the country in puttingup the said garden in honor of the pope

Te garden utilizes organic fertilizersand also has an aquaculture pond belowthe structure A mini poultry area and a

wall garden are also included in the entireset-up

Rom said the waste from the kitchenlike fruit and vegetable peelings as well asother biodegradable waste are used to gen-erate fermented fertilizer for the plants

After the blessing a lecture about urbancontainer gardening was given by Romto the lay leaders and parishioners It canbe remembered that he once delivered asimilar lecture during the monthly meet-ing of the Parish Social Action Ministry(PSAM) of the Archdiocese of Davao

lsquoSafe organic foodrsquo ASAC Dav ao coordinat or Sr Ma

Marissa Arado DM said ASAC Davaohas been promoting urban container gar-dening to provide safe organic food forthe family especially with the worseningeffects of climate change

ldquoHopefully the lessons about climatechange will reach the young people andthe grassrootsrdquo Arado said

She added the use of organic fertilizersis a way of protecting not only the familybut also the soil as chemicals are used inproducing many commercially availablecrops

ASAC Davao hopes that the lessonslearned from the Laudato Si Garden willbe used in every Gagmayrsquong KristohanongKatilingban (GKK) or Basic EcclesialCommunities and every home (JohnFrances C Fuentes CBCP News)

Auxiliary Bishop of Davao George B Rimando officiated the inauguration and blessing of the Ascension of the Lord Parishrsquo Laudato Si Garden on Dec 6 2015John Frances Fuentes

Jaro takes vocation promotions to the streets JARO IloilomdashIn todayrsquos highly-modernized world where religiouslife is becoming less of an optionfor young people religious menand women in this archdioceseliterally went to the highways andthe byways to tell the youth thatreligious life is still very much aliveand relevant as part of ldquoVocationDays 2015rdquo from Nov 23 to 30

Believing always in the primacyof prayer the vocation promotersprayed even while on the roadmeditating on the Holy Rosaryand singing Marian hymns to-gether

ldquohe Vocation Caravan hasindeed become an opportunity where variou s religiou s and laypromoters from different congre-gations united as one group withthe aim to pray for one anotherfor the holy perseverance andsanctification of the clergy andreligious and to promote religiousvocationsrdquo observed Sr Susan

Matthew Cueco Carm OL

Vocation caravan and pilgrimage As a pr el ud e to Voc at io n

Month representatives of the Arch dioc esan Commis sion onVocation Promoters for theReligious also held for the first

time in Panay a three-day Voca-tion Caravan and Pilgrimage onSept 12 to 14

During the Vocation Caravanand Pilgrimage which kickedoff at the Jaro Cathedral with aMass celebrated by Jaro Arch-bishop Angel N Lagdameo withFr Paul Reagan alavera OP asconcelebrant the religious voca-tion promoters visited more than40 parishes and various collegesand universities in Capiz Aklan Antique and in the city and prov-ince of Iloilo

Aside from talking to the youngpeople the sisters also postedcampaign materials in churchesand led the prayer for vocationsfor every congregation

On the occasion of VocationMonth and in the context of the Year of Consecrated Life the Jaro Archdiocesan Commission on Vo-cation Promoters for the Religious(ACVP-R) successfully staged the

week-long event starting on Nov23 with a vocation campaign invarious educational institutionsin Miag-ao Iloilo

Confessions counselingTe religious men and women

also spearheaded the celebration

lsquoYolandarsquo women call for

more livelihood aid

BASEY SamarmdashOver 500 house- wives mothers and sisters from

ldquoYolandardquo-hit communities in Western S amar who turned en-trepreneurs have called the at-tention of government agenciesto their need for more livelihoodassistance

ldquoWe hope to receive capitalresources and machinery that wecould use for our livelihoodrdquo theysaid collectively in Waray duringthe First Rural Summit held re-cently in Basey

In a statement they specificallyasked for capital support equip-ment additional skills trainingand help in linking their productsto the market

Social services

Tey further appealed for in-creased access to social servicesparticularly for health and nutri-tion

Te Samarentildeas who came from24 barangays in Basey Marabutand Sta Rita towns also grabbedthe opportunity to stage a mini-trade fair featuring their productslike organic vegetables and fruitshandicrafts and native delicacies

Meanwhile representatives ofthe Provincial Agriculture Office(PAO) Department of rade andIndustry (DI) and the ProvincialGovernment of Samar conducted

a commitment signingTe delegates moreover had a

unity parade from the St Michaelthe Archangel Parish to the BaseyMunicipal Gym

Housewives to entrepreneurs While befor e super typho on

ldquoYolandardquo most of the womenstayed at home caring for theirchildren after the disaster theSocial Action Center (SAC) of theDiocese of Calbayog and NASSACaritas Philippines made surethey become micro-entrepreneursfarmers and mat weavers

o date about 406 women ofthem have received provisionslike egg-laying implements andcapital assistance for mat-weavingand mat weaversrsquo centers salted

egg production and backyardfarmingSAC Yolanda Rehabilitation

Program Director Fr Cesar Aculanshared ldquoYolanda may have de-stroyed the livelihood of the peo-ple of Samar but it has restoredas well the sense of self-worth ofthe womenrdquo

Besides providing livelihoodaid Calbayogrsquos SAC carried outinterventions on shelter disasterrisk reduction ecosystem and

wate r sani tati on and hygienein the province (Raymond ASebastiaacutenCBCP News)

A Yolanda survivor showcases some of the native delicacies in their province during amini trade fair held in Basey Samar NASSACaritas Philippines

ldquoOur walk is a message of sacrifice of thesuffering climaterdquo explained Rodne Galichaone of some 1500 climate pilgrims whosemessage was received well by host communi-ties en route to the French capital

ldquoI would rather continue walking ratherthan be there at COP21 We will continuethe pilgrimage for climate justice and bring

the message of Laudato Sirsquordquo shared Yeb Santildeoformer Philippine climate negotiator who ledthe Rome-Paris climate march

According to them the manifesto carries astrong message on the climate from ecologicalconversion to the paying of ecological debteven demanding the protection of indigenouscommunities who are climate victims

Te climate activists point out that theircommon statement is to work on the HolyFatherrsquos ldquoLaudato Sirsquo Manifestordquo where theybelieve the ground for discussion analysis andsolutions to ecological problems can be found

Tey add that the document also seeks tobe a reference guide for world leaders envi-ronmental activists church leaders organiz-ers and teachers among others and offers areality-check of what individuals institutionsand organizations can do for environmental

action

Te ldquoLaudato Sirsquo Manifestordquo reads1 Te Earth is our common home (LS 1)2 We demand ecological conversion both

personal communitarian and institutionalldquoTe need for each of us to repent of the

ways we have harmed the planet for ldquoin-asmuch as we all generate small ecologicaldamagerdquo we are called to acknowledge ldquoourcontribution smaller or greater to the disfig-urement and destruction of creationrdquo (LS 8)

3 We want ecological liberation ldquoWe lookfor solutions not only in technology but in achange of humanityhellip He asks us to replaceconsumption with sacrifice greed with gener-osity wastefulness with a spirit of sharing anasceticism which ldquoentails learning to give andnot simply to give up It is a way of loving of

moving gradually away from what I want to what Godrsquos world needs It is liberation from

fear greed and compulsionrdquo (LS 9)4 Care for the Earth is integral ldquoHe shows

us just how inseparable the bond is betweenconcern for nature justice for the poor com-mitment to society and interior peacerdquo (LS10)

5 We call for ecological solidarity that willfoment ecological action ldquoTe urgent chal-

lenge to protect our common home includesa concern to bring the whole human familytogether to seek a sustainable and integraldevelopmenthelliprdquo (LS 13) Ways to act divest-ment in fossil fuels converting to renewablesenergy-efficiency attitude response to climateadaptation disaster response and supportinggrassroots initiatives

6 We demand climate justice for thedestruction of our planet perpetrated bymining companies businesses multinationalcorporations and greedy countries ldquohellip afterceasing their activity and withdrawing theyleave behind great human and environmentalliabilities such as unemployment abandonedtowns the depletion of natural reserves de-forestation the impoverishment of agricultureand local stock breeding open pits riven hillspolluted rivers and a handful of social works

which are no longer sustainablerdquo (LS 51)

7 We need to pay our ldquoecological debtrdquo forthe harm we have done to the environmentcommunities and individuals suffering nowand the future (LS 51)

8 Te need to engage for a new ecologicaldialogue ldquoI urgently appeal then for a newdialogue about how we are shaping the futureof our planet We need a conversation whichincludes everyone since the environmentalchallenge we are undergoing and its humanroots concern and affect us allrdquo (LS 14)

9 We should create an integral space forldquoecological citizenshiprdquo as a practical pathof becoming witnesses for the environmentldquoOnly by cultivating sound virtues will peoplebe able to make a selfless ecological commit-mentrdquo (LS 211)

10 We are interconnected we should fo-ment connectedness with other faith-based

groups civil society and institutions ldquohellipbecause all creatures are connected each mustbe cherished with love and respect for all ofus as living creatures are dependent on oneanotherrdquo (LS 42)

11 Promote ldquoecological educationrdquo as a way of fomenting consciousness action andintegral faith-advocacy for environmental

care (LS 213)12 Our ecological concern is a compas-sion for the planet and people ldquoo hear boththe cry of the earth and the cry of the poorrdquo(LS 49)

13 Believing that ldquointegral ecologyrdquo in allaspects of life as an integral response to theglobal crisis (LS 137)

14 We need to cultivate an ldquoecologicalculturerdquo as a way of outgrowing ecologicaldestruction ldquoTere needs to be a distinctive

way of looking a t things a way of thinkingpolicies an educational programme a lifestyleand a spirituality which together generateresistance to the assault of the technocraticparadigmrdquo (LS 111)

15 Special care for the indigenous commu-nities and their cultural traditions ldquoFor themland is not a commodity but rather a gift from

God and from their ancestors who rest there asacred space with which they need to interact ifthey are to maintain their identity and valuesrdquo

As we acknowledged the richness of their wayof life we also have to protect their rights ldquoinvarious parts of the world pressure is beingput on them to abandon their homelands tomake room for agricultural or mining projects

which are undertaken without regard for thedegradation of nature and culturerdquo (LS 146)

16 Te need for ecological faith ldquoGod who calls us to generous commitment and togive him our all offers us the light and thestrength needed to continue on our way Inthe heart of this world the Lord of life wholoves us so much is always present He doesnot abandon us he does not leave us alonefor he has united himself definitively to ourearth and his love constantly impels us to

find new ways forward Praise be to Him (LS245) (Raymond A Sebastiaacuten CBCP News)

Manifesto A1

of Jarorsquos Vocation Day on Nov28 During the sessions held inSt Vincent Ferrer Seminary thereligious men heard confessions

whil e the relig ious wome n fa-cilitated counseling sessions andgroup sharing

Te religious again gave wit-ness to the faithfulrsquos role in savingthe environment as they wentto the streets on Nov 29 to jointhousands of marchers in theldquoWalk for Mother Earthrdquo in the

Archdiocesersquos participation in theGlobal Climate March

o cap Vocation Month thereligious women and men par-

ticipated in Jarorsquos Archdiocesan Youth Day in Guimbal Iloilo onNov 30 as a way to reach out toyoung people encouraging themto be open to Godrsquos call

ldquoTe activity was very enrichingas it has strengthened the bondof the vocation promoters Tepriceless moments have nourishedour friendship and have led us tobe closer to one another to reacha common goal which is to findmore holy vocations into theChurchrdquo added Sr Susan (Fr

Mickey Cardenas CBCP Newswith reports from Angelo LuisVerdeflor)

The Jaro Archdiocesan Commission on Vocation Promoters for the Religious (ACVP-R)successfully staged a week-long vocations promotions event starting on Nov 23 witha vocation campaign in various educational institutions in Miag-ao Iloilo ANGELO LUIS

VERDEFLOR

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 824

A8 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25PEOPLE FACTS AND PLACES

MarkingsDied Bishop Federico Es-caler SJ died on Nov 28aged 93

The Jesuit prelate had beenill and passed away peacefullyin his family ancestral resi-dence in San Miguel Manilaon Saturday morning

Born in Manila he served asthe rst bishop of Kidapawanfrom 1976 to 1980 until hewas appointed to head thenewly-created Prelature of Ipilin Zamboanga Sibugay

Escaler spent 17 years inIpil until his retirement in 1997

He was once the Assistantto Jesuit Provincial Superiorin La Ignacia Retreat HousePresident and Rector of Ateneode Davao Treasurer of JesuitProvince in Manila and be-came President and Rector ofXavier University in Cagayan

de Oro City

Ordained Imus Bishop Rey-naldo Evangelista DD or-dained eight deacons of theSociety of the Divine Word(SVD) to the priesthood onDec 5 at the Holy Spirit Chapelof the Divine Word SeminaryTagaytay City in a solemncelebration attended by 127priests and 2 bishops

The new priests are FrLawrence Llona SVD (to beassigned in South Sudan

Afric a) Fr Ryan Diňo SVD(to be assigned in ArgentinaSouth) Fr Diderick Andrinja-tovo SVD (to be assigned inPhilippine South) Fr Fran-ciskus Subandi SVD (to beassigned in Philippine Central)Fr June Lee Sarenas SVD(to be assigned in Ghana

Afr ica) Fr Gre gor ius Rob iDosom SVD (to be assigned in

Philippine North) Fr Roberto

Solis SVD (to be assigned inJapan)and Fr Lindsey FrancisTaeza SVD (to be assigned inTogo Africa)

Ordained The Servants ofMary welcomed four men tothe priesthood on Dec 8 atSt Peregrine Diocesan ShrineTunasan Muntinlupa City Bal-anga Bishop Ruperto C San-tos ordained Fr Leonardo MaGuiang OSM Fr Waren MaCampilan OSM Fr EdgardMa Benedi-an OSM and FrJumen Ma Arcelo OSM

Recognized The Ofce of the Army Chief Chaplain Service(OACCS) on Nov 24 recog-nized in a simple ceremony FrMaj Juan Jerome C Daluro asBest Chaplain of the Year 2015for his exemplary service as Di-

vision Chaplain of 9th Infantry

(Spear) Division from Septem-ber 2012 to September 2015Fr MSg Mario Baniqued (Inf)Philippine Army (PA) OACCSChief Clerk was recognized asBest Chaplain Assistant of theYear 2015

The office also accordedPlaques of Appreciation to FrCpt Ferdinand Abuyuan ldquoforhis improvement of the 7IDChapel undertaken during histerm as Division Chaplain of7th Infantry Division Philip-pine Army from June 2013to September 2015rdquo and toFr LtC Stephen Penetrantefor his excellent service asOACCS Chief of Plans andPrograms

The awards were given aspart of the celebration of the78th Chaplain Service Foun-dation Anniversary from Nov

23 to 27

Congress focuses onmodern family issuesHE 20th Asia Pacific Congress on Faith Lifeand Family organized by Human Life interna-

tional (HLI) from Nov 27 to 29 focused onthreats perspectives and realities affecting themodern family

Wit h the the me comin g fro m Psa lms1288 ldquoYour wife a fruitful vine in theinner places of your house your childrenround your table like shoots of an olivetreerdquo speakers and resource persons sharedreflections on the understanding of Godrsquosplan for marriage and family threats andchallenges to family the modern crisis ofconscience unmasking the gender ideologythe global holocaust of abortion

Dr Ligaya Acosta the Regional director ofthe Human Life International (HLI) for Asiaand Oceania opened the Congress sayingrdquoTe said congress will enable the participantsto re-discover and value marriage-based naturalfamilies and teach children and leaders to value

them as wellrdquo Archb isho p Vincenzo Pag lia head of thePontifical Council for the Family gave thekeynote speech on the challenges of theSynod on the Family to more than 200participants from 15 countries includingthe Philippines

Bishop John Baptist Lee Bishop of Hsinchuand chair of the Commission for family of theChinese Regional Bishopsrsquo Conference reiter-

ated in his welcome speech the goals of HLI which is to promote the moral teaching of theCatholic Church to spread pro-life insightsin society and to offer concrete and effectiveprograms for the advancement of faith

Among other speakers were Fr Shenan Bo-quet President of Human Life International

(HLI) Dr Brian Clowes HLI director of edu-cation and research and Dr Joseph Meaneya leading expert on the international pro-life

movement Dr Ligaya Acosta Atty Jo ImbongDra Eleanor de Borja Palabyab and MayorSally Lee of Sorsogon Ci ty

Bishop Gilbert Garcera Chair of the Epis-copal Commission on Family and Life headed80 delegates from the Philippines (ECFL CBCP News)

The 20th Asia Pacific Congress on Faith Life and Family organized by Human Life international (HLI) was held fromNov 27 to 29 ECFL

PH army chaplains partners hold 1stlsquocharacter enhancementrsquo meet A YEAR afte r its launch armychaplains soldiers and civilianpartners from the various partsof the country met uesday

Nov 25 at the Philippine Ai rf or ce Mus eu m Vi ll am or Airbase to discuss the prog ressof the Character EnhancementProgram (CEP) and ways toreach more uniformed person-nel and their dependents

Vision 2028Fr Andres Bonifacio O Belleza

head of the Office of the ArmyChief Chaplain Service (OACCS)pointed out that the CEP re-sponds to the directive of Lt GenHernando Delfin Carmelo AIriberri former Philippine Army(PA) commanding general toldquodevelop righteous God-fearingsoldiers loved by the Filipino

peoplerdquo in step with the 18-year Army ransformation Roadmapof 2028 (AR28) and to ldquobecomea world-class Army that is a sourceof national priderdquo

o fulfill this vision the chiefchaplain shared the Army soughtthe help of the Order of St Mi-chael (OSM) a ministry of the

A chaplain facilitates a workshop with his lay collaborators during the 1st CharacterEnhancement Program (CEP) Conference Nov 25 2015 NIRVA DELACRUZ

Couples for Christ Global MissionFoundation (CFC Global) which

caters specifically to the spiritualneeds of people in the militarytheir spouses and children

Character enhancement Retired Col Arturo Alabanza

CFCOSM head explained thatunder AR28 PA is committed toa ldquolong-term sustainable platform

for continuing CEP and spiritual wellness programrdquo

For their part local CFC chap-ters are tasked to jumpstart CEPin all PA unit chapels and parishesnationwide

Since it debuted in Apr 32014 the OACCS-CFCOSMpartnership has already givencharacter enhancement retreats(CER) to 28 PA commands and

the Philippine Military Academy(PMA) Class of 2018 gradu-ated 385 PMA-Singles for Christ(SFC) members and conducted

five CERs at V Luna Hospital inQuezon City

Challenge accepted While they have start ed out

well Alabanza admitted there isstill much to be done for Godrsquos

work to be realized fully in thelives of Filipino soldiers and theirfamilies

According to him CEP hasreached 2000 men and womenin uniform to date translatingto about 0287 percent of an es-timated 700000 population thatis fertile ground for values andspiritual transformation exclud-ing their dependents

Alabanza expressed hope that in

the coming years and with the co-operation of the parties involvedCEP will be able to touch heartsand win the souls of more allow-ing PA to communicate a brandimage consistent with its corevalues of honor patriotism andduty (Raymond A Sebastiaacuten CBCP News)

PHLPost to issueIEC stamps

HE government is set to releasea commemorative postal stamp onthe 51st International EucharisticCongress to be held in Cebu Cityon Jan 24 -31 next year

he Philippine Postal Corpsaid stamp enthusiasts from allover the world would have theopportunity to buy the stampsconsidering the importance ofthis event in the history of theCatholic Church

he stamp design illustratesthe official logo of the IEC anevent aimed at promoting aware-ness about the central role of theEucharist in the life and mission

of the Church

ldquoTe PHLPost are one in prayingfor the success of this internationalgathering of lay people and Catho-lic Church leaders from around the

world with Cebu the beautifulqueen city of the south as the hostof this celebrationrdquo said PostmasterGeneral Josie Dela Cruz

he gathering is expected todraw 15000 delegates from allover the world Te Congress willalso feature open air Masses opento the public

PHLPost commissioned AmstarCo to print 104000 copies of thestamps to be sold at Php 15 eachstarting uesday Dec 8 at post

offices nationwide (CBCP News)

Taglersquos Year of Mercyrecolletion set

IN time for the forthcomingseason the Archdiocese ofManila (RCAM) and the JesuitCommunications (JesCom) in-vite the public to a free Adventtalk to be given by no less thanCardinal Luiacutes Ant onio G agleon Dec 13 Sunday 800 amto 1100 am at the Smart- Ar an et a Co li se um Cu ba oQuezon City

Temed ldquoMerciful like the Fa-therrdquo the Word Exposed AdventRecollection is set to have the Archbishop of Manila sharing hisreflections on Godrsquos message ofmercy in keeping with the Jubilee Year of Mercy

Acc ord in g to JesCom fr eetickets will be issued on Dec 4Friday at the following select dis-tribution centers anging YamanStore Sonolux Building Ateneode Manila University anging

Yaman Store S M Megamall 5F Atrium St Pauls Bookstore SMNorth Edsa St Pauls BookstoreSM Manila St Pauls BookstoreGateway Mall

Given the limited number oftickets JesCom stresses that res-ervation is not allowed

For further information in-terested parties may call (02)426-5971 to 72 (Raymond ASebastiaacuten CBCP News)

Cardinal Luiacutes Antonio G Tagle FILE PHOTO

PBS outs Bible Week 2016 schedulePHILIPPINE Bible Society (PBS) GeneralSecretary Dr Nora G Lucero has revealed thetheme for the National Bible Week (NBW)celebrations on Jan 25 to 31 2016 sayingit will focus on ldquoGodrsquos Word Strength of theFamily Hope of the Nationrdquo and the activities

in line for the eventldquoAs we continue to coordinate with our part-

ners from different locales all over the country we will also promote other meaningful ways forour kababayans to participate in the celebrationand to proclaim Godrsquos Word in their communi-tiesrdquo shares Lucero in a recent PBS press release

Community celebration According to her PBS is prepared various

activities for the celebration among which is

the iProclaim a public reading of ScripturesLucero went on to present suggested ways

individuals families local churches and or-ganizations can celebrate Godrsquos Word in theircommunities

Some of the activities suggested include

displaying of NBW posters and streamers fea-turing Bible verses in church or school bulletinboards organizing of sports events holdingof Bible rallies concerts or song and dancecompetitions in town plazas as well as lobbyingbefore local legislature for the enactment of alaw supporting the annual NBW celebration

Raising awarenessTe NBW 2016 theme is inspired in part by

Psalm 3312 in the New American Bible Revised

Edition (NABRE) which reads ldquoBlessed is thenation whose God is the Lord the people chosenas his inheritancerdquo as well as by Acts 1631 in theGood News ranslation (GN) which readsldquoTey answered lsquoBelieve in the Lord Jesus andyou will be saved ndash you and your familyrdquo

Frontlined by PBS the annual NBS cel-ebration is decreed by Presidential Proclama-tions 2242 44 and 1067 which aims to raisepeoplersquos awareness on the importance of theHoly Book

Te week-long proclamation of Godrsquos Wordis culminated by the celebration of ldquoNationalBible Sundayrdquo on Jan 31 2016 that is expectedto feature messages and homilies during Churchservices and Masses focusing on the theme(Raymond A Sebastiaacuten CBCP News)

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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B1CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

DEAR Brothers and Sisters Goodmorning

With this reflection we arrive at thethreshold of the Jubilee itrsquos close Tedoor is before us not just the HolyDoor but another the great doorof the Mercy of Godmdashand that is abeautiful doormdashwhich embraces ourpenance offering the grace of his for-giveness Te door is generously openit takes a little courage on our part tocross the threshold Each of us hasburdensome things within ourselves

We are all sinner s Let us take advan-tage of this coming moment and crossthe threshold of this mercy of God

who never tire s of forg iving nevertires of waiting for us He watches ushe is always beside us ake heart Letus enter through this door

From the Synod of Bishops which we celeb rated in the month of Octo-ber all families and the entire Churchreceived great encouragement to meetat the threshold of this open door TeChurch was encouraged to open herdoors to go out with the Lord to meether sons and daughters on the path attimes uncertain at times dismayed inthese difficult times Christian familiesin particular were encouraged to openthe door to the Lord who is waitingto enter bringing his blessing and hisfriendship And as the door of Godrsquosmercy is always open so too must thedoors of our churches our communi-ties our parishes our institutions ourdioceses be open because this is how

we can all go out to b ring th is mercyof God Te Jubilee signifies the greatdoor of the mercy of God but also thesmall doors of our churches open toallow the entrance of the Lordmdashoroften the exit of the Lordmdashwho is aprisoner of our structures of our self-ishness and of so many things

he Lord never forces the dooropen he too asks permission to enterTe Book of Revelation says ldquoI standat the door and knock if any one hearsmy voice and opens the door I willcome in to him and eat with him and

he with merdquo (320) Let us imaginethe Lord knocking at the door of ourheart In the last great vision of theBook of Revelation the City of Godis prophesied like this ldquoits gates shallnever be shut by dayrdquo which meansfor ever because ldquothere shall be nonight thererdquo (2125) Tere are placesin the world in which doors are not

locked there still are But there are

so many where armoured doors havebecome the norm We must not give into the idea that we must apply thi s sys-tem to our whole life to the life of thefamily of this city of society muchless to the life of the Church Tat

woul d be terr ibl e An inhospi tab leChurch like a family closed off withinitself mortifies the Gospel and withersthe world No armoured doors in theChurch none Completely open

he symbolic management ofldquodoorsrdquomdashof thresholds of passagesof bordersmdashhas become crucial Tedoor must protect of course but notreject Te door must not be forced

but on the contrary one asks permis-

sion because hospitality shines inthe freedom of welcoming and dimsin the arrogance of invasion hedoor is frequently opened in order

to see if there is someone waitingoutside perhaps without the couragenor perhaps the strength to knockHow many people have lost faith donot have the courage to knock at the

door of our Christian heart at the

doors of our churches And theyare there they donrsquot have the courage we have taken away trus t please maythis never happen A door says many

things about the house and also aboutthe Church ending the door requirescareful discernment and at the sametime must inspire great faith I wouldlike to pay a word of gratitude to all

PASTORAL CONCERNS

We are all sinners Let us take advantage of this coming

moment and cross the threshold of this mercy of God who

never tires of forgiving never tires of waiting for us

Message of Pope Francis at his General Audience on November 18 2015

The welcoming door porters of our condominiums of

civil institutions of the Churchesthemselves Often a porterrsquos acumenand courtesy can offer an image ofhumanity and of welcome to the entire

house right from the entrance Tereis something to be learned from thesemen and women who are watch-men at the places of encounter and

welcome in the c ity of man o all of

you watchmen of so many doors bethey residential doors or church doorsmany thanks Always with a smilealways demonstrating the acceptanceof that house of that Church sopeople feel happy and welcomed inthat place

In truth we are well aware that wetoo are watchmen and servants of theDoor of God and what is the nameof the door of God Jesus He lightsup all of lifersquos doors for us includingthose of our birth and of our death

He himself affirmed it ldquoI am the doorif any one enters by me he will besaved and will go in and out and findpasturerdquo (Jn 109) Jesus is the doorthat lets us go in and out BecauseGodrsquos sheepfold is a refuge it isnrsquot aprison Te house of God is a refugeit isnrsquot a prison and the door is called

Jesus If the door is closed we sayldquoLord open the doorrdquo Jesus is thedoor and lets us go in and out Tose

who try to avoid the door are thievesitrsquos curious thieves always tr y to enterby another way by the window by theroof but they avoid the door becausethey have evil intentions and theysneak into the sheepfold in order todeceive the sheep and take advantageof them We must enter through thedoor and listen to Jesusrsquo voice if wehear the tone of his voice we are cer-tain we are saved We can go in with-out fear and go out without dangerIn this beautiful discourse Jesus alsospeaks of the gatekeeper whose taskis opening to the Good Shepherd (cf

Jn 102) If the gatekeeper hears theShepherdrsquos voice he opens and letsin all of the sheep that the Shepherdbrings all of them including thoselost in the wood whom the GoodShepherd went to get back Te sheepare not chosen by the gatekeeper theyare not chosen by the parish secretaryor parish administrator the sheepare all called they are chosen by theGood Shepherd Te gatekeepermdashhetoomdashobeys the Shepherdrsquos voiceTus we can well say that we must

be like that gatekeeper Te Churchis the gatekeeper of the house of theLord she is not the proprietor of theLordrsquos house

Te Holy Family of Nazareth knows jus t wha t an open or clo sed doormeans for those expecting a child forthose who have no shelter for those

who need to escape danger Chri stian

families make the threshold of their

homes a great sign of the Door ofthe mercy and welcome of God It isprecisely how the Church will have tobe recognized in every corner of theearth as the watchman of a God whoknocks as the welcome of a God whodoes not close the door in your face

with the excuse that you are not partof the household With this spirit letus approach the Jubilee there will bethe Holy Door but there is the doorof the great mercy of God May therealso be the door of our heart for all toreceive Godrsquos forgiveness and to givein our turn our forgiveness welcomingall those who knock at our door

Prayer of His HolinessPope Francis for the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy

LORD Jesus Christyou have taught us to be mer-

ciful like the heavenly Fatherand have told us that whoever

sees you sees HimShow us your face and we will

be saved Your loving gaze freed Zac-

chaeus and Matthew from beingenslaved by money

the adulteress and Magdalenefrom seeking happiness only increated things

made Peter weep after hisbetrayal

and assured Paradise to therepentant thief

Let us hear as if addressed toeach one of us the words thatyou spoke to the Samaritan

womanldquoIf you knew the gift of Godrdquo

You are the visible face of theinvisible Father

of the God who manifests hispower above all by forgivenessand mercy

let the Church be your visibleface in the world its Lord risenand glorified

You willed that your min-isters would also be clothedin weakness

in order that they mayfeel compassion for those inignorance and error

let everyone who ap-proaches them feel soughtafter loved and forgiven byGod

Send your Spirit and con-secrate every one of us withits anointing

so that the Jubilee of Mercymay be a year of grace fromthe Lord

and your Church withrenewed enthusiasm maybring good news to the poor

proclaim liberty to captivesand the oppressed

and restore sight to theblind

We ask this of you Lord Jesus through the interces-sion of Mary Mother of

Mercy you who live andreign with the Father and theHoly Spirit for ever and ever

Amen C N A

L rsquo O s s e r v a t o r e R o m a n o

Vatican City - April 11 2015 Cardinals gathered at St Peterrsquos Basilica on April 11 2015 during the Convocation of the Year of Mercy where Pope Francis publicly proclaimed

a Jubilee for Mercy which will begin December 8th and end in November 2016

The Holy Door unveiling at the Recognitio ceremony in St Peterrsquos Basilica on November 17 2015

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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B2 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25PASTORAL CONCERNS

C B C P N e

w s

Separation of Church and State lawsin the marriage of Catholics

By Fr Jaime B Achacoso JCD

I AM not a great fan of the so-calledseparation of Church and State as it

is often misunderstood as the juridicexpression of the laicist principle ofrelegating religion to the privatesphere As we had seen in a previ-ous article this was the brainchildof the French Revolution fruit ofthe prejudice against the CatholicChurch (since it was identified withthe abusive absolutist monarchiesin Europe at the time) but whichnevertheless had to be toleratedfor the sake of individual liberty Ihave always argued for the conceptof distinction between Church andState based on the fact that thesubjects of both jurisdictions are thesame people who are simultaneouslyfaithful of the Catholic Church andcitizens of the State Te State andthe Church are distinct jurisdictionsbut not separate and uncoordinated

One area of such distinctionhowever which can be considered asa veritable separation is the matter ofmatrimonial law

wo Separate Marriages heCanonical Marriage and the CivilMarriage

When a Filipino Catholic faith-ful gets married he effectively getsmarried under two separate juridicalsystems Church Law (or CanonLaw) and State Law (or the Civil Lawof the Republic of the Philippines)Each juridic system has its own set ofrequirements even if the civil law inthe Philippines regulates marriage ina way similar to Canon Law through

the Family Code of the PhilippinesIn fact the crafters of the FamilyCode got many of its provisions fromthe corresponding section of theCode of Canon Law of the CatholicChurch What most people do notrealize is that the papers signed at theend of the Catholic Wedding Massare in fact the Marriage Contract un-der the Republic of the Philippinesthe same contract which wouldhave been signed in the presence ofa solemnizing officer (the judge orhis equivalent) in the appropriategovernment office What happensis that the parish priest (or the priestto whom he delegates the functionof solemnizing the marriage) is depu-tized by the state to be a solemnizing

officer through a license which isexpedited by the National StatisticsOffice yearly In short the Catholicpriest is authorized by the Republicof the Philippines to solemnize thecivil marriage In other words thecivil marriage can be solemnized byeither a civil servant or a Catholicpriest with the license from the NSO

Insofar as the Canonical Marriageis concerned on the other handthe only paper work required is itsregistration in the Book of Marriages (Marriage Registry) in the parish

where it was celebrated as well as itsannotation in the Book of Baptisms (Baptismal Registry) in the parish

where the spouses were baptizedTere is no separate marriage cer-

tificate or marriage contract for thecanonical marriageTis fundamental juridic reality

has several consequences

A Purely Canonical Marriage only

has Purely Canonical Require-ments

When an already civilly-marriedcouple wish to contract a canonicalmarriagemdasheg when they want

to regularize their situation in theChurch in order to return to thereception of the Sacramentsmdashwhatis celebrated is just the canonicalmarriage without the correspond-ing civil marriage which had alreadybeen celebrated Hence the onlyrequirements for the solemnizingsacred minister are the requirementsstipulated by Canon Law in c1108mdashsect1 Only those marriages are validwhich are contracted in the presence ofthe local ordinary or the parish priest ora priest or deacon delegated by either ofthem who assists and in the presenceof two witnesses according to the rulesexpressed in the following canons (hellip)

mdashsect2 Te one assisting at a mar-riage is understood to be only that

person who present at the ceremonyasks for the contractantsrsquo manifestationof consent and receives it in the nameof the Church

As can be seen for this purelycanonical marriage the assistingsacred minister (the local ordinary orthe parish priest or another priest ordeacon delegated by either the localordinary or the parish priest) doesnot need the license from the State toact as solemnizing officer for the civilmarriage since such a marriage is not

being celebrated Tus the praxis inmany parishes of requiring the above-mentioned government license fromthe sacred minister in good canonicalstanding who has been duly delegated tosolemnize a purely canonical marriage

is not only improper but is an outrightinsult to the canonical order

Te So-called Secret Marriage A secret marriage is one that the lo-

cal ordinary permits to be celebratedin secret due to a grave and urgentcause (c1130) Tis involves carry-ing out the preliminary investigation(the canonical inquiry) in secret andhaving the local ordinary the official

witness (the local ordinary or theparish priest or any priestdeaconauthorized by them to solemnize themarriage) the common witnesses(the two other witnesses required bythe canonical form) and the spousesto maintain secrecy regarding theactual celebration of the marriage(c1131)

Tus there are two requirementsfor a secret marriage (1) authoriza-

tion from the local ordinary ofthe place where the marriage iscelebrated (2) a grave and urgent cause which must be assessed bythe ordinary

Te classic example of a grave andurgent cause appears in Benedict

XIVrsquos encyclical Satis vobis (17 XI1741) in the case of two persons who live together without havingbeen married canonically but who

were publicly considered husbandand wife Te gravity would stemfrom the fact that these personsmight be living in a habitual state

of sin (extramarital intercourse) orat least in a proximate occasion forsuch sin Te urgency might stemfrom other factors like unreasonableopposition from the partiesrsquo relativesfor the canonical marriage to take

place or some civil impediment forthe marriage to take place (eg apre-existing civil marriage) within areasonable period of time

Actual Filipino society presents

several scenarios(1) A couple civilly-married andstably living together in the Catholiccommunity which understandsthem to be husband and wife oregularize their situation in theChurch (to be able to return tothe Sacraments) they need to bemarried canonically but withoutdetriment to their good standingbefore the community which haderstwhile taken them to be canoni-cally married

(2) A couple stably living togetherin the Catholic community whichunderstands them to be husband and

wife but who have never been mar-

ried either canonically or civillymdashthelatter since there is an impediment incivil law for such a civil marriage totake place (eg an existing civil mar-riage of one or both of the parties thedeclaration of the nullity of which istaking too much time and expense)In this case they need to be marriedcanonically to regularize their situa-tion in the Church but cannot do socivilly yet because of the impedimentin civil law

(3) A couple one of whom hadbeen previously married civilly andcanonically and had obtained a

declaration of nullity of the canoni-cal marriage but have not been ableto get a similar declaration for thecivil marriage due to some reason(eg the high cost of the civil pro-cess) Te urgency to celebrate the

canonical marriage might be due tothe couplersquos already cohabitating anddesiring to regularize their situationin the Church and return to theSacraments Another reason could

be the couplersquos plan to immediatelymigrate to start a new life of goodstanding before the Church

(4) A couple of radically unequalsocial status or ethnic provenance

whose marriage is feared to resultin their permanent alienation fromtheir blood family or in disinheri-tance

(5) A widow who would lose her job or means of sustenance for herselfand her children should her marriagecome to public knowledge

In all of these scenarios the im-mediate celebration of the canonicalmarriage is warranted but whichcannot be divulged to the general

public or to the State either for thetime being or indefinitely

Documentation of a Purely Ca-nonical Marriage

Another consequence of theseparation of Church and State inmatrimonial law is the matter ofdocumentation Te documentationof the civil marriage is well knownthe marriage contractmdashexpeditedby the civil registrar signed by theparties the solemnizing officer (theauthorized sacred minister in thecase of a Church wedding) and the

witnessesmdashcopies of which are filedin the office of the civil registrar andin the parish office

As previously stated the canoni-cal marriage is simply noted in theBook of Marriages of the parish

where it was celebrated and in theBook of Baptisms in the respectiveparishes where the parties were bap-tized (which acts as the permanentrecord of their entire lifetime in the

Church)Of special interest in the presentsubject is the practice in some dio-ceses of filling out and signing thepro-forma Marriage Certificatemdash

with the heading of the Republicof the Philippinesmdashfrom the officeof the civil registrar even in the caseof a secret marriage albeit only forfiling in the secret archives of thediocese Not only is this a breach ofthe principle of distinction of Churchand State it might even be proof ofthe celebration of the secret marriageitself outside of Civil Law A betterpractice would be to make a Mar-riage Contract form specifically for

the Canonical Marriage only

Declaration of Nullity of a Canoni-cal Marriage

o conclude given the separa-tion of Canonical Law and CivilLaw the declaration of nullity of acanonical marriage does not auto-matically establish the nullity of thecorresponding civil marriage (andvise-versa) While the celebration of acanonical marriage normally has civileffectsmdashbecause the correspondingcivil marriage is also celebrated withthe sacred minister acting as an au-

thorized solemnizing officermdashthedeclaration of nullity in one forumdoes not carry with it a correspond-ing declaration of nullity in the otherforum wo separate processes mustbe carried out

Advent Wreaths and Incensing(Father Edward McNamara pro-

fessor of liturgy and dean of theologyat the Regina Apostolorum universityanswers the following query)

Q When incensing the altar atthe beginning of Mass should the

Advent wreath also be incensed inthe same way as the paschal candleduring the Easter season Whatabout a Nativity scene (during theChristmas season) -- D LeuvenBelgium

A Te rules regarding incensingare mostly found in the missal andthe Ceremonial of Bishops heintroduction to the missal says

ldquoIncensationldquo276 Turification or incensa-

tion is an expression of reverenceand of prayer as is signified in Sa-cred Scripture (cf Ps 140 [141]2Rev 83)

ldquoIncense may be used if desiredin any form of Mass

ldquoa during the Entrance proces-

sion

ldquob at the beginning of Mass to in-cense the cross and the altar

ldquoc at the Gospel procession and theproclamation of the Gospel itself

ldquod after the bread and the chalicehave been placed upon the altar toincense the offerings the cross and the

altar as well as the priest and the peopleldquoe at the showing of the host and the

chalice after the consecrationldquo277 Te priest having put incense

into the thurible blesses it with the Signof the Cross without saying anything

ldquoBefore and after an incensation aprofound bow is made to the person orobject that is incensed except for theincensation of the altar and the offeringsfor the Sacrifice of the Mass

ldquohe following are incensed withthree swings of the thurible the MostBlessed Sacrament a relic of the HolyCross and images of the Lord exposedfor public veneration the offerings forthe Sacrifice of the Mass the altar crossthe Book of the Gospels the PaschalCandle the priest and the people

ldquoTe following are incensed with two

swings of the thurible relics and imagesof the Saints exposed for public venera-tion which should be done howeveronly at the beginning of the celebrationafter the incensation of the altar

ldquohe altar is incensed with singleswings of the thurible in this way

ldquoa if the altar is freestanding withrespect to the wall the priest incenses

walking around itldquob if the altar is not freestanding the

priest incenses it while walking first tothe right hand side then to the left

ldquoTe cross if situated on or near thealtar is incensed by the priest before heincenses the altar otherwise he incensesit when he passes in front of it

ldquohe priest incenses the offerings with three swings of the thurible or bymaking the sign of the cross over theofferings with the thurible before goingon to incense the cross and the altarrdquo

Although there is a rite of blessingfor the Advent wreath in the AmericanBook of Blessings there is no mentionof incensing the wreath Tis blessing is

proper to the United States and is absent

from the official Book of Blessings incountries such as Italy

It must therefore be concluded thatthe Advent wreath is not incensed inthe manner of the paschal candle It isneither a relic nor an image and is morean expression of popular piety than a

liturgical object per seTe paschal candle receives special

veneration because it is a traditional andancient symbol of the risen Christ Onecould argue that in a way the wreath isa symbol of the coming Christ but we

would still be before a relatively recentcustom and one which is not presentin the universal Church Its not beingincensed does not lessen in any way theusefulness of the wreath in fostering aspiritual preparation for Christmas

A Nativity scene or at least an imageof the Child Jesus set up in the sanc-tuary could enter into the category ofldquoimages of the Saints exposed for publicvenerationrdquo mentioned above in No277 and hence be incensed

It should be remembered however

that several Church guidelines advise

against setting up the Nativity inthe sanctuary itself and above all itshould never be an obstacle to thedignified celebration of the liturgi-cal celebrations For example theUS bishopsrsquo conference says in thedocument ldquoBuilt of Living Stonesrdquo

ldquosect 124 sect Plans for seasonal deco-rations should include other areasbesides the sanctuary Decorationsare intended to draw people to thetrue nature of the mystery beingcelebrated rather than being endsin themselves Natural flowersplants wreaths and fabric hangingsand other seasonal objects can bearranged to enhance the primaryliturgical points of focus Te altarshould remain clear and free-stand-ing not walled in by massive floraldisplays or the Christmas crib andpathways in the narthex nave andsanctuary should remain clearrdquo

If as is common in many church-es the Nativity scene is outside thesanctuary area there is no need to

leave the sanctuary to incense it

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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B3CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25 FEATURES

Three Macro-Challenges for the Church in the lsquoYear of MercyrsquoBy Abp Antonio J Ledesma SJ

HE last two months of this year 2015 havebrought to the fore three macro-challenges forCivil Society and the Church in the Philippinestoday Tey are challenges on a macro scalebecause no single organization nor group ofindividuals can adequately address the various

issues that are emerging Tey are also macrobecause these issues affect millions of peopleor in some cases the entire world Indeed theneed for consensus-building on a national orglobal level has been felt Tis should be basedon ethical-moral principles and shared valuesthat go beyond cultural religious and socio-economic barriers In particular the CatholicChurch plays a significant role in Philippinesociety in addressing these macro issues

I Climate ChangeOn a global scale Climate Change will

be the pressing issue at the 21st Conferenceof Partners (COP 21) on the environmentPope Francisrsquo recent encyclical Laudato Si

has opened wide the doors for scientists andreligious leaders to enter into serious dialogueover issues such as global warming and thesearch for alternative sources of energy Insteadof viewing the environment or nature simplyas an object to be exploited Pope Francis pres-ents the Christian vision of Godrsquos handiworkldquoCreation can only be understood as a gift from

the outstretched hand of the Father of all andas a reality illuminated by the love which callsus together into universal communionrdquo (LS76) He also points out the intimate connectionbetween the ecological approach and the socialapproach ldquoso as to hear both the cry of the earth

and the cry of the poorrdquo (LS 49)Here in Cagayan de Oro we have joined

other dioceses in a Global Climate SolidarityMarch for the Environment On Nov 28advocates for protecting the environmentconverged at the Divisoria from four starting-points to join the voices of the world-wideCatholic Climate Movement at the startof COP 21 in Paris Te archdiocese alsocontinues its participation in the Cagayande Oro River Basin Management Council(CDORBMC) to protect the watershed areasand downstream communities of the Cagayande Oro river system

II Bangsamoro Basic Law A second macro challenge is the continuing

quest for a just and lasting peace in MindanaoTe draft Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) has

been altered in the committee sessions of bothhouses of Congress A version called the Basic

Law for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region(BLBAR) has come out from the Committeeof the House of Representatives Moreover thecommittee report in the Senate has providedanother set of amendments With the resur-gence of biases and prejudices after the Ma-masapano incident the final outcome for thepassage of the various drafts of the BangsamoroBasic Law is not clear

Seen from a wider perspective the letterof the Catholic Bishopsrsquo Conference of thePhilippines (CBCP) in July 2015 stated ldquoOnour part viewing the issues from a moral angle

we do not want a BBL that does not effectivelyaddress the root causes of social injusticerdquo Tisechoes the view of the surviving members ofthe Constitutional Convention of 1987 thatthe Constitution focuses primarily on the spiritof Social Justice Te Citizensrsquo Peace Councilnoted that the BBL is ldquoan act of Social Justiceand Reparation to the peoples of MuslimMindanao to rectify all the injustices inflictedupon them in the pastrdquo

Over the past three months I have helpedconvene consultations among religious and

civil society leaders in Cagayan de Oro andManila to discuss the BBL issue With someclarifications practically everyone saw the needfor a meaningful basic law for a sustainablepeace in Mindanao On Nov 26 in Cagayande Oro we started the Mindanao Week ofPeace with a multi-sectoral march rally Tis

was organized by the Inter-faith Forum for

Peace Harmony and Solidarity Te theme was ldquoMindanaoansrsquo Aspirations for PeaceKalinaw sa Dios ndash Kinaiyahan ndash KatawhanrdquoRegardless of the outcome of the BBLBLBARissue in Congress all of us should continue toengage in intra- and inter-religious dialogue

Our biases and preconceived notions of othercultures and religions are the main obstaclesto lasting peace in Mindanao and the rest ofthe country

III Good Governance A third macro-challenge in the Philippines

context is the coming elections in May 2016 Already the campaign period has started andvarious political personalities and parties havefiled their candidacies Good governancemdash

with its antithesis corruptionmdashis once morea critical factor to consider for every voter In

January 2010 before the last presidential elec-tions the CBCP made three calls to voters(1) o form circles of discernment (2) For thelaity to exercise their right and duty to supportcandidates who are qualified and committed to

public service and (3) o engage in principledpartisan politics Voting for candidates with a

track record of good governance is the mosteffective way of stamping out a culture ofcorruption In an address to the International

Assembly of Penal Law Pope Francis pointsout emphatically ldquoCorruption is a process ofdeath more evil than sin ndash an evil that insteadof being forgiven must be curedrdquo

On Nov 7 the archdiocese sponsored aMarch rally for CHAMPmdashClean Honest

Accurate Meaningful and Peaceful electionsTis was well attended by various sectorsTere were calls against votemdashbuying po-litical dynasties and the conduct of patronagepolitics Te city itself has had its share ofdivisive party politics in the non-disbursementof the budget for vital basic services and morerecently in the controversy over the post ofCity Mayor

Despite these internal conflicts amongelected officials it is good to keep in mind PopeFrancisrsquo own exhortation ldquoPolitics thoughoften denigrated remains a lofty vocation andone of the highest forms of charity inasmuchas it seeks the common goodrdquo (EG 205)

IV A Year of Mercy Despite the Holy Fatherrsquos blunt words on theevil of corruption he has called for an Extraor-dinary Jubilee of Mercy starting on December8 2015 ldquoJesus Christ is the face of the Fatherrsquosmercyrdquo Tis opening statement provides thetitle of Pope Francisrsquo Bull of Indiction Miseri-cordiae Vultus He goes on to say that Mercy

is ldquothe bridge that connects God and manrdquo Itis also ldquothe fundamental law that dwells in theheart of every person who looks sincerely intothe eyes of his brothers and sisters on the pathof liferdquo (MV 2)

On Nov 3-5 our Archdiocesan Pastoral

Assembly brought together more than 450delegates from 64 parishes Tis was the cul-mination of the Appreciative Inquiry processthat was carried out in most parishes down tothe kapilya community level over the past sixmonths

What was most noteworthy was the prepon-derance of lifemdashgiving pastoral experiences interms of prayerfulness and also of service toothers Tese two characteristics and sharedvalues can just as well point the directions wecan take during this jubilee year of mercy

Tis perhaps is the perspective we can adoptin confronting the macro-challenges beforeusmdashto first bend our knees in prayer and to bemerciful like the Father especially for the poorand marginalized in addressing socio-economicand political issues to work for ecological andsocial justice and to bring about Godrsquos mercy

by rectifying deeplyndashrooted biases and injusticesin Philippine society today

A r c h d i o c e s e o f C a g a y a n d e O r o

Pinoy in RomeCountdown to the

Jubilee Yearof Mercy

By Robert Z Cortes

HE Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy announced by PopeFrancis around Holy Week this year is finally starting onDecember 8 the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception

just a couple of days from now Tat this special event in theChurchrsquos history begins on that date is of course no accidentTis Popersquos devotion to Mary shown publicly every timehe passes by St Mary Major before any major trip abroadshould have made that choice almost predictable Howeveraside from human choices one ought to consider above allthe guidance of Providence whose will it is that the most

important events in the Church happen under the mantle ofMary Mother of the Church and Mother of MercySo the idea

to p repareproximatelyfor the Jubilee

Year of Mercyby making anovena to theImmaculateConceptionmade a lot ofsense to me

And being inRome thecity that argu-ably no placein the worldcan match

in terms ofthe qualityand quantityof sacred artp r e s e n t Itook advan-tage to do thefollowing Fornine daysmdashi n c l u d i n gthe Solem-nity hencet h e t e r mldquonovenardquomdashI

was going tovisit an im-age of OurLady vener-ated in vari-ous churchesaround thec i t y B u t

which church-es though

Given the

multitude of beautiful and historic churches in Rome itseemed the best way to approach this project was simply tobe led by Providence Tis approach is not ldquoto be too mysti-cal about itrdquo asI learned quite recently from of all peoplea non-Catholic ethics professor in a very secular Americanuniversity whom I interviewed a couple of months ago Hisdefense is that ldquothere still is another dimension in terms ofa holistic being in which our reason and our spirit and ouremotions are an integrated wholehellip So you listen to thevoice of the spiritrdquoTis was actually good ecumenical adviceto which my experience in the following days would attest

Tese experiences culled from my journal of these novenadays are actually Church history lessons devotional tour-guiding tips and philosophizing all rolled into one I sharethem seeing that they can serve some purpose however onemay be preparing for the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy

Our Lady of the Sacred Hear in SantrsquoAndreadella Valle Yesterday November 30 was the beginning of the novenato the Immaculate Conception It also happened to be thefeast of St Andrew Now at the other end of the street wheremy university is happens to be a huge looming basilicadedicated to Saint Andrew with the name ldquoSantrsquoAndreadellaValle rdquo People with very limited time in Rome usually donrsquothave time to visit this magnificent church but really nexttime you come you should Tis church was actually builtby the very same people involved in the building of St Peterrsquosand used this as their ldquopracticerdquo church people like Giacomodella Porta and Carlo Maderno Te fountain in the squarefronting the church is Madernorsquos

Te paintings and the frescoes inside are even more breath-taking Te dome and the ceiling are one of the best thereis in Rome - and perhaps in Christendom Since it was thefeast of St Andrew precisely I decided to do my prayer rightthere before the huge fresco of the crucifixion of St AndrewI did my rosary in one of the side chapels dedicated to Our

Countdown B6

What was behind

that inconspicuous

door Actually a

small but amazinglybeautiful jewel of

a church

A recent rally against climate change and environmental degradation

The Sant Agnese view from the South Plazza Navona

Sant Agnesersquo double Holy Family

An Interfaith Walk for Peace held on Nov 26 2015

R o b e r t Z C

o r t e s

R o b e r t Z C

o r t e s

A

r c h d i o c e s e o f C a g a y a n d e O r o

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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B4 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

By S M Evangeline A Madayag OSB

HE urgency of protecting ldquo OurCommon Homerdquo is much given em-phasis by our Holy Father Pope Fran-cis Much heat drought and differencein the weather and climate is muchfelt Many kinds of sicknesses are alsoattacking especially the poor who lacknourishment due to having no foodsecurity One can really feel the differ-ence of being in a polluted city fromthe simple rural setting where there arestill enough trees providing clean airTe other week I and my communityof Sisters together with two visitingSisters were able to enjoy the beautifulbeach of San Isidro Davao OrientalI salute Mayor ina Yu and all the of-ficers of the Municipality of San Isidrofor really defending their stand for a

ldquoNo o Mining in San IsidrordquoI wish that would also be true for the

whole province of Davao Oriental It issad that some barangays and munici-palities who make resolutions to allowmining only consider themselves as theonly ones with rights to allow miningobviously setting aside the possibleharms effect on the people and theenvironment especially to the nextgeneration We have experienced the

effect of the haze brought about theforest fire of Indonesia a true evidencethat we are all affected all around the

world of what happens in a certain partof the world As Joey Ayala reminds usin his song ldquo Ang Lahat ng Bagay ayMagka-ugnayrdquo

Just last year (July 1 2014) SenatorLoren Legarda visited our province (Davao Oriental) and congratulated theprovince for its stand on the protec-tion of our natural resources especiallyciting Mt Hamiguitan a UNESCO

World Heritage site What a heri tage what a treasure

Yet what is real ly happeni ng inDavao Oriental Even our priests inthe Diocese of Mati are alarmed onthe ldquo proliferation of alleged mining

activities in the province of Davao

Oriental particularly in the followingareas (1) Brgy Old Macopa Manay(2) Brgy iblawan Governor Gen-eroso (3) Barangay Causwagan andMaputi Banaybanay (4) BarangayDapnan and Lambajon Bagangga (5)Barangay Calapagan Lupon (excerptsfrom the letter of Rev Fr Edito SBantildeo DCM Apostolic Adminstratorof Mati to the DENR National OfficeSeptember 10 2015 He made anotherletter to the DENR on October 222015 to includeMacambol ( Magumand Salingcomot) as a concern

With much prayers for awakenings

re-awakenings and miracles to hap-pen we make this petition

A PEIION FOR HE SOP-PAGE AND REJECION OF HEIMPENDING ISSUANCE OF MIN-ING PERMI FOR AUSRAL-ASIALINK MINING CORPORAION

AND HALLMARK MINING COR-PORAION BOH UNDER HECORPORAE ORGANIZAIONOF ASIAICUS MANAGEMENCORPORAION (AMCOR) AMAGUM PUJADA BAY AND SAL-INGCOMO MAI CIY PROV-

INCE OF DAVAO ORIENAL

We the farmers fisherfolks Churchpeople youth professionals businesspeople of Davao Oriental Provincetogether with our national and inter-national supporters hereby urge MrRamon JP Paje DENR SecretaryNO O ISSUE ANY MININGPERMI to AUSRAL-ASIA LINKMINING CORPORAION ANDHALLMARK MINING CORPORA-ION both under the CORPORAEORGANIZAION OF ASIAICUSMANAGEMEN CORPORAION(AMCOR) for its mining operation in

Magum Pujada Bay and Salingcomot

Mati City Province of Davao Oriental We also demand that their mining

equipments be pulled out from themining site Macambol ldquoLodgedbetween two protected areasmdashthePujada Bay Protected Seascape (andLandscape) and Mt HamiguitanRange proclaimed wildlife sanctu-ary (Republic Act No 9303 July 302004)rdquo and as a UNESCO WorldHeritage Site at the 38th Session ofthe World Heritage Committee ( June15-24 2014 Doha State of Qatar) is not the most logical site for large-scale nickel laterite mining project (October 212009 in Environment Food Security Sensitive EcosystemsTe Philippines)

Ac co rd in g to th e st ud y pu b-lished by httpbhpbillitonwatchnet20091021pujada-hallmark-nickel-laterite-project-profile ldquo some4778 hectares of mining permitsoverlap with five major drainagesystems and watersheds which eitherdrain towards Pujada Bay or the DavaoGulf Tese bodies of freshwater arethe main water supplies for the com-munities living within and around thearea and the bays host endangeredspecies such as dugongs (sea cows)sea turtles and stingrays Te forestof Macambol is a watershed area

Additi ona lly the Puja da reg ion issituated on the ldquoPacificndashCordillerardquofault line wo branches of the activePhilippine fault flank the watershedon the southwest and southeast of theproject area which has been subjectto intense seismic activities Te 2008report ldquoPhilippines Mining or Foodrdquorecommended that no mining shouldtake place on Mount Hamiguitan ornear Pujada Bay which are centres ofbiodiversity with high ecotourismpotential Under these conditions itmay be almost impossible to minethe area ldquo (httpbhpbillitonwatchnet20091021pujada-hallmark-nickel-laterite-project-profile)

In his ENCYCLICAL LEERLAUDAO SIrsquo Our Holy Father

all processes addressing climateand disaster risks especially afterthe province experienced the

wrath of yphoon Yolanda lastNovember 8 2013

He also mentioned how theimpact of climate change cutsacross all sectors regardless of gen-der culture economic or politicalstature with the poor sufferingthe greatest impact

ldquoTerefore a plan of actionto address climate and disasterrisks must be undertaken using

PASTORAL CONCERNS

Home B7

IN solidarity with the on-goingClimate Conference in Paris the

Archdiocese of Palo Relief andRehabilitation Unit (Caritas Palo)together with at least 200 lsquoYolan-darsquo survivors signed a Declarationsupporting Climate Change andCommunity-Managed DisasterRisk Reduction in Palo Leyteon uesday

In a statement Caritas PaloDirector Fr Al Cris Badana citedhow important it is for membersof the communities to be part of

community-managed disasterrisk reduction (CMDRR) as thestrategyrdquo Badana added

Also present during the commit-ment signing are representativesfrom various church groups andgovernment agencies such as theProvincial Government of LeyteDepartment of Social Welfare andDevelopment Department ofInterior and Local GovernmentProvincial Disaster Risk Reductionand Management Office and theOffice of the Civil Defense

Aside from the declaration sign-ing the lsquoYolandarsquo survivors from15 communities in the townsof Palo Santa Fe AlangalangMayorga Dulag and MacArthureach gave a presentation of howtheir communities are presentlyengaged in community-manageddisaster risk reduction (CMDRR)measures and systems

Tere was also a mini exhibitof the organic products producedby lsquoYolandarsquo survivors to show itssupport for sustainable agricul-

ture which is part of the climatechange action

After the devastation of y-phoon Yolanda the RomanCatholic Church of the Archdio-cese of Palo through Caritas Paloand NASSACaritas Philippineshelped Yolanda-affected commu-nities in Leyte to craft their ownresiliency and contingency plans

which were already adopted bytheir barangays As of today Cari-tas Palo has invested P150 millionto build resilient communities

Te said communities also in-stalled early warning systems andevacuation plans which resultedin zero casualties and minimaldamages during the onslaughtof yphoon Ruby the strongesttyphoon in 2014

It can be recalled that the re-cent encyclical of Pope FrancisLaudato Si highlighted the ad-

verse impacts of climate changeon the poor and most vulnerableand the scale of the climate crisis(NASSA Features)

Protecting Our Common Home

Church lsquoYolandarsquo survivors in Leyte signClimate Change Declaration

N A S S A C a r i t a s P h i l i p p i n e s

C B C P N e w s

N A S S A C a r i t a s P h i l i p p i n e s

N A

S S A C a r i t a s P h i l i p p i n e s

lsquoYolandarsquo survivors together with representatives from the Archdiocese of Palo Relief and Rehabilitation Unit (Caritas Palo) signedthe Caritas Declaration on Climate Change in solidarity with the on-going Paris Climate Talks

The Archdiocese of Palo Relief and Rehabilitation Unit (Caritas Palo) displayed the organic products produced bylsquoYolandarsquo survivorsin Leyte which is part of its climate change action

Members of the New Dampigan Womenrsquos Association happily beam and show off the eggs they harvested

Women in actionONE women to explore their otherpotentials

Tis is the story of the women in thetown of New Dampigan in Samar prov-ince who found a new hobby a passionand source of livelihood all at the sametime hey are the New Dampigan

Womenrsquos Association who are engagedin poultry raising

It all started when the DiocesanSocial Action Center of Calbayog gavethe group a total of 500 ducks as partof its livelihood program for yphoonHaiyan survivors

Te group is composed of 21 mem-bers all of them women Tey raiseducks and sell its eggs salted and freshalike to the nearby towns of Sta Ritaand Basey o produce salted eggs they

preserve it for 15 to 18 daysBut it wasnrsquot all easy going especially

at first When another yphoon Hagu-pit locally known as Ruby hit the townlast December some of their ducks diedfrom the storm Tey almost lose hopeBut luckily they did not Instead the

women sticked together and took careof the remaining ducks

Now the women are the more thanhappy and contented of the productof their pure hardwork and ingenuitySeveral weeks after the onslaught ofHagupit the women are once againback in track

Currently they are harvesting 700 upto 1000 eggs every week Tey are alsofocused on marketing their products tonearby towns which they do throughthe support and trainings providedby the social action center Yes they

are truly women in action (NASSAFeatures)

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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B5CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

life and refreshment from her waterrdquo (Laudato Si2)

Since climate is a commongood it is but right to be involved

in the discussion of climatechange especially that it is nowdestructive not only to proper-ties to but also to lives Accord-ingly the world is on the brink ofbecoming an arid wasteland dueto lsquounchecked human activitiesrsquo

We are living witnesses of thedestruction brought about by

weather changes and the effectsto health by carbon emissionshe calamities that claimedthousands of lives these pastyears and months are enoughproof to awaken in us a commit-ment to safeguard creation andhelp mitigate their effects

Pope Francis seeing the ur-gency of action in dealing with

environmental crisis points outthe use of highly polluting fossil

STATEMENTS

Statement on Coal Mining and Coal Power Plant

Final Statement of the 6th Bishopsrsquo Institute forInterreligious Affairs

Mayor Duterte

Asian celebration of the 50 th anniversary of Nostra Aetate

FABC Office of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs

Redemptorist Center Pattaya Thailand

November 16-20 2015

WE the one hundred sixty-six(166) delegates of the 40thDOPIM Bishops-Clergy Con-vention unanimously expressour serious concern on theoperation of coal mining andcoal power plant that triggersapprehension among our peopleand poses environment threat inthe provinces where such facilityis being established

With faith in the Lord of Cre-ation we want to heed the callof Pope Francis in his encyclicalLaudato Si that urges us all tocare for the earth as our commonhome Citing St Francis of As-sisi the Holy Father persuadesus to treat our common homelike our sister

However knowing the realityof our destructive attitude andactivities towards her the Pope

writes that ldquoTe6 sister now criesout to us because of the harm

we have inflicted on her by ourirresponsible use and abuse ofthe goods with which God hasendowed her We have come toseeeuro ourselves as her lords andmasters entitled to plunder herat will Te violence present inour hearts wounded by sin isalso reflected in the symptomsof sickness evident in the soilin the water in the air and inall forms of life his is whythe earth herself burdened andlaid waste is among the mostabandoned and maltreated ofour poor she lsquogroans in travailrsquo(Rom 822) We have forgottenthat we ourselves are dust of theearth (cf Gen 27) our very bod-

ies are made up of her elements we breathe her air and we receive

fuels ndash especially coal to be pro-gressively replaced without delay(Cf Laudato Si 165) We can-not simply sit idly while seeing

the unfolding of horrific eventsresulted by so called technologi-cal progress at the expense of na-ture Instead we recommend theuse of renewable energy whichis of course not harmful to theenvironment and to humans

As Bishops of the Diocesesof Dipolog Ozamis PagadianIligan and Marawi (DOPIM)

which comprise the civil prov-inces of Zamboanga del NorteMisamis Occidental Zamboan-ga del Sur Lanao del Norte andLanao del Sur we completelyoppose the operation of coalmining and coal power plantsmost especially within the afore-mentioned provinces We do this

not only because of our humanresponsibility but as a call intrin-

sic to our Christian faith We he re by ur ge al l co n-

cernedmdashboth the coal industryand the governmentmdashin thename of our Lord Jesus Christ tohave the same concern We alsocall the faithful and all people ofgood will be vigilant at all timesand in all places because ourcommon home is in danger ofdevastation We will not allowourselves to arrive at the pointof no return

May God hear us and come todefend the beautiful creation Hehas entrusted to us May Marythe Queen of all creation coverus with her mantle of maternalcare

Formulated during the 40thDOPIM Bihops-Clergy Con-vention on November 11 2015at the Diocesan Pastoral CenterDel Carmen Iligan City

Most Rev Severo C CaermareDDBishop of Dipolog

Most Rev Elenito R GalidoDDBishop of Iligan

Most Rev Emmanuel CabajarCSsR DDBishop of Pagadian

Most Rev Edwin A dela PentildeaMSP DDBishop-Prelate of Marawi

Most Rev Jesus A DosadoCM DD

Metropolitan Archbishop ofOzamiz

WHA the world desperately needs now is leadership byexample We have so many leaders in office and many moreaspiring to sit in office but are they examples of good citizen-ship If the leaders we choose are to be leaders for nationalprogress they must be visionaries AND exemplary

Corruption is indeed a great scourge of Philippine politics

Te usual face of corruption that we recognize easily is stealingfrom public funds Corruption like a monster is a devil withmany faces Killing people is corruption Killing is a crime anda sin whether it is done by criminals or public officials no mat-ter what the intention Adultery is corruption It makes marriedlove cheap and uses people for pleasure Adultery corrupts thefamily it destroys children and victimizes the weak Vulgarity iscorruption When we find vulgarity funny we have really becomebeastly and barbaric as a people When a revered and loved andadmired man like Pope Francis is cursed by a political candidateand the audience laugh I can only bow my head and grieve ingreat shame My countrymen has gone to the dregs

Is this the leadership by example that Mayor Duterte excitesin us Is this the leadership by example that makes a publicofficial deserving of the title ldquoHonorablerdquo

+SOCRAES VILLEGAS

Archbishop of Lingayen-DagupanCBCP PresidentDecember 1 2015

F i l e p h o t o

V i n c e n t G o

Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte

1 It is by Godrsquos grace andprovidence that we 87 par-ticipants in the Sixth BishopsrsquoInstitute for Interreligious Af-fairs (BIRA VI) from 17 dif-ferent countries have come tocelebrate the 50th anniversaryof Nostra aetate in our Asiancontext and in our time Weare grateful for the funding wereceived from Missio Aachenthat helped make this gather-ing possible

2 In this grace-filled gather-ing we have worked togetheras the Church in Asia retracing

our steps along the path of dia-logue praying reflecting andsharing our experiences andthoughts on the questions of

what we ha ve done so far and what we need to do fur ther forinterreligious dialogue in Asia

3 We recognize that Nostra Aet at e is sti ll ins pir ing andchallenging us to realize thevision of the Church as thepeople of God in dialogue inour time facing the interde-pendent reality of the com-plex and diverse influences ofglobalized socio-economic-cultural-political structures

we rea ffi rm the strong needof the ldquotriple dialoguerdquo with

the poor cultures and reli-gions in a journey towards theKingdom of justice peace andecological harmony

4 hrough our experienceof dialogue and action forthe last five decades we havelearned that interreligiousdialogue is not only to be aspecific pastoral strategy ofthe Church but rather an

Asian vis ion of the ChurchIt is a Church that proclaimsthe values of the Kingdom

without fear in dialogi cal col-laboration (partnership) withthe people of other religions

5 Struggling against anykind of fundamentalism ter-rorism and proselytism theChurch in Asia is called to

work toget her with other s asco-pilgrims In protecting thepoor and the environmentthrough our interreligious net-

work we are n ot do ing socia l work together but bui ldi ng

a mystical union of GodrsquosKingdom as inter-dependentbeings (in the harmony of ourrelationship with one anotherand with all creation)

6 he Church in Asia con-

firms that we cannot engage with other s in a real dialogue without having a clear ident ityof who we are and constantlygrowing in our own faith Inthe pluralistic contexts of Asiathe Church as a ldquolittle flockrdquois called to learn a kenotic(self-emptying) spirit of loveand service from Jesus ChristIt is through our humble andopen-minded approach thatreal trust and mutual under-standing with others can beestablished We are aware ofthe importance of grassrootsinterreligious dialogue whichusually starts from inter-per-sonal friendship and grows tocommunal action for justiceand peace

7 he Church in Asia takesseriously the challenges oftoday for all religions variousconflicts and violence massive

poverty and global inequalitythe increasing numbers ofrefugees and migrants pollu-tion and environmental crisiscorruption and moral degrada-tion human trafficking and

the breakdown of social cohe-sion terrorism and all formsof fundamentalism

8 One of the most urgentchallenges in Asia is to pro-claim Jesus Chri st as the Way

the ruth and the Life whileacknowledging and respecting

what is ldquotrue and holy in otherreligionsrdquo (Nostra AetateNo 2) As a community ofdisciples we give witness to

Jes us through our pe rs onaland communal l ifestyle oflove in three interconnected

way s sil enc e pre sence andstory-telling In an existentialsilence we empty ourselvesand listen deeply to the voicesof the other without judging

wi th a lov ing hear t In thedepth of our silence we are

aware of Jesusrsquo presence amongus which is inspiring our jour-ney of interreligious dialogueand action for transformingthe world It is by telling ourown story of transformationthrough Jesus as individualpersons and as communitiesthat the globalized culture ofindifference and greedy con-sumerism is to be transformedinto the gospel-culture of soli-darity and sharing

9 In our common journey with other s we Chri stians in Asia re cognize the importanceof basic human communitiesat the grassroots level wherethe dialogue of life and actionis going on especially together

with th e indigenous people Itis through these basic humancommunities that the Churchin Asia learns the holistic

world view and the sacred cos-mic spirituality which awakeus to take care of ldquoour com-mon homerdquo We are called togo beyond our comfort zoneand to develop a new narrativeof dialogue coming from ourcommon experience with thehope of rediscovering the har-monious relationship betweenhumanity cosmos and God forthe future generation

10 We commit ourselvesmore passionately to inter-religious dialogue in Asia indifferent ways for example

bull o develop local interreli-gious dialogue and action inthe grassroots communities

bull o organize formationprograms for interreligiousdialogue within the Catholiccommunity

bull (eg Seminaries religioushouses of formation and forthe laity)

bull o promote intra-dialoguebetween Christian churchesand within Catholic institu-tions

bull o support dialogue ac-tivities and forums (eg UNInterfaith Harmony Week)

bull o advocate i nterreligiousdialogue and action in thepublic sphere and cyberspace

bull o provide adequ ate prep-aration and pastoral care to theinterreligious family

11 After these days of re-flection and sharing of ourexperiences of and insightson interreligious dialogue inthe light of Nostra Aetateguided by the Holy Spirit

we ha ve com e to re ali ze againthe importance of opennesstowards the people of otherreligions and the indispens-able role of witness to theKingdom of God ever grow-

ing in the heart of As ianpeople hrough our sincerecommitment to dialogueldquoJesus Christ will be bet -ter known recognized andlovedrdquo (PCID Dialogue inruth and Charity No 39)

F a c e b o o k

F a c e b o o k

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B6 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

completion In this way the miracle ofthe Incarnation took place with theBlessed rinity taking the initiativeand Mary responding freely and gen-erously to the Spiritrsquos action in her

It is in response to the lead of theSpirit that Mary set out for Elizabethrsquoshouse to share with her relative theldquoGood Newsrdquo she was carrying withinher

Like mankind before Mary andChrist we too may have a bad re-cord when it comes to ldquobeing open toGodrdquo We may not be any better than

Adam and Eve or the people before theFlood (see Gn 65-6) or the builders ofthe ower of Babel (See Gn 113-4)

Tis Advent in the Year of Faith isfor all of us an opportunity to evalu-ate our standing in this respect and totake appropriate action If we decideto imitate Mary and Elizabeth in theiropenness to the Spirit we may be sure

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

HE times of John the Baptist were bad characterized as they were by selfishness greed prideaggressiveness oppression of the

weak Tis can be gatheredfrom the answers he gave tothose who had been struck byhis preaching and asked ldquoWhatought we to dordquo Johnrsquos strongly

worded call to conversion was

amply justified All needed toundergo a ldquometanoiardquo a changeof mind and attitude in order toenter the Reign of God

Te situation does not seemto have changed much since thetime of John the Baptist We livein a society plagued with the samemoral defects and vices People arestill greedy selfish aggressive

And of course the temptation isalways to see these moral failuresin others

In many cases it may be truethat there is so much evil aroundus But it is equally true that wetoo are not perfect here isevil in us too We fail morallyalmost every day and in various

ways We too need to undergoa ldquometanoiardquo a radical conver-sion ldquoRadicalrdquo here means that it

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

WE all experience the dif-ference that physical dark-ness or light produces inus Darkness makes us feeluneasy even anxious andafraid Light gives us a senseof security It enables us torealize where we are and

what to do

his is why the Bibli-cal creation story tells usthat ldquoIn the beginningrdquo (ie when nothing existedexcept God) ldquodarkness cov-ered the abyssrdquo Ten Godsaid ldquoLet there be lightrdquo And there was light Godsaw how good the lightwas rdquo (Gn 14a) Tepresence of light enabledGod to proceed with the

work of creation with allits wonders and poten-tials and thereby conquerthe darkness of chaos andmeaninglessness

should not stop at the individualactions but has to affect our at-titudes and set of values ie thevery root of our actions Tereshouldnrsquot be the least doubt so-ciety will start changing for thebetter the very moment we beginto improve

Advent and the special obser-vances for this year (Extraordinary

Jubilee Year of Mercy Year of theEucharist and of the Family) areinvaluable opportunities for us

to start or resume moving in theright direction Like those whoapproached John we should ask ldquoWhat are we to dordquo Te answersmay be as many as there are personalmoral situations but a ldquocommondenominatorrdquo easily applies to allOur fundamental attitude has gotto be one of openness availabilityand goodwill

Te first requirement is ldquoopen-ness to Godrdquo in grateful love andexpectation in prayer of ldquopetitionand thanksgivingrdquo (see Phil 46)mdashfor the Lord is coming to dwell inour midst and to be our ldquomightySaviorrdquo (See First Reading v 17)

Te second basic requirementis ldquoopenness to peoplerdquo hismeans readiness to share ourgoods generously with the lessfortunate (see Lk 311) to be fair

But aside from physical lightand darkness there are otherforms of these two oppositerealities in the intellectualemotional moral and spiri-tual domains In the JudeanChristian revelation light isassociated and even identifiedwith God while darkness is as-sociated and identified with sinand evil St John the Evangelistproclaims ldquoGOD IS LIGHrdquo(1 Jn 15) Consequently a lifelived without God is darknessmdashthe darkness of sin and hell (See

John 319-21) No wonder thenthat the Incarnation of GodrsquosSon is compared to the comingof light to earth (See Jn 15 and1246)

And this is precisely what wecommemorate and celebrate atChristmas the coming of thelight of Godrsquos holiness andgoodness to fight and defeatthe darkness of evil in all itsforms

In the extraordinary andunique event of the Incarna-

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

MANKIND has had a bad record fromthe very beginning of its historymdashthecriminal record of shutting God outof its plans and life Such an attitudehad few exceptions in Abram Mosesthe prophets And even those ex-ceptions were not always 100 clearIt was only with Mary that a differentattitude started to prevail an attitudeof total openness to the action of Godin onersquos life and of full availability tocooperate with Him in the actualiza-tion of His plan

Mary was the most open of all tothe inspirations and promptings ofthe Holy Spirit Like a very sensitiveharp she let the Spirit produce in herand through her the wonderful melodyof manrsquos salvation which only thedivine love can initiate and bring to

REFLECTIONS

P u b l i c d

o m a i n

C B C P N e w s

Christmas the triumph of light

The ldquoNEW JERUSALEMrdquo isthe perfect realization of Godrsquos

plan and the fulfillment of our

deepest aspirations

4th Sunday of Advent (C) Luke 139-45

December 20 2015

Solemnity of Christmas (C) John 11-18

December 25 2015

3rd Sunday of Advent (C) Luke 310-18

ldquoRejoice Sundayrdquo December 13 2015

Our advent priorities

Countdown B3

that He will work wonders also in usno matter how insignificant and weak

we may consider ourselves (See Mi51)

We need the impulse of the HolySpirit and His empowering supportto get out of ourselves to show aninterest in others and share with themthe blessings we have received from theLord including our joy (See attitudeof Mary Lk 146-49)

We need to be open to the Spiritin imitation of Mary in order tohave Christ formed in us or betterin order to be molded unto him If

we cult ivat e such an openn ess andavailability we shall ever more becomeChrist-like in our thoughts aspira-tions attitudes and actions Andthus we shall be totally committedto do our share in carrying out theFatherrsquos plan of saving love as Christdid (See Heb 105-7)

Open to the spirit in imitation of Mary

Lady of the Sacred Heart Andby the time I left the church

which is just a five-minute walkfrom my house what else couldI say but thank You Really thereis nothing much else one can say

Our Lady and Child in SanSalvatore in Onda

Funny what one sees whenone changes perspectives Goinghome from jogging one day Idecided to pass by the right (in-stead of the left) side of Via deiPettinari (Combmakersrsquo Street)I happened to look up by chanceand I saw this charming image of

Our Lady I had never seen be-fore even if Irsquod already passed by

here more than ten times Ten when I looked down I likewisenoticed what should have beenan inconspicuous door Now Isaw there was a paper posted onit hinting that inside was actuallya church called San Salvatore inOnda and the place where SaintVincent Pallottirsquos remains arevenerated I took mental noteof the opening schedule andresolved I would do the secondday of my novena there

What was beh ind that in-conspicuous door Actually asmall but amazingly beautiful

jewel of a church First behind

the green door commonly seenalong the street was another set

of wider doors made of beauti-ful strong old wood It had ahuge tarp proudly claiming thatSt John Paul II had visited thischurch For such a small churchI thought it would be surprisingany pope would do that

But of course if one knew JP IIand St Vincent Pallotti and whatthey each stood for one wouldunderstand For JP II loved topromote the apostolate amonglay people and St Vincent inhis own 19th century religious

way was one of the promotersof the lay apostolate at the time

when it was so much lacking

He founded the ldquoPious Unionof Catholic Apostolaterdquo Tatrsquos a

union of priests religious and la-itymdashbut the ldquoPallotinesrdquo as theyare called really just consists ofthe religious brothers and priestsand the laity are well theyrsquorethere But that was certainly ahuge start

Te church is now their homebase but it wasnrsquot so at first Builtnear the end of the 11th andbeginning of the 12th centuryit was given to the Franciscansfrom which two popes camefrom Knowing this historic-ity of the church and that StVincentrsquos body is now underthe altar one then understands

this church deserved the Popersquosvisit But to add to these therersquos

to everybody and be absolutelyhonest with all (See Lk 313-14)

All this is love of neighbor in itsmost elementary form and noone can claim to be exempted orto have done enough

o this we have to add thepursuit of all those ldquonatural valuesand virtuesrdquo that Paul lists in theSecond Reading (See Phil 48)Only on these conditions shall

we be able to ldquobe glad and exult with all our heartsrdquo (Zep 314) and

begin to enjoy ldquoGodrsquos own peace which is beyond all understand-ingrdquo (Phil 47)

If on the contrary we refuseto heed Johnrsquos (Godrsquos) call toconversion this Advent will bea series of ldquomissed opportuni-tiesrdquo Tere may still be laughterbut very little joy We may giveand receive plenty of gifts but

without experiencing the bliss ofreal generosity In other words wemay be like one of the decorationshanging on Christmas trees glit-tering and colorful outside butempty and ugly inside

It need not be so It should nothis Advent we have a chanceto really change for the betterstarting from ldquowithinrdquo And it isup to us to make the most of thisopportunity

tion the divine light becomesa human beingmdashJESUS OFNAZAREH His coming is not a lightning in the night thatsoon vanishes in the persistentdarkness of the sky Rather it isan enduring event mdashthe fulfill-ment of a well thought-out plandestined to last till the end oftime and beyond

Te Incarnation is an eventthat is not confined to the placeand time where it took placebut a permanent reality thatconcerns and affects the entireuniverse as well as the life ofeach human being Tis is sobecause the life and mission ofthe God-Man born in Bethle-

hem is to bring the light of loveand grace into the history ofmankind into the life of everyhuman person

his is why we believe andproclaim that Christmasmdashthecoming and dwelling of Godrsquoslight on earth ndash makes all the dif-ference Te world will never bethe same as before the ldquoChrist-

mas eventrdquo simply because Godldquopitched His tentrdquo among us More still He became one of us

He did so in order to enableeach individual and mankindas a whole to fight and over-come the many forms of dark-ness that oppress frighten andenslave usmdashthe darkness of

hopelessness meaninglessnessfear hatred oppression but es-pecially the darkness of sin andof whatever leads to the endlessdarkness of being separated fromGod forever

Nowadays the all-pervadingcacophony of commercialismand materialism tend to dis-robe Christmas of its sacred-ness and saving dimensionand to confine it to the realm

of a myth lost in the vaguenessof a distant past Against suchbackground it is essential thatwe Christian believers ap-preciate the importance ofthe historical event of theIncarnation and its relevanceto our life today

Christmas as the joyful com-memoration of the Incarnationof Godrsquos Son is an invitationto ACCEP Jesus Christ intoour existence as the light of the

world the light of our life It isalso an invitation to REJOICEin the light that radiates from

Jesusrsquo presence teaching and

example It is a commitmentto LIVE as children of thelight and thereby eliminatein ourselves and around usthe darkness of sin and evilin all their forms Christmasis an invitation and a chal-lenge to SPREAD the light ofGodrsquos love through our wordsand deeds

In this perspective theHoly Fatherrsquos call to be ac-

tively involved in the workof a NEW EVANGELIZA-ION becomes absolutely vital and releva nt to thisseason of light and joy Itis the first step toward anever-greater involvement inthe wonderful enterprise ofbuilding Godrsquos luminousKingdom of peace love andhope that can usher in theldquonew heavens and the newearthrdquo the ldquoNEW JERU-SALEMrdquo that is the perfectrealization of Godrsquos plan andthe fulfillment of our deepestaspirations

also the sheer beauty of medievaland renaissance art that one seeson the ceiling and the simplebaldachin under which Mass

was held when I was there Teimage of Our Lady and Child byCesare Mariani in the main altaris also arresting

Te church has the appellationldquoin Onda rdquo which means ldquoin the

waverdquo most probably becauseof the frequent flooding of theiber Irsquove seen some of thesesigns on marble stone aroundseveral parts in Rome indicat-ing where the river was at this orthat point and therersquos only one

thing I can say Te worst Manilafloods are as if only two inches

compared to Rome flooding inthose days Irsquom not sure if thishas any connection to one imageof Our Lady venerated there ona huge side altar ldquoVirgin mostPowerfulrdquomdashbecause one cer-tainly needed a huge power tosurvive such inundations

But last night I know I wasinundated by only one thingmdashthanksgiving for being surround-ed by such beauty and holiness

(Robert Z Cortes is a PhDstudent in Social InstitutionalCommunication at the PontificalUniversity of Santa Croce Rome

He has an MA in Ed Leadership from Columbia University)

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B7CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

tions might become ever more numeroustill they become the rule

It is in the family that the reform ofsociety begins because it is there that welearn to respect and help one another wepractice patience and justice we learn toshare and to love in an unselfish and practi-cal manner Pope Francis speaking to theFilipino families during his Pastoral Visit

in January 2015 said ldquoIn the family wecome to know God to grow into menand women of faith to see ourselves asmembers of Godrsquos greater family theChurch In the family we learn how tolove to forgive to be generous and opennot closed and selfish We learn to movebeyond our own needs to encounterothers and share our lives with them Tat is why it is so important to pray as afamily Tat is why families are so impor-tant in Godrsquos plan for the Churchrdquo

A family where God is at home is afamily at peace Such was the Holy Familyat Nazareth And the yearly celebration ofits feast is not just a well-deserved tributepaid to its three members It is also an in-vitation and encouragement to make ourfamilies today what the family of JosephMary and Jesus was in those daysmdasha ha- ven of love of God and neighbor at itsbest a home where God felt at home afamily according to Godrsquos heart

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

PRAYING together as a family seems nolonger fashionable nowadays Te reasonsare varied so many commitments con-flicts of schedule practical impossibility ofbeing together Tere are of coursehappy exceptions of parents who everyevening gather their children for somemoments of reflection on the Word ofGod reconciliation shared prayer andrecitation of the Rosary hese samepeople are usually the ones who on Sun-days attend the Eucharistic celebrationas a family From this they derive strengthharmony cohesion And at the same timethey become an inspiration to the wholeparish community It is when the familygathers together for prayer that its mem-bersmdashboth parents and childrenmdashseethemselves under the common fatherlyauthority of God

A family that renews every day itscovenant with the Lord will have notime for endless bickering jealousyunfaithfulness harsh manners on thepart of the parents or rebellion on thepart of their children

Te families that pray together are re-ally mini ldquofaith communitiesrdquo or ldquolittlechurchesrdquo One wishes that these excep-

SOCIAL CONCERNS

M a s t e r o f t h e A n t w e r p A d o r a t i o n

M a r k E u s e b i o

Feast of the Holy Family (C) Luke 241-52

December 27 2015

World Day of Peace (C)

Luke 216-21

January 1 2016

Baptism of the Lord (C) Luke 315-16 21-22 January 10 2016

Solemnity of Epiphany (C) Matthew 21-12

January 3 2016

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

HE world is torn by wars and conflicts of every kindmdashwarsamong nations factions families Afraid of the tragediesof war simple people yearn for peace Some governments andpeace-oriented organizations try to achieve peace throughnegotiations and compromise Fortunately many times theysucceed in establishing at least a ceasefire

But we all know that peace is not simply the absence offighting Peacemdashit has been written in so many waysmdashisthe fruit of justice among nations groups individuals Morethan this peace is the fruit of being in a harmonious rela-tionship not only with others but also with oneself andespecially with God Tere can be no peace where there isrejection of God

Peace is just another word for love another word forgrace It prospers only with the defeat of sin And just asall the sufferings and destructions of war are both a sign anda consequence of sin so the defeat of sin in ourselves andaround us produces that inexpressible feeling of satisfactionand harmony that no material riches can buy and no balanceof power can create

Real lasting peace is what God the source of all good-ness wants for all mankind But in order for that peaceto become a reality we have to do our share First of allwe have to pray for it Ten we have to work for it Tatmeans to make every effort to bring it about Ten the Lord

will bless our efforts by granting us that genuine peace thathas in Him its origin and support On our part we have toaccept Godrsquos blessing of peace with humble gratitude as Heoffers it to us not as an abstract concept but as a person ndashHis very own Son Jesus Christ He is our peace becauseHe is the One who reconciles all men with the Father andamong themselves the One who reconciles each of us

with ourselves In Him we are able to recognize all humanbeings as our brothers and sisters all members of the onebig family that has God as the common Father He is theOne who called the peacemakers ldquoblessedrdquo and gave peaceto His disciples as His farewell gift

Jesus the King of Peace comes to us not in a vision orlike rain from the clouds He comes from a human motherMary Most Holy the woman of peace who has been ableto open herself to the Source of all peace and has fashionedHim in that human form in which all can recognize andlove as their elder brother In this way Mary and peace arevitally and dynamically linked And she brings peace to ourtroubled hearts and lives as Godrsquos messenger as she givesus Jesus in this Christmas season

Pope Francis calls all of us

to CARE FOR OUR COM-MON HOME Tis is one ofthe most important remindersin our times to really show re-spect to God who created allTe issuance of mining permit

will allow tree cutting activi -ties in almost 10000 hectaresland area Tis will lead to thedestruction of the very fewremaining forest in the Philip-pines and in the world We

would expec t a more imba l-ance ecology extinction ofdiversified natural resourcesexample flora fauna insectsanimals (including the Philip-pine Eagle) floods sicknesses

We reiterate that we would not

like this to happen We must remember that the

Home B4

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

EPIPHANY is the manifestation of Jesusas the MessiahSavior of all men includ-ing the pagans of goodwill representedby the Magi As such it is also the mani-festation of the divine plan hidden forcenturies in God to unite all human beingsin Christ (See Eph 11-10)

Evermore mankind moves toward the for-mation of a great international communityTis is according to Godrsquos plan Its roots arein creation itself ldquoGlobalizationrdquo is the ldquoin-thingrdquo nowadays It is a ldquosign of the timesrdquo to

which we should pay attention Tough theconcern of most of its proponents seems tobe economic its basic assumption is correctwe are one world one family of nations

Whatever is incompatible wi th this ldquoone-nessrdquo should be abolished

Many oppose globalization because if we

limit it to its economic aspect and to tearingdown trade barriers almost surely it will leadto the rich becoming richer and the poorbecoming poorer But if we take this wordto mean essentially the abolition of all bar-riers that have been erected by human prideselfishness ghetto mentalities or racism andif it ushers in a greater solidarity of thestronger with the weaker and a generoussharing by the rich with the poor thenglobalization is according to Godrsquos planand all Christians should be its most en-thusiastic supporters

Epiphany has also a special messageconcerning the attitude of all religions

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

WE say tha t people make aldquoprophetic gesturerdquo when theydo something striking that is alsoa sign of greater things to comeTose gestures reveal the depthof their passion or commitmentthey are meant to shake peopleand somehow force them to makea choice either for or againstcertain vital issues

In his lifetime Jesus mademany ldquoprophetic gesturesrdquo

such as his driving the tradersout of the emple the healingof the paralytic and many othermiracles He performed All thosegestures were ldquospectacularrdquo intheir own way Tey attracted theattention of the crowds which

wondered what their ldquomeaningrdquocould be

Tere was in the life of Jesus aldquogesturerdquo which was not spectacu-lar at all and which went unno-ticed by almost everybody exceptHis cousin John His baptism inthe River Jordan Tat gesture

was absolutely ldquocommonrdquo andldquoordinaryrdquo for it was somethingthat almost everybody was doingin those days in response to the

exhortation of John the BaptistBut Jesusrsquo baptism at the Jor-

dan lost in the crowd of sinners who were seeking forgivenesshad a depth of meaning thatmade it one of his most dra-matic ldquoprophetic gesturesrdquo It

was his baptism in fact whichrevealed the essence of Jesusrsquomission and became the occa-sion for the revelation of hisconcealed divine identity

he ldquoprophetic dimensionrdquoof Jesusrsquo action was not so muchin his entering the waters of the

Jordan ashis immersing himselfin the crowd of sinners Tat was

something unthinkable and un-believable Only Godrsquos incrediblelove for every human being andall mankind could have conceivedsuch an ldquoimmersionrdquo which was socomplete and involving as to be atotal ldquoidentificationrdquo Tat wasthe reason why the eternal andall-holy Son of God had comedown from heaven and had un-dergone the fullest ldquoimmersionrdquoin the ocean of mankindrsquos miseryand in human history Jesusrsquobaptism is a clear manifestationof Godrsquos mercy toward mankindTe Word the eternal Son of theFather clad in human flesh in

Jesus of Nazareth becomes one with sinful mankind not to be its

judge but its Savior and the HolySpirit appearing in the form of a

dove a symbol of peace remindsus of Godrsquos mercy on the ldquorem-nantrdquo of mankind as the purifyingflood subsided (See Gen 810-11) Jesusrsquo baptism was a furthermanifestation of the meaning andpurpose of the Incarnation

hrough that ldquoimmersionidentificationrdquo the totally sinless Jesus became a part not onlyof the relatively small group ofsinners gathered by the banksof the Jordan but also of theimmense crowd of sinners thatis the whole of humankind And

just as his immersive in the watersof the river sanctified them so didhis presence among the crowd ofsinners bring them the possibilityof receiving purification from sin

Tat was exactly Jesusrsquo missionIsaiah the prophet had alreadyforeseen this when he announcedthat the mission of the ldquoServant ofthe Lordrdquo was to bring ldquojusticerdquo(that is holiness) to the nationsOf him the Lord God said ldquoIformed you and set you as a cov-enant of the people a light forthe nations to open the eyes ofthe blind to bring out prisonersfrom confinement and from thedungeon those who live in dark-nessrdquo (See todayrsquos First Reading)

In his life Jesus ldquoactualizedrdquosuch a liberating and sanctify-

ing ldquoimmersionrdquo by associatingwith sinners and even seekingtheir company ndash something thatshocked the ldquoholyrdquo people of histime His association with ldquopublicsinnersrdquo was bound to tarnishhis reputation as his opponentspointed out on several occasions

Jesus did not mind that criti-cism and continued like beforeformdashas he himself saidmdashit is sickpeople who need a doctor (SeeMt 912) But his immersinghimself in the crowd of sin-ful mankind cost Jesus much

moremdashit cost him his very lifefor he was put to death to atonefor the sins of all

Jesusrsquo vicarious self-offering was so power ful in its effec tbecause of who he wasmdashGodrsquosbeloved Son on whom the Fa-therrsquos favor rested Such a solemnproclamation of Jesusrsquo divineidentity soon after his baptismbalanced so to speak his hid-ing himself among the crowdof sinners at the Jordan RiverIt also completed the ldquopropheticnaturerdquo of what happened on thatdaymdashGodrsquos very Son coming tosave all mankind by sharing fullyits predicament of misery in or-der to transform it from within

through the superabundant holi-ness that only God is

Families according to Godrsquos heart

symbolized by the Magi toward JesusChrist He should be the one acknowledgedby all believers as the universal Savior sentby God to bring all mankind back to GodTe gifts offered by the Magi to Jesus in

Bethlehem can symbolize the different char-acteristics which the major world religionscan offer as their distinct contribution to theestablishment of the Kingdom proclaimedand established by Christ the gold of faithin one merciful God and the power of His Word as a feature of Islam the incense ofmeditation love for nature and peace thatcharacterize Buddhism the myrrh of dedica-tion and industriousness that characterizeConfucianism Jesus rejects nothingof the values these faiths have He acceptsthem all and brings them together into onepractical synthesis that makes humankindthe family of God on earth

Jesus is indeed the center of humanhistory because he is the center of Godrsquosplan for mankind He is the ldquocenterrdquonot only in the sense that his coming hasdivided the centuries into two great blocks

of ldquobeforerdquo and ldquoafterrdquo Christ He is alsothe one in whom all men can find thecommon point of reference to form a realfamily of nations and peoples withoutcoercion or exploitation Te light of hisGospel can penetrate all cultures assumeall their valid elements and purify the restfrom those negative aspects which thepower of sin has gradually introduced inthem

Only Jesus Christ can keep all men unitedin a community of sincere respect lastingsolidarity and practical love For the plan ofthe Father born of love will find its fulfill-ment only in LOVE

Mary of NazarethMother of JesusMother of peace

Christ the unifying centerof all mankind

One with sinners to save them

environment can exist even

without us but we can neverexist without the environmentnature We only have one com-mon home the Earth there isno other

We urge the Dep ar tmentof Environment and NaturalResources to take the real leadto protect our remaining ldquoenvi-ronment and natural resourcesrdquoplan with other governmentagencies and environmentallyconcern organizationsfounda-tions on how to preserve ourremaining forests and marinelife sanctuaries

NO O MINING IN MA-GUM PUJADA BAY AND SA-LINGCOMO MAI CIY

PROVINCE OF DAVAO ORI-ENAL

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B8 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

Look for the images of Saint Joseph Mama

Mary and Baby Jesus

(Illustration by Bladimer Usi)

Bladimer UsiLolo Kiko

Buhay Parokya

KANISS Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) both a victor in andsubverter of Panemrsquos Hunger Games is now a symbol of the revolu-tion whom rebel president Alma Coin (Julianne Moore) and powerbroker Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman) want to usestrictly as a poster girl Stubborn freedom-fighter Katniss howeverhas her own agenda and that includes killing President Snow (Don-ald Sutherland]) to end once and for all the senseless deaths of somany young people Forming a team of rag-tag soldiers that includeclosest friends Gale (Liam Hemsworth) Finnick (Sam Claflin) andPeeta (Josh Hutcherson) she goes off on a mission risking theirlives through a booby-trapped war to liberate the citizens of PanemTe final confrontation between Katniss and Snow presided overby Coin is an electrifying game-changer

Te Hunger Games is not exempted from the fad of choppinginto ldquopartsrdquo the movie adaptations of popular books Harry Potterwilight Te Hobbitmdashthey have all stretched their heroesrsquo exploitsto prolong box office earning power and yet the fans wait AfterHunger Games MockingjayPart 1 which judging fromits relatively weak performanceat the tills must have been aforgettable movie that testedthe patience of fans Mocking-

jay Part 2 revs up with moreof the thrills that have madethe Hunger Games series theprototype of dystopia flicks foryoung adults (Divergent et al)Te strong cast monumentallycontributes to the realism of theHunger Games franchisemdashhowcan it go wrong with a leonineSutherland a steely Moore asly Hoffman And of coursethe winner Lawrence who canequally sell with aplomb partscalling for either vulnerability orverve In Mockingjay 2 the starsrsquo solid performances interwoven

with heart-stopping CGI make for a fitting finale to a story that

capitalizes on manrsquos inhumanity to manItrsquos surprising that a number of film critics are disappointed with the

filmrsquos ending calling it ldquosappyrdquo and an anti-climactic conclusion to anadrenalin-packed series that promised so much by way of action andheroism Teir cynical remarks remind us of biblical Israel waiting fora savior who would topple down the ruling elite with its own brandof kingship but is instead given a Jesus Christ CINEMA thinks theending is actually a statement that magnifies the upbeat message of the

whole story enough is enough Murder as spectator sport is sub-human At least when beasts kill it is to survive but in Panem the poor youngpeople are robbed of choice and must kill in order to livemdashas enter-tainment for the elite So Mockingjay mocks the elite it cries ldquoGivehumanity a chancerdquo Whatrsquos wrong with wanting to dump violence tostart afresh Choose life not death Arrows that used to kill people arealso useful for hunting fowl for the dinner tablemdashis that against the lawldquourn your swords into ploughs and your spears into pruning hooksrdquoMaybe the cynicsrsquo eyes have grown to love the Hunger Gamesrsquo darknessthat the sunlight-dappled scenery blinds them Or maybe after fallingin love with the couture of Panemrsquos stylish crowd theyrsquore simply horri-

fied by Katnissrsquo drastic costume change Whatever CINEMA wouldnrsquothave wanted the ending any other way

ENTERTAINMENT

MAGPAPAKASAL at magsump-aang magmamahalan nang wagasang dating live-in partners nasina Basya (Bea Alonzo) at Popoy(John Lloyd Cruz) Bilang mgalisensyadong enhinyero at arkitektoay magtataguyod sila ng construc-tion business na mabilis na uunladLalong magpupursige ang mag-asawa na magpalago ng negosyodahil magbubuntis si Basya Naisnilang mabigyan ng magandangkinabukasan ang kanilang anak

Subalit dahil sa pressure ng tra-baho ay makukunan si Basya attuluyang mawawala ang sanggolna kanyang dinadala Labis itongikalulungkot nina Basya at Popoykaya napagkasunduan nila ayonna rin sa mungkahi ni Basya natitigil siya sa pagtatrabaho upangmakabuo uli sila ng baby Nanatilisi Basya sa bahay at di nakialam sanegosyo sa loob ng dalawang taonPinaubaya niya ang pagpapatakbong negosyo kay Popoy Magtitiwalasi Basya sa kakayanan ng asawa namahusay nitong mapapamahalaanang kompanya katulad ng nagingproblema ng pagguho ng isangbuilding project Hindi rin gu-gustuhin ni Popoy na bigyan ngalalahanin si Basya Samantala sakabila ng magandang saloobin nilasa isarsquot isa ay ang napipintong pag-kalugi ng negosyo na siya namangililihim ni Popoy kay Basya Dahilsasarilinin ni Popoy ang problemamaapektuhan ng tuluyan angkanilang pagsasama

Sequel ng pelikulang One MoreChance na pinalabas noong 2007ang Second Chance Matatan-daang tumatatak ang naunangpelikula dahil sa mga tinatawag nalsquohugot linesrsquo nina Alonzo at Cruzsa nasabing pelikula Di namannabigo ang mga nag-abang sa se-quel na ito dahil naganap nga angsecond chance sa mga pangunah-ing tauhan na sina Basya at PopoyMalinis ang pagkakadugtong ng

dalawang pelikula --- parehongmga tauhan at kontexto gayundinang mga artistang nagsiganap Sakabila ng pagkakaroon ng prequelay napanatili ang malayang istoryang Second Chance bilang isangpelikula Bagamat predictable ang

wakas ay naging kasabik-sabikpa din ang mga eksena at mgapalitan ng linya ng lahat ng tau-han Di matatawaran ang husayng pagganap nina Alonzo at Cruzbilang mag-asawa panalo talagaang tinatawag na chemistry nilangdalawa Di rin nagpahuli nag mgakatuwang na aktor at aktres Mag-aling ang ginawang trato ng direk-

tor para mapalabas ang kalakasanng mga nagsiganap at ang mgaeksenang hinaluan ng patawa lalona sa eksena kasama ng mga kai-bigan Simple lamang ang disenyong produksyon pero nakatulongang mga kuha ng camera at edit-ing para maging makabuluhan saistorya ang setting Makahuluganang composition na nagpapakitang electric fan para sa mensahe nanagtitipid na ang mag-asawa dahillugi na ang kompanya

Mayaman sa mensahe parasa mga mag-asawa ang SecondChance Pinakita sa pelikula angrealidad ng buhay may-asawa nahindi lang puro kasarapan sa halip aymga pagsubok na maaring mauwi sahiwalayan kung hindi haharapin ataayusin Sa relasyon ng mag-asawa

ay napakahalaga ng magiging bu-kas sa isarsquot isa kaya anuman angpagdaanan ay magkatuwang nahaharapin Ang pagtatago ni Popoyng katotohanan kay Basya ang nag-ing mitsa ng lumubhang alitan dipagkakaunawaan pagkawala ngrespeto at palitan ng masasakitna salitamdashpati tiwala sa sarili aynawala At sa punto na pipiliin ngisa na lumayo at hanapin ang sariliay nakatulong na balikan ang mga

sumpaan binatiwan nuong sila ayikinasal at higit sa lahat ang kanilangpagmamahal sa isarsquot isa Mainamdin na may mga kaibigan at pamilyana pwedeng lapitan na susuporta athindi manghuhusga manunumbato mang-uudyok sa paggawa ng maliKapuna-puna lang na bagamatnagsimula at nagwakas ang pelikulasa chapel ay tila di man lang nilanaisipan na magdasal habang maypinagdaraanan sila Nais isipin ngCINEMA na ang gusto lamangsabihin ng pelikula ay ang pag-aasawa ay hindi lamang sa pagitanng dalawang tao kundi dapat aykasama palagi ang Diyos

DIRECTOR Cathy Garcia-Molina

LEAD CAST Bea AlonzoJohn Lloyd Cruz DimplesRomana

SCREENWRITER VanessaValdez Carmi Raymundo

GENRE Romantic Drama

CINEMATOGRAPHER NoelTeehankee

RUNNING TIME 130 minutesTECHNICAL ASSESSMENT

MORAL ASSESSMENT CINEMA Rating V13

A SECONDCHANCE

DIRECTOR Francis LawrenceLEAD CAST Jennifer Law-

rence Josh HutchersonLiam Hemsworth WoodyHarrelson Donald Suther-land Julianne Moore PhilipSeymour Hoffman

GENRE Adventure ScienceFiction

RUNNING TIME 137 minutesTECHNICAL ASSESSMENT

MORAL ASSESSMENT CINEMA rating V14

THE HUNGER

GAMESMOCKINGJAY 2

Buhay San Miguel Brothers Matias

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 1724

Philippine Army Chaplaincy CFC

Hold 1st National Convention

The first-ever OACCS - OSM CEP Convention further strengthened the camaraderie between the chaplaincy and the local CFC created a more solid CFC OSM Core enabledthe stakeholders to work together and recognized the efforts of those who work tirelessly under the program

CFC Metro Manila as one big happy family worshipped danced sang played gamesand had fun during the last MC Gathering of the year

By Alma Alvarez

CFC ANCOP USA Pontificio Collegio Fillipino Sign Partnership Agreement

CFC MM MC Celebrates the Family

HIS Eminence Cardinal Luis Antonio agle Chairman of PontificioCollegio Filippino and its Rector Msgr Greg Gaston recently signedthe ANCOP USA Priest Sponsorship Program (PSP) partnership

with Eric Villanueva Roger Santos and Rollie Balanza Couples forChrist - ANCOP USA leaders Te ANCOP USA PSP will assistpriests from the Philippines who will be sent by their Bishops to doadvance studies in Rome

In his letter to Villanueva Cardinal agle wrote ldquoOur partnership will

allow more Bishops to send Priests for ongoing formation and furtherstudies in Rome to better equip them in serving Gods people as SeminaryFormators and as collaborators in the different Diocesan Ministries back

HE Metro Manila Mission Coregathered as one big CFC familyduring this months MC Assemblylast December 6 2015 Leadersfrom the Family Ministries likewisecame to the Ynares Sports Arenato hear Mass together celebrateshowcase talents play in the fungames and just enjoy each otherscompany before the end of the year

CFC Spiritual Director Msgr Allen Aganon celebrated Mass Inhis homily Msgr Allen emphasizedthe enormity of the role of John theBaptist as the one who heralded thecoming of Jesus Christ despite hishumble beginnings He challengedthe CFC leaders to be like Johnthe Baptist

We are ordinary people who

home As a result our Church in the Philippines will be strengthenedso that Priests and laity alike could carry out our respective work ofevangelization and service not only to the Church but also to societyrdquo

According to the agreement the PSP is for Masters Licentiate orDoctorate studies only ANCOP USA PSP funds will cover the priestrsquosboard and lodging at the Collegio in the amount of $10000 per year

All other needs such as tuition fees medical insurance transportationbooks etc will be provided for by the Bishop as a local counterpart

Tis would ensure that priests can benefit from the partnershipo donate or to know more about the program please visitwwwancopusa-psporg

THE CFC Order of St Michael(OSM) in cooperation with thePhilippine Army Ofce of theArmy Chief Chaplain Service(OACCS) staged the rst everCharacter Enhancement Pro-gram (CEP) Convention last No-vember 24 2015 at the PhilippineAir Force Museum Pasay CityRetired Col Arturo Alabanza amember of CFC Metro Manila(South B) and head of the OSM

OSM C4

together with the OSM Corespearheaded the event

In his opening remarks Alabanza describedhow the OSM came together with the OACCS

and forged a long-term partnership to ldquodeveloprighteous God-fearing soldiers loved by theFilipino peoplerdquo through the CEP Te CFCOSM has developed modules specifically cater-ing to the soldiers their spouses and childrenOACCS on the other hand has the author-ity to mandate Commanding Officers of thevarious Army camps nationwide to employthe CEP

Te convention allowed the stakeholders toreport on the accomplishments and enabledthe Army Chaplains from the different Infan-

try Divisions to plan with their local Couplesfor Christ counterparts regarding strategies forCEP and its continuing spiritual enhancementmodules It was likewise an opportunity for

CFC OSM to present the second module forthe CEP which the group plans to roll outbeginning 2016

ANCOP Chairman Joe Yamamoto in hisinspirational talk reiterated Pope Francisrsquo callfor new evangelization and emphasized thatthe partnership is a clear response of each per-son involved whether it be the Chaplaincy orthe lay stakeholders to be agents of change inthe spiritual realm within the Philippine Army

Several of those serving in the program

His Eminence Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle and the leaders of CFC ANCOP USA f orging a strong partnership for further education among Filipino clergy

are called to herald Christ andto be missionaries of mercy heemphasized

Te Mass was followed by theopening worship led by the MetroManila Missions Director MannyGarcia and a brief message fromCFC Chairman Joe ale

Te CFC Order of St Michaelthrough its Head Art Alabanzatook the opportunity to honor the55 Singles for Christ volunteers

who served in the Christian LifeProgram for the PMA Cadets inBaguio Te fun-filled games forthe adults and children talentpresentations and face-paintingadded to the festive mood rulyit was a day for the family (CFCGlobal Communications)

Reconciliation is Key to Advent PreparationsldquoTHE best way to prepare forChristmas is reconciliation Thebirth of Jesus is Gods offering ofreconciliationrdquo

his was the essence of the Advent recollection given by FrGerard imoner OP Provincialof the Dominican Order in thePhilippines for the workers of theCFC Global Mission Office Terecollection was held last Novem-ber 28 2015 at the Obizpado deCubao in Quezon City

In his reflection Fr imoner

creatively wove reconciliation withforgiveness as well as the new

evangelization taking into account Jesusrsquo words to ldquoshake off the dust

from your feetrdquo According to hima good spiritual foot spamdashthe act

of shaking the dust off onersquos feet toremove all traces of the bad news to

enable one to proclaim the GoodNewsmdashis essential in preparing

oneself during AdventFr imoner described for-

giveness as ldquosetting a prisonerfree and realizing that thatprisoner is yourdquo He illustratesldquoJesus did not forgive whileon the cross Instead he saidlsquoFather forgive them for theyknow not what they dorsquo We canonly forgive if we engage Godsforgiveness within our ownrdquo

he best path to the newevangelization is to allow our-selves to be reconciled with God

amp each other he emphasized(A Alvarez)

The News Supplement of

Couples for Christ

C1CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 1824

Reflections on Advent

I IS the start of a new liturgical

year As in every year the previ-ous liturgical year ended withthe feast of Christ the King afitting high point indeed Aftergoing through the year observ-ing the various highs and lowsand phases of His life in theend and rightly so we proclaim

Jesus as indeed the King of kingsand the Lord of lords

And so the Church starts thecycle anew beginning fromHis birth into this world obuild up to that we have theseason of advent of waitingof anticipating of preparingfor the birth of He who werecognize and proclaim as theKing of kings

One would expect that thismajor season is ushered in

with Bible vers es express ingthe level of excitement befit-ting the birth of the King ofthe universe It is therefore abit surprising and soberingthat the opening reading ofthis season is one with a themethat speaks not of celebrationbut of foreboding of the com-ing end times

here wil l be strangethings happening to the sunto the moon and the stars Onearth whole countries will bein despair afraid of the roarof the sea and the raging tidesPeople will faint from fear asthey wait for what is comingover the whole earth for the

Joe Tale

powers in space will be driven

from their courses hen theSon of Man will appear comingin a cloud of great power andglory When these things begin tohappen stand up and raise yourheads because your salvation isnear Luke 2125-28

Moreover we are enjoined tobe on watch and to be vigilantin a specific way Be careful notto let yourselves become occu-pied with too much feasting anddrinking and with the worries ofthis life or that Day will suddenlycatch you like a trap For it willcome upon all people everywhereon earth Be on watch and prayalways that you will have thestrength to go safely through allthose things that will happen andto stand before the Son of Man

Luke 2134-36It is significant we might evensay ironic that during this seasonof merriment in anticipation ofthe birth of the Messiah we are

warned exactly not t o be merryIn this period that we normallycelebrate with much food and

wine and music we are instructedto refrain from such things

Is the verse dousing cold wa-ter on all these festivities andpreventing us from celebrating

joyously the arr ival of t he KingNot so he verse simply re-

minds us of something more im-portant whatever be the seasonof our life of being constantlyprepared and on the watch at

all times not ever to bring our

guards down whether we are go-ing through our low moments orhigh points in our life We are re-minded to always Be Preparedas the Boy Scouts motto goes

whatever our spec ific situationmay be at any given time

Als o I sense tha t the Lor d would like to bring us to a deeperlevel of rejoicing not merely onthe level of the frivolous as toomuch feasting and drinking areTe words of Jesus do not preventus from rejoicing He wants us tocontinue to be prepared even as

we celebrate He warns us not torejoice in a wanton way that takesus away from our right senses re-sulting in our being unpreparedhus our rejoicing should becoming from deep in our hearts

not shallow and hollow expres-sions of the same Our rejoicingshould be geared towards allowingus to still be prepared

hus as we hold our Christ-mas parties and dwell in themerriment of the season let usbe mindful of the words fromthe Gospel Appropriate feastingand drinking not only make usfaithful to the gospel but is alsomore healthy Significantly tooit should make us more caring tothose who have less and hope-fully lead us not to be wastefuland to share whatever we have somany others will also experiencea truly Merry Christmas

Rejoice in the Lord

HE RED Cubs harvested thegrand championship of the recentlyconcluded CFC GMC Ablaze Cup2015 held last December 2 - Decem-ber 8 2015 at the sports facilities ofCamp Crame

Te friendly games were partici-pated in by the different departmentsin the CFC Global Mission CenterTe Red Cubs romped off with the

Red Cubs are Champions in CFC GMC Ablaze Cup 2015

Go go go GMC clockwise from top left Caloy Rubio CFC Ablaze Cup Event Head exhorting participants the board of judges CFC Chair Joe Tale inspiring the athletes paradeof athletes the Orange Tigers basketball game between the Red Cubs and the Maroon on Fire cheerdance competition

Mel and Aimee Serrano talking about the highs and lows of dealing with in-laws

In Highs And In-Laws Dealing With Your In-Laws

ldquoATRASrdquo BOYS amp GIRLS

Are We Waiting For Jesus At The Right Spot

This Advent

IN983085LAWS he very word re-minds many a married coupleof discomfort awkward evenstrained relationships and some-times open conflict But are rela-tionships with the family membersof your spouse meant to be merelytolerant Te latest Couples forChrist (CFC) ndash Young Couples

Assembly on November 30 heldat St Pauls College in Pasig Citytackled precisely this topic andcame up with this wildly inge-nious insight In-laws are peopletoo ndash love them

According to the speakers Meland Aimee Serrano of CFC ndashMetro Manila West B lovingthem in all sincerity will work

wonders ldquoTat is the tried andtested formula love your in-lawsrdquoshared Mel a school owner fromQuezon City

During the talk which theypeppered with lots of insights andsharing of personal experiences as a

PASIG City Nov 29 2015 ndash What do weusually do when we find out that someone welove or an important personality is visiting ou rhome We tidy up we prepare good food butmost of all we wait his was the m essage thatabout 150 young married couples heard duringthe Family Mass at the Couples for Christ ndash

Young Couple s Assembly at St Paul Colleg eConvention Center held last November 30

Fr Ruper Solis SVD who celebrated theFamily Mass reminded the couples presentthat to wait for something or someone also

couple married for 20 years the Ser-ranos focused on several key points1 Handle them with care

Tis means giving attention tothe one who needs more takingcare of them in their old age as

well as training your kids to respecttheir grandparents

ldquoOn our part we have to makesure that our children will give duerespect [to them] and be able tounderstand intricacies that come

with old agerdquo said AimeeldquoWhether may sama ng loob

(hurt feelings) sometimes there will be times na mahirap makipag-kita (that it will be difficult to meetthem) but you have to go to themKailangan nating gawin yun (Weneed to do it)rdquo she stressed

2 Acknowledge differences According to the couple people

should recognize that their spousemay not have the same familyculture as they do Value systems

means waiting at the right placeldquoAs Christians our life is a series of waiting

Dapat maghintay ka sa tamang lugarhindi langsa tamang panahon na sinasabi ni Lola Nidora noPero sa tamang lugar din (We should wait not justfor the right time but waiting should be doneat the right place as well)rdquo explained Fr Ruper

he young priest who was an SVD missionaryassigned to Argentina for more than seven years

went on to tell the story of how once in Argentinahe was waiting by the side of the road flagging

championship crowns in badmin-ton (women) table tennis (menand women) tug-of-war and peelbanana It was a close fight with theMaroon on Fire team who grabbedthe winning titles for basketballvolleyball cheer dance and chess(men) and ended up 1st runner-up

with les s than 2 points from the winning team Te Orange igerscame in 2nd runner-up while YellowHotshots was 3rd runner-up basedon the last team standings

Te awarding ceremonies wereheld last December 8 2015 dur-ing the celebration of the CFCGMC Christmas party Tis an-nual event is an opportunity forthe mission workers to enjoy eachotherrsquos company Te Ablaze Cuplikewise serves as a venue tofoster and promote the spirit ofsportsmanship and unity amongthe GMC workers from bothpastoral and mission support(Yvonne Dolorosa)

HE WORD ldquoatrasrdquo means a backwardmovement It is generally used to refer to theldquoReverserdquo function of a vehicle In Lanao DelNorte the word has been applied to a group ofboys abd girls who guide vehicles in and out ofparking spaces the equivalent of the ldquoWatch-your-carrdquo aides in Metro Manila

he CFC leaders in the province immedi-ately thought of the Atras Boys and Girls ofLanao Del Norte when Cardinal agle said ndashldquoGo to the peripheries be a mobile clinicto heal the poor from spiritual sickness rdquo

Another ins pirat ion was from one of the mostimportant pastoral subjects of Pope Francisabout the ldquofamily and the poorrdquo

Every time I go to mass at the St MichaelrdquosCathedral with my wifeata the ldquoatras boysand girlsrdquo are all over the area assisting ve-hicles either to park or to exit the parking area

When n ot per formi ng thi s function they andother members of their family can be seenbegging for their daily sustenance hey areusually homeless their home being along theperipheries of the Cathedral or the sidewalks

he inspiration led the Area Governanceeam to the idea of bring these boys and girlsand their parents to a Christian Life Programhey moved quickly with Boy Suezo approv-ing the strategic CLP as designed by RegionalPastoral Formation Head Art Maderazo andinserting video clips appropriate to the CLPtalks With the activation of the SOLD Min-istry with Bro Roger Sultan as Provincial Co-

ordinator SOLD was made the lead ministryof the ldquoAtras Boys and Gir lsrdquo CLP

Initially the number of participants was limitedto five (5) for logistical reasons but the HolySpirit deemed otherwise ndash the attendees eventuallynumbered ten individuals and three (3) coupleshe CLPs were scheduled every hursday at 600orsquoclock in the evening with dinner provided byCFC brothers and sisters particularly the AGrsquos

wives and ANCOP members he SOLD Prov in-cial Coordinator took care of fetching the partici-pants from the Cathedral and also bringing themback to their ldquohomesrdquo It did not matter to Rogerthat his car would often retain the smell of the

unwashed he persisted in servicing the transportneeds of the participants

November 05 2015 was truly a pleasant anda memorable day to the service team On thatday five of the ten boys and girls and two (2)couples dedicated their life to CFC One of theparticipants stood up to give an inspiring testi-mony ending with ldquohank you CFC for makingus somebody in your heart hank you for beingmindful of the conditions of the poor and thankyou for bringing Christ to our livesrdquo (ldquoSalamatCFC nga aduna pa diay kami luna sa inyong kas-ingkasing Salamat CFC sa inyong pagpakabanasa susama kanamo nga mga timawa Salamat sainyong panahon pag hatag kanamo sa pagtulun-anni Kristo)

It is envisioned that this kind of evangeliza-tion can be replicated in other areas nationwidethe beginning of a truly strategic evangelizationHopefully this is also the beginning of a newlife for the new CLP graduates with CFC being

instrumental in helping them provide for theirfamilyrsquos future (Nonoy Haim)

disciplining style even views onhow to handle finances will of-tentimes be different Tat is whyunderstanding coupled with love

will go a long wayldquoDifferences and conflicts are

not unhealthy but mismanagementis Never criticize your in-lawsrdquoMel said

Also in case of confl ict themessenger or the ldquobridgerdquo shouldbe the one with the primary re-lationship (spouse to own fathermother)

he Serranos candidly sharedabout a conflict that eruptedbetween Aimee and her father-in-law during the campaignperiod for local elections whenMel ran for public office heconflict was soon followed by aperiod of silence a Cold Warso to speak ldquoIt took us at leasta year or two [My father said]kasi pag di natin inayos tolahat tayo maapektuhan (If we

dont fix this all of us will beaffected) It helped that thecouple prayed and sought DivineIntervention and asked the com-munity to pray with them heHoly Spirit worked

3 Respond appropriately What if ev en af ter l ovin g and

understanding them its stillnot smooth sailing with your in-laws Heres what the Serranoshad to say

bull iming is everythingbull Learn when to speak or keep

your mouth shutbull ake a breath cool offbull Maintain a sense of humorbull Remember unsolicited advice

is just an opiniono cap their talk the couple

brought back the participants tothe basics of loving in-laws to actout your love to build bridges andto communicate (Nirvaana EllaDelacruz)

HOMILY C3

IN A Memorandum sent to the Philip-pine Missions leaders last November23 2015 PM Director Jose Yamamotoappointedreassigned leaders for theNortheastern Luzon region

Mark Banzon has been appointedProvincial Area Head (PAH) of Isabelavice Rommel Ancheta ony de la Cruz

on the other hand was tapped to be PAHof Nueva Vizcaya vice Raul Balaquiao

O set a new tradition in the CFC Family the InternationalCouncil has agreed to make December 27 the Feast of theHoly Family as a special day for the members of the familyto honor one another Tis will allow each person in thefamily to express their gratitude to the Lord for the gift offamily and the importance of having each member of thefamily around for the love support and service As a sug-

New Appointments for CFC GMC NE LuzonFamily Honoring Night Set

Balaquiao was appointed PAH of IlocosSur vice ony de la Cruz while Cholo

Yjares is now PAH of Cagayan vice BongPagulayan Pagulayan is now PAH ofKalinga vice Cholo Yjares

he move is essentially a realignmentof the leaders in the Northeastern Luzonarea in the interest of the mission except

for Banzon who is a new appointee andfor Noel Malamug who remains as

PAH of Ifugao hese changes are to takeeffect on January 1 2016 Edythe Aven-dantildeo is also set to replace Didi Galsim asHandmaids of the Lord InternationalCoordinator effective January 1 2016

In the Global Mission Center RickyRico was appointed Head for the GAd-min effective October 1 2016 while Jay

Lucena was appointed head of the CFCEvents group also effective October 1facebookcomCFCGlobalMission CFChrist

The Ugnayan News Supplement is published by the Couples for Christ Global Mission Foundation Inc with editorial ofces at 156 20 th Avenue 1109 Cubao Quezon City

Editorial trunk line (+63 2) 709-4868 local 23

Direct line (+63 2) 709-4856

wwwcouplesforchristglobalorg cfcglobalcommunicationsgmailcom

Michael C Ariola

IC Oversight

Zenaida A Gimenez

Editor-in-Chief

Alma M Alvarez

Associate Editor

Evangeline C Mecedilla

Circulation Staff

Deomar P Oliveria

Layout Artist

The News Supplement

of Couples for Christ

gestion the guidelines indicate the following as the activitiesfor the said day hearing Mass together dining together athome praying together and in gratitude expressing theirlove to one another

hrough the Family Honoring Night the community hopesto strengthen the relationship among the family members andempower each one to truly cherish and love one another

Bong Pagulayan

Mark Banzon

Cholo Yjares

Ricky Rico

Edythe Avendantildeo

Raul Balaquiao

Jay Lucena

Tony de la Cruz

C2 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 1924

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 2024

CFC China Conducts

Mission Heads Training

CFC Greece Leaders Meet Archbishop of Athens amp Nuncio

COUPLES for Christ USA and CFC Greece leaders paid a courtesy call on Archbishop Sevastianos Rossolatos and Fr George Altouvas at the Archd ioce se of Athens he g roup in troduced Couples f or Chri st to the new Archbishop and di scus sed theirplans to initiate a CFC Youth Camp in Greek as well as to develop CFC teachings in Greek

On another occasion the CFC leaders met with the Apostolic Nuncio of the Holy See in Athens Archbishop Edward Joseph AdamsTey discussed challenges and forthcoming changes in the Greek Catholic hierarchy and laid down CFCrsquos plans for CFC Athens

SINGLES for Christ Metro Manila gath-ered at the San Carlos Seminary in Makatilast December 5 2015 at 700 pm forthe SFC Global One a two-hour non-stop worship experience Jay Laquiana fulltime pastoral worker for SFC ledthe worship

Global One was meant to be a simul-taneous praise concert with major cities

or provinces hosting the event But what

made this yearrsquos Global One event special was the fact that it was the first time it wasstaged online via youtube live broadcastTis gave SFCs all over the world an oppor-tunity to come together despite differencesin time zone

ogether as one ministry SFCs from theMetro Manila Sectors the provinces andthe various countries like the USA Canada

and the Middle Eastern countries raised

SFC GLOBAL ONEmdashUniting the World

via Online Worship

their voices in praise and worship for thecountless favors they received It likewisebecame an opportunity to ask the Lordto bless the ministry for the coming year

Te ministry sees the online Global Oneas an event they can do annually Tey alsosee it as a potential tool to reach othernon-SFC members to witness Christ andcome together with other young people to

worship (Lanie Montaos)

OSM C1

CFC Winnipeg held its 2nd Celebration of Covenant Love onNovember 21st the feast of the Presentation of Our Lady Sixteencouples attended the activity

One week prior to the Renewal of Wedding Vows the 16 coupleshad a mini-retreat conducted by their spiritual advisor Fr YollyGamallo Te mini-retreat included four couple-sharers Te HolyMass was celebrated at St John Cantius Parish presided by MsgrLouis McCloskey A simple reception followed for the 16 couples andabout 60 family members with additional witnesses from the CFCcommunity Te participants who renewed their marriage vows werefrom varied age groups with some having been married for only five

years to couples who were celebratingo 40 years of holy matrimony

Tis year makes the Celebration of Love even more relevant as itis the year that held the papal Synod on the Family and the WorldMeeting of Families Pope Francis stated when making an address tofamilies ldquoTose who celebrate the sacrament say lsquoI promise to be trueto you in joy and in sadness in sickness and in health I will love youand honour you all the days of my lifersquo At that moment the coupledoes not know what will happen nor what joys and pains awaitthem Tey are setting out like Abraham on a journey together

And that is what marriage is Setting out and walking togetherhand in hand putting yourselves in the Lordrsquos powerful handsHand in hand always and for the rest of your livesrdquo (from http

couplesforchristcanadaca)

A Celebration of Covenant Love

I cherish the treasure the treasure of you lifelong companion I give myself to you These happy couples from CFC Vancouver saying Yes again to oneanother and to God as they renew their marriage vows

CFC missionaries to South Americarejoiced as they completed a fruitfulmission to the area a fitting end to theyear Te mission to Nuevo Pueblo deColaacuten opened a new area an hour awayby land from Piura Peru establish-ing CFC ndash Parejas para Cristo in a remotetown in the desert At the end of theChristian Life Program 13 new CFCPPC members composed of 4 couples4 HOLD and 1 SOLD committed to alife with Christ

Te PVC (Programa de Vida Cristiana- Spanish CLP) was held November 27to 29 2015 (Tanksgiving weekend) byCFC USA Florida in Iglesias del Rosarioone of two parishes in town Padre LuisSerra head pastor of the main churchthe Iglesia Sagrado Corazoacuten de Jesuacutesopened the doors to CFC PPC Fourother brethren from CFC PPC RiojaPeru headed by Fr Rober Martinez cameto reinforce the missionariesrsquo efforts Teteam got a taste of their first mission

CFC China is on full throttle in its evan-gelization efforts Tey recently conducted

the first-ever CFC China Mission Headsraining from November 27 to 30 at Vilada Sta Isabel Estrada Cheoc Van MacauTe training aimed to strengthen its leader-ship ranks through several formation talksfrom the Chapter Leaders raining (CL)series Te sixty participants were mostlyChinese with some Filipino Mission Headsand their AG members from the North

West East and South of China includingMacau SAR and Hong Kong SAR

Te first day of the training was devotedto a silent retreat based on Psalm 4610ndash ldquoBe silent and know that I am GodrdquoTe three-hour retreat centered on thetheme ldquoWe need to Change How WeLead o lead like Jesusrdquo with each par-ticipant encouraged to ldquoempty oneselfrdquoFr Oliviades a member of the Opus Deifacilitated the retreat

Day 2 started with a Holy Mass concel-

ebrated by Fr Joseph Wang from YiwuEast China Te training proper began with Israel Silud CFC Country Headand Northwest Regional Head givingthe overview and citing challenges thatCFC China faces He reiterated thatCFC Chinarsquos goal of raising 1 millionhousehold heads will be driven by the

The fruits of 2015 for CFC PPC hundreds of miles away from home

In 2015 ten missions were held inSouth America by CFC USA All these

were made possible by a handful of zeal-ous and selfless CFC USA mission vol-unteers who sacrificed a lot and deniedthemselves many comforts in order tobring the Word of God to families in Co-lombia Ecuador and Peru CFC ParejasPara Cristo will not take off without thefinancial support of CFC USA

ruly God gave a very good year for

the mission team harvesting 608 souls in2015 (a total of 857 persons from June2014 to date) Te task of sustainingCFC PPC families and area countriesare enormous But with grateful heartsthe South America team humbly turnsto God thanking Him each day forHis guidance as He leads the way Teteam looks forward to 2016s adventureof bringing the banner of Christ to themiddle and corners of the earth (GlenSantayana)

whether lay or from the Chaplainsrsquo ranklikewise gave testimonies on how theirinvolvement in the CEP made them real-ize that they have become not only agentsof change but recipients of grace as well

In the afternoon the Chaplains andtheir CFC counterparts came together fora round table discussion of the plans ofthe various Infantry Divisions nationwide

Army Chie f Chaplain Fr Col Andre sBonifacio Belleza CHS (GSC) in anunexpected move expressed his recog-nition through the grant of awards ofthe initiatives of the Army Chaplainsin implementing the CEP in their vari-ous Divisions Fr Maj Juan Jerome CDaluro was awarded Best Chaplain ofthe Year 2015 for his exemplary ser viceas Division Chaplain of 9th Infantry(Spear) Division Fr MSg Mario Ban-

iqued Philippine Army (PA) OACCSChief Clerk was recognized as Best

Chaplain Assistant of the YearSince the partnership between the

OACCS and CFC OSM started in April2014 the group has conducted CharacterEnhancement Retreats (CER) for 28 Phil-ippine Army commands Trough CFCSingles for Christ volunteers a ChristianLife Program has likewise been conductedfor the Philippine Military Academy Classof 2018 graduating 385 PMA-Singles forChrist members Presently five CERs arealso being done at the V Luna MedicalCenter in Quezon City

Alabanza admit s there is still muchto be done So far the CEP has reached2000 men and women in uniformroughly 0287 percent of an estimated800000 population of soldiers theirspouses and their families Tis is indeedfertile ground for values and spiritual

transformation which is just waiting tobe conquered (A Alvarez)

Another fruitful harvest in Peru from top the 13 new members in CFC PPC all-women discussion group

Courtesy call top photos CFC leaders with Archbishop Edward Joseph Adams amp Fr George Altouvas bottom photos with Fr George Archbishop SevastianosRossolatos and Archbishop Edward Joseph Adams

CFC OSM and the OACCS reaching out to the men and women in uniform and their families through the Character Enhancement Program

personal holiness of its ser vant-leaders who will be leading the evangelization thrust

in 34 provinces in China CL talks 2-5 were given by the regional heads with their wives as sharers

Day 3 began with the recitation ofthe Holy Rosary followed by anotherconcelebrated Holy Mass Fr Oliviadesdelivered a beautiful homily on ldquoemptyingoneselfrdquo Te rest of the CL talks wereagain delivered by the regional heads withtheir wives as sharers In CL alk 9 Siludemphasized the need to pay attention tothe means to care for the spirit mind andbody of the leaders

Te last day primarily focused on plan-ning the CFC China activities for 2016One of the proposals from the planningis that the four (4) regions in China willeach be hosting the major activities linedup for the year

Te three-day training and planning was conducted by CFC China Country

Head IsraelSally Silud with the supportof North Asia Regional Coordinator Ga-rieCess Pimentel and the regional headsfrom East China (EricEvelyn Ylagan)South China (JoelErica Santos) HongKong SAR (GarieCess Pimentel) andMacau SAR (JMEmilie Yupangco) (Ericamp Evelyn Ylagan)

C4 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

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JCL ndash member while for the TeologicalCommission the experts appointed wereFr Alexander L Garces SDB JCL ndashPresident Fr Enrico Eusebio Jr SJ JCDndash member and Sr Maria Amparo SantosOP JCL ndash member As with the ribunalmembers the Presidents and membersof both Commissions individually tooktheir respective oaths and signed the Acts

Te appointed Copyist Ms RonalynRegino and Assistant Copyist Ms Ge-cerein Sayen Ocampo were called next totake their respective oaths and similarlysigned in the Acts

Ten Postulator Msgr Pedro C Qui-torio III and Vice Postulator Fr WilmerR Rosario JCD individually took their

respective oaths not compromise the truthand offend justice nor impede the free-dom of witnesses to testify in the CauseTereafter they also signed the Acts

Te Postulator then presented to Car-dinal agle for his examination a list of

witnesses to be interrogated subject to thepossible addition and revision of namesin the future Upon examining the listthe Cardinal decreed that the next sessionfor interrogation of witnesses be held on

January 11 2016 at the Arzobispado deManila

Finally after ordering the Chancellorto establish public record of this First Ses-sion Cardinal agle declared the Processfor the Causes of Beatification and Can-

onization of Servant of God FAHERGEORGE J WILLMANN SJ Father ofthe Order of the Knights of Columbus inthe Philippines OPEN

o complete the Rites His EminenceLuis Antonio Cardinal agle together withformer Chief Justice Hilario G Davide

Jr as Chairman of the National ExecutiveCommittee (NEC) for the Cause of Fr

Willmann jo intly u nveiled the portraitof Father George J Willmann SJ

Tereafter Cardinal agle began thecelebration of the Holy Eucharist Con-celebrants were Bishop Honesto FOngtioco DD Bishop Mylo HubertC Vergara DD Msgr Geronimo FReyes JCD Fr William Arana OSA Fr

Carlo Magno Marcelo Fr Marvin MejiaFr Wilmer Rosario JCD Fr Carlo DelRosario Fr Julius Paul Factora OP JCDFr Sander Niez JCL Fr Alex GarcesSDB JCL Fr Rico Garcia Fr ReginaldMalicdem Fr Darwin Faith Ponce OSAFr Ricky VIllar OSA Fr Geoffrey Eb-orda OSA Fr Genaro Supremedo OSAFr Jojo orres OSA Fr Joseph VillarealOSA Fr Roy Gallano OSA Fr MichaelSalazar and Fr Romel Cruz

Also serv ing as Conce lebrants werea number of KC Priests Scholars of theKnights of Columbus Fr George J

Willmann Charities Inc that includedMsgr Pedro C Quitorio III Fr Benjamin

The Cross A Supplement Publication of KCFAPI and the Order of the Knights of ColumbusCBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25 December 7 2015 - 27 2016

Sainthood bid opens forFr George Willmann SJBy Roberto T Cruz

On December 7 2015 Mon-

day the bells of the ManilaCathedral rang out loud as HisEminence Luis Antonio Car-dinal agle presided over themilestone celebration of theHoly Eucharist at the ManilaCathedral to formally open theDiocesan process of the Causeof Fr George J Willmann SJ

he Liturgical Rites for the formalopening of the diocesan process precededthe Mass at 900am With the entranceprocession of Cardinal agle as the MainCelebrant together with two bishops twomonsignors and thirty-three priests whoconcelebrated the Mass the Rites started

with Msgr Pedro C Quitorio III theappointed Diocesan Postulator for theCause of Fr Willmann giving biographi-cal highlights of the life of Fr George J

Willmann SJ An Invocation of the HolySpirit followed with the singing of VeniCreator Spiritus by the Manila CathedralBasilica Choir

Cardinal agle then examined anddeclared the legitimacy of the appoint-ments of Msgr Pedro C Quitorio III asthe Postulator and Fr Wilmer R Rosario

JCD as Vice-Postul ator in conformity with the Code of Canon Law

Appointed members of the Diocesanribunal for the Cause of Fr Willmann

were Msgr Geronimo F Reyes JCDas Episcopal Delegate Fr Carlo P DelRosario JCL as Promoter of Justice Mseresita F Kudemus ndash First Notary MsMarivic M Ambasa ndash Second Notary Ms

Julieta R Santos as Tird NotaryTe Cardinal reminded them of the

great responsibility importance andseriousness of the Process for the Causesfor Beatification and Canonization Asrequired by Church law all the mem-bers of the ribunal starting with MsgrGeronimo F Reyes individually tooktheir oath to faithfully fulfill hisher com-mitment and then signed the Acts

Te Experts who were tapped to formthe Historical Commission includeFr Julius Paul Factora OP JCD asPresident Fr Adolfo N Dacanay SJ

JCD ndash member and Fr Sander D Niez Sainthood D3

KCFAPI Theme and Logo for 2016HE year 2016 has been pro-claimed the Year of the Eucharistand the Family by the CatholicBishopsrsquo Conference of the Phil-ippines Te theme is part of thenine year spiritual journey thatbegan with the Year of Faith

where we experienced an authenticrenewal of faith guided by the newevangelization principles

he Holy Eucharist whichmeans thanksgiving invitesfamilies of the Catholic faithfulto commemorate the supremesacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christon the cross to receive His body

and blood in the Holy Commu-nion and to celebrate His victoryover death

Te Roman Catholic Churchpromotes strong family ties andvalues Parents are entrustedthe responsibility to prepare andteach their children to follow JesusChrist and live His gospel

KCFAPI distinguished itselfin protecting the sanctity of thefamily by providing comfortand sustenance in any loss orlife-changing event among fam-ily members KCFAPI respondsswiftly to changing or evolvingfamily insurance needs Nowon its 58th year of providingunsurpassed uncompromised

fraternal service KCFAPI vowsand advocates relentlessly to

render comfort benefit and as-sistance to all brother knightsand their families with mercy andcompassion

As part of the KCFAPI familyin a pioneering effort all wholly-owned and majority-ownedcompanies will coordinate theirschedules and manage theirresources towards one com-mon goal and will function asone well oiled machine By

joi nin g han ds gu ide d by theHoly Spirit the strength ofone is multiplied several times

over Te heart symbolizes lovemercy and compassion and is

also Charity ndash the first of fourcore principle of the OrderKCFAPI in heart-shaped bordermantles the five wholly- ownedand majority-owned companies Keys Realty amp DevelopmentCorporation Kompass Creditand Financing Corporation KCPhilippines Foundation IncKnights of Columbus Fr George

J Willmann Charitie s Inc andMace Insurance Agency IncTey are depicted by the boldshoulders of the figures symbol-izing the family Just like in any

close-knit family concentratedon accomplishing one objective

all employees will be engagedtheir support and talent pooledand harnessed to participateactively in any company activi-ties working in tandem as onecohesive unit

Te logo vividly demonstratesthe solidarity and bonding of fam-ily members if they gather togetherand allow Christ to be at the centerof their family relationship

Te different colors representthe various hues of the Order ofthe Knights of Columbus red

whit e blu e and yell ow hegreen color manifests KCFAPIrsquos

concern for our environment andits managementrsquos advocacy gearedtowards a healthy state of our sur-roundings Orange brings a posi-tive outlook in life optimism andmotivation to look on the brighterside of life

Te cup and host (in yellow)emulating the Holy Eucharist pro-vides Christ- centered way of life

Te circular flow represents in-finity or totality the unboundedtimeless and never ending lovecare and affection of KCFAPIin providing each and every KCfamily a shield of security protec-tion and hope Te acronym ALLcharacterizes KCFAPIrsquos inclusiveapproach to all forms of actions

products and services (Angelito A Bala)

As we protect families for generations Act Live Love

KCFAPI Planning Conference The Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of thePhilippines Inc held their 2016 Planning Conference last November 7-9 2015 atColumbus Plaza General Santos City Present were KCFAPI Chairman Bro Arsenio IsidroG Yap KCFAPI President Bro Jose C Reyes Jr KCFAPI Executive Vice President SisMa Theresa G Curia KCFAPI Officers and Supervisors KEYS Realty Vice President Bro

Riz Nicolas and HTMC Vice President Sis Apolonia Dominguez

Living Rosary The Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of the Philippines Inchad their Living Rosary last October 30 2015 at the KCFAPI main office This has been

a yearly practice for the Month of the Holy Rosary which is usually conducted by itsofficers and staff

Cardinal Tagle leads the unveiling of the portrait of Jesuit Fr George J Willmann as the Manila archdiocesan process for the Cause of Beatification and Canonization of the latter formally opens at the Manila Cathedralon Monday Dec 7 Willman is considered as t he ldquoFather of the Knights of Columbusrdquo in the Philippines ROY LAGARDE

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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D2 The CrossDecember 7 2015 - 27 2015 Vol 19 No 25

ACQ UIR IN G a hou se and lo t which they can call their own home

and driving their own cars are twoof the priority dreams of Filipinoparents Of course seeing theirchildren finish college education iseither Number 1 or Number 2

Te Knights of Columbus Frater-nal Association of the PhilippinesInc (KCFAPI) has formed andincorporated a new company to helpmembers of the Order to have their

dream homes and motor carsKCFAPI named the new company as Kompass Credit and

Financing Corporation (KCFC) after one of the symbols of theKnights of Columbus which is the Compass Like the Compassof the ancient marines KOMPASS is here to guide BrotherKnight in having their own home and efficient mobility

KOMPASS can also extend home car and business loans tothe general public

Interested parties can call KOMPASS at el No 527-2242

527-2223 loc 215 and 252 for further details of the loan

Arsenio Isidro G Yap

Chairmanrsquos Message

Presidentrsquos Message

Ma Theresa G Curia

Jose C Reyes Jr

Reflection

Curia Settings

Michael P Cabra

Bequest LIFE this Christmas

My Brotherrsquos Keeper

FILIPINO raditions reflect the kindof people that we are All traditionscustoms and beliefs evolve from thelove and respect of the family Ourmutual and natural respect for oneanother our desire to please and notoffend each other and our willingness

to extend a helping hand are just a fewof the basic foundations which madethe Filipino people unique a one of a

kind and nowhere else could be found And certainly a must-have as a friend and neighbor

Some of the trait I like is the ldquomano pordquo expression and at thesame time reaching for the otherrsquos hand and asking for his blessingsTe respected elder would normally extend his hand to touch theforehead of the one asking for his blessings and expresses ldquokaawanka ng Diyosrdquo or ldquoGod bless yourdquo It doesnrsquot matter whether the onebeing accorded the respect is younger than the person asking forthe blessing or even if they hardly know each other

Another trait is removing onersquos slippers or shoes when enteringa neighborrsquos house Te guest expresses his respect for the hostand does not in any way want to spoil or damage the pristinecondition of the floor which is normally kept shiny and clean

Cleaning of onersquos surrounding to the point of cleaning also theneighborrsquos grounds I could still remember in our neighborhoodthat the old folks would sweep the debris on the street in front

of their houses But instead of just collecting their own trashthey would try to outdo each other by picking (or sweeping)the litter on the street up to the neighborrsquos house in front andeven on their right and left side

Everyone living along the same street knows each other very well to the point that all knows who are having a hard time and would need some assistance A neighbor would readily do somehousehold chores give some food and try to console those whoare grieving for the loss of a love one Nobody needs to askHelp is extended readily

Although the traits Irsquove mentioned above are seldom practicednowadays except for the ldquomano pordquo I still believe that those

were just some of our good traits which define us as people which define us as a Filipino a unique breed of people We arevery resilient that even though we are in grief or experiencingextreme challenges in our everyday life we still are able to lightour faces with the friendliest smile

Christmas is another tradition-field celebration that is uniquelyFilipino Te ldquoSimbang Gabirdquo ldquoputo bumbongrdquo and the like are

some Christmas traditions But let us not forget that Christmas isnot just a season of merriment but is a season for reconciliationItrsquos that time of the year when we want to ask forgiveness fromthose we had wronged and at same time forgive also those whohad wronged us and forget whatever they had done to us

Christmas is a season wherein family ties are kept stronger andmore meaningful But to be more meaningful it is better that weshare our blessings to those in need whose nights might be Holy but

would be very Silent and the only sound that they could hear arenot carols of merriment but the grumbling of their empty stomach

Make this Christmas the most meaningful Christmas ever bysharing your ldquoNoche Buenardquo with a neighbor or better still witha complete stranger May the birth of our Lord touch our heartsand be responsive to those in need

CHRISMAS is a holy day celebratingthe birth of Jesus Christ our Saviour Ithas been a tradition in the Philippines that

we go to dawn masses from December 16to the eve of Christmas day Because ourenthusiasm builds up as early as Septemberon Christmas Day itself many of us areexhausted after days of going through heavytraffic on the way to parties and to crowdedshopping malls to shop for gifts Tere arealso many events that we are enticed to at-tend for our kidsrsquo sake gatherings of relatives and friends near and farand entertainment we spend a lot for the family

While these festivities are all expressions of love we sometimes forgetthat Christmas day is the day we should go to mass to thank God forall the blessings we received from Him and in turn to offer our gift to

Jesus Christ As we enter the Advent season let us start reflecting on

how we can better love and serve God on how we can help the poorand how we can give hope to those who are losing hope Let us put intoaction the principle of charity with greater vigor and sense of urgency

May Christmas be like the ldquoJourney to the Innrdquo of Joseph and Mary- tiring yet full of hope and joy to welcome Christ in our hearts andour homes As Knights of Columbus let us lead our communities toa Christ-centered Advent celebration this year and always

My family and I wish your whole family ldquoA Merry Christmas and aBlessed New Yearrdquo

FOR this Christmas I wish tobase my reflection on a poem

written by Horacio de la Costathe first Filipino provincial ofthe Jesuits Please read and usethe poem as a Christmas greet-ing My reflection is nothingcompared to the poem

We must have visited all theBelens in our churches since we

were small In fact most of usalso put up the Christmas cribin our own homes In arlacthey even have yearly exhibits ofBelens which they call Belenis-mo We were told that it was StFrancis who started putting upthe crib in his church And thepoem of Horacio Dela Costatells us that if we meditate onthis set up we might discover

the surprises that they bring toour consciousness

Let us identify some fea-tures of the Belens that we se earound us during the Christ-mas season and together letus reflect on the meanings thatthese can offer us We shall seedifferent layers of Christmasmeaning emerge

1 he King was born poorGod has become human Tisis one of the features that wesee when we stare at the Crib

What a paradox the king ispoor God is human Life isindeed full of paradoxes andof seeming contradictions

We make sense of them only

with the passage o f t ime and

as we mature both in age andin faith

2 he Bethlehem scene isprofoundly meaningful sym-bolic and mystery-laden We

watch the figures in the Be lenand sometimes we do notunderstand When we do notunderstand the turn of eventsin our life we should not giveup We should not run awayTe world will not end onlybecause we do not understand

what we see exper ience or feelLet us stand in awe at Godrsquosvisit when we are clueless of

what i s happening 3 he King was born in a

manger But there was peacearound among the wise menand the shepherds on that holy

and starry night We see atthe Belen scene a communionamong God humans the richand the poor animals and hu-mans the stars the night andthe people It was as though ata special moment the Universe

was one As though the con-nectedness of all the elements

was not merel y ecolog ical asLaudato Si spoke of but evendivine -human No wonderthat we do not get tired of put-ting up our belens at home inchurches and in public placesNo wonder that we can stareforever at the Nativity scenealthough we do not fully un-derstand everything although

we do it yea r afte r year We

also feel that we are there andthat we are connected to the

figures they represent we areconnected to history to oursurroundings and even to ourGod

4 he Savior was born ina manger where animals eatTe meaning of the mangerscene has been the content ofmany sermons that we haveheard We were told that thisdoes not only refer to thehumility or poverty of Jesus

A dee per meaning they say isthat Jesus has come to be foodfor all who come to him Jesuscame to give Himself as foodfor the world His words histeachings his mercy and com-passion and his Good News of

Godrsquos Plan are enough to fillour emptiness with a sense ofdirection and destiny Teyquench our thirst for enlight-enment guidance and sense ofdignity as humans

5 he Baby who is born isthe Savior of the world Howcan a Baby save the w orld Wesee before us a baby wrappedin swaddling clothes And werealize that Divinity can berevealed in very human situ-ations And that the humblestreality could be a revelationthat God is in our midst If weopen our hearts and minds tothe Lord His Spirit enlightensand gives delight to our weary

and limited minds and souls

Even today we can feel Hismessage although sometimes

we do not ful ly unders tand Te truth dawns on us when

we ar e qu ie t and when we wait When we do not rush toknow Godrsquos Presence is a Giftthat we can never be worthy ofBut the point here is not thatour littleness could obstructthe Revelation of a mysteryRather the Greatness of theLord compels Him to revealHimself to the little one Evento us Now

Tat is why Liturgy invokesour ability to watch to look at

what happe ns in the Churchcelebrations Te beauty ofcandles incense and flowerscan evoke some sense of the

Sacred Space a Sacred Mo-ment and a Sacred Encounter

Te Belen does this for us inrevealing the message of Christ-mas If we open our eyes weshall see the Message of Christ-mas with our hearts If we havetime and we can keep quietbefore the Belen we might seethe surprise of the Lord

[The author Ma TheresaG Curia is the Executive VicePresident amp Chief OperatingOfficer of the Knights of Co-lumbus Fraternal Association ofthe Phils Inc (KCFAPI) andthe incumbent Diocesan Regentof the Daughters of Mary Im-maculate International Dioceseof Malolos]

IrsquoS that time of the year again We must allbegin the increasingly difficult task of buy-ing suitable gifts for our friends and familyHowever there is a different gift you shouldseriously consider giving this year Itrsquos not a fun

present nor it is exciting Itrsquos not somethingyou can play with or wear and it definitely wouldnrsquot be considered a treat Itrsquos a gift thatno one wants but everyone NEEDS So whatare we talking about A Fraternal Service Plan

A Benefit Certificate (BC) or what is simplyknown as a life insurance policy Every year

we search for that perfect gift for a loved oneSomething that will show how much we careand appreciate them What could better provethat than giving someone the gift of SECU-RIY and SABILIY

Unfortunately the recent statistics presentthe sad truth (a) more than 95 Filipinos donot have adequate levels of insurance and (b)more than 80 of Filipinos do not believethey are likely to suffer a serious illness in the

next 20 years Yet each year around 365000Filipinos face premature death either caused byaccidental death or natural sickness It equatesto 1000 untimely deaths everyday

Firstly think about your present situation

Do you have loved ones who depend on youfinancially If something were to happen toyou would your family struggle to maintaintheir current lifestyle the kind of living yoursquovebeen providing If you answered yes to thesequestions itrsquos as simple as that - you need tohave life insurance Secondly do you have aloved one (parent spouse adult children e tc)

who needs protection Tis year give them theultimate gift Having an adequate amount oflife insurance can help in paying off hospitalbills memorial bills mortgage and even in-heritance tax It can allow a family to maintaintheir current level of living and possibly evenfund long term goals such as childrenrsquos schoolfunds dream car house business and evenretirement Now wersquore not saying this is the

only gift you should give it might look a littlesad with only that under the Christmas treeHowever just consider along with the othergifts giving a present that may not be appreci-ated at that moment might come in use should

a critical time arrive You look after your familyand so this is a perfect gift ideaItrsquos important to consult a fraternal counselor

when considering life insurance as it is impera-tive that you are insured accurately dependingon your current situation and future needs

Should you wish to know more just visit wwwkofcorgph for inquiries

Did you know thatFor as low as PhP10000 you can already

start the Gift of Life to your loved ones Tisfraternal service plan is called KC Peso Saver Itis a single contribution endowment plan which

will mature at the end of the benefit certificatersquos10th year In fact a lot of Knights of ColumbusMembers invest with this Gift of Life everyChristmas for their spouse and children

Gemille Isabel P Gloria

A Meek Christmas

IMAGINE a pregnant mother who is supposed to give birth toa child at the moment and rideson a donkey with her husband

Apart from the pain of laborthe mother is enduring deathchases their yet unborn child astheir King deliberately kills allthe newborn babies that night

urned down by the innkeepersthey ended up in a crude stablesharing it with the farm animalsand the shepherds as she gavebirth to a baby boy and placedhim in a manger I bet you arepicturing a scene of a movie inyour head right now Tis isactually what the first Christmaslooked like

Going back to the presentChristmas is far more delightfuland exciting Shopping feastinggift-giving and vacation trippingare just few of the activities that

we cannot do away with in ourChristmas lists We think ofChristmas like no other ordinaryday of the year We make sure

that for Noche Buena there isabundance of bountiful feasts inour dining table from a platterof mouth-watering leche flan toa sumptuous lechon new clothesup to fifty percent sale on theselected items section and expen-sive gifts covered in a Santa Claus

wrapper under a fully decorated

Christmas tree We associate theChristmas season as a time ofsplendor since it is the birthday ofour Savior Unfortunately someof us could only imagine thesethings Tey are our fellow whoare counted by the government inabject poverty who could hardlythink of where and how to gettheir first meal for the 365 daysof the year including Christmasday One does not need to moveafar to behold this ravers-ing nearby the office we couldalready see some of the faces inpoverty If you have not takenyet the underpass connectingManila City Hall and Intramu-ros as you make your way out of

it you will see sullied children intattered clothes inhaling plasticbags containing rugby with somesoiled adults who seem to be theirparents doing the same thing

With their hunger already in theirhead some children forcibly takethe food of the passersby Duringthe night the space where people

enter and exit the underpassin the day turns into a freezinghome for the homeless Youcan see in their wrinkled face thefeeling of sleeping on the passage-

ways with only cardboard boxesand worn out fabrics in betweentheir body and the cold cementedground Teir condition is notfar from what Jesus experiencedon the first Christmas born intoand chose to live a life of poverty

Remembering martyredSalvadoran Archbishop OscarRomero who once said thatldquoNo one can celebrate a genuineChristmas without being trulypoor he self sufficient theproud those who because they

have everything look down onothers those who have no needeven of God for them there

will be no Christmas Only thepoor the hungry those whoneed someone to come on theirbehalf will have that someonehat someone is God Em-manuel God-with-usrdquo With

what he thought we canrsquot arguethat at times we want everythingTe more you have the moreyou want and the more you get

What if we have nothing Whatif we donrsquot have gifts food andnew clothes for the Christmas

What if we are in the place of thehomeless Would we still feel thesame Christmas Spirit withoutthe things we celebrate with it

We have to learn to celebrat eChristmas with how the poorperceive it Let us not reachthe point where we celebrateChristmas just because we willreceive our one-year wish listLet us learn to lose to sacrificeand to give during Christmas

Joseph P Teodoro

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D3The Cross December 7 2015 - 27 2015 Vol 19 No 25

Deogracias Fajota Fr Jeronimo

Ma Cruz Fr Antonio Rex PalayaFr Melvin Gamelo Fr JuliusCuison Fr Felix Labios Fr Ra-melle Rigunay Fr Randy SalungaFr Joel Cariaso Fr HernandezMendoza Fr Julius de Sagun FrRonel Ilano Fr Lowie Palines andFr Emmanuel Hiipolito

In his homily Cardinal aglestarted by citing that aside fromthe formal opening of the Dioc-esan process for Fr Willmannit was also the feast day of St

Ambrose a great teacher of theChurch known for his sanctityand teachings It was also the eveof the Immaculate Conception ofour Blessed Mother Mary plus thestart of the Advent season

Te Cardinal then focused onthe question What does it meanto be holy With the opening ofthe Cause he said that Fr George

J Willmann St Ambrose andMother Mary all responded tosanctity and holiness Cardinalagle clarified that ldquoHoliness isan attribute of God and not manrsquosachievement nor his work It isGod who is Holy and our holi-ness is a gift of God ndash our oneness

with HimrdquoCardinal agle added that the

message of the First Reading is thatthe Holiness of God is seen withmarvelous work ndash like transform-ing a desert into a garden filled

with water and flowers where we

are able to drink from Godrsquos good-ness with a safe road along the

holy way Te desert symbolizes

humanity that is seen to be dryfruitless empty and even life-less However when God entersall these are transformed into abountiful garden Godrsquos Holinessalways creates miracles ldquoWhen-ever we experience hopelessnessloaded with faults we must notbe afraid for that is the time whenGod will come to infuse His Holi-ness and cure the sickness Tat isthe Good Newsrdquo Cardinal agleadded that during this season ofadvent we must look deeper intoour deserts in order to experiencethe Holiness of God

Te Cardinal then underscoredthat we need to respond to GodrsquosHoliness not like the scribes in

the reading who questioned andrejected Jesus but like the friendsof the paralyzed man who lookedfor a nonconventional way -through the roof - to bring theparalytic closer to Jesus Cardinalagle stressed the need for us to bealert discerning with eyes of faithin order for us to respond to ourHoly God in His action when weare in our desert

he Cardinal then asked thepeople to pray for those entrusted

with the Cau se of Fr Willmannthat they may be illumined witheyes of faith With no intention ofpre-empting the Diocesan processCardinal agle simply thankedGod as we are now privileged

to share Godrsquos holiness throughpersonal experiences with Fr Will-

Sainthood D1

Process for PHrsquos new lsquoServantof Godrsquo starts rollingMANILA Dec 7 2015 ndash Manila Arch-bishop Luiacutes Antonio G Cardinal agleofficially accepted on Monday Dec 7the Feast of St Ambrose the petition toopen an investigation on the sanctity andheroic virtues of Fr George J WillmannSJ founder of the Knights of Columbus(KC) in the Philippines among otherCatholic lay organizations

At least 1000 of the naturalized Fili-pino Jesuit priestrsquos spiritual children fromall over the country including no lessthan former Supreme Court (SC) Chief

Justice Hilario G Davide Jr becamepart of Philippine Church history as they

witnes sed at the Manila Metropo litanCathedral Basilica the solemn opening ofthe archdiocesan process they hope wouldlead to beatification and canonization

lsquoGreat responsibilityrsquoIn line with this agle appointed Msgr

Pedro C Quitorio III of the CatholicBishopsrsquo Conference of the Philippines(CBCP) Media Office as postulator forthe cause of the countryrsquos newest ldquoServantof Godrdquo

He also approved the appointments ofMsgr Geronimo S Reyes Fr Wilmer RRosal and Fr Ricardo P del Rosario asepiscopal delegate vice postulator andpromoter of justice respectively as wellas of a host of other experts both clericand lay who vow to work together to giveFilipinos another saint

Te prelate went on to swear in allthose involved in the cause for Willmannrsquosbeatification and canonization remindingthem of the ldquogreat responsibilityrdquo theyhave assumed and the ldquoimportance andseriousnessrdquo of the task at hand

PHrsquos Fr McGivney Dubbed ldquoFr McGivney of the Philip-

pinesrdquo due to his dedication to expand KClocally Willmann worked for the radicaltransformation of faith into action

Born on June 29 1897 to very devoutCatholic parents in Brooklyn New Yorkthe American Jesuit was granted Philip-pine citizenship by President FerdinandMarcos through Presidential Decree(PD) No 740

In 1938 he first served as chaplain

of KC Manila Council 1000 then re-turned in 1954 to become the Orderrsquosfirst Philippine Deputy until his deathin 1977

In total the priest spent 44 fruitful andproductive years in the Philippines serv-ing the poor the sick the orphans theoppressed the lonely and the desolateespecially the young ones

KCFAPI etcBesides what is formally known as the

Knights of Columbus Fraternal Associa-tion of the Philippines Inc (KCFAPI)

which he founded in 1958 Willmannestablished other organizations as follows

bull Catholic Youth Organization (1938)bull Establishment of the Catholic Press

ldquoFilipinasrdquo and the ldquoCrossrdquo Magazines(1946)

bull Columbian Squires in the Philippines(1950)

bull Daughters of Isabella in the Philip-pines (1951) reorganized as Daughtersof Mary Immaculate (1977)

bull Columbian Farmers Aid Association(1951) reorganized as Knights of Co-lumbus Community Service Inc (1962)

bull Knights of Columbus Fraternal Asso-ciation of the Philippines Inc (KCFAPI)(1958)

bull Knights of Columbus PhilippinesFoundation Inc (1971) (Raymond ASebastiaacuten CBCP News)

Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle leads the Mass of the formal opening of the ArchdiocesanProcess for the Causes of Beatification and Canonization of the Servant of God FatherGeorge J Willmann SJ father of the Knights of Columbus in the Philippines LIN REGINO

Te Gentle Warrior By James B Reuter SJ

Part II of Chapter wo of ldquoTe Gentle Warriorrdquo series

CHAPER WO-----------------

Te Ateneo de Manila

HE Ateneo was a boysrsquo schoolTe objective of a boysrsquo school is tomake a man out of a boy Te mainvirtue of a man is courage Godmirrored His virtues in His childrenBut he divided them between girls

and boys Tere is such a thing as amasculine soul and a feminine soulIf a boy and a girl are suddenly con-fronted with a wild bull thunderingdown on them if the girl screamedand hid behind the boy that wouldbe normal But if the boy screamedand hid behind the girl everyone

would be ashamed of him Tevirtue of a girl is not physical cour-age it is love and mercy Te virtueof a boy is courage and justice Butin our schools there is no course inthe curriculum called ldquoCouragerdquo

here is no subject called

ldquoCouragerdquo Tere is no mark forldquoCouragerdquo It has to be taught inevery subject through the wholelife of the school he Jesuitsunderstood this very well AndGeorge understood it He began

to learn the meaning of couragehimself when he was five yearsold sitting on the curbstone onPutnam Avenue when the wheelof the garbage truck crushed bothhis feet

In the old Ateneo there wasa strong tradition of ldquoRomansrdquoand ldquoCarthageniansrdquo Jose Rizal

was the Emperor of the RomansEvery class was competitive TeRomans would be lined up onone side of the class the Car-thagenians on the other Te firstquestion went to the Romans

If the Romans answered it cor-rectly the questioning stayed

with the Romans If any Romanmissed the question went to theCarthagenians Ten the Romanboys would growl and grumble at

the Roman who missed It wascompetition to teach courage

And the battle cry of all theteams was ldquoAnimo Ateneordquo Youcould translate that as ldquoLetrsquos go

Ateneordquo or ldquoSpirit Ateneordquo orldquoFight Ateneordquo mdash but in practiceit meant courage Never give upno matter what the odds ldquoGoget lsquoem Ateneordquo Never say dieTis was obvious in everythingthat the boys did

But it never degenerated intoldquoWin at all costsrdquo Te secondmasculine virtue is justice Tis

means honesty integrity and fairplay Both at once mdash courageand fair play Te verse that everyathlete in the school knew by heart

was ldquoIf I should win let it be bythe code with my head and my

honor held high But if I shouldlose let me stand by the road andcheer as the winner goes byrdquo

It was a tremendous amount of work mdash teaching night and dayrunning the Sodality the ACILand the magazine mdash but Georgeloved it

And his students loved him Tefriendships that he made duringthose three years of regency from1922 to 1925 lasted more thanfifty years

(o be continued on the nextissue)

mann and his life and ministrydevoted to service that providedldquofresh water and good newsrdquo

particularly to the youth the poorand the prisonersTe Cardinal cited his own basic

formation as a Charter memberof the Columbian Squires inImus Cavite where they helpedthe Church in its program for thestreet children He also mentionedhis appreciation for being a scholarof the Knights of Columbus dur-ing Fr Willmannrsquos time

Reiterating that God indeedtransforms deserts into places ofrest peace and holiness Cardinalagle ended his homily by encour-aging all in attendance to be agentsof Godrsquos holiness

People from all walks of life joined the celebration of this Mass

that formally opened the Cause ofServant of God - Fr Willmann

Also repres ent ed were var iou sorganizations established and nur-tured by Fr George including the

Daughters of Isabella (now Daugh-ters of Mary Immaculate) Catholic Youth Organization ColumbianSquires and the Knights of Co-lumbus Parishioners and residents

with their families from nearbycities and communities of ondoIntramuros Sta Cruz Malate andother more distant places likewise

witnessed the very mean ingfulOpening of the diocesan processfor the Cause of their ldquoFather andBenefactorrdquo of forty years

Fr George J Willmann SJdevoted the last forty years of hislife not only in humble serviceand dynamic leadership of theKnights of Columbus in thePhilippines but equally being a

compassionate pastor in the careand formation of the youth He

provided relief to victims of the

war and of violence while also al-leviating the sufferings of the poorHe likewise established ways topreserve and promote the sanctityof life marriage and the family

It was in 1997 or eighteen yearsago that the Knights of Columbusin the Philippines first started aconcerted thrust to formally laythe groundwork for the Causeof Fr Willmann During theOrderrsquos centennial celebration ofFr Willmannrsquos birth the Ordercreated a Committee on Causecomposed of Ramon V ConsingLauro M Cruz and Msgr PedroC Quitorio III as co-chairmenNotable activities of the Com-mittee included gathering of tes-

timonials launch of the Prayer forthe Centennial of Fr Willmann with the Impr imatur of Msgr Jose C Abriol launching of Fr Willmann Fellows meeting withthen Jaime Cardinal Sin and theFather Provincial of the Jesuits toseek their respective endorsementsof the Cause Te Order publishedand distributed the pamphlet ldquoAGlimpsehe Life and Worksof Fr George J Willmann SJrdquoin order to give due acknowledg-ment and recognition as well as toincrease awareness abou t Fr Will-mann A landmark achievement ofthis period was the publication ofldquoTe Gentle Warriorrdquo a biographyof Fr Willmann authored by Fr

James B Reuter SJEstablishing and spreading the

fama sanctitatis of Fr Willmann

included the presentation andpromotion of his works mademore concrete by direct testimo-nies of various individuals whomhe personally interacted withFr Willmann Fellowsrsquo one-timemembership donations have beenpooled to fund the productionof materials such as prayer cardspublications tarpaulins postersto effectively promote Fr George

Willmann not only to brotherKnights but more importantlyto the youth the poor and under-privileged of various communities

In 2011 through the efforts ofthe KC Fraternal Association ofthe Philippines and the Knightsof Columbus Fr Willmann Chari-

ties Inc the National ExecutiveCommittee (NEC) for the Causeof Fr Willmann was created withthe primary function of overseeingall the initiatives relative to or inconnection with the Cause

We are blessed that the Dioc-esan process of the Cause of FrGeorge J Willmann SJ has nowbeen formally opened therebygiving us significant reason torejoice Henceforth he will nowbe regarded Servant of God Letus fervently pray for continuedenlightenment from the HolySpirit for everyone involved in thisDiocesan process and the Causeas a whole so that our belovedFr George J Willmann may ulti-

mately be elevated to the honorsof the altar

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 2424

D4 The CrossDecember 7 2015 - 27 2015 Vol 19 No 25

FST IN CAGAYAN A Fraternal Service Training program was held in Cagayan De Oro last November 13 2015Participants were from Zamboanga Misamis and Butuan The event was graced by KCFAPI Vice Presidentfor FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBG Manager Michael Cabra Aside from the product specifications thetraining also gives an idea regarding the basic insurance process and conceptualization of new marketingstrategies in order to achieve their goals and improve their sales performance (FBG News)

AREA MEETING IN VISAYAS The KCFAPI Western Visayas Armor held an area meeting in Bacolod lastOctober 24 2015 led by Agency Unit Manager Randy G Bravo and graced by KCFAPI Vice President forFBG Gari San Sebastian (KCFAPI News)

FST IN DAVAO A Fraternal Service Training program (1 and 2) was held in KCFAPI Davao Service OfficeDavao City last November 20-21 2015 Participants were from Compostela Valley Cotabato City andGeneral Santos The training was attended by KCFAPI Vice President f or FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBGManager Michael Cabra (FBG News)

PRODUCERSrsquo FORUM KCFAPI Vice President for FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBG Manager Michael Cabraled a Producersrsquo Forum wherein fraternal counsellors all over Luzon were gathered for an update of theirincentives program held last November 11 2015 at the KCFAPI home office (FBG News)

New KCFAPI Board of Trustee Bro Pascual C Carbero

IN February of 1986 BroCarbero started his knightlyservice in the Knights of Co-lumbus under Council 10695

in Valenzuela City Duringhis service in Council 10695he has been appointed asChancellor for CY 1992-1993 and as Deputy GrandKnight and Program Direc-tor for CY 1993-1994 InDistrict M-31 of ValenzuelaCity Bro Carbero was GrandKnight for CY 1994-1995District Warden for CY 1996-1997 and District Deputyfor CY 1997-1999 He wasalso Chairman for the Roundable District Deputies forCY 1998-1999 At the Dr PioValenzuela Assembly ACN1772 Meycauayan Bulacanhe was the Faithful Naviga-

tor for CY 1999-2000 Onthat same term Bro Pascual

was the Luzo n State Audi -tor for CY 2000-2003 andthe Luzon State Warden forCY 2000-2003 of the Luzon

Jurisdiction After which forCY 2000-2001 he becamethe Charter Faithful Naviga-tor for the City of Valenzuela

Assembly ACN 2676 For

CY 2007-2015 Bro Carbero was re-a ppo inte d as Luzo nState Warden Bro Carbero

was a voting delegate in the

KC Supreme Convention heldat Washington DC in 2010and also a non-voting delegateheld at Anaheim Californiain 2002 and 2012 Currentlyhe is the State Secretary of theLuzon North Jurisdiction

Bro Pascualrsquos dedicationand enthusiasm in participat-ing in the Order gave himthe endeavor to author thecreation of the City of Valen-zuela Assembly in 1999 withthe assistance of the Districtand Vice Supreme Master

With his knightly serv ice he was awarded with several rec-ognition namely OutstandingDistrictDeputy for CY 1997-

1999 Star District Awardeefor CY 1997-1999 and Civic

Awardee as Charter FaithfulNavigator of the City of Valen-zuela Assembly ACN 2676CY 2000-2001

Apart from Knights of Co-lumbus Bro Carbero partakeshis services in other civic andreligious organizations He isa Special Lay Minister of the

Holy Eucharist Parish of theHoly Cross since 1989 and amember of the Parish RenewalExperience Group He is the

Director and reasurer of thePhilippine Insurers Club from2013 to 2014 and currently itsPresident He is also a memberof the Insurance Executive1st Friday Club of Makatiand an incoming Presidentof the Philippine Associationof Surety Underwriters Incthis 2016

He was Director Corpo-rate Secretary of Mace Insur-ance Agency Inc from 2012until 2014 and currentlythe Independent Director ofKompass Credit and FinancialCorporation and KCFAPIrespectively Bro Carbero isalso a fellow of Father George

J Willmann Charit ies Inc And since 2006 he has beenthe Vice President of IntraStrata Assurance Corporation

He graduated with a Bach-elorrsquos degree in Business Ad-ministration Major in Man-agement at Philippine Schoolof Business Administration in1973 and finished Bachelor ofLaws in Lyceum of the Philip-

pines in 1988Bro Pascual Carberorsquos wife

Sis Remedios was past presi-dent for three years of theCatholic Womenrsquos League(CWL) Valenzuela Chapterand currently the AssistantVice President for Underwrit-ing in Mercantile InsuranceCo Inc in Intramuros Ma-nila Tey are blessed with six

wonderful children namely

Soidemer Claire a pediatri-cian Abigail Claire a lawyerValerie Claire and ChristineClaire both of whom are reg-istered nurses Terese Claire

who graduated with Bachelorrsquosdegree in Laws and is currentlyreviewing for Bar exams and

Adrian Brian who is also aregistered nurse and presentlya 3rd year medical student

Former SC Justice tofellow lsquoPH Knightsrsquo Prayfor Willmannrsquos CauseMANILA Dec 8 2015 ndash Former Chief

Justice Hilario G Davide Jr has calledon fellow members of the Knights of Co-lumbus (KC) nationwide to keep prayingfor the eventual ldquoraising to the altarrdquo ofthe grouprsquos spiritual father Fr George J

Willmann SJ who was declared ldquoSer-vant of Godrdquo Monday Dec 7

ldquoSo what is demanded of us as mem-bers of Knights of Columbus What isdemanded of us as members of Knightsof Columbus Fraternal Association of thePhilippines Inc [KCPAFI]rdquo he askedldquoWe need to pray a lot Pray pray praythat the tribunal will listen to the evidencepresented Pray pray pray that the tribu-nal will actually collate all the evidenceand determine once and for all that whathas been presented through our postula-

tor is credible to merit the conferment ofbeatification later on Tis is our taskrdquo

Archdiocesan processDavide who now chairs the National

Executive Committee for the Causes ofFr Willmann made this observation in aspeech following a ceremony held at theManila Cathedral during which Arch-bishop Luiacutes Antonio G Cardinal agleofficially approved the archdiocesan process

for the causes for the beatification and can-onization of the naturalized Filipino Jesuit

he solemn occasion was witnessedby no less than 1000 representativesof KCPAFI and other organizations Fr

Willmann helped establish like Catholic Youth Organization Columbian Squiresin the Philippines (1950) and Daughtersof Mary Immaculate

Te former chief magistrate went on todescribe the entire process as ldquovery mean-ingfulrdquo since it had the power to make anordinary priest into a Servant of God

Ordinary priest to Servant of GodldquoImagine during our lifetime today in

the Cathedral we saw the conversion ofan ordinary priest to become a Servant ofGod And we hope that he will merit be-

ing a servant of God until the first step ofthe process will continuerdquo he exclaimed

According to him it must have been thefirst time for most people present to haveseen with their own eyes an event of suchldquohistoric and momentous significancerdquo

ldquoI have lived 20 times four years of mylife almost And this is the first time I have

witnessed the process how it evolves and what we can gather from it o me thisis not just making somebody brought to

the honors of the altar but for us to beable to witness how to live and how tocomport ourselves to be able to follow hisfootstepsrdquo he explained

Built-in holinessDavide pointed out that holiness is

already built in each person but it is onlya matter of expressing it

ldquoWhy I would say that holiness is inus already Because we are the templeof God and the Spirit of God is with usSometimes however we forget that this isso We close our ears We close our eyes to

Jesus Christ We close our hands to JesusChrist by helping others So this is theprocess that we have witnessed today Andto me it will very much workrdquo he added

Davide also credited Msgr Pedro C Qui-

torio III postulator of the causes for Fr Will-mann for the ldquodivinely inspiredrdquo occasionand the timeliness of the diocesan process

ldquoSo Msgr Quitorio you are divinelyinspired You planned everything in sucha way that everything we did and we willdo and what we are doing right now isnot only as legacy to the next generationbut even beyond the next generation forpeople and children yet unbornrdquo he said(Raymond A Sebastiaacuten CBCP News)

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 324

A3CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

Choice is clear pope says Protect

environment or destroy itNAIROBI Kenya Nov 262015mdashhe international com-munity is facing a stark and seriouschoice ldquoeither to improve or todestroy the environmentrdquo Pope

Francis said referring to the ParisClimate ConferenceldquoIt would be sad and I dare say

even catastrophic were specialinterests to prevail over the com-mon goodrdquo the pope said Nov 26during a visit to the headquartersin Nairobi of the UN Environ-ment Program and UN Habitatan agency concerned with urbanplanning

Under the auspices of the Unit-ed Nations the Paris conferenceNov 30-Dec 11 has the aim ofachieving a legally binding anduniversal agreement on measuresto stem climate change and protectthe environment

Pope Francis spoke at length

about the importance of the con-ference during his visit to the UNoffices and his top aides had ameeting the evening before withKenyarsquos environment minister andother officials to discuss their hopesand strategies for the Paris meeting

On his way into the meeting with UN officials and diplomatsaccredited to the two UN agen-cies Pope Francis planted a tree

Whi le his spee ch containedample quotes from his June en-cyclical on the environment thepope also referred several times tothe significance of planting treesand borrowed several lines froma speech he in made in Boliviain July to a variety of grassroots

movements advocating for justicefor the poor

In fact just as in the encyclicalldquoLaudato Sirsquordquo the pope insisted inNairobi that there is a close con-

nection between environmentaldestruction and unjust economicand political policies that penalizethe poor

ldquoWe are faced with a great po-litical and economic obligation torethink and correct the dysfunc-tions and distortions of the currentmodel of developmentrdquo he saidespecially because of their empha-sis on exploiting natural resourcesbut not sharing the benefits withlocal communities

Planting a tree he said is anldquoinvitation to continue the battleagainst phenomena like deforesta-tion and desertificationrdquo as wellas ldquoan incentive to keep trustinghoping and above all working in

practice to reverse all those situa-tions of injustice and deterioration

which we currently experiencerdquoTe Paris conference the pope

said ldquorepresents an importantstage in the process of develop-ing a new energy system whichdepends on a minimal use of fossilfuels aims at energy efficiency andmakes use of energy sources withlittle or no carbon contentrdquo

Pope Francis told those gatheredat Nairobirsquos UN offices that hehopes the Paris conference willresult in a ldquoglobal and lsquotransfor-mationalrsquo agreement based on theprinciples of solidarity justiceequality and participation anagreement which targets three

Pope Francis CNA

complex and interdependent goalslessening the impact of climatechange fighting poverty and en-suring respect for human dignityrdquo

o achieve a comprehensiveand fair agreement he said real

dialogue is necessary among poli-ticians scientists business leadersand representatives of civil societyincluding the poorest sectors ofthose societies

Pope Francis insisted that hu-man beings are capable of chang-ing course choosing what is goodand making a fresh start hekey he said will be to put theeconomy and politics at the serviceof people who are called to live inharmony with the rest of creation

ldquoFar from an idealistic utopiathis is a realistic prospect whichmakes the human person andhuman dignity the point ofdeparture and the goal of every-thingrdquo he said

A new respect for human dig-nity and for the environment arepart of the same attitude of giv-ing value to all that God madehe said

Pope Francis called for ldquothe

adoption of a culture of caremdashcarefor oneself care for others care forthe environmentmdashin the place ofa culture of waste a throw-awayculture where people use anddiscard themselves others and theenvironmentrdquo

Te idea of a ldquothrow-away cul-turerdquo is not simply a strong figureof speech he said pointing toldquonew forms of slavery human traf-ficking forced labor prostitutionand trafficking in organsrdquo

ldquoMany lives many stories manydreams have been shipwrecked inour dayrdquo the pope said ldquoWe can-not remain indifferent in the faceof this We have no rightrdquo (CindyWoodenCatholic News Service)

Pope calls Central African Christians Muslimsto unite against violence BANGUI Central African Republic Nov 302015mdashChristians and Muslims must uniteagainst acts which ldquodisfigure the Face of Godrdquoby promoting peace Pope Francis told Islamicrepresentatives on the final day of his vi sit the

war-torn Central African Republic (CAR)ldquoTose who claim to believe in God must

also be men and women of peacerdquo the Popesaid at the Nov 30 encounter at the Mosqueof Koudoukou in the CAR capital Bangui re-calling the long history of peaceful coexistenceamong people of different religions

ldquoChristians Muslims and members of thetraditional religions have lived together in peacefor many yearsrdquo the pontiff said adding ldquoWeare well aware that the recent events and acts ofviolence which have shaken your country werenot grounded in properly religious motivesrdquo

Pope Francis arrived Sunday in the CARthe final stop of his tri-nation visit to AfricaIt also marks the pontiffrsquos first time in an ac-tive war zone

ldquoChristians and Muslims are brothers andsisters We must therefore consider ourselves andconduct ourselves as suchrdquo he said

ldquoTey ought therefore to remain united in working for an end to every act which from whatever side disfigures the Face of God and whose ultimate aim is to defend particular in-terests by any and all means to the detrimentof the common goodrdquo

ldquoogether we must say no to hatred to re-venge and to violence particularly that violence

which is perpetrated in the name of a religionor of God himself God i s peace salamrdquo

Te CAR became embroiled in violence inDecember 2012 when several bands of mainlyMuslim rebel groups formed an alliance takingthe name Seleka Tey left their strongholdsin the north of the country and made their

way south seizing power from then-presidentFrancois Bozize Since then some 6000people have died in the conflict with severalthousands more displaced

Te country will hold both presidential andparliamentary elections Dec 27 after they

were postponed in October due to violenceand instability Interim President CatherineSamba-Panza who has so far struggled to keeppeace will not be a candidate

Pope Francis went forward with the sched-uled visit to the Koudoukou mosque despitesecurity concerns Tese fears were exacerbatedby reports Saturday of three young people be-ing killed in a nearby neighborhood althoughit was later announced that no one died andthat the youths had been found

In his address at the mosque the Popeexpressed his gratitude for the work done byChristian and Muslim leaders to re-establishldquoharmony and fraternity among allrdquo

Te pontiff went on to acknowledge the actsof solidarity shown by Christians and Muslimstowards persons of other religions by ldquowelcomingthem and defending them during this latest crisis inyour country as well as in other parts of the worldrdquo

ldquoWe cannot fail to express hope that theforthcoming national consultations will pro-vide the country with leaders capable of bring-ing Central Africans together thus becomingsymbols of national unity rather than merely

representatives of one or another factionrdquoTe Pope called for the CAR which is ldquositu-

ated in the heart of Africardquo to be a place of welcome for everyonemdashregardless of ethnicitypolitical affiliation or religionmdashwhich in turn

will encourage the rest of the continent to fol-low in its footsteps

ldquoIt will prove a positive influence and helpextinguish the smoldering tensions whichprevent Africans from benefitting from thatdevelopment which they deserve and to whichthey have a rightrdquo

Pope Francis concluded his address byinviting those present to ldquopray and work forreconciliation fraternity and solidarity amongall people without forgetting those who havesuffered the most as a result of recent eventsrdquo

Te Popersquos visit to the CAR is the last stop ofhis Nov 25-30 African journey which includedvisits to Kenya and Uganda

St John Paul II was the last pontiff to visitCAR when he stopped there briefly in 1985 aspart of a larger trip to ogo the Ivory CoastCameroon Zaire and Kenya (Ann Schneible CNAEWTN News)

Bangui Central African Republic - April 8 2014 Cardinal Theodore E McCarrick met with religious leaders in theCAR to discuss possible solutions to end recent violence Whitney WildingCatholic Relief Services

Pope Francis to journalistrsquoscondom question theproblem is much biggerVAICAN Nov 30 2015mdashOn aNov 30 in-flight press conferencereturning from his trip to AfricaPope Francis said that efforts topush the Church to allow condom

use to prevent HIV are too narrowand do not see the whole picture A jou rnal ist asked the Pope

about HIV in Africa sayingldquoWe know that prevention is key We know that condoms are notthe only method of solving theepidemic but itrsquos an importantpart of the answer Is it not timefor the Church to change its posi-tion on the matter o allow theuse of condoms to prevent moreinfectionsrdquo

ldquoTe question seems too smallto me it also seems like a par-tial questionrdquo the Pope replied(READ Full text of Popersquos in-flight interview from Africa toRome)

He continued in his responseldquoYes itrsquos one of the methods Temoral of the Church on this pointis found here faced with a perplex-ity the fifth or sixth command-ment Defend life or that sexualrelations are open to life But thisisnrsquot the problemrdquo

ldquohe problem is biggerrdquo thePope said ldquoTis question makesme think of one they once asked Jesus lsquoell me teacher is it law-

ful to heal on the Sabbath Is itobligatory to healrsquo his ques-tion lsquoIs doing this lawfulrsquohellipbutmalnutrition the development ofthe person slave labor the lack

of drinking water these are theproblemsrdquoldquoLetrsquos not talk about if one can

use this type of patch or that for asmall wound the serious woundis social injustice environmentalinjusticerdquo Pope Francis contin-ued ldquoI donrsquot like to go down toreflections on such case studies when people die due to a lack of water hunger env iron ment hellip when all are cured when therearenrsquot these illnesses tragediesthat man makes whether forsocial injustice or to earn moremoneymdashI think of the traffickingof armsmdashwhen these problemsare no longer there I think wecan ask the question lsquoIs it lawful

to heal on the SabbathrsquordquoHe concluded ldquoBecause if

the trafficking of arms contin-ues wars are the biggest cause ofmortalityhellipI would say not tothink about whether itrsquos lawfulor not to heal on the Sabbath I would say to humani ty ldquomake justicerdquo and when all are cured when there is no more injustice we can talk about the Sabbathrdquo(CNAEWTN News)

lsquoEstablish Godrsquos kingdom in PHarmyrsquo ndash chaplains reminded

AGUIG City Nov 28 2015mdashPriests serving in the military were reminded recently about thepurpose of their service bringingChrist to the countryrsquos armedforces

ldquoGod is inviting us to putour hearts and to set our heartsfirmly in the establishment of thekingdom of God in the Philip-pine Armyrdquo said Fr LtC StephenPenetrante homilist for the HolyMass celebrated to conclude the1st Character Enrichment Pro-gram (CEP) Conference on Nov24 at the Air Force Museum

Looking back at the period ofplanning for the soldierrsquos forma-tion the priest emphasized ldquothevision of the kingdom of God whom we hope to reign in theheart of soldiersrdquo

Focusing on JesusPenetrante reminded the 100

people gathered including chap-lains from all over the Philippinesas well as lay collaborators fromCouples for Christrsquos Order of StMichael (OSM) ministry that inthis service God is teaching focuson what is important

ldquoTe Lord is teaching us heredo not be distractedOur Lord Jesus Christ wants to set our heartsto focus on the establishmentkingdom of God in our hearts firstthen in the hearts of the soldiers

as we continue and sustain thisprogramrdquo he added

Accord ing to him the nitt y-gritty that go with programs likethe CEP like ldquostrategizing thebudgeting the management skillsthe mastering of the ropesrdquo are allimportant but focus on Jesus asthe prime mover of the work isthe priority

Lack of funds logistical con-straints

Penetrante who was also award-ed a plaque of appreciation forhis ldquooutstanding performance asChief of Plans and Programs of theOffice of the Army Chief Chap-lain Service (OACCS) called onhis fellow chaplains and lay teammembers to ldquoask the interventionof Godrsquos gracerdquo in their service

ldquoWe can see so many signshelliplack of funds logistical and man-agement constraints personalrespnses of the chaplains Manytimes we get distracted But thenour Lord Jesus Christ would wantto focus us again to set our heartsfirmlyhellipto never lose hoperdquo hestressed

Te Mass which was celebratedby Army Chief Chaplain Fr Col Andres Bonfiacio Belleza (GSC)concluded the 1st CEP Confer-ence spearheaded by the OACCSand the OSM (Nirvarsquoana EllaDelacruz CBCP News)

Army chaplains partake of the Body and Blood of Christ during the concluding massof the 1st Character Enrichment Program (CEP) Conference on Nov 24 at the Air ForceMuseum Nirva Delacruz

MANILA Dec 1 2015mdashApriest has underscored the valueof frequenting Jesus in the BlessedSacrament stressing it is one sure way current and aspiring ldquofishersof menrdquo can draw strength fortheir various undertakings

ldquohe Lord said lsquoCome aftermersquo So go to Jesus Spend time with Him Enjoy His companyGo to Jesus Be friends withHim alk to Him And thenyou will see you will accomplisheverythingrdquo said Fr Sanny C deClaro on Monday the Feast of St Andrew the Apostle at the chapelof the Arzobispado de ManilaIntramuros

Self-review Accord ing to him spending

time praying before the BlessedSacrament is one of the many waysthe faithful can express their lovefor the Lord

In line with this De Claroinvited members of Catholiccommunities to make Eucharistic Adoration a habit encouragingthem to look within and reviewtheir lives before Jesus and toshare with one another experi-ences in their ministries even theirstruggles

he head of Santo Nintildeo dePandacan went on to remind thefaithful that the first thing Christdid on meeting His would-bedisciples was not to send them atonce abroad to evangelize but to

invite them to follow Him and be with Him

Always God first ldquolsquoCome after me and I will

make you fishers of menrsquo Pleasetake note the first word of Jesusto His disciples hellip Your first dutyis to be wi th the Lord o be withGod Tat is your first callrdquo hestressed

De Claro further pointedout that an apostolate will loseits meaning without people

who are com mitte d to fil lingtheir l ives with the Divinepresence

ldquohis is the soul of ourapostolate the soul of ourpreaching teaching catechismhis is the source of our veryown existence in this grouprdquo

he added (Raymond A Sebas-tiaacuten CBCP News)

Faithful urged Go to Blessed Sacrament

MARILAO BulacanDec 4 2015mdashA priestreminded recollectionattendees to rememberthat Advent is all aboutGodrsquos mercy especially

when they feel despairexperience poverty andundergo hardships

ldquoLet emptiness leadyou to Godrsquos fulfill-mentrdquo said Fr Nap Balt-azar Nuestra Sentildeora deLourdes Parish in DontildeaRemedios rinidad Bu-lacan parish priest onNov 30 in Mother ofMercy Chapel Loma deGato Marilao Bulacan

More than teachingthe participants about

the essentials of Ad-vent and how they areto prepare themselvesfor the ldquocoming of theLordrdquo the priest sharedhis parish experiencesespecially with the Du-magats He talked aboutldquohumbling momentsrdquo

where he personally seeshow God works in many

ways as well as what hecalls ldquolifersquos simplest joysand miraclesrdquo

ldquohe real essence of Adve nt is no t be in gafraid to do good helpothers and unite withthe Churchrdquo he told

CBCP News in an in-terview

ldquoTis activity remind-ed me and my family torespond to Godrsquos call hellipthrough active BECs inattending and participat-ing in Eucharistic cel-ebrations as well as otherchurch activities andmost of all in becom-ing [a] fisher of menrdquosaid Napoleon QuizonMother of Mercy Chapelpastoral council chair-man in an interview

ldquoAdvent recollectionsenlighten us about thetrue meaning of Christ-mas and help us becomemore prepared in cel-

ebrating the birth of Je-susrdquo explained Fr Roger

Cruz in the concludingMass which he concel-ebrated with BaltazarldquoLet us become seedlingsthat grow together infaith and love especiallythis seasonrdquo

Cruz also called onthe people to supportand pray for Baltazar andhis mission to plan andexecute programs to helpthe Dumagat tribe in Si-erra Madre Dontildea Reme-dios rinidad Bulacanas he was also appointedDirector for IndigenousPeople Apostolate bythe Diocese of Malolos

(Myraine Carluen Poli-carpio CBCP News)

Advent perfect example of Godrsquos mercy ndash priest

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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A4 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

IN the summer of 1985 I ldquodatedrdquoa Swiss Guard Yes one of thosehunks guarding the pope in theVatican I put the word ldquodatedrdquo inquotation marks because it wasnrsquota date-date you know ldquoDatingrdquoa Swiss Guard I thought was aclever way that I a curious jour-nalist gradually returning to theCatholic fold could know moreabout Pope John Paul II whointrigued me at first sight duringhis 1981 visit to the Philippines

It was one of those times I was

roaming Europe alone on Eurail-pass for a month hopping on andoff the train wherever-wheneverBack then Swiss Guards were notallowed to talk or even smile toanyone while on dutymdashthey stoodthere like heartless monuments

with only their eyeballs moving

(Now they will even accom-modate your request for a selfie)Being much younger I had thetemerity to march up to a guard(letrsquos call him ldquoHansrdquo) the min-ute he got off duty to introducemyself and ask him out to dinnerthat very nightmdashfor an interviewabout his unique occupation I

was surprised he readily acceptedand without much ado he setour date ldquoEight orsquoclock at theobeliskrdquo (rust the Swiss to be soclock-driven)

Hans was already there whenI arrived at 755 at the obelisk atSt Peterrsquos Square but I almostmissed him because without theSwiss Guard uniform he didnrsquotlook so formidable So I fired thequestionsmdashabout his job his lifeas a Swiss Guard his impressions

of John Paul IImdashand he freelysatisfied my curiosity over fish andchips and beer

But why am I telling you thisOnly because my originally in-tended topic for this ar ticle todayldquoChristmas gifts for priestsrdquo led tothis recollection Hans was clearlyin awe of his boss the Polish popeand his reverence for the pontiff was evident as he shared with meabout his unforgettable first birth-day as a Swiss Guard Hans wasspeechless when he was called to

the popersquos office first thing in themorning of his birthday ldquoWhathad I done wrongrdquo he wonderedon his way Ten a smiling JohnPaul II took him to a room hehad never seen before rdquo Hansrecalled his eyes beaming ldquoIt is avery big room filled with gifts to

the pope all kinds of gifts fromall over the world and the popesaid lsquoChoose anything you wantitrsquos my birthday gift to yoursquo I wasoverwhelmed like a little boy in aroom full of chocolatesrdquo

Years later I was to discoverhow difficult it was to think ofgifts to give to pri ests because likemy rich friends ldquothey have every-thingrdquo Whether for birthday orfor Christmas theyrsquore flooded withall sorts of gifts some of whichthey have absolutely no use for

For one bishop I know the giftsvanish as soon as the celebration isovermdashbecause there are dozens ofpriests and chancery workers wait-ing in the wings for superfluousgifts Another priest I know picksonly the Christmas gifts he needs

EDIORIAL

HE Sacraments are a privileged way in which nature is taken up byGod to become a means of mediating supernatural life Trough our worship of God we are invited to embrace the world on a differentplane Water oil fire and colors are taken up in all their symbolic powerand incorporated in our act of praise Te hand that blesses is an in-strument of Godrsquos love and a reflection of the closeness of Jesus Christ who came to accompany us on the journey of life Water poured overthe body of a child in Baptism is a sign of new life Encountering Goddoes not mean fleeing from this world or turning our back on nature

Tis is especially clear in the spirituality of the Christian East ldquoBeauty which in the East is one of the best loved names expressing the divineharmony and the model of humanity transfigured appears everywherein the shape of a church in the sounds in the colors in the lights inthe scentsrdquo For Christians all the creatures of the material universefind their true meaning in the incarnate Word for the Son of God hasincorporated in his person part of the material world planting in it aseed of definitive transformation ldquoChristianity does not reject matterRather bodiliness is considered in all its value in the liturgical act whereby the human body is disclosed in its inner nature as a temple ofthe Holy Spirit and is united with the Lord Jesus who himself took abody for the worldrsquos salvationrdquo

It is in the Eucharist that all that has been created finds its greatest

exaltation Grace which tends to manifest itself tangibly found unsur-passable expression when God himself became man and gave himself asfood for his creatures Te Lord in the culmination of the mystery ofthe Incarnation chose to reach our intimate depths through a fragmentof matter He comes not from above but from within he comes that wemight find him in this world of ours In the Eucharist fullness is alreadyachieved it is the living centre of the universe the overflowing core oflove and of inexhaustible life Joined to the incarnate Son present inthe Eucharist the whole cosmos gives thanks to God

On Sunday our participation in the Eucharist has special importanceSunday like the Jewish Sabbath is meant to be a day which heals ourrelationships with God with ourselves with others and wi th the worldSunday is the day of the Resurrection the ldquofirst dayrdquo of the new creation whose first fruits are the Lordrsquos risen humanity the pledge of the finaltransfiguration of all created reality It also proclaims ldquomanrsquos eternalrest in Godrdquo In this way Christian spirituality incorporates the valueof relaxation and festivity We tend to demean contemplative rest assomething unproductive and unnecessary but this is to do away withthe very thing which is most important about work its meaning We

are called to include in our work a dimension of receptivity and gratuity which is quite different from mere inactivity Rather it is another wayof working which forms part of our very essence It protects humanaction from becoming empty activism it also prevents that unfetteredgreed and sense of isolation which make us seek personal gain to thedetriment of all else

Te law of weekly rest forbade work on the seventh day ldquoso that yourox and your donkey may have rest and the son of your maidservantand the stranger may be refreshedrdquo (Ex 2312) Rest opens our eyes tothe larger picture and gives us renewed sensitivity to the rights of others And so the day of rest centered on the Eucharist sheds it light on the whole week and motivates us to greater concern for nature and the poor

-- Laudato Sirsquo 235-237

IN Misericordiae Vultus the Bull of Indiction released in April thisyear announcing the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy Pope Francisalready gave the reason why this Jubilee Year had to be opened onDec 8 the Feast of the Immaculate Conception Te logic he gave was ldquoi ts rich meaning in the recent history of the Churchrdquo And bythat he meant the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council which was concluded on Dec 8

He would look at Vatican II as another door where the world pas sed

through fifty years ago Tat passing through was an emergence of theChurch ldquofrom the shoals which for year s had kept her self-enclosed soas to set out once again with enthusiasm on her missionary journeyIt was a resumption of a journey of encountering people where theyare in their cities and homes in their workplaces Wherever there arepeople the Church is called to reach out to them and to bring the joyof the Gospel and the mercy and forgiveness of Godrdquo

o look at Vatican II in that perspective is profound enough Butin his homily at the at the start of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercyand the opening of the Holy Door at St Peterrsquos this Dec 8 he delveseven more deeply into the theology of the Immaculate ConceptionHe contemplates that the ldquoImmaculate Conception is the grandeurof Godrsquos loverdquo in the sense that ldquoin Mary he even averts the originalsin present in every man and woman who comes into this worldrdquo Ac-cording to him ldquothis is the love of God which precedes anticipatesand savesrdquo

He says that sin can only be understood in the light of Godrsquos loveand forgiveness If sin were the only thing that mattered man wouldbe the most desperate of all creatures But this is not so because ldquothepromised triumph of Christrsquos love unfolds everything in the Fatherrsquosmercyrdquo Te Immaculate Conception is a testimony to this truth Which is why he says ldquoWe have to put mercy before judgment and inany event Godrsquos judgment will always be in the light of Godrsquos mercyrdquo

Now one understands why Pope Francis in his interview with Fr Antonio Spadaro of La Civilta Cattolica in 2013 compares the Church with a field hospi tal Now one understands why in an in-flight in-terview from Rio de Janeiro after the World Youth Day he answeredldquoWho am I to judgerdquo Now one understands why in his flight backto Rome from Africa last month he dodges the condom issue whilelooking at bigger issues that world leaders seem to ignore

Sacramental signs and

the celebration of rest

ldquoMercy before judgmentrdquo

OPINION

Partisanshipopenness charity

Fr Roy Cimagala

Candidly Speaking

MonitorPROTAGONIST OF TRUTH PROMOTER OF PEACE

CBCP

Pedro C QuitorioEditor-in-Chief

Nirvarsquoana E DelacruzAssociate Editor

Roy Q LagardeNews Editor

Kris BayosFeatures Editor

I L L U

S T R A T I O N B Y B L A D I M E R U S I

Climate change

Teresa R Tunay OCDSAnd Thatrsquos The Truth

Gifts for priests

Oscar V Cruz DD

Views and Points

The CBCP Monitor is published fortnight ly by the AreopagusSocial Media for Asia Inc with editorial and business officesat Ground Flr Holy Face of Jesus Center amp Convent 1111F R Hidalgo Street Quiapo Manila Editorial (632) 404-

2182 Business (632) 404-1612 ISSN 1908-2940

Ronalyn R ReginoDesign Artist

Gloria FernandoMarketing Supervisor

Mercedita JuaniteCirculation Manager

Marcelita DominguezComptroller

Candidly Speaking A7

And Thatrsquos The Truth A5

ldquoCLIMATE change is a global problem with grave implications environmental social eco-nomic politicalIt represents one of the majorchallenges facing humanity in our days Itsworst impact will probably be felt by developingcountries in the coming decadesrdquo (Pope FrancisEncyclical Letter ldquoOn the Case of Our CommonHomerdquo n 25 24 May 2015)

No less than Pope Francis the Sovereign ofthe Universal Catholic Church spread all overthe globe with membership from all knowncontinents races and colors made the deliber-ate option to formally and categorically addressthe phenomenon of climate change ndash the even-tual and ultimate victim of which is humanityas a whole Among other definitely seriousand deadly consequences of climate changeare the following Te progressive warmingof the global climate Te gradual destructionof the world environment Te slow but sure

wastage of earthly resources the eventual loss ofhuman lives well-includedmdashwhen nature itselfrevolts against its destructors It is definitelynot a profound truth that a bomb-maker can

be the victim thereof when it precisely explodeson him

Te Church is certainly much concerned with the truths in the supernatural sphere Butthis does not mean that the same Institutionis indifferent to the realities in the natural or-der Yes the Church is continuously teachingthe fundamental Commandment of Love ofGod But the same Ecclesial Institution is alsomuch concerned with the basic Command-ment of Love of Neighbor In other wordsthe Church is committed to affirm the gloryof God and at the same time also mandatedto safeguard the good of man And when theChurch through the Pope himself speaks aboutthe mortal dangers brought by climate changeto humanity this is but her obligation So itis that the perpendicular love of God plus thehorizontal love of man brings about no lessthan the reality of the Cross of Christ

he earth is the ldquoCommon Homerdquo ofhumanity as a whole It is Godrsquos creation forman to live on even but temporally until he iscalled to his eternal abode Te truth of thematter is that God Himself saw to it that the

earth was ready ndash the air and the waters thesun and the moon the land and the trees thegreenery and the animals ndash before He broughtman to life and live thereon What a pity ifthrough his abuse and other misdeeds he is infact slowly but surely destroying his ldquoCommonHomerdquo with all others brought about preciselyby climate change

Te vicious exploitation degradation anddestruction of nature usually on account of ava-rice and greed the consequent phenomenonof pollution on account of a throw-away socialculture the consequent loss of biodiversitymdashallthese and more challenge the integrity of na-ture all these and more demean the environsand necessarily make man the ultimate victimNo Man is not meant much less able to chal-lenge nature because by so doing he is the sureloser and victim He is instead obliged to takecare of nature so that nature takes care of him

Would that the just concluded interna-tional encounter of no less than leaders fromcountries the world over one way or anothersooner than later decidedly take remedial stepsto counter climate change

IN our political discussions andexchanges itrsquos just fine to bepartisan as long as we are open

and respectful of all other viewsincluding those that are differentand opposed to ours We shouldavoid any form of extremism bydemonizing others who do notagree with us

Partisanship is inevitable in ourpolitics And thatrsquos simply because

we have diffe rent backgroundsand orientations different prefer-ences and priorities Given ourhuman condition let alone our

weakness mistakes and failures we will always have difference samong ourselves

We should not be surprised bythese but rather learn to live withthem as befits our human dignity

We should not allow that we be

dragged by the dynamics of angeranimosity and hatred Charity

should always rule even in ourpolitical choices as it should in allother aspects of our life

Yes we can be quit e stro ngand fixed in our views but thisdoes not give us an excuse to letgo of charity In fact these differ-ences should be a good ground forcharity to grow Tus the sharperthe differences the more intenseshould be our charity

We have to avoid painting those who disagree with us as if they arethe very personification of evilcompletely incapable of doinganything good or saying anythingtrue and worthwhile Tis wouldbe a simplistic and naiumlve way oflooking at things and as such isfraught with potential dangers

If we have to disagree then letrsquosdisagree amicably respecting each

other and each otherrsquos positionNo need for harsh words to be

thrown much less uncharitablethoughts and bad intentionsCharity knows how to unite us

even in our most hopeless andirreparable differencesSad to say many of us today

are behaving the opposite of whatis proper to us It starts with ourpolitical leaders and candidatesdown to the electorate and even tothe general population includingchildren We have to stop this

We cannot paint a favorite can-didate to be so perfect and saintlythat we can observe no defectmistake or fault in him Neithershould we picture a disliked candi-date to be so bad that we can findno saving grace in him

Letrsquos always remember that allthe saints and the appointed pa-triarchs and prophets of old had

their defects and mistakes tooeven after their conversion Tey

were always struggling becausethey know that their sanctity isalways a work in progress It is

never completed in this life Also even those who are gener-ally considered as bad people arestill capable of doing somethinggood I remember one Gospelepisode where this possibility isillustrated Itrsquos in the Gospel ofSt John

ldquoBut one of them Caiaphas who was high prie st that yearsaid to them lsquoYou know nothingat all you do not understand thatit expedient for you that one manshould die for the people andthat the whole nation should notperishrsquo

ldquoHe did not say this of his ownaccord but being high priest thatyear he prophesied that Jesus

should die for the nation and not

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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A5CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25 OPINION

Atty Aurora A Santiago

Duc In Altum

Fr Carmelo O Diola

Spaces of HopeJesus Christ the face of

the Fatherrsquos mercy

POGI (Presence Of God Inside) Rev Fr Alan Gozo Bondoc SVD

The Family and the Eucharist

in the Jubilee Year of Mercy

Virgin of Guadalupe

The Bread of Life

Rev Eutiquio lsquoEulyrsquo Belizar

Jr SThD

By the Roadside

EVERY time we look into a mirror we see our own face Te mirrorreflects us But it cannot containus It is different when we lookinto Jesus Christ In Him we seethe face of God In Him we see

the Father who is in Him and in whom He is ldquoTe Father and I areonerdquo He declares in John 1030o Philip the Apostle He saysldquoWhoever has seen me has seenthe Fatherrdquo (Jn 149) In Him westand face to face with the Fatherand it is the Fatherrsquos mercy thatcomes to the fore and becomesvisible to anyone who encounters Jesus Christ

So particularly and emphati-cally says the Holy Father PopeFrancis in the Bull of Indiction ofthe Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercyentitled Misericordiae Vultus (TeFace of Mercy) His very first state-ment is his most forceful ldquoJesusChrist is the face of the Fatherrsquos

mercyrdquo (Misercordiae Vultus no1) Here he echoes the messageof St John Paul II who withoutmincing his words simply pointsout ldquoHe (Jesus Christ) Himself ina certain sense is mercyrdquo (Dives inMisericordia no 2)

What is the Holy Father tryingto say here

1 Tat Jesus Christ continuesand is in fact the fullest revela-tion of Godrsquos mercy Already in

the Old Covenant which we knowas the Old estament God alreadyreveals Himself to Moses as ldquoa Godmerciful and gracious slow toanger and abounding in steadfastlove and faithfulnessrdquo (Ex 346) a

truth Pope Francis refers to in MV1 God does not stop doing so Infact as the letter to the Hebrewstells us ldquoIn times past God spokein fragmentary and varies ways toour fathers through the prophetsin this final age he has spoken tous through his Son whom he hasmade heir of all thingsrdquo (Heb 11-2) Jesus is the fullest revelation ofthe Father because He the ldquoSon isthe reflection of the Fatherrsquos glorythe exact representation of theFatherrsquos beingrdquo (Heb 13)

2 In Jesus Christ we see thefullest revelation of the Fatherrsquosmercy not simply for one particu-lar person community or nationbut for all mankind In a word

the revelation of Godrsquos mercyis universal in scope God is noexclusive property even of theChosen People of Israel As Isaiahdeclares Godrsquos mind ldquoLet not theforeigner say when he would joinhimself to the Lord lsquoTe Lord will surely exclude me from hispeoplersquo Te foreigners who jointhemselves to the Lord loving thename of the Lord and becominghis servantshellip[them] I will bring

to my holy mountain and make joyful in my house of prayerhellipFor my house shall be called ahouse of prayer for all peoplesrdquo (Is561 3 7) Tis brings us pauseTe Catholicity of Godrsquos mercy is

particularly real in the CatholicChurch where every race countryor nationality finds a home Tis

was particularly brought home tome the first time I concelebratedin a Mass in Rome I was awed bythe presence even among priestsof people of all skin colors raceslanguages and cultures I couldnot help seeing the reality of the

words uttered through Isaiah ldquoMyhouse shall be called a house ofprayer for all peoplesrdquo

3 Jesusrsquo revelation of the Fatherrsquosmercy is no campaign slogan orempty claim he Holy Fatherhimself teaches ldquoJesus of Nazarethby his words his actions and hisentire person reveals the mercy of

Godrdquo (MV 1) Jesus himself pointsto his own testimony directly link-ing him to the Father in a mannergreater that even John the Baptistrsquosown testimony on his behalf ldquoBut Ihave testimony greater than JohnrsquosTe works that the Father gave meto accomplish these works that Iperform testify on my behalf thatthe Father has sent merdquo (Jn 536)Pope Francis makes us meditateon how Jesusrsquo deeds reveal the

Father His relationships with themarginalized sinners and outcastsHis ldquodeep compassionrdquo for the tiredand exhausted crowds His healingand curing of peoplersquos illnesses Hisraising of the dead particularly of

the widow of Naimrsquos son His driv-ing away evil spirits that oppressand enslave people His choosingof Matthew a sinner and tax col-lector as one of His apostles (MV8) Even Jesusrsquo words also attest tothe Fatherrsquos mercy Te Holy Fathersurveys the parables of mercy thelost sheep the lost coin and thefather of two sons (Lk 151-32)in each of which ldquoGod is alwayspresented as full of joy especially

when he pardonsrdquo (MV 9)4 You have to excuse me

if I cut down our musings Ihave come to my most impor-tant point Since Christians areChristifideles or the ldquofaithful ofChristrdquo they must also reflect

Jesus Chri st who reflects ex actlythe Fatherrsquos mercyHere we must challenge our-

selves Could we also take as ourown Jesusrsquo words ldquoI have testi-mony greater than Johnrsquos he

works that the Father gave me toaccomplish these works that Iperform testify on my behalf thatthe Father has sent merdquo Do wealso have words and deeds to showfor our works

HE year 2021 is a year of thanksgiving forthe 500th Anniversary on March 16 2021 ofthe arrival of Christianity in the country Weremember the first Mass celebrated in Lima-sawa Island on that Easter Sunday March 311521 Tat was the day of baptism of RajahHumabon given the Christian name Carlosand his wife Hara Amihan baptized JuanaTe image of Sto Nińo de Cebu the oldestreligious icon was the gift of Ferdinand Magel-lan to the first Filipino Catholics

Te 9-year journey for the New Evangeli-zation offers a different theme for each yearTe first 3 yearsrsquo themes are Integral FaithFormation Year of the Laity Year of the Poorand this year is the Eucharist and the Family which coincides with the Holy Year of Mercy

Pope Francis proclaimed the start of the

Jubilee Year of Mercy on Dec 08 2015 theSolemnity of the Immaculate Conception Heopened the Holy Door which will become ldquoaDoor of Mercy through which anyone whoenters will experience the love of God who con-soles pardons and instils hoperdquo Pope Francisopened the Holy Door on the 50th anniversaryof the closing of the Second Vatican Council

Te Holy Door of the Cathedral of Romethe Basilica of Saint John Lateran will beopened on the hird Sunday of AdventTereafter the Holy Doors of the other PapalBasilicas will be opened Te Holy Father willalso announce that in every cathedral a Doorof Mercy will be opened for the duration ofthe Holy Year

ldquoIn the Diocese of Kalookan aside from SanRoque Cathedral which will have the Rites

of Blessing and Dedication of the Cathedralon December 12 its Apostolic AdministratorMost Rev Francisco De Leon will declare twochurches in each of the 5 Vicariates in theDiocese as the Jubilee Church to give all pa-rishioners the opportunity to have immediateaccess to the Jubilee Churches they will visitrdquo

Te faithful who visit the Holy Door ofa Church is given a Plenary Indulgence aldquoremission before God of the temporal punish-ment due to sins whose guilt has already beenforgiven which the faithful Christian who isduly disposed gains under certain prescribedconditions through the action of the Church

which as the minister of redemption dispensesand applies with authority the treasury of thesatisfactions of Christ and the saintsrdquo

Gaining of indulgences whether plenaryor partial requires prescribed conditions andthe performance of certain prescribed worksTe faithful should be in the state of graceIndulgence can be gained only once a day Itis appropriate but not necessary that Confes-sion Holy Communion and praying for thePopersquos intentions take place on the same daythat the indulgenced work is performed tobe carried out within several days (about 20)before or after the indulgenced act Indulgencescan always be applied either to oneself or to thesouls of the deceased but cannot be applied toother persons living on earth

During the Synod of Bishops Pope Fran-

cis reflected on the relationship between theChurch and the family with a view to thecommon good of society ldquoWhen families

journey along the way of the Lord they offera fundamental witness to Godrsquos love and theydeserve the full commitment and support ofthe Church In the family we learn the bonds

which unite us of fidelity sincerity trust co-operation and respect even when difficultiesabound Indeed it is in family life that the mostvulnerable of society are cared forrdquo

ldquoLike Saint Peter the Church is called tobe a fisher of men and so needs a new typeof net Families are this net Tey free us fromthe sea of loneliness and indifference so that

we can all experience the freedom of beingchildren of God May the Church go out intothe deepen (duc in altum) confident that the

catch will be greatrdquo Te Papal Family of the Diocese of Kalookan

held its Advent Recollection with Most RevFrancisco De Leon as the Recollection Master

Adventus is coming the coming of Christ inthree ways He arrived when He was born inBethlehem He came in mystery (in the Sac-rament in Word the King) He will come inglory at the end of the world

How do we wait for the coming of ChristOur First Model is John the Baptist whoespoused repentance and avoidance of sinsand the proclamation of the coming of the

kingdom of God Our Second Model is Maryit is difficult to accept Godrsquos will but she ac-cepted it with its consequences She asked howshe could conceive when she did not knowany man In her time a woman who was notmarried and got pregnant was stoned to deathEverything that Mary did not understand shekept in her heart

In the Year of Mercy Bishop Francis en- joined the Papal Awardees to be merciful asthe Father is merciful Do corporal works ofmercymdashfeed the hungry give drink to thethirsty clothe the naked shelter the homelessvisit the sick visit the imprisoned and burythe dead Also do spiritual works of mercymdashcounsel the doubtful instruct the ignorantadmonish the sinners comfort the afflictedforgive offenses bear wrongs patiently prayfor the living and the dead

Forgiveness and Reconciliationmdashto forgivesin is to erase irrevocably what happened in thepast it is like punishing the victim the secondtime Victims demand repentance God is theforgiver of sins when we forgive we acceptGodrsquos love It is an act of freedom that no oneis bound to the power of the past If one is ableto forgive the victim becomes the survivor

o forget painful memories you belittle theevent or belittle the victim Urging the victimto forget is to victimize him again In forgive-ness we do not forget but we remember it ina different way in such a way that anger andresentment is no longer present It becomesconstructive o erase part of our memory isto erase part of identity We forget that we arenot bound by the sad emotions in the past

Why did the Risen Christ show Himself to the

apostles with wounds His sufferings are stillpart of His life but His wounds became a sourceof healing to doubting Tomas We rememberthe hurts and the wounds caused upon us hasbecome a source of healing for others Ask Godto heal your memory so that memory will notbring bitterness and resentment

Bishop Francis also presided over the HolyMass where he introduced new experiencesMass where everyone was seated in the Prayersof the Faithful seat mates pray for each otherrsquosintention Communion was given to each otherby seat mates Tank you Bishop Francis for

I is obvious from my bodilyfigure that I love eating It is mysimple enjoyment to eat besidesI give joy and smile to those whoprepared and served the food when I eat a lot As Andrew Zim-mern of Bizarre Foods would sayit ldquoIf it looks good eat itrdquo

We eat to live However eating without balance nutrition couldlead to an unhealthy life whichmay cause early death We haveto know what we eat every kindof food we take in has an effecton our body he food affectsour health it either weakens or

strengthens our bodyIn Gospel from John 651-58

Jesus is offering a different kindof food for us One that willdefinitely strengthen and nourishus not only our physical body butour soul He is giving us breadbread that gives life Because thebread He is referring to is HimselfldquoI am the living breadrdquo

It would be an understatementto say that this living bread if wechoose to take and eat it will havea good effect on our soul Tisliving bread will lead us to a holylife It will not cause us death but will give us life eternal

Jesus wants us to be one with

Him by taking His body We be-come what we eat Receiving the

Body of Jesus in the Communionis making Him part of our selvesIt is in the Communion that weare transformed and become ldquoAl-ter Cristusrdquo meaning ldquoAnotherChristrdquo Terefore receiving theBody of Christ gives us greaterresponsibility because when webecome ldquoAnother Christrdquo it onlymeans that we should act like Himand we should emulate Him

aking the Body of Christthe Bread of Life allows Jesus toincrease in us as we decrease inourselves

Te Bread of Life signifies Jesusrsquo

sacrificial love for us because Hegives Himself fully to us in Holy

Communion Communion is acalling to be with God Remember

we have a prayer before Commu-nion ldquoLord I am not worthy toreceive You but only say the Wordand I shall be healedrdquo Commu-nion means an invitation to those

who have lost their way It meanshealing to those who are woundedby sin It means transformation tobecome holy just as God is holy

In the Holy Communion wedo not receive mere bread but

Jesus Himself When we take andreceive the Body of Jesus we allowHim to permeate us and come into

our lives enter our heartsLet Jesus become your life

Duc In Altum A6

LAS Sept 5 to 10 I did a pilgrimage to the Basilica of Our Ladyof Guadalupe in Mexico City Tis was a humbling culminationof my silver anniversary celebration as an ordained priest with

friends and three of my brothers wo particular events in a totally-unexpected Marian pilgrimage last year led to the said pilgrimageldquoWait till you go to Guadalupe It is differentrdquo my friend

John told me in Lourdes Tis sparked my imagination Andtrue enough among other things when we were in Guadalupe

John pointed out to me the more than one kilometer distancenavigated by pilgrims on bended knees from the gate to the topof the epeyac Hill What humble long-suffering faith

Another incident was my longing for my departed motherElena and the thought during prayer ldquoAm I not your motheralsordquo I only found out last January in acloban from a Mariandevotee that similar consoling words were uttered to San JuanDiego by the Virgin of Guadalupe ldquoNo estoy yo aqui que soy tumadrerdquo (ldquoAm I not here I who am your motherrdquo)

My gratitude to God for the pilgrimage knows no bounds

One is the enjoyment of facts Hernan Cortes is no longer

just a busy street to my parish in Mandaue City Montezuma isnot just a lyric of a marching song 1521 is no longer just theyear Magellan came to our islands but also the year when Cortesvanquished Montezuma Now I know Mexico has a 40 year head-start of sustained Spanish administration and influence if we take1565 the arrival of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi in the Philippinesas our starting point

Legazpi had set sail from Mexico upon the orders of the repre-sentative of the Spanish king in Mexico I also learned that it wasa priest-secretary of Bishop Zumarraga who first saw the holyimage on the apron-like garment (ldquotilmardquo) of Juan Diego whomade a reproduction of it and sent it to the Philippines Whateverbecame of it So many connections between our country andMexico I felt at home

I am awed at how God through the Blessed Virgin Marypenetrated and transformed an existing religious culture thatencompassed every facet of the lives of the native populationGod satisfied their search for truth and divinity ndash that had un-fortunately led them to a very serious blunder regarding human

sacrifice ndash by entrusting a heavenly image of Our Lady to them Itis so amazing how specific symbols spoke to a particular religiouslonging of the natives like the roses inside the tilma that symbolizetruth Tat visual culture mirrors our own contemporary visualculture Tere are opportunities for new evangelization here

Te image defies human explanation as to its o rigin and makeand has remained unscathed and looking fresh despite manyyears of candle smoke acidity from a salty lake accidental acidspillage and the detonation of a bomb It is an image made inand preserved by heaven

Te circumstances surrounding the apparition attract meIt is moving how Our Lady appears to a 57-year old man whoresponds to her terms of endearment with his own term ofendearment (ldquoIndayrdquo) Juan Diegorsquos non-appearance before theVirgin (ldquonang-indianrdquo) due to his unclersquos deteriorating health isamusing Maryrsquos simple message is disarming Tey are words of

unconditional loveldquoListen and let it penetrate your hearthellipdo not be troubled

or weighed down with grief Do not fear any illness or vexationanxiety or pain Am I not here who am your Mother Are younot under my shadow and protection Am I not your fountainof life Are you not in the folds of my mantle In the crossing ofmy arms Is there anything else you needrdquo

Te Virgin Motherrsquos role as our companion continues Shetouched 33 hearts to undertake the pilgrimage even as we promiseto read the book entitled ldquo33 Days to Morning Gloryrdquo Whocould forget the testimony of my brother Raddy who receivedthe exact amount of money from an unexpected source for thetransportation expenses for him and his wife Carole

Pilgrimages are planned way ahead in advance Ours took aboutthree weeks Initial estimated costs were prohibitive Providenceguided Xenia a good friend and my brother Neil to look into thedetails of the pilgrimage and make it affordable Even our contactperson and guide were handpicked by Our Lady of Guadalupe

Who could forget the Mass for the birthday of the Blessed VirginMary when Monsignor Diego Monroy former basilica rector ledus in the Marian consecration that briefly unfroze the regimentedair of the basilica to allow the Holy Spirit to give us a most specialunction And lest we experience the effects of ldquospiritual implo-sionrdquo I thank the Lord for our sheer humanity Tis led to manyhumorous situations not to mention being lost for about twohours with three other persons

Besides my three siblings (Raddy Carl and Neil) and theirspouses (Carole and Lorna) my closest friend in seminary (Fr

Jim) as well as Joy (whose husband Guido was my best friendfrom college) and daughter Alexys came along Joy finally madethe Guadalupe pilgrimage on her third attempt and despite

weather problems What joy to be loved by Our Mother

and raffles away the rest duringEpiphany to needy parish workersand volunteers

On occasion I have been as-signed along with a few to openand sort out such gifts priestsreceive and on those times I wondered what guided the gift-givers to choose their presents tothe men of the cloth Many itemsare practical like cuts of polobarong fabric and cologne (ldquoParamabango kamay nila pag nagmanokardquo) but some are downrightinappropriate like luxury items A bishop who received a box ofCalvin Klein bikini briefs found

them rather odd asked ldquoIs this a joke or whatrdquo and quickly tossed

the pricey stylish collection to theeager hands of his driver

Bearing in mind the example ofSt John Paul II and the priests wholdquorecycledrdquo the gifts they receive one

would be safe to give gifts the priestcan share And we shouldnrsquot feeloffended if and when we see our giftamong those being ldquorecycledrdquo Af-ter all when we give gifts to priests

we give as well to the Lord whoenjoins His disciples to give awayspare cloaks to the bare backed

What gifts would be good togive to priests this ChristmasPlease make things easy for thegivermdashemail your suggestions to

teresatunaygmailcom and wersquollpublish them next issue

And Thatrsquos The Truth A4

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A6 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25LOCAL NEWS

PH Catholics Itrsquos the season of reconciliation

AKING their cue from Pope Francisrsquoprayer intention for December FilipinoCatholics encourage others of their faithto have hope this Advent season and totake advantage of the coming Jubilee Yearto confess their sins and be reconciled with the Merciful God

ldquoTe popersquos intention for the month ofDecember may be understood as an invi-tation to all to come to the merciful Lordthrough the sacrament of reconciliationIt is in that sacrament that all who comesto God with humility will experienceGodrsquos mercyrdquo shared Darwin Beceril avolunteer catechist from the Diocese ofNovaliches

Religious educator Nestor Limquecofrom Manila seconded pointing out that

Advent invites the faithful to avail of theSacrament of Reconciliation and to be

hopeful that all will be well despite their weaknesses and imperfections thanks to aGod Who is Mercy and Hope personified

Greatest Love of AllldquoTis season of hope and the com-

mencement of the Year of Mercy gives usreason to celebrate the greatest love the

world has known that of the God Whohas show it through the Incarnation ofHis Sonrdquo he explained

According to Limqueco mercy is Godrsquosgreatest expression of His love for human-ity and hope is the response each faithfulmust give to to this loving mercy

ldquoTe advent season reminds us thatthere is always hope to come Jesus laiddown His life to save us from our sins and

bring us to eternal life Te Lord assuresus there is always hope in our struggles

temptations and problems Never losehope and always strive to do good thingsGod fulfills his promisesrdquo said JM ua-zon a Filipino accountant based in theUnited States

lsquoJesus never lets downrsquoEchoing one of the pontiffrsquos quotable

statements on his visit to Palo Leyte in January uazon stressed that Jesus is Lord Who will not let the faithful down

he Holy Fatherrsquos universal prayerintention for the month is ldquoTat all mayexperience the mercy of God who nevertires of forgivingrdquo

Meanwhile his intention for evangeli-zation is ldquoTat families especially those

who suffer may find in the birth of Jesus

a sign of certain hoperdquo (Raymond ASebastiaacuten CBCP News)

the very enlightening talk and new experi-ences in the Holy Eucharist We learned alot and we will greatly miss you

We gr ee t Mo st Rev De og ra ci as

Intildeiguez Jr DD Bishop Emeritusof the Diocese of Kalookan and FrMario Cueto a very Happy Birthday

Happy Sacerdotal Anniversary to FrRico Ayo Fr Romy uazon Fr Jeff

Ayt onaOP Fr Den ni s Sa li se FrLarry Frias Fr Nestor Estanislao FrPatrick Hiwatig O P Happy Birthdayalso to my brother Dr Andres ldquoRoyrdquoSantiago and Kalookan Diocese Curiastaff Jun Acebuche

Duc In Altum A5

PH needs lsquorespectful leadersrsquo ndash pro-lifers

FOLLOWING Davao MayorRodrigo Dutertersquos less-than-flattering reference to PopeFrancis in a recent speech aCatholic lay group issued astatement uesday underscor-ing the importance of electedofficials who know how torespect themselves the dig-nity of fellow humans andfundamental institutions likemarriage

R-e-s-p-e-c-t ldquoA person aspiring to be-

come the nationrsquos leadershould always be respectful ofhimself his office and of otherpeoplerdquo stressed Filipinos

for Life in their Dec 1 pressreleaseTe group went on to ask

rhetorically how Duterte canbe trusted to uphold the basicrights of other innocent people

if he can verbally abuse some-one as respected as the HolyFather

Besides finding that Duterteldquogreatly erredrdquo in cursing PopeFrancis they further decried

what they consider to be thepresidential candidatersquos ldquowan-ton behaviorrdquo with regardto his public admission toadultery

ldquoIf he has no respect for theindissolubility of marriagerdquothey added ldquoWhat other in-stitutions crucial to the moral

well-being of the people is he willing to tamper withrdquo

Sanctity of life family mar-

riageldquoWe value sanctity of lifefamily and marriage aboveallmdashinstitutions that formthe very foundation of everysound society We are most

disappointed that he chose notto uphold his marriage vows which would have been themost vivid expression of hismanhood unlike the personahe projects where women aremere expendable persons tosatisfy his sexual needsrdquo thegroup lamented

While already aware of apol-ogies issued on the mayorrsquosbehalf Filipinos for Life stilldemand Duterte himself toapologize to the countryrsquos 80million Catholics for the ldquoex-treme disrespectrdquo he has shownPope Francis and the Catholicfaith as well as to the womenhe has had relations with

Collective discernmentldquoWe also ask his supportersto discern well whether MrDuterte is indeed fit to be theirchoice as the next presidentof the country Tis is a time

for serious introspection andprayer and we must listento our informed conscience

which acts as Godrsquos voice inour heartsrdquo they explained

According to them the re-cent events raise serious doubtsabout Dutertersquos readiness forthe highest office in the landgiven that the Philippines de-serves a morally upright andcompetent leader who willrevere his position as a sacredduty to serve God and hiscountrymen

ldquoWe must also considerall the consequences of ouractions the positive as wellas the negative effects of

our decisions in the shortterm and the long termand what these decisions sayabout usrdquo the group added(Raymond A Sebastiaacuten CBCP News)

Legal scientific support vs

50 lsquocarbon majorsrsquo sought A the sidelines of the widely-pub-licized COP21 discussions betweennon-government organizations legalexperts and scientists are taking placeto hold the worldrsquos top 50 pollutersaccountable

Fr Edu Gariguez executive sec-retary of the Catholic BishopsConference of the Philippinesrsquo Na-tional Secretariat for Social Action

Justice and Peace (NASSA) said heand his grouprsquos presence in Franceis meant to gather legal support fortheir international campaign andto find ways to track long-standingcomplaints

ldquoWe are also conducting dia-logue with scientists to supportthe complainantsrsquo claimsrdquo FrGariguez said in an interview

with CBCP News a day before hereturned to Manila

Continuous coal mining

Te priest added it is sad to knowmost of the countryrsquos energy sourcescome from coal-fired power plantsTe government has also continuouslyallowed coal mining

He explained President (BenignoSimeon C) Aquino IIIrsquos speech

before COP21 was good but incon-sistent with what is going on in thePhilippines While the presidenttalked about climate vulnerabilitythe government has continued torally the countryrsquos top corporationsincluding Aboitiz and San Miguelto operate more coal-fired powerplants

ldquoItrsquos been business as usual forPresident Aquinordquo Fr Gariguezsaid He said ldquoitrsquos hypocriscy to themaximum level for one not to walkthe talkrdquo

Human rights inquiriesHowever Gariguez said he hopes

the Commission on Human Rights(CHR) will do its best to inquireinto the activities of a number of the

worldrsquos 50 carbon majors present inthe Philippines He said the CHRpromised to do so during the firstquarter of 2016

He further said this is the first timethe international community has at-tempted to hold the top 50 carbonmajors accountable for the plight ofthe poor and marginalized includingfarmers and fisherfolk (Melo M

Acuntildea CBCP News)

MSP DD Metropolitan Archbishopof Ozamiz Jesus A Dosado CM DD

Te statement which was also con-curred by 166 delegates of the 40thDOPIM Bishops-Clergy Conventiondescribes the bodyrsquos ldquoserious concern onthe operation of coal mining and coalpower plant that triggers apprehension

among our people and poses environ-ment threat in the provinces where suchfacility is being establishedrdquo

Accord ing to the doc ument coalmining and coal power plants are partof the ldquounchecked human activitiesrdquothat are turning the earth into ldquoan arid

wastelandrdquoReferring to the recent natural di-

sasters and super typhoons that havehit the country recently the bishopssaid ldquoWe are living witnesses of the

destruction brought about by weatherchanges and the effects to health bycarbon emissions he calamities thatclaimed thousands of lives these pastyears and months are enough proofto awaken in us a commitment tosafeguard creation and help mitigatetheir effectsrdquo

Te statement mentioned the HolyFather as an influence for their standsaying ldquoPope Francis seeing the ur-gency of action in dealing with envi-ronmental crisis points out the use ofhighly polluting fossil fuelsmdashespeciallycoal to be progressively replaced withoutdelay (Cf Laudato Si 165)rdquo

Te document was drafted during the40th DOPIM Bihops-Clergy Conven-tion at the Diocesan Pastoral CenterDel Carmen Iligan City (CBCP News)

Mindanao A1

Vatican City - November 30 2015 Workers set up a Christmas Tree and Nativity Set in St Peterrsquos Square on November 30 2015 CNA

we going to do itrdquo the priest pointed out

Petition vs lsquobig pollutersrsquoNo less than 50 multinational compa-

nies were named respondents of the peti-tion considered as the first human rightscomplaints against big polluters

Of these 10 companies have branches orsubsidiaries in the Philippines as follows

bull ExxonMobilbull Chevronbull otalbull Royal Dutch Shell

bull BHP Billiton

bull BPbull Anglo Americanbull Lafargebull Holcimbull aiheiyo Cement CorporationBesides Gariguez the other Filipi-

nos and Asians present in Paris to givetalks are Climate Change CommissionCommissioner Heherson Alvarez CHRCommissioners Roberto Cadiz and GwenPimentel-Gana and representatives ofGreenpeace Southeast Asia as well asother civil society groups (Raymond A

Sebastiaacuten CBCP News)

Polluters A1

Te Pope made reference tothe dayrsquos first Mass reading theGenesis account of manrsquos fallin the Garden of Eden

ldquoTe words of Genesis re-flect our own daily experience we are constantly tempted todisobedience a disobedienceexpressed in wanting to goabout our lives without regardfor Godrsquos willrdquo he said

ldquoYet the history of sin canonly be understood in thelight of Godrsquos love and for-giveness Were sin the onlything that mattered we wouldbe the most desperate ofcreaturesrdquo

ldquoTe promised triumph ofChristrsquos love enfolds every-thing in the Fatherrsquos mercyrdquothe Pope said ldquoTe Immacu-

late Virgin stands before usas a privileged witness of thispromise and its fulfillmentrdquo

Pope Francis concluded hishomily recalling the 50th an-niversary of the Second Vati-can Councilrsquos closing whichis also commemorated Dec8 He stressed that the Jubileeof Mercy is a challenge for usto the ldquoopennessrdquo inspired bythe Council

Te Council was ldquoa genu-ine encounter between theChurch and the men and

women of our timerdquo in whichthe Holy Spirit ldquoimpelled theChurch to emerge from theshoals which for years hadkept her self-enclosed so asto set out once again withenthusiasm on her missionary

journeyrdquoldquoWherever there are people

the Church is called to reachout to them and to bring the joy of the Gospelrdquo the Popesaid

ldquoTe Jubilee challenges usto this openness and demandsthat we not neglect the spirit which emerged from VaticanII the spirit of the Samaritanas Blessed Paul VI expressedit at the conclusion of theCouncilrdquo

In his Angelus address de-livered after the opening ofthe Holy Door Pope Franciscalled the faithful to look onthe Immaculate Conceptionas a reminder that ldquoin our lifeeverything is a gift Everythingis mercyrdquo

ldquoMay the Blessed Virginthe first fruits of the saved themodel of the Church holy andimmaculate Bride loved bythe Lord help us to rediscoverthe mercy of God more andmore in a way characteristicof Christiansrdquo

Te Pope said the openingof the Jubilee of Mercy is anoccasion to look on the Im-maculate Conception ldquowithtrusting love to contemplateher in all her splendor (andimitate) her faithrdquo

ldquoIn the Immaculate concep-tion of Mary we are invitedto recognize the dawn of thenew world transformed fromthe saving work of the Fatherand of the Son and of the HolySpiritrdquo

Jubilee A1

City Archdiocesan Shrine of the DivineMercy in Mandaluyong City Santuariode Santo Cristo in San Juan City andOur Lady of Sorrows Parish in Pasay City

ldquoRectors and parish priests have beencoordinating on how to make pilgrim-ages fruitful and meaningful to pilgrimsrdquosaid Malicdem who is also rector of theManila Cathedral

Passport-stamping According to him the five churches

were chosen for the p ilgrimage ldquobecauseof their connection to mercyrdquo

He said Catholics may start their pil-

grimage from any of the churches butthey will have to proceed to the parishoffice after they accomplished the requiredactivities for stamping of their passports

ldquoPassports are available at all fivechurches Te may start and end at anychurch then they will also be given a cer-tificate of pilgrimagerdquo added the priest

Among the required pilgrimage activi-ties include entering the ldquoHoly Doorrdquo si-lent adoration and meditation venerationof the Jubilee Cross and donating to thearchdiocesersquos charitable programs

Te priest said the Holy Year also en-courages the faithful to understand thepractice of ldquomerciful loverdquo by dividing the

works of mercy into two kinds spiritualand corporal

He added that donations may come in

cash or in kind and will be used to feed thehungry provide housing for the homeless

and other projectsMalicdem said no other than Pope

Francis himself called on the faithfulto make a pilgrimage because ldquomercyrequires goal dedication and sacrificerdquo

Acts of mercy For Fr Jason Laguerta of the Office of

the Philippine Conference on the NewEvangelization the archdiocesersquos leadgroup for the Year of Mercy a pilgrimageis a ldquogood metaphor for liferdquo

ldquoWe are able to receive the mercy ofGod Ritual is meaningless if not coupled

with works of mercy and concrete actions

towards charityrdquo Fr Laguerta saidldquoMercy is not just a concept or anabstract idea but an action word Itrsquossomething that we dohellip perform acts ofmercy to one anotherrdquo he said

Aside from the sp iritual benefits thepriests added that a plenary indulgenceis also available to the faithful for makinga pilgrimage

Malicdem also said the Year of Mercypilgrimage may be held next year startingfrom Ash Wednesday which marks theseason of Lent until the Pentecost Sunday

Te universal Church will observe anextraordinary Year of Mercy as decreed bythe Pope from Dec 8 2015 until Nov20 2016

In Manila Cardinal agle will start thecelebration by opening the cathedralrsquos

Jubilee Door and hold Mass on Dec 9(Roy Lagarde CBCPNews)

Passport A1

consuming more than is neededldquoLetrsquos be responsible Life is hard today

and we should use our blessings given tous by God wiselyrdquo stressed the prelate

Christmas balikbayan boxes According to him advertisements and

Christmas sales subtly reshape the peoplersquosdesired around the material

For his part Bishop Ruperto Santos ofBalanga diocese issued a similar appeal to

overseas Filipino workers (OFWs)He said OFWs must not try hard to fill

up their ldquobalikbayan boxesrdquo beyond theirmeans while their families back homemust spend the remittances responsibly

Save more share moreldquoMagtabi mag-ipon at sa mga naiwan

palaging pahalagahan ang pinapadala

ng kapamilya (Set aside save and havesomething left Always value what your

family member sends homerdquo he addedOngtioco also said instead of excessive

consumption it would be better if Filipi-nos would consider sharing their blessingsto the needy

ldquoIf what we receive is more than enoughthere are also many who are in need Letus share our blessings with othershellipTisprobably is a challenge and an opportunity

for us to share with those who have less inliferdquo he said in Filipino (CBCP News)

Spending A1

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 724

A7CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25 DIOCESAN NEWS

for the nation only but to gatherinto one the children of God whoare scattered abroadrdquo (1149-52)

It is quite clear that even if byliving charity we may appear tobe suffering a defeat accordingto human standards God in hisprovidence would know how toderive good from it

We should not be afraid to suf-fer the consequences of humanpride and worldly arrogance justbecause we try to be consistent with the requirements of charityFor those who love God and oth-ers as St Paul in his letter to theRomans would say everything will always work out for the good

Now that we are going through

this delicate political processof electing our next leaders we

should try our best to avoid thepitfalls of emotional knee-jerkreactions to the issues at hand

Let us learn to be level-headedand to have a good grip of ouremotions and passions More thanthat let us see to it that we followthe requirements of charity asstrictly as possible It is preciselyin moments like this when charityis most needed

Letrsquos be careful with our wordsand especially so with our thoughtsand intentions May they alwaysbe infused with charity which isalways the way to find the truth toachieve justice and fairness properto us Charity is never a drag in ourpolitics It is what politics needs

most of all Charity is what leadsus to the common good

Candidly Speaking A4

Davao inaugurates lsquoLaudato Sirsquo organic gardenDAVAO Citymdasho give people a concreteexample on how to feed the family with-out harming the environment a parish inthe Archdiocese of Davao has put up anurban container organic garden namedafter Pope Francisrsquo encyclical Laudato Si

Auxil iary Bisho p of Davao GeorgeRimando officiated the inauguration andblessing of the Ascension of the Lord Par-ishrsquo Laudato Si Garden located at the backof the parish in GSIS Heights MatinaDavao City last Sunday Dec 6

Fr Leonardo Dublan Jr parish priestsaid they want to have a showroom forthe people as their model on how to setup their own container garden even withlimited space at home

Not impossibleldquoIt is not impossible to have a backyard

garden in the urban area Our parish islocated in a subdivision and we wereable to set-up our parish urban con-tainer garden and parishioners can alsodo the same in their respective homesrdquoexplained Dublan also the director ofthe Archdiocesan Social Action Center(ASAC)

Te parish has sought the help of JojoRom known as Father of Urban Contain-er Gardening in the country in puttingup the said garden in honor of the pope

Te garden utilizes organic fertilizersand also has an aquaculture pond belowthe structure A mini poultry area and a

wall garden are also included in the entireset-up

Rom said the waste from the kitchenlike fruit and vegetable peelings as well asother biodegradable waste are used to gen-erate fermented fertilizer for the plants

After the blessing a lecture about urbancontainer gardening was given by Romto the lay leaders and parishioners It canbe remembered that he once delivered asimilar lecture during the monthly meet-ing of the Parish Social Action Ministry(PSAM) of the Archdiocese of Davao

lsquoSafe organic foodrsquo ASAC Dav ao coordinat or Sr Ma

Marissa Arado DM said ASAC Davaohas been promoting urban container gar-dening to provide safe organic food forthe family especially with the worseningeffects of climate change

ldquoHopefully the lessons about climatechange will reach the young people andthe grassrootsrdquo Arado said

She added the use of organic fertilizersis a way of protecting not only the familybut also the soil as chemicals are used inproducing many commercially availablecrops

ASAC Davao hopes that the lessonslearned from the Laudato Si Garden willbe used in every Gagmayrsquong KristohanongKatilingban (GKK) or Basic EcclesialCommunities and every home (JohnFrances C Fuentes CBCP News)

Auxiliary Bishop of Davao George B Rimando officiated the inauguration and blessing of the Ascension of the Lord Parishrsquo Laudato Si Garden on Dec 6 2015John Frances Fuentes

Jaro takes vocation promotions to the streets JARO IloilomdashIn todayrsquos highly-modernized world where religiouslife is becoming less of an optionfor young people religious menand women in this archdioceseliterally went to the highways andthe byways to tell the youth thatreligious life is still very much aliveand relevant as part of ldquoVocationDays 2015rdquo from Nov 23 to 30

Believing always in the primacyof prayer the vocation promotersprayed even while on the roadmeditating on the Holy Rosaryand singing Marian hymns to-gether

ldquohe Vocation Caravan hasindeed become an opportunity where variou s religiou s and laypromoters from different congre-gations united as one group withthe aim to pray for one anotherfor the holy perseverance andsanctification of the clergy andreligious and to promote religiousvocationsrdquo observed Sr Susan

Matthew Cueco Carm OL

Vocation caravan and pilgrimage As a pr el ud e to Voc at io n

Month representatives of the Arch dioc esan Commis sion onVocation Promoters for theReligious also held for the first

time in Panay a three-day Voca-tion Caravan and Pilgrimage onSept 12 to 14

During the Vocation Caravanand Pilgrimage which kickedoff at the Jaro Cathedral with aMass celebrated by Jaro Arch-bishop Angel N Lagdameo withFr Paul Reagan alavera OP asconcelebrant the religious voca-tion promoters visited more than40 parishes and various collegesand universities in Capiz Aklan Antique and in the city and prov-ince of Iloilo

Aside from talking to the youngpeople the sisters also postedcampaign materials in churchesand led the prayer for vocationsfor every congregation

On the occasion of VocationMonth and in the context of the Year of Consecrated Life the Jaro Archdiocesan Commission on Vo-cation Promoters for the Religious(ACVP-R) successfully staged the

week-long event starting on Nov23 with a vocation campaign invarious educational institutionsin Miag-ao Iloilo

Confessions counselingTe religious men and women

also spearheaded the celebration

lsquoYolandarsquo women call for

more livelihood aid

BASEY SamarmdashOver 500 house- wives mothers and sisters from

ldquoYolandardquo-hit communities in Western S amar who turned en-trepreneurs have called the at-tention of government agenciesto their need for more livelihoodassistance

ldquoWe hope to receive capitalresources and machinery that wecould use for our livelihoodrdquo theysaid collectively in Waray duringthe First Rural Summit held re-cently in Basey

In a statement they specificallyasked for capital support equip-ment additional skills trainingand help in linking their productsto the market

Social services

Tey further appealed for in-creased access to social servicesparticularly for health and nutri-tion

Te Samarentildeas who came from24 barangays in Basey Marabutand Sta Rita towns also grabbedthe opportunity to stage a mini-trade fair featuring their productslike organic vegetables and fruitshandicrafts and native delicacies

Meanwhile representatives ofthe Provincial Agriculture Office(PAO) Department of rade andIndustry (DI) and the ProvincialGovernment of Samar conducted

a commitment signingTe delegates moreover had a

unity parade from the St Michaelthe Archangel Parish to the BaseyMunicipal Gym

Housewives to entrepreneurs While befor e super typho on

ldquoYolandardquo most of the womenstayed at home caring for theirchildren after the disaster theSocial Action Center (SAC) of theDiocese of Calbayog and NASSACaritas Philippines made surethey become micro-entrepreneursfarmers and mat weavers

o date about 406 women ofthem have received provisionslike egg-laying implements andcapital assistance for mat-weavingand mat weaversrsquo centers salted

egg production and backyardfarmingSAC Yolanda Rehabilitation

Program Director Fr Cesar Aculanshared ldquoYolanda may have de-stroyed the livelihood of the peo-ple of Samar but it has restoredas well the sense of self-worth ofthe womenrdquo

Besides providing livelihoodaid Calbayogrsquos SAC carried outinterventions on shelter disasterrisk reduction ecosystem and

wate r sani tati on and hygienein the province (Raymond ASebastiaacutenCBCP News)

A Yolanda survivor showcases some of the native delicacies in their province during amini trade fair held in Basey Samar NASSACaritas Philippines

ldquoOur walk is a message of sacrifice of thesuffering climaterdquo explained Rodne Galichaone of some 1500 climate pilgrims whosemessage was received well by host communi-ties en route to the French capital

ldquoI would rather continue walking ratherthan be there at COP21 We will continuethe pilgrimage for climate justice and bring

the message of Laudato Sirsquordquo shared Yeb Santildeoformer Philippine climate negotiator who ledthe Rome-Paris climate march

According to them the manifesto carries astrong message on the climate from ecologicalconversion to the paying of ecological debteven demanding the protection of indigenouscommunities who are climate victims

Te climate activists point out that theircommon statement is to work on the HolyFatherrsquos ldquoLaudato Sirsquo Manifestordquo where theybelieve the ground for discussion analysis andsolutions to ecological problems can be found

Tey add that the document also seeks tobe a reference guide for world leaders envi-ronmental activists church leaders organiz-ers and teachers among others and offers areality-check of what individuals institutionsand organizations can do for environmental

action

Te ldquoLaudato Sirsquo Manifestordquo reads1 Te Earth is our common home (LS 1)2 We demand ecological conversion both

personal communitarian and institutionalldquoTe need for each of us to repent of the

ways we have harmed the planet for ldquoin-asmuch as we all generate small ecologicaldamagerdquo we are called to acknowledge ldquoourcontribution smaller or greater to the disfig-urement and destruction of creationrdquo (LS 8)

3 We want ecological liberation ldquoWe lookfor solutions not only in technology but in achange of humanityhellip He asks us to replaceconsumption with sacrifice greed with gener-osity wastefulness with a spirit of sharing anasceticism which ldquoentails learning to give andnot simply to give up It is a way of loving of

moving gradually away from what I want to what Godrsquos world needs It is liberation from

fear greed and compulsionrdquo (LS 9)4 Care for the Earth is integral ldquoHe shows

us just how inseparable the bond is betweenconcern for nature justice for the poor com-mitment to society and interior peacerdquo (LS10)

5 We call for ecological solidarity that willfoment ecological action ldquoTe urgent chal-

lenge to protect our common home includesa concern to bring the whole human familytogether to seek a sustainable and integraldevelopmenthelliprdquo (LS 13) Ways to act divest-ment in fossil fuels converting to renewablesenergy-efficiency attitude response to climateadaptation disaster response and supportinggrassroots initiatives

6 We demand climate justice for thedestruction of our planet perpetrated bymining companies businesses multinationalcorporations and greedy countries ldquohellip afterceasing their activity and withdrawing theyleave behind great human and environmentalliabilities such as unemployment abandonedtowns the depletion of natural reserves de-forestation the impoverishment of agricultureand local stock breeding open pits riven hillspolluted rivers and a handful of social works

which are no longer sustainablerdquo (LS 51)

7 We need to pay our ldquoecological debtrdquo forthe harm we have done to the environmentcommunities and individuals suffering nowand the future (LS 51)

8 Te need to engage for a new ecologicaldialogue ldquoI urgently appeal then for a newdialogue about how we are shaping the futureof our planet We need a conversation whichincludes everyone since the environmentalchallenge we are undergoing and its humanroots concern and affect us allrdquo (LS 14)

9 We should create an integral space forldquoecological citizenshiprdquo as a practical pathof becoming witnesses for the environmentldquoOnly by cultivating sound virtues will peoplebe able to make a selfless ecological commit-mentrdquo (LS 211)

10 We are interconnected we should fo-ment connectedness with other faith-based

groups civil society and institutions ldquohellipbecause all creatures are connected each mustbe cherished with love and respect for all ofus as living creatures are dependent on oneanotherrdquo (LS 42)

11 Promote ldquoecological educationrdquo as a way of fomenting consciousness action andintegral faith-advocacy for environmental

care (LS 213)12 Our ecological concern is a compas-sion for the planet and people ldquoo hear boththe cry of the earth and the cry of the poorrdquo(LS 49)

13 Believing that ldquointegral ecologyrdquo in allaspects of life as an integral response to theglobal crisis (LS 137)

14 We need to cultivate an ldquoecologicalculturerdquo as a way of outgrowing ecologicaldestruction ldquoTere needs to be a distinctive

way of looking a t things a way of thinkingpolicies an educational programme a lifestyleand a spirituality which together generateresistance to the assault of the technocraticparadigmrdquo (LS 111)

15 Special care for the indigenous commu-nities and their cultural traditions ldquoFor themland is not a commodity but rather a gift from

God and from their ancestors who rest there asacred space with which they need to interact ifthey are to maintain their identity and valuesrdquo

As we acknowledged the richness of their wayof life we also have to protect their rights ldquoinvarious parts of the world pressure is beingput on them to abandon their homelands tomake room for agricultural or mining projects

which are undertaken without regard for thedegradation of nature and culturerdquo (LS 146)

16 Te need for ecological faith ldquoGod who calls us to generous commitment and togive him our all offers us the light and thestrength needed to continue on our way Inthe heart of this world the Lord of life wholoves us so much is always present He doesnot abandon us he does not leave us alonefor he has united himself definitively to ourearth and his love constantly impels us to

find new ways forward Praise be to Him (LS245) (Raymond A Sebastiaacuten CBCP News)

Manifesto A1

of Jarorsquos Vocation Day on Nov28 During the sessions held inSt Vincent Ferrer Seminary thereligious men heard confessions

whil e the relig ious wome n fa-cilitated counseling sessions andgroup sharing

Te religious again gave wit-ness to the faithfulrsquos role in savingthe environment as they wentto the streets on Nov 29 to jointhousands of marchers in theldquoWalk for Mother Earthrdquo in the

Archdiocesersquos participation in theGlobal Climate March

o cap Vocation Month thereligious women and men par-

ticipated in Jarorsquos Archdiocesan Youth Day in Guimbal Iloilo onNov 30 as a way to reach out toyoung people encouraging themto be open to Godrsquos call

ldquoTe activity was very enrichingas it has strengthened the bondof the vocation promoters Tepriceless moments have nourishedour friendship and have led us tobe closer to one another to reacha common goal which is to findmore holy vocations into theChurchrdquo added Sr Susan (Fr

Mickey Cardenas CBCP Newswith reports from Angelo LuisVerdeflor)

The Jaro Archdiocesan Commission on Vocation Promoters for the Religious (ACVP-R)successfully staged a week-long vocations promotions event starting on Nov 23 witha vocation campaign in various educational institutions in Miag-ao Iloilo ANGELO LUIS

VERDEFLOR

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 824

A8 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25PEOPLE FACTS AND PLACES

MarkingsDied Bishop Federico Es-caler SJ died on Nov 28aged 93

The Jesuit prelate had beenill and passed away peacefullyin his family ancestral resi-dence in San Miguel Manilaon Saturday morning

Born in Manila he served asthe rst bishop of Kidapawanfrom 1976 to 1980 until hewas appointed to head thenewly-created Prelature of Ipilin Zamboanga Sibugay

Escaler spent 17 years inIpil until his retirement in 1997

He was once the Assistantto Jesuit Provincial Superiorin La Ignacia Retreat HousePresident and Rector of Ateneode Davao Treasurer of JesuitProvince in Manila and be-came President and Rector ofXavier University in Cagayan

de Oro City

Ordained Imus Bishop Rey-naldo Evangelista DD or-dained eight deacons of theSociety of the Divine Word(SVD) to the priesthood onDec 5 at the Holy Spirit Chapelof the Divine Word SeminaryTagaytay City in a solemncelebration attended by 127priests and 2 bishops

The new priests are FrLawrence Llona SVD (to beassigned in South Sudan

Afric a) Fr Ryan Diňo SVD(to be assigned in ArgentinaSouth) Fr Diderick Andrinja-tovo SVD (to be assigned inPhilippine South) Fr Fran-ciskus Subandi SVD (to beassigned in Philippine Central)Fr June Lee Sarenas SVD(to be assigned in Ghana

Afr ica) Fr Gre gor ius Rob iDosom SVD (to be assigned in

Philippine North) Fr Roberto

Solis SVD (to be assigned inJapan)and Fr Lindsey FrancisTaeza SVD (to be assigned inTogo Africa)

Ordained The Servants ofMary welcomed four men tothe priesthood on Dec 8 atSt Peregrine Diocesan ShrineTunasan Muntinlupa City Bal-anga Bishop Ruperto C San-tos ordained Fr Leonardo MaGuiang OSM Fr Waren MaCampilan OSM Fr EdgardMa Benedi-an OSM and FrJumen Ma Arcelo OSM

Recognized The Ofce of the Army Chief Chaplain Service(OACCS) on Nov 24 recog-nized in a simple ceremony FrMaj Juan Jerome C Daluro asBest Chaplain of the Year 2015for his exemplary service as Di-

vision Chaplain of 9th Infantry

(Spear) Division from Septem-ber 2012 to September 2015Fr MSg Mario Baniqued (Inf)Philippine Army (PA) OACCSChief Clerk was recognized asBest Chaplain Assistant of theYear 2015

The office also accordedPlaques of Appreciation to FrCpt Ferdinand Abuyuan ldquoforhis improvement of the 7IDChapel undertaken during histerm as Division Chaplain of7th Infantry Division Philip-pine Army from June 2013to September 2015rdquo and toFr LtC Stephen Penetrantefor his excellent service asOACCS Chief of Plans andPrograms

The awards were given aspart of the celebration of the78th Chaplain Service Foun-dation Anniversary from Nov

23 to 27

Congress focuses onmodern family issuesHE 20th Asia Pacific Congress on Faith Lifeand Family organized by Human Life interna-

tional (HLI) from Nov 27 to 29 focused onthreats perspectives and realities affecting themodern family

Wit h the the me comin g fro m Psa lms1288 ldquoYour wife a fruitful vine in theinner places of your house your childrenround your table like shoots of an olivetreerdquo speakers and resource persons sharedreflections on the understanding of Godrsquosplan for marriage and family threats andchallenges to family the modern crisis ofconscience unmasking the gender ideologythe global holocaust of abortion

Dr Ligaya Acosta the Regional director ofthe Human Life International (HLI) for Asiaand Oceania opened the Congress sayingrdquoTe said congress will enable the participantsto re-discover and value marriage-based naturalfamilies and teach children and leaders to value

them as wellrdquo Archb isho p Vincenzo Pag lia head of thePontifical Council for the Family gave thekeynote speech on the challenges of theSynod on the Family to more than 200participants from 15 countries includingthe Philippines

Bishop John Baptist Lee Bishop of Hsinchuand chair of the Commission for family of theChinese Regional Bishopsrsquo Conference reiter-

ated in his welcome speech the goals of HLI which is to promote the moral teaching of theCatholic Church to spread pro-life insightsin society and to offer concrete and effectiveprograms for the advancement of faith

Among other speakers were Fr Shenan Bo-quet President of Human Life International

(HLI) Dr Brian Clowes HLI director of edu-cation and research and Dr Joseph Meaneya leading expert on the international pro-life

movement Dr Ligaya Acosta Atty Jo ImbongDra Eleanor de Borja Palabyab and MayorSally Lee of Sorsogon Ci ty

Bishop Gilbert Garcera Chair of the Epis-copal Commission on Family and Life headed80 delegates from the Philippines (ECFL CBCP News)

The 20th Asia Pacific Congress on Faith Life and Family organized by Human Life international (HLI) was held fromNov 27 to 29 ECFL

PH army chaplains partners hold 1stlsquocharacter enhancementrsquo meet A YEAR afte r its launch armychaplains soldiers and civilianpartners from the various partsof the country met uesday

Nov 25 at the Philippine Ai rf or ce Mus eu m Vi ll am or Airbase to discuss the prog ressof the Character EnhancementProgram (CEP) and ways toreach more uniformed person-nel and their dependents

Vision 2028Fr Andres Bonifacio O Belleza

head of the Office of the ArmyChief Chaplain Service (OACCS)pointed out that the CEP re-sponds to the directive of Lt GenHernando Delfin Carmelo AIriberri former Philippine Army(PA) commanding general toldquodevelop righteous God-fearingsoldiers loved by the Filipino

peoplerdquo in step with the 18-year Army ransformation Roadmapof 2028 (AR28) and to ldquobecomea world-class Army that is a sourceof national priderdquo

o fulfill this vision the chiefchaplain shared the Army soughtthe help of the Order of St Mi-chael (OSM) a ministry of the

A chaplain facilitates a workshop with his lay collaborators during the 1st CharacterEnhancement Program (CEP) Conference Nov 25 2015 NIRVA DELACRUZ

Couples for Christ Global MissionFoundation (CFC Global) which

caters specifically to the spiritualneeds of people in the militarytheir spouses and children

Character enhancement Retired Col Arturo Alabanza

CFCOSM head explained thatunder AR28 PA is committed toa ldquolong-term sustainable platform

for continuing CEP and spiritual wellness programrdquo

For their part local CFC chap-ters are tasked to jumpstart CEPin all PA unit chapels and parishesnationwide

Since it debuted in Apr 32014 the OACCS-CFCOSMpartnership has already givencharacter enhancement retreats(CER) to 28 PA commands and

the Philippine Military Academy(PMA) Class of 2018 gradu-ated 385 PMA-Singles for Christ(SFC) members and conducted

five CERs at V Luna Hospital inQuezon City

Challenge accepted While they have start ed out

well Alabanza admitted there isstill much to be done for Godrsquos

work to be realized fully in thelives of Filipino soldiers and theirfamilies

According to him CEP hasreached 2000 men and womenin uniform to date translatingto about 0287 percent of an es-timated 700000 population thatis fertile ground for values andspiritual transformation exclud-ing their dependents

Alabanza expressed hope that in

the coming years and with the co-operation of the parties involvedCEP will be able to touch heartsand win the souls of more allow-ing PA to communicate a brandimage consistent with its corevalues of honor patriotism andduty (Raymond A Sebastiaacuten CBCP News)

PHLPost to issueIEC stamps

HE government is set to releasea commemorative postal stamp onthe 51st International EucharisticCongress to be held in Cebu Cityon Jan 24 -31 next year

he Philippine Postal Corpsaid stamp enthusiasts from allover the world would have theopportunity to buy the stampsconsidering the importance ofthis event in the history of theCatholic Church

he stamp design illustratesthe official logo of the IEC anevent aimed at promoting aware-ness about the central role of theEucharist in the life and mission

of the Church

ldquoTe PHLPost are one in prayingfor the success of this internationalgathering of lay people and Catho-lic Church leaders from around the

world with Cebu the beautifulqueen city of the south as the hostof this celebrationrdquo said PostmasterGeneral Josie Dela Cruz

he gathering is expected todraw 15000 delegates from allover the world Te Congress willalso feature open air Masses opento the public

PHLPost commissioned AmstarCo to print 104000 copies of thestamps to be sold at Php 15 eachstarting uesday Dec 8 at post

offices nationwide (CBCP News)

Taglersquos Year of Mercyrecolletion set

IN time for the forthcomingseason the Archdiocese ofManila (RCAM) and the JesuitCommunications (JesCom) in-vite the public to a free Adventtalk to be given by no less thanCardinal Luiacutes Ant onio G agleon Dec 13 Sunday 800 amto 1100 am at the Smart- Ar an et a Co li se um Cu ba oQuezon City

Temed ldquoMerciful like the Fa-therrdquo the Word Exposed AdventRecollection is set to have the Archbishop of Manila sharing hisreflections on Godrsquos message ofmercy in keeping with the Jubilee Year of Mercy

Acc ord in g to JesCom fr eetickets will be issued on Dec 4Friday at the following select dis-tribution centers anging YamanStore Sonolux Building Ateneode Manila University anging

Yaman Store S M Megamall 5F Atrium St Pauls Bookstore SMNorth Edsa St Pauls BookstoreSM Manila St Pauls BookstoreGateway Mall

Given the limited number oftickets JesCom stresses that res-ervation is not allowed

For further information in-terested parties may call (02)426-5971 to 72 (Raymond ASebastiaacuten CBCP News)

Cardinal Luiacutes Antonio G Tagle FILE PHOTO

PBS outs Bible Week 2016 schedulePHILIPPINE Bible Society (PBS) GeneralSecretary Dr Nora G Lucero has revealed thetheme for the National Bible Week (NBW)celebrations on Jan 25 to 31 2016 sayingit will focus on ldquoGodrsquos Word Strength of theFamily Hope of the Nationrdquo and the activities

in line for the eventldquoAs we continue to coordinate with our part-

ners from different locales all over the country we will also promote other meaningful ways forour kababayans to participate in the celebrationand to proclaim Godrsquos Word in their communi-tiesrdquo shares Lucero in a recent PBS press release

Community celebration According to her PBS is prepared various

activities for the celebration among which is

the iProclaim a public reading of ScripturesLucero went on to present suggested ways

individuals families local churches and or-ganizations can celebrate Godrsquos Word in theircommunities

Some of the activities suggested include

displaying of NBW posters and streamers fea-turing Bible verses in church or school bulletinboards organizing of sports events holdingof Bible rallies concerts or song and dancecompetitions in town plazas as well as lobbyingbefore local legislature for the enactment of alaw supporting the annual NBW celebration

Raising awarenessTe NBW 2016 theme is inspired in part by

Psalm 3312 in the New American Bible Revised

Edition (NABRE) which reads ldquoBlessed is thenation whose God is the Lord the people chosenas his inheritancerdquo as well as by Acts 1631 in theGood News ranslation (GN) which readsldquoTey answered lsquoBelieve in the Lord Jesus andyou will be saved ndash you and your familyrdquo

Frontlined by PBS the annual NBS cel-ebration is decreed by Presidential Proclama-tions 2242 44 and 1067 which aims to raisepeoplersquos awareness on the importance of theHoly Book

Te week-long proclamation of Godrsquos Wordis culminated by the celebration of ldquoNationalBible Sundayrdquo on Jan 31 2016 that is expectedto feature messages and homilies during Churchservices and Masses focusing on the theme(Raymond A Sebastiaacuten CBCP News)

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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B1CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

DEAR Brothers and Sisters Goodmorning

With this reflection we arrive at thethreshold of the Jubilee itrsquos close Tedoor is before us not just the HolyDoor but another the great doorof the Mercy of Godmdashand that is abeautiful doormdashwhich embraces ourpenance offering the grace of his for-giveness Te door is generously openit takes a little courage on our part tocross the threshold Each of us hasburdensome things within ourselves

We are all sinner s Let us take advan-tage of this coming moment and crossthe threshold of this mercy of God

who never tire s of forg iving nevertires of waiting for us He watches ushe is always beside us ake heart Letus enter through this door

From the Synod of Bishops which we celeb rated in the month of Octo-ber all families and the entire Churchreceived great encouragement to meetat the threshold of this open door TeChurch was encouraged to open herdoors to go out with the Lord to meether sons and daughters on the path attimes uncertain at times dismayed inthese difficult times Christian familiesin particular were encouraged to openthe door to the Lord who is waitingto enter bringing his blessing and hisfriendship And as the door of Godrsquosmercy is always open so too must thedoors of our churches our communi-ties our parishes our institutions ourdioceses be open because this is how

we can all go out to b ring th is mercyof God Te Jubilee signifies the greatdoor of the mercy of God but also thesmall doors of our churches open toallow the entrance of the Lordmdashoroften the exit of the Lordmdashwho is aprisoner of our structures of our self-ishness and of so many things

he Lord never forces the dooropen he too asks permission to enterTe Book of Revelation says ldquoI standat the door and knock if any one hearsmy voice and opens the door I willcome in to him and eat with him and

he with merdquo (320) Let us imaginethe Lord knocking at the door of ourheart In the last great vision of theBook of Revelation the City of Godis prophesied like this ldquoits gates shallnever be shut by dayrdquo which meansfor ever because ldquothere shall be nonight thererdquo (2125) Tere are placesin the world in which doors are not

locked there still are But there are

so many where armoured doors havebecome the norm We must not give into the idea that we must apply thi s sys-tem to our whole life to the life of thefamily of this city of society muchless to the life of the Church Tat

woul d be terr ibl e An inhospi tab leChurch like a family closed off withinitself mortifies the Gospel and withersthe world No armoured doors in theChurch none Completely open

he symbolic management ofldquodoorsrdquomdashof thresholds of passagesof bordersmdashhas become crucial Tedoor must protect of course but notreject Te door must not be forced

but on the contrary one asks permis-

sion because hospitality shines inthe freedom of welcoming and dimsin the arrogance of invasion hedoor is frequently opened in order

to see if there is someone waitingoutside perhaps without the couragenor perhaps the strength to knockHow many people have lost faith donot have the courage to knock at the

door of our Christian heart at the

doors of our churches And theyare there they donrsquot have the courage we have taken away trus t please maythis never happen A door says many

things about the house and also aboutthe Church ending the door requirescareful discernment and at the sametime must inspire great faith I wouldlike to pay a word of gratitude to all

PASTORAL CONCERNS

We are all sinners Let us take advantage of this coming

moment and cross the threshold of this mercy of God who

never tires of forgiving never tires of waiting for us

Message of Pope Francis at his General Audience on November 18 2015

The welcoming door porters of our condominiums of

civil institutions of the Churchesthemselves Often a porterrsquos acumenand courtesy can offer an image ofhumanity and of welcome to the entire

house right from the entrance Tereis something to be learned from thesemen and women who are watch-men at the places of encounter and

welcome in the c ity of man o all of

you watchmen of so many doors bethey residential doors or church doorsmany thanks Always with a smilealways demonstrating the acceptanceof that house of that Church sopeople feel happy and welcomed inthat place

In truth we are well aware that wetoo are watchmen and servants of theDoor of God and what is the nameof the door of God Jesus He lightsup all of lifersquos doors for us includingthose of our birth and of our death

He himself affirmed it ldquoI am the doorif any one enters by me he will besaved and will go in and out and findpasturerdquo (Jn 109) Jesus is the doorthat lets us go in and out BecauseGodrsquos sheepfold is a refuge it isnrsquot aprison Te house of God is a refugeit isnrsquot a prison and the door is called

Jesus If the door is closed we sayldquoLord open the doorrdquo Jesus is thedoor and lets us go in and out Tose

who try to avoid the door are thievesitrsquos curious thieves always tr y to enterby another way by the window by theroof but they avoid the door becausethey have evil intentions and theysneak into the sheepfold in order todeceive the sheep and take advantageof them We must enter through thedoor and listen to Jesusrsquo voice if wehear the tone of his voice we are cer-tain we are saved We can go in with-out fear and go out without dangerIn this beautiful discourse Jesus alsospeaks of the gatekeeper whose taskis opening to the Good Shepherd (cf

Jn 102) If the gatekeeper hears theShepherdrsquos voice he opens and letsin all of the sheep that the Shepherdbrings all of them including thoselost in the wood whom the GoodShepherd went to get back Te sheepare not chosen by the gatekeeper theyare not chosen by the parish secretaryor parish administrator the sheepare all called they are chosen by theGood Shepherd Te gatekeepermdashhetoomdashobeys the Shepherdrsquos voiceTus we can well say that we must

be like that gatekeeper Te Churchis the gatekeeper of the house of theLord she is not the proprietor of theLordrsquos house

Te Holy Family of Nazareth knows jus t wha t an open or clo sed doormeans for those expecting a child forthose who have no shelter for those

who need to escape danger Chri stian

families make the threshold of their

homes a great sign of the Door ofthe mercy and welcome of God It isprecisely how the Church will have tobe recognized in every corner of theearth as the watchman of a God whoknocks as the welcome of a God whodoes not close the door in your face

with the excuse that you are not partof the household With this spirit letus approach the Jubilee there will bethe Holy Door but there is the doorof the great mercy of God May therealso be the door of our heart for all toreceive Godrsquos forgiveness and to givein our turn our forgiveness welcomingall those who knock at our door

Prayer of His HolinessPope Francis for the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy

LORD Jesus Christyou have taught us to be mer-

ciful like the heavenly Fatherand have told us that whoever

sees you sees HimShow us your face and we will

be saved Your loving gaze freed Zac-

chaeus and Matthew from beingenslaved by money

the adulteress and Magdalenefrom seeking happiness only increated things

made Peter weep after hisbetrayal

and assured Paradise to therepentant thief

Let us hear as if addressed toeach one of us the words thatyou spoke to the Samaritan

womanldquoIf you knew the gift of Godrdquo

You are the visible face of theinvisible Father

of the God who manifests hispower above all by forgivenessand mercy

let the Church be your visibleface in the world its Lord risenand glorified

You willed that your min-isters would also be clothedin weakness

in order that they mayfeel compassion for those inignorance and error

let everyone who ap-proaches them feel soughtafter loved and forgiven byGod

Send your Spirit and con-secrate every one of us withits anointing

so that the Jubilee of Mercymay be a year of grace fromthe Lord

and your Church withrenewed enthusiasm maybring good news to the poor

proclaim liberty to captivesand the oppressed

and restore sight to theblind

We ask this of you Lord Jesus through the interces-sion of Mary Mother of

Mercy you who live andreign with the Father and theHoly Spirit for ever and ever

Amen C N A

L rsquo O s s e r v a t o r e R o m a n o

Vatican City - April 11 2015 Cardinals gathered at St Peterrsquos Basilica on April 11 2015 during the Convocation of the Year of Mercy where Pope Francis publicly proclaimed

a Jubilee for Mercy which will begin December 8th and end in November 2016

The Holy Door unveiling at the Recognitio ceremony in St Peterrsquos Basilica on November 17 2015

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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B2 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25PASTORAL CONCERNS

C B C P N e

w s

Separation of Church and State lawsin the marriage of Catholics

By Fr Jaime B Achacoso JCD

I AM not a great fan of the so-calledseparation of Church and State as it

is often misunderstood as the juridicexpression of the laicist principle ofrelegating religion to the privatesphere As we had seen in a previ-ous article this was the brainchildof the French Revolution fruit ofthe prejudice against the CatholicChurch (since it was identified withthe abusive absolutist monarchiesin Europe at the time) but whichnevertheless had to be toleratedfor the sake of individual liberty Ihave always argued for the conceptof distinction between Church andState based on the fact that thesubjects of both jurisdictions are thesame people who are simultaneouslyfaithful of the Catholic Church andcitizens of the State Te State andthe Church are distinct jurisdictionsbut not separate and uncoordinated

One area of such distinctionhowever which can be considered asa veritable separation is the matter ofmatrimonial law

wo Separate Marriages heCanonical Marriage and the CivilMarriage

When a Filipino Catholic faith-ful gets married he effectively getsmarried under two separate juridicalsystems Church Law (or CanonLaw) and State Law (or the Civil Lawof the Republic of the Philippines)Each juridic system has its own set ofrequirements even if the civil law inthe Philippines regulates marriage ina way similar to Canon Law through

the Family Code of the PhilippinesIn fact the crafters of the FamilyCode got many of its provisions fromthe corresponding section of theCode of Canon Law of the CatholicChurch What most people do notrealize is that the papers signed at theend of the Catholic Wedding Massare in fact the Marriage Contract un-der the Republic of the Philippinesthe same contract which wouldhave been signed in the presence ofa solemnizing officer (the judge orhis equivalent) in the appropriategovernment office What happensis that the parish priest (or the priestto whom he delegates the functionof solemnizing the marriage) is depu-tized by the state to be a solemnizing

officer through a license which isexpedited by the National StatisticsOffice yearly In short the Catholicpriest is authorized by the Republicof the Philippines to solemnize thecivil marriage In other words thecivil marriage can be solemnized byeither a civil servant or a Catholicpriest with the license from the NSO

Insofar as the Canonical Marriageis concerned on the other handthe only paper work required is itsregistration in the Book of Marriages (Marriage Registry) in the parish

where it was celebrated as well as itsannotation in the Book of Baptisms (Baptismal Registry) in the parish

where the spouses were baptizedTere is no separate marriage cer-

tificate or marriage contract for thecanonical marriageTis fundamental juridic reality

has several consequences

A Purely Canonical Marriage only

has Purely Canonical Require-ments

When an already civilly-marriedcouple wish to contract a canonicalmarriagemdasheg when they want

to regularize their situation in theChurch in order to return to thereception of the Sacramentsmdashwhatis celebrated is just the canonicalmarriage without the correspond-ing civil marriage which had alreadybeen celebrated Hence the onlyrequirements for the solemnizingsacred minister are the requirementsstipulated by Canon Law in c1108mdashsect1 Only those marriages are validwhich are contracted in the presence ofthe local ordinary or the parish priest ora priest or deacon delegated by either ofthem who assists and in the presenceof two witnesses according to the rulesexpressed in the following canons (hellip)

mdashsect2 Te one assisting at a mar-riage is understood to be only that

person who present at the ceremonyasks for the contractantsrsquo manifestationof consent and receives it in the nameof the Church

As can be seen for this purelycanonical marriage the assistingsacred minister (the local ordinary orthe parish priest or another priest ordeacon delegated by either the localordinary or the parish priest) doesnot need the license from the State toact as solemnizing officer for the civilmarriage since such a marriage is not

being celebrated Tus the praxis inmany parishes of requiring the above-mentioned government license fromthe sacred minister in good canonicalstanding who has been duly delegated tosolemnize a purely canonical marriage

is not only improper but is an outrightinsult to the canonical order

Te So-called Secret Marriage A secret marriage is one that the lo-

cal ordinary permits to be celebratedin secret due to a grave and urgentcause (c1130) Tis involves carry-ing out the preliminary investigation(the canonical inquiry) in secret andhaving the local ordinary the official

witness (the local ordinary or theparish priest or any priestdeaconauthorized by them to solemnize themarriage) the common witnesses(the two other witnesses required bythe canonical form) and the spousesto maintain secrecy regarding theactual celebration of the marriage(c1131)

Tus there are two requirementsfor a secret marriage (1) authoriza-

tion from the local ordinary ofthe place where the marriage iscelebrated (2) a grave and urgent cause which must be assessed bythe ordinary

Te classic example of a grave andurgent cause appears in Benedict

XIVrsquos encyclical Satis vobis (17 XI1741) in the case of two persons who live together without havingbeen married canonically but who

were publicly considered husbandand wife Te gravity would stemfrom the fact that these personsmight be living in a habitual state

of sin (extramarital intercourse) orat least in a proximate occasion forsuch sin Te urgency might stemfrom other factors like unreasonableopposition from the partiesrsquo relativesfor the canonical marriage to take

place or some civil impediment forthe marriage to take place (eg apre-existing civil marriage) within areasonable period of time

Actual Filipino society presents

several scenarios(1) A couple civilly-married andstably living together in the Catholiccommunity which understandsthem to be husband and wife oregularize their situation in theChurch (to be able to return tothe Sacraments) they need to bemarried canonically but withoutdetriment to their good standingbefore the community which haderstwhile taken them to be canoni-cally married

(2) A couple stably living togetherin the Catholic community whichunderstands them to be husband and

wife but who have never been mar-

ried either canonically or civillymdashthelatter since there is an impediment incivil law for such a civil marriage totake place (eg an existing civil mar-riage of one or both of the parties thedeclaration of the nullity of which istaking too much time and expense)In this case they need to be marriedcanonically to regularize their situa-tion in the Church but cannot do socivilly yet because of the impedimentin civil law

(3) A couple one of whom hadbeen previously married civilly andcanonically and had obtained a

declaration of nullity of the canoni-cal marriage but have not been ableto get a similar declaration for thecivil marriage due to some reason(eg the high cost of the civil pro-cess) Te urgency to celebrate the

canonical marriage might be due tothe couplersquos already cohabitating anddesiring to regularize their situationin the Church and return to theSacraments Another reason could

be the couplersquos plan to immediatelymigrate to start a new life of goodstanding before the Church

(4) A couple of radically unequalsocial status or ethnic provenance

whose marriage is feared to resultin their permanent alienation fromtheir blood family or in disinheri-tance

(5) A widow who would lose her job or means of sustenance for herselfand her children should her marriagecome to public knowledge

In all of these scenarios the im-mediate celebration of the canonicalmarriage is warranted but whichcannot be divulged to the general

public or to the State either for thetime being or indefinitely

Documentation of a Purely Ca-nonical Marriage

Another consequence of theseparation of Church and State inmatrimonial law is the matter ofdocumentation Te documentationof the civil marriage is well knownthe marriage contractmdashexpeditedby the civil registrar signed by theparties the solemnizing officer (theauthorized sacred minister in thecase of a Church wedding) and the

witnessesmdashcopies of which are filedin the office of the civil registrar andin the parish office

As previously stated the canoni-cal marriage is simply noted in theBook of Marriages of the parish

where it was celebrated and in theBook of Baptisms in the respectiveparishes where the parties were bap-tized (which acts as the permanentrecord of their entire lifetime in the

Church)Of special interest in the presentsubject is the practice in some dio-ceses of filling out and signing thepro-forma Marriage Certificatemdash

with the heading of the Republicof the Philippinesmdashfrom the officeof the civil registrar even in the caseof a secret marriage albeit only forfiling in the secret archives of thediocese Not only is this a breach ofthe principle of distinction of Churchand State it might even be proof ofthe celebration of the secret marriageitself outside of Civil Law A betterpractice would be to make a Mar-riage Contract form specifically for

the Canonical Marriage only

Declaration of Nullity of a Canoni-cal Marriage

o conclude given the separa-tion of Canonical Law and CivilLaw the declaration of nullity of acanonical marriage does not auto-matically establish the nullity of thecorresponding civil marriage (andvise-versa) While the celebration of acanonical marriage normally has civileffectsmdashbecause the correspondingcivil marriage is also celebrated withthe sacred minister acting as an au-

thorized solemnizing officermdashthedeclaration of nullity in one forumdoes not carry with it a correspond-ing declaration of nullity in the otherforum wo separate processes mustbe carried out

Advent Wreaths and Incensing(Father Edward McNamara pro-

fessor of liturgy and dean of theologyat the Regina Apostolorum universityanswers the following query)

Q When incensing the altar atthe beginning of Mass should the

Advent wreath also be incensed inthe same way as the paschal candleduring the Easter season Whatabout a Nativity scene (during theChristmas season) -- D LeuvenBelgium

A Te rules regarding incensingare mostly found in the missal andthe Ceremonial of Bishops heintroduction to the missal says

ldquoIncensationldquo276 Turification or incensa-

tion is an expression of reverenceand of prayer as is signified in Sa-cred Scripture (cf Ps 140 [141]2Rev 83)

ldquoIncense may be used if desiredin any form of Mass

ldquoa during the Entrance proces-

sion

ldquob at the beginning of Mass to in-cense the cross and the altar

ldquoc at the Gospel procession and theproclamation of the Gospel itself

ldquod after the bread and the chalicehave been placed upon the altar toincense the offerings the cross and the

altar as well as the priest and the peopleldquoe at the showing of the host and the

chalice after the consecrationldquo277 Te priest having put incense

into the thurible blesses it with the Signof the Cross without saying anything

ldquoBefore and after an incensation aprofound bow is made to the person orobject that is incensed except for theincensation of the altar and the offeringsfor the Sacrifice of the Mass

ldquohe following are incensed withthree swings of the thurible the MostBlessed Sacrament a relic of the HolyCross and images of the Lord exposedfor public veneration the offerings forthe Sacrifice of the Mass the altar crossthe Book of the Gospels the PaschalCandle the priest and the people

ldquoTe following are incensed with two

swings of the thurible relics and imagesof the Saints exposed for public venera-tion which should be done howeveronly at the beginning of the celebrationafter the incensation of the altar

ldquohe altar is incensed with singleswings of the thurible in this way

ldquoa if the altar is freestanding withrespect to the wall the priest incenses

walking around itldquob if the altar is not freestanding the

priest incenses it while walking first tothe right hand side then to the left

ldquoTe cross if situated on or near thealtar is incensed by the priest before heincenses the altar otherwise he incensesit when he passes in front of it

ldquohe priest incenses the offerings with three swings of the thurible or bymaking the sign of the cross over theofferings with the thurible before goingon to incense the cross and the altarrdquo

Although there is a rite of blessingfor the Advent wreath in the AmericanBook of Blessings there is no mentionof incensing the wreath Tis blessing is

proper to the United States and is absent

from the official Book of Blessings incountries such as Italy

It must therefore be concluded thatthe Advent wreath is not incensed inthe manner of the paschal candle It isneither a relic nor an image and is morean expression of popular piety than a

liturgical object per seTe paschal candle receives special

veneration because it is a traditional andancient symbol of the risen Christ Onecould argue that in a way the wreath isa symbol of the coming Christ but we

would still be before a relatively recentcustom and one which is not presentin the universal Church Its not beingincensed does not lessen in any way theusefulness of the wreath in fostering aspiritual preparation for Christmas

A Nativity scene or at least an imageof the Child Jesus set up in the sanc-tuary could enter into the category ofldquoimages of the Saints exposed for publicvenerationrdquo mentioned above in No277 and hence be incensed

It should be remembered however

that several Church guidelines advise

against setting up the Nativity inthe sanctuary itself and above all itshould never be an obstacle to thedignified celebration of the liturgi-cal celebrations For example theUS bishopsrsquo conference says in thedocument ldquoBuilt of Living Stonesrdquo

ldquosect 124 sect Plans for seasonal deco-rations should include other areasbesides the sanctuary Decorationsare intended to draw people to thetrue nature of the mystery beingcelebrated rather than being endsin themselves Natural flowersplants wreaths and fabric hangingsand other seasonal objects can bearranged to enhance the primaryliturgical points of focus Te altarshould remain clear and free-stand-ing not walled in by massive floraldisplays or the Christmas crib andpathways in the narthex nave andsanctuary should remain clearrdquo

If as is common in many church-es the Nativity scene is outside thesanctuary area there is no need to

leave the sanctuary to incense it

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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B3CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25 FEATURES

Three Macro-Challenges for the Church in the lsquoYear of MercyrsquoBy Abp Antonio J Ledesma SJ

HE last two months of this year 2015 havebrought to the fore three macro-challenges forCivil Society and the Church in the Philippinestoday Tey are challenges on a macro scalebecause no single organization nor group ofindividuals can adequately address the various

issues that are emerging Tey are also macrobecause these issues affect millions of peopleor in some cases the entire world Indeed theneed for consensus-building on a national orglobal level has been felt Tis should be basedon ethical-moral principles and shared valuesthat go beyond cultural religious and socio-economic barriers In particular the CatholicChurch plays a significant role in Philippinesociety in addressing these macro issues

I Climate ChangeOn a global scale Climate Change will

be the pressing issue at the 21st Conferenceof Partners (COP 21) on the environmentPope Francisrsquo recent encyclical Laudato Si

has opened wide the doors for scientists andreligious leaders to enter into serious dialogueover issues such as global warming and thesearch for alternative sources of energy Insteadof viewing the environment or nature simplyas an object to be exploited Pope Francis pres-ents the Christian vision of Godrsquos handiworkldquoCreation can only be understood as a gift from

the outstretched hand of the Father of all andas a reality illuminated by the love which callsus together into universal communionrdquo (LS76) He also points out the intimate connectionbetween the ecological approach and the socialapproach ldquoso as to hear both the cry of the earth

and the cry of the poorrdquo (LS 49)Here in Cagayan de Oro we have joined

other dioceses in a Global Climate SolidarityMarch for the Environment On Nov 28advocates for protecting the environmentconverged at the Divisoria from four starting-points to join the voices of the world-wideCatholic Climate Movement at the startof COP 21 in Paris Te archdiocese alsocontinues its participation in the Cagayande Oro River Basin Management Council(CDORBMC) to protect the watershed areasand downstream communities of the Cagayande Oro river system

II Bangsamoro Basic Law A second macro challenge is the continuing

quest for a just and lasting peace in MindanaoTe draft Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) has

been altered in the committee sessions of bothhouses of Congress A version called the Basic

Law for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region(BLBAR) has come out from the Committeeof the House of Representatives Moreover thecommittee report in the Senate has providedanother set of amendments With the resur-gence of biases and prejudices after the Ma-masapano incident the final outcome for thepassage of the various drafts of the BangsamoroBasic Law is not clear

Seen from a wider perspective the letterof the Catholic Bishopsrsquo Conference of thePhilippines (CBCP) in July 2015 stated ldquoOnour part viewing the issues from a moral angle

we do not want a BBL that does not effectivelyaddress the root causes of social injusticerdquo Tisechoes the view of the surviving members ofthe Constitutional Convention of 1987 thatthe Constitution focuses primarily on the spiritof Social Justice Te Citizensrsquo Peace Councilnoted that the BBL is ldquoan act of Social Justiceand Reparation to the peoples of MuslimMindanao to rectify all the injustices inflictedupon them in the pastrdquo

Over the past three months I have helpedconvene consultations among religious and

civil society leaders in Cagayan de Oro andManila to discuss the BBL issue With someclarifications practically everyone saw the needfor a meaningful basic law for a sustainablepeace in Mindanao On Nov 26 in Cagayande Oro we started the Mindanao Week ofPeace with a multi-sectoral march rally Tis

was organized by the Inter-faith Forum for

Peace Harmony and Solidarity Te theme was ldquoMindanaoansrsquo Aspirations for PeaceKalinaw sa Dios ndash Kinaiyahan ndash KatawhanrdquoRegardless of the outcome of the BBLBLBARissue in Congress all of us should continue toengage in intra- and inter-religious dialogue

Our biases and preconceived notions of othercultures and religions are the main obstaclesto lasting peace in Mindanao and the rest ofthe country

III Good Governance A third macro-challenge in the Philippines

context is the coming elections in May 2016 Already the campaign period has started andvarious political personalities and parties havefiled their candidacies Good governancemdash

with its antithesis corruptionmdashis once morea critical factor to consider for every voter In

January 2010 before the last presidential elec-tions the CBCP made three calls to voters(1) o form circles of discernment (2) For thelaity to exercise their right and duty to supportcandidates who are qualified and committed to

public service and (3) o engage in principledpartisan politics Voting for candidates with a

track record of good governance is the mosteffective way of stamping out a culture ofcorruption In an address to the International

Assembly of Penal Law Pope Francis pointsout emphatically ldquoCorruption is a process ofdeath more evil than sin ndash an evil that insteadof being forgiven must be curedrdquo

On Nov 7 the archdiocese sponsored aMarch rally for CHAMPmdashClean Honest

Accurate Meaningful and Peaceful electionsTis was well attended by various sectorsTere were calls against votemdashbuying po-litical dynasties and the conduct of patronagepolitics Te city itself has had its share ofdivisive party politics in the non-disbursementof the budget for vital basic services and morerecently in the controversy over the post ofCity Mayor

Despite these internal conflicts amongelected officials it is good to keep in mind PopeFrancisrsquo own exhortation ldquoPolitics thoughoften denigrated remains a lofty vocation andone of the highest forms of charity inasmuchas it seeks the common goodrdquo (EG 205)

IV A Year of Mercy Despite the Holy Fatherrsquos blunt words on theevil of corruption he has called for an Extraor-dinary Jubilee of Mercy starting on December8 2015 ldquoJesus Christ is the face of the Fatherrsquosmercyrdquo Tis opening statement provides thetitle of Pope Francisrsquo Bull of Indiction Miseri-cordiae Vultus He goes on to say that Mercy

is ldquothe bridge that connects God and manrdquo Itis also ldquothe fundamental law that dwells in theheart of every person who looks sincerely intothe eyes of his brothers and sisters on the pathof liferdquo (MV 2)

On Nov 3-5 our Archdiocesan Pastoral

Assembly brought together more than 450delegates from 64 parishes Tis was the cul-mination of the Appreciative Inquiry processthat was carried out in most parishes down tothe kapilya community level over the past sixmonths

What was most noteworthy was the prepon-derance of lifemdashgiving pastoral experiences interms of prayerfulness and also of service toothers Tese two characteristics and sharedvalues can just as well point the directions wecan take during this jubilee year of mercy

Tis perhaps is the perspective we can adoptin confronting the macro-challenges beforeusmdashto first bend our knees in prayer and to bemerciful like the Father especially for the poorand marginalized in addressing socio-economicand political issues to work for ecological andsocial justice and to bring about Godrsquos mercy

by rectifying deeplyndashrooted biases and injusticesin Philippine society today

A r c h d i o c e s e o f C a g a y a n d e O r o

Pinoy in RomeCountdown to the

Jubilee Yearof Mercy

By Robert Z Cortes

HE Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy announced by PopeFrancis around Holy Week this year is finally starting onDecember 8 the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception

just a couple of days from now Tat this special event in theChurchrsquos history begins on that date is of course no accidentTis Popersquos devotion to Mary shown publicly every timehe passes by St Mary Major before any major trip abroadshould have made that choice almost predictable Howeveraside from human choices one ought to consider above allthe guidance of Providence whose will it is that the most

important events in the Church happen under the mantle ofMary Mother of the Church and Mother of MercySo the idea

to p repareproximatelyfor the Jubilee

Year of Mercyby making anovena to theImmaculateConceptionmade a lot ofsense to me

And being inRome thecity that argu-ably no placein the worldcan match

in terms ofthe qualityand quantityof sacred artp r e s e n t Itook advan-tage to do thefollowing Fornine daysmdashi n c l u d i n gthe Solem-nity hencet h e t e r mldquonovenardquomdashI

was going tovisit an im-age of OurLady vener-ated in vari-ous churchesaround thec i t y B u t

which church-es though

Given the

multitude of beautiful and historic churches in Rome itseemed the best way to approach this project was simply tobe led by Providence Tis approach is not ldquoto be too mysti-cal about itrdquo asI learned quite recently from of all peoplea non-Catholic ethics professor in a very secular Americanuniversity whom I interviewed a couple of months ago Hisdefense is that ldquothere still is another dimension in terms ofa holistic being in which our reason and our spirit and ouremotions are an integrated wholehellip So you listen to thevoice of the spiritrdquoTis was actually good ecumenical adviceto which my experience in the following days would attest

Tese experiences culled from my journal of these novenadays are actually Church history lessons devotional tour-guiding tips and philosophizing all rolled into one I sharethem seeing that they can serve some purpose however onemay be preparing for the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy

Our Lady of the Sacred Hear in SantrsquoAndreadella Valle Yesterday November 30 was the beginning of the novenato the Immaculate Conception It also happened to be thefeast of St Andrew Now at the other end of the street wheremy university is happens to be a huge looming basilicadedicated to Saint Andrew with the name ldquoSantrsquoAndreadellaValle rdquo People with very limited time in Rome usually donrsquothave time to visit this magnificent church but really nexttime you come you should Tis church was actually builtby the very same people involved in the building of St Peterrsquosand used this as their ldquopracticerdquo church people like Giacomodella Porta and Carlo Maderno Te fountain in the squarefronting the church is Madernorsquos

Te paintings and the frescoes inside are even more breath-taking Te dome and the ceiling are one of the best thereis in Rome - and perhaps in Christendom Since it was thefeast of St Andrew precisely I decided to do my prayer rightthere before the huge fresco of the crucifixion of St AndrewI did my rosary in one of the side chapels dedicated to Our

Countdown B6

What was behind

that inconspicuous

door Actually a

small but amazinglybeautiful jewel of

a church

A recent rally against climate change and environmental degradation

The Sant Agnese view from the South Plazza Navona

Sant Agnesersquo double Holy Family

An Interfaith Walk for Peace held on Nov 26 2015

R o b e r t Z C

o r t e s

R o b e r t Z C

o r t e s

A

r c h d i o c e s e o f C a g a y a n d e O r o

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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B4 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

By S M Evangeline A Madayag OSB

HE urgency of protecting ldquo OurCommon Homerdquo is much given em-phasis by our Holy Father Pope Fran-cis Much heat drought and differencein the weather and climate is muchfelt Many kinds of sicknesses are alsoattacking especially the poor who lacknourishment due to having no foodsecurity One can really feel the differ-ence of being in a polluted city fromthe simple rural setting where there arestill enough trees providing clean airTe other week I and my communityof Sisters together with two visitingSisters were able to enjoy the beautifulbeach of San Isidro Davao OrientalI salute Mayor ina Yu and all the of-ficers of the Municipality of San Isidrofor really defending their stand for a

ldquoNo o Mining in San IsidrordquoI wish that would also be true for the

whole province of Davao Oriental It issad that some barangays and munici-palities who make resolutions to allowmining only consider themselves as theonly ones with rights to allow miningobviously setting aside the possibleharms effect on the people and theenvironment especially to the nextgeneration We have experienced the

effect of the haze brought about theforest fire of Indonesia a true evidencethat we are all affected all around the

world of what happens in a certain partof the world As Joey Ayala reminds usin his song ldquo Ang Lahat ng Bagay ayMagka-ugnayrdquo

Just last year (July 1 2014) SenatorLoren Legarda visited our province (Davao Oriental) and congratulated theprovince for its stand on the protec-tion of our natural resources especiallyciting Mt Hamiguitan a UNESCO

World Heritage site What a heri tage what a treasure

Yet what is real ly happeni ng inDavao Oriental Even our priests inthe Diocese of Mati are alarmed onthe ldquo proliferation of alleged mining

activities in the province of Davao

Oriental particularly in the followingareas (1) Brgy Old Macopa Manay(2) Brgy iblawan Governor Gen-eroso (3) Barangay Causwagan andMaputi Banaybanay (4) BarangayDapnan and Lambajon Bagangga (5)Barangay Calapagan Lupon (excerptsfrom the letter of Rev Fr Edito SBantildeo DCM Apostolic Adminstratorof Mati to the DENR National OfficeSeptember 10 2015 He made anotherletter to the DENR on October 222015 to includeMacambol ( Magumand Salingcomot) as a concern

With much prayers for awakenings

re-awakenings and miracles to hap-pen we make this petition

A PEIION FOR HE SOP-PAGE AND REJECION OF HEIMPENDING ISSUANCE OF MIN-ING PERMI FOR AUSRAL-ASIALINK MINING CORPORAION

AND HALLMARK MINING COR-PORAION BOH UNDER HECORPORAE ORGANIZAIONOF ASIAICUS MANAGEMENCORPORAION (AMCOR) AMAGUM PUJADA BAY AND SAL-INGCOMO MAI CIY PROV-

INCE OF DAVAO ORIENAL

We the farmers fisherfolks Churchpeople youth professionals businesspeople of Davao Oriental Provincetogether with our national and inter-national supporters hereby urge MrRamon JP Paje DENR SecretaryNO O ISSUE ANY MININGPERMI to AUSRAL-ASIA LINKMINING CORPORAION ANDHALLMARK MINING CORPORA-ION both under the CORPORAEORGANIZAION OF ASIAICUSMANAGEMEN CORPORAION(AMCOR) for its mining operation in

Magum Pujada Bay and Salingcomot

Mati City Province of Davao Oriental We also demand that their mining

equipments be pulled out from themining site Macambol ldquoLodgedbetween two protected areasmdashthePujada Bay Protected Seascape (andLandscape) and Mt HamiguitanRange proclaimed wildlife sanctu-ary (Republic Act No 9303 July 302004)rdquo and as a UNESCO WorldHeritage Site at the 38th Session ofthe World Heritage Committee ( June15-24 2014 Doha State of Qatar) is not the most logical site for large-scale nickel laterite mining project (October 212009 in Environment Food Security Sensitive EcosystemsTe Philippines)

Ac co rd in g to th e st ud y pu b-lished by httpbhpbillitonwatchnet20091021pujada-hallmark-nickel-laterite-project-profile ldquo some4778 hectares of mining permitsoverlap with five major drainagesystems and watersheds which eitherdrain towards Pujada Bay or the DavaoGulf Tese bodies of freshwater arethe main water supplies for the com-munities living within and around thearea and the bays host endangeredspecies such as dugongs (sea cows)sea turtles and stingrays Te forestof Macambol is a watershed area

Additi ona lly the Puja da reg ion issituated on the ldquoPacificndashCordillerardquofault line wo branches of the activePhilippine fault flank the watershedon the southwest and southeast of theproject area which has been subjectto intense seismic activities Te 2008report ldquoPhilippines Mining or Foodrdquorecommended that no mining shouldtake place on Mount Hamiguitan ornear Pujada Bay which are centres ofbiodiversity with high ecotourismpotential Under these conditions itmay be almost impossible to minethe area ldquo (httpbhpbillitonwatchnet20091021pujada-hallmark-nickel-laterite-project-profile)

In his ENCYCLICAL LEERLAUDAO SIrsquo Our Holy Father

all processes addressing climateand disaster risks especially afterthe province experienced the

wrath of yphoon Yolanda lastNovember 8 2013

He also mentioned how theimpact of climate change cutsacross all sectors regardless of gen-der culture economic or politicalstature with the poor sufferingthe greatest impact

ldquoTerefore a plan of actionto address climate and disasterrisks must be undertaken using

PASTORAL CONCERNS

Home B7

IN solidarity with the on-goingClimate Conference in Paris the

Archdiocese of Palo Relief andRehabilitation Unit (Caritas Palo)together with at least 200 lsquoYolan-darsquo survivors signed a Declarationsupporting Climate Change andCommunity-Managed DisasterRisk Reduction in Palo Leyteon uesday

In a statement Caritas PaloDirector Fr Al Cris Badana citedhow important it is for membersof the communities to be part of

community-managed disasterrisk reduction (CMDRR) as thestrategyrdquo Badana added

Also present during the commit-ment signing are representativesfrom various church groups andgovernment agencies such as theProvincial Government of LeyteDepartment of Social Welfare andDevelopment Department ofInterior and Local GovernmentProvincial Disaster Risk Reductionand Management Office and theOffice of the Civil Defense

Aside from the declaration sign-ing the lsquoYolandarsquo survivors from15 communities in the townsof Palo Santa Fe AlangalangMayorga Dulag and MacArthureach gave a presentation of howtheir communities are presentlyengaged in community-manageddisaster risk reduction (CMDRR)measures and systems

Tere was also a mini exhibitof the organic products producedby lsquoYolandarsquo survivors to show itssupport for sustainable agricul-

ture which is part of the climatechange action

After the devastation of y-phoon Yolanda the RomanCatholic Church of the Archdio-cese of Palo through Caritas Paloand NASSACaritas Philippineshelped Yolanda-affected commu-nities in Leyte to craft their ownresiliency and contingency plans

which were already adopted bytheir barangays As of today Cari-tas Palo has invested P150 millionto build resilient communities

Te said communities also in-stalled early warning systems andevacuation plans which resultedin zero casualties and minimaldamages during the onslaughtof yphoon Ruby the strongesttyphoon in 2014

It can be recalled that the re-cent encyclical of Pope FrancisLaudato Si highlighted the ad-

verse impacts of climate changeon the poor and most vulnerableand the scale of the climate crisis(NASSA Features)

Protecting Our Common Home

Church lsquoYolandarsquo survivors in Leyte signClimate Change Declaration

N A S S A C a r i t a s P h i l i p p i n e s

C B C P N e w s

N A S S A C a r i t a s P h i l i p p i n e s

N A

S S A C a r i t a s P h i l i p p i n e s

lsquoYolandarsquo survivors together with representatives from the Archdiocese of Palo Relief and Rehabilitation Unit (Caritas Palo) signedthe Caritas Declaration on Climate Change in solidarity with the on-going Paris Climate Talks

The Archdiocese of Palo Relief and Rehabilitation Unit (Caritas Palo) displayed the organic products produced bylsquoYolandarsquo survivorsin Leyte which is part of its climate change action

Members of the New Dampigan Womenrsquos Association happily beam and show off the eggs they harvested

Women in actionONE women to explore their otherpotentials

Tis is the story of the women in thetown of New Dampigan in Samar prov-ince who found a new hobby a passionand source of livelihood all at the sametime hey are the New Dampigan

Womenrsquos Association who are engagedin poultry raising

It all started when the DiocesanSocial Action Center of Calbayog gavethe group a total of 500 ducks as partof its livelihood program for yphoonHaiyan survivors

Te group is composed of 21 mem-bers all of them women Tey raiseducks and sell its eggs salted and freshalike to the nearby towns of Sta Ritaand Basey o produce salted eggs they

preserve it for 15 to 18 daysBut it wasnrsquot all easy going especially

at first When another yphoon Hagu-pit locally known as Ruby hit the townlast December some of their ducks diedfrom the storm Tey almost lose hopeBut luckily they did not Instead the

women sticked together and took careof the remaining ducks

Now the women are the more thanhappy and contented of the productof their pure hardwork and ingenuitySeveral weeks after the onslaught ofHagupit the women are once againback in track

Currently they are harvesting 700 upto 1000 eggs every week Tey are alsofocused on marketing their products tonearby towns which they do throughthe support and trainings providedby the social action center Yes they

are truly women in action (NASSAFeatures)

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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B5CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

life and refreshment from her waterrdquo (Laudato Si2)

Since climate is a commongood it is but right to be involved

in the discussion of climatechange especially that it is nowdestructive not only to proper-ties to but also to lives Accord-ingly the world is on the brink ofbecoming an arid wasteland dueto lsquounchecked human activitiesrsquo

We are living witnesses of thedestruction brought about by

weather changes and the effectsto health by carbon emissionshe calamities that claimedthousands of lives these pastyears and months are enoughproof to awaken in us a commit-ment to safeguard creation andhelp mitigate their effects

Pope Francis seeing the ur-gency of action in dealing with

environmental crisis points outthe use of highly polluting fossil

STATEMENTS

Statement on Coal Mining and Coal Power Plant

Final Statement of the 6th Bishopsrsquo Institute forInterreligious Affairs

Mayor Duterte

Asian celebration of the 50 th anniversary of Nostra Aetate

FABC Office of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs

Redemptorist Center Pattaya Thailand

November 16-20 2015

WE the one hundred sixty-six(166) delegates of the 40thDOPIM Bishops-Clergy Con-vention unanimously expressour serious concern on theoperation of coal mining andcoal power plant that triggersapprehension among our peopleand poses environment threat inthe provinces where such facilityis being established

With faith in the Lord of Cre-ation we want to heed the callof Pope Francis in his encyclicalLaudato Si that urges us all tocare for the earth as our commonhome Citing St Francis of As-sisi the Holy Father persuadesus to treat our common homelike our sister

However knowing the realityof our destructive attitude andactivities towards her the Pope

writes that ldquoTe6 sister now criesout to us because of the harm

we have inflicted on her by ourirresponsible use and abuse ofthe goods with which God hasendowed her We have come toseeeuro ourselves as her lords andmasters entitled to plunder herat will Te violence present inour hearts wounded by sin isalso reflected in the symptomsof sickness evident in the soilin the water in the air and inall forms of life his is whythe earth herself burdened andlaid waste is among the mostabandoned and maltreated ofour poor she lsquogroans in travailrsquo(Rom 822) We have forgottenthat we ourselves are dust of theearth (cf Gen 27) our very bod-

ies are made up of her elements we breathe her air and we receive

fuels ndash especially coal to be pro-gressively replaced without delay(Cf Laudato Si 165) We can-not simply sit idly while seeing

the unfolding of horrific eventsresulted by so called technologi-cal progress at the expense of na-ture Instead we recommend theuse of renewable energy whichis of course not harmful to theenvironment and to humans

As Bishops of the Diocesesof Dipolog Ozamis PagadianIligan and Marawi (DOPIM)

which comprise the civil prov-inces of Zamboanga del NorteMisamis Occidental Zamboan-ga del Sur Lanao del Norte andLanao del Sur we completelyoppose the operation of coalmining and coal power plantsmost especially within the afore-mentioned provinces We do this

not only because of our humanresponsibility but as a call intrin-

sic to our Christian faith We he re by ur ge al l co n-

cernedmdashboth the coal industryand the governmentmdashin thename of our Lord Jesus Christ tohave the same concern We alsocall the faithful and all people ofgood will be vigilant at all timesand in all places because ourcommon home is in danger ofdevastation We will not allowourselves to arrive at the pointof no return

May God hear us and come todefend the beautiful creation Hehas entrusted to us May Marythe Queen of all creation coverus with her mantle of maternalcare

Formulated during the 40thDOPIM Bihops-Clergy Con-vention on November 11 2015at the Diocesan Pastoral CenterDel Carmen Iligan City

Most Rev Severo C CaermareDDBishop of Dipolog

Most Rev Elenito R GalidoDDBishop of Iligan

Most Rev Emmanuel CabajarCSsR DDBishop of Pagadian

Most Rev Edwin A dela PentildeaMSP DDBishop-Prelate of Marawi

Most Rev Jesus A DosadoCM DD

Metropolitan Archbishop ofOzamiz

WHA the world desperately needs now is leadership byexample We have so many leaders in office and many moreaspiring to sit in office but are they examples of good citizen-ship If the leaders we choose are to be leaders for nationalprogress they must be visionaries AND exemplary

Corruption is indeed a great scourge of Philippine politics

Te usual face of corruption that we recognize easily is stealingfrom public funds Corruption like a monster is a devil withmany faces Killing people is corruption Killing is a crime anda sin whether it is done by criminals or public officials no mat-ter what the intention Adultery is corruption It makes marriedlove cheap and uses people for pleasure Adultery corrupts thefamily it destroys children and victimizes the weak Vulgarity iscorruption When we find vulgarity funny we have really becomebeastly and barbaric as a people When a revered and loved andadmired man like Pope Francis is cursed by a political candidateand the audience laugh I can only bow my head and grieve ingreat shame My countrymen has gone to the dregs

Is this the leadership by example that Mayor Duterte excitesin us Is this the leadership by example that makes a publicofficial deserving of the title ldquoHonorablerdquo

+SOCRAES VILLEGAS

Archbishop of Lingayen-DagupanCBCP PresidentDecember 1 2015

F i l e p h o t o

V i n c e n t G o

Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte

1 It is by Godrsquos grace andprovidence that we 87 par-ticipants in the Sixth BishopsrsquoInstitute for Interreligious Af-fairs (BIRA VI) from 17 dif-ferent countries have come tocelebrate the 50th anniversaryof Nostra aetate in our Asiancontext and in our time Weare grateful for the funding wereceived from Missio Aachenthat helped make this gather-ing possible

2 In this grace-filled gather-ing we have worked togetheras the Church in Asia retracing

our steps along the path of dia-logue praying reflecting andsharing our experiences andthoughts on the questions of

what we ha ve done so far and what we need to do fur ther forinterreligious dialogue in Asia

3 We recognize that Nostra Aet at e is sti ll ins pir ing andchallenging us to realize thevision of the Church as thepeople of God in dialogue inour time facing the interde-pendent reality of the com-plex and diverse influences ofglobalized socio-economic-cultural-political structures

we rea ffi rm the strong needof the ldquotriple dialoguerdquo with

the poor cultures and reli-gions in a journey towards theKingdom of justice peace andecological harmony

4 hrough our experienceof dialogue and action forthe last five decades we havelearned that interreligiousdialogue is not only to be aspecific pastoral strategy ofthe Church but rather an

Asian vis ion of the ChurchIt is a Church that proclaimsthe values of the Kingdom

without fear in dialogi cal col-laboration (partnership) withthe people of other religions

5 Struggling against anykind of fundamentalism ter-rorism and proselytism theChurch in Asia is called to

work toget her with other s asco-pilgrims In protecting thepoor and the environmentthrough our interreligious net-

work we are n ot do ing socia l work together but bui ldi ng

a mystical union of GodrsquosKingdom as inter-dependentbeings (in the harmony of ourrelationship with one anotherand with all creation)

6 he Church in Asia con-

firms that we cannot engage with other s in a real dialogue without having a clear ident ityof who we are and constantlygrowing in our own faith Inthe pluralistic contexts of Asiathe Church as a ldquolittle flockrdquois called to learn a kenotic(self-emptying) spirit of loveand service from Jesus ChristIt is through our humble andopen-minded approach thatreal trust and mutual under-standing with others can beestablished We are aware ofthe importance of grassrootsinterreligious dialogue whichusually starts from inter-per-sonal friendship and grows tocommunal action for justiceand peace

7 he Church in Asia takesseriously the challenges oftoday for all religions variousconflicts and violence massive

poverty and global inequalitythe increasing numbers ofrefugees and migrants pollu-tion and environmental crisiscorruption and moral degrada-tion human trafficking and

the breakdown of social cohe-sion terrorism and all formsof fundamentalism

8 One of the most urgentchallenges in Asia is to pro-claim Jesus Chri st as the Way

the ruth and the Life whileacknowledging and respecting

what is ldquotrue and holy in otherreligionsrdquo (Nostra AetateNo 2) As a community ofdisciples we give witness to

Jes us through our pe rs onaland communal l ifestyle oflove in three interconnected

way s sil enc e pre sence andstory-telling In an existentialsilence we empty ourselvesand listen deeply to the voicesof the other without judging

wi th a lov ing hear t In thedepth of our silence we are

aware of Jesusrsquo presence amongus which is inspiring our jour-ney of interreligious dialogueand action for transformingthe world It is by telling ourown story of transformationthrough Jesus as individualpersons and as communitiesthat the globalized culture ofindifference and greedy con-sumerism is to be transformedinto the gospel-culture of soli-darity and sharing

9 In our common journey with other s we Chri stians in Asia re cognize the importanceof basic human communitiesat the grassroots level wherethe dialogue of life and actionis going on especially together

with th e indigenous people Itis through these basic humancommunities that the Churchin Asia learns the holistic

world view and the sacred cos-mic spirituality which awakeus to take care of ldquoour com-mon homerdquo We are called togo beyond our comfort zoneand to develop a new narrativeof dialogue coming from ourcommon experience with thehope of rediscovering the har-monious relationship betweenhumanity cosmos and God forthe future generation

10 We commit ourselvesmore passionately to inter-religious dialogue in Asia indifferent ways for example

bull o develop local interreli-gious dialogue and action inthe grassroots communities

bull o organize formationprograms for interreligiousdialogue within the Catholiccommunity

bull (eg Seminaries religioushouses of formation and forthe laity)

bull o promote intra-dialoguebetween Christian churchesand within Catholic institu-tions

bull o support dialogue ac-tivities and forums (eg UNInterfaith Harmony Week)

bull o advocate i nterreligiousdialogue and action in thepublic sphere and cyberspace

bull o provide adequ ate prep-aration and pastoral care to theinterreligious family

11 After these days of re-flection and sharing of ourexperiences of and insightson interreligious dialogue inthe light of Nostra Aetateguided by the Holy Spirit

we ha ve com e to re ali ze againthe importance of opennesstowards the people of otherreligions and the indispens-able role of witness to theKingdom of God ever grow-

ing in the heart of As ianpeople hrough our sincerecommitment to dialogueldquoJesus Christ will be bet -ter known recognized andlovedrdquo (PCID Dialogue inruth and Charity No 39)

F a c e b o o k

F a c e b o o k

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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B6 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

completion In this way the miracle ofthe Incarnation took place with theBlessed rinity taking the initiativeand Mary responding freely and gen-erously to the Spiritrsquos action in her

It is in response to the lead of theSpirit that Mary set out for Elizabethrsquoshouse to share with her relative theldquoGood Newsrdquo she was carrying withinher

Like mankind before Mary andChrist we too may have a bad re-cord when it comes to ldquobeing open toGodrdquo We may not be any better than

Adam and Eve or the people before theFlood (see Gn 65-6) or the builders ofthe ower of Babel (See Gn 113-4)

Tis Advent in the Year of Faith isfor all of us an opportunity to evalu-ate our standing in this respect and totake appropriate action If we decideto imitate Mary and Elizabeth in theiropenness to the Spirit we may be sure

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

HE times of John the Baptist were bad characterized as they were by selfishness greed prideaggressiveness oppression of the

weak Tis can be gatheredfrom the answers he gave tothose who had been struck byhis preaching and asked ldquoWhatought we to dordquo Johnrsquos strongly

worded call to conversion was

amply justified All needed toundergo a ldquometanoiardquo a changeof mind and attitude in order toenter the Reign of God

Te situation does not seemto have changed much since thetime of John the Baptist We livein a society plagued with the samemoral defects and vices People arestill greedy selfish aggressive

And of course the temptation isalways to see these moral failuresin others

In many cases it may be truethat there is so much evil aroundus But it is equally true that wetoo are not perfect here isevil in us too We fail morallyalmost every day and in various

ways We too need to undergoa ldquometanoiardquo a radical conver-sion ldquoRadicalrdquo here means that it

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

WE all experience the dif-ference that physical dark-ness or light produces inus Darkness makes us feeluneasy even anxious andafraid Light gives us a senseof security It enables us torealize where we are and

what to do

his is why the Bibli-cal creation story tells usthat ldquoIn the beginningrdquo (ie when nothing existedexcept God) ldquodarkness cov-ered the abyssrdquo Ten Godsaid ldquoLet there be lightrdquo And there was light Godsaw how good the lightwas rdquo (Gn 14a) Tepresence of light enabledGod to proceed with the

work of creation with allits wonders and poten-tials and thereby conquerthe darkness of chaos andmeaninglessness

should not stop at the individualactions but has to affect our at-titudes and set of values ie thevery root of our actions Tereshouldnrsquot be the least doubt so-ciety will start changing for thebetter the very moment we beginto improve

Advent and the special obser-vances for this year (Extraordinary

Jubilee Year of Mercy Year of theEucharist and of the Family) areinvaluable opportunities for us

to start or resume moving in theright direction Like those whoapproached John we should ask ldquoWhat are we to dordquo Te answersmay be as many as there are personalmoral situations but a ldquocommondenominatorrdquo easily applies to allOur fundamental attitude has gotto be one of openness availabilityand goodwill

Te first requirement is ldquoopen-ness to Godrdquo in grateful love andexpectation in prayer of ldquopetitionand thanksgivingrdquo (see Phil 46)mdashfor the Lord is coming to dwell inour midst and to be our ldquomightySaviorrdquo (See First Reading v 17)

Te second basic requirementis ldquoopenness to peoplerdquo hismeans readiness to share ourgoods generously with the lessfortunate (see Lk 311) to be fair

But aside from physical lightand darkness there are otherforms of these two oppositerealities in the intellectualemotional moral and spiri-tual domains In the JudeanChristian revelation light isassociated and even identifiedwith God while darkness is as-sociated and identified with sinand evil St John the Evangelistproclaims ldquoGOD IS LIGHrdquo(1 Jn 15) Consequently a lifelived without God is darknessmdashthe darkness of sin and hell (See

John 319-21) No wonder thenthat the Incarnation of GodrsquosSon is compared to the comingof light to earth (See Jn 15 and1246)

And this is precisely what wecommemorate and celebrate atChristmas the coming of thelight of Godrsquos holiness andgoodness to fight and defeatthe darkness of evil in all itsforms

In the extraordinary andunique event of the Incarna-

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

MANKIND has had a bad record fromthe very beginning of its historymdashthecriminal record of shutting God outof its plans and life Such an attitudehad few exceptions in Abram Mosesthe prophets And even those ex-ceptions were not always 100 clearIt was only with Mary that a differentattitude started to prevail an attitudeof total openness to the action of Godin onersquos life and of full availability tocooperate with Him in the actualiza-tion of His plan

Mary was the most open of all tothe inspirations and promptings ofthe Holy Spirit Like a very sensitiveharp she let the Spirit produce in herand through her the wonderful melodyof manrsquos salvation which only thedivine love can initiate and bring to

REFLECTIONS

P u b l i c d

o m a i n

C B C P N e w s

Christmas the triumph of light

The ldquoNEW JERUSALEMrdquo isthe perfect realization of Godrsquos

plan and the fulfillment of our

deepest aspirations

4th Sunday of Advent (C) Luke 139-45

December 20 2015

Solemnity of Christmas (C) John 11-18

December 25 2015

3rd Sunday of Advent (C) Luke 310-18

ldquoRejoice Sundayrdquo December 13 2015

Our advent priorities

Countdown B3

that He will work wonders also in usno matter how insignificant and weak

we may consider ourselves (See Mi51)

We need the impulse of the HolySpirit and His empowering supportto get out of ourselves to show aninterest in others and share with themthe blessings we have received from theLord including our joy (See attitudeof Mary Lk 146-49)

We need to be open to the Spiritin imitation of Mary in order tohave Christ formed in us or betterin order to be molded unto him If

we cult ivat e such an openn ess andavailability we shall ever more becomeChrist-like in our thoughts aspira-tions attitudes and actions Andthus we shall be totally committedto do our share in carrying out theFatherrsquos plan of saving love as Christdid (See Heb 105-7)

Open to the spirit in imitation of Mary

Lady of the Sacred Heart Andby the time I left the church

which is just a five-minute walkfrom my house what else couldI say but thank You Really thereis nothing much else one can say

Our Lady and Child in SanSalvatore in Onda

Funny what one sees whenone changes perspectives Goinghome from jogging one day Idecided to pass by the right (in-stead of the left) side of Via deiPettinari (Combmakersrsquo Street)I happened to look up by chanceand I saw this charming image of

Our Lady I had never seen be-fore even if Irsquod already passed by

here more than ten times Ten when I looked down I likewisenoticed what should have beenan inconspicuous door Now Isaw there was a paper posted onit hinting that inside was actuallya church called San Salvatore inOnda and the place where SaintVincent Pallottirsquos remains arevenerated I took mental noteof the opening schedule andresolved I would do the secondday of my novena there

What was beh ind that in-conspicuous door Actually asmall but amazingly beautiful

jewel of a church First behind

the green door commonly seenalong the street was another set

of wider doors made of beauti-ful strong old wood It had ahuge tarp proudly claiming thatSt John Paul II had visited thischurch For such a small churchI thought it would be surprisingany pope would do that

But of course if one knew JP IIand St Vincent Pallotti and whatthey each stood for one wouldunderstand For JP II loved topromote the apostolate amonglay people and St Vincent inhis own 19th century religious

way was one of the promotersof the lay apostolate at the time

when it was so much lacking

He founded the ldquoPious Unionof Catholic Apostolaterdquo Tatrsquos a

union of priests religious and la-itymdashbut the ldquoPallotinesrdquo as theyare called really just consists ofthe religious brothers and priestsand the laity are well theyrsquorethere But that was certainly ahuge start

Te church is now their homebase but it wasnrsquot so at first Builtnear the end of the 11th andbeginning of the 12th centuryit was given to the Franciscansfrom which two popes camefrom Knowing this historic-ity of the church and that StVincentrsquos body is now underthe altar one then understands

this church deserved the Popersquosvisit But to add to these therersquos

to everybody and be absolutelyhonest with all (See Lk 313-14)

All this is love of neighbor in itsmost elementary form and noone can claim to be exempted orto have done enough

o this we have to add thepursuit of all those ldquonatural valuesand virtuesrdquo that Paul lists in theSecond Reading (See Phil 48)Only on these conditions shall

we be able to ldquobe glad and exult with all our heartsrdquo (Zep 314) and

begin to enjoy ldquoGodrsquos own peace which is beyond all understand-ingrdquo (Phil 47)

If on the contrary we refuseto heed Johnrsquos (Godrsquos) call toconversion this Advent will bea series of ldquomissed opportuni-tiesrdquo Tere may still be laughterbut very little joy We may giveand receive plenty of gifts but

without experiencing the bliss ofreal generosity In other words wemay be like one of the decorationshanging on Christmas trees glit-tering and colorful outside butempty and ugly inside

It need not be so It should nothis Advent we have a chanceto really change for the betterstarting from ldquowithinrdquo And it isup to us to make the most of thisopportunity

tion the divine light becomesa human beingmdashJESUS OFNAZAREH His coming is not a lightning in the night thatsoon vanishes in the persistentdarkness of the sky Rather it isan enduring event mdashthe fulfill-ment of a well thought-out plandestined to last till the end oftime and beyond

Te Incarnation is an eventthat is not confined to the placeand time where it took placebut a permanent reality thatconcerns and affects the entireuniverse as well as the life ofeach human being Tis is sobecause the life and mission ofthe God-Man born in Bethle-

hem is to bring the light of loveand grace into the history ofmankind into the life of everyhuman person

his is why we believe andproclaim that Christmasmdashthecoming and dwelling of Godrsquoslight on earth ndash makes all the dif-ference Te world will never bethe same as before the ldquoChrist-

mas eventrdquo simply because Godldquopitched His tentrdquo among us More still He became one of us

He did so in order to enableeach individual and mankindas a whole to fight and over-come the many forms of dark-ness that oppress frighten andenslave usmdashthe darkness of

hopelessness meaninglessnessfear hatred oppression but es-pecially the darkness of sin andof whatever leads to the endlessdarkness of being separated fromGod forever

Nowadays the all-pervadingcacophony of commercialismand materialism tend to dis-robe Christmas of its sacred-ness and saving dimensionand to confine it to the realm

of a myth lost in the vaguenessof a distant past Against suchbackground it is essential thatwe Christian believers ap-preciate the importance ofthe historical event of theIncarnation and its relevanceto our life today

Christmas as the joyful com-memoration of the Incarnationof Godrsquos Son is an invitationto ACCEP Jesus Christ intoour existence as the light of the

world the light of our life It isalso an invitation to REJOICEin the light that radiates from

Jesusrsquo presence teaching and

example It is a commitmentto LIVE as children of thelight and thereby eliminatein ourselves and around usthe darkness of sin and evilin all their forms Christmasis an invitation and a chal-lenge to SPREAD the light ofGodrsquos love through our wordsand deeds

In this perspective theHoly Fatherrsquos call to be ac-

tively involved in the workof a NEW EVANGELIZA-ION becomes absolutely vital and releva nt to thisseason of light and joy Itis the first step toward anever-greater involvement inthe wonderful enterprise ofbuilding Godrsquos luminousKingdom of peace love andhope that can usher in theldquonew heavens and the newearthrdquo the ldquoNEW JERU-SALEMrdquo that is the perfectrealization of Godrsquos plan andthe fulfillment of our deepestaspirations

also the sheer beauty of medievaland renaissance art that one seeson the ceiling and the simplebaldachin under which Mass

was held when I was there Teimage of Our Lady and Child byCesare Mariani in the main altaris also arresting

Te church has the appellationldquoin Onda rdquo which means ldquoin the

waverdquo most probably becauseof the frequent flooding of theiber Irsquove seen some of thesesigns on marble stone aroundseveral parts in Rome indicat-ing where the river was at this orthat point and therersquos only one

thing I can say Te worst Manilafloods are as if only two inches

compared to Rome flooding inthose days Irsquom not sure if thishas any connection to one imageof Our Lady venerated there ona huge side altar ldquoVirgin mostPowerfulrdquomdashbecause one cer-tainly needed a huge power tosurvive such inundations

But last night I know I wasinundated by only one thingmdashthanksgiving for being surround-ed by such beauty and holiness

(Robert Z Cortes is a PhDstudent in Social InstitutionalCommunication at the PontificalUniversity of Santa Croce Rome

He has an MA in Ed Leadership from Columbia University)

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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B7CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

tions might become ever more numeroustill they become the rule

It is in the family that the reform ofsociety begins because it is there that welearn to respect and help one another wepractice patience and justice we learn toshare and to love in an unselfish and practi-cal manner Pope Francis speaking to theFilipino families during his Pastoral Visit

in January 2015 said ldquoIn the family wecome to know God to grow into menand women of faith to see ourselves asmembers of Godrsquos greater family theChurch In the family we learn how tolove to forgive to be generous and opennot closed and selfish We learn to movebeyond our own needs to encounterothers and share our lives with them Tat is why it is so important to pray as afamily Tat is why families are so impor-tant in Godrsquos plan for the Churchrdquo

A family where God is at home is afamily at peace Such was the Holy Familyat Nazareth And the yearly celebration ofits feast is not just a well-deserved tributepaid to its three members It is also an in-vitation and encouragement to make ourfamilies today what the family of JosephMary and Jesus was in those daysmdasha ha- ven of love of God and neighbor at itsbest a home where God felt at home afamily according to Godrsquos heart

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

PRAYING together as a family seems nolonger fashionable nowadays Te reasonsare varied so many commitments con-flicts of schedule practical impossibility ofbeing together Tere are of coursehappy exceptions of parents who everyevening gather their children for somemoments of reflection on the Word ofGod reconciliation shared prayer andrecitation of the Rosary hese samepeople are usually the ones who on Sun-days attend the Eucharistic celebrationas a family From this they derive strengthharmony cohesion And at the same timethey become an inspiration to the wholeparish community It is when the familygathers together for prayer that its mem-bersmdashboth parents and childrenmdashseethemselves under the common fatherlyauthority of God

A family that renews every day itscovenant with the Lord will have notime for endless bickering jealousyunfaithfulness harsh manners on thepart of the parents or rebellion on thepart of their children

Te families that pray together are re-ally mini ldquofaith communitiesrdquo or ldquolittlechurchesrdquo One wishes that these excep-

SOCIAL CONCERNS

M a s t e r o f t h e A n t w e r p A d o r a t i o n

M a r k E u s e b i o

Feast of the Holy Family (C) Luke 241-52

December 27 2015

World Day of Peace (C)

Luke 216-21

January 1 2016

Baptism of the Lord (C) Luke 315-16 21-22 January 10 2016

Solemnity of Epiphany (C) Matthew 21-12

January 3 2016

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

HE world is torn by wars and conflicts of every kindmdashwarsamong nations factions families Afraid of the tragediesof war simple people yearn for peace Some governments andpeace-oriented organizations try to achieve peace throughnegotiations and compromise Fortunately many times theysucceed in establishing at least a ceasefire

But we all know that peace is not simply the absence offighting Peacemdashit has been written in so many waysmdashisthe fruit of justice among nations groups individuals Morethan this peace is the fruit of being in a harmonious rela-tionship not only with others but also with oneself andespecially with God Tere can be no peace where there isrejection of God

Peace is just another word for love another word forgrace It prospers only with the defeat of sin And just asall the sufferings and destructions of war are both a sign anda consequence of sin so the defeat of sin in ourselves andaround us produces that inexpressible feeling of satisfactionand harmony that no material riches can buy and no balanceof power can create

Real lasting peace is what God the source of all good-ness wants for all mankind But in order for that peaceto become a reality we have to do our share First of allwe have to pray for it Ten we have to work for it Tatmeans to make every effort to bring it about Ten the Lord

will bless our efforts by granting us that genuine peace thathas in Him its origin and support On our part we have toaccept Godrsquos blessing of peace with humble gratitude as Heoffers it to us not as an abstract concept but as a person ndashHis very own Son Jesus Christ He is our peace becauseHe is the One who reconciles all men with the Father andamong themselves the One who reconciles each of us

with ourselves In Him we are able to recognize all humanbeings as our brothers and sisters all members of the onebig family that has God as the common Father He is theOne who called the peacemakers ldquoblessedrdquo and gave peaceto His disciples as His farewell gift

Jesus the King of Peace comes to us not in a vision orlike rain from the clouds He comes from a human motherMary Most Holy the woman of peace who has been ableto open herself to the Source of all peace and has fashionedHim in that human form in which all can recognize andlove as their elder brother In this way Mary and peace arevitally and dynamically linked And she brings peace to ourtroubled hearts and lives as Godrsquos messenger as she givesus Jesus in this Christmas season

Pope Francis calls all of us

to CARE FOR OUR COM-MON HOME Tis is one ofthe most important remindersin our times to really show re-spect to God who created allTe issuance of mining permit

will allow tree cutting activi -ties in almost 10000 hectaresland area Tis will lead to thedestruction of the very fewremaining forest in the Philip-pines and in the world We

would expec t a more imba l-ance ecology extinction ofdiversified natural resourcesexample flora fauna insectsanimals (including the Philip-pine Eagle) floods sicknesses

We reiterate that we would not

like this to happen We must remember that the

Home B4

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

EPIPHANY is the manifestation of Jesusas the MessiahSavior of all men includ-ing the pagans of goodwill representedby the Magi As such it is also the mani-festation of the divine plan hidden forcenturies in God to unite all human beingsin Christ (See Eph 11-10)

Evermore mankind moves toward the for-mation of a great international communityTis is according to Godrsquos plan Its roots arein creation itself ldquoGlobalizationrdquo is the ldquoin-thingrdquo nowadays It is a ldquosign of the timesrdquo to

which we should pay attention Tough theconcern of most of its proponents seems tobe economic its basic assumption is correctwe are one world one family of nations

Whatever is incompatible wi th this ldquoone-nessrdquo should be abolished

Many oppose globalization because if we

limit it to its economic aspect and to tearingdown trade barriers almost surely it will leadto the rich becoming richer and the poorbecoming poorer But if we take this wordto mean essentially the abolition of all bar-riers that have been erected by human prideselfishness ghetto mentalities or racism andif it ushers in a greater solidarity of thestronger with the weaker and a generoussharing by the rich with the poor thenglobalization is according to Godrsquos planand all Christians should be its most en-thusiastic supporters

Epiphany has also a special messageconcerning the attitude of all religions

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

WE say tha t people make aldquoprophetic gesturerdquo when theydo something striking that is alsoa sign of greater things to comeTose gestures reveal the depthof their passion or commitmentthey are meant to shake peopleand somehow force them to makea choice either for or againstcertain vital issues

In his lifetime Jesus mademany ldquoprophetic gesturesrdquo

such as his driving the tradersout of the emple the healingof the paralytic and many othermiracles He performed All thosegestures were ldquospectacularrdquo intheir own way Tey attracted theattention of the crowds which

wondered what their ldquomeaningrdquocould be

Tere was in the life of Jesus aldquogesturerdquo which was not spectacu-lar at all and which went unno-ticed by almost everybody exceptHis cousin John His baptism inthe River Jordan Tat gesture

was absolutely ldquocommonrdquo andldquoordinaryrdquo for it was somethingthat almost everybody was doingin those days in response to the

exhortation of John the BaptistBut Jesusrsquo baptism at the Jor-

dan lost in the crowd of sinners who were seeking forgivenesshad a depth of meaning thatmade it one of his most dra-matic ldquoprophetic gesturesrdquo It

was his baptism in fact whichrevealed the essence of Jesusrsquomission and became the occa-sion for the revelation of hisconcealed divine identity

he ldquoprophetic dimensionrdquoof Jesusrsquo action was not so muchin his entering the waters of the

Jordan ashis immersing himselfin the crowd of sinners Tat was

something unthinkable and un-believable Only Godrsquos incrediblelove for every human being andall mankind could have conceivedsuch an ldquoimmersionrdquo which was socomplete and involving as to be atotal ldquoidentificationrdquo Tat wasthe reason why the eternal andall-holy Son of God had comedown from heaven and had un-dergone the fullest ldquoimmersionrdquoin the ocean of mankindrsquos miseryand in human history Jesusrsquobaptism is a clear manifestationof Godrsquos mercy toward mankindTe Word the eternal Son of theFather clad in human flesh in

Jesus of Nazareth becomes one with sinful mankind not to be its

judge but its Savior and the HolySpirit appearing in the form of a

dove a symbol of peace remindsus of Godrsquos mercy on the ldquorem-nantrdquo of mankind as the purifyingflood subsided (See Gen 810-11) Jesusrsquo baptism was a furthermanifestation of the meaning andpurpose of the Incarnation

hrough that ldquoimmersionidentificationrdquo the totally sinless Jesus became a part not onlyof the relatively small group ofsinners gathered by the banksof the Jordan but also of theimmense crowd of sinners thatis the whole of humankind And

just as his immersive in the watersof the river sanctified them so didhis presence among the crowd ofsinners bring them the possibilityof receiving purification from sin

Tat was exactly Jesusrsquo missionIsaiah the prophet had alreadyforeseen this when he announcedthat the mission of the ldquoServant ofthe Lordrdquo was to bring ldquojusticerdquo(that is holiness) to the nationsOf him the Lord God said ldquoIformed you and set you as a cov-enant of the people a light forthe nations to open the eyes ofthe blind to bring out prisonersfrom confinement and from thedungeon those who live in dark-nessrdquo (See todayrsquos First Reading)

In his life Jesus ldquoactualizedrdquosuch a liberating and sanctify-

ing ldquoimmersionrdquo by associatingwith sinners and even seekingtheir company ndash something thatshocked the ldquoholyrdquo people of histime His association with ldquopublicsinnersrdquo was bound to tarnishhis reputation as his opponentspointed out on several occasions

Jesus did not mind that criti-cism and continued like beforeformdashas he himself saidmdashit is sickpeople who need a doctor (SeeMt 912) But his immersinghimself in the crowd of sin-ful mankind cost Jesus much

moremdashit cost him his very lifefor he was put to death to atonefor the sins of all

Jesusrsquo vicarious self-offering was so power ful in its effec tbecause of who he wasmdashGodrsquosbeloved Son on whom the Fa-therrsquos favor rested Such a solemnproclamation of Jesusrsquo divineidentity soon after his baptismbalanced so to speak his hid-ing himself among the crowdof sinners at the Jordan RiverIt also completed the ldquopropheticnaturerdquo of what happened on thatdaymdashGodrsquos very Son coming tosave all mankind by sharing fullyits predicament of misery in or-der to transform it from within

through the superabundant holi-ness that only God is

Families according to Godrsquos heart

symbolized by the Magi toward JesusChrist He should be the one acknowledgedby all believers as the universal Savior sentby God to bring all mankind back to GodTe gifts offered by the Magi to Jesus in

Bethlehem can symbolize the different char-acteristics which the major world religionscan offer as their distinct contribution to theestablishment of the Kingdom proclaimedand established by Christ the gold of faithin one merciful God and the power of His Word as a feature of Islam the incense ofmeditation love for nature and peace thatcharacterize Buddhism the myrrh of dedica-tion and industriousness that characterizeConfucianism Jesus rejects nothingof the values these faiths have He acceptsthem all and brings them together into onepractical synthesis that makes humankindthe family of God on earth

Jesus is indeed the center of humanhistory because he is the center of Godrsquosplan for mankind He is the ldquocenterrdquonot only in the sense that his coming hasdivided the centuries into two great blocks

of ldquobeforerdquo and ldquoafterrdquo Christ He is alsothe one in whom all men can find thecommon point of reference to form a realfamily of nations and peoples withoutcoercion or exploitation Te light of hisGospel can penetrate all cultures assumeall their valid elements and purify the restfrom those negative aspects which thepower of sin has gradually introduced inthem

Only Jesus Christ can keep all men unitedin a community of sincere respect lastingsolidarity and practical love For the plan ofthe Father born of love will find its fulfill-ment only in LOVE

Mary of NazarethMother of JesusMother of peace

Christ the unifying centerof all mankind

One with sinners to save them

environment can exist even

without us but we can neverexist without the environmentnature We only have one com-mon home the Earth there isno other

We urge the Dep ar tmentof Environment and NaturalResources to take the real leadto protect our remaining ldquoenvi-ronment and natural resourcesrdquoplan with other governmentagencies and environmentallyconcern organizationsfounda-tions on how to preserve ourremaining forests and marinelife sanctuaries

NO O MINING IN MA-GUM PUJADA BAY AND SA-LINGCOMO MAI CIY

PROVINCE OF DAVAO ORI-ENAL

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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B8 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

Look for the images of Saint Joseph Mama

Mary and Baby Jesus

(Illustration by Bladimer Usi)

Bladimer UsiLolo Kiko

Buhay Parokya

KANISS Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) both a victor in andsubverter of Panemrsquos Hunger Games is now a symbol of the revolu-tion whom rebel president Alma Coin (Julianne Moore) and powerbroker Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman) want to usestrictly as a poster girl Stubborn freedom-fighter Katniss howeverhas her own agenda and that includes killing President Snow (Don-ald Sutherland]) to end once and for all the senseless deaths of somany young people Forming a team of rag-tag soldiers that includeclosest friends Gale (Liam Hemsworth) Finnick (Sam Claflin) andPeeta (Josh Hutcherson) she goes off on a mission risking theirlives through a booby-trapped war to liberate the citizens of PanemTe final confrontation between Katniss and Snow presided overby Coin is an electrifying game-changer

Te Hunger Games is not exempted from the fad of choppinginto ldquopartsrdquo the movie adaptations of popular books Harry Potterwilight Te Hobbitmdashthey have all stretched their heroesrsquo exploitsto prolong box office earning power and yet the fans wait AfterHunger Games MockingjayPart 1 which judging fromits relatively weak performanceat the tills must have been aforgettable movie that testedthe patience of fans Mocking-

jay Part 2 revs up with moreof the thrills that have madethe Hunger Games series theprototype of dystopia flicks foryoung adults (Divergent et al)Te strong cast monumentallycontributes to the realism of theHunger Games franchisemdashhowcan it go wrong with a leonineSutherland a steely Moore asly Hoffman And of coursethe winner Lawrence who canequally sell with aplomb partscalling for either vulnerability orverve In Mockingjay 2 the starsrsquo solid performances interwoven

with heart-stopping CGI make for a fitting finale to a story that

capitalizes on manrsquos inhumanity to manItrsquos surprising that a number of film critics are disappointed with the

filmrsquos ending calling it ldquosappyrdquo and an anti-climactic conclusion to anadrenalin-packed series that promised so much by way of action andheroism Teir cynical remarks remind us of biblical Israel waiting fora savior who would topple down the ruling elite with its own brandof kingship but is instead given a Jesus Christ CINEMA thinks theending is actually a statement that magnifies the upbeat message of the

whole story enough is enough Murder as spectator sport is sub-human At least when beasts kill it is to survive but in Panem the poor youngpeople are robbed of choice and must kill in order to livemdashas enter-tainment for the elite So Mockingjay mocks the elite it cries ldquoGivehumanity a chancerdquo Whatrsquos wrong with wanting to dump violence tostart afresh Choose life not death Arrows that used to kill people arealso useful for hunting fowl for the dinner tablemdashis that against the lawldquourn your swords into ploughs and your spears into pruning hooksrdquoMaybe the cynicsrsquo eyes have grown to love the Hunger Gamesrsquo darknessthat the sunlight-dappled scenery blinds them Or maybe after fallingin love with the couture of Panemrsquos stylish crowd theyrsquore simply horri-

fied by Katnissrsquo drastic costume change Whatever CINEMA wouldnrsquothave wanted the ending any other way

ENTERTAINMENT

MAGPAPAKASAL at magsump-aang magmamahalan nang wagasang dating live-in partners nasina Basya (Bea Alonzo) at Popoy(John Lloyd Cruz) Bilang mgalisensyadong enhinyero at arkitektoay magtataguyod sila ng construc-tion business na mabilis na uunladLalong magpupursige ang mag-asawa na magpalago ng negosyodahil magbubuntis si Basya Naisnilang mabigyan ng magandangkinabukasan ang kanilang anak

Subalit dahil sa pressure ng tra-baho ay makukunan si Basya attuluyang mawawala ang sanggolna kanyang dinadala Labis itongikalulungkot nina Basya at Popoykaya napagkasunduan nila ayonna rin sa mungkahi ni Basya natitigil siya sa pagtatrabaho upangmakabuo uli sila ng baby Nanatilisi Basya sa bahay at di nakialam sanegosyo sa loob ng dalawang taonPinaubaya niya ang pagpapatakbong negosyo kay Popoy Magtitiwalasi Basya sa kakayanan ng asawa namahusay nitong mapapamahalaanang kompanya katulad ng nagingproblema ng pagguho ng isangbuilding project Hindi rin gu-gustuhin ni Popoy na bigyan ngalalahanin si Basya Samantala sakabila ng magandang saloobin nilasa isarsquot isa ay ang napipintong pag-kalugi ng negosyo na siya namangililihim ni Popoy kay Basya Dahilsasarilinin ni Popoy ang problemamaapektuhan ng tuluyan angkanilang pagsasama

Sequel ng pelikulang One MoreChance na pinalabas noong 2007ang Second Chance Matatan-daang tumatatak ang naunangpelikula dahil sa mga tinatawag nalsquohugot linesrsquo nina Alonzo at Cruzsa nasabing pelikula Di namannabigo ang mga nag-abang sa se-quel na ito dahil naganap nga angsecond chance sa mga pangunah-ing tauhan na sina Basya at PopoyMalinis ang pagkakadugtong ng

dalawang pelikula --- parehongmga tauhan at kontexto gayundinang mga artistang nagsiganap Sakabila ng pagkakaroon ng prequelay napanatili ang malayang istoryang Second Chance bilang isangpelikula Bagamat predictable ang

wakas ay naging kasabik-sabikpa din ang mga eksena at mgapalitan ng linya ng lahat ng tau-han Di matatawaran ang husayng pagganap nina Alonzo at Cruzbilang mag-asawa panalo talagaang tinatawag na chemistry nilangdalawa Di rin nagpahuli nag mgakatuwang na aktor at aktres Mag-aling ang ginawang trato ng direk-

tor para mapalabas ang kalakasanng mga nagsiganap at ang mgaeksenang hinaluan ng patawa lalona sa eksena kasama ng mga kai-bigan Simple lamang ang disenyong produksyon pero nakatulongang mga kuha ng camera at edit-ing para maging makabuluhan saistorya ang setting Makahuluganang composition na nagpapakitang electric fan para sa mensahe nanagtitipid na ang mag-asawa dahillugi na ang kompanya

Mayaman sa mensahe parasa mga mag-asawa ang SecondChance Pinakita sa pelikula angrealidad ng buhay may-asawa nahindi lang puro kasarapan sa halip aymga pagsubok na maaring mauwi sahiwalayan kung hindi haharapin ataayusin Sa relasyon ng mag-asawa

ay napakahalaga ng magiging bu-kas sa isarsquot isa kaya anuman angpagdaanan ay magkatuwang nahaharapin Ang pagtatago ni Popoyng katotohanan kay Basya ang nag-ing mitsa ng lumubhang alitan dipagkakaunawaan pagkawala ngrespeto at palitan ng masasakitna salitamdashpati tiwala sa sarili aynawala At sa punto na pipiliin ngisa na lumayo at hanapin ang sariliay nakatulong na balikan ang mga

sumpaan binatiwan nuong sila ayikinasal at higit sa lahat ang kanilangpagmamahal sa isarsquot isa Mainamdin na may mga kaibigan at pamilyana pwedeng lapitan na susuporta athindi manghuhusga manunumbato mang-uudyok sa paggawa ng maliKapuna-puna lang na bagamatnagsimula at nagwakas ang pelikulasa chapel ay tila di man lang nilanaisipan na magdasal habang maypinagdaraanan sila Nais isipin ngCINEMA na ang gusto lamangsabihin ng pelikula ay ang pag-aasawa ay hindi lamang sa pagitanng dalawang tao kundi dapat aykasama palagi ang Diyos

DIRECTOR Cathy Garcia-Molina

LEAD CAST Bea AlonzoJohn Lloyd Cruz DimplesRomana

SCREENWRITER VanessaValdez Carmi Raymundo

GENRE Romantic Drama

CINEMATOGRAPHER NoelTeehankee

RUNNING TIME 130 minutesTECHNICAL ASSESSMENT

MORAL ASSESSMENT CINEMA Rating V13

A SECONDCHANCE

DIRECTOR Francis LawrenceLEAD CAST Jennifer Law-

rence Josh HutchersonLiam Hemsworth WoodyHarrelson Donald Suther-land Julianne Moore PhilipSeymour Hoffman

GENRE Adventure ScienceFiction

RUNNING TIME 137 minutesTECHNICAL ASSESSMENT

MORAL ASSESSMENT CINEMA rating V14

THE HUNGER

GAMESMOCKINGJAY 2

Buhay San Miguel Brothers Matias

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 1724

Philippine Army Chaplaincy CFC

Hold 1st National Convention

The first-ever OACCS - OSM CEP Convention further strengthened the camaraderie between the chaplaincy and the local CFC created a more solid CFC OSM Core enabledthe stakeholders to work together and recognized the efforts of those who work tirelessly under the program

CFC Metro Manila as one big happy family worshipped danced sang played gamesand had fun during the last MC Gathering of the year

By Alma Alvarez

CFC ANCOP USA Pontificio Collegio Fillipino Sign Partnership Agreement

CFC MM MC Celebrates the Family

HIS Eminence Cardinal Luis Antonio agle Chairman of PontificioCollegio Filippino and its Rector Msgr Greg Gaston recently signedthe ANCOP USA Priest Sponsorship Program (PSP) partnership

with Eric Villanueva Roger Santos and Rollie Balanza Couples forChrist - ANCOP USA leaders Te ANCOP USA PSP will assistpriests from the Philippines who will be sent by their Bishops to doadvance studies in Rome

In his letter to Villanueva Cardinal agle wrote ldquoOur partnership will

allow more Bishops to send Priests for ongoing formation and furtherstudies in Rome to better equip them in serving Gods people as SeminaryFormators and as collaborators in the different Diocesan Ministries back

HE Metro Manila Mission Coregathered as one big CFC familyduring this months MC Assemblylast December 6 2015 Leadersfrom the Family Ministries likewisecame to the Ynares Sports Arenato hear Mass together celebrateshowcase talents play in the fungames and just enjoy each otherscompany before the end of the year

CFC Spiritual Director Msgr Allen Aganon celebrated Mass Inhis homily Msgr Allen emphasizedthe enormity of the role of John theBaptist as the one who heralded thecoming of Jesus Christ despite hishumble beginnings He challengedthe CFC leaders to be like Johnthe Baptist

We are ordinary people who

home As a result our Church in the Philippines will be strengthenedso that Priests and laity alike could carry out our respective work ofevangelization and service not only to the Church but also to societyrdquo

According to the agreement the PSP is for Masters Licentiate orDoctorate studies only ANCOP USA PSP funds will cover the priestrsquosboard and lodging at the Collegio in the amount of $10000 per year

All other needs such as tuition fees medical insurance transportationbooks etc will be provided for by the Bishop as a local counterpart

Tis would ensure that priests can benefit from the partnershipo donate or to know more about the program please visitwwwancopusa-psporg

THE CFC Order of St Michael(OSM) in cooperation with thePhilippine Army Ofce of theArmy Chief Chaplain Service(OACCS) staged the rst everCharacter Enhancement Pro-gram (CEP) Convention last No-vember 24 2015 at the PhilippineAir Force Museum Pasay CityRetired Col Arturo Alabanza amember of CFC Metro Manila(South B) and head of the OSM

OSM C4

together with the OSM Corespearheaded the event

In his opening remarks Alabanza describedhow the OSM came together with the OACCS

and forged a long-term partnership to ldquodeveloprighteous God-fearing soldiers loved by theFilipino peoplerdquo through the CEP Te CFCOSM has developed modules specifically cater-ing to the soldiers their spouses and childrenOACCS on the other hand has the author-ity to mandate Commanding Officers of thevarious Army camps nationwide to employthe CEP

Te convention allowed the stakeholders toreport on the accomplishments and enabledthe Army Chaplains from the different Infan-

try Divisions to plan with their local Couplesfor Christ counterparts regarding strategies forCEP and its continuing spiritual enhancementmodules It was likewise an opportunity for

CFC OSM to present the second module forthe CEP which the group plans to roll outbeginning 2016

ANCOP Chairman Joe Yamamoto in hisinspirational talk reiterated Pope Francisrsquo callfor new evangelization and emphasized thatthe partnership is a clear response of each per-son involved whether it be the Chaplaincy orthe lay stakeholders to be agents of change inthe spiritual realm within the Philippine Army

Several of those serving in the program

His Eminence Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle and the leaders of CFC ANCOP USA f orging a strong partnership for further education among Filipino clergy

are called to herald Christ andto be missionaries of mercy heemphasized

Te Mass was followed by theopening worship led by the MetroManila Missions Director MannyGarcia and a brief message fromCFC Chairman Joe ale

Te CFC Order of St Michaelthrough its Head Art Alabanzatook the opportunity to honor the55 Singles for Christ volunteers

who served in the Christian LifeProgram for the PMA Cadets inBaguio Te fun-filled games forthe adults and children talentpresentations and face-paintingadded to the festive mood rulyit was a day for the family (CFCGlobal Communications)

Reconciliation is Key to Advent PreparationsldquoTHE best way to prepare forChristmas is reconciliation Thebirth of Jesus is Gods offering ofreconciliationrdquo

his was the essence of the Advent recollection given by FrGerard imoner OP Provincialof the Dominican Order in thePhilippines for the workers of theCFC Global Mission Office Terecollection was held last Novem-ber 28 2015 at the Obizpado deCubao in Quezon City

In his reflection Fr imoner

creatively wove reconciliation withforgiveness as well as the new

evangelization taking into account Jesusrsquo words to ldquoshake off the dust

from your feetrdquo According to hima good spiritual foot spamdashthe act

of shaking the dust off onersquos feet toremove all traces of the bad news to

enable one to proclaim the GoodNewsmdashis essential in preparing

oneself during AdventFr imoner described for-

giveness as ldquosetting a prisonerfree and realizing that thatprisoner is yourdquo He illustratesldquoJesus did not forgive whileon the cross Instead he saidlsquoFather forgive them for theyknow not what they dorsquo We canonly forgive if we engage Godsforgiveness within our ownrdquo

he best path to the newevangelization is to allow our-selves to be reconciled with God

amp each other he emphasized(A Alvarez)

The News Supplement of

Couples for Christ

C1CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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Reflections on Advent

I IS the start of a new liturgical

year As in every year the previ-ous liturgical year ended withthe feast of Christ the King afitting high point indeed Aftergoing through the year observ-ing the various highs and lowsand phases of His life in theend and rightly so we proclaim

Jesus as indeed the King of kingsand the Lord of lords

And so the Church starts thecycle anew beginning fromHis birth into this world obuild up to that we have theseason of advent of waitingof anticipating of preparingfor the birth of He who werecognize and proclaim as theKing of kings

One would expect that thismajor season is ushered in

with Bible vers es express ingthe level of excitement befit-ting the birth of the King ofthe universe It is therefore abit surprising and soberingthat the opening reading ofthis season is one with a themethat speaks not of celebrationbut of foreboding of the com-ing end times

here wil l be strangethings happening to the sunto the moon and the stars Onearth whole countries will bein despair afraid of the roarof the sea and the raging tidesPeople will faint from fear asthey wait for what is comingover the whole earth for the

Joe Tale

powers in space will be driven

from their courses hen theSon of Man will appear comingin a cloud of great power andglory When these things begin tohappen stand up and raise yourheads because your salvation isnear Luke 2125-28

Moreover we are enjoined tobe on watch and to be vigilantin a specific way Be careful notto let yourselves become occu-pied with too much feasting anddrinking and with the worries ofthis life or that Day will suddenlycatch you like a trap For it willcome upon all people everywhereon earth Be on watch and prayalways that you will have thestrength to go safely through allthose things that will happen andto stand before the Son of Man

Luke 2134-36It is significant we might evensay ironic that during this seasonof merriment in anticipation ofthe birth of the Messiah we are

warned exactly not t o be merryIn this period that we normallycelebrate with much food and

wine and music we are instructedto refrain from such things

Is the verse dousing cold wa-ter on all these festivities andpreventing us from celebrating

joyously the arr ival of t he KingNot so he verse simply re-

minds us of something more im-portant whatever be the seasonof our life of being constantlyprepared and on the watch at

all times not ever to bring our

guards down whether we are go-ing through our low moments orhigh points in our life We are re-minded to always Be Preparedas the Boy Scouts motto goes

whatever our spec ific situationmay be at any given time

Als o I sense tha t the Lor d would like to bring us to a deeperlevel of rejoicing not merely onthe level of the frivolous as toomuch feasting and drinking areTe words of Jesus do not preventus from rejoicing He wants us tocontinue to be prepared even as

we celebrate He warns us not torejoice in a wanton way that takesus away from our right senses re-sulting in our being unpreparedhus our rejoicing should becoming from deep in our hearts

not shallow and hollow expres-sions of the same Our rejoicingshould be geared towards allowingus to still be prepared

hus as we hold our Christ-mas parties and dwell in themerriment of the season let usbe mindful of the words fromthe Gospel Appropriate feastingand drinking not only make usfaithful to the gospel but is alsomore healthy Significantly tooit should make us more caring tothose who have less and hope-fully lead us not to be wastefuland to share whatever we have somany others will also experiencea truly Merry Christmas

Rejoice in the Lord

HE RED Cubs harvested thegrand championship of the recentlyconcluded CFC GMC Ablaze Cup2015 held last December 2 - Decem-ber 8 2015 at the sports facilities ofCamp Crame

Te friendly games were partici-pated in by the different departmentsin the CFC Global Mission CenterTe Red Cubs romped off with the

Red Cubs are Champions in CFC GMC Ablaze Cup 2015

Go go go GMC clockwise from top left Caloy Rubio CFC Ablaze Cup Event Head exhorting participants the board of judges CFC Chair Joe Tale inspiring the athletes paradeof athletes the Orange Tigers basketball game between the Red Cubs and the Maroon on Fire cheerdance competition

Mel and Aimee Serrano talking about the highs and lows of dealing with in-laws

In Highs And In-Laws Dealing With Your In-Laws

ldquoATRASrdquo BOYS amp GIRLS

Are We Waiting For Jesus At The Right Spot

This Advent

IN983085LAWS he very word re-minds many a married coupleof discomfort awkward evenstrained relationships and some-times open conflict But are rela-tionships with the family membersof your spouse meant to be merelytolerant Te latest Couples forChrist (CFC) ndash Young Couples

Assembly on November 30 heldat St Pauls College in Pasig Citytackled precisely this topic andcame up with this wildly inge-nious insight In-laws are peopletoo ndash love them

According to the speakers Meland Aimee Serrano of CFC ndashMetro Manila West B lovingthem in all sincerity will work

wonders ldquoTat is the tried andtested formula love your in-lawsrdquoshared Mel a school owner fromQuezon City

During the talk which theypeppered with lots of insights andsharing of personal experiences as a

PASIG City Nov 29 2015 ndash What do weusually do when we find out that someone welove or an important personality is visiting ou rhome We tidy up we prepare good food butmost of all we wait his was the m essage thatabout 150 young married couples heard duringthe Family Mass at the Couples for Christ ndash

Young Couple s Assembly at St Paul Colleg eConvention Center held last November 30

Fr Ruper Solis SVD who celebrated theFamily Mass reminded the couples presentthat to wait for something or someone also

couple married for 20 years the Ser-ranos focused on several key points1 Handle them with care

Tis means giving attention tothe one who needs more takingcare of them in their old age as

well as training your kids to respecttheir grandparents

ldquoOn our part we have to makesure that our children will give duerespect [to them] and be able tounderstand intricacies that come

with old agerdquo said AimeeldquoWhether may sama ng loob

(hurt feelings) sometimes there will be times na mahirap makipag-kita (that it will be difficult to meetthem) but you have to go to themKailangan nating gawin yun (Weneed to do it)rdquo she stressed

2 Acknowledge differences According to the couple people

should recognize that their spousemay not have the same familyculture as they do Value systems

means waiting at the right placeldquoAs Christians our life is a series of waiting

Dapat maghintay ka sa tamang lugarhindi langsa tamang panahon na sinasabi ni Lola Nidora noPero sa tamang lugar din (We should wait not justfor the right time but waiting should be doneat the right place as well)rdquo explained Fr Ruper

he young priest who was an SVD missionaryassigned to Argentina for more than seven years

went on to tell the story of how once in Argentinahe was waiting by the side of the road flagging

championship crowns in badmin-ton (women) table tennis (menand women) tug-of-war and peelbanana It was a close fight with theMaroon on Fire team who grabbedthe winning titles for basketballvolleyball cheer dance and chess(men) and ended up 1st runner-up

with les s than 2 points from the winning team Te Orange igerscame in 2nd runner-up while YellowHotshots was 3rd runner-up basedon the last team standings

Te awarding ceremonies wereheld last December 8 2015 dur-ing the celebration of the CFCGMC Christmas party Tis an-nual event is an opportunity forthe mission workers to enjoy eachotherrsquos company Te Ablaze Cuplikewise serves as a venue tofoster and promote the spirit ofsportsmanship and unity amongthe GMC workers from bothpastoral and mission support(Yvonne Dolorosa)

HE WORD ldquoatrasrdquo means a backwardmovement It is generally used to refer to theldquoReverserdquo function of a vehicle In Lanao DelNorte the word has been applied to a group ofboys abd girls who guide vehicles in and out ofparking spaces the equivalent of the ldquoWatch-your-carrdquo aides in Metro Manila

he CFC leaders in the province immedi-ately thought of the Atras Boys and Girls ofLanao Del Norte when Cardinal agle said ndashldquoGo to the peripheries be a mobile clinicto heal the poor from spiritual sickness rdquo

Another ins pirat ion was from one of the mostimportant pastoral subjects of Pope Francisabout the ldquofamily and the poorrdquo

Every time I go to mass at the St MichaelrdquosCathedral with my wifeata the ldquoatras boysand girlsrdquo are all over the area assisting ve-hicles either to park or to exit the parking area

When n ot per formi ng thi s function they andother members of their family can be seenbegging for their daily sustenance hey areusually homeless their home being along theperipheries of the Cathedral or the sidewalks

he inspiration led the Area Governanceeam to the idea of bring these boys and girlsand their parents to a Christian Life Programhey moved quickly with Boy Suezo approv-ing the strategic CLP as designed by RegionalPastoral Formation Head Art Maderazo andinserting video clips appropriate to the CLPtalks With the activation of the SOLD Min-istry with Bro Roger Sultan as Provincial Co-

ordinator SOLD was made the lead ministryof the ldquoAtras Boys and Gir lsrdquo CLP

Initially the number of participants was limitedto five (5) for logistical reasons but the HolySpirit deemed otherwise ndash the attendees eventuallynumbered ten individuals and three (3) coupleshe CLPs were scheduled every hursday at 600orsquoclock in the evening with dinner provided byCFC brothers and sisters particularly the AGrsquos

wives and ANCOP members he SOLD Prov in-cial Coordinator took care of fetching the partici-pants from the Cathedral and also bringing themback to their ldquohomesrdquo It did not matter to Rogerthat his car would often retain the smell of the

unwashed he persisted in servicing the transportneeds of the participants

November 05 2015 was truly a pleasant anda memorable day to the service team On thatday five of the ten boys and girls and two (2)couples dedicated their life to CFC One of theparticipants stood up to give an inspiring testi-mony ending with ldquohank you CFC for makingus somebody in your heart hank you for beingmindful of the conditions of the poor and thankyou for bringing Christ to our livesrdquo (ldquoSalamatCFC nga aduna pa diay kami luna sa inyong kas-ingkasing Salamat CFC sa inyong pagpakabanasa susama kanamo nga mga timawa Salamat sainyong panahon pag hatag kanamo sa pagtulun-anni Kristo)

It is envisioned that this kind of evangeliza-tion can be replicated in other areas nationwidethe beginning of a truly strategic evangelizationHopefully this is also the beginning of a newlife for the new CLP graduates with CFC being

instrumental in helping them provide for theirfamilyrsquos future (Nonoy Haim)

disciplining style even views onhow to handle finances will of-tentimes be different Tat is whyunderstanding coupled with love

will go a long wayldquoDifferences and conflicts are

not unhealthy but mismanagementis Never criticize your in-lawsrdquoMel said

Also in case of confl ict themessenger or the ldquobridgerdquo shouldbe the one with the primary re-lationship (spouse to own fathermother)

he Serranos candidly sharedabout a conflict that eruptedbetween Aimee and her father-in-law during the campaignperiod for local elections whenMel ran for public office heconflict was soon followed by aperiod of silence a Cold Warso to speak ldquoIt took us at leasta year or two [My father said]kasi pag di natin inayos tolahat tayo maapektuhan (If we

dont fix this all of us will beaffected) It helped that thecouple prayed and sought DivineIntervention and asked the com-munity to pray with them heHoly Spirit worked

3 Respond appropriately What if ev en af ter l ovin g and

understanding them its stillnot smooth sailing with your in-laws Heres what the Serranoshad to say

bull iming is everythingbull Learn when to speak or keep

your mouth shutbull ake a breath cool offbull Maintain a sense of humorbull Remember unsolicited advice

is just an opiniono cap their talk the couple

brought back the participants tothe basics of loving in-laws to actout your love to build bridges andto communicate (Nirvaana EllaDelacruz)

HOMILY C3

IN A Memorandum sent to the Philip-pine Missions leaders last November23 2015 PM Director Jose Yamamotoappointedreassigned leaders for theNortheastern Luzon region

Mark Banzon has been appointedProvincial Area Head (PAH) of Isabelavice Rommel Ancheta ony de la Cruz

on the other hand was tapped to be PAHof Nueva Vizcaya vice Raul Balaquiao

O set a new tradition in the CFC Family the InternationalCouncil has agreed to make December 27 the Feast of theHoly Family as a special day for the members of the familyto honor one another Tis will allow each person in thefamily to express their gratitude to the Lord for the gift offamily and the importance of having each member of thefamily around for the love support and service As a sug-

New Appointments for CFC GMC NE LuzonFamily Honoring Night Set

Balaquiao was appointed PAH of IlocosSur vice ony de la Cruz while Cholo

Yjares is now PAH of Cagayan vice BongPagulayan Pagulayan is now PAH ofKalinga vice Cholo Yjares

he move is essentially a realignmentof the leaders in the Northeastern Luzonarea in the interest of the mission except

for Banzon who is a new appointee andfor Noel Malamug who remains as

PAH of Ifugao hese changes are to takeeffect on January 1 2016 Edythe Aven-dantildeo is also set to replace Didi Galsim asHandmaids of the Lord InternationalCoordinator effective January 1 2016

In the Global Mission Center RickyRico was appointed Head for the GAd-min effective October 1 2016 while Jay

Lucena was appointed head of the CFCEvents group also effective October 1facebookcomCFCGlobalMission CFChrist

The Ugnayan News Supplement is published by the Couples for Christ Global Mission Foundation Inc with editorial ofces at 156 20 th Avenue 1109 Cubao Quezon City

Editorial trunk line (+63 2) 709-4868 local 23

Direct line (+63 2) 709-4856

wwwcouplesforchristglobalorg cfcglobalcommunicationsgmailcom

Michael C Ariola

IC Oversight

Zenaida A Gimenez

Editor-in-Chief

Alma M Alvarez

Associate Editor

Evangeline C Mecedilla

Circulation Staff

Deomar P Oliveria

Layout Artist

The News Supplement

of Couples for Christ

gestion the guidelines indicate the following as the activitiesfor the said day hearing Mass together dining together athome praying together and in gratitude expressing theirlove to one another

hrough the Family Honoring Night the community hopesto strengthen the relationship among the family members andempower each one to truly cherish and love one another

Bong Pagulayan

Mark Banzon

Cholo Yjares

Ricky Rico

Edythe Avendantildeo

Raul Balaquiao

Jay Lucena

Tony de la Cruz

C2 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

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8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 2024

CFC China Conducts

Mission Heads Training

CFC Greece Leaders Meet Archbishop of Athens amp Nuncio

COUPLES for Christ USA and CFC Greece leaders paid a courtesy call on Archbishop Sevastianos Rossolatos and Fr George Altouvas at the Archd ioce se of Athens he g roup in troduced Couples f or Chri st to the new Archbishop and di scus sed theirplans to initiate a CFC Youth Camp in Greek as well as to develop CFC teachings in Greek

On another occasion the CFC leaders met with the Apostolic Nuncio of the Holy See in Athens Archbishop Edward Joseph AdamsTey discussed challenges and forthcoming changes in the Greek Catholic hierarchy and laid down CFCrsquos plans for CFC Athens

SINGLES for Christ Metro Manila gath-ered at the San Carlos Seminary in Makatilast December 5 2015 at 700 pm forthe SFC Global One a two-hour non-stop worship experience Jay Laquiana fulltime pastoral worker for SFC ledthe worship

Global One was meant to be a simul-taneous praise concert with major cities

or provinces hosting the event But what

made this yearrsquos Global One event special was the fact that it was the first time it wasstaged online via youtube live broadcastTis gave SFCs all over the world an oppor-tunity to come together despite differencesin time zone

ogether as one ministry SFCs from theMetro Manila Sectors the provinces andthe various countries like the USA Canada

and the Middle Eastern countries raised

SFC GLOBAL ONEmdashUniting the World

via Online Worship

their voices in praise and worship for thecountless favors they received It likewisebecame an opportunity to ask the Lordto bless the ministry for the coming year

Te ministry sees the online Global Oneas an event they can do annually Tey alsosee it as a potential tool to reach othernon-SFC members to witness Christ andcome together with other young people to

worship (Lanie Montaos)

OSM C1

CFC Winnipeg held its 2nd Celebration of Covenant Love onNovember 21st the feast of the Presentation of Our Lady Sixteencouples attended the activity

One week prior to the Renewal of Wedding Vows the 16 coupleshad a mini-retreat conducted by their spiritual advisor Fr YollyGamallo Te mini-retreat included four couple-sharers Te HolyMass was celebrated at St John Cantius Parish presided by MsgrLouis McCloskey A simple reception followed for the 16 couples andabout 60 family members with additional witnesses from the CFCcommunity Te participants who renewed their marriage vows werefrom varied age groups with some having been married for only five

years to couples who were celebratingo 40 years of holy matrimony

Tis year makes the Celebration of Love even more relevant as itis the year that held the papal Synod on the Family and the WorldMeeting of Families Pope Francis stated when making an address tofamilies ldquoTose who celebrate the sacrament say lsquoI promise to be trueto you in joy and in sadness in sickness and in health I will love youand honour you all the days of my lifersquo At that moment the coupledoes not know what will happen nor what joys and pains awaitthem Tey are setting out like Abraham on a journey together

And that is what marriage is Setting out and walking togetherhand in hand putting yourselves in the Lordrsquos powerful handsHand in hand always and for the rest of your livesrdquo (from http

couplesforchristcanadaca)

A Celebration of Covenant Love

I cherish the treasure the treasure of you lifelong companion I give myself to you These happy couples from CFC Vancouver saying Yes again to oneanother and to God as they renew their marriage vows

CFC missionaries to South Americarejoiced as they completed a fruitfulmission to the area a fitting end to theyear Te mission to Nuevo Pueblo deColaacuten opened a new area an hour awayby land from Piura Peru establish-ing CFC ndash Parejas para Cristo in a remotetown in the desert At the end of theChristian Life Program 13 new CFCPPC members composed of 4 couples4 HOLD and 1 SOLD committed to alife with Christ

Te PVC (Programa de Vida Cristiana- Spanish CLP) was held November 27to 29 2015 (Tanksgiving weekend) byCFC USA Florida in Iglesias del Rosarioone of two parishes in town Padre LuisSerra head pastor of the main churchthe Iglesia Sagrado Corazoacuten de Jesuacutesopened the doors to CFC PPC Fourother brethren from CFC PPC RiojaPeru headed by Fr Rober Martinez cameto reinforce the missionariesrsquo efforts Teteam got a taste of their first mission

CFC China is on full throttle in its evan-gelization efforts Tey recently conducted

the first-ever CFC China Mission Headsraining from November 27 to 30 at Vilada Sta Isabel Estrada Cheoc Van MacauTe training aimed to strengthen its leader-ship ranks through several formation talksfrom the Chapter Leaders raining (CL)series Te sixty participants were mostlyChinese with some Filipino Mission Headsand their AG members from the North

West East and South of China includingMacau SAR and Hong Kong SAR

Te first day of the training was devotedto a silent retreat based on Psalm 4610ndash ldquoBe silent and know that I am GodrdquoTe three-hour retreat centered on thetheme ldquoWe need to Change How WeLead o lead like Jesusrdquo with each par-ticipant encouraged to ldquoempty oneselfrdquoFr Oliviades a member of the Opus Deifacilitated the retreat

Day 2 started with a Holy Mass concel-

ebrated by Fr Joseph Wang from YiwuEast China Te training proper began with Israel Silud CFC Country Headand Northwest Regional Head givingthe overview and citing challenges thatCFC China faces He reiterated thatCFC Chinarsquos goal of raising 1 millionhousehold heads will be driven by the

The fruits of 2015 for CFC PPC hundreds of miles away from home

In 2015 ten missions were held inSouth America by CFC USA All these

were made possible by a handful of zeal-ous and selfless CFC USA mission vol-unteers who sacrificed a lot and deniedthemselves many comforts in order tobring the Word of God to families in Co-lombia Ecuador and Peru CFC ParejasPara Cristo will not take off without thefinancial support of CFC USA

ruly God gave a very good year for

the mission team harvesting 608 souls in2015 (a total of 857 persons from June2014 to date) Te task of sustainingCFC PPC families and area countriesare enormous But with grateful heartsthe South America team humbly turnsto God thanking Him each day forHis guidance as He leads the way Teteam looks forward to 2016s adventureof bringing the banner of Christ to themiddle and corners of the earth (GlenSantayana)

whether lay or from the Chaplainsrsquo ranklikewise gave testimonies on how theirinvolvement in the CEP made them real-ize that they have become not only agentsof change but recipients of grace as well

In the afternoon the Chaplains andtheir CFC counterparts came together fora round table discussion of the plans ofthe various Infantry Divisions nationwide

Army Chie f Chaplain Fr Col Andre sBonifacio Belleza CHS (GSC) in anunexpected move expressed his recog-nition through the grant of awards ofthe initiatives of the Army Chaplainsin implementing the CEP in their vari-ous Divisions Fr Maj Juan Jerome CDaluro was awarded Best Chaplain ofthe Year 2015 for his exemplary ser viceas Division Chaplain of 9th Infantry(Spear) Division Fr MSg Mario Ban-

iqued Philippine Army (PA) OACCSChief Clerk was recognized as Best

Chaplain Assistant of the YearSince the partnership between the

OACCS and CFC OSM started in April2014 the group has conducted CharacterEnhancement Retreats (CER) for 28 Phil-ippine Army commands Trough CFCSingles for Christ volunteers a ChristianLife Program has likewise been conductedfor the Philippine Military Academy Classof 2018 graduating 385 PMA-Singles forChrist members Presently five CERs arealso being done at the V Luna MedicalCenter in Quezon City

Alabanza admit s there is still muchto be done So far the CEP has reached2000 men and women in uniformroughly 0287 percent of an estimated800000 population of soldiers theirspouses and their families Tis is indeedfertile ground for values and spiritual

transformation which is just waiting tobe conquered (A Alvarez)

Another fruitful harvest in Peru from top the 13 new members in CFC PPC all-women discussion group

Courtesy call top photos CFC leaders with Archbishop Edward Joseph Adams amp Fr George Altouvas bottom photos with Fr George Archbishop SevastianosRossolatos and Archbishop Edward Joseph Adams

CFC OSM and the OACCS reaching out to the men and women in uniform and their families through the Character Enhancement Program

personal holiness of its ser vant-leaders who will be leading the evangelization thrust

in 34 provinces in China CL talks 2-5 were given by the regional heads with their wives as sharers

Day 3 began with the recitation ofthe Holy Rosary followed by anotherconcelebrated Holy Mass Fr Oliviadesdelivered a beautiful homily on ldquoemptyingoneselfrdquo Te rest of the CL talks wereagain delivered by the regional heads withtheir wives as sharers In CL alk 9 Siludemphasized the need to pay attention tothe means to care for the spirit mind andbody of the leaders

Te last day primarily focused on plan-ning the CFC China activities for 2016One of the proposals from the planningis that the four (4) regions in China willeach be hosting the major activities linedup for the year

Te three-day training and planning was conducted by CFC China Country

Head IsraelSally Silud with the supportof North Asia Regional Coordinator Ga-rieCess Pimentel and the regional headsfrom East China (EricEvelyn Ylagan)South China (JoelErica Santos) HongKong SAR (GarieCess Pimentel) andMacau SAR (JMEmilie Yupangco) (Ericamp Evelyn Ylagan)

C4 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

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JCL ndash member while for the TeologicalCommission the experts appointed wereFr Alexander L Garces SDB JCL ndashPresident Fr Enrico Eusebio Jr SJ JCDndash member and Sr Maria Amparo SantosOP JCL ndash member As with the ribunalmembers the Presidents and membersof both Commissions individually tooktheir respective oaths and signed the Acts

Te appointed Copyist Ms RonalynRegino and Assistant Copyist Ms Ge-cerein Sayen Ocampo were called next totake their respective oaths and similarlysigned in the Acts

Ten Postulator Msgr Pedro C Qui-torio III and Vice Postulator Fr WilmerR Rosario JCD individually took their

respective oaths not compromise the truthand offend justice nor impede the free-dom of witnesses to testify in the CauseTereafter they also signed the Acts

Te Postulator then presented to Car-dinal agle for his examination a list of

witnesses to be interrogated subject to thepossible addition and revision of namesin the future Upon examining the listthe Cardinal decreed that the next sessionfor interrogation of witnesses be held on

January 11 2016 at the Arzobispado deManila

Finally after ordering the Chancellorto establish public record of this First Ses-sion Cardinal agle declared the Processfor the Causes of Beatification and Can-

onization of Servant of God FAHERGEORGE J WILLMANN SJ Father ofthe Order of the Knights of Columbus inthe Philippines OPEN

o complete the Rites His EminenceLuis Antonio Cardinal agle together withformer Chief Justice Hilario G Davide

Jr as Chairman of the National ExecutiveCommittee (NEC) for the Cause of Fr

Willmann jo intly u nveiled the portraitof Father George J Willmann SJ

Tereafter Cardinal agle began thecelebration of the Holy Eucharist Con-celebrants were Bishop Honesto FOngtioco DD Bishop Mylo HubertC Vergara DD Msgr Geronimo FReyes JCD Fr William Arana OSA Fr

Carlo Magno Marcelo Fr Marvin MejiaFr Wilmer Rosario JCD Fr Carlo DelRosario Fr Julius Paul Factora OP JCDFr Sander Niez JCL Fr Alex GarcesSDB JCL Fr Rico Garcia Fr ReginaldMalicdem Fr Darwin Faith Ponce OSAFr Ricky VIllar OSA Fr Geoffrey Eb-orda OSA Fr Genaro Supremedo OSAFr Jojo orres OSA Fr Joseph VillarealOSA Fr Roy Gallano OSA Fr MichaelSalazar and Fr Romel Cruz

Also serv ing as Conce lebrants werea number of KC Priests Scholars of theKnights of Columbus Fr George J

Willmann Charities Inc that includedMsgr Pedro C Quitorio III Fr Benjamin

The Cross A Supplement Publication of KCFAPI and the Order of the Knights of ColumbusCBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25 December 7 2015 - 27 2016

Sainthood bid opens forFr George Willmann SJBy Roberto T Cruz

On December 7 2015 Mon-

day the bells of the ManilaCathedral rang out loud as HisEminence Luis Antonio Car-dinal agle presided over themilestone celebration of theHoly Eucharist at the ManilaCathedral to formally open theDiocesan process of the Causeof Fr George J Willmann SJ

he Liturgical Rites for the formalopening of the diocesan process precededthe Mass at 900am With the entranceprocession of Cardinal agle as the MainCelebrant together with two bishops twomonsignors and thirty-three priests whoconcelebrated the Mass the Rites started

with Msgr Pedro C Quitorio III theappointed Diocesan Postulator for theCause of Fr Willmann giving biographi-cal highlights of the life of Fr George J

Willmann SJ An Invocation of the HolySpirit followed with the singing of VeniCreator Spiritus by the Manila CathedralBasilica Choir

Cardinal agle then examined anddeclared the legitimacy of the appoint-ments of Msgr Pedro C Quitorio III asthe Postulator and Fr Wilmer R Rosario

JCD as Vice-Postul ator in conformity with the Code of Canon Law

Appointed members of the Diocesanribunal for the Cause of Fr Willmann

were Msgr Geronimo F Reyes JCDas Episcopal Delegate Fr Carlo P DelRosario JCL as Promoter of Justice Mseresita F Kudemus ndash First Notary MsMarivic M Ambasa ndash Second Notary Ms

Julieta R Santos as Tird NotaryTe Cardinal reminded them of the

great responsibility importance andseriousness of the Process for the Causesfor Beatification and Canonization Asrequired by Church law all the mem-bers of the ribunal starting with MsgrGeronimo F Reyes individually tooktheir oath to faithfully fulfill hisher com-mitment and then signed the Acts

Te Experts who were tapped to formthe Historical Commission includeFr Julius Paul Factora OP JCD asPresident Fr Adolfo N Dacanay SJ

JCD ndash member and Fr Sander D Niez Sainthood D3

KCFAPI Theme and Logo for 2016HE year 2016 has been pro-claimed the Year of the Eucharistand the Family by the CatholicBishopsrsquo Conference of the Phil-ippines Te theme is part of thenine year spiritual journey thatbegan with the Year of Faith

where we experienced an authenticrenewal of faith guided by the newevangelization principles

he Holy Eucharist whichmeans thanksgiving invitesfamilies of the Catholic faithfulto commemorate the supremesacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christon the cross to receive His body

and blood in the Holy Commu-nion and to celebrate His victoryover death

Te Roman Catholic Churchpromotes strong family ties andvalues Parents are entrustedthe responsibility to prepare andteach their children to follow JesusChrist and live His gospel

KCFAPI distinguished itselfin protecting the sanctity of thefamily by providing comfortand sustenance in any loss orlife-changing event among fam-ily members KCFAPI respondsswiftly to changing or evolvingfamily insurance needs Nowon its 58th year of providingunsurpassed uncompromised

fraternal service KCFAPI vowsand advocates relentlessly to

render comfort benefit and as-sistance to all brother knightsand their families with mercy andcompassion

As part of the KCFAPI familyin a pioneering effort all wholly-owned and majority-ownedcompanies will coordinate theirschedules and manage theirresources towards one com-mon goal and will function asone well oiled machine By

joi nin g han ds gu ide d by theHoly Spirit the strength ofone is multiplied several times

over Te heart symbolizes lovemercy and compassion and is

also Charity ndash the first of fourcore principle of the OrderKCFAPI in heart-shaped bordermantles the five wholly- ownedand majority-owned companies Keys Realty amp DevelopmentCorporation Kompass Creditand Financing Corporation KCPhilippines Foundation IncKnights of Columbus Fr George

J Willmann Charitie s Inc andMace Insurance Agency IncTey are depicted by the boldshoulders of the figures symbol-izing the family Just like in any

close-knit family concentratedon accomplishing one objective

all employees will be engagedtheir support and talent pooledand harnessed to participateactively in any company activi-ties working in tandem as onecohesive unit

Te logo vividly demonstratesthe solidarity and bonding of fam-ily members if they gather togetherand allow Christ to be at the centerof their family relationship

Te different colors representthe various hues of the Order ofthe Knights of Columbus red

whit e blu e and yell ow hegreen color manifests KCFAPIrsquos

concern for our environment andits managementrsquos advocacy gearedtowards a healthy state of our sur-roundings Orange brings a posi-tive outlook in life optimism andmotivation to look on the brighterside of life

Te cup and host (in yellow)emulating the Holy Eucharist pro-vides Christ- centered way of life

Te circular flow represents in-finity or totality the unboundedtimeless and never ending lovecare and affection of KCFAPIin providing each and every KCfamily a shield of security protec-tion and hope Te acronym ALLcharacterizes KCFAPIrsquos inclusiveapproach to all forms of actions

products and services (Angelito A Bala)

As we protect families for generations Act Live Love

KCFAPI Planning Conference The Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of thePhilippines Inc held their 2016 Planning Conference last November 7-9 2015 atColumbus Plaza General Santos City Present were KCFAPI Chairman Bro Arsenio IsidroG Yap KCFAPI President Bro Jose C Reyes Jr KCFAPI Executive Vice President SisMa Theresa G Curia KCFAPI Officers and Supervisors KEYS Realty Vice President Bro

Riz Nicolas and HTMC Vice President Sis Apolonia Dominguez

Living Rosary The Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of the Philippines Inchad their Living Rosary last October 30 2015 at the KCFAPI main office This has been

a yearly practice for the Month of the Holy Rosary which is usually conducted by itsofficers and staff

Cardinal Tagle leads the unveiling of the portrait of Jesuit Fr George J Willmann as the Manila archdiocesan process for the Cause of Beatification and Canonization of the latter formally opens at the Manila Cathedralon Monday Dec 7 Willman is considered as t he ldquoFather of the Knights of Columbusrdquo in the Philippines ROY LAGARDE

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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D2 The CrossDecember 7 2015 - 27 2015 Vol 19 No 25

ACQ UIR IN G a hou se and lo t which they can call their own home

and driving their own cars are twoof the priority dreams of Filipinoparents Of course seeing theirchildren finish college education iseither Number 1 or Number 2

Te Knights of Columbus Frater-nal Association of the PhilippinesInc (KCFAPI) has formed andincorporated a new company to helpmembers of the Order to have their

dream homes and motor carsKCFAPI named the new company as Kompass Credit and

Financing Corporation (KCFC) after one of the symbols of theKnights of Columbus which is the Compass Like the Compassof the ancient marines KOMPASS is here to guide BrotherKnight in having their own home and efficient mobility

KOMPASS can also extend home car and business loans tothe general public

Interested parties can call KOMPASS at el No 527-2242

527-2223 loc 215 and 252 for further details of the loan

Arsenio Isidro G Yap

Chairmanrsquos Message

Presidentrsquos Message

Ma Theresa G Curia

Jose C Reyes Jr

Reflection

Curia Settings

Michael P Cabra

Bequest LIFE this Christmas

My Brotherrsquos Keeper

FILIPINO raditions reflect the kindof people that we are All traditionscustoms and beliefs evolve from thelove and respect of the family Ourmutual and natural respect for oneanother our desire to please and notoffend each other and our willingness

to extend a helping hand are just a fewof the basic foundations which madethe Filipino people unique a one of a

kind and nowhere else could be found And certainly a must-have as a friend and neighbor

Some of the trait I like is the ldquomano pordquo expression and at thesame time reaching for the otherrsquos hand and asking for his blessingsTe respected elder would normally extend his hand to touch theforehead of the one asking for his blessings and expresses ldquokaawanka ng Diyosrdquo or ldquoGod bless yourdquo It doesnrsquot matter whether the onebeing accorded the respect is younger than the person asking forthe blessing or even if they hardly know each other

Another trait is removing onersquos slippers or shoes when enteringa neighborrsquos house Te guest expresses his respect for the hostand does not in any way want to spoil or damage the pristinecondition of the floor which is normally kept shiny and clean

Cleaning of onersquos surrounding to the point of cleaning also theneighborrsquos grounds I could still remember in our neighborhoodthat the old folks would sweep the debris on the street in front

of their houses But instead of just collecting their own trashthey would try to outdo each other by picking (or sweeping)the litter on the street up to the neighborrsquos house in front andeven on their right and left side

Everyone living along the same street knows each other very well to the point that all knows who are having a hard time and would need some assistance A neighbor would readily do somehousehold chores give some food and try to console those whoare grieving for the loss of a love one Nobody needs to askHelp is extended readily

Although the traits Irsquove mentioned above are seldom practicednowadays except for the ldquomano pordquo I still believe that those

were just some of our good traits which define us as people which define us as a Filipino a unique breed of people We arevery resilient that even though we are in grief or experiencingextreme challenges in our everyday life we still are able to lightour faces with the friendliest smile

Christmas is another tradition-field celebration that is uniquelyFilipino Te ldquoSimbang Gabirdquo ldquoputo bumbongrdquo and the like are

some Christmas traditions But let us not forget that Christmas isnot just a season of merriment but is a season for reconciliationItrsquos that time of the year when we want to ask forgiveness fromthose we had wronged and at same time forgive also those whohad wronged us and forget whatever they had done to us

Christmas is a season wherein family ties are kept stronger andmore meaningful But to be more meaningful it is better that weshare our blessings to those in need whose nights might be Holy but

would be very Silent and the only sound that they could hear arenot carols of merriment but the grumbling of their empty stomach

Make this Christmas the most meaningful Christmas ever bysharing your ldquoNoche Buenardquo with a neighbor or better still witha complete stranger May the birth of our Lord touch our heartsand be responsive to those in need

CHRISMAS is a holy day celebratingthe birth of Jesus Christ our Saviour Ithas been a tradition in the Philippines that

we go to dawn masses from December 16to the eve of Christmas day Because ourenthusiasm builds up as early as Septemberon Christmas Day itself many of us areexhausted after days of going through heavytraffic on the way to parties and to crowdedshopping malls to shop for gifts Tere arealso many events that we are enticed to at-tend for our kidsrsquo sake gatherings of relatives and friends near and farand entertainment we spend a lot for the family

While these festivities are all expressions of love we sometimes forgetthat Christmas day is the day we should go to mass to thank God forall the blessings we received from Him and in turn to offer our gift to

Jesus Christ As we enter the Advent season let us start reflecting on

how we can better love and serve God on how we can help the poorand how we can give hope to those who are losing hope Let us put intoaction the principle of charity with greater vigor and sense of urgency

May Christmas be like the ldquoJourney to the Innrdquo of Joseph and Mary- tiring yet full of hope and joy to welcome Christ in our hearts andour homes As Knights of Columbus let us lead our communities toa Christ-centered Advent celebration this year and always

My family and I wish your whole family ldquoA Merry Christmas and aBlessed New Yearrdquo

FOR this Christmas I wish tobase my reflection on a poem

written by Horacio de la Costathe first Filipino provincial ofthe Jesuits Please read and usethe poem as a Christmas greet-ing My reflection is nothingcompared to the poem

We must have visited all theBelens in our churches since we

were small In fact most of usalso put up the Christmas cribin our own homes In arlacthey even have yearly exhibits ofBelens which they call Belenis-mo We were told that it was StFrancis who started putting upthe crib in his church And thepoem of Horacio Dela Costatells us that if we meditate onthis set up we might discover

the surprises that they bring toour consciousness

Let us identify some fea-tures of the Belens that we se earound us during the Christ-mas season and together letus reflect on the meanings thatthese can offer us We shall seedifferent layers of Christmasmeaning emerge

1 he King was born poorGod has become human Tisis one of the features that wesee when we stare at the Crib

What a paradox the king ispoor God is human Life isindeed full of paradoxes andof seeming contradictions

We make sense of them only

with the passage o f t ime and

as we mature both in age andin faith

2 he Bethlehem scene isprofoundly meaningful sym-bolic and mystery-laden We

watch the figures in the Be lenand sometimes we do notunderstand When we do notunderstand the turn of eventsin our life we should not giveup We should not run awayTe world will not end onlybecause we do not understand

what we see exper ience or feelLet us stand in awe at Godrsquosvisit when we are clueless of

what i s happening 3 he King was born in a

manger But there was peacearound among the wise menand the shepherds on that holy

and starry night We see atthe Belen scene a communionamong God humans the richand the poor animals and hu-mans the stars the night andthe people It was as though ata special moment the Universe

was one As though the con-nectedness of all the elements

was not merel y ecolog ical asLaudato Si spoke of but evendivine -human No wonderthat we do not get tired of put-ting up our belens at home inchurches and in public placesNo wonder that we can stareforever at the Nativity scenealthough we do not fully un-derstand everything although

we do it yea r afte r year We

also feel that we are there andthat we are connected to the

figures they represent we areconnected to history to oursurroundings and even to ourGod

4 he Savior was born ina manger where animals eatTe meaning of the mangerscene has been the content ofmany sermons that we haveheard We were told that thisdoes not only refer to thehumility or poverty of Jesus

A dee per meaning they say isthat Jesus has come to be foodfor all who come to him Jesuscame to give Himself as foodfor the world His words histeachings his mercy and com-passion and his Good News of

Godrsquos Plan are enough to fillour emptiness with a sense ofdirection and destiny Teyquench our thirst for enlight-enment guidance and sense ofdignity as humans

5 he Baby who is born isthe Savior of the world Howcan a Baby save the w orld Wesee before us a baby wrappedin swaddling clothes And werealize that Divinity can berevealed in very human situ-ations And that the humblestreality could be a revelationthat God is in our midst If weopen our hearts and minds tothe Lord His Spirit enlightensand gives delight to our weary

and limited minds and souls

Even today we can feel Hismessage although sometimes

we do not ful ly unders tand Te truth dawns on us when

we ar e qu ie t and when we wait When we do not rush toknow Godrsquos Presence is a Giftthat we can never be worthy ofBut the point here is not thatour littleness could obstructthe Revelation of a mysteryRather the Greatness of theLord compels Him to revealHimself to the little one Evento us Now

Tat is why Liturgy invokesour ability to watch to look at

what happe ns in the Churchcelebrations Te beauty ofcandles incense and flowerscan evoke some sense of the

Sacred Space a Sacred Mo-ment and a Sacred Encounter

Te Belen does this for us inrevealing the message of Christ-mas If we open our eyes weshall see the Message of Christ-mas with our hearts If we havetime and we can keep quietbefore the Belen we might seethe surprise of the Lord

[The author Ma TheresaG Curia is the Executive VicePresident amp Chief OperatingOfficer of the Knights of Co-lumbus Fraternal Association ofthe Phils Inc (KCFAPI) andthe incumbent Diocesan Regentof the Daughters of Mary Im-maculate International Dioceseof Malolos]

IrsquoS that time of the year again We must allbegin the increasingly difficult task of buy-ing suitable gifts for our friends and familyHowever there is a different gift you shouldseriously consider giving this year Itrsquos not a fun

present nor it is exciting Itrsquos not somethingyou can play with or wear and it definitely wouldnrsquot be considered a treat Itrsquos a gift thatno one wants but everyone NEEDS So whatare we talking about A Fraternal Service Plan

A Benefit Certificate (BC) or what is simplyknown as a life insurance policy Every year

we search for that perfect gift for a loved oneSomething that will show how much we careand appreciate them What could better provethat than giving someone the gift of SECU-RIY and SABILIY

Unfortunately the recent statistics presentthe sad truth (a) more than 95 Filipinos donot have adequate levels of insurance and (b)more than 80 of Filipinos do not believethey are likely to suffer a serious illness in the

next 20 years Yet each year around 365000Filipinos face premature death either caused byaccidental death or natural sickness It equatesto 1000 untimely deaths everyday

Firstly think about your present situation

Do you have loved ones who depend on youfinancially If something were to happen toyou would your family struggle to maintaintheir current lifestyle the kind of living yoursquovebeen providing If you answered yes to thesequestions itrsquos as simple as that - you need tohave life insurance Secondly do you have aloved one (parent spouse adult children e tc)

who needs protection Tis year give them theultimate gift Having an adequate amount oflife insurance can help in paying off hospitalbills memorial bills mortgage and even in-heritance tax It can allow a family to maintaintheir current level of living and possibly evenfund long term goals such as childrenrsquos schoolfunds dream car house business and evenretirement Now wersquore not saying this is the

only gift you should give it might look a littlesad with only that under the Christmas treeHowever just consider along with the othergifts giving a present that may not be appreci-ated at that moment might come in use should

a critical time arrive You look after your familyand so this is a perfect gift ideaItrsquos important to consult a fraternal counselor

when considering life insurance as it is impera-tive that you are insured accurately dependingon your current situation and future needs

Should you wish to know more just visit wwwkofcorgph for inquiries

Did you know thatFor as low as PhP10000 you can already

start the Gift of Life to your loved ones Tisfraternal service plan is called KC Peso Saver Itis a single contribution endowment plan which

will mature at the end of the benefit certificatersquos10th year In fact a lot of Knights of ColumbusMembers invest with this Gift of Life everyChristmas for their spouse and children

Gemille Isabel P Gloria

A Meek Christmas

IMAGINE a pregnant mother who is supposed to give birth toa child at the moment and rideson a donkey with her husband

Apart from the pain of laborthe mother is enduring deathchases their yet unborn child astheir King deliberately kills allthe newborn babies that night

urned down by the innkeepersthey ended up in a crude stablesharing it with the farm animalsand the shepherds as she gavebirth to a baby boy and placedhim in a manger I bet you arepicturing a scene of a movie inyour head right now Tis isactually what the first Christmaslooked like

Going back to the presentChristmas is far more delightfuland exciting Shopping feastinggift-giving and vacation trippingare just few of the activities that

we cannot do away with in ourChristmas lists We think ofChristmas like no other ordinaryday of the year We make sure

that for Noche Buena there isabundance of bountiful feasts inour dining table from a platterof mouth-watering leche flan toa sumptuous lechon new clothesup to fifty percent sale on theselected items section and expen-sive gifts covered in a Santa Claus

wrapper under a fully decorated

Christmas tree We associate theChristmas season as a time ofsplendor since it is the birthday ofour Savior Unfortunately someof us could only imagine thesethings Tey are our fellow whoare counted by the government inabject poverty who could hardlythink of where and how to gettheir first meal for the 365 daysof the year including Christmasday One does not need to moveafar to behold this ravers-ing nearby the office we couldalready see some of the faces inpoverty If you have not takenyet the underpass connectingManila City Hall and Intramu-ros as you make your way out of

it you will see sullied children intattered clothes inhaling plasticbags containing rugby with somesoiled adults who seem to be theirparents doing the same thing

With their hunger already in theirhead some children forcibly takethe food of the passersby Duringthe night the space where people

enter and exit the underpassin the day turns into a freezinghome for the homeless Youcan see in their wrinkled face thefeeling of sleeping on the passage-

ways with only cardboard boxesand worn out fabrics in betweentheir body and the cold cementedground Teir condition is notfar from what Jesus experiencedon the first Christmas born intoand chose to live a life of poverty

Remembering martyredSalvadoran Archbishop OscarRomero who once said thatldquoNo one can celebrate a genuineChristmas without being trulypoor he self sufficient theproud those who because they

have everything look down onothers those who have no needeven of God for them there

will be no Christmas Only thepoor the hungry those whoneed someone to come on theirbehalf will have that someonehat someone is God Em-manuel God-with-usrdquo With

what he thought we canrsquot arguethat at times we want everythingTe more you have the moreyou want and the more you get

What if we have nothing Whatif we donrsquot have gifts food andnew clothes for the Christmas

What if we are in the place of thehomeless Would we still feel thesame Christmas Spirit withoutthe things we celebrate with it

We have to learn to celebrat eChristmas with how the poorperceive it Let us not reachthe point where we celebrateChristmas just because we willreceive our one-year wish listLet us learn to lose to sacrificeand to give during Christmas

Joseph P Teodoro

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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D3The Cross December 7 2015 - 27 2015 Vol 19 No 25

Deogracias Fajota Fr Jeronimo

Ma Cruz Fr Antonio Rex PalayaFr Melvin Gamelo Fr JuliusCuison Fr Felix Labios Fr Ra-melle Rigunay Fr Randy SalungaFr Joel Cariaso Fr HernandezMendoza Fr Julius de Sagun FrRonel Ilano Fr Lowie Palines andFr Emmanuel Hiipolito

In his homily Cardinal aglestarted by citing that aside fromthe formal opening of the Dioc-esan process for Fr Willmannit was also the feast day of St

Ambrose a great teacher of theChurch known for his sanctityand teachings It was also the eveof the Immaculate Conception ofour Blessed Mother Mary plus thestart of the Advent season

Te Cardinal then focused onthe question What does it meanto be holy With the opening ofthe Cause he said that Fr George

J Willmann St Ambrose andMother Mary all responded tosanctity and holiness Cardinalagle clarified that ldquoHoliness isan attribute of God and not manrsquosachievement nor his work It isGod who is Holy and our holi-ness is a gift of God ndash our oneness

with HimrdquoCardinal agle added that the

message of the First Reading is thatthe Holiness of God is seen withmarvelous work ndash like transform-ing a desert into a garden filled

with water and flowers where we

are able to drink from Godrsquos good-ness with a safe road along the

holy way Te desert symbolizes

humanity that is seen to be dryfruitless empty and even life-less However when God entersall these are transformed into abountiful garden Godrsquos Holinessalways creates miracles ldquoWhen-ever we experience hopelessnessloaded with faults we must notbe afraid for that is the time whenGod will come to infuse His Holi-ness and cure the sickness Tat isthe Good Newsrdquo Cardinal agleadded that during this season ofadvent we must look deeper intoour deserts in order to experiencethe Holiness of God

Te Cardinal then underscoredthat we need to respond to GodrsquosHoliness not like the scribes in

the reading who questioned andrejected Jesus but like the friendsof the paralyzed man who lookedfor a nonconventional way -through the roof - to bring theparalytic closer to Jesus Cardinalagle stressed the need for us to bealert discerning with eyes of faithin order for us to respond to ourHoly God in His action when weare in our desert

he Cardinal then asked thepeople to pray for those entrusted

with the Cau se of Fr Willmannthat they may be illumined witheyes of faith With no intention ofpre-empting the Diocesan processCardinal agle simply thankedGod as we are now privileged

to share Godrsquos holiness throughpersonal experiences with Fr Will-

Sainthood D1

Process for PHrsquos new lsquoServantof Godrsquo starts rollingMANILA Dec 7 2015 ndash Manila Arch-bishop Luiacutes Antonio G Cardinal agleofficially accepted on Monday Dec 7the Feast of St Ambrose the petition toopen an investigation on the sanctity andheroic virtues of Fr George J WillmannSJ founder of the Knights of Columbus(KC) in the Philippines among otherCatholic lay organizations

At least 1000 of the naturalized Fili-pino Jesuit priestrsquos spiritual children fromall over the country including no lessthan former Supreme Court (SC) Chief

Justice Hilario G Davide Jr becamepart of Philippine Church history as they

witnes sed at the Manila Metropo litanCathedral Basilica the solemn opening ofthe archdiocesan process they hope wouldlead to beatification and canonization

lsquoGreat responsibilityrsquoIn line with this agle appointed Msgr

Pedro C Quitorio III of the CatholicBishopsrsquo Conference of the Philippines(CBCP) Media Office as postulator forthe cause of the countryrsquos newest ldquoServantof Godrdquo

He also approved the appointments ofMsgr Geronimo S Reyes Fr Wilmer RRosal and Fr Ricardo P del Rosario asepiscopal delegate vice postulator andpromoter of justice respectively as wellas of a host of other experts both clericand lay who vow to work together to giveFilipinos another saint

Te prelate went on to swear in allthose involved in the cause for Willmannrsquosbeatification and canonization remindingthem of the ldquogreat responsibilityrdquo theyhave assumed and the ldquoimportance andseriousnessrdquo of the task at hand

PHrsquos Fr McGivney Dubbed ldquoFr McGivney of the Philip-

pinesrdquo due to his dedication to expand KClocally Willmann worked for the radicaltransformation of faith into action

Born on June 29 1897 to very devoutCatholic parents in Brooklyn New Yorkthe American Jesuit was granted Philip-pine citizenship by President FerdinandMarcos through Presidential Decree(PD) No 740

In 1938 he first served as chaplain

of KC Manila Council 1000 then re-turned in 1954 to become the Orderrsquosfirst Philippine Deputy until his deathin 1977

In total the priest spent 44 fruitful andproductive years in the Philippines serv-ing the poor the sick the orphans theoppressed the lonely and the desolateespecially the young ones

KCFAPI etcBesides what is formally known as the

Knights of Columbus Fraternal Associa-tion of the Philippines Inc (KCFAPI)

which he founded in 1958 Willmannestablished other organizations as follows

bull Catholic Youth Organization (1938)bull Establishment of the Catholic Press

ldquoFilipinasrdquo and the ldquoCrossrdquo Magazines(1946)

bull Columbian Squires in the Philippines(1950)

bull Daughters of Isabella in the Philip-pines (1951) reorganized as Daughtersof Mary Immaculate (1977)

bull Columbian Farmers Aid Association(1951) reorganized as Knights of Co-lumbus Community Service Inc (1962)

bull Knights of Columbus Fraternal Asso-ciation of the Philippines Inc (KCFAPI)(1958)

bull Knights of Columbus PhilippinesFoundation Inc (1971) (Raymond ASebastiaacuten CBCP News)

Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle leads the Mass of the formal opening of the ArchdiocesanProcess for the Causes of Beatification and Canonization of the Servant of God FatherGeorge J Willmann SJ father of the Knights of Columbus in the Philippines LIN REGINO

Te Gentle Warrior By James B Reuter SJ

Part II of Chapter wo of ldquoTe Gentle Warriorrdquo series

CHAPER WO-----------------

Te Ateneo de Manila

HE Ateneo was a boysrsquo schoolTe objective of a boysrsquo school is tomake a man out of a boy Te mainvirtue of a man is courage Godmirrored His virtues in His childrenBut he divided them between girls

and boys Tere is such a thing as amasculine soul and a feminine soulIf a boy and a girl are suddenly con-fronted with a wild bull thunderingdown on them if the girl screamedand hid behind the boy that wouldbe normal But if the boy screamedand hid behind the girl everyone

would be ashamed of him Tevirtue of a girl is not physical cour-age it is love and mercy Te virtueof a boy is courage and justice Butin our schools there is no course inthe curriculum called ldquoCouragerdquo

here is no subject called

ldquoCouragerdquo Tere is no mark forldquoCouragerdquo It has to be taught inevery subject through the wholelife of the school he Jesuitsunderstood this very well AndGeorge understood it He began

to learn the meaning of couragehimself when he was five yearsold sitting on the curbstone onPutnam Avenue when the wheelof the garbage truck crushed bothhis feet

In the old Ateneo there wasa strong tradition of ldquoRomansrdquoand ldquoCarthageniansrdquo Jose Rizal

was the Emperor of the RomansEvery class was competitive TeRomans would be lined up onone side of the class the Car-thagenians on the other Te firstquestion went to the Romans

If the Romans answered it cor-rectly the questioning stayed

with the Romans If any Romanmissed the question went to theCarthagenians Ten the Romanboys would growl and grumble at

the Roman who missed It wascompetition to teach courage

And the battle cry of all theteams was ldquoAnimo Ateneordquo Youcould translate that as ldquoLetrsquos go

Ateneordquo or ldquoSpirit Ateneordquo orldquoFight Ateneordquo mdash but in practiceit meant courage Never give upno matter what the odds ldquoGoget lsquoem Ateneordquo Never say dieTis was obvious in everythingthat the boys did

But it never degenerated intoldquoWin at all costsrdquo Te secondmasculine virtue is justice Tis

means honesty integrity and fairplay Both at once mdash courageand fair play Te verse that everyathlete in the school knew by heart

was ldquoIf I should win let it be bythe code with my head and my

honor held high But if I shouldlose let me stand by the road andcheer as the winner goes byrdquo

It was a tremendous amount of work mdash teaching night and dayrunning the Sodality the ACILand the magazine mdash but Georgeloved it

And his students loved him Tefriendships that he made duringthose three years of regency from1922 to 1925 lasted more thanfifty years

(o be continued on the nextissue)

mann and his life and ministrydevoted to service that providedldquofresh water and good newsrdquo

particularly to the youth the poorand the prisonersTe Cardinal cited his own basic

formation as a Charter memberof the Columbian Squires inImus Cavite where they helpedthe Church in its program for thestreet children He also mentionedhis appreciation for being a scholarof the Knights of Columbus dur-ing Fr Willmannrsquos time

Reiterating that God indeedtransforms deserts into places ofrest peace and holiness Cardinalagle ended his homily by encour-aging all in attendance to be agentsof Godrsquos holiness

People from all walks of life joined the celebration of this Mass

that formally opened the Cause ofServant of God - Fr Willmann

Also repres ent ed were var iou sorganizations established and nur-tured by Fr George including the

Daughters of Isabella (now Daugh-ters of Mary Immaculate) Catholic Youth Organization ColumbianSquires and the Knights of Co-lumbus Parishioners and residents

with their families from nearbycities and communities of ondoIntramuros Sta Cruz Malate andother more distant places likewise

witnessed the very mean ingfulOpening of the diocesan processfor the Cause of their ldquoFather andBenefactorrdquo of forty years

Fr George J Willmann SJdevoted the last forty years of hislife not only in humble serviceand dynamic leadership of theKnights of Columbus in thePhilippines but equally being a

compassionate pastor in the careand formation of the youth He

provided relief to victims of the

war and of violence while also al-leviating the sufferings of the poorHe likewise established ways topreserve and promote the sanctityof life marriage and the family

It was in 1997 or eighteen yearsago that the Knights of Columbusin the Philippines first started aconcerted thrust to formally laythe groundwork for the Causeof Fr Willmann During theOrderrsquos centennial celebration ofFr Willmannrsquos birth the Ordercreated a Committee on Causecomposed of Ramon V ConsingLauro M Cruz and Msgr PedroC Quitorio III as co-chairmenNotable activities of the Com-mittee included gathering of tes-

timonials launch of the Prayer forthe Centennial of Fr Willmann with the Impr imatur of Msgr Jose C Abriol launching of Fr Willmann Fellows meeting withthen Jaime Cardinal Sin and theFather Provincial of the Jesuits toseek their respective endorsementsof the Cause Te Order publishedand distributed the pamphlet ldquoAGlimpsehe Life and Worksof Fr George J Willmann SJrdquoin order to give due acknowledg-ment and recognition as well as toincrease awareness abou t Fr Will-mann A landmark achievement ofthis period was the publication ofldquoTe Gentle Warriorrdquo a biographyof Fr Willmann authored by Fr

James B Reuter SJEstablishing and spreading the

fama sanctitatis of Fr Willmann

included the presentation andpromotion of his works mademore concrete by direct testimo-nies of various individuals whomhe personally interacted withFr Willmann Fellowsrsquo one-timemembership donations have beenpooled to fund the productionof materials such as prayer cardspublications tarpaulins postersto effectively promote Fr George

Willmann not only to brotherKnights but more importantlyto the youth the poor and under-privileged of various communities

In 2011 through the efforts ofthe KC Fraternal Association ofthe Philippines and the Knightsof Columbus Fr Willmann Chari-

ties Inc the National ExecutiveCommittee (NEC) for the Causeof Fr Willmann was created withthe primary function of overseeingall the initiatives relative to or inconnection with the Cause

We are blessed that the Dioc-esan process of the Cause of FrGeorge J Willmann SJ has nowbeen formally opened therebygiving us significant reason torejoice Henceforth he will nowbe regarded Servant of God Letus fervently pray for continuedenlightenment from the HolySpirit for everyone involved in thisDiocesan process and the Causeas a whole so that our belovedFr George J Willmann may ulti-

mately be elevated to the honorsof the altar

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D4 The CrossDecember 7 2015 - 27 2015 Vol 19 No 25

FST IN CAGAYAN A Fraternal Service Training program was held in Cagayan De Oro last November 13 2015Participants were from Zamboanga Misamis and Butuan The event was graced by KCFAPI Vice Presidentfor FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBG Manager Michael Cabra Aside from the product specifications thetraining also gives an idea regarding the basic insurance process and conceptualization of new marketingstrategies in order to achieve their goals and improve their sales performance (FBG News)

AREA MEETING IN VISAYAS The KCFAPI Western Visayas Armor held an area meeting in Bacolod lastOctober 24 2015 led by Agency Unit Manager Randy G Bravo and graced by KCFAPI Vice President forFBG Gari San Sebastian (KCFAPI News)

FST IN DAVAO A Fraternal Service Training program (1 and 2) was held in KCFAPI Davao Service OfficeDavao City last November 20-21 2015 Participants were from Compostela Valley Cotabato City andGeneral Santos The training was attended by KCFAPI Vice President f or FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBGManager Michael Cabra (FBG News)

PRODUCERSrsquo FORUM KCFAPI Vice President for FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBG Manager Michael Cabraled a Producersrsquo Forum wherein fraternal counsellors all over Luzon were gathered for an update of theirincentives program held last November 11 2015 at the KCFAPI home office (FBG News)

New KCFAPI Board of Trustee Bro Pascual C Carbero

IN February of 1986 BroCarbero started his knightlyservice in the Knights of Co-lumbus under Council 10695

in Valenzuela City Duringhis service in Council 10695he has been appointed asChancellor for CY 1992-1993 and as Deputy GrandKnight and Program Direc-tor for CY 1993-1994 InDistrict M-31 of ValenzuelaCity Bro Carbero was GrandKnight for CY 1994-1995District Warden for CY 1996-1997 and District Deputyfor CY 1997-1999 He wasalso Chairman for the Roundable District Deputies forCY 1998-1999 At the Dr PioValenzuela Assembly ACN1772 Meycauayan Bulacanhe was the Faithful Naviga-

tor for CY 1999-2000 Onthat same term Bro Pascual

was the Luzo n State Audi -tor for CY 2000-2003 andthe Luzon State Warden forCY 2000-2003 of the Luzon

Jurisdiction After which forCY 2000-2001 he becamethe Charter Faithful Naviga-tor for the City of Valenzuela

Assembly ACN 2676 For

CY 2007-2015 Bro Carbero was re-a ppo inte d as Luzo nState Warden Bro Carbero

was a voting delegate in the

KC Supreme Convention heldat Washington DC in 2010and also a non-voting delegateheld at Anaheim Californiain 2002 and 2012 Currentlyhe is the State Secretary of theLuzon North Jurisdiction

Bro Pascualrsquos dedicationand enthusiasm in participat-ing in the Order gave himthe endeavor to author thecreation of the City of Valen-zuela Assembly in 1999 withthe assistance of the Districtand Vice Supreme Master

With his knightly serv ice he was awarded with several rec-ognition namely OutstandingDistrictDeputy for CY 1997-

1999 Star District Awardeefor CY 1997-1999 and Civic

Awardee as Charter FaithfulNavigator of the City of Valen-zuela Assembly ACN 2676CY 2000-2001

Apart from Knights of Co-lumbus Bro Carbero partakeshis services in other civic andreligious organizations He isa Special Lay Minister of the

Holy Eucharist Parish of theHoly Cross since 1989 and amember of the Parish RenewalExperience Group He is the

Director and reasurer of thePhilippine Insurers Club from2013 to 2014 and currently itsPresident He is also a memberof the Insurance Executive1st Friday Club of Makatiand an incoming Presidentof the Philippine Associationof Surety Underwriters Incthis 2016

He was Director Corpo-rate Secretary of Mace Insur-ance Agency Inc from 2012until 2014 and currentlythe Independent Director ofKompass Credit and FinancialCorporation and KCFAPIrespectively Bro Carbero isalso a fellow of Father George

J Willmann Charit ies Inc And since 2006 he has beenthe Vice President of IntraStrata Assurance Corporation

He graduated with a Bach-elorrsquos degree in Business Ad-ministration Major in Man-agement at Philippine Schoolof Business Administration in1973 and finished Bachelor ofLaws in Lyceum of the Philip-

pines in 1988Bro Pascual Carberorsquos wife

Sis Remedios was past presi-dent for three years of theCatholic Womenrsquos League(CWL) Valenzuela Chapterand currently the AssistantVice President for Underwrit-ing in Mercantile InsuranceCo Inc in Intramuros Ma-nila Tey are blessed with six

wonderful children namely

Soidemer Claire a pediatri-cian Abigail Claire a lawyerValerie Claire and ChristineClaire both of whom are reg-istered nurses Terese Claire

who graduated with Bachelorrsquosdegree in Laws and is currentlyreviewing for Bar exams and

Adrian Brian who is also aregistered nurse and presentlya 3rd year medical student

Former SC Justice tofellow lsquoPH Knightsrsquo Prayfor Willmannrsquos CauseMANILA Dec 8 2015 ndash Former Chief

Justice Hilario G Davide Jr has calledon fellow members of the Knights of Co-lumbus (KC) nationwide to keep prayingfor the eventual ldquoraising to the altarrdquo ofthe grouprsquos spiritual father Fr George J

Willmann SJ who was declared ldquoSer-vant of Godrdquo Monday Dec 7

ldquoSo what is demanded of us as mem-bers of Knights of Columbus What isdemanded of us as members of Knightsof Columbus Fraternal Association of thePhilippines Inc [KCPAFI]rdquo he askedldquoWe need to pray a lot Pray pray praythat the tribunal will listen to the evidencepresented Pray pray pray that the tribu-nal will actually collate all the evidenceand determine once and for all that whathas been presented through our postula-

tor is credible to merit the conferment ofbeatification later on Tis is our taskrdquo

Archdiocesan processDavide who now chairs the National

Executive Committee for the Causes ofFr Willmann made this observation in aspeech following a ceremony held at theManila Cathedral during which Arch-bishop Luiacutes Antonio G Cardinal agleofficially approved the archdiocesan process

for the causes for the beatification and can-onization of the naturalized Filipino Jesuit

he solemn occasion was witnessedby no less than 1000 representativesof KCPAFI and other organizations Fr

Willmann helped establish like Catholic Youth Organization Columbian Squiresin the Philippines (1950) and Daughtersof Mary Immaculate

Te former chief magistrate went on todescribe the entire process as ldquovery mean-ingfulrdquo since it had the power to make anordinary priest into a Servant of God

Ordinary priest to Servant of GodldquoImagine during our lifetime today in

the Cathedral we saw the conversion ofan ordinary priest to become a Servant ofGod And we hope that he will merit be-

ing a servant of God until the first step ofthe process will continuerdquo he exclaimed

According to him it must have been thefirst time for most people present to haveseen with their own eyes an event of suchldquohistoric and momentous significancerdquo

ldquoI have lived 20 times four years of mylife almost And this is the first time I have

witnessed the process how it evolves and what we can gather from it o me thisis not just making somebody brought to

the honors of the altar but for us to beable to witness how to live and how tocomport ourselves to be able to follow hisfootstepsrdquo he explained

Built-in holinessDavide pointed out that holiness is

already built in each person but it is onlya matter of expressing it

ldquoWhy I would say that holiness is inus already Because we are the templeof God and the Spirit of God is with usSometimes however we forget that this isso We close our ears We close our eyes to

Jesus Christ We close our hands to JesusChrist by helping others So this is theprocess that we have witnessed today Andto me it will very much workrdquo he added

Davide also credited Msgr Pedro C Qui-

torio III postulator of the causes for Fr Will-mann for the ldquodivinely inspiredrdquo occasionand the timeliness of the diocesan process

ldquoSo Msgr Quitorio you are divinelyinspired You planned everything in sucha way that everything we did and we willdo and what we are doing right now isnot only as legacy to the next generationbut even beyond the next generation forpeople and children yet unbornrdquo he said(Raymond A Sebastiaacuten CBCP News)

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A4 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

IN the summer of 1985 I ldquodatedrdquoa Swiss Guard Yes one of thosehunks guarding the pope in theVatican I put the word ldquodatedrdquo inquotation marks because it wasnrsquota date-date you know ldquoDatingrdquoa Swiss Guard I thought was aclever way that I a curious jour-nalist gradually returning to theCatholic fold could know moreabout Pope John Paul II whointrigued me at first sight duringhis 1981 visit to the Philippines

It was one of those times I was

roaming Europe alone on Eurail-pass for a month hopping on andoff the train wherever-wheneverBack then Swiss Guards were notallowed to talk or even smile toanyone while on dutymdashthey stoodthere like heartless monuments

with only their eyeballs moving

(Now they will even accom-modate your request for a selfie)Being much younger I had thetemerity to march up to a guard(letrsquos call him ldquoHansrdquo) the min-ute he got off duty to introducemyself and ask him out to dinnerthat very nightmdashfor an interviewabout his unique occupation I

was surprised he readily acceptedand without much ado he setour date ldquoEight orsquoclock at theobeliskrdquo (rust the Swiss to be soclock-driven)

Hans was already there whenI arrived at 755 at the obelisk atSt Peterrsquos Square but I almostmissed him because without theSwiss Guard uniform he didnrsquotlook so formidable So I fired thequestionsmdashabout his job his lifeas a Swiss Guard his impressions

of John Paul IImdashand he freelysatisfied my curiosity over fish andchips and beer

But why am I telling you thisOnly because my originally in-tended topic for this ar ticle todayldquoChristmas gifts for priestsrdquo led tothis recollection Hans was clearlyin awe of his boss the Polish popeand his reverence for the pontiff was evident as he shared with meabout his unforgettable first birth-day as a Swiss Guard Hans wasspeechless when he was called to

the popersquos office first thing in themorning of his birthday ldquoWhathad I done wrongrdquo he wonderedon his way Ten a smiling JohnPaul II took him to a room hehad never seen before rdquo Hansrecalled his eyes beaming ldquoIt is avery big room filled with gifts to

the pope all kinds of gifts fromall over the world and the popesaid lsquoChoose anything you wantitrsquos my birthday gift to yoursquo I wasoverwhelmed like a little boy in aroom full of chocolatesrdquo

Years later I was to discoverhow difficult it was to think ofgifts to give to pri ests because likemy rich friends ldquothey have every-thingrdquo Whether for birthday orfor Christmas theyrsquore flooded withall sorts of gifts some of whichthey have absolutely no use for

For one bishop I know the giftsvanish as soon as the celebration isovermdashbecause there are dozens ofpriests and chancery workers wait-ing in the wings for superfluousgifts Another priest I know picksonly the Christmas gifts he needs

EDIORIAL

HE Sacraments are a privileged way in which nature is taken up byGod to become a means of mediating supernatural life Trough our worship of God we are invited to embrace the world on a differentplane Water oil fire and colors are taken up in all their symbolic powerand incorporated in our act of praise Te hand that blesses is an in-strument of Godrsquos love and a reflection of the closeness of Jesus Christ who came to accompany us on the journey of life Water poured overthe body of a child in Baptism is a sign of new life Encountering Goddoes not mean fleeing from this world or turning our back on nature

Tis is especially clear in the spirituality of the Christian East ldquoBeauty which in the East is one of the best loved names expressing the divineharmony and the model of humanity transfigured appears everywherein the shape of a church in the sounds in the colors in the lights inthe scentsrdquo For Christians all the creatures of the material universefind their true meaning in the incarnate Word for the Son of God hasincorporated in his person part of the material world planting in it aseed of definitive transformation ldquoChristianity does not reject matterRather bodiliness is considered in all its value in the liturgical act whereby the human body is disclosed in its inner nature as a temple ofthe Holy Spirit and is united with the Lord Jesus who himself took abody for the worldrsquos salvationrdquo

It is in the Eucharist that all that has been created finds its greatest

exaltation Grace which tends to manifest itself tangibly found unsur-passable expression when God himself became man and gave himself asfood for his creatures Te Lord in the culmination of the mystery ofthe Incarnation chose to reach our intimate depths through a fragmentof matter He comes not from above but from within he comes that wemight find him in this world of ours In the Eucharist fullness is alreadyachieved it is the living centre of the universe the overflowing core oflove and of inexhaustible life Joined to the incarnate Son present inthe Eucharist the whole cosmos gives thanks to God

On Sunday our participation in the Eucharist has special importanceSunday like the Jewish Sabbath is meant to be a day which heals ourrelationships with God with ourselves with others and wi th the worldSunday is the day of the Resurrection the ldquofirst dayrdquo of the new creation whose first fruits are the Lordrsquos risen humanity the pledge of the finaltransfiguration of all created reality It also proclaims ldquomanrsquos eternalrest in Godrdquo In this way Christian spirituality incorporates the valueof relaxation and festivity We tend to demean contemplative rest assomething unproductive and unnecessary but this is to do away withthe very thing which is most important about work its meaning We

are called to include in our work a dimension of receptivity and gratuity which is quite different from mere inactivity Rather it is another wayof working which forms part of our very essence It protects humanaction from becoming empty activism it also prevents that unfetteredgreed and sense of isolation which make us seek personal gain to thedetriment of all else

Te law of weekly rest forbade work on the seventh day ldquoso that yourox and your donkey may have rest and the son of your maidservantand the stranger may be refreshedrdquo (Ex 2312) Rest opens our eyes tothe larger picture and gives us renewed sensitivity to the rights of others And so the day of rest centered on the Eucharist sheds it light on the whole week and motivates us to greater concern for nature and the poor

-- Laudato Sirsquo 235-237

IN Misericordiae Vultus the Bull of Indiction released in April thisyear announcing the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy Pope Francisalready gave the reason why this Jubilee Year had to be opened onDec 8 the Feast of the Immaculate Conception Te logic he gave was ldquoi ts rich meaning in the recent history of the Churchrdquo And bythat he meant the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council which was concluded on Dec 8

He would look at Vatican II as another door where the world pas sed

through fifty years ago Tat passing through was an emergence of theChurch ldquofrom the shoals which for year s had kept her self-enclosed soas to set out once again with enthusiasm on her missionary journeyIt was a resumption of a journey of encountering people where theyare in their cities and homes in their workplaces Wherever there arepeople the Church is called to reach out to them and to bring the joyof the Gospel and the mercy and forgiveness of Godrdquo

o look at Vatican II in that perspective is profound enough Butin his homily at the at the start of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercyand the opening of the Holy Door at St Peterrsquos this Dec 8 he delveseven more deeply into the theology of the Immaculate ConceptionHe contemplates that the ldquoImmaculate Conception is the grandeurof Godrsquos loverdquo in the sense that ldquoin Mary he even averts the originalsin present in every man and woman who comes into this worldrdquo Ac-cording to him ldquothis is the love of God which precedes anticipatesand savesrdquo

He says that sin can only be understood in the light of Godrsquos loveand forgiveness If sin were the only thing that mattered man wouldbe the most desperate of all creatures But this is not so because ldquothepromised triumph of Christrsquos love unfolds everything in the Fatherrsquosmercyrdquo Te Immaculate Conception is a testimony to this truth Which is why he says ldquoWe have to put mercy before judgment and inany event Godrsquos judgment will always be in the light of Godrsquos mercyrdquo

Now one understands why Pope Francis in his interview with Fr Antonio Spadaro of La Civilta Cattolica in 2013 compares the Church with a field hospi tal Now one understands why in an in-flight in-terview from Rio de Janeiro after the World Youth Day he answeredldquoWho am I to judgerdquo Now one understands why in his flight backto Rome from Africa last month he dodges the condom issue whilelooking at bigger issues that world leaders seem to ignore

Sacramental signs and

the celebration of rest

ldquoMercy before judgmentrdquo

OPINION

Partisanshipopenness charity

Fr Roy Cimagala

Candidly Speaking

MonitorPROTAGONIST OF TRUTH PROMOTER OF PEACE

CBCP

Pedro C QuitorioEditor-in-Chief

Nirvarsquoana E DelacruzAssociate Editor

Roy Q LagardeNews Editor

Kris BayosFeatures Editor

I L L U

S T R A T I O N B Y B L A D I M E R U S I

Climate change

Teresa R Tunay OCDSAnd Thatrsquos The Truth

Gifts for priests

Oscar V Cruz DD

Views and Points

The CBCP Monitor is published fortnight ly by the AreopagusSocial Media for Asia Inc with editorial and business officesat Ground Flr Holy Face of Jesus Center amp Convent 1111F R Hidalgo Street Quiapo Manila Editorial (632) 404-

2182 Business (632) 404-1612 ISSN 1908-2940

Ronalyn R ReginoDesign Artist

Gloria FernandoMarketing Supervisor

Mercedita JuaniteCirculation Manager

Marcelita DominguezComptroller

Candidly Speaking A7

And Thatrsquos The Truth A5

ldquoCLIMATE change is a global problem with grave implications environmental social eco-nomic politicalIt represents one of the majorchallenges facing humanity in our days Itsworst impact will probably be felt by developingcountries in the coming decadesrdquo (Pope FrancisEncyclical Letter ldquoOn the Case of Our CommonHomerdquo n 25 24 May 2015)

No less than Pope Francis the Sovereign ofthe Universal Catholic Church spread all overthe globe with membership from all knowncontinents races and colors made the deliber-ate option to formally and categorically addressthe phenomenon of climate change ndash the even-tual and ultimate victim of which is humanityas a whole Among other definitely seriousand deadly consequences of climate changeare the following Te progressive warmingof the global climate Te gradual destructionof the world environment Te slow but sure

wastage of earthly resources the eventual loss ofhuman lives well-includedmdashwhen nature itselfrevolts against its destructors It is definitelynot a profound truth that a bomb-maker can

be the victim thereof when it precisely explodeson him

Te Church is certainly much concerned with the truths in the supernatural sphere Butthis does not mean that the same Institutionis indifferent to the realities in the natural or-der Yes the Church is continuously teachingthe fundamental Commandment of Love ofGod But the same Ecclesial Institution is alsomuch concerned with the basic Command-ment of Love of Neighbor In other wordsthe Church is committed to affirm the gloryof God and at the same time also mandatedto safeguard the good of man And when theChurch through the Pope himself speaks aboutthe mortal dangers brought by climate changeto humanity this is but her obligation So itis that the perpendicular love of God plus thehorizontal love of man brings about no lessthan the reality of the Cross of Christ

he earth is the ldquoCommon Homerdquo ofhumanity as a whole It is Godrsquos creation forman to live on even but temporally until he iscalled to his eternal abode Te truth of thematter is that God Himself saw to it that the

earth was ready ndash the air and the waters thesun and the moon the land and the trees thegreenery and the animals ndash before He broughtman to life and live thereon What a pity ifthrough his abuse and other misdeeds he is infact slowly but surely destroying his ldquoCommonHomerdquo with all others brought about preciselyby climate change

Te vicious exploitation degradation anddestruction of nature usually on account of ava-rice and greed the consequent phenomenonof pollution on account of a throw-away socialculture the consequent loss of biodiversitymdashallthese and more challenge the integrity of na-ture all these and more demean the environsand necessarily make man the ultimate victimNo Man is not meant much less able to chal-lenge nature because by so doing he is the sureloser and victim He is instead obliged to takecare of nature so that nature takes care of him

Would that the just concluded interna-tional encounter of no less than leaders fromcountries the world over one way or anothersooner than later decidedly take remedial stepsto counter climate change

IN our political discussions andexchanges itrsquos just fine to bepartisan as long as we are open

and respectful of all other viewsincluding those that are differentand opposed to ours We shouldavoid any form of extremism bydemonizing others who do notagree with us

Partisanship is inevitable in ourpolitics And thatrsquos simply because

we have diffe rent backgroundsand orientations different prefer-ences and priorities Given ourhuman condition let alone our

weakness mistakes and failures we will always have difference samong ourselves

We should not be surprised bythese but rather learn to live withthem as befits our human dignity

We should not allow that we be

dragged by the dynamics of angeranimosity and hatred Charity

should always rule even in ourpolitical choices as it should in allother aspects of our life

Yes we can be quit e stro ngand fixed in our views but thisdoes not give us an excuse to letgo of charity In fact these differ-ences should be a good ground forcharity to grow Tus the sharperthe differences the more intenseshould be our charity

We have to avoid painting those who disagree with us as if they arethe very personification of evilcompletely incapable of doinganything good or saying anythingtrue and worthwhile Tis wouldbe a simplistic and naiumlve way oflooking at things and as such isfraught with potential dangers

If we have to disagree then letrsquosdisagree amicably respecting each

other and each otherrsquos positionNo need for harsh words to be

thrown much less uncharitablethoughts and bad intentionsCharity knows how to unite us

even in our most hopeless andirreparable differencesSad to say many of us today

are behaving the opposite of whatis proper to us It starts with ourpolitical leaders and candidatesdown to the electorate and even tothe general population includingchildren We have to stop this

We cannot paint a favorite can-didate to be so perfect and saintlythat we can observe no defectmistake or fault in him Neithershould we picture a disliked candi-date to be so bad that we can findno saving grace in him

Letrsquos always remember that allthe saints and the appointed pa-triarchs and prophets of old had

their defects and mistakes tooeven after their conversion Tey

were always struggling becausethey know that their sanctity isalways a work in progress It is

never completed in this life Also even those who are gener-ally considered as bad people arestill capable of doing somethinggood I remember one Gospelepisode where this possibility isillustrated Itrsquos in the Gospel ofSt John

ldquoBut one of them Caiaphas who was high prie st that yearsaid to them lsquoYou know nothingat all you do not understand thatit expedient for you that one manshould die for the people andthat the whole nation should notperishrsquo

ldquoHe did not say this of his ownaccord but being high priest thatyear he prophesied that Jesus

should die for the nation and not

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 524

A5CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25 OPINION

Atty Aurora A Santiago

Duc In Altum

Fr Carmelo O Diola

Spaces of HopeJesus Christ the face of

the Fatherrsquos mercy

POGI (Presence Of God Inside) Rev Fr Alan Gozo Bondoc SVD

The Family and the Eucharist

in the Jubilee Year of Mercy

Virgin of Guadalupe

The Bread of Life

Rev Eutiquio lsquoEulyrsquo Belizar

Jr SThD

By the Roadside

EVERY time we look into a mirror we see our own face Te mirrorreflects us But it cannot containus It is different when we lookinto Jesus Christ In Him we seethe face of God In Him we see

the Father who is in Him and in whom He is ldquoTe Father and I areonerdquo He declares in John 1030o Philip the Apostle He saysldquoWhoever has seen me has seenthe Fatherrdquo (Jn 149) In Him westand face to face with the Fatherand it is the Fatherrsquos mercy thatcomes to the fore and becomesvisible to anyone who encounters Jesus Christ

So particularly and emphati-cally says the Holy Father PopeFrancis in the Bull of Indiction ofthe Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercyentitled Misericordiae Vultus (TeFace of Mercy) His very first state-ment is his most forceful ldquoJesusChrist is the face of the Fatherrsquos

mercyrdquo (Misercordiae Vultus no1) Here he echoes the messageof St John Paul II who withoutmincing his words simply pointsout ldquoHe (Jesus Christ) Himself ina certain sense is mercyrdquo (Dives inMisericordia no 2)

What is the Holy Father tryingto say here

1 Tat Jesus Christ continuesand is in fact the fullest revela-tion of Godrsquos mercy Already in

the Old Covenant which we knowas the Old estament God alreadyreveals Himself to Moses as ldquoa Godmerciful and gracious slow toanger and abounding in steadfastlove and faithfulnessrdquo (Ex 346) a

truth Pope Francis refers to in MV1 God does not stop doing so Infact as the letter to the Hebrewstells us ldquoIn times past God spokein fragmentary and varies ways toour fathers through the prophetsin this final age he has spoken tous through his Son whom he hasmade heir of all thingsrdquo (Heb 11-2) Jesus is the fullest revelation ofthe Father because He the ldquoSon isthe reflection of the Fatherrsquos glorythe exact representation of theFatherrsquos beingrdquo (Heb 13)

2 In Jesus Christ we see thefullest revelation of the Fatherrsquosmercy not simply for one particu-lar person community or nationbut for all mankind In a word

the revelation of Godrsquos mercyis universal in scope God is noexclusive property even of theChosen People of Israel As Isaiahdeclares Godrsquos mind ldquoLet not theforeigner say when he would joinhimself to the Lord lsquoTe Lord will surely exclude me from hispeoplersquo Te foreigners who jointhemselves to the Lord loving thename of the Lord and becominghis servantshellip[them] I will bring

to my holy mountain and make joyful in my house of prayerhellipFor my house shall be called ahouse of prayer for all peoplesrdquo (Is561 3 7) Tis brings us pauseTe Catholicity of Godrsquos mercy is

particularly real in the CatholicChurch where every race countryor nationality finds a home Tis

was particularly brought home tome the first time I concelebratedin a Mass in Rome I was awed bythe presence even among priestsof people of all skin colors raceslanguages and cultures I couldnot help seeing the reality of the

words uttered through Isaiah ldquoMyhouse shall be called a house ofprayer for all peoplesrdquo

3 Jesusrsquo revelation of the Fatherrsquosmercy is no campaign slogan orempty claim he Holy Fatherhimself teaches ldquoJesus of Nazarethby his words his actions and hisentire person reveals the mercy of

Godrdquo (MV 1) Jesus himself pointsto his own testimony directly link-ing him to the Father in a mannergreater that even John the Baptistrsquosown testimony on his behalf ldquoBut Ihave testimony greater than JohnrsquosTe works that the Father gave meto accomplish these works that Iperform testify on my behalf thatthe Father has sent merdquo (Jn 536)Pope Francis makes us meditateon how Jesusrsquo deeds reveal the

Father His relationships with themarginalized sinners and outcastsHis ldquodeep compassionrdquo for the tiredand exhausted crowds His healingand curing of peoplersquos illnesses Hisraising of the dead particularly of

the widow of Naimrsquos son His driv-ing away evil spirits that oppressand enslave people His choosingof Matthew a sinner and tax col-lector as one of His apostles (MV8) Even Jesusrsquo words also attest tothe Fatherrsquos mercy Te Holy Fathersurveys the parables of mercy thelost sheep the lost coin and thefather of two sons (Lk 151-32)in each of which ldquoGod is alwayspresented as full of joy especially

when he pardonsrdquo (MV 9)4 You have to excuse me

if I cut down our musings Ihave come to my most impor-tant point Since Christians areChristifideles or the ldquofaithful ofChristrdquo they must also reflect

Jesus Chri st who reflects ex actlythe Fatherrsquos mercyHere we must challenge our-

selves Could we also take as ourown Jesusrsquo words ldquoI have testi-mony greater than Johnrsquos he

works that the Father gave me toaccomplish these works that Iperform testify on my behalf thatthe Father has sent merdquo Do wealso have words and deeds to showfor our works

HE year 2021 is a year of thanksgiving forthe 500th Anniversary on March 16 2021 ofthe arrival of Christianity in the country Weremember the first Mass celebrated in Lima-sawa Island on that Easter Sunday March 311521 Tat was the day of baptism of RajahHumabon given the Christian name Carlosand his wife Hara Amihan baptized JuanaTe image of Sto Nińo de Cebu the oldestreligious icon was the gift of Ferdinand Magel-lan to the first Filipino Catholics

Te 9-year journey for the New Evangeli-zation offers a different theme for each yearTe first 3 yearsrsquo themes are Integral FaithFormation Year of the Laity Year of the Poorand this year is the Eucharist and the Family which coincides with the Holy Year of Mercy

Pope Francis proclaimed the start of the

Jubilee Year of Mercy on Dec 08 2015 theSolemnity of the Immaculate Conception Heopened the Holy Door which will become ldquoaDoor of Mercy through which anyone whoenters will experience the love of God who con-soles pardons and instils hoperdquo Pope Francisopened the Holy Door on the 50th anniversaryof the closing of the Second Vatican Council

Te Holy Door of the Cathedral of Romethe Basilica of Saint John Lateran will beopened on the hird Sunday of AdventTereafter the Holy Doors of the other PapalBasilicas will be opened Te Holy Father willalso announce that in every cathedral a Doorof Mercy will be opened for the duration ofthe Holy Year

ldquoIn the Diocese of Kalookan aside from SanRoque Cathedral which will have the Rites

of Blessing and Dedication of the Cathedralon December 12 its Apostolic AdministratorMost Rev Francisco De Leon will declare twochurches in each of the 5 Vicariates in theDiocese as the Jubilee Church to give all pa-rishioners the opportunity to have immediateaccess to the Jubilee Churches they will visitrdquo

Te faithful who visit the Holy Door ofa Church is given a Plenary Indulgence aldquoremission before God of the temporal punish-ment due to sins whose guilt has already beenforgiven which the faithful Christian who isduly disposed gains under certain prescribedconditions through the action of the Church

which as the minister of redemption dispensesand applies with authority the treasury of thesatisfactions of Christ and the saintsrdquo

Gaining of indulgences whether plenaryor partial requires prescribed conditions andthe performance of certain prescribed worksTe faithful should be in the state of graceIndulgence can be gained only once a day Itis appropriate but not necessary that Confes-sion Holy Communion and praying for thePopersquos intentions take place on the same daythat the indulgenced work is performed tobe carried out within several days (about 20)before or after the indulgenced act Indulgencescan always be applied either to oneself or to thesouls of the deceased but cannot be applied toother persons living on earth

During the Synod of Bishops Pope Fran-

cis reflected on the relationship between theChurch and the family with a view to thecommon good of society ldquoWhen families

journey along the way of the Lord they offera fundamental witness to Godrsquos love and theydeserve the full commitment and support ofthe Church In the family we learn the bonds

which unite us of fidelity sincerity trust co-operation and respect even when difficultiesabound Indeed it is in family life that the mostvulnerable of society are cared forrdquo

ldquoLike Saint Peter the Church is called tobe a fisher of men and so needs a new typeof net Families are this net Tey free us fromthe sea of loneliness and indifference so that

we can all experience the freedom of beingchildren of God May the Church go out intothe deepen (duc in altum) confident that the

catch will be greatrdquo Te Papal Family of the Diocese of Kalookan

held its Advent Recollection with Most RevFrancisco De Leon as the Recollection Master

Adventus is coming the coming of Christ inthree ways He arrived when He was born inBethlehem He came in mystery (in the Sac-rament in Word the King) He will come inglory at the end of the world

How do we wait for the coming of ChristOur First Model is John the Baptist whoespoused repentance and avoidance of sinsand the proclamation of the coming of the

kingdom of God Our Second Model is Maryit is difficult to accept Godrsquos will but she ac-cepted it with its consequences She asked howshe could conceive when she did not knowany man In her time a woman who was notmarried and got pregnant was stoned to deathEverything that Mary did not understand shekept in her heart

In the Year of Mercy Bishop Francis en- joined the Papal Awardees to be merciful asthe Father is merciful Do corporal works ofmercymdashfeed the hungry give drink to thethirsty clothe the naked shelter the homelessvisit the sick visit the imprisoned and burythe dead Also do spiritual works of mercymdashcounsel the doubtful instruct the ignorantadmonish the sinners comfort the afflictedforgive offenses bear wrongs patiently prayfor the living and the dead

Forgiveness and Reconciliationmdashto forgivesin is to erase irrevocably what happened in thepast it is like punishing the victim the secondtime Victims demand repentance God is theforgiver of sins when we forgive we acceptGodrsquos love It is an act of freedom that no oneis bound to the power of the past If one is ableto forgive the victim becomes the survivor

o forget painful memories you belittle theevent or belittle the victim Urging the victimto forget is to victimize him again In forgive-ness we do not forget but we remember it ina different way in such a way that anger andresentment is no longer present It becomesconstructive o erase part of our memory isto erase part of identity We forget that we arenot bound by the sad emotions in the past

Why did the Risen Christ show Himself to the

apostles with wounds His sufferings are stillpart of His life but His wounds became a sourceof healing to doubting Tomas We rememberthe hurts and the wounds caused upon us hasbecome a source of healing for others Ask Godto heal your memory so that memory will notbring bitterness and resentment

Bishop Francis also presided over the HolyMass where he introduced new experiencesMass where everyone was seated in the Prayersof the Faithful seat mates pray for each otherrsquosintention Communion was given to each otherby seat mates Tank you Bishop Francis for

I is obvious from my bodilyfigure that I love eating It is mysimple enjoyment to eat besidesI give joy and smile to those whoprepared and served the food when I eat a lot As Andrew Zim-mern of Bizarre Foods would sayit ldquoIf it looks good eat itrdquo

We eat to live However eating without balance nutrition couldlead to an unhealthy life whichmay cause early death We haveto know what we eat every kindof food we take in has an effecton our body he food affectsour health it either weakens or

strengthens our bodyIn Gospel from John 651-58

Jesus is offering a different kindof food for us One that willdefinitely strengthen and nourishus not only our physical body butour soul He is giving us breadbread that gives life Because thebread He is referring to is HimselfldquoI am the living breadrdquo

It would be an understatementto say that this living bread if wechoose to take and eat it will havea good effect on our soul Tisliving bread will lead us to a holylife It will not cause us death but will give us life eternal

Jesus wants us to be one with

Him by taking His body We be-come what we eat Receiving the

Body of Jesus in the Communionis making Him part of our selvesIt is in the Communion that weare transformed and become ldquoAl-ter Cristusrdquo meaning ldquoAnotherChristrdquo Terefore receiving theBody of Christ gives us greaterresponsibility because when webecome ldquoAnother Christrdquo it onlymeans that we should act like Himand we should emulate Him

aking the Body of Christthe Bread of Life allows Jesus toincrease in us as we decrease inourselves

Te Bread of Life signifies Jesusrsquo

sacrificial love for us because Hegives Himself fully to us in Holy

Communion Communion is acalling to be with God Remember

we have a prayer before Commu-nion ldquoLord I am not worthy toreceive You but only say the Wordand I shall be healedrdquo Commu-nion means an invitation to those

who have lost their way It meanshealing to those who are woundedby sin It means transformation tobecome holy just as God is holy

In the Holy Communion wedo not receive mere bread but

Jesus Himself When we take andreceive the Body of Jesus we allowHim to permeate us and come into

our lives enter our heartsLet Jesus become your life

Duc In Altum A6

LAS Sept 5 to 10 I did a pilgrimage to the Basilica of Our Ladyof Guadalupe in Mexico City Tis was a humbling culminationof my silver anniversary celebration as an ordained priest with

friends and three of my brothers wo particular events in a totally-unexpected Marian pilgrimage last year led to the said pilgrimageldquoWait till you go to Guadalupe It is differentrdquo my friend

John told me in Lourdes Tis sparked my imagination Andtrue enough among other things when we were in Guadalupe

John pointed out to me the more than one kilometer distancenavigated by pilgrims on bended knees from the gate to the topof the epeyac Hill What humble long-suffering faith

Another incident was my longing for my departed motherElena and the thought during prayer ldquoAm I not your motheralsordquo I only found out last January in acloban from a Mariandevotee that similar consoling words were uttered to San JuanDiego by the Virgin of Guadalupe ldquoNo estoy yo aqui que soy tumadrerdquo (ldquoAm I not here I who am your motherrdquo)

My gratitude to God for the pilgrimage knows no bounds

One is the enjoyment of facts Hernan Cortes is no longer

just a busy street to my parish in Mandaue City Montezuma isnot just a lyric of a marching song 1521 is no longer just theyear Magellan came to our islands but also the year when Cortesvanquished Montezuma Now I know Mexico has a 40 year head-start of sustained Spanish administration and influence if we take1565 the arrival of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi in the Philippinesas our starting point

Legazpi had set sail from Mexico upon the orders of the repre-sentative of the Spanish king in Mexico I also learned that it wasa priest-secretary of Bishop Zumarraga who first saw the holyimage on the apron-like garment (ldquotilmardquo) of Juan Diego whomade a reproduction of it and sent it to the Philippines Whateverbecame of it So many connections between our country andMexico I felt at home

I am awed at how God through the Blessed Virgin Marypenetrated and transformed an existing religious culture thatencompassed every facet of the lives of the native populationGod satisfied their search for truth and divinity ndash that had un-fortunately led them to a very serious blunder regarding human

sacrifice ndash by entrusting a heavenly image of Our Lady to them Itis so amazing how specific symbols spoke to a particular religiouslonging of the natives like the roses inside the tilma that symbolizetruth Tat visual culture mirrors our own contemporary visualculture Tere are opportunities for new evangelization here

Te image defies human explanation as to its o rigin and makeand has remained unscathed and looking fresh despite manyyears of candle smoke acidity from a salty lake accidental acidspillage and the detonation of a bomb It is an image made inand preserved by heaven

Te circumstances surrounding the apparition attract meIt is moving how Our Lady appears to a 57-year old man whoresponds to her terms of endearment with his own term ofendearment (ldquoIndayrdquo) Juan Diegorsquos non-appearance before theVirgin (ldquonang-indianrdquo) due to his unclersquos deteriorating health isamusing Maryrsquos simple message is disarming Tey are words of

unconditional loveldquoListen and let it penetrate your hearthellipdo not be troubled

or weighed down with grief Do not fear any illness or vexationanxiety or pain Am I not here who am your Mother Are younot under my shadow and protection Am I not your fountainof life Are you not in the folds of my mantle In the crossing ofmy arms Is there anything else you needrdquo

Te Virgin Motherrsquos role as our companion continues Shetouched 33 hearts to undertake the pilgrimage even as we promiseto read the book entitled ldquo33 Days to Morning Gloryrdquo Whocould forget the testimony of my brother Raddy who receivedthe exact amount of money from an unexpected source for thetransportation expenses for him and his wife Carole

Pilgrimages are planned way ahead in advance Ours took aboutthree weeks Initial estimated costs were prohibitive Providenceguided Xenia a good friend and my brother Neil to look into thedetails of the pilgrimage and make it affordable Even our contactperson and guide were handpicked by Our Lady of Guadalupe

Who could forget the Mass for the birthday of the Blessed VirginMary when Monsignor Diego Monroy former basilica rector ledus in the Marian consecration that briefly unfroze the regimentedair of the basilica to allow the Holy Spirit to give us a most specialunction And lest we experience the effects of ldquospiritual implo-sionrdquo I thank the Lord for our sheer humanity Tis led to manyhumorous situations not to mention being lost for about twohours with three other persons

Besides my three siblings (Raddy Carl and Neil) and theirspouses (Carole and Lorna) my closest friend in seminary (Fr

Jim) as well as Joy (whose husband Guido was my best friendfrom college) and daughter Alexys came along Joy finally madethe Guadalupe pilgrimage on her third attempt and despite

weather problems What joy to be loved by Our Mother

and raffles away the rest duringEpiphany to needy parish workersand volunteers

On occasion I have been as-signed along with a few to openand sort out such gifts priestsreceive and on those times I wondered what guided the gift-givers to choose their presents tothe men of the cloth Many itemsare practical like cuts of polobarong fabric and cologne (ldquoParamabango kamay nila pag nagmanokardquo) but some are downrightinappropriate like luxury items A bishop who received a box ofCalvin Klein bikini briefs found

them rather odd asked ldquoIs this a joke or whatrdquo and quickly tossed

the pricey stylish collection to theeager hands of his driver

Bearing in mind the example ofSt John Paul II and the priests wholdquorecycledrdquo the gifts they receive one

would be safe to give gifts the priestcan share And we shouldnrsquot feeloffended if and when we see our giftamong those being ldquorecycledrdquo Af-ter all when we give gifts to priests

we give as well to the Lord whoenjoins His disciples to give awayspare cloaks to the bare backed

What gifts would be good togive to priests this ChristmasPlease make things easy for thegivermdashemail your suggestions to

teresatunaygmailcom and wersquollpublish them next issue

And Thatrsquos The Truth A4

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 624

A6 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25LOCAL NEWS

PH Catholics Itrsquos the season of reconciliation

AKING their cue from Pope Francisrsquoprayer intention for December FilipinoCatholics encourage others of their faithto have hope this Advent season and totake advantage of the coming Jubilee Yearto confess their sins and be reconciled with the Merciful God

ldquoTe popersquos intention for the month ofDecember may be understood as an invi-tation to all to come to the merciful Lordthrough the sacrament of reconciliationIt is in that sacrament that all who comesto God with humility will experienceGodrsquos mercyrdquo shared Darwin Beceril avolunteer catechist from the Diocese ofNovaliches

Religious educator Nestor Limquecofrom Manila seconded pointing out that

Advent invites the faithful to avail of theSacrament of Reconciliation and to be

hopeful that all will be well despite their weaknesses and imperfections thanks to aGod Who is Mercy and Hope personified

Greatest Love of AllldquoTis season of hope and the com-

mencement of the Year of Mercy gives usreason to celebrate the greatest love the

world has known that of the God Whohas show it through the Incarnation ofHis Sonrdquo he explained

According to Limqueco mercy is Godrsquosgreatest expression of His love for human-ity and hope is the response each faithfulmust give to to this loving mercy

ldquoTe advent season reminds us thatthere is always hope to come Jesus laiddown His life to save us from our sins and

bring us to eternal life Te Lord assuresus there is always hope in our struggles

temptations and problems Never losehope and always strive to do good thingsGod fulfills his promisesrdquo said JM ua-zon a Filipino accountant based in theUnited States

lsquoJesus never lets downrsquoEchoing one of the pontiffrsquos quotable

statements on his visit to Palo Leyte in January uazon stressed that Jesus is Lord Who will not let the faithful down

he Holy Fatherrsquos universal prayerintention for the month is ldquoTat all mayexperience the mercy of God who nevertires of forgivingrdquo

Meanwhile his intention for evangeli-zation is ldquoTat families especially those

who suffer may find in the birth of Jesus

a sign of certain hoperdquo (Raymond ASebastiaacuten CBCP News)

the very enlightening talk and new experi-ences in the Holy Eucharist We learned alot and we will greatly miss you

We gr ee t Mo st Rev De og ra ci as

Intildeiguez Jr DD Bishop Emeritusof the Diocese of Kalookan and FrMario Cueto a very Happy Birthday

Happy Sacerdotal Anniversary to FrRico Ayo Fr Romy uazon Fr Jeff

Ayt onaOP Fr Den ni s Sa li se FrLarry Frias Fr Nestor Estanislao FrPatrick Hiwatig O P Happy Birthdayalso to my brother Dr Andres ldquoRoyrdquoSantiago and Kalookan Diocese Curiastaff Jun Acebuche

Duc In Altum A5

PH needs lsquorespectful leadersrsquo ndash pro-lifers

FOLLOWING Davao MayorRodrigo Dutertersquos less-than-flattering reference to PopeFrancis in a recent speech aCatholic lay group issued astatement uesday underscor-ing the importance of electedofficials who know how torespect themselves the dig-nity of fellow humans andfundamental institutions likemarriage

R-e-s-p-e-c-t ldquoA person aspiring to be-

come the nationrsquos leadershould always be respectful ofhimself his office and of otherpeoplerdquo stressed Filipinos

for Life in their Dec 1 pressreleaseTe group went on to ask

rhetorically how Duterte canbe trusted to uphold the basicrights of other innocent people

if he can verbally abuse some-one as respected as the HolyFather

Besides finding that Duterteldquogreatly erredrdquo in cursing PopeFrancis they further decried

what they consider to be thepresidential candidatersquos ldquowan-ton behaviorrdquo with regardto his public admission toadultery

ldquoIf he has no respect for theindissolubility of marriagerdquothey added ldquoWhat other in-stitutions crucial to the moral

well-being of the people is he willing to tamper withrdquo

Sanctity of life family mar-

riageldquoWe value sanctity of lifefamily and marriage aboveallmdashinstitutions that formthe very foundation of everysound society We are most

disappointed that he chose notto uphold his marriage vows which would have been themost vivid expression of hismanhood unlike the personahe projects where women aremere expendable persons tosatisfy his sexual needsrdquo thegroup lamented

While already aware of apol-ogies issued on the mayorrsquosbehalf Filipinos for Life stilldemand Duterte himself toapologize to the countryrsquos 80million Catholics for the ldquoex-treme disrespectrdquo he has shownPope Francis and the Catholicfaith as well as to the womenhe has had relations with

Collective discernmentldquoWe also ask his supportersto discern well whether MrDuterte is indeed fit to be theirchoice as the next presidentof the country Tis is a time

for serious introspection andprayer and we must listento our informed conscience

which acts as Godrsquos voice inour heartsrdquo they explained

According to them the re-cent events raise serious doubtsabout Dutertersquos readiness forthe highest office in the landgiven that the Philippines de-serves a morally upright andcompetent leader who willrevere his position as a sacredduty to serve God and hiscountrymen

ldquoWe must also considerall the consequences of ouractions the positive as wellas the negative effects of

our decisions in the shortterm and the long termand what these decisions sayabout usrdquo the group added(Raymond A Sebastiaacuten CBCP News)

Legal scientific support vs

50 lsquocarbon majorsrsquo sought A the sidelines of the widely-pub-licized COP21 discussions betweennon-government organizations legalexperts and scientists are taking placeto hold the worldrsquos top 50 pollutersaccountable

Fr Edu Gariguez executive sec-retary of the Catholic BishopsConference of the Philippinesrsquo Na-tional Secretariat for Social Action

Justice and Peace (NASSA) said heand his grouprsquos presence in Franceis meant to gather legal support fortheir international campaign andto find ways to track long-standingcomplaints

ldquoWe are also conducting dia-logue with scientists to supportthe complainantsrsquo claimsrdquo FrGariguez said in an interview

with CBCP News a day before hereturned to Manila

Continuous coal mining

Te priest added it is sad to knowmost of the countryrsquos energy sourcescome from coal-fired power plantsTe government has also continuouslyallowed coal mining

He explained President (BenignoSimeon C) Aquino IIIrsquos speech

before COP21 was good but incon-sistent with what is going on in thePhilippines While the presidenttalked about climate vulnerabilitythe government has continued torally the countryrsquos top corporationsincluding Aboitiz and San Miguelto operate more coal-fired powerplants

ldquoItrsquos been business as usual forPresident Aquinordquo Fr Gariguezsaid He said ldquoitrsquos hypocriscy to themaximum level for one not to walkthe talkrdquo

Human rights inquiriesHowever Gariguez said he hopes

the Commission on Human Rights(CHR) will do its best to inquireinto the activities of a number of the

worldrsquos 50 carbon majors present inthe Philippines He said the CHRpromised to do so during the firstquarter of 2016

He further said this is the first timethe international community has at-tempted to hold the top 50 carbonmajors accountable for the plight ofthe poor and marginalized includingfarmers and fisherfolk (Melo M

Acuntildea CBCP News)

MSP DD Metropolitan Archbishopof Ozamiz Jesus A Dosado CM DD

Te statement which was also con-curred by 166 delegates of the 40thDOPIM Bishops-Clergy Conventiondescribes the bodyrsquos ldquoserious concern onthe operation of coal mining and coalpower plant that triggers apprehension

among our people and poses environ-ment threat in the provinces where suchfacility is being establishedrdquo

Accord ing to the doc ument coalmining and coal power plants are partof the ldquounchecked human activitiesrdquothat are turning the earth into ldquoan arid

wastelandrdquoReferring to the recent natural di-

sasters and super typhoons that havehit the country recently the bishopssaid ldquoWe are living witnesses of the

destruction brought about by weatherchanges and the effects to health bycarbon emissions he calamities thatclaimed thousands of lives these pastyears and months are enough proofto awaken in us a commitment tosafeguard creation and help mitigatetheir effectsrdquo

Te statement mentioned the HolyFather as an influence for their standsaying ldquoPope Francis seeing the ur-gency of action in dealing with envi-ronmental crisis points out the use ofhighly polluting fossil fuelsmdashespeciallycoal to be progressively replaced withoutdelay (Cf Laudato Si 165)rdquo

Te document was drafted during the40th DOPIM Bihops-Clergy Conven-tion at the Diocesan Pastoral CenterDel Carmen Iligan City (CBCP News)

Mindanao A1

Vatican City - November 30 2015 Workers set up a Christmas Tree and Nativity Set in St Peterrsquos Square on November 30 2015 CNA

we going to do itrdquo the priest pointed out

Petition vs lsquobig pollutersrsquoNo less than 50 multinational compa-

nies were named respondents of the peti-tion considered as the first human rightscomplaints against big polluters

Of these 10 companies have branches orsubsidiaries in the Philippines as follows

bull ExxonMobilbull Chevronbull otalbull Royal Dutch Shell

bull BHP Billiton

bull BPbull Anglo Americanbull Lafargebull Holcimbull aiheiyo Cement CorporationBesides Gariguez the other Filipi-

nos and Asians present in Paris to givetalks are Climate Change CommissionCommissioner Heherson Alvarez CHRCommissioners Roberto Cadiz and GwenPimentel-Gana and representatives ofGreenpeace Southeast Asia as well asother civil society groups (Raymond A

Sebastiaacuten CBCP News)

Polluters A1

Te Pope made reference tothe dayrsquos first Mass reading theGenesis account of manrsquos fallin the Garden of Eden

ldquoTe words of Genesis re-flect our own daily experience we are constantly tempted todisobedience a disobedienceexpressed in wanting to goabout our lives without regardfor Godrsquos willrdquo he said

ldquoYet the history of sin canonly be understood in thelight of Godrsquos love and for-giveness Were sin the onlything that mattered we wouldbe the most desperate ofcreaturesrdquo

ldquoTe promised triumph ofChristrsquos love enfolds every-thing in the Fatherrsquos mercyrdquothe Pope said ldquoTe Immacu-

late Virgin stands before usas a privileged witness of thispromise and its fulfillmentrdquo

Pope Francis concluded hishomily recalling the 50th an-niversary of the Second Vati-can Councilrsquos closing whichis also commemorated Dec8 He stressed that the Jubileeof Mercy is a challenge for usto the ldquoopennessrdquo inspired bythe Council

Te Council was ldquoa genu-ine encounter between theChurch and the men and

women of our timerdquo in whichthe Holy Spirit ldquoimpelled theChurch to emerge from theshoals which for years hadkept her self-enclosed so asto set out once again withenthusiasm on her missionary

journeyrdquoldquoWherever there are people

the Church is called to reachout to them and to bring the joy of the Gospelrdquo the Popesaid

ldquoTe Jubilee challenges usto this openness and demandsthat we not neglect the spirit which emerged from VaticanII the spirit of the Samaritanas Blessed Paul VI expressedit at the conclusion of theCouncilrdquo

In his Angelus address de-livered after the opening ofthe Holy Door Pope Franciscalled the faithful to look onthe Immaculate Conceptionas a reminder that ldquoin our lifeeverything is a gift Everythingis mercyrdquo

ldquoMay the Blessed Virginthe first fruits of the saved themodel of the Church holy andimmaculate Bride loved bythe Lord help us to rediscoverthe mercy of God more andmore in a way characteristicof Christiansrdquo

Te Pope said the openingof the Jubilee of Mercy is anoccasion to look on the Im-maculate Conception ldquowithtrusting love to contemplateher in all her splendor (andimitate) her faithrdquo

ldquoIn the Immaculate concep-tion of Mary we are invitedto recognize the dawn of thenew world transformed fromthe saving work of the Fatherand of the Son and of the HolySpiritrdquo

Jubilee A1

City Archdiocesan Shrine of the DivineMercy in Mandaluyong City Santuariode Santo Cristo in San Juan City andOur Lady of Sorrows Parish in Pasay City

ldquoRectors and parish priests have beencoordinating on how to make pilgrim-ages fruitful and meaningful to pilgrimsrdquosaid Malicdem who is also rector of theManila Cathedral

Passport-stamping According to him the five churches

were chosen for the p ilgrimage ldquobecauseof their connection to mercyrdquo

He said Catholics may start their pil-

grimage from any of the churches butthey will have to proceed to the parishoffice after they accomplished the requiredactivities for stamping of their passports

ldquoPassports are available at all fivechurches Te may start and end at anychurch then they will also be given a cer-tificate of pilgrimagerdquo added the priest

Among the required pilgrimage activi-ties include entering the ldquoHoly Doorrdquo si-lent adoration and meditation venerationof the Jubilee Cross and donating to thearchdiocesersquos charitable programs

Te priest said the Holy Year also en-courages the faithful to understand thepractice of ldquomerciful loverdquo by dividing the

works of mercy into two kinds spiritualand corporal

He added that donations may come in

cash or in kind and will be used to feed thehungry provide housing for the homeless

and other projectsMalicdem said no other than Pope

Francis himself called on the faithfulto make a pilgrimage because ldquomercyrequires goal dedication and sacrificerdquo

Acts of mercy For Fr Jason Laguerta of the Office of

the Philippine Conference on the NewEvangelization the archdiocesersquos leadgroup for the Year of Mercy a pilgrimageis a ldquogood metaphor for liferdquo

ldquoWe are able to receive the mercy ofGod Ritual is meaningless if not coupled

with works of mercy and concrete actions

towards charityrdquo Fr Laguerta saidldquoMercy is not just a concept or anabstract idea but an action word Itrsquossomething that we dohellip perform acts ofmercy to one anotherrdquo he said

Aside from the sp iritual benefits thepriests added that a plenary indulgenceis also available to the faithful for makinga pilgrimage

Malicdem also said the Year of Mercypilgrimage may be held next year startingfrom Ash Wednesday which marks theseason of Lent until the Pentecost Sunday

Te universal Church will observe anextraordinary Year of Mercy as decreed bythe Pope from Dec 8 2015 until Nov20 2016

In Manila Cardinal agle will start thecelebration by opening the cathedralrsquos

Jubilee Door and hold Mass on Dec 9(Roy Lagarde CBCPNews)

Passport A1

consuming more than is neededldquoLetrsquos be responsible Life is hard today

and we should use our blessings given tous by God wiselyrdquo stressed the prelate

Christmas balikbayan boxes According to him advertisements and

Christmas sales subtly reshape the peoplersquosdesired around the material

For his part Bishop Ruperto Santos ofBalanga diocese issued a similar appeal to

overseas Filipino workers (OFWs)He said OFWs must not try hard to fill

up their ldquobalikbayan boxesrdquo beyond theirmeans while their families back homemust spend the remittances responsibly

Save more share moreldquoMagtabi mag-ipon at sa mga naiwan

palaging pahalagahan ang pinapadala

ng kapamilya (Set aside save and havesomething left Always value what your

family member sends homerdquo he addedOngtioco also said instead of excessive

consumption it would be better if Filipi-nos would consider sharing their blessingsto the needy

ldquoIf what we receive is more than enoughthere are also many who are in need Letus share our blessings with othershellipTisprobably is a challenge and an opportunity

for us to share with those who have less inliferdquo he said in Filipino (CBCP News)

Spending A1

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 724

A7CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25 DIOCESAN NEWS

for the nation only but to gatherinto one the children of God whoare scattered abroadrdquo (1149-52)

It is quite clear that even if byliving charity we may appear tobe suffering a defeat accordingto human standards God in hisprovidence would know how toderive good from it

We should not be afraid to suf-fer the consequences of humanpride and worldly arrogance justbecause we try to be consistent with the requirements of charityFor those who love God and oth-ers as St Paul in his letter to theRomans would say everything will always work out for the good

Now that we are going through

this delicate political processof electing our next leaders we

should try our best to avoid thepitfalls of emotional knee-jerkreactions to the issues at hand

Let us learn to be level-headedand to have a good grip of ouremotions and passions More thanthat let us see to it that we followthe requirements of charity asstrictly as possible It is preciselyin moments like this when charityis most needed

Letrsquos be careful with our wordsand especially so with our thoughtsand intentions May they alwaysbe infused with charity which isalways the way to find the truth toachieve justice and fairness properto us Charity is never a drag in ourpolitics It is what politics needs

most of all Charity is what leadsus to the common good

Candidly Speaking A4

Davao inaugurates lsquoLaudato Sirsquo organic gardenDAVAO Citymdasho give people a concreteexample on how to feed the family with-out harming the environment a parish inthe Archdiocese of Davao has put up anurban container organic garden namedafter Pope Francisrsquo encyclical Laudato Si

Auxil iary Bisho p of Davao GeorgeRimando officiated the inauguration andblessing of the Ascension of the Lord Par-ishrsquo Laudato Si Garden located at the backof the parish in GSIS Heights MatinaDavao City last Sunday Dec 6

Fr Leonardo Dublan Jr parish priestsaid they want to have a showroom forthe people as their model on how to setup their own container garden even withlimited space at home

Not impossibleldquoIt is not impossible to have a backyard

garden in the urban area Our parish islocated in a subdivision and we wereable to set-up our parish urban con-tainer garden and parishioners can alsodo the same in their respective homesrdquoexplained Dublan also the director ofthe Archdiocesan Social Action Center(ASAC)

Te parish has sought the help of JojoRom known as Father of Urban Contain-er Gardening in the country in puttingup the said garden in honor of the pope

Te garden utilizes organic fertilizersand also has an aquaculture pond belowthe structure A mini poultry area and a

wall garden are also included in the entireset-up

Rom said the waste from the kitchenlike fruit and vegetable peelings as well asother biodegradable waste are used to gen-erate fermented fertilizer for the plants

After the blessing a lecture about urbancontainer gardening was given by Romto the lay leaders and parishioners It canbe remembered that he once delivered asimilar lecture during the monthly meet-ing of the Parish Social Action Ministry(PSAM) of the Archdiocese of Davao

lsquoSafe organic foodrsquo ASAC Dav ao coordinat or Sr Ma

Marissa Arado DM said ASAC Davaohas been promoting urban container gar-dening to provide safe organic food forthe family especially with the worseningeffects of climate change

ldquoHopefully the lessons about climatechange will reach the young people andthe grassrootsrdquo Arado said

She added the use of organic fertilizersis a way of protecting not only the familybut also the soil as chemicals are used inproducing many commercially availablecrops

ASAC Davao hopes that the lessonslearned from the Laudato Si Garden willbe used in every Gagmayrsquong KristohanongKatilingban (GKK) or Basic EcclesialCommunities and every home (JohnFrances C Fuentes CBCP News)

Auxiliary Bishop of Davao George B Rimando officiated the inauguration and blessing of the Ascension of the Lord Parishrsquo Laudato Si Garden on Dec 6 2015John Frances Fuentes

Jaro takes vocation promotions to the streets JARO IloilomdashIn todayrsquos highly-modernized world where religiouslife is becoming less of an optionfor young people religious menand women in this archdioceseliterally went to the highways andthe byways to tell the youth thatreligious life is still very much aliveand relevant as part of ldquoVocationDays 2015rdquo from Nov 23 to 30

Believing always in the primacyof prayer the vocation promotersprayed even while on the roadmeditating on the Holy Rosaryand singing Marian hymns to-gether

ldquohe Vocation Caravan hasindeed become an opportunity where variou s religiou s and laypromoters from different congre-gations united as one group withthe aim to pray for one anotherfor the holy perseverance andsanctification of the clergy andreligious and to promote religiousvocationsrdquo observed Sr Susan

Matthew Cueco Carm OL

Vocation caravan and pilgrimage As a pr el ud e to Voc at io n

Month representatives of the Arch dioc esan Commis sion onVocation Promoters for theReligious also held for the first

time in Panay a three-day Voca-tion Caravan and Pilgrimage onSept 12 to 14

During the Vocation Caravanand Pilgrimage which kickedoff at the Jaro Cathedral with aMass celebrated by Jaro Arch-bishop Angel N Lagdameo withFr Paul Reagan alavera OP asconcelebrant the religious voca-tion promoters visited more than40 parishes and various collegesand universities in Capiz Aklan Antique and in the city and prov-ince of Iloilo

Aside from talking to the youngpeople the sisters also postedcampaign materials in churchesand led the prayer for vocationsfor every congregation

On the occasion of VocationMonth and in the context of the Year of Consecrated Life the Jaro Archdiocesan Commission on Vo-cation Promoters for the Religious(ACVP-R) successfully staged the

week-long event starting on Nov23 with a vocation campaign invarious educational institutionsin Miag-ao Iloilo

Confessions counselingTe religious men and women

also spearheaded the celebration

lsquoYolandarsquo women call for

more livelihood aid

BASEY SamarmdashOver 500 house- wives mothers and sisters from

ldquoYolandardquo-hit communities in Western S amar who turned en-trepreneurs have called the at-tention of government agenciesto their need for more livelihoodassistance

ldquoWe hope to receive capitalresources and machinery that wecould use for our livelihoodrdquo theysaid collectively in Waray duringthe First Rural Summit held re-cently in Basey

In a statement they specificallyasked for capital support equip-ment additional skills trainingand help in linking their productsto the market

Social services

Tey further appealed for in-creased access to social servicesparticularly for health and nutri-tion

Te Samarentildeas who came from24 barangays in Basey Marabutand Sta Rita towns also grabbedthe opportunity to stage a mini-trade fair featuring their productslike organic vegetables and fruitshandicrafts and native delicacies

Meanwhile representatives ofthe Provincial Agriculture Office(PAO) Department of rade andIndustry (DI) and the ProvincialGovernment of Samar conducted

a commitment signingTe delegates moreover had a

unity parade from the St Michaelthe Archangel Parish to the BaseyMunicipal Gym

Housewives to entrepreneurs While befor e super typho on

ldquoYolandardquo most of the womenstayed at home caring for theirchildren after the disaster theSocial Action Center (SAC) of theDiocese of Calbayog and NASSACaritas Philippines made surethey become micro-entrepreneursfarmers and mat weavers

o date about 406 women ofthem have received provisionslike egg-laying implements andcapital assistance for mat-weavingand mat weaversrsquo centers salted

egg production and backyardfarmingSAC Yolanda Rehabilitation

Program Director Fr Cesar Aculanshared ldquoYolanda may have de-stroyed the livelihood of the peo-ple of Samar but it has restoredas well the sense of self-worth ofthe womenrdquo

Besides providing livelihoodaid Calbayogrsquos SAC carried outinterventions on shelter disasterrisk reduction ecosystem and

wate r sani tati on and hygienein the province (Raymond ASebastiaacutenCBCP News)

A Yolanda survivor showcases some of the native delicacies in their province during amini trade fair held in Basey Samar NASSACaritas Philippines

ldquoOur walk is a message of sacrifice of thesuffering climaterdquo explained Rodne Galichaone of some 1500 climate pilgrims whosemessage was received well by host communi-ties en route to the French capital

ldquoI would rather continue walking ratherthan be there at COP21 We will continuethe pilgrimage for climate justice and bring

the message of Laudato Sirsquordquo shared Yeb Santildeoformer Philippine climate negotiator who ledthe Rome-Paris climate march

According to them the manifesto carries astrong message on the climate from ecologicalconversion to the paying of ecological debteven demanding the protection of indigenouscommunities who are climate victims

Te climate activists point out that theircommon statement is to work on the HolyFatherrsquos ldquoLaudato Sirsquo Manifestordquo where theybelieve the ground for discussion analysis andsolutions to ecological problems can be found

Tey add that the document also seeks tobe a reference guide for world leaders envi-ronmental activists church leaders organiz-ers and teachers among others and offers areality-check of what individuals institutionsand organizations can do for environmental

action

Te ldquoLaudato Sirsquo Manifestordquo reads1 Te Earth is our common home (LS 1)2 We demand ecological conversion both

personal communitarian and institutionalldquoTe need for each of us to repent of the

ways we have harmed the planet for ldquoin-asmuch as we all generate small ecologicaldamagerdquo we are called to acknowledge ldquoourcontribution smaller or greater to the disfig-urement and destruction of creationrdquo (LS 8)

3 We want ecological liberation ldquoWe lookfor solutions not only in technology but in achange of humanityhellip He asks us to replaceconsumption with sacrifice greed with gener-osity wastefulness with a spirit of sharing anasceticism which ldquoentails learning to give andnot simply to give up It is a way of loving of

moving gradually away from what I want to what Godrsquos world needs It is liberation from

fear greed and compulsionrdquo (LS 9)4 Care for the Earth is integral ldquoHe shows

us just how inseparable the bond is betweenconcern for nature justice for the poor com-mitment to society and interior peacerdquo (LS10)

5 We call for ecological solidarity that willfoment ecological action ldquoTe urgent chal-

lenge to protect our common home includesa concern to bring the whole human familytogether to seek a sustainable and integraldevelopmenthelliprdquo (LS 13) Ways to act divest-ment in fossil fuels converting to renewablesenergy-efficiency attitude response to climateadaptation disaster response and supportinggrassroots initiatives

6 We demand climate justice for thedestruction of our planet perpetrated bymining companies businesses multinationalcorporations and greedy countries ldquohellip afterceasing their activity and withdrawing theyleave behind great human and environmentalliabilities such as unemployment abandonedtowns the depletion of natural reserves de-forestation the impoverishment of agricultureand local stock breeding open pits riven hillspolluted rivers and a handful of social works

which are no longer sustainablerdquo (LS 51)

7 We need to pay our ldquoecological debtrdquo forthe harm we have done to the environmentcommunities and individuals suffering nowand the future (LS 51)

8 Te need to engage for a new ecologicaldialogue ldquoI urgently appeal then for a newdialogue about how we are shaping the futureof our planet We need a conversation whichincludes everyone since the environmentalchallenge we are undergoing and its humanroots concern and affect us allrdquo (LS 14)

9 We should create an integral space forldquoecological citizenshiprdquo as a practical pathof becoming witnesses for the environmentldquoOnly by cultivating sound virtues will peoplebe able to make a selfless ecological commit-mentrdquo (LS 211)

10 We are interconnected we should fo-ment connectedness with other faith-based

groups civil society and institutions ldquohellipbecause all creatures are connected each mustbe cherished with love and respect for all ofus as living creatures are dependent on oneanotherrdquo (LS 42)

11 Promote ldquoecological educationrdquo as a way of fomenting consciousness action andintegral faith-advocacy for environmental

care (LS 213)12 Our ecological concern is a compas-sion for the planet and people ldquoo hear boththe cry of the earth and the cry of the poorrdquo(LS 49)

13 Believing that ldquointegral ecologyrdquo in allaspects of life as an integral response to theglobal crisis (LS 137)

14 We need to cultivate an ldquoecologicalculturerdquo as a way of outgrowing ecologicaldestruction ldquoTere needs to be a distinctive

way of looking a t things a way of thinkingpolicies an educational programme a lifestyleand a spirituality which together generateresistance to the assault of the technocraticparadigmrdquo (LS 111)

15 Special care for the indigenous commu-nities and their cultural traditions ldquoFor themland is not a commodity but rather a gift from

God and from their ancestors who rest there asacred space with which they need to interact ifthey are to maintain their identity and valuesrdquo

As we acknowledged the richness of their wayof life we also have to protect their rights ldquoinvarious parts of the world pressure is beingput on them to abandon their homelands tomake room for agricultural or mining projects

which are undertaken without regard for thedegradation of nature and culturerdquo (LS 146)

16 Te need for ecological faith ldquoGod who calls us to generous commitment and togive him our all offers us the light and thestrength needed to continue on our way Inthe heart of this world the Lord of life wholoves us so much is always present He doesnot abandon us he does not leave us alonefor he has united himself definitively to ourearth and his love constantly impels us to

find new ways forward Praise be to Him (LS245) (Raymond A Sebastiaacuten CBCP News)

Manifesto A1

of Jarorsquos Vocation Day on Nov28 During the sessions held inSt Vincent Ferrer Seminary thereligious men heard confessions

whil e the relig ious wome n fa-cilitated counseling sessions andgroup sharing

Te religious again gave wit-ness to the faithfulrsquos role in savingthe environment as they wentto the streets on Nov 29 to jointhousands of marchers in theldquoWalk for Mother Earthrdquo in the

Archdiocesersquos participation in theGlobal Climate March

o cap Vocation Month thereligious women and men par-

ticipated in Jarorsquos Archdiocesan Youth Day in Guimbal Iloilo onNov 30 as a way to reach out toyoung people encouraging themto be open to Godrsquos call

ldquoTe activity was very enrichingas it has strengthened the bondof the vocation promoters Tepriceless moments have nourishedour friendship and have led us tobe closer to one another to reacha common goal which is to findmore holy vocations into theChurchrdquo added Sr Susan (Fr

Mickey Cardenas CBCP Newswith reports from Angelo LuisVerdeflor)

The Jaro Archdiocesan Commission on Vocation Promoters for the Religious (ACVP-R)successfully staged a week-long vocations promotions event starting on Nov 23 witha vocation campaign in various educational institutions in Miag-ao Iloilo ANGELO LUIS

VERDEFLOR

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 824

A8 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25PEOPLE FACTS AND PLACES

MarkingsDied Bishop Federico Es-caler SJ died on Nov 28aged 93

The Jesuit prelate had beenill and passed away peacefullyin his family ancestral resi-dence in San Miguel Manilaon Saturday morning

Born in Manila he served asthe rst bishop of Kidapawanfrom 1976 to 1980 until hewas appointed to head thenewly-created Prelature of Ipilin Zamboanga Sibugay

Escaler spent 17 years inIpil until his retirement in 1997

He was once the Assistantto Jesuit Provincial Superiorin La Ignacia Retreat HousePresident and Rector of Ateneode Davao Treasurer of JesuitProvince in Manila and be-came President and Rector ofXavier University in Cagayan

de Oro City

Ordained Imus Bishop Rey-naldo Evangelista DD or-dained eight deacons of theSociety of the Divine Word(SVD) to the priesthood onDec 5 at the Holy Spirit Chapelof the Divine Word SeminaryTagaytay City in a solemncelebration attended by 127priests and 2 bishops

The new priests are FrLawrence Llona SVD (to beassigned in South Sudan

Afric a) Fr Ryan Diňo SVD(to be assigned in ArgentinaSouth) Fr Diderick Andrinja-tovo SVD (to be assigned inPhilippine South) Fr Fran-ciskus Subandi SVD (to beassigned in Philippine Central)Fr June Lee Sarenas SVD(to be assigned in Ghana

Afr ica) Fr Gre gor ius Rob iDosom SVD (to be assigned in

Philippine North) Fr Roberto

Solis SVD (to be assigned inJapan)and Fr Lindsey FrancisTaeza SVD (to be assigned inTogo Africa)

Ordained The Servants ofMary welcomed four men tothe priesthood on Dec 8 atSt Peregrine Diocesan ShrineTunasan Muntinlupa City Bal-anga Bishop Ruperto C San-tos ordained Fr Leonardo MaGuiang OSM Fr Waren MaCampilan OSM Fr EdgardMa Benedi-an OSM and FrJumen Ma Arcelo OSM

Recognized The Ofce of the Army Chief Chaplain Service(OACCS) on Nov 24 recog-nized in a simple ceremony FrMaj Juan Jerome C Daluro asBest Chaplain of the Year 2015for his exemplary service as Di-

vision Chaplain of 9th Infantry

(Spear) Division from Septem-ber 2012 to September 2015Fr MSg Mario Baniqued (Inf)Philippine Army (PA) OACCSChief Clerk was recognized asBest Chaplain Assistant of theYear 2015

The office also accordedPlaques of Appreciation to FrCpt Ferdinand Abuyuan ldquoforhis improvement of the 7IDChapel undertaken during histerm as Division Chaplain of7th Infantry Division Philip-pine Army from June 2013to September 2015rdquo and toFr LtC Stephen Penetrantefor his excellent service asOACCS Chief of Plans andPrograms

The awards were given aspart of the celebration of the78th Chaplain Service Foun-dation Anniversary from Nov

23 to 27

Congress focuses onmodern family issuesHE 20th Asia Pacific Congress on Faith Lifeand Family organized by Human Life interna-

tional (HLI) from Nov 27 to 29 focused onthreats perspectives and realities affecting themodern family

Wit h the the me comin g fro m Psa lms1288 ldquoYour wife a fruitful vine in theinner places of your house your childrenround your table like shoots of an olivetreerdquo speakers and resource persons sharedreflections on the understanding of Godrsquosplan for marriage and family threats andchallenges to family the modern crisis ofconscience unmasking the gender ideologythe global holocaust of abortion

Dr Ligaya Acosta the Regional director ofthe Human Life International (HLI) for Asiaand Oceania opened the Congress sayingrdquoTe said congress will enable the participantsto re-discover and value marriage-based naturalfamilies and teach children and leaders to value

them as wellrdquo Archb isho p Vincenzo Pag lia head of thePontifical Council for the Family gave thekeynote speech on the challenges of theSynod on the Family to more than 200participants from 15 countries includingthe Philippines

Bishop John Baptist Lee Bishop of Hsinchuand chair of the Commission for family of theChinese Regional Bishopsrsquo Conference reiter-

ated in his welcome speech the goals of HLI which is to promote the moral teaching of theCatholic Church to spread pro-life insightsin society and to offer concrete and effectiveprograms for the advancement of faith

Among other speakers were Fr Shenan Bo-quet President of Human Life International

(HLI) Dr Brian Clowes HLI director of edu-cation and research and Dr Joseph Meaneya leading expert on the international pro-life

movement Dr Ligaya Acosta Atty Jo ImbongDra Eleanor de Borja Palabyab and MayorSally Lee of Sorsogon Ci ty

Bishop Gilbert Garcera Chair of the Epis-copal Commission on Family and Life headed80 delegates from the Philippines (ECFL CBCP News)

The 20th Asia Pacific Congress on Faith Life and Family organized by Human Life international (HLI) was held fromNov 27 to 29 ECFL

PH army chaplains partners hold 1stlsquocharacter enhancementrsquo meet A YEAR afte r its launch armychaplains soldiers and civilianpartners from the various partsof the country met uesday

Nov 25 at the Philippine Ai rf or ce Mus eu m Vi ll am or Airbase to discuss the prog ressof the Character EnhancementProgram (CEP) and ways toreach more uniformed person-nel and their dependents

Vision 2028Fr Andres Bonifacio O Belleza

head of the Office of the ArmyChief Chaplain Service (OACCS)pointed out that the CEP re-sponds to the directive of Lt GenHernando Delfin Carmelo AIriberri former Philippine Army(PA) commanding general toldquodevelop righteous God-fearingsoldiers loved by the Filipino

peoplerdquo in step with the 18-year Army ransformation Roadmapof 2028 (AR28) and to ldquobecomea world-class Army that is a sourceof national priderdquo

o fulfill this vision the chiefchaplain shared the Army soughtthe help of the Order of St Mi-chael (OSM) a ministry of the

A chaplain facilitates a workshop with his lay collaborators during the 1st CharacterEnhancement Program (CEP) Conference Nov 25 2015 NIRVA DELACRUZ

Couples for Christ Global MissionFoundation (CFC Global) which

caters specifically to the spiritualneeds of people in the militarytheir spouses and children

Character enhancement Retired Col Arturo Alabanza

CFCOSM head explained thatunder AR28 PA is committed toa ldquolong-term sustainable platform

for continuing CEP and spiritual wellness programrdquo

For their part local CFC chap-ters are tasked to jumpstart CEPin all PA unit chapels and parishesnationwide

Since it debuted in Apr 32014 the OACCS-CFCOSMpartnership has already givencharacter enhancement retreats(CER) to 28 PA commands and

the Philippine Military Academy(PMA) Class of 2018 gradu-ated 385 PMA-Singles for Christ(SFC) members and conducted

five CERs at V Luna Hospital inQuezon City

Challenge accepted While they have start ed out

well Alabanza admitted there isstill much to be done for Godrsquos

work to be realized fully in thelives of Filipino soldiers and theirfamilies

According to him CEP hasreached 2000 men and womenin uniform to date translatingto about 0287 percent of an es-timated 700000 population thatis fertile ground for values andspiritual transformation exclud-ing their dependents

Alabanza expressed hope that in

the coming years and with the co-operation of the parties involvedCEP will be able to touch heartsand win the souls of more allow-ing PA to communicate a brandimage consistent with its corevalues of honor patriotism andduty (Raymond A Sebastiaacuten CBCP News)

PHLPost to issueIEC stamps

HE government is set to releasea commemorative postal stamp onthe 51st International EucharisticCongress to be held in Cebu Cityon Jan 24 -31 next year

he Philippine Postal Corpsaid stamp enthusiasts from allover the world would have theopportunity to buy the stampsconsidering the importance ofthis event in the history of theCatholic Church

he stamp design illustratesthe official logo of the IEC anevent aimed at promoting aware-ness about the central role of theEucharist in the life and mission

of the Church

ldquoTe PHLPost are one in prayingfor the success of this internationalgathering of lay people and Catho-lic Church leaders from around the

world with Cebu the beautifulqueen city of the south as the hostof this celebrationrdquo said PostmasterGeneral Josie Dela Cruz

he gathering is expected todraw 15000 delegates from allover the world Te Congress willalso feature open air Masses opento the public

PHLPost commissioned AmstarCo to print 104000 copies of thestamps to be sold at Php 15 eachstarting uesday Dec 8 at post

offices nationwide (CBCP News)

Taglersquos Year of Mercyrecolletion set

IN time for the forthcomingseason the Archdiocese ofManila (RCAM) and the JesuitCommunications (JesCom) in-vite the public to a free Adventtalk to be given by no less thanCardinal Luiacutes Ant onio G agleon Dec 13 Sunday 800 amto 1100 am at the Smart- Ar an et a Co li se um Cu ba oQuezon City

Temed ldquoMerciful like the Fa-therrdquo the Word Exposed AdventRecollection is set to have the Archbishop of Manila sharing hisreflections on Godrsquos message ofmercy in keeping with the Jubilee Year of Mercy

Acc ord in g to JesCom fr eetickets will be issued on Dec 4Friday at the following select dis-tribution centers anging YamanStore Sonolux Building Ateneode Manila University anging

Yaman Store S M Megamall 5F Atrium St Pauls Bookstore SMNorth Edsa St Pauls BookstoreSM Manila St Pauls BookstoreGateway Mall

Given the limited number oftickets JesCom stresses that res-ervation is not allowed

For further information in-terested parties may call (02)426-5971 to 72 (Raymond ASebastiaacuten CBCP News)

Cardinal Luiacutes Antonio G Tagle FILE PHOTO

PBS outs Bible Week 2016 schedulePHILIPPINE Bible Society (PBS) GeneralSecretary Dr Nora G Lucero has revealed thetheme for the National Bible Week (NBW)celebrations on Jan 25 to 31 2016 sayingit will focus on ldquoGodrsquos Word Strength of theFamily Hope of the Nationrdquo and the activities

in line for the eventldquoAs we continue to coordinate with our part-

ners from different locales all over the country we will also promote other meaningful ways forour kababayans to participate in the celebrationand to proclaim Godrsquos Word in their communi-tiesrdquo shares Lucero in a recent PBS press release

Community celebration According to her PBS is prepared various

activities for the celebration among which is

the iProclaim a public reading of ScripturesLucero went on to present suggested ways

individuals families local churches and or-ganizations can celebrate Godrsquos Word in theircommunities

Some of the activities suggested include

displaying of NBW posters and streamers fea-turing Bible verses in church or school bulletinboards organizing of sports events holdingof Bible rallies concerts or song and dancecompetitions in town plazas as well as lobbyingbefore local legislature for the enactment of alaw supporting the annual NBW celebration

Raising awarenessTe NBW 2016 theme is inspired in part by

Psalm 3312 in the New American Bible Revised

Edition (NABRE) which reads ldquoBlessed is thenation whose God is the Lord the people chosenas his inheritancerdquo as well as by Acts 1631 in theGood News ranslation (GN) which readsldquoTey answered lsquoBelieve in the Lord Jesus andyou will be saved ndash you and your familyrdquo

Frontlined by PBS the annual NBS cel-ebration is decreed by Presidential Proclama-tions 2242 44 and 1067 which aims to raisepeoplersquos awareness on the importance of theHoly Book

Te week-long proclamation of Godrsquos Wordis culminated by the celebration of ldquoNationalBible Sundayrdquo on Jan 31 2016 that is expectedto feature messages and homilies during Churchservices and Masses focusing on the theme(Raymond A Sebastiaacuten CBCP News)

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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B1CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

DEAR Brothers and Sisters Goodmorning

With this reflection we arrive at thethreshold of the Jubilee itrsquos close Tedoor is before us not just the HolyDoor but another the great doorof the Mercy of Godmdashand that is abeautiful doormdashwhich embraces ourpenance offering the grace of his for-giveness Te door is generously openit takes a little courage on our part tocross the threshold Each of us hasburdensome things within ourselves

We are all sinner s Let us take advan-tage of this coming moment and crossthe threshold of this mercy of God

who never tire s of forg iving nevertires of waiting for us He watches ushe is always beside us ake heart Letus enter through this door

From the Synod of Bishops which we celeb rated in the month of Octo-ber all families and the entire Churchreceived great encouragement to meetat the threshold of this open door TeChurch was encouraged to open herdoors to go out with the Lord to meether sons and daughters on the path attimes uncertain at times dismayed inthese difficult times Christian familiesin particular were encouraged to openthe door to the Lord who is waitingto enter bringing his blessing and hisfriendship And as the door of Godrsquosmercy is always open so too must thedoors of our churches our communi-ties our parishes our institutions ourdioceses be open because this is how

we can all go out to b ring th is mercyof God Te Jubilee signifies the greatdoor of the mercy of God but also thesmall doors of our churches open toallow the entrance of the Lordmdashoroften the exit of the Lordmdashwho is aprisoner of our structures of our self-ishness and of so many things

he Lord never forces the dooropen he too asks permission to enterTe Book of Revelation says ldquoI standat the door and knock if any one hearsmy voice and opens the door I willcome in to him and eat with him and

he with merdquo (320) Let us imaginethe Lord knocking at the door of ourheart In the last great vision of theBook of Revelation the City of Godis prophesied like this ldquoits gates shallnever be shut by dayrdquo which meansfor ever because ldquothere shall be nonight thererdquo (2125) Tere are placesin the world in which doors are not

locked there still are But there are

so many where armoured doors havebecome the norm We must not give into the idea that we must apply thi s sys-tem to our whole life to the life of thefamily of this city of society muchless to the life of the Church Tat

woul d be terr ibl e An inhospi tab leChurch like a family closed off withinitself mortifies the Gospel and withersthe world No armoured doors in theChurch none Completely open

he symbolic management ofldquodoorsrdquomdashof thresholds of passagesof bordersmdashhas become crucial Tedoor must protect of course but notreject Te door must not be forced

but on the contrary one asks permis-

sion because hospitality shines inthe freedom of welcoming and dimsin the arrogance of invasion hedoor is frequently opened in order

to see if there is someone waitingoutside perhaps without the couragenor perhaps the strength to knockHow many people have lost faith donot have the courage to knock at the

door of our Christian heart at the

doors of our churches And theyare there they donrsquot have the courage we have taken away trus t please maythis never happen A door says many

things about the house and also aboutthe Church ending the door requirescareful discernment and at the sametime must inspire great faith I wouldlike to pay a word of gratitude to all

PASTORAL CONCERNS

We are all sinners Let us take advantage of this coming

moment and cross the threshold of this mercy of God who

never tires of forgiving never tires of waiting for us

Message of Pope Francis at his General Audience on November 18 2015

The welcoming door porters of our condominiums of

civil institutions of the Churchesthemselves Often a porterrsquos acumenand courtesy can offer an image ofhumanity and of welcome to the entire

house right from the entrance Tereis something to be learned from thesemen and women who are watch-men at the places of encounter and

welcome in the c ity of man o all of

you watchmen of so many doors bethey residential doors or church doorsmany thanks Always with a smilealways demonstrating the acceptanceof that house of that Church sopeople feel happy and welcomed inthat place

In truth we are well aware that wetoo are watchmen and servants of theDoor of God and what is the nameof the door of God Jesus He lightsup all of lifersquos doors for us includingthose of our birth and of our death

He himself affirmed it ldquoI am the doorif any one enters by me he will besaved and will go in and out and findpasturerdquo (Jn 109) Jesus is the doorthat lets us go in and out BecauseGodrsquos sheepfold is a refuge it isnrsquot aprison Te house of God is a refugeit isnrsquot a prison and the door is called

Jesus If the door is closed we sayldquoLord open the doorrdquo Jesus is thedoor and lets us go in and out Tose

who try to avoid the door are thievesitrsquos curious thieves always tr y to enterby another way by the window by theroof but they avoid the door becausethey have evil intentions and theysneak into the sheepfold in order todeceive the sheep and take advantageof them We must enter through thedoor and listen to Jesusrsquo voice if wehear the tone of his voice we are cer-tain we are saved We can go in with-out fear and go out without dangerIn this beautiful discourse Jesus alsospeaks of the gatekeeper whose taskis opening to the Good Shepherd (cf

Jn 102) If the gatekeeper hears theShepherdrsquos voice he opens and letsin all of the sheep that the Shepherdbrings all of them including thoselost in the wood whom the GoodShepherd went to get back Te sheepare not chosen by the gatekeeper theyare not chosen by the parish secretaryor parish administrator the sheepare all called they are chosen by theGood Shepherd Te gatekeepermdashhetoomdashobeys the Shepherdrsquos voiceTus we can well say that we must

be like that gatekeeper Te Churchis the gatekeeper of the house of theLord she is not the proprietor of theLordrsquos house

Te Holy Family of Nazareth knows jus t wha t an open or clo sed doormeans for those expecting a child forthose who have no shelter for those

who need to escape danger Chri stian

families make the threshold of their

homes a great sign of the Door ofthe mercy and welcome of God It isprecisely how the Church will have tobe recognized in every corner of theearth as the watchman of a God whoknocks as the welcome of a God whodoes not close the door in your face

with the excuse that you are not partof the household With this spirit letus approach the Jubilee there will bethe Holy Door but there is the doorof the great mercy of God May therealso be the door of our heart for all toreceive Godrsquos forgiveness and to givein our turn our forgiveness welcomingall those who knock at our door

Prayer of His HolinessPope Francis for the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy

LORD Jesus Christyou have taught us to be mer-

ciful like the heavenly Fatherand have told us that whoever

sees you sees HimShow us your face and we will

be saved Your loving gaze freed Zac-

chaeus and Matthew from beingenslaved by money

the adulteress and Magdalenefrom seeking happiness only increated things

made Peter weep after hisbetrayal

and assured Paradise to therepentant thief

Let us hear as if addressed toeach one of us the words thatyou spoke to the Samaritan

womanldquoIf you knew the gift of Godrdquo

You are the visible face of theinvisible Father

of the God who manifests hispower above all by forgivenessand mercy

let the Church be your visibleface in the world its Lord risenand glorified

You willed that your min-isters would also be clothedin weakness

in order that they mayfeel compassion for those inignorance and error

let everyone who ap-proaches them feel soughtafter loved and forgiven byGod

Send your Spirit and con-secrate every one of us withits anointing

so that the Jubilee of Mercymay be a year of grace fromthe Lord

and your Church withrenewed enthusiasm maybring good news to the poor

proclaim liberty to captivesand the oppressed

and restore sight to theblind

We ask this of you Lord Jesus through the interces-sion of Mary Mother of

Mercy you who live andreign with the Father and theHoly Spirit for ever and ever

Amen C N A

L rsquo O s s e r v a t o r e R o m a n o

Vatican City - April 11 2015 Cardinals gathered at St Peterrsquos Basilica on April 11 2015 during the Convocation of the Year of Mercy where Pope Francis publicly proclaimed

a Jubilee for Mercy which will begin December 8th and end in November 2016

The Holy Door unveiling at the Recognitio ceremony in St Peterrsquos Basilica on November 17 2015

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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B2 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25PASTORAL CONCERNS

C B C P N e

w s

Separation of Church and State lawsin the marriage of Catholics

By Fr Jaime B Achacoso JCD

I AM not a great fan of the so-calledseparation of Church and State as it

is often misunderstood as the juridicexpression of the laicist principle ofrelegating religion to the privatesphere As we had seen in a previ-ous article this was the brainchildof the French Revolution fruit ofthe prejudice against the CatholicChurch (since it was identified withthe abusive absolutist monarchiesin Europe at the time) but whichnevertheless had to be toleratedfor the sake of individual liberty Ihave always argued for the conceptof distinction between Church andState based on the fact that thesubjects of both jurisdictions are thesame people who are simultaneouslyfaithful of the Catholic Church andcitizens of the State Te State andthe Church are distinct jurisdictionsbut not separate and uncoordinated

One area of such distinctionhowever which can be considered asa veritable separation is the matter ofmatrimonial law

wo Separate Marriages heCanonical Marriage and the CivilMarriage

When a Filipino Catholic faith-ful gets married he effectively getsmarried under two separate juridicalsystems Church Law (or CanonLaw) and State Law (or the Civil Lawof the Republic of the Philippines)Each juridic system has its own set ofrequirements even if the civil law inthe Philippines regulates marriage ina way similar to Canon Law through

the Family Code of the PhilippinesIn fact the crafters of the FamilyCode got many of its provisions fromthe corresponding section of theCode of Canon Law of the CatholicChurch What most people do notrealize is that the papers signed at theend of the Catholic Wedding Massare in fact the Marriage Contract un-der the Republic of the Philippinesthe same contract which wouldhave been signed in the presence ofa solemnizing officer (the judge orhis equivalent) in the appropriategovernment office What happensis that the parish priest (or the priestto whom he delegates the functionof solemnizing the marriage) is depu-tized by the state to be a solemnizing

officer through a license which isexpedited by the National StatisticsOffice yearly In short the Catholicpriest is authorized by the Republicof the Philippines to solemnize thecivil marriage In other words thecivil marriage can be solemnized byeither a civil servant or a Catholicpriest with the license from the NSO

Insofar as the Canonical Marriageis concerned on the other handthe only paper work required is itsregistration in the Book of Marriages (Marriage Registry) in the parish

where it was celebrated as well as itsannotation in the Book of Baptisms (Baptismal Registry) in the parish

where the spouses were baptizedTere is no separate marriage cer-

tificate or marriage contract for thecanonical marriageTis fundamental juridic reality

has several consequences

A Purely Canonical Marriage only

has Purely Canonical Require-ments

When an already civilly-marriedcouple wish to contract a canonicalmarriagemdasheg when they want

to regularize their situation in theChurch in order to return to thereception of the Sacramentsmdashwhatis celebrated is just the canonicalmarriage without the correspond-ing civil marriage which had alreadybeen celebrated Hence the onlyrequirements for the solemnizingsacred minister are the requirementsstipulated by Canon Law in c1108mdashsect1 Only those marriages are validwhich are contracted in the presence ofthe local ordinary or the parish priest ora priest or deacon delegated by either ofthem who assists and in the presenceof two witnesses according to the rulesexpressed in the following canons (hellip)

mdashsect2 Te one assisting at a mar-riage is understood to be only that

person who present at the ceremonyasks for the contractantsrsquo manifestationof consent and receives it in the nameof the Church

As can be seen for this purelycanonical marriage the assistingsacred minister (the local ordinary orthe parish priest or another priest ordeacon delegated by either the localordinary or the parish priest) doesnot need the license from the State toact as solemnizing officer for the civilmarriage since such a marriage is not

being celebrated Tus the praxis inmany parishes of requiring the above-mentioned government license fromthe sacred minister in good canonicalstanding who has been duly delegated tosolemnize a purely canonical marriage

is not only improper but is an outrightinsult to the canonical order

Te So-called Secret Marriage A secret marriage is one that the lo-

cal ordinary permits to be celebratedin secret due to a grave and urgentcause (c1130) Tis involves carry-ing out the preliminary investigation(the canonical inquiry) in secret andhaving the local ordinary the official

witness (the local ordinary or theparish priest or any priestdeaconauthorized by them to solemnize themarriage) the common witnesses(the two other witnesses required bythe canonical form) and the spousesto maintain secrecy regarding theactual celebration of the marriage(c1131)

Tus there are two requirementsfor a secret marriage (1) authoriza-

tion from the local ordinary ofthe place where the marriage iscelebrated (2) a grave and urgent cause which must be assessed bythe ordinary

Te classic example of a grave andurgent cause appears in Benedict

XIVrsquos encyclical Satis vobis (17 XI1741) in the case of two persons who live together without havingbeen married canonically but who

were publicly considered husbandand wife Te gravity would stemfrom the fact that these personsmight be living in a habitual state

of sin (extramarital intercourse) orat least in a proximate occasion forsuch sin Te urgency might stemfrom other factors like unreasonableopposition from the partiesrsquo relativesfor the canonical marriage to take

place or some civil impediment forthe marriage to take place (eg apre-existing civil marriage) within areasonable period of time

Actual Filipino society presents

several scenarios(1) A couple civilly-married andstably living together in the Catholiccommunity which understandsthem to be husband and wife oregularize their situation in theChurch (to be able to return tothe Sacraments) they need to bemarried canonically but withoutdetriment to their good standingbefore the community which haderstwhile taken them to be canoni-cally married

(2) A couple stably living togetherin the Catholic community whichunderstands them to be husband and

wife but who have never been mar-

ried either canonically or civillymdashthelatter since there is an impediment incivil law for such a civil marriage totake place (eg an existing civil mar-riage of one or both of the parties thedeclaration of the nullity of which istaking too much time and expense)In this case they need to be marriedcanonically to regularize their situa-tion in the Church but cannot do socivilly yet because of the impedimentin civil law

(3) A couple one of whom hadbeen previously married civilly andcanonically and had obtained a

declaration of nullity of the canoni-cal marriage but have not been ableto get a similar declaration for thecivil marriage due to some reason(eg the high cost of the civil pro-cess) Te urgency to celebrate the

canonical marriage might be due tothe couplersquos already cohabitating anddesiring to regularize their situationin the Church and return to theSacraments Another reason could

be the couplersquos plan to immediatelymigrate to start a new life of goodstanding before the Church

(4) A couple of radically unequalsocial status or ethnic provenance

whose marriage is feared to resultin their permanent alienation fromtheir blood family or in disinheri-tance

(5) A widow who would lose her job or means of sustenance for herselfand her children should her marriagecome to public knowledge

In all of these scenarios the im-mediate celebration of the canonicalmarriage is warranted but whichcannot be divulged to the general

public or to the State either for thetime being or indefinitely

Documentation of a Purely Ca-nonical Marriage

Another consequence of theseparation of Church and State inmatrimonial law is the matter ofdocumentation Te documentationof the civil marriage is well knownthe marriage contractmdashexpeditedby the civil registrar signed by theparties the solemnizing officer (theauthorized sacred minister in thecase of a Church wedding) and the

witnessesmdashcopies of which are filedin the office of the civil registrar andin the parish office

As previously stated the canoni-cal marriage is simply noted in theBook of Marriages of the parish

where it was celebrated and in theBook of Baptisms in the respectiveparishes where the parties were bap-tized (which acts as the permanentrecord of their entire lifetime in the

Church)Of special interest in the presentsubject is the practice in some dio-ceses of filling out and signing thepro-forma Marriage Certificatemdash

with the heading of the Republicof the Philippinesmdashfrom the officeof the civil registrar even in the caseof a secret marriage albeit only forfiling in the secret archives of thediocese Not only is this a breach ofthe principle of distinction of Churchand State it might even be proof ofthe celebration of the secret marriageitself outside of Civil Law A betterpractice would be to make a Mar-riage Contract form specifically for

the Canonical Marriage only

Declaration of Nullity of a Canoni-cal Marriage

o conclude given the separa-tion of Canonical Law and CivilLaw the declaration of nullity of acanonical marriage does not auto-matically establish the nullity of thecorresponding civil marriage (andvise-versa) While the celebration of acanonical marriage normally has civileffectsmdashbecause the correspondingcivil marriage is also celebrated withthe sacred minister acting as an au-

thorized solemnizing officermdashthedeclaration of nullity in one forumdoes not carry with it a correspond-ing declaration of nullity in the otherforum wo separate processes mustbe carried out

Advent Wreaths and Incensing(Father Edward McNamara pro-

fessor of liturgy and dean of theologyat the Regina Apostolorum universityanswers the following query)

Q When incensing the altar atthe beginning of Mass should the

Advent wreath also be incensed inthe same way as the paschal candleduring the Easter season Whatabout a Nativity scene (during theChristmas season) -- D LeuvenBelgium

A Te rules regarding incensingare mostly found in the missal andthe Ceremonial of Bishops heintroduction to the missal says

ldquoIncensationldquo276 Turification or incensa-

tion is an expression of reverenceand of prayer as is signified in Sa-cred Scripture (cf Ps 140 [141]2Rev 83)

ldquoIncense may be used if desiredin any form of Mass

ldquoa during the Entrance proces-

sion

ldquob at the beginning of Mass to in-cense the cross and the altar

ldquoc at the Gospel procession and theproclamation of the Gospel itself

ldquod after the bread and the chalicehave been placed upon the altar toincense the offerings the cross and the

altar as well as the priest and the peopleldquoe at the showing of the host and the

chalice after the consecrationldquo277 Te priest having put incense

into the thurible blesses it with the Signof the Cross without saying anything

ldquoBefore and after an incensation aprofound bow is made to the person orobject that is incensed except for theincensation of the altar and the offeringsfor the Sacrifice of the Mass

ldquohe following are incensed withthree swings of the thurible the MostBlessed Sacrament a relic of the HolyCross and images of the Lord exposedfor public veneration the offerings forthe Sacrifice of the Mass the altar crossthe Book of the Gospels the PaschalCandle the priest and the people

ldquoTe following are incensed with two

swings of the thurible relics and imagesof the Saints exposed for public venera-tion which should be done howeveronly at the beginning of the celebrationafter the incensation of the altar

ldquohe altar is incensed with singleswings of the thurible in this way

ldquoa if the altar is freestanding withrespect to the wall the priest incenses

walking around itldquob if the altar is not freestanding the

priest incenses it while walking first tothe right hand side then to the left

ldquoTe cross if situated on or near thealtar is incensed by the priest before heincenses the altar otherwise he incensesit when he passes in front of it

ldquohe priest incenses the offerings with three swings of the thurible or bymaking the sign of the cross over theofferings with the thurible before goingon to incense the cross and the altarrdquo

Although there is a rite of blessingfor the Advent wreath in the AmericanBook of Blessings there is no mentionof incensing the wreath Tis blessing is

proper to the United States and is absent

from the official Book of Blessings incountries such as Italy

It must therefore be concluded thatthe Advent wreath is not incensed inthe manner of the paschal candle It isneither a relic nor an image and is morean expression of popular piety than a

liturgical object per seTe paschal candle receives special

veneration because it is a traditional andancient symbol of the risen Christ Onecould argue that in a way the wreath isa symbol of the coming Christ but we

would still be before a relatively recentcustom and one which is not presentin the universal Church Its not beingincensed does not lessen in any way theusefulness of the wreath in fostering aspiritual preparation for Christmas

A Nativity scene or at least an imageof the Child Jesus set up in the sanc-tuary could enter into the category ofldquoimages of the Saints exposed for publicvenerationrdquo mentioned above in No277 and hence be incensed

It should be remembered however

that several Church guidelines advise

against setting up the Nativity inthe sanctuary itself and above all itshould never be an obstacle to thedignified celebration of the liturgi-cal celebrations For example theUS bishopsrsquo conference says in thedocument ldquoBuilt of Living Stonesrdquo

ldquosect 124 sect Plans for seasonal deco-rations should include other areasbesides the sanctuary Decorationsare intended to draw people to thetrue nature of the mystery beingcelebrated rather than being endsin themselves Natural flowersplants wreaths and fabric hangingsand other seasonal objects can bearranged to enhance the primaryliturgical points of focus Te altarshould remain clear and free-stand-ing not walled in by massive floraldisplays or the Christmas crib andpathways in the narthex nave andsanctuary should remain clearrdquo

If as is common in many church-es the Nativity scene is outside thesanctuary area there is no need to

leave the sanctuary to incense it

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 1124

B3CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25 FEATURES

Three Macro-Challenges for the Church in the lsquoYear of MercyrsquoBy Abp Antonio J Ledesma SJ

HE last two months of this year 2015 havebrought to the fore three macro-challenges forCivil Society and the Church in the Philippinestoday Tey are challenges on a macro scalebecause no single organization nor group ofindividuals can adequately address the various

issues that are emerging Tey are also macrobecause these issues affect millions of peopleor in some cases the entire world Indeed theneed for consensus-building on a national orglobal level has been felt Tis should be basedon ethical-moral principles and shared valuesthat go beyond cultural religious and socio-economic barriers In particular the CatholicChurch plays a significant role in Philippinesociety in addressing these macro issues

I Climate ChangeOn a global scale Climate Change will

be the pressing issue at the 21st Conferenceof Partners (COP 21) on the environmentPope Francisrsquo recent encyclical Laudato Si

has opened wide the doors for scientists andreligious leaders to enter into serious dialogueover issues such as global warming and thesearch for alternative sources of energy Insteadof viewing the environment or nature simplyas an object to be exploited Pope Francis pres-ents the Christian vision of Godrsquos handiworkldquoCreation can only be understood as a gift from

the outstretched hand of the Father of all andas a reality illuminated by the love which callsus together into universal communionrdquo (LS76) He also points out the intimate connectionbetween the ecological approach and the socialapproach ldquoso as to hear both the cry of the earth

and the cry of the poorrdquo (LS 49)Here in Cagayan de Oro we have joined

other dioceses in a Global Climate SolidarityMarch for the Environment On Nov 28advocates for protecting the environmentconverged at the Divisoria from four starting-points to join the voices of the world-wideCatholic Climate Movement at the startof COP 21 in Paris Te archdiocese alsocontinues its participation in the Cagayande Oro River Basin Management Council(CDORBMC) to protect the watershed areasand downstream communities of the Cagayande Oro river system

II Bangsamoro Basic Law A second macro challenge is the continuing

quest for a just and lasting peace in MindanaoTe draft Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) has

been altered in the committee sessions of bothhouses of Congress A version called the Basic

Law for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region(BLBAR) has come out from the Committeeof the House of Representatives Moreover thecommittee report in the Senate has providedanother set of amendments With the resur-gence of biases and prejudices after the Ma-masapano incident the final outcome for thepassage of the various drafts of the BangsamoroBasic Law is not clear

Seen from a wider perspective the letterof the Catholic Bishopsrsquo Conference of thePhilippines (CBCP) in July 2015 stated ldquoOnour part viewing the issues from a moral angle

we do not want a BBL that does not effectivelyaddress the root causes of social injusticerdquo Tisechoes the view of the surviving members ofthe Constitutional Convention of 1987 thatthe Constitution focuses primarily on the spiritof Social Justice Te Citizensrsquo Peace Councilnoted that the BBL is ldquoan act of Social Justiceand Reparation to the peoples of MuslimMindanao to rectify all the injustices inflictedupon them in the pastrdquo

Over the past three months I have helpedconvene consultations among religious and

civil society leaders in Cagayan de Oro andManila to discuss the BBL issue With someclarifications practically everyone saw the needfor a meaningful basic law for a sustainablepeace in Mindanao On Nov 26 in Cagayande Oro we started the Mindanao Week ofPeace with a multi-sectoral march rally Tis

was organized by the Inter-faith Forum for

Peace Harmony and Solidarity Te theme was ldquoMindanaoansrsquo Aspirations for PeaceKalinaw sa Dios ndash Kinaiyahan ndash KatawhanrdquoRegardless of the outcome of the BBLBLBARissue in Congress all of us should continue toengage in intra- and inter-religious dialogue

Our biases and preconceived notions of othercultures and religions are the main obstaclesto lasting peace in Mindanao and the rest ofthe country

III Good Governance A third macro-challenge in the Philippines

context is the coming elections in May 2016 Already the campaign period has started andvarious political personalities and parties havefiled their candidacies Good governancemdash

with its antithesis corruptionmdashis once morea critical factor to consider for every voter In

January 2010 before the last presidential elec-tions the CBCP made three calls to voters(1) o form circles of discernment (2) For thelaity to exercise their right and duty to supportcandidates who are qualified and committed to

public service and (3) o engage in principledpartisan politics Voting for candidates with a

track record of good governance is the mosteffective way of stamping out a culture ofcorruption In an address to the International

Assembly of Penal Law Pope Francis pointsout emphatically ldquoCorruption is a process ofdeath more evil than sin ndash an evil that insteadof being forgiven must be curedrdquo

On Nov 7 the archdiocese sponsored aMarch rally for CHAMPmdashClean Honest

Accurate Meaningful and Peaceful electionsTis was well attended by various sectorsTere were calls against votemdashbuying po-litical dynasties and the conduct of patronagepolitics Te city itself has had its share ofdivisive party politics in the non-disbursementof the budget for vital basic services and morerecently in the controversy over the post ofCity Mayor

Despite these internal conflicts amongelected officials it is good to keep in mind PopeFrancisrsquo own exhortation ldquoPolitics thoughoften denigrated remains a lofty vocation andone of the highest forms of charity inasmuchas it seeks the common goodrdquo (EG 205)

IV A Year of Mercy Despite the Holy Fatherrsquos blunt words on theevil of corruption he has called for an Extraor-dinary Jubilee of Mercy starting on December8 2015 ldquoJesus Christ is the face of the Fatherrsquosmercyrdquo Tis opening statement provides thetitle of Pope Francisrsquo Bull of Indiction Miseri-cordiae Vultus He goes on to say that Mercy

is ldquothe bridge that connects God and manrdquo Itis also ldquothe fundamental law that dwells in theheart of every person who looks sincerely intothe eyes of his brothers and sisters on the pathof liferdquo (MV 2)

On Nov 3-5 our Archdiocesan Pastoral

Assembly brought together more than 450delegates from 64 parishes Tis was the cul-mination of the Appreciative Inquiry processthat was carried out in most parishes down tothe kapilya community level over the past sixmonths

What was most noteworthy was the prepon-derance of lifemdashgiving pastoral experiences interms of prayerfulness and also of service toothers Tese two characteristics and sharedvalues can just as well point the directions wecan take during this jubilee year of mercy

Tis perhaps is the perspective we can adoptin confronting the macro-challenges beforeusmdashto first bend our knees in prayer and to bemerciful like the Father especially for the poorand marginalized in addressing socio-economicand political issues to work for ecological andsocial justice and to bring about Godrsquos mercy

by rectifying deeplyndashrooted biases and injusticesin Philippine society today

A r c h d i o c e s e o f C a g a y a n d e O r o

Pinoy in RomeCountdown to the

Jubilee Yearof Mercy

By Robert Z Cortes

HE Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy announced by PopeFrancis around Holy Week this year is finally starting onDecember 8 the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception

just a couple of days from now Tat this special event in theChurchrsquos history begins on that date is of course no accidentTis Popersquos devotion to Mary shown publicly every timehe passes by St Mary Major before any major trip abroadshould have made that choice almost predictable Howeveraside from human choices one ought to consider above allthe guidance of Providence whose will it is that the most

important events in the Church happen under the mantle ofMary Mother of the Church and Mother of MercySo the idea

to p repareproximatelyfor the Jubilee

Year of Mercyby making anovena to theImmaculateConceptionmade a lot ofsense to me

And being inRome thecity that argu-ably no placein the worldcan match

in terms ofthe qualityand quantityof sacred artp r e s e n t Itook advan-tage to do thefollowing Fornine daysmdashi n c l u d i n gthe Solem-nity hencet h e t e r mldquonovenardquomdashI

was going tovisit an im-age of OurLady vener-ated in vari-ous churchesaround thec i t y B u t

which church-es though

Given the

multitude of beautiful and historic churches in Rome itseemed the best way to approach this project was simply tobe led by Providence Tis approach is not ldquoto be too mysti-cal about itrdquo asI learned quite recently from of all peoplea non-Catholic ethics professor in a very secular Americanuniversity whom I interviewed a couple of months ago Hisdefense is that ldquothere still is another dimension in terms ofa holistic being in which our reason and our spirit and ouremotions are an integrated wholehellip So you listen to thevoice of the spiritrdquoTis was actually good ecumenical adviceto which my experience in the following days would attest

Tese experiences culled from my journal of these novenadays are actually Church history lessons devotional tour-guiding tips and philosophizing all rolled into one I sharethem seeing that they can serve some purpose however onemay be preparing for the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy

Our Lady of the Sacred Hear in SantrsquoAndreadella Valle Yesterday November 30 was the beginning of the novenato the Immaculate Conception It also happened to be thefeast of St Andrew Now at the other end of the street wheremy university is happens to be a huge looming basilicadedicated to Saint Andrew with the name ldquoSantrsquoAndreadellaValle rdquo People with very limited time in Rome usually donrsquothave time to visit this magnificent church but really nexttime you come you should Tis church was actually builtby the very same people involved in the building of St Peterrsquosand used this as their ldquopracticerdquo church people like Giacomodella Porta and Carlo Maderno Te fountain in the squarefronting the church is Madernorsquos

Te paintings and the frescoes inside are even more breath-taking Te dome and the ceiling are one of the best thereis in Rome - and perhaps in Christendom Since it was thefeast of St Andrew precisely I decided to do my prayer rightthere before the huge fresco of the crucifixion of St AndrewI did my rosary in one of the side chapels dedicated to Our

Countdown B6

What was behind

that inconspicuous

door Actually a

small but amazinglybeautiful jewel of

a church

A recent rally against climate change and environmental degradation

The Sant Agnese view from the South Plazza Navona

Sant Agnesersquo double Holy Family

An Interfaith Walk for Peace held on Nov 26 2015

R o b e r t Z C

o r t e s

R o b e r t Z C

o r t e s

A

r c h d i o c e s e o f C a g a y a n d e O r o

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B4 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

By S M Evangeline A Madayag OSB

HE urgency of protecting ldquo OurCommon Homerdquo is much given em-phasis by our Holy Father Pope Fran-cis Much heat drought and differencein the weather and climate is muchfelt Many kinds of sicknesses are alsoattacking especially the poor who lacknourishment due to having no foodsecurity One can really feel the differ-ence of being in a polluted city fromthe simple rural setting where there arestill enough trees providing clean airTe other week I and my communityof Sisters together with two visitingSisters were able to enjoy the beautifulbeach of San Isidro Davao OrientalI salute Mayor ina Yu and all the of-ficers of the Municipality of San Isidrofor really defending their stand for a

ldquoNo o Mining in San IsidrordquoI wish that would also be true for the

whole province of Davao Oriental It issad that some barangays and munici-palities who make resolutions to allowmining only consider themselves as theonly ones with rights to allow miningobviously setting aside the possibleharms effect on the people and theenvironment especially to the nextgeneration We have experienced the

effect of the haze brought about theforest fire of Indonesia a true evidencethat we are all affected all around the

world of what happens in a certain partof the world As Joey Ayala reminds usin his song ldquo Ang Lahat ng Bagay ayMagka-ugnayrdquo

Just last year (July 1 2014) SenatorLoren Legarda visited our province (Davao Oriental) and congratulated theprovince for its stand on the protec-tion of our natural resources especiallyciting Mt Hamiguitan a UNESCO

World Heritage site What a heri tage what a treasure

Yet what is real ly happeni ng inDavao Oriental Even our priests inthe Diocese of Mati are alarmed onthe ldquo proliferation of alleged mining

activities in the province of Davao

Oriental particularly in the followingareas (1) Brgy Old Macopa Manay(2) Brgy iblawan Governor Gen-eroso (3) Barangay Causwagan andMaputi Banaybanay (4) BarangayDapnan and Lambajon Bagangga (5)Barangay Calapagan Lupon (excerptsfrom the letter of Rev Fr Edito SBantildeo DCM Apostolic Adminstratorof Mati to the DENR National OfficeSeptember 10 2015 He made anotherletter to the DENR on October 222015 to includeMacambol ( Magumand Salingcomot) as a concern

With much prayers for awakenings

re-awakenings and miracles to hap-pen we make this petition

A PEIION FOR HE SOP-PAGE AND REJECION OF HEIMPENDING ISSUANCE OF MIN-ING PERMI FOR AUSRAL-ASIALINK MINING CORPORAION

AND HALLMARK MINING COR-PORAION BOH UNDER HECORPORAE ORGANIZAIONOF ASIAICUS MANAGEMENCORPORAION (AMCOR) AMAGUM PUJADA BAY AND SAL-INGCOMO MAI CIY PROV-

INCE OF DAVAO ORIENAL

We the farmers fisherfolks Churchpeople youth professionals businesspeople of Davao Oriental Provincetogether with our national and inter-national supporters hereby urge MrRamon JP Paje DENR SecretaryNO O ISSUE ANY MININGPERMI to AUSRAL-ASIA LINKMINING CORPORAION ANDHALLMARK MINING CORPORA-ION both under the CORPORAEORGANIZAION OF ASIAICUSMANAGEMEN CORPORAION(AMCOR) for its mining operation in

Magum Pujada Bay and Salingcomot

Mati City Province of Davao Oriental We also demand that their mining

equipments be pulled out from themining site Macambol ldquoLodgedbetween two protected areasmdashthePujada Bay Protected Seascape (andLandscape) and Mt HamiguitanRange proclaimed wildlife sanctu-ary (Republic Act No 9303 July 302004)rdquo and as a UNESCO WorldHeritage Site at the 38th Session ofthe World Heritage Committee ( June15-24 2014 Doha State of Qatar) is not the most logical site for large-scale nickel laterite mining project (October 212009 in Environment Food Security Sensitive EcosystemsTe Philippines)

Ac co rd in g to th e st ud y pu b-lished by httpbhpbillitonwatchnet20091021pujada-hallmark-nickel-laterite-project-profile ldquo some4778 hectares of mining permitsoverlap with five major drainagesystems and watersheds which eitherdrain towards Pujada Bay or the DavaoGulf Tese bodies of freshwater arethe main water supplies for the com-munities living within and around thearea and the bays host endangeredspecies such as dugongs (sea cows)sea turtles and stingrays Te forestof Macambol is a watershed area

Additi ona lly the Puja da reg ion issituated on the ldquoPacificndashCordillerardquofault line wo branches of the activePhilippine fault flank the watershedon the southwest and southeast of theproject area which has been subjectto intense seismic activities Te 2008report ldquoPhilippines Mining or Foodrdquorecommended that no mining shouldtake place on Mount Hamiguitan ornear Pujada Bay which are centres ofbiodiversity with high ecotourismpotential Under these conditions itmay be almost impossible to minethe area ldquo (httpbhpbillitonwatchnet20091021pujada-hallmark-nickel-laterite-project-profile)

In his ENCYCLICAL LEERLAUDAO SIrsquo Our Holy Father

all processes addressing climateand disaster risks especially afterthe province experienced the

wrath of yphoon Yolanda lastNovember 8 2013

He also mentioned how theimpact of climate change cutsacross all sectors regardless of gen-der culture economic or politicalstature with the poor sufferingthe greatest impact

ldquoTerefore a plan of actionto address climate and disasterrisks must be undertaken using

PASTORAL CONCERNS

Home B7

IN solidarity with the on-goingClimate Conference in Paris the

Archdiocese of Palo Relief andRehabilitation Unit (Caritas Palo)together with at least 200 lsquoYolan-darsquo survivors signed a Declarationsupporting Climate Change andCommunity-Managed DisasterRisk Reduction in Palo Leyteon uesday

In a statement Caritas PaloDirector Fr Al Cris Badana citedhow important it is for membersof the communities to be part of

community-managed disasterrisk reduction (CMDRR) as thestrategyrdquo Badana added

Also present during the commit-ment signing are representativesfrom various church groups andgovernment agencies such as theProvincial Government of LeyteDepartment of Social Welfare andDevelopment Department ofInterior and Local GovernmentProvincial Disaster Risk Reductionand Management Office and theOffice of the Civil Defense

Aside from the declaration sign-ing the lsquoYolandarsquo survivors from15 communities in the townsof Palo Santa Fe AlangalangMayorga Dulag and MacArthureach gave a presentation of howtheir communities are presentlyengaged in community-manageddisaster risk reduction (CMDRR)measures and systems

Tere was also a mini exhibitof the organic products producedby lsquoYolandarsquo survivors to show itssupport for sustainable agricul-

ture which is part of the climatechange action

After the devastation of y-phoon Yolanda the RomanCatholic Church of the Archdio-cese of Palo through Caritas Paloand NASSACaritas Philippineshelped Yolanda-affected commu-nities in Leyte to craft their ownresiliency and contingency plans

which were already adopted bytheir barangays As of today Cari-tas Palo has invested P150 millionto build resilient communities

Te said communities also in-stalled early warning systems andevacuation plans which resultedin zero casualties and minimaldamages during the onslaughtof yphoon Ruby the strongesttyphoon in 2014

It can be recalled that the re-cent encyclical of Pope FrancisLaudato Si highlighted the ad-

verse impacts of climate changeon the poor and most vulnerableand the scale of the climate crisis(NASSA Features)

Protecting Our Common Home

Church lsquoYolandarsquo survivors in Leyte signClimate Change Declaration

N A S S A C a r i t a s P h i l i p p i n e s

C B C P N e w s

N A S S A C a r i t a s P h i l i p p i n e s

N A

S S A C a r i t a s P h i l i p p i n e s

lsquoYolandarsquo survivors together with representatives from the Archdiocese of Palo Relief and Rehabilitation Unit (Caritas Palo) signedthe Caritas Declaration on Climate Change in solidarity with the on-going Paris Climate Talks

The Archdiocese of Palo Relief and Rehabilitation Unit (Caritas Palo) displayed the organic products produced bylsquoYolandarsquo survivorsin Leyte which is part of its climate change action

Members of the New Dampigan Womenrsquos Association happily beam and show off the eggs they harvested

Women in actionONE women to explore their otherpotentials

Tis is the story of the women in thetown of New Dampigan in Samar prov-ince who found a new hobby a passionand source of livelihood all at the sametime hey are the New Dampigan

Womenrsquos Association who are engagedin poultry raising

It all started when the DiocesanSocial Action Center of Calbayog gavethe group a total of 500 ducks as partof its livelihood program for yphoonHaiyan survivors

Te group is composed of 21 mem-bers all of them women Tey raiseducks and sell its eggs salted and freshalike to the nearby towns of Sta Ritaand Basey o produce salted eggs they

preserve it for 15 to 18 daysBut it wasnrsquot all easy going especially

at first When another yphoon Hagu-pit locally known as Ruby hit the townlast December some of their ducks diedfrom the storm Tey almost lose hopeBut luckily they did not Instead the

women sticked together and took careof the remaining ducks

Now the women are the more thanhappy and contented of the productof their pure hardwork and ingenuitySeveral weeks after the onslaught ofHagupit the women are once againback in track

Currently they are harvesting 700 upto 1000 eggs every week Tey are alsofocused on marketing their products tonearby towns which they do throughthe support and trainings providedby the social action center Yes they

are truly women in action (NASSAFeatures)

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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B5CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

life and refreshment from her waterrdquo (Laudato Si2)

Since climate is a commongood it is but right to be involved

in the discussion of climatechange especially that it is nowdestructive not only to proper-ties to but also to lives Accord-ingly the world is on the brink ofbecoming an arid wasteland dueto lsquounchecked human activitiesrsquo

We are living witnesses of thedestruction brought about by

weather changes and the effectsto health by carbon emissionshe calamities that claimedthousands of lives these pastyears and months are enoughproof to awaken in us a commit-ment to safeguard creation andhelp mitigate their effects

Pope Francis seeing the ur-gency of action in dealing with

environmental crisis points outthe use of highly polluting fossil

STATEMENTS

Statement on Coal Mining and Coal Power Plant

Final Statement of the 6th Bishopsrsquo Institute forInterreligious Affairs

Mayor Duterte

Asian celebration of the 50 th anniversary of Nostra Aetate

FABC Office of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs

Redemptorist Center Pattaya Thailand

November 16-20 2015

WE the one hundred sixty-six(166) delegates of the 40thDOPIM Bishops-Clergy Con-vention unanimously expressour serious concern on theoperation of coal mining andcoal power plant that triggersapprehension among our peopleand poses environment threat inthe provinces where such facilityis being established

With faith in the Lord of Cre-ation we want to heed the callof Pope Francis in his encyclicalLaudato Si that urges us all tocare for the earth as our commonhome Citing St Francis of As-sisi the Holy Father persuadesus to treat our common homelike our sister

However knowing the realityof our destructive attitude andactivities towards her the Pope

writes that ldquoTe6 sister now criesout to us because of the harm

we have inflicted on her by ourirresponsible use and abuse ofthe goods with which God hasendowed her We have come toseeeuro ourselves as her lords andmasters entitled to plunder herat will Te violence present inour hearts wounded by sin isalso reflected in the symptomsof sickness evident in the soilin the water in the air and inall forms of life his is whythe earth herself burdened andlaid waste is among the mostabandoned and maltreated ofour poor she lsquogroans in travailrsquo(Rom 822) We have forgottenthat we ourselves are dust of theearth (cf Gen 27) our very bod-

ies are made up of her elements we breathe her air and we receive

fuels ndash especially coal to be pro-gressively replaced without delay(Cf Laudato Si 165) We can-not simply sit idly while seeing

the unfolding of horrific eventsresulted by so called technologi-cal progress at the expense of na-ture Instead we recommend theuse of renewable energy whichis of course not harmful to theenvironment and to humans

As Bishops of the Diocesesof Dipolog Ozamis PagadianIligan and Marawi (DOPIM)

which comprise the civil prov-inces of Zamboanga del NorteMisamis Occidental Zamboan-ga del Sur Lanao del Norte andLanao del Sur we completelyoppose the operation of coalmining and coal power plantsmost especially within the afore-mentioned provinces We do this

not only because of our humanresponsibility but as a call intrin-

sic to our Christian faith We he re by ur ge al l co n-

cernedmdashboth the coal industryand the governmentmdashin thename of our Lord Jesus Christ tohave the same concern We alsocall the faithful and all people ofgood will be vigilant at all timesand in all places because ourcommon home is in danger ofdevastation We will not allowourselves to arrive at the pointof no return

May God hear us and come todefend the beautiful creation Hehas entrusted to us May Marythe Queen of all creation coverus with her mantle of maternalcare

Formulated during the 40thDOPIM Bihops-Clergy Con-vention on November 11 2015at the Diocesan Pastoral CenterDel Carmen Iligan City

Most Rev Severo C CaermareDDBishop of Dipolog

Most Rev Elenito R GalidoDDBishop of Iligan

Most Rev Emmanuel CabajarCSsR DDBishop of Pagadian

Most Rev Edwin A dela PentildeaMSP DDBishop-Prelate of Marawi

Most Rev Jesus A DosadoCM DD

Metropolitan Archbishop ofOzamiz

WHA the world desperately needs now is leadership byexample We have so many leaders in office and many moreaspiring to sit in office but are they examples of good citizen-ship If the leaders we choose are to be leaders for nationalprogress they must be visionaries AND exemplary

Corruption is indeed a great scourge of Philippine politics

Te usual face of corruption that we recognize easily is stealingfrom public funds Corruption like a monster is a devil withmany faces Killing people is corruption Killing is a crime anda sin whether it is done by criminals or public officials no mat-ter what the intention Adultery is corruption It makes marriedlove cheap and uses people for pleasure Adultery corrupts thefamily it destroys children and victimizes the weak Vulgarity iscorruption When we find vulgarity funny we have really becomebeastly and barbaric as a people When a revered and loved andadmired man like Pope Francis is cursed by a political candidateand the audience laugh I can only bow my head and grieve ingreat shame My countrymen has gone to the dregs

Is this the leadership by example that Mayor Duterte excitesin us Is this the leadership by example that makes a publicofficial deserving of the title ldquoHonorablerdquo

+SOCRAES VILLEGAS

Archbishop of Lingayen-DagupanCBCP PresidentDecember 1 2015

F i l e p h o t o

V i n c e n t G o

Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte

1 It is by Godrsquos grace andprovidence that we 87 par-ticipants in the Sixth BishopsrsquoInstitute for Interreligious Af-fairs (BIRA VI) from 17 dif-ferent countries have come tocelebrate the 50th anniversaryof Nostra aetate in our Asiancontext and in our time Weare grateful for the funding wereceived from Missio Aachenthat helped make this gather-ing possible

2 In this grace-filled gather-ing we have worked togetheras the Church in Asia retracing

our steps along the path of dia-logue praying reflecting andsharing our experiences andthoughts on the questions of

what we ha ve done so far and what we need to do fur ther forinterreligious dialogue in Asia

3 We recognize that Nostra Aet at e is sti ll ins pir ing andchallenging us to realize thevision of the Church as thepeople of God in dialogue inour time facing the interde-pendent reality of the com-plex and diverse influences ofglobalized socio-economic-cultural-political structures

we rea ffi rm the strong needof the ldquotriple dialoguerdquo with

the poor cultures and reli-gions in a journey towards theKingdom of justice peace andecological harmony

4 hrough our experienceof dialogue and action forthe last five decades we havelearned that interreligiousdialogue is not only to be aspecific pastoral strategy ofthe Church but rather an

Asian vis ion of the ChurchIt is a Church that proclaimsthe values of the Kingdom

without fear in dialogi cal col-laboration (partnership) withthe people of other religions

5 Struggling against anykind of fundamentalism ter-rorism and proselytism theChurch in Asia is called to

work toget her with other s asco-pilgrims In protecting thepoor and the environmentthrough our interreligious net-

work we are n ot do ing socia l work together but bui ldi ng

a mystical union of GodrsquosKingdom as inter-dependentbeings (in the harmony of ourrelationship with one anotherand with all creation)

6 he Church in Asia con-

firms that we cannot engage with other s in a real dialogue without having a clear ident ityof who we are and constantlygrowing in our own faith Inthe pluralistic contexts of Asiathe Church as a ldquolittle flockrdquois called to learn a kenotic(self-emptying) spirit of loveand service from Jesus ChristIt is through our humble andopen-minded approach thatreal trust and mutual under-standing with others can beestablished We are aware ofthe importance of grassrootsinterreligious dialogue whichusually starts from inter-per-sonal friendship and grows tocommunal action for justiceand peace

7 he Church in Asia takesseriously the challenges oftoday for all religions variousconflicts and violence massive

poverty and global inequalitythe increasing numbers ofrefugees and migrants pollu-tion and environmental crisiscorruption and moral degrada-tion human trafficking and

the breakdown of social cohe-sion terrorism and all formsof fundamentalism

8 One of the most urgentchallenges in Asia is to pro-claim Jesus Chri st as the Way

the ruth and the Life whileacknowledging and respecting

what is ldquotrue and holy in otherreligionsrdquo (Nostra AetateNo 2) As a community ofdisciples we give witness to

Jes us through our pe rs onaland communal l ifestyle oflove in three interconnected

way s sil enc e pre sence andstory-telling In an existentialsilence we empty ourselvesand listen deeply to the voicesof the other without judging

wi th a lov ing hear t In thedepth of our silence we are

aware of Jesusrsquo presence amongus which is inspiring our jour-ney of interreligious dialogueand action for transformingthe world It is by telling ourown story of transformationthrough Jesus as individualpersons and as communitiesthat the globalized culture ofindifference and greedy con-sumerism is to be transformedinto the gospel-culture of soli-darity and sharing

9 In our common journey with other s we Chri stians in Asia re cognize the importanceof basic human communitiesat the grassroots level wherethe dialogue of life and actionis going on especially together

with th e indigenous people Itis through these basic humancommunities that the Churchin Asia learns the holistic

world view and the sacred cos-mic spirituality which awakeus to take care of ldquoour com-mon homerdquo We are called togo beyond our comfort zoneand to develop a new narrativeof dialogue coming from ourcommon experience with thehope of rediscovering the har-monious relationship betweenhumanity cosmos and God forthe future generation

10 We commit ourselvesmore passionately to inter-religious dialogue in Asia indifferent ways for example

bull o develop local interreli-gious dialogue and action inthe grassroots communities

bull o organize formationprograms for interreligiousdialogue within the Catholiccommunity

bull (eg Seminaries religioushouses of formation and forthe laity)

bull o promote intra-dialoguebetween Christian churchesand within Catholic institu-tions

bull o support dialogue ac-tivities and forums (eg UNInterfaith Harmony Week)

bull o advocate i nterreligiousdialogue and action in thepublic sphere and cyberspace

bull o provide adequ ate prep-aration and pastoral care to theinterreligious family

11 After these days of re-flection and sharing of ourexperiences of and insightson interreligious dialogue inthe light of Nostra Aetateguided by the Holy Spirit

we ha ve com e to re ali ze againthe importance of opennesstowards the people of otherreligions and the indispens-able role of witness to theKingdom of God ever grow-

ing in the heart of As ianpeople hrough our sincerecommitment to dialogueldquoJesus Christ will be bet -ter known recognized andlovedrdquo (PCID Dialogue inruth and Charity No 39)

F a c e b o o k

F a c e b o o k

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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B6 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

completion In this way the miracle ofthe Incarnation took place with theBlessed rinity taking the initiativeand Mary responding freely and gen-erously to the Spiritrsquos action in her

It is in response to the lead of theSpirit that Mary set out for Elizabethrsquoshouse to share with her relative theldquoGood Newsrdquo she was carrying withinher

Like mankind before Mary andChrist we too may have a bad re-cord when it comes to ldquobeing open toGodrdquo We may not be any better than

Adam and Eve or the people before theFlood (see Gn 65-6) or the builders ofthe ower of Babel (See Gn 113-4)

Tis Advent in the Year of Faith isfor all of us an opportunity to evalu-ate our standing in this respect and totake appropriate action If we decideto imitate Mary and Elizabeth in theiropenness to the Spirit we may be sure

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

HE times of John the Baptist were bad characterized as they were by selfishness greed prideaggressiveness oppression of the

weak Tis can be gatheredfrom the answers he gave tothose who had been struck byhis preaching and asked ldquoWhatought we to dordquo Johnrsquos strongly

worded call to conversion was

amply justified All needed toundergo a ldquometanoiardquo a changeof mind and attitude in order toenter the Reign of God

Te situation does not seemto have changed much since thetime of John the Baptist We livein a society plagued with the samemoral defects and vices People arestill greedy selfish aggressive

And of course the temptation isalways to see these moral failuresin others

In many cases it may be truethat there is so much evil aroundus But it is equally true that wetoo are not perfect here isevil in us too We fail morallyalmost every day and in various

ways We too need to undergoa ldquometanoiardquo a radical conver-sion ldquoRadicalrdquo here means that it

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

WE all experience the dif-ference that physical dark-ness or light produces inus Darkness makes us feeluneasy even anxious andafraid Light gives us a senseof security It enables us torealize where we are and

what to do

his is why the Bibli-cal creation story tells usthat ldquoIn the beginningrdquo (ie when nothing existedexcept God) ldquodarkness cov-ered the abyssrdquo Ten Godsaid ldquoLet there be lightrdquo And there was light Godsaw how good the lightwas rdquo (Gn 14a) Tepresence of light enabledGod to proceed with the

work of creation with allits wonders and poten-tials and thereby conquerthe darkness of chaos andmeaninglessness

should not stop at the individualactions but has to affect our at-titudes and set of values ie thevery root of our actions Tereshouldnrsquot be the least doubt so-ciety will start changing for thebetter the very moment we beginto improve

Advent and the special obser-vances for this year (Extraordinary

Jubilee Year of Mercy Year of theEucharist and of the Family) areinvaluable opportunities for us

to start or resume moving in theright direction Like those whoapproached John we should ask ldquoWhat are we to dordquo Te answersmay be as many as there are personalmoral situations but a ldquocommondenominatorrdquo easily applies to allOur fundamental attitude has gotto be one of openness availabilityand goodwill

Te first requirement is ldquoopen-ness to Godrdquo in grateful love andexpectation in prayer of ldquopetitionand thanksgivingrdquo (see Phil 46)mdashfor the Lord is coming to dwell inour midst and to be our ldquomightySaviorrdquo (See First Reading v 17)

Te second basic requirementis ldquoopenness to peoplerdquo hismeans readiness to share ourgoods generously with the lessfortunate (see Lk 311) to be fair

But aside from physical lightand darkness there are otherforms of these two oppositerealities in the intellectualemotional moral and spiri-tual domains In the JudeanChristian revelation light isassociated and even identifiedwith God while darkness is as-sociated and identified with sinand evil St John the Evangelistproclaims ldquoGOD IS LIGHrdquo(1 Jn 15) Consequently a lifelived without God is darknessmdashthe darkness of sin and hell (See

John 319-21) No wonder thenthat the Incarnation of GodrsquosSon is compared to the comingof light to earth (See Jn 15 and1246)

And this is precisely what wecommemorate and celebrate atChristmas the coming of thelight of Godrsquos holiness andgoodness to fight and defeatthe darkness of evil in all itsforms

In the extraordinary andunique event of the Incarna-

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

MANKIND has had a bad record fromthe very beginning of its historymdashthecriminal record of shutting God outof its plans and life Such an attitudehad few exceptions in Abram Mosesthe prophets And even those ex-ceptions were not always 100 clearIt was only with Mary that a differentattitude started to prevail an attitudeof total openness to the action of Godin onersquos life and of full availability tocooperate with Him in the actualiza-tion of His plan

Mary was the most open of all tothe inspirations and promptings ofthe Holy Spirit Like a very sensitiveharp she let the Spirit produce in herand through her the wonderful melodyof manrsquos salvation which only thedivine love can initiate and bring to

REFLECTIONS

P u b l i c d

o m a i n

C B C P N e w s

Christmas the triumph of light

The ldquoNEW JERUSALEMrdquo isthe perfect realization of Godrsquos

plan and the fulfillment of our

deepest aspirations

4th Sunday of Advent (C) Luke 139-45

December 20 2015

Solemnity of Christmas (C) John 11-18

December 25 2015

3rd Sunday of Advent (C) Luke 310-18

ldquoRejoice Sundayrdquo December 13 2015

Our advent priorities

Countdown B3

that He will work wonders also in usno matter how insignificant and weak

we may consider ourselves (See Mi51)

We need the impulse of the HolySpirit and His empowering supportto get out of ourselves to show aninterest in others and share with themthe blessings we have received from theLord including our joy (See attitudeof Mary Lk 146-49)

We need to be open to the Spiritin imitation of Mary in order tohave Christ formed in us or betterin order to be molded unto him If

we cult ivat e such an openn ess andavailability we shall ever more becomeChrist-like in our thoughts aspira-tions attitudes and actions Andthus we shall be totally committedto do our share in carrying out theFatherrsquos plan of saving love as Christdid (See Heb 105-7)

Open to the spirit in imitation of Mary

Lady of the Sacred Heart Andby the time I left the church

which is just a five-minute walkfrom my house what else couldI say but thank You Really thereis nothing much else one can say

Our Lady and Child in SanSalvatore in Onda

Funny what one sees whenone changes perspectives Goinghome from jogging one day Idecided to pass by the right (in-stead of the left) side of Via deiPettinari (Combmakersrsquo Street)I happened to look up by chanceand I saw this charming image of

Our Lady I had never seen be-fore even if Irsquod already passed by

here more than ten times Ten when I looked down I likewisenoticed what should have beenan inconspicuous door Now Isaw there was a paper posted onit hinting that inside was actuallya church called San Salvatore inOnda and the place where SaintVincent Pallottirsquos remains arevenerated I took mental noteof the opening schedule andresolved I would do the secondday of my novena there

What was beh ind that in-conspicuous door Actually asmall but amazingly beautiful

jewel of a church First behind

the green door commonly seenalong the street was another set

of wider doors made of beauti-ful strong old wood It had ahuge tarp proudly claiming thatSt John Paul II had visited thischurch For such a small churchI thought it would be surprisingany pope would do that

But of course if one knew JP IIand St Vincent Pallotti and whatthey each stood for one wouldunderstand For JP II loved topromote the apostolate amonglay people and St Vincent inhis own 19th century religious

way was one of the promotersof the lay apostolate at the time

when it was so much lacking

He founded the ldquoPious Unionof Catholic Apostolaterdquo Tatrsquos a

union of priests religious and la-itymdashbut the ldquoPallotinesrdquo as theyare called really just consists ofthe religious brothers and priestsand the laity are well theyrsquorethere But that was certainly ahuge start

Te church is now their homebase but it wasnrsquot so at first Builtnear the end of the 11th andbeginning of the 12th centuryit was given to the Franciscansfrom which two popes camefrom Knowing this historic-ity of the church and that StVincentrsquos body is now underthe altar one then understands

this church deserved the Popersquosvisit But to add to these therersquos

to everybody and be absolutelyhonest with all (See Lk 313-14)

All this is love of neighbor in itsmost elementary form and noone can claim to be exempted orto have done enough

o this we have to add thepursuit of all those ldquonatural valuesand virtuesrdquo that Paul lists in theSecond Reading (See Phil 48)Only on these conditions shall

we be able to ldquobe glad and exult with all our heartsrdquo (Zep 314) and

begin to enjoy ldquoGodrsquos own peace which is beyond all understand-ingrdquo (Phil 47)

If on the contrary we refuseto heed Johnrsquos (Godrsquos) call toconversion this Advent will bea series of ldquomissed opportuni-tiesrdquo Tere may still be laughterbut very little joy We may giveand receive plenty of gifts but

without experiencing the bliss ofreal generosity In other words wemay be like one of the decorationshanging on Christmas trees glit-tering and colorful outside butempty and ugly inside

It need not be so It should nothis Advent we have a chanceto really change for the betterstarting from ldquowithinrdquo And it isup to us to make the most of thisopportunity

tion the divine light becomesa human beingmdashJESUS OFNAZAREH His coming is not a lightning in the night thatsoon vanishes in the persistentdarkness of the sky Rather it isan enduring event mdashthe fulfill-ment of a well thought-out plandestined to last till the end oftime and beyond

Te Incarnation is an eventthat is not confined to the placeand time where it took placebut a permanent reality thatconcerns and affects the entireuniverse as well as the life ofeach human being Tis is sobecause the life and mission ofthe God-Man born in Bethle-

hem is to bring the light of loveand grace into the history ofmankind into the life of everyhuman person

his is why we believe andproclaim that Christmasmdashthecoming and dwelling of Godrsquoslight on earth ndash makes all the dif-ference Te world will never bethe same as before the ldquoChrist-

mas eventrdquo simply because Godldquopitched His tentrdquo among us More still He became one of us

He did so in order to enableeach individual and mankindas a whole to fight and over-come the many forms of dark-ness that oppress frighten andenslave usmdashthe darkness of

hopelessness meaninglessnessfear hatred oppression but es-pecially the darkness of sin andof whatever leads to the endlessdarkness of being separated fromGod forever

Nowadays the all-pervadingcacophony of commercialismand materialism tend to dis-robe Christmas of its sacred-ness and saving dimensionand to confine it to the realm

of a myth lost in the vaguenessof a distant past Against suchbackground it is essential thatwe Christian believers ap-preciate the importance ofthe historical event of theIncarnation and its relevanceto our life today

Christmas as the joyful com-memoration of the Incarnationof Godrsquos Son is an invitationto ACCEP Jesus Christ intoour existence as the light of the

world the light of our life It isalso an invitation to REJOICEin the light that radiates from

Jesusrsquo presence teaching and

example It is a commitmentto LIVE as children of thelight and thereby eliminatein ourselves and around usthe darkness of sin and evilin all their forms Christmasis an invitation and a chal-lenge to SPREAD the light ofGodrsquos love through our wordsand deeds

In this perspective theHoly Fatherrsquos call to be ac-

tively involved in the workof a NEW EVANGELIZA-ION becomes absolutely vital and releva nt to thisseason of light and joy Itis the first step toward anever-greater involvement inthe wonderful enterprise ofbuilding Godrsquos luminousKingdom of peace love andhope that can usher in theldquonew heavens and the newearthrdquo the ldquoNEW JERU-SALEMrdquo that is the perfectrealization of Godrsquos plan andthe fulfillment of our deepestaspirations

also the sheer beauty of medievaland renaissance art that one seeson the ceiling and the simplebaldachin under which Mass

was held when I was there Teimage of Our Lady and Child byCesare Mariani in the main altaris also arresting

Te church has the appellationldquoin Onda rdquo which means ldquoin the

waverdquo most probably becauseof the frequent flooding of theiber Irsquove seen some of thesesigns on marble stone aroundseveral parts in Rome indicat-ing where the river was at this orthat point and therersquos only one

thing I can say Te worst Manilafloods are as if only two inches

compared to Rome flooding inthose days Irsquom not sure if thishas any connection to one imageof Our Lady venerated there ona huge side altar ldquoVirgin mostPowerfulrdquomdashbecause one cer-tainly needed a huge power tosurvive such inundations

But last night I know I wasinundated by only one thingmdashthanksgiving for being surround-ed by such beauty and holiness

(Robert Z Cortes is a PhDstudent in Social InstitutionalCommunication at the PontificalUniversity of Santa Croce Rome

He has an MA in Ed Leadership from Columbia University)

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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B7CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

tions might become ever more numeroustill they become the rule

It is in the family that the reform ofsociety begins because it is there that welearn to respect and help one another wepractice patience and justice we learn toshare and to love in an unselfish and practi-cal manner Pope Francis speaking to theFilipino families during his Pastoral Visit

in January 2015 said ldquoIn the family wecome to know God to grow into menand women of faith to see ourselves asmembers of Godrsquos greater family theChurch In the family we learn how tolove to forgive to be generous and opennot closed and selfish We learn to movebeyond our own needs to encounterothers and share our lives with them Tat is why it is so important to pray as afamily Tat is why families are so impor-tant in Godrsquos plan for the Churchrdquo

A family where God is at home is afamily at peace Such was the Holy Familyat Nazareth And the yearly celebration ofits feast is not just a well-deserved tributepaid to its three members It is also an in-vitation and encouragement to make ourfamilies today what the family of JosephMary and Jesus was in those daysmdasha ha- ven of love of God and neighbor at itsbest a home where God felt at home afamily according to Godrsquos heart

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

PRAYING together as a family seems nolonger fashionable nowadays Te reasonsare varied so many commitments con-flicts of schedule practical impossibility ofbeing together Tere are of coursehappy exceptions of parents who everyevening gather their children for somemoments of reflection on the Word ofGod reconciliation shared prayer andrecitation of the Rosary hese samepeople are usually the ones who on Sun-days attend the Eucharistic celebrationas a family From this they derive strengthharmony cohesion And at the same timethey become an inspiration to the wholeparish community It is when the familygathers together for prayer that its mem-bersmdashboth parents and childrenmdashseethemselves under the common fatherlyauthority of God

A family that renews every day itscovenant with the Lord will have notime for endless bickering jealousyunfaithfulness harsh manners on thepart of the parents or rebellion on thepart of their children

Te families that pray together are re-ally mini ldquofaith communitiesrdquo or ldquolittlechurchesrdquo One wishes that these excep-

SOCIAL CONCERNS

M a s t e r o f t h e A n t w e r p A d o r a t i o n

M a r k E u s e b i o

Feast of the Holy Family (C) Luke 241-52

December 27 2015

World Day of Peace (C)

Luke 216-21

January 1 2016

Baptism of the Lord (C) Luke 315-16 21-22 January 10 2016

Solemnity of Epiphany (C) Matthew 21-12

January 3 2016

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

HE world is torn by wars and conflicts of every kindmdashwarsamong nations factions families Afraid of the tragediesof war simple people yearn for peace Some governments andpeace-oriented organizations try to achieve peace throughnegotiations and compromise Fortunately many times theysucceed in establishing at least a ceasefire

But we all know that peace is not simply the absence offighting Peacemdashit has been written in so many waysmdashisthe fruit of justice among nations groups individuals Morethan this peace is the fruit of being in a harmonious rela-tionship not only with others but also with oneself andespecially with God Tere can be no peace where there isrejection of God

Peace is just another word for love another word forgrace It prospers only with the defeat of sin And just asall the sufferings and destructions of war are both a sign anda consequence of sin so the defeat of sin in ourselves andaround us produces that inexpressible feeling of satisfactionand harmony that no material riches can buy and no balanceof power can create

Real lasting peace is what God the source of all good-ness wants for all mankind But in order for that peaceto become a reality we have to do our share First of allwe have to pray for it Ten we have to work for it Tatmeans to make every effort to bring it about Ten the Lord

will bless our efforts by granting us that genuine peace thathas in Him its origin and support On our part we have toaccept Godrsquos blessing of peace with humble gratitude as Heoffers it to us not as an abstract concept but as a person ndashHis very own Son Jesus Christ He is our peace becauseHe is the One who reconciles all men with the Father andamong themselves the One who reconciles each of us

with ourselves In Him we are able to recognize all humanbeings as our brothers and sisters all members of the onebig family that has God as the common Father He is theOne who called the peacemakers ldquoblessedrdquo and gave peaceto His disciples as His farewell gift

Jesus the King of Peace comes to us not in a vision orlike rain from the clouds He comes from a human motherMary Most Holy the woman of peace who has been ableto open herself to the Source of all peace and has fashionedHim in that human form in which all can recognize andlove as their elder brother In this way Mary and peace arevitally and dynamically linked And she brings peace to ourtroubled hearts and lives as Godrsquos messenger as she givesus Jesus in this Christmas season

Pope Francis calls all of us

to CARE FOR OUR COM-MON HOME Tis is one ofthe most important remindersin our times to really show re-spect to God who created allTe issuance of mining permit

will allow tree cutting activi -ties in almost 10000 hectaresland area Tis will lead to thedestruction of the very fewremaining forest in the Philip-pines and in the world We

would expec t a more imba l-ance ecology extinction ofdiversified natural resourcesexample flora fauna insectsanimals (including the Philip-pine Eagle) floods sicknesses

We reiterate that we would not

like this to happen We must remember that the

Home B4

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

EPIPHANY is the manifestation of Jesusas the MessiahSavior of all men includ-ing the pagans of goodwill representedby the Magi As such it is also the mani-festation of the divine plan hidden forcenturies in God to unite all human beingsin Christ (See Eph 11-10)

Evermore mankind moves toward the for-mation of a great international communityTis is according to Godrsquos plan Its roots arein creation itself ldquoGlobalizationrdquo is the ldquoin-thingrdquo nowadays It is a ldquosign of the timesrdquo to

which we should pay attention Tough theconcern of most of its proponents seems tobe economic its basic assumption is correctwe are one world one family of nations

Whatever is incompatible wi th this ldquoone-nessrdquo should be abolished

Many oppose globalization because if we

limit it to its economic aspect and to tearingdown trade barriers almost surely it will leadto the rich becoming richer and the poorbecoming poorer But if we take this wordto mean essentially the abolition of all bar-riers that have been erected by human prideselfishness ghetto mentalities or racism andif it ushers in a greater solidarity of thestronger with the weaker and a generoussharing by the rich with the poor thenglobalization is according to Godrsquos planand all Christians should be its most en-thusiastic supporters

Epiphany has also a special messageconcerning the attitude of all religions

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

WE say tha t people make aldquoprophetic gesturerdquo when theydo something striking that is alsoa sign of greater things to comeTose gestures reveal the depthof their passion or commitmentthey are meant to shake peopleand somehow force them to makea choice either for or againstcertain vital issues

In his lifetime Jesus mademany ldquoprophetic gesturesrdquo

such as his driving the tradersout of the emple the healingof the paralytic and many othermiracles He performed All thosegestures were ldquospectacularrdquo intheir own way Tey attracted theattention of the crowds which

wondered what their ldquomeaningrdquocould be

Tere was in the life of Jesus aldquogesturerdquo which was not spectacu-lar at all and which went unno-ticed by almost everybody exceptHis cousin John His baptism inthe River Jordan Tat gesture

was absolutely ldquocommonrdquo andldquoordinaryrdquo for it was somethingthat almost everybody was doingin those days in response to the

exhortation of John the BaptistBut Jesusrsquo baptism at the Jor-

dan lost in the crowd of sinners who were seeking forgivenesshad a depth of meaning thatmade it one of his most dra-matic ldquoprophetic gesturesrdquo It

was his baptism in fact whichrevealed the essence of Jesusrsquomission and became the occa-sion for the revelation of hisconcealed divine identity

he ldquoprophetic dimensionrdquoof Jesusrsquo action was not so muchin his entering the waters of the

Jordan ashis immersing himselfin the crowd of sinners Tat was

something unthinkable and un-believable Only Godrsquos incrediblelove for every human being andall mankind could have conceivedsuch an ldquoimmersionrdquo which was socomplete and involving as to be atotal ldquoidentificationrdquo Tat wasthe reason why the eternal andall-holy Son of God had comedown from heaven and had un-dergone the fullest ldquoimmersionrdquoin the ocean of mankindrsquos miseryand in human history Jesusrsquobaptism is a clear manifestationof Godrsquos mercy toward mankindTe Word the eternal Son of theFather clad in human flesh in

Jesus of Nazareth becomes one with sinful mankind not to be its

judge but its Savior and the HolySpirit appearing in the form of a

dove a symbol of peace remindsus of Godrsquos mercy on the ldquorem-nantrdquo of mankind as the purifyingflood subsided (See Gen 810-11) Jesusrsquo baptism was a furthermanifestation of the meaning andpurpose of the Incarnation

hrough that ldquoimmersionidentificationrdquo the totally sinless Jesus became a part not onlyof the relatively small group ofsinners gathered by the banksof the Jordan but also of theimmense crowd of sinners thatis the whole of humankind And

just as his immersive in the watersof the river sanctified them so didhis presence among the crowd ofsinners bring them the possibilityof receiving purification from sin

Tat was exactly Jesusrsquo missionIsaiah the prophet had alreadyforeseen this when he announcedthat the mission of the ldquoServant ofthe Lordrdquo was to bring ldquojusticerdquo(that is holiness) to the nationsOf him the Lord God said ldquoIformed you and set you as a cov-enant of the people a light forthe nations to open the eyes ofthe blind to bring out prisonersfrom confinement and from thedungeon those who live in dark-nessrdquo (See todayrsquos First Reading)

In his life Jesus ldquoactualizedrdquosuch a liberating and sanctify-

ing ldquoimmersionrdquo by associatingwith sinners and even seekingtheir company ndash something thatshocked the ldquoholyrdquo people of histime His association with ldquopublicsinnersrdquo was bound to tarnishhis reputation as his opponentspointed out on several occasions

Jesus did not mind that criti-cism and continued like beforeformdashas he himself saidmdashit is sickpeople who need a doctor (SeeMt 912) But his immersinghimself in the crowd of sin-ful mankind cost Jesus much

moremdashit cost him his very lifefor he was put to death to atonefor the sins of all

Jesusrsquo vicarious self-offering was so power ful in its effec tbecause of who he wasmdashGodrsquosbeloved Son on whom the Fa-therrsquos favor rested Such a solemnproclamation of Jesusrsquo divineidentity soon after his baptismbalanced so to speak his hid-ing himself among the crowdof sinners at the Jordan RiverIt also completed the ldquopropheticnaturerdquo of what happened on thatdaymdashGodrsquos very Son coming tosave all mankind by sharing fullyits predicament of misery in or-der to transform it from within

through the superabundant holi-ness that only God is

Families according to Godrsquos heart

symbolized by the Magi toward JesusChrist He should be the one acknowledgedby all believers as the universal Savior sentby God to bring all mankind back to GodTe gifts offered by the Magi to Jesus in

Bethlehem can symbolize the different char-acteristics which the major world religionscan offer as their distinct contribution to theestablishment of the Kingdom proclaimedand established by Christ the gold of faithin one merciful God and the power of His Word as a feature of Islam the incense ofmeditation love for nature and peace thatcharacterize Buddhism the myrrh of dedica-tion and industriousness that characterizeConfucianism Jesus rejects nothingof the values these faiths have He acceptsthem all and brings them together into onepractical synthesis that makes humankindthe family of God on earth

Jesus is indeed the center of humanhistory because he is the center of Godrsquosplan for mankind He is the ldquocenterrdquonot only in the sense that his coming hasdivided the centuries into two great blocks

of ldquobeforerdquo and ldquoafterrdquo Christ He is alsothe one in whom all men can find thecommon point of reference to form a realfamily of nations and peoples withoutcoercion or exploitation Te light of hisGospel can penetrate all cultures assumeall their valid elements and purify the restfrom those negative aspects which thepower of sin has gradually introduced inthem

Only Jesus Christ can keep all men unitedin a community of sincere respect lastingsolidarity and practical love For the plan ofthe Father born of love will find its fulfill-ment only in LOVE

Mary of NazarethMother of JesusMother of peace

Christ the unifying centerof all mankind

One with sinners to save them

environment can exist even

without us but we can neverexist without the environmentnature We only have one com-mon home the Earth there isno other

We urge the Dep ar tmentof Environment and NaturalResources to take the real leadto protect our remaining ldquoenvi-ronment and natural resourcesrdquoplan with other governmentagencies and environmentallyconcern organizationsfounda-tions on how to preserve ourremaining forests and marinelife sanctuaries

NO O MINING IN MA-GUM PUJADA BAY AND SA-LINGCOMO MAI CIY

PROVINCE OF DAVAO ORI-ENAL

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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B8 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

Look for the images of Saint Joseph Mama

Mary and Baby Jesus

(Illustration by Bladimer Usi)

Bladimer UsiLolo Kiko

Buhay Parokya

KANISS Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) both a victor in andsubverter of Panemrsquos Hunger Games is now a symbol of the revolu-tion whom rebel president Alma Coin (Julianne Moore) and powerbroker Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman) want to usestrictly as a poster girl Stubborn freedom-fighter Katniss howeverhas her own agenda and that includes killing President Snow (Don-ald Sutherland]) to end once and for all the senseless deaths of somany young people Forming a team of rag-tag soldiers that includeclosest friends Gale (Liam Hemsworth) Finnick (Sam Claflin) andPeeta (Josh Hutcherson) she goes off on a mission risking theirlives through a booby-trapped war to liberate the citizens of PanemTe final confrontation between Katniss and Snow presided overby Coin is an electrifying game-changer

Te Hunger Games is not exempted from the fad of choppinginto ldquopartsrdquo the movie adaptations of popular books Harry Potterwilight Te Hobbitmdashthey have all stretched their heroesrsquo exploitsto prolong box office earning power and yet the fans wait AfterHunger Games MockingjayPart 1 which judging fromits relatively weak performanceat the tills must have been aforgettable movie that testedthe patience of fans Mocking-

jay Part 2 revs up with moreof the thrills that have madethe Hunger Games series theprototype of dystopia flicks foryoung adults (Divergent et al)Te strong cast monumentallycontributes to the realism of theHunger Games franchisemdashhowcan it go wrong with a leonineSutherland a steely Moore asly Hoffman And of coursethe winner Lawrence who canequally sell with aplomb partscalling for either vulnerability orverve In Mockingjay 2 the starsrsquo solid performances interwoven

with heart-stopping CGI make for a fitting finale to a story that

capitalizes on manrsquos inhumanity to manItrsquos surprising that a number of film critics are disappointed with the

filmrsquos ending calling it ldquosappyrdquo and an anti-climactic conclusion to anadrenalin-packed series that promised so much by way of action andheroism Teir cynical remarks remind us of biblical Israel waiting fora savior who would topple down the ruling elite with its own brandof kingship but is instead given a Jesus Christ CINEMA thinks theending is actually a statement that magnifies the upbeat message of the

whole story enough is enough Murder as spectator sport is sub-human At least when beasts kill it is to survive but in Panem the poor youngpeople are robbed of choice and must kill in order to livemdashas enter-tainment for the elite So Mockingjay mocks the elite it cries ldquoGivehumanity a chancerdquo Whatrsquos wrong with wanting to dump violence tostart afresh Choose life not death Arrows that used to kill people arealso useful for hunting fowl for the dinner tablemdashis that against the lawldquourn your swords into ploughs and your spears into pruning hooksrdquoMaybe the cynicsrsquo eyes have grown to love the Hunger Gamesrsquo darknessthat the sunlight-dappled scenery blinds them Or maybe after fallingin love with the couture of Panemrsquos stylish crowd theyrsquore simply horri-

fied by Katnissrsquo drastic costume change Whatever CINEMA wouldnrsquothave wanted the ending any other way

ENTERTAINMENT

MAGPAPAKASAL at magsump-aang magmamahalan nang wagasang dating live-in partners nasina Basya (Bea Alonzo) at Popoy(John Lloyd Cruz) Bilang mgalisensyadong enhinyero at arkitektoay magtataguyod sila ng construc-tion business na mabilis na uunladLalong magpupursige ang mag-asawa na magpalago ng negosyodahil magbubuntis si Basya Naisnilang mabigyan ng magandangkinabukasan ang kanilang anak

Subalit dahil sa pressure ng tra-baho ay makukunan si Basya attuluyang mawawala ang sanggolna kanyang dinadala Labis itongikalulungkot nina Basya at Popoykaya napagkasunduan nila ayonna rin sa mungkahi ni Basya natitigil siya sa pagtatrabaho upangmakabuo uli sila ng baby Nanatilisi Basya sa bahay at di nakialam sanegosyo sa loob ng dalawang taonPinaubaya niya ang pagpapatakbong negosyo kay Popoy Magtitiwalasi Basya sa kakayanan ng asawa namahusay nitong mapapamahalaanang kompanya katulad ng nagingproblema ng pagguho ng isangbuilding project Hindi rin gu-gustuhin ni Popoy na bigyan ngalalahanin si Basya Samantala sakabila ng magandang saloobin nilasa isarsquot isa ay ang napipintong pag-kalugi ng negosyo na siya namangililihim ni Popoy kay Basya Dahilsasarilinin ni Popoy ang problemamaapektuhan ng tuluyan angkanilang pagsasama

Sequel ng pelikulang One MoreChance na pinalabas noong 2007ang Second Chance Matatan-daang tumatatak ang naunangpelikula dahil sa mga tinatawag nalsquohugot linesrsquo nina Alonzo at Cruzsa nasabing pelikula Di namannabigo ang mga nag-abang sa se-quel na ito dahil naganap nga angsecond chance sa mga pangunah-ing tauhan na sina Basya at PopoyMalinis ang pagkakadugtong ng

dalawang pelikula --- parehongmga tauhan at kontexto gayundinang mga artistang nagsiganap Sakabila ng pagkakaroon ng prequelay napanatili ang malayang istoryang Second Chance bilang isangpelikula Bagamat predictable ang

wakas ay naging kasabik-sabikpa din ang mga eksena at mgapalitan ng linya ng lahat ng tau-han Di matatawaran ang husayng pagganap nina Alonzo at Cruzbilang mag-asawa panalo talagaang tinatawag na chemistry nilangdalawa Di rin nagpahuli nag mgakatuwang na aktor at aktres Mag-aling ang ginawang trato ng direk-

tor para mapalabas ang kalakasanng mga nagsiganap at ang mgaeksenang hinaluan ng patawa lalona sa eksena kasama ng mga kai-bigan Simple lamang ang disenyong produksyon pero nakatulongang mga kuha ng camera at edit-ing para maging makabuluhan saistorya ang setting Makahuluganang composition na nagpapakitang electric fan para sa mensahe nanagtitipid na ang mag-asawa dahillugi na ang kompanya

Mayaman sa mensahe parasa mga mag-asawa ang SecondChance Pinakita sa pelikula angrealidad ng buhay may-asawa nahindi lang puro kasarapan sa halip aymga pagsubok na maaring mauwi sahiwalayan kung hindi haharapin ataayusin Sa relasyon ng mag-asawa

ay napakahalaga ng magiging bu-kas sa isarsquot isa kaya anuman angpagdaanan ay magkatuwang nahaharapin Ang pagtatago ni Popoyng katotohanan kay Basya ang nag-ing mitsa ng lumubhang alitan dipagkakaunawaan pagkawala ngrespeto at palitan ng masasakitna salitamdashpati tiwala sa sarili aynawala At sa punto na pipiliin ngisa na lumayo at hanapin ang sariliay nakatulong na balikan ang mga

sumpaan binatiwan nuong sila ayikinasal at higit sa lahat ang kanilangpagmamahal sa isarsquot isa Mainamdin na may mga kaibigan at pamilyana pwedeng lapitan na susuporta athindi manghuhusga manunumbato mang-uudyok sa paggawa ng maliKapuna-puna lang na bagamatnagsimula at nagwakas ang pelikulasa chapel ay tila di man lang nilanaisipan na magdasal habang maypinagdaraanan sila Nais isipin ngCINEMA na ang gusto lamangsabihin ng pelikula ay ang pag-aasawa ay hindi lamang sa pagitanng dalawang tao kundi dapat aykasama palagi ang Diyos

DIRECTOR Cathy Garcia-Molina

LEAD CAST Bea AlonzoJohn Lloyd Cruz DimplesRomana

SCREENWRITER VanessaValdez Carmi Raymundo

GENRE Romantic Drama

CINEMATOGRAPHER NoelTeehankee

RUNNING TIME 130 minutesTECHNICAL ASSESSMENT

MORAL ASSESSMENT CINEMA Rating V13

A SECONDCHANCE

DIRECTOR Francis LawrenceLEAD CAST Jennifer Law-

rence Josh HutchersonLiam Hemsworth WoodyHarrelson Donald Suther-land Julianne Moore PhilipSeymour Hoffman

GENRE Adventure ScienceFiction

RUNNING TIME 137 minutesTECHNICAL ASSESSMENT

MORAL ASSESSMENT CINEMA rating V14

THE HUNGER

GAMESMOCKINGJAY 2

Buhay San Miguel Brothers Matias

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 1724

Philippine Army Chaplaincy CFC

Hold 1st National Convention

The first-ever OACCS - OSM CEP Convention further strengthened the camaraderie between the chaplaincy and the local CFC created a more solid CFC OSM Core enabledthe stakeholders to work together and recognized the efforts of those who work tirelessly under the program

CFC Metro Manila as one big happy family worshipped danced sang played gamesand had fun during the last MC Gathering of the year

By Alma Alvarez

CFC ANCOP USA Pontificio Collegio Fillipino Sign Partnership Agreement

CFC MM MC Celebrates the Family

HIS Eminence Cardinal Luis Antonio agle Chairman of PontificioCollegio Filippino and its Rector Msgr Greg Gaston recently signedthe ANCOP USA Priest Sponsorship Program (PSP) partnership

with Eric Villanueva Roger Santos and Rollie Balanza Couples forChrist - ANCOP USA leaders Te ANCOP USA PSP will assistpriests from the Philippines who will be sent by their Bishops to doadvance studies in Rome

In his letter to Villanueva Cardinal agle wrote ldquoOur partnership will

allow more Bishops to send Priests for ongoing formation and furtherstudies in Rome to better equip them in serving Gods people as SeminaryFormators and as collaborators in the different Diocesan Ministries back

HE Metro Manila Mission Coregathered as one big CFC familyduring this months MC Assemblylast December 6 2015 Leadersfrom the Family Ministries likewisecame to the Ynares Sports Arenato hear Mass together celebrateshowcase talents play in the fungames and just enjoy each otherscompany before the end of the year

CFC Spiritual Director Msgr Allen Aganon celebrated Mass Inhis homily Msgr Allen emphasizedthe enormity of the role of John theBaptist as the one who heralded thecoming of Jesus Christ despite hishumble beginnings He challengedthe CFC leaders to be like Johnthe Baptist

We are ordinary people who

home As a result our Church in the Philippines will be strengthenedso that Priests and laity alike could carry out our respective work ofevangelization and service not only to the Church but also to societyrdquo

According to the agreement the PSP is for Masters Licentiate orDoctorate studies only ANCOP USA PSP funds will cover the priestrsquosboard and lodging at the Collegio in the amount of $10000 per year

All other needs such as tuition fees medical insurance transportationbooks etc will be provided for by the Bishop as a local counterpart

Tis would ensure that priests can benefit from the partnershipo donate or to know more about the program please visitwwwancopusa-psporg

THE CFC Order of St Michael(OSM) in cooperation with thePhilippine Army Ofce of theArmy Chief Chaplain Service(OACCS) staged the rst everCharacter Enhancement Pro-gram (CEP) Convention last No-vember 24 2015 at the PhilippineAir Force Museum Pasay CityRetired Col Arturo Alabanza amember of CFC Metro Manila(South B) and head of the OSM

OSM C4

together with the OSM Corespearheaded the event

In his opening remarks Alabanza describedhow the OSM came together with the OACCS

and forged a long-term partnership to ldquodeveloprighteous God-fearing soldiers loved by theFilipino peoplerdquo through the CEP Te CFCOSM has developed modules specifically cater-ing to the soldiers their spouses and childrenOACCS on the other hand has the author-ity to mandate Commanding Officers of thevarious Army camps nationwide to employthe CEP

Te convention allowed the stakeholders toreport on the accomplishments and enabledthe Army Chaplains from the different Infan-

try Divisions to plan with their local Couplesfor Christ counterparts regarding strategies forCEP and its continuing spiritual enhancementmodules It was likewise an opportunity for

CFC OSM to present the second module forthe CEP which the group plans to roll outbeginning 2016

ANCOP Chairman Joe Yamamoto in hisinspirational talk reiterated Pope Francisrsquo callfor new evangelization and emphasized thatthe partnership is a clear response of each per-son involved whether it be the Chaplaincy orthe lay stakeholders to be agents of change inthe spiritual realm within the Philippine Army

Several of those serving in the program

His Eminence Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle and the leaders of CFC ANCOP USA f orging a strong partnership for further education among Filipino clergy

are called to herald Christ andto be missionaries of mercy heemphasized

Te Mass was followed by theopening worship led by the MetroManila Missions Director MannyGarcia and a brief message fromCFC Chairman Joe ale

Te CFC Order of St Michaelthrough its Head Art Alabanzatook the opportunity to honor the55 Singles for Christ volunteers

who served in the Christian LifeProgram for the PMA Cadets inBaguio Te fun-filled games forthe adults and children talentpresentations and face-paintingadded to the festive mood rulyit was a day for the family (CFCGlobal Communications)

Reconciliation is Key to Advent PreparationsldquoTHE best way to prepare forChristmas is reconciliation Thebirth of Jesus is Gods offering ofreconciliationrdquo

his was the essence of the Advent recollection given by FrGerard imoner OP Provincialof the Dominican Order in thePhilippines for the workers of theCFC Global Mission Office Terecollection was held last Novem-ber 28 2015 at the Obizpado deCubao in Quezon City

In his reflection Fr imoner

creatively wove reconciliation withforgiveness as well as the new

evangelization taking into account Jesusrsquo words to ldquoshake off the dust

from your feetrdquo According to hima good spiritual foot spamdashthe act

of shaking the dust off onersquos feet toremove all traces of the bad news to

enable one to proclaim the GoodNewsmdashis essential in preparing

oneself during AdventFr imoner described for-

giveness as ldquosetting a prisonerfree and realizing that thatprisoner is yourdquo He illustratesldquoJesus did not forgive whileon the cross Instead he saidlsquoFather forgive them for theyknow not what they dorsquo We canonly forgive if we engage Godsforgiveness within our ownrdquo

he best path to the newevangelization is to allow our-selves to be reconciled with God

amp each other he emphasized(A Alvarez)

The News Supplement of

Couples for Christ

C1CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 1824

Reflections on Advent

I IS the start of a new liturgical

year As in every year the previ-ous liturgical year ended withthe feast of Christ the King afitting high point indeed Aftergoing through the year observ-ing the various highs and lowsand phases of His life in theend and rightly so we proclaim

Jesus as indeed the King of kingsand the Lord of lords

And so the Church starts thecycle anew beginning fromHis birth into this world obuild up to that we have theseason of advent of waitingof anticipating of preparingfor the birth of He who werecognize and proclaim as theKing of kings

One would expect that thismajor season is ushered in

with Bible vers es express ingthe level of excitement befit-ting the birth of the King ofthe universe It is therefore abit surprising and soberingthat the opening reading ofthis season is one with a themethat speaks not of celebrationbut of foreboding of the com-ing end times

here wil l be strangethings happening to the sunto the moon and the stars Onearth whole countries will bein despair afraid of the roarof the sea and the raging tidesPeople will faint from fear asthey wait for what is comingover the whole earth for the

Joe Tale

powers in space will be driven

from their courses hen theSon of Man will appear comingin a cloud of great power andglory When these things begin tohappen stand up and raise yourheads because your salvation isnear Luke 2125-28

Moreover we are enjoined tobe on watch and to be vigilantin a specific way Be careful notto let yourselves become occu-pied with too much feasting anddrinking and with the worries ofthis life or that Day will suddenlycatch you like a trap For it willcome upon all people everywhereon earth Be on watch and prayalways that you will have thestrength to go safely through allthose things that will happen andto stand before the Son of Man

Luke 2134-36It is significant we might evensay ironic that during this seasonof merriment in anticipation ofthe birth of the Messiah we are

warned exactly not t o be merryIn this period that we normallycelebrate with much food and

wine and music we are instructedto refrain from such things

Is the verse dousing cold wa-ter on all these festivities andpreventing us from celebrating

joyously the arr ival of t he KingNot so he verse simply re-

minds us of something more im-portant whatever be the seasonof our life of being constantlyprepared and on the watch at

all times not ever to bring our

guards down whether we are go-ing through our low moments orhigh points in our life We are re-minded to always Be Preparedas the Boy Scouts motto goes

whatever our spec ific situationmay be at any given time

Als o I sense tha t the Lor d would like to bring us to a deeperlevel of rejoicing not merely onthe level of the frivolous as toomuch feasting and drinking areTe words of Jesus do not preventus from rejoicing He wants us tocontinue to be prepared even as

we celebrate He warns us not torejoice in a wanton way that takesus away from our right senses re-sulting in our being unpreparedhus our rejoicing should becoming from deep in our hearts

not shallow and hollow expres-sions of the same Our rejoicingshould be geared towards allowingus to still be prepared

hus as we hold our Christ-mas parties and dwell in themerriment of the season let usbe mindful of the words fromthe Gospel Appropriate feastingand drinking not only make usfaithful to the gospel but is alsomore healthy Significantly tooit should make us more caring tothose who have less and hope-fully lead us not to be wastefuland to share whatever we have somany others will also experiencea truly Merry Christmas

Rejoice in the Lord

HE RED Cubs harvested thegrand championship of the recentlyconcluded CFC GMC Ablaze Cup2015 held last December 2 - Decem-ber 8 2015 at the sports facilities ofCamp Crame

Te friendly games were partici-pated in by the different departmentsin the CFC Global Mission CenterTe Red Cubs romped off with the

Red Cubs are Champions in CFC GMC Ablaze Cup 2015

Go go go GMC clockwise from top left Caloy Rubio CFC Ablaze Cup Event Head exhorting participants the board of judges CFC Chair Joe Tale inspiring the athletes paradeof athletes the Orange Tigers basketball game between the Red Cubs and the Maroon on Fire cheerdance competition

Mel and Aimee Serrano talking about the highs and lows of dealing with in-laws

In Highs And In-Laws Dealing With Your In-Laws

ldquoATRASrdquo BOYS amp GIRLS

Are We Waiting For Jesus At The Right Spot

This Advent

IN983085LAWS he very word re-minds many a married coupleof discomfort awkward evenstrained relationships and some-times open conflict But are rela-tionships with the family membersof your spouse meant to be merelytolerant Te latest Couples forChrist (CFC) ndash Young Couples

Assembly on November 30 heldat St Pauls College in Pasig Citytackled precisely this topic andcame up with this wildly inge-nious insight In-laws are peopletoo ndash love them

According to the speakers Meland Aimee Serrano of CFC ndashMetro Manila West B lovingthem in all sincerity will work

wonders ldquoTat is the tried andtested formula love your in-lawsrdquoshared Mel a school owner fromQuezon City

During the talk which theypeppered with lots of insights andsharing of personal experiences as a

PASIG City Nov 29 2015 ndash What do weusually do when we find out that someone welove or an important personality is visiting ou rhome We tidy up we prepare good food butmost of all we wait his was the m essage thatabout 150 young married couples heard duringthe Family Mass at the Couples for Christ ndash

Young Couple s Assembly at St Paul Colleg eConvention Center held last November 30

Fr Ruper Solis SVD who celebrated theFamily Mass reminded the couples presentthat to wait for something or someone also

couple married for 20 years the Ser-ranos focused on several key points1 Handle them with care

Tis means giving attention tothe one who needs more takingcare of them in their old age as

well as training your kids to respecttheir grandparents

ldquoOn our part we have to makesure that our children will give duerespect [to them] and be able tounderstand intricacies that come

with old agerdquo said AimeeldquoWhether may sama ng loob

(hurt feelings) sometimes there will be times na mahirap makipag-kita (that it will be difficult to meetthem) but you have to go to themKailangan nating gawin yun (Weneed to do it)rdquo she stressed

2 Acknowledge differences According to the couple people

should recognize that their spousemay not have the same familyculture as they do Value systems

means waiting at the right placeldquoAs Christians our life is a series of waiting

Dapat maghintay ka sa tamang lugarhindi langsa tamang panahon na sinasabi ni Lola Nidora noPero sa tamang lugar din (We should wait not justfor the right time but waiting should be doneat the right place as well)rdquo explained Fr Ruper

he young priest who was an SVD missionaryassigned to Argentina for more than seven years

went on to tell the story of how once in Argentinahe was waiting by the side of the road flagging

championship crowns in badmin-ton (women) table tennis (menand women) tug-of-war and peelbanana It was a close fight with theMaroon on Fire team who grabbedthe winning titles for basketballvolleyball cheer dance and chess(men) and ended up 1st runner-up

with les s than 2 points from the winning team Te Orange igerscame in 2nd runner-up while YellowHotshots was 3rd runner-up basedon the last team standings

Te awarding ceremonies wereheld last December 8 2015 dur-ing the celebration of the CFCGMC Christmas party Tis an-nual event is an opportunity forthe mission workers to enjoy eachotherrsquos company Te Ablaze Cuplikewise serves as a venue tofoster and promote the spirit ofsportsmanship and unity amongthe GMC workers from bothpastoral and mission support(Yvonne Dolorosa)

HE WORD ldquoatrasrdquo means a backwardmovement It is generally used to refer to theldquoReverserdquo function of a vehicle In Lanao DelNorte the word has been applied to a group ofboys abd girls who guide vehicles in and out ofparking spaces the equivalent of the ldquoWatch-your-carrdquo aides in Metro Manila

he CFC leaders in the province immedi-ately thought of the Atras Boys and Girls ofLanao Del Norte when Cardinal agle said ndashldquoGo to the peripheries be a mobile clinicto heal the poor from spiritual sickness rdquo

Another ins pirat ion was from one of the mostimportant pastoral subjects of Pope Francisabout the ldquofamily and the poorrdquo

Every time I go to mass at the St MichaelrdquosCathedral with my wifeata the ldquoatras boysand girlsrdquo are all over the area assisting ve-hicles either to park or to exit the parking area

When n ot per formi ng thi s function they andother members of their family can be seenbegging for their daily sustenance hey areusually homeless their home being along theperipheries of the Cathedral or the sidewalks

he inspiration led the Area Governanceeam to the idea of bring these boys and girlsand their parents to a Christian Life Programhey moved quickly with Boy Suezo approv-ing the strategic CLP as designed by RegionalPastoral Formation Head Art Maderazo andinserting video clips appropriate to the CLPtalks With the activation of the SOLD Min-istry with Bro Roger Sultan as Provincial Co-

ordinator SOLD was made the lead ministryof the ldquoAtras Boys and Gir lsrdquo CLP

Initially the number of participants was limitedto five (5) for logistical reasons but the HolySpirit deemed otherwise ndash the attendees eventuallynumbered ten individuals and three (3) coupleshe CLPs were scheduled every hursday at 600orsquoclock in the evening with dinner provided byCFC brothers and sisters particularly the AGrsquos

wives and ANCOP members he SOLD Prov in-cial Coordinator took care of fetching the partici-pants from the Cathedral and also bringing themback to their ldquohomesrdquo It did not matter to Rogerthat his car would often retain the smell of the

unwashed he persisted in servicing the transportneeds of the participants

November 05 2015 was truly a pleasant anda memorable day to the service team On thatday five of the ten boys and girls and two (2)couples dedicated their life to CFC One of theparticipants stood up to give an inspiring testi-mony ending with ldquohank you CFC for makingus somebody in your heart hank you for beingmindful of the conditions of the poor and thankyou for bringing Christ to our livesrdquo (ldquoSalamatCFC nga aduna pa diay kami luna sa inyong kas-ingkasing Salamat CFC sa inyong pagpakabanasa susama kanamo nga mga timawa Salamat sainyong panahon pag hatag kanamo sa pagtulun-anni Kristo)

It is envisioned that this kind of evangeliza-tion can be replicated in other areas nationwidethe beginning of a truly strategic evangelizationHopefully this is also the beginning of a newlife for the new CLP graduates with CFC being

instrumental in helping them provide for theirfamilyrsquos future (Nonoy Haim)

disciplining style even views onhow to handle finances will of-tentimes be different Tat is whyunderstanding coupled with love

will go a long wayldquoDifferences and conflicts are

not unhealthy but mismanagementis Never criticize your in-lawsrdquoMel said

Also in case of confl ict themessenger or the ldquobridgerdquo shouldbe the one with the primary re-lationship (spouse to own fathermother)

he Serranos candidly sharedabout a conflict that eruptedbetween Aimee and her father-in-law during the campaignperiod for local elections whenMel ran for public office heconflict was soon followed by aperiod of silence a Cold Warso to speak ldquoIt took us at leasta year or two [My father said]kasi pag di natin inayos tolahat tayo maapektuhan (If we

dont fix this all of us will beaffected) It helped that thecouple prayed and sought DivineIntervention and asked the com-munity to pray with them heHoly Spirit worked

3 Respond appropriately What if ev en af ter l ovin g and

understanding them its stillnot smooth sailing with your in-laws Heres what the Serranoshad to say

bull iming is everythingbull Learn when to speak or keep

your mouth shutbull ake a breath cool offbull Maintain a sense of humorbull Remember unsolicited advice

is just an opiniono cap their talk the couple

brought back the participants tothe basics of loving in-laws to actout your love to build bridges andto communicate (Nirvaana EllaDelacruz)

HOMILY C3

IN A Memorandum sent to the Philip-pine Missions leaders last November23 2015 PM Director Jose Yamamotoappointedreassigned leaders for theNortheastern Luzon region

Mark Banzon has been appointedProvincial Area Head (PAH) of Isabelavice Rommel Ancheta ony de la Cruz

on the other hand was tapped to be PAHof Nueva Vizcaya vice Raul Balaquiao

O set a new tradition in the CFC Family the InternationalCouncil has agreed to make December 27 the Feast of theHoly Family as a special day for the members of the familyto honor one another Tis will allow each person in thefamily to express their gratitude to the Lord for the gift offamily and the importance of having each member of thefamily around for the love support and service As a sug-

New Appointments for CFC GMC NE LuzonFamily Honoring Night Set

Balaquiao was appointed PAH of IlocosSur vice ony de la Cruz while Cholo

Yjares is now PAH of Cagayan vice BongPagulayan Pagulayan is now PAH ofKalinga vice Cholo Yjares

he move is essentially a realignmentof the leaders in the Northeastern Luzonarea in the interest of the mission except

for Banzon who is a new appointee andfor Noel Malamug who remains as

PAH of Ifugao hese changes are to takeeffect on January 1 2016 Edythe Aven-dantildeo is also set to replace Didi Galsim asHandmaids of the Lord InternationalCoordinator effective January 1 2016

In the Global Mission Center RickyRico was appointed Head for the GAd-min effective October 1 2016 while Jay

Lucena was appointed head of the CFCEvents group also effective October 1facebookcomCFCGlobalMission CFChrist

The Ugnayan News Supplement is published by the Couples for Christ Global Mission Foundation Inc with editorial ofces at 156 20 th Avenue 1109 Cubao Quezon City

Editorial trunk line (+63 2) 709-4868 local 23

Direct line (+63 2) 709-4856

wwwcouplesforchristglobalorg cfcglobalcommunicationsgmailcom

Michael C Ariola

IC Oversight

Zenaida A Gimenez

Editor-in-Chief

Alma M Alvarez

Associate Editor

Evangeline C Mecedilla

Circulation Staff

Deomar P Oliveria

Layout Artist

The News Supplement

of Couples for Christ

gestion the guidelines indicate the following as the activitiesfor the said day hearing Mass together dining together athome praying together and in gratitude expressing theirlove to one another

hrough the Family Honoring Night the community hopesto strengthen the relationship among the family members andempower each one to truly cherish and love one another

Bong Pagulayan

Mark Banzon

Cholo Yjares

Ricky Rico

Edythe Avendantildeo

Raul Balaquiao

Jay Lucena

Tony de la Cruz

C2 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 1924

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 2024

CFC China Conducts

Mission Heads Training

CFC Greece Leaders Meet Archbishop of Athens amp Nuncio

COUPLES for Christ USA and CFC Greece leaders paid a courtesy call on Archbishop Sevastianos Rossolatos and Fr George Altouvas at the Archd ioce se of Athens he g roup in troduced Couples f or Chri st to the new Archbishop and di scus sed theirplans to initiate a CFC Youth Camp in Greek as well as to develop CFC teachings in Greek

On another occasion the CFC leaders met with the Apostolic Nuncio of the Holy See in Athens Archbishop Edward Joseph AdamsTey discussed challenges and forthcoming changes in the Greek Catholic hierarchy and laid down CFCrsquos plans for CFC Athens

SINGLES for Christ Metro Manila gath-ered at the San Carlos Seminary in Makatilast December 5 2015 at 700 pm forthe SFC Global One a two-hour non-stop worship experience Jay Laquiana fulltime pastoral worker for SFC ledthe worship

Global One was meant to be a simul-taneous praise concert with major cities

or provinces hosting the event But what

made this yearrsquos Global One event special was the fact that it was the first time it wasstaged online via youtube live broadcastTis gave SFCs all over the world an oppor-tunity to come together despite differencesin time zone

ogether as one ministry SFCs from theMetro Manila Sectors the provinces andthe various countries like the USA Canada

and the Middle Eastern countries raised

SFC GLOBAL ONEmdashUniting the World

via Online Worship

their voices in praise and worship for thecountless favors they received It likewisebecame an opportunity to ask the Lordto bless the ministry for the coming year

Te ministry sees the online Global Oneas an event they can do annually Tey alsosee it as a potential tool to reach othernon-SFC members to witness Christ andcome together with other young people to

worship (Lanie Montaos)

OSM C1

CFC Winnipeg held its 2nd Celebration of Covenant Love onNovember 21st the feast of the Presentation of Our Lady Sixteencouples attended the activity

One week prior to the Renewal of Wedding Vows the 16 coupleshad a mini-retreat conducted by their spiritual advisor Fr YollyGamallo Te mini-retreat included four couple-sharers Te HolyMass was celebrated at St John Cantius Parish presided by MsgrLouis McCloskey A simple reception followed for the 16 couples andabout 60 family members with additional witnesses from the CFCcommunity Te participants who renewed their marriage vows werefrom varied age groups with some having been married for only five

years to couples who were celebratingo 40 years of holy matrimony

Tis year makes the Celebration of Love even more relevant as itis the year that held the papal Synod on the Family and the WorldMeeting of Families Pope Francis stated when making an address tofamilies ldquoTose who celebrate the sacrament say lsquoI promise to be trueto you in joy and in sadness in sickness and in health I will love youand honour you all the days of my lifersquo At that moment the coupledoes not know what will happen nor what joys and pains awaitthem Tey are setting out like Abraham on a journey together

And that is what marriage is Setting out and walking togetherhand in hand putting yourselves in the Lordrsquos powerful handsHand in hand always and for the rest of your livesrdquo (from http

couplesforchristcanadaca)

A Celebration of Covenant Love

I cherish the treasure the treasure of you lifelong companion I give myself to you These happy couples from CFC Vancouver saying Yes again to oneanother and to God as they renew their marriage vows

CFC missionaries to South Americarejoiced as they completed a fruitfulmission to the area a fitting end to theyear Te mission to Nuevo Pueblo deColaacuten opened a new area an hour awayby land from Piura Peru establish-ing CFC ndash Parejas para Cristo in a remotetown in the desert At the end of theChristian Life Program 13 new CFCPPC members composed of 4 couples4 HOLD and 1 SOLD committed to alife with Christ

Te PVC (Programa de Vida Cristiana- Spanish CLP) was held November 27to 29 2015 (Tanksgiving weekend) byCFC USA Florida in Iglesias del Rosarioone of two parishes in town Padre LuisSerra head pastor of the main churchthe Iglesia Sagrado Corazoacuten de Jesuacutesopened the doors to CFC PPC Fourother brethren from CFC PPC RiojaPeru headed by Fr Rober Martinez cameto reinforce the missionariesrsquo efforts Teteam got a taste of their first mission

CFC China is on full throttle in its evan-gelization efforts Tey recently conducted

the first-ever CFC China Mission Headsraining from November 27 to 30 at Vilada Sta Isabel Estrada Cheoc Van MacauTe training aimed to strengthen its leader-ship ranks through several formation talksfrom the Chapter Leaders raining (CL)series Te sixty participants were mostlyChinese with some Filipino Mission Headsand their AG members from the North

West East and South of China includingMacau SAR and Hong Kong SAR

Te first day of the training was devotedto a silent retreat based on Psalm 4610ndash ldquoBe silent and know that I am GodrdquoTe three-hour retreat centered on thetheme ldquoWe need to Change How WeLead o lead like Jesusrdquo with each par-ticipant encouraged to ldquoempty oneselfrdquoFr Oliviades a member of the Opus Deifacilitated the retreat

Day 2 started with a Holy Mass concel-

ebrated by Fr Joseph Wang from YiwuEast China Te training proper began with Israel Silud CFC Country Headand Northwest Regional Head givingthe overview and citing challenges thatCFC China faces He reiterated thatCFC Chinarsquos goal of raising 1 millionhousehold heads will be driven by the

The fruits of 2015 for CFC PPC hundreds of miles away from home

In 2015 ten missions were held inSouth America by CFC USA All these

were made possible by a handful of zeal-ous and selfless CFC USA mission vol-unteers who sacrificed a lot and deniedthemselves many comforts in order tobring the Word of God to families in Co-lombia Ecuador and Peru CFC ParejasPara Cristo will not take off without thefinancial support of CFC USA

ruly God gave a very good year for

the mission team harvesting 608 souls in2015 (a total of 857 persons from June2014 to date) Te task of sustainingCFC PPC families and area countriesare enormous But with grateful heartsthe South America team humbly turnsto God thanking Him each day forHis guidance as He leads the way Teteam looks forward to 2016s adventureof bringing the banner of Christ to themiddle and corners of the earth (GlenSantayana)

whether lay or from the Chaplainsrsquo ranklikewise gave testimonies on how theirinvolvement in the CEP made them real-ize that they have become not only agentsof change but recipients of grace as well

In the afternoon the Chaplains andtheir CFC counterparts came together fora round table discussion of the plans ofthe various Infantry Divisions nationwide

Army Chie f Chaplain Fr Col Andre sBonifacio Belleza CHS (GSC) in anunexpected move expressed his recog-nition through the grant of awards ofthe initiatives of the Army Chaplainsin implementing the CEP in their vari-ous Divisions Fr Maj Juan Jerome CDaluro was awarded Best Chaplain ofthe Year 2015 for his exemplary ser viceas Division Chaplain of 9th Infantry(Spear) Division Fr MSg Mario Ban-

iqued Philippine Army (PA) OACCSChief Clerk was recognized as Best

Chaplain Assistant of the YearSince the partnership between the

OACCS and CFC OSM started in April2014 the group has conducted CharacterEnhancement Retreats (CER) for 28 Phil-ippine Army commands Trough CFCSingles for Christ volunteers a ChristianLife Program has likewise been conductedfor the Philippine Military Academy Classof 2018 graduating 385 PMA-Singles forChrist members Presently five CERs arealso being done at the V Luna MedicalCenter in Quezon City

Alabanza admit s there is still muchto be done So far the CEP has reached2000 men and women in uniformroughly 0287 percent of an estimated800000 population of soldiers theirspouses and their families Tis is indeedfertile ground for values and spiritual

transformation which is just waiting tobe conquered (A Alvarez)

Another fruitful harvest in Peru from top the 13 new members in CFC PPC all-women discussion group

Courtesy call top photos CFC leaders with Archbishop Edward Joseph Adams amp Fr George Altouvas bottom photos with Fr George Archbishop SevastianosRossolatos and Archbishop Edward Joseph Adams

CFC OSM and the OACCS reaching out to the men and women in uniform and their families through the Character Enhancement Program

personal holiness of its ser vant-leaders who will be leading the evangelization thrust

in 34 provinces in China CL talks 2-5 were given by the regional heads with their wives as sharers

Day 3 began with the recitation ofthe Holy Rosary followed by anotherconcelebrated Holy Mass Fr Oliviadesdelivered a beautiful homily on ldquoemptyingoneselfrdquo Te rest of the CL talks wereagain delivered by the regional heads withtheir wives as sharers In CL alk 9 Siludemphasized the need to pay attention tothe means to care for the spirit mind andbody of the leaders

Te last day primarily focused on plan-ning the CFC China activities for 2016One of the proposals from the planningis that the four (4) regions in China willeach be hosting the major activities linedup for the year

Te three-day training and planning was conducted by CFC China Country

Head IsraelSally Silud with the supportof North Asia Regional Coordinator Ga-rieCess Pimentel and the regional headsfrom East China (EricEvelyn Ylagan)South China (JoelErica Santos) HongKong SAR (GarieCess Pimentel) andMacau SAR (JMEmilie Yupangco) (Ericamp Evelyn Ylagan)

C4 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

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JCL ndash member while for the TeologicalCommission the experts appointed wereFr Alexander L Garces SDB JCL ndashPresident Fr Enrico Eusebio Jr SJ JCDndash member and Sr Maria Amparo SantosOP JCL ndash member As with the ribunalmembers the Presidents and membersof both Commissions individually tooktheir respective oaths and signed the Acts

Te appointed Copyist Ms RonalynRegino and Assistant Copyist Ms Ge-cerein Sayen Ocampo were called next totake their respective oaths and similarlysigned in the Acts

Ten Postulator Msgr Pedro C Qui-torio III and Vice Postulator Fr WilmerR Rosario JCD individually took their

respective oaths not compromise the truthand offend justice nor impede the free-dom of witnesses to testify in the CauseTereafter they also signed the Acts

Te Postulator then presented to Car-dinal agle for his examination a list of

witnesses to be interrogated subject to thepossible addition and revision of namesin the future Upon examining the listthe Cardinal decreed that the next sessionfor interrogation of witnesses be held on

January 11 2016 at the Arzobispado deManila

Finally after ordering the Chancellorto establish public record of this First Ses-sion Cardinal agle declared the Processfor the Causes of Beatification and Can-

onization of Servant of God FAHERGEORGE J WILLMANN SJ Father ofthe Order of the Knights of Columbus inthe Philippines OPEN

o complete the Rites His EminenceLuis Antonio Cardinal agle together withformer Chief Justice Hilario G Davide

Jr as Chairman of the National ExecutiveCommittee (NEC) for the Cause of Fr

Willmann jo intly u nveiled the portraitof Father George J Willmann SJ

Tereafter Cardinal agle began thecelebration of the Holy Eucharist Con-celebrants were Bishop Honesto FOngtioco DD Bishop Mylo HubertC Vergara DD Msgr Geronimo FReyes JCD Fr William Arana OSA Fr

Carlo Magno Marcelo Fr Marvin MejiaFr Wilmer Rosario JCD Fr Carlo DelRosario Fr Julius Paul Factora OP JCDFr Sander Niez JCL Fr Alex GarcesSDB JCL Fr Rico Garcia Fr ReginaldMalicdem Fr Darwin Faith Ponce OSAFr Ricky VIllar OSA Fr Geoffrey Eb-orda OSA Fr Genaro Supremedo OSAFr Jojo orres OSA Fr Joseph VillarealOSA Fr Roy Gallano OSA Fr MichaelSalazar and Fr Romel Cruz

Also serv ing as Conce lebrants werea number of KC Priests Scholars of theKnights of Columbus Fr George J

Willmann Charities Inc that includedMsgr Pedro C Quitorio III Fr Benjamin

The Cross A Supplement Publication of KCFAPI and the Order of the Knights of ColumbusCBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25 December 7 2015 - 27 2016

Sainthood bid opens forFr George Willmann SJBy Roberto T Cruz

On December 7 2015 Mon-

day the bells of the ManilaCathedral rang out loud as HisEminence Luis Antonio Car-dinal agle presided over themilestone celebration of theHoly Eucharist at the ManilaCathedral to formally open theDiocesan process of the Causeof Fr George J Willmann SJ

he Liturgical Rites for the formalopening of the diocesan process precededthe Mass at 900am With the entranceprocession of Cardinal agle as the MainCelebrant together with two bishops twomonsignors and thirty-three priests whoconcelebrated the Mass the Rites started

with Msgr Pedro C Quitorio III theappointed Diocesan Postulator for theCause of Fr Willmann giving biographi-cal highlights of the life of Fr George J

Willmann SJ An Invocation of the HolySpirit followed with the singing of VeniCreator Spiritus by the Manila CathedralBasilica Choir

Cardinal agle then examined anddeclared the legitimacy of the appoint-ments of Msgr Pedro C Quitorio III asthe Postulator and Fr Wilmer R Rosario

JCD as Vice-Postul ator in conformity with the Code of Canon Law

Appointed members of the Diocesanribunal for the Cause of Fr Willmann

were Msgr Geronimo F Reyes JCDas Episcopal Delegate Fr Carlo P DelRosario JCL as Promoter of Justice Mseresita F Kudemus ndash First Notary MsMarivic M Ambasa ndash Second Notary Ms

Julieta R Santos as Tird NotaryTe Cardinal reminded them of the

great responsibility importance andseriousness of the Process for the Causesfor Beatification and Canonization Asrequired by Church law all the mem-bers of the ribunal starting with MsgrGeronimo F Reyes individually tooktheir oath to faithfully fulfill hisher com-mitment and then signed the Acts

Te Experts who were tapped to formthe Historical Commission includeFr Julius Paul Factora OP JCD asPresident Fr Adolfo N Dacanay SJ

JCD ndash member and Fr Sander D Niez Sainthood D3

KCFAPI Theme and Logo for 2016HE year 2016 has been pro-claimed the Year of the Eucharistand the Family by the CatholicBishopsrsquo Conference of the Phil-ippines Te theme is part of thenine year spiritual journey thatbegan with the Year of Faith

where we experienced an authenticrenewal of faith guided by the newevangelization principles

he Holy Eucharist whichmeans thanksgiving invitesfamilies of the Catholic faithfulto commemorate the supremesacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christon the cross to receive His body

and blood in the Holy Commu-nion and to celebrate His victoryover death

Te Roman Catholic Churchpromotes strong family ties andvalues Parents are entrustedthe responsibility to prepare andteach their children to follow JesusChrist and live His gospel

KCFAPI distinguished itselfin protecting the sanctity of thefamily by providing comfortand sustenance in any loss orlife-changing event among fam-ily members KCFAPI respondsswiftly to changing or evolvingfamily insurance needs Nowon its 58th year of providingunsurpassed uncompromised

fraternal service KCFAPI vowsand advocates relentlessly to

render comfort benefit and as-sistance to all brother knightsand their families with mercy andcompassion

As part of the KCFAPI familyin a pioneering effort all wholly-owned and majority-ownedcompanies will coordinate theirschedules and manage theirresources towards one com-mon goal and will function asone well oiled machine By

joi nin g han ds gu ide d by theHoly Spirit the strength ofone is multiplied several times

over Te heart symbolizes lovemercy and compassion and is

also Charity ndash the first of fourcore principle of the OrderKCFAPI in heart-shaped bordermantles the five wholly- ownedand majority-owned companies Keys Realty amp DevelopmentCorporation Kompass Creditand Financing Corporation KCPhilippines Foundation IncKnights of Columbus Fr George

J Willmann Charitie s Inc andMace Insurance Agency IncTey are depicted by the boldshoulders of the figures symbol-izing the family Just like in any

close-knit family concentratedon accomplishing one objective

all employees will be engagedtheir support and talent pooledand harnessed to participateactively in any company activi-ties working in tandem as onecohesive unit

Te logo vividly demonstratesthe solidarity and bonding of fam-ily members if they gather togetherand allow Christ to be at the centerof their family relationship

Te different colors representthe various hues of the Order ofthe Knights of Columbus red

whit e blu e and yell ow hegreen color manifests KCFAPIrsquos

concern for our environment andits managementrsquos advocacy gearedtowards a healthy state of our sur-roundings Orange brings a posi-tive outlook in life optimism andmotivation to look on the brighterside of life

Te cup and host (in yellow)emulating the Holy Eucharist pro-vides Christ- centered way of life

Te circular flow represents in-finity or totality the unboundedtimeless and never ending lovecare and affection of KCFAPIin providing each and every KCfamily a shield of security protec-tion and hope Te acronym ALLcharacterizes KCFAPIrsquos inclusiveapproach to all forms of actions

products and services (Angelito A Bala)

As we protect families for generations Act Live Love

KCFAPI Planning Conference The Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of thePhilippines Inc held their 2016 Planning Conference last November 7-9 2015 atColumbus Plaza General Santos City Present were KCFAPI Chairman Bro Arsenio IsidroG Yap KCFAPI President Bro Jose C Reyes Jr KCFAPI Executive Vice President SisMa Theresa G Curia KCFAPI Officers and Supervisors KEYS Realty Vice President Bro

Riz Nicolas and HTMC Vice President Sis Apolonia Dominguez

Living Rosary The Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of the Philippines Inchad their Living Rosary last October 30 2015 at the KCFAPI main office This has been

a yearly practice for the Month of the Holy Rosary which is usually conducted by itsofficers and staff

Cardinal Tagle leads the unveiling of the portrait of Jesuit Fr George J Willmann as the Manila archdiocesan process for the Cause of Beatification and Canonization of the latter formally opens at the Manila Cathedralon Monday Dec 7 Willman is considered as t he ldquoFather of the Knights of Columbusrdquo in the Philippines ROY LAGARDE

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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D2 The CrossDecember 7 2015 - 27 2015 Vol 19 No 25

ACQ UIR IN G a hou se and lo t which they can call their own home

and driving their own cars are twoof the priority dreams of Filipinoparents Of course seeing theirchildren finish college education iseither Number 1 or Number 2

Te Knights of Columbus Frater-nal Association of the PhilippinesInc (KCFAPI) has formed andincorporated a new company to helpmembers of the Order to have their

dream homes and motor carsKCFAPI named the new company as Kompass Credit and

Financing Corporation (KCFC) after one of the symbols of theKnights of Columbus which is the Compass Like the Compassof the ancient marines KOMPASS is here to guide BrotherKnight in having their own home and efficient mobility

KOMPASS can also extend home car and business loans tothe general public

Interested parties can call KOMPASS at el No 527-2242

527-2223 loc 215 and 252 for further details of the loan

Arsenio Isidro G Yap

Chairmanrsquos Message

Presidentrsquos Message

Ma Theresa G Curia

Jose C Reyes Jr

Reflection

Curia Settings

Michael P Cabra

Bequest LIFE this Christmas

My Brotherrsquos Keeper

FILIPINO raditions reflect the kindof people that we are All traditionscustoms and beliefs evolve from thelove and respect of the family Ourmutual and natural respect for oneanother our desire to please and notoffend each other and our willingness

to extend a helping hand are just a fewof the basic foundations which madethe Filipino people unique a one of a

kind and nowhere else could be found And certainly a must-have as a friend and neighbor

Some of the trait I like is the ldquomano pordquo expression and at thesame time reaching for the otherrsquos hand and asking for his blessingsTe respected elder would normally extend his hand to touch theforehead of the one asking for his blessings and expresses ldquokaawanka ng Diyosrdquo or ldquoGod bless yourdquo It doesnrsquot matter whether the onebeing accorded the respect is younger than the person asking forthe blessing or even if they hardly know each other

Another trait is removing onersquos slippers or shoes when enteringa neighborrsquos house Te guest expresses his respect for the hostand does not in any way want to spoil or damage the pristinecondition of the floor which is normally kept shiny and clean

Cleaning of onersquos surrounding to the point of cleaning also theneighborrsquos grounds I could still remember in our neighborhoodthat the old folks would sweep the debris on the street in front

of their houses But instead of just collecting their own trashthey would try to outdo each other by picking (or sweeping)the litter on the street up to the neighborrsquos house in front andeven on their right and left side

Everyone living along the same street knows each other very well to the point that all knows who are having a hard time and would need some assistance A neighbor would readily do somehousehold chores give some food and try to console those whoare grieving for the loss of a love one Nobody needs to askHelp is extended readily

Although the traits Irsquove mentioned above are seldom practicednowadays except for the ldquomano pordquo I still believe that those

were just some of our good traits which define us as people which define us as a Filipino a unique breed of people We arevery resilient that even though we are in grief or experiencingextreme challenges in our everyday life we still are able to lightour faces with the friendliest smile

Christmas is another tradition-field celebration that is uniquelyFilipino Te ldquoSimbang Gabirdquo ldquoputo bumbongrdquo and the like are

some Christmas traditions But let us not forget that Christmas isnot just a season of merriment but is a season for reconciliationItrsquos that time of the year when we want to ask forgiveness fromthose we had wronged and at same time forgive also those whohad wronged us and forget whatever they had done to us

Christmas is a season wherein family ties are kept stronger andmore meaningful But to be more meaningful it is better that weshare our blessings to those in need whose nights might be Holy but

would be very Silent and the only sound that they could hear arenot carols of merriment but the grumbling of their empty stomach

Make this Christmas the most meaningful Christmas ever bysharing your ldquoNoche Buenardquo with a neighbor or better still witha complete stranger May the birth of our Lord touch our heartsand be responsive to those in need

CHRISMAS is a holy day celebratingthe birth of Jesus Christ our Saviour Ithas been a tradition in the Philippines that

we go to dawn masses from December 16to the eve of Christmas day Because ourenthusiasm builds up as early as Septemberon Christmas Day itself many of us areexhausted after days of going through heavytraffic on the way to parties and to crowdedshopping malls to shop for gifts Tere arealso many events that we are enticed to at-tend for our kidsrsquo sake gatherings of relatives and friends near and farand entertainment we spend a lot for the family

While these festivities are all expressions of love we sometimes forgetthat Christmas day is the day we should go to mass to thank God forall the blessings we received from Him and in turn to offer our gift to

Jesus Christ As we enter the Advent season let us start reflecting on

how we can better love and serve God on how we can help the poorand how we can give hope to those who are losing hope Let us put intoaction the principle of charity with greater vigor and sense of urgency

May Christmas be like the ldquoJourney to the Innrdquo of Joseph and Mary- tiring yet full of hope and joy to welcome Christ in our hearts andour homes As Knights of Columbus let us lead our communities toa Christ-centered Advent celebration this year and always

My family and I wish your whole family ldquoA Merry Christmas and aBlessed New Yearrdquo

FOR this Christmas I wish tobase my reflection on a poem

written by Horacio de la Costathe first Filipino provincial ofthe Jesuits Please read and usethe poem as a Christmas greet-ing My reflection is nothingcompared to the poem

We must have visited all theBelens in our churches since we

were small In fact most of usalso put up the Christmas cribin our own homes In arlacthey even have yearly exhibits ofBelens which they call Belenis-mo We were told that it was StFrancis who started putting upthe crib in his church And thepoem of Horacio Dela Costatells us that if we meditate onthis set up we might discover

the surprises that they bring toour consciousness

Let us identify some fea-tures of the Belens that we se earound us during the Christ-mas season and together letus reflect on the meanings thatthese can offer us We shall seedifferent layers of Christmasmeaning emerge

1 he King was born poorGod has become human Tisis one of the features that wesee when we stare at the Crib

What a paradox the king ispoor God is human Life isindeed full of paradoxes andof seeming contradictions

We make sense of them only

with the passage o f t ime and

as we mature both in age andin faith

2 he Bethlehem scene isprofoundly meaningful sym-bolic and mystery-laden We

watch the figures in the Be lenand sometimes we do notunderstand When we do notunderstand the turn of eventsin our life we should not giveup We should not run awayTe world will not end onlybecause we do not understand

what we see exper ience or feelLet us stand in awe at Godrsquosvisit when we are clueless of

what i s happening 3 he King was born in a

manger But there was peacearound among the wise menand the shepherds on that holy

and starry night We see atthe Belen scene a communionamong God humans the richand the poor animals and hu-mans the stars the night andthe people It was as though ata special moment the Universe

was one As though the con-nectedness of all the elements

was not merel y ecolog ical asLaudato Si spoke of but evendivine -human No wonderthat we do not get tired of put-ting up our belens at home inchurches and in public placesNo wonder that we can stareforever at the Nativity scenealthough we do not fully un-derstand everything although

we do it yea r afte r year We

also feel that we are there andthat we are connected to the

figures they represent we areconnected to history to oursurroundings and even to ourGod

4 he Savior was born ina manger where animals eatTe meaning of the mangerscene has been the content ofmany sermons that we haveheard We were told that thisdoes not only refer to thehumility or poverty of Jesus

A dee per meaning they say isthat Jesus has come to be foodfor all who come to him Jesuscame to give Himself as foodfor the world His words histeachings his mercy and com-passion and his Good News of

Godrsquos Plan are enough to fillour emptiness with a sense ofdirection and destiny Teyquench our thirst for enlight-enment guidance and sense ofdignity as humans

5 he Baby who is born isthe Savior of the world Howcan a Baby save the w orld Wesee before us a baby wrappedin swaddling clothes And werealize that Divinity can berevealed in very human situ-ations And that the humblestreality could be a revelationthat God is in our midst If weopen our hearts and minds tothe Lord His Spirit enlightensand gives delight to our weary

and limited minds and souls

Even today we can feel Hismessage although sometimes

we do not ful ly unders tand Te truth dawns on us when

we ar e qu ie t and when we wait When we do not rush toknow Godrsquos Presence is a Giftthat we can never be worthy ofBut the point here is not thatour littleness could obstructthe Revelation of a mysteryRather the Greatness of theLord compels Him to revealHimself to the little one Evento us Now

Tat is why Liturgy invokesour ability to watch to look at

what happe ns in the Churchcelebrations Te beauty ofcandles incense and flowerscan evoke some sense of the

Sacred Space a Sacred Mo-ment and a Sacred Encounter

Te Belen does this for us inrevealing the message of Christ-mas If we open our eyes weshall see the Message of Christ-mas with our hearts If we havetime and we can keep quietbefore the Belen we might seethe surprise of the Lord

[The author Ma TheresaG Curia is the Executive VicePresident amp Chief OperatingOfficer of the Knights of Co-lumbus Fraternal Association ofthe Phils Inc (KCFAPI) andthe incumbent Diocesan Regentof the Daughters of Mary Im-maculate International Dioceseof Malolos]

IrsquoS that time of the year again We must allbegin the increasingly difficult task of buy-ing suitable gifts for our friends and familyHowever there is a different gift you shouldseriously consider giving this year Itrsquos not a fun

present nor it is exciting Itrsquos not somethingyou can play with or wear and it definitely wouldnrsquot be considered a treat Itrsquos a gift thatno one wants but everyone NEEDS So whatare we talking about A Fraternal Service Plan

A Benefit Certificate (BC) or what is simplyknown as a life insurance policy Every year

we search for that perfect gift for a loved oneSomething that will show how much we careand appreciate them What could better provethat than giving someone the gift of SECU-RIY and SABILIY

Unfortunately the recent statistics presentthe sad truth (a) more than 95 Filipinos donot have adequate levels of insurance and (b)more than 80 of Filipinos do not believethey are likely to suffer a serious illness in the

next 20 years Yet each year around 365000Filipinos face premature death either caused byaccidental death or natural sickness It equatesto 1000 untimely deaths everyday

Firstly think about your present situation

Do you have loved ones who depend on youfinancially If something were to happen toyou would your family struggle to maintaintheir current lifestyle the kind of living yoursquovebeen providing If you answered yes to thesequestions itrsquos as simple as that - you need tohave life insurance Secondly do you have aloved one (parent spouse adult children e tc)

who needs protection Tis year give them theultimate gift Having an adequate amount oflife insurance can help in paying off hospitalbills memorial bills mortgage and even in-heritance tax It can allow a family to maintaintheir current level of living and possibly evenfund long term goals such as childrenrsquos schoolfunds dream car house business and evenretirement Now wersquore not saying this is the

only gift you should give it might look a littlesad with only that under the Christmas treeHowever just consider along with the othergifts giving a present that may not be appreci-ated at that moment might come in use should

a critical time arrive You look after your familyand so this is a perfect gift ideaItrsquos important to consult a fraternal counselor

when considering life insurance as it is impera-tive that you are insured accurately dependingon your current situation and future needs

Should you wish to know more just visit wwwkofcorgph for inquiries

Did you know thatFor as low as PhP10000 you can already

start the Gift of Life to your loved ones Tisfraternal service plan is called KC Peso Saver Itis a single contribution endowment plan which

will mature at the end of the benefit certificatersquos10th year In fact a lot of Knights of ColumbusMembers invest with this Gift of Life everyChristmas for their spouse and children

Gemille Isabel P Gloria

A Meek Christmas

IMAGINE a pregnant mother who is supposed to give birth toa child at the moment and rideson a donkey with her husband

Apart from the pain of laborthe mother is enduring deathchases their yet unborn child astheir King deliberately kills allthe newborn babies that night

urned down by the innkeepersthey ended up in a crude stablesharing it with the farm animalsand the shepherds as she gavebirth to a baby boy and placedhim in a manger I bet you arepicturing a scene of a movie inyour head right now Tis isactually what the first Christmaslooked like

Going back to the presentChristmas is far more delightfuland exciting Shopping feastinggift-giving and vacation trippingare just few of the activities that

we cannot do away with in ourChristmas lists We think ofChristmas like no other ordinaryday of the year We make sure

that for Noche Buena there isabundance of bountiful feasts inour dining table from a platterof mouth-watering leche flan toa sumptuous lechon new clothesup to fifty percent sale on theselected items section and expen-sive gifts covered in a Santa Claus

wrapper under a fully decorated

Christmas tree We associate theChristmas season as a time ofsplendor since it is the birthday ofour Savior Unfortunately someof us could only imagine thesethings Tey are our fellow whoare counted by the government inabject poverty who could hardlythink of where and how to gettheir first meal for the 365 daysof the year including Christmasday One does not need to moveafar to behold this ravers-ing nearby the office we couldalready see some of the faces inpoverty If you have not takenyet the underpass connectingManila City Hall and Intramu-ros as you make your way out of

it you will see sullied children intattered clothes inhaling plasticbags containing rugby with somesoiled adults who seem to be theirparents doing the same thing

With their hunger already in theirhead some children forcibly takethe food of the passersby Duringthe night the space where people

enter and exit the underpassin the day turns into a freezinghome for the homeless Youcan see in their wrinkled face thefeeling of sleeping on the passage-

ways with only cardboard boxesand worn out fabrics in betweentheir body and the cold cementedground Teir condition is notfar from what Jesus experiencedon the first Christmas born intoand chose to live a life of poverty

Remembering martyredSalvadoran Archbishop OscarRomero who once said thatldquoNo one can celebrate a genuineChristmas without being trulypoor he self sufficient theproud those who because they

have everything look down onothers those who have no needeven of God for them there

will be no Christmas Only thepoor the hungry those whoneed someone to come on theirbehalf will have that someonehat someone is God Em-manuel God-with-usrdquo With

what he thought we canrsquot arguethat at times we want everythingTe more you have the moreyou want and the more you get

What if we have nothing Whatif we donrsquot have gifts food andnew clothes for the Christmas

What if we are in the place of thehomeless Would we still feel thesame Christmas Spirit withoutthe things we celebrate with it

We have to learn to celebrat eChristmas with how the poorperceive it Let us not reachthe point where we celebrateChristmas just because we willreceive our one-year wish listLet us learn to lose to sacrificeand to give during Christmas

Joseph P Teodoro

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D3The Cross December 7 2015 - 27 2015 Vol 19 No 25

Deogracias Fajota Fr Jeronimo

Ma Cruz Fr Antonio Rex PalayaFr Melvin Gamelo Fr JuliusCuison Fr Felix Labios Fr Ra-melle Rigunay Fr Randy SalungaFr Joel Cariaso Fr HernandezMendoza Fr Julius de Sagun FrRonel Ilano Fr Lowie Palines andFr Emmanuel Hiipolito

In his homily Cardinal aglestarted by citing that aside fromthe formal opening of the Dioc-esan process for Fr Willmannit was also the feast day of St

Ambrose a great teacher of theChurch known for his sanctityand teachings It was also the eveof the Immaculate Conception ofour Blessed Mother Mary plus thestart of the Advent season

Te Cardinal then focused onthe question What does it meanto be holy With the opening ofthe Cause he said that Fr George

J Willmann St Ambrose andMother Mary all responded tosanctity and holiness Cardinalagle clarified that ldquoHoliness isan attribute of God and not manrsquosachievement nor his work It isGod who is Holy and our holi-ness is a gift of God ndash our oneness

with HimrdquoCardinal agle added that the

message of the First Reading is thatthe Holiness of God is seen withmarvelous work ndash like transform-ing a desert into a garden filled

with water and flowers where we

are able to drink from Godrsquos good-ness with a safe road along the

holy way Te desert symbolizes

humanity that is seen to be dryfruitless empty and even life-less However when God entersall these are transformed into abountiful garden Godrsquos Holinessalways creates miracles ldquoWhen-ever we experience hopelessnessloaded with faults we must notbe afraid for that is the time whenGod will come to infuse His Holi-ness and cure the sickness Tat isthe Good Newsrdquo Cardinal agleadded that during this season ofadvent we must look deeper intoour deserts in order to experiencethe Holiness of God

Te Cardinal then underscoredthat we need to respond to GodrsquosHoliness not like the scribes in

the reading who questioned andrejected Jesus but like the friendsof the paralyzed man who lookedfor a nonconventional way -through the roof - to bring theparalytic closer to Jesus Cardinalagle stressed the need for us to bealert discerning with eyes of faithin order for us to respond to ourHoly God in His action when weare in our desert

he Cardinal then asked thepeople to pray for those entrusted

with the Cau se of Fr Willmannthat they may be illumined witheyes of faith With no intention ofpre-empting the Diocesan processCardinal agle simply thankedGod as we are now privileged

to share Godrsquos holiness throughpersonal experiences with Fr Will-

Sainthood D1

Process for PHrsquos new lsquoServantof Godrsquo starts rollingMANILA Dec 7 2015 ndash Manila Arch-bishop Luiacutes Antonio G Cardinal agleofficially accepted on Monday Dec 7the Feast of St Ambrose the petition toopen an investigation on the sanctity andheroic virtues of Fr George J WillmannSJ founder of the Knights of Columbus(KC) in the Philippines among otherCatholic lay organizations

At least 1000 of the naturalized Fili-pino Jesuit priestrsquos spiritual children fromall over the country including no lessthan former Supreme Court (SC) Chief

Justice Hilario G Davide Jr becamepart of Philippine Church history as they

witnes sed at the Manila Metropo litanCathedral Basilica the solemn opening ofthe archdiocesan process they hope wouldlead to beatification and canonization

lsquoGreat responsibilityrsquoIn line with this agle appointed Msgr

Pedro C Quitorio III of the CatholicBishopsrsquo Conference of the Philippines(CBCP) Media Office as postulator forthe cause of the countryrsquos newest ldquoServantof Godrdquo

He also approved the appointments ofMsgr Geronimo S Reyes Fr Wilmer RRosal and Fr Ricardo P del Rosario asepiscopal delegate vice postulator andpromoter of justice respectively as wellas of a host of other experts both clericand lay who vow to work together to giveFilipinos another saint

Te prelate went on to swear in allthose involved in the cause for Willmannrsquosbeatification and canonization remindingthem of the ldquogreat responsibilityrdquo theyhave assumed and the ldquoimportance andseriousnessrdquo of the task at hand

PHrsquos Fr McGivney Dubbed ldquoFr McGivney of the Philip-

pinesrdquo due to his dedication to expand KClocally Willmann worked for the radicaltransformation of faith into action

Born on June 29 1897 to very devoutCatholic parents in Brooklyn New Yorkthe American Jesuit was granted Philip-pine citizenship by President FerdinandMarcos through Presidential Decree(PD) No 740

In 1938 he first served as chaplain

of KC Manila Council 1000 then re-turned in 1954 to become the Orderrsquosfirst Philippine Deputy until his deathin 1977

In total the priest spent 44 fruitful andproductive years in the Philippines serv-ing the poor the sick the orphans theoppressed the lonely and the desolateespecially the young ones

KCFAPI etcBesides what is formally known as the

Knights of Columbus Fraternal Associa-tion of the Philippines Inc (KCFAPI)

which he founded in 1958 Willmannestablished other organizations as follows

bull Catholic Youth Organization (1938)bull Establishment of the Catholic Press

ldquoFilipinasrdquo and the ldquoCrossrdquo Magazines(1946)

bull Columbian Squires in the Philippines(1950)

bull Daughters of Isabella in the Philip-pines (1951) reorganized as Daughtersof Mary Immaculate (1977)

bull Columbian Farmers Aid Association(1951) reorganized as Knights of Co-lumbus Community Service Inc (1962)

bull Knights of Columbus Fraternal Asso-ciation of the Philippines Inc (KCFAPI)(1958)

bull Knights of Columbus PhilippinesFoundation Inc (1971) (Raymond ASebastiaacuten CBCP News)

Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle leads the Mass of the formal opening of the ArchdiocesanProcess for the Causes of Beatification and Canonization of the Servant of God FatherGeorge J Willmann SJ father of the Knights of Columbus in the Philippines LIN REGINO

Te Gentle Warrior By James B Reuter SJ

Part II of Chapter wo of ldquoTe Gentle Warriorrdquo series

CHAPER WO-----------------

Te Ateneo de Manila

HE Ateneo was a boysrsquo schoolTe objective of a boysrsquo school is tomake a man out of a boy Te mainvirtue of a man is courage Godmirrored His virtues in His childrenBut he divided them between girls

and boys Tere is such a thing as amasculine soul and a feminine soulIf a boy and a girl are suddenly con-fronted with a wild bull thunderingdown on them if the girl screamedand hid behind the boy that wouldbe normal But if the boy screamedand hid behind the girl everyone

would be ashamed of him Tevirtue of a girl is not physical cour-age it is love and mercy Te virtueof a boy is courage and justice Butin our schools there is no course inthe curriculum called ldquoCouragerdquo

here is no subject called

ldquoCouragerdquo Tere is no mark forldquoCouragerdquo It has to be taught inevery subject through the wholelife of the school he Jesuitsunderstood this very well AndGeorge understood it He began

to learn the meaning of couragehimself when he was five yearsold sitting on the curbstone onPutnam Avenue when the wheelof the garbage truck crushed bothhis feet

In the old Ateneo there wasa strong tradition of ldquoRomansrdquoand ldquoCarthageniansrdquo Jose Rizal

was the Emperor of the RomansEvery class was competitive TeRomans would be lined up onone side of the class the Car-thagenians on the other Te firstquestion went to the Romans

If the Romans answered it cor-rectly the questioning stayed

with the Romans If any Romanmissed the question went to theCarthagenians Ten the Romanboys would growl and grumble at

the Roman who missed It wascompetition to teach courage

And the battle cry of all theteams was ldquoAnimo Ateneordquo Youcould translate that as ldquoLetrsquos go

Ateneordquo or ldquoSpirit Ateneordquo orldquoFight Ateneordquo mdash but in practiceit meant courage Never give upno matter what the odds ldquoGoget lsquoem Ateneordquo Never say dieTis was obvious in everythingthat the boys did

But it never degenerated intoldquoWin at all costsrdquo Te secondmasculine virtue is justice Tis

means honesty integrity and fairplay Both at once mdash courageand fair play Te verse that everyathlete in the school knew by heart

was ldquoIf I should win let it be bythe code with my head and my

honor held high But if I shouldlose let me stand by the road andcheer as the winner goes byrdquo

It was a tremendous amount of work mdash teaching night and dayrunning the Sodality the ACILand the magazine mdash but Georgeloved it

And his students loved him Tefriendships that he made duringthose three years of regency from1922 to 1925 lasted more thanfifty years

(o be continued on the nextissue)

mann and his life and ministrydevoted to service that providedldquofresh water and good newsrdquo

particularly to the youth the poorand the prisonersTe Cardinal cited his own basic

formation as a Charter memberof the Columbian Squires inImus Cavite where they helpedthe Church in its program for thestreet children He also mentionedhis appreciation for being a scholarof the Knights of Columbus dur-ing Fr Willmannrsquos time

Reiterating that God indeedtransforms deserts into places ofrest peace and holiness Cardinalagle ended his homily by encour-aging all in attendance to be agentsof Godrsquos holiness

People from all walks of life joined the celebration of this Mass

that formally opened the Cause ofServant of God - Fr Willmann

Also repres ent ed were var iou sorganizations established and nur-tured by Fr George including the

Daughters of Isabella (now Daugh-ters of Mary Immaculate) Catholic Youth Organization ColumbianSquires and the Knights of Co-lumbus Parishioners and residents

with their families from nearbycities and communities of ondoIntramuros Sta Cruz Malate andother more distant places likewise

witnessed the very mean ingfulOpening of the diocesan processfor the Cause of their ldquoFather andBenefactorrdquo of forty years

Fr George J Willmann SJdevoted the last forty years of hislife not only in humble serviceand dynamic leadership of theKnights of Columbus in thePhilippines but equally being a

compassionate pastor in the careand formation of the youth He

provided relief to victims of the

war and of violence while also al-leviating the sufferings of the poorHe likewise established ways topreserve and promote the sanctityof life marriage and the family

It was in 1997 or eighteen yearsago that the Knights of Columbusin the Philippines first started aconcerted thrust to formally laythe groundwork for the Causeof Fr Willmann During theOrderrsquos centennial celebration ofFr Willmannrsquos birth the Ordercreated a Committee on Causecomposed of Ramon V ConsingLauro M Cruz and Msgr PedroC Quitorio III as co-chairmenNotable activities of the Com-mittee included gathering of tes-

timonials launch of the Prayer forthe Centennial of Fr Willmann with the Impr imatur of Msgr Jose C Abriol launching of Fr Willmann Fellows meeting withthen Jaime Cardinal Sin and theFather Provincial of the Jesuits toseek their respective endorsementsof the Cause Te Order publishedand distributed the pamphlet ldquoAGlimpsehe Life and Worksof Fr George J Willmann SJrdquoin order to give due acknowledg-ment and recognition as well as toincrease awareness abou t Fr Will-mann A landmark achievement ofthis period was the publication ofldquoTe Gentle Warriorrdquo a biographyof Fr Willmann authored by Fr

James B Reuter SJEstablishing and spreading the

fama sanctitatis of Fr Willmann

included the presentation andpromotion of his works mademore concrete by direct testimo-nies of various individuals whomhe personally interacted withFr Willmann Fellowsrsquo one-timemembership donations have beenpooled to fund the productionof materials such as prayer cardspublications tarpaulins postersto effectively promote Fr George

Willmann not only to brotherKnights but more importantlyto the youth the poor and under-privileged of various communities

In 2011 through the efforts ofthe KC Fraternal Association ofthe Philippines and the Knightsof Columbus Fr Willmann Chari-

ties Inc the National ExecutiveCommittee (NEC) for the Causeof Fr Willmann was created withthe primary function of overseeingall the initiatives relative to or inconnection with the Cause

We are blessed that the Dioc-esan process of the Cause of FrGeorge J Willmann SJ has nowbeen formally opened therebygiving us significant reason torejoice Henceforth he will nowbe regarded Servant of God Letus fervently pray for continuedenlightenment from the HolySpirit for everyone involved in thisDiocesan process and the Causeas a whole so that our belovedFr George J Willmann may ulti-

mately be elevated to the honorsof the altar

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 2424

D4 The CrossDecember 7 2015 - 27 2015 Vol 19 No 25

FST IN CAGAYAN A Fraternal Service Training program was held in Cagayan De Oro last November 13 2015Participants were from Zamboanga Misamis and Butuan The event was graced by KCFAPI Vice Presidentfor FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBG Manager Michael Cabra Aside from the product specifications thetraining also gives an idea regarding the basic insurance process and conceptualization of new marketingstrategies in order to achieve their goals and improve their sales performance (FBG News)

AREA MEETING IN VISAYAS The KCFAPI Western Visayas Armor held an area meeting in Bacolod lastOctober 24 2015 led by Agency Unit Manager Randy G Bravo and graced by KCFAPI Vice President forFBG Gari San Sebastian (KCFAPI News)

FST IN DAVAO A Fraternal Service Training program (1 and 2) was held in KCFAPI Davao Service OfficeDavao City last November 20-21 2015 Participants were from Compostela Valley Cotabato City andGeneral Santos The training was attended by KCFAPI Vice President f or FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBGManager Michael Cabra (FBG News)

PRODUCERSrsquo FORUM KCFAPI Vice President for FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBG Manager Michael Cabraled a Producersrsquo Forum wherein fraternal counsellors all over Luzon were gathered for an update of theirincentives program held last November 11 2015 at the KCFAPI home office (FBG News)

New KCFAPI Board of Trustee Bro Pascual C Carbero

IN February of 1986 BroCarbero started his knightlyservice in the Knights of Co-lumbus under Council 10695

in Valenzuela City Duringhis service in Council 10695he has been appointed asChancellor for CY 1992-1993 and as Deputy GrandKnight and Program Direc-tor for CY 1993-1994 InDistrict M-31 of ValenzuelaCity Bro Carbero was GrandKnight for CY 1994-1995District Warden for CY 1996-1997 and District Deputyfor CY 1997-1999 He wasalso Chairman for the Roundable District Deputies forCY 1998-1999 At the Dr PioValenzuela Assembly ACN1772 Meycauayan Bulacanhe was the Faithful Naviga-

tor for CY 1999-2000 Onthat same term Bro Pascual

was the Luzo n State Audi -tor for CY 2000-2003 andthe Luzon State Warden forCY 2000-2003 of the Luzon

Jurisdiction After which forCY 2000-2001 he becamethe Charter Faithful Naviga-tor for the City of Valenzuela

Assembly ACN 2676 For

CY 2007-2015 Bro Carbero was re-a ppo inte d as Luzo nState Warden Bro Carbero

was a voting delegate in the

KC Supreme Convention heldat Washington DC in 2010and also a non-voting delegateheld at Anaheim Californiain 2002 and 2012 Currentlyhe is the State Secretary of theLuzon North Jurisdiction

Bro Pascualrsquos dedicationand enthusiasm in participat-ing in the Order gave himthe endeavor to author thecreation of the City of Valen-zuela Assembly in 1999 withthe assistance of the Districtand Vice Supreme Master

With his knightly serv ice he was awarded with several rec-ognition namely OutstandingDistrictDeputy for CY 1997-

1999 Star District Awardeefor CY 1997-1999 and Civic

Awardee as Charter FaithfulNavigator of the City of Valen-zuela Assembly ACN 2676CY 2000-2001

Apart from Knights of Co-lumbus Bro Carbero partakeshis services in other civic andreligious organizations He isa Special Lay Minister of the

Holy Eucharist Parish of theHoly Cross since 1989 and amember of the Parish RenewalExperience Group He is the

Director and reasurer of thePhilippine Insurers Club from2013 to 2014 and currently itsPresident He is also a memberof the Insurance Executive1st Friday Club of Makatiand an incoming Presidentof the Philippine Associationof Surety Underwriters Incthis 2016

He was Director Corpo-rate Secretary of Mace Insur-ance Agency Inc from 2012until 2014 and currentlythe Independent Director ofKompass Credit and FinancialCorporation and KCFAPIrespectively Bro Carbero isalso a fellow of Father George

J Willmann Charit ies Inc And since 2006 he has beenthe Vice President of IntraStrata Assurance Corporation

He graduated with a Bach-elorrsquos degree in Business Ad-ministration Major in Man-agement at Philippine Schoolof Business Administration in1973 and finished Bachelor ofLaws in Lyceum of the Philip-

pines in 1988Bro Pascual Carberorsquos wife

Sis Remedios was past presi-dent for three years of theCatholic Womenrsquos League(CWL) Valenzuela Chapterand currently the AssistantVice President for Underwrit-ing in Mercantile InsuranceCo Inc in Intramuros Ma-nila Tey are blessed with six

wonderful children namely

Soidemer Claire a pediatri-cian Abigail Claire a lawyerValerie Claire and ChristineClaire both of whom are reg-istered nurses Terese Claire

who graduated with Bachelorrsquosdegree in Laws and is currentlyreviewing for Bar exams and

Adrian Brian who is also aregistered nurse and presentlya 3rd year medical student

Former SC Justice tofellow lsquoPH Knightsrsquo Prayfor Willmannrsquos CauseMANILA Dec 8 2015 ndash Former Chief

Justice Hilario G Davide Jr has calledon fellow members of the Knights of Co-lumbus (KC) nationwide to keep prayingfor the eventual ldquoraising to the altarrdquo ofthe grouprsquos spiritual father Fr George J

Willmann SJ who was declared ldquoSer-vant of Godrdquo Monday Dec 7

ldquoSo what is demanded of us as mem-bers of Knights of Columbus What isdemanded of us as members of Knightsof Columbus Fraternal Association of thePhilippines Inc [KCPAFI]rdquo he askedldquoWe need to pray a lot Pray pray praythat the tribunal will listen to the evidencepresented Pray pray pray that the tribu-nal will actually collate all the evidenceand determine once and for all that whathas been presented through our postula-

tor is credible to merit the conferment ofbeatification later on Tis is our taskrdquo

Archdiocesan processDavide who now chairs the National

Executive Committee for the Causes ofFr Willmann made this observation in aspeech following a ceremony held at theManila Cathedral during which Arch-bishop Luiacutes Antonio G Cardinal agleofficially approved the archdiocesan process

for the causes for the beatification and can-onization of the naturalized Filipino Jesuit

he solemn occasion was witnessedby no less than 1000 representativesof KCPAFI and other organizations Fr

Willmann helped establish like Catholic Youth Organization Columbian Squiresin the Philippines (1950) and Daughtersof Mary Immaculate

Te former chief magistrate went on todescribe the entire process as ldquovery mean-ingfulrdquo since it had the power to make anordinary priest into a Servant of God

Ordinary priest to Servant of GodldquoImagine during our lifetime today in

the Cathedral we saw the conversion ofan ordinary priest to become a Servant ofGod And we hope that he will merit be-

ing a servant of God until the first step ofthe process will continuerdquo he exclaimed

According to him it must have been thefirst time for most people present to haveseen with their own eyes an event of suchldquohistoric and momentous significancerdquo

ldquoI have lived 20 times four years of mylife almost And this is the first time I have

witnessed the process how it evolves and what we can gather from it o me thisis not just making somebody brought to

the honors of the altar but for us to beable to witness how to live and how tocomport ourselves to be able to follow hisfootstepsrdquo he explained

Built-in holinessDavide pointed out that holiness is

already built in each person but it is onlya matter of expressing it

ldquoWhy I would say that holiness is inus already Because we are the templeof God and the Spirit of God is with usSometimes however we forget that this isso We close our ears We close our eyes to

Jesus Christ We close our hands to JesusChrist by helping others So this is theprocess that we have witnessed today Andto me it will very much workrdquo he added

Davide also credited Msgr Pedro C Qui-

torio III postulator of the causes for Fr Will-mann for the ldquodivinely inspiredrdquo occasionand the timeliness of the diocesan process

ldquoSo Msgr Quitorio you are divinelyinspired You planned everything in sucha way that everything we did and we willdo and what we are doing right now isnot only as legacy to the next generationbut even beyond the next generation forpeople and children yet unbornrdquo he said(Raymond A Sebastiaacuten CBCP News)

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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A5CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25 OPINION

Atty Aurora A Santiago

Duc In Altum

Fr Carmelo O Diola

Spaces of HopeJesus Christ the face of

the Fatherrsquos mercy

POGI (Presence Of God Inside) Rev Fr Alan Gozo Bondoc SVD

The Family and the Eucharist

in the Jubilee Year of Mercy

Virgin of Guadalupe

The Bread of Life

Rev Eutiquio lsquoEulyrsquo Belizar

Jr SThD

By the Roadside

EVERY time we look into a mirror we see our own face Te mirrorreflects us But it cannot containus It is different when we lookinto Jesus Christ In Him we seethe face of God In Him we see

the Father who is in Him and in whom He is ldquoTe Father and I areonerdquo He declares in John 1030o Philip the Apostle He saysldquoWhoever has seen me has seenthe Fatherrdquo (Jn 149) In Him westand face to face with the Fatherand it is the Fatherrsquos mercy thatcomes to the fore and becomesvisible to anyone who encounters Jesus Christ

So particularly and emphati-cally says the Holy Father PopeFrancis in the Bull of Indiction ofthe Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercyentitled Misericordiae Vultus (TeFace of Mercy) His very first state-ment is his most forceful ldquoJesusChrist is the face of the Fatherrsquos

mercyrdquo (Misercordiae Vultus no1) Here he echoes the messageof St John Paul II who withoutmincing his words simply pointsout ldquoHe (Jesus Christ) Himself ina certain sense is mercyrdquo (Dives inMisericordia no 2)

What is the Holy Father tryingto say here

1 Tat Jesus Christ continuesand is in fact the fullest revela-tion of Godrsquos mercy Already in

the Old Covenant which we knowas the Old estament God alreadyreveals Himself to Moses as ldquoa Godmerciful and gracious slow toanger and abounding in steadfastlove and faithfulnessrdquo (Ex 346) a

truth Pope Francis refers to in MV1 God does not stop doing so Infact as the letter to the Hebrewstells us ldquoIn times past God spokein fragmentary and varies ways toour fathers through the prophetsin this final age he has spoken tous through his Son whom he hasmade heir of all thingsrdquo (Heb 11-2) Jesus is the fullest revelation ofthe Father because He the ldquoSon isthe reflection of the Fatherrsquos glorythe exact representation of theFatherrsquos beingrdquo (Heb 13)

2 In Jesus Christ we see thefullest revelation of the Fatherrsquosmercy not simply for one particu-lar person community or nationbut for all mankind In a word

the revelation of Godrsquos mercyis universal in scope God is noexclusive property even of theChosen People of Israel As Isaiahdeclares Godrsquos mind ldquoLet not theforeigner say when he would joinhimself to the Lord lsquoTe Lord will surely exclude me from hispeoplersquo Te foreigners who jointhemselves to the Lord loving thename of the Lord and becominghis servantshellip[them] I will bring

to my holy mountain and make joyful in my house of prayerhellipFor my house shall be called ahouse of prayer for all peoplesrdquo (Is561 3 7) Tis brings us pauseTe Catholicity of Godrsquos mercy is

particularly real in the CatholicChurch where every race countryor nationality finds a home Tis

was particularly brought home tome the first time I concelebratedin a Mass in Rome I was awed bythe presence even among priestsof people of all skin colors raceslanguages and cultures I couldnot help seeing the reality of the

words uttered through Isaiah ldquoMyhouse shall be called a house ofprayer for all peoplesrdquo

3 Jesusrsquo revelation of the Fatherrsquosmercy is no campaign slogan orempty claim he Holy Fatherhimself teaches ldquoJesus of Nazarethby his words his actions and hisentire person reveals the mercy of

Godrdquo (MV 1) Jesus himself pointsto his own testimony directly link-ing him to the Father in a mannergreater that even John the Baptistrsquosown testimony on his behalf ldquoBut Ihave testimony greater than JohnrsquosTe works that the Father gave meto accomplish these works that Iperform testify on my behalf thatthe Father has sent merdquo (Jn 536)Pope Francis makes us meditateon how Jesusrsquo deeds reveal the

Father His relationships with themarginalized sinners and outcastsHis ldquodeep compassionrdquo for the tiredand exhausted crowds His healingand curing of peoplersquos illnesses Hisraising of the dead particularly of

the widow of Naimrsquos son His driv-ing away evil spirits that oppressand enslave people His choosingof Matthew a sinner and tax col-lector as one of His apostles (MV8) Even Jesusrsquo words also attest tothe Fatherrsquos mercy Te Holy Fathersurveys the parables of mercy thelost sheep the lost coin and thefather of two sons (Lk 151-32)in each of which ldquoGod is alwayspresented as full of joy especially

when he pardonsrdquo (MV 9)4 You have to excuse me

if I cut down our musings Ihave come to my most impor-tant point Since Christians areChristifideles or the ldquofaithful ofChristrdquo they must also reflect

Jesus Chri st who reflects ex actlythe Fatherrsquos mercyHere we must challenge our-

selves Could we also take as ourown Jesusrsquo words ldquoI have testi-mony greater than Johnrsquos he

works that the Father gave me toaccomplish these works that Iperform testify on my behalf thatthe Father has sent merdquo Do wealso have words and deeds to showfor our works

HE year 2021 is a year of thanksgiving forthe 500th Anniversary on March 16 2021 ofthe arrival of Christianity in the country Weremember the first Mass celebrated in Lima-sawa Island on that Easter Sunday March 311521 Tat was the day of baptism of RajahHumabon given the Christian name Carlosand his wife Hara Amihan baptized JuanaTe image of Sto Nińo de Cebu the oldestreligious icon was the gift of Ferdinand Magel-lan to the first Filipino Catholics

Te 9-year journey for the New Evangeli-zation offers a different theme for each yearTe first 3 yearsrsquo themes are Integral FaithFormation Year of the Laity Year of the Poorand this year is the Eucharist and the Family which coincides with the Holy Year of Mercy

Pope Francis proclaimed the start of the

Jubilee Year of Mercy on Dec 08 2015 theSolemnity of the Immaculate Conception Heopened the Holy Door which will become ldquoaDoor of Mercy through which anyone whoenters will experience the love of God who con-soles pardons and instils hoperdquo Pope Francisopened the Holy Door on the 50th anniversaryof the closing of the Second Vatican Council

Te Holy Door of the Cathedral of Romethe Basilica of Saint John Lateran will beopened on the hird Sunday of AdventTereafter the Holy Doors of the other PapalBasilicas will be opened Te Holy Father willalso announce that in every cathedral a Doorof Mercy will be opened for the duration ofthe Holy Year

ldquoIn the Diocese of Kalookan aside from SanRoque Cathedral which will have the Rites

of Blessing and Dedication of the Cathedralon December 12 its Apostolic AdministratorMost Rev Francisco De Leon will declare twochurches in each of the 5 Vicariates in theDiocese as the Jubilee Church to give all pa-rishioners the opportunity to have immediateaccess to the Jubilee Churches they will visitrdquo

Te faithful who visit the Holy Door ofa Church is given a Plenary Indulgence aldquoremission before God of the temporal punish-ment due to sins whose guilt has already beenforgiven which the faithful Christian who isduly disposed gains under certain prescribedconditions through the action of the Church

which as the minister of redemption dispensesand applies with authority the treasury of thesatisfactions of Christ and the saintsrdquo

Gaining of indulgences whether plenaryor partial requires prescribed conditions andthe performance of certain prescribed worksTe faithful should be in the state of graceIndulgence can be gained only once a day Itis appropriate but not necessary that Confes-sion Holy Communion and praying for thePopersquos intentions take place on the same daythat the indulgenced work is performed tobe carried out within several days (about 20)before or after the indulgenced act Indulgencescan always be applied either to oneself or to thesouls of the deceased but cannot be applied toother persons living on earth

During the Synod of Bishops Pope Fran-

cis reflected on the relationship between theChurch and the family with a view to thecommon good of society ldquoWhen families

journey along the way of the Lord they offera fundamental witness to Godrsquos love and theydeserve the full commitment and support ofthe Church In the family we learn the bonds

which unite us of fidelity sincerity trust co-operation and respect even when difficultiesabound Indeed it is in family life that the mostvulnerable of society are cared forrdquo

ldquoLike Saint Peter the Church is called tobe a fisher of men and so needs a new typeof net Families are this net Tey free us fromthe sea of loneliness and indifference so that

we can all experience the freedom of beingchildren of God May the Church go out intothe deepen (duc in altum) confident that the

catch will be greatrdquo Te Papal Family of the Diocese of Kalookan

held its Advent Recollection with Most RevFrancisco De Leon as the Recollection Master

Adventus is coming the coming of Christ inthree ways He arrived when He was born inBethlehem He came in mystery (in the Sac-rament in Word the King) He will come inglory at the end of the world

How do we wait for the coming of ChristOur First Model is John the Baptist whoespoused repentance and avoidance of sinsand the proclamation of the coming of the

kingdom of God Our Second Model is Maryit is difficult to accept Godrsquos will but she ac-cepted it with its consequences She asked howshe could conceive when she did not knowany man In her time a woman who was notmarried and got pregnant was stoned to deathEverything that Mary did not understand shekept in her heart

In the Year of Mercy Bishop Francis en- joined the Papal Awardees to be merciful asthe Father is merciful Do corporal works ofmercymdashfeed the hungry give drink to thethirsty clothe the naked shelter the homelessvisit the sick visit the imprisoned and burythe dead Also do spiritual works of mercymdashcounsel the doubtful instruct the ignorantadmonish the sinners comfort the afflictedforgive offenses bear wrongs patiently prayfor the living and the dead

Forgiveness and Reconciliationmdashto forgivesin is to erase irrevocably what happened in thepast it is like punishing the victim the secondtime Victims demand repentance God is theforgiver of sins when we forgive we acceptGodrsquos love It is an act of freedom that no oneis bound to the power of the past If one is ableto forgive the victim becomes the survivor

o forget painful memories you belittle theevent or belittle the victim Urging the victimto forget is to victimize him again In forgive-ness we do not forget but we remember it ina different way in such a way that anger andresentment is no longer present It becomesconstructive o erase part of our memory isto erase part of identity We forget that we arenot bound by the sad emotions in the past

Why did the Risen Christ show Himself to the

apostles with wounds His sufferings are stillpart of His life but His wounds became a sourceof healing to doubting Tomas We rememberthe hurts and the wounds caused upon us hasbecome a source of healing for others Ask Godto heal your memory so that memory will notbring bitterness and resentment

Bishop Francis also presided over the HolyMass where he introduced new experiencesMass where everyone was seated in the Prayersof the Faithful seat mates pray for each otherrsquosintention Communion was given to each otherby seat mates Tank you Bishop Francis for

I is obvious from my bodilyfigure that I love eating It is mysimple enjoyment to eat besidesI give joy and smile to those whoprepared and served the food when I eat a lot As Andrew Zim-mern of Bizarre Foods would sayit ldquoIf it looks good eat itrdquo

We eat to live However eating without balance nutrition couldlead to an unhealthy life whichmay cause early death We haveto know what we eat every kindof food we take in has an effecton our body he food affectsour health it either weakens or

strengthens our bodyIn Gospel from John 651-58

Jesus is offering a different kindof food for us One that willdefinitely strengthen and nourishus not only our physical body butour soul He is giving us breadbread that gives life Because thebread He is referring to is HimselfldquoI am the living breadrdquo

It would be an understatementto say that this living bread if wechoose to take and eat it will havea good effect on our soul Tisliving bread will lead us to a holylife It will not cause us death but will give us life eternal

Jesus wants us to be one with

Him by taking His body We be-come what we eat Receiving the

Body of Jesus in the Communionis making Him part of our selvesIt is in the Communion that weare transformed and become ldquoAl-ter Cristusrdquo meaning ldquoAnotherChristrdquo Terefore receiving theBody of Christ gives us greaterresponsibility because when webecome ldquoAnother Christrdquo it onlymeans that we should act like Himand we should emulate Him

aking the Body of Christthe Bread of Life allows Jesus toincrease in us as we decrease inourselves

Te Bread of Life signifies Jesusrsquo

sacrificial love for us because Hegives Himself fully to us in Holy

Communion Communion is acalling to be with God Remember

we have a prayer before Commu-nion ldquoLord I am not worthy toreceive You but only say the Wordand I shall be healedrdquo Commu-nion means an invitation to those

who have lost their way It meanshealing to those who are woundedby sin It means transformation tobecome holy just as God is holy

In the Holy Communion wedo not receive mere bread but

Jesus Himself When we take andreceive the Body of Jesus we allowHim to permeate us and come into

our lives enter our heartsLet Jesus become your life

Duc In Altum A6

LAS Sept 5 to 10 I did a pilgrimage to the Basilica of Our Ladyof Guadalupe in Mexico City Tis was a humbling culminationof my silver anniversary celebration as an ordained priest with

friends and three of my brothers wo particular events in a totally-unexpected Marian pilgrimage last year led to the said pilgrimageldquoWait till you go to Guadalupe It is differentrdquo my friend

John told me in Lourdes Tis sparked my imagination Andtrue enough among other things when we were in Guadalupe

John pointed out to me the more than one kilometer distancenavigated by pilgrims on bended knees from the gate to the topof the epeyac Hill What humble long-suffering faith

Another incident was my longing for my departed motherElena and the thought during prayer ldquoAm I not your motheralsordquo I only found out last January in acloban from a Mariandevotee that similar consoling words were uttered to San JuanDiego by the Virgin of Guadalupe ldquoNo estoy yo aqui que soy tumadrerdquo (ldquoAm I not here I who am your motherrdquo)

My gratitude to God for the pilgrimage knows no bounds

One is the enjoyment of facts Hernan Cortes is no longer

just a busy street to my parish in Mandaue City Montezuma isnot just a lyric of a marching song 1521 is no longer just theyear Magellan came to our islands but also the year when Cortesvanquished Montezuma Now I know Mexico has a 40 year head-start of sustained Spanish administration and influence if we take1565 the arrival of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi in the Philippinesas our starting point

Legazpi had set sail from Mexico upon the orders of the repre-sentative of the Spanish king in Mexico I also learned that it wasa priest-secretary of Bishop Zumarraga who first saw the holyimage on the apron-like garment (ldquotilmardquo) of Juan Diego whomade a reproduction of it and sent it to the Philippines Whateverbecame of it So many connections between our country andMexico I felt at home

I am awed at how God through the Blessed Virgin Marypenetrated and transformed an existing religious culture thatencompassed every facet of the lives of the native populationGod satisfied their search for truth and divinity ndash that had un-fortunately led them to a very serious blunder regarding human

sacrifice ndash by entrusting a heavenly image of Our Lady to them Itis so amazing how specific symbols spoke to a particular religiouslonging of the natives like the roses inside the tilma that symbolizetruth Tat visual culture mirrors our own contemporary visualculture Tere are opportunities for new evangelization here

Te image defies human explanation as to its o rigin and makeand has remained unscathed and looking fresh despite manyyears of candle smoke acidity from a salty lake accidental acidspillage and the detonation of a bomb It is an image made inand preserved by heaven

Te circumstances surrounding the apparition attract meIt is moving how Our Lady appears to a 57-year old man whoresponds to her terms of endearment with his own term ofendearment (ldquoIndayrdquo) Juan Diegorsquos non-appearance before theVirgin (ldquonang-indianrdquo) due to his unclersquos deteriorating health isamusing Maryrsquos simple message is disarming Tey are words of

unconditional loveldquoListen and let it penetrate your hearthellipdo not be troubled

or weighed down with grief Do not fear any illness or vexationanxiety or pain Am I not here who am your Mother Are younot under my shadow and protection Am I not your fountainof life Are you not in the folds of my mantle In the crossing ofmy arms Is there anything else you needrdquo

Te Virgin Motherrsquos role as our companion continues Shetouched 33 hearts to undertake the pilgrimage even as we promiseto read the book entitled ldquo33 Days to Morning Gloryrdquo Whocould forget the testimony of my brother Raddy who receivedthe exact amount of money from an unexpected source for thetransportation expenses for him and his wife Carole

Pilgrimages are planned way ahead in advance Ours took aboutthree weeks Initial estimated costs were prohibitive Providenceguided Xenia a good friend and my brother Neil to look into thedetails of the pilgrimage and make it affordable Even our contactperson and guide were handpicked by Our Lady of Guadalupe

Who could forget the Mass for the birthday of the Blessed VirginMary when Monsignor Diego Monroy former basilica rector ledus in the Marian consecration that briefly unfroze the regimentedair of the basilica to allow the Holy Spirit to give us a most specialunction And lest we experience the effects of ldquospiritual implo-sionrdquo I thank the Lord for our sheer humanity Tis led to manyhumorous situations not to mention being lost for about twohours with three other persons

Besides my three siblings (Raddy Carl and Neil) and theirspouses (Carole and Lorna) my closest friend in seminary (Fr

Jim) as well as Joy (whose husband Guido was my best friendfrom college) and daughter Alexys came along Joy finally madethe Guadalupe pilgrimage on her third attempt and despite

weather problems What joy to be loved by Our Mother

and raffles away the rest duringEpiphany to needy parish workersand volunteers

On occasion I have been as-signed along with a few to openand sort out such gifts priestsreceive and on those times I wondered what guided the gift-givers to choose their presents tothe men of the cloth Many itemsare practical like cuts of polobarong fabric and cologne (ldquoParamabango kamay nila pag nagmanokardquo) but some are downrightinappropriate like luxury items A bishop who received a box ofCalvin Klein bikini briefs found

them rather odd asked ldquoIs this a joke or whatrdquo and quickly tossed

the pricey stylish collection to theeager hands of his driver

Bearing in mind the example ofSt John Paul II and the priests wholdquorecycledrdquo the gifts they receive one

would be safe to give gifts the priestcan share And we shouldnrsquot feeloffended if and when we see our giftamong those being ldquorecycledrdquo Af-ter all when we give gifts to priests

we give as well to the Lord whoenjoins His disciples to give awayspare cloaks to the bare backed

What gifts would be good togive to priests this ChristmasPlease make things easy for thegivermdashemail your suggestions to

teresatunaygmailcom and wersquollpublish them next issue

And Thatrsquos The Truth A4

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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A6 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25LOCAL NEWS

PH Catholics Itrsquos the season of reconciliation

AKING their cue from Pope Francisrsquoprayer intention for December FilipinoCatholics encourage others of their faithto have hope this Advent season and totake advantage of the coming Jubilee Yearto confess their sins and be reconciled with the Merciful God

ldquoTe popersquos intention for the month ofDecember may be understood as an invi-tation to all to come to the merciful Lordthrough the sacrament of reconciliationIt is in that sacrament that all who comesto God with humility will experienceGodrsquos mercyrdquo shared Darwin Beceril avolunteer catechist from the Diocese ofNovaliches

Religious educator Nestor Limquecofrom Manila seconded pointing out that

Advent invites the faithful to avail of theSacrament of Reconciliation and to be

hopeful that all will be well despite their weaknesses and imperfections thanks to aGod Who is Mercy and Hope personified

Greatest Love of AllldquoTis season of hope and the com-

mencement of the Year of Mercy gives usreason to celebrate the greatest love the

world has known that of the God Whohas show it through the Incarnation ofHis Sonrdquo he explained

According to Limqueco mercy is Godrsquosgreatest expression of His love for human-ity and hope is the response each faithfulmust give to to this loving mercy

ldquoTe advent season reminds us thatthere is always hope to come Jesus laiddown His life to save us from our sins and

bring us to eternal life Te Lord assuresus there is always hope in our struggles

temptations and problems Never losehope and always strive to do good thingsGod fulfills his promisesrdquo said JM ua-zon a Filipino accountant based in theUnited States

lsquoJesus never lets downrsquoEchoing one of the pontiffrsquos quotable

statements on his visit to Palo Leyte in January uazon stressed that Jesus is Lord Who will not let the faithful down

he Holy Fatherrsquos universal prayerintention for the month is ldquoTat all mayexperience the mercy of God who nevertires of forgivingrdquo

Meanwhile his intention for evangeli-zation is ldquoTat families especially those

who suffer may find in the birth of Jesus

a sign of certain hoperdquo (Raymond ASebastiaacuten CBCP News)

the very enlightening talk and new experi-ences in the Holy Eucharist We learned alot and we will greatly miss you

We gr ee t Mo st Rev De og ra ci as

Intildeiguez Jr DD Bishop Emeritusof the Diocese of Kalookan and FrMario Cueto a very Happy Birthday

Happy Sacerdotal Anniversary to FrRico Ayo Fr Romy uazon Fr Jeff

Ayt onaOP Fr Den ni s Sa li se FrLarry Frias Fr Nestor Estanislao FrPatrick Hiwatig O P Happy Birthdayalso to my brother Dr Andres ldquoRoyrdquoSantiago and Kalookan Diocese Curiastaff Jun Acebuche

Duc In Altum A5

PH needs lsquorespectful leadersrsquo ndash pro-lifers

FOLLOWING Davao MayorRodrigo Dutertersquos less-than-flattering reference to PopeFrancis in a recent speech aCatholic lay group issued astatement uesday underscor-ing the importance of electedofficials who know how torespect themselves the dig-nity of fellow humans andfundamental institutions likemarriage

R-e-s-p-e-c-t ldquoA person aspiring to be-

come the nationrsquos leadershould always be respectful ofhimself his office and of otherpeoplerdquo stressed Filipinos

for Life in their Dec 1 pressreleaseTe group went on to ask

rhetorically how Duterte canbe trusted to uphold the basicrights of other innocent people

if he can verbally abuse some-one as respected as the HolyFather

Besides finding that Duterteldquogreatly erredrdquo in cursing PopeFrancis they further decried

what they consider to be thepresidential candidatersquos ldquowan-ton behaviorrdquo with regardto his public admission toadultery

ldquoIf he has no respect for theindissolubility of marriagerdquothey added ldquoWhat other in-stitutions crucial to the moral

well-being of the people is he willing to tamper withrdquo

Sanctity of life family mar-

riageldquoWe value sanctity of lifefamily and marriage aboveallmdashinstitutions that formthe very foundation of everysound society We are most

disappointed that he chose notto uphold his marriage vows which would have been themost vivid expression of hismanhood unlike the personahe projects where women aremere expendable persons tosatisfy his sexual needsrdquo thegroup lamented

While already aware of apol-ogies issued on the mayorrsquosbehalf Filipinos for Life stilldemand Duterte himself toapologize to the countryrsquos 80million Catholics for the ldquoex-treme disrespectrdquo he has shownPope Francis and the Catholicfaith as well as to the womenhe has had relations with

Collective discernmentldquoWe also ask his supportersto discern well whether MrDuterte is indeed fit to be theirchoice as the next presidentof the country Tis is a time

for serious introspection andprayer and we must listento our informed conscience

which acts as Godrsquos voice inour heartsrdquo they explained

According to them the re-cent events raise serious doubtsabout Dutertersquos readiness forthe highest office in the landgiven that the Philippines de-serves a morally upright andcompetent leader who willrevere his position as a sacredduty to serve God and hiscountrymen

ldquoWe must also considerall the consequences of ouractions the positive as wellas the negative effects of

our decisions in the shortterm and the long termand what these decisions sayabout usrdquo the group added(Raymond A Sebastiaacuten CBCP News)

Legal scientific support vs

50 lsquocarbon majorsrsquo sought A the sidelines of the widely-pub-licized COP21 discussions betweennon-government organizations legalexperts and scientists are taking placeto hold the worldrsquos top 50 pollutersaccountable

Fr Edu Gariguez executive sec-retary of the Catholic BishopsConference of the Philippinesrsquo Na-tional Secretariat for Social Action

Justice and Peace (NASSA) said heand his grouprsquos presence in Franceis meant to gather legal support fortheir international campaign andto find ways to track long-standingcomplaints

ldquoWe are also conducting dia-logue with scientists to supportthe complainantsrsquo claimsrdquo FrGariguez said in an interview

with CBCP News a day before hereturned to Manila

Continuous coal mining

Te priest added it is sad to knowmost of the countryrsquos energy sourcescome from coal-fired power plantsTe government has also continuouslyallowed coal mining

He explained President (BenignoSimeon C) Aquino IIIrsquos speech

before COP21 was good but incon-sistent with what is going on in thePhilippines While the presidenttalked about climate vulnerabilitythe government has continued torally the countryrsquos top corporationsincluding Aboitiz and San Miguelto operate more coal-fired powerplants

ldquoItrsquos been business as usual forPresident Aquinordquo Fr Gariguezsaid He said ldquoitrsquos hypocriscy to themaximum level for one not to walkthe talkrdquo

Human rights inquiriesHowever Gariguez said he hopes

the Commission on Human Rights(CHR) will do its best to inquireinto the activities of a number of the

worldrsquos 50 carbon majors present inthe Philippines He said the CHRpromised to do so during the firstquarter of 2016

He further said this is the first timethe international community has at-tempted to hold the top 50 carbonmajors accountable for the plight ofthe poor and marginalized includingfarmers and fisherfolk (Melo M

Acuntildea CBCP News)

MSP DD Metropolitan Archbishopof Ozamiz Jesus A Dosado CM DD

Te statement which was also con-curred by 166 delegates of the 40thDOPIM Bishops-Clergy Conventiondescribes the bodyrsquos ldquoserious concern onthe operation of coal mining and coalpower plant that triggers apprehension

among our people and poses environ-ment threat in the provinces where suchfacility is being establishedrdquo

Accord ing to the doc ument coalmining and coal power plants are partof the ldquounchecked human activitiesrdquothat are turning the earth into ldquoan arid

wastelandrdquoReferring to the recent natural di-

sasters and super typhoons that havehit the country recently the bishopssaid ldquoWe are living witnesses of the

destruction brought about by weatherchanges and the effects to health bycarbon emissions he calamities thatclaimed thousands of lives these pastyears and months are enough proofto awaken in us a commitment tosafeguard creation and help mitigatetheir effectsrdquo

Te statement mentioned the HolyFather as an influence for their standsaying ldquoPope Francis seeing the ur-gency of action in dealing with envi-ronmental crisis points out the use ofhighly polluting fossil fuelsmdashespeciallycoal to be progressively replaced withoutdelay (Cf Laudato Si 165)rdquo

Te document was drafted during the40th DOPIM Bihops-Clergy Conven-tion at the Diocesan Pastoral CenterDel Carmen Iligan City (CBCP News)

Mindanao A1

Vatican City - November 30 2015 Workers set up a Christmas Tree and Nativity Set in St Peterrsquos Square on November 30 2015 CNA

we going to do itrdquo the priest pointed out

Petition vs lsquobig pollutersrsquoNo less than 50 multinational compa-

nies were named respondents of the peti-tion considered as the first human rightscomplaints against big polluters

Of these 10 companies have branches orsubsidiaries in the Philippines as follows

bull ExxonMobilbull Chevronbull otalbull Royal Dutch Shell

bull BHP Billiton

bull BPbull Anglo Americanbull Lafargebull Holcimbull aiheiyo Cement CorporationBesides Gariguez the other Filipi-

nos and Asians present in Paris to givetalks are Climate Change CommissionCommissioner Heherson Alvarez CHRCommissioners Roberto Cadiz and GwenPimentel-Gana and representatives ofGreenpeace Southeast Asia as well asother civil society groups (Raymond A

Sebastiaacuten CBCP News)

Polluters A1

Te Pope made reference tothe dayrsquos first Mass reading theGenesis account of manrsquos fallin the Garden of Eden

ldquoTe words of Genesis re-flect our own daily experience we are constantly tempted todisobedience a disobedienceexpressed in wanting to goabout our lives without regardfor Godrsquos willrdquo he said

ldquoYet the history of sin canonly be understood in thelight of Godrsquos love and for-giveness Were sin the onlything that mattered we wouldbe the most desperate ofcreaturesrdquo

ldquoTe promised triumph ofChristrsquos love enfolds every-thing in the Fatherrsquos mercyrdquothe Pope said ldquoTe Immacu-

late Virgin stands before usas a privileged witness of thispromise and its fulfillmentrdquo

Pope Francis concluded hishomily recalling the 50th an-niversary of the Second Vati-can Councilrsquos closing whichis also commemorated Dec8 He stressed that the Jubileeof Mercy is a challenge for usto the ldquoopennessrdquo inspired bythe Council

Te Council was ldquoa genu-ine encounter between theChurch and the men and

women of our timerdquo in whichthe Holy Spirit ldquoimpelled theChurch to emerge from theshoals which for years hadkept her self-enclosed so asto set out once again withenthusiasm on her missionary

journeyrdquoldquoWherever there are people

the Church is called to reachout to them and to bring the joy of the Gospelrdquo the Popesaid

ldquoTe Jubilee challenges usto this openness and demandsthat we not neglect the spirit which emerged from VaticanII the spirit of the Samaritanas Blessed Paul VI expressedit at the conclusion of theCouncilrdquo

In his Angelus address de-livered after the opening ofthe Holy Door Pope Franciscalled the faithful to look onthe Immaculate Conceptionas a reminder that ldquoin our lifeeverything is a gift Everythingis mercyrdquo

ldquoMay the Blessed Virginthe first fruits of the saved themodel of the Church holy andimmaculate Bride loved bythe Lord help us to rediscoverthe mercy of God more andmore in a way characteristicof Christiansrdquo

Te Pope said the openingof the Jubilee of Mercy is anoccasion to look on the Im-maculate Conception ldquowithtrusting love to contemplateher in all her splendor (andimitate) her faithrdquo

ldquoIn the Immaculate concep-tion of Mary we are invitedto recognize the dawn of thenew world transformed fromthe saving work of the Fatherand of the Son and of the HolySpiritrdquo

Jubilee A1

City Archdiocesan Shrine of the DivineMercy in Mandaluyong City Santuariode Santo Cristo in San Juan City andOur Lady of Sorrows Parish in Pasay City

ldquoRectors and parish priests have beencoordinating on how to make pilgrim-ages fruitful and meaningful to pilgrimsrdquosaid Malicdem who is also rector of theManila Cathedral

Passport-stamping According to him the five churches

were chosen for the p ilgrimage ldquobecauseof their connection to mercyrdquo

He said Catholics may start their pil-

grimage from any of the churches butthey will have to proceed to the parishoffice after they accomplished the requiredactivities for stamping of their passports

ldquoPassports are available at all fivechurches Te may start and end at anychurch then they will also be given a cer-tificate of pilgrimagerdquo added the priest

Among the required pilgrimage activi-ties include entering the ldquoHoly Doorrdquo si-lent adoration and meditation venerationof the Jubilee Cross and donating to thearchdiocesersquos charitable programs

Te priest said the Holy Year also en-courages the faithful to understand thepractice of ldquomerciful loverdquo by dividing the

works of mercy into two kinds spiritualand corporal

He added that donations may come in

cash or in kind and will be used to feed thehungry provide housing for the homeless

and other projectsMalicdem said no other than Pope

Francis himself called on the faithfulto make a pilgrimage because ldquomercyrequires goal dedication and sacrificerdquo

Acts of mercy For Fr Jason Laguerta of the Office of

the Philippine Conference on the NewEvangelization the archdiocesersquos leadgroup for the Year of Mercy a pilgrimageis a ldquogood metaphor for liferdquo

ldquoWe are able to receive the mercy ofGod Ritual is meaningless if not coupled

with works of mercy and concrete actions

towards charityrdquo Fr Laguerta saidldquoMercy is not just a concept or anabstract idea but an action word Itrsquossomething that we dohellip perform acts ofmercy to one anotherrdquo he said

Aside from the sp iritual benefits thepriests added that a plenary indulgenceis also available to the faithful for makinga pilgrimage

Malicdem also said the Year of Mercypilgrimage may be held next year startingfrom Ash Wednesday which marks theseason of Lent until the Pentecost Sunday

Te universal Church will observe anextraordinary Year of Mercy as decreed bythe Pope from Dec 8 2015 until Nov20 2016

In Manila Cardinal agle will start thecelebration by opening the cathedralrsquos

Jubilee Door and hold Mass on Dec 9(Roy Lagarde CBCPNews)

Passport A1

consuming more than is neededldquoLetrsquos be responsible Life is hard today

and we should use our blessings given tous by God wiselyrdquo stressed the prelate

Christmas balikbayan boxes According to him advertisements and

Christmas sales subtly reshape the peoplersquosdesired around the material

For his part Bishop Ruperto Santos ofBalanga diocese issued a similar appeal to

overseas Filipino workers (OFWs)He said OFWs must not try hard to fill

up their ldquobalikbayan boxesrdquo beyond theirmeans while their families back homemust spend the remittances responsibly

Save more share moreldquoMagtabi mag-ipon at sa mga naiwan

palaging pahalagahan ang pinapadala

ng kapamilya (Set aside save and havesomething left Always value what your

family member sends homerdquo he addedOngtioco also said instead of excessive

consumption it would be better if Filipi-nos would consider sharing their blessingsto the needy

ldquoIf what we receive is more than enoughthere are also many who are in need Letus share our blessings with othershellipTisprobably is a challenge and an opportunity

for us to share with those who have less inliferdquo he said in Filipino (CBCP News)

Spending A1

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A7CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25 DIOCESAN NEWS

for the nation only but to gatherinto one the children of God whoare scattered abroadrdquo (1149-52)

It is quite clear that even if byliving charity we may appear tobe suffering a defeat accordingto human standards God in hisprovidence would know how toderive good from it

We should not be afraid to suf-fer the consequences of humanpride and worldly arrogance justbecause we try to be consistent with the requirements of charityFor those who love God and oth-ers as St Paul in his letter to theRomans would say everything will always work out for the good

Now that we are going through

this delicate political processof electing our next leaders we

should try our best to avoid thepitfalls of emotional knee-jerkreactions to the issues at hand

Let us learn to be level-headedand to have a good grip of ouremotions and passions More thanthat let us see to it that we followthe requirements of charity asstrictly as possible It is preciselyin moments like this when charityis most needed

Letrsquos be careful with our wordsand especially so with our thoughtsand intentions May they alwaysbe infused with charity which isalways the way to find the truth toachieve justice and fairness properto us Charity is never a drag in ourpolitics It is what politics needs

most of all Charity is what leadsus to the common good

Candidly Speaking A4

Davao inaugurates lsquoLaudato Sirsquo organic gardenDAVAO Citymdasho give people a concreteexample on how to feed the family with-out harming the environment a parish inthe Archdiocese of Davao has put up anurban container organic garden namedafter Pope Francisrsquo encyclical Laudato Si

Auxil iary Bisho p of Davao GeorgeRimando officiated the inauguration andblessing of the Ascension of the Lord Par-ishrsquo Laudato Si Garden located at the backof the parish in GSIS Heights MatinaDavao City last Sunday Dec 6

Fr Leonardo Dublan Jr parish priestsaid they want to have a showroom forthe people as their model on how to setup their own container garden even withlimited space at home

Not impossibleldquoIt is not impossible to have a backyard

garden in the urban area Our parish islocated in a subdivision and we wereable to set-up our parish urban con-tainer garden and parishioners can alsodo the same in their respective homesrdquoexplained Dublan also the director ofthe Archdiocesan Social Action Center(ASAC)

Te parish has sought the help of JojoRom known as Father of Urban Contain-er Gardening in the country in puttingup the said garden in honor of the pope

Te garden utilizes organic fertilizersand also has an aquaculture pond belowthe structure A mini poultry area and a

wall garden are also included in the entireset-up

Rom said the waste from the kitchenlike fruit and vegetable peelings as well asother biodegradable waste are used to gen-erate fermented fertilizer for the plants

After the blessing a lecture about urbancontainer gardening was given by Romto the lay leaders and parishioners It canbe remembered that he once delivered asimilar lecture during the monthly meet-ing of the Parish Social Action Ministry(PSAM) of the Archdiocese of Davao

lsquoSafe organic foodrsquo ASAC Dav ao coordinat or Sr Ma

Marissa Arado DM said ASAC Davaohas been promoting urban container gar-dening to provide safe organic food forthe family especially with the worseningeffects of climate change

ldquoHopefully the lessons about climatechange will reach the young people andthe grassrootsrdquo Arado said

She added the use of organic fertilizersis a way of protecting not only the familybut also the soil as chemicals are used inproducing many commercially availablecrops

ASAC Davao hopes that the lessonslearned from the Laudato Si Garden willbe used in every Gagmayrsquong KristohanongKatilingban (GKK) or Basic EcclesialCommunities and every home (JohnFrances C Fuentes CBCP News)

Auxiliary Bishop of Davao George B Rimando officiated the inauguration and blessing of the Ascension of the Lord Parishrsquo Laudato Si Garden on Dec 6 2015John Frances Fuentes

Jaro takes vocation promotions to the streets JARO IloilomdashIn todayrsquos highly-modernized world where religiouslife is becoming less of an optionfor young people religious menand women in this archdioceseliterally went to the highways andthe byways to tell the youth thatreligious life is still very much aliveand relevant as part of ldquoVocationDays 2015rdquo from Nov 23 to 30

Believing always in the primacyof prayer the vocation promotersprayed even while on the roadmeditating on the Holy Rosaryand singing Marian hymns to-gether

ldquohe Vocation Caravan hasindeed become an opportunity where variou s religiou s and laypromoters from different congre-gations united as one group withthe aim to pray for one anotherfor the holy perseverance andsanctification of the clergy andreligious and to promote religiousvocationsrdquo observed Sr Susan

Matthew Cueco Carm OL

Vocation caravan and pilgrimage As a pr el ud e to Voc at io n

Month representatives of the Arch dioc esan Commis sion onVocation Promoters for theReligious also held for the first

time in Panay a three-day Voca-tion Caravan and Pilgrimage onSept 12 to 14

During the Vocation Caravanand Pilgrimage which kickedoff at the Jaro Cathedral with aMass celebrated by Jaro Arch-bishop Angel N Lagdameo withFr Paul Reagan alavera OP asconcelebrant the religious voca-tion promoters visited more than40 parishes and various collegesand universities in Capiz Aklan Antique and in the city and prov-ince of Iloilo

Aside from talking to the youngpeople the sisters also postedcampaign materials in churchesand led the prayer for vocationsfor every congregation

On the occasion of VocationMonth and in the context of the Year of Consecrated Life the Jaro Archdiocesan Commission on Vo-cation Promoters for the Religious(ACVP-R) successfully staged the

week-long event starting on Nov23 with a vocation campaign invarious educational institutionsin Miag-ao Iloilo

Confessions counselingTe religious men and women

also spearheaded the celebration

lsquoYolandarsquo women call for

more livelihood aid

BASEY SamarmdashOver 500 house- wives mothers and sisters from

ldquoYolandardquo-hit communities in Western S amar who turned en-trepreneurs have called the at-tention of government agenciesto their need for more livelihoodassistance

ldquoWe hope to receive capitalresources and machinery that wecould use for our livelihoodrdquo theysaid collectively in Waray duringthe First Rural Summit held re-cently in Basey

In a statement they specificallyasked for capital support equip-ment additional skills trainingand help in linking their productsto the market

Social services

Tey further appealed for in-creased access to social servicesparticularly for health and nutri-tion

Te Samarentildeas who came from24 barangays in Basey Marabutand Sta Rita towns also grabbedthe opportunity to stage a mini-trade fair featuring their productslike organic vegetables and fruitshandicrafts and native delicacies

Meanwhile representatives ofthe Provincial Agriculture Office(PAO) Department of rade andIndustry (DI) and the ProvincialGovernment of Samar conducted

a commitment signingTe delegates moreover had a

unity parade from the St Michaelthe Archangel Parish to the BaseyMunicipal Gym

Housewives to entrepreneurs While befor e super typho on

ldquoYolandardquo most of the womenstayed at home caring for theirchildren after the disaster theSocial Action Center (SAC) of theDiocese of Calbayog and NASSACaritas Philippines made surethey become micro-entrepreneursfarmers and mat weavers

o date about 406 women ofthem have received provisionslike egg-laying implements andcapital assistance for mat-weavingand mat weaversrsquo centers salted

egg production and backyardfarmingSAC Yolanda Rehabilitation

Program Director Fr Cesar Aculanshared ldquoYolanda may have de-stroyed the livelihood of the peo-ple of Samar but it has restoredas well the sense of self-worth ofthe womenrdquo

Besides providing livelihoodaid Calbayogrsquos SAC carried outinterventions on shelter disasterrisk reduction ecosystem and

wate r sani tati on and hygienein the province (Raymond ASebastiaacutenCBCP News)

A Yolanda survivor showcases some of the native delicacies in their province during amini trade fair held in Basey Samar NASSACaritas Philippines

ldquoOur walk is a message of sacrifice of thesuffering climaterdquo explained Rodne Galichaone of some 1500 climate pilgrims whosemessage was received well by host communi-ties en route to the French capital

ldquoI would rather continue walking ratherthan be there at COP21 We will continuethe pilgrimage for climate justice and bring

the message of Laudato Sirsquordquo shared Yeb Santildeoformer Philippine climate negotiator who ledthe Rome-Paris climate march

According to them the manifesto carries astrong message on the climate from ecologicalconversion to the paying of ecological debteven demanding the protection of indigenouscommunities who are climate victims

Te climate activists point out that theircommon statement is to work on the HolyFatherrsquos ldquoLaudato Sirsquo Manifestordquo where theybelieve the ground for discussion analysis andsolutions to ecological problems can be found

Tey add that the document also seeks tobe a reference guide for world leaders envi-ronmental activists church leaders organiz-ers and teachers among others and offers areality-check of what individuals institutionsand organizations can do for environmental

action

Te ldquoLaudato Sirsquo Manifestordquo reads1 Te Earth is our common home (LS 1)2 We demand ecological conversion both

personal communitarian and institutionalldquoTe need for each of us to repent of the

ways we have harmed the planet for ldquoin-asmuch as we all generate small ecologicaldamagerdquo we are called to acknowledge ldquoourcontribution smaller or greater to the disfig-urement and destruction of creationrdquo (LS 8)

3 We want ecological liberation ldquoWe lookfor solutions not only in technology but in achange of humanityhellip He asks us to replaceconsumption with sacrifice greed with gener-osity wastefulness with a spirit of sharing anasceticism which ldquoentails learning to give andnot simply to give up It is a way of loving of

moving gradually away from what I want to what Godrsquos world needs It is liberation from

fear greed and compulsionrdquo (LS 9)4 Care for the Earth is integral ldquoHe shows

us just how inseparable the bond is betweenconcern for nature justice for the poor com-mitment to society and interior peacerdquo (LS10)

5 We call for ecological solidarity that willfoment ecological action ldquoTe urgent chal-

lenge to protect our common home includesa concern to bring the whole human familytogether to seek a sustainable and integraldevelopmenthelliprdquo (LS 13) Ways to act divest-ment in fossil fuels converting to renewablesenergy-efficiency attitude response to climateadaptation disaster response and supportinggrassroots initiatives

6 We demand climate justice for thedestruction of our planet perpetrated bymining companies businesses multinationalcorporations and greedy countries ldquohellip afterceasing their activity and withdrawing theyleave behind great human and environmentalliabilities such as unemployment abandonedtowns the depletion of natural reserves de-forestation the impoverishment of agricultureand local stock breeding open pits riven hillspolluted rivers and a handful of social works

which are no longer sustainablerdquo (LS 51)

7 We need to pay our ldquoecological debtrdquo forthe harm we have done to the environmentcommunities and individuals suffering nowand the future (LS 51)

8 Te need to engage for a new ecologicaldialogue ldquoI urgently appeal then for a newdialogue about how we are shaping the futureof our planet We need a conversation whichincludes everyone since the environmentalchallenge we are undergoing and its humanroots concern and affect us allrdquo (LS 14)

9 We should create an integral space forldquoecological citizenshiprdquo as a practical pathof becoming witnesses for the environmentldquoOnly by cultivating sound virtues will peoplebe able to make a selfless ecological commit-mentrdquo (LS 211)

10 We are interconnected we should fo-ment connectedness with other faith-based

groups civil society and institutions ldquohellipbecause all creatures are connected each mustbe cherished with love and respect for all ofus as living creatures are dependent on oneanotherrdquo (LS 42)

11 Promote ldquoecological educationrdquo as a way of fomenting consciousness action andintegral faith-advocacy for environmental

care (LS 213)12 Our ecological concern is a compas-sion for the planet and people ldquoo hear boththe cry of the earth and the cry of the poorrdquo(LS 49)

13 Believing that ldquointegral ecologyrdquo in allaspects of life as an integral response to theglobal crisis (LS 137)

14 We need to cultivate an ldquoecologicalculturerdquo as a way of outgrowing ecologicaldestruction ldquoTere needs to be a distinctive

way of looking a t things a way of thinkingpolicies an educational programme a lifestyleand a spirituality which together generateresistance to the assault of the technocraticparadigmrdquo (LS 111)

15 Special care for the indigenous commu-nities and their cultural traditions ldquoFor themland is not a commodity but rather a gift from

God and from their ancestors who rest there asacred space with which they need to interact ifthey are to maintain their identity and valuesrdquo

As we acknowledged the richness of their wayof life we also have to protect their rights ldquoinvarious parts of the world pressure is beingput on them to abandon their homelands tomake room for agricultural or mining projects

which are undertaken without regard for thedegradation of nature and culturerdquo (LS 146)

16 Te need for ecological faith ldquoGod who calls us to generous commitment and togive him our all offers us the light and thestrength needed to continue on our way Inthe heart of this world the Lord of life wholoves us so much is always present He doesnot abandon us he does not leave us alonefor he has united himself definitively to ourearth and his love constantly impels us to

find new ways forward Praise be to Him (LS245) (Raymond A Sebastiaacuten CBCP News)

Manifesto A1

of Jarorsquos Vocation Day on Nov28 During the sessions held inSt Vincent Ferrer Seminary thereligious men heard confessions

whil e the relig ious wome n fa-cilitated counseling sessions andgroup sharing

Te religious again gave wit-ness to the faithfulrsquos role in savingthe environment as they wentto the streets on Nov 29 to jointhousands of marchers in theldquoWalk for Mother Earthrdquo in the

Archdiocesersquos participation in theGlobal Climate March

o cap Vocation Month thereligious women and men par-

ticipated in Jarorsquos Archdiocesan Youth Day in Guimbal Iloilo onNov 30 as a way to reach out toyoung people encouraging themto be open to Godrsquos call

ldquoTe activity was very enrichingas it has strengthened the bondof the vocation promoters Tepriceless moments have nourishedour friendship and have led us tobe closer to one another to reacha common goal which is to findmore holy vocations into theChurchrdquo added Sr Susan (Fr

Mickey Cardenas CBCP Newswith reports from Angelo LuisVerdeflor)

The Jaro Archdiocesan Commission on Vocation Promoters for the Religious (ACVP-R)successfully staged a week-long vocations promotions event starting on Nov 23 witha vocation campaign in various educational institutions in Miag-ao Iloilo ANGELO LUIS

VERDEFLOR

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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A8 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25PEOPLE FACTS AND PLACES

MarkingsDied Bishop Federico Es-caler SJ died on Nov 28aged 93

The Jesuit prelate had beenill and passed away peacefullyin his family ancestral resi-dence in San Miguel Manilaon Saturday morning

Born in Manila he served asthe rst bishop of Kidapawanfrom 1976 to 1980 until hewas appointed to head thenewly-created Prelature of Ipilin Zamboanga Sibugay

Escaler spent 17 years inIpil until his retirement in 1997

He was once the Assistantto Jesuit Provincial Superiorin La Ignacia Retreat HousePresident and Rector of Ateneode Davao Treasurer of JesuitProvince in Manila and be-came President and Rector ofXavier University in Cagayan

de Oro City

Ordained Imus Bishop Rey-naldo Evangelista DD or-dained eight deacons of theSociety of the Divine Word(SVD) to the priesthood onDec 5 at the Holy Spirit Chapelof the Divine Word SeminaryTagaytay City in a solemncelebration attended by 127priests and 2 bishops

The new priests are FrLawrence Llona SVD (to beassigned in South Sudan

Afric a) Fr Ryan Diňo SVD(to be assigned in ArgentinaSouth) Fr Diderick Andrinja-tovo SVD (to be assigned inPhilippine South) Fr Fran-ciskus Subandi SVD (to beassigned in Philippine Central)Fr June Lee Sarenas SVD(to be assigned in Ghana

Afr ica) Fr Gre gor ius Rob iDosom SVD (to be assigned in

Philippine North) Fr Roberto

Solis SVD (to be assigned inJapan)and Fr Lindsey FrancisTaeza SVD (to be assigned inTogo Africa)

Ordained The Servants ofMary welcomed four men tothe priesthood on Dec 8 atSt Peregrine Diocesan ShrineTunasan Muntinlupa City Bal-anga Bishop Ruperto C San-tos ordained Fr Leonardo MaGuiang OSM Fr Waren MaCampilan OSM Fr EdgardMa Benedi-an OSM and FrJumen Ma Arcelo OSM

Recognized The Ofce of the Army Chief Chaplain Service(OACCS) on Nov 24 recog-nized in a simple ceremony FrMaj Juan Jerome C Daluro asBest Chaplain of the Year 2015for his exemplary service as Di-

vision Chaplain of 9th Infantry

(Spear) Division from Septem-ber 2012 to September 2015Fr MSg Mario Baniqued (Inf)Philippine Army (PA) OACCSChief Clerk was recognized asBest Chaplain Assistant of theYear 2015

The office also accordedPlaques of Appreciation to FrCpt Ferdinand Abuyuan ldquoforhis improvement of the 7IDChapel undertaken during histerm as Division Chaplain of7th Infantry Division Philip-pine Army from June 2013to September 2015rdquo and toFr LtC Stephen Penetrantefor his excellent service asOACCS Chief of Plans andPrograms

The awards were given aspart of the celebration of the78th Chaplain Service Foun-dation Anniversary from Nov

23 to 27

Congress focuses onmodern family issuesHE 20th Asia Pacific Congress on Faith Lifeand Family organized by Human Life interna-

tional (HLI) from Nov 27 to 29 focused onthreats perspectives and realities affecting themodern family

Wit h the the me comin g fro m Psa lms1288 ldquoYour wife a fruitful vine in theinner places of your house your childrenround your table like shoots of an olivetreerdquo speakers and resource persons sharedreflections on the understanding of Godrsquosplan for marriage and family threats andchallenges to family the modern crisis ofconscience unmasking the gender ideologythe global holocaust of abortion

Dr Ligaya Acosta the Regional director ofthe Human Life International (HLI) for Asiaand Oceania opened the Congress sayingrdquoTe said congress will enable the participantsto re-discover and value marriage-based naturalfamilies and teach children and leaders to value

them as wellrdquo Archb isho p Vincenzo Pag lia head of thePontifical Council for the Family gave thekeynote speech on the challenges of theSynod on the Family to more than 200participants from 15 countries includingthe Philippines

Bishop John Baptist Lee Bishop of Hsinchuand chair of the Commission for family of theChinese Regional Bishopsrsquo Conference reiter-

ated in his welcome speech the goals of HLI which is to promote the moral teaching of theCatholic Church to spread pro-life insightsin society and to offer concrete and effectiveprograms for the advancement of faith

Among other speakers were Fr Shenan Bo-quet President of Human Life International

(HLI) Dr Brian Clowes HLI director of edu-cation and research and Dr Joseph Meaneya leading expert on the international pro-life

movement Dr Ligaya Acosta Atty Jo ImbongDra Eleanor de Borja Palabyab and MayorSally Lee of Sorsogon Ci ty

Bishop Gilbert Garcera Chair of the Epis-copal Commission on Family and Life headed80 delegates from the Philippines (ECFL CBCP News)

The 20th Asia Pacific Congress on Faith Life and Family organized by Human Life international (HLI) was held fromNov 27 to 29 ECFL

PH army chaplains partners hold 1stlsquocharacter enhancementrsquo meet A YEAR afte r its launch armychaplains soldiers and civilianpartners from the various partsof the country met uesday

Nov 25 at the Philippine Ai rf or ce Mus eu m Vi ll am or Airbase to discuss the prog ressof the Character EnhancementProgram (CEP) and ways toreach more uniformed person-nel and their dependents

Vision 2028Fr Andres Bonifacio O Belleza

head of the Office of the ArmyChief Chaplain Service (OACCS)pointed out that the CEP re-sponds to the directive of Lt GenHernando Delfin Carmelo AIriberri former Philippine Army(PA) commanding general toldquodevelop righteous God-fearingsoldiers loved by the Filipino

peoplerdquo in step with the 18-year Army ransformation Roadmapof 2028 (AR28) and to ldquobecomea world-class Army that is a sourceof national priderdquo

o fulfill this vision the chiefchaplain shared the Army soughtthe help of the Order of St Mi-chael (OSM) a ministry of the

A chaplain facilitates a workshop with his lay collaborators during the 1st CharacterEnhancement Program (CEP) Conference Nov 25 2015 NIRVA DELACRUZ

Couples for Christ Global MissionFoundation (CFC Global) which

caters specifically to the spiritualneeds of people in the militarytheir spouses and children

Character enhancement Retired Col Arturo Alabanza

CFCOSM head explained thatunder AR28 PA is committed toa ldquolong-term sustainable platform

for continuing CEP and spiritual wellness programrdquo

For their part local CFC chap-ters are tasked to jumpstart CEPin all PA unit chapels and parishesnationwide

Since it debuted in Apr 32014 the OACCS-CFCOSMpartnership has already givencharacter enhancement retreats(CER) to 28 PA commands and

the Philippine Military Academy(PMA) Class of 2018 gradu-ated 385 PMA-Singles for Christ(SFC) members and conducted

five CERs at V Luna Hospital inQuezon City

Challenge accepted While they have start ed out

well Alabanza admitted there isstill much to be done for Godrsquos

work to be realized fully in thelives of Filipino soldiers and theirfamilies

According to him CEP hasreached 2000 men and womenin uniform to date translatingto about 0287 percent of an es-timated 700000 population thatis fertile ground for values andspiritual transformation exclud-ing their dependents

Alabanza expressed hope that in

the coming years and with the co-operation of the parties involvedCEP will be able to touch heartsand win the souls of more allow-ing PA to communicate a brandimage consistent with its corevalues of honor patriotism andduty (Raymond A Sebastiaacuten CBCP News)

PHLPost to issueIEC stamps

HE government is set to releasea commemorative postal stamp onthe 51st International EucharisticCongress to be held in Cebu Cityon Jan 24 -31 next year

he Philippine Postal Corpsaid stamp enthusiasts from allover the world would have theopportunity to buy the stampsconsidering the importance ofthis event in the history of theCatholic Church

he stamp design illustratesthe official logo of the IEC anevent aimed at promoting aware-ness about the central role of theEucharist in the life and mission

of the Church

ldquoTe PHLPost are one in prayingfor the success of this internationalgathering of lay people and Catho-lic Church leaders from around the

world with Cebu the beautifulqueen city of the south as the hostof this celebrationrdquo said PostmasterGeneral Josie Dela Cruz

he gathering is expected todraw 15000 delegates from allover the world Te Congress willalso feature open air Masses opento the public

PHLPost commissioned AmstarCo to print 104000 copies of thestamps to be sold at Php 15 eachstarting uesday Dec 8 at post

offices nationwide (CBCP News)

Taglersquos Year of Mercyrecolletion set

IN time for the forthcomingseason the Archdiocese ofManila (RCAM) and the JesuitCommunications (JesCom) in-vite the public to a free Adventtalk to be given by no less thanCardinal Luiacutes Ant onio G agleon Dec 13 Sunday 800 amto 1100 am at the Smart- Ar an et a Co li se um Cu ba oQuezon City

Temed ldquoMerciful like the Fa-therrdquo the Word Exposed AdventRecollection is set to have the Archbishop of Manila sharing hisreflections on Godrsquos message ofmercy in keeping with the Jubilee Year of Mercy

Acc ord in g to JesCom fr eetickets will be issued on Dec 4Friday at the following select dis-tribution centers anging YamanStore Sonolux Building Ateneode Manila University anging

Yaman Store S M Megamall 5F Atrium St Pauls Bookstore SMNorth Edsa St Pauls BookstoreSM Manila St Pauls BookstoreGateway Mall

Given the limited number oftickets JesCom stresses that res-ervation is not allowed

For further information in-terested parties may call (02)426-5971 to 72 (Raymond ASebastiaacuten CBCP News)

Cardinal Luiacutes Antonio G Tagle FILE PHOTO

PBS outs Bible Week 2016 schedulePHILIPPINE Bible Society (PBS) GeneralSecretary Dr Nora G Lucero has revealed thetheme for the National Bible Week (NBW)celebrations on Jan 25 to 31 2016 sayingit will focus on ldquoGodrsquos Word Strength of theFamily Hope of the Nationrdquo and the activities

in line for the eventldquoAs we continue to coordinate with our part-

ners from different locales all over the country we will also promote other meaningful ways forour kababayans to participate in the celebrationand to proclaim Godrsquos Word in their communi-tiesrdquo shares Lucero in a recent PBS press release

Community celebration According to her PBS is prepared various

activities for the celebration among which is

the iProclaim a public reading of ScripturesLucero went on to present suggested ways

individuals families local churches and or-ganizations can celebrate Godrsquos Word in theircommunities

Some of the activities suggested include

displaying of NBW posters and streamers fea-turing Bible verses in church or school bulletinboards organizing of sports events holdingof Bible rallies concerts or song and dancecompetitions in town plazas as well as lobbyingbefore local legislature for the enactment of alaw supporting the annual NBW celebration

Raising awarenessTe NBW 2016 theme is inspired in part by

Psalm 3312 in the New American Bible Revised

Edition (NABRE) which reads ldquoBlessed is thenation whose God is the Lord the people chosenas his inheritancerdquo as well as by Acts 1631 in theGood News ranslation (GN) which readsldquoTey answered lsquoBelieve in the Lord Jesus andyou will be saved ndash you and your familyrdquo

Frontlined by PBS the annual NBS cel-ebration is decreed by Presidential Proclama-tions 2242 44 and 1067 which aims to raisepeoplersquos awareness on the importance of theHoly Book

Te week-long proclamation of Godrsquos Wordis culminated by the celebration of ldquoNationalBible Sundayrdquo on Jan 31 2016 that is expectedto feature messages and homilies during Churchservices and Masses focusing on the theme(Raymond A Sebastiaacuten CBCP News)

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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B1CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

DEAR Brothers and Sisters Goodmorning

With this reflection we arrive at thethreshold of the Jubilee itrsquos close Tedoor is before us not just the HolyDoor but another the great doorof the Mercy of Godmdashand that is abeautiful doormdashwhich embraces ourpenance offering the grace of his for-giveness Te door is generously openit takes a little courage on our part tocross the threshold Each of us hasburdensome things within ourselves

We are all sinner s Let us take advan-tage of this coming moment and crossthe threshold of this mercy of God

who never tire s of forg iving nevertires of waiting for us He watches ushe is always beside us ake heart Letus enter through this door

From the Synod of Bishops which we celeb rated in the month of Octo-ber all families and the entire Churchreceived great encouragement to meetat the threshold of this open door TeChurch was encouraged to open herdoors to go out with the Lord to meether sons and daughters on the path attimes uncertain at times dismayed inthese difficult times Christian familiesin particular were encouraged to openthe door to the Lord who is waitingto enter bringing his blessing and hisfriendship And as the door of Godrsquosmercy is always open so too must thedoors of our churches our communi-ties our parishes our institutions ourdioceses be open because this is how

we can all go out to b ring th is mercyof God Te Jubilee signifies the greatdoor of the mercy of God but also thesmall doors of our churches open toallow the entrance of the Lordmdashoroften the exit of the Lordmdashwho is aprisoner of our structures of our self-ishness and of so many things

he Lord never forces the dooropen he too asks permission to enterTe Book of Revelation says ldquoI standat the door and knock if any one hearsmy voice and opens the door I willcome in to him and eat with him and

he with merdquo (320) Let us imaginethe Lord knocking at the door of ourheart In the last great vision of theBook of Revelation the City of Godis prophesied like this ldquoits gates shallnever be shut by dayrdquo which meansfor ever because ldquothere shall be nonight thererdquo (2125) Tere are placesin the world in which doors are not

locked there still are But there are

so many where armoured doors havebecome the norm We must not give into the idea that we must apply thi s sys-tem to our whole life to the life of thefamily of this city of society muchless to the life of the Church Tat

woul d be terr ibl e An inhospi tab leChurch like a family closed off withinitself mortifies the Gospel and withersthe world No armoured doors in theChurch none Completely open

he symbolic management ofldquodoorsrdquomdashof thresholds of passagesof bordersmdashhas become crucial Tedoor must protect of course but notreject Te door must not be forced

but on the contrary one asks permis-

sion because hospitality shines inthe freedom of welcoming and dimsin the arrogance of invasion hedoor is frequently opened in order

to see if there is someone waitingoutside perhaps without the couragenor perhaps the strength to knockHow many people have lost faith donot have the courage to knock at the

door of our Christian heart at the

doors of our churches And theyare there they donrsquot have the courage we have taken away trus t please maythis never happen A door says many

things about the house and also aboutthe Church ending the door requirescareful discernment and at the sametime must inspire great faith I wouldlike to pay a word of gratitude to all

PASTORAL CONCERNS

We are all sinners Let us take advantage of this coming

moment and cross the threshold of this mercy of God who

never tires of forgiving never tires of waiting for us

Message of Pope Francis at his General Audience on November 18 2015

The welcoming door porters of our condominiums of

civil institutions of the Churchesthemselves Often a porterrsquos acumenand courtesy can offer an image ofhumanity and of welcome to the entire

house right from the entrance Tereis something to be learned from thesemen and women who are watch-men at the places of encounter and

welcome in the c ity of man o all of

you watchmen of so many doors bethey residential doors or church doorsmany thanks Always with a smilealways demonstrating the acceptanceof that house of that Church sopeople feel happy and welcomed inthat place

In truth we are well aware that wetoo are watchmen and servants of theDoor of God and what is the nameof the door of God Jesus He lightsup all of lifersquos doors for us includingthose of our birth and of our death

He himself affirmed it ldquoI am the doorif any one enters by me he will besaved and will go in and out and findpasturerdquo (Jn 109) Jesus is the doorthat lets us go in and out BecauseGodrsquos sheepfold is a refuge it isnrsquot aprison Te house of God is a refugeit isnrsquot a prison and the door is called

Jesus If the door is closed we sayldquoLord open the doorrdquo Jesus is thedoor and lets us go in and out Tose

who try to avoid the door are thievesitrsquos curious thieves always tr y to enterby another way by the window by theroof but they avoid the door becausethey have evil intentions and theysneak into the sheepfold in order todeceive the sheep and take advantageof them We must enter through thedoor and listen to Jesusrsquo voice if wehear the tone of his voice we are cer-tain we are saved We can go in with-out fear and go out without dangerIn this beautiful discourse Jesus alsospeaks of the gatekeeper whose taskis opening to the Good Shepherd (cf

Jn 102) If the gatekeeper hears theShepherdrsquos voice he opens and letsin all of the sheep that the Shepherdbrings all of them including thoselost in the wood whom the GoodShepherd went to get back Te sheepare not chosen by the gatekeeper theyare not chosen by the parish secretaryor parish administrator the sheepare all called they are chosen by theGood Shepherd Te gatekeepermdashhetoomdashobeys the Shepherdrsquos voiceTus we can well say that we must

be like that gatekeeper Te Churchis the gatekeeper of the house of theLord she is not the proprietor of theLordrsquos house

Te Holy Family of Nazareth knows jus t wha t an open or clo sed doormeans for those expecting a child forthose who have no shelter for those

who need to escape danger Chri stian

families make the threshold of their

homes a great sign of the Door ofthe mercy and welcome of God It isprecisely how the Church will have tobe recognized in every corner of theearth as the watchman of a God whoknocks as the welcome of a God whodoes not close the door in your face

with the excuse that you are not partof the household With this spirit letus approach the Jubilee there will bethe Holy Door but there is the doorof the great mercy of God May therealso be the door of our heart for all toreceive Godrsquos forgiveness and to givein our turn our forgiveness welcomingall those who knock at our door

Prayer of His HolinessPope Francis for the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy

LORD Jesus Christyou have taught us to be mer-

ciful like the heavenly Fatherand have told us that whoever

sees you sees HimShow us your face and we will

be saved Your loving gaze freed Zac-

chaeus and Matthew from beingenslaved by money

the adulteress and Magdalenefrom seeking happiness only increated things

made Peter weep after hisbetrayal

and assured Paradise to therepentant thief

Let us hear as if addressed toeach one of us the words thatyou spoke to the Samaritan

womanldquoIf you knew the gift of Godrdquo

You are the visible face of theinvisible Father

of the God who manifests hispower above all by forgivenessand mercy

let the Church be your visibleface in the world its Lord risenand glorified

You willed that your min-isters would also be clothedin weakness

in order that they mayfeel compassion for those inignorance and error

let everyone who ap-proaches them feel soughtafter loved and forgiven byGod

Send your Spirit and con-secrate every one of us withits anointing

so that the Jubilee of Mercymay be a year of grace fromthe Lord

and your Church withrenewed enthusiasm maybring good news to the poor

proclaim liberty to captivesand the oppressed

and restore sight to theblind

We ask this of you Lord Jesus through the interces-sion of Mary Mother of

Mercy you who live andreign with the Father and theHoly Spirit for ever and ever

Amen C N A

L rsquo O s s e r v a t o r e R o m a n o

Vatican City - April 11 2015 Cardinals gathered at St Peterrsquos Basilica on April 11 2015 during the Convocation of the Year of Mercy where Pope Francis publicly proclaimed

a Jubilee for Mercy which will begin December 8th and end in November 2016

The Holy Door unveiling at the Recognitio ceremony in St Peterrsquos Basilica on November 17 2015

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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B2 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25PASTORAL CONCERNS

C B C P N e

w s

Separation of Church and State lawsin the marriage of Catholics

By Fr Jaime B Achacoso JCD

I AM not a great fan of the so-calledseparation of Church and State as it

is often misunderstood as the juridicexpression of the laicist principle ofrelegating religion to the privatesphere As we had seen in a previ-ous article this was the brainchildof the French Revolution fruit ofthe prejudice against the CatholicChurch (since it was identified withthe abusive absolutist monarchiesin Europe at the time) but whichnevertheless had to be toleratedfor the sake of individual liberty Ihave always argued for the conceptof distinction between Church andState based on the fact that thesubjects of both jurisdictions are thesame people who are simultaneouslyfaithful of the Catholic Church andcitizens of the State Te State andthe Church are distinct jurisdictionsbut not separate and uncoordinated

One area of such distinctionhowever which can be considered asa veritable separation is the matter ofmatrimonial law

wo Separate Marriages heCanonical Marriage and the CivilMarriage

When a Filipino Catholic faith-ful gets married he effectively getsmarried under two separate juridicalsystems Church Law (or CanonLaw) and State Law (or the Civil Lawof the Republic of the Philippines)Each juridic system has its own set ofrequirements even if the civil law inthe Philippines regulates marriage ina way similar to Canon Law through

the Family Code of the PhilippinesIn fact the crafters of the FamilyCode got many of its provisions fromthe corresponding section of theCode of Canon Law of the CatholicChurch What most people do notrealize is that the papers signed at theend of the Catholic Wedding Massare in fact the Marriage Contract un-der the Republic of the Philippinesthe same contract which wouldhave been signed in the presence ofa solemnizing officer (the judge orhis equivalent) in the appropriategovernment office What happensis that the parish priest (or the priestto whom he delegates the functionof solemnizing the marriage) is depu-tized by the state to be a solemnizing

officer through a license which isexpedited by the National StatisticsOffice yearly In short the Catholicpriest is authorized by the Republicof the Philippines to solemnize thecivil marriage In other words thecivil marriage can be solemnized byeither a civil servant or a Catholicpriest with the license from the NSO

Insofar as the Canonical Marriageis concerned on the other handthe only paper work required is itsregistration in the Book of Marriages (Marriage Registry) in the parish

where it was celebrated as well as itsannotation in the Book of Baptisms (Baptismal Registry) in the parish

where the spouses were baptizedTere is no separate marriage cer-

tificate or marriage contract for thecanonical marriageTis fundamental juridic reality

has several consequences

A Purely Canonical Marriage only

has Purely Canonical Require-ments

When an already civilly-marriedcouple wish to contract a canonicalmarriagemdasheg when they want

to regularize their situation in theChurch in order to return to thereception of the Sacramentsmdashwhatis celebrated is just the canonicalmarriage without the correspond-ing civil marriage which had alreadybeen celebrated Hence the onlyrequirements for the solemnizingsacred minister are the requirementsstipulated by Canon Law in c1108mdashsect1 Only those marriages are validwhich are contracted in the presence ofthe local ordinary or the parish priest ora priest or deacon delegated by either ofthem who assists and in the presenceof two witnesses according to the rulesexpressed in the following canons (hellip)

mdashsect2 Te one assisting at a mar-riage is understood to be only that

person who present at the ceremonyasks for the contractantsrsquo manifestationof consent and receives it in the nameof the Church

As can be seen for this purelycanonical marriage the assistingsacred minister (the local ordinary orthe parish priest or another priest ordeacon delegated by either the localordinary or the parish priest) doesnot need the license from the State toact as solemnizing officer for the civilmarriage since such a marriage is not

being celebrated Tus the praxis inmany parishes of requiring the above-mentioned government license fromthe sacred minister in good canonicalstanding who has been duly delegated tosolemnize a purely canonical marriage

is not only improper but is an outrightinsult to the canonical order

Te So-called Secret Marriage A secret marriage is one that the lo-

cal ordinary permits to be celebratedin secret due to a grave and urgentcause (c1130) Tis involves carry-ing out the preliminary investigation(the canonical inquiry) in secret andhaving the local ordinary the official

witness (the local ordinary or theparish priest or any priestdeaconauthorized by them to solemnize themarriage) the common witnesses(the two other witnesses required bythe canonical form) and the spousesto maintain secrecy regarding theactual celebration of the marriage(c1131)

Tus there are two requirementsfor a secret marriage (1) authoriza-

tion from the local ordinary ofthe place where the marriage iscelebrated (2) a grave and urgent cause which must be assessed bythe ordinary

Te classic example of a grave andurgent cause appears in Benedict

XIVrsquos encyclical Satis vobis (17 XI1741) in the case of two persons who live together without havingbeen married canonically but who

were publicly considered husbandand wife Te gravity would stemfrom the fact that these personsmight be living in a habitual state

of sin (extramarital intercourse) orat least in a proximate occasion forsuch sin Te urgency might stemfrom other factors like unreasonableopposition from the partiesrsquo relativesfor the canonical marriage to take

place or some civil impediment forthe marriage to take place (eg apre-existing civil marriage) within areasonable period of time

Actual Filipino society presents

several scenarios(1) A couple civilly-married andstably living together in the Catholiccommunity which understandsthem to be husband and wife oregularize their situation in theChurch (to be able to return tothe Sacraments) they need to bemarried canonically but withoutdetriment to their good standingbefore the community which haderstwhile taken them to be canoni-cally married

(2) A couple stably living togetherin the Catholic community whichunderstands them to be husband and

wife but who have never been mar-

ried either canonically or civillymdashthelatter since there is an impediment incivil law for such a civil marriage totake place (eg an existing civil mar-riage of one or both of the parties thedeclaration of the nullity of which istaking too much time and expense)In this case they need to be marriedcanonically to regularize their situa-tion in the Church but cannot do socivilly yet because of the impedimentin civil law

(3) A couple one of whom hadbeen previously married civilly andcanonically and had obtained a

declaration of nullity of the canoni-cal marriage but have not been ableto get a similar declaration for thecivil marriage due to some reason(eg the high cost of the civil pro-cess) Te urgency to celebrate the

canonical marriage might be due tothe couplersquos already cohabitating anddesiring to regularize their situationin the Church and return to theSacraments Another reason could

be the couplersquos plan to immediatelymigrate to start a new life of goodstanding before the Church

(4) A couple of radically unequalsocial status or ethnic provenance

whose marriage is feared to resultin their permanent alienation fromtheir blood family or in disinheri-tance

(5) A widow who would lose her job or means of sustenance for herselfand her children should her marriagecome to public knowledge

In all of these scenarios the im-mediate celebration of the canonicalmarriage is warranted but whichcannot be divulged to the general

public or to the State either for thetime being or indefinitely

Documentation of a Purely Ca-nonical Marriage

Another consequence of theseparation of Church and State inmatrimonial law is the matter ofdocumentation Te documentationof the civil marriage is well knownthe marriage contractmdashexpeditedby the civil registrar signed by theparties the solemnizing officer (theauthorized sacred minister in thecase of a Church wedding) and the

witnessesmdashcopies of which are filedin the office of the civil registrar andin the parish office

As previously stated the canoni-cal marriage is simply noted in theBook of Marriages of the parish

where it was celebrated and in theBook of Baptisms in the respectiveparishes where the parties were bap-tized (which acts as the permanentrecord of their entire lifetime in the

Church)Of special interest in the presentsubject is the practice in some dio-ceses of filling out and signing thepro-forma Marriage Certificatemdash

with the heading of the Republicof the Philippinesmdashfrom the officeof the civil registrar even in the caseof a secret marriage albeit only forfiling in the secret archives of thediocese Not only is this a breach ofthe principle of distinction of Churchand State it might even be proof ofthe celebration of the secret marriageitself outside of Civil Law A betterpractice would be to make a Mar-riage Contract form specifically for

the Canonical Marriage only

Declaration of Nullity of a Canoni-cal Marriage

o conclude given the separa-tion of Canonical Law and CivilLaw the declaration of nullity of acanonical marriage does not auto-matically establish the nullity of thecorresponding civil marriage (andvise-versa) While the celebration of acanonical marriage normally has civileffectsmdashbecause the correspondingcivil marriage is also celebrated withthe sacred minister acting as an au-

thorized solemnizing officermdashthedeclaration of nullity in one forumdoes not carry with it a correspond-ing declaration of nullity in the otherforum wo separate processes mustbe carried out

Advent Wreaths and Incensing(Father Edward McNamara pro-

fessor of liturgy and dean of theologyat the Regina Apostolorum universityanswers the following query)

Q When incensing the altar atthe beginning of Mass should the

Advent wreath also be incensed inthe same way as the paschal candleduring the Easter season Whatabout a Nativity scene (during theChristmas season) -- D LeuvenBelgium

A Te rules regarding incensingare mostly found in the missal andthe Ceremonial of Bishops heintroduction to the missal says

ldquoIncensationldquo276 Turification or incensa-

tion is an expression of reverenceand of prayer as is signified in Sa-cred Scripture (cf Ps 140 [141]2Rev 83)

ldquoIncense may be used if desiredin any form of Mass

ldquoa during the Entrance proces-

sion

ldquob at the beginning of Mass to in-cense the cross and the altar

ldquoc at the Gospel procession and theproclamation of the Gospel itself

ldquod after the bread and the chalicehave been placed upon the altar toincense the offerings the cross and the

altar as well as the priest and the peopleldquoe at the showing of the host and the

chalice after the consecrationldquo277 Te priest having put incense

into the thurible blesses it with the Signof the Cross without saying anything

ldquoBefore and after an incensation aprofound bow is made to the person orobject that is incensed except for theincensation of the altar and the offeringsfor the Sacrifice of the Mass

ldquohe following are incensed withthree swings of the thurible the MostBlessed Sacrament a relic of the HolyCross and images of the Lord exposedfor public veneration the offerings forthe Sacrifice of the Mass the altar crossthe Book of the Gospels the PaschalCandle the priest and the people

ldquoTe following are incensed with two

swings of the thurible relics and imagesof the Saints exposed for public venera-tion which should be done howeveronly at the beginning of the celebrationafter the incensation of the altar

ldquohe altar is incensed with singleswings of the thurible in this way

ldquoa if the altar is freestanding withrespect to the wall the priest incenses

walking around itldquob if the altar is not freestanding the

priest incenses it while walking first tothe right hand side then to the left

ldquoTe cross if situated on or near thealtar is incensed by the priest before heincenses the altar otherwise he incensesit when he passes in front of it

ldquohe priest incenses the offerings with three swings of the thurible or bymaking the sign of the cross over theofferings with the thurible before goingon to incense the cross and the altarrdquo

Although there is a rite of blessingfor the Advent wreath in the AmericanBook of Blessings there is no mentionof incensing the wreath Tis blessing is

proper to the United States and is absent

from the official Book of Blessings incountries such as Italy

It must therefore be concluded thatthe Advent wreath is not incensed inthe manner of the paschal candle It isneither a relic nor an image and is morean expression of popular piety than a

liturgical object per seTe paschal candle receives special

veneration because it is a traditional andancient symbol of the risen Christ Onecould argue that in a way the wreath isa symbol of the coming Christ but we

would still be before a relatively recentcustom and one which is not presentin the universal Church Its not beingincensed does not lessen in any way theusefulness of the wreath in fostering aspiritual preparation for Christmas

A Nativity scene or at least an imageof the Child Jesus set up in the sanc-tuary could enter into the category ofldquoimages of the Saints exposed for publicvenerationrdquo mentioned above in No277 and hence be incensed

It should be remembered however

that several Church guidelines advise

against setting up the Nativity inthe sanctuary itself and above all itshould never be an obstacle to thedignified celebration of the liturgi-cal celebrations For example theUS bishopsrsquo conference says in thedocument ldquoBuilt of Living Stonesrdquo

ldquosect 124 sect Plans for seasonal deco-rations should include other areasbesides the sanctuary Decorationsare intended to draw people to thetrue nature of the mystery beingcelebrated rather than being endsin themselves Natural flowersplants wreaths and fabric hangingsand other seasonal objects can bearranged to enhance the primaryliturgical points of focus Te altarshould remain clear and free-stand-ing not walled in by massive floraldisplays or the Christmas crib andpathways in the narthex nave andsanctuary should remain clearrdquo

If as is common in many church-es the Nativity scene is outside thesanctuary area there is no need to

leave the sanctuary to incense it

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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B3CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25 FEATURES

Three Macro-Challenges for the Church in the lsquoYear of MercyrsquoBy Abp Antonio J Ledesma SJ

HE last two months of this year 2015 havebrought to the fore three macro-challenges forCivil Society and the Church in the Philippinestoday Tey are challenges on a macro scalebecause no single organization nor group ofindividuals can adequately address the various

issues that are emerging Tey are also macrobecause these issues affect millions of peopleor in some cases the entire world Indeed theneed for consensus-building on a national orglobal level has been felt Tis should be basedon ethical-moral principles and shared valuesthat go beyond cultural religious and socio-economic barriers In particular the CatholicChurch plays a significant role in Philippinesociety in addressing these macro issues

I Climate ChangeOn a global scale Climate Change will

be the pressing issue at the 21st Conferenceof Partners (COP 21) on the environmentPope Francisrsquo recent encyclical Laudato Si

has opened wide the doors for scientists andreligious leaders to enter into serious dialogueover issues such as global warming and thesearch for alternative sources of energy Insteadof viewing the environment or nature simplyas an object to be exploited Pope Francis pres-ents the Christian vision of Godrsquos handiworkldquoCreation can only be understood as a gift from

the outstretched hand of the Father of all andas a reality illuminated by the love which callsus together into universal communionrdquo (LS76) He also points out the intimate connectionbetween the ecological approach and the socialapproach ldquoso as to hear both the cry of the earth

and the cry of the poorrdquo (LS 49)Here in Cagayan de Oro we have joined

other dioceses in a Global Climate SolidarityMarch for the Environment On Nov 28advocates for protecting the environmentconverged at the Divisoria from four starting-points to join the voices of the world-wideCatholic Climate Movement at the startof COP 21 in Paris Te archdiocese alsocontinues its participation in the Cagayande Oro River Basin Management Council(CDORBMC) to protect the watershed areasand downstream communities of the Cagayande Oro river system

II Bangsamoro Basic Law A second macro challenge is the continuing

quest for a just and lasting peace in MindanaoTe draft Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) has

been altered in the committee sessions of bothhouses of Congress A version called the Basic

Law for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region(BLBAR) has come out from the Committeeof the House of Representatives Moreover thecommittee report in the Senate has providedanother set of amendments With the resur-gence of biases and prejudices after the Ma-masapano incident the final outcome for thepassage of the various drafts of the BangsamoroBasic Law is not clear

Seen from a wider perspective the letterof the Catholic Bishopsrsquo Conference of thePhilippines (CBCP) in July 2015 stated ldquoOnour part viewing the issues from a moral angle

we do not want a BBL that does not effectivelyaddress the root causes of social injusticerdquo Tisechoes the view of the surviving members ofthe Constitutional Convention of 1987 thatthe Constitution focuses primarily on the spiritof Social Justice Te Citizensrsquo Peace Councilnoted that the BBL is ldquoan act of Social Justiceand Reparation to the peoples of MuslimMindanao to rectify all the injustices inflictedupon them in the pastrdquo

Over the past three months I have helpedconvene consultations among religious and

civil society leaders in Cagayan de Oro andManila to discuss the BBL issue With someclarifications practically everyone saw the needfor a meaningful basic law for a sustainablepeace in Mindanao On Nov 26 in Cagayande Oro we started the Mindanao Week ofPeace with a multi-sectoral march rally Tis

was organized by the Inter-faith Forum for

Peace Harmony and Solidarity Te theme was ldquoMindanaoansrsquo Aspirations for PeaceKalinaw sa Dios ndash Kinaiyahan ndash KatawhanrdquoRegardless of the outcome of the BBLBLBARissue in Congress all of us should continue toengage in intra- and inter-religious dialogue

Our biases and preconceived notions of othercultures and religions are the main obstaclesto lasting peace in Mindanao and the rest ofthe country

III Good Governance A third macro-challenge in the Philippines

context is the coming elections in May 2016 Already the campaign period has started andvarious political personalities and parties havefiled their candidacies Good governancemdash

with its antithesis corruptionmdashis once morea critical factor to consider for every voter In

January 2010 before the last presidential elec-tions the CBCP made three calls to voters(1) o form circles of discernment (2) For thelaity to exercise their right and duty to supportcandidates who are qualified and committed to

public service and (3) o engage in principledpartisan politics Voting for candidates with a

track record of good governance is the mosteffective way of stamping out a culture ofcorruption In an address to the International

Assembly of Penal Law Pope Francis pointsout emphatically ldquoCorruption is a process ofdeath more evil than sin ndash an evil that insteadof being forgiven must be curedrdquo

On Nov 7 the archdiocese sponsored aMarch rally for CHAMPmdashClean Honest

Accurate Meaningful and Peaceful electionsTis was well attended by various sectorsTere were calls against votemdashbuying po-litical dynasties and the conduct of patronagepolitics Te city itself has had its share ofdivisive party politics in the non-disbursementof the budget for vital basic services and morerecently in the controversy over the post ofCity Mayor

Despite these internal conflicts amongelected officials it is good to keep in mind PopeFrancisrsquo own exhortation ldquoPolitics thoughoften denigrated remains a lofty vocation andone of the highest forms of charity inasmuchas it seeks the common goodrdquo (EG 205)

IV A Year of Mercy Despite the Holy Fatherrsquos blunt words on theevil of corruption he has called for an Extraor-dinary Jubilee of Mercy starting on December8 2015 ldquoJesus Christ is the face of the Fatherrsquosmercyrdquo Tis opening statement provides thetitle of Pope Francisrsquo Bull of Indiction Miseri-cordiae Vultus He goes on to say that Mercy

is ldquothe bridge that connects God and manrdquo Itis also ldquothe fundamental law that dwells in theheart of every person who looks sincerely intothe eyes of his brothers and sisters on the pathof liferdquo (MV 2)

On Nov 3-5 our Archdiocesan Pastoral

Assembly brought together more than 450delegates from 64 parishes Tis was the cul-mination of the Appreciative Inquiry processthat was carried out in most parishes down tothe kapilya community level over the past sixmonths

What was most noteworthy was the prepon-derance of lifemdashgiving pastoral experiences interms of prayerfulness and also of service toothers Tese two characteristics and sharedvalues can just as well point the directions wecan take during this jubilee year of mercy

Tis perhaps is the perspective we can adoptin confronting the macro-challenges beforeusmdashto first bend our knees in prayer and to bemerciful like the Father especially for the poorand marginalized in addressing socio-economicand political issues to work for ecological andsocial justice and to bring about Godrsquos mercy

by rectifying deeplyndashrooted biases and injusticesin Philippine society today

A r c h d i o c e s e o f C a g a y a n d e O r o

Pinoy in RomeCountdown to the

Jubilee Yearof Mercy

By Robert Z Cortes

HE Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy announced by PopeFrancis around Holy Week this year is finally starting onDecember 8 the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception

just a couple of days from now Tat this special event in theChurchrsquos history begins on that date is of course no accidentTis Popersquos devotion to Mary shown publicly every timehe passes by St Mary Major before any major trip abroadshould have made that choice almost predictable Howeveraside from human choices one ought to consider above allthe guidance of Providence whose will it is that the most

important events in the Church happen under the mantle ofMary Mother of the Church and Mother of MercySo the idea

to p repareproximatelyfor the Jubilee

Year of Mercyby making anovena to theImmaculateConceptionmade a lot ofsense to me

And being inRome thecity that argu-ably no placein the worldcan match

in terms ofthe qualityand quantityof sacred artp r e s e n t Itook advan-tage to do thefollowing Fornine daysmdashi n c l u d i n gthe Solem-nity hencet h e t e r mldquonovenardquomdashI

was going tovisit an im-age of OurLady vener-ated in vari-ous churchesaround thec i t y B u t

which church-es though

Given the

multitude of beautiful and historic churches in Rome itseemed the best way to approach this project was simply tobe led by Providence Tis approach is not ldquoto be too mysti-cal about itrdquo asI learned quite recently from of all peoplea non-Catholic ethics professor in a very secular Americanuniversity whom I interviewed a couple of months ago Hisdefense is that ldquothere still is another dimension in terms ofa holistic being in which our reason and our spirit and ouremotions are an integrated wholehellip So you listen to thevoice of the spiritrdquoTis was actually good ecumenical adviceto which my experience in the following days would attest

Tese experiences culled from my journal of these novenadays are actually Church history lessons devotional tour-guiding tips and philosophizing all rolled into one I sharethem seeing that they can serve some purpose however onemay be preparing for the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy

Our Lady of the Sacred Hear in SantrsquoAndreadella Valle Yesterday November 30 was the beginning of the novenato the Immaculate Conception It also happened to be thefeast of St Andrew Now at the other end of the street wheremy university is happens to be a huge looming basilicadedicated to Saint Andrew with the name ldquoSantrsquoAndreadellaValle rdquo People with very limited time in Rome usually donrsquothave time to visit this magnificent church but really nexttime you come you should Tis church was actually builtby the very same people involved in the building of St Peterrsquosand used this as their ldquopracticerdquo church people like Giacomodella Porta and Carlo Maderno Te fountain in the squarefronting the church is Madernorsquos

Te paintings and the frescoes inside are even more breath-taking Te dome and the ceiling are one of the best thereis in Rome - and perhaps in Christendom Since it was thefeast of St Andrew precisely I decided to do my prayer rightthere before the huge fresco of the crucifixion of St AndrewI did my rosary in one of the side chapels dedicated to Our

Countdown B6

What was behind

that inconspicuous

door Actually a

small but amazinglybeautiful jewel of

a church

A recent rally against climate change and environmental degradation

The Sant Agnese view from the South Plazza Navona

Sant Agnesersquo double Holy Family

An Interfaith Walk for Peace held on Nov 26 2015

R o b e r t Z C

o r t e s

R o b e r t Z C

o r t e s

A

r c h d i o c e s e o f C a g a y a n d e O r o

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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B4 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

By S M Evangeline A Madayag OSB

HE urgency of protecting ldquo OurCommon Homerdquo is much given em-phasis by our Holy Father Pope Fran-cis Much heat drought and differencein the weather and climate is muchfelt Many kinds of sicknesses are alsoattacking especially the poor who lacknourishment due to having no foodsecurity One can really feel the differ-ence of being in a polluted city fromthe simple rural setting where there arestill enough trees providing clean airTe other week I and my communityof Sisters together with two visitingSisters were able to enjoy the beautifulbeach of San Isidro Davao OrientalI salute Mayor ina Yu and all the of-ficers of the Municipality of San Isidrofor really defending their stand for a

ldquoNo o Mining in San IsidrordquoI wish that would also be true for the

whole province of Davao Oriental It issad that some barangays and munici-palities who make resolutions to allowmining only consider themselves as theonly ones with rights to allow miningobviously setting aside the possibleharms effect on the people and theenvironment especially to the nextgeneration We have experienced the

effect of the haze brought about theforest fire of Indonesia a true evidencethat we are all affected all around the

world of what happens in a certain partof the world As Joey Ayala reminds usin his song ldquo Ang Lahat ng Bagay ayMagka-ugnayrdquo

Just last year (July 1 2014) SenatorLoren Legarda visited our province (Davao Oriental) and congratulated theprovince for its stand on the protec-tion of our natural resources especiallyciting Mt Hamiguitan a UNESCO

World Heritage site What a heri tage what a treasure

Yet what is real ly happeni ng inDavao Oriental Even our priests inthe Diocese of Mati are alarmed onthe ldquo proliferation of alleged mining

activities in the province of Davao

Oriental particularly in the followingareas (1) Brgy Old Macopa Manay(2) Brgy iblawan Governor Gen-eroso (3) Barangay Causwagan andMaputi Banaybanay (4) BarangayDapnan and Lambajon Bagangga (5)Barangay Calapagan Lupon (excerptsfrom the letter of Rev Fr Edito SBantildeo DCM Apostolic Adminstratorof Mati to the DENR National OfficeSeptember 10 2015 He made anotherletter to the DENR on October 222015 to includeMacambol ( Magumand Salingcomot) as a concern

With much prayers for awakenings

re-awakenings and miracles to hap-pen we make this petition

A PEIION FOR HE SOP-PAGE AND REJECION OF HEIMPENDING ISSUANCE OF MIN-ING PERMI FOR AUSRAL-ASIALINK MINING CORPORAION

AND HALLMARK MINING COR-PORAION BOH UNDER HECORPORAE ORGANIZAIONOF ASIAICUS MANAGEMENCORPORAION (AMCOR) AMAGUM PUJADA BAY AND SAL-INGCOMO MAI CIY PROV-

INCE OF DAVAO ORIENAL

We the farmers fisherfolks Churchpeople youth professionals businesspeople of Davao Oriental Provincetogether with our national and inter-national supporters hereby urge MrRamon JP Paje DENR SecretaryNO O ISSUE ANY MININGPERMI to AUSRAL-ASIA LINKMINING CORPORAION ANDHALLMARK MINING CORPORA-ION both under the CORPORAEORGANIZAION OF ASIAICUSMANAGEMEN CORPORAION(AMCOR) for its mining operation in

Magum Pujada Bay and Salingcomot

Mati City Province of Davao Oriental We also demand that their mining

equipments be pulled out from themining site Macambol ldquoLodgedbetween two protected areasmdashthePujada Bay Protected Seascape (andLandscape) and Mt HamiguitanRange proclaimed wildlife sanctu-ary (Republic Act No 9303 July 302004)rdquo and as a UNESCO WorldHeritage Site at the 38th Session ofthe World Heritage Committee ( June15-24 2014 Doha State of Qatar) is not the most logical site for large-scale nickel laterite mining project (October 212009 in Environment Food Security Sensitive EcosystemsTe Philippines)

Ac co rd in g to th e st ud y pu b-lished by httpbhpbillitonwatchnet20091021pujada-hallmark-nickel-laterite-project-profile ldquo some4778 hectares of mining permitsoverlap with five major drainagesystems and watersheds which eitherdrain towards Pujada Bay or the DavaoGulf Tese bodies of freshwater arethe main water supplies for the com-munities living within and around thearea and the bays host endangeredspecies such as dugongs (sea cows)sea turtles and stingrays Te forestof Macambol is a watershed area

Additi ona lly the Puja da reg ion issituated on the ldquoPacificndashCordillerardquofault line wo branches of the activePhilippine fault flank the watershedon the southwest and southeast of theproject area which has been subjectto intense seismic activities Te 2008report ldquoPhilippines Mining or Foodrdquorecommended that no mining shouldtake place on Mount Hamiguitan ornear Pujada Bay which are centres ofbiodiversity with high ecotourismpotential Under these conditions itmay be almost impossible to minethe area ldquo (httpbhpbillitonwatchnet20091021pujada-hallmark-nickel-laterite-project-profile)

In his ENCYCLICAL LEERLAUDAO SIrsquo Our Holy Father

all processes addressing climateand disaster risks especially afterthe province experienced the

wrath of yphoon Yolanda lastNovember 8 2013

He also mentioned how theimpact of climate change cutsacross all sectors regardless of gen-der culture economic or politicalstature with the poor sufferingthe greatest impact

ldquoTerefore a plan of actionto address climate and disasterrisks must be undertaken using

PASTORAL CONCERNS

Home B7

IN solidarity with the on-goingClimate Conference in Paris the

Archdiocese of Palo Relief andRehabilitation Unit (Caritas Palo)together with at least 200 lsquoYolan-darsquo survivors signed a Declarationsupporting Climate Change andCommunity-Managed DisasterRisk Reduction in Palo Leyteon uesday

In a statement Caritas PaloDirector Fr Al Cris Badana citedhow important it is for membersof the communities to be part of

community-managed disasterrisk reduction (CMDRR) as thestrategyrdquo Badana added

Also present during the commit-ment signing are representativesfrom various church groups andgovernment agencies such as theProvincial Government of LeyteDepartment of Social Welfare andDevelopment Department ofInterior and Local GovernmentProvincial Disaster Risk Reductionand Management Office and theOffice of the Civil Defense

Aside from the declaration sign-ing the lsquoYolandarsquo survivors from15 communities in the townsof Palo Santa Fe AlangalangMayorga Dulag and MacArthureach gave a presentation of howtheir communities are presentlyengaged in community-manageddisaster risk reduction (CMDRR)measures and systems

Tere was also a mini exhibitof the organic products producedby lsquoYolandarsquo survivors to show itssupport for sustainable agricul-

ture which is part of the climatechange action

After the devastation of y-phoon Yolanda the RomanCatholic Church of the Archdio-cese of Palo through Caritas Paloand NASSACaritas Philippineshelped Yolanda-affected commu-nities in Leyte to craft their ownresiliency and contingency plans

which were already adopted bytheir barangays As of today Cari-tas Palo has invested P150 millionto build resilient communities

Te said communities also in-stalled early warning systems andevacuation plans which resultedin zero casualties and minimaldamages during the onslaughtof yphoon Ruby the strongesttyphoon in 2014

It can be recalled that the re-cent encyclical of Pope FrancisLaudato Si highlighted the ad-

verse impacts of climate changeon the poor and most vulnerableand the scale of the climate crisis(NASSA Features)

Protecting Our Common Home

Church lsquoYolandarsquo survivors in Leyte signClimate Change Declaration

N A S S A C a r i t a s P h i l i p p i n e s

C B C P N e w s

N A S S A C a r i t a s P h i l i p p i n e s

N A

S S A C a r i t a s P h i l i p p i n e s

lsquoYolandarsquo survivors together with representatives from the Archdiocese of Palo Relief and Rehabilitation Unit (Caritas Palo) signedthe Caritas Declaration on Climate Change in solidarity with the on-going Paris Climate Talks

The Archdiocese of Palo Relief and Rehabilitation Unit (Caritas Palo) displayed the organic products produced bylsquoYolandarsquo survivorsin Leyte which is part of its climate change action

Members of the New Dampigan Womenrsquos Association happily beam and show off the eggs they harvested

Women in actionONE women to explore their otherpotentials

Tis is the story of the women in thetown of New Dampigan in Samar prov-ince who found a new hobby a passionand source of livelihood all at the sametime hey are the New Dampigan

Womenrsquos Association who are engagedin poultry raising

It all started when the DiocesanSocial Action Center of Calbayog gavethe group a total of 500 ducks as partof its livelihood program for yphoonHaiyan survivors

Te group is composed of 21 mem-bers all of them women Tey raiseducks and sell its eggs salted and freshalike to the nearby towns of Sta Ritaand Basey o produce salted eggs they

preserve it for 15 to 18 daysBut it wasnrsquot all easy going especially

at first When another yphoon Hagu-pit locally known as Ruby hit the townlast December some of their ducks diedfrom the storm Tey almost lose hopeBut luckily they did not Instead the

women sticked together and took careof the remaining ducks

Now the women are the more thanhappy and contented of the productof their pure hardwork and ingenuitySeveral weeks after the onslaught ofHagupit the women are once againback in track

Currently they are harvesting 700 upto 1000 eggs every week Tey are alsofocused on marketing their products tonearby towns which they do throughthe support and trainings providedby the social action center Yes they

are truly women in action (NASSAFeatures)

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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B5CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

life and refreshment from her waterrdquo (Laudato Si2)

Since climate is a commongood it is but right to be involved

in the discussion of climatechange especially that it is nowdestructive not only to proper-ties to but also to lives Accord-ingly the world is on the brink ofbecoming an arid wasteland dueto lsquounchecked human activitiesrsquo

We are living witnesses of thedestruction brought about by

weather changes and the effectsto health by carbon emissionshe calamities that claimedthousands of lives these pastyears and months are enoughproof to awaken in us a commit-ment to safeguard creation andhelp mitigate their effects

Pope Francis seeing the ur-gency of action in dealing with

environmental crisis points outthe use of highly polluting fossil

STATEMENTS

Statement on Coal Mining and Coal Power Plant

Final Statement of the 6th Bishopsrsquo Institute forInterreligious Affairs

Mayor Duterte

Asian celebration of the 50 th anniversary of Nostra Aetate

FABC Office of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs

Redemptorist Center Pattaya Thailand

November 16-20 2015

WE the one hundred sixty-six(166) delegates of the 40thDOPIM Bishops-Clergy Con-vention unanimously expressour serious concern on theoperation of coal mining andcoal power plant that triggersapprehension among our peopleand poses environment threat inthe provinces where such facilityis being established

With faith in the Lord of Cre-ation we want to heed the callof Pope Francis in his encyclicalLaudato Si that urges us all tocare for the earth as our commonhome Citing St Francis of As-sisi the Holy Father persuadesus to treat our common homelike our sister

However knowing the realityof our destructive attitude andactivities towards her the Pope

writes that ldquoTe6 sister now criesout to us because of the harm

we have inflicted on her by ourirresponsible use and abuse ofthe goods with which God hasendowed her We have come toseeeuro ourselves as her lords andmasters entitled to plunder herat will Te violence present inour hearts wounded by sin isalso reflected in the symptomsof sickness evident in the soilin the water in the air and inall forms of life his is whythe earth herself burdened andlaid waste is among the mostabandoned and maltreated ofour poor she lsquogroans in travailrsquo(Rom 822) We have forgottenthat we ourselves are dust of theearth (cf Gen 27) our very bod-

ies are made up of her elements we breathe her air and we receive

fuels ndash especially coal to be pro-gressively replaced without delay(Cf Laudato Si 165) We can-not simply sit idly while seeing

the unfolding of horrific eventsresulted by so called technologi-cal progress at the expense of na-ture Instead we recommend theuse of renewable energy whichis of course not harmful to theenvironment and to humans

As Bishops of the Diocesesof Dipolog Ozamis PagadianIligan and Marawi (DOPIM)

which comprise the civil prov-inces of Zamboanga del NorteMisamis Occidental Zamboan-ga del Sur Lanao del Norte andLanao del Sur we completelyoppose the operation of coalmining and coal power plantsmost especially within the afore-mentioned provinces We do this

not only because of our humanresponsibility but as a call intrin-

sic to our Christian faith We he re by ur ge al l co n-

cernedmdashboth the coal industryand the governmentmdashin thename of our Lord Jesus Christ tohave the same concern We alsocall the faithful and all people ofgood will be vigilant at all timesand in all places because ourcommon home is in danger ofdevastation We will not allowourselves to arrive at the pointof no return

May God hear us and come todefend the beautiful creation Hehas entrusted to us May Marythe Queen of all creation coverus with her mantle of maternalcare

Formulated during the 40thDOPIM Bihops-Clergy Con-vention on November 11 2015at the Diocesan Pastoral CenterDel Carmen Iligan City

Most Rev Severo C CaermareDDBishop of Dipolog

Most Rev Elenito R GalidoDDBishop of Iligan

Most Rev Emmanuel CabajarCSsR DDBishop of Pagadian

Most Rev Edwin A dela PentildeaMSP DDBishop-Prelate of Marawi

Most Rev Jesus A DosadoCM DD

Metropolitan Archbishop ofOzamiz

WHA the world desperately needs now is leadership byexample We have so many leaders in office and many moreaspiring to sit in office but are they examples of good citizen-ship If the leaders we choose are to be leaders for nationalprogress they must be visionaries AND exemplary

Corruption is indeed a great scourge of Philippine politics

Te usual face of corruption that we recognize easily is stealingfrom public funds Corruption like a monster is a devil withmany faces Killing people is corruption Killing is a crime anda sin whether it is done by criminals or public officials no mat-ter what the intention Adultery is corruption It makes marriedlove cheap and uses people for pleasure Adultery corrupts thefamily it destroys children and victimizes the weak Vulgarity iscorruption When we find vulgarity funny we have really becomebeastly and barbaric as a people When a revered and loved andadmired man like Pope Francis is cursed by a political candidateand the audience laugh I can only bow my head and grieve ingreat shame My countrymen has gone to the dregs

Is this the leadership by example that Mayor Duterte excitesin us Is this the leadership by example that makes a publicofficial deserving of the title ldquoHonorablerdquo

+SOCRAES VILLEGAS

Archbishop of Lingayen-DagupanCBCP PresidentDecember 1 2015

F i l e p h o t o

V i n c e n t G o

Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte

1 It is by Godrsquos grace andprovidence that we 87 par-ticipants in the Sixth BishopsrsquoInstitute for Interreligious Af-fairs (BIRA VI) from 17 dif-ferent countries have come tocelebrate the 50th anniversaryof Nostra aetate in our Asiancontext and in our time Weare grateful for the funding wereceived from Missio Aachenthat helped make this gather-ing possible

2 In this grace-filled gather-ing we have worked togetheras the Church in Asia retracing

our steps along the path of dia-logue praying reflecting andsharing our experiences andthoughts on the questions of

what we ha ve done so far and what we need to do fur ther forinterreligious dialogue in Asia

3 We recognize that Nostra Aet at e is sti ll ins pir ing andchallenging us to realize thevision of the Church as thepeople of God in dialogue inour time facing the interde-pendent reality of the com-plex and diverse influences ofglobalized socio-economic-cultural-political structures

we rea ffi rm the strong needof the ldquotriple dialoguerdquo with

the poor cultures and reli-gions in a journey towards theKingdom of justice peace andecological harmony

4 hrough our experienceof dialogue and action forthe last five decades we havelearned that interreligiousdialogue is not only to be aspecific pastoral strategy ofthe Church but rather an

Asian vis ion of the ChurchIt is a Church that proclaimsthe values of the Kingdom

without fear in dialogi cal col-laboration (partnership) withthe people of other religions

5 Struggling against anykind of fundamentalism ter-rorism and proselytism theChurch in Asia is called to

work toget her with other s asco-pilgrims In protecting thepoor and the environmentthrough our interreligious net-

work we are n ot do ing socia l work together but bui ldi ng

a mystical union of GodrsquosKingdom as inter-dependentbeings (in the harmony of ourrelationship with one anotherand with all creation)

6 he Church in Asia con-

firms that we cannot engage with other s in a real dialogue without having a clear ident ityof who we are and constantlygrowing in our own faith Inthe pluralistic contexts of Asiathe Church as a ldquolittle flockrdquois called to learn a kenotic(self-emptying) spirit of loveand service from Jesus ChristIt is through our humble andopen-minded approach thatreal trust and mutual under-standing with others can beestablished We are aware ofthe importance of grassrootsinterreligious dialogue whichusually starts from inter-per-sonal friendship and grows tocommunal action for justiceand peace

7 he Church in Asia takesseriously the challenges oftoday for all religions variousconflicts and violence massive

poverty and global inequalitythe increasing numbers ofrefugees and migrants pollu-tion and environmental crisiscorruption and moral degrada-tion human trafficking and

the breakdown of social cohe-sion terrorism and all formsof fundamentalism

8 One of the most urgentchallenges in Asia is to pro-claim Jesus Chri st as the Way

the ruth and the Life whileacknowledging and respecting

what is ldquotrue and holy in otherreligionsrdquo (Nostra AetateNo 2) As a community ofdisciples we give witness to

Jes us through our pe rs onaland communal l ifestyle oflove in three interconnected

way s sil enc e pre sence andstory-telling In an existentialsilence we empty ourselvesand listen deeply to the voicesof the other without judging

wi th a lov ing hear t In thedepth of our silence we are

aware of Jesusrsquo presence amongus which is inspiring our jour-ney of interreligious dialogueand action for transformingthe world It is by telling ourown story of transformationthrough Jesus as individualpersons and as communitiesthat the globalized culture ofindifference and greedy con-sumerism is to be transformedinto the gospel-culture of soli-darity and sharing

9 In our common journey with other s we Chri stians in Asia re cognize the importanceof basic human communitiesat the grassroots level wherethe dialogue of life and actionis going on especially together

with th e indigenous people Itis through these basic humancommunities that the Churchin Asia learns the holistic

world view and the sacred cos-mic spirituality which awakeus to take care of ldquoour com-mon homerdquo We are called togo beyond our comfort zoneand to develop a new narrativeof dialogue coming from ourcommon experience with thehope of rediscovering the har-monious relationship betweenhumanity cosmos and God forthe future generation

10 We commit ourselvesmore passionately to inter-religious dialogue in Asia indifferent ways for example

bull o develop local interreli-gious dialogue and action inthe grassroots communities

bull o organize formationprograms for interreligiousdialogue within the Catholiccommunity

bull (eg Seminaries religioushouses of formation and forthe laity)

bull o promote intra-dialoguebetween Christian churchesand within Catholic institu-tions

bull o support dialogue ac-tivities and forums (eg UNInterfaith Harmony Week)

bull o advocate i nterreligiousdialogue and action in thepublic sphere and cyberspace

bull o provide adequ ate prep-aration and pastoral care to theinterreligious family

11 After these days of re-flection and sharing of ourexperiences of and insightson interreligious dialogue inthe light of Nostra Aetateguided by the Holy Spirit

we ha ve com e to re ali ze againthe importance of opennesstowards the people of otherreligions and the indispens-able role of witness to theKingdom of God ever grow-

ing in the heart of As ianpeople hrough our sincerecommitment to dialogueldquoJesus Christ will be bet -ter known recognized andlovedrdquo (PCID Dialogue inruth and Charity No 39)

F a c e b o o k

F a c e b o o k

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B6 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

completion In this way the miracle ofthe Incarnation took place with theBlessed rinity taking the initiativeand Mary responding freely and gen-erously to the Spiritrsquos action in her

It is in response to the lead of theSpirit that Mary set out for Elizabethrsquoshouse to share with her relative theldquoGood Newsrdquo she was carrying withinher

Like mankind before Mary andChrist we too may have a bad re-cord when it comes to ldquobeing open toGodrdquo We may not be any better than

Adam and Eve or the people before theFlood (see Gn 65-6) or the builders ofthe ower of Babel (See Gn 113-4)

Tis Advent in the Year of Faith isfor all of us an opportunity to evalu-ate our standing in this respect and totake appropriate action If we decideto imitate Mary and Elizabeth in theiropenness to the Spirit we may be sure

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

HE times of John the Baptist were bad characterized as they were by selfishness greed prideaggressiveness oppression of the

weak Tis can be gatheredfrom the answers he gave tothose who had been struck byhis preaching and asked ldquoWhatought we to dordquo Johnrsquos strongly

worded call to conversion was

amply justified All needed toundergo a ldquometanoiardquo a changeof mind and attitude in order toenter the Reign of God

Te situation does not seemto have changed much since thetime of John the Baptist We livein a society plagued with the samemoral defects and vices People arestill greedy selfish aggressive

And of course the temptation isalways to see these moral failuresin others

In many cases it may be truethat there is so much evil aroundus But it is equally true that wetoo are not perfect here isevil in us too We fail morallyalmost every day and in various

ways We too need to undergoa ldquometanoiardquo a radical conver-sion ldquoRadicalrdquo here means that it

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

WE all experience the dif-ference that physical dark-ness or light produces inus Darkness makes us feeluneasy even anxious andafraid Light gives us a senseof security It enables us torealize where we are and

what to do

his is why the Bibli-cal creation story tells usthat ldquoIn the beginningrdquo (ie when nothing existedexcept God) ldquodarkness cov-ered the abyssrdquo Ten Godsaid ldquoLet there be lightrdquo And there was light Godsaw how good the lightwas rdquo (Gn 14a) Tepresence of light enabledGod to proceed with the

work of creation with allits wonders and poten-tials and thereby conquerthe darkness of chaos andmeaninglessness

should not stop at the individualactions but has to affect our at-titudes and set of values ie thevery root of our actions Tereshouldnrsquot be the least doubt so-ciety will start changing for thebetter the very moment we beginto improve

Advent and the special obser-vances for this year (Extraordinary

Jubilee Year of Mercy Year of theEucharist and of the Family) areinvaluable opportunities for us

to start or resume moving in theright direction Like those whoapproached John we should ask ldquoWhat are we to dordquo Te answersmay be as many as there are personalmoral situations but a ldquocommondenominatorrdquo easily applies to allOur fundamental attitude has gotto be one of openness availabilityand goodwill

Te first requirement is ldquoopen-ness to Godrdquo in grateful love andexpectation in prayer of ldquopetitionand thanksgivingrdquo (see Phil 46)mdashfor the Lord is coming to dwell inour midst and to be our ldquomightySaviorrdquo (See First Reading v 17)

Te second basic requirementis ldquoopenness to peoplerdquo hismeans readiness to share ourgoods generously with the lessfortunate (see Lk 311) to be fair

But aside from physical lightand darkness there are otherforms of these two oppositerealities in the intellectualemotional moral and spiri-tual domains In the JudeanChristian revelation light isassociated and even identifiedwith God while darkness is as-sociated and identified with sinand evil St John the Evangelistproclaims ldquoGOD IS LIGHrdquo(1 Jn 15) Consequently a lifelived without God is darknessmdashthe darkness of sin and hell (See

John 319-21) No wonder thenthat the Incarnation of GodrsquosSon is compared to the comingof light to earth (See Jn 15 and1246)

And this is precisely what wecommemorate and celebrate atChristmas the coming of thelight of Godrsquos holiness andgoodness to fight and defeatthe darkness of evil in all itsforms

In the extraordinary andunique event of the Incarna-

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

MANKIND has had a bad record fromthe very beginning of its historymdashthecriminal record of shutting God outof its plans and life Such an attitudehad few exceptions in Abram Mosesthe prophets And even those ex-ceptions were not always 100 clearIt was only with Mary that a differentattitude started to prevail an attitudeof total openness to the action of Godin onersquos life and of full availability tocooperate with Him in the actualiza-tion of His plan

Mary was the most open of all tothe inspirations and promptings ofthe Holy Spirit Like a very sensitiveharp she let the Spirit produce in herand through her the wonderful melodyof manrsquos salvation which only thedivine love can initiate and bring to

REFLECTIONS

P u b l i c d

o m a i n

C B C P N e w s

Christmas the triumph of light

The ldquoNEW JERUSALEMrdquo isthe perfect realization of Godrsquos

plan and the fulfillment of our

deepest aspirations

4th Sunday of Advent (C) Luke 139-45

December 20 2015

Solemnity of Christmas (C) John 11-18

December 25 2015

3rd Sunday of Advent (C) Luke 310-18

ldquoRejoice Sundayrdquo December 13 2015

Our advent priorities

Countdown B3

that He will work wonders also in usno matter how insignificant and weak

we may consider ourselves (See Mi51)

We need the impulse of the HolySpirit and His empowering supportto get out of ourselves to show aninterest in others and share with themthe blessings we have received from theLord including our joy (See attitudeof Mary Lk 146-49)

We need to be open to the Spiritin imitation of Mary in order tohave Christ formed in us or betterin order to be molded unto him If

we cult ivat e such an openn ess andavailability we shall ever more becomeChrist-like in our thoughts aspira-tions attitudes and actions Andthus we shall be totally committedto do our share in carrying out theFatherrsquos plan of saving love as Christdid (See Heb 105-7)

Open to the spirit in imitation of Mary

Lady of the Sacred Heart Andby the time I left the church

which is just a five-minute walkfrom my house what else couldI say but thank You Really thereis nothing much else one can say

Our Lady and Child in SanSalvatore in Onda

Funny what one sees whenone changes perspectives Goinghome from jogging one day Idecided to pass by the right (in-stead of the left) side of Via deiPettinari (Combmakersrsquo Street)I happened to look up by chanceand I saw this charming image of

Our Lady I had never seen be-fore even if Irsquod already passed by

here more than ten times Ten when I looked down I likewisenoticed what should have beenan inconspicuous door Now Isaw there was a paper posted onit hinting that inside was actuallya church called San Salvatore inOnda and the place where SaintVincent Pallottirsquos remains arevenerated I took mental noteof the opening schedule andresolved I would do the secondday of my novena there

What was beh ind that in-conspicuous door Actually asmall but amazingly beautiful

jewel of a church First behind

the green door commonly seenalong the street was another set

of wider doors made of beauti-ful strong old wood It had ahuge tarp proudly claiming thatSt John Paul II had visited thischurch For such a small churchI thought it would be surprisingany pope would do that

But of course if one knew JP IIand St Vincent Pallotti and whatthey each stood for one wouldunderstand For JP II loved topromote the apostolate amonglay people and St Vincent inhis own 19th century religious

way was one of the promotersof the lay apostolate at the time

when it was so much lacking

He founded the ldquoPious Unionof Catholic Apostolaterdquo Tatrsquos a

union of priests religious and la-itymdashbut the ldquoPallotinesrdquo as theyare called really just consists ofthe religious brothers and priestsand the laity are well theyrsquorethere But that was certainly ahuge start

Te church is now their homebase but it wasnrsquot so at first Builtnear the end of the 11th andbeginning of the 12th centuryit was given to the Franciscansfrom which two popes camefrom Knowing this historic-ity of the church and that StVincentrsquos body is now underthe altar one then understands

this church deserved the Popersquosvisit But to add to these therersquos

to everybody and be absolutelyhonest with all (See Lk 313-14)

All this is love of neighbor in itsmost elementary form and noone can claim to be exempted orto have done enough

o this we have to add thepursuit of all those ldquonatural valuesand virtuesrdquo that Paul lists in theSecond Reading (See Phil 48)Only on these conditions shall

we be able to ldquobe glad and exult with all our heartsrdquo (Zep 314) and

begin to enjoy ldquoGodrsquos own peace which is beyond all understand-ingrdquo (Phil 47)

If on the contrary we refuseto heed Johnrsquos (Godrsquos) call toconversion this Advent will bea series of ldquomissed opportuni-tiesrdquo Tere may still be laughterbut very little joy We may giveand receive plenty of gifts but

without experiencing the bliss ofreal generosity In other words wemay be like one of the decorationshanging on Christmas trees glit-tering and colorful outside butempty and ugly inside

It need not be so It should nothis Advent we have a chanceto really change for the betterstarting from ldquowithinrdquo And it isup to us to make the most of thisopportunity

tion the divine light becomesa human beingmdashJESUS OFNAZAREH His coming is not a lightning in the night thatsoon vanishes in the persistentdarkness of the sky Rather it isan enduring event mdashthe fulfill-ment of a well thought-out plandestined to last till the end oftime and beyond

Te Incarnation is an eventthat is not confined to the placeand time where it took placebut a permanent reality thatconcerns and affects the entireuniverse as well as the life ofeach human being Tis is sobecause the life and mission ofthe God-Man born in Bethle-

hem is to bring the light of loveand grace into the history ofmankind into the life of everyhuman person

his is why we believe andproclaim that Christmasmdashthecoming and dwelling of Godrsquoslight on earth ndash makes all the dif-ference Te world will never bethe same as before the ldquoChrist-

mas eventrdquo simply because Godldquopitched His tentrdquo among us More still He became one of us

He did so in order to enableeach individual and mankindas a whole to fight and over-come the many forms of dark-ness that oppress frighten andenslave usmdashthe darkness of

hopelessness meaninglessnessfear hatred oppression but es-pecially the darkness of sin andof whatever leads to the endlessdarkness of being separated fromGod forever

Nowadays the all-pervadingcacophony of commercialismand materialism tend to dis-robe Christmas of its sacred-ness and saving dimensionand to confine it to the realm

of a myth lost in the vaguenessof a distant past Against suchbackground it is essential thatwe Christian believers ap-preciate the importance ofthe historical event of theIncarnation and its relevanceto our life today

Christmas as the joyful com-memoration of the Incarnationof Godrsquos Son is an invitationto ACCEP Jesus Christ intoour existence as the light of the

world the light of our life It isalso an invitation to REJOICEin the light that radiates from

Jesusrsquo presence teaching and

example It is a commitmentto LIVE as children of thelight and thereby eliminatein ourselves and around usthe darkness of sin and evilin all their forms Christmasis an invitation and a chal-lenge to SPREAD the light ofGodrsquos love through our wordsand deeds

In this perspective theHoly Fatherrsquos call to be ac-

tively involved in the workof a NEW EVANGELIZA-ION becomes absolutely vital and releva nt to thisseason of light and joy Itis the first step toward anever-greater involvement inthe wonderful enterprise ofbuilding Godrsquos luminousKingdom of peace love andhope that can usher in theldquonew heavens and the newearthrdquo the ldquoNEW JERU-SALEMrdquo that is the perfectrealization of Godrsquos plan andthe fulfillment of our deepestaspirations

also the sheer beauty of medievaland renaissance art that one seeson the ceiling and the simplebaldachin under which Mass

was held when I was there Teimage of Our Lady and Child byCesare Mariani in the main altaris also arresting

Te church has the appellationldquoin Onda rdquo which means ldquoin the

waverdquo most probably becauseof the frequent flooding of theiber Irsquove seen some of thesesigns on marble stone aroundseveral parts in Rome indicat-ing where the river was at this orthat point and therersquos only one

thing I can say Te worst Manilafloods are as if only two inches

compared to Rome flooding inthose days Irsquom not sure if thishas any connection to one imageof Our Lady venerated there ona huge side altar ldquoVirgin mostPowerfulrdquomdashbecause one cer-tainly needed a huge power tosurvive such inundations

But last night I know I wasinundated by only one thingmdashthanksgiving for being surround-ed by such beauty and holiness

(Robert Z Cortes is a PhDstudent in Social InstitutionalCommunication at the PontificalUniversity of Santa Croce Rome

He has an MA in Ed Leadership from Columbia University)

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B7CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

tions might become ever more numeroustill they become the rule

It is in the family that the reform ofsociety begins because it is there that welearn to respect and help one another wepractice patience and justice we learn toshare and to love in an unselfish and practi-cal manner Pope Francis speaking to theFilipino families during his Pastoral Visit

in January 2015 said ldquoIn the family wecome to know God to grow into menand women of faith to see ourselves asmembers of Godrsquos greater family theChurch In the family we learn how tolove to forgive to be generous and opennot closed and selfish We learn to movebeyond our own needs to encounterothers and share our lives with them Tat is why it is so important to pray as afamily Tat is why families are so impor-tant in Godrsquos plan for the Churchrdquo

A family where God is at home is afamily at peace Such was the Holy Familyat Nazareth And the yearly celebration ofits feast is not just a well-deserved tributepaid to its three members It is also an in-vitation and encouragement to make ourfamilies today what the family of JosephMary and Jesus was in those daysmdasha ha- ven of love of God and neighbor at itsbest a home where God felt at home afamily according to Godrsquos heart

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

PRAYING together as a family seems nolonger fashionable nowadays Te reasonsare varied so many commitments con-flicts of schedule practical impossibility ofbeing together Tere are of coursehappy exceptions of parents who everyevening gather their children for somemoments of reflection on the Word ofGod reconciliation shared prayer andrecitation of the Rosary hese samepeople are usually the ones who on Sun-days attend the Eucharistic celebrationas a family From this they derive strengthharmony cohesion And at the same timethey become an inspiration to the wholeparish community It is when the familygathers together for prayer that its mem-bersmdashboth parents and childrenmdashseethemselves under the common fatherlyauthority of God

A family that renews every day itscovenant with the Lord will have notime for endless bickering jealousyunfaithfulness harsh manners on thepart of the parents or rebellion on thepart of their children

Te families that pray together are re-ally mini ldquofaith communitiesrdquo or ldquolittlechurchesrdquo One wishes that these excep-

SOCIAL CONCERNS

M a s t e r o f t h e A n t w e r p A d o r a t i o n

M a r k E u s e b i o

Feast of the Holy Family (C) Luke 241-52

December 27 2015

World Day of Peace (C)

Luke 216-21

January 1 2016

Baptism of the Lord (C) Luke 315-16 21-22 January 10 2016

Solemnity of Epiphany (C) Matthew 21-12

January 3 2016

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

HE world is torn by wars and conflicts of every kindmdashwarsamong nations factions families Afraid of the tragediesof war simple people yearn for peace Some governments andpeace-oriented organizations try to achieve peace throughnegotiations and compromise Fortunately many times theysucceed in establishing at least a ceasefire

But we all know that peace is not simply the absence offighting Peacemdashit has been written in so many waysmdashisthe fruit of justice among nations groups individuals Morethan this peace is the fruit of being in a harmonious rela-tionship not only with others but also with oneself andespecially with God Tere can be no peace where there isrejection of God

Peace is just another word for love another word forgrace It prospers only with the defeat of sin And just asall the sufferings and destructions of war are both a sign anda consequence of sin so the defeat of sin in ourselves andaround us produces that inexpressible feeling of satisfactionand harmony that no material riches can buy and no balanceof power can create

Real lasting peace is what God the source of all good-ness wants for all mankind But in order for that peaceto become a reality we have to do our share First of allwe have to pray for it Ten we have to work for it Tatmeans to make every effort to bring it about Ten the Lord

will bless our efforts by granting us that genuine peace thathas in Him its origin and support On our part we have toaccept Godrsquos blessing of peace with humble gratitude as Heoffers it to us not as an abstract concept but as a person ndashHis very own Son Jesus Christ He is our peace becauseHe is the One who reconciles all men with the Father andamong themselves the One who reconciles each of us

with ourselves In Him we are able to recognize all humanbeings as our brothers and sisters all members of the onebig family that has God as the common Father He is theOne who called the peacemakers ldquoblessedrdquo and gave peaceto His disciples as His farewell gift

Jesus the King of Peace comes to us not in a vision orlike rain from the clouds He comes from a human motherMary Most Holy the woman of peace who has been ableto open herself to the Source of all peace and has fashionedHim in that human form in which all can recognize andlove as their elder brother In this way Mary and peace arevitally and dynamically linked And she brings peace to ourtroubled hearts and lives as Godrsquos messenger as she givesus Jesus in this Christmas season

Pope Francis calls all of us

to CARE FOR OUR COM-MON HOME Tis is one ofthe most important remindersin our times to really show re-spect to God who created allTe issuance of mining permit

will allow tree cutting activi -ties in almost 10000 hectaresland area Tis will lead to thedestruction of the very fewremaining forest in the Philip-pines and in the world We

would expec t a more imba l-ance ecology extinction ofdiversified natural resourcesexample flora fauna insectsanimals (including the Philip-pine Eagle) floods sicknesses

We reiterate that we would not

like this to happen We must remember that the

Home B4

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

EPIPHANY is the manifestation of Jesusas the MessiahSavior of all men includ-ing the pagans of goodwill representedby the Magi As such it is also the mani-festation of the divine plan hidden forcenturies in God to unite all human beingsin Christ (See Eph 11-10)

Evermore mankind moves toward the for-mation of a great international communityTis is according to Godrsquos plan Its roots arein creation itself ldquoGlobalizationrdquo is the ldquoin-thingrdquo nowadays It is a ldquosign of the timesrdquo to

which we should pay attention Tough theconcern of most of its proponents seems tobe economic its basic assumption is correctwe are one world one family of nations

Whatever is incompatible wi th this ldquoone-nessrdquo should be abolished

Many oppose globalization because if we

limit it to its economic aspect and to tearingdown trade barriers almost surely it will leadto the rich becoming richer and the poorbecoming poorer But if we take this wordto mean essentially the abolition of all bar-riers that have been erected by human prideselfishness ghetto mentalities or racism andif it ushers in a greater solidarity of thestronger with the weaker and a generoussharing by the rich with the poor thenglobalization is according to Godrsquos planand all Christians should be its most en-thusiastic supporters

Epiphany has also a special messageconcerning the attitude of all religions

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

WE say tha t people make aldquoprophetic gesturerdquo when theydo something striking that is alsoa sign of greater things to comeTose gestures reveal the depthof their passion or commitmentthey are meant to shake peopleand somehow force them to makea choice either for or againstcertain vital issues

In his lifetime Jesus mademany ldquoprophetic gesturesrdquo

such as his driving the tradersout of the emple the healingof the paralytic and many othermiracles He performed All thosegestures were ldquospectacularrdquo intheir own way Tey attracted theattention of the crowds which

wondered what their ldquomeaningrdquocould be

Tere was in the life of Jesus aldquogesturerdquo which was not spectacu-lar at all and which went unno-ticed by almost everybody exceptHis cousin John His baptism inthe River Jordan Tat gesture

was absolutely ldquocommonrdquo andldquoordinaryrdquo for it was somethingthat almost everybody was doingin those days in response to the

exhortation of John the BaptistBut Jesusrsquo baptism at the Jor-

dan lost in the crowd of sinners who were seeking forgivenesshad a depth of meaning thatmade it one of his most dra-matic ldquoprophetic gesturesrdquo It

was his baptism in fact whichrevealed the essence of Jesusrsquomission and became the occa-sion for the revelation of hisconcealed divine identity

he ldquoprophetic dimensionrdquoof Jesusrsquo action was not so muchin his entering the waters of the

Jordan ashis immersing himselfin the crowd of sinners Tat was

something unthinkable and un-believable Only Godrsquos incrediblelove for every human being andall mankind could have conceivedsuch an ldquoimmersionrdquo which was socomplete and involving as to be atotal ldquoidentificationrdquo Tat wasthe reason why the eternal andall-holy Son of God had comedown from heaven and had un-dergone the fullest ldquoimmersionrdquoin the ocean of mankindrsquos miseryand in human history Jesusrsquobaptism is a clear manifestationof Godrsquos mercy toward mankindTe Word the eternal Son of theFather clad in human flesh in

Jesus of Nazareth becomes one with sinful mankind not to be its

judge but its Savior and the HolySpirit appearing in the form of a

dove a symbol of peace remindsus of Godrsquos mercy on the ldquorem-nantrdquo of mankind as the purifyingflood subsided (See Gen 810-11) Jesusrsquo baptism was a furthermanifestation of the meaning andpurpose of the Incarnation

hrough that ldquoimmersionidentificationrdquo the totally sinless Jesus became a part not onlyof the relatively small group ofsinners gathered by the banksof the Jordan but also of theimmense crowd of sinners thatis the whole of humankind And

just as his immersive in the watersof the river sanctified them so didhis presence among the crowd ofsinners bring them the possibilityof receiving purification from sin

Tat was exactly Jesusrsquo missionIsaiah the prophet had alreadyforeseen this when he announcedthat the mission of the ldquoServant ofthe Lordrdquo was to bring ldquojusticerdquo(that is holiness) to the nationsOf him the Lord God said ldquoIformed you and set you as a cov-enant of the people a light forthe nations to open the eyes ofthe blind to bring out prisonersfrom confinement and from thedungeon those who live in dark-nessrdquo (See todayrsquos First Reading)

In his life Jesus ldquoactualizedrdquosuch a liberating and sanctify-

ing ldquoimmersionrdquo by associatingwith sinners and even seekingtheir company ndash something thatshocked the ldquoholyrdquo people of histime His association with ldquopublicsinnersrdquo was bound to tarnishhis reputation as his opponentspointed out on several occasions

Jesus did not mind that criti-cism and continued like beforeformdashas he himself saidmdashit is sickpeople who need a doctor (SeeMt 912) But his immersinghimself in the crowd of sin-ful mankind cost Jesus much

moremdashit cost him his very lifefor he was put to death to atonefor the sins of all

Jesusrsquo vicarious self-offering was so power ful in its effec tbecause of who he wasmdashGodrsquosbeloved Son on whom the Fa-therrsquos favor rested Such a solemnproclamation of Jesusrsquo divineidentity soon after his baptismbalanced so to speak his hid-ing himself among the crowdof sinners at the Jordan RiverIt also completed the ldquopropheticnaturerdquo of what happened on thatdaymdashGodrsquos very Son coming tosave all mankind by sharing fullyits predicament of misery in or-der to transform it from within

through the superabundant holi-ness that only God is

Families according to Godrsquos heart

symbolized by the Magi toward JesusChrist He should be the one acknowledgedby all believers as the universal Savior sentby God to bring all mankind back to GodTe gifts offered by the Magi to Jesus in

Bethlehem can symbolize the different char-acteristics which the major world religionscan offer as their distinct contribution to theestablishment of the Kingdom proclaimedand established by Christ the gold of faithin one merciful God and the power of His Word as a feature of Islam the incense ofmeditation love for nature and peace thatcharacterize Buddhism the myrrh of dedica-tion and industriousness that characterizeConfucianism Jesus rejects nothingof the values these faiths have He acceptsthem all and brings them together into onepractical synthesis that makes humankindthe family of God on earth

Jesus is indeed the center of humanhistory because he is the center of Godrsquosplan for mankind He is the ldquocenterrdquonot only in the sense that his coming hasdivided the centuries into two great blocks

of ldquobeforerdquo and ldquoafterrdquo Christ He is alsothe one in whom all men can find thecommon point of reference to form a realfamily of nations and peoples withoutcoercion or exploitation Te light of hisGospel can penetrate all cultures assumeall their valid elements and purify the restfrom those negative aspects which thepower of sin has gradually introduced inthem

Only Jesus Christ can keep all men unitedin a community of sincere respect lastingsolidarity and practical love For the plan ofthe Father born of love will find its fulfill-ment only in LOVE

Mary of NazarethMother of JesusMother of peace

Christ the unifying centerof all mankind

One with sinners to save them

environment can exist even

without us but we can neverexist without the environmentnature We only have one com-mon home the Earth there isno other

We urge the Dep ar tmentof Environment and NaturalResources to take the real leadto protect our remaining ldquoenvi-ronment and natural resourcesrdquoplan with other governmentagencies and environmentallyconcern organizationsfounda-tions on how to preserve ourremaining forests and marinelife sanctuaries

NO O MINING IN MA-GUM PUJADA BAY AND SA-LINGCOMO MAI CIY

PROVINCE OF DAVAO ORI-ENAL

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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B8 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

Look for the images of Saint Joseph Mama

Mary and Baby Jesus

(Illustration by Bladimer Usi)

Bladimer UsiLolo Kiko

Buhay Parokya

KANISS Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) both a victor in andsubverter of Panemrsquos Hunger Games is now a symbol of the revolu-tion whom rebel president Alma Coin (Julianne Moore) and powerbroker Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman) want to usestrictly as a poster girl Stubborn freedom-fighter Katniss howeverhas her own agenda and that includes killing President Snow (Don-ald Sutherland]) to end once and for all the senseless deaths of somany young people Forming a team of rag-tag soldiers that includeclosest friends Gale (Liam Hemsworth) Finnick (Sam Claflin) andPeeta (Josh Hutcherson) she goes off on a mission risking theirlives through a booby-trapped war to liberate the citizens of PanemTe final confrontation between Katniss and Snow presided overby Coin is an electrifying game-changer

Te Hunger Games is not exempted from the fad of choppinginto ldquopartsrdquo the movie adaptations of popular books Harry Potterwilight Te Hobbitmdashthey have all stretched their heroesrsquo exploitsto prolong box office earning power and yet the fans wait AfterHunger Games MockingjayPart 1 which judging fromits relatively weak performanceat the tills must have been aforgettable movie that testedthe patience of fans Mocking-

jay Part 2 revs up with moreof the thrills that have madethe Hunger Games series theprototype of dystopia flicks foryoung adults (Divergent et al)Te strong cast monumentallycontributes to the realism of theHunger Games franchisemdashhowcan it go wrong with a leonineSutherland a steely Moore asly Hoffman And of coursethe winner Lawrence who canequally sell with aplomb partscalling for either vulnerability orverve In Mockingjay 2 the starsrsquo solid performances interwoven

with heart-stopping CGI make for a fitting finale to a story that

capitalizes on manrsquos inhumanity to manItrsquos surprising that a number of film critics are disappointed with the

filmrsquos ending calling it ldquosappyrdquo and an anti-climactic conclusion to anadrenalin-packed series that promised so much by way of action andheroism Teir cynical remarks remind us of biblical Israel waiting fora savior who would topple down the ruling elite with its own brandof kingship but is instead given a Jesus Christ CINEMA thinks theending is actually a statement that magnifies the upbeat message of the

whole story enough is enough Murder as spectator sport is sub-human At least when beasts kill it is to survive but in Panem the poor youngpeople are robbed of choice and must kill in order to livemdashas enter-tainment for the elite So Mockingjay mocks the elite it cries ldquoGivehumanity a chancerdquo Whatrsquos wrong with wanting to dump violence tostart afresh Choose life not death Arrows that used to kill people arealso useful for hunting fowl for the dinner tablemdashis that against the lawldquourn your swords into ploughs and your spears into pruning hooksrdquoMaybe the cynicsrsquo eyes have grown to love the Hunger Gamesrsquo darknessthat the sunlight-dappled scenery blinds them Or maybe after fallingin love with the couture of Panemrsquos stylish crowd theyrsquore simply horri-

fied by Katnissrsquo drastic costume change Whatever CINEMA wouldnrsquothave wanted the ending any other way

ENTERTAINMENT

MAGPAPAKASAL at magsump-aang magmamahalan nang wagasang dating live-in partners nasina Basya (Bea Alonzo) at Popoy(John Lloyd Cruz) Bilang mgalisensyadong enhinyero at arkitektoay magtataguyod sila ng construc-tion business na mabilis na uunladLalong magpupursige ang mag-asawa na magpalago ng negosyodahil magbubuntis si Basya Naisnilang mabigyan ng magandangkinabukasan ang kanilang anak

Subalit dahil sa pressure ng tra-baho ay makukunan si Basya attuluyang mawawala ang sanggolna kanyang dinadala Labis itongikalulungkot nina Basya at Popoykaya napagkasunduan nila ayonna rin sa mungkahi ni Basya natitigil siya sa pagtatrabaho upangmakabuo uli sila ng baby Nanatilisi Basya sa bahay at di nakialam sanegosyo sa loob ng dalawang taonPinaubaya niya ang pagpapatakbong negosyo kay Popoy Magtitiwalasi Basya sa kakayanan ng asawa namahusay nitong mapapamahalaanang kompanya katulad ng nagingproblema ng pagguho ng isangbuilding project Hindi rin gu-gustuhin ni Popoy na bigyan ngalalahanin si Basya Samantala sakabila ng magandang saloobin nilasa isarsquot isa ay ang napipintong pag-kalugi ng negosyo na siya namangililihim ni Popoy kay Basya Dahilsasarilinin ni Popoy ang problemamaapektuhan ng tuluyan angkanilang pagsasama

Sequel ng pelikulang One MoreChance na pinalabas noong 2007ang Second Chance Matatan-daang tumatatak ang naunangpelikula dahil sa mga tinatawag nalsquohugot linesrsquo nina Alonzo at Cruzsa nasabing pelikula Di namannabigo ang mga nag-abang sa se-quel na ito dahil naganap nga angsecond chance sa mga pangunah-ing tauhan na sina Basya at PopoyMalinis ang pagkakadugtong ng

dalawang pelikula --- parehongmga tauhan at kontexto gayundinang mga artistang nagsiganap Sakabila ng pagkakaroon ng prequelay napanatili ang malayang istoryang Second Chance bilang isangpelikula Bagamat predictable ang

wakas ay naging kasabik-sabikpa din ang mga eksena at mgapalitan ng linya ng lahat ng tau-han Di matatawaran ang husayng pagganap nina Alonzo at Cruzbilang mag-asawa panalo talagaang tinatawag na chemistry nilangdalawa Di rin nagpahuli nag mgakatuwang na aktor at aktres Mag-aling ang ginawang trato ng direk-

tor para mapalabas ang kalakasanng mga nagsiganap at ang mgaeksenang hinaluan ng patawa lalona sa eksena kasama ng mga kai-bigan Simple lamang ang disenyong produksyon pero nakatulongang mga kuha ng camera at edit-ing para maging makabuluhan saistorya ang setting Makahuluganang composition na nagpapakitang electric fan para sa mensahe nanagtitipid na ang mag-asawa dahillugi na ang kompanya

Mayaman sa mensahe parasa mga mag-asawa ang SecondChance Pinakita sa pelikula angrealidad ng buhay may-asawa nahindi lang puro kasarapan sa halip aymga pagsubok na maaring mauwi sahiwalayan kung hindi haharapin ataayusin Sa relasyon ng mag-asawa

ay napakahalaga ng magiging bu-kas sa isarsquot isa kaya anuman angpagdaanan ay magkatuwang nahaharapin Ang pagtatago ni Popoyng katotohanan kay Basya ang nag-ing mitsa ng lumubhang alitan dipagkakaunawaan pagkawala ngrespeto at palitan ng masasakitna salitamdashpati tiwala sa sarili aynawala At sa punto na pipiliin ngisa na lumayo at hanapin ang sariliay nakatulong na balikan ang mga

sumpaan binatiwan nuong sila ayikinasal at higit sa lahat ang kanilangpagmamahal sa isarsquot isa Mainamdin na may mga kaibigan at pamilyana pwedeng lapitan na susuporta athindi manghuhusga manunumbato mang-uudyok sa paggawa ng maliKapuna-puna lang na bagamatnagsimula at nagwakas ang pelikulasa chapel ay tila di man lang nilanaisipan na magdasal habang maypinagdaraanan sila Nais isipin ngCINEMA na ang gusto lamangsabihin ng pelikula ay ang pag-aasawa ay hindi lamang sa pagitanng dalawang tao kundi dapat aykasama palagi ang Diyos

DIRECTOR Cathy Garcia-Molina

LEAD CAST Bea AlonzoJohn Lloyd Cruz DimplesRomana

SCREENWRITER VanessaValdez Carmi Raymundo

GENRE Romantic Drama

CINEMATOGRAPHER NoelTeehankee

RUNNING TIME 130 minutesTECHNICAL ASSESSMENT

MORAL ASSESSMENT CINEMA Rating V13

A SECONDCHANCE

DIRECTOR Francis LawrenceLEAD CAST Jennifer Law-

rence Josh HutchersonLiam Hemsworth WoodyHarrelson Donald Suther-land Julianne Moore PhilipSeymour Hoffman

GENRE Adventure ScienceFiction

RUNNING TIME 137 minutesTECHNICAL ASSESSMENT

MORAL ASSESSMENT CINEMA rating V14

THE HUNGER

GAMESMOCKINGJAY 2

Buhay San Miguel Brothers Matias

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 1724

Philippine Army Chaplaincy CFC

Hold 1st National Convention

The first-ever OACCS - OSM CEP Convention further strengthened the camaraderie between the chaplaincy and the local CFC created a more solid CFC OSM Core enabledthe stakeholders to work together and recognized the efforts of those who work tirelessly under the program

CFC Metro Manila as one big happy family worshipped danced sang played gamesand had fun during the last MC Gathering of the year

By Alma Alvarez

CFC ANCOP USA Pontificio Collegio Fillipino Sign Partnership Agreement

CFC MM MC Celebrates the Family

HIS Eminence Cardinal Luis Antonio agle Chairman of PontificioCollegio Filippino and its Rector Msgr Greg Gaston recently signedthe ANCOP USA Priest Sponsorship Program (PSP) partnership

with Eric Villanueva Roger Santos and Rollie Balanza Couples forChrist - ANCOP USA leaders Te ANCOP USA PSP will assistpriests from the Philippines who will be sent by their Bishops to doadvance studies in Rome

In his letter to Villanueva Cardinal agle wrote ldquoOur partnership will

allow more Bishops to send Priests for ongoing formation and furtherstudies in Rome to better equip them in serving Gods people as SeminaryFormators and as collaborators in the different Diocesan Ministries back

HE Metro Manila Mission Coregathered as one big CFC familyduring this months MC Assemblylast December 6 2015 Leadersfrom the Family Ministries likewisecame to the Ynares Sports Arenato hear Mass together celebrateshowcase talents play in the fungames and just enjoy each otherscompany before the end of the year

CFC Spiritual Director Msgr Allen Aganon celebrated Mass Inhis homily Msgr Allen emphasizedthe enormity of the role of John theBaptist as the one who heralded thecoming of Jesus Christ despite hishumble beginnings He challengedthe CFC leaders to be like Johnthe Baptist

We are ordinary people who

home As a result our Church in the Philippines will be strengthenedso that Priests and laity alike could carry out our respective work ofevangelization and service not only to the Church but also to societyrdquo

According to the agreement the PSP is for Masters Licentiate orDoctorate studies only ANCOP USA PSP funds will cover the priestrsquosboard and lodging at the Collegio in the amount of $10000 per year

All other needs such as tuition fees medical insurance transportationbooks etc will be provided for by the Bishop as a local counterpart

Tis would ensure that priests can benefit from the partnershipo donate or to know more about the program please visitwwwancopusa-psporg

THE CFC Order of St Michael(OSM) in cooperation with thePhilippine Army Ofce of theArmy Chief Chaplain Service(OACCS) staged the rst everCharacter Enhancement Pro-gram (CEP) Convention last No-vember 24 2015 at the PhilippineAir Force Museum Pasay CityRetired Col Arturo Alabanza amember of CFC Metro Manila(South B) and head of the OSM

OSM C4

together with the OSM Corespearheaded the event

In his opening remarks Alabanza describedhow the OSM came together with the OACCS

and forged a long-term partnership to ldquodeveloprighteous God-fearing soldiers loved by theFilipino peoplerdquo through the CEP Te CFCOSM has developed modules specifically cater-ing to the soldiers their spouses and childrenOACCS on the other hand has the author-ity to mandate Commanding Officers of thevarious Army camps nationwide to employthe CEP

Te convention allowed the stakeholders toreport on the accomplishments and enabledthe Army Chaplains from the different Infan-

try Divisions to plan with their local Couplesfor Christ counterparts regarding strategies forCEP and its continuing spiritual enhancementmodules It was likewise an opportunity for

CFC OSM to present the second module forthe CEP which the group plans to roll outbeginning 2016

ANCOP Chairman Joe Yamamoto in hisinspirational talk reiterated Pope Francisrsquo callfor new evangelization and emphasized thatthe partnership is a clear response of each per-son involved whether it be the Chaplaincy orthe lay stakeholders to be agents of change inthe spiritual realm within the Philippine Army

Several of those serving in the program

His Eminence Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle and the leaders of CFC ANCOP USA f orging a strong partnership for further education among Filipino clergy

are called to herald Christ andto be missionaries of mercy heemphasized

Te Mass was followed by theopening worship led by the MetroManila Missions Director MannyGarcia and a brief message fromCFC Chairman Joe ale

Te CFC Order of St Michaelthrough its Head Art Alabanzatook the opportunity to honor the55 Singles for Christ volunteers

who served in the Christian LifeProgram for the PMA Cadets inBaguio Te fun-filled games forthe adults and children talentpresentations and face-paintingadded to the festive mood rulyit was a day for the family (CFCGlobal Communications)

Reconciliation is Key to Advent PreparationsldquoTHE best way to prepare forChristmas is reconciliation Thebirth of Jesus is Gods offering ofreconciliationrdquo

his was the essence of the Advent recollection given by FrGerard imoner OP Provincialof the Dominican Order in thePhilippines for the workers of theCFC Global Mission Office Terecollection was held last Novem-ber 28 2015 at the Obizpado deCubao in Quezon City

In his reflection Fr imoner

creatively wove reconciliation withforgiveness as well as the new

evangelization taking into account Jesusrsquo words to ldquoshake off the dust

from your feetrdquo According to hima good spiritual foot spamdashthe act

of shaking the dust off onersquos feet toremove all traces of the bad news to

enable one to proclaim the GoodNewsmdashis essential in preparing

oneself during AdventFr imoner described for-

giveness as ldquosetting a prisonerfree and realizing that thatprisoner is yourdquo He illustratesldquoJesus did not forgive whileon the cross Instead he saidlsquoFather forgive them for theyknow not what they dorsquo We canonly forgive if we engage Godsforgiveness within our ownrdquo

he best path to the newevangelization is to allow our-selves to be reconciled with God

amp each other he emphasized(A Alvarez)

The News Supplement of

Couples for Christ

C1CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 1824

Reflections on Advent

I IS the start of a new liturgical

year As in every year the previ-ous liturgical year ended withthe feast of Christ the King afitting high point indeed Aftergoing through the year observ-ing the various highs and lowsand phases of His life in theend and rightly so we proclaim

Jesus as indeed the King of kingsand the Lord of lords

And so the Church starts thecycle anew beginning fromHis birth into this world obuild up to that we have theseason of advent of waitingof anticipating of preparingfor the birth of He who werecognize and proclaim as theKing of kings

One would expect that thismajor season is ushered in

with Bible vers es express ingthe level of excitement befit-ting the birth of the King ofthe universe It is therefore abit surprising and soberingthat the opening reading ofthis season is one with a themethat speaks not of celebrationbut of foreboding of the com-ing end times

here wil l be strangethings happening to the sunto the moon and the stars Onearth whole countries will bein despair afraid of the roarof the sea and the raging tidesPeople will faint from fear asthey wait for what is comingover the whole earth for the

Joe Tale

powers in space will be driven

from their courses hen theSon of Man will appear comingin a cloud of great power andglory When these things begin tohappen stand up and raise yourheads because your salvation isnear Luke 2125-28

Moreover we are enjoined tobe on watch and to be vigilantin a specific way Be careful notto let yourselves become occu-pied with too much feasting anddrinking and with the worries ofthis life or that Day will suddenlycatch you like a trap For it willcome upon all people everywhereon earth Be on watch and prayalways that you will have thestrength to go safely through allthose things that will happen andto stand before the Son of Man

Luke 2134-36It is significant we might evensay ironic that during this seasonof merriment in anticipation ofthe birth of the Messiah we are

warned exactly not t o be merryIn this period that we normallycelebrate with much food and

wine and music we are instructedto refrain from such things

Is the verse dousing cold wa-ter on all these festivities andpreventing us from celebrating

joyously the arr ival of t he KingNot so he verse simply re-

minds us of something more im-portant whatever be the seasonof our life of being constantlyprepared and on the watch at

all times not ever to bring our

guards down whether we are go-ing through our low moments orhigh points in our life We are re-minded to always Be Preparedas the Boy Scouts motto goes

whatever our spec ific situationmay be at any given time

Als o I sense tha t the Lor d would like to bring us to a deeperlevel of rejoicing not merely onthe level of the frivolous as toomuch feasting and drinking areTe words of Jesus do not preventus from rejoicing He wants us tocontinue to be prepared even as

we celebrate He warns us not torejoice in a wanton way that takesus away from our right senses re-sulting in our being unpreparedhus our rejoicing should becoming from deep in our hearts

not shallow and hollow expres-sions of the same Our rejoicingshould be geared towards allowingus to still be prepared

hus as we hold our Christ-mas parties and dwell in themerriment of the season let usbe mindful of the words fromthe Gospel Appropriate feastingand drinking not only make usfaithful to the gospel but is alsomore healthy Significantly tooit should make us more caring tothose who have less and hope-fully lead us not to be wastefuland to share whatever we have somany others will also experiencea truly Merry Christmas

Rejoice in the Lord

HE RED Cubs harvested thegrand championship of the recentlyconcluded CFC GMC Ablaze Cup2015 held last December 2 - Decem-ber 8 2015 at the sports facilities ofCamp Crame

Te friendly games were partici-pated in by the different departmentsin the CFC Global Mission CenterTe Red Cubs romped off with the

Red Cubs are Champions in CFC GMC Ablaze Cup 2015

Go go go GMC clockwise from top left Caloy Rubio CFC Ablaze Cup Event Head exhorting participants the board of judges CFC Chair Joe Tale inspiring the athletes paradeof athletes the Orange Tigers basketball game between the Red Cubs and the Maroon on Fire cheerdance competition

Mel and Aimee Serrano talking about the highs and lows of dealing with in-laws

In Highs And In-Laws Dealing With Your In-Laws

ldquoATRASrdquo BOYS amp GIRLS

Are We Waiting For Jesus At The Right Spot

This Advent

IN983085LAWS he very word re-minds many a married coupleof discomfort awkward evenstrained relationships and some-times open conflict But are rela-tionships with the family membersof your spouse meant to be merelytolerant Te latest Couples forChrist (CFC) ndash Young Couples

Assembly on November 30 heldat St Pauls College in Pasig Citytackled precisely this topic andcame up with this wildly inge-nious insight In-laws are peopletoo ndash love them

According to the speakers Meland Aimee Serrano of CFC ndashMetro Manila West B lovingthem in all sincerity will work

wonders ldquoTat is the tried andtested formula love your in-lawsrdquoshared Mel a school owner fromQuezon City

During the talk which theypeppered with lots of insights andsharing of personal experiences as a

PASIG City Nov 29 2015 ndash What do weusually do when we find out that someone welove or an important personality is visiting ou rhome We tidy up we prepare good food butmost of all we wait his was the m essage thatabout 150 young married couples heard duringthe Family Mass at the Couples for Christ ndash

Young Couple s Assembly at St Paul Colleg eConvention Center held last November 30

Fr Ruper Solis SVD who celebrated theFamily Mass reminded the couples presentthat to wait for something or someone also

couple married for 20 years the Ser-ranos focused on several key points1 Handle them with care

Tis means giving attention tothe one who needs more takingcare of them in their old age as

well as training your kids to respecttheir grandparents

ldquoOn our part we have to makesure that our children will give duerespect [to them] and be able tounderstand intricacies that come

with old agerdquo said AimeeldquoWhether may sama ng loob

(hurt feelings) sometimes there will be times na mahirap makipag-kita (that it will be difficult to meetthem) but you have to go to themKailangan nating gawin yun (Weneed to do it)rdquo she stressed

2 Acknowledge differences According to the couple people

should recognize that their spousemay not have the same familyculture as they do Value systems

means waiting at the right placeldquoAs Christians our life is a series of waiting

Dapat maghintay ka sa tamang lugarhindi langsa tamang panahon na sinasabi ni Lola Nidora noPero sa tamang lugar din (We should wait not justfor the right time but waiting should be doneat the right place as well)rdquo explained Fr Ruper

he young priest who was an SVD missionaryassigned to Argentina for more than seven years

went on to tell the story of how once in Argentinahe was waiting by the side of the road flagging

championship crowns in badmin-ton (women) table tennis (menand women) tug-of-war and peelbanana It was a close fight with theMaroon on Fire team who grabbedthe winning titles for basketballvolleyball cheer dance and chess(men) and ended up 1st runner-up

with les s than 2 points from the winning team Te Orange igerscame in 2nd runner-up while YellowHotshots was 3rd runner-up basedon the last team standings

Te awarding ceremonies wereheld last December 8 2015 dur-ing the celebration of the CFCGMC Christmas party Tis an-nual event is an opportunity forthe mission workers to enjoy eachotherrsquos company Te Ablaze Cuplikewise serves as a venue tofoster and promote the spirit ofsportsmanship and unity amongthe GMC workers from bothpastoral and mission support(Yvonne Dolorosa)

HE WORD ldquoatrasrdquo means a backwardmovement It is generally used to refer to theldquoReverserdquo function of a vehicle In Lanao DelNorte the word has been applied to a group ofboys abd girls who guide vehicles in and out ofparking spaces the equivalent of the ldquoWatch-your-carrdquo aides in Metro Manila

he CFC leaders in the province immedi-ately thought of the Atras Boys and Girls ofLanao Del Norte when Cardinal agle said ndashldquoGo to the peripheries be a mobile clinicto heal the poor from spiritual sickness rdquo

Another ins pirat ion was from one of the mostimportant pastoral subjects of Pope Francisabout the ldquofamily and the poorrdquo

Every time I go to mass at the St MichaelrdquosCathedral with my wifeata the ldquoatras boysand girlsrdquo are all over the area assisting ve-hicles either to park or to exit the parking area

When n ot per formi ng thi s function they andother members of their family can be seenbegging for their daily sustenance hey areusually homeless their home being along theperipheries of the Cathedral or the sidewalks

he inspiration led the Area Governanceeam to the idea of bring these boys and girlsand their parents to a Christian Life Programhey moved quickly with Boy Suezo approv-ing the strategic CLP as designed by RegionalPastoral Formation Head Art Maderazo andinserting video clips appropriate to the CLPtalks With the activation of the SOLD Min-istry with Bro Roger Sultan as Provincial Co-

ordinator SOLD was made the lead ministryof the ldquoAtras Boys and Gir lsrdquo CLP

Initially the number of participants was limitedto five (5) for logistical reasons but the HolySpirit deemed otherwise ndash the attendees eventuallynumbered ten individuals and three (3) coupleshe CLPs were scheduled every hursday at 600orsquoclock in the evening with dinner provided byCFC brothers and sisters particularly the AGrsquos

wives and ANCOP members he SOLD Prov in-cial Coordinator took care of fetching the partici-pants from the Cathedral and also bringing themback to their ldquohomesrdquo It did not matter to Rogerthat his car would often retain the smell of the

unwashed he persisted in servicing the transportneeds of the participants

November 05 2015 was truly a pleasant anda memorable day to the service team On thatday five of the ten boys and girls and two (2)couples dedicated their life to CFC One of theparticipants stood up to give an inspiring testi-mony ending with ldquohank you CFC for makingus somebody in your heart hank you for beingmindful of the conditions of the poor and thankyou for bringing Christ to our livesrdquo (ldquoSalamatCFC nga aduna pa diay kami luna sa inyong kas-ingkasing Salamat CFC sa inyong pagpakabanasa susama kanamo nga mga timawa Salamat sainyong panahon pag hatag kanamo sa pagtulun-anni Kristo)

It is envisioned that this kind of evangeliza-tion can be replicated in other areas nationwidethe beginning of a truly strategic evangelizationHopefully this is also the beginning of a newlife for the new CLP graduates with CFC being

instrumental in helping them provide for theirfamilyrsquos future (Nonoy Haim)

disciplining style even views onhow to handle finances will of-tentimes be different Tat is whyunderstanding coupled with love

will go a long wayldquoDifferences and conflicts are

not unhealthy but mismanagementis Never criticize your in-lawsrdquoMel said

Also in case of confl ict themessenger or the ldquobridgerdquo shouldbe the one with the primary re-lationship (spouse to own fathermother)

he Serranos candidly sharedabout a conflict that eruptedbetween Aimee and her father-in-law during the campaignperiod for local elections whenMel ran for public office heconflict was soon followed by aperiod of silence a Cold Warso to speak ldquoIt took us at leasta year or two [My father said]kasi pag di natin inayos tolahat tayo maapektuhan (If we

dont fix this all of us will beaffected) It helped that thecouple prayed and sought DivineIntervention and asked the com-munity to pray with them heHoly Spirit worked

3 Respond appropriately What if ev en af ter l ovin g and

understanding them its stillnot smooth sailing with your in-laws Heres what the Serranoshad to say

bull iming is everythingbull Learn when to speak or keep

your mouth shutbull ake a breath cool offbull Maintain a sense of humorbull Remember unsolicited advice

is just an opiniono cap their talk the couple

brought back the participants tothe basics of loving in-laws to actout your love to build bridges andto communicate (Nirvaana EllaDelacruz)

HOMILY C3

IN A Memorandum sent to the Philip-pine Missions leaders last November23 2015 PM Director Jose Yamamotoappointedreassigned leaders for theNortheastern Luzon region

Mark Banzon has been appointedProvincial Area Head (PAH) of Isabelavice Rommel Ancheta ony de la Cruz

on the other hand was tapped to be PAHof Nueva Vizcaya vice Raul Balaquiao

O set a new tradition in the CFC Family the InternationalCouncil has agreed to make December 27 the Feast of theHoly Family as a special day for the members of the familyto honor one another Tis will allow each person in thefamily to express their gratitude to the Lord for the gift offamily and the importance of having each member of thefamily around for the love support and service As a sug-

New Appointments for CFC GMC NE LuzonFamily Honoring Night Set

Balaquiao was appointed PAH of IlocosSur vice ony de la Cruz while Cholo

Yjares is now PAH of Cagayan vice BongPagulayan Pagulayan is now PAH ofKalinga vice Cholo Yjares

he move is essentially a realignmentof the leaders in the Northeastern Luzonarea in the interest of the mission except

for Banzon who is a new appointee andfor Noel Malamug who remains as

PAH of Ifugao hese changes are to takeeffect on January 1 2016 Edythe Aven-dantildeo is also set to replace Didi Galsim asHandmaids of the Lord InternationalCoordinator effective January 1 2016

In the Global Mission Center RickyRico was appointed Head for the GAd-min effective October 1 2016 while Jay

Lucena was appointed head of the CFCEvents group also effective October 1facebookcomCFCGlobalMission CFChrist

The Ugnayan News Supplement is published by the Couples for Christ Global Mission Foundation Inc with editorial ofces at 156 20 th Avenue 1109 Cubao Quezon City

Editorial trunk line (+63 2) 709-4868 local 23

Direct line (+63 2) 709-4856

wwwcouplesforchristglobalorg cfcglobalcommunicationsgmailcom

Michael C Ariola

IC Oversight

Zenaida A Gimenez

Editor-in-Chief

Alma M Alvarez

Associate Editor

Evangeline C Mecedilla

Circulation Staff

Deomar P Oliveria

Layout Artist

The News Supplement

of Couples for Christ

gestion the guidelines indicate the following as the activitiesfor the said day hearing Mass together dining together athome praying together and in gratitude expressing theirlove to one another

hrough the Family Honoring Night the community hopesto strengthen the relationship among the family members andempower each one to truly cherish and love one another

Bong Pagulayan

Mark Banzon

Cholo Yjares

Ricky Rico

Edythe Avendantildeo

Raul Balaquiao

Jay Lucena

Tony de la Cruz

C2 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 1924

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 2024

CFC China Conducts

Mission Heads Training

CFC Greece Leaders Meet Archbishop of Athens amp Nuncio

COUPLES for Christ USA and CFC Greece leaders paid a courtesy call on Archbishop Sevastianos Rossolatos and Fr George Altouvas at the Archd ioce se of Athens he g roup in troduced Couples f or Chri st to the new Archbishop and di scus sed theirplans to initiate a CFC Youth Camp in Greek as well as to develop CFC teachings in Greek

On another occasion the CFC leaders met with the Apostolic Nuncio of the Holy See in Athens Archbishop Edward Joseph AdamsTey discussed challenges and forthcoming changes in the Greek Catholic hierarchy and laid down CFCrsquos plans for CFC Athens

SINGLES for Christ Metro Manila gath-ered at the San Carlos Seminary in Makatilast December 5 2015 at 700 pm forthe SFC Global One a two-hour non-stop worship experience Jay Laquiana fulltime pastoral worker for SFC ledthe worship

Global One was meant to be a simul-taneous praise concert with major cities

or provinces hosting the event But what

made this yearrsquos Global One event special was the fact that it was the first time it wasstaged online via youtube live broadcastTis gave SFCs all over the world an oppor-tunity to come together despite differencesin time zone

ogether as one ministry SFCs from theMetro Manila Sectors the provinces andthe various countries like the USA Canada

and the Middle Eastern countries raised

SFC GLOBAL ONEmdashUniting the World

via Online Worship

their voices in praise and worship for thecountless favors they received It likewisebecame an opportunity to ask the Lordto bless the ministry for the coming year

Te ministry sees the online Global Oneas an event they can do annually Tey alsosee it as a potential tool to reach othernon-SFC members to witness Christ andcome together with other young people to

worship (Lanie Montaos)

OSM C1

CFC Winnipeg held its 2nd Celebration of Covenant Love onNovember 21st the feast of the Presentation of Our Lady Sixteencouples attended the activity

One week prior to the Renewal of Wedding Vows the 16 coupleshad a mini-retreat conducted by their spiritual advisor Fr YollyGamallo Te mini-retreat included four couple-sharers Te HolyMass was celebrated at St John Cantius Parish presided by MsgrLouis McCloskey A simple reception followed for the 16 couples andabout 60 family members with additional witnesses from the CFCcommunity Te participants who renewed their marriage vows werefrom varied age groups with some having been married for only five

years to couples who were celebratingo 40 years of holy matrimony

Tis year makes the Celebration of Love even more relevant as itis the year that held the papal Synod on the Family and the WorldMeeting of Families Pope Francis stated when making an address tofamilies ldquoTose who celebrate the sacrament say lsquoI promise to be trueto you in joy and in sadness in sickness and in health I will love youand honour you all the days of my lifersquo At that moment the coupledoes not know what will happen nor what joys and pains awaitthem Tey are setting out like Abraham on a journey together

And that is what marriage is Setting out and walking togetherhand in hand putting yourselves in the Lordrsquos powerful handsHand in hand always and for the rest of your livesrdquo (from http

couplesforchristcanadaca)

A Celebration of Covenant Love

I cherish the treasure the treasure of you lifelong companion I give myself to you These happy couples from CFC Vancouver saying Yes again to oneanother and to God as they renew their marriage vows

CFC missionaries to South Americarejoiced as they completed a fruitfulmission to the area a fitting end to theyear Te mission to Nuevo Pueblo deColaacuten opened a new area an hour awayby land from Piura Peru establish-ing CFC ndash Parejas para Cristo in a remotetown in the desert At the end of theChristian Life Program 13 new CFCPPC members composed of 4 couples4 HOLD and 1 SOLD committed to alife with Christ

Te PVC (Programa de Vida Cristiana- Spanish CLP) was held November 27to 29 2015 (Tanksgiving weekend) byCFC USA Florida in Iglesias del Rosarioone of two parishes in town Padre LuisSerra head pastor of the main churchthe Iglesia Sagrado Corazoacuten de Jesuacutesopened the doors to CFC PPC Fourother brethren from CFC PPC RiojaPeru headed by Fr Rober Martinez cameto reinforce the missionariesrsquo efforts Teteam got a taste of their first mission

CFC China is on full throttle in its evan-gelization efforts Tey recently conducted

the first-ever CFC China Mission Headsraining from November 27 to 30 at Vilada Sta Isabel Estrada Cheoc Van MacauTe training aimed to strengthen its leader-ship ranks through several formation talksfrom the Chapter Leaders raining (CL)series Te sixty participants were mostlyChinese with some Filipino Mission Headsand their AG members from the North

West East and South of China includingMacau SAR and Hong Kong SAR

Te first day of the training was devotedto a silent retreat based on Psalm 4610ndash ldquoBe silent and know that I am GodrdquoTe three-hour retreat centered on thetheme ldquoWe need to Change How WeLead o lead like Jesusrdquo with each par-ticipant encouraged to ldquoempty oneselfrdquoFr Oliviades a member of the Opus Deifacilitated the retreat

Day 2 started with a Holy Mass concel-

ebrated by Fr Joseph Wang from YiwuEast China Te training proper began with Israel Silud CFC Country Headand Northwest Regional Head givingthe overview and citing challenges thatCFC China faces He reiterated thatCFC Chinarsquos goal of raising 1 millionhousehold heads will be driven by the

The fruits of 2015 for CFC PPC hundreds of miles away from home

In 2015 ten missions were held inSouth America by CFC USA All these

were made possible by a handful of zeal-ous and selfless CFC USA mission vol-unteers who sacrificed a lot and deniedthemselves many comforts in order tobring the Word of God to families in Co-lombia Ecuador and Peru CFC ParejasPara Cristo will not take off without thefinancial support of CFC USA

ruly God gave a very good year for

the mission team harvesting 608 souls in2015 (a total of 857 persons from June2014 to date) Te task of sustainingCFC PPC families and area countriesare enormous But with grateful heartsthe South America team humbly turnsto God thanking Him each day forHis guidance as He leads the way Teteam looks forward to 2016s adventureof bringing the banner of Christ to themiddle and corners of the earth (GlenSantayana)

whether lay or from the Chaplainsrsquo ranklikewise gave testimonies on how theirinvolvement in the CEP made them real-ize that they have become not only agentsof change but recipients of grace as well

In the afternoon the Chaplains andtheir CFC counterparts came together fora round table discussion of the plans ofthe various Infantry Divisions nationwide

Army Chie f Chaplain Fr Col Andre sBonifacio Belleza CHS (GSC) in anunexpected move expressed his recog-nition through the grant of awards ofthe initiatives of the Army Chaplainsin implementing the CEP in their vari-ous Divisions Fr Maj Juan Jerome CDaluro was awarded Best Chaplain ofthe Year 2015 for his exemplary ser viceas Division Chaplain of 9th Infantry(Spear) Division Fr MSg Mario Ban-

iqued Philippine Army (PA) OACCSChief Clerk was recognized as Best

Chaplain Assistant of the YearSince the partnership between the

OACCS and CFC OSM started in April2014 the group has conducted CharacterEnhancement Retreats (CER) for 28 Phil-ippine Army commands Trough CFCSingles for Christ volunteers a ChristianLife Program has likewise been conductedfor the Philippine Military Academy Classof 2018 graduating 385 PMA-Singles forChrist members Presently five CERs arealso being done at the V Luna MedicalCenter in Quezon City

Alabanza admit s there is still muchto be done So far the CEP has reached2000 men and women in uniformroughly 0287 percent of an estimated800000 population of soldiers theirspouses and their families Tis is indeedfertile ground for values and spiritual

transformation which is just waiting tobe conquered (A Alvarez)

Another fruitful harvest in Peru from top the 13 new members in CFC PPC all-women discussion group

Courtesy call top photos CFC leaders with Archbishop Edward Joseph Adams amp Fr George Altouvas bottom photos with Fr George Archbishop SevastianosRossolatos and Archbishop Edward Joseph Adams

CFC OSM and the OACCS reaching out to the men and women in uniform and their families through the Character Enhancement Program

personal holiness of its ser vant-leaders who will be leading the evangelization thrust

in 34 provinces in China CL talks 2-5 were given by the regional heads with their wives as sharers

Day 3 began with the recitation ofthe Holy Rosary followed by anotherconcelebrated Holy Mass Fr Oliviadesdelivered a beautiful homily on ldquoemptyingoneselfrdquo Te rest of the CL talks wereagain delivered by the regional heads withtheir wives as sharers In CL alk 9 Siludemphasized the need to pay attention tothe means to care for the spirit mind andbody of the leaders

Te last day primarily focused on plan-ning the CFC China activities for 2016One of the proposals from the planningis that the four (4) regions in China willeach be hosting the major activities linedup for the year

Te three-day training and planning was conducted by CFC China Country

Head IsraelSally Silud with the supportof North Asia Regional Coordinator Ga-rieCess Pimentel and the regional headsfrom East China (EricEvelyn Ylagan)South China (JoelErica Santos) HongKong SAR (GarieCess Pimentel) andMacau SAR (JMEmilie Yupangco) (Ericamp Evelyn Ylagan)

C4 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

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JCL ndash member while for the TeologicalCommission the experts appointed wereFr Alexander L Garces SDB JCL ndashPresident Fr Enrico Eusebio Jr SJ JCDndash member and Sr Maria Amparo SantosOP JCL ndash member As with the ribunalmembers the Presidents and membersof both Commissions individually tooktheir respective oaths and signed the Acts

Te appointed Copyist Ms RonalynRegino and Assistant Copyist Ms Ge-cerein Sayen Ocampo were called next totake their respective oaths and similarlysigned in the Acts

Ten Postulator Msgr Pedro C Qui-torio III and Vice Postulator Fr WilmerR Rosario JCD individually took their

respective oaths not compromise the truthand offend justice nor impede the free-dom of witnesses to testify in the CauseTereafter they also signed the Acts

Te Postulator then presented to Car-dinal agle for his examination a list of

witnesses to be interrogated subject to thepossible addition and revision of namesin the future Upon examining the listthe Cardinal decreed that the next sessionfor interrogation of witnesses be held on

January 11 2016 at the Arzobispado deManila

Finally after ordering the Chancellorto establish public record of this First Ses-sion Cardinal agle declared the Processfor the Causes of Beatification and Can-

onization of Servant of God FAHERGEORGE J WILLMANN SJ Father ofthe Order of the Knights of Columbus inthe Philippines OPEN

o complete the Rites His EminenceLuis Antonio Cardinal agle together withformer Chief Justice Hilario G Davide

Jr as Chairman of the National ExecutiveCommittee (NEC) for the Cause of Fr

Willmann jo intly u nveiled the portraitof Father George J Willmann SJ

Tereafter Cardinal agle began thecelebration of the Holy Eucharist Con-celebrants were Bishop Honesto FOngtioco DD Bishop Mylo HubertC Vergara DD Msgr Geronimo FReyes JCD Fr William Arana OSA Fr

Carlo Magno Marcelo Fr Marvin MejiaFr Wilmer Rosario JCD Fr Carlo DelRosario Fr Julius Paul Factora OP JCDFr Sander Niez JCL Fr Alex GarcesSDB JCL Fr Rico Garcia Fr ReginaldMalicdem Fr Darwin Faith Ponce OSAFr Ricky VIllar OSA Fr Geoffrey Eb-orda OSA Fr Genaro Supremedo OSAFr Jojo orres OSA Fr Joseph VillarealOSA Fr Roy Gallano OSA Fr MichaelSalazar and Fr Romel Cruz

Also serv ing as Conce lebrants werea number of KC Priests Scholars of theKnights of Columbus Fr George J

Willmann Charities Inc that includedMsgr Pedro C Quitorio III Fr Benjamin

The Cross A Supplement Publication of KCFAPI and the Order of the Knights of ColumbusCBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25 December 7 2015 - 27 2016

Sainthood bid opens forFr George Willmann SJBy Roberto T Cruz

On December 7 2015 Mon-

day the bells of the ManilaCathedral rang out loud as HisEminence Luis Antonio Car-dinal agle presided over themilestone celebration of theHoly Eucharist at the ManilaCathedral to formally open theDiocesan process of the Causeof Fr George J Willmann SJ

he Liturgical Rites for the formalopening of the diocesan process precededthe Mass at 900am With the entranceprocession of Cardinal agle as the MainCelebrant together with two bishops twomonsignors and thirty-three priests whoconcelebrated the Mass the Rites started

with Msgr Pedro C Quitorio III theappointed Diocesan Postulator for theCause of Fr Willmann giving biographi-cal highlights of the life of Fr George J

Willmann SJ An Invocation of the HolySpirit followed with the singing of VeniCreator Spiritus by the Manila CathedralBasilica Choir

Cardinal agle then examined anddeclared the legitimacy of the appoint-ments of Msgr Pedro C Quitorio III asthe Postulator and Fr Wilmer R Rosario

JCD as Vice-Postul ator in conformity with the Code of Canon Law

Appointed members of the Diocesanribunal for the Cause of Fr Willmann

were Msgr Geronimo F Reyes JCDas Episcopal Delegate Fr Carlo P DelRosario JCL as Promoter of Justice Mseresita F Kudemus ndash First Notary MsMarivic M Ambasa ndash Second Notary Ms

Julieta R Santos as Tird NotaryTe Cardinal reminded them of the

great responsibility importance andseriousness of the Process for the Causesfor Beatification and Canonization Asrequired by Church law all the mem-bers of the ribunal starting with MsgrGeronimo F Reyes individually tooktheir oath to faithfully fulfill hisher com-mitment and then signed the Acts

Te Experts who were tapped to formthe Historical Commission includeFr Julius Paul Factora OP JCD asPresident Fr Adolfo N Dacanay SJ

JCD ndash member and Fr Sander D Niez Sainthood D3

KCFAPI Theme and Logo for 2016HE year 2016 has been pro-claimed the Year of the Eucharistand the Family by the CatholicBishopsrsquo Conference of the Phil-ippines Te theme is part of thenine year spiritual journey thatbegan with the Year of Faith

where we experienced an authenticrenewal of faith guided by the newevangelization principles

he Holy Eucharist whichmeans thanksgiving invitesfamilies of the Catholic faithfulto commemorate the supremesacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christon the cross to receive His body

and blood in the Holy Commu-nion and to celebrate His victoryover death

Te Roman Catholic Churchpromotes strong family ties andvalues Parents are entrustedthe responsibility to prepare andteach their children to follow JesusChrist and live His gospel

KCFAPI distinguished itselfin protecting the sanctity of thefamily by providing comfortand sustenance in any loss orlife-changing event among fam-ily members KCFAPI respondsswiftly to changing or evolvingfamily insurance needs Nowon its 58th year of providingunsurpassed uncompromised

fraternal service KCFAPI vowsand advocates relentlessly to

render comfort benefit and as-sistance to all brother knightsand their families with mercy andcompassion

As part of the KCFAPI familyin a pioneering effort all wholly-owned and majority-ownedcompanies will coordinate theirschedules and manage theirresources towards one com-mon goal and will function asone well oiled machine By

joi nin g han ds gu ide d by theHoly Spirit the strength ofone is multiplied several times

over Te heart symbolizes lovemercy and compassion and is

also Charity ndash the first of fourcore principle of the OrderKCFAPI in heart-shaped bordermantles the five wholly- ownedand majority-owned companies Keys Realty amp DevelopmentCorporation Kompass Creditand Financing Corporation KCPhilippines Foundation IncKnights of Columbus Fr George

J Willmann Charitie s Inc andMace Insurance Agency IncTey are depicted by the boldshoulders of the figures symbol-izing the family Just like in any

close-knit family concentratedon accomplishing one objective

all employees will be engagedtheir support and talent pooledand harnessed to participateactively in any company activi-ties working in tandem as onecohesive unit

Te logo vividly demonstratesthe solidarity and bonding of fam-ily members if they gather togetherand allow Christ to be at the centerof their family relationship

Te different colors representthe various hues of the Order ofthe Knights of Columbus red

whit e blu e and yell ow hegreen color manifests KCFAPIrsquos

concern for our environment andits managementrsquos advocacy gearedtowards a healthy state of our sur-roundings Orange brings a posi-tive outlook in life optimism andmotivation to look on the brighterside of life

Te cup and host (in yellow)emulating the Holy Eucharist pro-vides Christ- centered way of life

Te circular flow represents in-finity or totality the unboundedtimeless and never ending lovecare and affection of KCFAPIin providing each and every KCfamily a shield of security protec-tion and hope Te acronym ALLcharacterizes KCFAPIrsquos inclusiveapproach to all forms of actions

products and services (Angelito A Bala)

As we protect families for generations Act Live Love

KCFAPI Planning Conference The Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of thePhilippines Inc held their 2016 Planning Conference last November 7-9 2015 atColumbus Plaza General Santos City Present were KCFAPI Chairman Bro Arsenio IsidroG Yap KCFAPI President Bro Jose C Reyes Jr KCFAPI Executive Vice President SisMa Theresa G Curia KCFAPI Officers and Supervisors KEYS Realty Vice President Bro

Riz Nicolas and HTMC Vice President Sis Apolonia Dominguez

Living Rosary The Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of the Philippines Inchad their Living Rosary last October 30 2015 at the KCFAPI main office This has been

a yearly practice for the Month of the Holy Rosary which is usually conducted by itsofficers and staff

Cardinal Tagle leads the unveiling of the portrait of Jesuit Fr George J Willmann as the Manila archdiocesan process for the Cause of Beatification and Canonization of the latter formally opens at the Manila Cathedralon Monday Dec 7 Willman is considered as t he ldquoFather of the Knights of Columbusrdquo in the Philippines ROY LAGARDE

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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D2 The CrossDecember 7 2015 - 27 2015 Vol 19 No 25

ACQ UIR IN G a hou se and lo t which they can call their own home

and driving their own cars are twoof the priority dreams of Filipinoparents Of course seeing theirchildren finish college education iseither Number 1 or Number 2

Te Knights of Columbus Frater-nal Association of the PhilippinesInc (KCFAPI) has formed andincorporated a new company to helpmembers of the Order to have their

dream homes and motor carsKCFAPI named the new company as Kompass Credit and

Financing Corporation (KCFC) after one of the symbols of theKnights of Columbus which is the Compass Like the Compassof the ancient marines KOMPASS is here to guide BrotherKnight in having their own home and efficient mobility

KOMPASS can also extend home car and business loans tothe general public

Interested parties can call KOMPASS at el No 527-2242

527-2223 loc 215 and 252 for further details of the loan

Arsenio Isidro G Yap

Chairmanrsquos Message

Presidentrsquos Message

Ma Theresa G Curia

Jose C Reyes Jr

Reflection

Curia Settings

Michael P Cabra

Bequest LIFE this Christmas

My Brotherrsquos Keeper

FILIPINO raditions reflect the kindof people that we are All traditionscustoms and beliefs evolve from thelove and respect of the family Ourmutual and natural respect for oneanother our desire to please and notoffend each other and our willingness

to extend a helping hand are just a fewof the basic foundations which madethe Filipino people unique a one of a

kind and nowhere else could be found And certainly a must-have as a friend and neighbor

Some of the trait I like is the ldquomano pordquo expression and at thesame time reaching for the otherrsquos hand and asking for his blessingsTe respected elder would normally extend his hand to touch theforehead of the one asking for his blessings and expresses ldquokaawanka ng Diyosrdquo or ldquoGod bless yourdquo It doesnrsquot matter whether the onebeing accorded the respect is younger than the person asking forthe blessing or even if they hardly know each other

Another trait is removing onersquos slippers or shoes when enteringa neighborrsquos house Te guest expresses his respect for the hostand does not in any way want to spoil or damage the pristinecondition of the floor which is normally kept shiny and clean

Cleaning of onersquos surrounding to the point of cleaning also theneighborrsquos grounds I could still remember in our neighborhoodthat the old folks would sweep the debris on the street in front

of their houses But instead of just collecting their own trashthey would try to outdo each other by picking (or sweeping)the litter on the street up to the neighborrsquos house in front andeven on their right and left side

Everyone living along the same street knows each other very well to the point that all knows who are having a hard time and would need some assistance A neighbor would readily do somehousehold chores give some food and try to console those whoare grieving for the loss of a love one Nobody needs to askHelp is extended readily

Although the traits Irsquove mentioned above are seldom practicednowadays except for the ldquomano pordquo I still believe that those

were just some of our good traits which define us as people which define us as a Filipino a unique breed of people We arevery resilient that even though we are in grief or experiencingextreme challenges in our everyday life we still are able to lightour faces with the friendliest smile

Christmas is another tradition-field celebration that is uniquelyFilipino Te ldquoSimbang Gabirdquo ldquoputo bumbongrdquo and the like are

some Christmas traditions But let us not forget that Christmas isnot just a season of merriment but is a season for reconciliationItrsquos that time of the year when we want to ask forgiveness fromthose we had wronged and at same time forgive also those whohad wronged us and forget whatever they had done to us

Christmas is a season wherein family ties are kept stronger andmore meaningful But to be more meaningful it is better that weshare our blessings to those in need whose nights might be Holy but

would be very Silent and the only sound that they could hear arenot carols of merriment but the grumbling of their empty stomach

Make this Christmas the most meaningful Christmas ever bysharing your ldquoNoche Buenardquo with a neighbor or better still witha complete stranger May the birth of our Lord touch our heartsand be responsive to those in need

CHRISMAS is a holy day celebratingthe birth of Jesus Christ our Saviour Ithas been a tradition in the Philippines that

we go to dawn masses from December 16to the eve of Christmas day Because ourenthusiasm builds up as early as Septemberon Christmas Day itself many of us areexhausted after days of going through heavytraffic on the way to parties and to crowdedshopping malls to shop for gifts Tere arealso many events that we are enticed to at-tend for our kidsrsquo sake gatherings of relatives and friends near and farand entertainment we spend a lot for the family

While these festivities are all expressions of love we sometimes forgetthat Christmas day is the day we should go to mass to thank God forall the blessings we received from Him and in turn to offer our gift to

Jesus Christ As we enter the Advent season let us start reflecting on

how we can better love and serve God on how we can help the poorand how we can give hope to those who are losing hope Let us put intoaction the principle of charity with greater vigor and sense of urgency

May Christmas be like the ldquoJourney to the Innrdquo of Joseph and Mary- tiring yet full of hope and joy to welcome Christ in our hearts andour homes As Knights of Columbus let us lead our communities toa Christ-centered Advent celebration this year and always

My family and I wish your whole family ldquoA Merry Christmas and aBlessed New Yearrdquo

FOR this Christmas I wish tobase my reflection on a poem

written by Horacio de la Costathe first Filipino provincial ofthe Jesuits Please read and usethe poem as a Christmas greet-ing My reflection is nothingcompared to the poem

We must have visited all theBelens in our churches since we

were small In fact most of usalso put up the Christmas cribin our own homes In arlacthey even have yearly exhibits ofBelens which they call Belenis-mo We were told that it was StFrancis who started putting upthe crib in his church And thepoem of Horacio Dela Costatells us that if we meditate onthis set up we might discover

the surprises that they bring toour consciousness

Let us identify some fea-tures of the Belens that we se earound us during the Christ-mas season and together letus reflect on the meanings thatthese can offer us We shall seedifferent layers of Christmasmeaning emerge

1 he King was born poorGod has become human Tisis one of the features that wesee when we stare at the Crib

What a paradox the king ispoor God is human Life isindeed full of paradoxes andof seeming contradictions

We make sense of them only

with the passage o f t ime and

as we mature both in age andin faith

2 he Bethlehem scene isprofoundly meaningful sym-bolic and mystery-laden We

watch the figures in the Be lenand sometimes we do notunderstand When we do notunderstand the turn of eventsin our life we should not giveup We should not run awayTe world will not end onlybecause we do not understand

what we see exper ience or feelLet us stand in awe at Godrsquosvisit when we are clueless of

what i s happening 3 he King was born in a

manger But there was peacearound among the wise menand the shepherds on that holy

and starry night We see atthe Belen scene a communionamong God humans the richand the poor animals and hu-mans the stars the night andthe people It was as though ata special moment the Universe

was one As though the con-nectedness of all the elements

was not merel y ecolog ical asLaudato Si spoke of but evendivine -human No wonderthat we do not get tired of put-ting up our belens at home inchurches and in public placesNo wonder that we can stareforever at the Nativity scenealthough we do not fully un-derstand everything although

we do it yea r afte r year We

also feel that we are there andthat we are connected to the

figures they represent we areconnected to history to oursurroundings and even to ourGod

4 he Savior was born ina manger where animals eatTe meaning of the mangerscene has been the content ofmany sermons that we haveheard We were told that thisdoes not only refer to thehumility or poverty of Jesus

A dee per meaning they say isthat Jesus has come to be foodfor all who come to him Jesuscame to give Himself as foodfor the world His words histeachings his mercy and com-passion and his Good News of

Godrsquos Plan are enough to fillour emptiness with a sense ofdirection and destiny Teyquench our thirst for enlight-enment guidance and sense ofdignity as humans

5 he Baby who is born isthe Savior of the world Howcan a Baby save the w orld Wesee before us a baby wrappedin swaddling clothes And werealize that Divinity can berevealed in very human situ-ations And that the humblestreality could be a revelationthat God is in our midst If weopen our hearts and minds tothe Lord His Spirit enlightensand gives delight to our weary

and limited minds and souls

Even today we can feel Hismessage although sometimes

we do not ful ly unders tand Te truth dawns on us when

we ar e qu ie t and when we wait When we do not rush toknow Godrsquos Presence is a Giftthat we can never be worthy ofBut the point here is not thatour littleness could obstructthe Revelation of a mysteryRather the Greatness of theLord compels Him to revealHimself to the little one Evento us Now

Tat is why Liturgy invokesour ability to watch to look at

what happe ns in the Churchcelebrations Te beauty ofcandles incense and flowerscan evoke some sense of the

Sacred Space a Sacred Mo-ment and a Sacred Encounter

Te Belen does this for us inrevealing the message of Christ-mas If we open our eyes weshall see the Message of Christ-mas with our hearts If we havetime and we can keep quietbefore the Belen we might seethe surprise of the Lord

[The author Ma TheresaG Curia is the Executive VicePresident amp Chief OperatingOfficer of the Knights of Co-lumbus Fraternal Association ofthe Phils Inc (KCFAPI) andthe incumbent Diocesan Regentof the Daughters of Mary Im-maculate International Dioceseof Malolos]

IrsquoS that time of the year again We must allbegin the increasingly difficult task of buy-ing suitable gifts for our friends and familyHowever there is a different gift you shouldseriously consider giving this year Itrsquos not a fun

present nor it is exciting Itrsquos not somethingyou can play with or wear and it definitely wouldnrsquot be considered a treat Itrsquos a gift thatno one wants but everyone NEEDS So whatare we talking about A Fraternal Service Plan

A Benefit Certificate (BC) or what is simplyknown as a life insurance policy Every year

we search for that perfect gift for a loved oneSomething that will show how much we careand appreciate them What could better provethat than giving someone the gift of SECU-RIY and SABILIY

Unfortunately the recent statistics presentthe sad truth (a) more than 95 Filipinos donot have adequate levels of insurance and (b)more than 80 of Filipinos do not believethey are likely to suffer a serious illness in the

next 20 years Yet each year around 365000Filipinos face premature death either caused byaccidental death or natural sickness It equatesto 1000 untimely deaths everyday

Firstly think about your present situation

Do you have loved ones who depend on youfinancially If something were to happen toyou would your family struggle to maintaintheir current lifestyle the kind of living yoursquovebeen providing If you answered yes to thesequestions itrsquos as simple as that - you need tohave life insurance Secondly do you have aloved one (parent spouse adult children e tc)

who needs protection Tis year give them theultimate gift Having an adequate amount oflife insurance can help in paying off hospitalbills memorial bills mortgage and even in-heritance tax It can allow a family to maintaintheir current level of living and possibly evenfund long term goals such as childrenrsquos schoolfunds dream car house business and evenretirement Now wersquore not saying this is the

only gift you should give it might look a littlesad with only that under the Christmas treeHowever just consider along with the othergifts giving a present that may not be appreci-ated at that moment might come in use should

a critical time arrive You look after your familyand so this is a perfect gift ideaItrsquos important to consult a fraternal counselor

when considering life insurance as it is impera-tive that you are insured accurately dependingon your current situation and future needs

Should you wish to know more just visit wwwkofcorgph for inquiries

Did you know thatFor as low as PhP10000 you can already

start the Gift of Life to your loved ones Tisfraternal service plan is called KC Peso Saver Itis a single contribution endowment plan which

will mature at the end of the benefit certificatersquos10th year In fact a lot of Knights of ColumbusMembers invest with this Gift of Life everyChristmas for their spouse and children

Gemille Isabel P Gloria

A Meek Christmas

IMAGINE a pregnant mother who is supposed to give birth toa child at the moment and rideson a donkey with her husband

Apart from the pain of laborthe mother is enduring deathchases their yet unborn child astheir King deliberately kills allthe newborn babies that night

urned down by the innkeepersthey ended up in a crude stablesharing it with the farm animalsand the shepherds as she gavebirth to a baby boy and placedhim in a manger I bet you arepicturing a scene of a movie inyour head right now Tis isactually what the first Christmaslooked like

Going back to the presentChristmas is far more delightfuland exciting Shopping feastinggift-giving and vacation trippingare just few of the activities that

we cannot do away with in ourChristmas lists We think ofChristmas like no other ordinaryday of the year We make sure

that for Noche Buena there isabundance of bountiful feasts inour dining table from a platterof mouth-watering leche flan toa sumptuous lechon new clothesup to fifty percent sale on theselected items section and expen-sive gifts covered in a Santa Claus

wrapper under a fully decorated

Christmas tree We associate theChristmas season as a time ofsplendor since it is the birthday ofour Savior Unfortunately someof us could only imagine thesethings Tey are our fellow whoare counted by the government inabject poverty who could hardlythink of where and how to gettheir first meal for the 365 daysof the year including Christmasday One does not need to moveafar to behold this ravers-ing nearby the office we couldalready see some of the faces inpoverty If you have not takenyet the underpass connectingManila City Hall and Intramu-ros as you make your way out of

it you will see sullied children intattered clothes inhaling plasticbags containing rugby with somesoiled adults who seem to be theirparents doing the same thing

With their hunger already in theirhead some children forcibly takethe food of the passersby Duringthe night the space where people

enter and exit the underpassin the day turns into a freezinghome for the homeless Youcan see in their wrinkled face thefeeling of sleeping on the passage-

ways with only cardboard boxesand worn out fabrics in betweentheir body and the cold cementedground Teir condition is notfar from what Jesus experiencedon the first Christmas born intoand chose to live a life of poverty

Remembering martyredSalvadoran Archbishop OscarRomero who once said thatldquoNo one can celebrate a genuineChristmas without being trulypoor he self sufficient theproud those who because they

have everything look down onothers those who have no needeven of God for them there

will be no Christmas Only thepoor the hungry those whoneed someone to come on theirbehalf will have that someonehat someone is God Em-manuel God-with-usrdquo With

what he thought we canrsquot arguethat at times we want everythingTe more you have the moreyou want and the more you get

What if we have nothing Whatif we donrsquot have gifts food andnew clothes for the Christmas

What if we are in the place of thehomeless Would we still feel thesame Christmas Spirit withoutthe things we celebrate with it

We have to learn to celebrat eChristmas with how the poorperceive it Let us not reachthe point where we celebrateChristmas just because we willreceive our one-year wish listLet us learn to lose to sacrificeand to give during Christmas

Joseph P Teodoro

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D3The Cross December 7 2015 - 27 2015 Vol 19 No 25

Deogracias Fajota Fr Jeronimo

Ma Cruz Fr Antonio Rex PalayaFr Melvin Gamelo Fr JuliusCuison Fr Felix Labios Fr Ra-melle Rigunay Fr Randy SalungaFr Joel Cariaso Fr HernandezMendoza Fr Julius de Sagun FrRonel Ilano Fr Lowie Palines andFr Emmanuel Hiipolito

In his homily Cardinal aglestarted by citing that aside fromthe formal opening of the Dioc-esan process for Fr Willmannit was also the feast day of St

Ambrose a great teacher of theChurch known for his sanctityand teachings It was also the eveof the Immaculate Conception ofour Blessed Mother Mary plus thestart of the Advent season

Te Cardinal then focused onthe question What does it meanto be holy With the opening ofthe Cause he said that Fr George

J Willmann St Ambrose andMother Mary all responded tosanctity and holiness Cardinalagle clarified that ldquoHoliness isan attribute of God and not manrsquosachievement nor his work It isGod who is Holy and our holi-ness is a gift of God ndash our oneness

with HimrdquoCardinal agle added that the

message of the First Reading is thatthe Holiness of God is seen withmarvelous work ndash like transform-ing a desert into a garden filled

with water and flowers where we

are able to drink from Godrsquos good-ness with a safe road along the

holy way Te desert symbolizes

humanity that is seen to be dryfruitless empty and even life-less However when God entersall these are transformed into abountiful garden Godrsquos Holinessalways creates miracles ldquoWhen-ever we experience hopelessnessloaded with faults we must notbe afraid for that is the time whenGod will come to infuse His Holi-ness and cure the sickness Tat isthe Good Newsrdquo Cardinal agleadded that during this season ofadvent we must look deeper intoour deserts in order to experiencethe Holiness of God

Te Cardinal then underscoredthat we need to respond to GodrsquosHoliness not like the scribes in

the reading who questioned andrejected Jesus but like the friendsof the paralyzed man who lookedfor a nonconventional way -through the roof - to bring theparalytic closer to Jesus Cardinalagle stressed the need for us to bealert discerning with eyes of faithin order for us to respond to ourHoly God in His action when weare in our desert

he Cardinal then asked thepeople to pray for those entrusted

with the Cau se of Fr Willmannthat they may be illumined witheyes of faith With no intention ofpre-empting the Diocesan processCardinal agle simply thankedGod as we are now privileged

to share Godrsquos holiness throughpersonal experiences with Fr Will-

Sainthood D1

Process for PHrsquos new lsquoServantof Godrsquo starts rollingMANILA Dec 7 2015 ndash Manila Arch-bishop Luiacutes Antonio G Cardinal agleofficially accepted on Monday Dec 7the Feast of St Ambrose the petition toopen an investigation on the sanctity andheroic virtues of Fr George J WillmannSJ founder of the Knights of Columbus(KC) in the Philippines among otherCatholic lay organizations

At least 1000 of the naturalized Fili-pino Jesuit priestrsquos spiritual children fromall over the country including no lessthan former Supreme Court (SC) Chief

Justice Hilario G Davide Jr becamepart of Philippine Church history as they

witnes sed at the Manila Metropo litanCathedral Basilica the solemn opening ofthe archdiocesan process they hope wouldlead to beatification and canonization

lsquoGreat responsibilityrsquoIn line with this agle appointed Msgr

Pedro C Quitorio III of the CatholicBishopsrsquo Conference of the Philippines(CBCP) Media Office as postulator forthe cause of the countryrsquos newest ldquoServantof Godrdquo

He also approved the appointments ofMsgr Geronimo S Reyes Fr Wilmer RRosal and Fr Ricardo P del Rosario asepiscopal delegate vice postulator andpromoter of justice respectively as wellas of a host of other experts both clericand lay who vow to work together to giveFilipinos another saint

Te prelate went on to swear in allthose involved in the cause for Willmannrsquosbeatification and canonization remindingthem of the ldquogreat responsibilityrdquo theyhave assumed and the ldquoimportance andseriousnessrdquo of the task at hand

PHrsquos Fr McGivney Dubbed ldquoFr McGivney of the Philip-

pinesrdquo due to his dedication to expand KClocally Willmann worked for the radicaltransformation of faith into action

Born on June 29 1897 to very devoutCatholic parents in Brooklyn New Yorkthe American Jesuit was granted Philip-pine citizenship by President FerdinandMarcos through Presidential Decree(PD) No 740

In 1938 he first served as chaplain

of KC Manila Council 1000 then re-turned in 1954 to become the Orderrsquosfirst Philippine Deputy until his deathin 1977

In total the priest spent 44 fruitful andproductive years in the Philippines serv-ing the poor the sick the orphans theoppressed the lonely and the desolateespecially the young ones

KCFAPI etcBesides what is formally known as the

Knights of Columbus Fraternal Associa-tion of the Philippines Inc (KCFAPI)

which he founded in 1958 Willmannestablished other organizations as follows

bull Catholic Youth Organization (1938)bull Establishment of the Catholic Press

ldquoFilipinasrdquo and the ldquoCrossrdquo Magazines(1946)

bull Columbian Squires in the Philippines(1950)

bull Daughters of Isabella in the Philip-pines (1951) reorganized as Daughtersof Mary Immaculate (1977)

bull Columbian Farmers Aid Association(1951) reorganized as Knights of Co-lumbus Community Service Inc (1962)

bull Knights of Columbus Fraternal Asso-ciation of the Philippines Inc (KCFAPI)(1958)

bull Knights of Columbus PhilippinesFoundation Inc (1971) (Raymond ASebastiaacuten CBCP News)

Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle leads the Mass of the formal opening of the ArchdiocesanProcess for the Causes of Beatification and Canonization of the Servant of God FatherGeorge J Willmann SJ father of the Knights of Columbus in the Philippines LIN REGINO

Te Gentle Warrior By James B Reuter SJ

Part II of Chapter wo of ldquoTe Gentle Warriorrdquo series

CHAPER WO-----------------

Te Ateneo de Manila

HE Ateneo was a boysrsquo schoolTe objective of a boysrsquo school is tomake a man out of a boy Te mainvirtue of a man is courage Godmirrored His virtues in His childrenBut he divided them between girls

and boys Tere is such a thing as amasculine soul and a feminine soulIf a boy and a girl are suddenly con-fronted with a wild bull thunderingdown on them if the girl screamedand hid behind the boy that wouldbe normal But if the boy screamedand hid behind the girl everyone

would be ashamed of him Tevirtue of a girl is not physical cour-age it is love and mercy Te virtueof a boy is courage and justice Butin our schools there is no course inthe curriculum called ldquoCouragerdquo

here is no subject called

ldquoCouragerdquo Tere is no mark forldquoCouragerdquo It has to be taught inevery subject through the wholelife of the school he Jesuitsunderstood this very well AndGeorge understood it He began

to learn the meaning of couragehimself when he was five yearsold sitting on the curbstone onPutnam Avenue when the wheelof the garbage truck crushed bothhis feet

In the old Ateneo there wasa strong tradition of ldquoRomansrdquoand ldquoCarthageniansrdquo Jose Rizal

was the Emperor of the RomansEvery class was competitive TeRomans would be lined up onone side of the class the Car-thagenians on the other Te firstquestion went to the Romans

If the Romans answered it cor-rectly the questioning stayed

with the Romans If any Romanmissed the question went to theCarthagenians Ten the Romanboys would growl and grumble at

the Roman who missed It wascompetition to teach courage

And the battle cry of all theteams was ldquoAnimo Ateneordquo Youcould translate that as ldquoLetrsquos go

Ateneordquo or ldquoSpirit Ateneordquo orldquoFight Ateneordquo mdash but in practiceit meant courage Never give upno matter what the odds ldquoGoget lsquoem Ateneordquo Never say dieTis was obvious in everythingthat the boys did

But it never degenerated intoldquoWin at all costsrdquo Te secondmasculine virtue is justice Tis

means honesty integrity and fairplay Both at once mdash courageand fair play Te verse that everyathlete in the school knew by heart

was ldquoIf I should win let it be bythe code with my head and my

honor held high But if I shouldlose let me stand by the road andcheer as the winner goes byrdquo

It was a tremendous amount of work mdash teaching night and dayrunning the Sodality the ACILand the magazine mdash but Georgeloved it

And his students loved him Tefriendships that he made duringthose three years of regency from1922 to 1925 lasted more thanfifty years

(o be continued on the nextissue)

mann and his life and ministrydevoted to service that providedldquofresh water and good newsrdquo

particularly to the youth the poorand the prisonersTe Cardinal cited his own basic

formation as a Charter memberof the Columbian Squires inImus Cavite where they helpedthe Church in its program for thestreet children He also mentionedhis appreciation for being a scholarof the Knights of Columbus dur-ing Fr Willmannrsquos time

Reiterating that God indeedtransforms deserts into places ofrest peace and holiness Cardinalagle ended his homily by encour-aging all in attendance to be agentsof Godrsquos holiness

People from all walks of life joined the celebration of this Mass

that formally opened the Cause ofServant of God - Fr Willmann

Also repres ent ed were var iou sorganizations established and nur-tured by Fr George including the

Daughters of Isabella (now Daugh-ters of Mary Immaculate) Catholic Youth Organization ColumbianSquires and the Knights of Co-lumbus Parishioners and residents

with their families from nearbycities and communities of ondoIntramuros Sta Cruz Malate andother more distant places likewise

witnessed the very mean ingfulOpening of the diocesan processfor the Cause of their ldquoFather andBenefactorrdquo of forty years

Fr George J Willmann SJdevoted the last forty years of hislife not only in humble serviceand dynamic leadership of theKnights of Columbus in thePhilippines but equally being a

compassionate pastor in the careand formation of the youth He

provided relief to victims of the

war and of violence while also al-leviating the sufferings of the poorHe likewise established ways topreserve and promote the sanctityof life marriage and the family

It was in 1997 or eighteen yearsago that the Knights of Columbusin the Philippines first started aconcerted thrust to formally laythe groundwork for the Causeof Fr Willmann During theOrderrsquos centennial celebration ofFr Willmannrsquos birth the Ordercreated a Committee on Causecomposed of Ramon V ConsingLauro M Cruz and Msgr PedroC Quitorio III as co-chairmenNotable activities of the Com-mittee included gathering of tes-

timonials launch of the Prayer forthe Centennial of Fr Willmann with the Impr imatur of Msgr Jose C Abriol launching of Fr Willmann Fellows meeting withthen Jaime Cardinal Sin and theFather Provincial of the Jesuits toseek their respective endorsementsof the Cause Te Order publishedand distributed the pamphlet ldquoAGlimpsehe Life and Worksof Fr George J Willmann SJrdquoin order to give due acknowledg-ment and recognition as well as toincrease awareness abou t Fr Will-mann A landmark achievement ofthis period was the publication ofldquoTe Gentle Warriorrdquo a biographyof Fr Willmann authored by Fr

James B Reuter SJEstablishing and spreading the

fama sanctitatis of Fr Willmann

included the presentation andpromotion of his works mademore concrete by direct testimo-nies of various individuals whomhe personally interacted withFr Willmann Fellowsrsquo one-timemembership donations have beenpooled to fund the productionof materials such as prayer cardspublications tarpaulins postersto effectively promote Fr George

Willmann not only to brotherKnights but more importantlyto the youth the poor and under-privileged of various communities

In 2011 through the efforts ofthe KC Fraternal Association ofthe Philippines and the Knightsof Columbus Fr Willmann Chari-

ties Inc the National ExecutiveCommittee (NEC) for the Causeof Fr Willmann was created withthe primary function of overseeingall the initiatives relative to or inconnection with the Cause

We are blessed that the Dioc-esan process of the Cause of FrGeorge J Willmann SJ has nowbeen formally opened therebygiving us significant reason torejoice Henceforth he will nowbe regarded Servant of God Letus fervently pray for continuedenlightenment from the HolySpirit for everyone involved in thisDiocesan process and the Causeas a whole so that our belovedFr George J Willmann may ulti-

mately be elevated to the honorsof the altar

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 2424

D4 The CrossDecember 7 2015 - 27 2015 Vol 19 No 25

FST IN CAGAYAN A Fraternal Service Training program was held in Cagayan De Oro last November 13 2015Participants were from Zamboanga Misamis and Butuan The event was graced by KCFAPI Vice Presidentfor FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBG Manager Michael Cabra Aside from the product specifications thetraining also gives an idea regarding the basic insurance process and conceptualization of new marketingstrategies in order to achieve their goals and improve their sales performance (FBG News)

AREA MEETING IN VISAYAS The KCFAPI Western Visayas Armor held an area meeting in Bacolod lastOctober 24 2015 led by Agency Unit Manager Randy G Bravo and graced by KCFAPI Vice President forFBG Gari San Sebastian (KCFAPI News)

FST IN DAVAO A Fraternal Service Training program (1 and 2) was held in KCFAPI Davao Service OfficeDavao City last November 20-21 2015 Participants were from Compostela Valley Cotabato City andGeneral Santos The training was attended by KCFAPI Vice President f or FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBGManager Michael Cabra (FBG News)

PRODUCERSrsquo FORUM KCFAPI Vice President for FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBG Manager Michael Cabraled a Producersrsquo Forum wherein fraternal counsellors all over Luzon were gathered for an update of theirincentives program held last November 11 2015 at the KCFAPI home office (FBG News)

New KCFAPI Board of Trustee Bro Pascual C Carbero

IN February of 1986 BroCarbero started his knightlyservice in the Knights of Co-lumbus under Council 10695

in Valenzuela City Duringhis service in Council 10695he has been appointed asChancellor for CY 1992-1993 and as Deputy GrandKnight and Program Direc-tor for CY 1993-1994 InDistrict M-31 of ValenzuelaCity Bro Carbero was GrandKnight for CY 1994-1995District Warden for CY 1996-1997 and District Deputyfor CY 1997-1999 He wasalso Chairman for the Roundable District Deputies forCY 1998-1999 At the Dr PioValenzuela Assembly ACN1772 Meycauayan Bulacanhe was the Faithful Naviga-

tor for CY 1999-2000 Onthat same term Bro Pascual

was the Luzo n State Audi -tor for CY 2000-2003 andthe Luzon State Warden forCY 2000-2003 of the Luzon

Jurisdiction After which forCY 2000-2001 he becamethe Charter Faithful Naviga-tor for the City of Valenzuela

Assembly ACN 2676 For

CY 2007-2015 Bro Carbero was re-a ppo inte d as Luzo nState Warden Bro Carbero

was a voting delegate in the

KC Supreme Convention heldat Washington DC in 2010and also a non-voting delegateheld at Anaheim Californiain 2002 and 2012 Currentlyhe is the State Secretary of theLuzon North Jurisdiction

Bro Pascualrsquos dedicationand enthusiasm in participat-ing in the Order gave himthe endeavor to author thecreation of the City of Valen-zuela Assembly in 1999 withthe assistance of the Districtand Vice Supreme Master

With his knightly serv ice he was awarded with several rec-ognition namely OutstandingDistrictDeputy for CY 1997-

1999 Star District Awardeefor CY 1997-1999 and Civic

Awardee as Charter FaithfulNavigator of the City of Valen-zuela Assembly ACN 2676CY 2000-2001

Apart from Knights of Co-lumbus Bro Carbero partakeshis services in other civic andreligious organizations He isa Special Lay Minister of the

Holy Eucharist Parish of theHoly Cross since 1989 and amember of the Parish RenewalExperience Group He is the

Director and reasurer of thePhilippine Insurers Club from2013 to 2014 and currently itsPresident He is also a memberof the Insurance Executive1st Friday Club of Makatiand an incoming Presidentof the Philippine Associationof Surety Underwriters Incthis 2016

He was Director Corpo-rate Secretary of Mace Insur-ance Agency Inc from 2012until 2014 and currentlythe Independent Director ofKompass Credit and FinancialCorporation and KCFAPIrespectively Bro Carbero isalso a fellow of Father George

J Willmann Charit ies Inc And since 2006 he has beenthe Vice President of IntraStrata Assurance Corporation

He graduated with a Bach-elorrsquos degree in Business Ad-ministration Major in Man-agement at Philippine Schoolof Business Administration in1973 and finished Bachelor ofLaws in Lyceum of the Philip-

pines in 1988Bro Pascual Carberorsquos wife

Sis Remedios was past presi-dent for three years of theCatholic Womenrsquos League(CWL) Valenzuela Chapterand currently the AssistantVice President for Underwrit-ing in Mercantile InsuranceCo Inc in Intramuros Ma-nila Tey are blessed with six

wonderful children namely

Soidemer Claire a pediatri-cian Abigail Claire a lawyerValerie Claire and ChristineClaire both of whom are reg-istered nurses Terese Claire

who graduated with Bachelorrsquosdegree in Laws and is currentlyreviewing for Bar exams and

Adrian Brian who is also aregistered nurse and presentlya 3rd year medical student

Former SC Justice tofellow lsquoPH Knightsrsquo Prayfor Willmannrsquos CauseMANILA Dec 8 2015 ndash Former Chief

Justice Hilario G Davide Jr has calledon fellow members of the Knights of Co-lumbus (KC) nationwide to keep prayingfor the eventual ldquoraising to the altarrdquo ofthe grouprsquos spiritual father Fr George J

Willmann SJ who was declared ldquoSer-vant of Godrdquo Monday Dec 7

ldquoSo what is demanded of us as mem-bers of Knights of Columbus What isdemanded of us as members of Knightsof Columbus Fraternal Association of thePhilippines Inc [KCPAFI]rdquo he askedldquoWe need to pray a lot Pray pray praythat the tribunal will listen to the evidencepresented Pray pray pray that the tribu-nal will actually collate all the evidenceand determine once and for all that whathas been presented through our postula-

tor is credible to merit the conferment ofbeatification later on Tis is our taskrdquo

Archdiocesan processDavide who now chairs the National

Executive Committee for the Causes ofFr Willmann made this observation in aspeech following a ceremony held at theManila Cathedral during which Arch-bishop Luiacutes Antonio G Cardinal agleofficially approved the archdiocesan process

for the causes for the beatification and can-onization of the naturalized Filipino Jesuit

he solemn occasion was witnessedby no less than 1000 representativesof KCPAFI and other organizations Fr

Willmann helped establish like Catholic Youth Organization Columbian Squiresin the Philippines (1950) and Daughtersof Mary Immaculate

Te former chief magistrate went on todescribe the entire process as ldquovery mean-ingfulrdquo since it had the power to make anordinary priest into a Servant of God

Ordinary priest to Servant of GodldquoImagine during our lifetime today in

the Cathedral we saw the conversion ofan ordinary priest to become a Servant ofGod And we hope that he will merit be-

ing a servant of God until the first step ofthe process will continuerdquo he exclaimed

According to him it must have been thefirst time for most people present to haveseen with their own eyes an event of suchldquohistoric and momentous significancerdquo

ldquoI have lived 20 times four years of mylife almost And this is the first time I have

witnessed the process how it evolves and what we can gather from it o me thisis not just making somebody brought to

the honors of the altar but for us to beable to witness how to live and how tocomport ourselves to be able to follow hisfootstepsrdquo he explained

Built-in holinessDavide pointed out that holiness is

already built in each person but it is onlya matter of expressing it

ldquoWhy I would say that holiness is inus already Because we are the templeof God and the Spirit of God is with usSometimes however we forget that this isso We close our ears We close our eyes to

Jesus Christ We close our hands to JesusChrist by helping others So this is theprocess that we have witnessed today Andto me it will very much workrdquo he added

Davide also credited Msgr Pedro C Qui-

torio III postulator of the causes for Fr Will-mann for the ldquodivinely inspiredrdquo occasionand the timeliness of the diocesan process

ldquoSo Msgr Quitorio you are divinelyinspired You planned everything in sucha way that everything we did and we willdo and what we are doing right now isnot only as legacy to the next generationbut even beyond the next generation forpeople and children yet unbornrdquo he said(Raymond A Sebastiaacuten CBCP News)

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 624

A6 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25LOCAL NEWS

PH Catholics Itrsquos the season of reconciliation

AKING their cue from Pope Francisrsquoprayer intention for December FilipinoCatholics encourage others of their faithto have hope this Advent season and totake advantage of the coming Jubilee Yearto confess their sins and be reconciled with the Merciful God

ldquoTe popersquos intention for the month ofDecember may be understood as an invi-tation to all to come to the merciful Lordthrough the sacrament of reconciliationIt is in that sacrament that all who comesto God with humility will experienceGodrsquos mercyrdquo shared Darwin Beceril avolunteer catechist from the Diocese ofNovaliches

Religious educator Nestor Limquecofrom Manila seconded pointing out that

Advent invites the faithful to avail of theSacrament of Reconciliation and to be

hopeful that all will be well despite their weaknesses and imperfections thanks to aGod Who is Mercy and Hope personified

Greatest Love of AllldquoTis season of hope and the com-

mencement of the Year of Mercy gives usreason to celebrate the greatest love the

world has known that of the God Whohas show it through the Incarnation ofHis Sonrdquo he explained

According to Limqueco mercy is Godrsquosgreatest expression of His love for human-ity and hope is the response each faithfulmust give to to this loving mercy

ldquoTe advent season reminds us thatthere is always hope to come Jesus laiddown His life to save us from our sins and

bring us to eternal life Te Lord assuresus there is always hope in our struggles

temptations and problems Never losehope and always strive to do good thingsGod fulfills his promisesrdquo said JM ua-zon a Filipino accountant based in theUnited States

lsquoJesus never lets downrsquoEchoing one of the pontiffrsquos quotable

statements on his visit to Palo Leyte in January uazon stressed that Jesus is Lord Who will not let the faithful down

he Holy Fatherrsquos universal prayerintention for the month is ldquoTat all mayexperience the mercy of God who nevertires of forgivingrdquo

Meanwhile his intention for evangeli-zation is ldquoTat families especially those

who suffer may find in the birth of Jesus

a sign of certain hoperdquo (Raymond ASebastiaacuten CBCP News)

the very enlightening talk and new experi-ences in the Holy Eucharist We learned alot and we will greatly miss you

We gr ee t Mo st Rev De og ra ci as

Intildeiguez Jr DD Bishop Emeritusof the Diocese of Kalookan and FrMario Cueto a very Happy Birthday

Happy Sacerdotal Anniversary to FrRico Ayo Fr Romy uazon Fr Jeff

Ayt onaOP Fr Den ni s Sa li se FrLarry Frias Fr Nestor Estanislao FrPatrick Hiwatig O P Happy Birthdayalso to my brother Dr Andres ldquoRoyrdquoSantiago and Kalookan Diocese Curiastaff Jun Acebuche

Duc In Altum A5

PH needs lsquorespectful leadersrsquo ndash pro-lifers

FOLLOWING Davao MayorRodrigo Dutertersquos less-than-flattering reference to PopeFrancis in a recent speech aCatholic lay group issued astatement uesday underscor-ing the importance of electedofficials who know how torespect themselves the dig-nity of fellow humans andfundamental institutions likemarriage

R-e-s-p-e-c-t ldquoA person aspiring to be-

come the nationrsquos leadershould always be respectful ofhimself his office and of otherpeoplerdquo stressed Filipinos

for Life in their Dec 1 pressreleaseTe group went on to ask

rhetorically how Duterte canbe trusted to uphold the basicrights of other innocent people

if he can verbally abuse some-one as respected as the HolyFather

Besides finding that Duterteldquogreatly erredrdquo in cursing PopeFrancis they further decried

what they consider to be thepresidential candidatersquos ldquowan-ton behaviorrdquo with regardto his public admission toadultery

ldquoIf he has no respect for theindissolubility of marriagerdquothey added ldquoWhat other in-stitutions crucial to the moral

well-being of the people is he willing to tamper withrdquo

Sanctity of life family mar-

riageldquoWe value sanctity of lifefamily and marriage aboveallmdashinstitutions that formthe very foundation of everysound society We are most

disappointed that he chose notto uphold his marriage vows which would have been themost vivid expression of hismanhood unlike the personahe projects where women aremere expendable persons tosatisfy his sexual needsrdquo thegroup lamented

While already aware of apol-ogies issued on the mayorrsquosbehalf Filipinos for Life stilldemand Duterte himself toapologize to the countryrsquos 80million Catholics for the ldquoex-treme disrespectrdquo he has shownPope Francis and the Catholicfaith as well as to the womenhe has had relations with

Collective discernmentldquoWe also ask his supportersto discern well whether MrDuterte is indeed fit to be theirchoice as the next presidentof the country Tis is a time

for serious introspection andprayer and we must listento our informed conscience

which acts as Godrsquos voice inour heartsrdquo they explained

According to them the re-cent events raise serious doubtsabout Dutertersquos readiness forthe highest office in the landgiven that the Philippines de-serves a morally upright andcompetent leader who willrevere his position as a sacredduty to serve God and hiscountrymen

ldquoWe must also considerall the consequences of ouractions the positive as wellas the negative effects of

our decisions in the shortterm and the long termand what these decisions sayabout usrdquo the group added(Raymond A Sebastiaacuten CBCP News)

Legal scientific support vs

50 lsquocarbon majorsrsquo sought A the sidelines of the widely-pub-licized COP21 discussions betweennon-government organizations legalexperts and scientists are taking placeto hold the worldrsquos top 50 pollutersaccountable

Fr Edu Gariguez executive sec-retary of the Catholic BishopsConference of the Philippinesrsquo Na-tional Secretariat for Social Action

Justice and Peace (NASSA) said heand his grouprsquos presence in Franceis meant to gather legal support fortheir international campaign andto find ways to track long-standingcomplaints

ldquoWe are also conducting dia-logue with scientists to supportthe complainantsrsquo claimsrdquo FrGariguez said in an interview

with CBCP News a day before hereturned to Manila

Continuous coal mining

Te priest added it is sad to knowmost of the countryrsquos energy sourcescome from coal-fired power plantsTe government has also continuouslyallowed coal mining

He explained President (BenignoSimeon C) Aquino IIIrsquos speech

before COP21 was good but incon-sistent with what is going on in thePhilippines While the presidenttalked about climate vulnerabilitythe government has continued torally the countryrsquos top corporationsincluding Aboitiz and San Miguelto operate more coal-fired powerplants

ldquoItrsquos been business as usual forPresident Aquinordquo Fr Gariguezsaid He said ldquoitrsquos hypocriscy to themaximum level for one not to walkthe talkrdquo

Human rights inquiriesHowever Gariguez said he hopes

the Commission on Human Rights(CHR) will do its best to inquireinto the activities of a number of the

worldrsquos 50 carbon majors present inthe Philippines He said the CHRpromised to do so during the firstquarter of 2016

He further said this is the first timethe international community has at-tempted to hold the top 50 carbonmajors accountable for the plight ofthe poor and marginalized includingfarmers and fisherfolk (Melo M

Acuntildea CBCP News)

MSP DD Metropolitan Archbishopof Ozamiz Jesus A Dosado CM DD

Te statement which was also con-curred by 166 delegates of the 40thDOPIM Bishops-Clergy Conventiondescribes the bodyrsquos ldquoserious concern onthe operation of coal mining and coalpower plant that triggers apprehension

among our people and poses environ-ment threat in the provinces where suchfacility is being establishedrdquo

Accord ing to the doc ument coalmining and coal power plants are partof the ldquounchecked human activitiesrdquothat are turning the earth into ldquoan arid

wastelandrdquoReferring to the recent natural di-

sasters and super typhoons that havehit the country recently the bishopssaid ldquoWe are living witnesses of the

destruction brought about by weatherchanges and the effects to health bycarbon emissions he calamities thatclaimed thousands of lives these pastyears and months are enough proofto awaken in us a commitment tosafeguard creation and help mitigatetheir effectsrdquo

Te statement mentioned the HolyFather as an influence for their standsaying ldquoPope Francis seeing the ur-gency of action in dealing with envi-ronmental crisis points out the use ofhighly polluting fossil fuelsmdashespeciallycoal to be progressively replaced withoutdelay (Cf Laudato Si 165)rdquo

Te document was drafted during the40th DOPIM Bihops-Clergy Conven-tion at the Diocesan Pastoral CenterDel Carmen Iligan City (CBCP News)

Mindanao A1

Vatican City - November 30 2015 Workers set up a Christmas Tree and Nativity Set in St Peterrsquos Square on November 30 2015 CNA

we going to do itrdquo the priest pointed out

Petition vs lsquobig pollutersrsquoNo less than 50 multinational compa-

nies were named respondents of the peti-tion considered as the first human rightscomplaints against big polluters

Of these 10 companies have branches orsubsidiaries in the Philippines as follows

bull ExxonMobilbull Chevronbull otalbull Royal Dutch Shell

bull BHP Billiton

bull BPbull Anglo Americanbull Lafargebull Holcimbull aiheiyo Cement CorporationBesides Gariguez the other Filipi-

nos and Asians present in Paris to givetalks are Climate Change CommissionCommissioner Heherson Alvarez CHRCommissioners Roberto Cadiz and GwenPimentel-Gana and representatives ofGreenpeace Southeast Asia as well asother civil society groups (Raymond A

Sebastiaacuten CBCP News)

Polluters A1

Te Pope made reference tothe dayrsquos first Mass reading theGenesis account of manrsquos fallin the Garden of Eden

ldquoTe words of Genesis re-flect our own daily experience we are constantly tempted todisobedience a disobedienceexpressed in wanting to goabout our lives without regardfor Godrsquos willrdquo he said

ldquoYet the history of sin canonly be understood in thelight of Godrsquos love and for-giveness Were sin the onlything that mattered we wouldbe the most desperate ofcreaturesrdquo

ldquoTe promised triumph ofChristrsquos love enfolds every-thing in the Fatherrsquos mercyrdquothe Pope said ldquoTe Immacu-

late Virgin stands before usas a privileged witness of thispromise and its fulfillmentrdquo

Pope Francis concluded hishomily recalling the 50th an-niversary of the Second Vati-can Councilrsquos closing whichis also commemorated Dec8 He stressed that the Jubileeof Mercy is a challenge for usto the ldquoopennessrdquo inspired bythe Council

Te Council was ldquoa genu-ine encounter between theChurch and the men and

women of our timerdquo in whichthe Holy Spirit ldquoimpelled theChurch to emerge from theshoals which for years hadkept her self-enclosed so asto set out once again withenthusiasm on her missionary

journeyrdquoldquoWherever there are people

the Church is called to reachout to them and to bring the joy of the Gospelrdquo the Popesaid

ldquoTe Jubilee challenges usto this openness and demandsthat we not neglect the spirit which emerged from VaticanII the spirit of the Samaritanas Blessed Paul VI expressedit at the conclusion of theCouncilrdquo

In his Angelus address de-livered after the opening ofthe Holy Door Pope Franciscalled the faithful to look onthe Immaculate Conceptionas a reminder that ldquoin our lifeeverything is a gift Everythingis mercyrdquo

ldquoMay the Blessed Virginthe first fruits of the saved themodel of the Church holy andimmaculate Bride loved bythe Lord help us to rediscoverthe mercy of God more andmore in a way characteristicof Christiansrdquo

Te Pope said the openingof the Jubilee of Mercy is anoccasion to look on the Im-maculate Conception ldquowithtrusting love to contemplateher in all her splendor (andimitate) her faithrdquo

ldquoIn the Immaculate concep-tion of Mary we are invitedto recognize the dawn of thenew world transformed fromthe saving work of the Fatherand of the Son and of the HolySpiritrdquo

Jubilee A1

City Archdiocesan Shrine of the DivineMercy in Mandaluyong City Santuariode Santo Cristo in San Juan City andOur Lady of Sorrows Parish in Pasay City

ldquoRectors and parish priests have beencoordinating on how to make pilgrim-ages fruitful and meaningful to pilgrimsrdquosaid Malicdem who is also rector of theManila Cathedral

Passport-stamping According to him the five churches

were chosen for the p ilgrimage ldquobecauseof their connection to mercyrdquo

He said Catholics may start their pil-

grimage from any of the churches butthey will have to proceed to the parishoffice after they accomplished the requiredactivities for stamping of their passports

ldquoPassports are available at all fivechurches Te may start and end at anychurch then they will also be given a cer-tificate of pilgrimagerdquo added the priest

Among the required pilgrimage activi-ties include entering the ldquoHoly Doorrdquo si-lent adoration and meditation venerationof the Jubilee Cross and donating to thearchdiocesersquos charitable programs

Te priest said the Holy Year also en-courages the faithful to understand thepractice of ldquomerciful loverdquo by dividing the

works of mercy into two kinds spiritualand corporal

He added that donations may come in

cash or in kind and will be used to feed thehungry provide housing for the homeless

and other projectsMalicdem said no other than Pope

Francis himself called on the faithfulto make a pilgrimage because ldquomercyrequires goal dedication and sacrificerdquo

Acts of mercy For Fr Jason Laguerta of the Office of

the Philippine Conference on the NewEvangelization the archdiocesersquos leadgroup for the Year of Mercy a pilgrimageis a ldquogood metaphor for liferdquo

ldquoWe are able to receive the mercy ofGod Ritual is meaningless if not coupled

with works of mercy and concrete actions

towards charityrdquo Fr Laguerta saidldquoMercy is not just a concept or anabstract idea but an action word Itrsquossomething that we dohellip perform acts ofmercy to one anotherrdquo he said

Aside from the sp iritual benefits thepriests added that a plenary indulgenceis also available to the faithful for makinga pilgrimage

Malicdem also said the Year of Mercypilgrimage may be held next year startingfrom Ash Wednesday which marks theseason of Lent until the Pentecost Sunday

Te universal Church will observe anextraordinary Year of Mercy as decreed bythe Pope from Dec 8 2015 until Nov20 2016

In Manila Cardinal agle will start thecelebration by opening the cathedralrsquos

Jubilee Door and hold Mass on Dec 9(Roy Lagarde CBCPNews)

Passport A1

consuming more than is neededldquoLetrsquos be responsible Life is hard today

and we should use our blessings given tous by God wiselyrdquo stressed the prelate

Christmas balikbayan boxes According to him advertisements and

Christmas sales subtly reshape the peoplersquosdesired around the material

For his part Bishop Ruperto Santos ofBalanga diocese issued a similar appeal to

overseas Filipino workers (OFWs)He said OFWs must not try hard to fill

up their ldquobalikbayan boxesrdquo beyond theirmeans while their families back homemust spend the remittances responsibly

Save more share moreldquoMagtabi mag-ipon at sa mga naiwan

palaging pahalagahan ang pinapadala

ng kapamilya (Set aside save and havesomething left Always value what your

family member sends homerdquo he addedOngtioco also said instead of excessive

consumption it would be better if Filipi-nos would consider sharing their blessingsto the needy

ldquoIf what we receive is more than enoughthere are also many who are in need Letus share our blessings with othershellipTisprobably is a challenge and an opportunity

for us to share with those who have less inliferdquo he said in Filipino (CBCP News)

Spending A1

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 724

A7CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25 DIOCESAN NEWS

for the nation only but to gatherinto one the children of God whoare scattered abroadrdquo (1149-52)

It is quite clear that even if byliving charity we may appear tobe suffering a defeat accordingto human standards God in hisprovidence would know how toderive good from it

We should not be afraid to suf-fer the consequences of humanpride and worldly arrogance justbecause we try to be consistent with the requirements of charityFor those who love God and oth-ers as St Paul in his letter to theRomans would say everything will always work out for the good

Now that we are going through

this delicate political processof electing our next leaders we

should try our best to avoid thepitfalls of emotional knee-jerkreactions to the issues at hand

Let us learn to be level-headedand to have a good grip of ouremotions and passions More thanthat let us see to it that we followthe requirements of charity asstrictly as possible It is preciselyin moments like this when charityis most needed

Letrsquos be careful with our wordsand especially so with our thoughtsand intentions May they alwaysbe infused with charity which isalways the way to find the truth toachieve justice and fairness properto us Charity is never a drag in ourpolitics It is what politics needs

most of all Charity is what leadsus to the common good

Candidly Speaking A4

Davao inaugurates lsquoLaudato Sirsquo organic gardenDAVAO Citymdasho give people a concreteexample on how to feed the family with-out harming the environment a parish inthe Archdiocese of Davao has put up anurban container organic garden namedafter Pope Francisrsquo encyclical Laudato Si

Auxil iary Bisho p of Davao GeorgeRimando officiated the inauguration andblessing of the Ascension of the Lord Par-ishrsquo Laudato Si Garden located at the backof the parish in GSIS Heights MatinaDavao City last Sunday Dec 6

Fr Leonardo Dublan Jr parish priestsaid they want to have a showroom forthe people as their model on how to setup their own container garden even withlimited space at home

Not impossibleldquoIt is not impossible to have a backyard

garden in the urban area Our parish islocated in a subdivision and we wereable to set-up our parish urban con-tainer garden and parishioners can alsodo the same in their respective homesrdquoexplained Dublan also the director ofthe Archdiocesan Social Action Center(ASAC)

Te parish has sought the help of JojoRom known as Father of Urban Contain-er Gardening in the country in puttingup the said garden in honor of the pope

Te garden utilizes organic fertilizersand also has an aquaculture pond belowthe structure A mini poultry area and a

wall garden are also included in the entireset-up

Rom said the waste from the kitchenlike fruit and vegetable peelings as well asother biodegradable waste are used to gen-erate fermented fertilizer for the plants

After the blessing a lecture about urbancontainer gardening was given by Romto the lay leaders and parishioners It canbe remembered that he once delivered asimilar lecture during the monthly meet-ing of the Parish Social Action Ministry(PSAM) of the Archdiocese of Davao

lsquoSafe organic foodrsquo ASAC Dav ao coordinat or Sr Ma

Marissa Arado DM said ASAC Davaohas been promoting urban container gar-dening to provide safe organic food forthe family especially with the worseningeffects of climate change

ldquoHopefully the lessons about climatechange will reach the young people andthe grassrootsrdquo Arado said

She added the use of organic fertilizersis a way of protecting not only the familybut also the soil as chemicals are used inproducing many commercially availablecrops

ASAC Davao hopes that the lessonslearned from the Laudato Si Garden willbe used in every Gagmayrsquong KristohanongKatilingban (GKK) or Basic EcclesialCommunities and every home (JohnFrances C Fuentes CBCP News)

Auxiliary Bishop of Davao George B Rimando officiated the inauguration and blessing of the Ascension of the Lord Parishrsquo Laudato Si Garden on Dec 6 2015John Frances Fuentes

Jaro takes vocation promotions to the streets JARO IloilomdashIn todayrsquos highly-modernized world where religiouslife is becoming less of an optionfor young people religious menand women in this archdioceseliterally went to the highways andthe byways to tell the youth thatreligious life is still very much aliveand relevant as part of ldquoVocationDays 2015rdquo from Nov 23 to 30

Believing always in the primacyof prayer the vocation promotersprayed even while on the roadmeditating on the Holy Rosaryand singing Marian hymns to-gether

ldquohe Vocation Caravan hasindeed become an opportunity where variou s religiou s and laypromoters from different congre-gations united as one group withthe aim to pray for one anotherfor the holy perseverance andsanctification of the clergy andreligious and to promote religiousvocationsrdquo observed Sr Susan

Matthew Cueco Carm OL

Vocation caravan and pilgrimage As a pr el ud e to Voc at io n

Month representatives of the Arch dioc esan Commis sion onVocation Promoters for theReligious also held for the first

time in Panay a three-day Voca-tion Caravan and Pilgrimage onSept 12 to 14

During the Vocation Caravanand Pilgrimage which kickedoff at the Jaro Cathedral with aMass celebrated by Jaro Arch-bishop Angel N Lagdameo withFr Paul Reagan alavera OP asconcelebrant the religious voca-tion promoters visited more than40 parishes and various collegesand universities in Capiz Aklan Antique and in the city and prov-ince of Iloilo

Aside from talking to the youngpeople the sisters also postedcampaign materials in churchesand led the prayer for vocationsfor every congregation

On the occasion of VocationMonth and in the context of the Year of Consecrated Life the Jaro Archdiocesan Commission on Vo-cation Promoters for the Religious(ACVP-R) successfully staged the

week-long event starting on Nov23 with a vocation campaign invarious educational institutionsin Miag-ao Iloilo

Confessions counselingTe religious men and women

also spearheaded the celebration

lsquoYolandarsquo women call for

more livelihood aid

BASEY SamarmdashOver 500 house- wives mothers and sisters from

ldquoYolandardquo-hit communities in Western S amar who turned en-trepreneurs have called the at-tention of government agenciesto their need for more livelihoodassistance

ldquoWe hope to receive capitalresources and machinery that wecould use for our livelihoodrdquo theysaid collectively in Waray duringthe First Rural Summit held re-cently in Basey

In a statement they specificallyasked for capital support equip-ment additional skills trainingand help in linking their productsto the market

Social services

Tey further appealed for in-creased access to social servicesparticularly for health and nutri-tion

Te Samarentildeas who came from24 barangays in Basey Marabutand Sta Rita towns also grabbedthe opportunity to stage a mini-trade fair featuring their productslike organic vegetables and fruitshandicrafts and native delicacies

Meanwhile representatives ofthe Provincial Agriculture Office(PAO) Department of rade andIndustry (DI) and the ProvincialGovernment of Samar conducted

a commitment signingTe delegates moreover had a

unity parade from the St Michaelthe Archangel Parish to the BaseyMunicipal Gym

Housewives to entrepreneurs While befor e super typho on

ldquoYolandardquo most of the womenstayed at home caring for theirchildren after the disaster theSocial Action Center (SAC) of theDiocese of Calbayog and NASSACaritas Philippines made surethey become micro-entrepreneursfarmers and mat weavers

o date about 406 women ofthem have received provisionslike egg-laying implements andcapital assistance for mat-weavingand mat weaversrsquo centers salted

egg production and backyardfarmingSAC Yolanda Rehabilitation

Program Director Fr Cesar Aculanshared ldquoYolanda may have de-stroyed the livelihood of the peo-ple of Samar but it has restoredas well the sense of self-worth ofthe womenrdquo

Besides providing livelihoodaid Calbayogrsquos SAC carried outinterventions on shelter disasterrisk reduction ecosystem and

wate r sani tati on and hygienein the province (Raymond ASebastiaacutenCBCP News)

A Yolanda survivor showcases some of the native delicacies in their province during amini trade fair held in Basey Samar NASSACaritas Philippines

ldquoOur walk is a message of sacrifice of thesuffering climaterdquo explained Rodne Galichaone of some 1500 climate pilgrims whosemessage was received well by host communi-ties en route to the French capital

ldquoI would rather continue walking ratherthan be there at COP21 We will continuethe pilgrimage for climate justice and bring

the message of Laudato Sirsquordquo shared Yeb Santildeoformer Philippine climate negotiator who ledthe Rome-Paris climate march

According to them the manifesto carries astrong message on the climate from ecologicalconversion to the paying of ecological debteven demanding the protection of indigenouscommunities who are climate victims

Te climate activists point out that theircommon statement is to work on the HolyFatherrsquos ldquoLaudato Sirsquo Manifestordquo where theybelieve the ground for discussion analysis andsolutions to ecological problems can be found

Tey add that the document also seeks tobe a reference guide for world leaders envi-ronmental activists church leaders organiz-ers and teachers among others and offers areality-check of what individuals institutionsand organizations can do for environmental

action

Te ldquoLaudato Sirsquo Manifestordquo reads1 Te Earth is our common home (LS 1)2 We demand ecological conversion both

personal communitarian and institutionalldquoTe need for each of us to repent of the

ways we have harmed the planet for ldquoin-asmuch as we all generate small ecologicaldamagerdquo we are called to acknowledge ldquoourcontribution smaller or greater to the disfig-urement and destruction of creationrdquo (LS 8)

3 We want ecological liberation ldquoWe lookfor solutions not only in technology but in achange of humanityhellip He asks us to replaceconsumption with sacrifice greed with gener-osity wastefulness with a spirit of sharing anasceticism which ldquoentails learning to give andnot simply to give up It is a way of loving of

moving gradually away from what I want to what Godrsquos world needs It is liberation from

fear greed and compulsionrdquo (LS 9)4 Care for the Earth is integral ldquoHe shows

us just how inseparable the bond is betweenconcern for nature justice for the poor com-mitment to society and interior peacerdquo (LS10)

5 We call for ecological solidarity that willfoment ecological action ldquoTe urgent chal-

lenge to protect our common home includesa concern to bring the whole human familytogether to seek a sustainable and integraldevelopmenthelliprdquo (LS 13) Ways to act divest-ment in fossil fuels converting to renewablesenergy-efficiency attitude response to climateadaptation disaster response and supportinggrassroots initiatives

6 We demand climate justice for thedestruction of our planet perpetrated bymining companies businesses multinationalcorporations and greedy countries ldquohellip afterceasing their activity and withdrawing theyleave behind great human and environmentalliabilities such as unemployment abandonedtowns the depletion of natural reserves de-forestation the impoverishment of agricultureand local stock breeding open pits riven hillspolluted rivers and a handful of social works

which are no longer sustainablerdquo (LS 51)

7 We need to pay our ldquoecological debtrdquo forthe harm we have done to the environmentcommunities and individuals suffering nowand the future (LS 51)

8 Te need to engage for a new ecologicaldialogue ldquoI urgently appeal then for a newdialogue about how we are shaping the futureof our planet We need a conversation whichincludes everyone since the environmentalchallenge we are undergoing and its humanroots concern and affect us allrdquo (LS 14)

9 We should create an integral space forldquoecological citizenshiprdquo as a practical pathof becoming witnesses for the environmentldquoOnly by cultivating sound virtues will peoplebe able to make a selfless ecological commit-mentrdquo (LS 211)

10 We are interconnected we should fo-ment connectedness with other faith-based

groups civil society and institutions ldquohellipbecause all creatures are connected each mustbe cherished with love and respect for all ofus as living creatures are dependent on oneanotherrdquo (LS 42)

11 Promote ldquoecological educationrdquo as a way of fomenting consciousness action andintegral faith-advocacy for environmental

care (LS 213)12 Our ecological concern is a compas-sion for the planet and people ldquoo hear boththe cry of the earth and the cry of the poorrdquo(LS 49)

13 Believing that ldquointegral ecologyrdquo in allaspects of life as an integral response to theglobal crisis (LS 137)

14 We need to cultivate an ldquoecologicalculturerdquo as a way of outgrowing ecologicaldestruction ldquoTere needs to be a distinctive

way of looking a t things a way of thinkingpolicies an educational programme a lifestyleand a spirituality which together generateresistance to the assault of the technocraticparadigmrdquo (LS 111)

15 Special care for the indigenous commu-nities and their cultural traditions ldquoFor themland is not a commodity but rather a gift from

God and from their ancestors who rest there asacred space with which they need to interact ifthey are to maintain their identity and valuesrdquo

As we acknowledged the richness of their wayof life we also have to protect their rights ldquoinvarious parts of the world pressure is beingput on them to abandon their homelands tomake room for agricultural or mining projects

which are undertaken without regard for thedegradation of nature and culturerdquo (LS 146)

16 Te need for ecological faith ldquoGod who calls us to generous commitment and togive him our all offers us the light and thestrength needed to continue on our way Inthe heart of this world the Lord of life wholoves us so much is always present He doesnot abandon us he does not leave us alonefor he has united himself definitively to ourearth and his love constantly impels us to

find new ways forward Praise be to Him (LS245) (Raymond A Sebastiaacuten CBCP News)

Manifesto A1

of Jarorsquos Vocation Day on Nov28 During the sessions held inSt Vincent Ferrer Seminary thereligious men heard confessions

whil e the relig ious wome n fa-cilitated counseling sessions andgroup sharing

Te religious again gave wit-ness to the faithfulrsquos role in savingthe environment as they wentto the streets on Nov 29 to jointhousands of marchers in theldquoWalk for Mother Earthrdquo in the

Archdiocesersquos participation in theGlobal Climate March

o cap Vocation Month thereligious women and men par-

ticipated in Jarorsquos Archdiocesan Youth Day in Guimbal Iloilo onNov 30 as a way to reach out toyoung people encouraging themto be open to Godrsquos call

ldquoTe activity was very enrichingas it has strengthened the bondof the vocation promoters Tepriceless moments have nourishedour friendship and have led us tobe closer to one another to reacha common goal which is to findmore holy vocations into theChurchrdquo added Sr Susan (Fr

Mickey Cardenas CBCP Newswith reports from Angelo LuisVerdeflor)

The Jaro Archdiocesan Commission on Vocation Promoters for the Religious (ACVP-R)successfully staged a week-long vocations promotions event starting on Nov 23 witha vocation campaign in various educational institutions in Miag-ao Iloilo ANGELO LUIS

VERDEFLOR

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 824

A8 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25PEOPLE FACTS AND PLACES

MarkingsDied Bishop Federico Es-caler SJ died on Nov 28aged 93

The Jesuit prelate had beenill and passed away peacefullyin his family ancestral resi-dence in San Miguel Manilaon Saturday morning

Born in Manila he served asthe rst bishop of Kidapawanfrom 1976 to 1980 until hewas appointed to head thenewly-created Prelature of Ipilin Zamboanga Sibugay

Escaler spent 17 years inIpil until his retirement in 1997

He was once the Assistantto Jesuit Provincial Superiorin La Ignacia Retreat HousePresident and Rector of Ateneode Davao Treasurer of JesuitProvince in Manila and be-came President and Rector ofXavier University in Cagayan

de Oro City

Ordained Imus Bishop Rey-naldo Evangelista DD or-dained eight deacons of theSociety of the Divine Word(SVD) to the priesthood onDec 5 at the Holy Spirit Chapelof the Divine Word SeminaryTagaytay City in a solemncelebration attended by 127priests and 2 bishops

The new priests are FrLawrence Llona SVD (to beassigned in South Sudan

Afric a) Fr Ryan Diňo SVD(to be assigned in ArgentinaSouth) Fr Diderick Andrinja-tovo SVD (to be assigned inPhilippine South) Fr Fran-ciskus Subandi SVD (to beassigned in Philippine Central)Fr June Lee Sarenas SVD(to be assigned in Ghana

Afr ica) Fr Gre gor ius Rob iDosom SVD (to be assigned in

Philippine North) Fr Roberto

Solis SVD (to be assigned inJapan)and Fr Lindsey FrancisTaeza SVD (to be assigned inTogo Africa)

Ordained The Servants ofMary welcomed four men tothe priesthood on Dec 8 atSt Peregrine Diocesan ShrineTunasan Muntinlupa City Bal-anga Bishop Ruperto C San-tos ordained Fr Leonardo MaGuiang OSM Fr Waren MaCampilan OSM Fr EdgardMa Benedi-an OSM and FrJumen Ma Arcelo OSM

Recognized The Ofce of the Army Chief Chaplain Service(OACCS) on Nov 24 recog-nized in a simple ceremony FrMaj Juan Jerome C Daluro asBest Chaplain of the Year 2015for his exemplary service as Di-

vision Chaplain of 9th Infantry

(Spear) Division from Septem-ber 2012 to September 2015Fr MSg Mario Baniqued (Inf)Philippine Army (PA) OACCSChief Clerk was recognized asBest Chaplain Assistant of theYear 2015

The office also accordedPlaques of Appreciation to FrCpt Ferdinand Abuyuan ldquoforhis improvement of the 7IDChapel undertaken during histerm as Division Chaplain of7th Infantry Division Philip-pine Army from June 2013to September 2015rdquo and toFr LtC Stephen Penetrantefor his excellent service asOACCS Chief of Plans andPrograms

The awards were given aspart of the celebration of the78th Chaplain Service Foun-dation Anniversary from Nov

23 to 27

Congress focuses onmodern family issuesHE 20th Asia Pacific Congress on Faith Lifeand Family organized by Human Life interna-

tional (HLI) from Nov 27 to 29 focused onthreats perspectives and realities affecting themodern family

Wit h the the me comin g fro m Psa lms1288 ldquoYour wife a fruitful vine in theinner places of your house your childrenround your table like shoots of an olivetreerdquo speakers and resource persons sharedreflections on the understanding of Godrsquosplan for marriage and family threats andchallenges to family the modern crisis ofconscience unmasking the gender ideologythe global holocaust of abortion

Dr Ligaya Acosta the Regional director ofthe Human Life International (HLI) for Asiaand Oceania opened the Congress sayingrdquoTe said congress will enable the participantsto re-discover and value marriage-based naturalfamilies and teach children and leaders to value

them as wellrdquo Archb isho p Vincenzo Pag lia head of thePontifical Council for the Family gave thekeynote speech on the challenges of theSynod on the Family to more than 200participants from 15 countries includingthe Philippines

Bishop John Baptist Lee Bishop of Hsinchuand chair of the Commission for family of theChinese Regional Bishopsrsquo Conference reiter-

ated in his welcome speech the goals of HLI which is to promote the moral teaching of theCatholic Church to spread pro-life insightsin society and to offer concrete and effectiveprograms for the advancement of faith

Among other speakers were Fr Shenan Bo-quet President of Human Life International

(HLI) Dr Brian Clowes HLI director of edu-cation and research and Dr Joseph Meaneya leading expert on the international pro-life

movement Dr Ligaya Acosta Atty Jo ImbongDra Eleanor de Borja Palabyab and MayorSally Lee of Sorsogon Ci ty

Bishop Gilbert Garcera Chair of the Epis-copal Commission on Family and Life headed80 delegates from the Philippines (ECFL CBCP News)

The 20th Asia Pacific Congress on Faith Life and Family organized by Human Life international (HLI) was held fromNov 27 to 29 ECFL

PH army chaplains partners hold 1stlsquocharacter enhancementrsquo meet A YEAR afte r its launch armychaplains soldiers and civilianpartners from the various partsof the country met uesday

Nov 25 at the Philippine Ai rf or ce Mus eu m Vi ll am or Airbase to discuss the prog ressof the Character EnhancementProgram (CEP) and ways toreach more uniformed person-nel and their dependents

Vision 2028Fr Andres Bonifacio O Belleza

head of the Office of the ArmyChief Chaplain Service (OACCS)pointed out that the CEP re-sponds to the directive of Lt GenHernando Delfin Carmelo AIriberri former Philippine Army(PA) commanding general toldquodevelop righteous God-fearingsoldiers loved by the Filipino

peoplerdquo in step with the 18-year Army ransformation Roadmapof 2028 (AR28) and to ldquobecomea world-class Army that is a sourceof national priderdquo

o fulfill this vision the chiefchaplain shared the Army soughtthe help of the Order of St Mi-chael (OSM) a ministry of the

A chaplain facilitates a workshop with his lay collaborators during the 1st CharacterEnhancement Program (CEP) Conference Nov 25 2015 NIRVA DELACRUZ

Couples for Christ Global MissionFoundation (CFC Global) which

caters specifically to the spiritualneeds of people in the militarytheir spouses and children

Character enhancement Retired Col Arturo Alabanza

CFCOSM head explained thatunder AR28 PA is committed toa ldquolong-term sustainable platform

for continuing CEP and spiritual wellness programrdquo

For their part local CFC chap-ters are tasked to jumpstart CEPin all PA unit chapels and parishesnationwide

Since it debuted in Apr 32014 the OACCS-CFCOSMpartnership has already givencharacter enhancement retreats(CER) to 28 PA commands and

the Philippine Military Academy(PMA) Class of 2018 gradu-ated 385 PMA-Singles for Christ(SFC) members and conducted

five CERs at V Luna Hospital inQuezon City

Challenge accepted While they have start ed out

well Alabanza admitted there isstill much to be done for Godrsquos

work to be realized fully in thelives of Filipino soldiers and theirfamilies

According to him CEP hasreached 2000 men and womenin uniform to date translatingto about 0287 percent of an es-timated 700000 population thatis fertile ground for values andspiritual transformation exclud-ing their dependents

Alabanza expressed hope that in

the coming years and with the co-operation of the parties involvedCEP will be able to touch heartsand win the souls of more allow-ing PA to communicate a brandimage consistent with its corevalues of honor patriotism andduty (Raymond A Sebastiaacuten CBCP News)

PHLPost to issueIEC stamps

HE government is set to releasea commemorative postal stamp onthe 51st International EucharisticCongress to be held in Cebu Cityon Jan 24 -31 next year

he Philippine Postal Corpsaid stamp enthusiasts from allover the world would have theopportunity to buy the stampsconsidering the importance ofthis event in the history of theCatholic Church

he stamp design illustratesthe official logo of the IEC anevent aimed at promoting aware-ness about the central role of theEucharist in the life and mission

of the Church

ldquoTe PHLPost are one in prayingfor the success of this internationalgathering of lay people and Catho-lic Church leaders from around the

world with Cebu the beautifulqueen city of the south as the hostof this celebrationrdquo said PostmasterGeneral Josie Dela Cruz

he gathering is expected todraw 15000 delegates from allover the world Te Congress willalso feature open air Masses opento the public

PHLPost commissioned AmstarCo to print 104000 copies of thestamps to be sold at Php 15 eachstarting uesday Dec 8 at post

offices nationwide (CBCP News)

Taglersquos Year of Mercyrecolletion set

IN time for the forthcomingseason the Archdiocese ofManila (RCAM) and the JesuitCommunications (JesCom) in-vite the public to a free Adventtalk to be given by no less thanCardinal Luiacutes Ant onio G agleon Dec 13 Sunday 800 amto 1100 am at the Smart- Ar an et a Co li se um Cu ba oQuezon City

Temed ldquoMerciful like the Fa-therrdquo the Word Exposed AdventRecollection is set to have the Archbishop of Manila sharing hisreflections on Godrsquos message ofmercy in keeping with the Jubilee Year of Mercy

Acc ord in g to JesCom fr eetickets will be issued on Dec 4Friday at the following select dis-tribution centers anging YamanStore Sonolux Building Ateneode Manila University anging

Yaman Store S M Megamall 5F Atrium St Pauls Bookstore SMNorth Edsa St Pauls BookstoreSM Manila St Pauls BookstoreGateway Mall

Given the limited number oftickets JesCom stresses that res-ervation is not allowed

For further information in-terested parties may call (02)426-5971 to 72 (Raymond ASebastiaacuten CBCP News)

Cardinal Luiacutes Antonio G Tagle FILE PHOTO

PBS outs Bible Week 2016 schedulePHILIPPINE Bible Society (PBS) GeneralSecretary Dr Nora G Lucero has revealed thetheme for the National Bible Week (NBW)celebrations on Jan 25 to 31 2016 sayingit will focus on ldquoGodrsquos Word Strength of theFamily Hope of the Nationrdquo and the activities

in line for the eventldquoAs we continue to coordinate with our part-

ners from different locales all over the country we will also promote other meaningful ways forour kababayans to participate in the celebrationand to proclaim Godrsquos Word in their communi-tiesrdquo shares Lucero in a recent PBS press release

Community celebration According to her PBS is prepared various

activities for the celebration among which is

the iProclaim a public reading of ScripturesLucero went on to present suggested ways

individuals families local churches and or-ganizations can celebrate Godrsquos Word in theircommunities

Some of the activities suggested include

displaying of NBW posters and streamers fea-turing Bible verses in church or school bulletinboards organizing of sports events holdingof Bible rallies concerts or song and dancecompetitions in town plazas as well as lobbyingbefore local legislature for the enactment of alaw supporting the annual NBW celebration

Raising awarenessTe NBW 2016 theme is inspired in part by

Psalm 3312 in the New American Bible Revised

Edition (NABRE) which reads ldquoBlessed is thenation whose God is the Lord the people chosenas his inheritancerdquo as well as by Acts 1631 in theGood News ranslation (GN) which readsldquoTey answered lsquoBelieve in the Lord Jesus andyou will be saved ndash you and your familyrdquo

Frontlined by PBS the annual NBS cel-ebration is decreed by Presidential Proclama-tions 2242 44 and 1067 which aims to raisepeoplersquos awareness on the importance of theHoly Book

Te week-long proclamation of Godrsquos Wordis culminated by the celebration of ldquoNationalBible Sundayrdquo on Jan 31 2016 that is expectedto feature messages and homilies during Churchservices and Masses focusing on the theme(Raymond A Sebastiaacuten CBCP News)

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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B1CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

DEAR Brothers and Sisters Goodmorning

With this reflection we arrive at thethreshold of the Jubilee itrsquos close Tedoor is before us not just the HolyDoor but another the great doorof the Mercy of Godmdashand that is abeautiful doormdashwhich embraces ourpenance offering the grace of his for-giveness Te door is generously openit takes a little courage on our part tocross the threshold Each of us hasburdensome things within ourselves

We are all sinner s Let us take advan-tage of this coming moment and crossthe threshold of this mercy of God

who never tire s of forg iving nevertires of waiting for us He watches ushe is always beside us ake heart Letus enter through this door

From the Synod of Bishops which we celeb rated in the month of Octo-ber all families and the entire Churchreceived great encouragement to meetat the threshold of this open door TeChurch was encouraged to open herdoors to go out with the Lord to meether sons and daughters on the path attimes uncertain at times dismayed inthese difficult times Christian familiesin particular were encouraged to openthe door to the Lord who is waitingto enter bringing his blessing and hisfriendship And as the door of Godrsquosmercy is always open so too must thedoors of our churches our communi-ties our parishes our institutions ourdioceses be open because this is how

we can all go out to b ring th is mercyof God Te Jubilee signifies the greatdoor of the mercy of God but also thesmall doors of our churches open toallow the entrance of the Lordmdashoroften the exit of the Lordmdashwho is aprisoner of our structures of our self-ishness and of so many things

he Lord never forces the dooropen he too asks permission to enterTe Book of Revelation says ldquoI standat the door and knock if any one hearsmy voice and opens the door I willcome in to him and eat with him and

he with merdquo (320) Let us imaginethe Lord knocking at the door of ourheart In the last great vision of theBook of Revelation the City of Godis prophesied like this ldquoits gates shallnever be shut by dayrdquo which meansfor ever because ldquothere shall be nonight thererdquo (2125) Tere are placesin the world in which doors are not

locked there still are But there are

so many where armoured doors havebecome the norm We must not give into the idea that we must apply thi s sys-tem to our whole life to the life of thefamily of this city of society muchless to the life of the Church Tat

woul d be terr ibl e An inhospi tab leChurch like a family closed off withinitself mortifies the Gospel and withersthe world No armoured doors in theChurch none Completely open

he symbolic management ofldquodoorsrdquomdashof thresholds of passagesof bordersmdashhas become crucial Tedoor must protect of course but notreject Te door must not be forced

but on the contrary one asks permis-

sion because hospitality shines inthe freedom of welcoming and dimsin the arrogance of invasion hedoor is frequently opened in order

to see if there is someone waitingoutside perhaps without the couragenor perhaps the strength to knockHow many people have lost faith donot have the courage to knock at the

door of our Christian heart at the

doors of our churches And theyare there they donrsquot have the courage we have taken away trus t please maythis never happen A door says many

things about the house and also aboutthe Church ending the door requirescareful discernment and at the sametime must inspire great faith I wouldlike to pay a word of gratitude to all

PASTORAL CONCERNS

We are all sinners Let us take advantage of this coming

moment and cross the threshold of this mercy of God who

never tires of forgiving never tires of waiting for us

Message of Pope Francis at his General Audience on November 18 2015

The welcoming door porters of our condominiums of

civil institutions of the Churchesthemselves Often a porterrsquos acumenand courtesy can offer an image ofhumanity and of welcome to the entire

house right from the entrance Tereis something to be learned from thesemen and women who are watch-men at the places of encounter and

welcome in the c ity of man o all of

you watchmen of so many doors bethey residential doors or church doorsmany thanks Always with a smilealways demonstrating the acceptanceof that house of that Church sopeople feel happy and welcomed inthat place

In truth we are well aware that wetoo are watchmen and servants of theDoor of God and what is the nameof the door of God Jesus He lightsup all of lifersquos doors for us includingthose of our birth and of our death

He himself affirmed it ldquoI am the doorif any one enters by me he will besaved and will go in and out and findpasturerdquo (Jn 109) Jesus is the doorthat lets us go in and out BecauseGodrsquos sheepfold is a refuge it isnrsquot aprison Te house of God is a refugeit isnrsquot a prison and the door is called

Jesus If the door is closed we sayldquoLord open the doorrdquo Jesus is thedoor and lets us go in and out Tose

who try to avoid the door are thievesitrsquos curious thieves always tr y to enterby another way by the window by theroof but they avoid the door becausethey have evil intentions and theysneak into the sheepfold in order todeceive the sheep and take advantageof them We must enter through thedoor and listen to Jesusrsquo voice if wehear the tone of his voice we are cer-tain we are saved We can go in with-out fear and go out without dangerIn this beautiful discourse Jesus alsospeaks of the gatekeeper whose taskis opening to the Good Shepherd (cf

Jn 102) If the gatekeeper hears theShepherdrsquos voice he opens and letsin all of the sheep that the Shepherdbrings all of them including thoselost in the wood whom the GoodShepherd went to get back Te sheepare not chosen by the gatekeeper theyare not chosen by the parish secretaryor parish administrator the sheepare all called they are chosen by theGood Shepherd Te gatekeepermdashhetoomdashobeys the Shepherdrsquos voiceTus we can well say that we must

be like that gatekeeper Te Churchis the gatekeeper of the house of theLord she is not the proprietor of theLordrsquos house

Te Holy Family of Nazareth knows jus t wha t an open or clo sed doormeans for those expecting a child forthose who have no shelter for those

who need to escape danger Chri stian

families make the threshold of their

homes a great sign of the Door ofthe mercy and welcome of God It isprecisely how the Church will have tobe recognized in every corner of theearth as the watchman of a God whoknocks as the welcome of a God whodoes not close the door in your face

with the excuse that you are not partof the household With this spirit letus approach the Jubilee there will bethe Holy Door but there is the doorof the great mercy of God May therealso be the door of our heart for all toreceive Godrsquos forgiveness and to givein our turn our forgiveness welcomingall those who knock at our door

Prayer of His HolinessPope Francis for the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy

LORD Jesus Christyou have taught us to be mer-

ciful like the heavenly Fatherand have told us that whoever

sees you sees HimShow us your face and we will

be saved Your loving gaze freed Zac-

chaeus and Matthew from beingenslaved by money

the adulteress and Magdalenefrom seeking happiness only increated things

made Peter weep after hisbetrayal

and assured Paradise to therepentant thief

Let us hear as if addressed toeach one of us the words thatyou spoke to the Samaritan

womanldquoIf you knew the gift of Godrdquo

You are the visible face of theinvisible Father

of the God who manifests hispower above all by forgivenessand mercy

let the Church be your visibleface in the world its Lord risenand glorified

You willed that your min-isters would also be clothedin weakness

in order that they mayfeel compassion for those inignorance and error

let everyone who ap-proaches them feel soughtafter loved and forgiven byGod

Send your Spirit and con-secrate every one of us withits anointing

so that the Jubilee of Mercymay be a year of grace fromthe Lord

and your Church withrenewed enthusiasm maybring good news to the poor

proclaim liberty to captivesand the oppressed

and restore sight to theblind

We ask this of you Lord Jesus through the interces-sion of Mary Mother of

Mercy you who live andreign with the Father and theHoly Spirit for ever and ever

Amen C N A

L rsquo O s s e r v a t o r e R o m a n o

Vatican City - April 11 2015 Cardinals gathered at St Peterrsquos Basilica on April 11 2015 during the Convocation of the Year of Mercy where Pope Francis publicly proclaimed

a Jubilee for Mercy which will begin December 8th and end in November 2016

The Holy Door unveiling at the Recognitio ceremony in St Peterrsquos Basilica on November 17 2015

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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B2 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25PASTORAL CONCERNS

C B C P N e

w s

Separation of Church and State lawsin the marriage of Catholics

By Fr Jaime B Achacoso JCD

I AM not a great fan of the so-calledseparation of Church and State as it

is often misunderstood as the juridicexpression of the laicist principle ofrelegating religion to the privatesphere As we had seen in a previ-ous article this was the brainchildof the French Revolution fruit ofthe prejudice against the CatholicChurch (since it was identified withthe abusive absolutist monarchiesin Europe at the time) but whichnevertheless had to be toleratedfor the sake of individual liberty Ihave always argued for the conceptof distinction between Church andState based on the fact that thesubjects of both jurisdictions are thesame people who are simultaneouslyfaithful of the Catholic Church andcitizens of the State Te State andthe Church are distinct jurisdictionsbut not separate and uncoordinated

One area of such distinctionhowever which can be considered asa veritable separation is the matter ofmatrimonial law

wo Separate Marriages heCanonical Marriage and the CivilMarriage

When a Filipino Catholic faith-ful gets married he effectively getsmarried under two separate juridicalsystems Church Law (or CanonLaw) and State Law (or the Civil Lawof the Republic of the Philippines)Each juridic system has its own set ofrequirements even if the civil law inthe Philippines regulates marriage ina way similar to Canon Law through

the Family Code of the PhilippinesIn fact the crafters of the FamilyCode got many of its provisions fromthe corresponding section of theCode of Canon Law of the CatholicChurch What most people do notrealize is that the papers signed at theend of the Catholic Wedding Massare in fact the Marriage Contract un-der the Republic of the Philippinesthe same contract which wouldhave been signed in the presence ofa solemnizing officer (the judge orhis equivalent) in the appropriategovernment office What happensis that the parish priest (or the priestto whom he delegates the functionof solemnizing the marriage) is depu-tized by the state to be a solemnizing

officer through a license which isexpedited by the National StatisticsOffice yearly In short the Catholicpriest is authorized by the Republicof the Philippines to solemnize thecivil marriage In other words thecivil marriage can be solemnized byeither a civil servant or a Catholicpriest with the license from the NSO

Insofar as the Canonical Marriageis concerned on the other handthe only paper work required is itsregistration in the Book of Marriages (Marriage Registry) in the parish

where it was celebrated as well as itsannotation in the Book of Baptisms (Baptismal Registry) in the parish

where the spouses were baptizedTere is no separate marriage cer-

tificate or marriage contract for thecanonical marriageTis fundamental juridic reality

has several consequences

A Purely Canonical Marriage only

has Purely Canonical Require-ments

When an already civilly-marriedcouple wish to contract a canonicalmarriagemdasheg when they want

to regularize their situation in theChurch in order to return to thereception of the Sacramentsmdashwhatis celebrated is just the canonicalmarriage without the correspond-ing civil marriage which had alreadybeen celebrated Hence the onlyrequirements for the solemnizingsacred minister are the requirementsstipulated by Canon Law in c1108mdashsect1 Only those marriages are validwhich are contracted in the presence ofthe local ordinary or the parish priest ora priest or deacon delegated by either ofthem who assists and in the presenceof two witnesses according to the rulesexpressed in the following canons (hellip)

mdashsect2 Te one assisting at a mar-riage is understood to be only that

person who present at the ceremonyasks for the contractantsrsquo manifestationof consent and receives it in the nameof the Church

As can be seen for this purelycanonical marriage the assistingsacred minister (the local ordinary orthe parish priest or another priest ordeacon delegated by either the localordinary or the parish priest) doesnot need the license from the State toact as solemnizing officer for the civilmarriage since such a marriage is not

being celebrated Tus the praxis inmany parishes of requiring the above-mentioned government license fromthe sacred minister in good canonicalstanding who has been duly delegated tosolemnize a purely canonical marriage

is not only improper but is an outrightinsult to the canonical order

Te So-called Secret Marriage A secret marriage is one that the lo-

cal ordinary permits to be celebratedin secret due to a grave and urgentcause (c1130) Tis involves carry-ing out the preliminary investigation(the canonical inquiry) in secret andhaving the local ordinary the official

witness (the local ordinary or theparish priest or any priestdeaconauthorized by them to solemnize themarriage) the common witnesses(the two other witnesses required bythe canonical form) and the spousesto maintain secrecy regarding theactual celebration of the marriage(c1131)

Tus there are two requirementsfor a secret marriage (1) authoriza-

tion from the local ordinary ofthe place where the marriage iscelebrated (2) a grave and urgent cause which must be assessed bythe ordinary

Te classic example of a grave andurgent cause appears in Benedict

XIVrsquos encyclical Satis vobis (17 XI1741) in the case of two persons who live together without havingbeen married canonically but who

were publicly considered husbandand wife Te gravity would stemfrom the fact that these personsmight be living in a habitual state

of sin (extramarital intercourse) orat least in a proximate occasion forsuch sin Te urgency might stemfrom other factors like unreasonableopposition from the partiesrsquo relativesfor the canonical marriage to take

place or some civil impediment forthe marriage to take place (eg apre-existing civil marriage) within areasonable period of time

Actual Filipino society presents

several scenarios(1) A couple civilly-married andstably living together in the Catholiccommunity which understandsthem to be husband and wife oregularize their situation in theChurch (to be able to return tothe Sacraments) they need to bemarried canonically but withoutdetriment to their good standingbefore the community which haderstwhile taken them to be canoni-cally married

(2) A couple stably living togetherin the Catholic community whichunderstands them to be husband and

wife but who have never been mar-

ried either canonically or civillymdashthelatter since there is an impediment incivil law for such a civil marriage totake place (eg an existing civil mar-riage of one or both of the parties thedeclaration of the nullity of which istaking too much time and expense)In this case they need to be marriedcanonically to regularize their situa-tion in the Church but cannot do socivilly yet because of the impedimentin civil law

(3) A couple one of whom hadbeen previously married civilly andcanonically and had obtained a

declaration of nullity of the canoni-cal marriage but have not been ableto get a similar declaration for thecivil marriage due to some reason(eg the high cost of the civil pro-cess) Te urgency to celebrate the

canonical marriage might be due tothe couplersquos already cohabitating anddesiring to regularize their situationin the Church and return to theSacraments Another reason could

be the couplersquos plan to immediatelymigrate to start a new life of goodstanding before the Church

(4) A couple of radically unequalsocial status or ethnic provenance

whose marriage is feared to resultin their permanent alienation fromtheir blood family or in disinheri-tance

(5) A widow who would lose her job or means of sustenance for herselfand her children should her marriagecome to public knowledge

In all of these scenarios the im-mediate celebration of the canonicalmarriage is warranted but whichcannot be divulged to the general

public or to the State either for thetime being or indefinitely

Documentation of a Purely Ca-nonical Marriage

Another consequence of theseparation of Church and State inmatrimonial law is the matter ofdocumentation Te documentationof the civil marriage is well knownthe marriage contractmdashexpeditedby the civil registrar signed by theparties the solemnizing officer (theauthorized sacred minister in thecase of a Church wedding) and the

witnessesmdashcopies of which are filedin the office of the civil registrar andin the parish office

As previously stated the canoni-cal marriage is simply noted in theBook of Marriages of the parish

where it was celebrated and in theBook of Baptisms in the respectiveparishes where the parties were bap-tized (which acts as the permanentrecord of their entire lifetime in the

Church)Of special interest in the presentsubject is the practice in some dio-ceses of filling out and signing thepro-forma Marriage Certificatemdash

with the heading of the Republicof the Philippinesmdashfrom the officeof the civil registrar even in the caseof a secret marriage albeit only forfiling in the secret archives of thediocese Not only is this a breach ofthe principle of distinction of Churchand State it might even be proof ofthe celebration of the secret marriageitself outside of Civil Law A betterpractice would be to make a Mar-riage Contract form specifically for

the Canonical Marriage only

Declaration of Nullity of a Canoni-cal Marriage

o conclude given the separa-tion of Canonical Law and CivilLaw the declaration of nullity of acanonical marriage does not auto-matically establish the nullity of thecorresponding civil marriage (andvise-versa) While the celebration of acanonical marriage normally has civileffectsmdashbecause the correspondingcivil marriage is also celebrated withthe sacred minister acting as an au-

thorized solemnizing officermdashthedeclaration of nullity in one forumdoes not carry with it a correspond-ing declaration of nullity in the otherforum wo separate processes mustbe carried out

Advent Wreaths and Incensing(Father Edward McNamara pro-

fessor of liturgy and dean of theologyat the Regina Apostolorum universityanswers the following query)

Q When incensing the altar atthe beginning of Mass should the

Advent wreath also be incensed inthe same way as the paschal candleduring the Easter season Whatabout a Nativity scene (during theChristmas season) -- D LeuvenBelgium

A Te rules regarding incensingare mostly found in the missal andthe Ceremonial of Bishops heintroduction to the missal says

ldquoIncensationldquo276 Turification or incensa-

tion is an expression of reverenceand of prayer as is signified in Sa-cred Scripture (cf Ps 140 [141]2Rev 83)

ldquoIncense may be used if desiredin any form of Mass

ldquoa during the Entrance proces-

sion

ldquob at the beginning of Mass to in-cense the cross and the altar

ldquoc at the Gospel procession and theproclamation of the Gospel itself

ldquod after the bread and the chalicehave been placed upon the altar toincense the offerings the cross and the

altar as well as the priest and the peopleldquoe at the showing of the host and the

chalice after the consecrationldquo277 Te priest having put incense

into the thurible blesses it with the Signof the Cross without saying anything

ldquoBefore and after an incensation aprofound bow is made to the person orobject that is incensed except for theincensation of the altar and the offeringsfor the Sacrifice of the Mass

ldquohe following are incensed withthree swings of the thurible the MostBlessed Sacrament a relic of the HolyCross and images of the Lord exposedfor public veneration the offerings forthe Sacrifice of the Mass the altar crossthe Book of the Gospels the PaschalCandle the priest and the people

ldquoTe following are incensed with two

swings of the thurible relics and imagesof the Saints exposed for public venera-tion which should be done howeveronly at the beginning of the celebrationafter the incensation of the altar

ldquohe altar is incensed with singleswings of the thurible in this way

ldquoa if the altar is freestanding withrespect to the wall the priest incenses

walking around itldquob if the altar is not freestanding the

priest incenses it while walking first tothe right hand side then to the left

ldquoTe cross if situated on or near thealtar is incensed by the priest before heincenses the altar otherwise he incensesit when he passes in front of it

ldquohe priest incenses the offerings with three swings of the thurible or bymaking the sign of the cross over theofferings with the thurible before goingon to incense the cross and the altarrdquo

Although there is a rite of blessingfor the Advent wreath in the AmericanBook of Blessings there is no mentionof incensing the wreath Tis blessing is

proper to the United States and is absent

from the official Book of Blessings incountries such as Italy

It must therefore be concluded thatthe Advent wreath is not incensed inthe manner of the paschal candle It isneither a relic nor an image and is morean expression of popular piety than a

liturgical object per seTe paschal candle receives special

veneration because it is a traditional andancient symbol of the risen Christ Onecould argue that in a way the wreath isa symbol of the coming Christ but we

would still be before a relatively recentcustom and one which is not presentin the universal Church Its not beingincensed does not lessen in any way theusefulness of the wreath in fostering aspiritual preparation for Christmas

A Nativity scene or at least an imageof the Child Jesus set up in the sanc-tuary could enter into the category ofldquoimages of the Saints exposed for publicvenerationrdquo mentioned above in No277 and hence be incensed

It should be remembered however

that several Church guidelines advise

against setting up the Nativity inthe sanctuary itself and above all itshould never be an obstacle to thedignified celebration of the liturgi-cal celebrations For example theUS bishopsrsquo conference says in thedocument ldquoBuilt of Living Stonesrdquo

ldquosect 124 sect Plans for seasonal deco-rations should include other areasbesides the sanctuary Decorationsare intended to draw people to thetrue nature of the mystery beingcelebrated rather than being endsin themselves Natural flowersplants wreaths and fabric hangingsand other seasonal objects can bearranged to enhance the primaryliturgical points of focus Te altarshould remain clear and free-stand-ing not walled in by massive floraldisplays or the Christmas crib andpathways in the narthex nave andsanctuary should remain clearrdquo

If as is common in many church-es the Nativity scene is outside thesanctuary area there is no need to

leave the sanctuary to incense it

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 1124

B3CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25 FEATURES

Three Macro-Challenges for the Church in the lsquoYear of MercyrsquoBy Abp Antonio J Ledesma SJ

HE last two months of this year 2015 havebrought to the fore three macro-challenges forCivil Society and the Church in the Philippinestoday Tey are challenges on a macro scalebecause no single organization nor group ofindividuals can adequately address the various

issues that are emerging Tey are also macrobecause these issues affect millions of peopleor in some cases the entire world Indeed theneed for consensus-building on a national orglobal level has been felt Tis should be basedon ethical-moral principles and shared valuesthat go beyond cultural religious and socio-economic barriers In particular the CatholicChurch plays a significant role in Philippinesociety in addressing these macro issues

I Climate ChangeOn a global scale Climate Change will

be the pressing issue at the 21st Conferenceof Partners (COP 21) on the environmentPope Francisrsquo recent encyclical Laudato Si

has opened wide the doors for scientists andreligious leaders to enter into serious dialogueover issues such as global warming and thesearch for alternative sources of energy Insteadof viewing the environment or nature simplyas an object to be exploited Pope Francis pres-ents the Christian vision of Godrsquos handiworkldquoCreation can only be understood as a gift from

the outstretched hand of the Father of all andas a reality illuminated by the love which callsus together into universal communionrdquo (LS76) He also points out the intimate connectionbetween the ecological approach and the socialapproach ldquoso as to hear both the cry of the earth

and the cry of the poorrdquo (LS 49)Here in Cagayan de Oro we have joined

other dioceses in a Global Climate SolidarityMarch for the Environment On Nov 28advocates for protecting the environmentconverged at the Divisoria from four starting-points to join the voices of the world-wideCatholic Climate Movement at the startof COP 21 in Paris Te archdiocese alsocontinues its participation in the Cagayande Oro River Basin Management Council(CDORBMC) to protect the watershed areasand downstream communities of the Cagayande Oro river system

II Bangsamoro Basic Law A second macro challenge is the continuing

quest for a just and lasting peace in MindanaoTe draft Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) has

been altered in the committee sessions of bothhouses of Congress A version called the Basic

Law for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region(BLBAR) has come out from the Committeeof the House of Representatives Moreover thecommittee report in the Senate has providedanother set of amendments With the resur-gence of biases and prejudices after the Ma-masapano incident the final outcome for thepassage of the various drafts of the BangsamoroBasic Law is not clear

Seen from a wider perspective the letterof the Catholic Bishopsrsquo Conference of thePhilippines (CBCP) in July 2015 stated ldquoOnour part viewing the issues from a moral angle

we do not want a BBL that does not effectivelyaddress the root causes of social injusticerdquo Tisechoes the view of the surviving members ofthe Constitutional Convention of 1987 thatthe Constitution focuses primarily on the spiritof Social Justice Te Citizensrsquo Peace Councilnoted that the BBL is ldquoan act of Social Justiceand Reparation to the peoples of MuslimMindanao to rectify all the injustices inflictedupon them in the pastrdquo

Over the past three months I have helpedconvene consultations among religious and

civil society leaders in Cagayan de Oro andManila to discuss the BBL issue With someclarifications practically everyone saw the needfor a meaningful basic law for a sustainablepeace in Mindanao On Nov 26 in Cagayande Oro we started the Mindanao Week ofPeace with a multi-sectoral march rally Tis

was organized by the Inter-faith Forum for

Peace Harmony and Solidarity Te theme was ldquoMindanaoansrsquo Aspirations for PeaceKalinaw sa Dios ndash Kinaiyahan ndash KatawhanrdquoRegardless of the outcome of the BBLBLBARissue in Congress all of us should continue toengage in intra- and inter-religious dialogue

Our biases and preconceived notions of othercultures and religions are the main obstaclesto lasting peace in Mindanao and the rest ofthe country

III Good Governance A third macro-challenge in the Philippines

context is the coming elections in May 2016 Already the campaign period has started andvarious political personalities and parties havefiled their candidacies Good governancemdash

with its antithesis corruptionmdashis once morea critical factor to consider for every voter In

January 2010 before the last presidential elec-tions the CBCP made three calls to voters(1) o form circles of discernment (2) For thelaity to exercise their right and duty to supportcandidates who are qualified and committed to

public service and (3) o engage in principledpartisan politics Voting for candidates with a

track record of good governance is the mosteffective way of stamping out a culture ofcorruption In an address to the International

Assembly of Penal Law Pope Francis pointsout emphatically ldquoCorruption is a process ofdeath more evil than sin ndash an evil that insteadof being forgiven must be curedrdquo

On Nov 7 the archdiocese sponsored aMarch rally for CHAMPmdashClean Honest

Accurate Meaningful and Peaceful electionsTis was well attended by various sectorsTere were calls against votemdashbuying po-litical dynasties and the conduct of patronagepolitics Te city itself has had its share ofdivisive party politics in the non-disbursementof the budget for vital basic services and morerecently in the controversy over the post ofCity Mayor

Despite these internal conflicts amongelected officials it is good to keep in mind PopeFrancisrsquo own exhortation ldquoPolitics thoughoften denigrated remains a lofty vocation andone of the highest forms of charity inasmuchas it seeks the common goodrdquo (EG 205)

IV A Year of Mercy Despite the Holy Fatherrsquos blunt words on theevil of corruption he has called for an Extraor-dinary Jubilee of Mercy starting on December8 2015 ldquoJesus Christ is the face of the Fatherrsquosmercyrdquo Tis opening statement provides thetitle of Pope Francisrsquo Bull of Indiction Miseri-cordiae Vultus He goes on to say that Mercy

is ldquothe bridge that connects God and manrdquo Itis also ldquothe fundamental law that dwells in theheart of every person who looks sincerely intothe eyes of his brothers and sisters on the pathof liferdquo (MV 2)

On Nov 3-5 our Archdiocesan Pastoral

Assembly brought together more than 450delegates from 64 parishes Tis was the cul-mination of the Appreciative Inquiry processthat was carried out in most parishes down tothe kapilya community level over the past sixmonths

What was most noteworthy was the prepon-derance of lifemdashgiving pastoral experiences interms of prayerfulness and also of service toothers Tese two characteristics and sharedvalues can just as well point the directions wecan take during this jubilee year of mercy

Tis perhaps is the perspective we can adoptin confronting the macro-challenges beforeusmdashto first bend our knees in prayer and to bemerciful like the Father especially for the poorand marginalized in addressing socio-economicand political issues to work for ecological andsocial justice and to bring about Godrsquos mercy

by rectifying deeplyndashrooted biases and injusticesin Philippine society today

A r c h d i o c e s e o f C a g a y a n d e O r o

Pinoy in RomeCountdown to the

Jubilee Yearof Mercy

By Robert Z Cortes

HE Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy announced by PopeFrancis around Holy Week this year is finally starting onDecember 8 the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception

just a couple of days from now Tat this special event in theChurchrsquos history begins on that date is of course no accidentTis Popersquos devotion to Mary shown publicly every timehe passes by St Mary Major before any major trip abroadshould have made that choice almost predictable Howeveraside from human choices one ought to consider above allthe guidance of Providence whose will it is that the most

important events in the Church happen under the mantle ofMary Mother of the Church and Mother of MercySo the idea

to p repareproximatelyfor the Jubilee

Year of Mercyby making anovena to theImmaculateConceptionmade a lot ofsense to me

And being inRome thecity that argu-ably no placein the worldcan match

in terms ofthe qualityand quantityof sacred artp r e s e n t Itook advan-tage to do thefollowing Fornine daysmdashi n c l u d i n gthe Solem-nity hencet h e t e r mldquonovenardquomdashI

was going tovisit an im-age of OurLady vener-ated in vari-ous churchesaround thec i t y B u t

which church-es though

Given the

multitude of beautiful and historic churches in Rome itseemed the best way to approach this project was simply tobe led by Providence Tis approach is not ldquoto be too mysti-cal about itrdquo asI learned quite recently from of all peoplea non-Catholic ethics professor in a very secular Americanuniversity whom I interviewed a couple of months ago Hisdefense is that ldquothere still is another dimension in terms ofa holistic being in which our reason and our spirit and ouremotions are an integrated wholehellip So you listen to thevoice of the spiritrdquoTis was actually good ecumenical adviceto which my experience in the following days would attest

Tese experiences culled from my journal of these novenadays are actually Church history lessons devotional tour-guiding tips and philosophizing all rolled into one I sharethem seeing that they can serve some purpose however onemay be preparing for the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy

Our Lady of the Sacred Hear in SantrsquoAndreadella Valle Yesterday November 30 was the beginning of the novenato the Immaculate Conception It also happened to be thefeast of St Andrew Now at the other end of the street wheremy university is happens to be a huge looming basilicadedicated to Saint Andrew with the name ldquoSantrsquoAndreadellaValle rdquo People with very limited time in Rome usually donrsquothave time to visit this magnificent church but really nexttime you come you should Tis church was actually builtby the very same people involved in the building of St Peterrsquosand used this as their ldquopracticerdquo church people like Giacomodella Porta and Carlo Maderno Te fountain in the squarefronting the church is Madernorsquos

Te paintings and the frescoes inside are even more breath-taking Te dome and the ceiling are one of the best thereis in Rome - and perhaps in Christendom Since it was thefeast of St Andrew precisely I decided to do my prayer rightthere before the huge fresco of the crucifixion of St AndrewI did my rosary in one of the side chapels dedicated to Our

Countdown B6

What was behind

that inconspicuous

door Actually a

small but amazinglybeautiful jewel of

a church

A recent rally against climate change and environmental degradation

The Sant Agnese view from the South Plazza Navona

Sant Agnesersquo double Holy Family

An Interfaith Walk for Peace held on Nov 26 2015

R o b e r t Z C

o r t e s

R o b e r t Z C

o r t e s

A

r c h d i o c e s e o f C a g a y a n d e O r o

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 1224

B4 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

By S M Evangeline A Madayag OSB

HE urgency of protecting ldquo OurCommon Homerdquo is much given em-phasis by our Holy Father Pope Fran-cis Much heat drought and differencein the weather and climate is muchfelt Many kinds of sicknesses are alsoattacking especially the poor who lacknourishment due to having no foodsecurity One can really feel the differ-ence of being in a polluted city fromthe simple rural setting where there arestill enough trees providing clean airTe other week I and my communityof Sisters together with two visitingSisters were able to enjoy the beautifulbeach of San Isidro Davao OrientalI salute Mayor ina Yu and all the of-ficers of the Municipality of San Isidrofor really defending their stand for a

ldquoNo o Mining in San IsidrordquoI wish that would also be true for the

whole province of Davao Oriental It issad that some barangays and munici-palities who make resolutions to allowmining only consider themselves as theonly ones with rights to allow miningobviously setting aside the possibleharms effect on the people and theenvironment especially to the nextgeneration We have experienced the

effect of the haze brought about theforest fire of Indonesia a true evidencethat we are all affected all around the

world of what happens in a certain partof the world As Joey Ayala reminds usin his song ldquo Ang Lahat ng Bagay ayMagka-ugnayrdquo

Just last year (July 1 2014) SenatorLoren Legarda visited our province (Davao Oriental) and congratulated theprovince for its stand on the protec-tion of our natural resources especiallyciting Mt Hamiguitan a UNESCO

World Heritage site What a heri tage what a treasure

Yet what is real ly happeni ng inDavao Oriental Even our priests inthe Diocese of Mati are alarmed onthe ldquo proliferation of alleged mining

activities in the province of Davao

Oriental particularly in the followingareas (1) Brgy Old Macopa Manay(2) Brgy iblawan Governor Gen-eroso (3) Barangay Causwagan andMaputi Banaybanay (4) BarangayDapnan and Lambajon Bagangga (5)Barangay Calapagan Lupon (excerptsfrom the letter of Rev Fr Edito SBantildeo DCM Apostolic Adminstratorof Mati to the DENR National OfficeSeptember 10 2015 He made anotherletter to the DENR on October 222015 to includeMacambol ( Magumand Salingcomot) as a concern

With much prayers for awakenings

re-awakenings and miracles to hap-pen we make this petition

A PEIION FOR HE SOP-PAGE AND REJECION OF HEIMPENDING ISSUANCE OF MIN-ING PERMI FOR AUSRAL-ASIALINK MINING CORPORAION

AND HALLMARK MINING COR-PORAION BOH UNDER HECORPORAE ORGANIZAIONOF ASIAICUS MANAGEMENCORPORAION (AMCOR) AMAGUM PUJADA BAY AND SAL-INGCOMO MAI CIY PROV-

INCE OF DAVAO ORIENAL

We the farmers fisherfolks Churchpeople youth professionals businesspeople of Davao Oriental Provincetogether with our national and inter-national supporters hereby urge MrRamon JP Paje DENR SecretaryNO O ISSUE ANY MININGPERMI to AUSRAL-ASIA LINKMINING CORPORAION ANDHALLMARK MINING CORPORA-ION both under the CORPORAEORGANIZAION OF ASIAICUSMANAGEMEN CORPORAION(AMCOR) for its mining operation in

Magum Pujada Bay and Salingcomot

Mati City Province of Davao Oriental We also demand that their mining

equipments be pulled out from themining site Macambol ldquoLodgedbetween two protected areasmdashthePujada Bay Protected Seascape (andLandscape) and Mt HamiguitanRange proclaimed wildlife sanctu-ary (Republic Act No 9303 July 302004)rdquo and as a UNESCO WorldHeritage Site at the 38th Session ofthe World Heritage Committee ( June15-24 2014 Doha State of Qatar) is not the most logical site for large-scale nickel laterite mining project (October 212009 in Environment Food Security Sensitive EcosystemsTe Philippines)

Ac co rd in g to th e st ud y pu b-lished by httpbhpbillitonwatchnet20091021pujada-hallmark-nickel-laterite-project-profile ldquo some4778 hectares of mining permitsoverlap with five major drainagesystems and watersheds which eitherdrain towards Pujada Bay or the DavaoGulf Tese bodies of freshwater arethe main water supplies for the com-munities living within and around thearea and the bays host endangeredspecies such as dugongs (sea cows)sea turtles and stingrays Te forestof Macambol is a watershed area

Additi ona lly the Puja da reg ion issituated on the ldquoPacificndashCordillerardquofault line wo branches of the activePhilippine fault flank the watershedon the southwest and southeast of theproject area which has been subjectto intense seismic activities Te 2008report ldquoPhilippines Mining or Foodrdquorecommended that no mining shouldtake place on Mount Hamiguitan ornear Pujada Bay which are centres ofbiodiversity with high ecotourismpotential Under these conditions itmay be almost impossible to minethe area ldquo (httpbhpbillitonwatchnet20091021pujada-hallmark-nickel-laterite-project-profile)

In his ENCYCLICAL LEERLAUDAO SIrsquo Our Holy Father

all processes addressing climateand disaster risks especially afterthe province experienced the

wrath of yphoon Yolanda lastNovember 8 2013

He also mentioned how theimpact of climate change cutsacross all sectors regardless of gen-der culture economic or politicalstature with the poor sufferingthe greatest impact

ldquoTerefore a plan of actionto address climate and disasterrisks must be undertaken using

PASTORAL CONCERNS

Home B7

IN solidarity with the on-goingClimate Conference in Paris the

Archdiocese of Palo Relief andRehabilitation Unit (Caritas Palo)together with at least 200 lsquoYolan-darsquo survivors signed a Declarationsupporting Climate Change andCommunity-Managed DisasterRisk Reduction in Palo Leyteon uesday

In a statement Caritas PaloDirector Fr Al Cris Badana citedhow important it is for membersof the communities to be part of

community-managed disasterrisk reduction (CMDRR) as thestrategyrdquo Badana added

Also present during the commit-ment signing are representativesfrom various church groups andgovernment agencies such as theProvincial Government of LeyteDepartment of Social Welfare andDevelopment Department ofInterior and Local GovernmentProvincial Disaster Risk Reductionand Management Office and theOffice of the Civil Defense

Aside from the declaration sign-ing the lsquoYolandarsquo survivors from15 communities in the townsof Palo Santa Fe AlangalangMayorga Dulag and MacArthureach gave a presentation of howtheir communities are presentlyengaged in community-manageddisaster risk reduction (CMDRR)measures and systems

Tere was also a mini exhibitof the organic products producedby lsquoYolandarsquo survivors to show itssupport for sustainable agricul-

ture which is part of the climatechange action

After the devastation of y-phoon Yolanda the RomanCatholic Church of the Archdio-cese of Palo through Caritas Paloand NASSACaritas Philippineshelped Yolanda-affected commu-nities in Leyte to craft their ownresiliency and contingency plans

which were already adopted bytheir barangays As of today Cari-tas Palo has invested P150 millionto build resilient communities

Te said communities also in-stalled early warning systems andevacuation plans which resultedin zero casualties and minimaldamages during the onslaughtof yphoon Ruby the strongesttyphoon in 2014

It can be recalled that the re-cent encyclical of Pope FrancisLaudato Si highlighted the ad-

verse impacts of climate changeon the poor and most vulnerableand the scale of the climate crisis(NASSA Features)

Protecting Our Common Home

Church lsquoYolandarsquo survivors in Leyte signClimate Change Declaration

N A S S A C a r i t a s P h i l i p p i n e s

C B C P N e w s

N A S S A C a r i t a s P h i l i p p i n e s

N A

S S A C a r i t a s P h i l i p p i n e s

lsquoYolandarsquo survivors together with representatives from the Archdiocese of Palo Relief and Rehabilitation Unit (Caritas Palo) signedthe Caritas Declaration on Climate Change in solidarity with the on-going Paris Climate Talks

The Archdiocese of Palo Relief and Rehabilitation Unit (Caritas Palo) displayed the organic products produced bylsquoYolandarsquo survivorsin Leyte which is part of its climate change action

Members of the New Dampigan Womenrsquos Association happily beam and show off the eggs they harvested

Women in actionONE women to explore their otherpotentials

Tis is the story of the women in thetown of New Dampigan in Samar prov-ince who found a new hobby a passionand source of livelihood all at the sametime hey are the New Dampigan

Womenrsquos Association who are engagedin poultry raising

It all started when the DiocesanSocial Action Center of Calbayog gavethe group a total of 500 ducks as partof its livelihood program for yphoonHaiyan survivors

Te group is composed of 21 mem-bers all of them women Tey raiseducks and sell its eggs salted and freshalike to the nearby towns of Sta Ritaand Basey o produce salted eggs they

preserve it for 15 to 18 daysBut it wasnrsquot all easy going especially

at first When another yphoon Hagu-pit locally known as Ruby hit the townlast December some of their ducks diedfrom the storm Tey almost lose hopeBut luckily they did not Instead the

women sticked together and took careof the remaining ducks

Now the women are the more thanhappy and contented of the productof their pure hardwork and ingenuitySeveral weeks after the onslaught ofHagupit the women are once againback in track

Currently they are harvesting 700 upto 1000 eggs every week Tey are alsofocused on marketing their products tonearby towns which they do throughthe support and trainings providedby the social action center Yes they

are truly women in action (NASSAFeatures)

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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B5CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

life and refreshment from her waterrdquo (Laudato Si2)

Since climate is a commongood it is but right to be involved

in the discussion of climatechange especially that it is nowdestructive not only to proper-ties to but also to lives Accord-ingly the world is on the brink ofbecoming an arid wasteland dueto lsquounchecked human activitiesrsquo

We are living witnesses of thedestruction brought about by

weather changes and the effectsto health by carbon emissionshe calamities that claimedthousands of lives these pastyears and months are enoughproof to awaken in us a commit-ment to safeguard creation andhelp mitigate their effects

Pope Francis seeing the ur-gency of action in dealing with

environmental crisis points outthe use of highly polluting fossil

STATEMENTS

Statement on Coal Mining and Coal Power Plant

Final Statement of the 6th Bishopsrsquo Institute forInterreligious Affairs

Mayor Duterte

Asian celebration of the 50 th anniversary of Nostra Aetate

FABC Office of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs

Redemptorist Center Pattaya Thailand

November 16-20 2015

WE the one hundred sixty-six(166) delegates of the 40thDOPIM Bishops-Clergy Con-vention unanimously expressour serious concern on theoperation of coal mining andcoal power plant that triggersapprehension among our peopleand poses environment threat inthe provinces where such facilityis being established

With faith in the Lord of Cre-ation we want to heed the callof Pope Francis in his encyclicalLaudato Si that urges us all tocare for the earth as our commonhome Citing St Francis of As-sisi the Holy Father persuadesus to treat our common homelike our sister

However knowing the realityof our destructive attitude andactivities towards her the Pope

writes that ldquoTe6 sister now criesout to us because of the harm

we have inflicted on her by ourirresponsible use and abuse ofthe goods with which God hasendowed her We have come toseeeuro ourselves as her lords andmasters entitled to plunder herat will Te violence present inour hearts wounded by sin isalso reflected in the symptomsof sickness evident in the soilin the water in the air and inall forms of life his is whythe earth herself burdened andlaid waste is among the mostabandoned and maltreated ofour poor she lsquogroans in travailrsquo(Rom 822) We have forgottenthat we ourselves are dust of theearth (cf Gen 27) our very bod-

ies are made up of her elements we breathe her air and we receive

fuels ndash especially coal to be pro-gressively replaced without delay(Cf Laudato Si 165) We can-not simply sit idly while seeing

the unfolding of horrific eventsresulted by so called technologi-cal progress at the expense of na-ture Instead we recommend theuse of renewable energy whichis of course not harmful to theenvironment and to humans

As Bishops of the Diocesesof Dipolog Ozamis PagadianIligan and Marawi (DOPIM)

which comprise the civil prov-inces of Zamboanga del NorteMisamis Occidental Zamboan-ga del Sur Lanao del Norte andLanao del Sur we completelyoppose the operation of coalmining and coal power plantsmost especially within the afore-mentioned provinces We do this

not only because of our humanresponsibility but as a call intrin-

sic to our Christian faith We he re by ur ge al l co n-

cernedmdashboth the coal industryand the governmentmdashin thename of our Lord Jesus Christ tohave the same concern We alsocall the faithful and all people ofgood will be vigilant at all timesand in all places because ourcommon home is in danger ofdevastation We will not allowourselves to arrive at the pointof no return

May God hear us and come todefend the beautiful creation Hehas entrusted to us May Marythe Queen of all creation coverus with her mantle of maternalcare

Formulated during the 40thDOPIM Bihops-Clergy Con-vention on November 11 2015at the Diocesan Pastoral CenterDel Carmen Iligan City

Most Rev Severo C CaermareDDBishop of Dipolog

Most Rev Elenito R GalidoDDBishop of Iligan

Most Rev Emmanuel CabajarCSsR DDBishop of Pagadian

Most Rev Edwin A dela PentildeaMSP DDBishop-Prelate of Marawi

Most Rev Jesus A DosadoCM DD

Metropolitan Archbishop ofOzamiz

WHA the world desperately needs now is leadership byexample We have so many leaders in office and many moreaspiring to sit in office but are they examples of good citizen-ship If the leaders we choose are to be leaders for nationalprogress they must be visionaries AND exemplary

Corruption is indeed a great scourge of Philippine politics

Te usual face of corruption that we recognize easily is stealingfrom public funds Corruption like a monster is a devil withmany faces Killing people is corruption Killing is a crime anda sin whether it is done by criminals or public officials no mat-ter what the intention Adultery is corruption It makes marriedlove cheap and uses people for pleasure Adultery corrupts thefamily it destroys children and victimizes the weak Vulgarity iscorruption When we find vulgarity funny we have really becomebeastly and barbaric as a people When a revered and loved andadmired man like Pope Francis is cursed by a political candidateand the audience laugh I can only bow my head and grieve ingreat shame My countrymen has gone to the dregs

Is this the leadership by example that Mayor Duterte excitesin us Is this the leadership by example that makes a publicofficial deserving of the title ldquoHonorablerdquo

+SOCRAES VILLEGAS

Archbishop of Lingayen-DagupanCBCP PresidentDecember 1 2015

F i l e p h o t o

V i n c e n t G o

Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte

1 It is by Godrsquos grace andprovidence that we 87 par-ticipants in the Sixth BishopsrsquoInstitute for Interreligious Af-fairs (BIRA VI) from 17 dif-ferent countries have come tocelebrate the 50th anniversaryof Nostra aetate in our Asiancontext and in our time Weare grateful for the funding wereceived from Missio Aachenthat helped make this gather-ing possible

2 In this grace-filled gather-ing we have worked togetheras the Church in Asia retracing

our steps along the path of dia-logue praying reflecting andsharing our experiences andthoughts on the questions of

what we ha ve done so far and what we need to do fur ther forinterreligious dialogue in Asia

3 We recognize that Nostra Aet at e is sti ll ins pir ing andchallenging us to realize thevision of the Church as thepeople of God in dialogue inour time facing the interde-pendent reality of the com-plex and diverse influences ofglobalized socio-economic-cultural-political structures

we rea ffi rm the strong needof the ldquotriple dialoguerdquo with

the poor cultures and reli-gions in a journey towards theKingdom of justice peace andecological harmony

4 hrough our experienceof dialogue and action forthe last five decades we havelearned that interreligiousdialogue is not only to be aspecific pastoral strategy ofthe Church but rather an

Asian vis ion of the ChurchIt is a Church that proclaimsthe values of the Kingdom

without fear in dialogi cal col-laboration (partnership) withthe people of other religions

5 Struggling against anykind of fundamentalism ter-rorism and proselytism theChurch in Asia is called to

work toget her with other s asco-pilgrims In protecting thepoor and the environmentthrough our interreligious net-

work we are n ot do ing socia l work together but bui ldi ng

a mystical union of GodrsquosKingdom as inter-dependentbeings (in the harmony of ourrelationship with one anotherand with all creation)

6 he Church in Asia con-

firms that we cannot engage with other s in a real dialogue without having a clear ident ityof who we are and constantlygrowing in our own faith Inthe pluralistic contexts of Asiathe Church as a ldquolittle flockrdquois called to learn a kenotic(self-emptying) spirit of loveand service from Jesus ChristIt is through our humble andopen-minded approach thatreal trust and mutual under-standing with others can beestablished We are aware ofthe importance of grassrootsinterreligious dialogue whichusually starts from inter-per-sonal friendship and grows tocommunal action for justiceand peace

7 he Church in Asia takesseriously the challenges oftoday for all religions variousconflicts and violence massive

poverty and global inequalitythe increasing numbers ofrefugees and migrants pollu-tion and environmental crisiscorruption and moral degrada-tion human trafficking and

the breakdown of social cohe-sion terrorism and all formsof fundamentalism

8 One of the most urgentchallenges in Asia is to pro-claim Jesus Chri st as the Way

the ruth and the Life whileacknowledging and respecting

what is ldquotrue and holy in otherreligionsrdquo (Nostra AetateNo 2) As a community ofdisciples we give witness to

Jes us through our pe rs onaland communal l ifestyle oflove in three interconnected

way s sil enc e pre sence andstory-telling In an existentialsilence we empty ourselvesand listen deeply to the voicesof the other without judging

wi th a lov ing hear t In thedepth of our silence we are

aware of Jesusrsquo presence amongus which is inspiring our jour-ney of interreligious dialogueand action for transformingthe world It is by telling ourown story of transformationthrough Jesus as individualpersons and as communitiesthat the globalized culture ofindifference and greedy con-sumerism is to be transformedinto the gospel-culture of soli-darity and sharing

9 In our common journey with other s we Chri stians in Asia re cognize the importanceof basic human communitiesat the grassroots level wherethe dialogue of life and actionis going on especially together

with th e indigenous people Itis through these basic humancommunities that the Churchin Asia learns the holistic

world view and the sacred cos-mic spirituality which awakeus to take care of ldquoour com-mon homerdquo We are called togo beyond our comfort zoneand to develop a new narrativeof dialogue coming from ourcommon experience with thehope of rediscovering the har-monious relationship betweenhumanity cosmos and God forthe future generation

10 We commit ourselvesmore passionately to inter-religious dialogue in Asia indifferent ways for example

bull o develop local interreli-gious dialogue and action inthe grassroots communities

bull o organize formationprograms for interreligiousdialogue within the Catholiccommunity

bull (eg Seminaries religioushouses of formation and forthe laity)

bull o promote intra-dialoguebetween Christian churchesand within Catholic institu-tions

bull o support dialogue ac-tivities and forums (eg UNInterfaith Harmony Week)

bull o advocate i nterreligiousdialogue and action in thepublic sphere and cyberspace

bull o provide adequ ate prep-aration and pastoral care to theinterreligious family

11 After these days of re-flection and sharing of ourexperiences of and insightson interreligious dialogue inthe light of Nostra Aetateguided by the Holy Spirit

we ha ve com e to re ali ze againthe importance of opennesstowards the people of otherreligions and the indispens-able role of witness to theKingdom of God ever grow-

ing in the heart of As ianpeople hrough our sincerecommitment to dialogueldquoJesus Christ will be bet -ter known recognized andlovedrdquo (PCID Dialogue inruth and Charity No 39)

F a c e b o o k

F a c e b o o k

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B6 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

completion In this way the miracle ofthe Incarnation took place with theBlessed rinity taking the initiativeand Mary responding freely and gen-erously to the Spiritrsquos action in her

It is in response to the lead of theSpirit that Mary set out for Elizabethrsquoshouse to share with her relative theldquoGood Newsrdquo she was carrying withinher

Like mankind before Mary andChrist we too may have a bad re-cord when it comes to ldquobeing open toGodrdquo We may not be any better than

Adam and Eve or the people before theFlood (see Gn 65-6) or the builders ofthe ower of Babel (See Gn 113-4)

Tis Advent in the Year of Faith isfor all of us an opportunity to evalu-ate our standing in this respect and totake appropriate action If we decideto imitate Mary and Elizabeth in theiropenness to the Spirit we may be sure

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

HE times of John the Baptist were bad characterized as they were by selfishness greed prideaggressiveness oppression of the

weak Tis can be gatheredfrom the answers he gave tothose who had been struck byhis preaching and asked ldquoWhatought we to dordquo Johnrsquos strongly

worded call to conversion was

amply justified All needed toundergo a ldquometanoiardquo a changeof mind and attitude in order toenter the Reign of God

Te situation does not seemto have changed much since thetime of John the Baptist We livein a society plagued with the samemoral defects and vices People arestill greedy selfish aggressive

And of course the temptation isalways to see these moral failuresin others

In many cases it may be truethat there is so much evil aroundus But it is equally true that wetoo are not perfect here isevil in us too We fail morallyalmost every day and in various

ways We too need to undergoa ldquometanoiardquo a radical conver-sion ldquoRadicalrdquo here means that it

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

WE all experience the dif-ference that physical dark-ness or light produces inus Darkness makes us feeluneasy even anxious andafraid Light gives us a senseof security It enables us torealize where we are and

what to do

his is why the Bibli-cal creation story tells usthat ldquoIn the beginningrdquo (ie when nothing existedexcept God) ldquodarkness cov-ered the abyssrdquo Ten Godsaid ldquoLet there be lightrdquo And there was light Godsaw how good the lightwas rdquo (Gn 14a) Tepresence of light enabledGod to proceed with the

work of creation with allits wonders and poten-tials and thereby conquerthe darkness of chaos andmeaninglessness

should not stop at the individualactions but has to affect our at-titudes and set of values ie thevery root of our actions Tereshouldnrsquot be the least doubt so-ciety will start changing for thebetter the very moment we beginto improve

Advent and the special obser-vances for this year (Extraordinary

Jubilee Year of Mercy Year of theEucharist and of the Family) areinvaluable opportunities for us

to start or resume moving in theright direction Like those whoapproached John we should ask ldquoWhat are we to dordquo Te answersmay be as many as there are personalmoral situations but a ldquocommondenominatorrdquo easily applies to allOur fundamental attitude has gotto be one of openness availabilityand goodwill

Te first requirement is ldquoopen-ness to Godrdquo in grateful love andexpectation in prayer of ldquopetitionand thanksgivingrdquo (see Phil 46)mdashfor the Lord is coming to dwell inour midst and to be our ldquomightySaviorrdquo (See First Reading v 17)

Te second basic requirementis ldquoopenness to peoplerdquo hismeans readiness to share ourgoods generously with the lessfortunate (see Lk 311) to be fair

But aside from physical lightand darkness there are otherforms of these two oppositerealities in the intellectualemotional moral and spiri-tual domains In the JudeanChristian revelation light isassociated and even identifiedwith God while darkness is as-sociated and identified with sinand evil St John the Evangelistproclaims ldquoGOD IS LIGHrdquo(1 Jn 15) Consequently a lifelived without God is darknessmdashthe darkness of sin and hell (See

John 319-21) No wonder thenthat the Incarnation of GodrsquosSon is compared to the comingof light to earth (See Jn 15 and1246)

And this is precisely what wecommemorate and celebrate atChristmas the coming of thelight of Godrsquos holiness andgoodness to fight and defeatthe darkness of evil in all itsforms

In the extraordinary andunique event of the Incarna-

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

MANKIND has had a bad record fromthe very beginning of its historymdashthecriminal record of shutting God outof its plans and life Such an attitudehad few exceptions in Abram Mosesthe prophets And even those ex-ceptions were not always 100 clearIt was only with Mary that a differentattitude started to prevail an attitudeof total openness to the action of Godin onersquos life and of full availability tocooperate with Him in the actualiza-tion of His plan

Mary was the most open of all tothe inspirations and promptings ofthe Holy Spirit Like a very sensitiveharp she let the Spirit produce in herand through her the wonderful melodyof manrsquos salvation which only thedivine love can initiate and bring to

REFLECTIONS

P u b l i c d

o m a i n

C B C P N e w s

Christmas the triumph of light

The ldquoNEW JERUSALEMrdquo isthe perfect realization of Godrsquos

plan and the fulfillment of our

deepest aspirations

4th Sunday of Advent (C) Luke 139-45

December 20 2015

Solemnity of Christmas (C) John 11-18

December 25 2015

3rd Sunday of Advent (C) Luke 310-18

ldquoRejoice Sundayrdquo December 13 2015

Our advent priorities

Countdown B3

that He will work wonders also in usno matter how insignificant and weak

we may consider ourselves (See Mi51)

We need the impulse of the HolySpirit and His empowering supportto get out of ourselves to show aninterest in others and share with themthe blessings we have received from theLord including our joy (See attitudeof Mary Lk 146-49)

We need to be open to the Spiritin imitation of Mary in order tohave Christ formed in us or betterin order to be molded unto him If

we cult ivat e such an openn ess andavailability we shall ever more becomeChrist-like in our thoughts aspira-tions attitudes and actions Andthus we shall be totally committedto do our share in carrying out theFatherrsquos plan of saving love as Christdid (See Heb 105-7)

Open to the spirit in imitation of Mary

Lady of the Sacred Heart Andby the time I left the church

which is just a five-minute walkfrom my house what else couldI say but thank You Really thereis nothing much else one can say

Our Lady and Child in SanSalvatore in Onda

Funny what one sees whenone changes perspectives Goinghome from jogging one day Idecided to pass by the right (in-stead of the left) side of Via deiPettinari (Combmakersrsquo Street)I happened to look up by chanceand I saw this charming image of

Our Lady I had never seen be-fore even if Irsquod already passed by

here more than ten times Ten when I looked down I likewisenoticed what should have beenan inconspicuous door Now Isaw there was a paper posted onit hinting that inside was actuallya church called San Salvatore inOnda and the place where SaintVincent Pallottirsquos remains arevenerated I took mental noteof the opening schedule andresolved I would do the secondday of my novena there

What was beh ind that in-conspicuous door Actually asmall but amazingly beautiful

jewel of a church First behind

the green door commonly seenalong the street was another set

of wider doors made of beauti-ful strong old wood It had ahuge tarp proudly claiming thatSt John Paul II had visited thischurch For such a small churchI thought it would be surprisingany pope would do that

But of course if one knew JP IIand St Vincent Pallotti and whatthey each stood for one wouldunderstand For JP II loved topromote the apostolate amonglay people and St Vincent inhis own 19th century religious

way was one of the promotersof the lay apostolate at the time

when it was so much lacking

He founded the ldquoPious Unionof Catholic Apostolaterdquo Tatrsquos a

union of priests religious and la-itymdashbut the ldquoPallotinesrdquo as theyare called really just consists ofthe religious brothers and priestsand the laity are well theyrsquorethere But that was certainly ahuge start

Te church is now their homebase but it wasnrsquot so at first Builtnear the end of the 11th andbeginning of the 12th centuryit was given to the Franciscansfrom which two popes camefrom Knowing this historic-ity of the church and that StVincentrsquos body is now underthe altar one then understands

this church deserved the Popersquosvisit But to add to these therersquos

to everybody and be absolutelyhonest with all (See Lk 313-14)

All this is love of neighbor in itsmost elementary form and noone can claim to be exempted orto have done enough

o this we have to add thepursuit of all those ldquonatural valuesand virtuesrdquo that Paul lists in theSecond Reading (See Phil 48)Only on these conditions shall

we be able to ldquobe glad and exult with all our heartsrdquo (Zep 314) and

begin to enjoy ldquoGodrsquos own peace which is beyond all understand-ingrdquo (Phil 47)

If on the contrary we refuseto heed Johnrsquos (Godrsquos) call toconversion this Advent will bea series of ldquomissed opportuni-tiesrdquo Tere may still be laughterbut very little joy We may giveand receive plenty of gifts but

without experiencing the bliss ofreal generosity In other words wemay be like one of the decorationshanging on Christmas trees glit-tering and colorful outside butempty and ugly inside

It need not be so It should nothis Advent we have a chanceto really change for the betterstarting from ldquowithinrdquo And it isup to us to make the most of thisopportunity

tion the divine light becomesa human beingmdashJESUS OFNAZAREH His coming is not a lightning in the night thatsoon vanishes in the persistentdarkness of the sky Rather it isan enduring event mdashthe fulfill-ment of a well thought-out plandestined to last till the end oftime and beyond

Te Incarnation is an eventthat is not confined to the placeand time where it took placebut a permanent reality thatconcerns and affects the entireuniverse as well as the life ofeach human being Tis is sobecause the life and mission ofthe God-Man born in Bethle-

hem is to bring the light of loveand grace into the history ofmankind into the life of everyhuman person

his is why we believe andproclaim that Christmasmdashthecoming and dwelling of Godrsquoslight on earth ndash makes all the dif-ference Te world will never bethe same as before the ldquoChrist-

mas eventrdquo simply because Godldquopitched His tentrdquo among us More still He became one of us

He did so in order to enableeach individual and mankindas a whole to fight and over-come the many forms of dark-ness that oppress frighten andenslave usmdashthe darkness of

hopelessness meaninglessnessfear hatred oppression but es-pecially the darkness of sin andof whatever leads to the endlessdarkness of being separated fromGod forever

Nowadays the all-pervadingcacophony of commercialismand materialism tend to dis-robe Christmas of its sacred-ness and saving dimensionand to confine it to the realm

of a myth lost in the vaguenessof a distant past Against suchbackground it is essential thatwe Christian believers ap-preciate the importance ofthe historical event of theIncarnation and its relevanceto our life today

Christmas as the joyful com-memoration of the Incarnationof Godrsquos Son is an invitationto ACCEP Jesus Christ intoour existence as the light of the

world the light of our life It isalso an invitation to REJOICEin the light that radiates from

Jesusrsquo presence teaching and

example It is a commitmentto LIVE as children of thelight and thereby eliminatein ourselves and around usthe darkness of sin and evilin all their forms Christmasis an invitation and a chal-lenge to SPREAD the light ofGodrsquos love through our wordsand deeds

In this perspective theHoly Fatherrsquos call to be ac-

tively involved in the workof a NEW EVANGELIZA-ION becomes absolutely vital and releva nt to thisseason of light and joy Itis the first step toward anever-greater involvement inthe wonderful enterprise ofbuilding Godrsquos luminousKingdom of peace love andhope that can usher in theldquonew heavens and the newearthrdquo the ldquoNEW JERU-SALEMrdquo that is the perfectrealization of Godrsquos plan andthe fulfillment of our deepestaspirations

also the sheer beauty of medievaland renaissance art that one seeson the ceiling and the simplebaldachin under which Mass

was held when I was there Teimage of Our Lady and Child byCesare Mariani in the main altaris also arresting

Te church has the appellationldquoin Onda rdquo which means ldquoin the

waverdquo most probably becauseof the frequent flooding of theiber Irsquove seen some of thesesigns on marble stone aroundseveral parts in Rome indicat-ing where the river was at this orthat point and therersquos only one

thing I can say Te worst Manilafloods are as if only two inches

compared to Rome flooding inthose days Irsquom not sure if thishas any connection to one imageof Our Lady venerated there ona huge side altar ldquoVirgin mostPowerfulrdquomdashbecause one cer-tainly needed a huge power tosurvive such inundations

But last night I know I wasinundated by only one thingmdashthanksgiving for being surround-ed by such beauty and holiness

(Robert Z Cortes is a PhDstudent in Social InstitutionalCommunication at the PontificalUniversity of Santa Croce Rome

He has an MA in Ed Leadership from Columbia University)

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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B7CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

tions might become ever more numeroustill they become the rule

It is in the family that the reform ofsociety begins because it is there that welearn to respect and help one another wepractice patience and justice we learn toshare and to love in an unselfish and practi-cal manner Pope Francis speaking to theFilipino families during his Pastoral Visit

in January 2015 said ldquoIn the family wecome to know God to grow into menand women of faith to see ourselves asmembers of Godrsquos greater family theChurch In the family we learn how tolove to forgive to be generous and opennot closed and selfish We learn to movebeyond our own needs to encounterothers and share our lives with them Tat is why it is so important to pray as afamily Tat is why families are so impor-tant in Godrsquos plan for the Churchrdquo

A family where God is at home is afamily at peace Such was the Holy Familyat Nazareth And the yearly celebration ofits feast is not just a well-deserved tributepaid to its three members It is also an in-vitation and encouragement to make ourfamilies today what the family of JosephMary and Jesus was in those daysmdasha ha- ven of love of God and neighbor at itsbest a home where God felt at home afamily according to Godrsquos heart

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

PRAYING together as a family seems nolonger fashionable nowadays Te reasonsare varied so many commitments con-flicts of schedule practical impossibility ofbeing together Tere are of coursehappy exceptions of parents who everyevening gather their children for somemoments of reflection on the Word ofGod reconciliation shared prayer andrecitation of the Rosary hese samepeople are usually the ones who on Sun-days attend the Eucharistic celebrationas a family From this they derive strengthharmony cohesion And at the same timethey become an inspiration to the wholeparish community It is when the familygathers together for prayer that its mem-bersmdashboth parents and childrenmdashseethemselves under the common fatherlyauthority of God

A family that renews every day itscovenant with the Lord will have notime for endless bickering jealousyunfaithfulness harsh manners on thepart of the parents or rebellion on thepart of their children

Te families that pray together are re-ally mini ldquofaith communitiesrdquo or ldquolittlechurchesrdquo One wishes that these excep-

SOCIAL CONCERNS

M a s t e r o f t h e A n t w e r p A d o r a t i o n

M a r k E u s e b i o

Feast of the Holy Family (C) Luke 241-52

December 27 2015

World Day of Peace (C)

Luke 216-21

January 1 2016

Baptism of the Lord (C) Luke 315-16 21-22 January 10 2016

Solemnity of Epiphany (C) Matthew 21-12

January 3 2016

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

HE world is torn by wars and conflicts of every kindmdashwarsamong nations factions families Afraid of the tragediesof war simple people yearn for peace Some governments andpeace-oriented organizations try to achieve peace throughnegotiations and compromise Fortunately many times theysucceed in establishing at least a ceasefire

But we all know that peace is not simply the absence offighting Peacemdashit has been written in so many waysmdashisthe fruit of justice among nations groups individuals Morethan this peace is the fruit of being in a harmonious rela-tionship not only with others but also with oneself andespecially with God Tere can be no peace where there isrejection of God

Peace is just another word for love another word forgrace It prospers only with the defeat of sin And just asall the sufferings and destructions of war are both a sign anda consequence of sin so the defeat of sin in ourselves andaround us produces that inexpressible feeling of satisfactionand harmony that no material riches can buy and no balanceof power can create

Real lasting peace is what God the source of all good-ness wants for all mankind But in order for that peaceto become a reality we have to do our share First of allwe have to pray for it Ten we have to work for it Tatmeans to make every effort to bring it about Ten the Lord

will bless our efforts by granting us that genuine peace thathas in Him its origin and support On our part we have toaccept Godrsquos blessing of peace with humble gratitude as Heoffers it to us not as an abstract concept but as a person ndashHis very own Son Jesus Christ He is our peace becauseHe is the One who reconciles all men with the Father andamong themselves the One who reconciles each of us

with ourselves In Him we are able to recognize all humanbeings as our brothers and sisters all members of the onebig family that has God as the common Father He is theOne who called the peacemakers ldquoblessedrdquo and gave peaceto His disciples as His farewell gift

Jesus the King of Peace comes to us not in a vision orlike rain from the clouds He comes from a human motherMary Most Holy the woman of peace who has been ableto open herself to the Source of all peace and has fashionedHim in that human form in which all can recognize andlove as their elder brother In this way Mary and peace arevitally and dynamically linked And she brings peace to ourtroubled hearts and lives as Godrsquos messenger as she givesus Jesus in this Christmas season

Pope Francis calls all of us

to CARE FOR OUR COM-MON HOME Tis is one ofthe most important remindersin our times to really show re-spect to God who created allTe issuance of mining permit

will allow tree cutting activi -ties in almost 10000 hectaresland area Tis will lead to thedestruction of the very fewremaining forest in the Philip-pines and in the world We

would expec t a more imba l-ance ecology extinction ofdiversified natural resourcesexample flora fauna insectsanimals (including the Philip-pine Eagle) floods sicknesses

We reiterate that we would not

like this to happen We must remember that the

Home B4

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

EPIPHANY is the manifestation of Jesusas the MessiahSavior of all men includ-ing the pagans of goodwill representedby the Magi As such it is also the mani-festation of the divine plan hidden forcenturies in God to unite all human beingsin Christ (See Eph 11-10)

Evermore mankind moves toward the for-mation of a great international communityTis is according to Godrsquos plan Its roots arein creation itself ldquoGlobalizationrdquo is the ldquoin-thingrdquo nowadays It is a ldquosign of the timesrdquo to

which we should pay attention Tough theconcern of most of its proponents seems tobe economic its basic assumption is correctwe are one world one family of nations

Whatever is incompatible wi th this ldquoone-nessrdquo should be abolished

Many oppose globalization because if we

limit it to its economic aspect and to tearingdown trade barriers almost surely it will leadto the rich becoming richer and the poorbecoming poorer But if we take this wordto mean essentially the abolition of all bar-riers that have been erected by human prideselfishness ghetto mentalities or racism andif it ushers in a greater solidarity of thestronger with the weaker and a generoussharing by the rich with the poor thenglobalization is according to Godrsquos planand all Christians should be its most en-thusiastic supporters

Epiphany has also a special messageconcerning the attitude of all religions

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

WE say tha t people make aldquoprophetic gesturerdquo when theydo something striking that is alsoa sign of greater things to comeTose gestures reveal the depthof their passion or commitmentthey are meant to shake peopleand somehow force them to makea choice either for or againstcertain vital issues

In his lifetime Jesus mademany ldquoprophetic gesturesrdquo

such as his driving the tradersout of the emple the healingof the paralytic and many othermiracles He performed All thosegestures were ldquospectacularrdquo intheir own way Tey attracted theattention of the crowds which

wondered what their ldquomeaningrdquocould be

Tere was in the life of Jesus aldquogesturerdquo which was not spectacu-lar at all and which went unno-ticed by almost everybody exceptHis cousin John His baptism inthe River Jordan Tat gesture

was absolutely ldquocommonrdquo andldquoordinaryrdquo for it was somethingthat almost everybody was doingin those days in response to the

exhortation of John the BaptistBut Jesusrsquo baptism at the Jor-

dan lost in the crowd of sinners who were seeking forgivenesshad a depth of meaning thatmade it one of his most dra-matic ldquoprophetic gesturesrdquo It

was his baptism in fact whichrevealed the essence of Jesusrsquomission and became the occa-sion for the revelation of hisconcealed divine identity

he ldquoprophetic dimensionrdquoof Jesusrsquo action was not so muchin his entering the waters of the

Jordan ashis immersing himselfin the crowd of sinners Tat was

something unthinkable and un-believable Only Godrsquos incrediblelove for every human being andall mankind could have conceivedsuch an ldquoimmersionrdquo which was socomplete and involving as to be atotal ldquoidentificationrdquo Tat wasthe reason why the eternal andall-holy Son of God had comedown from heaven and had un-dergone the fullest ldquoimmersionrdquoin the ocean of mankindrsquos miseryand in human history Jesusrsquobaptism is a clear manifestationof Godrsquos mercy toward mankindTe Word the eternal Son of theFather clad in human flesh in

Jesus of Nazareth becomes one with sinful mankind not to be its

judge but its Savior and the HolySpirit appearing in the form of a

dove a symbol of peace remindsus of Godrsquos mercy on the ldquorem-nantrdquo of mankind as the purifyingflood subsided (See Gen 810-11) Jesusrsquo baptism was a furthermanifestation of the meaning andpurpose of the Incarnation

hrough that ldquoimmersionidentificationrdquo the totally sinless Jesus became a part not onlyof the relatively small group ofsinners gathered by the banksof the Jordan but also of theimmense crowd of sinners thatis the whole of humankind And

just as his immersive in the watersof the river sanctified them so didhis presence among the crowd ofsinners bring them the possibilityof receiving purification from sin

Tat was exactly Jesusrsquo missionIsaiah the prophet had alreadyforeseen this when he announcedthat the mission of the ldquoServant ofthe Lordrdquo was to bring ldquojusticerdquo(that is holiness) to the nationsOf him the Lord God said ldquoIformed you and set you as a cov-enant of the people a light forthe nations to open the eyes ofthe blind to bring out prisonersfrom confinement and from thedungeon those who live in dark-nessrdquo (See todayrsquos First Reading)

In his life Jesus ldquoactualizedrdquosuch a liberating and sanctify-

ing ldquoimmersionrdquo by associatingwith sinners and even seekingtheir company ndash something thatshocked the ldquoholyrdquo people of histime His association with ldquopublicsinnersrdquo was bound to tarnishhis reputation as his opponentspointed out on several occasions

Jesus did not mind that criti-cism and continued like beforeformdashas he himself saidmdashit is sickpeople who need a doctor (SeeMt 912) But his immersinghimself in the crowd of sin-ful mankind cost Jesus much

moremdashit cost him his very lifefor he was put to death to atonefor the sins of all

Jesusrsquo vicarious self-offering was so power ful in its effec tbecause of who he wasmdashGodrsquosbeloved Son on whom the Fa-therrsquos favor rested Such a solemnproclamation of Jesusrsquo divineidentity soon after his baptismbalanced so to speak his hid-ing himself among the crowdof sinners at the Jordan RiverIt also completed the ldquopropheticnaturerdquo of what happened on thatdaymdashGodrsquos very Son coming tosave all mankind by sharing fullyits predicament of misery in or-der to transform it from within

through the superabundant holi-ness that only God is

Families according to Godrsquos heart

symbolized by the Magi toward JesusChrist He should be the one acknowledgedby all believers as the universal Savior sentby God to bring all mankind back to GodTe gifts offered by the Magi to Jesus in

Bethlehem can symbolize the different char-acteristics which the major world religionscan offer as their distinct contribution to theestablishment of the Kingdom proclaimedand established by Christ the gold of faithin one merciful God and the power of His Word as a feature of Islam the incense ofmeditation love for nature and peace thatcharacterize Buddhism the myrrh of dedica-tion and industriousness that characterizeConfucianism Jesus rejects nothingof the values these faiths have He acceptsthem all and brings them together into onepractical synthesis that makes humankindthe family of God on earth

Jesus is indeed the center of humanhistory because he is the center of Godrsquosplan for mankind He is the ldquocenterrdquonot only in the sense that his coming hasdivided the centuries into two great blocks

of ldquobeforerdquo and ldquoafterrdquo Christ He is alsothe one in whom all men can find thecommon point of reference to form a realfamily of nations and peoples withoutcoercion or exploitation Te light of hisGospel can penetrate all cultures assumeall their valid elements and purify the restfrom those negative aspects which thepower of sin has gradually introduced inthem

Only Jesus Christ can keep all men unitedin a community of sincere respect lastingsolidarity and practical love For the plan ofthe Father born of love will find its fulfill-ment only in LOVE

Mary of NazarethMother of JesusMother of peace

Christ the unifying centerof all mankind

One with sinners to save them

environment can exist even

without us but we can neverexist without the environmentnature We only have one com-mon home the Earth there isno other

We urge the Dep ar tmentof Environment and NaturalResources to take the real leadto protect our remaining ldquoenvi-ronment and natural resourcesrdquoplan with other governmentagencies and environmentallyconcern organizationsfounda-tions on how to preserve ourremaining forests and marinelife sanctuaries

NO O MINING IN MA-GUM PUJADA BAY AND SA-LINGCOMO MAI CIY

PROVINCE OF DAVAO ORI-ENAL

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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B8 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

Look for the images of Saint Joseph Mama

Mary and Baby Jesus

(Illustration by Bladimer Usi)

Bladimer UsiLolo Kiko

Buhay Parokya

KANISS Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) both a victor in andsubverter of Panemrsquos Hunger Games is now a symbol of the revolu-tion whom rebel president Alma Coin (Julianne Moore) and powerbroker Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman) want to usestrictly as a poster girl Stubborn freedom-fighter Katniss howeverhas her own agenda and that includes killing President Snow (Don-ald Sutherland]) to end once and for all the senseless deaths of somany young people Forming a team of rag-tag soldiers that includeclosest friends Gale (Liam Hemsworth) Finnick (Sam Claflin) andPeeta (Josh Hutcherson) she goes off on a mission risking theirlives through a booby-trapped war to liberate the citizens of PanemTe final confrontation between Katniss and Snow presided overby Coin is an electrifying game-changer

Te Hunger Games is not exempted from the fad of choppinginto ldquopartsrdquo the movie adaptations of popular books Harry Potterwilight Te Hobbitmdashthey have all stretched their heroesrsquo exploitsto prolong box office earning power and yet the fans wait AfterHunger Games MockingjayPart 1 which judging fromits relatively weak performanceat the tills must have been aforgettable movie that testedthe patience of fans Mocking-

jay Part 2 revs up with moreof the thrills that have madethe Hunger Games series theprototype of dystopia flicks foryoung adults (Divergent et al)Te strong cast monumentallycontributes to the realism of theHunger Games franchisemdashhowcan it go wrong with a leonineSutherland a steely Moore asly Hoffman And of coursethe winner Lawrence who canequally sell with aplomb partscalling for either vulnerability orverve In Mockingjay 2 the starsrsquo solid performances interwoven

with heart-stopping CGI make for a fitting finale to a story that

capitalizes on manrsquos inhumanity to manItrsquos surprising that a number of film critics are disappointed with the

filmrsquos ending calling it ldquosappyrdquo and an anti-climactic conclusion to anadrenalin-packed series that promised so much by way of action andheroism Teir cynical remarks remind us of biblical Israel waiting fora savior who would topple down the ruling elite with its own brandof kingship but is instead given a Jesus Christ CINEMA thinks theending is actually a statement that magnifies the upbeat message of the

whole story enough is enough Murder as spectator sport is sub-human At least when beasts kill it is to survive but in Panem the poor youngpeople are robbed of choice and must kill in order to livemdashas enter-tainment for the elite So Mockingjay mocks the elite it cries ldquoGivehumanity a chancerdquo Whatrsquos wrong with wanting to dump violence tostart afresh Choose life not death Arrows that used to kill people arealso useful for hunting fowl for the dinner tablemdashis that against the lawldquourn your swords into ploughs and your spears into pruning hooksrdquoMaybe the cynicsrsquo eyes have grown to love the Hunger Gamesrsquo darknessthat the sunlight-dappled scenery blinds them Or maybe after fallingin love with the couture of Panemrsquos stylish crowd theyrsquore simply horri-

fied by Katnissrsquo drastic costume change Whatever CINEMA wouldnrsquothave wanted the ending any other way

ENTERTAINMENT

MAGPAPAKASAL at magsump-aang magmamahalan nang wagasang dating live-in partners nasina Basya (Bea Alonzo) at Popoy(John Lloyd Cruz) Bilang mgalisensyadong enhinyero at arkitektoay magtataguyod sila ng construc-tion business na mabilis na uunladLalong magpupursige ang mag-asawa na magpalago ng negosyodahil magbubuntis si Basya Naisnilang mabigyan ng magandangkinabukasan ang kanilang anak

Subalit dahil sa pressure ng tra-baho ay makukunan si Basya attuluyang mawawala ang sanggolna kanyang dinadala Labis itongikalulungkot nina Basya at Popoykaya napagkasunduan nila ayonna rin sa mungkahi ni Basya natitigil siya sa pagtatrabaho upangmakabuo uli sila ng baby Nanatilisi Basya sa bahay at di nakialam sanegosyo sa loob ng dalawang taonPinaubaya niya ang pagpapatakbong negosyo kay Popoy Magtitiwalasi Basya sa kakayanan ng asawa namahusay nitong mapapamahalaanang kompanya katulad ng nagingproblema ng pagguho ng isangbuilding project Hindi rin gu-gustuhin ni Popoy na bigyan ngalalahanin si Basya Samantala sakabila ng magandang saloobin nilasa isarsquot isa ay ang napipintong pag-kalugi ng negosyo na siya namangililihim ni Popoy kay Basya Dahilsasarilinin ni Popoy ang problemamaapektuhan ng tuluyan angkanilang pagsasama

Sequel ng pelikulang One MoreChance na pinalabas noong 2007ang Second Chance Matatan-daang tumatatak ang naunangpelikula dahil sa mga tinatawag nalsquohugot linesrsquo nina Alonzo at Cruzsa nasabing pelikula Di namannabigo ang mga nag-abang sa se-quel na ito dahil naganap nga angsecond chance sa mga pangunah-ing tauhan na sina Basya at PopoyMalinis ang pagkakadugtong ng

dalawang pelikula --- parehongmga tauhan at kontexto gayundinang mga artistang nagsiganap Sakabila ng pagkakaroon ng prequelay napanatili ang malayang istoryang Second Chance bilang isangpelikula Bagamat predictable ang

wakas ay naging kasabik-sabikpa din ang mga eksena at mgapalitan ng linya ng lahat ng tau-han Di matatawaran ang husayng pagganap nina Alonzo at Cruzbilang mag-asawa panalo talagaang tinatawag na chemistry nilangdalawa Di rin nagpahuli nag mgakatuwang na aktor at aktres Mag-aling ang ginawang trato ng direk-

tor para mapalabas ang kalakasanng mga nagsiganap at ang mgaeksenang hinaluan ng patawa lalona sa eksena kasama ng mga kai-bigan Simple lamang ang disenyong produksyon pero nakatulongang mga kuha ng camera at edit-ing para maging makabuluhan saistorya ang setting Makahuluganang composition na nagpapakitang electric fan para sa mensahe nanagtitipid na ang mag-asawa dahillugi na ang kompanya

Mayaman sa mensahe parasa mga mag-asawa ang SecondChance Pinakita sa pelikula angrealidad ng buhay may-asawa nahindi lang puro kasarapan sa halip aymga pagsubok na maaring mauwi sahiwalayan kung hindi haharapin ataayusin Sa relasyon ng mag-asawa

ay napakahalaga ng magiging bu-kas sa isarsquot isa kaya anuman angpagdaanan ay magkatuwang nahaharapin Ang pagtatago ni Popoyng katotohanan kay Basya ang nag-ing mitsa ng lumubhang alitan dipagkakaunawaan pagkawala ngrespeto at palitan ng masasakitna salitamdashpati tiwala sa sarili aynawala At sa punto na pipiliin ngisa na lumayo at hanapin ang sariliay nakatulong na balikan ang mga

sumpaan binatiwan nuong sila ayikinasal at higit sa lahat ang kanilangpagmamahal sa isarsquot isa Mainamdin na may mga kaibigan at pamilyana pwedeng lapitan na susuporta athindi manghuhusga manunumbato mang-uudyok sa paggawa ng maliKapuna-puna lang na bagamatnagsimula at nagwakas ang pelikulasa chapel ay tila di man lang nilanaisipan na magdasal habang maypinagdaraanan sila Nais isipin ngCINEMA na ang gusto lamangsabihin ng pelikula ay ang pag-aasawa ay hindi lamang sa pagitanng dalawang tao kundi dapat aykasama palagi ang Diyos

DIRECTOR Cathy Garcia-Molina

LEAD CAST Bea AlonzoJohn Lloyd Cruz DimplesRomana

SCREENWRITER VanessaValdez Carmi Raymundo

GENRE Romantic Drama

CINEMATOGRAPHER NoelTeehankee

RUNNING TIME 130 minutesTECHNICAL ASSESSMENT

MORAL ASSESSMENT CINEMA Rating V13

A SECONDCHANCE

DIRECTOR Francis LawrenceLEAD CAST Jennifer Law-

rence Josh HutchersonLiam Hemsworth WoodyHarrelson Donald Suther-land Julianne Moore PhilipSeymour Hoffman

GENRE Adventure ScienceFiction

RUNNING TIME 137 minutesTECHNICAL ASSESSMENT

MORAL ASSESSMENT CINEMA rating V14

THE HUNGER

GAMESMOCKINGJAY 2

Buhay San Miguel Brothers Matias

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 1724

Philippine Army Chaplaincy CFC

Hold 1st National Convention

The first-ever OACCS - OSM CEP Convention further strengthened the camaraderie between the chaplaincy and the local CFC created a more solid CFC OSM Core enabledthe stakeholders to work together and recognized the efforts of those who work tirelessly under the program

CFC Metro Manila as one big happy family worshipped danced sang played gamesand had fun during the last MC Gathering of the year

By Alma Alvarez

CFC ANCOP USA Pontificio Collegio Fillipino Sign Partnership Agreement

CFC MM MC Celebrates the Family

HIS Eminence Cardinal Luis Antonio agle Chairman of PontificioCollegio Filippino and its Rector Msgr Greg Gaston recently signedthe ANCOP USA Priest Sponsorship Program (PSP) partnership

with Eric Villanueva Roger Santos and Rollie Balanza Couples forChrist - ANCOP USA leaders Te ANCOP USA PSP will assistpriests from the Philippines who will be sent by their Bishops to doadvance studies in Rome

In his letter to Villanueva Cardinal agle wrote ldquoOur partnership will

allow more Bishops to send Priests for ongoing formation and furtherstudies in Rome to better equip them in serving Gods people as SeminaryFormators and as collaborators in the different Diocesan Ministries back

HE Metro Manila Mission Coregathered as one big CFC familyduring this months MC Assemblylast December 6 2015 Leadersfrom the Family Ministries likewisecame to the Ynares Sports Arenato hear Mass together celebrateshowcase talents play in the fungames and just enjoy each otherscompany before the end of the year

CFC Spiritual Director Msgr Allen Aganon celebrated Mass Inhis homily Msgr Allen emphasizedthe enormity of the role of John theBaptist as the one who heralded thecoming of Jesus Christ despite hishumble beginnings He challengedthe CFC leaders to be like Johnthe Baptist

We are ordinary people who

home As a result our Church in the Philippines will be strengthenedso that Priests and laity alike could carry out our respective work ofevangelization and service not only to the Church but also to societyrdquo

According to the agreement the PSP is for Masters Licentiate orDoctorate studies only ANCOP USA PSP funds will cover the priestrsquosboard and lodging at the Collegio in the amount of $10000 per year

All other needs such as tuition fees medical insurance transportationbooks etc will be provided for by the Bishop as a local counterpart

Tis would ensure that priests can benefit from the partnershipo donate or to know more about the program please visitwwwancopusa-psporg

THE CFC Order of St Michael(OSM) in cooperation with thePhilippine Army Ofce of theArmy Chief Chaplain Service(OACCS) staged the rst everCharacter Enhancement Pro-gram (CEP) Convention last No-vember 24 2015 at the PhilippineAir Force Museum Pasay CityRetired Col Arturo Alabanza amember of CFC Metro Manila(South B) and head of the OSM

OSM C4

together with the OSM Corespearheaded the event

In his opening remarks Alabanza describedhow the OSM came together with the OACCS

and forged a long-term partnership to ldquodeveloprighteous God-fearing soldiers loved by theFilipino peoplerdquo through the CEP Te CFCOSM has developed modules specifically cater-ing to the soldiers their spouses and childrenOACCS on the other hand has the author-ity to mandate Commanding Officers of thevarious Army camps nationwide to employthe CEP

Te convention allowed the stakeholders toreport on the accomplishments and enabledthe Army Chaplains from the different Infan-

try Divisions to plan with their local Couplesfor Christ counterparts regarding strategies forCEP and its continuing spiritual enhancementmodules It was likewise an opportunity for

CFC OSM to present the second module forthe CEP which the group plans to roll outbeginning 2016

ANCOP Chairman Joe Yamamoto in hisinspirational talk reiterated Pope Francisrsquo callfor new evangelization and emphasized thatthe partnership is a clear response of each per-son involved whether it be the Chaplaincy orthe lay stakeholders to be agents of change inthe spiritual realm within the Philippine Army

Several of those serving in the program

His Eminence Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle and the leaders of CFC ANCOP USA f orging a strong partnership for further education among Filipino clergy

are called to herald Christ andto be missionaries of mercy heemphasized

Te Mass was followed by theopening worship led by the MetroManila Missions Director MannyGarcia and a brief message fromCFC Chairman Joe ale

Te CFC Order of St Michaelthrough its Head Art Alabanzatook the opportunity to honor the55 Singles for Christ volunteers

who served in the Christian LifeProgram for the PMA Cadets inBaguio Te fun-filled games forthe adults and children talentpresentations and face-paintingadded to the festive mood rulyit was a day for the family (CFCGlobal Communications)

Reconciliation is Key to Advent PreparationsldquoTHE best way to prepare forChristmas is reconciliation Thebirth of Jesus is Gods offering ofreconciliationrdquo

his was the essence of the Advent recollection given by FrGerard imoner OP Provincialof the Dominican Order in thePhilippines for the workers of theCFC Global Mission Office Terecollection was held last Novem-ber 28 2015 at the Obizpado deCubao in Quezon City

In his reflection Fr imoner

creatively wove reconciliation withforgiveness as well as the new

evangelization taking into account Jesusrsquo words to ldquoshake off the dust

from your feetrdquo According to hima good spiritual foot spamdashthe act

of shaking the dust off onersquos feet toremove all traces of the bad news to

enable one to proclaim the GoodNewsmdashis essential in preparing

oneself during AdventFr imoner described for-

giveness as ldquosetting a prisonerfree and realizing that thatprisoner is yourdquo He illustratesldquoJesus did not forgive whileon the cross Instead he saidlsquoFather forgive them for theyknow not what they dorsquo We canonly forgive if we engage Godsforgiveness within our ownrdquo

he best path to the newevangelization is to allow our-selves to be reconciled with God

amp each other he emphasized(A Alvarez)

The News Supplement of

Couples for Christ

C1CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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Reflections on Advent

I IS the start of a new liturgical

year As in every year the previ-ous liturgical year ended withthe feast of Christ the King afitting high point indeed Aftergoing through the year observ-ing the various highs and lowsand phases of His life in theend and rightly so we proclaim

Jesus as indeed the King of kingsand the Lord of lords

And so the Church starts thecycle anew beginning fromHis birth into this world obuild up to that we have theseason of advent of waitingof anticipating of preparingfor the birth of He who werecognize and proclaim as theKing of kings

One would expect that thismajor season is ushered in

with Bible vers es express ingthe level of excitement befit-ting the birth of the King ofthe universe It is therefore abit surprising and soberingthat the opening reading ofthis season is one with a themethat speaks not of celebrationbut of foreboding of the com-ing end times

here wil l be strangethings happening to the sunto the moon and the stars Onearth whole countries will bein despair afraid of the roarof the sea and the raging tidesPeople will faint from fear asthey wait for what is comingover the whole earth for the

Joe Tale

powers in space will be driven

from their courses hen theSon of Man will appear comingin a cloud of great power andglory When these things begin tohappen stand up and raise yourheads because your salvation isnear Luke 2125-28

Moreover we are enjoined tobe on watch and to be vigilantin a specific way Be careful notto let yourselves become occu-pied with too much feasting anddrinking and with the worries ofthis life or that Day will suddenlycatch you like a trap For it willcome upon all people everywhereon earth Be on watch and prayalways that you will have thestrength to go safely through allthose things that will happen andto stand before the Son of Man

Luke 2134-36It is significant we might evensay ironic that during this seasonof merriment in anticipation ofthe birth of the Messiah we are

warned exactly not t o be merryIn this period that we normallycelebrate with much food and

wine and music we are instructedto refrain from such things

Is the verse dousing cold wa-ter on all these festivities andpreventing us from celebrating

joyously the arr ival of t he KingNot so he verse simply re-

minds us of something more im-portant whatever be the seasonof our life of being constantlyprepared and on the watch at

all times not ever to bring our

guards down whether we are go-ing through our low moments orhigh points in our life We are re-minded to always Be Preparedas the Boy Scouts motto goes

whatever our spec ific situationmay be at any given time

Als o I sense tha t the Lor d would like to bring us to a deeperlevel of rejoicing not merely onthe level of the frivolous as toomuch feasting and drinking areTe words of Jesus do not preventus from rejoicing He wants us tocontinue to be prepared even as

we celebrate He warns us not torejoice in a wanton way that takesus away from our right senses re-sulting in our being unpreparedhus our rejoicing should becoming from deep in our hearts

not shallow and hollow expres-sions of the same Our rejoicingshould be geared towards allowingus to still be prepared

hus as we hold our Christ-mas parties and dwell in themerriment of the season let usbe mindful of the words fromthe Gospel Appropriate feastingand drinking not only make usfaithful to the gospel but is alsomore healthy Significantly tooit should make us more caring tothose who have less and hope-fully lead us not to be wastefuland to share whatever we have somany others will also experiencea truly Merry Christmas

Rejoice in the Lord

HE RED Cubs harvested thegrand championship of the recentlyconcluded CFC GMC Ablaze Cup2015 held last December 2 - Decem-ber 8 2015 at the sports facilities ofCamp Crame

Te friendly games were partici-pated in by the different departmentsin the CFC Global Mission CenterTe Red Cubs romped off with the

Red Cubs are Champions in CFC GMC Ablaze Cup 2015

Go go go GMC clockwise from top left Caloy Rubio CFC Ablaze Cup Event Head exhorting participants the board of judges CFC Chair Joe Tale inspiring the athletes paradeof athletes the Orange Tigers basketball game between the Red Cubs and the Maroon on Fire cheerdance competition

Mel and Aimee Serrano talking about the highs and lows of dealing with in-laws

In Highs And In-Laws Dealing With Your In-Laws

ldquoATRASrdquo BOYS amp GIRLS

Are We Waiting For Jesus At The Right Spot

This Advent

IN983085LAWS he very word re-minds many a married coupleof discomfort awkward evenstrained relationships and some-times open conflict But are rela-tionships with the family membersof your spouse meant to be merelytolerant Te latest Couples forChrist (CFC) ndash Young Couples

Assembly on November 30 heldat St Pauls College in Pasig Citytackled precisely this topic andcame up with this wildly inge-nious insight In-laws are peopletoo ndash love them

According to the speakers Meland Aimee Serrano of CFC ndashMetro Manila West B lovingthem in all sincerity will work

wonders ldquoTat is the tried andtested formula love your in-lawsrdquoshared Mel a school owner fromQuezon City

During the talk which theypeppered with lots of insights andsharing of personal experiences as a

PASIG City Nov 29 2015 ndash What do weusually do when we find out that someone welove or an important personality is visiting ou rhome We tidy up we prepare good food butmost of all we wait his was the m essage thatabout 150 young married couples heard duringthe Family Mass at the Couples for Christ ndash

Young Couple s Assembly at St Paul Colleg eConvention Center held last November 30

Fr Ruper Solis SVD who celebrated theFamily Mass reminded the couples presentthat to wait for something or someone also

couple married for 20 years the Ser-ranos focused on several key points1 Handle them with care

Tis means giving attention tothe one who needs more takingcare of them in their old age as

well as training your kids to respecttheir grandparents

ldquoOn our part we have to makesure that our children will give duerespect [to them] and be able tounderstand intricacies that come

with old agerdquo said AimeeldquoWhether may sama ng loob

(hurt feelings) sometimes there will be times na mahirap makipag-kita (that it will be difficult to meetthem) but you have to go to themKailangan nating gawin yun (Weneed to do it)rdquo she stressed

2 Acknowledge differences According to the couple people

should recognize that their spousemay not have the same familyculture as they do Value systems

means waiting at the right placeldquoAs Christians our life is a series of waiting

Dapat maghintay ka sa tamang lugarhindi langsa tamang panahon na sinasabi ni Lola Nidora noPero sa tamang lugar din (We should wait not justfor the right time but waiting should be doneat the right place as well)rdquo explained Fr Ruper

he young priest who was an SVD missionaryassigned to Argentina for more than seven years

went on to tell the story of how once in Argentinahe was waiting by the side of the road flagging

championship crowns in badmin-ton (women) table tennis (menand women) tug-of-war and peelbanana It was a close fight with theMaroon on Fire team who grabbedthe winning titles for basketballvolleyball cheer dance and chess(men) and ended up 1st runner-up

with les s than 2 points from the winning team Te Orange igerscame in 2nd runner-up while YellowHotshots was 3rd runner-up basedon the last team standings

Te awarding ceremonies wereheld last December 8 2015 dur-ing the celebration of the CFCGMC Christmas party Tis an-nual event is an opportunity forthe mission workers to enjoy eachotherrsquos company Te Ablaze Cuplikewise serves as a venue tofoster and promote the spirit ofsportsmanship and unity amongthe GMC workers from bothpastoral and mission support(Yvonne Dolorosa)

HE WORD ldquoatrasrdquo means a backwardmovement It is generally used to refer to theldquoReverserdquo function of a vehicle In Lanao DelNorte the word has been applied to a group ofboys abd girls who guide vehicles in and out ofparking spaces the equivalent of the ldquoWatch-your-carrdquo aides in Metro Manila

he CFC leaders in the province immedi-ately thought of the Atras Boys and Girls ofLanao Del Norte when Cardinal agle said ndashldquoGo to the peripheries be a mobile clinicto heal the poor from spiritual sickness rdquo

Another ins pirat ion was from one of the mostimportant pastoral subjects of Pope Francisabout the ldquofamily and the poorrdquo

Every time I go to mass at the St MichaelrdquosCathedral with my wifeata the ldquoatras boysand girlsrdquo are all over the area assisting ve-hicles either to park or to exit the parking area

When n ot per formi ng thi s function they andother members of their family can be seenbegging for their daily sustenance hey areusually homeless their home being along theperipheries of the Cathedral or the sidewalks

he inspiration led the Area Governanceeam to the idea of bring these boys and girlsand their parents to a Christian Life Programhey moved quickly with Boy Suezo approv-ing the strategic CLP as designed by RegionalPastoral Formation Head Art Maderazo andinserting video clips appropriate to the CLPtalks With the activation of the SOLD Min-istry with Bro Roger Sultan as Provincial Co-

ordinator SOLD was made the lead ministryof the ldquoAtras Boys and Gir lsrdquo CLP

Initially the number of participants was limitedto five (5) for logistical reasons but the HolySpirit deemed otherwise ndash the attendees eventuallynumbered ten individuals and three (3) coupleshe CLPs were scheduled every hursday at 600orsquoclock in the evening with dinner provided byCFC brothers and sisters particularly the AGrsquos

wives and ANCOP members he SOLD Prov in-cial Coordinator took care of fetching the partici-pants from the Cathedral and also bringing themback to their ldquohomesrdquo It did not matter to Rogerthat his car would often retain the smell of the

unwashed he persisted in servicing the transportneeds of the participants

November 05 2015 was truly a pleasant anda memorable day to the service team On thatday five of the ten boys and girls and two (2)couples dedicated their life to CFC One of theparticipants stood up to give an inspiring testi-mony ending with ldquohank you CFC for makingus somebody in your heart hank you for beingmindful of the conditions of the poor and thankyou for bringing Christ to our livesrdquo (ldquoSalamatCFC nga aduna pa diay kami luna sa inyong kas-ingkasing Salamat CFC sa inyong pagpakabanasa susama kanamo nga mga timawa Salamat sainyong panahon pag hatag kanamo sa pagtulun-anni Kristo)

It is envisioned that this kind of evangeliza-tion can be replicated in other areas nationwidethe beginning of a truly strategic evangelizationHopefully this is also the beginning of a newlife for the new CLP graduates with CFC being

instrumental in helping them provide for theirfamilyrsquos future (Nonoy Haim)

disciplining style even views onhow to handle finances will of-tentimes be different Tat is whyunderstanding coupled with love

will go a long wayldquoDifferences and conflicts are

not unhealthy but mismanagementis Never criticize your in-lawsrdquoMel said

Also in case of confl ict themessenger or the ldquobridgerdquo shouldbe the one with the primary re-lationship (spouse to own fathermother)

he Serranos candidly sharedabout a conflict that eruptedbetween Aimee and her father-in-law during the campaignperiod for local elections whenMel ran for public office heconflict was soon followed by aperiod of silence a Cold Warso to speak ldquoIt took us at leasta year or two [My father said]kasi pag di natin inayos tolahat tayo maapektuhan (If we

dont fix this all of us will beaffected) It helped that thecouple prayed and sought DivineIntervention and asked the com-munity to pray with them heHoly Spirit worked

3 Respond appropriately What if ev en af ter l ovin g and

understanding them its stillnot smooth sailing with your in-laws Heres what the Serranoshad to say

bull iming is everythingbull Learn when to speak or keep

your mouth shutbull ake a breath cool offbull Maintain a sense of humorbull Remember unsolicited advice

is just an opiniono cap their talk the couple

brought back the participants tothe basics of loving in-laws to actout your love to build bridges andto communicate (Nirvaana EllaDelacruz)

HOMILY C3

IN A Memorandum sent to the Philip-pine Missions leaders last November23 2015 PM Director Jose Yamamotoappointedreassigned leaders for theNortheastern Luzon region

Mark Banzon has been appointedProvincial Area Head (PAH) of Isabelavice Rommel Ancheta ony de la Cruz

on the other hand was tapped to be PAHof Nueva Vizcaya vice Raul Balaquiao

O set a new tradition in the CFC Family the InternationalCouncil has agreed to make December 27 the Feast of theHoly Family as a special day for the members of the familyto honor one another Tis will allow each person in thefamily to express their gratitude to the Lord for the gift offamily and the importance of having each member of thefamily around for the love support and service As a sug-

New Appointments for CFC GMC NE LuzonFamily Honoring Night Set

Balaquiao was appointed PAH of IlocosSur vice ony de la Cruz while Cholo

Yjares is now PAH of Cagayan vice BongPagulayan Pagulayan is now PAH ofKalinga vice Cholo Yjares

he move is essentially a realignmentof the leaders in the Northeastern Luzonarea in the interest of the mission except

for Banzon who is a new appointee andfor Noel Malamug who remains as

PAH of Ifugao hese changes are to takeeffect on January 1 2016 Edythe Aven-dantildeo is also set to replace Didi Galsim asHandmaids of the Lord InternationalCoordinator effective January 1 2016

In the Global Mission Center RickyRico was appointed Head for the GAd-min effective October 1 2016 while Jay

Lucena was appointed head of the CFCEvents group also effective October 1facebookcomCFCGlobalMission CFChrist

The Ugnayan News Supplement is published by the Couples for Christ Global Mission Foundation Inc with editorial ofces at 156 20 th Avenue 1109 Cubao Quezon City

Editorial trunk line (+63 2) 709-4868 local 23

Direct line (+63 2) 709-4856

wwwcouplesforchristglobalorg cfcglobalcommunicationsgmailcom

Michael C Ariola

IC Oversight

Zenaida A Gimenez

Editor-in-Chief

Alma M Alvarez

Associate Editor

Evangeline C Mecedilla

Circulation Staff

Deomar P Oliveria

Layout Artist

The News Supplement

of Couples for Christ

gestion the guidelines indicate the following as the activitiesfor the said day hearing Mass together dining together athome praying together and in gratitude expressing theirlove to one another

hrough the Family Honoring Night the community hopesto strengthen the relationship among the family members andempower each one to truly cherish and love one another

Bong Pagulayan

Mark Banzon

Cholo Yjares

Ricky Rico

Edythe Avendantildeo

Raul Balaquiao

Jay Lucena

Tony de la Cruz

C2 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 1924

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 2024

CFC China Conducts

Mission Heads Training

CFC Greece Leaders Meet Archbishop of Athens amp Nuncio

COUPLES for Christ USA and CFC Greece leaders paid a courtesy call on Archbishop Sevastianos Rossolatos and Fr George Altouvas at the Archd ioce se of Athens he g roup in troduced Couples f or Chri st to the new Archbishop and di scus sed theirplans to initiate a CFC Youth Camp in Greek as well as to develop CFC teachings in Greek

On another occasion the CFC leaders met with the Apostolic Nuncio of the Holy See in Athens Archbishop Edward Joseph AdamsTey discussed challenges and forthcoming changes in the Greek Catholic hierarchy and laid down CFCrsquos plans for CFC Athens

SINGLES for Christ Metro Manila gath-ered at the San Carlos Seminary in Makatilast December 5 2015 at 700 pm forthe SFC Global One a two-hour non-stop worship experience Jay Laquiana fulltime pastoral worker for SFC ledthe worship

Global One was meant to be a simul-taneous praise concert with major cities

or provinces hosting the event But what

made this yearrsquos Global One event special was the fact that it was the first time it wasstaged online via youtube live broadcastTis gave SFCs all over the world an oppor-tunity to come together despite differencesin time zone

ogether as one ministry SFCs from theMetro Manila Sectors the provinces andthe various countries like the USA Canada

and the Middle Eastern countries raised

SFC GLOBAL ONEmdashUniting the World

via Online Worship

their voices in praise and worship for thecountless favors they received It likewisebecame an opportunity to ask the Lordto bless the ministry for the coming year

Te ministry sees the online Global Oneas an event they can do annually Tey alsosee it as a potential tool to reach othernon-SFC members to witness Christ andcome together with other young people to

worship (Lanie Montaos)

OSM C1

CFC Winnipeg held its 2nd Celebration of Covenant Love onNovember 21st the feast of the Presentation of Our Lady Sixteencouples attended the activity

One week prior to the Renewal of Wedding Vows the 16 coupleshad a mini-retreat conducted by their spiritual advisor Fr YollyGamallo Te mini-retreat included four couple-sharers Te HolyMass was celebrated at St John Cantius Parish presided by MsgrLouis McCloskey A simple reception followed for the 16 couples andabout 60 family members with additional witnesses from the CFCcommunity Te participants who renewed their marriage vows werefrom varied age groups with some having been married for only five

years to couples who were celebratingo 40 years of holy matrimony

Tis year makes the Celebration of Love even more relevant as itis the year that held the papal Synod on the Family and the WorldMeeting of Families Pope Francis stated when making an address tofamilies ldquoTose who celebrate the sacrament say lsquoI promise to be trueto you in joy and in sadness in sickness and in health I will love youand honour you all the days of my lifersquo At that moment the coupledoes not know what will happen nor what joys and pains awaitthem Tey are setting out like Abraham on a journey together

And that is what marriage is Setting out and walking togetherhand in hand putting yourselves in the Lordrsquos powerful handsHand in hand always and for the rest of your livesrdquo (from http

couplesforchristcanadaca)

A Celebration of Covenant Love

I cherish the treasure the treasure of you lifelong companion I give myself to you These happy couples from CFC Vancouver saying Yes again to oneanother and to God as they renew their marriage vows

CFC missionaries to South Americarejoiced as they completed a fruitfulmission to the area a fitting end to theyear Te mission to Nuevo Pueblo deColaacuten opened a new area an hour awayby land from Piura Peru establish-ing CFC ndash Parejas para Cristo in a remotetown in the desert At the end of theChristian Life Program 13 new CFCPPC members composed of 4 couples4 HOLD and 1 SOLD committed to alife with Christ

Te PVC (Programa de Vida Cristiana- Spanish CLP) was held November 27to 29 2015 (Tanksgiving weekend) byCFC USA Florida in Iglesias del Rosarioone of two parishes in town Padre LuisSerra head pastor of the main churchthe Iglesia Sagrado Corazoacuten de Jesuacutesopened the doors to CFC PPC Fourother brethren from CFC PPC RiojaPeru headed by Fr Rober Martinez cameto reinforce the missionariesrsquo efforts Teteam got a taste of their first mission

CFC China is on full throttle in its evan-gelization efforts Tey recently conducted

the first-ever CFC China Mission Headsraining from November 27 to 30 at Vilada Sta Isabel Estrada Cheoc Van MacauTe training aimed to strengthen its leader-ship ranks through several formation talksfrom the Chapter Leaders raining (CL)series Te sixty participants were mostlyChinese with some Filipino Mission Headsand their AG members from the North

West East and South of China includingMacau SAR and Hong Kong SAR

Te first day of the training was devotedto a silent retreat based on Psalm 4610ndash ldquoBe silent and know that I am GodrdquoTe three-hour retreat centered on thetheme ldquoWe need to Change How WeLead o lead like Jesusrdquo with each par-ticipant encouraged to ldquoempty oneselfrdquoFr Oliviades a member of the Opus Deifacilitated the retreat

Day 2 started with a Holy Mass concel-

ebrated by Fr Joseph Wang from YiwuEast China Te training proper began with Israel Silud CFC Country Headand Northwest Regional Head givingthe overview and citing challenges thatCFC China faces He reiterated thatCFC Chinarsquos goal of raising 1 millionhousehold heads will be driven by the

The fruits of 2015 for CFC PPC hundreds of miles away from home

In 2015 ten missions were held inSouth America by CFC USA All these

were made possible by a handful of zeal-ous and selfless CFC USA mission vol-unteers who sacrificed a lot and deniedthemselves many comforts in order tobring the Word of God to families in Co-lombia Ecuador and Peru CFC ParejasPara Cristo will not take off without thefinancial support of CFC USA

ruly God gave a very good year for

the mission team harvesting 608 souls in2015 (a total of 857 persons from June2014 to date) Te task of sustainingCFC PPC families and area countriesare enormous But with grateful heartsthe South America team humbly turnsto God thanking Him each day forHis guidance as He leads the way Teteam looks forward to 2016s adventureof bringing the banner of Christ to themiddle and corners of the earth (GlenSantayana)

whether lay or from the Chaplainsrsquo ranklikewise gave testimonies on how theirinvolvement in the CEP made them real-ize that they have become not only agentsof change but recipients of grace as well

In the afternoon the Chaplains andtheir CFC counterparts came together fora round table discussion of the plans ofthe various Infantry Divisions nationwide

Army Chie f Chaplain Fr Col Andre sBonifacio Belleza CHS (GSC) in anunexpected move expressed his recog-nition through the grant of awards ofthe initiatives of the Army Chaplainsin implementing the CEP in their vari-ous Divisions Fr Maj Juan Jerome CDaluro was awarded Best Chaplain ofthe Year 2015 for his exemplary ser viceas Division Chaplain of 9th Infantry(Spear) Division Fr MSg Mario Ban-

iqued Philippine Army (PA) OACCSChief Clerk was recognized as Best

Chaplain Assistant of the YearSince the partnership between the

OACCS and CFC OSM started in April2014 the group has conducted CharacterEnhancement Retreats (CER) for 28 Phil-ippine Army commands Trough CFCSingles for Christ volunteers a ChristianLife Program has likewise been conductedfor the Philippine Military Academy Classof 2018 graduating 385 PMA-Singles forChrist members Presently five CERs arealso being done at the V Luna MedicalCenter in Quezon City

Alabanza admit s there is still muchto be done So far the CEP has reached2000 men and women in uniformroughly 0287 percent of an estimated800000 population of soldiers theirspouses and their families Tis is indeedfertile ground for values and spiritual

transformation which is just waiting tobe conquered (A Alvarez)

Another fruitful harvest in Peru from top the 13 new members in CFC PPC all-women discussion group

Courtesy call top photos CFC leaders with Archbishop Edward Joseph Adams amp Fr George Altouvas bottom photos with Fr George Archbishop SevastianosRossolatos and Archbishop Edward Joseph Adams

CFC OSM and the OACCS reaching out to the men and women in uniform and their families through the Character Enhancement Program

personal holiness of its ser vant-leaders who will be leading the evangelization thrust

in 34 provinces in China CL talks 2-5 were given by the regional heads with their wives as sharers

Day 3 began with the recitation ofthe Holy Rosary followed by anotherconcelebrated Holy Mass Fr Oliviadesdelivered a beautiful homily on ldquoemptyingoneselfrdquo Te rest of the CL talks wereagain delivered by the regional heads withtheir wives as sharers In CL alk 9 Siludemphasized the need to pay attention tothe means to care for the spirit mind andbody of the leaders

Te last day primarily focused on plan-ning the CFC China activities for 2016One of the proposals from the planningis that the four (4) regions in China willeach be hosting the major activities linedup for the year

Te three-day training and planning was conducted by CFC China Country

Head IsraelSally Silud with the supportof North Asia Regional Coordinator Ga-rieCess Pimentel and the regional headsfrom East China (EricEvelyn Ylagan)South China (JoelErica Santos) HongKong SAR (GarieCess Pimentel) andMacau SAR (JMEmilie Yupangco) (Ericamp Evelyn Ylagan)

C4 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

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JCL ndash member while for the TeologicalCommission the experts appointed wereFr Alexander L Garces SDB JCL ndashPresident Fr Enrico Eusebio Jr SJ JCDndash member and Sr Maria Amparo SantosOP JCL ndash member As with the ribunalmembers the Presidents and membersof both Commissions individually tooktheir respective oaths and signed the Acts

Te appointed Copyist Ms RonalynRegino and Assistant Copyist Ms Ge-cerein Sayen Ocampo were called next totake their respective oaths and similarlysigned in the Acts

Ten Postulator Msgr Pedro C Qui-torio III and Vice Postulator Fr WilmerR Rosario JCD individually took their

respective oaths not compromise the truthand offend justice nor impede the free-dom of witnesses to testify in the CauseTereafter they also signed the Acts

Te Postulator then presented to Car-dinal agle for his examination a list of

witnesses to be interrogated subject to thepossible addition and revision of namesin the future Upon examining the listthe Cardinal decreed that the next sessionfor interrogation of witnesses be held on

January 11 2016 at the Arzobispado deManila

Finally after ordering the Chancellorto establish public record of this First Ses-sion Cardinal agle declared the Processfor the Causes of Beatification and Can-

onization of Servant of God FAHERGEORGE J WILLMANN SJ Father ofthe Order of the Knights of Columbus inthe Philippines OPEN

o complete the Rites His EminenceLuis Antonio Cardinal agle together withformer Chief Justice Hilario G Davide

Jr as Chairman of the National ExecutiveCommittee (NEC) for the Cause of Fr

Willmann jo intly u nveiled the portraitof Father George J Willmann SJ

Tereafter Cardinal agle began thecelebration of the Holy Eucharist Con-celebrants were Bishop Honesto FOngtioco DD Bishop Mylo HubertC Vergara DD Msgr Geronimo FReyes JCD Fr William Arana OSA Fr

Carlo Magno Marcelo Fr Marvin MejiaFr Wilmer Rosario JCD Fr Carlo DelRosario Fr Julius Paul Factora OP JCDFr Sander Niez JCL Fr Alex GarcesSDB JCL Fr Rico Garcia Fr ReginaldMalicdem Fr Darwin Faith Ponce OSAFr Ricky VIllar OSA Fr Geoffrey Eb-orda OSA Fr Genaro Supremedo OSAFr Jojo orres OSA Fr Joseph VillarealOSA Fr Roy Gallano OSA Fr MichaelSalazar and Fr Romel Cruz

Also serv ing as Conce lebrants werea number of KC Priests Scholars of theKnights of Columbus Fr George J

Willmann Charities Inc that includedMsgr Pedro C Quitorio III Fr Benjamin

The Cross A Supplement Publication of KCFAPI and the Order of the Knights of ColumbusCBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25 December 7 2015 - 27 2016

Sainthood bid opens forFr George Willmann SJBy Roberto T Cruz

On December 7 2015 Mon-

day the bells of the ManilaCathedral rang out loud as HisEminence Luis Antonio Car-dinal agle presided over themilestone celebration of theHoly Eucharist at the ManilaCathedral to formally open theDiocesan process of the Causeof Fr George J Willmann SJ

he Liturgical Rites for the formalopening of the diocesan process precededthe Mass at 900am With the entranceprocession of Cardinal agle as the MainCelebrant together with two bishops twomonsignors and thirty-three priests whoconcelebrated the Mass the Rites started

with Msgr Pedro C Quitorio III theappointed Diocesan Postulator for theCause of Fr Willmann giving biographi-cal highlights of the life of Fr George J

Willmann SJ An Invocation of the HolySpirit followed with the singing of VeniCreator Spiritus by the Manila CathedralBasilica Choir

Cardinal agle then examined anddeclared the legitimacy of the appoint-ments of Msgr Pedro C Quitorio III asthe Postulator and Fr Wilmer R Rosario

JCD as Vice-Postul ator in conformity with the Code of Canon Law

Appointed members of the Diocesanribunal for the Cause of Fr Willmann

were Msgr Geronimo F Reyes JCDas Episcopal Delegate Fr Carlo P DelRosario JCL as Promoter of Justice Mseresita F Kudemus ndash First Notary MsMarivic M Ambasa ndash Second Notary Ms

Julieta R Santos as Tird NotaryTe Cardinal reminded them of the

great responsibility importance andseriousness of the Process for the Causesfor Beatification and Canonization Asrequired by Church law all the mem-bers of the ribunal starting with MsgrGeronimo F Reyes individually tooktheir oath to faithfully fulfill hisher com-mitment and then signed the Acts

Te Experts who were tapped to formthe Historical Commission includeFr Julius Paul Factora OP JCD asPresident Fr Adolfo N Dacanay SJ

JCD ndash member and Fr Sander D Niez Sainthood D3

KCFAPI Theme and Logo for 2016HE year 2016 has been pro-claimed the Year of the Eucharistand the Family by the CatholicBishopsrsquo Conference of the Phil-ippines Te theme is part of thenine year spiritual journey thatbegan with the Year of Faith

where we experienced an authenticrenewal of faith guided by the newevangelization principles

he Holy Eucharist whichmeans thanksgiving invitesfamilies of the Catholic faithfulto commemorate the supremesacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christon the cross to receive His body

and blood in the Holy Commu-nion and to celebrate His victoryover death

Te Roman Catholic Churchpromotes strong family ties andvalues Parents are entrustedthe responsibility to prepare andteach their children to follow JesusChrist and live His gospel

KCFAPI distinguished itselfin protecting the sanctity of thefamily by providing comfortand sustenance in any loss orlife-changing event among fam-ily members KCFAPI respondsswiftly to changing or evolvingfamily insurance needs Nowon its 58th year of providingunsurpassed uncompromised

fraternal service KCFAPI vowsand advocates relentlessly to

render comfort benefit and as-sistance to all brother knightsand their families with mercy andcompassion

As part of the KCFAPI familyin a pioneering effort all wholly-owned and majority-ownedcompanies will coordinate theirschedules and manage theirresources towards one com-mon goal and will function asone well oiled machine By

joi nin g han ds gu ide d by theHoly Spirit the strength ofone is multiplied several times

over Te heart symbolizes lovemercy and compassion and is

also Charity ndash the first of fourcore principle of the OrderKCFAPI in heart-shaped bordermantles the five wholly- ownedand majority-owned companies Keys Realty amp DevelopmentCorporation Kompass Creditand Financing Corporation KCPhilippines Foundation IncKnights of Columbus Fr George

J Willmann Charitie s Inc andMace Insurance Agency IncTey are depicted by the boldshoulders of the figures symbol-izing the family Just like in any

close-knit family concentratedon accomplishing one objective

all employees will be engagedtheir support and talent pooledand harnessed to participateactively in any company activi-ties working in tandem as onecohesive unit

Te logo vividly demonstratesthe solidarity and bonding of fam-ily members if they gather togetherand allow Christ to be at the centerof their family relationship

Te different colors representthe various hues of the Order ofthe Knights of Columbus red

whit e blu e and yell ow hegreen color manifests KCFAPIrsquos

concern for our environment andits managementrsquos advocacy gearedtowards a healthy state of our sur-roundings Orange brings a posi-tive outlook in life optimism andmotivation to look on the brighterside of life

Te cup and host (in yellow)emulating the Holy Eucharist pro-vides Christ- centered way of life

Te circular flow represents in-finity or totality the unboundedtimeless and never ending lovecare and affection of KCFAPIin providing each and every KCfamily a shield of security protec-tion and hope Te acronym ALLcharacterizes KCFAPIrsquos inclusiveapproach to all forms of actions

products and services (Angelito A Bala)

As we protect families for generations Act Live Love

KCFAPI Planning Conference The Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of thePhilippines Inc held their 2016 Planning Conference last November 7-9 2015 atColumbus Plaza General Santos City Present were KCFAPI Chairman Bro Arsenio IsidroG Yap KCFAPI President Bro Jose C Reyes Jr KCFAPI Executive Vice President SisMa Theresa G Curia KCFAPI Officers and Supervisors KEYS Realty Vice President Bro

Riz Nicolas and HTMC Vice President Sis Apolonia Dominguez

Living Rosary The Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of the Philippines Inchad their Living Rosary last October 30 2015 at the KCFAPI main office This has been

a yearly practice for the Month of the Holy Rosary which is usually conducted by itsofficers and staff

Cardinal Tagle leads the unveiling of the portrait of Jesuit Fr George J Willmann as the Manila archdiocesan process for the Cause of Beatification and Canonization of the latter formally opens at the Manila Cathedralon Monday Dec 7 Willman is considered as t he ldquoFather of the Knights of Columbusrdquo in the Philippines ROY LAGARDE

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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D2 The CrossDecember 7 2015 - 27 2015 Vol 19 No 25

ACQ UIR IN G a hou se and lo t which they can call their own home

and driving their own cars are twoof the priority dreams of Filipinoparents Of course seeing theirchildren finish college education iseither Number 1 or Number 2

Te Knights of Columbus Frater-nal Association of the PhilippinesInc (KCFAPI) has formed andincorporated a new company to helpmembers of the Order to have their

dream homes and motor carsKCFAPI named the new company as Kompass Credit and

Financing Corporation (KCFC) after one of the symbols of theKnights of Columbus which is the Compass Like the Compassof the ancient marines KOMPASS is here to guide BrotherKnight in having their own home and efficient mobility

KOMPASS can also extend home car and business loans tothe general public

Interested parties can call KOMPASS at el No 527-2242

527-2223 loc 215 and 252 for further details of the loan

Arsenio Isidro G Yap

Chairmanrsquos Message

Presidentrsquos Message

Ma Theresa G Curia

Jose C Reyes Jr

Reflection

Curia Settings

Michael P Cabra

Bequest LIFE this Christmas

My Brotherrsquos Keeper

FILIPINO raditions reflect the kindof people that we are All traditionscustoms and beliefs evolve from thelove and respect of the family Ourmutual and natural respect for oneanother our desire to please and notoffend each other and our willingness

to extend a helping hand are just a fewof the basic foundations which madethe Filipino people unique a one of a

kind and nowhere else could be found And certainly a must-have as a friend and neighbor

Some of the trait I like is the ldquomano pordquo expression and at thesame time reaching for the otherrsquos hand and asking for his blessingsTe respected elder would normally extend his hand to touch theforehead of the one asking for his blessings and expresses ldquokaawanka ng Diyosrdquo or ldquoGod bless yourdquo It doesnrsquot matter whether the onebeing accorded the respect is younger than the person asking forthe blessing or even if they hardly know each other

Another trait is removing onersquos slippers or shoes when enteringa neighborrsquos house Te guest expresses his respect for the hostand does not in any way want to spoil or damage the pristinecondition of the floor which is normally kept shiny and clean

Cleaning of onersquos surrounding to the point of cleaning also theneighborrsquos grounds I could still remember in our neighborhoodthat the old folks would sweep the debris on the street in front

of their houses But instead of just collecting their own trashthey would try to outdo each other by picking (or sweeping)the litter on the street up to the neighborrsquos house in front andeven on their right and left side

Everyone living along the same street knows each other very well to the point that all knows who are having a hard time and would need some assistance A neighbor would readily do somehousehold chores give some food and try to console those whoare grieving for the loss of a love one Nobody needs to askHelp is extended readily

Although the traits Irsquove mentioned above are seldom practicednowadays except for the ldquomano pordquo I still believe that those

were just some of our good traits which define us as people which define us as a Filipino a unique breed of people We arevery resilient that even though we are in grief or experiencingextreme challenges in our everyday life we still are able to lightour faces with the friendliest smile

Christmas is another tradition-field celebration that is uniquelyFilipino Te ldquoSimbang Gabirdquo ldquoputo bumbongrdquo and the like are

some Christmas traditions But let us not forget that Christmas isnot just a season of merriment but is a season for reconciliationItrsquos that time of the year when we want to ask forgiveness fromthose we had wronged and at same time forgive also those whohad wronged us and forget whatever they had done to us

Christmas is a season wherein family ties are kept stronger andmore meaningful But to be more meaningful it is better that weshare our blessings to those in need whose nights might be Holy but

would be very Silent and the only sound that they could hear arenot carols of merriment but the grumbling of their empty stomach

Make this Christmas the most meaningful Christmas ever bysharing your ldquoNoche Buenardquo with a neighbor or better still witha complete stranger May the birth of our Lord touch our heartsand be responsive to those in need

CHRISMAS is a holy day celebratingthe birth of Jesus Christ our Saviour Ithas been a tradition in the Philippines that

we go to dawn masses from December 16to the eve of Christmas day Because ourenthusiasm builds up as early as Septemberon Christmas Day itself many of us areexhausted after days of going through heavytraffic on the way to parties and to crowdedshopping malls to shop for gifts Tere arealso many events that we are enticed to at-tend for our kidsrsquo sake gatherings of relatives and friends near and farand entertainment we spend a lot for the family

While these festivities are all expressions of love we sometimes forgetthat Christmas day is the day we should go to mass to thank God forall the blessings we received from Him and in turn to offer our gift to

Jesus Christ As we enter the Advent season let us start reflecting on

how we can better love and serve God on how we can help the poorand how we can give hope to those who are losing hope Let us put intoaction the principle of charity with greater vigor and sense of urgency

May Christmas be like the ldquoJourney to the Innrdquo of Joseph and Mary- tiring yet full of hope and joy to welcome Christ in our hearts andour homes As Knights of Columbus let us lead our communities toa Christ-centered Advent celebration this year and always

My family and I wish your whole family ldquoA Merry Christmas and aBlessed New Yearrdquo

FOR this Christmas I wish tobase my reflection on a poem

written by Horacio de la Costathe first Filipino provincial ofthe Jesuits Please read and usethe poem as a Christmas greet-ing My reflection is nothingcompared to the poem

We must have visited all theBelens in our churches since we

were small In fact most of usalso put up the Christmas cribin our own homes In arlacthey even have yearly exhibits ofBelens which they call Belenis-mo We were told that it was StFrancis who started putting upthe crib in his church And thepoem of Horacio Dela Costatells us that if we meditate onthis set up we might discover

the surprises that they bring toour consciousness

Let us identify some fea-tures of the Belens that we se earound us during the Christ-mas season and together letus reflect on the meanings thatthese can offer us We shall seedifferent layers of Christmasmeaning emerge

1 he King was born poorGod has become human Tisis one of the features that wesee when we stare at the Crib

What a paradox the king ispoor God is human Life isindeed full of paradoxes andof seeming contradictions

We make sense of them only

with the passage o f t ime and

as we mature both in age andin faith

2 he Bethlehem scene isprofoundly meaningful sym-bolic and mystery-laden We

watch the figures in the Be lenand sometimes we do notunderstand When we do notunderstand the turn of eventsin our life we should not giveup We should not run awayTe world will not end onlybecause we do not understand

what we see exper ience or feelLet us stand in awe at Godrsquosvisit when we are clueless of

what i s happening 3 he King was born in a

manger But there was peacearound among the wise menand the shepherds on that holy

and starry night We see atthe Belen scene a communionamong God humans the richand the poor animals and hu-mans the stars the night andthe people It was as though ata special moment the Universe

was one As though the con-nectedness of all the elements

was not merel y ecolog ical asLaudato Si spoke of but evendivine -human No wonderthat we do not get tired of put-ting up our belens at home inchurches and in public placesNo wonder that we can stareforever at the Nativity scenealthough we do not fully un-derstand everything although

we do it yea r afte r year We

also feel that we are there andthat we are connected to the

figures they represent we areconnected to history to oursurroundings and even to ourGod

4 he Savior was born ina manger where animals eatTe meaning of the mangerscene has been the content ofmany sermons that we haveheard We were told that thisdoes not only refer to thehumility or poverty of Jesus

A dee per meaning they say isthat Jesus has come to be foodfor all who come to him Jesuscame to give Himself as foodfor the world His words histeachings his mercy and com-passion and his Good News of

Godrsquos Plan are enough to fillour emptiness with a sense ofdirection and destiny Teyquench our thirst for enlight-enment guidance and sense ofdignity as humans

5 he Baby who is born isthe Savior of the world Howcan a Baby save the w orld Wesee before us a baby wrappedin swaddling clothes And werealize that Divinity can berevealed in very human situ-ations And that the humblestreality could be a revelationthat God is in our midst If weopen our hearts and minds tothe Lord His Spirit enlightensand gives delight to our weary

and limited minds and souls

Even today we can feel Hismessage although sometimes

we do not ful ly unders tand Te truth dawns on us when

we ar e qu ie t and when we wait When we do not rush toknow Godrsquos Presence is a Giftthat we can never be worthy ofBut the point here is not thatour littleness could obstructthe Revelation of a mysteryRather the Greatness of theLord compels Him to revealHimself to the little one Evento us Now

Tat is why Liturgy invokesour ability to watch to look at

what happe ns in the Churchcelebrations Te beauty ofcandles incense and flowerscan evoke some sense of the

Sacred Space a Sacred Mo-ment and a Sacred Encounter

Te Belen does this for us inrevealing the message of Christ-mas If we open our eyes weshall see the Message of Christ-mas with our hearts If we havetime and we can keep quietbefore the Belen we might seethe surprise of the Lord

[The author Ma TheresaG Curia is the Executive VicePresident amp Chief OperatingOfficer of the Knights of Co-lumbus Fraternal Association ofthe Phils Inc (KCFAPI) andthe incumbent Diocesan Regentof the Daughters of Mary Im-maculate International Dioceseof Malolos]

IrsquoS that time of the year again We must allbegin the increasingly difficult task of buy-ing suitable gifts for our friends and familyHowever there is a different gift you shouldseriously consider giving this year Itrsquos not a fun

present nor it is exciting Itrsquos not somethingyou can play with or wear and it definitely wouldnrsquot be considered a treat Itrsquos a gift thatno one wants but everyone NEEDS So whatare we talking about A Fraternal Service Plan

A Benefit Certificate (BC) or what is simplyknown as a life insurance policy Every year

we search for that perfect gift for a loved oneSomething that will show how much we careand appreciate them What could better provethat than giving someone the gift of SECU-RIY and SABILIY

Unfortunately the recent statistics presentthe sad truth (a) more than 95 Filipinos donot have adequate levels of insurance and (b)more than 80 of Filipinos do not believethey are likely to suffer a serious illness in the

next 20 years Yet each year around 365000Filipinos face premature death either caused byaccidental death or natural sickness It equatesto 1000 untimely deaths everyday

Firstly think about your present situation

Do you have loved ones who depend on youfinancially If something were to happen toyou would your family struggle to maintaintheir current lifestyle the kind of living yoursquovebeen providing If you answered yes to thesequestions itrsquos as simple as that - you need tohave life insurance Secondly do you have aloved one (parent spouse adult children e tc)

who needs protection Tis year give them theultimate gift Having an adequate amount oflife insurance can help in paying off hospitalbills memorial bills mortgage and even in-heritance tax It can allow a family to maintaintheir current level of living and possibly evenfund long term goals such as childrenrsquos schoolfunds dream car house business and evenretirement Now wersquore not saying this is the

only gift you should give it might look a littlesad with only that under the Christmas treeHowever just consider along with the othergifts giving a present that may not be appreci-ated at that moment might come in use should

a critical time arrive You look after your familyand so this is a perfect gift ideaItrsquos important to consult a fraternal counselor

when considering life insurance as it is impera-tive that you are insured accurately dependingon your current situation and future needs

Should you wish to know more just visit wwwkofcorgph for inquiries

Did you know thatFor as low as PhP10000 you can already

start the Gift of Life to your loved ones Tisfraternal service plan is called KC Peso Saver Itis a single contribution endowment plan which

will mature at the end of the benefit certificatersquos10th year In fact a lot of Knights of ColumbusMembers invest with this Gift of Life everyChristmas for their spouse and children

Gemille Isabel P Gloria

A Meek Christmas

IMAGINE a pregnant mother who is supposed to give birth toa child at the moment and rideson a donkey with her husband

Apart from the pain of laborthe mother is enduring deathchases their yet unborn child astheir King deliberately kills allthe newborn babies that night

urned down by the innkeepersthey ended up in a crude stablesharing it with the farm animalsand the shepherds as she gavebirth to a baby boy and placedhim in a manger I bet you arepicturing a scene of a movie inyour head right now Tis isactually what the first Christmaslooked like

Going back to the presentChristmas is far more delightfuland exciting Shopping feastinggift-giving and vacation trippingare just few of the activities that

we cannot do away with in ourChristmas lists We think ofChristmas like no other ordinaryday of the year We make sure

that for Noche Buena there isabundance of bountiful feasts inour dining table from a platterof mouth-watering leche flan toa sumptuous lechon new clothesup to fifty percent sale on theselected items section and expen-sive gifts covered in a Santa Claus

wrapper under a fully decorated

Christmas tree We associate theChristmas season as a time ofsplendor since it is the birthday ofour Savior Unfortunately someof us could only imagine thesethings Tey are our fellow whoare counted by the government inabject poverty who could hardlythink of where and how to gettheir first meal for the 365 daysof the year including Christmasday One does not need to moveafar to behold this ravers-ing nearby the office we couldalready see some of the faces inpoverty If you have not takenyet the underpass connectingManila City Hall and Intramu-ros as you make your way out of

it you will see sullied children intattered clothes inhaling plasticbags containing rugby with somesoiled adults who seem to be theirparents doing the same thing

With their hunger already in theirhead some children forcibly takethe food of the passersby Duringthe night the space where people

enter and exit the underpassin the day turns into a freezinghome for the homeless Youcan see in their wrinkled face thefeeling of sleeping on the passage-

ways with only cardboard boxesand worn out fabrics in betweentheir body and the cold cementedground Teir condition is notfar from what Jesus experiencedon the first Christmas born intoand chose to live a life of poverty

Remembering martyredSalvadoran Archbishop OscarRomero who once said thatldquoNo one can celebrate a genuineChristmas without being trulypoor he self sufficient theproud those who because they

have everything look down onothers those who have no needeven of God for them there

will be no Christmas Only thepoor the hungry those whoneed someone to come on theirbehalf will have that someonehat someone is God Em-manuel God-with-usrdquo With

what he thought we canrsquot arguethat at times we want everythingTe more you have the moreyou want and the more you get

What if we have nothing Whatif we donrsquot have gifts food andnew clothes for the Christmas

What if we are in the place of thehomeless Would we still feel thesame Christmas Spirit withoutthe things we celebrate with it

We have to learn to celebrat eChristmas with how the poorperceive it Let us not reachthe point where we celebrateChristmas just because we willreceive our one-year wish listLet us learn to lose to sacrificeand to give during Christmas

Joseph P Teodoro

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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D3The Cross December 7 2015 - 27 2015 Vol 19 No 25

Deogracias Fajota Fr Jeronimo

Ma Cruz Fr Antonio Rex PalayaFr Melvin Gamelo Fr JuliusCuison Fr Felix Labios Fr Ra-melle Rigunay Fr Randy SalungaFr Joel Cariaso Fr HernandezMendoza Fr Julius de Sagun FrRonel Ilano Fr Lowie Palines andFr Emmanuel Hiipolito

In his homily Cardinal aglestarted by citing that aside fromthe formal opening of the Dioc-esan process for Fr Willmannit was also the feast day of St

Ambrose a great teacher of theChurch known for his sanctityand teachings It was also the eveof the Immaculate Conception ofour Blessed Mother Mary plus thestart of the Advent season

Te Cardinal then focused onthe question What does it meanto be holy With the opening ofthe Cause he said that Fr George

J Willmann St Ambrose andMother Mary all responded tosanctity and holiness Cardinalagle clarified that ldquoHoliness isan attribute of God and not manrsquosachievement nor his work It isGod who is Holy and our holi-ness is a gift of God ndash our oneness

with HimrdquoCardinal agle added that the

message of the First Reading is thatthe Holiness of God is seen withmarvelous work ndash like transform-ing a desert into a garden filled

with water and flowers where we

are able to drink from Godrsquos good-ness with a safe road along the

holy way Te desert symbolizes

humanity that is seen to be dryfruitless empty and even life-less However when God entersall these are transformed into abountiful garden Godrsquos Holinessalways creates miracles ldquoWhen-ever we experience hopelessnessloaded with faults we must notbe afraid for that is the time whenGod will come to infuse His Holi-ness and cure the sickness Tat isthe Good Newsrdquo Cardinal agleadded that during this season ofadvent we must look deeper intoour deserts in order to experiencethe Holiness of God

Te Cardinal then underscoredthat we need to respond to GodrsquosHoliness not like the scribes in

the reading who questioned andrejected Jesus but like the friendsof the paralyzed man who lookedfor a nonconventional way -through the roof - to bring theparalytic closer to Jesus Cardinalagle stressed the need for us to bealert discerning with eyes of faithin order for us to respond to ourHoly God in His action when weare in our desert

he Cardinal then asked thepeople to pray for those entrusted

with the Cau se of Fr Willmannthat they may be illumined witheyes of faith With no intention ofpre-empting the Diocesan processCardinal agle simply thankedGod as we are now privileged

to share Godrsquos holiness throughpersonal experiences with Fr Will-

Sainthood D1

Process for PHrsquos new lsquoServantof Godrsquo starts rollingMANILA Dec 7 2015 ndash Manila Arch-bishop Luiacutes Antonio G Cardinal agleofficially accepted on Monday Dec 7the Feast of St Ambrose the petition toopen an investigation on the sanctity andheroic virtues of Fr George J WillmannSJ founder of the Knights of Columbus(KC) in the Philippines among otherCatholic lay organizations

At least 1000 of the naturalized Fili-pino Jesuit priestrsquos spiritual children fromall over the country including no lessthan former Supreme Court (SC) Chief

Justice Hilario G Davide Jr becamepart of Philippine Church history as they

witnes sed at the Manila Metropo litanCathedral Basilica the solemn opening ofthe archdiocesan process they hope wouldlead to beatification and canonization

lsquoGreat responsibilityrsquoIn line with this agle appointed Msgr

Pedro C Quitorio III of the CatholicBishopsrsquo Conference of the Philippines(CBCP) Media Office as postulator forthe cause of the countryrsquos newest ldquoServantof Godrdquo

He also approved the appointments ofMsgr Geronimo S Reyes Fr Wilmer RRosal and Fr Ricardo P del Rosario asepiscopal delegate vice postulator andpromoter of justice respectively as wellas of a host of other experts both clericand lay who vow to work together to giveFilipinos another saint

Te prelate went on to swear in allthose involved in the cause for Willmannrsquosbeatification and canonization remindingthem of the ldquogreat responsibilityrdquo theyhave assumed and the ldquoimportance andseriousnessrdquo of the task at hand

PHrsquos Fr McGivney Dubbed ldquoFr McGivney of the Philip-

pinesrdquo due to his dedication to expand KClocally Willmann worked for the radicaltransformation of faith into action

Born on June 29 1897 to very devoutCatholic parents in Brooklyn New Yorkthe American Jesuit was granted Philip-pine citizenship by President FerdinandMarcos through Presidential Decree(PD) No 740

In 1938 he first served as chaplain

of KC Manila Council 1000 then re-turned in 1954 to become the Orderrsquosfirst Philippine Deputy until his deathin 1977

In total the priest spent 44 fruitful andproductive years in the Philippines serv-ing the poor the sick the orphans theoppressed the lonely and the desolateespecially the young ones

KCFAPI etcBesides what is formally known as the

Knights of Columbus Fraternal Associa-tion of the Philippines Inc (KCFAPI)

which he founded in 1958 Willmannestablished other organizations as follows

bull Catholic Youth Organization (1938)bull Establishment of the Catholic Press

ldquoFilipinasrdquo and the ldquoCrossrdquo Magazines(1946)

bull Columbian Squires in the Philippines(1950)

bull Daughters of Isabella in the Philip-pines (1951) reorganized as Daughtersof Mary Immaculate (1977)

bull Columbian Farmers Aid Association(1951) reorganized as Knights of Co-lumbus Community Service Inc (1962)

bull Knights of Columbus Fraternal Asso-ciation of the Philippines Inc (KCFAPI)(1958)

bull Knights of Columbus PhilippinesFoundation Inc (1971) (Raymond ASebastiaacuten CBCP News)

Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle leads the Mass of the formal opening of the ArchdiocesanProcess for the Causes of Beatification and Canonization of the Servant of God FatherGeorge J Willmann SJ father of the Knights of Columbus in the Philippines LIN REGINO

Te Gentle Warrior By James B Reuter SJ

Part II of Chapter wo of ldquoTe Gentle Warriorrdquo series

CHAPER WO-----------------

Te Ateneo de Manila

HE Ateneo was a boysrsquo schoolTe objective of a boysrsquo school is tomake a man out of a boy Te mainvirtue of a man is courage Godmirrored His virtues in His childrenBut he divided them between girls

and boys Tere is such a thing as amasculine soul and a feminine soulIf a boy and a girl are suddenly con-fronted with a wild bull thunderingdown on them if the girl screamedand hid behind the boy that wouldbe normal But if the boy screamedand hid behind the girl everyone

would be ashamed of him Tevirtue of a girl is not physical cour-age it is love and mercy Te virtueof a boy is courage and justice Butin our schools there is no course inthe curriculum called ldquoCouragerdquo

here is no subject called

ldquoCouragerdquo Tere is no mark forldquoCouragerdquo It has to be taught inevery subject through the wholelife of the school he Jesuitsunderstood this very well AndGeorge understood it He began

to learn the meaning of couragehimself when he was five yearsold sitting on the curbstone onPutnam Avenue when the wheelof the garbage truck crushed bothhis feet

In the old Ateneo there wasa strong tradition of ldquoRomansrdquoand ldquoCarthageniansrdquo Jose Rizal

was the Emperor of the RomansEvery class was competitive TeRomans would be lined up onone side of the class the Car-thagenians on the other Te firstquestion went to the Romans

If the Romans answered it cor-rectly the questioning stayed

with the Romans If any Romanmissed the question went to theCarthagenians Ten the Romanboys would growl and grumble at

the Roman who missed It wascompetition to teach courage

And the battle cry of all theteams was ldquoAnimo Ateneordquo Youcould translate that as ldquoLetrsquos go

Ateneordquo or ldquoSpirit Ateneordquo orldquoFight Ateneordquo mdash but in practiceit meant courage Never give upno matter what the odds ldquoGoget lsquoem Ateneordquo Never say dieTis was obvious in everythingthat the boys did

But it never degenerated intoldquoWin at all costsrdquo Te secondmasculine virtue is justice Tis

means honesty integrity and fairplay Both at once mdash courageand fair play Te verse that everyathlete in the school knew by heart

was ldquoIf I should win let it be bythe code with my head and my

honor held high But if I shouldlose let me stand by the road andcheer as the winner goes byrdquo

It was a tremendous amount of work mdash teaching night and dayrunning the Sodality the ACILand the magazine mdash but Georgeloved it

And his students loved him Tefriendships that he made duringthose three years of regency from1922 to 1925 lasted more thanfifty years

(o be continued on the nextissue)

mann and his life and ministrydevoted to service that providedldquofresh water and good newsrdquo

particularly to the youth the poorand the prisonersTe Cardinal cited his own basic

formation as a Charter memberof the Columbian Squires inImus Cavite where they helpedthe Church in its program for thestreet children He also mentionedhis appreciation for being a scholarof the Knights of Columbus dur-ing Fr Willmannrsquos time

Reiterating that God indeedtransforms deserts into places ofrest peace and holiness Cardinalagle ended his homily by encour-aging all in attendance to be agentsof Godrsquos holiness

People from all walks of life joined the celebration of this Mass

that formally opened the Cause ofServant of God - Fr Willmann

Also repres ent ed were var iou sorganizations established and nur-tured by Fr George including the

Daughters of Isabella (now Daugh-ters of Mary Immaculate) Catholic Youth Organization ColumbianSquires and the Knights of Co-lumbus Parishioners and residents

with their families from nearbycities and communities of ondoIntramuros Sta Cruz Malate andother more distant places likewise

witnessed the very mean ingfulOpening of the diocesan processfor the Cause of their ldquoFather andBenefactorrdquo of forty years

Fr George J Willmann SJdevoted the last forty years of hislife not only in humble serviceand dynamic leadership of theKnights of Columbus in thePhilippines but equally being a

compassionate pastor in the careand formation of the youth He

provided relief to victims of the

war and of violence while also al-leviating the sufferings of the poorHe likewise established ways topreserve and promote the sanctityof life marriage and the family

It was in 1997 or eighteen yearsago that the Knights of Columbusin the Philippines first started aconcerted thrust to formally laythe groundwork for the Causeof Fr Willmann During theOrderrsquos centennial celebration ofFr Willmannrsquos birth the Ordercreated a Committee on Causecomposed of Ramon V ConsingLauro M Cruz and Msgr PedroC Quitorio III as co-chairmenNotable activities of the Com-mittee included gathering of tes-

timonials launch of the Prayer forthe Centennial of Fr Willmann with the Impr imatur of Msgr Jose C Abriol launching of Fr Willmann Fellows meeting withthen Jaime Cardinal Sin and theFather Provincial of the Jesuits toseek their respective endorsementsof the Cause Te Order publishedand distributed the pamphlet ldquoAGlimpsehe Life and Worksof Fr George J Willmann SJrdquoin order to give due acknowledg-ment and recognition as well as toincrease awareness abou t Fr Will-mann A landmark achievement ofthis period was the publication ofldquoTe Gentle Warriorrdquo a biographyof Fr Willmann authored by Fr

James B Reuter SJEstablishing and spreading the

fama sanctitatis of Fr Willmann

included the presentation andpromotion of his works mademore concrete by direct testimo-nies of various individuals whomhe personally interacted withFr Willmann Fellowsrsquo one-timemembership donations have beenpooled to fund the productionof materials such as prayer cardspublications tarpaulins postersto effectively promote Fr George

Willmann not only to brotherKnights but more importantlyto the youth the poor and under-privileged of various communities

In 2011 through the efforts ofthe KC Fraternal Association ofthe Philippines and the Knightsof Columbus Fr Willmann Chari-

ties Inc the National ExecutiveCommittee (NEC) for the Causeof Fr Willmann was created withthe primary function of overseeingall the initiatives relative to or inconnection with the Cause

We are blessed that the Dioc-esan process of the Cause of FrGeorge J Willmann SJ has nowbeen formally opened therebygiving us significant reason torejoice Henceforth he will nowbe regarded Servant of God Letus fervently pray for continuedenlightenment from the HolySpirit for everyone involved in thisDiocesan process and the Causeas a whole so that our belovedFr George J Willmann may ulti-

mately be elevated to the honorsof the altar

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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D4 The CrossDecember 7 2015 - 27 2015 Vol 19 No 25

FST IN CAGAYAN A Fraternal Service Training program was held in Cagayan De Oro last November 13 2015Participants were from Zamboanga Misamis and Butuan The event was graced by KCFAPI Vice Presidentfor FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBG Manager Michael Cabra Aside from the product specifications thetraining also gives an idea regarding the basic insurance process and conceptualization of new marketingstrategies in order to achieve their goals and improve their sales performance (FBG News)

AREA MEETING IN VISAYAS The KCFAPI Western Visayas Armor held an area meeting in Bacolod lastOctober 24 2015 led by Agency Unit Manager Randy G Bravo and graced by KCFAPI Vice President forFBG Gari San Sebastian (KCFAPI News)

FST IN DAVAO A Fraternal Service Training program (1 and 2) was held in KCFAPI Davao Service OfficeDavao City last November 20-21 2015 Participants were from Compostela Valley Cotabato City andGeneral Santos The training was attended by KCFAPI Vice President f or FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBGManager Michael Cabra (FBG News)

PRODUCERSrsquo FORUM KCFAPI Vice President for FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBG Manager Michael Cabraled a Producersrsquo Forum wherein fraternal counsellors all over Luzon were gathered for an update of theirincentives program held last November 11 2015 at the KCFAPI home office (FBG News)

New KCFAPI Board of Trustee Bro Pascual C Carbero

IN February of 1986 BroCarbero started his knightlyservice in the Knights of Co-lumbus under Council 10695

in Valenzuela City Duringhis service in Council 10695he has been appointed asChancellor for CY 1992-1993 and as Deputy GrandKnight and Program Direc-tor for CY 1993-1994 InDistrict M-31 of ValenzuelaCity Bro Carbero was GrandKnight for CY 1994-1995District Warden for CY 1996-1997 and District Deputyfor CY 1997-1999 He wasalso Chairman for the Roundable District Deputies forCY 1998-1999 At the Dr PioValenzuela Assembly ACN1772 Meycauayan Bulacanhe was the Faithful Naviga-

tor for CY 1999-2000 Onthat same term Bro Pascual

was the Luzo n State Audi -tor for CY 2000-2003 andthe Luzon State Warden forCY 2000-2003 of the Luzon

Jurisdiction After which forCY 2000-2001 he becamethe Charter Faithful Naviga-tor for the City of Valenzuela

Assembly ACN 2676 For

CY 2007-2015 Bro Carbero was re-a ppo inte d as Luzo nState Warden Bro Carbero

was a voting delegate in the

KC Supreme Convention heldat Washington DC in 2010and also a non-voting delegateheld at Anaheim Californiain 2002 and 2012 Currentlyhe is the State Secretary of theLuzon North Jurisdiction

Bro Pascualrsquos dedicationand enthusiasm in participat-ing in the Order gave himthe endeavor to author thecreation of the City of Valen-zuela Assembly in 1999 withthe assistance of the Districtand Vice Supreme Master

With his knightly serv ice he was awarded with several rec-ognition namely OutstandingDistrictDeputy for CY 1997-

1999 Star District Awardeefor CY 1997-1999 and Civic

Awardee as Charter FaithfulNavigator of the City of Valen-zuela Assembly ACN 2676CY 2000-2001

Apart from Knights of Co-lumbus Bro Carbero partakeshis services in other civic andreligious organizations He isa Special Lay Minister of the

Holy Eucharist Parish of theHoly Cross since 1989 and amember of the Parish RenewalExperience Group He is the

Director and reasurer of thePhilippine Insurers Club from2013 to 2014 and currently itsPresident He is also a memberof the Insurance Executive1st Friday Club of Makatiand an incoming Presidentof the Philippine Associationof Surety Underwriters Incthis 2016

He was Director Corpo-rate Secretary of Mace Insur-ance Agency Inc from 2012until 2014 and currentlythe Independent Director ofKompass Credit and FinancialCorporation and KCFAPIrespectively Bro Carbero isalso a fellow of Father George

J Willmann Charit ies Inc And since 2006 he has beenthe Vice President of IntraStrata Assurance Corporation

He graduated with a Bach-elorrsquos degree in Business Ad-ministration Major in Man-agement at Philippine Schoolof Business Administration in1973 and finished Bachelor ofLaws in Lyceum of the Philip-

pines in 1988Bro Pascual Carberorsquos wife

Sis Remedios was past presi-dent for three years of theCatholic Womenrsquos League(CWL) Valenzuela Chapterand currently the AssistantVice President for Underwrit-ing in Mercantile InsuranceCo Inc in Intramuros Ma-nila Tey are blessed with six

wonderful children namely

Soidemer Claire a pediatri-cian Abigail Claire a lawyerValerie Claire and ChristineClaire both of whom are reg-istered nurses Terese Claire

who graduated with Bachelorrsquosdegree in Laws and is currentlyreviewing for Bar exams and

Adrian Brian who is also aregistered nurse and presentlya 3rd year medical student

Former SC Justice tofellow lsquoPH Knightsrsquo Prayfor Willmannrsquos CauseMANILA Dec 8 2015 ndash Former Chief

Justice Hilario G Davide Jr has calledon fellow members of the Knights of Co-lumbus (KC) nationwide to keep prayingfor the eventual ldquoraising to the altarrdquo ofthe grouprsquos spiritual father Fr George J

Willmann SJ who was declared ldquoSer-vant of Godrdquo Monday Dec 7

ldquoSo what is demanded of us as mem-bers of Knights of Columbus What isdemanded of us as members of Knightsof Columbus Fraternal Association of thePhilippines Inc [KCPAFI]rdquo he askedldquoWe need to pray a lot Pray pray praythat the tribunal will listen to the evidencepresented Pray pray pray that the tribu-nal will actually collate all the evidenceand determine once and for all that whathas been presented through our postula-

tor is credible to merit the conferment ofbeatification later on Tis is our taskrdquo

Archdiocesan processDavide who now chairs the National

Executive Committee for the Causes ofFr Willmann made this observation in aspeech following a ceremony held at theManila Cathedral during which Arch-bishop Luiacutes Antonio G Cardinal agleofficially approved the archdiocesan process

for the causes for the beatification and can-onization of the naturalized Filipino Jesuit

he solemn occasion was witnessedby no less than 1000 representativesof KCPAFI and other organizations Fr

Willmann helped establish like Catholic Youth Organization Columbian Squiresin the Philippines (1950) and Daughtersof Mary Immaculate

Te former chief magistrate went on todescribe the entire process as ldquovery mean-ingfulrdquo since it had the power to make anordinary priest into a Servant of God

Ordinary priest to Servant of GodldquoImagine during our lifetime today in

the Cathedral we saw the conversion ofan ordinary priest to become a Servant ofGod And we hope that he will merit be-

ing a servant of God until the first step ofthe process will continuerdquo he exclaimed

According to him it must have been thefirst time for most people present to haveseen with their own eyes an event of suchldquohistoric and momentous significancerdquo

ldquoI have lived 20 times four years of mylife almost And this is the first time I have

witnessed the process how it evolves and what we can gather from it o me thisis not just making somebody brought to

the honors of the altar but for us to beable to witness how to live and how tocomport ourselves to be able to follow hisfootstepsrdquo he explained

Built-in holinessDavide pointed out that holiness is

already built in each person but it is onlya matter of expressing it

ldquoWhy I would say that holiness is inus already Because we are the templeof God and the Spirit of God is with usSometimes however we forget that this isso We close our ears We close our eyes to

Jesus Christ We close our hands to JesusChrist by helping others So this is theprocess that we have witnessed today Andto me it will very much workrdquo he added

Davide also credited Msgr Pedro C Qui-

torio III postulator of the causes for Fr Will-mann for the ldquodivinely inspiredrdquo occasionand the timeliness of the diocesan process

ldquoSo Msgr Quitorio you are divinelyinspired You planned everything in sucha way that everything we did and we willdo and what we are doing right now isnot only as legacy to the next generationbut even beyond the next generation forpeople and children yet unbornrdquo he said(Raymond A Sebastiaacuten CBCP News)

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 724

A7CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25 DIOCESAN NEWS

for the nation only but to gatherinto one the children of God whoare scattered abroadrdquo (1149-52)

It is quite clear that even if byliving charity we may appear tobe suffering a defeat accordingto human standards God in hisprovidence would know how toderive good from it

We should not be afraid to suf-fer the consequences of humanpride and worldly arrogance justbecause we try to be consistent with the requirements of charityFor those who love God and oth-ers as St Paul in his letter to theRomans would say everything will always work out for the good

Now that we are going through

this delicate political processof electing our next leaders we

should try our best to avoid thepitfalls of emotional knee-jerkreactions to the issues at hand

Let us learn to be level-headedand to have a good grip of ouremotions and passions More thanthat let us see to it that we followthe requirements of charity asstrictly as possible It is preciselyin moments like this when charityis most needed

Letrsquos be careful with our wordsand especially so with our thoughtsand intentions May they alwaysbe infused with charity which isalways the way to find the truth toachieve justice and fairness properto us Charity is never a drag in ourpolitics It is what politics needs

most of all Charity is what leadsus to the common good

Candidly Speaking A4

Davao inaugurates lsquoLaudato Sirsquo organic gardenDAVAO Citymdasho give people a concreteexample on how to feed the family with-out harming the environment a parish inthe Archdiocese of Davao has put up anurban container organic garden namedafter Pope Francisrsquo encyclical Laudato Si

Auxil iary Bisho p of Davao GeorgeRimando officiated the inauguration andblessing of the Ascension of the Lord Par-ishrsquo Laudato Si Garden located at the backof the parish in GSIS Heights MatinaDavao City last Sunday Dec 6

Fr Leonardo Dublan Jr parish priestsaid they want to have a showroom forthe people as their model on how to setup their own container garden even withlimited space at home

Not impossibleldquoIt is not impossible to have a backyard

garden in the urban area Our parish islocated in a subdivision and we wereable to set-up our parish urban con-tainer garden and parishioners can alsodo the same in their respective homesrdquoexplained Dublan also the director ofthe Archdiocesan Social Action Center(ASAC)

Te parish has sought the help of JojoRom known as Father of Urban Contain-er Gardening in the country in puttingup the said garden in honor of the pope

Te garden utilizes organic fertilizersand also has an aquaculture pond belowthe structure A mini poultry area and a

wall garden are also included in the entireset-up

Rom said the waste from the kitchenlike fruit and vegetable peelings as well asother biodegradable waste are used to gen-erate fermented fertilizer for the plants

After the blessing a lecture about urbancontainer gardening was given by Romto the lay leaders and parishioners It canbe remembered that he once delivered asimilar lecture during the monthly meet-ing of the Parish Social Action Ministry(PSAM) of the Archdiocese of Davao

lsquoSafe organic foodrsquo ASAC Dav ao coordinat or Sr Ma

Marissa Arado DM said ASAC Davaohas been promoting urban container gar-dening to provide safe organic food forthe family especially with the worseningeffects of climate change

ldquoHopefully the lessons about climatechange will reach the young people andthe grassrootsrdquo Arado said

She added the use of organic fertilizersis a way of protecting not only the familybut also the soil as chemicals are used inproducing many commercially availablecrops

ASAC Davao hopes that the lessonslearned from the Laudato Si Garden willbe used in every Gagmayrsquong KristohanongKatilingban (GKK) or Basic EcclesialCommunities and every home (JohnFrances C Fuentes CBCP News)

Auxiliary Bishop of Davao George B Rimando officiated the inauguration and blessing of the Ascension of the Lord Parishrsquo Laudato Si Garden on Dec 6 2015John Frances Fuentes

Jaro takes vocation promotions to the streets JARO IloilomdashIn todayrsquos highly-modernized world where religiouslife is becoming less of an optionfor young people religious menand women in this archdioceseliterally went to the highways andthe byways to tell the youth thatreligious life is still very much aliveand relevant as part of ldquoVocationDays 2015rdquo from Nov 23 to 30

Believing always in the primacyof prayer the vocation promotersprayed even while on the roadmeditating on the Holy Rosaryand singing Marian hymns to-gether

ldquohe Vocation Caravan hasindeed become an opportunity where variou s religiou s and laypromoters from different congre-gations united as one group withthe aim to pray for one anotherfor the holy perseverance andsanctification of the clergy andreligious and to promote religiousvocationsrdquo observed Sr Susan

Matthew Cueco Carm OL

Vocation caravan and pilgrimage As a pr el ud e to Voc at io n

Month representatives of the Arch dioc esan Commis sion onVocation Promoters for theReligious also held for the first

time in Panay a three-day Voca-tion Caravan and Pilgrimage onSept 12 to 14

During the Vocation Caravanand Pilgrimage which kickedoff at the Jaro Cathedral with aMass celebrated by Jaro Arch-bishop Angel N Lagdameo withFr Paul Reagan alavera OP asconcelebrant the religious voca-tion promoters visited more than40 parishes and various collegesand universities in Capiz Aklan Antique and in the city and prov-ince of Iloilo

Aside from talking to the youngpeople the sisters also postedcampaign materials in churchesand led the prayer for vocationsfor every congregation

On the occasion of VocationMonth and in the context of the Year of Consecrated Life the Jaro Archdiocesan Commission on Vo-cation Promoters for the Religious(ACVP-R) successfully staged the

week-long event starting on Nov23 with a vocation campaign invarious educational institutionsin Miag-ao Iloilo

Confessions counselingTe religious men and women

also spearheaded the celebration

lsquoYolandarsquo women call for

more livelihood aid

BASEY SamarmdashOver 500 house- wives mothers and sisters from

ldquoYolandardquo-hit communities in Western S amar who turned en-trepreneurs have called the at-tention of government agenciesto their need for more livelihoodassistance

ldquoWe hope to receive capitalresources and machinery that wecould use for our livelihoodrdquo theysaid collectively in Waray duringthe First Rural Summit held re-cently in Basey

In a statement they specificallyasked for capital support equip-ment additional skills trainingand help in linking their productsto the market

Social services

Tey further appealed for in-creased access to social servicesparticularly for health and nutri-tion

Te Samarentildeas who came from24 barangays in Basey Marabutand Sta Rita towns also grabbedthe opportunity to stage a mini-trade fair featuring their productslike organic vegetables and fruitshandicrafts and native delicacies

Meanwhile representatives ofthe Provincial Agriculture Office(PAO) Department of rade andIndustry (DI) and the ProvincialGovernment of Samar conducted

a commitment signingTe delegates moreover had a

unity parade from the St Michaelthe Archangel Parish to the BaseyMunicipal Gym

Housewives to entrepreneurs While befor e super typho on

ldquoYolandardquo most of the womenstayed at home caring for theirchildren after the disaster theSocial Action Center (SAC) of theDiocese of Calbayog and NASSACaritas Philippines made surethey become micro-entrepreneursfarmers and mat weavers

o date about 406 women ofthem have received provisionslike egg-laying implements andcapital assistance for mat-weavingand mat weaversrsquo centers salted

egg production and backyardfarmingSAC Yolanda Rehabilitation

Program Director Fr Cesar Aculanshared ldquoYolanda may have de-stroyed the livelihood of the peo-ple of Samar but it has restoredas well the sense of self-worth ofthe womenrdquo

Besides providing livelihoodaid Calbayogrsquos SAC carried outinterventions on shelter disasterrisk reduction ecosystem and

wate r sani tati on and hygienein the province (Raymond ASebastiaacutenCBCP News)

A Yolanda survivor showcases some of the native delicacies in their province during amini trade fair held in Basey Samar NASSACaritas Philippines

ldquoOur walk is a message of sacrifice of thesuffering climaterdquo explained Rodne Galichaone of some 1500 climate pilgrims whosemessage was received well by host communi-ties en route to the French capital

ldquoI would rather continue walking ratherthan be there at COP21 We will continuethe pilgrimage for climate justice and bring

the message of Laudato Sirsquordquo shared Yeb Santildeoformer Philippine climate negotiator who ledthe Rome-Paris climate march

According to them the manifesto carries astrong message on the climate from ecologicalconversion to the paying of ecological debteven demanding the protection of indigenouscommunities who are climate victims

Te climate activists point out that theircommon statement is to work on the HolyFatherrsquos ldquoLaudato Sirsquo Manifestordquo where theybelieve the ground for discussion analysis andsolutions to ecological problems can be found

Tey add that the document also seeks tobe a reference guide for world leaders envi-ronmental activists church leaders organiz-ers and teachers among others and offers areality-check of what individuals institutionsand organizations can do for environmental

action

Te ldquoLaudato Sirsquo Manifestordquo reads1 Te Earth is our common home (LS 1)2 We demand ecological conversion both

personal communitarian and institutionalldquoTe need for each of us to repent of the

ways we have harmed the planet for ldquoin-asmuch as we all generate small ecologicaldamagerdquo we are called to acknowledge ldquoourcontribution smaller or greater to the disfig-urement and destruction of creationrdquo (LS 8)

3 We want ecological liberation ldquoWe lookfor solutions not only in technology but in achange of humanityhellip He asks us to replaceconsumption with sacrifice greed with gener-osity wastefulness with a spirit of sharing anasceticism which ldquoentails learning to give andnot simply to give up It is a way of loving of

moving gradually away from what I want to what Godrsquos world needs It is liberation from

fear greed and compulsionrdquo (LS 9)4 Care for the Earth is integral ldquoHe shows

us just how inseparable the bond is betweenconcern for nature justice for the poor com-mitment to society and interior peacerdquo (LS10)

5 We call for ecological solidarity that willfoment ecological action ldquoTe urgent chal-

lenge to protect our common home includesa concern to bring the whole human familytogether to seek a sustainable and integraldevelopmenthelliprdquo (LS 13) Ways to act divest-ment in fossil fuels converting to renewablesenergy-efficiency attitude response to climateadaptation disaster response and supportinggrassroots initiatives

6 We demand climate justice for thedestruction of our planet perpetrated bymining companies businesses multinationalcorporations and greedy countries ldquohellip afterceasing their activity and withdrawing theyleave behind great human and environmentalliabilities such as unemployment abandonedtowns the depletion of natural reserves de-forestation the impoverishment of agricultureand local stock breeding open pits riven hillspolluted rivers and a handful of social works

which are no longer sustainablerdquo (LS 51)

7 We need to pay our ldquoecological debtrdquo forthe harm we have done to the environmentcommunities and individuals suffering nowand the future (LS 51)

8 Te need to engage for a new ecologicaldialogue ldquoI urgently appeal then for a newdialogue about how we are shaping the futureof our planet We need a conversation whichincludes everyone since the environmentalchallenge we are undergoing and its humanroots concern and affect us allrdquo (LS 14)

9 We should create an integral space forldquoecological citizenshiprdquo as a practical pathof becoming witnesses for the environmentldquoOnly by cultivating sound virtues will peoplebe able to make a selfless ecological commit-mentrdquo (LS 211)

10 We are interconnected we should fo-ment connectedness with other faith-based

groups civil society and institutions ldquohellipbecause all creatures are connected each mustbe cherished with love and respect for all ofus as living creatures are dependent on oneanotherrdquo (LS 42)

11 Promote ldquoecological educationrdquo as a way of fomenting consciousness action andintegral faith-advocacy for environmental

care (LS 213)12 Our ecological concern is a compas-sion for the planet and people ldquoo hear boththe cry of the earth and the cry of the poorrdquo(LS 49)

13 Believing that ldquointegral ecologyrdquo in allaspects of life as an integral response to theglobal crisis (LS 137)

14 We need to cultivate an ldquoecologicalculturerdquo as a way of outgrowing ecologicaldestruction ldquoTere needs to be a distinctive

way of looking a t things a way of thinkingpolicies an educational programme a lifestyleand a spirituality which together generateresistance to the assault of the technocraticparadigmrdquo (LS 111)

15 Special care for the indigenous commu-nities and their cultural traditions ldquoFor themland is not a commodity but rather a gift from

God and from their ancestors who rest there asacred space with which they need to interact ifthey are to maintain their identity and valuesrdquo

As we acknowledged the richness of their wayof life we also have to protect their rights ldquoinvarious parts of the world pressure is beingput on them to abandon their homelands tomake room for agricultural or mining projects

which are undertaken without regard for thedegradation of nature and culturerdquo (LS 146)

16 Te need for ecological faith ldquoGod who calls us to generous commitment and togive him our all offers us the light and thestrength needed to continue on our way Inthe heart of this world the Lord of life wholoves us so much is always present He doesnot abandon us he does not leave us alonefor he has united himself definitively to ourearth and his love constantly impels us to

find new ways forward Praise be to Him (LS245) (Raymond A Sebastiaacuten CBCP News)

Manifesto A1

of Jarorsquos Vocation Day on Nov28 During the sessions held inSt Vincent Ferrer Seminary thereligious men heard confessions

whil e the relig ious wome n fa-cilitated counseling sessions andgroup sharing

Te religious again gave wit-ness to the faithfulrsquos role in savingthe environment as they wentto the streets on Nov 29 to jointhousands of marchers in theldquoWalk for Mother Earthrdquo in the

Archdiocesersquos participation in theGlobal Climate March

o cap Vocation Month thereligious women and men par-

ticipated in Jarorsquos Archdiocesan Youth Day in Guimbal Iloilo onNov 30 as a way to reach out toyoung people encouraging themto be open to Godrsquos call

ldquoTe activity was very enrichingas it has strengthened the bondof the vocation promoters Tepriceless moments have nourishedour friendship and have led us tobe closer to one another to reacha common goal which is to findmore holy vocations into theChurchrdquo added Sr Susan (Fr

Mickey Cardenas CBCP Newswith reports from Angelo LuisVerdeflor)

The Jaro Archdiocesan Commission on Vocation Promoters for the Religious (ACVP-R)successfully staged a week-long vocations promotions event starting on Nov 23 witha vocation campaign in various educational institutions in Miag-ao Iloilo ANGELO LUIS

VERDEFLOR

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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A8 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25PEOPLE FACTS AND PLACES

MarkingsDied Bishop Federico Es-caler SJ died on Nov 28aged 93

The Jesuit prelate had beenill and passed away peacefullyin his family ancestral resi-dence in San Miguel Manilaon Saturday morning

Born in Manila he served asthe rst bishop of Kidapawanfrom 1976 to 1980 until hewas appointed to head thenewly-created Prelature of Ipilin Zamboanga Sibugay

Escaler spent 17 years inIpil until his retirement in 1997

He was once the Assistantto Jesuit Provincial Superiorin La Ignacia Retreat HousePresident and Rector of Ateneode Davao Treasurer of JesuitProvince in Manila and be-came President and Rector ofXavier University in Cagayan

de Oro City

Ordained Imus Bishop Rey-naldo Evangelista DD or-dained eight deacons of theSociety of the Divine Word(SVD) to the priesthood onDec 5 at the Holy Spirit Chapelof the Divine Word SeminaryTagaytay City in a solemncelebration attended by 127priests and 2 bishops

The new priests are FrLawrence Llona SVD (to beassigned in South Sudan

Afric a) Fr Ryan Diňo SVD(to be assigned in ArgentinaSouth) Fr Diderick Andrinja-tovo SVD (to be assigned inPhilippine South) Fr Fran-ciskus Subandi SVD (to beassigned in Philippine Central)Fr June Lee Sarenas SVD(to be assigned in Ghana

Afr ica) Fr Gre gor ius Rob iDosom SVD (to be assigned in

Philippine North) Fr Roberto

Solis SVD (to be assigned inJapan)and Fr Lindsey FrancisTaeza SVD (to be assigned inTogo Africa)

Ordained The Servants ofMary welcomed four men tothe priesthood on Dec 8 atSt Peregrine Diocesan ShrineTunasan Muntinlupa City Bal-anga Bishop Ruperto C San-tos ordained Fr Leonardo MaGuiang OSM Fr Waren MaCampilan OSM Fr EdgardMa Benedi-an OSM and FrJumen Ma Arcelo OSM

Recognized The Ofce of the Army Chief Chaplain Service(OACCS) on Nov 24 recog-nized in a simple ceremony FrMaj Juan Jerome C Daluro asBest Chaplain of the Year 2015for his exemplary service as Di-

vision Chaplain of 9th Infantry

(Spear) Division from Septem-ber 2012 to September 2015Fr MSg Mario Baniqued (Inf)Philippine Army (PA) OACCSChief Clerk was recognized asBest Chaplain Assistant of theYear 2015

The office also accordedPlaques of Appreciation to FrCpt Ferdinand Abuyuan ldquoforhis improvement of the 7IDChapel undertaken during histerm as Division Chaplain of7th Infantry Division Philip-pine Army from June 2013to September 2015rdquo and toFr LtC Stephen Penetrantefor his excellent service asOACCS Chief of Plans andPrograms

The awards were given aspart of the celebration of the78th Chaplain Service Foun-dation Anniversary from Nov

23 to 27

Congress focuses onmodern family issuesHE 20th Asia Pacific Congress on Faith Lifeand Family organized by Human Life interna-

tional (HLI) from Nov 27 to 29 focused onthreats perspectives and realities affecting themodern family

Wit h the the me comin g fro m Psa lms1288 ldquoYour wife a fruitful vine in theinner places of your house your childrenround your table like shoots of an olivetreerdquo speakers and resource persons sharedreflections on the understanding of Godrsquosplan for marriage and family threats andchallenges to family the modern crisis ofconscience unmasking the gender ideologythe global holocaust of abortion

Dr Ligaya Acosta the Regional director ofthe Human Life International (HLI) for Asiaand Oceania opened the Congress sayingrdquoTe said congress will enable the participantsto re-discover and value marriage-based naturalfamilies and teach children and leaders to value

them as wellrdquo Archb isho p Vincenzo Pag lia head of thePontifical Council for the Family gave thekeynote speech on the challenges of theSynod on the Family to more than 200participants from 15 countries includingthe Philippines

Bishop John Baptist Lee Bishop of Hsinchuand chair of the Commission for family of theChinese Regional Bishopsrsquo Conference reiter-

ated in his welcome speech the goals of HLI which is to promote the moral teaching of theCatholic Church to spread pro-life insightsin society and to offer concrete and effectiveprograms for the advancement of faith

Among other speakers were Fr Shenan Bo-quet President of Human Life International

(HLI) Dr Brian Clowes HLI director of edu-cation and research and Dr Joseph Meaneya leading expert on the international pro-life

movement Dr Ligaya Acosta Atty Jo ImbongDra Eleanor de Borja Palabyab and MayorSally Lee of Sorsogon Ci ty

Bishop Gilbert Garcera Chair of the Epis-copal Commission on Family and Life headed80 delegates from the Philippines (ECFL CBCP News)

The 20th Asia Pacific Congress on Faith Life and Family organized by Human Life international (HLI) was held fromNov 27 to 29 ECFL

PH army chaplains partners hold 1stlsquocharacter enhancementrsquo meet A YEAR afte r its launch armychaplains soldiers and civilianpartners from the various partsof the country met uesday

Nov 25 at the Philippine Ai rf or ce Mus eu m Vi ll am or Airbase to discuss the prog ressof the Character EnhancementProgram (CEP) and ways toreach more uniformed person-nel and their dependents

Vision 2028Fr Andres Bonifacio O Belleza

head of the Office of the ArmyChief Chaplain Service (OACCS)pointed out that the CEP re-sponds to the directive of Lt GenHernando Delfin Carmelo AIriberri former Philippine Army(PA) commanding general toldquodevelop righteous God-fearingsoldiers loved by the Filipino

peoplerdquo in step with the 18-year Army ransformation Roadmapof 2028 (AR28) and to ldquobecomea world-class Army that is a sourceof national priderdquo

o fulfill this vision the chiefchaplain shared the Army soughtthe help of the Order of St Mi-chael (OSM) a ministry of the

A chaplain facilitates a workshop with his lay collaborators during the 1st CharacterEnhancement Program (CEP) Conference Nov 25 2015 NIRVA DELACRUZ

Couples for Christ Global MissionFoundation (CFC Global) which

caters specifically to the spiritualneeds of people in the militarytheir spouses and children

Character enhancement Retired Col Arturo Alabanza

CFCOSM head explained thatunder AR28 PA is committed toa ldquolong-term sustainable platform

for continuing CEP and spiritual wellness programrdquo

For their part local CFC chap-ters are tasked to jumpstart CEPin all PA unit chapels and parishesnationwide

Since it debuted in Apr 32014 the OACCS-CFCOSMpartnership has already givencharacter enhancement retreats(CER) to 28 PA commands and

the Philippine Military Academy(PMA) Class of 2018 gradu-ated 385 PMA-Singles for Christ(SFC) members and conducted

five CERs at V Luna Hospital inQuezon City

Challenge accepted While they have start ed out

well Alabanza admitted there isstill much to be done for Godrsquos

work to be realized fully in thelives of Filipino soldiers and theirfamilies

According to him CEP hasreached 2000 men and womenin uniform to date translatingto about 0287 percent of an es-timated 700000 population thatis fertile ground for values andspiritual transformation exclud-ing their dependents

Alabanza expressed hope that in

the coming years and with the co-operation of the parties involvedCEP will be able to touch heartsand win the souls of more allow-ing PA to communicate a brandimage consistent with its corevalues of honor patriotism andduty (Raymond A Sebastiaacuten CBCP News)

PHLPost to issueIEC stamps

HE government is set to releasea commemorative postal stamp onthe 51st International EucharisticCongress to be held in Cebu Cityon Jan 24 -31 next year

he Philippine Postal Corpsaid stamp enthusiasts from allover the world would have theopportunity to buy the stampsconsidering the importance ofthis event in the history of theCatholic Church

he stamp design illustratesthe official logo of the IEC anevent aimed at promoting aware-ness about the central role of theEucharist in the life and mission

of the Church

ldquoTe PHLPost are one in prayingfor the success of this internationalgathering of lay people and Catho-lic Church leaders from around the

world with Cebu the beautifulqueen city of the south as the hostof this celebrationrdquo said PostmasterGeneral Josie Dela Cruz

he gathering is expected todraw 15000 delegates from allover the world Te Congress willalso feature open air Masses opento the public

PHLPost commissioned AmstarCo to print 104000 copies of thestamps to be sold at Php 15 eachstarting uesday Dec 8 at post

offices nationwide (CBCP News)

Taglersquos Year of Mercyrecolletion set

IN time for the forthcomingseason the Archdiocese ofManila (RCAM) and the JesuitCommunications (JesCom) in-vite the public to a free Adventtalk to be given by no less thanCardinal Luiacutes Ant onio G agleon Dec 13 Sunday 800 amto 1100 am at the Smart- Ar an et a Co li se um Cu ba oQuezon City

Temed ldquoMerciful like the Fa-therrdquo the Word Exposed AdventRecollection is set to have the Archbishop of Manila sharing hisreflections on Godrsquos message ofmercy in keeping with the Jubilee Year of Mercy

Acc ord in g to JesCom fr eetickets will be issued on Dec 4Friday at the following select dis-tribution centers anging YamanStore Sonolux Building Ateneode Manila University anging

Yaman Store S M Megamall 5F Atrium St Pauls Bookstore SMNorth Edsa St Pauls BookstoreSM Manila St Pauls BookstoreGateway Mall

Given the limited number oftickets JesCom stresses that res-ervation is not allowed

For further information in-terested parties may call (02)426-5971 to 72 (Raymond ASebastiaacuten CBCP News)

Cardinal Luiacutes Antonio G Tagle FILE PHOTO

PBS outs Bible Week 2016 schedulePHILIPPINE Bible Society (PBS) GeneralSecretary Dr Nora G Lucero has revealed thetheme for the National Bible Week (NBW)celebrations on Jan 25 to 31 2016 sayingit will focus on ldquoGodrsquos Word Strength of theFamily Hope of the Nationrdquo and the activities

in line for the eventldquoAs we continue to coordinate with our part-

ners from different locales all over the country we will also promote other meaningful ways forour kababayans to participate in the celebrationand to proclaim Godrsquos Word in their communi-tiesrdquo shares Lucero in a recent PBS press release

Community celebration According to her PBS is prepared various

activities for the celebration among which is

the iProclaim a public reading of ScripturesLucero went on to present suggested ways

individuals families local churches and or-ganizations can celebrate Godrsquos Word in theircommunities

Some of the activities suggested include

displaying of NBW posters and streamers fea-turing Bible verses in church or school bulletinboards organizing of sports events holdingof Bible rallies concerts or song and dancecompetitions in town plazas as well as lobbyingbefore local legislature for the enactment of alaw supporting the annual NBW celebration

Raising awarenessTe NBW 2016 theme is inspired in part by

Psalm 3312 in the New American Bible Revised

Edition (NABRE) which reads ldquoBlessed is thenation whose God is the Lord the people chosenas his inheritancerdquo as well as by Acts 1631 in theGood News ranslation (GN) which readsldquoTey answered lsquoBelieve in the Lord Jesus andyou will be saved ndash you and your familyrdquo

Frontlined by PBS the annual NBS cel-ebration is decreed by Presidential Proclama-tions 2242 44 and 1067 which aims to raisepeoplersquos awareness on the importance of theHoly Book

Te week-long proclamation of Godrsquos Wordis culminated by the celebration of ldquoNationalBible Sundayrdquo on Jan 31 2016 that is expectedto feature messages and homilies during Churchservices and Masses focusing on the theme(Raymond A Sebastiaacuten CBCP News)

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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B1CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

DEAR Brothers and Sisters Goodmorning

With this reflection we arrive at thethreshold of the Jubilee itrsquos close Tedoor is before us not just the HolyDoor but another the great doorof the Mercy of Godmdashand that is abeautiful doormdashwhich embraces ourpenance offering the grace of his for-giveness Te door is generously openit takes a little courage on our part tocross the threshold Each of us hasburdensome things within ourselves

We are all sinner s Let us take advan-tage of this coming moment and crossthe threshold of this mercy of God

who never tire s of forg iving nevertires of waiting for us He watches ushe is always beside us ake heart Letus enter through this door

From the Synod of Bishops which we celeb rated in the month of Octo-ber all families and the entire Churchreceived great encouragement to meetat the threshold of this open door TeChurch was encouraged to open herdoors to go out with the Lord to meether sons and daughters on the path attimes uncertain at times dismayed inthese difficult times Christian familiesin particular were encouraged to openthe door to the Lord who is waitingto enter bringing his blessing and hisfriendship And as the door of Godrsquosmercy is always open so too must thedoors of our churches our communi-ties our parishes our institutions ourdioceses be open because this is how

we can all go out to b ring th is mercyof God Te Jubilee signifies the greatdoor of the mercy of God but also thesmall doors of our churches open toallow the entrance of the Lordmdashoroften the exit of the Lordmdashwho is aprisoner of our structures of our self-ishness and of so many things

he Lord never forces the dooropen he too asks permission to enterTe Book of Revelation says ldquoI standat the door and knock if any one hearsmy voice and opens the door I willcome in to him and eat with him and

he with merdquo (320) Let us imaginethe Lord knocking at the door of ourheart In the last great vision of theBook of Revelation the City of Godis prophesied like this ldquoits gates shallnever be shut by dayrdquo which meansfor ever because ldquothere shall be nonight thererdquo (2125) Tere are placesin the world in which doors are not

locked there still are But there are

so many where armoured doors havebecome the norm We must not give into the idea that we must apply thi s sys-tem to our whole life to the life of thefamily of this city of society muchless to the life of the Church Tat

woul d be terr ibl e An inhospi tab leChurch like a family closed off withinitself mortifies the Gospel and withersthe world No armoured doors in theChurch none Completely open

he symbolic management ofldquodoorsrdquomdashof thresholds of passagesof bordersmdashhas become crucial Tedoor must protect of course but notreject Te door must not be forced

but on the contrary one asks permis-

sion because hospitality shines inthe freedom of welcoming and dimsin the arrogance of invasion hedoor is frequently opened in order

to see if there is someone waitingoutside perhaps without the couragenor perhaps the strength to knockHow many people have lost faith donot have the courage to knock at the

door of our Christian heart at the

doors of our churches And theyare there they donrsquot have the courage we have taken away trus t please maythis never happen A door says many

things about the house and also aboutthe Church ending the door requirescareful discernment and at the sametime must inspire great faith I wouldlike to pay a word of gratitude to all

PASTORAL CONCERNS

We are all sinners Let us take advantage of this coming

moment and cross the threshold of this mercy of God who

never tires of forgiving never tires of waiting for us

Message of Pope Francis at his General Audience on November 18 2015

The welcoming door porters of our condominiums of

civil institutions of the Churchesthemselves Often a porterrsquos acumenand courtesy can offer an image ofhumanity and of welcome to the entire

house right from the entrance Tereis something to be learned from thesemen and women who are watch-men at the places of encounter and

welcome in the c ity of man o all of

you watchmen of so many doors bethey residential doors or church doorsmany thanks Always with a smilealways demonstrating the acceptanceof that house of that Church sopeople feel happy and welcomed inthat place

In truth we are well aware that wetoo are watchmen and servants of theDoor of God and what is the nameof the door of God Jesus He lightsup all of lifersquos doors for us includingthose of our birth and of our death

He himself affirmed it ldquoI am the doorif any one enters by me he will besaved and will go in and out and findpasturerdquo (Jn 109) Jesus is the doorthat lets us go in and out BecauseGodrsquos sheepfold is a refuge it isnrsquot aprison Te house of God is a refugeit isnrsquot a prison and the door is called

Jesus If the door is closed we sayldquoLord open the doorrdquo Jesus is thedoor and lets us go in and out Tose

who try to avoid the door are thievesitrsquos curious thieves always tr y to enterby another way by the window by theroof but they avoid the door becausethey have evil intentions and theysneak into the sheepfold in order todeceive the sheep and take advantageof them We must enter through thedoor and listen to Jesusrsquo voice if wehear the tone of his voice we are cer-tain we are saved We can go in with-out fear and go out without dangerIn this beautiful discourse Jesus alsospeaks of the gatekeeper whose taskis opening to the Good Shepherd (cf

Jn 102) If the gatekeeper hears theShepherdrsquos voice he opens and letsin all of the sheep that the Shepherdbrings all of them including thoselost in the wood whom the GoodShepherd went to get back Te sheepare not chosen by the gatekeeper theyare not chosen by the parish secretaryor parish administrator the sheepare all called they are chosen by theGood Shepherd Te gatekeepermdashhetoomdashobeys the Shepherdrsquos voiceTus we can well say that we must

be like that gatekeeper Te Churchis the gatekeeper of the house of theLord she is not the proprietor of theLordrsquos house

Te Holy Family of Nazareth knows jus t wha t an open or clo sed doormeans for those expecting a child forthose who have no shelter for those

who need to escape danger Chri stian

families make the threshold of their

homes a great sign of the Door ofthe mercy and welcome of God It isprecisely how the Church will have tobe recognized in every corner of theearth as the watchman of a God whoknocks as the welcome of a God whodoes not close the door in your face

with the excuse that you are not partof the household With this spirit letus approach the Jubilee there will bethe Holy Door but there is the doorof the great mercy of God May therealso be the door of our heart for all toreceive Godrsquos forgiveness and to givein our turn our forgiveness welcomingall those who knock at our door

Prayer of His HolinessPope Francis for the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy

LORD Jesus Christyou have taught us to be mer-

ciful like the heavenly Fatherand have told us that whoever

sees you sees HimShow us your face and we will

be saved Your loving gaze freed Zac-

chaeus and Matthew from beingenslaved by money

the adulteress and Magdalenefrom seeking happiness only increated things

made Peter weep after hisbetrayal

and assured Paradise to therepentant thief

Let us hear as if addressed toeach one of us the words thatyou spoke to the Samaritan

womanldquoIf you knew the gift of Godrdquo

You are the visible face of theinvisible Father

of the God who manifests hispower above all by forgivenessand mercy

let the Church be your visibleface in the world its Lord risenand glorified

You willed that your min-isters would also be clothedin weakness

in order that they mayfeel compassion for those inignorance and error

let everyone who ap-proaches them feel soughtafter loved and forgiven byGod

Send your Spirit and con-secrate every one of us withits anointing

so that the Jubilee of Mercymay be a year of grace fromthe Lord

and your Church withrenewed enthusiasm maybring good news to the poor

proclaim liberty to captivesand the oppressed

and restore sight to theblind

We ask this of you Lord Jesus through the interces-sion of Mary Mother of

Mercy you who live andreign with the Father and theHoly Spirit for ever and ever

Amen C N A

L rsquo O s s e r v a t o r e R o m a n o

Vatican City - April 11 2015 Cardinals gathered at St Peterrsquos Basilica on April 11 2015 during the Convocation of the Year of Mercy where Pope Francis publicly proclaimed

a Jubilee for Mercy which will begin December 8th and end in November 2016

The Holy Door unveiling at the Recognitio ceremony in St Peterrsquos Basilica on November 17 2015

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 1024

B2 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25PASTORAL CONCERNS

C B C P N e

w s

Separation of Church and State lawsin the marriage of Catholics

By Fr Jaime B Achacoso JCD

I AM not a great fan of the so-calledseparation of Church and State as it

is often misunderstood as the juridicexpression of the laicist principle ofrelegating religion to the privatesphere As we had seen in a previ-ous article this was the brainchildof the French Revolution fruit ofthe prejudice against the CatholicChurch (since it was identified withthe abusive absolutist monarchiesin Europe at the time) but whichnevertheless had to be toleratedfor the sake of individual liberty Ihave always argued for the conceptof distinction between Church andState based on the fact that thesubjects of both jurisdictions are thesame people who are simultaneouslyfaithful of the Catholic Church andcitizens of the State Te State andthe Church are distinct jurisdictionsbut not separate and uncoordinated

One area of such distinctionhowever which can be considered asa veritable separation is the matter ofmatrimonial law

wo Separate Marriages heCanonical Marriage and the CivilMarriage

When a Filipino Catholic faith-ful gets married he effectively getsmarried under two separate juridicalsystems Church Law (or CanonLaw) and State Law (or the Civil Lawof the Republic of the Philippines)Each juridic system has its own set ofrequirements even if the civil law inthe Philippines regulates marriage ina way similar to Canon Law through

the Family Code of the PhilippinesIn fact the crafters of the FamilyCode got many of its provisions fromthe corresponding section of theCode of Canon Law of the CatholicChurch What most people do notrealize is that the papers signed at theend of the Catholic Wedding Massare in fact the Marriage Contract un-der the Republic of the Philippinesthe same contract which wouldhave been signed in the presence ofa solemnizing officer (the judge orhis equivalent) in the appropriategovernment office What happensis that the parish priest (or the priestto whom he delegates the functionof solemnizing the marriage) is depu-tized by the state to be a solemnizing

officer through a license which isexpedited by the National StatisticsOffice yearly In short the Catholicpriest is authorized by the Republicof the Philippines to solemnize thecivil marriage In other words thecivil marriage can be solemnized byeither a civil servant or a Catholicpriest with the license from the NSO

Insofar as the Canonical Marriageis concerned on the other handthe only paper work required is itsregistration in the Book of Marriages (Marriage Registry) in the parish

where it was celebrated as well as itsannotation in the Book of Baptisms (Baptismal Registry) in the parish

where the spouses were baptizedTere is no separate marriage cer-

tificate or marriage contract for thecanonical marriageTis fundamental juridic reality

has several consequences

A Purely Canonical Marriage only

has Purely Canonical Require-ments

When an already civilly-marriedcouple wish to contract a canonicalmarriagemdasheg when they want

to regularize their situation in theChurch in order to return to thereception of the Sacramentsmdashwhatis celebrated is just the canonicalmarriage without the correspond-ing civil marriage which had alreadybeen celebrated Hence the onlyrequirements for the solemnizingsacred minister are the requirementsstipulated by Canon Law in c1108mdashsect1 Only those marriages are validwhich are contracted in the presence ofthe local ordinary or the parish priest ora priest or deacon delegated by either ofthem who assists and in the presenceof two witnesses according to the rulesexpressed in the following canons (hellip)

mdashsect2 Te one assisting at a mar-riage is understood to be only that

person who present at the ceremonyasks for the contractantsrsquo manifestationof consent and receives it in the nameof the Church

As can be seen for this purelycanonical marriage the assistingsacred minister (the local ordinary orthe parish priest or another priest ordeacon delegated by either the localordinary or the parish priest) doesnot need the license from the State toact as solemnizing officer for the civilmarriage since such a marriage is not

being celebrated Tus the praxis inmany parishes of requiring the above-mentioned government license fromthe sacred minister in good canonicalstanding who has been duly delegated tosolemnize a purely canonical marriage

is not only improper but is an outrightinsult to the canonical order

Te So-called Secret Marriage A secret marriage is one that the lo-

cal ordinary permits to be celebratedin secret due to a grave and urgentcause (c1130) Tis involves carry-ing out the preliminary investigation(the canonical inquiry) in secret andhaving the local ordinary the official

witness (the local ordinary or theparish priest or any priestdeaconauthorized by them to solemnize themarriage) the common witnesses(the two other witnesses required bythe canonical form) and the spousesto maintain secrecy regarding theactual celebration of the marriage(c1131)

Tus there are two requirementsfor a secret marriage (1) authoriza-

tion from the local ordinary ofthe place where the marriage iscelebrated (2) a grave and urgent cause which must be assessed bythe ordinary

Te classic example of a grave andurgent cause appears in Benedict

XIVrsquos encyclical Satis vobis (17 XI1741) in the case of two persons who live together without havingbeen married canonically but who

were publicly considered husbandand wife Te gravity would stemfrom the fact that these personsmight be living in a habitual state

of sin (extramarital intercourse) orat least in a proximate occasion forsuch sin Te urgency might stemfrom other factors like unreasonableopposition from the partiesrsquo relativesfor the canonical marriage to take

place or some civil impediment forthe marriage to take place (eg apre-existing civil marriage) within areasonable period of time

Actual Filipino society presents

several scenarios(1) A couple civilly-married andstably living together in the Catholiccommunity which understandsthem to be husband and wife oregularize their situation in theChurch (to be able to return tothe Sacraments) they need to bemarried canonically but withoutdetriment to their good standingbefore the community which haderstwhile taken them to be canoni-cally married

(2) A couple stably living togetherin the Catholic community whichunderstands them to be husband and

wife but who have never been mar-

ried either canonically or civillymdashthelatter since there is an impediment incivil law for such a civil marriage totake place (eg an existing civil mar-riage of one or both of the parties thedeclaration of the nullity of which istaking too much time and expense)In this case they need to be marriedcanonically to regularize their situa-tion in the Church but cannot do socivilly yet because of the impedimentin civil law

(3) A couple one of whom hadbeen previously married civilly andcanonically and had obtained a

declaration of nullity of the canoni-cal marriage but have not been ableto get a similar declaration for thecivil marriage due to some reason(eg the high cost of the civil pro-cess) Te urgency to celebrate the

canonical marriage might be due tothe couplersquos already cohabitating anddesiring to regularize their situationin the Church and return to theSacraments Another reason could

be the couplersquos plan to immediatelymigrate to start a new life of goodstanding before the Church

(4) A couple of radically unequalsocial status or ethnic provenance

whose marriage is feared to resultin their permanent alienation fromtheir blood family or in disinheri-tance

(5) A widow who would lose her job or means of sustenance for herselfand her children should her marriagecome to public knowledge

In all of these scenarios the im-mediate celebration of the canonicalmarriage is warranted but whichcannot be divulged to the general

public or to the State either for thetime being or indefinitely

Documentation of a Purely Ca-nonical Marriage

Another consequence of theseparation of Church and State inmatrimonial law is the matter ofdocumentation Te documentationof the civil marriage is well knownthe marriage contractmdashexpeditedby the civil registrar signed by theparties the solemnizing officer (theauthorized sacred minister in thecase of a Church wedding) and the

witnessesmdashcopies of which are filedin the office of the civil registrar andin the parish office

As previously stated the canoni-cal marriage is simply noted in theBook of Marriages of the parish

where it was celebrated and in theBook of Baptisms in the respectiveparishes where the parties were bap-tized (which acts as the permanentrecord of their entire lifetime in the

Church)Of special interest in the presentsubject is the practice in some dio-ceses of filling out and signing thepro-forma Marriage Certificatemdash

with the heading of the Republicof the Philippinesmdashfrom the officeof the civil registrar even in the caseof a secret marriage albeit only forfiling in the secret archives of thediocese Not only is this a breach ofthe principle of distinction of Churchand State it might even be proof ofthe celebration of the secret marriageitself outside of Civil Law A betterpractice would be to make a Mar-riage Contract form specifically for

the Canonical Marriage only

Declaration of Nullity of a Canoni-cal Marriage

o conclude given the separa-tion of Canonical Law and CivilLaw the declaration of nullity of acanonical marriage does not auto-matically establish the nullity of thecorresponding civil marriage (andvise-versa) While the celebration of acanonical marriage normally has civileffectsmdashbecause the correspondingcivil marriage is also celebrated withthe sacred minister acting as an au-

thorized solemnizing officermdashthedeclaration of nullity in one forumdoes not carry with it a correspond-ing declaration of nullity in the otherforum wo separate processes mustbe carried out

Advent Wreaths and Incensing(Father Edward McNamara pro-

fessor of liturgy and dean of theologyat the Regina Apostolorum universityanswers the following query)

Q When incensing the altar atthe beginning of Mass should the

Advent wreath also be incensed inthe same way as the paschal candleduring the Easter season Whatabout a Nativity scene (during theChristmas season) -- D LeuvenBelgium

A Te rules regarding incensingare mostly found in the missal andthe Ceremonial of Bishops heintroduction to the missal says

ldquoIncensationldquo276 Turification or incensa-

tion is an expression of reverenceand of prayer as is signified in Sa-cred Scripture (cf Ps 140 [141]2Rev 83)

ldquoIncense may be used if desiredin any form of Mass

ldquoa during the Entrance proces-

sion

ldquob at the beginning of Mass to in-cense the cross and the altar

ldquoc at the Gospel procession and theproclamation of the Gospel itself

ldquod after the bread and the chalicehave been placed upon the altar toincense the offerings the cross and the

altar as well as the priest and the peopleldquoe at the showing of the host and the

chalice after the consecrationldquo277 Te priest having put incense

into the thurible blesses it with the Signof the Cross without saying anything

ldquoBefore and after an incensation aprofound bow is made to the person orobject that is incensed except for theincensation of the altar and the offeringsfor the Sacrifice of the Mass

ldquohe following are incensed withthree swings of the thurible the MostBlessed Sacrament a relic of the HolyCross and images of the Lord exposedfor public veneration the offerings forthe Sacrifice of the Mass the altar crossthe Book of the Gospels the PaschalCandle the priest and the people

ldquoTe following are incensed with two

swings of the thurible relics and imagesof the Saints exposed for public venera-tion which should be done howeveronly at the beginning of the celebrationafter the incensation of the altar

ldquohe altar is incensed with singleswings of the thurible in this way

ldquoa if the altar is freestanding withrespect to the wall the priest incenses

walking around itldquob if the altar is not freestanding the

priest incenses it while walking first tothe right hand side then to the left

ldquoTe cross if situated on or near thealtar is incensed by the priest before heincenses the altar otherwise he incensesit when he passes in front of it

ldquohe priest incenses the offerings with three swings of the thurible or bymaking the sign of the cross over theofferings with the thurible before goingon to incense the cross and the altarrdquo

Although there is a rite of blessingfor the Advent wreath in the AmericanBook of Blessings there is no mentionof incensing the wreath Tis blessing is

proper to the United States and is absent

from the official Book of Blessings incountries such as Italy

It must therefore be concluded thatthe Advent wreath is not incensed inthe manner of the paschal candle It isneither a relic nor an image and is morean expression of popular piety than a

liturgical object per seTe paschal candle receives special

veneration because it is a traditional andancient symbol of the risen Christ Onecould argue that in a way the wreath isa symbol of the coming Christ but we

would still be before a relatively recentcustom and one which is not presentin the universal Church Its not beingincensed does not lessen in any way theusefulness of the wreath in fostering aspiritual preparation for Christmas

A Nativity scene or at least an imageof the Child Jesus set up in the sanc-tuary could enter into the category ofldquoimages of the Saints exposed for publicvenerationrdquo mentioned above in No277 and hence be incensed

It should be remembered however

that several Church guidelines advise

against setting up the Nativity inthe sanctuary itself and above all itshould never be an obstacle to thedignified celebration of the liturgi-cal celebrations For example theUS bishopsrsquo conference says in thedocument ldquoBuilt of Living Stonesrdquo

ldquosect 124 sect Plans for seasonal deco-rations should include other areasbesides the sanctuary Decorationsare intended to draw people to thetrue nature of the mystery beingcelebrated rather than being endsin themselves Natural flowersplants wreaths and fabric hangingsand other seasonal objects can bearranged to enhance the primaryliturgical points of focus Te altarshould remain clear and free-stand-ing not walled in by massive floraldisplays or the Christmas crib andpathways in the narthex nave andsanctuary should remain clearrdquo

If as is common in many church-es the Nativity scene is outside thesanctuary area there is no need to

leave the sanctuary to incense it

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 1124

B3CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25 FEATURES

Three Macro-Challenges for the Church in the lsquoYear of MercyrsquoBy Abp Antonio J Ledesma SJ

HE last two months of this year 2015 havebrought to the fore three macro-challenges forCivil Society and the Church in the Philippinestoday Tey are challenges on a macro scalebecause no single organization nor group ofindividuals can adequately address the various

issues that are emerging Tey are also macrobecause these issues affect millions of peopleor in some cases the entire world Indeed theneed for consensus-building on a national orglobal level has been felt Tis should be basedon ethical-moral principles and shared valuesthat go beyond cultural religious and socio-economic barriers In particular the CatholicChurch plays a significant role in Philippinesociety in addressing these macro issues

I Climate ChangeOn a global scale Climate Change will

be the pressing issue at the 21st Conferenceof Partners (COP 21) on the environmentPope Francisrsquo recent encyclical Laudato Si

has opened wide the doors for scientists andreligious leaders to enter into serious dialogueover issues such as global warming and thesearch for alternative sources of energy Insteadof viewing the environment or nature simplyas an object to be exploited Pope Francis pres-ents the Christian vision of Godrsquos handiworkldquoCreation can only be understood as a gift from

the outstretched hand of the Father of all andas a reality illuminated by the love which callsus together into universal communionrdquo (LS76) He also points out the intimate connectionbetween the ecological approach and the socialapproach ldquoso as to hear both the cry of the earth

and the cry of the poorrdquo (LS 49)Here in Cagayan de Oro we have joined

other dioceses in a Global Climate SolidarityMarch for the Environment On Nov 28advocates for protecting the environmentconverged at the Divisoria from four starting-points to join the voices of the world-wideCatholic Climate Movement at the startof COP 21 in Paris Te archdiocese alsocontinues its participation in the Cagayande Oro River Basin Management Council(CDORBMC) to protect the watershed areasand downstream communities of the Cagayande Oro river system

II Bangsamoro Basic Law A second macro challenge is the continuing

quest for a just and lasting peace in MindanaoTe draft Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) has

been altered in the committee sessions of bothhouses of Congress A version called the Basic

Law for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region(BLBAR) has come out from the Committeeof the House of Representatives Moreover thecommittee report in the Senate has providedanother set of amendments With the resur-gence of biases and prejudices after the Ma-masapano incident the final outcome for thepassage of the various drafts of the BangsamoroBasic Law is not clear

Seen from a wider perspective the letterof the Catholic Bishopsrsquo Conference of thePhilippines (CBCP) in July 2015 stated ldquoOnour part viewing the issues from a moral angle

we do not want a BBL that does not effectivelyaddress the root causes of social injusticerdquo Tisechoes the view of the surviving members ofthe Constitutional Convention of 1987 thatthe Constitution focuses primarily on the spiritof Social Justice Te Citizensrsquo Peace Councilnoted that the BBL is ldquoan act of Social Justiceand Reparation to the peoples of MuslimMindanao to rectify all the injustices inflictedupon them in the pastrdquo

Over the past three months I have helpedconvene consultations among religious and

civil society leaders in Cagayan de Oro andManila to discuss the BBL issue With someclarifications practically everyone saw the needfor a meaningful basic law for a sustainablepeace in Mindanao On Nov 26 in Cagayande Oro we started the Mindanao Week ofPeace with a multi-sectoral march rally Tis

was organized by the Inter-faith Forum for

Peace Harmony and Solidarity Te theme was ldquoMindanaoansrsquo Aspirations for PeaceKalinaw sa Dios ndash Kinaiyahan ndash KatawhanrdquoRegardless of the outcome of the BBLBLBARissue in Congress all of us should continue toengage in intra- and inter-religious dialogue

Our biases and preconceived notions of othercultures and religions are the main obstaclesto lasting peace in Mindanao and the rest ofthe country

III Good Governance A third macro-challenge in the Philippines

context is the coming elections in May 2016 Already the campaign period has started andvarious political personalities and parties havefiled their candidacies Good governancemdash

with its antithesis corruptionmdashis once morea critical factor to consider for every voter In

January 2010 before the last presidential elec-tions the CBCP made three calls to voters(1) o form circles of discernment (2) For thelaity to exercise their right and duty to supportcandidates who are qualified and committed to

public service and (3) o engage in principledpartisan politics Voting for candidates with a

track record of good governance is the mosteffective way of stamping out a culture ofcorruption In an address to the International

Assembly of Penal Law Pope Francis pointsout emphatically ldquoCorruption is a process ofdeath more evil than sin ndash an evil that insteadof being forgiven must be curedrdquo

On Nov 7 the archdiocese sponsored aMarch rally for CHAMPmdashClean Honest

Accurate Meaningful and Peaceful electionsTis was well attended by various sectorsTere were calls against votemdashbuying po-litical dynasties and the conduct of patronagepolitics Te city itself has had its share ofdivisive party politics in the non-disbursementof the budget for vital basic services and morerecently in the controversy over the post ofCity Mayor

Despite these internal conflicts amongelected officials it is good to keep in mind PopeFrancisrsquo own exhortation ldquoPolitics thoughoften denigrated remains a lofty vocation andone of the highest forms of charity inasmuchas it seeks the common goodrdquo (EG 205)

IV A Year of Mercy Despite the Holy Fatherrsquos blunt words on theevil of corruption he has called for an Extraor-dinary Jubilee of Mercy starting on December8 2015 ldquoJesus Christ is the face of the Fatherrsquosmercyrdquo Tis opening statement provides thetitle of Pope Francisrsquo Bull of Indiction Miseri-cordiae Vultus He goes on to say that Mercy

is ldquothe bridge that connects God and manrdquo Itis also ldquothe fundamental law that dwells in theheart of every person who looks sincerely intothe eyes of his brothers and sisters on the pathof liferdquo (MV 2)

On Nov 3-5 our Archdiocesan Pastoral

Assembly brought together more than 450delegates from 64 parishes Tis was the cul-mination of the Appreciative Inquiry processthat was carried out in most parishes down tothe kapilya community level over the past sixmonths

What was most noteworthy was the prepon-derance of lifemdashgiving pastoral experiences interms of prayerfulness and also of service toothers Tese two characteristics and sharedvalues can just as well point the directions wecan take during this jubilee year of mercy

Tis perhaps is the perspective we can adoptin confronting the macro-challenges beforeusmdashto first bend our knees in prayer and to bemerciful like the Father especially for the poorand marginalized in addressing socio-economicand political issues to work for ecological andsocial justice and to bring about Godrsquos mercy

by rectifying deeplyndashrooted biases and injusticesin Philippine society today

A r c h d i o c e s e o f C a g a y a n d e O r o

Pinoy in RomeCountdown to the

Jubilee Yearof Mercy

By Robert Z Cortes

HE Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy announced by PopeFrancis around Holy Week this year is finally starting onDecember 8 the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception

just a couple of days from now Tat this special event in theChurchrsquos history begins on that date is of course no accidentTis Popersquos devotion to Mary shown publicly every timehe passes by St Mary Major before any major trip abroadshould have made that choice almost predictable Howeveraside from human choices one ought to consider above allthe guidance of Providence whose will it is that the most

important events in the Church happen under the mantle ofMary Mother of the Church and Mother of MercySo the idea

to p repareproximatelyfor the Jubilee

Year of Mercyby making anovena to theImmaculateConceptionmade a lot ofsense to me

And being inRome thecity that argu-ably no placein the worldcan match

in terms ofthe qualityand quantityof sacred artp r e s e n t Itook advan-tage to do thefollowing Fornine daysmdashi n c l u d i n gthe Solem-nity hencet h e t e r mldquonovenardquomdashI

was going tovisit an im-age of OurLady vener-ated in vari-ous churchesaround thec i t y B u t

which church-es though

Given the

multitude of beautiful and historic churches in Rome itseemed the best way to approach this project was simply tobe led by Providence Tis approach is not ldquoto be too mysti-cal about itrdquo asI learned quite recently from of all peoplea non-Catholic ethics professor in a very secular Americanuniversity whom I interviewed a couple of months ago Hisdefense is that ldquothere still is another dimension in terms ofa holistic being in which our reason and our spirit and ouremotions are an integrated wholehellip So you listen to thevoice of the spiritrdquoTis was actually good ecumenical adviceto which my experience in the following days would attest

Tese experiences culled from my journal of these novenadays are actually Church history lessons devotional tour-guiding tips and philosophizing all rolled into one I sharethem seeing that they can serve some purpose however onemay be preparing for the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy

Our Lady of the Sacred Hear in SantrsquoAndreadella Valle Yesterday November 30 was the beginning of the novenato the Immaculate Conception It also happened to be thefeast of St Andrew Now at the other end of the street wheremy university is happens to be a huge looming basilicadedicated to Saint Andrew with the name ldquoSantrsquoAndreadellaValle rdquo People with very limited time in Rome usually donrsquothave time to visit this magnificent church but really nexttime you come you should Tis church was actually builtby the very same people involved in the building of St Peterrsquosand used this as their ldquopracticerdquo church people like Giacomodella Porta and Carlo Maderno Te fountain in the squarefronting the church is Madernorsquos

Te paintings and the frescoes inside are even more breath-taking Te dome and the ceiling are one of the best thereis in Rome - and perhaps in Christendom Since it was thefeast of St Andrew precisely I decided to do my prayer rightthere before the huge fresco of the crucifixion of St AndrewI did my rosary in one of the side chapels dedicated to Our

Countdown B6

What was behind

that inconspicuous

door Actually a

small but amazinglybeautiful jewel of

a church

A recent rally against climate change and environmental degradation

The Sant Agnese view from the South Plazza Navona

Sant Agnesersquo double Holy Family

An Interfaith Walk for Peace held on Nov 26 2015

R o b e r t Z C

o r t e s

R o b e r t Z C

o r t e s

A

r c h d i o c e s e o f C a g a y a n d e O r o

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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B4 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

By S M Evangeline A Madayag OSB

HE urgency of protecting ldquo OurCommon Homerdquo is much given em-phasis by our Holy Father Pope Fran-cis Much heat drought and differencein the weather and climate is muchfelt Many kinds of sicknesses are alsoattacking especially the poor who lacknourishment due to having no foodsecurity One can really feel the differ-ence of being in a polluted city fromthe simple rural setting where there arestill enough trees providing clean airTe other week I and my communityof Sisters together with two visitingSisters were able to enjoy the beautifulbeach of San Isidro Davao OrientalI salute Mayor ina Yu and all the of-ficers of the Municipality of San Isidrofor really defending their stand for a

ldquoNo o Mining in San IsidrordquoI wish that would also be true for the

whole province of Davao Oriental It issad that some barangays and munici-palities who make resolutions to allowmining only consider themselves as theonly ones with rights to allow miningobviously setting aside the possibleharms effect on the people and theenvironment especially to the nextgeneration We have experienced the

effect of the haze brought about theforest fire of Indonesia a true evidencethat we are all affected all around the

world of what happens in a certain partof the world As Joey Ayala reminds usin his song ldquo Ang Lahat ng Bagay ayMagka-ugnayrdquo

Just last year (July 1 2014) SenatorLoren Legarda visited our province (Davao Oriental) and congratulated theprovince for its stand on the protec-tion of our natural resources especiallyciting Mt Hamiguitan a UNESCO

World Heritage site What a heri tage what a treasure

Yet what is real ly happeni ng inDavao Oriental Even our priests inthe Diocese of Mati are alarmed onthe ldquo proliferation of alleged mining

activities in the province of Davao

Oriental particularly in the followingareas (1) Brgy Old Macopa Manay(2) Brgy iblawan Governor Gen-eroso (3) Barangay Causwagan andMaputi Banaybanay (4) BarangayDapnan and Lambajon Bagangga (5)Barangay Calapagan Lupon (excerptsfrom the letter of Rev Fr Edito SBantildeo DCM Apostolic Adminstratorof Mati to the DENR National OfficeSeptember 10 2015 He made anotherletter to the DENR on October 222015 to includeMacambol ( Magumand Salingcomot) as a concern

With much prayers for awakenings

re-awakenings and miracles to hap-pen we make this petition

A PEIION FOR HE SOP-PAGE AND REJECION OF HEIMPENDING ISSUANCE OF MIN-ING PERMI FOR AUSRAL-ASIALINK MINING CORPORAION

AND HALLMARK MINING COR-PORAION BOH UNDER HECORPORAE ORGANIZAIONOF ASIAICUS MANAGEMENCORPORAION (AMCOR) AMAGUM PUJADA BAY AND SAL-INGCOMO MAI CIY PROV-

INCE OF DAVAO ORIENAL

We the farmers fisherfolks Churchpeople youth professionals businesspeople of Davao Oriental Provincetogether with our national and inter-national supporters hereby urge MrRamon JP Paje DENR SecretaryNO O ISSUE ANY MININGPERMI to AUSRAL-ASIA LINKMINING CORPORAION ANDHALLMARK MINING CORPORA-ION both under the CORPORAEORGANIZAION OF ASIAICUSMANAGEMEN CORPORAION(AMCOR) for its mining operation in

Magum Pujada Bay and Salingcomot

Mati City Province of Davao Oriental We also demand that their mining

equipments be pulled out from themining site Macambol ldquoLodgedbetween two protected areasmdashthePujada Bay Protected Seascape (andLandscape) and Mt HamiguitanRange proclaimed wildlife sanctu-ary (Republic Act No 9303 July 302004)rdquo and as a UNESCO WorldHeritage Site at the 38th Session ofthe World Heritage Committee ( June15-24 2014 Doha State of Qatar) is not the most logical site for large-scale nickel laterite mining project (October 212009 in Environment Food Security Sensitive EcosystemsTe Philippines)

Ac co rd in g to th e st ud y pu b-lished by httpbhpbillitonwatchnet20091021pujada-hallmark-nickel-laterite-project-profile ldquo some4778 hectares of mining permitsoverlap with five major drainagesystems and watersheds which eitherdrain towards Pujada Bay or the DavaoGulf Tese bodies of freshwater arethe main water supplies for the com-munities living within and around thearea and the bays host endangeredspecies such as dugongs (sea cows)sea turtles and stingrays Te forestof Macambol is a watershed area

Additi ona lly the Puja da reg ion issituated on the ldquoPacificndashCordillerardquofault line wo branches of the activePhilippine fault flank the watershedon the southwest and southeast of theproject area which has been subjectto intense seismic activities Te 2008report ldquoPhilippines Mining or Foodrdquorecommended that no mining shouldtake place on Mount Hamiguitan ornear Pujada Bay which are centres ofbiodiversity with high ecotourismpotential Under these conditions itmay be almost impossible to minethe area ldquo (httpbhpbillitonwatchnet20091021pujada-hallmark-nickel-laterite-project-profile)

In his ENCYCLICAL LEERLAUDAO SIrsquo Our Holy Father

all processes addressing climateand disaster risks especially afterthe province experienced the

wrath of yphoon Yolanda lastNovember 8 2013

He also mentioned how theimpact of climate change cutsacross all sectors regardless of gen-der culture economic or politicalstature with the poor sufferingthe greatest impact

ldquoTerefore a plan of actionto address climate and disasterrisks must be undertaken using

PASTORAL CONCERNS

Home B7

IN solidarity with the on-goingClimate Conference in Paris the

Archdiocese of Palo Relief andRehabilitation Unit (Caritas Palo)together with at least 200 lsquoYolan-darsquo survivors signed a Declarationsupporting Climate Change andCommunity-Managed DisasterRisk Reduction in Palo Leyteon uesday

In a statement Caritas PaloDirector Fr Al Cris Badana citedhow important it is for membersof the communities to be part of

community-managed disasterrisk reduction (CMDRR) as thestrategyrdquo Badana added

Also present during the commit-ment signing are representativesfrom various church groups andgovernment agencies such as theProvincial Government of LeyteDepartment of Social Welfare andDevelopment Department ofInterior and Local GovernmentProvincial Disaster Risk Reductionand Management Office and theOffice of the Civil Defense

Aside from the declaration sign-ing the lsquoYolandarsquo survivors from15 communities in the townsof Palo Santa Fe AlangalangMayorga Dulag and MacArthureach gave a presentation of howtheir communities are presentlyengaged in community-manageddisaster risk reduction (CMDRR)measures and systems

Tere was also a mini exhibitof the organic products producedby lsquoYolandarsquo survivors to show itssupport for sustainable agricul-

ture which is part of the climatechange action

After the devastation of y-phoon Yolanda the RomanCatholic Church of the Archdio-cese of Palo through Caritas Paloand NASSACaritas Philippineshelped Yolanda-affected commu-nities in Leyte to craft their ownresiliency and contingency plans

which were already adopted bytheir barangays As of today Cari-tas Palo has invested P150 millionto build resilient communities

Te said communities also in-stalled early warning systems andevacuation plans which resultedin zero casualties and minimaldamages during the onslaughtof yphoon Ruby the strongesttyphoon in 2014

It can be recalled that the re-cent encyclical of Pope FrancisLaudato Si highlighted the ad-

verse impacts of climate changeon the poor and most vulnerableand the scale of the climate crisis(NASSA Features)

Protecting Our Common Home

Church lsquoYolandarsquo survivors in Leyte signClimate Change Declaration

N A S S A C a r i t a s P h i l i p p i n e s

C B C P N e w s

N A S S A C a r i t a s P h i l i p p i n e s

N A

S S A C a r i t a s P h i l i p p i n e s

lsquoYolandarsquo survivors together with representatives from the Archdiocese of Palo Relief and Rehabilitation Unit (Caritas Palo) signedthe Caritas Declaration on Climate Change in solidarity with the on-going Paris Climate Talks

The Archdiocese of Palo Relief and Rehabilitation Unit (Caritas Palo) displayed the organic products produced bylsquoYolandarsquo survivorsin Leyte which is part of its climate change action

Members of the New Dampigan Womenrsquos Association happily beam and show off the eggs they harvested

Women in actionONE women to explore their otherpotentials

Tis is the story of the women in thetown of New Dampigan in Samar prov-ince who found a new hobby a passionand source of livelihood all at the sametime hey are the New Dampigan

Womenrsquos Association who are engagedin poultry raising

It all started when the DiocesanSocial Action Center of Calbayog gavethe group a total of 500 ducks as partof its livelihood program for yphoonHaiyan survivors

Te group is composed of 21 mem-bers all of them women Tey raiseducks and sell its eggs salted and freshalike to the nearby towns of Sta Ritaand Basey o produce salted eggs they

preserve it for 15 to 18 daysBut it wasnrsquot all easy going especially

at first When another yphoon Hagu-pit locally known as Ruby hit the townlast December some of their ducks diedfrom the storm Tey almost lose hopeBut luckily they did not Instead the

women sticked together and took careof the remaining ducks

Now the women are the more thanhappy and contented of the productof their pure hardwork and ingenuitySeveral weeks after the onslaught ofHagupit the women are once againback in track

Currently they are harvesting 700 upto 1000 eggs every week Tey are alsofocused on marketing their products tonearby towns which they do throughthe support and trainings providedby the social action center Yes they

are truly women in action (NASSAFeatures)

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B5CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

life and refreshment from her waterrdquo (Laudato Si2)

Since climate is a commongood it is but right to be involved

in the discussion of climatechange especially that it is nowdestructive not only to proper-ties to but also to lives Accord-ingly the world is on the brink ofbecoming an arid wasteland dueto lsquounchecked human activitiesrsquo

We are living witnesses of thedestruction brought about by

weather changes and the effectsto health by carbon emissionshe calamities that claimedthousands of lives these pastyears and months are enoughproof to awaken in us a commit-ment to safeguard creation andhelp mitigate their effects

Pope Francis seeing the ur-gency of action in dealing with

environmental crisis points outthe use of highly polluting fossil

STATEMENTS

Statement on Coal Mining and Coal Power Plant

Final Statement of the 6th Bishopsrsquo Institute forInterreligious Affairs

Mayor Duterte

Asian celebration of the 50 th anniversary of Nostra Aetate

FABC Office of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs

Redemptorist Center Pattaya Thailand

November 16-20 2015

WE the one hundred sixty-six(166) delegates of the 40thDOPIM Bishops-Clergy Con-vention unanimously expressour serious concern on theoperation of coal mining andcoal power plant that triggersapprehension among our peopleand poses environment threat inthe provinces where such facilityis being established

With faith in the Lord of Cre-ation we want to heed the callof Pope Francis in his encyclicalLaudato Si that urges us all tocare for the earth as our commonhome Citing St Francis of As-sisi the Holy Father persuadesus to treat our common homelike our sister

However knowing the realityof our destructive attitude andactivities towards her the Pope

writes that ldquoTe6 sister now criesout to us because of the harm

we have inflicted on her by ourirresponsible use and abuse ofthe goods with which God hasendowed her We have come toseeeuro ourselves as her lords andmasters entitled to plunder herat will Te violence present inour hearts wounded by sin isalso reflected in the symptomsof sickness evident in the soilin the water in the air and inall forms of life his is whythe earth herself burdened andlaid waste is among the mostabandoned and maltreated ofour poor she lsquogroans in travailrsquo(Rom 822) We have forgottenthat we ourselves are dust of theearth (cf Gen 27) our very bod-

ies are made up of her elements we breathe her air and we receive

fuels ndash especially coal to be pro-gressively replaced without delay(Cf Laudato Si 165) We can-not simply sit idly while seeing

the unfolding of horrific eventsresulted by so called technologi-cal progress at the expense of na-ture Instead we recommend theuse of renewable energy whichis of course not harmful to theenvironment and to humans

As Bishops of the Diocesesof Dipolog Ozamis PagadianIligan and Marawi (DOPIM)

which comprise the civil prov-inces of Zamboanga del NorteMisamis Occidental Zamboan-ga del Sur Lanao del Norte andLanao del Sur we completelyoppose the operation of coalmining and coal power plantsmost especially within the afore-mentioned provinces We do this

not only because of our humanresponsibility but as a call intrin-

sic to our Christian faith We he re by ur ge al l co n-

cernedmdashboth the coal industryand the governmentmdashin thename of our Lord Jesus Christ tohave the same concern We alsocall the faithful and all people ofgood will be vigilant at all timesand in all places because ourcommon home is in danger ofdevastation We will not allowourselves to arrive at the pointof no return

May God hear us and come todefend the beautiful creation Hehas entrusted to us May Marythe Queen of all creation coverus with her mantle of maternalcare

Formulated during the 40thDOPIM Bihops-Clergy Con-vention on November 11 2015at the Diocesan Pastoral CenterDel Carmen Iligan City

Most Rev Severo C CaermareDDBishop of Dipolog

Most Rev Elenito R GalidoDDBishop of Iligan

Most Rev Emmanuel CabajarCSsR DDBishop of Pagadian

Most Rev Edwin A dela PentildeaMSP DDBishop-Prelate of Marawi

Most Rev Jesus A DosadoCM DD

Metropolitan Archbishop ofOzamiz

WHA the world desperately needs now is leadership byexample We have so many leaders in office and many moreaspiring to sit in office but are they examples of good citizen-ship If the leaders we choose are to be leaders for nationalprogress they must be visionaries AND exemplary

Corruption is indeed a great scourge of Philippine politics

Te usual face of corruption that we recognize easily is stealingfrom public funds Corruption like a monster is a devil withmany faces Killing people is corruption Killing is a crime anda sin whether it is done by criminals or public officials no mat-ter what the intention Adultery is corruption It makes marriedlove cheap and uses people for pleasure Adultery corrupts thefamily it destroys children and victimizes the weak Vulgarity iscorruption When we find vulgarity funny we have really becomebeastly and barbaric as a people When a revered and loved andadmired man like Pope Francis is cursed by a political candidateand the audience laugh I can only bow my head and grieve ingreat shame My countrymen has gone to the dregs

Is this the leadership by example that Mayor Duterte excitesin us Is this the leadership by example that makes a publicofficial deserving of the title ldquoHonorablerdquo

+SOCRAES VILLEGAS

Archbishop of Lingayen-DagupanCBCP PresidentDecember 1 2015

F i l e p h o t o

V i n c e n t G o

Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte

1 It is by Godrsquos grace andprovidence that we 87 par-ticipants in the Sixth BishopsrsquoInstitute for Interreligious Af-fairs (BIRA VI) from 17 dif-ferent countries have come tocelebrate the 50th anniversaryof Nostra aetate in our Asiancontext and in our time Weare grateful for the funding wereceived from Missio Aachenthat helped make this gather-ing possible

2 In this grace-filled gather-ing we have worked togetheras the Church in Asia retracing

our steps along the path of dia-logue praying reflecting andsharing our experiences andthoughts on the questions of

what we ha ve done so far and what we need to do fur ther forinterreligious dialogue in Asia

3 We recognize that Nostra Aet at e is sti ll ins pir ing andchallenging us to realize thevision of the Church as thepeople of God in dialogue inour time facing the interde-pendent reality of the com-plex and diverse influences ofglobalized socio-economic-cultural-political structures

we rea ffi rm the strong needof the ldquotriple dialoguerdquo with

the poor cultures and reli-gions in a journey towards theKingdom of justice peace andecological harmony

4 hrough our experienceof dialogue and action forthe last five decades we havelearned that interreligiousdialogue is not only to be aspecific pastoral strategy ofthe Church but rather an

Asian vis ion of the ChurchIt is a Church that proclaimsthe values of the Kingdom

without fear in dialogi cal col-laboration (partnership) withthe people of other religions

5 Struggling against anykind of fundamentalism ter-rorism and proselytism theChurch in Asia is called to

work toget her with other s asco-pilgrims In protecting thepoor and the environmentthrough our interreligious net-

work we are n ot do ing socia l work together but bui ldi ng

a mystical union of GodrsquosKingdom as inter-dependentbeings (in the harmony of ourrelationship with one anotherand with all creation)

6 he Church in Asia con-

firms that we cannot engage with other s in a real dialogue without having a clear ident ityof who we are and constantlygrowing in our own faith Inthe pluralistic contexts of Asiathe Church as a ldquolittle flockrdquois called to learn a kenotic(self-emptying) spirit of loveand service from Jesus ChristIt is through our humble andopen-minded approach thatreal trust and mutual under-standing with others can beestablished We are aware ofthe importance of grassrootsinterreligious dialogue whichusually starts from inter-per-sonal friendship and grows tocommunal action for justiceand peace

7 he Church in Asia takesseriously the challenges oftoday for all religions variousconflicts and violence massive

poverty and global inequalitythe increasing numbers ofrefugees and migrants pollu-tion and environmental crisiscorruption and moral degrada-tion human trafficking and

the breakdown of social cohe-sion terrorism and all formsof fundamentalism

8 One of the most urgentchallenges in Asia is to pro-claim Jesus Chri st as the Way

the ruth and the Life whileacknowledging and respecting

what is ldquotrue and holy in otherreligionsrdquo (Nostra AetateNo 2) As a community ofdisciples we give witness to

Jes us through our pe rs onaland communal l ifestyle oflove in three interconnected

way s sil enc e pre sence andstory-telling In an existentialsilence we empty ourselvesand listen deeply to the voicesof the other without judging

wi th a lov ing hear t In thedepth of our silence we are

aware of Jesusrsquo presence amongus which is inspiring our jour-ney of interreligious dialogueand action for transformingthe world It is by telling ourown story of transformationthrough Jesus as individualpersons and as communitiesthat the globalized culture ofindifference and greedy con-sumerism is to be transformedinto the gospel-culture of soli-darity and sharing

9 In our common journey with other s we Chri stians in Asia re cognize the importanceof basic human communitiesat the grassroots level wherethe dialogue of life and actionis going on especially together

with th e indigenous people Itis through these basic humancommunities that the Churchin Asia learns the holistic

world view and the sacred cos-mic spirituality which awakeus to take care of ldquoour com-mon homerdquo We are called togo beyond our comfort zoneand to develop a new narrativeof dialogue coming from ourcommon experience with thehope of rediscovering the har-monious relationship betweenhumanity cosmos and God forthe future generation

10 We commit ourselvesmore passionately to inter-religious dialogue in Asia indifferent ways for example

bull o develop local interreli-gious dialogue and action inthe grassroots communities

bull o organize formationprograms for interreligiousdialogue within the Catholiccommunity

bull (eg Seminaries religioushouses of formation and forthe laity)

bull o promote intra-dialoguebetween Christian churchesand within Catholic institu-tions

bull o support dialogue ac-tivities and forums (eg UNInterfaith Harmony Week)

bull o advocate i nterreligiousdialogue and action in thepublic sphere and cyberspace

bull o provide adequ ate prep-aration and pastoral care to theinterreligious family

11 After these days of re-flection and sharing of ourexperiences of and insightson interreligious dialogue inthe light of Nostra Aetateguided by the Holy Spirit

we ha ve com e to re ali ze againthe importance of opennesstowards the people of otherreligions and the indispens-able role of witness to theKingdom of God ever grow-

ing in the heart of As ianpeople hrough our sincerecommitment to dialogueldquoJesus Christ will be bet -ter known recognized andlovedrdquo (PCID Dialogue inruth and Charity No 39)

F a c e b o o k

F a c e b o o k

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B6 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

completion In this way the miracle ofthe Incarnation took place with theBlessed rinity taking the initiativeand Mary responding freely and gen-erously to the Spiritrsquos action in her

It is in response to the lead of theSpirit that Mary set out for Elizabethrsquoshouse to share with her relative theldquoGood Newsrdquo she was carrying withinher

Like mankind before Mary andChrist we too may have a bad re-cord when it comes to ldquobeing open toGodrdquo We may not be any better than

Adam and Eve or the people before theFlood (see Gn 65-6) or the builders ofthe ower of Babel (See Gn 113-4)

Tis Advent in the Year of Faith isfor all of us an opportunity to evalu-ate our standing in this respect and totake appropriate action If we decideto imitate Mary and Elizabeth in theiropenness to the Spirit we may be sure

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

HE times of John the Baptist were bad characterized as they were by selfishness greed prideaggressiveness oppression of the

weak Tis can be gatheredfrom the answers he gave tothose who had been struck byhis preaching and asked ldquoWhatought we to dordquo Johnrsquos strongly

worded call to conversion was

amply justified All needed toundergo a ldquometanoiardquo a changeof mind and attitude in order toenter the Reign of God

Te situation does not seemto have changed much since thetime of John the Baptist We livein a society plagued with the samemoral defects and vices People arestill greedy selfish aggressive

And of course the temptation isalways to see these moral failuresin others

In many cases it may be truethat there is so much evil aroundus But it is equally true that wetoo are not perfect here isevil in us too We fail morallyalmost every day and in various

ways We too need to undergoa ldquometanoiardquo a radical conver-sion ldquoRadicalrdquo here means that it

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

WE all experience the dif-ference that physical dark-ness or light produces inus Darkness makes us feeluneasy even anxious andafraid Light gives us a senseof security It enables us torealize where we are and

what to do

his is why the Bibli-cal creation story tells usthat ldquoIn the beginningrdquo (ie when nothing existedexcept God) ldquodarkness cov-ered the abyssrdquo Ten Godsaid ldquoLet there be lightrdquo And there was light Godsaw how good the lightwas rdquo (Gn 14a) Tepresence of light enabledGod to proceed with the

work of creation with allits wonders and poten-tials and thereby conquerthe darkness of chaos andmeaninglessness

should not stop at the individualactions but has to affect our at-titudes and set of values ie thevery root of our actions Tereshouldnrsquot be the least doubt so-ciety will start changing for thebetter the very moment we beginto improve

Advent and the special obser-vances for this year (Extraordinary

Jubilee Year of Mercy Year of theEucharist and of the Family) areinvaluable opportunities for us

to start or resume moving in theright direction Like those whoapproached John we should ask ldquoWhat are we to dordquo Te answersmay be as many as there are personalmoral situations but a ldquocommondenominatorrdquo easily applies to allOur fundamental attitude has gotto be one of openness availabilityand goodwill

Te first requirement is ldquoopen-ness to Godrdquo in grateful love andexpectation in prayer of ldquopetitionand thanksgivingrdquo (see Phil 46)mdashfor the Lord is coming to dwell inour midst and to be our ldquomightySaviorrdquo (See First Reading v 17)

Te second basic requirementis ldquoopenness to peoplerdquo hismeans readiness to share ourgoods generously with the lessfortunate (see Lk 311) to be fair

But aside from physical lightand darkness there are otherforms of these two oppositerealities in the intellectualemotional moral and spiri-tual domains In the JudeanChristian revelation light isassociated and even identifiedwith God while darkness is as-sociated and identified with sinand evil St John the Evangelistproclaims ldquoGOD IS LIGHrdquo(1 Jn 15) Consequently a lifelived without God is darknessmdashthe darkness of sin and hell (See

John 319-21) No wonder thenthat the Incarnation of GodrsquosSon is compared to the comingof light to earth (See Jn 15 and1246)

And this is precisely what wecommemorate and celebrate atChristmas the coming of thelight of Godrsquos holiness andgoodness to fight and defeatthe darkness of evil in all itsforms

In the extraordinary andunique event of the Incarna-

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

MANKIND has had a bad record fromthe very beginning of its historymdashthecriminal record of shutting God outof its plans and life Such an attitudehad few exceptions in Abram Mosesthe prophets And even those ex-ceptions were not always 100 clearIt was only with Mary that a differentattitude started to prevail an attitudeof total openness to the action of Godin onersquos life and of full availability tocooperate with Him in the actualiza-tion of His plan

Mary was the most open of all tothe inspirations and promptings ofthe Holy Spirit Like a very sensitiveharp she let the Spirit produce in herand through her the wonderful melodyof manrsquos salvation which only thedivine love can initiate and bring to

REFLECTIONS

P u b l i c d

o m a i n

C B C P N e w s

Christmas the triumph of light

The ldquoNEW JERUSALEMrdquo isthe perfect realization of Godrsquos

plan and the fulfillment of our

deepest aspirations

4th Sunday of Advent (C) Luke 139-45

December 20 2015

Solemnity of Christmas (C) John 11-18

December 25 2015

3rd Sunday of Advent (C) Luke 310-18

ldquoRejoice Sundayrdquo December 13 2015

Our advent priorities

Countdown B3

that He will work wonders also in usno matter how insignificant and weak

we may consider ourselves (See Mi51)

We need the impulse of the HolySpirit and His empowering supportto get out of ourselves to show aninterest in others and share with themthe blessings we have received from theLord including our joy (See attitudeof Mary Lk 146-49)

We need to be open to the Spiritin imitation of Mary in order tohave Christ formed in us or betterin order to be molded unto him If

we cult ivat e such an openn ess andavailability we shall ever more becomeChrist-like in our thoughts aspira-tions attitudes and actions Andthus we shall be totally committedto do our share in carrying out theFatherrsquos plan of saving love as Christdid (See Heb 105-7)

Open to the spirit in imitation of Mary

Lady of the Sacred Heart Andby the time I left the church

which is just a five-minute walkfrom my house what else couldI say but thank You Really thereis nothing much else one can say

Our Lady and Child in SanSalvatore in Onda

Funny what one sees whenone changes perspectives Goinghome from jogging one day Idecided to pass by the right (in-stead of the left) side of Via deiPettinari (Combmakersrsquo Street)I happened to look up by chanceand I saw this charming image of

Our Lady I had never seen be-fore even if Irsquod already passed by

here more than ten times Ten when I looked down I likewisenoticed what should have beenan inconspicuous door Now Isaw there was a paper posted onit hinting that inside was actuallya church called San Salvatore inOnda and the place where SaintVincent Pallottirsquos remains arevenerated I took mental noteof the opening schedule andresolved I would do the secondday of my novena there

What was beh ind that in-conspicuous door Actually asmall but amazingly beautiful

jewel of a church First behind

the green door commonly seenalong the street was another set

of wider doors made of beauti-ful strong old wood It had ahuge tarp proudly claiming thatSt John Paul II had visited thischurch For such a small churchI thought it would be surprisingany pope would do that

But of course if one knew JP IIand St Vincent Pallotti and whatthey each stood for one wouldunderstand For JP II loved topromote the apostolate amonglay people and St Vincent inhis own 19th century religious

way was one of the promotersof the lay apostolate at the time

when it was so much lacking

He founded the ldquoPious Unionof Catholic Apostolaterdquo Tatrsquos a

union of priests religious and la-itymdashbut the ldquoPallotinesrdquo as theyare called really just consists ofthe religious brothers and priestsand the laity are well theyrsquorethere But that was certainly ahuge start

Te church is now their homebase but it wasnrsquot so at first Builtnear the end of the 11th andbeginning of the 12th centuryit was given to the Franciscansfrom which two popes camefrom Knowing this historic-ity of the church and that StVincentrsquos body is now underthe altar one then understands

this church deserved the Popersquosvisit But to add to these therersquos

to everybody and be absolutelyhonest with all (See Lk 313-14)

All this is love of neighbor in itsmost elementary form and noone can claim to be exempted orto have done enough

o this we have to add thepursuit of all those ldquonatural valuesand virtuesrdquo that Paul lists in theSecond Reading (See Phil 48)Only on these conditions shall

we be able to ldquobe glad and exult with all our heartsrdquo (Zep 314) and

begin to enjoy ldquoGodrsquos own peace which is beyond all understand-ingrdquo (Phil 47)

If on the contrary we refuseto heed Johnrsquos (Godrsquos) call toconversion this Advent will bea series of ldquomissed opportuni-tiesrdquo Tere may still be laughterbut very little joy We may giveand receive plenty of gifts but

without experiencing the bliss ofreal generosity In other words wemay be like one of the decorationshanging on Christmas trees glit-tering and colorful outside butempty and ugly inside

It need not be so It should nothis Advent we have a chanceto really change for the betterstarting from ldquowithinrdquo And it isup to us to make the most of thisopportunity

tion the divine light becomesa human beingmdashJESUS OFNAZAREH His coming is not a lightning in the night thatsoon vanishes in the persistentdarkness of the sky Rather it isan enduring event mdashthe fulfill-ment of a well thought-out plandestined to last till the end oftime and beyond

Te Incarnation is an eventthat is not confined to the placeand time where it took placebut a permanent reality thatconcerns and affects the entireuniverse as well as the life ofeach human being Tis is sobecause the life and mission ofthe God-Man born in Bethle-

hem is to bring the light of loveand grace into the history ofmankind into the life of everyhuman person

his is why we believe andproclaim that Christmasmdashthecoming and dwelling of Godrsquoslight on earth ndash makes all the dif-ference Te world will never bethe same as before the ldquoChrist-

mas eventrdquo simply because Godldquopitched His tentrdquo among us More still He became one of us

He did so in order to enableeach individual and mankindas a whole to fight and over-come the many forms of dark-ness that oppress frighten andenslave usmdashthe darkness of

hopelessness meaninglessnessfear hatred oppression but es-pecially the darkness of sin andof whatever leads to the endlessdarkness of being separated fromGod forever

Nowadays the all-pervadingcacophony of commercialismand materialism tend to dis-robe Christmas of its sacred-ness and saving dimensionand to confine it to the realm

of a myth lost in the vaguenessof a distant past Against suchbackground it is essential thatwe Christian believers ap-preciate the importance ofthe historical event of theIncarnation and its relevanceto our life today

Christmas as the joyful com-memoration of the Incarnationof Godrsquos Son is an invitationto ACCEP Jesus Christ intoour existence as the light of the

world the light of our life It isalso an invitation to REJOICEin the light that radiates from

Jesusrsquo presence teaching and

example It is a commitmentto LIVE as children of thelight and thereby eliminatein ourselves and around usthe darkness of sin and evilin all their forms Christmasis an invitation and a chal-lenge to SPREAD the light ofGodrsquos love through our wordsand deeds

In this perspective theHoly Fatherrsquos call to be ac-

tively involved in the workof a NEW EVANGELIZA-ION becomes absolutely vital and releva nt to thisseason of light and joy Itis the first step toward anever-greater involvement inthe wonderful enterprise ofbuilding Godrsquos luminousKingdom of peace love andhope that can usher in theldquonew heavens and the newearthrdquo the ldquoNEW JERU-SALEMrdquo that is the perfectrealization of Godrsquos plan andthe fulfillment of our deepestaspirations

also the sheer beauty of medievaland renaissance art that one seeson the ceiling and the simplebaldachin under which Mass

was held when I was there Teimage of Our Lady and Child byCesare Mariani in the main altaris also arresting

Te church has the appellationldquoin Onda rdquo which means ldquoin the

waverdquo most probably becauseof the frequent flooding of theiber Irsquove seen some of thesesigns on marble stone aroundseveral parts in Rome indicat-ing where the river was at this orthat point and therersquos only one

thing I can say Te worst Manilafloods are as if only two inches

compared to Rome flooding inthose days Irsquom not sure if thishas any connection to one imageof Our Lady venerated there ona huge side altar ldquoVirgin mostPowerfulrdquomdashbecause one cer-tainly needed a huge power tosurvive such inundations

But last night I know I wasinundated by only one thingmdashthanksgiving for being surround-ed by such beauty and holiness

(Robert Z Cortes is a PhDstudent in Social InstitutionalCommunication at the PontificalUniversity of Santa Croce Rome

He has an MA in Ed Leadership from Columbia University)

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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B7CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

tions might become ever more numeroustill they become the rule

It is in the family that the reform ofsociety begins because it is there that welearn to respect and help one another wepractice patience and justice we learn toshare and to love in an unselfish and practi-cal manner Pope Francis speaking to theFilipino families during his Pastoral Visit

in January 2015 said ldquoIn the family wecome to know God to grow into menand women of faith to see ourselves asmembers of Godrsquos greater family theChurch In the family we learn how tolove to forgive to be generous and opennot closed and selfish We learn to movebeyond our own needs to encounterothers and share our lives with them Tat is why it is so important to pray as afamily Tat is why families are so impor-tant in Godrsquos plan for the Churchrdquo

A family where God is at home is afamily at peace Such was the Holy Familyat Nazareth And the yearly celebration ofits feast is not just a well-deserved tributepaid to its three members It is also an in-vitation and encouragement to make ourfamilies today what the family of JosephMary and Jesus was in those daysmdasha ha- ven of love of God and neighbor at itsbest a home where God felt at home afamily according to Godrsquos heart

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

PRAYING together as a family seems nolonger fashionable nowadays Te reasonsare varied so many commitments con-flicts of schedule practical impossibility ofbeing together Tere are of coursehappy exceptions of parents who everyevening gather their children for somemoments of reflection on the Word ofGod reconciliation shared prayer andrecitation of the Rosary hese samepeople are usually the ones who on Sun-days attend the Eucharistic celebrationas a family From this they derive strengthharmony cohesion And at the same timethey become an inspiration to the wholeparish community It is when the familygathers together for prayer that its mem-bersmdashboth parents and childrenmdashseethemselves under the common fatherlyauthority of God

A family that renews every day itscovenant with the Lord will have notime for endless bickering jealousyunfaithfulness harsh manners on thepart of the parents or rebellion on thepart of their children

Te families that pray together are re-ally mini ldquofaith communitiesrdquo or ldquolittlechurchesrdquo One wishes that these excep-

SOCIAL CONCERNS

M a s t e r o f t h e A n t w e r p A d o r a t i o n

M a r k E u s e b i o

Feast of the Holy Family (C) Luke 241-52

December 27 2015

World Day of Peace (C)

Luke 216-21

January 1 2016

Baptism of the Lord (C) Luke 315-16 21-22 January 10 2016

Solemnity of Epiphany (C) Matthew 21-12

January 3 2016

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

HE world is torn by wars and conflicts of every kindmdashwarsamong nations factions families Afraid of the tragediesof war simple people yearn for peace Some governments andpeace-oriented organizations try to achieve peace throughnegotiations and compromise Fortunately many times theysucceed in establishing at least a ceasefire

But we all know that peace is not simply the absence offighting Peacemdashit has been written in so many waysmdashisthe fruit of justice among nations groups individuals Morethan this peace is the fruit of being in a harmonious rela-tionship not only with others but also with oneself andespecially with God Tere can be no peace where there isrejection of God

Peace is just another word for love another word forgrace It prospers only with the defeat of sin And just asall the sufferings and destructions of war are both a sign anda consequence of sin so the defeat of sin in ourselves andaround us produces that inexpressible feeling of satisfactionand harmony that no material riches can buy and no balanceof power can create

Real lasting peace is what God the source of all good-ness wants for all mankind But in order for that peaceto become a reality we have to do our share First of allwe have to pray for it Ten we have to work for it Tatmeans to make every effort to bring it about Ten the Lord

will bless our efforts by granting us that genuine peace thathas in Him its origin and support On our part we have toaccept Godrsquos blessing of peace with humble gratitude as Heoffers it to us not as an abstract concept but as a person ndashHis very own Son Jesus Christ He is our peace becauseHe is the One who reconciles all men with the Father andamong themselves the One who reconciles each of us

with ourselves In Him we are able to recognize all humanbeings as our brothers and sisters all members of the onebig family that has God as the common Father He is theOne who called the peacemakers ldquoblessedrdquo and gave peaceto His disciples as His farewell gift

Jesus the King of Peace comes to us not in a vision orlike rain from the clouds He comes from a human motherMary Most Holy the woman of peace who has been ableto open herself to the Source of all peace and has fashionedHim in that human form in which all can recognize andlove as their elder brother In this way Mary and peace arevitally and dynamically linked And she brings peace to ourtroubled hearts and lives as Godrsquos messenger as she givesus Jesus in this Christmas season

Pope Francis calls all of us

to CARE FOR OUR COM-MON HOME Tis is one ofthe most important remindersin our times to really show re-spect to God who created allTe issuance of mining permit

will allow tree cutting activi -ties in almost 10000 hectaresland area Tis will lead to thedestruction of the very fewremaining forest in the Philip-pines and in the world We

would expec t a more imba l-ance ecology extinction ofdiversified natural resourcesexample flora fauna insectsanimals (including the Philip-pine Eagle) floods sicknesses

We reiterate that we would not

like this to happen We must remember that the

Home B4

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

EPIPHANY is the manifestation of Jesusas the MessiahSavior of all men includ-ing the pagans of goodwill representedby the Magi As such it is also the mani-festation of the divine plan hidden forcenturies in God to unite all human beingsin Christ (See Eph 11-10)

Evermore mankind moves toward the for-mation of a great international communityTis is according to Godrsquos plan Its roots arein creation itself ldquoGlobalizationrdquo is the ldquoin-thingrdquo nowadays It is a ldquosign of the timesrdquo to

which we should pay attention Tough theconcern of most of its proponents seems tobe economic its basic assumption is correctwe are one world one family of nations

Whatever is incompatible wi th this ldquoone-nessrdquo should be abolished

Many oppose globalization because if we

limit it to its economic aspect and to tearingdown trade barriers almost surely it will leadto the rich becoming richer and the poorbecoming poorer But if we take this wordto mean essentially the abolition of all bar-riers that have been erected by human prideselfishness ghetto mentalities or racism andif it ushers in a greater solidarity of thestronger with the weaker and a generoussharing by the rich with the poor thenglobalization is according to Godrsquos planand all Christians should be its most en-thusiastic supporters

Epiphany has also a special messageconcerning the attitude of all religions

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

WE say tha t people make aldquoprophetic gesturerdquo when theydo something striking that is alsoa sign of greater things to comeTose gestures reveal the depthof their passion or commitmentthey are meant to shake peopleand somehow force them to makea choice either for or againstcertain vital issues

In his lifetime Jesus mademany ldquoprophetic gesturesrdquo

such as his driving the tradersout of the emple the healingof the paralytic and many othermiracles He performed All thosegestures were ldquospectacularrdquo intheir own way Tey attracted theattention of the crowds which

wondered what their ldquomeaningrdquocould be

Tere was in the life of Jesus aldquogesturerdquo which was not spectacu-lar at all and which went unno-ticed by almost everybody exceptHis cousin John His baptism inthe River Jordan Tat gesture

was absolutely ldquocommonrdquo andldquoordinaryrdquo for it was somethingthat almost everybody was doingin those days in response to the

exhortation of John the BaptistBut Jesusrsquo baptism at the Jor-

dan lost in the crowd of sinners who were seeking forgivenesshad a depth of meaning thatmade it one of his most dra-matic ldquoprophetic gesturesrdquo It

was his baptism in fact whichrevealed the essence of Jesusrsquomission and became the occa-sion for the revelation of hisconcealed divine identity

he ldquoprophetic dimensionrdquoof Jesusrsquo action was not so muchin his entering the waters of the

Jordan ashis immersing himselfin the crowd of sinners Tat was

something unthinkable and un-believable Only Godrsquos incrediblelove for every human being andall mankind could have conceivedsuch an ldquoimmersionrdquo which was socomplete and involving as to be atotal ldquoidentificationrdquo Tat wasthe reason why the eternal andall-holy Son of God had comedown from heaven and had un-dergone the fullest ldquoimmersionrdquoin the ocean of mankindrsquos miseryand in human history Jesusrsquobaptism is a clear manifestationof Godrsquos mercy toward mankindTe Word the eternal Son of theFather clad in human flesh in

Jesus of Nazareth becomes one with sinful mankind not to be its

judge but its Savior and the HolySpirit appearing in the form of a

dove a symbol of peace remindsus of Godrsquos mercy on the ldquorem-nantrdquo of mankind as the purifyingflood subsided (See Gen 810-11) Jesusrsquo baptism was a furthermanifestation of the meaning andpurpose of the Incarnation

hrough that ldquoimmersionidentificationrdquo the totally sinless Jesus became a part not onlyof the relatively small group ofsinners gathered by the banksof the Jordan but also of theimmense crowd of sinners thatis the whole of humankind And

just as his immersive in the watersof the river sanctified them so didhis presence among the crowd ofsinners bring them the possibilityof receiving purification from sin

Tat was exactly Jesusrsquo missionIsaiah the prophet had alreadyforeseen this when he announcedthat the mission of the ldquoServant ofthe Lordrdquo was to bring ldquojusticerdquo(that is holiness) to the nationsOf him the Lord God said ldquoIformed you and set you as a cov-enant of the people a light forthe nations to open the eyes ofthe blind to bring out prisonersfrom confinement and from thedungeon those who live in dark-nessrdquo (See todayrsquos First Reading)

In his life Jesus ldquoactualizedrdquosuch a liberating and sanctify-

ing ldquoimmersionrdquo by associatingwith sinners and even seekingtheir company ndash something thatshocked the ldquoholyrdquo people of histime His association with ldquopublicsinnersrdquo was bound to tarnishhis reputation as his opponentspointed out on several occasions

Jesus did not mind that criti-cism and continued like beforeformdashas he himself saidmdashit is sickpeople who need a doctor (SeeMt 912) But his immersinghimself in the crowd of sin-ful mankind cost Jesus much

moremdashit cost him his very lifefor he was put to death to atonefor the sins of all

Jesusrsquo vicarious self-offering was so power ful in its effec tbecause of who he wasmdashGodrsquosbeloved Son on whom the Fa-therrsquos favor rested Such a solemnproclamation of Jesusrsquo divineidentity soon after his baptismbalanced so to speak his hid-ing himself among the crowdof sinners at the Jordan RiverIt also completed the ldquopropheticnaturerdquo of what happened on thatdaymdashGodrsquos very Son coming tosave all mankind by sharing fullyits predicament of misery in or-der to transform it from within

through the superabundant holi-ness that only God is

Families according to Godrsquos heart

symbolized by the Magi toward JesusChrist He should be the one acknowledgedby all believers as the universal Savior sentby God to bring all mankind back to GodTe gifts offered by the Magi to Jesus in

Bethlehem can symbolize the different char-acteristics which the major world religionscan offer as their distinct contribution to theestablishment of the Kingdom proclaimedand established by Christ the gold of faithin one merciful God and the power of His Word as a feature of Islam the incense ofmeditation love for nature and peace thatcharacterize Buddhism the myrrh of dedica-tion and industriousness that characterizeConfucianism Jesus rejects nothingof the values these faiths have He acceptsthem all and brings them together into onepractical synthesis that makes humankindthe family of God on earth

Jesus is indeed the center of humanhistory because he is the center of Godrsquosplan for mankind He is the ldquocenterrdquonot only in the sense that his coming hasdivided the centuries into two great blocks

of ldquobeforerdquo and ldquoafterrdquo Christ He is alsothe one in whom all men can find thecommon point of reference to form a realfamily of nations and peoples withoutcoercion or exploitation Te light of hisGospel can penetrate all cultures assumeall their valid elements and purify the restfrom those negative aspects which thepower of sin has gradually introduced inthem

Only Jesus Christ can keep all men unitedin a community of sincere respect lastingsolidarity and practical love For the plan ofthe Father born of love will find its fulfill-ment only in LOVE

Mary of NazarethMother of JesusMother of peace

Christ the unifying centerof all mankind

One with sinners to save them

environment can exist even

without us but we can neverexist without the environmentnature We only have one com-mon home the Earth there isno other

We urge the Dep ar tmentof Environment and NaturalResources to take the real leadto protect our remaining ldquoenvi-ronment and natural resourcesrdquoplan with other governmentagencies and environmentallyconcern organizationsfounda-tions on how to preserve ourremaining forests and marinelife sanctuaries

NO O MINING IN MA-GUM PUJADA BAY AND SA-LINGCOMO MAI CIY

PROVINCE OF DAVAO ORI-ENAL

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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B8 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

Look for the images of Saint Joseph Mama

Mary and Baby Jesus

(Illustration by Bladimer Usi)

Bladimer UsiLolo Kiko

Buhay Parokya

KANISS Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) both a victor in andsubverter of Panemrsquos Hunger Games is now a symbol of the revolu-tion whom rebel president Alma Coin (Julianne Moore) and powerbroker Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman) want to usestrictly as a poster girl Stubborn freedom-fighter Katniss howeverhas her own agenda and that includes killing President Snow (Don-ald Sutherland]) to end once and for all the senseless deaths of somany young people Forming a team of rag-tag soldiers that includeclosest friends Gale (Liam Hemsworth) Finnick (Sam Claflin) andPeeta (Josh Hutcherson) she goes off on a mission risking theirlives through a booby-trapped war to liberate the citizens of PanemTe final confrontation between Katniss and Snow presided overby Coin is an electrifying game-changer

Te Hunger Games is not exempted from the fad of choppinginto ldquopartsrdquo the movie adaptations of popular books Harry Potterwilight Te Hobbitmdashthey have all stretched their heroesrsquo exploitsto prolong box office earning power and yet the fans wait AfterHunger Games MockingjayPart 1 which judging fromits relatively weak performanceat the tills must have been aforgettable movie that testedthe patience of fans Mocking-

jay Part 2 revs up with moreof the thrills that have madethe Hunger Games series theprototype of dystopia flicks foryoung adults (Divergent et al)Te strong cast monumentallycontributes to the realism of theHunger Games franchisemdashhowcan it go wrong with a leonineSutherland a steely Moore asly Hoffman And of coursethe winner Lawrence who canequally sell with aplomb partscalling for either vulnerability orverve In Mockingjay 2 the starsrsquo solid performances interwoven

with heart-stopping CGI make for a fitting finale to a story that

capitalizes on manrsquos inhumanity to manItrsquos surprising that a number of film critics are disappointed with the

filmrsquos ending calling it ldquosappyrdquo and an anti-climactic conclusion to anadrenalin-packed series that promised so much by way of action andheroism Teir cynical remarks remind us of biblical Israel waiting fora savior who would topple down the ruling elite with its own brandof kingship but is instead given a Jesus Christ CINEMA thinks theending is actually a statement that magnifies the upbeat message of the

whole story enough is enough Murder as spectator sport is sub-human At least when beasts kill it is to survive but in Panem the poor youngpeople are robbed of choice and must kill in order to livemdashas enter-tainment for the elite So Mockingjay mocks the elite it cries ldquoGivehumanity a chancerdquo Whatrsquos wrong with wanting to dump violence tostart afresh Choose life not death Arrows that used to kill people arealso useful for hunting fowl for the dinner tablemdashis that against the lawldquourn your swords into ploughs and your spears into pruning hooksrdquoMaybe the cynicsrsquo eyes have grown to love the Hunger Gamesrsquo darknessthat the sunlight-dappled scenery blinds them Or maybe after fallingin love with the couture of Panemrsquos stylish crowd theyrsquore simply horri-

fied by Katnissrsquo drastic costume change Whatever CINEMA wouldnrsquothave wanted the ending any other way

ENTERTAINMENT

MAGPAPAKASAL at magsump-aang magmamahalan nang wagasang dating live-in partners nasina Basya (Bea Alonzo) at Popoy(John Lloyd Cruz) Bilang mgalisensyadong enhinyero at arkitektoay magtataguyod sila ng construc-tion business na mabilis na uunladLalong magpupursige ang mag-asawa na magpalago ng negosyodahil magbubuntis si Basya Naisnilang mabigyan ng magandangkinabukasan ang kanilang anak

Subalit dahil sa pressure ng tra-baho ay makukunan si Basya attuluyang mawawala ang sanggolna kanyang dinadala Labis itongikalulungkot nina Basya at Popoykaya napagkasunduan nila ayonna rin sa mungkahi ni Basya natitigil siya sa pagtatrabaho upangmakabuo uli sila ng baby Nanatilisi Basya sa bahay at di nakialam sanegosyo sa loob ng dalawang taonPinaubaya niya ang pagpapatakbong negosyo kay Popoy Magtitiwalasi Basya sa kakayanan ng asawa namahusay nitong mapapamahalaanang kompanya katulad ng nagingproblema ng pagguho ng isangbuilding project Hindi rin gu-gustuhin ni Popoy na bigyan ngalalahanin si Basya Samantala sakabila ng magandang saloobin nilasa isarsquot isa ay ang napipintong pag-kalugi ng negosyo na siya namangililihim ni Popoy kay Basya Dahilsasarilinin ni Popoy ang problemamaapektuhan ng tuluyan angkanilang pagsasama

Sequel ng pelikulang One MoreChance na pinalabas noong 2007ang Second Chance Matatan-daang tumatatak ang naunangpelikula dahil sa mga tinatawag nalsquohugot linesrsquo nina Alonzo at Cruzsa nasabing pelikula Di namannabigo ang mga nag-abang sa se-quel na ito dahil naganap nga angsecond chance sa mga pangunah-ing tauhan na sina Basya at PopoyMalinis ang pagkakadugtong ng

dalawang pelikula --- parehongmga tauhan at kontexto gayundinang mga artistang nagsiganap Sakabila ng pagkakaroon ng prequelay napanatili ang malayang istoryang Second Chance bilang isangpelikula Bagamat predictable ang

wakas ay naging kasabik-sabikpa din ang mga eksena at mgapalitan ng linya ng lahat ng tau-han Di matatawaran ang husayng pagganap nina Alonzo at Cruzbilang mag-asawa panalo talagaang tinatawag na chemistry nilangdalawa Di rin nagpahuli nag mgakatuwang na aktor at aktres Mag-aling ang ginawang trato ng direk-

tor para mapalabas ang kalakasanng mga nagsiganap at ang mgaeksenang hinaluan ng patawa lalona sa eksena kasama ng mga kai-bigan Simple lamang ang disenyong produksyon pero nakatulongang mga kuha ng camera at edit-ing para maging makabuluhan saistorya ang setting Makahuluganang composition na nagpapakitang electric fan para sa mensahe nanagtitipid na ang mag-asawa dahillugi na ang kompanya

Mayaman sa mensahe parasa mga mag-asawa ang SecondChance Pinakita sa pelikula angrealidad ng buhay may-asawa nahindi lang puro kasarapan sa halip aymga pagsubok na maaring mauwi sahiwalayan kung hindi haharapin ataayusin Sa relasyon ng mag-asawa

ay napakahalaga ng magiging bu-kas sa isarsquot isa kaya anuman angpagdaanan ay magkatuwang nahaharapin Ang pagtatago ni Popoyng katotohanan kay Basya ang nag-ing mitsa ng lumubhang alitan dipagkakaunawaan pagkawala ngrespeto at palitan ng masasakitna salitamdashpati tiwala sa sarili aynawala At sa punto na pipiliin ngisa na lumayo at hanapin ang sariliay nakatulong na balikan ang mga

sumpaan binatiwan nuong sila ayikinasal at higit sa lahat ang kanilangpagmamahal sa isarsquot isa Mainamdin na may mga kaibigan at pamilyana pwedeng lapitan na susuporta athindi manghuhusga manunumbato mang-uudyok sa paggawa ng maliKapuna-puna lang na bagamatnagsimula at nagwakas ang pelikulasa chapel ay tila di man lang nilanaisipan na magdasal habang maypinagdaraanan sila Nais isipin ngCINEMA na ang gusto lamangsabihin ng pelikula ay ang pag-aasawa ay hindi lamang sa pagitanng dalawang tao kundi dapat aykasama palagi ang Diyos

DIRECTOR Cathy Garcia-Molina

LEAD CAST Bea AlonzoJohn Lloyd Cruz DimplesRomana

SCREENWRITER VanessaValdez Carmi Raymundo

GENRE Romantic Drama

CINEMATOGRAPHER NoelTeehankee

RUNNING TIME 130 minutesTECHNICAL ASSESSMENT

MORAL ASSESSMENT CINEMA Rating V13

A SECONDCHANCE

DIRECTOR Francis LawrenceLEAD CAST Jennifer Law-

rence Josh HutchersonLiam Hemsworth WoodyHarrelson Donald Suther-land Julianne Moore PhilipSeymour Hoffman

GENRE Adventure ScienceFiction

RUNNING TIME 137 minutesTECHNICAL ASSESSMENT

MORAL ASSESSMENT CINEMA rating V14

THE HUNGER

GAMESMOCKINGJAY 2

Buhay San Miguel Brothers Matias

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 1724

Philippine Army Chaplaincy CFC

Hold 1st National Convention

The first-ever OACCS - OSM CEP Convention further strengthened the camaraderie between the chaplaincy and the local CFC created a more solid CFC OSM Core enabledthe stakeholders to work together and recognized the efforts of those who work tirelessly under the program

CFC Metro Manila as one big happy family worshipped danced sang played gamesand had fun during the last MC Gathering of the year

By Alma Alvarez

CFC ANCOP USA Pontificio Collegio Fillipino Sign Partnership Agreement

CFC MM MC Celebrates the Family

HIS Eminence Cardinal Luis Antonio agle Chairman of PontificioCollegio Filippino and its Rector Msgr Greg Gaston recently signedthe ANCOP USA Priest Sponsorship Program (PSP) partnership

with Eric Villanueva Roger Santos and Rollie Balanza Couples forChrist - ANCOP USA leaders Te ANCOP USA PSP will assistpriests from the Philippines who will be sent by their Bishops to doadvance studies in Rome

In his letter to Villanueva Cardinal agle wrote ldquoOur partnership will

allow more Bishops to send Priests for ongoing formation and furtherstudies in Rome to better equip them in serving Gods people as SeminaryFormators and as collaborators in the different Diocesan Ministries back

HE Metro Manila Mission Coregathered as one big CFC familyduring this months MC Assemblylast December 6 2015 Leadersfrom the Family Ministries likewisecame to the Ynares Sports Arenato hear Mass together celebrateshowcase talents play in the fungames and just enjoy each otherscompany before the end of the year

CFC Spiritual Director Msgr Allen Aganon celebrated Mass Inhis homily Msgr Allen emphasizedthe enormity of the role of John theBaptist as the one who heralded thecoming of Jesus Christ despite hishumble beginnings He challengedthe CFC leaders to be like Johnthe Baptist

We are ordinary people who

home As a result our Church in the Philippines will be strengthenedso that Priests and laity alike could carry out our respective work ofevangelization and service not only to the Church but also to societyrdquo

According to the agreement the PSP is for Masters Licentiate orDoctorate studies only ANCOP USA PSP funds will cover the priestrsquosboard and lodging at the Collegio in the amount of $10000 per year

All other needs such as tuition fees medical insurance transportationbooks etc will be provided for by the Bishop as a local counterpart

Tis would ensure that priests can benefit from the partnershipo donate or to know more about the program please visitwwwancopusa-psporg

THE CFC Order of St Michael(OSM) in cooperation with thePhilippine Army Ofce of theArmy Chief Chaplain Service(OACCS) staged the rst everCharacter Enhancement Pro-gram (CEP) Convention last No-vember 24 2015 at the PhilippineAir Force Museum Pasay CityRetired Col Arturo Alabanza amember of CFC Metro Manila(South B) and head of the OSM

OSM C4

together with the OSM Corespearheaded the event

In his opening remarks Alabanza describedhow the OSM came together with the OACCS

and forged a long-term partnership to ldquodeveloprighteous God-fearing soldiers loved by theFilipino peoplerdquo through the CEP Te CFCOSM has developed modules specifically cater-ing to the soldiers their spouses and childrenOACCS on the other hand has the author-ity to mandate Commanding Officers of thevarious Army camps nationwide to employthe CEP

Te convention allowed the stakeholders toreport on the accomplishments and enabledthe Army Chaplains from the different Infan-

try Divisions to plan with their local Couplesfor Christ counterparts regarding strategies forCEP and its continuing spiritual enhancementmodules It was likewise an opportunity for

CFC OSM to present the second module forthe CEP which the group plans to roll outbeginning 2016

ANCOP Chairman Joe Yamamoto in hisinspirational talk reiterated Pope Francisrsquo callfor new evangelization and emphasized thatthe partnership is a clear response of each per-son involved whether it be the Chaplaincy orthe lay stakeholders to be agents of change inthe spiritual realm within the Philippine Army

Several of those serving in the program

His Eminence Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle and the leaders of CFC ANCOP USA f orging a strong partnership for further education among Filipino clergy

are called to herald Christ andto be missionaries of mercy heemphasized

Te Mass was followed by theopening worship led by the MetroManila Missions Director MannyGarcia and a brief message fromCFC Chairman Joe ale

Te CFC Order of St Michaelthrough its Head Art Alabanzatook the opportunity to honor the55 Singles for Christ volunteers

who served in the Christian LifeProgram for the PMA Cadets inBaguio Te fun-filled games forthe adults and children talentpresentations and face-paintingadded to the festive mood rulyit was a day for the family (CFCGlobal Communications)

Reconciliation is Key to Advent PreparationsldquoTHE best way to prepare forChristmas is reconciliation Thebirth of Jesus is Gods offering ofreconciliationrdquo

his was the essence of the Advent recollection given by FrGerard imoner OP Provincialof the Dominican Order in thePhilippines for the workers of theCFC Global Mission Office Terecollection was held last Novem-ber 28 2015 at the Obizpado deCubao in Quezon City

In his reflection Fr imoner

creatively wove reconciliation withforgiveness as well as the new

evangelization taking into account Jesusrsquo words to ldquoshake off the dust

from your feetrdquo According to hima good spiritual foot spamdashthe act

of shaking the dust off onersquos feet toremove all traces of the bad news to

enable one to proclaim the GoodNewsmdashis essential in preparing

oneself during AdventFr imoner described for-

giveness as ldquosetting a prisonerfree and realizing that thatprisoner is yourdquo He illustratesldquoJesus did not forgive whileon the cross Instead he saidlsquoFather forgive them for theyknow not what they dorsquo We canonly forgive if we engage Godsforgiveness within our ownrdquo

he best path to the newevangelization is to allow our-selves to be reconciled with God

amp each other he emphasized(A Alvarez)

The News Supplement of

Couples for Christ

C1CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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Reflections on Advent

I IS the start of a new liturgical

year As in every year the previ-ous liturgical year ended withthe feast of Christ the King afitting high point indeed Aftergoing through the year observ-ing the various highs and lowsand phases of His life in theend and rightly so we proclaim

Jesus as indeed the King of kingsand the Lord of lords

And so the Church starts thecycle anew beginning fromHis birth into this world obuild up to that we have theseason of advent of waitingof anticipating of preparingfor the birth of He who werecognize and proclaim as theKing of kings

One would expect that thismajor season is ushered in

with Bible vers es express ingthe level of excitement befit-ting the birth of the King ofthe universe It is therefore abit surprising and soberingthat the opening reading ofthis season is one with a themethat speaks not of celebrationbut of foreboding of the com-ing end times

here wil l be strangethings happening to the sunto the moon and the stars Onearth whole countries will bein despair afraid of the roarof the sea and the raging tidesPeople will faint from fear asthey wait for what is comingover the whole earth for the

Joe Tale

powers in space will be driven

from their courses hen theSon of Man will appear comingin a cloud of great power andglory When these things begin tohappen stand up and raise yourheads because your salvation isnear Luke 2125-28

Moreover we are enjoined tobe on watch and to be vigilantin a specific way Be careful notto let yourselves become occu-pied with too much feasting anddrinking and with the worries ofthis life or that Day will suddenlycatch you like a trap For it willcome upon all people everywhereon earth Be on watch and prayalways that you will have thestrength to go safely through allthose things that will happen andto stand before the Son of Man

Luke 2134-36It is significant we might evensay ironic that during this seasonof merriment in anticipation ofthe birth of the Messiah we are

warned exactly not t o be merryIn this period that we normallycelebrate with much food and

wine and music we are instructedto refrain from such things

Is the verse dousing cold wa-ter on all these festivities andpreventing us from celebrating

joyously the arr ival of t he KingNot so he verse simply re-

minds us of something more im-portant whatever be the seasonof our life of being constantlyprepared and on the watch at

all times not ever to bring our

guards down whether we are go-ing through our low moments orhigh points in our life We are re-minded to always Be Preparedas the Boy Scouts motto goes

whatever our spec ific situationmay be at any given time

Als o I sense tha t the Lor d would like to bring us to a deeperlevel of rejoicing not merely onthe level of the frivolous as toomuch feasting and drinking areTe words of Jesus do not preventus from rejoicing He wants us tocontinue to be prepared even as

we celebrate He warns us not torejoice in a wanton way that takesus away from our right senses re-sulting in our being unpreparedhus our rejoicing should becoming from deep in our hearts

not shallow and hollow expres-sions of the same Our rejoicingshould be geared towards allowingus to still be prepared

hus as we hold our Christ-mas parties and dwell in themerriment of the season let usbe mindful of the words fromthe Gospel Appropriate feastingand drinking not only make usfaithful to the gospel but is alsomore healthy Significantly tooit should make us more caring tothose who have less and hope-fully lead us not to be wastefuland to share whatever we have somany others will also experiencea truly Merry Christmas

Rejoice in the Lord

HE RED Cubs harvested thegrand championship of the recentlyconcluded CFC GMC Ablaze Cup2015 held last December 2 - Decem-ber 8 2015 at the sports facilities ofCamp Crame

Te friendly games were partici-pated in by the different departmentsin the CFC Global Mission CenterTe Red Cubs romped off with the

Red Cubs are Champions in CFC GMC Ablaze Cup 2015

Go go go GMC clockwise from top left Caloy Rubio CFC Ablaze Cup Event Head exhorting participants the board of judges CFC Chair Joe Tale inspiring the athletes paradeof athletes the Orange Tigers basketball game between the Red Cubs and the Maroon on Fire cheerdance competition

Mel and Aimee Serrano talking about the highs and lows of dealing with in-laws

In Highs And In-Laws Dealing With Your In-Laws

ldquoATRASrdquo BOYS amp GIRLS

Are We Waiting For Jesus At The Right Spot

This Advent

IN983085LAWS he very word re-minds many a married coupleof discomfort awkward evenstrained relationships and some-times open conflict But are rela-tionships with the family membersof your spouse meant to be merelytolerant Te latest Couples forChrist (CFC) ndash Young Couples

Assembly on November 30 heldat St Pauls College in Pasig Citytackled precisely this topic andcame up with this wildly inge-nious insight In-laws are peopletoo ndash love them

According to the speakers Meland Aimee Serrano of CFC ndashMetro Manila West B lovingthem in all sincerity will work

wonders ldquoTat is the tried andtested formula love your in-lawsrdquoshared Mel a school owner fromQuezon City

During the talk which theypeppered with lots of insights andsharing of personal experiences as a

PASIG City Nov 29 2015 ndash What do weusually do when we find out that someone welove or an important personality is visiting ou rhome We tidy up we prepare good food butmost of all we wait his was the m essage thatabout 150 young married couples heard duringthe Family Mass at the Couples for Christ ndash

Young Couple s Assembly at St Paul Colleg eConvention Center held last November 30

Fr Ruper Solis SVD who celebrated theFamily Mass reminded the couples presentthat to wait for something or someone also

couple married for 20 years the Ser-ranos focused on several key points1 Handle them with care

Tis means giving attention tothe one who needs more takingcare of them in their old age as

well as training your kids to respecttheir grandparents

ldquoOn our part we have to makesure that our children will give duerespect [to them] and be able tounderstand intricacies that come

with old agerdquo said AimeeldquoWhether may sama ng loob

(hurt feelings) sometimes there will be times na mahirap makipag-kita (that it will be difficult to meetthem) but you have to go to themKailangan nating gawin yun (Weneed to do it)rdquo she stressed

2 Acknowledge differences According to the couple people

should recognize that their spousemay not have the same familyculture as they do Value systems

means waiting at the right placeldquoAs Christians our life is a series of waiting

Dapat maghintay ka sa tamang lugarhindi langsa tamang panahon na sinasabi ni Lola Nidora noPero sa tamang lugar din (We should wait not justfor the right time but waiting should be doneat the right place as well)rdquo explained Fr Ruper

he young priest who was an SVD missionaryassigned to Argentina for more than seven years

went on to tell the story of how once in Argentinahe was waiting by the side of the road flagging

championship crowns in badmin-ton (women) table tennis (menand women) tug-of-war and peelbanana It was a close fight with theMaroon on Fire team who grabbedthe winning titles for basketballvolleyball cheer dance and chess(men) and ended up 1st runner-up

with les s than 2 points from the winning team Te Orange igerscame in 2nd runner-up while YellowHotshots was 3rd runner-up basedon the last team standings

Te awarding ceremonies wereheld last December 8 2015 dur-ing the celebration of the CFCGMC Christmas party Tis an-nual event is an opportunity forthe mission workers to enjoy eachotherrsquos company Te Ablaze Cuplikewise serves as a venue tofoster and promote the spirit ofsportsmanship and unity amongthe GMC workers from bothpastoral and mission support(Yvonne Dolorosa)

HE WORD ldquoatrasrdquo means a backwardmovement It is generally used to refer to theldquoReverserdquo function of a vehicle In Lanao DelNorte the word has been applied to a group ofboys abd girls who guide vehicles in and out ofparking spaces the equivalent of the ldquoWatch-your-carrdquo aides in Metro Manila

he CFC leaders in the province immedi-ately thought of the Atras Boys and Girls ofLanao Del Norte when Cardinal agle said ndashldquoGo to the peripheries be a mobile clinicto heal the poor from spiritual sickness rdquo

Another ins pirat ion was from one of the mostimportant pastoral subjects of Pope Francisabout the ldquofamily and the poorrdquo

Every time I go to mass at the St MichaelrdquosCathedral with my wifeata the ldquoatras boysand girlsrdquo are all over the area assisting ve-hicles either to park or to exit the parking area

When n ot per formi ng thi s function they andother members of their family can be seenbegging for their daily sustenance hey areusually homeless their home being along theperipheries of the Cathedral or the sidewalks

he inspiration led the Area Governanceeam to the idea of bring these boys and girlsand their parents to a Christian Life Programhey moved quickly with Boy Suezo approv-ing the strategic CLP as designed by RegionalPastoral Formation Head Art Maderazo andinserting video clips appropriate to the CLPtalks With the activation of the SOLD Min-istry with Bro Roger Sultan as Provincial Co-

ordinator SOLD was made the lead ministryof the ldquoAtras Boys and Gir lsrdquo CLP

Initially the number of participants was limitedto five (5) for logistical reasons but the HolySpirit deemed otherwise ndash the attendees eventuallynumbered ten individuals and three (3) coupleshe CLPs were scheduled every hursday at 600orsquoclock in the evening with dinner provided byCFC brothers and sisters particularly the AGrsquos

wives and ANCOP members he SOLD Prov in-cial Coordinator took care of fetching the partici-pants from the Cathedral and also bringing themback to their ldquohomesrdquo It did not matter to Rogerthat his car would often retain the smell of the

unwashed he persisted in servicing the transportneeds of the participants

November 05 2015 was truly a pleasant anda memorable day to the service team On thatday five of the ten boys and girls and two (2)couples dedicated their life to CFC One of theparticipants stood up to give an inspiring testi-mony ending with ldquohank you CFC for makingus somebody in your heart hank you for beingmindful of the conditions of the poor and thankyou for bringing Christ to our livesrdquo (ldquoSalamatCFC nga aduna pa diay kami luna sa inyong kas-ingkasing Salamat CFC sa inyong pagpakabanasa susama kanamo nga mga timawa Salamat sainyong panahon pag hatag kanamo sa pagtulun-anni Kristo)

It is envisioned that this kind of evangeliza-tion can be replicated in other areas nationwidethe beginning of a truly strategic evangelizationHopefully this is also the beginning of a newlife for the new CLP graduates with CFC being

instrumental in helping them provide for theirfamilyrsquos future (Nonoy Haim)

disciplining style even views onhow to handle finances will of-tentimes be different Tat is whyunderstanding coupled with love

will go a long wayldquoDifferences and conflicts are

not unhealthy but mismanagementis Never criticize your in-lawsrdquoMel said

Also in case of confl ict themessenger or the ldquobridgerdquo shouldbe the one with the primary re-lationship (spouse to own fathermother)

he Serranos candidly sharedabout a conflict that eruptedbetween Aimee and her father-in-law during the campaignperiod for local elections whenMel ran for public office heconflict was soon followed by aperiod of silence a Cold Warso to speak ldquoIt took us at leasta year or two [My father said]kasi pag di natin inayos tolahat tayo maapektuhan (If we

dont fix this all of us will beaffected) It helped that thecouple prayed and sought DivineIntervention and asked the com-munity to pray with them heHoly Spirit worked

3 Respond appropriately What if ev en af ter l ovin g and

understanding them its stillnot smooth sailing with your in-laws Heres what the Serranoshad to say

bull iming is everythingbull Learn when to speak or keep

your mouth shutbull ake a breath cool offbull Maintain a sense of humorbull Remember unsolicited advice

is just an opiniono cap their talk the couple

brought back the participants tothe basics of loving in-laws to actout your love to build bridges andto communicate (Nirvaana EllaDelacruz)

HOMILY C3

IN A Memorandum sent to the Philip-pine Missions leaders last November23 2015 PM Director Jose Yamamotoappointedreassigned leaders for theNortheastern Luzon region

Mark Banzon has been appointedProvincial Area Head (PAH) of Isabelavice Rommel Ancheta ony de la Cruz

on the other hand was tapped to be PAHof Nueva Vizcaya vice Raul Balaquiao

O set a new tradition in the CFC Family the InternationalCouncil has agreed to make December 27 the Feast of theHoly Family as a special day for the members of the familyto honor one another Tis will allow each person in thefamily to express their gratitude to the Lord for the gift offamily and the importance of having each member of thefamily around for the love support and service As a sug-

New Appointments for CFC GMC NE LuzonFamily Honoring Night Set

Balaquiao was appointed PAH of IlocosSur vice ony de la Cruz while Cholo

Yjares is now PAH of Cagayan vice BongPagulayan Pagulayan is now PAH ofKalinga vice Cholo Yjares

he move is essentially a realignmentof the leaders in the Northeastern Luzonarea in the interest of the mission except

for Banzon who is a new appointee andfor Noel Malamug who remains as

PAH of Ifugao hese changes are to takeeffect on January 1 2016 Edythe Aven-dantildeo is also set to replace Didi Galsim asHandmaids of the Lord InternationalCoordinator effective January 1 2016

In the Global Mission Center RickyRico was appointed Head for the GAd-min effective October 1 2016 while Jay

Lucena was appointed head of the CFCEvents group also effective October 1facebookcomCFCGlobalMission CFChrist

The Ugnayan News Supplement is published by the Couples for Christ Global Mission Foundation Inc with editorial ofces at 156 20 th Avenue 1109 Cubao Quezon City

Editorial trunk line (+63 2) 709-4868 local 23

Direct line (+63 2) 709-4856

wwwcouplesforchristglobalorg cfcglobalcommunicationsgmailcom

Michael C Ariola

IC Oversight

Zenaida A Gimenez

Editor-in-Chief

Alma M Alvarez

Associate Editor

Evangeline C Mecedilla

Circulation Staff

Deomar P Oliveria

Layout Artist

The News Supplement

of Couples for Christ

gestion the guidelines indicate the following as the activitiesfor the said day hearing Mass together dining together athome praying together and in gratitude expressing theirlove to one another

hrough the Family Honoring Night the community hopesto strengthen the relationship among the family members andempower each one to truly cherish and love one another

Bong Pagulayan

Mark Banzon

Cholo Yjares

Ricky Rico

Edythe Avendantildeo

Raul Balaquiao

Jay Lucena

Tony de la Cruz

C2 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 1924

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 2024

CFC China Conducts

Mission Heads Training

CFC Greece Leaders Meet Archbishop of Athens amp Nuncio

COUPLES for Christ USA and CFC Greece leaders paid a courtesy call on Archbishop Sevastianos Rossolatos and Fr George Altouvas at the Archd ioce se of Athens he g roup in troduced Couples f or Chri st to the new Archbishop and di scus sed theirplans to initiate a CFC Youth Camp in Greek as well as to develop CFC teachings in Greek

On another occasion the CFC leaders met with the Apostolic Nuncio of the Holy See in Athens Archbishop Edward Joseph AdamsTey discussed challenges and forthcoming changes in the Greek Catholic hierarchy and laid down CFCrsquos plans for CFC Athens

SINGLES for Christ Metro Manila gath-ered at the San Carlos Seminary in Makatilast December 5 2015 at 700 pm forthe SFC Global One a two-hour non-stop worship experience Jay Laquiana fulltime pastoral worker for SFC ledthe worship

Global One was meant to be a simul-taneous praise concert with major cities

or provinces hosting the event But what

made this yearrsquos Global One event special was the fact that it was the first time it wasstaged online via youtube live broadcastTis gave SFCs all over the world an oppor-tunity to come together despite differencesin time zone

ogether as one ministry SFCs from theMetro Manila Sectors the provinces andthe various countries like the USA Canada

and the Middle Eastern countries raised

SFC GLOBAL ONEmdashUniting the World

via Online Worship

their voices in praise and worship for thecountless favors they received It likewisebecame an opportunity to ask the Lordto bless the ministry for the coming year

Te ministry sees the online Global Oneas an event they can do annually Tey alsosee it as a potential tool to reach othernon-SFC members to witness Christ andcome together with other young people to

worship (Lanie Montaos)

OSM C1

CFC Winnipeg held its 2nd Celebration of Covenant Love onNovember 21st the feast of the Presentation of Our Lady Sixteencouples attended the activity

One week prior to the Renewal of Wedding Vows the 16 coupleshad a mini-retreat conducted by their spiritual advisor Fr YollyGamallo Te mini-retreat included four couple-sharers Te HolyMass was celebrated at St John Cantius Parish presided by MsgrLouis McCloskey A simple reception followed for the 16 couples andabout 60 family members with additional witnesses from the CFCcommunity Te participants who renewed their marriage vows werefrom varied age groups with some having been married for only five

years to couples who were celebratingo 40 years of holy matrimony

Tis year makes the Celebration of Love even more relevant as itis the year that held the papal Synod on the Family and the WorldMeeting of Families Pope Francis stated when making an address tofamilies ldquoTose who celebrate the sacrament say lsquoI promise to be trueto you in joy and in sadness in sickness and in health I will love youand honour you all the days of my lifersquo At that moment the coupledoes not know what will happen nor what joys and pains awaitthem Tey are setting out like Abraham on a journey together

And that is what marriage is Setting out and walking togetherhand in hand putting yourselves in the Lordrsquos powerful handsHand in hand always and for the rest of your livesrdquo (from http

couplesforchristcanadaca)

A Celebration of Covenant Love

I cherish the treasure the treasure of you lifelong companion I give myself to you These happy couples from CFC Vancouver saying Yes again to oneanother and to God as they renew their marriage vows

CFC missionaries to South Americarejoiced as they completed a fruitfulmission to the area a fitting end to theyear Te mission to Nuevo Pueblo deColaacuten opened a new area an hour awayby land from Piura Peru establish-ing CFC ndash Parejas para Cristo in a remotetown in the desert At the end of theChristian Life Program 13 new CFCPPC members composed of 4 couples4 HOLD and 1 SOLD committed to alife with Christ

Te PVC (Programa de Vida Cristiana- Spanish CLP) was held November 27to 29 2015 (Tanksgiving weekend) byCFC USA Florida in Iglesias del Rosarioone of two parishes in town Padre LuisSerra head pastor of the main churchthe Iglesia Sagrado Corazoacuten de Jesuacutesopened the doors to CFC PPC Fourother brethren from CFC PPC RiojaPeru headed by Fr Rober Martinez cameto reinforce the missionariesrsquo efforts Teteam got a taste of their first mission

CFC China is on full throttle in its evan-gelization efforts Tey recently conducted

the first-ever CFC China Mission Headsraining from November 27 to 30 at Vilada Sta Isabel Estrada Cheoc Van MacauTe training aimed to strengthen its leader-ship ranks through several formation talksfrom the Chapter Leaders raining (CL)series Te sixty participants were mostlyChinese with some Filipino Mission Headsand their AG members from the North

West East and South of China includingMacau SAR and Hong Kong SAR

Te first day of the training was devotedto a silent retreat based on Psalm 4610ndash ldquoBe silent and know that I am GodrdquoTe three-hour retreat centered on thetheme ldquoWe need to Change How WeLead o lead like Jesusrdquo with each par-ticipant encouraged to ldquoempty oneselfrdquoFr Oliviades a member of the Opus Deifacilitated the retreat

Day 2 started with a Holy Mass concel-

ebrated by Fr Joseph Wang from YiwuEast China Te training proper began with Israel Silud CFC Country Headand Northwest Regional Head givingthe overview and citing challenges thatCFC China faces He reiterated thatCFC Chinarsquos goal of raising 1 millionhousehold heads will be driven by the

The fruits of 2015 for CFC PPC hundreds of miles away from home

In 2015 ten missions were held inSouth America by CFC USA All these

were made possible by a handful of zeal-ous and selfless CFC USA mission vol-unteers who sacrificed a lot and deniedthemselves many comforts in order tobring the Word of God to families in Co-lombia Ecuador and Peru CFC ParejasPara Cristo will not take off without thefinancial support of CFC USA

ruly God gave a very good year for

the mission team harvesting 608 souls in2015 (a total of 857 persons from June2014 to date) Te task of sustainingCFC PPC families and area countriesare enormous But with grateful heartsthe South America team humbly turnsto God thanking Him each day forHis guidance as He leads the way Teteam looks forward to 2016s adventureof bringing the banner of Christ to themiddle and corners of the earth (GlenSantayana)

whether lay or from the Chaplainsrsquo ranklikewise gave testimonies on how theirinvolvement in the CEP made them real-ize that they have become not only agentsof change but recipients of grace as well

In the afternoon the Chaplains andtheir CFC counterparts came together fora round table discussion of the plans ofthe various Infantry Divisions nationwide

Army Chie f Chaplain Fr Col Andre sBonifacio Belleza CHS (GSC) in anunexpected move expressed his recog-nition through the grant of awards ofthe initiatives of the Army Chaplainsin implementing the CEP in their vari-ous Divisions Fr Maj Juan Jerome CDaluro was awarded Best Chaplain ofthe Year 2015 for his exemplary ser viceas Division Chaplain of 9th Infantry(Spear) Division Fr MSg Mario Ban-

iqued Philippine Army (PA) OACCSChief Clerk was recognized as Best

Chaplain Assistant of the YearSince the partnership between the

OACCS and CFC OSM started in April2014 the group has conducted CharacterEnhancement Retreats (CER) for 28 Phil-ippine Army commands Trough CFCSingles for Christ volunteers a ChristianLife Program has likewise been conductedfor the Philippine Military Academy Classof 2018 graduating 385 PMA-Singles forChrist members Presently five CERs arealso being done at the V Luna MedicalCenter in Quezon City

Alabanza admit s there is still muchto be done So far the CEP has reached2000 men and women in uniformroughly 0287 percent of an estimated800000 population of soldiers theirspouses and their families Tis is indeedfertile ground for values and spiritual

transformation which is just waiting tobe conquered (A Alvarez)

Another fruitful harvest in Peru from top the 13 new members in CFC PPC all-women discussion group

Courtesy call top photos CFC leaders with Archbishop Edward Joseph Adams amp Fr George Altouvas bottom photos with Fr George Archbishop SevastianosRossolatos and Archbishop Edward Joseph Adams

CFC OSM and the OACCS reaching out to the men and women in uniform and their families through the Character Enhancement Program

personal holiness of its ser vant-leaders who will be leading the evangelization thrust

in 34 provinces in China CL talks 2-5 were given by the regional heads with their wives as sharers

Day 3 began with the recitation ofthe Holy Rosary followed by anotherconcelebrated Holy Mass Fr Oliviadesdelivered a beautiful homily on ldquoemptyingoneselfrdquo Te rest of the CL talks wereagain delivered by the regional heads withtheir wives as sharers In CL alk 9 Siludemphasized the need to pay attention tothe means to care for the spirit mind andbody of the leaders

Te last day primarily focused on plan-ning the CFC China activities for 2016One of the proposals from the planningis that the four (4) regions in China willeach be hosting the major activities linedup for the year

Te three-day training and planning was conducted by CFC China Country

Head IsraelSally Silud with the supportof North Asia Regional Coordinator Ga-rieCess Pimentel and the regional headsfrom East China (EricEvelyn Ylagan)South China (JoelErica Santos) HongKong SAR (GarieCess Pimentel) andMacau SAR (JMEmilie Yupangco) (Ericamp Evelyn Ylagan)

C4 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 2124

JCL ndash member while for the TeologicalCommission the experts appointed wereFr Alexander L Garces SDB JCL ndashPresident Fr Enrico Eusebio Jr SJ JCDndash member and Sr Maria Amparo SantosOP JCL ndash member As with the ribunalmembers the Presidents and membersof both Commissions individually tooktheir respective oaths and signed the Acts

Te appointed Copyist Ms RonalynRegino and Assistant Copyist Ms Ge-cerein Sayen Ocampo were called next totake their respective oaths and similarlysigned in the Acts

Ten Postulator Msgr Pedro C Qui-torio III and Vice Postulator Fr WilmerR Rosario JCD individually took their

respective oaths not compromise the truthand offend justice nor impede the free-dom of witnesses to testify in the CauseTereafter they also signed the Acts

Te Postulator then presented to Car-dinal agle for his examination a list of

witnesses to be interrogated subject to thepossible addition and revision of namesin the future Upon examining the listthe Cardinal decreed that the next sessionfor interrogation of witnesses be held on

January 11 2016 at the Arzobispado deManila

Finally after ordering the Chancellorto establish public record of this First Ses-sion Cardinal agle declared the Processfor the Causes of Beatification and Can-

onization of Servant of God FAHERGEORGE J WILLMANN SJ Father ofthe Order of the Knights of Columbus inthe Philippines OPEN

o complete the Rites His EminenceLuis Antonio Cardinal agle together withformer Chief Justice Hilario G Davide

Jr as Chairman of the National ExecutiveCommittee (NEC) for the Cause of Fr

Willmann jo intly u nveiled the portraitof Father George J Willmann SJ

Tereafter Cardinal agle began thecelebration of the Holy Eucharist Con-celebrants were Bishop Honesto FOngtioco DD Bishop Mylo HubertC Vergara DD Msgr Geronimo FReyes JCD Fr William Arana OSA Fr

Carlo Magno Marcelo Fr Marvin MejiaFr Wilmer Rosario JCD Fr Carlo DelRosario Fr Julius Paul Factora OP JCDFr Sander Niez JCL Fr Alex GarcesSDB JCL Fr Rico Garcia Fr ReginaldMalicdem Fr Darwin Faith Ponce OSAFr Ricky VIllar OSA Fr Geoffrey Eb-orda OSA Fr Genaro Supremedo OSAFr Jojo orres OSA Fr Joseph VillarealOSA Fr Roy Gallano OSA Fr MichaelSalazar and Fr Romel Cruz

Also serv ing as Conce lebrants werea number of KC Priests Scholars of theKnights of Columbus Fr George J

Willmann Charities Inc that includedMsgr Pedro C Quitorio III Fr Benjamin

The Cross A Supplement Publication of KCFAPI and the Order of the Knights of ColumbusCBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25 December 7 2015 - 27 2016

Sainthood bid opens forFr George Willmann SJBy Roberto T Cruz

On December 7 2015 Mon-

day the bells of the ManilaCathedral rang out loud as HisEminence Luis Antonio Car-dinal agle presided over themilestone celebration of theHoly Eucharist at the ManilaCathedral to formally open theDiocesan process of the Causeof Fr George J Willmann SJ

he Liturgical Rites for the formalopening of the diocesan process precededthe Mass at 900am With the entranceprocession of Cardinal agle as the MainCelebrant together with two bishops twomonsignors and thirty-three priests whoconcelebrated the Mass the Rites started

with Msgr Pedro C Quitorio III theappointed Diocesan Postulator for theCause of Fr Willmann giving biographi-cal highlights of the life of Fr George J

Willmann SJ An Invocation of the HolySpirit followed with the singing of VeniCreator Spiritus by the Manila CathedralBasilica Choir

Cardinal agle then examined anddeclared the legitimacy of the appoint-ments of Msgr Pedro C Quitorio III asthe Postulator and Fr Wilmer R Rosario

JCD as Vice-Postul ator in conformity with the Code of Canon Law

Appointed members of the Diocesanribunal for the Cause of Fr Willmann

were Msgr Geronimo F Reyes JCDas Episcopal Delegate Fr Carlo P DelRosario JCL as Promoter of Justice Mseresita F Kudemus ndash First Notary MsMarivic M Ambasa ndash Second Notary Ms

Julieta R Santos as Tird NotaryTe Cardinal reminded them of the

great responsibility importance andseriousness of the Process for the Causesfor Beatification and Canonization Asrequired by Church law all the mem-bers of the ribunal starting with MsgrGeronimo F Reyes individually tooktheir oath to faithfully fulfill hisher com-mitment and then signed the Acts

Te Experts who were tapped to formthe Historical Commission includeFr Julius Paul Factora OP JCD asPresident Fr Adolfo N Dacanay SJ

JCD ndash member and Fr Sander D Niez Sainthood D3

KCFAPI Theme and Logo for 2016HE year 2016 has been pro-claimed the Year of the Eucharistand the Family by the CatholicBishopsrsquo Conference of the Phil-ippines Te theme is part of thenine year spiritual journey thatbegan with the Year of Faith

where we experienced an authenticrenewal of faith guided by the newevangelization principles

he Holy Eucharist whichmeans thanksgiving invitesfamilies of the Catholic faithfulto commemorate the supremesacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christon the cross to receive His body

and blood in the Holy Commu-nion and to celebrate His victoryover death

Te Roman Catholic Churchpromotes strong family ties andvalues Parents are entrustedthe responsibility to prepare andteach their children to follow JesusChrist and live His gospel

KCFAPI distinguished itselfin protecting the sanctity of thefamily by providing comfortand sustenance in any loss orlife-changing event among fam-ily members KCFAPI respondsswiftly to changing or evolvingfamily insurance needs Nowon its 58th year of providingunsurpassed uncompromised

fraternal service KCFAPI vowsand advocates relentlessly to

render comfort benefit and as-sistance to all brother knightsand their families with mercy andcompassion

As part of the KCFAPI familyin a pioneering effort all wholly-owned and majority-ownedcompanies will coordinate theirschedules and manage theirresources towards one com-mon goal and will function asone well oiled machine By

joi nin g han ds gu ide d by theHoly Spirit the strength ofone is multiplied several times

over Te heart symbolizes lovemercy and compassion and is

also Charity ndash the first of fourcore principle of the OrderKCFAPI in heart-shaped bordermantles the five wholly- ownedand majority-owned companies Keys Realty amp DevelopmentCorporation Kompass Creditand Financing Corporation KCPhilippines Foundation IncKnights of Columbus Fr George

J Willmann Charitie s Inc andMace Insurance Agency IncTey are depicted by the boldshoulders of the figures symbol-izing the family Just like in any

close-knit family concentratedon accomplishing one objective

all employees will be engagedtheir support and talent pooledand harnessed to participateactively in any company activi-ties working in tandem as onecohesive unit

Te logo vividly demonstratesthe solidarity and bonding of fam-ily members if they gather togetherand allow Christ to be at the centerof their family relationship

Te different colors representthe various hues of the Order ofthe Knights of Columbus red

whit e blu e and yell ow hegreen color manifests KCFAPIrsquos

concern for our environment andits managementrsquos advocacy gearedtowards a healthy state of our sur-roundings Orange brings a posi-tive outlook in life optimism andmotivation to look on the brighterside of life

Te cup and host (in yellow)emulating the Holy Eucharist pro-vides Christ- centered way of life

Te circular flow represents in-finity or totality the unboundedtimeless and never ending lovecare and affection of KCFAPIin providing each and every KCfamily a shield of security protec-tion and hope Te acronym ALLcharacterizes KCFAPIrsquos inclusiveapproach to all forms of actions

products and services (Angelito A Bala)

As we protect families for generations Act Live Love

KCFAPI Planning Conference The Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of thePhilippines Inc held their 2016 Planning Conference last November 7-9 2015 atColumbus Plaza General Santos City Present were KCFAPI Chairman Bro Arsenio IsidroG Yap KCFAPI President Bro Jose C Reyes Jr KCFAPI Executive Vice President SisMa Theresa G Curia KCFAPI Officers and Supervisors KEYS Realty Vice President Bro

Riz Nicolas and HTMC Vice President Sis Apolonia Dominguez

Living Rosary The Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of the Philippines Inchad their Living Rosary last October 30 2015 at the KCFAPI main office This has been

a yearly practice for the Month of the Holy Rosary which is usually conducted by itsofficers and staff

Cardinal Tagle leads the unveiling of the portrait of Jesuit Fr George J Willmann as the Manila archdiocesan process for the Cause of Beatification and Canonization of the latter formally opens at the Manila Cathedralon Monday Dec 7 Willman is considered as t he ldquoFather of the Knights of Columbusrdquo in the Philippines ROY LAGARDE

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 2224

D2 The CrossDecember 7 2015 - 27 2015 Vol 19 No 25

ACQ UIR IN G a hou se and lo t which they can call their own home

and driving their own cars are twoof the priority dreams of Filipinoparents Of course seeing theirchildren finish college education iseither Number 1 or Number 2

Te Knights of Columbus Frater-nal Association of the PhilippinesInc (KCFAPI) has formed andincorporated a new company to helpmembers of the Order to have their

dream homes and motor carsKCFAPI named the new company as Kompass Credit and

Financing Corporation (KCFC) after one of the symbols of theKnights of Columbus which is the Compass Like the Compassof the ancient marines KOMPASS is here to guide BrotherKnight in having their own home and efficient mobility

KOMPASS can also extend home car and business loans tothe general public

Interested parties can call KOMPASS at el No 527-2242

527-2223 loc 215 and 252 for further details of the loan

Arsenio Isidro G Yap

Chairmanrsquos Message

Presidentrsquos Message

Ma Theresa G Curia

Jose C Reyes Jr

Reflection

Curia Settings

Michael P Cabra

Bequest LIFE this Christmas

My Brotherrsquos Keeper

FILIPINO raditions reflect the kindof people that we are All traditionscustoms and beliefs evolve from thelove and respect of the family Ourmutual and natural respect for oneanother our desire to please and notoffend each other and our willingness

to extend a helping hand are just a fewof the basic foundations which madethe Filipino people unique a one of a

kind and nowhere else could be found And certainly a must-have as a friend and neighbor

Some of the trait I like is the ldquomano pordquo expression and at thesame time reaching for the otherrsquos hand and asking for his blessingsTe respected elder would normally extend his hand to touch theforehead of the one asking for his blessings and expresses ldquokaawanka ng Diyosrdquo or ldquoGod bless yourdquo It doesnrsquot matter whether the onebeing accorded the respect is younger than the person asking forthe blessing or even if they hardly know each other

Another trait is removing onersquos slippers or shoes when enteringa neighborrsquos house Te guest expresses his respect for the hostand does not in any way want to spoil or damage the pristinecondition of the floor which is normally kept shiny and clean

Cleaning of onersquos surrounding to the point of cleaning also theneighborrsquos grounds I could still remember in our neighborhoodthat the old folks would sweep the debris on the street in front

of their houses But instead of just collecting their own trashthey would try to outdo each other by picking (or sweeping)the litter on the street up to the neighborrsquos house in front andeven on their right and left side

Everyone living along the same street knows each other very well to the point that all knows who are having a hard time and would need some assistance A neighbor would readily do somehousehold chores give some food and try to console those whoare grieving for the loss of a love one Nobody needs to askHelp is extended readily

Although the traits Irsquove mentioned above are seldom practicednowadays except for the ldquomano pordquo I still believe that those

were just some of our good traits which define us as people which define us as a Filipino a unique breed of people We arevery resilient that even though we are in grief or experiencingextreme challenges in our everyday life we still are able to lightour faces with the friendliest smile

Christmas is another tradition-field celebration that is uniquelyFilipino Te ldquoSimbang Gabirdquo ldquoputo bumbongrdquo and the like are

some Christmas traditions But let us not forget that Christmas isnot just a season of merriment but is a season for reconciliationItrsquos that time of the year when we want to ask forgiveness fromthose we had wronged and at same time forgive also those whohad wronged us and forget whatever they had done to us

Christmas is a season wherein family ties are kept stronger andmore meaningful But to be more meaningful it is better that weshare our blessings to those in need whose nights might be Holy but

would be very Silent and the only sound that they could hear arenot carols of merriment but the grumbling of their empty stomach

Make this Christmas the most meaningful Christmas ever bysharing your ldquoNoche Buenardquo with a neighbor or better still witha complete stranger May the birth of our Lord touch our heartsand be responsive to those in need

CHRISMAS is a holy day celebratingthe birth of Jesus Christ our Saviour Ithas been a tradition in the Philippines that

we go to dawn masses from December 16to the eve of Christmas day Because ourenthusiasm builds up as early as Septemberon Christmas Day itself many of us areexhausted after days of going through heavytraffic on the way to parties and to crowdedshopping malls to shop for gifts Tere arealso many events that we are enticed to at-tend for our kidsrsquo sake gatherings of relatives and friends near and farand entertainment we spend a lot for the family

While these festivities are all expressions of love we sometimes forgetthat Christmas day is the day we should go to mass to thank God forall the blessings we received from Him and in turn to offer our gift to

Jesus Christ As we enter the Advent season let us start reflecting on

how we can better love and serve God on how we can help the poorand how we can give hope to those who are losing hope Let us put intoaction the principle of charity with greater vigor and sense of urgency

May Christmas be like the ldquoJourney to the Innrdquo of Joseph and Mary- tiring yet full of hope and joy to welcome Christ in our hearts andour homes As Knights of Columbus let us lead our communities toa Christ-centered Advent celebration this year and always

My family and I wish your whole family ldquoA Merry Christmas and aBlessed New Yearrdquo

FOR this Christmas I wish tobase my reflection on a poem

written by Horacio de la Costathe first Filipino provincial ofthe Jesuits Please read and usethe poem as a Christmas greet-ing My reflection is nothingcompared to the poem

We must have visited all theBelens in our churches since we

were small In fact most of usalso put up the Christmas cribin our own homes In arlacthey even have yearly exhibits ofBelens which they call Belenis-mo We were told that it was StFrancis who started putting upthe crib in his church And thepoem of Horacio Dela Costatells us that if we meditate onthis set up we might discover

the surprises that they bring toour consciousness

Let us identify some fea-tures of the Belens that we se earound us during the Christ-mas season and together letus reflect on the meanings thatthese can offer us We shall seedifferent layers of Christmasmeaning emerge

1 he King was born poorGod has become human Tisis one of the features that wesee when we stare at the Crib

What a paradox the king ispoor God is human Life isindeed full of paradoxes andof seeming contradictions

We make sense of them only

with the passage o f t ime and

as we mature both in age andin faith

2 he Bethlehem scene isprofoundly meaningful sym-bolic and mystery-laden We

watch the figures in the Be lenand sometimes we do notunderstand When we do notunderstand the turn of eventsin our life we should not giveup We should not run awayTe world will not end onlybecause we do not understand

what we see exper ience or feelLet us stand in awe at Godrsquosvisit when we are clueless of

what i s happening 3 he King was born in a

manger But there was peacearound among the wise menand the shepherds on that holy

and starry night We see atthe Belen scene a communionamong God humans the richand the poor animals and hu-mans the stars the night andthe people It was as though ata special moment the Universe

was one As though the con-nectedness of all the elements

was not merel y ecolog ical asLaudato Si spoke of but evendivine -human No wonderthat we do not get tired of put-ting up our belens at home inchurches and in public placesNo wonder that we can stareforever at the Nativity scenealthough we do not fully un-derstand everything although

we do it yea r afte r year We

also feel that we are there andthat we are connected to the

figures they represent we areconnected to history to oursurroundings and even to ourGod

4 he Savior was born ina manger where animals eatTe meaning of the mangerscene has been the content ofmany sermons that we haveheard We were told that thisdoes not only refer to thehumility or poverty of Jesus

A dee per meaning they say isthat Jesus has come to be foodfor all who come to him Jesuscame to give Himself as foodfor the world His words histeachings his mercy and com-passion and his Good News of

Godrsquos Plan are enough to fillour emptiness with a sense ofdirection and destiny Teyquench our thirst for enlight-enment guidance and sense ofdignity as humans

5 he Baby who is born isthe Savior of the world Howcan a Baby save the w orld Wesee before us a baby wrappedin swaddling clothes And werealize that Divinity can berevealed in very human situ-ations And that the humblestreality could be a revelationthat God is in our midst If weopen our hearts and minds tothe Lord His Spirit enlightensand gives delight to our weary

and limited minds and souls

Even today we can feel Hismessage although sometimes

we do not ful ly unders tand Te truth dawns on us when

we ar e qu ie t and when we wait When we do not rush toknow Godrsquos Presence is a Giftthat we can never be worthy ofBut the point here is not thatour littleness could obstructthe Revelation of a mysteryRather the Greatness of theLord compels Him to revealHimself to the little one Evento us Now

Tat is why Liturgy invokesour ability to watch to look at

what happe ns in the Churchcelebrations Te beauty ofcandles incense and flowerscan evoke some sense of the

Sacred Space a Sacred Mo-ment and a Sacred Encounter

Te Belen does this for us inrevealing the message of Christ-mas If we open our eyes weshall see the Message of Christ-mas with our hearts If we havetime and we can keep quietbefore the Belen we might seethe surprise of the Lord

[The author Ma TheresaG Curia is the Executive VicePresident amp Chief OperatingOfficer of the Knights of Co-lumbus Fraternal Association ofthe Phils Inc (KCFAPI) andthe incumbent Diocesan Regentof the Daughters of Mary Im-maculate International Dioceseof Malolos]

IrsquoS that time of the year again We must allbegin the increasingly difficult task of buy-ing suitable gifts for our friends and familyHowever there is a different gift you shouldseriously consider giving this year Itrsquos not a fun

present nor it is exciting Itrsquos not somethingyou can play with or wear and it definitely wouldnrsquot be considered a treat Itrsquos a gift thatno one wants but everyone NEEDS So whatare we talking about A Fraternal Service Plan

A Benefit Certificate (BC) or what is simplyknown as a life insurance policy Every year

we search for that perfect gift for a loved oneSomething that will show how much we careand appreciate them What could better provethat than giving someone the gift of SECU-RIY and SABILIY

Unfortunately the recent statistics presentthe sad truth (a) more than 95 Filipinos donot have adequate levels of insurance and (b)more than 80 of Filipinos do not believethey are likely to suffer a serious illness in the

next 20 years Yet each year around 365000Filipinos face premature death either caused byaccidental death or natural sickness It equatesto 1000 untimely deaths everyday

Firstly think about your present situation

Do you have loved ones who depend on youfinancially If something were to happen toyou would your family struggle to maintaintheir current lifestyle the kind of living yoursquovebeen providing If you answered yes to thesequestions itrsquos as simple as that - you need tohave life insurance Secondly do you have aloved one (parent spouse adult children e tc)

who needs protection Tis year give them theultimate gift Having an adequate amount oflife insurance can help in paying off hospitalbills memorial bills mortgage and even in-heritance tax It can allow a family to maintaintheir current level of living and possibly evenfund long term goals such as childrenrsquos schoolfunds dream car house business and evenretirement Now wersquore not saying this is the

only gift you should give it might look a littlesad with only that under the Christmas treeHowever just consider along with the othergifts giving a present that may not be appreci-ated at that moment might come in use should

a critical time arrive You look after your familyand so this is a perfect gift ideaItrsquos important to consult a fraternal counselor

when considering life insurance as it is impera-tive that you are insured accurately dependingon your current situation and future needs

Should you wish to know more just visit wwwkofcorgph for inquiries

Did you know thatFor as low as PhP10000 you can already

start the Gift of Life to your loved ones Tisfraternal service plan is called KC Peso Saver Itis a single contribution endowment plan which

will mature at the end of the benefit certificatersquos10th year In fact a lot of Knights of ColumbusMembers invest with this Gift of Life everyChristmas for their spouse and children

Gemille Isabel P Gloria

A Meek Christmas

IMAGINE a pregnant mother who is supposed to give birth toa child at the moment and rideson a donkey with her husband

Apart from the pain of laborthe mother is enduring deathchases their yet unborn child astheir King deliberately kills allthe newborn babies that night

urned down by the innkeepersthey ended up in a crude stablesharing it with the farm animalsand the shepherds as she gavebirth to a baby boy and placedhim in a manger I bet you arepicturing a scene of a movie inyour head right now Tis isactually what the first Christmaslooked like

Going back to the presentChristmas is far more delightfuland exciting Shopping feastinggift-giving and vacation trippingare just few of the activities that

we cannot do away with in ourChristmas lists We think ofChristmas like no other ordinaryday of the year We make sure

that for Noche Buena there isabundance of bountiful feasts inour dining table from a platterof mouth-watering leche flan toa sumptuous lechon new clothesup to fifty percent sale on theselected items section and expen-sive gifts covered in a Santa Claus

wrapper under a fully decorated

Christmas tree We associate theChristmas season as a time ofsplendor since it is the birthday ofour Savior Unfortunately someof us could only imagine thesethings Tey are our fellow whoare counted by the government inabject poverty who could hardlythink of where and how to gettheir first meal for the 365 daysof the year including Christmasday One does not need to moveafar to behold this ravers-ing nearby the office we couldalready see some of the faces inpoverty If you have not takenyet the underpass connectingManila City Hall and Intramu-ros as you make your way out of

it you will see sullied children intattered clothes inhaling plasticbags containing rugby with somesoiled adults who seem to be theirparents doing the same thing

With their hunger already in theirhead some children forcibly takethe food of the passersby Duringthe night the space where people

enter and exit the underpassin the day turns into a freezinghome for the homeless Youcan see in their wrinkled face thefeeling of sleeping on the passage-

ways with only cardboard boxesand worn out fabrics in betweentheir body and the cold cementedground Teir condition is notfar from what Jesus experiencedon the first Christmas born intoand chose to live a life of poverty

Remembering martyredSalvadoran Archbishop OscarRomero who once said thatldquoNo one can celebrate a genuineChristmas without being trulypoor he self sufficient theproud those who because they

have everything look down onothers those who have no needeven of God for them there

will be no Christmas Only thepoor the hungry those whoneed someone to come on theirbehalf will have that someonehat someone is God Em-manuel God-with-usrdquo With

what he thought we canrsquot arguethat at times we want everythingTe more you have the moreyou want and the more you get

What if we have nothing Whatif we donrsquot have gifts food andnew clothes for the Christmas

What if we are in the place of thehomeless Would we still feel thesame Christmas Spirit withoutthe things we celebrate with it

We have to learn to celebrat eChristmas with how the poorperceive it Let us not reachthe point where we celebrateChristmas just because we willreceive our one-year wish listLet us learn to lose to sacrificeand to give during Christmas

Joseph P Teodoro

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D3The Cross December 7 2015 - 27 2015 Vol 19 No 25

Deogracias Fajota Fr Jeronimo

Ma Cruz Fr Antonio Rex PalayaFr Melvin Gamelo Fr JuliusCuison Fr Felix Labios Fr Ra-melle Rigunay Fr Randy SalungaFr Joel Cariaso Fr HernandezMendoza Fr Julius de Sagun FrRonel Ilano Fr Lowie Palines andFr Emmanuel Hiipolito

In his homily Cardinal aglestarted by citing that aside fromthe formal opening of the Dioc-esan process for Fr Willmannit was also the feast day of St

Ambrose a great teacher of theChurch known for his sanctityand teachings It was also the eveof the Immaculate Conception ofour Blessed Mother Mary plus thestart of the Advent season

Te Cardinal then focused onthe question What does it meanto be holy With the opening ofthe Cause he said that Fr George

J Willmann St Ambrose andMother Mary all responded tosanctity and holiness Cardinalagle clarified that ldquoHoliness isan attribute of God and not manrsquosachievement nor his work It isGod who is Holy and our holi-ness is a gift of God ndash our oneness

with HimrdquoCardinal agle added that the

message of the First Reading is thatthe Holiness of God is seen withmarvelous work ndash like transform-ing a desert into a garden filled

with water and flowers where we

are able to drink from Godrsquos good-ness with a safe road along the

holy way Te desert symbolizes

humanity that is seen to be dryfruitless empty and even life-less However when God entersall these are transformed into abountiful garden Godrsquos Holinessalways creates miracles ldquoWhen-ever we experience hopelessnessloaded with faults we must notbe afraid for that is the time whenGod will come to infuse His Holi-ness and cure the sickness Tat isthe Good Newsrdquo Cardinal agleadded that during this season ofadvent we must look deeper intoour deserts in order to experiencethe Holiness of God

Te Cardinal then underscoredthat we need to respond to GodrsquosHoliness not like the scribes in

the reading who questioned andrejected Jesus but like the friendsof the paralyzed man who lookedfor a nonconventional way -through the roof - to bring theparalytic closer to Jesus Cardinalagle stressed the need for us to bealert discerning with eyes of faithin order for us to respond to ourHoly God in His action when weare in our desert

he Cardinal then asked thepeople to pray for those entrusted

with the Cau se of Fr Willmannthat they may be illumined witheyes of faith With no intention ofpre-empting the Diocesan processCardinal agle simply thankedGod as we are now privileged

to share Godrsquos holiness throughpersonal experiences with Fr Will-

Sainthood D1

Process for PHrsquos new lsquoServantof Godrsquo starts rollingMANILA Dec 7 2015 ndash Manila Arch-bishop Luiacutes Antonio G Cardinal agleofficially accepted on Monday Dec 7the Feast of St Ambrose the petition toopen an investigation on the sanctity andheroic virtues of Fr George J WillmannSJ founder of the Knights of Columbus(KC) in the Philippines among otherCatholic lay organizations

At least 1000 of the naturalized Fili-pino Jesuit priestrsquos spiritual children fromall over the country including no lessthan former Supreme Court (SC) Chief

Justice Hilario G Davide Jr becamepart of Philippine Church history as they

witnes sed at the Manila Metropo litanCathedral Basilica the solemn opening ofthe archdiocesan process they hope wouldlead to beatification and canonization

lsquoGreat responsibilityrsquoIn line with this agle appointed Msgr

Pedro C Quitorio III of the CatholicBishopsrsquo Conference of the Philippines(CBCP) Media Office as postulator forthe cause of the countryrsquos newest ldquoServantof Godrdquo

He also approved the appointments ofMsgr Geronimo S Reyes Fr Wilmer RRosal and Fr Ricardo P del Rosario asepiscopal delegate vice postulator andpromoter of justice respectively as wellas of a host of other experts both clericand lay who vow to work together to giveFilipinos another saint

Te prelate went on to swear in allthose involved in the cause for Willmannrsquosbeatification and canonization remindingthem of the ldquogreat responsibilityrdquo theyhave assumed and the ldquoimportance andseriousnessrdquo of the task at hand

PHrsquos Fr McGivney Dubbed ldquoFr McGivney of the Philip-

pinesrdquo due to his dedication to expand KClocally Willmann worked for the radicaltransformation of faith into action

Born on June 29 1897 to very devoutCatholic parents in Brooklyn New Yorkthe American Jesuit was granted Philip-pine citizenship by President FerdinandMarcos through Presidential Decree(PD) No 740

In 1938 he first served as chaplain

of KC Manila Council 1000 then re-turned in 1954 to become the Orderrsquosfirst Philippine Deputy until his deathin 1977

In total the priest spent 44 fruitful andproductive years in the Philippines serv-ing the poor the sick the orphans theoppressed the lonely and the desolateespecially the young ones

KCFAPI etcBesides what is formally known as the

Knights of Columbus Fraternal Associa-tion of the Philippines Inc (KCFAPI)

which he founded in 1958 Willmannestablished other organizations as follows

bull Catholic Youth Organization (1938)bull Establishment of the Catholic Press

ldquoFilipinasrdquo and the ldquoCrossrdquo Magazines(1946)

bull Columbian Squires in the Philippines(1950)

bull Daughters of Isabella in the Philip-pines (1951) reorganized as Daughtersof Mary Immaculate (1977)

bull Columbian Farmers Aid Association(1951) reorganized as Knights of Co-lumbus Community Service Inc (1962)

bull Knights of Columbus Fraternal Asso-ciation of the Philippines Inc (KCFAPI)(1958)

bull Knights of Columbus PhilippinesFoundation Inc (1971) (Raymond ASebastiaacuten CBCP News)

Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle leads the Mass of the formal opening of the ArchdiocesanProcess for the Causes of Beatification and Canonization of the Servant of God FatherGeorge J Willmann SJ father of the Knights of Columbus in the Philippines LIN REGINO

Te Gentle Warrior By James B Reuter SJ

Part II of Chapter wo of ldquoTe Gentle Warriorrdquo series

CHAPER WO-----------------

Te Ateneo de Manila

HE Ateneo was a boysrsquo schoolTe objective of a boysrsquo school is tomake a man out of a boy Te mainvirtue of a man is courage Godmirrored His virtues in His childrenBut he divided them between girls

and boys Tere is such a thing as amasculine soul and a feminine soulIf a boy and a girl are suddenly con-fronted with a wild bull thunderingdown on them if the girl screamedand hid behind the boy that wouldbe normal But if the boy screamedand hid behind the girl everyone

would be ashamed of him Tevirtue of a girl is not physical cour-age it is love and mercy Te virtueof a boy is courage and justice Butin our schools there is no course inthe curriculum called ldquoCouragerdquo

here is no subject called

ldquoCouragerdquo Tere is no mark forldquoCouragerdquo It has to be taught inevery subject through the wholelife of the school he Jesuitsunderstood this very well AndGeorge understood it He began

to learn the meaning of couragehimself when he was five yearsold sitting on the curbstone onPutnam Avenue when the wheelof the garbage truck crushed bothhis feet

In the old Ateneo there wasa strong tradition of ldquoRomansrdquoand ldquoCarthageniansrdquo Jose Rizal

was the Emperor of the RomansEvery class was competitive TeRomans would be lined up onone side of the class the Car-thagenians on the other Te firstquestion went to the Romans

If the Romans answered it cor-rectly the questioning stayed

with the Romans If any Romanmissed the question went to theCarthagenians Ten the Romanboys would growl and grumble at

the Roman who missed It wascompetition to teach courage

And the battle cry of all theteams was ldquoAnimo Ateneordquo Youcould translate that as ldquoLetrsquos go

Ateneordquo or ldquoSpirit Ateneordquo orldquoFight Ateneordquo mdash but in practiceit meant courage Never give upno matter what the odds ldquoGoget lsquoem Ateneordquo Never say dieTis was obvious in everythingthat the boys did

But it never degenerated intoldquoWin at all costsrdquo Te secondmasculine virtue is justice Tis

means honesty integrity and fairplay Both at once mdash courageand fair play Te verse that everyathlete in the school knew by heart

was ldquoIf I should win let it be bythe code with my head and my

honor held high But if I shouldlose let me stand by the road andcheer as the winner goes byrdquo

It was a tremendous amount of work mdash teaching night and dayrunning the Sodality the ACILand the magazine mdash but Georgeloved it

And his students loved him Tefriendships that he made duringthose three years of regency from1922 to 1925 lasted more thanfifty years

(o be continued on the nextissue)

mann and his life and ministrydevoted to service that providedldquofresh water and good newsrdquo

particularly to the youth the poorand the prisonersTe Cardinal cited his own basic

formation as a Charter memberof the Columbian Squires inImus Cavite where they helpedthe Church in its program for thestreet children He also mentionedhis appreciation for being a scholarof the Knights of Columbus dur-ing Fr Willmannrsquos time

Reiterating that God indeedtransforms deserts into places ofrest peace and holiness Cardinalagle ended his homily by encour-aging all in attendance to be agentsof Godrsquos holiness

People from all walks of life joined the celebration of this Mass

that formally opened the Cause ofServant of God - Fr Willmann

Also repres ent ed were var iou sorganizations established and nur-tured by Fr George including the

Daughters of Isabella (now Daugh-ters of Mary Immaculate) Catholic Youth Organization ColumbianSquires and the Knights of Co-lumbus Parishioners and residents

with their families from nearbycities and communities of ondoIntramuros Sta Cruz Malate andother more distant places likewise

witnessed the very mean ingfulOpening of the diocesan processfor the Cause of their ldquoFather andBenefactorrdquo of forty years

Fr George J Willmann SJdevoted the last forty years of hislife not only in humble serviceand dynamic leadership of theKnights of Columbus in thePhilippines but equally being a

compassionate pastor in the careand formation of the youth He

provided relief to victims of the

war and of violence while also al-leviating the sufferings of the poorHe likewise established ways topreserve and promote the sanctityof life marriage and the family

It was in 1997 or eighteen yearsago that the Knights of Columbusin the Philippines first started aconcerted thrust to formally laythe groundwork for the Causeof Fr Willmann During theOrderrsquos centennial celebration ofFr Willmannrsquos birth the Ordercreated a Committee on Causecomposed of Ramon V ConsingLauro M Cruz and Msgr PedroC Quitorio III as co-chairmenNotable activities of the Com-mittee included gathering of tes-

timonials launch of the Prayer forthe Centennial of Fr Willmann with the Impr imatur of Msgr Jose C Abriol launching of Fr Willmann Fellows meeting withthen Jaime Cardinal Sin and theFather Provincial of the Jesuits toseek their respective endorsementsof the Cause Te Order publishedand distributed the pamphlet ldquoAGlimpsehe Life and Worksof Fr George J Willmann SJrdquoin order to give due acknowledg-ment and recognition as well as toincrease awareness abou t Fr Will-mann A landmark achievement ofthis period was the publication ofldquoTe Gentle Warriorrdquo a biographyof Fr Willmann authored by Fr

James B Reuter SJEstablishing and spreading the

fama sanctitatis of Fr Willmann

included the presentation andpromotion of his works mademore concrete by direct testimo-nies of various individuals whomhe personally interacted withFr Willmann Fellowsrsquo one-timemembership donations have beenpooled to fund the productionof materials such as prayer cardspublications tarpaulins postersto effectively promote Fr George

Willmann not only to brotherKnights but more importantlyto the youth the poor and under-privileged of various communities

In 2011 through the efforts ofthe KC Fraternal Association ofthe Philippines and the Knightsof Columbus Fr Willmann Chari-

ties Inc the National ExecutiveCommittee (NEC) for the Causeof Fr Willmann was created withthe primary function of overseeingall the initiatives relative to or inconnection with the Cause

We are blessed that the Dioc-esan process of the Cause of FrGeorge J Willmann SJ has nowbeen formally opened therebygiving us significant reason torejoice Henceforth he will nowbe regarded Servant of God Letus fervently pray for continuedenlightenment from the HolySpirit for everyone involved in thisDiocesan process and the Causeas a whole so that our belovedFr George J Willmann may ulti-

mately be elevated to the honorsof the altar

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D4 The CrossDecember 7 2015 - 27 2015 Vol 19 No 25

FST IN CAGAYAN A Fraternal Service Training program was held in Cagayan De Oro last November 13 2015Participants were from Zamboanga Misamis and Butuan The event was graced by KCFAPI Vice Presidentfor FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBG Manager Michael Cabra Aside from the product specifications thetraining also gives an idea regarding the basic insurance process and conceptualization of new marketingstrategies in order to achieve their goals and improve their sales performance (FBG News)

AREA MEETING IN VISAYAS The KCFAPI Western Visayas Armor held an area meeting in Bacolod lastOctober 24 2015 led by Agency Unit Manager Randy G Bravo and graced by KCFAPI Vice President forFBG Gari San Sebastian (KCFAPI News)

FST IN DAVAO A Fraternal Service Training program (1 and 2) was held in KCFAPI Davao Service OfficeDavao City last November 20-21 2015 Participants were from Compostela Valley Cotabato City andGeneral Santos The training was attended by KCFAPI Vice President f or FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBGManager Michael Cabra (FBG News)

PRODUCERSrsquo FORUM KCFAPI Vice President for FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBG Manager Michael Cabraled a Producersrsquo Forum wherein fraternal counsellors all over Luzon were gathered for an update of theirincentives program held last November 11 2015 at the KCFAPI home office (FBG News)

New KCFAPI Board of Trustee Bro Pascual C Carbero

IN February of 1986 BroCarbero started his knightlyservice in the Knights of Co-lumbus under Council 10695

in Valenzuela City Duringhis service in Council 10695he has been appointed asChancellor for CY 1992-1993 and as Deputy GrandKnight and Program Direc-tor for CY 1993-1994 InDistrict M-31 of ValenzuelaCity Bro Carbero was GrandKnight for CY 1994-1995District Warden for CY 1996-1997 and District Deputyfor CY 1997-1999 He wasalso Chairman for the Roundable District Deputies forCY 1998-1999 At the Dr PioValenzuela Assembly ACN1772 Meycauayan Bulacanhe was the Faithful Naviga-

tor for CY 1999-2000 Onthat same term Bro Pascual

was the Luzo n State Audi -tor for CY 2000-2003 andthe Luzon State Warden forCY 2000-2003 of the Luzon

Jurisdiction After which forCY 2000-2001 he becamethe Charter Faithful Naviga-tor for the City of Valenzuela

Assembly ACN 2676 For

CY 2007-2015 Bro Carbero was re-a ppo inte d as Luzo nState Warden Bro Carbero

was a voting delegate in the

KC Supreme Convention heldat Washington DC in 2010and also a non-voting delegateheld at Anaheim Californiain 2002 and 2012 Currentlyhe is the State Secretary of theLuzon North Jurisdiction

Bro Pascualrsquos dedicationand enthusiasm in participat-ing in the Order gave himthe endeavor to author thecreation of the City of Valen-zuela Assembly in 1999 withthe assistance of the Districtand Vice Supreme Master

With his knightly serv ice he was awarded with several rec-ognition namely OutstandingDistrictDeputy for CY 1997-

1999 Star District Awardeefor CY 1997-1999 and Civic

Awardee as Charter FaithfulNavigator of the City of Valen-zuela Assembly ACN 2676CY 2000-2001

Apart from Knights of Co-lumbus Bro Carbero partakeshis services in other civic andreligious organizations He isa Special Lay Minister of the

Holy Eucharist Parish of theHoly Cross since 1989 and amember of the Parish RenewalExperience Group He is the

Director and reasurer of thePhilippine Insurers Club from2013 to 2014 and currently itsPresident He is also a memberof the Insurance Executive1st Friday Club of Makatiand an incoming Presidentof the Philippine Associationof Surety Underwriters Incthis 2016

He was Director Corpo-rate Secretary of Mace Insur-ance Agency Inc from 2012until 2014 and currentlythe Independent Director ofKompass Credit and FinancialCorporation and KCFAPIrespectively Bro Carbero isalso a fellow of Father George

J Willmann Charit ies Inc And since 2006 he has beenthe Vice President of IntraStrata Assurance Corporation

He graduated with a Bach-elorrsquos degree in Business Ad-ministration Major in Man-agement at Philippine Schoolof Business Administration in1973 and finished Bachelor ofLaws in Lyceum of the Philip-

pines in 1988Bro Pascual Carberorsquos wife

Sis Remedios was past presi-dent for three years of theCatholic Womenrsquos League(CWL) Valenzuela Chapterand currently the AssistantVice President for Underwrit-ing in Mercantile InsuranceCo Inc in Intramuros Ma-nila Tey are blessed with six

wonderful children namely

Soidemer Claire a pediatri-cian Abigail Claire a lawyerValerie Claire and ChristineClaire both of whom are reg-istered nurses Terese Claire

who graduated with Bachelorrsquosdegree in Laws and is currentlyreviewing for Bar exams and

Adrian Brian who is also aregistered nurse and presentlya 3rd year medical student

Former SC Justice tofellow lsquoPH Knightsrsquo Prayfor Willmannrsquos CauseMANILA Dec 8 2015 ndash Former Chief

Justice Hilario G Davide Jr has calledon fellow members of the Knights of Co-lumbus (KC) nationwide to keep prayingfor the eventual ldquoraising to the altarrdquo ofthe grouprsquos spiritual father Fr George J

Willmann SJ who was declared ldquoSer-vant of Godrdquo Monday Dec 7

ldquoSo what is demanded of us as mem-bers of Knights of Columbus What isdemanded of us as members of Knightsof Columbus Fraternal Association of thePhilippines Inc [KCPAFI]rdquo he askedldquoWe need to pray a lot Pray pray praythat the tribunal will listen to the evidencepresented Pray pray pray that the tribu-nal will actually collate all the evidenceand determine once and for all that whathas been presented through our postula-

tor is credible to merit the conferment ofbeatification later on Tis is our taskrdquo

Archdiocesan processDavide who now chairs the National

Executive Committee for the Causes ofFr Willmann made this observation in aspeech following a ceremony held at theManila Cathedral during which Arch-bishop Luiacutes Antonio G Cardinal agleofficially approved the archdiocesan process

for the causes for the beatification and can-onization of the naturalized Filipino Jesuit

he solemn occasion was witnessedby no less than 1000 representativesof KCPAFI and other organizations Fr

Willmann helped establish like Catholic Youth Organization Columbian Squiresin the Philippines (1950) and Daughtersof Mary Immaculate

Te former chief magistrate went on todescribe the entire process as ldquovery mean-ingfulrdquo since it had the power to make anordinary priest into a Servant of God

Ordinary priest to Servant of GodldquoImagine during our lifetime today in

the Cathedral we saw the conversion ofan ordinary priest to become a Servant ofGod And we hope that he will merit be-

ing a servant of God until the first step ofthe process will continuerdquo he exclaimed

According to him it must have been thefirst time for most people present to haveseen with their own eyes an event of suchldquohistoric and momentous significancerdquo

ldquoI have lived 20 times four years of mylife almost And this is the first time I have

witnessed the process how it evolves and what we can gather from it o me thisis not just making somebody brought to

the honors of the altar but for us to beable to witness how to live and how tocomport ourselves to be able to follow hisfootstepsrdquo he explained

Built-in holinessDavide pointed out that holiness is

already built in each person but it is onlya matter of expressing it

ldquoWhy I would say that holiness is inus already Because we are the templeof God and the Spirit of God is with usSometimes however we forget that this isso We close our ears We close our eyes to

Jesus Christ We close our hands to JesusChrist by helping others So this is theprocess that we have witnessed today Andto me it will very much workrdquo he added

Davide also credited Msgr Pedro C Qui-

torio III postulator of the causes for Fr Will-mann for the ldquodivinely inspiredrdquo occasionand the timeliness of the diocesan process

ldquoSo Msgr Quitorio you are divinelyinspired You planned everything in sucha way that everything we did and we willdo and what we are doing right now isnot only as legacy to the next generationbut even beyond the next generation forpeople and children yet unbornrdquo he said(Raymond A Sebastiaacuten CBCP News)

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 824

A8 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25PEOPLE FACTS AND PLACES

MarkingsDied Bishop Federico Es-caler SJ died on Nov 28aged 93

The Jesuit prelate had beenill and passed away peacefullyin his family ancestral resi-dence in San Miguel Manilaon Saturday morning

Born in Manila he served asthe rst bishop of Kidapawanfrom 1976 to 1980 until hewas appointed to head thenewly-created Prelature of Ipilin Zamboanga Sibugay

Escaler spent 17 years inIpil until his retirement in 1997

He was once the Assistantto Jesuit Provincial Superiorin La Ignacia Retreat HousePresident and Rector of Ateneode Davao Treasurer of JesuitProvince in Manila and be-came President and Rector ofXavier University in Cagayan

de Oro City

Ordained Imus Bishop Rey-naldo Evangelista DD or-dained eight deacons of theSociety of the Divine Word(SVD) to the priesthood onDec 5 at the Holy Spirit Chapelof the Divine Word SeminaryTagaytay City in a solemncelebration attended by 127priests and 2 bishops

The new priests are FrLawrence Llona SVD (to beassigned in South Sudan

Afric a) Fr Ryan Diňo SVD(to be assigned in ArgentinaSouth) Fr Diderick Andrinja-tovo SVD (to be assigned inPhilippine South) Fr Fran-ciskus Subandi SVD (to beassigned in Philippine Central)Fr June Lee Sarenas SVD(to be assigned in Ghana

Afr ica) Fr Gre gor ius Rob iDosom SVD (to be assigned in

Philippine North) Fr Roberto

Solis SVD (to be assigned inJapan)and Fr Lindsey FrancisTaeza SVD (to be assigned inTogo Africa)

Ordained The Servants ofMary welcomed four men tothe priesthood on Dec 8 atSt Peregrine Diocesan ShrineTunasan Muntinlupa City Bal-anga Bishop Ruperto C San-tos ordained Fr Leonardo MaGuiang OSM Fr Waren MaCampilan OSM Fr EdgardMa Benedi-an OSM and FrJumen Ma Arcelo OSM

Recognized The Ofce of the Army Chief Chaplain Service(OACCS) on Nov 24 recog-nized in a simple ceremony FrMaj Juan Jerome C Daluro asBest Chaplain of the Year 2015for his exemplary service as Di-

vision Chaplain of 9th Infantry

(Spear) Division from Septem-ber 2012 to September 2015Fr MSg Mario Baniqued (Inf)Philippine Army (PA) OACCSChief Clerk was recognized asBest Chaplain Assistant of theYear 2015

The office also accordedPlaques of Appreciation to FrCpt Ferdinand Abuyuan ldquoforhis improvement of the 7IDChapel undertaken during histerm as Division Chaplain of7th Infantry Division Philip-pine Army from June 2013to September 2015rdquo and toFr LtC Stephen Penetrantefor his excellent service asOACCS Chief of Plans andPrograms

The awards were given aspart of the celebration of the78th Chaplain Service Foun-dation Anniversary from Nov

23 to 27

Congress focuses onmodern family issuesHE 20th Asia Pacific Congress on Faith Lifeand Family organized by Human Life interna-

tional (HLI) from Nov 27 to 29 focused onthreats perspectives and realities affecting themodern family

Wit h the the me comin g fro m Psa lms1288 ldquoYour wife a fruitful vine in theinner places of your house your childrenround your table like shoots of an olivetreerdquo speakers and resource persons sharedreflections on the understanding of Godrsquosplan for marriage and family threats andchallenges to family the modern crisis ofconscience unmasking the gender ideologythe global holocaust of abortion

Dr Ligaya Acosta the Regional director ofthe Human Life International (HLI) for Asiaand Oceania opened the Congress sayingrdquoTe said congress will enable the participantsto re-discover and value marriage-based naturalfamilies and teach children and leaders to value

them as wellrdquo Archb isho p Vincenzo Pag lia head of thePontifical Council for the Family gave thekeynote speech on the challenges of theSynod on the Family to more than 200participants from 15 countries includingthe Philippines

Bishop John Baptist Lee Bishop of Hsinchuand chair of the Commission for family of theChinese Regional Bishopsrsquo Conference reiter-

ated in his welcome speech the goals of HLI which is to promote the moral teaching of theCatholic Church to spread pro-life insightsin society and to offer concrete and effectiveprograms for the advancement of faith

Among other speakers were Fr Shenan Bo-quet President of Human Life International

(HLI) Dr Brian Clowes HLI director of edu-cation and research and Dr Joseph Meaneya leading expert on the international pro-life

movement Dr Ligaya Acosta Atty Jo ImbongDra Eleanor de Borja Palabyab and MayorSally Lee of Sorsogon Ci ty

Bishop Gilbert Garcera Chair of the Epis-copal Commission on Family and Life headed80 delegates from the Philippines (ECFL CBCP News)

The 20th Asia Pacific Congress on Faith Life and Family organized by Human Life international (HLI) was held fromNov 27 to 29 ECFL

PH army chaplains partners hold 1stlsquocharacter enhancementrsquo meet A YEAR afte r its launch armychaplains soldiers and civilianpartners from the various partsof the country met uesday

Nov 25 at the Philippine Ai rf or ce Mus eu m Vi ll am or Airbase to discuss the prog ressof the Character EnhancementProgram (CEP) and ways toreach more uniformed person-nel and their dependents

Vision 2028Fr Andres Bonifacio O Belleza

head of the Office of the ArmyChief Chaplain Service (OACCS)pointed out that the CEP re-sponds to the directive of Lt GenHernando Delfin Carmelo AIriberri former Philippine Army(PA) commanding general toldquodevelop righteous God-fearingsoldiers loved by the Filipino

peoplerdquo in step with the 18-year Army ransformation Roadmapof 2028 (AR28) and to ldquobecomea world-class Army that is a sourceof national priderdquo

o fulfill this vision the chiefchaplain shared the Army soughtthe help of the Order of St Mi-chael (OSM) a ministry of the

A chaplain facilitates a workshop with his lay collaborators during the 1st CharacterEnhancement Program (CEP) Conference Nov 25 2015 NIRVA DELACRUZ

Couples for Christ Global MissionFoundation (CFC Global) which

caters specifically to the spiritualneeds of people in the militarytheir spouses and children

Character enhancement Retired Col Arturo Alabanza

CFCOSM head explained thatunder AR28 PA is committed toa ldquolong-term sustainable platform

for continuing CEP and spiritual wellness programrdquo

For their part local CFC chap-ters are tasked to jumpstart CEPin all PA unit chapels and parishesnationwide

Since it debuted in Apr 32014 the OACCS-CFCOSMpartnership has already givencharacter enhancement retreats(CER) to 28 PA commands and

the Philippine Military Academy(PMA) Class of 2018 gradu-ated 385 PMA-Singles for Christ(SFC) members and conducted

five CERs at V Luna Hospital inQuezon City

Challenge accepted While they have start ed out

well Alabanza admitted there isstill much to be done for Godrsquos

work to be realized fully in thelives of Filipino soldiers and theirfamilies

According to him CEP hasreached 2000 men and womenin uniform to date translatingto about 0287 percent of an es-timated 700000 population thatis fertile ground for values andspiritual transformation exclud-ing their dependents

Alabanza expressed hope that in

the coming years and with the co-operation of the parties involvedCEP will be able to touch heartsand win the souls of more allow-ing PA to communicate a brandimage consistent with its corevalues of honor patriotism andduty (Raymond A Sebastiaacuten CBCP News)

PHLPost to issueIEC stamps

HE government is set to releasea commemorative postal stamp onthe 51st International EucharisticCongress to be held in Cebu Cityon Jan 24 -31 next year

he Philippine Postal Corpsaid stamp enthusiasts from allover the world would have theopportunity to buy the stampsconsidering the importance ofthis event in the history of theCatholic Church

he stamp design illustratesthe official logo of the IEC anevent aimed at promoting aware-ness about the central role of theEucharist in the life and mission

of the Church

ldquoTe PHLPost are one in prayingfor the success of this internationalgathering of lay people and Catho-lic Church leaders from around the

world with Cebu the beautifulqueen city of the south as the hostof this celebrationrdquo said PostmasterGeneral Josie Dela Cruz

he gathering is expected todraw 15000 delegates from allover the world Te Congress willalso feature open air Masses opento the public

PHLPost commissioned AmstarCo to print 104000 copies of thestamps to be sold at Php 15 eachstarting uesday Dec 8 at post

offices nationwide (CBCP News)

Taglersquos Year of Mercyrecolletion set

IN time for the forthcomingseason the Archdiocese ofManila (RCAM) and the JesuitCommunications (JesCom) in-vite the public to a free Adventtalk to be given by no less thanCardinal Luiacutes Ant onio G agleon Dec 13 Sunday 800 amto 1100 am at the Smart- Ar an et a Co li se um Cu ba oQuezon City

Temed ldquoMerciful like the Fa-therrdquo the Word Exposed AdventRecollection is set to have the Archbishop of Manila sharing hisreflections on Godrsquos message ofmercy in keeping with the Jubilee Year of Mercy

Acc ord in g to JesCom fr eetickets will be issued on Dec 4Friday at the following select dis-tribution centers anging YamanStore Sonolux Building Ateneode Manila University anging

Yaman Store S M Megamall 5F Atrium St Pauls Bookstore SMNorth Edsa St Pauls BookstoreSM Manila St Pauls BookstoreGateway Mall

Given the limited number oftickets JesCom stresses that res-ervation is not allowed

For further information in-terested parties may call (02)426-5971 to 72 (Raymond ASebastiaacuten CBCP News)

Cardinal Luiacutes Antonio G Tagle FILE PHOTO

PBS outs Bible Week 2016 schedulePHILIPPINE Bible Society (PBS) GeneralSecretary Dr Nora G Lucero has revealed thetheme for the National Bible Week (NBW)celebrations on Jan 25 to 31 2016 sayingit will focus on ldquoGodrsquos Word Strength of theFamily Hope of the Nationrdquo and the activities

in line for the eventldquoAs we continue to coordinate with our part-

ners from different locales all over the country we will also promote other meaningful ways forour kababayans to participate in the celebrationand to proclaim Godrsquos Word in their communi-tiesrdquo shares Lucero in a recent PBS press release

Community celebration According to her PBS is prepared various

activities for the celebration among which is

the iProclaim a public reading of ScripturesLucero went on to present suggested ways

individuals families local churches and or-ganizations can celebrate Godrsquos Word in theircommunities

Some of the activities suggested include

displaying of NBW posters and streamers fea-turing Bible verses in church or school bulletinboards organizing of sports events holdingof Bible rallies concerts or song and dancecompetitions in town plazas as well as lobbyingbefore local legislature for the enactment of alaw supporting the annual NBW celebration

Raising awarenessTe NBW 2016 theme is inspired in part by

Psalm 3312 in the New American Bible Revised

Edition (NABRE) which reads ldquoBlessed is thenation whose God is the Lord the people chosenas his inheritancerdquo as well as by Acts 1631 in theGood News ranslation (GN) which readsldquoTey answered lsquoBelieve in the Lord Jesus andyou will be saved ndash you and your familyrdquo

Frontlined by PBS the annual NBS cel-ebration is decreed by Presidential Proclama-tions 2242 44 and 1067 which aims to raisepeoplersquos awareness on the importance of theHoly Book

Te week-long proclamation of Godrsquos Wordis culminated by the celebration of ldquoNationalBible Sundayrdquo on Jan 31 2016 that is expectedto feature messages and homilies during Churchservices and Masses focusing on the theme(Raymond A Sebastiaacuten CBCP News)

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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B1CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

DEAR Brothers and Sisters Goodmorning

With this reflection we arrive at thethreshold of the Jubilee itrsquos close Tedoor is before us not just the HolyDoor but another the great doorof the Mercy of Godmdashand that is abeautiful doormdashwhich embraces ourpenance offering the grace of his for-giveness Te door is generously openit takes a little courage on our part tocross the threshold Each of us hasburdensome things within ourselves

We are all sinner s Let us take advan-tage of this coming moment and crossthe threshold of this mercy of God

who never tire s of forg iving nevertires of waiting for us He watches ushe is always beside us ake heart Letus enter through this door

From the Synod of Bishops which we celeb rated in the month of Octo-ber all families and the entire Churchreceived great encouragement to meetat the threshold of this open door TeChurch was encouraged to open herdoors to go out with the Lord to meether sons and daughters on the path attimes uncertain at times dismayed inthese difficult times Christian familiesin particular were encouraged to openthe door to the Lord who is waitingto enter bringing his blessing and hisfriendship And as the door of Godrsquosmercy is always open so too must thedoors of our churches our communi-ties our parishes our institutions ourdioceses be open because this is how

we can all go out to b ring th is mercyof God Te Jubilee signifies the greatdoor of the mercy of God but also thesmall doors of our churches open toallow the entrance of the Lordmdashoroften the exit of the Lordmdashwho is aprisoner of our structures of our self-ishness and of so many things

he Lord never forces the dooropen he too asks permission to enterTe Book of Revelation says ldquoI standat the door and knock if any one hearsmy voice and opens the door I willcome in to him and eat with him and

he with merdquo (320) Let us imaginethe Lord knocking at the door of ourheart In the last great vision of theBook of Revelation the City of Godis prophesied like this ldquoits gates shallnever be shut by dayrdquo which meansfor ever because ldquothere shall be nonight thererdquo (2125) Tere are placesin the world in which doors are not

locked there still are But there are

so many where armoured doors havebecome the norm We must not give into the idea that we must apply thi s sys-tem to our whole life to the life of thefamily of this city of society muchless to the life of the Church Tat

woul d be terr ibl e An inhospi tab leChurch like a family closed off withinitself mortifies the Gospel and withersthe world No armoured doors in theChurch none Completely open

he symbolic management ofldquodoorsrdquomdashof thresholds of passagesof bordersmdashhas become crucial Tedoor must protect of course but notreject Te door must not be forced

but on the contrary one asks permis-

sion because hospitality shines inthe freedom of welcoming and dimsin the arrogance of invasion hedoor is frequently opened in order

to see if there is someone waitingoutside perhaps without the couragenor perhaps the strength to knockHow many people have lost faith donot have the courage to knock at the

door of our Christian heart at the

doors of our churches And theyare there they donrsquot have the courage we have taken away trus t please maythis never happen A door says many

things about the house and also aboutthe Church ending the door requirescareful discernment and at the sametime must inspire great faith I wouldlike to pay a word of gratitude to all

PASTORAL CONCERNS

We are all sinners Let us take advantage of this coming

moment and cross the threshold of this mercy of God who

never tires of forgiving never tires of waiting for us

Message of Pope Francis at his General Audience on November 18 2015

The welcoming door porters of our condominiums of

civil institutions of the Churchesthemselves Often a porterrsquos acumenand courtesy can offer an image ofhumanity and of welcome to the entire

house right from the entrance Tereis something to be learned from thesemen and women who are watch-men at the places of encounter and

welcome in the c ity of man o all of

you watchmen of so many doors bethey residential doors or church doorsmany thanks Always with a smilealways demonstrating the acceptanceof that house of that Church sopeople feel happy and welcomed inthat place

In truth we are well aware that wetoo are watchmen and servants of theDoor of God and what is the nameof the door of God Jesus He lightsup all of lifersquos doors for us includingthose of our birth and of our death

He himself affirmed it ldquoI am the doorif any one enters by me he will besaved and will go in and out and findpasturerdquo (Jn 109) Jesus is the doorthat lets us go in and out BecauseGodrsquos sheepfold is a refuge it isnrsquot aprison Te house of God is a refugeit isnrsquot a prison and the door is called

Jesus If the door is closed we sayldquoLord open the doorrdquo Jesus is thedoor and lets us go in and out Tose

who try to avoid the door are thievesitrsquos curious thieves always tr y to enterby another way by the window by theroof but they avoid the door becausethey have evil intentions and theysneak into the sheepfold in order todeceive the sheep and take advantageof them We must enter through thedoor and listen to Jesusrsquo voice if wehear the tone of his voice we are cer-tain we are saved We can go in with-out fear and go out without dangerIn this beautiful discourse Jesus alsospeaks of the gatekeeper whose taskis opening to the Good Shepherd (cf

Jn 102) If the gatekeeper hears theShepherdrsquos voice he opens and letsin all of the sheep that the Shepherdbrings all of them including thoselost in the wood whom the GoodShepherd went to get back Te sheepare not chosen by the gatekeeper theyare not chosen by the parish secretaryor parish administrator the sheepare all called they are chosen by theGood Shepherd Te gatekeepermdashhetoomdashobeys the Shepherdrsquos voiceTus we can well say that we must

be like that gatekeeper Te Churchis the gatekeeper of the house of theLord she is not the proprietor of theLordrsquos house

Te Holy Family of Nazareth knows jus t wha t an open or clo sed doormeans for those expecting a child forthose who have no shelter for those

who need to escape danger Chri stian

families make the threshold of their

homes a great sign of the Door ofthe mercy and welcome of God It isprecisely how the Church will have tobe recognized in every corner of theearth as the watchman of a God whoknocks as the welcome of a God whodoes not close the door in your face

with the excuse that you are not partof the household With this spirit letus approach the Jubilee there will bethe Holy Door but there is the doorof the great mercy of God May therealso be the door of our heart for all toreceive Godrsquos forgiveness and to givein our turn our forgiveness welcomingall those who knock at our door

Prayer of His HolinessPope Francis for the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy

LORD Jesus Christyou have taught us to be mer-

ciful like the heavenly Fatherand have told us that whoever

sees you sees HimShow us your face and we will

be saved Your loving gaze freed Zac-

chaeus and Matthew from beingenslaved by money

the adulteress and Magdalenefrom seeking happiness only increated things

made Peter weep after hisbetrayal

and assured Paradise to therepentant thief

Let us hear as if addressed toeach one of us the words thatyou spoke to the Samaritan

womanldquoIf you knew the gift of Godrdquo

You are the visible face of theinvisible Father

of the God who manifests hispower above all by forgivenessand mercy

let the Church be your visibleface in the world its Lord risenand glorified

You willed that your min-isters would also be clothedin weakness

in order that they mayfeel compassion for those inignorance and error

let everyone who ap-proaches them feel soughtafter loved and forgiven byGod

Send your Spirit and con-secrate every one of us withits anointing

so that the Jubilee of Mercymay be a year of grace fromthe Lord

and your Church withrenewed enthusiasm maybring good news to the poor

proclaim liberty to captivesand the oppressed

and restore sight to theblind

We ask this of you Lord Jesus through the interces-sion of Mary Mother of

Mercy you who live andreign with the Father and theHoly Spirit for ever and ever

Amen C N A

L rsquo O s s e r v a t o r e R o m a n o

Vatican City - April 11 2015 Cardinals gathered at St Peterrsquos Basilica on April 11 2015 during the Convocation of the Year of Mercy where Pope Francis publicly proclaimed

a Jubilee for Mercy which will begin December 8th and end in November 2016

The Holy Door unveiling at the Recognitio ceremony in St Peterrsquos Basilica on November 17 2015

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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B2 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25PASTORAL CONCERNS

C B C P N e

w s

Separation of Church and State lawsin the marriage of Catholics

By Fr Jaime B Achacoso JCD

I AM not a great fan of the so-calledseparation of Church and State as it

is often misunderstood as the juridicexpression of the laicist principle ofrelegating religion to the privatesphere As we had seen in a previ-ous article this was the brainchildof the French Revolution fruit ofthe prejudice against the CatholicChurch (since it was identified withthe abusive absolutist monarchiesin Europe at the time) but whichnevertheless had to be toleratedfor the sake of individual liberty Ihave always argued for the conceptof distinction between Church andState based on the fact that thesubjects of both jurisdictions are thesame people who are simultaneouslyfaithful of the Catholic Church andcitizens of the State Te State andthe Church are distinct jurisdictionsbut not separate and uncoordinated

One area of such distinctionhowever which can be considered asa veritable separation is the matter ofmatrimonial law

wo Separate Marriages heCanonical Marriage and the CivilMarriage

When a Filipino Catholic faith-ful gets married he effectively getsmarried under two separate juridicalsystems Church Law (or CanonLaw) and State Law (or the Civil Lawof the Republic of the Philippines)Each juridic system has its own set ofrequirements even if the civil law inthe Philippines regulates marriage ina way similar to Canon Law through

the Family Code of the PhilippinesIn fact the crafters of the FamilyCode got many of its provisions fromthe corresponding section of theCode of Canon Law of the CatholicChurch What most people do notrealize is that the papers signed at theend of the Catholic Wedding Massare in fact the Marriage Contract un-der the Republic of the Philippinesthe same contract which wouldhave been signed in the presence ofa solemnizing officer (the judge orhis equivalent) in the appropriategovernment office What happensis that the parish priest (or the priestto whom he delegates the functionof solemnizing the marriage) is depu-tized by the state to be a solemnizing

officer through a license which isexpedited by the National StatisticsOffice yearly In short the Catholicpriest is authorized by the Republicof the Philippines to solemnize thecivil marriage In other words thecivil marriage can be solemnized byeither a civil servant or a Catholicpriest with the license from the NSO

Insofar as the Canonical Marriageis concerned on the other handthe only paper work required is itsregistration in the Book of Marriages (Marriage Registry) in the parish

where it was celebrated as well as itsannotation in the Book of Baptisms (Baptismal Registry) in the parish

where the spouses were baptizedTere is no separate marriage cer-

tificate or marriage contract for thecanonical marriageTis fundamental juridic reality

has several consequences

A Purely Canonical Marriage only

has Purely Canonical Require-ments

When an already civilly-marriedcouple wish to contract a canonicalmarriagemdasheg when they want

to regularize their situation in theChurch in order to return to thereception of the Sacramentsmdashwhatis celebrated is just the canonicalmarriage without the correspond-ing civil marriage which had alreadybeen celebrated Hence the onlyrequirements for the solemnizingsacred minister are the requirementsstipulated by Canon Law in c1108mdashsect1 Only those marriages are validwhich are contracted in the presence ofthe local ordinary or the parish priest ora priest or deacon delegated by either ofthem who assists and in the presenceof two witnesses according to the rulesexpressed in the following canons (hellip)

mdashsect2 Te one assisting at a mar-riage is understood to be only that

person who present at the ceremonyasks for the contractantsrsquo manifestationof consent and receives it in the nameof the Church

As can be seen for this purelycanonical marriage the assistingsacred minister (the local ordinary orthe parish priest or another priest ordeacon delegated by either the localordinary or the parish priest) doesnot need the license from the State toact as solemnizing officer for the civilmarriage since such a marriage is not

being celebrated Tus the praxis inmany parishes of requiring the above-mentioned government license fromthe sacred minister in good canonicalstanding who has been duly delegated tosolemnize a purely canonical marriage

is not only improper but is an outrightinsult to the canonical order

Te So-called Secret Marriage A secret marriage is one that the lo-

cal ordinary permits to be celebratedin secret due to a grave and urgentcause (c1130) Tis involves carry-ing out the preliminary investigation(the canonical inquiry) in secret andhaving the local ordinary the official

witness (the local ordinary or theparish priest or any priestdeaconauthorized by them to solemnize themarriage) the common witnesses(the two other witnesses required bythe canonical form) and the spousesto maintain secrecy regarding theactual celebration of the marriage(c1131)

Tus there are two requirementsfor a secret marriage (1) authoriza-

tion from the local ordinary ofthe place where the marriage iscelebrated (2) a grave and urgent cause which must be assessed bythe ordinary

Te classic example of a grave andurgent cause appears in Benedict

XIVrsquos encyclical Satis vobis (17 XI1741) in the case of two persons who live together without havingbeen married canonically but who

were publicly considered husbandand wife Te gravity would stemfrom the fact that these personsmight be living in a habitual state

of sin (extramarital intercourse) orat least in a proximate occasion forsuch sin Te urgency might stemfrom other factors like unreasonableopposition from the partiesrsquo relativesfor the canonical marriage to take

place or some civil impediment forthe marriage to take place (eg apre-existing civil marriage) within areasonable period of time

Actual Filipino society presents

several scenarios(1) A couple civilly-married andstably living together in the Catholiccommunity which understandsthem to be husband and wife oregularize their situation in theChurch (to be able to return tothe Sacraments) they need to bemarried canonically but withoutdetriment to their good standingbefore the community which haderstwhile taken them to be canoni-cally married

(2) A couple stably living togetherin the Catholic community whichunderstands them to be husband and

wife but who have never been mar-

ried either canonically or civillymdashthelatter since there is an impediment incivil law for such a civil marriage totake place (eg an existing civil mar-riage of one or both of the parties thedeclaration of the nullity of which istaking too much time and expense)In this case they need to be marriedcanonically to regularize their situa-tion in the Church but cannot do socivilly yet because of the impedimentin civil law

(3) A couple one of whom hadbeen previously married civilly andcanonically and had obtained a

declaration of nullity of the canoni-cal marriage but have not been ableto get a similar declaration for thecivil marriage due to some reason(eg the high cost of the civil pro-cess) Te urgency to celebrate the

canonical marriage might be due tothe couplersquos already cohabitating anddesiring to regularize their situationin the Church and return to theSacraments Another reason could

be the couplersquos plan to immediatelymigrate to start a new life of goodstanding before the Church

(4) A couple of radically unequalsocial status or ethnic provenance

whose marriage is feared to resultin their permanent alienation fromtheir blood family or in disinheri-tance

(5) A widow who would lose her job or means of sustenance for herselfand her children should her marriagecome to public knowledge

In all of these scenarios the im-mediate celebration of the canonicalmarriage is warranted but whichcannot be divulged to the general

public or to the State either for thetime being or indefinitely

Documentation of a Purely Ca-nonical Marriage

Another consequence of theseparation of Church and State inmatrimonial law is the matter ofdocumentation Te documentationof the civil marriage is well knownthe marriage contractmdashexpeditedby the civil registrar signed by theparties the solemnizing officer (theauthorized sacred minister in thecase of a Church wedding) and the

witnessesmdashcopies of which are filedin the office of the civil registrar andin the parish office

As previously stated the canoni-cal marriage is simply noted in theBook of Marriages of the parish

where it was celebrated and in theBook of Baptisms in the respectiveparishes where the parties were bap-tized (which acts as the permanentrecord of their entire lifetime in the

Church)Of special interest in the presentsubject is the practice in some dio-ceses of filling out and signing thepro-forma Marriage Certificatemdash

with the heading of the Republicof the Philippinesmdashfrom the officeof the civil registrar even in the caseof a secret marriage albeit only forfiling in the secret archives of thediocese Not only is this a breach ofthe principle of distinction of Churchand State it might even be proof ofthe celebration of the secret marriageitself outside of Civil Law A betterpractice would be to make a Mar-riage Contract form specifically for

the Canonical Marriage only

Declaration of Nullity of a Canoni-cal Marriage

o conclude given the separa-tion of Canonical Law and CivilLaw the declaration of nullity of acanonical marriage does not auto-matically establish the nullity of thecorresponding civil marriage (andvise-versa) While the celebration of acanonical marriage normally has civileffectsmdashbecause the correspondingcivil marriage is also celebrated withthe sacred minister acting as an au-

thorized solemnizing officermdashthedeclaration of nullity in one forumdoes not carry with it a correspond-ing declaration of nullity in the otherforum wo separate processes mustbe carried out

Advent Wreaths and Incensing(Father Edward McNamara pro-

fessor of liturgy and dean of theologyat the Regina Apostolorum universityanswers the following query)

Q When incensing the altar atthe beginning of Mass should the

Advent wreath also be incensed inthe same way as the paschal candleduring the Easter season Whatabout a Nativity scene (during theChristmas season) -- D LeuvenBelgium

A Te rules regarding incensingare mostly found in the missal andthe Ceremonial of Bishops heintroduction to the missal says

ldquoIncensationldquo276 Turification or incensa-

tion is an expression of reverenceand of prayer as is signified in Sa-cred Scripture (cf Ps 140 [141]2Rev 83)

ldquoIncense may be used if desiredin any form of Mass

ldquoa during the Entrance proces-

sion

ldquob at the beginning of Mass to in-cense the cross and the altar

ldquoc at the Gospel procession and theproclamation of the Gospel itself

ldquod after the bread and the chalicehave been placed upon the altar toincense the offerings the cross and the

altar as well as the priest and the peopleldquoe at the showing of the host and the

chalice after the consecrationldquo277 Te priest having put incense

into the thurible blesses it with the Signof the Cross without saying anything

ldquoBefore and after an incensation aprofound bow is made to the person orobject that is incensed except for theincensation of the altar and the offeringsfor the Sacrifice of the Mass

ldquohe following are incensed withthree swings of the thurible the MostBlessed Sacrament a relic of the HolyCross and images of the Lord exposedfor public veneration the offerings forthe Sacrifice of the Mass the altar crossthe Book of the Gospels the PaschalCandle the priest and the people

ldquoTe following are incensed with two

swings of the thurible relics and imagesof the Saints exposed for public venera-tion which should be done howeveronly at the beginning of the celebrationafter the incensation of the altar

ldquohe altar is incensed with singleswings of the thurible in this way

ldquoa if the altar is freestanding withrespect to the wall the priest incenses

walking around itldquob if the altar is not freestanding the

priest incenses it while walking first tothe right hand side then to the left

ldquoTe cross if situated on or near thealtar is incensed by the priest before heincenses the altar otherwise he incensesit when he passes in front of it

ldquohe priest incenses the offerings with three swings of the thurible or bymaking the sign of the cross over theofferings with the thurible before goingon to incense the cross and the altarrdquo

Although there is a rite of blessingfor the Advent wreath in the AmericanBook of Blessings there is no mentionof incensing the wreath Tis blessing is

proper to the United States and is absent

from the official Book of Blessings incountries such as Italy

It must therefore be concluded thatthe Advent wreath is not incensed inthe manner of the paschal candle It isneither a relic nor an image and is morean expression of popular piety than a

liturgical object per seTe paschal candle receives special

veneration because it is a traditional andancient symbol of the risen Christ Onecould argue that in a way the wreath isa symbol of the coming Christ but we

would still be before a relatively recentcustom and one which is not presentin the universal Church Its not beingincensed does not lessen in any way theusefulness of the wreath in fostering aspiritual preparation for Christmas

A Nativity scene or at least an imageof the Child Jesus set up in the sanc-tuary could enter into the category ofldquoimages of the Saints exposed for publicvenerationrdquo mentioned above in No277 and hence be incensed

It should be remembered however

that several Church guidelines advise

against setting up the Nativity inthe sanctuary itself and above all itshould never be an obstacle to thedignified celebration of the liturgi-cal celebrations For example theUS bishopsrsquo conference says in thedocument ldquoBuilt of Living Stonesrdquo

ldquosect 124 sect Plans for seasonal deco-rations should include other areasbesides the sanctuary Decorationsare intended to draw people to thetrue nature of the mystery beingcelebrated rather than being endsin themselves Natural flowersplants wreaths and fabric hangingsand other seasonal objects can bearranged to enhance the primaryliturgical points of focus Te altarshould remain clear and free-stand-ing not walled in by massive floraldisplays or the Christmas crib andpathways in the narthex nave andsanctuary should remain clearrdquo

If as is common in many church-es the Nativity scene is outside thesanctuary area there is no need to

leave the sanctuary to incense it

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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B3CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25 FEATURES

Three Macro-Challenges for the Church in the lsquoYear of MercyrsquoBy Abp Antonio J Ledesma SJ

HE last two months of this year 2015 havebrought to the fore three macro-challenges forCivil Society and the Church in the Philippinestoday Tey are challenges on a macro scalebecause no single organization nor group ofindividuals can adequately address the various

issues that are emerging Tey are also macrobecause these issues affect millions of peopleor in some cases the entire world Indeed theneed for consensus-building on a national orglobal level has been felt Tis should be basedon ethical-moral principles and shared valuesthat go beyond cultural religious and socio-economic barriers In particular the CatholicChurch plays a significant role in Philippinesociety in addressing these macro issues

I Climate ChangeOn a global scale Climate Change will

be the pressing issue at the 21st Conferenceof Partners (COP 21) on the environmentPope Francisrsquo recent encyclical Laudato Si

has opened wide the doors for scientists andreligious leaders to enter into serious dialogueover issues such as global warming and thesearch for alternative sources of energy Insteadof viewing the environment or nature simplyas an object to be exploited Pope Francis pres-ents the Christian vision of Godrsquos handiworkldquoCreation can only be understood as a gift from

the outstretched hand of the Father of all andas a reality illuminated by the love which callsus together into universal communionrdquo (LS76) He also points out the intimate connectionbetween the ecological approach and the socialapproach ldquoso as to hear both the cry of the earth

and the cry of the poorrdquo (LS 49)Here in Cagayan de Oro we have joined

other dioceses in a Global Climate SolidarityMarch for the Environment On Nov 28advocates for protecting the environmentconverged at the Divisoria from four starting-points to join the voices of the world-wideCatholic Climate Movement at the startof COP 21 in Paris Te archdiocese alsocontinues its participation in the Cagayande Oro River Basin Management Council(CDORBMC) to protect the watershed areasand downstream communities of the Cagayande Oro river system

II Bangsamoro Basic Law A second macro challenge is the continuing

quest for a just and lasting peace in MindanaoTe draft Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) has

been altered in the committee sessions of bothhouses of Congress A version called the Basic

Law for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region(BLBAR) has come out from the Committeeof the House of Representatives Moreover thecommittee report in the Senate has providedanother set of amendments With the resur-gence of biases and prejudices after the Ma-masapano incident the final outcome for thepassage of the various drafts of the BangsamoroBasic Law is not clear

Seen from a wider perspective the letterof the Catholic Bishopsrsquo Conference of thePhilippines (CBCP) in July 2015 stated ldquoOnour part viewing the issues from a moral angle

we do not want a BBL that does not effectivelyaddress the root causes of social injusticerdquo Tisechoes the view of the surviving members ofthe Constitutional Convention of 1987 thatthe Constitution focuses primarily on the spiritof Social Justice Te Citizensrsquo Peace Councilnoted that the BBL is ldquoan act of Social Justiceand Reparation to the peoples of MuslimMindanao to rectify all the injustices inflictedupon them in the pastrdquo

Over the past three months I have helpedconvene consultations among religious and

civil society leaders in Cagayan de Oro andManila to discuss the BBL issue With someclarifications practically everyone saw the needfor a meaningful basic law for a sustainablepeace in Mindanao On Nov 26 in Cagayande Oro we started the Mindanao Week ofPeace with a multi-sectoral march rally Tis

was organized by the Inter-faith Forum for

Peace Harmony and Solidarity Te theme was ldquoMindanaoansrsquo Aspirations for PeaceKalinaw sa Dios ndash Kinaiyahan ndash KatawhanrdquoRegardless of the outcome of the BBLBLBARissue in Congress all of us should continue toengage in intra- and inter-religious dialogue

Our biases and preconceived notions of othercultures and religions are the main obstaclesto lasting peace in Mindanao and the rest ofthe country

III Good Governance A third macro-challenge in the Philippines

context is the coming elections in May 2016 Already the campaign period has started andvarious political personalities and parties havefiled their candidacies Good governancemdash

with its antithesis corruptionmdashis once morea critical factor to consider for every voter In

January 2010 before the last presidential elec-tions the CBCP made three calls to voters(1) o form circles of discernment (2) For thelaity to exercise their right and duty to supportcandidates who are qualified and committed to

public service and (3) o engage in principledpartisan politics Voting for candidates with a

track record of good governance is the mosteffective way of stamping out a culture ofcorruption In an address to the International

Assembly of Penal Law Pope Francis pointsout emphatically ldquoCorruption is a process ofdeath more evil than sin ndash an evil that insteadof being forgiven must be curedrdquo

On Nov 7 the archdiocese sponsored aMarch rally for CHAMPmdashClean Honest

Accurate Meaningful and Peaceful electionsTis was well attended by various sectorsTere were calls against votemdashbuying po-litical dynasties and the conduct of patronagepolitics Te city itself has had its share ofdivisive party politics in the non-disbursementof the budget for vital basic services and morerecently in the controversy over the post ofCity Mayor

Despite these internal conflicts amongelected officials it is good to keep in mind PopeFrancisrsquo own exhortation ldquoPolitics thoughoften denigrated remains a lofty vocation andone of the highest forms of charity inasmuchas it seeks the common goodrdquo (EG 205)

IV A Year of Mercy Despite the Holy Fatherrsquos blunt words on theevil of corruption he has called for an Extraor-dinary Jubilee of Mercy starting on December8 2015 ldquoJesus Christ is the face of the Fatherrsquosmercyrdquo Tis opening statement provides thetitle of Pope Francisrsquo Bull of Indiction Miseri-cordiae Vultus He goes on to say that Mercy

is ldquothe bridge that connects God and manrdquo Itis also ldquothe fundamental law that dwells in theheart of every person who looks sincerely intothe eyes of his brothers and sisters on the pathof liferdquo (MV 2)

On Nov 3-5 our Archdiocesan Pastoral

Assembly brought together more than 450delegates from 64 parishes Tis was the cul-mination of the Appreciative Inquiry processthat was carried out in most parishes down tothe kapilya community level over the past sixmonths

What was most noteworthy was the prepon-derance of lifemdashgiving pastoral experiences interms of prayerfulness and also of service toothers Tese two characteristics and sharedvalues can just as well point the directions wecan take during this jubilee year of mercy

Tis perhaps is the perspective we can adoptin confronting the macro-challenges beforeusmdashto first bend our knees in prayer and to bemerciful like the Father especially for the poorand marginalized in addressing socio-economicand political issues to work for ecological andsocial justice and to bring about Godrsquos mercy

by rectifying deeplyndashrooted biases and injusticesin Philippine society today

A r c h d i o c e s e o f C a g a y a n d e O r o

Pinoy in RomeCountdown to the

Jubilee Yearof Mercy

By Robert Z Cortes

HE Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy announced by PopeFrancis around Holy Week this year is finally starting onDecember 8 the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception

just a couple of days from now Tat this special event in theChurchrsquos history begins on that date is of course no accidentTis Popersquos devotion to Mary shown publicly every timehe passes by St Mary Major before any major trip abroadshould have made that choice almost predictable Howeveraside from human choices one ought to consider above allthe guidance of Providence whose will it is that the most

important events in the Church happen under the mantle ofMary Mother of the Church and Mother of MercySo the idea

to p repareproximatelyfor the Jubilee

Year of Mercyby making anovena to theImmaculateConceptionmade a lot ofsense to me

And being inRome thecity that argu-ably no placein the worldcan match

in terms ofthe qualityand quantityof sacred artp r e s e n t Itook advan-tage to do thefollowing Fornine daysmdashi n c l u d i n gthe Solem-nity hencet h e t e r mldquonovenardquomdashI

was going tovisit an im-age of OurLady vener-ated in vari-ous churchesaround thec i t y B u t

which church-es though

Given the

multitude of beautiful and historic churches in Rome itseemed the best way to approach this project was simply tobe led by Providence Tis approach is not ldquoto be too mysti-cal about itrdquo asI learned quite recently from of all peoplea non-Catholic ethics professor in a very secular Americanuniversity whom I interviewed a couple of months ago Hisdefense is that ldquothere still is another dimension in terms ofa holistic being in which our reason and our spirit and ouremotions are an integrated wholehellip So you listen to thevoice of the spiritrdquoTis was actually good ecumenical adviceto which my experience in the following days would attest

Tese experiences culled from my journal of these novenadays are actually Church history lessons devotional tour-guiding tips and philosophizing all rolled into one I sharethem seeing that they can serve some purpose however onemay be preparing for the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy

Our Lady of the Sacred Hear in SantrsquoAndreadella Valle Yesterday November 30 was the beginning of the novenato the Immaculate Conception It also happened to be thefeast of St Andrew Now at the other end of the street wheremy university is happens to be a huge looming basilicadedicated to Saint Andrew with the name ldquoSantrsquoAndreadellaValle rdquo People with very limited time in Rome usually donrsquothave time to visit this magnificent church but really nexttime you come you should Tis church was actually builtby the very same people involved in the building of St Peterrsquosand used this as their ldquopracticerdquo church people like Giacomodella Porta and Carlo Maderno Te fountain in the squarefronting the church is Madernorsquos

Te paintings and the frescoes inside are even more breath-taking Te dome and the ceiling are one of the best thereis in Rome - and perhaps in Christendom Since it was thefeast of St Andrew precisely I decided to do my prayer rightthere before the huge fresco of the crucifixion of St AndrewI did my rosary in one of the side chapels dedicated to Our

Countdown B6

What was behind

that inconspicuous

door Actually a

small but amazinglybeautiful jewel of

a church

A recent rally against climate change and environmental degradation

The Sant Agnese view from the South Plazza Navona

Sant Agnesersquo double Holy Family

An Interfaith Walk for Peace held on Nov 26 2015

R o b e r t Z C

o r t e s

R o b e r t Z C

o r t e s

A

r c h d i o c e s e o f C a g a y a n d e O r o

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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B4 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

By S M Evangeline A Madayag OSB

HE urgency of protecting ldquo OurCommon Homerdquo is much given em-phasis by our Holy Father Pope Fran-cis Much heat drought and differencein the weather and climate is muchfelt Many kinds of sicknesses are alsoattacking especially the poor who lacknourishment due to having no foodsecurity One can really feel the differ-ence of being in a polluted city fromthe simple rural setting where there arestill enough trees providing clean airTe other week I and my communityof Sisters together with two visitingSisters were able to enjoy the beautifulbeach of San Isidro Davao OrientalI salute Mayor ina Yu and all the of-ficers of the Municipality of San Isidrofor really defending their stand for a

ldquoNo o Mining in San IsidrordquoI wish that would also be true for the

whole province of Davao Oriental It issad that some barangays and munici-palities who make resolutions to allowmining only consider themselves as theonly ones with rights to allow miningobviously setting aside the possibleharms effect on the people and theenvironment especially to the nextgeneration We have experienced the

effect of the haze brought about theforest fire of Indonesia a true evidencethat we are all affected all around the

world of what happens in a certain partof the world As Joey Ayala reminds usin his song ldquo Ang Lahat ng Bagay ayMagka-ugnayrdquo

Just last year (July 1 2014) SenatorLoren Legarda visited our province (Davao Oriental) and congratulated theprovince for its stand on the protec-tion of our natural resources especiallyciting Mt Hamiguitan a UNESCO

World Heritage site What a heri tage what a treasure

Yet what is real ly happeni ng inDavao Oriental Even our priests inthe Diocese of Mati are alarmed onthe ldquo proliferation of alleged mining

activities in the province of Davao

Oriental particularly in the followingareas (1) Brgy Old Macopa Manay(2) Brgy iblawan Governor Gen-eroso (3) Barangay Causwagan andMaputi Banaybanay (4) BarangayDapnan and Lambajon Bagangga (5)Barangay Calapagan Lupon (excerptsfrom the letter of Rev Fr Edito SBantildeo DCM Apostolic Adminstratorof Mati to the DENR National OfficeSeptember 10 2015 He made anotherletter to the DENR on October 222015 to includeMacambol ( Magumand Salingcomot) as a concern

With much prayers for awakenings

re-awakenings and miracles to hap-pen we make this petition

A PEIION FOR HE SOP-PAGE AND REJECION OF HEIMPENDING ISSUANCE OF MIN-ING PERMI FOR AUSRAL-ASIALINK MINING CORPORAION

AND HALLMARK MINING COR-PORAION BOH UNDER HECORPORAE ORGANIZAIONOF ASIAICUS MANAGEMENCORPORAION (AMCOR) AMAGUM PUJADA BAY AND SAL-INGCOMO MAI CIY PROV-

INCE OF DAVAO ORIENAL

We the farmers fisherfolks Churchpeople youth professionals businesspeople of Davao Oriental Provincetogether with our national and inter-national supporters hereby urge MrRamon JP Paje DENR SecretaryNO O ISSUE ANY MININGPERMI to AUSRAL-ASIA LINKMINING CORPORAION ANDHALLMARK MINING CORPORA-ION both under the CORPORAEORGANIZAION OF ASIAICUSMANAGEMEN CORPORAION(AMCOR) for its mining operation in

Magum Pujada Bay and Salingcomot

Mati City Province of Davao Oriental We also demand that their mining

equipments be pulled out from themining site Macambol ldquoLodgedbetween two protected areasmdashthePujada Bay Protected Seascape (andLandscape) and Mt HamiguitanRange proclaimed wildlife sanctu-ary (Republic Act No 9303 July 302004)rdquo and as a UNESCO WorldHeritage Site at the 38th Session ofthe World Heritage Committee ( June15-24 2014 Doha State of Qatar) is not the most logical site for large-scale nickel laterite mining project (October 212009 in Environment Food Security Sensitive EcosystemsTe Philippines)

Ac co rd in g to th e st ud y pu b-lished by httpbhpbillitonwatchnet20091021pujada-hallmark-nickel-laterite-project-profile ldquo some4778 hectares of mining permitsoverlap with five major drainagesystems and watersheds which eitherdrain towards Pujada Bay or the DavaoGulf Tese bodies of freshwater arethe main water supplies for the com-munities living within and around thearea and the bays host endangeredspecies such as dugongs (sea cows)sea turtles and stingrays Te forestof Macambol is a watershed area

Additi ona lly the Puja da reg ion issituated on the ldquoPacificndashCordillerardquofault line wo branches of the activePhilippine fault flank the watershedon the southwest and southeast of theproject area which has been subjectto intense seismic activities Te 2008report ldquoPhilippines Mining or Foodrdquorecommended that no mining shouldtake place on Mount Hamiguitan ornear Pujada Bay which are centres ofbiodiversity with high ecotourismpotential Under these conditions itmay be almost impossible to minethe area ldquo (httpbhpbillitonwatchnet20091021pujada-hallmark-nickel-laterite-project-profile)

In his ENCYCLICAL LEERLAUDAO SIrsquo Our Holy Father

all processes addressing climateand disaster risks especially afterthe province experienced the

wrath of yphoon Yolanda lastNovember 8 2013

He also mentioned how theimpact of climate change cutsacross all sectors regardless of gen-der culture economic or politicalstature with the poor sufferingthe greatest impact

ldquoTerefore a plan of actionto address climate and disasterrisks must be undertaken using

PASTORAL CONCERNS

Home B7

IN solidarity with the on-goingClimate Conference in Paris the

Archdiocese of Palo Relief andRehabilitation Unit (Caritas Palo)together with at least 200 lsquoYolan-darsquo survivors signed a Declarationsupporting Climate Change andCommunity-Managed DisasterRisk Reduction in Palo Leyteon uesday

In a statement Caritas PaloDirector Fr Al Cris Badana citedhow important it is for membersof the communities to be part of

community-managed disasterrisk reduction (CMDRR) as thestrategyrdquo Badana added

Also present during the commit-ment signing are representativesfrom various church groups andgovernment agencies such as theProvincial Government of LeyteDepartment of Social Welfare andDevelopment Department ofInterior and Local GovernmentProvincial Disaster Risk Reductionand Management Office and theOffice of the Civil Defense

Aside from the declaration sign-ing the lsquoYolandarsquo survivors from15 communities in the townsof Palo Santa Fe AlangalangMayorga Dulag and MacArthureach gave a presentation of howtheir communities are presentlyengaged in community-manageddisaster risk reduction (CMDRR)measures and systems

Tere was also a mini exhibitof the organic products producedby lsquoYolandarsquo survivors to show itssupport for sustainable agricul-

ture which is part of the climatechange action

After the devastation of y-phoon Yolanda the RomanCatholic Church of the Archdio-cese of Palo through Caritas Paloand NASSACaritas Philippineshelped Yolanda-affected commu-nities in Leyte to craft their ownresiliency and contingency plans

which were already adopted bytheir barangays As of today Cari-tas Palo has invested P150 millionto build resilient communities

Te said communities also in-stalled early warning systems andevacuation plans which resultedin zero casualties and minimaldamages during the onslaughtof yphoon Ruby the strongesttyphoon in 2014

It can be recalled that the re-cent encyclical of Pope FrancisLaudato Si highlighted the ad-

verse impacts of climate changeon the poor and most vulnerableand the scale of the climate crisis(NASSA Features)

Protecting Our Common Home

Church lsquoYolandarsquo survivors in Leyte signClimate Change Declaration

N A S S A C a r i t a s P h i l i p p i n e s

C B C P N e w s

N A S S A C a r i t a s P h i l i p p i n e s

N A

S S A C a r i t a s P h i l i p p i n e s

lsquoYolandarsquo survivors together with representatives from the Archdiocese of Palo Relief and Rehabilitation Unit (Caritas Palo) signedthe Caritas Declaration on Climate Change in solidarity with the on-going Paris Climate Talks

The Archdiocese of Palo Relief and Rehabilitation Unit (Caritas Palo) displayed the organic products produced bylsquoYolandarsquo survivorsin Leyte which is part of its climate change action

Members of the New Dampigan Womenrsquos Association happily beam and show off the eggs they harvested

Women in actionONE women to explore their otherpotentials

Tis is the story of the women in thetown of New Dampigan in Samar prov-ince who found a new hobby a passionand source of livelihood all at the sametime hey are the New Dampigan

Womenrsquos Association who are engagedin poultry raising

It all started when the DiocesanSocial Action Center of Calbayog gavethe group a total of 500 ducks as partof its livelihood program for yphoonHaiyan survivors

Te group is composed of 21 mem-bers all of them women Tey raiseducks and sell its eggs salted and freshalike to the nearby towns of Sta Ritaand Basey o produce salted eggs they

preserve it for 15 to 18 daysBut it wasnrsquot all easy going especially

at first When another yphoon Hagu-pit locally known as Ruby hit the townlast December some of their ducks diedfrom the storm Tey almost lose hopeBut luckily they did not Instead the

women sticked together and took careof the remaining ducks

Now the women are the more thanhappy and contented of the productof their pure hardwork and ingenuitySeveral weeks after the onslaught ofHagupit the women are once againback in track

Currently they are harvesting 700 upto 1000 eggs every week Tey are alsofocused on marketing their products tonearby towns which they do throughthe support and trainings providedby the social action center Yes they

are truly women in action (NASSAFeatures)

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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B5CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

life and refreshment from her waterrdquo (Laudato Si2)

Since climate is a commongood it is but right to be involved

in the discussion of climatechange especially that it is nowdestructive not only to proper-ties to but also to lives Accord-ingly the world is on the brink ofbecoming an arid wasteland dueto lsquounchecked human activitiesrsquo

We are living witnesses of thedestruction brought about by

weather changes and the effectsto health by carbon emissionshe calamities that claimedthousands of lives these pastyears and months are enoughproof to awaken in us a commit-ment to safeguard creation andhelp mitigate their effects

Pope Francis seeing the ur-gency of action in dealing with

environmental crisis points outthe use of highly polluting fossil

STATEMENTS

Statement on Coal Mining and Coal Power Plant

Final Statement of the 6th Bishopsrsquo Institute forInterreligious Affairs

Mayor Duterte

Asian celebration of the 50 th anniversary of Nostra Aetate

FABC Office of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs

Redemptorist Center Pattaya Thailand

November 16-20 2015

WE the one hundred sixty-six(166) delegates of the 40thDOPIM Bishops-Clergy Con-vention unanimously expressour serious concern on theoperation of coal mining andcoal power plant that triggersapprehension among our peopleand poses environment threat inthe provinces where such facilityis being established

With faith in the Lord of Cre-ation we want to heed the callof Pope Francis in his encyclicalLaudato Si that urges us all tocare for the earth as our commonhome Citing St Francis of As-sisi the Holy Father persuadesus to treat our common homelike our sister

However knowing the realityof our destructive attitude andactivities towards her the Pope

writes that ldquoTe6 sister now criesout to us because of the harm

we have inflicted on her by ourirresponsible use and abuse ofthe goods with which God hasendowed her We have come toseeeuro ourselves as her lords andmasters entitled to plunder herat will Te violence present inour hearts wounded by sin isalso reflected in the symptomsof sickness evident in the soilin the water in the air and inall forms of life his is whythe earth herself burdened andlaid waste is among the mostabandoned and maltreated ofour poor she lsquogroans in travailrsquo(Rom 822) We have forgottenthat we ourselves are dust of theearth (cf Gen 27) our very bod-

ies are made up of her elements we breathe her air and we receive

fuels ndash especially coal to be pro-gressively replaced without delay(Cf Laudato Si 165) We can-not simply sit idly while seeing

the unfolding of horrific eventsresulted by so called technologi-cal progress at the expense of na-ture Instead we recommend theuse of renewable energy whichis of course not harmful to theenvironment and to humans

As Bishops of the Diocesesof Dipolog Ozamis PagadianIligan and Marawi (DOPIM)

which comprise the civil prov-inces of Zamboanga del NorteMisamis Occidental Zamboan-ga del Sur Lanao del Norte andLanao del Sur we completelyoppose the operation of coalmining and coal power plantsmost especially within the afore-mentioned provinces We do this

not only because of our humanresponsibility but as a call intrin-

sic to our Christian faith We he re by ur ge al l co n-

cernedmdashboth the coal industryand the governmentmdashin thename of our Lord Jesus Christ tohave the same concern We alsocall the faithful and all people ofgood will be vigilant at all timesand in all places because ourcommon home is in danger ofdevastation We will not allowourselves to arrive at the pointof no return

May God hear us and come todefend the beautiful creation Hehas entrusted to us May Marythe Queen of all creation coverus with her mantle of maternalcare

Formulated during the 40thDOPIM Bihops-Clergy Con-vention on November 11 2015at the Diocesan Pastoral CenterDel Carmen Iligan City

Most Rev Severo C CaermareDDBishop of Dipolog

Most Rev Elenito R GalidoDDBishop of Iligan

Most Rev Emmanuel CabajarCSsR DDBishop of Pagadian

Most Rev Edwin A dela PentildeaMSP DDBishop-Prelate of Marawi

Most Rev Jesus A DosadoCM DD

Metropolitan Archbishop ofOzamiz

WHA the world desperately needs now is leadership byexample We have so many leaders in office and many moreaspiring to sit in office but are they examples of good citizen-ship If the leaders we choose are to be leaders for nationalprogress they must be visionaries AND exemplary

Corruption is indeed a great scourge of Philippine politics

Te usual face of corruption that we recognize easily is stealingfrom public funds Corruption like a monster is a devil withmany faces Killing people is corruption Killing is a crime anda sin whether it is done by criminals or public officials no mat-ter what the intention Adultery is corruption It makes marriedlove cheap and uses people for pleasure Adultery corrupts thefamily it destroys children and victimizes the weak Vulgarity iscorruption When we find vulgarity funny we have really becomebeastly and barbaric as a people When a revered and loved andadmired man like Pope Francis is cursed by a political candidateand the audience laugh I can only bow my head and grieve ingreat shame My countrymen has gone to the dregs

Is this the leadership by example that Mayor Duterte excitesin us Is this the leadership by example that makes a publicofficial deserving of the title ldquoHonorablerdquo

+SOCRAES VILLEGAS

Archbishop of Lingayen-DagupanCBCP PresidentDecember 1 2015

F i l e p h o t o

V i n c e n t G o

Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte

1 It is by Godrsquos grace andprovidence that we 87 par-ticipants in the Sixth BishopsrsquoInstitute for Interreligious Af-fairs (BIRA VI) from 17 dif-ferent countries have come tocelebrate the 50th anniversaryof Nostra aetate in our Asiancontext and in our time Weare grateful for the funding wereceived from Missio Aachenthat helped make this gather-ing possible

2 In this grace-filled gather-ing we have worked togetheras the Church in Asia retracing

our steps along the path of dia-logue praying reflecting andsharing our experiences andthoughts on the questions of

what we ha ve done so far and what we need to do fur ther forinterreligious dialogue in Asia

3 We recognize that Nostra Aet at e is sti ll ins pir ing andchallenging us to realize thevision of the Church as thepeople of God in dialogue inour time facing the interde-pendent reality of the com-plex and diverse influences ofglobalized socio-economic-cultural-political structures

we rea ffi rm the strong needof the ldquotriple dialoguerdquo with

the poor cultures and reli-gions in a journey towards theKingdom of justice peace andecological harmony

4 hrough our experienceof dialogue and action forthe last five decades we havelearned that interreligiousdialogue is not only to be aspecific pastoral strategy ofthe Church but rather an

Asian vis ion of the ChurchIt is a Church that proclaimsthe values of the Kingdom

without fear in dialogi cal col-laboration (partnership) withthe people of other religions

5 Struggling against anykind of fundamentalism ter-rorism and proselytism theChurch in Asia is called to

work toget her with other s asco-pilgrims In protecting thepoor and the environmentthrough our interreligious net-

work we are n ot do ing socia l work together but bui ldi ng

a mystical union of GodrsquosKingdom as inter-dependentbeings (in the harmony of ourrelationship with one anotherand with all creation)

6 he Church in Asia con-

firms that we cannot engage with other s in a real dialogue without having a clear ident ityof who we are and constantlygrowing in our own faith Inthe pluralistic contexts of Asiathe Church as a ldquolittle flockrdquois called to learn a kenotic(self-emptying) spirit of loveand service from Jesus ChristIt is through our humble andopen-minded approach thatreal trust and mutual under-standing with others can beestablished We are aware ofthe importance of grassrootsinterreligious dialogue whichusually starts from inter-per-sonal friendship and grows tocommunal action for justiceand peace

7 he Church in Asia takesseriously the challenges oftoday for all religions variousconflicts and violence massive

poverty and global inequalitythe increasing numbers ofrefugees and migrants pollu-tion and environmental crisiscorruption and moral degrada-tion human trafficking and

the breakdown of social cohe-sion terrorism and all formsof fundamentalism

8 One of the most urgentchallenges in Asia is to pro-claim Jesus Chri st as the Way

the ruth and the Life whileacknowledging and respecting

what is ldquotrue and holy in otherreligionsrdquo (Nostra AetateNo 2) As a community ofdisciples we give witness to

Jes us through our pe rs onaland communal l ifestyle oflove in three interconnected

way s sil enc e pre sence andstory-telling In an existentialsilence we empty ourselvesand listen deeply to the voicesof the other without judging

wi th a lov ing hear t In thedepth of our silence we are

aware of Jesusrsquo presence amongus which is inspiring our jour-ney of interreligious dialogueand action for transformingthe world It is by telling ourown story of transformationthrough Jesus as individualpersons and as communitiesthat the globalized culture ofindifference and greedy con-sumerism is to be transformedinto the gospel-culture of soli-darity and sharing

9 In our common journey with other s we Chri stians in Asia re cognize the importanceof basic human communitiesat the grassroots level wherethe dialogue of life and actionis going on especially together

with th e indigenous people Itis through these basic humancommunities that the Churchin Asia learns the holistic

world view and the sacred cos-mic spirituality which awakeus to take care of ldquoour com-mon homerdquo We are called togo beyond our comfort zoneand to develop a new narrativeof dialogue coming from ourcommon experience with thehope of rediscovering the har-monious relationship betweenhumanity cosmos and God forthe future generation

10 We commit ourselvesmore passionately to inter-religious dialogue in Asia indifferent ways for example

bull o develop local interreli-gious dialogue and action inthe grassroots communities

bull o organize formationprograms for interreligiousdialogue within the Catholiccommunity

bull (eg Seminaries religioushouses of formation and forthe laity)

bull o promote intra-dialoguebetween Christian churchesand within Catholic institu-tions

bull o support dialogue ac-tivities and forums (eg UNInterfaith Harmony Week)

bull o advocate i nterreligiousdialogue and action in thepublic sphere and cyberspace

bull o provide adequ ate prep-aration and pastoral care to theinterreligious family

11 After these days of re-flection and sharing of ourexperiences of and insightson interreligious dialogue inthe light of Nostra Aetateguided by the Holy Spirit

we ha ve com e to re ali ze againthe importance of opennesstowards the people of otherreligions and the indispens-able role of witness to theKingdom of God ever grow-

ing in the heart of As ianpeople hrough our sincerecommitment to dialogueldquoJesus Christ will be bet -ter known recognized andlovedrdquo (PCID Dialogue inruth and Charity No 39)

F a c e b o o k

F a c e b o o k

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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B6 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

completion In this way the miracle ofthe Incarnation took place with theBlessed rinity taking the initiativeand Mary responding freely and gen-erously to the Spiritrsquos action in her

It is in response to the lead of theSpirit that Mary set out for Elizabethrsquoshouse to share with her relative theldquoGood Newsrdquo she was carrying withinher

Like mankind before Mary andChrist we too may have a bad re-cord when it comes to ldquobeing open toGodrdquo We may not be any better than

Adam and Eve or the people before theFlood (see Gn 65-6) or the builders ofthe ower of Babel (See Gn 113-4)

Tis Advent in the Year of Faith isfor all of us an opportunity to evalu-ate our standing in this respect and totake appropriate action If we decideto imitate Mary and Elizabeth in theiropenness to the Spirit we may be sure

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

HE times of John the Baptist were bad characterized as they were by selfishness greed prideaggressiveness oppression of the

weak Tis can be gatheredfrom the answers he gave tothose who had been struck byhis preaching and asked ldquoWhatought we to dordquo Johnrsquos strongly

worded call to conversion was

amply justified All needed toundergo a ldquometanoiardquo a changeof mind and attitude in order toenter the Reign of God

Te situation does not seemto have changed much since thetime of John the Baptist We livein a society plagued with the samemoral defects and vices People arestill greedy selfish aggressive

And of course the temptation isalways to see these moral failuresin others

In many cases it may be truethat there is so much evil aroundus But it is equally true that wetoo are not perfect here isevil in us too We fail morallyalmost every day and in various

ways We too need to undergoa ldquometanoiardquo a radical conver-sion ldquoRadicalrdquo here means that it

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

WE all experience the dif-ference that physical dark-ness or light produces inus Darkness makes us feeluneasy even anxious andafraid Light gives us a senseof security It enables us torealize where we are and

what to do

his is why the Bibli-cal creation story tells usthat ldquoIn the beginningrdquo (ie when nothing existedexcept God) ldquodarkness cov-ered the abyssrdquo Ten Godsaid ldquoLet there be lightrdquo And there was light Godsaw how good the lightwas rdquo (Gn 14a) Tepresence of light enabledGod to proceed with the

work of creation with allits wonders and poten-tials and thereby conquerthe darkness of chaos andmeaninglessness

should not stop at the individualactions but has to affect our at-titudes and set of values ie thevery root of our actions Tereshouldnrsquot be the least doubt so-ciety will start changing for thebetter the very moment we beginto improve

Advent and the special obser-vances for this year (Extraordinary

Jubilee Year of Mercy Year of theEucharist and of the Family) areinvaluable opportunities for us

to start or resume moving in theright direction Like those whoapproached John we should ask ldquoWhat are we to dordquo Te answersmay be as many as there are personalmoral situations but a ldquocommondenominatorrdquo easily applies to allOur fundamental attitude has gotto be one of openness availabilityand goodwill

Te first requirement is ldquoopen-ness to Godrdquo in grateful love andexpectation in prayer of ldquopetitionand thanksgivingrdquo (see Phil 46)mdashfor the Lord is coming to dwell inour midst and to be our ldquomightySaviorrdquo (See First Reading v 17)

Te second basic requirementis ldquoopenness to peoplerdquo hismeans readiness to share ourgoods generously with the lessfortunate (see Lk 311) to be fair

But aside from physical lightand darkness there are otherforms of these two oppositerealities in the intellectualemotional moral and spiri-tual domains In the JudeanChristian revelation light isassociated and even identifiedwith God while darkness is as-sociated and identified with sinand evil St John the Evangelistproclaims ldquoGOD IS LIGHrdquo(1 Jn 15) Consequently a lifelived without God is darknessmdashthe darkness of sin and hell (See

John 319-21) No wonder thenthat the Incarnation of GodrsquosSon is compared to the comingof light to earth (See Jn 15 and1246)

And this is precisely what wecommemorate and celebrate atChristmas the coming of thelight of Godrsquos holiness andgoodness to fight and defeatthe darkness of evil in all itsforms

In the extraordinary andunique event of the Incarna-

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

MANKIND has had a bad record fromthe very beginning of its historymdashthecriminal record of shutting God outof its plans and life Such an attitudehad few exceptions in Abram Mosesthe prophets And even those ex-ceptions were not always 100 clearIt was only with Mary that a differentattitude started to prevail an attitudeof total openness to the action of Godin onersquos life and of full availability tocooperate with Him in the actualiza-tion of His plan

Mary was the most open of all tothe inspirations and promptings ofthe Holy Spirit Like a very sensitiveharp she let the Spirit produce in herand through her the wonderful melodyof manrsquos salvation which only thedivine love can initiate and bring to

REFLECTIONS

P u b l i c d

o m a i n

C B C P N e w s

Christmas the triumph of light

The ldquoNEW JERUSALEMrdquo isthe perfect realization of Godrsquos

plan and the fulfillment of our

deepest aspirations

4th Sunday of Advent (C) Luke 139-45

December 20 2015

Solemnity of Christmas (C) John 11-18

December 25 2015

3rd Sunday of Advent (C) Luke 310-18

ldquoRejoice Sundayrdquo December 13 2015

Our advent priorities

Countdown B3

that He will work wonders also in usno matter how insignificant and weak

we may consider ourselves (See Mi51)

We need the impulse of the HolySpirit and His empowering supportto get out of ourselves to show aninterest in others and share with themthe blessings we have received from theLord including our joy (See attitudeof Mary Lk 146-49)

We need to be open to the Spiritin imitation of Mary in order tohave Christ formed in us or betterin order to be molded unto him If

we cult ivat e such an openn ess andavailability we shall ever more becomeChrist-like in our thoughts aspira-tions attitudes and actions Andthus we shall be totally committedto do our share in carrying out theFatherrsquos plan of saving love as Christdid (See Heb 105-7)

Open to the spirit in imitation of Mary

Lady of the Sacred Heart Andby the time I left the church

which is just a five-minute walkfrom my house what else couldI say but thank You Really thereis nothing much else one can say

Our Lady and Child in SanSalvatore in Onda

Funny what one sees whenone changes perspectives Goinghome from jogging one day Idecided to pass by the right (in-stead of the left) side of Via deiPettinari (Combmakersrsquo Street)I happened to look up by chanceand I saw this charming image of

Our Lady I had never seen be-fore even if Irsquod already passed by

here more than ten times Ten when I looked down I likewisenoticed what should have beenan inconspicuous door Now Isaw there was a paper posted onit hinting that inside was actuallya church called San Salvatore inOnda and the place where SaintVincent Pallottirsquos remains arevenerated I took mental noteof the opening schedule andresolved I would do the secondday of my novena there

What was beh ind that in-conspicuous door Actually asmall but amazingly beautiful

jewel of a church First behind

the green door commonly seenalong the street was another set

of wider doors made of beauti-ful strong old wood It had ahuge tarp proudly claiming thatSt John Paul II had visited thischurch For such a small churchI thought it would be surprisingany pope would do that

But of course if one knew JP IIand St Vincent Pallotti and whatthey each stood for one wouldunderstand For JP II loved topromote the apostolate amonglay people and St Vincent inhis own 19th century religious

way was one of the promotersof the lay apostolate at the time

when it was so much lacking

He founded the ldquoPious Unionof Catholic Apostolaterdquo Tatrsquos a

union of priests religious and la-itymdashbut the ldquoPallotinesrdquo as theyare called really just consists ofthe religious brothers and priestsand the laity are well theyrsquorethere But that was certainly ahuge start

Te church is now their homebase but it wasnrsquot so at first Builtnear the end of the 11th andbeginning of the 12th centuryit was given to the Franciscansfrom which two popes camefrom Knowing this historic-ity of the church and that StVincentrsquos body is now underthe altar one then understands

this church deserved the Popersquosvisit But to add to these therersquos

to everybody and be absolutelyhonest with all (See Lk 313-14)

All this is love of neighbor in itsmost elementary form and noone can claim to be exempted orto have done enough

o this we have to add thepursuit of all those ldquonatural valuesand virtuesrdquo that Paul lists in theSecond Reading (See Phil 48)Only on these conditions shall

we be able to ldquobe glad and exult with all our heartsrdquo (Zep 314) and

begin to enjoy ldquoGodrsquos own peace which is beyond all understand-ingrdquo (Phil 47)

If on the contrary we refuseto heed Johnrsquos (Godrsquos) call toconversion this Advent will bea series of ldquomissed opportuni-tiesrdquo Tere may still be laughterbut very little joy We may giveand receive plenty of gifts but

without experiencing the bliss ofreal generosity In other words wemay be like one of the decorationshanging on Christmas trees glit-tering and colorful outside butempty and ugly inside

It need not be so It should nothis Advent we have a chanceto really change for the betterstarting from ldquowithinrdquo And it isup to us to make the most of thisopportunity

tion the divine light becomesa human beingmdashJESUS OFNAZAREH His coming is not a lightning in the night thatsoon vanishes in the persistentdarkness of the sky Rather it isan enduring event mdashthe fulfill-ment of a well thought-out plandestined to last till the end oftime and beyond

Te Incarnation is an eventthat is not confined to the placeand time where it took placebut a permanent reality thatconcerns and affects the entireuniverse as well as the life ofeach human being Tis is sobecause the life and mission ofthe God-Man born in Bethle-

hem is to bring the light of loveand grace into the history ofmankind into the life of everyhuman person

his is why we believe andproclaim that Christmasmdashthecoming and dwelling of Godrsquoslight on earth ndash makes all the dif-ference Te world will never bethe same as before the ldquoChrist-

mas eventrdquo simply because Godldquopitched His tentrdquo among us More still He became one of us

He did so in order to enableeach individual and mankindas a whole to fight and over-come the many forms of dark-ness that oppress frighten andenslave usmdashthe darkness of

hopelessness meaninglessnessfear hatred oppression but es-pecially the darkness of sin andof whatever leads to the endlessdarkness of being separated fromGod forever

Nowadays the all-pervadingcacophony of commercialismand materialism tend to dis-robe Christmas of its sacred-ness and saving dimensionand to confine it to the realm

of a myth lost in the vaguenessof a distant past Against suchbackground it is essential thatwe Christian believers ap-preciate the importance ofthe historical event of theIncarnation and its relevanceto our life today

Christmas as the joyful com-memoration of the Incarnationof Godrsquos Son is an invitationto ACCEP Jesus Christ intoour existence as the light of the

world the light of our life It isalso an invitation to REJOICEin the light that radiates from

Jesusrsquo presence teaching and

example It is a commitmentto LIVE as children of thelight and thereby eliminatein ourselves and around usthe darkness of sin and evilin all their forms Christmasis an invitation and a chal-lenge to SPREAD the light ofGodrsquos love through our wordsand deeds

In this perspective theHoly Fatherrsquos call to be ac-

tively involved in the workof a NEW EVANGELIZA-ION becomes absolutely vital and releva nt to thisseason of light and joy Itis the first step toward anever-greater involvement inthe wonderful enterprise ofbuilding Godrsquos luminousKingdom of peace love andhope that can usher in theldquonew heavens and the newearthrdquo the ldquoNEW JERU-SALEMrdquo that is the perfectrealization of Godrsquos plan andthe fulfillment of our deepestaspirations

also the sheer beauty of medievaland renaissance art that one seeson the ceiling and the simplebaldachin under which Mass

was held when I was there Teimage of Our Lady and Child byCesare Mariani in the main altaris also arresting

Te church has the appellationldquoin Onda rdquo which means ldquoin the

waverdquo most probably becauseof the frequent flooding of theiber Irsquove seen some of thesesigns on marble stone aroundseveral parts in Rome indicat-ing where the river was at this orthat point and therersquos only one

thing I can say Te worst Manilafloods are as if only two inches

compared to Rome flooding inthose days Irsquom not sure if thishas any connection to one imageof Our Lady venerated there ona huge side altar ldquoVirgin mostPowerfulrdquomdashbecause one cer-tainly needed a huge power tosurvive such inundations

But last night I know I wasinundated by only one thingmdashthanksgiving for being surround-ed by such beauty and holiness

(Robert Z Cortes is a PhDstudent in Social InstitutionalCommunication at the PontificalUniversity of Santa Croce Rome

He has an MA in Ed Leadership from Columbia University)

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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B7CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

tions might become ever more numeroustill they become the rule

It is in the family that the reform ofsociety begins because it is there that welearn to respect and help one another wepractice patience and justice we learn toshare and to love in an unselfish and practi-cal manner Pope Francis speaking to theFilipino families during his Pastoral Visit

in January 2015 said ldquoIn the family wecome to know God to grow into menand women of faith to see ourselves asmembers of Godrsquos greater family theChurch In the family we learn how tolove to forgive to be generous and opennot closed and selfish We learn to movebeyond our own needs to encounterothers and share our lives with them Tat is why it is so important to pray as afamily Tat is why families are so impor-tant in Godrsquos plan for the Churchrdquo

A family where God is at home is afamily at peace Such was the Holy Familyat Nazareth And the yearly celebration ofits feast is not just a well-deserved tributepaid to its three members It is also an in-vitation and encouragement to make ourfamilies today what the family of JosephMary and Jesus was in those daysmdasha ha- ven of love of God and neighbor at itsbest a home where God felt at home afamily according to Godrsquos heart

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

PRAYING together as a family seems nolonger fashionable nowadays Te reasonsare varied so many commitments con-flicts of schedule practical impossibility ofbeing together Tere are of coursehappy exceptions of parents who everyevening gather their children for somemoments of reflection on the Word ofGod reconciliation shared prayer andrecitation of the Rosary hese samepeople are usually the ones who on Sun-days attend the Eucharistic celebrationas a family From this they derive strengthharmony cohesion And at the same timethey become an inspiration to the wholeparish community It is when the familygathers together for prayer that its mem-bersmdashboth parents and childrenmdashseethemselves under the common fatherlyauthority of God

A family that renews every day itscovenant with the Lord will have notime for endless bickering jealousyunfaithfulness harsh manners on thepart of the parents or rebellion on thepart of their children

Te families that pray together are re-ally mini ldquofaith communitiesrdquo or ldquolittlechurchesrdquo One wishes that these excep-

SOCIAL CONCERNS

M a s t e r o f t h e A n t w e r p A d o r a t i o n

M a r k E u s e b i o

Feast of the Holy Family (C) Luke 241-52

December 27 2015

World Day of Peace (C)

Luke 216-21

January 1 2016

Baptism of the Lord (C) Luke 315-16 21-22 January 10 2016

Solemnity of Epiphany (C) Matthew 21-12

January 3 2016

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

HE world is torn by wars and conflicts of every kindmdashwarsamong nations factions families Afraid of the tragediesof war simple people yearn for peace Some governments andpeace-oriented organizations try to achieve peace throughnegotiations and compromise Fortunately many times theysucceed in establishing at least a ceasefire

But we all know that peace is not simply the absence offighting Peacemdashit has been written in so many waysmdashisthe fruit of justice among nations groups individuals Morethan this peace is the fruit of being in a harmonious rela-tionship not only with others but also with oneself andespecially with God Tere can be no peace where there isrejection of God

Peace is just another word for love another word forgrace It prospers only with the defeat of sin And just asall the sufferings and destructions of war are both a sign anda consequence of sin so the defeat of sin in ourselves andaround us produces that inexpressible feeling of satisfactionand harmony that no material riches can buy and no balanceof power can create

Real lasting peace is what God the source of all good-ness wants for all mankind But in order for that peaceto become a reality we have to do our share First of allwe have to pray for it Ten we have to work for it Tatmeans to make every effort to bring it about Ten the Lord

will bless our efforts by granting us that genuine peace thathas in Him its origin and support On our part we have toaccept Godrsquos blessing of peace with humble gratitude as Heoffers it to us not as an abstract concept but as a person ndashHis very own Son Jesus Christ He is our peace becauseHe is the One who reconciles all men with the Father andamong themselves the One who reconciles each of us

with ourselves In Him we are able to recognize all humanbeings as our brothers and sisters all members of the onebig family that has God as the common Father He is theOne who called the peacemakers ldquoblessedrdquo and gave peaceto His disciples as His farewell gift

Jesus the King of Peace comes to us not in a vision orlike rain from the clouds He comes from a human motherMary Most Holy the woman of peace who has been ableto open herself to the Source of all peace and has fashionedHim in that human form in which all can recognize andlove as their elder brother In this way Mary and peace arevitally and dynamically linked And she brings peace to ourtroubled hearts and lives as Godrsquos messenger as she givesus Jesus in this Christmas season

Pope Francis calls all of us

to CARE FOR OUR COM-MON HOME Tis is one ofthe most important remindersin our times to really show re-spect to God who created allTe issuance of mining permit

will allow tree cutting activi -ties in almost 10000 hectaresland area Tis will lead to thedestruction of the very fewremaining forest in the Philip-pines and in the world We

would expec t a more imba l-ance ecology extinction ofdiversified natural resourcesexample flora fauna insectsanimals (including the Philip-pine Eagle) floods sicknesses

We reiterate that we would not

like this to happen We must remember that the

Home B4

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

EPIPHANY is the manifestation of Jesusas the MessiahSavior of all men includ-ing the pagans of goodwill representedby the Magi As such it is also the mani-festation of the divine plan hidden forcenturies in God to unite all human beingsin Christ (See Eph 11-10)

Evermore mankind moves toward the for-mation of a great international communityTis is according to Godrsquos plan Its roots arein creation itself ldquoGlobalizationrdquo is the ldquoin-thingrdquo nowadays It is a ldquosign of the timesrdquo to

which we should pay attention Tough theconcern of most of its proponents seems tobe economic its basic assumption is correctwe are one world one family of nations

Whatever is incompatible wi th this ldquoone-nessrdquo should be abolished

Many oppose globalization because if we

limit it to its economic aspect and to tearingdown trade barriers almost surely it will leadto the rich becoming richer and the poorbecoming poorer But if we take this wordto mean essentially the abolition of all bar-riers that have been erected by human prideselfishness ghetto mentalities or racism andif it ushers in a greater solidarity of thestronger with the weaker and a generoussharing by the rich with the poor thenglobalization is according to Godrsquos planand all Christians should be its most en-thusiastic supporters

Epiphany has also a special messageconcerning the attitude of all religions

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

WE say tha t people make aldquoprophetic gesturerdquo when theydo something striking that is alsoa sign of greater things to comeTose gestures reveal the depthof their passion or commitmentthey are meant to shake peopleand somehow force them to makea choice either for or againstcertain vital issues

In his lifetime Jesus mademany ldquoprophetic gesturesrdquo

such as his driving the tradersout of the emple the healingof the paralytic and many othermiracles He performed All thosegestures were ldquospectacularrdquo intheir own way Tey attracted theattention of the crowds which

wondered what their ldquomeaningrdquocould be

Tere was in the life of Jesus aldquogesturerdquo which was not spectacu-lar at all and which went unno-ticed by almost everybody exceptHis cousin John His baptism inthe River Jordan Tat gesture

was absolutely ldquocommonrdquo andldquoordinaryrdquo for it was somethingthat almost everybody was doingin those days in response to the

exhortation of John the BaptistBut Jesusrsquo baptism at the Jor-

dan lost in the crowd of sinners who were seeking forgivenesshad a depth of meaning thatmade it one of his most dra-matic ldquoprophetic gesturesrdquo It

was his baptism in fact whichrevealed the essence of Jesusrsquomission and became the occa-sion for the revelation of hisconcealed divine identity

he ldquoprophetic dimensionrdquoof Jesusrsquo action was not so muchin his entering the waters of the

Jordan ashis immersing himselfin the crowd of sinners Tat was

something unthinkable and un-believable Only Godrsquos incrediblelove for every human being andall mankind could have conceivedsuch an ldquoimmersionrdquo which was socomplete and involving as to be atotal ldquoidentificationrdquo Tat wasthe reason why the eternal andall-holy Son of God had comedown from heaven and had un-dergone the fullest ldquoimmersionrdquoin the ocean of mankindrsquos miseryand in human history Jesusrsquobaptism is a clear manifestationof Godrsquos mercy toward mankindTe Word the eternal Son of theFather clad in human flesh in

Jesus of Nazareth becomes one with sinful mankind not to be its

judge but its Savior and the HolySpirit appearing in the form of a

dove a symbol of peace remindsus of Godrsquos mercy on the ldquorem-nantrdquo of mankind as the purifyingflood subsided (See Gen 810-11) Jesusrsquo baptism was a furthermanifestation of the meaning andpurpose of the Incarnation

hrough that ldquoimmersionidentificationrdquo the totally sinless Jesus became a part not onlyof the relatively small group ofsinners gathered by the banksof the Jordan but also of theimmense crowd of sinners thatis the whole of humankind And

just as his immersive in the watersof the river sanctified them so didhis presence among the crowd ofsinners bring them the possibilityof receiving purification from sin

Tat was exactly Jesusrsquo missionIsaiah the prophet had alreadyforeseen this when he announcedthat the mission of the ldquoServant ofthe Lordrdquo was to bring ldquojusticerdquo(that is holiness) to the nationsOf him the Lord God said ldquoIformed you and set you as a cov-enant of the people a light forthe nations to open the eyes ofthe blind to bring out prisonersfrom confinement and from thedungeon those who live in dark-nessrdquo (See todayrsquos First Reading)

In his life Jesus ldquoactualizedrdquosuch a liberating and sanctify-

ing ldquoimmersionrdquo by associatingwith sinners and even seekingtheir company ndash something thatshocked the ldquoholyrdquo people of histime His association with ldquopublicsinnersrdquo was bound to tarnishhis reputation as his opponentspointed out on several occasions

Jesus did not mind that criti-cism and continued like beforeformdashas he himself saidmdashit is sickpeople who need a doctor (SeeMt 912) But his immersinghimself in the crowd of sin-ful mankind cost Jesus much

moremdashit cost him his very lifefor he was put to death to atonefor the sins of all

Jesusrsquo vicarious self-offering was so power ful in its effec tbecause of who he wasmdashGodrsquosbeloved Son on whom the Fa-therrsquos favor rested Such a solemnproclamation of Jesusrsquo divineidentity soon after his baptismbalanced so to speak his hid-ing himself among the crowdof sinners at the Jordan RiverIt also completed the ldquopropheticnaturerdquo of what happened on thatdaymdashGodrsquos very Son coming tosave all mankind by sharing fullyits predicament of misery in or-der to transform it from within

through the superabundant holi-ness that only God is

Families according to Godrsquos heart

symbolized by the Magi toward JesusChrist He should be the one acknowledgedby all believers as the universal Savior sentby God to bring all mankind back to GodTe gifts offered by the Magi to Jesus in

Bethlehem can symbolize the different char-acteristics which the major world religionscan offer as their distinct contribution to theestablishment of the Kingdom proclaimedand established by Christ the gold of faithin one merciful God and the power of His Word as a feature of Islam the incense ofmeditation love for nature and peace thatcharacterize Buddhism the myrrh of dedica-tion and industriousness that characterizeConfucianism Jesus rejects nothingof the values these faiths have He acceptsthem all and brings them together into onepractical synthesis that makes humankindthe family of God on earth

Jesus is indeed the center of humanhistory because he is the center of Godrsquosplan for mankind He is the ldquocenterrdquonot only in the sense that his coming hasdivided the centuries into two great blocks

of ldquobeforerdquo and ldquoafterrdquo Christ He is alsothe one in whom all men can find thecommon point of reference to form a realfamily of nations and peoples withoutcoercion or exploitation Te light of hisGospel can penetrate all cultures assumeall their valid elements and purify the restfrom those negative aspects which thepower of sin has gradually introduced inthem

Only Jesus Christ can keep all men unitedin a community of sincere respect lastingsolidarity and practical love For the plan ofthe Father born of love will find its fulfill-ment only in LOVE

Mary of NazarethMother of JesusMother of peace

Christ the unifying centerof all mankind

One with sinners to save them

environment can exist even

without us but we can neverexist without the environmentnature We only have one com-mon home the Earth there isno other

We urge the Dep ar tmentof Environment and NaturalResources to take the real leadto protect our remaining ldquoenvi-ronment and natural resourcesrdquoplan with other governmentagencies and environmentallyconcern organizationsfounda-tions on how to preserve ourremaining forests and marinelife sanctuaries

NO O MINING IN MA-GUM PUJADA BAY AND SA-LINGCOMO MAI CIY

PROVINCE OF DAVAO ORI-ENAL

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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B8 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

Look for the images of Saint Joseph Mama

Mary and Baby Jesus

(Illustration by Bladimer Usi)

Bladimer UsiLolo Kiko

Buhay Parokya

KANISS Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) both a victor in andsubverter of Panemrsquos Hunger Games is now a symbol of the revolu-tion whom rebel president Alma Coin (Julianne Moore) and powerbroker Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman) want to usestrictly as a poster girl Stubborn freedom-fighter Katniss howeverhas her own agenda and that includes killing President Snow (Don-ald Sutherland]) to end once and for all the senseless deaths of somany young people Forming a team of rag-tag soldiers that includeclosest friends Gale (Liam Hemsworth) Finnick (Sam Claflin) andPeeta (Josh Hutcherson) she goes off on a mission risking theirlives through a booby-trapped war to liberate the citizens of PanemTe final confrontation between Katniss and Snow presided overby Coin is an electrifying game-changer

Te Hunger Games is not exempted from the fad of choppinginto ldquopartsrdquo the movie adaptations of popular books Harry Potterwilight Te Hobbitmdashthey have all stretched their heroesrsquo exploitsto prolong box office earning power and yet the fans wait AfterHunger Games MockingjayPart 1 which judging fromits relatively weak performanceat the tills must have been aforgettable movie that testedthe patience of fans Mocking-

jay Part 2 revs up with moreof the thrills that have madethe Hunger Games series theprototype of dystopia flicks foryoung adults (Divergent et al)Te strong cast monumentallycontributes to the realism of theHunger Games franchisemdashhowcan it go wrong with a leonineSutherland a steely Moore asly Hoffman And of coursethe winner Lawrence who canequally sell with aplomb partscalling for either vulnerability orverve In Mockingjay 2 the starsrsquo solid performances interwoven

with heart-stopping CGI make for a fitting finale to a story that

capitalizes on manrsquos inhumanity to manItrsquos surprising that a number of film critics are disappointed with the

filmrsquos ending calling it ldquosappyrdquo and an anti-climactic conclusion to anadrenalin-packed series that promised so much by way of action andheroism Teir cynical remarks remind us of biblical Israel waiting fora savior who would topple down the ruling elite with its own brandof kingship but is instead given a Jesus Christ CINEMA thinks theending is actually a statement that magnifies the upbeat message of the

whole story enough is enough Murder as spectator sport is sub-human At least when beasts kill it is to survive but in Panem the poor youngpeople are robbed of choice and must kill in order to livemdashas enter-tainment for the elite So Mockingjay mocks the elite it cries ldquoGivehumanity a chancerdquo Whatrsquos wrong with wanting to dump violence tostart afresh Choose life not death Arrows that used to kill people arealso useful for hunting fowl for the dinner tablemdashis that against the lawldquourn your swords into ploughs and your spears into pruning hooksrdquoMaybe the cynicsrsquo eyes have grown to love the Hunger Gamesrsquo darknessthat the sunlight-dappled scenery blinds them Or maybe after fallingin love with the couture of Panemrsquos stylish crowd theyrsquore simply horri-

fied by Katnissrsquo drastic costume change Whatever CINEMA wouldnrsquothave wanted the ending any other way

ENTERTAINMENT

MAGPAPAKASAL at magsump-aang magmamahalan nang wagasang dating live-in partners nasina Basya (Bea Alonzo) at Popoy(John Lloyd Cruz) Bilang mgalisensyadong enhinyero at arkitektoay magtataguyod sila ng construc-tion business na mabilis na uunladLalong magpupursige ang mag-asawa na magpalago ng negosyodahil magbubuntis si Basya Naisnilang mabigyan ng magandangkinabukasan ang kanilang anak

Subalit dahil sa pressure ng tra-baho ay makukunan si Basya attuluyang mawawala ang sanggolna kanyang dinadala Labis itongikalulungkot nina Basya at Popoykaya napagkasunduan nila ayonna rin sa mungkahi ni Basya natitigil siya sa pagtatrabaho upangmakabuo uli sila ng baby Nanatilisi Basya sa bahay at di nakialam sanegosyo sa loob ng dalawang taonPinaubaya niya ang pagpapatakbong negosyo kay Popoy Magtitiwalasi Basya sa kakayanan ng asawa namahusay nitong mapapamahalaanang kompanya katulad ng nagingproblema ng pagguho ng isangbuilding project Hindi rin gu-gustuhin ni Popoy na bigyan ngalalahanin si Basya Samantala sakabila ng magandang saloobin nilasa isarsquot isa ay ang napipintong pag-kalugi ng negosyo na siya namangililihim ni Popoy kay Basya Dahilsasarilinin ni Popoy ang problemamaapektuhan ng tuluyan angkanilang pagsasama

Sequel ng pelikulang One MoreChance na pinalabas noong 2007ang Second Chance Matatan-daang tumatatak ang naunangpelikula dahil sa mga tinatawag nalsquohugot linesrsquo nina Alonzo at Cruzsa nasabing pelikula Di namannabigo ang mga nag-abang sa se-quel na ito dahil naganap nga angsecond chance sa mga pangunah-ing tauhan na sina Basya at PopoyMalinis ang pagkakadugtong ng

dalawang pelikula --- parehongmga tauhan at kontexto gayundinang mga artistang nagsiganap Sakabila ng pagkakaroon ng prequelay napanatili ang malayang istoryang Second Chance bilang isangpelikula Bagamat predictable ang

wakas ay naging kasabik-sabikpa din ang mga eksena at mgapalitan ng linya ng lahat ng tau-han Di matatawaran ang husayng pagganap nina Alonzo at Cruzbilang mag-asawa panalo talagaang tinatawag na chemistry nilangdalawa Di rin nagpahuli nag mgakatuwang na aktor at aktres Mag-aling ang ginawang trato ng direk-

tor para mapalabas ang kalakasanng mga nagsiganap at ang mgaeksenang hinaluan ng patawa lalona sa eksena kasama ng mga kai-bigan Simple lamang ang disenyong produksyon pero nakatulongang mga kuha ng camera at edit-ing para maging makabuluhan saistorya ang setting Makahuluganang composition na nagpapakitang electric fan para sa mensahe nanagtitipid na ang mag-asawa dahillugi na ang kompanya

Mayaman sa mensahe parasa mga mag-asawa ang SecondChance Pinakita sa pelikula angrealidad ng buhay may-asawa nahindi lang puro kasarapan sa halip aymga pagsubok na maaring mauwi sahiwalayan kung hindi haharapin ataayusin Sa relasyon ng mag-asawa

ay napakahalaga ng magiging bu-kas sa isarsquot isa kaya anuman angpagdaanan ay magkatuwang nahaharapin Ang pagtatago ni Popoyng katotohanan kay Basya ang nag-ing mitsa ng lumubhang alitan dipagkakaunawaan pagkawala ngrespeto at palitan ng masasakitna salitamdashpati tiwala sa sarili aynawala At sa punto na pipiliin ngisa na lumayo at hanapin ang sariliay nakatulong na balikan ang mga

sumpaan binatiwan nuong sila ayikinasal at higit sa lahat ang kanilangpagmamahal sa isarsquot isa Mainamdin na may mga kaibigan at pamilyana pwedeng lapitan na susuporta athindi manghuhusga manunumbato mang-uudyok sa paggawa ng maliKapuna-puna lang na bagamatnagsimula at nagwakas ang pelikulasa chapel ay tila di man lang nilanaisipan na magdasal habang maypinagdaraanan sila Nais isipin ngCINEMA na ang gusto lamangsabihin ng pelikula ay ang pag-aasawa ay hindi lamang sa pagitanng dalawang tao kundi dapat aykasama palagi ang Diyos

DIRECTOR Cathy Garcia-Molina

LEAD CAST Bea AlonzoJohn Lloyd Cruz DimplesRomana

SCREENWRITER VanessaValdez Carmi Raymundo

GENRE Romantic Drama

CINEMATOGRAPHER NoelTeehankee

RUNNING TIME 130 minutesTECHNICAL ASSESSMENT

MORAL ASSESSMENT CINEMA Rating V13

A SECONDCHANCE

DIRECTOR Francis LawrenceLEAD CAST Jennifer Law-

rence Josh HutchersonLiam Hemsworth WoodyHarrelson Donald Suther-land Julianne Moore PhilipSeymour Hoffman

GENRE Adventure ScienceFiction

RUNNING TIME 137 minutesTECHNICAL ASSESSMENT

MORAL ASSESSMENT CINEMA rating V14

THE HUNGER

GAMESMOCKINGJAY 2

Buhay San Miguel Brothers Matias

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 1724

Philippine Army Chaplaincy CFC

Hold 1st National Convention

The first-ever OACCS - OSM CEP Convention further strengthened the camaraderie between the chaplaincy and the local CFC created a more solid CFC OSM Core enabledthe stakeholders to work together and recognized the efforts of those who work tirelessly under the program

CFC Metro Manila as one big happy family worshipped danced sang played gamesand had fun during the last MC Gathering of the year

By Alma Alvarez

CFC ANCOP USA Pontificio Collegio Fillipino Sign Partnership Agreement

CFC MM MC Celebrates the Family

HIS Eminence Cardinal Luis Antonio agle Chairman of PontificioCollegio Filippino and its Rector Msgr Greg Gaston recently signedthe ANCOP USA Priest Sponsorship Program (PSP) partnership

with Eric Villanueva Roger Santos and Rollie Balanza Couples forChrist - ANCOP USA leaders Te ANCOP USA PSP will assistpriests from the Philippines who will be sent by their Bishops to doadvance studies in Rome

In his letter to Villanueva Cardinal agle wrote ldquoOur partnership will

allow more Bishops to send Priests for ongoing formation and furtherstudies in Rome to better equip them in serving Gods people as SeminaryFormators and as collaborators in the different Diocesan Ministries back

HE Metro Manila Mission Coregathered as one big CFC familyduring this months MC Assemblylast December 6 2015 Leadersfrom the Family Ministries likewisecame to the Ynares Sports Arenato hear Mass together celebrateshowcase talents play in the fungames and just enjoy each otherscompany before the end of the year

CFC Spiritual Director Msgr Allen Aganon celebrated Mass Inhis homily Msgr Allen emphasizedthe enormity of the role of John theBaptist as the one who heralded thecoming of Jesus Christ despite hishumble beginnings He challengedthe CFC leaders to be like Johnthe Baptist

We are ordinary people who

home As a result our Church in the Philippines will be strengthenedso that Priests and laity alike could carry out our respective work ofevangelization and service not only to the Church but also to societyrdquo

According to the agreement the PSP is for Masters Licentiate orDoctorate studies only ANCOP USA PSP funds will cover the priestrsquosboard and lodging at the Collegio in the amount of $10000 per year

All other needs such as tuition fees medical insurance transportationbooks etc will be provided for by the Bishop as a local counterpart

Tis would ensure that priests can benefit from the partnershipo donate or to know more about the program please visitwwwancopusa-psporg

THE CFC Order of St Michael(OSM) in cooperation with thePhilippine Army Ofce of theArmy Chief Chaplain Service(OACCS) staged the rst everCharacter Enhancement Pro-gram (CEP) Convention last No-vember 24 2015 at the PhilippineAir Force Museum Pasay CityRetired Col Arturo Alabanza amember of CFC Metro Manila(South B) and head of the OSM

OSM C4

together with the OSM Corespearheaded the event

In his opening remarks Alabanza describedhow the OSM came together with the OACCS

and forged a long-term partnership to ldquodeveloprighteous God-fearing soldiers loved by theFilipino peoplerdquo through the CEP Te CFCOSM has developed modules specifically cater-ing to the soldiers their spouses and childrenOACCS on the other hand has the author-ity to mandate Commanding Officers of thevarious Army camps nationwide to employthe CEP

Te convention allowed the stakeholders toreport on the accomplishments and enabledthe Army Chaplains from the different Infan-

try Divisions to plan with their local Couplesfor Christ counterparts regarding strategies forCEP and its continuing spiritual enhancementmodules It was likewise an opportunity for

CFC OSM to present the second module forthe CEP which the group plans to roll outbeginning 2016

ANCOP Chairman Joe Yamamoto in hisinspirational talk reiterated Pope Francisrsquo callfor new evangelization and emphasized thatthe partnership is a clear response of each per-son involved whether it be the Chaplaincy orthe lay stakeholders to be agents of change inthe spiritual realm within the Philippine Army

Several of those serving in the program

His Eminence Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle and the leaders of CFC ANCOP USA f orging a strong partnership for further education among Filipino clergy

are called to herald Christ andto be missionaries of mercy heemphasized

Te Mass was followed by theopening worship led by the MetroManila Missions Director MannyGarcia and a brief message fromCFC Chairman Joe ale

Te CFC Order of St Michaelthrough its Head Art Alabanzatook the opportunity to honor the55 Singles for Christ volunteers

who served in the Christian LifeProgram for the PMA Cadets inBaguio Te fun-filled games forthe adults and children talentpresentations and face-paintingadded to the festive mood rulyit was a day for the family (CFCGlobal Communications)

Reconciliation is Key to Advent PreparationsldquoTHE best way to prepare forChristmas is reconciliation Thebirth of Jesus is Gods offering ofreconciliationrdquo

his was the essence of the Advent recollection given by FrGerard imoner OP Provincialof the Dominican Order in thePhilippines for the workers of theCFC Global Mission Office Terecollection was held last Novem-ber 28 2015 at the Obizpado deCubao in Quezon City

In his reflection Fr imoner

creatively wove reconciliation withforgiveness as well as the new

evangelization taking into account Jesusrsquo words to ldquoshake off the dust

from your feetrdquo According to hima good spiritual foot spamdashthe act

of shaking the dust off onersquos feet toremove all traces of the bad news to

enable one to proclaim the GoodNewsmdashis essential in preparing

oneself during AdventFr imoner described for-

giveness as ldquosetting a prisonerfree and realizing that thatprisoner is yourdquo He illustratesldquoJesus did not forgive whileon the cross Instead he saidlsquoFather forgive them for theyknow not what they dorsquo We canonly forgive if we engage Godsforgiveness within our ownrdquo

he best path to the newevangelization is to allow our-selves to be reconciled with God

amp each other he emphasized(A Alvarez)

The News Supplement of

Couples for Christ

C1CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 1824

Reflections on Advent

I IS the start of a new liturgical

year As in every year the previ-ous liturgical year ended withthe feast of Christ the King afitting high point indeed Aftergoing through the year observ-ing the various highs and lowsand phases of His life in theend and rightly so we proclaim

Jesus as indeed the King of kingsand the Lord of lords

And so the Church starts thecycle anew beginning fromHis birth into this world obuild up to that we have theseason of advent of waitingof anticipating of preparingfor the birth of He who werecognize and proclaim as theKing of kings

One would expect that thismajor season is ushered in

with Bible vers es express ingthe level of excitement befit-ting the birth of the King ofthe universe It is therefore abit surprising and soberingthat the opening reading ofthis season is one with a themethat speaks not of celebrationbut of foreboding of the com-ing end times

here wil l be strangethings happening to the sunto the moon and the stars Onearth whole countries will bein despair afraid of the roarof the sea and the raging tidesPeople will faint from fear asthey wait for what is comingover the whole earth for the

Joe Tale

powers in space will be driven

from their courses hen theSon of Man will appear comingin a cloud of great power andglory When these things begin tohappen stand up and raise yourheads because your salvation isnear Luke 2125-28

Moreover we are enjoined tobe on watch and to be vigilantin a specific way Be careful notto let yourselves become occu-pied with too much feasting anddrinking and with the worries ofthis life or that Day will suddenlycatch you like a trap For it willcome upon all people everywhereon earth Be on watch and prayalways that you will have thestrength to go safely through allthose things that will happen andto stand before the Son of Man

Luke 2134-36It is significant we might evensay ironic that during this seasonof merriment in anticipation ofthe birth of the Messiah we are

warned exactly not t o be merryIn this period that we normallycelebrate with much food and

wine and music we are instructedto refrain from such things

Is the verse dousing cold wa-ter on all these festivities andpreventing us from celebrating

joyously the arr ival of t he KingNot so he verse simply re-

minds us of something more im-portant whatever be the seasonof our life of being constantlyprepared and on the watch at

all times not ever to bring our

guards down whether we are go-ing through our low moments orhigh points in our life We are re-minded to always Be Preparedas the Boy Scouts motto goes

whatever our spec ific situationmay be at any given time

Als o I sense tha t the Lor d would like to bring us to a deeperlevel of rejoicing not merely onthe level of the frivolous as toomuch feasting and drinking areTe words of Jesus do not preventus from rejoicing He wants us tocontinue to be prepared even as

we celebrate He warns us not torejoice in a wanton way that takesus away from our right senses re-sulting in our being unpreparedhus our rejoicing should becoming from deep in our hearts

not shallow and hollow expres-sions of the same Our rejoicingshould be geared towards allowingus to still be prepared

hus as we hold our Christ-mas parties and dwell in themerriment of the season let usbe mindful of the words fromthe Gospel Appropriate feastingand drinking not only make usfaithful to the gospel but is alsomore healthy Significantly tooit should make us more caring tothose who have less and hope-fully lead us not to be wastefuland to share whatever we have somany others will also experiencea truly Merry Christmas

Rejoice in the Lord

HE RED Cubs harvested thegrand championship of the recentlyconcluded CFC GMC Ablaze Cup2015 held last December 2 - Decem-ber 8 2015 at the sports facilities ofCamp Crame

Te friendly games were partici-pated in by the different departmentsin the CFC Global Mission CenterTe Red Cubs romped off with the

Red Cubs are Champions in CFC GMC Ablaze Cup 2015

Go go go GMC clockwise from top left Caloy Rubio CFC Ablaze Cup Event Head exhorting participants the board of judges CFC Chair Joe Tale inspiring the athletes paradeof athletes the Orange Tigers basketball game between the Red Cubs and the Maroon on Fire cheerdance competition

Mel and Aimee Serrano talking about the highs and lows of dealing with in-laws

In Highs And In-Laws Dealing With Your In-Laws

ldquoATRASrdquo BOYS amp GIRLS

Are We Waiting For Jesus At The Right Spot

This Advent

IN983085LAWS he very word re-minds many a married coupleof discomfort awkward evenstrained relationships and some-times open conflict But are rela-tionships with the family membersof your spouse meant to be merelytolerant Te latest Couples forChrist (CFC) ndash Young Couples

Assembly on November 30 heldat St Pauls College in Pasig Citytackled precisely this topic andcame up with this wildly inge-nious insight In-laws are peopletoo ndash love them

According to the speakers Meland Aimee Serrano of CFC ndashMetro Manila West B lovingthem in all sincerity will work

wonders ldquoTat is the tried andtested formula love your in-lawsrdquoshared Mel a school owner fromQuezon City

During the talk which theypeppered with lots of insights andsharing of personal experiences as a

PASIG City Nov 29 2015 ndash What do weusually do when we find out that someone welove or an important personality is visiting ou rhome We tidy up we prepare good food butmost of all we wait his was the m essage thatabout 150 young married couples heard duringthe Family Mass at the Couples for Christ ndash

Young Couple s Assembly at St Paul Colleg eConvention Center held last November 30

Fr Ruper Solis SVD who celebrated theFamily Mass reminded the couples presentthat to wait for something or someone also

couple married for 20 years the Ser-ranos focused on several key points1 Handle them with care

Tis means giving attention tothe one who needs more takingcare of them in their old age as

well as training your kids to respecttheir grandparents

ldquoOn our part we have to makesure that our children will give duerespect [to them] and be able tounderstand intricacies that come

with old agerdquo said AimeeldquoWhether may sama ng loob

(hurt feelings) sometimes there will be times na mahirap makipag-kita (that it will be difficult to meetthem) but you have to go to themKailangan nating gawin yun (Weneed to do it)rdquo she stressed

2 Acknowledge differences According to the couple people

should recognize that their spousemay not have the same familyculture as they do Value systems

means waiting at the right placeldquoAs Christians our life is a series of waiting

Dapat maghintay ka sa tamang lugarhindi langsa tamang panahon na sinasabi ni Lola Nidora noPero sa tamang lugar din (We should wait not justfor the right time but waiting should be doneat the right place as well)rdquo explained Fr Ruper

he young priest who was an SVD missionaryassigned to Argentina for more than seven years

went on to tell the story of how once in Argentinahe was waiting by the side of the road flagging

championship crowns in badmin-ton (women) table tennis (menand women) tug-of-war and peelbanana It was a close fight with theMaroon on Fire team who grabbedthe winning titles for basketballvolleyball cheer dance and chess(men) and ended up 1st runner-up

with les s than 2 points from the winning team Te Orange igerscame in 2nd runner-up while YellowHotshots was 3rd runner-up basedon the last team standings

Te awarding ceremonies wereheld last December 8 2015 dur-ing the celebration of the CFCGMC Christmas party Tis an-nual event is an opportunity forthe mission workers to enjoy eachotherrsquos company Te Ablaze Cuplikewise serves as a venue tofoster and promote the spirit ofsportsmanship and unity amongthe GMC workers from bothpastoral and mission support(Yvonne Dolorosa)

HE WORD ldquoatrasrdquo means a backwardmovement It is generally used to refer to theldquoReverserdquo function of a vehicle In Lanao DelNorte the word has been applied to a group ofboys abd girls who guide vehicles in and out ofparking spaces the equivalent of the ldquoWatch-your-carrdquo aides in Metro Manila

he CFC leaders in the province immedi-ately thought of the Atras Boys and Girls ofLanao Del Norte when Cardinal agle said ndashldquoGo to the peripheries be a mobile clinicto heal the poor from spiritual sickness rdquo

Another ins pirat ion was from one of the mostimportant pastoral subjects of Pope Francisabout the ldquofamily and the poorrdquo

Every time I go to mass at the St MichaelrdquosCathedral with my wifeata the ldquoatras boysand girlsrdquo are all over the area assisting ve-hicles either to park or to exit the parking area

When n ot per formi ng thi s function they andother members of their family can be seenbegging for their daily sustenance hey areusually homeless their home being along theperipheries of the Cathedral or the sidewalks

he inspiration led the Area Governanceeam to the idea of bring these boys and girlsand their parents to a Christian Life Programhey moved quickly with Boy Suezo approv-ing the strategic CLP as designed by RegionalPastoral Formation Head Art Maderazo andinserting video clips appropriate to the CLPtalks With the activation of the SOLD Min-istry with Bro Roger Sultan as Provincial Co-

ordinator SOLD was made the lead ministryof the ldquoAtras Boys and Gir lsrdquo CLP

Initially the number of participants was limitedto five (5) for logistical reasons but the HolySpirit deemed otherwise ndash the attendees eventuallynumbered ten individuals and three (3) coupleshe CLPs were scheduled every hursday at 600orsquoclock in the evening with dinner provided byCFC brothers and sisters particularly the AGrsquos

wives and ANCOP members he SOLD Prov in-cial Coordinator took care of fetching the partici-pants from the Cathedral and also bringing themback to their ldquohomesrdquo It did not matter to Rogerthat his car would often retain the smell of the

unwashed he persisted in servicing the transportneeds of the participants

November 05 2015 was truly a pleasant anda memorable day to the service team On thatday five of the ten boys and girls and two (2)couples dedicated their life to CFC One of theparticipants stood up to give an inspiring testi-mony ending with ldquohank you CFC for makingus somebody in your heart hank you for beingmindful of the conditions of the poor and thankyou for bringing Christ to our livesrdquo (ldquoSalamatCFC nga aduna pa diay kami luna sa inyong kas-ingkasing Salamat CFC sa inyong pagpakabanasa susama kanamo nga mga timawa Salamat sainyong panahon pag hatag kanamo sa pagtulun-anni Kristo)

It is envisioned that this kind of evangeliza-tion can be replicated in other areas nationwidethe beginning of a truly strategic evangelizationHopefully this is also the beginning of a newlife for the new CLP graduates with CFC being

instrumental in helping them provide for theirfamilyrsquos future (Nonoy Haim)

disciplining style even views onhow to handle finances will of-tentimes be different Tat is whyunderstanding coupled with love

will go a long wayldquoDifferences and conflicts are

not unhealthy but mismanagementis Never criticize your in-lawsrdquoMel said

Also in case of confl ict themessenger or the ldquobridgerdquo shouldbe the one with the primary re-lationship (spouse to own fathermother)

he Serranos candidly sharedabout a conflict that eruptedbetween Aimee and her father-in-law during the campaignperiod for local elections whenMel ran for public office heconflict was soon followed by aperiod of silence a Cold Warso to speak ldquoIt took us at leasta year or two [My father said]kasi pag di natin inayos tolahat tayo maapektuhan (If we

dont fix this all of us will beaffected) It helped that thecouple prayed and sought DivineIntervention and asked the com-munity to pray with them heHoly Spirit worked

3 Respond appropriately What if ev en af ter l ovin g and

understanding them its stillnot smooth sailing with your in-laws Heres what the Serranoshad to say

bull iming is everythingbull Learn when to speak or keep

your mouth shutbull ake a breath cool offbull Maintain a sense of humorbull Remember unsolicited advice

is just an opiniono cap their talk the couple

brought back the participants tothe basics of loving in-laws to actout your love to build bridges andto communicate (Nirvaana EllaDelacruz)

HOMILY C3

IN A Memorandum sent to the Philip-pine Missions leaders last November23 2015 PM Director Jose Yamamotoappointedreassigned leaders for theNortheastern Luzon region

Mark Banzon has been appointedProvincial Area Head (PAH) of Isabelavice Rommel Ancheta ony de la Cruz

on the other hand was tapped to be PAHof Nueva Vizcaya vice Raul Balaquiao

O set a new tradition in the CFC Family the InternationalCouncil has agreed to make December 27 the Feast of theHoly Family as a special day for the members of the familyto honor one another Tis will allow each person in thefamily to express their gratitude to the Lord for the gift offamily and the importance of having each member of thefamily around for the love support and service As a sug-

New Appointments for CFC GMC NE LuzonFamily Honoring Night Set

Balaquiao was appointed PAH of IlocosSur vice ony de la Cruz while Cholo

Yjares is now PAH of Cagayan vice BongPagulayan Pagulayan is now PAH ofKalinga vice Cholo Yjares

he move is essentially a realignmentof the leaders in the Northeastern Luzonarea in the interest of the mission except

for Banzon who is a new appointee andfor Noel Malamug who remains as

PAH of Ifugao hese changes are to takeeffect on January 1 2016 Edythe Aven-dantildeo is also set to replace Didi Galsim asHandmaids of the Lord InternationalCoordinator effective January 1 2016

In the Global Mission Center RickyRico was appointed Head for the GAd-min effective October 1 2016 while Jay

Lucena was appointed head of the CFCEvents group also effective October 1facebookcomCFCGlobalMission CFChrist

The Ugnayan News Supplement is published by the Couples for Christ Global Mission Foundation Inc with editorial ofces at 156 20 th Avenue 1109 Cubao Quezon City

Editorial trunk line (+63 2) 709-4868 local 23

Direct line (+63 2) 709-4856

wwwcouplesforchristglobalorg cfcglobalcommunicationsgmailcom

Michael C Ariola

IC Oversight

Zenaida A Gimenez

Editor-in-Chief

Alma M Alvarez

Associate Editor

Evangeline C Mecedilla

Circulation Staff

Deomar P Oliveria

Layout Artist

The News Supplement

of Couples for Christ

gestion the guidelines indicate the following as the activitiesfor the said day hearing Mass together dining together athome praying together and in gratitude expressing theirlove to one another

hrough the Family Honoring Night the community hopesto strengthen the relationship among the family members andempower each one to truly cherish and love one another

Bong Pagulayan

Mark Banzon

Cholo Yjares

Ricky Rico

Edythe Avendantildeo

Raul Balaquiao

Jay Lucena

Tony de la Cruz

C2 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

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8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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CFC China Conducts

Mission Heads Training

CFC Greece Leaders Meet Archbishop of Athens amp Nuncio

COUPLES for Christ USA and CFC Greece leaders paid a courtesy call on Archbishop Sevastianos Rossolatos and Fr George Altouvas at the Archd ioce se of Athens he g roup in troduced Couples f or Chri st to the new Archbishop and di scus sed theirplans to initiate a CFC Youth Camp in Greek as well as to develop CFC teachings in Greek

On another occasion the CFC leaders met with the Apostolic Nuncio of the Holy See in Athens Archbishop Edward Joseph AdamsTey discussed challenges and forthcoming changes in the Greek Catholic hierarchy and laid down CFCrsquos plans for CFC Athens

SINGLES for Christ Metro Manila gath-ered at the San Carlos Seminary in Makatilast December 5 2015 at 700 pm forthe SFC Global One a two-hour non-stop worship experience Jay Laquiana fulltime pastoral worker for SFC ledthe worship

Global One was meant to be a simul-taneous praise concert with major cities

or provinces hosting the event But what

made this yearrsquos Global One event special was the fact that it was the first time it wasstaged online via youtube live broadcastTis gave SFCs all over the world an oppor-tunity to come together despite differencesin time zone

ogether as one ministry SFCs from theMetro Manila Sectors the provinces andthe various countries like the USA Canada

and the Middle Eastern countries raised

SFC GLOBAL ONEmdashUniting the World

via Online Worship

their voices in praise and worship for thecountless favors they received It likewisebecame an opportunity to ask the Lordto bless the ministry for the coming year

Te ministry sees the online Global Oneas an event they can do annually Tey alsosee it as a potential tool to reach othernon-SFC members to witness Christ andcome together with other young people to

worship (Lanie Montaos)

OSM C1

CFC Winnipeg held its 2nd Celebration of Covenant Love onNovember 21st the feast of the Presentation of Our Lady Sixteencouples attended the activity

One week prior to the Renewal of Wedding Vows the 16 coupleshad a mini-retreat conducted by their spiritual advisor Fr YollyGamallo Te mini-retreat included four couple-sharers Te HolyMass was celebrated at St John Cantius Parish presided by MsgrLouis McCloskey A simple reception followed for the 16 couples andabout 60 family members with additional witnesses from the CFCcommunity Te participants who renewed their marriage vows werefrom varied age groups with some having been married for only five

years to couples who were celebratingo 40 years of holy matrimony

Tis year makes the Celebration of Love even more relevant as itis the year that held the papal Synod on the Family and the WorldMeeting of Families Pope Francis stated when making an address tofamilies ldquoTose who celebrate the sacrament say lsquoI promise to be trueto you in joy and in sadness in sickness and in health I will love youand honour you all the days of my lifersquo At that moment the coupledoes not know what will happen nor what joys and pains awaitthem Tey are setting out like Abraham on a journey together

And that is what marriage is Setting out and walking togetherhand in hand putting yourselves in the Lordrsquos powerful handsHand in hand always and for the rest of your livesrdquo (from http

couplesforchristcanadaca)

A Celebration of Covenant Love

I cherish the treasure the treasure of you lifelong companion I give myself to you These happy couples from CFC Vancouver saying Yes again to oneanother and to God as they renew their marriage vows

CFC missionaries to South Americarejoiced as they completed a fruitfulmission to the area a fitting end to theyear Te mission to Nuevo Pueblo deColaacuten opened a new area an hour awayby land from Piura Peru establish-ing CFC ndash Parejas para Cristo in a remotetown in the desert At the end of theChristian Life Program 13 new CFCPPC members composed of 4 couples4 HOLD and 1 SOLD committed to alife with Christ

Te PVC (Programa de Vida Cristiana- Spanish CLP) was held November 27to 29 2015 (Tanksgiving weekend) byCFC USA Florida in Iglesias del Rosarioone of two parishes in town Padre LuisSerra head pastor of the main churchthe Iglesia Sagrado Corazoacuten de Jesuacutesopened the doors to CFC PPC Fourother brethren from CFC PPC RiojaPeru headed by Fr Rober Martinez cameto reinforce the missionariesrsquo efforts Teteam got a taste of their first mission

CFC China is on full throttle in its evan-gelization efforts Tey recently conducted

the first-ever CFC China Mission Headsraining from November 27 to 30 at Vilada Sta Isabel Estrada Cheoc Van MacauTe training aimed to strengthen its leader-ship ranks through several formation talksfrom the Chapter Leaders raining (CL)series Te sixty participants were mostlyChinese with some Filipino Mission Headsand their AG members from the North

West East and South of China includingMacau SAR and Hong Kong SAR

Te first day of the training was devotedto a silent retreat based on Psalm 4610ndash ldquoBe silent and know that I am GodrdquoTe three-hour retreat centered on thetheme ldquoWe need to Change How WeLead o lead like Jesusrdquo with each par-ticipant encouraged to ldquoempty oneselfrdquoFr Oliviades a member of the Opus Deifacilitated the retreat

Day 2 started with a Holy Mass concel-

ebrated by Fr Joseph Wang from YiwuEast China Te training proper began with Israel Silud CFC Country Headand Northwest Regional Head givingthe overview and citing challenges thatCFC China faces He reiterated thatCFC Chinarsquos goal of raising 1 millionhousehold heads will be driven by the

The fruits of 2015 for CFC PPC hundreds of miles away from home

In 2015 ten missions were held inSouth America by CFC USA All these

were made possible by a handful of zeal-ous and selfless CFC USA mission vol-unteers who sacrificed a lot and deniedthemselves many comforts in order tobring the Word of God to families in Co-lombia Ecuador and Peru CFC ParejasPara Cristo will not take off without thefinancial support of CFC USA

ruly God gave a very good year for

the mission team harvesting 608 souls in2015 (a total of 857 persons from June2014 to date) Te task of sustainingCFC PPC families and area countriesare enormous But with grateful heartsthe South America team humbly turnsto God thanking Him each day forHis guidance as He leads the way Teteam looks forward to 2016s adventureof bringing the banner of Christ to themiddle and corners of the earth (GlenSantayana)

whether lay or from the Chaplainsrsquo ranklikewise gave testimonies on how theirinvolvement in the CEP made them real-ize that they have become not only agentsof change but recipients of grace as well

In the afternoon the Chaplains andtheir CFC counterparts came together fora round table discussion of the plans ofthe various Infantry Divisions nationwide

Army Chie f Chaplain Fr Col Andre sBonifacio Belleza CHS (GSC) in anunexpected move expressed his recog-nition through the grant of awards ofthe initiatives of the Army Chaplainsin implementing the CEP in their vari-ous Divisions Fr Maj Juan Jerome CDaluro was awarded Best Chaplain ofthe Year 2015 for his exemplary ser viceas Division Chaplain of 9th Infantry(Spear) Division Fr MSg Mario Ban-

iqued Philippine Army (PA) OACCSChief Clerk was recognized as Best

Chaplain Assistant of the YearSince the partnership between the

OACCS and CFC OSM started in April2014 the group has conducted CharacterEnhancement Retreats (CER) for 28 Phil-ippine Army commands Trough CFCSingles for Christ volunteers a ChristianLife Program has likewise been conductedfor the Philippine Military Academy Classof 2018 graduating 385 PMA-Singles forChrist members Presently five CERs arealso being done at the V Luna MedicalCenter in Quezon City

Alabanza admit s there is still muchto be done So far the CEP has reached2000 men and women in uniformroughly 0287 percent of an estimated800000 population of soldiers theirspouses and their families Tis is indeedfertile ground for values and spiritual

transformation which is just waiting tobe conquered (A Alvarez)

Another fruitful harvest in Peru from top the 13 new members in CFC PPC all-women discussion group

Courtesy call top photos CFC leaders with Archbishop Edward Joseph Adams amp Fr George Altouvas bottom photos with Fr George Archbishop SevastianosRossolatos and Archbishop Edward Joseph Adams

CFC OSM and the OACCS reaching out to the men and women in uniform and their families through the Character Enhancement Program

personal holiness of its ser vant-leaders who will be leading the evangelization thrust

in 34 provinces in China CL talks 2-5 were given by the regional heads with their wives as sharers

Day 3 began with the recitation ofthe Holy Rosary followed by anotherconcelebrated Holy Mass Fr Oliviadesdelivered a beautiful homily on ldquoemptyingoneselfrdquo Te rest of the CL talks wereagain delivered by the regional heads withtheir wives as sharers In CL alk 9 Siludemphasized the need to pay attention tothe means to care for the spirit mind andbody of the leaders

Te last day primarily focused on plan-ning the CFC China activities for 2016One of the proposals from the planningis that the four (4) regions in China willeach be hosting the major activities linedup for the year

Te three-day training and planning was conducted by CFC China Country

Head IsraelSally Silud with the supportof North Asia Regional Coordinator Ga-rieCess Pimentel and the regional headsfrom East China (EricEvelyn Ylagan)South China (JoelErica Santos) HongKong SAR (GarieCess Pimentel) andMacau SAR (JMEmilie Yupangco) (Ericamp Evelyn Ylagan)

C4 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

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JCL ndash member while for the TeologicalCommission the experts appointed wereFr Alexander L Garces SDB JCL ndashPresident Fr Enrico Eusebio Jr SJ JCDndash member and Sr Maria Amparo SantosOP JCL ndash member As with the ribunalmembers the Presidents and membersof both Commissions individually tooktheir respective oaths and signed the Acts

Te appointed Copyist Ms RonalynRegino and Assistant Copyist Ms Ge-cerein Sayen Ocampo were called next totake their respective oaths and similarlysigned in the Acts

Ten Postulator Msgr Pedro C Qui-torio III and Vice Postulator Fr WilmerR Rosario JCD individually took their

respective oaths not compromise the truthand offend justice nor impede the free-dom of witnesses to testify in the CauseTereafter they also signed the Acts

Te Postulator then presented to Car-dinal agle for his examination a list of

witnesses to be interrogated subject to thepossible addition and revision of namesin the future Upon examining the listthe Cardinal decreed that the next sessionfor interrogation of witnesses be held on

January 11 2016 at the Arzobispado deManila

Finally after ordering the Chancellorto establish public record of this First Ses-sion Cardinal agle declared the Processfor the Causes of Beatification and Can-

onization of Servant of God FAHERGEORGE J WILLMANN SJ Father ofthe Order of the Knights of Columbus inthe Philippines OPEN

o complete the Rites His EminenceLuis Antonio Cardinal agle together withformer Chief Justice Hilario G Davide

Jr as Chairman of the National ExecutiveCommittee (NEC) for the Cause of Fr

Willmann jo intly u nveiled the portraitof Father George J Willmann SJ

Tereafter Cardinal agle began thecelebration of the Holy Eucharist Con-celebrants were Bishop Honesto FOngtioco DD Bishop Mylo HubertC Vergara DD Msgr Geronimo FReyes JCD Fr William Arana OSA Fr

Carlo Magno Marcelo Fr Marvin MejiaFr Wilmer Rosario JCD Fr Carlo DelRosario Fr Julius Paul Factora OP JCDFr Sander Niez JCL Fr Alex GarcesSDB JCL Fr Rico Garcia Fr ReginaldMalicdem Fr Darwin Faith Ponce OSAFr Ricky VIllar OSA Fr Geoffrey Eb-orda OSA Fr Genaro Supremedo OSAFr Jojo orres OSA Fr Joseph VillarealOSA Fr Roy Gallano OSA Fr MichaelSalazar and Fr Romel Cruz

Also serv ing as Conce lebrants werea number of KC Priests Scholars of theKnights of Columbus Fr George J

Willmann Charities Inc that includedMsgr Pedro C Quitorio III Fr Benjamin

The Cross A Supplement Publication of KCFAPI and the Order of the Knights of ColumbusCBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25 December 7 2015 - 27 2016

Sainthood bid opens forFr George Willmann SJBy Roberto T Cruz

On December 7 2015 Mon-

day the bells of the ManilaCathedral rang out loud as HisEminence Luis Antonio Car-dinal agle presided over themilestone celebration of theHoly Eucharist at the ManilaCathedral to formally open theDiocesan process of the Causeof Fr George J Willmann SJ

he Liturgical Rites for the formalopening of the diocesan process precededthe Mass at 900am With the entranceprocession of Cardinal agle as the MainCelebrant together with two bishops twomonsignors and thirty-three priests whoconcelebrated the Mass the Rites started

with Msgr Pedro C Quitorio III theappointed Diocesan Postulator for theCause of Fr Willmann giving biographi-cal highlights of the life of Fr George J

Willmann SJ An Invocation of the HolySpirit followed with the singing of VeniCreator Spiritus by the Manila CathedralBasilica Choir

Cardinal agle then examined anddeclared the legitimacy of the appoint-ments of Msgr Pedro C Quitorio III asthe Postulator and Fr Wilmer R Rosario

JCD as Vice-Postul ator in conformity with the Code of Canon Law

Appointed members of the Diocesanribunal for the Cause of Fr Willmann

were Msgr Geronimo F Reyes JCDas Episcopal Delegate Fr Carlo P DelRosario JCL as Promoter of Justice Mseresita F Kudemus ndash First Notary MsMarivic M Ambasa ndash Second Notary Ms

Julieta R Santos as Tird NotaryTe Cardinal reminded them of the

great responsibility importance andseriousness of the Process for the Causesfor Beatification and Canonization Asrequired by Church law all the mem-bers of the ribunal starting with MsgrGeronimo F Reyes individually tooktheir oath to faithfully fulfill hisher com-mitment and then signed the Acts

Te Experts who were tapped to formthe Historical Commission includeFr Julius Paul Factora OP JCD asPresident Fr Adolfo N Dacanay SJ

JCD ndash member and Fr Sander D Niez Sainthood D3

KCFAPI Theme and Logo for 2016HE year 2016 has been pro-claimed the Year of the Eucharistand the Family by the CatholicBishopsrsquo Conference of the Phil-ippines Te theme is part of thenine year spiritual journey thatbegan with the Year of Faith

where we experienced an authenticrenewal of faith guided by the newevangelization principles

he Holy Eucharist whichmeans thanksgiving invitesfamilies of the Catholic faithfulto commemorate the supremesacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christon the cross to receive His body

and blood in the Holy Commu-nion and to celebrate His victoryover death

Te Roman Catholic Churchpromotes strong family ties andvalues Parents are entrustedthe responsibility to prepare andteach their children to follow JesusChrist and live His gospel

KCFAPI distinguished itselfin protecting the sanctity of thefamily by providing comfortand sustenance in any loss orlife-changing event among fam-ily members KCFAPI respondsswiftly to changing or evolvingfamily insurance needs Nowon its 58th year of providingunsurpassed uncompromised

fraternal service KCFAPI vowsand advocates relentlessly to

render comfort benefit and as-sistance to all brother knightsand their families with mercy andcompassion

As part of the KCFAPI familyin a pioneering effort all wholly-owned and majority-ownedcompanies will coordinate theirschedules and manage theirresources towards one com-mon goal and will function asone well oiled machine By

joi nin g han ds gu ide d by theHoly Spirit the strength ofone is multiplied several times

over Te heart symbolizes lovemercy and compassion and is

also Charity ndash the first of fourcore principle of the OrderKCFAPI in heart-shaped bordermantles the five wholly- ownedand majority-owned companies Keys Realty amp DevelopmentCorporation Kompass Creditand Financing Corporation KCPhilippines Foundation IncKnights of Columbus Fr George

J Willmann Charitie s Inc andMace Insurance Agency IncTey are depicted by the boldshoulders of the figures symbol-izing the family Just like in any

close-knit family concentratedon accomplishing one objective

all employees will be engagedtheir support and talent pooledand harnessed to participateactively in any company activi-ties working in tandem as onecohesive unit

Te logo vividly demonstratesthe solidarity and bonding of fam-ily members if they gather togetherand allow Christ to be at the centerof their family relationship

Te different colors representthe various hues of the Order ofthe Knights of Columbus red

whit e blu e and yell ow hegreen color manifests KCFAPIrsquos

concern for our environment andits managementrsquos advocacy gearedtowards a healthy state of our sur-roundings Orange brings a posi-tive outlook in life optimism andmotivation to look on the brighterside of life

Te cup and host (in yellow)emulating the Holy Eucharist pro-vides Christ- centered way of life

Te circular flow represents in-finity or totality the unboundedtimeless and never ending lovecare and affection of KCFAPIin providing each and every KCfamily a shield of security protec-tion and hope Te acronym ALLcharacterizes KCFAPIrsquos inclusiveapproach to all forms of actions

products and services (Angelito A Bala)

As we protect families for generations Act Live Love

KCFAPI Planning Conference The Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of thePhilippines Inc held their 2016 Planning Conference last November 7-9 2015 atColumbus Plaza General Santos City Present were KCFAPI Chairman Bro Arsenio IsidroG Yap KCFAPI President Bro Jose C Reyes Jr KCFAPI Executive Vice President SisMa Theresa G Curia KCFAPI Officers and Supervisors KEYS Realty Vice President Bro

Riz Nicolas and HTMC Vice President Sis Apolonia Dominguez

Living Rosary The Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of the Philippines Inchad their Living Rosary last October 30 2015 at the KCFAPI main office This has been

a yearly practice for the Month of the Holy Rosary which is usually conducted by itsofficers and staff

Cardinal Tagle leads the unveiling of the portrait of Jesuit Fr George J Willmann as the Manila archdiocesan process for the Cause of Beatification and Canonization of the latter formally opens at the Manila Cathedralon Monday Dec 7 Willman is considered as t he ldquoFather of the Knights of Columbusrdquo in the Philippines ROY LAGARDE

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D2 The CrossDecember 7 2015 - 27 2015 Vol 19 No 25

ACQ UIR IN G a hou se and lo t which they can call their own home

and driving their own cars are twoof the priority dreams of Filipinoparents Of course seeing theirchildren finish college education iseither Number 1 or Number 2

Te Knights of Columbus Frater-nal Association of the PhilippinesInc (KCFAPI) has formed andincorporated a new company to helpmembers of the Order to have their

dream homes and motor carsKCFAPI named the new company as Kompass Credit and

Financing Corporation (KCFC) after one of the symbols of theKnights of Columbus which is the Compass Like the Compassof the ancient marines KOMPASS is here to guide BrotherKnight in having their own home and efficient mobility

KOMPASS can also extend home car and business loans tothe general public

Interested parties can call KOMPASS at el No 527-2242

527-2223 loc 215 and 252 for further details of the loan

Arsenio Isidro G Yap

Chairmanrsquos Message

Presidentrsquos Message

Ma Theresa G Curia

Jose C Reyes Jr

Reflection

Curia Settings

Michael P Cabra

Bequest LIFE this Christmas

My Brotherrsquos Keeper

FILIPINO raditions reflect the kindof people that we are All traditionscustoms and beliefs evolve from thelove and respect of the family Ourmutual and natural respect for oneanother our desire to please and notoffend each other and our willingness

to extend a helping hand are just a fewof the basic foundations which madethe Filipino people unique a one of a

kind and nowhere else could be found And certainly a must-have as a friend and neighbor

Some of the trait I like is the ldquomano pordquo expression and at thesame time reaching for the otherrsquos hand and asking for his blessingsTe respected elder would normally extend his hand to touch theforehead of the one asking for his blessings and expresses ldquokaawanka ng Diyosrdquo or ldquoGod bless yourdquo It doesnrsquot matter whether the onebeing accorded the respect is younger than the person asking forthe blessing or even if they hardly know each other

Another trait is removing onersquos slippers or shoes when enteringa neighborrsquos house Te guest expresses his respect for the hostand does not in any way want to spoil or damage the pristinecondition of the floor which is normally kept shiny and clean

Cleaning of onersquos surrounding to the point of cleaning also theneighborrsquos grounds I could still remember in our neighborhoodthat the old folks would sweep the debris on the street in front

of their houses But instead of just collecting their own trashthey would try to outdo each other by picking (or sweeping)the litter on the street up to the neighborrsquos house in front andeven on their right and left side

Everyone living along the same street knows each other very well to the point that all knows who are having a hard time and would need some assistance A neighbor would readily do somehousehold chores give some food and try to console those whoare grieving for the loss of a love one Nobody needs to askHelp is extended readily

Although the traits Irsquove mentioned above are seldom practicednowadays except for the ldquomano pordquo I still believe that those

were just some of our good traits which define us as people which define us as a Filipino a unique breed of people We arevery resilient that even though we are in grief or experiencingextreme challenges in our everyday life we still are able to lightour faces with the friendliest smile

Christmas is another tradition-field celebration that is uniquelyFilipino Te ldquoSimbang Gabirdquo ldquoputo bumbongrdquo and the like are

some Christmas traditions But let us not forget that Christmas isnot just a season of merriment but is a season for reconciliationItrsquos that time of the year when we want to ask forgiveness fromthose we had wronged and at same time forgive also those whohad wronged us and forget whatever they had done to us

Christmas is a season wherein family ties are kept stronger andmore meaningful But to be more meaningful it is better that weshare our blessings to those in need whose nights might be Holy but

would be very Silent and the only sound that they could hear arenot carols of merriment but the grumbling of their empty stomach

Make this Christmas the most meaningful Christmas ever bysharing your ldquoNoche Buenardquo with a neighbor or better still witha complete stranger May the birth of our Lord touch our heartsand be responsive to those in need

CHRISMAS is a holy day celebratingthe birth of Jesus Christ our Saviour Ithas been a tradition in the Philippines that

we go to dawn masses from December 16to the eve of Christmas day Because ourenthusiasm builds up as early as Septemberon Christmas Day itself many of us areexhausted after days of going through heavytraffic on the way to parties and to crowdedshopping malls to shop for gifts Tere arealso many events that we are enticed to at-tend for our kidsrsquo sake gatherings of relatives and friends near and farand entertainment we spend a lot for the family

While these festivities are all expressions of love we sometimes forgetthat Christmas day is the day we should go to mass to thank God forall the blessings we received from Him and in turn to offer our gift to

Jesus Christ As we enter the Advent season let us start reflecting on

how we can better love and serve God on how we can help the poorand how we can give hope to those who are losing hope Let us put intoaction the principle of charity with greater vigor and sense of urgency

May Christmas be like the ldquoJourney to the Innrdquo of Joseph and Mary- tiring yet full of hope and joy to welcome Christ in our hearts andour homes As Knights of Columbus let us lead our communities toa Christ-centered Advent celebration this year and always

My family and I wish your whole family ldquoA Merry Christmas and aBlessed New Yearrdquo

FOR this Christmas I wish tobase my reflection on a poem

written by Horacio de la Costathe first Filipino provincial ofthe Jesuits Please read and usethe poem as a Christmas greet-ing My reflection is nothingcompared to the poem

We must have visited all theBelens in our churches since we

were small In fact most of usalso put up the Christmas cribin our own homes In arlacthey even have yearly exhibits ofBelens which they call Belenis-mo We were told that it was StFrancis who started putting upthe crib in his church And thepoem of Horacio Dela Costatells us that if we meditate onthis set up we might discover

the surprises that they bring toour consciousness

Let us identify some fea-tures of the Belens that we se earound us during the Christ-mas season and together letus reflect on the meanings thatthese can offer us We shall seedifferent layers of Christmasmeaning emerge

1 he King was born poorGod has become human Tisis one of the features that wesee when we stare at the Crib

What a paradox the king ispoor God is human Life isindeed full of paradoxes andof seeming contradictions

We make sense of them only

with the passage o f t ime and

as we mature both in age andin faith

2 he Bethlehem scene isprofoundly meaningful sym-bolic and mystery-laden We

watch the figures in the Be lenand sometimes we do notunderstand When we do notunderstand the turn of eventsin our life we should not giveup We should not run awayTe world will not end onlybecause we do not understand

what we see exper ience or feelLet us stand in awe at Godrsquosvisit when we are clueless of

what i s happening 3 he King was born in a

manger But there was peacearound among the wise menand the shepherds on that holy

and starry night We see atthe Belen scene a communionamong God humans the richand the poor animals and hu-mans the stars the night andthe people It was as though ata special moment the Universe

was one As though the con-nectedness of all the elements

was not merel y ecolog ical asLaudato Si spoke of but evendivine -human No wonderthat we do not get tired of put-ting up our belens at home inchurches and in public placesNo wonder that we can stareforever at the Nativity scenealthough we do not fully un-derstand everything although

we do it yea r afte r year We

also feel that we are there andthat we are connected to the

figures they represent we areconnected to history to oursurroundings and even to ourGod

4 he Savior was born ina manger where animals eatTe meaning of the mangerscene has been the content ofmany sermons that we haveheard We were told that thisdoes not only refer to thehumility or poverty of Jesus

A dee per meaning they say isthat Jesus has come to be foodfor all who come to him Jesuscame to give Himself as foodfor the world His words histeachings his mercy and com-passion and his Good News of

Godrsquos Plan are enough to fillour emptiness with a sense ofdirection and destiny Teyquench our thirst for enlight-enment guidance and sense ofdignity as humans

5 he Baby who is born isthe Savior of the world Howcan a Baby save the w orld Wesee before us a baby wrappedin swaddling clothes And werealize that Divinity can berevealed in very human situ-ations And that the humblestreality could be a revelationthat God is in our midst If weopen our hearts and minds tothe Lord His Spirit enlightensand gives delight to our weary

and limited minds and souls

Even today we can feel Hismessage although sometimes

we do not ful ly unders tand Te truth dawns on us when

we ar e qu ie t and when we wait When we do not rush toknow Godrsquos Presence is a Giftthat we can never be worthy ofBut the point here is not thatour littleness could obstructthe Revelation of a mysteryRather the Greatness of theLord compels Him to revealHimself to the little one Evento us Now

Tat is why Liturgy invokesour ability to watch to look at

what happe ns in the Churchcelebrations Te beauty ofcandles incense and flowerscan evoke some sense of the

Sacred Space a Sacred Mo-ment and a Sacred Encounter

Te Belen does this for us inrevealing the message of Christ-mas If we open our eyes weshall see the Message of Christ-mas with our hearts If we havetime and we can keep quietbefore the Belen we might seethe surprise of the Lord

[The author Ma TheresaG Curia is the Executive VicePresident amp Chief OperatingOfficer of the Knights of Co-lumbus Fraternal Association ofthe Phils Inc (KCFAPI) andthe incumbent Diocesan Regentof the Daughters of Mary Im-maculate International Dioceseof Malolos]

IrsquoS that time of the year again We must allbegin the increasingly difficult task of buy-ing suitable gifts for our friends and familyHowever there is a different gift you shouldseriously consider giving this year Itrsquos not a fun

present nor it is exciting Itrsquos not somethingyou can play with or wear and it definitely wouldnrsquot be considered a treat Itrsquos a gift thatno one wants but everyone NEEDS So whatare we talking about A Fraternal Service Plan

A Benefit Certificate (BC) or what is simplyknown as a life insurance policy Every year

we search for that perfect gift for a loved oneSomething that will show how much we careand appreciate them What could better provethat than giving someone the gift of SECU-RIY and SABILIY

Unfortunately the recent statistics presentthe sad truth (a) more than 95 Filipinos donot have adequate levels of insurance and (b)more than 80 of Filipinos do not believethey are likely to suffer a serious illness in the

next 20 years Yet each year around 365000Filipinos face premature death either caused byaccidental death or natural sickness It equatesto 1000 untimely deaths everyday

Firstly think about your present situation

Do you have loved ones who depend on youfinancially If something were to happen toyou would your family struggle to maintaintheir current lifestyle the kind of living yoursquovebeen providing If you answered yes to thesequestions itrsquos as simple as that - you need tohave life insurance Secondly do you have aloved one (parent spouse adult children e tc)

who needs protection Tis year give them theultimate gift Having an adequate amount oflife insurance can help in paying off hospitalbills memorial bills mortgage and even in-heritance tax It can allow a family to maintaintheir current level of living and possibly evenfund long term goals such as childrenrsquos schoolfunds dream car house business and evenretirement Now wersquore not saying this is the

only gift you should give it might look a littlesad with only that under the Christmas treeHowever just consider along with the othergifts giving a present that may not be appreci-ated at that moment might come in use should

a critical time arrive You look after your familyand so this is a perfect gift ideaItrsquos important to consult a fraternal counselor

when considering life insurance as it is impera-tive that you are insured accurately dependingon your current situation and future needs

Should you wish to know more just visit wwwkofcorgph for inquiries

Did you know thatFor as low as PhP10000 you can already

start the Gift of Life to your loved ones Tisfraternal service plan is called KC Peso Saver Itis a single contribution endowment plan which

will mature at the end of the benefit certificatersquos10th year In fact a lot of Knights of ColumbusMembers invest with this Gift of Life everyChristmas for their spouse and children

Gemille Isabel P Gloria

A Meek Christmas

IMAGINE a pregnant mother who is supposed to give birth toa child at the moment and rideson a donkey with her husband

Apart from the pain of laborthe mother is enduring deathchases their yet unborn child astheir King deliberately kills allthe newborn babies that night

urned down by the innkeepersthey ended up in a crude stablesharing it with the farm animalsand the shepherds as she gavebirth to a baby boy and placedhim in a manger I bet you arepicturing a scene of a movie inyour head right now Tis isactually what the first Christmaslooked like

Going back to the presentChristmas is far more delightfuland exciting Shopping feastinggift-giving and vacation trippingare just few of the activities that

we cannot do away with in ourChristmas lists We think ofChristmas like no other ordinaryday of the year We make sure

that for Noche Buena there isabundance of bountiful feasts inour dining table from a platterof mouth-watering leche flan toa sumptuous lechon new clothesup to fifty percent sale on theselected items section and expen-sive gifts covered in a Santa Claus

wrapper under a fully decorated

Christmas tree We associate theChristmas season as a time ofsplendor since it is the birthday ofour Savior Unfortunately someof us could only imagine thesethings Tey are our fellow whoare counted by the government inabject poverty who could hardlythink of where and how to gettheir first meal for the 365 daysof the year including Christmasday One does not need to moveafar to behold this ravers-ing nearby the office we couldalready see some of the faces inpoverty If you have not takenyet the underpass connectingManila City Hall and Intramu-ros as you make your way out of

it you will see sullied children intattered clothes inhaling plasticbags containing rugby with somesoiled adults who seem to be theirparents doing the same thing

With their hunger already in theirhead some children forcibly takethe food of the passersby Duringthe night the space where people

enter and exit the underpassin the day turns into a freezinghome for the homeless Youcan see in their wrinkled face thefeeling of sleeping on the passage-

ways with only cardboard boxesand worn out fabrics in betweentheir body and the cold cementedground Teir condition is notfar from what Jesus experiencedon the first Christmas born intoand chose to live a life of poverty

Remembering martyredSalvadoran Archbishop OscarRomero who once said thatldquoNo one can celebrate a genuineChristmas without being trulypoor he self sufficient theproud those who because they

have everything look down onothers those who have no needeven of God for them there

will be no Christmas Only thepoor the hungry those whoneed someone to come on theirbehalf will have that someonehat someone is God Em-manuel God-with-usrdquo With

what he thought we canrsquot arguethat at times we want everythingTe more you have the moreyou want and the more you get

What if we have nothing Whatif we donrsquot have gifts food andnew clothes for the Christmas

What if we are in the place of thehomeless Would we still feel thesame Christmas Spirit withoutthe things we celebrate with it

We have to learn to celebrat eChristmas with how the poorperceive it Let us not reachthe point where we celebrateChristmas just because we willreceive our one-year wish listLet us learn to lose to sacrificeand to give during Christmas

Joseph P Teodoro

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D3The Cross December 7 2015 - 27 2015 Vol 19 No 25

Deogracias Fajota Fr Jeronimo

Ma Cruz Fr Antonio Rex PalayaFr Melvin Gamelo Fr JuliusCuison Fr Felix Labios Fr Ra-melle Rigunay Fr Randy SalungaFr Joel Cariaso Fr HernandezMendoza Fr Julius de Sagun FrRonel Ilano Fr Lowie Palines andFr Emmanuel Hiipolito

In his homily Cardinal aglestarted by citing that aside fromthe formal opening of the Dioc-esan process for Fr Willmannit was also the feast day of St

Ambrose a great teacher of theChurch known for his sanctityand teachings It was also the eveof the Immaculate Conception ofour Blessed Mother Mary plus thestart of the Advent season

Te Cardinal then focused onthe question What does it meanto be holy With the opening ofthe Cause he said that Fr George

J Willmann St Ambrose andMother Mary all responded tosanctity and holiness Cardinalagle clarified that ldquoHoliness isan attribute of God and not manrsquosachievement nor his work It isGod who is Holy and our holi-ness is a gift of God ndash our oneness

with HimrdquoCardinal agle added that the

message of the First Reading is thatthe Holiness of God is seen withmarvelous work ndash like transform-ing a desert into a garden filled

with water and flowers where we

are able to drink from Godrsquos good-ness with a safe road along the

holy way Te desert symbolizes

humanity that is seen to be dryfruitless empty and even life-less However when God entersall these are transformed into abountiful garden Godrsquos Holinessalways creates miracles ldquoWhen-ever we experience hopelessnessloaded with faults we must notbe afraid for that is the time whenGod will come to infuse His Holi-ness and cure the sickness Tat isthe Good Newsrdquo Cardinal agleadded that during this season ofadvent we must look deeper intoour deserts in order to experiencethe Holiness of God

Te Cardinal then underscoredthat we need to respond to GodrsquosHoliness not like the scribes in

the reading who questioned andrejected Jesus but like the friendsof the paralyzed man who lookedfor a nonconventional way -through the roof - to bring theparalytic closer to Jesus Cardinalagle stressed the need for us to bealert discerning with eyes of faithin order for us to respond to ourHoly God in His action when weare in our desert

he Cardinal then asked thepeople to pray for those entrusted

with the Cau se of Fr Willmannthat they may be illumined witheyes of faith With no intention ofpre-empting the Diocesan processCardinal agle simply thankedGod as we are now privileged

to share Godrsquos holiness throughpersonal experiences with Fr Will-

Sainthood D1

Process for PHrsquos new lsquoServantof Godrsquo starts rollingMANILA Dec 7 2015 ndash Manila Arch-bishop Luiacutes Antonio G Cardinal agleofficially accepted on Monday Dec 7the Feast of St Ambrose the petition toopen an investigation on the sanctity andheroic virtues of Fr George J WillmannSJ founder of the Knights of Columbus(KC) in the Philippines among otherCatholic lay organizations

At least 1000 of the naturalized Fili-pino Jesuit priestrsquos spiritual children fromall over the country including no lessthan former Supreme Court (SC) Chief

Justice Hilario G Davide Jr becamepart of Philippine Church history as they

witnes sed at the Manila Metropo litanCathedral Basilica the solemn opening ofthe archdiocesan process they hope wouldlead to beatification and canonization

lsquoGreat responsibilityrsquoIn line with this agle appointed Msgr

Pedro C Quitorio III of the CatholicBishopsrsquo Conference of the Philippines(CBCP) Media Office as postulator forthe cause of the countryrsquos newest ldquoServantof Godrdquo

He also approved the appointments ofMsgr Geronimo S Reyes Fr Wilmer RRosal and Fr Ricardo P del Rosario asepiscopal delegate vice postulator andpromoter of justice respectively as wellas of a host of other experts both clericand lay who vow to work together to giveFilipinos another saint

Te prelate went on to swear in allthose involved in the cause for Willmannrsquosbeatification and canonization remindingthem of the ldquogreat responsibilityrdquo theyhave assumed and the ldquoimportance andseriousnessrdquo of the task at hand

PHrsquos Fr McGivney Dubbed ldquoFr McGivney of the Philip-

pinesrdquo due to his dedication to expand KClocally Willmann worked for the radicaltransformation of faith into action

Born on June 29 1897 to very devoutCatholic parents in Brooklyn New Yorkthe American Jesuit was granted Philip-pine citizenship by President FerdinandMarcos through Presidential Decree(PD) No 740

In 1938 he first served as chaplain

of KC Manila Council 1000 then re-turned in 1954 to become the Orderrsquosfirst Philippine Deputy until his deathin 1977

In total the priest spent 44 fruitful andproductive years in the Philippines serv-ing the poor the sick the orphans theoppressed the lonely and the desolateespecially the young ones

KCFAPI etcBesides what is formally known as the

Knights of Columbus Fraternal Associa-tion of the Philippines Inc (KCFAPI)

which he founded in 1958 Willmannestablished other organizations as follows

bull Catholic Youth Organization (1938)bull Establishment of the Catholic Press

ldquoFilipinasrdquo and the ldquoCrossrdquo Magazines(1946)

bull Columbian Squires in the Philippines(1950)

bull Daughters of Isabella in the Philip-pines (1951) reorganized as Daughtersof Mary Immaculate (1977)

bull Columbian Farmers Aid Association(1951) reorganized as Knights of Co-lumbus Community Service Inc (1962)

bull Knights of Columbus Fraternal Asso-ciation of the Philippines Inc (KCFAPI)(1958)

bull Knights of Columbus PhilippinesFoundation Inc (1971) (Raymond ASebastiaacuten CBCP News)

Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle leads the Mass of the formal opening of the ArchdiocesanProcess for the Causes of Beatification and Canonization of the Servant of God FatherGeorge J Willmann SJ father of the Knights of Columbus in the Philippines LIN REGINO

Te Gentle Warrior By James B Reuter SJ

Part II of Chapter wo of ldquoTe Gentle Warriorrdquo series

CHAPER WO-----------------

Te Ateneo de Manila

HE Ateneo was a boysrsquo schoolTe objective of a boysrsquo school is tomake a man out of a boy Te mainvirtue of a man is courage Godmirrored His virtues in His childrenBut he divided them between girls

and boys Tere is such a thing as amasculine soul and a feminine soulIf a boy and a girl are suddenly con-fronted with a wild bull thunderingdown on them if the girl screamedand hid behind the boy that wouldbe normal But if the boy screamedand hid behind the girl everyone

would be ashamed of him Tevirtue of a girl is not physical cour-age it is love and mercy Te virtueof a boy is courage and justice Butin our schools there is no course inthe curriculum called ldquoCouragerdquo

here is no subject called

ldquoCouragerdquo Tere is no mark forldquoCouragerdquo It has to be taught inevery subject through the wholelife of the school he Jesuitsunderstood this very well AndGeorge understood it He began

to learn the meaning of couragehimself when he was five yearsold sitting on the curbstone onPutnam Avenue when the wheelof the garbage truck crushed bothhis feet

In the old Ateneo there wasa strong tradition of ldquoRomansrdquoand ldquoCarthageniansrdquo Jose Rizal

was the Emperor of the RomansEvery class was competitive TeRomans would be lined up onone side of the class the Car-thagenians on the other Te firstquestion went to the Romans

If the Romans answered it cor-rectly the questioning stayed

with the Romans If any Romanmissed the question went to theCarthagenians Ten the Romanboys would growl and grumble at

the Roman who missed It wascompetition to teach courage

And the battle cry of all theteams was ldquoAnimo Ateneordquo Youcould translate that as ldquoLetrsquos go

Ateneordquo or ldquoSpirit Ateneordquo orldquoFight Ateneordquo mdash but in practiceit meant courage Never give upno matter what the odds ldquoGoget lsquoem Ateneordquo Never say dieTis was obvious in everythingthat the boys did

But it never degenerated intoldquoWin at all costsrdquo Te secondmasculine virtue is justice Tis

means honesty integrity and fairplay Both at once mdash courageand fair play Te verse that everyathlete in the school knew by heart

was ldquoIf I should win let it be bythe code with my head and my

honor held high But if I shouldlose let me stand by the road andcheer as the winner goes byrdquo

It was a tremendous amount of work mdash teaching night and dayrunning the Sodality the ACILand the magazine mdash but Georgeloved it

And his students loved him Tefriendships that he made duringthose three years of regency from1922 to 1925 lasted more thanfifty years

(o be continued on the nextissue)

mann and his life and ministrydevoted to service that providedldquofresh water and good newsrdquo

particularly to the youth the poorand the prisonersTe Cardinal cited his own basic

formation as a Charter memberof the Columbian Squires inImus Cavite where they helpedthe Church in its program for thestreet children He also mentionedhis appreciation for being a scholarof the Knights of Columbus dur-ing Fr Willmannrsquos time

Reiterating that God indeedtransforms deserts into places ofrest peace and holiness Cardinalagle ended his homily by encour-aging all in attendance to be agentsof Godrsquos holiness

People from all walks of life joined the celebration of this Mass

that formally opened the Cause ofServant of God - Fr Willmann

Also repres ent ed were var iou sorganizations established and nur-tured by Fr George including the

Daughters of Isabella (now Daugh-ters of Mary Immaculate) Catholic Youth Organization ColumbianSquires and the Knights of Co-lumbus Parishioners and residents

with their families from nearbycities and communities of ondoIntramuros Sta Cruz Malate andother more distant places likewise

witnessed the very mean ingfulOpening of the diocesan processfor the Cause of their ldquoFather andBenefactorrdquo of forty years

Fr George J Willmann SJdevoted the last forty years of hislife not only in humble serviceand dynamic leadership of theKnights of Columbus in thePhilippines but equally being a

compassionate pastor in the careand formation of the youth He

provided relief to victims of the

war and of violence while also al-leviating the sufferings of the poorHe likewise established ways topreserve and promote the sanctityof life marriage and the family

It was in 1997 or eighteen yearsago that the Knights of Columbusin the Philippines first started aconcerted thrust to formally laythe groundwork for the Causeof Fr Willmann During theOrderrsquos centennial celebration ofFr Willmannrsquos birth the Ordercreated a Committee on Causecomposed of Ramon V ConsingLauro M Cruz and Msgr PedroC Quitorio III as co-chairmenNotable activities of the Com-mittee included gathering of tes-

timonials launch of the Prayer forthe Centennial of Fr Willmann with the Impr imatur of Msgr Jose C Abriol launching of Fr Willmann Fellows meeting withthen Jaime Cardinal Sin and theFather Provincial of the Jesuits toseek their respective endorsementsof the Cause Te Order publishedand distributed the pamphlet ldquoAGlimpsehe Life and Worksof Fr George J Willmann SJrdquoin order to give due acknowledg-ment and recognition as well as toincrease awareness abou t Fr Will-mann A landmark achievement ofthis period was the publication ofldquoTe Gentle Warriorrdquo a biographyof Fr Willmann authored by Fr

James B Reuter SJEstablishing and spreading the

fama sanctitatis of Fr Willmann

included the presentation andpromotion of his works mademore concrete by direct testimo-nies of various individuals whomhe personally interacted withFr Willmann Fellowsrsquo one-timemembership donations have beenpooled to fund the productionof materials such as prayer cardspublications tarpaulins postersto effectively promote Fr George

Willmann not only to brotherKnights but more importantlyto the youth the poor and under-privileged of various communities

In 2011 through the efforts ofthe KC Fraternal Association ofthe Philippines and the Knightsof Columbus Fr Willmann Chari-

ties Inc the National ExecutiveCommittee (NEC) for the Causeof Fr Willmann was created withthe primary function of overseeingall the initiatives relative to or inconnection with the Cause

We are blessed that the Dioc-esan process of the Cause of FrGeorge J Willmann SJ has nowbeen formally opened therebygiving us significant reason torejoice Henceforth he will nowbe regarded Servant of God Letus fervently pray for continuedenlightenment from the HolySpirit for everyone involved in thisDiocesan process and the Causeas a whole so that our belovedFr George J Willmann may ulti-

mately be elevated to the honorsof the altar

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D4 The CrossDecember 7 2015 - 27 2015 Vol 19 No 25

FST IN CAGAYAN A Fraternal Service Training program was held in Cagayan De Oro last November 13 2015Participants were from Zamboanga Misamis and Butuan The event was graced by KCFAPI Vice Presidentfor FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBG Manager Michael Cabra Aside from the product specifications thetraining also gives an idea regarding the basic insurance process and conceptualization of new marketingstrategies in order to achieve their goals and improve their sales performance (FBG News)

AREA MEETING IN VISAYAS The KCFAPI Western Visayas Armor held an area meeting in Bacolod lastOctober 24 2015 led by Agency Unit Manager Randy G Bravo and graced by KCFAPI Vice President forFBG Gari San Sebastian (KCFAPI News)

FST IN DAVAO A Fraternal Service Training program (1 and 2) was held in KCFAPI Davao Service OfficeDavao City last November 20-21 2015 Participants were from Compostela Valley Cotabato City andGeneral Santos The training was attended by KCFAPI Vice President f or FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBGManager Michael Cabra (FBG News)

PRODUCERSrsquo FORUM KCFAPI Vice President for FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBG Manager Michael Cabraled a Producersrsquo Forum wherein fraternal counsellors all over Luzon were gathered for an update of theirincentives program held last November 11 2015 at the KCFAPI home office (FBG News)

New KCFAPI Board of Trustee Bro Pascual C Carbero

IN February of 1986 BroCarbero started his knightlyservice in the Knights of Co-lumbus under Council 10695

in Valenzuela City Duringhis service in Council 10695he has been appointed asChancellor for CY 1992-1993 and as Deputy GrandKnight and Program Direc-tor for CY 1993-1994 InDistrict M-31 of ValenzuelaCity Bro Carbero was GrandKnight for CY 1994-1995District Warden for CY 1996-1997 and District Deputyfor CY 1997-1999 He wasalso Chairman for the Roundable District Deputies forCY 1998-1999 At the Dr PioValenzuela Assembly ACN1772 Meycauayan Bulacanhe was the Faithful Naviga-

tor for CY 1999-2000 Onthat same term Bro Pascual

was the Luzo n State Audi -tor for CY 2000-2003 andthe Luzon State Warden forCY 2000-2003 of the Luzon

Jurisdiction After which forCY 2000-2001 he becamethe Charter Faithful Naviga-tor for the City of Valenzuela

Assembly ACN 2676 For

CY 2007-2015 Bro Carbero was re-a ppo inte d as Luzo nState Warden Bro Carbero

was a voting delegate in the

KC Supreme Convention heldat Washington DC in 2010and also a non-voting delegateheld at Anaheim Californiain 2002 and 2012 Currentlyhe is the State Secretary of theLuzon North Jurisdiction

Bro Pascualrsquos dedicationand enthusiasm in participat-ing in the Order gave himthe endeavor to author thecreation of the City of Valen-zuela Assembly in 1999 withthe assistance of the Districtand Vice Supreme Master

With his knightly serv ice he was awarded with several rec-ognition namely OutstandingDistrictDeputy for CY 1997-

1999 Star District Awardeefor CY 1997-1999 and Civic

Awardee as Charter FaithfulNavigator of the City of Valen-zuela Assembly ACN 2676CY 2000-2001

Apart from Knights of Co-lumbus Bro Carbero partakeshis services in other civic andreligious organizations He isa Special Lay Minister of the

Holy Eucharist Parish of theHoly Cross since 1989 and amember of the Parish RenewalExperience Group He is the

Director and reasurer of thePhilippine Insurers Club from2013 to 2014 and currently itsPresident He is also a memberof the Insurance Executive1st Friday Club of Makatiand an incoming Presidentof the Philippine Associationof Surety Underwriters Incthis 2016

He was Director Corpo-rate Secretary of Mace Insur-ance Agency Inc from 2012until 2014 and currentlythe Independent Director ofKompass Credit and FinancialCorporation and KCFAPIrespectively Bro Carbero isalso a fellow of Father George

J Willmann Charit ies Inc And since 2006 he has beenthe Vice President of IntraStrata Assurance Corporation

He graduated with a Bach-elorrsquos degree in Business Ad-ministration Major in Man-agement at Philippine Schoolof Business Administration in1973 and finished Bachelor ofLaws in Lyceum of the Philip-

pines in 1988Bro Pascual Carberorsquos wife

Sis Remedios was past presi-dent for three years of theCatholic Womenrsquos League(CWL) Valenzuela Chapterand currently the AssistantVice President for Underwrit-ing in Mercantile InsuranceCo Inc in Intramuros Ma-nila Tey are blessed with six

wonderful children namely

Soidemer Claire a pediatri-cian Abigail Claire a lawyerValerie Claire and ChristineClaire both of whom are reg-istered nurses Terese Claire

who graduated with Bachelorrsquosdegree in Laws and is currentlyreviewing for Bar exams and

Adrian Brian who is also aregistered nurse and presentlya 3rd year medical student

Former SC Justice tofellow lsquoPH Knightsrsquo Prayfor Willmannrsquos CauseMANILA Dec 8 2015 ndash Former Chief

Justice Hilario G Davide Jr has calledon fellow members of the Knights of Co-lumbus (KC) nationwide to keep prayingfor the eventual ldquoraising to the altarrdquo ofthe grouprsquos spiritual father Fr George J

Willmann SJ who was declared ldquoSer-vant of Godrdquo Monday Dec 7

ldquoSo what is demanded of us as mem-bers of Knights of Columbus What isdemanded of us as members of Knightsof Columbus Fraternal Association of thePhilippines Inc [KCPAFI]rdquo he askedldquoWe need to pray a lot Pray pray praythat the tribunal will listen to the evidencepresented Pray pray pray that the tribu-nal will actually collate all the evidenceand determine once and for all that whathas been presented through our postula-

tor is credible to merit the conferment ofbeatification later on Tis is our taskrdquo

Archdiocesan processDavide who now chairs the National

Executive Committee for the Causes ofFr Willmann made this observation in aspeech following a ceremony held at theManila Cathedral during which Arch-bishop Luiacutes Antonio G Cardinal agleofficially approved the archdiocesan process

for the causes for the beatification and can-onization of the naturalized Filipino Jesuit

he solemn occasion was witnessedby no less than 1000 representativesof KCPAFI and other organizations Fr

Willmann helped establish like Catholic Youth Organization Columbian Squiresin the Philippines (1950) and Daughtersof Mary Immaculate

Te former chief magistrate went on todescribe the entire process as ldquovery mean-ingfulrdquo since it had the power to make anordinary priest into a Servant of God

Ordinary priest to Servant of GodldquoImagine during our lifetime today in

the Cathedral we saw the conversion ofan ordinary priest to become a Servant ofGod And we hope that he will merit be-

ing a servant of God until the first step ofthe process will continuerdquo he exclaimed

According to him it must have been thefirst time for most people present to haveseen with their own eyes an event of suchldquohistoric and momentous significancerdquo

ldquoI have lived 20 times four years of mylife almost And this is the first time I have

witnessed the process how it evolves and what we can gather from it o me thisis not just making somebody brought to

the honors of the altar but for us to beable to witness how to live and how tocomport ourselves to be able to follow hisfootstepsrdquo he explained

Built-in holinessDavide pointed out that holiness is

already built in each person but it is onlya matter of expressing it

ldquoWhy I would say that holiness is inus already Because we are the templeof God and the Spirit of God is with usSometimes however we forget that this isso We close our ears We close our eyes to

Jesus Christ We close our hands to JesusChrist by helping others So this is theprocess that we have witnessed today Andto me it will very much workrdquo he added

Davide also credited Msgr Pedro C Qui-

torio III postulator of the causes for Fr Will-mann for the ldquodivinely inspiredrdquo occasionand the timeliness of the diocesan process

ldquoSo Msgr Quitorio you are divinelyinspired You planned everything in sucha way that everything we did and we willdo and what we are doing right now isnot only as legacy to the next generationbut even beyond the next generation forpeople and children yet unbornrdquo he said(Raymond A Sebastiaacuten CBCP News)

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B1CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

DEAR Brothers and Sisters Goodmorning

With this reflection we arrive at thethreshold of the Jubilee itrsquos close Tedoor is before us not just the HolyDoor but another the great doorof the Mercy of Godmdashand that is abeautiful doormdashwhich embraces ourpenance offering the grace of his for-giveness Te door is generously openit takes a little courage on our part tocross the threshold Each of us hasburdensome things within ourselves

We are all sinner s Let us take advan-tage of this coming moment and crossthe threshold of this mercy of God

who never tire s of forg iving nevertires of waiting for us He watches ushe is always beside us ake heart Letus enter through this door

From the Synod of Bishops which we celeb rated in the month of Octo-ber all families and the entire Churchreceived great encouragement to meetat the threshold of this open door TeChurch was encouraged to open herdoors to go out with the Lord to meether sons and daughters on the path attimes uncertain at times dismayed inthese difficult times Christian familiesin particular were encouraged to openthe door to the Lord who is waitingto enter bringing his blessing and hisfriendship And as the door of Godrsquosmercy is always open so too must thedoors of our churches our communi-ties our parishes our institutions ourdioceses be open because this is how

we can all go out to b ring th is mercyof God Te Jubilee signifies the greatdoor of the mercy of God but also thesmall doors of our churches open toallow the entrance of the Lordmdashoroften the exit of the Lordmdashwho is aprisoner of our structures of our self-ishness and of so many things

he Lord never forces the dooropen he too asks permission to enterTe Book of Revelation says ldquoI standat the door and knock if any one hearsmy voice and opens the door I willcome in to him and eat with him and

he with merdquo (320) Let us imaginethe Lord knocking at the door of ourheart In the last great vision of theBook of Revelation the City of Godis prophesied like this ldquoits gates shallnever be shut by dayrdquo which meansfor ever because ldquothere shall be nonight thererdquo (2125) Tere are placesin the world in which doors are not

locked there still are But there are

so many where armoured doors havebecome the norm We must not give into the idea that we must apply thi s sys-tem to our whole life to the life of thefamily of this city of society muchless to the life of the Church Tat

woul d be terr ibl e An inhospi tab leChurch like a family closed off withinitself mortifies the Gospel and withersthe world No armoured doors in theChurch none Completely open

he symbolic management ofldquodoorsrdquomdashof thresholds of passagesof bordersmdashhas become crucial Tedoor must protect of course but notreject Te door must not be forced

but on the contrary one asks permis-

sion because hospitality shines inthe freedom of welcoming and dimsin the arrogance of invasion hedoor is frequently opened in order

to see if there is someone waitingoutside perhaps without the couragenor perhaps the strength to knockHow many people have lost faith donot have the courage to knock at the

door of our Christian heart at the

doors of our churches And theyare there they donrsquot have the courage we have taken away trus t please maythis never happen A door says many

things about the house and also aboutthe Church ending the door requirescareful discernment and at the sametime must inspire great faith I wouldlike to pay a word of gratitude to all

PASTORAL CONCERNS

We are all sinners Let us take advantage of this coming

moment and cross the threshold of this mercy of God who

never tires of forgiving never tires of waiting for us

Message of Pope Francis at his General Audience on November 18 2015

The welcoming door porters of our condominiums of

civil institutions of the Churchesthemselves Often a porterrsquos acumenand courtesy can offer an image ofhumanity and of welcome to the entire

house right from the entrance Tereis something to be learned from thesemen and women who are watch-men at the places of encounter and

welcome in the c ity of man o all of

you watchmen of so many doors bethey residential doors or church doorsmany thanks Always with a smilealways demonstrating the acceptanceof that house of that Church sopeople feel happy and welcomed inthat place

In truth we are well aware that wetoo are watchmen and servants of theDoor of God and what is the nameof the door of God Jesus He lightsup all of lifersquos doors for us includingthose of our birth and of our death

He himself affirmed it ldquoI am the doorif any one enters by me he will besaved and will go in and out and findpasturerdquo (Jn 109) Jesus is the doorthat lets us go in and out BecauseGodrsquos sheepfold is a refuge it isnrsquot aprison Te house of God is a refugeit isnrsquot a prison and the door is called

Jesus If the door is closed we sayldquoLord open the doorrdquo Jesus is thedoor and lets us go in and out Tose

who try to avoid the door are thievesitrsquos curious thieves always tr y to enterby another way by the window by theroof but they avoid the door becausethey have evil intentions and theysneak into the sheepfold in order todeceive the sheep and take advantageof them We must enter through thedoor and listen to Jesusrsquo voice if wehear the tone of his voice we are cer-tain we are saved We can go in with-out fear and go out without dangerIn this beautiful discourse Jesus alsospeaks of the gatekeeper whose taskis opening to the Good Shepherd (cf

Jn 102) If the gatekeeper hears theShepherdrsquos voice he opens and letsin all of the sheep that the Shepherdbrings all of them including thoselost in the wood whom the GoodShepherd went to get back Te sheepare not chosen by the gatekeeper theyare not chosen by the parish secretaryor parish administrator the sheepare all called they are chosen by theGood Shepherd Te gatekeepermdashhetoomdashobeys the Shepherdrsquos voiceTus we can well say that we must

be like that gatekeeper Te Churchis the gatekeeper of the house of theLord she is not the proprietor of theLordrsquos house

Te Holy Family of Nazareth knows jus t wha t an open or clo sed doormeans for those expecting a child forthose who have no shelter for those

who need to escape danger Chri stian

families make the threshold of their

homes a great sign of the Door ofthe mercy and welcome of God It isprecisely how the Church will have tobe recognized in every corner of theearth as the watchman of a God whoknocks as the welcome of a God whodoes not close the door in your face

with the excuse that you are not partof the household With this spirit letus approach the Jubilee there will bethe Holy Door but there is the doorof the great mercy of God May therealso be the door of our heart for all toreceive Godrsquos forgiveness and to givein our turn our forgiveness welcomingall those who knock at our door

Prayer of His HolinessPope Francis for the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy

LORD Jesus Christyou have taught us to be mer-

ciful like the heavenly Fatherand have told us that whoever

sees you sees HimShow us your face and we will

be saved Your loving gaze freed Zac-

chaeus and Matthew from beingenslaved by money

the adulteress and Magdalenefrom seeking happiness only increated things

made Peter weep after hisbetrayal

and assured Paradise to therepentant thief

Let us hear as if addressed toeach one of us the words thatyou spoke to the Samaritan

womanldquoIf you knew the gift of Godrdquo

You are the visible face of theinvisible Father

of the God who manifests hispower above all by forgivenessand mercy

let the Church be your visibleface in the world its Lord risenand glorified

You willed that your min-isters would also be clothedin weakness

in order that they mayfeel compassion for those inignorance and error

let everyone who ap-proaches them feel soughtafter loved and forgiven byGod

Send your Spirit and con-secrate every one of us withits anointing

so that the Jubilee of Mercymay be a year of grace fromthe Lord

and your Church withrenewed enthusiasm maybring good news to the poor

proclaim liberty to captivesand the oppressed

and restore sight to theblind

We ask this of you Lord Jesus through the interces-sion of Mary Mother of

Mercy you who live andreign with the Father and theHoly Spirit for ever and ever

Amen C N A

L rsquo O s s e r v a t o r e R o m a n o

Vatican City - April 11 2015 Cardinals gathered at St Peterrsquos Basilica on April 11 2015 during the Convocation of the Year of Mercy where Pope Francis publicly proclaimed

a Jubilee for Mercy which will begin December 8th and end in November 2016

The Holy Door unveiling at the Recognitio ceremony in St Peterrsquos Basilica on November 17 2015

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B2 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25PASTORAL CONCERNS

C B C P N e

w s

Separation of Church and State lawsin the marriage of Catholics

By Fr Jaime B Achacoso JCD

I AM not a great fan of the so-calledseparation of Church and State as it

is often misunderstood as the juridicexpression of the laicist principle ofrelegating religion to the privatesphere As we had seen in a previ-ous article this was the brainchildof the French Revolution fruit ofthe prejudice against the CatholicChurch (since it was identified withthe abusive absolutist monarchiesin Europe at the time) but whichnevertheless had to be toleratedfor the sake of individual liberty Ihave always argued for the conceptof distinction between Church andState based on the fact that thesubjects of both jurisdictions are thesame people who are simultaneouslyfaithful of the Catholic Church andcitizens of the State Te State andthe Church are distinct jurisdictionsbut not separate and uncoordinated

One area of such distinctionhowever which can be considered asa veritable separation is the matter ofmatrimonial law

wo Separate Marriages heCanonical Marriage and the CivilMarriage

When a Filipino Catholic faith-ful gets married he effectively getsmarried under two separate juridicalsystems Church Law (or CanonLaw) and State Law (or the Civil Lawof the Republic of the Philippines)Each juridic system has its own set ofrequirements even if the civil law inthe Philippines regulates marriage ina way similar to Canon Law through

the Family Code of the PhilippinesIn fact the crafters of the FamilyCode got many of its provisions fromthe corresponding section of theCode of Canon Law of the CatholicChurch What most people do notrealize is that the papers signed at theend of the Catholic Wedding Massare in fact the Marriage Contract un-der the Republic of the Philippinesthe same contract which wouldhave been signed in the presence ofa solemnizing officer (the judge orhis equivalent) in the appropriategovernment office What happensis that the parish priest (or the priestto whom he delegates the functionof solemnizing the marriage) is depu-tized by the state to be a solemnizing

officer through a license which isexpedited by the National StatisticsOffice yearly In short the Catholicpriest is authorized by the Republicof the Philippines to solemnize thecivil marriage In other words thecivil marriage can be solemnized byeither a civil servant or a Catholicpriest with the license from the NSO

Insofar as the Canonical Marriageis concerned on the other handthe only paper work required is itsregistration in the Book of Marriages (Marriage Registry) in the parish

where it was celebrated as well as itsannotation in the Book of Baptisms (Baptismal Registry) in the parish

where the spouses were baptizedTere is no separate marriage cer-

tificate or marriage contract for thecanonical marriageTis fundamental juridic reality

has several consequences

A Purely Canonical Marriage only

has Purely Canonical Require-ments

When an already civilly-marriedcouple wish to contract a canonicalmarriagemdasheg when they want

to regularize their situation in theChurch in order to return to thereception of the Sacramentsmdashwhatis celebrated is just the canonicalmarriage without the correspond-ing civil marriage which had alreadybeen celebrated Hence the onlyrequirements for the solemnizingsacred minister are the requirementsstipulated by Canon Law in c1108mdashsect1 Only those marriages are validwhich are contracted in the presence ofthe local ordinary or the parish priest ora priest or deacon delegated by either ofthem who assists and in the presenceof two witnesses according to the rulesexpressed in the following canons (hellip)

mdashsect2 Te one assisting at a mar-riage is understood to be only that

person who present at the ceremonyasks for the contractantsrsquo manifestationof consent and receives it in the nameof the Church

As can be seen for this purelycanonical marriage the assistingsacred minister (the local ordinary orthe parish priest or another priest ordeacon delegated by either the localordinary or the parish priest) doesnot need the license from the State toact as solemnizing officer for the civilmarriage since such a marriage is not

being celebrated Tus the praxis inmany parishes of requiring the above-mentioned government license fromthe sacred minister in good canonicalstanding who has been duly delegated tosolemnize a purely canonical marriage

is not only improper but is an outrightinsult to the canonical order

Te So-called Secret Marriage A secret marriage is one that the lo-

cal ordinary permits to be celebratedin secret due to a grave and urgentcause (c1130) Tis involves carry-ing out the preliminary investigation(the canonical inquiry) in secret andhaving the local ordinary the official

witness (the local ordinary or theparish priest or any priestdeaconauthorized by them to solemnize themarriage) the common witnesses(the two other witnesses required bythe canonical form) and the spousesto maintain secrecy regarding theactual celebration of the marriage(c1131)

Tus there are two requirementsfor a secret marriage (1) authoriza-

tion from the local ordinary ofthe place where the marriage iscelebrated (2) a grave and urgent cause which must be assessed bythe ordinary

Te classic example of a grave andurgent cause appears in Benedict

XIVrsquos encyclical Satis vobis (17 XI1741) in the case of two persons who live together without havingbeen married canonically but who

were publicly considered husbandand wife Te gravity would stemfrom the fact that these personsmight be living in a habitual state

of sin (extramarital intercourse) orat least in a proximate occasion forsuch sin Te urgency might stemfrom other factors like unreasonableopposition from the partiesrsquo relativesfor the canonical marriage to take

place or some civil impediment forthe marriage to take place (eg apre-existing civil marriage) within areasonable period of time

Actual Filipino society presents

several scenarios(1) A couple civilly-married andstably living together in the Catholiccommunity which understandsthem to be husband and wife oregularize their situation in theChurch (to be able to return tothe Sacraments) they need to bemarried canonically but withoutdetriment to their good standingbefore the community which haderstwhile taken them to be canoni-cally married

(2) A couple stably living togetherin the Catholic community whichunderstands them to be husband and

wife but who have never been mar-

ried either canonically or civillymdashthelatter since there is an impediment incivil law for such a civil marriage totake place (eg an existing civil mar-riage of one or both of the parties thedeclaration of the nullity of which istaking too much time and expense)In this case they need to be marriedcanonically to regularize their situa-tion in the Church but cannot do socivilly yet because of the impedimentin civil law

(3) A couple one of whom hadbeen previously married civilly andcanonically and had obtained a

declaration of nullity of the canoni-cal marriage but have not been ableto get a similar declaration for thecivil marriage due to some reason(eg the high cost of the civil pro-cess) Te urgency to celebrate the

canonical marriage might be due tothe couplersquos already cohabitating anddesiring to regularize their situationin the Church and return to theSacraments Another reason could

be the couplersquos plan to immediatelymigrate to start a new life of goodstanding before the Church

(4) A couple of radically unequalsocial status or ethnic provenance

whose marriage is feared to resultin their permanent alienation fromtheir blood family or in disinheri-tance

(5) A widow who would lose her job or means of sustenance for herselfand her children should her marriagecome to public knowledge

In all of these scenarios the im-mediate celebration of the canonicalmarriage is warranted but whichcannot be divulged to the general

public or to the State either for thetime being or indefinitely

Documentation of a Purely Ca-nonical Marriage

Another consequence of theseparation of Church and State inmatrimonial law is the matter ofdocumentation Te documentationof the civil marriage is well knownthe marriage contractmdashexpeditedby the civil registrar signed by theparties the solemnizing officer (theauthorized sacred minister in thecase of a Church wedding) and the

witnessesmdashcopies of which are filedin the office of the civil registrar andin the parish office

As previously stated the canoni-cal marriage is simply noted in theBook of Marriages of the parish

where it was celebrated and in theBook of Baptisms in the respectiveparishes where the parties were bap-tized (which acts as the permanentrecord of their entire lifetime in the

Church)Of special interest in the presentsubject is the practice in some dio-ceses of filling out and signing thepro-forma Marriage Certificatemdash

with the heading of the Republicof the Philippinesmdashfrom the officeof the civil registrar even in the caseof a secret marriage albeit only forfiling in the secret archives of thediocese Not only is this a breach ofthe principle of distinction of Churchand State it might even be proof ofthe celebration of the secret marriageitself outside of Civil Law A betterpractice would be to make a Mar-riage Contract form specifically for

the Canonical Marriage only

Declaration of Nullity of a Canoni-cal Marriage

o conclude given the separa-tion of Canonical Law and CivilLaw the declaration of nullity of acanonical marriage does not auto-matically establish the nullity of thecorresponding civil marriage (andvise-versa) While the celebration of acanonical marriage normally has civileffectsmdashbecause the correspondingcivil marriage is also celebrated withthe sacred minister acting as an au-

thorized solemnizing officermdashthedeclaration of nullity in one forumdoes not carry with it a correspond-ing declaration of nullity in the otherforum wo separate processes mustbe carried out

Advent Wreaths and Incensing(Father Edward McNamara pro-

fessor of liturgy and dean of theologyat the Regina Apostolorum universityanswers the following query)

Q When incensing the altar atthe beginning of Mass should the

Advent wreath also be incensed inthe same way as the paschal candleduring the Easter season Whatabout a Nativity scene (during theChristmas season) -- D LeuvenBelgium

A Te rules regarding incensingare mostly found in the missal andthe Ceremonial of Bishops heintroduction to the missal says

ldquoIncensationldquo276 Turification or incensa-

tion is an expression of reverenceand of prayer as is signified in Sa-cred Scripture (cf Ps 140 [141]2Rev 83)

ldquoIncense may be used if desiredin any form of Mass

ldquoa during the Entrance proces-

sion

ldquob at the beginning of Mass to in-cense the cross and the altar

ldquoc at the Gospel procession and theproclamation of the Gospel itself

ldquod after the bread and the chalicehave been placed upon the altar toincense the offerings the cross and the

altar as well as the priest and the peopleldquoe at the showing of the host and the

chalice after the consecrationldquo277 Te priest having put incense

into the thurible blesses it with the Signof the Cross without saying anything

ldquoBefore and after an incensation aprofound bow is made to the person orobject that is incensed except for theincensation of the altar and the offeringsfor the Sacrifice of the Mass

ldquohe following are incensed withthree swings of the thurible the MostBlessed Sacrament a relic of the HolyCross and images of the Lord exposedfor public veneration the offerings forthe Sacrifice of the Mass the altar crossthe Book of the Gospels the PaschalCandle the priest and the people

ldquoTe following are incensed with two

swings of the thurible relics and imagesof the Saints exposed for public venera-tion which should be done howeveronly at the beginning of the celebrationafter the incensation of the altar

ldquohe altar is incensed with singleswings of the thurible in this way

ldquoa if the altar is freestanding withrespect to the wall the priest incenses

walking around itldquob if the altar is not freestanding the

priest incenses it while walking first tothe right hand side then to the left

ldquoTe cross if situated on or near thealtar is incensed by the priest before heincenses the altar otherwise he incensesit when he passes in front of it

ldquohe priest incenses the offerings with three swings of the thurible or bymaking the sign of the cross over theofferings with the thurible before goingon to incense the cross and the altarrdquo

Although there is a rite of blessingfor the Advent wreath in the AmericanBook of Blessings there is no mentionof incensing the wreath Tis blessing is

proper to the United States and is absent

from the official Book of Blessings incountries such as Italy

It must therefore be concluded thatthe Advent wreath is not incensed inthe manner of the paschal candle It isneither a relic nor an image and is morean expression of popular piety than a

liturgical object per seTe paschal candle receives special

veneration because it is a traditional andancient symbol of the risen Christ Onecould argue that in a way the wreath isa symbol of the coming Christ but we

would still be before a relatively recentcustom and one which is not presentin the universal Church Its not beingincensed does not lessen in any way theusefulness of the wreath in fostering aspiritual preparation for Christmas

A Nativity scene or at least an imageof the Child Jesus set up in the sanc-tuary could enter into the category ofldquoimages of the Saints exposed for publicvenerationrdquo mentioned above in No277 and hence be incensed

It should be remembered however

that several Church guidelines advise

against setting up the Nativity inthe sanctuary itself and above all itshould never be an obstacle to thedignified celebration of the liturgi-cal celebrations For example theUS bishopsrsquo conference says in thedocument ldquoBuilt of Living Stonesrdquo

ldquosect 124 sect Plans for seasonal deco-rations should include other areasbesides the sanctuary Decorationsare intended to draw people to thetrue nature of the mystery beingcelebrated rather than being endsin themselves Natural flowersplants wreaths and fabric hangingsand other seasonal objects can bearranged to enhance the primaryliturgical points of focus Te altarshould remain clear and free-stand-ing not walled in by massive floraldisplays or the Christmas crib andpathways in the narthex nave andsanctuary should remain clearrdquo

If as is common in many church-es the Nativity scene is outside thesanctuary area there is no need to

leave the sanctuary to incense it

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 1124

B3CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25 FEATURES

Three Macro-Challenges for the Church in the lsquoYear of MercyrsquoBy Abp Antonio J Ledesma SJ

HE last two months of this year 2015 havebrought to the fore three macro-challenges forCivil Society and the Church in the Philippinestoday Tey are challenges on a macro scalebecause no single organization nor group ofindividuals can adequately address the various

issues that are emerging Tey are also macrobecause these issues affect millions of peopleor in some cases the entire world Indeed theneed for consensus-building on a national orglobal level has been felt Tis should be basedon ethical-moral principles and shared valuesthat go beyond cultural religious and socio-economic barriers In particular the CatholicChurch plays a significant role in Philippinesociety in addressing these macro issues

I Climate ChangeOn a global scale Climate Change will

be the pressing issue at the 21st Conferenceof Partners (COP 21) on the environmentPope Francisrsquo recent encyclical Laudato Si

has opened wide the doors for scientists andreligious leaders to enter into serious dialogueover issues such as global warming and thesearch for alternative sources of energy Insteadof viewing the environment or nature simplyas an object to be exploited Pope Francis pres-ents the Christian vision of Godrsquos handiworkldquoCreation can only be understood as a gift from

the outstretched hand of the Father of all andas a reality illuminated by the love which callsus together into universal communionrdquo (LS76) He also points out the intimate connectionbetween the ecological approach and the socialapproach ldquoso as to hear both the cry of the earth

and the cry of the poorrdquo (LS 49)Here in Cagayan de Oro we have joined

other dioceses in a Global Climate SolidarityMarch for the Environment On Nov 28advocates for protecting the environmentconverged at the Divisoria from four starting-points to join the voices of the world-wideCatholic Climate Movement at the startof COP 21 in Paris Te archdiocese alsocontinues its participation in the Cagayande Oro River Basin Management Council(CDORBMC) to protect the watershed areasand downstream communities of the Cagayande Oro river system

II Bangsamoro Basic Law A second macro challenge is the continuing

quest for a just and lasting peace in MindanaoTe draft Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) has

been altered in the committee sessions of bothhouses of Congress A version called the Basic

Law for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region(BLBAR) has come out from the Committeeof the House of Representatives Moreover thecommittee report in the Senate has providedanother set of amendments With the resur-gence of biases and prejudices after the Ma-masapano incident the final outcome for thepassage of the various drafts of the BangsamoroBasic Law is not clear

Seen from a wider perspective the letterof the Catholic Bishopsrsquo Conference of thePhilippines (CBCP) in July 2015 stated ldquoOnour part viewing the issues from a moral angle

we do not want a BBL that does not effectivelyaddress the root causes of social injusticerdquo Tisechoes the view of the surviving members ofthe Constitutional Convention of 1987 thatthe Constitution focuses primarily on the spiritof Social Justice Te Citizensrsquo Peace Councilnoted that the BBL is ldquoan act of Social Justiceand Reparation to the peoples of MuslimMindanao to rectify all the injustices inflictedupon them in the pastrdquo

Over the past three months I have helpedconvene consultations among religious and

civil society leaders in Cagayan de Oro andManila to discuss the BBL issue With someclarifications practically everyone saw the needfor a meaningful basic law for a sustainablepeace in Mindanao On Nov 26 in Cagayande Oro we started the Mindanao Week ofPeace with a multi-sectoral march rally Tis

was organized by the Inter-faith Forum for

Peace Harmony and Solidarity Te theme was ldquoMindanaoansrsquo Aspirations for PeaceKalinaw sa Dios ndash Kinaiyahan ndash KatawhanrdquoRegardless of the outcome of the BBLBLBARissue in Congress all of us should continue toengage in intra- and inter-religious dialogue

Our biases and preconceived notions of othercultures and religions are the main obstaclesto lasting peace in Mindanao and the rest ofthe country

III Good Governance A third macro-challenge in the Philippines

context is the coming elections in May 2016 Already the campaign period has started andvarious political personalities and parties havefiled their candidacies Good governancemdash

with its antithesis corruptionmdashis once morea critical factor to consider for every voter In

January 2010 before the last presidential elec-tions the CBCP made three calls to voters(1) o form circles of discernment (2) For thelaity to exercise their right and duty to supportcandidates who are qualified and committed to

public service and (3) o engage in principledpartisan politics Voting for candidates with a

track record of good governance is the mosteffective way of stamping out a culture ofcorruption In an address to the International

Assembly of Penal Law Pope Francis pointsout emphatically ldquoCorruption is a process ofdeath more evil than sin ndash an evil that insteadof being forgiven must be curedrdquo

On Nov 7 the archdiocese sponsored aMarch rally for CHAMPmdashClean Honest

Accurate Meaningful and Peaceful electionsTis was well attended by various sectorsTere were calls against votemdashbuying po-litical dynasties and the conduct of patronagepolitics Te city itself has had its share ofdivisive party politics in the non-disbursementof the budget for vital basic services and morerecently in the controversy over the post ofCity Mayor

Despite these internal conflicts amongelected officials it is good to keep in mind PopeFrancisrsquo own exhortation ldquoPolitics thoughoften denigrated remains a lofty vocation andone of the highest forms of charity inasmuchas it seeks the common goodrdquo (EG 205)

IV A Year of Mercy Despite the Holy Fatherrsquos blunt words on theevil of corruption he has called for an Extraor-dinary Jubilee of Mercy starting on December8 2015 ldquoJesus Christ is the face of the Fatherrsquosmercyrdquo Tis opening statement provides thetitle of Pope Francisrsquo Bull of Indiction Miseri-cordiae Vultus He goes on to say that Mercy

is ldquothe bridge that connects God and manrdquo Itis also ldquothe fundamental law that dwells in theheart of every person who looks sincerely intothe eyes of his brothers and sisters on the pathof liferdquo (MV 2)

On Nov 3-5 our Archdiocesan Pastoral

Assembly brought together more than 450delegates from 64 parishes Tis was the cul-mination of the Appreciative Inquiry processthat was carried out in most parishes down tothe kapilya community level over the past sixmonths

What was most noteworthy was the prepon-derance of lifemdashgiving pastoral experiences interms of prayerfulness and also of service toothers Tese two characteristics and sharedvalues can just as well point the directions wecan take during this jubilee year of mercy

Tis perhaps is the perspective we can adoptin confronting the macro-challenges beforeusmdashto first bend our knees in prayer and to bemerciful like the Father especially for the poorand marginalized in addressing socio-economicand political issues to work for ecological andsocial justice and to bring about Godrsquos mercy

by rectifying deeplyndashrooted biases and injusticesin Philippine society today

A r c h d i o c e s e o f C a g a y a n d e O r o

Pinoy in RomeCountdown to the

Jubilee Yearof Mercy

By Robert Z Cortes

HE Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy announced by PopeFrancis around Holy Week this year is finally starting onDecember 8 the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception

just a couple of days from now Tat this special event in theChurchrsquos history begins on that date is of course no accidentTis Popersquos devotion to Mary shown publicly every timehe passes by St Mary Major before any major trip abroadshould have made that choice almost predictable Howeveraside from human choices one ought to consider above allthe guidance of Providence whose will it is that the most

important events in the Church happen under the mantle ofMary Mother of the Church and Mother of MercySo the idea

to p repareproximatelyfor the Jubilee

Year of Mercyby making anovena to theImmaculateConceptionmade a lot ofsense to me

And being inRome thecity that argu-ably no placein the worldcan match

in terms ofthe qualityand quantityof sacred artp r e s e n t Itook advan-tage to do thefollowing Fornine daysmdashi n c l u d i n gthe Solem-nity hencet h e t e r mldquonovenardquomdashI

was going tovisit an im-age of OurLady vener-ated in vari-ous churchesaround thec i t y B u t

which church-es though

Given the

multitude of beautiful and historic churches in Rome itseemed the best way to approach this project was simply tobe led by Providence Tis approach is not ldquoto be too mysti-cal about itrdquo asI learned quite recently from of all peoplea non-Catholic ethics professor in a very secular Americanuniversity whom I interviewed a couple of months ago Hisdefense is that ldquothere still is another dimension in terms ofa holistic being in which our reason and our spirit and ouremotions are an integrated wholehellip So you listen to thevoice of the spiritrdquoTis was actually good ecumenical adviceto which my experience in the following days would attest

Tese experiences culled from my journal of these novenadays are actually Church history lessons devotional tour-guiding tips and philosophizing all rolled into one I sharethem seeing that they can serve some purpose however onemay be preparing for the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy

Our Lady of the Sacred Hear in SantrsquoAndreadella Valle Yesterday November 30 was the beginning of the novenato the Immaculate Conception It also happened to be thefeast of St Andrew Now at the other end of the street wheremy university is happens to be a huge looming basilicadedicated to Saint Andrew with the name ldquoSantrsquoAndreadellaValle rdquo People with very limited time in Rome usually donrsquothave time to visit this magnificent church but really nexttime you come you should Tis church was actually builtby the very same people involved in the building of St Peterrsquosand used this as their ldquopracticerdquo church people like Giacomodella Porta and Carlo Maderno Te fountain in the squarefronting the church is Madernorsquos

Te paintings and the frescoes inside are even more breath-taking Te dome and the ceiling are one of the best thereis in Rome - and perhaps in Christendom Since it was thefeast of St Andrew precisely I decided to do my prayer rightthere before the huge fresco of the crucifixion of St AndrewI did my rosary in one of the side chapels dedicated to Our

Countdown B6

What was behind

that inconspicuous

door Actually a

small but amazinglybeautiful jewel of

a church

A recent rally against climate change and environmental degradation

The Sant Agnese view from the South Plazza Navona

Sant Agnesersquo double Holy Family

An Interfaith Walk for Peace held on Nov 26 2015

R o b e r t Z C

o r t e s

R o b e r t Z C

o r t e s

A

r c h d i o c e s e o f C a g a y a n d e O r o

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 1224

B4 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

By S M Evangeline A Madayag OSB

HE urgency of protecting ldquo OurCommon Homerdquo is much given em-phasis by our Holy Father Pope Fran-cis Much heat drought and differencein the weather and climate is muchfelt Many kinds of sicknesses are alsoattacking especially the poor who lacknourishment due to having no foodsecurity One can really feel the differ-ence of being in a polluted city fromthe simple rural setting where there arestill enough trees providing clean airTe other week I and my communityof Sisters together with two visitingSisters were able to enjoy the beautifulbeach of San Isidro Davao OrientalI salute Mayor ina Yu and all the of-ficers of the Municipality of San Isidrofor really defending their stand for a

ldquoNo o Mining in San IsidrordquoI wish that would also be true for the

whole province of Davao Oriental It issad that some barangays and munici-palities who make resolutions to allowmining only consider themselves as theonly ones with rights to allow miningobviously setting aside the possibleharms effect on the people and theenvironment especially to the nextgeneration We have experienced the

effect of the haze brought about theforest fire of Indonesia a true evidencethat we are all affected all around the

world of what happens in a certain partof the world As Joey Ayala reminds usin his song ldquo Ang Lahat ng Bagay ayMagka-ugnayrdquo

Just last year (July 1 2014) SenatorLoren Legarda visited our province (Davao Oriental) and congratulated theprovince for its stand on the protec-tion of our natural resources especiallyciting Mt Hamiguitan a UNESCO

World Heritage site What a heri tage what a treasure

Yet what is real ly happeni ng inDavao Oriental Even our priests inthe Diocese of Mati are alarmed onthe ldquo proliferation of alleged mining

activities in the province of Davao

Oriental particularly in the followingareas (1) Brgy Old Macopa Manay(2) Brgy iblawan Governor Gen-eroso (3) Barangay Causwagan andMaputi Banaybanay (4) BarangayDapnan and Lambajon Bagangga (5)Barangay Calapagan Lupon (excerptsfrom the letter of Rev Fr Edito SBantildeo DCM Apostolic Adminstratorof Mati to the DENR National OfficeSeptember 10 2015 He made anotherletter to the DENR on October 222015 to includeMacambol ( Magumand Salingcomot) as a concern

With much prayers for awakenings

re-awakenings and miracles to hap-pen we make this petition

A PEIION FOR HE SOP-PAGE AND REJECION OF HEIMPENDING ISSUANCE OF MIN-ING PERMI FOR AUSRAL-ASIALINK MINING CORPORAION

AND HALLMARK MINING COR-PORAION BOH UNDER HECORPORAE ORGANIZAIONOF ASIAICUS MANAGEMENCORPORAION (AMCOR) AMAGUM PUJADA BAY AND SAL-INGCOMO MAI CIY PROV-

INCE OF DAVAO ORIENAL

We the farmers fisherfolks Churchpeople youth professionals businesspeople of Davao Oriental Provincetogether with our national and inter-national supporters hereby urge MrRamon JP Paje DENR SecretaryNO O ISSUE ANY MININGPERMI to AUSRAL-ASIA LINKMINING CORPORAION ANDHALLMARK MINING CORPORA-ION both under the CORPORAEORGANIZAION OF ASIAICUSMANAGEMEN CORPORAION(AMCOR) for its mining operation in

Magum Pujada Bay and Salingcomot

Mati City Province of Davao Oriental We also demand that their mining

equipments be pulled out from themining site Macambol ldquoLodgedbetween two protected areasmdashthePujada Bay Protected Seascape (andLandscape) and Mt HamiguitanRange proclaimed wildlife sanctu-ary (Republic Act No 9303 July 302004)rdquo and as a UNESCO WorldHeritage Site at the 38th Session ofthe World Heritage Committee ( June15-24 2014 Doha State of Qatar) is not the most logical site for large-scale nickel laterite mining project (October 212009 in Environment Food Security Sensitive EcosystemsTe Philippines)

Ac co rd in g to th e st ud y pu b-lished by httpbhpbillitonwatchnet20091021pujada-hallmark-nickel-laterite-project-profile ldquo some4778 hectares of mining permitsoverlap with five major drainagesystems and watersheds which eitherdrain towards Pujada Bay or the DavaoGulf Tese bodies of freshwater arethe main water supplies for the com-munities living within and around thearea and the bays host endangeredspecies such as dugongs (sea cows)sea turtles and stingrays Te forestof Macambol is a watershed area

Additi ona lly the Puja da reg ion issituated on the ldquoPacificndashCordillerardquofault line wo branches of the activePhilippine fault flank the watershedon the southwest and southeast of theproject area which has been subjectto intense seismic activities Te 2008report ldquoPhilippines Mining or Foodrdquorecommended that no mining shouldtake place on Mount Hamiguitan ornear Pujada Bay which are centres ofbiodiversity with high ecotourismpotential Under these conditions itmay be almost impossible to minethe area ldquo (httpbhpbillitonwatchnet20091021pujada-hallmark-nickel-laterite-project-profile)

In his ENCYCLICAL LEERLAUDAO SIrsquo Our Holy Father

all processes addressing climateand disaster risks especially afterthe province experienced the

wrath of yphoon Yolanda lastNovember 8 2013

He also mentioned how theimpact of climate change cutsacross all sectors regardless of gen-der culture economic or politicalstature with the poor sufferingthe greatest impact

ldquoTerefore a plan of actionto address climate and disasterrisks must be undertaken using

PASTORAL CONCERNS

Home B7

IN solidarity with the on-goingClimate Conference in Paris the

Archdiocese of Palo Relief andRehabilitation Unit (Caritas Palo)together with at least 200 lsquoYolan-darsquo survivors signed a Declarationsupporting Climate Change andCommunity-Managed DisasterRisk Reduction in Palo Leyteon uesday

In a statement Caritas PaloDirector Fr Al Cris Badana citedhow important it is for membersof the communities to be part of

community-managed disasterrisk reduction (CMDRR) as thestrategyrdquo Badana added

Also present during the commit-ment signing are representativesfrom various church groups andgovernment agencies such as theProvincial Government of LeyteDepartment of Social Welfare andDevelopment Department ofInterior and Local GovernmentProvincial Disaster Risk Reductionand Management Office and theOffice of the Civil Defense

Aside from the declaration sign-ing the lsquoYolandarsquo survivors from15 communities in the townsof Palo Santa Fe AlangalangMayorga Dulag and MacArthureach gave a presentation of howtheir communities are presentlyengaged in community-manageddisaster risk reduction (CMDRR)measures and systems

Tere was also a mini exhibitof the organic products producedby lsquoYolandarsquo survivors to show itssupport for sustainable agricul-

ture which is part of the climatechange action

After the devastation of y-phoon Yolanda the RomanCatholic Church of the Archdio-cese of Palo through Caritas Paloand NASSACaritas Philippineshelped Yolanda-affected commu-nities in Leyte to craft their ownresiliency and contingency plans

which were already adopted bytheir barangays As of today Cari-tas Palo has invested P150 millionto build resilient communities

Te said communities also in-stalled early warning systems andevacuation plans which resultedin zero casualties and minimaldamages during the onslaughtof yphoon Ruby the strongesttyphoon in 2014

It can be recalled that the re-cent encyclical of Pope FrancisLaudato Si highlighted the ad-

verse impacts of climate changeon the poor and most vulnerableand the scale of the climate crisis(NASSA Features)

Protecting Our Common Home

Church lsquoYolandarsquo survivors in Leyte signClimate Change Declaration

N A S S A C a r i t a s P h i l i p p i n e s

C B C P N e w s

N A S S A C a r i t a s P h i l i p p i n e s

N A

S S A C a r i t a s P h i l i p p i n e s

lsquoYolandarsquo survivors together with representatives from the Archdiocese of Palo Relief and Rehabilitation Unit (Caritas Palo) signedthe Caritas Declaration on Climate Change in solidarity with the on-going Paris Climate Talks

The Archdiocese of Palo Relief and Rehabilitation Unit (Caritas Palo) displayed the organic products produced bylsquoYolandarsquo survivorsin Leyte which is part of its climate change action

Members of the New Dampigan Womenrsquos Association happily beam and show off the eggs they harvested

Women in actionONE women to explore their otherpotentials

Tis is the story of the women in thetown of New Dampigan in Samar prov-ince who found a new hobby a passionand source of livelihood all at the sametime hey are the New Dampigan

Womenrsquos Association who are engagedin poultry raising

It all started when the DiocesanSocial Action Center of Calbayog gavethe group a total of 500 ducks as partof its livelihood program for yphoonHaiyan survivors

Te group is composed of 21 mem-bers all of them women Tey raiseducks and sell its eggs salted and freshalike to the nearby towns of Sta Ritaand Basey o produce salted eggs they

preserve it for 15 to 18 daysBut it wasnrsquot all easy going especially

at first When another yphoon Hagu-pit locally known as Ruby hit the townlast December some of their ducks diedfrom the storm Tey almost lose hopeBut luckily they did not Instead the

women sticked together and took careof the remaining ducks

Now the women are the more thanhappy and contented of the productof their pure hardwork and ingenuitySeveral weeks after the onslaught ofHagupit the women are once againback in track

Currently they are harvesting 700 upto 1000 eggs every week Tey are alsofocused on marketing their products tonearby towns which they do throughthe support and trainings providedby the social action center Yes they

are truly women in action (NASSAFeatures)

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B5CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

life and refreshment from her waterrdquo (Laudato Si2)

Since climate is a commongood it is but right to be involved

in the discussion of climatechange especially that it is nowdestructive not only to proper-ties to but also to lives Accord-ingly the world is on the brink ofbecoming an arid wasteland dueto lsquounchecked human activitiesrsquo

We are living witnesses of thedestruction brought about by

weather changes and the effectsto health by carbon emissionshe calamities that claimedthousands of lives these pastyears and months are enoughproof to awaken in us a commit-ment to safeguard creation andhelp mitigate their effects

Pope Francis seeing the ur-gency of action in dealing with

environmental crisis points outthe use of highly polluting fossil

STATEMENTS

Statement on Coal Mining and Coal Power Plant

Final Statement of the 6th Bishopsrsquo Institute forInterreligious Affairs

Mayor Duterte

Asian celebration of the 50 th anniversary of Nostra Aetate

FABC Office of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs

Redemptorist Center Pattaya Thailand

November 16-20 2015

WE the one hundred sixty-six(166) delegates of the 40thDOPIM Bishops-Clergy Con-vention unanimously expressour serious concern on theoperation of coal mining andcoal power plant that triggersapprehension among our peopleand poses environment threat inthe provinces where such facilityis being established

With faith in the Lord of Cre-ation we want to heed the callof Pope Francis in his encyclicalLaudato Si that urges us all tocare for the earth as our commonhome Citing St Francis of As-sisi the Holy Father persuadesus to treat our common homelike our sister

However knowing the realityof our destructive attitude andactivities towards her the Pope

writes that ldquoTe6 sister now criesout to us because of the harm

we have inflicted on her by ourirresponsible use and abuse ofthe goods with which God hasendowed her We have come toseeeuro ourselves as her lords andmasters entitled to plunder herat will Te violence present inour hearts wounded by sin isalso reflected in the symptomsof sickness evident in the soilin the water in the air and inall forms of life his is whythe earth herself burdened andlaid waste is among the mostabandoned and maltreated ofour poor she lsquogroans in travailrsquo(Rom 822) We have forgottenthat we ourselves are dust of theearth (cf Gen 27) our very bod-

ies are made up of her elements we breathe her air and we receive

fuels ndash especially coal to be pro-gressively replaced without delay(Cf Laudato Si 165) We can-not simply sit idly while seeing

the unfolding of horrific eventsresulted by so called technologi-cal progress at the expense of na-ture Instead we recommend theuse of renewable energy whichis of course not harmful to theenvironment and to humans

As Bishops of the Diocesesof Dipolog Ozamis PagadianIligan and Marawi (DOPIM)

which comprise the civil prov-inces of Zamboanga del NorteMisamis Occidental Zamboan-ga del Sur Lanao del Norte andLanao del Sur we completelyoppose the operation of coalmining and coal power plantsmost especially within the afore-mentioned provinces We do this

not only because of our humanresponsibility but as a call intrin-

sic to our Christian faith We he re by ur ge al l co n-

cernedmdashboth the coal industryand the governmentmdashin thename of our Lord Jesus Christ tohave the same concern We alsocall the faithful and all people ofgood will be vigilant at all timesand in all places because ourcommon home is in danger ofdevastation We will not allowourselves to arrive at the pointof no return

May God hear us and come todefend the beautiful creation Hehas entrusted to us May Marythe Queen of all creation coverus with her mantle of maternalcare

Formulated during the 40thDOPIM Bihops-Clergy Con-vention on November 11 2015at the Diocesan Pastoral CenterDel Carmen Iligan City

Most Rev Severo C CaermareDDBishop of Dipolog

Most Rev Elenito R GalidoDDBishop of Iligan

Most Rev Emmanuel CabajarCSsR DDBishop of Pagadian

Most Rev Edwin A dela PentildeaMSP DDBishop-Prelate of Marawi

Most Rev Jesus A DosadoCM DD

Metropolitan Archbishop ofOzamiz

WHA the world desperately needs now is leadership byexample We have so many leaders in office and many moreaspiring to sit in office but are they examples of good citizen-ship If the leaders we choose are to be leaders for nationalprogress they must be visionaries AND exemplary

Corruption is indeed a great scourge of Philippine politics

Te usual face of corruption that we recognize easily is stealingfrom public funds Corruption like a monster is a devil withmany faces Killing people is corruption Killing is a crime anda sin whether it is done by criminals or public officials no mat-ter what the intention Adultery is corruption It makes marriedlove cheap and uses people for pleasure Adultery corrupts thefamily it destroys children and victimizes the weak Vulgarity iscorruption When we find vulgarity funny we have really becomebeastly and barbaric as a people When a revered and loved andadmired man like Pope Francis is cursed by a political candidateand the audience laugh I can only bow my head and grieve ingreat shame My countrymen has gone to the dregs

Is this the leadership by example that Mayor Duterte excitesin us Is this the leadership by example that makes a publicofficial deserving of the title ldquoHonorablerdquo

+SOCRAES VILLEGAS

Archbishop of Lingayen-DagupanCBCP PresidentDecember 1 2015

F i l e p h o t o

V i n c e n t G o

Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte

1 It is by Godrsquos grace andprovidence that we 87 par-ticipants in the Sixth BishopsrsquoInstitute for Interreligious Af-fairs (BIRA VI) from 17 dif-ferent countries have come tocelebrate the 50th anniversaryof Nostra aetate in our Asiancontext and in our time Weare grateful for the funding wereceived from Missio Aachenthat helped make this gather-ing possible

2 In this grace-filled gather-ing we have worked togetheras the Church in Asia retracing

our steps along the path of dia-logue praying reflecting andsharing our experiences andthoughts on the questions of

what we ha ve done so far and what we need to do fur ther forinterreligious dialogue in Asia

3 We recognize that Nostra Aet at e is sti ll ins pir ing andchallenging us to realize thevision of the Church as thepeople of God in dialogue inour time facing the interde-pendent reality of the com-plex and diverse influences ofglobalized socio-economic-cultural-political structures

we rea ffi rm the strong needof the ldquotriple dialoguerdquo with

the poor cultures and reli-gions in a journey towards theKingdom of justice peace andecological harmony

4 hrough our experienceof dialogue and action forthe last five decades we havelearned that interreligiousdialogue is not only to be aspecific pastoral strategy ofthe Church but rather an

Asian vis ion of the ChurchIt is a Church that proclaimsthe values of the Kingdom

without fear in dialogi cal col-laboration (partnership) withthe people of other religions

5 Struggling against anykind of fundamentalism ter-rorism and proselytism theChurch in Asia is called to

work toget her with other s asco-pilgrims In protecting thepoor and the environmentthrough our interreligious net-

work we are n ot do ing socia l work together but bui ldi ng

a mystical union of GodrsquosKingdom as inter-dependentbeings (in the harmony of ourrelationship with one anotherand with all creation)

6 he Church in Asia con-

firms that we cannot engage with other s in a real dialogue without having a clear ident ityof who we are and constantlygrowing in our own faith Inthe pluralistic contexts of Asiathe Church as a ldquolittle flockrdquois called to learn a kenotic(self-emptying) spirit of loveand service from Jesus ChristIt is through our humble andopen-minded approach thatreal trust and mutual under-standing with others can beestablished We are aware ofthe importance of grassrootsinterreligious dialogue whichusually starts from inter-per-sonal friendship and grows tocommunal action for justiceand peace

7 he Church in Asia takesseriously the challenges oftoday for all religions variousconflicts and violence massive

poverty and global inequalitythe increasing numbers ofrefugees and migrants pollu-tion and environmental crisiscorruption and moral degrada-tion human trafficking and

the breakdown of social cohe-sion terrorism and all formsof fundamentalism

8 One of the most urgentchallenges in Asia is to pro-claim Jesus Chri st as the Way

the ruth and the Life whileacknowledging and respecting

what is ldquotrue and holy in otherreligionsrdquo (Nostra AetateNo 2) As a community ofdisciples we give witness to

Jes us through our pe rs onaland communal l ifestyle oflove in three interconnected

way s sil enc e pre sence andstory-telling In an existentialsilence we empty ourselvesand listen deeply to the voicesof the other without judging

wi th a lov ing hear t In thedepth of our silence we are

aware of Jesusrsquo presence amongus which is inspiring our jour-ney of interreligious dialogueand action for transformingthe world It is by telling ourown story of transformationthrough Jesus as individualpersons and as communitiesthat the globalized culture ofindifference and greedy con-sumerism is to be transformedinto the gospel-culture of soli-darity and sharing

9 In our common journey with other s we Chri stians in Asia re cognize the importanceof basic human communitiesat the grassroots level wherethe dialogue of life and actionis going on especially together

with th e indigenous people Itis through these basic humancommunities that the Churchin Asia learns the holistic

world view and the sacred cos-mic spirituality which awakeus to take care of ldquoour com-mon homerdquo We are called togo beyond our comfort zoneand to develop a new narrativeof dialogue coming from ourcommon experience with thehope of rediscovering the har-monious relationship betweenhumanity cosmos and God forthe future generation

10 We commit ourselvesmore passionately to inter-religious dialogue in Asia indifferent ways for example

bull o develop local interreli-gious dialogue and action inthe grassroots communities

bull o organize formationprograms for interreligiousdialogue within the Catholiccommunity

bull (eg Seminaries religioushouses of formation and forthe laity)

bull o promote intra-dialoguebetween Christian churchesand within Catholic institu-tions

bull o support dialogue ac-tivities and forums (eg UNInterfaith Harmony Week)

bull o advocate i nterreligiousdialogue and action in thepublic sphere and cyberspace

bull o provide adequ ate prep-aration and pastoral care to theinterreligious family

11 After these days of re-flection and sharing of ourexperiences of and insightson interreligious dialogue inthe light of Nostra Aetateguided by the Holy Spirit

we ha ve com e to re ali ze againthe importance of opennesstowards the people of otherreligions and the indispens-able role of witness to theKingdom of God ever grow-

ing in the heart of As ianpeople hrough our sincerecommitment to dialogueldquoJesus Christ will be bet -ter known recognized andlovedrdquo (PCID Dialogue inruth and Charity No 39)

F a c e b o o k

F a c e b o o k

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B6 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

completion In this way the miracle ofthe Incarnation took place with theBlessed rinity taking the initiativeand Mary responding freely and gen-erously to the Spiritrsquos action in her

It is in response to the lead of theSpirit that Mary set out for Elizabethrsquoshouse to share with her relative theldquoGood Newsrdquo she was carrying withinher

Like mankind before Mary andChrist we too may have a bad re-cord when it comes to ldquobeing open toGodrdquo We may not be any better than

Adam and Eve or the people before theFlood (see Gn 65-6) or the builders ofthe ower of Babel (See Gn 113-4)

Tis Advent in the Year of Faith isfor all of us an opportunity to evalu-ate our standing in this respect and totake appropriate action If we decideto imitate Mary and Elizabeth in theiropenness to the Spirit we may be sure

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

HE times of John the Baptist were bad characterized as they were by selfishness greed prideaggressiveness oppression of the

weak Tis can be gatheredfrom the answers he gave tothose who had been struck byhis preaching and asked ldquoWhatought we to dordquo Johnrsquos strongly

worded call to conversion was

amply justified All needed toundergo a ldquometanoiardquo a changeof mind and attitude in order toenter the Reign of God

Te situation does not seemto have changed much since thetime of John the Baptist We livein a society plagued with the samemoral defects and vices People arestill greedy selfish aggressive

And of course the temptation isalways to see these moral failuresin others

In many cases it may be truethat there is so much evil aroundus But it is equally true that wetoo are not perfect here isevil in us too We fail morallyalmost every day and in various

ways We too need to undergoa ldquometanoiardquo a radical conver-sion ldquoRadicalrdquo here means that it

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

WE all experience the dif-ference that physical dark-ness or light produces inus Darkness makes us feeluneasy even anxious andafraid Light gives us a senseof security It enables us torealize where we are and

what to do

his is why the Bibli-cal creation story tells usthat ldquoIn the beginningrdquo (ie when nothing existedexcept God) ldquodarkness cov-ered the abyssrdquo Ten Godsaid ldquoLet there be lightrdquo And there was light Godsaw how good the lightwas rdquo (Gn 14a) Tepresence of light enabledGod to proceed with the

work of creation with allits wonders and poten-tials and thereby conquerthe darkness of chaos andmeaninglessness

should not stop at the individualactions but has to affect our at-titudes and set of values ie thevery root of our actions Tereshouldnrsquot be the least doubt so-ciety will start changing for thebetter the very moment we beginto improve

Advent and the special obser-vances for this year (Extraordinary

Jubilee Year of Mercy Year of theEucharist and of the Family) areinvaluable opportunities for us

to start or resume moving in theright direction Like those whoapproached John we should ask ldquoWhat are we to dordquo Te answersmay be as many as there are personalmoral situations but a ldquocommondenominatorrdquo easily applies to allOur fundamental attitude has gotto be one of openness availabilityand goodwill

Te first requirement is ldquoopen-ness to Godrdquo in grateful love andexpectation in prayer of ldquopetitionand thanksgivingrdquo (see Phil 46)mdashfor the Lord is coming to dwell inour midst and to be our ldquomightySaviorrdquo (See First Reading v 17)

Te second basic requirementis ldquoopenness to peoplerdquo hismeans readiness to share ourgoods generously with the lessfortunate (see Lk 311) to be fair

But aside from physical lightand darkness there are otherforms of these two oppositerealities in the intellectualemotional moral and spiri-tual domains In the JudeanChristian revelation light isassociated and even identifiedwith God while darkness is as-sociated and identified with sinand evil St John the Evangelistproclaims ldquoGOD IS LIGHrdquo(1 Jn 15) Consequently a lifelived without God is darknessmdashthe darkness of sin and hell (See

John 319-21) No wonder thenthat the Incarnation of GodrsquosSon is compared to the comingof light to earth (See Jn 15 and1246)

And this is precisely what wecommemorate and celebrate atChristmas the coming of thelight of Godrsquos holiness andgoodness to fight and defeatthe darkness of evil in all itsforms

In the extraordinary andunique event of the Incarna-

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

MANKIND has had a bad record fromthe very beginning of its historymdashthecriminal record of shutting God outof its plans and life Such an attitudehad few exceptions in Abram Mosesthe prophets And even those ex-ceptions were not always 100 clearIt was only with Mary that a differentattitude started to prevail an attitudeof total openness to the action of Godin onersquos life and of full availability tocooperate with Him in the actualiza-tion of His plan

Mary was the most open of all tothe inspirations and promptings ofthe Holy Spirit Like a very sensitiveharp she let the Spirit produce in herand through her the wonderful melodyof manrsquos salvation which only thedivine love can initiate and bring to

REFLECTIONS

P u b l i c d

o m a i n

C B C P N e w s

Christmas the triumph of light

The ldquoNEW JERUSALEMrdquo isthe perfect realization of Godrsquos

plan and the fulfillment of our

deepest aspirations

4th Sunday of Advent (C) Luke 139-45

December 20 2015

Solemnity of Christmas (C) John 11-18

December 25 2015

3rd Sunday of Advent (C) Luke 310-18

ldquoRejoice Sundayrdquo December 13 2015

Our advent priorities

Countdown B3

that He will work wonders also in usno matter how insignificant and weak

we may consider ourselves (See Mi51)

We need the impulse of the HolySpirit and His empowering supportto get out of ourselves to show aninterest in others and share with themthe blessings we have received from theLord including our joy (See attitudeof Mary Lk 146-49)

We need to be open to the Spiritin imitation of Mary in order tohave Christ formed in us or betterin order to be molded unto him If

we cult ivat e such an openn ess andavailability we shall ever more becomeChrist-like in our thoughts aspira-tions attitudes and actions Andthus we shall be totally committedto do our share in carrying out theFatherrsquos plan of saving love as Christdid (See Heb 105-7)

Open to the spirit in imitation of Mary

Lady of the Sacred Heart Andby the time I left the church

which is just a five-minute walkfrom my house what else couldI say but thank You Really thereis nothing much else one can say

Our Lady and Child in SanSalvatore in Onda

Funny what one sees whenone changes perspectives Goinghome from jogging one day Idecided to pass by the right (in-stead of the left) side of Via deiPettinari (Combmakersrsquo Street)I happened to look up by chanceand I saw this charming image of

Our Lady I had never seen be-fore even if Irsquod already passed by

here more than ten times Ten when I looked down I likewisenoticed what should have beenan inconspicuous door Now Isaw there was a paper posted onit hinting that inside was actuallya church called San Salvatore inOnda and the place where SaintVincent Pallottirsquos remains arevenerated I took mental noteof the opening schedule andresolved I would do the secondday of my novena there

What was beh ind that in-conspicuous door Actually asmall but amazingly beautiful

jewel of a church First behind

the green door commonly seenalong the street was another set

of wider doors made of beauti-ful strong old wood It had ahuge tarp proudly claiming thatSt John Paul II had visited thischurch For such a small churchI thought it would be surprisingany pope would do that

But of course if one knew JP IIand St Vincent Pallotti and whatthey each stood for one wouldunderstand For JP II loved topromote the apostolate amonglay people and St Vincent inhis own 19th century religious

way was one of the promotersof the lay apostolate at the time

when it was so much lacking

He founded the ldquoPious Unionof Catholic Apostolaterdquo Tatrsquos a

union of priests religious and la-itymdashbut the ldquoPallotinesrdquo as theyare called really just consists ofthe religious brothers and priestsand the laity are well theyrsquorethere But that was certainly ahuge start

Te church is now their homebase but it wasnrsquot so at first Builtnear the end of the 11th andbeginning of the 12th centuryit was given to the Franciscansfrom which two popes camefrom Knowing this historic-ity of the church and that StVincentrsquos body is now underthe altar one then understands

this church deserved the Popersquosvisit But to add to these therersquos

to everybody and be absolutelyhonest with all (See Lk 313-14)

All this is love of neighbor in itsmost elementary form and noone can claim to be exempted orto have done enough

o this we have to add thepursuit of all those ldquonatural valuesand virtuesrdquo that Paul lists in theSecond Reading (See Phil 48)Only on these conditions shall

we be able to ldquobe glad and exult with all our heartsrdquo (Zep 314) and

begin to enjoy ldquoGodrsquos own peace which is beyond all understand-ingrdquo (Phil 47)

If on the contrary we refuseto heed Johnrsquos (Godrsquos) call toconversion this Advent will bea series of ldquomissed opportuni-tiesrdquo Tere may still be laughterbut very little joy We may giveand receive plenty of gifts but

without experiencing the bliss ofreal generosity In other words wemay be like one of the decorationshanging on Christmas trees glit-tering and colorful outside butempty and ugly inside

It need not be so It should nothis Advent we have a chanceto really change for the betterstarting from ldquowithinrdquo And it isup to us to make the most of thisopportunity

tion the divine light becomesa human beingmdashJESUS OFNAZAREH His coming is not a lightning in the night thatsoon vanishes in the persistentdarkness of the sky Rather it isan enduring event mdashthe fulfill-ment of a well thought-out plandestined to last till the end oftime and beyond

Te Incarnation is an eventthat is not confined to the placeand time where it took placebut a permanent reality thatconcerns and affects the entireuniverse as well as the life ofeach human being Tis is sobecause the life and mission ofthe God-Man born in Bethle-

hem is to bring the light of loveand grace into the history ofmankind into the life of everyhuman person

his is why we believe andproclaim that Christmasmdashthecoming and dwelling of Godrsquoslight on earth ndash makes all the dif-ference Te world will never bethe same as before the ldquoChrist-

mas eventrdquo simply because Godldquopitched His tentrdquo among us More still He became one of us

He did so in order to enableeach individual and mankindas a whole to fight and over-come the many forms of dark-ness that oppress frighten andenslave usmdashthe darkness of

hopelessness meaninglessnessfear hatred oppression but es-pecially the darkness of sin andof whatever leads to the endlessdarkness of being separated fromGod forever

Nowadays the all-pervadingcacophony of commercialismand materialism tend to dis-robe Christmas of its sacred-ness and saving dimensionand to confine it to the realm

of a myth lost in the vaguenessof a distant past Against suchbackground it is essential thatwe Christian believers ap-preciate the importance ofthe historical event of theIncarnation and its relevanceto our life today

Christmas as the joyful com-memoration of the Incarnationof Godrsquos Son is an invitationto ACCEP Jesus Christ intoour existence as the light of the

world the light of our life It isalso an invitation to REJOICEin the light that radiates from

Jesusrsquo presence teaching and

example It is a commitmentto LIVE as children of thelight and thereby eliminatein ourselves and around usthe darkness of sin and evilin all their forms Christmasis an invitation and a chal-lenge to SPREAD the light ofGodrsquos love through our wordsand deeds

In this perspective theHoly Fatherrsquos call to be ac-

tively involved in the workof a NEW EVANGELIZA-ION becomes absolutely vital and releva nt to thisseason of light and joy Itis the first step toward anever-greater involvement inthe wonderful enterprise ofbuilding Godrsquos luminousKingdom of peace love andhope that can usher in theldquonew heavens and the newearthrdquo the ldquoNEW JERU-SALEMrdquo that is the perfectrealization of Godrsquos plan andthe fulfillment of our deepestaspirations

also the sheer beauty of medievaland renaissance art that one seeson the ceiling and the simplebaldachin under which Mass

was held when I was there Teimage of Our Lady and Child byCesare Mariani in the main altaris also arresting

Te church has the appellationldquoin Onda rdquo which means ldquoin the

waverdquo most probably becauseof the frequent flooding of theiber Irsquove seen some of thesesigns on marble stone aroundseveral parts in Rome indicat-ing where the river was at this orthat point and therersquos only one

thing I can say Te worst Manilafloods are as if only two inches

compared to Rome flooding inthose days Irsquom not sure if thishas any connection to one imageof Our Lady venerated there ona huge side altar ldquoVirgin mostPowerfulrdquomdashbecause one cer-tainly needed a huge power tosurvive such inundations

But last night I know I wasinundated by only one thingmdashthanksgiving for being surround-ed by such beauty and holiness

(Robert Z Cortes is a PhDstudent in Social InstitutionalCommunication at the PontificalUniversity of Santa Croce Rome

He has an MA in Ed Leadership from Columbia University)

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B7CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

tions might become ever more numeroustill they become the rule

It is in the family that the reform ofsociety begins because it is there that welearn to respect and help one another wepractice patience and justice we learn toshare and to love in an unselfish and practi-cal manner Pope Francis speaking to theFilipino families during his Pastoral Visit

in January 2015 said ldquoIn the family wecome to know God to grow into menand women of faith to see ourselves asmembers of Godrsquos greater family theChurch In the family we learn how tolove to forgive to be generous and opennot closed and selfish We learn to movebeyond our own needs to encounterothers and share our lives with them Tat is why it is so important to pray as afamily Tat is why families are so impor-tant in Godrsquos plan for the Churchrdquo

A family where God is at home is afamily at peace Such was the Holy Familyat Nazareth And the yearly celebration ofits feast is not just a well-deserved tributepaid to its three members It is also an in-vitation and encouragement to make ourfamilies today what the family of JosephMary and Jesus was in those daysmdasha ha- ven of love of God and neighbor at itsbest a home where God felt at home afamily according to Godrsquos heart

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

PRAYING together as a family seems nolonger fashionable nowadays Te reasonsare varied so many commitments con-flicts of schedule practical impossibility ofbeing together Tere are of coursehappy exceptions of parents who everyevening gather their children for somemoments of reflection on the Word ofGod reconciliation shared prayer andrecitation of the Rosary hese samepeople are usually the ones who on Sun-days attend the Eucharistic celebrationas a family From this they derive strengthharmony cohesion And at the same timethey become an inspiration to the wholeparish community It is when the familygathers together for prayer that its mem-bersmdashboth parents and childrenmdashseethemselves under the common fatherlyauthority of God

A family that renews every day itscovenant with the Lord will have notime for endless bickering jealousyunfaithfulness harsh manners on thepart of the parents or rebellion on thepart of their children

Te families that pray together are re-ally mini ldquofaith communitiesrdquo or ldquolittlechurchesrdquo One wishes that these excep-

SOCIAL CONCERNS

M a s t e r o f t h e A n t w e r p A d o r a t i o n

M a r k E u s e b i o

Feast of the Holy Family (C) Luke 241-52

December 27 2015

World Day of Peace (C)

Luke 216-21

January 1 2016

Baptism of the Lord (C) Luke 315-16 21-22 January 10 2016

Solemnity of Epiphany (C) Matthew 21-12

January 3 2016

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

HE world is torn by wars and conflicts of every kindmdashwarsamong nations factions families Afraid of the tragediesof war simple people yearn for peace Some governments andpeace-oriented organizations try to achieve peace throughnegotiations and compromise Fortunately many times theysucceed in establishing at least a ceasefire

But we all know that peace is not simply the absence offighting Peacemdashit has been written in so many waysmdashisthe fruit of justice among nations groups individuals Morethan this peace is the fruit of being in a harmonious rela-tionship not only with others but also with oneself andespecially with God Tere can be no peace where there isrejection of God

Peace is just another word for love another word forgrace It prospers only with the defeat of sin And just asall the sufferings and destructions of war are both a sign anda consequence of sin so the defeat of sin in ourselves andaround us produces that inexpressible feeling of satisfactionand harmony that no material riches can buy and no balanceof power can create

Real lasting peace is what God the source of all good-ness wants for all mankind But in order for that peaceto become a reality we have to do our share First of allwe have to pray for it Ten we have to work for it Tatmeans to make every effort to bring it about Ten the Lord

will bless our efforts by granting us that genuine peace thathas in Him its origin and support On our part we have toaccept Godrsquos blessing of peace with humble gratitude as Heoffers it to us not as an abstract concept but as a person ndashHis very own Son Jesus Christ He is our peace becauseHe is the One who reconciles all men with the Father andamong themselves the One who reconciles each of us

with ourselves In Him we are able to recognize all humanbeings as our brothers and sisters all members of the onebig family that has God as the common Father He is theOne who called the peacemakers ldquoblessedrdquo and gave peaceto His disciples as His farewell gift

Jesus the King of Peace comes to us not in a vision orlike rain from the clouds He comes from a human motherMary Most Holy the woman of peace who has been ableto open herself to the Source of all peace and has fashionedHim in that human form in which all can recognize andlove as their elder brother In this way Mary and peace arevitally and dynamically linked And she brings peace to ourtroubled hearts and lives as Godrsquos messenger as she givesus Jesus in this Christmas season

Pope Francis calls all of us

to CARE FOR OUR COM-MON HOME Tis is one ofthe most important remindersin our times to really show re-spect to God who created allTe issuance of mining permit

will allow tree cutting activi -ties in almost 10000 hectaresland area Tis will lead to thedestruction of the very fewremaining forest in the Philip-pines and in the world We

would expec t a more imba l-ance ecology extinction ofdiversified natural resourcesexample flora fauna insectsanimals (including the Philip-pine Eagle) floods sicknesses

We reiterate that we would not

like this to happen We must remember that the

Home B4

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

EPIPHANY is the manifestation of Jesusas the MessiahSavior of all men includ-ing the pagans of goodwill representedby the Magi As such it is also the mani-festation of the divine plan hidden forcenturies in God to unite all human beingsin Christ (See Eph 11-10)

Evermore mankind moves toward the for-mation of a great international communityTis is according to Godrsquos plan Its roots arein creation itself ldquoGlobalizationrdquo is the ldquoin-thingrdquo nowadays It is a ldquosign of the timesrdquo to

which we should pay attention Tough theconcern of most of its proponents seems tobe economic its basic assumption is correctwe are one world one family of nations

Whatever is incompatible wi th this ldquoone-nessrdquo should be abolished

Many oppose globalization because if we

limit it to its economic aspect and to tearingdown trade barriers almost surely it will leadto the rich becoming richer and the poorbecoming poorer But if we take this wordto mean essentially the abolition of all bar-riers that have been erected by human prideselfishness ghetto mentalities or racism andif it ushers in a greater solidarity of thestronger with the weaker and a generoussharing by the rich with the poor thenglobalization is according to Godrsquos planand all Christians should be its most en-thusiastic supporters

Epiphany has also a special messageconcerning the attitude of all religions

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

WE say tha t people make aldquoprophetic gesturerdquo when theydo something striking that is alsoa sign of greater things to comeTose gestures reveal the depthof their passion or commitmentthey are meant to shake peopleand somehow force them to makea choice either for or againstcertain vital issues

In his lifetime Jesus mademany ldquoprophetic gesturesrdquo

such as his driving the tradersout of the emple the healingof the paralytic and many othermiracles He performed All thosegestures were ldquospectacularrdquo intheir own way Tey attracted theattention of the crowds which

wondered what their ldquomeaningrdquocould be

Tere was in the life of Jesus aldquogesturerdquo which was not spectacu-lar at all and which went unno-ticed by almost everybody exceptHis cousin John His baptism inthe River Jordan Tat gesture

was absolutely ldquocommonrdquo andldquoordinaryrdquo for it was somethingthat almost everybody was doingin those days in response to the

exhortation of John the BaptistBut Jesusrsquo baptism at the Jor-

dan lost in the crowd of sinners who were seeking forgivenesshad a depth of meaning thatmade it one of his most dra-matic ldquoprophetic gesturesrdquo It

was his baptism in fact whichrevealed the essence of Jesusrsquomission and became the occa-sion for the revelation of hisconcealed divine identity

he ldquoprophetic dimensionrdquoof Jesusrsquo action was not so muchin his entering the waters of the

Jordan ashis immersing himselfin the crowd of sinners Tat was

something unthinkable and un-believable Only Godrsquos incrediblelove for every human being andall mankind could have conceivedsuch an ldquoimmersionrdquo which was socomplete and involving as to be atotal ldquoidentificationrdquo Tat wasthe reason why the eternal andall-holy Son of God had comedown from heaven and had un-dergone the fullest ldquoimmersionrdquoin the ocean of mankindrsquos miseryand in human history Jesusrsquobaptism is a clear manifestationof Godrsquos mercy toward mankindTe Word the eternal Son of theFather clad in human flesh in

Jesus of Nazareth becomes one with sinful mankind not to be its

judge but its Savior and the HolySpirit appearing in the form of a

dove a symbol of peace remindsus of Godrsquos mercy on the ldquorem-nantrdquo of mankind as the purifyingflood subsided (See Gen 810-11) Jesusrsquo baptism was a furthermanifestation of the meaning andpurpose of the Incarnation

hrough that ldquoimmersionidentificationrdquo the totally sinless Jesus became a part not onlyof the relatively small group ofsinners gathered by the banksof the Jordan but also of theimmense crowd of sinners thatis the whole of humankind And

just as his immersive in the watersof the river sanctified them so didhis presence among the crowd ofsinners bring them the possibilityof receiving purification from sin

Tat was exactly Jesusrsquo missionIsaiah the prophet had alreadyforeseen this when he announcedthat the mission of the ldquoServant ofthe Lordrdquo was to bring ldquojusticerdquo(that is holiness) to the nationsOf him the Lord God said ldquoIformed you and set you as a cov-enant of the people a light forthe nations to open the eyes ofthe blind to bring out prisonersfrom confinement and from thedungeon those who live in dark-nessrdquo (See todayrsquos First Reading)

In his life Jesus ldquoactualizedrdquosuch a liberating and sanctify-

ing ldquoimmersionrdquo by associatingwith sinners and even seekingtheir company ndash something thatshocked the ldquoholyrdquo people of histime His association with ldquopublicsinnersrdquo was bound to tarnishhis reputation as his opponentspointed out on several occasions

Jesus did not mind that criti-cism and continued like beforeformdashas he himself saidmdashit is sickpeople who need a doctor (SeeMt 912) But his immersinghimself in the crowd of sin-ful mankind cost Jesus much

moremdashit cost him his very lifefor he was put to death to atonefor the sins of all

Jesusrsquo vicarious self-offering was so power ful in its effec tbecause of who he wasmdashGodrsquosbeloved Son on whom the Fa-therrsquos favor rested Such a solemnproclamation of Jesusrsquo divineidentity soon after his baptismbalanced so to speak his hid-ing himself among the crowdof sinners at the Jordan RiverIt also completed the ldquopropheticnaturerdquo of what happened on thatdaymdashGodrsquos very Son coming tosave all mankind by sharing fullyits predicament of misery in or-der to transform it from within

through the superabundant holi-ness that only God is

Families according to Godrsquos heart

symbolized by the Magi toward JesusChrist He should be the one acknowledgedby all believers as the universal Savior sentby God to bring all mankind back to GodTe gifts offered by the Magi to Jesus in

Bethlehem can symbolize the different char-acteristics which the major world religionscan offer as their distinct contribution to theestablishment of the Kingdom proclaimedand established by Christ the gold of faithin one merciful God and the power of His Word as a feature of Islam the incense ofmeditation love for nature and peace thatcharacterize Buddhism the myrrh of dedica-tion and industriousness that characterizeConfucianism Jesus rejects nothingof the values these faiths have He acceptsthem all and brings them together into onepractical synthesis that makes humankindthe family of God on earth

Jesus is indeed the center of humanhistory because he is the center of Godrsquosplan for mankind He is the ldquocenterrdquonot only in the sense that his coming hasdivided the centuries into two great blocks

of ldquobeforerdquo and ldquoafterrdquo Christ He is alsothe one in whom all men can find thecommon point of reference to form a realfamily of nations and peoples withoutcoercion or exploitation Te light of hisGospel can penetrate all cultures assumeall their valid elements and purify the restfrom those negative aspects which thepower of sin has gradually introduced inthem

Only Jesus Christ can keep all men unitedin a community of sincere respect lastingsolidarity and practical love For the plan ofthe Father born of love will find its fulfill-ment only in LOVE

Mary of NazarethMother of JesusMother of peace

Christ the unifying centerof all mankind

One with sinners to save them

environment can exist even

without us but we can neverexist without the environmentnature We only have one com-mon home the Earth there isno other

We urge the Dep ar tmentof Environment and NaturalResources to take the real leadto protect our remaining ldquoenvi-ronment and natural resourcesrdquoplan with other governmentagencies and environmentallyconcern organizationsfounda-tions on how to preserve ourremaining forests and marinelife sanctuaries

NO O MINING IN MA-GUM PUJADA BAY AND SA-LINGCOMO MAI CIY

PROVINCE OF DAVAO ORI-ENAL

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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B8 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

Look for the images of Saint Joseph Mama

Mary and Baby Jesus

(Illustration by Bladimer Usi)

Bladimer UsiLolo Kiko

Buhay Parokya

KANISS Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) both a victor in andsubverter of Panemrsquos Hunger Games is now a symbol of the revolu-tion whom rebel president Alma Coin (Julianne Moore) and powerbroker Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman) want to usestrictly as a poster girl Stubborn freedom-fighter Katniss howeverhas her own agenda and that includes killing President Snow (Don-ald Sutherland]) to end once and for all the senseless deaths of somany young people Forming a team of rag-tag soldiers that includeclosest friends Gale (Liam Hemsworth) Finnick (Sam Claflin) andPeeta (Josh Hutcherson) she goes off on a mission risking theirlives through a booby-trapped war to liberate the citizens of PanemTe final confrontation between Katniss and Snow presided overby Coin is an electrifying game-changer

Te Hunger Games is not exempted from the fad of choppinginto ldquopartsrdquo the movie adaptations of popular books Harry Potterwilight Te Hobbitmdashthey have all stretched their heroesrsquo exploitsto prolong box office earning power and yet the fans wait AfterHunger Games MockingjayPart 1 which judging fromits relatively weak performanceat the tills must have been aforgettable movie that testedthe patience of fans Mocking-

jay Part 2 revs up with moreof the thrills that have madethe Hunger Games series theprototype of dystopia flicks foryoung adults (Divergent et al)Te strong cast monumentallycontributes to the realism of theHunger Games franchisemdashhowcan it go wrong with a leonineSutherland a steely Moore asly Hoffman And of coursethe winner Lawrence who canequally sell with aplomb partscalling for either vulnerability orverve In Mockingjay 2 the starsrsquo solid performances interwoven

with heart-stopping CGI make for a fitting finale to a story that

capitalizes on manrsquos inhumanity to manItrsquos surprising that a number of film critics are disappointed with the

filmrsquos ending calling it ldquosappyrdquo and an anti-climactic conclusion to anadrenalin-packed series that promised so much by way of action andheroism Teir cynical remarks remind us of biblical Israel waiting fora savior who would topple down the ruling elite with its own brandof kingship but is instead given a Jesus Christ CINEMA thinks theending is actually a statement that magnifies the upbeat message of the

whole story enough is enough Murder as spectator sport is sub-human At least when beasts kill it is to survive but in Panem the poor youngpeople are robbed of choice and must kill in order to livemdashas enter-tainment for the elite So Mockingjay mocks the elite it cries ldquoGivehumanity a chancerdquo Whatrsquos wrong with wanting to dump violence tostart afresh Choose life not death Arrows that used to kill people arealso useful for hunting fowl for the dinner tablemdashis that against the lawldquourn your swords into ploughs and your spears into pruning hooksrdquoMaybe the cynicsrsquo eyes have grown to love the Hunger Gamesrsquo darknessthat the sunlight-dappled scenery blinds them Or maybe after fallingin love with the couture of Panemrsquos stylish crowd theyrsquore simply horri-

fied by Katnissrsquo drastic costume change Whatever CINEMA wouldnrsquothave wanted the ending any other way

ENTERTAINMENT

MAGPAPAKASAL at magsump-aang magmamahalan nang wagasang dating live-in partners nasina Basya (Bea Alonzo) at Popoy(John Lloyd Cruz) Bilang mgalisensyadong enhinyero at arkitektoay magtataguyod sila ng construc-tion business na mabilis na uunladLalong magpupursige ang mag-asawa na magpalago ng negosyodahil magbubuntis si Basya Naisnilang mabigyan ng magandangkinabukasan ang kanilang anak

Subalit dahil sa pressure ng tra-baho ay makukunan si Basya attuluyang mawawala ang sanggolna kanyang dinadala Labis itongikalulungkot nina Basya at Popoykaya napagkasunduan nila ayonna rin sa mungkahi ni Basya natitigil siya sa pagtatrabaho upangmakabuo uli sila ng baby Nanatilisi Basya sa bahay at di nakialam sanegosyo sa loob ng dalawang taonPinaubaya niya ang pagpapatakbong negosyo kay Popoy Magtitiwalasi Basya sa kakayanan ng asawa namahusay nitong mapapamahalaanang kompanya katulad ng nagingproblema ng pagguho ng isangbuilding project Hindi rin gu-gustuhin ni Popoy na bigyan ngalalahanin si Basya Samantala sakabila ng magandang saloobin nilasa isarsquot isa ay ang napipintong pag-kalugi ng negosyo na siya namangililihim ni Popoy kay Basya Dahilsasarilinin ni Popoy ang problemamaapektuhan ng tuluyan angkanilang pagsasama

Sequel ng pelikulang One MoreChance na pinalabas noong 2007ang Second Chance Matatan-daang tumatatak ang naunangpelikula dahil sa mga tinatawag nalsquohugot linesrsquo nina Alonzo at Cruzsa nasabing pelikula Di namannabigo ang mga nag-abang sa se-quel na ito dahil naganap nga angsecond chance sa mga pangunah-ing tauhan na sina Basya at PopoyMalinis ang pagkakadugtong ng

dalawang pelikula --- parehongmga tauhan at kontexto gayundinang mga artistang nagsiganap Sakabila ng pagkakaroon ng prequelay napanatili ang malayang istoryang Second Chance bilang isangpelikula Bagamat predictable ang

wakas ay naging kasabik-sabikpa din ang mga eksena at mgapalitan ng linya ng lahat ng tau-han Di matatawaran ang husayng pagganap nina Alonzo at Cruzbilang mag-asawa panalo talagaang tinatawag na chemistry nilangdalawa Di rin nagpahuli nag mgakatuwang na aktor at aktres Mag-aling ang ginawang trato ng direk-

tor para mapalabas ang kalakasanng mga nagsiganap at ang mgaeksenang hinaluan ng patawa lalona sa eksena kasama ng mga kai-bigan Simple lamang ang disenyong produksyon pero nakatulongang mga kuha ng camera at edit-ing para maging makabuluhan saistorya ang setting Makahuluganang composition na nagpapakitang electric fan para sa mensahe nanagtitipid na ang mag-asawa dahillugi na ang kompanya

Mayaman sa mensahe parasa mga mag-asawa ang SecondChance Pinakita sa pelikula angrealidad ng buhay may-asawa nahindi lang puro kasarapan sa halip aymga pagsubok na maaring mauwi sahiwalayan kung hindi haharapin ataayusin Sa relasyon ng mag-asawa

ay napakahalaga ng magiging bu-kas sa isarsquot isa kaya anuman angpagdaanan ay magkatuwang nahaharapin Ang pagtatago ni Popoyng katotohanan kay Basya ang nag-ing mitsa ng lumubhang alitan dipagkakaunawaan pagkawala ngrespeto at palitan ng masasakitna salitamdashpati tiwala sa sarili aynawala At sa punto na pipiliin ngisa na lumayo at hanapin ang sariliay nakatulong na balikan ang mga

sumpaan binatiwan nuong sila ayikinasal at higit sa lahat ang kanilangpagmamahal sa isarsquot isa Mainamdin na may mga kaibigan at pamilyana pwedeng lapitan na susuporta athindi manghuhusga manunumbato mang-uudyok sa paggawa ng maliKapuna-puna lang na bagamatnagsimula at nagwakas ang pelikulasa chapel ay tila di man lang nilanaisipan na magdasal habang maypinagdaraanan sila Nais isipin ngCINEMA na ang gusto lamangsabihin ng pelikula ay ang pag-aasawa ay hindi lamang sa pagitanng dalawang tao kundi dapat aykasama palagi ang Diyos

DIRECTOR Cathy Garcia-Molina

LEAD CAST Bea AlonzoJohn Lloyd Cruz DimplesRomana

SCREENWRITER VanessaValdez Carmi Raymundo

GENRE Romantic Drama

CINEMATOGRAPHER NoelTeehankee

RUNNING TIME 130 minutesTECHNICAL ASSESSMENT

MORAL ASSESSMENT CINEMA Rating V13

A SECONDCHANCE

DIRECTOR Francis LawrenceLEAD CAST Jennifer Law-

rence Josh HutchersonLiam Hemsworth WoodyHarrelson Donald Suther-land Julianne Moore PhilipSeymour Hoffman

GENRE Adventure ScienceFiction

RUNNING TIME 137 minutesTECHNICAL ASSESSMENT

MORAL ASSESSMENT CINEMA rating V14

THE HUNGER

GAMESMOCKINGJAY 2

Buhay San Miguel Brothers Matias

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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Philippine Army Chaplaincy CFC

Hold 1st National Convention

The first-ever OACCS - OSM CEP Convention further strengthened the camaraderie between the chaplaincy and the local CFC created a more solid CFC OSM Core enabledthe stakeholders to work together and recognized the efforts of those who work tirelessly under the program

CFC Metro Manila as one big happy family worshipped danced sang played gamesand had fun during the last MC Gathering of the year

By Alma Alvarez

CFC ANCOP USA Pontificio Collegio Fillipino Sign Partnership Agreement

CFC MM MC Celebrates the Family

HIS Eminence Cardinal Luis Antonio agle Chairman of PontificioCollegio Filippino and its Rector Msgr Greg Gaston recently signedthe ANCOP USA Priest Sponsorship Program (PSP) partnership

with Eric Villanueva Roger Santos and Rollie Balanza Couples forChrist - ANCOP USA leaders Te ANCOP USA PSP will assistpriests from the Philippines who will be sent by their Bishops to doadvance studies in Rome

In his letter to Villanueva Cardinal agle wrote ldquoOur partnership will

allow more Bishops to send Priests for ongoing formation and furtherstudies in Rome to better equip them in serving Gods people as SeminaryFormators and as collaborators in the different Diocesan Ministries back

HE Metro Manila Mission Coregathered as one big CFC familyduring this months MC Assemblylast December 6 2015 Leadersfrom the Family Ministries likewisecame to the Ynares Sports Arenato hear Mass together celebrateshowcase talents play in the fungames and just enjoy each otherscompany before the end of the year

CFC Spiritual Director Msgr Allen Aganon celebrated Mass Inhis homily Msgr Allen emphasizedthe enormity of the role of John theBaptist as the one who heralded thecoming of Jesus Christ despite hishumble beginnings He challengedthe CFC leaders to be like Johnthe Baptist

We are ordinary people who

home As a result our Church in the Philippines will be strengthenedso that Priests and laity alike could carry out our respective work ofevangelization and service not only to the Church but also to societyrdquo

According to the agreement the PSP is for Masters Licentiate orDoctorate studies only ANCOP USA PSP funds will cover the priestrsquosboard and lodging at the Collegio in the amount of $10000 per year

All other needs such as tuition fees medical insurance transportationbooks etc will be provided for by the Bishop as a local counterpart

Tis would ensure that priests can benefit from the partnershipo donate or to know more about the program please visitwwwancopusa-psporg

THE CFC Order of St Michael(OSM) in cooperation with thePhilippine Army Ofce of theArmy Chief Chaplain Service(OACCS) staged the rst everCharacter Enhancement Pro-gram (CEP) Convention last No-vember 24 2015 at the PhilippineAir Force Museum Pasay CityRetired Col Arturo Alabanza amember of CFC Metro Manila(South B) and head of the OSM

OSM C4

together with the OSM Corespearheaded the event

In his opening remarks Alabanza describedhow the OSM came together with the OACCS

and forged a long-term partnership to ldquodeveloprighteous God-fearing soldiers loved by theFilipino peoplerdquo through the CEP Te CFCOSM has developed modules specifically cater-ing to the soldiers their spouses and childrenOACCS on the other hand has the author-ity to mandate Commanding Officers of thevarious Army camps nationwide to employthe CEP

Te convention allowed the stakeholders toreport on the accomplishments and enabledthe Army Chaplains from the different Infan-

try Divisions to plan with their local Couplesfor Christ counterparts regarding strategies forCEP and its continuing spiritual enhancementmodules It was likewise an opportunity for

CFC OSM to present the second module forthe CEP which the group plans to roll outbeginning 2016

ANCOP Chairman Joe Yamamoto in hisinspirational talk reiterated Pope Francisrsquo callfor new evangelization and emphasized thatthe partnership is a clear response of each per-son involved whether it be the Chaplaincy orthe lay stakeholders to be agents of change inthe spiritual realm within the Philippine Army

Several of those serving in the program

His Eminence Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle and the leaders of CFC ANCOP USA f orging a strong partnership for further education among Filipino clergy

are called to herald Christ andto be missionaries of mercy heemphasized

Te Mass was followed by theopening worship led by the MetroManila Missions Director MannyGarcia and a brief message fromCFC Chairman Joe ale

Te CFC Order of St Michaelthrough its Head Art Alabanzatook the opportunity to honor the55 Singles for Christ volunteers

who served in the Christian LifeProgram for the PMA Cadets inBaguio Te fun-filled games forthe adults and children talentpresentations and face-paintingadded to the festive mood rulyit was a day for the family (CFCGlobal Communications)

Reconciliation is Key to Advent PreparationsldquoTHE best way to prepare forChristmas is reconciliation Thebirth of Jesus is Gods offering ofreconciliationrdquo

his was the essence of the Advent recollection given by FrGerard imoner OP Provincialof the Dominican Order in thePhilippines for the workers of theCFC Global Mission Office Terecollection was held last Novem-ber 28 2015 at the Obizpado deCubao in Quezon City

In his reflection Fr imoner

creatively wove reconciliation withforgiveness as well as the new

evangelization taking into account Jesusrsquo words to ldquoshake off the dust

from your feetrdquo According to hima good spiritual foot spamdashthe act

of shaking the dust off onersquos feet toremove all traces of the bad news to

enable one to proclaim the GoodNewsmdashis essential in preparing

oneself during AdventFr imoner described for-

giveness as ldquosetting a prisonerfree and realizing that thatprisoner is yourdquo He illustratesldquoJesus did not forgive whileon the cross Instead he saidlsquoFather forgive them for theyknow not what they dorsquo We canonly forgive if we engage Godsforgiveness within our ownrdquo

he best path to the newevangelization is to allow our-selves to be reconciled with God

amp each other he emphasized(A Alvarez)

The News Supplement of

Couples for Christ

C1CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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Reflections on Advent

I IS the start of a new liturgical

year As in every year the previ-ous liturgical year ended withthe feast of Christ the King afitting high point indeed Aftergoing through the year observ-ing the various highs and lowsand phases of His life in theend and rightly so we proclaim

Jesus as indeed the King of kingsand the Lord of lords

And so the Church starts thecycle anew beginning fromHis birth into this world obuild up to that we have theseason of advent of waitingof anticipating of preparingfor the birth of He who werecognize and proclaim as theKing of kings

One would expect that thismajor season is ushered in

with Bible vers es express ingthe level of excitement befit-ting the birth of the King ofthe universe It is therefore abit surprising and soberingthat the opening reading ofthis season is one with a themethat speaks not of celebrationbut of foreboding of the com-ing end times

here wil l be strangethings happening to the sunto the moon and the stars Onearth whole countries will bein despair afraid of the roarof the sea and the raging tidesPeople will faint from fear asthey wait for what is comingover the whole earth for the

Joe Tale

powers in space will be driven

from their courses hen theSon of Man will appear comingin a cloud of great power andglory When these things begin tohappen stand up and raise yourheads because your salvation isnear Luke 2125-28

Moreover we are enjoined tobe on watch and to be vigilantin a specific way Be careful notto let yourselves become occu-pied with too much feasting anddrinking and with the worries ofthis life or that Day will suddenlycatch you like a trap For it willcome upon all people everywhereon earth Be on watch and prayalways that you will have thestrength to go safely through allthose things that will happen andto stand before the Son of Man

Luke 2134-36It is significant we might evensay ironic that during this seasonof merriment in anticipation ofthe birth of the Messiah we are

warned exactly not t o be merryIn this period that we normallycelebrate with much food and

wine and music we are instructedto refrain from such things

Is the verse dousing cold wa-ter on all these festivities andpreventing us from celebrating

joyously the arr ival of t he KingNot so he verse simply re-

minds us of something more im-portant whatever be the seasonof our life of being constantlyprepared and on the watch at

all times not ever to bring our

guards down whether we are go-ing through our low moments orhigh points in our life We are re-minded to always Be Preparedas the Boy Scouts motto goes

whatever our spec ific situationmay be at any given time

Als o I sense tha t the Lor d would like to bring us to a deeperlevel of rejoicing not merely onthe level of the frivolous as toomuch feasting and drinking areTe words of Jesus do not preventus from rejoicing He wants us tocontinue to be prepared even as

we celebrate He warns us not torejoice in a wanton way that takesus away from our right senses re-sulting in our being unpreparedhus our rejoicing should becoming from deep in our hearts

not shallow and hollow expres-sions of the same Our rejoicingshould be geared towards allowingus to still be prepared

hus as we hold our Christ-mas parties and dwell in themerriment of the season let usbe mindful of the words fromthe Gospel Appropriate feastingand drinking not only make usfaithful to the gospel but is alsomore healthy Significantly tooit should make us more caring tothose who have less and hope-fully lead us not to be wastefuland to share whatever we have somany others will also experiencea truly Merry Christmas

Rejoice in the Lord

HE RED Cubs harvested thegrand championship of the recentlyconcluded CFC GMC Ablaze Cup2015 held last December 2 - Decem-ber 8 2015 at the sports facilities ofCamp Crame

Te friendly games were partici-pated in by the different departmentsin the CFC Global Mission CenterTe Red Cubs romped off with the

Red Cubs are Champions in CFC GMC Ablaze Cup 2015

Go go go GMC clockwise from top left Caloy Rubio CFC Ablaze Cup Event Head exhorting participants the board of judges CFC Chair Joe Tale inspiring the athletes paradeof athletes the Orange Tigers basketball game between the Red Cubs and the Maroon on Fire cheerdance competition

Mel and Aimee Serrano talking about the highs and lows of dealing with in-laws

In Highs And In-Laws Dealing With Your In-Laws

ldquoATRASrdquo BOYS amp GIRLS

Are We Waiting For Jesus At The Right Spot

This Advent

IN983085LAWS he very word re-minds many a married coupleof discomfort awkward evenstrained relationships and some-times open conflict But are rela-tionships with the family membersof your spouse meant to be merelytolerant Te latest Couples forChrist (CFC) ndash Young Couples

Assembly on November 30 heldat St Pauls College in Pasig Citytackled precisely this topic andcame up with this wildly inge-nious insight In-laws are peopletoo ndash love them

According to the speakers Meland Aimee Serrano of CFC ndashMetro Manila West B lovingthem in all sincerity will work

wonders ldquoTat is the tried andtested formula love your in-lawsrdquoshared Mel a school owner fromQuezon City

During the talk which theypeppered with lots of insights andsharing of personal experiences as a

PASIG City Nov 29 2015 ndash What do weusually do when we find out that someone welove or an important personality is visiting ou rhome We tidy up we prepare good food butmost of all we wait his was the m essage thatabout 150 young married couples heard duringthe Family Mass at the Couples for Christ ndash

Young Couple s Assembly at St Paul Colleg eConvention Center held last November 30

Fr Ruper Solis SVD who celebrated theFamily Mass reminded the couples presentthat to wait for something or someone also

couple married for 20 years the Ser-ranos focused on several key points1 Handle them with care

Tis means giving attention tothe one who needs more takingcare of them in their old age as

well as training your kids to respecttheir grandparents

ldquoOn our part we have to makesure that our children will give duerespect [to them] and be able tounderstand intricacies that come

with old agerdquo said AimeeldquoWhether may sama ng loob

(hurt feelings) sometimes there will be times na mahirap makipag-kita (that it will be difficult to meetthem) but you have to go to themKailangan nating gawin yun (Weneed to do it)rdquo she stressed

2 Acknowledge differences According to the couple people

should recognize that their spousemay not have the same familyculture as they do Value systems

means waiting at the right placeldquoAs Christians our life is a series of waiting

Dapat maghintay ka sa tamang lugarhindi langsa tamang panahon na sinasabi ni Lola Nidora noPero sa tamang lugar din (We should wait not justfor the right time but waiting should be doneat the right place as well)rdquo explained Fr Ruper

he young priest who was an SVD missionaryassigned to Argentina for more than seven years

went on to tell the story of how once in Argentinahe was waiting by the side of the road flagging

championship crowns in badmin-ton (women) table tennis (menand women) tug-of-war and peelbanana It was a close fight with theMaroon on Fire team who grabbedthe winning titles for basketballvolleyball cheer dance and chess(men) and ended up 1st runner-up

with les s than 2 points from the winning team Te Orange igerscame in 2nd runner-up while YellowHotshots was 3rd runner-up basedon the last team standings

Te awarding ceremonies wereheld last December 8 2015 dur-ing the celebration of the CFCGMC Christmas party Tis an-nual event is an opportunity forthe mission workers to enjoy eachotherrsquos company Te Ablaze Cuplikewise serves as a venue tofoster and promote the spirit ofsportsmanship and unity amongthe GMC workers from bothpastoral and mission support(Yvonne Dolorosa)

HE WORD ldquoatrasrdquo means a backwardmovement It is generally used to refer to theldquoReverserdquo function of a vehicle In Lanao DelNorte the word has been applied to a group ofboys abd girls who guide vehicles in and out ofparking spaces the equivalent of the ldquoWatch-your-carrdquo aides in Metro Manila

he CFC leaders in the province immedi-ately thought of the Atras Boys and Girls ofLanao Del Norte when Cardinal agle said ndashldquoGo to the peripheries be a mobile clinicto heal the poor from spiritual sickness rdquo

Another ins pirat ion was from one of the mostimportant pastoral subjects of Pope Francisabout the ldquofamily and the poorrdquo

Every time I go to mass at the St MichaelrdquosCathedral with my wifeata the ldquoatras boysand girlsrdquo are all over the area assisting ve-hicles either to park or to exit the parking area

When n ot per formi ng thi s function they andother members of their family can be seenbegging for their daily sustenance hey areusually homeless their home being along theperipheries of the Cathedral or the sidewalks

he inspiration led the Area Governanceeam to the idea of bring these boys and girlsand their parents to a Christian Life Programhey moved quickly with Boy Suezo approv-ing the strategic CLP as designed by RegionalPastoral Formation Head Art Maderazo andinserting video clips appropriate to the CLPtalks With the activation of the SOLD Min-istry with Bro Roger Sultan as Provincial Co-

ordinator SOLD was made the lead ministryof the ldquoAtras Boys and Gir lsrdquo CLP

Initially the number of participants was limitedto five (5) for logistical reasons but the HolySpirit deemed otherwise ndash the attendees eventuallynumbered ten individuals and three (3) coupleshe CLPs were scheduled every hursday at 600orsquoclock in the evening with dinner provided byCFC brothers and sisters particularly the AGrsquos

wives and ANCOP members he SOLD Prov in-cial Coordinator took care of fetching the partici-pants from the Cathedral and also bringing themback to their ldquohomesrdquo It did not matter to Rogerthat his car would often retain the smell of the

unwashed he persisted in servicing the transportneeds of the participants

November 05 2015 was truly a pleasant anda memorable day to the service team On thatday five of the ten boys and girls and two (2)couples dedicated their life to CFC One of theparticipants stood up to give an inspiring testi-mony ending with ldquohank you CFC for makingus somebody in your heart hank you for beingmindful of the conditions of the poor and thankyou for bringing Christ to our livesrdquo (ldquoSalamatCFC nga aduna pa diay kami luna sa inyong kas-ingkasing Salamat CFC sa inyong pagpakabanasa susama kanamo nga mga timawa Salamat sainyong panahon pag hatag kanamo sa pagtulun-anni Kristo)

It is envisioned that this kind of evangeliza-tion can be replicated in other areas nationwidethe beginning of a truly strategic evangelizationHopefully this is also the beginning of a newlife for the new CLP graduates with CFC being

instrumental in helping them provide for theirfamilyrsquos future (Nonoy Haim)

disciplining style even views onhow to handle finances will of-tentimes be different Tat is whyunderstanding coupled with love

will go a long wayldquoDifferences and conflicts are

not unhealthy but mismanagementis Never criticize your in-lawsrdquoMel said

Also in case of confl ict themessenger or the ldquobridgerdquo shouldbe the one with the primary re-lationship (spouse to own fathermother)

he Serranos candidly sharedabout a conflict that eruptedbetween Aimee and her father-in-law during the campaignperiod for local elections whenMel ran for public office heconflict was soon followed by aperiod of silence a Cold Warso to speak ldquoIt took us at leasta year or two [My father said]kasi pag di natin inayos tolahat tayo maapektuhan (If we

dont fix this all of us will beaffected) It helped that thecouple prayed and sought DivineIntervention and asked the com-munity to pray with them heHoly Spirit worked

3 Respond appropriately What if ev en af ter l ovin g and

understanding them its stillnot smooth sailing with your in-laws Heres what the Serranoshad to say

bull iming is everythingbull Learn when to speak or keep

your mouth shutbull ake a breath cool offbull Maintain a sense of humorbull Remember unsolicited advice

is just an opiniono cap their talk the couple

brought back the participants tothe basics of loving in-laws to actout your love to build bridges andto communicate (Nirvaana EllaDelacruz)

HOMILY C3

IN A Memorandum sent to the Philip-pine Missions leaders last November23 2015 PM Director Jose Yamamotoappointedreassigned leaders for theNortheastern Luzon region

Mark Banzon has been appointedProvincial Area Head (PAH) of Isabelavice Rommel Ancheta ony de la Cruz

on the other hand was tapped to be PAHof Nueva Vizcaya vice Raul Balaquiao

O set a new tradition in the CFC Family the InternationalCouncil has agreed to make December 27 the Feast of theHoly Family as a special day for the members of the familyto honor one another Tis will allow each person in thefamily to express their gratitude to the Lord for the gift offamily and the importance of having each member of thefamily around for the love support and service As a sug-

New Appointments for CFC GMC NE LuzonFamily Honoring Night Set

Balaquiao was appointed PAH of IlocosSur vice ony de la Cruz while Cholo

Yjares is now PAH of Cagayan vice BongPagulayan Pagulayan is now PAH ofKalinga vice Cholo Yjares

he move is essentially a realignmentof the leaders in the Northeastern Luzonarea in the interest of the mission except

for Banzon who is a new appointee andfor Noel Malamug who remains as

PAH of Ifugao hese changes are to takeeffect on January 1 2016 Edythe Aven-dantildeo is also set to replace Didi Galsim asHandmaids of the Lord InternationalCoordinator effective January 1 2016

In the Global Mission Center RickyRico was appointed Head for the GAd-min effective October 1 2016 while Jay

Lucena was appointed head of the CFCEvents group also effective October 1facebookcomCFCGlobalMission CFChrist

The Ugnayan News Supplement is published by the Couples for Christ Global Mission Foundation Inc with editorial ofces at 156 20 th Avenue 1109 Cubao Quezon City

Editorial trunk line (+63 2) 709-4868 local 23

Direct line (+63 2) 709-4856

wwwcouplesforchristglobalorg cfcglobalcommunicationsgmailcom

Michael C Ariola

IC Oversight

Zenaida A Gimenez

Editor-in-Chief

Alma M Alvarez

Associate Editor

Evangeline C Mecedilla

Circulation Staff

Deomar P Oliveria

Layout Artist

The News Supplement

of Couples for Christ

gestion the guidelines indicate the following as the activitiesfor the said day hearing Mass together dining together athome praying together and in gratitude expressing theirlove to one another

hrough the Family Honoring Night the community hopesto strengthen the relationship among the family members andempower each one to truly cherish and love one another

Bong Pagulayan

Mark Banzon

Cholo Yjares

Ricky Rico

Edythe Avendantildeo

Raul Balaquiao

Jay Lucena

Tony de la Cruz

C2 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 1924

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 2024

CFC China Conducts

Mission Heads Training

CFC Greece Leaders Meet Archbishop of Athens amp Nuncio

COUPLES for Christ USA and CFC Greece leaders paid a courtesy call on Archbishop Sevastianos Rossolatos and Fr George Altouvas at the Archd ioce se of Athens he g roup in troduced Couples f or Chri st to the new Archbishop and di scus sed theirplans to initiate a CFC Youth Camp in Greek as well as to develop CFC teachings in Greek

On another occasion the CFC leaders met with the Apostolic Nuncio of the Holy See in Athens Archbishop Edward Joseph AdamsTey discussed challenges and forthcoming changes in the Greek Catholic hierarchy and laid down CFCrsquos plans for CFC Athens

SINGLES for Christ Metro Manila gath-ered at the San Carlos Seminary in Makatilast December 5 2015 at 700 pm forthe SFC Global One a two-hour non-stop worship experience Jay Laquiana fulltime pastoral worker for SFC ledthe worship

Global One was meant to be a simul-taneous praise concert with major cities

or provinces hosting the event But what

made this yearrsquos Global One event special was the fact that it was the first time it wasstaged online via youtube live broadcastTis gave SFCs all over the world an oppor-tunity to come together despite differencesin time zone

ogether as one ministry SFCs from theMetro Manila Sectors the provinces andthe various countries like the USA Canada

and the Middle Eastern countries raised

SFC GLOBAL ONEmdashUniting the World

via Online Worship

their voices in praise and worship for thecountless favors they received It likewisebecame an opportunity to ask the Lordto bless the ministry for the coming year

Te ministry sees the online Global Oneas an event they can do annually Tey alsosee it as a potential tool to reach othernon-SFC members to witness Christ andcome together with other young people to

worship (Lanie Montaos)

OSM C1

CFC Winnipeg held its 2nd Celebration of Covenant Love onNovember 21st the feast of the Presentation of Our Lady Sixteencouples attended the activity

One week prior to the Renewal of Wedding Vows the 16 coupleshad a mini-retreat conducted by their spiritual advisor Fr YollyGamallo Te mini-retreat included four couple-sharers Te HolyMass was celebrated at St John Cantius Parish presided by MsgrLouis McCloskey A simple reception followed for the 16 couples andabout 60 family members with additional witnesses from the CFCcommunity Te participants who renewed their marriage vows werefrom varied age groups with some having been married for only five

years to couples who were celebratingo 40 years of holy matrimony

Tis year makes the Celebration of Love even more relevant as itis the year that held the papal Synod on the Family and the WorldMeeting of Families Pope Francis stated when making an address tofamilies ldquoTose who celebrate the sacrament say lsquoI promise to be trueto you in joy and in sadness in sickness and in health I will love youand honour you all the days of my lifersquo At that moment the coupledoes not know what will happen nor what joys and pains awaitthem Tey are setting out like Abraham on a journey together

And that is what marriage is Setting out and walking togetherhand in hand putting yourselves in the Lordrsquos powerful handsHand in hand always and for the rest of your livesrdquo (from http

couplesforchristcanadaca)

A Celebration of Covenant Love

I cherish the treasure the treasure of you lifelong companion I give myself to you These happy couples from CFC Vancouver saying Yes again to oneanother and to God as they renew their marriage vows

CFC missionaries to South Americarejoiced as they completed a fruitfulmission to the area a fitting end to theyear Te mission to Nuevo Pueblo deColaacuten opened a new area an hour awayby land from Piura Peru establish-ing CFC ndash Parejas para Cristo in a remotetown in the desert At the end of theChristian Life Program 13 new CFCPPC members composed of 4 couples4 HOLD and 1 SOLD committed to alife with Christ

Te PVC (Programa de Vida Cristiana- Spanish CLP) was held November 27to 29 2015 (Tanksgiving weekend) byCFC USA Florida in Iglesias del Rosarioone of two parishes in town Padre LuisSerra head pastor of the main churchthe Iglesia Sagrado Corazoacuten de Jesuacutesopened the doors to CFC PPC Fourother brethren from CFC PPC RiojaPeru headed by Fr Rober Martinez cameto reinforce the missionariesrsquo efforts Teteam got a taste of their first mission

CFC China is on full throttle in its evan-gelization efforts Tey recently conducted

the first-ever CFC China Mission Headsraining from November 27 to 30 at Vilada Sta Isabel Estrada Cheoc Van MacauTe training aimed to strengthen its leader-ship ranks through several formation talksfrom the Chapter Leaders raining (CL)series Te sixty participants were mostlyChinese with some Filipino Mission Headsand their AG members from the North

West East and South of China includingMacau SAR and Hong Kong SAR

Te first day of the training was devotedto a silent retreat based on Psalm 4610ndash ldquoBe silent and know that I am GodrdquoTe three-hour retreat centered on thetheme ldquoWe need to Change How WeLead o lead like Jesusrdquo with each par-ticipant encouraged to ldquoempty oneselfrdquoFr Oliviades a member of the Opus Deifacilitated the retreat

Day 2 started with a Holy Mass concel-

ebrated by Fr Joseph Wang from YiwuEast China Te training proper began with Israel Silud CFC Country Headand Northwest Regional Head givingthe overview and citing challenges thatCFC China faces He reiterated thatCFC Chinarsquos goal of raising 1 millionhousehold heads will be driven by the

The fruits of 2015 for CFC PPC hundreds of miles away from home

In 2015 ten missions were held inSouth America by CFC USA All these

were made possible by a handful of zeal-ous and selfless CFC USA mission vol-unteers who sacrificed a lot and deniedthemselves many comforts in order tobring the Word of God to families in Co-lombia Ecuador and Peru CFC ParejasPara Cristo will not take off without thefinancial support of CFC USA

ruly God gave a very good year for

the mission team harvesting 608 souls in2015 (a total of 857 persons from June2014 to date) Te task of sustainingCFC PPC families and area countriesare enormous But with grateful heartsthe South America team humbly turnsto God thanking Him each day forHis guidance as He leads the way Teteam looks forward to 2016s adventureof bringing the banner of Christ to themiddle and corners of the earth (GlenSantayana)

whether lay or from the Chaplainsrsquo ranklikewise gave testimonies on how theirinvolvement in the CEP made them real-ize that they have become not only agentsof change but recipients of grace as well

In the afternoon the Chaplains andtheir CFC counterparts came together fora round table discussion of the plans ofthe various Infantry Divisions nationwide

Army Chie f Chaplain Fr Col Andre sBonifacio Belleza CHS (GSC) in anunexpected move expressed his recog-nition through the grant of awards ofthe initiatives of the Army Chaplainsin implementing the CEP in their vari-ous Divisions Fr Maj Juan Jerome CDaluro was awarded Best Chaplain ofthe Year 2015 for his exemplary ser viceas Division Chaplain of 9th Infantry(Spear) Division Fr MSg Mario Ban-

iqued Philippine Army (PA) OACCSChief Clerk was recognized as Best

Chaplain Assistant of the YearSince the partnership between the

OACCS and CFC OSM started in April2014 the group has conducted CharacterEnhancement Retreats (CER) for 28 Phil-ippine Army commands Trough CFCSingles for Christ volunteers a ChristianLife Program has likewise been conductedfor the Philippine Military Academy Classof 2018 graduating 385 PMA-Singles forChrist members Presently five CERs arealso being done at the V Luna MedicalCenter in Quezon City

Alabanza admit s there is still muchto be done So far the CEP has reached2000 men and women in uniformroughly 0287 percent of an estimated800000 population of soldiers theirspouses and their families Tis is indeedfertile ground for values and spiritual

transformation which is just waiting tobe conquered (A Alvarez)

Another fruitful harvest in Peru from top the 13 new members in CFC PPC all-women discussion group

Courtesy call top photos CFC leaders with Archbishop Edward Joseph Adams amp Fr George Altouvas bottom photos with Fr George Archbishop SevastianosRossolatos and Archbishop Edward Joseph Adams

CFC OSM and the OACCS reaching out to the men and women in uniform and their families through the Character Enhancement Program

personal holiness of its ser vant-leaders who will be leading the evangelization thrust

in 34 provinces in China CL talks 2-5 were given by the regional heads with their wives as sharers

Day 3 began with the recitation ofthe Holy Rosary followed by anotherconcelebrated Holy Mass Fr Oliviadesdelivered a beautiful homily on ldquoemptyingoneselfrdquo Te rest of the CL talks wereagain delivered by the regional heads withtheir wives as sharers In CL alk 9 Siludemphasized the need to pay attention tothe means to care for the spirit mind andbody of the leaders

Te last day primarily focused on plan-ning the CFC China activities for 2016One of the proposals from the planningis that the four (4) regions in China willeach be hosting the major activities linedup for the year

Te three-day training and planning was conducted by CFC China Country

Head IsraelSally Silud with the supportof North Asia Regional Coordinator Ga-rieCess Pimentel and the regional headsfrom East China (EricEvelyn Ylagan)South China (JoelErica Santos) HongKong SAR (GarieCess Pimentel) andMacau SAR (JMEmilie Yupangco) (Ericamp Evelyn Ylagan)

C4 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

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JCL ndash member while for the TeologicalCommission the experts appointed wereFr Alexander L Garces SDB JCL ndashPresident Fr Enrico Eusebio Jr SJ JCDndash member and Sr Maria Amparo SantosOP JCL ndash member As with the ribunalmembers the Presidents and membersof both Commissions individually tooktheir respective oaths and signed the Acts

Te appointed Copyist Ms RonalynRegino and Assistant Copyist Ms Ge-cerein Sayen Ocampo were called next totake their respective oaths and similarlysigned in the Acts

Ten Postulator Msgr Pedro C Qui-torio III and Vice Postulator Fr WilmerR Rosario JCD individually took their

respective oaths not compromise the truthand offend justice nor impede the free-dom of witnesses to testify in the CauseTereafter they also signed the Acts

Te Postulator then presented to Car-dinal agle for his examination a list of

witnesses to be interrogated subject to thepossible addition and revision of namesin the future Upon examining the listthe Cardinal decreed that the next sessionfor interrogation of witnesses be held on

January 11 2016 at the Arzobispado deManila

Finally after ordering the Chancellorto establish public record of this First Ses-sion Cardinal agle declared the Processfor the Causes of Beatification and Can-

onization of Servant of God FAHERGEORGE J WILLMANN SJ Father ofthe Order of the Knights of Columbus inthe Philippines OPEN

o complete the Rites His EminenceLuis Antonio Cardinal agle together withformer Chief Justice Hilario G Davide

Jr as Chairman of the National ExecutiveCommittee (NEC) for the Cause of Fr

Willmann jo intly u nveiled the portraitof Father George J Willmann SJ

Tereafter Cardinal agle began thecelebration of the Holy Eucharist Con-celebrants were Bishop Honesto FOngtioco DD Bishop Mylo HubertC Vergara DD Msgr Geronimo FReyes JCD Fr William Arana OSA Fr

Carlo Magno Marcelo Fr Marvin MejiaFr Wilmer Rosario JCD Fr Carlo DelRosario Fr Julius Paul Factora OP JCDFr Sander Niez JCL Fr Alex GarcesSDB JCL Fr Rico Garcia Fr ReginaldMalicdem Fr Darwin Faith Ponce OSAFr Ricky VIllar OSA Fr Geoffrey Eb-orda OSA Fr Genaro Supremedo OSAFr Jojo orres OSA Fr Joseph VillarealOSA Fr Roy Gallano OSA Fr MichaelSalazar and Fr Romel Cruz

Also serv ing as Conce lebrants werea number of KC Priests Scholars of theKnights of Columbus Fr George J

Willmann Charities Inc that includedMsgr Pedro C Quitorio III Fr Benjamin

The Cross A Supplement Publication of KCFAPI and the Order of the Knights of ColumbusCBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25 December 7 2015 - 27 2016

Sainthood bid opens forFr George Willmann SJBy Roberto T Cruz

On December 7 2015 Mon-

day the bells of the ManilaCathedral rang out loud as HisEminence Luis Antonio Car-dinal agle presided over themilestone celebration of theHoly Eucharist at the ManilaCathedral to formally open theDiocesan process of the Causeof Fr George J Willmann SJ

he Liturgical Rites for the formalopening of the diocesan process precededthe Mass at 900am With the entranceprocession of Cardinal agle as the MainCelebrant together with two bishops twomonsignors and thirty-three priests whoconcelebrated the Mass the Rites started

with Msgr Pedro C Quitorio III theappointed Diocesan Postulator for theCause of Fr Willmann giving biographi-cal highlights of the life of Fr George J

Willmann SJ An Invocation of the HolySpirit followed with the singing of VeniCreator Spiritus by the Manila CathedralBasilica Choir

Cardinal agle then examined anddeclared the legitimacy of the appoint-ments of Msgr Pedro C Quitorio III asthe Postulator and Fr Wilmer R Rosario

JCD as Vice-Postul ator in conformity with the Code of Canon Law

Appointed members of the Diocesanribunal for the Cause of Fr Willmann

were Msgr Geronimo F Reyes JCDas Episcopal Delegate Fr Carlo P DelRosario JCL as Promoter of Justice Mseresita F Kudemus ndash First Notary MsMarivic M Ambasa ndash Second Notary Ms

Julieta R Santos as Tird NotaryTe Cardinal reminded them of the

great responsibility importance andseriousness of the Process for the Causesfor Beatification and Canonization Asrequired by Church law all the mem-bers of the ribunal starting with MsgrGeronimo F Reyes individually tooktheir oath to faithfully fulfill hisher com-mitment and then signed the Acts

Te Experts who were tapped to formthe Historical Commission includeFr Julius Paul Factora OP JCD asPresident Fr Adolfo N Dacanay SJ

JCD ndash member and Fr Sander D Niez Sainthood D3

KCFAPI Theme and Logo for 2016HE year 2016 has been pro-claimed the Year of the Eucharistand the Family by the CatholicBishopsrsquo Conference of the Phil-ippines Te theme is part of thenine year spiritual journey thatbegan with the Year of Faith

where we experienced an authenticrenewal of faith guided by the newevangelization principles

he Holy Eucharist whichmeans thanksgiving invitesfamilies of the Catholic faithfulto commemorate the supremesacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christon the cross to receive His body

and blood in the Holy Commu-nion and to celebrate His victoryover death

Te Roman Catholic Churchpromotes strong family ties andvalues Parents are entrustedthe responsibility to prepare andteach their children to follow JesusChrist and live His gospel

KCFAPI distinguished itselfin protecting the sanctity of thefamily by providing comfortand sustenance in any loss orlife-changing event among fam-ily members KCFAPI respondsswiftly to changing or evolvingfamily insurance needs Nowon its 58th year of providingunsurpassed uncompromised

fraternal service KCFAPI vowsand advocates relentlessly to

render comfort benefit and as-sistance to all brother knightsand their families with mercy andcompassion

As part of the KCFAPI familyin a pioneering effort all wholly-owned and majority-ownedcompanies will coordinate theirschedules and manage theirresources towards one com-mon goal and will function asone well oiled machine By

joi nin g han ds gu ide d by theHoly Spirit the strength ofone is multiplied several times

over Te heart symbolizes lovemercy and compassion and is

also Charity ndash the first of fourcore principle of the OrderKCFAPI in heart-shaped bordermantles the five wholly- ownedand majority-owned companies Keys Realty amp DevelopmentCorporation Kompass Creditand Financing Corporation KCPhilippines Foundation IncKnights of Columbus Fr George

J Willmann Charitie s Inc andMace Insurance Agency IncTey are depicted by the boldshoulders of the figures symbol-izing the family Just like in any

close-knit family concentratedon accomplishing one objective

all employees will be engagedtheir support and talent pooledand harnessed to participateactively in any company activi-ties working in tandem as onecohesive unit

Te logo vividly demonstratesthe solidarity and bonding of fam-ily members if they gather togetherand allow Christ to be at the centerof their family relationship

Te different colors representthe various hues of the Order ofthe Knights of Columbus red

whit e blu e and yell ow hegreen color manifests KCFAPIrsquos

concern for our environment andits managementrsquos advocacy gearedtowards a healthy state of our sur-roundings Orange brings a posi-tive outlook in life optimism andmotivation to look on the brighterside of life

Te cup and host (in yellow)emulating the Holy Eucharist pro-vides Christ- centered way of life

Te circular flow represents in-finity or totality the unboundedtimeless and never ending lovecare and affection of KCFAPIin providing each and every KCfamily a shield of security protec-tion and hope Te acronym ALLcharacterizes KCFAPIrsquos inclusiveapproach to all forms of actions

products and services (Angelito A Bala)

As we protect families for generations Act Live Love

KCFAPI Planning Conference The Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of thePhilippines Inc held their 2016 Planning Conference last November 7-9 2015 atColumbus Plaza General Santos City Present were KCFAPI Chairman Bro Arsenio IsidroG Yap KCFAPI President Bro Jose C Reyes Jr KCFAPI Executive Vice President SisMa Theresa G Curia KCFAPI Officers and Supervisors KEYS Realty Vice President Bro

Riz Nicolas and HTMC Vice President Sis Apolonia Dominguez

Living Rosary The Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of the Philippines Inchad their Living Rosary last October 30 2015 at the KCFAPI main office This has been

a yearly practice for the Month of the Holy Rosary which is usually conducted by itsofficers and staff

Cardinal Tagle leads the unveiling of the portrait of Jesuit Fr George J Willmann as the Manila archdiocesan process for the Cause of Beatification and Canonization of the latter formally opens at the Manila Cathedralon Monday Dec 7 Willman is considered as t he ldquoFather of the Knights of Columbusrdquo in the Philippines ROY LAGARDE

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 2224

D2 The CrossDecember 7 2015 - 27 2015 Vol 19 No 25

ACQ UIR IN G a hou se and lo t which they can call their own home

and driving their own cars are twoof the priority dreams of Filipinoparents Of course seeing theirchildren finish college education iseither Number 1 or Number 2

Te Knights of Columbus Frater-nal Association of the PhilippinesInc (KCFAPI) has formed andincorporated a new company to helpmembers of the Order to have their

dream homes and motor carsKCFAPI named the new company as Kompass Credit and

Financing Corporation (KCFC) after one of the symbols of theKnights of Columbus which is the Compass Like the Compassof the ancient marines KOMPASS is here to guide BrotherKnight in having their own home and efficient mobility

KOMPASS can also extend home car and business loans tothe general public

Interested parties can call KOMPASS at el No 527-2242

527-2223 loc 215 and 252 for further details of the loan

Arsenio Isidro G Yap

Chairmanrsquos Message

Presidentrsquos Message

Ma Theresa G Curia

Jose C Reyes Jr

Reflection

Curia Settings

Michael P Cabra

Bequest LIFE this Christmas

My Brotherrsquos Keeper

FILIPINO raditions reflect the kindof people that we are All traditionscustoms and beliefs evolve from thelove and respect of the family Ourmutual and natural respect for oneanother our desire to please and notoffend each other and our willingness

to extend a helping hand are just a fewof the basic foundations which madethe Filipino people unique a one of a

kind and nowhere else could be found And certainly a must-have as a friend and neighbor

Some of the trait I like is the ldquomano pordquo expression and at thesame time reaching for the otherrsquos hand and asking for his blessingsTe respected elder would normally extend his hand to touch theforehead of the one asking for his blessings and expresses ldquokaawanka ng Diyosrdquo or ldquoGod bless yourdquo It doesnrsquot matter whether the onebeing accorded the respect is younger than the person asking forthe blessing or even if they hardly know each other

Another trait is removing onersquos slippers or shoes when enteringa neighborrsquos house Te guest expresses his respect for the hostand does not in any way want to spoil or damage the pristinecondition of the floor which is normally kept shiny and clean

Cleaning of onersquos surrounding to the point of cleaning also theneighborrsquos grounds I could still remember in our neighborhoodthat the old folks would sweep the debris on the street in front

of their houses But instead of just collecting their own trashthey would try to outdo each other by picking (or sweeping)the litter on the street up to the neighborrsquos house in front andeven on their right and left side

Everyone living along the same street knows each other very well to the point that all knows who are having a hard time and would need some assistance A neighbor would readily do somehousehold chores give some food and try to console those whoare grieving for the loss of a love one Nobody needs to askHelp is extended readily

Although the traits Irsquove mentioned above are seldom practicednowadays except for the ldquomano pordquo I still believe that those

were just some of our good traits which define us as people which define us as a Filipino a unique breed of people We arevery resilient that even though we are in grief or experiencingextreme challenges in our everyday life we still are able to lightour faces with the friendliest smile

Christmas is another tradition-field celebration that is uniquelyFilipino Te ldquoSimbang Gabirdquo ldquoputo bumbongrdquo and the like are

some Christmas traditions But let us not forget that Christmas isnot just a season of merriment but is a season for reconciliationItrsquos that time of the year when we want to ask forgiveness fromthose we had wronged and at same time forgive also those whohad wronged us and forget whatever they had done to us

Christmas is a season wherein family ties are kept stronger andmore meaningful But to be more meaningful it is better that weshare our blessings to those in need whose nights might be Holy but

would be very Silent and the only sound that they could hear arenot carols of merriment but the grumbling of their empty stomach

Make this Christmas the most meaningful Christmas ever bysharing your ldquoNoche Buenardquo with a neighbor or better still witha complete stranger May the birth of our Lord touch our heartsand be responsive to those in need

CHRISMAS is a holy day celebratingthe birth of Jesus Christ our Saviour Ithas been a tradition in the Philippines that

we go to dawn masses from December 16to the eve of Christmas day Because ourenthusiasm builds up as early as Septemberon Christmas Day itself many of us areexhausted after days of going through heavytraffic on the way to parties and to crowdedshopping malls to shop for gifts Tere arealso many events that we are enticed to at-tend for our kidsrsquo sake gatherings of relatives and friends near and farand entertainment we spend a lot for the family

While these festivities are all expressions of love we sometimes forgetthat Christmas day is the day we should go to mass to thank God forall the blessings we received from Him and in turn to offer our gift to

Jesus Christ As we enter the Advent season let us start reflecting on

how we can better love and serve God on how we can help the poorand how we can give hope to those who are losing hope Let us put intoaction the principle of charity with greater vigor and sense of urgency

May Christmas be like the ldquoJourney to the Innrdquo of Joseph and Mary- tiring yet full of hope and joy to welcome Christ in our hearts andour homes As Knights of Columbus let us lead our communities toa Christ-centered Advent celebration this year and always

My family and I wish your whole family ldquoA Merry Christmas and aBlessed New Yearrdquo

FOR this Christmas I wish tobase my reflection on a poem

written by Horacio de la Costathe first Filipino provincial ofthe Jesuits Please read and usethe poem as a Christmas greet-ing My reflection is nothingcompared to the poem

We must have visited all theBelens in our churches since we

were small In fact most of usalso put up the Christmas cribin our own homes In arlacthey even have yearly exhibits ofBelens which they call Belenis-mo We were told that it was StFrancis who started putting upthe crib in his church And thepoem of Horacio Dela Costatells us that if we meditate onthis set up we might discover

the surprises that they bring toour consciousness

Let us identify some fea-tures of the Belens that we se earound us during the Christ-mas season and together letus reflect on the meanings thatthese can offer us We shall seedifferent layers of Christmasmeaning emerge

1 he King was born poorGod has become human Tisis one of the features that wesee when we stare at the Crib

What a paradox the king ispoor God is human Life isindeed full of paradoxes andof seeming contradictions

We make sense of them only

with the passage o f t ime and

as we mature both in age andin faith

2 he Bethlehem scene isprofoundly meaningful sym-bolic and mystery-laden We

watch the figures in the Be lenand sometimes we do notunderstand When we do notunderstand the turn of eventsin our life we should not giveup We should not run awayTe world will not end onlybecause we do not understand

what we see exper ience or feelLet us stand in awe at Godrsquosvisit when we are clueless of

what i s happening 3 he King was born in a

manger But there was peacearound among the wise menand the shepherds on that holy

and starry night We see atthe Belen scene a communionamong God humans the richand the poor animals and hu-mans the stars the night andthe people It was as though ata special moment the Universe

was one As though the con-nectedness of all the elements

was not merel y ecolog ical asLaudato Si spoke of but evendivine -human No wonderthat we do not get tired of put-ting up our belens at home inchurches and in public placesNo wonder that we can stareforever at the Nativity scenealthough we do not fully un-derstand everything although

we do it yea r afte r year We

also feel that we are there andthat we are connected to the

figures they represent we areconnected to history to oursurroundings and even to ourGod

4 he Savior was born ina manger where animals eatTe meaning of the mangerscene has been the content ofmany sermons that we haveheard We were told that thisdoes not only refer to thehumility or poverty of Jesus

A dee per meaning they say isthat Jesus has come to be foodfor all who come to him Jesuscame to give Himself as foodfor the world His words histeachings his mercy and com-passion and his Good News of

Godrsquos Plan are enough to fillour emptiness with a sense ofdirection and destiny Teyquench our thirst for enlight-enment guidance and sense ofdignity as humans

5 he Baby who is born isthe Savior of the world Howcan a Baby save the w orld Wesee before us a baby wrappedin swaddling clothes And werealize that Divinity can berevealed in very human situ-ations And that the humblestreality could be a revelationthat God is in our midst If weopen our hearts and minds tothe Lord His Spirit enlightensand gives delight to our weary

and limited minds and souls

Even today we can feel Hismessage although sometimes

we do not ful ly unders tand Te truth dawns on us when

we ar e qu ie t and when we wait When we do not rush toknow Godrsquos Presence is a Giftthat we can never be worthy ofBut the point here is not thatour littleness could obstructthe Revelation of a mysteryRather the Greatness of theLord compels Him to revealHimself to the little one Evento us Now

Tat is why Liturgy invokesour ability to watch to look at

what happe ns in the Churchcelebrations Te beauty ofcandles incense and flowerscan evoke some sense of the

Sacred Space a Sacred Mo-ment and a Sacred Encounter

Te Belen does this for us inrevealing the message of Christ-mas If we open our eyes weshall see the Message of Christ-mas with our hearts If we havetime and we can keep quietbefore the Belen we might seethe surprise of the Lord

[The author Ma TheresaG Curia is the Executive VicePresident amp Chief OperatingOfficer of the Knights of Co-lumbus Fraternal Association ofthe Phils Inc (KCFAPI) andthe incumbent Diocesan Regentof the Daughters of Mary Im-maculate International Dioceseof Malolos]

IrsquoS that time of the year again We must allbegin the increasingly difficult task of buy-ing suitable gifts for our friends and familyHowever there is a different gift you shouldseriously consider giving this year Itrsquos not a fun

present nor it is exciting Itrsquos not somethingyou can play with or wear and it definitely wouldnrsquot be considered a treat Itrsquos a gift thatno one wants but everyone NEEDS So whatare we talking about A Fraternal Service Plan

A Benefit Certificate (BC) or what is simplyknown as a life insurance policy Every year

we search for that perfect gift for a loved oneSomething that will show how much we careand appreciate them What could better provethat than giving someone the gift of SECU-RIY and SABILIY

Unfortunately the recent statistics presentthe sad truth (a) more than 95 Filipinos donot have adequate levels of insurance and (b)more than 80 of Filipinos do not believethey are likely to suffer a serious illness in the

next 20 years Yet each year around 365000Filipinos face premature death either caused byaccidental death or natural sickness It equatesto 1000 untimely deaths everyday

Firstly think about your present situation

Do you have loved ones who depend on youfinancially If something were to happen toyou would your family struggle to maintaintheir current lifestyle the kind of living yoursquovebeen providing If you answered yes to thesequestions itrsquos as simple as that - you need tohave life insurance Secondly do you have aloved one (parent spouse adult children e tc)

who needs protection Tis year give them theultimate gift Having an adequate amount oflife insurance can help in paying off hospitalbills memorial bills mortgage and even in-heritance tax It can allow a family to maintaintheir current level of living and possibly evenfund long term goals such as childrenrsquos schoolfunds dream car house business and evenretirement Now wersquore not saying this is the

only gift you should give it might look a littlesad with only that under the Christmas treeHowever just consider along with the othergifts giving a present that may not be appreci-ated at that moment might come in use should

a critical time arrive You look after your familyand so this is a perfect gift ideaItrsquos important to consult a fraternal counselor

when considering life insurance as it is impera-tive that you are insured accurately dependingon your current situation and future needs

Should you wish to know more just visit wwwkofcorgph for inquiries

Did you know thatFor as low as PhP10000 you can already

start the Gift of Life to your loved ones Tisfraternal service plan is called KC Peso Saver Itis a single contribution endowment plan which

will mature at the end of the benefit certificatersquos10th year In fact a lot of Knights of ColumbusMembers invest with this Gift of Life everyChristmas for their spouse and children

Gemille Isabel P Gloria

A Meek Christmas

IMAGINE a pregnant mother who is supposed to give birth toa child at the moment and rideson a donkey with her husband

Apart from the pain of laborthe mother is enduring deathchases their yet unborn child astheir King deliberately kills allthe newborn babies that night

urned down by the innkeepersthey ended up in a crude stablesharing it with the farm animalsand the shepherds as she gavebirth to a baby boy and placedhim in a manger I bet you arepicturing a scene of a movie inyour head right now Tis isactually what the first Christmaslooked like

Going back to the presentChristmas is far more delightfuland exciting Shopping feastinggift-giving and vacation trippingare just few of the activities that

we cannot do away with in ourChristmas lists We think ofChristmas like no other ordinaryday of the year We make sure

that for Noche Buena there isabundance of bountiful feasts inour dining table from a platterof mouth-watering leche flan toa sumptuous lechon new clothesup to fifty percent sale on theselected items section and expen-sive gifts covered in a Santa Claus

wrapper under a fully decorated

Christmas tree We associate theChristmas season as a time ofsplendor since it is the birthday ofour Savior Unfortunately someof us could only imagine thesethings Tey are our fellow whoare counted by the government inabject poverty who could hardlythink of where and how to gettheir first meal for the 365 daysof the year including Christmasday One does not need to moveafar to behold this ravers-ing nearby the office we couldalready see some of the faces inpoverty If you have not takenyet the underpass connectingManila City Hall and Intramu-ros as you make your way out of

it you will see sullied children intattered clothes inhaling plasticbags containing rugby with somesoiled adults who seem to be theirparents doing the same thing

With their hunger already in theirhead some children forcibly takethe food of the passersby Duringthe night the space where people

enter and exit the underpassin the day turns into a freezinghome for the homeless Youcan see in their wrinkled face thefeeling of sleeping on the passage-

ways with only cardboard boxesand worn out fabrics in betweentheir body and the cold cementedground Teir condition is notfar from what Jesus experiencedon the first Christmas born intoand chose to live a life of poverty

Remembering martyredSalvadoran Archbishop OscarRomero who once said thatldquoNo one can celebrate a genuineChristmas without being trulypoor he self sufficient theproud those who because they

have everything look down onothers those who have no needeven of God for them there

will be no Christmas Only thepoor the hungry those whoneed someone to come on theirbehalf will have that someonehat someone is God Em-manuel God-with-usrdquo With

what he thought we canrsquot arguethat at times we want everythingTe more you have the moreyou want and the more you get

What if we have nothing Whatif we donrsquot have gifts food andnew clothes for the Christmas

What if we are in the place of thehomeless Would we still feel thesame Christmas Spirit withoutthe things we celebrate with it

We have to learn to celebrat eChristmas with how the poorperceive it Let us not reachthe point where we celebrateChristmas just because we willreceive our one-year wish listLet us learn to lose to sacrificeand to give during Christmas

Joseph P Teodoro

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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D3The Cross December 7 2015 - 27 2015 Vol 19 No 25

Deogracias Fajota Fr Jeronimo

Ma Cruz Fr Antonio Rex PalayaFr Melvin Gamelo Fr JuliusCuison Fr Felix Labios Fr Ra-melle Rigunay Fr Randy SalungaFr Joel Cariaso Fr HernandezMendoza Fr Julius de Sagun FrRonel Ilano Fr Lowie Palines andFr Emmanuel Hiipolito

In his homily Cardinal aglestarted by citing that aside fromthe formal opening of the Dioc-esan process for Fr Willmannit was also the feast day of St

Ambrose a great teacher of theChurch known for his sanctityand teachings It was also the eveof the Immaculate Conception ofour Blessed Mother Mary plus thestart of the Advent season

Te Cardinal then focused onthe question What does it meanto be holy With the opening ofthe Cause he said that Fr George

J Willmann St Ambrose andMother Mary all responded tosanctity and holiness Cardinalagle clarified that ldquoHoliness isan attribute of God and not manrsquosachievement nor his work It isGod who is Holy and our holi-ness is a gift of God ndash our oneness

with HimrdquoCardinal agle added that the

message of the First Reading is thatthe Holiness of God is seen withmarvelous work ndash like transform-ing a desert into a garden filled

with water and flowers where we

are able to drink from Godrsquos good-ness with a safe road along the

holy way Te desert symbolizes

humanity that is seen to be dryfruitless empty and even life-less However when God entersall these are transformed into abountiful garden Godrsquos Holinessalways creates miracles ldquoWhen-ever we experience hopelessnessloaded with faults we must notbe afraid for that is the time whenGod will come to infuse His Holi-ness and cure the sickness Tat isthe Good Newsrdquo Cardinal agleadded that during this season ofadvent we must look deeper intoour deserts in order to experiencethe Holiness of God

Te Cardinal then underscoredthat we need to respond to GodrsquosHoliness not like the scribes in

the reading who questioned andrejected Jesus but like the friendsof the paralyzed man who lookedfor a nonconventional way -through the roof - to bring theparalytic closer to Jesus Cardinalagle stressed the need for us to bealert discerning with eyes of faithin order for us to respond to ourHoly God in His action when weare in our desert

he Cardinal then asked thepeople to pray for those entrusted

with the Cau se of Fr Willmannthat they may be illumined witheyes of faith With no intention ofpre-empting the Diocesan processCardinal agle simply thankedGod as we are now privileged

to share Godrsquos holiness throughpersonal experiences with Fr Will-

Sainthood D1

Process for PHrsquos new lsquoServantof Godrsquo starts rollingMANILA Dec 7 2015 ndash Manila Arch-bishop Luiacutes Antonio G Cardinal agleofficially accepted on Monday Dec 7the Feast of St Ambrose the petition toopen an investigation on the sanctity andheroic virtues of Fr George J WillmannSJ founder of the Knights of Columbus(KC) in the Philippines among otherCatholic lay organizations

At least 1000 of the naturalized Fili-pino Jesuit priestrsquos spiritual children fromall over the country including no lessthan former Supreme Court (SC) Chief

Justice Hilario G Davide Jr becamepart of Philippine Church history as they

witnes sed at the Manila Metropo litanCathedral Basilica the solemn opening ofthe archdiocesan process they hope wouldlead to beatification and canonization

lsquoGreat responsibilityrsquoIn line with this agle appointed Msgr

Pedro C Quitorio III of the CatholicBishopsrsquo Conference of the Philippines(CBCP) Media Office as postulator forthe cause of the countryrsquos newest ldquoServantof Godrdquo

He also approved the appointments ofMsgr Geronimo S Reyes Fr Wilmer RRosal and Fr Ricardo P del Rosario asepiscopal delegate vice postulator andpromoter of justice respectively as wellas of a host of other experts both clericand lay who vow to work together to giveFilipinos another saint

Te prelate went on to swear in allthose involved in the cause for Willmannrsquosbeatification and canonization remindingthem of the ldquogreat responsibilityrdquo theyhave assumed and the ldquoimportance andseriousnessrdquo of the task at hand

PHrsquos Fr McGivney Dubbed ldquoFr McGivney of the Philip-

pinesrdquo due to his dedication to expand KClocally Willmann worked for the radicaltransformation of faith into action

Born on June 29 1897 to very devoutCatholic parents in Brooklyn New Yorkthe American Jesuit was granted Philip-pine citizenship by President FerdinandMarcos through Presidential Decree(PD) No 740

In 1938 he first served as chaplain

of KC Manila Council 1000 then re-turned in 1954 to become the Orderrsquosfirst Philippine Deputy until his deathin 1977

In total the priest spent 44 fruitful andproductive years in the Philippines serv-ing the poor the sick the orphans theoppressed the lonely and the desolateespecially the young ones

KCFAPI etcBesides what is formally known as the

Knights of Columbus Fraternal Associa-tion of the Philippines Inc (KCFAPI)

which he founded in 1958 Willmannestablished other organizations as follows

bull Catholic Youth Organization (1938)bull Establishment of the Catholic Press

ldquoFilipinasrdquo and the ldquoCrossrdquo Magazines(1946)

bull Columbian Squires in the Philippines(1950)

bull Daughters of Isabella in the Philip-pines (1951) reorganized as Daughtersof Mary Immaculate (1977)

bull Columbian Farmers Aid Association(1951) reorganized as Knights of Co-lumbus Community Service Inc (1962)

bull Knights of Columbus Fraternal Asso-ciation of the Philippines Inc (KCFAPI)(1958)

bull Knights of Columbus PhilippinesFoundation Inc (1971) (Raymond ASebastiaacuten CBCP News)

Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle leads the Mass of the formal opening of the ArchdiocesanProcess for the Causes of Beatification and Canonization of the Servant of God FatherGeorge J Willmann SJ father of the Knights of Columbus in the Philippines LIN REGINO

Te Gentle Warrior By James B Reuter SJ

Part II of Chapter wo of ldquoTe Gentle Warriorrdquo series

CHAPER WO-----------------

Te Ateneo de Manila

HE Ateneo was a boysrsquo schoolTe objective of a boysrsquo school is tomake a man out of a boy Te mainvirtue of a man is courage Godmirrored His virtues in His childrenBut he divided them between girls

and boys Tere is such a thing as amasculine soul and a feminine soulIf a boy and a girl are suddenly con-fronted with a wild bull thunderingdown on them if the girl screamedand hid behind the boy that wouldbe normal But if the boy screamedand hid behind the girl everyone

would be ashamed of him Tevirtue of a girl is not physical cour-age it is love and mercy Te virtueof a boy is courage and justice Butin our schools there is no course inthe curriculum called ldquoCouragerdquo

here is no subject called

ldquoCouragerdquo Tere is no mark forldquoCouragerdquo It has to be taught inevery subject through the wholelife of the school he Jesuitsunderstood this very well AndGeorge understood it He began

to learn the meaning of couragehimself when he was five yearsold sitting on the curbstone onPutnam Avenue when the wheelof the garbage truck crushed bothhis feet

In the old Ateneo there wasa strong tradition of ldquoRomansrdquoand ldquoCarthageniansrdquo Jose Rizal

was the Emperor of the RomansEvery class was competitive TeRomans would be lined up onone side of the class the Car-thagenians on the other Te firstquestion went to the Romans

If the Romans answered it cor-rectly the questioning stayed

with the Romans If any Romanmissed the question went to theCarthagenians Ten the Romanboys would growl and grumble at

the Roman who missed It wascompetition to teach courage

And the battle cry of all theteams was ldquoAnimo Ateneordquo Youcould translate that as ldquoLetrsquos go

Ateneordquo or ldquoSpirit Ateneordquo orldquoFight Ateneordquo mdash but in practiceit meant courage Never give upno matter what the odds ldquoGoget lsquoem Ateneordquo Never say dieTis was obvious in everythingthat the boys did

But it never degenerated intoldquoWin at all costsrdquo Te secondmasculine virtue is justice Tis

means honesty integrity and fairplay Both at once mdash courageand fair play Te verse that everyathlete in the school knew by heart

was ldquoIf I should win let it be bythe code with my head and my

honor held high But if I shouldlose let me stand by the road andcheer as the winner goes byrdquo

It was a tremendous amount of work mdash teaching night and dayrunning the Sodality the ACILand the magazine mdash but Georgeloved it

And his students loved him Tefriendships that he made duringthose three years of regency from1922 to 1925 lasted more thanfifty years

(o be continued on the nextissue)

mann and his life and ministrydevoted to service that providedldquofresh water and good newsrdquo

particularly to the youth the poorand the prisonersTe Cardinal cited his own basic

formation as a Charter memberof the Columbian Squires inImus Cavite where they helpedthe Church in its program for thestreet children He also mentionedhis appreciation for being a scholarof the Knights of Columbus dur-ing Fr Willmannrsquos time

Reiterating that God indeedtransforms deserts into places ofrest peace and holiness Cardinalagle ended his homily by encour-aging all in attendance to be agentsof Godrsquos holiness

People from all walks of life joined the celebration of this Mass

that formally opened the Cause ofServant of God - Fr Willmann

Also repres ent ed were var iou sorganizations established and nur-tured by Fr George including the

Daughters of Isabella (now Daugh-ters of Mary Immaculate) Catholic Youth Organization ColumbianSquires and the Knights of Co-lumbus Parishioners and residents

with their families from nearbycities and communities of ondoIntramuros Sta Cruz Malate andother more distant places likewise

witnessed the very mean ingfulOpening of the diocesan processfor the Cause of their ldquoFather andBenefactorrdquo of forty years

Fr George J Willmann SJdevoted the last forty years of hislife not only in humble serviceand dynamic leadership of theKnights of Columbus in thePhilippines but equally being a

compassionate pastor in the careand formation of the youth He

provided relief to victims of the

war and of violence while also al-leviating the sufferings of the poorHe likewise established ways topreserve and promote the sanctityof life marriage and the family

It was in 1997 or eighteen yearsago that the Knights of Columbusin the Philippines first started aconcerted thrust to formally laythe groundwork for the Causeof Fr Willmann During theOrderrsquos centennial celebration ofFr Willmannrsquos birth the Ordercreated a Committee on Causecomposed of Ramon V ConsingLauro M Cruz and Msgr PedroC Quitorio III as co-chairmenNotable activities of the Com-mittee included gathering of tes-

timonials launch of the Prayer forthe Centennial of Fr Willmann with the Impr imatur of Msgr Jose C Abriol launching of Fr Willmann Fellows meeting withthen Jaime Cardinal Sin and theFather Provincial of the Jesuits toseek their respective endorsementsof the Cause Te Order publishedand distributed the pamphlet ldquoAGlimpsehe Life and Worksof Fr George J Willmann SJrdquoin order to give due acknowledg-ment and recognition as well as toincrease awareness abou t Fr Will-mann A landmark achievement ofthis period was the publication ofldquoTe Gentle Warriorrdquo a biographyof Fr Willmann authored by Fr

James B Reuter SJEstablishing and spreading the

fama sanctitatis of Fr Willmann

included the presentation andpromotion of his works mademore concrete by direct testimo-nies of various individuals whomhe personally interacted withFr Willmann Fellowsrsquo one-timemembership donations have beenpooled to fund the productionof materials such as prayer cardspublications tarpaulins postersto effectively promote Fr George

Willmann not only to brotherKnights but more importantlyto the youth the poor and under-privileged of various communities

In 2011 through the efforts ofthe KC Fraternal Association ofthe Philippines and the Knightsof Columbus Fr Willmann Chari-

ties Inc the National ExecutiveCommittee (NEC) for the Causeof Fr Willmann was created withthe primary function of overseeingall the initiatives relative to or inconnection with the Cause

We are blessed that the Dioc-esan process of the Cause of FrGeorge J Willmann SJ has nowbeen formally opened therebygiving us significant reason torejoice Henceforth he will nowbe regarded Servant of God Letus fervently pray for continuedenlightenment from the HolySpirit for everyone involved in thisDiocesan process and the Causeas a whole so that our belovedFr George J Willmann may ulti-

mately be elevated to the honorsof the altar

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D4 The CrossDecember 7 2015 - 27 2015 Vol 19 No 25

FST IN CAGAYAN A Fraternal Service Training program was held in Cagayan De Oro last November 13 2015Participants were from Zamboanga Misamis and Butuan The event was graced by KCFAPI Vice Presidentfor FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBG Manager Michael Cabra Aside from the product specifications thetraining also gives an idea regarding the basic insurance process and conceptualization of new marketingstrategies in order to achieve their goals and improve their sales performance (FBG News)

AREA MEETING IN VISAYAS The KCFAPI Western Visayas Armor held an area meeting in Bacolod lastOctober 24 2015 led by Agency Unit Manager Randy G Bravo and graced by KCFAPI Vice President forFBG Gari San Sebastian (KCFAPI News)

FST IN DAVAO A Fraternal Service Training program (1 and 2) was held in KCFAPI Davao Service OfficeDavao City last November 20-21 2015 Participants were from Compostela Valley Cotabato City andGeneral Santos The training was attended by KCFAPI Vice President f or FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBGManager Michael Cabra (FBG News)

PRODUCERSrsquo FORUM KCFAPI Vice President for FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBG Manager Michael Cabraled a Producersrsquo Forum wherein fraternal counsellors all over Luzon were gathered for an update of theirincentives program held last November 11 2015 at the KCFAPI home office (FBG News)

New KCFAPI Board of Trustee Bro Pascual C Carbero

IN February of 1986 BroCarbero started his knightlyservice in the Knights of Co-lumbus under Council 10695

in Valenzuela City Duringhis service in Council 10695he has been appointed asChancellor for CY 1992-1993 and as Deputy GrandKnight and Program Direc-tor for CY 1993-1994 InDistrict M-31 of ValenzuelaCity Bro Carbero was GrandKnight for CY 1994-1995District Warden for CY 1996-1997 and District Deputyfor CY 1997-1999 He wasalso Chairman for the Roundable District Deputies forCY 1998-1999 At the Dr PioValenzuela Assembly ACN1772 Meycauayan Bulacanhe was the Faithful Naviga-

tor for CY 1999-2000 Onthat same term Bro Pascual

was the Luzo n State Audi -tor for CY 2000-2003 andthe Luzon State Warden forCY 2000-2003 of the Luzon

Jurisdiction After which forCY 2000-2001 he becamethe Charter Faithful Naviga-tor for the City of Valenzuela

Assembly ACN 2676 For

CY 2007-2015 Bro Carbero was re-a ppo inte d as Luzo nState Warden Bro Carbero

was a voting delegate in the

KC Supreme Convention heldat Washington DC in 2010and also a non-voting delegateheld at Anaheim Californiain 2002 and 2012 Currentlyhe is the State Secretary of theLuzon North Jurisdiction

Bro Pascualrsquos dedicationand enthusiasm in participat-ing in the Order gave himthe endeavor to author thecreation of the City of Valen-zuela Assembly in 1999 withthe assistance of the Districtand Vice Supreme Master

With his knightly serv ice he was awarded with several rec-ognition namely OutstandingDistrictDeputy for CY 1997-

1999 Star District Awardeefor CY 1997-1999 and Civic

Awardee as Charter FaithfulNavigator of the City of Valen-zuela Assembly ACN 2676CY 2000-2001

Apart from Knights of Co-lumbus Bro Carbero partakeshis services in other civic andreligious organizations He isa Special Lay Minister of the

Holy Eucharist Parish of theHoly Cross since 1989 and amember of the Parish RenewalExperience Group He is the

Director and reasurer of thePhilippine Insurers Club from2013 to 2014 and currently itsPresident He is also a memberof the Insurance Executive1st Friday Club of Makatiand an incoming Presidentof the Philippine Associationof Surety Underwriters Incthis 2016

He was Director Corpo-rate Secretary of Mace Insur-ance Agency Inc from 2012until 2014 and currentlythe Independent Director ofKompass Credit and FinancialCorporation and KCFAPIrespectively Bro Carbero isalso a fellow of Father George

J Willmann Charit ies Inc And since 2006 he has beenthe Vice President of IntraStrata Assurance Corporation

He graduated with a Bach-elorrsquos degree in Business Ad-ministration Major in Man-agement at Philippine Schoolof Business Administration in1973 and finished Bachelor ofLaws in Lyceum of the Philip-

pines in 1988Bro Pascual Carberorsquos wife

Sis Remedios was past presi-dent for three years of theCatholic Womenrsquos League(CWL) Valenzuela Chapterand currently the AssistantVice President for Underwrit-ing in Mercantile InsuranceCo Inc in Intramuros Ma-nila Tey are blessed with six

wonderful children namely

Soidemer Claire a pediatri-cian Abigail Claire a lawyerValerie Claire and ChristineClaire both of whom are reg-istered nurses Terese Claire

who graduated with Bachelorrsquosdegree in Laws and is currentlyreviewing for Bar exams and

Adrian Brian who is also aregistered nurse and presentlya 3rd year medical student

Former SC Justice tofellow lsquoPH Knightsrsquo Prayfor Willmannrsquos CauseMANILA Dec 8 2015 ndash Former Chief

Justice Hilario G Davide Jr has calledon fellow members of the Knights of Co-lumbus (KC) nationwide to keep prayingfor the eventual ldquoraising to the altarrdquo ofthe grouprsquos spiritual father Fr George J

Willmann SJ who was declared ldquoSer-vant of Godrdquo Monday Dec 7

ldquoSo what is demanded of us as mem-bers of Knights of Columbus What isdemanded of us as members of Knightsof Columbus Fraternal Association of thePhilippines Inc [KCPAFI]rdquo he askedldquoWe need to pray a lot Pray pray praythat the tribunal will listen to the evidencepresented Pray pray pray that the tribu-nal will actually collate all the evidenceand determine once and for all that whathas been presented through our postula-

tor is credible to merit the conferment ofbeatification later on Tis is our taskrdquo

Archdiocesan processDavide who now chairs the National

Executive Committee for the Causes ofFr Willmann made this observation in aspeech following a ceremony held at theManila Cathedral during which Arch-bishop Luiacutes Antonio G Cardinal agleofficially approved the archdiocesan process

for the causes for the beatification and can-onization of the naturalized Filipino Jesuit

he solemn occasion was witnessedby no less than 1000 representativesof KCPAFI and other organizations Fr

Willmann helped establish like Catholic Youth Organization Columbian Squiresin the Philippines (1950) and Daughtersof Mary Immaculate

Te former chief magistrate went on todescribe the entire process as ldquovery mean-ingfulrdquo since it had the power to make anordinary priest into a Servant of God

Ordinary priest to Servant of GodldquoImagine during our lifetime today in

the Cathedral we saw the conversion ofan ordinary priest to become a Servant ofGod And we hope that he will merit be-

ing a servant of God until the first step ofthe process will continuerdquo he exclaimed

According to him it must have been thefirst time for most people present to haveseen with their own eyes an event of suchldquohistoric and momentous significancerdquo

ldquoI have lived 20 times four years of mylife almost And this is the first time I have

witnessed the process how it evolves and what we can gather from it o me thisis not just making somebody brought to

the honors of the altar but for us to beable to witness how to live and how tocomport ourselves to be able to follow hisfootstepsrdquo he explained

Built-in holinessDavide pointed out that holiness is

already built in each person but it is onlya matter of expressing it

ldquoWhy I would say that holiness is inus already Because we are the templeof God and the Spirit of God is with usSometimes however we forget that this isso We close our ears We close our eyes to

Jesus Christ We close our hands to JesusChrist by helping others So this is theprocess that we have witnessed today Andto me it will very much workrdquo he added

Davide also credited Msgr Pedro C Qui-

torio III postulator of the causes for Fr Will-mann for the ldquodivinely inspiredrdquo occasionand the timeliness of the diocesan process

ldquoSo Msgr Quitorio you are divinelyinspired You planned everything in sucha way that everything we did and we willdo and what we are doing right now isnot only as legacy to the next generationbut even beyond the next generation forpeople and children yet unbornrdquo he said(Raymond A Sebastiaacuten CBCP News)

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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B2 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25PASTORAL CONCERNS

C B C P N e

w s

Separation of Church and State lawsin the marriage of Catholics

By Fr Jaime B Achacoso JCD

I AM not a great fan of the so-calledseparation of Church and State as it

is often misunderstood as the juridicexpression of the laicist principle ofrelegating religion to the privatesphere As we had seen in a previ-ous article this was the brainchildof the French Revolution fruit ofthe prejudice against the CatholicChurch (since it was identified withthe abusive absolutist monarchiesin Europe at the time) but whichnevertheless had to be toleratedfor the sake of individual liberty Ihave always argued for the conceptof distinction between Church andState based on the fact that thesubjects of both jurisdictions are thesame people who are simultaneouslyfaithful of the Catholic Church andcitizens of the State Te State andthe Church are distinct jurisdictionsbut not separate and uncoordinated

One area of such distinctionhowever which can be considered asa veritable separation is the matter ofmatrimonial law

wo Separate Marriages heCanonical Marriage and the CivilMarriage

When a Filipino Catholic faith-ful gets married he effectively getsmarried under two separate juridicalsystems Church Law (or CanonLaw) and State Law (or the Civil Lawof the Republic of the Philippines)Each juridic system has its own set ofrequirements even if the civil law inthe Philippines regulates marriage ina way similar to Canon Law through

the Family Code of the PhilippinesIn fact the crafters of the FamilyCode got many of its provisions fromthe corresponding section of theCode of Canon Law of the CatholicChurch What most people do notrealize is that the papers signed at theend of the Catholic Wedding Massare in fact the Marriage Contract un-der the Republic of the Philippinesthe same contract which wouldhave been signed in the presence ofa solemnizing officer (the judge orhis equivalent) in the appropriategovernment office What happensis that the parish priest (or the priestto whom he delegates the functionof solemnizing the marriage) is depu-tized by the state to be a solemnizing

officer through a license which isexpedited by the National StatisticsOffice yearly In short the Catholicpriest is authorized by the Republicof the Philippines to solemnize thecivil marriage In other words thecivil marriage can be solemnized byeither a civil servant or a Catholicpriest with the license from the NSO

Insofar as the Canonical Marriageis concerned on the other handthe only paper work required is itsregistration in the Book of Marriages (Marriage Registry) in the parish

where it was celebrated as well as itsannotation in the Book of Baptisms (Baptismal Registry) in the parish

where the spouses were baptizedTere is no separate marriage cer-

tificate or marriage contract for thecanonical marriageTis fundamental juridic reality

has several consequences

A Purely Canonical Marriage only

has Purely Canonical Require-ments

When an already civilly-marriedcouple wish to contract a canonicalmarriagemdasheg when they want

to regularize their situation in theChurch in order to return to thereception of the Sacramentsmdashwhatis celebrated is just the canonicalmarriage without the correspond-ing civil marriage which had alreadybeen celebrated Hence the onlyrequirements for the solemnizingsacred minister are the requirementsstipulated by Canon Law in c1108mdashsect1 Only those marriages are validwhich are contracted in the presence ofthe local ordinary or the parish priest ora priest or deacon delegated by either ofthem who assists and in the presenceof two witnesses according to the rulesexpressed in the following canons (hellip)

mdashsect2 Te one assisting at a mar-riage is understood to be only that

person who present at the ceremonyasks for the contractantsrsquo manifestationof consent and receives it in the nameof the Church

As can be seen for this purelycanonical marriage the assistingsacred minister (the local ordinary orthe parish priest or another priest ordeacon delegated by either the localordinary or the parish priest) doesnot need the license from the State toact as solemnizing officer for the civilmarriage since such a marriage is not

being celebrated Tus the praxis inmany parishes of requiring the above-mentioned government license fromthe sacred minister in good canonicalstanding who has been duly delegated tosolemnize a purely canonical marriage

is not only improper but is an outrightinsult to the canonical order

Te So-called Secret Marriage A secret marriage is one that the lo-

cal ordinary permits to be celebratedin secret due to a grave and urgentcause (c1130) Tis involves carry-ing out the preliminary investigation(the canonical inquiry) in secret andhaving the local ordinary the official

witness (the local ordinary or theparish priest or any priestdeaconauthorized by them to solemnize themarriage) the common witnesses(the two other witnesses required bythe canonical form) and the spousesto maintain secrecy regarding theactual celebration of the marriage(c1131)

Tus there are two requirementsfor a secret marriage (1) authoriza-

tion from the local ordinary ofthe place where the marriage iscelebrated (2) a grave and urgent cause which must be assessed bythe ordinary

Te classic example of a grave andurgent cause appears in Benedict

XIVrsquos encyclical Satis vobis (17 XI1741) in the case of two persons who live together without havingbeen married canonically but who

were publicly considered husbandand wife Te gravity would stemfrom the fact that these personsmight be living in a habitual state

of sin (extramarital intercourse) orat least in a proximate occasion forsuch sin Te urgency might stemfrom other factors like unreasonableopposition from the partiesrsquo relativesfor the canonical marriage to take

place or some civil impediment forthe marriage to take place (eg apre-existing civil marriage) within areasonable period of time

Actual Filipino society presents

several scenarios(1) A couple civilly-married andstably living together in the Catholiccommunity which understandsthem to be husband and wife oregularize their situation in theChurch (to be able to return tothe Sacraments) they need to bemarried canonically but withoutdetriment to their good standingbefore the community which haderstwhile taken them to be canoni-cally married

(2) A couple stably living togetherin the Catholic community whichunderstands them to be husband and

wife but who have never been mar-

ried either canonically or civillymdashthelatter since there is an impediment incivil law for such a civil marriage totake place (eg an existing civil mar-riage of one or both of the parties thedeclaration of the nullity of which istaking too much time and expense)In this case they need to be marriedcanonically to regularize their situa-tion in the Church but cannot do socivilly yet because of the impedimentin civil law

(3) A couple one of whom hadbeen previously married civilly andcanonically and had obtained a

declaration of nullity of the canoni-cal marriage but have not been ableto get a similar declaration for thecivil marriage due to some reason(eg the high cost of the civil pro-cess) Te urgency to celebrate the

canonical marriage might be due tothe couplersquos already cohabitating anddesiring to regularize their situationin the Church and return to theSacraments Another reason could

be the couplersquos plan to immediatelymigrate to start a new life of goodstanding before the Church

(4) A couple of radically unequalsocial status or ethnic provenance

whose marriage is feared to resultin their permanent alienation fromtheir blood family or in disinheri-tance

(5) A widow who would lose her job or means of sustenance for herselfand her children should her marriagecome to public knowledge

In all of these scenarios the im-mediate celebration of the canonicalmarriage is warranted but whichcannot be divulged to the general

public or to the State either for thetime being or indefinitely

Documentation of a Purely Ca-nonical Marriage

Another consequence of theseparation of Church and State inmatrimonial law is the matter ofdocumentation Te documentationof the civil marriage is well knownthe marriage contractmdashexpeditedby the civil registrar signed by theparties the solemnizing officer (theauthorized sacred minister in thecase of a Church wedding) and the

witnessesmdashcopies of which are filedin the office of the civil registrar andin the parish office

As previously stated the canoni-cal marriage is simply noted in theBook of Marriages of the parish

where it was celebrated and in theBook of Baptisms in the respectiveparishes where the parties were bap-tized (which acts as the permanentrecord of their entire lifetime in the

Church)Of special interest in the presentsubject is the practice in some dio-ceses of filling out and signing thepro-forma Marriage Certificatemdash

with the heading of the Republicof the Philippinesmdashfrom the officeof the civil registrar even in the caseof a secret marriage albeit only forfiling in the secret archives of thediocese Not only is this a breach ofthe principle of distinction of Churchand State it might even be proof ofthe celebration of the secret marriageitself outside of Civil Law A betterpractice would be to make a Mar-riage Contract form specifically for

the Canonical Marriage only

Declaration of Nullity of a Canoni-cal Marriage

o conclude given the separa-tion of Canonical Law and CivilLaw the declaration of nullity of acanonical marriage does not auto-matically establish the nullity of thecorresponding civil marriage (andvise-versa) While the celebration of acanonical marriage normally has civileffectsmdashbecause the correspondingcivil marriage is also celebrated withthe sacred minister acting as an au-

thorized solemnizing officermdashthedeclaration of nullity in one forumdoes not carry with it a correspond-ing declaration of nullity in the otherforum wo separate processes mustbe carried out

Advent Wreaths and Incensing(Father Edward McNamara pro-

fessor of liturgy and dean of theologyat the Regina Apostolorum universityanswers the following query)

Q When incensing the altar atthe beginning of Mass should the

Advent wreath also be incensed inthe same way as the paschal candleduring the Easter season Whatabout a Nativity scene (during theChristmas season) -- D LeuvenBelgium

A Te rules regarding incensingare mostly found in the missal andthe Ceremonial of Bishops heintroduction to the missal says

ldquoIncensationldquo276 Turification or incensa-

tion is an expression of reverenceand of prayer as is signified in Sa-cred Scripture (cf Ps 140 [141]2Rev 83)

ldquoIncense may be used if desiredin any form of Mass

ldquoa during the Entrance proces-

sion

ldquob at the beginning of Mass to in-cense the cross and the altar

ldquoc at the Gospel procession and theproclamation of the Gospel itself

ldquod after the bread and the chalicehave been placed upon the altar toincense the offerings the cross and the

altar as well as the priest and the peopleldquoe at the showing of the host and the

chalice after the consecrationldquo277 Te priest having put incense

into the thurible blesses it with the Signof the Cross without saying anything

ldquoBefore and after an incensation aprofound bow is made to the person orobject that is incensed except for theincensation of the altar and the offeringsfor the Sacrifice of the Mass

ldquohe following are incensed withthree swings of the thurible the MostBlessed Sacrament a relic of the HolyCross and images of the Lord exposedfor public veneration the offerings forthe Sacrifice of the Mass the altar crossthe Book of the Gospels the PaschalCandle the priest and the people

ldquoTe following are incensed with two

swings of the thurible relics and imagesof the Saints exposed for public venera-tion which should be done howeveronly at the beginning of the celebrationafter the incensation of the altar

ldquohe altar is incensed with singleswings of the thurible in this way

ldquoa if the altar is freestanding withrespect to the wall the priest incenses

walking around itldquob if the altar is not freestanding the

priest incenses it while walking first tothe right hand side then to the left

ldquoTe cross if situated on or near thealtar is incensed by the priest before heincenses the altar otherwise he incensesit when he passes in front of it

ldquohe priest incenses the offerings with three swings of the thurible or bymaking the sign of the cross over theofferings with the thurible before goingon to incense the cross and the altarrdquo

Although there is a rite of blessingfor the Advent wreath in the AmericanBook of Blessings there is no mentionof incensing the wreath Tis blessing is

proper to the United States and is absent

from the official Book of Blessings incountries such as Italy

It must therefore be concluded thatthe Advent wreath is not incensed inthe manner of the paschal candle It isneither a relic nor an image and is morean expression of popular piety than a

liturgical object per seTe paschal candle receives special

veneration because it is a traditional andancient symbol of the risen Christ Onecould argue that in a way the wreath isa symbol of the coming Christ but we

would still be before a relatively recentcustom and one which is not presentin the universal Church Its not beingincensed does not lessen in any way theusefulness of the wreath in fostering aspiritual preparation for Christmas

A Nativity scene or at least an imageof the Child Jesus set up in the sanc-tuary could enter into the category ofldquoimages of the Saints exposed for publicvenerationrdquo mentioned above in No277 and hence be incensed

It should be remembered however

that several Church guidelines advise

against setting up the Nativity inthe sanctuary itself and above all itshould never be an obstacle to thedignified celebration of the liturgi-cal celebrations For example theUS bishopsrsquo conference says in thedocument ldquoBuilt of Living Stonesrdquo

ldquosect 124 sect Plans for seasonal deco-rations should include other areasbesides the sanctuary Decorationsare intended to draw people to thetrue nature of the mystery beingcelebrated rather than being endsin themselves Natural flowersplants wreaths and fabric hangingsand other seasonal objects can bearranged to enhance the primaryliturgical points of focus Te altarshould remain clear and free-stand-ing not walled in by massive floraldisplays or the Christmas crib andpathways in the narthex nave andsanctuary should remain clearrdquo

If as is common in many church-es the Nativity scene is outside thesanctuary area there is no need to

leave the sanctuary to incense it

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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B3CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25 FEATURES

Three Macro-Challenges for the Church in the lsquoYear of MercyrsquoBy Abp Antonio J Ledesma SJ

HE last two months of this year 2015 havebrought to the fore three macro-challenges forCivil Society and the Church in the Philippinestoday Tey are challenges on a macro scalebecause no single organization nor group ofindividuals can adequately address the various

issues that are emerging Tey are also macrobecause these issues affect millions of peopleor in some cases the entire world Indeed theneed for consensus-building on a national orglobal level has been felt Tis should be basedon ethical-moral principles and shared valuesthat go beyond cultural religious and socio-economic barriers In particular the CatholicChurch plays a significant role in Philippinesociety in addressing these macro issues

I Climate ChangeOn a global scale Climate Change will

be the pressing issue at the 21st Conferenceof Partners (COP 21) on the environmentPope Francisrsquo recent encyclical Laudato Si

has opened wide the doors for scientists andreligious leaders to enter into serious dialogueover issues such as global warming and thesearch for alternative sources of energy Insteadof viewing the environment or nature simplyas an object to be exploited Pope Francis pres-ents the Christian vision of Godrsquos handiworkldquoCreation can only be understood as a gift from

the outstretched hand of the Father of all andas a reality illuminated by the love which callsus together into universal communionrdquo (LS76) He also points out the intimate connectionbetween the ecological approach and the socialapproach ldquoso as to hear both the cry of the earth

and the cry of the poorrdquo (LS 49)Here in Cagayan de Oro we have joined

other dioceses in a Global Climate SolidarityMarch for the Environment On Nov 28advocates for protecting the environmentconverged at the Divisoria from four starting-points to join the voices of the world-wideCatholic Climate Movement at the startof COP 21 in Paris Te archdiocese alsocontinues its participation in the Cagayande Oro River Basin Management Council(CDORBMC) to protect the watershed areasand downstream communities of the Cagayande Oro river system

II Bangsamoro Basic Law A second macro challenge is the continuing

quest for a just and lasting peace in MindanaoTe draft Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) has

been altered in the committee sessions of bothhouses of Congress A version called the Basic

Law for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region(BLBAR) has come out from the Committeeof the House of Representatives Moreover thecommittee report in the Senate has providedanother set of amendments With the resur-gence of biases and prejudices after the Ma-masapano incident the final outcome for thepassage of the various drafts of the BangsamoroBasic Law is not clear

Seen from a wider perspective the letterof the Catholic Bishopsrsquo Conference of thePhilippines (CBCP) in July 2015 stated ldquoOnour part viewing the issues from a moral angle

we do not want a BBL that does not effectivelyaddress the root causes of social injusticerdquo Tisechoes the view of the surviving members ofthe Constitutional Convention of 1987 thatthe Constitution focuses primarily on the spiritof Social Justice Te Citizensrsquo Peace Councilnoted that the BBL is ldquoan act of Social Justiceand Reparation to the peoples of MuslimMindanao to rectify all the injustices inflictedupon them in the pastrdquo

Over the past three months I have helpedconvene consultations among religious and

civil society leaders in Cagayan de Oro andManila to discuss the BBL issue With someclarifications practically everyone saw the needfor a meaningful basic law for a sustainablepeace in Mindanao On Nov 26 in Cagayande Oro we started the Mindanao Week ofPeace with a multi-sectoral march rally Tis

was organized by the Inter-faith Forum for

Peace Harmony and Solidarity Te theme was ldquoMindanaoansrsquo Aspirations for PeaceKalinaw sa Dios ndash Kinaiyahan ndash KatawhanrdquoRegardless of the outcome of the BBLBLBARissue in Congress all of us should continue toengage in intra- and inter-religious dialogue

Our biases and preconceived notions of othercultures and religions are the main obstaclesto lasting peace in Mindanao and the rest ofthe country

III Good Governance A third macro-challenge in the Philippines

context is the coming elections in May 2016 Already the campaign period has started andvarious political personalities and parties havefiled their candidacies Good governancemdash

with its antithesis corruptionmdashis once morea critical factor to consider for every voter In

January 2010 before the last presidential elec-tions the CBCP made three calls to voters(1) o form circles of discernment (2) For thelaity to exercise their right and duty to supportcandidates who are qualified and committed to

public service and (3) o engage in principledpartisan politics Voting for candidates with a

track record of good governance is the mosteffective way of stamping out a culture ofcorruption In an address to the International

Assembly of Penal Law Pope Francis pointsout emphatically ldquoCorruption is a process ofdeath more evil than sin ndash an evil that insteadof being forgiven must be curedrdquo

On Nov 7 the archdiocese sponsored aMarch rally for CHAMPmdashClean Honest

Accurate Meaningful and Peaceful electionsTis was well attended by various sectorsTere were calls against votemdashbuying po-litical dynasties and the conduct of patronagepolitics Te city itself has had its share ofdivisive party politics in the non-disbursementof the budget for vital basic services and morerecently in the controversy over the post ofCity Mayor

Despite these internal conflicts amongelected officials it is good to keep in mind PopeFrancisrsquo own exhortation ldquoPolitics thoughoften denigrated remains a lofty vocation andone of the highest forms of charity inasmuchas it seeks the common goodrdquo (EG 205)

IV A Year of Mercy Despite the Holy Fatherrsquos blunt words on theevil of corruption he has called for an Extraor-dinary Jubilee of Mercy starting on December8 2015 ldquoJesus Christ is the face of the Fatherrsquosmercyrdquo Tis opening statement provides thetitle of Pope Francisrsquo Bull of Indiction Miseri-cordiae Vultus He goes on to say that Mercy

is ldquothe bridge that connects God and manrdquo Itis also ldquothe fundamental law that dwells in theheart of every person who looks sincerely intothe eyes of his brothers and sisters on the pathof liferdquo (MV 2)

On Nov 3-5 our Archdiocesan Pastoral

Assembly brought together more than 450delegates from 64 parishes Tis was the cul-mination of the Appreciative Inquiry processthat was carried out in most parishes down tothe kapilya community level over the past sixmonths

What was most noteworthy was the prepon-derance of lifemdashgiving pastoral experiences interms of prayerfulness and also of service toothers Tese two characteristics and sharedvalues can just as well point the directions wecan take during this jubilee year of mercy

Tis perhaps is the perspective we can adoptin confronting the macro-challenges beforeusmdashto first bend our knees in prayer and to bemerciful like the Father especially for the poorand marginalized in addressing socio-economicand political issues to work for ecological andsocial justice and to bring about Godrsquos mercy

by rectifying deeplyndashrooted biases and injusticesin Philippine society today

A r c h d i o c e s e o f C a g a y a n d e O r o

Pinoy in RomeCountdown to the

Jubilee Yearof Mercy

By Robert Z Cortes

HE Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy announced by PopeFrancis around Holy Week this year is finally starting onDecember 8 the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception

just a couple of days from now Tat this special event in theChurchrsquos history begins on that date is of course no accidentTis Popersquos devotion to Mary shown publicly every timehe passes by St Mary Major before any major trip abroadshould have made that choice almost predictable Howeveraside from human choices one ought to consider above allthe guidance of Providence whose will it is that the most

important events in the Church happen under the mantle ofMary Mother of the Church and Mother of MercySo the idea

to p repareproximatelyfor the Jubilee

Year of Mercyby making anovena to theImmaculateConceptionmade a lot ofsense to me

And being inRome thecity that argu-ably no placein the worldcan match

in terms ofthe qualityand quantityof sacred artp r e s e n t Itook advan-tage to do thefollowing Fornine daysmdashi n c l u d i n gthe Solem-nity hencet h e t e r mldquonovenardquomdashI

was going tovisit an im-age of OurLady vener-ated in vari-ous churchesaround thec i t y B u t

which church-es though

Given the

multitude of beautiful and historic churches in Rome itseemed the best way to approach this project was simply tobe led by Providence Tis approach is not ldquoto be too mysti-cal about itrdquo asI learned quite recently from of all peoplea non-Catholic ethics professor in a very secular Americanuniversity whom I interviewed a couple of months ago Hisdefense is that ldquothere still is another dimension in terms ofa holistic being in which our reason and our spirit and ouremotions are an integrated wholehellip So you listen to thevoice of the spiritrdquoTis was actually good ecumenical adviceto which my experience in the following days would attest

Tese experiences culled from my journal of these novenadays are actually Church history lessons devotional tour-guiding tips and philosophizing all rolled into one I sharethem seeing that they can serve some purpose however onemay be preparing for the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy

Our Lady of the Sacred Hear in SantrsquoAndreadella Valle Yesterday November 30 was the beginning of the novenato the Immaculate Conception It also happened to be thefeast of St Andrew Now at the other end of the street wheremy university is happens to be a huge looming basilicadedicated to Saint Andrew with the name ldquoSantrsquoAndreadellaValle rdquo People with very limited time in Rome usually donrsquothave time to visit this magnificent church but really nexttime you come you should Tis church was actually builtby the very same people involved in the building of St Peterrsquosand used this as their ldquopracticerdquo church people like Giacomodella Porta and Carlo Maderno Te fountain in the squarefronting the church is Madernorsquos

Te paintings and the frescoes inside are even more breath-taking Te dome and the ceiling are one of the best thereis in Rome - and perhaps in Christendom Since it was thefeast of St Andrew precisely I decided to do my prayer rightthere before the huge fresco of the crucifixion of St AndrewI did my rosary in one of the side chapels dedicated to Our

Countdown B6

What was behind

that inconspicuous

door Actually a

small but amazinglybeautiful jewel of

a church

A recent rally against climate change and environmental degradation

The Sant Agnese view from the South Plazza Navona

Sant Agnesersquo double Holy Family

An Interfaith Walk for Peace held on Nov 26 2015

R o b e r t Z C

o r t e s

R o b e r t Z C

o r t e s

A

r c h d i o c e s e o f C a g a y a n d e O r o

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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B4 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

By S M Evangeline A Madayag OSB

HE urgency of protecting ldquo OurCommon Homerdquo is much given em-phasis by our Holy Father Pope Fran-cis Much heat drought and differencein the weather and climate is muchfelt Many kinds of sicknesses are alsoattacking especially the poor who lacknourishment due to having no foodsecurity One can really feel the differ-ence of being in a polluted city fromthe simple rural setting where there arestill enough trees providing clean airTe other week I and my communityof Sisters together with two visitingSisters were able to enjoy the beautifulbeach of San Isidro Davao OrientalI salute Mayor ina Yu and all the of-ficers of the Municipality of San Isidrofor really defending their stand for a

ldquoNo o Mining in San IsidrordquoI wish that would also be true for the

whole province of Davao Oriental It issad that some barangays and munici-palities who make resolutions to allowmining only consider themselves as theonly ones with rights to allow miningobviously setting aside the possibleharms effect on the people and theenvironment especially to the nextgeneration We have experienced the

effect of the haze brought about theforest fire of Indonesia a true evidencethat we are all affected all around the

world of what happens in a certain partof the world As Joey Ayala reminds usin his song ldquo Ang Lahat ng Bagay ayMagka-ugnayrdquo

Just last year (July 1 2014) SenatorLoren Legarda visited our province (Davao Oriental) and congratulated theprovince for its stand on the protec-tion of our natural resources especiallyciting Mt Hamiguitan a UNESCO

World Heritage site What a heri tage what a treasure

Yet what is real ly happeni ng inDavao Oriental Even our priests inthe Diocese of Mati are alarmed onthe ldquo proliferation of alleged mining

activities in the province of Davao

Oriental particularly in the followingareas (1) Brgy Old Macopa Manay(2) Brgy iblawan Governor Gen-eroso (3) Barangay Causwagan andMaputi Banaybanay (4) BarangayDapnan and Lambajon Bagangga (5)Barangay Calapagan Lupon (excerptsfrom the letter of Rev Fr Edito SBantildeo DCM Apostolic Adminstratorof Mati to the DENR National OfficeSeptember 10 2015 He made anotherletter to the DENR on October 222015 to includeMacambol ( Magumand Salingcomot) as a concern

With much prayers for awakenings

re-awakenings and miracles to hap-pen we make this petition

A PEIION FOR HE SOP-PAGE AND REJECION OF HEIMPENDING ISSUANCE OF MIN-ING PERMI FOR AUSRAL-ASIALINK MINING CORPORAION

AND HALLMARK MINING COR-PORAION BOH UNDER HECORPORAE ORGANIZAIONOF ASIAICUS MANAGEMENCORPORAION (AMCOR) AMAGUM PUJADA BAY AND SAL-INGCOMO MAI CIY PROV-

INCE OF DAVAO ORIENAL

We the farmers fisherfolks Churchpeople youth professionals businesspeople of Davao Oriental Provincetogether with our national and inter-national supporters hereby urge MrRamon JP Paje DENR SecretaryNO O ISSUE ANY MININGPERMI to AUSRAL-ASIA LINKMINING CORPORAION ANDHALLMARK MINING CORPORA-ION both under the CORPORAEORGANIZAION OF ASIAICUSMANAGEMEN CORPORAION(AMCOR) for its mining operation in

Magum Pujada Bay and Salingcomot

Mati City Province of Davao Oriental We also demand that their mining

equipments be pulled out from themining site Macambol ldquoLodgedbetween two protected areasmdashthePujada Bay Protected Seascape (andLandscape) and Mt HamiguitanRange proclaimed wildlife sanctu-ary (Republic Act No 9303 July 302004)rdquo and as a UNESCO WorldHeritage Site at the 38th Session ofthe World Heritage Committee ( June15-24 2014 Doha State of Qatar) is not the most logical site for large-scale nickel laterite mining project (October 212009 in Environment Food Security Sensitive EcosystemsTe Philippines)

Ac co rd in g to th e st ud y pu b-lished by httpbhpbillitonwatchnet20091021pujada-hallmark-nickel-laterite-project-profile ldquo some4778 hectares of mining permitsoverlap with five major drainagesystems and watersheds which eitherdrain towards Pujada Bay or the DavaoGulf Tese bodies of freshwater arethe main water supplies for the com-munities living within and around thearea and the bays host endangeredspecies such as dugongs (sea cows)sea turtles and stingrays Te forestof Macambol is a watershed area

Additi ona lly the Puja da reg ion issituated on the ldquoPacificndashCordillerardquofault line wo branches of the activePhilippine fault flank the watershedon the southwest and southeast of theproject area which has been subjectto intense seismic activities Te 2008report ldquoPhilippines Mining or Foodrdquorecommended that no mining shouldtake place on Mount Hamiguitan ornear Pujada Bay which are centres ofbiodiversity with high ecotourismpotential Under these conditions itmay be almost impossible to minethe area ldquo (httpbhpbillitonwatchnet20091021pujada-hallmark-nickel-laterite-project-profile)

In his ENCYCLICAL LEERLAUDAO SIrsquo Our Holy Father

all processes addressing climateand disaster risks especially afterthe province experienced the

wrath of yphoon Yolanda lastNovember 8 2013

He also mentioned how theimpact of climate change cutsacross all sectors regardless of gen-der culture economic or politicalstature with the poor sufferingthe greatest impact

ldquoTerefore a plan of actionto address climate and disasterrisks must be undertaken using

PASTORAL CONCERNS

Home B7

IN solidarity with the on-goingClimate Conference in Paris the

Archdiocese of Palo Relief andRehabilitation Unit (Caritas Palo)together with at least 200 lsquoYolan-darsquo survivors signed a Declarationsupporting Climate Change andCommunity-Managed DisasterRisk Reduction in Palo Leyteon uesday

In a statement Caritas PaloDirector Fr Al Cris Badana citedhow important it is for membersof the communities to be part of

community-managed disasterrisk reduction (CMDRR) as thestrategyrdquo Badana added

Also present during the commit-ment signing are representativesfrom various church groups andgovernment agencies such as theProvincial Government of LeyteDepartment of Social Welfare andDevelopment Department ofInterior and Local GovernmentProvincial Disaster Risk Reductionand Management Office and theOffice of the Civil Defense

Aside from the declaration sign-ing the lsquoYolandarsquo survivors from15 communities in the townsof Palo Santa Fe AlangalangMayorga Dulag and MacArthureach gave a presentation of howtheir communities are presentlyengaged in community-manageddisaster risk reduction (CMDRR)measures and systems

Tere was also a mini exhibitof the organic products producedby lsquoYolandarsquo survivors to show itssupport for sustainable agricul-

ture which is part of the climatechange action

After the devastation of y-phoon Yolanda the RomanCatholic Church of the Archdio-cese of Palo through Caritas Paloand NASSACaritas Philippineshelped Yolanda-affected commu-nities in Leyte to craft their ownresiliency and contingency plans

which were already adopted bytheir barangays As of today Cari-tas Palo has invested P150 millionto build resilient communities

Te said communities also in-stalled early warning systems andevacuation plans which resultedin zero casualties and minimaldamages during the onslaughtof yphoon Ruby the strongesttyphoon in 2014

It can be recalled that the re-cent encyclical of Pope FrancisLaudato Si highlighted the ad-

verse impacts of climate changeon the poor and most vulnerableand the scale of the climate crisis(NASSA Features)

Protecting Our Common Home

Church lsquoYolandarsquo survivors in Leyte signClimate Change Declaration

N A S S A C a r i t a s P h i l i p p i n e s

C B C P N e w s

N A S S A C a r i t a s P h i l i p p i n e s

N A

S S A C a r i t a s P h i l i p p i n e s

lsquoYolandarsquo survivors together with representatives from the Archdiocese of Palo Relief and Rehabilitation Unit (Caritas Palo) signedthe Caritas Declaration on Climate Change in solidarity with the on-going Paris Climate Talks

The Archdiocese of Palo Relief and Rehabilitation Unit (Caritas Palo) displayed the organic products produced bylsquoYolandarsquo survivorsin Leyte which is part of its climate change action

Members of the New Dampigan Womenrsquos Association happily beam and show off the eggs they harvested

Women in actionONE women to explore their otherpotentials

Tis is the story of the women in thetown of New Dampigan in Samar prov-ince who found a new hobby a passionand source of livelihood all at the sametime hey are the New Dampigan

Womenrsquos Association who are engagedin poultry raising

It all started when the DiocesanSocial Action Center of Calbayog gavethe group a total of 500 ducks as partof its livelihood program for yphoonHaiyan survivors

Te group is composed of 21 mem-bers all of them women Tey raiseducks and sell its eggs salted and freshalike to the nearby towns of Sta Ritaand Basey o produce salted eggs they

preserve it for 15 to 18 daysBut it wasnrsquot all easy going especially

at first When another yphoon Hagu-pit locally known as Ruby hit the townlast December some of their ducks diedfrom the storm Tey almost lose hopeBut luckily they did not Instead the

women sticked together and took careof the remaining ducks

Now the women are the more thanhappy and contented of the productof their pure hardwork and ingenuitySeveral weeks after the onslaught ofHagupit the women are once againback in track

Currently they are harvesting 700 upto 1000 eggs every week Tey are alsofocused on marketing their products tonearby towns which they do throughthe support and trainings providedby the social action center Yes they

are truly women in action (NASSAFeatures)

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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B5CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

life and refreshment from her waterrdquo (Laudato Si2)

Since climate is a commongood it is but right to be involved

in the discussion of climatechange especially that it is nowdestructive not only to proper-ties to but also to lives Accord-ingly the world is on the brink ofbecoming an arid wasteland dueto lsquounchecked human activitiesrsquo

We are living witnesses of thedestruction brought about by

weather changes and the effectsto health by carbon emissionshe calamities that claimedthousands of lives these pastyears and months are enoughproof to awaken in us a commit-ment to safeguard creation andhelp mitigate their effects

Pope Francis seeing the ur-gency of action in dealing with

environmental crisis points outthe use of highly polluting fossil

STATEMENTS

Statement on Coal Mining and Coal Power Plant

Final Statement of the 6th Bishopsrsquo Institute forInterreligious Affairs

Mayor Duterte

Asian celebration of the 50 th anniversary of Nostra Aetate

FABC Office of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs

Redemptorist Center Pattaya Thailand

November 16-20 2015

WE the one hundred sixty-six(166) delegates of the 40thDOPIM Bishops-Clergy Con-vention unanimously expressour serious concern on theoperation of coal mining andcoal power plant that triggersapprehension among our peopleand poses environment threat inthe provinces where such facilityis being established

With faith in the Lord of Cre-ation we want to heed the callof Pope Francis in his encyclicalLaudato Si that urges us all tocare for the earth as our commonhome Citing St Francis of As-sisi the Holy Father persuadesus to treat our common homelike our sister

However knowing the realityof our destructive attitude andactivities towards her the Pope

writes that ldquoTe6 sister now criesout to us because of the harm

we have inflicted on her by ourirresponsible use and abuse ofthe goods with which God hasendowed her We have come toseeeuro ourselves as her lords andmasters entitled to plunder herat will Te violence present inour hearts wounded by sin isalso reflected in the symptomsof sickness evident in the soilin the water in the air and inall forms of life his is whythe earth herself burdened andlaid waste is among the mostabandoned and maltreated ofour poor she lsquogroans in travailrsquo(Rom 822) We have forgottenthat we ourselves are dust of theearth (cf Gen 27) our very bod-

ies are made up of her elements we breathe her air and we receive

fuels ndash especially coal to be pro-gressively replaced without delay(Cf Laudato Si 165) We can-not simply sit idly while seeing

the unfolding of horrific eventsresulted by so called technologi-cal progress at the expense of na-ture Instead we recommend theuse of renewable energy whichis of course not harmful to theenvironment and to humans

As Bishops of the Diocesesof Dipolog Ozamis PagadianIligan and Marawi (DOPIM)

which comprise the civil prov-inces of Zamboanga del NorteMisamis Occidental Zamboan-ga del Sur Lanao del Norte andLanao del Sur we completelyoppose the operation of coalmining and coal power plantsmost especially within the afore-mentioned provinces We do this

not only because of our humanresponsibility but as a call intrin-

sic to our Christian faith We he re by ur ge al l co n-

cernedmdashboth the coal industryand the governmentmdashin thename of our Lord Jesus Christ tohave the same concern We alsocall the faithful and all people ofgood will be vigilant at all timesand in all places because ourcommon home is in danger ofdevastation We will not allowourselves to arrive at the pointof no return

May God hear us and come todefend the beautiful creation Hehas entrusted to us May Marythe Queen of all creation coverus with her mantle of maternalcare

Formulated during the 40thDOPIM Bihops-Clergy Con-vention on November 11 2015at the Diocesan Pastoral CenterDel Carmen Iligan City

Most Rev Severo C CaermareDDBishop of Dipolog

Most Rev Elenito R GalidoDDBishop of Iligan

Most Rev Emmanuel CabajarCSsR DDBishop of Pagadian

Most Rev Edwin A dela PentildeaMSP DDBishop-Prelate of Marawi

Most Rev Jesus A DosadoCM DD

Metropolitan Archbishop ofOzamiz

WHA the world desperately needs now is leadership byexample We have so many leaders in office and many moreaspiring to sit in office but are they examples of good citizen-ship If the leaders we choose are to be leaders for nationalprogress they must be visionaries AND exemplary

Corruption is indeed a great scourge of Philippine politics

Te usual face of corruption that we recognize easily is stealingfrom public funds Corruption like a monster is a devil withmany faces Killing people is corruption Killing is a crime anda sin whether it is done by criminals or public officials no mat-ter what the intention Adultery is corruption It makes marriedlove cheap and uses people for pleasure Adultery corrupts thefamily it destroys children and victimizes the weak Vulgarity iscorruption When we find vulgarity funny we have really becomebeastly and barbaric as a people When a revered and loved andadmired man like Pope Francis is cursed by a political candidateand the audience laugh I can only bow my head and grieve ingreat shame My countrymen has gone to the dregs

Is this the leadership by example that Mayor Duterte excitesin us Is this the leadership by example that makes a publicofficial deserving of the title ldquoHonorablerdquo

+SOCRAES VILLEGAS

Archbishop of Lingayen-DagupanCBCP PresidentDecember 1 2015

F i l e p h o t o

V i n c e n t G o

Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte

1 It is by Godrsquos grace andprovidence that we 87 par-ticipants in the Sixth BishopsrsquoInstitute for Interreligious Af-fairs (BIRA VI) from 17 dif-ferent countries have come tocelebrate the 50th anniversaryof Nostra aetate in our Asiancontext and in our time Weare grateful for the funding wereceived from Missio Aachenthat helped make this gather-ing possible

2 In this grace-filled gather-ing we have worked togetheras the Church in Asia retracing

our steps along the path of dia-logue praying reflecting andsharing our experiences andthoughts on the questions of

what we ha ve done so far and what we need to do fur ther forinterreligious dialogue in Asia

3 We recognize that Nostra Aet at e is sti ll ins pir ing andchallenging us to realize thevision of the Church as thepeople of God in dialogue inour time facing the interde-pendent reality of the com-plex and diverse influences ofglobalized socio-economic-cultural-political structures

we rea ffi rm the strong needof the ldquotriple dialoguerdquo with

the poor cultures and reli-gions in a journey towards theKingdom of justice peace andecological harmony

4 hrough our experienceof dialogue and action forthe last five decades we havelearned that interreligiousdialogue is not only to be aspecific pastoral strategy ofthe Church but rather an

Asian vis ion of the ChurchIt is a Church that proclaimsthe values of the Kingdom

without fear in dialogi cal col-laboration (partnership) withthe people of other religions

5 Struggling against anykind of fundamentalism ter-rorism and proselytism theChurch in Asia is called to

work toget her with other s asco-pilgrims In protecting thepoor and the environmentthrough our interreligious net-

work we are n ot do ing socia l work together but bui ldi ng

a mystical union of GodrsquosKingdom as inter-dependentbeings (in the harmony of ourrelationship with one anotherand with all creation)

6 he Church in Asia con-

firms that we cannot engage with other s in a real dialogue without having a clear ident ityof who we are and constantlygrowing in our own faith Inthe pluralistic contexts of Asiathe Church as a ldquolittle flockrdquois called to learn a kenotic(self-emptying) spirit of loveand service from Jesus ChristIt is through our humble andopen-minded approach thatreal trust and mutual under-standing with others can beestablished We are aware ofthe importance of grassrootsinterreligious dialogue whichusually starts from inter-per-sonal friendship and grows tocommunal action for justiceand peace

7 he Church in Asia takesseriously the challenges oftoday for all religions variousconflicts and violence massive

poverty and global inequalitythe increasing numbers ofrefugees and migrants pollu-tion and environmental crisiscorruption and moral degrada-tion human trafficking and

the breakdown of social cohe-sion terrorism and all formsof fundamentalism

8 One of the most urgentchallenges in Asia is to pro-claim Jesus Chri st as the Way

the ruth and the Life whileacknowledging and respecting

what is ldquotrue and holy in otherreligionsrdquo (Nostra AetateNo 2) As a community ofdisciples we give witness to

Jes us through our pe rs onaland communal l ifestyle oflove in three interconnected

way s sil enc e pre sence andstory-telling In an existentialsilence we empty ourselvesand listen deeply to the voicesof the other without judging

wi th a lov ing hear t In thedepth of our silence we are

aware of Jesusrsquo presence amongus which is inspiring our jour-ney of interreligious dialogueand action for transformingthe world It is by telling ourown story of transformationthrough Jesus as individualpersons and as communitiesthat the globalized culture ofindifference and greedy con-sumerism is to be transformedinto the gospel-culture of soli-darity and sharing

9 In our common journey with other s we Chri stians in Asia re cognize the importanceof basic human communitiesat the grassroots level wherethe dialogue of life and actionis going on especially together

with th e indigenous people Itis through these basic humancommunities that the Churchin Asia learns the holistic

world view and the sacred cos-mic spirituality which awakeus to take care of ldquoour com-mon homerdquo We are called togo beyond our comfort zoneand to develop a new narrativeof dialogue coming from ourcommon experience with thehope of rediscovering the har-monious relationship betweenhumanity cosmos and God forthe future generation

10 We commit ourselvesmore passionately to inter-religious dialogue in Asia indifferent ways for example

bull o develop local interreli-gious dialogue and action inthe grassroots communities

bull o organize formationprograms for interreligiousdialogue within the Catholiccommunity

bull (eg Seminaries religioushouses of formation and forthe laity)

bull o promote intra-dialoguebetween Christian churchesand within Catholic institu-tions

bull o support dialogue ac-tivities and forums (eg UNInterfaith Harmony Week)

bull o advocate i nterreligiousdialogue and action in thepublic sphere and cyberspace

bull o provide adequ ate prep-aration and pastoral care to theinterreligious family

11 After these days of re-flection and sharing of ourexperiences of and insightson interreligious dialogue inthe light of Nostra Aetateguided by the Holy Spirit

we ha ve com e to re ali ze againthe importance of opennesstowards the people of otherreligions and the indispens-able role of witness to theKingdom of God ever grow-

ing in the heart of As ianpeople hrough our sincerecommitment to dialogueldquoJesus Christ will be bet -ter known recognized andlovedrdquo (PCID Dialogue inruth and Charity No 39)

F a c e b o o k

F a c e b o o k

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 1424

B6 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

completion In this way the miracle ofthe Incarnation took place with theBlessed rinity taking the initiativeand Mary responding freely and gen-erously to the Spiritrsquos action in her

It is in response to the lead of theSpirit that Mary set out for Elizabethrsquoshouse to share with her relative theldquoGood Newsrdquo she was carrying withinher

Like mankind before Mary andChrist we too may have a bad re-cord when it comes to ldquobeing open toGodrdquo We may not be any better than

Adam and Eve or the people before theFlood (see Gn 65-6) or the builders ofthe ower of Babel (See Gn 113-4)

Tis Advent in the Year of Faith isfor all of us an opportunity to evalu-ate our standing in this respect and totake appropriate action If we decideto imitate Mary and Elizabeth in theiropenness to the Spirit we may be sure

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

HE times of John the Baptist were bad characterized as they were by selfishness greed prideaggressiveness oppression of the

weak Tis can be gatheredfrom the answers he gave tothose who had been struck byhis preaching and asked ldquoWhatought we to dordquo Johnrsquos strongly

worded call to conversion was

amply justified All needed toundergo a ldquometanoiardquo a changeof mind and attitude in order toenter the Reign of God

Te situation does not seemto have changed much since thetime of John the Baptist We livein a society plagued with the samemoral defects and vices People arestill greedy selfish aggressive

And of course the temptation isalways to see these moral failuresin others

In many cases it may be truethat there is so much evil aroundus But it is equally true that wetoo are not perfect here isevil in us too We fail morallyalmost every day and in various

ways We too need to undergoa ldquometanoiardquo a radical conver-sion ldquoRadicalrdquo here means that it

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

WE all experience the dif-ference that physical dark-ness or light produces inus Darkness makes us feeluneasy even anxious andafraid Light gives us a senseof security It enables us torealize where we are and

what to do

his is why the Bibli-cal creation story tells usthat ldquoIn the beginningrdquo (ie when nothing existedexcept God) ldquodarkness cov-ered the abyssrdquo Ten Godsaid ldquoLet there be lightrdquo And there was light Godsaw how good the lightwas rdquo (Gn 14a) Tepresence of light enabledGod to proceed with the

work of creation with allits wonders and poten-tials and thereby conquerthe darkness of chaos andmeaninglessness

should not stop at the individualactions but has to affect our at-titudes and set of values ie thevery root of our actions Tereshouldnrsquot be the least doubt so-ciety will start changing for thebetter the very moment we beginto improve

Advent and the special obser-vances for this year (Extraordinary

Jubilee Year of Mercy Year of theEucharist and of the Family) areinvaluable opportunities for us

to start or resume moving in theright direction Like those whoapproached John we should ask ldquoWhat are we to dordquo Te answersmay be as many as there are personalmoral situations but a ldquocommondenominatorrdquo easily applies to allOur fundamental attitude has gotto be one of openness availabilityand goodwill

Te first requirement is ldquoopen-ness to Godrdquo in grateful love andexpectation in prayer of ldquopetitionand thanksgivingrdquo (see Phil 46)mdashfor the Lord is coming to dwell inour midst and to be our ldquomightySaviorrdquo (See First Reading v 17)

Te second basic requirementis ldquoopenness to peoplerdquo hismeans readiness to share ourgoods generously with the lessfortunate (see Lk 311) to be fair

But aside from physical lightand darkness there are otherforms of these two oppositerealities in the intellectualemotional moral and spiri-tual domains In the JudeanChristian revelation light isassociated and even identifiedwith God while darkness is as-sociated and identified with sinand evil St John the Evangelistproclaims ldquoGOD IS LIGHrdquo(1 Jn 15) Consequently a lifelived without God is darknessmdashthe darkness of sin and hell (See

John 319-21) No wonder thenthat the Incarnation of GodrsquosSon is compared to the comingof light to earth (See Jn 15 and1246)

And this is precisely what wecommemorate and celebrate atChristmas the coming of thelight of Godrsquos holiness andgoodness to fight and defeatthe darkness of evil in all itsforms

In the extraordinary andunique event of the Incarna-

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

MANKIND has had a bad record fromthe very beginning of its historymdashthecriminal record of shutting God outof its plans and life Such an attitudehad few exceptions in Abram Mosesthe prophets And even those ex-ceptions were not always 100 clearIt was only with Mary that a differentattitude started to prevail an attitudeof total openness to the action of Godin onersquos life and of full availability tocooperate with Him in the actualiza-tion of His plan

Mary was the most open of all tothe inspirations and promptings ofthe Holy Spirit Like a very sensitiveharp she let the Spirit produce in herand through her the wonderful melodyof manrsquos salvation which only thedivine love can initiate and bring to

REFLECTIONS

P u b l i c d

o m a i n

C B C P N e w s

Christmas the triumph of light

The ldquoNEW JERUSALEMrdquo isthe perfect realization of Godrsquos

plan and the fulfillment of our

deepest aspirations

4th Sunday of Advent (C) Luke 139-45

December 20 2015

Solemnity of Christmas (C) John 11-18

December 25 2015

3rd Sunday of Advent (C) Luke 310-18

ldquoRejoice Sundayrdquo December 13 2015

Our advent priorities

Countdown B3

that He will work wonders also in usno matter how insignificant and weak

we may consider ourselves (See Mi51)

We need the impulse of the HolySpirit and His empowering supportto get out of ourselves to show aninterest in others and share with themthe blessings we have received from theLord including our joy (See attitudeof Mary Lk 146-49)

We need to be open to the Spiritin imitation of Mary in order tohave Christ formed in us or betterin order to be molded unto him If

we cult ivat e such an openn ess andavailability we shall ever more becomeChrist-like in our thoughts aspira-tions attitudes and actions Andthus we shall be totally committedto do our share in carrying out theFatherrsquos plan of saving love as Christdid (See Heb 105-7)

Open to the spirit in imitation of Mary

Lady of the Sacred Heart Andby the time I left the church

which is just a five-minute walkfrom my house what else couldI say but thank You Really thereis nothing much else one can say

Our Lady and Child in SanSalvatore in Onda

Funny what one sees whenone changes perspectives Goinghome from jogging one day Idecided to pass by the right (in-stead of the left) side of Via deiPettinari (Combmakersrsquo Street)I happened to look up by chanceand I saw this charming image of

Our Lady I had never seen be-fore even if Irsquod already passed by

here more than ten times Ten when I looked down I likewisenoticed what should have beenan inconspicuous door Now Isaw there was a paper posted onit hinting that inside was actuallya church called San Salvatore inOnda and the place where SaintVincent Pallottirsquos remains arevenerated I took mental noteof the opening schedule andresolved I would do the secondday of my novena there

What was beh ind that in-conspicuous door Actually asmall but amazingly beautiful

jewel of a church First behind

the green door commonly seenalong the street was another set

of wider doors made of beauti-ful strong old wood It had ahuge tarp proudly claiming thatSt John Paul II had visited thischurch For such a small churchI thought it would be surprisingany pope would do that

But of course if one knew JP IIand St Vincent Pallotti and whatthey each stood for one wouldunderstand For JP II loved topromote the apostolate amonglay people and St Vincent inhis own 19th century religious

way was one of the promotersof the lay apostolate at the time

when it was so much lacking

He founded the ldquoPious Unionof Catholic Apostolaterdquo Tatrsquos a

union of priests religious and la-itymdashbut the ldquoPallotinesrdquo as theyare called really just consists ofthe religious brothers and priestsand the laity are well theyrsquorethere But that was certainly ahuge start

Te church is now their homebase but it wasnrsquot so at first Builtnear the end of the 11th andbeginning of the 12th centuryit was given to the Franciscansfrom which two popes camefrom Knowing this historic-ity of the church and that StVincentrsquos body is now underthe altar one then understands

this church deserved the Popersquosvisit But to add to these therersquos

to everybody and be absolutelyhonest with all (See Lk 313-14)

All this is love of neighbor in itsmost elementary form and noone can claim to be exempted orto have done enough

o this we have to add thepursuit of all those ldquonatural valuesand virtuesrdquo that Paul lists in theSecond Reading (See Phil 48)Only on these conditions shall

we be able to ldquobe glad and exult with all our heartsrdquo (Zep 314) and

begin to enjoy ldquoGodrsquos own peace which is beyond all understand-ingrdquo (Phil 47)

If on the contrary we refuseto heed Johnrsquos (Godrsquos) call toconversion this Advent will bea series of ldquomissed opportuni-tiesrdquo Tere may still be laughterbut very little joy We may giveand receive plenty of gifts but

without experiencing the bliss ofreal generosity In other words wemay be like one of the decorationshanging on Christmas trees glit-tering and colorful outside butempty and ugly inside

It need not be so It should nothis Advent we have a chanceto really change for the betterstarting from ldquowithinrdquo And it isup to us to make the most of thisopportunity

tion the divine light becomesa human beingmdashJESUS OFNAZAREH His coming is not a lightning in the night thatsoon vanishes in the persistentdarkness of the sky Rather it isan enduring event mdashthe fulfill-ment of a well thought-out plandestined to last till the end oftime and beyond

Te Incarnation is an eventthat is not confined to the placeand time where it took placebut a permanent reality thatconcerns and affects the entireuniverse as well as the life ofeach human being Tis is sobecause the life and mission ofthe God-Man born in Bethle-

hem is to bring the light of loveand grace into the history ofmankind into the life of everyhuman person

his is why we believe andproclaim that Christmasmdashthecoming and dwelling of Godrsquoslight on earth ndash makes all the dif-ference Te world will never bethe same as before the ldquoChrist-

mas eventrdquo simply because Godldquopitched His tentrdquo among us More still He became one of us

He did so in order to enableeach individual and mankindas a whole to fight and over-come the many forms of dark-ness that oppress frighten andenslave usmdashthe darkness of

hopelessness meaninglessnessfear hatred oppression but es-pecially the darkness of sin andof whatever leads to the endlessdarkness of being separated fromGod forever

Nowadays the all-pervadingcacophony of commercialismand materialism tend to dis-robe Christmas of its sacred-ness and saving dimensionand to confine it to the realm

of a myth lost in the vaguenessof a distant past Against suchbackground it is essential thatwe Christian believers ap-preciate the importance ofthe historical event of theIncarnation and its relevanceto our life today

Christmas as the joyful com-memoration of the Incarnationof Godrsquos Son is an invitationto ACCEP Jesus Christ intoour existence as the light of the

world the light of our life It isalso an invitation to REJOICEin the light that radiates from

Jesusrsquo presence teaching and

example It is a commitmentto LIVE as children of thelight and thereby eliminatein ourselves and around usthe darkness of sin and evilin all their forms Christmasis an invitation and a chal-lenge to SPREAD the light ofGodrsquos love through our wordsand deeds

In this perspective theHoly Fatherrsquos call to be ac-

tively involved in the workof a NEW EVANGELIZA-ION becomes absolutely vital and releva nt to thisseason of light and joy Itis the first step toward anever-greater involvement inthe wonderful enterprise ofbuilding Godrsquos luminousKingdom of peace love andhope that can usher in theldquonew heavens and the newearthrdquo the ldquoNEW JERU-SALEMrdquo that is the perfectrealization of Godrsquos plan andthe fulfillment of our deepestaspirations

also the sheer beauty of medievaland renaissance art that one seeson the ceiling and the simplebaldachin under which Mass

was held when I was there Teimage of Our Lady and Child byCesare Mariani in the main altaris also arresting

Te church has the appellationldquoin Onda rdquo which means ldquoin the

waverdquo most probably becauseof the frequent flooding of theiber Irsquove seen some of thesesigns on marble stone aroundseveral parts in Rome indicat-ing where the river was at this orthat point and therersquos only one

thing I can say Te worst Manilafloods are as if only two inches

compared to Rome flooding inthose days Irsquom not sure if thishas any connection to one imageof Our Lady venerated there ona huge side altar ldquoVirgin mostPowerfulrdquomdashbecause one cer-tainly needed a huge power tosurvive such inundations

But last night I know I wasinundated by only one thingmdashthanksgiving for being surround-ed by such beauty and holiness

(Robert Z Cortes is a PhDstudent in Social InstitutionalCommunication at the PontificalUniversity of Santa Croce Rome

He has an MA in Ed Leadership from Columbia University)

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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B7CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

tions might become ever more numeroustill they become the rule

It is in the family that the reform ofsociety begins because it is there that welearn to respect and help one another wepractice patience and justice we learn toshare and to love in an unselfish and practi-cal manner Pope Francis speaking to theFilipino families during his Pastoral Visit

in January 2015 said ldquoIn the family wecome to know God to grow into menand women of faith to see ourselves asmembers of Godrsquos greater family theChurch In the family we learn how tolove to forgive to be generous and opennot closed and selfish We learn to movebeyond our own needs to encounterothers and share our lives with them Tat is why it is so important to pray as afamily Tat is why families are so impor-tant in Godrsquos plan for the Churchrdquo

A family where God is at home is afamily at peace Such was the Holy Familyat Nazareth And the yearly celebration ofits feast is not just a well-deserved tributepaid to its three members It is also an in-vitation and encouragement to make ourfamilies today what the family of JosephMary and Jesus was in those daysmdasha ha- ven of love of God and neighbor at itsbest a home where God felt at home afamily according to Godrsquos heart

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

PRAYING together as a family seems nolonger fashionable nowadays Te reasonsare varied so many commitments con-flicts of schedule practical impossibility ofbeing together Tere are of coursehappy exceptions of parents who everyevening gather their children for somemoments of reflection on the Word ofGod reconciliation shared prayer andrecitation of the Rosary hese samepeople are usually the ones who on Sun-days attend the Eucharistic celebrationas a family From this they derive strengthharmony cohesion And at the same timethey become an inspiration to the wholeparish community It is when the familygathers together for prayer that its mem-bersmdashboth parents and childrenmdashseethemselves under the common fatherlyauthority of God

A family that renews every day itscovenant with the Lord will have notime for endless bickering jealousyunfaithfulness harsh manners on thepart of the parents or rebellion on thepart of their children

Te families that pray together are re-ally mini ldquofaith communitiesrdquo or ldquolittlechurchesrdquo One wishes that these excep-

SOCIAL CONCERNS

M a s t e r o f t h e A n t w e r p A d o r a t i o n

M a r k E u s e b i o

Feast of the Holy Family (C) Luke 241-52

December 27 2015

World Day of Peace (C)

Luke 216-21

January 1 2016

Baptism of the Lord (C) Luke 315-16 21-22 January 10 2016

Solemnity of Epiphany (C) Matthew 21-12

January 3 2016

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

HE world is torn by wars and conflicts of every kindmdashwarsamong nations factions families Afraid of the tragediesof war simple people yearn for peace Some governments andpeace-oriented organizations try to achieve peace throughnegotiations and compromise Fortunately many times theysucceed in establishing at least a ceasefire

But we all know that peace is not simply the absence offighting Peacemdashit has been written in so many waysmdashisthe fruit of justice among nations groups individuals Morethan this peace is the fruit of being in a harmonious rela-tionship not only with others but also with oneself andespecially with God Tere can be no peace where there isrejection of God

Peace is just another word for love another word forgrace It prospers only with the defeat of sin And just asall the sufferings and destructions of war are both a sign anda consequence of sin so the defeat of sin in ourselves andaround us produces that inexpressible feeling of satisfactionand harmony that no material riches can buy and no balanceof power can create

Real lasting peace is what God the source of all good-ness wants for all mankind But in order for that peaceto become a reality we have to do our share First of allwe have to pray for it Ten we have to work for it Tatmeans to make every effort to bring it about Ten the Lord

will bless our efforts by granting us that genuine peace thathas in Him its origin and support On our part we have toaccept Godrsquos blessing of peace with humble gratitude as Heoffers it to us not as an abstract concept but as a person ndashHis very own Son Jesus Christ He is our peace becauseHe is the One who reconciles all men with the Father andamong themselves the One who reconciles each of us

with ourselves In Him we are able to recognize all humanbeings as our brothers and sisters all members of the onebig family that has God as the common Father He is theOne who called the peacemakers ldquoblessedrdquo and gave peaceto His disciples as His farewell gift

Jesus the King of Peace comes to us not in a vision orlike rain from the clouds He comes from a human motherMary Most Holy the woman of peace who has been ableto open herself to the Source of all peace and has fashionedHim in that human form in which all can recognize andlove as their elder brother In this way Mary and peace arevitally and dynamically linked And she brings peace to ourtroubled hearts and lives as Godrsquos messenger as she givesus Jesus in this Christmas season

Pope Francis calls all of us

to CARE FOR OUR COM-MON HOME Tis is one ofthe most important remindersin our times to really show re-spect to God who created allTe issuance of mining permit

will allow tree cutting activi -ties in almost 10000 hectaresland area Tis will lead to thedestruction of the very fewremaining forest in the Philip-pines and in the world We

would expec t a more imba l-ance ecology extinction ofdiversified natural resourcesexample flora fauna insectsanimals (including the Philip-pine Eagle) floods sicknesses

We reiterate that we would not

like this to happen We must remember that the

Home B4

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

EPIPHANY is the manifestation of Jesusas the MessiahSavior of all men includ-ing the pagans of goodwill representedby the Magi As such it is also the mani-festation of the divine plan hidden forcenturies in God to unite all human beingsin Christ (See Eph 11-10)

Evermore mankind moves toward the for-mation of a great international communityTis is according to Godrsquos plan Its roots arein creation itself ldquoGlobalizationrdquo is the ldquoin-thingrdquo nowadays It is a ldquosign of the timesrdquo to

which we should pay attention Tough theconcern of most of its proponents seems tobe economic its basic assumption is correctwe are one world one family of nations

Whatever is incompatible wi th this ldquoone-nessrdquo should be abolished

Many oppose globalization because if we

limit it to its economic aspect and to tearingdown trade barriers almost surely it will leadto the rich becoming richer and the poorbecoming poorer But if we take this wordto mean essentially the abolition of all bar-riers that have been erected by human prideselfishness ghetto mentalities or racism andif it ushers in a greater solidarity of thestronger with the weaker and a generoussharing by the rich with the poor thenglobalization is according to Godrsquos planand all Christians should be its most en-thusiastic supporters

Epiphany has also a special messageconcerning the attitude of all religions

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

WE say tha t people make aldquoprophetic gesturerdquo when theydo something striking that is alsoa sign of greater things to comeTose gestures reveal the depthof their passion or commitmentthey are meant to shake peopleand somehow force them to makea choice either for or againstcertain vital issues

In his lifetime Jesus mademany ldquoprophetic gesturesrdquo

such as his driving the tradersout of the emple the healingof the paralytic and many othermiracles He performed All thosegestures were ldquospectacularrdquo intheir own way Tey attracted theattention of the crowds which

wondered what their ldquomeaningrdquocould be

Tere was in the life of Jesus aldquogesturerdquo which was not spectacu-lar at all and which went unno-ticed by almost everybody exceptHis cousin John His baptism inthe River Jordan Tat gesture

was absolutely ldquocommonrdquo andldquoordinaryrdquo for it was somethingthat almost everybody was doingin those days in response to the

exhortation of John the BaptistBut Jesusrsquo baptism at the Jor-

dan lost in the crowd of sinners who were seeking forgivenesshad a depth of meaning thatmade it one of his most dra-matic ldquoprophetic gesturesrdquo It

was his baptism in fact whichrevealed the essence of Jesusrsquomission and became the occa-sion for the revelation of hisconcealed divine identity

he ldquoprophetic dimensionrdquoof Jesusrsquo action was not so muchin his entering the waters of the

Jordan ashis immersing himselfin the crowd of sinners Tat was

something unthinkable and un-believable Only Godrsquos incrediblelove for every human being andall mankind could have conceivedsuch an ldquoimmersionrdquo which was socomplete and involving as to be atotal ldquoidentificationrdquo Tat wasthe reason why the eternal andall-holy Son of God had comedown from heaven and had un-dergone the fullest ldquoimmersionrdquoin the ocean of mankindrsquos miseryand in human history Jesusrsquobaptism is a clear manifestationof Godrsquos mercy toward mankindTe Word the eternal Son of theFather clad in human flesh in

Jesus of Nazareth becomes one with sinful mankind not to be its

judge but its Savior and the HolySpirit appearing in the form of a

dove a symbol of peace remindsus of Godrsquos mercy on the ldquorem-nantrdquo of mankind as the purifyingflood subsided (See Gen 810-11) Jesusrsquo baptism was a furthermanifestation of the meaning andpurpose of the Incarnation

hrough that ldquoimmersionidentificationrdquo the totally sinless Jesus became a part not onlyof the relatively small group ofsinners gathered by the banksof the Jordan but also of theimmense crowd of sinners thatis the whole of humankind And

just as his immersive in the watersof the river sanctified them so didhis presence among the crowd ofsinners bring them the possibilityof receiving purification from sin

Tat was exactly Jesusrsquo missionIsaiah the prophet had alreadyforeseen this when he announcedthat the mission of the ldquoServant ofthe Lordrdquo was to bring ldquojusticerdquo(that is holiness) to the nationsOf him the Lord God said ldquoIformed you and set you as a cov-enant of the people a light forthe nations to open the eyes ofthe blind to bring out prisonersfrom confinement and from thedungeon those who live in dark-nessrdquo (See todayrsquos First Reading)

In his life Jesus ldquoactualizedrdquosuch a liberating and sanctify-

ing ldquoimmersionrdquo by associatingwith sinners and even seekingtheir company ndash something thatshocked the ldquoholyrdquo people of histime His association with ldquopublicsinnersrdquo was bound to tarnishhis reputation as his opponentspointed out on several occasions

Jesus did not mind that criti-cism and continued like beforeformdashas he himself saidmdashit is sickpeople who need a doctor (SeeMt 912) But his immersinghimself in the crowd of sin-ful mankind cost Jesus much

moremdashit cost him his very lifefor he was put to death to atonefor the sins of all

Jesusrsquo vicarious self-offering was so power ful in its effec tbecause of who he wasmdashGodrsquosbeloved Son on whom the Fa-therrsquos favor rested Such a solemnproclamation of Jesusrsquo divineidentity soon after his baptismbalanced so to speak his hid-ing himself among the crowdof sinners at the Jordan RiverIt also completed the ldquopropheticnaturerdquo of what happened on thatdaymdashGodrsquos very Son coming tosave all mankind by sharing fullyits predicament of misery in or-der to transform it from within

through the superabundant holi-ness that only God is

Families according to Godrsquos heart

symbolized by the Magi toward JesusChrist He should be the one acknowledgedby all believers as the universal Savior sentby God to bring all mankind back to GodTe gifts offered by the Magi to Jesus in

Bethlehem can symbolize the different char-acteristics which the major world religionscan offer as their distinct contribution to theestablishment of the Kingdom proclaimedand established by Christ the gold of faithin one merciful God and the power of His Word as a feature of Islam the incense ofmeditation love for nature and peace thatcharacterize Buddhism the myrrh of dedica-tion and industriousness that characterizeConfucianism Jesus rejects nothingof the values these faiths have He acceptsthem all and brings them together into onepractical synthesis that makes humankindthe family of God on earth

Jesus is indeed the center of humanhistory because he is the center of Godrsquosplan for mankind He is the ldquocenterrdquonot only in the sense that his coming hasdivided the centuries into two great blocks

of ldquobeforerdquo and ldquoafterrdquo Christ He is alsothe one in whom all men can find thecommon point of reference to form a realfamily of nations and peoples withoutcoercion or exploitation Te light of hisGospel can penetrate all cultures assumeall their valid elements and purify the restfrom those negative aspects which thepower of sin has gradually introduced inthem

Only Jesus Christ can keep all men unitedin a community of sincere respect lastingsolidarity and practical love For the plan ofthe Father born of love will find its fulfill-ment only in LOVE

Mary of NazarethMother of JesusMother of peace

Christ the unifying centerof all mankind

One with sinners to save them

environment can exist even

without us but we can neverexist without the environmentnature We only have one com-mon home the Earth there isno other

We urge the Dep ar tmentof Environment and NaturalResources to take the real leadto protect our remaining ldquoenvi-ronment and natural resourcesrdquoplan with other governmentagencies and environmentallyconcern organizationsfounda-tions on how to preserve ourremaining forests and marinelife sanctuaries

NO O MINING IN MA-GUM PUJADA BAY AND SA-LINGCOMO MAI CIY

PROVINCE OF DAVAO ORI-ENAL

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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B8 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

Look for the images of Saint Joseph Mama

Mary and Baby Jesus

(Illustration by Bladimer Usi)

Bladimer UsiLolo Kiko

Buhay Parokya

KANISS Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) both a victor in andsubverter of Panemrsquos Hunger Games is now a symbol of the revolu-tion whom rebel president Alma Coin (Julianne Moore) and powerbroker Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman) want to usestrictly as a poster girl Stubborn freedom-fighter Katniss howeverhas her own agenda and that includes killing President Snow (Don-ald Sutherland]) to end once and for all the senseless deaths of somany young people Forming a team of rag-tag soldiers that includeclosest friends Gale (Liam Hemsworth) Finnick (Sam Claflin) andPeeta (Josh Hutcherson) she goes off on a mission risking theirlives through a booby-trapped war to liberate the citizens of PanemTe final confrontation between Katniss and Snow presided overby Coin is an electrifying game-changer

Te Hunger Games is not exempted from the fad of choppinginto ldquopartsrdquo the movie adaptations of popular books Harry Potterwilight Te Hobbitmdashthey have all stretched their heroesrsquo exploitsto prolong box office earning power and yet the fans wait AfterHunger Games MockingjayPart 1 which judging fromits relatively weak performanceat the tills must have been aforgettable movie that testedthe patience of fans Mocking-

jay Part 2 revs up with moreof the thrills that have madethe Hunger Games series theprototype of dystopia flicks foryoung adults (Divergent et al)Te strong cast monumentallycontributes to the realism of theHunger Games franchisemdashhowcan it go wrong with a leonineSutherland a steely Moore asly Hoffman And of coursethe winner Lawrence who canequally sell with aplomb partscalling for either vulnerability orverve In Mockingjay 2 the starsrsquo solid performances interwoven

with heart-stopping CGI make for a fitting finale to a story that

capitalizes on manrsquos inhumanity to manItrsquos surprising that a number of film critics are disappointed with the

filmrsquos ending calling it ldquosappyrdquo and an anti-climactic conclusion to anadrenalin-packed series that promised so much by way of action andheroism Teir cynical remarks remind us of biblical Israel waiting fora savior who would topple down the ruling elite with its own brandof kingship but is instead given a Jesus Christ CINEMA thinks theending is actually a statement that magnifies the upbeat message of the

whole story enough is enough Murder as spectator sport is sub-human At least when beasts kill it is to survive but in Panem the poor youngpeople are robbed of choice and must kill in order to livemdashas enter-tainment for the elite So Mockingjay mocks the elite it cries ldquoGivehumanity a chancerdquo Whatrsquos wrong with wanting to dump violence tostart afresh Choose life not death Arrows that used to kill people arealso useful for hunting fowl for the dinner tablemdashis that against the lawldquourn your swords into ploughs and your spears into pruning hooksrdquoMaybe the cynicsrsquo eyes have grown to love the Hunger Gamesrsquo darknessthat the sunlight-dappled scenery blinds them Or maybe after fallingin love with the couture of Panemrsquos stylish crowd theyrsquore simply horri-

fied by Katnissrsquo drastic costume change Whatever CINEMA wouldnrsquothave wanted the ending any other way

ENTERTAINMENT

MAGPAPAKASAL at magsump-aang magmamahalan nang wagasang dating live-in partners nasina Basya (Bea Alonzo) at Popoy(John Lloyd Cruz) Bilang mgalisensyadong enhinyero at arkitektoay magtataguyod sila ng construc-tion business na mabilis na uunladLalong magpupursige ang mag-asawa na magpalago ng negosyodahil magbubuntis si Basya Naisnilang mabigyan ng magandangkinabukasan ang kanilang anak

Subalit dahil sa pressure ng tra-baho ay makukunan si Basya attuluyang mawawala ang sanggolna kanyang dinadala Labis itongikalulungkot nina Basya at Popoykaya napagkasunduan nila ayonna rin sa mungkahi ni Basya natitigil siya sa pagtatrabaho upangmakabuo uli sila ng baby Nanatilisi Basya sa bahay at di nakialam sanegosyo sa loob ng dalawang taonPinaubaya niya ang pagpapatakbong negosyo kay Popoy Magtitiwalasi Basya sa kakayanan ng asawa namahusay nitong mapapamahalaanang kompanya katulad ng nagingproblema ng pagguho ng isangbuilding project Hindi rin gu-gustuhin ni Popoy na bigyan ngalalahanin si Basya Samantala sakabila ng magandang saloobin nilasa isarsquot isa ay ang napipintong pag-kalugi ng negosyo na siya namangililihim ni Popoy kay Basya Dahilsasarilinin ni Popoy ang problemamaapektuhan ng tuluyan angkanilang pagsasama

Sequel ng pelikulang One MoreChance na pinalabas noong 2007ang Second Chance Matatan-daang tumatatak ang naunangpelikula dahil sa mga tinatawag nalsquohugot linesrsquo nina Alonzo at Cruzsa nasabing pelikula Di namannabigo ang mga nag-abang sa se-quel na ito dahil naganap nga angsecond chance sa mga pangunah-ing tauhan na sina Basya at PopoyMalinis ang pagkakadugtong ng

dalawang pelikula --- parehongmga tauhan at kontexto gayundinang mga artistang nagsiganap Sakabila ng pagkakaroon ng prequelay napanatili ang malayang istoryang Second Chance bilang isangpelikula Bagamat predictable ang

wakas ay naging kasabik-sabikpa din ang mga eksena at mgapalitan ng linya ng lahat ng tau-han Di matatawaran ang husayng pagganap nina Alonzo at Cruzbilang mag-asawa panalo talagaang tinatawag na chemistry nilangdalawa Di rin nagpahuli nag mgakatuwang na aktor at aktres Mag-aling ang ginawang trato ng direk-

tor para mapalabas ang kalakasanng mga nagsiganap at ang mgaeksenang hinaluan ng patawa lalona sa eksena kasama ng mga kai-bigan Simple lamang ang disenyong produksyon pero nakatulongang mga kuha ng camera at edit-ing para maging makabuluhan saistorya ang setting Makahuluganang composition na nagpapakitang electric fan para sa mensahe nanagtitipid na ang mag-asawa dahillugi na ang kompanya

Mayaman sa mensahe parasa mga mag-asawa ang SecondChance Pinakita sa pelikula angrealidad ng buhay may-asawa nahindi lang puro kasarapan sa halip aymga pagsubok na maaring mauwi sahiwalayan kung hindi haharapin ataayusin Sa relasyon ng mag-asawa

ay napakahalaga ng magiging bu-kas sa isarsquot isa kaya anuman angpagdaanan ay magkatuwang nahaharapin Ang pagtatago ni Popoyng katotohanan kay Basya ang nag-ing mitsa ng lumubhang alitan dipagkakaunawaan pagkawala ngrespeto at palitan ng masasakitna salitamdashpati tiwala sa sarili aynawala At sa punto na pipiliin ngisa na lumayo at hanapin ang sariliay nakatulong na balikan ang mga

sumpaan binatiwan nuong sila ayikinasal at higit sa lahat ang kanilangpagmamahal sa isarsquot isa Mainamdin na may mga kaibigan at pamilyana pwedeng lapitan na susuporta athindi manghuhusga manunumbato mang-uudyok sa paggawa ng maliKapuna-puna lang na bagamatnagsimula at nagwakas ang pelikulasa chapel ay tila di man lang nilanaisipan na magdasal habang maypinagdaraanan sila Nais isipin ngCINEMA na ang gusto lamangsabihin ng pelikula ay ang pag-aasawa ay hindi lamang sa pagitanng dalawang tao kundi dapat aykasama palagi ang Diyos

DIRECTOR Cathy Garcia-Molina

LEAD CAST Bea AlonzoJohn Lloyd Cruz DimplesRomana

SCREENWRITER VanessaValdez Carmi Raymundo

GENRE Romantic Drama

CINEMATOGRAPHER NoelTeehankee

RUNNING TIME 130 minutesTECHNICAL ASSESSMENT

MORAL ASSESSMENT CINEMA Rating V13

A SECONDCHANCE

DIRECTOR Francis LawrenceLEAD CAST Jennifer Law-

rence Josh HutchersonLiam Hemsworth WoodyHarrelson Donald Suther-land Julianne Moore PhilipSeymour Hoffman

GENRE Adventure ScienceFiction

RUNNING TIME 137 minutesTECHNICAL ASSESSMENT

MORAL ASSESSMENT CINEMA rating V14

THE HUNGER

GAMESMOCKINGJAY 2

Buhay San Miguel Brothers Matias

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 1724

Philippine Army Chaplaincy CFC

Hold 1st National Convention

The first-ever OACCS - OSM CEP Convention further strengthened the camaraderie between the chaplaincy and the local CFC created a more solid CFC OSM Core enabledthe stakeholders to work together and recognized the efforts of those who work tirelessly under the program

CFC Metro Manila as one big happy family worshipped danced sang played gamesand had fun during the last MC Gathering of the year

By Alma Alvarez

CFC ANCOP USA Pontificio Collegio Fillipino Sign Partnership Agreement

CFC MM MC Celebrates the Family

HIS Eminence Cardinal Luis Antonio agle Chairman of PontificioCollegio Filippino and its Rector Msgr Greg Gaston recently signedthe ANCOP USA Priest Sponsorship Program (PSP) partnership

with Eric Villanueva Roger Santos and Rollie Balanza Couples forChrist - ANCOP USA leaders Te ANCOP USA PSP will assistpriests from the Philippines who will be sent by their Bishops to doadvance studies in Rome

In his letter to Villanueva Cardinal agle wrote ldquoOur partnership will

allow more Bishops to send Priests for ongoing formation and furtherstudies in Rome to better equip them in serving Gods people as SeminaryFormators and as collaborators in the different Diocesan Ministries back

HE Metro Manila Mission Coregathered as one big CFC familyduring this months MC Assemblylast December 6 2015 Leadersfrom the Family Ministries likewisecame to the Ynares Sports Arenato hear Mass together celebrateshowcase talents play in the fungames and just enjoy each otherscompany before the end of the year

CFC Spiritual Director Msgr Allen Aganon celebrated Mass Inhis homily Msgr Allen emphasizedthe enormity of the role of John theBaptist as the one who heralded thecoming of Jesus Christ despite hishumble beginnings He challengedthe CFC leaders to be like Johnthe Baptist

We are ordinary people who

home As a result our Church in the Philippines will be strengthenedso that Priests and laity alike could carry out our respective work ofevangelization and service not only to the Church but also to societyrdquo

According to the agreement the PSP is for Masters Licentiate orDoctorate studies only ANCOP USA PSP funds will cover the priestrsquosboard and lodging at the Collegio in the amount of $10000 per year

All other needs such as tuition fees medical insurance transportationbooks etc will be provided for by the Bishop as a local counterpart

Tis would ensure that priests can benefit from the partnershipo donate or to know more about the program please visitwwwancopusa-psporg

THE CFC Order of St Michael(OSM) in cooperation with thePhilippine Army Ofce of theArmy Chief Chaplain Service(OACCS) staged the rst everCharacter Enhancement Pro-gram (CEP) Convention last No-vember 24 2015 at the PhilippineAir Force Museum Pasay CityRetired Col Arturo Alabanza amember of CFC Metro Manila(South B) and head of the OSM

OSM C4

together with the OSM Corespearheaded the event

In his opening remarks Alabanza describedhow the OSM came together with the OACCS

and forged a long-term partnership to ldquodeveloprighteous God-fearing soldiers loved by theFilipino peoplerdquo through the CEP Te CFCOSM has developed modules specifically cater-ing to the soldiers their spouses and childrenOACCS on the other hand has the author-ity to mandate Commanding Officers of thevarious Army camps nationwide to employthe CEP

Te convention allowed the stakeholders toreport on the accomplishments and enabledthe Army Chaplains from the different Infan-

try Divisions to plan with their local Couplesfor Christ counterparts regarding strategies forCEP and its continuing spiritual enhancementmodules It was likewise an opportunity for

CFC OSM to present the second module forthe CEP which the group plans to roll outbeginning 2016

ANCOP Chairman Joe Yamamoto in hisinspirational talk reiterated Pope Francisrsquo callfor new evangelization and emphasized thatthe partnership is a clear response of each per-son involved whether it be the Chaplaincy orthe lay stakeholders to be agents of change inthe spiritual realm within the Philippine Army

Several of those serving in the program

His Eminence Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle and the leaders of CFC ANCOP USA f orging a strong partnership for further education among Filipino clergy

are called to herald Christ andto be missionaries of mercy heemphasized

Te Mass was followed by theopening worship led by the MetroManila Missions Director MannyGarcia and a brief message fromCFC Chairman Joe ale

Te CFC Order of St Michaelthrough its Head Art Alabanzatook the opportunity to honor the55 Singles for Christ volunteers

who served in the Christian LifeProgram for the PMA Cadets inBaguio Te fun-filled games forthe adults and children talentpresentations and face-paintingadded to the festive mood rulyit was a day for the family (CFCGlobal Communications)

Reconciliation is Key to Advent PreparationsldquoTHE best way to prepare forChristmas is reconciliation Thebirth of Jesus is Gods offering ofreconciliationrdquo

his was the essence of the Advent recollection given by FrGerard imoner OP Provincialof the Dominican Order in thePhilippines for the workers of theCFC Global Mission Office Terecollection was held last Novem-ber 28 2015 at the Obizpado deCubao in Quezon City

In his reflection Fr imoner

creatively wove reconciliation withforgiveness as well as the new

evangelization taking into account Jesusrsquo words to ldquoshake off the dust

from your feetrdquo According to hima good spiritual foot spamdashthe act

of shaking the dust off onersquos feet toremove all traces of the bad news to

enable one to proclaim the GoodNewsmdashis essential in preparing

oneself during AdventFr imoner described for-

giveness as ldquosetting a prisonerfree and realizing that thatprisoner is yourdquo He illustratesldquoJesus did not forgive whileon the cross Instead he saidlsquoFather forgive them for theyknow not what they dorsquo We canonly forgive if we engage Godsforgiveness within our ownrdquo

he best path to the newevangelization is to allow our-selves to be reconciled with God

amp each other he emphasized(A Alvarez)

The News Supplement of

Couples for Christ

C1CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 1824

Reflections on Advent

I IS the start of a new liturgical

year As in every year the previ-ous liturgical year ended withthe feast of Christ the King afitting high point indeed Aftergoing through the year observ-ing the various highs and lowsand phases of His life in theend and rightly so we proclaim

Jesus as indeed the King of kingsand the Lord of lords

And so the Church starts thecycle anew beginning fromHis birth into this world obuild up to that we have theseason of advent of waitingof anticipating of preparingfor the birth of He who werecognize and proclaim as theKing of kings

One would expect that thismajor season is ushered in

with Bible vers es express ingthe level of excitement befit-ting the birth of the King ofthe universe It is therefore abit surprising and soberingthat the opening reading ofthis season is one with a themethat speaks not of celebrationbut of foreboding of the com-ing end times

here wil l be strangethings happening to the sunto the moon and the stars Onearth whole countries will bein despair afraid of the roarof the sea and the raging tidesPeople will faint from fear asthey wait for what is comingover the whole earth for the

Joe Tale

powers in space will be driven

from their courses hen theSon of Man will appear comingin a cloud of great power andglory When these things begin tohappen stand up and raise yourheads because your salvation isnear Luke 2125-28

Moreover we are enjoined tobe on watch and to be vigilantin a specific way Be careful notto let yourselves become occu-pied with too much feasting anddrinking and with the worries ofthis life or that Day will suddenlycatch you like a trap For it willcome upon all people everywhereon earth Be on watch and prayalways that you will have thestrength to go safely through allthose things that will happen andto stand before the Son of Man

Luke 2134-36It is significant we might evensay ironic that during this seasonof merriment in anticipation ofthe birth of the Messiah we are

warned exactly not t o be merryIn this period that we normallycelebrate with much food and

wine and music we are instructedto refrain from such things

Is the verse dousing cold wa-ter on all these festivities andpreventing us from celebrating

joyously the arr ival of t he KingNot so he verse simply re-

minds us of something more im-portant whatever be the seasonof our life of being constantlyprepared and on the watch at

all times not ever to bring our

guards down whether we are go-ing through our low moments orhigh points in our life We are re-minded to always Be Preparedas the Boy Scouts motto goes

whatever our spec ific situationmay be at any given time

Als o I sense tha t the Lor d would like to bring us to a deeperlevel of rejoicing not merely onthe level of the frivolous as toomuch feasting and drinking areTe words of Jesus do not preventus from rejoicing He wants us tocontinue to be prepared even as

we celebrate He warns us not torejoice in a wanton way that takesus away from our right senses re-sulting in our being unpreparedhus our rejoicing should becoming from deep in our hearts

not shallow and hollow expres-sions of the same Our rejoicingshould be geared towards allowingus to still be prepared

hus as we hold our Christ-mas parties and dwell in themerriment of the season let usbe mindful of the words fromthe Gospel Appropriate feastingand drinking not only make usfaithful to the gospel but is alsomore healthy Significantly tooit should make us more caring tothose who have less and hope-fully lead us not to be wastefuland to share whatever we have somany others will also experiencea truly Merry Christmas

Rejoice in the Lord

HE RED Cubs harvested thegrand championship of the recentlyconcluded CFC GMC Ablaze Cup2015 held last December 2 - Decem-ber 8 2015 at the sports facilities ofCamp Crame

Te friendly games were partici-pated in by the different departmentsin the CFC Global Mission CenterTe Red Cubs romped off with the

Red Cubs are Champions in CFC GMC Ablaze Cup 2015

Go go go GMC clockwise from top left Caloy Rubio CFC Ablaze Cup Event Head exhorting participants the board of judges CFC Chair Joe Tale inspiring the athletes paradeof athletes the Orange Tigers basketball game between the Red Cubs and the Maroon on Fire cheerdance competition

Mel and Aimee Serrano talking about the highs and lows of dealing with in-laws

In Highs And In-Laws Dealing With Your In-Laws

ldquoATRASrdquo BOYS amp GIRLS

Are We Waiting For Jesus At The Right Spot

This Advent

IN983085LAWS he very word re-minds many a married coupleof discomfort awkward evenstrained relationships and some-times open conflict But are rela-tionships with the family membersof your spouse meant to be merelytolerant Te latest Couples forChrist (CFC) ndash Young Couples

Assembly on November 30 heldat St Pauls College in Pasig Citytackled precisely this topic andcame up with this wildly inge-nious insight In-laws are peopletoo ndash love them

According to the speakers Meland Aimee Serrano of CFC ndashMetro Manila West B lovingthem in all sincerity will work

wonders ldquoTat is the tried andtested formula love your in-lawsrdquoshared Mel a school owner fromQuezon City

During the talk which theypeppered with lots of insights andsharing of personal experiences as a

PASIG City Nov 29 2015 ndash What do weusually do when we find out that someone welove or an important personality is visiting ou rhome We tidy up we prepare good food butmost of all we wait his was the m essage thatabout 150 young married couples heard duringthe Family Mass at the Couples for Christ ndash

Young Couple s Assembly at St Paul Colleg eConvention Center held last November 30

Fr Ruper Solis SVD who celebrated theFamily Mass reminded the couples presentthat to wait for something or someone also

couple married for 20 years the Ser-ranos focused on several key points1 Handle them with care

Tis means giving attention tothe one who needs more takingcare of them in their old age as

well as training your kids to respecttheir grandparents

ldquoOn our part we have to makesure that our children will give duerespect [to them] and be able tounderstand intricacies that come

with old agerdquo said AimeeldquoWhether may sama ng loob

(hurt feelings) sometimes there will be times na mahirap makipag-kita (that it will be difficult to meetthem) but you have to go to themKailangan nating gawin yun (Weneed to do it)rdquo she stressed

2 Acknowledge differences According to the couple people

should recognize that their spousemay not have the same familyculture as they do Value systems

means waiting at the right placeldquoAs Christians our life is a series of waiting

Dapat maghintay ka sa tamang lugarhindi langsa tamang panahon na sinasabi ni Lola Nidora noPero sa tamang lugar din (We should wait not justfor the right time but waiting should be doneat the right place as well)rdquo explained Fr Ruper

he young priest who was an SVD missionaryassigned to Argentina for more than seven years

went on to tell the story of how once in Argentinahe was waiting by the side of the road flagging

championship crowns in badmin-ton (women) table tennis (menand women) tug-of-war and peelbanana It was a close fight with theMaroon on Fire team who grabbedthe winning titles for basketballvolleyball cheer dance and chess(men) and ended up 1st runner-up

with les s than 2 points from the winning team Te Orange igerscame in 2nd runner-up while YellowHotshots was 3rd runner-up basedon the last team standings

Te awarding ceremonies wereheld last December 8 2015 dur-ing the celebration of the CFCGMC Christmas party Tis an-nual event is an opportunity forthe mission workers to enjoy eachotherrsquos company Te Ablaze Cuplikewise serves as a venue tofoster and promote the spirit ofsportsmanship and unity amongthe GMC workers from bothpastoral and mission support(Yvonne Dolorosa)

HE WORD ldquoatrasrdquo means a backwardmovement It is generally used to refer to theldquoReverserdquo function of a vehicle In Lanao DelNorte the word has been applied to a group ofboys abd girls who guide vehicles in and out ofparking spaces the equivalent of the ldquoWatch-your-carrdquo aides in Metro Manila

he CFC leaders in the province immedi-ately thought of the Atras Boys and Girls ofLanao Del Norte when Cardinal agle said ndashldquoGo to the peripheries be a mobile clinicto heal the poor from spiritual sickness rdquo

Another ins pirat ion was from one of the mostimportant pastoral subjects of Pope Francisabout the ldquofamily and the poorrdquo

Every time I go to mass at the St MichaelrdquosCathedral with my wifeata the ldquoatras boysand girlsrdquo are all over the area assisting ve-hicles either to park or to exit the parking area

When n ot per formi ng thi s function they andother members of their family can be seenbegging for their daily sustenance hey areusually homeless their home being along theperipheries of the Cathedral or the sidewalks

he inspiration led the Area Governanceeam to the idea of bring these boys and girlsand their parents to a Christian Life Programhey moved quickly with Boy Suezo approv-ing the strategic CLP as designed by RegionalPastoral Formation Head Art Maderazo andinserting video clips appropriate to the CLPtalks With the activation of the SOLD Min-istry with Bro Roger Sultan as Provincial Co-

ordinator SOLD was made the lead ministryof the ldquoAtras Boys and Gir lsrdquo CLP

Initially the number of participants was limitedto five (5) for logistical reasons but the HolySpirit deemed otherwise ndash the attendees eventuallynumbered ten individuals and three (3) coupleshe CLPs were scheduled every hursday at 600orsquoclock in the evening with dinner provided byCFC brothers and sisters particularly the AGrsquos

wives and ANCOP members he SOLD Prov in-cial Coordinator took care of fetching the partici-pants from the Cathedral and also bringing themback to their ldquohomesrdquo It did not matter to Rogerthat his car would often retain the smell of the

unwashed he persisted in servicing the transportneeds of the participants

November 05 2015 was truly a pleasant anda memorable day to the service team On thatday five of the ten boys and girls and two (2)couples dedicated their life to CFC One of theparticipants stood up to give an inspiring testi-mony ending with ldquohank you CFC for makingus somebody in your heart hank you for beingmindful of the conditions of the poor and thankyou for bringing Christ to our livesrdquo (ldquoSalamatCFC nga aduna pa diay kami luna sa inyong kas-ingkasing Salamat CFC sa inyong pagpakabanasa susama kanamo nga mga timawa Salamat sainyong panahon pag hatag kanamo sa pagtulun-anni Kristo)

It is envisioned that this kind of evangeliza-tion can be replicated in other areas nationwidethe beginning of a truly strategic evangelizationHopefully this is also the beginning of a newlife for the new CLP graduates with CFC being

instrumental in helping them provide for theirfamilyrsquos future (Nonoy Haim)

disciplining style even views onhow to handle finances will of-tentimes be different Tat is whyunderstanding coupled with love

will go a long wayldquoDifferences and conflicts are

not unhealthy but mismanagementis Never criticize your in-lawsrdquoMel said

Also in case of confl ict themessenger or the ldquobridgerdquo shouldbe the one with the primary re-lationship (spouse to own fathermother)

he Serranos candidly sharedabout a conflict that eruptedbetween Aimee and her father-in-law during the campaignperiod for local elections whenMel ran for public office heconflict was soon followed by aperiod of silence a Cold Warso to speak ldquoIt took us at leasta year or two [My father said]kasi pag di natin inayos tolahat tayo maapektuhan (If we

dont fix this all of us will beaffected) It helped that thecouple prayed and sought DivineIntervention and asked the com-munity to pray with them heHoly Spirit worked

3 Respond appropriately What if ev en af ter l ovin g and

understanding them its stillnot smooth sailing with your in-laws Heres what the Serranoshad to say

bull iming is everythingbull Learn when to speak or keep

your mouth shutbull ake a breath cool offbull Maintain a sense of humorbull Remember unsolicited advice

is just an opiniono cap their talk the couple

brought back the participants tothe basics of loving in-laws to actout your love to build bridges andto communicate (Nirvaana EllaDelacruz)

HOMILY C3

IN A Memorandum sent to the Philip-pine Missions leaders last November23 2015 PM Director Jose Yamamotoappointedreassigned leaders for theNortheastern Luzon region

Mark Banzon has been appointedProvincial Area Head (PAH) of Isabelavice Rommel Ancheta ony de la Cruz

on the other hand was tapped to be PAHof Nueva Vizcaya vice Raul Balaquiao

O set a new tradition in the CFC Family the InternationalCouncil has agreed to make December 27 the Feast of theHoly Family as a special day for the members of the familyto honor one another Tis will allow each person in thefamily to express their gratitude to the Lord for the gift offamily and the importance of having each member of thefamily around for the love support and service As a sug-

New Appointments for CFC GMC NE LuzonFamily Honoring Night Set

Balaquiao was appointed PAH of IlocosSur vice ony de la Cruz while Cholo

Yjares is now PAH of Cagayan vice BongPagulayan Pagulayan is now PAH ofKalinga vice Cholo Yjares

he move is essentially a realignmentof the leaders in the Northeastern Luzonarea in the interest of the mission except

for Banzon who is a new appointee andfor Noel Malamug who remains as

PAH of Ifugao hese changes are to takeeffect on January 1 2016 Edythe Aven-dantildeo is also set to replace Didi Galsim asHandmaids of the Lord InternationalCoordinator effective January 1 2016

In the Global Mission Center RickyRico was appointed Head for the GAd-min effective October 1 2016 while Jay

Lucena was appointed head of the CFCEvents group also effective October 1facebookcomCFCGlobalMission CFChrist

The Ugnayan News Supplement is published by the Couples for Christ Global Mission Foundation Inc with editorial ofces at 156 20 th Avenue 1109 Cubao Quezon City

Editorial trunk line (+63 2) 709-4868 local 23

Direct line (+63 2) 709-4856

wwwcouplesforchristglobalorg cfcglobalcommunicationsgmailcom

Michael C Ariola

IC Oversight

Zenaida A Gimenez

Editor-in-Chief

Alma M Alvarez

Associate Editor

Evangeline C Mecedilla

Circulation Staff

Deomar P Oliveria

Layout Artist

The News Supplement

of Couples for Christ

gestion the guidelines indicate the following as the activitiesfor the said day hearing Mass together dining together athome praying together and in gratitude expressing theirlove to one another

hrough the Family Honoring Night the community hopesto strengthen the relationship among the family members andempower each one to truly cherish and love one another

Bong Pagulayan

Mark Banzon

Cholo Yjares

Ricky Rico

Edythe Avendantildeo

Raul Balaquiao

Jay Lucena

Tony de la Cruz

C2 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 1924

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 2024

CFC China Conducts

Mission Heads Training

CFC Greece Leaders Meet Archbishop of Athens amp Nuncio

COUPLES for Christ USA and CFC Greece leaders paid a courtesy call on Archbishop Sevastianos Rossolatos and Fr George Altouvas at the Archd ioce se of Athens he g roup in troduced Couples f or Chri st to the new Archbishop and di scus sed theirplans to initiate a CFC Youth Camp in Greek as well as to develop CFC teachings in Greek

On another occasion the CFC leaders met with the Apostolic Nuncio of the Holy See in Athens Archbishop Edward Joseph AdamsTey discussed challenges and forthcoming changes in the Greek Catholic hierarchy and laid down CFCrsquos plans for CFC Athens

SINGLES for Christ Metro Manila gath-ered at the San Carlos Seminary in Makatilast December 5 2015 at 700 pm forthe SFC Global One a two-hour non-stop worship experience Jay Laquiana fulltime pastoral worker for SFC ledthe worship

Global One was meant to be a simul-taneous praise concert with major cities

or provinces hosting the event But what

made this yearrsquos Global One event special was the fact that it was the first time it wasstaged online via youtube live broadcastTis gave SFCs all over the world an oppor-tunity to come together despite differencesin time zone

ogether as one ministry SFCs from theMetro Manila Sectors the provinces andthe various countries like the USA Canada

and the Middle Eastern countries raised

SFC GLOBAL ONEmdashUniting the World

via Online Worship

their voices in praise and worship for thecountless favors they received It likewisebecame an opportunity to ask the Lordto bless the ministry for the coming year

Te ministry sees the online Global Oneas an event they can do annually Tey alsosee it as a potential tool to reach othernon-SFC members to witness Christ andcome together with other young people to

worship (Lanie Montaos)

OSM C1

CFC Winnipeg held its 2nd Celebration of Covenant Love onNovember 21st the feast of the Presentation of Our Lady Sixteencouples attended the activity

One week prior to the Renewal of Wedding Vows the 16 coupleshad a mini-retreat conducted by their spiritual advisor Fr YollyGamallo Te mini-retreat included four couple-sharers Te HolyMass was celebrated at St John Cantius Parish presided by MsgrLouis McCloskey A simple reception followed for the 16 couples andabout 60 family members with additional witnesses from the CFCcommunity Te participants who renewed their marriage vows werefrom varied age groups with some having been married for only five

years to couples who were celebratingo 40 years of holy matrimony

Tis year makes the Celebration of Love even more relevant as itis the year that held the papal Synod on the Family and the WorldMeeting of Families Pope Francis stated when making an address tofamilies ldquoTose who celebrate the sacrament say lsquoI promise to be trueto you in joy and in sadness in sickness and in health I will love youand honour you all the days of my lifersquo At that moment the coupledoes not know what will happen nor what joys and pains awaitthem Tey are setting out like Abraham on a journey together

And that is what marriage is Setting out and walking togetherhand in hand putting yourselves in the Lordrsquos powerful handsHand in hand always and for the rest of your livesrdquo (from http

couplesforchristcanadaca)

A Celebration of Covenant Love

I cherish the treasure the treasure of you lifelong companion I give myself to you These happy couples from CFC Vancouver saying Yes again to oneanother and to God as they renew their marriage vows

CFC missionaries to South Americarejoiced as they completed a fruitfulmission to the area a fitting end to theyear Te mission to Nuevo Pueblo deColaacuten opened a new area an hour awayby land from Piura Peru establish-ing CFC ndash Parejas para Cristo in a remotetown in the desert At the end of theChristian Life Program 13 new CFCPPC members composed of 4 couples4 HOLD and 1 SOLD committed to alife with Christ

Te PVC (Programa de Vida Cristiana- Spanish CLP) was held November 27to 29 2015 (Tanksgiving weekend) byCFC USA Florida in Iglesias del Rosarioone of two parishes in town Padre LuisSerra head pastor of the main churchthe Iglesia Sagrado Corazoacuten de Jesuacutesopened the doors to CFC PPC Fourother brethren from CFC PPC RiojaPeru headed by Fr Rober Martinez cameto reinforce the missionariesrsquo efforts Teteam got a taste of their first mission

CFC China is on full throttle in its evan-gelization efforts Tey recently conducted

the first-ever CFC China Mission Headsraining from November 27 to 30 at Vilada Sta Isabel Estrada Cheoc Van MacauTe training aimed to strengthen its leader-ship ranks through several formation talksfrom the Chapter Leaders raining (CL)series Te sixty participants were mostlyChinese with some Filipino Mission Headsand their AG members from the North

West East and South of China includingMacau SAR and Hong Kong SAR

Te first day of the training was devotedto a silent retreat based on Psalm 4610ndash ldquoBe silent and know that I am GodrdquoTe three-hour retreat centered on thetheme ldquoWe need to Change How WeLead o lead like Jesusrdquo with each par-ticipant encouraged to ldquoempty oneselfrdquoFr Oliviades a member of the Opus Deifacilitated the retreat

Day 2 started with a Holy Mass concel-

ebrated by Fr Joseph Wang from YiwuEast China Te training proper began with Israel Silud CFC Country Headand Northwest Regional Head givingthe overview and citing challenges thatCFC China faces He reiterated thatCFC Chinarsquos goal of raising 1 millionhousehold heads will be driven by the

The fruits of 2015 for CFC PPC hundreds of miles away from home

In 2015 ten missions were held inSouth America by CFC USA All these

were made possible by a handful of zeal-ous and selfless CFC USA mission vol-unteers who sacrificed a lot and deniedthemselves many comforts in order tobring the Word of God to families in Co-lombia Ecuador and Peru CFC ParejasPara Cristo will not take off without thefinancial support of CFC USA

ruly God gave a very good year for

the mission team harvesting 608 souls in2015 (a total of 857 persons from June2014 to date) Te task of sustainingCFC PPC families and area countriesare enormous But with grateful heartsthe South America team humbly turnsto God thanking Him each day forHis guidance as He leads the way Teteam looks forward to 2016s adventureof bringing the banner of Christ to themiddle and corners of the earth (GlenSantayana)

whether lay or from the Chaplainsrsquo ranklikewise gave testimonies on how theirinvolvement in the CEP made them real-ize that they have become not only agentsof change but recipients of grace as well

In the afternoon the Chaplains andtheir CFC counterparts came together fora round table discussion of the plans ofthe various Infantry Divisions nationwide

Army Chie f Chaplain Fr Col Andre sBonifacio Belleza CHS (GSC) in anunexpected move expressed his recog-nition through the grant of awards ofthe initiatives of the Army Chaplainsin implementing the CEP in their vari-ous Divisions Fr Maj Juan Jerome CDaluro was awarded Best Chaplain ofthe Year 2015 for his exemplary ser viceas Division Chaplain of 9th Infantry(Spear) Division Fr MSg Mario Ban-

iqued Philippine Army (PA) OACCSChief Clerk was recognized as Best

Chaplain Assistant of the YearSince the partnership between the

OACCS and CFC OSM started in April2014 the group has conducted CharacterEnhancement Retreats (CER) for 28 Phil-ippine Army commands Trough CFCSingles for Christ volunteers a ChristianLife Program has likewise been conductedfor the Philippine Military Academy Classof 2018 graduating 385 PMA-Singles forChrist members Presently five CERs arealso being done at the V Luna MedicalCenter in Quezon City

Alabanza admit s there is still muchto be done So far the CEP has reached2000 men and women in uniformroughly 0287 percent of an estimated800000 population of soldiers theirspouses and their families Tis is indeedfertile ground for values and spiritual

transformation which is just waiting tobe conquered (A Alvarez)

Another fruitful harvest in Peru from top the 13 new members in CFC PPC all-women discussion group

Courtesy call top photos CFC leaders with Archbishop Edward Joseph Adams amp Fr George Altouvas bottom photos with Fr George Archbishop SevastianosRossolatos and Archbishop Edward Joseph Adams

CFC OSM and the OACCS reaching out to the men and women in uniform and their families through the Character Enhancement Program

personal holiness of its ser vant-leaders who will be leading the evangelization thrust

in 34 provinces in China CL talks 2-5 were given by the regional heads with their wives as sharers

Day 3 began with the recitation ofthe Holy Rosary followed by anotherconcelebrated Holy Mass Fr Oliviadesdelivered a beautiful homily on ldquoemptyingoneselfrdquo Te rest of the CL talks wereagain delivered by the regional heads withtheir wives as sharers In CL alk 9 Siludemphasized the need to pay attention tothe means to care for the spirit mind andbody of the leaders

Te last day primarily focused on plan-ning the CFC China activities for 2016One of the proposals from the planningis that the four (4) regions in China willeach be hosting the major activities linedup for the year

Te three-day training and planning was conducted by CFC China Country

Head IsraelSally Silud with the supportof North Asia Regional Coordinator Ga-rieCess Pimentel and the regional headsfrom East China (EricEvelyn Ylagan)South China (JoelErica Santos) HongKong SAR (GarieCess Pimentel) andMacau SAR (JMEmilie Yupangco) (Ericamp Evelyn Ylagan)

C4 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

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JCL ndash member while for the TeologicalCommission the experts appointed wereFr Alexander L Garces SDB JCL ndashPresident Fr Enrico Eusebio Jr SJ JCDndash member and Sr Maria Amparo SantosOP JCL ndash member As with the ribunalmembers the Presidents and membersof both Commissions individually tooktheir respective oaths and signed the Acts

Te appointed Copyist Ms RonalynRegino and Assistant Copyist Ms Ge-cerein Sayen Ocampo were called next totake their respective oaths and similarlysigned in the Acts

Ten Postulator Msgr Pedro C Qui-torio III and Vice Postulator Fr WilmerR Rosario JCD individually took their

respective oaths not compromise the truthand offend justice nor impede the free-dom of witnesses to testify in the CauseTereafter they also signed the Acts

Te Postulator then presented to Car-dinal agle for his examination a list of

witnesses to be interrogated subject to thepossible addition and revision of namesin the future Upon examining the listthe Cardinal decreed that the next sessionfor interrogation of witnesses be held on

January 11 2016 at the Arzobispado deManila

Finally after ordering the Chancellorto establish public record of this First Ses-sion Cardinal agle declared the Processfor the Causes of Beatification and Can-

onization of Servant of God FAHERGEORGE J WILLMANN SJ Father ofthe Order of the Knights of Columbus inthe Philippines OPEN

o complete the Rites His EminenceLuis Antonio Cardinal agle together withformer Chief Justice Hilario G Davide

Jr as Chairman of the National ExecutiveCommittee (NEC) for the Cause of Fr

Willmann jo intly u nveiled the portraitof Father George J Willmann SJ

Tereafter Cardinal agle began thecelebration of the Holy Eucharist Con-celebrants were Bishop Honesto FOngtioco DD Bishop Mylo HubertC Vergara DD Msgr Geronimo FReyes JCD Fr William Arana OSA Fr

Carlo Magno Marcelo Fr Marvin MejiaFr Wilmer Rosario JCD Fr Carlo DelRosario Fr Julius Paul Factora OP JCDFr Sander Niez JCL Fr Alex GarcesSDB JCL Fr Rico Garcia Fr ReginaldMalicdem Fr Darwin Faith Ponce OSAFr Ricky VIllar OSA Fr Geoffrey Eb-orda OSA Fr Genaro Supremedo OSAFr Jojo orres OSA Fr Joseph VillarealOSA Fr Roy Gallano OSA Fr MichaelSalazar and Fr Romel Cruz

Also serv ing as Conce lebrants werea number of KC Priests Scholars of theKnights of Columbus Fr George J

Willmann Charities Inc that includedMsgr Pedro C Quitorio III Fr Benjamin

The Cross A Supplement Publication of KCFAPI and the Order of the Knights of ColumbusCBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25 December 7 2015 - 27 2016

Sainthood bid opens forFr George Willmann SJBy Roberto T Cruz

On December 7 2015 Mon-

day the bells of the ManilaCathedral rang out loud as HisEminence Luis Antonio Car-dinal agle presided over themilestone celebration of theHoly Eucharist at the ManilaCathedral to formally open theDiocesan process of the Causeof Fr George J Willmann SJ

he Liturgical Rites for the formalopening of the diocesan process precededthe Mass at 900am With the entranceprocession of Cardinal agle as the MainCelebrant together with two bishops twomonsignors and thirty-three priests whoconcelebrated the Mass the Rites started

with Msgr Pedro C Quitorio III theappointed Diocesan Postulator for theCause of Fr Willmann giving biographi-cal highlights of the life of Fr George J

Willmann SJ An Invocation of the HolySpirit followed with the singing of VeniCreator Spiritus by the Manila CathedralBasilica Choir

Cardinal agle then examined anddeclared the legitimacy of the appoint-ments of Msgr Pedro C Quitorio III asthe Postulator and Fr Wilmer R Rosario

JCD as Vice-Postul ator in conformity with the Code of Canon Law

Appointed members of the Diocesanribunal for the Cause of Fr Willmann

were Msgr Geronimo F Reyes JCDas Episcopal Delegate Fr Carlo P DelRosario JCL as Promoter of Justice Mseresita F Kudemus ndash First Notary MsMarivic M Ambasa ndash Second Notary Ms

Julieta R Santos as Tird NotaryTe Cardinal reminded them of the

great responsibility importance andseriousness of the Process for the Causesfor Beatification and Canonization Asrequired by Church law all the mem-bers of the ribunal starting with MsgrGeronimo F Reyes individually tooktheir oath to faithfully fulfill hisher com-mitment and then signed the Acts

Te Experts who were tapped to formthe Historical Commission includeFr Julius Paul Factora OP JCD asPresident Fr Adolfo N Dacanay SJ

JCD ndash member and Fr Sander D Niez Sainthood D3

KCFAPI Theme and Logo for 2016HE year 2016 has been pro-claimed the Year of the Eucharistand the Family by the CatholicBishopsrsquo Conference of the Phil-ippines Te theme is part of thenine year spiritual journey thatbegan with the Year of Faith

where we experienced an authenticrenewal of faith guided by the newevangelization principles

he Holy Eucharist whichmeans thanksgiving invitesfamilies of the Catholic faithfulto commemorate the supremesacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christon the cross to receive His body

and blood in the Holy Commu-nion and to celebrate His victoryover death

Te Roman Catholic Churchpromotes strong family ties andvalues Parents are entrustedthe responsibility to prepare andteach their children to follow JesusChrist and live His gospel

KCFAPI distinguished itselfin protecting the sanctity of thefamily by providing comfortand sustenance in any loss orlife-changing event among fam-ily members KCFAPI respondsswiftly to changing or evolvingfamily insurance needs Nowon its 58th year of providingunsurpassed uncompromised

fraternal service KCFAPI vowsand advocates relentlessly to

render comfort benefit and as-sistance to all brother knightsand their families with mercy andcompassion

As part of the KCFAPI familyin a pioneering effort all wholly-owned and majority-ownedcompanies will coordinate theirschedules and manage theirresources towards one com-mon goal and will function asone well oiled machine By

joi nin g han ds gu ide d by theHoly Spirit the strength ofone is multiplied several times

over Te heart symbolizes lovemercy and compassion and is

also Charity ndash the first of fourcore principle of the OrderKCFAPI in heart-shaped bordermantles the five wholly- ownedand majority-owned companies Keys Realty amp DevelopmentCorporation Kompass Creditand Financing Corporation KCPhilippines Foundation IncKnights of Columbus Fr George

J Willmann Charitie s Inc andMace Insurance Agency IncTey are depicted by the boldshoulders of the figures symbol-izing the family Just like in any

close-knit family concentratedon accomplishing one objective

all employees will be engagedtheir support and talent pooledand harnessed to participateactively in any company activi-ties working in tandem as onecohesive unit

Te logo vividly demonstratesthe solidarity and bonding of fam-ily members if they gather togetherand allow Christ to be at the centerof their family relationship

Te different colors representthe various hues of the Order ofthe Knights of Columbus red

whit e blu e and yell ow hegreen color manifests KCFAPIrsquos

concern for our environment andits managementrsquos advocacy gearedtowards a healthy state of our sur-roundings Orange brings a posi-tive outlook in life optimism andmotivation to look on the brighterside of life

Te cup and host (in yellow)emulating the Holy Eucharist pro-vides Christ- centered way of life

Te circular flow represents in-finity or totality the unboundedtimeless and never ending lovecare and affection of KCFAPIin providing each and every KCfamily a shield of security protec-tion and hope Te acronym ALLcharacterizes KCFAPIrsquos inclusiveapproach to all forms of actions

products and services (Angelito A Bala)

As we protect families for generations Act Live Love

KCFAPI Planning Conference The Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of thePhilippines Inc held their 2016 Planning Conference last November 7-9 2015 atColumbus Plaza General Santos City Present were KCFAPI Chairman Bro Arsenio IsidroG Yap KCFAPI President Bro Jose C Reyes Jr KCFAPI Executive Vice President SisMa Theresa G Curia KCFAPI Officers and Supervisors KEYS Realty Vice President Bro

Riz Nicolas and HTMC Vice President Sis Apolonia Dominguez

Living Rosary The Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of the Philippines Inchad their Living Rosary last October 30 2015 at the KCFAPI main office This has been

a yearly practice for the Month of the Holy Rosary which is usually conducted by itsofficers and staff

Cardinal Tagle leads the unveiling of the portrait of Jesuit Fr George J Willmann as the Manila archdiocesan process for the Cause of Beatification and Canonization of the latter formally opens at the Manila Cathedralon Monday Dec 7 Willman is considered as t he ldquoFather of the Knights of Columbusrdquo in the Philippines ROY LAGARDE

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 2224

D2 The CrossDecember 7 2015 - 27 2015 Vol 19 No 25

ACQ UIR IN G a hou se and lo t which they can call their own home

and driving their own cars are twoof the priority dreams of Filipinoparents Of course seeing theirchildren finish college education iseither Number 1 or Number 2

Te Knights of Columbus Frater-nal Association of the PhilippinesInc (KCFAPI) has formed andincorporated a new company to helpmembers of the Order to have their

dream homes and motor carsKCFAPI named the new company as Kompass Credit and

Financing Corporation (KCFC) after one of the symbols of theKnights of Columbus which is the Compass Like the Compassof the ancient marines KOMPASS is here to guide BrotherKnight in having their own home and efficient mobility

KOMPASS can also extend home car and business loans tothe general public

Interested parties can call KOMPASS at el No 527-2242

527-2223 loc 215 and 252 for further details of the loan

Arsenio Isidro G Yap

Chairmanrsquos Message

Presidentrsquos Message

Ma Theresa G Curia

Jose C Reyes Jr

Reflection

Curia Settings

Michael P Cabra

Bequest LIFE this Christmas

My Brotherrsquos Keeper

FILIPINO raditions reflect the kindof people that we are All traditionscustoms and beliefs evolve from thelove and respect of the family Ourmutual and natural respect for oneanother our desire to please and notoffend each other and our willingness

to extend a helping hand are just a fewof the basic foundations which madethe Filipino people unique a one of a

kind and nowhere else could be found And certainly a must-have as a friend and neighbor

Some of the trait I like is the ldquomano pordquo expression and at thesame time reaching for the otherrsquos hand and asking for his blessingsTe respected elder would normally extend his hand to touch theforehead of the one asking for his blessings and expresses ldquokaawanka ng Diyosrdquo or ldquoGod bless yourdquo It doesnrsquot matter whether the onebeing accorded the respect is younger than the person asking forthe blessing or even if they hardly know each other

Another trait is removing onersquos slippers or shoes when enteringa neighborrsquos house Te guest expresses his respect for the hostand does not in any way want to spoil or damage the pristinecondition of the floor which is normally kept shiny and clean

Cleaning of onersquos surrounding to the point of cleaning also theneighborrsquos grounds I could still remember in our neighborhoodthat the old folks would sweep the debris on the street in front

of their houses But instead of just collecting their own trashthey would try to outdo each other by picking (or sweeping)the litter on the street up to the neighborrsquos house in front andeven on their right and left side

Everyone living along the same street knows each other very well to the point that all knows who are having a hard time and would need some assistance A neighbor would readily do somehousehold chores give some food and try to console those whoare grieving for the loss of a love one Nobody needs to askHelp is extended readily

Although the traits Irsquove mentioned above are seldom practicednowadays except for the ldquomano pordquo I still believe that those

were just some of our good traits which define us as people which define us as a Filipino a unique breed of people We arevery resilient that even though we are in grief or experiencingextreme challenges in our everyday life we still are able to lightour faces with the friendliest smile

Christmas is another tradition-field celebration that is uniquelyFilipino Te ldquoSimbang Gabirdquo ldquoputo bumbongrdquo and the like are

some Christmas traditions But let us not forget that Christmas isnot just a season of merriment but is a season for reconciliationItrsquos that time of the year when we want to ask forgiveness fromthose we had wronged and at same time forgive also those whohad wronged us and forget whatever they had done to us

Christmas is a season wherein family ties are kept stronger andmore meaningful But to be more meaningful it is better that weshare our blessings to those in need whose nights might be Holy but

would be very Silent and the only sound that they could hear arenot carols of merriment but the grumbling of their empty stomach

Make this Christmas the most meaningful Christmas ever bysharing your ldquoNoche Buenardquo with a neighbor or better still witha complete stranger May the birth of our Lord touch our heartsand be responsive to those in need

CHRISMAS is a holy day celebratingthe birth of Jesus Christ our Saviour Ithas been a tradition in the Philippines that

we go to dawn masses from December 16to the eve of Christmas day Because ourenthusiasm builds up as early as Septemberon Christmas Day itself many of us areexhausted after days of going through heavytraffic on the way to parties and to crowdedshopping malls to shop for gifts Tere arealso many events that we are enticed to at-tend for our kidsrsquo sake gatherings of relatives and friends near and farand entertainment we spend a lot for the family

While these festivities are all expressions of love we sometimes forgetthat Christmas day is the day we should go to mass to thank God forall the blessings we received from Him and in turn to offer our gift to

Jesus Christ As we enter the Advent season let us start reflecting on

how we can better love and serve God on how we can help the poorand how we can give hope to those who are losing hope Let us put intoaction the principle of charity with greater vigor and sense of urgency

May Christmas be like the ldquoJourney to the Innrdquo of Joseph and Mary- tiring yet full of hope and joy to welcome Christ in our hearts andour homes As Knights of Columbus let us lead our communities toa Christ-centered Advent celebration this year and always

My family and I wish your whole family ldquoA Merry Christmas and aBlessed New Yearrdquo

FOR this Christmas I wish tobase my reflection on a poem

written by Horacio de la Costathe first Filipino provincial ofthe Jesuits Please read and usethe poem as a Christmas greet-ing My reflection is nothingcompared to the poem

We must have visited all theBelens in our churches since we

were small In fact most of usalso put up the Christmas cribin our own homes In arlacthey even have yearly exhibits ofBelens which they call Belenis-mo We were told that it was StFrancis who started putting upthe crib in his church And thepoem of Horacio Dela Costatells us that if we meditate onthis set up we might discover

the surprises that they bring toour consciousness

Let us identify some fea-tures of the Belens that we se earound us during the Christ-mas season and together letus reflect on the meanings thatthese can offer us We shall seedifferent layers of Christmasmeaning emerge

1 he King was born poorGod has become human Tisis one of the features that wesee when we stare at the Crib

What a paradox the king ispoor God is human Life isindeed full of paradoxes andof seeming contradictions

We make sense of them only

with the passage o f t ime and

as we mature both in age andin faith

2 he Bethlehem scene isprofoundly meaningful sym-bolic and mystery-laden We

watch the figures in the Be lenand sometimes we do notunderstand When we do notunderstand the turn of eventsin our life we should not giveup We should not run awayTe world will not end onlybecause we do not understand

what we see exper ience or feelLet us stand in awe at Godrsquosvisit when we are clueless of

what i s happening 3 he King was born in a

manger But there was peacearound among the wise menand the shepherds on that holy

and starry night We see atthe Belen scene a communionamong God humans the richand the poor animals and hu-mans the stars the night andthe people It was as though ata special moment the Universe

was one As though the con-nectedness of all the elements

was not merel y ecolog ical asLaudato Si spoke of but evendivine -human No wonderthat we do not get tired of put-ting up our belens at home inchurches and in public placesNo wonder that we can stareforever at the Nativity scenealthough we do not fully un-derstand everything although

we do it yea r afte r year We

also feel that we are there andthat we are connected to the

figures they represent we areconnected to history to oursurroundings and even to ourGod

4 he Savior was born ina manger where animals eatTe meaning of the mangerscene has been the content ofmany sermons that we haveheard We were told that thisdoes not only refer to thehumility or poverty of Jesus

A dee per meaning they say isthat Jesus has come to be foodfor all who come to him Jesuscame to give Himself as foodfor the world His words histeachings his mercy and com-passion and his Good News of

Godrsquos Plan are enough to fillour emptiness with a sense ofdirection and destiny Teyquench our thirst for enlight-enment guidance and sense ofdignity as humans

5 he Baby who is born isthe Savior of the world Howcan a Baby save the w orld Wesee before us a baby wrappedin swaddling clothes And werealize that Divinity can berevealed in very human situ-ations And that the humblestreality could be a revelationthat God is in our midst If weopen our hearts and minds tothe Lord His Spirit enlightensand gives delight to our weary

and limited minds and souls

Even today we can feel Hismessage although sometimes

we do not ful ly unders tand Te truth dawns on us when

we ar e qu ie t and when we wait When we do not rush toknow Godrsquos Presence is a Giftthat we can never be worthy ofBut the point here is not thatour littleness could obstructthe Revelation of a mysteryRather the Greatness of theLord compels Him to revealHimself to the little one Evento us Now

Tat is why Liturgy invokesour ability to watch to look at

what happe ns in the Churchcelebrations Te beauty ofcandles incense and flowerscan evoke some sense of the

Sacred Space a Sacred Mo-ment and a Sacred Encounter

Te Belen does this for us inrevealing the message of Christ-mas If we open our eyes weshall see the Message of Christ-mas with our hearts If we havetime and we can keep quietbefore the Belen we might seethe surprise of the Lord

[The author Ma TheresaG Curia is the Executive VicePresident amp Chief OperatingOfficer of the Knights of Co-lumbus Fraternal Association ofthe Phils Inc (KCFAPI) andthe incumbent Diocesan Regentof the Daughters of Mary Im-maculate International Dioceseof Malolos]

IrsquoS that time of the year again We must allbegin the increasingly difficult task of buy-ing suitable gifts for our friends and familyHowever there is a different gift you shouldseriously consider giving this year Itrsquos not a fun

present nor it is exciting Itrsquos not somethingyou can play with or wear and it definitely wouldnrsquot be considered a treat Itrsquos a gift thatno one wants but everyone NEEDS So whatare we talking about A Fraternal Service Plan

A Benefit Certificate (BC) or what is simplyknown as a life insurance policy Every year

we search for that perfect gift for a loved oneSomething that will show how much we careand appreciate them What could better provethat than giving someone the gift of SECU-RIY and SABILIY

Unfortunately the recent statistics presentthe sad truth (a) more than 95 Filipinos donot have adequate levels of insurance and (b)more than 80 of Filipinos do not believethey are likely to suffer a serious illness in the

next 20 years Yet each year around 365000Filipinos face premature death either caused byaccidental death or natural sickness It equatesto 1000 untimely deaths everyday

Firstly think about your present situation

Do you have loved ones who depend on youfinancially If something were to happen toyou would your family struggle to maintaintheir current lifestyle the kind of living yoursquovebeen providing If you answered yes to thesequestions itrsquos as simple as that - you need tohave life insurance Secondly do you have aloved one (parent spouse adult children e tc)

who needs protection Tis year give them theultimate gift Having an adequate amount oflife insurance can help in paying off hospitalbills memorial bills mortgage and even in-heritance tax It can allow a family to maintaintheir current level of living and possibly evenfund long term goals such as childrenrsquos schoolfunds dream car house business and evenretirement Now wersquore not saying this is the

only gift you should give it might look a littlesad with only that under the Christmas treeHowever just consider along with the othergifts giving a present that may not be appreci-ated at that moment might come in use should

a critical time arrive You look after your familyand so this is a perfect gift ideaItrsquos important to consult a fraternal counselor

when considering life insurance as it is impera-tive that you are insured accurately dependingon your current situation and future needs

Should you wish to know more just visit wwwkofcorgph for inquiries

Did you know thatFor as low as PhP10000 you can already

start the Gift of Life to your loved ones Tisfraternal service plan is called KC Peso Saver Itis a single contribution endowment plan which

will mature at the end of the benefit certificatersquos10th year In fact a lot of Knights of ColumbusMembers invest with this Gift of Life everyChristmas for their spouse and children

Gemille Isabel P Gloria

A Meek Christmas

IMAGINE a pregnant mother who is supposed to give birth toa child at the moment and rideson a donkey with her husband

Apart from the pain of laborthe mother is enduring deathchases their yet unborn child astheir King deliberately kills allthe newborn babies that night

urned down by the innkeepersthey ended up in a crude stablesharing it with the farm animalsand the shepherds as she gavebirth to a baby boy and placedhim in a manger I bet you arepicturing a scene of a movie inyour head right now Tis isactually what the first Christmaslooked like

Going back to the presentChristmas is far more delightfuland exciting Shopping feastinggift-giving and vacation trippingare just few of the activities that

we cannot do away with in ourChristmas lists We think ofChristmas like no other ordinaryday of the year We make sure

that for Noche Buena there isabundance of bountiful feasts inour dining table from a platterof mouth-watering leche flan toa sumptuous lechon new clothesup to fifty percent sale on theselected items section and expen-sive gifts covered in a Santa Claus

wrapper under a fully decorated

Christmas tree We associate theChristmas season as a time ofsplendor since it is the birthday ofour Savior Unfortunately someof us could only imagine thesethings Tey are our fellow whoare counted by the government inabject poverty who could hardlythink of where and how to gettheir first meal for the 365 daysof the year including Christmasday One does not need to moveafar to behold this ravers-ing nearby the office we couldalready see some of the faces inpoverty If you have not takenyet the underpass connectingManila City Hall and Intramu-ros as you make your way out of

it you will see sullied children intattered clothes inhaling plasticbags containing rugby with somesoiled adults who seem to be theirparents doing the same thing

With their hunger already in theirhead some children forcibly takethe food of the passersby Duringthe night the space where people

enter and exit the underpassin the day turns into a freezinghome for the homeless Youcan see in their wrinkled face thefeeling of sleeping on the passage-

ways with only cardboard boxesand worn out fabrics in betweentheir body and the cold cementedground Teir condition is notfar from what Jesus experiencedon the first Christmas born intoand chose to live a life of poverty

Remembering martyredSalvadoran Archbishop OscarRomero who once said thatldquoNo one can celebrate a genuineChristmas without being trulypoor he self sufficient theproud those who because they

have everything look down onothers those who have no needeven of God for them there

will be no Christmas Only thepoor the hungry those whoneed someone to come on theirbehalf will have that someonehat someone is God Em-manuel God-with-usrdquo With

what he thought we canrsquot arguethat at times we want everythingTe more you have the moreyou want and the more you get

What if we have nothing Whatif we donrsquot have gifts food andnew clothes for the Christmas

What if we are in the place of thehomeless Would we still feel thesame Christmas Spirit withoutthe things we celebrate with it

We have to learn to celebrat eChristmas with how the poorperceive it Let us not reachthe point where we celebrateChristmas just because we willreceive our one-year wish listLet us learn to lose to sacrificeand to give during Christmas

Joseph P Teodoro

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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D3The Cross December 7 2015 - 27 2015 Vol 19 No 25

Deogracias Fajota Fr Jeronimo

Ma Cruz Fr Antonio Rex PalayaFr Melvin Gamelo Fr JuliusCuison Fr Felix Labios Fr Ra-melle Rigunay Fr Randy SalungaFr Joel Cariaso Fr HernandezMendoza Fr Julius de Sagun FrRonel Ilano Fr Lowie Palines andFr Emmanuel Hiipolito

In his homily Cardinal aglestarted by citing that aside fromthe formal opening of the Dioc-esan process for Fr Willmannit was also the feast day of St

Ambrose a great teacher of theChurch known for his sanctityand teachings It was also the eveof the Immaculate Conception ofour Blessed Mother Mary plus thestart of the Advent season

Te Cardinal then focused onthe question What does it meanto be holy With the opening ofthe Cause he said that Fr George

J Willmann St Ambrose andMother Mary all responded tosanctity and holiness Cardinalagle clarified that ldquoHoliness isan attribute of God and not manrsquosachievement nor his work It isGod who is Holy and our holi-ness is a gift of God ndash our oneness

with HimrdquoCardinal agle added that the

message of the First Reading is thatthe Holiness of God is seen withmarvelous work ndash like transform-ing a desert into a garden filled

with water and flowers where we

are able to drink from Godrsquos good-ness with a safe road along the

holy way Te desert symbolizes

humanity that is seen to be dryfruitless empty and even life-less However when God entersall these are transformed into abountiful garden Godrsquos Holinessalways creates miracles ldquoWhen-ever we experience hopelessnessloaded with faults we must notbe afraid for that is the time whenGod will come to infuse His Holi-ness and cure the sickness Tat isthe Good Newsrdquo Cardinal agleadded that during this season ofadvent we must look deeper intoour deserts in order to experiencethe Holiness of God

Te Cardinal then underscoredthat we need to respond to GodrsquosHoliness not like the scribes in

the reading who questioned andrejected Jesus but like the friendsof the paralyzed man who lookedfor a nonconventional way -through the roof - to bring theparalytic closer to Jesus Cardinalagle stressed the need for us to bealert discerning with eyes of faithin order for us to respond to ourHoly God in His action when weare in our desert

he Cardinal then asked thepeople to pray for those entrusted

with the Cau se of Fr Willmannthat they may be illumined witheyes of faith With no intention ofpre-empting the Diocesan processCardinal agle simply thankedGod as we are now privileged

to share Godrsquos holiness throughpersonal experiences with Fr Will-

Sainthood D1

Process for PHrsquos new lsquoServantof Godrsquo starts rollingMANILA Dec 7 2015 ndash Manila Arch-bishop Luiacutes Antonio G Cardinal agleofficially accepted on Monday Dec 7the Feast of St Ambrose the petition toopen an investigation on the sanctity andheroic virtues of Fr George J WillmannSJ founder of the Knights of Columbus(KC) in the Philippines among otherCatholic lay organizations

At least 1000 of the naturalized Fili-pino Jesuit priestrsquos spiritual children fromall over the country including no lessthan former Supreme Court (SC) Chief

Justice Hilario G Davide Jr becamepart of Philippine Church history as they

witnes sed at the Manila Metropo litanCathedral Basilica the solemn opening ofthe archdiocesan process they hope wouldlead to beatification and canonization

lsquoGreat responsibilityrsquoIn line with this agle appointed Msgr

Pedro C Quitorio III of the CatholicBishopsrsquo Conference of the Philippines(CBCP) Media Office as postulator forthe cause of the countryrsquos newest ldquoServantof Godrdquo

He also approved the appointments ofMsgr Geronimo S Reyes Fr Wilmer RRosal and Fr Ricardo P del Rosario asepiscopal delegate vice postulator andpromoter of justice respectively as wellas of a host of other experts both clericand lay who vow to work together to giveFilipinos another saint

Te prelate went on to swear in allthose involved in the cause for Willmannrsquosbeatification and canonization remindingthem of the ldquogreat responsibilityrdquo theyhave assumed and the ldquoimportance andseriousnessrdquo of the task at hand

PHrsquos Fr McGivney Dubbed ldquoFr McGivney of the Philip-

pinesrdquo due to his dedication to expand KClocally Willmann worked for the radicaltransformation of faith into action

Born on June 29 1897 to very devoutCatholic parents in Brooklyn New Yorkthe American Jesuit was granted Philip-pine citizenship by President FerdinandMarcos through Presidential Decree(PD) No 740

In 1938 he first served as chaplain

of KC Manila Council 1000 then re-turned in 1954 to become the Orderrsquosfirst Philippine Deputy until his deathin 1977

In total the priest spent 44 fruitful andproductive years in the Philippines serv-ing the poor the sick the orphans theoppressed the lonely and the desolateespecially the young ones

KCFAPI etcBesides what is formally known as the

Knights of Columbus Fraternal Associa-tion of the Philippines Inc (KCFAPI)

which he founded in 1958 Willmannestablished other organizations as follows

bull Catholic Youth Organization (1938)bull Establishment of the Catholic Press

ldquoFilipinasrdquo and the ldquoCrossrdquo Magazines(1946)

bull Columbian Squires in the Philippines(1950)

bull Daughters of Isabella in the Philip-pines (1951) reorganized as Daughtersof Mary Immaculate (1977)

bull Columbian Farmers Aid Association(1951) reorganized as Knights of Co-lumbus Community Service Inc (1962)

bull Knights of Columbus Fraternal Asso-ciation of the Philippines Inc (KCFAPI)(1958)

bull Knights of Columbus PhilippinesFoundation Inc (1971) (Raymond ASebastiaacuten CBCP News)

Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle leads the Mass of the formal opening of the ArchdiocesanProcess for the Causes of Beatification and Canonization of the Servant of God FatherGeorge J Willmann SJ father of the Knights of Columbus in the Philippines LIN REGINO

Te Gentle Warrior By James B Reuter SJ

Part II of Chapter wo of ldquoTe Gentle Warriorrdquo series

CHAPER WO-----------------

Te Ateneo de Manila

HE Ateneo was a boysrsquo schoolTe objective of a boysrsquo school is tomake a man out of a boy Te mainvirtue of a man is courage Godmirrored His virtues in His childrenBut he divided them between girls

and boys Tere is such a thing as amasculine soul and a feminine soulIf a boy and a girl are suddenly con-fronted with a wild bull thunderingdown on them if the girl screamedand hid behind the boy that wouldbe normal But if the boy screamedand hid behind the girl everyone

would be ashamed of him Tevirtue of a girl is not physical cour-age it is love and mercy Te virtueof a boy is courage and justice Butin our schools there is no course inthe curriculum called ldquoCouragerdquo

here is no subject called

ldquoCouragerdquo Tere is no mark forldquoCouragerdquo It has to be taught inevery subject through the wholelife of the school he Jesuitsunderstood this very well AndGeorge understood it He began

to learn the meaning of couragehimself when he was five yearsold sitting on the curbstone onPutnam Avenue when the wheelof the garbage truck crushed bothhis feet

In the old Ateneo there wasa strong tradition of ldquoRomansrdquoand ldquoCarthageniansrdquo Jose Rizal

was the Emperor of the RomansEvery class was competitive TeRomans would be lined up onone side of the class the Car-thagenians on the other Te firstquestion went to the Romans

If the Romans answered it cor-rectly the questioning stayed

with the Romans If any Romanmissed the question went to theCarthagenians Ten the Romanboys would growl and grumble at

the Roman who missed It wascompetition to teach courage

And the battle cry of all theteams was ldquoAnimo Ateneordquo Youcould translate that as ldquoLetrsquos go

Ateneordquo or ldquoSpirit Ateneordquo orldquoFight Ateneordquo mdash but in practiceit meant courage Never give upno matter what the odds ldquoGoget lsquoem Ateneordquo Never say dieTis was obvious in everythingthat the boys did

But it never degenerated intoldquoWin at all costsrdquo Te secondmasculine virtue is justice Tis

means honesty integrity and fairplay Both at once mdash courageand fair play Te verse that everyathlete in the school knew by heart

was ldquoIf I should win let it be bythe code with my head and my

honor held high But if I shouldlose let me stand by the road andcheer as the winner goes byrdquo

It was a tremendous amount of work mdash teaching night and dayrunning the Sodality the ACILand the magazine mdash but Georgeloved it

And his students loved him Tefriendships that he made duringthose three years of regency from1922 to 1925 lasted more thanfifty years

(o be continued on the nextissue)

mann and his life and ministrydevoted to service that providedldquofresh water and good newsrdquo

particularly to the youth the poorand the prisonersTe Cardinal cited his own basic

formation as a Charter memberof the Columbian Squires inImus Cavite where they helpedthe Church in its program for thestreet children He also mentionedhis appreciation for being a scholarof the Knights of Columbus dur-ing Fr Willmannrsquos time

Reiterating that God indeedtransforms deserts into places ofrest peace and holiness Cardinalagle ended his homily by encour-aging all in attendance to be agentsof Godrsquos holiness

People from all walks of life joined the celebration of this Mass

that formally opened the Cause ofServant of God - Fr Willmann

Also repres ent ed were var iou sorganizations established and nur-tured by Fr George including the

Daughters of Isabella (now Daugh-ters of Mary Immaculate) Catholic Youth Organization ColumbianSquires and the Knights of Co-lumbus Parishioners and residents

with their families from nearbycities and communities of ondoIntramuros Sta Cruz Malate andother more distant places likewise

witnessed the very mean ingfulOpening of the diocesan processfor the Cause of their ldquoFather andBenefactorrdquo of forty years

Fr George J Willmann SJdevoted the last forty years of hislife not only in humble serviceand dynamic leadership of theKnights of Columbus in thePhilippines but equally being a

compassionate pastor in the careand formation of the youth He

provided relief to victims of the

war and of violence while also al-leviating the sufferings of the poorHe likewise established ways topreserve and promote the sanctityof life marriage and the family

It was in 1997 or eighteen yearsago that the Knights of Columbusin the Philippines first started aconcerted thrust to formally laythe groundwork for the Causeof Fr Willmann During theOrderrsquos centennial celebration ofFr Willmannrsquos birth the Ordercreated a Committee on Causecomposed of Ramon V ConsingLauro M Cruz and Msgr PedroC Quitorio III as co-chairmenNotable activities of the Com-mittee included gathering of tes-

timonials launch of the Prayer forthe Centennial of Fr Willmann with the Impr imatur of Msgr Jose C Abriol launching of Fr Willmann Fellows meeting withthen Jaime Cardinal Sin and theFather Provincial of the Jesuits toseek their respective endorsementsof the Cause Te Order publishedand distributed the pamphlet ldquoAGlimpsehe Life and Worksof Fr George J Willmann SJrdquoin order to give due acknowledg-ment and recognition as well as toincrease awareness abou t Fr Will-mann A landmark achievement ofthis period was the publication ofldquoTe Gentle Warriorrdquo a biographyof Fr Willmann authored by Fr

James B Reuter SJEstablishing and spreading the

fama sanctitatis of Fr Willmann

included the presentation andpromotion of his works mademore concrete by direct testimo-nies of various individuals whomhe personally interacted withFr Willmann Fellowsrsquo one-timemembership donations have beenpooled to fund the productionof materials such as prayer cardspublications tarpaulins postersto effectively promote Fr George

Willmann not only to brotherKnights but more importantlyto the youth the poor and under-privileged of various communities

In 2011 through the efforts ofthe KC Fraternal Association ofthe Philippines and the Knightsof Columbus Fr Willmann Chari-

ties Inc the National ExecutiveCommittee (NEC) for the Causeof Fr Willmann was created withthe primary function of overseeingall the initiatives relative to or inconnection with the Cause

We are blessed that the Dioc-esan process of the Cause of FrGeorge J Willmann SJ has nowbeen formally opened therebygiving us significant reason torejoice Henceforth he will nowbe regarded Servant of God Letus fervently pray for continuedenlightenment from the HolySpirit for everyone involved in thisDiocesan process and the Causeas a whole so that our belovedFr George J Willmann may ulti-

mately be elevated to the honorsof the altar

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D4 The CrossDecember 7 2015 - 27 2015 Vol 19 No 25

FST IN CAGAYAN A Fraternal Service Training program was held in Cagayan De Oro last November 13 2015Participants were from Zamboanga Misamis and Butuan The event was graced by KCFAPI Vice Presidentfor FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBG Manager Michael Cabra Aside from the product specifications thetraining also gives an idea regarding the basic insurance process and conceptualization of new marketingstrategies in order to achieve their goals and improve their sales performance (FBG News)

AREA MEETING IN VISAYAS The KCFAPI Western Visayas Armor held an area meeting in Bacolod lastOctober 24 2015 led by Agency Unit Manager Randy G Bravo and graced by KCFAPI Vice President forFBG Gari San Sebastian (KCFAPI News)

FST IN DAVAO A Fraternal Service Training program (1 and 2) was held in KCFAPI Davao Service OfficeDavao City last November 20-21 2015 Participants were from Compostela Valley Cotabato City andGeneral Santos The training was attended by KCFAPI Vice President f or FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBGManager Michael Cabra (FBG News)

PRODUCERSrsquo FORUM KCFAPI Vice President for FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBG Manager Michael Cabraled a Producersrsquo Forum wherein fraternal counsellors all over Luzon were gathered for an update of theirincentives program held last November 11 2015 at the KCFAPI home office (FBG News)

New KCFAPI Board of Trustee Bro Pascual C Carbero

IN February of 1986 BroCarbero started his knightlyservice in the Knights of Co-lumbus under Council 10695

in Valenzuela City Duringhis service in Council 10695he has been appointed asChancellor for CY 1992-1993 and as Deputy GrandKnight and Program Direc-tor for CY 1993-1994 InDistrict M-31 of ValenzuelaCity Bro Carbero was GrandKnight for CY 1994-1995District Warden for CY 1996-1997 and District Deputyfor CY 1997-1999 He wasalso Chairman for the Roundable District Deputies forCY 1998-1999 At the Dr PioValenzuela Assembly ACN1772 Meycauayan Bulacanhe was the Faithful Naviga-

tor for CY 1999-2000 Onthat same term Bro Pascual

was the Luzo n State Audi -tor for CY 2000-2003 andthe Luzon State Warden forCY 2000-2003 of the Luzon

Jurisdiction After which forCY 2000-2001 he becamethe Charter Faithful Naviga-tor for the City of Valenzuela

Assembly ACN 2676 For

CY 2007-2015 Bro Carbero was re-a ppo inte d as Luzo nState Warden Bro Carbero

was a voting delegate in the

KC Supreme Convention heldat Washington DC in 2010and also a non-voting delegateheld at Anaheim Californiain 2002 and 2012 Currentlyhe is the State Secretary of theLuzon North Jurisdiction

Bro Pascualrsquos dedicationand enthusiasm in participat-ing in the Order gave himthe endeavor to author thecreation of the City of Valen-zuela Assembly in 1999 withthe assistance of the Districtand Vice Supreme Master

With his knightly serv ice he was awarded with several rec-ognition namely OutstandingDistrictDeputy for CY 1997-

1999 Star District Awardeefor CY 1997-1999 and Civic

Awardee as Charter FaithfulNavigator of the City of Valen-zuela Assembly ACN 2676CY 2000-2001

Apart from Knights of Co-lumbus Bro Carbero partakeshis services in other civic andreligious organizations He isa Special Lay Minister of the

Holy Eucharist Parish of theHoly Cross since 1989 and amember of the Parish RenewalExperience Group He is the

Director and reasurer of thePhilippine Insurers Club from2013 to 2014 and currently itsPresident He is also a memberof the Insurance Executive1st Friday Club of Makatiand an incoming Presidentof the Philippine Associationof Surety Underwriters Incthis 2016

He was Director Corpo-rate Secretary of Mace Insur-ance Agency Inc from 2012until 2014 and currentlythe Independent Director ofKompass Credit and FinancialCorporation and KCFAPIrespectively Bro Carbero isalso a fellow of Father George

J Willmann Charit ies Inc And since 2006 he has beenthe Vice President of IntraStrata Assurance Corporation

He graduated with a Bach-elorrsquos degree in Business Ad-ministration Major in Man-agement at Philippine Schoolof Business Administration in1973 and finished Bachelor ofLaws in Lyceum of the Philip-

pines in 1988Bro Pascual Carberorsquos wife

Sis Remedios was past presi-dent for three years of theCatholic Womenrsquos League(CWL) Valenzuela Chapterand currently the AssistantVice President for Underwrit-ing in Mercantile InsuranceCo Inc in Intramuros Ma-nila Tey are blessed with six

wonderful children namely

Soidemer Claire a pediatri-cian Abigail Claire a lawyerValerie Claire and ChristineClaire both of whom are reg-istered nurses Terese Claire

who graduated with Bachelorrsquosdegree in Laws and is currentlyreviewing for Bar exams and

Adrian Brian who is also aregistered nurse and presentlya 3rd year medical student

Former SC Justice tofellow lsquoPH Knightsrsquo Prayfor Willmannrsquos CauseMANILA Dec 8 2015 ndash Former Chief

Justice Hilario G Davide Jr has calledon fellow members of the Knights of Co-lumbus (KC) nationwide to keep prayingfor the eventual ldquoraising to the altarrdquo ofthe grouprsquos spiritual father Fr George J

Willmann SJ who was declared ldquoSer-vant of Godrdquo Monday Dec 7

ldquoSo what is demanded of us as mem-bers of Knights of Columbus What isdemanded of us as members of Knightsof Columbus Fraternal Association of thePhilippines Inc [KCPAFI]rdquo he askedldquoWe need to pray a lot Pray pray praythat the tribunal will listen to the evidencepresented Pray pray pray that the tribu-nal will actually collate all the evidenceand determine once and for all that whathas been presented through our postula-

tor is credible to merit the conferment ofbeatification later on Tis is our taskrdquo

Archdiocesan processDavide who now chairs the National

Executive Committee for the Causes ofFr Willmann made this observation in aspeech following a ceremony held at theManila Cathedral during which Arch-bishop Luiacutes Antonio G Cardinal agleofficially approved the archdiocesan process

for the causes for the beatification and can-onization of the naturalized Filipino Jesuit

he solemn occasion was witnessedby no less than 1000 representativesof KCPAFI and other organizations Fr

Willmann helped establish like Catholic Youth Organization Columbian Squiresin the Philippines (1950) and Daughtersof Mary Immaculate

Te former chief magistrate went on todescribe the entire process as ldquovery mean-ingfulrdquo since it had the power to make anordinary priest into a Servant of God

Ordinary priest to Servant of GodldquoImagine during our lifetime today in

the Cathedral we saw the conversion ofan ordinary priest to become a Servant ofGod And we hope that he will merit be-

ing a servant of God until the first step ofthe process will continuerdquo he exclaimed

According to him it must have been thefirst time for most people present to haveseen with their own eyes an event of suchldquohistoric and momentous significancerdquo

ldquoI have lived 20 times four years of mylife almost And this is the first time I have

witnessed the process how it evolves and what we can gather from it o me thisis not just making somebody brought to

the honors of the altar but for us to beable to witness how to live and how tocomport ourselves to be able to follow hisfootstepsrdquo he explained

Built-in holinessDavide pointed out that holiness is

already built in each person but it is onlya matter of expressing it

ldquoWhy I would say that holiness is inus already Because we are the templeof God and the Spirit of God is with usSometimes however we forget that this isso We close our ears We close our eyes to

Jesus Christ We close our hands to JesusChrist by helping others So this is theprocess that we have witnessed today Andto me it will very much workrdquo he added

Davide also credited Msgr Pedro C Qui-

torio III postulator of the causes for Fr Will-mann for the ldquodivinely inspiredrdquo occasionand the timeliness of the diocesan process

ldquoSo Msgr Quitorio you are divinelyinspired You planned everything in sucha way that everything we did and we willdo and what we are doing right now isnot only as legacy to the next generationbut even beyond the next generation forpeople and children yet unbornrdquo he said(Raymond A Sebastiaacuten CBCP News)

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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B3CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25 FEATURES

Three Macro-Challenges for the Church in the lsquoYear of MercyrsquoBy Abp Antonio J Ledesma SJ

HE last two months of this year 2015 havebrought to the fore three macro-challenges forCivil Society and the Church in the Philippinestoday Tey are challenges on a macro scalebecause no single organization nor group ofindividuals can adequately address the various

issues that are emerging Tey are also macrobecause these issues affect millions of peopleor in some cases the entire world Indeed theneed for consensus-building on a national orglobal level has been felt Tis should be basedon ethical-moral principles and shared valuesthat go beyond cultural religious and socio-economic barriers In particular the CatholicChurch plays a significant role in Philippinesociety in addressing these macro issues

I Climate ChangeOn a global scale Climate Change will

be the pressing issue at the 21st Conferenceof Partners (COP 21) on the environmentPope Francisrsquo recent encyclical Laudato Si

has opened wide the doors for scientists andreligious leaders to enter into serious dialogueover issues such as global warming and thesearch for alternative sources of energy Insteadof viewing the environment or nature simplyas an object to be exploited Pope Francis pres-ents the Christian vision of Godrsquos handiworkldquoCreation can only be understood as a gift from

the outstretched hand of the Father of all andas a reality illuminated by the love which callsus together into universal communionrdquo (LS76) He also points out the intimate connectionbetween the ecological approach and the socialapproach ldquoso as to hear both the cry of the earth

and the cry of the poorrdquo (LS 49)Here in Cagayan de Oro we have joined

other dioceses in a Global Climate SolidarityMarch for the Environment On Nov 28advocates for protecting the environmentconverged at the Divisoria from four starting-points to join the voices of the world-wideCatholic Climate Movement at the startof COP 21 in Paris Te archdiocese alsocontinues its participation in the Cagayande Oro River Basin Management Council(CDORBMC) to protect the watershed areasand downstream communities of the Cagayande Oro river system

II Bangsamoro Basic Law A second macro challenge is the continuing

quest for a just and lasting peace in MindanaoTe draft Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) has

been altered in the committee sessions of bothhouses of Congress A version called the Basic

Law for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region(BLBAR) has come out from the Committeeof the House of Representatives Moreover thecommittee report in the Senate has providedanother set of amendments With the resur-gence of biases and prejudices after the Ma-masapano incident the final outcome for thepassage of the various drafts of the BangsamoroBasic Law is not clear

Seen from a wider perspective the letterof the Catholic Bishopsrsquo Conference of thePhilippines (CBCP) in July 2015 stated ldquoOnour part viewing the issues from a moral angle

we do not want a BBL that does not effectivelyaddress the root causes of social injusticerdquo Tisechoes the view of the surviving members ofthe Constitutional Convention of 1987 thatthe Constitution focuses primarily on the spiritof Social Justice Te Citizensrsquo Peace Councilnoted that the BBL is ldquoan act of Social Justiceand Reparation to the peoples of MuslimMindanao to rectify all the injustices inflictedupon them in the pastrdquo

Over the past three months I have helpedconvene consultations among religious and

civil society leaders in Cagayan de Oro andManila to discuss the BBL issue With someclarifications practically everyone saw the needfor a meaningful basic law for a sustainablepeace in Mindanao On Nov 26 in Cagayande Oro we started the Mindanao Week ofPeace with a multi-sectoral march rally Tis

was organized by the Inter-faith Forum for

Peace Harmony and Solidarity Te theme was ldquoMindanaoansrsquo Aspirations for PeaceKalinaw sa Dios ndash Kinaiyahan ndash KatawhanrdquoRegardless of the outcome of the BBLBLBARissue in Congress all of us should continue toengage in intra- and inter-religious dialogue

Our biases and preconceived notions of othercultures and religions are the main obstaclesto lasting peace in Mindanao and the rest ofthe country

III Good Governance A third macro-challenge in the Philippines

context is the coming elections in May 2016 Already the campaign period has started andvarious political personalities and parties havefiled their candidacies Good governancemdash

with its antithesis corruptionmdashis once morea critical factor to consider for every voter In

January 2010 before the last presidential elec-tions the CBCP made three calls to voters(1) o form circles of discernment (2) For thelaity to exercise their right and duty to supportcandidates who are qualified and committed to

public service and (3) o engage in principledpartisan politics Voting for candidates with a

track record of good governance is the mosteffective way of stamping out a culture ofcorruption In an address to the International

Assembly of Penal Law Pope Francis pointsout emphatically ldquoCorruption is a process ofdeath more evil than sin ndash an evil that insteadof being forgiven must be curedrdquo

On Nov 7 the archdiocese sponsored aMarch rally for CHAMPmdashClean Honest

Accurate Meaningful and Peaceful electionsTis was well attended by various sectorsTere were calls against votemdashbuying po-litical dynasties and the conduct of patronagepolitics Te city itself has had its share ofdivisive party politics in the non-disbursementof the budget for vital basic services and morerecently in the controversy over the post ofCity Mayor

Despite these internal conflicts amongelected officials it is good to keep in mind PopeFrancisrsquo own exhortation ldquoPolitics thoughoften denigrated remains a lofty vocation andone of the highest forms of charity inasmuchas it seeks the common goodrdquo (EG 205)

IV A Year of Mercy Despite the Holy Fatherrsquos blunt words on theevil of corruption he has called for an Extraor-dinary Jubilee of Mercy starting on December8 2015 ldquoJesus Christ is the face of the Fatherrsquosmercyrdquo Tis opening statement provides thetitle of Pope Francisrsquo Bull of Indiction Miseri-cordiae Vultus He goes on to say that Mercy

is ldquothe bridge that connects God and manrdquo Itis also ldquothe fundamental law that dwells in theheart of every person who looks sincerely intothe eyes of his brothers and sisters on the pathof liferdquo (MV 2)

On Nov 3-5 our Archdiocesan Pastoral

Assembly brought together more than 450delegates from 64 parishes Tis was the cul-mination of the Appreciative Inquiry processthat was carried out in most parishes down tothe kapilya community level over the past sixmonths

What was most noteworthy was the prepon-derance of lifemdashgiving pastoral experiences interms of prayerfulness and also of service toothers Tese two characteristics and sharedvalues can just as well point the directions wecan take during this jubilee year of mercy

Tis perhaps is the perspective we can adoptin confronting the macro-challenges beforeusmdashto first bend our knees in prayer and to bemerciful like the Father especially for the poorand marginalized in addressing socio-economicand political issues to work for ecological andsocial justice and to bring about Godrsquos mercy

by rectifying deeplyndashrooted biases and injusticesin Philippine society today

A r c h d i o c e s e o f C a g a y a n d e O r o

Pinoy in RomeCountdown to the

Jubilee Yearof Mercy

By Robert Z Cortes

HE Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy announced by PopeFrancis around Holy Week this year is finally starting onDecember 8 the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception

just a couple of days from now Tat this special event in theChurchrsquos history begins on that date is of course no accidentTis Popersquos devotion to Mary shown publicly every timehe passes by St Mary Major before any major trip abroadshould have made that choice almost predictable Howeveraside from human choices one ought to consider above allthe guidance of Providence whose will it is that the most

important events in the Church happen under the mantle ofMary Mother of the Church and Mother of MercySo the idea

to p repareproximatelyfor the Jubilee

Year of Mercyby making anovena to theImmaculateConceptionmade a lot ofsense to me

And being inRome thecity that argu-ably no placein the worldcan match

in terms ofthe qualityand quantityof sacred artp r e s e n t Itook advan-tage to do thefollowing Fornine daysmdashi n c l u d i n gthe Solem-nity hencet h e t e r mldquonovenardquomdashI

was going tovisit an im-age of OurLady vener-ated in vari-ous churchesaround thec i t y B u t

which church-es though

Given the

multitude of beautiful and historic churches in Rome itseemed the best way to approach this project was simply tobe led by Providence Tis approach is not ldquoto be too mysti-cal about itrdquo asI learned quite recently from of all peoplea non-Catholic ethics professor in a very secular Americanuniversity whom I interviewed a couple of months ago Hisdefense is that ldquothere still is another dimension in terms ofa holistic being in which our reason and our spirit and ouremotions are an integrated wholehellip So you listen to thevoice of the spiritrdquoTis was actually good ecumenical adviceto which my experience in the following days would attest

Tese experiences culled from my journal of these novenadays are actually Church history lessons devotional tour-guiding tips and philosophizing all rolled into one I sharethem seeing that they can serve some purpose however onemay be preparing for the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy

Our Lady of the Sacred Hear in SantrsquoAndreadella Valle Yesterday November 30 was the beginning of the novenato the Immaculate Conception It also happened to be thefeast of St Andrew Now at the other end of the street wheremy university is happens to be a huge looming basilicadedicated to Saint Andrew with the name ldquoSantrsquoAndreadellaValle rdquo People with very limited time in Rome usually donrsquothave time to visit this magnificent church but really nexttime you come you should Tis church was actually builtby the very same people involved in the building of St Peterrsquosand used this as their ldquopracticerdquo church people like Giacomodella Porta and Carlo Maderno Te fountain in the squarefronting the church is Madernorsquos

Te paintings and the frescoes inside are even more breath-taking Te dome and the ceiling are one of the best thereis in Rome - and perhaps in Christendom Since it was thefeast of St Andrew precisely I decided to do my prayer rightthere before the huge fresco of the crucifixion of St AndrewI did my rosary in one of the side chapels dedicated to Our

Countdown B6

What was behind

that inconspicuous

door Actually a

small but amazinglybeautiful jewel of

a church

A recent rally against climate change and environmental degradation

The Sant Agnese view from the South Plazza Navona

Sant Agnesersquo double Holy Family

An Interfaith Walk for Peace held on Nov 26 2015

R o b e r t Z C

o r t e s

R o b e r t Z C

o r t e s

A

r c h d i o c e s e o f C a g a y a n d e O r o

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B4 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

By S M Evangeline A Madayag OSB

HE urgency of protecting ldquo OurCommon Homerdquo is much given em-phasis by our Holy Father Pope Fran-cis Much heat drought and differencein the weather and climate is muchfelt Many kinds of sicknesses are alsoattacking especially the poor who lacknourishment due to having no foodsecurity One can really feel the differ-ence of being in a polluted city fromthe simple rural setting where there arestill enough trees providing clean airTe other week I and my communityof Sisters together with two visitingSisters were able to enjoy the beautifulbeach of San Isidro Davao OrientalI salute Mayor ina Yu and all the of-ficers of the Municipality of San Isidrofor really defending their stand for a

ldquoNo o Mining in San IsidrordquoI wish that would also be true for the

whole province of Davao Oriental It issad that some barangays and munici-palities who make resolutions to allowmining only consider themselves as theonly ones with rights to allow miningobviously setting aside the possibleharms effect on the people and theenvironment especially to the nextgeneration We have experienced the

effect of the haze brought about theforest fire of Indonesia a true evidencethat we are all affected all around the

world of what happens in a certain partof the world As Joey Ayala reminds usin his song ldquo Ang Lahat ng Bagay ayMagka-ugnayrdquo

Just last year (July 1 2014) SenatorLoren Legarda visited our province (Davao Oriental) and congratulated theprovince for its stand on the protec-tion of our natural resources especiallyciting Mt Hamiguitan a UNESCO

World Heritage site What a heri tage what a treasure

Yet what is real ly happeni ng inDavao Oriental Even our priests inthe Diocese of Mati are alarmed onthe ldquo proliferation of alleged mining

activities in the province of Davao

Oriental particularly in the followingareas (1) Brgy Old Macopa Manay(2) Brgy iblawan Governor Gen-eroso (3) Barangay Causwagan andMaputi Banaybanay (4) BarangayDapnan and Lambajon Bagangga (5)Barangay Calapagan Lupon (excerptsfrom the letter of Rev Fr Edito SBantildeo DCM Apostolic Adminstratorof Mati to the DENR National OfficeSeptember 10 2015 He made anotherletter to the DENR on October 222015 to includeMacambol ( Magumand Salingcomot) as a concern

With much prayers for awakenings

re-awakenings and miracles to hap-pen we make this petition

A PEIION FOR HE SOP-PAGE AND REJECION OF HEIMPENDING ISSUANCE OF MIN-ING PERMI FOR AUSRAL-ASIALINK MINING CORPORAION

AND HALLMARK MINING COR-PORAION BOH UNDER HECORPORAE ORGANIZAIONOF ASIAICUS MANAGEMENCORPORAION (AMCOR) AMAGUM PUJADA BAY AND SAL-INGCOMO MAI CIY PROV-

INCE OF DAVAO ORIENAL

We the farmers fisherfolks Churchpeople youth professionals businesspeople of Davao Oriental Provincetogether with our national and inter-national supporters hereby urge MrRamon JP Paje DENR SecretaryNO O ISSUE ANY MININGPERMI to AUSRAL-ASIA LINKMINING CORPORAION ANDHALLMARK MINING CORPORA-ION both under the CORPORAEORGANIZAION OF ASIAICUSMANAGEMEN CORPORAION(AMCOR) for its mining operation in

Magum Pujada Bay and Salingcomot

Mati City Province of Davao Oriental We also demand that their mining

equipments be pulled out from themining site Macambol ldquoLodgedbetween two protected areasmdashthePujada Bay Protected Seascape (andLandscape) and Mt HamiguitanRange proclaimed wildlife sanctu-ary (Republic Act No 9303 July 302004)rdquo and as a UNESCO WorldHeritage Site at the 38th Session ofthe World Heritage Committee ( June15-24 2014 Doha State of Qatar) is not the most logical site for large-scale nickel laterite mining project (October 212009 in Environment Food Security Sensitive EcosystemsTe Philippines)

Ac co rd in g to th e st ud y pu b-lished by httpbhpbillitonwatchnet20091021pujada-hallmark-nickel-laterite-project-profile ldquo some4778 hectares of mining permitsoverlap with five major drainagesystems and watersheds which eitherdrain towards Pujada Bay or the DavaoGulf Tese bodies of freshwater arethe main water supplies for the com-munities living within and around thearea and the bays host endangeredspecies such as dugongs (sea cows)sea turtles and stingrays Te forestof Macambol is a watershed area

Additi ona lly the Puja da reg ion issituated on the ldquoPacificndashCordillerardquofault line wo branches of the activePhilippine fault flank the watershedon the southwest and southeast of theproject area which has been subjectto intense seismic activities Te 2008report ldquoPhilippines Mining or Foodrdquorecommended that no mining shouldtake place on Mount Hamiguitan ornear Pujada Bay which are centres ofbiodiversity with high ecotourismpotential Under these conditions itmay be almost impossible to minethe area ldquo (httpbhpbillitonwatchnet20091021pujada-hallmark-nickel-laterite-project-profile)

In his ENCYCLICAL LEERLAUDAO SIrsquo Our Holy Father

all processes addressing climateand disaster risks especially afterthe province experienced the

wrath of yphoon Yolanda lastNovember 8 2013

He also mentioned how theimpact of climate change cutsacross all sectors regardless of gen-der culture economic or politicalstature with the poor sufferingthe greatest impact

ldquoTerefore a plan of actionto address climate and disasterrisks must be undertaken using

PASTORAL CONCERNS

Home B7

IN solidarity with the on-goingClimate Conference in Paris the

Archdiocese of Palo Relief andRehabilitation Unit (Caritas Palo)together with at least 200 lsquoYolan-darsquo survivors signed a Declarationsupporting Climate Change andCommunity-Managed DisasterRisk Reduction in Palo Leyteon uesday

In a statement Caritas PaloDirector Fr Al Cris Badana citedhow important it is for membersof the communities to be part of

community-managed disasterrisk reduction (CMDRR) as thestrategyrdquo Badana added

Also present during the commit-ment signing are representativesfrom various church groups andgovernment agencies such as theProvincial Government of LeyteDepartment of Social Welfare andDevelopment Department ofInterior and Local GovernmentProvincial Disaster Risk Reductionand Management Office and theOffice of the Civil Defense

Aside from the declaration sign-ing the lsquoYolandarsquo survivors from15 communities in the townsof Palo Santa Fe AlangalangMayorga Dulag and MacArthureach gave a presentation of howtheir communities are presentlyengaged in community-manageddisaster risk reduction (CMDRR)measures and systems

Tere was also a mini exhibitof the organic products producedby lsquoYolandarsquo survivors to show itssupport for sustainable agricul-

ture which is part of the climatechange action

After the devastation of y-phoon Yolanda the RomanCatholic Church of the Archdio-cese of Palo through Caritas Paloand NASSACaritas Philippineshelped Yolanda-affected commu-nities in Leyte to craft their ownresiliency and contingency plans

which were already adopted bytheir barangays As of today Cari-tas Palo has invested P150 millionto build resilient communities

Te said communities also in-stalled early warning systems andevacuation plans which resultedin zero casualties and minimaldamages during the onslaughtof yphoon Ruby the strongesttyphoon in 2014

It can be recalled that the re-cent encyclical of Pope FrancisLaudato Si highlighted the ad-

verse impacts of climate changeon the poor and most vulnerableand the scale of the climate crisis(NASSA Features)

Protecting Our Common Home

Church lsquoYolandarsquo survivors in Leyte signClimate Change Declaration

N A S S A C a r i t a s P h i l i p p i n e s

C B C P N e w s

N A S S A C a r i t a s P h i l i p p i n e s

N A

S S A C a r i t a s P h i l i p p i n e s

lsquoYolandarsquo survivors together with representatives from the Archdiocese of Palo Relief and Rehabilitation Unit (Caritas Palo) signedthe Caritas Declaration on Climate Change in solidarity with the on-going Paris Climate Talks

The Archdiocese of Palo Relief and Rehabilitation Unit (Caritas Palo) displayed the organic products produced bylsquoYolandarsquo survivorsin Leyte which is part of its climate change action

Members of the New Dampigan Womenrsquos Association happily beam and show off the eggs they harvested

Women in actionONE women to explore their otherpotentials

Tis is the story of the women in thetown of New Dampigan in Samar prov-ince who found a new hobby a passionand source of livelihood all at the sametime hey are the New Dampigan

Womenrsquos Association who are engagedin poultry raising

It all started when the DiocesanSocial Action Center of Calbayog gavethe group a total of 500 ducks as partof its livelihood program for yphoonHaiyan survivors

Te group is composed of 21 mem-bers all of them women Tey raiseducks and sell its eggs salted and freshalike to the nearby towns of Sta Ritaand Basey o produce salted eggs they

preserve it for 15 to 18 daysBut it wasnrsquot all easy going especially

at first When another yphoon Hagu-pit locally known as Ruby hit the townlast December some of their ducks diedfrom the storm Tey almost lose hopeBut luckily they did not Instead the

women sticked together and took careof the remaining ducks

Now the women are the more thanhappy and contented of the productof their pure hardwork and ingenuitySeveral weeks after the onslaught ofHagupit the women are once againback in track

Currently they are harvesting 700 upto 1000 eggs every week Tey are alsofocused on marketing their products tonearby towns which they do throughthe support and trainings providedby the social action center Yes they

are truly women in action (NASSAFeatures)

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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B5CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

life and refreshment from her waterrdquo (Laudato Si2)

Since climate is a commongood it is but right to be involved

in the discussion of climatechange especially that it is nowdestructive not only to proper-ties to but also to lives Accord-ingly the world is on the brink ofbecoming an arid wasteland dueto lsquounchecked human activitiesrsquo

We are living witnesses of thedestruction brought about by

weather changes and the effectsto health by carbon emissionshe calamities that claimedthousands of lives these pastyears and months are enoughproof to awaken in us a commit-ment to safeguard creation andhelp mitigate their effects

Pope Francis seeing the ur-gency of action in dealing with

environmental crisis points outthe use of highly polluting fossil

STATEMENTS

Statement on Coal Mining and Coal Power Plant

Final Statement of the 6th Bishopsrsquo Institute forInterreligious Affairs

Mayor Duterte

Asian celebration of the 50 th anniversary of Nostra Aetate

FABC Office of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs

Redemptorist Center Pattaya Thailand

November 16-20 2015

WE the one hundred sixty-six(166) delegates of the 40thDOPIM Bishops-Clergy Con-vention unanimously expressour serious concern on theoperation of coal mining andcoal power plant that triggersapprehension among our peopleand poses environment threat inthe provinces where such facilityis being established

With faith in the Lord of Cre-ation we want to heed the callof Pope Francis in his encyclicalLaudato Si that urges us all tocare for the earth as our commonhome Citing St Francis of As-sisi the Holy Father persuadesus to treat our common homelike our sister

However knowing the realityof our destructive attitude andactivities towards her the Pope

writes that ldquoTe6 sister now criesout to us because of the harm

we have inflicted on her by ourirresponsible use and abuse ofthe goods with which God hasendowed her We have come toseeeuro ourselves as her lords andmasters entitled to plunder herat will Te violence present inour hearts wounded by sin isalso reflected in the symptomsof sickness evident in the soilin the water in the air and inall forms of life his is whythe earth herself burdened andlaid waste is among the mostabandoned and maltreated ofour poor she lsquogroans in travailrsquo(Rom 822) We have forgottenthat we ourselves are dust of theearth (cf Gen 27) our very bod-

ies are made up of her elements we breathe her air and we receive

fuels ndash especially coal to be pro-gressively replaced without delay(Cf Laudato Si 165) We can-not simply sit idly while seeing

the unfolding of horrific eventsresulted by so called technologi-cal progress at the expense of na-ture Instead we recommend theuse of renewable energy whichis of course not harmful to theenvironment and to humans

As Bishops of the Diocesesof Dipolog Ozamis PagadianIligan and Marawi (DOPIM)

which comprise the civil prov-inces of Zamboanga del NorteMisamis Occidental Zamboan-ga del Sur Lanao del Norte andLanao del Sur we completelyoppose the operation of coalmining and coal power plantsmost especially within the afore-mentioned provinces We do this

not only because of our humanresponsibility but as a call intrin-

sic to our Christian faith We he re by ur ge al l co n-

cernedmdashboth the coal industryand the governmentmdashin thename of our Lord Jesus Christ tohave the same concern We alsocall the faithful and all people ofgood will be vigilant at all timesand in all places because ourcommon home is in danger ofdevastation We will not allowourselves to arrive at the pointof no return

May God hear us and come todefend the beautiful creation Hehas entrusted to us May Marythe Queen of all creation coverus with her mantle of maternalcare

Formulated during the 40thDOPIM Bihops-Clergy Con-vention on November 11 2015at the Diocesan Pastoral CenterDel Carmen Iligan City

Most Rev Severo C CaermareDDBishop of Dipolog

Most Rev Elenito R GalidoDDBishop of Iligan

Most Rev Emmanuel CabajarCSsR DDBishop of Pagadian

Most Rev Edwin A dela PentildeaMSP DDBishop-Prelate of Marawi

Most Rev Jesus A DosadoCM DD

Metropolitan Archbishop ofOzamiz

WHA the world desperately needs now is leadership byexample We have so many leaders in office and many moreaspiring to sit in office but are they examples of good citizen-ship If the leaders we choose are to be leaders for nationalprogress they must be visionaries AND exemplary

Corruption is indeed a great scourge of Philippine politics

Te usual face of corruption that we recognize easily is stealingfrom public funds Corruption like a monster is a devil withmany faces Killing people is corruption Killing is a crime anda sin whether it is done by criminals or public officials no mat-ter what the intention Adultery is corruption It makes marriedlove cheap and uses people for pleasure Adultery corrupts thefamily it destroys children and victimizes the weak Vulgarity iscorruption When we find vulgarity funny we have really becomebeastly and barbaric as a people When a revered and loved andadmired man like Pope Francis is cursed by a political candidateand the audience laugh I can only bow my head and grieve ingreat shame My countrymen has gone to the dregs

Is this the leadership by example that Mayor Duterte excitesin us Is this the leadership by example that makes a publicofficial deserving of the title ldquoHonorablerdquo

+SOCRAES VILLEGAS

Archbishop of Lingayen-DagupanCBCP PresidentDecember 1 2015

F i l e p h o t o

V i n c e n t G o

Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte

1 It is by Godrsquos grace andprovidence that we 87 par-ticipants in the Sixth BishopsrsquoInstitute for Interreligious Af-fairs (BIRA VI) from 17 dif-ferent countries have come tocelebrate the 50th anniversaryof Nostra aetate in our Asiancontext and in our time Weare grateful for the funding wereceived from Missio Aachenthat helped make this gather-ing possible

2 In this grace-filled gather-ing we have worked togetheras the Church in Asia retracing

our steps along the path of dia-logue praying reflecting andsharing our experiences andthoughts on the questions of

what we ha ve done so far and what we need to do fur ther forinterreligious dialogue in Asia

3 We recognize that Nostra Aet at e is sti ll ins pir ing andchallenging us to realize thevision of the Church as thepeople of God in dialogue inour time facing the interde-pendent reality of the com-plex and diverse influences ofglobalized socio-economic-cultural-political structures

we rea ffi rm the strong needof the ldquotriple dialoguerdquo with

the poor cultures and reli-gions in a journey towards theKingdom of justice peace andecological harmony

4 hrough our experienceof dialogue and action forthe last five decades we havelearned that interreligiousdialogue is not only to be aspecific pastoral strategy ofthe Church but rather an

Asian vis ion of the ChurchIt is a Church that proclaimsthe values of the Kingdom

without fear in dialogi cal col-laboration (partnership) withthe people of other religions

5 Struggling against anykind of fundamentalism ter-rorism and proselytism theChurch in Asia is called to

work toget her with other s asco-pilgrims In protecting thepoor and the environmentthrough our interreligious net-

work we are n ot do ing socia l work together but bui ldi ng

a mystical union of GodrsquosKingdom as inter-dependentbeings (in the harmony of ourrelationship with one anotherand with all creation)

6 he Church in Asia con-

firms that we cannot engage with other s in a real dialogue without having a clear ident ityof who we are and constantlygrowing in our own faith Inthe pluralistic contexts of Asiathe Church as a ldquolittle flockrdquois called to learn a kenotic(self-emptying) spirit of loveand service from Jesus ChristIt is through our humble andopen-minded approach thatreal trust and mutual under-standing with others can beestablished We are aware ofthe importance of grassrootsinterreligious dialogue whichusually starts from inter-per-sonal friendship and grows tocommunal action for justiceand peace

7 he Church in Asia takesseriously the challenges oftoday for all religions variousconflicts and violence massive

poverty and global inequalitythe increasing numbers ofrefugees and migrants pollu-tion and environmental crisiscorruption and moral degrada-tion human trafficking and

the breakdown of social cohe-sion terrorism and all formsof fundamentalism

8 One of the most urgentchallenges in Asia is to pro-claim Jesus Chri st as the Way

the ruth and the Life whileacknowledging and respecting

what is ldquotrue and holy in otherreligionsrdquo (Nostra AetateNo 2) As a community ofdisciples we give witness to

Jes us through our pe rs onaland communal l ifestyle oflove in three interconnected

way s sil enc e pre sence andstory-telling In an existentialsilence we empty ourselvesand listen deeply to the voicesof the other without judging

wi th a lov ing hear t In thedepth of our silence we are

aware of Jesusrsquo presence amongus which is inspiring our jour-ney of interreligious dialogueand action for transformingthe world It is by telling ourown story of transformationthrough Jesus as individualpersons and as communitiesthat the globalized culture ofindifference and greedy con-sumerism is to be transformedinto the gospel-culture of soli-darity and sharing

9 In our common journey with other s we Chri stians in Asia re cognize the importanceof basic human communitiesat the grassroots level wherethe dialogue of life and actionis going on especially together

with th e indigenous people Itis through these basic humancommunities that the Churchin Asia learns the holistic

world view and the sacred cos-mic spirituality which awakeus to take care of ldquoour com-mon homerdquo We are called togo beyond our comfort zoneand to develop a new narrativeof dialogue coming from ourcommon experience with thehope of rediscovering the har-monious relationship betweenhumanity cosmos and God forthe future generation

10 We commit ourselvesmore passionately to inter-religious dialogue in Asia indifferent ways for example

bull o develop local interreli-gious dialogue and action inthe grassroots communities

bull o organize formationprograms for interreligiousdialogue within the Catholiccommunity

bull (eg Seminaries religioushouses of formation and forthe laity)

bull o promote intra-dialoguebetween Christian churchesand within Catholic institu-tions

bull o support dialogue ac-tivities and forums (eg UNInterfaith Harmony Week)

bull o advocate i nterreligiousdialogue and action in thepublic sphere and cyberspace

bull o provide adequ ate prep-aration and pastoral care to theinterreligious family

11 After these days of re-flection and sharing of ourexperiences of and insightson interreligious dialogue inthe light of Nostra Aetateguided by the Holy Spirit

we ha ve com e to re ali ze againthe importance of opennesstowards the people of otherreligions and the indispens-able role of witness to theKingdom of God ever grow-

ing in the heart of As ianpeople hrough our sincerecommitment to dialogueldquoJesus Christ will be bet -ter known recognized andlovedrdquo (PCID Dialogue inruth and Charity No 39)

F a c e b o o k

F a c e b o o k

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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B6 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

completion In this way the miracle ofthe Incarnation took place with theBlessed rinity taking the initiativeand Mary responding freely and gen-erously to the Spiritrsquos action in her

It is in response to the lead of theSpirit that Mary set out for Elizabethrsquoshouse to share with her relative theldquoGood Newsrdquo she was carrying withinher

Like mankind before Mary andChrist we too may have a bad re-cord when it comes to ldquobeing open toGodrdquo We may not be any better than

Adam and Eve or the people before theFlood (see Gn 65-6) or the builders ofthe ower of Babel (See Gn 113-4)

Tis Advent in the Year of Faith isfor all of us an opportunity to evalu-ate our standing in this respect and totake appropriate action If we decideto imitate Mary and Elizabeth in theiropenness to the Spirit we may be sure

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

HE times of John the Baptist were bad characterized as they were by selfishness greed prideaggressiveness oppression of the

weak Tis can be gatheredfrom the answers he gave tothose who had been struck byhis preaching and asked ldquoWhatought we to dordquo Johnrsquos strongly

worded call to conversion was

amply justified All needed toundergo a ldquometanoiardquo a changeof mind and attitude in order toenter the Reign of God

Te situation does not seemto have changed much since thetime of John the Baptist We livein a society plagued with the samemoral defects and vices People arestill greedy selfish aggressive

And of course the temptation isalways to see these moral failuresin others

In many cases it may be truethat there is so much evil aroundus But it is equally true that wetoo are not perfect here isevil in us too We fail morallyalmost every day and in various

ways We too need to undergoa ldquometanoiardquo a radical conver-sion ldquoRadicalrdquo here means that it

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

WE all experience the dif-ference that physical dark-ness or light produces inus Darkness makes us feeluneasy even anxious andafraid Light gives us a senseof security It enables us torealize where we are and

what to do

his is why the Bibli-cal creation story tells usthat ldquoIn the beginningrdquo (ie when nothing existedexcept God) ldquodarkness cov-ered the abyssrdquo Ten Godsaid ldquoLet there be lightrdquo And there was light Godsaw how good the lightwas rdquo (Gn 14a) Tepresence of light enabledGod to proceed with the

work of creation with allits wonders and poten-tials and thereby conquerthe darkness of chaos andmeaninglessness

should not stop at the individualactions but has to affect our at-titudes and set of values ie thevery root of our actions Tereshouldnrsquot be the least doubt so-ciety will start changing for thebetter the very moment we beginto improve

Advent and the special obser-vances for this year (Extraordinary

Jubilee Year of Mercy Year of theEucharist and of the Family) areinvaluable opportunities for us

to start or resume moving in theright direction Like those whoapproached John we should ask ldquoWhat are we to dordquo Te answersmay be as many as there are personalmoral situations but a ldquocommondenominatorrdquo easily applies to allOur fundamental attitude has gotto be one of openness availabilityand goodwill

Te first requirement is ldquoopen-ness to Godrdquo in grateful love andexpectation in prayer of ldquopetitionand thanksgivingrdquo (see Phil 46)mdashfor the Lord is coming to dwell inour midst and to be our ldquomightySaviorrdquo (See First Reading v 17)

Te second basic requirementis ldquoopenness to peoplerdquo hismeans readiness to share ourgoods generously with the lessfortunate (see Lk 311) to be fair

But aside from physical lightand darkness there are otherforms of these two oppositerealities in the intellectualemotional moral and spiri-tual domains In the JudeanChristian revelation light isassociated and even identifiedwith God while darkness is as-sociated and identified with sinand evil St John the Evangelistproclaims ldquoGOD IS LIGHrdquo(1 Jn 15) Consequently a lifelived without God is darknessmdashthe darkness of sin and hell (See

John 319-21) No wonder thenthat the Incarnation of GodrsquosSon is compared to the comingof light to earth (See Jn 15 and1246)

And this is precisely what wecommemorate and celebrate atChristmas the coming of thelight of Godrsquos holiness andgoodness to fight and defeatthe darkness of evil in all itsforms

In the extraordinary andunique event of the Incarna-

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

MANKIND has had a bad record fromthe very beginning of its historymdashthecriminal record of shutting God outof its plans and life Such an attitudehad few exceptions in Abram Mosesthe prophets And even those ex-ceptions were not always 100 clearIt was only with Mary that a differentattitude started to prevail an attitudeof total openness to the action of Godin onersquos life and of full availability tocooperate with Him in the actualiza-tion of His plan

Mary was the most open of all tothe inspirations and promptings ofthe Holy Spirit Like a very sensitiveharp she let the Spirit produce in herand through her the wonderful melodyof manrsquos salvation which only thedivine love can initiate and bring to

REFLECTIONS

P u b l i c d

o m a i n

C B C P N e w s

Christmas the triumph of light

The ldquoNEW JERUSALEMrdquo isthe perfect realization of Godrsquos

plan and the fulfillment of our

deepest aspirations

4th Sunday of Advent (C) Luke 139-45

December 20 2015

Solemnity of Christmas (C) John 11-18

December 25 2015

3rd Sunday of Advent (C) Luke 310-18

ldquoRejoice Sundayrdquo December 13 2015

Our advent priorities

Countdown B3

that He will work wonders also in usno matter how insignificant and weak

we may consider ourselves (See Mi51)

We need the impulse of the HolySpirit and His empowering supportto get out of ourselves to show aninterest in others and share with themthe blessings we have received from theLord including our joy (See attitudeof Mary Lk 146-49)

We need to be open to the Spiritin imitation of Mary in order tohave Christ formed in us or betterin order to be molded unto him If

we cult ivat e such an openn ess andavailability we shall ever more becomeChrist-like in our thoughts aspira-tions attitudes and actions Andthus we shall be totally committedto do our share in carrying out theFatherrsquos plan of saving love as Christdid (See Heb 105-7)

Open to the spirit in imitation of Mary

Lady of the Sacred Heart Andby the time I left the church

which is just a five-minute walkfrom my house what else couldI say but thank You Really thereis nothing much else one can say

Our Lady and Child in SanSalvatore in Onda

Funny what one sees whenone changes perspectives Goinghome from jogging one day Idecided to pass by the right (in-stead of the left) side of Via deiPettinari (Combmakersrsquo Street)I happened to look up by chanceand I saw this charming image of

Our Lady I had never seen be-fore even if Irsquod already passed by

here more than ten times Ten when I looked down I likewisenoticed what should have beenan inconspicuous door Now Isaw there was a paper posted onit hinting that inside was actuallya church called San Salvatore inOnda and the place where SaintVincent Pallottirsquos remains arevenerated I took mental noteof the opening schedule andresolved I would do the secondday of my novena there

What was beh ind that in-conspicuous door Actually asmall but amazingly beautiful

jewel of a church First behind

the green door commonly seenalong the street was another set

of wider doors made of beauti-ful strong old wood It had ahuge tarp proudly claiming thatSt John Paul II had visited thischurch For such a small churchI thought it would be surprisingany pope would do that

But of course if one knew JP IIand St Vincent Pallotti and whatthey each stood for one wouldunderstand For JP II loved topromote the apostolate amonglay people and St Vincent inhis own 19th century religious

way was one of the promotersof the lay apostolate at the time

when it was so much lacking

He founded the ldquoPious Unionof Catholic Apostolaterdquo Tatrsquos a

union of priests religious and la-itymdashbut the ldquoPallotinesrdquo as theyare called really just consists ofthe religious brothers and priestsand the laity are well theyrsquorethere But that was certainly ahuge start

Te church is now their homebase but it wasnrsquot so at first Builtnear the end of the 11th andbeginning of the 12th centuryit was given to the Franciscansfrom which two popes camefrom Knowing this historic-ity of the church and that StVincentrsquos body is now underthe altar one then understands

this church deserved the Popersquosvisit But to add to these therersquos

to everybody and be absolutelyhonest with all (See Lk 313-14)

All this is love of neighbor in itsmost elementary form and noone can claim to be exempted orto have done enough

o this we have to add thepursuit of all those ldquonatural valuesand virtuesrdquo that Paul lists in theSecond Reading (See Phil 48)Only on these conditions shall

we be able to ldquobe glad and exult with all our heartsrdquo (Zep 314) and

begin to enjoy ldquoGodrsquos own peace which is beyond all understand-ingrdquo (Phil 47)

If on the contrary we refuseto heed Johnrsquos (Godrsquos) call toconversion this Advent will bea series of ldquomissed opportuni-tiesrdquo Tere may still be laughterbut very little joy We may giveand receive plenty of gifts but

without experiencing the bliss ofreal generosity In other words wemay be like one of the decorationshanging on Christmas trees glit-tering and colorful outside butempty and ugly inside

It need not be so It should nothis Advent we have a chanceto really change for the betterstarting from ldquowithinrdquo And it isup to us to make the most of thisopportunity

tion the divine light becomesa human beingmdashJESUS OFNAZAREH His coming is not a lightning in the night thatsoon vanishes in the persistentdarkness of the sky Rather it isan enduring event mdashthe fulfill-ment of a well thought-out plandestined to last till the end oftime and beyond

Te Incarnation is an eventthat is not confined to the placeand time where it took placebut a permanent reality thatconcerns and affects the entireuniverse as well as the life ofeach human being Tis is sobecause the life and mission ofthe God-Man born in Bethle-

hem is to bring the light of loveand grace into the history ofmankind into the life of everyhuman person

his is why we believe andproclaim that Christmasmdashthecoming and dwelling of Godrsquoslight on earth ndash makes all the dif-ference Te world will never bethe same as before the ldquoChrist-

mas eventrdquo simply because Godldquopitched His tentrdquo among us More still He became one of us

He did so in order to enableeach individual and mankindas a whole to fight and over-come the many forms of dark-ness that oppress frighten andenslave usmdashthe darkness of

hopelessness meaninglessnessfear hatred oppression but es-pecially the darkness of sin andof whatever leads to the endlessdarkness of being separated fromGod forever

Nowadays the all-pervadingcacophony of commercialismand materialism tend to dis-robe Christmas of its sacred-ness and saving dimensionand to confine it to the realm

of a myth lost in the vaguenessof a distant past Against suchbackground it is essential thatwe Christian believers ap-preciate the importance ofthe historical event of theIncarnation and its relevanceto our life today

Christmas as the joyful com-memoration of the Incarnationof Godrsquos Son is an invitationto ACCEP Jesus Christ intoour existence as the light of the

world the light of our life It isalso an invitation to REJOICEin the light that radiates from

Jesusrsquo presence teaching and

example It is a commitmentto LIVE as children of thelight and thereby eliminatein ourselves and around usthe darkness of sin and evilin all their forms Christmasis an invitation and a chal-lenge to SPREAD the light ofGodrsquos love through our wordsand deeds

In this perspective theHoly Fatherrsquos call to be ac-

tively involved in the workof a NEW EVANGELIZA-ION becomes absolutely vital and releva nt to thisseason of light and joy Itis the first step toward anever-greater involvement inthe wonderful enterprise ofbuilding Godrsquos luminousKingdom of peace love andhope that can usher in theldquonew heavens and the newearthrdquo the ldquoNEW JERU-SALEMrdquo that is the perfectrealization of Godrsquos plan andthe fulfillment of our deepestaspirations

also the sheer beauty of medievaland renaissance art that one seeson the ceiling and the simplebaldachin under which Mass

was held when I was there Teimage of Our Lady and Child byCesare Mariani in the main altaris also arresting

Te church has the appellationldquoin Onda rdquo which means ldquoin the

waverdquo most probably becauseof the frequent flooding of theiber Irsquove seen some of thesesigns on marble stone aroundseveral parts in Rome indicat-ing where the river was at this orthat point and therersquos only one

thing I can say Te worst Manilafloods are as if only two inches

compared to Rome flooding inthose days Irsquom not sure if thishas any connection to one imageof Our Lady venerated there ona huge side altar ldquoVirgin mostPowerfulrdquomdashbecause one cer-tainly needed a huge power tosurvive such inundations

But last night I know I wasinundated by only one thingmdashthanksgiving for being surround-ed by such beauty and holiness

(Robert Z Cortes is a PhDstudent in Social InstitutionalCommunication at the PontificalUniversity of Santa Croce Rome

He has an MA in Ed Leadership from Columbia University)

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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B7CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

tions might become ever more numeroustill they become the rule

It is in the family that the reform ofsociety begins because it is there that welearn to respect and help one another wepractice patience and justice we learn toshare and to love in an unselfish and practi-cal manner Pope Francis speaking to theFilipino families during his Pastoral Visit

in January 2015 said ldquoIn the family wecome to know God to grow into menand women of faith to see ourselves asmembers of Godrsquos greater family theChurch In the family we learn how tolove to forgive to be generous and opennot closed and selfish We learn to movebeyond our own needs to encounterothers and share our lives with them Tat is why it is so important to pray as afamily Tat is why families are so impor-tant in Godrsquos plan for the Churchrdquo

A family where God is at home is afamily at peace Such was the Holy Familyat Nazareth And the yearly celebration ofits feast is not just a well-deserved tributepaid to its three members It is also an in-vitation and encouragement to make ourfamilies today what the family of JosephMary and Jesus was in those daysmdasha ha- ven of love of God and neighbor at itsbest a home where God felt at home afamily according to Godrsquos heart

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

PRAYING together as a family seems nolonger fashionable nowadays Te reasonsare varied so many commitments con-flicts of schedule practical impossibility ofbeing together Tere are of coursehappy exceptions of parents who everyevening gather their children for somemoments of reflection on the Word ofGod reconciliation shared prayer andrecitation of the Rosary hese samepeople are usually the ones who on Sun-days attend the Eucharistic celebrationas a family From this they derive strengthharmony cohesion And at the same timethey become an inspiration to the wholeparish community It is when the familygathers together for prayer that its mem-bersmdashboth parents and childrenmdashseethemselves under the common fatherlyauthority of God

A family that renews every day itscovenant with the Lord will have notime for endless bickering jealousyunfaithfulness harsh manners on thepart of the parents or rebellion on thepart of their children

Te families that pray together are re-ally mini ldquofaith communitiesrdquo or ldquolittlechurchesrdquo One wishes that these excep-

SOCIAL CONCERNS

M a s t e r o f t h e A n t w e r p A d o r a t i o n

M a r k E u s e b i o

Feast of the Holy Family (C) Luke 241-52

December 27 2015

World Day of Peace (C)

Luke 216-21

January 1 2016

Baptism of the Lord (C) Luke 315-16 21-22 January 10 2016

Solemnity of Epiphany (C) Matthew 21-12

January 3 2016

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

HE world is torn by wars and conflicts of every kindmdashwarsamong nations factions families Afraid of the tragediesof war simple people yearn for peace Some governments andpeace-oriented organizations try to achieve peace throughnegotiations and compromise Fortunately many times theysucceed in establishing at least a ceasefire

But we all know that peace is not simply the absence offighting Peacemdashit has been written in so many waysmdashisthe fruit of justice among nations groups individuals Morethan this peace is the fruit of being in a harmonious rela-tionship not only with others but also with oneself andespecially with God Tere can be no peace where there isrejection of God

Peace is just another word for love another word forgrace It prospers only with the defeat of sin And just asall the sufferings and destructions of war are both a sign anda consequence of sin so the defeat of sin in ourselves andaround us produces that inexpressible feeling of satisfactionand harmony that no material riches can buy and no balanceof power can create

Real lasting peace is what God the source of all good-ness wants for all mankind But in order for that peaceto become a reality we have to do our share First of allwe have to pray for it Ten we have to work for it Tatmeans to make every effort to bring it about Ten the Lord

will bless our efforts by granting us that genuine peace thathas in Him its origin and support On our part we have toaccept Godrsquos blessing of peace with humble gratitude as Heoffers it to us not as an abstract concept but as a person ndashHis very own Son Jesus Christ He is our peace becauseHe is the One who reconciles all men with the Father andamong themselves the One who reconciles each of us

with ourselves In Him we are able to recognize all humanbeings as our brothers and sisters all members of the onebig family that has God as the common Father He is theOne who called the peacemakers ldquoblessedrdquo and gave peaceto His disciples as His farewell gift

Jesus the King of Peace comes to us not in a vision orlike rain from the clouds He comes from a human motherMary Most Holy the woman of peace who has been ableto open herself to the Source of all peace and has fashionedHim in that human form in which all can recognize andlove as their elder brother In this way Mary and peace arevitally and dynamically linked And she brings peace to ourtroubled hearts and lives as Godrsquos messenger as she givesus Jesus in this Christmas season

Pope Francis calls all of us

to CARE FOR OUR COM-MON HOME Tis is one ofthe most important remindersin our times to really show re-spect to God who created allTe issuance of mining permit

will allow tree cutting activi -ties in almost 10000 hectaresland area Tis will lead to thedestruction of the very fewremaining forest in the Philip-pines and in the world We

would expec t a more imba l-ance ecology extinction ofdiversified natural resourcesexample flora fauna insectsanimals (including the Philip-pine Eagle) floods sicknesses

We reiterate that we would not

like this to happen We must remember that the

Home B4

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

EPIPHANY is the manifestation of Jesusas the MessiahSavior of all men includ-ing the pagans of goodwill representedby the Magi As such it is also the mani-festation of the divine plan hidden forcenturies in God to unite all human beingsin Christ (See Eph 11-10)

Evermore mankind moves toward the for-mation of a great international communityTis is according to Godrsquos plan Its roots arein creation itself ldquoGlobalizationrdquo is the ldquoin-thingrdquo nowadays It is a ldquosign of the timesrdquo to

which we should pay attention Tough theconcern of most of its proponents seems tobe economic its basic assumption is correctwe are one world one family of nations

Whatever is incompatible wi th this ldquoone-nessrdquo should be abolished

Many oppose globalization because if we

limit it to its economic aspect and to tearingdown trade barriers almost surely it will leadto the rich becoming richer and the poorbecoming poorer But if we take this wordto mean essentially the abolition of all bar-riers that have been erected by human prideselfishness ghetto mentalities or racism andif it ushers in a greater solidarity of thestronger with the weaker and a generoussharing by the rich with the poor thenglobalization is according to Godrsquos planand all Christians should be its most en-thusiastic supporters

Epiphany has also a special messageconcerning the attitude of all religions

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

WE say tha t people make aldquoprophetic gesturerdquo when theydo something striking that is alsoa sign of greater things to comeTose gestures reveal the depthof their passion or commitmentthey are meant to shake peopleand somehow force them to makea choice either for or againstcertain vital issues

In his lifetime Jesus mademany ldquoprophetic gesturesrdquo

such as his driving the tradersout of the emple the healingof the paralytic and many othermiracles He performed All thosegestures were ldquospectacularrdquo intheir own way Tey attracted theattention of the crowds which

wondered what their ldquomeaningrdquocould be

Tere was in the life of Jesus aldquogesturerdquo which was not spectacu-lar at all and which went unno-ticed by almost everybody exceptHis cousin John His baptism inthe River Jordan Tat gesture

was absolutely ldquocommonrdquo andldquoordinaryrdquo for it was somethingthat almost everybody was doingin those days in response to the

exhortation of John the BaptistBut Jesusrsquo baptism at the Jor-

dan lost in the crowd of sinners who were seeking forgivenesshad a depth of meaning thatmade it one of his most dra-matic ldquoprophetic gesturesrdquo It

was his baptism in fact whichrevealed the essence of Jesusrsquomission and became the occa-sion for the revelation of hisconcealed divine identity

he ldquoprophetic dimensionrdquoof Jesusrsquo action was not so muchin his entering the waters of the

Jordan ashis immersing himselfin the crowd of sinners Tat was

something unthinkable and un-believable Only Godrsquos incrediblelove for every human being andall mankind could have conceivedsuch an ldquoimmersionrdquo which was socomplete and involving as to be atotal ldquoidentificationrdquo Tat wasthe reason why the eternal andall-holy Son of God had comedown from heaven and had un-dergone the fullest ldquoimmersionrdquoin the ocean of mankindrsquos miseryand in human history Jesusrsquobaptism is a clear manifestationof Godrsquos mercy toward mankindTe Word the eternal Son of theFather clad in human flesh in

Jesus of Nazareth becomes one with sinful mankind not to be its

judge but its Savior and the HolySpirit appearing in the form of a

dove a symbol of peace remindsus of Godrsquos mercy on the ldquorem-nantrdquo of mankind as the purifyingflood subsided (See Gen 810-11) Jesusrsquo baptism was a furthermanifestation of the meaning andpurpose of the Incarnation

hrough that ldquoimmersionidentificationrdquo the totally sinless Jesus became a part not onlyof the relatively small group ofsinners gathered by the banksof the Jordan but also of theimmense crowd of sinners thatis the whole of humankind And

just as his immersive in the watersof the river sanctified them so didhis presence among the crowd ofsinners bring them the possibilityof receiving purification from sin

Tat was exactly Jesusrsquo missionIsaiah the prophet had alreadyforeseen this when he announcedthat the mission of the ldquoServant ofthe Lordrdquo was to bring ldquojusticerdquo(that is holiness) to the nationsOf him the Lord God said ldquoIformed you and set you as a cov-enant of the people a light forthe nations to open the eyes ofthe blind to bring out prisonersfrom confinement and from thedungeon those who live in dark-nessrdquo (See todayrsquos First Reading)

In his life Jesus ldquoactualizedrdquosuch a liberating and sanctify-

ing ldquoimmersionrdquo by associatingwith sinners and even seekingtheir company ndash something thatshocked the ldquoholyrdquo people of histime His association with ldquopublicsinnersrdquo was bound to tarnishhis reputation as his opponentspointed out on several occasions

Jesus did not mind that criti-cism and continued like beforeformdashas he himself saidmdashit is sickpeople who need a doctor (SeeMt 912) But his immersinghimself in the crowd of sin-ful mankind cost Jesus much

moremdashit cost him his very lifefor he was put to death to atonefor the sins of all

Jesusrsquo vicarious self-offering was so power ful in its effec tbecause of who he wasmdashGodrsquosbeloved Son on whom the Fa-therrsquos favor rested Such a solemnproclamation of Jesusrsquo divineidentity soon after his baptismbalanced so to speak his hid-ing himself among the crowdof sinners at the Jordan RiverIt also completed the ldquopropheticnaturerdquo of what happened on thatdaymdashGodrsquos very Son coming tosave all mankind by sharing fullyits predicament of misery in or-der to transform it from within

through the superabundant holi-ness that only God is

Families according to Godrsquos heart

symbolized by the Magi toward JesusChrist He should be the one acknowledgedby all believers as the universal Savior sentby God to bring all mankind back to GodTe gifts offered by the Magi to Jesus in

Bethlehem can symbolize the different char-acteristics which the major world religionscan offer as their distinct contribution to theestablishment of the Kingdom proclaimedand established by Christ the gold of faithin one merciful God and the power of His Word as a feature of Islam the incense ofmeditation love for nature and peace thatcharacterize Buddhism the myrrh of dedica-tion and industriousness that characterizeConfucianism Jesus rejects nothingof the values these faiths have He acceptsthem all and brings them together into onepractical synthesis that makes humankindthe family of God on earth

Jesus is indeed the center of humanhistory because he is the center of Godrsquosplan for mankind He is the ldquocenterrdquonot only in the sense that his coming hasdivided the centuries into two great blocks

of ldquobeforerdquo and ldquoafterrdquo Christ He is alsothe one in whom all men can find thecommon point of reference to form a realfamily of nations and peoples withoutcoercion or exploitation Te light of hisGospel can penetrate all cultures assumeall their valid elements and purify the restfrom those negative aspects which thepower of sin has gradually introduced inthem

Only Jesus Christ can keep all men unitedin a community of sincere respect lastingsolidarity and practical love For the plan ofthe Father born of love will find its fulfill-ment only in LOVE

Mary of NazarethMother of JesusMother of peace

Christ the unifying centerof all mankind

One with sinners to save them

environment can exist even

without us but we can neverexist without the environmentnature We only have one com-mon home the Earth there isno other

We urge the Dep ar tmentof Environment and NaturalResources to take the real leadto protect our remaining ldquoenvi-ronment and natural resourcesrdquoplan with other governmentagencies and environmentallyconcern organizationsfounda-tions on how to preserve ourremaining forests and marinelife sanctuaries

NO O MINING IN MA-GUM PUJADA BAY AND SA-LINGCOMO MAI CIY

PROVINCE OF DAVAO ORI-ENAL

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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B8 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

Look for the images of Saint Joseph Mama

Mary and Baby Jesus

(Illustration by Bladimer Usi)

Bladimer UsiLolo Kiko

Buhay Parokya

KANISS Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) both a victor in andsubverter of Panemrsquos Hunger Games is now a symbol of the revolu-tion whom rebel president Alma Coin (Julianne Moore) and powerbroker Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman) want to usestrictly as a poster girl Stubborn freedom-fighter Katniss howeverhas her own agenda and that includes killing President Snow (Don-ald Sutherland]) to end once and for all the senseless deaths of somany young people Forming a team of rag-tag soldiers that includeclosest friends Gale (Liam Hemsworth) Finnick (Sam Claflin) andPeeta (Josh Hutcherson) she goes off on a mission risking theirlives through a booby-trapped war to liberate the citizens of PanemTe final confrontation between Katniss and Snow presided overby Coin is an electrifying game-changer

Te Hunger Games is not exempted from the fad of choppinginto ldquopartsrdquo the movie adaptations of popular books Harry Potterwilight Te Hobbitmdashthey have all stretched their heroesrsquo exploitsto prolong box office earning power and yet the fans wait AfterHunger Games MockingjayPart 1 which judging fromits relatively weak performanceat the tills must have been aforgettable movie that testedthe patience of fans Mocking-

jay Part 2 revs up with moreof the thrills that have madethe Hunger Games series theprototype of dystopia flicks foryoung adults (Divergent et al)Te strong cast monumentallycontributes to the realism of theHunger Games franchisemdashhowcan it go wrong with a leonineSutherland a steely Moore asly Hoffman And of coursethe winner Lawrence who canequally sell with aplomb partscalling for either vulnerability orverve In Mockingjay 2 the starsrsquo solid performances interwoven

with heart-stopping CGI make for a fitting finale to a story that

capitalizes on manrsquos inhumanity to manItrsquos surprising that a number of film critics are disappointed with the

filmrsquos ending calling it ldquosappyrdquo and an anti-climactic conclusion to anadrenalin-packed series that promised so much by way of action andheroism Teir cynical remarks remind us of biblical Israel waiting fora savior who would topple down the ruling elite with its own brandof kingship but is instead given a Jesus Christ CINEMA thinks theending is actually a statement that magnifies the upbeat message of the

whole story enough is enough Murder as spectator sport is sub-human At least when beasts kill it is to survive but in Panem the poor youngpeople are robbed of choice and must kill in order to livemdashas enter-tainment for the elite So Mockingjay mocks the elite it cries ldquoGivehumanity a chancerdquo Whatrsquos wrong with wanting to dump violence tostart afresh Choose life not death Arrows that used to kill people arealso useful for hunting fowl for the dinner tablemdashis that against the lawldquourn your swords into ploughs and your spears into pruning hooksrdquoMaybe the cynicsrsquo eyes have grown to love the Hunger Gamesrsquo darknessthat the sunlight-dappled scenery blinds them Or maybe after fallingin love with the couture of Panemrsquos stylish crowd theyrsquore simply horri-

fied by Katnissrsquo drastic costume change Whatever CINEMA wouldnrsquothave wanted the ending any other way

ENTERTAINMENT

MAGPAPAKASAL at magsump-aang magmamahalan nang wagasang dating live-in partners nasina Basya (Bea Alonzo) at Popoy(John Lloyd Cruz) Bilang mgalisensyadong enhinyero at arkitektoay magtataguyod sila ng construc-tion business na mabilis na uunladLalong magpupursige ang mag-asawa na magpalago ng negosyodahil magbubuntis si Basya Naisnilang mabigyan ng magandangkinabukasan ang kanilang anak

Subalit dahil sa pressure ng tra-baho ay makukunan si Basya attuluyang mawawala ang sanggolna kanyang dinadala Labis itongikalulungkot nina Basya at Popoykaya napagkasunduan nila ayonna rin sa mungkahi ni Basya natitigil siya sa pagtatrabaho upangmakabuo uli sila ng baby Nanatilisi Basya sa bahay at di nakialam sanegosyo sa loob ng dalawang taonPinaubaya niya ang pagpapatakbong negosyo kay Popoy Magtitiwalasi Basya sa kakayanan ng asawa namahusay nitong mapapamahalaanang kompanya katulad ng nagingproblema ng pagguho ng isangbuilding project Hindi rin gu-gustuhin ni Popoy na bigyan ngalalahanin si Basya Samantala sakabila ng magandang saloobin nilasa isarsquot isa ay ang napipintong pag-kalugi ng negosyo na siya namangililihim ni Popoy kay Basya Dahilsasarilinin ni Popoy ang problemamaapektuhan ng tuluyan angkanilang pagsasama

Sequel ng pelikulang One MoreChance na pinalabas noong 2007ang Second Chance Matatan-daang tumatatak ang naunangpelikula dahil sa mga tinatawag nalsquohugot linesrsquo nina Alonzo at Cruzsa nasabing pelikula Di namannabigo ang mga nag-abang sa se-quel na ito dahil naganap nga angsecond chance sa mga pangunah-ing tauhan na sina Basya at PopoyMalinis ang pagkakadugtong ng

dalawang pelikula --- parehongmga tauhan at kontexto gayundinang mga artistang nagsiganap Sakabila ng pagkakaroon ng prequelay napanatili ang malayang istoryang Second Chance bilang isangpelikula Bagamat predictable ang

wakas ay naging kasabik-sabikpa din ang mga eksena at mgapalitan ng linya ng lahat ng tau-han Di matatawaran ang husayng pagganap nina Alonzo at Cruzbilang mag-asawa panalo talagaang tinatawag na chemistry nilangdalawa Di rin nagpahuli nag mgakatuwang na aktor at aktres Mag-aling ang ginawang trato ng direk-

tor para mapalabas ang kalakasanng mga nagsiganap at ang mgaeksenang hinaluan ng patawa lalona sa eksena kasama ng mga kai-bigan Simple lamang ang disenyong produksyon pero nakatulongang mga kuha ng camera at edit-ing para maging makabuluhan saistorya ang setting Makahuluganang composition na nagpapakitang electric fan para sa mensahe nanagtitipid na ang mag-asawa dahillugi na ang kompanya

Mayaman sa mensahe parasa mga mag-asawa ang SecondChance Pinakita sa pelikula angrealidad ng buhay may-asawa nahindi lang puro kasarapan sa halip aymga pagsubok na maaring mauwi sahiwalayan kung hindi haharapin ataayusin Sa relasyon ng mag-asawa

ay napakahalaga ng magiging bu-kas sa isarsquot isa kaya anuman angpagdaanan ay magkatuwang nahaharapin Ang pagtatago ni Popoyng katotohanan kay Basya ang nag-ing mitsa ng lumubhang alitan dipagkakaunawaan pagkawala ngrespeto at palitan ng masasakitna salitamdashpati tiwala sa sarili aynawala At sa punto na pipiliin ngisa na lumayo at hanapin ang sariliay nakatulong na balikan ang mga

sumpaan binatiwan nuong sila ayikinasal at higit sa lahat ang kanilangpagmamahal sa isarsquot isa Mainamdin na may mga kaibigan at pamilyana pwedeng lapitan na susuporta athindi manghuhusga manunumbato mang-uudyok sa paggawa ng maliKapuna-puna lang na bagamatnagsimula at nagwakas ang pelikulasa chapel ay tila di man lang nilanaisipan na magdasal habang maypinagdaraanan sila Nais isipin ngCINEMA na ang gusto lamangsabihin ng pelikula ay ang pag-aasawa ay hindi lamang sa pagitanng dalawang tao kundi dapat aykasama palagi ang Diyos

DIRECTOR Cathy Garcia-Molina

LEAD CAST Bea AlonzoJohn Lloyd Cruz DimplesRomana

SCREENWRITER VanessaValdez Carmi Raymundo

GENRE Romantic Drama

CINEMATOGRAPHER NoelTeehankee

RUNNING TIME 130 minutesTECHNICAL ASSESSMENT

MORAL ASSESSMENT CINEMA Rating V13

A SECONDCHANCE

DIRECTOR Francis LawrenceLEAD CAST Jennifer Law-

rence Josh HutchersonLiam Hemsworth WoodyHarrelson Donald Suther-land Julianne Moore PhilipSeymour Hoffman

GENRE Adventure ScienceFiction

RUNNING TIME 137 minutesTECHNICAL ASSESSMENT

MORAL ASSESSMENT CINEMA rating V14

THE HUNGER

GAMESMOCKINGJAY 2

Buhay San Miguel Brothers Matias

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 1724

Philippine Army Chaplaincy CFC

Hold 1st National Convention

The first-ever OACCS - OSM CEP Convention further strengthened the camaraderie between the chaplaincy and the local CFC created a more solid CFC OSM Core enabledthe stakeholders to work together and recognized the efforts of those who work tirelessly under the program

CFC Metro Manila as one big happy family worshipped danced sang played gamesand had fun during the last MC Gathering of the year

By Alma Alvarez

CFC ANCOP USA Pontificio Collegio Fillipino Sign Partnership Agreement

CFC MM MC Celebrates the Family

HIS Eminence Cardinal Luis Antonio agle Chairman of PontificioCollegio Filippino and its Rector Msgr Greg Gaston recently signedthe ANCOP USA Priest Sponsorship Program (PSP) partnership

with Eric Villanueva Roger Santos and Rollie Balanza Couples forChrist - ANCOP USA leaders Te ANCOP USA PSP will assistpriests from the Philippines who will be sent by their Bishops to doadvance studies in Rome

In his letter to Villanueva Cardinal agle wrote ldquoOur partnership will

allow more Bishops to send Priests for ongoing formation and furtherstudies in Rome to better equip them in serving Gods people as SeminaryFormators and as collaborators in the different Diocesan Ministries back

HE Metro Manila Mission Coregathered as one big CFC familyduring this months MC Assemblylast December 6 2015 Leadersfrom the Family Ministries likewisecame to the Ynares Sports Arenato hear Mass together celebrateshowcase talents play in the fungames and just enjoy each otherscompany before the end of the year

CFC Spiritual Director Msgr Allen Aganon celebrated Mass Inhis homily Msgr Allen emphasizedthe enormity of the role of John theBaptist as the one who heralded thecoming of Jesus Christ despite hishumble beginnings He challengedthe CFC leaders to be like Johnthe Baptist

We are ordinary people who

home As a result our Church in the Philippines will be strengthenedso that Priests and laity alike could carry out our respective work ofevangelization and service not only to the Church but also to societyrdquo

According to the agreement the PSP is for Masters Licentiate orDoctorate studies only ANCOP USA PSP funds will cover the priestrsquosboard and lodging at the Collegio in the amount of $10000 per year

All other needs such as tuition fees medical insurance transportationbooks etc will be provided for by the Bishop as a local counterpart

Tis would ensure that priests can benefit from the partnershipo donate or to know more about the program please visitwwwancopusa-psporg

THE CFC Order of St Michael(OSM) in cooperation with thePhilippine Army Ofce of theArmy Chief Chaplain Service(OACCS) staged the rst everCharacter Enhancement Pro-gram (CEP) Convention last No-vember 24 2015 at the PhilippineAir Force Museum Pasay CityRetired Col Arturo Alabanza amember of CFC Metro Manila(South B) and head of the OSM

OSM C4

together with the OSM Corespearheaded the event

In his opening remarks Alabanza describedhow the OSM came together with the OACCS

and forged a long-term partnership to ldquodeveloprighteous God-fearing soldiers loved by theFilipino peoplerdquo through the CEP Te CFCOSM has developed modules specifically cater-ing to the soldiers their spouses and childrenOACCS on the other hand has the author-ity to mandate Commanding Officers of thevarious Army camps nationwide to employthe CEP

Te convention allowed the stakeholders toreport on the accomplishments and enabledthe Army Chaplains from the different Infan-

try Divisions to plan with their local Couplesfor Christ counterparts regarding strategies forCEP and its continuing spiritual enhancementmodules It was likewise an opportunity for

CFC OSM to present the second module forthe CEP which the group plans to roll outbeginning 2016

ANCOP Chairman Joe Yamamoto in hisinspirational talk reiterated Pope Francisrsquo callfor new evangelization and emphasized thatthe partnership is a clear response of each per-son involved whether it be the Chaplaincy orthe lay stakeholders to be agents of change inthe spiritual realm within the Philippine Army

Several of those serving in the program

His Eminence Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle and the leaders of CFC ANCOP USA f orging a strong partnership for further education among Filipino clergy

are called to herald Christ andto be missionaries of mercy heemphasized

Te Mass was followed by theopening worship led by the MetroManila Missions Director MannyGarcia and a brief message fromCFC Chairman Joe ale

Te CFC Order of St Michaelthrough its Head Art Alabanzatook the opportunity to honor the55 Singles for Christ volunteers

who served in the Christian LifeProgram for the PMA Cadets inBaguio Te fun-filled games forthe adults and children talentpresentations and face-paintingadded to the festive mood rulyit was a day for the family (CFCGlobal Communications)

Reconciliation is Key to Advent PreparationsldquoTHE best way to prepare forChristmas is reconciliation Thebirth of Jesus is Gods offering ofreconciliationrdquo

his was the essence of the Advent recollection given by FrGerard imoner OP Provincialof the Dominican Order in thePhilippines for the workers of theCFC Global Mission Office Terecollection was held last Novem-ber 28 2015 at the Obizpado deCubao in Quezon City

In his reflection Fr imoner

creatively wove reconciliation withforgiveness as well as the new

evangelization taking into account Jesusrsquo words to ldquoshake off the dust

from your feetrdquo According to hima good spiritual foot spamdashthe act

of shaking the dust off onersquos feet toremove all traces of the bad news to

enable one to proclaim the GoodNewsmdashis essential in preparing

oneself during AdventFr imoner described for-

giveness as ldquosetting a prisonerfree and realizing that thatprisoner is yourdquo He illustratesldquoJesus did not forgive whileon the cross Instead he saidlsquoFather forgive them for theyknow not what they dorsquo We canonly forgive if we engage Godsforgiveness within our ownrdquo

he best path to the newevangelization is to allow our-selves to be reconciled with God

amp each other he emphasized(A Alvarez)

The News Supplement of

Couples for Christ

C1CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 1824

Reflections on Advent

I IS the start of a new liturgical

year As in every year the previ-ous liturgical year ended withthe feast of Christ the King afitting high point indeed Aftergoing through the year observ-ing the various highs and lowsand phases of His life in theend and rightly so we proclaim

Jesus as indeed the King of kingsand the Lord of lords

And so the Church starts thecycle anew beginning fromHis birth into this world obuild up to that we have theseason of advent of waitingof anticipating of preparingfor the birth of He who werecognize and proclaim as theKing of kings

One would expect that thismajor season is ushered in

with Bible vers es express ingthe level of excitement befit-ting the birth of the King ofthe universe It is therefore abit surprising and soberingthat the opening reading ofthis season is one with a themethat speaks not of celebrationbut of foreboding of the com-ing end times

here wil l be strangethings happening to the sunto the moon and the stars Onearth whole countries will bein despair afraid of the roarof the sea and the raging tidesPeople will faint from fear asthey wait for what is comingover the whole earth for the

Joe Tale

powers in space will be driven

from their courses hen theSon of Man will appear comingin a cloud of great power andglory When these things begin tohappen stand up and raise yourheads because your salvation isnear Luke 2125-28

Moreover we are enjoined tobe on watch and to be vigilantin a specific way Be careful notto let yourselves become occu-pied with too much feasting anddrinking and with the worries ofthis life or that Day will suddenlycatch you like a trap For it willcome upon all people everywhereon earth Be on watch and prayalways that you will have thestrength to go safely through allthose things that will happen andto stand before the Son of Man

Luke 2134-36It is significant we might evensay ironic that during this seasonof merriment in anticipation ofthe birth of the Messiah we are

warned exactly not t o be merryIn this period that we normallycelebrate with much food and

wine and music we are instructedto refrain from such things

Is the verse dousing cold wa-ter on all these festivities andpreventing us from celebrating

joyously the arr ival of t he KingNot so he verse simply re-

minds us of something more im-portant whatever be the seasonof our life of being constantlyprepared and on the watch at

all times not ever to bring our

guards down whether we are go-ing through our low moments orhigh points in our life We are re-minded to always Be Preparedas the Boy Scouts motto goes

whatever our spec ific situationmay be at any given time

Als o I sense tha t the Lor d would like to bring us to a deeperlevel of rejoicing not merely onthe level of the frivolous as toomuch feasting and drinking areTe words of Jesus do not preventus from rejoicing He wants us tocontinue to be prepared even as

we celebrate He warns us not torejoice in a wanton way that takesus away from our right senses re-sulting in our being unpreparedhus our rejoicing should becoming from deep in our hearts

not shallow and hollow expres-sions of the same Our rejoicingshould be geared towards allowingus to still be prepared

hus as we hold our Christ-mas parties and dwell in themerriment of the season let usbe mindful of the words fromthe Gospel Appropriate feastingand drinking not only make usfaithful to the gospel but is alsomore healthy Significantly tooit should make us more caring tothose who have less and hope-fully lead us not to be wastefuland to share whatever we have somany others will also experiencea truly Merry Christmas

Rejoice in the Lord

HE RED Cubs harvested thegrand championship of the recentlyconcluded CFC GMC Ablaze Cup2015 held last December 2 - Decem-ber 8 2015 at the sports facilities ofCamp Crame

Te friendly games were partici-pated in by the different departmentsin the CFC Global Mission CenterTe Red Cubs romped off with the

Red Cubs are Champions in CFC GMC Ablaze Cup 2015

Go go go GMC clockwise from top left Caloy Rubio CFC Ablaze Cup Event Head exhorting participants the board of judges CFC Chair Joe Tale inspiring the athletes paradeof athletes the Orange Tigers basketball game between the Red Cubs and the Maroon on Fire cheerdance competition

Mel and Aimee Serrano talking about the highs and lows of dealing with in-laws

In Highs And In-Laws Dealing With Your In-Laws

ldquoATRASrdquo BOYS amp GIRLS

Are We Waiting For Jesus At The Right Spot

This Advent

IN983085LAWS he very word re-minds many a married coupleof discomfort awkward evenstrained relationships and some-times open conflict But are rela-tionships with the family membersof your spouse meant to be merelytolerant Te latest Couples forChrist (CFC) ndash Young Couples

Assembly on November 30 heldat St Pauls College in Pasig Citytackled precisely this topic andcame up with this wildly inge-nious insight In-laws are peopletoo ndash love them

According to the speakers Meland Aimee Serrano of CFC ndashMetro Manila West B lovingthem in all sincerity will work

wonders ldquoTat is the tried andtested formula love your in-lawsrdquoshared Mel a school owner fromQuezon City

During the talk which theypeppered with lots of insights andsharing of personal experiences as a

PASIG City Nov 29 2015 ndash What do weusually do when we find out that someone welove or an important personality is visiting ou rhome We tidy up we prepare good food butmost of all we wait his was the m essage thatabout 150 young married couples heard duringthe Family Mass at the Couples for Christ ndash

Young Couple s Assembly at St Paul Colleg eConvention Center held last November 30

Fr Ruper Solis SVD who celebrated theFamily Mass reminded the couples presentthat to wait for something or someone also

couple married for 20 years the Ser-ranos focused on several key points1 Handle them with care

Tis means giving attention tothe one who needs more takingcare of them in their old age as

well as training your kids to respecttheir grandparents

ldquoOn our part we have to makesure that our children will give duerespect [to them] and be able tounderstand intricacies that come

with old agerdquo said AimeeldquoWhether may sama ng loob

(hurt feelings) sometimes there will be times na mahirap makipag-kita (that it will be difficult to meetthem) but you have to go to themKailangan nating gawin yun (Weneed to do it)rdquo she stressed

2 Acknowledge differences According to the couple people

should recognize that their spousemay not have the same familyculture as they do Value systems

means waiting at the right placeldquoAs Christians our life is a series of waiting

Dapat maghintay ka sa tamang lugarhindi langsa tamang panahon na sinasabi ni Lola Nidora noPero sa tamang lugar din (We should wait not justfor the right time but waiting should be doneat the right place as well)rdquo explained Fr Ruper

he young priest who was an SVD missionaryassigned to Argentina for more than seven years

went on to tell the story of how once in Argentinahe was waiting by the side of the road flagging

championship crowns in badmin-ton (women) table tennis (menand women) tug-of-war and peelbanana It was a close fight with theMaroon on Fire team who grabbedthe winning titles for basketballvolleyball cheer dance and chess(men) and ended up 1st runner-up

with les s than 2 points from the winning team Te Orange igerscame in 2nd runner-up while YellowHotshots was 3rd runner-up basedon the last team standings

Te awarding ceremonies wereheld last December 8 2015 dur-ing the celebration of the CFCGMC Christmas party Tis an-nual event is an opportunity forthe mission workers to enjoy eachotherrsquos company Te Ablaze Cuplikewise serves as a venue tofoster and promote the spirit ofsportsmanship and unity amongthe GMC workers from bothpastoral and mission support(Yvonne Dolorosa)

HE WORD ldquoatrasrdquo means a backwardmovement It is generally used to refer to theldquoReverserdquo function of a vehicle In Lanao DelNorte the word has been applied to a group ofboys abd girls who guide vehicles in and out ofparking spaces the equivalent of the ldquoWatch-your-carrdquo aides in Metro Manila

he CFC leaders in the province immedi-ately thought of the Atras Boys and Girls ofLanao Del Norte when Cardinal agle said ndashldquoGo to the peripheries be a mobile clinicto heal the poor from spiritual sickness rdquo

Another ins pirat ion was from one of the mostimportant pastoral subjects of Pope Francisabout the ldquofamily and the poorrdquo

Every time I go to mass at the St MichaelrdquosCathedral with my wifeata the ldquoatras boysand girlsrdquo are all over the area assisting ve-hicles either to park or to exit the parking area

When n ot per formi ng thi s function they andother members of their family can be seenbegging for their daily sustenance hey areusually homeless their home being along theperipheries of the Cathedral or the sidewalks

he inspiration led the Area Governanceeam to the idea of bring these boys and girlsand their parents to a Christian Life Programhey moved quickly with Boy Suezo approv-ing the strategic CLP as designed by RegionalPastoral Formation Head Art Maderazo andinserting video clips appropriate to the CLPtalks With the activation of the SOLD Min-istry with Bro Roger Sultan as Provincial Co-

ordinator SOLD was made the lead ministryof the ldquoAtras Boys and Gir lsrdquo CLP

Initially the number of participants was limitedto five (5) for logistical reasons but the HolySpirit deemed otherwise ndash the attendees eventuallynumbered ten individuals and three (3) coupleshe CLPs were scheduled every hursday at 600orsquoclock in the evening with dinner provided byCFC brothers and sisters particularly the AGrsquos

wives and ANCOP members he SOLD Prov in-cial Coordinator took care of fetching the partici-pants from the Cathedral and also bringing themback to their ldquohomesrdquo It did not matter to Rogerthat his car would often retain the smell of the

unwashed he persisted in servicing the transportneeds of the participants

November 05 2015 was truly a pleasant anda memorable day to the service team On thatday five of the ten boys and girls and two (2)couples dedicated their life to CFC One of theparticipants stood up to give an inspiring testi-mony ending with ldquohank you CFC for makingus somebody in your heart hank you for beingmindful of the conditions of the poor and thankyou for bringing Christ to our livesrdquo (ldquoSalamatCFC nga aduna pa diay kami luna sa inyong kas-ingkasing Salamat CFC sa inyong pagpakabanasa susama kanamo nga mga timawa Salamat sainyong panahon pag hatag kanamo sa pagtulun-anni Kristo)

It is envisioned that this kind of evangeliza-tion can be replicated in other areas nationwidethe beginning of a truly strategic evangelizationHopefully this is also the beginning of a newlife for the new CLP graduates with CFC being

instrumental in helping them provide for theirfamilyrsquos future (Nonoy Haim)

disciplining style even views onhow to handle finances will of-tentimes be different Tat is whyunderstanding coupled with love

will go a long wayldquoDifferences and conflicts are

not unhealthy but mismanagementis Never criticize your in-lawsrdquoMel said

Also in case of confl ict themessenger or the ldquobridgerdquo shouldbe the one with the primary re-lationship (spouse to own fathermother)

he Serranos candidly sharedabout a conflict that eruptedbetween Aimee and her father-in-law during the campaignperiod for local elections whenMel ran for public office heconflict was soon followed by aperiod of silence a Cold Warso to speak ldquoIt took us at leasta year or two [My father said]kasi pag di natin inayos tolahat tayo maapektuhan (If we

dont fix this all of us will beaffected) It helped that thecouple prayed and sought DivineIntervention and asked the com-munity to pray with them heHoly Spirit worked

3 Respond appropriately What if ev en af ter l ovin g and

understanding them its stillnot smooth sailing with your in-laws Heres what the Serranoshad to say

bull iming is everythingbull Learn when to speak or keep

your mouth shutbull ake a breath cool offbull Maintain a sense of humorbull Remember unsolicited advice

is just an opiniono cap their talk the couple

brought back the participants tothe basics of loving in-laws to actout your love to build bridges andto communicate (Nirvaana EllaDelacruz)

HOMILY C3

IN A Memorandum sent to the Philip-pine Missions leaders last November23 2015 PM Director Jose Yamamotoappointedreassigned leaders for theNortheastern Luzon region

Mark Banzon has been appointedProvincial Area Head (PAH) of Isabelavice Rommel Ancheta ony de la Cruz

on the other hand was tapped to be PAHof Nueva Vizcaya vice Raul Balaquiao

O set a new tradition in the CFC Family the InternationalCouncil has agreed to make December 27 the Feast of theHoly Family as a special day for the members of the familyto honor one another Tis will allow each person in thefamily to express their gratitude to the Lord for the gift offamily and the importance of having each member of thefamily around for the love support and service As a sug-

New Appointments for CFC GMC NE LuzonFamily Honoring Night Set

Balaquiao was appointed PAH of IlocosSur vice ony de la Cruz while Cholo

Yjares is now PAH of Cagayan vice BongPagulayan Pagulayan is now PAH ofKalinga vice Cholo Yjares

he move is essentially a realignmentof the leaders in the Northeastern Luzonarea in the interest of the mission except

for Banzon who is a new appointee andfor Noel Malamug who remains as

PAH of Ifugao hese changes are to takeeffect on January 1 2016 Edythe Aven-dantildeo is also set to replace Didi Galsim asHandmaids of the Lord InternationalCoordinator effective January 1 2016

In the Global Mission Center RickyRico was appointed Head for the GAd-min effective October 1 2016 while Jay

Lucena was appointed head of the CFCEvents group also effective October 1facebookcomCFCGlobalMission CFChrist

The Ugnayan News Supplement is published by the Couples for Christ Global Mission Foundation Inc with editorial ofces at 156 20 th Avenue 1109 Cubao Quezon City

Editorial trunk line (+63 2) 709-4868 local 23

Direct line (+63 2) 709-4856

wwwcouplesforchristglobalorg cfcglobalcommunicationsgmailcom

Michael C Ariola

IC Oversight

Zenaida A Gimenez

Editor-in-Chief

Alma M Alvarez

Associate Editor

Evangeline C Mecedilla

Circulation Staff

Deomar P Oliveria

Layout Artist

The News Supplement

of Couples for Christ

gestion the guidelines indicate the following as the activitiesfor the said day hearing Mass together dining together athome praying together and in gratitude expressing theirlove to one another

hrough the Family Honoring Night the community hopesto strengthen the relationship among the family members andempower each one to truly cherish and love one another

Bong Pagulayan

Mark Banzon

Cholo Yjares

Ricky Rico

Edythe Avendantildeo

Raul Balaquiao

Jay Lucena

Tony de la Cruz

C2 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 1924

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 2024

CFC China Conducts

Mission Heads Training

CFC Greece Leaders Meet Archbishop of Athens amp Nuncio

COUPLES for Christ USA and CFC Greece leaders paid a courtesy call on Archbishop Sevastianos Rossolatos and Fr George Altouvas at the Archd ioce se of Athens he g roup in troduced Couples f or Chri st to the new Archbishop and di scus sed theirplans to initiate a CFC Youth Camp in Greek as well as to develop CFC teachings in Greek

On another occasion the CFC leaders met with the Apostolic Nuncio of the Holy See in Athens Archbishop Edward Joseph AdamsTey discussed challenges and forthcoming changes in the Greek Catholic hierarchy and laid down CFCrsquos plans for CFC Athens

SINGLES for Christ Metro Manila gath-ered at the San Carlos Seminary in Makatilast December 5 2015 at 700 pm forthe SFC Global One a two-hour non-stop worship experience Jay Laquiana fulltime pastoral worker for SFC ledthe worship

Global One was meant to be a simul-taneous praise concert with major cities

or provinces hosting the event But what

made this yearrsquos Global One event special was the fact that it was the first time it wasstaged online via youtube live broadcastTis gave SFCs all over the world an oppor-tunity to come together despite differencesin time zone

ogether as one ministry SFCs from theMetro Manila Sectors the provinces andthe various countries like the USA Canada

and the Middle Eastern countries raised

SFC GLOBAL ONEmdashUniting the World

via Online Worship

their voices in praise and worship for thecountless favors they received It likewisebecame an opportunity to ask the Lordto bless the ministry for the coming year

Te ministry sees the online Global Oneas an event they can do annually Tey alsosee it as a potential tool to reach othernon-SFC members to witness Christ andcome together with other young people to

worship (Lanie Montaos)

OSM C1

CFC Winnipeg held its 2nd Celebration of Covenant Love onNovember 21st the feast of the Presentation of Our Lady Sixteencouples attended the activity

One week prior to the Renewal of Wedding Vows the 16 coupleshad a mini-retreat conducted by their spiritual advisor Fr YollyGamallo Te mini-retreat included four couple-sharers Te HolyMass was celebrated at St John Cantius Parish presided by MsgrLouis McCloskey A simple reception followed for the 16 couples andabout 60 family members with additional witnesses from the CFCcommunity Te participants who renewed their marriage vows werefrom varied age groups with some having been married for only five

years to couples who were celebratingo 40 years of holy matrimony

Tis year makes the Celebration of Love even more relevant as itis the year that held the papal Synod on the Family and the WorldMeeting of Families Pope Francis stated when making an address tofamilies ldquoTose who celebrate the sacrament say lsquoI promise to be trueto you in joy and in sadness in sickness and in health I will love youand honour you all the days of my lifersquo At that moment the coupledoes not know what will happen nor what joys and pains awaitthem Tey are setting out like Abraham on a journey together

And that is what marriage is Setting out and walking togetherhand in hand putting yourselves in the Lordrsquos powerful handsHand in hand always and for the rest of your livesrdquo (from http

couplesforchristcanadaca)

A Celebration of Covenant Love

I cherish the treasure the treasure of you lifelong companion I give myself to you These happy couples from CFC Vancouver saying Yes again to oneanother and to God as they renew their marriage vows

CFC missionaries to South Americarejoiced as they completed a fruitfulmission to the area a fitting end to theyear Te mission to Nuevo Pueblo deColaacuten opened a new area an hour awayby land from Piura Peru establish-ing CFC ndash Parejas para Cristo in a remotetown in the desert At the end of theChristian Life Program 13 new CFCPPC members composed of 4 couples4 HOLD and 1 SOLD committed to alife with Christ

Te PVC (Programa de Vida Cristiana- Spanish CLP) was held November 27to 29 2015 (Tanksgiving weekend) byCFC USA Florida in Iglesias del Rosarioone of two parishes in town Padre LuisSerra head pastor of the main churchthe Iglesia Sagrado Corazoacuten de Jesuacutesopened the doors to CFC PPC Fourother brethren from CFC PPC RiojaPeru headed by Fr Rober Martinez cameto reinforce the missionariesrsquo efforts Teteam got a taste of their first mission

CFC China is on full throttle in its evan-gelization efforts Tey recently conducted

the first-ever CFC China Mission Headsraining from November 27 to 30 at Vilada Sta Isabel Estrada Cheoc Van MacauTe training aimed to strengthen its leader-ship ranks through several formation talksfrom the Chapter Leaders raining (CL)series Te sixty participants were mostlyChinese with some Filipino Mission Headsand their AG members from the North

West East and South of China includingMacau SAR and Hong Kong SAR

Te first day of the training was devotedto a silent retreat based on Psalm 4610ndash ldquoBe silent and know that I am GodrdquoTe three-hour retreat centered on thetheme ldquoWe need to Change How WeLead o lead like Jesusrdquo with each par-ticipant encouraged to ldquoempty oneselfrdquoFr Oliviades a member of the Opus Deifacilitated the retreat

Day 2 started with a Holy Mass concel-

ebrated by Fr Joseph Wang from YiwuEast China Te training proper began with Israel Silud CFC Country Headand Northwest Regional Head givingthe overview and citing challenges thatCFC China faces He reiterated thatCFC Chinarsquos goal of raising 1 millionhousehold heads will be driven by the

The fruits of 2015 for CFC PPC hundreds of miles away from home

In 2015 ten missions were held inSouth America by CFC USA All these

were made possible by a handful of zeal-ous and selfless CFC USA mission vol-unteers who sacrificed a lot and deniedthemselves many comforts in order tobring the Word of God to families in Co-lombia Ecuador and Peru CFC ParejasPara Cristo will not take off without thefinancial support of CFC USA

ruly God gave a very good year for

the mission team harvesting 608 souls in2015 (a total of 857 persons from June2014 to date) Te task of sustainingCFC PPC families and area countriesare enormous But with grateful heartsthe South America team humbly turnsto God thanking Him each day forHis guidance as He leads the way Teteam looks forward to 2016s adventureof bringing the banner of Christ to themiddle and corners of the earth (GlenSantayana)

whether lay or from the Chaplainsrsquo ranklikewise gave testimonies on how theirinvolvement in the CEP made them real-ize that they have become not only agentsof change but recipients of grace as well

In the afternoon the Chaplains andtheir CFC counterparts came together fora round table discussion of the plans ofthe various Infantry Divisions nationwide

Army Chie f Chaplain Fr Col Andre sBonifacio Belleza CHS (GSC) in anunexpected move expressed his recog-nition through the grant of awards ofthe initiatives of the Army Chaplainsin implementing the CEP in their vari-ous Divisions Fr Maj Juan Jerome CDaluro was awarded Best Chaplain ofthe Year 2015 for his exemplary ser viceas Division Chaplain of 9th Infantry(Spear) Division Fr MSg Mario Ban-

iqued Philippine Army (PA) OACCSChief Clerk was recognized as Best

Chaplain Assistant of the YearSince the partnership between the

OACCS and CFC OSM started in April2014 the group has conducted CharacterEnhancement Retreats (CER) for 28 Phil-ippine Army commands Trough CFCSingles for Christ volunteers a ChristianLife Program has likewise been conductedfor the Philippine Military Academy Classof 2018 graduating 385 PMA-Singles forChrist members Presently five CERs arealso being done at the V Luna MedicalCenter in Quezon City

Alabanza admit s there is still muchto be done So far the CEP has reached2000 men and women in uniformroughly 0287 percent of an estimated800000 population of soldiers theirspouses and their families Tis is indeedfertile ground for values and spiritual

transformation which is just waiting tobe conquered (A Alvarez)

Another fruitful harvest in Peru from top the 13 new members in CFC PPC all-women discussion group

Courtesy call top photos CFC leaders with Archbishop Edward Joseph Adams amp Fr George Altouvas bottom photos with Fr George Archbishop SevastianosRossolatos and Archbishop Edward Joseph Adams

CFC OSM and the OACCS reaching out to the men and women in uniform and their families through the Character Enhancement Program

personal holiness of its ser vant-leaders who will be leading the evangelization thrust

in 34 provinces in China CL talks 2-5 were given by the regional heads with their wives as sharers

Day 3 began with the recitation ofthe Holy Rosary followed by anotherconcelebrated Holy Mass Fr Oliviadesdelivered a beautiful homily on ldquoemptyingoneselfrdquo Te rest of the CL talks wereagain delivered by the regional heads withtheir wives as sharers In CL alk 9 Siludemphasized the need to pay attention tothe means to care for the spirit mind andbody of the leaders

Te last day primarily focused on plan-ning the CFC China activities for 2016One of the proposals from the planningis that the four (4) regions in China willeach be hosting the major activities linedup for the year

Te three-day training and planning was conducted by CFC China Country

Head IsraelSally Silud with the supportof North Asia Regional Coordinator Ga-rieCess Pimentel and the regional headsfrom East China (EricEvelyn Ylagan)South China (JoelErica Santos) HongKong SAR (GarieCess Pimentel) andMacau SAR (JMEmilie Yupangco) (Ericamp Evelyn Ylagan)

C4 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 2124

JCL ndash member while for the TeologicalCommission the experts appointed wereFr Alexander L Garces SDB JCL ndashPresident Fr Enrico Eusebio Jr SJ JCDndash member and Sr Maria Amparo SantosOP JCL ndash member As with the ribunalmembers the Presidents and membersof both Commissions individually tooktheir respective oaths and signed the Acts

Te appointed Copyist Ms RonalynRegino and Assistant Copyist Ms Ge-cerein Sayen Ocampo were called next totake their respective oaths and similarlysigned in the Acts

Ten Postulator Msgr Pedro C Qui-torio III and Vice Postulator Fr WilmerR Rosario JCD individually took their

respective oaths not compromise the truthand offend justice nor impede the free-dom of witnesses to testify in the CauseTereafter they also signed the Acts

Te Postulator then presented to Car-dinal agle for his examination a list of

witnesses to be interrogated subject to thepossible addition and revision of namesin the future Upon examining the listthe Cardinal decreed that the next sessionfor interrogation of witnesses be held on

January 11 2016 at the Arzobispado deManila

Finally after ordering the Chancellorto establish public record of this First Ses-sion Cardinal agle declared the Processfor the Causes of Beatification and Can-

onization of Servant of God FAHERGEORGE J WILLMANN SJ Father ofthe Order of the Knights of Columbus inthe Philippines OPEN

o complete the Rites His EminenceLuis Antonio Cardinal agle together withformer Chief Justice Hilario G Davide

Jr as Chairman of the National ExecutiveCommittee (NEC) for the Cause of Fr

Willmann jo intly u nveiled the portraitof Father George J Willmann SJ

Tereafter Cardinal agle began thecelebration of the Holy Eucharist Con-celebrants were Bishop Honesto FOngtioco DD Bishop Mylo HubertC Vergara DD Msgr Geronimo FReyes JCD Fr William Arana OSA Fr

Carlo Magno Marcelo Fr Marvin MejiaFr Wilmer Rosario JCD Fr Carlo DelRosario Fr Julius Paul Factora OP JCDFr Sander Niez JCL Fr Alex GarcesSDB JCL Fr Rico Garcia Fr ReginaldMalicdem Fr Darwin Faith Ponce OSAFr Ricky VIllar OSA Fr Geoffrey Eb-orda OSA Fr Genaro Supremedo OSAFr Jojo orres OSA Fr Joseph VillarealOSA Fr Roy Gallano OSA Fr MichaelSalazar and Fr Romel Cruz

Also serv ing as Conce lebrants werea number of KC Priests Scholars of theKnights of Columbus Fr George J

Willmann Charities Inc that includedMsgr Pedro C Quitorio III Fr Benjamin

The Cross A Supplement Publication of KCFAPI and the Order of the Knights of ColumbusCBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25 December 7 2015 - 27 2016

Sainthood bid opens forFr George Willmann SJBy Roberto T Cruz

On December 7 2015 Mon-

day the bells of the ManilaCathedral rang out loud as HisEminence Luis Antonio Car-dinal agle presided over themilestone celebration of theHoly Eucharist at the ManilaCathedral to formally open theDiocesan process of the Causeof Fr George J Willmann SJ

he Liturgical Rites for the formalopening of the diocesan process precededthe Mass at 900am With the entranceprocession of Cardinal agle as the MainCelebrant together with two bishops twomonsignors and thirty-three priests whoconcelebrated the Mass the Rites started

with Msgr Pedro C Quitorio III theappointed Diocesan Postulator for theCause of Fr Willmann giving biographi-cal highlights of the life of Fr George J

Willmann SJ An Invocation of the HolySpirit followed with the singing of VeniCreator Spiritus by the Manila CathedralBasilica Choir

Cardinal agle then examined anddeclared the legitimacy of the appoint-ments of Msgr Pedro C Quitorio III asthe Postulator and Fr Wilmer R Rosario

JCD as Vice-Postul ator in conformity with the Code of Canon Law

Appointed members of the Diocesanribunal for the Cause of Fr Willmann

were Msgr Geronimo F Reyes JCDas Episcopal Delegate Fr Carlo P DelRosario JCL as Promoter of Justice Mseresita F Kudemus ndash First Notary MsMarivic M Ambasa ndash Second Notary Ms

Julieta R Santos as Tird NotaryTe Cardinal reminded them of the

great responsibility importance andseriousness of the Process for the Causesfor Beatification and Canonization Asrequired by Church law all the mem-bers of the ribunal starting with MsgrGeronimo F Reyes individually tooktheir oath to faithfully fulfill hisher com-mitment and then signed the Acts

Te Experts who were tapped to formthe Historical Commission includeFr Julius Paul Factora OP JCD asPresident Fr Adolfo N Dacanay SJ

JCD ndash member and Fr Sander D Niez Sainthood D3

KCFAPI Theme and Logo for 2016HE year 2016 has been pro-claimed the Year of the Eucharistand the Family by the CatholicBishopsrsquo Conference of the Phil-ippines Te theme is part of thenine year spiritual journey thatbegan with the Year of Faith

where we experienced an authenticrenewal of faith guided by the newevangelization principles

he Holy Eucharist whichmeans thanksgiving invitesfamilies of the Catholic faithfulto commemorate the supremesacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christon the cross to receive His body

and blood in the Holy Commu-nion and to celebrate His victoryover death

Te Roman Catholic Churchpromotes strong family ties andvalues Parents are entrustedthe responsibility to prepare andteach their children to follow JesusChrist and live His gospel

KCFAPI distinguished itselfin protecting the sanctity of thefamily by providing comfortand sustenance in any loss orlife-changing event among fam-ily members KCFAPI respondsswiftly to changing or evolvingfamily insurance needs Nowon its 58th year of providingunsurpassed uncompromised

fraternal service KCFAPI vowsand advocates relentlessly to

render comfort benefit and as-sistance to all brother knightsand their families with mercy andcompassion

As part of the KCFAPI familyin a pioneering effort all wholly-owned and majority-ownedcompanies will coordinate theirschedules and manage theirresources towards one com-mon goal and will function asone well oiled machine By

joi nin g han ds gu ide d by theHoly Spirit the strength ofone is multiplied several times

over Te heart symbolizes lovemercy and compassion and is

also Charity ndash the first of fourcore principle of the OrderKCFAPI in heart-shaped bordermantles the five wholly- ownedand majority-owned companies Keys Realty amp DevelopmentCorporation Kompass Creditand Financing Corporation KCPhilippines Foundation IncKnights of Columbus Fr George

J Willmann Charitie s Inc andMace Insurance Agency IncTey are depicted by the boldshoulders of the figures symbol-izing the family Just like in any

close-knit family concentratedon accomplishing one objective

all employees will be engagedtheir support and talent pooledand harnessed to participateactively in any company activi-ties working in tandem as onecohesive unit

Te logo vividly demonstratesthe solidarity and bonding of fam-ily members if they gather togetherand allow Christ to be at the centerof their family relationship

Te different colors representthe various hues of the Order ofthe Knights of Columbus red

whit e blu e and yell ow hegreen color manifests KCFAPIrsquos

concern for our environment andits managementrsquos advocacy gearedtowards a healthy state of our sur-roundings Orange brings a posi-tive outlook in life optimism andmotivation to look on the brighterside of life

Te cup and host (in yellow)emulating the Holy Eucharist pro-vides Christ- centered way of life

Te circular flow represents in-finity or totality the unboundedtimeless and never ending lovecare and affection of KCFAPIin providing each and every KCfamily a shield of security protec-tion and hope Te acronym ALLcharacterizes KCFAPIrsquos inclusiveapproach to all forms of actions

products and services (Angelito A Bala)

As we protect families for generations Act Live Love

KCFAPI Planning Conference The Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of thePhilippines Inc held their 2016 Planning Conference last November 7-9 2015 atColumbus Plaza General Santos City Present were KCFAPI Chairman Bro Arsenio IsidroG Yap KCFAPI President Bro Jose C Reyes Jr KCFAPI Executive Vice President SisMa Theresa G Curia KCFAPI Officers and Supervisors KEYS Realty Vice President Bro

Riz Nicolas and HTMC Vice President Sis Apolonia Dominguez

Living Rosary The Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of the Philippines Inchad their Living Rosary last October 30 2015 at the KCFAPI main office This has been

a yearly practice for the Month of the Holy Rosary which is usually conducted by itsofficers and staff

Cardinal Tagle leads the unveiling of the portrait of Jesuit Fr George J Willmann as the Manila archdiocesan process for the Cause of Beatification and Canonization of the latter formally opens at the Manila Cathedralon Monday Dec 7 Willman is considered as t he ldquoFather of the Knights of Columbusrdquo in the Philippines ROY LAGARDE

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 2224

D2 The CrossDecember 7 2015 - 27 2015 Vol 19 No 25

ACQ UIR IN G a hou se and lo t which they can call their own home

and driving their own cars are twoof the priority dreams of Filipinoparents Of course seeing theirchildren finish college education iseither Number 1 or Number 2

Te Knights of Columbus Frater-nal Association of the PhilippinesInc (KCFAPI) has formed andincorporated a new company to helpmembers of the Order to have their

dream homes and motor carsKCFAPI named the new company as Kompass Credit and

Financing Corporation (KCFC) after one of the symbols of theKnights of Columbus which is the Compass Like the Compassof the ancient marines KOMPASS is here to guide BrotherKnight in having their own home and efficient mobility

KOMPASS can also extend home car and business loans tothe general public

Interested parties can call KOMPASS at el No 527-2242

527-2223 loc 215 and 252 for further details of the loan

Arsenio Isidro G Yap

Chairmanrsquos Message

Presidentrsquos Message

Ma Theresa G Curia

Jose C Reyes Jr

Reflection

Curia Settings

Michael P Cabra

Bequest LIFE this Christmas

My Brotherrsquos Keeper

FILIPINO raditions reflect the kindof people that we are All traditionscustoms and beliefs evolve from thelove and respect of the family Ourmutual and natural respect for oneanother our desire to please and notoffend each other and our willingness

to extend a helping hand are just a fewof the basic foundations which madethe Filipino people unique a one of a

kind and nowhere else could be found And certainly a must-have as a friend and neighbor

Some of the trait I like is the ldquomano pordquo expression and at thesame time reaching for the otherrsquos hand and asking for his blessingsTe respected elder would normally extend his hand to touch theforehead of the one asking for his blessings and expresses ldquokaawanka ng Diyosrdquo or ldquoGod bless yourdquo It doesnrsquot matter whether the onebeing accorded the respect is younger than the person asking forthe blessing or even if they hardly know each other

Another trait is removing onersquos slippers or shoes when enteringa neighborrsquos house Te guest expresses his respect for the hostand does not in any way want to spoil or damage the pristinecondition of the floor which is normally kept shiny and clean

Cleaning of onersquos surrounding to the point of cleaning also theneighborrsquos grounds I could still remember in our neighborhoodthat the old folks would sweep the debris on the street in front

of their houses But instead of just collecting their own trashthey would try to outdo each other by picking (or sweeping)the litter on the street up to the neighborrsquos house in front andeven on their right and left side

Everyone living along the same street knows each other very well to the point that all knows who are having a hard time and would need some assistance A neighbor would readily do somehousehold chores give some food and try to console those whoare grieving for the loss of a love one Nobody needs to askHelp is extended readily

Although the traits Irsquove mentioned above are seldom practicednowadays except for the ldquomano pordquo I still believe that those

were just some of our good traits which define us as people which define us as a Filipino a unique breed of people We arevery resilient that even though we are in grief or experiencingextreme challenges in our everyday life we still are able to lightour faces with the friendliest smile

Christmas is another tradition-field celebration that is uniquelyFilipino Te ldquoSimbang Gabirdquo ldquoputo bumbongrdquo and the like are

some Christmas traditions But let us not forget that Christmas isnot just a season of merriment but is a season for reconciliationItrsquos that time of the year when we want to ask forgiveness fromthose we had wronged and at same time forgive also those whohad wronged us and forget whatever they had done to us

Christmas is a season wherein family ties are kept stronger andmore meaningful But to be more meaningful it is better that weshare our blessings to those in need whose nights might be Holy but

would be very Silent and the only sound that they could hear arenot carols of merriment but the grumbling of their empty stomach

Make this Christmas the most meaningful Christmas ever bysharing your ldquoNoche Buenardquo with a neighbor or better still witha complete stranger May the birth of our Lord touch our heartsand be responsive to those in need

CHRISMAS is a holy day celebratingthe birth of Jesus Christ our Saviour Ithas been a tradition in the Philippines that

we go to dawn masses from December 16to the eve of Christmas day Because ourenthusiasm builds up as early as Septemberon Christmas Day itself many of us areexhausted after days of going through heavytraffic on the way to parties and to crowdedshopping malls to shop for gifts Tere arealso many events that we are enticed to at-tend for our kidsrsquo sake gatherings of relatives and friends near and farand entertainment we spend a lot for the family

While these festivities are all expressions of love we sometimes forgetthat Christmas day is the day we should go to mass to thank God forall the blessings we received from Him and in turn to offer our gift to

Jesus Christ As we enter the Advent season let us start reflecting on

how we can better love and serve God on how we can help the poorand how we can give hope to those who are losing hope Let us put intoaction the principle of charity with greater vigor and sense of urgency

May Christmas be like the ldquoJourney to the Innrdquo of Joseph and Mary- tiring yet full of hope and joy to welcome Christ in our hearts andour homes As Knights of Columbus let us lead our communities toa Christ-centered Advent celebration this year and always

My family and I wish your whole family ldquoA Merry Christmas and aBlessed New Yearrdquo

FOR this Christmas I wish tobase my reflection on a poem

written by Horacio de la Costathe first Filipino provincial ofthe Jesuits Please read and usethe poem as a Christmas greet-ing My reflection is nothingcompared to the poem

We must have visited all theBelens in our churches since we

were small In fact most of usalso put up the Christmas cribin our own homes In arlacthey even have yearly exhibits ofBelens which they call Belenis-mo We were told that it was StFrancis who started putting upthe crib in his church And thepoem of Horacio Dela Costatells us that if we meditate onthis set up we might discover

the surprises that they bring toour consciousness

Let us identify some fea-tures of the Belens that we se earound us during the Christ-mas season and together letus reflect on the meanings thatthese can offer us We shall seedifferent layers of Christmasmeaning emerge

1 he King was born poorGod has become human Tisis one of the features that wesee when we stare at the Crib

What a paradox the king ispoor God is human Life isindeed full of paradoxes andof seeming contradictions

We make sense of them only

with the passage o f t ime and

as we mature both in age andin faith

2 he Bethlehem scene isprofoundly meaningful sym-bolic and mystery-laden We

watch the figures in the Be lenand sometimes we do notunderstand When we do notunderstand the turn of eventsin our life we should not giveup We should not run awayTe world will not end onlybecause we do not understand

what we see exper ience or feelLet us stand in awe at Godrsquosvisit when we are clueless of

what i s happening 3 he King was born in a

manger But there was peacearound among the wise menand the shepherds on that holy

and starry night We see atthe Belen scene a communionamong God humans the richand the poor animals and hu-mans the stars the night andthe people It was as though ata special moment the Universe

was one As though the con-nectedness of all the elements

was not merel y ecolog ical asLaudato Si spoke of but evendivine -human No wonderthat we do not get tired of put-ting up our belens at home inchurches and in public placesNo wonder that we can stareforever at the Nativity scenealthough we do not fully un-derstand everything although

we do it yea r afte r year We

also feel that we are there andthat we are connected to the

figures they represent we areconnected to history to oursurroundings and even to ourGod

4 he Savior was born ina manger where animals eatTe meaning of the mangerscene has been the content ofmany sermons that we haveheard We were told that thisdoes not only refer to thehumility or poverty of Jesus

A dee per meaning they say isthat Jesus has come to be foodfor all who come to him Jesuscame to give Himself as foodfor the world His words histeachings his mercy and com-passion and his Good News of

Godrsquos Plan are enough to fillour emptiness with a sense ofdirection and destiny Teyquench our thirst for enlight-enment guidance and sense ofdignity as humans

5 he Baby who is born isthe Savior of the world Howcan a Baby save the w orld Wesee before us a baby wrappedin swaddling clothes And werealize that Divinity can berevealed in very human situ-ations And that the humblestreality could be a revelationthat God is in our midst If weopen our hearts and minds tothe Lord His Spirit enlightensand gives delight to our weary

and limited minds and souls

Even today we can feel Hismessage although sometimes

we do not ful ly unders tand Te truth dawns on us when

we ar e qu ie t and when we wait When we do not rush toknow Godrsquos Presence is a Giftthat we can never be worthy ofBut the point here is not thatour littleness could obstructthe Revelation of a mysteryRather the Greatness of theLord compels Him to revealHimself to the little one Evento us Now

Tat is why Liturgy invokesour ability to watch to look at

what happe ns in the Churchcelebrations Te beauty ofcandles incense and flowerscan evoke some sense of the

Sacred Space a Sacred Mo-ment and a Sacred Encounter

Te Belen does this for us inrevealing the message of Christ-mas If we open our eyes weshall see the Message of Christ-mas with our hearts If we havetime and we can keep quietbefore the Belen we might seethe surprise of the Lord

[The author Ma TheresaG Curia is the Executive VicePresident amp Chief OperatingOfficer of the Knights of Co-lumbus Fraternal Association ofthe Phils Inc (KCFAPI) andthe incumbent Diocesan Regentof the Daughters of Mary Im-maculate International Dioceseof Malolos]

IrsquoS that time of the year again We must allbegin the increasingly difficult task of buy-ing suitable gifts for our friends and familyHowever there is a different gift you shouldseriously consider giving this year Itrsquos not a fun

present nor it is exciting Itrsquos not somethingyou can play with or wear and it definitely wouldnrsquot be considered a treat Itrsquos a gift thatno one wants but everyone NEEDS So whatare we talking about A Fraternal Service Plan

A Benefit Certificate (BC) or what is simplyknown as a life insurance policy Every year

we search for that perfect gift for a loved oneSomething that will show how much we careand appreciate them What could better provethat than giving someone the gift of SECU-RIY and SABILIY

Unfortunately the recent statistics presentthe sad truth (a) more than 95 Filipinos donot have adequate levels of insurance and (b)more than 80 of Filipinos do not believethey are likely to suffer a serious illness in the

next 20 years Yet each year around 365000Filipinos face premature death either caused byaccidental death or natural sickness It equatesto 1000 untimely deaths everyday

Firstly think about your present situation

Do you have loved ones who depend on youfinancially If something were to happen toyou would your family struggle to maintaintheir current lifestyle the kind of living yoursquovebeen providing If you answered yes to thesequestions itrsquos as simple as that - you need tohave life insurance Secondly do you have aloved one (parent spouse adult children e tc)

who needs protection Tis year give them theultimate gift Having an adequate amount oflife insurance can help in paying off hospitalbills memorial bills mortgage and even in-heritance tax It can allow a family to maintaintheir current level of living and possibly evenfund long term goals such as childrenrsquos schoolfunds dream car house business and evenretirement Now wersquore not saying this is the

only gift you should give it might look a littlesad with only that under the Christmas treeHowever just consider along with the othergifts giving a present that may not be appreci-ated at that moment might come in use should

a critical time arrive You look after your familyand so this is a perfect gift ideaItrsquos important to consult a fraternal counselor

when considering life insurance as it is impera-tive that you are insured accurately dependingon your current situation and future needs

Should you wish to know more just visit wwwkofcorgph for inquiries

Did you know thatFor as low as PhP10000 you can already

start the Gift of Life to your loved ones Tisfraternal service plan is called KC Peso Saver Itis a single contribution endowment plan which

will mature at the end of the benefit certificatersquos10th year In fact a lot of Knights of ColumbusMembers invest with this Gift of Life everyChristmas for their spouse and children

Gemille Isabel P Gloria

A Meek Christmas

IMAGINE a pregnant mother who is supposed to give birth toa child at the moment and rideson a donkey with her husband

Apart from the pain of laborthe mother is enduring deathchases their yet unborn child astheir King deliberately kills allthe newborn babies that night

urned down by the innkeepersthey ended up in a crude stablesharing it with the farm animalsand the shepherds as she gavebirth to a baby boy and placedhim in a manger I bet you arepicturing a scene of a movie inyour head right now Tis isactually what the first Christmaslooked like

Going back to the presentChristmas is far more delightfuland exciting Shopping feastinggift-giving and vacation trippingare just few of the activities that

we cannot do away with in ourChristmas lists We think ofChristmas like no other ordinaryday of the year We make sure

that for Noche Buena there isabundance of bountiful feasts inour dining table from a platterof mouth-watering leche flan toa sumptuous lechon new clothesup to fifty percent sale on theselected items section and expen-sive gifts covered in a Santa Claus

wrapper under a fully decorated

Christmas tree We associate theChristmas season as a time ofsplendor since it is the birthday ofour Savior Unfortunately someof us could only imagine thesethings Tey are our fellow whoare counted by the government inabject poverty who could hardlythink of where and how to gettheir first meal for the 365 daysof the year including Christmasday One does not need to moveafar to behold this ravers-ing nearby the office we couldalready see some of the faces inpoverty If you have not takenyet the underpass connectingManila City Hall and Intramu-ros as you make your way out of

it you will see sullied children intattered clothes inhaling plasticbags containing rugby with somesoiled adults who seem to be theirparents doing the same thing

With their hunger already in theirhead some children forcibly takethe food of the passersby Duringthe night the space where people

enter and exit the underpassin the day turns into a freezinghome for the homeless Youcan see in their wrinkled face thefeeling of sleeping on the passage-

ways with only cardboard boxesand worn out fabrics in betweentheir body and the cold cementedground Teir condition is notfar from what Jesus experiencedon the first Christmas born intoand chose to live a life of poverty

Remembering martyredSalvadoran Archbishop OscarRomero who once said thatldquoNo one can celebrate a genuineChristmas without being trulypoor he self sufficient theproud those who because they

have everything look down onothers those who have no needeven of God for them there

will be no Christmas Only thepoor the hungry those whoneed someone to come on theirbehalf will have that someonehat someone is God Em-manuel God-with-usrdquo With

what he thought we canrsquot arguethat at times we want everythingTe more you have the moreyou want and the more you get

What if we have nothing Whatif we donrsquot have gifts food andnew clothes for the Christmas

What if we are in the place of thehomeless Would we still feel thesame Christmas Spirit withoutthe things we celebrate with it

We have to learn to celebrat eChristmas with how the poorperceive it Let us not reachthe point where we celebrateChristmas just because we willreceive our one-year wish listLet us learn to lose to sacrificeand to give during Christmas

Joseph P Teodoro

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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D3The Cross December 7 2015 - 27 2015 Vol 19 No 25

Deogracias Fajota Fr Jeronimo

Ma Cruz Fr Antonio Rex PalayaFr Melvin Gamelo Fr JuliusCuison Fr Felix Labios Fr Ra-melle Rigunay Fr Randy SalungaFr Joel Cariaso Fr HernandezMendoza Fr Julius de Sagun FrRonel Ilano Fr Lowie Palines andFr Emmanuel Hiipolito

In his homily Cardinal aglestarted by citing that aside fromthe formal opening of the Dioc-esan process for Fr Willmannit was also the feast day of St

Ambrose a great teacher of theChurch known for his sanctityand teachings It was also the eveof the Immaculate Conception ofour Blessed Mother Mary plus thestart of the Advent season

Te Cardinal then focused onthe question What does it meanto be holy With the opening ofthe Cause he said that Fr George

J Willmann St Ambrose andMother Mary all responded tosanctity and holiness Cardinalagle clarified that ldquoHoliness isan attribute of God and not manrsquosachievement nor his work It isGod who is Holy and our holi-ness is a gift of God ndash our oneness

with HimrdquoCardinal agle added that the

message of the First Reading is thatthe Holiness of God is seen withmarvelous work ndash like transform-ing a desert into a garden filled

with water and flowers where we

are able to drink from Godrsquos good-ness with a safe road along the

holy way Te desert symbolizes

humanity that is seen to be dryfruitless empty and even life-less However when God entersall these are transformed into abountiful garden Godrsquos Holinessalways creates miracles ldquoWhen-ever we experience hopelessnessloaded with faults we must notbe afraid for that is the time whenGod will come to infuse His Holi-ness and cure the sickness Tat isthe Good Newsrdquo Cardinal agleadded that during this season ofadvent we must look deeper intoour deserts in order to experiencethe Holiness of God

Te Cardinal then underscoredthat we need to respond to GodrsquosHoliness not like the scribes in

the reading who questioned andrejected Jesus but like the friendsof the paralyzed man who lookedfor a nonconventional way -through the roof - to bring theparalytic closer to Jesus Cardinalagle stressed the need for us to bealert discerning with eyes of faithin order for us to respond to ourHoly God in His action when weare in our desert

he Cardinal then asked thepeople to pray for those entrusted

with the Cau se of Fr Willmannthat they may be illumined witheyes of faith With no intention ofpre-empting the Diocesan processCardinal agle simply thankedGod as we are now privileged

to share Godrsquos holiness throughpersonal experiences with Fr Will-

Sainthood D1

Process for PHrsquos new lsquoServantof Godrsquo starts rollingMANILA Dec 7 2015 ndash Manila Arch-bishop Luiacutes Antonio G Cardinal agleofficially accepted on Monday Dec 7the Feast of St Ambrose the petition toopen an investigation on the sanctity andheroic virtues of Fr George J WillmannSJ founder of the Knights of Columbus(KC) in the Philippines among otherCatholic lay organizations

At least 1000 of the naturalized Fili-pino Jesuit priestrsquos spiritual children fromall over the country including no lessthan former Supreme Court (SC) Chief

Justice Hilario G Davide Jr becamepart of Philippine Church history as they

witnes sed at the Manila Metropo litanCathedral Basilica the solemn opening ofthe archdiocesan process they hope wouldlead to beatification and canonization

lsquoGreat responsibilityrsquoIn line with this agle appointed Msgr

Pedro C Quitorio III of the CatholicBishopsrsquo Conference of the Philippines(CBCP) Media Office as postulator forthe cause of the countryrsquos newest ldquoServantof Godrdquo

He also approved the appointments ofMsgr Geronimo S Reyes Fr Wilmer RRosal and Fr Ricardo P del Rosario asepiscopal delegate vice postulator andpromoter of justice respectively as wellas of a host of other experts both clericand lay who vow to work together to giveFilipinos another saint

Te prelate went on to swear in allthose involved in the cause for Willmannrsquosbeatification and canonization remindingthem of the ldquogreat responsibilityrdquo theyhave assumed and the ldquoimportance andseriousnessrdquo of the task at hand

PHrsquos Fr McGivney Dubbed ldquoFr McGivney of the Philip-

pinesrdquo due to his dedication to expand KClocally Willmann worked for the radicaltransformation of faith into action

Born on June 29 1897 to very devoutCatholic parents in Brooklyn New Yorkthe American Jesuit was granted Philip-pine citizenship by President FerdinandMarcos through Presidential Decree(PD) No 740

In 1938 he first served as chaplain

of KC Manila Council 1000 then re-turned in 1954 to become the Orderrsquosfirst Philippine Deputy until his deathin 1977

In total the priest spent 44 fruitful andproductive years in the Philippines serv-ing the poor the sick the orphans theoppressed the lonely and the desolateespecially the young ones

KCFAPI etcBesides what is formally known as the

Knights of Columbus Fraternal Associa-tion of the Philippines Inc (KCFAPI)

which he founded in 1958 Willmannestablished other organizations as follows

bull Catholic Youth Organization (1938)bull Establishment of the Catholic Press

ldquoFilipinasrdquo and the ldquoCrossrdquo Magazines(1946)

bull Columbian Squires in the Philippines(1950)

bull Daughters of Isabella in the Philip-pines (1951) reorganized as Daughtersof Mary Immaculate (1977)

bull Columbian Farmers Aid Association(1951) reorganized as Knights of Co-lumbus Community Service Inc (1962)

bull Knights of Columbus Fraternal Asso-ciation of the Philippines Inc (KCFAPI)(1958)

bull Knights of Columbus PhilippinesFoundation Inc (1971) (Raymond ASebastiaacuten CBCP News)

Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle leads the Mass of the formal opening of the ArchdiocesanProcess for the Causes of Beatification and Canonization of the Servant of God FatherGeorge J Willmann SJ father of the Knights of Columbus in the Philippines LIN REGINO

Te Gentle Warrior By James B Reuter SJ

Part II of Chapter wo of ldquoTe Gentle Warriorrdquo series

CHAPER WO-----------------

Te Ateneo de Manila

HE Ateneo was a boysrsquo schoolTe objective of a boysrsquo school is tomake a man out of a boy Te mainvirtue of a man is courage Godmirrored His virtues in His childrenBut he divided them between girls

and boys Tere is such a thing as amasculine soul and a feminine soulIf a boy and a girl are suddenly con-fronted with a wild bull thunderingdown on them if the girl screamedand hid behind the boy that wouldbe normal But if the boy screamedand hid behind the girl everyone

would be ashamed of him Tevirtue of a girl is not physical cour-age it is love and mercy Te virtueof a boy is courage and justice Butin our schools there is no course inthe curriculum called ldquoCouragerdquo

here is no subject called

ldquoCouragerdquo Tere is no mark forldquoCouragerdquo It has to be taught inevery subject through the wholelife of the school he Jesuitsunderstood this very well AndGeorge understood it He began

to learn the meaning of couragehimself when he was five yearsold sitting on the curbstone onPutnam Avenue when the wheelof the garbage truck crushed bothhis feet

In the old Ateneo there wasa strong tradition of ldquoRomansrdquoand ldquoCarthageniansrdquo Jose Rizal

was the Emperor of the RomansEvery class was competitive TeRomans would be lined up onone side of the class the Car-thagenians on the other Te firstquestion went to the Romans

If the Romans answered it cor-rectly the questioning stayed

with the Romans If any Romanmissed the question went to theCarthagenians Ten the Romanboys would growl and grumble at

the Roman who missed It wascompetition to teach courage

And the battle cry of all theteams was ldquoAnimo Ateneordquo Youcould translate that as ldquoLetrsquos go

Ateneordquo or ldquoSpirit Ateneordquo orldquoFight Ateneordquo mdash but in practiceit meant courage Never give upno matter what the odds ldquoGoget lsquoem Ateneordquo Never say dieTis was obvious in everythingthat the boys did

But it never degenerated intoldquoWin at all costsrdquo Te secondmasculine virtue is justice Tis

means honesty integrity and fairplay Both at once mdash courageand fair play Te verse that everyathlete in the school knew by heart

was ldquoIf I should win let it be bythe code with my head and my

honor held high But if I shouldlose let me stand by the road andcheer as the winner goes byrdquo

It was a tremendous amount of work mdash teaching night and dayrunning the Sodality the ACILand the magazine mdash but Georgeloved it

And his students loved him Tefriendships that he made duringthose three years of regency from1922 to 1925 lasted more thanfifty years

(o be continued on the nextissue)

mann and his life and ministrydevoted to service that providedldquofresh water and good newsrdquo

particularly to the youth the poorand the prisonersTe Cardinal cited his own basic

formation as a Charter memberof the Columbian Squires inImus Cavite where they helpedthe Church in its program for thestreet children He also mentionedhis appreciation for being a scholarof the Knights of Columbus dur-ing Fr Willmannrsquos time

Reiterating that God indeedtransforms deserts into places ofrest peace and holiness Cardinalagle ended his homily by encour-aging all in attendance to be agentsof Godrsquos holiness

People from all walks of life joined the celebration of this Mass

that formally opened the Cause ofServant of God - Fr Willmann

Also repres ent ed were var iou sorganizations established and nur-tured by Fr George including the

Daughters of Isabella (now Daugh-ters of Mary Immaculate) Catholic Youth Organization ColumbianSquires and the Knights of Co-lumbus Parishioners and residents

with their families from nearbycities and communities of ondoIntramuros Sta Cruz Malate andother more distant places likewise

witnessed the very mean ingfulOpening of the diocesan processfor the Cause of their ldquoFather andBenefactorrdquo of forty years

Fr George J Willmann SJdevoted the last forty years of hislife not only in humble serviceand dynamic leadership of theKnights of Columbus in thePhilippines but equally being a

compassionate pastor in the careand formation of the youth He

provided relief to victims of the

war and of violence while also al-leviating the sufferings of the poorHe likewise established ways topreserve and promote the sanctityof life marriage and the family

It was in 1997 or eighteen yearsago that the Knights of Columbusin the Philippines first started aconcerted thrust to formally laythe groundwork for the Causeof Fr Willmann During theOrderrsquos centennial celebration ofFr Willmannrsquos birth the Ordercreated a Committee on Causecomposed of Ramon V ConsingLauro M Cruz and Msgr PedroC Quitorio III as co-chairmenNotable activities of the Com-mittee included gathering of tes-

timonials launch of the Prayer forthe Centennial of Fr Willmann with the Impr imatur of Msgr Jose C Abriol launching of Fr Willmann Fellows meeting withthen Jaime Cardinal Sin and theFather Provincial of the Jesuits toseek their respective endorsementsof the Cause Te Order publishedand distributed the pamphlet ldquoAGlimpsehe Life and Worksof Fr George J Willmann SJrdquoin order to give due acknowledg-ment and recognition as well as toincrease awareness abou t Fr Will-mann A landmark achievement ofthis period was the publication ofldquoTe Gentle Warriorrdquo a biographyof Fr Willmann authored by Fr

James B Reuter SJEstablishing and spreading the

fama sanctitatis of Fr Willmann

included the presentation andpromotion of his works mademore concrete by direct testimo-nies of various individuals whomhe personally interacted withFr Willmann Fellowsrsquo one-timemembership donations have beenpooled to fund the productionof materials such as prayer cardspublications tarpaulins postersto effectively promote Fr George

Willmann not only to brotherKnights but more importantlyto the youth the poor and under-privileged of various communities

In 2011 through the efforts ofthe KC Fraternal Association ofthe Philippines and the Knightsof Columbus Fr Willmann Chari-

ties Inc the National ExecutiveCommittee (NEC) for the Causeof Fr Willmann was created withthe primary function of overseeingall the initiatives relative to or inconnection with the Cause

We are blessed that the Dioc-esan process of the Cause of FrGeorge J Willmann SJ has nowbeen formally opened therebygiving us significant reason torejoice Henceforth he will nowbe regarded Servant of God Letus fervently pray for continuedenlightenment from the HolySpirit for everyone involved in thisDiocesan process and the Causeas a whole so that our belovedFr George J Willmann may ulti-

mately be elevated to the honorsof the altar

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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D4 The CrossDecember 7 2015 - 27 2015 Vol 19 No 25

FST IN CAGAYAN A Fraternal Service Training program was held in Cagayan De Oro last November 13 2015Participants were from Zamboanga Misamis and Butuan The event was graced by KCFAPI Vice Presidentfor FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBG Manager Michael Cabra Aside from the product specifications thetraining also gives an idea regarding the basic insurance process and conceptualization of new marketingstrategies in order to achieve their goals and improve their sales performance (FBG News)

AREA MEETING IN VISAYAS The KCFAPI Western Visayas Armor held an area meeting in Bacolod lastOctober 24 2015 led by Agency Unit Manager Randy G Bravo and graced by KCFAPI Vice President forFBG Gari San Sebastian (KCFAPI News)

FST IN DAVAO A Fraternal Service Training program (1 and 2) was held in KCFAPI Davao Service OfficeDavao City last November 20-21 2015 Participants were from Compostela Valley Cotabato City andGeneral Santos The training was attended by KCFAPI Vice President f or FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBGManager Michael Cabra (FBG News)

PRODUCERSrsquo FORUM KCFAPI Vice President for FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBG Manager Michael Cabraled a Producersrsquo Forum wherein fraternal counsellors all over Luzon were gathered for an update of theirincentives program held last November 11 2015 at the KCFAPI home office (FBG News)

New KCFAPI Board of Trustee Bro Pascual C Carbero

IN February of 1986 BroCarbero started his knightlyservice in the Knights of Co-lumbus under Council 10695

in Valenzuela City Duringhis service in Council 10695he has been appointed asChancellor for CY 1992-1993 and as Deputy GrandKnight and Program Direc-tor for CY 1993-1994 InDistrict M-31 of ValenzuelaCity Bro Carbero was GrandKnight for CY 1994-1995District Warden for CY 1996-1997 and District Deputyfor CY 1997-1999 He wasalso Chairman for the Roundable District Deputies forCY 1998-1999 At the Dr PioValenzuela Assembly ACN1772 Meycauayan Bulacanhe was the Faithful Naviga-

tor for CY 1999-2000 Onthat same term Bro Pascual

was the Luzo n State Audi -tor for CY 2000-2003 andthe Luzon State Warden forCY 2000-2003 of the Luzon

Jurisdiction After which forCY 2000-2001 he becamethe Charter Faithful Naviga-tor for the City of Valenzuela

Assembly ACN 2676 For

CY 2007-2015 Bro Carbero was re-a ppo inte d as Luzo nState Warden Bro Carbero

was a voting delegate in the

KC Supreme Convention heldat Washington DC in 2010and also a non-voting delegateheld at Anaheim Californiain 2002 and 2012 Currentlyhe is the State Secretary of theLuzon North Jurisdiction

Bro Pascualrsquos dedicationand enthusiasm in participat-ing in the Order gave himthe endeavor to author thecreation of the City of Valen-zuela Assembly in 1999 withthe assistance of the Districtand Vice Supreme Master

With his knightly serv ice he was awarded with several rec-ognition namely OutstandingDistrictDeputy for CY 1997-

1999 Star District Awardeefor CY 1997-1999 and Civic

Awardee as Charter FaithfulNavigator of the City of Valen-zuela Assembly ACN 2676CY 2000-2001

Apart from Knights of Co-lumbus Bro Carbero partakeshis services in other civic andreligious organizations He isa Special Lay Minister of the

Holy Eucharist Parish of theHoly Cross since 1989 and amember of the Parish RenewalExperience Group He is the

Director and reasurer of thePhilippine Insurers Club from2013 to 2014 and currently itsPresident He is also a memberof the Insurance Executive1st Friday Club of Makatiand an incoming Presidentof the Philippine Associationof Surety Underwriters Incthis 2016

He was Director Corpo-rate Secretary of Mace Insur-ance Agency Inc from 2012until 2014 and currentlythe Independent Director ofKompass Credit and FinancialCorporation and KCFAPIrespectively Bro Carbero isalso a fellow of Father George

J Willmann Charit ies Inc And since 2006 he has beenthe Vice President of IntraStrata Assurance Corporation

He graduated with a Bach-elorrsquos degree in Business Ad-ministration Major in Man-agement at Philippine Schoolof Business Administration in1973 and finished Bachelor ofLaws in Lyceum of the Philip-

pines in 1988Bro Pascual Carberorsquos wife

Sis Remedios was past presi-dent for three years of theCatholic Womenrsquos League(CWL) Valenzuela Chapterand currently the AssistantVice President for Underwrit-ing in Mercantile InsuranceCo Inc in Intramuros Ma-nila Tey are blessed with six

wonderful children namely

Soidemer Claire a pediatri-cian Abigail Claire a lawyerValerie Claire and ChristineClaire both of whom are reg-istered nurses Terese Claire

who graduated with Bachelorrsquosdegree in Laws and is currentlyreviewing for Bar exams and

Adrian Brian who is also aregistered nurse and presentlya 3rd year medical student

Former SC Justice tofellow lsquoPH Knightsrsquo Prayfor Willmannrsquos CauseMANILA Dec 8 2015 ndash Former Chief

Justice Hilario G Davide Jr has calledon fellow members of the Knights of Co-lumbus (KC) nationwide to keep prayingfor the eventual ldquoraising to the altarrdquo ofthe grouprsquos spiritual father Fr George J

Willmann SJ who was declared ldquoSer-vant of Godrdquo Monday Dec 7

ldquoSo what is demanded of us as mem-bers of Knights of Columbus What isdemanded of us as members of Knightsof Columbus Fraternal Association of thePhilippines Inc [KCPAFI]rdquo he askedldquoWe need to pray a lot Pray pray praythat the tribunal will listen to the evidencepresented Pray pray pray that the tribu-nal will actually collate all the evidenceand determine once and for all that whathas been presented through our postula-

tor is credible to merit the conferment ofbeatification later on Tis is our taskrdquo

Archdiocesan processDavide who now chairs the National

Executive Committee for the Causes ofFr Willmann made this observation in aspeech following a ceremony held at theManila Cathedral during which Arch-bishop Luiacutes Antonio G Cardinal agleofficially approved the archdiocesan process

for the causes for the beatification and can-onization of the naturalized Filipino Jesuit

he solemn occasion was witnessedby no less than 1000 representativesof KCPAFI and other organizations Fr

Willmann helped establish like Catholic Youth Organization Columbian Squiresin the Philippines (1950) and Daughtersof Mary Immaculate

Te former chief magistrate went on todescribe the entire process as ldquovery mean-ingfulrdquo since it had the power to make anordinary priest into a Servant of God

Ordinary priest to Servant of GodldquoImagine during our lifetime today in

the Cathedral we saw the conversion ofan ordinary priest to become a Servant ofGod And we hope that he will merit be-

ing a servant of God until the first step ofthe process will continuerdquo he exclaimed

According to him it must have been thefirst time for most people present to haveseen with their own eyes an event of suchldquohistoric and momentous significancerdquo

ldquoI have lived 20 times four years of mylife almost And this is the first time I have

witnessed the process how it evolves and what we can gather from it o me thisis not just making somebody brought to

the honors of the altar but for us to beable to witness how to live and how tocomport ourselves to be able to follow hisfootstepsrdquo he explained

Built-in holinessDavide pointed out that holiness is

already built in each person but it is onlya matter of expressing it

ldquoWhy I would say that holiness is inus already Because we are the templeof God and the Spirit of God is with usSometimes however we forget that this isso We close our ears We close our eyes to

Jesus Christ We close our hands to JesusChrist by helping others So this is theprocess that we have witnessed today Andto me it will very much workrdquo he added

Davide also credited Msgr Pedro C Qui-

torio III postulator of the causes for Fr Will-mann for the ldquodivinely inspiredrdquo occasionand the timeliness of the diocesan process

ldquoSo Msgr Quitorio you are divinelyinspired You planned everything in sucha way that everything we did and we willdo and what we are doing right now isnot only as legacy to the next generationbut even beyond the next generation forpeople and children yet unbornrdquo he said(Raymond A Sebastiaacuten CBCP News)

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B4 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

By S M Evangeline A Madayag OSB

HE urgency of protecting ldquo OurCommon Homerdquo is much given em-phasis by our Holy Father Pope Fran-cis Much heat drought and differencein the weather and climate is muchfelt Many kinds of sicknesses are alsoattacking especially the poor who lacknourishment due to having no foodsecurity One can really feel the differ-ence of being in a polluted city fromthe simple rural setting where there arestill enough trees providing clean airTe other week I and my communityof Sisters together with two visitingSisters were able to enjoy the beautifulbeach of San Isidro Davao OrientalI salute Mayor ina Yu and all the of-ficers of the Municipality of San Isidrofor really defending their stand for a

ldquoNo o Mining in San IsidrordquoI wish that would also be true for the

whole province of Davao Oriental It issad that some barangays and munici-palities who make resolutions to allowmining only consider themselves as theonly ones with rights to allow miningobviously setting aside the possibleharms effect on the people and theenvironment especially to the nextgeneration We have experienced the

effect of the haze brought about theforest fire of Indonesia a true evidencethat we are all affected all around the

world of what happens in a certain partof the world As Joey Ayala reminds usin his song ldquo Ang Lahat ng Bagay ayMagka-ugnayrdquo

Just last year (July 1 2014) SenatorLoren Legarda visited our province (Davao Oriental) and congratulated theprovince for its stand on the protec-tion of our natural resources especiallyciting Mt Hamiguitan a UNESCO

World Heritage site What a heri tage what a treasure

Yet what is real ly happeni ng inDavao Oriental Even our priests inthe Diocese of Mati are alarmed onthe ldquo proliferation of alleged mining

activities in the province of Davao

Oriental particularly in the followingareas (1) Brgy Old Macopa Manay(2) Brgy iblawan Governor Gen-eroso (3) Barangay Causwagan andMaputi Banaybanay (4) BarangayDapnan and Lambajon Bagangga (5)Barangay Calapagan Lupon (excerptsfrom the letter of Rev Fr Edito SBantildeo DCM Apostolic Adminstratorof Mati to the DENR National OfficeSeptember 10 2015 He made anotherletter to the DENR on October 222015 to includeMacambol ( Magumand Salingcomot) as a concern

With much prayers for awakenings

re-awakenings and miracles to hap-pen we make this petition

A PEIION FOR HE SOP-PAGE AND REJECION OF HEIMPENDING ISSUANCE OF MIN-ING PERMI FOR AUSRAL-ASIALINK MINING CORPORAION

AND HALLMARK MINING COR-PORAION BOH UNDER HECORPORAE ORGANIZAIONOF ASIAICUS MANAGEMENCORPORAION (AMCOR) AMAGUM PUJADA BAY AND SAL-INGCOMO MAI CIY PROV-

INCE OF DAVAO ORIENAL

We the farmers fisherfolks Churchpeople youth professionals businesspeople of Davao Oriental Provincetogether with our national and inter-national supporters hereby urge MrRamon JP Paje DENR SecretaryNO O ISSUE ANY MININGPERMI to AUSRAL-ASIA LINKMINING CORPORAION ANDHALLMARK MINING CORPORA-ION both under the CORPORAEORGANIZAION OF ASIAICUSMANAGEMEN CORPORAION(AMCOR) for its mining operation in

Magum Pujada Bay and Salingcomot

Mati City Province of Davao Oriental We also demand that their mining

equipments be pulled out from themining site Macambol ldquoLodgedbetween two protected areasmdashthePujada Bay Protected Seascape (andLandscape) and Mt HamiguitanRange proclaimed wildlife sanctu-ary (Republic Act No 9303 July 302004)rdquo and as a UNESCO WorldHeritage Site at the 38th Session ofthe World Heritage Committee ( June15-24 2014 Doha State of Qatar) is not the most logical site for large-scale nickel laterite mining project (October 212009 in Environment Food Security Sensitive EcosystemsTe Philippines)

Ac co rd in g to th e st ud y pu b-lished by httpbhpbillitonwatchnet20091021pujada-hallmark-nickel-laterite-project-profile ldquo some4778 hectares of mining permitsoverlap with five major drainagesystems and watersheds which eitherdrain towards Pujada Bay or the DavaoGulf Tese bodies of freshwater arethe main water supplies for the com-munities living within and around thearea and the bays host endangeredspecies such as dugongs (sea cows)sea turtles and stingrays Te forestof Macambol is a watershed area

Additi ona lly the Puja da reg ion issituated on the ldquoPacificndashCordillerardquofault line wo branches of the activePhilippine fault flank the watershedon the southwest and southeast of theproject area which has been subjectto intense seismic activities Te 2008report ldquoPhilippines Mining or Foodrdquorecommended that no mining shouldtake place on Mount Hamiguitan ornear Pujada Bay which are centres ofbiodiversity with high ecotourismpotential Under these conditions itmay be almost impossible to minethe area ldquo (httpbhpbillitonwatchnet20091021pujada-hallmark-nickel-laterite-project-profile)

In his ENCYCLICAL LEERLAUDAO SIrsquo Our Holy Father

all processes addressing climateand disaster risks especially afterthe province experienced the

wrath of yphoon Yolanda lastNovember 8 2013

He also mentioned how theimpact of climate change cutsacross all sectors regardless of gen-der culture economic or politicalstature with the poor sufferingthe greatest impact

ldquoTerefore a plan of actionto address climate and disasterrisks must be undertaken using

PASTORAL CONCERNS

Home B7

IN solidarity with the on-goingClimate Conference in Paris the

Archdiocese of Palo Relief andRehabilitation Unit (Caritas Palo)together with at least 200 lsquoYolan-darsquo survivors signed a Declarationsupporting Climate Change andCommunity-Managed DisasterRisk Reduction in Palo Leyteon uesday

In a statement Caritas PaloDirector Fr Al Cris Badana citedhow important it is for membersof the communities to be part of

community-managed disasterrisk reduction (CMDRR) as thestrategyrdquo Badana added

Also present during the commit-ment signing are representativesfrom various church groups andgovernment agencies such as theProvincial Government of LeyteDepartment of Social Welfare andDevelopment Department ofInterior and Local GovernmentProvincial Disaster Risk Reductionand Management Office and theOffice of the Civil Defense

Aside from the declaration sign-ing the lsquoYolandarsquo survivors from15 communities in the townsof Palo Santa Fe AlangalangMayorga Dulag and MacArthureach gave a presentation of howtheir communities are presentlyengaged in community-manageddisaster risk reduction (CMDRR)measures and systems

Tere was also a mini exhibitof the organic products producedby lsquoYolandarsquo survivors to show itssupport for sustainable agricul-

ture which is part of the climatechange action

After the devastation of y-phoon Yolanda the RomanCatholic Church of the Archdio-cese of Palo through Caritas Paloand NASSACaritas Philippineshelped Yolanda-affected commu-nities in Leyte to craft their ownresiliency and contingency plans

which were already adopted bytheir barangays As of today Cari-tas Palo has invested P150 millionto build resilient communities

Te said communities also in-stalled early warning systems andevacuation plans which resultedin zero casualties and minimaldamages during the onslaughtof yphoon Ruby the strongesttyphoon in 2014

It can be recalled that the re-cent encyclical of Pope FrancisLaudato Si highlighted the ad-

verse impacts of climate changeon the poor and most vulnerableand the scale of the climate crisis(NASSA Features)

Protecting Our Common Home

Church lsquoYolandarsquo survivors in Leyte signClimate Change Declaration

N A S S A C a r i t a s P h i l i p p i n e s

C B C P N e w s

N A S S A C a r i t a s P h i l i p p i n e s

N A

S S A C a r i t a s P h i l i p p i n e s

lsquoYolandarsquo survivors together with representatives from the Archdiocese of Palo Relief and Rehabilitation Unit (Caritas Palo) signedthe Caritas Declaration on Climate Change in solidarity with the on-going Paris Climate Talks

The Archdiocese of Palo Relief and Rehabilitation Unit (Caritas Palo) displayed the organic products produced bylsquoYolandarsquo survivorsin Leyte which is part of its climate change action

Members of the New Dampigan Womenrsquos Association happily beam and show off the eggs they harvested

Women in actionONE women to explore their otherpotentials

Tis is the story of the women in thetown of New Dampigan in Samar prov-ince who found a new hobby a passionand source of livelihood all at the sametime hey are the New Dampigan

Womenrsquos Association who are engagedin poultry raising

It all started when the DiocesanSocial Action Center of Calbayog gavethe group a total of 500 ducks as partof its livelihood program for yphoonHaiyan survivors

Te group is composed of 21 mem-bers all of them women Tey raiseducks and sell its eggs salted and freshalike to the nearby towns of Sta Ritaand Basey o produce salted eggs they

preserve it for 15 to 18 daysBut it wasnrsquot all easy going especially

at first When another yphoon Hagu-pit locally known as Ruby hit the townlast December some of their ducks diedfrom the storm Tey almost lose hopeBut luckily they did not Instead the

women sticked together and took careof the remaining ducks

Now the women are the more thanhappy and contented of the productof their pure hardwork and ingenuitySeveral weeks after the onslaught ofHagupit the women are once againback in track

Currently they are harvesting 700 upto 1000 eggs every week Tey are alsofocused on marketing their products tonearby towns which they do throughthe support and trainings providedby the social action center Yes they

are truly women in action (NASSAFeatures)

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B5CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

life and refreshment from her waterrdquo (Laudato Si2)

Since climate is a commongood it is but right to be involved

in the discussion of climatechange especially that it is nowdestructive not only to proper-ties to but also to lives Accord-ingly the world is on the brink ofbecoming an arid wasteland dueto lsquounchecked human activitiesrsquo

We are living witnesses of thedestruction brought about by

weather changes and the effectsto health by carbon emissionshe calamities that claimedthousands of lives these pastyears and months are enoughproof to awaken in us a commit-ment to safeguard creation andhelp mitigate their effects

Pope Francis seeing the ur-gency of action in dealing with

environmental crisis points outthe use of highly polluting fossil

STATEMENTS

Statement on Coal Mining and Coal Power Plant

Final Statement of the 6th Bishopsrsquo Institute forInterreligious Affairs

Mayor Duterte

Asian celebration of the 50 th anniversary of Nostra Aetate

FABC Office of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs

Redemptorist Center Pattaya Thailand

November 16-20 2015

WE the one hundred sixty-six(166) delegates of the 40thDOPIM Bishops-Clergy Con-vention unanimously expressour serious concern on theoperation of coal mining andcoal power plant that triggersapprehension among our peopleand poses environment threat inthe provinces where such facilityis being established

With faith in the Lord of Cre-ation we want to heed the callof Pope Francis in his encyclicalLaudato Si that urges us all tocare for the earth as our commonhome Citing St Francis of As-sisi the Holy Father persuadesus to treat our common homelike our sister

However knowing the realityof our destructive attitude andactivities towards her the Pope

writes that ldquoTe6 sister now criesout to us because of the harm

we have inflicted on her by ourirresponsible use and abuse ofthe goods with which God hasendowed her We have come toseeeuro ourselves as her lords andmasters entitled to plunder herat will Te violence present inour hearts wounded by sin isalso reflected in the symptomsof sickness evident in the soilin the water in the air and inall forms of life his is whythe earth herself burdened andlaid waste is among the mostabandoned and maltreated ofour poor she lsquogroans in travailrsquo(Rom 822) We have forgottenthat we ourselves are dust of theearth (cf Gen 27) our very bod-

ies are made up of her elements we breathe her air and we receive

fuels ndash especially coal to be pro-gressively replaced without delay(Cf Laudato Si 165) We can-not simply sit idly while seeing

the unfolding of horrific eventsresulted by so called technologi-cal progress at the expense of na-ture Instead we recommend theuse of renewable energy whichis of course not harmful to theenvironment and to humans

As Bishops of the Diocesesof Dipolog Ozamis PagadianIligan and Marawi (DOPIM)

which comprise the civil prov-inces of Zamboanga del NorteMisamis Occidental Zamboan-ga del Sur Lanao del Norte andLanao del Sur we completelyoppose the operation of coalmining and coal power plantsmost especially within the afore-mentioned provinces We do this

not only because of our humanresponsibility but as a call intrin-

sic to our Christian faith We he re by ur ge al l co n-

cernedmdashboth the coal industryand the governmentmdashin thename of our Lord Jesus Christ tohave the same concern We alsocall the faithful and all people ofgood will be vigilant at all timesand in all places because ourcommon home is in danger ofdevastation We will not allowourselves to arrive at the pointof no return

May God hear us and come todefend the beautiful creation Hehas entrusted to us May Marythe Queen of all creation coverus with her mantle of maternalcare

Formulated during the 40thDOPIM Bihops-Clergy Con-vention on November 11 2015at the Diocesan Pastoral CenterDel Carmen Iligan City

Most Rev Severo C CaermareDDBishop of Dipolog

Most Rev Elenito R GalidoDDBishop of Iligan

Most Rev Emmanuel CabajarCSsR DDBishop of Pagadian

Most Rev Edwin A dela PentildeaMSP DDBishop-Prelate of Marawi

Most Rev Jesus A DosadoCM DD

Metropolitan Archbishop ofOzamiz

WHA the world desperately needs now is leadership byexample We have so many leaders in office and many moreaspiring to sit in office but are they examples of good citizen-ship If the leaders we choose are to be leaders for nationalprogress they must be visionaries AND exemplary

Corruption is indeed a great scourge of Philippine politics

Te usual face of corruption that we recognize easily is stealingfrom public funds Corruption like a monster is a devil withmany faces Killing people is corruption Killing is a crime anda sin whether it is done by criminals or public officials no mat-ter what the intention Adultery is corruption It makes marriedlove cheap and uses people for pleasure Adultery corrupts thefamily it destroys children and victimizes the weak Vulgarity iscorruption When we find vulgarity funny we have really becomebeastly and barbaric as a people When a revered and loved andadmired man like Pope Francis is cursed by a political candidateand the audience laugh I can only bow my head and grieve ingreat shame My countrymen has gone to the dregs

Is this the leadership by example that Mayor Duterte excitesin us Is this the leadership by example that makes a publicofficial deserving of the title ldquoHonorablerdquo

+SOCRAES VILLEGAS

Archbishop of Lingayen-DagupanCBCP PresidentDecember 1 2015

F i l e p h o t o

V i n c e n t G o

Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte

1 It is by Godrsquos grace andprovidence that we 87 par-ticipants in the Sixth BishopsrsquoInstitute for Interreligious Af-fairs (BIRA VI) from 17 dif-ferent countries have come tocelebrate the 50th anniversaryof Nostra aetate in our Asiancontext and in our time Weare grateful for the funding wereceived from Missio Aachenthat helped make this gather-ing possible

2 In this grace-filled gather-ing we have worked togetheras the Church in Asia retracing

our steps along the path of dia-logue praying reflecting andsharing our experiences andthoughts on the questions of

what we ha ve done so far and what we need to do fur ther forinterreligious dialogue in Asia

3 We recognize that Nostra Aet at e is sti ll ins pir ing andchallenging us to realize thevision of the Church as thepeople of God in dialogue inour time facing the interde-pendent reality of the com-plex and diverse influences ofglobalized socio-economic-cultural-political structures

we rea ffi rm the strong needof the ldquotriple dialoguerdquo with

the poor cultures and reli-gions in a journey towards theKingdom of justice peace andecological harmony

4 hrough our experienceof dialogue and action forthe last five decades we havelearned that interreligiousdialogue is not only to be aspecific pastoral strategy ofthe Church but rather an

Asian vis ion of the ChurchIt is a Church that proclaimsthe values of the Kingdom

without fear in dialogi cal col-laboration (partnership) withthe people of other religions

5 Struggling against anykind of fundamentalism ter-rorism and proselytism theChurch in Asia is called to

work toget her with other s asco-pilgrims In protecting thepoor and the environmentthrough our interreligious net-

work we are n ot do ing socia l work together but bui ldi ng

a mystical union of GodrsquosKingdom as inter-dependentbeings (in the harmony of ourrelationship with one anotherand with all creation)

6 he Church in Asia con-

firms that we cannot engage with other s in a real dialogue without having a clear ident ityof who we are and constantlygrowing in our own faith Inthe pluralistic contexts of Asiathe Church as a ldquolittle flockrdquois called to learn a kenotic(self-emptying) spirit of loveand service from Jesus ChristIt is through our humble andopen-minded approach thatreal trust and mutual under-standing with others can beestablished We are aware ofthe importance of grassrootsinterreligious dialogue whichusually starts from inter-per-sonal friendship and grows tocommunal action for justiceand peace

7 he Church in Asia takesseriously the challenges oftoday for all religions variousconflicts and violence massive

poverty and global inequalitythe increasing numbers ofrefugees and migrants pollu-tion and environmental crisiscorruption and moral degrada-tion human trafficking and

the breakdown of social cohe-sion terrorism and all formsof fundamentalism

8 One of the most urgentchallenges in Asia is to pro-claim Jesus Chri st as the Way

the ruth and the Life whileacknowledging and respecting

what is ldquotrue and holy in otherreligionsrdquo (Nostra AetateNo 2) As a community ofdisciples we give witness to

Jes us through our pe rs onaland communal l ifestyle oflove in three interconnected

way s sil enc e pre sence andstory-telling In an existentialsilence we empty ourselvesand listen deeply to the voicesof the other without judging

wi th a lov ing hear t In thedepth of our silence we are

aware of Jesusrsquo presence amongus which is inspiring our jour-ney of interreligious dialogueand action for transformingthe world It is by telling ourown story of transformationthrough Jesus as individualpersons and as communitiesthat the globalized culture ofindifference and greedy con-sumerism is to be transformedinto the gospel-culture of soli-darity and sharing

9 In our common journey with other s we Chri stians in Asia re cognize the importanceof basic human communitiesat the grassroots level wherethe dialogue of life and actionis going on especially together

with th e indigenous people Itis through these basic humancommunities that the Churchin Asia learns the holistic

world view and the sacred cos-mic spirituality which awakeus to take care of ldquoour com-mon homerdquo We are called togo beyond our comfort zoneand to develop a new narrativeof dialogue coming from ourcommon experience with thehope of rediscovering the har-monious relationship betweenhumanity cosmos and God forthe future generation

10 We commit ourselvesmore passionately to inter-religious dialogue in Asia indifferent ways for example

bull o develop local interreli-gious dialogue and action inthe grassroots communities

bull o organize formationprograms for interreligiousdialogue within the Catholiccommunity

bull (eg Seminaries religioushouses of formation and forthe laity)

bull o promote intra-dialoguebetween Christian churchesand within Catholic institu-tions

bull o support dialogue ac-tivities and forums (eg UNInterfaith Harmony Week)

bull o advocate i nterreligiousdialogue and action in thepublic sphere and cyberspace

bull o provide adequ ate prep-aration and pastoral care to theinterreligious family

11 After these days of re-flection and sharing of ourexperiences of and insightson interreligious dialogue inthe light of Nostra Aetateguided by the Holy Spirit

we ha ve com e to re ali ze againthe importance of opennesstowards the people of otherreligions and the indispens-able role of witness to theKingdom of God ever grow-

ing in the heart of As ianpeople hrough our sincerecommitment to dialogueldquoJesus Christ will be bet -ter known recognized andlovedrdquo (PCID Dialogue inruth and Charity No 39)

F a c e b o o k

F a c e b o o k

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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B6 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

completion In this way the miracle ofthe Incarnation took place with theBlessed rinity taking the initiativeand Mary responding freely and gen-erously to the Spiritrsquos action in her

It is in response to the lead of theSpirit that Mary set out for Elizabethrsquoshouse to share with her relative theldquoGood Newsrdquo she was carrying withinher

Like mankind before Mary andChrist we too may have a bad re-cord when it comes to ldquobeing open toGodrdquo We may not be any better than

Adam and Eve or the people before theFlood (see Gn 65-6) or the builders ofthe ower of Babel (See Gn 113-4)

Tis Advent in the Year of Faith isfor all of us an opportunity to evalu-ate our standing in this respect and totake appropriate action If we decideto imitate Mary and Elizabeth in theiropenness to the Spirit we may be sure

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

HE times of John the Baptist were bad characterized as they were by selfishness greed prideaggressiveness oppression of the

weak Tis can be gatheredfrom the answers he gave tothose who had been struck byhis preaching and asked ldquoWhatought we to dordquo Johnrsquos strongly

worded call to conversion was

amply justified All needed toundergo a ldquometanoiardquo a changeof mind and attitude in order toenter the Reign of God

Te situation does not seemto have changed much since thetime of John the Baptist We livein a society plagued with the samemoral defects and vices People arestill greedy selfish aggressive

And of course the temptation isalways to see these moral failuresin others

In many cases it may be truethat there is so much evil aroundus But it is equally true that wetoo are not perfect here isevil in us too We fail morallyalmost every day and in various

ways We too need to undergoa ldquometanoiardquo a radical conver-sion ldquoRadicalrdquo here means that it

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

WE all experience the dif-ference that physical dark-ness or light produces inus Darkness makes us feeluneasy even anxious andafraid Light gives us a senseof security It enables us torealize where we are and

what to do

his is why the Bibli-cal creation story tells usthat ldquoIn the beginningrdquo (ie when nothing existedexcept God) ldquodarkness cov-ered the abyssrdquo Ten Godsaid ldquoLet there be lightrdquo And there was light Godsaw how good the lightwas rdquo (Gn 14a) Tepresence of light enabledGod to proceed with the

work of creation with allits wonders and poten-tials and thereby conquerthe darkness of chaos andmeaninglessness

should not stop at the individualactions but has to affect our at-titudes and set of values ie thevery root of our actions Tereshouldnrsquot be the least doubt so-ciety will start changing for thebetter the very moment we beginto improve

Advent and the special obser-vances for this year (Extraordinary

Jubilee Year of Mercy Year of theEucharist and of the Family) areinvaluable opportunities for us

to start or resume moving in theright direction Like those whoapproached John we should ask ldquoWhat are we to dordquo Te answersmay be as many as there are personalmoral situations but a ldquocommondenominatorrdquo easily applies to allOur fundamental attitude has gotto be one of openness availabilityand goodwill

Te first requirement is ldquoopen-ness to Godrdquo in grateful love andexpectation in prayer of ldquopetitionand thanksgivingrdquo (see Phil 46)mdashfor the Lord is coming to dwell inour midst and to be our ldquomightySaviorrdquo (See First Reading v 17)

Te second basic requirementis ldquoopenness to peoplerdquo hismeans readiness to share ourgoods generously with the lessfortunate (see Lk 311) to be fair

But aside from physical lightand darkness there are otherforms of these two oppositerealities in the intellectualemotional moral and spiri-tual domains In the JudeanChristian revelation light isassociated and even identifiedwith God while darkness is as-sociated and identified with sinand evil St John the Evangelistproclaims ldquoGOD IS LIGHrdquo(1 Jn 15) Consequently a lifelived without God is darknessmdashthe darkness of sin and hell (See

John 319-21) No wonder thenthat the Incarnation of GodrsquosSon is compared to the comingof light to earth (See Jn 15 and1246)

And this is precisely what wecommemorate and celebrate atChristmas the coming of thelight of Godrsquos holiness andgoodness to fight and defeatthe darkness of evil in all itsforms

In the extraordinary andunique event of the Incarna-

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

MANKIND has had a bad record fromthe very beginning of its historymdashthecriminal record of shutting God outof its plans and life Such an attitudehad few exceptions in Abram Mosesthe prophets And even those ex-ceptions were not always 100 clearIt was only with Mary that a differentattitude started to prevail an attitudeof total openness to the action of Godin onersquos life and of full availability tocooperate with Him in the actualiza-tion of His plan

Mary was the most open of all tothe inspirations and promptings ofthe Holy Spirit Like a very sensitiveharp she let the Spirit produce in herand through her the wonderful melodyof manrsquos salvation which only thedivine love can initiate and bring to

REFLECTIONS

P u b l i c d

o m a i n

C B C P N e w s

Christmas the triumph of light

The ldquoNEW JERUSALEMrdquo isthe perfect realization of Godrsquos

plan and the fulfillment of our

deepest aspirations

4th Sunday of Advent (C) Luke 139-45

December 20 2015

Solemnity of Christmas (C) John 11-18

December 25 2015

3rd Sunday of Advent (C) Luke 310-18

ldquoRejoice Sundayrdquo December 13 2015

Our advent priorities

Countdown B3

that He will work wonders also in usno matter how insignificant and weak

we may consider ourselves (See Mi51)

We need the impulse of the HolySpirit and His empowering supportto get out of ourselves to show aninterest in others and share with themthe blessings we have received from theLord including our joy (See attitudeof Mary Lk 146-49)

We need to be open to the Spiritin imitation of Mary in order tohave Christ formed in us or betterin order to be molded unto him If

we cult ivat e such an openn ess andavailability we shall ever more becomeChrist-like in our thoughts aspira-tions attitudes and actions Andthus we shall be totally committedto do our share in carrying out theFatherrsquos plan of saving love as Christdid (See Heb 105-7)

Open to the spirit in imitation of Mary

Lady of the Sacred Heart Andby the time I left the church

which is just a five-minute walkfrom my house what else couldI say but thank You Really thereis nothing much else one can say

Our Lady and Child in SanSalvatore in Onda

Funny what one sees whenone changes perspectives Goinghome from jogging one day Idecided to pass by the right (in-stead of the left) side of Via deiPettinari (Combmakersrsquo Street)I happened to look up by chanceand I saw this charming image of

Our Lady I had never seen be-fore even if Irsquod already passed by

here more than ten times Ten when I looked down I likewisenoticed what should have beenan inconspicuous door Now Isaw there was a paper posted onit hinting that inside was actuallya church called San Salvatore inOnda and the place where SaintVincent Pallottirsquos remains arevenerated I took mental noteof the opening schedule andresolved I would do the secondday of my novena there

What was beh ind that in-conspicuous door Actually asmall but amazingly beautiful

jewel of a church First behind

the green door commonly seenalong the street was another set

of wider doors made of beauti-ful strong old wood It had ahuge tarp proudly claiming thatSt John Paul II had visited thischurch For such a small churchI thought it would be surprisingany pope would do that

But of course if one knew JP IIand St Vincent Pallotti and whatthey each stood for one wouldunderstand For JP II loved topromote the apostolate amonglay people and St Vincent inhis own 19th century religious

way was one of the promotersof the lay apostolate at the time

when it was so much lacking

He founded the ldquoPious Unionof Catholic Apostolaterdquo Tatrsquos a

union of priests religious and la-itymdashbut the ldquoPallotinesrdquo as theyare called really just consists ofthe religious brothers and priestsand the laity are well theyrsquorethere But that was certainly ahuge start

Te church is now their homebase but it wasnrsquot so at first Builtnear the end of the 11th andbeginning of the 12th centuryit was given to the Franciscansfrom which two popes camefrom Knowing this historic-ity of the church and that StVincentrsquos body is now underthe altar one then understands

this church deserved the Popersquosvisit But to add to these therersquos

to everybody and be absolutelyhonest with all (See Lk 313-14)

All this is love of neighbor in itsmost elementary form and noone can claim to be exempted orto have done enough

o this we have to add thepursuit of all those ldquonatural valuesand virtuesrdquo that Paul lists in theSecond Reading (See Phil 48)Only on these conditions shall

we be able to ldquobe glad and exult with all our heartsrdquo (Zep 314) and

begin to enjoy ldquoGodrsquos own peace which is beyond all understand-ingrdquo (Phil 47)

If on the contrary we refuseto heed Johnrsquos (Godrsquos) call toconversion this Advent will bea series of ldquomissed opportuni-tiesrdquo Tere may still be laughterbut very little joy We may giveand receive plenty of gifts but

without experiencing the bliss ofreal generosity In other words wemay be like one of the decorationshanging on Christmas trees glit-tering and colorful outside butempty and ugly inside

It need not be so It should nothis Advent we have a chanceto really change for the betterstarting from ldquowithinrdquo And it isup to us to make the most of thisopportunity

tion the divine light becomesa human beingmdashJESUS OFNAZAREH His coming is not a lightning in the night thatsoon vanishes in the persistentdarkness of the sky Rather it isan enduring event mdashthe fulfill-ment of a well thought-out plandestined to last till the end oftime and beyond

Te Incarnation is an eventthat is not confined to the placeand time where it took placebut a permanent reality thatconcerns and affects the entireuniverse as well as the life ofeach human being Tis is sobecause the life and mission ofthe God-Man born in Bethle-

hem is to bring the light of loveand grace into the history ofmankind into the life of everyhuman person

his is why we believe andproclaim that Christmasmdashthecoming and dwelling of Godrsquoslight on earth ndash makes all the dif-ference Te world will never bethe same as before the ldquoChrist-

mas eventrdquo simply because Godldquopitched His tentrdquo among us More still He became one of us

He did so in order to enableeach individual and mankindas a whole to fight and over-come the many forms of dark-ness that oppress frighten andenslave usmdashthe darkness of

hopelessness meaninglessnessfear hatred oppression but es-pecially the darkness of sin andof whatever leads to the endlessdarkness of being separated fromGod forever

Nowadays the all-pervadingcacophony of commercialismand materialism tend to dis-robe Christmas of its sacred-ness and saving dimensionand to confine it to the realm

of a myth lost in the vaguenessof a distant past Against suchbackground it is essential thatwe Christian believers ap-preciate the importance ofthe historical event of theIncarnation and its relevanceto our life today

Christmas as the joyful com-memoration of the Incarnationof Godrsquos Son is an invitationto ACCEP Jesus Christ intoour existence as the light of the

world the light of our life It isalso an invitation to REJOICEin the light that radiates from

Jesusrsquo presence teaching and

example It is a commitmentto LIVE as children of thelight and thereby eliminatein ourselves and around usthe darkness of sin and evilin all their forms Christmasis an invitation and a chal-lenge to SPREAD the light ofGodrsquos love through our wordsand deeds

In this perspective theHoly Fatherrsquos call to be ac-

tively involved in the workof a NEW EVANGELIZA-ION becomes absolutely vital and releva nt to thisseason of light and joy Itis the first step toward anever-greater involvement inthe wonderful enterprise ofbuilding Godrsquos luminousKingdom of peace love andhope that can usher in theldquonew heavens and the newearthrdquo the ldquoNEW JERU-SALEMrdquo that is the perfectrealization of Godrsquos plan andthe fulfillment of our deepestaspirations

also the sheer beauty of medievaland renaissance art that one seeson the ceiling and the simplebaldachin under which Mass

was held when I was there Teimage of Our Lady and Child byCesare Mariani in the main altaris also arresting

Te church has the appellationldquoin Onda rdquo which means ldquoin the

waverdquo most probably becauseof the frequent flooding of theiber Irsquove seen some of thesesigns on marble stone aroundseveral parts in Rome indicat-ing where the river was at this orthat point and therersquos only one

thing I can say Te worst Manilafloods are as if only two inches

compared to Rome flooding inthose days Irsquom not sure if thishas any connection to one imageof Our Lady venerated there ona huge side altar ldquoVirgin mostPowerfulrdquomdashbecause one cer-tainly needed a huge power tosurvive such inundations

But last night I know I wasinundated by only one thingmdashthanksgiving for being surround-ed by such beauty and holiness

(Robert Z Cortes is a PhDstudent in Social InstitutionalCommunication at the PontificalUniversity of Santa Croce Rome

He has an MA in Ed Leadership from Columbia University)

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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B7CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

tions might become ever more numeroustill they become the rule

It is in the family that the reform ofsociety begins because it is there that welearn to respect and help one another wepractice patience and justice we learn toshare and to love in an unselfish and practi-cal manner Pope Francis speaking to theFilipino families during his Pastoral Visit

in January 2015 said ldquoIn the family wecome to know God to grow into menand women of faith to see ourselves asmembers of Godrsquos greater family theChurch In the family we learn how tolove to forgive to be generous and opennot closed and selfish We learn to movebeyond our own needs to encounterothers and share our lives with them Tat is why it is so important to pray as afamily Tat is why families are so impor-tant in Godrsquos plan for the Churchrdquo

A family where God is at home is afamily at peace Such was the Holy Familyat Nazareth And the yearly celebration ofits feast is not just a well-deserved tributepaid to its three members It is also an in-vitation and encouragement to make ourfamilies today what the family of JosephMary and Jesus was in those daysmdasha ha- ven of love of God and neighbor at itsbest a home where God felt at home afamily according to Godrsquos heart

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

PRAYING together as a family seems nolonger fashionable nowadays Te reasonsare varied so many commitments con-flicts of schedule practical impossibility ofbeing together Tere are of coursehappy exceptions of parents who everyevening gather their children for somemoments of reflection on the Word ofGod reconciliation shared prayer andrecitation of the Rosary hese samepeople are usually the ones who on Sun-days attend the Eucharistic celebrationas a family From this they derive strengthharmony cohesion And at the same timethey become an inspiration to the wholeparish community It is when the familygathers together for prayer that its mem-bersmdashboth parents and childrenmdashseethemselves under the common fatherlyauthority of God

A family that renews every day itscovenant with the Lord will have notime for endless bickering jealousyunfaithfulness harsh manners on thepart of the parents or rebellion on thepart of their children

Te families that pray together are re-ally mini ldquofaith communitiesrdquo or ldquolittlechurchesrdquo One wishes that these excep-

SOCIAL CONCERNS

M a s t e r o f t h e A n t w e r p A d o r a t i o n

M a r k E u s e b i o

Feast of the Holy Family (C) Luke 241-52

December 27 2015

World Day of Peace (C)

Luke 216-21

January 1 2016

Baptism of the Lord (C) Luke 315-16 21-22 January 10 2016

Solemnity of Epiphany (C) Matthew 21-12

January 3 2016

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

HE world is torn by wars and conflicts of every kindmdashwarsamong nations factions families Afraid of the tragediesof war simple people yearn for peace Some governments andpeace-oriented organizations try to achieve peace throughnegotiations and compromise Fortunately many times theysucceed in establishing at least a ceasefire

But we all know that peace is not simply the absence offighting Peacemdashit has been written in so many waysmdashisthe fruit of justice among nations groups individuals Morethan this peace is the fruit of being in a harmonious rela-tionship not only with others but also with oneself andespecially with God Tere can be no peace where there isrejection of God

Peace is just another word for love another word forgrace It prospers only with the defeat of sin And just asall the sufferings and destructions of war are both a sign anda consequence of sin so the defeat of sin in ourselves andaround us produces that inexpressible feeling of satisfactionand harmony that no material riches can buy and no balanceof power can create

Real lasting peace is what God the source of all good-ness wants for all mankind But in order for that peaceto become a reality we have to do our share First of allwe have to pray for it Ten we have to work for it Tatmeans to make every effort to bring it about Ten the Lord

will bless our efforts by granting us that genuine peace thathas in Him its origin and support On our part we have toaccept Godrsquos blessing of peace with humble gratitude as Heoffers it to us not as an abstract concept but as a person ndashHis very own Son Jesus Christ He is our peace becauseHe is the One who reconciles all men with the Father andamong themselves the One who reconciles each of us

with ourselves In Him we are able to recognize all humanbeings as our brothers and sisters all members of the onebig family that has God as the common Father He is theOne who called the peacemakers ldquoblessedrdquo and gave peaceto His disciples as His farewell gift

Jesus the King of Peace comes to us not in a vision orlike rain from the clouds He comes from a human motherMary Most Holy the woman of peace who has been ableto open herself to the Source of all peace and has fashionedHim in that human form in which all can recognize andlove as their elder brother In this way Mary and peace arevitally and dynamically linked And she brings peace to ourtroubled hearts and lives as Godrsquos messenger as she givesus Jesus in this Christmas season

Pope Francis calls all of us

to CARE FOR OUR COM-MON HOME Tis is one ofthe most important remindersin our times to really show re-spect to God who created allTe issuance of mining permit

will allow tree cutting activi -ties in almost 10000 hectaresland area Tis will lead to thedestruction of the very fewremaining forest in the Philip-pines and in the world We

would expec t a more imba l-ance ecology extinction ofdiversified natural resourcesexample flora fauna insectsanimals (including the Philip-pine Eagle) floods sicknesses

We reiterate that we would not

like this to happen We must remember that the

Home B4

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

EPIPHANY is the manifestation of Jesusas the MessiahSavior of all men includ-ing the pagans of goodwill representedby the Magi As such it is also the mani-festation of the divine plan hidden forcenturies in God to unite all human beingsin Christ (See Eph 11-10)

Evermore mankind moves toward the for-mation of a great international communityTis is according to Godrsquos plan Its roots arein creation itself ldquoGlobalizationrdquo is the ldquoin-thingrdquo nowadays It is a ldquosign of the timesrdquo to

which we should pay attention Tough theconcern of most of its proponents seems tobe economic its basic assumption is correctwe are one world one family of nations

Whatever is incompatible wi th this ldquoone-nessrdquo should be abolished

Many oppose globalization because if we

limit it to its economic aspect and to tearingdown trade barriers almost surely it will leadto the rich becoming richer and the poorbecoming poorer But if we take this wordto mean essentially the abolition of all bar-riers that have been erected by human prideselfishness ghetto mentalities or racism andif it ushers in a greater solidarity of thestronger with the weaker and a generoussharing by the rich with the poor thenglobalization is according to Godrsquos planand all Christians should be its most en-thusiastic supporters

Epiphany has also a special messageconcerning the attitude of all religions

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

WE say tha t people make aldquoprophetic gesturerdquo when theydo something striking that is alsoa sign of greater things to comeTose gestures reveal the depthof their passion or commitmentthey are meant to shake peopleand somehow force them to makea choice either for or againstcertain vital issues

In his lifetime Jesus mademany ldquoprophetic gesturesrdquo

such as his driving the tradersout of the emple the healingof the paralytic and many othermiracles He performed All thosegestures were ldquospectacularrdquo intheir own way Tey attracted theattention of the crowds which

wondered what their ldquomeaningrdquocould be

Tere was in the life of Jesus aldquogesturerdquo which was not spectacu-lar at all and which went unno-ticed by almost everybody exceptHis cousin John His baptism inthe River Jordan Tat gesture

was absolutely ldquocommonrdquo andldquoordinaryrdquo for it was somethingthat almost everybody was doingin those days in response to the

exhortation of John the BaptistBut Jesusrsquo baptism at the Jor-

dan lost in the crowd of sinners who were seeking forgivenesshad a depth of meaning thatmade it one of his most dra-matic ldquoprophetic gesturesrdquo It

was his baptism in fact whichrevealed the essence of Jesusrsquomission and became the occa-sion for the revelation of hisconcealed divine identity

he ldquoprophetic dimensionrdquoof Jesusrsquo action was not so muchin his entering the waters of the

Jordan ashis immersing himselfin the crowd of sinners Tat was

something unthinkable and un-believable Only Godrsquos incrediblelove for every human being andall mankind could have conceivedsuch an ldquoimmersionrdquo which was socomplete and involving as to be atotal ldquoidentificationrdquo Tat wasthe reason why the eternal andall-holy Son of God had comedown from heaven and had un-dergone the fullest ldquoimmersionrdquoin the ocean of mankindrsquos miseryand in human history Jesusrsquobaptism is a clear manifestationof Godrsquos mercy toward mankindTe Word the eternal Son of theFather clad in human flesh in

Jesus of Nazareth becomes one with sinful mankind not to be its

judge but its Savior and the HolySpirit appearing in the form of a

dove a symbol of peace remindsus of Godrsquos mercy on the ldquorem-nantrdquo of mankind as the purifyingflood subsided (See Gen 810-11) Jesusrsquo baptism was a furthermanifestation of the meaning andpurpose of the Incarnation

hrough that ldquoimmersionidentificationrdquo the totally sinless Jesus became a part not onlyof the relatively small group ofsinners gathered by the banksof the Jordan but also of theimmense crowd of sinners thatis the whole of humankind And

just as his immersive in the watersof the river sanctified them so didhis presence among the crowd ofsinners bring them the possibilityof receiving purification from sin

Tat was exactly Jesusrsquo missionIsaiah the prophet had alreadyforeseen this when he announcedthat the mission of the ldquoServant ofthe Lordrdquo was to bring ldquojusticerdquo(that is holiness) to the nationsOf him the Lord God said ldquoIformed you and set you as a cov-enant of the people a light forthe nations to open the eyes ofthe blind to bring out prisonersfrom confinement and from thedungeon those who live in dark-nessrdquo (See todayrsquos First Reading)

In his life Jesus ldquoactualizedrdquosuch a liberating and sanctify-

ing ldquoimmersionrdquo by associatingwith sinners and even seekingtheir company ndash something thatshocked the ldquoholyrdquo people of histime His association with ldquopublicsinnersrdquo was bound to tarnishhis reputation as his opponentspointed out on several occasions

Jesus did not mind that criti-cism and continued like beforeformdashas he himself saidmdashit is sickpeople who need a doctor (SeeMt 912) But his immersinghimself in the crowd of sin-ful mankind cost Jesus much

moremdashit cost him his very lifefor he was put to death to atonefor the sins of all

Jesusrsquo vicarious self-offering was so power ful in its effec tbecause of who he wasmdashGodrsquosbeloved Son on whom the Fa-therrsquos favor rested Such a solemnproclamation of Jesusrsquo divineidentity soon after his baptismbalanced so to speak his hid-ing himself among the crowdof sinners at the Jordan RiverIt also completed the ldquopropheticnaturerdquo of what happened on thatdaymdashGodrsquos very Son coming tosave all mankind by sharing fullyits predicament of misery in or-der to transform it from within

through the superabundant holi-ness that only God is

Families according to Godrsquos heart

symbolized by the Magi toward JesusChrist He should be the one acknowledgedby all believers as the universal Savior sentby God to bring all mankind back to GodTe gifts offered by the Magi to Jesus in

Bethlehem can symbolize the different char-acteristics which the major world religionscan offer as their distinct contribution to theestablishment of the Kingdom proclaimedand established by Christ the gold of faithin one merciful God and the power of His Word as a feature of Islam the incense ofmeditation love for nature and peace thatcharacterize Buddhism the myrrh of dedica-tion and industriousness that characterizeConfucianism Jesus rejects nothingof the values these faiths have He acceptsthem all and brings them together into onepractical synthesis that makes humankindthe family of God on earth

Jesus is indeed the center of humanhistory because he is the center of Godrsquosplan for mankind He is the ldquocenterrdquonot only in the sense that his coming hasdivided the centuries into two great blocks

of ldquobeforerdquo and ldquoafterrdquo Christ He is alsothe one in whom all men can find thecommon point of reference to form a realfamily of nations and peoples withoutcoercion or exploitation Te light of hisGospel can penetrate all cultures assumeall their valid elements and purify the restfrom those negative aspects which thepower of sin has gradually introduced inthem

Only Jesus Christ can keep all men unitedin a community of sincere respect lastingsolidarity and practical love For the plan ofthe Father born of love will find its fulfill-ment only in LOVE

Mary of NazarethMother of JesusMother of peace

Christ the unifying centerof all mankind

One with sinners to save them

environment can exist even

without us but we can neverexist without the environmentnature We only have one com-mon home the Earth there isno other

We urge the Dep ar tmentof Environment and NaturalResources to take the real leadto protect our remaining ldquoenvi-ronment and natural resourcesrdquoplan with other governmentagencies and environmentallyconcern organizationsfounda-tions on how to preserve ourremaining forests and marinelife sanctuaries

NO O MINING IN MA-GUM PUJADA BAY AND SA-LINGCOMO MAI CIY

PROVINCE OF DAVAO ORI-ENAL

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 1624

B8 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

Look for the images of Saint Joseph Mama

Mary and Baby Jesus

(Illustration by Bladimer Usi)

Bladimer UsiLolo Kiko

Buhay Parokya

KANISS Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) both a victor in andsubverter of Panemrsquos Hunger Games is now a symbol of the revolu-tion whom rebel president Alma Coin (Julianne Moore) and powerbroker Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman) want to usestrictly as a poster girl Stubborn freedom-fighter Katniss howeverhas her own agenda and that includes killing President Snow (Don-ald Sutherland]) to end once and for all the senseless deaths of somany young people Forming a team of rag-tag soldiers that includeclosest friends Gale (Liam Hemsworth) Finnick (Sam Claflin) andPeeta (Josh Hutcherson) she goes off on a mission risking theirlives through a booby-trapped war to liberate the citizens of PanemTe final confrontation between Katniss and Snow presided overby Coin is an electrifying game-changer

Te Hunger Games is not exempted from the fad of choppinginto ldquopartsrdquo the movie adaptations of popular books Harry Potterwilight Te Hobbitmdashthey have all stretched their heroesrsquo exploitsto prolong box office earning power and yet the fans wait AfterHunger Games MockingjayPart 1 which judging fromits relatively weak performanceat the tills must have been aforgettable movie that testedthe patience of fans Mocking-

jay Part 2 revs up with moreof the thrills that have madethe Hunger Games series theprototype of dystopia flicks foryoung adults (Divergent et al)Te strong cast monumentallycontributes to the realism of theHunger Games franchisemdashhowcan it go wrong with a leonineSutherland a steely Moore asly Hoffman And of coursethe winner Lawrence who canequally sell with aplomb partscalling for either vulnerability orverve In Mockingjay 2 the starsrsquo solid performances interwoven

with heart-stopping CGI make for a fitting finale to a story that

capitalizes on manrsquos inhumanity to manItrsquos surprising that a number of film critics are disappointed with the

filmrsquos ending calling it ldquosappyrdquo and an anti-climactic conclusion to anadrenalin-packed series that promised so much by way of action andheroism Teir cynical remarks remind us of biblical Israel waiting fora savior who would topple down the ruling elite with its own brandof kingship but is instead given a Jesus Christ CINEMA thinks theending is actually a statement that magnifies the upbeat message of the

whole story enough is enough Murder as spectator sport is sub-human At least when beasts kill it is to survive but in Panem the poor youngpeople are robbed of choice and must kill in order to livemdashas enter-tainment for the elite So Mockingjay mocks the elite it cries ldquoGivehumanity a chancerdquo Whatrsquos wrong with wanting to dump violence tostart afresh Choose life not death Arrows that used to kill people arealso useful for hunting fowl for the dinner tablemdashis that against the lawldquourn your swords into ploughs and your spears into pruning hooksrdquoMaybe the cynicsrsquo eyes have grown to love the Hunger Gamesrsquo darknessthat the sunlight-dappled scenery blinds them Or maybe after fallingin love with the couture of Panemrsquos stylish crowd theyrsquore simply horri-

fied by Katnissrsquo drastic costume change Whatever CINEMA wouldnrsquothave wanted the ending any other way

ENTERTAINMENT

MAGPAPAKASAL at magsump-aang magmamahalan nang wagasang dating live-in partners nasina Basya (Bea Alonzo) at Popoy(John Lloyd Cruz) Bilang mgalisensyadong enhinyero at arkitektoay magtataguyod sila ng construc-tion business na mabilis na uunladLalong magpupursige ang mag-asawa na magpalago ng negosyodahil magbubuntis si Basya Naisnilang mabigyan ng magandangkinabukasan ang kanilang anak

Subalit dahil sa pressure ng tra-baho ay makukunan si Basya attuluyang mawawala ang sanggolna kanyang dinadala Labis itongikalulungkot nina Basya at Popoykaya napagkasunduan nila ayonna rin sa mungkahi ni Basya natitigil siya sa pagtatrabaho upangmakabuo uli sila ng baby Nanatilisi Basya sa bahay at di nakialam sanegosyo sa loob ng dalawang taonPinaubaya niya ang pagpapatakbong negosyo kay Popoy Magtitiwalasi Basya sa kakayanan ng asawa namahusay nitong mapapamahalaanang kompanya katulad ng nagingproblema ng pagguho ng isangbuilding project Hindi rin gu-gustuhin ni Popoy na bigyan ngalalahanin si Basya Samantala sakabila ng magandang saloobin nilasa isarsquot isa ay ang napipintong pag-kalugi ng negosyo na siya namangililihim ni Popoy kay Basya Dahilsasarilinin ni Popoy ang problemamaapektuhan ng tuluyan angkanilang pagsasama

Sequel ng pelikulang One MoreChance na pinalabas noong 2007ang Second Chance Matatan-daang tumatatak ang naunangpelikula dahil sa mga tinatawag nalsquohugot linesrsquo nina Alonzo at Cruzsa nasabing pelikula Di namannabigo ang mga nag-abang sa se-quel na ito dahil naganap nga angsecond chance sa mga pangunah-ing tauhan na sina Basya at PopoyMalinis ang pagkakadugtong ng

dalawang pelikula --- parehongmga tauhan at kontexto gayundinang mga artistang nagsiganap Sakabila ng pagkakaroon ng prequelay napanatili ang malayang istoryang Second Chance bilang isangpelikula Bagamat predictable ang

wakas ay naging kasabik-sabikpa din ang mga eksena at mgapalitan ng linya ng lahat ng tau-han Di matatawaran ang husayng pagganap nina Alonzo at Cruzbilang mag-asawa panalo talagaang tinatawag na chemistry nilangdalawa Di rin nagpahuli nag mgakatuwang na aktor at aktres Mag-aling ang ginawang trato ng direk-

tor para mapalabas ang kalakasanng mga nagsiganap at ang mgaeksenang hinaluan ng patawa lalona sa eksena kasama ng mga kai-bigan Simple lamang ang disenyong produksyon pero nakatulongang mga kuha ng camera at edit-ing para maging makabuluhan saistorya ang setting Makahuluganang composition na nagpapakitang electric fan para sa mensahe nanagtitipid na ang mag-asawa dahillugi na ang kompanya

Mayaman sa mensahe parasa mga mag-asawa ang SecondChance Pinakita sa pelikula angrealidad ng buhay may-asawa nahindi lang puro kasarapan sa halip aymga pagsubok na maaring mauwi sahiwalayan kung hindi haharapin ataayusin Sa relasyon ng mag-asawa

ay napakahalaga ng magiging bu-kas sa isarsquot isa kaya anuman angpagdaanan ay magkatuwang nahaharapin Ang pagtatago ni Popoyng katotohanan kay Basya ang nag-ing mitsa ng lumubhang alitan dipagkakaunawaan pagkawala ngrespeto at palitan ng masasakitna salitamdashpati tiwala sa sarili aynawala At sa punto na pipiliin ngisa na lumayo at hanapin ang sariliay nakatulong na balikan ang mga

sumpaan binatiwan nuong sila ayikinasal at higit sa lahat ang kanilangpagmamahal sa isarsquot isa Mainamdin na may mga kaibigan at pamilyana pwedeng lapitan na susuporta athindi manghuhusga manunumbato mang-uudyok sa paggawa ng maliKapuna-puna lang na bagamatnagsimula at nagwakas ang pelikulasa chapel ay tila di man lang nilanaisipan na magdasal habang maypinagdaraanan sila Nais isipin ngCINEMA na ang gusto lamangsabihin ng pelikula ay ang pag-aasawa ay hindi lamang sa pagitanng dalawang tao kundi dapat aykasama palagi ang Diyos

DIRECTOR Cathy Garcia-Molina

LEAD CAST Bea AlonzoJohn Lloyd Cruz DimplesRomana

SCREENWRITER VanessaValdez Carmi Raymundo

GENRE Romantic Drama

CINEMATOGRAPHER NoelTeehankee

RUNNING TIME 130 minutesTECHNICAL ASSESSMENT

MORAL ASSESSMENT CINEMA Rating V13

A SECONDCHANCE

DIRECTOR Francis LawrenceLEAD CAST Jennifer Law-

rence Josh HutchersonLiam Hemsworth WoodyHarrelson Donald Suther-land Julianne Moore PhilipSeymour Hoffman

GENRE Adventure ScienceFiction

RUNNING TIME 137 minutesTECHNICAL ASSESSMENT

MORAL ASSESSMENT CINEMA rating V14

THE HUNGER

GAMESMOCKINGJAY 2

Buhay San Miguel Brothers Matias

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 1724

Philippine Army Chaplaincy CFC

Hold 1st National Convention

The first-ever OACCS - OSM CEP Convention further strengthened the camaraderie between the chaplaincy and the local CFC created a more solid CFC OSM Core enabledthe stakeholders to work together and recognized the efforts of those who work tirelessly under the program

CFC Metro Manila as one big happy family worshipped danced sang played gamesand had fun during the last MC Gathering of the year

By Alma Alvarez

CFC ANCOP USA Pontificio Collegio Fillipino Sign Partnership Agreement

CFC MM MC Celebrates the Family

HIS Eminence Cardinal Luis Antonio agle Chairman of PontificioCollegio Filippino and its Rector Msgr Greg Gaston recently signedthe ANCOP USA Priest Sponsorship Program (PSP) partnership

with Eric Villanueva Roger Santos and Rollie Balanza Couples forChrist - ANCOP USA leaders Te ANCOP USA PSP will assistpriests from the Philippines who will be sent by their Bishops to doadvance studies in Rome

In his letter to Villanueva Cardinal agle wrote ldquoOur partnership will

allow more Bishops to send Priests for ongoing formation and furtherstudies in Rome to better equip them in serving Gods people as SeminaryFormators and as collaborators in the different Diocesan Ministries back

HE Metro Manila Mission Coregathered as one big CFC familyduring this months MC Assemblylast December 6 2015 Leadersfrom the Family Ministries likewisecame to the Ynares Sports Arenato hear Mass together celebrateshowcase talents play in the fungames and just enjoy each otherscompany before the end of the year

CFC Spiritual Director Msgr Allen Aganon celebrated Mass Inhis homily Msgr Allen emphasizedthe enormity of the role of John theBaptist as the one who heralded thecoming of Jesus Christ despite hishumble beginnings He challengedthe CFC leaders to be like Johnthe Baptist

We are ordinary people who

home As a result our Church in the Philippines will be strengthenedso that Priests and laity alike could carry out our respective work ofevangelization and service not only to the Church but also to societyrdquo

According to the agreement the PSP is for Masters Licentiate orDoctorate studies only ANCOP USA PSP funds will cover the priestrsquosboard and lodging at the Collegio in the amount of $10000 per year

All other needs such as tuition fees medical insurance transportationbooks etc will be provided for by the Bishop as a local counterpart

Tis would ensure that priests can benefit from the partnershipo donate or to know more about the program please visitwwwancopusa-psporg

THE CFC Order of St Michael(OSM) in cooperation with thePhilippine Army Ofce of theArmy Chief Chaplain Service(OACCS) staged the rst everCharacter Enhancement Pro-gram (CEP) Convention last No-vember 24 2015 at the PhilippineAir Force Museum Pasay CityRetired Col Arturo Alabanza amember of CFC Metro Manila(South B) and head of the OSM

OSM C4

together with the OSM Corespearheaded the event

In his opening remarks Alabanza describedhow the OSM came together with the OACCS

and forged a long-term partnership to ldquodeveloprighteous God-fearing soldiers loved by theFilipino peoplerdquo through the CEP Te CFCOSM has developed modules specifically cater-ing to the soldiers their spouses and childrenOACCS on the other hand has the author-ity to mandate Commanding Officers of thevarious Army camps nationwide to employthe CEP

Te convention allowed the stakeholders toreport on the accomplishments and enabledthe Army Chaplains from the different Infan-

try Divisions to plan with their local Couplesfor Christ counterparts regarding strategies forCEP and its continuing spiritual enhancementmodules It was likewise an opportunity for

CFC OSM to present the second module forthe CEP which the group plans to roll outbeginning 2016

ANCOP Chairman Joe Yamamoto in hisinspirational talk reiterated Pope Francisrsquo callfor new evangelization and emphasized thatthe partnership is a clear response of each per-son involved whether it be the Chaplaincy orthe lay stakeholders to be agents of change inthe spiritual realm within the Philippine Army

Several of those serving in the program

His Eminence Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle and the leaders of CFC ANCOP USA f orging a strong partnership for further education among Filipino clergy

are called to herald Christ andto be missionaries of mercy heemphasized

Te Mass was followed by theopening worship led by the MetroManila Missions Director MannyGarcia and a brief message fromCFC Chairman Joe ale

Te CFC Order of St Michaelthrough its Head Art Alabanzatook the opportunity to honor the55 Singles for Christ volunteers

who served in the Christian LifeProgram for the PMA Cadets inBaguio Te fun-filled games forthe adults and children talentpresentations and face-paintingadded to the festive mood rulyit was a day for the family (CFCGlobal Communications)

Reconciliation is Key to Advent PreparationsldquoTHE best way to prepare forChristmas is reconciliation Thebirth of Jesus is Gods offering ofreconciliationrdquo

his was the essence of the Advent recollection given by FrGerard imoner OP Provincialof the Dominican Order in thePhilippines for the workers of theCFC Global Mission Office Terecollection was held last Novem-ber 28 2015 at the Obizpado deCubao in Quezon City

In his reflection Fr imoner

creatively wove reconciliation withforgiveness as well as the new

evangelization taking into account Jesusrsquo words to ldquoshake off the dust

from your feetrdquo According to hima good spiritual foot spamdashthe act

of shaking the dust off onersquos feet toremove all traces of the bad news to

enable one to proclaim the GoodNewsmdashis essential in preparing

oneself during AdventFr imoner described for-

giveness as ldquosetting a prisonerfree and realizing that thatprisoner is yourdquo He illustratesldquoJesus did not forgive whileon the cross Instead he saidlsquoFather forgive them for theyknow not what they dorsquo We canonly forgive if we engage Godsforgiveness within our ownrdquo

he best path to the newevangelization is to allow our-selves to be reconciled with God

amp each other he emphasized(A Alvarez)

The News Supplement of

Couples for Christ

C1CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 1824

Reflections on Advent

I IS the start of a new liturgical

year As in every year the previ-ous liturgical year ended withthe feast of Christ the King afitting high point indeed Aftergoing through the year observ-ing the various highs and lowsand phases of His life in theend and rightly so we proclaim

Jesus as indeed the King of kingsand the Lord of lords

And so the Church starts thecycle anew beginning fromHis birth into this world obuild up to that we have theseason of advent of waitingof anticipating of preparingfor the birth of He who werecognize and proclaim as theKing of kings

One would expect that thismajor season is ushered in

with Bible vers es express ingthe level of excitement befit-ting the birth of the King ofthe universe It is therefore abit surprising and soberingthat the opening reading ofthis season is one with a themethat speaks not of celebrationbut of foreboding of the com-ing end times

here wil l be strangethings happening to the sunto the moon and the stars Onearth whole countries will bein despair afraid of the roarof the sea and the raging tidesPeople will faint from fear asthey wait for what is comingover the whole earth for the

Joe Tale

powers in space will be driven

from their courses hen theSon of Man will appear comingin a cloud of great power andglory When these things begin tohappen stand up and raise yourheads because your salvation isnear Luke 2125-28

Moreover we are enjoined tobe on watch and to be vigilantin a specific way Be careful notto let yourselves become occu-pied with too much feasting anddrinking and with the worries ofthis life or that Day will suddenlycatch you like a trap For it willcome upon all people everywhereon earth Be on watch and prayalways that you will have thestrength to go safely through allthose things that will happen andto stand before the Son of Man

Luke 2134-36It is significant we might evensay ironic that during this seasonof merriment in anticipation ofthe birth of the Messiah we are

warned exactly not t o be merryIn this period that we normallycelebrate with much food and

wine and music we are instructedto refrain from such things

Is the verse dousing cold wa-ter on all these festivities andpreventing us from celebrating

joyously the arr ival of t he KingNot so he verse simply re-

minds us of something more im-portant whatever be the seasonof our life of being constantlyprepared and on the watch at

all times not ever to bring our

guards down whether we are go-ing through our low moments orhigh points in our life We are re-minded to always Be Preparedas the Boy Scouts motto goes

whatever our spec ific situationmay be at any given time

Als o I sense tha t the Lor d would like to bring us to a deeperlevel of rejoicing not merely onthe level of the frivolous as toomuch feasting and drinking areTe words of Jesus do not preventus from rejoicing He wants us tocontinue to be prepared even as

we celebrate He warns us not torejoice in a wanton way that takesus away from our right senses re-sulting in our being unpreparedhus our rejoicing should becoming from deep in our hearts

not shallow and hollow expres-sions of the same Our rejoicingshould be geared towards allowingus to still be prepared

hus as we hold our Christ-mas parties and dwell in themerriment of the season let usbe mindful of the words fromthe Gospel Appropriate feastingand drinking not only make usfaithful to the gospel but is alsomore healthy Significantly tooit should make us more caring tothose who have less and hope-fully lead us not to be wastefuland to share whatever we have somany others will also experiencea truly Merry Christmas

Rejoice in the Lord

HE RED Cubs harvested thegrand championship of the recentlyconcluded CFC GMC Ablaze Cup2015 held last December 2 - Decem-ber 8 2015 at the sports facilities ofCamp Crame

Te friendly games were partici-pated in by the different departmentsin the CFC Global Mission CenterTe Red Cubs romped off with the

Red Cubs are Champions in CFC GMC Ablaze Cup 2015

Go go go GMC clockwise from top left Caloy Rubio CFC Ablaze Cup Event Head exhorting participants the board of judges CFC Chair Joe Tale inspiring the athletes paradeof athletes the Orange Tigers basketball game between the Red Cubs and the Maroon on Fire cheerdance competition

Mel and Aimee Serrano talking about the highs and lows of dealing with in-laws

In Highs And In-Laws Dealing With Your In-Laws

ldquoATRASrdquo BOYS amp GIRLS

Are We Waiting For Jesus At The Right Spot

This Advent

IN983085LAWS he very word re-minds many a married coupleof discomfort awkward evenstrained relationships and some-times open conflict But are rela-tionships with the family membersof your spouse meant to be merelytolerant Te latest Couples forChrist (CFC) ndash Young Couples

Assembly on November 30 heldat St Pauls College in Pasig Citytackled precisely this topic andcame up with this wildly inge-nious insight In-laws are peopletoo ndash love them

According to the speakers Meland Aimee Serrano of CFC ndashMetro Manila West B lovingthem in all sincerity will work

wonders ldquoTat is the tried andtested formula love your in-lawsrdquoshared Mel a school owner fromQuezon City

During the talk which theypeppered with lots of insights andsharing of personal experiences as a

PASIG City Nov 29 2015 ndash What do weusually do when we find out that someone welove or an important personality is visiting ou rhome We tidy up we prepare good food butmost of all we wait his was the m essage thatabout 150 young married couples heard duringthe Family Mass at the Couples for Christ ndash

Young Couple s Assembly at St Paul Colleg eConvention Center held last November 30

Fr Ruper Solis SVD who celebrated theFamily Mass reminded the couples presentthat to wait for something or someone also

couple married for 20 years the Ser-ranos focused on several key points1 Handle them with care

Tis means giving attention tothe one who needs more takingcare of them in their old age as

well as training your kids to respecttheir grandparents

ldquoOn our part we have to makesure that our children will give duerespect [to them] and be able tounderstand intricacies that come

with old agerdquo said AimeeldquoWhether may sama ng loob

(hurt feelings) sometimes there will be times na mahirap makipag-kita (that it will be difficult to meetthem) but you have to go to themKailangan nating gawin yun (Weneed to do it)rdquo she stressed

2 Acknowledge differences According to the couple people

should recognize that their spousemay not have the same familyculture as they do Value systems

means waiting at the right placeldquoAs Christians our life is a series of waiting

Dapat maghintay ka sa tamang lugarhindi langsa tamang panahon na sinasabi ni Lola Nidora noPero sa tamang lugar din (We should wait not justfor the right time but waiting should be doneat the right place as well)rdquo explained Fr Ruper

he young priest who was an SVD missionaryassigned to Argentina for more than seven years

went on to tell the story of how once in Argentinahe was waiting by the side of the road flagging

championship crowns in badmin-ton (women) table tennis (menand women) tug-of-war and peelbanana It was a close fight with theMaroon on Fire team who grabbedthe winning titles for basketballvolleyball cheer dance and chess(men) and ended up 1st runner-up

with les s than 2 points from the winning team Te Orange igerscame in 2nd runner-up while YellowHotshots was 3rd runner-up basedon the last team standings

Te awarding ceremonies wereheld last December 8 2015 dur-ing the celebration of the CFCGMC Christmas party Tis an-nual event is an opportunity forthe mission workers to enjoy eachotherrsquos company Te Ablaze Cuplikewise serves as a venue tofoster and promote the spirit ofsportsmanship and unity amongthe GMC workers from bothpastoral and mission support(Yvonne Dolorosa)

HE WORD ldquoatrasrdquo means a backwardmovement It is generally used to refer to theldquoReverserdquo function of a vehicle In Lanao DelNorte the word has been applied to a group ofboys abd girls who guide vehicles in and out ofparking spaces the equivalent of the ldquoWatch-your-carrdquo aides in Metro Manila

he CFC leaders in the province immedi-ately thought of the Atras Boys and Girls ofLanao Del Norte when Cardinal agle said ndashldquoGo to the peripheries be a mobile clinicto heal the poor from spiritual sickness rdquo

Another ins pirat ion was from one of the mostimportant pastoral subjects of Pope Francisabout the ldquofamily and the poorrdquo

Every time I go to mass at the St MichaelrdquosCathedral with my wifeata the ldquoatras boysand girlsrdquo are all over the area assisting ve-hicles either to park or to exit the parking area

When n ot per formi ng thi s function they andother members of their family can be seenbegging for their daily sustenance hey areusually homeless their home being along theperipheries of the Cathedral or the sidewalks

he inspiration led the Area Governanceeam to the idea of bring these boys and girlsand their parents to a Christian Life Programhey moved quickly with Boy Suezo approv-ing the strategic CLP as designed by RegionalPastoral Formation Head Art Maderazo andinserting video clips appropriate to the CLPtalks With the activation of the SOLD Min-istry with Bro Roger Sultan as Provincial Co-

ordinator SOLD was made the lead ministryof the ldquoAtras Boys and Gir lsrdquo CLP

Initially the number of participants was limitedto five (5) for logistical reasons but the HolySpirit deemed otherwise ndash the attendees eventuallynumbered ten individuals and three (3) coupleshe CLPs were scheduled every hursday at 600orsquoclock in the evening with dinner provided byCFC brothers and sisters particularly the AGrsquos

wives and ANCOP members he SOLD Prov in-cial Coordinator took care of fetching the partici-pants from the Cathedral and also bringing themback to their ldquohomesrdquo It did not matter to Rogerthat his car would often retain the smell of the

unwashed he persisted in servicing the transportneeds of the participants

November 05 2015 was truly a pleasant anda memorable day to the service team On thatday five of the ten boys and girls and two (2)couples dedicated their life to CFC One of theparticipants stood up to give an inspiring testi-mony ending with ldquohank you CFC for makingus somebody in your heart hank you for beingmindful of the conditions of the poor and thankyou for bringing Christ to our livesrdquo (ldquoSalamatCFC nga aduna pa diay kami luna sa inyong kas-ingkasing Salamat CFC sa inyong pagpakabanasa susama kanamo nga mga timawa Salamat sainyong panahon pag hatag kanamo sa pagtulun-anni Kristo)

It is envisioned that this kind of evangeliza-tion can be replicated in other areas nationwidethe beginning of a truly strategic evangelizationHopefully this is also the beginning of a newlife for the new CLP graduates with CFC being

instrumental in helping them provide for theirfamilyrsquos future (Nonoy Haim)

disciplining style even views onhow to handle finances will of-tentimes be different Tat is whyunderstanding coupled with love

will go a long wayldquoDifferences and conflicts are

not unhealthy but mismanagementis Never criticize your in-lawsrdquoMel said

Also in case of confl ict themessenger or the ldquobridgerdquo shouldbe the one with the primary re-lationship (spouse to own fathermother)

he Serranos candidly sharedabout a conflict that eruptedbetween Aimee and her father-in-law during the campaignperiod for local elections whenMel ran for public office heconflict was soon followed by aperiod of silence a Cold Warso to speak ldquoIt took us at leasta year or two [My father said]kasi pag di natin inayos tolahat tayo maapektuhan (If we

dont fix this all of us will beaffected) It helped that thecouple prayed and sought DivineIntervention and asked the com-munity to pray with them heHoly Spirit worked

3 Respond appropriately What if ev en af ter l ovin g and

understanding them its stillnot smooth sailing with your in-laws Heres what the Serranoshad to say

bull iming is everythingbull Learn when to speak or keep

your mouth shutbull ake a breath cool offbull Maintain a sense of humorbull Remember unsolicited advice

is just an opiniono cap their talk the couple

brought back the participants tothe basics of loving in-laws to actout your love to build bridges andto communicate (Nirvaana EllaDelacruz)

HOMILY C3

IN A Memorandum sent to the Philip-pine Missions leaders last November23 2015 PM Director Jose Yamamotoappointedreassigned leaders for theNortheastern Luzon region

Mark Banzon has been appointedProvincial Area Head (PAH) of Isabelavice Rommel Ancheta ony de la Cruz

on the other hand was tapped to be PAHof Nueva Vizcaya vice Raul Balaquiao

O set a new tradition in the CFC Family the InternationalCouncil has agreed to make December 27 the Feast of theHoly Family as a special day for the members of the familyto honor one another Tis will allow each person in thefamily to express their gratitude to the Lord for the gift offamily and the importance of having each member of thefamily around for the love support and service As a sug-

New Appointments for CFC GMC NE LuzonFamily Honoring Night Set

Balaquiao was appointed PAH of IlocosSur vice ony de la Cruz while Cholo

Yjares is now PAH of Cagayan vice BongPagulayan Pagulayan is now PAH ofKalinga vice Cholo Yjares

he move is essentially a realignmentof the leaders in the Northeastern Luzonarea in the interest of the mission except

for Banzon who is a new appointee andfor Noel Malamug who remains as

PAH of Ifugao hese changes are to takeeffect on January 1 2016 Edythe Aven-dantildeo is also set to replace Didi Galsim asHandmaids of the Lord InternationalCoordinator effective January 1 2016

In the Global Mission Center RickyRico was appointed Head for the GAd-min effective October 1 2016 while Jay

Lucena was appointed head of the CFCEvents group also effective October 1facebookcomCFCGlobalMission CFChrist

The Ugnayan News Supplement is published by the Couples for Christ Global Mission Foundation Inc with editorial ofces at 156 20 th Avenue 1109 Cubao Quezon City

Editorial trunk line (+63 2) 709-4868 local 23

Direct line (+63 2) 709-4856

wwwcouplesforchristglobalorg cfcglobalcommunicationsgmailcom

Michael C Ariola

IC Oversight

Zenaida A Gimenez

Editor-in-Chief

Alma M Alvarez

Associate Editor

Evangeline C Mecedilla

Circulation Staff

Deomar P Oliveria

Layout Artist

The News Supplement

of Couples for Christ

gestion the guidelines indicate the following as the activitiesfor the said day hearing Mass together dining together athome praying together and in gratitude expressing theirlove to one another

hrough the Family Honoring Night the community hopesto strengthen the relationship among the family members andempower each one to truly cherish and love one another

Bong Pagulayan

Mark Banzon

Cholo Yjares

Ricky Rico

Edythe Avendantildeo

Raul Balaquiao

Jay Lucena

Tony de la Cruz

C2 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 1924

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 2024

CFC China Conducts

Mission Heads Training

CFC Greece Leaders Meet Archbishop of Athens amp Nuncio

COUPLES for Christ USA and CFC Greece leaders paid a courtesy call on Archbishop Sevastianos Rossolatos and Fr George Altouvas at the Archd ioce se of Athens he g roup in troduced Couples f or Chri st to the new Archbishop and di scus sed theirplans to initiate a CFC Youth Camp in Greek as well as to develop CFC teachings in Greek

On another occasion the CFC leaders met with the Apostolic Nuncio of the Holy See in Athens Archbishop Edward Joseph AdamsTey discussed challenges and forthcoming changes in the Greek Catholic hierarchy and laid down CFCrsquos plans for CFC Athens

SINGLES for Christ Metro Manila gath-ered at the San Carlos Seminary in Makatilast December 5 2015 at 700 pm forthe SFC Global One a two-hour non-stop worship experience Jay Laquiana fulltime pastoral worker for SFC ledthe worship

Global One was meant to be a simul-taneous praise concert with major cities

or provinces hosting the event But what

made this yearrsquos Global One event special was the fact that it was the first time it wasstaged online via youtube live broadcastTis gave SFCs all over the world an oppor-tunity to come together despite differencesin time zone

ogether as one ministry SFCs from theMetro Manila Sectors the provinces andthe various countries like the USA Canada

and the Middle Eastern countries raised

SFC GLOBAL ONEmdashUniting the World

via Online Worship

their voices in praise and worship for thecountless favors they received It likewisebecame an opportunity to ask the Lordto bless the ministry for the coming year

Te ministry sees the online Global Oneas an event they can do annually Tey alsosee it as a potential tool to reach othernon-SFC members to witness Christ andcome together with other young people to

worship (Lanie Montaos)

OSM C1

CFC Winnipeg held its 2nd Celebration of Covenant Love onNovember 21st the feast of the Presentation of Our Lady Sixteencouples attended the activity

One week prior to the Renewal of Wedding Vows the 16 coupleshad a mini-retreat conducted by their spiritual advisor Fr YollyGamallo Te mini-retreat included four couple-sharers Te HolyMass was celebrated at St John Cantius Parish presided by MsgrLouis McCloskey A simple reception followed for the 16 couples andabout 60 family members with additional witnesses from the CFCcommunity Te participants who renewed their marriage vows werefrom varied age groups with some having been married for only five

years to couples who were celebratingo 40 years of holy matrimony

Tis year makes the Celebration of Love even more relevant as itis the year that held the papal Synod on the Family and the WorldMeeting of Families Pope Francis stated when making an address tofamilies ldquoTose who celebrate the sacrament say lsquoI promise to be trueto you in joy and in sadness in sickness and in health I will love youand honour you all the days of my lifersquo At that moment the coupledoes not know what will happen nor what joys and pains awaitthem Tey are setting out like Abraham on a journey together

And that is what marriage is Setting out and walking togetherhand in hand putting yourselves in the Lordrsquos powerful handsHand in hand always and for the rest of your livesrdquo (from http

couplesforchristcanadaca)

A Celebration of Covenant Love

I cherish the treasure the treasure of you lifelong companion I give myself to you These happy couples from CFC Vancouver saying Yes again to oneanother and to God as they renew their marriage vows

CFC missionaries to South Americarejoiced as they completed a fruitfulmission to the area a fitting end to theyear Te mission to Nuevo Pueblo deColaacuten opened a new area an hour awayby land from Piura Peru establish-ing CFC ndash Parejas para Cristo in a remotetown in the desert At the end of theChristian Life Program 13 new CFCPPC members composed of 4 couples4 HOLD and 1 SOLD committed to alife with Christ

Te PVC (Programa de Vida Cristiana- Spanish CLP) was held November 27to 29 2015 (Tanksgiving weekend) byCFC USA Florida in Iglesias del Rosarioone of two parishes in town Padre LuisSerra head pastor of the main churchthe Iglesia Sagrado Corazoacuten de Jesuacutesopened the doors to CFC PPC Fourother brethren from CFC PPC RiojaPeru headed by Fr Rober Martinez cameto reinforce the missionariesrsquo efforts Teteam got a taste of their first mission

CFC China is on full throttle in its evan-gelization efforts Tey recently conducted

the first-ever CFC China Mission Headsraining from November 27 to 30 at Vilada Sta Isabel Estrada Cheoc Van MacauTe training aimed to strengthen its leader-ship ranks through several formation talksfrom the Chapter Leaders raining (CL)series Te sixty participants were mostlyChinese with some Filipino Mission Headsand their AG members from the North

West East and South of China includingMacau SAR and Hong Kong SAR

Te first day of the training was devotedto a silent retreat based on Psalm 4610ndash ldquoBe silent and know that I am GodrdquoTe three-hour retreat centered on thetheme ldquoWe need to Change How WeLead o lead like Jesusrdquo with each par-ticipant encouraged to ldquoempty oneselfrdquoFr Oliviades a member of the Opus Deifacilitated the retreat

Day 2 started with a Holy Mass concel-

ebrated by Fr Joseph Wang from YiwuEast China Te training proper began with Israel Silud CFC Country Headand Northwest Regional Head givingthe overview and citing challenges thatCFC China faces He reiterated thatCFC Chinarsquos goal of raising 1 millionhousehold heads will be driven by the

The fruits of 2015 for CFC PPC hundreds of miles away from home

In 2015 ten missions were held inSouth America by CFC USA All these

were made possible by a handful of zeal-ous and selfless CFC USA mission vol-unteers who sacrificed a lot and deniedthemselves many comforts in order tobring the Word of God to families in Co-lombia Ecuador and Peru CFC ParejasPara Cristo will not take off without thefinancial support of CFC USA

ruly God gave a very good year for

the mission team harvesting 608 souls in2015 (a total of 857 persons from June2014 to date) Te task of sustainingCFC PPC families and area countriesare enormous But with grateful heartsthe South America team humbly turnsto God thanking Him each day forHis guidance as He leads the way Teteam looks forward to 2016s adventureof bringing the banner of Christ to themiddle and corners of the earth (GlenSantayana)

whether lay or from the Chaplainsrsquo ranklikewise gave testimonies on how theirinvolvement in the CEP made them real-ize that they have become not only agentsof change but recipients of grace as well

In the afternoon the Chaplains andtheir CFC counterparts came together fora round table discussion of the plans ofthe various Infantry Divisions nationwide

Army Chie f Chaplain Fr Col Andre sBonifacio Belleza CHS (GSC) in anunexpected move expressed his recog-nition through the grant of awards ofthe initiatives of the Army Chaplainsin implementing the CEP in their vari-ous Divisions Fr Maj Juan Jerome CDaluro was awarded Best Chaplain ofthe Year 2015 for his exemplary ser viceas Division Chaplain of 9th Infantry(Spear) Division Fr MSg Mario Ban-

iqued Philippine Army (PA) OACCSChief Clerk was recognized as Best

Chaplain Assistant of the YearSince the partnership between the

OACCS and CFC OSM started in April2014 the group has conducted CharacterEnhancement Retreats (CER) for 28 Phil-ippine Army commands Trough CFCSingles for Christ volunteers a ChristianLife Program has likewise been conductedfor the Philippine Military Academy Classof 2018 graduating 385 PMA-Singles forChrist members Presently five CERs arealso being done at the V Luna MedicalCenter in Quezon City

Alabanza admit s there is still muchto be done So far the CEP has reached2000 men and women in uniformroughly 0287 percent of an estimated800000 population of soldiers theirspouses and their families Tis is indeedfertile ground for values and spiritual

transformation which is just waiting tobe conquered (A Alvarez)

Another fruitful harvest in Peru from top the 13 new members in CFC PPC all-women discussion group

Courtesy call top photos CFC leaders with Archbishop Edward Joseph Adams amp Fr George Altouvas bottom photos with Fr George Archbishop SevastianosRossolatos and Archbishop Edward Joseph Adams

CFC OSM and the OACCS reaching out to the men and women in uniform and their families through the Character Enhancement Program

personal holiness of its ser vant-leaders who will be leading the evangelization thrust

in 34 provinces in China CL talks 2-5 were given by the regional heads with their wives as sharers

Day 3 began with the recitation ofthe Holy Rosary followed by anotherconcelebrated Holy Mass Fr Oliviadesdelivered a beautiful homily on ldquoemptyingoneselfrdquo Te rest of the CL talks wereagain delivered by the regional heads withtheir wives as sharers In CL alk 9 Siludemphasized the need to pay attention tothe means to care for the spirit mind andbody of the leaders

Te last day primarily focused on plan-ning the CFC China activities for 2016One of the proposals from the planningis that the four (4) regions in China willeach be hosting the major activities linedup for the year

Te three-day training and planning was conducted by CFC China Country

Head IsraelSally Silud with the supportof North Asia Regional Coordinator Ga-rieCess Pimentel and the regional headsfrom East China (EricEvelyn Ylagan)South China (JoelErica Santos) HongKong SAR (GarieCess Pimentel) andMacau SAR (JMEmilie Yupangco) (Ericamp Evelyn Ylagan)

C4 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

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JCL ndash member while for the TeologicalCommission the experts appointed wereFr Alexander L Garces SDB JCL ndashPresident Fr Enrico Eusebio Jr SJ JCDndash member and Sr Maria Amparo SantosOP JCL ndash member As with the ribunalmembers the Presidents and membersof both Commissions individually tooktheir respective oaths and signed the Acts

Te appointed Copyist Ms RonalynRegino and Assistant Copyist Ms Ge-cerein Sayen Ocampo were called next totake their respective oaths and similarlysigned in the Acts

Ten Postulator Msgr Pedro C Qui-torio III and Vice Postulator Fr WilmerR Rosario JCD individually took their

respective oaths not compromise the truthand offend justice nor impede the free-dom of witnesses to testify in the CauseTereafter they also signed the Acts

Te Postulator then presented to Car-dinal agle for his examination a list of

witnesses to be interrogated subject to thepossible addition and revision of namesin the future Upon examining the listthe Cardinal decreed that the next sessionfor interrogation of witnesses be held on

January 11 2016 at the Arzobispado deManila

Finally after ordering the Chancellorto establish public record of this First Ses-sion Cardinal agle declared the Processfor the Causes of Beatification and Can-

onization of Servant of God FAHERGEORGE J WILLMANN SJ Father ofthe Order of the Knights of Columbus inthe Philippines OPEN

o complete the Rites His EminenceLuis Antonio Cardinal agle together withformer Chief Justice Hilario G Davide

Jr as Chairman of the National ExecutiveCommittee (NEC) for the Cause of Fr

Willmann jo intly u nveiled the portraitof Father George J Willmann SJ

Tereafter Cardinal agle began thecelebration of the Holy Eucharist Con-celebrants were Bishop Honesto FOngtioco DD Bishop Mylo HubertC Vergara DD Msgr Geronimo FReyes JCD Fr William Arana OSA Fr

Carlo Magno Marcelo Fr Marvin MejiaFr Wilmer Rosario JCD Fr Carlo DelRosario Fr Julius Paul Factora OP JCDFr Sander Niez JCL Fr Alex GarcesSDB JCL Fr Rico Garcia Fr ReginaldMalicdem Fr Darwin Faith Ponce OSAFr Ricky VIllar OSA Fr Geoffrey Eb-orda OSA Fr Genaro Supremedo OSAFr Jojo orres OSA Fr Joseph VillarealOSA Fr Roy Gallano OSA Fr MichaelSalazar and Fr Romel Cruz

Also serv ing as Conce lebrants werea number of KC Priests Scholars of theKnights of Columbus Fr George J

Willmann Charities Inc that includedMsgr Pedro C Quitorio III Fr Benjamin

The Cross A Supplement Publication of KCFAPI and the Order of the Knights of ColumbusCBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25 December 7 2015 - 27 2016

Sainthood bid opens forFr George Willmann SJBy Roberto T Cruz

On December 7 2015 Mon-

day the bells of the ManilaCathedral rang out loud as HisEminence Luis Antonio Car-dinal agle presided over themilestone celebration of theHoly Eucharist at the ManilaCathedral to formally open theDiocesan process of the Causeof Fr George J Willmann SJ

he Liturgical Rites for the formalopening of the diocesan process precededthe Mass at 900am With the entranceprocession of Cardinal agle as the MainCelebrant together with two bishops twomonsignors and thirty-three priests whoconcelebrated the Mass the Rites started

with Msgr Pedro C Quitorio III theappointed Diocesan Postulator for theCause of Fr Willmann giving biographi-cal highlights of the life of Fr George J

Willmann SJ An Invocation of the HolySpirit followed with the singing of VeniCreator Spiritus by the Manila CathedralBasilica Choir

Cardinal agle then examined anddeclared the legitimacy of the appoint-ments of Msgr Pedro C Quitorio III asthe Postulator and Fr Wilmer R Rosario

JCD as Vice-Postul ator in conformity with the Code of Canon Law

Appointed members of the Diocesanribunal for the Cause of Fr Willmann

were Msgr Geronimo F Reyes JCDas Episcopal Delegate Fr Carlo P DelRosario JCL as Promoter of Justice Mseresita F Kudemus ndash First Notary MsMarivic M Ambasa ndash Second Notary Ms

Julieta R Santos as Tird NotaryTe Cardinal reminded them of the

great responsibility importance andseriousness of the Process for the Causesfor Beatification and Canonization Asrequired by Church law all the mem-bers of the ribunal starting with MsgrGeronimo F Reyes individually tooktheir oath to faithfully fulfill hisher com-mitment and then signed the Acts

Te Experts who were tapped to formthe Historical Commission includeFr Julius Paul Factora OP JCD asPresident Fr Adolfo N Dacanay SJ

JCD ndash member and Fr Sander D Niez Sainthood D3

KCFAPI Theme and Logo for 2016HE year 2016 has been pro-claimed the Year of the Eucharistand the Family by the CatholicBishopsrsquo Conference of the Phil-ippines Te theme is part of thenine year spiritual journey thatbegan with the Year of Faith

where we experienced an authenticrenewal of faith guided by the newevangelization principles

he Holy Eucharist whichmeans thanksgiving invitesfamilies of the Catholic faithfulto commemorate the supremesacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christon the cross to receive His body

and blood in the Holy Commu-nion and to celebrate His victoryover death

Te Roman Catholic Churchpromotes strong family ties andvalues Parents are entrustedthe responsibility to prepare andteach their children to follow JesusChrist and live His gospel

KCFAPI distinguished itselfin protecting the sanctity of thefamily by providing comfortand sustenance in any loss orlife-changing event among fam-ily members KCFAPI respondsswiftly to changing or evolvingfamily insurance needs Nowon its 58th year of providingunsurpassed uncompromised

fraternal service KCFAPI vowsand advocates relentlessly to

render comfort benefit and as-sistance to all brother knightsand their families with mercy andcompassion

As part of the KCFAPI familyin a pioneering effort all wholly-owned and majority-ownedcompanies will coordinate theirschedules and manage theirresources towards one com-mon goal and will function asone well oiled machine By

joi nin g han ds gu ide d by theHoly Spirit the strength ofone is multiplied several times

over Te heart symbolizes lovemercy and compassion and is

also Charity ndash the first of fourcore principle of the OrderKCFAPI in heart-shaped bordermantles the five wholly- ownedand majority-owned companies Keys Realty amp DevelopmentCorporation Kompass Creditand Financing Corporation KCPhilippines Foundation IncKnights of Columbus Fr George

J Willmann Charitie s Inc andMace Insurance Agency IncTey are depicted by the boldshoulders of the figures symbol-izing the family Just like in any

close-knit family concentratedon accomplishing one objective

all employees will be engagedtheir support and talent pooledand harnessed to participateactively in any company activi-ties working in tandem as onecohesive unit

Te logo vividly demonstratesthe solidarity and bonding of fam-ily members if they gather togetherand allow Christ to be at the centerof their family relationship

Te different colors representthe various hues of the Order ofthe Knights of Columbus red

whit e blu e and yell ow hegreen color manifests KCFAPIrsquos

concern for our environment andits managementrsquos advocacy gearedtowards a healthy state of our sur-roundings Orange brings a posi-tive outlook in life optimism andmotivation to look on the brighterside of life

Te cup and host (in yellow)emulating the Holy Eucharist pro-vides Christ- centered way of life

Te circular flow represents in-finity or totality the unboundedtimeless and never ending lovecare and affection of KCFAPIin providing each and every KCfamily a shield of security protec-tion and hope Te acronym ALLcharacterizes KCFAPIrsquos inclusiveapproach to all forms of actions

products and services (Angelito A Bala)

As we protect families for generations Act Live Love

KCFAPI Planning Conference The Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of thePhilippines Inc held their 2016 Planning Conference last November 7-9 2015 atColumbus Plaza General Santos City Present were KCFAPI Chairman Bro Arsenio IsidroG Yap KCFAPI President Bro Jose C Reyes Jr KCFAPI Executive Vice President SisMa Theresa G Curia KCFAPI Officers and Supervisors KEYS Realty Vice President Bro

Riz Nicolas and HTMC Vice President Sis Apolonia Dominguez

Living Rosary The Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of the Philippines Inchad their Living Rosary last October 30 2015 at the KCFAPI main office This has been

a yearly practice for the Month of the Holy Rosary which is usually conducted by itsofficers and staff

Cardinal Tagle leads the unveiling of the portrait of Jesuit Fr George J Willmann as the Manila archdiocesan process for the Cause of Beatification and Canonization of the latter formally opens at the Manila Cathedralon Monday Dec 7 Willman is considered as t he ldquoFather of the Knights of Columbusrdquo in the Philippines ROY LAGARDE

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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D2 The CrossDecember 7 2015 - 27 2015 Vol 19 No 25

ACQ UIR IN G a hou se and lo t which they can call their own home

and driving their own cars are twoof the priority dreams of Filipinoparents Of course seeing theirchildren finish college education iseither Number 1 or Number 2

Te Knights of Columbus Frater-nal Association of the PhilippinesInc (KCFAPI) has formed andincorporated a new company to helpmembers of the Order to have their

dream homes and motor carsKCFAPI named the new company as Kompass Credit and

Financing Corporation (KCFC) after one of the symbols of theKnights of Columbus which is the Compass Like the Compassof the ancient marines KOMPASS is here to guide BrotherKnight in having their own home and efficient mobility

KOMPASS can also extend home car and business loans tothe general public

Interested parties can call KOMPASS at el No 527-2242

527-2223 loc 215 and 252 for further details of the loan

Arsenio Isidro G Yap

Chairmanrsquos Message

Presidentrsquos Message

Ma Theresa G Curia

Jose C Reyes Jr

Reflection

Curia Settings

Michael P Cabra

Bequest LIFE this Christmas

My Brotherrsquos Keeper

FILIPINO raditions reflect the kindof people that we are All traditionscustoms and beliefs evolve from thelove and respect of the family Ourmutual and natural respect for oneanother our desire to please and notoffend each other and our willingness

to extend a helping hand are just a fewof the basic foundations which madethe Filipino people unique a one of a

kind and nowhere else could be found And certainly a must-have as a friend and neighbor

Some of the trait I like is the ldquomano pordquo expression and at thesame time reaching for the otherrsquos hand and asking for his blessingsTe respected elder would normally extend his hand to touch theforehead of the one asking for his blessings and expresses ldquokaawanka ng Diyosrdquo or ldquoGod bless yourdquo It doesnrsquot matter whether the onebeing accorded the respect is younger than the person asking forthe blessing or even if they hardly know each other

Another trait is removing onersquos slippers or shoes when enteringa neighborrsquos house Te guest expresses his respect for the hostand does not in any way want to spoil or damage the pristinecondition of the floor which is normally kept shiny and clean

Cleaning of onersquos surrounding to the point of cleaning also theneighborrsquos grounds I could still remember in our neighborhoodthat the old folks would sweep the debris on the street in front

of their houses But instead of just collecting their own trashthey would try to outdo each other by picking (or sweeping)the litter on the street up to the neighborrsquos house in front andeven on their right and left side

Everyone living along the same street knows each other very well to the point that all knows who are having a hard time and would need some assistance A neighbor would readily do somehousehold chores give some food and try to console those whoare grieving for the loss of a love one Nobody needs to askHelp is extended readily

Although the traits Irsquove mentioned above are seldom practicednowadays except for the ldquomano pordquo I still believe that those

were just some of our good traits which define us as people which define us as a Filipino a unique breed of people We arevery resilient that even though we are in grief or experiencingextreme challenges in our everyday life we still are able to lightour faces with the friendliest smile

Christmas is another tradition-field celebration that is uniquelyFilipino Te ldquoSimbang Gabirdquo ldquoputo bumbongrdquo and the like are

some Christmas traditions But let us not forget that Christmas isnot just a season of merriment but is a season for reconciliationItrsquos that time of the year when we want to ask forgiveness fromthose we had wronged and at same time forgive also those whohad wronged us and forget whatever they had done to us

Christmas is a season wherein family ties are kept stronger andmore meaningful But to be more meaningful it is better that weshare our blessings to those in need whose nights might be Holy but

would be very Silent and the only sound that they could hear arenot carols of merriment but the grumbling of their empty stomach

Make this Christmas the most meaningful Christmas ever bysharing your ldquoNoche Buenardquo with a neighbor or better still witha complete stranger May the birth of our Lord touch our heartsand be responsive to those in need

CHRISMAS is a holy day celebratingthe birth of Jesus Christ our Saviour Ithas been a tradition in the Philippines that

we go to dawn masses from December 16to the eve of Christmas day Because ourenthusiasm builds up as early as Septemberon Christmas Day itself many of us areexhausted after days of going through heavytraffic on the way to parties and to crowdedshopping malls to shop for gifts Tere arealso many events that we are enticed to at-tend for our kidsrsquo sake gatherings of relatives and friends near and farand entertainment we spend a lot for the family

While these festivities are all expressions of love we sometimes forgetthat Christmas day is the day we should go to mass to thank God forall the blessings we received from Him and in turn to offer our gift to

Jesus Christ As we enter the Advent season let us start reflecting on

how we can better love and serve God on how we can help the poorand how we can give hope to those who are losing hope Let us put intoaction the principle of charity with greater vigor and sense of urgency

May Christmas be like the ldquoJourney to the Innrdquo of Joseph and Mary- tiring yet full of hope and joy to welcome Christ in our hearts andour homes As Knights of Columbus let us lead our communities toa Christ-centered Advent celebration this year and always

My family and I wish your whole family ldquoA Merry Christmas and aBlessed New Yearrdquo

FOR this Christmas I wish tobase my reflection on a poem

written by Horacio de la Costathe first Filipino provincial ofthe Jesuits Please read and usethe poem as a Christmas greet-ing My reflection is nothingcompared to the poem

We must have visited all theBelens in our churches since we

were small In fact most of usalso put up the Christmas cribin our own homes In arlacthey even have yearly exhibits ofBelens which they call Belenis-mo We were told that it was StFrancis who started putting upthe crib in his church And thepoem of Horacio Dela Costatells us that if we meditate onthis set up we might discover

the surprises that they bring toour consciousness

Let us identify some fea-tures of the Belens that we se earound us during the Christ-mas season and together letus reflect on the meanings thatthese can offer us We shall seedifferent layers of Christmasmeaning emerge

1 he King was born poorGod has become human Tisis one of the features that wesee when we stare at the Crib

What a paradox the king ispoor God is human Life isindeed full of paradoxes andof seeming contradictions

We make sense of them only

with the passage o f t ime and

as we mature both in age andin faith

2 he Bethlehem scene isprofoundly meaningful sym-bolic and mystery-laden We

watch the figures in the Be lenand sometimes we do notunderstand When we do notunderstand the turn of eventsin our life we should not giveup We should not run awayTe world will not end onlybecause we do not understand

what we see exper ience or feelLet us stand in awe at Godrsquosvisit when we are clueless of

what i s happening 3 he King was born in a

manger But there was peacearound among the wise menand the shepherds on that holy

and starry night We see atthe Belen scene a communionamong God humans the richand the poor animals and hu-mans the stars the night andthe people It was as though ata special moment the Universe

was one As though the con-nectedness of all the elements

was not merel y ecolog ical asLaudato Si spoke of but evendivine -human No wonderthat we do not get tired of put-ting up our belens at home inchurches and in public placesNo wonder that we can stareforever at the Nativity scenealthough we do not fully un-derstand everything although

we do it yea r afte r year We

also feel that we are there andthat we are connected to the

figures they represent we areconnected to history to oursurroundings and even to ourGod

4 he Savior was born ina manger where animals eatTe meaning of the mangerscene has been the content ofmany sermons that we haveheard We were told that thisdoes not only refer to thehumility or poverty of Jesus

A dee per meaning they say isthat Jesus has come to be foodfor all who come to him Jesuscame to give Himself as foodfor the world His words histeachings his mercy and com-passion and his Good News of

Godrsquos Plan are enough to fillour emptiness with a sense ofdirection and destiny Teyquench our thirst for enlight-enment guidance and sense ofdignity as humans

5 he Baby who is born isthe Savior of the world Howcan a Baby save the w orld Wesee before us a baby wrappedin swaddling clothes And werealize that Divinity can berevealed in very human situ-ations And that the humblestreality could be a revelationthat God is in our midst If weopen our hearts and minds tothe Lord His Spirit enlightensand gives delight to our weary

and limited minds and souls

Even today we can feel Hismessage although sometimes

we do not ful ly unders tand Te truth dawns on us when

we ar e qu ie t and when we wait When we do not rush toknow Godrsquos Presence is a Giftthat we can never be worthy ofBut the point here is not thatour littleness could obstructthe Revelation of a mysteryRather the Greatness of theLord compels Him to revealHimself to the little one Evento us Now

Tat is why Liturgy invokesour ability to watch to look at

what happe ns in the Churchcelebrations Te beauty ofcandles incense and flowerscan evoke some sense of the

Sacred Space a Sacred Mo-ment and a Sacred Encounter

Te Belen does this for us inrevealing the message of Christ-mas If we open our eyes weshall see the Message of Christ-mas with our hearts If we havetime and we can keep quietbefore the Belen we might seethe surprise of the Lord

[The author Ma TheresaG Curia is the Executive VicePresident amp Chief OperatingOfficer of the Knights of Co-lumbus Fraternal Association ofthe Phils Inc (KCFAPI) andthe incumbent Diocesan Regentof the Daughters of Mary Im-maculate International Dioceseof Malolos]

IrsquoS that time of the year again We must allbegin the increasingly difficult task of buy-ing suitable gifts for our friends and familyHowever there is a different gift you shouldseriously consider giving this year Itrsquos not a fun

present nor it is exciting Itrsquos not somethingyou can play with or wear and it definitely wouldnrsquot be considered a treat Itrsquos a gift thatno one wants but everyone NEEDS So whatare we talking about A Fraternal Service Plan

A Benefit Certificate (BC) or what is simplyknown as a life insurance policy Every year

we search for that perfect gift for a loved oneSomething that will show how much we careand appreciate them What could better provethat than giving someone the gift of SECU-RIY and SABILIY

Unfortunately the recent statistics presentthe sad truth (a) more than 95 Filipinos donot have adequate levels of insurance and (b)more than 80 of Filipinos do not believethey are likely to suffer a serious illness in the

next 20 years Yet each year around 365000Filipinos face premature death either caused byaccidental death or natural sickness It equatesto 1000 untimely deaths everyday

Firstly think about your present situation

Do you have loved ones who depend on youfinancially If something were to happen toyou would your family struggle to maintaintheir current lifestyle the kind of living yoursquovebeen providing If you answered yes to thesequestions itrsquos as simple as that - you need tohave life insurance Secondly do you have aloved one (parent spouse adult children e tc)

who needs protection Tis year give them theultimate gift Having an adequate amount oflife insurance can help in paying off hospitalbills memorial bills mortgage and even in-heritance tax It can allow a family to maintaintheir current level of living and possibly evenfund long term goals such as childrenrsquos schoolfunds dream car house business and evenretirement Now wersquore not saying this is the

only gift you should give it might look a littlesad with only that under the Christmas treeHowever just consider along with the othergifts giving a present that may not be appreci-ated at that moment might come in use should

a critical time arrive You look after your familyand so this is a perfect gift ideaItrsquos important to consult a fraternal counselor

when considering life insurance as it is impera-tive that you are insured accurately dependingon your current situation and future needs

Should you wish to know more just visit wwwkofcorgph for inquiries

Did you know thatFor as low as PhP10000 you can already

start the Gift of Life to your loved ones Tisfraternal service plan is called KC Peso Saver Itis a single contribution endowment plan which

will mature at the end of the benefit certificatersquos10th year In fact a lot of Knights of ColumbusMembers invest with this Gift of Life everyChristmas for their spouse and children

Gemille Isabel P Gloria

A Meek Christmas

IMAGINE a pregnant mother who is supposed to give birth toa child at the moment and rideson a donkey with her husband

Apart from the pain of laborthe mother is enduring deathchases their yet unborn child astheir King deliberately kills allthe newborn babies that night

urned down by the innkeepersthey ended up in a crude stablesharing it with the farm animalsand the shepherds as she gavebirth to a baby boy and placedhim in a manger I bet you arepicturing a scene of a movie inyour head right now Tis isactually what the first Christmaslooked like

Going back to the presentChristmas is far more delightfuland exciting Shopping feastinggift-giving and vacation trippingare just few of the activities that

we cannot do away with in ourChristmas lists We think ofChristmas like no other ordinaryday of the year We make sure

that for Noche Buena there isabundance of bountiful feasts inour dining table from a platterof mouth-watering leche flan toa sumptuous lechon new clothesup to fifty percent sale on theselected items section and expen-sive gifts covered in a Santa Claus

wrapper under a fully decorated

Christmas tree We associate theChristmas season as a time ofsplendor since it is the birthday ofour Savior Unfortunately someof us could only imagine thesethings Tey are our fellow whoare counted by the government inabject poverty who could hardlythink of where and how to gettheir first meal for the 365 daysof the year including Christmasday One does not need to moveafar to behold this ravers-ing nearby the office we couldalready see some of the faces inpoverty If you have not takenyet the underpass connectingManila City Hall and Intramu-ros as you make your way out of

it you will see sullied children intattered clothes inhaling plasticbags containing rugby with somesoiled adults who seem to be theirparents doing the same thing

With their hunger already in theirhead some children forcibly takethe food of the passersby Duringthe night the space where people

enter and exit the underpassin the day turns into a freezinghome for the homeless Youcan see in their wrinkled face thefeeling of sleeping on the passage-

ways with only cardboard boxesand worn out fabrics in betweentheir body and the cold cementedground Teir condition is notfar from what Jesus experiencedon the first Christmas born intoand chose to live a life of poverty

Remembering martyredSalvadoran Archbishop OscarRomero who once said thatldquoNo one can celebrate a genuineChristmas without being trulypoor he self sufficient theproud those who because they

have everything look down onothers those who have no needeven of God for them there

will be no Christmas Only thepoor the hungry those whoneed someone to come on theirbehalf will have that someonehat someone is God Em-manuel God-with-usrdquo With

what he thought we canrsquot arguethat at times we want everythingTe more you have the moreyou want and the more you get

What if we have nothing Whatif we donrsquot have gifts food andnew clothes for the Christmas

What if we are in the place of thehomeless Would we still feel thesame Christmas Spirit withoutthe things we celebrate with it

We have to learn to celebrat eChristmas with how the poorperceive it Let us not reachthe point where we celebrateChristmas just because we willreceive our one-year wish listLet us learn to lose to sacrificeand to give during Christmas

Joseph P Teodoro

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D3The Cross December 7 2015 - 27 2015 Vol 19 No 25

Deogracias Fajota Fr Jeronimo

Ma Cruz Fr Antonio Rex PalayaFr Melvin Gamelo Fr JuliusCuison Fr Felix Labios Fr Ra-melle Rigunay Fr Randy SalungaFr Joel Cariaso Fr HernandezMendoza Fr Julius de Sagun FrRonel Ilano Fr Lowie Palines andFr Emmanuel Hiipolito

In his homily Cardinal aglestarted by citing that aside fromthe formal opening of the Dioc-esan process for Fr Willmannit was also the feast day of St

Ambrose a great teacher of theChurch known for his sanctityand teachings It was also the eveof the Immaculate Conception ofour Blessed Mother Mary plus thestart of the Advent season

Te Cardinal then focused onthe question What does it meanto be holy With the opening ofthe Cause he said that Fr George

J Willmann St Ambrose andMother Mary all responded tosanctity and holiness Cardinalagle clarified that ldquoHoliness isan attribute of God and not manrsquosachievement nor his work It isGod who is Holy and our holi-ness is a gift of God ndash our oneness

with HimrdquoCardinal agle added that the

message of the First Reading is thatthe Holiness of God is seen withmarvelous work ndash like transform-ing a desert into a garden filled

with water and flowers where we

are able to drink from Godrsquos good-ness with a safe road along the

holy way Te desert symbolizes

humanity that is seen to be dryfruitless empty and even life-less However when God entersall these are transformed into abountiful garden Godrsquos Holinessalways creates miracles ldquoWhen-ever we experience hopelessnessloaded with faults we must notbe afraid for that is the time whenGod will come to infuse His Holi-ness and cure the sickness Tat isthe Good Newsrdquo Cardinal agleadded that during this season ofadvent we must look deeper intoour deserts in order to experiencethe Holiness of God

Te Cardinal then underscoredthat we need to respond to GodrsquosHoliness not like the scribes in

the reading who questioned andrejected Jesus but like the friendsof the paralyzed man who lookedfor a nonconventional way -through the roof - to bring theparalytic closer to Jesus Cardinalagle stressed the need for us to bealert discerning with eyes of faithin order for us to respond to ourHoly God in His action when weare in our desert

he Cardinal then asked thepeople to pray for those entrusted

with the Cau se of Fr Willmannthat they may be illumined witheyes of faith With no intention ofpre-empting the Diocesan processCardinal agle simply thankedGod as we are now privileged

to share Godrsquos holiness throughpersonal experiences with Fr Will-

Sainthood D1

Process for PHrsquos new lsquoServantof Godrsquo starts rollingMANILA Dec 7 2015 ndash Manila Arch-bishop Luiacutes Antonio G Cardinal agleofficially accepted on Monday Dec 7the Feast of St Ambrose the petition toopen an investigation on the sanctity andheroic virtues of Fr George J WillmannSJ founder of the Knights of Columbus(KC) in the Philippines among otherCatholic lay organizations

At least 1000 of the naturalized Fili-pino Jesuit priestrsquos spiritual children fromall over the country including no lessthan former Supreme Court (SC) Chief

Justice Hilario G Davide Jr becamepart of Philippine Church history as they

witnes sed at the Manila Metropo litanCathedral Basilica the solemn opening ofthe archdiocesan process they hope wouldlead to beatification and canonization

lsquoGreat responsibilityrsquoIn line with this agle appointed Msgr

Pedro C Quitorio III of the CatholicBishopsrsquo Conference of the Philippines(CBCP) Media Office as postulator forthe cause of the countryrsquos newest ldquoServantof Godrdquo

He also approved the appointments ofMsgr Geronimo S Reyes Fr Wilmer RRosal and Fr Ricardo P del Rosario asepiscopal delegate vice postulator andpromoter of justice respectively as wellas of a host of other experts both clericand lay who vow to work together to giveFilipinos another saint

Te prelate went on to swear in allthose involved in the cause for Willmannrsquosbeatification and canonization remindingthem of the ldquogreat responsibilityrdquo theyhave assumed and the ldquoimportance andseriousnessrdquo of the task at hand

PHrsquos Fr McGivney Dubbed ldquoFr McGivney of the Philip-

pinesrdquo due to his dedication to expand KClocally Willmann worked for the radicaltransformation of faith into action

Born on June 29 1897 to very devoutCatholic parents in Brooklyn New Yorkthe American Jesuit was granted Philip-pine citizenship by President FerdinandMarcos through Presidential Decree(PD) No 740

In 1938 he first served as chaplain

of KC Manila Council 1000 then re-turned in 1954 to become the Orderrsquosfirst Philippine Deputy until his deathin 1977

In total the priest spent 44 fruitful andproductive years in the Philippines serv-ing the poor the sick the orphans theoppressed the lonely and the desolateespecially the young ones

KCFAPI etcBesides what is formally known as the

Knights of Columbus Fraternal Associa-tion of the Philippines Inc (KCFAPI)

which he founded in 1958 Willmannestablished other organizations as follows

bull Catholic Youth Organization (1938)bull Establishment of the Catholic Press

ldquoFilipinasrdquo and the ldquoCrossrdquo Magazines(1946)

bull Columbian Squires in the Philippines(1950)

bull Daughters of Isabella in the Philip-pines (1951) reorganized as Daughtersof Mary Immaculate (1977)

bull Columbian Farmers Aid Association(1951) reorganized as Knights of Co-lumbus Community Service Inc (1962)

bull Knights of Columbus Fraternal Asso-ciation of the Philippines Inc (KCFAPI)(1958)

bull Knights of Columbus PhilippinesFoundation Inc (1971) (Raymond ASebastiaacuten CBCP News)

Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle leads the Mass of the formal opening of the ArchdiocesanProcess for the Causes of Beatification and Canonization of the Servant of God FatherGeorge J Willmann SJ father of the Knights of Columbus in the Philippines LIN REGINO

Te Gentle Warrior By James B Reuter SJ

Part II of Chapter wo of ldquoTe Gentle Warriorrdquo series

CHAPER WO-----------------

Te Ateneo de Manila

HE Ateneo was a boysrsquo schoolTe objective of a boysrsquo school is tomake a man out of a boy Te mainvirtue of a man is courage Godmirrored His virtues in His childrenBut he divided them between girls

and boys Tere is such a thing as amasculine soul and a feminine soulIf a boy and a girl are suddenly con-fronted with a wild bull thunderingdown on them if the girl screamedand hid behind the boy that wouldbe normal But if the boy screamedand hid behind the girl everyone

would be ashamed of him Tevirtue of a girl is not physical cour-age it is love and mercy Te virtueof a boy is courage and justice Butin our schools there is no course inthe curriculum called ldquoCouragerdquo

here is no subject called

ldquoCouragerdquo Tere is no mark forldquoCouragerdquo It has to be taught inevery subject through the wholelife of the school he Jesuitsunderstood this very well AndGeorge understood it He began

to learn the meaning of couragehimself when he was five yearsold sitting on the curbstone onPutnam Avenue when the wheelof the garbage truck crushed bothhis feet

In the old Ateneo there wasa strong tradition of ldquoRomansrdquoand ldquoCarthageniansrdquo Jose Rizal

was the Emperor of the RomansEvery class was competitive TeRomans would be lined up onone side of the class the Car-thagenians on the other Te firstquestion went to the Romans

If the Romans answered it cor-rectly the questioning stayed

with the Romans If any Romanmissed the question went to theCarthagenians Ten the Romanboys would growl and grumble at

the Roman who missed It wascompetition to teach courage

And the battle cry of all theteams was ldquoAnimo Ateneordquo Youcould translate that as ldquoLetrsquos go

Ateneordquo or ldquoSpirit Ateneordquo orldquoFight Ateneordquo mdash but in practiceit meant courage Never give upno matter what the odds ldquoGoget lsquoem Ateneordquo Never say dieTis was obvious in everythingthat the boys did

But it never degenerated intoldquoWin at all costsrdquo Te secondmasculine virtue is justice Tis

means honesty integrity and fairplay Both at once mdash courageand fair play Te verse that everyathlete in the school knew by heart

was ldquoIf I should win let it be bythe code with my head and my

honor held high But if I shouldlose let me stand by the road andcheer as the winner goes byrdquo

It was a tremendous amount of work mdash teaching night and dayrunning the Sodality the ACILand the magazine mdash but Georgeloved it

And his students loved him Tefriendships that he made duringthose three years of regency from1922 to 1925 lasted more thanfifty years

(o be continued on the nextissue)

mann and his life and ministrydevoted to service that providedldquofresh water and good newsrdquo

particularly to the youth the poorand the prisonersTe Cardinal cited his own basic

formation as a Charter memberof the Columbian Squires inImus Cavite where they helpedthe Church in its program for thestreet children He also mentionedhis appreciation for being a scholarof the Knights of Columbus dur-ing Fr Willmannrsquos time

Reiterating that God indeedtransforms deserts into places ofrest peace and holiness Cardinalagle ended his homily by encour-aging all in attendance to be agentsof Godrsquos holiness

People from all walks of life joined the celebration of this Mass

that formally opened the Cause ofServant of God - Fr Willmann

Also repres ent ed were var iou sorganizations established and nur-tured by Fr George including the

Daughters of Isabella (now Daugh-ters of Mary Immaculate) Catholic Youth Organization ColumbianSquires and the Knights of Co-lumbus Parishioners and residents

with their families from nearbycities and communities of ondoIntramuros Sta Cruz Malate andother more distant places likewise

witnessed the very mean ingfulOpening of the diocesan processfor the Cause of their ldquoFather andBenefactorrdquo of forty years

Fr George J Willmann SJdevoted the last forty years of hislife not only in humble serviceand dynamic leadership of theKnights of Columbus in thePhilippines but equally being a

compassionate pastor in the careand formation of the youth He

provided relief to victims of the

war and of violence while also al-leviating the sufferings of the poorHe likewise established ways topreserve and promote the sanctityof life marriage and the family

It was in 1997 or eighteen yearsago that the Knights of Columbusin the Philippines first started aconcerted thrust to formally laythe groundwork for the Causeof Fr Willmann During theOrderrsquos centennial celebration ofFr Willmannrsquos birth the Ordercreated a Committee on Causecomposed of Ramon V ConsingLauro M Cruz and Msgr PedroC Quitorio III as co-chairmenNotable activities of the Com-mittee included gathering of tes-

timonials launch of the Prayer forthe Centennial of Fr Willmann with the Impr imatur of Msgr Jose C Abriol launching of Fr Willmann Fellows meeting withthen Jaime Cardinal Sin and theFather Provincial of the Jesuits toseek their respective endorsementsof the Cause Te Order publishedand distributed the pamphlet ldquoAGlimpsehe Life and Worksof Fr George J Willmann SJrdquoin order to give due acknowledg-ment and recognition as well as toincrease awareness abou t Fr Will-mann A landmark achievement ofthis period was the publication ofldquoTe Gentle Warriorrdquo a biographyof Fr Willmann authored by Fr

James B Reuter SJEstablishing and spreading the

fama sanctitatis of Fr Willmann

included the presentation andpromotion of his works mademore concrete by direct testimo-nies of various individuals whomhe personally interacted withFr Willmann Fellowsrsquo one-timemembership donations have beenpooled to fund the productionof materials such as prayer cardspublications tarpaulins postersto effectively promote Fr George

Willmann not only to brotherKnights but more importantlyto the youth the poor and under-privileged of various communities

In 2011 through the efforts ofthe KC Fraternal Association ofthe Philippines and the Knightsof Columbus Fr Willmann Chari-

ties Inc the National ExecutiveCommittee (NEC) for the Causeof Fr Willmann was created withthe primary function of overseeingall the initiatives relative to or inconnection with the Cause

We are blessed that the Dioc-esan process of the Cause of FrGeorge J Willmann SJ has nowbeen formally opened therebygiving us significant reason torejoice Henceforth he will nowbe regarded Servant of God Letus fervently pray for continuedenlightenment from the HolySpirit for everyone involved in thisDiocesan process and the Causeas a whole so that our belovedFr George J Willmann may ulti-

mately be elevated to the honorsof the altar

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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D4 The CrossDecember 7 2015 - 27 2015 Vol 19 No 25

FST IN CAGAYAN A Fraternal Service Training program was held in Cagayan De Oro last November 13 2015Participants were from Zamboanga Misamis and Butuan The event was graced by KCFAPI Vice Presidentfor FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBG Manager Michael Cabra Aside from the product specifications thetraining also gives an idea regarding the basic insurance process and conceptualization of new marketingstrategies in order to achieve their goals and improve their sales performance (FBG News)

AREA MEETING IN VISAYAS The KCFAPI Western Visayas Armor held an area meeting in Bacolod lastOctober 24 2015 led by Agency Unit Manager Randy G Bravo and graced by KCFAPI Vice President forFBG Gari San Sebastian (KCFAPI News)

FST IN DAVAO A Fraternal Service Training program (1 and 2) was held in KCFAPI Davao Service OfficeDavao City last November 20-21 2015 Participants were from Compostela Valley Cotabato City andGeneral Santos The training was attended by KCFAPI Vice President f or FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBGManager Michael Cabra (FBG News)

PRODUCERSrsquo FORUM KCFAPI Vice President for FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBG Manager Michael Cabraled a Producersrsquo Forum wherein fraternal counsellors all over Luzon were gathered for an update of theirincentives program held last November 11 2015 at the KCFAPI home office (FBG News)

New KCFAPI Board of Trustee Bro Pascual C Carbero

IN February of 1986 BroCarbero started his knightlyservice in the Knights of Co-lumbus under Council 10695

in Valenzuela City Duringhis service in Council 10695he has been appointed asChancellor for CY 1992-1993 and as Deputy GrandKnight and Program Direc-tor for CY 1993-1994 InDistrict M-31 of ValenzuelaCity Bro Carbero was GrandKnight for CY 1994-1995District Warden for CY 1996-1997 and District Deputyfor CY 1997-1999 He wasalso Chairman for the Roundable District Deputies forCY 1998-1999 At the Dr PioValenzuela Assembly ACN1772 Meycauayan Bulacanhe was the Faithful Naviga-

tor for CY 1999-2000 Onthat same term Bro Pascual

was the Luzo n State Audi -tor for CY 2000-2003 andthe Luzon State Warden forCY 2000-2003 of the Luzon

Jurisdiction After which forCY 2000-2001 he becamethe Charter Faithful Naviga-tor for the City of Valenzuela

Assembly ACN 2676 For

CY 2007-2015 Bro Carbero was re-a ppo inte d as Luzo nState Warden Bro Carbero

was a voting delegate in the

KC Supreme Convention heldat Washington DC in 2010and also a non-voting delegateheld at Anaheim Californiain 2002 and 2012 Currentlyhe is the State Secretary of theLuzon North Jurisdiction

Bro Pascualrsquos dedicationand enthusiasm in participat-ing in the Order gave himthe endeavor to author thecreation of the City of Valen-zuela Assembly in 1999 withthe assistance of the Districtand Vice Supreme Master

With his knightly serv ice he was awarded with several rec-ognition namely OutstandingDistrictDeputy for CY 1997-

1999 Star District Awardeefor CY 1997-1999 and Civic

Awardee as Charter FaithfulNavigator of the City of Valen-zuela Assembly ACN 2676CY 2000-2001

Apart from Knights of Co-lumbus Bro Carbero partakeshis services in other civic andreligious organizations He isa Special Lay Minister of the

Holy Eucharist Parish of theHoly Cross since 1989 and amember of the Parish RenewalExperience Group He is the

Director and reasurer of thePhilippine Insurers Club from2013 to 2014 and currently itsPresident He is also a memberof the Insurance Executive1st Friday Club of Makatiand an incoming Presidentof the Philippine Associationof Surety Underwriters Incthis 2016

He was Director Corpo-rate Secretary of Mace Insur-ance Agency Inc from 2012until 2014 and currentlythe Independent Director ofKompass Credit and FinancialCorporation and KCFAPIrespectively Bro Carbero isalso a fellow of Father George

J Willmann Charit ies Inc And since 2006 he has beenthe Vice President of IntraStrata Assurance Corporation

He graduated with a Bach-elorrsquos degree in Business Ad-ministration Major in Man-agement at Philippine Schoolof Business Administration in1973 and finished Bachelor ofLaws in Lyceum of the Philip-

pines in 1988Bro Pascual Carberorsquos wife

Sis Remedios was past presi-dent for three years of theCatholic Womenrsquos League(CWL) Valenzuela Chapterand currently the AssistantVice President for Underwrit-ing in Mercantile InsuranceCo Inc in Intramuros Ma-nila Tey are blessed with six

wonderful children namely

Soidemer Claire a pediatri-cian Abigail Claire a lawyerValerie Claire and ChristineClaire both of whom are reg-istered nurses Terese Claire

who graduated with Bachelorrsquosdegree in Laws and is currentlyreviewing for Bar exams and

Adrian Brian who is also aregistered nurse and presentlya 3rd year medical student

Former SC Justice tofellow lsquoPH Knightsrsquo Prayfor Willmannrsquos CauseMANILA Dec 8 2015 ndash Former Chief

Justice Hilario G Davide Jr has calledon fellow members of the Knights of Co-lumbus (KC) nationwide to keep prayingfor the eventual ldquoraising to the altarrdquo ofthe grouprsquos spiritual father Fr George J

Willmann SJ who was declared ldquoSer-vant of Godrdquo Monday Dec 7

ldquoSo what is demanded of us as mem-bers of Knights of Columbus What isdemanded of us as members of Knightsof Columbus Fraternal Association of thePhilippines Inc [KCPAFI]rdquo he askedldquoWe need to pray a lot Pray pray praythat the tribunal will listen to the evidencepresented Pray pray pray that the tribu-nal will actually collate all the evidenceand determine once and for all that whathas been presented through our postula-

tor is credible to merit the conferment ofbeatification later on Tis is our taskrdquo

Archdiocesan processDavide who now chairs the National

Executive Committee for the Causes ofFr Willmann made this observation in aspeech following a ceremony held at theManila Cathedral during which Arch-bishop Luiacutes Antonio G Cardinal agleofficially approved the archdiocesan process

for the causes for the beatification and can-onization of the naturalized Filipino Jesuit

he solemn occasion was witnessedby no less than 1000 representativesof KCPAFI and other organizations Fr

Willmann helped establish like Catholic Youth Organization Columbian Squiresin the Philippines (1950) and Daughtersof Mary Immaculate

Te former chief magistrate went on todescribe the entire process as ldquovery mean-ingfulrdquo since it had the power to make anordinary priest into a Servant of God

Ordinary priest to Servant of GodldquoImagine during our lifetime today in

the Cathedral we saw the conversion ofan ordinary priest to become a Servant ofGod And we hope that he will merit be-

ing a servant of God until the first step ofthe process will continuerdquo he exclaimed

According to him it must have been thefirst time for most people present to haveseen with their own eyes an event of suchldquohistoric and momentous significancerdquo

ldquoI have lived 20 times four years of mylife almost And this is the first time I have

witnessed the process how it evolves and what we can gather from it o me thisis not just making somebody brought to

the honors of the altar but for us to beable to witness how to live and how tocomport ourselves to be able to follow hisfootstepsrdquo he explained

Built-in holinessDavide pointed out that holiness is

already built in each person but it is onlya matter of expressing it

ldquoWhy I would say that holiness is inus already Because we are the templeof God and the Spirit of God is with usSometimes however we forget that this isso We close our ears We close our eyes to

Jesus Christ We close our hands to JesusChrist by helping others So this is theprocess that we have witnessed today Andto me it will very much workrdquo he added

Davide also credited Msgr Pedro C Qui-

torio III postulator of the causes for Fr Will-mann for the ldquodivinely inspiredrdquo occasionand the timeliness of the diocesan process

ldquoSo Msgr Quitorio you are divinelyinspired You planned everything in sucha way that everything we did and we willdo and what we are doing right now isnot only as legacy to the next generationbut even beyond the next generation forpeople and children yet unbornrdquo he said(Raymond A Sebastiaacuten CBCP News)

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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B5CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

life and refreshment from her waterrdquo (Laudato Si2)

Since climate is a commongood it is but right to be involved

in the discussion of climatechange especially that it is nowdestructive not only to proper-ties to but also to lives Accord-ingly the world is on the brink ofbecoming an arid wasteland dueto lsquounchecked human activitiesrsquo

We are living witnesses of thedestruction brought about by

weather changes and the effectsto health by carbon emissionshe calamities that claimedthousands of lives these pastyears and months are enoughproof to awaken in us a commit-ment to safeguard creation andhelp mitigate their effects

Pope Francis seeing the ur-gency of action in dealing with

environmental crisis points outthe use of highly polluting fossil

STATEMENTS

Statement on Coal Mining and Coal Power Plant

Final Statement of the 6th Bishopsrsquo Institute forInterreligious Affairs

Mayor Duterte

Asian celebration of the 50 th anniversary of Nostra Aetate

FABC Office of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs

Redemptorist Center Pattaya Thailand

November 16-20 2015

WE the one hundred sixty-six(166) delegates of the 40thDOPIM Bishops-Clergy Con-vention unanimously expressour serious concern on theoperation of coal mining andcoal power plant that triggersapprehension among our peopleand poses environment threat inthe provinces where such facilityis being established

With faith in the Lord of Cre-ation we want to heed the callof Pope Francis in his encyclicalLaudato Si that urges us all tocare for the earth as our commonhome Citing St Francis of As-sisi the Holy Father persuadesus to treat our common homelike our sister

However knowing the realityof our destructive attitude andactivities towards her the Pope

writes that ldquoTe6 sister now criesout to us because of the harm

we have inflicted on her by ourirresponsible use and abuse ofthe goods with which God hasendowed her We have come toseeeuro ourselves as her lords andmasters entitled to plunder herat will Te violence present inour hearts wounded by sin isalso reflected in the symptomsof sickness evident in the soilin the water in the air and inall forms of life his is whythe earth herself burdened andlaid waste is among the mostabandoned and maltreated ofour poor she lsquogroans in travailrsquo(Rom 822) We have forgottenthat we ourselves are dust of theearth (cf Gen 27) our very bod-

ies are made up of her elements we breathe her air and we receive

fuels ndash especially coal to be pro-gressively replaced without delay(Cf Laudato Si 165) We can-not simply sit idly while seeing

the unfolding of horrific eventsresulted by so called technologi-cal progress at the expense of na-ture Instead we recommend theuse of renewable energy whichis of course not harmful to theenvironment and to humans

As Bishops of the Diocesesof Dipolog Ozamis PagadianIligan and Marawi (DOPIM)

which comprise the civil prov-inces of Zamboanga del NorteMisamis Occidental Zamboan-ga del Sur Lanao del Norte andLanao del Sur we completelyoppose the operation of coalmining and coal power plantsmost especially within the afore-mentioned provinces We do this

not only because of our humanresponsibility but as a call intrin-

sic to our Christian faith We he re by ur ge al l co n-

cernedmdashboth the coal industryand the governmentmdashin thename of our Lord Jesus Christ tohave the same concern We alsocall the faithful and all people ofgood will be vigilant at all timesand in all places because ourcommon home is in danger ofdevastation We will not allowourselves to arrive at the pointof no return

May God hear us and come todefend the beautiful creation Hehas entrusted to us May Marythe Queen of all creation coverus with her mantle of maternalcare

Formulated during the 40thDOPIM Bihops-Clergy Con-vention on November 11 2015at the Diocesan Pastoral CenterDel Carmen Iligan City

Most Rev Severo C CaermareDDBishop of Dipolog

Most Rev Elenito R GalidoDDBishop of Iligan

Most Rev Emmanuel CabajarCSsR DDBishop of Pagadian

Most Rev Edwin A dela PentildeaMSP DDBishop-Prelate of Marawi

Most Rev Jesus A DosadoCM DD

Metropolitan Archbishop ofOzamiz

WHA the world desperately needs now is leadership byexample We have so many leaders in office and many moreaspiring to sit in office but are they examples of good citizen-ship If the leaders we choose are to be leaders for nationalprogress they must be visionaries AND exemplary

Corruption is indeed a great scourge of Philippine politics

Te usual face of corruption that we recognize easily is stealingfrom public funds Corruption like a monster is a devil withmany faces Killing people is corruption Killing is a crime anda sin whether it is done by criminals or public officials no mat-ter what the intention Adultery is corruption It makes marriedlove cheap and uses people for pleasure Adultery corrupts thefamily it destroys children and victimizes the weak Vulgarity iscorruption When we find vulgarity funny we have really becomebeastly and barbaric as a people When a revered and loved andadmired man like Pope Francis is cursed by a political candidateand the audience laugh I can only bow my head and grieve ingreat shame My countrymen has gone to the dregs

Is this the leadership by example that Mayor Duterte excitesin us Is this the leadership by example that makes a publicofficial deserving of the title ldquoHonorablerdquo

+SOCRAES VILLEGAS

Archbishop of Lingayen-DagupanCBCP PresidentDecember 1 2015

F i l e p h o t o

V i n c e n t G o

Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte

1 It is by Godrsquos grace andprovidence that we 87 par-ticipants in the Sixth BishopsrsquoInstitute for Interreligious Af-fairs (BIRA VI) from 17 dif-ferent countries have come tocelebrate the 50th anniversaryof Nostra aetate in our Asiancontext and in our time Weare grateful for the funding wereceived from Missio Aachenthat helped make this gather-ing possible

2 In this grace-filled gather-ing we have worked togetheras the Church in Asia retracing

our steps along the path of dia-logue praying reflecting andsharing our experiences andthoughts on the questions of

what we ha ve done so far and what we need to do fur ther forinterreligious dialogue in Asia

3 We recognize that Nostra Aet at e is sti ll ins pir ing andchallenging us to realize thevision of the Church as thepeople of God in dialogue inour time facing the interde-pendent reality of the com-plex and diverse influences ofglobalized socio-economic-cultural-political structures

we rea ffi rm the strong needof the ldquotriple dialoguerdquo with

the poor cultures and reli-gions in a journey towards theKingdom of justice peace andecological harmony

4 hrough our experienceof dialogue and action forthe last five decades we havelearned that interreligiousdialogue is not only to be aspecific pastoral strategy ofthe Church but rather an

Asian vis ion of the ChurchIt is a Church that proclaimsthe values of the Kingdom

without fear in dialogi cal col-laboration (partnership) withthe people of other religions

5 Struggling against anykind of fundamentalism ter-rorism and proselytism theChurch in Asia is called to

work toget her with other s asco-pilgrims In protecting thepoor and the environmentthrough our interreligious net-

work we are n ot do ing socia l work together but bui ldi ng

a mystical union of GodrsquosKingdom as inter-dependentbeings (in the harmony of ourrelationship with one anotherand with all creation)

6 he Church in Asia con-

firms that we cannot engage with other s in a real dialogue without having a clear ident ityof who we are and constantlygrowing in our own faith Inthe pluralistic contexts of Asiathe Church as a ldquolittle flockrdquois called to learn a kenotic(self-emptying) spirit of loveand service from Jesus ChristIt is through our humble andopen-minded approach thatreal trust and mutual under-standing with others can beestablished We are aware ofthe importance of grassrootsinterreligious dialogue whichusually starts from inter-per-sonal friendship and grows tocommunal action for justiceand peace

7 he Church in Asia takesseriously the challenges oftoday for all religions variousconflicts and violence massive

poverty and global inequalitythe increasing numbers ofrefugees and migrants pollu-tion and environmental crisiscorruption and moral degrada-tion human trafficking and

the breakdown of social cohe-sion terrorism and all formsof fundamentalism

8 One of the most urgentchallenges in Asia is to pro-claim Jesus Chri st as the Way

the ruth and the Life whileacknowledging and respecting

what is ldquotrue and holy in otherreligionsrdquo (Nostra AetateNo 2) As a community ofdisciples we give witness to

Jes us through our pe rs onaland communal l ifestyle oflove in three interconnected

way s sil enc e pre sence andstory-telling In an existentialsilence we empty ourselvesand listen deeply to the voicesof the other without judging

wi th a lov ing hear t In thedepth of our silence we are

aware of Jesusrsquo presence amongus which is inspiring our jour-ney of interreligious dialogueand action for transformingthe world It is by telling ourown story of transformationthrough Jesus as individualpersons and as communitiesthat the globalized culture ofindifference and greedy con-sumerism is to be transformedinto the gospel-culture of soli-darity and sharing

9 In our common journey with other s we Chri stians in Asia re cognize the importanceof basic human communitiesat the grassroots level wherethe dialogue of life and actionis going on especially together

with th e indigenous people Itis through these basic humancommunities that the Churchin Asia learns the holistic

world view and the sacred cos-mic spirituality which awakeus to take care of ldquoour com-mon homerdquo We are called togo beyond our comfort zoneand to develop a new narrativeof dialogue coming from ourcommon experience with thehope of rediscovering the har-monious relationship betweenhumanity cosmos and God forthe future generation

10 We commit ourselvesmore passionately to inter-religious dialogue in Asia indifferent ways for example

bull o develop local interreli-gious dialogue and action inthe grassroots communities

bull o organize formationprograms for interreligiousdialogue within the Catholiccommunity

bull (eg Seminaries religioushouses of formation and forthe laity)

bull o promote intra-dialoguebetween Christian churchesand within Catholic institu-tions

bull o support dialogue ac-tivities and forums (eg UNInterfaith Harmony Week)

bull o advocate i nterreligiousdialogue and action in thepublic sphere and cyberspace

bull o provide adequ ate prep-aration and pastoral care to theinterreligious family

11 After these days of re-flection and sharing of ourexperiences of and insightson interreligious dialogue inthe light of Nostra Aetateguided by the Holy Spirit

we ha ve com e to re ali ze againthe importance of opennesstowards the people of otherreligions and the indispens-able role of witness to theKingdom of God ever grow-

ing in the heart of As ianpeople hrough our sincerecommitment to dialogueldquoJesus Christ will be bet -ter known recognized andlovedrdquo (PCID Dialogue inruth and Charity No 39)

F a c e b o o k

F a c e b o o k

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B6 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

completion In this way the miracle ofthe Incarnation took place with theBlessed rinity taking the initiativeand Mary responding freely and gen-erously to the Spiritrsquos action in her

It is in response to the lead of theSpirit that Mary set out for Elizabethrsquoshouse to share with her relative theldquoGood Newsrdquo she was carrying withinher

Like mankind before Mary andChrist we too may have a bad re-cord when it comes to ldquobeing open toGodrdquo We may not be any better than

Adam and Eve or the people before theFlood (see Gn 65-6) or the builders ofthe ower of Babel (See Gn 113-4)

Tis Advent in the Year of Faith isfor all of us an opportunity to evalu-ate our standing in this respect and totake appropriate action If we decideto imitate Mary and Elizabeth in theiropenness to the Spirit we may be sure

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

HE times of John the Baptist were bad characterized as they were by selfishness greed prideaggressiveness oppression of the

weak Tis can be gatheredfrom the answers he gave tothose who had been struck byhis preaching and asked ldquoWhatought we to dordquo Johnrsquos strongly

worded call to conversion was

amply justified All needed toundergo a ldquometanoiardquo a changeof mind and attitude in order toenter the Reign of God

Te situation does not seemto have changed much since thetime of John the Baptist We livein a society plagued with the samemoral defects and vices People arestill greedy selfish aggressive

And of course the temptation isalways to see these moral failuresin others

In many cases it may be truethat there is so much evil aroundus But it is equally true that wetoo are not perfect here isevil in us too We fail morallyalmost every day and in various

ways We too need to undergoa ldquometanoiardquo a radical conver-sion ldquoRadicalrdquo here means that it

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

WE all experience the dif-ference that physical dark-ness or light produces inus Darkness makes us feeluneasy even anxious andafraid Light gives us a senseof security It enables us torealize where we are and

what to do

his is why the Bibli-cal creation story tells usthat ldquoIn the beginningrdquo (ie when nothing existedexcept God) ldquodarkness cov-ered the abyssrdquo Ten Godsaid ldquoLet there be lightrdquo And there was light Godsaw how good the lightwas rdquo (Gn 14a) Tepresence of light enabledGod to proceed with the

work of creation with allits wonders and poten-tials and thereby conquerthe darkness of chaos andmeaninglessness

should not stop at the individualactions but has to affect our at-titudes and set of values ie thevery root of our actions Tereshouldnrsquot be the least doubt so-ciety will start changing for thebetter the very moment we beginto improve

Advent and the special obser-vances for this year (Extraordinary

Jubilee Year of Mercy Year of theEucharist and of the Family) areinvaluable opportunities for us

to start or resume moving in theright direction Like those whoapproached John we should ask ldquoWhat are we to dordquo Te answersmay be as many as there are personalmoral situations but a ldquocommondenominatorrdquo easily applies to allOur fundamental attitude has gotto be one of openness availabilityand goodwill

Te first requirement is ldquoopen-ness to Godrdquo in grateful love andexpectation in prayer of ldquopetitionand thanksgivingrdquo (see Phil 46)mdashfor the Lord is coming to dwell inour midst and to be our ldquomightySaviorrdquo (See First Reading v 17)

Te second basic requirementis ldquoopenness to peoplerdquo hismeans readiness to share ourgoods generously with the lessfortunate (see Lk 311) to be fair

But aside from physical lightand darkness there are otherforms of these two oppositerealities in the intellectualemotional moral and spiri-tual domains In the JudeanChristian revelation light isassociated and even identifiedwith God while darkness is as-sociated and identified with sinand evil St John the Evangelistproclaims ldquoGOD IS LIGHrdquo(1 Jn 15) Consequently a lifelived without God is darknessmdashthe darkness of sin and hell (See

John 319-21) No wonder thenthat the Incarnation of GodrsquosSon is compared to the comingof light to earth (See Jn 15 and1246)

And this is precisely what wecommemorate and celebrate atChristmas the coming of thelight of Godrsquos holiness andgoodness to fight and defeatthe darkness of evil in all itsforms

In the extraordinary andunique event of the Incarna-

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

MANKIND has had a bad record fromthe very beginning of its historymdashthecriminal record of shutting God outof its plans and life Such an attitudehad few exceptions in Abram Mosesthe prophets And even those ex-ceptions were not always 100 clearIt was only with Mary that a differentattitude started to prevail an attitudeof total openness to the action of Godin onersquos life and of full availability tocooperate with Him in the actualiza-tion of His plan

Mary was the most open of all tothe inspirations and promptings ofthe Holy Spirit Like a very sensitiveharp she let the Spirit produce in herand through her the wonderful melodyof manrsquos salvation which only thedivine love can initiate and bring to

REFLECTIONS

P u b l i c d

o m a i n

C B C P N e w s

Christmas the triumph of light

The ldquoNEW JERUSALEMrdquo isthe perfect realization of Godrsquos

plan and the fulfillment of our

deepest aspirations

4th Sunday of Advent (C) Luke 139-45

December 20 2015

Solemnity of Christmas (C) John 11-18

December 25 2015

3rd Sunday of Advent (C) Luke 310-18

ldquoRejoice Sundayrdquo December 13 2015

Our advent priorities

Countdown B3

that He will work wonders also in usno matter how insignificant and weak

we may consider ourselves (See Mi51)

We need the impulse of the HolySpirit and His empowering supportto get out of ourselves to show aninterest in others and share with themthe blessings we have received from theLord including our joy (See attitudeof Mary Lk 146-49)

We need to be open to the Spiritin imitation of Mary in order tohave Christ formed in us or betterin order to be molded unto him If

we cult ivat e such an openn ess andavailability we shall ever more becomeChrist-like in our thoughts aspira-tions attitudes and actions Andthus we shall be totally committedto do our share in carrying out theFatherrsquos plan of saving love as Christdid (See Heb 105-7)

Open to the spirit in imitation of Mary

Lady of the Sacred Heart Andby the time I left the church

which is just a five-minute walkfrom my house what else couldI say but thank You Really thereis nothing much else one can say

Our Lady and Child in SanSalvatore in Onda

Funny what one sees whenone changes perspectives Goinghome from jogging one day Idecided to pass by the right (in-stead of the left) side of Via deiPettinari (Combmakersrsquo Street)I happened to look up by chanceand I saw this charming image of

Our Lady I had never seen be-fore even if Irsquod already passed by

here more than ten times Ten when I looked down I likewisenoticed what should have beenan inconspicuous door Now Isaw there was a paper posted onit hinting that inside was actuallya church called San Salvatore inOnda and the place where SaintVincent Pallottirsquos remains arevenerated I took mental noteof the opening schedule andresolved I would do the secondday of my novena there

What was beh ind that in-conspicuous door Actually asmall but amazingly beautiful

jewel of a church First behind

the green door commonly seenalong the street was another set

of wider doors made of beauti-ful strong old wood It had ahuge tarp proudly claiming thatSt John Paul II had visited thischurch For such a small churchI thought it would be surprisingany pope would do that

But of course if one knew JP IIand St Vincent Pallotti and whatthey each stood for one wouldunderstand For JP II loved topromote the apostolate amonglay people and St Vincent inhis own 19th century religious

way was one of the promotersof the lay apostolate at the time

when it was so much lacking

He founded the ldquoPious Unionof Catholic Apostolaterdquo Tatrsquos a

union of priests religious and la-itymdashbut the ldquoPallotinesrdquo as theyare called really just consists ofthe religious brothers and priestsand the laity are well theyrsquorethere But that was certainly ahuge start

Te church is now their homebase but it wasnrsquot so at first Builtnear the end of the 11th andbeginning of the 12th centuryit was given to the Franciscansfrom which two popes camefrom Knowing this historic-ity of the church and that StVincentrsquos body is now underthe altar one then understands

this church deserved the Popersquosvisit But to add to these therersquos

to everybody and be absolutelyhonest with all (See Lk 313-14)

All this is love of neighbor in itsmost elementary form and noone can claim to be exempted orto have done enough

o this we have to add thepursuit of all those ldquonatural valuesand virtuesrdquo that Paul lists in theSecond Reading (See Phil 48)Only on these conditions shall

we be able to ldquobe glad and exult with all our heartsrdquo (Zep 314) and

begin to enjoy ldquoGodrsquos own peace which is beyond all understand-ingrdquo (Phil 47)

If on the contrary we refuseto heed Johnrsquos (Godrsquos) call toconversion this Advent will bea series of ldquomissed opportuni-tiesrdquo Tere may still be laughterbut very little joy We may giveand receive plenty of gifts but

without experiencing the bliss ofreal generosity In other words wemay be like one of the decorationshanging on Christmas trees glit-tering and colorful outside butempty and ugly inside

It need not be so It should nothis Advent we have a chanceto really change for the betterstarting from ldquowithinrdquo And it isup to us to make the most of thisopportunity

tion the divine light becomesa human beingmdashJESUS OFNAZAREH His coming is not a lightning in the night thatsoon vanishes in the persistentdarkness of the sky Rather it isan enduring event mdashthe fulfill-ment of a well thought-out plandestined to last till the end oftime and beyond

Te Incarnation is an eventthat is not confined to the placeand time where it took placebut a permanent reality thatconcerns and affects the entireuniverse as well as the life ofeach human being Tis is sobecause the life and mission ofthe God-Man born in Bethle-

hem is to bring the light of loveand grace into the history ofmankind into the life of everyhuman person

his is why we believe andproclaim that Christmasmdashthecoming and dwelling of Godrsquoslight on earth ndash makes all the dif-ference Te world will never bethe same as before the ldquoChrist-

mas eventrdquo simply because Godldquopitched His tentrdquo among us More still He became one of us

He did so in order to enableeach individual and mankindas a whole to fight and over-come the many forms of dark-ness that oppress frighten andenslave usmdashthe darkness of

hopelessness meaninglessnessfear hatred oppression but es-pecially the darkness of sin andof whatever leads to the endlessdarkness of being separated fromGod forever

Nowadays the all-pervadingcacophony of commercialismand materialism tend to dis-robe Christmas of its sacred-ness and saving dimensionand to confine it to the realm

of a myth lost in the vaguenessof a distant past Against suchbackground it is essential thatwe Christian believers ap-preciate the importance ofthe historical event of theIncarnation and its relevanceto our life today

Christmas as the joyful com-memoration of the Incarnationof Godrsquos Son is an invitationto ACCEP Jesus Christ intoour existence as the light of the

world the light of our life It isalso an invitation to REJOICEin the light that radiates from

Jesusrsquo presence teaching and

example It is a commitmentto LIVE as children of thelight and thereby eliminatein ourselves and around usthe darkness of sin and evilin all their forms Christmasis an invitation and a chal-lenge to SPREAD the light ofGodrsquos love through our wordsand deeds

In this perspective theHoly Fatherrsquos call to be ac-

tively involved in the workof a NEW EVANGELIZA-ION becomes absolutely vital and releva nt to thisseason of light and joy Itis the first step toward anever-greater involvement inthe wonderful enterprise ofbuilding Godrsquos luminousKingdom of peace love andhope that can usher in theldquonew heavens and the newearthrdquo the ldquoNEW JERU-SALEMrdquo that is the perfectrealization of Godrsquos plan andthe fulfillment of our deepestaspirations

also the sheer beauty of medievaland renaissance art that one seeson the ceiling and the simplebaldachin under which Mass

was held when I was there Teimage of Our Lady and Child byCesare Mariani in the main altaris also arresting

Te church has the appellationldquoin Onda rdquo which means ldquoin the

waverdquo most probably becauseof the frequent flooding of theiber Irsquove seen some of thesesigns on marble stone aroundseveral parts in Rome indicat-ing where the river was at this orthat point and therersquos only one

thing I can say Te worst Manilafloods are as if only two inches

compared to Rome flooding inthose days Irsquom not sure if thishas any connection to one imageof Our Lady venerated there ona huge side altar ldquoVirgin mostPowerfulrdquomdashbecause one cer-tainly needed a huge power tosurvive such inundations

But last night I know I wasinundated by only one thingmdashthanksgiving for being surround-ed by such beauty and holiness

(Robert Z Cortes is a PhDstudent in Social InstitutionalCommunication at the PontificalUniversity of Santa Croce Rome

He has an MA in Ed Leadership from Columbia University)

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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B7CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

tions might become ever more numeroustill they become the rule

It is in the family that the reform ofsociety begins because it is there that welearn to respect and help one another wepractice patience and justice we learn toshare and to love in an unselfish and practi-cal manner Pope Francis speaking to theFilipino families during his Pastoral Visit

in January 2015 said ldquoIn the family wecome to know God to grow into menand women of faith to see ourselves asmembers of Godrsquos greater family theChurch In the family we learn how tolove to forgive to be generous and opennot closed and selfish We learn to movebeyond our own needs to encounterothers and share our lives with them Tat is why it is so important to pray as afamily Tat is why families are so impor-tant in Godrsquos plan for the Churchrdquo

A family where God is at home is afamily at peace Such was the Holy Familyat Nazareth And the yearly celebration ofits feast is not just a well-deserved tributepaid to its three members It is also an in-vitation and encouragement to make ourfamilies today what the family of JosephMary and Jesus was in those daysmdasha ha- ven of love of God and neighbor at itsbest a home where God felt at home afamily according to Godrsquos heart

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

PRAYING together as a family seems nolonger fashionable nowadays Te reasonsare varied so many commitments con-flicts of schedule practical impossibility ofbeing together Tere are of coursehappy exceptions of parents who everyevening gather their children for somemoments of reflection on the Word ofGod reconciliation shared prayer andrecitation of the Rosary hese samepeople are usually the ones who on Sun-days attend the Eucharistic celebrationas a family From this they derive strengthharmony cohesion And at the same timethey become an inspiration to the wholeparish community It is when the familygathers together for prayer that its mem-bersmdashboth parents and childrenmdashseethemselves under the common fatherlyauthority of God

A family that renews every day itscovenant with the Lord will have notime for endless bickering jealousyunfaithfulness harsh manners on thepart of the parents or rebellion on thepart of their children

Te families that pray together are re-ally mini ldquofaith communitiesrdquo or ldquolittlechurchesrdquo One wishes that these excep-

SOCIAL CONCERNS

M a s t e r o f t h e A n t w e r p A d o r a t i o n

M a r k E u s e b i o

Feast of the Holy Family (C) Luke 241-52

December 27 2015

World Day of Peace (C)

Luke 216-21

January 1 2016

Baptism of the Lord (C) Luke 315-16 21-22 January 10 2016

Solemnity of Epiphany (C) Matthew 21-12

January 3 2016

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

HE world is torn by wars and conflicts of every kindmdashwarsamong nations factions families Afraid of the tragediesof war simple people yearn for peace Some governments andpeace-oriented organizations try to achieve peace throughnegotiations and compromise Fortunately many times theysucceed in establishing at least a ceasefire

But we all know that peace is not simply the absence offighting Peacemdashit has been written in so many waysmdashisthe fruit of justice among nations groups individuals Morethan this peace is the fruit of being in a harmonious rela-tionship not only with others but also with oneself andespecially with God Tere can be no peace where there isrejection of God

Peace is just another word for love another word forgrace It prospers only with the defeat of sin And just asall the sufferings and destructions of war are both a sign anda consequence of sin so the defeat of sin in ourselves andaround us produces that inexpressible feeling of satisfactionand harmony that no material riches can buy and no balanceof power can create

Real lasting peace is what God the source of all good-ness wants for all mankind But in order for that peaceto become a reality we have to do our share First of allwe have to pray for it Ten we have to work for it Tatmeans to make every effort to bring it about Ten the Lord

will bless our efforts by granting us that genuine peace thathas in Him its origin and support On our part we have toaccept Godrsquos blessing of peace with humble gratitude as Heoffers it to us not as an abstract concept but as a person ndashHis very own Son Jesus Christ He is our peace becauseHe is the One who reconciles all men with the Father andamong themselves the One who reconciles each of us

with ourselves In Him we are able to recognize all humanbeings as our brothers and sisters all members of the onebig family that has God as the common Father He is theOne who called the peacemakers ldquoblessedrdquo and gave peaceto His disciples as His farewell gift

Jesus the King of Peace comes to us not in a vision orlike rain from the clouds He comes from a human motherMary Most Holy the woman of peace who has been ableto open herself to the Source of all peace and has fashionedHim in that human form in which all can recognize andlove as their elder brother In this way Mary and peace arevitally and dynamically linked And she brings peace to ourtroubled hearts and lives as Godrsquos messenger as she givesus Jesus in this Christmas season

Pope Francis calls all of us

to CARE FOR OUR COM-MON HOME Tis is one ofthe most important remindersin our times to really show re-spect to God who created allTe issuance of mining permit

will allow tree cutting activi -ties in almost 10000 hectaresland area Tis will lead to thedestruction of the very fewremaining forest in the Philip-pines and in the world We

would expec t a more imba l-ance ecology extinction ofdiversified natural resourcesexample flora fauna insectsanimals (including the Philip-pine Eagle) floods sicknesses

We reiterate that we would not

like this to happen We must remember that the

Home B4

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

EPIPHANY is the manifestation of Jesusas the MessiahSavior of all men includ-ing the pagans of goodwill representedby the Magi As such it is also the mani-festation of the divine plan hidden forcenturies in God to unite all human beingsin Christ (See Eph 11-10)

Evermore mankind moves toward the for-mation of a great international communityTis is according to Godrsquos plan Its roots arein creation itself ldquoGlobalizationrdquo is the ldquoin-thingrdquo nowadays It is a ldquosign of the timesrdquo to

which we should pay attention Tough theconcern of most of its proponents seems tobe economic its basic assumption is correctwe are one world one family of nations

Whatever is incompatible wi th this ldquoone-nessrdquo should be abolished

Many oppose globalization because if we

limit it to its economic aspect and to tearingdown trade barriers almost surely it will leadto the rich becoming richer and the poorbecoming poorer But if we take this wordto mean essentially the abolition of all bar-riers that have been erected by human prideselfishness ghetto mentalities or racism andif it ushers in a greater solidarity of thestronger with the weaker and a generoussharing by the rich with the poor thenglobalization is according to Godrsquos planand all Christians should be its most en-thusiastic supporters

Epiphany has also a special messageconcerning the attitude of all religions

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

WE say tha t people make aldquoprophetic gesturerdquo when theydo something striking that is alsoa sign of greater things to comeTose gestures reveal the depthof their passion or commitmentthey are meant to shake peopleand somehow force them to makea choice either for or againstcertain vital issues

In his lifetime Jesus mademany ldquoprophetic gesturesrdquo

such as his driving the tradersout of the emple the healingof the paralytic and many othermiracles He performed All thosegestures were ldquospectacularrdquo intheir own way Tey attracted theattention of the crowds which

wondered what their ldquomeaningrdquocould be

Tere was in the life of Jesus aldquogesturerdquo which was not spectacu-lar at all and which went unno-ticed by almost everybody exceptHis cousin John His baptism inthe River Jordan Tat gesture

was absolutely ldquocommonrdquo andldquoordinaryrdquo for it was somethingthat almost everybody was doingin those days in response to the

exhortation of John the BaptistBut Jesusrsquo baptism at the Jor-

dan lost in the crowd of sinners who were seeking forgivenesshad a depth of meaning thatmade it one of his most dra-matic ldquoprophetic gesturesrdquo It

was his baptism in fact whichrevealed the essence of Jesusrsquomission and became the occa-sion for the revelation of hisconcealed divine identity

he ldquoprophetic dimensionrdquoof Jesusrsquo action was not so muchin his entering the waters of the

Jordan ashis immersing himselfin the crowd of sinners Tat was

something unthinkable and un-believable Only Godrsquos incrediblelove for every human being andall mankind could have conceivedsuch an ldquoimmersionrdquo which was socomplete and involving as to be atotal ldquoidentificationrdquo Tat wasthe reason why the eternal andall-holy Son of God had comedown from heaven and had un-dergone the fullest ldquoimmersionrdquoin the ocean of mankindrsquos miseryand in human history Jesusrsquobaptism is a clear manifestationof Godrsquos mercy toward mankindTe Word the eternal Son of theFather clad in human flesh in

Jesus of Nazareth becomes one with sinful mankind not to be its

judge but its Savior and the HolySpirit appearing in the form of a

dove a symbol of peace remindsus of Godrsquos mercy on the ldquorem-nantrdquo of mankind as the purifyingflood subsided (See Gen 810-11) Jesusrsquo baptism was a furthermanifestation of the meaning andpurpose of the Incarnation

hrough that ldquoimmersionidentificationrdquo the totally sinless Jesus became a part not onlyof the relatively small group ofsinners gathered by the banksof the Jordan but also of theimmense crowd of sinners thatis the whole of humankind And

just as his immersive in the watersof the river sanctified them so didhis presence among the crowd ofsinners bring them the possibilityof receiving purification from sin

Tat was exactly Jesusrsquo missionIsaiah the prophet had alreadyforeseen this when he announcedthat the mission of the ldquoServant ofthe Lordrdquo was to bring ldquojusticerdquo(that is holiness) to the nationsOf him the Lord God said ldquoIformed you and set you as a cov-enant of the people a light forthe nations to open the eyes ofthe blind to bring out prisonersfrom confinement and from thedungeon those who live in dark-nessrdquo (See todayrsquos First Reading)

In his life Jesus ldquoactualizedrdquosuch a liberating and sanctify-

ing ldquoimmersionrdquo by associatingwith sinners and even seekingtheir company ndash something thatshocked the ldquoholyrdquo people of histime His association with ldquopublicsinnersrdquo was bound to tarnishhis reputation as his opponentspointed out on several occasions

Jesus did not mind that criti-cism and continued like beforeformdashas he himself saidmdashit is sickpeople who need a doctor (SeeMt 912) But his immersinghimself in the crowd of sin-ful mankind cost Jesus much

moremdashit cost him his very lifefor he was put to death to atonefor the sins of all

Jesusrsquo vicarious self-offering was so power ful in its effec tbecause of who he wasmdashGodrsquosbeloved Son on whom the Fa-therrsquos favor rested Such a solemnproclamation of Jesusrsquo divineidentity soon after his baptismbalanced so to speak his hid-ing himself among the crowdof sinners at the Jordan RiverIt also completed the ldquopropheticnaturerdquo of what happened on thatdaymdashGodrsquos very Son coming tosave all mankind by sharing fullyits predicament of misery in or-der to transform it from within

through the superabundant holi-ness that only God is

Families according to Godrsquos heart

symbolized by the Magi toward JesusChrist He should be the one acknowledgedby all believers as the universal Savior sentby God to bring all mankind back to GodTe gifts offered by the Magi to Jesus in

Bethlehem can symbolize the different char-acteristics which the major world religionscan offer as their distinct contribution to theestablishment of the Kingdom proclaimedand established by Christ the gold of faithin one merciful God and the power of His Word as a feature of Islam the incense ofmeditation love for nature and peace thatcharacterize Buddhism the myrrh of dedica-tion and industriousness that characterizeConfucianism Jesus rejects nothingof the values these faiths have He acceptsthem all and brings them together into onepractical synthesis that makes humankindthe family of God on earth

Jesus is indeed the center of humanhistory because he is the center of Godrsquosplan for mankind He is the ldquocenterrdquonot only in the sense that his coming hasdivided the centuries into two great blocks

of ldquobeforerdquo and ldquoafterrdquo Christ He is alsothe one in whom all men can find thecommon point of reference to form a realfamily of nations and peoples withoutcoercion or exploitation Te light of hisGospel can penetrate all cultures assumeall their valid elements and purify the restfrom those negative aspects which thepower of sin has gradually introduced inthem

Only Jesus Christ can keep all men unitedin a community of sincere respect lastingsolidarity and practical love For the plan ofthe Father born of love will find its fulfill-ment only in LOVE

Mary of NazarethMother of JesusMother of peace

Christ the unifying centerof all mankind

One with sinners to save them

environment can exist even

without us but we can neverexist without the environmentnature We only have one com-mon home the Earth there isno other

We urge the Dep ar tmentof Environment and NaturalResources to take the real leadto protect our remaining ldquoenvi-ronment and natural resourcesrdquoplan with other governmentagencies and environmentallyconcern organizationsfounda-tions on how to preserve ourremaining forests and marinelife sanctuaries

NO O MINING IN MA-GUM PUJADA BAY AND SA-LINGCOMO MAI CIY

PROVINCE OF DAVAO ORI-ENAL

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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B8 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

Look for the images of Saint Joseph Mama

Mary and Baby Jesus

(Illustration by Bladimer Usi)

Bladimer UsiLolo Kiko

Buhay Parokya

KANISS Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) both a victor in andsubverter of Panemrsquos Hunger Games is now a symbol of the revolu-tion whom rebel president Alma Coin (Julianne Moore) and powerbroker Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman) want to usestrictly as a poster girl Stubborn freedom-fighter Katniss howeverhas her own agenda and that includes killing President Snow (Don-ald Sutherland]) to end once and for all the senseless deaths of somany young people Forming a team of rag-tag soldiers that includeclosest friends Gale (Liam Hemsworth) Finnick (Sam Claflin) andPeeta (Josh Hutcherson) she goes off on a mission risking theirlives through a booby-trapped war to liberate the citizens of PanemTe final confrontation between Katniss and Snow presided overby Coin is an electrifying game-changer

Te Hunger Games is not exempted from the fad of choppinginto ldquopartsrdquo the movie adaptations of popular books Harry Potterwilight Te Hobbitmdashthey have all stretched their heroesrsquo exploitsto prolong box office earning power and yet the fans wait AfterHunger Games MockingjayPart 1 which judging fromits relatively weak performanceat the tills must have been aforgettable movie that testedthe patience of fans Mocking-

jay Part 2 revs up with moreof the thrills that have madethe Hunger Games series theprototype of dystopia flicks foryoung adults (Divergent et al)Te strong cast monumentallycontributes to the realism of theHunger Games franchisemdashhowcan it go wrong with a leonineSutherland a steely Moore asly Hoffman And of coursethe winner Lawrence who canequally sell with aplomb partscalling for either vulnerability orverve In Mockingjay 2 the starsrsquo solid performances interwoven

with heart-stopping CGI make for a fitting finale to a story that

capitalizes on manrsquos inhumanity to manItrsquos surprising that a number of film critics are disappointed with the

filmrsquos ending calling it ldquosappyrdquo and an anti-climactic conclusion to anadrenalin-packed series that promised so much by way of action andheroism Teir cynical remarks remind us of biblical Israel waiting fora savior who would topple down the ruling elite with its own brandof kingship but is instead given a Jesus Christ CINEMA thinks theending is actually a statement that magnifies the upbeat message of the

whole story enough is enough Murder as spectator sport is sub-human At least when beasts kill it is to survive but in Panem the poor youngpeople are robbed of choice and must kill in order to livemdashas enter-tainment for the elite So Mockingjay mocks the elite it cries ldquoGivehumanity a chancerdquo Whatrsquos wrong with wanting to dump violence tostart afresh Choose life not death Arrows that used to kill people arealso useful for hunting fowl for the dinner tablemdashis that against the lawldquourn your swords into ploughs and your spears into pruning hooksrdquoMaybe the cynicsrsquo eyes have grown to love the Hunger Gamesrsquo darknessthat the sunlight-dappled scenery blinds them Or maybe after fallingin love with the couture of Panemrsquos stylish crowd theyrsquore simply horri-

fied by Katnissrsquo drastic costume change Whatever CINEMA wouldnrsquothave wanted the ending any other way

ENTERTAINMENT

MAGPAPAKASAL at magsump-aang magmamahalan nang wagasang dating live-in partners nasina Basya (Bea Alonzo) at Popoy(John Lloyd Cruz) Bilang mgalisensyadong enhinyero at arkitektoay magtataguyod sila ng construc-tion business na mabilis na uunladLalong magpupursige ang mag-asawa na magpalago ng negosyodahil magbubuntis si Basya Naisnilang mabigyan ng magandangkinabukasan ang kanilang anak

Subalit dahil sa pressure ng tra-baho ay makukunan si Basya attuluyang mawawala ang sanggolna kanyang dinadala Labis itongikalulungkot nina Basya at Popoykaya napagkasunduan nila ayonna rin sa mungkahi ni Basya natitigil siya sa pagtatrabaho upangmakabuo uli sila ng baby Nanatilisi Basya sa bahay at di nakialam sanegosyo sa loob ng dalawang taonPinaubaya niya ang pagpapatakbong negosyo kay Popoy Magtitiwalasi Basya sa kakayanan ng asawa namahusay nitong mapapamahalaanang kompanya katulad ng nagingproblema ng pagguho ng isangbuilding project Hindi rin gu-gustuhin ni Popoy na bigyan ngalalahanin si Basya Samantala sakabila ng magandang saloobin nilasa isarsquot isa ay ang napipintong pag-kalugi ng negosyo na siya namangililihim ni Popoy kay Basya Dahilsasarilinin ni Popoy ang problemamaapektuhan ng tuluyan angkanilang pagsasama

Sequel ng pelikulang One MoreChance na pinalabas noong 2007ang Second Chance Matatan-daang tumatatak ang naunangpelikula dahil sa mga tinatawag nalsquohugot linesrsquo nina Alonzo at Cruzsa nasabing pelikula Di namannabigo ang mga nag-abang sa se-quel na ito dahil naganap nga angsecond chance sa mga pangunah-ing tauhan na sina Basya at PopoyMalinis ang pagkakadugtong ng

dalawang pelikula --- parehongmga tauhan at kontexto gayundinang mga artistang nagsiganap Sakabila ng pagkakaroon ng prequelay napanatili ang malayang istoryang Second Chance bilang isangpelikula Bagamat predictable ang

wakas ay naging kasabik-sabikpa din ang mga eksena at mgapalitan ng linya ng lahat ng tau-han Di matatawaran ang husayng pagganap nina Alonzo at Cruzbilang mag-asawa panalo talagaang tinatawag na chemistry nilangdalawa Di rin nagpahuli nag mgakatuwang na aktor at aktres Mag-aling ang ginawang trato ng direk-

tor para mapalabas ang kalakasanng mga nagsiganap at ang mgaeksenang hinaluan ng patawa lalona sa eksena kasama ng mga kai-bigan Simple lamang ang disenyong produksyon pero nakatulongang mga kuha ng camera at edit-ing para maging makabuluhan saistorya ang setting Makahuluganang composition na nagpapakitang electric fan para sa mensahe nanagtitipid na ang mag-asawa dahillugi na ang kompanya

Mayaman sa mensahe parasa mga mag-asawa ang SecondChance Pinakita sa pelikula angrealidad ng buhay may-asawa nahindi lang puro kasarapan sa halip aymga pagsubok na maaring mauwi sahiwalayan kung hindi haharapin ataayusin Sa relasyon ng mag-asawa

ay napakahalaga ng magiging bu-kas sa isarsquot isa kaya anuman angpagdaanan ay magkatuwang nahaharapin Ang pagtatago ni Popoyng katotohanan kay Basya ang nag-ing mitsa ng lumubhang alitan dipagkakaunawaan pagkawala ngrespeto at palitan ng masasakitna salitamdashpati tiwala sa sarili aynawala At sa punto na pipiliin ngisa na lumayo at hanapin ang sariliay nakatulong na balikan ang mga

sumpaan binatiwan nuong sila ayikinasal at higit sa lahat ang kanilangpagmamahal sa isarsquot isa Mainamdin na may mga kaibigan at pamilyana pwedeng lapitan na susuporta athindi manghuhusga manunumbato mang-uudyok sa paggawa ng maliKapuna-puna lang na bagamatnagsimula at nagwakas ang pelikulasa chapel ay tila di man lang nilanaisipan na magdasal habang maypinagdaraanan sila Nais isipin ngCINEMA na ang gusto lamangsabihin ng pelikula ay ang pag-aasawa ay hindi lamang sa pagitanng dalawang tao kundi dapat aykasama palagi ang Diyos

DIRECTOR Cathy Garcia-Molina

LEAD CAST Bea AlonzoJohn Lloyd Cruz DimplesRomana

SCREENWRITER VanessaValdez Carmi Raymundo

GENRE Romantic Drama

CINEMATOGRAPHER NoelTeehankee

RUNNING TIME 130 minutesTECHNICAL ASSESSMENT

MORAL ASSESSMENT CINEMA Rating V13

A SECONDCHANCE

DIRECTOR Francis LawrenceLEAD CAST Jennifer Law-

rence Josh HutchersonLiam Hemsworth WoodyHarrelson Donald Suther-land Julianne Moore PhilipSeymour Hoffman

GENRE Adventure ScienceFiction

RUNNING TIME 137 minutesTECHNICAL ASSESSMENT

MORAL ASSESSMENT CINEMA rating V14

THE HUNGER

GAMESMOCKINGJAY 2

Buhay San Miguel Brothers Matias

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 1724

Philippine Army Chaplaincy CFC

Hold 1st National Convention

The first-ever OACCS - OSM CEP Convention further strengthened the camaraderie between the chaplaincy and the local CFC created a more solid CFC OSM Core enabledthe stakeholders to work together and recognized the efforts of those who work tirelessly under the program

CFC Metro Manila as one big happy family worshipped danced sang played gamesand had fun during the last MC Gathering of the year

By Alma Alvarez

CFC ANCOP USA Pontificio Collegio Fillipino Sign Partnership Agreement

CFC MM MC Celebrates the Family

HIS Eminence Cardinal Luis Antonio agle Chairman of PontificioCollegio Filippino and its Rector Msgr Greg Gaston recently signedthe ANCOP USA Priest Sponsorship Program (PSP) partnership

with Eric Villanueva Roger Santos and Rollie Balanza Couples forChrist - ANCOP USA leaders Te ANCOP USA PSP will assistpriests from the Philippines who will be sent by their Bishops to doadvance studies in Rome

In his letter to Villanueva Cardinal agle wrote ldquoOur partnership will

allow more Bishops to send Priests for ongoing formation and furtherstudies in Rome to better equip them in serving Gods people as SeminaryFormators and as collaborators in the different Diocesan Ministries back

HE Metro Manila Mission Coregathered as one big CFC familyduring this months MC Assemblylast December 6 2015 Leadersfrom the Family Ministries likewisecame to the Ynares Sports Arenato hear Mass together celebrateshowcase talents play in the fungames and just enjoy each otherscompany before the end of the year

CFC Spiritual Director Msgr Allen Aganon celebrated Mass Inhis homily Msgr Allen emphasizedthe enormity of the role of John theBaptist as the one who heralded thecoming of Jesus Christ despite hishumble beginnings He challengedthe CFC leaders to be like Johnthe Baptist

We are ordinary people who

home As a result our Church in the Philippines will be strengthenedso that Priests and laity alike could carry out our respective work ofevangelization and service not only to the Church but also to societyrdquo

According to the agreement the PSP is for Masters Licentiate orDoctorate studies only ANCOP USA PSP funds will cover the priestrsquosboard and lodging at the Collegio in the amount of $10000 per year

All other needs such as tuition fees medical insurance transportationbooks etc will be provided for by the Bishop as a local counterpart

Tis would ensure that priests can benefit from the partnershipo donate or to know more about the program please visitwwwancopusa-psporg

THE CFC Order of St Michael(OSM) in cooperation with thePhilippine Army Ofce of theArmy Chief Chaplain Service(OACCS) staged the rst everCharacter Enhancement Pro-gram (CEP) Convention last No-vember 24 2015 at the PhilippineAir Force Museum Pasay CityRetired Col Arturo Alabanza amember of CFC Metro Manila(South B) and head of the OSM

OSM C4

together with the OSM Corespearheaded the event

In his opening remarks Alabanza describedhow the OSM came together with the OACCS

and forged a long-term partnership to ldquodeveloprighteous God-fearing soldiers loved by theFilipino peoplerdquo through the CEP Te CFCOSM has developed modules specifically cater-ing to the soldiers their spouses and childrenOACCS on the other hand has the author-ity to mandate Commanding Officers of thevarious Army camps nationwide to employthe CEP

Te convention allowed the stakeholders toreport on the accomplishments and enabledthe Army Chaplains from the different Infan-

try Divisions to plan with their local Couplesfor Christ counterparts regarding strategies forCEP and its continuing spiritual enhancementmodules It was likewise an opportunity for

CFC OSM to present the second module forthe CEP which the group plans to roll outbeginning 2016

ANCOP Chairman Joe Yamamoto in hisinspirational talk reiterated Pope Francisrsquo callfor new evangelization and emphasized thatthe partnership is a clear response of each per-son involved whether it be the Chaplaincy orthe lay stakeholders to be agents of change inthe spiritual realm within the Philippine Army

Several of those serving in the program

His Eminence Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle and the leaders of CFC ANCOP USA f orging a strong partnership for further education among Filipino clergy

are called to herald Christ andto be missionaries of mercy heemphasized

Te Mass was followed by theopening worship led by the MetroManila Missions Director MannyGarcia and a brief message fromCFC Chairman Joe ale

Te CFC Order of St Michaelthrough its Head Art Alabanzatook the opportunity to honor the55 Singles for Christ volunteers

who served in the Christian LifeProgram for the PMA Cadets inBaguio Te fun-filled games forthe adults and children talentpresentations and face-paintingadded to the festive mood rulyit was a day for the family (CFCGlobal Communications)

Reconciliation is Key to Advent PreparationsldquoTHE best way to prepare forChristmas is reconciliation Thebirth of Jesus is Gods offering ofreconciliationrdquo

his was the essence of the Advent recollection given by FrGerard imoner OP Provincialof the Dominican Order in thePhilippines for the workers of theCFC Global Mission Office Terecollection was held last Novem-ber 28 2015 at the Obizpado deCubao in Quezon City

In his reflection Fr imoner

creatively wove reconciliation withforgiveness as well as the new

evangelization taking into account Jesusrsquo words to ldquoshake off the dust

from your feetrdquo According to hima good spiritual foot spamdashthe act

of shaking the dust off onersquos feet toremove all traces of the bad news to

enable one to proclaim the GoodNewsmdashis essential in preparing

oneself during AdventFr imoner described for-

giveness as ldquosetting a prisonerfree and realizing that thatprisoner is yourdquo He illustratesldquoJesus did not forgive whileon the cross Instead he saidlsquoFather forgive them for theyknow not what they dorsquo We canonly forgive if we engage Godsforgiveness within our ownrdquo

he best path to the newevangelization is to allow our-selves to be reconciled with God

amp each other he emphasized(A Alvarez)

The News Supplement of

Couples for Christ

C1CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 1824

Reflections on Advent

I IS the start of a new liturgical

year As in every year the previ-ous liturgical year ended withthe feast of Christ the King afitting high point indeed Aftergoing through the year observ-ing the various highs and lowsand phases of His life in theend and rightly so we proclaim

Jesus as indeed the King of kingsand the Lord of lords

And so the Church starts thecycle anew beginning fromHis birth into this world obuild up to that we have theseason of advent of waitingof anticipating of preparingfor the birth of He who werecognize and proclaim as theKing of kings

One would expect that thismajor season is ushered in

with Bible vers es express ingthe level of excitement befit-ting the birth of the King ofthe universe It is therefore abit surprising and soberingthat the opening reading ofthis season is one with a themethat speaks not of celebrationbut of foreboding of the com-ing end times

here wil l be strangethings happening to the sunto the moon and the stars Onearth whole countries will bein despair afraid of the roarof the sea and the raging tidesPeople will faint from fear asthey wait for what is comingover the whole earth for the

Joe Tale

powers in space will be driven

from their courses hen theSon of Man will appear comingin a cloud of great power andglory When these things begin tohappen stand up and raise yourheads because your salvation isnear Luke 2125-28

Moreover we are enjoined tobe on watch and to be vigilantin a specific way Be careful notto let yourselves become occu-pied with too much feasting anddrinking and with the worries ofthis life or that Day will suddenlycatch you like a trap For it willcome upon all people everywhereon earth Be on watch and prayalways that you will have thestrength to go safely through allthose things that will happen andto stand before the Son of Man

Luke 2134-36It is significant we might evensay ironic that during this seasonof merriment in anticipation ofthe birth of the Messiah we are

warned exactly not t o be merryIn this period that we normallycelebrate with much food and

wine and music we are instructedto refrain from such things

Is the verse dousing cold wa-ter on all these festivities andpreventing us from celebrating

joyously the arr ival of t he KingNot so he verse simply re-

minds us of something more im-portant whatever be the seasonof our life of being constantlyprepared and on the watch at

all times not ever to bring our

guards down whether we are go-ing through our low moments orhigh points in our life We are re-minded to always Be Preparedas the Boy Scouts motto goes

whatever our spec ific situationmay be at any given time

Als o I sense tha t the Lor d would like to bring us to a deeperlevel of rejoicing not merely onthe level of the frivolous as toomuch feasting and drinking areTe words of Jesus do not preventus from rejoicing He wants us tocontinue to be prepared even as

we celebrate He warns us not torejoice in a wanton way that takesus away from our right senses re-sulting in our being unpreparedhus our rejoicing should becoming from deep in our hearts

not shallow and hollow expres-sions of the same Our rejoicingshould be geared towards allowingus to still be prepared

hus as we hold our Christ-mas parties and dwell in themerriment of the season let usbe mindful of the words fromthe Gospel Appropriate feastingand drinking not only make usfaithful to the gospel but is alsomore healthy Significantly tooit should make us more caring tothose who have less and hope-fully lead us not to be wastefuland to share whatever we have somany others will also experiencea truly Merry Christmas

Rejoice in the Lord

HE RED Cubs harvested thegrand championship of the recentlyconcluded CFC GMC Ablaze Cup2015 held last December 2 - Decem-ber 8 2015 at the sports facilities ofCamp Crame

Te friendly games were partici-pated in by the different departmentsin the CFC Global Mission CenterTe Red Cubs romped off with the

Red Cubs are Champions in CFC GMC Ablaze Cup 2015

Go go go GMC clockwise from top left Caloy Rubio CFC Ablaze Cup Event Head exhorting participants the board of judges CFC Chair Joe Tale inspiring the athletes paradeof athletes the Orange Tigers basketball game between the Red Cubs and the Maroon on Fire cheerdance competition

Mel and Aimee Serrano talking about the highs and lows of dealing with in-laws

In Highs And In-Laws Dealing With Your In-Laws

ldquoATRASrdquo BOYS amp GIRLS

Are We Waiting For Jesus At The Right Spot

This Advent

IN983085LAWS he very word re-minds many a married coupleof discomfort awkward evenstrained relationships and some-times open conflict But are rela-tionships with the family membersof your spouse meant to be merelytolerant Te latest Couples forChrist (CFC) ndash Young Couples

Assembly on November 30 heldat St Pauls College in Pasig Citytackled precisely this topic andcame up with this wildly inge-nious insight In-laws are peopletoo ndash love them

According to the speakers Meland Aimee Serrano of CFC ndashMetro Manila West B lovingthem in all sincerity will work

wonders ldquoTat is the tried andtested formula love your in-lawsrdquoshared Mel a school owner fromQuezon City

During the talk which theypeppered with lots of insights andsharing of personal experiences as a

PASIG City Nov 29 2015 ndash What do weusually do when we find out that someone welove or an important personality is visiting ou rhome We tidy up we prepare good food butmost of all we wait his was the m essage thatabout 150 young married couples heard duringthe Family Mass at the Couples for Christ ndash

Young Couple s Assembly at St Paul Colleg eConvention Center held last November 30

Fr Ruper Solis SVD who celebrated theFamily Mass reminded the couples presentthat to wait for something or someone also

couple married for 20 years the Ser-ranos focused on several key points1 Handle them with care

Tis means giving attention tothe one who needs more takingcare of them in their old age as

well as training your kids to respecttheir grandparents

ldquoOn our part we have to makesure that our children will give duerespect [to them] and be able tounderstand intricacies that come

with old agerdquo said AimeeldquoWhether may sama ng loob

(hurt feelings) sometimes there will be times na mahirap makipag-kita (that it will be difficult to meetthem) but you have to go to themKailangan nating gawin yun (Weneed to do it)rdquo she stressed

2 Acknowledge differences According to the couple people

should recognize that their spousemay not have the same familyculture as they do Value systems

means waiting at the right placeldquoAs Christians our life is a series of waiting

Dapat maghintay ka sa tamang lugarhindi langsa tamang panahon na sinasabi ni Lola Nidora noPero sa tamang lugar din (We should wait not justfor the right time but waiting should be doneat the right place as well)rdquo explained Fr Ruper

he young priest who was an SVD missionaryassigned to Argentina for more than seven years

went on to tell the story of how once in Argentinahe was waiting by the side of the road flagging

championship crowns in badmin-ton (women) table tennis (menand women) tug-of-war and peelbanana It was a close fight with theMaroon on Fire team who grabbedthe winning titles for basketballvolleyball cheer dance and chess(men) and ended up 1st runner-up

with les s than 2 points from the winning team Te Orange igerscame in 2nd runner-up while YellowHotshots was 3rd runner-up basedon the last team standings

Te awarding ceremonies wereheld last December 8 2015 dur-ing the celebration of the CFCGMC Christmas party Tis an-nual event is an opportunity forthe mission workers to enjoy eachotherrsquos company Te Ablaze Cuplikewise serves as a venue tofoster and promote the spirit ofsportsmanship and unity amongthe GMC workers from bothpastoral and mission support(Yvonne Dolorosa)

HE WORD ldquoatrasrdquo means a backwardmovement It is generally used to refer to theldquoReverserdquo function of a vehicle In Lanao DelNorte the word has been applied to a group ofboys abd girls who guide vehicles in and out ofparking spaces the equivalent of the ldquoWatch-your-carrdquo aides in Metro Manila

he CFC leaders in the province immedi-ately thought of the Atras Boys and Girls ofLanao Del Norte when Cardinal agle said ndashldquoGo to the peripheries be a mobile clinicto heal the poor from spiritual sickness rdquo

Another ins pirat ion was from one of the mostimportant pastoral subjects of Pope Francisabout the ldquofamily and the poorrdquo

Every time I go to mass at the St MichaelrdquosCathedral with my wifeata the ldquoatras boysand girlsrdquo are all over the area assisting ve-hicles either to park or to exit the parking area

When n ot per formi ng thi s function they andother members of their family can be seenbegging for their daily sustenance hey areusually homeless their home being along theperipheries of the Cathedral or the sidewalks

he inspiration led the Area Governanceeam to the idea of bring these boys and girlsand their parents to a Christian Life Programhey moved quickly with Boy Suezo approv-ing the strategic CLP as designed by RegionalPastoral Formation Head Art Maderazo andinserting video clips appropriate to the CLPtalks With the activation of the SOLD Min-istry with Bro Roger Sultan as Provincial Co-

ordinator SOLD was made the lead ministryof the ldquoAtras Boys and Gir lsrdquo CLP

Initially the number of participants was limitedto five (5) for logistical reasons but the HolySpirit deemed otherwise ndash the attendees eventuallynumbered ten individuals and three (3) coupleshe CLPs were scheduled every hursday at 600orsquoclock in the evening with dinner provided byCFC brothers and sisters particularly the AGrsquos

wives and ANCOP members he SOLD Prov in-cial Coordinator took care of fetching the partici-pants from the Cathedral and also bringing themback to their ldquohomesrdquo It did not matter to Rogerthat his car would often retain the smell of the

unwashed he persisted in servicing the transportneeds of the participants

November 05 2015 was truly a pleasant anda memorable day to the service team On thatday five of the ten boys and girls and two (2)couples dedicated their life to CFC One of theparticipants stood up to give an inspiring testi-mony ending with ldquohank you CFC for makingus somebody in your heart hank you for beingmindful of the conditions of the poor and thankyou for bringing Christ to our livesrdquo (ldquoSalamatCFC nga aduna pa diay kami luna sa inyong kas-ingkasing Salamat CFC sa inyong pagpakabanasa susama kanamo nga mga timawa Salamat sainyong panahon pag hatag kanamo sa pagtulun-anni Kristo)

It is envisioned that this kind of evangeliza-tion can be replicated in other areas nationwidethe beginning of a truly strategic evangelizationHopefully this is also the beginning of a newlife for the new CLP graduates with CFC being

instrumental in helping them provide for theirfamilyrsquos future (Nonoy Haim)

disciplining style even views onhow to handle finances will of-tentimes be different Tat is whyunderstanding coupled with love

will go a long wayldquoDifferences and conflicts are

not unhealthy but mismanagementis Never criticize your in-lawsrdquoMel said

Also in case of confl ict themessenger or the ldquobridgerdquo shouldbe the one with the primary re-lationship (spouse to own fathermother)

he Serranos candidly sharedabout a conflict that eruptedbetween Aimee and her father-in-law during the campaignperiod for local elections whenMel ran for public office heconflict was soon followed by aperiod of silence a Cold Warso to speak ldquoIt took us at leasta year or two [My father said]kasi pag di natin inayos tolahat tayo maapektuhan (If we

dont fix this all of us will beaffected) It helped that thecouple prayed and sought DivineIntervention and asked the com-munity to pray with them heHoly Spirit worked

3 Respond appropriately What if ev en af ter l ovin g and

understanding them its stillnot smooth sailing with your in-laws Heres what the Serranoshad to say

bull iming is everythingbull Learn when to speak or keep

your mouth shutbull ake a breath cool offbull Maintain a sense of humorbull Remember unsolicited advice

is just an opiniono cap their talk the couple

brought back the participants tothe basics of loving in-laws to actout your love to build bridges andto communicate (Nirvaana EllaDelacruz)

HOMILY C3

IN A Memorandum sent to the Philip-pine Missions leaders last November23 2015 PM Director Jose Yamamotoappointedreassigned leaders for theNortheastern Luzon region

Mark Banzon has been appointedProvincial Area Head (PAH) of Isabelavice Rommel Ancheta ony de la Cruz

on the other hand was tapped to be PAHof Nueva Vizcaya vice Raul Balaquiao

O set a new tradition in the CFC Family the InternationalCouncil has agreed to make December 27 the Feast of theHoly Family as a special day for the members of the familyto honor one another Tis will allow each person in thefamily to express their gratitude to the Lord for the gift offamily and the importance of having each member of thefamily around for the love support and service As a sug-

New Appointments for CFC GMC NE LuzonFamily Honoring Night Set

Balaquiao was appointed PAH of IlocosSur vice ony de la Cruz while Cholo

Yjares is now PAH of Cagayan vice BongPagulayan Pagulayan is now PAH ofKalinga vice Cholo Yjares

he move is essentially a realignmentof the leaders in the Northeastern Luzonarea in the interest of the mission except

for Banzon who is a new appointee andfor Noel Malamug who remains as

PAH of Ifugao hese changes are to takeeffect on January 1 2016 Edythe Aven-dantildeo is also set to replace Didi Galsim asHandmaids of the Lord InternationalCoordinator effective January 1 2016

In the Global Mission Center RickyRico was appointed Head for the GAd-min effective October 1 2016 while Jay

Lucena was appointed head of the CFCEvents group also effective October 1facebookcomCFCGlobalMission CFChrist

The Ugnayan News Supplement is published by the Couples for Christ Global Mission Foundation Inc with editorial ofces at 156 20 th Avenue 1109 Cubao Quezon City

Editorial trunk line (+63 2) 709-4868 local 23

Direct line (+63 2) 709-4856

wwwcouplesforchristglobalorg cfcglobalcommunicationsgmailcom

Michael C Ariola

IC Oversight

Zenaida A Gimenez

Editor-in-Chief

Alma M Alvarez

Associate Editor

Evangeline C Mecedilla

Circulation Staff

Deomar P Oliveria

Layout Artist

The News Supplement

of Couples for Christ

gestion the guidelines indicate the following as the activitiesfor the said day hearing Mass together dining together athome praying together and in gratitude expressing theirlove to one another

hrough the Family Honoring Night the community hopesto strengthen the relationship among the family members andempower each one to truly cherish and love one another

Bong Pagulayan

Mark Banzon

Cholo Yjares

Ricky Rico

Edythe Avendantildeo

Raul Balaquiao

Jay Lucena

Tony de la Cruz

C2 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 1924

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 2024

CFC China Conducts

Mission Heads Training

CFC Greece Leaders Meet Archbishop of Athens amp Nuncio

COUPLES for Christ USA and CFC Greece leaders paid a courtesy call on Archbishop Sevastianos Rossolatos and Fr George Altouvas at the Archd ioce se of Athens he g roup in troduced Couples f or Chri st to the new Archbishop and di scus sed theirplans to initiate a CFC Youth Camp in Greek as well as to develop CFC teachings in Greek

On another occasion the CFC leaders met with the Apostolic Nuncio of the Holy See in Athens Archbishop Edward Joseph AdamsTey discussed challenges and forthcoming changes in the Greek Catholic hierarchy and laid down CFCrsquos plans for CFC Athens

SINGLES for Christ Metro Manila gath-ered at the San Carlos Seminary in Makatilast December 5 2015 at 700 pm forthe SFC Global One a two-hour non-stop worship experience Jay Laquiana fulltime pastoral worker for SFC ledthe worship

Global One was meant to be a simul-taneous praise concert with major cities

or provinces hosting the event But what

made this yearrsquos Global One event special was the fact that it was the first time it wasstaged online via youtube live broadcastTis gave SFCs all over the world an oppor-tunity to come together despite differencesin time zone

ogether as one ministry SFCs from theMetro Manila Sectors the provinces andthe various countries like the USA Canada

and the Middle Eastern countries raised

SFC GLOBAL ONEmdashUniting the World

via Online Worship

their voices in praise and worship for thecountless favors they received It likewisebecame an opportunity to ask the Lordto bless the ministry for the coming year

Te ministry sees the online Global Oneas an event they can do annually Tey alsosee it as a potential tool to reach othernon-SFC members to witness Christ andcome together with other young people to

worship (Lanie Montaos)

OSM C1

CFC Winnipeg held its 2nd Celebration of Covenant Love onNovember 21st the feast of the Presentation of Our Lady Sixteencouples attended the activity

One week prior to the Renewal of Wedding Vows the 16 coupleshad a mini-retreat conducted by their spiritual advisor Fr YollyGamallo Te mini-retreat included four couple-sharers Te HolyMass was celebrated at St John Cantius Parish presided by MsgrLouis McCloskey A simple reception followed for the 16 couples andabout 60 family members with additional witnesses from the CFCcommunity Te participants who renewed their marriage vows werefrom varied age groups with some having been married for only five

years to couples who were celebratingo 40 years of holy matrimony

Tis year makes the Celebration of Love even more relevant as itis the year that held the papal Synod on the Family and the WorldMeeting of Families Pope Francis stated when making an address tofamilies ldquoTose who celebrate the sacrament say lsquoI promise to be trueto you in joy and in sadness in sickness and in health I will love youand honour you all the days of my lifersquo At that moment the coupledoes not know what will happen nor what joys and pains awaitthem Tey are setting out like Abraham on a journey together

And that is what marriage is Setting out and walking togetherhand in hand putting yourselves in the Lordrsquos powerful handsHand in hand always and for the rest of your livesrdquo (from http

couplesforchristcanadaca)

A Celebration of Covenant Love

I cherish the treasure the treasure of you lifelong companion I give myself to you These happy couples from CFC Vancouver saying Yes again to oneanother and to God as they renew their marriage vows

CFC missionaries to South Americarejoiced as they completed a fruitfulmission to the area a fitting end to theyear Te mission to Nuevo Pueblo deColaacuten opened a new area an hour awayby land from Piura Peru establish-ing CFC ndash Parejas para Cristo in a remotetown in the desert At the end of theChristian Life Program 13 new CFCPPC members composed of 4 couples4 HOLD and 1 SOLD committed to alife with Christ

Te PVC (Programa de Vida Cristiana- Spanish CLP) was held November 27to 29 2015 (Tanksgiving weekend) byCFC USA Florida in Iglesias del Rosarioone of two parishes in town Padre LuisSerra head pastor of the main churchthe Iglesia Sagrado Corazoacuten de Jesuacutesopened the doors to CFC PPC Fourother brethren from CFC PPC RiojaPeru headed by Fr Rober Martinez cameto reinforce the missionariesrsquo efforts Teteam got a taste of their first mission

CFC China is on full throttle in its evan-gelization efforts Tey recently conducted

the first-ever CFC China Mission Headsraining from November 27 to 30 at Vilada Sta Isabel Estrada Cheoc Van MacauTe training aimed to strengthen its leader-ship ranks through several formation talksfrom the Chapter Leaders raining (CL)series Te sixty participants were mostlyChinese with some Filipino Mission Headsand their AG members from the North

West East and South of China includingMacau SAR and Hong Kong SAR

Te first day of the training was devotedto a silent retreat based on Psalm 4610ndash ldquoBe silent and know that I am GodrdquoTe three-hour retreat centered on thetheme ldquoWe need to Change How WeLead o lead like Jesusrdquo with each par-ticipant encouraged to ldquoempty oneselfrdquoFr Oliviades a member of the Opus Deifacilitated the retreat

Day 2 started with a Holy Mass concel-

ebrated by Fr Joseph Wang from YiwuEast China Te training proper began with Israel Silud CFC Country Headand Northwest Regional Head givingthe overview and citing challenges thatCFC China faces He reiterated thatCFC Chinarsquos goal of raising 1 millionhousehold heads will be driven by the

The fruits of 2015 for CFC PPC hundreds of miles away from home

In 2015 ten missions were held inSouth America by CFC USA All these

were made possible by a handful of zeal-ous and selfless CFC USA mission vol-unteers who sacrificed a lot and deniedthemselves many comforts in order tobring the Word of God to families in Co-lombia Ecuador and Peru CFC ParejasPara Cristo will not take off without thefinancial support of CFC USA

ruly God gave a very good year for

the mission team harvesting 608 souls in2015 (a total of 857 persons from June2014 to date) Te task of sustainingCFC PPC families and area countriesare enormous But with grateful heartsthe South America team humbly turnsto God thanking Him each day forHis guidance as He leads the way Teteam looks forward to 2016s adventureof bringing the banner of Christ to themiddle and corners of the earth (GlenSantayana)

whether lay or from the Chaplainsrsquo ranklikewise gave testimonies on how theirinvolvement in the CEP made them real-ize that they have become not only agentsof change but recipients of grace as well

In the afternoon the Chaplains andtheir CFC counterparts came together fora round table discussion of the plans ofthe various Infantry Divisions nationwide

Army Chie f Chaplain Fr Col Andre sBonifacio Belleza CHS (GSC) in anunexpected move expressed his recog-nition through the grant of awards ofthe initiatives of the Army Chaplainsin implementing the CEP in their vari-ous Divisions Fr Maj Juan Jerome CDaluro was awarded Best Chaplain ofthe Year 2015 for his exemplary ser viceas Division Chaplain of 9th Infantry(Spear) Division Fr MSg Mario Ban-

iqued Philippine Army (PA) OACCSChief Clerk was recognized as Best

Chaplain Assistant of the YearSince the partnership between the

OACCS and CFC OSM started in April2014 the group has conducted CharacterEnhancement Retreats (CER) for 28 Phil-ippine Army commands Trough CFCSingles for Christ volunteers a ChristianLife Program has likewise been conductedfor the Philippine Military Academy Classof 2018 graduating 385 PMA-Singles forChrist members Presently five CERs arealso being done at the V Luna MedicalCenter in Quezon City

Alabanza admit s there is still muchto be done So far the CEP has reached2000 men and women in uniformroughly 0287 percent of an estimated800000 population of soldiers theirspouses and their families Tis is indeedfertile ground for values and spiritual

transformation which is just waiting tobe conquered (A Alvarez)

Another fruitful harvest in Peru from top the 13 new members in CFC PPC all-women discussion group

Courtesy call top photos CFC leaders with Archbishop Edward Joseph Adams amp Fr George Altouvas bottom photos with Fr George Archbishop SevastianosRossolatos and Archbishop Edward Joseph Adams

CFC OSM and the OACCS reaching out to the men and women in uniform and their families through the Character Enhancement Program

personal holiness of its ser vant-leaders who will be leading the evangelization thrust

in 34 provinces in China CL talks 2-5 were given by the regional heads with their wives as sharers

Day 3 began with the recitation ofthe Holy Rosary followed by anotherconcelebrated Holy Mass Fr Oliviadesdelivered a beautiful homily on ldquoemptyingoneselfrdquo Te rest of the CL talks wereagain delivered by the regional heads withtheir wives as sharers In CL alk 9 Siludemphasized the need to pay attention tothe means to care for the spirit mind andbody of the leaders

Te last day primarily focused on plan-ning the CFC China activities for 2016One of the proposals from the planningis that the four (4) regions in China willeach be hosting the major activities linedup for the year

Te three-day training and planning was conducted by CFC China Country

Head IsraelSally Silud with the supportof North Asia Regional Coordinator Ga-rieCess Pimentel and the regional headsfrom East China (EricEvelyn Ylagan)South China (JoelErica Santos) HongKong SAR (GarieCess Pimentel) andMacau SAR (JMEmilie Yupangco) (Ericamp Evelyn Ylagan)

C4 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

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JCL ndash member while for the TeologicalCommission the experts appointed wereFr Alexander L Garces SDB JCL ndashPresident Fr Enrico Eusebio Jr SJ JCDndash member and Sr Maria Amparo SantosOP JCL ndash member As with the ribunalmembers the Presidents and membersof both Commissions individually tooktheir respective oaths and signed the Acts

Te appointed Copyist Ms RonalynRegino and Assistant Copyist Ms Ge-cerein Sayen Ocampo were called next totake their respective oaths and similarlysigned in the Acts

Ten Postulator Msgr Pedro C Qui-torio III and Vice Postulator Fr WilmerR Rosario JCD individually took their

respective oaths not compromise the truthand offend justice nor impede the free-dom of witnesses to testify in the CauseTereafter they also signed the Acts

Te Postulator then presented to Car-dinal agle for his examination a list of

witnesses to be interrogated subject to thepossible addition and revision of namesin the future Upon examining the listthe Cardinal decreed that the next sessionfor interrogation of witnesses be held on

January 11 2016 at the Arzobispado deManila

Finally after ordering the Chancellorto establish public record of this First Ses-sion Cardinal agle declared the Processfor the Causes of Beatification and Can-

onization of Servant of God FAHERGEORGE J WILLMANN SJ Father ofthe Order of the Knights of Columbus inthe Philippines OPEN

o complete the Rites His EminenceLuis Antonio Cardinal agle together withformer Chief Justice Hilario G Davide

Jr as Chairman of the National ExecutiveCommittee (NEC) for the Cause of Fr

Willmann jo intly u nveiled the portraitof Father George J Willmann SJ

Tereafter Cardinal agle began thecelebration of the Holy Eucharist Con-celebrants were Bishop Honesto FOngtioco DD Bishop Mylo HubertC Vergara DD Msgr Geronimo FReyes JCD Fr William Arana OSA Fr

Carlo Magno Marcelo Fr Marvin MejiaFr Wilmer Rosario JCD Fr Carlo DelRosario Fr Julius Paul Factora OP JCDFr Sander Niez JCL Fr Alex GarcesSDB JCL Fr Rico Garcia Fr ReginaldMalicdem Fr Darwin Faith Ponce OSAFr Ricky VIllar OSA Fr Geoffrey Eb-orda OSA Fr Genaro Supremedo OSAFr Jojo orres OSA Fr Joseph VillarealOSA Fr Roy Gallano OSA Fr MichaelSalazar and Fr Romel Cruz

Also serv ing as Conce lebrants werea number of KC Priests Scholars of theKnights of Columbus Fr George J

Willmann Charities Inc that includedMsgr Pedro C Quitorio III Fr Benjamin

The Cross A Supplement Publication of KCFAPI and the Order of the Knights of ColumbusCBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25 December 7 2015 - 27 2016

Sainthood bid opens forFr George Willmann SJBy Roberto T Cruz

On December 7 2015 Mon-

day the bells of the ManilaCathedral rang out loud as HisEminence Luis Antonio Car-dinal agle presided over themilestone celebration of theHoly Eucharist at the ManilaCathedral to formally open theDiocesan process of the Causeof Fr George J Willmann SJ

he Liturgical Rites for the formalopening of the diocesan process precededthe Mass at 900am With the entranceprocession of Cardinal agle as the MainCelebrant together with two bishops twomonsignors and thirty-three priests whoconcelebrated the Mass the Rites started

with Msgr Pedro C Quitorio III theappointed Diocesan Postulator for theCause of Fr Willmann giving biographi-cal highlights of the life of Fr George J

Willmann SJ An Invocation of the HolySpirit followed with the singing of VeniCreator Spiritus by the Manila CathedralBasilica Choir

Cardinal agle then examined anddeclared the legitimacy of the appoint-ments of Msgr Pedro C Quitorio III asthe Postulator and Fr Wilmer R Rosario

JCD as Vice-Postul ator in conformity with the Code of Canon Law

Appointed members of the Diocesanribunal for the Cause of Fr Willmann

were Msgr Geronimo F Reyes JCDas Episcopal Delegate Fr Carlo P DelRosario JCL as Promoter of Justice Mseresita F Kudemus ndash First Notary MsMarivic M Ambasa ndash Second Notary Ms

Julieta R Santos as Tird NotaryTe Cardinal reminded them of the

great responsibility importance andseriousness of the Process for the Causesfor Beatification and Canonization Asrequired by Church law all the mem-bers of the ribunal starting with MsgrGeronimo F Reyes individually tooktheir oath to faithfully fulfill hisher com-mitment and then signed the Acts

Te Experts who were tapped to formthe Historical Commission includeFr Julius Paul Factora OP JCD asPresident Fr Adolfo N Dacanay SJ

JCD ndash member and Fr Sander D Niez Sainthood D3

KCFAPI Theme and Logo for 2016HE year 2016 has been pro-claimed the Year of the Eucharistand the Family by the CatholicBishopsrsquo Conference of the Phil-ippines Te theme is part of thenine year spiritual journey thatbegan with the Year of Faith

where we experienced an authenticrenewal of faith guided by the newevangelization principles

he Holy Eucharist whichmeans thanksgiving invitesfamilies of the Catholic faithfulto commemorate the supremesacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christon the cross to receive His body

and blood in the Holy Commu-nion and to celebrate His victoryover death

Te Roman Catholic Churchpromotes strong family ties andvalues Parents are entrustedthe responsibility to prepare andteach their children to follow JesusChrist and live His gospel

KCFAPI distinguished itselfin protecting the sanctity of thefamily by providing comfortand sustenance in any loss orlife-changing event among fam-ily members KCFAPI respondsswiftly to changing or evolvingfamily insurance needs Nowon its 58th year of providingunsurpassed uncompromised

fraternal service KCFAPI vowsand advocates relentlessly to

render comfort benefit and as-sistance to all brother knightsand their families with mercy andcompassion

As part of the KCFAPI familyin a pioneering effort all wholly-owned and majority-ownedcompanies will coordinate theirschedules and manage theirresources towards one com-mon goal and will function asone well oiled machine By

joi nin g han ds gu ide d by theHoly Spirit the strength ofone is multiplied several times

over Te heart symbolizes lovemercy and compassion and is

also Charity ndash the first of fourcore principle of the OrderKCFAPI in heart-shaped bordermantles the five wholly- ownedand majority-owned companies Keys Realty amp DevelopmentCorporation Kompass Creditand Financing Corporation KCPhilippines Foundation IncKnights of Columbus Fr George

J Willmann Charitie s Inc andMace Insurance Agency IncTey are depicted by the boldshoulders of the figures symbol-izing the family Just like in any

close-knit family concentratedon accomplishing one objective

all employees will be engagedtheir support and talent pooledand harnessed to participateactively in any company activi-ties working in tandem as onecohesive unit

Te logo vividly demonstratesthe solidarity and bonding of fam-ily members if they gather togetherand allow Christ to be at the centerof their family relationship

Te different colors representthe various hues of the Order ofthe Knights of Columbus red

whit e blu e and yell ow hegreen color manifests KCFAPIrsquos

concern for our environment andits managementrsquos advocacy gearedtowards a healthy state of our sur-roundings Orange brings a posi-tive outlook in life optimism andmotivation to look on the brighterside of life

Te cup and host (in yellow)emulating the Holy Eucharist pro-vides Christ- centered way of life

Te circular flow represents in-finity or totality the unboundedtimeless and never ending lovecare and affection of KCFAPIin providing each and every KCfamily a shield of security protec-tion and hope Te acronym ALLcharacterizes KCFAPIrsquos inclusiveapproach to all forms of actions

products and services (Angelito A Bala)

As we protect families for generations Act Live Love

KCFAPI Planning Conference The Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of thePhilippines Inc held their 2016 Planning Conference last November 7-9 2015 atColumbus Plaza General Santos City Present were KCFAPI Chairman Bro Arsenio IsidroG Yap KCFAPI President Bro Jose C Reyes Jr KCFAPI Executive Vice President SisMa Theresa G Curia KCFAPI Officers and Supervisors KEYS Realty Vice President Bro

Riz Nicolas and HTMC Vice President Sis Apolonia Dominguez

Living Rosary The Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of the Philippines Inchad their Living Rosary last October 30 2015 at the KCFAPI main office This has been

a yearly practice for the Month of the Holy Rosary which is usually conducted by itsofficers and staff

Cardinal Tagle leads the unveiling of the portrait of Jesuit Fr George J Willmann as the Manila archdiocesan process for the Cause of Beatification and Canonization of the latter formally opens at the Manila Cathedralon Monday Dec 7 Willman is considered as t he ldquoFather of the Knights of Columbusrdquo in the Philippines ROY LAGARDE

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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D2 The CrossDecember 7 2015 - 27 2015 Vol 19 No 25

ACQ UIR IN G a hou se and lo t which they can call their own home

and driving their own cars are twoof the priority dreams of Filipinoparents Of course seeing theirchildren finish college education iseither Number 1 or Number 2

Te Knights of Columbus Frater-nal Association of the PhilippinesInc (KCFAPI) has formed andincorporated a new company to helpmembers of the Order to have their

dream homes and motor carsKCFAPI named the new company as Kompass Credit and

Financing Corporation (KCFC) after one of the symbols of theKnights of Columbus which is the Compass Like the Compassof the ancient marines KOMPASS is here to guide BrotherKnight in having their own home and efficient mobility

KOMPASS can also extend home car and business loans tothe general public

Interested parties can call KOMPASS at el No 527-2242

527-2223 loc 215 and 252 for further details of the loan

Arsenio Isidro G Yap

Chairmanrsquos Message

Presidentrsquos Message

Ma Theresa G Curia

Jose C Reyes Jr

Reflection

Curia Settings

Michael P Cabra

Bequest LIFE this Christmas

My Brotherrsquos Keeper

FILIPINO raditions reflect the kindof people that we are All traditionscustoms and beliefs evolve from thelove and respect of the family Ourmutual and natural respect for oneanother our desire to please and notoffend each other and our willingness

to extend a helping hand are just a fewof the basic foundations which madethe Filipino people unique a one of a

kind and nowhere else could be found And certainly a must-have as a friend and neighbor

Some of the trait I like is the ldquomano pordquo expression and at thesame time reaching for the otherrsquos hand and asking for his blessingsTe respected elder would normally extend his hand to touch theforehead of the one asking for his blessings and expresses ldquokaawanka ng Diyosrdquo or ldquoGod bless yourdquo It doesnrsquot matter whether the onebeing accorded the respect is younger than the person asking forthe blessing or even if they hardly know each other

Another trait is removing onersquos slippers or shoes when enteringa neighborrsquos house Te guest expresses his respect for the hostand does not in any way want to spoil or damage the pristinecondition of the floor which is normally kept shiny and clean

Cleaning of onersquos surrounding to the point of cleaning also theneighborrsquos grounds I could still remember in our neighborhoodthat the old folks would sweep the debris on the street in front

of their houses But instead of just collecting their own trashthey would try to outdo each other by picking (or sweeping)the litter on the street up to the neighborrsquos house in front andeven on their right and left side

Everyone living along the same street knows each other very well to the point that all knows who are having a hard time and would need some assistance A neighbor would readily do somehousehold chores give some food and try to console those whoare grieving for the loss of a love one Nobody needs to askHelp is extended readily

Although the traits Irsquove mentioned above are seldom practicednowadays except for the ldquomano pordquo I still believe that those

were just some of our good traits which define us as people which define us as a Filipino a unique breed of people We arevery resilient that even though we are in grief or experiencingextreme challenges in our everyday life we still are able to lightour faces with the friendliest smile

Christmas is another tradition-field celebration that is uniquelyFilipino Te ldquoSimbang Gabirdquo ldquoputo bumbongrdquo and the like are

some Christmas traditions But let us not forget that Christmas isnot just a season of merriment but is a season for reconciliationItrsquos that time of the year when we want to ask forgiveness fromthose we had wronged and at same time forgive also those whohad wronged us and forget whatever they had done to us

Christmas is a season wherein family ties are kept stronger andmore meaningful But to be more meaningful it is better that weshare our blessings to those in need whose nights might be Holy but

would be very Silent and the only sound that they could hear arenot carols of merriment but the grumbling of their empty stomach

Make this Christmas the most meaningful Christmas ever bysharing your ldquoNoche Buenardquo with a neighbor or better still witha complete stranger May the birth of our Lord touch our heartsand be responsive to those in need

CHRISMAS is a holy day celebratingthe birth of Jesus Christ our Saviour Ithas been a tradition in the Philippines that

we go to dawn masses from December 16to the eve of Christmas day Because ourenthusiasm builds up as early as Septemberon Christmas Day itself many of us areexhausted after days of going through heavytraffic on the way to parties and to crowdedshopping malls to shop for gifts Tere arealso many events that we are enticed to at-tend for our kidsrsquo sake gatherings of relatives and friends near and farand entertainment we spend a lot for the family

While these festivities are all expressions of love we sometimes forgetthat Christmas day is the day we should go to mass to thank God forall the blessings we received from Him and in turn to offer our gift to

Jesus Christ As we enter the Advent season let us start reflecting on

how we can better love and serve God on how we can help the poorand how we can give hope to those who are losing hope Let us put intoaction the principle of charity with greater vigor and sense of urgency

May Christmas be like the ldquoJourney to the Innrdquo of Joseph and Mary- tiring yet full of hope and joy to welcome Christ in our hearts andour homes As Knights of Columbus let us lead our communities toa Christ-centered Advent celebration this year and always

My family and I wish your whole family ldquoA Merry Christmas and aBlessed New Yearrdquo

FOR this Christmas I wish tobase my reflection on a poem

written by Horacio de la Costathe first Filipino provincial ofthe Jesuits Please read and usethe poem as a Christmas greet-ing My reflection is nothingcompared to the poem

We must have visited all theBelens in our churches since we

were small In fact most of usalso put up the Christmas cribin our own homes In arlacthey even have yearly exhibits ofBelens which they call Belenis-mo We were told that it was StFrancis who started putting upthe crib in his church And thepoem of Horacio Dela Costatells us that if we meditate onthis set up we might discover

the surprises that they bring toour consciousness

Let us identify some fea-tures of the Belens that we se earound us during the Christ-mas season and together letus reflect on the meanings thatthese can offer us We shall seedifferent layers of Christmasmeaning emerge

1 he King was born poorGod has become human Tisis one of the features that wesee when we stare at the Crib

What a paradox the king ispoor God is human Life isindeed full of paradoxes andof seeming contradictions

We make sense of them only

with the passage o f t ime and

as we mature both in age andin faith

2 he Bethlehem scene isprofoundly meaningful sym-bolic and mystery-laden We

watch the figures in the Be lenand sometimes we do notunderstand When we do notunderstand the turn of eventsin our life we should not giveup We should not run awayTe world will not end onlybecause we do not understand

what we see exper ience or feelLet us stand in awe at Godrsquosvisit when we are clueless of

what i s happening 3 he King was born in a

manger But there was peacearound among the wise menand the shepherds on that holy

and starry night We see atthe Belen scene a communionamong God humans the richand the poor animals and hu-mans the stars the night andthe people It was as though ata special moment the Universe

was one As though the con-nectedness of all the elements

was not merel y ecolog ical asLaudato Si spoke of but evendivine -human No wonderthat we do not get tired of put-ting up our belens at home inchurches and in public placesNo wonder that we can stareforever at the Nativity scenealthough we do not fully un-derstand everything although

we do it yea r afte r year We

also feel that we are there andthat we are connected to the

figures they represent we areconnected to history to oursurroundings and even to ourGod

4 he Savior was born ina manger where animals eatTe meaning of the mangerscene has been the content ofmany sermons that we haveheard We were told that thisdoes not only refer to thehumility or poverty of Jesus

A dee per meaning they say isthat Jesus has come to be foodfor all who come to him Jesuscame to give Himself as foodfor the world His words histeachings his mercy and com-passion and his Good News of

Godrsquos Plan are enough to fillour emptiness with a sense ofdirection and destiny Teyquench our thirst for enlight-enment guidance and sense ofdignity as humans

5 he Baby who is born isthe Savior of the world Howcan a Baby save the w orld Wesee before us a baby wrappedin swaddling clothes And werealize that Divinity can berevealed in very human situ-ations And that the humblestreality could be a revelationthat God is in our midst If weopen our hearts and minds tothe Lord His Spirit enlightensand gives delight to our weary

and limited minds and souls

Even today we can feel Hismessage although sometimes

we do not ful ly unders tand Te truth dawns on us when

we ar e qu ie t and when we wait When we do not rush toknow Godrsquos Presence is a Giftthat we can never be worthy ofBut the point here is not thatour littleness could obstructthe Revelation of a mysteryRather the Greatness of theLord compels Him to revealHimself to the little one Evento us Now

Tat is why Liturgy invokesour ability to watch to look at

what happe ns in the Churchcelebrations Te beauty ofcandles incense and flowerscan evoke some sense of the

Sacred Space a Sacred Mo-ment and a Sacred Encounter

Te Belen does this for us inrevealing the message of Christ-mas If we open our eyes weshall see the Message of Christ-mas with our hearts If we havetime and we can keep quietbefore the Belen we might seethe surprise of the Lord

[The author Ma TheresaG Curia is the Executive VicePresident amp Chief OperatingOfficer of the Knights of Co-lumbus Fraternal Association ofthe Phils Inc (KCFAPI) andthe incumbent Diocesan Regentof the Daughters of Mary Im-maculate International Dioceseof Malolos]

IrsquoS that time of the year again We must allbegin the increasingly difficult task of buy-ing suitable gifts for our friends and familyHowever there is a different gift you shouldseriously consider giving this year Itrsquos not a fun

present nor it is exciting Itrsquos not somethingyou can play with or wear and it definitely wouldnrsquot be considered a treat Itrsquos a gift thatno one wants but everyone NEEDS So whatare we talking about A Fraternal Service Plan

A Benefit Certificate (BC) or what is simplyknown as a life insurance policy Every year

we search for that perfect gift for a loved oneSomething that will show how much we careand appreciate them What could better provethat than giving someone the gift of SECU-RIY and SABILIY

Unfortunately the recent statistics presentthe sad truth (a) more than 95 Filipinos donot have adequate levels of insurance and (b)more than 80 of Filipinos do not believethey are likely to suffer a serious illness in the

next 20 years Yet each year around 365000Filipinos face premature death either caused byaccidental death or natural sickness It equatesto 1000 untimely deaths everyday

Firstly think about your present situation

Do you have loved ones who depend on youfinancially If something were to happen toyou would your family struggle to maintaintheir current lifestyle the kind of living yoursquovebeen providing If you answered yes to thesequestions itrsquos as simple as that - you need tohave life insurance Secondly do you have aloved one (parent spouse adult children e tc)

who needs protection Tis year give them theultimate gift Having an adequate amount oflife insurance can help in paying off hospitalbills memorial bills mortgage and even in-heritance tax It can allow a family to maintaintheir current level of living and possibly evenfund long term goals such as childrenrsquos schoolfunds dream car house business and evenretirement Now wersquore not saying this is the

only gift you should give it might look a littlesad with only that under the Christmas treeHowever just consider along with the othergifts giving a present that may not be appreci-ated at that moment might come in use should

a critical time arrive You look after your familyand so this is a perfect gift ideaItrsquos important to consult a fraternal counselor

when considering life insurance as it is impera-tive that you are insured accurately dependingon your current situation and future needs

Should you wish to know more just visit wwwkofcorgph for inquiries

Did you know thatFor as low as PhP10000 you can already

start the Gift of Life to your loved ones Tisfraternal service plan is called KC Peso Saver Itis a single contribution endowment plan which

will mature at the end of the benefit certificatersquos10th year In fact a lot of Knights of ColumbusMembers invest with this Gift of Life everyChristmas for their spouse and children

Gemille Isabel P Gloria

A Meek Christmas

IMAGINE a pregnant mother who is supposed to give birth toa child at the moment and rideson a donkey with her husband

Apart from the pain of laborthe mother is enduring deathchases their yet unborn child astheir King deliberately kills allthe newborn babies that night

urned down by the innkeepersthey ended up in a crude stablesharing it with the farm animalsand the shepherds as she gavebirth to a baby boy and placedhim in a manger I bet you arepicturing a scene of a movie inyour head right now Tis isactually what the first Christmaslooked like

Going back to the presentChristmas is far more delightfuland exciting Shopping feastinggift-giving and vacation trippingare just few of the activities that

we cannot do away with in ourChristmas lists We think ofChristmas like no other ordinaryday of the year We make sure

that for Noche Buena there isabundance of bountiful feasts inour dining table from a platterof mouth-watering leche flan toa sumptuous lechon new clothesup to fifty percent sale on theselected items section and expen-sive gifts covered in a Santa Claus

wrapper under a fully decorated

Christmas tree We associate theChristmas season as a time ofsplendor since it is the birthday ofour Savior Unfortunately someof us could only imagine thesethings Tey are our fellow whoare counted by the government inabject poverty who could hardlythink of where and how to gettheir first meal for the 365 daysof the year including Christmasday One does not need to moveafar to behold this ravers-ing nearby the office we couldalready see some of the faces inpoverty If you have not takenyet the underpass connectingManila City Hall and Intramu-ros as you make your way out of

it you will see sullied children intattered clothes inhaling plasticbags containing rugby with somesoiled adults who seem to be theirparents doing the same thing

With their hunger already in theirhead some children forcibly takethe food of the passersby Duringthe night the space where people

enter and exit the underpassin the day turns into a freezinghome for the homeless Youcan see in their wrinkled face thefeeling of sleeping on the passage-

ways with only cardboard boxesand worn out fabrics in betweentheir body and the cold cementedground Teir condition is notfar from what Jesus experiencedon the first Christmas born intoand chose to live a life of poverty

Remembering martyredSalvadoran Archbishop OscarRomero who once said thatldquoNo one can celebrate a genuineChristmas without being trulypoor he self sufficient theproud those who because they

have everything look down onothers those who have no needeven of God for them there

will be no Christmas Only thepoor the hungry those whoneed someone to come on theirbehalf will have that someonehat someone is God Em-manuel God-with-usrdquo With

what he thought we canrsquot arguethat at times we want everythingTe more you have the moreyou want and the more you get

What if we have nothing Whatif we donrsquot have gifts food andnew clothes for the Christmas

What if we are in the place of thehomeless Would we still feel thesame Christmas Spirit withoutthe things we celebrate with it

We have to learn to celebrat eChristmas with how the poorperceive it Let us not reachthe point where we celebrateChristmas just because we willreceive our one-year wish listLet us learn to lose to sacrificeand to give during Christmas

Joseph P Teodoro

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D3The Cross December 7 2015 - 27 2015 Vol 19 No 25

Deogracias Fajota Fr Jeronimo

Ma Cruz Fr Antonio Rex PalayaFr Melvin Gamelo Fr JuliusCuison Fr Felix Labios Fr Ra-melle Rigunay Fr Randy SalungaFr Joel Cariaso Fr HernandezMendoza Fr Julius de Sagun FrRonel Ilano Fr Lowie Palines andFr Emmanuel Hiipolito

In his homily Cardinal aglestarted by citing that aside fromthe formal opening of the Dioc-esan process for Fr Willmannit was also the feast day of St

Ambrose a great teacher of theChurch known for his sanctityand teachings It was also the eveof the Immaculate Conception ofour Blessed Mother Mary plus thestart of the Advent season

Te Cardinal then focused onthe question What does it meanto be holy With the opening ofthe Cause he said that Fr George

J Willmann St Ambrose andMother Mary all responded tosanctity and holiness Cardinalagle clarified that ldquoHoliness isan attribute of God and not manrsquosachievement nor his work It isGod who is Holy and our holi-ness is a gift of God ndash our oneness

with HimrdquoCardinal agle added that the

message of the First Reading is thatthe Holiness of God is seen withmarvelous work ndash like transform-ing a desert into a garden filled

with water and flowers where we

are able to drink from Godrsquos good-ness with a safe road along the

holy way Te desert symbolizes

humanity that is seen to be dryfruitless empty and even life-less However when God entersall these are transformed into abountiful garden Godrsquos Holinessalways creates miracles ldquoWhen-ever we experience hopelessnessloaded with faults we must notbe afraid for that is the time whenGod will come to infuse His Holi-ness and cure the sickness Tat isthe Good Newsrdquo Cardinal agleadded that during this season ofadvent we must look deeper intoour deserts in order to experiencethe Holiness of God

Te Cardinal then underscoredthat we need to respond to GodrsquosHoliness not like the scribes in

the reading who questioned andrejected Jesus but like the friendsof the paralyzed man who lookedfor a nonconventional way -through the roof - to bring theparalytic closer to Jesus Cardinalagle stressed the need for us to bealert discerning with eyes of faithin order for us to respond to ourHoly God in His action when weare in our desert

he Cardinal then asked thepeople to pray for those entrusted

with the Cau se of Fr Willmannthat they may be illumined witheyes of faith With no intention ofpre-empting the Diocesan processCardinal agle simply thankedGod as we are now privileged

to share Godrsquos holiness throughpersonal experiences with Fr Will-

Sainthood D1

Process for PHrsquos new lsquoServantof Godrsquo starts rollingMANILA Dec 7 2015 ndash Manila Arch-bishop Luiacutes Antonio G Cardinal agleofficially accepted on Monday Dec 7the Feast of St Ambrose the petition toopen an investigation on the sanctity andheroic virtues of Fr George J WillmannSJ founder of the Knights of Columbus(KC) in the Philippines among otherCatholic lay organizations

At least 1000 of the naturalized Fili-pino Jesuit priestrsquos spiritual children fromall over the country including no lessthan former Supreme Court (SC) Chief

Justice Hilario G Davide Jr becamepart of Philippine Church history as they

witnes sed at the Manila Metropo litanCathedral Basilica the solemn opening ofthe archdiocesan process they hope wouldlead to beatification and canonization

lsquoGreat responsibilityrsquoIn line with this agle appointed Msgr

Pedro C Quitorio III of the CatholicBishopsrsquo Conference of the Philippines(CBCP) Media Office as postulator forthe cause of the countryrsquos newest ldquoServantof Godrdquo

He also approved the appointments ofMsgr Geronimo S Reyes Fr Wilmer RRosal and Fr Ricardo P del Rosario asepiscopal delegate vice postulator andpromoter of justice respectively as wellas of a host of other experts both clericand lay who vow to work together to giveFilipinos another saint

Te prelate went on to swear in allthose involved in the cause for Willmannrsquosbeatification and canonization remindingthem of the ldquogreat responsibilityrdquo theyhave assumed and the ldquoimportance andseriousnessrdquo of the task at hand

PHrsquos Fr McGivney Dubbed ldquoFr McGivney of the Philip-

pinesrdquo due to his dedication to expand KClocally Willmann worked for the radicaltransformation of faith into action

Born on June 29 1897 to very devoutCatholic parents in Brooklyn New Yorkthe American Jesuit was granted Philip-pine citizenship by President FerdinandMarcos through Presidential Decree(PD) No 740

In 1938 he first served as chaplain

of KC Manila Council 1000 then re-turned in 1954 to become the Orderrsquosfirst Philippine Deputy until his deathin 1977

In total the priest spent 44 fruitful andproductive years in the Philippines serv-ing the poor the sick the orphans theoppressed the lonely and the desolateespecially the young ones

KCFAPI etcBesides what is formally known as the

Knights of Columbus Fraternal Associa-tion of the Philippines Inc (KCFAPI)

which he founded in 1958 Willmannestablished other organizations as follows

bull Catholic Youth Organization (1938)bull Establishment of the Catholic Press

ldquoFilipinasrdquo and the ldquoCrossrdquo Magazines(1946)

bull Columbian Squires in the Philippines(1950)

bull Daughters of Isabella in the Philip-pines (1951) reorganized as Daughtersof Mary Immaculate (1977)

bull Columbian Farmers Aid Association(1951) reorganized as Knights of Co-lumbus Community Service Inc (1962)

bull Knights of Columbus Fraternal Asso-ciation of the Philippines Inc (KCFAPI)(1958)

bull Knights of Columbus PhilippinesFoundation Inc (1971) (Raymond ASebastiaacuten CBCP News)

Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle leads the Mass of the formal opening of the ArchdiocesanProcess for the Causes of Beatification and Canonization of the Servant of God FatherGeorge J Willmann SJ father of the Knights of Columbus in the Philippines LIN REGINO

Te Gentle Warrior By James B Reuter SJ

Part II of Chapter wo of ldquoTe Gentle Warriorrdquo series

CHAPER WO-----------------

Te Ateneo de Manila

HE Ateneo was a boysrsquo schoolTe objective of a boysrsquo school is tomake a man out of a boy Te mainvirtue of a man is courage Godmirrored His virtues in His childrenBut he divided them between girls

and boys Tere is such a thing as amasculine soul and a feminine soulIf a boy and a girl are suddenly con-fronted with a wild bull thunderingdown on them if the girl screamedand hid behind the boy that wouldbe normal But if the boy screamedand hid behind the girl everyone

would be ashamed of him Tevirtue of a girl is not physical cour-age it is love and mercy Te virtueof a boy is courage and justice Butin our schools there is no course inthe curriculum called ldquoCouragerdquo

here is no subject called

ldquoCouragerdquo Tere is no mark forldquoCouragerdquo It has to be taught inevery subject through the wholelife of the school he Jesuitsunderstood this very well AndGeorge understood it He began

to learn the meaning of couragehimself when he was five yearsold sitting on the curbstone onPutnam Avenue when the wheelof the garbage truck crushed bothhis feet

In the old Ateneo there wasa strong tradition of ldquoRomansrdquoand ldquoCarthageniansrdquo Jose Rizal

was the Emperor of the RomansEvery class was competitive TeRomans would be lined up onone side of the class the Car-thagenians on the other Te firstquestion went to the Romans

If the Romans answered it cor-rectly the questioning stayed

with the Romans If any Romanmissed the question went to theCarthagenians Ten the Romanboys would growl and grumble at

the Roman who missed It wascompetition to teach courage

And the battle cry of all theteams was ldquoAnimo Ateneordquo Youcould translate that as ldquoLetrsquos go

Ateneordquo or ldquoSpirit Ateneordquo orldquoFight Ateneordquo mdash but in practiceit meant courage Never give upno matter what the odds ldquoGoget lsquoem Ateneordquo Never say dieTis was obvious in everythingthat the boys did

But it never degenerated intoldquoWin at all costsrdquo Te secondmasculine virtue is justice Tis

means honesty integrity and fairplay Both at once mdash courageand fair play Te verse that everyathlete in the school knew by heart

was ldquoIf I should win let it be bythe code with my head and my

honor held high But if I shouldlose let me stand by the road andcheer as the winner goes byrdquo

It was a tremendous amount of work mdash teaching night and dayrunning the Sodality the ACILand the magazine mdash but Georgeloved it

And his students loved him Tefriendships that he made duringthose three years of regency from1922 to 1925 lasted more thanfifty years

(o be continued on the nextissue)

mann and his life and ministrydevoted to service that providedldquofresh water and good newsrdquo

particularly to the youth the poorand the prisonersTe Cardinal cited his own basic

formation as a Charter memberof the Columbian Squires inImus Cavite where they helpedthe Church in its program for thestreet children He also mentionedhis appreciation for being a scholarof the Knights of Columbus dur-ing Fr Willmannrsquos time

Reiterating that God indeedtransforms deserts into places ofrest peace and holiness Cardinalagle ended his homily by encour-aging all in attendance to be agentsof Godrsquos holiness

People from all walks of life joined the celebration of this Mass

that formally opened the Cause ofServant of God - Fr Willmann

Also repres ent ed were var iou sorganizations established and nur-tured by Fr George including the

Daughters of Isabella (now Daugh-ters of Mary Immaculate) Catholic Youth Organization ColumbianSquires and the Knights of Co-lumbus Parishioners and residents

with their families from nearbycities and communities of ondoIntramuros Sta Cruz Malate andother more distant places likewise

witnessed the very mean ingfulOpening of the diocesan processfor the Cause of their ldquoFather andBenefactorrdquo of forty years

Fr George J Willmann SJdevoted the last forty years of hislife not only in humble serviceand dynamic leadership of theKnights of Columbus in thePhilippines but equally being a

compassionate pastor in the careand formation of the youth He

provided relief to victims of the

war and of violence while also al-leviating the sufferings of the poorHe likewise established ways topreserve and promote the sanctityof life marriage and the family

It was in 1997 or eighteen yearsago that the Knights of Columbusin the Philippines first started aconcerted thrust to formally laythe groundwork for the Causeof Fr Willmann During theOrderrsquos centennial celebration ofFr Willmannrsquos birth the Ordercreated a Committee on Causecomposed of Ramon V ConsingLauro M Cruz and Msgr PedroC Quitorio III as co-chairmenNotable activities of the Com-mittee included gathering of tes-

timonials launch of the Prayer forthe Centennial of Fr Willmann with the Impr imatur of Msgr Jose C Abriol launching of Fr Willmann Fellows meeting withthen Jaime Cardinal Sin and theFather Provincial of the Jesuits toseek their respective endorsementsof the Cause Te Order publishedand distributed the pamphlet ldquoAGlimpsehe Life and Worksof Fr George J Willmann SJrdquoin order to give due acknowledg-ment and recognition as well as toincrease awareness abou t Fr Will-mann A landmark achievement ofthis period was the publication ofldquoTe Gentle Warriorrdquo a biographyof Fr Willmann authored by Fr

James B Reuter SJEstablishing and spreading the

fama sanctitatis of Fr Willmann

included the presentation andpromotion of his works mademore concrete by direct testimo-nies of various individuals whomhe personally interacted withFr Willmann Fellowsrsquo one-timemembership donations have beenpooled to fund the productionof materials such as prayer cardspublications tarpaulins postersto effectively promote Fr George

Willmann not only to brotherKnights but more importantlyto the youth the poor and under-privileged of various communities

In 2011 through the efforts ofthe KC Fraternal Association ofthe Philippines and the Knightsof Columbus Fr Willmann Chari-

ties Inc the National ExecutiveCommittee (NEC) for the Causeof Fr Willmann was created withthe primary function of overseeingall the initiatives relative to or inconnection with the Cause

We are blessed that the Dioc-esan process of the Cause of FrGeorge J Willmann SJ has nowbeen formally opened therebygiving us significant reason torejoice Henceforth he will nowbe regarded Servant of God Letus fervently pray for continuedenlightenment from the HolySpirit for everyone involved in thisDiocesan process and the Causeas a whole so that our belovedFr George J Willmann may ulti-

mately be elevated to the honorsof the altar

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D4 The CrossDecember 7 2015 - 27 2015 Vol 19 No 25

FST IN CAGAYAN A Fraternal Service Training program was held in Cagayan De Oro last November 13 2015Participants were from Zamboanga Misamis and Butuan The event was graced by KCFAPI Vice Presidentfor FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBG Manager Michael Cabra Aside from the product specifications thetraining also gives an idea regarding the basic insurance process and conceptualization of new marketingstrategies in order to achieve their goals and improve their sales performance (FBG News)

AREA MEETING IN VISAYAS The KCFAPI Western Visayas Armor held an area meeting in Bacolod lastOctober 24 2015 led by Agency Unit Manager Randy G Bravo and graced by KCFAPI Vice President forFBG Gari San Sebastian (KCFAPI News)

FST IN DAVAO A Fraternal Service Training program (1 and 2) was held in KCFAPI Davao Service OfficeDavao City last November 20-21 2015 Participants were from Compostela Valley Cotabato City andGeneral Santos The training was attended by KCFAPI Vice President f or FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBGManager Michael Cabra (FBG News)

PRODUCERSrsquo FORUM KCFAPI Vice President for FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBG Manager Michael Cabraled a Producersrsquo Forum wherein fraternal counsellors all over Luzon were gathered for an update of theirincentives program held last November 11 2015 at the KCFAPI home office (FBG News)

New KCFAPI Board of Trustee Bro Pascual C Carbero

IN February of 1986 BroCarbero started his knightlyservice in the Knights of Co-lumbus under Council 10695

in Valenzuela City Duringhis service in Council 10695he has been appointed asChancellor for CY 1992-1993 and as Deputy GrandKnight and Program Direc-tor for CY 1993-1994 InDistrict M-31 of ValenzuelaCity Bro Carbero was GrandKnight for CY 1994-1995District Warden for CY 1996-1997 and District Deputyfor CY 1997-1999 He wasalso Chairman for the Roundable District Deputies forCY 1998-1999 At the Dr PioValenzuela Assembly ACN1772 Meycauayan Bulacanhe was the Faithful Naviga-

tor for CY 1999-2000 Onthat same term Bro Pascual

was the Luzo n State Audi -tor for CY 2000-2003 andthe Luzon State Warden forCY 2000-2003 of the Luzon

Jurisdiction After which forCY 2000-2001 he becamethe Charter Faithful Naviga-tor for the City of Valenzuela

Assembly ACN 2676 For

CY 2007-2015 Bro Carbero was re-a ppo inte d as Luzo nState Warden Bro Carbero

was a voting delegate in the

KC Supreme Convention heldat Washington DC in 2010and also a non-voting delegateheld at Anaheim Californiain 2002 and 2012 Currentlyhe is the State Secretary of theLuzon North Jurisdiction

Bro Pascualrsquos dedicationand enthusiasm in participat-ing in the Order gave himthe endeavor to author thecreation of the City of Valen-zuela Assembly in 1999 withthe assistance of the Districtand Vice Supreme Master

With his knightly serv ice he was awarded with several rec-ognition namely OutstandingDistrictDeputy for CY 1997-

1999 Star District Awardeefor CY 1997-1999 and Civic

Awardee as Charter FaithfulNavigator of the City of Valen-zuela Assembly ACN 2676CY 2000-2001

Apart from Knights of Co-lumbus Bro Carbero partakeshis services in other civic andreligious organizations He isa Special Lay Minister of the

Holy Eucharist Parish of theHoly Cross since 1989 and amember of the Parish RenewalExperience Group He is the

Director and reasurer of thePhilippine Insurers Club from2013 to 2014 and currently itsPresident He is also a memberof the Insurance Executive1st Friday Club of Makatiand an incoming Presidentof the Philippine Associationof Surety Underwriters Incthis 2016

He was Director Corpo-rate Secretary of Mace Insur-ance Agency Inc from 2012until 2014 and currentlythe Independent Director ofKompass Credit and FinancialCorporation and KCFAPIrespectively Bro Carbero isalso a fellow of Father George

J Willmann Charit ies Inc And since 2006 he has beenthe Vice President of IntraStrata Assurance Corporation

He graduated with a Bach-elorrsquos degree in Business Ad-ministration Major in Man-agement at Philippine Schoolof Business Administration in1973 and finished Bachelor ofLaws in Lyceum of the Philip-

pines in 1988Bro Pascual Carberorsquos wife

Sis Remedios was past presi-dent for three years of theCatholic Womenrsquos League(CWL) Valenzuela Chapterand currently the AssistantVice President for Underwrit-ing in Mercantile InsuranceCo Inc in Intramuros Ma-nila Tey are blessed with six

wonderful children namely

Soidemer Claire a pediatri-cian Abigail Claire a lawyerValerie Claire and ChristineClaire both of whom are reg-istered nurses Terese Claire

who graduated with Bachelorrsquosdegree in Laws and is currentlyreviewing for Bar exams and

Adrian Brian who is also aregistered nurse and presentlya 3rd year medical student

Former SC Justice tofellow lsquoPH Knightsrsquo Prayfor Willmannrsquos CauseMANILA Dec 8 2015 ndash Former Chief

Justice Hilario G Davide Jr has calledon fellow members of the Knights of Co-lumbus (KC) nationwide to keep prayingfor the eventual ldquoraising to the altarrdquo ofthe grouprsquos spiritual father Fr George J

Willmann SJ who was declared ldquoSer-vant of Godrdquo Monday Dec 7

ldquoSo what is demanded of us as mem-bers of Knights of Columbus What isdemanded of us as members of Knightsof Columbus Fraternal Association of thePhilippines Inc [KCPAFI]rdquo he askedldquoWe need to pray a lot Pray pray praythat the tribunal will listen to the evidencepresented Pray pray pray that the tribu-nal will actually collate all the evidenceand determine once and for all that whathas been presented through our postula-

tor is credible to merit the conferment ofbeatification later on Tis is our taskrdquo

Archdiocesan processDavide who now chairs the National

Executive Committee for the Causes ofFr Willmann made this observation in aspeech following a ceremony held at theManila Cathedral during which Arch-bishop Luiacutes Antonio G Cardinal agleofficially approved the archdiocesan process

for the causes for the beatification and can-onization of the naturalized Filipino Jesuit

he solemn occasion was witnessedby no less than 1000 representativesof KCPAFI and other organizations Fr

Willmann helped establish like Catholic Youth Organization Columbian Squiresin the Philippines (1950) and Daughtersof Mary Immaculate

Te former chief magistrate went on todescribe the entire process as ldquovery mean-ingfulrdquo since it had the power to make anordinary priest into a Servant of God

Ordinary priest to Servant of GodldquoImagine during our lifetime today in

the Cathedral we saw the conversion ofan ordinary priest to become a Servant ofGod And we hope that he will merit be-

ing a servant of God until the first step ofthe process will continuerdquo he exclaimed

According to him it must have been thefirst time for most people present to haveseen with their own eyes an event of suchldquohistoric and momentous significancerdquo

ldquoI have lived 20 times four years of mylife almost And this is the first time I have

witnessed the process how it evolves and what we can gather from it o me thisis not just making somebody brought to

the honors of the altar but for us to beable to witness how to live and how tocomport ourselves to be able to follow hisfootstepsrdquo he explained

Built-in holinessDavide pointed out that holiness is

already built in each person but it is onlya matter of expressing it

ldquoWhy I would say that holiness is inus already Because we are the templeof God and the Spirit of God is with usSometimes however we forget that this isso We close our ears We close our eyes to

Jesus Christ We close our hands to JesusChrist by helping others So this is theprocess that we have witnessed today Andto me it will very much workrdquo he added

Davide also credited Msgr Pedro C Qui-

torio III postulator of the causes for Fr Will-mann for the ldquodivinely inspiredrdquo occasionand the timeliness of the diocesan process

ldquoSo Msgr Quitorio you are divinelyinspired You planned everything in sucha way that everything we did and we willdo and what we are doing right now isnot only as legacy to the next generationbut even beyond the next generation forpeople and children yet unbornrdquo he said(Raymond A Sebastiaacuten CBCP News)

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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B6 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

completion In this way the miracle ofthe Incarnation took place with theBlessed rinity taking the initiativeand Mary responding freely and gen-erously to the Spiritrsquos action in her

It is in response to the lead of theSpirit that Mary set out for Elizabethrsquoshouse to share with her relative theldquoGood Newsrdquo she was carrying withinher

Like mankind before Mary andChrist we too may have a bad re-cord when it comes to ldquobeing open toGodrdquo We may not be any better than

Adam and Eve or the people before theFlood (see Gn 65-6) or the builders ofthe ower of Babel (See Gn 113-4)

Tis Advent in the Year of Faith isfor all of us an opportunity to evalu-ate our standing in this respect and totake appropriate action If we decideto imitate Mary and Elizabeth in theiropenness to the Spirit we may be sure

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

HE times of John the Baptist were bad characterized as they were by selfishness greed prideaggressiveness oppression of the

weak Tis can be gatheredfrom the answers he gave tothose who had been struck byhis preaching and asked ldquoWhatought we to dordquo Johnrsquos strongly

worded call to conversion was

amply justified All needed toundergo a ldquometanoiardquo a changeof mind and attitude in order toenter the Reign of God

Te situation does not seemto have changed much since thetime of John the Baptist We livein a society plagued with the samemoral defects and vices People arestill greedy selfish aggressive

And of course the temptation isalways to see these moral failuresin others

In many cases it may be truethat there is so much evil aroundus But it is equally true that wetoo are not perfect here isevil in us too We fail morallyalmost every day and in various

ways We too need to undergoa ldquometanoiardquo a radical conver-sion ldquoRadicalrdquo here means that it

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

WE all experience the dif-ference that physical dark-ness or light produces inus Darkness makes us feeluneasy even anxious andafraid Light gives us a senseof security It enables us torealize where we are and

what to do

his is why the Bibli-cal creation story tells usthat ldquoIn the beginningrdquo (ie when nothing existedexcept God) ldquodarkness cov-ered the abyssrdquo Ten Godsaid ldquoLet there be lightrdquo And there was light Godsaw how good the lightwas rdquo (Gn 14a) Tepresence of light enabledGod to proceed with the

work of creation with allits wonders and poten-tials and thereby conquerthe darkness of chaos andmeaninglessness

should not stop at the individualactions but has to affect our at-titudes and set of values ie thevery root of our actions Tereshouldnrsquot be the least doubt so-ciety will start changing for thebetter the very moment we beginto improve

Advent and the special obser-vances for this year (Extraordinary

Jubilee Year of Mercy Year of theEucharist and of the Family) areinvaluable opportunities for us

to start or resume moving in theright direction Like those whoapproached John we should ask ldquoWhat are we to dordquo Te answersmay be as many as there are personalmoral situations but a ldquocommondenominatorrdquo easily applies to allOur fundamental attitude has gotto be one of openness availabilityand goodwill

Te first requirement is ldquoopen-ness to Godrdquo in grateful love andexpectation in prayer of ldquopetitionand thanksgivingrdquo (see Phil 46)mdashfor the Lord is coming to dwell inour midst and to be our ldquomightySaviorrdquo (See First Reading v 17)

Te second basic requirementis ldquoopenness to peoplerdquo hismeans readiness to share ourgoods generously with the lessfortunate (see Lk 311) to be fair

But aside from physical lightand darkness there are otherforms of these two oppositerealities in the intellectualemotional moral and spiri-tual domains In the JudeanChristian revelation light isassociated and even identifiedwith God while darkness is as-sociated and identified with sinand evil St John the Evangelistproclaims ldquoGOD IS LIGHrdquo(1 Jn 15) Consequently a lifelived without God is darknessmdashthe darkness of sin and hell (See

John 319-21) No wonder thenthat the Incarnation of GodrsquosSon is compared to the comingof light to earth (See Jn 15 and1246)

And this is precisely what wecommemorate and celebrate atChristmas the coming of thelight of Godrsquos holiness andgoodness to fight and defeatthe darkness of evil in all itsforms

In the extraordinary andunique event of the Incarna-

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

MANKIND has had a bad record fromthe very beginning of its historymdashthecriminal record of shutting God outof its plans and life Such an attitudehad few exceptions in Abram Mosesthe prophets And even those ex-ceptions were not always 100 clearIt was only with Mary that a differentattitude started to prevail an attitudeof total openness to the action of Godin onersquos life and of full availability tocooperate with Him in the actualiza-tion of His plan

Mary was the most open of all tothe inspirations and promptings ofthe Holy Spirit Like a very sensitiveharp she let the Spirit produce in herand through her the wonderful melodyof manrsquos salvation which only thedivine love can initiate and bring to

REFLECTIONS

P u b l i c d

o m a i n

C B C P N e w s

Christmas the triumph of light

The ldquoNEW JERUSALEMrdquo isthe perfect realization of Godrsquos

plan and the fulfillment of our

deepest aspirations

4th Sunday of Advent (C) Luke 139-45

December 20 2015

Solemnity of Christmas (C) John 11-18

December 25 2015

3rd Sunday of Advent (C) Luke 310-18

ldquoRejoice Sundayrdquo December 13 2015

Our advent priorities

Countdown B3

that He will work wonders also in usno matter how insignificant and weak

we may consider ourselves (See Mi51)

We need the impulse of the HolySpirit and His empowering supportto get out of ourselves to show aninterest in others and share with themthe blessings we have received from theLord including our joy (See attitudeof Mary Lk 146-49)

We need to be open to the Spiritin imitation of Mary in order tohave Christ formed in us or betterin order to be molded unto him If

we cult ivat e such an openn ess andavailability we shall ever more becomeChrist-like in our thoughts aspira-tions attitudes and actions Andthus we shall be totally committedto do our share in carrying out theFatherrsquos plan of saving love as Christdid (See Heb 105-7)

Open to the spirit in imitation of Mary

Lady of the Sacred Heart Andby the time I left the church

which is just a five-minute walkfrom my house what else couldI say but thank You Really thereis nothing much else one can say

Our Lady and Child in SanSalvatore in Onda

Funny what one sees whenone changes perspectives Goinghome from jogging one day Idecided to pass by the right (in-stead of the left) side of Via deiPettinari (Combmakersrsquo Street)I happened to look up by chanceand I saw this charming image of

Our Lady I had never seen be-fore even if Irsquod already passed by

here more than ten times Ten when I looked down I likewisenoticed what should have beenan inconspicuous door Now Isaw there was a paper posted onit hinting that inside was actuallya church called San Salvatore inOnda and the place where SaintVincent Pallottirsquos remains arevenerated I took mental noteof the opening schedule andresolved I would do the secondday of my novena there

What was beh ind that in-conspicuous door Actually asmall but amazingly beautiful

jewel of a church First behind

the green door commonly seenalong the street was another set

of wider doors made of beauti-ful strong old wood It had ahuge tarp proudly claiming thatSt John Paul II had visited thischurch For such a small churchI thought it would be surprisingany pope would do that

But of course if one knew JP IIand St Vincent Pallotti and whatthey each stood for one wouldunderstand For JP II loved topromote the apostolate amonglay people and St Vincent inhis own 19th century religious

way was one of the promotersof the lay apostolate at the time

when it was so much lacking

He founded the ldquoPious Unionof Catholic Apostolaterdquo Tatrsquos a

union of priests religious and la-itymdashbut the ldquoPallotinesrdquo as theyare called really just consists ofthe religious brothers and priestsand the laity are well theyrsquorethere But that was certainly ahuge start

Te church is now their homebase but it wasnrsquot so at first Builtnear the end of the 11th andbeginning of the 12th centuryit was given to the Franciscansfrom which two popes camefrom Knowing this historic-ity of the church and that StVincentrsquos body is now underthe altar one then understands

this church deserved the Popersquosvisit But to add to these therersquos

to everybody and be absolutelyhonest with all (See Lk 313-14)

All this is love of neighbor in itsmost elementary form and noone can claim to be exempted orto have done enough

o this we have to add thepursuit of all those ldquonatural valuesand virtuesrdquo that Paul lists in theSecond Reading (See Phil 48)Only on these conditions shall

we be able to ldquobe glad and exult with all our heartsrdquo (Zep 314) and

begin to enjoy ldquoGodrsquos own peace which is beyond all understand-ingrdquo (Phil 47)

If on the contrary we refuseto heed Johnrsquos (Godrsquos) call toconversion this Advent will bea series of ldquomissed opportuni-tiesrdquo Tere may still be laughterbut very little joy We may giveand receive plenty of gifts but

without experiencing the bliss ofreal generosity In other words wemay be like one of the decorationshanging on Christmas trees glit-tering and colorful outside butempty and ugly inside

It need not be so It should nothis Advent we have a chanceto really change for the betterstarting from ldquowithinrdquo And it isup to us to make the most of thisopportunity

tion the divine light becomesa human beingmdashJESUS OFNAZAREH His coming is not a lightning in the night thatsoon vanishes in the persistentdarkness of the sky Rather it isan enduring event mdashthe fulfill-ment of a well thought-out plandestined to last till the end oftime and beyond

Te Incarnation is an eventthat is not confined to the placeand time where it took placebut a permanent reality thatconcerns and affects the entireuniverse as well as the life ofeach human being Tis is sobecause the life and mission ofthe God-Man born in Bethle-

hem is to bring the light of loveand grace into the history ofmankind into the life of everyhuman person

his is why we believe andproclaim that Christmasmdashthecoming and dwelling of Godrsquoslight on earth ndash makes all the dif-ference Te world will never bethe same as before the ldquoChrist-

mas eventrdquo simply because Godldquopitched His tentrdquo among us More still He became one of us

He did so in order to enableeach individual and mankindas a whole to fight and over-come the many forms of dark-ness that oppress frighten andenslave usmdashthe darkness of

hopelessness meaninglessnessfear hatred oppression but es-pecially the darkness of sin andof whatever leads to the endlessdarkness of being separated fromGod forever

Nowadays the all-pervadingcacophony of commercialismand materialism tend to dis-robe Christmas of its sacred-ness and saving dimensionand to confine it to the realm

of a myth lost in the vaguenessof a distant past Against suchbackground it is essential thatwe Christian believers ap-preciate the importance ofthe historical event of theIncarnation and its relevanceto our life today

Christmas as the joyful com-memoration of the Incarnationof Godrsquos Son is an invitationto ACCEP Jesus Christ intoour existence as the light of the

world the light of our life It isalso an invitation to REJOICEin the light that radiates from

Jesusrsquo presence teaching and

example It is a commitmentto LIVE as children of thelight and thereby eliminatein ourselves and around usthe darkness of sin and evilin all their forms Christmasis an invitation and a chal-lenge to SPREAD the light ofGodrsquos love through our wordsand deeds

In this perspective theHoly Fatherrsquos call to be ac-

tively involved in the workof a NEW EVANGELIZA-ION becomes absolutely vital and releva nt to thisseason of light and joy Itis the first step toward anever-greater involvement inthe wonderful enterprise ofbuilding Godrsquos luminousKingdom of peace love andhope that can usher in theldquonew heavens and the newearthrdquo the ldquoNEW JERU-SALEMrdquo that is the perfectrealization of Godrsquos plan andthe fulfillment of our deepestaspirations

also the sheer beauty of medievaland renaissance art that one seeson the ceiling and the simplebaldachin under which Mass

was held when I was there Teimage of Our Lady and Child byCesare Mariani in the main altaris also arresting

Te church has the appellationldquoin Onda rdquo which means ldquoin the

waverdquo most probably becauseof the frequent flooding of theiber Irsquove seen some of thesesigns on marble stone aroundseveral parts in Rome indicat-ing where the river was at this orthat point and therersquos only one

thing I can say Te worst Manilafloods are as if only two inches

compared to Rome flooding inthose days Irsquom not sure if thishas any connection to one imageof Our Lady venerated there ona huge side altar ldquoVirgin mostPowerfulrdquomdashbecause one cer-tainly needed a huge power tosurvive such inundations

But last night I know I wasinundated by only one thingmdashthanksgiving for being surround-ed by such beauty and holiness

(Robert Z Cortes is a PhDstudent in Social InstitutionalCommunication at the PontificalUniversity of Santa Croce Rome

He has an MA in Ed Leadership from Columbia University)

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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B7CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

tions might become ever more numeroustill they become the rule

It is in the family that the reform ofsociety begins because it is there that welearn to respect and help one another wepractice patience and justice we learn toshare and to love in an unselfish and practi-cal manner Pope Francis speaking to theFilipino families during his Pastoral Visit

in January 2015 said ldquoIn the family wecome to know God to grow into menand women of faith to see ourselves asmembers of Godrsquos greater family theChurch In the family we learn how tolove to forgive to be generous and opennot closed and selfish We learn to movebeyond our own needs to encounterothers and share our lives with them Tat is why it is so important to pray as afamily Tat is why families are so impor-tant in Godrsquos plan for the Churchrdquo

A family where God is at home is afamily at peace Such was the Holy Familyat Nazareth And the yearly celebration ofits feast is not just a well-deserved tributepaid to its three members It is also an in-vitation and encouragement to make ourfamilies today what the family of JosephMary and Jesus was in those daysmdasha ha- ven of love of God and neighbor at itsbest a home where God felt at home afamily according to Godrsquos heart

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

PRAYING together as a family seems nolonger fashionable nowadays Te reasonsare varied so many commitments con-flicts of schedule practical impossibility ofbeing together Tere are of coursehappy exceptions of parents who everyevening gather their children for somemoments of reflection on the Word ofGod reconciliation shared prayer andrecitation of the Rosary hese samepeople are usually the ones who on Sun-days attend the Eucharistic celebrationas a family From this they derive strengthharmony cohesion And at the same timethey become an inspiration to the wholeparish community It is when the familygathers together for prayer that its mem-bersmdashboth parents and childrenmdashseethemselves under the common fatherlyauthority of God

A family that renews every day itscovenant with the Lord will have notime for endless bickering jealousyunfaithfulness harsh manners on thepart of the parents or rebellion on thepart of their children

Te families that pray together are re-ally mini ldquofaith communitiesrdquo or ldquolittlechurchesrdquo One wishes that these excep-

SOCIAL CONCERNS

M a s t e r o f t h e A n t w e r p A d o r a t i o n

M a r k E u s e b i o

Feast of the Holy Family (C) Luke 241-52

December 27 2015

World Day of Peace (C)

Luke 216-21

January 1 2016

Baptism of the Lord (C) Luke 315-16 21-22 January 10 2016

Solemnity of Epiphany (C) Matthew 21-12

January 3 2016

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

HE world is torn by wars and conflicts of every kindmdashwarsamong nations factions families Afraid of the tragediesof war simple people yearn for peace Some governments andpeace-oriented organizations try to achieve peace throughnegotiations and compromise Fortunately many times theysucceed in establishing at least a ceasefire

But we all know that peace is not simply the absence offighting Peacemdashit has been written in so many waysmdashisthe fruit of justice among nations groups individuals Morethan this peace is the fruit of being in a harmonious rela-tionship not only with others but also with oneself andespecially with God Tere can be no peace where there isrejection of God

Peace is just another word for love another word forgrace It prospers only with the defeat of sin And just asall the sufferings and destructions of war are both a sign anda consequence of sin so the defeat of sin in ourselves andaround us produces that inexpressible feeling of satisfactionand harmony that no material riches can buy and no balanceof power can create

Real lasting peace is what God the source of all good-ness wants for all mankind But in order for that peaceto become a reality we have to do our share First of allwe have to pray for it Ten we have to work for it Tatmeans to make every effort to bring it about Ten the Lord

will bless our efforts by granting us that genuine peace thathas in Him its origin and support On our part we have toaccept Godrsquos blessing of peace with humble gratitude as Heoffers it to us not as an abstract concept but as a person ndashHis very own Son Jesus Christ He is our peace becauseHe is the One who reconciles all men with the Father andamong themselves the One who reconciles each of us

with ourselves In Him we are able to recognize all humanbeings as our brothers and sisters all members of the onebig family that has God as the common Father He is theOne who called the peacemakers ldquoblessedrdquo and gave peaceto His disciples as His farewell gift

Jesus the King of Peace comes to us not in a vision orlike rain from the clouds He comes from a human motherMary Most Holy the woman of peace who has been ableto open herself to the Source of all peace and has fashionedHim in that human form in which all can recognize andlove as their elder brother In this way Mary and peace arevitally and dynamically linked And she brings peace to ourtroubled hearts and lives as Godrsquos messenger as she givesus Jesus in this Christmas season

Pope Francis calls all of us

to CARE FOR OUR COM-MON HOME Tis is one ofthe most important remindersin our times to really show re-spect to God who created allTe issuance of mining permit

will allow tree cutting activi -ties in almost 10000 hectaresland area Tis will lead to thedestruction of the very fewremaining forest in the Philip-pines and in the world We

would expec t a more imba l-ance ecology extinction ofdiversified natural resourcesexample flora fauna insectsanimals (including the Philip-pine Eagle) floods sicknesses

We reiterate that we would not

like this to happen We must remember that the

Home B4

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

EPIPHANY is the manifestation of Jesusas the MessiahSavior of all men includ-ing the pagans of goodwill representedby the Magi As such it is also the mani-festation of the divine plan hidden forcenturies in God to unite all human beingsin Christ (See Eph 11-10)

Evermore mankind moves toward the for-mation of a great international communityTis is according to Godrsquos plan Its roots arein creation itself ldquoGlobalizationrdquo is the ldquoin-thingrdquo nowadays It is a ldquosign of the timesrdquo to

which we should pay attention Tough theconcern of most of its proponents seems tobe economic its basic assumption is correctwe are one world one family of nations

Whatever is incompatible wi th this ldquoone-nessrdquo should be abolished

Many oppose globalization because if we

limit it to its economic aspect and to tearingdown trade barriers almost surely it will leadto the rich becoming richer and the poorbecoming poorer But if we take this wordto mean essentially the abolition of all bar-riers that have been erected by human prideselfishness ghetto mentalities or racism andif it ushers in a greater solidarity of thestronger with the weaker and a generoussharing by the rich with the poor thenglobalization is according to Godrsquos planand all Christians should be its most en-thusiastic supporters

Epiphany has also a special messageconcerning the attitude of all religions

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

WE say tha t people make aldquoprophetic gesturerdquo when theydo something striking that is alsoa sign of greater things to comeTose gestures reveal the depthof their passion or commitmentthey are meant to shake peopleand somehow force them to makea choice either for or againstcertain vital issues

In his lifetime Jesus mademany ldquoprophetic gesturesrdquo

such as his driving the tradersout of the emple the healingof the paralytic and many othermiracles He performed All thosegestures were ldquospectacularrdquo intheir own way Tey attracted theattention of the crowds which

wondered what their ldquomeaningrdquocould be

Tere was in the life of Jesus aldquogesturerdquo which was not spectacu-lar at all and which went unno-ticed by almost everybody exceptHis cousin John His baptism inthe River Jordan Tat gesture

was absolutely ldquocommonrdquo andldquoordinaryrdquo for it was somethingthat almost everybody was doingin those days in response to the

exhortation of John the BaptistBut Jesusrsquo baptism at the Jor-

dan lost in the crowd of sinners who were seeking forgivenesshad a depth of meaning thatmade it one of his most dra-matic ldquoprophetic gesturesrdquo It

was his baptism in fact whichrevealed the essence of Jesusrsquomission and became the occa-sion for the revelation of hisconcealed divine identity

he ldquoprophetic dimensionrdquoof Jesusrsquo action was not so muchin his entering the waters of the

Jordan ashis immersing himselfin the crowd of sinners Tat was

something unthinkable and un-believable Only Godrsquos incrediblelove for every human being andall mankind could have conceivedsuch an ldquoimmersionrdquo which was socomplete and involving as to be atotal ldquoidentificationrdquo Tat wasthe reason why the eternal andall-holy Son of God had comedown from heaven and had un-dergone the fullest ldquoimmersionrdquoin the ocean of mankindrsquos miseryand in human history Jesusrsquobaptism is a clear manifestationof Godrsquos mercy toward mankindTe Word the eternal Son of theFather clad in human flesh in

Jesus of Nazareth becomes one with sinful mankind not to be its

judge but its Savior and the HolySpirit appearing in the form of a

dove a symbol of peace remindsus of Godrsquos mercy on the ldquorem-nantrdquo of mankind as the purifyingflood subsided (See Gen 810-11) Jesusrsquo baptism was a furthermanifestation of the meaning andpurpose of the Incarnation

hrough that ldquoimmersionidentificationrdquo the totally sinless Jesus became a part not onlyof the relatively small group ofsinners gathered by the banksof the Jordan but also of theimmense crowd of sinners thatis the whole of humankind And

just as his immersive in the watersof the river sanctified them so didhis presence among the crowd ofsinners bring them the possibilityof receiving purification from sin

Tat was exactly Jesusrsquo missionIsaiah the prophet had alreadyforeseen this when he announcedthat the mission of the ldquoServant ofthe Lordrdquo was to bring ldquojusticerdquo(that is holiness) to the nationsOf him the Lord God said ldquoIformed you and set you as a cov-enant of the people a light forthe nations to open the eyes ofthe blind to bring out prisonersfrom confinement and from thedungeon those who live in dark-nessrdquo (See todayrsquos First Reading)

In his life Jesus ldquoactualizedrdquosuch a liberating and sanctify-

ing ldquoimmersionrdquo by associatingwith sinners and even seekingtheir company ndash something thatshocked the ldquoholyrdquo people of histime His association with ldquopublicsinnersrdquo was bound to tarnishhis reputation as his opponentspointed out on several occasions

Jesus did not mind that criti-cism and continued like beforeformdashas he himself saidmdashit is sickpeople who need a doctor (SeeMt 912) But his immersinghimself in the crowd of sin-ful mankind cost Jesus much

moremdashit cost him his very lifefor he was put to death to atonefor the sins of all

Jesusrsquo vicarious self-offering was so power ful in its effec tbecause of who he wasmdashGodrsquosbeloved Son on whom the Fa-therrsquos favor rested Such a solemnproclamation of Jesusrsquo divineidentity soon after his baptismbalanced so to speak his hid-ing himself among the crowdof sinners at the Jordan RiverIt also completed the ldquopropheticnaturerdquo of what happened on thatdaymdashGodrsquos very Son coming tosave all mankind by sharing fullyits predicament of misery in or-der to transform it from within

through the superabundant holi-ness that only God is

Families according to Godrsquos heart

symbolized by the Magi toward JesusChrist He should be the one acknowledgedby all believers as the universal Savior sentby God to bring all mankind back to GodTe gifts offered by the Magi to Jesus in

Bethlehem can symbolize the different char-acteristics which the major world religionscan offer as their distinct contribution to theestablishment of the Kingdom proclaimedand established by Christ the gold of faithin one merciful God and the power of His Word as a feature of Islam the incense ofmeditation love for nature and peace thatcharacterize Buddhism the myrrh of dedica-tion and industriousness that characterizeConfucianism Jesus rejects nothingof the values these faiths have He acceptsthem all and brings them together into onepractical synthesis that makes humankindthe family of God on earth

Jesus is indeed the center of humanhistory because he is the center of Godrsquosplan for mankind He is the ldquocenterrdquonot only in the sense that his coming hasdivided the centuries into two great blocks

of ldquobeforerdquo and ldquoafterrdquo Christ He is alsothe one in whom all men can find thecommon point of reference to form a realfamily of nations and peoples withoutcoercion or exploitation Te light of hisGospel can penetrate all cultures assumeall their valid elements and purify the restfrom those negative aspects which thepower of sin has gradually introduced inthem

Only Jesus Christ can keep all men unitedin a community of sincere respect lastingsolidarity and practical love For the plan ofthe Father born of love will find its fulfill-ment only in LOVE

Mary of NazarethMother of JesusMother of peace

Christ the unifying centerof all mankind

One with sinners to save them

environment can exist even

without us but we can neverexist without the environmentnature We only have one com-mon home the Earth there isno other

We urge the Dep ar tmentof Environment and NaturalResources to take the real leadto protect our remaining ldquoenvi-ronment and natural resourcesrdquoplan with other governmentagencies and environmentallyconcern organizationsfounda-tions on how to preserve ourremaining forests and marinelife sanctuaries

NO O MINING IN MA-GUM PUJADA BAY AND SA-LINGCOMO MAI CIY

PROVINCE OF DAVAO ORI-ENAL

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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B8 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

Look for the images of Saint Joseph Mama

Mary and Baby Jesus

(Illustration by Bladimer Usi)

Bladimer UsiLolo Kiko

Buhay Parokya

KANISS Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) both a victor in andsubverter of Panemrsquos Hunger Games is now a symbol of the revolu-tion whom rebel president Alma Coin (Julianne Moore) and powerbroker Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman) want to usestrictly as a poster girl Stubborn freedom-fighter Katniss howeverhas her own agenda and that includes killing President Snow (Don-ald Sutherland]) to end once and for all the senseless deaths of somany young people Forming a team of rag-tag soldiers that includeclosest friends Gale (Liam Hemsworth) Finnick (Sam Claflin) andPeeta (Josh Hutcherson) she goes off on a mission risking theirlives through a booby-trapped war to liberate the citizens of PanemTe final confrontation between Katniss and Snow presided overby Coin is an electrifying game-changer

Te Hunger Games is not exempted from the fad of choppinginto ldquopartsrdquo the movie adaptations of popular books Harry Potterwilight Te Hobbitmdashthey have all stretched their heroesrsquo exploitsto prolong box office earning power and yet the fans wait AfterHunger Games MockingjayPart 1 which judging fromits relatively weak performanceat the tills must have been aforgettable movie that testedthe patience of fans Mocking-

jay Part 2 revs up with moreof the thrills that have madethe Hunger Games series theprototype of dystopia flicks foryoung adults (Divergent et al)Te strong cast monumentallycontributes to the realism of theHunger Games franchisemdashhowcan it go wrong with a leonineSutherland a steely Moore asly Hoffman And of coursethe winner Lawrence who canequally sell with aplomb partscalling for either vulnerability orverve In Mockingjay 2 the starsrsquo solid performances interwoven

with heart-stopping CGI make for a fitting finale to a story that

capitalizes on manrsquos inhumanity to manItrsquos surprising that a number of film critics are disappointed with the

filmrsquos ending calling it ldquosappyrdquo and an anti-climactic conclusion to anadrenalin-packed series that promised so much by way of action andheroism Teir cynical remarks remind us of biblical Israel waiting fora savior who would topple down the ruling elite with its own brandof kingship but is instead given a Jesus Christ CINEMA thinks theending is actually a statement that magnifies the upbeat message of the

whole story enough is enough Murder as spectator sport is sub-human At least when beasts kill it is to survive but in Panem the poor youngpeople are robbed of choice and must kill in order to livemdashas enter-tainment for the elite So Mockingjay mocks the elite it cries ldquoGivehumanity a chancerdquo Whatrsquos wrong with wanting to dump violence tostart afresh Choose life not death Arrows that used to kill people arealso useful for hunting fowl for the dinner tablemdashis that against the lawldquourn your swords into ploughs and your spears into pruning hooksrdquoMaybe the cynicsrsquo eyes have grown to love the Hunger Gamesrsquo darknessthat the sunlight-dappled scenery blinds them Or maybe after fallingin love with the couture of Panemrsquos stylish crowd theyrsquore simply horri-

fied by Katnissrsquo drastic costume change Whatever CINEMA wouldnrsquothave wanted the ending any other way

ENTERTAINMENT

MAGPAPAKASAL at magsump-aang magmamahalan nang wagasang dating live-in partners nasina Basya (Bea Alonzo) at Popoy(John Lloyd Cruz) Bilang mgalisensyadong enhinyero at arkitektoay magtataguyod sila ng construc-tion business na mabilis na uunladLalong magpupursige ang mag-asawa na magpalago ng negosyodahil magbubuntis si Basya Naisnilang mabigyan ng magandangkinabukasan ang kanilang anak

Subalit dahil sa pressure ng tra-baho ay makukunan si Basya attuluyang mawawala ang sanggolna kanyang dinadala Labis itongikalulungkot nina Basya at Popoykaya napagkasunduan nila ayonna rin sa mungkahi ni Basya natitigil siya sa pagtatrabaho upangmakabuo uli sila ng baby Nanatilisi Basya sa bahay at di nakialam sanegosyo sa loob ng dalawang taonPinaubaya niya ang pagpapatakbong negosyo kay Popoy Magtitiwalasi Basya sa kakayanan ng asawa namahusay nitong mapapamahalaanang kompanya katulad ng nagingproblema ng pagguho ng isangbuilding project Hindi rin gu-gustuhin ni Popoy na bigyan ngalalahanin si Basya Samantala sakabila ng magandang saloobin nilasa isarsquot isa ay ang napipintong pag-kalugi ng negosyo na siya namangililihim ni Popoy kay Basya Dahilsasarilinin ni Popoy ang problemamaapektuhan ng tuluyan angkanilang pagsasama

Sequel ng pelikulang One MoreChance na pinalabas noong 2007ang Second Chance Matatan-daang tumatatak ang naunangpelikula dahil sa mga tinatawag nalsquohugot linesrsquo nina Alonzo at Cruzsa nasabing pelikula Di namannabigo ang mga nag-abang sa se-quel na ito dahil naganap nga angsecond chance sa mga pangunah-ing tauhan na sina Basya at PopoyMalinis ang pagkakadugtong ng

dalawang pelikula --- parehongmga tauhan at kontexto gayundinang mga artistang nagsiganap Sakabila ng pagkakaroon ng prequelay napanatili ang malayang istoryang Second Chance bilang isangpelikula Bagamat predictable ang

wakas ay naging kasabik-sabikpa din ang mga eksena at mgapalitan ng linya ng lahat ng tau-han Di matatawaran ang husayng pagganap nina Alonzo at Cruzbilang mag-asawa panalo talagaang tinatawag na chemistry nilangdalawa Di rin nagpahuli nag mgakatuwang na aktor at aktres Mag-aling ang ginawang trato ng direk-

tor para mapalabas ang kalakasanng mga nagsiganap at ang mgaeksenang hinaluan ng patawa lalona sa eksena kasama ng mga kai-bigan Simple lamang ang disenyong produksyon pero nakatulongang mga kuha ng camera at edit-ing para maging makabuluhan saistorya ang setting Makahuluganang composition na nagpapakitang electric fan para sa mensahe nanagtitipid na ang mag-asawa dahillugi na ang kompanya

Mayaman sa mensahe parasa mga mag-asawa ang SecondChance Pinakita sa pelikula angrealidad ng buhay may-asawa nahindi lang puro kasarapan sa halip aymga pagsubok na maaring mauwi sahiwalayan kung hindi haharapin ataayusin Sa relasyon ng mag-asawa

ay napakahalaga ng magiging bu-kas sa isarsquot isa kaya anuman angpagdaanan ay magkatuwang nahaharapin Ang pagtatago ni Popoyng katotohanan kay Basya ang nag-ing mitsa ng lumubhang alitan dipagkakaunawaan pagkawala ngrespeto at palitan ng masasakitna salitamdashpati tiwala sa sarili aynawala At sa punto na pipiliin ngisa na lumayo at hanapin ang sariliay nakatulong na balikan ang mga

sumpaan binatiwan nuong sila ayikinasal at higit sa lahat ang kanilangpagmamahal sa isarsquot isa Mainamdin na may mga kaibigan at pamilyana pwedeng lapitan na susuporta athindi manghuhusga manunumbato mang-uudyok sa paggawa ng maliKapuna-puna lang na bagamatnagsimula at nagwakas ang pelikulasa chapel ay tila di man lang nilanaisipan na magdasal habang maypinagdaraanan sila Nais isipin ngCINEMA na ang gusto lamangsabihin ng pelikula ay ang pag-aasawa ay hindi lamang sa pagitanng dalawang tao kundi dapat aykasama palagi ang Diyos

DIRECTOR Cathy Garcia-Molina

LEAD CAST Bea AlonzoJohn Lloyd Cruz DimplesRomana

SCREENWRITER VanessaValdez Carmi Raymundo

GENRE Romantic Drama

CINEMATOGRAPHER NoelTeehankee

RUNNING TIME 130 minutesTECHNICAL ASSESSMENT

MORAL ASSESSMENT CINEMA Rating V13

A SECONDCHANCE

DIRECTOR Francis LawrenceLEAD CAST Jennifer Law-

rence Josh HutchersonLiam Hemsworth WoodyHarrelson Donald Suther-land Julianne Moore PhilipSeymour Hoffman

GENRE Adventure ScienceFiction

RUNNING TIME 137 minutesTECHNICAL ASSESSMENT

MORAL ASSESSMENT CINEMA rating V14

THE HUNGER

GAMESMOCKINGJAY 2

Buhay San Miguel Brothers Matias

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 1724

Philippine Army Chaplaincy CFC

Hold 1st National Convention

The first-ever OACCS - OSM CEP Convention further strengthened the camaraderie between the chaplaincy and the local CFC created a more solid CFC OSM Core enabledthe stakeholders to work together and recognized the efforts of those who work tirelessly under the program

CFC Metro Manila as one big happy family worshipped danced sang played gamesand had fun during the last MC Gathering of the year

By Alma Alvarez

CFC ANCOP USA Pontificio Collegio Fillipino Sign Partnership Agreement

CFC MM MC Celebrates the Family

HIS Eminence Cardinal Luis Antonio agle Chairman of PontificioCollegio Filippino and its Rector Msgr Greg Gaston recently signedthe ANCOP USA Priest Sponsorship Program (PSP) partnership

with Eric Villanueva Roger Santos and Rollie Balanza Couples forChrist - ANCOP USA leaders Te ANCOP USA PSP will assistpriests from the Philippines who will be sent by their Bishops to doadvance studies in Rome

In his letter to Villanueva Cardinal agle wrote ldquoOur partnership will

allow more Bishops to send Priests for ongoing formation and furtherstudies in Rome to better equip them in serving Gods people as SeminaryFormators and as collaborators in the different Diocesan Ministries back

HE Metro Manila Mission Coregathered as one big CFC familyduring this months MC Assemblylast December 6 2015 Leadersfrom the Family Ministries likewisecame to the Ynares Sports Arenato hear Mass together celebrateshowcase talents play in the fungames and just enjoy each otherscompany before the end of the year

CFC Spiritual Director Msgr Allen Aganon celebrated Mass Inhis homily Msgr Allen emphasizedthe enormity of the role of John theBaptist as the one who heralded thecoming of Jesus Christ despite hishumble beginnings He challengedthe CFC leaders to be like Johnthe Baptist

We are ordinary people who

home As a result our Church in the Philippines will be strengthenedso that Priests and laity alike could carry out our respective work ofevangelization and service not only to the Church but also to societyrdquo

According to the agreement the PSP is for Masters Licentiate orDoctorate studies only ANCOP USA PSP funds will cover the priestrsquosboard and lodging at the Collegio in the amount of $10000 per year

All other needs such as tuition fees medical insurance transportationbooks etc will be provided for by the Bishop as a local counterpart

Tis would ensure that priests can benefit from the partnershipo donate or to know more about the program please visitwwwancopusa-psporg

THE CFC Order of St Michael(OSM) in cooperation with thePhilippine Army Ofce of theArmy Chief Chaplain Service(OACCS) staged the rst everCharacter Enhancement Pro-gram (CEP) Convention last No-vember 24 2015 at the PhilippineAir Force Museum Pasay CityRetired Col Arturo Alabanza amember of CFC Metro Manila(South B) and head of the OSM

OSM C4

together with the OSM Corespearheaded the event

In his opening remarks Alabanza describedhow the OSM came together with the OACCS

and forged a long-term partnership to ldquodeveloprighteous God-fearing soldiers loved by theFilipino peoplerdquo through the CEP Te CFCOSM has developed modules specifically cater-ing to the soldiers their spouses and childrenOACCS on the other hand has the author-ity to mandate Commanding Officers of thevarious Army camps nationwide to employthe CEP

Te convention allowed the stakeholders toreport on the accomplishments and enabledthe Army Chaplains from the different Infan-

try Divisions to plan with their local Couplesfor Christ counterparts regarding strategies forCEP and its continuing spiritual enhancementmodules It was likewise an opportunity for

CFC OSM to present the second module forthe CEP which the group plans to roll outbeginning 2016

ANCOP Chairman Joe Yamamoto in hisinspirational talk reiterated Pope Francisrsquo callfor new evangelization and emphasized thatthe partnership is a clear response of each per-son involved whether it be the Chaplaincy orthe lay stakeholders to be agents of change inthe spiritual realm within the Philippine Army

Several of those serving in the program

His Eminence Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle and the leaders of CFC ANCOP USA f orging a strong partnership for further education among Filipino clergy

are called to herald Christ andto be missionaries of mercy heemphasized

Te Mass was followed by theopening worship led by the MetroManila Missions Director MannyGarcia and a brief message fromCFC Chairman Joe ale

Te CFC Order of St Michaelthrough its Head Art Alabanzatook the opportunity to honor the55 Singles for Christ volunteers

who served in the Christian LifeProgram for the PMA Cadets inBaguio Te fun-filled games forthe adults and children talentpresentations and face-paintingadded to the festive mood rulyit was a day for the family (CFCGlobal Communications)

Reconciliation is Key to Advent PreparationsldquoTHE best way to prepare forChristmas is reconciliation Thebirth of Jesus is Gods offering ofreconciliationrdquo

his was the essence of the Advent recollection given by FrGerard imoner OP Provincialof the Dominican Order in thePhilippines for the workers of theCFC Global Mission Office Terecollection was held last Novem-ber 28 2015 at the Obizpado deCubao in Quezon City

In his reflection Fr imoner

creatively wove reconciliation withforgiveness as well as the new

evangelization taking into account Jesusrsquo words to ldquoshake off the dust

from your feetrdquo According to hima good spiritual foot spamdashthe act

of shaking the dust off onersquos feet toremove all traces of the bad news to

enable one to proclaim the GoodNewsmdashis essential in preparing

oneself during AdventFr imoner described for-

giveness as ldquosetting a prisonerfree and realizing that thatprisoner is yourdquo He illustratesldquoJesus did not forgive whileon the cross Instead he saidlsquoFather forgive them for theyknow not what they dorsquo We canonly forgive if we engage Godsforgiveness within our ownrdquo

he best path to the newevangelization is to allow our-selves to be reconciled with God

amp each other he emphasized(A Alvarez)

The News Supplement of

Couples for Christ

C1CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 1824

Reflections on Advent

I IS the start of a new liturgical

year As in every year the previ-ous liturgical year ended withthe feast of Christ the King afitting high point indeed Aftergoing through the year observ-ing the various highs and lowsand phases of His life in theend and rightly so we proclaim

Jesus as indeed the King of kingsand the Lord of lords

And so the Church starts thecycle anew beginning fromHis birth into this world obuild up to that we have theseason of advent of waitingof anticipating of preparingfor the birth of He who werecognize and proclaim as theKing of kings

One would expect that thismajor season is ushered in

with Bible vers es express ingthe level of excitement befit-ting the birth of the King ofthe universe It is therefore abit surprising and soberingthat the opening reading ofthis season is one with a themethat speaks not of celebrationbut of foreboding of the com-ing end times

here wil l be strangethings happening to the sunto the moon and the stars Onearth whole countries will bein despair afraid of the roarof the sea and the raging tidesPeople will faint from fear asthey wait for what is comingover the whole earth for the

Joe Tale

powers in space will be driven

from their courses hen theSon of Man will appear comingin a cloud of great power andglory When these things begin tohappen stand up and raise yourheads because your salvation isnear Luke 2125-28

Moreover we are enjoined tobe on watch and to be vigilantin a specific way Be careful notto let yourselves become occu-pied with too much feasting anddrinking and with the worries ofthis life or that Day will suddenlycatch you like a trap For it willcome upon all people everywhereon earth Be on watch and prayalways that you will have thestrength to go safely through allthose things that will happen andto stand before the Son of Man

Luke 2134-36It is significant we might evensay ironic that during this seasonof merriment in anticipation ofthe birth of the Messiah we are

warned exactly not t o be merryIn this period that we normallycelebrate with much food and

wine and music we are instructedto refrain from such things

Is the verse dousing cold wa-ter on all these festivities andpreventing us from celebrating

joyously the arr ival of t he KingNot so he verse simply re-

minds us of something more im-portant whatever be the seasonof our life of being constantlyprepared and on the watch at

all times not ever to bring our

guards down whether we are go-ing through our low moments orhigh points in our life We are re-minded to always Be Preparedas the Boy Scouts motto goes

whatever our spec ific situationmay be at any given time

Als o I sense tha t the Lor d would like to bring us to a deeperlevel of rejoicing not merely onthe level of the frivolous as toomuch feasting and drinking areTe words of Jesus do not preventus from rejoicing He wants us tocontinue to be prepared even as

we celebrate He warns us not torejoice in a wanton way that takesus away from our right senses re-sulting in our being unpreparedhus our rejoicing should becoming from deep in our hearts

not shallow and hollow expres-sions of the same Our rejoicingshould be geared towards allowingus to still be prepared

hus as we hold our Christ-mas parties and dwell in themerriment of the season let usbe mindful of the words fromthe Gospel Appropriate feastingand drinking not only make usfaithful to the gospel but is alsomore healthy Significantly tooit should make us more caring tothose who have less and hope-fully lead us not to be wastefuland to share whatever we have somany others will also experiencea truly Merry Christmas

Rejoice in the Lord

HE RED Cubs harvested thegrand championship of the recentlyconcluded CFC GMC Ablaze Cup2015 held last December 2 - Decem-ber 8 2015 at the sports facilities ofCamp Crame

Te friendly games were partici-pated in by the different departmentsin the CFC Global Mission CenterTe Red Cubs romped off with the

Red Cubs are Champions in CFC GMC Ablaze Cup 2015

Go go go GMC clockwise from top left Caloy Rubio CFC Ablaze Cup Event Head exhorting participants the board of judges CFC Chair Joe Tale inspiring the athletes paradeof athletes the Orange Tigers basketball game between the Red Cubs and the Maroon on Fire cheerdance competition

Mel and Aimee Serrano talking about the highs and lows of dealing with in-laws

In Highs And In-Laws Dealing With Your In-Laws

ldquoATRASrdquo BOYS amp GIRLS

Are We Waiting For Jesus At The Right Spot

This Advent

IN983085LAWS he very word re-minds many a married coupleof discomfort awkward evenstrained relationships and some-times open conflict But are rela-tionships with the family membersof your spouse meant to be merelytolerant Te latest Couples forChrist (CFC) ndash Young Couples

Assembly on November 30 heldat St Pauls College in Pasig Citytackled precisely this topic andcame up with this wildly inge-nious insight In-laws are peopletoo ndash love them

According to the speakers Meland Aimee Serrano of CFC ndashMetro Manila West B lovingthem in all sincerity will work

wonders ldquoTat is the tried andtested formula love your in-lawsrdquoshared Mel a school owner fromQuezon City

During the talk which theypeppered with lots of insights andsharing of personal experiences as a

PASIG City Nov 29 2015 ndash What do weusually do when we find out that someone welove or an important personality is visiting ou rhome We tidy up we prepare good food butmost of all we wait his was the m essage thatabout 150 young married couples heard duringthe Family Mass at the Couples for Christ ndash

Young Couple s Assembly at St Paul Colleg eConvention Center held last November 30

Fr Ruper Solis SVD who celebrated theFamily Mass reminded the couples presentthat to wait for something or someone also

couple married for 20 years the Ser-ranos focused on several key points1 Handle them with care

Tis means giving attention tothe one who needs more takingcare of them in their old age as

well as training your kids to respecttheir grandparents

ldquoOn our part we have to makesure that our children will give duerespect [to them] and be able tounderstand intricacies that come

with old agerdquo said AimeeldquoWhether may sama ng loob

(hurt feelings) sometimes there will be times na mahirap makipag-kita (that it will be difficult to meetthem) but you have to go to themKailangan nating gawin yun (Weneed to do it)rdquo she stressed

2 Acknowledge differences According to the couple people

should recognize that their spousemay not have the same familyculture as they do Value systems

means waiting at the right placeldquoAs Christians our life is a series of waiting

Dapat maghintay ka sa tamang lugarhindi langsa tamang panahon na sinasabi ni Lola Nidora noPero sa tamang lugar din (We should wait not justfor the right time but waiting should be doneat the right place as well)rdquo explained Fr Ruper

he young priest who was an SVD missionaryassigned to Argentina for more than seven years

went on to tell the story of how once in Argentinahe was waiting by the side of the road flagging

championship crowns in badmin-ton (women) table tennis (menand women) tug-of-war and peelbanana It was a close fight with theMaroon on Fire team who grabbedthe winning titles for basketballvolleyball cheer dance and chess(men) and ended up 1st runner-up

with les s than 2 points from the winning team Te Orange igerscame in 2nd runner-up while YellowHotshots was 3rd runner-up basedon the last team standings

Te awarding ceremonies wereheld last December 8 2015 dur-ing the celebration of the CFCGMC Christmas party Tis an-nual event is an opportunity forthe mission workers to enjoy eachotherrsquos company Te Ablaze Cuplikewise serves as a venue tofoster and promote the spirit ofsportsmanship and unity amongthe GMC workers from bothpastoral and mission support(Yvonne Dolorosa)

HE WORD ldquoatrasrdquo means a backwardmovement It is generally used to refer to theldquoReverserdquo function of a vehicle In Lanao DelNorte the word has been applied to a group ofboys abd girls who guide vehicles in and out ofparking spaces the equivalent of the ldquoWatch-your-carrdquo aides in Metro Manila

he CFC leaders in the province immedi-ately thought of the Atras Boys and Girls ofLanao Del Norte when Cardinal agle said ndashldquoGo to the peripheries be a mobile clinicto heal the poor from spiritual sickness rdquo

Another ins pirat ion was from one of the mostimportant pastoral subjects of Pope Francisabout the ldquofamily and the poorrdquo

Every time I go to mass at the St MichaelrdquosCathedral with my wifeata the ldquoatras boysand girlsrdquo are all over the area assisting ve-hicles either to park or to exit the parking area

When n ot per formi ng thi s function they andother members of their family can be seenbegging for their daily sustenance hey areusually homeless their home being along theperipheries of the Cathedral or the sidewalks

he inspiration led the Area Governanceeam to the idea of bring these boys and girlsand their parents to a Christian Life Programhey moved quickly with Boy Suezo approv-ing the strategic CLP as designed by RegionalPastoral Formation Head Art Maderazo andinserting video clips appropriate to the CLPtalks With the activation of the SOLD Min-istry with Bro Roger Sultan as Provincial Co-

ordinator SOLD was made the lead ministryof the ldquoAtras Boys and Gir lsrdquo CLP

Initially the number of participants was limitedto five (5) for logistical reasons but the HolySpirit deemed otherwise ndash the attendees eventuallynumbered ten individuals and three (3) coupleshe CLPs were scheduled every hursday at 600orsquoclock in the evening with dinner provided byCFC brothers and sisters particularly the AGrsquos

wives and ANCOP members he SOLD Prov in-cial Coordinator took care of fetching the partici-pants from the Cathedral and also bringing themback to their ldquohomesrdquo It did not matter to Rogerthat his car would often retain the smell of the

unwashed he persisted in servicing the transportneeds of the participants

November 05 2015 was truly a pleasant anda memorable day to the service team On thatday five of the ten boys and girls and two (2)couples dedicated their life to CFC One of theparticipants stood up to give an inspiring testi-mony ending with ldquohank you CFC for makingus somebody in your heart hank you for beingmindful of the conditions of the poor and thankyou for bringing Christ to our livesrdquo (ldquoSalamatCFC nga aduna pa diay kami luna sa inyong kas-ingkasing Salamat CFC sa inyong pagpakabanasa susama kanamo nga mga timawa Salamat sainyong panahon pag hatag kanamo sa pagtulun-anni Kristo)

It is envisioned that this kind of evangeliza-tion can be replicated in other areas nationwidethe beginning of a truly strategic evangelizationHopefully this is also the beginning of a newlife for the new CLP graduates with CFC being

instrumental in helping them provide for theirfamilyrsquos future (Nonoy Haim)

disciplining style even views onhow to handle finances will of-tentimes be different Tat is whyunderstanding coupled with love

will go a long wayldquoDifferences and conflicts are

not unhealthy but mismanagementis Never criticize your in-lawsrdquoMel said

Also in case of confl ict themessenger or the ldquobridgerdquo shouldbe the one with the primary re-lationship (spouse to own fathermother)

he Serranos candidly sharedabout a conflict that eruptedbetween Aimee and her father-in-law during the campaignperiod for local elections whenMel ran for public office heconflict was soon followed by aperiod of silence a Cold Warso to speak ldquoIt took us at leasta year or two [My father said]kasi pag di natin inayos tolahat tayo maapektuhan (If we

dont fix this all of us will beaffected) It helped that thecouple prayed and sought DivineIntervention and asked the com-munity to pray with them heHoly Spirit worked

3 Respond appropriately What if ev en af ter l ovin g and

understanding them its stillnot smooth sailing with your in-laws Heres what the Serranoshad to say

bull iming is everythingbull Learn when to speak or keep

your mouth shutbull ake a breath cool offbull Maintain a sense of humorbull Remember unsolicited advice

is just an opiniono cap their talk the couple

brought back the participants tothe basics of loving in-laws to actout your love to build bridges andto communicate (Nirvaana EllaDelacruz)

HOMILY C3

IN A Memorandum sent to the Philip-pine Missions leaders last November23 2015 PM Director Jose Yamamotoappointedreassigned leaders for theNortheastern Luzon region

Mark Banzon has been appointedProvincial Area Head (PAH) of Isabelavice Rommel Ancheta ony de la Cruz

on the other hand was tapped to be PAHof Nueva Vizcaya vice Raul Balaquiao

O set a new tradition in the CFC Family the InternationalCouncil has agreed to make December 27 the Feast of theHoly Family as a special day for the members of the familyto honor one another Tis will allow each person in thefamily to express their gratitude to the Lord for the gift offamily and the importance of having each member of thefamily around for the love support and service As a sug-

New Appointments for CFC GMC NE LuzonFamily Honoring Night Set

Balaquiao was appointed PAH of IlocosSur vice ony de la Cruz while Cholo

Yjares is now PAH of Cagayan vice BongPagulayan Pagulayan is now PAH ofKalinga vice Cholo Yjares

he move is essentially a realignmentof the leaders in the Northeastern Luzonarea in the interest of the mission except

for Banzon who is a new appointee andfor Noel Malamug who remains as

PAH of Ifugao hese changes are to takeeffect on January 1 2016 Edythe Aven-dantildeo is also set to replace Didi Galsim asHandmaids of the Lord InternationalCoordinator effective January 1 2016

In the Global Mission Center RickyRico was appointed Head for the GAd-min effective October 1 2016 while Jay

Lucena was appointed head of the CFCEvents group also effective October 1facebookcomCFCGlobalMission CFChrist

The Ugnayan News Supplement is published by the Couples for Christ Global Mission Foundation Inc with editorial ofces at 156 20 th Avenue 1109 Cubao Quezon City

Editorial trunk line (+63 2) 709-4868 local 23

Direct line (+63 2) 709-4856

wwwcouplesforchristglobalorg cfcglobalcommunicationsgmailcom

Michael C Ariola

IC Oversight

Zenaida A Gimenez

Editor-in-Chief

Alma M Alvarez

Associate Editor

Evangeline C Mecedilla

Circulation Staff

Deomar P Oliveria

Layout Artist

The News Supplement

of Couples for Christ

gestion the guidelines indicate the following as the activitiesfor the said day hearing Mass together dining together athome praying together and in gratitude expressing theirlove to one another

hrough the Family Honoring Night the community hopesto strengthen the relationship among the family members andempower each one to truly cherish and love one another

Bong Pagulayan

Mark Banzon

Cholo Yjares

Ricky Rico

Edythe Avendantildeo

Raul Balaquiao

Jay Lucena

Tony de la Cruz

C2 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 1924

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 2024

CFC China Conducts

Mission Heads Training

CFC Greece Leaders Meet Archbishop of Athens amp Nuncio

COUPLES for Christ USA and CFC Greece leaders paid a courtesy call on Archbishop Sevastianos Rossolatos and Fr George Altouvas at the Archd ioce se of Athens he g roup in troduced Couples f or Chri st to the new Archbishop and di scus sed theirplans to initiate a CFC Youth Camp in Greek as well as to develop CFC teachings in Greek

On another occasion the CFC leaders met with the Apostolic Nuncio of the Holy See in Athens Archbishop Edward Joseph AdamsTey discussed challenges and forthcoming changes in the Greek Catholic hierarchy and laid down CFCrsquos plans for CFC Athens

SINGLES for Christ Metro Manila gath-ered at the San Carlos Seminary in Makatilast December 5 2015 at 700 pm forthe SFC Global One a two-hour non-stop worship experience Jay Laquiana fulltime pastoral worker for SFC ledthe worship

Global One was meant to be a simul-taneous praise concert with major cities

or provinces hosting the event But what

made this yearrsquos Global One event special was the fact that it was the first time it wasstaged online via youtube live broadcastTis gave SFCs all over the world an oppor-tunity to come together despite differencesin time zone

ogether as one ministry SFCs from theMetro Manila Sectors the provinces andthe various countries like the USA Canada

and the Middle Eastern countries raised

SFC GLOBAL ONEmdashUniting the World

via Online Worship

their voices in praise and worship for thecountless favors they received It likewisebecame an opportunity to ask the Lordto bless the ministry for the coming year

Te ministry sees the online Global Oneas an event they can do annually Tey alsosee it as a potential tool to reach othernon-SFC members to witness Christ andcome together with other young people to

worship (Lanie Montaos)

OSM C1

CFC Winnipeg held its 2nd Celebration of Covenant Love onNovember 21st the feast of the Presentation of Our Lady Sixteencouples attended the activity

One week prior to the Renewal of Wedding Vows the 16 coupleshad a mini-retreat conducted by their spiritual advisor Fr YollyGamallo Te mini-retreat included four couple-sharers Te HolyMass was celebrated at St John Cantius Parish presided by MsgrLouis McCloskey A simple reception followed for the 16 couples andabout 60 family members with additional witnesses from the CFCcommunity Te participants who renewed their marriage vows werefrom varied age groups with some having been married for only five

years to couples who were celebratingo 40 years of holy matrimony

Tis year makes the Celebration of Love even more relevant as itis the year that held the papal Synod on the Family and the WorldMeeting of Families Pope Francis stated when making an address tofamilies ldquoTose who celebrate the sacrament say lsquoI promise to be trueto you in joy and in sadness in sickness and in health I will love youand honour you all the days of my lifersquo At that moment the coupledoes not know what will happen nor what joys and pains awaitthem Tey are setting out like Abraham on a journey together

And that is what marriage is Setting out and walking togetherhand in hand putting yourselves in the Lordrsquos powerful handsHand in hand always and for the rest of your livesrdquo (from http

couplesforchristcanadaca)

A Celebration of Covenant Love

I cherish the treasure the treasure of you lifelong companion I give myself to you These happy couples from CFC Vancouver saying Yes again to oneanother and to God as they renew their marriage vows

CFC missionaries to South Americarejoiced as they completed a fruitfulmission to the area a fitting end to theyear Te mission to Nuevo Pueblo deColaacuten opened a new area an hour awayby land from Piura Peru establish-ing CFC ndash Parejas para Cristo in a remotetown in the desert At the end of theChristian Life Program 13 new CFCPPC members composed of 4 couples4 HOLD and 1 SOLD committed to alife with Christ

Te PVC (Programa de Vida Cristiana- Spanish CLP) was held November 27to 29 2015 (Tanksgiving weekend) byCFC USA Florida in Iglesias del Rosarioone of two parishes in town Padre LuisSerra head pastor of the main churchthe Iglesia Sagrado Corazoacuten de Jesuacutesopened the doors to CFC PPC Fourother brethren from CFC PPC RiojaPeru headed by Fr Rober Martinez cameto reinforce the missionariesrsquo efforts Teteam got a taste of their first mission

CFC China is on full throttle in its evan-gelization efforts Tey recently conducted

the first-ever CFC China Mission Headsraining from November 27 to 30 at Vilada Sta Isabel Estrada Cheoc Van MacauTe training aimed to strengthen its leader-ship ranks through several formation talksfrom the Chapter Leaders raining (CL)series Te sixty participants were mostlyChinese with some Filipino Mission Headsand their AG members from the North

West East and South of China includingMacau SAR and Hong Kong SAR

Te first day of the training was devotedto a silent retreat based on Psalm 4610ndash ldquoBe silent and know that I am GodrdquoTe three-hour retreat centered on thetheme ldquoWe need to Change How WeLead o lead like Jesusrdquo with each par-ticipant encouraged to ldquoempty oneselfrdquoFr Oliviades a member of the Opus Deifacilitated the retreat

Day 2 started with a Holy Mass concel-

ebrated by Fr Joseph Wang from YiwuEast China Te training proper began with Israel Silud CFC Country Headand Northwest Regional Head givingthe overview and citing challenges thatCFC China faces He reiterated thatCFC Chinarsquos goal of raising 1 millionhousehold heads will be driven by the

The fruits of 2015 for CFC PPC hundreds of miles away from home

In 2015 ten missions were held inSouth America by CFC USA All these

were made possible by a handful of zeal-ous and selfless CFC USA mission vol-unteers who sacrificed a lot and deniedthemselves many comforts in order tobring the Word of God to families in Co-lombia Ecuador and Peru CFC ParejasPara Cristo will not take off without thefinancial support of CFC USA

ruly God gave a very good year for

the mission team harvesting 608 souls in2015 (a total of 857 persons from June2014 to date) Te task of sustainingCFC PPC families and area countriesare enormous But with grateful heartsthe South America team humbly turnsto God thanking Him each day forHis guidance as He leads the way Teteam looks forward to 2016s adventureof bringing the banner of Christ to themiddle and corners of the earth (GlenSantayana)

whether lay or from the Chaplainsrsquo ranklikewise gave testimonies on how theirinvolvement in the CEP made them real-ize that they have become not only agentsof change but recipients of grace as well

In the afternoon the Chaplains andtheir CFC counterparts came together fora round table discussion of the plans ofthe various Infantry Divisions nationwide

Army Chie f Chaplain Fr Col Andre sBonifacio Belleza CHS (GSC) in anunexpected move expressed his recog-nition through the grant of awards ofthe initiatives of the Army Chaplainsin implementing the CEP in their vari-ous Divisions Fr Maj Juan Jerome CDaluro was awarded Best Chaplain ofthe Year 2015 for his exemplary ser viceas Division Chaplain of 9th Infantry(Spear) Division Fr MSg Mario Ban-

iqued Philippine Army (PA) OACCSChief Clerk was recognized as Best

Chaplain Assistant of the YearSince the partnership between the

OACCS and CFC OSM started in April2014 the group has conducted CharacterEnhancement Retreats (CER) for 28 Phil-ippine Army commands Trough CFCSingles for Christ volunteers a ChristianLife Program has likewise been conductedfor the Philippine Military Academy Classof 2018 graduating 385 PMA-Singles forChrist members Presently five CERs arealso being done at the V Luna MedicalCenter in Quezon City

Alabanza admit s there is still muchto be done So far the CEP has reached2000 men and women in uniformroughly 0287 percent of an estimated800000 population of soldiers theirspouses and their families Tis is indeedfertile ground for values and spiritual

transformation which is just waiting tobe conquered (A Alvarez)

Another fruitful harvest in Peru from top the 13 new members in CFC PPC all-women discussion group

Courtesy call top photos CFC leaders with Archbishop Edward Joseph Adams amp Fr George Altouvas bottom photos with Fr George Archbishop SevastianosRossolatos and Archbishop Edward Joseph Adams

CFC OSM and the OACCS reaching out to the men and women in uniform and their families through the Character Enhancement Program

personal holiness of its ser vant-leaders who will be leading the evangelization thrust

in 34 provinces in China CL talks 2-5 were given by the regional heads with their wives as sharers

Day 3 began with the recitation ofthe Holy Rosary followed by anotherconcelebrated Holy Mass Fr Oliviadesdelivered a beautiful homily on ldquoemptyingoneselfrdquo Te rest of the CL talks wereagain delivered by the regional heads withtheir wives as sharers In CL alk 9 Siludemphasized the need to pay attention tothe means to care for the spirit mind andbody of the leaders

Te last day primarily focused on plan-ning the CFC China activities for 2016One of the proposals from the planningis that the four (4) regions in China willeach be hosting the major activities linedup for the year

Te three-day training and planning was conducted by CFC China Country

Head IsraelSally Silud with the supportof North Asia Regional Coordinator Ga-rieCess Pimentel and the regional headsfrom East China (EricEvelyn Ylagan)South China (JoelErica Santos) HongKong SAR (GarieCess Pimentel) andMacau SAR (JMEmilie Yupangco) (Ericamp Evelyn Ylagan)

C4 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

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JCL ndash member while for the TeologicalCommission the experts appointed wereFr Alexander L Garces SDB JCL ndashPresident Fr Enrico Eusebio Jr SJ JCDndash member and Sr Maria Amparo SantosOP JCL ndash member As with the ribunalmembers the Presidents and membersof both Commissions individually tooktheir respective oaths and signed the Acts

Te appointed Copyist Ms RonalynRegino and Assistant Copyist Ms Ge-cerein Sayen Ocampo were called next totake their respective oaths and similarlysigned in the Acts

Ten Postulator Msgr Pedro C Qui-torio III and Vice Postulator Fr WilmerR Rosario JCD individually took their

respective oaths not compromise the truthand offend justice nor impede the free-dom of witnesses to testify in the CauseTereafter they also signed the Acts

Te Postulator then presented to Car-dinal agle for his examination a list of

witnesses to be interrogated subject to thepossible addition and revision of namesin the future Upon examining the listthe Cardinal decreed that the next sessionfor interrogation of witnesses be held on

January 11 2016 at the Arzobispado deManila

Finally after ordering the Chancellorto establish public record of this First Ses-sion Cardinal agle declared the Processfor the Causes of Beatification and Can-

onization of Servant of God FAHERGEORGE J WILLMANN SJ Father ofthe Order of the Knights of Columbus inthe Philippines OPEN

o complete the Rites His EminenceLuis Antonio Cardinal agle together withformer Chief Justice Hilario G Davide

Jr as Chairman of the National ExecutiveCommittee (NEC) for the Cause of Fr

Willmann jo intly u nveiled the portraitof Father George J Willmann SJ

Tereafter Cardinal agle began thecelebration of the Holy Eucharist Con-celebrants were Bishop Honesto FOngtioco DD Bishop Mylo HubertC Vergara DD Msgr Geronimo FReyes JCD Fr William Arana OSA Fr

Carlo Magno Marcelo Fr Marvin MejiaFr Wilmer Rosario JCD Fr Carlo DelRosario Fr Julius Paul Factora OP JCDFr Sander Niez JCL Fr Alex GarcesSDB JCL Fr Rico Garcia Fr ReginaldMalicdem Fr Darwin Faith Ponce OSAFr Ricky VIllar OSA Fr Geoffrey Eb-orda OSA Fr Genaro Supremedo OSAFr Jojo orres OSA Fr Joseph VillarealOSA Fr Roy Gallano OSA Fr MichaelSalazar and Fr Romel Cruz

Also serv ing as Conce lebrants werea number of KC Priests Scholars of theKnights of Columbus Fr George J

Willmann Charities Inc that includedMsgr Pedro C Quitorio III Fr Benjamin

The Cross A Supplement Publication of KCFAPI and the Order of the Knights of ColumbusCBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25 December 7 2015 - 27 2016

Sainthood bid opens forFr George Willmann SJBy Roberto T Cruz

On December 7 2015 Mon-

day the bells of the ManilaCathedral rang out loud as HisEminence Luis Antonio Car-dinal agle presided over themilestone celebration of theHoly Eucharist at the ManilaCathedral to formally open theDiocesan process of the Causeof Fr George J Willmann SJ

he Liturgical Rites for the formalopening of the diocesan process precededthe Mass at 900am With the entranceprocession of Cardinal agle as the MainCelebrant together with two bishops twomonsignors and thirty-three priests whoconcelebrated the Mass the Rites started

with Msgr Pedro C Quitorio III theappointed Diocesan Postulator for theCause of Fr Willmann giving biographi-cal highlights of the life of Fr George J

Willmann SJ An Invocation of the HolySpirit followed with the singing of VeniCreator Spiritus by the Manila CathedralBasilica Choir

Cardinal agle then examined anddeclared the legitimacy of the appoint-ments of Msgr Pedro C Quitorio III asthe Postulator and Fr Wilmer R Rosario

JCD as Vice-Postul ator in conformity with the Code of Canon Law

Appointed members of the Diocesanribunal for the Cause of Fr Willmann

were Msgr Geronimo F Reyes JCDas Episcopal Delegate Fr Carlo P DelRosario JCL as Promoter of Justice Mseresita F Kudemus ndash First Notary MsMarivic M Ambasa ndash Second Notary Ms

Julieta R Santos as Tird NotaryTe Cardinal reminded them of the

great responsibility importance andseriousness of the Process for the Causesfor Beatification and Canonization Asrequired by Church law all the mem-bers of the ribunal starting with MsgrGeronimo F Reyes individually tooktheir oath to faithfully fulfill hisher com-mitment and then signed the Acts

Te Experts who were tapped to formthe Historical Commission includeFr Julius Paul Factora OP JCD asPresident Fr Adolfo N Dacanay SJ

JCD ndash member and Fr Sander D Niez Sainthood D3

KCFAPI Theme and Logo for 2016HE year 2016 has been pro-claimed the Year of the Eucharistand the Family by the CatholicBishopsrsquo Conference of the Phil-ippines Te theme is part of thenine year spiritual journey thatbegan with the Year of Faith

where we experienced an authenticrenewal of faith guided by the newevangelization principles

he Holy Eucharist whichmeans thanksgiving invitesfamilies of the Catholic faithfulto commemorate the supremesacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christon the cross to receive His body

and blood in the Holy Commu-nion and to celebrate His victoryover death

Te Roman Catholic Churchpromotes strong family ties andvalues Parents are entrustedthe responsibility to prepare andteach their children to follow JesusChrist and live His gospel

KCFAPI distinguished itselfin protecting the sanctity of thefamily by providing comfortand sustenance in any loss orlife-changing event among fam-ily members KCFAPI respondsswiftly to changing or evolvingfamily insurance needs Nowon its 58th year of providingunsurpassed uncompromised

fraternal service KCFAPI vowsand advocates relentlessly to

render comfort benefit and as-sistance to all brother knightsand their families with mercy andcompassion

As part of the KCFAPI familyin a pioneering effort all wholly-owned and majority-ownedcompanies will coordinate theirschedules and manage theirresources towards one com-mon goal and will function asone well oiled machine By

joi nin g han ds gu ide d by theHoly Spirit the strength ofone is multiplied several times

over Te heart symbolizes lovemercy and compassion and is

also Charity ndash the first of fourcore principle of the OrderKCFAPI in heart-shaped bordermantles the five wholly- ownedand majority-owned companies Keys Realty amp DevelopmentCorporation Kompass Creditand Financing Corporation KCPhilippines Foundation IncKnights of Columbus Fr George

J Willmann Charitie s Inc andMace Insurance Agency IncTey are depicted by the boldshoulders of the figures symbol-izing the family Just like in any

close-knit family concentratedon accomplishing one objective

all employees will be engagedtheir support and talent pooledand harnessed to participateactively in any company activi-ties working in tandem as onecohesive unit

Te logo vividly demonstratesthe solidarity and bonding of fam-ily members if they gather togetherand allow Christ to be at the centerof their family relationship

Te different colors representthe various hues of the Order ofthe Knights of Columbus red

whit e blu e and yell ow hegreen color manifests KCFAPIrsquos

concern for our environment andits managementrsquos advocacy gearedtowards a healthy state of our sur-roundings Orange brings a posi-tive outlook in life optimism andmotivation to look on the brighterside of life

Te cup and host (in yellow)emulating the Holy Eucharist pro-vides Christ- centered way of life

Te circular flow represents in-finity or totality the unboundedtimeless and never ending lovecare and affection of KCFAPIin providing each and every KCfamily a shield of security protec-tion and hope Te acronym ALLcharacterizes KCFAPIrsquos inclusiveapproach to all forms of actions

products and services (Angelito A Bala)

As we protect families for generations Act Live Love

KCFAPI Planning Conference The Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of thePhilippines Inc held their 2016 Planning Conference last November 7-9 2015 atColumbus Plaza General Santos City Present were KCFAPI Chairman Bro Arsenio IsidroG Yap KCFAPI President Bro Jose C Reyes Jr KCFAPI Executive Vice President SisMa Theresa G Curia KCFAPI Officers and Supervisors KEYS Realty Vice President Bro

Riz Nicolas and HTMC Vice President Sis Apolonia Dominguez

Living Rosary The Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of the Philippines Inchad their Living Rosary last October 30 2015 at the KCFAPI main office This has been

a yearly practice for the Month of the Holy Rosary which is usually conducted by itsofficers and staff

Cardinal Tagle leads the unveiling of the portrait of Jesuit Fr George J Willmann as the Manila archdiocesan process for the Cause of Beatification and Canonization of the latter formally opens at the Manila Cathedralon Monday Dec 7 Willman is considered as t he ldquoFather of the Knights of Columbusrdquo in the Philippines ROY LAGARDE

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 2224

D2 The CrossDecember 7 2015 - 27 2015 Vol 19 No 25

ACQ UIR IN G a hou se and lo t which they can call their own home

and driving their own cars are twoof the priority dreams of Filipinoparents Of course seeing theirchildren finish college education iseither Number 1 or Number 2

Te Knights of Columbus Frater-nal Association of the PhilippinesInc (KCFAPI) has formed andincorporated a new company to helpmembers of the Order to have their

dream homes and motor carsKCFAPI named the new company as Kompass Credit and

Financing Corporation (KCFC) after one of the symbols of theKnights of Columbus which is the Compass Like the Compassof the ancient marines KOMPASS is here to guide BrotherKnight in having their own home and efficient mobility

KOMPASS can also extend home car and business loans tothe general public

Interested parties can call KOMPASS at el No 527-2242

527-2223 loc 215 and 252 for further details of the loan

Arsenio Isidro G Yap

Chairmanrsquos Message

Presidentrsquos Message

Ma Theresa G Curia

Jose C Reyes Jr

Reflection

Curia Settings

Michael P Cabra

Bequest LIFE this Christmas

My Brotherrsquos Keeper

FILIPINO raditions reflect the kindof people that we are All traditionscustoms and beliefs evolve from thelove and respect of the family Ourmutual and natural respect for oneanother our desire to please and notoffend each other and our willingness

to extend a helping hand are just a fewof the basic foundations which madethe Filipino people unique a one of a

kind and nowhere else could be found And certainly a must-have as a friend and neighbor

Some of the trait I like is the ldquomano pordquo expression and at thesame time reaching for the otherrsquos hand and asking for his blessingsTe respected elder would normally extend his hand to touch theforehead of the one asking for his blessings and expresses ldquokaawanka ng Diyosrdquo or ldquoGod bless yourdquo It doesnrsquot matter whether the onebeing accorded the respect is younger than the person asking forthe blessing or even if they hardly know each other

Another trait is removing onersquos slippers or shoes when enteringa neighborrsquos house Te guest expresses his respect for the hostand does not in any way want to spoil or damage the pristinecondition of the floor which is normally kept shiny and clean

Cleaning of onersquos surrounding to the point of cleaning also theneighborrsquos grounds I could still remember in our neighborhoodthat the old folks would sweep the debris on the street in front

of their houses But instead of just collecting their own trashthey would try to outdo each other by picking (or sweeping)the litter on the street up to the neighborrsquos house in front andeven on their right and left side

Everyone living along the same street knows each other very well to the point that all knows who are having a hard time and would need some assistance A neighbor would readily do somehousehold chores give some food and try to console those whoare grieving for the loss of a love one Nobody needs to askHelp is extended readily

Although the traits Irsquove mentioned above are seldom practicednowadays except for the ldquomano pordquo I still believe that those

were just some of our good traits which define us as people which define us as a Filipino a unique breed of people We arevery resilient that even though we are in grief or experiencingextreme challenges in our everyday life we still are able to lightour faces with the friendliest smile

Christmas is another tradition-field celebration that is uniquelyFilipino Te ldquoSimbang Gabirdquo ldquoputo bumbongrdquo and the like are

some Christmas traditions But let us not forget that Christmas isnot just a season of merriment but is a season for reconciliationItrsquos that time of the year when we want to ask forgiveness fromthose we had wronged and at same time forgive also those whohad wronged us and forget whatever they had done to us

Christmas is a season wherein family ties are kept stronger andmore meaningful But to be more meaningful it is better that weshare our blessings to those in need whose nights might be Holy but

would be very Silent and the only sound that they could hear arenot carols of merriment but the grumbling of their empty stomach

Make this Christmas the most meaningful Christmas ever bysharing your ldquoNoche Buenardquo with a neighbor or better still witha complete stranger May the birth of our Lord touch our heartsand be responsive to those in need

CHRISMAS is a holy day celebratingthe birth of Jesus Christ our Saviour Ithas been a tradition in the Philippines that

we go to dawn masses from December 16to the eve of Christmas day Because ourenthusiasm builds up as early as Septemberon Christmas Day itself many of us areexhausted after days of going through heavytraffic on the way to parties and to crowdedshopping malls to shop for gifts Tere arealso many events that we are enticed to at-tend for our kidsrsquo sake gatherings of relatives and friends near and farand entertainment we spend a lot for the family

While these festivities are all expressions of love we sometimes forgetthat Christmas day is the day we should go to mass to thank God forall the blessings we received from Him and in turn to offer our gift to

Jesus Christ As we enter the Advent season let us start reflecting on

how we can better love and serve God on how we can help the poorand how we can give hope to those who are losing hope Let us put intoaction the principle of charity with greater vigor and sense of urgency

May Christmas be like the ldquoJourney to the Innrdquo of Joseph and Mary- tiring yet full of hope and joy to welcome Christ in our hearts andour homes As Knights of Columbus let us lead our communities toa Christ-centered Advent celebration this year and always

My family and I wish your whole family ldquoA Merry Christmas and aBlessed New Yearrdquo

FOR this Christmas I wish tobase my reflection on a poem

written by Horacio de la Costathe first Filipino provincial ofthe Jesuits Please read and usethe poem as a Christmas greet-ing My reflection is nothingcompared to the poem

We must have visited all theBelens in our churches since we

were small In fact most of usalso put up the Christmas cribin our own homes In arlacthey even have yearly exhibits ofBelens which they call Belenis-mo We were told that it was StFrancis who started putting upthe crib in his church And thepoem of Horacio Dela Costatells us that if we meditate onthis set up we might discover

the surprises that they bring toour consciousness

Let us identify some fea-tures of the Belens that we se earound us during the Christ-mas season and together letus reflect on the meanings thatthese can offer us We shall seedifferent layers of Christmasmeaning emerge

1 he King was born poorGod has become human Tisis one of the features that wesee when we stare at the Crib

What a paradox the king ispoor God is human Life isindeed full of paradoxes andof seeming contradictions

We make sense of them only

with the passage o f t ime and

as we mature both in age andin faith

2 he Bethlehem scene isprofoundly meaningful sym-bolic and mystery-laden We

watch the figures in the Be lenand sometimes we do notunderstand When we do notunderstand the turn of eventsin our life we should not giveup We should not run awayTe world will not end onlybecause we do not understand

what we see exper ience or feelLet us stand in awe at Godrsquosvisit when we are clueless of

what i s happening 3 he King was born in a

manger But there was peacearound among the wise menand the shepherds on that holy

and starry night We see atthe Belen scene a communionamong God humans the richand the poor animals and hu-mans the stars the night andthe people It was as though ata special moment the Universe

was one As though the con-nectedness of all the elements

was not merel y ecolog ical asLaudato Si spoke of but evendivine -human No wonderthat we do not get tired of put-ting up our belens at home inchurches and in public placesNo wonder that we can stareforever at the Nativity scenealthough we do not fully un-derstand everything although

we do it yea r afte r year We

also feel that we are there andthat we are connected to the

figures they represent we areconnected to history to oursurroundings and even to ourGod

4 he Savior was born ina manger where animals eatTe meaning of the mangerscene has been the content ofmany sermons that we haveheard We were told that thisdoes not only refer to thehumility or poverty of Jesus

A dee per meaning they say isthat Jesus has come to be foodfor all who come to him Jesuscame to give Himself as foodfor the world His words histeachings his mercy and com-passion and his Good News of

Godrsquos Plan are enough to fillour emptiness with a sense ofdirection and destiny Teyquench our thirst for enlight-enment guidance and sense ofdignity as humans

5 he Baby who is born isthe Savior of the world Howcan a Baby save the w orld Wesee before us a baby wrappedin swaddling clothes And werealize that Divinity can berevealed in very human situ-ations And that the humblestreality could be a revelationthat God is in our midst If weopen our hearts and minds tothe Lord His Spirit enlightensand gives delight to our weary

and limited minds and souls

Even today we can feel Hismessage although sometimes

we do not ful ly unders tand Te truth dawns on us when

we ar e qu ie t and when we wait When we do not rush toknow Godrsquos Presence is a Giftthat we can never be worthy ofBut the point here is not thatour littleness could obstructthe Revelation of a mysteryRather the Greatness of theLord compels Him to revealHimself to the little one Evento us Now

Tat is why Liturgy invokesour ability to watch to look at

what happe ns in the Churchcelebrations Te beauty ofcandles incense and flowerscan evoke some sense of the

Sacred Space a Sacred Mo-ment and a Sacred Encounter

Te Belen does this for us inrevealing the message of Christ-mas If we open our eyes weshall see the Message of Christ-mas with our hearts If we havetime and we can keep quietbefore the Belen we might seethe surprise of the Lord

[The author Ma TheresaG Curia is the Executive VicePresident amp Chief OperatingOfficer of the Knights of Co-lumbus Fraternal Association ofthe Phils Inc (KCFAPI) andthe incumbent Diocesan Regentof the Daughters of Mary Im-maculate International Dioceseof Malolos]

IrsquoS that time of the year again We must allbegin the increasingly difficult task of buy-ing suitable gifts for our friends and familyHowever there is a different gift you shouldseriously consider giving this year Itrsquos not a fun

present nor it is exciting Itrsquos not somethingyou can play with or wear and it definitely wouldnrsquot be considered a treat Itrsquos a gift thatno one wants but everyone NEEDS So whatare we talking about A Fraternal Service Plan

A Benefit Certificate (BC) or what is simplyknown as a life insurance policy Every year

we search for that perfect gift for a loved oneSomething that will show how much we careand appreciate them What could better provethat than giving someone the gift of SECU-RIY and SABILIY

Unfortunately the recent statistics presentthe sad truth (a) more than 95 Filipinos donot have adequate levels of insurance and (b)more than 80 of Filipinos do not believethey are likely to suffer a serious illness in the

next 20 years Yet each year around 365000Filipinos face premature death either caused byaccidental death or natural sickness It equatesto 1000 untimely deaths everyday

Firstly think about your present situation

Do you have loved ones who depend on youfinancially If something were to happen toyou would your family struggle to maintaintheir current lifestyle the kind of living yoursquovebeen providing If you answered yes to thesequestions itrsquos as simple as that - you need tohave life insurance Secondly do you have aloved one (parent spouse adult children e tc)

who needs protection Tis year give them theultimate gift Having an adequate amount oflife insurance can help in paying off hospitalbills memorial bills mortgage and even in-heritance tax It can allow a family to maintaintheir current level of living and possibly evenfund long term goals such as childrenrsquos schoolfunds dream car house business and evenretirement Now wersquore not saying this is the

only gift you should give it might look a littlesad with only that under the Christmas treeHowever just consider along with the othergifts giving a present that may not be appreci-ated at that moment might come in use should

a critical time arrive You look after your familyand so this is a perfect gift ideaItrsquos important to consult a fraternal counselor

when considering life insurance as it is impera-tive that you are insured accurately dependingon your current situation and future needs

Should you wish to know more just visit wwwkofcorgph for inquiries

Did you know thatFor as low as PhP10000 you can already

start the Gift of Life to your loved ones Tisfraternal service plan is called KC Peso Saver Itis a single contribution endowment plan which

will mature at the end of the benefit certificatersquos10th year In fact a lot of Knights of ColumbusMembers invest with this Gift of Life everyChristmas for their spouse and children

Gemille Isabel P Gloria

A Meek Christmas

IMAGINE a pregnant mother who is supposed to give birth toa child at the moment and rideson a donkey with her husband

Apart from the pain of laborthe mother is enduring deathchases their yet unborn child astheir King deliberately kills allthe newborn babies that night

urned down by the innkeepersthey ended up in a crude stablesharing it with the farm animalsand the shepherds as she gavebirth to a baby boy and placedhim in a manger I bet you arepicturing a scene of a movie inyour head right now Tis isactually what the first Christmaslooked like

Going back to the presentChristmas is far more delightfuland exciting Shopping feastinggift-giving and vacation trippingare just few of the activities that

we cannot do away with in ourChristmas lists We think ofChristmas like no other ordinaryday of the year We make sure

that for Noche Buena there isabundance of bountiful feasts inour dining table from a platterof mouth-watering leche flan toa sumptuous lechon new clothesup to fifty percent sale on theselected items section and expen-sive gifts covered in a Santa Claus

wrapper under a fully decorated

Christmas tree We associate theChristmas season as a time ofsplendor since it is the birthday ofour Savior Unfortunately someof us could only imagine thesethings Tey are our fellow whoare counted by the government inabject poverty who could hardlythink of where and how to gettheir first meal for the 365 daysof the year including Christmasday One does not need to moveafar to behold this ravers-ing nearby the office we couldalready see some of the faces inpoverty If you have not takenyet the underpass connectingManila City Hall and Intramu-ros as you make your way out of

it you will see sullied children intattered clothes inhaling plasticbags containing rugby with somesoiled adults who seem to be theirparents doing the same thing

With their hunger already in theirhead some children forcibly takethe food of the passersby Duringthe night the space where people

enter and exit the underpassin the day turns into a freezinghome for the homeless Youcan see in their wrinkled face thefeeling of sleeping on the passage-

ways with only cardboard boxesand worn out fabrics in betweentheir body and the cold cementedground Teir condition is notfar from what Jesus experiencedon the first Christmas born intoand chose to live a life of poverty

Remembering martyredSalvadoran Archbishop OscarRomero who once said thatldquoNo one can celebrate a genuineChristmas without being trulypoor he self sufficient theproud those who because they

have everything look down onothers those who have no needeven of God for them there

will be no Christmas Only thepoor the hungry those whoneed someone to come on theirbehalf will have that someonehat someone is God Em-manuel God-with-usrdquo With

what he thought we canrsquot arguethat at times we want everythingTe more you have the moreyou want and the more you get

What if we have nothing Whatif we donrsquot have gifts food andnew clothes for the Christmas

What if we are in the place of thehomeless Would we still feel thesame Christmas Spirit withoutthe things we celebrate with it

We have to learn to celebrat eChristmas with how the poorperceive it Let us not reachthe point where we celebrateChristmas just because we willreceive our one-year wish listLet us learn to lose to sacrificeand to give during Christmas

Joseph P Teodoro

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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D3The Cross December 7 2015 - 27 2015 Vol 19 No 25

Deogracias Fajota Fr Jeronimo

Ma Cruz Fr Antonio Rex PalayaFr Melvin Gamelo Fr JuliusCuison Fr Felix Labios Fr Ra-melle Rigunay Fr Randy SalungaFr Joel Cariaso Fr HernandezMendoza Fr Julius de Sagun FrRonel Ilano Fr Lowie Palines andFr Emmanuel Hiipolito

In his homily Cardinal aglestarted by citing that aside fromthe formal opening of the Dioc-esan process for Fr Willmannit was also the feast day of St

Ambrose a great teacher of theChurch known for his sanctityand teachings It was also the eveof the Immaculate Conception ofour Blessed Mother Mary plus thestart of the Advent season

Te Cardinal then focused onthe question What does it meanto be holy With the opening ofthe Cause he said that Fr George

J Willmann St Ambrose andMother Mary all responded tosanctity and holiness Cardinalagle clarified that ldquoHoliness isan attribute of God and not manrsquosachievement nor his work It isGod who is Holy and our holi-ness is a gift of God ndash our oneness

with HimrdquoCardinal agle added that the

message of the First Reading is thatthe Holiness of God is seen withmarvelous work ndash like transform-ing a desert into a garden filled

with water and flowers where we

are able to drink from Godrsquos good-ness with a safe road along the

holy way Te desert symbolizes

humanity that is seen to be dryfruitless empty and even life-less However when God entersall these are transformed into abountiful garden Godrsquos Holinessalways creates miracles ldquoWhen-ever we experience hopelessnessloaded with faults we must notbe afraid for that is the time whenGod will come to infuse His Holi-ness and cure the sickness Tat isthe Good Newsrdquo Cardinal agleadded that during this season ofadvent we must look deeper intoour deserts in order to experiencethe Holiness of God

Te Cardinal then underscoredthat we need to respond to GodrsquosHoliness not like the scribes in

the reading who questioned andrejected Jesus but like the friendsof the paralyzed man who lookedfor a nonconventional way -through the roof - to bring theparalytic closer to Jesus Cardinalagle stressed the need for us to bealert discerning with eyes of faithin order for us to respond to ourHoly God in His action when weare in our desert

he Cardinal then asked thepeople to pray for those entrusted

with the Cau se of Fr Willmannthat they may be illumined witheyes of faith With no intention ofpre-empting the Diocesan processCardinal agle simply thankedGod as we are now privileged

to share Godrsquos holiness throughpersonal experiences with Fr Will-

Sainthood D1

Process for PHrsquos new lsquoServantof Godrsquo starts rollingMANILA Dec 7 2015 ndash Manila Arch-bishop Luiacutes Antonio G Cardinal agleofficially accepted on Monday Dec 7the Feast of St Ambrose the petition toopen an investigation on the sanctity andheroic virtues of Fr George J WillmannSJ founder of the Knights of Columbus(KC) in the Philippines among otherCatholic lay organizations

At least 1000 of the naturalized Fili-pino Jesuit priestrsquos spiritual children fromall over the country including no lessthan former Supreme Court (SC) Chief

Justice Hilario G Davide Jr becamepart of Philippine Church history as they

witnes sed at the Manila Metropo litanCathedral Basilica the solemn opening ofthe archdiocesan process they hope wouldlead to beatification and canonization

lsquoGreat responsibilityrsquoIn line with this agle appointed Msgr

Pedro C Quitorio III of the CatholicBishopsrsquo Conference of the Philippines(CBCP) Media Office as postulator forthe cause of the countryrsquos newest ldquoServantof Godrdquo

He also approved the appointments ofMsgr Geronimo S Reyes Fr Wilmer RRosal and Fr Ricardo P del Rosario asepiscopal delegate vice postulator andpromoter of justice respectively as wellas of a host of other experts both clericand lay who vow to work together to giveFilipinos another saint

Te prelate went on to swear in allthose involved in the cause for Willmannrsquosbeatification and canonization remindingthem of the ldquogreat responsibilityrdquo theyhave assumed and the ldquoimportance andseriousnessrdquo of the task at hand

PHrsquos Fr McGivney Dubbed ldquoFr McGivney of the Philip-

pinesrdquo due to his dedication to expand KClocally Willmann worked for the radicaltransformation of faith into action

Born on June 29 1897 to very devoutCatholic parents in Brooklyn New Yorkthe American Jesuit was granted Philip-pine citizenship by President FerdinandMarcos through Presidential Decree(PD) No 740

In 1938 he first served as chaplain

of KC Manila Council 1000 then re-turned in 1954 to become the Orderrsquosfirst Philippine Deputy until his deathin 1977

In total the priest spent 44 fruitful andproductive years in the Philippines serv-ing the poor the sick the orphans theoppressed the lonely and the desolateespecially the young ones

KCFAPI etcBesides what is formally known as the

Knights of Columbus Fraternal Associa-tion of the Philippines Inc (KCFAPI)

which he founded in 1958 Willmannestablished other organizations as follows

bull Catholic Youth Organization (1938)bull Establishment of the Catholic Press

ldquoFilipinasrdquo and the ldquoCrossrdquo Magazines(1946)

bull Columbian Squires in the Philippines(1950)

bull Daughters of Isabella in the Philip-pines (1951) reorganized as Daughtersof Mary Immaculate (1977)

bull Columbian Farmers Aid Association(1951) reorganized as Knights of Co-lumbus Community Service Inc (1962)

bull Knights of Columbus Fraternal Asso-ciation of the Philippines Inc (KCFAPI)(1958)

bull Knights of Columbus PhilippinesFoundation Inc (1971) (Raymond ASebastiaacuten CBCP News)

Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle leads the Mass of the formal opening of the ArchdiocesanProcess for the Causes of Beatification and Canonization of the Servant of God FatherGeorge J Willmann SJ father of the Knights of Columbus in the Philippines LIN REGINO

Te Gentle Warrior By James B Reuter SJ

Part II of Chapter wo of ldquoTe Gentle Warriorrdquo series

CHAPER WO-----------------

Te Ateneo de Manila

HE Ateneo was a boysrsquo schoolTe objective of a boysrsquo school is tomake a man out of a boy Te mainvirtue of a man is courage Godmirrored His virtues in His childrenBut he divided them between girls

and boys Tere is such a thing as amasculine soul and a feminine soulIf a boy and a girl are suddenly con-fronted with a wild bull thunderingdown on them if the girl screamedand hid behind the boy that wouldbe normal But if the boy screamedand hid behind the girl everyone

would be ashamed of him Tevirtue of a girl is not physical cour-age it is love and mercy Te virtueof a boy is courage and justice Butin our schools there is no course inthe curriculum called ldquoCouragerdquo

here is no subject called

ldquoCouragerdquo Tere is no mark forldquoCouragerdquo It has to be taught inevery subject through the wholelife of the school he Jesuitsunderstood this very well AndGeorge understood it He began

to learn the meaning of couragehimself when he was five yearsold sitting on the curbstone onPutnam Avenue when the wheelof the garbage truck crushed bothhis feet

In the old Ateneo there wasa strong tradition of ldquoRomansrdquoand ldquoCarthageniansrdquo Jose Rizal

was the Emperor of the RomansEvery class was competitive TeRomans would be lined up onone side of the class the Car-thagenians on the other Te firstquestion went to the Romans

If the Romans answered it cor-rectly the questioning stayed

with the Romans If any Romanmissed the question went to theCarthagenians Ten the Romanboys would growl and grumble at

the Roman who missed It wascompetition to teach courage

And the battle cry of all theteams was ldquoAnimo Ateneordquo Youcould translate that as ldquoLetrsquos go

Ateneordquo or ldquoSpirit Ateneordquo orldquoFight Ateneordquo mdash but in practiceit meant courage Never give upno matter what the odds ldquoGoget lsquoem Ateneordquo Never say dieTis was obvious in everythingthat the boys did

But it never degenerated intoldquoWin at all costsrdquo Te secondmasculine virtue is justice Tis

means honesty integrity and fairplay Both at once mdash courageand fair play Te verse that everyathlete in the school knew by heart

was ldquoIf I should win let it be bythe code with my head and my

honor held high But if I shouldlose let me stand by the road andcheer as the winner goes byrdquo

It was a tremendous amount of work mdash teaching night and dayrunning the Sodality the ACILand the magazine mdash but Georgeloved it

And his students loved him Tefriendships that he made duringthose three years of regency from1922 to 1925 lasted more thanfifty years

(o be continued on the nextissue)

mann and his life and ministrydevoted to service that providedldquofresh water and good newsrdquo

particularly to the youth the poorand the prisonersTe Cardinal cited his own basic

formation as a Charter memberof the Columbian Squires inImus Cavite where they helpedthe Church in its program for thestreet children He also mentionedhis appreciation for being a scholarof the Knights of Columbus dur-ing Fr Willmannrsquos time

Reiterating that God indeedtransforms deserts into places ofrest peace and holiness Cardinalagle ended his homily by encour-aging all in attendance to be agentsof Godrsquos holiness

People from all walks of life joined the celebration of this Mass

that formally opened the Cause ofServant of God - Fr Willmann

Also repres ent ed were var iou sorganizations established and nur-tured by Fr George including the

Daughters of Isabella (now Daugh-ters of Mary Immaculate) Catholic Youth Organization ColumbianSquires and the Knights of Co-lumbus Parishioners and residents

with their families from nearbycities and communities of ondoIntramuros Sta Cruz Malate andother more distant places likewise

witnessed the very mean ingfulOpening of the diocesan processfor the Cause of their ldquoFather andBenefactorrdquo of forty years

Fr George J Willmann SJdevoted the last forty years of hislife not only in humble serviceand dynamic leadership of theKnights of Columbus in thePhilippines but equally being a

compassionate pastor in the careand formation of the youth He

provided relief to victims of the

war and of violence while also al-leviating the sufferings of the poorHe likewise established ways topreserve and promote the sanctityof life marriage and the family

It was in 1997 or eighteen yearsago that the Knights of Columbusin the Philippines first started aconcerted thrust to formally laythe groundwork for the Causeof Fr Willmann During theOrderrsquos centennial celebration ofFr Willmannrsquos birth the Ordercreated a Committee on Causecomposed of Ramon V ConsingLauro M Cruz and Msgr PedroC Quitorio III as co-chairmenNotable activities of the Com-mittee included gathering of tes-

timonials launch of the Prayer forthe Centennial of Fr Willmann with the Impr imatur of Msgr Jose C Abriol launching of Fr Willmann Fellows meeting withthen Jaime Cardinal Sin and theFather Provincial of the Jesuits toseek their respective endorsementsof the Cause Te Order publishedand distributed the pamphlet ldquoAGlimpsehe Life and Worksof Fr George J Willmann SJrdquoin order to give due acknowledg-ment and recognition as well as toincrease awareness abou t Fr Will-mann A landmark achievement ofthis period was the publication ofldquoTe Gentle Warriorrdquo a biographyof Fr Willmann authored by Fr

James B Reuter SJEstablishing and spreading the

fama sanctitatis of Fr Willmann

included the presentation andpromotion of his works mademore concrete by direct testimo-nies of various individuals whomhe personally interacted withFr Willmann Fellowsrsquo one-timemembership donations have beenpooled to fund the productionof materials such as prayer cardspublications tarpaulins postersto effectively promote Fr George

Willmann not only to brotherKnights but more importantlyto the youth the poor and under-privileged of various communities

In 2011 through the efforts ofthe KC Fraternal Association ofthe Philippines and the Knightsof Columbus Fr Willmann Chari-

ties Inc the National ExecutiveCommittee (NEC) for the Causeof Fr Willmann was created withthe primary function of overseeingall the initiatives relative to or inconnection with the Cause

We are blessed that the Dioc-esan process of the Cause of FrGeorge J Willmann SJ has nowbeen formally opened therebygiving us significant reason torejoice Henceforth he will nowbe regarded Servant of God Letus fervently pray for continuedenlightenment from the HolySpirit for everyone involved in thisDiocesan process and the Causeas a whole so that our belovedFr George J Willmann may ulti-

mately be elevated to the honorsof the altar

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D4 The CrossDecember 7 2015 - 27 2015 Vol 19 No 25

FST IN CAGAYAN A Fraternal Service Training program was held in Cagayan De Oro last November 13 2015Participants were from Zamboanga Misamis and Butuan The event was graced by KCFAPI Vice Presidentfor FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBG Manager Michael Cabra Aside from the product specifications thetraining also gives an idea regarding the basic insurance process and conceptualization of new marketingstrategies in order to achieve their goals and improve their sales performance (FBG News)

AREA MEETING IN VISAYAS The KCFAPI Western Visayas Armor held an area meeting in Bacolod lastOctober 24 2015 led by Agency Unit Manager Randy G Bravo and graced by KCFAPI Vice President forFBG Gari San Sebastian (KCFAPI News)

FST IN DAVAO A Fraternal Service Training program (1 and 2) was held in KCFAPI Davao Service OfficeDavao City last November 20-21 2015 Participants were from Compostela Valley Cotabato City andGeneral Santos The training was attended by KCFAPI Vice President f or FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBGManager Michael Cabra (FBG News)

PRODUCERSrsquo FORUM KCFAPI Vice President for FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBG Manager Michael Cabraled a Producersrsquo Forum wherein fraternal counsellors all over Luzon were gathered for an update of theirincentives program held last November 11 2015 at the KCFAPI home office (FBG News)

New KCFAPI Board of Trustee Bro Pascual C Carbero

IN February of 1986 BroCarbero started his knightlyservice in the Knights of Co-lumbus under Council 10695

in Valenzuela City Duringhis service in Council 10695he has been appointed asChancellor for CY 1992-1993 and as Deputy GrandKnight and Program Direc-tor for CY 1993-1994 InDistrict M-31 of ValenzuelaCity Bro Carbero was GrandKnight for CY 1994-1995District Warden for CY 1996-1997 and District Deputyfor CY 1997-1999 He wasalso Chairman for the Roundable District Deputies forCY 1998-1999 At the Dr PioValenzuela Assembly ACN1772 Meycauayan Bulacanhe was the Faithful Naviga-

tor for CY 1999-2000 Onthat same term Bro Pascual

was the Luzo n State Audi -tor for CY 2000-2003 andthe Luzon State Warden forCY 2000-2003 of the Luzon

Jurisdiction After which forCY 2000-2001 he becamethe Charter Faithful Naviga-tor for the City of Valenzuela

Assembly ACN 2676 For

CY 2007-2015 Bro Carbero was re-a ppo inte d as Luzo nState Warden Bro Carbero

was a voting delegate in the

KC Supreme Convention heldat Washington DC in 2010and also a non-voting delegateheld at Anaheim Californiain 2002 and 2012 Currentlyhe is the State Secretary of theLuzon North Jurisdiction

Bro Pascualrsquos dedicationand enthusiasm in participat-ing in the Order gave himthe endeavor to author thecreation of the City of Valen-zuela Assembly in 1999 withthe assistance of the Districtand Vice Supreme Master

With his knightly serv ice he was awarded with several rec-ognition namely OutstandingDistrictDeputy for CY 1997-

1999 Star District Awardeefor CY 1997-1999 and Civic

Awardee as Charter FaithfulNavigator of the City of Valen-zuela Assembly ACN 2676CY 2000-2001

Apart from Knights of Co-lumbus Bro Carbero partakeshis services in other civic andreligious organizations He isa Special Lay Minister of the

Holy Eucharist Parish of theHoly Cross since 1989 and amember of the Parish RenewalExperience Group He is the

Director and reasurer of thePhilippine Insurers Club from2013 to 2014 and currently itsPresident He is also a memberof the Insurance Executive1st Friday Club of Makatiand an incoming Presidentof the Philippine Associationof Surety Underwriters Incthis 2016

He was Director Corpo-rate Secretary of Mace Insur-ance Agency Inc from 2012until 2014 and currentlythe Independent Director ofKompass Credit and FinancialCorporation and KCFAPIrespectively Bro Carbero isalso a fellow of Father George

J Willmann Charit ies Inc And since 2006 he has beenthe Vice President of IntraStrata Assurance Corporation

He graduated with a Bach-elorrsquos degree in Business Ad-ministration Major in Man-agement at Philippine Schoolof Business Administration in1973 and finished Bachelor ofLaws in Lyceum of the Philip-

pines in 1988Bro Pascual Carberorsquos wife

Sis Remedios was past presi-dent for three years of theCatholic Womenrsquos League(CWL) Valenzuela Chapterand currently the AssistantVice President for Underwrit-ing in Mercantile InsuranceCo Inc in Intramuros Ma-nila Tey are blessed with six

wonderful children namely

Soidemer Claire a pediatri-cian Abigail Claire a lawyerValerie Claire and ChristineClaire both of whom are reg-istered nurses Terese Claire

who graduated with Bachelorrsquosdegree in Laws and is currentlyreviewing for Bar exams and

Adrian Brian who is also aregistered nurse and presentlya 3rd year medical student

Former SC Justice tofellow lsquoPH Knightsrsquo Prayfor Willmannrsquos CauseMANILA Dec 8 2015 ndash Former Chief

Justice Hilario G Davide Jr has calledon fellow members of the Knights of Co-lumbus (KC) nationwide to keep prayingfor the eventual ldquoraising to the altarrdquo ofthe grouprsquos spiritual father Fr George J

Willmann SJ who was declared ldquoSer-vant of Godrdquo Monday Dec 7

ldquoSo what is demanded of us as mem-bers of Knights of Columbus What isdemanded of us as members of Knightsof Columbus Fraternal Association of thePhilippines Inc [KCPAFI]rdquo he askedldquoWe need to pray a lot Pray pray praythat the tribunal will listen to the evidencepresented Pray pray pray that the tribu-nal will actually collate all the evidenceand determine once and for all that whathas been presented through our postula-

tor is credible to merit the conferment ofbeatification later on Tis is our taskrdquo

Archdiocesan processDavide who now chairs the National

Executive Committee for the Causes ofFr Willmann made this observation in aspeech following a ceremony held at theManila Cathedral during which Arch-bishop Luiacutes Antonio G Cardinal agleofficially approved the archdiocesan process

for the causes for the beatification and can-onization of the naturalized Filipino Jesuit

he solemn occasion was witnessedby no less than 1000 representativesof KCPAFI and other organizations Fr

Willmann helped establish like Catholic Youth Organization Columbian Squiresin the Philippines (1950) and Daughtersof Mary Immaculate

Te former chief magistrate went on todescribe the entire process as ldquovery mean-ingfulrdquo since it had the power to make anordinary priest into a Servant of God

Ordinary priest to Servant of GodldquoImagine during our lifetime today in

the Cathedral we saw the conversion ofan ordinary priest to become a Servant ofGod And we hope that he will merit be-

ing a servant of God until the first step ofthe process will continuerdquo he exclaimed

According to him it must have been thefirst time for most people present to haveseen with their own eyes an event of suchldquohistoric and momentous significancerdquo

ldquoI have lived 20 times four years of mylife almost And this is the first time I have

witnessed the process how it evolves and what we can gather from it o me thisis not just making somebody brought to

the honors of the altar but for us to beable to witness how to live and how tocomport ourselves to be able to follow hisfootstepsrdquo he explained

Built-in holinessDavide pointed out that holiness is

already built in each person but it is onlya matter of expressing it

ldquoWhy I would say that holiness is inus already Because we are the templeof God and the Spirit of God is with usSometimes however we forget that this isso We close our ears We close our eyes to

Jesus Christ We close our hands to JesusChrist by helping others So this is theprocess that we have witnessed today Andto me it will very much workrdquo he added

Davide also credited Msgr Pedro C Qui-

torio III postulator of the causes for Fr Will-mann for the ldquodivinely inspiredrdquo occasionand the timeliness of the diocesan process

ldquoSo Msgr Quitorio you are divinelyinspired You planned everything in sucha way that everything we did and we willdo and what we are doing right now isnot only as legacy to the next generationbut even beyond the next generation forpeople and children yet unbornrdquo he said(Raymond A Sebastiaacuten CBCP News)

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B7CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

tions might become ever more numeroustill they become the rule

It is in the family that the reform ofsociety begins because it is there that welearn to respect and help one another wepractice patience and justice we learn toshare and to love in an unselfish and practi-cal manner Pope Francis speaking to theFilipino families during his Pastoral Visit

in January 2015 said ldquoIn the family wecome to know God to grow into menand women of faith to see ourselves asmembers of Godrsquos greater family theChurch In the family we learn how tolove to forgive to be generous and opennot closed and selfish We learn to movebeyond our own needs to encounterothers and share our lives with them Tat is why it is so important to pray as afamily Tat is why families are so impor-tant in Godrsquos plan for the Churchrdquo

A family where God is at home is afamily at peace Such was the Holy Familyat Nazareth And the yearly celebration ofits feast is not just a well-deserved tributepaid to its three members It is also an in-vitation and encouragement to make ourfamilies today what the family of JosephMary and Jesus was in those daysmdasha ha- ven of love of God and neighbor at itsbest a home where God felt at home afamily according to Godrsquos heart

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

PRAYING together as a family seems nolonger fashionable nowadays Te reasonsare varied so many commitments con-flicts of schedule practical impossibility ofbeing together Tere are of coursehappy exceptions of parents who everyevening gather their children for somemoments of reflection on the Word ofGod reconciliation shared prayer andrecitation of the Rosary hese samepeople are usually the ones who on Sun-days attend the Eucharistic celebrationas a family From this they derive strengthharmony cohesion And at the same timethey become an inspiration to the wholeparish community It is when the familygathers together for prayer that its mem-bersmdashboth parents and childrenmdashseethemselves under the common fatherlyauthority of God

A family that renews every day itscovenant with the Lord will have notime for endless bickering jealousyunfaithfulness harsh manners on thepart of the parents or rebellion on thepart of their children

Te families that pray together are re-ally mini ldquofaith communitiesrdquo or ldquolittlechurchesrdquo One wishes that these excep-

SOCIAL CONCERNS

M a s t e r o f t h e A n t w e r p A d o r a t i o n

M a r k E u s e b i o

Feast of the Holy Family (C) Luke 241-52

December 27 2015

World Day of Peace (C)

Luke 216-21

January 1 2016

Baptism of the Lord (C) Luke 315-16 21-22 January 10 2016

Solemnity of Epiphany (C) Matthew 21-12

January 3 2016

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

HE world is torn by wars and conflicts of every kindmdashwarsamong nations factions families Afraid of the tragediesof war simple people yearn for peace Some governments andpeace-oriented organizations try to achieve peace throughnegotiations and compromise Fortunately many times theysucceed in establishing at least a ceasefire

But we all know that peace is not simply the absence offighting Peacemdashit has been written in so many waysmdashisthe fruit of justice among nations groups individuals Morethan this peace is the fruit of being in a harmonious rela-tionship not only with others but also with oneself andespecially with God Tere can be no peace where there isrejection of God

Peace is just another word for love another word forgrace It prospers only with the defeat of sin And just asall the sufferings and destructions of war are both a sign anda consequence of sin so the defeat of sin in ourselves andaround us produces that inexpressible feeling of satisfactionand harmony that no material riches can buy and no balanceof power can create

Real lasting peace is what God the source of all good-ness wants for all mankind But in order for that peaceto become a reality we have to do our share First of allwe have to pray for it Ten we have to work for it Tatmeans to make every effort to bring it about Ten the Lord

will bless our efforts by granting us that genuine peace thathas in Him its origin and support On our part we have toaccept Godrsquos blessing of peace with humble gratitude as Heoffers it to us not as an abstract concept but as a person ndashHis very own Son Jesus Christ He is our peace becauseHe is the One who reconciles all men with the Father andamong themselves the One who reconciles each of us

with ourselves In Him we are able to recognize all humanbeings as our brothers and sisters all members of the onebig family that has God as the common Father He is theOne who called the peacemakers ldquoblessedrdquo and gave peaceto His disciples as His farewell gift

Jesus the King of Peace comes to us not in a vision orlike rain from the clouds He comes from a human motherMary Most Holy the woman of peace who has been ableto open herself to the Source of all peace and has fashionedHim in that human form in which all can recognize andlove as their elder brother In this way Mary and peace arevitally and dynamically linked And she brings peace to ourtroubled hearts and lives as Godrsquos messenger as she givesus Jesus in this Christmas season

Pope Francis calls all of us

to CARE FOR OUR COM-MON HOME Tis is one ofthe most important remindersin our times to really show re-spect to God who created allTe issuance of mining permit

will allow tree cutting activi -ties in almost 10000 hectaresland area Tis will lead to thedestruction of the very fewremaining forest in the Philip-pines and in the world We

would expec t a more imba l-ance ecology extinction ofdiversified natural resourcesexample flora fauna insectsanimals (including the Philip-pine Eagle) floods sicknesses

We reiterate that we would not

like this to happen We must remember that the

Home B4

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

EPIPHANY is the manifestation of Jesusas the MessiahSavior of all men includ-ing the pagans of goodwill representedby the Magi As such it is also the mani-festation of the divine plan hidden forcenturies in God to unite all human beingsin Christ (See Eph 11-10)

Evermore mankind moves toward the for-mation of a great international communityTis is according to Godrsquos plan Its roots arein creation itself ldquoGlobalizationrdquo is the ldquoin-thingrdquo nowadays It is a ldquosign of the timesrdquo to

which we should pay attention Tough theconcern of most of its proponents seems tobe economic its basic assumption is correctwe are one world one family of nations

Whatever is incompatible wi th this ldquoone-nessrdquo should be abolished

Many oppose globalization because if we

limit it to its economic aspect and to tearingdown trade barriers almost surely it will leadto the rich becoming richer and the poorbecoming poorer But if we take this wordto mean essentially the abolition of all bar-riers that have been erected by human prideselfishness ghetto mentalities or racism andif it ushers in a greater solidarity of thestronger with the weaker and a generoussharing by the rich with the poor thenglobalization is according to Godrsquos planand all Christians should be its most en-thusiastic supporters

Epiphany has also a special messageconcerning the attitude of all religions

By Fr Sal Putzu SDB

WE say tha t people make aldquoprophetic gesturerdquo when theydo something striking that is alsoa sign of greater things to comeTose gestures reveal the depthof their passion or commitmentthey are meant to shake peopleand somehow force them to makea choice either for or againstcertain vital issues

In his lifetime Jesus mademany ldquoprophetic gesturesrdquo

such as his driving the tradersout of the emple the healingof the paralytic and many othermiracles He performed All thosegestures were ldquospectacularrdquo intheir own way Tey attracted theattention of the crowds which

wondered what their ldquomeaningrdquocould be

Tere was in the life of Jesus aldquogesturerdquo which was not spectacu-lar at all and which went unno-ticed by almost everybody exceptHis cousin John His baptism inthe River Jordan Tat gesture

was absolutely ldquocommonrdquo andldquoordinaryrdquo for it was somethingthat almost everybody was doingin those days in response to the

exhortation of John the BaptistBut Jesusrsquo baptism at the Jor-

dan lost in the crowd of sinners who were seeking forgivenesshad a depth of meaning thatmade it one of his most dra-matic ldquoprophetic gesturesrdquo It

was his baptism in fact whichrevealed the essence of Jesusrsquomission and became the occa-sion for the revelation of hisconcealed divine identity

he ldquoprophetic dimensionrdquoof Jesusrsquo action was not so muchin his entering the waters of the

Jordan ashis immersing himselfin the crowd of sinners Tat was

something unthinkable and un-believable Only Godrsquos incrediblelove for every human being andall mankind could have conceivedsuch an ldquoimmersionrdquo which was socomplete and involving as to be atotal ldquoidentificationrdquo Tat wasthe reason why the eternal andall-holy Son of God had comedown from heaven and had un-dergone the fullest ldquoimmersionrdquoin the ocean of mankindrsquos miseryand in human history Jesusrsquobaptism is a clear manifestationof Godrsquos mercy toward mankindTe Word the eternal Son of theFather clad in human flesh in

Jesus of Nazareth becomes one with sinful mankind not to be its

judge but its Savior and the HolySpirit appearing in the form of a

dove a symbol of peace remindsus of Godrsquos mercy on the ldquorem-nantrdquo of mankind as the purifyingflood subsided (See Gen 810-11) Jesusrsquo baptism was a furthermanifestation of the meaning andpurpose of the Incarnation

hrough that ldquoimmersionidentificationrdquo the totally sinless Jesus became a part not onlyof the relatively small group ofsinners gathered by the banksof the Jordan but also of theimmense crowd of sinners thatis the whole of humankind And

just as his immersive in the watersof the river sanctified them so didhis presence among the crowd ofsinners bring them the possibilityof receiving purification from sin

Tat was exactly Jesusrsquo missionIsaiah the prophet had alreadyforeseen this when he announcedthat the mission of the ldquoServant ofthe Lordrdquo was to bring ldquojusticerdquo(that is holiness) to the nationsOf him the Lord God said ldquoIformed you and set you as a cov-enant of the people a light forthe nations to open the eyes ofthe blind to bring out prisonersfrom confinement and from thedungeon those who live in dark-nessrdquo (See todayrsquos First Reading)

In his life Jesus ldquoactualizedrdquosuch a liberating and sanctify-

ing ldquoimmersionrdquo by associatingwith sinners and even seekingtheir company ndash something thatshocked the ldquoholyrdquo people of histime His association with ldquopublicsinnersrdquo was bound to tarnishhis reputation as his opponentspointed out on several occasions

Jesus did not mind that criti-cism and continued like beforeformdashas he himself saidmdashit is sickpeople who need a doctor (SeeMt 912) But his immersinghimself in the crowd of sin-ful mankind cost Jesus much

moremdashit cost him his very lifefor he was put to death to atonefor the sins of all

Jesusrsquo vicarious self-offering was so power ful in its effec tbecause of who he wasmdashGodrsquosbeloved Son on whom the Fa-therrsquos favor rested Such a solemnproclamation of Jesusrsquo divineidentity soon after his baptismbalanced so to speak his hid-ing himself among the crowdof sinners at the Jordan RiverIt also completed the ldquopropheticnaturerdquo of what happened on thatdaymdashGodrsquos very Son coming tosave all mankind by sharing fullyits predicament of misery in or-der to transform it from within

through the superabundant holi-ness that only God is

Families according to Godrsquos heart

symbolized by the Magi toward JesusChrist He should be the one acknowledgedby all believers as the universal Savior sentby God to bring all mankind back to GodTe gifts offered by the Magi to Jesus in

Bethlehem can symbolize the different char-acteristics which the major world religionscan offer as their distinct contribution to theestablishment of the Kingdom proclaimedand established by Christ the gold of faithin one merciful God and the power of His Word as a feature of Islam the incense ofmeditation love for nature and peace thatcharacterize Buddhism the myrrh of dedica-tion and industriousness that characterizeConfucianism Jesus rejects nothingof the values these faiths have He acceptsthem all and brings them together into onepractical synthesis that makes humankindthe family of God on earth

Jesus is indeed the center of humanhistory because he is the center of Godrsquosplan for mankind He is the ldquocenterrdquonot only in the sense that his coming hasdivided the centuries into two great blocks

of ldquobeforerdquo and ldquoafterrdquo Christ He is alsothe one in whom all men can find thecommon point of reference to form a realfamily of nations and peoples withoutcoercion or exploitation Te light of hisGospel can penetrate all cultures assumeall their valid elements and purify the restfrom those negative aspects which thepower of sin has gradually introduced inthem

Only Jesus Christ can keep all men unitedin a community of sincere respect lastingsolidarity and practical love For the plan ofthe Father born of love will find its fulfill-ment only in LOVE

Mary of NazarethMother of JesusMother of peace

Christ the unifying centerof all mankind

One with sinners to save them

environment can exist even

without us but we can neverexist without the environmentnature We only have one com-mon home the Earth there isno other

We urge the Dep ar tmentof Environment and NaturalResources to take the real leadto protect our remaining ldquoenvi-ronment and natural resourcesrdquoplan with other governmentagencies and environmentallyconcern organizationsfounda-tions on how to preserve ourremaining forests and marinelife sanctuaries

NO O MINING IN MA-GUM PUJADA BAY AND SA-LINGCOMO MAI CIY

PROVINCE OF DAVAO ORI-ENAL

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 1624

B8 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

Look for the images of Saint Joseph Mama

Mary and Baby Jesus

(Illustration by Bladimer Usi)

Bladimer UsiLolo Kiko

Buhay Parokya

KANISS Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) both a victor in andsubverter of Panemrsquos Hunger Games is now a symbol of the revolu-tion whom rebel president Alma Coin (Julianne Moore) and powerbroker Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman) want to usestrictly as a poster girl Stubborn freedom-fighter Katniss howeverhas her own agenda and that includes killing President Snow (Don-ald Sutherland]) to end once and for all the senseless deaths of somany young people Forming a team of rag-tag soldiers that includeclosest friends Gale (Liam Hemsworth) Finnick (Sam Claflin) andPeeta (Josh Hutcherson) she goes off on a mission risking theirlives through a booby-trapped war to liberate the citizens of PanemTe final confrontation between Katniss and Snow presided overby Coin is an electrifying game-changer

Te Hunger Games is not exempted from the fad of choppinginto ldquopartsrdquo the movie adaptations of popular books Harry Potterwilight Te Hobbitmdashthey have all stretched their heroesrsquo exploitsto prolong box office earning power and yet the fans wait AfterHunger Games MockingjayPart 1 which judging fromits relatively weak performanceat the tills must have been aforgettable movie that testedthe patience of fans Mocking-

jay Part 2 revs up with moreof the thrills that have madethe Hunger Games series theprototype of dystopia flicks foryoung adults (Divergent et al)Te strong cast monumentallycontributes to the realism of theHunger Games franchisemdashhowcan it go wrong with a leonineSutherland a steely Moore asly Hoffman And of coursethe winner Lawrence who canequally sell with aplomb partscalling for either vulnerability orverve In Mockingjay 2 the starsrsquo solid performances interwoven

with heart-stopping CGI make for a fitting finale to a story that

capitalizes on manrsquos inhumanity to manItrsquos surprising that a number of film critics are disappointed with the

filmrsquos ending calling it ldquosappyrdquo and an anti-climactic conclusion to anadrenalin-packed series that promised so much by way of action andheroism Teir cynical remarks remind us of biblical Israel waiting fora savior who would topple down the ruling elite with its own brandof kingship but is instead given a Jesus Christ CINEMA thinks theending is actually a statement that magnifies the upbeat message of the

whole story enough is enough Murder as spectator sport is sub-human At least when beasts kill it is to survive but in Panem the poor youngpeople are robbed of choice and must kill in order to livemdashas enter-tainment for the elite So Mockingjay mocks the elite it cries ldquoGivehumanity a chancerdquo Whatrsquos wrong with wanting to dump violence tostart afresh Choose life not death Arrows that used to kill people arealso useful for hunting fowl for the dinner tablemdashis that against the lawldquourn your swords into ploughs and your spears into pruning hooksrdquoMaybe the cynicsrsquo eyes have grown to love the Hunger Gamesrsquo darknessthat the sunlight-dappled scenery blinds them Or maybe after fallingin love with the couture of Panemrsquos stylish crowd theyrsquore simply horri-

fied by Katnissrsquo drastic costume change Whatever CINEMA wouldnrsquothave wanted the ending any other way

ENTERTAINMENT

MAGPAPAKASAL at magsump-aang magmamahalan nang wagasang dating live-in partners nasina Basya (Bea Alonzo) at Popoy(John Lloyd Cruz) Bilang mgalisensyadong enhinyero at arkitektoay magtataguyod sila ng construc-tion business na mabilis na uunladLalong magpupursige ang mag-asawa na magpalago ng negosyodahil magbubuntis si Basya Naisnilang mabigyan ng magandangkinabukasan ang kanilang anak

Subalit dahil sa pressure ng tra-baho ay makukunan si Basya attuluyang mawawala ang sanggolna kanyang dinadala Labis itongikalulungkot nina Basya at Popoykaya napagkasunduan nila ayonna rin sa mungkahi ni Basya natitigil siya sa pagtatrabaho upangmakabuo uli sila ng baby Nanatilisi Basya sa bahay at di nakialam sanegosyo sa loob ng dalawang taonPinaubaya niya ang pagpapatakbong negosyo kay Popoy Magtitiwalasi Basya sa kakayanan ng asawa namahusay nitong mapapamahalaanang kompanya katulad ng nagingproblema ng pagguho ng isangbuilding project Hindi rin gu-gustuhin ni Popoy na bigyan ngalalahanin si Basya Samantala sakabila ng magandang saloobin nilasa isarsquot isa ay ang napipintong pag-kalugi ng negosyo na siya namangililihim ni Popoy kay Basya Dahilsasarilinin ni Popoy ang problemamaapektuhan ng tuluyan angkanilang pagsasama

Sequel ng pelikulang One MoreChance na pinalabas noong 2007ang Second Chance Matatan-daang tumatatak ang naunangpelikula dahil sa mga tinatawag nalsquohugot linesrsquo nina Alonzo at Cruzsa nasabing pelikula Di namannabigo ang mga nag-abang sa se-quel na ito dahil naganap nga angsecond chance sa mga pangunah-ing tauhan na sina Basya at PopoyMalinis ang pagkakadugtong ng

dalawang pelikula --- parehongmga tauhan at kontexto gayundinang mga artistang nagsiganap Sakabila ng pagkakaroon ng prequelay napanatili ang malayang istoryang Second Chance bilang isangpelikula Bagamat predictable ang

wakas ay naging kasabik-sabikpa din ang mga eksena at mgapalitan ng linya ng lahat ng tau-han Di matatawaran ang husayng pagganap nina Alonzo at Cruzbilang mag-asawa panalo talagaang tinatawag na chemistry nilangdalawa Di rin nagpahuli nag mgakatuwang na aktor at aktres Mag-aling ang ginawang trato ng direk-

tor para mapalabas ang kalakasanng mga nagsiganap at ang mgaeksenang hinaluan ng patawa lalona sa eksena kasama ng mga kai-bigan Simple lamang ang disenyong produksyon pero nakatulongang mga kuha ng camera at edit-ing para maging makabuluhan saistorya ang setting Makahuluganang composition na nagpapakitang electric fan para sa mensahe nanagtitipid na ang mag-asawa dahillugi na ang kompanya

Mayaman sa mensahe parasa mga mag-asawa ang SecondChance Pinakita sa pelikula angrealidad ng buhay may-asawa nahindi lang puro kasarapan sa halip aymga pagsubok na maaring mauwi sahiwalayan kung hindi haharapin ataayusin Sa relasyon ng mag-asawa

ay napakahalaga ng magiging bu-kas sa isarsquot isa kaya anuman angpagdaanan ay magkatuwang nahaharapin Ang pagtatago ni Popoyng katotohanan kay Basya ang nag-ing mitsa ng lumubhang alitan dipagkakaunawaan pagkawala ngrespeto at palitan ng masasakitna salitamdashpati tiwala sa sarili aynawala At sa punto na pipiliin ngisa na lumayo at hanapin ang sariliay nakatulong na balikan ang mga

sumpaan binatiwan nuong sila ayikinasal at higit sa lahat ang kanilangpagmamahal sa isarsquot isa Mainamdin na may mga kaibigan at pamilyana pwedeng lapitan na susuporta athindi manghuhusga manunumbato mang-uudyok sa paggawa ng maliKapuna-puna lang na bagamatnagsimula at nagwakas ang pelikulasa chapel ay tila di man lang nilanaisipan na magdasal habang maypinagdaraanan sila Nais isipin ngCINEMA na ang gusto lamangsabihin ng pelikula ay ang pag-aasawa ay hindi lamang sa pagitanng dalawang tao kundi dapat aykasama palagi ang Diyos

DIRECTOR Cathy Garcia-Molina

LEAD CAST Bea AlonzoJohn Lloyd Cruz DimplesRomana

SCREENWRITER VanessaValdez Carmi Raymundo

GENRE Romantic Drama

CINEMATOGRAPHER NoelTeehankee

RUNNING TIME 130 minutesTECHNICAL ASSESSMENT

MORAL ASSESSMENT CINEMA Rating V13

A SECONDCHANCE

DIRECTOR Francis LawrenceLEAD CAST Jennifer Law-

rence Josh HutchersonLiam Hemsworth WoodyHarrelson Donald Suther-land Julianne Moore PhilipSeymour Hoffman

GENRE Adventure ScienceFiction

RUNNING TIME 137 minutesTECHNICAL ASSESSMENT

MORAL ASSESSMENT CINEMA rating V14

THE HUNGER

GAMESMOCKINGJAY 2

Buhay San Miguel Brothers Matias

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 1724

Philippine Army Chaplaincy CFC

Hold 1st National Convention

The first-ever OACCS - OSM CEP Convention further strengthened the camaraderie between the chaplaincy and the local CFC created a more solid CFC OSM Core enabledthe stakeholders to work together and recognized the efforts of those who work tirelessly under the program

CFC Metro Manila as one big happy family worshipped danced sang played gamesand had fun during the last MC Gathering of the year

By Alma Alvarez

CFC ANCOP USA Pontificio Collegio Fillipino Sign Partnership Agreement

CFC MM MC Celebrates the Family

HIS Eminence Cardinal Luis Antonio agle Chairman of PontificioCollegio Filippino and its Rector Msgr Greg Gaston recently signedthe ANCOP USA Priest Sponsorship Program (PSP) partnership

with Eric Villanueva Roger Santos and Rollie Balanza Couples forChrist - ANCOP USA leaders Te ANCOP USA PSP will assistpriests from the Philippines who will be sent by their Bishops to doadvance studies in Rome

In his letter to Villanueva Cardinal agle wrote ldquoOur partnership will

allow more Bishops to send Priests for ongoing formation and furtherstudies in Rome to better equip them in serving Gods people as SeminaryFormators and as collaborators in the different Diocesan Ministries back

HE Metro Manila Mission Coregathered as one big CFC familyduring this months MC Assemblylast December 6 2015 Leadersfrom the Family Ministries likewisecame to the Ynares Sports Arenato hear Mass together celebrateshowcase talents play in the fungames and just enjoy each otherscompany before the end of the year

CFC Spiritual Director Msgr Allen Aganon celebrated Mass Inhis homily Msgr Allen emphasizedthe enormity of the role of John theBaptist as the one who heralded thecoming of Jesus Christ despite hishumble beginnings He challengedthe CFC leaders to be like Johnthe Baptist

We are ordinary people who

home As a result our Church in the Philippines will be strengthenedso that Priests and laity alike could carry out our respective work ofevangelization and service not only to the Church but also to societyrdquo

According to the agreement the PSP is for Masters Licentiate orDoctorate studies only ANCOP USA PSP funds will cover the priestrsquosboard and lodging at the Collegio in the amount of $10000 per year

All other needs such as tuition fees medical insurance transportationbooks etc will be provided for by the Bishop as a local counterpart

Tis would ensure that priests can benefit from the partnershipo donate or to know more about the program please visitwwwancopusa-psporg

THE CFC Order of St Michael(OSM) in cooperation with thePhilippine Army Ofce of theArmy Chief Chaplain Service(OACCS) staged the rst everCharacter Enhancement Pro-gram (CEP) Convention last No-vember 24 2015 at the PhilippineAir Force Museum Pasay CityRetired Col Arturo Alabanza amember of CFC Metro Manila(South B) and head of the OSM

OSM C4

together with the OSM Corespearheaded the event

In his opening remarks Alabanza describedhow the OSM came together with the OACCS

and forged a long-term partnership to ldquodeveloprighteous God-fearing soldiers loved by theFilipino peoplerdquo through the CEP Te CFCOSM has developed modules specifically cater-ing to the soldiers their spouses and childrenOACCS on the other hand has the author-ity to mandate Commanding Officers of thevarious Army camps nationwide to employthe CEP

Te convention allowed the stakeholders toreport on the accomplishments and enabledthe Army Chaplains from the different Infan-

try Divisions to plan with their local Couplesfor Christ counterparts regarding strategies forCEP and its continuing spiritual enhancementmodules It was likewise an opportunity for

CFC OSM to present the second module forthe CEP which the group plans to roll outbeginning 2016

ANCOP Chairman Joe Yamamoto in hisinspirational talk reiterated Pope Francisrsquo callfor new evangelization and emphasized thatthe partnership is a clear response of each per-son involved whether it be the Chaplaincy orthe lay stakeholders to be agents of change inthe spiritual realm within the Philippine Army

Several of those serving in the program

His Eminence Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle and the leaders of CFC ANCOP USA f orging a strong partnership for further education among Filipino clergy

are called to herald Christ andto be missionaries of mercy heemphasized

Te Mass was followed by theopening worship led by the MetroManila Missions Director MannyGarcia and a brief message fromCFC Chairman Joe ale

Te CFC Order of St Michaelthrough its Head Art Alabanzatook the opportunity to honor the55 Singles for Christ volunteers

who served in the Christian LifeProgram for the PMA Cadets inBaguio Te fun-filled games forthe adults and children talentpresentations and face-paintingadded to the festive mood rulyit was a day for the family (CFCGlobal Communications)

Reconciliation is Key to Advent PreparationsldquoTHE best way to prepare forChristmas is reconciliation Thebirth of Jesus is Gods offering ofreconciliationrdquo

his was the essence of the Advent recollection given by FrGerard imoner OP Provincialof the Dominican Order in thePhilippines for the workers of theCFC Global Mission Office Terecollection was held last Novem-ber 28 2015 at the Obizpado deCubao in Quezon City

In his reflection Fr imoner

creatively wove reconciliation withforgiveness as well as the new

evangelization taking into account Jesusrsquo words to ldquoshake off the dust

from your feetrdquo According to hima good spiritual foot spamdashthe act

of shaking the dust off onersquos feet toremove all traces of the bad news to

enable one to proclaim the GoodNewsmdashis essential in preparing

oneself during AdventFr imoner described for-

giveness as ldquosetting a prisonerfree and realizing that thatprisoner is yourdquo He illustratesldquoJesus did not forgive whileon the cross Instead he saidlsquoFather forgive them for theyknow not what they dorsquo We canonly forgive if we engage Godsforgiveness within our ownrdquo

he best path to the newevangelization is to allow our-selves to be reconciled with God

amp each other he emphasized(A Alvarez)

The News Supplement of

Couples for Christ

C1CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 1824

Reflections on Advent

I IS the start of a new liturgical

year As in every year the previ-ous liturgical year ended withthe feast of Christ the King afitting high point indeed Aftergoing through the year observ-ing the various highs and lowsand phases of His life in theend and rightly so we proclaim

Jesus as indeed the King of kingsand the Lord of lords

And so the Church starts thecycle anew beginning fromHis birth into this world obuild up to that we have theseason of advent of waitingof anticipating of preparingfor the birth of He who werecognize and proclaim as theKing of kings

One would expect that thismajor season is ushered in

with Bible vers es express ingthe level of excitement befit-ting the birth of the King ofthe universe It is therefore abit surprising and soberingthat the opening reading ofthis season is one with a themethat speaks not of celebrationbut of foreboding of the com-ing end times

here wil l be strangethings happening to the sunto the moon and the stars Onearth whole countries will bein despair afraid of the roarof the sea and the raging tidesPeople will faint from fear asthey wait for what is comingover the whole earth for the

Joe Tale

powers in space will be driven

from their courses hen theSon of Man will appear comingin a cloud of great power andglory When these things begin tohappen stand up and raise yourheads because your salvation isnear Luke 2125-28

Moreover we are enjoined tobe on watch and to be vigilantin a specific way Be careful notto let yourselves become occu-pied with too much feasting anddrinking and with the worries ofthis life or that Day will suddenlycatch you like a trap For it willcome upon all people everywhereon earth Be on watch and prayalways that you will have thestrength to go safely through allthose things that will happen andto stand before the Son of Man

Luke 2134-36It is significant we might evensay ironic that during this seasonof merriment in anticipation ofthe birth of the Messiah we are

warned exactly not t o be merryIn this period that we normallycelebrate with much food and

wine and music we are instructedto refrain from such things

Is the verse dousing cold wa-ter on all these festivities andpreventing us from celebrating

joyously the arr ival of t he KingNot so he verse simply re-

minds us of something more im-portant whatever be the seasonof our life of being constantlyprepared and on the watch at

all times not ever to bring our

guards down whether we are go-ing through our low moments orhigh points in our life We are re-minded to always Be Preparedas the Boy Scouts motto goes

whatever our spec ific situationmay be at any given time

Als o I sense tha t the Lor d would like to bring us to a deeperlevel of rejoicing not merely onthe level of the frivolous as toomuch feasting and drinking areTe words of Jesus do not preventus from rejoicing He wants us tocontinue to be prepared even as

we celebrate He warns us not torejoice in a wanton way that takesus away from our right senses re-sulting in our being unpreparedhus our rejoicing should becoming from deep in our hearts

not shallow and hollow expres-sions of the same Our rejoicingshould be geared towards allowingus to still be prepared

hus as we hold our Christ-mas parties and dwell in themerriment of the season let usbe mindful of the words fromthe Gospel Appropriate feastingand drinking not only make usfaithful to the gospel but is alsomore healthy Significantly tooit should make us more caring tothose who have less and hope-fully lead us not to be wastefuland to share whatever we have somany others will also experiencea truly Merry Christmas

Rejoice in the Lord

HE RED Cubs harvested thegrand championship of the recentlyconcluded CFC GMC Ablaze Cup2015 held last December 2 - Decem-ber 8 2015 at the sports facilities ofCamp Crame

Te friendly games were partici-pated in by the different departmentsin the CFC Global Mission CenterTe Red Cubs romped off with the

Red Cubs are Champions in CFC GMC Ablaze Cup 2015

Go go go GMC clockwise from top left Caloy Rubio CFC Ablaze Cup Event Head exhorting participants the board of judges CFC Chair Joe Tale inspiring the athletes paradeof athletes the Orange Tigers basketball game between the Red Cubs and the Maroon on Fire cheerdance competition

Mel and Aimee Serrano talking about the highs and lows of dealing with in-laws

In Highs And In-Laws Dealing With Your In-Laws

ldquoATRASrdquo BOYS amp GIRLS

Are We Waiting For Jesus At The Right Spot

This Advent

IN983085LAWS he very word re-minds many a married coupleof discomfort awkward evenstrained relationships and some-times open conflict But are rela-tionships with the family membersof your spouse meant to be merelytolerant Te latest Couples forChrist (CFC) ndash Young Couples

Assembly on November 30 heldat St Pauls College in Pasig Citytackled precisely this topic andcame up with this wildly inge-nious insight In-laws are peopletoo ndash love them

According to the speakers Meland Aimee Serrano of CFC ndashMetro Manila West B lovingthem in all sincerity will work

wonders ldquoTat is the tried andtested formula love your in-lawsrdquoshared Mel a school owner fromQuezon City

During the talk which theypeppered with lots of insights andsharing of personal experiences as a

PASIG City Nov 29 2015 ndash What do weusually do when we find out that someone welove or an important personality is visiting ou rhome We tidy up we prepare good food butmost of all we wait his was the m essage thatabout 150 young married couples heard duringthe Family Mass at the Couples for Christ ndash

Young Couple s Assembly at St Paul Colleg eConvention Center held last November 30

Fr Ruper Solis SVD who celebrated theFamily Mass reminded the couples presentthat to wait for something or someone also

couple married for 20 years the Ser-ranos focused on several key points1 Handle them with care

Tis means giving attention tothe one who needs more takingcare of them in their old age as

well as training your kids to respecttheir grandparents

ldquoOn our part we have to makesure that our children will give duerespect [to them] and be able tounderstand intricacies that come

with old agerdquo said AimeeldquoWhether may sama ng loob

(hurt feelings) sometimes there will be times na mahirap makipag-kita (that it will be difficult to meetthem) but you have to go to themKailangan nating gawin yun (Weneed to do it)rdquo she stressed

2 Acknowledge differences According to the couple people

should recognize that their spousemay not have the same familyculture as they do Value systems

means waiting at the right placeldquoAs Christians our life is a series of waiting

Dapat maghintay ka sa tamang lugarhindi langsa tamang panahon na sinasabi ni Lola Nidora noPero sa tamang lugar din (We should wait not justfor the right time but waiting should be doneat the right place as well)rdquo explained Fr Ruper

he young priest who was an SVD missionaryassigned to Argentina for more than seven years

went on to tell the story of how once in Argentinahe was waiting by the side of the road flagging

championship crowns in badmin-ton (women) table tennis (menand women) tug-of-war and peelbanana It was a close fight with theMaroon on Fire team who grabbedthe winning titles for basketballvolleyball cheer dance and chess(men) and ended up 1st runner-up

with les s than 2 points from the winning team Te Orange igerscame in 2nd runner-up while YellowHotshots was 3rd runner-up basedon the last team standings

Te awarding ceremonies wereheld last December 8 2015 dur-ing the celebration of the CFCGMC Christmas party Tis an-nual event is an opportunity forthe mission workers to enjoy eachotherrsquos company Te Ablaze Cuplikewise serves as a venue tofoster and promote the spirit ofsportsmanship and unity amongthe GMC workers from bothpastoral and mission support(Yvonne Dolorosa)

HE WORD ldquoatrasrdquo means a backwardmovement It is generally used to refer to theldquoReverserdquo function of a vehicle In Lanao DelNorte the word has been applied to a group ofboys abd girls who guide vehicles in and out ofparking spaces the equivalent of the ldquoWatch-your-carrdquo aides in Metro Manila

he CFC leaders in the province immedi-ately thought of the Atras Boys and Girls ofLanao Del Norte when Cardinal agle said ndashldquoGo to the peripheries be a mobile clinicto heal the poor from spiritual sickness rdquo

Another ins pirat ion was from one of the mostimportant pastoral subjects of Pope Francisabout the ldquofamily and the poorrdquo

Every time I go to mass at the St MichaelrdquosCathedral with my wifeata the ldquoatras boysand girlsrdquo are all over the area assisting ve-hicles either to park or to exit the parking area

When n ot per formi ng thi s function they andother members of their family can be seenbegging for their daily sustenance hey areusually homeless their home being along theperipheries of the Cathedral or the sidewalks

he inspiration led the Area Governanceeam to the idea of bring these boys and girlsand their parents to a Christian Life Programhey moved quickly with Boy Suezo approv-ing the strategic CLP as designed by RegionalPastoral Formation Head Art Maderazo andinserting video clips appropriate to the CLPtalks With the activation of the SOLD Min-istry with Bro Roger Sultan as Provincial Co-

ordinator SOLD was made the lead ministryof the ldquoAtras Boys and Gir lsrdquo CLP

Initially the number of participants was limitedto five (5) for logistical reasons but the HolySpirit deemed otherwise ndash the attendees eventuallynumbered ten individuals and three (3) coupleshe CLPs were scheduled every hursday at 600orsquoclock in the evening with dinner provided byCFC brothers and sisters particularly the AGrsquos

wives and ANCOP members he SOLD Prov in-cial Coordinator took care of fetching the partici-pants from the Cathedral and also bringing themback to their ldquohomesrdquo It did not matter to Rogerthat his car would often retain the smell of the

unwashed he persisted in servicing the transportneeds of the participants

November 05 2015 was truly a pleasant anda memorable day to the service team On thatday five of the ten boys and girls and two (2)couples dedicated their life to CFC One of theparticipants stood up to give an inspiring testi-mony ending with ldquohank you CFC for makingus somebody in your heart hank you for beingmindful of the conditions of the poor and thankyou for bringing Christ to our livesrdquo (ldquoSalamatCFC nga aduna pa diay kami luna sa inyong kas-ingkasing Salamat CFC sa inyong pagpakabanasa susama kanamo nga mga timawa Salamat sainyong panahon pag hatag kanamo sa pagtulun-anni Kristo)

It is envisioned that this kind of evangeliza-tion can be replicated in other areas nationwidethe beginning of a truly strategic evangelizationHopefully this is also the beginning of a newlife for the new CLP graduates with CFC being

instrumental in helping them provide for theirfamilyrsquos future (Nonoy Haim)

disciplining style even views onhow to handle finances will of-tentimes be different Tat is whyunderstanding coupled with love

will go a long wayldquoDifferences and conflicts are

not unhealthy but mismanagementis Never criticize your in-lawsrdquoMel said

Also in case of confl ict themessenger or the ldquobridgerdquo shouldbe the one with the primary re-lationship (spouse to own fathermother)

he Serranos candidly sharedabout a conflict that eruptedbetween Aimee and her father-in-law during the campaignperiod for local elections whenMel ran for public office heconflict was soon followed by aperiod of silence a Cold Warso to speak ldquoIt took us at leasta year or two [My father said]kasi pag di natin inayos tolahat tayo maapektuhan (If we

dont fix this all of us will beaffected) It helped that thecouple prayed and sought DivineIntervention and asked the com-munity to pray with them heHoly Spirit worked

3 Respond appropriately What if ev en af ter l ovin g and

understanding them its stillnot smooth sailing with your in-laws Heres what the Serranoshad to say

bull iming is everythingbull Learn when to speak or keep

your mouth shutbull ake a breath cool offbull Maintain a sense of humorbull Remember unsolicited advice

is just an opiniono cap their talk the couple

brought back the participants tothe basics of loving in-laws to actout your love to build bridges andto communicate (Nirvaana EllaDelacruz)

HOMILY C3

IN A Memorandum sent to the Philip-pine Missions leaders last November23 2015 PM Director Jose Yamamotoappointedreassigned leaders for theNortheastern Luzon region

Mark Banzon has been appointedProvincial Area Head (PAH) of Isabelavice Rommel Ancheta ony de la Cruz

on the other hand was tapped to be PAHof Nueva Vizcaya vice Raul Balaquiao

O set a new tradition in the CFC Family the InternationalCouncil has agreed to make December 27 the Feast of theHoly Family as a special day for the members of the familyto honor one another Tis will allow each person in thefamily to express their gratitude to the Lord for the gift offamily and the importance of having each member of thefamily around for the love support and service As a sug-

New Appointments for CFC GMC NE LuzonFamily Honoring Night Set

Balaquiao was appointed PAH of IlocosSur vice ony de la Cruz while Cholo

Yjares is now PAH of Cagayan vice BongPagulayan Pagulayan is now PAH ofKalinga vice Cholo Yjares

he move is essentially a realignmentof the leaders in the Northeastern Luzonarea in the interest of the mission except

for Banzon who is a new appointee andfor Noel Malamug who remains as

PAH of Ifugao hese changes are to takeeffect on January 1 2016 Edythe Aven-dantildeo is also set to replace Didi Galsim asHandmaids of the Lord InternationalCoordinator effective January 1 2016

In the Global Mission Center RickyRico was appointed Head for the GAd-min effective October 1 2016 while Jay

Lucena was appointed head of the CFCEvents group also effective October 1facebookcomCFCGlobalMission CFChrist

The Ugnayan News Supplement is published by the Couples for Christ Global Mission Foundation Inc with editorial ofces at 156 20 th Avenue 1109 Cubao Quezon City

Editorial trunk line (+63 2) 709-4868 local 23

Direct line (+63 2) 709-4856

wwwcouplesforchristglobalorg cfcglobalcommunicationsgmailcom

Michael C Ariola

IC Oversight

Zenaida A Gimenez

Editor-in-Chief

Alma M Alvarez

Associate Editor

Evangeline C Mecedilla

Circulation Staff

Deomar P Oliveria

Layout Artist

The News Supplement

of Couples for Christ

gestion the guidelines indicate the following as the activitiesfor the said day hearing Mass together dining together athome praying together and in gratitude expressing theirlove to one another

hrough the Family Honoring Night the community hopesto strengthen the relationship among the family members andempower each one to truly cherish and love one another

Bong Pagulayan

Mark Banzon

Cholo Yjares

Ricky Rico

Edythe Avendantildeo

Raul Balaquiao

Jay Lucena

Tony de la Cruz

C2 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

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8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 2024

CFC China Conducts

Mission Heads Training

CFC Greece Leaders Meet Archbishop of Athens amp Nuncio

COUPLES for Christ USA and CFC Greece leaders paid a courtesy call on Archbishop Sevastianos Rossolatos and Fr George Altouvas at the Archd ioce se of Athens he g roup in troduced Couples f or Chri st to the new Archbishop and di scus sed theirplans to initiate a CFC Youth Camp in Greek as well as to develop CFC teachings in Greek

On another occasion the CFC leaders met with the Apostolic Nuncio of the Holy See in Athens Archbishop Edward Joseph AdamsTey discussed challenges and forthcoming changes in the Greek Catholic hierarchy and laid down CFCrsquos plans for CFC Athens

SINGLES for Christ Metro Manila gath-ered at the San Carlos Seminary in Makatilast December 5 2015 at 700 pm forthe SFC Global One a two-hour non-stop worship experience Jay Laquiana fulltime pastoral worker for SFC ledthe worship

Global One was meant to be a simul-taneous praise concert with major cities

or provinces hosting the event But what

made this yearrsquos Global One event special was the fact that it was the first time it wasstaged online via youtube live broadcastTis gave SFCs all over the world an oppor-tunity to come together despite differencesin time zone

ogether as one ministry SFCs from theMetro Manila Sectors the provinces andthe various countries like the USA Canada

and the Middle Eastern countries raised

SFC GLOBAL ONEmdashUniting the World

via Online Worship

their voices in praise and worship for thecountless favors they received It likewisebecame an opportunity to ask the Lordto bless the ministry for the coming year

Te ministry sees the online Global Oneas an event they can do annually Tey alsosee it as a potential tool to reach othernon-SFC members to witness Christ andcome together with other young people to

worship (Lanie Montaos)

OSM C1

CFC Winnipeg held its 2nd Celebration of Covenant Love onNovember 21st the feast of the Presentation of Our Lady Sixteencouples attended the activity

One week prior to the Renewal of Wedding Vows the 16 coupleshad a mini-retreat conducted by their spiritual advisor Fr YollyGamallo Te mini-retreat included four couple-sharers Te HolyMass was celebrated at St John Cantius Parish presided by MsgrLouis McCloskey A simple reception followed for the 16 couples andabout 60 family members with additional witnesses from the CFCcommunity Te participants who renewed their marriage vows werefrom varied age groups with some having been married for only five

years to couples who were celebratingo 40 years of holy matrimony

Tis year makes the Celebration of Love even more relevant as itis the year that held the papal Synod on the Family and the WorldMeeting of Families Pope Francis stated when making an address tofamilies ldquoTose who celebrate the sacrament say lsquoI promise to be trueto you in joy and in sadness in sickness and in health I will love youand honour you all the days of my lifersquo At that moment the coupledoes not know what will happen nor what joys and pains awaitthem Tey are setting out like Abraham on a journey together

And that is what marriage is Setting out and walking togetherhand in hand putting yourselves in the Lordrsquos powerful handsHand in hand always and for the rest of your livesrdquo (from http

couplesforchristcanadaca)

A Celebration of Covenant Love

I cherish the treasure the treasure of you lifelong companion I give myself to you These happy couples from CFC Vancouver saying Yes again to oneanother and to God as they renew their marriage vows

CFC missionaries to South Americarejoiced as they completed a fruitfulmission to the area a fitting end to theyear Te mission to Nuevo Pueblo deColaacuten opened a new area an hour awayby land from Piura Peru establish-ing CFC ndash Parejas para Cristo in a remotetown in the desert At the end of theChristian Life Program 13 new CFCPPC members composed of 4 couples4 HOLD and 1 SOLD committed to alife with Christ

Te PVC (Programa de Vida Cristiana- Spanish CLP) was held November 27to 29 2015 (Tanksgiving weekend) byCFC USA Florida in Iglesias del Rosarioone of two parishes in town Padre LuisSerra head pastor of the main churchthe Iglesia Sagrado Corazoacuten de Jesuacutesopened the doors to CFC PPC Fourother brethren from CFC PPC RiojaPeru headed by Fr Rober Martinez cameto reinforce the missionariesrsquo efforts Teteam got a taste of their first mission

CFC China is on full throttle in its evan-gelization efforts Tey recently conducted

the first-ever CFC China Mission Headsraining from November 27 to 30 at Vilada Sta Isabel Estrada Cheoc Van MacauTe training aimed to strengthen its leader-ship ranks through several formation talksfrom the Chapter Leaders raining (CL)series Te sixty participants were mostlyChinese with some Filipino Mission Headsand their AG members from the North

West East and South of China includingMacau SAR and Hong Kong SAR

Te first day of the training was devotedto a silent retreat based on Psalm 4610ndash ldquoBe silent and know that I am GodrdquoTe three-hour retreat centered on thetheme ldquoWe need to Change How WeLead o lead like Jesusrdquo with each par-ticipant encouraged to ldquoempty oneselfrdquoFr Oliviades a member of the Opus Deifacilitated the retreat

Day 2 started with a Holy Mass concel-

ebrated by Fr Joseph Wang from YiwuEast China Te training proper began with Israel Silud CFC Country Headand Northwest Regional Head givingthe overview and citing challenges thatCFC China faces He reiterated thatCFC Chinarsquos goal of raising 1 millionhousehold heads will be driven by the

The fruits of 2015 for CFC PPC hundreds of miles away from home

In 2015 ten missions were held inSouth America by CFC USA All these

were made possible by a handful of zeal-ous and selfless CFC USA mission vol-unteers who sacrificed a lot and deniedthemselves many comforts in order tobring the Word of God to families in Co-lombia Ecuador and Peru CFC ParejasPara Cristo will not take off without thefinancial support of CFC USA

ruly God gave a very good year for

the mission team harvesting 608 souls in2015 (a total of 857 persons from June2014 to date) Te task of sustainingCFC PPC families and area countriesare enormous But with grateful heartsthe South America team humbly turnsto God thanking Him each day forHis guidance as He leads the way Teteam looks forward to 2016s adventureof bringing the banner of Christ to themiddle and corners of the earth (GlenSantayana)

whether lay or from the Chaplainsrsquo ranklikewise gave testimonies on how theirinvolvement in the CEP made them real-ize that they have become not only agentsof change but recipients of grace as well

In the afternoon the Chaplains andtheir CFC counterparts came together fora round table discussion of the plans ofthe various Infantry Divisions nationwide

Army Chie f Chaplain Fr Col Andre sBonifacio Belleza CHS (GSC) in anunexpected move expressed his recog-nition through the grant of awards ofthe initiatives of the Army Chaplainsin implementing the CEP in their vari-ous Divisions Fr Maj Juan Jerome CDaluro was awarded Best Chaplain ofthe Year 2015 for his exemplary ser viceas Division Chaplain of 9th Infantry(Spear) Division Fr MSg Mario Ban-

iqued Philippine Army (PA) OACCSChief Clerk was recognized as Best

Chaplain Assistant of the YearSince the partnership between the

OACCS and CFC OSM started in April2014 the group has conducted CharacterEnhancement Retreats (CER) for 28 Phil-ippine Army commands Trough CFCSingles for Christ volunteers a ChristianLife Program has likewise been conductedfor the Philippine Military Academy Classof 2018 graduating 385 PMA-Singles forChrist members Presently five CERs arealso being done at the V Luna MedicalCenter in Quezon City

Alabanza admit s there is still muchto be done So far the CEP has reached2000 men and women in uniformroughly 0287 percent of an estimated800000 population of soldiers theirspouses and their families Tis is indeedfertile ground for values and spiritual

transformation which is just waiting tobe conquered (A Alvarez)

Another fruitful harvest in Peru from top the 13 new members in CFC PPC all-women discussion group

Courtesy call top photos CFC leaders with Archbishop Edward Joseph Adams amp Fr George Altouvas bottom photos with Fr George Archbishop SevastianosRossolatos and Archbishop Edward Joseph Adams

CFC OSM and the OACCS reaching out to the men and women in uniform and their families through the Character Enhancement Program

personal holiness of its ser vant-leaders who will be leading the evangelization thrust

in 34 provinces in China CL talks 2-5 were given by the regional heads with their wives as sharers

Day 3 began with the recitation ofthe Holy Rosary followed by anotherconcelebrated Holy Mass Fr Oliviadesdelivered a beautiful homily on ldquoemptyingoneselfrdquo Te rest of the CL talks wereagain delivered by the regional heads withtheir wives as sharers In CL alk 9 Siludemphasized the need to pay attention tothe means to care for the spirit mind andbody of the leaders

Te last day primarily focused on plan-ning the CFC China activities for 2016One of the proposals from the planningis that the four (4) regions in China willeach be hosting the major activities linedup for the year

Te three-day training and planning was conducted by CFC China Country

Head IsraelSally Silud with the supportof North Asia Regional Coordinator Ga-rieCess Pimentel and the regional headsfrom East China (EricEvelyn Ylagan)South China (JoelErica Santos) HongKong SAR (GarieCess Pimentel) andMacau SAR (JMEmilie Yupangco) (Ericamp Evelyn Ylagan)

C4 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

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JCL ndash member while for the TeologicalCommission the experts appointed wereFr Alexander L Garces SDB JCL ndashPresident Fr Enrico Eusebio Jr SJ JCDndash member and Sr Maria Amparo SantosOP JCL ndash member As with the ribunalmembers the Presidents and membersof both Commissions individually tooktheir respective oaths and signed the Acts

Te appointed Copyist Ms RonalynRegino and Assistant Copyist Ms Ge-cerein Sayen Ocampo were called next totake their respective oaths and similarlysigned in the Acts

Ten Postulator Msgr Pedro C Qui-torio III and Vice Postulator Fr WilmerR Rosario JCD individually took their

respective oaths not compromise the truthand offend justice nor impede the free-dom of witnesses to testify in the CauseTereafter they also signed the Acts

Te Postulator then presented to Car-dinal agle for his examination a list of

witnesses to be interrogated subject to thepossible addition and revision of namesin the future Upon examining the listthe Cardinal decreed that the next sessionfor interrogation of witnesses be held on

January 11 2016 at the Arzobispado deManila

Finally after ordering the Chancellorto establish public record of this First Ses-sion Cardinal agle declared the Processfor the Causes of Beatification and Can-

onization of Servant of God FAHERGEORGE J WILLMANN SJ Father ofthe Order of the Knights of Columbus inthe Philippines OPEN

o complete the Rites His EminenceLuis Antonio Cardinal agle together withformer Chief Justice Hilario G Davide

Jr as Chairman of the National ExecutiveCommittee (NEC) for the Cause of Fr

Willmann jo intly u nveiled the portraitof Father George J Willmann SJ

Tereafter Cardinal agle began thecelebration of the Holy Eucharist Con-celebrants were Bishop Honesto FOngtioco DD Bishop Mylo HubertC Vergara DD Msgr Geronimo FReyes JCD Fr William Arana OSA Fr

Carlo Magno Marcelo Fr Marvin MejiaFr Wilmer Rosario JCD Fr Carlo DelRosario Fr Julius Paul Factora OP JCDFr Sander Niez JCL Fr Alex GarcesSDB JCL Fr Rico Garcia Fr ReginaldMalicdem Fr Darwin Faith Ponce OSAFr Ricky VIllar OSA Fr Geoffrey Eb-orda OSA Fr Genaro Supremedo OSAFr Jojo orres OSA Fr Joseph VillarealOSA Fr Roy Gallano OSA Fr MichaelSalazar and Fr Romel Cruz

Also serv ing as Conce lebrants werea number of KC Priests Scholars of theKnights of Columbus Fr George J

Willmann Charities Inc that includedMsgr Pedro C Quitorio III Fr Benjamin

The Cross A Supplement Publication of KCFAPI and the Order of the Knights of ColumbusCBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25 December 7 2015 - 27 2016

Sainthood bid opens forFr George Willmann SJBy Roberto T Cruz

On December 7 2015 Mon-

day the bells of the ManilaCathedral rang out loud as HisEminence Luis Antonio Car-dinal agle presided over themilestone celebration of theHoly Eucharist at the ManilaCathedral to formally open theDiocesan process of the Causeof Fr George J Willmann SJ

he Liturgical Rites for the formalopening of the diocesan process precededthe Mass at 900am With the entranceprocession of Cardinal agle as the MainCelebrant together with two bishops twomonsignors and thirty-three priests whoconcelebrated the Mass the Rites started

with Msgr Pedro C Quitorio III theappointed Diocesan Postulator for theCause of Fr Willmann giving biographi-cal highlights of the life of Fr George J

Willmann SJ An Invocation of the HolySpirit followed with the singing of VeniCreator Spiritus by the Manila CathedralBasilica Choir

Cardinal agle then examined anddeclared the legitimacy of the appoint-ments of Msgr Pedro C Quitorio III asthe Postulator and Fr Wilmer R Rosario

JCD as Vice-Postul ator in conformity with the Code of Canon Law

Appointed members of the Diocesanribunal for the Cause of Fr Willmann

were Msgr Geronimo F Reyes JCDas Episcopal Delegate Fr Carlo P DelRosario JCL as Promoter of Justice Mseresita F Kudemus ndash First Notary MsMarivic M Ambasa ndash Second Notary Ms

Julieta R Santos as Tird NotaryTe Cardinal reminded them of the

great responsibility importance andseriousness of the Process for the Causesfor Beatification and Canonization Asrequired by Church law all the mem-bers of the ribunal starting with MsgrGeronimo F Reyes individually tooktheir oath to faithfully fulfill hisher com-mitment and then signed the Acts

Te Experts who were tapped to formthe Historical Commission includeFr Julius Paul Factora OP JCD asPresident Fr Adolfo N Dacanay SJ

JCD ndash member and Fr Sander D Niez Sainthood D3

KCFAPI Theme and Logo for 2016HE year 2016 has been pro-claimed the Year of the Eucharistand the Family by the CatholicBishopsrsquo Conference of the Phil-ippines Te theme is part of thenine year spiritual journey thatbegan with the Year of Faith

where we experienced an authenticrenewal of faith guided by the newevangelization principles

he Holy Eucharist whichmeans thanksgiving invitesfamilies of the Catholic faithfulto commemorate the supremesacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christon the cross to receive His body

and blood in the Holy Commu-nion and to celebrate His victoryover death

Te Roman Catholic Churchpromotes strong family ties andvalues Parents are entrustedthe responsibility to prepare andteach their children to follow JesusChrist and live His gospel

KCFAPI distinguished itselfin protecting the sanctity of thefamily by providing comfortand sustenance in any loss orlife-changing event among fam-ily members KCFAPI respondsswiftly to changing or evolvingfamily insurance needs Nowon its 58th year of providingunsurpassed uncompromised

fraternal service KCFAPI vowsand advocates relentlessly to

render comfort benefit and as-sistance to all brother knightsand their families with mercy andcompassion

As part of the KCFAPI familyin a pioneering effort all wholly-owned and majority-ownedcompanies will coordinate theirschedules and manage theirresources towards one com-mon goal and will function asone well oiled machine By

joi nin g han ds gu ide d by theHoly Spirit the strength ofone is multiplied several times

over Te heart symbolizes lovemercy and compassion and is

also Charity ndash the first of fourcore principle of the OrderKCFAPI in heart-shaped bordermantles the five wholly- ownedand majority-owned companies Keys Realty amp DevelopmentCorporation Kompass Creditand Financing Corporation KCPhilippines Foundation IncKnights of Columbus Fr George

J Willmann Charitie s Inc andMace Insurance Agency IncTey are depicted by the boldshoulders of the figures symbol-izing the family Just like in any

close-knit family concentratedon accomplishing one objective

all employees will be engagedtheir support and talent pooledand harnessed to participateactively in any company activi-ties working in tandem as onecohesive unit

Te logo vividly demonstratesthe solidarity and bonding of fam-ily members if they gather togetherand allow Christ to be at the centerof their family relationship

Te different colors representthe various hues of the Order ofthe Knights of Columbus red

whit e blu e and yell ow hegreen color manifests KCFAPIrsquos

concern for our environment andits managementrsquos advocacy gearedtowards a healthy state of our sur-roundings Orange brings a posi-tive outlook in life optimism andmotivation to look on the brighterside of life

Te cup and host (in yellow)emulating the Holy Eucharist pro-vides Christ- centered way of life

Te circular flow represents in-finity or totality the unboundedtimeless and never ending lovecare and affection of KCFAPIin providing each and every KCfamily a shield of security protec-tion and hope Te acronym ALLcharacterizes KCFAPIrsquos inclusiveapproach to all forms of actions

products and services (Angelito A Bala)

As we protect families for generations Act Live Love

KCFAPI Planning Conference The Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of thePhilippines Inc held their 2016 Planning Conference last November 7-9 2015 atColumbus Plaza General Santos City Present were KCFAPI Chairman Bro Arsenio IsidroG Yap KCFAPI President Bro Jose C Reyes Jr KCFAPI Executive Vice President SisMa Theresa G Curia KCFAPI Officers and Supervisors KEYS Realty Vice President Bro

Riz Nicolas and HTMC Vice President Sis Apolonia Dominguez

Living Rosary The Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of the Philippines Inchad their Living Rosary last October 30 2015 at the KCFAPI main office This has been

a yearly practice for the Month of the Holy Rosary which is usually conducted by itsofficers and staff

Cardinal Tagle leads the unveiling of the portrait of Jesuit Fr George J Willmann as the Manila archdiocesan process for the Cause of Beatification and Canonization of the latter formally opens at the Manila Cathedralon Monday Dec 7 Willman is considered as t he ldquoFather of the Knights of Columbusrdquo in the Philippines ROY LAGARDE

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 2224

D2 The CrossDecember 7 2015 - 27 2015 Vol 19 No 25

ACQ UIR IN G a hou se and lo t which they can call their own home

and driving their own cars are twoof the priority dreams of Filipinoparents Of course seeing theirchildren finish college education iseither Number 1 or Number 2

Te Knights of Columbus Frater-nal Association of the PhilippinesInc (KCFAPI) has formed andincorporated a new company to helpmembers of the Order to have their

dream homes and motor carsKCFAPI named the new company as Kompass Credit and

Financing Corporation (KCFC) after one of the symbols of theKnights of Columbus which is the Compass Like the Compassof the ancient marines KOMPASS is here to guide BrotherKnight in having their own home and efficient mobility

KOMPASS can also extend home car and business loans tothe general public

Interested parties can call KOMPASS at el No 527-2242

527-2223 loc 215 and 252 for further details of the loan

Arsenio Isidro G Yap

Chairmanrsquos Message

Presidentrsquos Message

Ma Theresa G Curia

Jose C Reyes Jr

Reflection

Curia Settings

Michael P Cabra

Bequest LIFE this Christmas

My Brotherrsquos Keeper

FILIPINO raditions reflect the kindof people that we are All traditionscustoms and beliefs evolve from thelove and respect of the family Ourmutual and natural respect for oneanother our desire to please and notoffend each other and our willingness

to extend a helping hand are just a fewof the basic foundations which madethe Filipino people unique a one of a

kind and nowhere else could be found And certainly a must-have as a friend and neighbor

Some of the trait I like is the ldquomano pordquo expression and at thesame time reaching for the otherrsquos hand and asking for his blessingsTe respected elder would normally extend his hand to touch theforehead of the one asking for his blessings and expresses ldquokaawanka ng Diyosrdquo or ldquoGod bless yourdquo It doesnrsquot matter whether the onebeing accorded the respect is younger than the person asking forthe blessing or even if they hardly know each other

Another trait is removing onersquos slippers or shoes when enteringa neighborrsquos house Te guest expresses his respect for the hostand does not in any way want to spoil or damage the pristinecondition of the floor which is normally kept shiny and clean

Cleaning of onersquos surrounding to the point of cleaning also theneighborrsquos grounds I could still remember in our neighborhoodthat the old folks would sweep the debris on the street in front

of their houses But instead of just collecting their own trashthey would try to outdo each other by picking (or sweeping)the litter on the street up to the neighborrsquos house in front andeven on their right and left side

Everyone living along the same street knows each other very well to the point that all knows who are having a hard time and would need some assistance A neighbor would readily do somehousehold chores give some food and try to console those whoare grieving for the loss of a love one Nobody needs to askHelp is extended readily

Although the traits Irsquove mentioned above are seldom practicednowadays except for the ldquomano pordquo I still believe that those

were just some of our good traits which define us as people which define us as a Filipino a unique breed of people We arevery resilient that even though we are in grief or experiencingextreme challenges in our everyday life we still are able to lightour faces with the friendliest smile

Christmas is another tradition-field celebration that is uniquelyFilipino Te ldquoSimbang Gabirdquo ldquoputo bumbongrdquo and the like are

some Christmas traditions But let us not forget that Christmas isnot just a season of merriment but is a season for reconciliationItrsquos that time of the year when we want to ask forgiveness fromthose we had wronged and at same time forgive also those whohad wronged us and forget whatever they had done to us

Christmas is a season wherein family ties are kept stronger andmore meaningful But to be more meaningful it is better that weshare our blessings to those in need whose nights might be Holy but

would be very Silent and the only sound that they could hear arenot carols of merriment but the grumbling of their empty stomach

Make this Christmas the most meaningful Christmas ever bysharing your ldquoNoche Buenardquo with a neighbor or better still witha complete stranger May the birth of our Lord touch our heartsand be responsive to those in need

CHRISMAS is a holy day celebratingthe birth of Jesus Christ our Saviour Ithas been a tradition in the Philippines that

we go to dawn masses from December 16to the eve of Christmas day Because ourenthusiasm builds up as early as Septemberon Christmas Day itself many of us areexhausted after days of going through heavytraffic on the way to parties and to crowdedshopping malls to shop for gifts Tere arealso many events that we are enticed to at-tend for our kidsrsquo sake gatherings of relatives and friends near and farand entertainment we spend a lot for the family

While these festivities are all expressions of love we sometimes forgetthat Christmas day is the day we should go to mass to thank God forall the blessings we received from Him and in turn to offer our gift to

Jesus Christ As we enter the Advent season let us start reflecting on

how we can better love and serve God on how we can help the poorand how we can give hope to those who are losing hope Let us put intoaction the principle of charity with greater vigor and sense of urgency

May Christmas be like the ldquoJourney to the Innrdquo of Joseph and Mary- tiring yet full of hope and joy to welcome Christ in our hearts andour homes As Knights of Columbus let us lead our communities toa Christ-centered Advent celebration this year and always

My family and I wish your whole family ldquoA Merry Christmas and aBlessed New Yearrdquo

FOR this Christmas I wish tobase my reflection on a poem

written by Horacio de la Costathe first Filipino provincial ofthe Jesuits Please read and usethe poem as a Christmas greet-ing My reflection is nothingcompared to the poem

We must have visited all theBelens in our churches since we

were small In fact most of usalso put up the Christmas cribin our own homes In arlacthey even have yearly exhibits ofBelens which they call Belenis-mo We were told that it was StFrancis who started putting upthe crib in his church And thepoem of Horacio Dela Costatells us that if we meditate onthis set up we might discover

the surprises that they bring toour consciousness

Let us identify some fea-tures of the Belens that we se earound us during the Christ-mas season and together letus reflect on the meanings thatthese can offer us We shall seedifferent layers of Christmasmeaning emerge

1 he King was born poorGod has become human Tisis one of the features that wesee when we stare at the Crib

What a paradox the king ispoor God is human Life isindeed full of paradoxes andof seeming contradictions

We make sense of them only

with the passage o f t ime and

as we mature both in age andin faith

2 he Bethlehem scene isprofoundly meaningful sym-bolic and mystery-laden We

watch the figures in the Be lenand sometimes we do notunderstand When we do notunderstand the turn of eventsin our life we should not giveup We should not run awayTe world will not end onlybecause we do not understand

what we see exper ience or feelLet us stand in awe at Godrsquosvisit when we are clueless of

what i s happening 3 he King was born in a

manger But there was peacearound among the wise menand the shepherds on that holy

and starry night We see atthe Belen scene a communionamong God humans the richand the poor animals and hu-mans the stars the night andthe people It was as though ata special moment the Universe

was one As though the con-nectedness of all the elements

was not merel y ecolog ical asLaudato Si spoke of but evendivine -human No wonderthat we do not get tired of put-ting up our belens at home inchurches and in public placesNo wonder that we can stareforever at the Nativity scenealthough we do not fully un-derstand everything although

we do it yea r afte r year We

also feel that we are there andthat we are connected to the

figures they represent we areconnected to history to oursurroundings and even to ourGod

4 he Savior was born ina manger where animals eatTe meaning of the mangerscene has been the content ofmany sermons that we haveheard We were told that thisdoes not only refer to thehumility or poverty of Jesus

A dee per meaning they say isthat Jesus has come to be foodfor all who come to him Jesuscame to give Himself as foodfor the world His words histeachings his mercy and com-passion and his Good News of

Godrsquos Plan are enough to fillour emptiness with a sense ofdirection and destiny Teyquench our thirst for enlight-enment guidance and sense ofdignity as humans

5 he Baby who is born isthe Savior of the world Howcan a Baby save the w orld Wesee before us a baby wrappedin swaddling clothes And werealize that Divinity can berevealed in very human situ-ations And that the humblestreality could be a revelationthat God is in our midst If weopen our hearts and minds tothe Lord His Spirit enlightensand gives delight to our weary

and limited minds and souls

Even today we can feel Hismessage although sometimes

we do not ful ly unders tand Te truth dawns on us when

we ar e qu ie t and when we wait When we do not rush toknow Godrsquos Presence is a Giftthat we can never be worthy ofBut the point here is not thatour littleness could obstructthe Revelation of a mysteryRather the Greatness of theLord compels Him to revealHimself to the little one Evento us Now

Tat is why Liturgy invokesour ability to watch to look at

what happe ns in the Churchcelebrations Te beauty ofcandles incense and flowerscan evoke some sense of the

Sacred Space a Sacred Mo-ment and a Sacred Encounter

Te Belen does this for us inrevealing the message of Christ-mas If we open our eyes weshall see the Message of Christ-mas with our hearts If we havetime and we can keep quietbefore the Belen we might seethe surprise of the Lord

[The author Ma TheresaG Curia is the Executive VicePresident amp Chief OperatingOfficer of the Knights of Co-lumbus Fraternal Association ofthe Phils Inc (KCFAPI) andthe incumbent Diocesan Regentof the Daughters of Mary Im-maculate International Dioceseof Malolos]

IrsquoS that time of the year again We must allbegin the increasingly difficult task of buy-ing suitable gifts for our friends and familyHowever there is a different gift you shouldseriously consider giving this year Itrsquos not a fun

present nor it is exciting Itrsquos not somethingyou can play with or wear and it definitely wouldnrsquot be considered a treat Itrsquos a gift thatno one wants but everyone NEEDS So whatare we talking about A Fraternal Service Plan

A Benefit Certificate (BC) or what is simplyknown as a life insurance policy Every year

we search for that perfect gift for a loved oneSomething that will show how much we careand appreciate them What could better provethat than giving someone the gift of SECU-RIY and SABILIY

Unfortunately the recent statistics presentthe sad truth (a) more than 95 Filipinos donot have adequate levels of insurance and (b)more than 80 of Filipinos do not believethey are likely to suffer a serious illness in the

next 20 years Yet each year around 365000Filipinos face premature death either caused byaccidental death or natural sickness It equatesto 1000 untimely deaths everyday

Firstly think about your present situation

Do you have loved ones who depend on youfinancially If something were to happen toyou would your family struggle to maintaintheir current lifestyle the kind of living yoursquovebeen providing If you answered yes to thesequestions itrsquos as simple as that - you need tohave life insurance Secondly do you have aloved one (parent spouse adult children e tc)

who needs protection Tis year give them theultimate gift Having an adequate amount oflife insurance can help in paying off hospitalbills memorial bills mortgage and even in-heritance tax It can allow a family to maintaintheir current level of living and possibly evenfund long term goals such as childrenrsquos schoolfunds dream car house business and evenretirement Now wersquore not saying this is the

only gift you should give it might look a littlesad with only that under the Christmas treeHowever just consider along with the othergifts giving a present that may not be appreci-ated at that moment might come in use should

a critical time arrive You look after your familyand so this is a perfect gift ideaItrsquos important to consult a fraternal counselor

when considering life insurance as it is impera-tive that you are insured accurately dependingon your current situation and future needs

Should you wish to know more just visit wwwkofcorgph for inquiries

Did you know thatFor as low as PhP10000 you can already

start the Gift of Life to your loved ones Tisfraternal service plan is called KC Peso Saver Itis a single contribution endowment plan which

will mature at the end of the benefit certificatersquos10th year In fact a lot of Knights of ColumbusMembers invest with this Gift of Life everyChristmas for their spouse and children

Gemille Isabel P Gloria

A Meek Christmas

IMAGINE a pregnant mother who is supposed to give birth toa child at the moment and rideson a donkey with her husband

Apart from the pain of laborthe mother is enduring deathchases their yet unborn child astheir King deliberately kills allthe newborn babies that night

urned down by the innkeepersthey ended up in a crude stablesharing it with the farm animalsand the shepherds as she gavebirth to a baby boy and placedhim in a manger I bet you arepicturing a scene of a movie inyour head right now Tis isactually what the first Christmaslooked like

Going back to the presentChristmas is far more delightfuland exciting Shopping feastinggift-giving and vacation trippingare just few of the activities that

we cannot do away with in ourChristmas lists We think ofChristmas like no other ordinaryday of the year We make sure

that for Noche Buena there isabundance of bountiful feasts inour dining table from a platterof mouth-watering leche flan toa sumptuous lechon new clothesup to fifty percent sale on theselected items section and expen-sive gifts covered in a Santa Claus

wrapper under a fully decorated

Christmas tree We associate theChristmas season as a time ofsplendor since it is the birthday ofour Savior Unfortunately someof us could only imagine thesethings Tey are our fellow whoare counted by the government inabject poverty who could hardlythink of where and how to gettheir first meal for the 365 daysof the year including Christmasday One does not need to moveafar to behold this ravers-ing nearby the office we couldalready see some of the faces inpoverty If you have not takenyet the underpass connectingManila City Hall and Intramu-ros as you make your way out of

it you will see sullied children intattered clothes inhaling plasticbags containing rugby with somesoiled adults who seem to be theirparents doing the same thing

With their hunger already in theirhead some children forcibly takethe food of the passersby Duringthe night the space where people

enter and exit the underpassin the day turns into a freezinghome for the homeless Youcan see in their wrinkled face thefeeling of sleeping on the passage-

ways with only cardboard boxesand worn out fabrics in betweentheir body and the cold cementedground Teir condition is notfar from what Jesus experiencedon the first Christmas born intoand chose to live a life of poverty

Remembering martyredSalvadoran Archbishop OscarRomero who once said thatldquoNo one can celebrate a genuineChristmas without being trulypoor he self sufficient theproud those who because they

have everything look down onothers those who have no needeven of God for them there

will be no Christmas Only thepoor the hungry those whoneed someone to come on theirbehalf will have that someonehat someone is God Em-manuel God-with-usrdquo With

what he thought we canrsquot arguethat at times we want everythingTe more you have the moreyou want and the more you get

What if we have nothing Whatif we donrsquot have gifts food andnew clothes for the Christmas

What if we are in the place of thehomeless Would we still feel thesame Christmas Spirit withoutthe things we celebrate with it

We have to learn to celebrat eChristmas with how the poorperceive it Let us not reachthe point where we celebrateChristmas just because we willreceive our one-year wish listLet us learn to lose to sacrificeand to give during Christmas

Joseph P Teodoro

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 2324

D3The Cross December 7 2015 - 27 2015 Vol 19 No 25

Deogracias Fajota Fr Jeronimo

Ma Cruz Fr Antonio Rex PalayaFr Melvin Gamelo Fr JuliusCuison Fr Felix Labios Fr Ra-melle Rigunay Fr Randy SalungaFr Joel Cariaso Fr HernandezMendoza Fr Julius de Sagun FrRonel Ilano Fr Lowie Palines andFr Emmanuel Hiipolito

In his homily Cardinal aglestarted by citing that aside fromthe formal opening of the Dioc-esan process for Fr Willmannit was also the feast day of St

Ambrose a great teacher of theChurch known for his sanctityand teachings It was also the eveof the Immaculate Conception ofour Blessed Mother Mary plus thestart of the Advent season

Te Cardinal then focused onthe question What does it meanto be holy With the opening ofthe Cause he said that Fr George

J Willmann St Ambrose andMother Mary all responded tosanctity and holiness Cardinalagle clarified that ldquoHoliness isan attribute of God and not manrsquosachievement nor his work It isGod who is Holy and our holi-ness is a gift of God ndash our oneness

with HimrdquoCardinal agle added that the

message of the First Reading is thatthe Holiness of God is seen withmarvelous work ndash like transform-ing a desert into a garden filled

with water and flowers where we

are able to drink from Godrsquos good-ness with a safe road along the

holy way Te desert symbolizes

humanity that is seen to be dryfruitless empty and even life-less However when God entersall these are transformed into abountiful garden Godrsquos Holinessalways creates miracles ldquoWhen-ever we experience hopelessnessloaded with faults we must notbe afraid for that is the time whenGod will come to infuse His Holi-ness and cure the sickness Tat isthe Good Newsrdquo Cardinal agleadded that during this season ofadvent we must look deeper intoour deserts in order to experiencethe Holiness of God

Te Cardinal then underscoredthat we need to respond to GodrsquosHoliness not like the scribes in

the reading who questioned andrejected Jesus but like the friendsof the paralyzed man who lookedfor a nonconventional way -through the roof - to bring theparalytic closer to Jesus Cardinalagle stressed the need for us to bealert discerning with eyes of faithin order for us to respond to ourHoly God in His action when weare in our desert

he Cardinal then asked thepeople to pray for those entrusted

with the Cau se of Fr Willmannthat they may be illumined witheyes of faith With no intention ofpre-empting the Diocesan processCardinal agle simply thankedGod as we are now privileged

to share Godrsquos holiness throughpersonal experiences with Fr Will-

Sainthood D1

Process for PHrsquos new lsquoServantof Godrsquo starts rollingMANILA Dec 7 2015 ndash Manila Arch-bishop Luiacutes Antonio G Cardinal agleofficially accepted on Monday Dec 7the Feast of St Ambrose the petition toopen an investigation on the sanctity andheroic virtues of Fr George J WillmannSJ founder of the Knights of Columbus(KC) in the Philippines among otherCatholic lay organizations

At least 1000 of the naturalized Fili-pino Jesuit priestrsquos spiritual children fromall over the country including no lessthan former Supreme Court (SC) Chief

Justice Hilario G Davide Jr becamepart of Philippine Church history as they

witnes sed at the Manila Metropo litanCathedral Basilica the solemn opening ofthe archdiocesan process they hope wouldlead to beatification and canonization

lsquoGreat responsibilityrsquoIn line with this agle appointed Msgr

Pedro C Quitorio III of the CatholicBishopsrsquo Conference of the Philippines(CBCP) Media Office as postulator forthe cause of the countryrsquos newest ldquoServantof Godrdquo

He also approved the appointments ofMsgr Geronimo S Reyes Fr Wilmer RRosal and Fr Ricardo P del Rosario asepiscopal delegate vice postulator andpromoter of justice respectively as wellas of a host of other experts both clericand lay who vow to work together to giveFilipinos another saint

Te prelate went on to swear in allthose involved in the cause for Willmannrsquosbeatification and canonization remindingthem of the ldquogreat responsibilityrdquo theyhave assumed and the ldquoimportance andseriousnessrdquo of the task at hand

PHrsquos Fr McGivney Dubbed ldquoFr McGivney of the Philip-

pinesrdquo due to his dedication to expand KClocally Willmann worked for the radicaltransformation of faith into action

Born on June 29 1897 to very devoutCatholic parents in Brooklyn New Yorkthe American Jesuit was granted Philip-pine citizenship by President FerdinandMarcos through Presidential Decree(PD) No 740

In 1938 he first served as chaplain

of KC Manila Council 1000 then re-turned in 1954 to become the Orderrsquosfirst Philippine Deputy until his deathin 1977

In total the priest spent 44 fruitful andproductive years in the Philippines serv-ing the poor the sick the orphans theoppressed the lonely and the desolateespecially the young ones

KCFAPI etcBesides what is formally known as the

Knights of Columbus Fraternal Associa-tion of the Philippines Inc (KCFAPI)

which he founded in 1958 Willmannestablished other organizations as follows

bull Catholic Youth Organization (1938)bull Establishment of the Catholic Press

ldquoFilipinasrdquo and the ldquoCrossrdquo Magazines(1946)

bull Columbian Squires in the Philippines(1950)

bull Daughters of Isabella in the Philip-pines (1951) reorganized as Daughtersof Mary Immaculate (1977)

bull Columbian Farmers Aid Association(1951) reorganized as Knights of Co-lumbus Community Service Inc (1962)

bull Knights of Columbus Fraternal Asso-ciation of the Philippines Inc (KCFAPI)(1958)

bull Knights of Columbus PhilippinesFoundation Inc (1971) (Raymond ASebastiaacuten CBCP News)

Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle leads the Mass of the formal opening of the ArchdiocesanProcess for the Causes of Beatification and Canonization of the Servant of God FatherGeorge J Willmann SJ father of the Knights of Columbus in the Philippines LIN REGINO

Te Gentle Warrior By James B Reuter SJ

Part II of Chapter wo of ldquoTe Gentle Warriorrdquo series

CHAPER WO-----------------

Te Ateneo de Manila

HE Ateneo was a boysrsquo schoolTe objective of a boysrsquo school is tomake a man out of a boy Te mainvirtue of a man is courage Godmirrored His virtues in His childrenBut he divided them between girls

and boys Tere is such a thing as amasculine soul and a feminine soulIf a boy and a girl are suddenly con-fronted with a wild bull thunderingdown on them if the girl screamedand hid behind the boy that wouldbe normal But if the boy screamedand hid behind the girl everyone

would be ashamed of him Tevirtue of a girl is not physical cour-age it is love and mercy Te virtueof a boy is courage and justice Butin our schools there is no course inthe curriculum called ldquoCouragerdquo

here is no subject called

ldquoCouragerdquo Tere is no mark forldquoCouragerdquo It has to be taught inevery subject through the wholelife of the school he Jesuitsunderstood this very well AndGeorge understood it He began

to learn the meaning of couragehimself when he was five yearsold sitting on the curbstone onPutnam Avenue when the wheelof the garbage truck crushed bothhis feet

In the old Ateneo there wasa strong tradition of ldquoRomansrdquoand ldquoCarthageniansrdquo Jose Rizal

was the Emperor of the RomansEvery class was competitive TeRomans would be lined up onone side of the class the Car-thagenians on the other Te firstquestion went to the Romans

If the Romans answered it cor-rectly the questioning stayed

with the Romans If any Romanmissed the question went to theCarthagenians Ten the Romanboys would growl and grumble at

the Roman who missed It wascompetition to teach courage

And the battle cry of all theteams was ldquoAnimo Ateneordquo Youcould translate that as ldquoLetrsquos go

Ateneordquo or ldquoSpirit Ateneordquo orldquoFight Ateneordquo mdash but in practiceit meant courage Never give upno matter what the odds ldquoGoget lsquoem Ateneordquo Never say dieTis was obvious in everythingthat the boys did

But it never degenerated intoldquoWin at all costsrdquo Te secondmasculine virtue is justice Tis

means honesty integrity and fairplay Both at once mdash courageand fair play Te verse that everyathlete in the school knew by heart

was ldquoIf I should win let it be bythe code with my head and my

honor held high But if I shouldlose let me stand by the road andcheer as the winner goes byrdquo

It was a tremendous amount of work mdash teaching night and dayrunning the Sodality the ACILand the magazine mdash but Georgeloved it

And his students loved him Tefriendships that he made duringthose three years of regency from1922 to 1925 lasted more thanfifty years

(o be continued on the nextissue)

mann and his life and ministrydevoted to service that providedldquofresh water and good newsrdquo

particularly to the youth the poorand the prisonersTe Cardinal cited his own basic

formation as a Charter memberof the Columbian Squires inImus Cavite where they helpedthe Church in its program for thestreet children He also mentionedhis appreciation for being a scholarof the Knights of Columbus dur-ing Fr Willmannrsquos time

Reiterating that God indeedtransforms deserts into places ofrest peace and holiness Cardinalagle ended his homily by encour-aging all in attendance to be agentsof Godrsquos holiness

People from all walks of life joined the celebration of this Mass

that formally opened the Cause ofServant of God - Fr Willmann

Also repres ent ed were var iou sorganizations established and nur-tured by Fr George including the

Daughters of Isabella (now Daugh-ters of Mary Immaculate) Catholic Youth Organization ColumbianSquires and the Knights of Co-lumbus Parishioners and residents

with their families from nearbycities and communities of ondoIntramuros Sta Cruz Malate andother more distant places likewise

witnessed the very mean ingfulOpening of the diocesan processfor the Cause of their ldquoFather andBenefactorrdquo of forty years

Fr George J Willmann SJdevoted the last forty years of hislife not only in humble serviceand dynamic leadership of theKnights of Columbus in thePhilippines but equally being a

compassionate pastor in the careand formation of the youth He

provided relief to victims of the

war and of violence while also al-leviating the sufferings of the poorHe likewise established ways topreserve and promote the sanctityof life marriage and the family

It was in 1997 or eighteen yearsago that the Knights of Columbusin the Philippines first started aconcerted thrust to formally laythe groundwork for the Causeof Fr Willmann During theOrderrsquos centennial celebration ofFr Willmannrsquos birth the Ordercreated a Committee on Causecomposed of Ramon V ConsingLauro M Cruz and Msgr PedroC Quitorio III as co-chairmenNotable activities of the Com-mittee included gathering of tes-

timonials launch of the Prayer forthe Centennial of Fr Willmann with the Impr imatur of Msgr Jose C Abriol launching of Fr Willmann Fellows meeting withthen Jaime Cardinal Sin and theFather Provincial of the Jesuits toseek their respective endorsementsof the Cause Te Order publishedand distributed the pamphlet ldquoAGlimpsehe Life and Worksof Fr George J Willmann SJrdquoin order to give due acknowledg-ment and recognition as well as toincrease awareness abou t Fr Will-mann A landmark achievement ofthis period was the publication ofldquoTe Gentle Warriorrdquo a biographyof Fr Willmann authored by Fr

James B Reuter SJEstablishing and spreading the

fama sanctitatis of Fr Willmann

included the presentation andpromotion of his works mademore concrete by direct testimo-nies of various individuals whomhe personally interacted withFr Willmann Fellowsrsquo one-timemembership donations have beenpooled to fund the productionof materials such as prayer cardspublications tarpaulins postersto effectively promote Fr George

Willmann not only to brotherKnights but more importantlyto the youth the poor and under-privileged of various communities

In 2011 through the efforts ofthe KC Fraternal Association ofthe Philippines and the Knightsof Columbus Fr Willmann Chari-

ties Inc the National ExecutiveCommittee (NEC) for the Causeof Fr Willmann was created withthe primary function of overseeingall the initiatives relative to or inconnection with the Cause

We are blessed that the Dioc-esan process of the Cause of FrGeorge J Willmann SJ has nowbeen formally opened therebygiving us significant reason torejoice Henceforth he will nowbe regarded Servant of God Letus fervently pray for continuedenlightenment from the HolySpirit for everyone involved in thisDiocesan process and the Causeas a whole so that our belovedFr George J Willmann may ulti-

mately be elevated to the honorsof the altar

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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D4 The CrossDecember 7 2015 - 27 2015 Vol 19 No 25

FST IN CAGAYAN A Fraternal Service Training program was held in Cagayan De Oro last November 13 2015Participants were from Zamboanga Misamis and Butuan The event was graced by KCFAPI Vice Presidentfor FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBG Manager Michael Cabra Aside from the product specifications thetraining also gives an idea regarding the basic insurance process and conceptualization of new marketingstrategies in order to achieve their goals and improve their sales performance (FBG News)

AREA MEETING IN VISAYAS The KCFAPI Western Visayas Armor held an area meeting in Bacolod lastOctober 24 2015 led by Agency Unit Manager Randy G Bravo and graced by KCFAPI Vice President forFBG Gari San Sebastian (KCFAPI News)

FST IN DAVAO A Fraternal Service Training program (1 and 2) was held in KCFAPI Davao Service OfficeDavao City last November 20-21 2015 Participants were from Compostela Valley Cotabato City andGeneral Santos The training was attended by KCFAPI Vice President f or FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBGManager Michael Cabra (FBG News)

PRODUCERSrsquo FORUM KCFAPI Vice President for FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBG Manager Michael Cabraled a Producersrsquo Forum wherein fraternal counsellors all over Luzon were gathered for an update of theirincentives program held last November 11 2015 at the KCFAPI home office (FBG News)

New KCFAPI Board of Trustee Bro Pascual C Carbero

IN February of 1986 BroCarbero started his knightlyservice in the Knights of Co-lumbus under Council 10695

in Valenzuela City Duringhis service in Council 10695he has been appointed asChancellor for CY 1992-1993 and as Deputy GrandKnight and Program Direc-tor for CY 1993-1994 InDistrict M-31 of ValenzuelaCity Bro Carbero was GrandKnight for CY 1994-1995District Warden for CY 1996-1997 and District Deputyfor CY 1997-1999 He wasalso Chairman for the Roundable District Deputies forCY 1998-1999 At the Dr PioValenzuela Assembly ACN1772 Meycauayan Bulacanhe was the Faithful Naviga-

tor for CY 1999-2000 Onthat same term Bro Pascual

was the Luzo n State Audi -tor for CY 2000-2003 andthe Luzon State Warden forCY 2000-2003 of the Luzon

Jurisdiction After which forCY 2000-2001 he becamethe Charter Faithful Naviga-tor for the City of Valenzuela

Assembly ACN 2676 For

CY 2007-2015 Bro Carbero was re-a ppo inte d as Luzo nState Warden Bro Carbero

was a voting delegate in the

KC Supreme Convention heldat Washington DC in 2010and also a non-voting delegateheld at Anaheim Californiain 2002 and 2012 Currentlyhe is the State Secretary of theLuzon North Jurisdiction

Bro Pascualrsquos dedicationand enthusiasm in participat-ing in the Order gave himthe endeavor to author thecreation of the City of Valen-zuela Assembly in 1999 withthe assistance of the Districtand Vice Supreme Master

With his knightly serv ice he was awarded with several rec-ognition namely OutstandingDistrictDeputy for CY 1997-

1999 Star District Awardeefor CY 1997-1999 and Civic

Awardee as Charter FaithfulNavigator of the City of Valen-zuela Assembly ACN 2676CY 2000-2001

Apart from Knights of Co-lumbus Bro Carbero partakeshis services in other civic andreligious organizations He isa Special Lay Minister of the

Holy Eucharist Parish of theHoly Cross since 1989 and amember of the Parish RenewalExperience Group He is the

Director and reasurer of thePhilippine Insurers Club from2013 to 2014 and currently itsPresident He is also a memberof the Insurance Executive1st Friday Club of Makatiand an incoming Presidentof the Philippine Associationof Surety Underwriters Incthis 2016

He was Director Corpo-rate Secretary of Mace Insur-ance Agency Inc from 2012until 2014 and currentlythe Independent Director ofKompass Credit and FinancialCorporation and KCFAPIrespectively Bro Carbero isalso a fellow of Father George

J Willmann Charit ies Inc And since 2006 he has beenthe Vice President of IntraStrata Assurance Corporation

He graduated with a Bach-elorrsquos degree in Business Ad-ministration Major in Man-agement at Philippine Schoolof Business Administration in1973 and finished Bachelor ofLaws in Lyceum of the Philip-

pines in 1988Bro Pascual Carberorsquos wife

Sis Remedios was past presi-dent for three years of theCatholic Womenrsquos League(CWL) Valenzuela Chapterand currently the AssistantVice President for Underwrit-ing in Mercantile InsuranceCo Inc in Intramuros Ma-nila Tey are blessed with six

wonderful children namely

Soidemer Claire a pediatri-cian Abigail Claire a lawyerValerie Claire and ChristineClaire both of whom are reg-istered nurses Terese Claire

who graduated with Bachelorrsquosdegree in Laws and is currentlyreviewing for Bar exams and

Adrian Brian who is also aregistered nurse and presentlya 3rd year medical student

Former SC Justice tofellow lsquoPH Knightsrsquo Prayfor Willmannrsquos CauseMANILA Dec 8 2015 ndash Former Chief

Justice Hilario G Davide Jr has calledon fellow members of the Knights of Co-lumbus (KC) nationwide to keep prayingfor the eventual ldquoraising to the altarrdquo ofthe grouprsquos spiritual father Fr George J

Willmann SJ who was declared ldquoSer-vant of Godrdquo Monday Dec 7

ldquoSo what is demanded of us as mem-bers of Knights of Columbus What isdemanded of us as members of Knightsof Columbus Fraternal Association of thePhilippines Inc [KCPAFI]rdquo he askedldquoWe need to pray a lot Pray pray praythat the tribunal will listen to the evidencepresented Pray pray pray that the tribu-nal will actually collate all the evidenceand determine once and for all that whathas been presented through our postula-

tor is credible to merit the conferment ofbeatification later on Tis is our taskrdquo

Archdiocesan processDavide who now chairs the National

Executive Committee for the Causes ofFr Willmann made this observation in aspeech following a ceremony held at theManila Cathedral during which Arch-bishop Luiacutes Antonio G Cardinal agleofficially approved the archdiocesan process

for the causes for the beatification and can-onization of the naturalized Filipino Jesuit

he solemn occasion was witnessedby no less than 1000 representativesof KCPAFI and other organizations Fr

Willmann helped establish like Catholic Youth Organization Columbian Squiresin the Philippines (1950) and Daughtersof Mary Immaculate

Te former chief magistrate went on todescribe the entire process as ldquovery mean-ingfulrdquo since it had the power to make anordinary priest into a Servant of God

Ordinary priest to Servant of GodldquoImagine during our lifetime today in

the Cathedral we saw the conversion ofan ordinary priest to become a Servant ofGod And we hope that he will merit be-

ing a servant of God until the first step ofthe process will continuerdquo he exclaimed

According to him it must have been thefirst time for most people present to haveseen with their own eyes an event of suchldquohistoric and momentous significancerdquo

ldquoI have lived 20 times four years of mylife almost And this is the first time I have

witnessed the process how it evolves and what we can gather from it o me thisis not just making somebody brought to

the honors of the altar but for us to beable to witness how to live and how tocomport ourselves to be able to follow hisfootstepsrdquo he explained

Built-in holinessDavide pointed out that holiness is

already built in each person but it is onlya matter of expressing it

ldquoWhy I would say that holiness is inus already Because we are the templeof God and the Spirit of God is with usSometimes however we forget that this isso We close our ears We close our eyes to

Jesus Christ We close our hands to JesusChrist by helping others So this is theprocess that we have witnessed today Andto me it will very much workrdquo he added

Davide also credited Msgr Pedro C Qui-

torio III postulator of the causes for Fr Will-mann for the ldquodivinely inspiredrdquo occasionand the timeliness of the diocesan process

ldquoSo Msgr Quitorio you are divinelyinspired You planned everything in sucha way that everything we did and we willdo and what we are doing right now isnot only as legacy to the next generationbut even beyond the next generation forpeople and children yet unbornrdquo he said(Raymond A Sebastiaacuten CBCP News)

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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B8 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

Look for the images of Saint Joseph Mama

Mary and Baby Jesus

(Illustration by Bladimer Usi)

Bladimer UsiLolo Kiko

Buhay Parokya

KANISS Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) both a victor in andsubverter of Panemrsquos Hunger Games is now a symbol of the revolu-tion whom rebel president Alma Coin (Julianne Moore) and powerbroker Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman) want to usestrictly as a poster girl Stubborn freedom-fighter Katniss howeverhas her own agenda and that includes killing President Snow (Don-ald Sutherland]) to end once and for all the senseless deaths of somany young people Forming a team of rag-tag soldiers that includeclosest friends Gale (Liam Hemsworth) Finnick (Sam Claflin) andPeeta (Josh Hutcherson) she goes off on a mission risking theirlives through a booby-trapped war to liberate the citizens of PanemTe final confrontation between Katniss and Snow presided overby Coin is an electrifying game-changer

Te Hunger Games is not exempted from the fad of choppinginto ldquopartsrdquo the movie adaptations of popular books Harry Potterwilight Te Hobbitmdashthey have all stretched their heroesrsquo exploitsto prolong box office earning power and yet the fans wait AfterHunger Games MockingjayPart 1 which judging fromits relatively weak performanceat the tills must have been aforgettable movie that testedthe patience of fans Mocking-

jay Part 2 revs up with moreof the thrills that have madethe Hunger Games series theprototype of dystopia flicks foryoung adults (Divergent et al)Te strong cast monumentallycontributes to the realism of theHunger Games franchisemdashhowcan it go wrong with a leonineSutherland a steely Moore asly Hoffman And of coursethe winner Lawrence who canequally sell with aplomb partscalling for either vulnerability orverve In Mockingjay 2 the starsrsquo solid performances interwoven

with heart-stopping CGI make for a fitting finale to a story that

capitalizes on manrsquos inhumanity to manItrsquos surprising that a number of film critics are disappointed with the

filmrsquos ending calling it ldquosappyrdquo and an anti-climactic conclusion to anadrenalin-packed series that promised so much by way of action andheroism Teir cynical remarks remind us of biblical Israel waiting fora savior who would topple down the ruling elite with its own brandof kingship but is instead given a Jesus Christ CINEMA thinks theending is actually a statement that magnifies the upbeat message of the

whole story enough is enough Murder as spectator sport is sub-human At least when beasts kill it is to survive but in Panem the poor youngpeople are robbed of choice and must kill in order to livemdashas enter-tainment for the elite So Mockingjay mocks the elite it cries ldquoGivehumanity a chancerdquo Whatrsquos wrong with wanting to dump violence tostart afresh Choose life not death Arrows that used to kill people arealso useful for hunting fowl for the dinner tablemdashis that against the lawldquourn your swords into ploughs and your spears into pruning hooksrdquoMaybe the cynicsrsquo eyes have grown to love the Hunger Gamesrsquo darknessthat the sunlight-dappled scenery blinds them Or maybe after fallingin love with the couture of Panemrsquos stylish crowd theyrsquore simply horri-

fied by Katnissrsquo drastic costume change Whatever CINEMA wouldnrsquothave wanted the ending any other way

ENTERTAINMENT

MAGPAPAKASAL at magsump-aang magmamahalan nang wagasang dating live-in partners nasina Basya (Bea Alonzo) at Popoy(John Lloyd Cruz) Bilang mgalisensyadong enhinyero at arkitektoay magtataguyod sila ng construc-tion business na mabilis na uunladLalong magpupursige ang mag-asawa na magpalago ng negosyodahil magbubuntis si Basya Naisnilang mabigyan ng magandangkinabukasan ang kanilang anak

Subalit dahil sa pressure ng tra-baho ay makukunan si Basya attuluyang mawawala ang sanggolna kanyang dinadala Labis itongikalulungkot nina Basya at Popoykaya napagkasunduan nila ayonna rin sa mungkahi ni Basya natitigil siya sa pagtatrabaho upangmakabuo uli sila ng baby Nanatilisi Basya sa bahay at di nakialam sanegosyo sa loob ng dalawang taonPinaubaya niya ang pagpapatakbong negosyo kay Popoy Magtitiwalasi Basya sa kakayanan ng asawa namahusay nitong mapapamahalaanang kompanya katulad ng nagingproblema ng pagguho ng isangbuilding project Hindi rin gu-gustuhin ni Popoy na bigyan ngalalahanin si Basya Samantala sakabila ng magandang saloobin nilasa isarsquot isa ay ang napipintong pag-kalugi ng negosyo na siya namangililihim ni Popoy kay Basya Dahilsasarilinin ni Popoy ang problemamaapektuhan ng tuluyan angkanilang pagsasama

Sequel ng pelikulang One MoreChance na pinalabas noong 2007ang Second Chance Matatan-daang tumatatak ang naunangpelikula dahil sa mga tinatawag nalsquohugot linesrsquo nina Alonzo at Cruzsa nasabing pelikula Di namannabigo ang mga nag-abang sa se-quel na ito dahil naganap nga angsecond chance sa mga pangunah-ing tauhan na sina Basya at PopoyMalinis ang pagkakadugtong ng

dalawang pelikula --- parehongmga tauhan at kontexto gayundinang mga artistang nagsiganap Sakabila ng pagkakaroon ng prequelay napanatili ang malayang istoryang Second Chance bilang isangpelikula Bagamat predictable ang

wakas ay naging kasabik-sabikpa din ang mga eksena at mgapalitan ng linya ng lahat ng tau-han Di matatawaran ang husayng pagganap nina Alonzo at Cruzbilang mag-asawa panalo talagaang tinatawag na chemistry nilangdalawa Di rin nagpahuli nag mgakatuwang na aktor at aktres Mag-aling ang ginawang trato ng direk-

tor para mapalabas ang kalakasanng mga nagsiganap at ang mgaeksenang hinaluan ng patawa lalona sa eksena kasama ng mga kai-bigan Simple lamang ang disenyong produksyon pero nakatulongang mga kuha ng camera at edit-ing para maging makabuluhan saistorya ang setting Makahuluganang composition na nagpapakitang electric fan para sa mensahe nanagtitipid na ang mag-asawa dahillugi na ang kompanya

Mayaman sa mensahe parasa mga mag-asawa ang SecondChance Pinakita sa pelikula angrealidad ng buhay may-asawa nahindi lang puro kasarapan sa halip aymga pagsubok na maaring mauwi sahiwalayan kung hindi haharapin ataayusin Sa relasyon ng mag-asawa

ay napakahalaga ng magiging bu-kas sa isarsquot isa kaya anuman angpagdaanan ay magkatuwang nahaharapin Ang pagtatago ni Popoyng katotohanan kay Basya ang nag-ing mitsa ng lumubhang alitan dipagkakaunawaan pagkawala ngrespeto at palitan ng masasakitna salitamdashpati tiwala sa sarili aynawala At sa punto na pipiliin ngisa na lumayo at hanapin ang sariliay nakatulong na balikan ang mga

sumpaan binatiwan nuong sila ayikinasal at higit sa lahat ang kanilangpagmamahal sa isarsquot isa Mainamdin na may mga kaibigan at pamilyana pwedeng lapitan na susuporta athindi manghuhusga manunumbato mang-uudyok sa paggawa ng maliKapuna-puna lang na bagamatnagsimula at nagwakas ang pelikulasa chapel ay tila di man lang nilanaisipan na magdasal habang maypinagdaraanan sila Nais isipin ngCINEMA na ang gusto lamangsabihin ng pelikula ay ang pag-aasawa ay hindi lamang sa pagitanng dalawang tao kundi dapat aykasama palagi ang Diyos

DIRECTOR Cathy Garcia-Molina

LEAD CAST Bea AlonzoJohn Lloyd Cruz DimplesRomana

SCREENWRITER VanessaValdez Carmi Raymundo

GENRE Romantic Drama

CINEMATOGRAPHER NoelTeehankee

RUNNING TIME 130 minutesTECHNICAL ASSESSMENT

MORAL ASSESSMENT CINEMA Rating V13

A SECONDCHANCE

DIRECTOR Francis LawrenceLEAD CAST Jennifer Law-

rence Josh HutchersonLiam Hemsworth WoodyHarrelson Donald Suther-land Julianne Moore PhilipSeymour Hoffman

GENRE Adventure ScienceFiction

RUNNING TIME 137 minutesTECHNICAL ASSESSMENT

MORAL ASSESSMENT CINEMA rating V14

THE HUNGER

GAMESMOCKINGJAY 2

Buhay San Miguel Brothers Matias

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 1724

Philippine Army Chaplaincy CFC

Hold 1st National Convention

The first-ever OACCS - OSM CEP Convention further strengthened the camaraderie between the chaplaincy and the local CFC created a more solid CFC OSM Core enabledthe stakeholders to work together and recognized the efforts of those who work tirelessly under the program

CFC Metro Manila as one big happy family worshipped danced sang played gamesand had fun during the last MC Gathering of the year

By Alma Alvarez

CFC ANCOP USA Pontificio Collegio Fillipino Sign Partnership Agreement

CFC MM MC Celebrates the Family

HIS Eminence Cardinal Luis Antonio agle Chairman of PontificioCollegio Filippino and its Rector Msgr Greg Gaston recently signedthe ANCOP USA Priest Sponsorship Program (PSP) partnership

with Eric Villanueva Roger Santos and Rollie Balanza Couples forChrist - ANCOP USA leaders Te ANCOP USA PSP will assistpriests from the Philippines who will be sent by their Bishops to doadvance studies in Rome

In his letter to Villanueva Cardinal agle wrote ldquoOur partnership will

allow more Bishops to send Priests for ongoing formation and furtherstudies in Rome to better equip them in serving Gods people as SeminaryFormators and as collaborators in the different Diocesan Ministries back

HE Metro Manila Mission Coregathered as one big CFC familyduring this months MC Assemblylast December 6 2015 Leadersfrom the Family Ministries likewisecame to the Ynares Sports Arenato hear Mass together celebrateshowcase talents play in the fungames and just enjoy each otherscompany before the end of the year

CFC Spiritual Director Msgr Allen Aganon celebrated Mass Inhis homily Msgr Allen emphasizedthe enormity of the role of John theBaptist as the one who heralded thecoming of Jesus Christ despite hishumble beginnings He challengedthe CFC leaders to be like Johnthe Baptist

We are ordinary people who

home As a result our Church in the Philippines will be strengthenedso that Priests and laity alike could carry out our respective work ofevangelization and service not only to the Church but also to societyrdquo

According to the agreement the PSP is for Masters Licentiate orDoctorate studies only ANCOP USA PSP funds will cover the priestrsquosboard and lodging at the Collegio in the amount of $10000 per year

All other needs such as tuition fees medical insurance transportationbooks etc will be provided for by the Bishop as a local counterpart

Tis would ensure that priests can benefit from the partnershipo donate or to know more about the program please visitwwwancopusa-psporg

THE CFC Order of St Michael(OSM) in cooperation with thePhilippine Army Ofce of theArmy Chief Chaplain Service(OACCS) staged the rst everCharacter Enhancement Pro-gram (CEP) Convention last No-vember 24 2015 at the PhilippineAir Force Museum Pasay CityRetired Col Arturo Alabanza amember of CFC Metro Manila(South B) and head of the OSM

OSM C4

together with the OSM Corespearheaded the event

In his opening remarks Alabanza describedhow the OSM came together with the OACCS

and forged a long-term partnership to ldquodeveloprighteous God-fearing soldiers loved by theFilipino peoplerdquo through the CEP Te CFCOSM has developed modules specifically cater-ing to the soldiers their spouses and childrenOACCS on the other hand has the author-ity to mandate Commanding Officers of thevarious Army camps nationwide to employthe CEP

Te convention allowed the stakeholders toreport on the accomplishments and enabledthe Army Chaplains from the different Infan-

try Divisions to plan with their local Couplesfor Christ counterparts regarding strategies forCEP and its continuing spiritual enhancementmodules It was likewise an opportunity for

CFC OSM to present the second module forthe CEP which the group plans to roll outbeginning 2016

ANCOP Chairman Joe Yamamoto in hisinspirational talk reiterated Pope Francisrsquo callfor new evangelization and emphasized thatthe partnership is a clear response of each per-son involved whether it be the Chaplaincy orthe lay stakeholders to be agents of change inthe spiritual realm within the Philippine Army

Several of those serving in the program

His Eminence Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle and the leaders of CFC ANCOP USA f orging a strong partnership for further education among Filipino clergy

are called to herald Christ andto be missionaries of mercy heemphasized

Te Mass was followed by theopening worship led by the MetroManila Missions Director MannyGarcia and a brief message fromCFC Chairman Joe ale

Te CFC Order of St Michaelthrough its Head Art Alabanzatook the opportunity to honor the55 Singles for Christ volunteers

who served in the Christian LifeProgram for the PMA Cadets inBaguio Te fun-filled games forthe adults and children talentpresentations and face-paintingadded to the festive mood rulyit was a day for the family (CFCGlobal Communications)

Reconciliation is Key to Advent PreparationsldquoTHE best way to prepare forChristmas is reconciliation Thebirth of Jesus is Gods offering ofreconciliationrdquo

his was the essence of the Advent recollection given by FrGerard imoner OP Provincialof the Dominican Order in thePhilippines for the workers of theCFC Global Mission Office Terecollection was held last Novem-ber 28 2015 at the Obizpado deCubao in Quezon City

In his reflection Fr imoner

creatively wove reconciliation withforgiveness as well as the new

evangelization taking into account Jesusrsquo words to ldquoshake off the dust

from your feetrdquo According to hima good spiritual foot spamdashthe act

of shaking the dust off onersquos feet toremove all traces of the bad news to

enable one to proclaim the GoodNewsmdashis essential in preparing

oneself during AdventFr imoner described for-

giveness as ldquosetting a prisonerfree and realizing that thatprisoner is yourdquo He illustratesldquoJesus did not forgive whileon the cross Instead he saidlsquoFather forgive them for theyknow not what they dorsquo We canonly forgive if we engage Godsforgiveness within our ownrdquo

he best path to the newevangelization is to allow our-selves to be reconciled with God

amp each other he emphasized(A Alvarez)

The News Supplement of

Couples for Christ

C1CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 1824

Reflections on Advent

I IS the start of a new liturgical

year As in every year the previ-ous liturgical year ended withthe feast of Christ the King afitting high point indeed Aftergoing through the year observ-ing the various highs and lowsand phases of His life in theend and rightly so we proclaim

Jesus as indeed the King of kingsand the Lord of lords

And so the Church starts thecycle anew beginning fromHis birth into this world obuild up to that we have theseason of advent of waitingof anticipating of preparingfor the birth of He who werecognize and proclaim as theKing of kings

One would expect that thismajor season is ushered in

with Bible vers es express ingthe level of excitement befit-ting the birth of the King ofthe universe It is therefore abit surprising and soberingthat the opening reading ofthis season is one with a themethat speaks not of celebrationbut of foreboding of the com-ing end times

here wil l be strangethings happening to the sunto the moon and the stars Onearth whole countries will bein despair afraid of the roarof the sea and the raging tidesPeople will faint from fear asthey wait for what is comingover the whole earth for the

Joe Tale

powers in space will be driven

from their courses hen theSon of Man will appear comingin a cloud of great power andglory When these things begin tohappen stand up and raise yourheads because your salvation isnear Luke 2125-28

Moreover we are enjoined tobe on watch and to be vigilantin a specific way Be careful notto let yourselves become occu-pied with too much feasting anddrinking and with the worries ofthis life or that Day will suddenlycatch you like a trap For it willcome upon all people everywhereon earth Be on watch and prayalways that you will have thestrength to go safely through allthose things that will happen andto stand before the Son of Man

Luke 2134-36It is significant we might evensay ironic that during this seasonof merriment in anticipation ofthe birth of the Messiah we are

warned exactly not t o be merryIn this period that we normallycelebrate with much food and

wine and music we are instructedto refrain from such things

Is the verse dousing cold wa-ter on all these festivities andpreventing us from celebrating

joyously the arr ival of t he KingNot so he verse simply re-

minds us of something more im-portant whatever be the seasonof our life of being constantlyprepared and on the watch at

all times not ever to bring our

guards down whether we are go-ing through our low moments orhigh points in our life We are re-minded to always Be Preparedas the Boy Scouts motto goes

whatever our spec ific situationmay be at any given time

Als o I sense tha t the Lor d would like to bring us to a deeperlevel of rejoicing not merely onthe level of the frivolous as toomuch feasting and drinking areTe words of Jesus do not preventus from rejoicing He wants us tocontinue to be prepared even as

we celebrate He warns us not torejoice in a wanton way that takesus away from our right senses re-sulting in our being unpreparedhus our rejoicing should becoming from deep in our hearts

not shallow and hollow expres-sions of the same Our rejoicingshould be geared towards allowingus to still be prepared

hus as we hold our Christ-mas parties and dwell in themerriment of the season let usbe mindful of the words fromthe Gospel Appropriate feastingand drinking not only make usfaithful to the gospel but is alsomore healthy Significantly tooit should make us more caring tothose who have less and hope-fully lead us not to be wastefuland to share whatever we have somany others will also experiencea truly Merry Christmas

Rejoice in the Lord

HE RED Cubs harvested thegrand championship of the recentlyconcluded CFC GMC Ablaze Cup2015 held last December 2 - Decem-ber 8 2015 at the sports facilities ofCamp Crame

Te friendly games were partici-pated in by the different departmentsin the CFC Global Mission CenterTe Red Cubs romped off with the

Red Cubs are Champions in CFC GMC Ablaze Cup 2015

Go go go GMC clockwise from top left Caloy Rubio CFC Ablaze Cup Event Head exhorting participants the board of judges CFC Chair Joe Tale inspiring the athletes paradeof athletes the Orange Tigers basketball game between the Red Cubs and the Maroon on Fire cheerdance competition

Mel and Aimee Serrano talking about the highs and lows of dealing with in-laws

In Highs And In-Laws Dealing With Your In-Laws

ldquoATRASrdquo BOYS amp GIRLS

Are We Waiting For Jesus At The Right Spot

This Advent

IN983085LAWS he very word re-minds many a married coupleof discomfort awkward evenstrained relationships and some-times open conflict But are rela-tionships with the family membersof your spouse meant to be merelytolerant Te latest Couples forChrist (CFC) ndash Young Couples

Assembly on November 30 heldat St Pauls College in Pasig Citytackled precisely this topic andcame up with this wildly inge-nious insight In-laws are peopletoo ndash love them

According to the speakers Meland Aimee Serrano of CFC ndashMetro Manila West B lovingthem in all sincerity will work

wonders ldquoTat is the tried andtested formula love your in-lawsrdquoshared Mel a school owner fromQuezon City

During the talk which theypeppered with lots of insights andsharing of personal experiences as a

PASIG City Nov 29 2015 ndash What do weusually do when we find out that someone welove or an important personality is visiting ou rhome We tidy up we prepare good food butmost of all we wait his was the m essage thatabout 150 young married couples heard duringthe Family Mass at the Couples for Christ ndash

Young Couple s Assembly at St Paul Colleg eConvention Center held last November 30

Fr Ruper Solis SVD who celebrated theFamily Mass reminded the couples presentthat to wait for something or someone also

couple married for 20 years the Ser-ranos focused on several key points1 Handle them with care

Tis means giving attention tothe one who needs more takingcare of them in their old age as

well as training your kids to respecttheir grandparents

ldquoOn our part we have to makesure that our children will give duerespect [to them] and be able tounderstand intricacies that come

with old agerdquo said AimeeldquoWhether may sama ng loob

(hurt feelings) sometimes there will be times na mahirap makipag-kita (that it will be difficult to meetthem) but you have to go to themKailangan nating gawin yun (Weneed to do it)rdquo she stressed

2 Acknowledge differences According to the couple people

should recognize that their spousemay not have the same familyculture as they do Value systems

means waiting at the right placeldquoAs Christians our life is a series of waiting

Dapat maghintay ka sa tamang lugarhindi langsa tamang panahon na sinasabi ni Lola Nidora noPero sa tamang lugar din (We should wait not justfor the right time but waiting should be doneat the right place as well)rdquo explained Fr Ruper

he young priest who was an SVD missionaryassigned to Argentina for more than seven years

went on to tell the story of how once in Argentinahe was waiting by the side of the road flagging

championship crowns in badmin-ton (women) table tennis (menand women) tug-of-war and peelbanana It was a close fight with theMaroon on Fire team who grabbedthe winning titles for basketballvolleyball cheer dance and chess(men) and ended up 1st runner-up

with les s than 2 points from the winning team Te Orange igerscame in 2nd runner-up while YellowHotshots was 3rd runner-up basedon the last team standings

Te awarding ceremonies wereheld last December 8 2015 dur-ing the celebration of the CFCGMC Christmas party Tis an-nual event is an opportunity forthe mission workers to enjoy eachotherrsquos company Te Ablaze Cuplikewise serves as a venue tofoster and promote the spirit ofsportsmanship and unity amongthe GMC workers from bothpastoral and mission support(Yvonne Dolorosa)

HE WORD ldquoatrasrdquo means a backwardmovement It is generally used to refer to theldquoReverserdquo function of a vehicle In Lanao DelNorte the word has been applied to a group ofboys abd girls who guide vehicles in and out ofparking spaces the equivalent of the ldquoWatch-your-carrdquo aides in Metro Manila

he CFC leaders in the province immedi-ately thought of the Atras Boys and Girls ofLanao Del Norte when Cardinal agle said ndashldquoGo to the peripheries be a mobile clinicto heal the poor from spiritual sickness rdquo

Another ins pirat ion was from one of the mostimportant pastoral subjects of Pope Francisabout the ldquofamily and the poorrdquo

Every time I go to mass at the St MichaelrdquosCathedral with my wifeata the ldquoatras boysand girlsrdquo are all over the area assisting ve-hicles either to park or to exit the parking area

When n ot per formi ng thi s function they andother members of their family can be seenbegging for their daily sustenance hey areusually homeless their home being along theperipheries of the Cathedral or the sidewalks

he inspiration led the Area Governanceeam to the idea of bring these boys and girlsand their parents to a Christian Life Programhey moved quickly with Boy Suezo approv-ing the strategic CLP as designed by RegionalPastoral Formation Head Art Maderazo andinserting video clips appropriate to the CLPtalks With the activation of the SOLD Min-istry with Bro Roger Sultan as Provincial Co-

ordinator SOLD was made the lead ministryof the ldquoAtras Boys and Gir lsrdquo CLP

Initially the number of participants was limitedto five (5) for logistical reasons but the HolySpirit deemed otherwise ndash the attendees eventuallynumbered ten individuals and three (3) coupleshe CLPs were scheduled every hursday at 600orsquoclock in the evening with dinner provided byCFC brothers and sisters particularly the AGrsquos

wives and ANCOP members he SOLD Prov in-cial Coordinator took care of fetching the partici-pants from the Cathedral and also bringing themback to their ldquohomesrdquo It did not matter to Rogerthat his car would often retain the smell of the

unwashed he persisted in servicing the transportneeds of the participants

November 05 2015 was truly a pleasant anda memorable day to the service team On thatday five of the ten boys and girls and two (2)couples dedicated their life to CFC One of theparticipants stood up to give an inspiring testi-mony ending with ldquohank you CFC for makingus somebody in your heart hank you for beingmindful of the conditions of the poor and thankyou for bringing Christ to our livesrdquo (ldquoSalamatCFC nga aduna pa diay kami luna sa inyong kas-ingkasing Salamat CFC sa inyong pagpakabanasa susama kanamo nga mga timawa Salamat sainyong panahon pag hatag kanamo sa pagtulun-anni Kristo)

It is envisioned that this kind of evangeliza-tion can be replicated in other areas nationwidethe beginning of a truly strategic evangelizationHopefully this is also the beginning of a newlife for the new CLP graduates with CFC being

instrumental in helping them provide for theirfamilyrsquos future (Nonoy Haim)

disciplining style even views onhow to handle finances will of-tentimes be different Tat is whyunderstanding coupled with love

will go a long wayldquoDifferences and conflicts are

not unhealthy but mismanagementis Never criticize your in-lawsrdquoMel said

Also in case of confl ict themessenger or the ldquobridgerdquo shouldbe the one with the primary re-lationship (spouse to own fathermother)

he Serranos candidly sharedabout a conflict that eruptedbetween Aimee and her father-in-law during the campaignperiod for local elections whenMel ran for public office heconflict was soon followed by aperiod of silence a Cold Warso to speak ldquoIt took us at leasta year or two [My father said]kasi pag di natin inayos tolahat tayo maapektuhan (If we

dont fix this all of us will beaffected) It helped that thecouple prayed and sought DivineIntervention and asked the com-munity to pray with them heHoly Spirit worked

3 Respond appropriately What if ev en af ter l ovin g and

understanding them its stillnot smooth sailing with your in-laws Heres what the Serranoshad to say

bull iming is everythingbull Learn when to speak or keep

your mouth shutbull ake a breath cool offbull Maintain a sense of humorbull Remember unsolicited advice

is just an opiniono cap their talk the couple

brought back the participants tothe basics of loving in-laws to actout your love to build bridges andto communicate (Nirvaana EllaDelacruz)

HOMILY C3

IN A Memorandum sent to the Philip-pine Missions leaders last November23 2015 PM Director Jose Yamamotoappointedreassigned leaders for theNortheastern Luzon region

Mark Banzon has been appointedProvincial Area Head (PAH) of Isabelavice Rommel Ancheta ony de la Cruz

on the other hand was tapped to be PAHof Nueva Vizcaya vice Raul Balaquiao

O set a new tradition in the CFC Family the InternationalCouncil has agreed to make December 27 the Feast of theHoly Family as a special day for the members of the familyto honor one another Tis will allow each person in thefamily to express their gratitude to the Lord for the gift offamily and the importance of having each member of thefamily around for the love support and service As a sug-

New Appointments for CFC GMC NE LuzonFamily Honoring Night Set

Balaquiao was appointed PAH of IlocosSur vice ony de la Cruz while Cholo

Yjares is now PAH of Cagayan vice BongPagulayan Pagulayan is now PAH ofKalinga vice Cholo Yjares

he move is essentially a realignmentof the leaders in the Northeastern Luzonarea in the interest of the mission except

for Banzon who is a new appointee andfor Noel Malamug who remains as

PAH of Ifugao hese changes are to takeeffect on January 1 2016 Edythe Aven-dantildeo is also set to replace Didi Galsim asHandmaids of the Lord InternationalCoordinator effective January 1 2016

In the Global Mission Center RickyRico was appointed Head for the GAd-min effective October 1 2016 while Jay

Lucena was appointed head of the CFCEvents group also effective October 1facebookcomCFCGlobalMission CFChrist

The Ugnayan News Supplement is published by the Couples for Christ Global Mission Foundation Inc with editorial ofces at 156 20 th Avenue 1109 Cubao Quezon City

Editorial trunk line (+63 2) 709-4868 local 23

Direct line (+63 2) 709-4856

wwwcouplesforchristglobalorg cfcglobalcommunicationsgmailcom

Michael C Ariola

IC Oversight

Zenaida A Gimenez

Editor-in-Chief

Alma M Alvarez

Associate Editor

Evangeline C Mecedilla

Circulation Staff

Deomar P Oliveria

Layout Artist

The News Supplement

of Couples for Christ

gestion the guidelines indicate the following as the activitiesfor the said day hearing Mass together dining together athome praying together and in gratitude expressing theirlove to one another

hrough the Family Honoring Night the community hopesto strengthen the relationship among the family members andempower each one to truly cherish and love one another

Bong Pagulayan

Mark Banzon

Cholo Yjares

Ricky Rico

Edythe Avendantildeo

Raul Balaquiao

Jay Lucena

Tony de la Cruz

C2 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 1924

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 2024

CFC China Conducts

Mission Heads Training

CFC Greece Leaders Meet Archbishop of Athens amp Nuncio

COUPLES for Christ USA and CFC Greece leaders paid a courtesy call on Archbishop Sevastianos Rossolatos and Fr George Altouvas at the Archd ioce se of Athens he g roup in troduced Couples f or Chri st to the new Archbishop and di scus sed theirplans to initiate a CFC Youth Camp in Greek as well as to develop CFC teachings in Greek

On another occasion the CFC leaders met with the Apostolic Nuncio of the Holy See in Athens Archbishop Edward Joseph AdamsTey discussed challenges and forthcoming changes in the Greek Catholic hierarchy and laid down CFCrsquos plans for CFC Athens

SINGLES for Christ Metro Manila gath-ered at the San Carlos Seminary in Makatilast December 5 2015 at 700 pm forthe SFC Global One a two-hour non-stop worship experience Jay Laquiana fulltime pastoral worker for SFC ledthe worship

Global One was meant to be a simul-taneous praise concert with major cities

or provinces hosting the event But what

made this yearrsquos Global One event special was the fact that it was the first time it wasstaged online via youtube live broadcastTis gave SFCs all over the world an oppor-tunity to come together despite differencesin time zone

ogether as one ministry SFCs from theMetro Manila Sectors the provinces andthe various countries like the USA Canada

and the Middle Eastern countries raised

SFC GLOBAL ONEmdashUniting the World

via Online Worship

their voices in praise and worship for thecountless favors they received It likewisebecame an opportunity to ask the Lordto bless the ministry for the coming year

Te ministry sees the online Global Oneas an event they can do annually Tey alsosee it as a potential tool to reach othernon-SFC members to witness Christ andcome together with other young people to

worship (Lanie Montaos)

OSM C1

CFC Winnipeg held its 2nd Celebration of Covenant Love onNovember 21st the feast of the Presentation of Our Lady Sixteencouples attended the activity

One week prior to the Renewal of Wedding Vows the 16 coupleshad a mini-retreat conducted by their spiritual advisor Fr YollyGamallo Te mini-retreat included four couple-sharers Te HolyMass was celebrated at St John Cantius Parish presided by MsgrLouis McCloskey A simple reception followed for the 16 couples andabout 60 family members with additional witnesses from the CFCcommunity Te participants who renewed their marriage vows werefrom varied age groups with some having been married for only five

years to couples who were celebratingo 40 years of holy matrimony

Tis year makes the Celebration of Love even more relevant as itis the year that held the papal Synod on the Family and the WorldMeeting of Families Pope Francis stated when making an address tofamilies ldquoTose who celebrate the sacrament say lsquoI promise to be trueto you in joy and in sadness in sickness and in health I will love youand honour you all the days of my lifersquo At that moment the coupledoes not know what will happen nor what joys and pains awaitthem Tey are setting out like Abraham on a journey together

And that is what marriage is Setting out and walking togetherhand in hand putting yourselves in the Lordrsquos powerful handsHand in hand always and for the rest of your livesrdquo (from http

couplesforchristcanadaca)

A Celebration of Covenant Love

I cherish the treasure the treasure of you lifelong companion I give myself to you These happy couples from CFC Vancouver saying Yes again to oneanother and to God as they renew their marriage vows

CFC missionaries to South Americarejoiced as they completed a fruitfulmission to the area a fitting end to theyear Te mission to Nuevo Pueblo deColaacuten opened a new area an hour awayby land from Piura Peru establish-ing CFC ndash Parejas para Cristo in a remotetown in the desert At the end of theChristian Life Program 13 new CFCPPC members composed of 4 couples4 HOLD and 1 SOLD committed to alife with Christ

Te PVC (Programa de Vida Cristiana- Spanish CLP) was held November 27to 29 2015 (Tanksgiving weekend) byCFC USA Florida in Iglesias del Rosarioone of two parishes in town Padre LuisSerra head pastor of the main churchthe Iglesia Sagrado Corazoacuten de Jesuacutesopened the doors to CFC PPC Fourother brethren from CFC PPC RiojaPeru headed by Fr Rober Martinez cameto reinforce the missionariesrsquo efforts Teteam got a taste of their first mission

CFC China is on full throttle in its evan-gelization efforts Tey recently conducted

the first-ever CFC China Mission Headsraining from November 27 to 30 at Vilada Sta Isabel Estrada Cheoc Van MacauTe training aimed to strengthen its leader-ship ranks through several formation talksfrom the Chapter Leaders raining (CL)series Te sixty participants were mostlyChinese with some Filipino Mission Headsand their AG members from the North

West East and South of China includingMacau SAR and Hong Kong SAR

Te first day of the training was devotedto a silent retreat based on Psalm 4610ndash ldquoBe silent and know that I am GodrdquoTe three-hour retreat centered on thetheme ldquoWe need to Change How WeLead o lead like Jesusrdquo with each par-ticipant encouraged to ldquoempty oneselfrdquoFr Oliviades a member of the Opus Deifacilitated the retreat

Day 2 started with a Holy Mass concel-

ebrated by Fr Joseph Wang from YiwuEast China Te training proper began with Israel Silud CFC Country Headand Northwest Regional Head givingthe overview and citing challenges thatCFC China faces He reiterated thatCFC Chinarsquos goal of raising 1 millionhousehold heads will be driven by the

The fruits of 2015 for CFC PPC hundreds of miles away from home

In 2015 ten missions were held inSouth America by CFC USA All these

were made possible by a handful of zeal-ous and selfless CFC USA mission vol-unteers who sacrificed a lot and deniedthemselves many comforts in order tobring the Word of God to families in Co-lombia Ecuador and Peru CFC ParejasPara Cristo will not take off without thefinancial support of CFC USA

ruly God gave a very good year for

the mission team harvesting 608 souls in2015 (a total of 857 persons from June2014 to date) Te task of sustainingCFC PPC families and area countriesare enormous But with grateful heartsthe South America team humbly turnsto God thanking Him each day forHis guidance as He leads the way Teteam looks forward to 2016s adventureof bringing the banner of Christ to themiddle and corners of the earth (GlenSantayana)

whether lay or from the Chaplainsrsquo ranklikewise gave testimonies on how theirinvolvement in the CEP made them real-ize that they have become not only agentsof change but recipients of grace as well

In the afternoon the Chaplains andtheir CFC counterparts came together fora round table discussion of the plans ofthe various Infantry Divisions nationwide

Army Chie f Chaplain Fr Col Andre sBonifacio Belleza CHS (GSC) in anunexpected move expressed his recog-nition through the grant of awards ofthe initiatives of the Army Chaplainsin implementing the CEP in their vari-ous Divisions Fr Maj Juan Jerome CDaluro was awarded Best Chaplain ofthe Year 2015 for his exemplary ser viceas Division Chaplain of 9th Infantry(Spear) Division Fr MSg Mario Ban-

iqued Philippine Army (PA) OACCSChief Clerk was recognized as Best

Chaplain Assistant of the YearSince the partnership between the

OACCS and CFC OSM started in April2014 the group has conducted CharacterEnhancement Retreats (CER) for 28 Phil-ippine Army commands Trough CFCSingles for Christ volunteers a ChristianLife Program has likewise been conductedfor the Philippine Military Academy Classof 2018 graduating 385 PMA-Singles forChrist members Presently five CERs arealso being done at the V Luna MedicalCenter in Quezon City

Alabanza admit s there is still muchto be done So far the CEP has reached2000 men and women in uniformroughly 0287 percent of an estimated800000 population of soldiers theirspouses and their families Tis is indeedfertile ground for values and spiritual

transformation which is just waiting tobe conquered (A Alvarez)

Another fruitful harvest in Peru from top the 13 new members in CFC PPC all-women discussion group

Courtesy call top photos CFC leaders with Archbishop Edward Joseph Adams amp Fr George Altouvas bottom photos with Fr George Archbishop SevastianosRossolatos and Archbishop Edward Joseph Adams

CFC OSM and the OACCS reaching out to the men and women in uniform and their families through the Character Enhancement Program

personal holiness of its ser vant-leaders who will be leading the evangelization thrust

in 34 provinces in China CL talks 2-5 were given by the regional heads with their wives as sharers

Day 3 began with the recitation ofthe Holy Rosary followed by anotherconcelebrated Holy Mass Fr Oliviadesdelivered a beautiful homily on ldquoemptyingoneselfrdquo Te rest of the CL talks wereagain delivered by the regional heads withtheir wives as sharers In CL alk 9 Siludemphasized the need to pay attention tothe means to care for the spirit mind andbody of the leaders

Te last day primarily focused on plan-ning the CFC China activities for 2016One of the proposals from the planningis that the four (4) regions in China willeach be hosting the major activities linedup for the year

Te three-day training and planning was conducted by CFC China Country

Head IsraelSally Silud with the supportof North Asia Regional Coordinator Ga-rieCess Pimentel and the regional headsfrom East China (EricEvelyn Ylagan)South China (JoelErica Santos) HongKong SAR (GarieCess Pimentel) andMacau SAR (JMEmilie Yupangco) (Ericamp Evelyn Ylagan)

C4 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 2124

JCL ndash member while for the TeologicalCommission the experts appointed wereFr Alexander L Garces SDB JCL ndashPresident Fr Enrico Eusebio Jr SJ JCDndash member and Sr Maria Amparo SantosOP JCL ndash member As with the ribunalmembers the Presidents and membersof both Commissions individually tooktheir respective oaths and signed the Acts

Te appointed Copyist Ms RonalynRegino and Assistant Copyist Ms Ge-cerein Sayen Ocampo were called next totake their respective oaths and similarlysigned in the Acts

Ten Postulator Msgr Pedro C Qui-torio III and Vice Postulator Fr WilmerR Rosario JCD individually took their

respective oaths not compromise the truthand offend justice nor impede the free-dom of witnesses to testify in the CauseTereafter they also signed the Acts

Te Postulator then presented to Car-dinal agle for his examination a list of

witnesses to be interrogated subject to thepossible addition and revision of namesin the future Upon examining the listthe Cardinal decreed that the next sessionfor interrogation of witnesses be held on

January 11 2016 at the Arzobispado deManila

Finally after ordering the Chancellorto establish public record of this First Ses-sion Cardinal agle declared the Processfor the Causes of Beatification and Can-

onization of Servant of God FAHERGEORGE J WILLMANN SJ Father ofthe Order of the Knights of Columbus inthe Philippines OPEN

o complete the Rites His EminenceLuis Antonio Cardinal agle together withformer Chief Justice Hilario G Davide

Jr as Chairman of the National ExecutiveCommittee (NEC) for the Cause of Fr

Willmann jo intly u nveiled the portraitof Father George J Willmann SJ

Tereafter Cardinal agle began thecelebration of the Holy Eucharist Con-celebrants were Bishop Honesto FOngtioco DD Bishop Mylo HubertC Vergara DD Msgr Geronimo FReyes JCD Fr William Arana OSA Fr

Carlo Magno Marcelo Fr Marvin MejiaFr Wilmer Rosario JCD Fr Carlo DelRosario Fr Julius Paul Factora OP JCDFr Sander Niez JCL Fr Alex GarcesSDB JCL Fr Rico Garcia Fr ReginaldMalicdem Fr Darwin Faith Ponce OSAFr Ricky VIllar OSA Fr Geoffrey Eb-orda OSA Fr Genaro Supremedo OSAFr Jojo orres OSA Fr Joseph VillarealOSA Fr Roy Gallano OSA Fr MichaelSalazar and Fr Romel Cruz

Also serv ing as Conce lebrants werea number of KC Priests Scholars of theKnights of Columbus Fr George J

Willmann Charities Inc that includedMsgr Pedro C Quitorio III Fr Benjamin

The Cross A Supplement Publication of KCFAPI and the Order of the Knights of ColumbusCBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25 December 7 2015 - 27 2016

Sainthood bid opens forFr George Willmann SJBy Roberto T Cruz

On December 7 2015 Mon-

day the bells of the ManilaCathedral rang out loud as HisEminence Luis Antonio Car-dinal agle presided over themilestone celebration of theHoly Eucharist at the ManilaCathedral to formally open theDiocesan process of the Causeof Fr George J Willmann SJ

he Liturgical Rites for the formalopening of the diocesan process precededthe Mass at 900am With the entranceprocession of Cardinal agle as the MainCelebrant together with two bishops twomonsignors and thirty-three priests whoconcelebrated the Mass the Rites started

with Msgr Pedro C Quitorio III theappointed Diocesan Postulator for theCause of Fr Willmann giving biographi-cal highlights of the life of Fr George J

Willmann SJ An Invocation of the HolySpirit followed with the singing of VeniCreator Spiritus by the Manila CathedralBasilica Choir

Cardinal agle then examined anddeclared the legitimacy of the appoint-ments of Msgr Pedro C Quitorio III asthe Postulator and Fr Wilmer R Rosario

JCD as Vice-Postul ator in conformity with the Code of Canon Law

Appointed members of the Diocesanribunal for the Cause of Fr Willmann

were Msgr Geronimo F Reyes JCDas Episcopal Delegate Fr Carlo P DelRosario JCL as Promoter of Justice Mseresita F Kudemus ndash First Notary MsMarivic M Ambasa ndash Second Notary Ms

Julieta R Santos as Tird NotaryTe Cardinal reminded them of the

great responsibility importance andseriousness of the Process for the Causesfor Beatification and Canonization Asrequired by Church law all the mem-bers of the ribunal starting with MsgrGeronimo F Reyes individually tooktheir oath to faithfully fulfill hisher com-mitment and then signed the Acts

Te Experts who were tapped to formthe Historical Commission includeFr Julius Paul Factora OP JCD asPresident Fr Adolfo N Dacanay SJ

JCD ndash member and Fr Sander D Niez Sainthood D3

KCFAPI Theme and Logo for 2016HE year 2016 has been pro-claimed the Year of the Eucharistand the Family by the CatholicBishopsrsquo Conference of the Phil-ippines Te theme is part of thenine year spiritual journey thatbegan with the Year of Faith

where we experienced an authenticrenewal of faith guided by the newevangelization principles

he Holy Eucharist whichmeans thanksgiving invitesfamilies of the Catholic faithfulto commemorate the supremesacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christon the cross to receive His body

and blood in the Holy Commu-nion and to celebrate His victoryover death

Te Roman Catholic Churchpromotes strong family ties andvalues Parents are entrustedthe responsibility to prepare andteach their children to follow JesusChrist and live His gospel

KCFAPI distinguished itselfin protecting the sanctity of thefamily by providing comfortand sustenance in any loss orlife-changing event among fam-ily members KCFAPI respondsswiftly to changing or evolvingfamily insurance needs Nowon its 58th year of providingunsurpassed uncompromised

fraternal service KCFAPI vowsand advocates relentlessly to

render comfort benefit and as-sistance to all brother knightsand their families with mercy andcompassion

As part of the KCFAPI familyin a pioneering effort all wholly-owned and majority-ownedcompanies will coordinate theirschedules and manage theirresources towards one com-mon goal and will function asone well oiled machine By

joi nin g han ds gu ide d by theHoly Spirit the strength ofone is multiplied several times

over Te heart symbolizes lovemercy and compassion and is

also Charity ndash the first of fourcore principle of the OrderKCFAPI in heart-shaped bordermantles the five wholly- ownedand majority-owned companies Keys Realty amp DevelopmentCorporation Kompass Creditand Financing Corporation KCPhilippines Foundation IncKnights of Columbus Fr George

J Willmann Charitie s Inc andMace Insurance Agency IncTey are depicted by the boldshoulders of the figures symbol-izing the family Just like in any

close-knit family concentratedon accomplishing one objective

all employees will be engagedtheir support and talent pooledand harnessed to participateactively in any company activi-ties working in tandem as onecohesive unit

Te logo vividly demonstratesthe solidarity and bonding of fam-ily members if they gather togetherand allow Christ to be at the centerof their family relationship

Te different colors representthe various hues of the Order ofthe Knights of Columbus red

whit e blu e and yell ow hegreen color manifests KCFAPIrsquos

concern for our environment andits managementrsquos advocacy gearedtowards a healthy state of our sur-roundings Orange brings a posi-tive outlook in life optimism andmotivation to look on the brighterside of life

Te cup and host (in yellow)emulating the Holy Eucharist pro-vides Christ- centered way of life

Te circular flow represents in-finity or totality the unboundedtimeless and never ending lovecare and affection of KCFAPIin providing each and every KCfamily a shield of security protec-tion and hope Te acronym ALLcharacterizes KCFAPIrsquos inclusiveapproach to all forms of actions

products and services (Angelito A Bala)

As we protect families for generations Act Live Love

KCFAPI Planning Conference The Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of thePhilippines Inc held their 2016 Planning Conference last November 7-9 2015 atColumbus Plaza General Santos City Present were KCFAPI Chairman Bro Arsenio IsidroG Yap KCFAPI President Bro Jose C Reyes Jr KCFAPI Executive Vice President SisMa Theresa G Curia KCFAPI Officers and Supervisors KEYS Realty Vice President Bro

Riz Nicolas and HTMC Vice President Sis Apolonia Dominguez

Living Rosary The Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of the Philippines Inchad their Living Rosary last October 30 2015 at the KCFAPI main office This has been

a yearly practice for the Month of the Holy Rosary which is usually conducted by itsofficers and staff

Cardinal Tagle leads the unveiling of the portrait of Jesuit Fr George J Willmann as the Manila archdiocesan process for the Cause of Beatification and Canonization of the latter formally opens at the Manila Cathedralon Monday Dec 7 Willman is considered as t he ldquoFather of the Knights of Columbusrdquo in the Philippines ROY LAGARDE

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 2224

D2 The CrossDecember 7 2015 - 27 2015 Vol 19 No 25

ACQ UIR IN G a hou se and lo t which they can call their own home

and driving their own cars are twoof the priority dreams of Filipinoparents Of course seeing theirchildren finish college education iseither Number 1 or Number 2

Te Knights of Columbus Frater-nal Association of the PhilippinesInc (KCFAPI) has formed andincorporated a new company to helpmembers of the Order to have their

dream homes and motor carsKCFAPI named the new company as Kompass Credit and

Financing Corporation (KCFC) after one of the symbols of theKnights of Columbus which is the Compass Like the Compassof the ancient marines KOMPASS is here to guide BrotherKnight in having their own home and efficient mobility

KOMPASS can also extend home car and business loans tothe general public

Interested parties can call KOMPASS at el No 527-2242

527-2223 loc 215 and 252 for further details of the loan

Arsenio Isidro G Yap

Chairmanrsquos Message

Presidentrsquos Message

Ma Theresa G Curia

Jose C Reyes Jr

Reflection

Curia Settings

Michael P Cabra

Bequest LIFE this Christmas

My Brotherrsquos Keeper

FILIPINO raditions reflect the kindof people that we are All traditionscustoms and beliefs evolve from thelove and respect of the family Ourmutual and natural respect for oneanother our desire to please and notoffend each other and our willingness

to extend a helping hand are just a fewof the basic foundations which madethe Filipino people unique a one of a

kind and nowhere else could be found And certainly a must-have as a friend and neighbor

Some of the trait I like is the ldquomano pordquo expression and at thesame time reaching for the otherrsquos hand and asking for his blessingsTe respected elder would normally extend his hand to touch theforehead of the one asking for his blessings and expresses ldquokaawanka ng Diyosrdquo or ldquoGod bless yourdquo It doesnrsquot matter whether the onebeing accorded the respect is younger than the person asking forthe blessing or even if they hardly know each other

Another trait is removing onersquos slippers or shoes when enteringa neighborrsquos house Te guest expresses his respect for the hostand does not in any way want to spoil or damage the pristinecondition of the floor which is normally kept shiny and clean

Cleaning of onersquos surrounding to the point of cleaning also theneighborrsquos grounds I could still remember in our neighborhoodthat the old folks would sweep the debris on the street in front

of their houses But instead of just collecting their own trashthey would try to outdo each other by picking (or sweeping)the litter on the street up to the neighborrsquos house in front andeven on their right and left side

Everyone living along the same street knows each other very well to the point that all knows who are having a hard time and would need some assistance A neighbor would readily do somehousehold chores give some food and try to console those whoare grieving for the loss of a love one Nobody needs to askHelp is extended readily

Although the traits Irsquove mentioned above are seldom practicednowadays except for the ldquomano pordquo I still believe that those

were just some of our good traits which define us as people which define us as a Filipino a unique breed of people We arevery resilient that even though we are in grief or experiencingextreme challenges in our everyday life we still are able to lightour faces with the friendliest smile

Christmas is another tradition-field celebration that is uniquelyFilipino Te ldquoSimbang Gabirdquo ldquoputo bumbongrdquo and the like are

some Christmas traditions But let us not forget that Christmas isnot just a season of merriment but is a season for reconciliationItrsquos that time of the year when we want to ask forgiveness fromthose we had wronged and at same time forgive also those whohad wronged us and forget whatever they had done to us

Christmas is a season wherein family ties are kept stronger andmore meaningful But to be more meaningful it is better that weshare our blessings to those in need whose nights might be Holy but

would be very Silent and the only sound that they could hear arenot carols of merriment but the grumbling of their empty stomach

Make this Christmas the most meaningful Christmas ever bysharing your ldquoNoche Buenardquo with a neighbor or better still witha complete stranger May the birth of our Lord touch our heartsand be responsive to those in need

CHRISMAS is a holy day celebratingthe birth of Jesus Christ our Saviour Ithas been a tradition in the Philippines that

we go to dawn masses from December 16to the eve of Christmas day Because ourenthusiasm builds up as early as Septemberon Christmas Day itself many of us areexhausted after days of going through heavytraffic on the way to parties and to crowdedshopping malls to shop for gifts Tere arealso many events that we are enticed to at-tend for our kidsrsquo sake gatherings of relatives and friends near and farand entertainment we spend a lot for the family

While these festivities are all expressions of love we sometimes forgetthat Christmas day is the day we should go to mass to thank God forall the blessings we received from Him and in turn to offer our gift to

Jesus Christ As we enter the Advent season let us start reflecting on

how we can better love and serve God on how we can help the poorand how we can give hope to those who are losing hope Let us put intoaction the principle of charity with greater vigor and sense of urgency

May Christmas be like the ldquoJourney to the Innrdquo of Joseph and Mary- tiring yet full of hope and joy to welcome Christ in our hearts andour homes As Knights of Columbus let us lead our communities toa Christ-centered Advent celebration this year and always

My family and I wish your whole family ldquoA Merry Christmas and aBlessed New Yearrdquo

FOR this Christmas I wish tobase my reflection on a poem

written by Horacio de la Costathe first Filipino provincial ofthe Jesuits Please read and usethe poem as a Christmas greet-ing My reflection is nothingcompared to the poem

We must have visited all theBelens in our churches since we

were small In fact most of usalso put up the Christmas cribin our own homes In arlacthey even have yearly exhibits ofBelens which they call Belenis-mo We were told that it was StFrancis who started putting upthe crib in his church And thepoem of Horacio Dela Costatells us that if we meditate onthis set up we might discover

the surprises that they bring toour consciousness

Let us identify some fea-tures of the Belens that we se earound us during the Christ-mas season and together letus reflect on the meanings thatthese can offer us We shall seedifferent layers of Christmasmeaning emerge

1 he King was born poorGod has become human Tisis one of the features that wesee when we stare at the Crib

What a paradox the king ispoor God is human Life isindeed full of paradoxes andof seeming contradictions

We make sense of them only

with the passage o f t ime and

as we mature both in age andin faith

2 he Bethlehem scene isprofoundly meaningful sym-bolic and mystery-laden We

watch the figures in the Be lenand sometimes we do notunderstand When we do notunderstand the turn of eventsin our life we should not giveup We should not run awayTe world will not end onlybecause we do not understand

what we see exper ience or feelLet us stand in awe at Godrsquosvisit when we are clueless of

what i s happening 3 he King was born in a

manger But there was peacearound among the wise menand the shepherds on that holy

and starry night We see atthe Belen scene a communionamong God humans the richand the poor animals and hu-mans the stars the night andthe people It was as though ata special moment the Universe

was one As though the con-nectedness of all the elements

was not merel y ecolog ical asLaudato Si spoke of but evendivine -human No wonderthat we do not get tired of put-ting up our belens at home inchurches and in public placesNo wonder that we can stareforever at the Nativity scenealthough we do not fully un-derstand everything although

we do it yea r afte r year We

also feel that we are there andthat we are connected to the

figures they represent we areconnected to history to oursurroundings and even to ourGod

4 he Savior was born ina manger where animals eatTe meaning of the mangerscene has been the content ofmany sermons that we haveheard We were told that thisdoes not only refer to thehumility or poverty of Jesus

A dee per meaning they say isthat Jesus has come to be foodfor all who come to him Jesuscame to give Himself as foodfor the world His words histeachings his mercy and com-passion and his Good News of

Godrsquos Plan are enough to fillour emptiness with a sense ofdirection and destiny Teyquench our thirst for enlight-enment guidance and sense ofdignity as humans

5 he Baby who is born isthe Savior of the world Howcan a Baby save the w orld Wesee before us a baby wrappedin swaddling clothes And werealize that Divinity can berevealed in very human situ-ations And that the humblestreality could be a revelationthat God is in our midst If weopen our hearts and minds tothe Lord His Spirit enlightensand gives delight to our weary

and limited minds and souls

Even today we can feel Hismessage although sometimes

we do not ful ly unders tand Te truth dawns on us when

we ar e qu ie t and when we wait When we do not rush toknow Godrsquos Presence is a Giftthat we can never be worthy ofBut the point here is not thatour littleness could obstructthe Revelation of a mysteryRather the Greatness of theLord compels Him to revealHimself to the little one Evento us Now

Tat is why Liturgy invokesour ability to watch to look at

what happe ns in the Churchcelebrations Te beauty ofcandles incense and flowerscan evoke some sense of the

Sacred Space a Sacred Mo-ment and a Sacred Encounter

Te Belen does this for us inrevealing the message of Christ-mas If we open our eyes weshall see the Message of Christ-mas with our hearts If we havetime and we can keep quietbefore the Belen we might seethe surprise of the Lord

[The author Ma TheresaG Curia is the Executive VicePresident amp Chief OperatingOfficer of the Knights of Co-lumbus Fraternal Association ofthe Phils Inc (KCFAPI) andthe incumbent Diocesan Regentof the Daughters of Mary Im-maculate International Dioceseof Malolos]

IrsquoS that time of the year again We must allbegin the increasingly difficult task of buy-ing suitable gifts for our friends and familyHowever there is a different gift you shouldseriously consider giving this year Itrsquos not a fun

present nor it is exciting Itrsquos not somethingyou can play with or wear and it definitely wouldnrsquot be considered a treat Itrsquos a gift thatno one wants but everyone NEEDS So whatare we talking about A Fraternal Service Plan

A Benefit Certificate (BC) or what is simplyknown as a life insurance policy Every year

we search for that perfect gift for a loved oneSomething that will show how much we careand appreciate them What could better provethat than giving someone the gift of SECU-RIY and SABILIY

Unfortunately the recent statistics presentthe sad truth (a) more than 95 Filipinos donot have adequate levels of insurance and (b)more than 80 of Filipinos do not believethey are likely to suffer a serious illness in the

next 20 years Yet each year around 365000Filipinos face premature death either caused byaccidental death or natural sickness It equatesto 1000 untimely deaths everyday

Firstly think about your present situation

Do you have loved ones who depend on youfinancially If something were to happen toyou would your family struggle to maintaintheir current lifestyle the kind of living yoursquovebeen providing If you answered yes to thesequestions itrsquos as simple as that - you need tohave life insurance Secondly do you have aloved one (parent spouse adult children e tc)

who needs protection Tis year give them theultimate gift Having an adequate amount oflife insurance can help in paying off hospitalbills memorial bills mortgage and even in-heritance tax It can allow a family to maintaintheir current level of living and possibly evenfund long term goals such as childrenrsquos schoolfunds dream car house business and evenretirement Now wersquore not saying this is the

only gift you should give it might look a littlesad with only that under the Christmas treeHowever just consider along with the othergifts giving a present that may not be appreci-ated at that moment might come in use should

a critical time arrive You look after your familyand so this is a perfect gift ideaItrsquos important to consult a fraternal counselor

when considering life insurance as it is impera-tive that you are insured accurately dependingon your current situation and future needs

Should you wish to know more just visit wwwkofcorgph for inquiries

Did you know thatFor as low as PhP10000 you can already

start the Gift of Life to your loved ones Tisfraternal service plan is called KC Peso Saver Itis a single contribution endowment plan which

will mature at the end of the benefit certificatersquos10th year In fact a lot of Knights of ColumbusMembers invest with this Gift of Life everyChristmas for their spouse and children

Gemille Isabel P Gloria

A Meek Christmas

IMAGINE a pregnant mother who is supposed to give birth toa child at the moment and rideson a donkey with her husband

Apart from the pain of laborthe mother is enduring deathchases their yet unborn child astheir King deliberately kills allthe newborn babies that night

urned down by the innkeepersthey ended up in a crude stablesharing it with the farm animalsand the shepherds as she gavebirth to a baby boy and placedhim in a manger I bet you arepicturing a scene of a movie inyour head right now Tis isactually what the first Christmaslooked like

Going back to the presentChristmas is far more delightfuland exciting Shopping feastinggift-giving and vacation trippingare just few of the activities that

we cannot do away with in ourChristmas lists We think ofChristmas like no other ordinaryday of the year We make sure

that for Noche Buena there isabundance of bountiful feasts inour dining table from a platterof mouth-watering leche flan toa sumptuous lechon new clothesup to fifty percent sale on theselected items section and expen-sive gifts covered in a Santa Claus

wrapper under a fully decorated

Christmas tree We associate theChristmas season as a time ofsplendor since it is the birthday ofour Savior Unfortunately someof us could only imagine thesethings Tey are our fellow whoare counted by the government inabject poverty who could hardlythink of where and how to gettheir first meal for the 365 daysof the year including Christmasday One does not need to moveafar to behold this ravers-ing nearby the office we couldalready see some of the faces inpoverty If you have not takenyet the underpass connectingManila City Hall and Intramu-ros as you make your way out of

it you will see sullied children intattered clothes inhaling plasticbags containing rugby with somesoiled adults who seem to be theirparents doing the same thing

With their hunger already in theirhead some children forcibly takethe food of the passersby Duringthe night the space where people

enter and exit the underpassin the day turns into a freezinghome for the homeless Youcan see in their wrinkled face thefeeling of sleeping on the passage-

ways with only cardboard boxesand worn out fabrics in betweentheir body and the cold cementedground Teir condition is notfar from what Jesus experiencedon the first Christmas born intoand chose to live a life of poverty

Remembering martyredSalvadoran Archbishop OscarRomero who once said thatldquoNo one can celebrate a genuineChristmas without being trulypoor he self sufficient theproud those who because they

have everything look down onothers those who have no needeven of God for them there

will be no Christmas Only thepoor the hungry those whoneed someone to come on theirbehalf will have that someonehat someone is God Em-manuel God-with-usrdquo With

what he thought we canrsquot arguethat at times we want everythingTe more you have the moreyou want and the more you get

What if we have nothing Whatif we donrsquot have gifts food andnew clothes for the Christmas

What if we are in the place of thehomeless Would we still feel thesame Christmas Spirit withoutthe things we celebrate with it

We have to learn to celebrat eChristmas with how the poorperceive it Let us not reachthe point where we celebrateChristmas just because we willreceive our one-year wish listLet us learn to lose to sacrificeand to give during Christmas

Joseph P Teodoro

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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D3The Cross December 7 2015 - 27 2015 Vol 19 No 25

Deogracias Fajota Fr Jeronimo

Ma Cruz Fr Antonio Rex PalayaFr Melvin Gamelo Fr JuliusCuison Fr Felix Labios Fr Ra-melle Rigunay Fr Randy SalungaFr Joel Cariaso Fr HernandezMendoza Fr Julius de Sagun FrRonel Ilano Fr Lowie Palines andFr Emmanuel Hiipolito

In his homily Cardinal aglestarted by citing that aside fromthe formal opening of the Dioc-esan process for Fr Willmannit was also the feast day of St

Ambrose a great teacher of theChurch known for his sanctityand teachings It was also the eveof the Immaculate Conception ofour Blessed Mother Mary plus thestart of the Advent season

Te Cardinal then focused onthe question What does it meanto be holy With the opening ofthe Cause he said that Fr George

J Willmann St Ambrose andMother Mary all responded tosanctity and holiness Cardinalagle clarified that ldquoHoliness isan attribute of God and not manrsquosachievement nor his work It isGod who is Holy and our holi-ness is a gift of God ndash our oneness

with HimrdquoCardinal agle added that the

message of the First Reading is thatthe Holiness of God is seen withmarvelous work ndash like transform-ing a desert into a garden filled

with water and flowers where we

are able to drink from Godrsquos good-ness with a safe road along the

holy way Te desert symbolizes

humanity that is seen to be dryfruitless empty and even life-less However when God entersall these are transformed into abountiful garden Godrsquos Holinessalways creates miracles ldquoWhen-ever we experience hopelessnessloaded with faults we must notbe afraid for that is the time whenGod will come to infuse His Holi-ness and cure the sickness Tat isthe Good Newsrdquo Cardinal agleadded that during this season ofadvent we must look deeper intoour deserts in order to experiencethe Holiness of God

Te Cardinal then underscoredthat we need to respond to GodrsquosHoliness not like the scribes in

the reading who questioned andrejected Jesus but like the friendsof the paralyzed man who lookedfor a nonconventional way -through the roof - to bring theparalytic closer to Jesus Cardinalagle stressed the need for us to bealert discerning with eyes of faithin order for us to respond to ourHoly God in His action when weare in our desert

he Cardinal then asked thepeople to pray for those entrusted

with the Cau se of Fr Willmannthat they may be illumined witheyes of faith With no intention ofpre-empting the Diocesan processCardinal agle simply thankedGod as we are now privileged

to share Godrsquos holiness throughpersonal experiences with Fr Will-

Sainthood D1

Process for PHrsquos new lsquoServantof Godrsquo starts rollingMANILA Dec 7 2015 ndash Manila Arch-bishop Luiacutes Antonio G Cardinal agleofficially accepted on Monday Dec 7the Feast of St Ambrose the petition toopen an investigation on the sanctity andheroic virtues of Fr George J WillmannSJ founder of the Knights of Columbus(KC) in the Philippines among otherCatholic lay organizations

At least 1000 of the naturalized Fili-pino Jesuit priestrsquos spiritual children fromall over the country including no lessthan former Supreme Court (SC) Chief

Justice Hilario G Davide Jr becamepart of Philippine Church history as they

witnes sed at the Manila Metropo litanCathedral Basilica the solemn opening ofthe archdiocesan process they hope wouldlead to beatification and canonization

lsquoGreat responsibilityrsquoIn line with this agle appointed Msgr

Pedro C Quitorio III of the CatholicBishopsrsquo Conference of the Philippines(CBCP) Media Office as postulator forthe cause of the countryrsquos newest ldquoServantof Godrdquo

He also approved the appointments ofMsgr Geronimo S Reyes Fr Wilmer RRosal and Fr Ricardo P del Rosario asepiscopal delegate vice postulator andpromoter of justice respectively as wellas of a host of other experts both clericand lay who vow to work together to giveFilipinos another saint

Te prelate went on to swear in allthose involved in the cause for Willmannrsquosbeatification and canonization remindingthem of the ldquogreat responsibilityrdquo theyhave assumed and the ldquoimportance andseriousnessrdquo of the task at hand

PHrsquos Fr McGivney Dubbed ldquoFr McGivney of the Philip-

pinesrdquo due to his dedication to expand KClocally Willmann worked for the radicaltransformation of faith into action

Born on June 29 1897 to very devoutCatholic parents in Brooklyn New Yorkthe American Jesuit was granted Philip-pine citizenship by President FerdinandMarcos through Presidential Decree(PD) No 740

In 1938 he first served as chaplain

of KC Manila Council 1000 then re-turned in 1954 to become the Orderrsquosfirst Philippine Deputy until his deathin 1977

In total the priest spent 44 fruitful andproductive years in the Philippines serv-ing the poor the sick the orphans theoppressed the lonely and the desolateespecially the young ones

KCFAPI etcBesides what is formally known as the

Knights of Columbus Fraternal Associa-tion of the Philippines Inc (KCFAPI)

which he founded in 1958 Willmannestablished other organizations as follows

bull Catholic Youth Organization (1938)bull Establishment of the Catholic Press

ldquoFilipinasrdquo and the ldquoCrossrdquo Magazines(1946)

bull Columbian Squires in the Philippines(1950)

bull Daughters of Isabella in the Philip-pines (1951) reorganized as Daughtersof Mary Immaculate (1977)

bull Columbian Farmers Aid Association(1951) reorganized as Knights of Co-lumbus Community Service Inc (1962)

bull Knights of Columbus Fraternal Asso-ciation of the Philippines Inc (KCFAPI)(1958)

bull Knights of Columbus PhilippinesFoundation Inc (1971) (Raymond ASebastiaacuten CBCP News)

Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle leads the Mass of the formal opening of the ArchdiocesanProcess for the Causes of Beatification and Canonization of the Servant of God FatherGeorge J Willmann SJ father of the Knights of Columbus in the Philippines LIN REGINO

Te Gentle Warrior By James B Reuter SJ

Part II of Chapter wo of ldquoTe Gentle Warriorrdquo series

CHAPER WO-----------------

Te Ateneo de Manila

HE Ateneo was a boysrsquo schoolTe objective of a boysrsquo school is tomake a man out of a boy Te mainvirtue of a man is courage Godmirrored His virtues in His childrenBut he divided them between girls

and boys Tere is such a thing as amasculine soul and a feminine soulIf a boy and a girl are suddenly con-fronted with a wild bull thunderingdown on them if the girl screamedand hid behind the boy that wouldbe normal But if the boy screamedand hid behind the girl everyone

would be ashamed of him Tevirtue of a girl is not physical cour-age it is love and mercy Te virtueof a boy is courage and justice Butin our schools there is no course inthe curriculum called ldquoCouragerdquo

here is no subject called

ldquoCouragerdquo Tere is no mark forldquoCouragerdquo It has to be taught inevery subject through the wholelife of the school he Jesuitsunderstood this very well AndGeorge understood it He began

to learn the meaning of couragehimself when he was five yearsold sitting on the curbstone onPutnam Avenue when the wheelof the garbage truck crushed bothhis feet

In the old Ateneo there wasa strong tradition of ldquoRomansrdquoand ldquoCarthageniansrdquo Jose Rizal

was the Emperor of the RomansEvery class was competitive TeRomans would be lined up onone side of the class the Car-thagenians on the other Te firstquestion went to the Romans

If the Romans answered it cor-rectly the questioning stayed

with the Romans If any Romanmissed the question went to theCarthagenians Ten the Romanboys would growl and grumble at

the Roman who missed It wascompetition to teach courage

And the battle cry of all theteams was ldquoAnimo Ateneordquo Youcould translate that as ldquoLetrsquos go

Ateneordquo or ldquoSpirit Ateneordquo orldquoFight Ateneordquo mdash but in practiceit meant courage Never give upno matter what the odds ldquoGoget lsquoem Ateneordquo Never say dieTis was obvious in everythingthat the boys did

But it never degenerated intoldquoWin at all costsrdquo Te secondmasculine virtue is justice Tis

means honesty integrity and fairplay Both at once mdash courageand fair play Te verse that everyathlete in the school knew by heart

was ldquoIf I should win let it be bythe code with my head and my

honor held high But if I shouldlose let me stand by the road andcheer as the winner goes byrdquo

It was a tremendous amount of work mdash teaching night and dayrunning the Sodality the ACILand the magazine mdash but Georgeloved it

And his students loved him Tefriendships that he made duringthose three years of regency from1922 to 1925 lasted more thanfifty years

(o be continued on the nextissue)

mann and his life and ministrydevoted to service that providedldquofresh water and good newsrdquo

particularly to the youth the poorand the prisonersTe Cardinal cited his own basic

formation as a Charter memberof the Columbian Squires inImus Cavite where they helpedthe Church in its program for thestreet children He also mentionedhis appreciation for being a scholarof the Knights of Columbus dur-ing Fr Willmannrsquos time

Reiterating that God indeedtransforms deserts into places ofrest peace and holiness Cardinalagle ended his homily by encour-aging all in attendance to be agentsof Godrsquos holiness

People from all walks of life joined the celebration of this Mass

that formally opened the Cause ofServant of God - Fr Willmann

Also repres ent ed were var iou sorganizations established and nur-tured by Fr George including the

Daughters of Isabella (now Daugh-ters of Mary Immaculate) Catholic Youth Organization ColumbianSquires and the Knights of Co-lumbus Parishioners and residents

with their families from nearbycities and communities of ondoIntramuros Sta Cruz Malate andother more distant places likewise

witnessed the very mean ingfulOpening of the diocesan processfor the Cause of their ldquoFather andBenefactorrdquo of forty years

Fr George J Willmann SJdevoted the last forty years of hislife not only in humble serviceand dynamic leadership of theKnights of Columbus in thePhilippines but equally being a

compassionate pastor in the careand formation of the youth He

provided relief to victims of the

war and of violence while also al-leviating the sufferings of the poorHe likewise established ways topreserve and promote the sanctityof life marriage and the family

It was in 1997 or eighteen yearsago that the Knights of Columbusin the Philippines first started aconcerted thrust to formally laythe groundwork for the Causeof Fr Willmann During theOrderrsquos centennial celebration ofFr Willmannrsquos birth the Ordercreated a Committee on Causecomposed of Ramon V ConsingLauro M Cruz and Msgr PedroC Quitorio III as co-chairmenNotable activities of the Com-mittee included gathering of tes-

timonials launch of the Prayer forthe Centennial of Fr Willmann with the Impr imatur of Msgr Jose C Abriol launching of Fr Willmann Fellows meeting withthen Jaime Cardinal Sin and theFather Provincial of the Jesuits toseek their respective endorsementsof the Cause Te Order publishedand distributed the pamphlet ldquoAGlimpsehe Life and Worksof Fr George J Willmann SJrdquoin order to give due acknowledg-ment and recognition as well as toincrease awareness abou t Fr Will-mann A landmark achievement ofthis period was the publication ofldquoTe Gentle Warriorrdquo a biographyof Fr Willmann authored by Fr

James B Reuter SJEstablishing and spreading the

fama sanctitatis of Fr Willmann

included the presentation andpromotion of his works mademore concrete by direct testimo-nies of various individuals whomhe personally interacted withFr Willmann Fellowsrsquo one-timemembership donations have beenpooled to fund the productionof materials such as prayer cardspublications tarpaulins postersto effectively promote Fr George

Willmann not only to brotherKnights but more importantlyto the youth the poor and under-privileged of various communities

In 2011 through the efforts ofthe KC Fraternal Association ofthe Philippines and the Knightsof Columbus Fr Willmann Chari-

ties Inc the National ExecutiveCommittee (NEC) for the Causeof Fr Willmann was created withthe primary function of overseeingall the initiatives relative to or inconnection with the Cause

We are blessed that the Dioc-esan process of the Cause of FrGeorge J Willmann SJ has nowbeen formally opened therebygiving us significant reason torejoice Henceforth he will nowbe regarded Servant of God Letus fervently pray for continuedenlightenment from the HolySpirit for everyone involved in thisDiocesan process and the Causeas a whole so that our belovedFr George J Willmann may ulti-

mately be elevated to the honorsof the altar

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D4 The CrossDecember 7 2015 - 27 2015 Vol 19 No 25

FST IN CAGAYAN A Fraternal Service Training program was held in Cagayan De Oro last November 13 2015Participants were from Zamboanga Misamis and Butuan The event was graced by KCFAPI Vice Presidentfor FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBG Manager Michael Cabra Aside from the product specifications thetraining also gives an idea regarding the basic insurance process and conceptualization of new marketingstrategies in order to achieve their goals and improve their sales performance (FBG News)

AREA MEETING IN VISAYAS The KCFAPI Western Visayas Armor held an area meeting in Bacolod lastOctober 24 2015 led by Agency Unit Manager Randy G Bravo and graced by KCFAPI Vice President forFBG Gari San Sebastian (KCFAPI News)

FST IN DAVAO A Fraternal Service Training program (1 and 2) was held in KCFAPI Davao Service OfficeDavao City last November 20-21 2015 Participants were from Compostela Valley Cotabato City andGeneral Santos The training was attended by KCFAPI Vice President f or FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBGManager Michael Cabra (FBG News)

PRODUCERSrsquo FORUM KCFAPI Vice President for FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBG Manager Michael Cabraled a Producersrsquo Forum wherein fraternal counsellors all over Luzon were gathered for an update of theirincentives program held last November 11 2015 at the KCFAPI home office (FBG News)

New KCFAPI Board of Trustee Bro Pascual C Carbero

IN February of 1986 BroCarbero started his knightlyservice in the Knights of Co-lumbus under Council 10695

in Valenzuela City Duringhis service in Council 10695he has been appointed asChancellor for CY 1992-1993 and as Deputy GrandKnight and Program Direc-tor for CY 1993-1994 InDistrict M-31 of ValenzuelaCity Bro Carbero was GrandKnight for CY 1994-1995District Warden for CY 1996-1997 and District Deputyfor CY 1997-1999 He wasalso Chairman for the Roundable District Deputies forCY 1998-1999 At the Dr PioValenzuela Assembly ACN1772 Meycauayan Bulacanhe was the Faithful Naviga-

tor for CY 1999-2000 Onthat same term Bro Pascual

was the Luzo n State Audi -tor for CY 2000-2003 andthe Luzon State Warden forCY 2000-2003 of the Luzon

Jurisdiction After which forCY 2000-2001 he becamethe Charter Faithful Naviga-tor for the City of Valenzuela

Assembly ACN 2676 For

CY 2007-2015 Bro Carbero was re-a ppo inte d as Luzo nState Warden Bro Carbero

was a voting delegate in the

KC Supreme Convention heldat Washington DC in 2010and also a non-voting delegateheld at Anaheim Californiain 2002 and 2012 Currentlyhe is the State Secretary of theLuzon North Jurisdiction

Bro Pascualrsquos dedicationand enthusiasm in participat-ing in the Order gave himthe endeavor to author thecreation of the City of Valen-zuela Assembly in 1999 withthe assistance of the Districtand Vice Supreme Master

With his knightly serv ice he was awarded with several rec-ognition namely OutstandingDistrictDeputy for CY 1997-

1999 Star District Awardeefor CY 1997-1999 and Civic

Awardee as Charter FaithfulNavigator of the City of Valen-zuela Assembly ACN 2676CY 2000-2001

Apart from Knights of Co-lumbus Bro Carbero partakeshis services in other civic andreligious organizations He isa Special Lay Minister of the

Holy Eucharist Parish of theHoly Cross since 1989 and amember of the Parish RenewalExperience Group He is the

Director and reasurer of thePhilippine Insurers Club from2013 to 2014 and currently itsPresident He is also a memberof the Insurance Executive1st Friday Club of Makatiand an incoming Presidentof the Philippine Associationof Surety Underwriters Incthis 2016

He was Director Corpo-rate Secretary of Mace Insur-ance Agency Inc from 2012until 2014 and currentlythe Independent Director ofKompass Credit and FinancialCorporation and KCFAPIrespectively Bro Carbero isalso a fellow of Father George

J Willmann Charit ies Inc And since 2006 he has beenthe Vice President of IntraStrata Assurance Corporation

He graduated with a Bach-elorrsquos degree in Business Ad-ministration Major in Man-agement at Philippine Schoolof Business Administration in1973 and finished Bachelor ofLaws in Lyceum of the Philip-

pines in 1988Bro Pascual Carberorsquos wife

Sis Remedios was past presi-dent for three years of theCatholic Womenrsquos League(CWL) Valenzuela Chapterand currently the AssistantVice President for Underwrit-ing in Mercantile InsuranceCo Inc in Intramuros Ma-nila Tey are blessed with six

wonderful children namely

Soidemer Claire a pediatri-cian Abigail Claire a lawyerValerie Claire and ChristineClaire both of whom are reg-istered nurses Terese Claire

who graduated with Bachelorrsquosdegree in Laws and is currentlyreviewing for Bar exams and

Adrian Brian who is also aregistered nurse and presentlya 3rd year medical student

Former SC Justice tofellow lsquoPH Knightsrsquo Prayfor Willmannrsquos CauseMANILA Dec 8 2015 ndash Former Chief

Justice Hilario G Davide Jr has calledon fellow members of the Knights of Co-lumbus (KC) nationwide to keep prayingfor the eventual ldquoraising to the altarrdquo ofthe grouprsquos spiritual father Fr George J

Willmann SJ who was declared ldquoSer-vant of Godrdquo Monday Dec 7

ldquoSo what is demanded of us as mem-bers of Knights of Columbus What isdemanded of us as members of Knightsof Columbus Fraternal Association of thePhilippines Inc [KCPAFI]rdquo he askedldquoWe need to pray a lot Pray pray praythat the tribunal will listen to the evidencepresented Pray pray pray that the tribu-nal will actually collate all the evidenceand determine once and for all that whathas been presented through our postula-

tor is credible to merit the conferment ofbeatification later on Tis is our taskrdquo

Archdiocesan processDavide who now chairs the National

Executive Committee for the Causes ofFr Willmann made this observation in aspeech following a ceremony held at theManila Cathedral during which Arch-bishop Luiacutes Antonio G Cardinal agleofficially approved the archdiocesan process

for the causes for the beatification and can-onization of the naturalized Filipino Jesuit

he solemn occasion was witnessedby no less than 1000 representativesof KCPAFI and other organizations Fr

Willmann helped establish like Catholic Youth Organization Columbian Squiresin the Philippines (1950) and Daughtersof Mary Immaculate

Te former chief magistrate went on todescribe the entire process as ldquovery mean-ingfulrdquo since it had the power to make anordinary priest into a Servant of God

Ordinary priest to Servant of GodldquoImagine during our lifetime today in

the Cathedral we saw the conversion ofan ordinary priest to become a Servant ofGod And we hope that he will merit be-

ing a servant of God until the first step ofthe process will continuerdquo he exclaimed

According to him it must have been thefirst time for most people present to haveseen with their own eyes an event of suchldquohistoric and momentous significancerdquo

ldquoI have lived 20 times four years of mylife almost And this is the first time I have

witnessed the process how it evolves and what we can gather from it o me thisis not just making somebody brought to

the honors of the altar but for us to beable to witness how to live and how tocomport ourselves to be able to follow hisfootstepsrdquo he explained

Built-in holinessDavide pointed out that holiness is

already built in each person but it is onlya matter of expressing it

ldquoWhy I would say that holiness is inus already Because we are the templeof God and the Spirit of God is with usSometimes however we forget that this isso We close our ears We close our eyes to

Jesus Christ We close our hands to JesusChrist by helping others So this is theprocess that we have witnessed today Andto me it will very much workrdquo he added

Davide also credited Msgr Pedro C Qui-

torio III postulator of the causes for Fr Will-mann for the ldquodivinely inspiredrdquo occasionand the timeliness of the diocesan process

ldquoSo Msgr Quitorio you are divinelyinspired You planned everything in sucha way that everything we did and we willdo and what we are doing right now isnot only as legacy to the next generationbut even beyond the next generation forpeople and children yet unbornrdquo he said(Raymond A Sebastiaacuten CBCP News)

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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Philippine Army Chaplaincy CFC

Hold 1st National Convention

The first-ever OACCS - OSM CEP Convention further strengthened the camaraderie between the chaplaincy and the local CFC created a more solid CFC OSM Core enabledthe stakeholders to work together and recognized the efforts of those who work tirelessly under the program

CFC Metro Manila as one big happy family worshipped danced sang played gamesand had fun during the last MC Gathering of the year

By Alma Alvarez

CFC ANCOP USA Pontificio Collegio Fillipino Sign Partnership Agreement

CFC MM MC Celebrates the Family

HIS Eminence Cardinal Luis Antonio agle Chairman of PontificioCollegio Filippino and its Rector Msgr Greg Gaston recently signedthe ANCOP USA Priest Sponsorship Program (PSP) partnership

with Eric Villanueva Roger Santos and Rollie Balanza Couples forChrist - ANCOP USA leaders Te ANCOP USA PSP will assistpriests from the Philippines who will be sent by their Bishops to doadvance studies in Rome

In his letter to Villanueva Cardinal agle wrote ldquoOur partnership will

allow more Bishops to send Priests for ongoing formation and furtherstudies in Rome to better equip them in serving Gods people as SeminaryFormators and as collaborators in the different Diocesan Ministries back

HE Metro Manila Mission Coregathered as one big CFC familyduring this months MC Assemblylast December 6 2015 Leadersfrom the Family Ministries likewisecame to the Ynares Sports Arenato hear Mass together celebrateshowcase talents play in the fungames and just enjoy each otherscompany before the end of the year

CFC Spiritual Director Msgr Allen Aganon celebrated Mass Inhis homily Msgr Allen emphasizedthe enormity of the role of John theBaptist as the one who heralded thecoming of Jesus Christ despite hishumble beginnings He challengedthe CFC leaders to be like Johnthe Baptist

We are ordinary people who

home As a result our Church in the Philippines will be strengthenedso that Priests and laity alike could carry out our respective work ofevangelization and service not only to the Church but also to societyrdquo

According to the agreement the PSP is for Masters Licentiate orDoctorate studies only ANCOP USA PSP funds will cover the priestrsquosboard and lodging at the Collegio in the amount of $10000 per year

All other needs such as tuition fees medical insurance transportationbooks etc will be provided for by the Bishop as a local counterpart

Tis would ensure that priests can benefit from the partnershipo donate or to know more about the program please visitwwwancopusa-psporg

THE CFC Order of St Michael(OSM) in cooperation with thePhilippine Army Ofce of theArmy Chief Chaplain Service(OACCS) staged the rst everCharacter Enhancement Pro-gram (CEP) Convention last No-vember 24 2015 at the PhilippineAir Force Museum Pasay CityRetired Col Arturo Alabanza amember of CFC Metro Manila(South B) and head of the OSM

OSM C4

together with the OSM Corespearheaded the event

In his opening remarks Alabanza describedhow the OSM came together with the OACCS

and forged a long-term partnership to ldquodeveloprighteous God-fearing soldiers loved by theFilipino peoplerdquo through the CEP Te CFCOSM has developed modules specifically cater-ing to the soldiers their spouses and childrenOACCS on the other hand has the author-ity to mandate Commanding Officers of thevarious Army camps nationwide to employthe CEP

Te convention allowed the stakeholders toreport on the accomplishments and enabledthe Army Chaplains from the different Infan-

try Divisions to plan with their local Couplesfor Christ counterparts regarding strategies forCEP and its continuing spiritual enhancementmodules It was likewise an opportunity for

CFC OSM to present the second module forthe CEP which the group plans to roll outbeginning 2016

ANCOP Chairman Joe Yamamoto in hisinspirational talk reiterated Pope Francisrsquo callfor new evangelization and emphasized thatthe partnership is a clear response of each per-son involved whether it be the Chaplaincy orthe lay stakeholders to be agents of change inthe spiritual realm within the Philippine Army

Several of those serving in the program

His Eminence Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle and the leaders of CFC ANCOP USA f orging a strong partnership for further education among Filipino clergy

are called to herald Christ andto be missionaries of mercy heemphasized

Te Mass was followed by theopening worship led by the MetroManila Missions Director MannyGarcia and a brief message fromCFC Chairman Joe ale

Te CFC Order of St Michaelthrough its Head Art Alabanzatook the opportunity to honor the55 Singles for Christ volunteers

who served in the Christian LifeProgram for the PMA Cadets inBaguio Te fun-filled games forthe adults and children talentpresentations and face-paintingadded to the festive mood rulyit was a day for the family (CFCGlobal Communications)

Reconciliation is Key to Advent PreparationsldquoTHE best way to prepare forChristmas is reconciliation Thebirth of Jesus is Gods offering ofreconciliationrdquo

his was the essence of the Advent recollection given by FrGerard imoner OP Provincialof the Dominican Order in thePhilippines for the workers of theCFC Global Mission Office Terecollection was held last Novem-ber 28 2015 at the Obizpado deCubao in Quezon City

In his reflection Fr imoner

creatively wove reconciliation withforgiveness as well as the new

evangelization taking into account Jesusrsquo words to ldquoshake off the dust

from your feetrdquo According to hima good spiritual foot spamdashthe act

of shaking the dust off onersquos feet toremove all traces of the bad news to

enable one to proclaim the GoodNewsmdashis essential in preparing

oneself during AdventFr imoner described for-

giveness as ldquosetting a prisonerfree and realizing that thatprisoner is yourdquo He illustratesldquoJesus did not forgive whileon the cross Instead he saidlsquoFather forgive them for theyknow not what they dorsquo We canonly forgive if we engage Godsforgiveness within our ownrdquo

he best path to the newevangelization is to allow our-selves to be reconciled with God

amp each other he emphasized(A Alvarez)

The News Supplement of

Couples for Christ

C1CBCP Monitor December 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 1824

Reflections on Advent

I IS the start of a new liturgical

year As in every year the previ-ous liturgical year ended withthe feast of Christ the King afitting high point indeed Aftergoing through the year observ-ing the various highs and lowsand phases of His life in theend and rightly so we proclaim

Jesus as indeed the King of kingsand the Lord of lords

And so the Church starts thecycle anew beginning fromHis birth into this world obuild up to that we have theseason of advent of waitingof anticipating of preparingfor the birth of He who werecognize and proclaim as theKing of kings

One would expect that thismajor season is ushered in

with Bible vers es express ingthe level of excitement befit-ting the birth of the King ofthe universe It is therefore abit surprising and soberingthat the opening reading ofthis season is one with a themethat speaks not of celebrationbut of foreboding of the com-ing end times

here wil l be strangethings happening to the sunto the moon and the stars Onearth whole countries will bein despair afraid of the roarof the sea and the raging tidesPeople will faint from fear asthey wait for what is comingover the whole earth for the

Joe Tale

powers in space will be driven

from their courses hen theSon of Man will appear comingin a cloud of great power andglory When these things begin tohappen stand up and raise yourheads because your salvation isnear Luke 2125-28

Moreover we are enjoined tobe on watch and to be vigilantin a specific way Be careful notto let yourselves become occu-pied with too much feasting anddrinking and with the worries ofthis life or that Day will suddenlycatch you like a trap For it willcome upon all people everywhereon earth Be on watch and prayalways that you will have thestrength to go safely through allthose things that will happen andto stand before the Son of Man

Luke 2134-36It is significant we might evensay ironic that during this seasonof merriment in anticipation ofthe birth of the Messiah we are

warned exactly not t o be merryIn this period that we normallycelebrate with much food and

wine and music we are instructedto refrain from such things

Is the verse dousing cold wa-ter on all these festivities andpreventing us from celebrating

joyously the arr ival of t he KingNot so he verse simply re-

minds us of something more im-portant whatever be the seasonof our life of being constantlyprepared and on the watch at

all times not ever to bring our

guards down whether we are go-ing through our low moments orhigh points in our life We are re-minded to always Be Preparedas the Boy Scouts motto goes

whatever our spec ific situationmay be at any given time

Als o I sense tha t the Lor d would like to bring us to a deeperlevel of rejoicing not merely onthe level of the frivolous as toomuch feasting and drinking areTe words of Jesus do not preventus from rejoicing He wants us tocontinue to be prepared even as

we celebrate He warns us not torejoice in a wanton way that takesus away from our right senses re-sulting in our being unpreparedhus our rejoicing should becoming from deep in our hearts

not shallow and hollow expres-sions of the same Our rejoicingshould be geared towards allowingus to still be prepared

hus as we hold our Christ-mas parties and dwell in themerriment of the season let usbe mindful of the words fromthe Gospel Appropriate feastingand drinking not only make usfaithful to the gospel but is alsomore healthy Significantly tooit should make us more caring tothose who have less and hope-fully lead us not to be wastefuland to share whatever we have somany others will also experiencea truly Merry Christmas

Rejoice in the Lord

HE RED Cubs harvested thegrand championship of the recentlyconcluded CFC GMC Ablaze Cup2015 held last December 2 - Decem-ber 8 2015 at the sports facilities ofCamp Crame

Te friendly games were partici-pated in by the different departmentsin the CFC Global Mission CenterTe Red Cubs romped off with the

Red Cubs are Champions in CFC GMC Ablaze Cup 2015

Go go go GMC clockwise from top left Caloy Rubio CFC Ablaze Cup Event Head exhorting participants the board of judges CFC Chair Joe Tale inspiring the athletes paradeof athletes the Orange Tigers basketball game between the Red Cubs and the Maroon on Fire cheerdance competition

Mel and Aimee Serrano talking about the highs and lows of dealing with in-laws

In Highs And In-Laws Dealing With Your In-Laws

ldquoATRASrdquo BOYS amp GIRLS

Are We Waiting For Jesus At The Right Spot

This Advent

IN983085LAWS he very word re-minds many a married coupleof discomfort awkward evenstrained relationships and some-times open conflict But are rela-tionships with the family membersof your spouse meant to be merelytolerant Te latest Couples forChrist (CFC) ndash Young Couples

Assembly on November 30 heldat St Pauls College in Pasig Citytackled precisely this topic andcame up with this wildly inge-nious insight In-laws are peopletoo ndash love them

According to the speakers Meland Aimee Serrano of CFC ndashMetro Manila West B lovingthem in all sincerity will work

wonders ldquoTat is the tried andtested formula love your in-lawsrdquoshared Mel a school owner fromQuezon City

During the talk which theypeppered with lots of insights andsharing of personal experiences as a

PASIG City Nov 29 2015 ndash What do weusually do when we find out that someone welove or an important personality is visiting ou rhome We tidy up we prepare good food butmost of all we wait his was the m essage thatabout 150 young married couples heard duringthe Family Mass at the Couples for Christ ndash

Young Couple s Assembly at St Paul Colleg eConvention Center held last November 30

Fr Ruper Solis SVD who celebrated theFamily Mass reminded the couples presentthat to wait for something or someone also

couple married for 20 years the Ser-ranos focused on several key points1 Handle them with care

Tis means giving attention tothe one who needs more takingcare of them in their old age as

well as training your kids to respecttheir grandparents

ldquoOn our part we have to makesure that our children will give duerespect [to them] and be able tounderstand intricacies that come

with old agerdquo said AimeeldquoWhether may sama ng loob

(hurt feelings) sometimes there will be times na mahirap makipag-kita (that it will be difficult to meetthem) but you have to go to themKailangan nating gawin yun (Weneed to do it)rdquo she stressed

2 Acknowledge differences According to the couple people

should recognize that their spousemay not have the same familyculture as they do Value systems

means waiting at the right placeldquoAs Christians our life is a series of waiting

Dapat maghintay ka sa tamang lugarhindi langsa tamang panahon na sinasabi ni Lola Nidora noPero sa tamang lugar din (We should wait not justfor the right time but waiting should be doneat the right place as well)rdquo explained Fr Ruper

he young priest who was an SVD missionaryassigned to Argentina for more than seven years

went on to tell the story of how once in Argentinahe was waiting by the side of the road flagging

championship crowns in badmin-ton (women) table tennis (menand women) tug-of-war and peelbanana It was a close fight with theMaroon on Fire team who grabbedthe winning titles for basketballvolleyball cheer dance and chess(men) and ended up 1st runner-up

with les s than 2 points from the winning team Te Orange igerscame in 2nd runner-up while YellowHotshots was 3rd runner-up basedon the last team standings

Te awarding ceremonies wereheld last December 8 2015 dur-ing the celebration of the CFCGMC Christmas party Tis an-nual event is an opportunity forthe mission workers to enjoy eachotherrsquos company Te Ablaze Cuplikewise serves as a venue tofoster and promote the spirit ofsportsmanship and unity amongthe GMC workers from bothpastoral and mission support(Yvonne Dolorosa)

HE WORD ldquoatrasrdquo means a backwardmovement It is generally used to refer to theldquoReverserdquo function of a vehicle In Lanao DelNorte the word has been applied to a group ofboys abd girls who guide vehicles in and out ofparking spaces the equivalent of the ldquoWatch-your-carrdquo aides in Metro Manila

he CFC leaders in the province immedi-ately thought of the Atras Boys and Girls ofLanao Del Norte when Cardinal agle said ndashldquoGo to the peripheries be a mobile clinicto heal the poor from spiritual sickness rdquo

Another ins pirat ion was from one of the mostimportant pastoral subjects of Pope Francisabout the ldquofamily and the poorrdquo

Every time I go to mass at the St MichaelrdquosCathedral with my wifeata the ldquoatras boysand girlsrdquo are all over the area assisting ve-hicles either to park or to exit the parking area

When n ot per formi ng thi s function they andother members of their family can be seenbegging for their daily sustenance hey areusually homeless their home being along theperipheries of the Cathedral or the sidewalks

he inspiration led the Area Governanceeam to the idea of bring these boys and girlsand their parents to a Christian Life Programhey moved quickly with Boy Suezo approv-ing the strategic CLP as designed by RegionalPastoral Formation Head Art Maderazo andinserting video clips appropriate to the CLPtalks With the activation of the SOLD Min-istry with Bro Roger Sultan as Provincial Co-

ordinator SOLD was made the lead ministryof the ldquoAtras Boys and Gir lsrdquo CLP

Initially the number of participants was limitedto five (5) for logistical reasons but the HolySpirit deemed otherwise ndash the attendees eventuallynumbered ten individuals and three (3) coupleshe CLPs were scheduled every hursday at 600orsquoclock in the evening with dinner provided byCFC brothers and sisters particularly the AGrsquos

wives and ANCOP members he SOLD Prov in-cial Coordinator took care of fetching the partici-pants from the Cathedral and also bringing themback to their ldquohomesrdquo It did not matter to Rogerthat his car would often retain the smell of the

unwashed he persisted in servicing the transportneeds of the participants

November 05 2015 was truly a pleasant anda memorable day to the service team On thatday five of the ten boys and girls and two (2)couples dedicated their life to CFC One of theparticipants stood up to give an inspiring testi-mony ending with ldquohank you CFC for makingus somebody in your heart hank you for beingmindful of the conditions of the poor and thankyou for bringing Christ to our livesrdquo (ldquoSalamatCFC nga aduna pa diay kami luna sa inyong kas-ingkasing Salamat CFC sa inyong pagpakabanasa susama kanamo nga mga timawa Salamat sainyong panahon pag hatag kanamo sa pagtulun-anni Kristo)

It is envisioned that this kind of evangeliza-tion can be replicated in other areas nationwidethe beginning of a truly strategic evangelizationHopefully this is also the beginning of a newlife for the new CLP graduates with CFC being

instrumental in helping them provide for theirfamilyrsquos future (Nonoy Haim)

disciplining style even views onhow to handle finances will of-tentimes be different Tat is whyunderstanding coupled with love

will go a long wayldquoDifferences and conflicts are

not unhealthy but mismanagementis Never criticize your in-lawsrdquoMel said

Also in case of confl ict themessenger or the ldquobridgerdquo shouldbe the one with the primary re-lationship (spouse to own fathermother)

he Serranos candidly sharedabout a conflict that eruptedbetween Aimee and her father-in-law during the campaignperiod for local elections whenMel ran for public office heconflict was soon followed by aperiod of silence a Cold Warso to speak ldquoIt took us at leasta year or two [My father said]kasi pag di natin inayos tolahat tayo maapektuhan (If we

dont fix this all of us will beaffected) It helped that thecouple prayed and sought DivineIntervention and asked the com-munity to pray with them heHoly Spirit worked

3 Respond appropriately What if ev en af ter l ovin g and

understanding them its stillnot smooth sailing with your in-laws Heres what the Serranoshad to say

bull iming is everythingbull Learn when to speak or keep

your mouth shutbull ake a breath cool offbull Maintain a sense of humorbull Remember unsolicited advice

is just an opiniono cap their talk the couple

brought back the participants tothe basics of loving in-laws to actout your love to build bridges andto communicate (Nirvaana EllaDelacruz)

HOMILY C3

IN A Memorandum sent to the Philip-pine Missions leaders last November23 2015 PM Director Jose Yamamotoappointedreassigned leaders for theNortheastern Luzon region

Mark Banzon has been appointedProvincial Area Head (PAH) of Isabelavice Rommel Ancheta ony de la Cruz

on the other hand was tapped to be PAHof Nueva Vizcaya vice Raul Balaquiao

O set a new tradition in the CFC Family the InternationalCouncil has agreed to make December 27 the Feast of theHoly Family as a special day for the members of the familyto honor one another Tis will allow each person in thefamily to express their gratitude to the Lord for the gift offamily and the importance of having each member of thefamily around for the love support and service As a sug-

New Appointments for CFC GMC NE LuzonFamily Honoring Night Set

Balaquiao was appointed PAH of IlocosSur vice ony de la Cruz while Cholo

Yjares is now PAH of Cagayan vice BongPagulayan Pagulayan is now PAH ofKalinga vice Cholo Yjares

he move is essentially a realignmentof the leaders in the Northeastern Luzonarea in the interest of the mission except

for Banzon who is a new appointee andfor Noel Malamug who remains as

PAH of Ifugao hese changes are to takeeffect on January 1 2016 Edythe Aven-dantildeo is also set to replace Didi Galsim asHandmaids of the Lord InternationalCoordinator effective January 1 2016

In the Global Mission Center RickyRico was appointed Head for the GAd-min effective October 1 2016 while Jay

Lucena was appointed head of the CFCEvents group also effective October 1facebookcomCFCGlobalMission CFChrist

The Ugnayan News Supplement is published by the Couples for Christ Global Mission Foundation Inc with editorial ofces at 156 20 th Avenue 1109 Cubao Quezon City

Editorial trunk line (+63 2) 709-4868 local 23

Direct line (+63 2) 709-4856

wwwcouplesforchristglobalorg cfcglobalcommunicationsgmailcom

Michael C Ariola

IC Oversight

Zenaida A Gimenez

Editor-in-Chief

Alma M Alvarez

Associate Editor

Evangeline C Mecedilla

Circulation Staff

Deomar P Oliveria

Layout Artist

The News Supplement

of Couples for Christ

gestion the guidelines indicate the following as the activitiesfor the said day hearing Mass together dining together athome praying together and in gratitude expressing theirlove to one another

hrough the Family Honoring Night the community hopesto strengthen the relationship among the family members andempower each one to truly cherish and love one another

Bong Pagulayan

Mark Banzon

Cholo Yjares

Ricky Rico

Edythe Avendantildeo

Raul Balaquiao

Jay Lucena

Tony de la Cruz

C2 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 1924

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 2024

CFC China Conducts

Mission Heads Training

CFC Greece Leaders Meet Archbishop of Athens amp Nuncio

COUPLES for Christ USA and CFC Greece leaders paid a courtesy call on Archbishop Sevastianos Rossolatos and Fr George Altouvas at the Archd ioce se of Athens he g roup in troduced Couples f or Chri st to the new Archbishop and di scus sed theirplans to initiate a CFC Youth Camp in Greek as well as to develop CFC teachings in Greek

On another occasion the CFC leaders met with the Apostolic Nuncio of the Holy See in Athens Archbishop Edward Joseph AdamsTey discussed challenges and forthcoming changes in the Greek Catholic hierarchy and laid down CFCrsquos plans for CFC Athens

SINGLES for Christ Metro Manila gath-ered at the San Carlos Seminary in Makatilast December 5 2015 at 700 pm forthe SFC Global One a two-hour non-stop worship experience Jay Laquiana fulltime pastoral worker for SFC ledthe worship

Global One was meant to be a simul-taneous praise concert with major cities

or provinces hosting the event But what

made this yearrsquos Global One event special was the fact that it was the first time it wasstaged online via youtube live broadcastTis gave SFCs all over the world an oppor-tunity to come together despite differencesin time zone

ogether as one ministry SFCs from theMetro Manila Sectors the provinces andthe various countries like the USA Canada

and the Middle Eastern countries raised

SFC GLOBAL ONEmdashUniting the World

via Online Worship

their voices in praise and worship for thecountless favors they received It likewisebecame an opportunity to ask the Lordto bless the ministry for the coming year

Te ministry sees the online Global Oneas an event they can do annually Tey alsosee it as a potential tool to reach othernon-SFC members to witness Christ andcome together with other young people to

worship (Lanie Montaos)

OSM C1

CFC Winnipeg held its 2nd Celebration of Covenant Love onNovember 21st the feast of the Presentation of Our Lady Sixteencouples attended the activity

One week prior to the Renewal of Wedding Vows the 16 coupleshad a mini-retreat conducted by their spiritual advisor Fr YollyGamallo Te mini-retreat included four couple-sharers Te HolyMass was celebrated at St John Cantius Parish presided by MsgrLouis McCloskey A simple reception followed for the 16 couples andabout 60 family members with additional witnesses from the CFCcommunity Te participants who renewed their marriage vows werefrom varied age groups with some having been married for only five

years to couples who were celebratingo 40 years of holy matrimony

Tis year makes the Celebration of Love even more relevant as itis the year that held the papal Synod on the Family and the WorldMeeting of Families Pope Francis stated when making an address tofamilies ldquoTose who celebrate the sacrament say lsquoI promise to be trueto you in joy and in sadness in sickness and in health I will love youand honour you all the days of my lifersquo At that moment the coupledoes not know what will happen nor what joys and pains awaitthem Tey are setting out like Abraham on a journey together

And that is what marriage is Setting out and walking togetherhand in hand putting yourselves in the Lordrsquos powerful handsHand in hand always and for the rest of your livesrdquo (from http

couplesforchristcanadaca)

A Celebration of Covenant Love

I cherish the treasure the treasure of you lifelong companion I give myself to you These happy couples from CFC Vancouver saying Yes again to oneanother and to God as they renew their marriage vows

CFC missionaries to South Americarejoiced as they completed a fruitfulmission to the area a fitting end to theyear Te mission to Nuevo Pueblo deColaacuten opened a new area an hour awayby land from Piura Peru establish-ing CFC ndash Parejas para Cristo in a remotetown in the desert At the end of theChristian Life Program 13 new CFCPPC members composed of 4 couples4 HOLD and 1 SOLD committed to alife with Christ

Te PVC (Programa de Vida Cristiana- Spanish CLP) was held November 27to 29 2015 (Tanksgiving weekend) byCFC USA Florida in Iglesias del Rosarioone of two parishes in town Padre LuisSerra head pastor of the main churchthe Iglesia Sagrado Corazoacuten de Jesuacutesopened the doors to CFC PPC Fourother brethren from CFC PPC RiojaPeru headed by Fr Rober Martinez cameto reinforce the missionariesrsquo efforts Teteam got a taste of their first mission

CFC China is on full throttle in its evan-gelization efforts Tey recently conducted

the first-ever CFC China Mission Headsraining from November 27 to 30 at Vilada Sta Isabel Estrada Cheoc Van MacauTe training aimed to strengthen its leader-ship ranks through several formation talksfrom the Chapter Leaders raining (CL)series Te sixty participants were mostlyChinese with some Filipino Mission Headsand their AG members from the North

West East and South of China includingMacau SAR and Hong Kong SAR

Te first day of the training was devotedto a silent retreat based on Psalm 4610ndash ldquoBe silent and know that I am GodrdquoTe three-hour retreat centered on thetheme ldquoWe need to Change How WeLead o lead like Jesusrdquo with each par-ticipant encouraged to ldquoempty oneselfrdquoFr Oliviades a member of the Opus Deifacilitated the retreat

Day 2 started with a Holy Mass concel-

ebrated by Fr Joseph Wang from YiwuEast China Te training proper began with Israel Silud CFC Country Headand Northwest Regional Head givingthe overview and citing challenges thatCFC China faces He reiterated thatCFC Chinarsquos goal of raising 1 millionhousehold heads will be driven by the

The fruits of 2015 for CFC PPC hundreds of miles away from home

In 2015 ten missions were held inSouth America by CFC USA All these

were made possible by a handful of zeal-ous and selfless CFC USA mission vol-unteers who sacrificed a lot and deniedthemselves many comforts in order tobring the Word of God to families in Co-lombia Ecuador and Peru CFC ParejasPara Cristo will not take off without thefinancial support of CFC USA

ruly God gave a very good year for

the mission team harvesting 608 souls in2015 (a total of 857 persons from June2014 to date) Te task of sustainingCFC PPC families and area countriesare enormous But with grateful heartsthe South America team humbly turnsto God thanking Him each day forHis guidance as He leads the way Teteam looks forward to 2016s adventureof bringing the banner of Christ to themiddle and corners of the earth (GlenSantayana)

whether lay or from the Chaplainsrsquo ranklikewise gave testimonies on how theirinvolvement in the CEP made them real-ize that they have become not only agentsof change but recipients of grace as well

In the afternoon the Chaplains andtheir CFC counterparts came together fora round table discussion of the plans ofthe various Infantry Divisions nationwide

Army Chie f Chaplain Fr Col Andre sBonifacio Belleza CHS (GSC) in anunexpected move expressed his recog-nition through the grant of awards ofthe initiatives of the Army Chaplainsin implementing the CEP in their vari-ous Divisions Fr Maj Juan Jerome CDaluro was awarded Best Chaplain ofthe Year 2015 for his exemplary ser viceas Division Chaplain of 9th Infantry(Spear) Division Fr MSg Mario Ban-

iqued Philippine Army (PA) OACCSChief Clerk was recognized as Best

Chaplain Assistant of the YearSince the partnership between the

OACCS and CFC OSM started in April2014 the group has conducted CharacterEnhancement Retreats (CER) for 28 Phil-ippine Army commands Trough CFCSingles for Christ volunteers a ChristianLife Program has likewise been conductedfor the Philippine Military Academy Classof 2018 graduating 385 PMA-Singles forChrist members Presently five CERs arealso being done at the V Luna MedicalCenter in Quezon City

Alabanza admit s there is still muchto be done So far the CEP has reached2000 men and women in uniformroughly 0287 percent of an estimated800000 population of soldiers theirspouses and their families Tis is indeedfertile ground for values and spiritual

transformation which is just waiting tobe conquered (A Alvarez)

Another fruitful harvest in Peru from top the 13 new members in CFC PPC all-women discussion group

Courtesy call top photos CFC leaders with Archbishop Edward Joseph Adams amp Fr George Altouvas bottom photos with Fr George Archbishop SevastianosRossolatos and Archbishop Edward Joseph Adams

CFC OSM and the OACCS reaching out to the men and women in uniform and their families through the Character Enhancement Program

personal holiness of its ser vant-leaders who will be leading the evangelization thrust

in 34 provinces in China CL talks 2-5 were given by the regional heads with their wives as sharers

Day 3 began with the recitation ofthe Holy Rosary followed by anotherconcelebrated Holy Mass Fr Oliviadesdelivered a beautiful homily on ldquoemptyingoneselfrdquo Te rest of the CL talks wereagain delivered by the regional heads withtheir wives as sharers In CL alk 9 Siludemphasized the need to pay attention tothe means to care for the spirit mind andbody of the leaders

Te last day primarily focused on plan-ning the CFC China activities for 2016One of the proposals from the planningis that the four (4) regions in China willeach be hosting the major activities linedup for the year

Te three-day training and planning was conducted by CFC China Country

Head IsraelSally Silud with the supportof North Asia Regional Coordinator Ga-rieCess Pimentel and the regional headsfrom East China (EricEvelyn Ylagan)South China (JoelErica Santos) HongKong SAR (GarieCess Pimentel) andMacau SAR (JMEmilie Yupangco) (Ericamp Evelyn Ylagan)

C4 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

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JCL ndash member while for the TeologicalCommission the experts appointed wereFr Alexander L Garces SDB JCL ndashPresident Fr Enrico Eusebio Jr SJ JCDndash member and Sr Maria Amparo SantosOP JCL ndash member As with the ribunalmembers the Presidents and membersof both Commissions individually tooktheir respective oaths and signed the Acts

Te appointed Copyist Ms RonalynRegino and Assistant Copyist Ms Ge-cerein Sayen Ocampo were called next totake their respective oaths and similarlysigned in the Acts

Ten Postulator Msgr Pedro C Qui-torio III and Vice Postulator Fr WilmerR Rosario JCD individually took their

respective oaths not compromise the truthand offend justice nor impede the free-dom of witnesses to testify in the CauseTereafter they also signed the Acts

Te Postulator then presented to Car-dinal agle for his examination a list of

witnesses to be interrogated subject to thepossible addition and revision of namesin the future Upon examining the listthe Cardinal decreed that the next sessionfor interrogation of witnesses be held on

January 11 2016 at the Arzobispado deManila

Finally after ordering the Chancellorto establish public record of this First Ses-sion Cardinal agle declared the Processfor the Causes of Beatification and Can-

onization of Servant of God FAHERGEORGE J WILLMANN SJ Father ofthe Order of the Knights of Columbus inthe Philippines OPEN

o complete the Rites His EminenceLuis Antonio Cardinal agle together withformer Chief Justice Hilario G Davide

Jr as Chairman of the National ExecutiveCommittee (NEC) for the Cause of Fr

Willmann jo intly u nveiled the portraitof Father George J Willmann SJ

Tereafter Cardinal agle began thecelebration of the Holy Eucharist Con-celebrants were Bishop Honesto FOngtioco DD Bishop Mylo HubertC Vergara DD Msgr Geronimo FReyes JCD Fr William Arana OSA Fr

Carlo Magno Marcelo Fr Marvin MejiaFr Wilmer Rosario JCD Fr Carlo DelRosario Fr Julius Paul Factora OP JCDFr Sander Niez JCL Fr Alex GarcesSDB JCL Fr Rico Garcia Fr ReginaldMalicdem Fr Darwin Faith Ponce OSAFr Ricky VIllar OSA Fr Geoffrey Eb-orda OSA Fr Genaro Supremedo OSAFr Jojo orres OSA Fr Joseph VillarealOSA Fr Roy Gallano OSA Fr MichaelSalazar and Fr Romel Cruz

Also serv ing as Conce lebrants werea number of KC Priests Scholars of theKnights of Columbus Fr George J

Willmann Charities Inc that includedMsgr Pedro C Quitorio III Fr Benjamin

The Cross A Supplement Publication of KCFAPI and the Order of the Knights of ColumbusCBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25 December 7 2015 - 27 2016

Sainthood bid opens forFr George Willmann SJBy Roberto T Cruz

On December 7 2015 Mon-

day the bells of the ManilaCathedral rang out loud as HisEminence Luis Antonio Car-dinal agle presided over themilestone celebration of theHoly Eucharist at the ManilaCathedral to formally open theDiocesan process of the Causeof Fr George J Willmann SJ

he Liturgical Rites for the formalopening of the diocesan process precededthe Mass at 900am With the entranceprocession of Cardinal agle as the MainCelebrant together with two bishops twomonsignors and thirty-three priests whoconcelebrated the Mass the Rites started

with Msgr Pedro C Quitorio III theappointed Diocesan Postulator for theCause of Fr Willmann giving biographi-cal highlights of the life of Fr George J

Willmann SJ An Invocation of the HolySpirit followed with the singing of VeniCreator Spiritus by the Manila CathedralBasilica Choir

Cardinal agle then examined anddeclared the legitimacy of the appoint-ments of Msgr Pedro C Quitorio III asthe Postulator and Fr Wilmer R Rosario

JCD as Vice-Postul ator in conformity with the Code of Canon Law

Appointed members of the Diocesanribunal for the Cause of Fr Willmann

were Msgr Geronimo F Reyes JCDas Episcopal Delegate Fr Carlo P DelRosario JCL as Promoter of Justice Mseresita F Kudemus ndash First Notary MsMarivic M Ambasa ndash Second Notary Ms

Julieta R Santos as Tird NotaryTe Cardinal reminded them of the

great responsibility importance andseriousness of the Process for the Causesfor Beatification and Canonization Asrequired by Church law all the mem-bers of the ribunal starting with MsgrGeronimo F Reyes individually tooktheir oath to faithfully fulfill hisher com-mitment and then signed the Acts

Te Experts who were tapped to formthe Historical Commission includeFr Julius Paul Factora OP JCD asPresident Fr Adolfo N Dacanay SJ

JCD ndash member and Fr Sander D Niez Sainthood D3

KCFAPI Theme and Logo for 2016HE year 2016 has been pro-claimed the Year of the Eucharistand the Family by the CatholicBishopsrsquo Conference of the Phil-ippines Te theme is part of thenine year spiritual journey thatbegan with the Year of Faith

where we experienced an authenticrenewal of faith guided by the newevangelization principles

he Holy Eucharist whichmeans thanksgiving invitesfamilies of the Catholic faithfulto commemorate the supremesacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christon the cross to receive His body

and blood in the Holy Commu-nion and to celebrate His victoryover death

Te Roman Catholic Churchpromotes strong family ties andvalues Parents are entrustedthe responsibility to prepare andteach their children to follow JesusChrist and live His gospel

KCFAPI distinguished itselfin protecting the sanctity of thefamily by providing comfortand sustenance in any loss orlife-changing event among fam-ily members KCFAPI respondsswiftly to changing or evolvingfamily insurance needs Nowon its 58th year of providingunsurpassed uncompromised

fraternal service KCFAPI vowsand advocates relentlessly to

render comfort benefit and as-sistance to all brother knightsand their families with mercy andcompassion

As part of the KCFAPI familyin a pioneering effort all wholly-owned and majority-ownedcompanies will coordinate theirschedules and manage theirresources towards one com-mon goal and will function asone well oiled machine By

joi nin g han ds gu ide d by theHoly Spirit the strength ofone is multiplied several times

over Te heart symbolizes lovemercy and compassion and is

also Charity ndash the first of fourcore principle of the OrderKCFAPI in heart-shaped bordermantles the five wholly- ownedand majority-owned companies Keys Realty amp DevelopmentCorporation Kompass Creditand Financing Corporation KCPhilippines Foundation IncKnights of Columbus Fr George

J Willmann Charitie s Inc andMace Insurance Agency IncTey are depicted by the boldshoulders of the figures symbol-izing the family Just like in any

close-knit family concentratedon accomplishing one objective

all employees will be engagedtheir support and talent pooledand harnessed to participateactively in any company activi-ties working in tandem as onecohesive unit

Te logo vividly demonstratesthe solidarity and bonding of fam-ily members if they gather togetherand allow Christ to be at the centerof their family relationship

Te different colors representthe various hues of the Order ofthe Knights of Columbus red

whit e blu e and yell ow hegreen color manifests KCFAPIrsquos

concern for our environment andits managementrsquos advocacy gearedtowards a healthy state of our sur-roundings Orange brings a posi-tive outlook in life optimism andmotivation to look on the brighterside of life

Te cup and host (in yellow)emulating the Holy Eucharist pro-vides Christ- centered way of life

Te circular flow represents in-finity or totality the unboundedtimeless and never ending lovecare and affection of KCFAPIin providing each and every KCfamily a shield of security protec-tion and hope Te acronym ALLcharacterizes KCFAPIrsquos inclusiveapproach to all forms of actions

products and services (Angelito A Bala)

As we protect families for generations Act Live Love

KCFAPI Planning Conference The Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of thePhilippines Inc held their 2016 Planning Conference last November 7-9 2015 atColumbus Plaza General Santos City Present were KCFAPI Chairman Bro Arsenio IsidroG Yap KCFAPI President Bro Jose C Reyes Jr KCFAPI Executive Vice President SisMa Theresa G Curia KCFAPI Officers and Supervisors KEYS Realty Vice President Bro

Riz Nicolas and HTMC Vice President Sis Apolonia Dominguez

Living Rosary The Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of the Philippines Inchad their Living Rosary last October 30 2015 at the KCFAPI main office This has been

a yearly practice for the Month of the Holy Rosary which is usually conducted by itsofficers and staff

Cardinal Tagle leads the unveiling of the portrait of Jesuit Fr George J Willmann as the Manila archdiocesan process for the Cause of Beatification and Canonization of the latter formally opens at the Manila Cathedralon Monday Dec 7 Willman is considered as t he ldquoFather of the Knights of Columbusrdquo in the Philippines ROY LAGARDE

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 2224

D2 The CrossDecember 7 2015 - 27 2015 Vol 19 No 25

ACQ UIR IN G a hou se and lo t which they can call their own home

and driving their own cars are twoof the priority dreams of Filipinoparents Of course seeing theirchildren finish college education iseither Number 1 or Number 2

Te Knights of Columbus Frater-nal Association of the PhilippinesInc (KCFAPI) has formed andincorporated a new company to helpmembers of the Order to have their

dream homes and motor carsKCFAPI named the new company as Kompass Credit and

Financing Corporation (KCFC) after one of the symbols of theKnights of Columbus which is the Compass Like the Compassof the ancient marines KOMPASS is here to guide BrotherKnight in having their own home and efficient mobility

KOMPASS can also extend home car and business loans tothe general public

Interested parties can call KOMPASS at el No 527-2242

527-2223 loc 215 and 252 for further details of the loan

Arsenio Isidro G Yap

Chairmanrsquos Message

Presidentrsquos Message

Ma Theresa G Curia

Jose C Reyes Jr

Reflection

Curia Settings

Michael P Cabra

Bequest LIFE this Christmas

My Brotherrsquos Keeper

FILIPINO raditions reflect the kindof people that we are All traditionscustoms and beliefs evolve from thelove and respect of the family Ourmutual and natural respect for oneanother our desire to please and notoffend each other and our willingness

to extend a helping hand are just a fewof the basic foundations which madethe Filipino people unique a one of a

kind and nowhere else could be found And certainly a must-have as a friend and neighbor

Some of the trait I like is the ldquomano pordquo expression and at thesame time reaching for the otherrsquos hand and asking for his blessingsTe respected elder would normally extend his hand to touch theforehead of the one asking for his blessings and expresses ldquokaawanka ng Diyosrdquo or ldquoGod bless yourdquo It doesnrsquot matter whether the onebeing accorded the respect is younger than the person asking forthe blessing or even if they hardly know each other

Another trait is removing onersquos slippers or shoes when enteringa neighborrsquos house Te guest expresses his respect for the hostand does not in any way want to spoil or damage the pristinecondition of the floor which is normally kept shiny and clean

Cleaning of onersquos surrounding to the point of cleaning also theneighborrsquos grounds I could still remember in our neighborhoodthat the old folks would sweep the debris on the street in front

of their houses But instead of just collecting their own trashthey would try to outdo each other by picking (or sweeping)the litter on the street up to the neighborrsquos house in front andeven on their right and left side

Everyone living along the same street knows each other very well to the point that all knows who are having a hard time and would need some assistance A neighbor would readily do somehousehold chores give some food and try to console those whoare grieving for the loss of a love one Nobody needs to askHelp is extended readily

Although the traits Irsquove mentioned above are seldom practicednowadays except for the ldquomano pordquo I still believe that those

were just some of our good traits which define us as people which define us as a Filipino a unique breed of people We arevery resilient that even though we are in grief or experiencingextreme challenges in our everyday life we still are able to lightour faces with the friendliest smile

Christmas is another tradition-field celebration that is uniquelyFilipino Te ldquoSimbang Gabirdquo ldquoputo bumbongrdquo and the like are

some Christmas traditions But let us not forget that Christmas isnot just a season of merriment but is a season for reconciliationItrsquos that time of the year when we want to ask forgiveness fromthose we had wronged and at same time forgive also those whohad wronged us and forget whatever they had done to us

Christmas is a season wherein family ties are kept stronger andmore meaningful But to be more meaningful it is better that weshare our blessings to those in need whose nights might be Holy but

would be very Silent and the only sound that they could hear arenot carols of merriment but the grumbling of their empty stomach

Make this Christmas the most meaningful Christmas ever bysharing your ldquoNoche Buenardquo with a neighbor or better still witha complete stranger May the birth of our Lord touch our heartsand be responsive to those in need

CHRISMAS is a holy day celebratingthe birth of Jesus Christ our Saviour Ithas been a tradition in the Philippines that

we go to dawn masses from December 16to the eve of Christmas day Because ourenthusiasm builds up as early as Septemberon Christmas Day itself many of us areexhausted after days of going through heavytraffic on the way to parties and to crowdedshopping malls to shop for gifts Tere arealso many events that we are enticed to at-tend for our kidsrsquo sake gatherings of relatives and friends near and farand entertainment we spend a lot for the family

While these festivities are all expressions of love we sometimes forgetthat Christmas day is the day we should go to mass to thank God forall the blessings we received from Him and in turn to offer our gift to

Jesus Christ As we enter the Advent season let us start reflecting on

how we can better love and serve God on how we can help the poorand how we can give hope to those who are losing hope Let us put intoaction the principle of charity with greater vigor and sense of urgency

May Christmas be like the ldquoJourney to the Innrdquo of Joseph and Mary- tiring yet full of hope and joy to welcome Christ in our hearts andour homes As Knights of Columbus let us lead our communities toa Christ-centered Advent celebration this year and always

My family and I wish your whole family ldquoA Merry Christmas and aBlessed New Yearrdquo

FOR this Christmas I wish tobase my reflection on a poem

written by Horacio de la Costathe first Filipino provincial ofthe Jesuits Please read and usethe poem as a Christmas greet-ing My reflection is nothingcompared to the poem

We must have visited all theBelens in our churches since we

were small In fact most of usalso put up the Christmas cribin our own homes In arlacthey even have yearly exhibits ofBelens which they call Belenis-mo We were told that it was StFrancis who started putting upthe crib in his church And thepoem of Horacio Dela Costatells us that if we meditate onthis set up we might discover

the surprises that they bring toour consciousness

Let us identify some fea-tures of the Belens that we se earound us during the Christ-mas season and together letus reflect on the meanings thatthese can offer us We shall seedifferent layers of Christmasmeaning emerge

1 he King was born poorGod has become human Tisis one of the features that wesee when we stare at the Crib

What a paradox the king ispoor God is human Life isindeed full of paradoxes andof seeming contradictions

We make sense of them only

with the passage o f t ime and

as we mature both in age andin faith

2 he Bethlehem scene isprofoundly meaningful sym-bolic and mystery-laden We

watch the figures in the Be lenand sometimes we do notunderstand When we do notunderstand the turn of eventsin our life we should not giveup We should not run awayTe world will not end onlybecause we do not understand

what we see exper ience or feelLet us stand in awe at Godrsquosvisit when we are clueless of

what i s happening 3 he King was born in a

manger But there was peacearound among the wise menand the shepherds on that holy

and starry night We see atthe Belen scene a communionamong God humans the richand the poor animals and hu-mans the stars the night andthe people It was as though ata special moment the Universe

was one As though the con-nectedness of all the elements

was not merel y ecolog ical asLaudato Si spoke of but evendivine -human No wonderthat we do not get tired of put-ting up our belens at home inchurches and in public placesNo wonder that we can stareforever at the Nativity scenealthough we do not fully un-derstand everything although

we do it yea r afte r year We

also feel that we are there andthat we are connected to the

figures they represent we areconnected to history to oursurroundings and even to ourGod

4 he Savior was born ina manger where animals eatTe meaning of the mangerscene has been the content ofmany sermons that we haveheard We were told that thisdoes not only refer to thehumility or poverty of Jesus

A dee per meaning they say isthat Jesus has come to be foodfor all who come to him Jesuscame to give Himself as foodfor the world His words histeachings his mercy and com-passion and his Good News of

Godrsquos Plan are enough to fillour emptiness with a sense ofdirection and destiny Teyquench our thirst for enlight-enment guidance and sense ofdignity as humans

5 he Baby who is born isthe Savior of the world Howcan a Baby save the w orld Wesee before us a baby wrappedin swaddling clothes And werealize that Divinity can berevealed in very human situ-ations And that the humblestreality could be a revelationthat God is in our midst If weopen our hearts and minds tothe Lord His Spirit enlightensand gives delight to our weary

and limited minds and souls

Even today we can feel Hismessage although sometimes

we do not ful ly unders tand Te truth dawns on us when

we ar e qu ie t and when we wait When we do not rush toknow Godrsquos Presence is a Giftthat we can never be worthy ofBut the point here is not thatour littleness could obstructthe Revelation of a mysteryRather the Greatness of theLord compels Him to revealHimself to the little one Evento us Now

Tat is why Liturgy invokesour ability to watch to look at

what happe ns in the Churchcelebrations Te beauty ofcandles incense and flowerscan evoke some sense of the

Sacred Space a Sacred Mo-ment and a Sacred Encounter

Te Belen does this for us inrevealing the message of Christ-mas If we open our eyes weshall see the Message of Christ-mas with our hearts If we havetime and we can keep quietbefore the Belen we might seethe surprise of the Lord

[The author Ma TheresaG Curia is the Executive VicePresident amp Chief OperatingOfficer of the Knights of Co-lumbus Fraternal Association ofthe Phils Inc (KCFAPI) andthe incumbent Diocesan Regentof the Daughters of Mary Im-maculate International Dioceseof Malolos]

IrsquoS that time of the year again We must allbegin the increasingly difficult task of buy-ing suitable gifts for our friends and familyHowever there is a different gift you shouldseriously consider giving this year Itrsquos not a fun

present nor it is exciting Itrsquos not somethingyou can play with or wear and it definitely wouldnrsquot be considered a treat Itrsquos a gift thatno one wants but everyone NEEDS So whatare we talking about A Fraternal Service Plan

A Benefit Certificate (BC) or what is simplyknown as a life insurance policy Every year

we search for that perfect gift for a loved oneSomething that will show how much we careand appreciate them What could better provethat than giving someone the gift of SECU-RIY and SABILIY

Unfortunately the recent statistics presentthe sad truth (a) more than 95 Filipinos donot have adequate levels of insurance and (b)more than 80 of Filipinos do not believethey are likely to suffer a serious illness in the

next 20 years Yet each year around 365000Filipinos face premature death either caused byaccidental death or natural sickness It equatesto 1000 untimely deaths everyday

Firstly think about your present situation

Do you have loved ones who depend on youfinancially If something were to happen toyou would your family struggle to maintaintheir current lifestyle the kind of living yoursquovebeen providing If you answered yes to thesequestions itrsquos as simple as that - you need tohave life insurance Secondly do you have aloved one (parent spouse adult children e tc)

who needs protection Tis year give them theultimate gift Having an adequate amount oflife insurance can help in paying off hospitalbills memorial bills mortgage and even in-heritance tax It can allow a family to maintaintheir current level of living and possibly evenfund long term goals such as childrenrsquos schoolfunds dream car house business and evenretirement Now wersquore not saying this is the

only gift you should give it might look a littlesad with only that under the Christmas treeHowever just consider along with the othergifts giving a present that may not be appreci-ated at that moment might come in use should

a critical time arrive You look after your familyand so this is a perfect gift ideaItrsquos important to consult a fraternal counselor

when considering life insurance as it is impera-tive that you are insured accurately dependingon your current situation and future needs

Should you wish to know more just visit wwwkofcorgph for inquiries

Did you know thatFor as low as PhP10000 you can already

start the Gift of Life to your loved ones Tisfraternal service plan is called KC Peso Saver Itis a single contribution endowment plan which

will mature at the end of the benefit certificatersquos10th year In fact a lot of Knights of ColumbusMembers invest with this Gift of Life everyChristmas for their spouse and children

Gemille Isabel P Gloria

A Meek Christmas

IMAGINE a pregnant mother who is supposed to give birth toa child at the moment and rideson a donkey with her husband

Apart from the pain of laborthe mother is enduring deathchases their yet unborn child astheir King deliberately kills allthe newborn babies that night

urned down by the innkeepersthey ended up in a crude stablesharing it with the farm animalsand the shepherds as she gavebirth to a baby boy and placedhim in a manger I bet you arepicturing a scene of a movie inyour head right now Tis isactually what the first Christmaslooked like

Going back to the presentChristmas is far more delightfuland exciting Shopping feastinggift-giving and vacation trippingare just few of the activities that

we cannot do away with in ourChristmas lists We think ofChristmas like no other ordinaryday of the year We make sure

that for Noche Buena there isabundance of bountiful feasts inour dining table from a platterof mouth-watering leche flan toa sumptuous lechon new clothesup to fifty percent sale on theselected items section and expen-sive gifts covered in a Santa Claus

wrapper under a fully decorated

Christmas tree We associate theChristmas season as a time ofsplendor since it is the birthday ofour Savior Unfortunately someof us could only imagine thesethings Tey are our fellow whoare counted by the government inabject poverty who could hardlythink of where and how to gettheir first meal for the 365 daysof the year including Christmasday One does not need to moveafar to behold this ravers-ing nearby the office we couldalready see some of the faces inpoverty If you have not takenyet the underpass connectingManila City Hall and Intramu-ros as you make your way out of

it you will see sullied children intattered clothes inhaling plasticbags containing rugby with somesoiled adults who seem to be theirparents doing the same thing

With their hunger already in theirhead some children forcibly takethe food of the passersby Duringthe night the space where people

enter and exit the underpassin the day turns into a freezinghome for the homeless Youcan see in their wrinkled face thefeeling of sleeping on the passage-

ways with only cardboard boxesand worn out fabrics in betweentheir body and the cold cementedground Teir condition is notfar from what Jesus experiencedon the first Christmas born intoand chose to live a life of poverty

Remembering martyredSalvadoran Archbishop OscarRomero who once said thatldquoNo one can celebrate a genuineChristmas without being trulypoor he self sufficient theproud those who because they

have everything look down onothers those who have no needeven of God for them there

will be no Christmas Only thepoor the hungry those whoneed someone to come on theirbehalf will have that someonehat someone is God Em-manuel God-with-usrdquo With

what he thought we canrsquot arguethat at times we want everythingTe more you have the moreyou want and the more you get

What if we have nothing Whatif we donrsquot have gifts food andnew clothes for the Christmas

What if we are in the place of thehomeless Would we still feel thesame Christmas Spirit withoutthe things we celebrate with it

We have to learn to celebrat eChristmas with how the poorperceive it Let us not reachthe point where we celebrateChristmas just because we willreceive our one-year wish listLet us learn to lose to sacrificeand to give during Christmas

Joseph P Teodoro

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 2324

D3The Cross December 7 2015 - 27 2015 Vol 19 No 25

Deogracias Fajota Fr Jeronimo

Ma Cruz Fr Antonio Rex PalayaFr Melvin Gamelo Fr JuliusCuison Fr Felix Labios Fr Ra-melle Rigunay Fr Randy SalungaFr Joel Cariaso Fr HernandezMendoza Fr Julius de Sagun FrRonel Ilano Fr Lowie Palines andFr Emmanuel Hiipolito

In his homily Cardinal aglestarted by citing that aside fromthe formal opening of the Dioc-esan process for Fr Willmannit was also the feast day of St

Ambrose a great teacher of theChurch known for his sanctityand teachings It was also the eveof the Immaculate Conception ofour Blessed Mother Mary plus thestart of the Advent season

Te Cardinal then focused onthe question What does it meanto be holy With the opening ofthe Cause he said that Fr George

J Willmann St Ambrose andMother Mary all responded tosanctity and holiness Cardinalagle clarified that ldquoHoliness isan attribute of God and not manrsquosachievement nor his work It isGod who is Holy and our holi-ness is a gift of God ndash our oneness

with HimrdquoCardinal agle added that the

message of the First Reading is thatthe Holiness of God is seen withmarvelous work ndash like transform-ing a desert into a garden filled

with water and flowers where we

are able to drink from Godrsquos good-ness with a safe road along the

holy way Te desert symbolizes

humanity that is seen to be dryfruitless empty and even life-less However when God entersall these are transformed into abountiful garden Godrsquos Holinessalways creates miracles ldquoWhen-ever we experience hopelessnessloaded with faults we must notbe afraid for that is the time whenGod will come to infuse His Holi-ness and cure the sickness Tat isthe Good Newsrdquo Cardinal agleadded that during this season ofadvent we must look deeper intoour deserts in order to experiencethe Holiness of God

Te Cardinal then underscoredthat we need to respond to GodrsquosHoliness not like the scribes in

the reading who questioned andrejected Jesus but like the friendsof the paralyzed man who lookedfor a nonconventional way -through the roof - to bring theparalytic closer to Jesus Cardinalagle stressed the need for us to bealert discerning with eyes of faithin order for us to respond to ourHoly God in His action when weare in our desert

he Cardinal then asked thepeople to pray for those entrusted

with the Cau se of Fr Willmannthat they may be illumined witheyes of faith With no intention ofpre-empting the Diocesan processCardinal agle simply thankedGod as we are now privileged

to share Godrsquos holiness throughpersonal experiences with Fr Will-

Sainthood D1

Process for PHrsquos new lsquoServantof Godrsquo starts rollingMANILA Dec 7 2015 ndash Manila Arch-bishop Luiacutes Antonio G Cardinal agleofficially accepted on Monday Dec 7the Feast of St Ambrose the petition toopen an investigation on the sanctity andheroic virtues of Fr George J WillmannSJ founder of the Knights of Columbus(KC) in the Philippines among otherCatholic lay organizations

At least 1000 of the naturalized Fili-pino Jesuit priestrsquos spiritual children fromall over the country including no lessthan former Supreme Court (SC) Chief

Justice Hilario G Davide Jr becamepart of Philippine Church history as they

witnes sed at the Manila Metropo litanCathedral Basilica the solemn opening ofthe archdiocesan process they hope wouldlead to beatification and canonization

lsquoGreat responsibilityrsquoIn line with this agle appointed Msgr

Pedro C Quitorio III of the CatholicBishopsrsquo Conference of the Philippines(CBCP) Media Office as postulator forthe cause of the countryrsquos newest ldquoServantof Godrdquo

He also approved the appointments ofMsgr Geronimo S Reyes Fr Wilmer RRosal and Fr Ricardo P del Rosario asepiscopal delegate vice postulator andpromoter of justice respectively as wellas of a host of other experts both clericand lay who vow to work together to giveFilipinos another saint

Te prelate went on to swear in allthose involved in the cause for Willmannrsquosbeatification and canonization remindingthem of the ldquogreat responsibilityrdquo theyhave assumed and the ldquoimportance andseriousnessrdquo of the task at hand

PHrsquos Fr McGivney Dubbed ldquoFr McGivney of the Philip-

pinesrdquo due to his dedication to expand KClocally Willmann worked for the radicaltransformation of faith into action

Born on June 29 1897 to very devoutCatholic parents in Brooklyn New Yorkthe American Jesuit was granted Philip-pine citizenship by President FerdinandMarcos through Presidential Decree(PD) No 740

In 1938 he first served as chaplain

of KC Manila Council 1000 then re-turned in 1954 to become the Orderrsquosfirst Philippine Deputy until his deathin 1977

In total the priest spent 44 fruitful andproductive years in the Philippines serv-ing the poor the sick the orphans theoppressed the lonely and the desolateespecially the young ones

KCFAPI etcBesides what is formally known as the

Knights of Columbus Fraternal Associa-tion of the Philippines Inc (KCFAPI)

which he founded in 1958 Willmannestablished other organizations as follows

bull Catholic Youth Organization (1938)bull Establishment of the Catholic Press

ldquoFilipinasrdquo and the ldquoCrossrdquo Magazines(1946)

bull Columbian Squires in the Philippines(1950)

bull Daughters of Isabella in the Philip-pines (1951) reorganized as Daughtersof Mary Immaculate (1977)

bull Columbian Farmers Aid Association(1951) reorganized as Knights of Co-lumbus Community Service Inc (1962)

bull Knights of Columbus Fraternal Asso-ciation of the Philippines Inc (KCFAPI)(1958)

bull Knights of Columbus PhilippinesFoundation Inc (1971) (Raymond ASebastiaacuten CBCP News)

Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle leads the Mass of the formal opening of the ArchdiocesanProcess for the Causes of Beatification and Canonization of the Servant of God FatherGeorge J Willmann SJ father of the Knights of Columbus in the Philippines LIN REGINO

Te Gentle Warrior By James B Reuter SJ

Part II of Chapter wo of ldquoTe Gentle Warriorrdquo series

CHAPER WO-----------------

Te Ateneo de Manila

HE Ateneo was a boysrsquo schoolTe objective of a boysrsquo school is tomake a man out of a boy Te mainvirtue of a man is courage Godmirrored His virtues in His childrenBut he divided them between girls

and boys Tere is such a thing as amasculine soul and a feminine soulIf a boy and a girl are suddenly con-fronted with a wild bull thunderingdown on them if the girl screamedand hid behind the boy that wouldbe normal But if the boy screamedand hid behind the girl everyone

would be ashamed of him Tevirtue of a girl is not physical cour-age it is love and mercy Te virtueof a boy is courage and justice Butin our schools there is no course inthe curriculum called ldquoCouragerdquo

here is no subject called

ldquoCouragerdquo Tere is no mark forldquoCouragerdquo It has to be taught inevery subject through the wholelife of the school he Jesuitsunderstood this very well AndGeorge understood it He began

to learn the meaning of couragehimself when he was five yearsold sitting on the curbstone onPutnam Avenue when the wheelof the garbage truck crushed bothhis feet

In the old Ateneo there wasa strong tradition of ldquoRomansrdquoand ldquoCarthageniansrdquo Jose Rizal

was the Emperor of the RomansEvery class was competitive TeRomans would be lined up onone side of the class the Car-thagenians on the other Te firstquestion went to the Romans

If the Romans answered it cor-rectly the questioning stayed

with the Romans If any Romanmissed the question went to theCarthagenians Ten the Romanboys would growl and grumble at

the Roman who missed It wascompetition to teach courage

And the battle cry of all theteams was ldquoAnimo Ateneordquo Youcould translate that as ldquoLetrsquos go

Ateneordquo or ldquoSpirit Ateneordquo orldquoFight Ateneordquo mdash but in practiceit meant courage Never give upno matter what the odds ldquoGoget lsquoem Ateneordquo Never say dieTis was obvious in everythingthat the boys did

But it never degenerated intoldquoWin at all costsrdquo Te secondmasculine virtue is justice Tis

means honesty integrity and fairplay Both at once mdash courageand fair play Te verse that everyathlete in the school knew by heart

was ldquoIf I should win let it be bythe code with my head and my

honor held high But if I shouldlose let me stand by the road andcheer as the winner goes byrdquo

It was a tremendous amount of work mdash teaching night and dayrunning the Sodality the ACILand the magazine mdash but Georgeloved it

And his students loved him Tefriendships that he made duringthose three years of regency from1922 to 1925 lasted more thanfifty years

(o be continued on the nextissue)

mann and his life and ministrydevoted to service that providedldquofresh water and good newsrdquo

particularly to the youth the poorand the prisonersTe Cardinal cited his own basic

formation as a Charter memberof the Columbian Squires inImus Cavite where they helpedthe Church in its program for thestreet children He also mentionedhis appreciation for being a scholarof the Knights of Columbus dur-ing Fr Willmannrsquos time

Reiterating that God indeedtransforms deserts into places ofrest peace and holiness Cardinalagle ended his homily by encour-aging all in attendance to be agentsof Godrsquos holiness

People from all walks of life joined the celebration of this Mass

that formally opened the Cause ofServant of God - Fr Willmann

Also repres ent ed were var iou sorganizations established and nur-tured by Fr George including the

Daughters of Isabella (now Daugh-ters of Mary Immaculate) Catholic Youth Organization ColumbianSquires and the Knights of Co-lumbus Parishioners and residents

with their families from nearbycities and communities of ondoIntramuros Sta Cruz Malate andother more distant places likewise

witnessed the very mean ingfulOpening of the diocesan processfor the Cause of their ldquoFather andBenefactorrdquo of forty years

Fr George J Willmann SJdevoted the last forty years of hislife not only in humble serviceand dynamic leadership of theKnights of Columbus in thePhilippines but equally being a

compassionate pastor in the careand formation of the youth He

provided relief to victims of the

war and of violence while also al-leviating the sufferings of the poorHe likewise established ways topreserve and promote the sanctityof life marriage and the family

It was in 1997 or eighteen yearsago that the Knights of Columbusin the Philippines first started aconcerted thrust to formally laythe groundwork for the Causeof Fr Willmann During theOrderrsquos centennial celebration ofFr Willmannrsquos birth the Ordercreated a Committee on Causecomposed of Ramon V ConsingLauro M Cruz and Msgr PedroC Quitorio III as co-chairmenNotable activities of the Com-mittee included gathering of tes-

timonials launch of the Prayer forthe Centennial of Fr Willmann with the Impr imatur of Msgr Jose C Abriol launching of Fr Willmann Fellows meeting withthen Jaime Cardinal Sin and theFather Provincial of the Jesuits toseek their respective endorsementsof the Cause Te Order publishedand distributed the pamphlet ldquoAGlimpsehe Life and Worksof Fr George J Willmann SJrdquoin order to give due acknowledg-ment and recognition as well as toincrease awareness abou t Fr Will-mann A landmark achievement ofthis period was the publication ofldquoTe Gentle Warriorrdquo a biographyof Fr Willmann authored by Fr

James B Reuter SJEstablishing and spreading the

fama sanctitatis of Fr Willmann

included the presentation andpromotion of his works mademore concrete by direct testimo-nies of various individuals whomhe personally interacted withFr Willmann Fellowsrsquo one-timemembership donations have beenpooled to fund the productionof materials such as prayer cardspublications tarpaulins postersto effectively promote Fr George

Willmann not only to brotherKnights but more importantlyto the youth the poor and under-privileged of various communities

In 2011 through the efforts ofthe KC Fraternal Association ofthe Philippines and the Knightsof Columbus Fr Willmann Chari-

ties Inc the National ExecutiveCommittee (NEC) for the Causeof Fr Willmann was created withthe primary function of overseeingall the initiatives relative to or inconnection with the Cause

We are blessed that the Dioc-esan process of the Cause of FrGeorge J Willmann SJ has nowbeen formally opened therebygiving us significant reason torejoice Henceforth he will nowbe regarded Servant of God Letus fervently pray for continuedenlightenment from the HolySpirit for everyone involved in thisDiocesan process and the Causeas a whole so that our belovedFr George J Willmann may ulti-

mately be elevated to the honorsof the altar

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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D4 The CrossDecember 7 2015 - 27 2015 Vol 19 No 25

FST IN CAGAYAN A Fraternal Service Training program was held in Cagayan De Oro last November 13 2015Participants were from Zamboanga Misamis and Butuan The event was graced by KCFAPI Vice Presidentfor FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBG Manager Michael Cabra Aside from the product specifications thetraining also gives an idea regarding the basic insurance process and conceptualization of new marketingstrategies in order to achieve their goals and improve their sales performance (FBG News)

AREA MEETING IN VISAYAS The KCFAPI Western Visayas Armor held an area meeting in Bacolod lastOctober 24 2015 led by Agency Unit Manager Randy G Bravo and graced by KCFAPI Vice President forFBG Gari San Sebastian (KCFAPI News)

FST IN DAVAO A Fraternal Service Training program (1 and 2) was held in KCFAPI Davao Service OfficeDavao City last November 20-21 2015 Participants were from Compostela Valley Cotabato City andGeneral Santos The training was attended by KCFAPI Vice President f or FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBGManager Michael Cabra (FBG News)

PRODUCERSrsquo FORUM KCFAPI Vice President for FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBG Manager Michael Cabraled a Producersrsquo Forum wherein fraternal counsellors all over Luzon were gathered for an update of theirincentives program held last November 11 2015 at the KCFAPI home office (FBG News)

New KCFAPI Board of Trustee Bro Pascual C Carbero

IN February of 1986 BroCarbero started his knightlyservice in the Knights of Co-lumbus under Council 10695

in Valenzuela City Duringhis service in Council 10695he has been appointed asChancellor for CY 1992-1993 and as Deputy GrandKnight and Program Direc-tor for CY 1993-1994 InDistrict M-31 of ValenzuelaCity Bro Carbero was GrandKnight for CY 1994-1995District Warden for CY 1996-1997 and District Deputyfor CY 1997-1999 He wasalso Chairman for the Roundable District Deputies forCY 1998-1999 At the Dr PioValenzuela Assembly ACN1772 Meycauayan Bulacanhe was the Faithful Naviga-

tor for CY 1999-2000 Onthat same term Bro Pascual

was the Luzo n State Audi -tor for CY 2000-2003 andthe Luzon State Warden forCY 2000-2003 of the Luzon

Jurisdiction After which forCY 2000-2001 he becamethe Charter Faithful Naviga-tor for the City of Valenzuela

Assembly ACN 2676 For

CY 2007-2015 Bro Carbero was re-a ppo inte d as Luzo nState Warden Bro Carbero

was a voting delegate in the

KC Supreme Convention heldat Washington DC in 2010and also a non-voting delegateheld at Anaheim Californiain 2002 and 2012 Currentlyhe is the State Secretary of theLuzon North Jurisdiction

Bro Pascualrsquos dedicationand enthusiasm in participat-ing in the Order gave himthe endeavor to author thecreation of the City of Valen-zuela Assembly in 1999 withthe assistance of the Districtand Vice Supreme Master

With his knightly serv ice he was awarded with several rec-ognition namely OutstandingDistrictDeputy for CY 1997-

1999 Star District Awardeefor CY 1997-1999 and Civic

Awardee as Charter FaithfulNavigator of the City of Valen-zuela Assembly ACN 2676CY 2000-2001

Apart from Knights of Co-lumbus Bro Carbero partakeshis services in other civic andreligious organizations He isa Special Lay Minister of the

Holy Eucharist Parish of theHoly Cross since 1989 and amember of the Parish RenewalExperience Group He is the

Director and reasurer of thePhilippine Insurers Club from2013 to 2014 and currently itsPresident He is also a memberof the Insurance Executive1st Friday Club of Makatiand an incoming Presidentof the Philippine Associationof Surety Underwriters Incthis 2016

He was Director Corpo-rate Secretary of Mace Insur-ance Agency Inc from 2012until 2014 and currentlythe Independent Director ofKompass Credit and FinancialCorporation and KCFAPIrespectively Bro Carbero isalso a fellow of Father George

J Willmann Charit ies Inc And since 2006 he has beenthe Vice President of IntraStrata Assurance Corporation

He graduated with a Bach-elorrsquos degree in Business Ad-ministration Major in Man-agement at Philippine Schoolof Business Administration in1973 and finished Bachelor ofLaws in Lyceum of the Philip-

pines in 1988Bro Pascual Carberorsquos wife

Sis Remedios was past presi-dent for three years of theCatholic Womenrsquos League(CWL) Valenzuela Chapterand currently the AssistantVice President for Underwrit-ing in Mercantile InsuranceCo Inc in Intramuros Ma-nila Tey are blessed with six

wonderful children namely

Soidemer Claire a pediatri-cian Abigail Claire a lawyerValerie Claire and ChristineClaire both of whom are reg-istered nurses Terese Claire

who graduated with Bachelorrsquosdegree in Laws and is currentlyreviewing for Bar exams and

Adrian Brian who is also aregistered nurse and presentlya 3rd year medical student

Former SC Justice tofellow lsquoPH Knightsrsquo Prayfor Willmannrsquos CauseMANILA Dec 8 2015 ndash Former Chief

Justice Hilario G Davide Jr has calledon fellow members of the Knights of Co-lumbus (KC) nationwide to keep prayingfor the eventual ldquoraising to the altarrdquo ofthe grouprsquos spiritual father Fr George J

Willmann SJ who was declared ldquoSer-vant of Godrdquo Monday Dec 7

ldquoSo what is demanded of us as mem-bers of Knights of Columbus What isdemanded of us as members of Knightsof Columbus Fraternal Association of thePhilippines Inc [KCPAFI]rdquo he askedldquoWe need to pray a lot Pray pray praythat the tribunal will listen to the evidencepresented Pray pray pray that the tribu-nal will actually collate all the evidenceand determine once and for all that whathas been presented through our postula-

tor is credible to merit the conferment ofbeatification later on Tis is our taskrdquo

Archdiocesan processDavide who now chairs the National

Executive Committee for the Causes ofFr Willmann made this observation in aspeech following a ceremony held at theManila Cathedral during which Arch-bishop Luiacutes Antonio G Cardinal agleofficially approved the archdiocesan process

for the causes for the beatification and can-onization of the naturalized Filipino Jesuit

he solemn occasion was witnessedby no less than 1000 representativesof KCPAFI and other organizations Fr

Willmann helped establish like Catholic Youth Organization Columbian Squiresin the Philippines (1950) and Daughtersof Mary Immaculate

Te former chief magistrate went on todescribe the entire process as ldquovery mean-ingfulrdquo since it had the power to make anordinary priest into a Servant of God

Ordinary priest to Servant of GodldquoImagine during our lifetime today in

the Cathedral we saw the conversion ofan ordinary priest to become a Servant ofGod And we hope that he will merit be-

ing a servant of God until the first step ofthe process will continuerdquo he exclaimed

According to him it must have been thefirst time for most people present to haveseen with their own eyes an event of suchldquohistoric and momentous significancerdquo

ldquoI have lived 20 times four years of mylife almost And this is the first time I have

witnessed the process how it evolves and what we can gather from it o me thisis not just making somebody brought to

the honors of the altar but for us to beable to witness how to live and how tocomport ourselves to be able to follow hisfootstepsrdquo he explained

Built-in holinessDavide pointed out that holiness is

already built in each person but it is onlya matter of expressing it

ldquoWhy I would say that holiness is inus already Because we are the templeof God and the Spirit of God is with usSometimes however we forget that this isso We close our ears We close our eyes to

Jesus Christ We close our hands to JesusChrist by helping others So this is theprocess that we have witnessed today Andto me it will very much workrdquo he added

Davide also credited Msgr Pedro C Qui-

torio III postulator of the causes for Fr Will-mann for the ldquodivinely inspiredrdquo occasionand the timeliness of the diocesan process

ldquoSo Msgr Quitorio you are divinelyinspired You planned everything in sucha way that everything we did and we willdo and what we are doing right now isnot only as legacy to the next generationbut even beyond the next generation forpeople and children yet unbornrdquo he said(Raymond A Sebastiaacuten CBCP News)

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 1824

Reflections on Advent

I IS the start of a new liturgical

year As in every year the previ-ous liturgical year ended withthe feast of Christ the King afitting high point indeed Aftergoing through the year observ-ing the various highs and lowsand phases of His life in theend and rightly so we proclaim

Jesus as indeed the King of kingsand the Lord of lords

And so the Church starts thecycle anew beginning fromHis birth into this world obuild up to that we have theseason of advent of waitingof anticipating of preparingfor the birth of He who werecognize and proclaim as theKing of kings

One would expect that thismajor season is ushered in

with Bible vers es express ingthe level of excitement befit-ting the birth of the King ofthe universe It is therefore abit surprising and soberingthat the opening reading ofthis season is one with a themethat speaks not of celebrationbut of foreboding of the com-ing end times

here wil l be strangethings happening to the sunto the moon and the stars Onearth whole countries will bein despair afraid of the roarof the sea and the raging tidesPeople will faint from fear asthey wait for what is comingover the whole earth for the

Joe Tale

powers in space will be driven

from their courses hen theSon of Man will appear comingin a cloud of great power andglory When these things begin tohappen stand up and raise yourheads because your salvation isnear Luke 2125-28

Moreover we are enjoined tobe on watch and to be vigilantin a specific way Be careful notto let yourselves become occu-pied with too much feasting anddrinking and with the worries ofthis life or that Day will suddenlycatch you like a trap For it willcome upon all people everywhereon earth Be on watch and prayalways that you will have thestrength to go safely through allthose things that will happen andto stand before the Son of Man

Luke 2134-36It is significant we might evensay ironic that during this seasonof merriment in anticipation ofthe birth of the Messiah we are

warned exactly not t o be merryIn this period that we normallycelebrate with much food and

wine and music we are instructedto refrain from such things

Is the verse dousing cold wa-ter on all these festivities andpreventing us from celebrating

joyously the arr ival of t he KingNot so he verse simply re-

minds us of something more im-portant whatever be the seasonof our life of being constantlyprepared and on the watch at

all times not ever to bring our

guards down whether we are go-ing through our low moments orhigh points in our life We are re-minded to always Be Preparedas the Boy Scouts motto goes

whatever our spec ific situationmay be at any given time

Als o I sense tha t the Lor d would like to bring us to a deeperlevel of rejoicing not merely onthe level of the frivolous as toomuch feasting and drinking areTe words of Jesus do not preventus from rejoicing He wants us tocontinue to be prepared even as

we celebrate He warns us not torejoice in a wanton way that takesus away from our right senses re-sulting in our being unpreparedhus our rejoicing should becoming from deep in our hearts

not shallow and hollow expres-sions of the same Our rejoicingshould be geared towards allowingus to still be prepared

hus as we hold our Christ-mas parties and dwell in themerriment of the season let usbe mindful of the words fromthe Gospel Appropriate feastingand drinking not only make usfaithful to the gospel but is alsomore healthy Significantly tooit should make us more caring tothose who have less and hope-fully lead us not to be wastefuland to share whatever we have somany others will also experiencea truly Merry Christmas

Rejoice in the Lord

HE RED Cubs harvested thegrand championship of the recentlyconcluded CFC GMC Ablaze Cup2015 held last December 2 - Decem-ber 8 2015 at the sports facilities ofCamp Crame

Te friendly games were partici-pated in by the different departmentsin the CFC Global Mission CenterTe Red Cubs romped off with the

Red Cubs are Champions in CFC GMC Ablaze Cup 2015

Go go go GMC clockwise from top left Caloy Rubio CFC Ablaze Cup Event Head exhorting participants the board of judges CFC Chair Joe Tale inspiring the athletes paradeof athletes the Orange Tigers basketball game between the Red Cubs and the Maroon on Fire cheerdance competition

Mel and Aimee Serrano talking about the highs and lows of dealing with in-laws

In Highs And In-Laws Dealing With Your In-Laws

ldquoATRASrdquo BOYS amp GIRLS

Are We Waiting For Jesus At The Right Spot

This Advent

IN983085LAWS he very word re-minds many a married coupleof discomfort awkward evenstrained relationships and some-times open conflict But are rela-tionships with the family membersof your spouse meant to be merelytolerant Te latest Couples forChrist (CFC) ndash Young Couples

Assembly on November 30 heldat St Pauls College in Pasig Citytackled precisely this topic andcame up with this wildly inge-nious insight In-laws are peopletoo ndash love them

According to the speakers Meland Aimee Serrano of CFC ndashMetro Manila West B lovingthem in all sincerity will work

wonders ldquoTat is the tried andtested formula love your in-lawsrdquoshared Mel a school owner fromQuezon City

During the talk which theypeppered with lots of insights andsharing of personal experiences as a

PASIG City Nov 29 2015 ndash What do weusually do when we find out that someone welove or an important personality is visiting ou rhome We tidy up we prepare good food butmost of all we wait his was the m essage thatabout 150 young married couples heard duringthe Family Mass at the Couples for Christ ndash

Young Couple s Assembly at St Paul Colleg eConvention Center held last November 30

Fr Ruper Solis SVD who celebrated theFamily Mass reminded the couples presentthat to wait for something or someone also

couple married for 20 years the Ser-ranos focused on several key points1 Handle them with care

Tis means giving attention tothe one who needs more takingcare of them in their old age as

well as training your kids to respecttheir grandparents

ldquoOn our part we have to makesure that our children will give duerespect [to them] and be able tounderstand intricacies that come

with old agerdquo said AimeeldquoWhether may sama ng loob

(hurt feelings) sometimes there will be times na mahirap makipag-kita (that it will be difficult to meetthem) but you have to go to themKailangan nating gawin yun (Weneed to do it)rdquo she stressed

2 Acknowledge differences According to the couple people

should recognize that their spousemay not have the same familyculture as they do Value systems

means waiting at the right placeldquoAs Christians our life is a series of waiting

Dapat maghintay ka sa tamang lugarhindi langsa tamang panahon na sinasabi ni Lola Nidora noPero sa tamang lugar din (We should wait not justfor the right time but waiting should be doneat the right place as well)rdquo explained Fr Ruper

he young priest who was an SVD missionaryassigned to Argentina for more than seven years

went on to tell the story of how once in Argentinahe was waiting by the side of the road flagging

championship crowns in badmin-ton (women) table tennis (menand women) tug-of-war and peelbanana It was a close fight with theMaroon on Fire team who grabbedthe winning titles for basketballvolleyball cheer dance and chess(men) and ended up 1st runner-up

with les s than 2 points from the winning team Te Orange igerscame in 2nd runner-up while YellowHotshots was 3rd runner-up basedon the last team standings

Te awarding ceremonies wereheld last December 8 2015 dur-ing the celebration of the CFCGMC Christmas party Tis an-nual event is an opportunity forthe mission workers to enjoy eachotherrsquos company Te Ablaze Cuplikewise serves as a venue tofoster and promote the spirit ofsportsmanship and unity amongthe GMC workers from bothpastoral and mission support(Yvonne Dolorosa)

HE WORD ldquoatrasrdquo means a backwardmovement It is generally used to refer to theldquoReverserdquo function of a vehicle In Lanao DelNorte the word has been applied to a group ofboys abd girls who guide vehicles in and out ofparking spaces the equivalent of the ldquoWatch-your-carrdquo aides in Metro Manila

he CFC leaders in the province immedi-ately thought of the Atras Boys and Girls ofLanao Del Norte when Cardinal agle said ndashldquoGo to the peripheries be a mobile clinicto heal the poor from spiritual sickness rdquo

Another ins pirat ion was from one of the mostimportant pastoral subjects of Pope Francisabout the ldquofamily and the poorrdquo

Every time I go to mass at the St MichaelrdquosCathedral with my wifeata the ldquoatras boysand girlsrdquo are all over the area assisting ve-hicles either to park or to exit the parking area

When n ot per formi ng thi s function they andother members of their family can be seenbegging for their daily sustenance hey areusually homeless their home being along theperipheries of the Cathedral or the sidewalks

he inspiration led the Area Governanceeam to the idea of bring these boys and girlsand their parents to a Christian Life Programhey moved quickly with Boy Suezo approv-ing the strategic CLP as designed by RegionalPastoral Formation Head Art Maderazo andinserting video clips appropriate to the CLPtalks With the activation of the SOLD Min-istry with Bro Roger Sultan as Provincial Co-

ordinator SOLD was made the lead ministryof the ldquoAtras Boys and Gir lsrdquo CLP

Initially the number of participants was limitedto five (5) for logistical reasons but the HolySpirit deemed otherwise ndash the attendees eventuallynumbered ten individuals and three (3) coupleshe CLPs were scheduled every hursday at 600orsquoclock in the evening with dinner provided byCFC brothers and sisters particularly the AGrsquos

wives and ANCOP members he SOLD Prov in-cial Coordinator took care of fetching the partici-pants from the Cathedral and also bringing themback to their ldquohomesrdquo It did not matter to Rogerthat his car would often retain the smell of the

unwashed he persisted in servicing the transportneeds of the participants

November 05 2015 was truly a pleasant anda memorable day to the service team On thatday five of the ten boys and girls and two (2)couples dedicated their life to CFC One of theparticipants stood up to give an inspiring testi-mony ending with ldquohank you CFC for makingus somebody in your heart hank you for beingmindful of the conditions of the poor and thankyou for bringing Christ to our livesrdquo (ldquoSalamatCFC nga aduna pa diay kami luna sa inyong kas-ingkasing Salamat CFC sa inyong pagpakabanasa susama kanamo nga mga timawa Salamat sainyong panahon pag hatag kanamo sa pagtulun-anni Kristo)

It is envisioned that this kind of evangeliza-tion can be replicated in other areas nationwidethe beginning of a truly strategic evangelizationHopefully this is also the beginning of a newlife for the new CLP graduates with CFC being

instrumental in helping them provide for theirfamilyrsquos future (Nonoy Haim)

disciplining style even views onhow to handle finances will of-tentimes be different Tat is whyunderstanding coupled with love

will go a long wayldquoDifferences and conflicts are

not unhealthy but mismanagementis Never criticize your in-lawsrdquoMel said

Also in case of confl ict themessenger or the ldquobridgerdquo shouldbe the one with the primary re-lationship (spouse to own fathermother)

he Serranos candidly sharedabout a conflict that eruptedbetween Aimee and her father-in-law during the campaignperiod for local elections whenMel ran for public office heconflict was soon followed by aperiod of silence a Cold Warso to speak ldquoIt took us at leasta year or two [My father said]kasi pag di natin inayos tolahat tayo maapektuhan (If we

dont fix this all of us will beaffected) It helped that thecouple prayed and sought DivineIntervention and asked the com-munity to pray with them heHoly Spirit worked

3 Respond appropriately What if ev en af ter l ovin g and

understanding them its stillnot smooth sailing with your in-laws Heres what the Serranoshad to say

bull iming is everythingbull Learn when to speak or keep

your mouth shutbull ake a breath cool offbull Maintain a sense of humorbull Remember unsolicited advice

is just an opiniono cap their talk the couple

brought back the participants tothe basics of loving in-laws to actout your love to build bridges andto communicate (Nirvaana EllaDelacruz)

HOMILY C3

IN A Memorandum sent to the Philip-pine Missions leaders last November23 2015 PM Director Jose Yamamotoappointedreassigned leaders for theNortheastern Luzon region

Mark Banzon has been appointedProvincial Area Head (PAH) of Isabelavice Rommel Ancheta ony de la Cruz

on the other hand was tapped to be PAHof Nueva Vizcaya vice Raul Balaquiao

O set a new tradition in the CFC Family the InternationalCouncil has agreed to make December 27 the Feast of theHoly Family as a special day for the members of the familyto honor one another Tis will allow each person in thefamily to express their gratitude to the Lord for the gift offamily and the importance of having each member of thefamily around for the love support and service As a sug-

New Appointments for CFC GMC NE LuzonFamily Honoring Night Set

Balaquiao was appointed PAH of IlocosSur vice ony de la Cruz while Cholo

Yjares is now PAH of Cagayan vice BongPagulayan Pagulayan is now PAH ofKalinga vice Cholo Yjares

he move is essentially a realignmentof the leaders in the Northeastern Luzonarea in the interest of the mission except

for Banzon who is a new appointee andfor Noel Malamug who remains as

PAH of Ifugao hese changes are to takeeffect on January 1 2016 Edythe Aven-dantildeo is also set to replace Didi Galsim asHandmaids of the Lord InternationalCoordinator effective January 1 2016

In the Global Mission Center RickyRico was appointed Head for the GAd-min effective October 1 2016 while Jay

Lucena was appointed head of the CFCEvents group also effective October 1facebookcomCFCGlobalMission CFChrist

The Ugnayan News Supplement is published by the Couples for Christ Global Mission Foundation Inc with editorial ofces at 156 20 th Avenue 1109 Cubao Quezon City

Editorial trunk line (+63 2) 709-4868 local 23

Direct line (+63 2) 709-4856

wwwcouplesforchristglobalorg cfcglobalcommunicationsgmailcom

Michael C Ariola

IC Oversight

Zenaida A Gimenez

Editor-in-Chief

Alma M Alvarez

Associate Editor

Evangeline C Mecedilla

Circulation Staff

Deomar P Oliveria

Layout Artist

The News Supplement

of Couples for Christ

gestion the guidelines indicate the following as the activitiesfor the said day hearing Mass together dining together athome praying together and in gratitude expressing theirlove to one another

hrough the Family Honoring Night the community hopesto strengthen the relationship among the family members andempower each one to truly cherish and love one another

Bong Pagulayan

Mark Banzon

Cholo Yjares

Ricky Rico

Edythe Avendantildeo

Raul Balaquiao

Jay Lucena

Tony de la Cruz

C2 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

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8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 2024

CFC China Conducts

Mission Heads Training

CFC Greece Leaders Meet Archbishop of Athens amp Nuncio

COUPLES for Christ USA and CFC Greece leaders paid a courtesy call on Archbishop Sevastianos Rossolatos and Fr George Altouvas at the Archd ioce se of Athens he g roup in troduced Couples f or Chri st to the new Archbishop and di scus sed theirplans to initiate a CFC Youth Camp in Greek as well as to develop CFC teachings in Greek

On another occasion the CFC leaders met with the Apostolic Nuncio of the Holy See in Athens Archbishop Edward Joseph AdamsTey discussed challenges and forthcoming changes in the Greek Catholic hierarchy and laid down CFCrsquos plans for CFC Athens

SINGLES for Christ Metro Manila gath-ered at the San Carlos Seminary in Makatilast December 5 2015 at 700 pm forthe SFC Global One a two-hour non-stop worship experience Jay Laquiana fulltime pastoral worker for SFC ledthe worship

Global One was meant to be a simul-taneous praise concert with major cities

or provinces hosting the event But what

made this yearrsquos Global One event special was the fact that it was the first time it wasstaged online via youtube live broadcastTis gave SFCs all over the world an oppor-tunity to come together despite differencesin time zone

ogether as one ministry SFCs from theMetro Manila Sectors the provinces andthe various countries like the USA Canada

and the Middle Eastern countries raised

SFC GLOBAL ONEmdashUniting the World

via Online Worship

their voices in praise and worship for thecountless favors they received It likewisebecame an opportunity to ask the Lordto bless the ministry for the coming year

Te ministry sees the online Global Oneas an event they can do annually Tey alsosee it as a potential tool to reach othernon-SFC members to witness Christ andcome together with other young people to

worship (Lanie Montaos)

OSM C1

CFC Winnipeg held its 2nd Celebration of Covenant Love onNovember 21st the feast of the Presentation of Our Lady Sixteencouples attended the activity

One week prior to the Renewal of Wedding Vows the 16 coupleshad a mini-retreat conducted by their spiritual advisor Fr YollyGamallo Te mini-retreat included four couple-sharers Te HolyMass was celebrated at St John Cantius Parish presided by MsgrLouis McCloskey A simple reception followed for the 16 couples andabout 60 family members with additional witnesses from the CFCcommunity Te participants who renewed their marriage vows werefrom varied age groups with some having been married for only five

years to couples who were celebratingo 40 years of holy matrimony

Tis year makes the Celebration of Love even more relevant as itis the year that held the papal Synod on the Family and the WorldMeeting of Families Pope Francis stated when making an address tofamilies ldquoTose who celebrate the sacrament say lsquoI promise to be trueto you in joy and in sadness in sickness and in health I will love youand honour you all the days of my lifersquo At that moment the coupledoes not know what will happen nor what joys and pains awaitthem Tey are setting out like Abraham on a journey together

And that is what marriage is Setting out and walking togetherhand in hand putting yourselves in the Lordrsquos powerful handsHand in hand always and for the rest of your livesrdquo (from http

couplesforchristcanadaca)

A Celebration of Covenant Love

I cherish the treasure the treasure of you lifelong companion I give myself to you These happy couples from CFC Vancouver saying Yes again to oneanother and to God as they renew their marriage vows

CFC missionaries to South Americarejoiced as they completed a fruitfulmission to the area a fitting end to theyear Te mission to Nuevo Pueblo deColaacuten opened a new area an hour awayby land from Piura Peru establish-ing CFC ndash Parejas para Cristo in a remotetown in the desert At the end of theChristian Life Program 13 new CFCPPC members composed of 4 couples4 HOLD and 1 SOLD committed to alife with Christ

Te PVC (Programa de Vida Cristiana- Spanish CLP) was held November 27to 29 2015 (Tanksgiving weekend) byCFC USA Florida in Iglesias del Rosarioone of two parishes in town Padre LuisSerra head pastor of the main churchthe Iglesia Sagrado Corazoacuten de Jesuacutesopened the doors to CFC PPC Fourother brethren from CFC PPC RiojaPeru headed by Fr Rober Martinez cameto reinforce the missionariesrsquo efforts Teteam got a taste of their first mission

CFC China is on full throttle in its evan-gelization efforts Tey recently conducted

the first-ever CFC China Mission Headsraining from November 27 to 30 at Vilada Sta Isabel Estrada Cheoc Van MacauTe training aimed to strengthen its leader-ship ranks through several formation talksfrom the Chapter Leaders raining (CL)series Te sixty participants were mostlyChinese with some Filipino Mission Headsand their AG members from the North

West East and South of China includingMacau SAR and Hong Kong SAR

Te first day of the training was devotedto a silent retreat based on Psalm 4610ndash ldquoBe silent and know that I am GodrdquoTe three-hour retreat centered on thetheme ldquoWe need to Change How WeLead o lead like Jesusrdquo with each par-ticipant encouraged to ldquoempty oneselfrdquoFr Oliviades a member of the Opus Deifacilitated the retreat

Day 2 started with a Holy Mass concel-

ebrated by Fr Joseph Wang from YiwuEast China Te training proper began with Israel Silud CFC Country Headand Northwest Regional Head givingthe overview and citing challenges thatCFC China faces He reiterated thatCFC Chinarsquos goal of raising 1 millionhousehold heads will be driven by the

The fruits of 2015 for CFC PPC hundreds of miles away from home

In 2015 ten missions were held inSouth America by CFC USA All these

were made possible by a handful of zeal-ous and selfless CFC USA mission vol-unteers who sacrificed a lot and deniedthemselves many comforts in order tobring the Word of God to families in Co-lombia Ecuador and Peru CFC ParejasPara Cristo will not take off without thefinancial support of CFC USA

ruly God gave a very good year for

the mission team harvesting 608 souls in2015 (a total of 857 persons from June2014 to date) Te task of sustainingCFC PPC families and area countriesare enormous But with grateful heartsthe South America team humbly turnsto God thanking Him each day forHis guidance as He leads the way Teteam looks forward to 2016s adventureof bringing the banner of Christ to themiddle and corners of the earth (GlenSantayana)

whether lay or from the Chaplainsrsquo ranklikewise gave testimonies on how theirinvolvement in the CEP made them real-ize that they have become not only agentsof change but recipients of grace as well

In the afternoon the Chaplains andtheir CFC counterparts came together fora round table discussion of the plans ofthe various Infantry Divisions nationwide

Army Chie f Chaplain Fr Col Andre sBonifacio Belleza CHS (GSC) in anunexpected move expressed his recog-nition through the grant of awards ofthe initiatives of the Army Chaplainsin implementing the CEP in their vari-ous Divisions Fr Maj Juan Jerome CDaluro was awarded Best Chaplain ofthe Year 2015 for his exemplary ser viceas Division Chaplain of 9th Infantry(Spear) Division Fr MSg Mario Ban-

iqued Philippine Army (PA) OACCSChief Clerk was recognized as Best

Chaplain Assistant of the YearSince the partnership between the

OACCS and CFC OSM started in April2014 the group has conducted CharacterEnhancement Retreats (CER) for 28 Phil-ippine Army commands Trough CFCSingles for Christ volunteers a ChristianLife Program has likewise been conductedfor the Philippine Military Academy Classof 2018 graduating 385 PMA-Singles forChrist members Presently five CERs arealso being done at the V Luna MedicalCenter in Quezon City

Alabanza admit s there is still muchto be done So far the CEP has reached2000 men and women in uniformroughly 0287 percent of an estimated800000 population of soldiers theirspouses and their families Tis is indeedfertile ground for values and spiritual

transformation which is just waiting tobe conquered (A Alvarez)

Another fruitful harvest in Peru from top the 13 new members in CFC PPC all-women discussion group

Courtesy call top photos CFC leaders with Archbishop Edward Joseph Adams amp Fr George Altouvas bottom photos with Fr George Archbishop SevastianosRossolatos and Archbishop Edward Joseph Adams

CFC OSM and the OACCS reaching out to the men and women in uniform and their families through the Character Enhancement Program

personal holiness of its ser vant-leaders who will be leading the evangelization thrust

in 34 provinces in China CL talks 2-5 were given by the regional heads with their wives as sharers

Day 3 began with the recitation ofthe Holy Rosary followed by anotherconcelebrated Holy Mass Fr Oliviadesdelivered a beautiful homily on ldquoemptyingoneselfrdquo Te rest of the CL talks wereagain delivered by the regional heads withtheir wives as sharers In CL alk 9 Siludemphasized the need to pay attention tothe means to care for the spirit mind andbody of the leaders

Te last day primarily focused on plan-ning the CFC China activities for 2016One of the proposals from the planningis that the four (4) regions in China willeach be hosting the major activities linedup for the year

Te three-day training and planning was conducted by CFC China Country

Head IsraelSally Silud with the supportof North Asia Regional Coordinator Ga-rieCess Pimentel and the regional headsfrom East China (EricEvelyn Ylagan)South China (JoelErica Santos) HongKong SAR (GarieCess Pimentel) andMacau SAR (JMEmilie Yupangco) (Ericamp Evelyn Ylagan)

C4 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

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JCL ndash member while for the TeologicalCommission the experts appointed wereFr Alexander L Garces SDB JCL ndashPresident Fr Enrico Eusebio Jr SJ JCDndash member and Sr Maria Amparo SantosOP JCL ndash member As with the ribunalmembers the Presidents and membersof both Commissions individually tooktheir respective oaths and signed the Acts

Te appointed Copyist Ms RonalynRegino and Assistant Copyist Ms Ge-cerein Sayen Ocampo were called next totake their respective oaths and similarlysigned in the Acts

Ten Postulator Msgr Pedro C Qui-torio III and Vice Postulator Fr WilmerR Rosario JCD individually took their

respective oaths not compromise the truthand offend justice nor impede the free-dom of witnesses to testify in the CauseTereafter they also signed the Acts

Te Postulator then presented to Car-dinal agle for his examination a list of

witnesses to be interrogated subject to thepossible addition and revision of namesin the future Upon examining the listthe Cardinal decreed that the next sessionfor interrogation of witnesses be held on

January 11 2016 at the Arzobispado deManila

Finally after ordering the Chancellorto establish public record of this First Ses-sion Cardinal agle declared the Processfor the Causes of Beatification and Can-

onization of Servant of God FAHERGEORGE J WILLMANN SJ Father ofthe Order of the Knights of Columbus inthe Philippines OPEN

o complete the Rites His EminenceLuis Antonio Cardinal agle together withformer Chief Justice Hilario G Davide

Jr as Chairman of the National ExecutiveCommittee (NEC) for the Cause of Fr

Willmann jo intly u nveiled the portraitof Father George J Willmann SJ

Tereafter Cardinal agle began thecelebration of the Holy Eucharist Con-celebrants were Bishop Honesto FOngtioco DD Bishop Mylo HubertC Vergara DD Msgr Geronimo FReyes JCD Fr William Arana OSA Fr

Carlo Magno Marcelo Fr Marvin MejiaFr Wilmer Rosario JCD Fr Carlo DelRosario Fr Julius Paul Factora OP JCDFr Sander Niez JCL Fr Alex GarcesSDB JCL Fr Rico Garcia Fr ReginaldMalicdem Fr Darwin Faith Ponce OSAFr Ricky VIllar OSA Fr Geoffrey Eb-orda OSA Fr Genaro Supremedo OSAFr Jojo orres OSA Fr Joseph VillarealOSA Fr Roy Gallano OSA Fr MichaelSalazar and Fr Romel Cruz

Also serv ing as Conce lebrants werea number of KC Priests Scholars of theKnights of Columbus Fr George J

Willmann Charities Inc that includedMsgr Pedro C Quitorio III Fr Benjamin

The Cross A Supplement Publication of KCFAPI and the Order of the Knights of ColumbusCBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25 December 7 2015 - 27 2016

Sainthood bid opens forFr George Willmann SJBy Roberto T Cruz

On December 7 2015 Mon-

day the bells of the ManilaCathedral rang out loud as HisEminence Luis Antonio Car-dinal agle presided over themilestone celebration of theHoly Eucharist at the ManilaCathedral to formally open theDiocesan process of the Causeof Fr George J Willmann SJ

he Liturgical Rites for the formalopening of the diocesan process precededthe Mass at 900am With the entranceprocession of Cardinal agle as the MainCelebrant together with two bishops twomonsignors and thirty-three priests whoconcelebrated the Mass the Rites started

with Msgr Pedro C Quitorio III theappointed Diocesan Postulator for theCause of Fr Willmann giving biographi-cal highlights of the life of Fr George J

Willmann SJ An Invocation of the HolySpirit followed with the singing of VeniCreator Spiritus by the Manila CathedralBasilica Choir

Cardinal agle then examined anddeclared the legitimacy of the appoint-ments of Msgr Pedro C Quitorio III asthe Postulator and Fr Wilmer R Rosario

JCD as Vice-Postul ator in conformity with the Code of Canon Law

Appointed members of the Diocesanribunal for the Cause of Fr Willmann

were Msgr Geronimo F Reyes JCDas Episcopal Delegate Fr Carlo P DelRosario JCL as Promoter of Justice Mseresita F Kudemus ndash First Notary MsMarivic M Ambasa ndash Second Notary Ms

Julieta R Santos as Tird NotaryTe Cardinal reminded them of the

great responsibility importance andseriousness of the Process for the Causesfor Beatification and Canonization Asrequired by Church law all the mem-bers of the ribunal starting with MsgrGeronimo F Reyes individually tooktheir oath to faithfully fulfill hisher com-mitment and then signed the Acts

Te Experts who were tapped to formthe Historical Commission includeFr Julius Paul Factora OP JCD asPresident Fr Adolfo N Dacanay SJ

JCD ndash member and Fr Sander D Niez Sainthood D3

KCFAPI Theme and Logo for 2016HE year 2016 has been pro-claimed the Year of the Eucharistand the Family by the CatholicBishopsrsquo Conference of the Phil-ippines Te theme is part of thenine year spiritual journey thatbegan with the Year of Faith

where we experienced an authenticrenewal of faith guided by the newevangelization principles

he Holy Eucharist whichmeans thanksgiving invitesfamilies of the Catholic faithfulto commemorate the supremesacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christon the cross to receive His body

and blood in the Holy Commu-nion and to celebrate His victoryover death

Te Roman Catholic Churchpromotes strong family ties andvalues Parents are entrustedthe responsibility to prepare andteach their children to follow JesusChrist and live His gospel

KCFAPI distinguished itselfin protecting the sanctity of thefamily by providing comfortand sustenance in any loss orlife-changing event among fam-ily members KCFAPI respondsswiftly to changing or evolvingfamily insurance needs Nowon its 58th year of providingunsurpassed uncompromised

fraternal service KCFAPI vowsand advocates relentlessly to

render comfort benefit and as-sistance to all brother knightsand their families with mercy andcompassion

As part of the KCFAPI familyin a pioneering effort all wholly-owned and majority-ownedcompanies will coordinate theirschedules and manage theirresources towards one com-mon goal and will function asone well oiled machine By

joi nin g han ds gu ide d by theHoly Spirit the strength ofone is multiplied several times

over Te heart symbolizes lovemercy and compassion and is

also Charity ndash the first of fourcore principle of the OrderKCFAPI in heart-shaped bordermantles the five wholly- ownedand majority-owned companies Keys Realty amp DevelopmentCorporation Kompass Creditand Financing Corporation KCPhilippines Foundation IncKnights of Columbus Fr George

J Willmann Charitie s Inc andMace Insurance Agency IncTey are depicted by the boldshoulders of the figures symbol-izing the family Just like in any

close-knit family concentratedon accomplishing one objective

all employees will be engagedtheir support and talent pooledand harnessed to participateactively in any company activi-ties working in tandem as onecohesive unit

Te logo vividly demonstratesthe solidarity and bonding of fam-ily members if they gather togetherand allow Christ to be at the centerof their family relationship

Te different colors representthe various hues of the Order ofthe Knights of Columbus red

whit e blu e and yell ow hegreen color manifests KCFAPIrsquos

concern for our environment andits managementrsquos advocacy gearedtowards a healthy state of our sur-roundings Orange brings a posi-tive outlook in life optimism andmotivation to look on the brighterside of life

Te cup and host (in yellow)emulating the Holy Eucharist pro-vides Christ- centered way of life

Te circular flow represents in-finity or totality the unboundedtimeless and never ending lovecare and affection of KCFAPIin providing each and every KCfamily a shield of security protec-tion and hope Te acronym ALLcharacterizes KCFAPIrsquos inclusiveapproach to all forms of actions

products and services (Angelito A Bala)

As we protect families for generations Act Live Love

KCFAPI Planning Conference The Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of thePhilippines Inc held their 2016 Planning Conference last November 7-9 2015 atColumbus Plaza General Santos City Present were KCFAPI Chairman Bro Arsenio IsidroG Yap KCFAPI President Bro Jose C Reyes Jr KCFAPI Executive Vice President SisMa Theresa G Curia KCFAPI Officers and Supervisors KEYS Realty Vice President Bro

Riz Nicolas and HTMC Vice President Sis Apolonia Dominguez

Living Rosary The Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of the Philippines Inchad their Living Rosary last October 30 2015 at the KCFAPI main office This has been

a yearly practice for the Month of the Holy Rosary which is usually conducted by itsofficers and staff

Cardinal Tagle leads the unveiling of the portrait of Jesuit Fr George J Willmann as the Manila archdiocesan process for the Cause of Beatification and Canonization of the latter formally opens at the Manila Cathedralon Monday Dec 7 Willman is considered as t he ldquoFather of the Knights of Columbusrdquo in the Philippines ROY LAGARDE

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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D2 The CrossDecember 7 2015 - 27 2015 Vol 19 No 25

ACQ UIR IN G a hou se and lo t which they can call their own home

and driving their own cars are twoof the priority dreams of Filipinoparents Of course seeing theirchildren finish college education iseither Number 1 or Number 2

Te Knights of Columbus Frater-nal Association of the PhilippinesInc (KCFAPI) has formed andincorporated a new company to helpmembers of the Order to have their

dream homes and motor carsKCFAPI named the new company as Kompass Credit and

Financing Corporation (KCFC) after one of the symbols of theKnights of Columbus which is the Compass Like the Compassof the ancient marines KOMPASS is here to guide BrotherKnight in having their own home and efficient mobility

KOMPASS can also extend home car and business loans tothe general public

Interested parties can call KOMPASS at el No 527-2242

527-2223 loc 215 and 252 for further details of the loan

Arsenio Isidro G Yap

Chairmanrsquos Message

Presidentrsquos Message

Ma Theresa G Curia

Jose C Reyes Jr

Reflection

Curia Settings

Michael P Cabra

Bequest LIFE this Christmas

My Brotherrsquos Keeper

FILIPINO raditions reflect the kindof people that we are All traditionscustoms and beliefs evolve from thelove and respect of the family Ourmutual and natural respect for oneanother our desire to please and notoffend each other and our willingness

to extend a helping hand are just a fewof the basic foundations which madethe Filipino people unique a one of a

kind and nowhere else could be found And certainly a must-have as a friend and neighbor

Some of the trait I like is the ldquomano pordquo expression and at thesame time reaching for the otherrsquos hand and asking for his blessingsTe respected elder would normally extend his hand to touch theforehead of the one asking for his blessings and expresses ldquokaawanka ng Diyosrdquo or ldquoGod bless yourdquo It doesnrsquot matter whether the onebeing accorded the respect is younger than the person asking forthe blessing or even if they hardly know each other

Another trait is removing onersquos slippers or shoes when enteringa neighborrsquos house Te guest expresses his respect for the hostand does not in any way want to spoil or damage the pristinecondition of the floor which is normally kept shiny and clean

Cleaning of onersquos surrounding to the point of cleaning also theneighborrsquos grounds I could still remember in our neighborhoodthat the old folks would sweep the debris on the street in front

of their houses But instead of just collecting their own trashthey would try to outdo each other by picking (or sweeping)the litter on the street up to the neighborrsquos house in front andeven on their right and left side

Everyone living along the same street knows each other very well to the point that all knows who are having a hard time and would need some assistance A neighbor would readily do somehousehold chores give some food and try to console those whoare grieving for the loss of a love one Nobody needs to askHelp is extended readily

Although the traits Irsquove mentioned above are seldom practicednowadays except for the ldquomano pordquo I still believe that those

were just some of our good traits which define us as people which define us as a Filipino a unique breed of people We arevery resilient that even though we are in grief or experiencingextreme challenges in our everyday life we still are able to lightour faces with the friendliest smile

Christmas is another tradition-field celebration that is uniquelyFilipino Te ldquoSimbang Gabirdquo ldquoputo bumbongrdquo and the like are

some Christmas traditions But let us not forget that Christmas isnot just a season of merriment but is a season for reconciliationItrsquos that time of the year when we want to ask forgiveness fromthose we had wronged and at same time forgive also those whohad wronged us and forget whatever they had done to us

Christmas is a season wherein family ties are kept stronger andmore meaningful But to be more meaningful it is better that weshare our blessings to those in need whose nights might be Holy but

would be very Silent and the only sound that they could hear arenot carols of merriment but the grumbling of their empty stomach

Make this Christmas the most meaningful Christmas ever bysharing your ldquoNoche Buenardquo with a neighbor or better still witha complete stranger May the birth of our Lord touch our heartsand be responsive to those in need

CHRISMAS is a holy day celebratingthe birth of Jesus Christ our Saviour Ithas been a tradition in the Philippines that

we go to dawn masses from December 16to the eve of Christmas day Because ourenthusiasm builds up as early as Septemberon Christmas Day itself many of us areexhausted after days of going through heavytraffic on the way to parties and to crowdedshopping malls to shop for gifts Tere arealso many events that we are enticed to at-tend for our kidsrsquo sake gatherings of relatives and friends near and farand entertainment we spend a lot for the family

While these festivities are all expressions of love we sometimes forgetthat Christmas day is the day we should go to mass to thank God forall the blessings we received from Him and in turn to offer our gift to

Jesus Christ As we enter the Advent season let us start reflecting on

how we can better love and serve God on how we can help the poorand how we can give hope to those who are losing hope Let us put intoaction the principle of charity with greater vigor and sense of urgency

May Christmas be like the ldquoJourney to the Innrdquo of Joseph and Mary- tiring yet full of hope and joy to welcome Christ in our hearts andour homes As Knights of Columbus let us lead our communities toa Christ-centered Advent celebration this year and always

My family and I wish your whole family ldquoA Merry Christmas and aBlessed New Yearrdquo

FOR this Christmas I wish tobase my reflection on a poem

written by Horacio de la Costathe first Filipino provincial ofthe Jesuits Please read and usethe poem as a Christmas greet-ing My reflection is nothingcompared to the poem

We must have visited all theBelens in our churches since we

were small In fact most of usalso put up the Christmas cribin our own homes In arlacthey even have yearly exhibits ofBelens which they call Belenis-mo We were told that it was StFrancis who started putting upthe crib in his church And thepoem of Horacio Dela Costatells us that if we meditate onthis set up we might discover

the surprises that they bring toour consciousness

Let us identify some fea-tures of the Belens that we se earound us during the Christ-mas season and together letus reflect on the meanings thatthese can offer us We shall seedifferent layers of Christmasmeaning emerge

1 he King was born poorGod has become human Tisis one of the features that wesee when we stare at the Crib

What a paradox the king ispoor God is human Life isindeed full of paradoxes andof seeming contradictions

We make sense of them only

with the passage o f t ime and

as we mature both in age andin faith

2 he Bethlehem scene isprofoundly meaningful sym-bolic and mystery-laden We

watch the figures in the Be lenand sometimes we do notunderstand When we do notunderstand the turn of eventsin our life we should not giveup We should not run awayTe world will not end onlybecause we do not understand

what we see exper ience or feelLet us stand in awe at Godrsquosvisit when we are clueless of

what i s happening 3 he King was born in a

manger But there was peacearound among the wise menand the shepherds on that holy

and starry night We see atthe Belen scene a communionamong God humans the richand the poor animals and hu-mans the stars the night andthe people It was as though ata special moment the Universe

was one As though the con-nectedness of all the elements

was not merel y ecolog ical asLaudato Si spoke of but evendivine -human No wonderthat we do not get tired of put-ting up our belens at home inchurches and in public placesNo wonder that we can stareforever at the Nativity scenealthough we do not fully un-derstand everything although

we do it yea r afte r year We

also feel that we are there andthat we are connected to the

figures they represent we areconnected to history to oursurroundings and even to ourGod

4 he Savior was born ina manger where animals eatTe meaning of the mangerscene has been the content ofmany sermons that we haveheard We were told that thisdoes not only refer to thehumility or poverty of Jesus

A dee per meaning they say isthat Jesus has come to be foodfor all who come to him Jesuscame to give Himself as foodfor the world His words histeachings his mercy and com-passion and his Good News of

Godrsquos Plan are enough to fillour emptiness with a sense ofdirection and destiny Teyquench our thirst for enlight-enment guidance and sense ofdignity as humans

5 he Baby who is born isthe Savior of the world Howcan a Baby save the w orld Wesee before us a baby wrappedin swaddling clothes And werealize that Divinity can berevealed in very human situ-ations And that the humblestreality could be a revelationthat God is in our midst If weopen our hearts and minds tothe Lord His Spirit enlightensand gives delight to our weary

and limited minds and souls

Even today we can feel Hismessage although sometimes

we do not ful ly unders tand Te truth dawns on us when

we ar e qu ie t and when we wait When we do not rush toknow Godrsquos Presence is a Giftthat we can never be worthy ofBut the point here is not thatour littleness could obstructthe Revelation of a mysteryRather the Greatness of theLord compels Him to revealHimself to the little one Evento us Now

Tat is why Liturgy invokesour ability to watch to look at

what happe ns in the Churchcelebrations Te beauty ofcandles incense and flowerscan evoke some sense of the

Sacred Space a Sacred Mo-ment and a Sacred Encounter

Te Belen does this for us inrevealing the message of Christ-mas If we open our eyes weshall see the Message of Christ-mas with our hearts If we havetime and we can keep quietbefore the Belen we might seethe surprise of the Lord

[The author Ma TheresaG Curia is the Executive VicePresident amp Chief OperatingOfficer of the Knights of Co-lumbus Fraternal Association ofthe Phils Inc (KCFAPI) andthe incumbent Diocesan Regentof the Daughters of Mary Im-maculate International Dioceseof Malolos]

IrsquoS that time of the year again We must allbegin the increasingly difficult task of buy-ing suitable gifts for our friends and familyHowever there is a different gift you shouldseriously consider giving this year Itrsquos not a fun

present nor it is exciting Itrsquos not somethingyou can play with or wear and it definitely wouldnrsquot be considered a treat Itrsquos a gift thatno one wants but everyone NEEDS So whatare we talking about A Fraternal Service Plan

A Benefit Certificate (BC) or what is simplyknown as a life insurance policy Every year

we search for that perfect gift for a loved oneSomething that will show how much we careand appreciate them What could better provethat than giving someone the gift of SECU-RIY and SABILIY

Unfortunately the recent statistics presentthe sad truth (a) more than 95 Filipinos donot have adequate levels of insurance and (b)more than 80 of Filipinos do not believethey are likely to suffer a serious illness in the

next 20 years Yet each year around 365000Filipinos face premature death either caused byaccidental death or natural sickness It equatesto 1000 untimely deaths everyday

Firstly think about your present situation

Do you have loved ones who depend on youfinancially If something were to happen toyou would your family struggle to maintaintheir current lifestyle the kind of living yoursquovebeen providing If you answered yes to thesequestions itrsquos as simple as that - you need tohave life insurance Secondly do you have aloved one (parent spouse adult children e tc)

who needs protection Tis year give them theultimate gift Having an adequate amount oflife insurance can help in paying off hospitalbills memorial bills mortgage and even in-heritance tax It can allow a family to maintaintheir current level of living and possibly evenfund long term goals such as childrenrsquos schoolfunds dream car house business and evenretirement Now wersquore not saying this is the

only gift you should give it might look a littlesad with only that under the Christmas treeHowever just consider along with the othergifts giving a present that may not be appreci-ated at that moment might come in use should

a critical time arrive You look after your familyand so this is a perfect gift ideaItrsquos important to consult a fraternal counselor

when considering life insurance as it is impera-tive that you are insured accurately dependingon your current situation and future needs

Should you wish to know more just visit wwwkofcorgph for inquiries

Did you know thatFor as low as PhP10000 you can already

start the Gift of Life to your loved ones Tisfraternal service plan is called KC Peso Saver Itis a single contribution endowment plan which

will mature at the end of the benefit certificatersquos10th year In fact a lot of Knights of ColumbusMembers invest with this Gift of Life everyChristmas for their spouse and children

Gemille Isabel P Gloria

A Meek Christmas

IMAGINE a pregnant mother who is supposed to give birth toa child at the moment and rideson a donkey with her husband

Apart from the pain of laborthe mother is enduring deathchases their yet unborn child astheir King deliberately kills allthe newborn babies that night

urned down by the innkeepersthey ended up in a crude stablesharing it with the farm animalsand the shepherds as she gavebirth to a baby boy and placedhim in a manger I bet you arepicturing a scene of a movie inyour head right now Tis isactually what the first Christmaslooked like

Going back to the presentChristmas is far more delightfuland exciting Shopping feastinggift-giving and vacation trippingare just few of the activities that

we cannot do away with in ourChristmas lists We think ofChristmas like no other ordinaryday of the year We make sure

that for Noche Buena there isabundance of bountiful feasts inour dining table from a platterof mouth-watering leche flan toa sumptuous lechon new clothesup to fifty percent sale on theselected items section and expen-sive gifts covered in a Santa Claus

wrapper under a fully decorated

Christmas tree We associate theChristmas season as a time ofsplendor since it is the birthday ofour Savior Unfortunately someof us could only imagine thesethings Tey are our fellow whoare counted by the government inabject poverty who could hardlythink of where and how to gettheir first meal for the 365 daysof the year including Christmasday One does not need to moveafar to behold this ravers-ing nearby the office we couldalready see some of the faces inpoverty If you have not takenyet the underpass connectingManila City Hall and Intramu-ros as you make your way out of

it you will see sullied children intattered clothes inhaling plasticbags containing rugby with somesoiled adults who seem to be theirparents doing the same thing

With their hunger already in theirhead some children forcibly takethe food of the passersby Duringthe night the space where people

enter and exit the underpassin the day turns into a freezinghome for the homeless Youcan see in their wrinkled face thefeeling of sleeping on the passage-

ways with only cardboard boxesand worn out fabrics in betweentheir body and the cold cementedground Teir condition is notfar from what Jesus experiencedon the first Christmas born intoand chose to live a life of poverty

Remembering martyredSalvadoran Archbishop OscarRomero who once said thatldquoNo one can celebrate a genuineChristmas without being trulypoor he self sufficient theproud those who because they

have everything look down onothers those who have no needeven of God for them there

will be no Christmas Only thepoor the hungry those whoneed someone to come on theirbehalf will have that someonehat someone is God Em-manuel God-with-usrdquo With

what he thought we canrsquot arguethat at times we want everythingTe more you have the moreyou want and the more you get

What if we have nothing Whatif we donrsquot have gifts food andnew clothes for the Christmas

What if we are in the place of thehomeless Would we still feel thesame Christmas Spirit withoutthe things we celebrate with it

We have to learn to celebrat eChristmas with how the poorperceive it Let us not reachthe point where we celebrateChristmas just because we willreceive our one-year wish listLet us learn to lose to sacrificeand to give during Christmas

Joseph P Teodoro

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D3The Cross December 7 2015 - 27 2015 Vol 19 No 25

Deogracias Fajota Fr Jeronimo

Ma Cruz Fr Antonio Rex PalayaFr Melvin Gamelo Fr JuliusCuison Fr Felix Labios Fr Ra-melle Rigunay Fr Randy SalungaFr Joel Cariaso Fr HernandezMendoza Fr Julius de Sagun FrRonel Ilano Fr Lowie Palines andFr Emmanuel Hiipolito

In his homily Cardinal aglestarted by citing that aside fromthe formal opening of the Dioc-esan process for Fr Willmannit was also the feast day of St

Ambrose a great teacher of theChurch known for his sanctityand teachings It was also the eveof the Immaculate Conception ofour Blessed Mother Mary plus thestart of the Advent season

Te Cardinal then focused onthe question What does it meanto be holy With the opening ofthe Cause he said that Fr George

J Willmann St Ambrose andMother Mary all responded tosanctity and holiness Cardinalagle clarified that ldquoHoliness isan attribute of God and not manrsquosachievement nor his work It isGod who is Holy and our holi-ness is a gift of God ndash our oneness

with HimrdquoCardinal agle added that the

message of the First Reading is thatthe Holiness of God is seen withmarvelous work ndash like transform-ing a desert into a garden filled

with water and flowers where we

are able to drink from Godrsquos good-ness with a safe road along the

holy way Te desert symbolizes

humanity that is seen to be dryfruitless empty and even life-less However when God entersall these are transformed into abountiful garden Godrsquos Holinessalways creates miracles ldquoWhen-ever we experience hopelessnessloaded with faults we must notbe afraid for that is the time whenGod will come to infuse His Holi-ness and cure the sickness Tat isthe Good Newsrdquo Cardinal agleadded that during this season ofadvent we must look deeper intoour deserts in order to experiencethe Holiness of God

Te Cardinal then underscoredthat we need to respond to GodrsquosHoliness not like the scribes in

the reading who questioned andrejected Jesus but like the friendsof the paralyzed man who lookedfor a nonconventional way -through the roof - to bring theparalytic closer to Jesus Cardinalagle stressed the need for us to bealert discerning with eyes of faithin order for us to respond to ourHoly God in His action when weare in our desert

he Cardinal then asked thepeople to pray for those entrusted

with the Cau se of Fr Willmannthat they may be illumined witheyes of faith With no intention ofpre-empting the Diocesan processCardinal agle simply thankedGod as we are now privileged

to share Godrsquos holiness throughpersonal experiences with Fr Will-

Sainthood D1

Process for PHrsquos new lsquoServantof Godrsquo starts rollingMANILA Dec 7 2015 ndash Manila Arch-bishop Luiacutes Antonio G Cardinal agleofficially accepted on Monday Dec 7the Feast of St Ambrose the petition toopen an investigation on the sanctity andheroic virtues of Fr George J WillmannSJ founder of the Knights of Columbus(KC) in the Philippines among otherCatholic lay organizations

At least 1000 of the naturalized Fili-pino Jesuit priestrsquos spiritual children fromall over the country including no lessthan former Supreme Court (SC) Chief

Justice Hilario G Davide Jr becamepart of Philippine Church history as they

witnes sed at the Manila Metropo litanCathedral Basilica the solemn opening ofthe archdiocesan process they hope wouldlead to beatification and canonization

lsquoGreat responsibilityrsquoIn line with this agle appointed Msgr

Pedro C Quitorio III of the CatholicBishopsrsquo Conference of the Philippines(CBCP) Media Office as postulator forthe cause of the countryrsquos newest ldquoServantof Godrdquo

He also approved the appointments ofMsgr Geronimo S Reyes Fr Wilmer RRosal and Fr Ricardo P del Rosario asepiscopal delegate vice postulator andpromoter of justice respectively as wellas of a host of other experts both clericand lay who vow to work together to giveFilipinos another saint

Te prelate went on to swear in allthose involved in the cause for Willmannrsquosbeatification and canonization remindingthem of the ldquogreat responsibilityrdquo theyhave assumed and the ldquoimportance andseriousnessrdquo of the task at hand

PHrsquos Fr McGivney Dubbed ldquoFr McGivney of the Philip-

pinesrdquo due to his dedication to expand KClocally Willmann worked for the radicaltransformation of faith into action

Born on June 29 1897 to very devoutCatholic parents in Brooklyn New Yorkthe American Jesuit was granted Philip-pine citizenship by President FerdinandMarcos through Presidential Decree(PD) No 740

In 1938 he first served as chaplain

of KC Manila Council 1000 then re-turned in 1954 to become the Orderrsquosfirst Philippine Deputy until his deathin 1977

In total the priest spent 44 fruitful andproductive years in the Philippines serv-ing the poor the sick the orphans theoppressed the lonely and the desolateespecially the young ones

KCFAPI etcBesides what is formally known as the

Knights of Columbus Fraternal Associa-tion of the Philippines Inc (KCFAPI)

which he founded in 1958 Willmannestablished other organizations as follows

bull Catholic Youth Organization (1938)bull Establishment of the Catholic Press

ldquoFilipinasrdquo and the ldquoCrossrdquo Magazines(1946)

bull Columbian Squires in the Philippines(1950)

bull Daughters of Isabella in the Philip-pines (1951) reorganized as Daughtersof Mary Immaculate (1977)

bull Columbian Farmers Aid Association(1951) reorganized as Knights of Co-lumbus Community Service Inc (1962)

bull Knights of Columbus Fraternal Asso-ciation of the Philippines Inc (KCFAPI)(1958)

bull Knights of Columbus PhilippinesFoundation Inc (1971) (Raymond ASebastiaacuten CBCP News)

Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle leads the Mass of the formal opening of the ArchdiocesanProcess for the Causes of Beatification and Canonization of the Servant of God FatherGeorge J Willmann SJ father of the Knights of Columbus in the Philippines LIN REGINO

Te Gentle Warrior By James B Reuter SJ

Part II of Chapter wo of ldquoTe Gentle Warriorrdquo series

CHAPER WO-----------------

Te Ateneo de Manila

HE Ateneo was a boysrsquo schoolTe objective of a boysrsquo school is tomake a man out of a boy Te mainvirtue of a man is courage Godmirrored His virtues in His childrenBut he divided them between girls

and boys Tere is such a thing as amasculine soul and a feminine soulIf a boy and a girl are suddenly con-fronted with a wild bull thunderingdown on them if the girl screamedand hid behind the boy that wouldbe normal But if the boy screamedand hid behind the girl everyone

would be ashamed of him Tevirtue of a girl is not physical cour-age it is love and mercy Te virtueof a boy is courage and justice Butin our schools there is no course inthe curriculum called ldquoCouragerdquo

here is no subject called

ldquoCouragerdquo Tere is no mark forldquoCouragerdquo It has to be taught inevery subject through the wholelife of the school he Jesuitsunderstood this very well AndGeorge understood it He began

to learn the meaning of couragehimself when he was five yearsold sitting on the curbstone onPutnam Avenue when the wheelof the garbage truck crushed bothhis feet

In the old Ateneo there wasa strong tradition of ldquoRomansrdquoand ldquoCarthageniansrdquo Jose Rizal

was the Emperor of the RomansEvery class was competitive TeRomans would be lined up onone side of the class the Car-thagenians on the other Te firstquestion went to the Romans

If the Romans answered it cor-rectly the questioning stayed

with the Romans If any Romanmissed the question went to theCarthagenians Ten the Romanboys would growl and grumble at

the Roman who missed It wascompetition to teach courage

And the battle cry of all theteams was ldquoAnimo Ateneordquo Youcould translate that as ldquoLetrsquos go

Ateneordquo or ldquoSpirit Ateneordquo orldquoFight Ateneordquo mdash but in practiceit meant courage Never give upno matter what the odds ldquoGoget lsquoem Ateneordquo Never say dieTis was obvious in everythingthat the boys did

But it never degenerated intoldquoWin at all costsrdquo Te secondmasculine virtue is justice Tis

means honesty integrity and fairplay Both at once mdash courageand fair play Te verse that everyathlete in the school knew by heart

was ldquoIf I should win let it be bythe code with my head and my

honor held high But if I shouldlose let me stand by the road andcheer as the winner goes byrdquo

It was a tremendous amount of work mdash teaching night and dayrunning the Sodality the ACILand the magazine mdash but Georgeloved it

And his students loved him Tefriendships that he made duringthose three years of regency from1922 to 1925 lasted more thanfifty years

(o be continued on the nextissue)

mann and his life and ministrydevoted to service that providedldquofresh water and good newsrdquo

particularly to the youth the poorand the prisonersTe Cardinal cited his own basic

formation as a Charter memberof the Columbian Squires inImus Cavite where they helpedthe Church in its program for thestreet children He also mentionedhis appreciation for being a scholarof the Knights of Columbus dur-ing Fr Willmannrsquos time

Reiterating that God indeedtransforms deserts into places ofrest peace and holiness Cardinalagle ended his homily by encour-aging all in attendance to be agentsof Godrsquos holiness

People from all walks of life joined the celebration of this Mass

that formally opened the Cause ofServant of God - Fr Willmann

Also repres ent ed were var iou sorganizations established and nur-tured by Fr George including the

Daughters of Isabella (now Daugh-ters of Mary Immaculate) Catholic Youth Organization ColumbianSquires and the Knights of Co-lumbus Parishioners and residents

with their families from nearbycities and communities of ondoIntramuros Sta Cruz Malate andother more distant places likewise

witnessed the very mean ingfulOpening of the diocesan processfor the Cause of their ldquoFather andBenefactorrdquo of forty years

Fr George J Willmann SJdevoted the last forty years of hislife not only in humble serviceand dynamic leadership of theKnights of Columbus in thePhilippines but equally being a

compassionate pastor in the careand formation of the youth He

provided relief to victims of the

war and of violence while also al-leviating the sufferings of the poorHe likewise established ways topreserve and promote the sanctityof life marriage and the family

It was in 1997 or eighteen yearsago that the Knights of Columbusin the Philippines first started aconcerted thrust to formally laythe groundwork for the Causeof Fr Willmann During theOrderrsquos centennial celebration ofFr Willmannrsquos birth the Ordercreated a Committee on Causecomposed of Ramon V ConsingLauro M Cruz and Msgr PedroC Quitorio III as co-chairmenNotable activities of the Com-mittee included gathering of tes-

timonials launch of the Prayer forthe Centennial of Fr Willmann with the Impr imatur of Msgr Jose C Abriol launching of Fr Willmann Fellows meeting withthen Jaime Cardinal Sin and theFather Provincial of the Jesuits toseek their respective endorsementsof the Cause Te Order publishedand distributed the pamphlet ldquoAGlimpsehe Life and Worksof Fr George J Willmann SJrdquoin order to give due acknowledg-ment and recognition as well as toincrease awareness abou t Fr Will-mann A landmark achievement ofthis period was the publication ofldquoTe Gentle Warriorrdquo a biographyof Fr Willmann authored by Fr

James B Reuter SJEstablishing and spreading the

fama sanctitatis of Fr Willmann

included the presentation andpromotion of his works mademore concrete by direct testimo-nies of various individuals whomhe personally interacted withFr Willmann Fellowsrsquo one-timemembership donations have beenpooled to fund the productionof materials such as prayer cardspublications tarpaulins postersto effectively promote Fr George

Willmann not only to brotherKnights but more importantlyto the youth the poor and under-privileged of various communities

In 2011 through the efforts ofthe KC Fraternal Association ofthe Philippines and the Knightsof Columbus Fr Willmann Chari-

ties Inc the National ExecutiveCommittee (NEC) for the Causeof Fr Willmann was created withthe primary function of overseeingall the initiatives relative to or inconnection with the Cause

We are blessed that the Dioc-esan process of the Cause of FrGeorge J Willmann SJ has nowbeen formally opened therebygiving us significant reason torejoice Henceforth he will nowbe regarded Servant of God Letus fervently pray for continuedenlightenment from the HolySpirit for everyone involved in thisDiocesan process and the Causeas a whole so that our belovedFr George J Willmann may ulti-

mately be elevated to the honorsof the altar

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D4 The CrossDecember 7 2015 - 27 2015 Vol 19 No 25

FST IN CAGAYAN A Fraternal Service Training program was held in Cagayan De Oro last November 13 2015Participants were from Zamboanga Misamis and Butuan The event was graced by KCFAPI Vice Presidentfor FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBG Manager Michael Cabra Aside from the product specifications thetraining also gives an idea regarding the basic insurance process and conceptualization of new marketingstrategies in order to achieve their goals and improve their sales performance (FBG News)

AREA MEETING IN VISAYAS The KCFAPI Western Visayas Armor held an area meeting in Bacolod lastOctober 24 2015 led by Agency Unit Manager Randy G Bravo and graced by KCFAPI Vice President forFBG Gari San Sebastian (KCFAPI News)

FST IN DAVAO A Fraternal Service Training program (1 and 2) was held in KCFAPI Davao Service OfficeDavao City last November 20-21 2015 Participants were from Compostela Valley Cotabato City andGeneral Santos The training was attended by KCFAPI Vice President f or FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBGManager Michael Cabra (FBG News)

PRODUCERSrsquo FORUM KCFAPI Vice President for FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBG Manager Michael Cabraled a Producersrsquo Forum wherein fraternal counsellors all over Luzon were gathered for an update of theirincentives program held last November 11 2015 at the KCFAPI home office (FBG News)

New KCFAPI Board of Trustee Bro Pascual C Carbero

IN February of 1986 BroCarbero started his knightlyservice in the Knights of Co-lumbus under Council 10695

in Valenzuela City Duringhis service in Council 10695he has been appointed asChancellor for CY 1992-1993 and as Deputy GrandKnight and Program Direc-tor for CY 1993-1994 InDistrict M-31 of ValenzuelaCity Bro Carbero was GrandKnight for CY 1994-1995District Warden for CY 1996-1997 and District Deputyfor CY 1997-1999 He wasalso Chairman for the Roundable District Deputies forCY 1998-1999 At the Dr PioValenzuela Assembly ACN1772 Meycauayan Bulacanhe was the Faithful Naviga-

tor for CY 1999-2000 Onthat same term Bro Pascual

was the Luzo n State Audi -tor for CY 2000-2003 andthe Luzon State Warden forCY 2000-2003 of the Luzon

Jurisdiction After which forCY 2000-2001 he becamethe Charter Faithful Naviga-tor for the City of Valenzuela

Assembly ACN 2676 For

CY 2007-2015 Bro Carbero was re-a ppo inte d as Luzo nState Warden Bro Carbero

was a voting delegate in the

KC Supreme Convention heldat Washington DC in 2010and also a non-voting delegateheld at Anaheim Californiain 2002 and 2012 Currentlyhe is the State Secretary of theLuzon North Jurisdiction

Bro Pascualrsquos dedicationand enthusiasm in participat-ing in the Order gave himthe endeavor to author thecreation of the City of Valen-zuela Assembly in 1999 withthe assistance of the Districtand Vice Supreme Master

With his knightly serv ice he was awarded with several rec-ognition namely OutstandingDistrictDeputy for CY 1997-

1999 Star District Awardeefor CY 1997-1999 and Civic

Awardee as Charter FaithfulNavigator of the City of Valen-zuela Assembly ACN 2676CY 2000-2001

Apart from Knights of Co-lumbus Bro Carbero partakeshis services in other civic andreligious organizations He isa Special Lay Minister of the

Holy Eucharist Parish of theHoly Cross since 1989 and amember of the Parish RenewalExperience Group He is the

Director and reasurer of thePhilippine Insurers Club from2013 to 2014 and currently itsPresident He is also a memberof the Insurance Executive1st Friday Club of Makatiand an incoming Presidentof the Philippine Associationof Surety Underwriters Incthis 2016

He was Director Corpo-rate Secretary of Mace Insur-ance Agency Inc from 2012until 2014 and currentlythe Independent Director ofKompass Credit and FinancialCorporation and KCFAPIrespectively Bro Carbero isalso a fellow of Father George

J Willmann Charit ies Inc And since 2006 he has beenthe Vice President of IntraStrata Assurance Corporation

He graduated with a Bach-elorrsquos degree in Business Ad-ministration Major in Man-agement at Philippine Schoolof Business Administration in1973 and finished Bachelor ofLaws in Lyceum of the Philip-

pines in 1988Bro Pascual Carberorsquos wife

Sis Remedios was past presi-dent for three years of theCatholic Womenrsquos League(CWL) Valenzuela Chapterand currently the AssistantVice President for Underwrit-ing in Mercantile InsuranceCo Inc in Intramuros Ma-nila Tey are blessed with six

wonderful children namely

Soidemer Claire a pediatri-cian Abigail Claire a lawyerValerie Claire and ChristineClaire both of whom are reg-istered nurses Terese Claire

who graduated with Bachelorrsquosdegree in Laws and is currentlyreviewing for Bar exams and

Adrian Brian who is also aregistered nurse and presentlya 3rd year medical student

Former SC Justice tofellow lsquoPH Knightsrsquo Prayfor Willmannrsquos CauseMANILA Dec 8 2015 ndash Former Chief

Justice Hilario G Davide Jr has calledon fellow members of the Knights of Co-lumbus (KC) nationwide to keep prayingfor the eventual ldquoraising to the altarrdquo ofthe grouprsquos spiritual father Fr George J

Willmann SJ who was declared ldquoSer-vant of Godrdquo Monday Dec 7

ldquoSo what is demanded of us as mem-bers of Knights of Columbus What isdemanded of us as members of Knightsof Columbus Fraternal Association of thePhilippines Inc [KCPAFI]rdquo he askedldquoWe need to pray a lot Pray pray praythat the tribunal will listen to the evidencepresented Pray pray pray that the tribu-nal will actually collate all the evidenceand determine once and for all that whathas been presented through our postula-

tor is credible to merit the conferment ofbeatification later on Tis is our taskrdquo

Archdiocesan processDavide who now chairs the National

Executive Committee for the Causes ofFr Willmann made this observation in aspeech following a ceremony held at theManila Cathedral during which Arch-bishop Luiacutes Antonio G Cardinal agleofficially approved the archdiocesan process

for the causes for the beatification and can-onization of the naturalized Filipino Jesuit

he solemn occasion was witnessedby no less than 1000 representativesof KCPAFI and other organizations Fr

Willmann helped establish like Catholic Youth Organization Columbian Squiresin the Philippines (1950) and Daughtersof Mary Immaculate

Te former chief magistrate went on todescribe the entire process as ldquovery mean-ingfulrdquo since it had the power to make anordinary priest into a Servant of God

Ordinary priest to Servant of GodldquoImagine during our lifetime today in

the Cathedral we saw the conversion ofan ordinary priest to become a Servant ofGod And we hope that he will merit be-

ing a servant of God until the first step ofthe process will continuerdquo he exclaimed

According to him it must have been thefirst time for most people present to haveseen with their own eyes an event of suchldquohistoric and momentous significancerdquo

ldquoI have lived 20 times four years of mylife almost And this is the first time I have

witnessed the process how it evolves and what we can gather from it o me thisis not just making somebody brought to

the honors of the altar but for us to beable to witness how to live and how tocomport ourselves to be able to follow hisfootstepsrdquo he explained

Built-in holinessDavide pointed out that holiness is

already built in each person but it is onlya matter of expressing it

ldquoWhy I would say that holiness is inus already Because we are the templeof God and the Spirit of God is with usSometimes however we forget that this isso We close our ears We close our eyes to

Jesus Christ We close our hands to JesusChrist by helping others So this is theprocess that we have witnessed today Andto me it will very much workrdquo he added

Davide also credited Msgr Pedro C Qui-

torio III postulator of the causes for Fr Will-mann for the ldquodivinely inspiredrdquo occasionand the timeliness of the diocesan process

ldquoSo Msgr Quitorio you are divinelyinspired You planned everything in sucha way that everything we did and we willdo and what we are doing right now isnot only as legacy to the next generationbut even beyond the next generation forpeople and children yet unbornrdquo he said(Raymond A Sebastiaacuten CBCP News)

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8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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CFC China Conducts

Mission Heads Training

CFC Greece Leaders Meet Archbishop of Athens amp Nuncio

COUPLES for Christ USA and CFC Greece leaders paid a courtesy call on Archbishop Sevastianos Rossolatos and Fr George Altouvas at the Archd ioce se of Athens he g roup in troduced Couples f or Chri st to the new Archbishop and di scus sed theirplans to initiate a CFC Youth Camp in Greek as well as to develop CFC teachings in Greek

On another occasion the CFC leaders met with the Apostolic Nuncio of the Holy See in Athens Archbishop Edward Joseph AdamsTey discussed challenges and forthcoming changes in the Greek Catholic hierarchy and laid down CFCrsquos plans for CFC Athens

SINGLES for Christ Metro Manila gath-ered at the San Carlos Seminary in Makatilast December 5 2015 at 700 pm forthe SFC Global One a two-hour non-stop worship experience Jay Laquiana fulltime pastoral worker for SFC ledthe worship

Global One was meant to be a simul-taneous praise concert with major cities

or provinces hosting the event But what

made this yearrsquos Global One event special was the fact that it was the first time it wasstaged online via youtube live broadcastTis gave SFCs all over the world an oppor-tunity to come together despite differencesin time zone

ogether as one ministry SFCs from theMetro Manila Sectors the provinces andthe various countries like the USA Canada

and the Middle Eastern countries raised

SFC GLOBAL ONEmdashUniting the World

via Online Worship

their voices in praise and worship for thecountless favors they received It likewisebecame an opportunity to ask the Lordto bless the ministry for the coming year

Te ministry sees the online Global Oneas an event they can do annually Tey alsosee it as a potential tool to reach othernon-SFC members to witness Christ andcome together with other young people to

worship (Lanie Montaos)

OSM C1

CFC Winnipeg held its 2nd Celebration of Covenant Love onNovember 21st the feast of the Presentation of Our Lady Sixteencouples attended the activity

One week prior to the Renewal of Wedding Vows the 16 coupleshad a mini-retreat conducted by their spiritual advisor Fr YollyGamallo Te mini-retreat included four couple-sharers Te HolyMass was celebrated at St John Cantius Parish presided by MsgrLouis McCloskey A simple reception followed for the 16 couples andabout 60 family members with additional witnesses from the CFCcommunity Te participants who renewed their marriage vows werefrom varied age groups with some having been married for only five

years to couples who were celebratingo 40 years of holy matrimony

Tis year makes the Celebration of Love even more relevant as itis the year that held the papal Synod on the Family and the WorldMeeting of Families Pope Francis stated when making an address tofamilies ldquoTose who celebrate the sacrament say lsquoI promise to be trueto you in joy and in sadness in sickness and in health I will love youand honour you all the days of my lifersquo At that moment the coupledoes not know what will happen nor what joys and pains awaitthem Tey are setting out like Abraham on a journey together

And that is what marriage is Setting out and walking togetherhand in hand putting yourselves in the Lordrsquos powerful handsHand in hand always and for the rest of your livesrdquo (from http

couplesforchristcanadaca)

A Celebration of Covenant Love

I cherish the treasure the treasure of you lifelong companion I give myself to you These happy couples from CFC Vancouver saying Yes again to oneanother and to God as they renew their marriage vows

CFC missionaries to South Americarejoiced as they completed a fruitfulmission to the area a fitting end to theyear Te mission to Nuevo Pueblo deColaacuten opened a new area an hour awayby land from Piura Peru establish-ing CFC ndash Parejas para Cristo in a remotetown in the desert At the end of theChristian Life Program 13 new CFCPPC members composed of 4 couples4 HOLD and 1 SOLD committed to alife with Christ

Te PVC (Programa de Vida Cristiana- Spanish CLP) was held November 27to 29 2015 (Tanksgiving weekend) byCFC USA Florida in Iglesias del Rosarioone of two parishes in town Padre LuisSerra head pastor of the main churchthe Iglesia Sagrado Corazoacuten de Jesuacutesopened the doors to CFC PPC Fourother brethren from CFC PPC RiojaPeru headed by Fr Rober Martinez cameto reinforce the missionariesrsquo efforts Teteam got a taste of their first mission

CFC China is on full throttle in its evan-gelization efforts Tey recently conducted

the first-ever CFC China Mission Headsraining from November 27 to 30 at Vilada Sta Isabel Estrada Cheoc Van MacauTe training aimed to strengthen its leader-ship ranks through several formation talksfrom the Chapter Leaders raining (CL)series Te sixty participants were mostlyChinese with some Filipino Mission Headsand their AG members from the North

West East and South of China includingMacau SAR and Hong Kong SAR

Te first day of the training was devotedto a silent retreat based on Psalm 4610ndash ldquoBe silent and know that I am GodrdquoTe three-hour retreat centered on thetheme ldquoWe need to Change How WeLead o lead like Jesusrdquo with each par-ticipant encouraged to ldquoempty oneselfrdquoFr Oliviades a member of the Opus Deifacilitated the retreat

Day 2 started with a Holy Mass concel-

ebrated by Fr Joseph Wang from YiwuEast China Te training proper began with Israel Silud CFC Country Headand Northwest Regional Head givingthe overview and citing challenges thatCFC China faces He reiterated thatCFC Chinarsquos goal of raising 1 millionhousehold heads will be driven by the

The fruits of 2015 for CFC PPC hundreds of miles away from home

In 2015 ten missions were held inSouth America by CFC USA All these

were made possible by a handful of zeal-ous and selfless CFC USA mission vol-unteers who sacrificed a lot and deniedthemselves many comforts in order tobring the Word of God to families in Co-lombia Ecuador and Peru CFC ParejasPara Cristo will not take off without thefinancial support of CFC USA

ruly God gave a very good year for

the mission team harvesting 608 souls in2015 (a total of 857 persons from June2014 to date) Te task of sustainingCFC PPC families and area countriesare enormous But with grateful heartsthe South America team humbly turnsto God thanking Him each day forHis guidance as He leads the way Teteam looks forward to 2016s adventureof bringing the banner of Christ to themiddle and corners of the earth (GlenSantayana)

whether lay or from the Chaplainsrsquo ranklikewise gave testimonies on how theirinvolvement in the CEP made them real-ize that they have become not only agentsof change but recipients of grace as well

In the afternoon the Chaplains andtheir CFC counterparts came together fora round table discussion of the plans ofthe various Infantry Divisions nationwide

Army Chie f Chaplain Fr Col Andre sBonifacio Belleza CHS (GSC) in anunexpected move expressed his recog-nition through the grant of awards ofthe initiatives of the Army Chaplainsin implementing the CEP in their vari-ous Divisions Fr Maj Juan Jerome CDaluro was awarded Best Chaplain ofthe Year 2015 for his exemplary ser viceas Division Chaplain of 9th Infantry(Spear) Division Fr MSg Mario Ban-

iqued Philippine Army (PA) OACCSChief Clerk was recognized as Best

Chaplain Assistant of the YearSince the partnership between the

OACCS and CFC OSM started in April2014 the group has conducted CharacterEnhancement Retreats (CER) for 28 Phil-ippine Army commands Trough CFCSingles for Christ volunteers a ChristianLife Program has likewise been conductedfor the Philippine Military Academy Classof 2018 graduating 385 PMA-Singles forChrist members Presently five CERs arealso being done at the V Luna MedicalCenter in Quezon City

Alabanza admit s there is still muchto be done So far the CEP has reached2000 men and women in uniformroughly 0287 percent of an estimated800000 population of soldiers theirspouses and their families Tis is indeedfertile ground for values and spiritual

transformation which is just waiting tobe conquered (A Alvarez)

Another fruitful harvest in Peru from top the 13 new members in CFC PPC all-women discussion group

Courtesy call top photos CFC leaders with Archbishop Edward Joseph Adams amp Fr George Altouvas bottom photos with Fr George Archbishop SevastianosRossolatos and Archbishop Edward Joseph Adams

CFC OSM and the OACCS reaching out to the men and women in uniform and their families through the Character Enhancement Program

personal holiness of its ser vant-leaders who will be leading the evangelization thrust

in 34 provinces in China CL talks 2-5 were given by the regional heads with their wives as sharers

Day 3 began with the recitation ofthe Holy Rosary followed by anotherconcelebrated Holy Mass Fr Oliviadesdelivered a beautiful homily on ldquoemptyingoneselfrdquo Te rest of the CL talks wereagain delivered by the regional heads withtheir wives as sharers In CL alk 9 Siludemphasized the need to pay attention tothe means to care for the spirit mind andbody of the leaders

Te last day primarily focused on plan-ning the CFC China activities for 2016One of the proposals from the planningis that the four (4) regions in China willeach be hosting the major activities linedup for the year

Te three-day training and planning was conducted by CFC China Country

Head IsraelSally Silud with the supportof North Asia Regional Coordinator Ga-rieCess Pimentel and the regional headsfrom East China (EricEvelyn Ylagan)South China (JoelErica Santos) HongKong SAR (GarieCess Pimentel) andMacau SAR (JMEmilie Yupangco) (Ericamp Evelyn Ylagan)

C4 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

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JCL ndash member while for the TeologicalCommission the experts appointed wereFr Alexander L Garces SDB JCL ndashPresident Fr Enrico Eusebio Jr SJ JCDndash member and Sr Maria Amparo SantosOP JCL ndash member As with the ribunalmembers the Presidents and membersof both Commissions individually tooktheir respective oaths and signed the Acts

Te appointed Copyist Ms RonalynRegino and Assistant Copyist Ms Ge-cerein Sayen Ocampo were called next totake their respective oaths and similarlysigned in the Acts

Ten Postulator Msgr Pedro C Qui-torio III and Vice Postulator Fr WilmerR Rosario JCD individually took their

respective oaths not compromise the truthand offend justice nor impede the free-dom of witnesses to testify in the CauseTereafter they also signed the Acts

Te Postulator then presented to Car-dinal agle for his examination a list of

witnesses to be interrogated subject to thepossible addition and revision of namesin the future Upon examining the listthe Cardinal decreed that the next sessionfor interrogation of witnesses be held on

January 11 2016 at the Arzobispado deManila

Finally after ordering the Chancellorto establish public record of this First Ses-sion Cardinal agle declared the Processfor the Causes of Beatification and Can-

onization of Servant of God FAHERGEORGE J WILLMANN SJ Father ofthe Order of the Knights of Columbus inthe Philippines OPEN

o complete the Rites His EminenceLuis Antonio Cardinal agle together withformer Chief Justice Hilario G Davide

Jr as Chairman of the National ExecutiveCommittee (NEC) for the Cause of Fr

Willmann jo intly u nveiled the portraitof Father George J Willmann SJ

Tereafter Cardinal agle began thecelebration of the Holy Eucharist Con-celebrants were Bishop Honesto FOngtioco DD Bishop Mylo HubertC Vergara DD Msgr Geronimo FReyes JCD Fr William Arana OSA Fr

Carlo Magno Marcelo Fr Marvin MejiaFr Wilmer Rosario JCD Fr Carlo DelRosario Fr Julius Paul Factora OP JCDFr Sander Niez JCL Fr Alex GarcesSDB JCL Fr Rico Garcia Fr ReginaldMalicdem Fr Darwin Faith Ponce OSAFr Ricky VIllar OSA Fr Geoffrey Eb-orda OSA Fr Genaro Supremedo OSAFr Jojo orres OSA Fr Joseph VillarealOSA Fr Roy Gallano OSA Fr MichaelSalazar and Fr Romel Cruz

Also serv ing as Conce lebrants werea number of KC Priests Scholars of theKnights of Columbus Fr George J

Willmann Charities Inc that includedMsgr Pedro C Quitorio III Fr Benjamin

The Cross A Supplement Publication of KCFAPI and the Order of the Knights of ColumbusCBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25 December 7 2015 - 27 2016

Sainthood bid opens forFr George Willmann SJBy Roberto T Cruz

On December 7 2015 Mon-

day the bells of the ManilaCathedral rang out loud as HisEminence Luis Antonio Car-dinal agle presided over themilestone celebration of theHoly Eucharist at the ManilaCathedral to formally open theDiocesan process of the Causeof Fr George J Willmann SJ

he Liturgical Rites for the formalopening of the diocesan process precededthe Mass at 900am With the entranceprocession of Cardinal agle as the MainCelebrant together with two bishops twomonsignors and thirty-three priests whoconcelebrated the Mass the Rites started

with Msgr Pedro C Quitorio III theappointed Diocesan Postulator for theCause of Fr Willmann giving biographi-cal highlights of the life of Fr George J

Willmann SJ An Invocation of the HolySpirit followed with the singing of VeniCreator Spiritus by the Manila CathedralBasilica Choir

Cardinal agle then examined anddeclared the legitimacy of the appoint-ments of Msgr Pedro C Quitorio III asthe Postulator and Fr Wilmer R Rosario

JCD as Vice-Postul ator in conformity with the Code of Canon Law

Appointed members of the Diocesanribunal for the Cause of Fr Willmann

were Msgr Geronimo F Reyes JCDas Episcopal Delegate Fr Carlo P DelRosario JCL as Promoter of Justice Mseresita F Kudemus ndash First Notary MsMarivic M Ambasa ndash Second Notary Ms

Julieta R Santos as Tird NotaryTe Cardinal reminded them of the

great responsibility importance andseriousness of the Process for the Causesfor Beatification and Canonization Asrequired by Church law all the mem-bers of the ribunal starting with MsgrGeronimo F Reyes individually tooktheir oath to faithfully fulfill hisher com-mitment and then signed the Acts

Te Experts who were tapped to formthe Historical Commission includeFr Julius Paul Factora OP JCD asPresident Fr Adolfo N Dacanay SJ

JCD ndash member and Fr Sander D Niez Sainthood D3

KCFAPI Theme and Logo for 2016HE year 2016 has been pro-claimed the Year of the Eucharistand the Family by the CatholicBishopsrsquo Conference of the Phil-ippines Te theme is part of thenine year spiritual journey thatbegan with the Year of Faith

where we experienced an authenticrenewal of faith guided by the newevangelization principles

he Holy Eucharist whichmeans thanksgiving invitesfamilies of the Catholic faithfulto commemorate the supremesacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christon the cross to receive His body

and blood in the Holy Commu-nion and to celebrate His victoryover death

Te Roman Catholic Churchpromotes strong family ties andvalues Parents are entrustedthe responsibility to prepare andteach their children to follow JesusChrist and live His gospel

KCFAPI distinguished itselfin protecting the sanctity of thefamily by providing comfortand sustenance in any loss orlife-changing event among fam-ily members KCFAPI respondsswiftly to changing or evolvingfamily insurance needs Nowon its 58th year of providingunsurpassed uncompromised

fraternal service KCFAPI vowsand advocates relentlessly to

render comfort benefit and as-sistance to all brother knightsand their families with mercy andcompassion

As part of the KCFAPI familyin a pioneering effort all wholly-owned and majority-ownedcompanies will coordinate theirschedules and manage theirresources towards one com-mon goal and will function asone well oiled machine By

joi nin g han ds gu ide d by theHoly Spirit the strength ofone is multiplied several times

over Te heart symbolizes lovemercy and compassion and is

also Charity ndash the first of fourcore principle of the OrderKCFAPI in heart-shaped bordermantles the five wholly- ownedand majority-owned companies Keys Realty amp DevelopmentCorporation Kompass Creditand Financing Corporation KCPhilippines Foundation IncKnights of Columbus Fr George

J Willmann Charitie s Inc andMace Insurance Agency IncTey are depicted by the boldshoulders of the figures symbol-izing the family Just like in any

close-knit family concentratedon accomplishing one objective

all employees will be engagedtheir support and talent pooledand harnessed to participateactively in any company activi-ties working in tandem as onecohesive unit

Te logo vividly demonstratesthe solidarity and bonding of fam-ily members if they gather togetherand allow Christ to be at the centerof their family relationship

Te different colors representthe various hues of the Order ofthe Knights of Columbus red

whit e blu e and yell ow hegreen color manifests KCFAPIrsquos

concern for our environment andits managementrsquos advocacy gearedtowards a healthy state of our sur-roundings Orange brings a posi-tive outlook in life optimism andmotivation to look on the brighterside of life

Te cup and host (in yellow)emulating the Holy Eucharist pro-vides Christ- centered way of life

Te circular flow represents in-finity or totality the unboundedtimeless and never ending lovecare and affection of KCFAPIin providing each and every KCfamily a shield of security protec-tion and hope Te acronym ALLcharacterizes KCFAPIrsquos inclusiveapproach to all forms of actions

products and services (Angelito A Bala)

As we protect families for generations Act Live Love

KCFAPI Planning Conference The Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of thePhilippines Inc held their 2016 Planning Conference last November 7-9 2015 atColumbus Plaza General Santos City Present were KCFAPI Chairman Bro Arsenio IsidroG Yap KCFAPI President Bro Jose C Reyes Jr KCFAPI Executive Vice President SisMa Theresa G Curia KCFAPI Officers and Supervisors KEYS Realty Vice President Bro

Riz Nicolas and HTMC Vice President Sis Apolonia Dominguez

Living Rosary The Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of the Philippines Inchad their Living Rosary last October 30 2015 at the KCFAPI main office This has been

a yearly practice for the Month of the Holy Rosary which is usually conducted by itsofficers and staff

Cardinal Tagle leads the unveiling of the portrait of Jesuit Fr George J Willmann as the Manila archdiocesan process for the Cause of Beatification and Canonization of the latter formally opens at the Manila Cathedralon Monday Dec 7 Willman is considered as t he ldquoFather of the Knights of Columbusrdquo in the Philippines ROY LAGARDE

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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D2 The CrossDecember 7 2015 - 27 2015 Vol 19 No 25

ACQ UIR IN G a hou se and lo t which they can call their own home

and driving their own cars are twoof the priority dreams of Filipinoparents Of course seeing theirchildren finish college education iseither Number 1 or Number 2

Te Knights of Columbus Frater-nal Association of the PhilippinesInc (KCFAPI) has formed andincorporated a new company to helpmembers of the Order to have their

dream homes and motor carsKCFAPI named the new company as Kompass Credit and

Financing Corporation (KCFC) after one of the symbols of theKnights of Columbus which is the Compass Like the Compassof the ancient marines KOMPASS is here to guide BrotherKnight in having their own home and efficient mobility

KOMPASS can also extend home car and business loans tothe general public

Interested parties can call KOMPASS at el No 527-2242

527-2223 loc 215 and 252 for further details of the loan

Arsenio Isidro G Yap

Chairmanrsquos Message

Presidentrsquos Message

Ma Theresa G Curia

Jose C Reyes Jr

Reflection

Curia Settings

Michael P Cabra

Bequest LIFE this Christmas

My Brotherrsquos Keeper

FILIPINO raditions reflect the kindof people that we are All traditionscustoms and beliefs evolve from thelove and respect of the family Ourmutual and natural respect for oneanother our desire to please and notoffend each other and our willingness

to extend a helping hand are just a fewof the basic foundations which madethe Filipino people unique a one of a

kind and nowhere else could be found And certainly a must-have as a friend and neighbor

Some of the trait I like is the ldquomano pordquo expression and at thesame time reaching for the otherrsquos hand and asking for his blessingsTe respected elder would normally extend his hand to touch theforehead of the one asking for his blessings and expresses ldquokaawanka ng Diyosrdquo or ldquoGod bless yourdquo It doesnrsquot matter whether the onebeing accorded the respect is younger than the person asking forthe blessing or even if they hardly know each other

Another trait is removing onersquos slippers or shoes when enteringa neighborrsquos house Te guest expresses his respect for the hostand does not in any way want to spoil or damage the pristinecondition of the floor which is normally kept shiny and clean

Cleaning of onersquos surrounding to the point of cleaning also theneighborrsquos grounds I could still remember in our neighborhoodthat the old folks would sweep the debris on the street in front

of their houses But instead of just collecting their own trashthey would try to outdo each other by picking (or sweeping)the litter on the street up to the neighborrsquos house in front andeven on their right and left side

Everyone living along the same street knows each other very well to the point that all knows who are having a hard time and would need some assistance A neighbor would readily do somehousehold chores give some food and try to console those whoare grieving for the loss of a love one Nobody needs to askHelp is extended readily

Although the traits Irsquove mentioned above are seldom practicednowadays except for the ldquomano pordquo I still believe that those

were just some of our good traits which define us as people which define us as a Filipino a unique breed of people We arevery resilient that even though we are in grief or experiencingextreme challenges in our everyday life we still are able to lightour faces with the friendliest smile

Christmas is another tradition-field celebration that is uniquelyFilipino Te ldquoSimbang Gabirdquo ldquoputo bumbongrdquo and the like are

some Christmas traditions But let us not forget that Christmas isnot just a season of merriment but is a season for reconciliationItrsquos that time of the year when we want to ask forgiveness fromthose we had wronged and at same time forgive also those whohad wronged us and forget whatever they had done to us

Christmas is a season wherein family ties are kept stronger andmore meaningful But to be more meaningful it is better that weshare our blessings to those in need whose nights might be Holy but

would be very Silent and the only sound that they could hear arenot carols of merriment but the grumbling of their empty stomach

Make this Christmas the most meaningful Christmas ever bysharing your ldquoNoche Buenardquo with a neighbor or better still witha complete stranger May the birth of our Lord touch our heartsand be responsive to those in need

CHRISMAS is a holy day celebratingthe birth of Jesus Christ our Saviour Ithas been a tradition in the Philippines that

we go to dawn masses from December 16to the eve of Christmas day Because ourenthusiasm builds up as early as Septemberon Christmas Day itself many of us areexhausted after days of going through heavytraffic on the way to parties and to crowdedshopping malls to shop for gifts Tere arealso many events that we are enticed to at-tend for our kidsrsquo sake gatherings of relatives and friends near and farand entertainment we spend a lot for the family

While these festivities are all expressions of love we sometimes forgetthat Christmas day is the day we should go to mass to thank God forall the blessings we received from Him and in turn to offer our gift to

Jesus Christ As we enter the Advent season let us start reflecting on

how we can better love and serve God on how we can help the poorand how we can give hope to those who are losing hope Let us put intoaction the principle of charity with greater vigor and sense of urgency

May Christmas be like the ldquoJourney to the Innrdquo of Joseph and Mary- tiring yet full of hope and joy to welcome Christ in our hearts andour homes As Knights of Columbus let us lead our communities toa Christ-centered Advent celebration this year and always

My family and I wish your whole family ldquoA Merry Christmas and aBlessed New Yearrdquo

FOR this Christmas I wish tobase my reflection on a poem

written by Horacio de la Costathe first Filipino provincial ofthe Jesuits Please read and usethe poem as a Christmas greet-ing My reflection is nothingcompared to the poem

We must have visited all theBelens in our churches since we

were small In fact most of usalso put up the Christmas cribin our own homes In arlacthey even have yearly exhibits ofBelens which they call Belenis-mo We were told that it was StFrancis who started putting upthe crib in his church And thepoem of Horacio Dela Costatells us that if we meditate onthis set up we might discover

the surprises that they bring toour consciousness

Let us identify some fea-tures of the Belens that we se earound us during the Christ-mas season and together letus reflect on the meanings thatthese can offer us We shall seedifferent layers of Christmasmeaning emerge

1 he King was born poorGod has become human Tisis one of the features that wesee when we stare at the Crib

What a paradox the king ispoor God is human Life isindeed full of paradoxes andof seeming contradictions

We make sense of them only

with the passage o f t ime and

as we mature both in age andin faith

2 he Bethlehem scene isprofoundly meaningful sym-bolic and mystery-laden We

watch the figures in the Be lenand sometimes we do notunderstand When we do notunderstand the turn of eventsin our life we should not giveup We should not run awayTe world will not end onlybecause we do not understand

what we see exper ience or feelLet us stand in awe at Godrsquosvisit when we are clueless of

what i s happening 3 he King was born in a

manger But there was peacearound among the wise menand the shepherds on that holy

and starry night We see atthe Belen scene a communionamong God humans the richand the poor animals and hu-mans the stars the night andthe people It was as though ata special moment the Universe

was one As though the con-nectedness of all the elements

was not merel y ecolog ical asLaudato Si spoke of but evendivine -human No wonderthat we do not get tired of put-ting up our belens at home inchurches and in public placesNo wonder that we can stareforever at the Nativity scenealthough we do not fully un-derstand everything although

we do it yea r afte r year We

also feel that we are there andthat we are connected to the

figures they represent we areconnected to history to oursurroundings and even to ourGod

4 he Savior was born ina manger where animals eatTe meaning of the mangerscene has been the content ofmany sermons that we haveheard We were told that thisdoes not only refer to thehumility or poverty of Jesus

A dee per meaning they say isthat Jesus has come to be foodfor all who come to him Jesuscame to give Himself as foodfor the world His words histeachings his mercy and com-passion and his Good News of

Godrsquos Plan are enough to fillour emptiness with a sense ofdirection and destiny Teyquench our thirst for enlight-enment guidance and sense ofdignity as humans

5 he Baby who is born isthe Savior of the world Howcan a Baby save the w orld Wesee before us a baby wrappedin swaddling clothes And werealize that Divinity can berevealed in very human situ-ations And that the humblestreality could be a revelationthat God is in our midst If weopen our hearts and minds tothe Lord His Spirit enlightensand gives delight to our weary

and limited minds and souls

Even today we can feel Hismessage although sometimes

we do not ful ly unders tand Te truth dawns on us when

we ar e qu ie t and when we wait When we do not rush toknow Godrsquos Presence is a Giftthat we can never be worthy ofBut the point here is not thatour littleness could obstructthe Revelation of a mysteryRather the Greatness of theLord compels Him to revealHimself to the little one Evento us Now

Tat is why Liturgy invokesour ability to watch to look at

what happe ns in the Churchcelebrations Te beauty ofcandles incense and flowerscan evoke some sense of the

Sacred Space a Sacred Mo-ment and a Sacred Encounter

Te Belen does this for us inrevealing the message of Christ-mas If we open our eyes weshall see the Message of Christ-mas with our hearts If we havetime and we can keep quietbefore the Belen we might seethe surprise of the Lord

[The author Ma TheresaG Curia is the Executive VicePresident amp Chief OperatingOfficer of the Knights of Co-lumbus Fraternal Association ofthe Phils Inc (KCFAPI) andthe incumbent Diocesan Regentof the Daughters of Mary Im-maculate International Dioceseof Malolos]

IrsquoS that time of the year again We must allbegin the increasingly difficult task of buy-ing suitable gifts for our friends and familyHowever there is a different gift you shouldseriously consider giving this year Itrsquos not a fun

present nor it is exciting Itrsquos not somethingyou can play with or wear and it definitely wouldnrsquot be considered a treat Itrsquos a gift thatno one wants but everyone NEEDS So whatare we talking about A Fraternal Service Plan

A Benefit Certificate (BC) or what is simplyknown as a life insurance policy Every year

we search for that perfect gift for a loved oneSomething that will show how much we careand appreciate them What could better provethat than giving someone the gift of SECU-RIY and SABILIY

Unfortunately the recent statistics presentthe sad truth (a) more than 95 Filipinos donot have adequate levels of insurance and (b)more than 80 of Filipinos do not believethey are likely to suffer a serious illness in the

next 20 years Yet each year around 365000Filipinos face premature death either caused byaccidental death or natural sickness It equatesto 1000 untimely deaths everyday

Firstly think about your present situation

Do you have loved ones who depend on youfinancially If something were to happen toyou would your family struggle to maintaintheir current lifestyle the kind of living yoursquovebeen providing If you answered yes to thesequestions itrsquos as simple as that - you need tohave life insurance Secondly do you have aloved one (parent spouse adult children e tc)

who needs protection Tis year give them theultimate gift Having an adequate amount oflife insurance can help in paying off hospitalbills memorial bills mortgage and even in-heritance tax It can allow a family to maintaintheir current level of living and possibly evenfund long term goals such as childrenrsquos schoolfunds dream car house business and evenretirement Now wersquore not saying this is the

only gift you should give it might look a littlesad with only that under the Christmas treeHowever just consider along with the othergifts giving a present that may not be appreci-ated at that moment might come in use should

a critical time arrive You look after your familyand so this is a perfect gift ideaItrsquos important to consult a fraternal counselor

when considering life insurance as it is impera-tive that you are insured accurately dependingon your current situation and future needs

Should you wish to know more just visit wwwkofcorgph for inquiries

Did you know thatFor as low as PhP10000 you can already

start the Gift of Life to your loved ones Tisfraternal service plan is called KC Peso Saver Itis a single contribution endowment plan which

will mature at the end of the benefit certificatersquos10th year In fact a lot of Knights of ColumbusMembers invest with this Gift of Life everyChristmas for their spouse and children

Gemille Isabel P Gloria

A Meek Christmas

IMAGINE a pregnant mother who is supposed to give birth toa child at the moment and rideson a donkey with her husband

Apart from the pain of laborthe mother is enduring deathchases their yet unborn child astheir King deliberately kills allthe newborn babies that night

urned down by the innkeepersthey ended up in a crude stablesharing it with the farm animalsand the shepherds as she gavebirth to a baby boy and placedhim in a manger I bet you arepicturing a scene of a movie inyour head right now Tis isactually what the first Christmaslooked like

Going back to the presentChristmas is far more delightfuland exciting Shopping feastinggift-giving and vacation trippingare just few of the activities that

we cannot do away with in ourChristmas lists We think ofChristmas like no other ordinaryday of the year We make sure

that for Noche Buena there isabundance of bountiful feasts inour dining table from a platterof mouth-watering leche flan toa sumptuous lechon new clothesup to fifty percent sale on theselected items section and expen-sive gifts covered in a Santa Claus

wrapper under a fully decorated

Christmas tree We associate theChristmas season as a time ofsplendor since it is the birthday ofour Savior Unfortunately someof us could only imagine thesethings Tey are our fellow whoare counted by the government inabject poverty who could hardlythink of where and how to gettheir first meal for the 365 daysof the year including Christmasday One does not need to moveafar to behold this ravers-ing nearby the office we couldalready see some of the faces inpoverty If you have not takenyet the underpass connectingManila City Hall and Intramu-ros as you make your way out of

it you will see sullied children intattered clothes inhaling plasticbags containing rugby with somesoiled adults who seem to be theirparents doing the same thing

With their hunger already in theirhead some children forcibly takethe food of the passersby Duringthe night the space where people

enter and exit the underpassin the day turns into a freezinghome for the homeless Youcan see in their wrinkled face thefeeling of sleeping on the passage-

ways with only cardboard boxesand worn out fabrics in betweentheir body and the cold cementedground Teir condition is notfar from what Jesus experiencedon the first Christmas born intoand chose to live a life of poverty

Remembering martyredSalvadoran Archbishop OscarRomero who once said thatldquoNo one can celebrate a genuineChristmas without being trulypoor he self sufficient theproud those who because they

have everything look down onothers those who have no needeven of God for them there

will be no Christmas Only thepoor the hungry those whoneed someone to come on theirbehalf will have that someonehat someone is God Em-manuel God-with-usrdquo With

what he thought we canrsquot arguethat at times we want everythingTe more you have the moreyou want and the more you get

What if we have nothing Whatif we donrsquot have gifts food andnew clothes for the Christmas

What if we are in the place of thehomeless Would we still feel thesame Christmas Spirit withoutthe things we celebrate with it

We have to learn to celebrat eChristmas with how the poorperceive it Let us not reachthe point where we celebrateChristmas just because we willreceive our one-year wish listLet us learn to lose to sacrificeand to give during Christmas

Joseph P Teodoro

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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D3The Cross December 7 2015 - 27 2015 Vol 19 No 25

Deogracias Fajota Fr Jeronimo

Ma Cruz Fr Antonio Rex PalayaFr Melvin Gamelo Fr JuliusCuison Fr Felix Labios Fr Ra-melle Rigunay Fr Randy SalungaFr Joel Cariaso Fr HernandezMendoza Fr Julius de Sagun FrRonel Ilano Fr Lowie Palines andFr Emmanuel Hiipolito

In his homily Cardinal aglestarted by citing that aside fromthe formal opening of the Dioc-esan process for Fr Willmannit was also the feast day of St

Ambrose a great teacher of theChurch known for his sanctityand teachings It was also the eveof the Immaculate Conception ofour Blessed Mother Mary plus thestart of the Advent season

Te Cardinal then focused onthe question What does it meanto be holy With the opening ofthe Cause he said that Fr George

J Willmann St Ambrose andMother Mary all responded tosanctity and holiness Cardinalagle clarified that ldquoHoliness isan attribute of God and not manrsquosachievement nor his work It isGod who is Holy and our holi-ness is a gift of God ndash our oneness

with HimrdquoCardinal agle added that the

message of the First Reading is thatthe Holiness of God is seen withmarvelous work ndash like transform-ing a desert into a garden filled

with water and flowers where we

are able to drink from Godrsquos good-ness with a safe road along the

holy way Te desert symbolizes

humanity that is seen to be dryfruitless empty and even life-less However when God entersall these are transformed into abountiful garden Godrsquos Holinessalways creates miracles ldquoWhen-ever we experience hopelessnessloaded with faults we must notbe afraid for that is the time whenGod will come to infuse His Holi-ness and cure the sickness Tat isthe Good Newsrdquo Cardinal agleadded that during this season ofadvent we must look deeper intoour deserts in order to experiencethe Holiness of God

Te Cardinal then underscoredthat we need to respond to GodrsquosHoliness not like the scribes in

the reading who questioned andrejected Jesus but like the friendsof the paralyzed man who lookedfor a nonconventional way -through the roof - to bring theparalytic closer to Jesus Cardinalagle stressed the need for us to bealert discerning with eyes of faithin order for us to respond to ourHoly God in His action when weare in our desert

he Cardinal then asked thepeople to pray for those entrusted

with the Cau se of Fr Willmannthat they may be illumined witheyes of faith With no intention ofpre-empting the Diocesan processCardinal agle simply thankedGod as we are now privileged

to share Godrsquos holiness throughpersonal experiences with Fr Will-

Sainthood D1

Process for PHrsquos new lsquoServantof Godrsquo starts rollingMANILA Dec 7 2015 ndash Manila Arch-bishop Luiacutes Antonio G Cardinal agleofficially accepted on Monday Dec 7the Feast of St Ambrose the petition toopen an investigation on the sanctity andheroic virtues of Fr George J WillmannSJ founder of the Knights of Columbus(KC) in the Philippines among otherCatholic lay organizations

At least 1000 of the naturalized Fili-pino Jesuit priestrsquos spiritual children fromall over the country including no lessthan former Supreme Court (SC) Chief

Justice Hilario G Davide Jr becamepart of Philippine Church history as they

witnes sed at the Manila Metropo litanCathedral Basilica the solemn opening ofthe archdiocesan process they hope wouldlead to beatification and canonization

lsquoGreat responsibilityrsquoIn line with this agle appointed Msgr

Pedro C Quitorio III of the CatholicBishopsrsquo Conference of the Philippines(CBCP) Media Office as postulator forthe cause of the countryrsquos newest ldquoServantof Godrdquo

He also approved the appointments ofMsgr Geronimo S Reyes Fr Wilmer RRosal and Fr Ricardo P del Rosario asepiscopal delegate vice postulator andpromoter of justice respectively as wellas of a host of other experts both clericand lay who vow to work together to giveFilipinos another saint

Te prelate went on to swear in allthose involved in the cause for Willmannrsquosbeatification and canonization remindingthem of the ldquogreat responsibilityrdquo theyhave assumed and the ldquoimportance andseriousnessrdquo of the task at hand

PHrsquos Fr McGivney Dubbed ldquoFr McGivney of the Philip-

pinesrdquo due to his dedication to expand KClocally Willmann worked for the radicaltransformation of faith into action

Born on June 29 1897 to very devoutCatholic parents in Brooklyn New Yorkthe American Jesuit was granted Philip-pine citizenship by President FerdinandMarcos through Presidential Decree(PD) No 740

In 1938 he first served as chaplain

of KC Manila Council 1000 then re-turned in 1954 to become the Orderrsquosfirst Philippine Deputy until his deathin 1977

In total the priest spent 44 fruitful andproductive years in the Philippines serv-ing the poor the sick the orphans theoppressed the lonely and the desolateespecially the young ones

KCFAPI etcBesides what is formally known as the

Knights of Columbus Fraternal Associa-tion of the Philippines Inc (KCFAPI)

which he founded in 1958 Willmannestablished other organizations as follows

bull Catholic Youth Organization (1938)bull Establishment of the Catholic Press

ldquoFilipinasrdquo and the ldquoCrossrdquo Magazines(1946)

bull Columbian Squires in the Philippines(1950)

bull Daughters of Isabella in the Philip-pines (1951) reorganized as Daughtersof Mary Immaculate (1977)

bull Columbian Farmers Aid Association(1951) reorganized as Knights of Co-lumbus Community Service Inc (1962)

bull Knights of Columbus Fraternal Asso-ciation of the Philippines Inc (KCFAPI)(1958)

bull Knights of Columbus PhilippinesFoundation Inc (1971) (Raymond ASebastiaacuten CBCP News)

Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle leads the Mass of the formal opening of the ArchdiocesanProcess for the Causes of Beatification and Canonization of the Servant of God FatherGeorge J Willmann SJ father of the Knights of Columbus in the Philippines LIN REGINO

Te Gentle Warrior By James B Reuter SJ

Part II of Chapter wo of ldquoTe Gentle Warriorrdquo series

CHAPER WO-----------------

Te Ateneo de Manila

HE Ateneo was a boysrsquo schoolTe objective of a boysrsquo school is tomake a man out of a boy Te mainvirtue of a man is courage Godmirrored His virtues in His childrenBut he divided them between girls

and boys Tere is such a thing as amasculine soul and a feminine soulIf a boy and a girl are suddenly con-fronted with a wild bull thunderingdown on them if the girl screamedand hid behind the boy that wouldbe normal But if the boy screamedand hid behind the girl everyone

would be ashamed of him Tevirtue of a girl is not physical cour-age it is love and mercy Te virtueof a boy is courage and justice Butin our schools there is no course inthe curriculum called ldquoCouragerdquo

here is no subject called

ldquoCouragerdquo Tere is no mark forldquoCouragerdquo It has to be taught inevery subject through the wholelife of the school he Jesuitsunderstood this very well AndGeorge understood it He began

to learn the meaning of couragehimself when he was five yearsold sitting on the curbstone onPutnam Avenue when the wheelof the garbage truck crushed bothhis feet

In the old Ateneo there wasa strong tradition of ldquoRomansrdquoand ldquoCarthageniansrdquo Jose Rizal

was the Emperor of the RomansEvery class was competitive TeRomans would be lined up onone side of the class the Car-thagenians on the other Te firstquestion went to the Romans

If the Romans answered it cor-rectly the questioning stayed

with the Romans If any Romanmissed the question went to theCarthagenians Ten the Romanboys would growl and grumble at

the Roman who missed It wascompetition to teach courage

And the battle cry of all theteams was ldquoAnimo Ateneordquo Youcould translate that as ldquoLetrsquos go

Ateneordquo or ldquoSpirit Ateneordquo orldquoFight Ateneordquo mdash but in practiceit meant courage Never give upno matter what the odds ldquoGoget lsquoem Ateneordquo Never say dieTis was obvious in everythingthat the boys did

But it never degenerated intoldquoWin at all costsrdquo Te secondmasculine virtue is justice Tis

means honesty integrity and fairplay Both at once mdash courageand fair play Te verse that everyathlete in the school knew by heart

was ldquoIf I should win let it be bythe code with my head and my

honor held high But if I shouldlose let me stand by the road andcheer as the winner goes byrdquo

It was a tremendous amount of work mdash teaching night and dayrunning the Sodality the ACILand the magazine mdash but Georgeloved it

And his students loved him Tefriendships that he made duringthose three years of regency from1922 to 1925 lasted more thanfifty years

(o be continued on the nextissue)

mann and his life and ministrydevoted to service that providedldquofresh water and good newsrdquo

particularly to the youth the poorand the prisonersTe Cardinal cited his own basic

formation as a Charter memberof the Columbian Squires inImus Cavite where they helpedthe Church in its program for thestreet children He also mentionedhis appreciation for being a scholarof the Knights of Columbus dur-ing Fr Willmannrsquos time

Reiterating that God indeedtransforms deserts into places ofrest peace and holiness Cardinalagle ended his homily by encour-aging all in attendance to be agentsof Godrsquos holiness

People from all walks of life joined the celebration of this Mass

that formally opened the Cause ofServant of God - Fr Willmann

Also repres ent ed were var iou sorganizations established and nur-tured by Fr George including the

Daughters of Isabella (now Daugh-ters of Mary Immaculate) Catholic Youth Organization ColumbianSquires and the Knights of Co-lumbus Parishioners and residents

with their families from nearbycities and communities of ondoIntramuros Sta Cruz Malate andother more distant places likewise

witnessed the very mean ingfulOpening of the diocesan processfor the Cause of their ldquoFather andBenefactorrdquo of forty years

Fr George J Willmann SJdevoted the last forty years of hislife not only in humble serviceand dynamic leadership of theKnights of Columbus in thePhilippines but equally being a

compassionate pastor in the careand formation of the youth He

provided relief to victims of the

war and of violence while also al-leviating the sufferings of the poorHe likewise established ways topreserve and promote the sanctityof life marriage and the family

It was in 1997 or eighteen yearsago that the Knights of Columbusin the Philippines first started aconcerted thrust to formally laythe groundwork for the Causeof Fr Willmann During theOrderrsquos centennial celebration ofFr Willmannrsquos birth the Ordercreated a Committee on Causecomposed of Ramon V ConsingLauro M Cruz and Msgr PedroC Quitorio III as co-chairmenNotable activities of the Com-mittee included gathering of tes-

timonials launch of the Prayer forthe Centennial of Fr Willmann with the Impr imatur of Msgr Jose C Abriol launching of Fr Willmann Fellows meeting withthen Jaime Cardinal Sin and theFather Provincial of the Jesuits toseek their respective endorsementsof the Cause Te Order publishedand distributed the pamphlet ldquoAGlimpsehe Life and Worksof Fr George J Willmann SJrdquoin order to give due acknowledg-ment and recognition as well as toincrease awareness abou t Fr Will-mann A landmark achievement ofthis period was the publication ofldquoTe Gentle Warriorrdquo a biographyof Fr Willmann authored by Fr

James B Reuter SJEstablishing and spreading the

fama sanctitatis of Fr Willmann

included the presentation andpromotion of his works mademore concrete by direct testimo-nies of various individuals whomhe personally interacted withFr Willmann Fellowsrsquo one-timemembership donations have beenpooled to fund the productionof materials such as prayer cardspublications tarpaulins postersto effectively promote Fr George

Willmann not only to brotherKnights but more importantlyto the youth the poor and under-privileged of various communities

In 2011 through the efforts ofthe KC Fraternal Association ofthe Philippines and the Knightsof Columbus Fr Willmann Chari-

ties Inc the National ExecutiveCommittee (NEC) for the Causeof Fr Willmann was created withthe primary function of overseeingall the initiatives relative to or inconnection with the Cause

We are blessed that the Dioc-esan process of the Cause of FrGeorge J Willmann SJ has nowbeen formally opened therebygiving us significant reason torejoice Henceforth he will nowbe regarded Servant of God Letus fervently pray for continuedenlightenment from the HolySpirit for everyone involved in thisDiocesan process and the Causeas a whole so that our belovedFr George J Willmann may ulti-

mately be elevated to the honorsof the altar

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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D4 The CrossDecember 7 2015 - 27 2015 Vol 19 No 25

FST IN CAGAYAN A Fraternal Service Training program was held in Cagayan De Oro last November 13 2015Participants were from Zamboanga Misamis and Butuan The event was graced by KCFAPI Vice Presidentfor FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBG Manager Michael Cabra Aside from the product specifications thetraining also gives an idea regarding the basic insurance process and conceptualization of new marketingstrategies in order to achieve their goals and improve their sales performance (FBG News)

AREA MEETING IN VISAYAS The KCFAPI Western Visayas Armor held an area meeting in Bacolod lastOctober 24 2015 led by Agency Unit Manager Randy G Bravo and graced by KCFAPI Vice President forFBG Gari San Sebastian (KCFAPI News)

FST IN DAVAO A Fraternal Service Training program (1 and 2) was held in KCFAPI Davao Service OfficeDavao City last November 20-21 2015 Participants were from Compostela Valley Cotabato City andGeneral Santos The training was attended by KCFAPI Vice President f or FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBGManager Michael Cabra (FBG News)

PRODUCERSrsquo FORUM KCFAPI Vice President for FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBG Manager Michael Cabraled a Producersrsquo Forum wherein fraternal counsellors all over Luzon were gathered for an update of theirincentives program held last November 11 2015 at the KCFAPI home office (FBG News)

New KCFAPI Board of Trustee Bro Pascual C Carbero

IN February of 1986 BroCarbero started his knightlyservice in the Knights of Co-lumbus under Council 10695

in Valenzuela City Duringhis service in Council 10695he has been appointed asChancellor for CY 1992-1993 and as Deputy GrandKnight and Program Direc-tor for CY 1993-1994 InDistrict M-31 of ValenzuelaCity Bro Carbero was GrandKnight for CY 1994-1995District Warden for CY 1996-1997 and District Deputyfor CY 1997-1999 He wasalso Chairman for the Roundable District Deputies forCY 1998-1999 At the Dr PioValenzuela Assembly ACN1772 Meycauayan Bulacanhe was the Faithful Naviga-

tor for CY 1999-2000 Onthat same term Bro Pascual

was the Luzo n State Audi -tor for CY 2000-2003 andthe Luzon State Warden forCY 2000-2003 of the Luzon

Jurisdiction After which forCY 2000-2001 he becamethe Charter Faithful Naviga-tor for the City of Valenzuela

Assembly ACN 2676 For

CY 2007-2015 Bro Carbero was re-a ppo inte d as Luzo nState Warden Bro Carbero

was a voting delegate in the

KC Supreme Convention heldat Washington DC in 2010and also a non-voting delegateheld at Anaheim Californiain 2002 and 2012 Currentlyhe is the State Secretary of theLuzon North Jurisdiction

Bro Pascualrsquos dedicationand enthusiasm in participat-ing in the Order gave himthe endeavor to author thecreation of the City of Valen-zuela Assembly in 1999 withthe assistance of the Districtand Vice Supreme Master

With his knightly serv ice he was awarded with several rec-ognition namely OutstandingDistrictDeputy for CY 1997-

1999 Star District Awardeefor CY 1997-1999 and Civic

Awardee as Charter FaithfulNavigator of the City of Valen-zuela Assembly ACN 2676CY 2000-2001

Apart from Knights of Co-lumbus Bro Carbero partakeshis services in other civic andreligious organizations He isa Special Lay Minister of the

Holy Eucharist Parish of theHoly Cross since 1989 and amember of the Parish RenewalExperience Group He is the

Director and reasurer of thePhilippine Insurers Club from2013 to 2014 and currently itsPresident He is also a memberof the Insurance Executive1st Friday Club of Makatiand an incoming Presidentof the Philippine Associationof Surety Underwriters Incthis 2016

He was Director Corpo-rate Secretary of Mace Insur-ance Agency Inc from 2012until 2014 and currentlythe Independent Director ofKompass Credit and FinancialCorporation and KCFAPIrespectively Bro Carbero isalso a fellow of Father George

J Willmann Charit ies Inc And since 2006 he has beenthe Vice President of IntraStrata Assurance Corporation

He graduated with a Bach-elorrsquos degree in Business Ad-ministration Major in Man-agement at Philippine Schoolof Business Administration in1973 and finished Bachelor ofLaws in Lyceum of the Philip-

pines in 1988Bro Pascual Carberorsquos wife

Sis Remedios was past presi-dent for three years of theCatholic Womenrsquos League(CWL) Valenzuela Chapterand currently the AssistantVice President for Underwrit-ing in Mercantile InsuranceCo Inc in Intramuros Ma-nila Tey are blessed with six

wonderful children namely

Soidemer Claire a pediatri-cian Abigail Claire a lawyerValerie Claire and ChristineClaire both of whom are reg-istered nurses Terese Claire

who graduated with Bachelorrsquosdegree in Laws and is currentlyreviewing for Bar exams and

Adrian Brian who is also aregistered nurse and presentlya 3rd year medical student

Former SC Justice tofellow lsquoPH Knightsrsquo Prayfor Willmannrsquos CauseMANILA Dec 8 2015 ndash Former Chief

Justice Hilario G Davide Jr has calledon fellow members of the Knights of Co-lumbus (KC) nationwide to keep prayingfor the eventual ldquoraising to the altarrdquo ofthe grouprsquos spiritual father Fr George J

Willmann SJ who was declared ldquoSer-vant of Godrdquo Monday Dec 7

ldquoSo what is demanded of us as mem-bers of Knights of Columbus What isdemanded of us as members of Knightsof Columbus Fraternal Association of thePhilippines Inc [KCPAFI]rdquo he askedldquoWe need to pray a lot Pray pray praythat the tribunal will listen to the evidencepresented Pray pray pray that the tribu-nal will actually collate all the evidenceand determine once and for all that whathas been presented through our postula-

tor is credible to merit the conferment ofbeatification later on Tis is our taskrdquo

Archdiocesan processDavide who now chairs the National

Executive Committee for the Causes ofFr Willmann made this observation in aspeech following a ceremony held at theManila Cathedral during which Arch-bishop Luiacutes Antonio G Cardinal agleofficially approved the archdiocesan process

for the causes for the beatification and can-onization of the naturalized Filipino Jesuit

he solemn occasion was witnessedby no less than 1000 representativesof KCPAFI and other organizations Fr

Willmann helped establish like Catholic Youth Organization Columbian Squiresin the Philippines (1950) and Daughtersof Mary Immaculate

Te former chief magistrate went on todescribe the entire process as ldquovery mean-ingfulrdquo since it had the power to make anordinary priest into a Servant of God

Ordinary priest to Servant of GodldquoImagine during our lifetime today in

the Cathedral we saw the conversion ofan ordinary priest to become a Servant ofGod And we hope that he will merit be-

ing a servant of God until the first step ofthe process will continuerdquo he exclaimed

According to him it must have been thefirst time for most people present to haveseen with their own eyes an event of suchldquohistoric and momentous significancerdquo

ldquoI have lived 20 times four years of mylife almost And this is the first time I have

witnessed the process how it evolves and what we can gather from it o me thisis not just making somebody brought to

the honors of the altar but for us to beable to witness how to live and how tocomport ourselves to be able to follow hisfootstepsrdquo he explained

Built-in holinessDavide pointed out that holiness is

already built in each person but it is onlya matter of expressing it

ldquoWhy I would say that holiness is inus already Because we are the templeof God and the Spirit of God is with usSometimes however we forget that this isso We close our ears We close our eyes to

Jesus Christ We close our hands to JesusChrist by helping others So this is theprocess that we have witnessed today Andto me it will very much workrdquo he added

Davide also credited Msgr Pedro C Qui-

torio III postulator of the causes for Fr Will-mann for the ldquodivinely inspiredrdquo occasionand the timeliness of the diocesan process

ldquoSo Msgr Quitorio you are divinelyinspired You planned everything in sucha way that everything we did and we willdo and what we are doing right now isnot only as legacy to the next generationbut even beyond the next generation forpeople and children yet unbornrdquo he said(Raymond A Sebastiaacuten CBCP News)

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 2024

CFC China Conducts

Mission Heads Training

CFC Greece Leaders Meet Archbishop of Athens amp Nuncio

COUPLES for Christ USA and CFC Greece leaders paid a courtesy call on Archbishop Sevastianos Rossolatos and Fr George Altouvas at the Archd ioce se of Athens he g roup in troduced Couples f or Chri st to the new Archbishop and di scus sed theirplans to initiate a CFC Youth Camp in Greek as well as to develop CFC teachings in Greek

On another occasion the CFC leaders met with the Apostolic Nuncio of the Holy See in Athens Archbishop Edward Joseph AdamsTey discussed challenges and forthcoming changes in the Greek Catholic hierarchy and laid down CFCrsquos plans for CFC Athens

SINGLES for Christ Metro Manila gath-ered at the San Carlos Seminary in Makatilast December 5 2015 at 700 pm forthe SFC Global One a two-hour non-stop worship experience Jay Laquiana fulltime pastoral worker for SFC ledthe worship

Global One was meant to be a simul-taneous praise concert with major cities

or provinces hosting the event But what

made this yearrsquos Global One event special was the fact that it was the first time it wasstaged online via youtube live broadcastTis gave SFCs all over the world an oppor-tunity to come together despite differencesin time zone

ogether as one ministry SFCs from theMetro Manila Sectors the provinces andthe various countries like the USA Canada

and the Middle Eastern countries raised

SFC GLOBAL ONEmdashUniting the World

via Online Worship

their voices in praise and worship for thecountless favors they received It likewisebecame an opportunity to ask the Lordto bless the ministry for the coming year

Te ministry sees the online Global Oneas an event they can do annually Tey alsosee it as a potential tool to reach othernon-SFC members to witness Christ andcome together with other young people to

worship (Lanie Montaos)

OSM C1

CFC Winnipeg held its 2nd Celebration of Covenant Love onNovember 21st the feast of the Presentation of Our Lady Sixteencouples attended the activity

One week prior to the Renewal of Wedding Vows the 16 coupleshad a mini-retreat conducted by their spiritual advisor Fr YollyGamallo Te mini-retreat included four couple-sharers Te HolyMass was celebrated at St John Cantius Parish presided by MsgrLouis McCloskey A simple reception followed for the 16 couples andabout 60 family members with additional witnesses from the CFCcommunity Te participants who renewed their marriage vows werefrom varied age groups with some having been married for only five

years to couples who were celebratingo 40 years of holy matrimony

Tis year makes the Celebration of Love even more relevant as itis the year that held the papal Synod on the Family and the WorldMeeting of Families Pope Francis stated when making an address tofamilies ldquoTose who celebrate the sacrament say lsquoI promise to be trueto you in joy and in sadness in sickness and in health I will love youand honour you all the days of my lifersquo At that moment the coupledoes not know what will happen nor what joys and pains awaitthem Tey are setting out like Abraham on a journey together

And that is what marriage is Setting out and walking togetherhand in hand putting yourselves in the Lordrsquos powerful handsHand in hand always and for the rest of your livesrdquo (from http

couplesforchristcanadaca)

A Celebration of Covenant Love

I cherish the treasure the treasure of you lifelong companion I give myself to you These happy couples from CFC Vancouver saying Yes again to oneanother and to God as they renew their marriage vows

CFC missionaries to South Americarejoiced as they completed a fruitfulmission to the area a fitting end to theyear Te mission to Nuevo Pueblo deColaacuten opened a new area an hour awayby land from Piura Peru establish-ing CFC ndash Parejas para Cristo in a remotetown in the desert At the end of theChristian Life Program 13 new CFCPPC members composed of 4 couples4 HOLD and 1 SOLD committed to alife with Christ

Te PVC (Programa de Vida Cristiana- Spanish CLP) was held November 27to 29 2015 (Tanksgiving weekend) byCFC USA Florida in Iglesias del Rosarioone of two parishes in town Padre LuisSerra head pastor of the main churchthe Iglesia Sagrado Corazoacuten de Jesuacutesopened the doors to CFC PPC Fourother brethren from CFC PPC RiojaPeru headed by Fr Rober Martinez cameto reinforce the missionariesrsquo efforts Teteam got a taste of their first mission

CFC China is on full throttle in its evan-gelization efforts Tey recently conducted

the first-ever CFC China Mission Headsraining from November 27 to 30 at Vilada Sta Isabel Estrada Cheoc Van MacauTe training aimed to strengthen its leader-ship ranks through several formation talksfrom the Chapter Leaders raining (CL)series Te sixty participants were mostlyChinese with some Filipino Mission Headsand their AG members from the North

West East and South of China includingMacau SAR and Hong Kong SAR

Te first day of the training was devotedto a silent retreat based on Psalm 4610ndash ldquoBe silent and know that I am GodrdquoTe three-hour retreat centered on thetheme ldquoWe need to Change How WeLead o lead like Jesusrdquo with each par-ticipant encouraged to ldquoempty oneselfrdquoFr Oliviades a member of the Opus Deifacilitated the retreat

Day 2 started with a Holy Mass concel-

ebrated by Fr Joseph Wang from YiwuEast China Te training proper began with Israel Silud CFC Country Headand Northwest Regional Head givingthe overview and citing challenges thatCFC China faces He reiterated thatCFC Chinarsquos goal of raising 1 millionhousehold heads will be driven by the

The fruits of 2015 for CFC PPC hundreds of miles away from home

In 2015 ten missions were held inSouth America by CFC USA All these

were made possible by a handful of zeal-ous and selfless CFC USA mission vol-unteers who sacrificed a lot and deniedthemselves many comforts in order tobring the Word of God to families in Co-lombia Ecuador and Peru CFC ParejasPara Cristo will not take off without thefinancial support of CFC USA

ruly God gave a very good year for

the mission team harvesting 608 souls in2015 (a total of 857 persons from June2014 to date) Te task of sustainingCFC PPC families and area countriesare enormous But with grateful heartsthe South America team humbly turnsto God thanking Him each day forHis guidance as He leads the way Teteam looks forward to 2016s adventureof bringing the banner of Christ to themiddle and corners of the earth (GlenSantayana)

whether lay or from the Chaplainsrsquo ranklikewise gave testimonies on how theirinvolvement in the CEP made them real-ize that they have become not only agentsof change but recipients of grace as well

In the afternoon the Chaplains andtheir CFC counterparts came together fora round table discussion of the plans ofthe various Infantry Divisions nationwide

Army Chie f Chaplain Fr Col Andre sBonifacio Belleza CHS (GSC) in anunexpected move expressed his recog-nition through the grant of awards ofthe initiatives of the Army Chaplainsin implementing the CEP in their vari-ous Divisions Fr Maj Juan Jerome CDaluro was awarded Best Chaplain ofthe Year 2015 for his exemplary ser viceas Division Chaplain of 9th Infantry(Spear) Division Fr MSg Mario Ban-

iqued Philippine Army (PA) OACCSChief Clerk was recognized as Best

Chaplain Assistant of the YearSince the partnership between the

OACCS and CFC OSM started in April2014 the group has conducted CharacterEnhancement Retreats (CER) for 28 Phil-ippine Army commands Trough CFCSingles for Christ volunteers a ChristianLife Program has likewise been conductedfor the Philippine Military Academy Classof 2018 graduating 385 PMA-Singles forChrist members Presently five CERs arealso being done at the V Luna MedicalCenter in Quezon City

Alabanza admit s there is still muchto be done So far the CEP has reached2000 men and women in uniformroughly 0287 percent of an estimated800000 population of soldiers theirspouses and their families Tis is indeedfertile ground for values and spiritual

transformation which is just waiting tobe conquered (A Alvarez)

Another fruitful harvest in Peru from top the 13 new members in CFC PPC all-women discussion group

Courtesy call top photos CFC leaders with Archbishop Edward Joseph Adams amp Fr George Altouvas bottom photos with Fr George Archbishop SevastianosRossolatos and Archbishop Edward Joseph Adams

CFC OSM and the OACCS reaching out to the men and women in uniform and their families through the Character Enhancement Program

personal holiness of its ser vant-leaders who will be leading the evangelization thrust

in 34 provinces in China CL talks 2-5 were given by the regional heads with their wives as sharers

Day 3 began with the recitation ofthe Holy Rosary followed by anotherconcelebrated Holy Mass Fr Oliviadesdelivered a beautiful homily on ldquoemptyingoneselfrdquo Te rest of the CL talks wereagain delivered by the regional heads withtheir wives as sharers In CL alk 9 Siludemphasized the need to pay attention tothe means to care for the spirit mind andbody of the leaders

Te last day primarily focused on plan-ning the CFC China activities for 2016One of the proposals from the planningis that the four (4) regions in China willeach be hosting the major activities linedup for the year

Te three-day training and planning was conducted by CFC China Country

Head IsraelSally Silud with the supportof North Asia Regional Coordinator Ga-rieCess Pimentel and the regional headsfrom East China (EricEvelyn Ylagan)South China (JoelErica Santos) HongKong SAR (GarieCess Pimentel) andMacau SAR (JMEmilie Yupangco) (Ericamp Evelyn Ylagan)

C4 CBCP MonitorDecember 7 - 31 2015 Vol 19 No 25

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JCL ndash member while for the TeologicalCommission the experts appointed wereFr Alexander L Garces SDB JCL ndashPresident Fr Enrico Eusebio Jr SJ JCDndash member and Sr Maria Amparo SantosOP JCL ndash member As with the ribunalmembers the Presidents and membersof both Commissions individually tooktheir respective oaths and signed the Acts

Te appointed Copyist Ms RonalynRegino and Assistant Copyist Ms Ge-cerein Sayen Ocampo were called next totake their respective oaths and similarlysigned in the Acts

Ten Postulator Msgr Pedro C Qui-torio III and Vice Postulator Fr WilmerR Rosario JCD individually took their

respective oaths not compromise the truthand offend justice nor impede the free-dom of witnesses to testify in the CauseTereafter they also signed the Acts

Te Postulator then presented to Car-dinal agle for his examination a list of

witnesses to be interrogated subject to thepossible addition and revision of namesin the future Upon examining the listthe Cardinal decreed that the next sessionfor interrogation of witnesses be held on

January 11 2016 at the Arzobispado deManila

Finally after ordering the Chancellorto establish public record of this First Ses-sion Cardinal agle declared the Processfor the Causes of Beatification and Can-

onization of Servant of God FAHERGEORGE J WILLMANN SJ Father ofthe Order of the Knights of Columbus inthe Philippines OPEN

o complete the Rites His EminenceLuis Antonio Cardinal agle together withformer Chief Justice Hilario G Davide

Jr as Chairman of the National ExecutiveCommittee (NEC) for the Cause of Fr

Willmann jo intly u nveiled the portraitof Father George J Willmann SJ

Tereafter Cardinal agle began thecelebration of the Holy Eucharist Con-celebrants were Bishop Honesto FOngtioco DD Bishop Mylo HubertC Vergara DD Msgr Geronimo FReyes JCD Fr William Arana OSA Fr

Carlo Magno Marcelo Fr Marvin MejiaFr Wilmer Rosario JCD Fr Carlo DelRosario Fr Julius Paul Factora OP JCDFr Sander Niez JCL Fr Alex GarcesSDB JCL Fr Rico Garcia Fr ReginaldMalicdem Fr Darwin Faith Ponce OSAFr Ricky VIllar OSA Fr Geoffrey Eb-orda OSA Fr Genaro Supremedo OSAFr Jojo orres OSA Fr Joseph VillarealOSA Fr Roy Gallano OSA Fr MichaelSalazar and Fr Romel Cruz

Also serv ing as Conce lebrants werea number of KC Priests Scholars of theKnights of Columbus Fr George J

Willmann Charities Inc that includedMsgr Pedro C Quitorio III Fr Benjamin

The Cross A Supplement Publication of KCFAPI and the Order of the Knights of ColumbusCBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25 December 7 2015 - 27 2016

Sainthood bid opens forFr George Willmann SJBy Roberto T Cruz

On December 7 2015 Mon-

day the bells of the ManilaCathedral rang out loud as HisEminence Luis Antonio Car-dinal agle presided over themilestone celebration of theHoly Eucharist at the ManilaCathedral to formally open theDiocesan process of the Causeof Fr George J Willmann SJ

he Liturgical Rites for the formalopening of the diocesan process precededthe Mass at 900am With the entranceprocession of Cardinal agle as the MainCelebrant together with two bishops twomonsignors and thirty-three priests whoconcelebrated the Mass the Rites started

with Msgr Pedro C Quitorio III theappointed Diocesan Postulator for theCause of Fr Willmann giving biographi-cal highlights of the life of Fr George J

Willmann SJ An Invocation of the HolySpirit followed with the singing of VeniCreator Spiritus by the Manila CathedralBasilica Choir

Cardinal agle then examined anddeclared the legitimacy of the appoint-ments of Msgr Pedro C Quitorio III asthe Postulator and Fr Wilmer R Rosario

JCD as Vice-Postul ator in conformity with the Code of Canon Law

Appointed members of the Diocesanribunal for the Cause of Fr Willmann

were Msgr Geronimo F Reyes JCDas Episcopal Delegate Fr Carlo P DelRosario JCL as Promoter of Justice Mseresita F Kudemus ndash First Notary MsMarivic M Ambasa ndash Second Notary Ms

Julieta R Santos as Tird NotaryTe Cardinal reminded them of the

great responsibility importance andseriousness of the Process for the Causesfor Beatification and Canonization Asrequired by Church law all the mem-bers of the ribunal starting with MsgrGeronimo F Reyes individually tooktheir oath to faithfully fulfill hisher com-mitment and then signed the Acts

Te Experts who were tapped to formthe Historical Commission includeFr Julius Paul Factora OP JCD asPresident Fr Adolfo N Dacanay SJ

JCD ndash member and Fr Sander D Niez Sainthood D3

KCFAPI Theme and Logo for 2016HE year 2016 has been pro-claimed the Year of the Eucharistand the Family by the CatholicBishopsrsquo Conference of the Phil-ippines Te theme is part of thenine year spiritual journey thatbegan with the Year of Faith

where we experienced an authenticrenewal of faith guided by the newevangelization principles

he Holy Eucharist whichmeans thanksgiving invitesfamilies of the Catholic faithfulto commemorate the supremesacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christon the cross to receive His body

and blood in the Holy Commu-nion and to celebrate His victoryover death

Te Roman Catholic Churchpromotes strong family ties andvalues Parents are entrustedthe responsibility to prepare andteach their children to follow JesusChrist and live His gospel

KCFAPI distinguished itselfin protecting the sanctity of thefamily by providing comfortand sustenance in any loss orlife-changing event among fam-ily members KCFAPI respondsswiftly to changing or evolvingfamily insurance needs Nowon its 58th year of providingunsurpassed uncompromised

fraternal service KCFAPI vowsand advocates relentlessly to

render comfort benefit and as-sistance to all brother knightsand their families with mercy andcompassion

As part of the KCFAPI familyin a pioneering effort all wholly-owned and majority-ownedcompanies will coordinate theirschedules and manage theirresources towards one com-mon goal and will function asone well oiled machine By

joi nin g han ds gu ide d by theHoly Spirit the strength ofone is multiplied several times

over Te heart symbolizes lovemercy and compassion and is

also Charity ndash the first of fourcore principle of the OrderKCFAPI in heart-shaped bordermantles the five wholly- ownedand majority-owned companies Keys Realty amp DevelopmentCorporation Kompass Creditand Financing Corporation KCPhilippines Foundation IncKnights of Columbus Fr George

J Willmann Charitie s Inc andMace Insurance Agency IncTey are depicted by the boldshoulders of the figures symbol-izing the family Just like in any

close-knit family concentratedon accomplishing one objective

all employees will be engagedtheir support and talent pooledand harnessed to participateactively in any company activi-ties working in tandem as onecohesive unit

Te logo vividly demonstratesthe solidarity and bonding of fam-ily members if they gather togetherand allow Christ to be at the centerof their family relationship

Te different colors representthe various hues of the Order ofthe Knights of Columbus red

whit e blu e and yell ow hegreen color manifests KCFAPIrsquos

concern for our environment andits managementrsquos advocacy gearedtowards a healthy state of our sur-roundings Orange brings a posi-tive outlook in life optimism andmotivation to look on the brighterside of life

Te cup and host (in yellow)emulating the Holy Eucharist pro-vides Christ- centered way of life

Te circular flow represents in-finity or totality the unboundedtimeless and never ending lovecare and affection of KCFAPIin providing each and every KCfamily a shield of security protec-tion and hope Te acronym ALLcharacterizes KCFAPIrsquos inclusiveapproach to all forms of actions

products and services (Angelito A Bala)

As we protect families for generations Act Live Love

KCFAPI Planning Conference The Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of thePhilippines Inc held their 2016 Planning Conference last November 7-9 2015 atColumbus Plaza General Santos City Present were KCFAPI Chairman Bro Arsenio IsidroG Yap KCFAPI President Bro Jose C Reyes Jr KCFAPI Executive Vice President SisMa Theresa G Curia KCFAPI Officers and Supervisors KEYS Realty Vice President Bro

Riz Nicolas and HTMC Vice President Sis Apolonia Dominguez

Living Rosary The Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of the Philippines Inchad their Living Rosary last October 30 2015 at the KCFAPI main office This has been

a yearly practice for the Month of the Holy Rosary which is usually conducted by itsofficers and staff

Cardinal Tagle leads the unveiling of the portrait of Jesuit Fr George J Willmann as the Manila archdiocesan process for the Cause of Beatification and Canonization of the latter formally opens at the Manila Cathedralon Monday Dec 7 Willman is considered as t he ldquoFather of the Knights of Columbusrdquo in the Philippines ROY LAGARDE

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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D2 The CrossDecember 7 2015 - 27 2015 Vol 19 No 25

ACQ UIR IN G a hou se and lo t which they can call their own home

and driving their own cars are twoof the priority dreams of Filipinoparents Of course seeing theirchildren finish college education iseither Number 1 or Number 2

Te Knights of Columbus Frater-nal Association of the PhilippinesInc (KCFAPI) has formed andincorporated a new company to helpmembers of the Order to have their

dream homes and motor carsKCFAPI named the new company as Kompass Credit and

Financing Corporation (KCFC) after one of the symbols of theKnights of Columbus which is the Compass Like the Compassof the ancient marines KOMPASS is here to guide BrotherKnight in having their own home and efficient mobility

KOMPASS can also extend home car and business loans tothe general public

Interested parties can call KOMPASS at el No 527-2242

527-2223 loc 215 and 252 for further details of the loan

Arsenio Isidro G Yap

Chairmanrsquos Message

Presidentrsquos Message

Ma Theresa G Curia

Jose C Reyes Jr

Reflection

Curia Settings

Michael P Cabra

Bequest LIFE this Christmas

My Brotherrsquos Keeper

FILIPINO raditions reflect the kindof people that we are All traditionscustoms and beliefs evolve from thelove and respect of the family Ourmutual and natural respect for oneanother our desire to please and notoffend each other and our willingness

to extend a helping hand are just a fewof the basic foundations which madethe Filipino people unique a one of a

kind and nowhere else could be found And certainly a must-have as a friend and neighbor

Some of the trait I like is the ldquomano pordquo expression and at thesame time reaching for the otherrsquos hand and asking for his blessingsTe respected elder would normally extend his hand to touch theforehead of the one asking for his blessings and expresses ldquokaawanka ng Diyosrdquo or ldquoGod bless yourdquo It doesnrsquot matter whether the onebeing accorded the respect is younger than the person asking forthe blessing or even if they hardly know each other

Another trait is removing onersquos slippers or shoes when enteringa neighborrsquos house Te guest expresses his respect for the hostand does not in any way want to spoil or damage the pristinecondition of the floor which is normally kept shiny and clean

Cleaning of onersquos surrounding to the point of cleaning also theneighborrsquos grounds I could still remember in our neighborhoodthat the old folks would sweep the debris on the street in front

of their houses But instead of just collecting their own trashthey would try to outdo each other by picking (or sweeping)the litter on the street up to the neighborrsquos house in front andeven on their right and left side

Everyone living along the same street knows each other very well to the point that all knows who are having a hard time and would need some assistance A neighbor would readily do somehousehold chores give some food and try to console those whoare grieving for the loss of a love one Nobody needs to askHelp is extended readily

Although the traits Irsquove mentioned above are seldom practicednowadays except for the ldquomano pordquo I still believe that those

were just some of our good traits which define us as people which define us as a Filipino a unique breed of people We arevery resilient that even though we are in grief or experiencingextreme challenges in our everyday life we still are able to lightour faces with the friendliest smile

Christmas is another tradition-field celebration that is uniquelyFilipino Te ldquoSimbang Gabirdquo ldquoputo bumbongrdquo and the like are

some Christmas traditions But let us not forget that Christmas isnot just a season of merriment but is a season for reconciliationItrsquos that time of the year when we want to ask forgiveness fromthose we had wronged and at same time forgive also those whohad wronged us and forget whatever they had done to us

Christmas is a season wherein family ties are kept stronger andmore meaningful But to be more meaningful it is better that weshare our blessings to those in need whose nights might be Holy but

would be very Silent and the only sound that they could hear arenot carols of merriment but the grumbling of their empty stomach

Make this Christmas the most meaningful Christmas ever bysharing your ldquoNoche Buenardquo with a neighbor or better still witha complete stranger May the birth of our Lord touch our heartsand be responsive to those in need

CHRISMAS is a holy day celebratingthe birth of Jesus Christ our Saviour Ithas been a tradition in the Philippines that

we go to dawn masses from December 16to the eve of Christmas day Because ourenthusiasm builds up as early as Septemberon Christmas Day itself many of us areexhausted after days of going through heavytraffic on the way to parties and to crowdedshopping malls to shop for gifts Tere arealso many events that we are enticed to at-tend for our kidsrsquo sake gatherings of relatives and friends near and farand entertainment we spend a lot for the family

While these festivities are all expressions of love we sometimes forgetthat Christmas day is the day we should go to mass to thank God forall the blessings we received from Him and in turn to offer our gift to

Jesus Christ As we enter the Advent season let us start reflecting on

how we can better love and serve God on how we can help the poorand how we can give hope to those who are losing hope Let us put intoaction the principle of charity with greater vigor and sense of urgency

May Christmas be like the ldquoJourney to the Innrdquo of Joseph and Mary- tiring yet full of hope and joy to welcome Christ in our hearts andour homes As Knights of Columbus let us lead our communities toa Christ-centered Advent celebration this year and always

My family and I wish your whole family ldquoA Merry Christmas and aBlessed New Yearrdquo

FOR this Christmas I wish tobase my reflection on a poem

written by Horacio de la Costathe first Filipino provincial ofthe Jesuits Please read and usethe poem as a Christmas greet-ing My reflection is nothingcompared to the poem

We must have visited all theBelens in our churches since we

were small In fact most of usalso put up the Christmas cribin our own homes In arlacthey even have yearly exhibits ofBelens which they call Belenis-mo We were told that it was StFrancis who started putting upthe crib in his church And thepoem of Horacio Dela Costatells us that if we meditate onthis set up we might discover

the surprises that they bring toour consciousness

Let us identify some fea-tures of the Belens that we se earound us during the Christ-mas season and together letus reflect on the meanings thatthese can offer us We shall seedifferent layers of Christmasmeaning emerge

1 he King was born poorGod has become human Tisis one of the features that wesee when we stare at the Crib

What a paradox the king ispoor God is human Life isindeed full of paradoxes andof seeming contradictions

We make sense of them only

with the passage o f t ime and

as we mature both in age andin faith

2 he Bethlehem scene isprofoundly meaningful sym-bolic and mystery-laden We

watch the figures in the Be lenand sometimes we do notunderstand When we do notunderstand the turn of eventsin our life we should not giveup We should not run awayTe world will not end onlybecause we do not understand

what we see exper ience or feelLet us stand in awe at Godrsquosvisit when we are clueless of

what i s happening 3 he King was born in a

manger But there was peacearound among the wise menand the shepherds on that holy

and starry night We see atthe Belen scene a communionamong God humans the richand the poor animals and hu-mans the stars the night andthe people It was as though ata special moment the Universe

was one As though the con-nectedness of all the elements

was not merel y ecolog ical asLaudato Si spoke of but evendivine -human No wonderthat we do not get tired of put-ting up our belens at home inchurches and in public placesNo wonder that we can stareforever at the Nativity scenealthough we do not fully un-derstand everything although

we do it yea r afte r year We

also feel that we are there andthat we are connected to the

figures they represent we areconnected to history to oursurroundings and even to ourGod

4 he Savior was born ina manger where animals eatTe meaning of the mangerscene has been the content ofmany sermons that we haveheard We were told that thisdoes not only refer to thehumility or poverty of Jesus

A dee per meaning they say isthat Jesus has come to be foodfor all who come to him Jesuscame to give Himself as foodfor the world His words histeachings his mercy and com-passion and his Good News of

Godrsquos Plan are enough to fillour emptiness with a sense ofdirection and destiny Teyquench our thirst for enlight-enment guidance and sense ofdignity as humans

5 he Baby who is born isthe Savior of the world Howcan a Baby save the w orld Wesee before us a baby wrappedin swaddling clothes And werealize that Divinity can berevealed in very human situ-ations And that the humblestreality could be a revelationthat God is in our midst If weopen our hearts and minds tothe Lord His Spirit enlightensand gives delight to our weary

and limited minds and souls

Even today we can feel Hismessage although sometimes

we do not ful ly unders tand Te truth dawns on us when

we ar e qu ie t and when we wait When we do not rush toknow Godrsquos Presence is a Giftthat we can never be worthy ofBut the point here is not thatour littleness could obstructthe Revelation of a mysteryRather the Greatness of theLord compels Him to revealHimself to the little one Evento us Now

Tat is why Liturgy invokesour ability to watch to look at

what happe ns in the Churchcelebrations Te beauty ofcandles incense and flowerscan evoke some sense of the

Sacred Space a Sacred Mo-ment and a Sacred Encounter

Te Belen does this for us inrevealing the message of Christ-mas If we open our eyes weshall see the Message of Christ-mas with our hearts If we havetime and we can keep quietbefore the Belen we might seethe surprise of the Lord

[The author Ma TheresaG Curia is the Executive VicePresident amp Chief OperatingOfficer of the Knights of Co-lumbus Fraternal Association ofthe Phils Inc (KCFAPI) andthe incumbent Diocesan Regentof the Daughters of Mary Im-maculate International Dioceseof Malolos]

IrsquoS that time of the year again We must allbegin the increasingly difficult task of buy-ing suitable gifts for our friends and familyHowever there is a different gift you shouldseriously consider giving this year Itrsquos not a fun

present nor it is exciting Itrsquos not somethingyou can play with or wear and it definitely wouldnrsquot be considered a treat Itrsquos a gift thatno one wants but everyone NEEDS So whatare we talking about A Fraternal Service Plan

A Benefit Certificate (BC) or what is simplyknown as a life insurance policy Every year

we search for that perfect gift for a loved oneSomething that will show how much we careand appreciate them What could better provethat than giving someone the gift of SECU-RIY and SABILIY

Unfortunately the recent statistics presentthe sad truth (a) more than 95 Filipinos donot have adequate levels of insurance and (b)more than 80 of Filipinos do not believethey are likely to suffer a serious illness in the

next 20 years Yet each year around 365000Filipinos face premature death either caused byaccidental death or natural sickness It equatesto 1000 untimely deaths everyday

Firstly think about your present situation

Do you have loved ones who depend on youfinancially If something were to happen toyou would your family struggle to maintaintheir current lifestyle the kind of living yoursquovebeen providing If you answered yes to thesequestions itrsquos as simple as that - you need tohave life insurance Secondly do you have aloved one (parent spouse adult children e tc)

who needs protection Tis year give them theultimate gift Having an adequate amount oflife insurance can help in paying off hospitalbills memorial bills mortgage and even in-heritance tax It can allow a family to maintaintheir current level of living and possibly evenfund long term goals such as childrenrsquos schoolfunds dream car house business and evenretirement Now wersquore not saying this is the

only gift you should give it might look a littlesad with only that under the Christmas treeHowever just consider along with the othergifts giving a present that may not be appreci-ated at that moment might come in use should

a critical time arrive You look after your familyand so this is a perfect gift ideaItrsquos important to consult a fraternal counselor

when considering life insurance as it is impera-tive that you are insured accurately dependingon your current situation and future needs

Should you wish to know more just visit wwwkofcorgph for inquiries

Did you know thatFor as low as PhP10000 you can already

start the Gift of Life to your loved ones Tisfraternal service plan is called KC Peso Saver Itis a single contribution endowment plan which

will mature at the end of the benefit certificatersquos10th year In fact a lot of Knights of ColumbusMembers invest with this Gift of Life everyChristmas for their spouse and children

Gemille Isabel P Gloria

A Meek Christmas

IMAGINE a pregnant mother who is supposed to give birth toa child at the moment and rideson a donkey with her husband

Apart from the pain of laborthe mother is enduring deathchases their yet unborn child astheir King deliberately kills allthe newborn babies that night

urned down by the innkeepersthey ended up in a crude stablesharing it with the farm animalsand the shepherds as she gavebirth to a baby boy and placedhim in a manger I bet you arepicturing a scene of a movie inyour head right now Tis isactually what the first Christmaslooked like

Going back to the presentChristmas is far more delightfuland exciting Shopping feastinggift-giving and vacation trippingare just few of the activities that

we cannot do away with in ourChristmas lists We think ofChristmas like no other ordinaryday of the year We make sure

that for Noche Buena there isabundance of bountiful feasts inour dining table from a platterof mouth-watering leche flan toa sumptuous lechon new clothesup to fifty percent sale on theselected items section and expen-sive gifts covered in a Santa Claus

wrapper under a fully decorated

Christmas tree We associate theChristmas season as a time ofsplendor since it is the birthday ofour Savior Unfortunately someof us could only imagine thesethings Tey are our fellow whoare counted by the government inabject poverty who could hardlythink of where and how to gettheir first meal for the 365 daysof the year including Christmasday One does not need to moveafar to behold this ravers-ing nearby the office we couldalready see some of the faces inpoverty If you have not takenyet the underpass connectingManila City Hall and Intramu-ros as you make your way out of

it you will see sullied children intattered clothes inhaling plasticbags containing rugby with somesoiled adults who seem to be theirparents doing the same thing

With their hunger already in theirhead some children forcibly takethe food of the passersby Duringthe night the space where people

enter and exit the underpassin the day turns into a freezinghome for the homeless Youcan see in their wrinkled face thefeeling of sleeping on the passage-

ways with only cardboard boxesand worn out fabrics in betweentheir body and the cold cementedground Teir condition is notfar from what Jesus experiencedon the first Christmas born intoand chose to live a life of poverty

Remembering martyredSalvadoran Archbishop OscarRomero who once said thatldquoNo one can celebrate a genuineChristmas without being trulypoor he self sufficient theproud those who because they

have everything look down onothers those who have no needeven of God for them there

will be no Christmas Only thepoor the hungry those whoneed someone to come on theirbehalf will have that someonehat someone is God Em-manuel God-with-usrdquo With

what he thought we canrsquot arguethat at times we want everythingTe more you have the moreyou want and the more you get

What if we have nothing Whatif we donrsquot have gifts food andnew clothes for the Christmas

What if we are in the place of thehomeless Would we still feel thesame Christmas Spirit withoutthe things we celebrate with it

We have to learn to celebrat eChristmas with how the poorperceive it Let us not reachthe point where we celebrateChristmas just because we willreceive our one-year wish listLet us learn to lose to sacrificeand to give during Christmas

Joseph P Teodoro

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D3The Cross December 7 2015 - 27 2015 Vol 19 No 25

Deogracias Fajota Fr Jeronimo

Ma Cruz Fr Antonio Rex PalayaFr Melvin Gamelo Fr JuliusCuison Fr Felix Labios Fr Ra-melle Rigunay Fr Randy SalungaFr Joel Cariaso Fr HernandezMendoza Fr Julius de Sagun FrRonel Ilano Fr Lowie Palines andFr Emmanuel Hiipolito

In his homily Cardinal aglestarted by citing that aside fromthe formal opening of the Dioc-esan process for Fr Willmannit was also the feast day of St

Ambrose a great teacher of theChurch known for his sanctityand teachings It was also the eveof the Immaculate Conception ofour Blessed Mother Mary plus thestart of the Advent season

Te Cardinal then focused onthe question What does it meanto be holy With the opening ofthe Cause he said that Fr George

J Willmann St Ambrose andMother Mary all responded tosanctity and holiness Cardinalagle clarified that ldquoHoliness isan attribute of God and not manrsquosachievement nor his work It isGod who is Holy and our holi-ness is a gift of God ndash our oneness

with HimrdquoCardinal agle added that the

message of the First Reading is thatthe Holiness of God is seen withmarvelous work ndash like transform-ing a desert into a garden filled

with water and flowers where we

are able to drink from Godrsquos good-ness with a safe road along the

holy way Te desert symbolizes

humanity that is seen to be dryfruitless empty and even life-less However when God entersall these are transformed into abountiful garden Godrsquos Holinessalways creates miracles ldquoWhen-ever we experience hopelessnessloaded with faults we must notbe afraid for that is the time whenGod will come to infuse His Holi-ness and cure the sickness Tat isthe Good Newsrdquo Cardinal agleadded that during this season ofadvent we must look deeper intoour deserts in order to experiencethe Holiness of God

Te Cardinal then underscoredthat we need to respond to GodrsquosHoliness not like the scribes in

the reading who questioned andrejected Jesus but like the friendsof the paralyzed man who lookedfor a nonconventional way -through the roof - to bring theparalytic closer to Jesus Cardinalagle stressed the need for us to bealert discerning with eyes of faithin order for us to respond to ourHoly God in His action when weare in our desert

he Cardinal then asked thepeople to pray for those entrusted

with the Cau se of Fr Willmannthat they may be illumined witheyes of faith With no intention ofpre-empting the Diocesan processCardinal agle simply thankedGod as we are now privileged

to share Godrsquos holiness throughpersonal experiences with Fr Will-

Sainthood D1

Process for PHrsquos new lsquoServantof Godrsquo starts rollingMANILA Dec 7 2015 ndash Manila Arch-bishop Luiacutes Antonio G Cardinal agleofficially accepted on Monday Dec 7the Feast of St Ambrose the petition toopen an investigation on the sanctity andheroic virtues of Fr George J WillmannSJ founder of the Knights of Columbus(KC) in the Philippines among otherCatholic lay organizations

At least 1000 of the naturalized Fili-pino Jesuit priestrsquos spiritual children fromall over the country including no lessthan former Supreme Court (SC) Chief

Justice Hilario G Davide Jr becamepart of Philippine Church history as they

witnes sed at the Manila Metropo litanCathedral Basilica the solemn opening ofthe archdiocesan process they hope wouldlead to beatification and canonization

lsquoGreat responsibilityrsquoIn line with this agle appointed Msgr

Pedro C Quitorio III of the CatholicBishopsrsquo Conference of the Philippines(CBCP) Media Office as postulator forthe cause of the countryrsquos newest ldquoServantof Godrdquo

He also approved the appointments ofMsgr Geronimo S Reyes Fr Wilmer RRosal and Fr Ricardo P del Rosario asepiscopal delegate vice postulator andpromoter of justice respectively as wellas of a host of other experts both clericand lay who vow to work together to giveFilipinos another saint

Te prelate went on to swear in allthose involved in the cause for Willmannrsquosbeatification and canonization remindingthem of the ldquogreat responsibilityrdquo theyhave assumed and the ldquoimportance andseriousnessrdquo of the task at hand

PHrsquos Fr McGivney Dubbed ldquoFr McGivney of the Philip-

pinesrdquo due to his dedication to expand KClocally Willmann worked for the radicaltransformation of faith into action

Born on June 29 1897 to very devoutCatholic parents in Brooklyn New Yorkthe American Jesuit was granted Philip-pine citizenship by President FerdinandMarcos through Presidential Decree(PD) No 740

In 1938 he first served as chaplain

of KC Manila Council 1000 then re-turned in 1954 to become the Orderrsquosfirst Philippine Deputy until his deathin 1977

In total the priest spent 44 fruitful andproductive years in the Philippines serv-ing the poor the sick the orphans theoppressed the lonely and the desolateespecially the young ones

KCFAPI etcBesides what is formally known as the

Knights of Columbus Fraternal Associa-tion of the Philippines Inc (KCFAPI)

which he founded in 1958 Willmannestablished other organizations as follows

bull Catholic Youth Organization (1938)bull Establishment of the Catholic Press

ldquoFilipinasrdquo and the ldquoCrossrdquo Magazines(1946)

bull Columbian Squires in the Philippines(1950)

bull Daughters of Isabella in the Philip-pines (1951) reorganized as Daughtersof Mary Immaculate (1977)

bull Columbian Farmers Aid Association(1951) reorganized as Knights of Co-lumbus Community Service Inc (1962)

bull Knights of Columbus Fraternal Asso-ciation of the Philippines Inc (KCFAPI)(1958)

bull Knights of Columbus PhilippinesFoundation Inc (1971) (Raymond ASebastiaacuten CBCP News)

Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle leads the Mass of the formal opening of the ArchdiocesanProcess for the Causes of Beatification and Canonization of the Servant of God FatherGeorge J Willmann SJ father of the Knights of Columbus in the Philippines LIN REGINO

Te Gentle Warrior By James B Reuter SJ

Part II of Chapter wo of ldquoTe Gentle Warriorrdquo series

CHAPER WO-----------------

Te Ateneo de Manila

HE Ateneo was a boysrsquo schoolTe objective of a boysrsquo school is tomake a man out of a boy Te mainvirtue of a man is courage Godmirrored His virtues in His childrenBut he divided them between girls

and boys Tere is such a thing as amasculine soul and a feminine soulIf a boy and a girl are suddenly con-fronted with a wild bull thunderingdown on them if the girl screamedand hid behind the boy that wouldbe normal But if the boy screamedand hid behind the girl everyone

would be ashamed of him Tevirtue of a girl is not physical cour-age it is love and mercy Te virtueof a boy is courage and justice Butin our schools there is no course inthe curriculum called ldquoCouragerdquo

here is no subject called

ldquoCouragerdquo Tere is no mark forldquoCouragerdquo It has to be taught inevery subject through the wholelife of the school he Jesuitsunderstood this very well AndGeorge understood it He began

to learn the meaning of couragehimself when he was five yearsold sitting on the curbstone onPutnam Avenue when the wheelof the garbage truck crushed bothhis feet

In the old Ateneo there wasa strong tradition of ldquoRomansrdquoand ldquoCarthageniansrdquo Jose Rizal

was the Emperor of the RomansEvery class was competitive TeRomans would be lined up onone side of the class the Car-thagenians on the other Te firstquestion went to the Romans

If the Romans answered it cor-rectly the questioning stayed

with the Romans If any Romanmissed the question went to theCarthagenians Ten the Romanboys would growl and grumble at

the Roman who missed It wascompetition to teach courage

And the battle cry of all theteams was ldquoAnimo Ateneordquo Youcould translate that as ldquoLetrsquos go

Ateneordquo or ldquoSpirit Ateneordquo orldquoFight Ateneordquo mdash but in practiceit meant courage Never give upno matter what the odds ldquoGoget lsquoem Ateneordquo Never say dieTis was obvious in everythingthat the boys did

But it never degenerated intoldquoWin at all costsrdquo Te secondmasculine virtue is justice Tis

means honesty integrity and fairplay Both at once mdash courageand fair play Te verse that everyathlete in the school knew by heart

was ldquoIf I should win let it be bythe code with my head and my

honor held high But if I shouldlose let me stand by the road andcheer as the winner goes byrdquo

It was a tremendous amount of work mdash teaching night and dayrunning the Sodality the ACILand the magazine mdash but Georgeloved it

And his students loved him Tefriendships that he made duringthose three years of regency from1922 to 1925 lasted more thanfifty years

(o be continued on the nextissue)

mann and his life and ministrydevoted to service that providedldquofresh water and good newsrdquo

particularly to the youth the poorand the prisonersTe Cardinal cited his own basic

formation as a Charter memberof the Columbian Squires inImus Cavite where they helpedthe Church in its program for thestreet children He also mentionedhis appreciation for being a scholarof the Knights of Columbus dur-ing Fr Willmannrsquos time

Reiterating that God indeedtransforms deserts into places ofrest peace and holiness Cardinalagle ended his homily by encour-aging all in attendance to be agentsof Godrsquos holiness

People from all walks of life joined the celebration of this Mass

that formally opened the Cause ofServant of God - Fr Willmann

Also repres ent ed were var iou sorganizations established and nur-tured by Fr George including the

Daughters of Isabella (now Daugh-ters of Mary Immaculate) Catholic Youth Organization ColumbianSquires and the Knights of Co-lumbus Parishioners and residents

with their families from nearbycities and communities of ondoIntramuros Sta Cruz Malate andother more distant places likewise

witnessed the very mean ingfulOpening of the diocesan processfor the Cause of their ldquoFather andBenefactorrdquo of forty years

Fr George J Willmann SJdevoted the last forty years of hislife not only in humble serviceand dynamic leadership of theKnights of Columbus in thePhilippines but equally being a

compassionate pastor in the careand formation of the youth He

provided relief to victims of the

war and of violence while also al-leviating the sufferings of the poorHe likewise established ways topreserve and promote the sanctityof life marriage and the family

It was in 1997 or eighteen yearsago that the Knights of Columbusin the Philippines first started aconcerted thrust to formally laythe groundwork for the Causeof Fr Willmann During theOrderrsquos centennial celebration ofFr Willmannrsquos birth the Ordercreated a Committee on Causecomposed of Ramon V ConsingLauro M Cruz and Msgr PedroC Quitorio III as co-chairmenNotable activities of the Com-mittee included gathering of tes-

timonials launch of the Prayer forthe Centennial of Fr Willmann with the Impr imatur of Msgr Jose C Abriol launching of Fr Willmann Fellows meeting withthen Jaime Cardinal Sin and theFather Provincial of the Jesuits toseek their respective endorsementsof the Cause Te Order publishedand distributed the pamphlet ldquoAGlimpsehe Life and Worksof Fr George J Willmann SJrdquoin order to give due acknowledg-ment and recognition as well as toincrease awareness abou t Fr Will-mann A landmark achievement ofthis period was the publication ofldquoTe Gentle Warriorrdquo a biographyof Fr Willmann authored by Fr

James B Reuter SJEstablishing and spreading the

fama sanctitatis of Fr Willmann

included the presentation andpromotion of his works mademore concrete by direct testimo-nies of various individuals whomhe personally interacted withFr Willmann Fellowsrsquo one-timemembership donations have beenpooled to fund the productionof materials such as prayer cardspublications tarpaulins postersto effectively promote Fr George

Willmann not only to brotherKnights but more importantlyto the youth the poor and under-privileged of various communities

In 2011 through the efforts ofthe KC Fraternal Association ofthe Philippines and the Knightsof Columbus Fr Willmann Chari-

ties Inc the National ExecutiveCommittee (NEC) for the Causeof Fr Willmann was created withthe primary function of overseeingall the initiatives relative to or inconnection with the Cause

We are blessed that the Dioc-esan process of the Cause of FrGeorge J Willmann SJ has nowbeen formally opened therebygiving us significant reason torejoice Henceforth he will nowbe regarded Servant of God Letus fervently pray for continuedenlightenment from the HolySpirit for everyone involved in thisDiocesan process and the Causeas a whole so that our belovedFr George J Willmann may ulti-

mately be elevated to the honorsof the altar

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D4 The CrossDecember 7 2015 - 27 2015 Vol 19 No 25

FST IN CAGAYAN A Fraternal Service Training program was held in Cagayan De Oro last November 13 2015Participants were from Zamboanga Misamis and Butuan The event was graced by KCFAPI Vice Presidentfor FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBG Manager Michael Cabra Aside from the product specifications thetraining also gives an idea regarding the basic insurance process and conceptualization of new marketingstrategies in order to achieve their goals and improve their sales performance (FBG News)

AREA MEETING IN VISAYAS The KCFAPI Western Visayas Armor held an area meeting in Bacolod lastOctober 24 2015 led by Agency Unit Manager Randy G Bravo and graced by KCFAPI Vice President forFBG Gari San Sebastian (KCFAPI News)

FST IN DAVAO A Fraternal Service Training program (1 and 2) was held in KCFAPI Davao Service OfficeDavao City last November 20-21 2015 Participants were from Compostela Valley Cotabato City andGeneral Santos The training was attended by KCFAPI Vice President f or FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBGManager Michael Cabra (FBG News)

PRODUCERSrsquo FORUM KCFAPI Vice President for FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBG Manager Michael Cabraled a Producersrsquo Forum wherein fraternal counsellors all over Luzon were gathered for an update of theirincentives program held last November 11 2015 at the KCFAPI home office (FBG News)

New KCFAPI Board of Trustee Bro Pascual C Carbero

IN February of 1986 BroCarbero started his knightlyservice in the Knights of Co-lumbus under Council 10695

in Valenzuela City Duringhis service in Council 10695he has been appointed asChancellor for CY 1992-1993 and as Deputy GrandKnight and Program Direc-tor for CY 1993-1994 InDistrict M-31 of ValenzuelaCity Bro Carbero was GrandKnight for CY 1994-1995District Warden for CY 1996-1997 and District Deputyfor CY 1997-1999 He wasalso Chairman for the Roundable District Deputies forCY 1998-1999 At the Dr PioValenzuela Assembly ACN1772 Meycauayan Bulacanhe was the Faithful Naviga-

tor for CY 1999-2000 Onthat same term Bro Pascual

was the Luzo n State Audi -tor for CY 2000-2003 andthe Luzon State Warden forCY 2000-2003 of the Luzon

Jurisdiction After which forCY 2000-2001 he becamethe Charter Faithful Naviga-tor for the City of Valenzuela

Assembly ACN 2676 For

CY 2007-2015 Bro Carbero was re-a ppo inte d as Luzo nState Warden Bro Carbero

was a voting delegate in the

KC Supreme Convention heldat Washington DC in 2010and also a non-voting delegateheld at Anaheim Californiain 2002 and 2012 Currentlyhe is the State Secretary of theLuzon North Jurisdiction

Bro Pascualrsquos dedicationand enthusiasm in participat-ing in the Order gave himthe endeavor to author thecreation of the City of Valen-zuela Assembly in 1999 withthe assistance of the Districtand Vice Supreme Master

With his knightly serv ice he was awarded with several rec-ognition namely OutstandingDistrictDeputy for CY 1997-

1999 Star District Awardeefor CY 1997-1999 and Civic

Awardee as Charter FaithfulNavigator of the City of Valen-zuela Assembly ACN 2676CY 2000-2001

Apart from Knights of Co-lumbus Bro Carbero partakeshis services in other civic andreligious organizations He isa Special Lay Minister of the

Holy Eucharist Parish of theHoly Cross since 1989 and amember of the Parish RenewalExperience Group He is the

Director and reasurer of thePhilippine Insurers Club from2013 to 2014 and currently itsPresident He is also a memberof the Insurance Executive1st Friday Club of Makatiand an incoming Presidentof the Philippine Associationof Surety Underwriters Incthis 2016

He was Director Corpo-rate Secretary of Mace Insur-ance Agency Inc from 2012until 2014 and currentlythe Independent Director ofKompass Credit and FinancialCorporation and KCFAPIrespectively Bro Carbero isalso a fellow of Father George

J Willmann Charit ies Inc And since 2006 he has beenthe Vice President of IntraStrata Assurance Corporation

He graduated with a Bach-elorrsquos degree in Business Ad-ministration Major in Man-agement at Philippine Schoolof Business Administration in1973 and finished Bachelor ofLaws in Lyceum of the Philip-

pines in 1988Bro Pascual Carberorsquos wife

Sis Remedios was past presi-dent for three years of theCatholic Womenrsquos League(CWL) Valenzuela Chapterand currently the AssistantVice President for Underwrit-ing in Mercantile InsuranceCo Inc in Intramuros Ma-nila Tey are blessed with six

wonderful children namely

Soidemer Claire a pediatri-cian Abigail Claire a lawyerValerie Claire and ChristineClaire both of whom are reg-istered nurses Terese Claire

who graduated with Bachelorrsquosdegree in Laws and is currentlyreviewing for Bar exams and

Adrian Brian who is also aregistered nurse and presentlya 3rd year medical student

Former SC Justice tofellow lsquoPH Knightsrsquo Prayfor Willmannrsquos CauseMANILA Dec 8 2015 ndash Former Chief

Justice Hilario G Davide Jr has calledon fellow members of the Knights of Co-lumbus (KC) nationwide to keep prayingfor the eventual ldquoraising to the altarrdquo ofthe grouprsquos spiritual father Fr George J

Willmann SJ who was declared ldquoSer-vant of Godrdquo Monday Dec 7

ldquoSo what is demanded of us as mem-bers of Knights of Columbus What isdemanded of us as members of Knightsof Columbus Fraternal Association of thePhilippines Inc [KCPAFI]rdquo he askedldquoWe need to pray a lot Pray pray praythat the tribunal will listen to the evidencepresented Pray pray pray that the tribu-nal will actually collate all the evidenceand determine once and for all that whathas been presented through our postula-

tor is credible to merit the conferment ofbeatification later on Tis is our taskrdquo

Archdiocesan processDavide who now chairs the National

Executive Committee for the Causes ofFr Willmann made this observation in aspeech following a ceremony held at theManila Cathedral during which Arch-bishop Luiacutes Antonio G Cardinal agleofficially approved the archdiocesan process

for the causes for the beatification and can-onization of the naturalized Filipino Jesuit

he solemn occasion was witnessedby no less than 1000 representativesof KCPAFI and other organizations Fr

Willmann helped establish like Catholic Youth Organization Columbian Squiresin the Philippines (1950) and Daughtersof Mary Immaculate

Te former chief magistrate went on todescribe the entire process as ldquovery mean-ingfulrdquo since it had the power to make anordinary priest into a Servant of God

Ordinary priest to Servant of GodldquoImagine during our lifetime today in

the Cathedral we saw the conversion ofan ordinary priest to become a Servant ofGod And we hope that he will merit be-

ing a servant of God until the first step ofthe process will continuerdquo he exclaimed

According to him it must have been thefirst time for most people present to haveseen with their own eyes an event of suchldquohistoric and momentous significancerdquo

ldquoI have lived 20 times four years of mylife almost And this is the first time I have

witnessed the process how it evolves and what we can gather from it o me thisis not just making somebody brought to

the honors of the altar but for us to beable to witness how to live and how tocomport ourselves to be able to follow hisfootstepsrdquo he explained

Built-in holinessDavide pointed out that holiness is

already built in each person but it is onlya matter of expressing it

ldquoWhy I would say that holiness is inus already Because we are the templeof God and the Spirit of God is with usSometimes however we forget that this isso We close our ears We close our eyes to

Jesus Christ We close our hands to JesusChrist by helping others So this is theprocess that we have witnessed today Andto me it will very much workrdquo he added

Davide also credited Msgr Pedro C Qui-

torio III postulator of the causes for Fr Will-mann for the ldquodivinely inspiredrdquo occasionand the timeliness of the diocesan process

ldquoSo Msgr Quitorio you are divinelyinspired You planned everything in sucha way that everything we did and we willdo and what we are doing right now isnot only as legacy to the next generationbut even beyond the next generation forpeople and children yet unbornrdquo he said(Raymond A Sebastiaacuten CBCP News)

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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JCL ndash member while for the TeologicalCommission the experts appointed wereFr Alexander L Garces SDB JCL ndashPresident Fr Enrico Eusebio Jr SJ JCDndash member and Sr Maria Amparo SantosOP JCL ndash member As with the ribunalmembers the Presidents and membersof both Commissions individually tooktheir respective oaths and signed the Acts

Te appointed Copyist Ms RonalynRegino and Assistant Copyist Ms Ge-cerein Sayen Ocampo were called next totake their respective oaths and similarlysigned in the Acts

Ten Postulator Msgr Pedro C Qui-torio III and Vice Postulator Fr WilmerR Rosario JCD individually took their

respective oaths not compromise the truthand offend justice nor impede the free-dom of witnesses to testify in the CauseTereafter they also signed the Acts

Te Postulator then presented to Car-dinal agle for his examination a list of

witnesses to be interrogated subject to thepossible addition and revision of namesin the future Upon examining the listthe Cardinal decreed that the next sessionfor interrogation of witnesses be held on

January 11 2016 at the Arzobispado deManila

Finally after ordering the Chancellorto establish public record of this First Ses-sion Cardinal agle declared the Processfor the Causes of Beatification and Can-

onization of Servant of God FAHERGEORGE J WILLMANN SJ Father ofthe Order of the Knights of Columbus inthe Philippines OPEN

o complete the Rites His EminenceLuis Antonio Cardinal agle together withformer Chief Justice Hilario G Davide

Jr as Chairman of the National ExecutiveCommittee (NEC) for the Cause of Fr

Willmann jo intly u nveiled the portraitof Father George J Willmann SJ

Tereafter Cardinal agle began thecelebration of the Holy Eucharist Con-celebrants were Bishop Honesto FOngtioco DD Bishop Mylo HubertC Vergara DD Msgr Geronimo FReyes JCD Fr William Arana OSA Fr

Carlo Magno Marcelo Fr Marvin MejiaFr Wilmer Rosario JCD Fr Carlo DelRosario Fr Julius Paul Factora OP JCDFr Sander Niez JCL Fr Alex GarcesSDB JCL Fr Rico Garcia Fr ReginaldMalicdem Fr Darwin Faith Ponce OSAFr Ricky VIllar OSA Fr Geoffrey Eb-orda OSA Fr Genaro Supremedo OSAFr Jojo orres OSA Fr Joseph VillarealOSA Fr Roy Gallano OSA Fr MichaelSalazar and Fr Romel Cruz

Also serv ing as Conce lebrants werea number of KC Priests Scholars of theKnights of Columbus Fr George J

Willmann Charities Inc that includedMsgr Pedro C Quitorio III Fr Benjamin

The Cross A Supplement Publication of KCFAPI and the Order of the Knights of ColumbusCBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25 December 7 2015 - 27 2016

Sainthood bid opens forFr George Willmann SJBy Roberto T Cruz

On December 7 2015 Mon-

day the bells of the ManilaCathedral rang out loud as HisEminence Luis Antonio Car-dinal agle presided over themilestone celebration of theHoly Eucharist at the ManilaCathedral to formally open theDiocesan process of the Causeof Fr George J Willmann SJ

he Liturgical Rites for the formalopening of the diocesan process precededthe Mass at 900am With the entranceprocession of Cardinal agle as the MainCelebrant together with two bishops twomonsignors and thirty-three priests whoconcelebrated the Mass the Rites started

with Msgr Pedro C Quitorio III theappointed Diocesan Postulator for theCause of Fr Willmann giving biographi-cal highlights of the life of Fr George J

Willmann SJ An Invocation of the HolySpirit followed with the singing of VeniCreator Spiritus by the Manila CathedralBasilica Choir

Cardinal agle then examined anddeclared the legitimacy of the appoint-ments of Msgr Pedro C Quitorio III asthe Postulator and Fr Wilmer R Rosario

JCD as Vice-Postul ator in conformity with the Code of Canon Law

Appointed members of the Diocesanribunal for the Cause of Fr Willmann

were Msgr Geronimo F Reyes JCDas Episcopal Delegate Fr Carlo P DelRosario JCL as Promoter of Justice Mseresita F Kudemus ndash First Notary MsMarivic M Ambasa ndash Second Notary Ms

Julieta R Santos as Tird NotaryTe Cardinal reminded them of the

great responsibility importance andseriousness of the Process for the Causesfor Beatification and Canonization Asrequired by Church law all the mem-bers of the ribunal starting with MsgrGeronimo F Reyes individually tooktheir oath to faithfully fulfill hisher com-mitment and then signed the Acts

Te Experts who were tapped to formthe Historical Commission includeFr Julius Paul Factora OP JCD asPresident Fr Adolfo N Dacanay SJ

JCD ndash member and Fr Sander D Niez Sainthood D3

KCFAPI Theme and Logo for 2016HE year 2016 has been pro-claimed the Year of the Eucharistand the Family by the CatholicBishopsrsquo Conference of the Phil-ippines Te theme is part of thenine year spiritual journey thatbegan with the Year of Faith

where we experienced an authenticrenewal of faith guided by the newevangelization principles

he Holy Eucharist whichmeans thanksgiving invitesfamilies of the Catholic faithfulto commemorate the supremesacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christon the cross to receive His body

and blood in the Holy Commu-nion and to celebrate His victoryover death

Te Roman Catholic Churchpromotes strong family ties andvalues Parents are entrustedthe responsibility to prepare andteach their children to follow JesusChrist and live His gospel

KCFAPI distinguished itselfin protecting the sanctity of thefamily by providing comfortand sustenance in any loss orlife-changing event among fam-ily members KCFAPI respondsswiftly to changing or evolvingfamily insurance needs Nowon its 58th year of providingunsurpassed uncompromised

fraternal service KCFAPI vowsand advocates relentlessly to

render comfort benefit and as-sistance to all brother knightsand their families with mercy andcompassion

As part of the KCFAPI familyin a pioneering effort all wholly-owned and majority-ownedcompanies will coordinate theirschedules and manage theirresources towards one com-mon goal and will function asone well oiled machine By

joi nin g han ds gu ide d by theHoly Spirit the strength ofone is multiplied several times

over Te heart symbolizes lovemercy and compassion and is

also Charity ndash the first of fourcore principle of the OrderKCFAPI in heart-shaped bordermantles the five wholly- ownedand majority-owned companies Keys Realty amp DevelopmentCorporation Kompass Creditand Financing Corporation KCPhilippines Foundation IncKnights of Columbus Fr George

J Willmann Charitie s Inc andMace Insurance Agency IncTey are depicted by the boldshoulders of the figures symbol-izing the family Just like in any

close-knit family concentratedon accomplishing one objective

all employees will be engagedtheir support and talent pooledand harnessed to participateactively in any company activi-ties working in tandem as onecohesive unit

Te logo vividly demonstratesthe solidarity and bonding of fam-ily members if they gather togetherand allow Christ to be at the centerof their family relationship

Te different colors representthe various hues of the Order ofthe Knights of Columbus red

whit e blu e and yell ow hegreen color manifests KCFAPIrsquos

concern for our environment andits managementrsquos advocacy gearedtowards a healthy state of our sur-roundings Orange brings a posi-tive outlook in life optimism andmotivation to look on the brighterside of life

Te cup and host (in yellow)emulating the Holy Eucharist pro-vides Christ- centered way of life

Te circular flow represents in-finity or totality the unboundedtimeless and never ending lovecare and affection of KCFAPIin providing each and every KCfamily a shield of security protec-tion and hope Te acronym ALLcharacterizes KCFAPIrsquos inclusiveapproach to all forms of actions

products and services (Angelito A Bala)

As we protect families for generations Act Live Love

KCFAPI Planning Conference The Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of thePhilippines Inc held their 2016 Planning Conference last November 7-9 2015 atColumbus Plaza General Santos City Present were KCFAPI Chairman Bro Arsenio IsidroG Yap KCFAPI President Bro Jose C Reyes Jr KCFAPI Executive Vice President SisMa Theresa G Curia KCFAPI Officers and Supervisors KEYS Realty Vice President Bro

Riz Nicolas and HTMC Vice President Sis Apolonia Dominguez

Living Rosary The Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of the Philippines Inchad their Living Rosary last October 30 2015 at the KCFAPI main office This has been

a yearly practice for the Month of the Holy Rosary which is usually conducted by itsofficers and staff

Cardinal Tagle leads the unveiling of the portrait of Jesuit Fr George J Willmann as the Manila archdiocesan process for the Cause of Beatification and Canonization of the latter formally opens at the Manila Cathedralon Monday Dec 7 Willman is considered as t he ldquoFather of the Knights of Columbusrdquo in the Philippines ROY LAGARDE

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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D2 The CrossDecember 7 2015 - 27 2015 Vol 19 No 25

ACQ UIR IN G a hou se and lo t which they can call their own home

and driving their own cars are twoof the priority dreams of Filipinoparents Of course seeing theirchildren finish college education iseither Number 1 or Number 2

Te Knights of Columbus Frater-nal Association of the PhilippinesInc (KCFAPI) has formed andincorporated a new company to helpmembers of the Order to have their

dream homes and motor carsKCFAPI named the new company as Kompass Credit and

Financing Corporation (KCFC) after one of the symbols of theKnights of Columbus which is the Compass Like the Compassof the ancient marines KOMPASS is here to guide BrotherKnight in having their own home and efficient mobility

KOMPASS can also extend home car and business loans tothe general public

Interested parties can call KOMPASS at el No 527-2242

527-2223 loc 215 and 252 for further details of the loan

Arsenio Isidro G Yap

Chairmanrsquos Message

Presidentrsquos Message

Ma Theresa G Curia

Jose C Reyes Jr

Reflection

Curia Settings

Michael P Cabra

Bequest LIFE this Christmas

My Brotherrsquos Keeper

FILIPINO raditions reflect the kindof people that we are All traditionscustoms and beliefs evolve from thelove and respect of the family Ourmutual and natural respect for oneanother our desire to please and notoffend each other and our willingness

to extend a helping hand are just a fewof the basic foundations which madethe Filipino people unique a one of a

kind and nowhere else could be found And certainly a must-have as a friend and neighbor

Some of the trait I like is the ldquomano pordquo expression and at thesame time reaching for the otherrsquos hand and asking for his blessingsTe respected elder would normally extend his hand to touch theforehead of the one asking for his blessings and expresses ldquokaawanka ng Diyosrdquo or ldquoGod bless yourdquo It doesnrsquot matter whether the onebeing accorded the respect is younger than the person asking forthe blessing or even if they hardly know each other

Another trait is removing onersquos slippers or shoes when enteringa neighborrsquos house Te guest expresses his respect for the hostand does not in any way want to spoil or damage the pristinecondition of the floor which is normally kept shiny and clean

Cleaning of onersquos surrounding to the point of cleaning also theneighborrsquos grounds I could still remember in our neighborhoodthat the old folks would sweep the debris on the street in front

of their houses But instead of just collecting their own trashthey would try to outdo each other by picking (or sweeping)the litter on the street up to the neighborrsquos house in front andeven on their right and left side

Everyone living along the same street knows each other very well to the point that all knows who are having a hard time and would need some assistance A neighbor would readily do somehousehold chores give some food and try to console those whoare grieving for the loss of a love one Nobody needs to askHelp is extended readily

Although the traits Irsquove mentioned above are seldom practicednowadays except for the ldquomano pordquo I still believe that those

were just some of our good traits which define us as people which define us as a Filipino a unique breed of people We arevery resilient that even though we are in grief or experiencingextreme challenges in our everyday life we still are able to lightour faces with the friendliest smile

Christmas is another tradition-field celebration that is uniquelyFilipino Te ldquoSimbang Gabirdquo ldquoputo bumbongrdquo and the like are

some Christmas traditions But let us not forget that Christmas isnot just a season of merriment but is a season for reconciliationItrsquos that time of the year when we want to ask forgiveness fromthose we had wronged and at same time forgive also those whohad wronged us and forget whatever they had done to us

Christmas is a season wherein family ties are kept stronger andmore meaningful But to be more meaningful it is better that weshare our blessings to those in need whose nights might be Holy but

would be very Silent and the only sound that they could hear arenot carols of merriment but the grumbling of their empty stomach

Make this Christmas the most meaningful Christmas ever bysharing your ldquoNoche Buenardquo with a neighbor or better still witha complete stranger May the birth of our Lord touch our heartsand be responsive to those in need

CHRISMAS is a holy day celebratingthe birth of Jesus Christ our Saviour Ithas been a tradition in the Philippines that

we go to dawn masses from December 16to the eve of Christmas day Because ourenthusiasm builds up as early as Septemberon Christmas Day itself many of us areexhausted after days of going through heavytraffic on the way to parties and to crowdedshopping malls to shop for gifts Tere arealso many events that we are enticed to at-tend for our kidsrsquo sake gatherings of relatives and friends near and farand entertainment we spend a lot for the family

While these festivities are all expressions of love we sometimes forgetthat Christmas day is the day we should go to mass to thank God forall the blessings we received from Him and in turn to offer our gift to

Jesus Christ As we enter the Advent season let us start reflecting on

how we can better love and serve God on how we can help the poorand how we can give hope to those who are losing hope Let us put intoaction the principle of charity with greater vigor and sense of urgency

May Christmas be like the ldquoJourney to the Innrdquo of Joseph and Mary- tiring yet full of hope and joy to welcome Christ in our hearts andour homes As Knights of Columbus let us lead our communities toa Christ-centered Advent celebration this year and always

My family and I wish your whole family ldquoA Merry Christmas and aBlessed New Yearrdquo

FOR this Christmas I wish tobase my reflection on a poem

written by Horacio de la Costathe first Filipino provincial ofthe Jesuits Please read and usethe poem as a Christmas greet-ing My reflection is nothingcompared to the poem

We must have visited all theBelens in our churches since we

were small In fact most of usalso put up the Christmas cribin our own homes In arlacthey even have yearly exhibits ofBelens which they call Belenis-mo We were told that it was StFrancis who started putting upthe crib in his church And thepoem of Horacio Dela Costatells us that if we meditate onthis set up we might discover

the surprises that they bring toour consciousness

Let us identify some fea-tures of the Belens that we se earound us during the Christ-mas season and together letus reflect on the meanings thatthese can offer us We shall seedifferent layers of Christmasmeaning emerge

1 he King was born poorGod has become human Tisis one of the features that wesee when we stare at the Crib

What a paradox the king ispoor God is human Life isindeed full of paradoxes andof seeming contradictions

We make sense of them only

with the passage o f t ime and

as we mature both in age andin faith

2 he Bethlehem scene isprofoundly meaningful sym-bolic and mystery-laden We

watch the figures in the Be lenand sometimes we do notunderstand When we do notunderstand the turn of eventsin our life we should not giveup We should not run awayTe world will not end onlybecause we do not understand

what we see exper ience or feelLet us stand in awe at Godrsquosvisit when we are clueless of

what i s happening 3 he King was born in a

manger But there was peacearound among the wise menand the shepherds on that holy

and starry night We see atthe Belen scene a communionamong God humans the richand the poor animals and hu-mans the stars the night andthe people It was as though ata special moment the Universe

was one As though the con-nectedness of all the elements

was not merel y ecolog ical asLaudato Si spoke of but evendivine -human No wonderthat we do not get tired of put-ting up our belens at home inchurches and in public placesNo wonder that we can stareforever at the Nativity scenealthough we do not fully un-derstand everything although

we do it yea r afte r year We

also feel that we are there andthat we are connected to the

figures they represent we areconnected to history to oursurroundings and even to ourGod

4 he Savior was born ina manger where animals eatTe meaning of the mangerscene has been the content ofmany sermons that we haveheard We were told that thisdoes not only refer to thehumility or poverty of Jesus

A dee per meaning they say isthat Jesus has come to be foodfor all who come to him Jesuscame to give Himself as foodfor the world His words histeachings his mercy and com-passion and his Good News of

Godrsquos Plan are enough to fillour emptiness with a sense ofdirection and destiny Teyquench our thirst for enlight-enment guidance and sense ofdignity as humans

5 he Baby who is born isthe Savior of the world Howcan a Baby save the w orld Wesee before us a baby wrappedin swaddling clothes And werealize that Divinity can berevealed in very human situ-ations And that the humblestreality could be a revelationthat God is in our midst If weopen our hearts and minds tothe Lord His Spirit enlightensand gives delight to our weary

and limited minds and souls

Even today we can feel Hismessage although sometimes

we do not ful ly unders tand Te truth dawns on us when

we ar e qu ie t and when we wait When we do not rush toknow Godrsquos Presence is a Giftthat we can never be worthy ofBut the point here is not thatour littleness could obstructthe Revelation of a mysteryRather the Greatness of theLord compels Him to revealHimself to the little one Evento us Now

Tat is why Liturgy invokesour ability to watch to look at

what happe ns in the Churchcelebrations Te beauty ofcandles incense and flowerscan evoke some sense of the

Sacred Space a Sacred Mo-ment and a Sacred Encounter

Te Belen does this for us inrevealing the message of Christ-mas If we open our eyes weshall see the Message of Christ-mas with our hearts If we havetime and we can keep quietbefore the Belen we might seethe surprise of the Lord

[The author Ma TheresaG Curia is the Executive VicePresident amp Chief OperatingOfficer of the Knights of Co-lumbus Fraternal Association ofthe Phils Inc (KCFAPI) andthe incumbent Diocesan Regentof the Daughters of Mary Im-maculate International Dioceseof Malolos]

IrsquoS that time of the year again We must allbegin the increasingly difficult task of buy-ing suitable gifts for our friends and familyHowever there is a different gift you shouldseriously consider giving this year Itrsquos not a fun

present nor it is exciting Itrsquos not somethingyou can play with or wear and it definitely wouldnrsquot be considered a treat Itrsquos a gift thatno one wants but everyone NEEDS So whatare we talking about A Fraternal Service Plan

A Benefit Certificate (BC) or what is simplyknown as a life insurance policy Every year

we search for that perfect gift for a loved oneSomething that will show how much we careand appreciate them What could better provethat than giving someone the gift of SECU-RIY and SABILIY

Unfortunately the recent statistics presentthe sad truth (a) more than 95 Filipinos donot have adequate levels of insurance and (b)more than 80 of Filipinos do not believethey are likely to suffer a serious illness in the

next 20 years Yet each year around 365000Filipinos face premature death either caused byaccidental death or natural sickness It equatesto 1000 untimely deaths everyday

Firstly think about your present situation

Do you have loved ones who depend on youfinancially If something were to happen toyou would your family struggle to maintaintheir current lifestyle the kind of living yoursquovebeen providing If you answered yes to thesequestions itrsquos as simple as that - you need tohave life insurance Secondly do you have aloved one (parent spouse adult children e tc)

who needs protection Tis year give them theultimate gift Having an adequate amount oflife insurance can help in paying off hospitalbills memorial bills mortgage and even in-heritance tax It can allow a family to maintaintheir current level of living and possibly evenfund long term goals such as childrenrsquos schoolfunds dream car house business and evenretirement Now wersquore not saying this is the

only gift you should give it might look a littlesad with only that under the Christmas treeHowever just consider along with the othergifts giving a present that may not be appreci-ated at that moment might come in use should

a critical time arrive You look after your familyand so this is a perfect gift ideaItrsquos important to consult a fraternal counselor

when considering life insurance as it is impera-tive that you are insured accurately dependingon your current situation and future needs

Should you wish to know more just visit wwwkofcorgph for inquiries

Did you know thatFor as low as PhP10000 you can already

start the Gift of Life to your loved ones Tisfraternal service plan is called KC Peso Saver Itis a single contribution endowment plan which

will mature at the end of the benefit certificatersquos10th year In fact a lot of Knights of ColumbusMembers invest with this Gift of Life everyChristmas for their spouse and children

Gemille Isabel P Gloria

A Meek Christmas

IMAGINE a pregnant mother who is supposed to give birth toa child at the moment and rideson a donkey with her husband

Apart from the pain of laborthe mother is enduring deathchases their yet unborn child astheir King deliberately kills allthe newborn babies that night

urned down by the innkeepersthey ended up in a crude stablesharing it with the farm animalsand the shepherds as she gavebirth to a baby boy and placedhim in a manger I bet you arepicturing a scene of a movie inyour head right now Tis isactually what the first Christmaslooked like

Going back to the presentChristmas is far more delightfuland exciting Shopping feastinggift-giving and vacation trippingare just few of the activities that

we cannot do away with in ourChristmas lists We think ofChristmas like no other ordinaryday of the year We make sure

that for Noche Buena there isabundance of bountiful feasts inour dining table from a platterof mouth-watering leche flan toa sumptuous lechon new clothesup to fifty percent sale on theselected items section and expen-sive gifts covered in a Santa Claus

wrapper under a fully decorated

Christmas tree We associate theChristmas season as a time ofsplendor since it is the birthday ofour Savior Unfortunately someof us could only imagine thesethings Tey are our fellow whoare counted by the government inabject poverty who could hardlythink of where and how to gettheir first meal for the 365 daysof the year including Christmasday One does not need to moveafar to behold this ravers-ing nearby the office we couldalready see some of the faces inpoverty If you have not takenyet the underpass connectingManila City Hall and Intramu-ros as you make your way out of

it you will see sullied children intattered clothes inhaling plasticbags containing rugby with somesoiled adults who seem to be theirparents doing the same thing

With their hunger already in theirhead some children forcibly takethe food of the passersby Duringthe night the space where people

enter and exit the underpassin the day turns into a freezinghome for the homeless Youcan see in their wrinkled face thefeeling of sleeping on the passage-

ways with only cardboard boxesand worn out fabrics in betweentheir body and the cold cementedground Teir condition is notfar from what Jesus experiencedon the first Christmas born intoand chose to live a life of poverty

Remembering martyredSalvadoran Archbishop OscarRomero who once said thatldquoNo one can celebrate a genuineChristmas without being trulypoor he self sufficient theproud those who because they

have everything look down onothers those who have no needeven of God for them there

will be no Christmas Only thepoor the hungry those whoneed someone to come on theirbehalf will have that someonehat someone is God Em-manuel God-with-usrdquo With

what he thought we canrsquot arguethat at times we want everythingTe more you have the moreyou want and the more you get

What if we have nothing Whatif we donrsquot have gifts food andnew clothes for the Christmas

What if we are in the place of thehomeless Would we still feel thesame Christmas Spirit withoutthe things we celebrate with it

We have to learn to celebrat eChristmas with how the poorperceive it Let us not reachthe point where we celebrateChristmas just because we willreceive our one-year wish listLet us learn to lose to sacrificeand to give during Christmas

Joseph P Teodoro

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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D3The Cross December 7 2015 - 27 2015 Vol 19 No 25

Deogracias Fajota Fr Jeronimo

Ma Cruz Fr Antonio Rex PalayaFr Melvin Gamelo Fr JuliusCuison Fr Felix Labios Fr Ra-melle Rigunay Fr Randy SalungaFr Joel Cariaso Fr HernandezMendoza Fr Julius de Sagun FrRonel Ilano Fr Lowie Palines andFr Emmanuel Hiipolito

In his homily Cardinal aglestarted by citing that aside fromthe formal opening of the Dioc-esan process for Fr Willmannit was also the feast day of St

Ambrose a great teacher of theChurch known for his sanctityand teachings It was also the eveof the Immaculate Conception ofour Blessed Mother Mary plus thestart of the Advent season

Te Cardinal then focused onthe question What does it meanto be holy With the opening ofthe Cause he said that Fr George

J Willmann St Ambrose andMother Mary all responded tosanctity and holiness Cardinalagle clarified that ldquoHoliness isan attribute of God and not manrsquosachievement nor his work It isGod who is Holy and our holi-ness is a gift of God ndash our oneness

with HimrdquoCardinal agle added that the

message of the First Reading is thatthe Holiness of God is seen withmarvelous work ndash like transform-ing a desert into a garden filled

with water and flowers where we

are able to drink from Godrsquos good-ness with a safe road along the

holy way Te desert symbolizes

humanity that is seen to be dryfruitless empty and even life-less However when God entersall these are transformed into abountiful garden Godrsquos Holinessalways creates miracles ldquoWhen-ever we experience hopelessnessloaded with faults we must notbe afraid for that is the time whenGod will come to infuse His Holi-ness and cure the sickness Tat isthe Good Newsrdquo Cardinal agleadded that during this season ofadvent we must look deeper intoour deserts in order to experiencethe Holiness of God

Te Cardinal then underscoredthat we need to respond to GodrsquosHoliness not like the scribes in

the reading who questioned andrejected Jesus but like the friendsof the paralyzed man who lookedfor a nonconventional way -through the roof - to bring theparalytic closer to Jesus Cardinalagle stressed the need for us to bealert discerning with eyes of faithin order for us to respond to ourHoly God in His action when weare in our desert

he Cardinal then asked thepeople to pray for those entrusted

with the Cau se of Fr Willmannthat they may be illumined witheyes of faith With no intention ofpre-empting the Diocesan processCardinal agle simply thankedGod as we are now privileged

to share Godrsquos holiness throughpersonal experiences with Fr Will-

Sainthood D1

Process for PHrsquos new lsquoServantof Godrsquo starts rollingMANILA Dec 7 2015 ndash Manila Arch-bishop Luiacutes Antonio G Cardinal agleofficially accepted on Monday Dec 7the Feast of St Ambrose the petition toopen an investigation on the sanctity andheroic virtues of Fr George J WillmannSJ founder of the Knights of Columbus(KC) in the Philippines among otherCatholic lay organizations

At least 1000 of the naturalized Fili-pino Jesuit priestrsquos spiritual children fromall over the country including no lessthan former Supreme Court (SC) Chief

Justice Hilario G Davide Jr becamepart of Philippine Church history as they

witnes sed at the Manila Metropo litanCathedral Basilica the solemn opening ofthe archdiocesan process they hope wouldlead to beatification and canonization

lsquoGreat responsibilityrsquoIn line with this agle appointed Msgr

Pedro C Quitorio III of the CatholicBishopsrsquo Conference of the Philippines(CBCP) Media Office as postulator forthe cause of the countryrsquos newest ldquoServantof Godrdquo

He also approved the appointments ofMsgr Geronimo S Reyes Fr Wilmer RRosal and Fr Ricardo P del Rosario asepiscopal delegate vice postulator andpromoter of justice respectively as wellas of a host of other experts both clericand lay who vow to work together to giveFilipinos another saint

Te prelate went on to swear in allthose involved in the cause for Willmannrsquosbeatification and canonization remindingthem of the ldquogreat responsibilityrdquo theyhave assumed and the ldquoimportance andseriousnessrdquo of the task at hand

PHrsquos Fr McGivney Dubbed ldquoFr McGivney of the Philip-

pinesrdquo due to his dedication to expand KClocally Willmann worked for the radicaltransformation of faith into action

Born on June 29 1897 to very devoutCatholic parents in Brooklyn New Yorkthe American Jesuit was granted Philip-pine citizenship by President FerdinandMarcos through Presidential Decree(PD) No 740

In 1938 he first served as chaplain

of KC Manila Council 1000 then re-turned in 1954 to become the Orderrsquosfirst Philippine Deputy until his deathin 1977

In total the priest spent 44 fruitful andproductive years in the Philippines serv-ing the poor the sick the orphans theoppressed the lonely and the desolateespecially the young ones

KCFAPI etcBesides what is formally known as the

Knights of Columbus Fraternal Associa-tion of the Philippines Inc (KCFAPI)

which he founded in 1958 Willmannestablished other organizations as follows

bull Catholic Youth Organization (1938)bull Establishment of the Catholic Press

ldquoFilipinasrdquo and the ldquoCrossrdquo Magazines(1946)

bull Columbian Squires in the Philippines(1950)

bull Daughters of Isabella in the Philip-pines (1951) reorganized as Daughtersof Mary Immaculate (1977)

bull Columbian Farmers Aid Association(1951) reorganized as Knights of Co-lumbus Community Service Inc (1962)

bull Knights of Columbus Fraternal Asso-ciation of the Philippines Inc (KCFAPI)(1958)

bull Knights of Columbus PhilippinesFoundation Inc (1971) (Raymond ASebastiaacuten CBCP News)

Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle leads the Mass of the formal opening of the ArchdiocesanProcess for the Causes of Beatification and Canonization of the Servant of God FatherGeorge J Willmann SJ father of the Knights of Columbus in the Philippines LIN REGINO

Te Gentle Warrior By James B Reuter SJ

Part II of Chapter wo of ldquoTe Gentle Warriorrdquo series

CHAPER WO-----------------

Te Ateneo de Manila

HE Ateneo was a boysrsquo schoolTe objective of a boysrsquo school is tomake a man out of a boy Te mainvirtue of a man is courage Godmirrored His virtues in His childrenBut he divided them between girls

and boys Tere is such a thing as amasculine soul and a feminine soulIf a boy and a girl are suddenly con-fronted with a wild bull thunderingdown on them if the girl screamedand hid behind the boy that wouldbe normal But if the boy screamedand hid behind the girl everyone

would be ashamed of him Tevirtue of a girl is not physical cour-age it is love and mercy Te virtueof a boy is courage and justice Butin our schools there is no course inthe curriculum called ldquoCouragerdquo

here is no subject called

ldquoCouragerdquo Tere is no mark forldquoCouragerdquo It has to be taught inevery subject through the wholelife of the school he Jesuitsunderstood this very well AndGeorge understood it He began

to learn the meaning of couragehimself when he was five yearsold sitting on the curbstone onPutnam Avenue when the wheelof the garbage truck crushed bothhis feet

In the old Ateneo there wasa strong tradition of ldquoRomansrdquoand ldquoCarthageniansrdquo Jose Rizal

was the Emperor of the RomansEvery class was competitive TeRomans would be lined up onone side of the class the Car-thagenians on the other Te firstquestion went to the Romans

If the Romans answered it cor-rectly the questioning stayed

with the Romans If any Romanmissed the question went to theCarthagenians Ten the Romanboys would growl and grumble at

the Roman who missed It wascompetition to teach courage

And the battle cry of all theteams was ldquoAnimo Ateneordquo Youcould translate that as ldquoLetrsquos go

Ateneordquo or ldquoSpirit Ateneordquo orldquoFight Ateneordquo mdash but in practiceit meant courage Never give upno matter what the odds ldquoGoget lsquoem Ateneordquo Never say dieTis was obvious in everythingthat the boys did

But it never degenerated intoldquoWin at all costsrdquo Te secondmasculine virtue is justice Tis

means honesty integrity and fairplay Both at once mdash courageand fair play Te verse that everyathlete in the school knew by heart

was ldquoIf I should win let it be bythe code with my head and my

honor held high But if I shouldlose let me stand by the road andcheer as the winner goes byrdquo

It was a tremendous amount of work mdash teaching night and dayrunning the Sodality the ACILand the magazine mdash but Georgeloved it

And his students loved him Tefriendships that he made duringthose three years of regency from1922 to 1925 lasted more thanfifty years

(o be continued on the nextissue)

mann and his life and ministrydevoted to service that providedldquofresh water and good newsrdquo

particularly to the youth the poorand the prisonersTe Cardinal cited his own basic

formation as a Charter memberof the Columbian Squires inImus Cavite where they helpedthe Church in its program for thestreet children He also mentionedhis appreciation for being a scholarof the Knights of Columbus dur-ing Fr Willmannrsquos time

Reiterating that God indeedtransforms deserts into places ofrest peace and holiness Cardinalagle ended his homily by encour-aging all in attendance to be agentsof Godrsquos holiness

People from all walks of life joined the celebration of this Mass

that formally opened the Cause ofServant of God - Fr Willmann

Also repres ent ed were var iou sorganizations established and nur-tured by Fr George including the

Daughters of Isabella (now Daugh-ters of Mary Immaculate) Catholic Youth Organization ColumbianSquires and the Knights of Co-lumbus Parishioners and residents

with their families from nearbycities and communities of ondoIntramuros Sta Cruz Malate andother more distant places likewise

witnessed the very mean ingfulOpening of the diocesan processfor the Cause of their ldquoFather andBenefactorrdquo of forty years

Fr George J Willmann SJdevoted the last forty years of hislife not only in humble serviceand dynamic leadership of theKnights of Columbus in thePhilippines but equally being a

compassionate pastor in the careand formation of the youth He

provided relief to victims of the

war and of violence while also al-leviating the sufferings of the poorHe likewise established ways topreserve and promote the sanctityof life marriage and the family

It was in 1997 or eighteen yearsago that the Knights of Columbusin the Philippines first started aconcerted thrust to formally laythe groundwork for the Causeof Fr Willmann During theOrderrsquos centennial celebration ofFr Willmannrsquos birth the Ordercreated a Committee on Causecomposed of Ramon V ConsingLauro M Cruz and Msgr PedroC Quitorio III as co-chairmenNotable activities of the Com-mittee included gathering of tes-

timonials launch of the Prayer forthe Centennial of Fr Willmann with the Impr imatur of Msgr Jose C Abriol launching of Fr Willmann Fellows meeting withthen Jaime Cardinal Sin and theFather Provincial of the Jesuits toseek their respective endorsementsof the Cause Te Order publishedand distributed the pamphlet ldquoAGlimpsehe Life and Worksof Fr George J Willmann SJrdquoin order to give due acknowledg-ment and recognition as well as toincrease awareness abou t Fr Will-mann A landmark achievement ofthis period was the publication ofldquoTe Gentle Warriorrdquo a biographyof Fr Willmann authored by Fr

James B Reuter SJEstablishing and spreading the

fama sanctitatis of Fr Willmann

included the presentation andpromotion of his works mademore concrete by direct testimo-nies of various individuals whomhe personally interacted withFr Willmann Fellowsrsquo one-timemembership donations have beenpooled to fund the productionof materials such as prayer cardspublications tarpaulins postersto effectively promote Fr George

Willmann not only to brotherKnights but more importantlyto the youth the poor and under-privileged of various communities

In 2011 through the efforts ofthe KC Fraternal Association ofthe Philippines and the Knightsof Columbus Fr Willmann Chari-

ties Inc the National ExecutiveCommittee (NEC) for the Causeof Fr Willmann was created withthe primary function of overseeingall the initiatives relative to or inconnection with the Cause

We are blessed that the Dioc-esan process of the Cause of FrGeorge J Willmann SJ has nowbeen formally opened therebygiving us significant reason torejoice Henceforth he will nowbe regarded Servant of God Letus fervently pray for continuedenlightenment from the HolySpirit for everyone involved in thisDiocesan process and the Causeas a whole so that our belovedFr George J Willmann may ulti-

mately be elevated to the honorsof the altar

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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D4 The CrossDecember 7 2015 - 27 2015 Vol 19 No 25

FST IN CAGAYAN A Fraternal Service Training program was held in Cagayan De Oro last November 13 2015Participants were from Zamboanga Misamis and Butuan The event was graced by KCFAPI Vice Presidentfor FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBG Manager Michael Cabra Aside from the product specifications thetraining also gives an idea regarding the basic insurance process and conceptualization of new marketingstrategies in order to achieve their goals and improve their sales performance (FBG News)

AREA MEETING IN VISAYAS The KCFAPI Western Visayas Armor held an area meeting in Bacolod lastOctober 24 2015 led by Agency Unit Manager Randy G Bravo and graced by KCFAPI Vice President forFBG Gari San Sebastian (KCFAPI News)

FST IN DAVAO A Fraternal Service Training program (1 and 2) was held in KCFAPI Davao Service OfficeDavao City last November 20-21 2015 Participants were from Compostela Valley Cotabato City andGeneral Santos The training was attended by KCFAPI Vice President f or FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBGManager Michael Cabra (FBG News)

PRODUCERSrsquo FORUM KCFAPI Vice President for FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBG Manager Michael Cabraled a Producersrsquo Forum wherein fraternal counsellors all over Luzon were gathered for an update of theirincentives program held last November 11 2015 at the KCFAPI home office (FBG News)

New KCFAPI Board of Trustee Bro Pascual C Carbero

IN February of 1986 BroCarbero started his knightlyservice in the Knights of Co-lumbus under Council 10695

in Valenzuela City Duringhis service in Council 10695he has been appointed asChancellor for CY 1992-1993 and as Deputy GrandKnight and Program Direc-tor for CY 1993-1994 InDistrict M-31 of ValenzuelaCity Bro Carbero was GrandKnight for CY 1994-1995District Warden for CY 1996-1997 and District Deputyfor CY 1997-1999 He wasalso Chairman for the Roundable District Deputies forCY 1998-1999 At the Dr PioValenzuela Assembly ACN1772 Meycauayan Bulacanhe was the Faithful Naviga-

tor for CY 1999-2000 Onthat same term Bro Pascual

was the Luzo n State Audi -tor for CY 2000-2003 andthe Luzon State Warden forCY 2000-2003 of the Luzon

Jurisdiction After which forCY 2000-2001 he becamethe Charter Faithful Naviga-tor for the City of Valenzuela

Assembly ACN 2676 For

CY 2007-2015 Bro Carbero was re-a ppo inte d as Luzo nState Warden Bro Carbero

was a voting delegate in the

KC Supreme Convention heldat Washington DC in 2010and also a non-voting delegateheld at Anaheim Californiain 2002 and 2012 Currentlyhe is the State Secretary of theLuzon North Jurisdiction

Bro Pascualrsquos dedicationand enthusiasm in participat-ing in the Order gave himthe endeavor to author thecreation of the City of Valen-zuela Assembly in 1999 withthe assistance of the Districtand Vice Supreme Master

With his knightly serv ice he was awarded with several rec-ognition namely OutstandingDistrictDeputy for CY 1997-

1999 Star District Awardeefor CY 1997-1999 and Civic

Awardee as Charter FaithfulNavigator of the City of Valen-zuela Assembly ACN 2676CY 2000-2001

Apart from Knights of Co-lumbus Bro Carbero partakeshis services in other civic andreligious organizations He isa Special Lay Minister of the

Holy Eucharist Parish of theHoly Cross since 1989 and amember of the Parish RenewalExperience Group He is the

Director and reasurer of thePhilippine Insurers Club from2013 to 2014 and currently itsPresident He is also a memberof the Insurance Executive1st Friday Club of Makatiand an incoming Presidentof the Philippine Associationof Surety Underwriters Incthis 2016

He was Director Corpo-rate Secretary of Mace Insur-ance Agency Inc from 2012until 2014 and currentlythe Independent Director ofKompass Credit and FinancialCorporation and KCFAPIrespectively Bro Carbero isalso a fellow of Father George

J Willmann Charit ies Inc And since 2006 he has beenthe Vice President of IntraStrata Assurance Corporation

He graduated with a Bach-elorrsquos degree in Business Ad-ministration Major in Man-agement at Philippine Schoolof Business Administration in1973 and finished Bachelor ofLaws in Lyceum of the Philip-

pines in 1988Bro Pascual Carberorsquos wife

Sis Remedios was past presi-dent for three years of theCatholic Womenrsquos League(CWL) Valenzuela Chapterand currently the AssistantVice President for Underwrit-ing in Mercantile InsuranceCo Inc in Intramuros Ma-nila Tey are blessed with six

wonderful children namely

Soidemer Claire a pediatri-cian Abigail Claire a lawyerValerie Claire and ChristineClaire both of whom are reg-istered nurses Terese Claire

who graduated with Bachelorrsquosdegree in Laws and is currentlyreviewing for Bar exams and

Adrian Brian who is also aregistered nurse and presentlya 3rd year medical student

Former SC Justice tofellow lsquoPH Knightsrsquo Prayfor Willmannrsquos CauseMANILA Dec 8 2015 ndash Former Chief

Justice Hilario G Davide Jr has calledon fellow members of the Knights of Co-lumbus (KC) nationwide to keep prayingfor the eventual ldquoraising to the altarrdquo ofthe grouprsquos spiritual father Fr George J

Willmann SJ who was declared ldquoSer-vant of Godrdquo Monday Dec 7

ldquoSo what is demanded of us as mem-bers of Knights of Columbus What isdemanded of us as members of Knightsof Columbus Fraternal Association of thePhilippines Inc [KCPAFI]rdquo he askedldquoWe need to pray a lot Pray pray praythat the tribunal will listen to the evidencepresented Pray pray pray that the tribu-nal will actually collate all the evidenceand determine once and for all that whathas been presented through our postula-

tor is credible to merit the conferment ofbeatification later on Tis is our taskrdquo

Archdiocesan processDavide who now chairs the National

Executive Committee for the Causes ofFr Willmann made this observation in aspeech following a ceremony held at theManila Cathedral during which Arch-bishop Luiacutes Antonio G Cardinal agleofficially approved the archdiocesan process

for the causes for the beatification and can-onization of the naturalized Filipino Jesuit

he solemn occasion was witnessedby no less than 1000 representativesof KCPAFI and other organizations Fr

Willmann helped establish like Catholic Youth Organization Columbian Squiresin the Philippines (1950) and Daughtersof Mary Immaculate

Te former chief magistrate went on todescribe the entire process as ldquovery mean-ingfulrdquo since it had the power to make anordinary priest into a Servant of God

Ordinary priest to Servant of GodldquoImagine during our lifetime today in

the Cathedral we saw the conversion ofan ordinary priest to become a Servant ofGod And we hope that he will merit be-

ing a servant of God until the first step ofthe process will continuerdquo he exclaimed

According to him it must have been thefirst time for most people present to haveseen with their own eyes an event of suchldquohistoric and momentous significancerdquo

ldquoI have lived 20 times four years of mylife almost And this is the first time I have

witnessed the process how it evolves and what we can gather from it o me thisis not just making somebody brought to

the honors of the altar but for us to beable to witness how to live and how tocomport ourselves to be able to follow hisfootstepsrdquo he explained

Built-in holinessDavide pointed out that holiness is

already built in each person but it is onlya matter of expressing it

ldquoWhy I would say that holiness is inus already Because we are the templeof God and the Spirit of God is with usSometimes however we forget that this isso We close our ears We close our eyes to

Jesus Christ We close our hands to JesusChrist by helping others So this is theprocess that we have witnessed today Andto me it will very much workrdquo he added

Davide also credited Msgr Pedro C Qui-

torio III postulator of the causes for Fr Will-mann for the ldquodivinely inspiredrdquo occasionand the timeliness of the diocesan process

ldquoSo Msgr Quitorio you are divinelyinspired You planned everything in sucha way that everything we did and we willdo and what we are doing right now isnot only as legacy to the next generationbut even beyond the next generation forpeople and children yet unbornrdquo he said(Raymond A Sebastiaacuten CBCP News)

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

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D2 The CrossDecember 7 2015 - 27 2015 Vol 19 No 25

ACQ UIR IN G a hou se and lo t which they can call their own home

and driving their own cars are twoof the priority dreams of Filipinoparents Of course seeing theirchildren finish college education iseither Number 1 or Number 2

Te Knights of Columbus Frater-nal Association of the PhilippinesInc (KCFAPI) has formed andincorporated a new company to helpmembers of the Order to have their

dream homes and motor carsKCFAPI named the new company as Kompass Credit and

Financing Corporation (KCFC) after one of the symbols of theKnights of Columbus which is the Compass Like the Compassof the ancient marines KOMPASS is here to guide BrotherKnight in having their own home and efficient mobility

KOMPASS can also extend home car and business loans tothe general public

Interested parties can call KOMPASS at el No 527-2242

527-2223 loc 215 and 252 for further details of the loan

Arsenio Isidro G Yap

Chairmanrsquos Message

Presidentrsquos Message

Ma Theresa G Curia

Jose C Reyes Jr

Reflection

Curia Settings

Michael P Cabra

Bequest LIFE this Christmas

My Brotherrsquos Keeper

FILIPINO raditions reflect the kindof people that we are All traditionscustoms and beliefs evolve from thelove and respect of the family Ourmutual and natural respect for oneanother our desire to please and notoffend each other and our willingness

to extend a helping hand are just a fewof the basic foundations which madethe Filipino people unique a one of a

kind and nowhere else could be found And certainly a must-have as a friend and neighbor

Some of the trait I like is the ldquomano pordquo expression and at thesame time reaching for the otherrsquos hand and asking for his blessingsTe respected elder would normally extend his hand to touch theforehead of the one asking for his blessings and expresses ldquokaawanka ng Diyosrdquo or ldquoGod bless yourdquo It doesnrsquot matter whether the onebeing accorded the respect is younger than the person asking forthe blessing or even if they hardly know each other

Another trait is removing onersquos slippers or shoes when enteringa neighborrsquos house Te guest expresses his respect for the hostand does not in any way want to spoil or damage the pristinecondition of the floor which is normally kept shiny and clean

Cleaning of onersquos surrounding to the point of cleaning also theneighborrsquos grounds I could still remember in our neighborhoodthat the old folks would sweep the debris on the street in front

of their houses But instead of just collecting their own trashthey would try to outdo each other by picking (or sweeping)the litter on the street up to the neighborrsquos house in front andeven on their right and left side

Everyone living along the same street knows each other very well to the point that all knows who are having a hard time and would need some assistance A neighbor would readily do somehousehold chores give some food and try to console those whoare grieving for the loss of a love one Nobody needs to askHelp is extended readily

Although the traits Irsquove mentioned above are seldom practicednowadays except for the ldquomano pordquo I still believe that those

were just some of our good traits which define us as people which define us as a Filipino a unique breed of people We arevery resilient that even though we are in grief or experiencingextreme challenges in our everyday life we still are able to lightour faces with the friendliest smile

Christmas is another tradition-field celebration that is uniquelyFilipino Te ldquoSimbang Gabirdquo ldquoputo bumbongrdquo and the like are

some Christmas traditions But let us not forget that Christmas isnot just a season of merriment but is a season for reconciliationItrsquos that time of the year when we want to ask forgiveness fromthose we had wronged and at same time forgive also those whohad wronged us and forget whatever they had done to us

Christmas is a season wherein family ties are kept stronger andmore meaningful But to be more meaningful it is better that weshare our blessings to those in need whose nights might be Holy but

would be very Silent and the only sound that they could hear arenot carols of merriment but the grumbling of their empty stomach

Make this Christmas the most meaningful Christmas ever bysharing your ldquoNoche Buenardquo with a neighbor or better still witha complete stranger May the birth of our Lord touch our heartsand be responsive to those in need

CHRISMAS is a holy day celebratingthe birth of Jesus Christ our Saviour Ithas been a tradition in the Philippines that

we go to dawn masses from December 16to the eve of Christmas day Because ourenthusiasm builds up as early as Septemberon Christmas Day itself many of us areexhausted after days of going through heavytraffic on the way to parties and to crowdedshopping malls to shop for gifts Tere arealso many events that we are enticed to at-tend for our kidsrsquo sake gatherings of relatives and friends near and farand entertainment we spend a lot for the family

While these festivities are all expressions of love we sometimes forgetthat Christmas day is the day we should go to mass to thank God forall the blessings we received from Him and in turn to offer our gift to

Jesus Christ As we enter the Advent season let us start reflecting on

how we can better love and serve God on how we can help the poorand how we can give hope to those who are losing hope Let us put intoaction the principle of charity with greater vigor and sense of urgency

May Christmas be like the ldquoJourney to the Innrdquo of Joseph and Mary- tiring yet full of hope and joy to welcome Christ in our hearts andour homes As Knights of Columbus let us lead our communities toa Christ-centered Advent celebration this year and always

My family and I wish your whole family ldquoA Merry Christmas and aBlessed New Yearrdquo

FOR this Christmas I wish tobase my reflection on a poem

written by Horacio de la Costathe first Filipino provincial ofthe Jesuits Please read and usethe poem as a Christmas greet-ing My reflection is nothingcompared to the poem

We must have visited all theBelens in our churches since we

were small In fact most of usalso put up the Christmas cribin our own homes In arlacthey even have yearly exhibits ofBelens which they call Belenis-mo We were told that it was StFrancis who started putting upthe crib in his church And thepoem of Horacio Dela Costatells us that if we meditate onthis set up we might discover

the surprises that they bring toour consciousness

Let us identify some fea-tures of the Belens that we se earound us during the Christ-mas season and together letus reflect on the meanings thatthese can offer us We shall seedifferent layers of Christmasmeaning emerge

1 he King was born poorGod has become human Tisis one of the features that wesee when we stare at the Crib

What a paradox the king ispoor God is human Life isindeed full of paradoxes andof seeming contradictions

We make sense of them only

with the passage o f t ime and

as we mature both in age andin faith

2 he Bethlehem scene isprofoundly meaningful sym-bolic and mystery-laden We

watch the figures in the Be lenand sometimes we do notunderstand When we do notunderstand the turn of eventsin our life we should not giveup We should not run awayTe world will not end onlybecause we do not understand

what we see exper ience or feelLet us stand in awe at Godrsquosvisit when we are clueless of

what i s happening 3 he King was born in a

manger But there was peacearound among the wise menand the shepherds on that holy

and starry night We see atthe Belen scene a communionamong God humans the richand the poor animals and hu-mans the stars the night andthe people It was as though ata special moment the Universe

was one As though the con-nectedness of all the elements

was not merel y ecolog ical asLaudato Si spoke of but evendivine -human No wonderthat we do not get tired of put-ting up our belens at home inchurches and in public placesNo wonder that we can stareforever at the Nativity scenealthough we do not fully un-derstand everything although

we do it yea r afte r year We

also feel that we are there andthat we are connected to the

figures they represent we areconnected to history to oursurroundings and even to ourGod

4 he Savior was born ina manger where animals eatTe meaning of the mangerscene has been the content ofmany sermons that we haveheard We were told that thisdoes not only refer to thehumility or poverty of Jesus

A dee per meaning they say isthat Jesus has come to be foodfor all who come to him Jesuscame to give Himself as foodfor the world His words histeachings his mercy and com-passion and his Good News of

Godrsquos Plan are enough to fillour emptiness with a sense ofdirection and destiny Teyquench our thirst for enlight-enment guidance and sense ofdignity as humans

5 he Baby who is born isthe Savior of the world Howcan a Baby save the w orld Wesee before us a baby wrappedin swaddling clothes And werealize that Divinity can berevealed in very human situ-ations And that the humblestreality could be a revelationthat God is in our midst If weopen our hearts and minds tothe Lord His Spirit enlightensand gives delight to our weary

and limited minds and souls

Even today we can feel Hismessage although sometimes

we do not ful ly unders tand Te truth dawns on us when

we ar e qu ie t and when we wait When we do not rush toknow Godrsquos Presence is a Giftthat we can never be worthy ofBut the point here is not thatour littleness could obstructthe Revelation of a mysteryRather the Greatness of theLord compels Him to revealHimself to the little one Evento us Now

Tat is why Liturgy invokesour ability to watch to look at

what happe ns in the Churchcelebrations Te beauty ofcandles incense and flowerscan evoke some sense of the

Sacred Space a Sacred Mo-ment and a Sacred Encounter

Te Belen does this for us inrevealing the message of Christ-mas If we open our eyes weshall see the Message of Christ-mas with our hearts If we havetime and we can keep quietbefore the Belen we might seethe surprise of the Lord

[The author Ma TheresaG Curia is the Executive VicePresident amp Chief OperatingOfficer of the Knights of Co-lumbus Fraternal Association ofthe Phils Inc (KCFAPI) andthe incumbent Diocesan Regentof the Daughters of Mary Im-maculate International Dioceseof Malolos]

IrsquoS that time of the year again We must allbegin the increasingly difficult task of buy-ing suitable gifts for our friends and familyHowever there is a different gift you shouldseriously consider giving this year Itrsquos not a fun

present nor it is exciting Itrsquos not somethingyou can play with or wear and it definitely wouldnrsquot be considered a treat Itrsquos a gift thatno one wants but everyone NEEDS So whatare we talking about A Fraternal Service Plan

A Benefit Certificate (BC) or what is simplyknown as a life insurance policy Every year

we search for that perfect gift for a loved oneSomething that will show how much we careand appreciate them What could better provethat than giving someone the gift of SECU-RIY and SABILIY

Unfortunately the recent statistics presentthe sad truth (a) more than 95 Filipinos donot have adequate levels of insurance and (b)more than 80 of Filipinos do not believethey are likely to suffer a serious illness in the

next 20 years Yet each year around 365000Filipinos face premature death either caused byaccidental death or natural sickness It equatesto 1000 untimely deaths everyday

Firstly think about your present situation

Do you have loved ones who depend on youfinancially If something were to happen toyou would your family struggle to maintaintheir current lifestyle the kind of living yoursquovebeen providing If you answered yes to thesequestions itrsquos as simple as that - you need tohave life insurance Secondly do you have aloved one (parent spouse adult children e tc)

who needs protection Tis year give them theultimate gift Having an adequate amount oflife insurance can help in paying off hospitalbills memorial bills mortgage and even in-heritance tax It can allow a family to maintaintheir current level of living and possibly evenfund long term goals such as childrenrsquos schoolfunds dream car house business and evenretirement Now wersquore not saying this is the

only gift you should give it might look a littlesad with only that under the Christmas treeHowever just consider along with the othergifts giving a present that may not be appreci-ated at that moment might come in use should

a critical time arrive You look after your familyand so this is a perfect gift ideaItrsquos important to consult a fraternal counselor

when considering life insurance as it is impera-tive that you are insured accurately dependingon your current situation and future needs

Should you wish to know more just visit wwwkofcorgph for inquiries

Did you know thatFor as low as PhP10000 you can already

start the Gift of Life to your loved ones Tisfraternal service plan is called KC Peso Saver Itis a single contribution endowment plan which

will mature at the end of the benefit certificatersquos10th year In fact a lot of Knights of ColumbusMembers invest with this Gift of Life everyChristmas for their spouse and children

Gemille Isabel P Gloria

A Meek Christmas

IMAGINE a pregnant mother who is supposed to give birth toa child at the moment and rideson a donkey with her husband

Apart from the pain of laborthe mother is enduring deathchases their yet unborn child astheir King deliberately kills allthe newborn babies that night

urned down by the innkeepersthey ended up in a crude stablesharing it with the farm animalsand the shepherds as she gavebirth to a baby boy and placedhim in a manger I bet you arepicturing a scene of a movie inyour head right now Tis isactually what the first Christmaslooked like

Going back to the presentChristmas is far more delightfuland exciting Shopping feastinggift-giving and vacation trippingare just few of the activities that

we cannot do away with in ourChristmas lists We think ofChristmas like no other ordinaryday of the year We make sure

that for Noche Buena there isabundance of bountiful feasts inour dining table from a platterof mouth-watering leche flan toa sumptuous lechon new clothesup to fifty percent sale on theselected items section and expen-sive gifts covered in a Santa Claus

wrapper under a fully decorated

Christmas tree We associate theChristmas season as a time ofsplendor since it is the birthday ofour Savior Unfortunately someof us could only imagine thesethings Tey are our fellow whoare counted by the government inabject poverty who could hardlythink of where and how to gettheir first meal for the 365 daysof the year including Christmasday One does not need to moveafar to behold this ravers-ing nearby the office we couldalready see some of the faces inpoverty If you have not takenyet the underpass connectingManila City Hall and Intramu-ros as you make your way out of

it you will see sullied children intattered clothes inhaling plasticbags containing rugby with somesoiled adults who seem to be theirparents doing the same thing

With their hunger already in theirhead some children forcibly takethe food of the passersby Duringthe night the space where people

enter and exit the underpassin the day turns into a freezinghome for the homeless Youcan see in their wrinkled face thefeeling of sleeping on the passage-

ways with only cardboard boxesand worn out fabrics in betweentheir body and the cold cementedground Teir condition is notfar from what Jesus experiencedon the first Christmas born intoand chose to live a life of poverty

Remembering martyredSalvadoran Archbishop OscarRomero who once said thatldquoNo one can celebrate a genuineChristmas without being trulypoor he self sufficient theproud those who because they

have everything look down onothers those who have no needeven of God for them there

will be no Christmas Only thepoor the hungry those whoneed someone to come on theirbehalf will have that someonehat someone is God Em-manuel God-with-usrdquo With

what he thought we canrsquot arguethat at times we want everythingTe more you have the moreyou want and the more you get

What if we have nothing Whatif we donrsquot have gifts food andnew clothes for the Christmas

What if we are in the place of thehomeless Would we still feel thesame Christmas Spirit withoutthe things we celebrate with it

We have to learn to celebrat eChristmas with how the poorperceive it Let us not reachthe point where we celebrateChristmas just because we willreceive our one-year wish listLet us learn to lose to sacrificeand to give during Christmas

Joseph P Teodoro

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D3The Cross December 7 2015 - 27 2015 Vol 19 No 25

Deogracias Fajota Fr Jeronimo

Ma Cruz Fr Antonio Rex PalayaFr Melvin Gamelo Fr JuliusCuison Fr Felix Labios Fr Ra-melle Rigunay Fr Randy SalungaFr Joel Cariaso Fr HernandezMendoza Fr Julius de Sagun FrRonel Ilano Fr Lowie Palines andFr Emmanuel Hiipolito

In his homily Cardinal aglestarted by citing that aside fromthe formal opening of the Dioc-esan process for Fr Willmannit was also the feast day of St

Ambrose a great teacher of theChurch known for his sanctityand teachings It was also the eveof the Immaculate Conception ofour Blessed Mother Mary plus thestart of the Advent season

Te Cardinal then focused onthe question What does it meanto be holy With the opening ofthe Cause he said that Fr George

J Willmann St Ambrose andMother Mary all responded tosanctity and holiness Cardinalagle clarified that ldquoHoliness isan attribute of God and not manrsquosachievement nor his work It isGod who is Holy and our holi-ness is a gift of God ndash our oneness

with HimrdquoCardinal agle added that the

message of the First Reading is thatthe Holiness of God is seen withmarvelous work ndash like transform-ing a desert into a garden filled

with water and flowers where we

are able to drink from Godrsquos good-ness with a safe road along the

holy way Te desert symbolizes

humanity that is seen to be dryfruitless empty and even life-less However when God entersall these are transformed into abountiful garden Godrsquos Holinessalways creates miracles ldquoWhen-ever we experience hopelessnessloaded with faults we must notbe afraid for that is the time whenGod will come to infuse His Holi-ness and cure the sickness Tat isthe Good Newsrdquo Cardinal agleadded that during this season ofadvent we must look deeper intoour deserts in order to experiencethe Holiness of God

Te Cardinal then underscoredthat we need to respond to GodrsquosHoliness not like the scribes in

the reading who questioned andrejected Jesus but like the friendsof the paralyzed man who lookedfor a nonconventional way -through the roof - to bring theparalytic closer to Jesus Cardinalagle stressed the need for us to bealert discerning with eyes of faithin order for us to respond to ourHoly God in His action when weare in our desert

he Cardinal then asked thepeople to pray for those entrusted

with the Cau se of Fr Willmannthat they may be illumined witheyes of faith With no intention ofpre-empting the Diocesan processCardinal agle simply thankedGod as we are now privileged

to share Godrsquos holiness throughpersonal experiences with Fr Will-

Sainthood D1

Process for PHrsquos new lsquoServantof Godrsquo starts rollingMANILA Dec 7 2015 ndash Manila Arch-bishop Luiacutes Antonio G Cardinal agleofficially accepted on Monday Dec 7the Feast of St Ambrose the petition toopen an investigation on the sanctity andheroic virtues of Fr George J WillmannSJ founder of the Knights of Columbus(KC) in the Philippines among otherCatholic lay organizations

At least 1000 of the naturalized Fili-pino Jesuit priestrsquos spiritual children fromall over the country including no lessthan former Supreme Court (SC) Chief

Justice Hilario G Davide Jr becamepart of Philippine Church history as they

witnes sed at the Manila Metropo litanCathedral Basilica the solemn opening ofthe archdiocesan process they hope wouldlead to beatification and canonization

lsquoGreat responsibilityrsquoIn line with this agle appointed Msgr

Pedro C Quitorio III of the CatholicBishopsrsquo Conference of the Philippines(CBCP) Media Office as postulator forthe cause of the countryrsquos newest ldquoServantof Godrdquo

He also approved the appointments ofMsgr Geronimo S Reyes Fr Wilmer RRosal and Fr Ricardo P del Rosario asepiscopal delegate vice postulator andpromoter of justice respectively as wellas of a host of other experts both clericand lay who vow to work together to giveFilipinos another saint

Te prelate went on to swear in allthose involved in the cause for Willmannrsquosbeatification and canonization remindingthem of the ldquogreat responsibilityrdquo theyhave assumed and the ldquoimportance andseriousnessrdquo of the task at hand

PHrsquos Fr McGivney Dubbed ldquoFr McGivney of the Philip-

pinesrdquo due to his dedication to expand KClocally Willmann worked for the radicaltransformation of faith into action

Born on June 29 1897 to very devoutCatholic parents in Brooklyn New Yorkthe American Jesuit was granted Philip-pine citizenship by President FerdinandMarcos through Presidential Decree(PD) No 740

In 1938 he first served as chaplain

of KC Manila Council 1000 then re-turned in 1954 to become the Orderrsquosfirst Philippine Deputy until his deathin 1977

In total the priest spent 44 fruitful andproductive years in the Philippines serv-ing the poor the sick the orphans theoppressed the lonely and the desolateespecially the young ones

KCFAPI etcBesides what is formally known as the

Knights of Columbus Fraternal Associa-tion of the Philippines Inc (KCFAPI)

which he founded in 1958 Willmannestablished other organizations as follows

bull Catholic Youth Organization (1938)bull Establishment of the Catholic Press

ldquoFilipinasrdquo and the ldquoCrossrdquo Magazines(1946)

bull Columbian Squires in the Philippines(1950)

bull Daughters of Isabella in the Philip-pines (1951) reorganized as Daughtersof Mary Immaculate (1977)

bull Columbian Farmers Aid Association(1951) reorganized as Knights of Co-lumbus Community Service Inc (1962)

bull Knights of Columbus Fraternal Asso-ciation of the Philippines Inc (KCFAPI)(1958)

bull Knights of Columbus PhilippinesFoundation Inc (1971) (Raymond ASebastiaacuten CBCP News)

Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle leads the Mass of the formal opening of the ArchdiocesanProcess for the Causes of Beatification and Canonization of the Servant of God FatherGeorge J Willmann SJ father of the Knights of Columbus in the Philippines LIN REGINO

Te Gentle Warrior By James B Reuter SJ

Part II of Chapter wo of ldquoTe Gentle Warriorrdquo series

CHAPER WO-----------------

Te Ateneo de Manila

HE Ateneo was a boysrsquo schoolTe objective of a boysrsquo school is tomake a man out of a boy Te mainvirtue of a man is courage Godmirrored His virtues in His childrenBut he divided them between girls

and boys Tere is such a thing as amasculine soul and a feminine soulIf a boy and a girl are suddenly con-fronted with a wild bull thunderingdown on them if the girl screamedand hid behind the boy that wouldbe normal But if the boy screamedand hid behind the girl everyone

would be ashamed of him Tevirtue of a girl is not physical cour-age it is love and mercy Te virtueof a boy is courage and justice Butin our schools there is no course inthe curriculum called ldquoCouragerdquo

here is no subject called

ldquoCouragerdquo Tere is no mark forldquoCouragerdquo It has to be taught inevery subject through the wholelife of the school he Jesuitsunderstood this very well AndGeorge understood it He began

to learn the meaning of couragehimself when he was five yearsold sitting on the curbstone onPutnam Avenue when the wheelof the garbage truck crushed bothhis feet

In the old Ateneo there wasa strong tradition of ldquoRomansrdquoand ldquoCarthageniansrdquo Jose Rizal

was the Emperor of the RomansEvery class was competitive TeRomans would be lined up onone side of the class the Car-thagenians on the other Te firstquestion went to the Romans

If the Romans answered it cor-rectly the questioning stayed

with the Romans If any Romanmissed the question went to theCarthagenians Ten the Romanboys would growl and grumble at

the Roman who missed It wascompetition to teach courage

And the battle cry of all theteams was ldquoAnimo Ateneordquo Youcould translate that as ldquoLetrsquos go

Ateneordquo or ldquoSpirit Ateneordquo orldquoFight Ateneordquo mdash but in practiceit meant courage Never give upno matter what the odds ldquoGoget lsquoem Ateneordquo Never say dieTis was obvious in everythingthat the boys did

But it never degenerated intoldquoWin at all costsrdquo Te secondmasculine virtue is justice Tis

means honesty integrity and fairplay Both at once mdash courageand fair play Te verse that everyathlete in the school knew by heart

was ldquoIf I should win let it be bythe code with my head and my

honor held high But if I shouldlose let me stand by the road andcheer as the winner goes byrdquo

It was a tremendous amount of work mdash teaching night and dayrunning the Sodality the ACILand the magazine mdash but Georgeloved it

And his students loved him Tefriendships that he made duringthose three years of regency from1922 to 1925 lasted more thanfifty years

(o be continued on the nextissue)

mann and his life and ministrydevoted to service that providedldquofresh water and good newsrdquo

particularly to the youth the poorand the prisonersTe Cardinal cited his own basic

formation as a Charter memberof the Columbian Squires inImus Cavite where they helpedthe Church in its program for thestreet children He also mentionedhis appreciation for being a scholarof the Knights of Columbus dur-ing Fr Willmannrsquos time

Reiterating that God indeedtransforms deserts into places ofrest peace and holiness Cardinalagle ended his homily by encour-aging all in attendance to be agentsof Godrsquos holiness

People from all walks of life joined the celebration of this Mass

that formally opened the Cause ofServant of God - Fr Willmann

Also repres ent ed were var iou sorganizations established and nur-tured by Fr George including the

Daughters of Isabella (now Daugh-ters of Mary Immaculate) Catholic Youth Organization ColumbianSquires and the Knights of Co-lumbus Parishioners and residents

with their families from nearbycities and communities of ondoIntramuros Sta Cruz Malate andother more distant places likewise

witnessed the very mean ingfulOpening of the diocesan processfor the Cause of their ldquoFather andBenefactorrdquo of forty years

Fr George J Willmann SJdevoted the last forty years of hislife not only in humble serviceand dynamic leadership of theKnights of Columbus in thePhilippines but equally being a

compassionate pastor in the careand formation of the youth He

provided relief to victims of the

war and of violence while also al-leviating the sufferings of the poorHe likewise established ways topreserve and promote the sanctityof life marriage and the family

It was in 1997 or eighteen yearsago that the Knights of Columbusin the Philippines first started aconcerted thrust to formally laythe groundwork for the Causeof Fr Willmann During theOrderrsquos centennial celebration ofFr Willmannrsquos birth the Ordercreated a Committee on Causecomposed of Ramon V ConsingLauro M Cruz and Msgr PedroC Quitorio III as co-chairmenNotable activities of the Com-mittee included gathering of tes-

timonials launch of the Prayer forthe Centennial of Fr Willmann with the Impr imatur of Msgr Jose C Abriol launching of Fr Willmann Fellows meeting withthen Jaime Cardinal Sin and theFather Provincial of the Jesuits toseek their respective endorsementsof the Cause Te Order publishedand distributed the pamphlet ldquoAGlimpsehe Life and Worksof Fr George J Willmann SJrdquoin order to give due acknowledg-ment and recognition as well as toincrease awareness abou t Fr Will-mann A landmark achievement ofthis period was the publication ofldquoTe Gentle Warriorrdquo a biographyof Fr Willmann authored by Fr

James B Reuter SJEstablishing and spreading the

fama sanctitatis of Fr Willmann

included the presentation andpromotion of his works mademore concrete by direct testimo-nies of various individuals whomhe personally interacted withFr Willmann Fellowsrsquo one-timemembership donations have beenpooled to fund the productionof materials such as prayer cardspublications tarpaulins postersto effectively promote Fr George

Willmann not only to brotherKnights but more importantlyto the youth the poor and under-privileged of various communities

In 2011 through the efforts ofthe KC Fraternal Association ofthe Philippines and the Knightsof Columbus Fr Willmann Chari-

ties Inc the National ExecutiveCommittee (NEC) for the Causeof Fr Willmann was created withthe primary function of overseeingall the initiatives relative to or inconnection with the Cause

We are blessed that the Dioc-esan process of the Cause of FrGeorge J Willmann SJ has nowbeen formally opened therebygiving us significant reason torejoice Henceforth he will nowbe regarded Servant of God Letus fervently pray for continuedenlightenment from the HolySpirit for everyone involved in thisDiocesan process and the Causeas a whole so that our belovedFr George J Willmann may ulti-

mately be elevated to the honorsof the altar

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D4 The CrossDecember 7 2015 - 27 2015 Vol 19 No 25

FST IN CAGAYAN A Fraternal Service Training program was held in Cagayan De Oro last November 13 2015Participants were from Zamboanga Misamis and Butuan The event was graced by KCFAPI Vice Presidentfor FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBG Manager Michael Cabra Aside from the product specifications thetraining also gives an idea regarding the basic insurance process and conceptualization of new marketingstrategies in order to achieve their goals and improve their sales performance (FBG News)

AREA MEETING IN VISAYAS The KCFAPI Western Visayas Armor held an area meeting in Bacolod lastOctober 24 2015 led by Agency Unit Manager Randy G Bravo and graced by KCFAPI Vice President forFBG Gari San Sebastian (KCFAPI News)

FST IN DAVAO A Fraternal Service Training program (1 and 2) was held in KCFAPI Davao Service OfficeDavao City last November 20-21 2015 Participants were from Compostela Valley Cotabato City andGeneral Santos The training was attended by KCFAPI Vice President f or FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBGManager Michael Cabra (FBG News)

PRODUCERSrsquo FORUM KCFAPI Vice President for FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBG Manager Michael Cabraled a Producersrsquo Forum wherein fraternal counsellors all over Luzon were gathered for an update of theirincentives program held last November 11 2015 at the KCFAPI home office (FBG News)

New KCFAPI Board of Trustee Bro Pascual C Carbero

IN February of 1986 BroCarbero started his knightlyservice in the Knights of Co-lumbus under Council 10695

in Valenzuela City Duringhis service in Council 10695he has been appointed asChancellor for CY 1992-1993 and as Deputy GrandKnight and Program Direc-tor for CY 1993-1994 InDistrict M-31 of ValenzuelaCity Bro Carbero was GrandKnight for CY 1994-1995District Warden for CY 1996-1997 and District Deputyfor CY 1997-1999 He wasalso Chairman for the Roundable District Deputies forCY 1998-1999 At the Dr PioValenzuela Assembly ACN1772 Meycauayan Bulacanhe was the Faithful Naviga-

tor for CY 1999-2000 Onthat same term Bro Pascual

was the Luzo n State Audi -tor for CY 2000-2003 andthe Luzon State Warden forCY 2000-2003 of the Luzon

Jurisdiction After which forCY 2000-2001 he becamethe Charter Faithful Naviga-tor for the City of Valenzuela

Assembly ACN 2676 For

CY 2007-2015 Bro Carbero was re-a ppo inte d as Luzo nState Warden Bro Carbero

was a voting delegate in the

KC Supreme Convention heldat Washington DC in 2010and also a non-voting delegateheld at Anaheim Californiain 2002 and 2012 Currentlyhe is the State Secretary of theLuzon North Jurisdiction

Bro Pascualrsquos dedicationand enthusiasm in participat-ing in the Order gave himthe endeavor to author thecreation of the City of Valen-zuela Assembly in 1999 withthe assistance of the Districtand Vice Supreme Master

With his knightly serv ice he was awarded with several rec-ognition namely OutstandingDistrictDeputy for CY 1997-

1999 Star District Awardeefor CY 1997-1999 and Civic

Awardee as Charter FaithfulNavigator of the City of Valen-zuela Assembly ACN 2676CY 2000-2001

Apart from Knights of Co-lumbus Bro Carbero partakeshis services in other civic andreligious organizations He isa Special Lay Minister of the

Holy Eucharist Parish of theHoly Cross since 1989 and amember of the Parish RenewalExperience Group He is the

Director and reasurer of thePhilippine Insurers Club from2013 to 2014 and currently itsPresident He is also a memberof the Insurance Executive1st Friday Club of Makatiand an incoming Presidentof the Philippine Associationof Surety Underwriters Incthis 2016

He was Director Corpo-rate Secretary of Mace Insur-ance Agency Inc from 2012until 2014 and currentlythe Independent Director ofKompass Credit and FinancialCorporation and KCFAPIrespectively Bro Carbero isalso a fellow of Father George

J Willmann Charit ies Inc And since 2006 he has beenthe Vice President of IntraStrata Assurance Corporation

He graduated with a Bach-elorrsquos degree in Business Ad-ministration Major in Man-agement at Philippine Schoolof Business Administration in1973 and finished Bachelor ofLaws in Lyceum of the Philip-

pines in 1988Bro Pascual Carberorsquos wife

Sis Remedios was past presi-dent for three years of theCatholic Womenrsquos League(CWL) Valenzuela Chapterand currently the AssistantVice President for Underwrit-ing in Mercantile InsuranceCo Inc in Intramuros Ma-nila Tey are blessed with six

wonderful children namely

Soidemer Claire a pediatri-cian Abigail Claire a lawyerValerie Claire and ChristineClaire both of whom are reg-istered nurses Terese Claire

who graduated with Bachelorrsquosdegree in Laws and is currentlyreviewing for Bar exams and

Adrian Brian who is also aregistered nurse and presentlya 3rd year medical student

Former SC Justice tofellow lsquoPH Knightsrsquo Prayfor Willmannrsquos CauseMANILA Dec 8 2015 ndash Former Chief

Justice Hilario G Davide Jr has calledon fellow members of the Knights of Co-lumbus (KC) nationwide to keep prayingfor the eventual ldquoraising to the altarrdquo ofthe grouprsquos spiritual father Fr George J

Willmann SJ who was declared ldquoSer-vant of Godrdquo Monday Dec 7

ldquoSo what is demanded of us as mem-bers of Knights of Columbus What isdemanded of us as members of Knightsof Columbus Fraternal Association of thePhilippines Inc [KCPAFI]rdquo he askedldquoWe need to pray a lot Pray pray praythat the tribunal will listen to the evidencepresented Pray pray pray that the tribu-nal will actually collate all the evidenceand determine once and for all that whathas been presented through our postula-

tor is credible to merit the conferment ofbeatification later on Tis is our taskrdquo

Archdiocesan processDavide who now chairs the National

Executive Committee for the Causes ofFr Willmann made this observation in aspeech following a ceremony held at theManila Cathedral during which Arch-bishop Luiacutes Antonio G Cardinal agleofficially approved the archdiocesan process

for the causes for the beatification and can-onization of the naturalized Filipino Jesuit

he solemn occasion was witnessedby no less than 1000 representativesof KCPAFI and other organizations Fr

Willmann helped establish like Catholic Youth Organization Columbian Squiresin the Philippines (1950) and Daughtersof Mary Immaculate

Te former chief magistrate went on todescribe the entire process as ldquovery mean-ingfulrdquo since it had the power to make anordinary priest into a Servant of God

Ordinary priest to Servant of GodldquoImagine during our lifetime today in

the Cathedral we saw the conversion ofan ordinary priest to become a Servant ofGod And we hope that he will merit be-

ing a servant of God until the first step ofthe process will continuerdquo he exclaimed

According to him it must have been thefirst time for most people present to haveseen with their own eyes an event of suchldquohistoric and momentous significancerdquo

ldquoI have lived 20 times four years of mylife almost And this is the first time I have

witnessed the process how it evolves and what we can gather from it o me thisis not just making somebody brought to

the honors of the altar but for us to beable to witness how to live and how tocomport ourselves to be able to follow hisfootstepsrdquo he explained

Built-in holinessDavide pointed out that holiness is

already built in each person but it is onlya matter of expressing it

ldquoWhy I would say that holiness is inus already Because we are the templeof God and the Spirit of God is with usSometimes however we forget that this isso We close our ears We close our eyes to

Jesus Christ We close our hands to JesusChrist by helping others So this is theprocess that we have witnessed today Andto me it will very much workrdquo he added

Davide also credited Msgr Pedro C Qui-

torio III postulator of the causes for Fr Will-mann for the ldquodivinely inspiredrdquo occasionand the timeliness of the diocesan process

ldquoSo Msgr Quitorio you are divinelyinspired You planned everything in sucha way that everything we did and we willdo and what we are doing right now isnot only as legacy to the next generationbut even beyond the next generation forpeople and children yet unbornrdquo he said(Raymond A Sebastiaacuten CBCP News)

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 2324

D3The Cross December 7 2015 - 27 2015 Vol 19 No 25

Deogracias Fajota Fr Jeronimo

Ma Cruz Fr Antonio Rex PalayaFr Melvin Gamelo Fr JuliusCuison Fr Felix Labios Fr Ra-melle Rigunay Fr Randy SalungaFr Joel Cariaso Fr HernandezMendoza Fr Julius de Sagun FrRonel Ilano Fr Lowie Palines andFr Emmanuel Hiipolito

In his homily Cardinal aglestarted by citing that aside fromthe formal opening of the Dioc-esan process for Fr Willmannit was also the feast day of St

Ambrose a great teacher of theChurch known for his sanctityand teachings It was also the eveof the Immaculate Conception ofour Blessed Mother Mary plus thestart of the Advent season

Te Cardinal then focused onthe question What does it meanto be holy With the opening ofthe Cause he said that Fr George

J Willmann St Ambrose andMother Mary all responded tosanctity and holiness Cardinalagle clarified that ldquoHoliness isan attribute of God and not manrsquosachievement nor his work It isGod who is Holy and our holi-ness is a gift of God ndash our oneness

with HimrdquoCardinal agle added that the

message of the First Reading is thatthe Holiness of God is seen withmarvelous work ndash like transform-ing a desert into a garden filled

with water and flowers where we

are able to drink from Godrsquos good-ness with a safe road along the

holy way Te desert symbolizes

humanity that is seen to be dryfruitless empty and even life-less However when God entersall these are transformed into abountiful garden Godrsquos Holinessalways creates miracles ldquoWhen-ever we experience hopelessnessloaded with faults we must notbe afraid for that is the time whenGod will come to infuse His Holi-ness and cure the sickness Tat isthe Good Newsrdquo Cardinal agleadded that during this season ofadvent we must look deeper intoour deserts in order to experiencethe Holiness of God

Te Cardinal then underscoredthat we need to respond to GodrsquosHoliness not like the scribes in

the reading who questioned andrejected Jesus but like the friendsof the paralyzed man who lookedfor a nonconventional way -through the roof - to bring theparalytic closer to Jesus Cardinalagle stressed the need for us to bealert discerning with eyes of faithin order for us to respond to ourHoly God in His action when weare in our desert

he Cardinal then asked thepeople to pray for those entrusted

with the Cau se of Fr Willmannthat they may be illumined witheyes of faith With no intention ofpre-empting the Diocesan processCardinal agle simply thankedGod as we are now privileged

to share Godrsquos holiness throughpersonal experiences with Fr Will-

Sainthood D1

Process for PHrsquos new lsquoServantof Godrsquo starts rollingMANILA Dec 7 2015 ndash Manila Arch-bishop Luiacutes Antonio G Cardinal agleofficially accepted on Monday Dec 7the Feast of St Ambrose the petition toopen an investigation on the sanctity andheroic virtues of Fr George J WillmannSJ founder of the Knights of Columbus(KC) in the Philippines among otherCatholic lay organizations

At least 1000 of the naturalized Fili-pino Jesuit priestrsquos spiritual children fromall over the country including no lessthan former Supreme Court (SC) Chief

Justice Hilario G Davide Jr becamepart of Philippine Church history as they

witnes sed at the Manila Metropo litanCathedral Basilica the solemn opening ofthe archdiocesan process they hope wouldlead to beatification and canonization

lsquoGreat responsibilityrsquoIn line with this agle appointed Msgr

Pedro C Quitorio III of the CatholicBishopsrsquo Conference of the Philippines(CBCP) Media Office as postulator forthe cause of the countryrsquos newest ldquoServantof Godrdquo

He also approved the appointments ofMsgr Geronimo S Reyes Fr Wilmer RRosal and Fr Ricardo P del Rosario asepiscopal delegate vice postulator andpromoter of justice respectively as wellas of a host of other experts both clericand lay who vow to work together to giveFilipinos another saint

Te prelate went on to swear in allthose involved in the cause for Willmannrsquosbeatification and canonization remindingthem of the ldquogreat responsibilityrdquo theyhave assumed and the ldquoimportance andseriousnessrdquo of the task at hand

PHrsquos Fr McGivney Dubbed ldquoFr McGivney of the Philip-

pinesrdquo due to his dedication to expand KClocally Willmann worked for the radicaltransformation of faith into action

Born on June 29 1897 to very devoutCatholic parents in Brooklyn New Yorkthe American Jesuit was granted Philip-pine citizenship by President FerdinandMarcos through Presidential Decree(PD) No 740

In 1938 he first served as chaplain

of KC Manila Council 1000 then re-turned in 1954 to become the Orderrsquosfirst Philippine Deputy until his deathin 1977

In total the priest spent 44 fruitful andproductive years in the Philippines serv-ing the poor the sick the orphans theoppressed the lonely and the desolateespecially the young ones

KCFAPI etcBesides what is formally known as the

Knights of Columbus Fraternal Associa-tion of the Philippines Inc (KCFAPI)

which he founded in 1958 Willmannestablished other organizations as follows

bull Catholic Youth Organization (1938)bull Establishment of the Catholic Press

ldquoFilipinasrdquo and the ldquoCrossrdquo Magazines(1946)

bull Columbian Squires in the Philippines(1950)

bull Daughters of Isabella in the Philip-pines (1951) reorganized as Daughtersof Mary Immaculate (1977)

bull Columbian Farmers Aid Association(1951) reorganized as Knights of Co-lumbus Community Service Inc (1962)

bull Knights of Columbus Fraternal Asso-ciation of the Philippines Inc (KCFAPI)(1958)

bull Knights of Columbus PhilippinesFoundation Inc (1971) (Raymond ASebastiaacuten CBCP News)

Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle leads the Mass of the formal opening of the ArchdiocesanProcess for the Causes of Beatification and Canonization of the Servant of God FatherGeorge J Willmann SJ father of the Knights of Columbus in the Philippines LIN REGINO

Te Gentle Warrior By James B Reuter SJ

Part II of Chapter wo of ldquoTe Gentle Warriorrdquo series

CHAPER WO-----------------

Te Ateneo de Manila

HE Ateneo was a boysrsquo schoolTe objective of a boysrsquo school is tomake a man out of a boy Te mainvirtue of a man is courage Godmirrored His virtues in His childrenBut he divided them between girls

and boys Tere is such a thing as amasculine soul and a feminine soulIf a boy and a girl are suddenly con-fronted with a wild bull thunderingdown on them if the girl screamedand hid behind the boy that wouldbe normal But if the boy screamedand hid behind the girl everyone

would be ashamed of him Tevirtue of a girl is not physical cour-age it is love and mercy Te virtueof a boy is courage and justice Butin our schools there is no course inthe curriculum called ldquoCouragerdquo

here is no subject called

ldquoCouragerdquo Tere is no mark forldquoCouragerdquo It has to be taught inevery subject through the wholelife of the school he Jesuitsunderstood this very well AndGeorge understood it He began

to learn the meaning of couragehimself when he was five yearsold sitting on the curbstone onPutnam Avenue when the wheelof the garbage truck crushed bothhis feet

In the old Ateneo there wasa strong tradition of ldquoRomansrdquoand ldquoCarthageniansrdquo Jose Rizal

was the Emperor of the RomansEvery class was competitive TeRomans would be lined up onone side of the class the Car-thagenians on the other Te firstquestion went to the Romans

If the Romans answered it cor-rectly the questioning stayed

with the Romans If any Romanmissed the question went to theCarthagenians Ten the Romanboys would growl and grumble at

the Roman who missed It wascompetition to teach courage

And the battle cry of all theteams was ldquoAnimo Ateneordquo Youcould translate that as ldquoLetrsquos go

Ateneordquo or ldquoSpirit Ateneordquo orldquoFight Ateneordquo mdash but in practiceit meant courage Never give upno matter what the odds ldquoGoget lsquoem Ateneordquo Never say dieTis was obvious in everythingthat the boys did

But it never degenerated intoldquoWin at all costsrdquo Te secondmasculine virtue is justice Tis

means honesty integrity and fairplay Both at once mdash courageand fair play Te verse that everyathlete in the school knew by heart

was ldquoIf I should win let it be bythe code with my head and my

honor held high But if I shouldlose let me stand by the road andcheer as the winner goes byrdquo

It was a tremendous amount of work mdash teaching night and dayrunning the Sodality the ACILand the magazine mdash but Georgeloved it

And his students loved him Tefriendships that he made duringthose three years of regency from1922 to 1925 lasted more thanfifty years

(o be continued on the nextissue)

mann and his life and ministrydevoted to service that providedldquofresh water and good newsrdquo

particularly to the youth the poorand the prisonersTe Cardinal cited his own basic

formation as a Charter memberof the Columbian Squires inImus Cavite where they helpedthe Church in its program for thestreet children He also mentionedhis appreciation for being a scholarof the Knights of Columbus dur-ing Fr Willmannrsquos time

Reiterating that God indeedtransforms deserts into places ofrest peace and holiness Cardinalagle ended his homily by encour-aging all in attendance to be agentsof Godrsquos holiness

People from all walks of life joined the celebration of this Mass

that formally opened the Cause ofServant of God - Fr Willmann

Also repres ent ed were var iou sorganizations established and nur-tured by Fr George including the

Daughters of Isabella (now Daugh-ters of Mary Immaculate) Catholic Youth Organization ColumbianSquires and the Knights of Co-lumbus Parishioners and residents

with their families from nearbycities and communities of ondoIntramuros Sta Cruz Malate andother more distant places likewise

witnessed the very mean ingfulOpening of the diocesan processfor the Cause of their ldquoFather andBenefactorrdquo of forty years

Fr George J Willmann SJdevoted the last forty years of hislife not only in humble serviceand dynamic leadership of theKnights of Columbus in thePhilippines but equally being a

compassionate pastor in the careand formation of the youth He

provided relief to victims of the

war and of violence while also al-leviating the sufferings of the poorHe likewise established ways topreserve and promote the sanctityof life marriage and the family

It was in 1997 or eighteen yearsago that the Knights of Columbusin the Philippines first started aconcerted thrust to formally laythe groundwork for the Causeof Fr Willmann During theOrderrsquos centennial celebration ofFr Willmannrsquos birth the Ordercreated a Committee on Causecomposed of Ramon V ConsingLauro M Cruz and Msgr PedroC Quitorio III as co-chairmenNotable activities of the Com-mittee included gathering of tes-

timonials launch of the Prayer forthe Centennial of Fr Willmann with the Impr imatur of Msgr Jose C Abriol launching of Fr Willmann Fellows meeting withthen Jaime Cardinal Sin and theFather Provincial of the Jesuits toseek their respective endorsementsof the Cause Te Order publishedand distributed the pamphlet ldquoAGlimpsehe Life and Worksof Fr George J Willmann SJrdquoin order to give due acknowledg-ment and recognition as well as toincrease awareness abou t Fr Will-mann A landmark achievement ofthis period was the publication ofldquoTe Gentle Warriorrdquo a biographyof Fr Willmann authored by Fr

James B Reuter SJEstablishing and spreading the

fama sanctitatis of Fr Willmann

included the presentation andpromotion of his works mademore concrete by direct testimo-nies of various individuals whomhe personally interacted withFr Willmann Fellowsrsquo one-timemembership donations have beenpooled to fund the productionof materials such as prayer cardspublications tarpaulins postersto effectively promote Fr George

Willmann not only to brotherKnights but more importantlyto the youth the poor and under-privileged of various communities

In 2011 through the efforts ofthe KC Fraternal Association ofthe Philippines and the Knightsof Columbus Fr Willmann Chari-

ties Inc the National ExecutiveCommittee (NEC) for the Causeof Fr Willmann was created withthe primary function of overseeingall the initiatives relative to or inconnection with the Cause

We are blessed that the Dioc-esan process of the Cause of FrGeorge J Willmann SJ has nowbeen formally opened therebygiving us significant reason torejoice Henceforth he will nowbe regarded Servant of God Letus fervently pray for continuedenlightenment from the HolySpirit for everyone involved in thisDiocesan process and the Causeas a whole so that our belovedFr George J Willmann may ulti-

mately be elevated to the honorsof the altar

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 2424

D4 The CrossDecember 7 2015 - 27 2015 Vol 19 No 25

FST IN CAGAYAN A Fraternal Service Training program was held in Cagayan De Oro last November 13 2015Participants were from Zamboanga Misamis and Butuan The event was graced by KCFAPI Vice Presidentfor FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBG Manager Michael Cabra Aside from the product specifications thetraining also gives an idea regarding the basic insurance process and conceptualization of new marketingstrategies in order to achieve their goals and improve their sales performance (FBG News)

AREA MEETING IN VISAYAS The KCFAPI Western Visayas Armor held an area meeting in Bacolod lastOctober 24 2015 led by Agency Unit Manager Randy G Bravo and graced by KCFAPI Vice President forFBG Gari San Sebastian (KCFAPI News)

FST IN DAVAO A Fraternal Service Training program (1 and 2) was held in KCFAPI Davao Service OfficeDavao City last November 20-21 2015 Participants were from Compostela Valley Cotabato City andGeneral Santos The training was attended by KCFAPI Vice President f or FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBGManager Michael Cabra (FBG News)

PRODUCERSrsquo FORUM KCFAPI Vice President for FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBG Manager Michael Cabraled a Producersrsquo Forum wherein fraternal counsellors all over Luzon were gathered for an update of theirincentives program held last November 11 2015 at the KCFAPI home office (FBG News)

New KCFAPI Board of Trustee Bro Pascual C Carbero

IN February of 1986 BroCarbero started his knightlyservice in the Knights of Co-lumbus under Council 10695

in Valenzuela City Duringhis service in Council 10695he has been appointed asChancellor for CY 1992-1993 and as Deputy GrandKnight and Program Direc-tor for CY 1993-1994 InDistrict M-31 of ValenzuelaCity Bro Carbero was GrandKnight for CY 1994-1995District Warden for CY 1996-1997 and District Deputyfor CY 1997-1999 He wasalso Chairman for the Roundable District Deputies forCY 1998-1999 At the Dr PioValenzuela Assembly ACN1772 Meycauayan Bulacanhe was the Faithful Naviga-

tor for CY 1999-2000 Onthat same term Bro Pascual

was the Luzo n State Audi -tor for CY 2000-2003 andthe Luzon State Warden forCY 2000-2003 of the Luzon

Jurisdiction After which forCY 2000-2001 he becamethe Charter Faithful Naviga-tor for the City of Valenzuela

Assembly ACN 2676 For

CY 2007-2015 Bro Carbero was re-a ppo inte d as Luzo nState Warden Bro Carbero

was a voting delegate in the

KC Supreme Convention heldat Washington DC in 2010and also a non-voting delegateheld at Anaheim Californiain 2002 and 2012 Currentlyhe is the State Secretary of theLuzon North Jurisdiction

Bro Pascualrsquos dedicationand enthusiasm in participat-ing in the Order gave himthe endeavor to author thecreation of the City of Valen-zuela Assembly in 1999 withthe assistance of the Districtand Vice Supreme Master

With his knightly serv ice he was awarded with several rec-ognition namely OutstandingDistrictDeputy for CY 1997-

1999 Star District Awardeefor CY 1997-1999 and Civic

Awardee as Charter FaithfulNavigator of the City of Valen-zuela Assembly ACN 2676CY 2000-2001

Apart from Knights of Co-lumbus Bro Carbero partakeshis services in other civic andreligious organizations He isa Special Lay Minister of the

Holy Eucharist Parish of theHoly Cross since 1989 and amember of the Parish RenewalExperience Group He is the

Director and reasurer of thePhilippine Insurers Club from2013 to 2014 and currently itsPresident He is also a memberof the Insurance Executive1st Friday Club of Makatiand an incoming Presidentof the Philippine Associationof Surety Underwriters Incthis 2016

He was Director Corpo-rate Secretary of Mace Insur-ance Agency Inc from 2012until 2014 and currentlythe Independent Director ofKompass Credit and FinancialCorporation and KCFAPIrespectively Bro Carbero isalso a fellow of Father George

J Willmann Charit ies Inc And since 2006 he has beenthe Vice President of IntraStrata Assurance Corporation

He graduated with a Bach-elorrsquos degree in Business Ad-ministration Major in Man-agement at Philippine Schoolof Business Administration in1973 and finished Bachelor ofLaws in Lyceum of the Philip-

pines in 1988Bro Pascual Carberorsquos wife

Sis Remedios was past presi-dent for three years of theCatholic Womenrsquos League(CWL) Valenzuela Chapterand currently the AssistantVice President for Underwrit-ing in Mercantile InsuranceCo Inc in Intramuros Ma-nila Tey are blessed with six

wonderful children namely

Soidemer Claire a pediatri-cian Abigail Claire a lawyerValerie Claire and ChristineClaire both of whom are reg-istered nurses Terese Claire

who graduated with Bachelorrsquosdegree in Laws and is currentlyreviewing for Bar exams and

Adrian Brian who is also aregistered nurse and presentlya 3rd year medical student

Former SC Justice tofellow lsquoPH Knightsrsquo Prayfor Willmannrsquos CauseMANILA Dec 8 2015 ndash Former Chief

Justice Hilario G Davide Jr has calledon fellow members of the Knights of Co-lumbus (KC) nationwide to keep prayingfor the eventual ldquoraising to the altarrdquo ofthe grouprsquos spiritual father Fr George J

Willmann SJ who was declared ldquoSer-vant of Godrdquo Monday Dec 7

ldquoSo what is demanded of us as mem-bers of Knights of Columbus What isdemanded of us as members of Knightsof Columbus Fraternal Association of thePhilippines Inc [KCPAFI]rdquo he askedldquoWe need to pray a lot Pray pray praythat the tribunal will listen to the evidencepresented Pray pray pray that the tribu-nal will actually collate all the evidenceand determine once and for all that whathas been presented through our postula-

tor is credible to merit the conferment ofbeatification later on Tis is our taskrdquo

Archdiocesan processDavide who now chairs the National

Executive Committee for the Causes ofFr Willmann made this observation in aspeech following a ceremony held at theManila Cathedral during which Arch-bishop Luiacutes Antonio G Cardinal agleofficially approved the archdiocesan process

for the causes for the beatification and can-onization of the naturalized Filipino Jesuit

he solemn occasion was witnessedby no less than 1000 representativesof KCPAFI and other organizations Fr

Willmann helped establish like Catholic Youth Organization Columbian Squiresin the Philippines (1950) and Daughtersof Mary Immaculate

Te former chief magistrate went on todescribe the entire process as ldquovery mean-ingfulrdquo since it had the power to make anordinary priest into a Servant of God

Ordinary priest to Servant of GodldquoImagine during our lifetime today in

the Cathedral we saw the conversion ofan ordinary priest to become a Servant ofGod And we hope that he will merit be-

ing a servant of God until the first step ofthe process will continuerdquo he exclaimed

According to him it must have been thefirst time for most people present to haveseen with their own eyes an event of suchldquohistoric and momentous significancerdquo

ldquoI have lived 20 times four years of mylife almost And this is the first time I have

witnessed the process how it evolves and what we can gather from it o me thisis not just making somebody brought to

the honors of the altar but for us to beable to witness how to live and how tocomport ourselves to be able to follow hisfootstepsrdquo he explained

Built-in holinessDavide pointed out that holiness is

already built in each person but it is onlya matter of expressing it

ldquoWhy I would say that holiness is inus already Because we are the templeof God and the Spirit of God is with usSometimes however we forget that this isso We close our ears We close our eyes to

Jesus Christ We close our hands to JesusChrist by helping others So this is theprocess that we have witnessed today Andto me it will very much workrdquo he added

Davide also credited Msgr Pedro C Qui-

torio III postulator of the causes for Fr Will-mann for the ldquodivinely inspiredrdquo occasionand the timeliness of the diocesan process

ldquoSo Msgr Quitorio you are divinelyinspired You planned everything in sucha way that everything we did and we willdo and what we are doing right now isnot only as legacy to the next generationbut even beyond the next generation forpeople and children yet unbornrdquo he said(Raymond A Sebastiaacuten CBCP News)

8202019 CBCP Monitor Vol 19 No 25

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcbcp-monitor-vol-19-no-25 2424

D4 The CrossDecember 7 2015 - 27 2015 Vol 19 No 25

FST IN CAGAYAN A Fraternal Service Training program was held in Cagayan De Oro last November 13 2015Participants were from Zamboanga Misamis and Butuan The event was graced by KCFAPI Vice Presidentfor FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBG Manager Michael Cabra Aside from the product specifications thetraining also gives an idea regarding the basic insurance process and conceptualization of new marketingstrategies in order to achieve their goals and improve their sales performance (FBG News)

AREA MEETING IN VISAYAS The KCFAPI Western Visayas Armor held an area meeting in Bacolod lastOctober 24 2015 led by Agency Unit Manager Randy G Bravo and graced by KCFAPI Vice President forFBG Gari San Sebastian (KCFAPI News)

FST IN DAVAO A Fraternal Service Training program (1 and 2) was held in KCFAPI Davao Service OfficeDavao City last November 20-21 2015 Participants were from Compostela Valley Cotabato City andGeneral Santos The training was attended by KCFAPI Vice President f or FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBGManager Michael Cabra (FBG News)

PRODUCERSrsquo FORUM KCFAPI Vice President for FBG Gari San Sebastian and FBG Manager Michael Cabraled a Producersrsquo Forum wherein fraternal counsellors all over Luzon were gathered for an update of theirincentives program held last November 11 2015 at the KCFAPI home office (FBG News)

New KCFAPI Board of Trustee Bro Pascual C Carbero

IN February of 1986 BroCarbero started his knightlyservice in the Knights of Co-lumbus under Council 10695

in Valenzuela City Duringhis service in Council 10695he has been appointed asChancellor for CY 1992-1993 and as Deputy GrandKnight and Program Direc-tor for CY 1993-1994 InDistrict M-31 of ValenzuelaCity Bro Carbero was GrandKnight for CY 1994-1995District Warden for CY 1996-1997 and District Deputyfor CY 1997-1999 He wasalso Chairman for the Roundable District Deputies forCY 1998-1999 At the Dr PioValenzuela Assembly ACN1772 Meycauayan Bulacanhe was the Faithful Naviga-

tor for CY 1999-2000 Onthat same term Bro Pascual

was the Luzo n State Audi -tor for CY 2000-2003 andthe Luzon State Warden forCY 2000-2003 of the Luzon

Jurisdiction After which forCY 2000-2001 he becamethe Charter Faithful Naviga-tor for the City of Valenzuela

Assembly ACN 2676 For

CY 2007-2015 Bro Carbero was re-a ppo inte d as Luzo nState Warden Bro Carbero

was a voting delegate in the

KC Supreme Convention heldat Washington DC in 2010and also a non-voting delegateheld at Anaheim Californiain 2002 and 2012 Currentlyhe is the State Secretary of theLuzon North Jurisdiction

Bro Pascualrsquos dedicationand enthusiasm in participat-ing in the Order gave himthe endeavor to author thecreation of the City of Valen-zuela Assembly in 1999 withthe assistance of the Districtand Vice Supreme Master

With his knightly serv ice he was awarded with several rec-ognition namely OutstandingDistrictDeputy for CY 1997-

1999 Star District Awardeefor CY 1997-1999 and Civic

Awardee as Charter FaithfulNavigator of the City of Valen-zuela Assembly ACN 2676CY 2000-2001

Apart from Knights of Co-lumbus Bro Carbero partakeshis services in other civic andreligious organizations He isa Special Lay Minister of the

Holy Eucharist Parish of theHoly Cross since 1989 and amember of the Parish RenewalExperience Group He is the

Director and reasurer of thePhilippine Insurers Club from2013 to 2014 and currently itsPresident He is also a memberof the Insurance Executive1st Friday Club of Makatiand an incoming Presidentof the Philippine Associationof Surety Underwriters Incthis 2016

He was Director Corpo-rate Secretary of Mace Insur-ance Agency Inc from 2012until 2014 and currentlythe Independent Director ofKompass Credit and FinancialCorporation and KCFAPIrespectively Bro Carbero isalso a fellow of Father George

J Willmann Charit ies Inc And since 2006 he has beenthe Vice President of IntraStrata Assurance Corporation

He graduated with a Bach-elorrsquos degree in Business Ad-ministration Major in Man-agement at Philippine Schoolof Business Administration in1973 and finished Bachelor ofLaws in Lyceum of the Philip-

pines in 1988Bro Pascual Carberorsquos wife

Sis Remedios was past presi-dent for three years of theCatholic Womenrsquos League(CWL) Valenzuela Chapterand currently the AssistantVice President for Underwrit-ing in Mercantile InsuranceCo Inc in Intramuros Ma-nila Tey are blessed with six

wonderful children namely

Soidemer Claire a pediatri-cian Abigail Claire a lawyerValerie Claire and ChristineClaire both of whom are reg-istered nurses Terese Claire

who graduated with Bachelorrsquosdegree in Laws and is currentlyreviewing for Bar exams and

Adrian Brian who is also aregistered nurse and presentlya 3rd year medical student

Former SC Justice tofellow lsquoPH Knightsrsquo Prayfor Willmannrsquos CauseMANILA Dec 8 2015 ndash Former Chief

Justice Hilario G Davide Jr has calledon fellow members of the Knights of Co-lumbus (KC) nationwide to keep prayingfor the eventual ldquoraising to the altarrdquo ofthe grouprsquos spiritual father Fr George J

Willmann SJ who was declared ldquoSer-vant of Godrdquo Monday Dec 7

ldquoSo what is demanded of us as mem-bers of Knights of Columbus What isdemanded of us as members of Knightsof Columbus Fraternal Association of thePhilippines Inc [KCPAFI]rdquo he askedldquoWe need to pray a lot Pray pray praythat the tribunal will listen to the evidencepresented Pray pray pray that the tribu-nal will actually collate all the evidenceand determine once and for all that whathas been presented through our postula-

tor is credible to merit the conferment ofbeatification later on Tis is our taskrdquo

Archdiocesan processDavide who now chairs the National

Executive Committee for the Causes ofFr Willmann made this observation in aspeech following a ceremony held at theManila Cathedral during which Arch-bishop Luiacutes Antonio G Cardinal agleofficially approved the archdiocesan process

for the causes for the beatification and can-onization of the naturalized Filipino Jesuit

he solemn occasion was witnessedby no less than 1000 representativesof KCPAFI and other organizations Fr

Willmann helped establish like Catholic Youth Organization Columbian Squiresin the Philippines (1950) and Daughtersof Mary Immaculate

Te former chief magistrate went on todescribe the entire process as ldquovery mean-ingfulrdquo since it had the power to make anordinary priest into a Servant of God

Ordinary priest to Servant of GodldquoImagine during our lifetime today in

the Cathedral we saw the conversion ofan ordinary priest to become a Servant ofGod And we hope that he will merit be-

ing a servant of God until the first step ofthe process will continuerdquo he exclaimed

According to him it must have been thefirst time for most people present to haveseen with their own eyes an event of suchldquohistoric and momentous significancerdquo

ldquoI have lived 20 times four years of mylife almost And this is the first time I have

witnessed the process how it evolves and what we can gather from it o me thisis not just making somebody brought to

the honors of the altar but for us to beable to witness how to live and how tocomport ourselves to be able to follow hisfootstepsrdquo he explained

Built-in holinessDavide pointed out that holiness is

already built in each person but it is onlya matter of expressing it

ldquoWhy I would say that holiness is inus already Because we are the templeof God and the Spirit of God is with usSometimes however we forget that this isso We close our ears We close our eyes to

Jesus Christ We close our hands to JesusChrist by helping others So this is theprocess that we have witnessed today Andto me it will very much workrdquo he added

Davide also credited Msgr Pedro C Qui-

torio III postulator of the causes for Fr Will-mann for the ldquodivinely inspiredrdquo occasionand the timeliness of the diocesan process

ldquoSo Msgr Quitorio you are divinelyinspired You planned everything in sucha way that everything we did and we willdo and what we are doing right now isnot only as legacy to the next generationbut even beyond the next generation forpeople and children yet unbornrdquo he said(Raymond A Sebastiaacuten CBCP News)