UGNAYAN A3: NEWS A6: LOCAL

Cebu City NEWS SAMMY NAVAJA

B1: PASTORAL CONCERNS
THE NEWS SUPPLEMENT Man builds replica of St Peter’s Basilica Former drug dependents promise: ‘No turning back’ Homily of Pope Francis during Mass on the
OF COUPLES FOR CHRIST with 36,000 toothpicks Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord

Monitor
CBCP

JANUARY 8 - 21, 2018 VOL.22, NO.1 CBCPMONITOR@AREOPAGUSCOMMUNICATIONS.COM

PROTAGONIST OF TRUTH, PROMOTER OF PEACE

Cardinal Tagle hits greed,

lust for power
By Roy Lagarde

CARDINAL Luis
Antonio Tagle of Manila
denounced greed and
hunger for power,
warning that forgetting
the importance of serving
God is gearing towards
“false path”.
At a midnight Mass held few
hours before the annual procession
of the Black Nazarene, he said that
unless wealth and power are used
at the service of society, they risk
becoming instruments of abuse.
“Life does not lie on power. We
were born without power, and
when we die, we are powerless
as well. Let us live without being
greedy for power and you will be
a real person,” Tagle said in his
homily at the Quirino Grandstand
on Jan. 9.
The cardinal has urged the
faithful to be more altruistic and
to better look out for the poor and
hungry instead of living on “false
lives” and selfishness.
“Be an instrument of life for
others,” he added during the Mass
attended by thousands of devotees
and some top government officials
including Manila Mayor Joseph
Estrada and Philippine National
Police chief Director General
Ronald de la Rosa.
Also in attendance were dozens
of priests and Papal Nuncio
Archbishop Gabriele Giordano
Caccia. Silence and prayers engulfed the Plaza del Carmen located outside the San Sebastian Church in Manila’s Quiapo district when the statues of the Black Nazarene and Our Lady of Mount Carmel face each other
Power / A3 for the “Dungaw” during this year’s “Traslacion”, January 9. The tradition reenacts the moment Mary met her suffering Son as he was carrying the cross on his way to crucifixion. ROY LAGARDE

New CBCP head vows ‘open communication lines’ with gov’t
WEEKS before his
first Catholic Bishops’
Conference of the
Philippines (CBCP)
plenary assembly
as CBCP president,
when asked about the
relationship between
the Philippine bishops
and the national
government led by
former Davao City
Church’s New Year
critique, our
standpoint is we come
from the viewpoint wish: ‘Enlightened’ PH,
committed to uphold
of the Gospel and
the teachings of the
Church. We will

Davao Archbishop
Romulo Valles said
he is committed to
engaging the Duterte
administration
through open
dialogue.
“Communication
lines are open,” said
the prelate during an
exclusive interview
with CBCPNews,
Church launches Php 5.8M appeal for storm victims
THE Catholic Church,
through NASSA/Caritas
Philippines has launched
Dec. 26 a rapid response
appeal to the Caritas
confederation in behalf of
thousands of families still
reeling from the devastation
caused by Tropical Storm
Vinta that has claimed more
than a hundred lives.
“Initially, we are launching
a 5.8 million pesos appeal
for at least 3,000 families
(15,000 individuals) severely
affected by the devastation
of Typhoon Vinta,” said
Fr. Edwin A. Gariguez,
NASSA/Caritas Philippines’
executive secretary.
Victims / A7
Mayor and now
President Rodrigo Roa
Duterte.
This consideration
of other view points,
however, will always
be weighed against
Gospel values,
explained the prelate.
“[Now matter] how
[the government]
proposes [their]
Many areas in the Diocese of Tagum and the Prelature of Marawi suffered from flooding because of Tropical Storm Vinta. NASSA/
CARITAS PHILIPPINES
continue to engage the
government,” Valles
said. He added he is
“a little fortunate”
because he and the
president both come
from Davao City.
Davao roots
While Valles
downplayed media
Head / A3
human rights
THE Catholic Church,
through its national social
action arm, NASSA/Caritas
Philippines has high hopes
that in 2018, more Filipinos
will be “bold enough to do
what is morally right.”
In his 2018 New Year’s
Davao Archbishop Romulo Valles, CBCP President message, NASSA/Caritas
Philippines’ national
director Archbishop Rolando
Tria Tirona said: “We pray
UN lauds faith-based groups’ role
in humanitarian response
THE United Nations Office
for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs (UN-
OCHA) acknowledged the
unique contribution of
faith-based organizations
(FBOs) in the Philippines in
humanitarian response.
“Faith actors are vital in
reducing humanitarian need
and suffering,” said Mark
Bidder, UN-OCHA’s head
of office.
During super typhoon
Yolanda, various faith-
based organizations from
and work for a Philippines
prosperous in human and
spiritual values, committed
to eradicate poverty and
corruption, dedicated in
upholding human rights
and the sacredness of
life, unflinching in its
fights against illegal drugs
and human trafficking,
enlightened to choose
Wish / A3
the Catholic, Protestant,
and Evangelical churches
provided relief and
rehabilitation responses to
the nine provinces most
devastated, which continue
even up to now.
‘Violation of human
rights’
He also noted that faith-
based organizations are not
only present and providing
alternatives for Filipinos
during crises. “When we talk
Role / A8
A2 WORLD NEWS January 8 - 21, 2018 Vol.22, No.1 CBCP Monitor

Catholic deacon awarded British Empire Vatican Briefing

Medal for rescuing trafficking victims Pope says he will bring message of peace and
hope to Chile, Peru
Ahead of his visit to Chile and Peru, Pope Francis has
SOUTHAMPTON, England— A Catholic
said he wants to bring a message of peace and hope to both
deacon in the United Kingdom has been
countries, which he said have been successful in fighting
awarded the British Empire Medal for
a “culture of waste” through their care for the poor and
his work serving seafarers and rescuing
needy. In a Jan. 9 video message to both Chile and Peru,
trafficking victims over the last eight
Francis told people from each country that “I want to meet
years.
with you, to look you in the eyes, to see your faces and be
“I was absolutely stunned… a tear
able to experience the closeness of God, his closeness and
came to my eye—it really did,” Deacon
mercy, which embraces and consoles us.” Both countries
Roger Stone told The Tablet in a recent
were forged with “determination and commitment,” he
interview.
said, adding that he thanks God for “the faith and the
“I love the seafarers…it’s not just
love for God and for the most needy brothers, especially
words, I really do.”
for the love that you have for those who are discarded by
Stone, a permanent deacon, is
society.” (Elise Harris/CNA)
stationed in Southampton, UK where
he has been a Port Chaplain serving
Vatican communications see new growth after
crew members for the past seven years
rebranding
through the Catholic charity Apostleship
After the recent re-branding and consolidation of
of the Sea (AoS). Since 2010, Stone
the Vatican’s various media outlets, their social media
has provided pastoral support for crew
platforms have now reached a total of more than 4
members along the South Coast of

CNA
million followers, who receive their daily papal news
England.
with a fresh logo. According to a Jan. 9 communique
“I am proud to work for the According to AoS, Stone also symbol of the love I have for seafarers
from the Secretariat for Communications, Vatican
Apostleship of the Sea, the greatest supported a group of abandoned who rely on Apostleship of the Sea
media now has an online community of more than
and most effective maritime charity in fishermen from two ships in Sussex and port chaplains and volunteers for pure
4 million followers between the Facebook, Twitter,
the world. I am privileged to serve so was instrumental in raising emergency pastoral care. Without Apostleship of
YouTube and Instagram platforms. The numbers, the
many wonderful seafarers from so many funds for the crew and their families the Sea, seafarers would simply not
secretariat said, are the result of the continuing reform
countries around the world,” Stone said, in 2013-2014. Although Stone had no receive the love and care they need,”
of Vatican communications launched in 2014 by Pope
according to an AoS press release. previous maritime experience before Stone said.
Francis and his nine cardinal advisors who make up the
In addition to his work providing 2010, he has now become a beloved face Martin Foley, the National Director
Council of Cardinals, which meets every few months to
spiritual ministry to seafarers, Stone has among the seafarers on the South Coast. for the Apostleship of the Sea, said that
discuss the ongoing reform of the Roman Curia. (Elise
helped rescue several fishermen from The British Empire Medal is an honor the medal could not have been awarded
Harris/CNA)
inhumane working conditions, including awarded to individuals for civil or to a more deserving nominee.
nine fishermen near Portsmouth Harbor military service worthy to be recognized “The British Empire Medal is a
Pope Francis: The world needs stable families,
and another three Filipino men living on by the Crown. The honor was established fitting recognition of Roger’s work and
relationships
a boat in “slave-like conditions.” in 1922 to replace the Medal of the Order ministry with seafarers, and testimony
In a speech to diplomats, Pope Francis said that the
Stone called the rescue of the Filipino of the British Empire and recognizes to the vital support and assistance that
stability of the family is integral for the future, and that
men “a landmark thing in my life the work of those who have made “a AoS provides to seafarers and the wider
such stability is created when founded upon the faithful
because they are such nice people being significant difference” on a local level. shipping and maritime community.”
and lasting relationship of a man and woman. “Today
treated so abysmally.” “I will always regard the Medal as a (CNA/EWTN News)
fleeting relationships are preferred to the stability of
a definitive life project. But a house built on the sand
Venezuelan cardinal calls for transparent elections to resolve crisis of frail and fickle relationships cannot stand,” the
Pope said Jan. 8. “What is needed instead is a rock
CARACAS, Venezuela— In After rejecting violence Christmas. of true happiness.” on which to build solid foundations. And this rock is
his New Year’s message, “wherever it comes from” Given the serious shortage Concluding their message, precisely that faithful and indissoluble communion of
the Archbishop of Caracas and encouraging the peaceful of food the prelates urged the bishops asked God love that joins man and woman, a communion that has
encouraged transparent defense of everyone’s rights, solidarity, with concrete that the political leaders, an austere and simple beauty, a sacred and inviolable
elections the results of which the cardinal’s message stated actions such as “soup “whether in the ruling party character and a natural role in the social order.”
the citizenry could trust, in that “in order to resolve this kitchens and with everything or in the opposition, may (Hannah Brockhaus/CNA)
order to alleviate the grave situation, which has its roots that can alleviate the tragedy have the light and strength to
crisis affecting the country. in the political problem, of the poor, especially act on behalf of the common Pope’s latest prayer video highlights religious
“The year 2017 was very it is necessary to hold the malnourished children.” good, with a truly patriotic persecution in Asia
tragic for Venezuela, marked presidential elections for The message also noted spirit, to resolve the pending Pope Francis has kicked off the new year by shedding
by political violence with a which the constitution calls. that “moved by our faith problems.” light on the plight of persecuted religious minorities
terrible toll of more than 120 But for that, it is necessary to and full of hope despite so Frustration in Venezuela in Asia, asking that Catholics join him in praying
persons killed in attacks on guarantee fair and reasonable many difficulties, we begin has been building for years for these people and for religious freedom in their
demonstrations held by the conditions for elections with this 2018 New Year with due to poor economic countries. The video, released Jan. 5, opens by showing
people,” read the message of transparency and whose sentiments of trust in God policies, including strict images of different scenery and people in Asia as the
Cardinal Jorge Urosa Savino. results the people can trust.” and hopeful of a happier price controls coupled with Pope, speaking in his native Spanish, says that “in the
Venezuela is experiencing Cardinal Urosa was joined world for us, our families, high inflation rates, which vastly diversified cultural world of Asia, the Church
a severe economic crisis, in his message by his four and our beloved Venezuela.” have resulted in a severe faces many risks and her task is made more difficult
with hyperinflation and auxiliary bishops. The text “To accomplish this let lack of basic necessities such by the fact of her being a minority.” These risks and
chronic shortages of food is to be read in the parishes us recall that God grants as toilet paper, milk, flour, challenges, he said, “are shared with other minority
and medicine. of the Caracas archdiocese happiness only to those who diapers, and medicines. religious traditions, with whom we share a desire for
Its socialist president, Jan. 6-7. listen to his word and fulfill Venezuela’s socialist wisdom, truth and holiness.” Images of people from
Nicolas Maduro, is due to The cardinal and his it,” they continued. government is widely blamed various religious confessions praying and lighting
run for re-election this year, auxiliary bishops reiterated “Let us ask God to help for the crisis. Since 2003, incense are then shown, and chains are placed around
as his term ends in 2019. their call to release “prisoners us to go by the only way price controls on some 160 their hands. (Elise Harris/CNA)
Last July, contested elections held for actions related to to happiness, the way of products, including cooking
led to the formation of a political activities.” The Jesus that our holy Catholic oil, soap and flour, have Parents must be involved in child’s education,
Constituent Assembly, which bishops’ message stated that religion teaches us,” they meant that while they are Pope Francis says
has superseded the authority “We are pleased that some exhorted. affordable, they fly off store On Jan. 5, Pope Francis said education is a family
of the National Assembly, positive steps have already To arrive at happiness, shelves only to be resold on matter, and rather than contradicting one another,
Venezuela’s opposition- been taken in that regard.” they said, “let us resolve to the black market at much parents and teachers must collaborate openly and
controlled legislature. More than 180 political lead a religious life, drawing higher rates. constructively to form children in core values which
Mass protests against the prisoners have been held close to the Lord, especially The International enable them to face modern challenges. Speaking of
Constituent Assembly were in Venezuela, and the celebrating on Sundays his Monetary Fund has the relationship between education and the family,
held, in which more than 120 government announced it glorious resurrection in the forecasted an inflation rate the Pope said “everyone knows that this relationship
people were killed by security would release 80 of them Holy Eucharist, living a life of 2,300 percent in Venezuela has been in crisis for some time, and in certain cases is
forces. as a goodwill gesture for closer to God, the sole source in 2018. (ACI Prensa) completely broken.” At one point there was a mutual
reinforcement between the instructions given by
Archbishop: Is the Nigerian government looking for missing nuns? teachers and those given by the parents, however,
“today the situation has changed.” Pope Francis spoke
LAGOS, Nigeria— A Nigerian archbishop to members of the Italian Association of Catholic
has urged authorities to intensify Teachers at the conclusion of their national congress,
their investigation of six nuns who which took place Jan. 3-5 in Rome. (Elise Harris/CNA)
remain missing after being kidnapped
in November. Pope on New Year’s Day: Devotion to Mary is
“It is disheartening that the security a must
agencies have not been able to get the At the start of the new year, Pope Francis said that
sisters out,” said Archbishop Alfred having a devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary isn’t just
Martin of Lagos at a news conference something that is nice or good to do, but is an obligation
on January 2, according to the Nigerian in the life of a Christian. “Devotion to Mary is not
Premium Times. spiritual etiquette; it is a requirement of the Christian
“We still do hope that the security life,” the Pope said Jan. 1. “The gift of the Mother, the
agencies would do much more than is gift of every mother and every woman, is most precious
being done now to ensure that the sisters for the Church, for she too is mother and woman.” “If
are released,” Martin said. our faith is not to be reduced merely to an idea or a
Three professed nuns, Sister Roseline doctrine, all of us need a mother’s heart, one which
Isiocha, Sister Aloysius Ajayi and knows how to keep the tender love of God and to feel the
Sister Frances Udi, and three young heartbeat of all around us.” (Hannah Brockhaus/CNA)
aspirants in the process of formation
were kidnapped by unknown gunmen Pope baptizes 34 babies, says faith can’t grow
on Nov. 13. without love at home
According to Vatican News, the Keeping with papal tradition, Pope Francis marked
CNA

women were taken from the Eucharistic
Heart of Jesus Convent in Igouriakhi in
the Southern Nigerian state of Edo.
“Today is the 48th day that the
sisters have been in the hands of the
kidnappers. It has been a big source of
worry and concern knowing that they
are women,” Martin said. Kidnapped
woman in Nigeria have frequently been
reported to be the victims of sexual
assault.
Although the motives of the kidnappers
remain unknown, violence against
Christians has become commonplace in
some parts of Nigeria. In 2014, jihadist
group Boko Haram kidnapped 276
schoolgirls, and the group has displaced
or killed thousands of Nigerians.
In December, Nigeria’s episcopal
conference decried the nuns’ kidnapping,
calling it a product of the “agents of
darkness.” The bishops appealed to the
kidnappers to release the six nuns.
“We are saddened and pained by the
continued detention of our daughters,
the Sisters of the Eucharistic Heart of
Jesus,” read a December 15 statement
from the bishops. “We appeal to those
holding them to please heed our appeal
and immediately release them.”
On the following Sunday, Pope Francis
united himself to the cause of the
bishops, emphasizing his commitment
to prayer for their safe return and his
shared grief over the nuns’ absence.
“I pray with insistence for them,
and for all the other people who find
themselves in this painful situation,”
said Pope Francis after the Angelus on
Dec. 17. (CNA/EWTN News)
the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord by celebrating
Mass in the Sistine Chapel, during which he baptized
34 infants, telling parents that love at home is the first
requirement of passing on the faith. “If there is no love
at home, if the language of love isn’t spoken between
mother and father at home, you can’t do it,” the Pope
said Jan. 7, telling parents to “transmit the faith, but do
it with the love of the family, at home.” He celebrated
Mass in the Sistine Chapel, as he does each year on
the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, during which he
baptizes several infants. This year he administered the
Sacrament of Baptism on 34 babies, 16 boys and 18
girls. (Elise Harris/CNA)
CBCP Monitor January 8 - 21, 2018 Vol.22, No.1 NEWS FEATURES A3

Man builds replica of St Peter’s Basilica with 36,000 toothpicks

Barrancabermeja, Colombia—
The Eiffel Tower, the Colosseum,
the Statue of Liberty, the Taj
Mahal; these are just some of the
monuments that a Colombian
teacher makes to scale out of
toothpicks. His latest is St. Peter’s
Basilica.
Alberto Antonio Cruz Serna
has been building models with
toothpicks since he was 12.
He resides in Puerto Berrio,
nearly 80 miles southwest of
Barrancabermeja, where he
teaches natural science to high
school students at the Antonio
Nariño Educational Institution,
and has built more than 200
artistic creations with his own
unique style.
Cruz, who is the father of five
children, has displayed his works in
a number of cities in Colombia, such
as Medellín and Barrancabermeja.
He has also won several awards.
“What motivates me to build
these works of art in toothpicks is
the challenge of it. The structure is
spectacular. It’s not like the wood
you cut and set in place. Here it’s
about joining stick to stick, seeing
the lengths and making shapes. The
degree of difficulty makes it more
interesting,” the 59-year-old teacher
told ACI Prensa.
Cruz revealed that he has never
visited the monuments he has
reproduced with toothpicks. Nor
has he studied architecture or
design. He just does research on
the Internet and in books on every
detail of the artwork he wants to
reproduce.
His tools? A nail clipper and
special wood glue.
Cruz commented that his
motivation for building the replica
of Saint Peter’s Square was that
in late 2015, he learned that Pope
Francis might be visiting Colombia.
The Vatican would later confirm the
trip, which took place in September.
The construction of the artwork
took 17 months. Cruz spent about
five hours a day on the project. On
weekends, he worked almost all day.
The Saint Peter’s Square model
was made of more than 36,000
toothpicks. It measures about 6 feet
long by 3 feet wide.
Cruz said that one of the most St. Peter’s Basilica toothpick replica created by Alberto Antonio Cruz Serna took seven months to complete.
beautiful characteristics of St.
Peter’s Square are the columns, celebrates a Mass or appears. The reproduction of the Leaning Tower the Shrine of Our Lady of the
because “they are like arms that shape of the plaza is like a hug.” of Pisa and the Colosseum. Rosary of Las Lajas, and Notre
welcome Catholics from all parts of While he was working on this His upcoming projects include Dame Cathedral. (Maria Ximena
the world each time that the Pope structure, Cruz also made a the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Rondon/CNA)

Power / A1

A priest said this marks the “We will personally

first time in recent memory
that a Papal Nuncio attended
the celebration, the biggest of
its kind in the world.
“It’s a great honor for
us all devotees that the
representative of the Pope
is present in this special
occasion,” said Fr. Regie
Malicdem, rector of the
Manila Cathedral.
As early as Jan. 8, devotees
already gathered at the
grandstand where a replica
of the 410-year-old Black
Nazarene image was brought
for an overnight vigil.
More than 5,000 police
were stationed within the
few kilometer stretch of
the “traslacion” from the
grandstand to the Quiapo
Church that has housed the
Black Nazarene since 1787.
The traslacion, which
commemorated the transfer
of the venerated image
from Intramuros to Quiapo
Church, ended after a 22-
hour procession from 5am
to around 3am the following
day.
Local authorities said
there were about 3.5 million
devotees who joined this
year’s procession.
“More and more people
each year join the Traslacion.
This pleases the Nazareno,”
said Coronel.
Still, church officials are
thankful that the procession
was generally successful.
“Generally, the procession
went well and ended well. It
may have taken some time
but we are grateful that the
flow went well,” said Quiapo
Church Parochial Vicar Fr.
Douglas Badong.
Casualties
Meanwhile, Coronel
expressed condolences to the
family of 54-year old Ramil
dela Cruz, a devotee who died
during the Traslacion.
Wish / A1
What is the devil’s favorite sin? An exorcist responds
console with the family of
Ramil dela Cruz, who died of
cardiac arrest while waiting
for the Nazareno to pass by
the streets of Quiapo,” he
said.
According to the Philippine
Red Cross (PRC), a total of
1,906 patients were given
first aid and other emergency
medical assistance during the
entirety of the procession.
Of the number, there were
a total of 708 minor cases
(dizziness - 76, lacerations -
424, abrasions - 179, vomiting
- 2, toothache - 2, body pain
- 7, fatigue - 1, abdominal
pain - 4, sprain - 11, fever -
1, burns -1); as well as 854
blood pressure checking.
The PRC also said
there were 127 major cases
(fainting - 24, body weakness
- 23, difficulty of breathing -
74, fracture - 4, seizure - 2);
as well as 7 cases (suspected
neck and spine injury - 1, chest
pain - 2, fracture/deformities
- 3, body weakness - 1) that
required to be transported to
hospitals.
‘Know Jesus deeply’
Cardinal Tagle earlier
expressed hope that the
country’s strong devotion
to the Black Nazarene will
lead its devotees to a deeper
relationship with Jesus
Christ.
“May our participation in
the different activities during
the feast lead us in deeply
knowing Jesus,” he said.
Reflecting on this year’s
theme “Black Nazarene:
The way, the truth, and the
life”, he called on the faithful
to prepare for the Black
Nazarene feast through a
closer look at Jesus.
“He is the way to the father.
He is the truth that we’ve
been looking for. He is the
one who can give us and the
society life,” Tagle said.
MADRID, Spain— Is an “In the beginning I had in the movie ‘The Exorcist,’ the demons were proposing
exorcist afraid? What is the a lot of fear,” Fr. Gallego one person died and the him to do: If you make a pact
devil’s favorite sin? These replied. “All I had to do was other threw himself through with us, you’ll never have to
and other questions were look over my shoulder and I a window. I said to her ‘Don’t go through any more of what
tackled in an interview with saw demons… the other day forget that the devil is (just a) you’re going through now.”
the Dominican priest, Father I was doing an exorcism, ‘I creature of God.’” Father Gallego also warned
Juan José Gallego, an exorcist command you! I order you!’… When people are that “New Age” practices
from the Archdiocese of and the Evil One, with a possessed, he added, “they like reiki and some yoga can
Barcelona in Catalonia, Spain. loud voice fires back at me: lose consciousness, they be points of entry for the
Almost a decade after Fr. ‘Galleeeego, you’re over- speak strange languages, they demons. He also said that
Gallego was appointed as doooing it.’ That shook me.” have inordinate strength, addictions are “a type of
exorcist, he was interviewed Nevertheless, he knows they feel really bad, you see possession.”
by the Spanish daily El that the devil is not more very well-mannered people “When people are going
Mundo. The priest said that powerful than God. The vomiting and blaspheming.” through a crisis they suffer
in his experience, pride is the exorcist recalled that “when “There was a boy whom the more. They can feel hopeless.
sin the devil likes the most. they appointed me, a relative demon would set his shirt People feel like they’ve got
“Have you ever been told me, ‘Whoa, Juan José, on fire at night and things the devil inside,” he said.
afraid?” the interviewer asked. I’m really afraid, because like that. He told me what (CNA)
Forgetting our baptism is to forget our identity, Pope Francis says
VATICAN— Pope Francis spoke of the Turning to the day’s Gospel, he Spirit who transmits to us the tenderness
importance of remembering the day recalled how those who came to John of divine forgiveness.”
of our baptism, which he said is more for baptism recognized their sin and Francis noted that it is precisely in
than just a date on the calendar, but is wanted to be cleansed in order to start a the moment when the Jesus makes
the moment we receive our Christian new life. Because of this, we understand solidarity with sinners that he hears the
identity and are immersed in the grace “the great humility of Jesus,” who did not voice of his Father, “who confirms his
and forgiveness of God. have sin, but put himself “in line with identity and mission.”
“The feast of the Baptism of Jesus the penitents, mixed among them to be In off-the-cuff remarks, the Pope
invites every Christian to remember baptized in the waters of the river.” then asked the pilgrims present if they
their own baptism,” the Pope said Jan. By doing this, Jesus what we celebrated they know the date of their baptism,
7, explaining that to forget one’s baptism at Christmas: his own availability “to since most of them likely received the
“means exposing oneself to the risk of immerse himself in the river of humanity, sacrament when they were children. If
losing the memory of what the Lord has to take upon himself the shortcomings the answer is no, he told them to “go
done for us.” and weaknesses of men, to share with home and ask your mom or dad, your
In the end, we consider the day “only them the desire for freedom and of grandmother or grandfather, your
as a fact that happened in the past,” overcoming everything that distances us godmother or godfather,” because it is
rather than recognizing as the day on from God and makes us strangers to our the day of grace and forgiveness that we
which “we became new creatures and brothers,” Francis said. should all remember.
are also capable of forgiving and loving Again pointing to the day’s Gospel He closed his address praying that Mary
whoever offends us and does us harm.” reading from Matthew, he noted how would intercede so that all Christians
More than just the day that it recounts that Jesus, “when he came “can increasingly understand the gift of
“sociologically marks the parish register,” up out of the water, immediately he baptism and commit themselves to living
the day that we were baptized is the day saw the heavens opened and the Spirit it with coherency, bearing witness to the
that “constitutes the demanding identity descending upon him like a dove.” love of the Father and of the Son, and of
card of the believer,” he said. The Holy Spirit, who worked at the the Holy Spirit.”
Pope Francis spoke to pilgrims beginning of creation and guided Moses After leading pilgrims in the
gathered in St. Peter’s Square for his and the people through the desert, “now traditional Angelus prayer, Pope
Sunday Angelus address, which this descends in fullness on Jesus in order Francis noted how earlier that morning
week falls on the Feast of the Baptism to give him the strength to fulfill his he had “the joy” of baptizing several
of Jesus. mission in the world.” infants, and prayed that the Mother
Prior to praying the Angelus, Pope “It is the Holy Spirit who is the author of God would protect them, “so that,
Francis celebrated Mass inside the of Jesus’ baptism,” Pope Francis said. “It helped by the example of their parents
Sistine Chapel, during which he baptized is the the Holy Spirit who opens the eyes and godparents, they may grow as
34 babies in commemoration of the of the heart to the truth, the entire truth. disciples of the Lord.”
special feast day, which he does every It is the Holy Spirit who pushes our lives He closed telling pilgrims “don’t forget
year. on the path of charity.” you homework: what is the day of my
In his address, the Pope noted how the The Holy Spirit, he said, “is the gift that baptism? On what day was I baptized?”
Feast of the Baptism of Jesus marks the the Father has made to each one of us and asked for prayers. (Elise Harris/
end of the liturgical Christmas season. on the day of our baptism. It is the Holy CNA)

worthy leaders, and a for life and uphold human

Philippines proud of its
heritage, yet open to the
family of nations.”
The prelate further
stressed that though 2017
was full of challenges “which
almost divided us as a nation,
we have many other things to
be thankful of.”
First of these is the
resilient Filipino spirit
that enables many to rise
above disasters like the
many typhoons that hit
the country. “Despite
the many environmental
struggles we have faced,
our efforts to protect the
environment, especially
against mining have been
sustained and produced
positive results. The
anti-drug campaign has
endeavored us to stand up
rights,” he explained.
Tirona still believes that
there is hope because of
“many beautiful things”
happening.
“Social media is springing
with viral posts of Filipinos
doing good deeds. This is
what we need to spread.
Instead of negative news and
hate, let us make it a habit to
share the good news, and do
good things no matter how
small. From hope, we can
make love, compassion and
Caritas viral in our homes,”
he said.
N A S S A / C a r i t a s
Philippines is the
humanitarian, development
and advocacy arm of the
Catholic Bishops’ Conference
of the Philippines.
(CBCPNews)
Head / A1
narratives that paint him as
a close friend of President
Duterte, he admitted,
however that they are indeed
friends.
He also mentioned knowing
the president’s immediate
staff, who all come from
Davao City.
“Secretary Jun Evasco and
I come from the same town,
in Maribojoc, Bohol,” shared
Valles. He revealed that Evasco’s
mother assisted his mother
when the would-be archbishop
was born 66 years ago.
Early into his term, the
prelate is stressing the
collegial nature of the
bishops’ conference.
2021 celebration
Unlike political parties, the
CBCP decides on “a matter
of consensus,” explained
Valles, where bishops
themselves submit possible
issues to be discussed during
their plenary assemblies.
This January, the plenary
assembly will be held in the
Archdiocese of Cebu.
In an interview on the
sidelines of the exhumation
and examination of the
remains of the Servant of
God Bishop Teofilo Camomot
at the Daughters of St. Teresa
convent, the prelate said
that while the bishops share
“bright ideas” for discussion,
there are major plans of
action that are, more or less,
universally recognized.
“There is also a ‘set play’
like the nine-year preparation
for the celebration in 2021
(Quincentennial of the
establishment of Christianity
in the Philippines) which
I cannot just suddenly
change,” the 66-year-old
archbishop said.
Disaster preparedness
In terms of areas of
improvement, Valles thinks
the social action arm of
the Catholic church should
further strengthen its efforts
in disaster preparedness and
response, considering the
number of natural calamities
that recently hit the country,
specifically the Visayas and
Mindanao regions.
“While the social action arm
is doing very well, we should
learn from our weaknesses
and respond to calamities
soonest,” he stressed. He
said there are still families in
Davao temporarily staying at
evacuation centers.
Valles expressed
appreciation for the response
from various dioceses to help
the Prelature of Marawi and
the survivors of the five-
month armed conflict and the
recent typhoons.
He also emphasized that
the CBCP should focus on
the laity, integrating the
Catholic faithful, who are
not members of the church-
based organizations, into the
Basic Ecclesial Communities
“where they can play a
more active role” in the
Church. (Melo Acuña/
CBCPNews)
A4 OPINION January 8 - 21, 2018 Vol.22, No.1 CBCP Monitor

EDITORIAL

Shall we leave it to congress?

THE Constitution being the basic law of the land is the bases of
all consequent laws that will be passed by Congress. Changing
it therefore is so consequential. Is this present congress up to
the task of coming up with a new one?
De facto, congressmen are not representatives of the
people or at least the good majority of them. Many of them
belong to political dynasties and they got elected not because
they represent the will of the people but because of political
machinations—and vote buying. Observably, the way congress
as a whole behaves show that they not only represent their
own families and political ambitions but they mostly kowtow
the wishes of whoever is in power. As in the past, the majority
of the present legislators jumped to the ship of PDP-Laban
when Duterte became president. This is clearly shown in the
maneuverings whenever bills are deliberated and ultimately
passed according to the agenda and design of Malacañang.
The swift extension of the Martial Law in Mindanao is one of
those instances when one does not see any substantial debate
in the floor.
The arguments presented for the change of the Constitution
are flimsy. They just mouth slogans, like federalism, which they

ILLUSTRATION BY BLADIMER USI

do not even examine deeply enough. It is not even known if they
have consulted their own constituents on the matter. Being
the Basic Law the change in the Constitution deserves more
enlightened discussions among the people. It is not something to
be railroaded. Their agenda is to submit the “New Constitution”
to the people in the May 2018 Barangay elections. Will the people
vote intelligently if even up to now we do not know what the
relevant issues are that would warrant the change?
And how can intelligent discussions be had when the
leadership of the present congress, and of the present
government, are not mature enough to accept and respect Church Renewal: Living Mission
any opposition? There is no democracy if there is no strong
opposition because the truth and the good of the people can An ongoing imperative Fr. James H. Kroeger, MM
only be ferreted out by mature discussions and deliberations. Year of Clergy and Consecrated Persons
But if any opposition is tagged as destabilizers, how can any
mature deliberations be done? If the opposition is being
punished for not towing the line, like not giving them any THE Philippine Bishops have Consecrated Persons”; it has focuses on the pastoral on Religious Life (Perfectae
budget or “project” at all, how can one voice out his mind, launched a nine-year program the sub-theme “Renewed mission of priests. The decree Caritatis).This document
especially if it is against the official party line?
for the renewal of our local Servant-leaders for the reminds us that priests are discusses many matters,
The con-ass (constitutional assembly) is not the correct
mode for changing the constitution at the moment even if it be Church in preparation for the New Evangelization.” To drawn from the people and such as the theology of the
claimed to be legal. This present Congress cannot be trusted fifth centenary of the arrival explore this topic well, it are called to multi-faceted vows (poverty, chastity,
with this important task. Besides, there is no need to hurry up of Christianity on our shores is necessary to examine its service. and obedience), the role of
the process. There is no deadline to meet, except the deadline (1521-2021). Through a roots in the Second Vatican Optatam Totius [Decree on contemplatives, the place
set by interested parties for the purpose of controlling the series of nine “novena-years” Council. Recall the insightful the Training of Priests] notes of the apostolate, and the
people. Even expense is not a reason. Even if the Constitutional with designated themes, we statement of Pope Benedict that “the desired renewal of spirituality of the active
Convention (con-con) mode be more expensive, it is worth it are asked to make a spiritual XVI (September 20, 2012): the whole church depends life.
that the people choose the right people just for the sole purpose journey of renewal and “We can say that the new to a great extent on the Vatican II foresaw that all
of studying and changing the Constitutions, if there really is deepened faith. evangelization started ministry of its priests” (1). religious orders of men and
such a need. This present congress is not up to this task! It Our pilgrimage has precisely with the Council, The document emphatically women would be renewed in
is not farfetched to think that they are rushing this up again already passed the half-way which Blessed John XXIII asserts the critical importance the spirit of the Council; this
because they are towing the line of a few whose main interests mark. Recall the past five saw as a new Pentecost.” of adequate priestly training. entails a return to the original
may not be those of the people! years and their particular Vatican II on the Clergy Perfectae Caritatis spirit of the founders and an
themes: 2013 (Integral Faith and Religious. The Spirit- [Decree on the Adaptation adaptation to the changed
God and the world Formation); 2014 (Laity); inspired Second Vatican and Renewal of Religious conditions of the world and
WE need to clarify a few points about the relation between 2015 (The Poor); 2016 Council (1962-1965) sought Life] foresees the renewal the needs of the Church.
God and the world in general. While it’s true that a number (Eucharist and Family); and, a profound renewal of the of all religious orders and Religious life is a special
of gospel passages picture the world as bad, it does not mean 2017 (Parish as Communion Church, both in its interior societies in the Church. This vocation in the Church; it
that God and the world are inherently opposed to each other. of Communities). Now in life (ad intra) and its external effort should be based on key should be esteemed and
On the contrary, God and the world should merit the same 2018 we focus on the Clergy dimensions (ad extra). sources: sacred scripture, the promoted. We members
love, since we can only have one love, and our love for God and Consecrated Persons. Three of the sixteen Council spirit of their founders, and of the Church are sincerely
should be the same but much more if not infinitely more The final three years will documents are devoted to our the needs of the contemporary grateful for the wide variety
elevated than our love for the world. Our love can only be see an emphasis on Youth 2018 reflection theme: clergy world. In a word, profound of services (e.g. hospitals,
one because love is only possible with God who is the source, (2019), Ecumenism and and religious. Church renewal was an schools, clinics, orphanages,
pattern, end and energy for love. Our love should start and Interreligious Dialogue Two documents deal with overall pivotal theme of the radio stations, publications,
end with God, and everything between the start and end of our (2020) and Missio ad gentes matters relating to clergy Second Vatican Council. prison ministry, etc.)
love should simply be a means and an occasion to love God. (2021). and priests. Presbyterorum Renewal of Religious rendered by women and
Yes, it’s true that we need to be careful with the world, Note that our current Ordinis [Decree on the Life. Let us take a deeper men religious for Church and
because of the many dangers it contains. St. John articulated theme is “Clergy and Ministry and Life of Priests] look at the Vatican II decree society today.
this warning very well when he said: “For everything in the
world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride
of life--comes not from the Father but from the world.” (1 Jn
2,16). As corollaries to this truth of our faith, Christ tells us And That’s The Truth Of relics and
that if we follow him we will be hated by the world that we
have to conquer the world with him, etc., etc. But these do Teresa R. Tunay, OCDS expectations
not take away the fact that the world is a creation of God and
therefore good, though spoiled by our sin.
The point to make is that we ought to have the same attitude
of God toward the world, as shown to us concretely by Christ. WITH the fourth visit of the relics of St. Revolution”?) The long queues to kiss Therese’s desire for holiness didn’t
When we have Christ’s mind and heart, we will love the world Therese of Lisieux in the Philippines, we a believed-to-be-miraculous image in come by itself—she was even such a
and do everything to bring it back from its alienated state to may expect another surge of devotion shrines (Manaoag, Antipolo, Quiapo, temperamental child that her mother
him from whom it came and to whom it belongs. We would for one of the country’s most popular—if Padre Pio, Divine Mercy, et al) or during didn’t quite know how to handle her—
not be afraid of the world that much, because with Christ we not the most popular—Saints. Although the veneration of visiting relics all over but instead was unwittingly absorbed
can conquer it insofar as it is opposed to God. Rather we have claims of miraculous healings or the country also present an interesting through the nurturing of God-loving
to love the world the way God loves it, without being worldly.
conversions have been made since her study of the Filipino’s faith in divine parents, Zelie and Louis Martin, the first
This means that if we truly love God, we should not run
away from the world and the many challenges it poises on us. relics’ first visit in 2002, visit organizers intervention. married couple proclaimed as Saints by
Rather we should love it, immerse ourselves in it, make use admit that they have yet to document, But lest we forget that divine the Catholic Church.
of what is true, good and beautiful in it and purify it of what gather, investigate, and authenticate intervention does not always come in Indeed it could be said that the
is not. It would clearly be a wrong understanding of what and such stories for them to hold water as the form of earth-shaking events, let us Church did not make Louis and Zelie
how it is to love God if we equate loving God with running an evangelizing tool for the Church. And remember that St. Therese herself did Saints because their daughter is a
away from the world, or worse, hating it. The negative and evil that takes time. not ask for miracles but instead walked Saint; rather, the Church acknowledges
things we can find in the world should only spur us to love the Our crowd-drawing events—for the path of the “little way”, missing “no that their daughter became a Saint
world the way God loves it—sending his only begotten Son to instance, the Black Nazarene single opportunity of making some because she was raised by saintly
it. In other words, we have to be “alter Christus” to love the procession, papal visits, fabulous Holy small sacrifice, here by a smiling look, parents. I surmise that when Therese
world properly. Week processions—seem to reveal there by a kindly word; always doing wrote “Holiness consists simply in
We have to understand that loving the world will necessarily the Filipino predilection for spectacle the smallest right and doing it all for doing God’s will, and being just what
involve a lot of suffering and self-denial. We should not be and drama. (Remember the “EDSA love.” And let us not forget, too, that And That’s the Truth / A6
afraid to bear all this. Christ has assured us we will always
win with him in our war of peace and love with the world.
Let’s be like the magi Candidly Speaking
Monitor
CBCP
Fr. Roy Cimagala

PROTAGONIST OF TRUTH, PROMOTER OF PEACE

THE Solemnity of the enough, they had to contend day and in all circumstances Christ will always pale in
Pedro Quitorio Epiphany of the Lord reminds with the wily designs of the of our life. Let’s not be afraid. comparison to the generosity
Editor-in-Chief us of that beautiful story of king of that time which they God never abandons us and he will shower on us. Let’s
the three magi who embarked were unaware of. But God, in will guide us in his own not be sparing in making
Nirva’ana E. Delacruz Ronalyn Regino on a difficult journey to find his loving providence, guided mysterious ways. Let’s just that deal.
Associate Editor Design Artist Jesus, the expected Messiah them and protected them be game. Let’s learn to undertake this
of all men. That they did from harm. Like the magi, we too lifelong adventure of looking
Roy Lagarde Mercedita Juanite not know exactly where to Like the magi, we too should bring our precious for Christ, training ourselves
News Editor Circulation Manager
find him did not prevent should also make our search gifts which in the end are to see him in everything and
Kris Bayos Marcelita Dominguez them from doing it. They for Jesus amid the many not just a matter of things, in everyone, and in all the
Features Editor Comptroller just depended on a star. And confusing and even hostile no matter how valuable they situations and circumstances
they brought precious gifts. elements of the world. are, but rather of giving our of our life, whether they be
The CBCP Monitor is published fortnightly by the Areopagus
Communications, Inc. with editorial and business offices at
It must have been quite an Guided by the star of our whole life, our whole mind good or bad according to our
Ground Flr., Holy Face of Jesus Center & Convent, 1111 adventure! faith, let’s proceed with our and heart, our whole selves human standards.
F. R. Hidalgo Street, Quiapo, Manila. Editorial: (632) 404 - As if the usual difficulties daily adventure of looking to him. Let’s keep ourselves from
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com, Business: (632) 404 - 1612. ISSN 1908-2940. and the many unknowns for Christ in all corners of the We can be sure that straying from this path that
in that journey were not world, in all moments of the whatever generosity we show Candidly Speaking / A6
CBCP Monitor January 8 - 21, 2018 Vol.22, No.1 OPINION A5

Poong Nazareno to Another Angle

By the Roadside
Fr. Eutiquio ‘Euly’ Belizar, Jr.
SThD
IT is the evening after our parish
celebration of the Traslacion of the image
of Quiapo’s Black Nazarene. Diocesan
priests like me often feel prevailed upon
by our local devotees to have our own
version of the Traslacion. Today we had
quite a crowd of parishioners in our
own procession, though nowhere near
the mammoth numbers in Manila. I
have always wondered what motivates
the faithful in a far-flung place like Our
Lady Mount Carmel Parish, where I’m
at, to join the annual celebration that
concerns strictly the Minor Basilica of
the Black Nazarene in Quiapo, Manila.
Is it the “pull” of faith or merely of the
sight of millions of devotees shown live
on tv, braving every difficulty just to
express their faith in Someone they can
identify with, hoping for answers to their
prayers? Is this the spiritual version of
“Imperial Manila” ruling even the faith
life of distant believers? Or is the Poon’s
Traslacion an emerging cause that
furthers the unity of Filipino Catholics?
I remember an American religious
priest who, years ago, first witnessed
the annual procession. He was awed
by the size of the crowds and the
fervor of their faith. But he thought
the tradition needed some purification
from what he considered non-Christian
elements, including superstitions and
possibly near-idolatrous tendencies.
This is the reason behind the call for
more systematic catecheses not only
in Quiapo but also hopefully where the
tradition is practised. Still, there was
some part of me that wanted to quote
to a fellow priest from a foreign country
Jesus’ own words: “Do not judge and you
will not be judged” (Lk 6:36).
On hearing the song “Nuestro Padre
Jesus Nazareno” I remember asking:
San Ildefonso de Navotas
a diocesan priest
“Isn’t Jesus the Son and not the Father?
How can people call him ‘Nuestro Padre
Jesus Nazareno’ and themselves ‘Hijos
de Jesus Nazareno’?” But then I found
myself answering my own questions. To
myself I quoted Jesus himself saying:
“He who sees me sees the Father” (Jn
14:6; 12:45) and “The Father and I are
one” (Jn 10:30). Even non-Catholics
would never gainsay that.
First off, Poong Nazareno is Jesus who
suffered for us. His very appearance
points us to a suffering Christ. The cross
he is carrying is no stranger to Filipinos
and particularly their diocesan priests.
The priestly munera (Word, sacraments
and pastoral care) are veritably a cross
the priest carries; fulfilling them entails
no little suffering. Poong Nazareno’s
cross points to the value of the priest’s
own sufferings as much as of those he
ministers to. Jesus suffered because of
his love for us. A diocesan priest must
truly embrace this suffering love to find
meaning and strength in the sacrifice
he must make daily to serve the Lord’s
flock. When he does, his suffering, like
the Master’s, also reveals God’s love for
us. “God so loved the world,” St John tells
us, “that he gave us his only Son so that
those who believe in him may not perish
but may have everlasting life” (Jn 3.16).
Second, Poong Nazareno is Jesus
who died for us. Death is something we
are afraid of and would want to shelve
even in our most honest and intimate
conversations. We think it is impolite
to bring up the subject. Even priests are
no exception. But death is part of the
cycle of life. The seed has to die to being
a seed so it can be a plant. The egg has
to die to being an egg so it can become
a bird or a chicken etc. A caterpillar
has to die to being a caterpillar so it
Duc in Altum
can become a butterfly. Jesus had to
die so as to overcome death itself. We
ourselves proclaim the mystery of faith,
saying to the Lord, “Dying you destroyed
our death...” A diocesan priest has to
die to being parochial and myopic in
his vision of Church and mission so as
to truly invite the poor not only to the
Table of the Lord but also to the task of
evangelization.
Third, Poong Nazareno is Jesus who
has provided us with the evidence of
his conquest of death: his resurrection.
When someone asks a diocesan priest
what evidence he can show that he
finished theological formation, he can
simply show his school of theology
diploma. The resurrection is the Lord’s
diploma, a concrete affirmation that
he has power over death and life Itself.
We knock in vain for life and happiness
if we don’t knock on his door. For a
diocesan priest, Poong Nazareno is a
constant reminder of his need to rise
from his falls, be it to sin or to failures
in the ministry.
It is hardly surprising if diocesan
priests themselves bring their petitions
and needs to Poong Nazareno just like
the rest of the faithful. I find it more
moving, though, to find many devotees
who join the Traslacion procession
simply to thank Poong Nazareno for
answered prayers, for his enduring
love, even going as far as feeding hungry
fellow devotees. But the greatest act of
thanksgiving priests and lay faithful
can make is to allow Poong Nazareno’s
Paschal Mystery to become actualized
in their life: to continue to learn how
to die to selfishness, to pride, to sin of
whatever kind and to rise to new lives
genuinely walking the path of life with
the Master.
Fr. Emmanuel Mijares
Is there a need of a
community life among
the diocesan clergy?
IS community life reserved only to the religious priests or
it belongs to the essence in the life of all Christians? It is
commonly thought that this is only among those who are
members of religious orders or congregations are obliged to
live a certain community life. Yet, we know that the first effect
of the Pentecost is in fact a communitarian life style among
and within the first Christian community—so much profound
that they were of one heart and one mind which has lead them
to live the so called communion even of their goods.
Presbyterum Ordinis, the document on the life and ministry
of the priests of the Second Vatican Council promulgated by
Pope Paul VI, last December 7, 1967 on the eve of the Feast
of the Immaculate Conception, some decades ago, talked
about the common and negative situation of celibate priests:
loneliness. In fact it was considered, and still is, the main
reason why priests leave the priesthood, perhaps after a
certain disunity with their own bishop in various and different
levels. Without this genuine unity with the bishop, as the
document also emphasized, the presbyter could be already
standing in the “locus” of possible separation from the diocese,
his local ordinary, and therefore his own very life as a priest
which then opens to the decision to leave the priestly ministry.
In order to save what could be “salvable” and to prevent
the seeming exodus of priests in this “locus” the same council
said: “[to] be saved from the dangers of loneliness which may
arise, it is necessary that some kind of common life or some
sharing of common life be encouraged among priests.” (PO, 8)
The Council therefore strongly encourages a “common life”
among diocesan priests which has been the lifestyle of the first
Christian community and perhaps what is lacking in the life
of the diocesan clergy. Most of the rectories in the country are
like just like apartments where diocesan priests live together
not for intrinsic reason but for an extrinsic pastoral purposes.
Profound fraternal relationships could be lacking and they
could be living just in a “house” and not in a “home.” In this
atmosphere, loneliness especially among the young clergy
could creep in and could encourage him to go out always of the
rectory and look for a place where he could feel at home to the
point of even creating with a suitable partner or a real home

Parish @ 25 Atty. Aurora A. Santiago

OUR Parish of San Ildefonso
de Navotas in the Diocese of
Kalookan will celebrate this
year its Silver Anniversary
on its Feast Day, January 23.
Our Parish Priest Fr. Bong
Gino, together with the Parish
Pastoral Council chaired
by Corazon Bumanglag,
particularly the Executive
Committee, have planned
the outreach programs to
the six (6) important sectors
of the parish. The four (4)
barangays—Navotas East and
West, Bagumbayan North
and South, comprising the
parish, were tapped to team
up with the celebration.
As Pope Francis said, our
evangelization should not
be concentrated inside the
church; we should go out and
proclaim the Word by reaching
out to our community.
Therefore, we reach out to
the six sectors of our parish:
(1) The families of victims
killed in the war on drug,
either due to legitimate police
operation or by the bonnet
gang and riders in tandem.
Round table discussion by
families how they coped up
with losing a family member.
Scholarship will be given to
the surviving children while
livelihood programs will be
made available to the parents,
spouses and adult children.
Those with traumatic
experience will be provided
counseling by the Counselors
of Task Force Salubong,
the Diocese of Kalookan’s
Rehabilitation Program for
drug users who surrendered
to the authorities. (2) The
sick and PWD or persons
with disability who do not
have the resources to avail
the services of doctors or
health workers. There will be
Medical and Dental Mission
where free medicines will
be given and laboratory
tests to be provided. The
Parish Priest and the invited
clergy will anoint the sick
and the disabled with Holy
Oil. (3) Out-of-School youth.
Activities and seminar about
self esteem and dignity of a
person and how to develop self
confidence will be conducted.
They will be allowed to show
their strengths and talents in
the arts, writing, singing and
dancing, (4) Family of 40
inmates who are detained in
Navotas City Jail. Resource
Persons will discuss the rights
of an accused. There will be
bonding activities like one of
which is “boodle fight lunch”
among wives and children on
the one hand and the Extra-
ordinary Ministers of the Holy
Eucharist on the other, who
will play the “father figure”
since most of the inmates are
fathers or brothers. (5) The
Homeless, the Hungry and
the Thirsty. In coordination
with the Barangay officials,
this sector will be invited to a
meeting where they will tell
what their own stories, if they
still have families, what they
need. Foods, clothing and
groceries will be provided to
them. If they need livelihood
program, they will be enrolled
in the Social Service and
Development Ministry of the
parish. (6) Street Children.
Alternative Catechesis will
be provided that “Mga Anak
din Sila ng Diyos” or MASID
(they are also children of God)
which is one of the Projects
of the Diocese of Kalookan
where there is a shelter house
where street children can go
anytime they want, to eat,
take a bath, watch tv, read
books; then they can go home
afterward.
There is an outreach
program for each day
including the clean-up drive
in all the four barangays in the
parish, except on days when
the cultural activities will be
held like the traditional Ark
and Float contest, Games,
motorcade, parade and
others. A Mini Fund Raising
Concert will also be held
where choirs from different
universities and parishes will
be invited to perform.
The theme of the Novena
and Fiesta Masses are the
Readings and Gospel from
January 14 to 23 which
serve as inspirations to the
different outreach activities
of the parish. The Mass
Celebrants are Bishop Francis
de Leon of the Diocese of
Antipolo (former Apostolic
Administrator of the Diocese
of Kalookan); Msgr. Rolando
Dela Cruz of San Pedro de
Dilao Parish, Paco, Manila
(former parish priest of San
Jose de Navotas who worked
for the establishment of
San Ildefonso Chapel into
a parish); Bishop Emeritus
Deogracias Iňiguez, Jr. of
the Diocese of Kalookan;
Most Rev. Pablo Virgilio
David, Bishop of the Diocese
of Kalookan; Fr. Godwin
Tatlonghari, Director of
Pre-College of San Carlos
Seminary (former parish
priest of San Ildefonso); Fr.
Jeronimo Ma. Cruz Vicar
General of the Diocese of
Kalookan and Rector of San
Roque Cathedral (immediate
past parish priest of San
Ildefonso); Archbishop
Emeritus Ramon Arguelles
of the Archdiocese of Lipa);
former parish priests Fr.
Nelson Orqueta, Fr. Nestor
Estanislao, Fr. Tony Nopasa,
and other invited priests.
San Ildefonso of Toledo
was a scholar and theologian
who served as the Bishop of
Toledo for the last decade of
his life. He had great devotion
to the Blessed Virgin Mary
who was reported “to have
appeared before him in
person and presented him
Duc in Altum / A7
with a family of his own. This phenomena is not uncommon.
In Canon n. 280, Priests, even if they be diocesan, are
encouraged to live a community life. While this will vary
greatly due to circumstances and ministry, it offers them
the opportunity for mutual support humanly, spiritually,
economically and even sometimes psychologically.
The Council also offers some concrete suggestions and could
take three different forms “according to different personal
or pastoral needs.” They are: (1) “living together where this
is possible.” This commonly called community life as “vita
communis.” It should be understood not only just living
together under one roof but a lifestyle of living together with
the love similar to the three divine persons of the Blessed
Trinity or the family of Nazareth where those who live there
are all virgins and the only rule in their staying together is
the internal dynamics of mutual love. The rationale of this
communion primarily internal and not external to the very
purpose of their staying together, like the staying together of
firemen in a fire station to order to be vigilant of the possible
fire - the reason of their staying together in one place is
something external to them. The life of communion among
diocesan priests stems internally from their nature of being
one with Christ being “alter Christus”, of their oneness with
the local bishop, with the Magisterium and with the Pope.
From here pastoral ministry could draw the light how to
go ahead together. Communion is the soul of the pastoral
ministry and its source which in turn, all the other ministerial
work could lead towards a greater communion or mutual love
for one another. This centripetal and centrifugal direction
and force is the divine/human dynamic wherein community
life expresses itself in mission and mission leads to a greater
communion among the clergy.
The Congregation for the Clery in its Directory on the
Ministry and Life of Priests, approved by Saint John Paul II,
last 31 January 1994 states that “by virtue of the Sacrament
of Holy Orders every priest is united to the other members
of the priesthood by specific bonds of apostolic charity,
ministry and fraternity. He is, in fact inserted into the “Ordo
Presbyterorum” constituting that unity which can be defined
as a true family in which the ties do not come from flesh nor
from blood but from the grace of Holy Orders.” (n.25)
This “vita communis” truly a desirable reality among the
diocesan clergy although it’s possible lifestyle could stem from
those priests who open themselves more to a communitarian
spirituality rather than an individual or individualistic one. St.
John Paul II encouraged this spirituality which is necessary
in this millennium - without denying the individualistic one
- in his apostolic letter “Novo Millennio Ineunte” saying that
Another Angle / A6

Is New Evangelization new?

Spaces of Hope
Fr. Carmelo O. Diola

POPE Francis has the highest esteem
for the 1975 Apostolic Exhortation of
Pope Paul VI, Evangelii Nuntiandi.
On one occasion he has written
that its words “are as timely as if
they had been written yesterday”.
In another, he looks at it as “a
very full text that has lost nothing
of its timeliness” and, in a speech
about evangelization, refers to it
as “that basic point of reference
which remains relevant.” Finally,
in an address to participants in
the Pilgrimage from the Diocese of
Brescia on 22 June 2013, he says
that it is “to my mind the greatest
pastoral document that has ever
been written to this day”.
It is a document worth reading
repeatedly as we celebrate “The
Year of the Clergy and Religious:
Renewed Servant-Leaders for the
New Evangelization”.
There is a curious line in section
20 of the said document that raises
many questions: “The split between
the Gospel and culture is without a
doubt the drama of our time, just as
it was of other times”. The qualifier
at the end, to my mind, seems to
imply that evangelization always
has the element of the “new” due to
the ever-present split. How do we
understand this split? What reality
in our contemporary world makes
this split even more apparent? And
what challenges do these pose to the
clergy and the religious as servant
leaders of the New Evangelization?
Recently, I was uttering the words
of consecration during Mass when
the public address system of the
public school fronting the parish
church blared out the Philippine
National Anthem. The intermingling
of realities during the raising of the
consecrated host gave me room for
pause after the mass. I then recalled
some insights from Fr. Bernard
Lonergan on the “scale of values”
found in his Method in Theology. He
distinguishes vital, social, cultural,
personal, and religious values, with
vital occupying the lowest, the most
basic, rung and religious as the
highest value. This scale of values
is supposed to work harmoniously
and the result is development.
In reality, the scale is in
disharmony. In Insight, Lonergan
points out “essentially the problem
lies in an incapacity for sustained
development”. He adds: “The
conflict issues into contrary view
of the good, which in turn make
good will appear misdirected, and
misdirected will appear good…The
problem is not met by setting up a
benevolent despotism to enforce
a correct philosophy, ethics, or
human science. Not doubt, if there
is to be the appeal to force, then it
is better that the force be directed
by wisdom than by folly…But the
Spaces of Hope / A7
A6 LOCAL NEWS January 8 - 21, 2018 Vol.22, No.1 CBCP Monitor

Doctor questions FDA clearance of 51 contraceptives

FOLLOWING a pro-
life coalition’s call to the
Food and Drug Authority
to reverse the “hasty and
impulsive” declaration of
some 51 contraceptives
as non-abortifacient, a
medical doctor stressed the
abortifacient mechanism of
many contraceptives.
“It is important for us to
understand how certain
contraceptives can actually
harm and destroy life at its
most vulnerable stage—from
the moment that life begins—
upon conception—until the
moment that it establishes
its intimate connection
with the mother’s womb
–implantation,” said Leah
Anne L. Zamora, MD, FPOGS,
FPSUOG Department of
Obstetrics and Gynecology
consultant and Section of
OB-GYN Ultrasound head
at the Asian Hospital and
Medical Center.
According to the medical
doctor life begins at
conception, that is, upon
fertilization of the egg by the
sperm.
‘Abortifacient effect’
“Any post-fertilization
effect that prevents
implantation of this new life or
destroys it is an ‘abortifacient
effect’,” explained Zamora.
Hormonal contraceptives,
such as oral contraceptive
pills, injectables, implants,
patches, and intrauterine
devices, she said, usually act
by preventing the fertilization
of the egg by the sperm.
“However, there are times
when they fail to prevent
fertilization. And so, their
post-fertilization effects
come into play, either to
prevent the implantation of
an already fertilized egg or,
worse, to directly destroy it,”
said Zamora, pointing out
how it is possible that some of
the 51 recently FDA-approved
contraceptives could have the
same action.
The medical consultant
of Alliance for the Family
Foundation Philippines, Inc.
said it is close to impossible
for a person to know a
contraceptive’s real effect
on the body. “Unfortunately,
a woman taking hormonal
contraceptives or using an
intrauterine device would
never really know whether it
is the contraceptive effect or
the abortifacient effect that is
happening inside her body.”
Hostile to life
She said that while IUDs
usually induce a local,
inflammatory reaction in the
uterus that may affect the
function or viability of the egg
and sperm, thus preventing
fertilization, fertilization is
not always prevented.
“… When conception In June 2015, the Supreme
occurs, the local Court issued a TRO on some
inflammatory reaction parts of the RH law, pending
may destroy the embryo or the re-certification of some
make the ‘endometrium’ 51 contraceptives as “non-
hostile or unreceptive to abortifacient,” in recognition
implantation of the embryo,” of the Philippine Constitution’s
said Zamora, explaining how provision protecting the life of
even intrauterine devices can the unborn child.
also be abortifacient. The pro-life coalition
The doctor lamented how revealed that “There were
contraceptives transform no rules of procedure, no
“what should be the safest opportunity given to the
environment for a newly- oppositor—the Alliance
conceived human being – a for the Family Foundation
mother’s womb – into one Philippines, Inc. (ALFI)—
that is hostile and capable of to confront the evidence,
destroying life.” and no publication of
resolutions giving evidence
Pro-life Constitution for its decision vs. the mass of
The pro-life coalition, scientific evidence presented
comprising groups like by ALFI.”
Prolife Philippines, Filipinos Interested parties may sign
for Life, Doctors for Life, the petition by clicking the
ALFI, charged that the FDA link https://www.change.
“disregarded the Supreme org/p/department-of-health-
Court’s ruling on the need reverse-the-unscientific-
for due process before the and-invalid-fda-approval-
Temporary Restraining Order of-abortifacients-now.
(TRO) on the contraceptives (Fr. Mickey Cardenas /
can be lifted.” CBCPNews)

Candidly Speaking / A4
is proper for us. Let nothing or no
one lead us astray. We are actually
sufficiently guided and protected.
Things would just depend on us,
whether we correspond to God’s will
and ways or not.
Everyday, we can make some kind
of plan, something doable and not
just theoretical, that would help us
concretely and effectively in looking
for Christ. In this, let us try to
assume the attitude once described
by St. Paul:
“Forgetting what lies behind
and straining forward to what lies
ahead, I press on toward the goal
for the prize of the upward call of
God in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 3,13) Yes,
indeed, we have to have the mind
of an athlete in looking for Christ.
We should not be complacent in
this duty.
Christ is actually with us all the
time. We just have to be guided
Another Angle / A5
“before making practical plans, we
need to promote a spirituality of
communion. . . .” In fact he said that
“to make the Church the home and
the school of communion: that is
the great challenge facing us in the
millennium which is now beginning,
if we wish to be faithful to God’s plan
and respond to the world’s deepest
yearnings.” (NMI, 43)
The second suggestion from the
Council is when the first one is not
feasible. It is (2) “having a common
table.” This could also be called
“mensa communis.” With the
television off, priests could try to be
free at a certain point to time and
a certain consensus as to the time
in order to be together to eat at the
same table free from their pastoral
concerns and their cell phones.
This could be an appropriate time
to talk about the status of their
physical and spiritual realities,
sharing of experiences on how they
live the day in God or living God’s
word concretely, or even good
jokes and human pleasantries.
Rather than sharing the negative
aspects of other brother priests,
who may not be around, to the
verge of gossips, they could share
the positive aspects about them.
Diocesan priests could continue
to learn “to eat at tables not on
plates” like a family who listens to
one another each other’s concerns,
joys, sufferings, or realizations—
to foment this communion and
fraternity among them. It could
also be a time to relax in the
presence of one another and this
could occur inside the rectory or
in a modest restaurant or even
fast food outlets depending on the
internal suggestions from the Holy
Spirit to strengthen this fraternity
or sacramental brotherhood.
The last suggestion of the Council
in this regard is lastly (3) “by
frequent and periodic meetings.”
It did not specify a scheduled
frequency but it suggests that for
those who are living alone, meetings
with other priests are strongly
encouraged. This also depends on
the distance and accessibility of
the meeting place. Nevertheless
when diocesan priests would try to
consider and follow this suggestion,
perhaps they would understand
by faith, more than just by our
senses and our intelligence that
is not yet engaged with faith, but
only with the material things or
the materially-based or temporally-
bound intelligible things.
Whatever we handle in this world,
the least that we can do to relate
them to God, is that the things we
are handling are also creatures of
God. They may be stained by our
sins and foolishness, but at bottom,
they come from God. They should
somehow point us to God. And
from there, get to know the finer
nuances of God’s will and ways in
those things.
If we do our part, like the
magi we will always find Christ
in everything, no matter how
distorted the image of Christ may
be in things or in persons we deal
with or in the situations we may
find ourselves in.
better its necessity in their pastoral
ministry.
The charism of religious orders
have been a big help in the formation
of priests in the Philippines, It is
enough to think of the CICM’s, the
Dominicans, the Jesuits, now the
Eudist Fathers, etc. They are also a
big factor in helping the continued
formation of seminarians and
priests by offering their convents
and organizing meetings or
reunions for the diocesan clergy and
thus foment the life of communion
among the diocesan priests. Perhaps
it is for this reason that the Council
said: “One should hold also in
high regard and eagerly promote
those associations which, having
been recognized by competent
ecclesiastical authority, encourage
priestly holiness in the ministry
by the use of an appropriate and
duly approved rule of life and by
fraternal aid, intending thus to
do service to the whole order of
priests.” (PO, 8)
We could ask: What “fraternal aid”
would be best? Certainly to think of
a “fraternal aid” in the economic
sense only, though sometimes
necessary, misses the whole point!
This fraternal aid should never be
limited to money since it is only one
of the expressions of this divine/
sacramental fraternity that is more
profound, basic and liberating.
We could suggest that it is to help
genuinely, sincerely, simply, and
humbly one another in order to
journey together towards holiness
with the priceless joy of the gift
and mystery of the priesthood that
accompanies it. In a word it is really
to “wash each others feet.”
This could fundamentally
spring forth from the Holy Spirit
who came to the nascent church
during Pentecost that made the
Christian community “one in heart
and mind.” Through this reality,
priests could visibly express, in an
effective and affective manner, the
life of communion (agape) within
the Trinity which is inherent in
the life of every diocesan priest.
Communitarian life among the
diocesan clergy, in whatever form
it takes, therefore is a “conditio sine
qua non” in the life and ministry
even of diocesan priests.
Examiner: After 30 years, bishop’s remains have ‘no foul smell’
WITH the exhumation
of the late Bishop Teofilo
Camomot’s remains, as
part of the process for
possible declaration of
sainthood, forensic
experts discover that after
three decades the body did
not exude the bad odor
that usually accompanies
human corpses after years
of decay.
“Of the 140 remains we
have examined from the
Princess of the Stars and
murder and homicide
cases, I consider this
miraculous because
Bishop Camomot’s
remains has no foul smell
despite the fact he died
for almost 30 years,” said
Chief Public Attorney
Persida Rueda-Acosta.
The Public Attorneys
Office, led by Acosta and
its Forensic Laboratory
Director Atty. Erwin Erfe,
conducted the exhumation
and examination of
the deceased prelate’s
remains, which consisted
mostly of bones. Erfe
also confirmed Acosta’s
observation.
Virtuous life
Cebu Archbishop
Jose Palma, who sought
the Public Attorneys
Office’s assistance
for the exhumation
and examination, said
the exhumation of the
remains of Camomot, who
died in 1988, is part of the
process.
In an interview at the
Daughters of St. Teresa
convent, Palma said the
exhumation was witnessed
And That’s the Truth / A4
God wants us to be”, she must
have had her parents in mind.
Before they met, both Zelie and
Louis had wanted the religious
life—he as a monk and she as a
nun—but God wanted something
else. So they met (curiously, on
a bridge) and barely four months
later got married. Still, with their
consuming desire for sanctity,
Louis and Zelie decided they would,
while married, live a “celibate” life
together—but God didn’t allow that
either. A priest soon advised them
to do as married people normally
do, have children, and raise them
for God. They obeyed the priest,
but prayed for sons with the noble
intention of offering them to the
Lord as priests—but again, God
had other plans. They had nine
children, and the only two boys God
took back in their infancy, along
with two girls in their childhood,
leaving the couple five girls who
grew up into adulthood and became
nuns, all of them. For decimating
all of their dreams, did Zelie and
Louis balk at God’s alternatives?
No, they would go with the flow.
About the pain of losing her
children to death, Zelie would
write in one of her letters: “When
I closed the eyes of my dear little
Camomot lived a simple
and austere life. Before
celebrating Mass, he
would often visit his
sick parishioners while
attending to their needs.
He was named Auxiliary
Bishop of Jaro, Iloilo on
March 26, 1955.
It was in 1959 when
he was appointed Co-
adjutor Bishop of Cagayan
de Oro and founded the
Carmelite Tertiaries of the
Blessed Eucharist, now
known as the Daughters
PAO Chief Atty. Persida V. Rueda-Acosta and Laboratory Director Erwin Erfe of Saint Teresa.
and their team performed the exhumation and examination of the late bishop’s
remains, which to their surprise had no foul smell. MELO ACUÑA
Needed miracles
by the consultors of the poor and suffering,” said In 1968, he resigned as
Archdiocese of Cebu, the the prelate. Coadjutor Archbishop of
members of the committee He said the faithful Cagayan de Oro and went
for the beatification, the should not only admire home to Cebu, becoming
council of the Daughers but imitate Camomot’s Auxiliary of then Julio
of St. Teresa and the life. Cardinal Rosales. He was
members of Camomot’s later named parish priest
family. More Filipino saints? of Carcar, Cebu while
“The bishops led by With three former serving the archdiocese
the CBCP president Filipino bishops (Bishops in other capacities.
and Davao Archbishop Alfredo Verzosa of Lipa, He died on Sept. 27,
Romulo Valles witnessed Alfredo Ma. Obviar of 1988 in a car crash on his
the process,” said the Lucena, and Cebu Bishop way back to his parish in
prelate. He said the Teofilo Camomot) up for San Fernando, Cebu.
exhumation and canonization, Valles said Palma said Camomot’s
examination will prove there were and there are remains will be interred
the “veracity of Bishop bishops who practice what in a museum at the
Camomot’s existence.” they preach. “Their lives Daughters of St. Teresa
Meanwhile Valles went are very inspiring,” he compound.
on to extoll the deceased further said. The Congregation for
bishop, who was known Bishop Camomot was the Causes of Saints will
for having led a virtuous born in Cogon, Carcar declare him “Venerable”
life. on March 3, 1914. He after the submission of
“We believe that dedicated himself to his the positio.
we have in the person seminary formation at He may soon be declared
of Bishop Camomot a the Seminario de San “Blessed” after a miracle
witness of God’s life in Carlos in Cebu City. After has been attributed to
his life and person as he his ordination to the his intercession. Another
was able to do admirable priesthood on December miracle will be required
works of charity, mercy 15, 1940, he was assigned for his canonization.
and shepherding of souls to different parishes. (Melo Acuña/
in his life, specially the According to records, CBCPNews)
children and when I buried them, Therese be hinting that we befriend
I felt great pain, but it was always and imitate her parents so that
with resignation. I didn’t regret the we may alsocherish and raise our
sorrows and the problems I had children as gifts from a loving God?
endured for them. Several people Relics bring the presence of
said to me, ‘It would be better to Saints in our midst. No doubt there
never have had them.’ I can’t bear will be more stories of miracles
that kind of talk. I don’t think or favors granted during the six-
the sorrows and problems could month duration of the relics’ visit;
be weighed against the eternal churches again will overflow with
happiness of my children. So they people pleading for succor, even
weren’t lost forever. Life is short those who hardly go to church. As
and full of misery. We’ll see them we queue up to kiss or touch these
again in Heaven.” And in another holy remains and pray for favors
letter, she summed up the essence through the Saints’ intercession,
of parenthood: “When we had may we realize that our Church
our children, our ideas changed presents Saints to us not only for
somewhat. We lived only for them. our edification or comfort but more
They were all our happiness, and we so for our imitation. What would we
never found any except in them. In do if we do not receive the miracle
short, nothing was too difficult, and we hope for? We take a cue from St.
the world was no longer a burden Zelie Martin who, dying of cancer,
for us. For me, our children were a went on pilgrimage to Lourdes
great compensation, so I wanted to (France), praying to be cured.
have a lot of them in order to raise Denied her request, she wrote in a
them for Heaven.” letter: “The Blessed Mother didn’t
Perhaps this is one value to be cure me in Lourdes. What can you
learned from the fourth visit of the do, my time is at an end, and God
relics of St. Therese of the Child wants me to rest elsewhere other
Jesus in the Philippines. Returning than on earth.” A faith that does
to our shores at a time when we not hinge on miracles but aims for
are losing our children due to surrender to God’s will—perhaps
disasters, human traffickers, war, that is what we should pray for.
or a contentious vaccine, could And that’s the truth.
CBCP Monitor January 8 - 21, 2018 Vol.22, No.1
Former drug dependents promise: ‘No turning back’
QUEZON City– Just a few
days before Christmas, former
drug dependents declared their
commitment to never return to their
former lives, during the recently-
concluded Quezon City Community
Based Drug Rehabiliation Program
(QC CBDRP) Graduation held on
Dec. 20 at the Shrine of Our Lady of
Mercy Parish in Novaliches Bayan
in this city.
“We are here to prove that we
have really changed by finishing
this program,” said Jason, one of
the 697 drug surrenderees who
graduated under the QC CBDRP,
a program under the Ugnayang ng
mga Barangay at Simbahan (UBAS)
of the Diocese of Novaliches, the
Diocese of Cubao, the Department
of Interior and Local Government
(DILG), the Philippine National
Police (PNP), Local Government
Units (LGUs), and the Quezon City
local government.
Jason and other former drug
Spaces of Hope / A5
appeal to force is a counsel of
despair…”
What can we do? “The solution has
to be a still higher integration of human
living. For the problem is radical and
permanent; it is independent of
the underlying physical, chemical,
organic, and psychic manifolds; it is
not met by revolutionary change, nor
by human discovery…it is as large
as human living and human history.
Further, the solution has to take
people just as they are. If it is to be a
solution and not a mere suppression
of the problem, it has to acknowledge
and respect and work through man’s
intelligence and reasonableness and
freedom.”
Lonergan then connects the
problem of non-sustainable
development to the issue of the
scale of values: “…only a higher
integration leaves underlying
manifolds with their autonomy
yet succeeds in introducing a
higher systematization…” This
higher integration has practical
consequences. Politics, for instance,
is a higher value than economics
as it is tasked with ensuring the
common good amidst different and
oftentimes competing interests.
But when, as in many instances,
economic interests control politics,
the scale of values are in disarray.
Religious values, for their part,
should make room for the vital,
technological, economic, political,
social, cultural, and personal values
as well as provide a higher viewpoint
and integration for them. For us
Christians, this integration begins
with the proclamation of the gospel.
I find the insights of the German
theologian, Roman Guardini, in
his prophetic book, The End of the
Modern World (1956), useful for
understanding this disorder in the
scale of values. He points out that
modern man resents authority as
“slavery” because his age has “made
revolution a perpetual institution.”
He continues: “The new danger
Duc in Altum / A5
with priestly vestment, to reward
him for his zeal in honoring her.
As Bishop Ildefonsus and the
congregation sang Marian hymns,
light engulfed the church, causing
most worshippers to flee. The
bishop, remaining with the few
deacons, saw Mary descended
and sit on the Episcopal throne.
She praised Ildefonsus for his
devotion, and vested him with
special chasuble from her son’s
treasury, which she instructed
the bishop to wear only during
Marian festivals. His feast day
is January 23, date of his death.
He is the patron saint of Toledo,
Zamora and other towns of Spain.
www.cbcpnews.com/yearoftheclergy
dependents from Lagro was among
a group of graduates from the six
districts of Quezon City who wore
red t-shirts printed with the words
“No Turning Back.” Asked why, he
said, “It’s because we wanted to
prove that we are not going back [to
drugs]. Our transformation will be
continuous from now on.”
Respect for self, others
He said the program, which
comprises 15 modules given to
“out patient” surrenderees in a
span of more than six months, in
collaboration with non-government
organizations, helped him realize
the importance of self-respect and
respect for others.
“I learned to value myself and
to respect family, most especially
God,” he emphasized. He expressed
his gratitude to his family,especially
to his wife and two children, for
helping him succeed in the program.
A changed man now active in
arises from a factor intrinsic to the
work of man, even to the work of his
spirit. The new danger arises from
the factor of power . . . Man today
holds power over things, but we can
assert confidently that he does not
yet have power over his own power.”
We only have to look around us
to see vast powers unleashed by
technology to realize that moral and
spiritual education have not kept
apace with technology. Guardini
tells us we have only two choices:
“ . . . To match the greatness of
[man’s] power with the strength of
his humanity, or to surrender his
humanity to power and perish.”
But this disconnect in the scale
of values offer opportunities for
New Evangelization. Guardini
observes: “…The new age will
declare that secularized facets of
Christianity are sentimentalities.
This declaration will clear the air.
The world to come will be filled
with animosity and danger, but it
will be a world open and clean…The
coming era will bring a frightful
yet salutary preciseness to these
conditions . . . As the benefits of
Revelation disappear even more
from the coming world, man will
truly learn what it means to be cut
off from Revelation.”. This is an
opportune time “as unbelievers
deny Revelation more decisively,
it will become more evident what
it really means to be a Christian.”
Then the good priest writes a
stark and haunting, yet spiritually
powerful scenario that brings us
back to the Gospel: “Loneliness
in faith will be terrible. Love will
disappear from the face of the public
world (Matt. 23:12), but the more
precious will that love be which
flows from one lonely person to
another, involving a courage of the
heart born from the immediacy
of the love of God as it was made
known in Christ.”
Yes, New Evangelization.
Festivities begin with a bonfire
and fireworks the previous night,
and continue with the traditional
procession of the saint’s image with
bread being tossed onto onlookers.
Theologically, St. Ildefonsus
regarded the Nicene Creed as
sufficient knowledge of salvation
and as two compacts between
believer and God - where one
renounces the devil and another
the statement of belief itself. He
encourages frequent Communion.”
San Ildefonso is also the patron
saint in San Ildefonso, Bulacan; San
Ildefonso in Arnaiz Avenue, Makati
City; San Ildefonso in Tanay, Rizal;
San Ildefonso, Ilocos Sur.
serving God through the Christian
group “Light of the World,” Jason
looks forward to a brighter future.
He said his plans after graduation
are “a beautiful life, a good job, and
a happy family.”
‘No life wasted’
According to Quezon City
vice mayor Joy Belmonte, who
represented the city government
at the graduation being the head
of its Anti-Drug Abuse Council
(QCADAC), there were supposed
to be 700 graduates but three failed
since they still tested positive for
illegal drugs in a medical exam
given a week prior to the graduation.
Thus, they will have to continue
undergoing the program, which
she said is proof of the Quezon city
government’s thrust of upholding
life.
“No life is wasted her in Quezon
City,” she began her speech during
the graduation rites, after the rest
Mary, key to true devotion to ‘Black Nazarene’
Authorities say more than 6 million devotees joined this year’s procession of the Black Nazarene from the Quirino Grandstand to Quiapo Church in Manila
that lasted for 22 hours. ROY LAGARDE
TARLAC City– As
millions of devotees begin
to congregate in Manila
for the “Quiapo fiesta”
on Jan. 9, the pastor of a
parish dedicated to Our
Lady of Sorrows said the
faithful should turn to
Holy Mary as the key to
true devotion to the “Black
Nazarene”.
“Mel Gibson’s
movie (The Passion of
Christ) gave us a vivid
presentation of Christ’s
agony and death with
equally moving scenes
were when Christ
fell carrying the Cross
followed by the flashback
when he was a little boy
falling down. And in both
instances, His Mother was
there to assist Him,” said
Fr. Melvin Castro, parish
priest of Our Lady of
Sorrows, in Capas, Tarlac.
The priest pointed
out that it is only in
Jesus through Mary
can the faithful fathom
the mystery of human
suffering, of which the
Nazareno has become a
face. “There is a deeper
Victims / A1
The appeal will help provide food
packs, hygiene kits, and training on
capacity-building on emergency
preparedness and response to the
provinces of Misamis Oriental,
Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur,
Compostela Valley, and Davao del
Norte.
Online solidarity campaign
Interested parties may send
their donations to NASSA/
Caritas Philippines’ Alay Kapwa
account:
Name of Bank: Bank of the
Philippine Islands; Account
Holder: CBCP CARITAS FILIPINAS
A7
of the key officials of the program “a new life.”
that included Liga Ng Mga “To the graduates, this is not
Barangay president Hon. Ricardo the end but the beginning of your
Corpuz, PNP QC District Director journey in the right path Our Lord
PCSupt Guillermo Eleazar, QC wants you to take,” he pointed out.
District 3 councilor Hon. Gian The bishop then thanked all the
Sotto, and DILG assistant regional stakeholders of the program that
director Juan Ingeniero gave their included Ateneo De Manila and
messages. psycho-social facilitators. He urged
“Now in the season of Christmas,” every one to continue working
she stressed, “We know that Our together for the program and its
Lord Jesus Christ came down beneficiaries for the good of the
to earth not for those who have communities.
beautiful lives but He came for those The Diocese of Novaliches CBDRP,
whose lives who others thought are entitled Abot Kamay Alang-alang sa
hopeless. Jesus Christ proved that Pagbabago (AKAP), was launched
every one has hope in this life.” in 2016 and has since collaborated
with the QC government for the
Towards a new life rehabilitation of surrenderees.
Novaliches Bishop Antonio R. Almost half of the new graduates
Tobias, D.D., and some members of came from the Diocese of
the Novaliches clergy celebrated a Novaliches, which comprises 25
Mass before the graduation rites. In barangays under Districts 2, 4, 5,
his homily, the prelate reminded the and 6 of Quezon City. (Minnie
graduates that the graduation rites Agdeppa/CBCPNews)
is the beginning of their journey to
meaning why there she enigmatically looks at and in the passion of her
is human suffering. In those watching the film,” Son, cooperated for our
gazing the ‘Suffering explained Castro. redemption.”
Servant of YHWH’, we In looking at Jesus The former executive
glimpse – in the words Christ through Mary, he secretary of the CBCP
of Pope St. John Paul – concluded, the faithful Episcopal Commission
the redemptive meaning see the “why” of human on Family and Life said
of human suffering. We suffering. millions of Filipinos are
realize that we suffer for “Not that people are able to relate with the
some noble purpose.” being punished. While “suffering image” of the
asking for God’s graces, Black Nazarene because
Understanding we learn from Mary to everyone goes through
suffering through Mary endure and offer up our suffering. It is in the
The priest illustrated sufferings; to be patient Black Nazarene that the
the Virgin Mary’s in the truest sense of the faithful see Christ, “like
identification with the word, ‘patior’ – to endure us,” bearing the Cross.
suffering Jesus in the suffering, added Castro. Our Lady of Sorrows
contemplation of the Parish church houses
Sorrowful mysteries of Bringing the ‘Black a replica of the Black
the Holy Rosary or by Nazarene’ closer to people Nazarene, a gift from
recalling the movie The According to the priest, the Quiapo Basilica for
Passion of Christ wherein the Blessed Virgin’s the purpose of making
Mary’s co-redemptive sharing in Christ’s the image available for
role was prominently suffering helped obtain veneration by the faithful
portrayed. salvation for sinners. of Central Luzon.
“…in an earlier He said, “We ask the The parish will hold a
scene when Christ was ‘Nazareno’ that we be procession of the Black
imprisoned in a dungeon alleviated from poverty, Nazarene on Jan. 9 at
and he looked up. And healed from our 4:00 p.m., starting from
there on the street was His infirmities, restored from the oldest barangay and
Mother, prostrated on the broken relationships… ending at the parish
ground reaching out to her and it is Holy Mary, church with a Eucharistic
Son … And finally, when who as Mediatrix and celebration. (Fr.
Christ’s dead body was Co-Redemptrix, in Mickey Cardenas/
laid on the lap of Mary, sharing in the agony CBCPNews)
FOUNDATION INC.; Account No: Filipinos are resilient and generous
4951-0071-08 alike. We will be able to stand strong
“We enjoin everyone to support against these challenges,” said
the Church’s online solidarity Archbishop Rolando Tria Tirona,
campaign national director of NASSA/Caritas
After Christmas, the Church, Philippines.
through Caritas Manila, already NASSA/Caritas Philippines
released Php 1.8 million to the is currently organizing two
churches in Butuan, Tagum City, humanitarian responses in
Zamboanga Sibugay, Cagayan de Mindanao related to the Marawi
Oro City, Iligan City, Marawi City, crisis with a total budget allocation
and Dipolog City. of Php 21.6 million.
Resilient, generous NASSA/Caritas Philippines is
“This is very unfortunate, the humanitarian, development
especially that we are still rising and advocacy arm of the Catholic
from the heavy damage brought Bishops/ Conference of the
about by the Marawi siege. But Philippines (CBCP). (CBCPNews)
A8 PEOPLE, FACTS, AND PLACES January 8 - 21, 2018 Vol.22, No.1 CBCP Monitor

Naval diocese’s second ‘Ignacio,’ 1st PH film to win

at Vatican film festival
bishop ordained
PALO, Leyte— The Diocese of
Naval’s second Catholic Bishop Rex
Ramirez was ordained in a historic
ceremony before about 2,000
people yesterday.
The episcopal ordination
officiated by Cardinal Luis Antonio
Tagle of Manila was held at the
Palo Cathedral where Ramirez was
serving as rector when Pope Francis
appointed him as bishop on Oct.
13, 2017.
The around two-hour service was
attended by Papal Nuncio Arcbishop L-R Fr. Christ Fajardo, SJ, Mirabile Dictu, festival founder and organizer Liana Marabini, Ignacio de Loyola
producers Pauline Mangilog-Saltarin and Ernestine Tamana, and Fr. IJ Chan-Gonzaga, SJ.
Gabriele Giordano Caccia and more
than 300 bishops and priests. IGNACIO DE LOYOLA, the Spanish actor Andreas Muñoz, it
Palo Archbishop John Du said he Filipino-produced film about the enjoyed a successful theatrical run
is happy that another priest from life of the founder of the Society of in the Philippines last year and
the archdiocese was appointed Jesus, has been awarded Best Film has been shown around the world,
bishop by Pope Francis who visited at the recently concluded Mirabile particularly in the United States,
Leyte in 2015. Dictu International Catholic Film Spain, and in Mexico where it won
Ramirez’s ordination and Festival in Vatican City, making the Audience Choice Award at the
installation was originally set in it the first Filipino film to win the 12th Cine Con Valores Film Festival.
Naval, Biliran but was later moved prestigious award. “Ignacio de Loyola” executive
to Palo after a storm devastated “The most important thing to say Producer Fr. Emmanuel Alfonso,
the town last December. He will be about Ignacio de Loyola is that…it SJ further added: “We are greatly
installed on January 12. is the first time in the history of the honored by this award. It comes as
The 50-year-old prelate replaced Festival that this happened. There a real surprise because the film was
retired Bishop Filomeno Bactol who were no discussions about it. The our first attempt at filmmaking. We
served the diocese for 29 years. Archbishop Gabriele Giordano Caccia, Papal Nuncio to the Philippines, blesses Bishop Rex Ramirez during
his episcopal ordination at Palo Metropolitan Cathedral, Jan. 9, 2018. NESTOR ABREMATEA members of the jury appreciated the therefore share this with all those
Ramirez said he will continue script, the actors, the decorations, who struggled with us to be able
with the programs and plans of the costumes, the music of the to produce this film. We hope that
Manila for the Feast of the Black that his former student at the
his predecessor in shepherding the film: in one word, everything,” said more people will be inspired by the
Nazarene. Sacred Heart Seminary, also in Palo,
people of Biliran. festival founder and organizer Liana example of St. Ignatius!”
Archbishop Cassia, for his part, will take over the diocese he served
Cardinal Tagle, in his message, Marabini, describing the jury’s Considered to be the “Oscars” of
lauded the archdiocese who have for almost three decades.
said that the ordination of Bishop unanimous decision. Catholic films, the Mirabile Dictu
risen from the devastation of “I never taught that my former
Ramirez is a blessing as it falls Held at the Palazzo Cardinal receives more than a thousand
Typhoon Yolanda that struck Leyte student in the seminary will
on the day of “Traslacion” which Cesi, the film festival handed out film entries each year from all over
and Samar in 2013. someday became bishop and
means transfer and now he is being four major awards for Best Short the world. The festival aimed to
He urged the Leyteños not to succeed me. It is really a blessing. I
transferred from Palo to Naval. Film, Best Documentary, Best encourage producers and filmmakers
lose their faith in God but instead am here ready to extend my helping
The cardinal together with the Director, and Best Film. “Ignacio to create documentaries, docu-fiction,
strengthen them with solid devotion hand to my former student,” he
papal nuncio flew directly to Leyte de Loyola” directed by Paolo Dy TV series, short films, and programs
and living a religious life. said. (Nestor Abrematea/
in an early morning plane ride after bested “Saint Bridget of Sweden” that promote universal moral values
Bishop Bactol said he is happy CBCPNews)
officiating the midnight Mass in by Fabio Carini (USA) and “Fatima and positive models.
the Ultimate Mystery” by Andres Now on its 8th edition, it was
Faithful reminded: ‘Life is meaningless without God’ Garrigo (SPAIN).
Producers Pauline Mangilog-
conceived and created in 2010 under
the High Patronage of the Pontifical
QUEZON City– A local “Man’s life loses its nowadays have more time faithful could resolve to Saltarin and Ernestine Tamana Council for Culture (Pontificium
priest elaborated on the meaning without God.” for the non-essentials do this 2018. were in Rome to accept the Silver Consilium de Cultura) during Pope
Blessed Virgin Mary’s role than for God. “That’s why I hope that Fish trophy. Benedict XVI’s pontificate. Cardinal
of reminding the faithful Mary, the ‘God-Bearer’ “You have a lot of time these are the first things “It was truly a humbling experience Gianfranco Ravasi, president of
about how life has no true “People nowadays for Facebook. You have we desire to do this 2018: to be called on stage to receive the council, was present during the
meaning apart from God, have come to think that a lot of time for your I have to spend more the award. Ignacio de Loyola was awarding ceremonies and gave a
during a Mass on the eve ‘I will be happy, I will be cellphone. You have a lot time with God…in prayer. made with blood, sweat, and tears, message about the power of film to
of the Solemnity of Mary, successful even without of time for you wall. You That’s the most beautiful literally!” said Saltarin. “We share transform lives.
Mother of God, Dec. 31, God…I can live life even have a lot of time for your New Year’s Resolution,” this important recognition with our The prize of the Festival, “Il
2017. without God!’ But is that work. You have a lot of Balbuena added. director and screenwriter Paolo Pesce d’Argento” (The Silver Fish,
“…In Mary’s life, the so? Mary tells us, ‘No! And time to engage in rumor- “I also hope that you Dy and the whole cast, crew and in Italian), is inspired by one of the
one thing she cannot go it can never be.’” mongering. You have a lot would put in your mind production staff who made this film first Christian symbols.
without is God. This is why The Blessed Virgin of time for drinking bouts. and heart that ‘life can with so much passion and grace and Parties interested to screen
she is the ‘God Bearer’,” Mary’s title as Mother of Yet your time for God is only be lived meaningfully turned it into a genuine labor of love.” Ignacio de Loyola in their country
said Fr. Xavier Balbuena, God, which means “God- very little. That cannot if our life is lived in the “Ignacio de Loyola” first made may send an e-mail to Jesuit
a guest priest at St. Peter Bearer”, he said suggests be!” he stressed. presence of God. Having history in 2016 when it became Communications Foundation at
Parish Shrine of Leaders that “she always lived with God in our life makes life the first Filipino film to premiere jcf@admu.edu.ph, send a private
along Commonwealth the presence of God.” Best New Year’s meaningful and worth at the Vatican. Produced by Jesuit message to the official Ignacio de
Avenue in this city. “For He also noted that the resolution living.’” he ended before Communications Foundation Loyola Facebook page or call +632-
Mary, if there was no God, very name “Emmanuel,” The priest emphasized asking those present to Philippines and top-billed by 4265971-72. (CBCPNews)
life will have no meaning, which means “God the need to have more seek the intercession
no sense, and no value.” is with us” actually time for God and to of the Blessed Virgin Role / A1
According to Balbuena, instructs Christians to become a contemplative Mary for these graces
it is only when a person “live in the presence of like Mary who “pondered in the coming year.
lives in the presence of God.” Balbuena lamented everything in her heart”– (Minnie Agdeppa/
God can he find meaning. the reality that people two virtues he hoped the CBCPNews)

Parents urged: ‘Don’t discourage your kids from

becoming priests’
TACLOBAN City – “Do not prevent
your children who want to be priests
or religious.”
This was the emphatic message of
a priest during his homily at a Dec.
23 Simbang Gabi Mass, held at the
Sto. Niño Parish Church.
“A child is a grace from God
and there are among you whose
children want to serve God by being
priest or religious, thus it is the
moment for you to say yes to their
calling and allow them to follow
such calling,” explained Fr. Niño
Escaloran, underscoring the role of
priests and consecrated persons in
evangelization.
No priest, no Mass
The priest also stressed the unique
privilege of priests, saying: “There
is no Mass if there are no priests to
celebrate it.”
The Parish of Sto. Niño de
Tacloban, in collaboration with the
Daughters of St. Paul congregation,
the St. John the Evangelist School
of Theology, and the Sacred Heart
Seminar have been consistently
inviting young people to consider
the religious or priestly vocation.
Within the 9-year preparation
of the Catholic Church in the
Philippines for the fifth centenary of
Christianity of the Philippines, two
bishops emerged from the clergy of
the Archdiocese of Palo.
Sto. Niño Parish clerics Fathers Niño Escaloran (left) and Wilson Chu (right) cheer up female inmates at
the Tacloban City Jail as part of the parish’s month-long spiritual activities. STO. NIÑO DE TACLOBAN PARISH
Pope Francis appointed SJEST
formator Fr. Oscar Jamie Florencio
as Auxiliary Bishop of Cebu in 2016
together with Fr. Oscar Villarojo.
In July 2017, the Holy Father
appointed him apostolic
administrator of the Military
Ordinariate concurrent with his
being Auxiliary Bishop of Cebu.
Proud of his priests
A new bishop was also appointed
in October in the person of Msgr.
Rex Ramirez, who at the time was
rector of the Palo Metropolitan
Cathedral.
In an earlier interview, Palo
Archbishop John Forroosuelo Du
remarked, “I am very proud of my
priests in the Archdiocese of Palo.”
He said the appointment of a new
bishop from Palo is an affirmation
of the “commitment shown by our
local priests.”
“What we are witnessing is a
communion among the priests, and
because of that, God has blessed
us to be privileged, a gift to have a
bishop,” said the prelate. (Eileen
Ballesteros/CBCPNews)
NASSA/Caritas Philippines executive secretary Fr. Edwin Gariguez during his presentation of the faith-
based organizations’ disaster risk reduction and humanitarian action. NASSA/CARITAS PHILIPPINES
about human rights… it is not a happy
situation in the Philippines. To call for
your inclusion in decision and policy-
making at all levels would be a big
step towards making our government
and other actors more responsive to
these needs and concerns.”
According to a recent press
release by National Secretariat for
Social Action (NASSA)/Caritas
Philippines, all three major
Christian groups have been “at
the forefront of the campaigns
against the on-going war on drugs
by the Duterte administration,”
calling it “a violation of human
rights,” especially of children who
became victims of drug buy-bust
operations.
Concretely, UN-OCHA
committed to advocate for the
inclusion of the Philippine Faith-
based organizations Forum (FBO
PH) in the Humanitarian Country
Team (HCT) of UN-OCHA.
Presently, the HCT is represented
by line government agencies and
international NGOs.
The PFF is the coordination
platform of Christian groups, which
include the Catholic Church through
NASSA/Caritas Philippines, the
Protestant churches through the
National Council of Churches in
the Philippines, and the Evangelical
churches through the Philippine
Council of Evangelical Churches.
Convergence of churches
Launched in November in
Tagaytay City, the FBO PH brought
together around 40 FBOs from
across the country.
NCCP is the ecumenical
fellowship of Protestant and non-
Roman Catholic denominations
in the Philippines, working on
humanitarian, development and
advocacy as part of its programs.
Philippine Relief and
Development Services (PHILRADS)
is the relief and development arm of
PCEC, working hand-in-hand with
local churches doing its holistic
ministries.
NASSA/Caritas Philippines is
the humanitarian, development,
and advocacy arm of the Catholic
Bishops’ Conference of the
Philippines. (CBCPNews)
CBCP Monitor January 8 - 21, 2018 Vol. 22 No.1
Photo by Paul Haring/CNS
‘Let us imitate the Magi:
Looking upwards, setting out,
and freely offering our gifts’
(Homily of Pope Francis during the Papal Mass on the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, January 6, 2018, Vatican Basilica)
THREE actions of the Magi guide our jour-
ney towards the Lord, who today is revealed
as light and salvation for all peoples. The
Magi see the star, they set out and they bring
gifts.
Seeing the star. This is where it starts. But
why, we might ask, did the Magi alone see
the star? Perhaps because few people raised
their eyes to heaven. We often make do with
looking at the ground: it’s enough to have our
health, a little money and a bit of entertain-
ment. I wonder if we still know how to look
up at the sky. Do we know how to dream, to
long for God, to expect the newness he brings,
or do we let ourselves be swept along by life,
like dry branches before the wind? The Magi
were not content with just getting by, with
keeping afloat. They understood that to truly
live, we need a lofty goal and we need to keep
looking up.
Yet we can also ask why, among all those
who looked up at the heavens, so many
others did not follow that star, “his star”
(Mt2:2). Perhaps because the star was not
eye-catching, did not shine any brighter than
other stars. It was a star—so the Gospel tells
us—that the Magi saw “at its rising” (vv. 2,
9). Jesus’ star does not dazzle or overwhelm,
but gently invites. We may ask ourselves what
star we have chosen to follow in our lives.
Some stars may be bright, but they do not
point the way. So it is with success, money,
career, honors and pleasures when these
become our life. They are meteors: they blaze
Pope Francis greets a patient during an unannounced visit Jan. 5 to children at the Palidoro Bambino Gesu Hospital in Fiumicino, outside Rome. CNS/L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO
momentarily, but then quickly burn out and
their brilliance fades. They are shooting stars
that mislead rather than lead. The Lord’s
star, however, may not always overwhelm
by its brightness, but it is always there, ever
kindly: it takes you by the hand in life and
accompanies you. It does not promise mate-
rial reward, but ensures peace and grants,
as it did to the Magi, “exceedingly great joy”
(Mt 2:10). But it also tells us to set out.
Setting out, the second thing the Magi do,
is essential if we are to find Jesus. His star
demands a decision to take up the journey
and to advance tirelessly on our way. It de-
mands that we free ourselves from useless
burdens and unnecessary extras that only
prove a hindrance, and accept unforeseen
obstacles along the map of life. Jesus allows
himself to be found by those who seek him,
but to find him we need to get up and go, not
sit around but take risks, not stand still, but
set out. Jesus makes demands: he tells those
who seek him to leave behind the armchair of
worldly comforts and the reassuring warmth
of hearth and home. Following Jesus is not a
polite etiquette to be observed, but a journey
to be undertaken. God, who set his people
free in the exodus and called new peoples to
follow his star, grants freedom and joy always
and only in the course of a journey. In other
words, if we want to find Jesus, we have to
overcome our fear of taking risks, our self-
satisfaction and our indolent refusal to ask
anything more of life. We need to take risks
simply to meet a Child. Yet those risks are
immensely worth the effort, since in finding
that Child, in discovering his tenderness and
love, we rediscover ourselves.
Setting out is not easy. The Gospel shows
us this through a cast of characters. There is
Herod, wild with fear that the birth of a king
will threaten his power. So he organizes meet-
ings and sends people out to gather informa-
tion, yet he himself does not budge; he stays
locked up in his palace. Even “all Jerusalem”
(v. 3) is afraid: afraid of the new things God
is bringing about. They want everything to
remain as it was—that is the way it has always
been—no one has the courage to leave. The
temptation of the priests and scribes is more
subtle: they know the exact place and tell
it to Herod, quoting the ancient prophecy.
They know, but they themselves make no
move towards Bethlehem. Theirs can be the
temptation of those who are used to being
believers: they can talk at length about the
faith they know so well, but will not take
a personal risk for the Lord. They talk, but
do not pray; they complain, but do no good.
The Magi, on the other hand, talk little and
journey much. Ignorant of the truths of faith,
they are filled with longing and set out. So the
Gospel tells us: They “came to worship him”
(v. 2); “they set out; they went in, and fell
down and worshiped him; they went back”
(vv. 9, 11, 12). They kept moving.
Bringing gifts. Having come to Jesus after
a long journey, the Magi do as he does: they
PASTORAL CONCERNS B1
bring gifts. Jesus is there to give his life;
they offer him their own costly gifts: gold,
incense and myrrh. The Gospel becomes
real when the journey of life ends in giving.
To give freely, for the Lord’s sake, without
expecting anything in return: this is the sure
sign that we have found Jesus. For he says:
“The gift you have received, give freely as a
gift” (Mt 10:8). To do good without counting
the cost, even when unasked, even when you
gain nothing thereby, even if it is unpleasant.
That is what God wants. He, who become
small for our sake, asks us to offer something
for the least of his brothers and sisters. Who
are they? They are those who have nothing
to give in return, the needy, the hungry, the
stranger, the prisoner, the poor (cf. Mt 25:31-
46). We give a gift pleasing to Jesus when
we care for a sick person, spend time with a
difficult person, help someone for the sake of
helping, or forgive someone who has hurt us.
These are gifts freely given, and they cannot
be lacking in the lives of Christians. Jesus
reminds us that if we only love those who
love us, we do as the pagans do (cf. Mt 5:46-
47). Today let us look at our hands, so often
empty of love, and let us try to think of some
free gift that we can give without expecting
anything in return. That will please the Lord.
And let us ask him: “Lord, let me rediscover
the joy of giving”.
Dear brothers and sisters, let us imitate
the Magi: looking upwards, setting out, and
freely offering our gifts.
B2 UPDATES
Mixed marriages:
DISPENSATION FROM CANONICAL FORM (part 1)
By Fr. Jaime B. Achacoso, J.C.D.
WE are an ordinary Catholic fam-
ily. Our son wants to marry a
born-again Christian. Although
our future daughter-in-law was
baptized Catholic and is a very nice
girl, her parents have embraced a
fundamentalist sect and her father
is even a pastor in their Christian
community.
Although her parents do not
object to her marrying a Catholic,
they vehemently object to a Catholic
wedding ceremony. We don’t want
a “born-again wedding rite” either.
A relative has suggested just having
a civil marriage. What are the ac-
ceptable options for us really?
This query brings us to two topics:
1) the so-called mixed marriages
and 2) dispensation from canonical
form.
Disparity of cult vs. mixed mar-
riage
We recall that one of the impedi-
ments to a Catholic marriage is dis-
parity of cult—i.e., a person who is
baptized in the Catholic Church or
has been received into it and has
not left it by means of a formal act
cannot validly contract canonical
marriage with another person who is
non-baptized (ref. c.1086, §1). Note
that in this case, without the due dis-
pensation, such a marriage would be
invalid ab initio. Furthermore, the
dispensation is not to be given unless
the conditions mentioned in cc.1125
and 1126 are fulfilled (ref. c.1186,
§2). The canons referred to for grant-
ing a dispensation—cc.1125 and
1126—precisely deal with the condi-
tions for the granting of permission
to celebrate a mixed marriage.
A mixed marriage is that which is
contracted between two baptized
persons, one of whom was baptized
in the Catholic Church or received
into it after baptism and has not left
it by a formal act, and the other of
whom is a member of a church or
ecclesial community which is not
in full communion with the Catholic
Church. In other words, this involves
a Catholic and a Christian with a
valid baptism but not in the Catholic
Church—e.g., Orthodox Churches,
many Protestants, Anglicans, Epis-
copalians and Presbyterians; but
not members of the Iglesia ni Kristo
(who are not strictly speaking Chris-
tians), Jehovah’s Witnesses and
Mormons.
In principle, such a mixed mar-
riage is valid, but it is forbidden
INTINCTION FOR CONCELEBRANTS
(Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy and dean of theology at the Regina Apostolorum
FILE PHOTO
without the express permission of
the competent authority (c.1124)—
i.e., the Local Ordinary (c.1125)—
who will only grant it if there is a
just and reasonable cause and with
the necessary cautions as we shall
see below. In other words, without
the due permission, the mixed mar-
riage would be valid but illicit—i.e.,
the Catholics actively and with full
deliberation involved in its cel-
ebration (the sacred minister and
perhaps even the spouse) would be
committing a sin.
Requirement for a just and
reasonable cause for a mixed
marriage and the so-called
cautions
The validity of the permission for a
mixed marriage—and not the mixed
marriage itself, which would in prin-
ciple be valid—depends only on the
existence of a just and reasonable
cause. No a priori rules are given
as to what this cause might be, the
whole matter being left to the judg-
ment of the Local Ordinary.
However, c.1125 categorically
states that the Local Ordinary is
not to grant such permission unless
university, answers the following query:)
the following conditions have been
fulfilled:
1° the Catholic party declares that
he or she is prepared to remove dan-
gers of falling away from the faith
and makes a sincere promise to do
all in his or her power to have all
the children baptized and brought
up in the Catholic Church;
2° the other party is to be in-
formed at an appropriate time of
these promises which the Catholic
party has to make, so that it is clear
that the other party is truly aware
of the promise and obligations of the
Catholic party;
3° both parties are to be in-
structed on the essential ends and
properties of marriage, which are
not to be excluded by either party.
Furthermore, c.1126 states: The
conference of bishops is to establish
the way in which these declarations
and promises, which are always
required, are to be made, what
proof of them there should be in the
external forum and how they are
to be brought to the attention of the
non-Catholic party. In this regard,
the CBCP has established that the
Q: In a recent video of a Mass
from St. Peter’s Square with the
Holy Father I was surprised to see
that all the clergy, including the
vested cardinals who had a speak-
ing part in the Eucharistic Prayer,
received Holy Communion only by
intinction. Is this new? May we use
intinction as a regular option in the
parish? – D.W., Toledo, Ohio
A: It is not new but is a possibil-
ity already foreseen in the General
Instruction to the Roman Missal.
This option, however, is rarely used
in the United States.
The GIRM presents several forms
of concelebrants’ communion in
Nos. 237-249. With respect to in-
tinction it says:
“249. If the concelebrants’ Com-
munion is by intinction, the princi-
pal celebrant partakes of the Body
and Blood of the Lord in the usual
way, but making sure that enough
of the precious Blood remains in the
chalice for the Communion of the
concelebrants. Then the Deacon, or
one of the concelebrants, arranges
the chalice together with the paten
containing particles of the host, if
appropriate, either in the center of
the altar or at the side on another
January 8 - 21, 2018 Vol. 22 No.1
cautions or declarations are to be
made in writing by the Catholic
party and preferably also by the
non-Catholic party, according to
the form issued by the CBCP, and
attested to by the priest who makes
the pre-nuptial interview or by his
delegate.
From the foregoing, it is clear what
the mind of the Church is as regards
mixed marriages and—to a lesser ex-
tent—the impediment of disparity of
cult. In principle they are considered
as possible dangers to the faith of
the Catholic party and a foreseeable
difficulty to the Catholic upbring-
ing of future children; thus they are
discouraged. But if such a danger
and difficulty could be obviated—at
least as an intention on the part of
the Catholic party, which is known
and accepted by the non-Catholic
party—and there is justifiable cause,
then the marriage can be allowed.
Dispensation from canonical
form
Granted that permission for a
mixed-marriage has been secured,
c.1127, §1 stipulates that the ca-
nonical form—i.e., the expression of
corporal.
“The concelebrants approach the
altar one by one, genuflect, and take
a particle, intinct it partly into the
chalice, and, holding a purificator
under their mouth, consume the
intincted particle. They then return
to their places as at the beginning
of Mass.
“The Deacon also receives Com-
munion by intinction and to the
concelebrant’s words, Corpus et
Sanguis Christi (The Body and Blood
of Christ) replies, Amen. Moreover,
the Deacon consumes at the altar all
that remains of the Precious Blood,
assisted, if the case requires, by
some of the concelebrants. He car-
ries the chalice to the credence table
and there he or a duly instituted
acolyte purifies it, wipes it, and ar-
ranges it as usual.”
On June 13, 2014, the Congrega-
tion for Divine Worship and the
Sacraments issued a document en-
titled “Guidelines for Large Celebra-
tions”—which is the usual scenario
for choosing the option of intinction.
So far it has been published only in
Spanish and Italian on the Vatican
website. I have been unable to find
an official English translation. With
respect to the communion of concel-
CBCP Monitor
consent of the contracting parties in
the presence of a qualified witness
(bishop or parish priest, or a priest
or deacon delegated by either of
them) and two other witnesses—is
to be observed in mixed marriages.
However, §2 of the same
canon states: If serious difficulties
pose an obstacle to the observance
of the canonical form, the Local Or-
dinary of the Catholic party has the
right to dispense from the form in
individual cases, but after consult-
ing the Ordinary of the place where
the marriage is to be celebrated and
with due regard, for the validity, for
some public form of celebration;
the conference of bishops is to issue
norms by which such a dispensation
may be granted in an orderly man-
ner.
The CBCP has issued such norms
as follows:
1. The following are considered
grave and serious difficulties that
warrant dispensation from the
canonical form of marriage, as
provided for in c.1127, §2:
a) Absolute refusal of the non-
Catholic party;
Mixed / B7
ebrants it states:
“29. It is important to foresee
well the communion of the con-
celebrants, which requires careful
preparation and attention. ‘The
communion of priest concel-
ebrants should proceed according
to the norms prescribed in the li-
turgical books, always using hosts
consecrated at the same Mass and
always with Communion under
both kinds being received by all
of the concelebrants’ (Instruction
Redemptionis Sacramentum,
98). The concelebrants take Com-
munion before distributing Com-
munion to the faithful.
“Should the large number of
concelebrants impede their com-
municating at the altar, they
should come to specially prepared
places so as to be able to take
Communion with calm and piety.
In a large church, such places can
be side altars, whereas in open
spaces, visible places should be
set up that are clearly recogniz-
able to the concelebrants. In such
places there should be an ample
and sturdy table. Upon this, on
one or several corporals, the chal-
ice or chalices together with the
Intinction / B7
CBCP Monitor January 8 - 21, 2018 Vol. 22 No.1 Year of the Clergy and Consecrated Persons B3

Bicol’s seminarians have ‘Year of the

Clergy’-themed Christmas party
PILAR, Sorsogon— In celebration
of Jesus’ birth, PAG-OROPOD, an
autonomous body of seminarians,
gathered on Dec. 27, 2017 for its
annual Christmas gathering, which
carried a “Year of the Clergy and
Consecrated Persons” flavor.
After a Mass celebrated by Sor-
sogon Bishop Arturo M. Bastes
SVD, D.D. at the Our Lady of the
Pillar Parish, Fr. Frederick A. Naga,
director of the Theology Formation
House of the Diocese of Legaspi at
Caceres, delivered a spiritual con-
ference regarding the Year of the
Clergy and Consecrated Persons. In
his lecture, he stressed that a semi-
narian should always have “a heart
for the least, the last, and the lost,”
as Jesus did.
The priest also called for renewal
in the life of the priests and semi-
narians, “renunciation of worldly
vanities,” and “a burning heart for
the poor.”
PAG-OROPOD comprises major
seminarians studying philosophy
and theology and those under the
pre-diaconate program, with the
diocesan vocation director and
seminary priests as its board of ad-
visers. The group addresses specific
concerns, needs, and interests of the
formation of the seminarians under
the light of the diocesan vision, mis-
sion and structure.
For the second session, Fr. Odine
L. Areola, parish priest of St. Joseph
Parish, Gabao, Irosin, presented the
history of PAG-OROPOD: its roots,
struggles, and present status.
The first president of PAG-ORO-
POD also shared how seminarians
should survive and develop in the
modern age as “natives of the 21st
century.”
Attendees gathered at 6:00 p.m.
for a solemn benediction with Fr.
Jupe L. Garalde, parochial vicar of
Pilar Parish. Afterwards, a plenary
assembly convened to discuss sev-
eral sections of the PAG-OROPOD
Constitution and by-laws.
Diocesan vocation director, Fr.
Edmon G. Benzon, a member of
the Seminarian Board, celebrated
a 8:30 a.m. Mass the following day,
Dec.28 to conclude the gathering.
The PAG-OROPOD expressed
gratitude to the host parish of Pilar,
especially to its parish priest, Msgr.
Gerardo del Prado, and his assis-
tants, Rev. Garalde, and Br. Mark
Eldon Panelo. (Fr. Philippe A.
Attendees of PAG-OROPOD’s Annual Christmas Gathering in Pilar, Sorsogon, Dec. 27, 2017. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO B. Gallanosa/Sem. Faisal Rey
Borja/CBCPNews)

Parents urged: ‘Help your kids discover their mission’

ANTIPOLO City— Giving a timely
reminder on the feast of the Holy
Family, a priest said parents’ pri-
mary role is not to ensure that their
children land high-paying jobs but
that they discover their God-given
mission.
“The mission of parents is not
to make your children rich so that
you yourselves get rich. The mis-
sion of parents is to prepare [their]
children for their mission,” said Fr.
Felipe Pedraja, parish priest of San
Antonio de Padua Parish in this city,
during his homily earlier this morn-
ing, Dec. 31.
During the first Mass of the day,
the priest lamented how many par-
ents are too focused on ensuring
that their children have a “bright
future” by forcing them to take col-
lege courses they do not like just
because it will help them land jobs
abroad and “earn dollars.”
Transmission of faith
“The role of the parents is to make
their children Christians, to trans-
mit the faith and to prepare them for
their mission,” said Pedraja.
According to the priest, while all
Christians need to respond to the
“universal call to holiness,” everyone
has a particular mission entrusted to
him by God.
Pedraja also corrected parents’
tendency to shield their children
from hardships and from experi-
encing failure or disappointment.
“[Parents say]: ‘I don’t want him to
experience the suffering I experi-
enced before…”
Your child’s mission
While seemingly loving, such an
attitude will hinder children, he said,
from carrying out their mission.
“Your child will experience suf-
fering, failure in carrying out his
mission… Your child is not meant
to experience just pleasure,” Pedraja
explained, noting how Jesus Himself
went through suffering to fulfill His
mission on earth.
The priest also noted how many
children, having known only com-
fort and success, get depressed
when they finally experience disap-
pointment in the real world, some
resorting to suicide.
He also went on to stress how
crucial the family is in the larger
context. “The success of the mis-
sion of the Church lies in the fam-
ily.” (Nirva’ana Ella Delacruz/ Fr. Felipe Pedraja, parish priest of San Antonio de Padua Parish, reminded parents that the success of the
CBCPNews) mission of the Church lies in the family.

Role of clergy and consecrated in

500 years of faith in PH
THE role of the clergy in evangelization is one
often overlooked or left unconsidered. With
the responsibility of making the widespread of
the Church happen in and through the word
of God, this lack of recognition of their efforts,
and their need in both prayers and physical
support but be brought to light.
It is in this effect that the priority of the
upcoming year, and as part of the nine year
novena for the 500 years of evangelization in
the Philippines, will be offered to the clergy
and the consecrated persons.
With the coming of a new pastoral year,
this celebration serves as a call for communal
sainthood and follows the Holy Father Pope
Francis’ emphasis on how the evangelizing
nature of God’s people brings with itself an
awareness of an appeal that transcends indi-
viduals, who find themselves and the message
of which they are carriers inserted in weave of
interpersonal relationships.
The Official Logo
Viewed is the logo as conceptualized by
Episcopal Comission on Vocation Executive
Secretary Fr. Joel Francis Victorino and pro-
duced Antipolo youth minister Ma. Antonette
Jamias.
Stylizing how Jesus bent the knee in washing
the feet of the disciples represents the standing
challenge of serving and evangelizing as Christ
would given to those who have committed
themselves in servitude to God and his Church.
This stresses on the humility asked for those
who serve in God’s name, who in his time
serving amongst men, exemplified its greatest
form not only by feasting among them but by
ultimately dying on the cross for the forgive-
ness of their sins.
The figural representation of the disciple
in the logo represents the faithful committed
into serving as God’s disciples be them through
priesthood or religious life, thus the figure is
not bound by gender and can be perceived as
either male or female.
500 years in the faith
With the fifth centennial of the coming
of Christianity to the Philippines on March
16, 2021, the Catholic Bishops Conference
of the Philippines on 2013 embarked on
a nine-year spiritual journey of faith and
evangelization. This invites the Filipino lay
and faithful to dive into the “New Evangeli-
zation” called for by these changing times.
This “New Evangelization” looks into the
consideration of taking new methods and
means for transmitting God’s word to those
who are yet to bask in it. Brought upon Fili-
pino Christians is a challenge to foster the
Church and its growth in a renewed commit-
ment and enthusiasm in living the Gospel.
The prioritization of the clergy deems to
prepare the church for the reinvention of
the catholic youth formation, ecumenism
and inter-religious dialogues and mission to
the nations, all in for the meliorism of the
Catholic Church in the Philippine islands.
Nearing the quinquecentennial , it is
highly fitting to recognize not only the role
and performance of the clergy and the reli-
gious faithful in evangelism in the modern
era but also their woes; their need for prayers
and pastoral care as the vessels of God’s
love and word to man. (Niceforo Vince /
CBCPNews)
B4 FEATURES
Shift to Federalism: A lethal experiment, a
fatal leap, a plunge to death, a leap to hell
(Excerpt of the speech delivered by Chief Justice (ret.) Hilario G. Davide, Jr., on November 21, 2017 to business groups in Makati City.)
By Chief Justice (ret.) Hilario G. Davide, Jr.
WHY the unusual haste in this move to the
Federal system? Your honest guess is as
good as mine. The fact remains that early
in his term the President, who is openly for
the Federal system, wanted a Constitutional
Convention. But he later agreed with Speaker
Alvarez of the Lower House to have, instead, a
Constitutional Assembly to save on expenses
and to expedite the process. The President
even issued in December of last year an Ex-
ecutive Order creating a sort of Preparatory
Commission which shall be tasked to draft the
proposed new Constitution for the Federal
Republic of the Philippines to be thereafter
submitted to the Constituent Assembly. It
appears, however, that the Lower House can-
not wait for that. Through its Committee on
Constitutional Amendments, it is now rushing
the drafting of the proposed Constitution for
the Federal Republic of the Philippines by a
Constituent Assembly with three proposals at
hand serving as its working drafts. The first
proposal, in sixty-three (63) pages, is Senate
Resolution No. 10 filed by then Senator Nene
Pimentel during the Fourteenth Congress; the
second is Resolution No. 08, in eighty-three
(83) pages, introduced lately in the Lower
House by Representatives Aurelio Gonzales
and Eugene Michael de Vera; and the third
is the proposal, in sixty-seven (67) pages,
submitted by the PDP-Laban Federalism In-
stitute. Each of these proposals can produce
the longest Constitution the Philippines will
ever have.
The principal reason adduced in these
proposals and also by other known propo-
nents for the shift to Federalism is that our
present unitary system is highly centralized
and has created an “Imperial Manila”—not
imperial Makati—which nurtures and per-
petuates a tremendous imbalance in its favor
and against the present political subdivisions
or local government units—the autonomous
regions, provinces, cities, municipalities and
barangays—in the exercise of governmental
powers and in the distribution and alloca-
tion of government resources, funds, and
projects as well as in development, growth,
progress, prosperity, and stability. To remove
that imbalance there must be put up between
the highly-centralized authority and these
local government units a strong autonomous
sovereign governmental authority or seat of
power which shall share with the authority
and power of the central government to the
end that the local government units will truly
enjoy the blessings of genuine autonomy.
I would forthwith assert that a shift to feder-
alism or amendments to our present Constitu-
tion to accomplish the goals and objectives of
the proponents of Federalism is totally unnec-
essary. The reasons adduced to support it are
deceptively misleading and unfounded. All
such goals and objectives can adequately and
sufficiently be accomplished, and the reasons
disproven, by merely, but effectively and effi-
ciently, implementing the relevant provisions
of our present 1987 Constitution for strong
local autonomy and decentralization. One
whole Article of this Constitution—Article X—
is devoted to Local Government. It provides
for the infrastructure guaranteeing this local
autonomy and decentralization. This Article
orders Congress to enact a Local Government
Code which shall, among other things, provide
for more responsive and accountable local
government structures instituted through a
system of decentralization, allocate among
the different local government units their
power, responsibilities, and resources (Sec.
3). The first Congress convened under our
present Constitution enacted in 1991 the Local
Government Code.
This Article X likewise provides that local
governments shall be entitled to an equitable
share in the proceeds of the utilization and de-
velopment of the natural wealth within their
respective areas, in the manner provided by
law, including the sharing in the same with
the inhabitants therein (Sec. 7). It provides
for the creation of metropolitan subdivisions
(Sec. 11), and grants local government units
power to group themselves, consolidate, or
contribute their efforts, services, and re-
sources for purposes commonly beneficial to
them in accordance with law (Sec. 13).
The same Article X directs the President
to provide for regional development councils
for purposes of administrative decentraliza-
tion to strengthen the autonomy of the units
therein and to accelerate the economic and
social growth and development of the units
in the region (Sec. 14).
In brief, effective decentralization or power
sharing between the central government and
the political subdivisions are already assured
and mandated—not denied or impeded—by
the Constitution. On the contrary, they are
hampered or impeded by the failure to imple-
(FIRST OF TWO PARTS)
House of Representatives. PRESS AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS BUREAU
ment the Constitution.
If more are still needed, Congress needs only
to amend the 1991 Local Government Code.
Our 1987 Constitution of the Philippines,
which was drafted by the 1986 Constitutional
Commission is the best Constitution of the
world. It is the only which is PRO-God, PRO-
Filipino, PRO-people, as well as PRO (spelled
P-R-O) in all of these: life, marriage, family,
poor, social justice and human rights, women,
youth, environment, among many others. It
is the only Constitution that institutionalizes
the doctrine that a public office is a public
trust, meaning that all public officers and
employees are servants of the people (Section
1, Article XI), thereby enshrining the “servant
leadership” principle that Jesus Christ Him-
self proclaimed. It contains sufficient provi-
sions against abuse of powers and guarantees
people’s active participation in governance,
including the use of people power. I know this
Constitution very well because I was, together
with our good friend, Ricardo Romulo, among
the Commissioners of the 1986 Constitutional
Commission who drafted it. When we voted
on its final draft on 12 October 1986, I ended
the explanation of my affirmative vote with
these words: “This is the Constitution I am
willing to die for.”
Thanks to the Supreme Court, two previous
attempts to amend this 30-year old Constitu-
tion failed. The first was to lift the term limits
of elected officials especially that of the Presi-
dent to allow the then incumbent President to
run for re-election; the second was to adapt
the parliamentary system so that the then
incumbent President who cannot run for re-
election can run for Congress and be elected
Prime Minister.
Sad to say, however, a recent survey dis-
closed that only about 27% of our people know
about the Constitution. Upon the other hand,
a great majority of its provisions, especially on
social justice, have not been implemented. A
number of provisions require enabling stat-
utes or laws to give life to them. The com-
mands for Congress or the Government to
do so are prescribed about 150 times in the
Constitution through such phrases as “The
State shall”; “Congress shall”; or “as provided
by law”. Similarly, the public trust character
of public office remains wantonly disregarded
by our public servants.
Shall we now entice or lure our people to
amend or revise a Constitution which only 27%
of them know? Or, worse yet, a Constitution
that is not fully implemented and given life
primarily because Congress has been sleeping
on its solemn duty to pass laws to implement
its mandates?
Needless to stress, all public servants who
propose to amend the Constitution, especially
that of adapting the Federal system, must first
meticulously examine and understand the
Constitution and honestly ask themselves:
Have we done enough to be true and faithful
public servants elected or appointed under the
January 8 - 21, 2018 Vol. 22 No.1
Constitution? They must remind themselves
that upon assumption of office, each took a
solemn oath to, among others, “uphold and
defend the Constitution” (Sec. 1, Chapter 10,
Book I, Administrative Code of the Philip-
pines). By express mandate of the Constitu-
tion (Sec. 5, Article VII), the President, Vice
President, and Acting President shall take a
solemn oath to, among others, “preserve and
defend the Constitution.”
What our country and our people need
today is not a change of that Constitution by
adapting the Federal system. What are needed
are first, authentic and genuine change in the
hearts and minds and values of our leaders to
the end that they truly be genuine, authentic
public servants or servant-leaders; second,
that same kind or virtue of change in our
people that they be at all times vigilant and
assertive as the true and responsible masters
of these public servants, and always unyield-
ing to the whims and caprices of false or fake
public servants, especially in these times of
false news, fake news, post truths.
A shift to Federalism is a lethal experiment.
A fatal leap. A plunge to death. A leap to hell.
To paraphrase the book of Sirach (Chapter
2, verse 3) concerning sin, federalism is “a
two-edged sword: when it cuts, there can be
no healing.”
The Federal system of government is
definitely not suited for our country and our
people of our generation and even those of the
succeeding generations. It cannot fit into our
history, culture, character, traditions, beliefs,
hopes, aspirations and longings, and even our
idiosyncrasies and peculiarities. The best fit-
ted for these is the unitary system, which has
proven itself to be so.
Federalism cannot fit into our training and
experiences in the art of politics, government,
and governance. Only very few of our people
have experienced how the Federal system
works. They are the very few who have lived
or worked in federal states, like the US or
Canada, or who are assiduous political scien-
tists or sociologists who have studied in theory
the workings of Federalism.
Untried and untested in our country and
by our people since we attained our indepen-
dence on 12 June 1898 or 119 years ago - or
even before that - Federalism would be a for-
eign invader or a stranger that would come not
on its own conquering will and without gifts
of gold, frankincense and myrrh. It would
come at our reckless and imprudent instance,
instigated only by a few.
For the Philippines, the Federal system
proposed in the three versions I mentioned
earlier would be evolved by dividing, break-
ing up, splitting and fragmenting the country
into various separate parts known as States
or Regions. This is an anomalous procedure
because it is an anomalous deviation from the
historical and traditional mode of forming
Federal States or governments. Under this
mode, existing sovereign states would unite or
CBCP Monitor
agree to subordinate its governmental power
to that of the central authority in specified
common affairs (Webster’s New World Col-
lege Dictionary, 4th ed., 519); or, a federal
government is a league or compact between
two or more states, to become united under
one central government (Black’s Law Diction-
ary, 6th ed., 610). Thus the original separate
sovereign states would become component
states of the federal government.
How would the unitary Philippines be di-
vided, broken up, split or fragmented? Let
us examine the main features of the three
proposals
In the Nene Pimentel version, the Philip-
pines, to be known as the Federal Republic of
the Philippines, would be divided into eleven
(11) States [namely: the states of Northern
Luzon, Central Luzon, Southern Tagalog,
Bicol, Minparom (Mindoro Oriental, Min-
doro Occidental, Palawan, Romblon, and
Marinduque), Eastern Visayas, Central Vi-
sayas, Western Visayas, Northern Mindanao,
Southern Mindanao, and Bangsamoro]; and
one Federal Administrative Region composed
of Metro Manila. The Federal State would
be governed by a Federal Constitution, and
would have Federal Executive, Legislative,
and Judicial Departments. The Federal Leg-
islative Department would be vested in the
Federal Congress composed of the Senate of
75 members [with each State represented
by six elected at large] and nine elected by
overseas Filipino citizens; and the House
of Representatives of not more than 350
members [elected from the various legislative
districts in the various States].
The Federal Executive Department shall be
headed by the President, with a Vice President,
both of whom shall be elected as a team. A vote
for the President shall be also counted for the
Vice President.
Each of the eleven States composing the
Federal State shall have an Executive Depart-
ment, headed by the State Governor, with a
Vice Governor, and a unicameral Legislative
Department composed of three representa-
tives from each province and each city located
within the territorial boundaries of the States
[elected by the Members of the Sangguniang
Panlalawigan and Sangguniang Panlungsod
from among their members], plus three rep-
resentatives from the sectors of the farmers,
fisherfolk, and the senior citizens.
In the Gonzales Proposal, the Federal State
would be composed of Eighteen (18) Regions
[namely, the National Capital Region, Ilocos,
Cordillera, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon,
Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol, Western Vi-
sayas, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas,
Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao,
Davao, Soccksargen, Caraga, Bangsamoro].
Each Region is autonomous, equal, and
sovereign [except to the extent that their
sovereignty is limited by the Constitution and
federal laws]. It shall have its own basic and
organic law— meaning a Constitution.
(To be continued next issue)
CBCP Monitor January 8 - 21, 2018 Vol. 22 No.1 STATEMENTS B5

‘Devotion to Mary is not spiritual etiquette;

it is a requirement of the Christian life’
(Homily of His Holiness Pope Francis at the Papal Mass on the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God and the
51st World Day of Peace, January 1, 2018, at the Vatican Basilica)
THE year opens in the name of the
Mother of God. Mother of God is
the most important title of Our
Lady. But we might ask why we say
Mother of God, and not Mother of
Jesus. In the past some wanted to
be content simply with the latter, but
the Church has declared that Mary
is the Mother of God. We should
be grateful, because these words
contain a magnificent truth about
God and about ourselves. From
the moment that our Lord became
incarnate in Mary, and for all time,
he took on our humanity. There is no
longer God without man; the flesh
Jesus took from his Mother is our
own, now and for all eternity. To call
Mary the Mother of God reminds
us of this: God is close to humanity,
even as a child is close to the mother
who bears him in her womb.
The word mother (mater) is re-
lated to the word matter. In his
Mother, the God of heaven, the
infinite God, made himself small, he
became matter, not only to be with
us but also to be like us. This is the
miracle, the great novelty! Man is
no longer alone; no more an orphan,
but forever a child. The year opens
with this novelty. And we proclaim
it by saying: Mother of God! Ours is
the joy of knowing that our solitude
has ended. It is the beauty of know-
ing that we are beloved children, of
knowing that this childhood of ours
can never be taken away from us. It
is to see a reflection of ourselves in
the frail and infant God resting in
his mother’s arms, and to realize
that humanity is precious and sacred
to the Lord. Henceforth, to serve
human life is to serve God. All life,
from life in the mother’s womb to
that of the elderly, the suffering and
the sick, and to that of the trouble-
some and even repellent, is to be
welcomed, loved and helped.
Let us now be guided by today’s
Gospel. Only one thing is said about
the Mother of God: “Mary kept all
these things, pondering them in her
heart” (Lk 2:19). She kept them. She
simply kept; Mary does not speak.
The Gospel does not report a single
word of hers in the entire account
of Christmas. Here too, the Mother
is one with her Son: Jesus is an
“infant”, a child “unable to speak”.
The Word of God, who “long ago
spoke in many and various ways”
(Heb  1:1), now, in the “fullness of
time” (Gal  4:4), is silent. The God
before whom all fall silent is himself
a speechless child. His Majesty is
without words; his mystery of love
is revealed in lowliness. This silence
and lowliness is the language of his
kingship. His Mother joins her Son
and keeps these things in silence.
That silence tells us that, if we
would “keep” ourselves, we need
silence. We need to remain silent as
we gaze upon the crib. Pondering the
crib, we discover anew that we are
loved; we savor the real meaning of
life. As we look on in silence, we let
Jesus speak to our heart. His lowli-
ness lays low our pride; his poverty
challenges our outward display; his
tender love touches our hardened
hearts. To set aside a moment of
silence each day to be with God is
to “keep” our soul; it is to “keep” our
freedom from being corroded by the
banality of consumerism, the blare
of commercials, the stream of empty
words and the overpowering waves
of empty chatter and loud shouting.
The Gospel goes on to say that
Mary kept all these things, pon-
dering them in her heart. What
were  these things? They were joys
and sorrows. On the one hand, the
birth of Jesus, the love of Joseph, the
visit of the shepherds, that radiant
night. But on the other, an uncertain
future, homelessness “because there
was no place for them in the inn”
(Lk  2:7), the desolation of rejec-
tion, the disappointment of having
to give birth to Jesus in a stable.
Hopes and worries, light and dark-
ness:  all these things dwelt in the
heart of Mary. What did she do?
She pondered them, that is to say
she dwelt on them, with God, in her
heart. She held nothing back; she
locked nothing within out of self-
pity or resentment. Instead, she gave
everything over to God. That is how
she “kept” those things. We “keep”
things when we hand them over: by
not letting our lives become prey
to fear, distress or superstition, by
not closing our hearts or trying to
forget, but by turning everything
into a dialogue with God. God, who
keeps us in his heart, then comes to
dwell in our lives.
These, then, are the secrets of the
Mother of God: silently treasuring
all things and bringing them to
God. And this took place, the Gospel
concludes,  in her heart. The heart
makes us look to the core of the per-
son, his or her affections and life. At
the beginning of the year, we too, as
Christians on our pilgrim way, feel
the need to set out anew from the
centre, to leave behind the burdens
of the past and to start over from the
things that really matter. Today, we
have before us the point of depar-
ture: the Mother of God. For Mary
is what God wants us to be, what he
wants his Church to be: a Mother
who is tender and lowly, poor in
material goods and rich in love, free
of sin and united to Jesus, keeping
God in our hearts and our neighbor
in our lives. To set out anew, let us
look to our Mother. In her heart
beats the heart of the Church. To-
day’s feast tells us that if we want to
go forward, we need to turn back: to
begin anew from the crib, from the
Mother who holds God in her arms.
Devotion to Mary is not spiritual
etiquette; it is a requirement of the
Christian life. Looking to the Moth-
er, we are asked to leave behind all
sorts of useless baggage and to redis-
cover what really matters. The gift of
the Mother, the gift of every mother
and every woman, is most precious
for the Church, for she too is mother
and woman. While a man often ab-
stracts, affirms and imposes ideas,
a woman, a mother, knows how to
“keep”, to put things together in her
heart, to give life. If our faith is not
to be reduced merely to an idea or
a doctrine, all of us need a mother’s
heart, one which knows how to keep
the tender love of God and to feel
the heartbeat of all around us. May
the Mother, God’s finest human
creation, guard and keep this year,
and bring the peace of her Son to
our hearts and to our world. And
as children, with simplicity, I invite
you to greet her as the Christians did
at Ephesus in the presence of their
bishops: “Holy Mother of God!”.
Let us together repeat three times,
looking at her [turning to the Statue
of Our Lady beside the altar]: “Holy
Mother of God!”

New Year’s Message On the suffering

GREETINGS on the eighth and last day of the
blessed octave of the Solemnity of the Nativity
of our Lord, Christmas. Today we celebrate the
Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God. Mary
gave birth to Jesus, the eternal Son of the Father
who is truly her son according to the flesh. She
is the Mother of God.
God comes to us through Mary. The incarna-
tion tells us of the dignity of our human nature.
With Mary we can ponder these things in our
heart and be filled with a divine hope and new
way of seeing all of life illumined by the Light
who has come into the world.
Because of Christ born of Mary we live in a
new time. We can begin a new year because of
what we celebrate in the Christmas mystery.
We do so filled with hope. A hope that endures
in the darkness of our world. In the midst of
tragedies, man-made and natural, in the midst
that typhoon
of the inhumanity present in the world today,
in the midst of heartless terrorism, in the midst
of sinfulness, we have the confidence that Mary Urduja brought
to our people
accompanies us in the midst of darkness and she
leads us to hope.
So as we begin 2018, we turn to Mary, the
Mother of God, and ask for her aid, her interces-
sion that we may be living witnesses of hope. A
hope that proclaims by our lives that the Light
has overcome the darkness.
+ ROMULO G. VALLES, D.D.
Archbishop of Davao
President, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the
Philippines

On the support for the

victims of the storm Vinta
A man reconstructs his destroyed house amid scenes of utter devastation caused by tropical depression
Urduja in Barangay San Mateo, Borongan in eastern Samar. ALREN JEROME BERONIO

DURING this holy season of Advent Many are responding to help

A flood-damaged classroom in Barangay Pindolonan, Munai, Lanao del Norte. NAIF ALAWI/DUYOG MARAWI
GREETINGS during the blessed
octave of the Feast of Christmas!
As I recently wrote to you about
the tragedy of the tropical cyclone
Urduja, that storm was followed by
the storm Vinta that cut through
Mindanao and left over 200 dead,
tens of thousands homeless, and
many still missing. Even as I write
now, recovery efforts are still ongo-
ing in Zamboanga Peninsula. Many
have not yet been able to return to
their homes.
Again, this is another very sad
situation for many of our people who
will be, for sure, in difficult circum-
stances as we continue to celebrate
the birth of our Savior.
Thus, may we again enjoin our
Catholic faithful and all people of
goodwill to offer our sincere prayers
to the Lord, especially for those who
have died. We also continue to pray
for all of those people whose lives
have been made more difficult that
they may experience the care and
love, mercy and compassion of the
Savior.
At the same time, we can be with
the Lord by extending all we can—
our help and assistance to these
people.
In addition to our help for the vic-
tims of typhoon Urduja, we ask that
we do not tire to continue to aid the
victims of Vinta also.
We know that many government
and civic agencies have responded
and continue to respond; may they
continue. May I enjoin again all
our dioceses and their social action
centers and CARITAS offices to con-
tinue what we have been doing in the
past when such tragedies struck. We
organize and offer our help and as-
sistance to the people of these areas
through the bishops of these places.
Let us demonstrate by our actions
that the true light has come into
the world, and that the darkness,
as much darkness as there is at our
present time, cannot overcome the
true light.
From the Catholic Bishops’ Con-
ference of the Philippines, 28 De-
cember 2017
+ ROMULO G. VALLES, D.D.
Archbishop of Davao
President, Catholic Bishops’
Conference of the Philippines
in preparation for the joyous season
of Christmas, particularly as we cel-
ebrate the Misa de Gallo, tragedy has
again struck our beloved country in
the typhoon Urduja.
The reports are not yet fully in but
there are at least over 40 deaths,
many are injured, many are still
missing and almost 13,000 families
reported in evacuation centers as
we prepare for Christmas. For sure
many families have gone to relatives,
neighbors and friends. Landslides
and destruction followed in the path
of Urduja. Many places affected by
the six landfalls of the storm have
been declared in a state of calamity.
Bicol, Eastern Visayas, Central Vi-
sayas, Western Visayas, Mimaropa
and the Caraga Region have been
affected. From reports, particularly
hard hit was the province of Biliran.
With this, there is news of another
strong storm brewing off eastern
Mindanao threatening to bring more
rains ahead of Christmas.
Again, this is another very sad
situation for many of our people who
will be for sure in difficult circum-
stances as we usher in and celebrate
the birth of our Savior.
Thus, may we enjoin our Catholic
faithful and all people of good will to
offer our sincere prayers to the Lord
to let these people, in his mysteri-
ous ways, feel his care and love, his
mercy and compassion.
At the same time, we can be with
the Lord by extending all we can—
our help and assistance to these
people.
the victims. Department of Social
Welfare and Development and civic
organizations have been rushing
food and other needed aid for the
victims of typhoon Urduja.
May I enjoin all our dioceses and
their Social Action Centers and
CARITAS offices, and faith and cov-
enanted communities and religious
organizations and catholic schools
to continue what we have been do-
ing in the past when such tragedies
struck. We organize and offer our
help and assistance to the people of
these areas through the bishops of
these places.
This is the least that we can do, and
perhaps we can do more through our
own creative actions in each local
Church.
Again, we can only imagine that
these days will be days of “darkness”
for these people but we pray that
they keep their faith in the Lord firm
and strong so that in this darkness
they can still gaze and feel the light
of Christ.
May we “who trust in the compas-
sion of our Lord,” our light and our
salvation, “find solace and relief in
his coming.” (Collect, December 24
The Morning Mass).
From the Catholic Bishops’ Con-
ference of the Philippines, 21 De-
cember 2017
+ ROMULO G. VALLES, D.D.
Archbishop of Davao
President, Catholic Bishops’
Conference of the Philippines
B6 REFLECTIONS
Answering his call Called to live in intimacy
2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B (John 1:35-42)
January 14, 2018
By Msgr. Joseph A. Pellegrino
I WANT to begin today by talking
about Caller ID and Voice mail. We
all use both these advancements in
technology to see who is calling us
and then decide whether to answer
the call or send it to voice mail. I
might be overstating it to say that
these are advancements in tech-
nology. I have a friend who never
answers his phone. Every call goes
to voice mail. It drives me crazy.
Actually, I’m not sure if he does this
to all his calls or just to mine.
We all have caller ID and Voice
Mail in our spiritual lives. All of
us receive calls from the Lord.
Sometimes, like the disciples in the
Gospel, we recognize the Lord’s call
and follow Him. Sometimes, we just
send God’s call to voice mail. We
might be afraid of what He is go-
ing to ask of us. He might demand
something more than we want to do
or give. Maybe, we’d rather deal with
Him later. Maybe if we ignore the
call enough, we won’t have to deal
with it at all.
And that is the sad truth of our
reaction to God’s call. If we don’t
respond like Samuel in today’s first
reading, “Speak Lord, your servant
is listening,” we might miss our op-
portunity to do His will. Maybe the
Lord wants us to lead someone who
is estranged from Him closer to Him
with our kindness. Maybe the Lord
is calling us to enter into the path of
life where we can best serve Him.
God’s calls have an impact both on
our lives as well as on the lives of
other people, even people we might
not know.
This Sunday is the perfect time
to discuss the call of God that we
receive in our lives, our vocation.
Usually, when we hear the concept
of vocation we think of those who are
called to become priests or to enter
religious life as sisters or brothers.
These are certainly vocations from
God, but they are not the only call
that God gives.
Many of you are married or are
hoping to be married someday. How
do you view marriage? If it is just
a romantic matter legalized by the
state and celebrated in a Church,
then you are missing an essential
part of the sacrament of marriage.
Marriage is a vocation, a call from
God to greatness by embracing a life
of sacrificial love. If you are married,
you need to pray to God that you will
be a good Catholic wife or husband,
concerned with giving love. Hus-
bands and wives also need to pray
for each other. In marriage, it takes
two of you to push the receive button
on the phone and answer God’s call.
Loving the Child Jesus in the children today
You young folk are full of wonder-
ful romantic ideals and ideas. You
date this guy or this girl, and you
look forward to a time when there
will only be one person in your lives.
This is all great. But do you ever
pray for that special person, even if
you do not know who that person is
yet? Do you ever pray that God help
you recognize the person that you
can best make a Christian life with?
Pray that when God calls you to love
as he loves, you will answer this call,
not send it to voice mail.
Many are involved in careers.
Why do we do what we do? To
make money? It is perfectly correct
to receive reward for our labor and
to enjoy this reward, but if the goal
of our lives is to be Squidward Ten-
tacles (that’s a Sponge Bob reference
for you older people), or Scrooge
McDuck (and that’s a Donald Duck
reference for you young folks), then
we will have nothing to take with us
when we die. God did not create us
for money. God created us for love.
We often recognize a call from Him
to use our funds for others. It’s easy
to send this call to voice mail, but
then we will miss an opportunity to
do God’s will, an opportunity to love.
Sometimes we miss God’s
call because we allow ourselves to
become too busy to answer it. We get
so busy in the things that we are do-
ing that we forget why we are doing
them. God calls us, but we send his
call to voice mail. “We’ll get back to
him later when we have more time,”
we say. Only, later may never come.
John Henry Newman felt God’s
call to him in life and reflected on it
with a beautiful prayer. But first, who
was John Henry Newman? He was a
scholar and an intellectual who lived
in England from 1801 to 1890. He
dabbled with atheism early in his life,
but then God called. He couldn’t put
him off. He sought God in religion, in
the Church of England, or Anglican
Church. He became an Anglican
priest and continued his studies of
Christianity at Oxford University.
In 1845 he wrote that as he studied
more and more the writings of the
early Fathers of the Church, he was
convinced that the Catholics were the
closest followers of Christianity in its
original form. He had a deep respect
for the Anglican Church, but he heard
God calling him to become a Catholic.
This was an extremely difficult deci-
sion that affected his life in every way
possible. He could no longer teach at
Oxford. He could no longer preach
in the Anglican Churches. He was a
patriotic Englishman who was em-
bracing those people whom he had
Answering/B7
Feast of the Sto. Niño, Year B (John 1:35-42)
with the Lord
2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B (John 1:35-42)
January 14, 2018
By Fr. Sal Putzu, SDB
WE have been created to live in in-
timacy with the Lord, our Creator.
As human beings, we attain perfect
fulfillment only if and when we reach
such intimacy. This, of course, is
the “achievement of a lifetime,” in
what we call heaven. But already
during our earthly life we can have
a foretaste of such bliss, despite the
limitations, difficulties and dangers
that characterize this “Valley of Tests
and Tears.”
But in all cases, Holy Scripture re-
minds us that the one who takes the
initiative in such an all-important
enterprise is not us, but the Lord
God. He is the one who calls us to
live in intimacy with him, even
though His call usually reaches us
through human intermediaries who
are God’s instruments in bringing us
the divine invitation.
Such is the message of today’s
First Reading and of the Gospel,
as we learn about the call of Young
Samuel, the two disciples of John
the Baptist and Peter. From these
examples, it is clear that it is through
human “intermediaries” that the
Lord initiates the dialogue and
relationship that are meant to lead
certain individuals to a progressive
discovery of who Jesus really is.
As to the result of the call, much
depends on the response given by
the person who receives the message.
The dialogue can only begin when we,
like Samuel, respond, “Speak, Lord,
your servant is listening.” It is the
readiness to listen and, even more,
the eagerness to get closer to the
“caller,” that enable us to respond to
the invitation, “Come and see.” It is
by going to where Jesus lives and by
January 21, 2018
January 8 - 21, 2018 Vol. 22 No.1
observing how he lives – the way he
deals with people and relates to the
Father—that the disciples learn about
him and decide to spend the rest of
the day with him.
But more important than coming
to know about Jesus is to KNOW
JESUS—to know him personally
ever more deeply and intimately.
Such “knowledge” is not the sum
total of the things we have learned
concerning him, but our progressive
penetration into the personality of
Jesus and of our allowing him to
penetrate ours. This mutual giving
and receiving has its roots in God’s
eagerness to give Himself to us and
leads to our opening ourselves to
receive Him, even as we also offer
ourselves to Him, in unreserved
availability to do His will.
This happens in the stillness of
meditation and contemplation in
which we “lose ourselves” in the lov-
ing embrace of God, like the flowers
that open themselves to the moisture
of the rain and the light of the sun.
Such an encounter, made of mutual
receiving and offering, produces a
life-giving intimacy and sense of ful-
fillment that are beyond description.
We do not know what the myste-
rious “caller” said to young Samuel
after he responded, “Speak, your
servant is listening,” aside from the
dire predictions about the sons of
Eli. We know only that, “As Samuel
grew up, the Lord was with him,
and made come true all that Samuel
said. So all the people of Israel, from
one end of the country to the other,
knew that Samuel was indeed a
prophet of the Lord” (1 Sm 3:19-20).
Likewise, we don’t know what
By Fr. Sal Putzu, SDB
CHILDREN are lovable. All of them,
not just the small babies or the cute,
the healthy, the bright ones, but also
the handicapped, the malnourished,
and the naughty ones . . . In their
eyes full of light, wonder and inno-
cence, there is an almost irresistible
fascination which arouses in every
normal human being (and even in
animals) feelings of tenderness and
care. Each boy or girl is, for most of
us, a reminder of an irretrievable
world of dreams and hopes.
All children need to be loved.
Many, however, far too many, are
not loved in the right manner.
Some receive too much and become
“spoiled brats.” Thus, some of them
are groomed to be the tyrants of
tomorrow. Others receive too little—
much less than they need for their
physical, intellectual, and psycho-
logical development. Their lives are
shortened (in some cases, reduced to
a few years), their faces ploughed by
the deep furrows of neglect, depriva-
tion, and the unconscious feeling of
not being loved as they should be . . .
Other children—most of them re-
cruited from the previous immense
crowd—are used, destroyed by the ir-
responsibility of those adults who en-
joy immolating ever fresh victims to
the gods of lust and carnal pleasure.
Still others—ever more—are not
even allowed to see the light of day,
CBCP Monitor
John’s disciples saw and heard in
the house where Jesus lived. But we
do know of the great transforma-
tion that took place in one of the
two—Andrew. In fact, the following
day, the first thing that he did was
to look for his brother Simon, to tell
him that he had found the Messiah,
and right away take him to Jesus.
Andrew had become an evangelizer!
The same happened to other
people like Saul of Tarsus, Au-
gustine, Francis of Assisi, and in-
numerable others who met Jesus
in most diverse circumstances and
were totally transformed by that
encounter. Their experience can be
generalized and we can conclude
that the intimacy with the Lord has
a transforming effect in those who
respond positively to it.
The disciples/learners eventually
graduate from the stage of disciple-
ship into that of apostleship—the
going to others with the eagerness
of bringing Jesus to them (and not
just speaking about him), and to
share with them the abundance of
life and love they have derived from
their intimate encounter with the
Source of all goodness.
Nor does this “going out on mis-
sion” break the apostles’ intimacy
with the Lord. It just takes new
forms which are elicited by the
needs of the people they meet, and
in whom God embeds Himself and
lives in the constant flow of giving
and receiving that makes up the web
of life. The secret of how to enjoy
this unbroken “intimacy without
borders” consists in learning how
to see, serve, and love God in the
people among whom we live.
butchered as they are in the very
wombs of their mothers, victims of
shame or greed . . . !
We see this happen every day, for
decades now, even in this country
of ours, the Philippines, the land
of beautiful children, the land of
the Sto. Niño! Words are unable to
express the horror which child mal-
nutrition, exploitation, prostitution,
arouse in us . . . in God, more than
in us! There is something devilish in
all this. An end has to be put to such
an infamy, for the sake of the whole
nation . . . in the name of the Holy
Child of Nazareth.
Jesus loved children. In the bright-
ness of their eyes, he saw mirrored
the freshness and holiness of the
Kingdom. He showed his love for
the children of his time. (See to-
day’s Gospel.) He expects that we
show the same concrete love for the
children of our time. Our devotion
to the Sto. Niño must not stop at
the family altars, nor at carrying his
image wherever we go. It must find
its way into practical concern for the
millions of children in this country
who are the most defenseless victims
of the indifference, greed and lust
of too many who are a disgrace to
the nation and humankind. We, the
nation especially loved by the Child
Jesus, are to set an example to all
mankind. Let this be our new gift
to the world—handog ng Pilipino
sa mundo.
CBCP Monitor January 8 - 21, 2018 Vol. 22 No.1 SOCIAL CONCERNS B7

Apo Reef Natural Partk in Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro

By Msgr. Bernie Pantin

THE Apo Reef in Sablayan, Oc-

cidental Mindoro is a 34 square
kilometer of coral reef system which
is considered as the world’s second
largest contiguous coral reef system
second to that of the Great Barrier
Reef of Australia. The land area of
the main island of Apo is only 29
hectares but the waters are already
shallow kilometers away from the
island as it already forms part of the
coral reef system. It is one of the best
known and popular dive sites in the
country.
Being in the middle of nowhere,
I thought it was just an impossible
place to go. However, when I de-
cided to explore Mindoro, to travel
to Apo Reef became the highlight
of the trip. I had wanted to dive at
the Apo reef after having read of the
glowing descriptions of the marine
biodiversity of the place. It was the
reason I had to go for a pre-dive in
Anilao as I read that one who has not
dived for a year has to have a pre-
dive first before being allowed to dive
in Apo. One of the dive shop that I
called up, however, was not sure if
they could gather enough divers on
the day I was going since I was still
the only one.
The tourism office of Sablayan
would only accept snorkelers as their
equipments were no longer that reli-
able. I was referred to the Pandan
Island Resort as they had regular
trips to Apo. I was just told to try my
luck when I get there as there might
be enough divers who would signify.
I had a slight disappointment when I
got to Pandan when I was told that I
could no longer be accepted as they
already had full takers as a group
of foreigners arrived that day who
signified to go to Apo. To ease my
disappointment they offered me a passengers. just on top of the drop off. Then we the other side. Even though I was not able to
fun dive at the back of the island of The boat with the Belgian couple registered at the island paying for a Afterwards, our guide had us take dive, yet I still saw many marine
Pandan which I took. I then called was already at Pandan when I ar- snorkeling visit of 240. Pitched our the boat for a snorkeling trip around forms that could not be seen any-
up the Tourism office of Sablayan if rived after my dive. We left Pandan tents and by almost sundown went to the island. We made two stops. At where. I saw some sharks which
there were takers for the Apo Reef Island at 11:30 in the morning. By the lighthouse to wait for the sunset. one stop the current was so strong came on top of the drop off, saw sea
the following day. I was told that 1:30 pm we were already in the vicin- Dinner and beer over a moonbeam that the guide decided that we just turtles and other beautiful fishes
a Belgian couple was interested to ity of Apo reef and we had our first and starry clear skies. snorkel holding on to ropes attached and corals. But most of all we were
come along. So I confirmed for an snorkeling by the Apo Menor islet After breakfast the following day, to the outrigger while the boat would able to camp and stay overnight
overnight camping trip to Apo. The which was just a rocky limestone we had our first swim on the beach. cruise around the island. Had early in the island. Had I just joined the
overnight rental for the boat which island. There were many dead cor- Just a few meters away was already lunch and by one pm we left the dive, we would not have been able
could accommodate ten persons cost als but plenty of beautiful fishes. a drop off. There were plenty of island for our last snorkeling stop to stay overnight at the island as
8,000 pesos and 1,000 for the guide Next stop was at the east side of beautiful fishes. Then we went to the also near the rock island for table it was only a daytrip and of course
which we had to divide among the Apo island. I saw a shark come up lagoon and took the balsa to cross to top corals. more expensive.

Mixed /B2 Intinction /B2

b) Strong opposition of most of the close
relatives of the non-Catholic party;
c) Danger to the good relationship of the
parties;
d) Serious economic damage to the party.
2. Whenever the dispensation of the canoni-
cal form is necessary, the Local Ordinary of
the Catholic party has the right to dispense
from it in individual cases, having, however,
consulted the Ordinary of the place of the
celebration of marriage. For validity some
public form of celebration is required.
3. Once a mixed marriage is celebrated,
it shall be registered in the book of mar-
riages, in the usual manner (…). Likewise,
the minister of the non-Catholic spouse shall
be informed regarding the contracted mar-
riage by the priest who solemnized the wed-
ding or in whose territory the wedding was
celebrated.
Nothing is said of the kind of public
celebration that should take the place of the
canonical form, or whether it should have a
religious character or not. Thus, unless the
Local Ordinary specifies something in the
dispensation from the canonical form, we can
only surmise that a wide range of possibilities
would be acceptable, among which we can
enumerate the following (which are in fact
those prescribed by the Spanish Episcopal
Conference on 25.I.1971 and confirmed by a
General Decree, 26.XI.1983, Art.12, §3):
The religious ceremony acceptable to the
non-Catholic (but Christian) party and/or
his/her relatives.
A religious ceremony acceptable to both
Answering /B6
referred to as “our traditional enemies.” But
God was calling. John Henry Newman was not
about to send Him to voice mail. He became
a Catholic and led the movement of Anglican
scholars to Catholicism called the Oxford Move-
ment. He became a Roman Catholic priest, and
eventually was even made a cardinal. On Sep-
tember 19, 2010 Pope Benedict XVI beatified
Cardinal Newman.
Blessed Cardinal Newman wrote this beauti-
ful prayer which is a reflection not just on his
life but on all our lives:
“God has created me for some definite
service; He has committed some work to me
which He has not committed to another. I have
a mission. I may never know exactly what
that mission is in this life. I shall be told it in
the next. I have a part in a great work. I am a
link in a chain, a bond of connection between
parties. paten for the hosts are placed. If this proves
A non-religious ceremony—e.g., a civil cer- too difficult, the concelebrants remain at their
emony before a civil authority. places and communicate the Lord’s Body and
In all these cases—we should add—the es- Blood presented to them by deacons or some
sential properties and ends of marriage must concelebrants. Maximum care must be taken
not be excluded. to avoid hosts or drops of the Lord’s Blood
falling to the ground.
Conclusion “When the distribution of Communion to
From the foregoing discussion, the the concelebrants has been completed, it is
Catholic party (and his parents in this case) important to make sure that all the remaining
will have to reconsider the whole matter from Precious Blood is completely consumed and
a more fundamental starting point: all remaining consecrated hosts are brought
1st: They need permission from their Lo- to the place of Eucharistic reservation.”
cal Ordinary for the mixed-marriage to take Therefore, the reason why our reader prob-
place at all. ably saw this option of intinction used at the
2nd: Should the Local Ordinary grant the Vatican would have been the very large num-
permission, they might do well to reconsider ber of concelebrants which at times can be
their absolute objection to a “born-again” several hundreds and even exceed a thousand.
wedding ceremony and try to secure a dispen- The practice is uncommon in the United
sation from canonical form as well. Should States because most bishops have generally
they be granted that, then they just might encouraged the separate distribution of both
opt for a “born-again” wedding ceremony, species as the preferred method even for the
realizing that such a wedding would bring communion of the faithful. While intinction is
about a canonical marriage for their son just allowed, it is rarely promoted and occasionally
as well. actively discouraged.
3rd: If they really cannot accept a “born- Thus, the U.S. bishops’ conference issued
again” Christian wedding ceremony, they the following “Norms for the Distribution and
might opt for a civil wedding ceremony, Reception of Holy Communion Under Both
again keeping in mind that in this case Kinds in the Dioceses of the United States of
it would constitute a canonical (Church) America”:
wedding, with full canonical effects, and “42. Among the ways of ministering the
which—given the identity between marriage Precious Blood as prescribed by the General
and sacrament for the baptized—would also Instruction of the Roman Missal, Communion
be a sacrament for their Catholic son and from the chalice is generally the preferred
his baptized Catholic (but arguably turned form in the Latin Church, provided that it
“born-again”) bride. can be carried out properly according to the
norms and without any risk of even apparent
irreverence toward the Blood of Christ.
persons. He has not created me for nothing. “43. The chalice is offered to the commu-
I shall do good. I shall do His work. I shall nicant with the words “The Blood of Christ,”
be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth in my to which the communicant responds, ‘Amen.’
own place, even if I do not realize what I am “44. The chalice may never be left on the
doing. But, if I keep His commandments, I will altar or another place to be picked up by the
serve Him in my calling.” communicant for self-communication (ex-
What is your calling? What is my calling? cept in the case of concelebrating bishops or
The general answer to those questions is Priests), nor may the chalice be passed from
simple: we are called to know, love and serve one communicant to another. There shall
God. But how? How are each of us called always be a minister of the chalice.
to serve God? The particular answer to this “45. After each communicant has received
question is a mystery, the mystery of our lives. the Blood of Christ, the minister carefully
The mystery enfolds every time we respond to wipes both sides of the rim of the chalice with
God’s call. We come before the Lord today and a purificator. This action is a matter of both
ask for the grace to be attune to God’s call in reverence and hygiene. For the same reason,
our lives. And we pray for the courage to an- the minister turns the chalice slightly after
swer His call rather than send it to voice mail. each communicant has received the Precious
We pray that when He calls we will respond, Blood.
“Speak Lord, your servant is listening.” “46. It is the choice of the communicant,
not the minister, to receive from the chalice.
“47. Children are encouraged to receive
Communion under both kinds provided that
they are properly instructed and that they are
old enough to receive from the chalice.
“Other Forms of Distribution of the Pre-
cious Blood
“48. Distribution of the Precious Blood by
a spoon or through a straw is not customary
in the Latin dioceses of the United States of
America.
“49. Holy Communion may be distributed
by intinction in the following manner: Each
communicant, while holding a Communion-
plate under the mouth, approaches the Priest
who holds a vessel with the sacred particles,
with a minister standing at his side and
holding the chalice. The Priest takes a host,
intincts it partly in the chalice and, showing
it, says: ‘The Body and Blood of Christ.’ The
communicant replies, ‘Amen,’ receives the
Sacrament in the mouth from the Priest, and
then withdraws.”
“50. The communicant, including the
extraordinary minister, is never allowed to
self-communicate, even by means of intinc-
tion. Communion under either form, bread or
wine, must always be given by an ordinary or
extraordinary minister of Holy Communion.”
These are the overall norms in the United
States. Most dioceses limit themselves to
repeating the above in their diocesan instruc-
tions. Now and again a brief comment is added
to stress the preference for the separate distri-
bution. For example, the norms for one major
archdiocese states:
“If the parish chooses to use intinction as
the method for distributing the Eucharist,
then both the assembly and the extraordinary
ministers must be properly instructed on how
this is to be done in accord with liturgical law.
It should be noted that administration of the
Sacrament in this fashion is not the preferred
method in the dioceses of the United States.”
Since this preference for separate admin-
istration is true for distributing Communion
under both kinds to the faithful, then it can be
easily understood that it is very exceptional
for priest concelebrants. So much so that our
reader believed it was a novelty.
The use of intinction as a means of distribut-
ing Communion under both kinds is far more
common in some other countries. Therefore,
while most priests from these countries gen-
erally prefer to take directly from the chalice,
they are comfortable with intinction in large
concelebrations.
B8 ENTERTAINMENT
Ang Larawan
DIRECTOR :Loy Arcenas
LEAD CAST: Joanna Ampil,
Rachel Alejandro, Paulo Avelino,
Sandino Martin, Nonie Buen-
camino, Menchu Lauchengco-
Yulo SCREENWRITER: Ro-
lando Tinio (based on Portrait of
a Filipino Artist by Nick Joanquin)
PRODUCER: Girlie Rodis, Ce-
leste Legaspi EDITOR: Lawrence
Fajardo MUSICAL DIRECTOR:
Ryan Cayabyab
GENRE: Drama, Musical
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Boy
Yniguez
DISTRIBUTOR: Solar Entertain-
ment Corporation
LOCATION: Intramuros, Manila;
Taal, Batangas
RUNNING TIME: 120minutes
Technical assessment:
Moral assessment:
CINEMA rating: V13
MTRCB rating: PG
Taong 1941 sa Intramuros,
Manila, matatagpuan ang
isang magarbong bahay na
tila ba pinaglumaan na ng
panahon. Ito ay ang tirahan
ng pamilya Marasigan. Ang
naiwan na lamang dito ay
ang magkapatid na Candida
(Joanna Ampil) at Paula
(Rachel Alejandro) na pawang
mga tumandang-dalaga na
sa pag-aalaga sa amang si
Don Lorenzo Marasigan,
isang sikat na pintor. Walang
hanap-buhay ang magkapatid
kung kaya’t tumanggap sila
ng mangungupahan sa isang
bakanteng kuwarto—si Tony
Javier (Paulo Avelino), na
kalaunan ay pilit silang
kukumbinsihin na ibenta
ang isang natatanging obra
na ipininta ng ama para sa
magkapatid. Kasabay nito’y
ang banta na mapaalis na rin
sa bahay sapagkat ibinebenta
ito ng dalawa nilang kapatid.
Ang larawan at ang tahanan
na lamang ang natitirang
yaman ng magkapatid pati
ng kanilang malubhang ama.
Ipagbibili ba nila ito sa gitna
ng kanilang kahirapan at
nagbabadyang digmaan?
Ang Larawan ay isang
pagsasalin-pelikula ng dulang
A Portrait of an Artist as
a Filipino sa panulat ng
Pambansang Alagad ng Sining
na si Nick Joaquin. Isinalin
ito sa Pilipino ng isa pang
Pambansang Alagad ng Sining
na si Rolando Tinio at Ang
Larawan ay naging isa sa di-
malilimutang dulang musikal
na nagkaroon na ng maraming
pagtatanghal sa entablado.
Naging matapat ang pelikula
sa obra ng dalawang maestro
ng sining. Kitang-kita at
damang-dama ang malalim
na pagmamahal at paggalang
ng mga nasa likod ng pelikula
sa orihinal na materyal.
Mabuting bagay ito sa
kabuuan sapagkat nagawang
maging matapat ng pelikula
sa orihinal na obra sa kabila
ng tukso ng komersiyalismo.
Pinagbuhusan ng henyo ang
bawat aspeto ng pelikula mula
sa disenyo ng produksiyon,
libretto, musika, mga aktor na
nagsiganap—sa kanilang lahat
wala kang itulak-kabigin sa
pag-awit at pag-arte. Si Ampil
ay isang matinding rebelasyon
sa pelikula—bagama’t kinilala
na ang kanyang galing sa
entablado, masasabing bago
pa rin siya sa paningin ng
manonood ng pelikula, ngunit
umangat pa rin siya ng lubos.
Hindi naman nagpahuli ang
mga beterano sa kanilang
kamangha-mangha anumang
pagganap, anumang liit
ng kanilang papel. Sina
Alejandro at Avelino ay
kapwa rin mahuhusay na
Gandarrappiddo: The Revenger
Squad
January 8 - 21, 2018 Vol. 22 No.1 CBCP Monitor
Buhay San Miguel Brothers Matias
Lolo Kiko Bladimer Usi
bida. Marahil mas napaigi pa
Buhay Parokya
ang pelikula kung nagsubok
itong palawigin pa at
palakihin ang materyal upang FIND 3 MISSING THINGS:
mas maramdaman pa ng 1. Immaculate Heart of Mary
manonood kung gaano kalaki 2. Black Nazarene
at kalawak ang saklaw ng tema
ng kuwento, ngunit marahil 3. Rosary
din, mas ninais nilang maging
matapat sa makasining nitong
pinagmulan upang panatiliin
ang tunay nitong kaluluwa.
Malalim ang nais ipahiwatig
ng Ang Larawan. May
mahalaga itong mensahe
patungkol sa kaibuturan ng
bawat nating pagkatao—na
ang bawat isa sa atin ay may
kani-kaniyang demonyo
na habambuhay nating
paglalabanan at mapalad
na kung ito ay ating
mapagtatagumpayan. Ang
sining bilang sumasalamin
sa lipunan ay parating
nasasalang sa matinding
pagsubok—ito nga ba’y isang
biyaya o isang sumpa? Ang
sining bilang konsyensiya
ng lipunan ay madalas
nababahiran ng samu’t-
saring pambabatikos at pag-
aalipusta; nariyang maging
simbolo pa ito ng matinding
agwat ng mayaman at
mahirap, at dahilan ng
paghahati ng manonood sa
Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino
kung saan ang pelikulang
Ang Larawan ay sinasabing
pang-may kaya lamang,
para sa elitista, at mga “may
pinag-aralan”. Subalit hindi
ito kailanman ang dapat na
naging papel ng sining. Ang
sining ay para sa lahat—
mahirap man o mayaman—at
lahat ay dapat inaanyayahan
upang maunawan ito,
sapagkat ang pag-unawa sa
sining ay pag-unawa sa ating
pagkatao. Kahanga-hanga
ang mga papel nina Candida
at Paula na nanatiling dalisay
sa kanilang hangarin na
pangalagaan ang natitira
nilang tunay na yaman
kasabay ng matiyaga nilang
pag-aalaga sa maysakit na
magulang—bagay na dapat
hangarin ng bawat tao bago
ang kapangyarihan at salapi.
Lubos na kahanga-hanga rin
kung paanong isinalarawan
ng pelikula ang isa sa mga
ugat ng pananampalatayang
Katoliko ng mga Pilipino—
kung paanong naipaglaban
ng magkapatid ang kanilang
prinsipyo na pawang
isang milagro katulad ng
milagrosong Birhen ng La
Naval. Sa kabuuan nama’y DIRECTOR: JOYCE BERNAL niy ang p aw an g ma y mg a na si Cassandra/Kweenie (Pia sa ibang Pilipino movies na
naghahatid ng pag-asa ang LEAD CAST: VICE GANDA, taglay ding “superpowers”— Wurtzbach). magamit din ng CGI.
pelikula—sa sining man DANIEL PADILLA, PIA WURTZ- sila Luz Luz/Higopa, Bok Bok/ Sadya kaya sa pelikula iyon Sa kabila ng ingay, gulo,
o sa lipunan, may mga BACH SCREENWRITERS: Flawlessa, Bul Dog/Pospora, o may diperensiya ang sinehan at kabalbalan sa pelikula,
mananatili pa ring dalisay— ENRICO C. SANTOS, JUVY at Peppa/Barna. Palalakihin kung bakit ubod nang lakas napaglimi ng CINEMA na
ang pagmamahal sa pamilya, GALAMITON, DANNO KRIS- nila si Chino isang mabuting ang tunog ng Gandarrappiddo: may magandang mensahe ang
at pananampalataya sa Diyos TOPER C. MARIQUIT, DAISY tao para talikdan niya ang The Revenger Squad. Kung Gandarrappiddo: The Revenger
na may likha—mga bagay na CAYANAN, JONATHAN AL- kapalaran niyang sumunod sa kahit na magandang musika Squ ad , at iy on ay —hind i
hindi maaring maglaho sa BANO PRODUCER: VINCENT yapak ng amang si Madman. ay masisira sa lakas ng tunog, “namamana” ang kasamaan.
digmaan man o kapayapaan, DEL ROSARIO III, VERONIQUE Ilalayo nila ang bata upang di lalo na kung pulos talakan, Maaaring taglay ng isang anak
dumaan man ang maraming DEL ROSARIO-CORPUS EDI- hindi matagpuan ni Mino tarayan at tilian ang maririnig ang dugo ng kasuklam-suklam
unos at lumipas man ang TOR: NOAH TONGA, JOYCE (Ejay Falcon) na kampon ng mo! Sabi nga ng isang bading na magulang, ngunit hindi
panahon. (Ang Larawan ang BERNAL MUSICAL DIRECTOR: kasamaan na nakukulong sa sa upuan sa likuran namin, nangangahulugang automatic
nanalong “Best Picture” ng CARMINA R. CUYA CIN- isang salamin. Ililihim din nila “Kaloka naman ang ingay!” na rin siyang magiging
MetroManila Film Festival EMATOGRAPHER: MACKIE kay Chino ang katotohanang Tinarget ng pelikula na kasuklam-suklam. Malaki
2017) GALVEZ GENRE: COMEDY, mayroon siyang “superpowers”, pasayahin ang mga manonood, ang nagagawa ng suporta ng
FANTASY DISTRIBUTOR: ngunit pagdating ng ika- lalo na ang mga bata, kung pamilya, ng kapiligiran, at
STAR CINEMA LOCATION:
PHILIPPINES RUNNING TIME:
21 kaarawan nito ay hindi
sinasadyang matutuklasan din
kaya’t sinadya ni Ganda
na gawing super-makulay
lalo’t higit ng pagmamahal
tungo sa ikabubuti ng isang
110 MINUTES
Technical assessment:
niya ang lihim. Upang pigilan
ang nagbabadyang pananaig
ang lahat, mula sa kanyang
costume bilang Gandarra.
tao. Tandaan nating tayong
lahat ay pawang mga “anak ng
Moral assessment: ng kasamaan, iuumpog ng mga Pero kakatwang wala kaming Diyos” at Kanyang minamahal.
CINEMA rating: PG 13 kaibigan ni Emy/Gandarra ang nakitang bata sa sinehan Bagama’t maliwanag na
Mapapatay ni Emy/Gandarra ulo nito sa pag-asang mababalik noong araw na manood ipanaghiwalay ang kasamaan
(Vice Ganda) ang imbing si ang kanyang memorya at kami. Noon lang kaya iyon o at kabutihan sa pelikula,
Madman (RK Bagatsing), ngunit manunumbalik ang kanyang palagi? Whatever, buti na rin kailangan pa ring gabayan ang
magkakaroon ito ng amnesia nasang labanan ang kadiliman sigurong hindi mapanood ng mga batang manunuod para
nang mabagsakan ng malaking sa tulong ng bertud niyang mga musmos ito dahil hitik maayos nilang maunawaan
tipak ng gumuguhong gusali mahiwagang lipistik. Muling naman sa kakornihan ang kung ano ang totoo at ano ang
sa labanan nila ni Madman. makikilala ni Emy/Gandarra dialogue at sa kabaduyan ang pantasya dito. Turuan silang
Kukupkupin ni Emy bilang ang kanyang mga superheroes costumes (maliban lang kay maging mapagtanong sa mga
tunay na kadugo ang anak ni na kaibigan, at magsasama Pia na isang kulay lamang, pinapanood, at huwag lunok
Madman, si Chino/Rapiddo silang kalabanin ang mga ginto, pero passable na din na lang nang lunok sa mga
(Daniel Padilla), ni Gandarra kontrabida, na kinabibilangan ang dating). Hindi rin makinis naririnig o nakikita nila sa
kasama ng mga kaibigan ng kapatid ni Emy/Gandarra ang CGI, kahit ikokompara ito kanilang mga “lodi”.
 Ugnayan
THE NEWS SUPPLEMENT OF COUPLES FOR CHRIST
CBCP Monitor. Vol. 22 No. 01 January 8 - 21, 2018 C1

CFC Begins the Year with

the First Fruits Offering
By Andrelene Veloso
The Couples for Christ
Mission Core of Metro
Manila began 2018 with the
First Fruits Offering at St.
Paul's College Gym, Pasig
City on January 7, 2018.
First Fruits ceremonies also
took place in Mission Core
assemblies held in the prov-
inces and the international
missions.
The First Fruits offering is
traditionally the highlight of
the first Mission Core gathering
of every year.
This year’s MM First Fruits
Offering started with the Holy
Eucharist, celebrated by the
Most Reverend Arturo Bastes,
SVD, DD, Bishop of the Diocese
of Sorsogon.
In his homily, Bishop Bastes
emphasized that the Epiphany
is a special feast of the whole
Church. Epiphany is the rev-
elation of the Lord Jesus Christ
to the Gentiles, as prophesied
by the prophet Isaiah. In the
second reading, St. Paul pro-
claimed to the Ephesians that
not only the Jews, but peoples
of all the nations will be called
children of God.
Reflecting on the gospel,
which was about the three Magi
who came to worship the child
King, and their taking a dif-
ferent route to prevent Herod
from finding Jesus, Bishop
Bastes asked: “How did Herod
react to the coming of Jesus at
that time?” The offering of first fruits is a symbolic act for CFC - individually, and as a community. This is a symbolic act of bringing back to God – and thanking God – for the many blessings He has given each one.
“First reaction was of hostility
and hatred. Herod wanted to contrary to His teachings. have come to give your first Ponte, member of the Inter- and discernment for the next are to prepare an altar. On the
destroy the Christ Child because The second reaction, accord- fruit offerings, to offer what you national Council and Pastoral year’s theme— “I want to start a altar you are to put an appropri-
he did not want to compete with ing to Bishop Bastes, came from have, to offer yourselves. The Formation Office Director, TRADITION . . . a TRADITION ate vessel or container to hold
anybody for his title or interfere the scribes and Pharisees, and it meaning of this sacrifice is to gave an exhortation on the first of ‘FIRST FRUITS’. At the start the offerings. Place a crucifix
with his plans and the power and was that of indifference. They do the will of God.” fruits offering, a community of each year, the very first ECG in front of the vessel. Light
glory he was accustomed to,” the knew that Christ was born in He added, “The will of God tradition started in 2003. The gathering, and the subsequent candles. Adorn with flowers. I
prelate explained. Bethlehem, but they did not simply means fidelity, obedi- biblical basis for this tradition first gatherings of every group WILL BE PRESENT ON THAT
According to the bishop, care about Him. ence to the commandments. is from Deuteronomy 26: 2-11 down the line to every member SPECIAL OCCASION. MAKE
unfortunately, there are people The third reaction, that of This is a good day to renew your and Leviticus 2:12-16. . . . should be consecrated to Me. THE SETTING WORTHY OF
today who, like Herod, wish to the three magi, was the desire fidelity to Jesus. Like the three The prophetic basis, however, It must be a most solemn and MY MAJESTY. Worship Me.
destroy Christ because if Christ to adore, worship and offer magi who offered their gifts, so came through a prophecy in sacred occasion . . . worthy of Sing solemn songs. Then one
is present in their lives, they gifts to the new-born King. The offer your gifts heartily.” 2003 given during the annual my Holiness. This is how the by one, everyone present in-
cannot continue living a life bishop exhorted, “Today, you After the Mass, Rouquel International Council planning consecration must be done: You cluding FIRST FRUITS, C3

OSM Closes 2017 with a PMA Service

The CFC Order of St. Michael
regularly visits the Philippine
Military Academy to conduct
Character Enhancement Pro-
grams for the cadets in the
institution.
Before the end of the year,
another batch composed of
175 cadets was able to hear and
experience the “Only for the
Brave” module. Roland J. Ong
team leader and moderator,
together with the service team,
went to the Academy in Baguio
City on December 29, 2017,
eager and excited to serve PMA
Batch 2021.
The first Session titled “He-
roes for God and Country”,
delivered by CFC President
Michael Ariola, led the partici-
pants to dream for themselves,
for their families and for their
country. His session was fol-
lowed by a talk on the core
values of honor, patriotism and
duty, shared by Emy Pineda
from CFC Bataan, with Cav.
BGen. Restituto Aguilar, PVAO,
PMA CL ’78 as sharer. acter is not important if wala
Talk 3 focused on the fam-
ily (Defending Our Families,
Building Our Homes), with
George Campos, CFC Church
Relations Office head, helping
the participants realize the
threats that might come to
their family and how to over-
come these. Cav VAdm. Jesus
C. Millan, Former FOIC, PN,
also shared his experiences with
regards to the topic. The fourth
talk, “Forgiveness—A Key to
Success” was given by Garie
Pimentel, with Roland Ong as
his sharer. The final session
titled “All Out Victory” by OSM
Head Art Alabanza, was a call
to action for the cadet to apply
what they have learned.
During the plenary, sev-
eral cadets shared their insights
from the sessions:
Sa tingin ko ang natutunan
ko sa ating pinag aralan is char-
si God. “Do not worry" sabi ni
God. Si God ang nagdidisip-
lina sa atin and as a father, He
disciplines us. I learned today
that I should follow God and be
God-centered. ~CDT PVT Lan
Toman V More
Thank you, OSM, for giving
us the opportunity to learn
about God. Often, we have no
time to talk about God, we
forget to pray. Thank you for
reminding us. Everything is
possible with God. I will survive
all challenges, no matter how
hard, knowing God is with me.
You helped us reconnect again
to God. ~Cdt Pvt Christine
Joyce C Andog
Masyado pa ako bata , mara-
mi pa ako bagay na hindi pa
pinagdaanan, PMA, C3
C2 January 8 - 21, 2018 Vol. 22 No. 01 CBCP Monitor

SFC WEST B 1B GOES TO MATNOG

The President's
New Year Message
Michael “Shok” Ariola

Here’s to a ‘New You’…

a Holier You,
this New Year!
Growing up, I remember hearing this tagline from a TV com-
mercial: “Here’s to a new you!” I don’t remember exactly for what
brand it was—was it for a bath soap, or perhaps a beverage?
Everybody desires, especially in the New Year, to become a
better version of themselves. This is why people write resolutions
in their goal to essentially become better persons.
I believe that for us in Couples for Christ, the challenge
doesn’t stop with becoming a ‘new you’. Being a better person
should translate into becoming someone else - in the person
of Jesus Christ.
During our first fraternal household for the year, the Inter-
national Council was once again reminded of the words of Fr.
Raniero Cantalamesa when Tita Nina (Ponte), in her prayers,
challenged us: “The Lord seeks not only transformation but
sanctification.”
I was prompted to ask myself, “What does this mean?” Essen-
tially, transformation is to become a ‘new you’. Sanctification, on
the other hand, carries a much deeper meaning. Sanctification
is not just physical—changing how you speak, or how you shed
off the ‘old you’. Sanctification is a call to be set apart, to be holy.
In Fr. Cantalamesa’s homily during the Mass he celebrated for
the Papal household, he emphasized that everyone is called to
holiness, because it is within everyone’s reach. God’s holiness, as
the Old Testament suggests, possesses a ritualistic edge. The Old
Testament prescribes that in order for one to be holy, one needs
to follow a code of laws. In the New Testament, however, the
mediator of holiness is Jesus Christ Himself, no longer the rituals. The SFC formed what they ness in the kids’ faces, although the sincere desire to give their them the SFC Matnog Mission
Fr. Cantalamesa further stated that “In this vein, being holy called the Matnog Mission they considered their service best for the children, and their team is eternally grateful.
does not mean being separated from God but in being united with Team and, together with Fer- such a small gift. willingness to share their 3 Ts Getting to Matnog was not
Jesus.” He likewise professed that holiness is “not an imposition… die Garcia, went to Bagong But the journey to get to —time, talent and treasure. easy either—travel time took
but a privilege, a supreme honour”. Banuan Elementary School in Matnog was not easy. The What made everything possi- almost 15 hours and the ac-
And so my dear brethren, what path must we take in order Brgy. Bagong Banuan Matnog journey took almost four years. ble was the help extended by so tivities began right after arrival,
to attain holiness or sanctification in this New Year, and in Sorsogon to share their bless- For the SFC mission team, many people – the children of leaving the team hardly enough
the years to come? Fr. Cantalamesa puts it in clear terms: “The ings with the kids in the school. this was an awakening. Why CFC who shared their toys, the time, to eat, change clothes, and
pursuit of holiness is a journey consisting of continuous stops The mission team had a full did it take so long? Missions cash donations that poured in see to the logistics in the school.
and fresh starts.” program of activities, includ- are the lifeblood of SFC and that were used to buy the chil- Allan Durana, formerly from
This New Year definitely presents a fresh start for all of us. As ing conducting the Senior KFC each member of the team had dren school supplies, hygiene SFC and now a member of CFC
we click the reset button to reboot our lives, let us shed off the Kids Camp, giving a session actually gone on so many mis- items, new clothes and the Matnog involved in SFC in the
unwanted fragments, place every part and piece in the proper on hygiene and surprising the sions in the past. Whatever ob- food that was shared during area, and Teacher Portia of the
sectors and make room for new experiences and encounters kids with an early Christmas stacles there were, all of these the party. The CFC Migrants elementary also provided much
with the Lord. Party. In addition, Ferdie also were, however, surmounted Program team, friends from needed help.
On behalf of the International Council, I sincerely wish you gathered the parents and gave and the mission team finally CFC West and SFC members Despite all the obstacles and
a Happy New Year! More than hoping for a happy ‘new you’, a talk on Christian parenting. got to fulfill their dream of who couldn’t join the team the difficulties the team faced,
however, our desire is for a ‘more sanctified you’. It was heartwarming for the travelling to this area. but contributed whatever they they are all eager to go on another
mission team to see the happi- What fueled their dream was could, all pitched in and for mission. (Gracelyn Romero)

CFC-New Jersey Kids Sing YFC Philippine Missions Island

to Send Other Kids to School
A total of 53 kids from the North, Central, and
South chapter in New Jersey, USA, participated
in the annual caroling activities of the chapter
last December.
The carolers went from house to house and
sang Christmas carols to spread the holiday
spirit. The caroling aimed to raise funds to spon-
sor the education of less privileged kids in the
Philippines through ANCOP’s Child Sponsorship
Coordination Meeting
Program (CSP).
The carolers were able to raise a total of
$5,458.65, with potential for company matching.
CFC Kids for Christ Coordinators Joven and
Ivy Mariano, Francis and Joan Magallon, and
Dino and Gladys del Rosario, organized the
activity to encourage kids who have more in life
to help other kids get a chance for education.
(from www.cfcusa.org)

The Youth for Christ- Philip-
pine Missions held its Island
Coordination Meetings recent-
ly. The meetings were held in
Banaue, Ifugao from December
4-6, 2017 for Luzon, in Siquijor
from December 12-14, for Vi-
sayas and in Davao City from
November 28-30 for Mindanao.
The coordination meeting is
an annual gathering of mission-
aries per island that focuses on
year-end evaluation, presenta-
tion of 2018 specific goals and
thrusts and plans for the con-
tinued growth of missionaries
in the respective areas.
YFC International Coor-
dinator, Jeremy Quimpang
and Philippine Missions Co-
ordinators, Chucky Bernard
Garcia and Sharmaine May
Inosanto conducted all the co-
ordination meetings. Jeremy
enthused, “It was immensely a
refreshing experience to have
journeyed with the Lord this
year through our brothers and
sisters in Christ”.
The coordination meetings,
aside from looking back at
2016, a year of standing firm
in the faith, were also perfect
opportunities for YFC to look
forward to what God has in
store for the ministry in 2017,
when it will celebrate its 25th
years as a ministry. (Sharmaine
May Itulid-Inosanto)

TORONTO CATHOLIC, C4
of Filipinos—basketball.
The News Supplement
In their official blog, Consul recounted, “After
of Couples for Christ playing basketball, we got to know the younger
kids, showed them our dance, played some games,
and gave them all gifts that we brought from
Toronto. It was definitely a memorable first day
in the Philippines!”
Michael C. Ariola It was not all-work-and-no-fun for the young
IC Oversight students though. On New Year’s Eve, the delega-
Zenaida A. Gimenez Alma M. Alvarez Andrelene D. Veloso
tion took a much needed rest to learn about the
history of the Philippines, visiting Fort Santiago
Editor-in-Chief Associate Editor Editorial Assistant and Manila Cathedral, both in Intramuros, and
ending up welcoming the New Year with some
Yvonne Grace J. Dolorosa Deomar P. Oliveria Evangeline C. Mecedilla fireworks display.
Staff Writer Layout Artist Circulation Staff The students visited an orphanage in Tondo,
one of the poorest areas in Manila, to bring glad
tidings to the children there.
The Ugnayan News Supplement is published by the Couples for Christ Global Mission Foundation, Inc., with editorial offices at 156 20th
Avenue, 1109 Cubao, Quezon City. Editorial trunk line: (+63 2) 709-4868 local 31 Direct line : (+63 2) 709-4856 The group also visited the ANCOP Canada
www.couplesforchristglobal.org cfcglobalcommunications@gmail.com Village called AKC or ANCOP Kapatid Commu-
nity in Kalookan. This community was the build
site for the 2013-2014 delegates and has grown
tremendously in the last four years.
Having been part of the annual immersion, Consul
shared, “It’s so amazing being able to see the growth
of these kids year after year. I always feel extremely
loved and welcomed everytime I go back to AKC.”
The group also went to Tarlac and Starville-
Ancop in Bulacan, where ANCOP Canada Presi-
dent and CFC IC member Ricardo Cuenca and
his wife Irma, met with them.
The party left for Toronto on January 10, 2018,
bringing with them not only memories, but
priceless experiences and realizations.
All photos are owned by TCDSB and their
program head, Michael Consul.
Visit www.catholicstudentleadership.com for
more pictures and videos about TCDSB’s service
leadership program in the Philippines.
(Photo Credit: Michael Consul / TCDSB
Social Media Posts)
CBCP Monitor January 8 - 21, 2018 Vol. 22 No. 01 C3

On 9-10 December 2017, the CFC
Board of Elders held its weekend re-
treat at St. Joseph’s Sanctuary in Silang,
Cavite with Msgr. Sabino Vengco as the
retreat master. Being in the season of
Advent, Msgr. Vengco chose a passage
from Paul’s letter to the Galatians as
the Scriptural foundation of the first
session: But when the fullness of time
had come, God sent his Son, born of a
woman, born under the law, to ransom
those under the law, so that we might
receive adoption (Galatians 4:4-5).
During this session, Msgr. Vengco in-
troduced two concepts: space and time.
In the beginning, God created space
and time. The two are inextricably
linked together. Before creation there
was no such thing as time. But time
will end, and the end of time is the
beginning of eternity (theologically
and spelling-wise). Eternal life is thus
an everlasting present. There is no
before or after. Eternity is not a long
time—because time no longer exists.
In the Greek language, there are two
words that both mean “time” —chro-
nos and kairos. Chronos refers to years,
months, days, hours, minutes, seconds.
It is determined by the earth’s rotation
and movement around the sun. On
the other hand, kairos refers to time
as a moment, time as occasion, time
as qualitative rather than quantita-
tive, time as significant rather than
dimensional. It is an icon of eternal
life. And eternal life is an everlasting
Fullness of time
now, in which there is no sequence, no
before and no after.
When Paul referred to “fullness of
time” in his letter to the Galatians, he
used the word kairos. Here kairos is
time as significant and decisive. Kairos
is God’s dimension, one not marked by
the past, the present, or the future. At
Jesus’ birth, the fullness of time had
come. He is already Savior.
In his book titled Space, Time and
Incarnation, the renowned theologian
Thomas F. Torrance observes that
“when the Nicene Creed affirms that
the eternal Son of God ‘for us and
for our salvation came down from
heaven’, it asserts that God Himself
is actively present within the space
and time of our world”. Christ is the
incarnate presence of the living God
in time and space.
Torrance continues: “While the
Incarnation does not mean that God
is limited by space and time, it asserts
the reality of space and time for God
in the actuality of his relations with
us, and at the same time binds us to
space and time in all our relations
with him.” He affirms that: “God is
not love insofar as God loves us; God
is love in the fullness and perfection of
his being, out of which plenitude God
reaches out to us in love.”
During the second session, Msgr.
Vengco continued the theological
development of time and space. He
recalled the scene of the young Jesus
Galatians 4:4
at the temple asking his parents, “Why
are you looking for me? Did you not
know that I must be in my Father’s
house?” (Luke 2:49). Within the space
of the temple, at the time (chronos)
when Jesus was 12, the time (kairos)
came for Jesus to declare that the Fa-
ther’s house is where the love of the
Father is supreme, where the Father is
loved according to the original plan of
God for humanity.
Joseph and Mary taught Jesus dur-
ing the entire time (chronos) he was
growing up. But at the temple, the
time (kairos) had come for Jesus to
teach them (and us) that he (and all of
us) must be in the Father’s house. At
12, in the temple, Jesus is also Savior.
Thus we can be in the Father’s house
because we have been “ransomed” and
we have received “adoption.”
The third session was about “born
of a woman.” Msgr. Vengo gave us a
glimpse of Mariology through a dis-
course on the Canticle of Mary, the
Magnificat. Here is a young woman,
Mary, visiting a much older woman,
Elizabeth. A woman from a working
class (Joseph was a carpenter) is visiting
a woman belonging to the upper class
of the Jewish society (Zechariah was of
the priestly class).
The fact that Ain Karem, where
Elizabeth resides, is at a higher eleva-
tion than Nazareth is also symbolic.
Mary travels up the distance of about
120 kilometers from Nazareth to Ain
Karem: Mary set out and traveled to
the hill country in haste to a town of
Judah, where she entered the house of
Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And
Mary said: “My soul proclaims the
greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices
in God my Savior (Luke 1:39,46-47).
Mary’s Magnificat is a joyful procla-
mation of the good news of salvation.
In response to the wonders that are
being accomplished, Mary “proclaims
the greatness of the Lord”. Mary ex-
periences this and she exclaims, “My
spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” Mary
stayed three months until John was
born. And John was to become the
precursor of Christ, the one who will
prepare the way, the one who will say,
“There is the Lamb of God.” Christ
occupies space among us, thus truly
human, of flesh and blood, and at the
time chosen by the Father (kairos) will
offer his life that we may have eter-
nity, where chronos is no more. From
Mary’s womb made of flesh, Jesus was
born, truly human.
Fr. Raymond Brown in An Intro-
duction to New Testament Christol-
ogy puts it eloquently: “Unless we
understand that Jesus was (also) truly
human with no exception but sin,
we cannot comprehend the depth
of God’s love. If Jesus’ knowledge is
limited, as indicated prima facie in
the biblical evidence, then one under-
stands that God loved us to the point
of self-subjection to our most agoniz-
ing infirmities. A Jesus who walked
through the world with unlimited
knowledge, knowing exactly what
the morrow would bring, knowing
with certainty that three days after
his death his Father would raise him
up, would be a Jesus who could arouse
our admiration, but a Jesus still far
from us. He would be a Jesus far from
a humankind that can only hope in
the future and believe in God’s good-
ness, far from a humankind that must
face the supreme uncertainty of death
with faith but without knowledge of
what is beyond. On the other hand,
a Jesus for whom the detailed future
had elements of mystery, dread, and
hope as it has for us and yet, at the
same time, a Jesus who would say,
‘Not my will but yours’—this would
be a Jesus who could effectively teach
us how to live, for this Jesus would
have gone through life’s trials. Then
his saying, ‘No one can have greater
love than this: to lay down his life for
those he loves’ (John 15:13), would be
truly persuasive, for we would know
that he laid down his life with all the
agony with which we lay ours down.
We would know that for him the loss
of life was, as it is for us, the loss of a
great possession, a possession that is
outranked only by love.”
The retreat was a Kairos Weekend,
an encounter with Jesus and Mary, in
space and time, a foretaste of eternal
life, the fullness of time.

26 Out-of-School Youth Finish ANCOP One-Year

Vocational Course in Kenya Starting the Year with two
ANCOP Canada Scholars
The current Service
Program of Toronto Catho-
lic District School Board
(TCDSB) included a visit to
the ANCOP Canada Village
in Our Lady of Banneux site
in San Mateo, Rizal. This
was a great opportunity
for Bernie Consul, ANCOP
Greater Toronto Area East
Sector Head, to have a re-
union with their scholars,
who reside near the village.
November 22, 2017 was a momentous day for Sisters, she noted the activity of the Teresia Van Spending time with the
26 out-of-school youth in Nairobi, Kenya who Miert Development Center in the adjoining and scholars was quite an expe-
graduated from a one-year vocational course became curious about what the program offers.  rience, according to Bernie,
in Food and Nutrition (Hotel, Restaurant and Several discussions later, ANCOP CANADA who lamented that his wife
Entrepreneurship) offered by the Franciscan signed an Agency Agreement with the Francis- Belen was not there to share
sisters in collaboration with ANCOP CANADA. can Sisters to help young people reach for their it with him. “It was a touch-
The theme during the commencement exer- dreams. For many, the course is indeed the path- ing and memorable bonding
cises was “Perseverance in Pursuing our Dreams.”  way to their dreams. In fact, two of the graduates experience not only for the
Sr. Esperanza Paraggua, Principal of SFIC, rallied were employed long before graduation day.  scholars but most especially
the graduates to continue reaching for their The event ended with dancing to the African for me”.
dreams, to be the best in everything that they do beat and a sumptuous lunch. During his visit, he was
and to continuously improve their craft. Another batch of students will be sponsored able to meet Donald, who
Malou Clarito, CFC fulltime pastoral worker this year. Through the generous help of the dreams to be in the hotel
and currently in charge of the Child Sponsorship individual and corporate donors of ANCOP and restaurant industry,
Program in Africa, who was present during the Canada, more and more children will be able and Angelica, who wants to
event, recalled the providential event that led to make their dreams a reality. (Malou Clarito take up Architecture after your scholar. It will be a save one poor child from
to the graduation. When CFC Kenya was having – CFC Canada; excerpted from www.ancop- high school. Both scholars life-changing experience poverty and if you are able
their 2016 planning at the hall of the Franciscan canada.org) are being sponsored by the not only for your scholar, to give hope to that one
Consul family. The two but for you too. Getting poor child, our Lord Jesus
FIRST FRUITS, C1 young students likewise to know your scholars will Christ will reward you with
expressed their gratitude to make you feel good about a passport to His heavenly
children, without exception, symbolic act of bringing back your children. I care for Bernie and Belen for their making ANCOP your char- Kingdom where we will all
should stand in line. And one to God—and thanking God— you. I watch over your trust in them. ity of choice.” end up one day.” [Bernie and
by one, each should approach for the many blessings He has home so that no harm Consul encouraged all The ANCOP Canada of- Belen Consul currently hold
the altar with great reverence. given each one. would come to you.” education sponsors to get fice can arrange meet-ups the position of ANCOP Can-
Then offer your FIRST FRUITS, The money that CFC offers 6. Mastery of heart. “This in touch with their scholars. through the CFC ANCOP ada GTA East Coordinators.
a symbolic amount of money, the Lord likewise stands for the would reveal the victory “If you have a scholar and office in Manila. Their son, Michael, leads the
equivalent to how much of your following blessings received: of your heart over greed happen to be in the Philip- Consul advised, “I always Service Program of TCDSB.]
heart you offer to Me. Your 1. Good h ea l t h. “You and selfishness.” pines, do arrange to meet say to people I meet: “If you (www.ancopcanada,org)
money is of no consequence to would not have earned
Me. But I delight in the amount any amount of mon- Ponte added, “However, the
of love that you will offer to me ey had I not made you first fruits offering is not about
through that money.
“My arms are raised to bless.
healthy and well.”
2. Talents, skills, and ca-
money. It is not a fund-raising
activity. It is not buying God’s CFC Canada Announces
My hands are poised to give. pabilities. “With the favor so He may bless us. After
Honor Me with your FIRST
FRUITS solemnly, joyfully, and
abilities and gifts I be-
stowed on you, you are
all, He owns the whole earth
and its fullness thereof.”
ANCOP Walk 2018 Gala Night
willingly. Dedicate yourselves able to provide for your He emphasized that the first
to Me through your FIRST needs and for the needs fruits offering is an indicator of
FRUITS OFFERING—not be- of your family.” the community’s faithfulness
cause you are just interested in 3. Work, career, profes- to the Lord in all areas, as the
the good results you expect Me sion, and livelihood. Lord looks at the condition of
to give you – but because you re- “Your job is the vehicle the Giver’s heart.
ally love me and you delight in I use so that finances “We cannot buy God’s favor
honoring Me. Then you will see would come to you.” by giving Him money. But what
. . . if I don’t open the windows 4. Community. “It is here thrills the heart of the Father
of heaven and pour down upon in CFC that I ask you to is that we hear His voice, we
you in abundance all kinds of perform this act, because listen, and we do what He says,”
good things.” it is in this community Ponte concludes.
Ponte also shared that the where I have brought He ended his talk with this
offering of first fruits is a sym- you so that you may challenge: “If today you hear
bolic act for CFC - individually, come nearer to Me.” His voice, harden not your
and as a community. This is a 5. Protection. “I guard hearts.” (Andrelene D. Veloso)

PMA, C1
mostly our parents encountered all of the chal-
lenges and difficulties I heard today. But what
I learned is that kahit puro pagsubok, tuloy pa
rin tayo. Focus on God. ~Cdt Pvt Stevenson
T Gallangi
Being from a Catholic school, prayer is not new
to me. I learned how to pray from my mother
and I know that I need prayers. Prayers help me
to succeed  here in PMA.  I realize that even a
simple prayer brings me closer to God and makes
my faith stronger. ~Kenneth Jones E Lorenton
(Alpha Coy)
Everything's possible with God if you pray. The
sharings were very touching, and we learned that
it is possible to avoid temptations in this career.
Before I came here, I did not pray , but now I'm
prayerful. My faith is stronger. I am committed to
follow God to have a better life. ~Cdt Pvt Jamaica
Z Laguintao (Bravo Coy)
The talks on forgiveness and family whom
touched me most. I learned that we need to for-
give. I learned that the family is a basic unit in
society and that we should know how to improve
our family, especially the family I will have
someday. ~Cdt Pvt Jan Hernan Perez ( Charlie
Coy) (Anna Navarro)
ANCOP Canada recently announced plans to
celebrate 15 years of walking for the poor, in-
cluding activities leading to the ANCOP Walk
in August 2018.
The first of these celebrations will be a Gala Ball on
April 7, 2018 at the Rembrandt Banquet Hall at
930 Progress Ave. in Scarborough. The night will
raise awareness of the work of ANCOP Canada to
prospective partner organizations, and at the same
time launch the start of the 15th ANCOP Walk.
Organized by a team of ANCOP Canada ad-
vocates from the Greater Toronto Area led by
ANCOP President Ricky Cuenca, Edna Cuvin
and co-Chair Rosemer Enverga, the activities will
also celebrate the achievements of the many vol-
unteers  from community organizations and
partners who have supported ANCOP Walk in
Canada over the last 15 years.
Tickets to the event will be released through
committee members.
The annual fun walk-cum-fundraiser was
started by ANCOP Canada in 2003 with the aim
of promoting the Child Sponsorship Program
of ANCOP and encouraging partner individu-
als and corporations to take on the challenge
of giving children from poor families an equal
opportunity for quality education. (from www.
ancopcanada.org)
C4 January 8 - 21, 2018 Vol. 22 No. 01 CBCP Monitor

A Look Into The CFC GMC's Solemn Charge for 2018

Our respective Department Heads, including the leaders of Family Ministries, ANCOP and CFC Cooperatives, reflect on what they are looking forward to in 2018, par-
ticularly on how they will pursue CFC's vision and mission and improve the service the Global Mission Center now provides.

JEREMY QUIMPANG RAUL BALAQUIAO MAAN AGUIRRE

Youth for Christ Finance Department Pastoral Formation Office
For 2018, we will continue to move There are a number of objectives the As the central source of pastoral
our goals of the 3H’s: Happiness in Finance Department has set for 2018. formation materials, we would like
serving God; Health in order to do First, better monitoring of the monthly this year to: 1. have a more deepened
the things God asks us to do; and tithes of Metro Manila sectors and bet- and Spirit-filled prayer life that flows
most importantly, Holiness, because ter dissemination of the usage of the in formation and content develop-
this is what we all should strive for. tithes fund so that members may be more ment; 2. develop with the team a
faithful not only in giving their monthly more integrated, inclusive, relevant and
tithes but also in promptly remitting it. We up-to-date formation materials and course
ROY VERDOLAGA would like to see the provinces properly and promptly remitting offerings; and 3. contribute to the growth of holiness within
Servants of the Lord for their 10% contribution to the One Mission Fund (OMF). In CFC and its Family Ministries by helping them be formed to
In order for me to contribute to terms of our work goals in GMC, we want to make sure that the Ac- live the Truth in love. 
achieving CFC’s goals, first I need to counting Department observes proper filling systems, and always
improve myself. I have to exercise ready and willing to provide proper service to our employees. We ROBERT JIMENEZ
more patience and maximize the would also like to see that in 2018, we are able to submit reports GKARE
use of technology and social media that are required, on a regular basis, by other departments. For 2018 GKare aims to: 1. provide
so I can promote our ministry better. a sustainable health care program to
GEORGE CAMPOS CFC GMC mission workers and their
Church Relations Office dependents through regular medical
MERVIN ARELLANO Three things that the CIO wants to ac- check–ups, and promote a healthy
Management Information Systems complish this 2018: lifestyle, highlighting the importance
and Technology I. To release the Church Relations Manual of preventive medicine; 2. ensure that the
First, I want to make sure that the by June 2018, such manual: GKare clinic is capable of providing first aid
systems that we have here would be • To define the roles and responsibili- healthcare to GMC employees and offer daily monitor-
able to support the evangelization ties of the CIO office and its programs. ing of BPs and vital signs; and 3. ensure the availability of
efforts of the different ministries • To define the roles and responsibilities GKare Doctors for medical referrals.
and help the members and leaders do of the Spiritual Adviser in our community
whatever they need to do. That would • To outline the different activities aimed at developing and Externally, we hope to: 1. target 6-8 surgical missions this
mean maybe revising, removing or adding fostering good relations with the clergy. year; 2. promote training on Basic Life Support, Cardio-Pulmo-
new applications. In a specific way, I want to make sure that II. To set the 2018 CIO directions, strategies, plans and programs nary Resuscitation, First Aid management by Gkare Doctors
our One Global Data, CFC Home Office and Infosystem would • To bring CFC closer to the hearts of the clergy and the clergy in piloted ANCOP sites; and 3. promote the importance of
be able to deliver the needed information. closer to CFC Preventive Medicine and Primary Health Care by conducting
• For the Catholic Church to commission CFC in implementing lectures, training and seminars.
RUEL AGUIRRE its plans and programs geared towards strengthening the fam-
CFC Institute ily and family life. SHEH CANLAS
First, being the community’s • To actively collaborate with the Church and help in reaching Cornerstone
learning institute, CFC-I can help out to the marginalized sectors of society. As we are in the “business” of
people deepen their faith, not only III. To establish a service organizational structure for CIO in various evangelization and education, we in
through the pastoral formation that areas and ministries Cornerstone will strive:
CFC is offering, but how the institute 1. for families to be evangelized
can support that pastoral formation. RUDY GASPILLO (children, parents, and volunteers);
Second, it is about skills building. Be- ANCOP 2. for students in the program to be
cause CFC is a missionary community, the For 2018, ANCOP aims for the follow- able to avail of the Child Sponsorship
institute can support that charism by teaching people how to ing: 1) Concrete realization of livelihood Program, both in Elementary and High
accumulate and develop skills that will enable them to proclaim programs through capacity building of School; 3. for parents to be equipped through short term TESDA
the Good News in a relevant way. Third, the institute can teach parents in ANCOP sites, CFC, Cornerstone courses and employed to sustain their livelihood and become
people how to accompany others. It’s not just about teaching and other programs. Sending them to LGU empowered parents.
catechesis; it’s not just about teaching who Jesus is. It’s not just run TESDA schools; 2) Completion of proce-
dures, manuals and other documentation for JAY LUCENA
about acquiring skills; it’s also about teaching people how to put Events
all of these ideas, theories, terms, in such a way that they can all ANCOP programs. With all documents in place,
ANCOP also plans to achieve ISO 9001 (Quality Management System) CFC Events plans to harness the tal-
apply it in their own life as pastoral workers, as people who live ents of CFC, especially the ministries,
out their faith everyday. certification. 3) Monitoring and documentation of all graduates of
the educational sponsorship programs and ANCOP shelter sites; and particularly in the areas of videos,
4) Centralized data storage system through the ANCOP data server. directing, photography, etc. through
ROMMEL ANCHETA the conduct of training, workshops
Global Communications Office and relevant courses. We also want
Knowing that our evangelization FELY ARAOJO
Human Resource Department to improve creatives for Mission Core
growth is a mere 2% for the past years, gatherings and assemblies. One of our major
one of the intentions of the Global First, we would like to enhance the
compensation plan design, including all goals is to have our own recording studio which we can use to
Communications Office is to increase address the video and audio needs of CFC.
evangelization through communica- benefits, for us to be competitive in terms
tion, by first, communicating the cul- of other NGOs. If we have a better com-
ture of CFC to a wider reach, particularly pensation plan design, we will be able to NIC ESCALONA
to non-CFCs. We would like to be able to have an effective, efficient and productive Evangelization And Missions Office
help bring them to that moment of truth that will help performance. Second, we hope to strengthen The Evangelization and Missions
them decide whether they want to be in CFC or not; whether our spiritual growth in professional and personal Office will further strengthen its
they would want to actually experience the culture that we want development, in terms of the learning and development that we services to  help achieve the evan-
to teach them. Second, we can achieve this goal by professional- do as Human Resource Department. Lastly, we would like to insti- gelization and missions agenda of
izing our work as pastoral workers. Third, we need to establish tutionalize the rewards and recognition program in terms of their Couples for Christ.  It is our aim for
a bigger network for Ablaze communications so that we can be length of service and performance. the year 2018 to collaborate more
more global in what we do. with our CFC leaders in the areas in
EDFER LAWRENCE QUINTERO the task of identifying if an area is in the
Establishment, Enrichment, or Empowerment level of growth.
RICKY RICO Family Ministries After such identification, EMO office will coordinate with all
General Administration Office My three dreams for the Family concerned areas and make sure that they receive the mission
We want to be more reliable, re- Ministries in 2018: (1) Strengthened support appropriate to their level of growth. Also, we would
sourceful, honest. Each member of culture of dialogue and communication like to determine the most effective way to implement the
the staff will be service-oriented, as ONE CFC Community; (2) Together- various programs of CFC and its ministries that will enhance
meaning that we do not question ness in mission with CFC and all Family evangelization and mission in an area. We are committed to
every service we are tasked to do, Ministries as family evangelizers: and (3) move CFC from maintenance to mission.
and that in everything that we do, we Renewed and relevant evangelization as
give our all to the community and to the agents of new evangelization. MK GUAÑO
employees of GMC. In 2018, we intend to Broadcast Media
become more productive. We commit to work for the better- EDYTHE AVENDAÑO As our department is one of the
ment of the CFC Office. We are now also looking at improving Handmaids of the Lord newest in the GMC, we hope to have
our Mission House. In order that HOLD will fulfill our a deeper and more impactful experi-
charge this 2018, we hope to see the ence of Christ; be more relevant to
following: 1) One global HOLD family the realities of families of today; and
LETTY JAIME journeying together and moving as
CFC Co-ops for Christ have a wider reach through new media
one in accomplishing the ministry's evangelization.
Our members need to be members of plans and programs towards fulfilling
Couples for Christ first before they can its mission; 2) HOLD members becoming
be a member of the cooperative. But more deeply spiritual and intimate with the NOLI MANUEL
the thing is, as of now, only 10% of the Lord through the pastoral formation tracks and c o m m i t - Singles for Christ
total membership of CFC are members ment to live out the HOLD covenant; and 3) Significant growth in Here are the three things the min-
of the cooperative. We would like to membership resulting from the concerted efforts of the members istry hopes to achieve in 2018.
increase this percentage. We would also to lead more women to know and experience Jesus Christ as their 1. Full integration to CFC - SFC is
like to be able to pinpoint those members of Lord and Savior. called to be the next generation of
the cooperative who are in need of financial help to expand their CFC and the only way to achieve this
businesses or, for those who have no livelihood yet, to help them is through integration in the CFC chap-
fulfill their dream of putting up a livelihood for their sector. Coops ADRIAN ENAJE ters. Full integration means appointment
for Christ would also like to disseminate actively the existence of Kids for Christ of SFC Chapter Couple Coordinators and
the Coops for Christ in our community because sadly, it seems that KFC's Top 3 priorities for 2018: More SFCs attending the CFC Chapter Assemblies.
not everybody knows that we have a cooperative and that we are enhanced KFC Pastoral Formation 2. For SFC to be a ministry for the other singles in society -
always ready to help CFC members address their financial needs. that targets the kids and their families Young single parents; young separated, divorced, and annulled
through the monthly assemblies and persons; young widows and widowers; and singles with same
parents forum; Re-launching of the new sex attraction (SSA)
KFC School-based Program and Expand- 3. Strengthen evangelization of the following:  families of
ing the ministry's reach through parish and SFC members since a big percentage of the families of SFCs
community service. are not members of the community; campuses; and singles in
BPOs and corporate offices

Toronto Catholic HS Youth Journeys to Philippines

Twenty-three high school stu-
dents and three teachers from the To-
ronto Catholic District School Board
(TCDSB)  flew to the Philippines to
start their immersion and service
program in several ANCOP Canada
communities. Already on its seventh
year, the program is a partnership
between ANCOP Canada and TCDSB.
This service program took the
young students to ANCOP Commu-
nities around Manila, Rizal, Tarlac
and Bulacan for immersion, designed
to help build relationships between
them and their hosts.  As with ev-
ery TCDSB service program in the
Philippines, the delegation also did
gift-giving and feeding programs,
and assisted in building homes in the
ANCOP villages.
This year’s delegation was led by Mi-
chael Consul, who has been leading the
delegations for the past seven years,
assisted by Bernie Consul, ANCOP
Canada Greater Toronto Area Sector
Head for the East. The team spent a
meaningful Christmas and New Year
in the Philippines.
One of the villages the delegation
visited was Sitio Masagana in Quezon
City. For Michael Consul, the day
was an opportunity to reconnect
with residents and families from the
ANCOP community, since the village
was one of the sites where the team
visited in 2015-2016.
It was also an opportunity to bond
with the children of home partners
through the unofficial national sport
and pastime TORONTO CATHOLIC, C2