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Vatican reveals European evangelization project

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God has met mankind and has loved us with a Human Heart

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Ugnayan

The News Supplement of Couples for Christ

Bishop urges support for protesting Luisita farmers

AN official of the Catholic bishops leadership called on the public to step up support for Hacienda Luisita farmers who are set to hold a protest rally on June 22. Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo said the farmers, who are pitted against the family of President Benigno Aquino III, need our assistance. As Christians, we cannot allow our farmLuisita / A6

July 18 - 31, 2011

Vol. 15 No. 15

Php 20.00

PCSO allegations spark mistrust with govt

By Roy Lagarde

SOMETIMES saying sorry is all it takes to make people feel a little better.
That might have been the case with the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO), if the apology had been made immediate and sincere. Even Malacaang belittled the issue, which brought shame to the Catholic hierarchy, saying that it was no big deal for them. But to the Catholic bishops who were implicated in the controversy, whether the PCSO apologize or not, the damage has been done. At least seven prelates have been dragged to the controversy of accepting vehicles from the PCSO after the Commission on Audit (COA) made the disclosure in a report. Among them is Cotabato Archbishop Orlando Quevedo who said that the Church can still collaborate with PCSO but I think we shall be forced to change the rules for ourselves. The environment has changed and I am sad to say that mistrust has been injected in that relationship, said Quevedo during the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing, July 13. Monsignor Juanito Figura, secretary

general of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, said the issue also triggered the Church to reevaluate its critical collaboration with the government. We did not say that we will not collaborate (with the government) just carefully study with any government agencies for that matter, said Figura. Even if there is a separation of Church and State we are serving the same Filipino people, there has to be areas of collaboration, he said. No big deal While the CBCP said it wont ask a public apology from the PCSO, some of its members still sought an apology from PCSO chair Margarita Juico for the damage resulting from the controversy. Cotabato Auxiliary Bishop Jose Collin Bagaforo even asked Juico and other members of the current PCSO board to resign. But as far as Malacaang is concerned, presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said the case is closed and they will never ask Juico to apologize, much more to resign. I think its a small story. I think we have greater problems, bigger problems to solve and to address so its not someAllegations / A6

New Papal Nuncio Archbishop Giuseppe Pinto (right) is welcomed at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport by Filipino Catholic bishops led by Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales, CBCP President Bishop Nereo Odchimar of Tandag and Vice President Archbishop Jose Palma of Cebu, 15 July 2011.

Laity boosts Humanae Vitae celebration

Attack on bishops backfires

By Francisco S. Tatad
SEVEN bishops from the countrys poorest dioceses told the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) had given them vehicles to service the poor, the sick, the dying, and displaced victims of conflict and calamities, but these were utility vehicles, one a secondhand pickup truck, and not luxurious Pajeros, as alleged by the new PCSO head Margarita Juico and her media allies who had maliciously labeled them the Pajero bishops. It became plain that there was absolutely no basis to the propaganda scandal generated by the PCSO head, some hip-shooting senators and the anti-Church media against the poor bishops. But because of the pain and sorrow and scandal it had caused the Catholic faithful and the entire episcopate, Archbishop Orlando Quevedo of Kidapawan, Cotabato told the committee on behalf of the seven that they had decided to return the vehicles, whether their acquisition was constitutional and legal or not. The vehicles from Luzon are now ready for turnover in front of the Senate building, even as I speak, said Quevedo, while those from Mindanao are awaiting turnover to an authorized PCSO representative. The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) had earlier expressed profound sorrow over the incident. Quevedo read the CBCP statement, signed by CBCP President Nereo P. Odchimar, Bishop of Tandag, to the Committee, before reading the statement of the seven, and his own. Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto tried to ask the bishops to reconsider, saying that if he had any say on the matter he would object to it. But Quevedo said mistrust had entered their relationship with the PCSO, and they must now review the parameters of that relationship. Their decision had the imprimatur of the CBCP and a prophetic motive, Quevedo said Who invented the phrase Pajero bishops? The question was asked, but no one could tell the Committee. The Commission on Audit (COA) report, part of which COA Commissioner Heidi Mendoza read into the record, does not mention any Pajero nor name any bishop who had received one. Juico, to whom the phrase Pajero bishops had been attributed, said she had tried to correct the error in several interviews. But she gave no proof of her alleged effort, and the slander was never withdrawn. The media never bothered to verify, and have not said sorry for their irresponsible and harmful conduct. A usually reliable newspaper source has since told me that Juico had dinner with the editorial staff of one anti-Church newspaper a week or so before the propaganda attack on the bishops started. They reportedly agreed to teach the bishops a lesson for campaigning vehemently against the reproductive health (RH) bill, which the newspaper, Juico, her bosses and a wellfunded foreign lobby are vigorously trying to push through Congress. They wanted to stop the switch of support from the pro-RH and undecided camps to the anti-RH camp by bringing down the moral standing of the bishops, the source said. Not long after the dinner, the newspaper began running editorially slanted news stories under big headlines about the Pajero bishops. Im so sorry for whatever this may have caused these bishops, Juico said, with no manifest contrition or penance.
Backfires / A7

REPRESENTATIVES of lay Catholic organizations gathered for an afternoon of talks, video presentations and sharing of insights that centered on the teachings of Pope Paul VIs landmark document. The 43rd anniversary celebration of the encyclical Humanae Vitae

at Adamson University on July 19 was an affirmation of truths about married love and of Pope Paul VIs wisdom, and a continuing boost to the faith of the participants gathered for the celebration. It is interesting to note that the
Laity / A6

Vehicles / A6

Illustration by Bladimer Usi

ARCHBISHOP Guiseppe Pinto arrived in the Philippines and assured collaboration with the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) for the Church. The new papal nuncio was greeted by a delegation upon his arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Pasay City at around 10am on July 15. I am happy to be here to represent the Holy Father Benedict XVI and be received by the cardinal, bishops and officials from the foreign affairs, Pinto said upon his arrival. The Vatican official said he would collaborate with the Filipino bishops, priests, and the lay people for the good of the Catholic Church. This Church in the Philippines is made up by people of profound faith and Ill work to bring this faith with me and work together with them, he added.

New nuncio assures collaboration with CBCP Bishops return vehicles to PCSO
After the welcoming ceremonies, they proceeded at the airports presidential lounge and talked with officials of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines and the diplomatic corps. Among the church leaders who greeted him were Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales and Bishop Nereo Odchimar, outgoing CBCP president. Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma, incoming CBCP president, and three other prelates were also there including former Philippine Ambassador to the Holy See, Henrietta de Villa. Archbishop Pinto, previously the papal nuncio to Chile, is the 15th Papal representative and the 10th Apostolic nuncio to the Philippines. On May 10, Benedict XVI named Pinto as apostolic nuncio to the Philippines, a position left by his predecessor, Archbishop Edward Joseph Adams, last May 7. Archbishop Adams was reassigned to Greece after almost 3 years in the Philippines. Pinto holds a doctorate in Canon Law and is fluent in Italian, French, English, and Spanish. He entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See on May 1, 1984. He had been posted in Papua New Guinea, Argentina, and Vatican City state secretariat. Pinto also served as apostolic nuncio to Senegal, Cape Verde, Mali, and Guinea-Bissau, and as apostolic delegate to Mauritania. As apostolic nuncio, Pintos principal task will involve strengthening ties between the Pope and the Philippine President as well as the local bishops. (CBCPNews)

Diana Uichanco

CATHOLIC bishops who received money from a state-run lottery to buy sports utility vehicles during the Arroyo administration have returned the cars to the government. The seven bishops did so, during a senate inquiry July 13, although underscoring that the vehicles have not been for personal use but for Church-operated missions. The three prelates from Luzon brought their vehicles to the senate and returned them to the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) right there. Cotabato Archbishop Orlando Quevedo said those in Mindanao, including the one for his archdiocese, are ready for immediate turnover to any authorized PCSO office. Regardless of whether the acquisition of the vehicles has been lawful or unlawful, constitutional or unconstitutional, we are returning the vehicles, they said in a joint statement

Roy Lagarde / CBCP Media

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Rome excommunicates Shantou bishop

HONG KONG, July 16, 2011The Holy See today declared excommunication on Father Joseph Huang Bingzhang, who was ordained as Bishop of Shantou without apostolic mandate on July 14. This is the second latae sententiae (automatic) excommunication publicly declared on an illicit bishop in the Church of China since the first such ordination on July 4. As in the first one, todays statement said the Holy See does not recognize the illicitly ordained prelate and that he has no authority to govern the Catholic community of the diocese. The statement said the Holy See has asked Father Huang not to accept ordination on numerous occasions and had informed him that he could not be approved, inasmuch as the diocese already has a legitimate bishop. In light of this, the statement said the priest has incurred the sanctions laid down by canon 1382 of the Code of Canon Law. As for the eight consecrating bishops, the statement said the Holy See knows some bishops expressed their unwillingness to take part in the ordination and showed some signs of resistance, which the document says is meritorious before God. The statement also said the Vatican appreciates the Chinese Catholics who have defended their pastors and shared their suffering. Pope Benedict XVI deplores the manner in which the Church in China is being treated and hopes that the present difficulties can be overcome as soon as possible, the document concluded. Meanwhile, in a press conference on July 14 during his visit to New York, Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun said its a war, when characterizing the current standoff between the Vatican and Beijing. The retired bishop of Hong Kong said he hopes Beijing is made aware of the problem in this new confrontation over the Shantou incident and comes to dialogue with the Vatican so that both sides can find a resolution to the situation. (UCAN)

World News

CBCP Monitor
Vol. 15 No. 15
July 18 - 31, 2011

Madrid archbishop gives King of Spain first official WYD backpack

MADRID, Spain, July 15, 2011The Archbishop of Madrid gave King Juan Carlos of Spain the first official World Youth Day 2011 backpack during a meeting on July 12. Cardinal Antonio Maria Rouco Varela gave the gift to the Spanish King on Tuesday while discussing the upcoming visit of Pope Benedict XVI for the global youth event, taking place Aug. 16-21 in Madrid. The red backpacks emblazoned with the WYD logo will be given to each young person attending the event. It contains a number of keepsakes and souvenirs, including a t-shirt, a cap, a cover for laptops and a mouse pad, as well as a rosary, a cross and a medal. After exchanging greetings, King Juan Carlos and Cardinal Rouco met for forty minutes in the Kings office. (CNA)

Catholic aid agency appeals for help as 10 million face starvation in East Africa
theyre not guaranteed. The international director said his agency was working to provide very basic provisions water, food, medicine, shelter for those whove had to move, prioritizing the youngest and the elderly. He described the Catholic agencys work in East Africa as urgent and immediate in a life-saving way, and said the simplest way to donate is through the website at http:// www.cafod.org.uk. The United Nations World Food Program is also working to help those suffering the effects of the drought. On July 13, the programs East, Central and Southern African Spokesman David Orr told Vatican Radio about the huge volume of people trying to reach refugee camps in Kenya and Ethiopia. The influx of around 1,300 people a day is overwhelming the capacities of the three refugee camps in Dadaab, Kenya. Originally set up to hold 90,000 people, the refugee camps now provide a makeshift home for over 380,000. They are walking for days, in some cases for many weeks to reach refuge in the camps, Orr said. They have very little food on their journey and we do find that even after arriving in the refugee camps, children continue to die. Theres a very high rate of malnutrition. Orr said the World Food Program could still help many of the drought victims, particularly the children, by feeding them supplementary and very nutritious, special ready to eat foods, which can revive them enormously in the days after their arrival. He explained that the extremely serious situation had come about due to a lack of rain both in 2011 and at the end of 2010. In some cases in Somalia people will tell you that the last two or three years have been failures in terms of the rains which nourished their crops, he said. The pastoralists have herds of camels and goats and cattle which are dying or have died. We estimate at the moment that were feeding about six million people in the Horn of Africa. That could go up to ten million people, in coming months, the World Food Program spokesman noted. It is a dire situation. (CNA)

DADAAB, Kenya, July 17, 2011The U.K.-based Catholic Agency for Overseas Development is appealing to the world on behalf of 10 million East Africans facing starvation and death due to a severe drought. As we are talking now, were seeing 10 million people at risk, said the agencys International Director Geoff O Donoghue, in a July 9 Vatican Radio interview. We are trying to get resources to put clean water, medicine and food alongside these communities to get alongside people and support them to survive. Some aid workers say this years drought conditions in Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia and South Sudan are the worst in living memory. ODonoghue noted that no rains will likely arrive until October, and even then

Dolo Ado camp for Somali refugees in Ethiopia

Vatican Briefing
Pope says selfish economic models at root of world hunger

Pope Benedict XVI said persistent world hunger was a tragedy driven by selfish and profit-driven economic models, whose first victims are millions of children deprived of life or good health. In responding to the crisis, international agencies should rediscover the value of the family farm, promoting the movement of young people back into rural areas, the pope said July 1 in an address to participants in an annual conference on hunger organized by the Rome-based U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization. (CNS)
Vatican papers editor calls for info-ethics after News of the World scandal

The head of the Vatican paper LOsservatore Romano says the recent phone hacking scandal involving a British tabloid shows the need for better ethics in the field of journalism. What happened has been very unfortunate and News of the World was just the tip of the iceberg, editor-in-chief Gian Maria Vian told CNA July 11. At least nine journalists and three police officers are facing prison for hacking into the phones of celebrities, royals and families of crime victims to garner stories for News of the Worlda British tabloid paper owned by the media mogul Rupert Murdoch. (CNA)
Vatican: A Catholic Church in China must follow Church doctrine

If China wants a church that is Catholic, then it must follow the Churchs doctrine and discipline, a statement from the Holy See reminded July 4. The succinct Vatican message responded to the June 29 episcopal ordination of Father Paul Lei Shiyin, which occurred without the Popes approval. A similar ordination took place last November, followed the next month by an assembly of national Church representatives that the Vatican did not recognize. (Zenit)
Pope laments death of Otto Von Habsburg

Benedict XVI sent his condolences to the family of Otto von Habsburg, the last crown prince of Austria, Hungary, Croatia and Bohemia, who died July 4 in Pcking, Germany, at the age of 98. Also known as Archduke Otto of Austria, Otto was the eldest son of Blessed Charles I of Austria, the last emperor of Austria-Hungary. The empire dissolved in 1918, at the end of the First World War, and the Habsburg family was forced into exile. Trusting in God and aware of a significant heritage, the Pope added, Otto had been a committed European tirelessly working for freedom, for the unity of peoples and for a just order in this continent. (Zenit)
Cor Unum sends $70,000 to Somalia

The Pontifical Council Cor Unum is sending 50,000 ($70,700) to drought-stricken Somalia as a sign of Benedict XVIs concern and solidarity. Vatican Radio reported the pontifical council donation, directed to Bishop Giorgio Bertin of Djibouti, who is the apostolic administrator in Mogadishu. UNICEF reported Thursday that the most severe humanitarian emergency in the world has been declared in the Horn of Africa, with Somalia being the epicenter of the crisis. (Zenit)
Benedict XVI appeals for drought victims in Africa

Pope Benedict addressed the severe African droughts in his prayers following the Sunday Angelus on July 17. I am following with deep concern the news from the Horn of Africa, particularly Somalia, stricken by a severe drought and then, in some areas, even by heavy rains that are causing a humanitarian catastrophe, the Pope said, according to Vatican Radio. The Catholic Agency for Overseas Development recently reported that 10 million East Africans are facing starvation and death due to the severe drought. The agency noted that this years conditions are the worst in living memory. Rain is not expected until October. (CNA)
Pope encourages Catholics to nurture faith

Pope Benedict called on Catholics to nourish their faith in order to prevent evil from taking root in their lives. His words came during his July 17 Angelus address which took place in Castel Gandolfo. The Pope reflected on Sundays Gospel in which Jesus tells the parable of the wheat and the weeds, reported Vatican Radio. The Pope added that Jesus used parables to explain the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to a wheat field, to help us understand that something small and hidden is sown within us, which has an irrepressible life force. (CNA)
New nuncios for Chile, Belarus

Benedict XVI has appointed new apostolic nuncios to Chile and Belarus, the Vatican announced July 15. Archbishop Ivo Scapolo, 57, who had been serving as the nuncio in Rwanda since 2008, has been moved to Chile. And Archbishop Claudio Gugerotti, 55, who had been the apostolic nuncio to Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan since 2001, has been named nuncio to Belarus. (Zenit)

WFP - Judith Schuler

www.ucanews.com

www.mhccrusaders.com

CBCP Monitor
Vol. 15 No. 15
July 18 - 31, 2011

News Features
VATICAN City, July 12, 2011The Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelization unveiled a new project today to re-evangelize some of Europes major cities. The goal is simple: to give a sign of unity among the diverse dioceses present in the largest European cities that have been particularly affected by secularization, wrote Archbishop Rino Fisichella, the councils president, in the July 12 edition of the Vatican newspaper LOsservatore Romano. Archbishop Fisichella chaired a summit of bishops from a range of European cities who met at the Vatican July 11 to discuss the proposed project. The bishops came from Barcelona, Budapest, Brussels, Cologne, Dublin, Lisbon, Liverpool, Paris, Turin, Warsaw and Vienna. The scheme is being described as a metropolitan project. At the moment, the initiative is limited to some of the larger European dioceses in order to more concretely test its effectiveness, said Archbishop Fisichella, suggesting that it could be rolled out in other cities around the globe if it is found to be successful. The initiative will take place in Lent 2012 and will be based at each citys cathedral, which will host a range of activities. Events planned thus far are: a continual reading of the Gospel, the local bishop teaching young people, families and those converting to Catholicism, the promotion of confession, and a charitable initiative of some form. Archbishop Fisichella also mentioned an event that will be both spiritual and cultural in character, such as reading from the Confessions of St. Augustine. These initiatives will begin in the

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cathedral because of its important symbolic significance, but the intention is to extend them to the parishes of the dioceses for a more direct impact in the territory, he said. According to Archbishop Fisichella, the metropolitan missions will be aimed at those who live the faith but often do so in a way that lacks an awareness of how this can infuse their lifestyle. The missions also hope to engage those who are far from the faith, but are nonetheless attracted by the person of Jesus Christ. The Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization was established in 2010 by Pope Benedict XVI. He said he wanted it to promote a renewed evangelization in traditionally Christian countries which are living through a progressive secularization of society and a sort of eclipse of the sense of God. (CNA/EWTN News)

Vatican reveals European evangelization project

Archbishop Rino Fisichella

Cor Unum leader: Communion with Church at base of charity

Cardinal Sarah marks Councils 40th anniversary
be outdated. And though an enthusiasm for creating a world more to the measure of man was welcomed, there was also the danger of excessive adulation of earthy reality. Thus, Cardinal Sarah observed, Cor Unum was founded in a climate of questions about the nature of Christian witness in the world. The name Cor Unum one heart was no accident, the cardinal said. Taken from Acts 4:32, the title already contains diverse indications: it is the communion of the Church which is at the foundation of charitable witness; this, before an activity, is a state of being. It is in the communion of the Church where attention to the different members of the same body is nurtured, in reciprocal care (cfr. 1 Corinthians 12:25); it is thanks to the communion of the Church that the intention of a more unitary, incisive and universal presence in the world is carried out. So Cor Unum was entrusted with the task of coordinating various Church charity organization, responding to the growing needs of humanity in a common effort, under the direct It was on July 15, 1971, that Pope Paul VIs letter Amoris Officio established the pontifical council. The celebration of these first 40 years merits a glance at what the council has meant for the Church, and even more to outline the major challenges ahead today, Cardinal Sarah wrote. He noted the social context in which Cor Unum was born: a time in which the Church was giving an even greater attention ... to social questions. There was a backlash against cultural models which were thought to inspiration of the Holy See. Getting it right Cardinal Sarah said that already Paul VI anticipated some of the misunderstandings that would come to threaten a correct view of charity in the Church. He highlighted three, which even recently have been at the heart of discussions on Catholic identity, for example at the general assembly of Caritas Internationalis in May. The witness of charity finds its measure in Christ, the cardinal listed; and the search

www.dici.org

ROME, July 14, 2011As Church leaders are examining the Catholic identity of the Churchs charity services, the president of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum has used the dicasterys anniversary as an occasion to recall that the witness of charity is more than just doing social service it is a state of being. Cardinal Robert Sarah, the 66-year-old Guinea native who took over the Churchs charity council last October, reflected on the foundations of service in a LOsservatore Romano article marking Cor Unums 40th anniversary.

Bishop warns of unrest over Hacienda Luisita row

MANILA, July 8, 2011 The Aquino government could face a turbulent time of domestic unrest and challenges if it will remain silent on the disputed Hacienda Luisita, a Catholic bishop said. Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo gave the toughly worded warning Friday and called on President Benigno Aquino III to act on the issue based on what is just and lawful. Rural unrest could break out in the absence of genuine implementation of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program with extension and reform (CARPer) Law, Pabillo said in a press conference. He, and his advisers, should also bear in mind that the issue of land lies at the heart of the current peace process, he said. Pabillo said there is no room for neutrality when agrarian reform is concerned and when what is at stake is the plight of the farmers. He challenged Aquino to prove his sincerity for the poor by siding with the farmers of Hacienda Luisita, a 6,453-

hectare sugar plantation in Tarlac owned by the family the presidents family. We call on President Aquinos leadership to seize the chance presented by the tragic SC ruling. As Chief Executive, he cannot continue washing his hands on this issue, Pabillo said. Pabillo, head of the National Secretariat for Social Action of the Catholic

Bishops Conference of the Philippines, stressed that land distribution is the only path towards justice and economic sustainability. Pabillo said that as chief executive, Aquino cannot continue washing his hands on the issue. What kind of presidency does he hope to offer this country if he cannot

even make his own family relinquish its stranglehold on properties that in the first place were acquired through government resources? he said. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court (SC) revoked the stock distribution option (SDO) first offered by the Hacienda Luisita, Inc. (HLI) management. Under the SDO, farm workers were given the option to acquire shares of stocks instead of gaining land ownerships. The high court, however, ordered the Department of Agrarian Reform to hold another referendum among farm-workers to determine their choice between stocks or parcels of land. The issue now lies in Aquinos hands, according to Pabillo. He said it is well within Aquinos power to order DAR to distribute the land according to the spirit and conditions of the agrarian reform law. The integrity of his social contract is clouded in doubts and mistrust until he finally learns to give precedence to the poor through social justice, he said. (CBCPNews)
www.arkibongbayan.org

Integrity is not enough, Archbishop Soc tells Aquino

for justice does not exhaust the duty of charity; preaching of the Gospel, which is not proselytism, is an integral part of charitable activity. Cardinal Sarah noted that Pope John Paul II, too, was quick to emphasize the link between the Gospel and charity. He cited the Polish Pontiffs 1978 speech when he visited Cor Unum for the first time: We must also take care to set advancement carefully in the context of evangelization, which is the fullness of human advancement, since it proclaims and offers mans full salvation. (Zenit)

MANILA, July 13, 2011The liberating elements that set apart Natural Family Planning (NFP) from artificial means are normally taken for granted, said Willy Jose, an NFP teacher accredited by the World Organization Ovulation Method Billings (WOOMB). What are normally overlooked about NFP are its side-effects. Yes, side-effects, said Jose, whotogether with his wifeis part of the Pro-life Ministry of Couples for Christ. These side-effects, however, are beneficialmost especially for the woman: the freedom from the compulsion to indulge, the enhanced communication and mutual

NFP liberates, contraception regards life as burdenNFP teacher

respect [between her and her husband] borne out of love, and the healthy body untainted by chemicals. Quoting Theology of the Body speaker Christopher West, who was in Manila recently for a series of talks, Jose remarked that lust sees the body as something, love respects the body as someone. Lust sacrifices others for oneself, love sacrifices oneself for others. Lust sees fertility as a burden/obstacle, love rejoices in the mystery of fertility. He pointed out that NFP rejoices in the gift of life, adding that it is a way of life rather than just a method for practicing couples. Failure due to user or due to method? As for claims made by some population control advocates that the poor or unschooled learning natural family planning is an unrealistic expectation, Jose remarked that the highly educated can be even more difficult to teach because of their overconfidence. In fact, the unschooled are in the best position to learn and master NFP, if the findings of field trials on Billings Ovulation Method (BOM) practice in China are to be considered. In these trials that involved approximately 1,000 peasants, laborers and intellectuals as subjects, it was found that most failure cases occurred among the subjects who achieved the most advanced formal education, according to the evaluation of Pharmacology professor Shao Zhen Qian, who presented his findings at a 2000 Congress organized by the Centre for Study and Research in the Natural Regulation of Fertility in Italy. They all felt sorry and admitted that since they considered the method was simple and easy to master, they had paid less attention to the teaching course and had not strictly followed the rules. The consequence was use-related failures, stated the results of the BOM field trials, which are posted in the WOOMB website.

In contrast, the illiterate women were generally very attentive to BOM teaching and rigidly stuck to the rules, and failures were very rare. The study noted that due to its high efficacy, low expenditure and extreme safety incomparable [to] any other contraceptives methods, BOM is well accepted by the Chinese couple of different cultural and [economic] backgrounds. Among the conclusions drawn from the trials was that the BOM is simple and easy to comprehend; almost all the women, including the illiterate, can successfully learn the method and identify their own mucus symptoms. (Diana Uichanco)

NGO urges P-Noy govt to ratify maritime convention

MANILA, July 14, 2011With the increasing number of abuses against Filipino seafarers, Manila-based International Seafarers Action Center (ISAC) Foundation, Inc. in Manila appealed to the Benigno C. Aquino III government to ratify the International Labor Organizations (ILO) Maritime Labor Convention of 2006. Attorney Joseph T. Entero, ISAC secretary-general, in a statement said that their organization has been handling numerous cases of abuse, ranging from nonpayment of salaries and benefits, up to mysterious deaths of Filipino mariners boarded in different foreign ships. It is saddening, he said, that despite the significant contribution of the seafarers in the countrys economy, the government seems to neglect them. Last year, our seafarers had remitted as much as $3.7 billionan increase of more than 11 percent from the total dollar remittance by our mariners in 2009. However, the government seems [to be] continuously disregarding our mariners by having the Maritime Labor Convention of 2006 left unratified, Entero stated. He said that there are already 13 countries that adopted the 5-year old Convention, but unfortunately, the Philippines is not one of them. The MLC provides a more comprehensive rights and protection at work for the worlds more than 1.2 million seafarers. Its primary aim is to provide decent work for seafarers and to secure the economic interests of ship owners which follow high shipping standards. It consolidates and updates the 68 international labor standards related to the Maritime sector, which the ILO and the stakeholders had adopted for the last 80 years, Entero explained. He added that with Filipinos constituting the 25 per cent of the entire mariners population in the world, it is high time for President Aquino and our lawmakers, to consider its ratification and adoption. (Noel Sales Barcelona)

MANILA, July 15, 2011 The Aquino administration remains untarnished by allegations of corruption but has yet to prove its worth in governance, a Catholic bishop said. Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas reminded President Benigno Aquino III that integrity is not enough because leadership is about vision setting too. In the balanced square of leadership, the other three sides must be economic progress and stability; second, political will and clarity of laws; and the third is availability of education and social services, said Villegas. If these three sides are given equal support connected by integrity and blameless living, even integrity itself will become part of our national ethics and the rays of bright future await us, he said. Villegas made the statement yesterday in a speech before the Rotary Club meeting and induction ceremonies at the Lyceum of Northwestern Philippines in Dagupan City. According to the incoming vice president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, Aquinos possession of integrity was a good start but more was needed. Leadership without vision is treachery to the governed. Integral leadership also means setting the path towards the future, he said. Leadership, he added, must also be integrating in the sense that it must embrace and unite and not alienate and divide. The true statesman must reach out and seek consensus. The leader is a servant not only of those who support him but even more of those who do not share his vision. The man of integrity must also be a man of unity, Villegas said. Prosecution for previous wrongdoings must be carried out to the full but such must be done in pursuit of justice not revenge. Political vendetta divides even more, he said. President Aquino is set to deliver his second State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 25. (CBCPNews)

Roy Lagarde / CBCPNews

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EDITORIAL

Opinion
Malice making use of power

CBCP Monitor
Vol. 15 No. 15
July 18 - 31, 2011

THE fiasco of the PCSO officials accusing bishops of receiving Pajeros from them exposes the ugly reality of how law and any earthly power and authority not vitally connected to morality can easily be manipulated to allow malice to play its dirty tricks. These man-made institutions and systems, which by themselves are always imperfect and in need of higher and deeper principles, can leave a lot of room for evil scheming to take place. This was quite clear when in the Senate investigation of the so-called Pajero bishops, it was found out that there was no Pajero involved, that the utility vehicles, one of which was a second-hand pick-up truck, were used for rural ministry, that there was nothing unconstitutional in bishops getting some aid from PCSO, that if there was any legal violation, the fault would lie more on the PCSO officials than on the bishops, etc. Malice is all over the place. Mrs. Margie Juico is now the face, the poster girl of that vastly orchestrated malice that now appears to have been participated in by some parts of the media, some members of the Senate, and a public relations office. She thought her gotcha plan would fly. It crashed on her! In spite of being confronted by the tremendous amount of evidence showing lack of basis for their accusation, those involved have not emitted even a fart of an apology. Some continue to be defiant and recalcitrant, going deep in their unfair views. The bishops were given kid-glove treatment by the Senate, bannered a newspaper headline. Some commentators simply went ballistic with showing what could be inside their heart and their personal statustraces of liberalism, atheism, agnosticism, utter disrespect for Church authorities, etc. Even gay writers, livid in their uncontrollable bitchiness, pitched in, pouring scorn and insults on the bishops. The issue must have been a eureka and a screaming glee moment for them, showcasing their almost inherent creativity and artistry, honed up by their penchant to live in a fantasy world. Of course, the gospel has already warned that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. If one only has malice in her heart, it will definitely show in words and actions. If one has no faith or only has a badly digested faith, that condition will also show sooner or later. It will express in forms of ignorance and error, confusion, doubts and suspicions, fear, sarcasm, irony, superstition, bias and prejudice, etc. All these can be expressed in bitterness, unrestrained hostility, rigidity and inflexibility. Narrow-mindedness assumes prominence. Words become daggers. Arguments come equipped with fangs, claws and poison. One has to look into motives and intentions, because they give the trajectory of our thoughts, words and actions, and indicate the goal we want to reachGod or ourselves. When intentions are not deliberately purified and made to orient properly to their ultimate goal, God, then they become easy prey to our passions and to the many deceiving allurements of the world. They influence the way one sees and understands things. An old philosophical adage expresses this well: Quidquid recipitur ad modum recipientis recipitur. (Whatever is received is received according to the manner of the receiver.) If a commentator, for example, has malice or has an axe to grind against another person, or is an atheist, an agnostic, a liberal if not a libertine, then he will filter and arrange all the data and information he gets according to his mentality. Indeed, objectivity, the attainment of truth and justice, etc., depends on ones adherence to God who is the ultimate and providential author of all reality. One can only become objective, truthful and fair to the extent that he identifies himself with God. One cannot rely on our reason and senses alone. Not even on our popular consensus on things. These can go anywhere, and can become a tool for malice.
Illustration by Bladimer Usi

Oscar V. Cruz, DD

Views and Points

IN its common understanding, a boomerang is a hard material which when thrown away, makes the round and goes back to the thrower. And in its ordinary implication, a boomerang means something that backfires, that returns and causes a backlash. It is the same as spitting at heaven. The sputum simply falls back at the spatter. This is exactly the picture and the reality when Malacaang and its cohorts recently attempted to undermine the CBCP that is their headache by strongly countering their amoral options and sinister designs. They want the CBCP to play blind, deaf and dumb about their corporate distorted and well funded legislative agenda. The Sex Bill. The Divorce Bill. The same Sex Marriage Bill. Instead of dignifying human sexuality, they want it seen as but meat in the market. Instead of promoting and

Boomerang
larity is not enough. Catching mantras do not make things happen. Perorations do not effect change. Jokes about ones peculiar personal life are shallow and vain. And how in the world can someone have the much needed political will in administering the affairs of the country when the subject party does not even have the will to stop smoking?! It might be a little help to remind the known spinners as well as the one unfortunately spinned that the global church is more than 2,000 years old. Millions like them have become old, sick and fell dead. And the Church with her hierarchy remains up and about. In other words, it will definitely need much more than tyrants and emperors, kings and queens, dictators and presidents to undermine and/or banish the church from the face of the worldthe Philippines included. Fools never learn!

protecting the sanctity of families, they want these undermined, desecrated and eventually destroyed. And, instead of respecting natural law about men and women, they want it futilely abrogated. And by no means have the Filipinos heard the last or seen everything in the attempt of the present administration to neutralize the CBCP, to make it a big joke, a national shame. Thus is it that there is the pending Church Taxation Bill meant to tax Filipino Catholics in particular, no less than four times: One, direct tax. Two, indirect tax. Three, donors tax. Four, contributions tax odious and gross! Whats next? Only the spinners around the national leadership know. The national leadership may somehow know but does not really understand it. This is the deadly cost of incompetence in governance. Electoral popu-

Hope in acting justly

WE see hope in acting justly. Justice required that all of us, clergy and religious, your spiritual leaders look after the good of the flock without any regard for profit, pleasure, or power, because that is the call of God to us. We see hope in loving tenderly. Love requires all spiritual leaders to offer the sacrifice of their talents, in fact their very lives, for the people given by God to their care. For this was the manner of Christs own love. It demands a love that neither exploits others nor takes advantage of any member of the flock, but respects and uplifts all members as Gods own beloved children. We see hope in walking humbly. We walk humbly when we ask for forgiveness from God and from the victims of our sins. We walk humbly when, divesting ourselves of power and authority, go to those from whom we have separated ourselves through self-interest, arrogance, or abuse of power, and reconcile with them heart to heart. For why should not religious leaders be one with their flock, when they themselves are ambassadors of reconciliation? The hope of a better Philippines, of a holy Church, that God gives as a gift comes through a life that is renewed, a life that acts justly, loves tenderly, and walks humbly with God. Such a life is itself the grace of God. This is the message we wish to proclaim to you as we journey through a series of storms whose waves threaten to swamp both Church and society. Have faith! Have courage, says Jesus. In him we have hope that does not disappoint. Hope in the midst of crisis, A Message from the CBCP, 2002

Pornography, rape and incest

A FEW months ago, the DSWD referred to us four sisters ages 12, 11, 9 and 8. Except for the 8 year old, all three were sexually molested by their own birth father. Their mother is an OFW in HK. At present, we have a 17 year old special child with mental capacity of a six year-old, who was raped by her grandfather. Eighty percent of the cases that we admit in the Welcome House run by the Good Shepherd Sisters referred by the Child Protection Unit of Philippine General Hospital, regional offices of DSWD, local police stations, parishes or school guidance counselors are cases of rape, incest, and other forms sexual molestation. Most of them are in their teens. And most of the incidents happen within the household. Besides the father or grandfather, abusers or perpetrators could be the stepfather, uncle, brother, driver, neighbor, boyfriend or acquaintance. When the girls are asked to describe the abuser, many of them reveal that there is proliferation of pornography in the house, the man is addicted to cybersex or cell phone sex and uses foul language often. Indeed, there is a deadly connection between pornography and rape/incest. An article in InquirerIs pornography driving men crazy? (PDI 7/11/11) caught my attention and helped me realize why there is such alarming increase of sexual crimes in our society today. (In the earlier years of Welcome House, we did not have as many cases of rape as we have now). The author, Naomi Wolf, states that because pornography is addicting so that ordinary sexual images lose their power, leading consumers to need images and activities that break other taboos. While in the past, people would be discreet and generally used

Sr. Mary Pilar Verzosa, RGS

Love Life
better judgment in order to cover their tracks, it is amazing how so many, including popular figures, just expose their private behavior in Facebook, Twitter and other indiscreet media. She asks What is driving this weirdly uninhibited decision-making? Could the widespread availability and consumption of pornography in recent years actually be rewiring the male brain affecting mens judgment about sex and causing them to have more difficulty controlling their impulses? I agree, especially with her explanation of how addiction occurs. She explains that pornography has been progressively desensitizing men sexually. Researchers found that they quickly required higher levels of stimulation to achieve the same level of arousal. Porn delivers rewards to the male brain in the form of short-term dopamine boost, which for an hour or two afterwards, lifts mens mood and makes them feel good. In general the neural circuitry is identical to that for other addictive triggers, such as gambling or cocaineAs with any addiction, it is difficult, for neurochemical reasons, for an addict to stop doing things, even very self-destructive things that enable him to get that next hit of dopamine. Pornography drives men crazycrazy enough to rape their own daughters, friends, or any one vulnerable enough for them to threaten, court or pay. I have encountered some of these men during the court hearings of our girls. Most of them look decent and contrite, some confused as to why and how they got into that evil in the first place. What to them is plain macho behavior and applauded by the porn sellers, barkada or media turns out to be their condemnation. This is not to excuse the abusers. And this is just one explanation for such violence.
Lovelife / A5

Fr. James H. Kroeger, MM

www.cbcpmonitor.com cbcpmonitor@cbcpworld.net

Living Mission
A DEEP sense of the urgency and importance of mission characterizes the great saints of the Catholic Church. At the end of July we celebrate the Feast of Saint Ignatius of Loyola. He was profoundly aware that he had been called and given a mission by none less than the Lord! Iigo Lpez de Loyola, the youngest of thirteen children of a noble Basque family, spent his youth as a courtier and later as a soldier in the service of the Spanish king. All this changed when he suffered a grievous leg injury during the unsuccessful defense of Pamplona. His prolonged convalescence provoked a profound conversion; he came to see that promoting Gods glory was the only value worth his total dedication. Ignatius crossed the frontier of personal transformation during his own conversion; he laid down his sword at the altar of Our Lady in Monserrat. He made a pilgrimage to Manresa, spending several months in solitary reflection. In Paris, while preparing for priesthood, he exhorted his fellow students

Mission demands Crossing new frontiers

Yet, Scripture shows Jesus reaching out to those on the frontiers, ignoring and breaking down barriers. Jesus engages the Samaritan woman at the well (Jn. 4:1-42). He also tells the parable of the Good Samaritan (Lk. 10:25-37). Of the ten lepers who were cured, only the Samaritan returned to thank Jesus (Lk. 17:11-19). The Gospels are filled with incidents where Jesus is on the frontiers, relating with people on the margins. In his mission and ministry, He had but one goal: The Son of Man has come to seek out and save what was lost (Lk. 19:10). To describe mission today (following both Jesus and Ignatius), one might validly employ such phrases as: crossing boundaries, exploring new frontiers, breaking down barriers, or transcending differences. All these phrases have one common factor: mission often demands preaching the Gospel in new, unexplored and difficult situations. Recent documents issued by the Jesuits
Living Mission / A5

Pedro C. Quitorio
Editor-in-Chief

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Features Editor

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Associate Editor

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News Editor

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Circulation Manager

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Comptroller

The CBCP Monitor is published fortnightly by the CBCP Communications Development Foundation, Inc., with editorial and business offices at 470 Gen. Luna St., Intramuros, Manila. P.O. Box 3601, 1076 MCPO. Editorial: (063) 404-2182. Business: (063)404-1612.; ISSN 1908-2940

to lives of heroic piety. Along with six companions he formed a new religious order, the Jesuits, to renew and serve the Church. He asked his companions to go to new frontiers, addressing situations as diverse as the crisis caused by the Protestant Reformation or the challenges of evangelization in the Indies. We can find parallels between Ignatius and the mission approach of Jesus. The Gospels frequently show Jesus on the frontiers, moving beyond established boundaries, beyond the religious or societal restrictions of his time, always seeking to reveal Gods love to all people. He broke down barriers between God and sinners, tax collectors, Samaritans and women. When the Pharisees complained: Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners? Jesus answered: I have not come to call the virtuous, but sinners to repentance (Lk. 5:29-32). In Jesus time Samaritans were hated by the Jews. They were despised because they were only half-Jews, since they had intermarried with the invading Assyrians.

CBCP Monitor
Vol. 15 No. 15
July 18 - 31, 2011

A5
Omnia in bonum
are in order. People are making suggestions for bishops to be more circumspect in their pronouncements, taking special care that their language, tone and argumentation truly reflect charity that is earnestly seeking truth and justice. They speak in the name of Christ, of the Church. They just have to reflect Christ in their words. It cannot be denied that some of their pronouncements and actuations, especially those done individually, have caused great dismay among the faithful for being inflammatory, divisive, tendentious, simplistic, imprudent, etc. They sometimes show traces of bitter zeal. What is clear is that they have to promptly discern the finer, often shifting shades of the distinction between their duty to evangelize politics, for example, and the disorder of falling into partisan politics already. They also need to hone their communication skills so that the perennial teaching of the Church can be transmitted with due respect to the varying sensitivities of the people. Theres so much to proclaim, explain and defend in todays Areopagus that is the media. They have to be clear about their doctrine. Its disturbing to hear a bishop vacillating in his answer to a moral question. There has to be a way to correct if not avoid or at least minimize the faux pas. If there is such thing as fraternal correction, it has to be given most especially to bishops and priests to help them.

Fr. Roy Cimagala

Candidly Speaking
THE Latin phrase means all unto good. Its a paraphrase of what St. Paul said in his letter to the Romans, To them that love God, all things work together unto good, to such as, according to his purpose, are called to be saints. (8, 28) Its a relevant expression to describe what is happening in the issue of the so-called Pajero bishops. The demolition job has been exposed for what it truly isa very malicious move of some government people to besmirch the reputation of some bishops and weaken the stature of the Church that has been vocal against the RH bill. The plot demolished the authors much more than its intended victims, such that we need to pray that this government could survive the unavoidable backlash. And while we are now picking the pieces and doing some repair, we are thankful that precious lessons are also learned. Indeed the whole thing reminds me of the biblical story of Joseph and his brothers who sold him to some traders out of envy. Joseph ended up becoming a big man in Egypt, and when people had to go to him for food during a long period of drought, his brothers also went to him without knowing it was Joseph they went to. The meeting is so dramatic I always shed a tear while reading it. When finally Joseph could not contain himself, he identified himself to his brothers. I am your brother Joseph, whom you once sold into Egypt. But now do not be distressed, and do not reproach yourselves

Commentary
Michael Cook

for having sold me here. It was really for the sake of saving lives that God sent me here ahead of youYou meant evil against me, but God meant it for good (Gen 45ff) So this ugly and painful Pajero episode has occasioned also many good things. For one, people are now more aware of the heavy and thankless job bishops carry out, such that many are now offering help to them, like donating cars and giving money to help them run dioceses whose only source of income are the alms given to them. Many Catholics only see the externals and think that bishops must be having a good time always because they are given deferential treatment by the people wherever they go. They also have nice residences and cars, etc., which actually have been built up through the years of Episcopal successions. What people dont see is that they have to finance the running of the many churches and offices of the whole diocese, take care of the priests, do a lot of charity work, make all sorts of trips within the diocese and other places for all kinds of meetings, etc. And these are not his main work. He has to concentrate on prayer, study and preparing his homilies and other addresses, preaching, administering the sacraments, receiving all kinds of requests and invitations, etc. This episode can also occasion a deeper examination on how bishops are carrying out their prophetic mission especially on politics and business and the tricky world of public opinion. I am sure some corrections

Anything else on the menu?

HOW is this law going to hurt your marriage? That is the jeer hurled at opponents of New Yorks new same-sex marriage law. As the Boston Globe put it memorably some time ago, same-sex marriage will no more undermine traditional marriage than sailing undermines swimming. Indeed, many supporters of traditional marriage dont know how to respond. Fortunately, however, at least three answers were quickly presented in the New York Times. The Times supported the law and praised as a powerful and principled choice when it was passed. Since it is New Yorks newspaper of record and the flagship of American progressive thinking, there can be little doubt that the ideas promoted in its pages will someday emerge as real options. The first was an op-ed piece by Katherine M. Franke, a Columbia University law professor. On the day before the bill passed, she confessed that she really didnt want to marry her long-time lesbian partner anyway. Why lose the flexibility and benefits of living as domestic partners? As far as she was concerned, we think marriage ought to be one choice in a menu of options by which relationships can be recognized and gain security. One choice in a menu of legally supported relationships? How long is the menu? If marriage is just the most demanding of many options, it is sure to lose its prestige and popularity. The second comes in a background article by Ralph Richard Banks, a professor at Stanford Law School. What comes after gay marriage? Well, he puts his money on polygamy and incest. Professor Banks points out that legal prohibitions on either practice are not nearly as strong as they once were. They are forbidden because people who engage in them are regarded as morally reprehensible. Therefore society feels justified in discriminating against them. But this is bound to change: Over time, our moral assessments of these practices will shift, just as they have with interracial marriage and same sex marriage. We will begin to take seriously questions that now seem beyond the pale: Should a state be permitted to imprison two cousins because they have sex or attempt to marry? Should a man and two wives be permitted to live together as a family when they assert that their religious convictions lead them to do so? In short, add polygamy and incest to the menu of options. The third is a long profile of Dan Savage, whom the Times describes as Americas leading sex-advice columnist. Savage writes a syndicated column for more than 50 newspapers and even appears on the Times op-ed page from time to time. Savage, who claims to be both culturally Catholic and gay, thinks that gay couples have a lot to teach heterosexual couples, especially about monogamy. Idealising monogamy destroys families, he contends. Men are simply not made to be monogamous. Until feminism came along, men had mistresses and visited prostitutes. But instead of extending the benefits of the sexual revolution to women, feminism imposed a chastity belt on men. And its been a disaster for marriage, he says. What we need, in his opinion, is relationships which are open to the occasional flingas long as partners are open about it. A sociologist at New York University, Judith Stacey, told the Times that monogamy is simply not meant for everyone. One size never fits all, and it isnt just dividing between men and women and gay and straight, she said. Monogamy is not natural, non-monogamy is not natural. Variation is whats natural. Traditional marriagewell, actually, real marriageis and has always been monogamous and permanent. There have been and always will be failures. But that is the ideal to which couples aspire. They marry for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part. The expectation is exclusivity in a life-long commitment. Marriage can be a struggle and even couples who have notched up decades of fidelity need to have their wedding vows supported by the law and the surrounding culture. By and large, same-sex marriage will not shatter their commitment. But it can hardly fail to affect the attitudes of young couples who are thinking of marriage a decade from now. First of all, traditional marriage will be one of a number of options. Even if they choose it, they will have different expectations and dreams than their parents. For them, marriage will include acceptance of infidelity, will not necessarily involve children, and will probably only last a few years. Supporters of same-sex marriage say that the New York law is good for marriage. In a way theyre right. Just as World War II was good for Germany because out of the ashes, corpses and rubble arose a heightened sense of human dignity and a democratic and peaceful government, same-sex marriage will heighten our esteem for real marriage. But in the meantime, the suffering will be great. (Michael Cook is editor of MercatorNet that has a special republishing arrangement with the CBCP Monitor)
Living Mission / A4

We can pierce the darkness

IT was St. Thomas who said that there is no race of men so blessed whose god approaches so near, as our God approaches us. So near does God go to each person, He extends his hand lovingly but we do not grasp back. There are those who call themselves Filipino Free Thinkers, Catholics 4 RH, or Catholics For a Free Choice. The latter, of course, is composed of strident advocates and practicing believers of you-know-what. Did God perhaps bypass them in his heart-to-heart visits? Did God cross out their names in his eternal phone book? Does God drop by only upon rosary-bearing, Amen-rejoicing Charismatics? Does God un-friend those whose ranks un-welcomed his Bishops at the gates of the Senate on that darkness-turned glorious July the 13th? Or is it the case that those mitre-clad youths and their fire-breathing comrades have drawn themselves towards strange grounds set apart by a metaphysical abyss that separates creature from Creator, nothingness from Infinity, and humanity from God? That is not even the ultimate deliberate separation from Gods friendship. There is a second, an ethical abyss that expands the separation from the God that reaches out. For if the first distance is not bridged, a wider remoteness settles. It is loneliness. It is the ultimate psychological abyss because it renders the soul unable to turn and look over the shoulder in a furtive glance at God with eyes betraying a faint cry for help. Of the protesters at the main gate, can we say, They know not what they do? That does not cover all the facts. As we are

Atty. Jo Imbong

Pro Bono
witnessing it in our day, there is a love of evil as such and it is real. Such defiance of truth has reached an intensity unparalleled in Philippine Church history. But it is a fact that the Church and its Princesour dear Bishopsare being systematically persecuted. If you must know, the belligerent lobby refers to them in their reports to CEDAW monitoring bodies as the greatest obstacle to reproductive health in the Philippines. And while there is to be found great holiness in the Church and in the flock, there is also to be found a loosening of hold on Gods fatherly hand. There is a very forceful tsunami that breaks our hold upon the Tree of the Cross, making it seemingly harder and harder for the multitude to believe and love with all its strength. Thus, the abyss. In the days before 13 July, it was as if the Christian world was weighed down by a dense pall of black vapor, as black as the Black Budget in the PCSO funds that Senator Miriam Santiago spoke of that morning. It was so palpable, it was in the air as cameras rolled and shutters flashed upon our beloved Cardinal and Bishops as they humbly trudged the steps to Session Hall. The Fourth Sorrowful Mystery: Jesus Carries His Cross. Today, as the pall lifts, there is only one way to scuttle it once and for all. To be able to do this, we must use the power of Light. Who shall wield it? It will beus. For in the normal way of Gods providence, it will be through the vision and love and effort of each of us who are His instruments.

Fr. Carmelo O. Diola

Spaces of Hope
WE are edified by the meek and humble action of our seven bishops during their appearance before the Senate last week. Although cleared by the Senate of any wrongdoing, they nevertheless apologized for the pain and confusion they inadvertently caused people and even returned the vehicles given to them by the PCSO. These were not the actuations of insensitive leaders some have painted them to be. In fact, these are very hard-working leaders ministering the public in very rugged terrain. But sadly the pain and confusion continue. While the bishops have set the example of owning up to some shortcomings, Chairman Juico of the PCSO is still not forthright about an apology for her statement regarding nonexisting Pajeros. She is pointing fingers on others when several TV network cameras

Juicos Pajeros
leaders were singled out in the controversy? How about unexplained wealth of those who have used their public office for private gain? How about business leaders who promote an uneven playing field through undue and pecuniary means? Yes, we are all part of the problem and of the solution. This is something an actor several months ago seems to have forgotten when he donned on a costume to try to appear like the National Hero of the Philippines and made a disrespectful scene in a house of worship. He forgot that the word hypocrisy actually comes from the Greek word actor and that by making sweeping, emotional gestures and statements that missed their mark, he was actually playing out the part. Can we not all come in humility and move forward together?

have captured her exact words and as if her words were not putting the good name of individuals and the credibility of an institution on the line. This does not sit well with our expectations of a public servant. Many Filipinos have indeed fallen to the temptation of finger pointing and have made self-righteousness our favorite pastime. We are always ready to jump the gun with our passionate pronouncements, yes pontifications, even before the facts are allowed to emerge. For sure, there will be people who will still misinterpret the actuations of the bishops and put them in a bad light. One wonders then about their real motivations. While one cannot always attribute ill will to those who may criticize the Church, several questions remain unresolved. Why is it that only Catholic religious

God works in His mysterious ways!

LOS ANGELES, California. The past few weeks rocked the Catholic Church with so much controversies on the alleged luxurious Pajero cars given to some Bishops by the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office or PCSO. It caused too much shame, pain and damage to the Catholic Church, the hierarchy and the faithful. The media did not help any; they feasted on the issue without even correcting the misinformation. I sincerely believed in the innocence of our Bishops. I could not help but be furious at the injustice of the false accusations. Being hands on in the social development and pastoral work of the Church, I know that it is always at the forefront whenever there is typhoon, flood, landslide, earthquake, fire and armed conflict in the community. The Church offers its facilities as evacuation areas to calamity victims. People flocked to San Ildefonso Church in Navotas City when a big fire gutted a large part of our Parish; the people went to Church when typhoon inundated their houses by the big waves of the nearby sea. The Church is always the first to reach and give aid and assistance to the people. The kindness of the Church is never-ending, always unconditional, no limit, not selective. The Church never asks whether the victim is a Catholic or not; to the Shepherds and the faithful, everyone is equal, everyone is Gods creation, everyone is created under His image. In the CBCP Pastoral Letter, the Bishops stated that they were compelled by their extreme desire to serve the poorest of the poor. They accepted with humility the responsibility for their action and even willing to face the consequences if proven

Atty. Aurora A. Santiago

Duc in Altum
unlawful, anomalous and unconstitutional their request for PCSO vehicles which they need to bring the sick and the dying from far flung mountainous areas and cross rivers due to lack of bridges in their Diocese. I was practically teary-eyed while the concerned Bishops read their Position Papers. I was hurting when Most Rev. Orlando Quevedo, O.M.I, of Cotabato narrated the need for heavy duty 4 x 4 pick-ups, not Pajero, when his Diocese was recently inundated by floods. Who would not feel that way when our spiritual leaders are being faulted for something that is far from the truth; that really hurts. It is prophetic that our Shepherds decided to return the vehicles. The Lord has plans for allowing this to happen. More good will come to the Church. Eating dinner in front of television while watching the Senate Hearing, I am sure the event sent the message to the world that the information fed by the PCSO officials to the media, who were obviously against the Catholic Church, were not that accurate. The seven Bishops are from far flung provinces that have areas difficult to reach. Most of them are from calamity or conflictstricken areas, Mindanao and Northern Luzon. When they lack resources, they seek the assistance of others, particularly in health services and in charity. Thus, some of their service vehicles from PCSO are heavy duty in order to bring their social, health, and charitable services to the remote areas. Other Bishops received vehicles that have multiple purposes of bringing indigent sick people to hospitals or distribute food,
Duc in Altum / A7

(GC 35) describe their mission as building bridges across barriers, reaching geographical and spiritual places others do not reach or find difficult to reach, moving to the frontiers of culture and of religion, traversing frontiers between rich and poor, between educated and unlearned. Already in 1990 in his mission encyclical Redemptoris Missio, John Paul II asked the Church to examine the new worlds and new social phenomena that characterize life today (e.g. urbanization, migration, youth, refugees, poverty, communications, international relations, etc.). These are truly new frontiers that demand the mission response of committed Christians. This short reflection on mission and evangelization today, based on Jesus approach in the Gospels as well as the experience of Ignatius and the Jesuits, includes some very great challenges. The renewal of mission in the Church will demand fresh ideas and creative approaches, because the questions and situations of people today are, in fact, new frontiers for evangelization. Easy answers and solutions are not available. This writer has done nothing more than raise some urgent questions. Profound reflection and commitment is demanded of each of us as disciples of Jesus the missionary.
Love Life / A4

What can we, the rest of us who stand innocent of such abomination, do to stop the proliferation of rape and pornography in society? How do we reach out as fast as possible in warning our children to get from harms way? How do we instill in the minds and consciences of media and porn sellers the gravity of their responsibility? There ought to be more forums and advocacies to answer these hard questions. For more information on these issues and for counseling, contact Pro-life Phil office at 733-7027, life@prolife.org.ph

Archbishop Antonio Ledesma

A6

Local News

CBCP Monitor
Vol. 15 No. 15
July 18 - 31, 2011

Interfaith Pro-Life Coalition calls for decency, backs govt fight vs. corruption
MEMBERS of various religious and socio-civic groups have banded together to express their call for moral recovery and their support for the present administrations pro-poor programs and campaign against all forms of corruption. At a press conference on July 15 at the Club Filipino, San Juan, which gathered representatives of Catholic, evangelical Christian and Muslim groups as well as speakers from the education and youth sectors, former congressman Dr. Benny Abante expressed the interfaith Pro-Life Coalitions call. We, the Prolife Coalition, comprising 40 strong religious and sociocivic groups, declare our united and unwavering support of all pro-poor programs of the present administration; we likewise convey our unequivocal support for its relentless fight against all forms of corruption and for every centerpiece program that promotes and fosters social justice, equity and genuine development, especially in the countryside, Dr. Abante read from a prepared statement titled Reunite and restore: A call for national solidarity and moral recovery. He also emphasized the alliances support for more socially and morally relevant legislation, and declared Society Alliance opposition to efrepresented at the forts that depart press conference. from the drive for There are so national moral remany verses of covery, citing the t h e K or an t h at pursuit of the Restate about proproductive Health life [principles]. (RH) bill. Sabi sa Koran, We, the Prodont kill your lifers, strongly children by fear oppose and will of poverty. Huvehemently resist wag matakot beany or all moves cause Allah will by any individual, sustain you, group or institustated Eleem Said tion to enact the Akmad Basher, RH bill into law, chairman of the particularly the Imam Council of senseless spending the Philippines. of billions of pesos We believe on contraceptives that children are in the guise of gifts from God, responsible parnot accidents to be enthood and safe avoided. In nursex, the inclusion turing and propof sex education An interfaith coalition of pro-lifers calls on Filipinos to take active stance in fighting the RH bill erly [upbringing] in the curriculum and any government efforts that undermines the integrity of family and marriage. these gifts can we for children and look forward to minors, virtually usurping the divine responsibility of passes both Houses, he stated. a bright future, said Bishop Reuben parents to teach their own children, as Several Islamic groups belong to the Abante of Baptist group Biblemode. we urge our President to exercise his coalition, with the Imam Council of the Lipa Archbishop Ramon Arguelles power to veto such, if and when this bill Philippines and the Bangsamoro Civil appealed for solidarity on the campaign
Luisita / A1
Raymond Bandril / CBCPMedia

for a culture of life. Sana magsamasama tayo na ipagtanggol ang buhay, he said. Dr. Abante concluded the coalitions statement with a call to all Filipinos: We hereby enjoin not only our government leaders, lawmakers and public servants, but every freedom-loving and God-fearing Filipino to do away with apathy, complacency and bahala na mentality and take an active stance in confronting these moral and social cancers of our time, eroding the very foundation of our family, society and country. Others who spoke at the press conference were former Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) head Bro. Rolando Dizon, former Senator Francisco Tatad, Atty. Jo Aurea Imbong, Executive Secretary of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) Legal Office; Atty. Jeremiah Belgica, Legal Counsel of the Christian Bishop Ministers Association of the Philippines (CBMAP) and Chairman of Kabataang Bagong Buhay; Renelyn Tan, Regional Director of World Youth Alliance Asia Pacific (WYAAP); and John Walter Juat of UP Against the RH Bill. (Diana Uichanco)

Film on media killings to raise funds for journalists

A FILM highlighting the spate of media killings in the country is set to hit the movie theatres soon. The film was produced as a special project of the National Union of Journalists in the Philippines (NUJP) aimed to raise funds to help its members. The NUJP is a nationwide organization of Filipino journalists and has around 1,000 members in around 60 chapters in Manila and the provinces. The movie titled DEADLINE (The Reign of Impunity), is about media killings in the Philippines, highlighted by the November 23, 2009 massacre in Maguindanao. A special screening of the film is slated on July 22, 2011, 7pm at SM North EDSA Cinema 10. The film was directed by Joel Lamangan
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and written by Bonifacio Ilagan. The project is part of the groups advocacy to defend press freedom and protect journalists in the country. The spate of media killings has earned the Philippines the shady distinction of one of the most dangerous places for journalists to work, second only to Iraq. NUJP hopes that the film will raise awareness among the people on state of the press in the country today. The organization aims to promote and protect the economic interest and social well-being of the working press, upgrade professional skills, uplift the standards of journalistic ethics, implement welfare programs for its members, and develop solidarity among all journalists. (CBCPNews)

ers to remain vulnerable to deception and injustice. It is high time for us to espouse their struggle for the land, Pabillo said. Abandoning the agricultural sector now will not only threaten our farmers but imperil food security itself, he said. The prelate also reiterated his dismay over the Supreme Court ruling calling for a referendum between land and stocks, which, is a sad conclusion to the farmers tale of hardships and injustice. They placed much hope in our justice system, but even that continues to fail them, said Pabillo, who chairs the National Secretariat for Social Action of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines. He said the problem at the Hacienda Luisita, 6,453-hectare sugar plantation in Tarlac, is clearly
Vehicles / A1

a failure of the government to deliver social justice. Its adverse consequence could set dangerous precedent on the overall implementation of the agrarian law and influence the treatment of government agencies to other land cases, he said. Due to the disappointing development, thousands of farmers from two major groups in Hacienda Luisita will hold a protest rally at the Liwasang Bonifacio on July 22 at 12:00 noon. The program will commence with a unity march that will pass by Kalaw towards Supreme Court, and head back to Liwasan for the main program at 3:00pm. The Church, consistent with its mission to protect the rights of the poor and to give voice to the voiceless, is actively supporting this event, Pabillo said. (CBCPNews) Church and State. List of vehicles In a letter earlier submitted by the CBCP to the senate, attached was a list of vehicles all purchased in 2009 by seven dioceses using funding from the PCSO. The Diocese of Bangued in Abra bought a Mitsubishi Strada pick-up worth P1.107 million in 2009 to transport personnel and carry needed materials for service missions to the poor and needy. The Archdiocese of Cotabato got a Toyota Grandia Hi-Ace van worth P1.4 million, for its social action apostolate, like the distribution of medicines and other relief goods to disaster-hit areas in the diocese. The Diocese of Isabela in the war-stricken province of Basilan also bought a Strada pick-up worth P1.225 million for its social action programs. The Archdiocese of Zamboanga also bought a Grandia van worth P1.518 million, also for medical-related services. An Isuzu Crosswind utility van worth P720, 000, meanwhile, was received by the Caritas Nueva Segovia for its health, dental and medical outreach programs. Pueblos personal request for a Montero included an explanation that it would be used for his spiritual and social services to the people. The Diocese of Bontoc-Lagawe also bought a second-hand Nissan Pathfinder and an L-300 van from PCSO donation. (Roy Lagarde/CBCPNews)

problems the Pope mentioned more than four decades ago are exactly the same concerns the RH bill supporters make in support of their position, stated Fr. Gregg Banaga, president of Adamson University and of the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP). They mention the problems of massive poverty which the Philippines is facing, the dangers that women face in childbearing, taking care of their children etc. The pope also warned public officials and authorities that they would be tempted to employ harsh measures to avert the danger posed by these problems, such as abortion, the use of contraceptives and other means of birth control. Lo and behold, we are encountering the same solutions nowadays, he added. So, 40 years ago the Pope already talked about these problems and what public officials might resort to. Call him a visionary but I think the late Pope Paul
Allegations / A1

VI was really a visionary in this sense, Banaga further said. The celebration commemorated the 43rd year of the 1968 encyclical that delved on married love, responsible parenthood and regulation of birth. Council of the Laity of the Philippines (CLP) national president Edgardo Tirona said that the encyclical acknowledges that some will find it difficult to accept its teachings but that the Church cannot declare lawful what is in fact unlawful, which was likewise stated in the late Popes writing. The encyclical closes with an appeal to public authorities to oppose laws which undermine the natural moral law, an appeal to scientists to further study effective methods of natural [regulation of birth], and appeals to doctors, nurses and priests to promote the method, Tirona added. After a short documentary produced by TV Maria on the youths take on love and relationships, talks given by Paranaque congressman Roilo

Golez and Joseph Duyan of the Lay Campus Ministry, and a fruitful open forum, some members of the audience shared their insightsdemonstrating the impact of the afternoons activities made on them. The celebration ended with Msgr. Joselito Asis, Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) assistant secretary general, leading participants in prayers, a candle-lighting ceremony and a recitation of the rosary right outside the gates of the university. Organizations that were represented at the event were CWL, CLP, Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), Catechetical Foundation of the Archdiocese of Manila (CFAM), Ladies of Black Nazarene (LBN), Apostleship of Prayer, Mother Butler Guild, Ladies Auxiliary of Quiapo Church, Bukluran Quiapo Manila, Music Ministry of Quiapo, Knights of Columbus, Minor Basilica of Quiapo, and San Roque Parish. (Diana Uichanco)

read by Quevedo. Six of the seven bishops involved in the controversy faced the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee currently investigating the so-called PCSO fund mess. Aside from Quevedo, they are Zamboanga Archbishop Romulo Valles, Bishops Rodolfo Beltran of Bontoc-Lagawe, Leopoldo Jaucian of Abra, Juan de Dios Pueblos of Butuan, and Martin Jumoad of Basilan. Nueva Segovia Archbishop Ernesto Salgado who is currently out of the country was represented by his auxiliary bishop-elect David William Antonio. Social projects The bishops decided to return the cars after recent media scrutiny and amid allegations of the present PCSO board that they accepted them from Arroyo in exchange for their political patronage. The prelates reiterated that the vehicles were used for their social projects and they are grateful for the help given to them. We express our sadness that our sincere desire to help people and receive necessary assistance for doing so has confused, disturbed and even scandalized many of the Catholic faithful, they said. We still believe that we have not violated any law, or even the Constitution, according to the bishops. Lack of resources The church officials told the Senate body that they are from provinces that have some of the

most difficult areas that they, as prelates, have to reach. Most of us are from calamity or conflict-stricken areas. We serve communities some of which are the poorest of the poor. Our vocation is to help them in so far as we can with our resources, they said. When we lack resources, we seek the assistance of others, especially from those whose mandate is to provide assistance, particularly in health services and in charity. Some of us received service vehicles from PCSO that are heavy duty 4 x 4 pick-ups in order for our social, health, and charitable services to reach remote areas. Others received vehicles that have multiple purposes of bringing indigent sick people to hospitals or distribute food, medicines, and clothing to calamity stricken families, they added. The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines on Monday expressed remorse for failing to consider the pitfalls to which these grants could possibly lead. Arroyo, now a Congresswoman, allegedly gave the vehicles through the agency during a time when she was facing a threat of removal from the presidency due to accusations of corruption. PCSO officials said an audit showed that P6.9 million in charity funds were used to buy vehicles upon the request of some bishops. The agency added that using its fund for promotion of a specific religion is also unconstitutional citing the law on separation of

thing that we would like to dwell on, Lacierda said. Figura said that while the PCSO accusations hurt the bishops, this does not necessarily require their accusers to apologize. I think it would be better that if they will apologize, it should be voluntary, Figura said. Juico earlier said that former President Gloria Arroyo used the PCSO funds to gather allegiance at the time when she was facing ouster calls due to alleged corruption. It also accused Arroyo, now Pampanga representative, of giving out Pajeros to at least seven bishops to gather their support from the Church. The bishops immediately admitted receiving utility vehicles, not Pajeros, which they already returned to the PCSO, for their various charity works.

Grilled, booed At the Senate probe, the senators grilled Juico for claiming that the prelates got luxurious Mitsubishi Pajeros from the agency even if they did not. Speaking before the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, Juico sung a different tune and tried to deny she made such allegations. Some senators, however, quizzed Juico to the point that Sen. Jinggoy Estrada had to show some newspaper articles about the PCSO chiefs allegations. In the reports, Juico even claimed the cars were given by former President Arroyo to the bishops for their political patronage at that time when she was facing ouster calls due to alleged corruption. The PCSO also said that using its fund for promotion of a specific religion is also unconstitutional citing the law on separation of Church and State. At least twice, the PCSO chief was

booed by the audience from the Senate gallery after she failed to fully explain who from the PCSO claimed that the bishops acquired Pajero cars. Your honor at that time, I think the board did not have a copy yet of which vehicles were sent out. All we had was the COA (Commission on Audit) report, said Juico. You mean to say Mrs. Juico, that the present PCSO board invented that name Pajero just to put the bishops in bad light? asked Estrada. No, we never said Pajero. We were given this finding from COA that five vehicles costing P6.9 million granted to the Catholic Church were charged to the charity fund, replied Juico. Juico later on apologized to the bishops but still maintained that the term Pajero did not come from her. Im so sorry for whatever it is we have caused the bishops here. I really dont know where that came from,

she said. The bishops also turned down proposals from some senators that they can keep the vehicles for their charity and relief work. We have a deeper and higher motive in mind in returning the vehicles. In the bishops conference, the word prophetic was used if we return. We religious leaders understand that word, prophetic. Thats the reason why we return (the vehicles), Quevedo said. Scapegoat Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago said the issue was a propaganda meant to cover up the 1.5 billion-peso illegal deposit of PCSO funds to a private bank. They are trying to cover up bigger multi-billion peso anomalies in the PCSO and PAGCOR, and they have conveniently found a scapegoat in the CBCP because, you know, it makes a sensational headline, said Santiago.

Six of the seven bishops involved in the controversy faced the Senate committee. Aside from Quevedo, the bishops included Archbishop Romulo Valles of Zamboanga, Bishops Rodolfo Beltran of Bontoc-Lagawe, Leopoldo Jaucian of Abra, Juan de Dios Pueblos of Butuan and Martin Jumoad of Basilan. Archbishop Ernesto Salgado of Nueva Segovia, who is currently in the US, was represented by Auxiliary Bishopelect David William Antonio. Many bishops believe the recent attack on the Churchs credibility was connected with its position against the controversial birth control measure, known as the reproductive health (RH) bill. They said more attacks would certainly be made against them by groups lobbying the passage of the RH bill but stressed no one can stop them in their desire to protect the sanctity of life and the family.

CBCP Monitor
Vol. 15 No. 15
July 18 - 31, 2011

Diocesan News

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Ledesma urges stakeholders to pool resources together for peace

Good Governance at the International Center for Peace (IC Peace) in Mindanao of the Balay Mindanaw Foundation, Inc. (BMFI). Ledesma, cochairperson of the Philippine Ecumenical Peace Platform (PEPP) that monitors and journeys together with the peace negotiations between the government and the National Democratic Front (NDF), said that stakeholders, especially Archbishop Antonio J. Ledesma, SJ, DD, urges stakeholders to pool their resources together to bring about genuine and Mindanawons, lasting peace in Mindanao during the Bishops, Governors and CSOs Conference on Conflict Transformation Towards Good should begin to Governance at the International Center for Peace (IC Peace) in Mindanao of the Balay Mindanaw Foundation, Inc. (BMFI). ask themselves where they are in the peace process. CAGAYAN DE ORO City Arch- ern Philippines. We cannot afford to leave peace to It is a part of the challenges of the bishop Antonio Ledesma has urged all peace stakeholders to pool their peace processthat we pool our re- the negotiators. It is time that we beresources together to help the govern- sources together, said Ledesma to the come part of the solution. We should ment in putting an end to the so-called Bishops, Governors and Civil society or- now be proactive and have a common Mindanao conflict and bring about ganizations, during a recent conference analysis and give solutions workable genuine and lasting peace in the south- on Conflict Transformation Towards within our means, he told this reporter
Bong D. Fabe

CALAMBA City A diocesan clergy director of the Commission on Family and Life in Metro Manila urged FLA coordinators to promote and stick to the four natural methods in fertility regulation to avoid confusion among the receptors of the program. These are the Billings Ovulation method (BOM), Basal Body Temperature (BBT), Sympto-Thermal and Lactational Amenorrhea (breastfeeding). Fr. Lambert Legaspino, CFLA Director of the Diocese of Paranaque, reminded delegates to the Southern

FLA coordinators told to promote 4 reliable NFP methods

Tagalog and Metro Manila Regional Summit Conference on Family and Life held recently, to adhere to the unanimous resolution adopted during the 2nd National Conference of the Episcopal Commission on Family and Life last November 29-Dec.2, 2010 in Antipolo City. At the conclusion of the National Conference last year, the delegates composed of clergy, religious and lay collaborators coming from the different dioceses in the country adopted a resolution calling for the establishment
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in an earlier interview. In his speech during the Conference, Ledesma, who also represented the Bishops-Ulamas Conference (BUC) of the Philippines, stressed that stakeholders should work for peace. In the situation we are in now, the government cannot win the peace process alone. Stakeholders also need to work for peace, he said as he pointed out that peace is also a restoration of relationships. He narrated that in the BUC, Muslims and Christians are united in bridging the relational gap apparent between the followers of Islam and Christianity. The peace dividend should not only be in terms of political agreement but most importantly a restoration of relationship as this affects how we live our lives here in Mindanao, he stressed. Ledesma, chairperson of the Episcopal Commission on Inter- religious Dialogue (ECID) of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), also pointed out the need to explore ways of dialoguing for peace at the local and regional levels with partners and stakeholders in conflict situation. Misamis Oriental in Northern Mindanao is leading the charge in localizing peace initiatives. With the help of the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro, civil society organizations and the media, the provincial government has suc-

cessfully transformed a community that was once a bastion of Communist insurgency in Mindanao into a zone of peace. Through the initiative of the provincial government of Misamis Oriental, its Provincial Peace and Order Council (PPOC) recently conducted a joint meeting with the PPOC of Agusan del Norte, which was highlighted by the signing of a Peace Manifesto urging the CPP-NPANDF and the government to declare a ceasefire until the successful conclusion of the peace negotiations. Ledesma said during the interview that initiatives like this should be supported by all stakeholders, especially the Church since its mission is to bring and spread Pax Christi (the peace of Christ) to the whole world. Local government units in the Caraga and Northern Mindanao regions, churches and civil society organizations in the Cagayan, Butuan, Surigao, Tandag, and Malaybalay (CABUSTAM) areas are closely monitoring development issues including the current peace pronouncements of President Noy including the recent peace processes in the country. The incident on the MOA-AD between the MILF and the then GRP has given everyone a lesson. Never again should we gamble for peace! Peace should not be left only to the hands of the negotiators. We should now contribute solutions and be part of the process, he said. (Bong D. Fabe)

of Natural Family Planning Centers to promote and teach the four natural methods - BOM, the BBT, SymptoThermal, and Breastfeeding, to help married couples enhance, restore, and deepen their marital love and communion. Lawyer George Dee, a delegate from the Diocese of San Pablo helped draft the said resolution. The medical doctors who participated in the conference, many of whom were obstretician-gynecologists, likewise affirmed their fidelity to the Holy Father and the Magisterium, and

[pledged] to uphold and defend its teachings with firm and definitive assent. Lambert told the delegates in the recently concluded regional summit of family and life leaders held in Tagaytay City to secure copies of the said resolution for their own guidance. The four natural methods enumerated in the resolution have been considered highly effective and reliable and is consistent with the magisterial pronouncements of the Church on respecting life from the moment of conception to natural death.

Dr. Rene Bullecer, Human Life International-Philippines director and a resource person in the regional summit, clarified and maintained that other methods are not reliable with a failure rate of 10 per 100 women. The lay and clergy participants in the Human Life Philippines-ECFL Summit represented the Prelature of Infanta, Dioceses of San Pablo, Marinduque, Calapan, Romblon, Lucena, Gumaca, Imus, Antipolo, Paraaque and Cubao, and the Archdioceses of Lipa and Manila. (George Dee)

Briefing
Peace talks solve only 50% of Mindanao conflict

CAGAYAN DE ORO City The peace negotiations the government and various non-state armed groups are engaging in are only 50 percent of the solution to the Mindanao problem, a peace advocate said. The peace process is an important process but it may only represent 50 percent of the solution. The other 50 percent is how to demobilize Mindanaos armed groups, stressed Ariel Hernandez of Action Asia Leaders Forum during the Bishops, Governors and CSOs Conference on Conflict Transformation Towards Good Governance at the International Center for Peace in Mindanao of the Balay Mindanaw Foundation, Inc. last July 15. (Bong D. Fabe)
31 OFWs laid off due to Nitaqat systemMigranteME

QUEZON City If Saudization scheme is not affecting Filipino professionals in the Kingdom, think again. The number of illegally terminated Filipino workers had already reached 31, and that number, said Migrante-Middle East, will continue to rise as the Saudi Labor Ministry intensifies the implementation of Nitaqat system in order to give jobs to their nationals. Migrante-ME regional coordinator John Leonard Monterona said that the Philippine Labor Department should proactively assist those affected by the Saudization scheme and be true to its words that there are jobs waiting for the terminated Pinoys in Saudi in the Philippines. (Noel Sales Barcelona)
Labor center assails DOFs plan to increase selfemployed taxes

Asked about it after the hearing, Quevedo said Christianity teaches the faithful to forgive and pray for ones persecutors and enemies. But there was a spontaneous call from the laity for Juicos resignation, along with her entire board. An instant groundswell developed as text-messaging against Juico spread from Manila to the other cities and countryside. Not only did Juico try to put the bishops in a bad light, Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada said; she tried to damage the name and dignity of the entire Church, some lay leaders pointed out. Yet unexamined is the role played by the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee under Senator Teofisto Guingona III. Guingona apparently decided to investigate the bishops at Juicos behest, without reading the constitutional provision they were supposed to have violated. He even reportedly visited Juico at PCSO prior to the hearings, in violation of established ethical norms. Both Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago said the donation to the bishops did not violate the Constitution. But if indeed the Constitution has been violated, Enrile pointed out, the charity agency alone, and not the recipient would be accountable for it. In a proper inquiry, the onus should have been on PCSO, not on the bishops. But Juicos intent, supported by her media allies, was facilitated by Guingonas inept reading of the Constitution. What does the Constitution say? The Constitution provides for the separation of Church and State. This simply means the Church shall not run the affairs of the State, and the State shall not administer the sacraments or pronounce a religious or moral doctrine of its own. But this is usually not understood by many politicians and media commentators, who seem to think the State has the right to run the reproductive and intimate family lives of its citizens.
Duc in Altum / A5

QUEZON City Militant labor center, Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) assailed the Department of Finances plan to increase the tax payment of workers, under self-employed and professional categories in order to beef up government funds. Joselito Ustarez, vice chair of the KMU said in a statement that the DOF, particularly the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) should go after tax evaders and large corporations, and not after the measly income of individuals. (Noel Sales Barcelona)
Catholic leaders: RH Bill will not alleviate poverty

CALAMBA City About 1,000 Catholic lay leaders from 83 parishes in the Diocese of San Pablo urged for the rejection of the Reproductive Health Bill now pending in Congress and called it as divisive and unnecessary measure that will not truly alleviate poverty in the country. The leaders gathered during the convention of the Diocesan council of the Laity at the Lina-Lajara Gym in Calamba City last July 2 and signed a petition to the members of Congress to disapprove the Consolidated Bill 4244. (Fr. Romy O. Ponte)
Power company to set up 20-hectare solar farm in Misamis Oriental

The Constitution also bars the use of public money or property for the support of any sect, church, denomination, sectarian institution or system of religion, or any priest, preacher, minister or other religious teacher or dignitary as such, except when the person concerned is assigned to the armed forces, a penal institution, government orphanage or leprosarium. But the law has made it clear that what it is controlling here is the use to which public money or property is put even if donated to a church or mosque, imam or priest. Now, PCSO is a charity organization. Its mandate is to provide funds for health programs, medical assistance and services and charities of national character. Every diocese on the other hand has a social action or charity program. This requires the bishop to provide the funds and all other means to carry out charity work to the farthest ends of his diocese. This was confirmed by each of the seven bishops. As no religious test is associated with any PCSO donation, no bishop, priest or imam is barred from seeking such assistance. And they do. Does that offend the separation of Church and State? Jurisprudence says it does not. But assuming, for the sake of argument, that it does, the PCSO alone, as Enrile pointed out, should be held accountable for it, not the recipient. Yet some senators, including the committee chair, and members of the anti-Church media were quick to put the burden on the bishops, as though they had a hand in disbursing to themselves what they had simply asked for. That allowed Juico and her propaganda crew to carry out their demolition job, while creating a distraction from the real issues against the PCSO. The committee, before it adjourns, could start asking the following questions: 1. From 2001 to 2010, two presidential elections and four senatorial elections were held. How much did PCSO spend on political ads and media contracts for its favored candidates? Who were those candidates? How much did each one get? How were these donations

justified and liquidated? 2. The PNP, according to news reports, has managed to maintain 22 PCSO accounts. How much money went into these, and under what provision of the Constitution or law was this made possible? 3. The PCSO ad manager was reported to have made a big pile from illegitimate and highly inflated commissions from his ad placements. Were the ads about PCSO alone? Or did they include ads and media contracts for PCSO-supported candidates in the last four elections? Was the ad manager operating alone, or was he working with or for a group? A former PCSO board member says that at one time a P80 million-check was delivered to the spouse of a board member. Can the said individual be asked to shed light on this? 4. The PCSO budget grew from about P7 billion in 2001 to P20 billion or so in 2010. Fifty-five percent of this went to prizes; 30% to charity; and 15% to operations. Were all the prizes won and claimed by actual winners? There are allegations to the contrary. What was the total magnitude of unclaimed prizes, and what happened to them? The public deserves to be told. 5. PCSO claims to have released P20 million blood money to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to buy the freedom of a Filipino death convict abroad. But Foreign Undersecretary Esteban Conejos has testified that the DFA received a check for P15 million only. Where did the P5 million go? Somebody apparently took it in broad daylight. 6. Sen. Santiago says PCSO officials deposited P1.5 billion of its funds in a private bank, without the necessary authority. Who benefited from this, and how much was the take? Was this the only transaction of its kind? Not all the questions can be asked in this space. But the committee should exert all efforts to exhaust the issues. And none of this should prevent President Aquino from naming a new PCSO board to replace the present one.

CAGAYAN DE ORO City The Philippine subsidiary of the Toronto-based Canadian renewable energy company Enerasia Renewable Corp. is now on the lookout for a 20hectare land in the city or Misamis Oriental province for its solar farm project. If plans pushes through, this will be the second solar farm in the city and in the entire Philippines, said Jose Leviste Jr., chairman of Constellation Energy Corp., during a press conference here. (Bong D. Fabe)

medicines, and clothing to calamity stricken families. Some Bishops obtained second-hand pickup trucks, not luxurious Pajeros, as always mentioned by PCSO head Margarita Juico and her media allies who had maliciously labeled them the Pajero bishops. How could she say in front of the Bishops and the Senators during the Senate Hearing that All we had was the COA report. We never said Pajero Margarita Juico (PDI, 7-13-11). The COA representative, Commissioner Heidi Mendoza, immediately debunked Mrs. Juicos statement that COA never mentioned Pajero

in their report nor named any Bishop that received one. Likewise, in a video interview by GMA News TV, Mrs, Juico explicitly stated as follows: Marami rin namang mahihirap na, na nakapaikot sa kanila sa mga diocese nila, no? Nanghihinayang lang ako sana naman yung pondo ng PCSO na ginamit lang na pambili ng Pajero marami na sanang natulungan duon sa pondong yun. (There are many poor surrounding their Diocese, no? I regret that the PCSO fund that was used only to buy Pajero, many could have been helped by that fund.) The likes of Mrs. Juico and the

incumbent PCSO Board have lost the moral ascendancy to manage PCSO; their credibility has been shot. For the damage they have caused the Catholic Church, for the libelous and false accusations they threw against the Bishops, for the malicious words they uttered, it is about time for them to resign from PCSO. Should they refuse to resign, President Noynoy should immediately oust them from office. Government officials like them are the ones who create the bad image of the President. They malign the President and cause his downfall in popularity rating. To Mrs. Juico, Rev. Fr. Chris-

topher Jeffrey Aytona, O.P.s quoted Bible passage in his Facebook is very appropriate: But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned. (Matthew 12:36-37) *** Congratulations to Rev. Fr. Rey Amante and Rev. Fr. Antonio Nopasa of the Diocese of Kalookan on their Sacerdotal Anniversary. Happy Birthday to Rev. Fr. Allan Lopez, O.P. and my niece Mary Gretchen S. Rosales-Castro.

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People, Facts & Places

CBCP Monitor

Vol. 15 No. 15

July 18 - 31, 2011

LAY leaders of the Family and Life apostolate of some 12 dioceses and two archdioceses in the Southern Tagalog region and parts of Metro Manila resolved to intensify their fight against the death bills and rekindle the promotion of Natural Family Planning (NFP) during their two-day summit in Tagaytay City. The apostolate workers and priest-directors gathered at the Betania Retreat House for the Episcopal Commission on Family and Life (ECFL)-Human Life International (HLI) Philippines Leaders Summit. HLI Philippines director Dr. Rene Bullecer opened the conference while ECFL executive secretary Rev. Fr. Melvin Castro welcomed the delegates from the Prelature of Infanta , Dioceses of San Pablo, Marinduque, Calapan, Romblon, Lucena, Gumaca, Imus, Antipolo, Paranaque and Cubao, and the Archdioceses of Lipa

Family & Life Cebu prelate named workers beef up CBCP president advocacy in prolife summit
and Manila. Atty. Jo Aurea Imbong, executive secretary of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) Legal Office, and Bullecer were the resource speakers. Imbong tackled issues on genuine human rights against false human rights, and Bullecer discussed the latest on the Reproductive Health (RH) bill. To intensify the pro-life advocacy in the different dioceses, the possibility of designating a pro-life coordinator within the diocesan commission level separate from the Family & Life Apostolate and NFP coordinators was considered. This would then allow the latter to focus more on fertility awareness programs. According to Castro, this years ECFL National Convention will be held in November in Antipolo City. (George Dee)
Roy Lagarde / CBCPNews

Archbishop Jose Palma

THE Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines elected Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma as its President during the 103rd Plenary Assembly held at the Pope Pius XII Catholic Center in Manila. According to the CBCP Statutes, Palma will take his position as the new CBCP President on December 1, 2011. He will succeed Tandag Bishop Nereo P. Odchimar, who did not seek reelection. Coming from the Archdiocese of Jaro in Iloilo, Palma was ordained to the priesthood on August 21, 1976 and named Auxiliary Bishop of Cebu on November 28, 1997. At age 47, he was ordained to the episcopacy and named bishop of the

Diocese of Calbayog on January 13, 1999. He became Archbishop of Palo on March 18, 2006 and later appointed Archbishop of Cebu on October 15, 2010. Elected new CBCP Vice President is Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas. Dumaguete Bishop John Du was elected Treasurer succeeding Cubao Bishop Honesto F. Ongtioco. The assembly also elected Msgr. Joselito Asis, then assistant secretary general and assistant treasurer, as Secretary General succeeding Msgr. Juanito Figura who will now return to the Archdiocese of Jaro. (CBCPNews)

ORDAINED. Rev. Sanny Del Castillo Apin of Mater Salutis Parish, Cararayan, Naga City; Rev. Ken Zeus Andalis Azur of St. Anthony of Padua Parish, Iriga City; and Rev. Christian Bernard Bonafe Eduardo of St. Anthony of Padua Parish, Camaligan, Cam. Sur; to the Sacred Order of Deacons, June 23, 2011. CELEBRATED. The Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers, formally known as the Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America marked their centennial on June 29, 2011, remembering with gratitude graces received in 100 years of missionary presence in the Church. There are currently six Maryknoll priests in the Philippines; four are stationed in Davao where the central house is located, while two are working in the Archdiocese of Manila. The Maryknoll Society was established in 1911 by the Catholic Bishops of the United States. The founders, two diocesan priests, Fr. James Anthony Walsh (Archdiocese of Boston, Massachusetts) and Father Thomas Frederick Price (Diocese of Wilmington, North Carolina) received the approval of St. Pope Pius X on June 29, 1911 to open an American seminary for missionary priests. The first Maryknoll missionaries were sent to southern China in 1918. While not in large numbers, Maryknoll priests served in the Philippines since 1926. Some were imprisoned during World War II in Los Baos and UST. In 1952, the Maryknoll Fathers worked in Laguna Province. By 1956 this missionary society of apostolic life had focused on the building of the local Church in what are now the Dioceses of Tagum and Mati in Mindanao. They have also worked in other dioceses of Mindanao, particularly in Ipil and Tandag, and in Manila. The Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers have worked in Asia, Africa and Latin America in countries such as China, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, Bangladesh Nepal, Kenya, Tanzania, Sudan, Egypt, Namibia, Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Bolivia, Peru, Brazil and Chile. LAUNCHED. The Episcopal Commission on Liturgy has launched the Catechetical Primer on the New English Translation of the Roman Missal on June 24, 2011 at the San Carlos Seminary in Makati City. The primer was written by Fr. Anscar Chupungco, OSB, director of the Paul VI Institute of Liturgy and former executive secretary of the Episcopal Commission on Liturgy. The primer will be used as a resource material during the period of catechesis prior to the implementation, to prepare the clergy and the laity for the major changes in translation. The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines voted for the adoption of the new English translation of the Roman Missal for the Philippines during its plenary assembly in January 2010. The new English translation will be used starting December 2, 2012. The local publication of the new English translation will incorporate local celebrations such as the Misa de Aguinaldo or Simbang Gabi, the feast of the Sto. Nio, and the proper of saints. DIED. Ilagan Bishop Emeritus Miguel Gatan Purugganan died on July 7, 2011 at the age of 80. He was one of the outspoken bishops who denounced the Marcos dictatorship at the height of Martial Law. Purugganan became the second bishop of Ilagan when Bishop Francisco Raval Cruces was appointed Archbishop of Zamboanga. He served the diocese from 1974 to 1999. He sat as chairman of the Episcopal Commission on Lay Apostolate of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines and was a member of the CBCP Permanent Council. He was also a member of the Episcopal Commission on Social Action, Episcopal Commission on Canon Law, national president of the Basic Christian Communities and consultant of the Episcopal Commission on Seminaries. Purugganan was born on November 19, 1931 in Cabagan, Isabela and was ordained to the priesthood at age 25 on March 3, 1957. He was vice chancellor and prefect of discipline of San Jose Seminary and was secretary to Bishop Teodulfo Domingo during the Second Vatican Council in Rome. As a priest, Purugganan was assigned as Assistant Pastor of St. Paul the Apostle parish, rector of San Jacinto Seminary and later on became vicar general of then Diocese of Tuguegarao. He was chairman of the Our Lady of the Pillar College in Cayauan, St. Ferdinand College and Isabela Diocesan Schools System. DIED. Msgr. Federico Valdez Navarro, 89; a retired priest of the Archdiocese of Manila, June 21, 2011; Sr. Ma. Assunta Lopez, FSP and Sr. Ma. Vincenzina Guion, FSP, July 1, 2011. ----------------------Erratum: In the July 4-17 issue, the following newly-ordained priests were mistakenly referred to as newly-ordained deacons: Fr. Xavier R. Amoroso, Fr. Rudyard Kip Bicaldo, Fr. Marciano E. Nabo, Jr., Fr. Salvador Crucillo Jr., Fr. Lyndon Fabul, Fr. Roy Gueria, Fr. Abenson Martinez & Fr. Erwin B. Blaza. Our apologies for the inadvertenceeds.

Preparations underway Lea Dasigan of Salesian Youth Movement and head of the program team, said the group is working double time in finalizing the program. Our target is that by Septem-

ber, hopefully, well be ready for a dry run for the program. She also said that it is crucial for the facilitators and those who will be involved in the program to be briefed and start meeting as soon as possible. Some 100 NYD volunteers met for the first time last July 3 for an orientation in Poveda College. Badette Felix of Chiro Pilipi-

nas, head of the general services team, said that the accommodation for the participants of NYD would be with foster families of members of the communities of FNYO member organizations. ...If the foster families from member community of FNYO will not be enough, we will tap in to the parishioners of the

Love Rocks! forum set for pilot run in Malolos

AFTER some delay, the first Love Rocks! Youth Forum, which is one of the activities of the CBCP Year of the Youth, will be held on Saturday, July 23 at the Capitol (KB) Gym in Malolos, Bulacan. An estimated 1,000 to 1,500 young people from all over Central Luzon will attend the halfday event that will start at 8am, according to Whilssy Candelaria, Youth Leader of Malolos Diocese. In an interview, Loreto San Juan, team leader of Year of the Youth, explained the reason for having a love forum for young people. It is the most abused word that young people always use but one which they dont completely understand, because everyone is looking for love, he said. San Juan also said that the Love Rocks! Forum will have sharers who will talk about their personal experiences and their search for love. He also explained that the youth will easily relate to the forums talk show-style format. Other than the forum, the National Youth Cross is also in Malolos for a four-day journey...It (NYC) will be here starting July 21. YOTY, not just for Catholics San Juan, who is also the Executive Secretary of Student Catholic Action of the Philippines, added that one of the objectives of the YOTY is to reach out, not just to Catholics or those who are active in youth ministry, but to all young Filipinos. The original plan was for the youth forum to take place during the National Youth Cross visit to the regions, but this will happen for the first time in Central Luzon. Since January this year, the National Youth Cross has been visiting different dioceses in the country. The youth forum is scheduled to happen next in Northern Luzon and Metro Manila. The forums in other regions will have the same content and creativity, except for the invited guests. (Jandel Posion)
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THE Discalced Carmelite Nuns of Laoag offered their novena masses leading to the celebration of the feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel for young people aimed at creating deeper awareness among the faithful the importance of youth ministry in the Church, in this year of the youth. The novena masses became a venue for the faithful to realize the role of the youth in the Church and the great impact adults have on them to lead a true Christian life. Themed Celebrating the Year of the Youth with Jesus through Mary, the nine-day masses

Laoag Carmel marks Year of the Youth in novena masses for young people
had a daily topic for homilist to reflect on and share to the faithful. The topics were The Youth of the 21st Century, Youth: Hope of the Nation, Youth: Hope of the Church, Children and Youth: Blessings from God, Parents: First Educators of the Youth, The Youth and the Kingdom of God, Youth Evangelizing the Youth, Youth Saints: Models of the Youth, and Mary and Her Love for the Youth. Newly-appointed Tuguegarao Archbishop Sergio L. Utleg, who serves also as the Diocesan Administrator of the vacant see of Laoag, was the main celebrant on July 16, the feast of Our Lady. It is a challenge to all of us, but particularly to the youth, to be a Saint, the prelate told the faithful. But it is sometimes hard to achieve this because our culture has placed a different meaning for holiness, he explained. The archbishop added that adults have the responsibility to guide the youth and nurture their idealism. The youth is very vulnerable to the things outside them and we need to guide them to holiness. A person who is not striving for holiness is not be-

7 dioceses to attend The organizers are using social media networks like Facebook and Twitter to promote and invite young people to the event. The regional event will be inviting participants from all the seven dioceses in the Central Luzon region. Candelaria also said that aside from the forum another major event is happening in Malolos during the week.

Fr. Favie Faldas, SDB

Markings

FOR the first time, a federation of youth groups will be hosting the National Youth Day and not a diocese, as it has been since 1986. In line with the celebration of the CBCP Year of the Youth, the CBCP-Episcopal Commission on Youth will celebrate National Youth Day 2011 in six festival sites all over Metro Manila on November 14-19. According to Fr. Favie Faldas, SDB, head of the Steering Team for NYD 2011, the Federation of National Youth Organizations (FNYO) volunteered to host the NYD this year to thank the Episcopal Commission on Youth for establishing the federation and for its unwavering support since its foundation in 1990.

FNYO hosts National Youth Day for the first time

festival site that they are in, she added. Grand Premiere of Agawan Base Fund-raising efforts are also underway for the national event. One of which is a premiere showing of Agawan Base, an indie film made by Cesar Buendia. It is a political comedy/drama of 12-year old Mano who gets involved in the power play between two presidential candidates in the 2016 elections. The film will be shown at the Meralco Theatre on August 5. FNYO, a federation of youth groups and movements that are recognized nationally and present in at least one diocese in Luzon, Visayas and Mindano, was founded to establish cooperation, strengthen spirituality, foster solidarity and collaboration in promoting the national youth ministry plan. (Jandel Posion)

ing faithful to his vocation, he reminded the people. It has become a tradition for the people of Laoag to flock the monastery to join the novena and celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. The nuns took the opportunity to update the faithful on the celebrations of the Church, especially the CBCP-Year of the Youth. They hoped that through the nine-day prayer, people will understand more the youth and their situation and help them in their daily struggle towards holiness, as well as make them feel they have a home inside the Church. (Mark Vertido)

Cebu to hold another massive rally

THE Archdiocese of Cebu is set to hold a massive pro-life rally two days before the 15th Congress resumes its sessions. Dubbed as Solidarity Family Prayer Rally for Faith and Life, the July 23 gathering is intended to demonstrate to lawmakers and to the public Cebus continuing strong opposition to the Reproductive Health (RH) pending in the Senate and House of Representatives. The prayer rally will be held at the Sto. Nino Basilica Pilgrim Center, located at the center of Cebu Citys busy downtown business and commercial area. Pro-life civic and faith-based groups will converge at the basilica at 3:00 pm, with Holy Mass to be celebrated by Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma at 5:00. Palma, a staunch supporter of the pro-life crusade, was elected President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) earlier this month. Pro-lifers and Catholic faithful are encouraged to wear any red article of clothing during the rally. Red is considered by many pro-lifers to be the color of courage and life. Coinciding with the Cebu event is another rally to be held in Masbate City on the same day. This second rally is being organized by the Diocese of Masbate. Cebu has had several events against the RH bills this year, including two large pro-life rallies that gathered thousands on February 11 and again on March 19. A thanksgiving lunch was also hosted by Archbishop Palma on June17 with various pro-life Cebu politicians including several congressmen, provincial government officials, mayors, and Catholic lay leaders who affirmed their committed opposition to the RH bill. (Emmanuel Amador)

CBCP Monitor
Vol. 15 No. 15
July 18 - 31, 2011

Pastoral Concerns

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(A preparatory catechesis for the consecration of the youth to the Sacred Heart of Jesus that will be given during World Youth Day in Madrid this August. This catechesis is provided by the World Youth Day team.)
THE purpose of this catechesis is to prepare the youth of the world for the consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus by Pope Benedict XVI during World Youth Day (WYD) Madrid 2011. It is divided in three parts: In the first one we will consider the message of the Pope for World Youth Day in the light of the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In the second one, we will present the main points of this devotion. And in the third one, we will explain the meaning of the consecration of the youth of the world to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. I. From the heart of man to the Heart of God 1) When we enter into the depths of our heart, we always find a deep desire: we long for happiness. But we wonder where and how we can find this happiness. Our experience tells us that this thirst is quenched when our longing for infinity is satisfied. Pope Benedict tells us in his message: Men and women were created for something great, for infinity. (Benedict XVI, Message of his Holiness for the twenty-sixth World Youth Day, Madrid, 2011) This longing for infinity is mans desire of being loved by an endless love. Christian revelation tells us that: God is love. God has revealed himself as an infinite, eternal, personal and merciful love that fills completely the universal longing for happiness. This is why the Pope says: God is the source of life. To set God aside is to separate ourselves from that source and, inevitably, to deprive ourselves of fulfillment and joy: without the Creator, the creature fades into nothingness (Second Vatican Council, Gaudium et Spes, 36; WYD Message). Sadly, we see this in the numerous attempts our society has done to build an earthly paradise, leaving God aside. 2) This search of mans heart ends when one discovers Gods Heart. On this topic, St. Augustine says: You made us for yourself, Oh God, and our heart is restless until it rests in you. The concern to which St. Augustine refers is the difficulty we all have in attaining true Love as a consequence of our condition of creatures; we are finite; moreover, we are sinners. Over and over again we run into the difficulty of our selfishness, the chaos of our passions that throws away this true Love. Mans heart needs a heart at his same level, a heart that can enter into his history, and, on the other hand, an all-powerful heart that can take him out of his limitations and sins. We can say that In Jesus Christ, God has met mankind and has loved us with a human heart. In the encounter of mans heart with the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the mystery of salvation becomes real. In fact, from the infinite horizon of his love, God wished to enter into the limits of human history and the human condition. He took on a body and a heart.
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Thus, we can contemplate and encounter the infinite in the finite, the invisible and ineffable Mystery in the human Heart of Jesus, the Nazarene (Benedict XVI, Angelus, 1/VI/2008) 3) The most perfect revelation of this Love is the Cross. In the Cross Gods love for us has reached its limit with the donation of His life. The biggest expression of how much and in which way God loves us, is the open heart of Jesus on the Cross, as a consequence of the wound on His side with a spear. As the Pope states in his message: it is from Jesus heart, pierced on the Cross, that this divine life streamed forth (WYD message). Thus,

themselves completely with Christ and to live the call to holiness. Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque (16471690), religious of the Visitation Order in Paray-le-Monial (France) was chosen by Jesus to reveal himself to her in the Eucharist, opening to her the mystery of his Heart: This is the Heart which has loved men so much and yet men do not want to love Me in return, and for recognition I mainly receive only ingratitude. Throughout her entire life, Saint Margaret Mary was an instrument elected to propagate the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, accompanying him in the Eucharist by means of the Eucharistic Adoration and the practice of the Holy Hour. She also spread the consecration to the divine Heart and the offering of small acts of love in expiation for our sins. In addition, she

that time inspired by the spirituality of the Sacred Heart. Throughout the 20th century, the Popes have repeatedly invited the Church to turn to the Sacred Heart as the chief sign and symbol of that threefold love with which the divine Redeemer unceasingly loves His eternal Father and all mankind (Pius XII, Enc. Haurietis Aquas). The contemplation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus opens nowadays new paths to holiness in the Church. It can be presented to men and women of our time in need of divine mercy as a message of hope so that In this way, [...] on the ruins accumulated through hatred and violence, the civilization of love so greatly desired can be built, the kingdom of the Heart of Christ (John Paul II, message to the Superior General of the Jesuits, P. Peter Hans Kolvenbach, 5/X/1986). III. We can consecrate ourselves to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in order to stay planted and built up in Jesus Christ, firm in faith (Col. 2:7).

in the Cross, Jesus changes our heart of stone wounded by sin, into a heart of flesh, like his: he gives us his Love and, at the same time, he enables us to love with his same love. 4) The fountain where man must drink in order to satisfy his infinite demand for love and being loved, flows from Jesus Heart, alive and risen from the dead. Therefore young people will live planted and built up in Jesus Christ, firm in the faith (Col 2:7) in the personal encounter with the heart of Jesus. Holiness is an immersion in the flow of love that springs up from the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Cardinal Newmans motto, Cor ad cor loquitur, or Heart speaks unto heart, gives us an insight into his understanding of the Christian life as a call to holiness, experienced as the profound desire of the human heart to enter into intimate communion with the Heart of God. (Benedict XVI, Homily in the Beatification of Venerable Cardinal Newman). II. Behold the Heart which has loved men so much! Over the centuries, the Catholic Church has grown in understanding the worship of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Many people have discovered in the contemplation of the open heart a valid way to identify

spread also the practice of the First Fridays: confession and communion in reparation for sins. She was beatified in 1864 by Blessed Pius IX and canonized in 1920 by Benedict XV. Her feast is celebrated on the 16th of October. Together with this saint we also remember St. Claude La Colombiere, S.I. He was her spiritual director and collaborated with her in the diffusion of the message of love to the Sacred Heart of Jesus reaching even to very distant places. Due to his influence, the Jesuit Order, undertook the commitment of propagating the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The effect of the these revelations in the life of the Church was so extraordinary that in 1856 Blessed Pius IX established the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and in 1899 Pope Leo XIII consecrated mankind to the Sacred Heart. Hundreds of religious congregationsdevoted to the education of the youth, the assistance to the sick and the elder, and the ad gentes missionswere born at

The consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ that will take place during WYD is an act in in which we, the youth of the world, led by our Pope, want to fix our eyes on Jesus Christ, so that he helps us to live planted and built up in Jesus Christ, firm in faith (Col 2:7). It deals with reviving in us the experience of the beloved disciple, who, contemplating the open Heart of Jesus on the Cross, experienced his Love and became his witness. And he that saw it has given testimony: and his testimony is true. (John 19:35). Consecration is an act of faith. When

Pope Benedict will consecrate us to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, he will invite us to confess our faith: We firmly believe that Jesus Christ offered himself on the Cross in order to give us his love. In his passion, he bore our sufferings, took upon himself our sins, obtained forgiveness for us and reconciled us with God the Father, opening for us the way to eternal life. (WYD Message). This confession of faith will be done from the knowledge of the truth we proclaim, and as a result of our personal relationship with Christ. This relationship is based in the trust in the love of his Heart. In this confession of faith, the Bishops will join the Pope. This means that our personal faith in Christ is bound to the faith of the Church. (Message WYD). It is in the heart of the Church where we can feel the beat of the Heart of Jesus. It is also an act of hope. The Pope will consecrate every young person in the world, not only the ones present at the vigil. In todays youth we find the hope of the Church and of humanity. In this consecration, the youth will state, together with the Pope, that apart from Jesus Christ risen from the dead, there can be no salvation! He alone can free the world from evil and bring about the growth of the Kingdom of justice, peace and love to which we all aspire. (WYD Message). United in only one Heart, we will ask together, with the whole Church, Come Lord Jesus, help the youth of the third millennium to be the builders of the civilization of love which is built wherever individuals and nations accept Gods presence, worship him in truth and listen to his voice (WYD message). Finally, consecration is an act of charity. The youth of the third millennium, like the apostle Thomas, wish to have tangible contact with Jesus and to put our hand, so to speak, upon the signs of his Passion, the signs of his love (WYD message). In this consecration we will touch Jesus, and we will renew the grace of our baptism in which we were immersed in this Love. The desire we have of constantly drinking from the source from which eternal life flows, i.e. the sacraments, especially the Eucharist and Penance will be strengthened in us. We will look with his same merciful eyes, so that we are always close to the poorest and the sick, becoming a tangible sign of Gods love. In imitation of the beloved disciple we will be also also invited to create a place for the Virgin Mary in our home. The consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus will be done bearing in mind that the Virgin Mary, is our special intercessor and mediator. She is the one who received Gods word with faith and She will teach us to believe in Gods love, and will show us to trust in Him and to be his witnesses among our brothers and sisters.
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God has met mankind and has loved us with a Human Heart

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Updates

CBCP Monitor
Vol. 15 No. 15
July 18 - 31, 2011

Confirmation by a Parish Priest in connection with Marriage

Or, can the provision of C.884, Par 1 be applied to this case?
(Second of Two Parts)
By Msgr. Rey Manuel S. Monsanto, JCD
III. The Case of c.884, par.1: After talking about those other cases of delegating a priest, it will now be clear that in c.884, par.1, specifically the second phrase we will dealing with a special and different case. The case of c.884, par.1, second phrase, is also obviously another case of granting faculty by special grant to some priests in a diocese to be done by the diocesan Bishop. We treat it, however, differently from the others because this object of our special study is different from the other cases with its specific questions, like whether a diocesan, on his own authority, can grant this faculty to his priests, whether he can use this power to grant the faculty to all his parish priests, and the like. In other words, we mentioned the others first in order to show that this case is different from them. This part of par.1 states: If necessity so requires, he (the diocesan Bishop) may grant to one or several priests the faculty to administer this sacrament. The canon says that the diocesan Bishop, apart from the cases mentioned in c.883, no.2 and c.884, par.2, may also delegate a priest or even several specified priests in his diocese to administer confirmation. Since the canon does not specify any situation or limitation, the diocesan Bishop may, therefore, grant this faculty either permanently or for a specified limit of time, and either for specific cases or situations or even in a general manner to any priest/s. The only required parameters needed on the part of the action of the diocesan Bishop are the following: 1) there is a necessity to grant it, like the vastness of the diocese, or the health of the Bishop, or the diocesan is often outside his diocese. The canon does not say that the necessity must be a grave one. 2) he is only one or several of his priests, and not to delegate all the priests. 3) The priest/s must be specified. Although the canon does not specify the office or pastoral work of the priest/s, it would seem grave inconvenience, it seems reasonable for a diocesan Bishop to grant it to all parish priests in view of an impending marriage. But, this, we say once again, will be the prerogative decision of each individual Bishop, and he does not need the nod of the Conference nor an indult from the Holy See to do it. If a diocesan Bishop decides to grant specified priests or even all parish priests to confirm in this circumstance, he should clearly state when the parish priest is to administer confirmation: during the marriage ceremony itself, or days before in view of an impending marriage. And if he chooses the latter, he should also state how long or how many days before the marriage it can be done (because he/ she might still be able to attend a regular confirmation in a diocese before the marriage). These are very important conditions for the administration of confirmation by a priest because he confirms only by delegation and these conditions are for validity. Thus, for example, in a case of confirmation connected with adult baptism, it is to be done in one continuous ceremony otherwise the confirmation will be invalid (see c.866). 4. For the meantime: Can ecclesia supplet be used by the parish priests for this case? In the meantime that the diocesan Bishops do not clarify this particular question which is connected with the statement in the Canon Law Digest of whether the parish priests are already granted the faculty to confirm in connection with marriage, I believe that parish priests can VALIDLY CONFIRM IN CONNECTION WITH MARRIAGE by virtue of c.144: the Church supplies (ecclesia supplet) the power of jurisdiction in case of positive and probable doubt of law. However, this problem is so easy and can be given immediate solution and the diocesan Bishop does not have to wait for a Conference resolution. For each individual diocesan Bishop by virtue of c.884, par.1 can either immediately tell his parish priests that they have such faculty or that they do not have such faculty in his diocese, and he can immediately designate specified priests to confirm. And the doubt of law is solved.

logical that if he does delegate he should first delegate either his Vicar general or Vicars general, if he has more than one (cfr. c.475, par.2); and, in addition, he can also delegate some or all of the Vicars forane, or even a few more priests in strategic places. We can add a fourth requirement: if he delegates priest only for specific cases, like for marriage, or for certain times, the diocesan Bishop should specify these, as this is a case of special grant and according to c.882 will be for the validity of the action of the priest. The particular questions related to this canon: We will now go into the questions related to this canon and which have prompted this particular study. 1. Does the diocesan bishop need a special indult from the Holy See to grant the faculty to one or several priests? In the Code of 1917: The 1917 Code stipulated in c.782, par.2 that the priest who

can be the extraordinary minister of confirmation may be given the faculty either by common law or by special indult granted to him by the Apostolic See. In the Code of 1983: The 1983 Code, however, in c.884, par.1 does not in any way mention such an indult. It simply says that the diocesan Bishop can grant it, the only conditions being those we have already mentioned above. 2. Does the diocesan bishop need a law from the Bishops Conference to grant the faculty? The Code would normally specifically indicate if a certain canon would need to be specified or particularized by the Bishops Conference. The Code, however, does not say so in this case. It simply grants the power to the diocesan Bishop without the need to wait for a law from the Conference. However, there is also no stipulation either that prevents the Bishops from agreeing among themselves to issue some

guidelines (not laws) for some kind of uniformity throughout the country. They can decide to issue suggestions as to who can be given the faculty, for what circumstances, etc. Any diocesan Bishop, however, can always invoke his right given by this canon to choose the priest/s he wishes and for circumstances peculiar to his place. 3. Should the diocesan bishop grant all his parish priests the faculty to confirm in view of an impending marriage? The Code (in stating that the diocesan Bishop himself or should ask some other Bishop if he cannot do it; when it emphasizes that only one or several specified priests may be given the faculty; and when it insists that for a dying person only the chrism consecrated by a Bishop is to be used) does not seem to favor giving all the parish priests the faculty to confirm. This is to emphasize that this task of administering confirmation is to be strictly understood as belonging to a Bishop being a successor of

an apostle. However, it is to be noted that the above considerations are strictly connected with granting a priest or priests general faculty to confirm in the diocese. Confirmation specifically in connection with marriage is a special particular circumstance. And granting faculty to confirm in connection with marriage is a favor for a specific circumstance. Hence, due to the distance of the parishes and the inconvenience of traveling to places where confirmation is available that may even force them to leave their work and lose their important days salary, and most especially so that the faithful will readily see the value of the sacrament of confirmation as needed for the fullness of the sacraments of initiation especially for persons who will soon become parents and so that they will not just take it for granted for their own children, and since granting such faculty will facilitate their reception of the sacrament and eliminate the

Mass with the Society of St. Pius X

(Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy at the Regina Apostolorum university, answers the following query:) Q: I am going to be visiting some dear friends this summer. They recently began attending the Society of Pius X after a great deal of prayer and study, including consultations with a canon lawyer. I am still struggling with the answer to it all. Would you please help me to discern where the Church stands on this issue so that I can make the right decision about where I should attend Mass while I am visiting?A.Z., Regina, Saskatchewan A: I believe it is necessary to distinguish between attending a Mass celebrated according to the norms of the 1962 Roman Missal (the extraordinary form) and attending a Mass celebrated according to this form by priests associated with the Society of St. Pius X. In the wake of Benedict XVIs apostolic letter Summorum Pontificum, any Catholic can freely attend, and most priests may celebrate, Mass according to the 1962 missal. Thus it should become increasingly easier to find such a Mass. Attending a Mass of the Society of St. Pius X is a different case. This society was founded in 1970 by French archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. For doctrinal rather than disciplinary reasons, the society has no canonical status in the Catholic Church. As the Holy Father said in his letter of March 10, 2009, concerning his remission of the excommunication of the four bishops of the Society of St. Pius X: Until the doctrinal questions are clarified, the Society has no canonical status in the Church, and its ministerseven though they have been freed of the ecclesiastical penaltydo not legitimately exercise any ministry in the Church. With respect to the status of the members of this society, the Pontifical Commission Ecclesiae Dei has issued several private replies to individuals which have later been published on the Internet. One of the most recent, from 2008, reflects earlier replies. Regarding the status of adherents to the society, it states: The priests of the Society of St. Pius X are validly ordained, but suspended, that is prohibited from exercising their priestly functions because they are not properly incardinated in a diocese or religious institute in full communion with the Holy See (cf. Code of Canon Law, canon 265) and also because those ordained after the schismatic Episcopal ordinations were ordained by an excommunicated bishop. Concretely, this means that the Masses offered by the priests of the Society of St. Pius X are valid, but illicit, i.e., contrary to Canon Law. The Sacraments of Penance and Matrimony, however, require that the priest enjoys the faculties of the diocese or has proper delegation. Since that is not the case with these priests, these sacraments are invalid. It remains true, however, that, if the faithful are genuinely ignorant that the priests of the Society of St. Pius X do not have proper faculty to absolve, the Church supplies these faculties so that the sacrament is valid (cf. Code of Canon Law, canon 144). While it is true that participation in the Mass at chapels of the Society of St. Pius X does not of itself constitute formal adherence to the schism (cf. Ecclesia Dei 5, c), such adherence can come about over a period of time as one slowly imbibes a schismatic mentality which separates itself from the teaching of the Supreme Pontiff and the entire Catholic Church. While we hope and pray for a reconciliation with the Society of St. Pius X, the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei cannot recommend that members of the faithful frequent their chapels for the reasons which we have outlined above. We deeply regret this situation and pray that soon a reconciliation of the Society of St. Pius X with the Church may come about, but until such time the explanations which we have given remain in force. Thus I think it is fairly clear. The mere fact of assisting at a Mass of this society is not a sin. It would only become so if a

Which English translation of the Mass to use abroad

Q: At least two new English translations of the Roman Missal will be put into use this year. England and Wales will implement their translation in September; the United States will implement its in November. My question regards which translation should be used for Masses in English when celebrating in Rome. Are the translations the same? Is one to be preferred?J.M., Rome A: Although this question specifically refers to Rome, which has some special characteristics, its scope is wider than the Eternal City. It is of interest in all places where Mass in English is celebrated in countries where English is not an official liturgical language. By the end of the current year most native English-speaking countries will have introduced the new translation of the Roman Missal. In English-speaking countries, and in countries that use English in the liturgy as a common second language, the bishops conferences either publish their own missal or determine which version is to be used. These countries roughly correspond to the full and associate members of the International Committee on English in the Liturgy (ICEL). The full members are: Australia, Canada, England and Wales, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, the Philippines, Scotland, South Africa and the United States. Associate members are: the Antilles, Bangladesh, CEPAC (Pacific Islands), Gambia, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Kenya, Malaysia-Singapore, Malawi, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. With rare exceptions, only the approved Missal is permitted for use within the country. For all other countries a priest who celebrates Mass in English may use any approved version of the new Englishlanguage missal. Exceptions to this general rule of thumb would be Masses celebrated in embassies, extraterritorial military bases, or the various national colleges in Rome which naturally use the missal of their respective countries. They are also usually allowed to use the calendar and particular liturgical uses of the home country. Parishes set up to attend to the needs of particular nationalities may also do likewise. At the same time, the differences in the versions are slight and on most days the missals would be perfectly interchangeable. The differences between the missal of one country and another usually involve the particular adaptations of each bishops conference to either the text of the missal, the liturgical calendar and the norms of the General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM). There are relatively few variations from one country to another in the ordinary of the Mass and in the texts that are common to the entire Church. Among variations approved for the United States are additional prayers for the penitential rite and allowing for the renewal of baptismal promises on Easter Sunday. More common are the national propers: collections of orations and formularies for feasts and commemorations proper to each nation. Instances of such celebrations are St. George in England, St. Patrick in Ireland (as a solemnity), Our Lady Help of Christians in Australia, and special formularies for Independence Day in the United States. Individual missals may also have texts for special celebrations such as the Mass for Giving Thanks to God for the
English / B7

Mass / B4

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CBCP Monitor
Vol. 15 No. 15
July 18 - 31, 2011

Year of the Youth

the church. It has come up more recently with the Ka-Lakbay, the official directory for the youth ministry in the country, he said. Baylon said the last 25 years of the ECY passed by with successes and hardships, but the Commission still looks forward to serving the young Filipino Catholics in the years ahead. ECY will continue to be at the service of our local Church by providing modules, programs and activities that we hope will make our young people get to know our Lord in a personal way, grow towards maturity and give themselves more generously to the Church, society and the world, he added. The celebration of the ECYs 25th founding anniversary will culminate towards the year with the celebration of the National Youth Days recognition of outstanding persons in the youth ministry in November and the launch of the ECYs book on Youth Ministry Success Stories in the light of the Ka-Lakbay. (YouthPinoy)

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THE Episcopal Commission on Youth (ECY) of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) just turned 25 years old last July 8. But unlike the usual birthday celebration, ECYs is not highlighted by a party since its founding anniversary is a year-long celebration observed this year, 2011, which was designated as CBCP Year of the Youth. ECY chairman and Legazpi (Albay) Bishop Joel Baylon said they are thankful for the Divine grace that made it possible for the Commission to provide abundant opportunities for young Filipino Catholics to cultivate their faith. When asked of what achievement the ECY has accomplished, Baylon said he can think of many but said that the most important one would be ECYs success in providing structure in the youth apostolate in the country. ECY has provided the Church in the Philippines with a structure to make the youth more active in

Youth Commission marks 25th year

Poveda to host WYD Preparatory Session

SAINT Pedro Poveda College in Quezon City is the venue for the preparatory meeting of the delegates of the Episcopal Commission on Youth (ECY) to the World Youth Day (WYD) in Madrid, Spain next month. ECY Executive Secretary Fr. Conegundo Garganta made the announcement in view of the upcoming WYD 2011 Preparatory Meeting on August 6 and 7. This WYD2011 Preparatory Session is an important requirement which we have set with you at the start of our WYD2011 collaboration. The ECY believes that for the WYD2011 to be truly meaningful and grace-filled, its pilgrims must be prepared well, and a sense of community be established among them, said Garganta. Garganta clarified that the two-day preparatory session will be live-out activity of all WYD delegates that will be under the ECY-Philippines delegation. We further confirm the cancellation of the General Preparatory Session, which was initially scheduled on August 8, he added. At present, at least 463 pilgrims from across the archipelago have registered to be part of the ECY-Philippines delegation. They also processed their Schengen Visa applications with the Embassy of Spain through the ECY but their being part of the official delegation is not a guarantee for successful visa applications. Garganta said they expect the number of pilgrims under the ECY-Philippines delegation to decrease, adding that even some successful visa applicants withdraw their plans of going to the WYD because they cannot afford the air fare. (YouthPinoy)

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Bishop Joel Baylon

WITH less than a month before the World Youth Day, delegates belonging to different sub-groups are getting their creative juices flowing while exploring various fund-generating possibilities for the Madrid trip.

WYD delegates get creative to raise funds

delegates from Surigao are following up on solicitation letters distributed to friends and benefactors. Dinner for the WYD cause Some groups like Ang Lingkod ng Panginoon, a religious group in Davao City started fundraising initiatives as early as November 2010. We had a dinner for a cause; it was an informative and evangelistic event, Gabriel Villegas, the Ang Lingkod ng Panginoon subgroup leader, shared. He added that the dinner event also served to inform the delegates relatives, friends and sponsors about the significance of World Youth Day and also
cOnTrIbuTEd PHOTO

Bishop calls for grassrootsbased observance of WYD

YOUNG Filipino Catholics who cannot attend the upcoming World Youth Day (WYD) in Madrid, Spain next month should still be given the opportunity to participate in this youth event through activities in their parishes, organizations and dioceses. This is why Legazpi, Albay Bishop Joel Baylon, chairman of the Episcopal Commission on Youth (ECY) of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), is urging youth ministers to set up occasions in the grassroots to create awareness of WYD and echo the global event in the level that is closer to the youth. Baylon admitted that because of distance of the venue of the upcoming WYD from the Philippines, a great number of would-be WYD delegates have backed off from their plans mostly because they cannot afford the air fare. As per ECYs estimate, each WYD participant must shell out US$1,800 or roughly P78,000 for a two-way trip to Madrid, where the WYD will take place from August 16 to 21. This amount is apart from those that will cover registration for the WYD event itself and separate registration for participation in the days in the diocese at Coria Caceres. But Baylon said Filipino youth who cannot attend the WYD in Spain, either because of lack of money or time, could still involve themselves in this global event through activities in their parishes, organizations and dioceses. This is where our youth ministry structures get into the picture. They can establish ways to increase awareness on the WYD, most especially starting on the first week of August until WYD culminates on August 21, he said. Baylon urged youth ministers to bring WYD observance to the grassroots level by teaching the young the WYD theme song and animation or produce modules that will emphasize the WYDs theme Stand firm in the faith. Im calling them to set up structures, opportunities, occasions, activities and programs that will help our young people appreciate WYD and participate in this event in their own ways, he added. The prelate also consoled those who cannot make it to Madrid because of monetary concerns, saying that the essence of WYD transcends the physical celebration in Spain. WYD is not just an event that happens in Madrid. It is an event of young people all over the world and every single young person is invited to participate in it spiritually and in many ways that they can, he said. (YouthPinoy)

ng Panginoon sub-group who applied for the WYD, only nine were given Schengen visas. Of the nine, five delegates are in need of financial support for the WYD pilgrimage. Good ol solicitations Fr. Dyon Amante, sub-group leader of the Diocese of Naval, has been requesting financial support from friends and benefactors through solicitation letters since April of this year. According to Amante, who is also the Diocesan Youth Director of Naval, the two other delegates from his diocese did not need to solicit, as their personal funds were enough to shoulder their expenses. He, on the other hand, had to ask permission from his superior, Bishop Filomeno G. Bactol, DD, before sending out solicitation letters. Concrete support from the diocese Other sub-groups like the Diocese of Ipil in Zamboanga enjoy considerable financial support from their diocese aside from the funds they will raise on their own. For now, weve saved enough for airfare, but its not complete yet, we still have collectibles, Fr. Rotchel San Diego, sub-group leader for the Diocese of Ipil, said in the vernacular. San Diego also explained that the diocese has shown its support by pledging a certain amount for their expenses. Meanwhile, there are pilgrims from the ECY-Philippines delegation who were not able to raise funds and have since expressed their intention of canceling their participation in the WYD.
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King and Queen of Hearts, bottles and candles Sr. Fatima Morales, the sub-group leader of Surigao diocese, seems to know a lot about raising money through sheer creativity. Other than solicitations, we also have [the] King and Queen of Hearts, selling of empty bottles and candle-making for our fund-raising campaign for our trip to Spain, she said. Morales explained that the King and Queen of a Hearts is a fund-raising contest per parish with individual candidates competing to raise the most funds within a certain period of time. The candidate who puts up the most money gets the title King of Hearts or Queen of Hearts. A percentage of the amount raised goes to the Diocesan Youth Fund with a specified amount also allotted for the WYD delegation of the diocese. Candidates must be active youth members of the said parish. The group also organized candle-making from October to December 2010. The candles were eventually sold, with the proceeds going to the WYD fund. Morales also talked about how the group initiated collecting water bottles that were sold to junk shops by the kilo. With just a few weeks remaining, the WYD

about Blessed John Paul II who started the international gathering of young people in 1985. Villegas said the motif for the dinner was a combination of Spanish and Filipino with Spanish songs and dances played throughout the night. Delegates to past WYDs were also present to share about their personal experiences. Of the 15 members from the Ang Lingkod

PHL delegates backing out from WYD

PHILIPPINE delegates to the World Youth Day are backing out from joining the event in Madrid, Spain, mostly for financial reasons. An undisclosed number of delegates who are part of the official Episcopal Commission on Youth delegation of 436 pilgrims are canceling their trips due to monetary concerns. ECY Executive Secretary, Fr. Conegundo Garganta said even those who have been given visa have decided not to proceed to the WYD because they cannot afford the airfare. Each delegate will have to shell out an estimated USD 1,800 or Php 78,000 for a two-way trip to Madrid, Spain, aside from the WYD registration fee and other related expenses. Fr. Garganta, however declined to give the exact number of delegates backing out. He said some delegates have been phoning the ECY office informing them of their intention to back out but have not officially cancelled their participation. Exchange students back out from WYD Despite seemingly disheartening news, there are WYD pilgrims not joining the event for better reasons. According to Milarie Babia, sub-group leader of Institucion Teresiana (IT) youth, there are 12 delegates from their sub-group who chose not to participate in the WYD because they will be sent as exchange students to Barcelona, Spain late this year. ...They will be sent as exchange students for the alternative learning program of their school, St. Pedro Poveda College, she explained. The alternative learning program is an annual exchange program of St. Pedro Poveda College where students are sent to schools outside the country to learn the countrys culture and to exchange learnings with students there. Fewer delegates this year The number of delegates for this years WYD is just a little more than half the 800 delegates the ECY was able to send to the last WYD in Sydney, Australia in 2008. Money is a major concern for most delegates, according to Maria Victoria Tacderas, senior staff of the ECY-NSYA. There are some [who] reach[ed] the last phase of the application and still back out because they cant reach the minimum monetary requirement to sustain their trip, she explained. Tacderas also said that the distance of Spain from the Philippines also determines the monetary requirement that each delegate should meet. (Jandel Posion)

Pinoy youth urged to participate in WYD Universal Rosary

ORGANIZERS of the World Youth Day (WYD) in Spain have invited young Filipino Catholics to participate in the WYD Universal Rosary, which they envisioned to be prayed in all languages. In an invitation sent to the Episcopal Commission on Youth of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, the WYD Main Acts office in Madrid urged Filipino youth, who may either participate or not in the WYD next month, to record Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be spoken in their native languages or dialects in mp4 format. Prayers can be recited individually or by groups. [The] Atmosphere, place, language will be as you like. [The] more original, [the] better it will be. You can record at home, at your leisure time, your parish, with your friends, with your family, you can add some images. Every way will be good if you choose it and express correctly, the organizers of the WYD Universal Rosary said. Audio-video recordings can be submitted to the organizers online through email address rosario@jmj2011madrid.com or send CDs and DVDs or the mp4 files to the WYD Main Acts office in Plaza de San Juan de la Cruz, 2b, 8003 Madrid (Spain), Tfn. +34913426779. According to the WYD Main Acts office, the prayer recordings will accompany the praying of the Holy Rosary during the Vigil with the Pope, scheduled on August 20. As you know, one of the most important programmed acts is the Holy Rosary guided by the Pope, and we consider your help absolutely essential. For this reason, we will be very grateful if you could spread this proposal in all your Episcopal Conference, Movement or Youth Delegation, in order to encourage a lot of young people to send their records so that, in this way, they participate in the WYD Holy Rosary, where every languages and accents could sound and offer this prayer to Our Mother, the Blessed Virgin, said Mercedes Boudet of the WYD Main Acts office. ECY Executive Secretary Fr. Conegundo Garganta has already forwarded the invitation of the WYD Main Acts office to the leaders of groups that will join the official ECY delegation to WYD in Madrid from August 16 to 21. (YouthPinoy)

Phl WYD delegates to join 6th Asian Youth Gathering in Madrid

PHILIPPINE WYD 11 delegates will be joining Asian youth delegates in the 6th Asian Youth Gathering (AYG) in Madrid on August 17 during the World Youth Day 2011 celebrations. The Asian Youth Gathering aims to provide an opportunity for Asian youth delegates to interpret and internalize the WYD 11 message based on a distinctly Asian context. The National Secretariat for Youth Apostolate, the implementing arm of the Episcopal Commission on Youth, will select 50 participants to attend the AYG, along with 20 facilitators from among the 436 pilgrims of ECY - Philippines. Previous AYGs featured cultural presentations in a youth festival-style set-up. The upcoming AYG will feature two events: the Asian Youth Forum, which will be participated in by an estimated 500 select Asian youth delegates and, the Asian Youth Prayer, which will be open to all Asian delegates. According to Jessica Joy Candelario, Executive Secretary of Federation of Asian Bishops Conference-Office of Laity and Family Youth Desk, the celebration of the Asian Youth Gathering started during the 12th World Youth Day in Paris, France where bishops from the Federation of Asian Bishops Conferences met and established the youth desk. ItwasdiscussedthatAsiandelegatesmusthave a voice in World Youth Day celebrations. One of the modules of the AYG states that young people must: Understand the message of the WYD theme in the context of their personal lives in the living realities of Asia; appreciate their faith as a gift that unites them as one community Commit themselves to a personal and growing relationship with Christ; Articulate their faith within their culture and their reality; and Stand firm in their faith conviction by concretely responding to a particular issue in their country The OLF Youth Desk will be having a briefing and orientation on July 29-30 at the Bukal ng Tipan Center in Taytay, Rizal for the preselected 50 facilitators. (Jandel Posion)

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Features

CBCP Monitor
Vol. 15 No. 15
July 18 - 31, 2011

Statements of Bishops at Senate Hearing

Creating a natural family planning network
By Archbishop Antonio J. Ledesma, SJ
ON 7 July 2011, Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales of the Archdiocese of Manila, Ambassador Howard Dee of Assisi Foundation, and the national officers of the Catholic Womens League convened a consultation among concerned bishops on Natural Family Planning. Thirty-three bishops joined this meeting at Pius XII Catholic Center. In the course of the discussions, the following salient points were raised. 1) The Standard Days Method has been sanctioned by the bishops since 2003 and more recently in a Consensus Statement in January 2009. It pointed out that SDM, provided it is not mixed with contraceptives, is a natural family planning method and is consistent with the moral teaching of the Catholic Church. 2) The Consensus Statement acknowledges the individual bishops discernment to decide whether his diocese will promote or not the SDM. However, it also states that the bishop may not prohibit any couple in his diocese from using SDM as their method of natural family planning. 3) This Consensus Statement of CBCP in plenary assembly should be heeded by the Episcopal Commission on Family and Life and other church-affiliated organizations in their regional and national gatherings. (There have been reports that some individuals or groups continue to object to SDM being included as an NFP method. Cardinal Rosales himself had to correct his NFP coordinators in this regard.) 4) Hapag-Asa, the supplemental feeding program of Assisi Foundation, sponsored an All-NFP Counsellors training seminar for participants from 16 dioceses in Luzon and the Visayas in late 2010. The seminar was conducted by a team of trainors from the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro. The participants were very appreciative of the training on NFP and have started to integrate this in their feeding programs, reaching out to the parents of the children. Ambassador Dee hopes to include this NFP component in the 33 dioceses where Hapag-Asa is operating. 5) Likewise, Caritas-Manila organized four batches for a Trainors Training on Responsible Parenthood and Natural Family Planning given by the same team. Fr. Anton Pascual, Caritas-Manila Director, outlined the planned scope for his social action workers: integration of NFP counseling in 26 charity clinics in the 13 vicariates of the archdiocese and targeting at least 52,000 urban poor partner families to be given values formation and skills on responsible parenting and natural family planning. 6) Speaking on behalf of the Catholic Womens League, Dr. Zenaida Rotea expressed the readiness of their local chapters to promote NFP in dioceses that have the go-signal of their bishops. (CWL can be a potent force in promoting throughout the country NFP, which is a program that should be spearheaded by a religious lay womens organization.) 7) Over the past five years since 2006, the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro has recorded more than 4,500 NFP couple-users. The archdioceses All-NFP program has three meanings: a) it promotes all modern scientific NFP methods including the Billings Ovulation Method and SDM; b) it reaches out to all parishes, kapilya communities, and BECs through volunteer resident counselors; and c) it promotes NFP all the wayi.e, without back-up contraceptives. The archdioceses trainors team has printed two NFP training manuals for counselors and for trainors. These have been much appreciated by the seminar participants. The team has given NFP training seminars and orientations for seven dioceses in Mindanao, four in the Visayas, and four in Luzon. Encouraged by the positive feedback, they are available to share their technical knowledge coupled with values formation with any other diocese or interested organization upon request. 8) Towards the end of the consultation, a network on NFP among interested dioceses was proposed. This network would advocate, promote and support Responsible Parenthood, Values Formation and All-Natural Family Planning trainings and implementation in dioceses/parishes. The network would be inclusive, respecting other organizations preferences for particular NFP methods. On the other hand, it hopes to eliminate the elements of in-fighting among NFP advocates, and aspires to present a united and positive alternative to the RH Bill. 9) With the blessings of the Cardinal, the actual promotion of Hapag-Asa and Caritas Manila in pilot areas, and the offer of widespread assistance by the Catholic Womens League, All-Natural Family Planning as a program and a way of life can indeed be shared with countless more couples. All it needs is the initial push by bishops and parish priests in their own dioceses.
roy Lagarde / cbcP Media

Archbishop Romulo Valles

HONORABLE Senators and to everyone, Good morning! I am Archbishop Romulo Valles, and I have led the Archdiocese of Zamboanga since January 2007. When I assumed my present position, I had noticed how our Social Action Apostolate had been trying its best to organize programs that would serve or answer the needs of the poor and the disadvantaged in the archdiocese. However, our Social Action Apostolate had to face several limitations, including lack of mobility because it had no vehicle. So, when the staff heard that it was possible to request financial assistance from PCSO, they prepared a proposal/application for funding to acquire a vehicle. And being the head of the archdiocese, I endorsed the proposal. Fortunately, the request was approved and the Social Action Apostolate managed to acquire a Toyota Hi-Ace Grandia van for its use. Among the vehicles main uses these days is providing mobility support for staff working on antihuman trafficking and anti-child abuse programs. Rest assured it is not a vehicle for my own use; it is not a service vehicle for the Archbishop. And, honorable Senators, please I beg for your patience and kind understanding and allowing us to end by stating, at the risk of sounding defensive, and to state clearly for everyone to hear that I, the Archbishop of Zamboanga, did not, I repeat, did not receive from PCSO a pajero. I did not receive an SUV, or any vehicle for my personal use. Since I begun my work in Zamboanga City as archbishop in January 2007, I have been using until today a 15 year old Nissan Terrano as my service vehicle. ***

terrain of Abra, we need a unit that can climb mountains and cross rivers. It was also in late 2008 that the Office of Religious Affairs recommended that we write the Office of the President to request assistance for the purchase of a new service vehicle for medical missions and health services in Abra. We were also advised to canvass and submit quotations and the cheapest unit was given us. We felt our prayers were answered when our request was granted, and a check was received from PCSO for the purchase of a new service unit, in this case, a Mitsubishi 4x4 pick-up truck. We want to thank PCSO for the assistance, for if not for that unit, we would have been swept by currents during one of our service missions. We assure you that the service vehicle, along with the dioceses old jeepney, is used to service the needs of the community. Sa kabila po ng mga pangyayaring ito at sa sakit na dinala nito sa akin at sa aming diocese, nakatitiyak po ako na patuloy pa rin ang panglilingkod namin sa mga kapatid nating mahihirap. Ito po ang aming buhay at misyon. ***

and relief operations. Regardless po of whether the acquisition of the vehicle is legal or illegal, I will return the vehicle. Thank you, your honors. ***

gent sick people from Cotabato to Davao. It is now being used, even as I speak, to bring relief, food, clothes and medical assistance to Muslim and Christian families displaced by the floods in the Archdiocese of Cotabato in May, June and July of this year. Those are the facts, Your Honors. ***

Bishop Juan de Dios Pueblos

Bishop Martin Jumoad

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Bishop Leopoldo Jaucian

person attended this Mass with the deliberate intention of separating himself from communion with the Roman Pontiff and those in communion with him. I would say, therefore, that a conscientious Catholic should not knowingly attend a Mass celebrated by a priest not in good standing with the Church. Doing so deprives participation at Mass of that fullness of communion with Christ and his Church which the Mass, by its very nature and in all its forms, is called to express. Therefore, the first thing to do would be to investigate the availability of Mass (in the ordinary or extraordinary form)

in another locale during your visit. If it is not available, then you could attend any Eastern Catholic celebration. Only if there is objectively no alternative should one attend the Mass celebrated by a priest from the Society of St. Pius X. If one has to do so, then I would say that one may go in good conscience. At the same time, it is our ardent prayer and desire, as it should be for all Catholics, that the doctrinal issues with the Society of St. Pius X will be resolved as soon as possible so that these priests may return to full communion and canonical good standing within the Church.

MGA minamahal naming senador, magandang umaga po sa kanilang lahat. At salamat sa pagkakataong ito na ibinigay ninyo sa amin. I am Bishop Leopoldo Jaucian of Santa, Ilocos Sur, and I have served the Diocese of Banged in Abra province since 2007. When we assumed our duties in Bangued four years ago, we inherited a 10-year-old-pick-up truck from our predecessor. Sadly, that vehicle was not very well maintained and in fact blew its engine during one of our missions in the province. Thus, we had been praying that someone would help the diocese acquire a new service vehicle. As you very well know, given the

YOUR honors, to everyone, good morning! Ako po si Martin Jumoad, Obispo ng Basilan. Isa po ito sa pinakamalayo at pinakamahirap na lugar sa ating bansa na palaging may kidnapping, patayan, at iba pang uri ng man-made calamities. Hindi lang po ako Obispo ng mga Katoliko, pinagsisilbihan ko po ang ating mga kapatid na mga Muslim sa Basilan. Siguro po ay aabot sila sa 70% ng populasyon sa aming probinsya. When I help, I do not ask the faith affiliation. I only see the person as a child of God whom I have to treat as a brother or sister. I am happy and glad to be here so that I can explain my side concerning this issue. It was in late 2008, upon the recommendation of the Office of Religious Affairs that our Fr. Arnel Lagman, who at that time was the Chancellor of the Prelature of Isabela, wrote to the Office of the President to request for assistance in the purchase of a service vehicle that can be used for medical missions and community visitations during relief operations. He was likewise advised to submit a project proposal. About eight months after or sometime in August 2009, we received confirmation of the request. A check was later received from PCSO that allowed us to purchase a Mitsubishi 4x4 pick-up truck in December 2009, which was delivered to our office in Basilan in January 2010. The unit was particularly useful in February 2010 after lawless elements attacked barangay Tuburan in the hinterlands. The vehicle allowed us to quickly go to that barangay to offer relief and assistance. Since then, the said vehicle has been used extensively for medical missions, community visitations,

RECOGNIZING the collective wisdom of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, I assent that our actions should be motivated by the mission entrusted to us by the Lord: to promote the welfare of our flock. Along with my bishopcolleagues, I have decided to return the vehicle whose acquisition has cast a shadow of uncertainty on our dignity as bishops and our moral ascendancy as church leaders. I humbly acknowledge what might have been a lapse of judgment on my part as to the propriety of the procurement of such vehicle. Despite my best efforts and honest intentions, my actions have been misconstrued. This pains me as it pains my diocese, our Episcopal conference and the Philippine Church as a whole. Service often brings suffering. I pray that our experience of suffering now may bring out the best in us; in our government leaders and in our church as a whole. May God bless us all! ***

Bishop Rodolfo Beltran

Archbishop Orlando Quevedo

HONORABLE Officers and Members of the Senate: The Social Context of the PCSO Grant of a Service Vehicle. In 2008 war broke out in the Archdiocese of Cotabato in the aftermath of the MOA-AD controversy. Thousands of Muslim and Christian families were displaced. We mobilized our Social Action Program to give relief, food, medicines, and clothes to displaced families. We asked people to lend us an appropriate vehicle. In some cases, we rented one. We also asked the military. We were convinced then that the Archdiocese needed its own service vehicle for medical and charitable purposes to help Muslims, Christians and Lumads in need. Therefore, towards the end of 2008 we requested the PCSO for a service vehicle. It was approved in February 2009. We received the funds also in February and brought the vehicle in April 2009. The Nature and Use of the Service Vehicle The facts regarding the service vehicle are detailed in the documents in your hands. The Service vehicle is not a Pajero. And it is not an SUV. The vehicle is a Toyota Hi-Ace GL Grandia. The Archdiocese uses it in accordance with the PCSO mandate. It has already been used to bring indi-

GOOD morning po. I am Bishop Rodolfo Beltran of Tuguegarao, and I have led the Apostolic Vicariate of BontocLagawe in Mountain Province and Ifugao since 2006. It was shortly after I assumed duties in Bontoc-Lagawe that I fully realized the extensive needs of the area, being among the poorest provinces in the country. It was also around this time that I received information regarding the possibility of seeking assistance from PCSO. I was thus encouraged to seek help, and had thus written PCSO directly requesting for help to purchase a second-hand 4x4 pick-up truck that can be used by the Vicariate for relief and community operations in Mountain Province. Please understand that in our area, the community usually borrows the vehicles of priests to transport particularly the sick and the dying. And many times, during these journeys to the hospitals, the vehicles come back in need of some repairs. Madalas po, nasisira ang sasakyan, dahil na rin po sa kawalan ng maayos na kalsada sa maraming lugar. We were happy when we were later informed that our request was considered, and thus we received a check for the purchase of a second-hand 4x4 pick-up truck. Swerte na lang po that a priestclassmate of mine was selling his 10-year-old truck. While it was a bit old, it was very wellmaintained. In fact, yung pong classmate ko natutulog ng walang kumot, pero yung sasakyan nya, palagi pong nakakumot sa garahe. He had wanted 400,000 for it, but we eventually settled on 280,000. The rest of the money that came from PCSO, we placed in our Alay Kapwa Fund. After that po, sunod-sunod na ang calamities sa aming area. Lalo na po nung sumalpok ang bagyong Pepeng, we were fortunate that we had the 4x4 that helped the community tremendously in transporting food and drinking water, and in other relief efforts to our mission stations. Aside from the second-hand pick up, we were also given financial assistance for the purchase of an L300 van last June 2010 for the social action programs this time in Ifugao province, particularly for our medical and dental missions. Despite the return of these vehicles, we will remain steadfast in our mission to serve God and His people. Thank you and God bless all of you.

CBCP Monitor
Vol. 15 No. 15
July 18 - 31, 2011

Statements
6 July 2011 Hon. TEOFISTO L. GUINGONA III Senator, Republic of the Philippines Chairman, Senate Committee on Public Accountability Senate of the Republic of the Philippines Roxas Boulevard, Pasay City 1300

B5

A time of pain, a time of grace

(A Pastoral Statement)

Our Dear People of God, Our Mother Church has been deeply wounded by the controversies in the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office that have erupted in the past two weeks. Some members of the Church believe in the innocence of the bishops involved in the issue, while others do not. There is no doubt that everywhere in the Church there is great sorrow. We your pastors are one with you. As shepherds struggling to love you like Jesus the Good Shepherd, we are sorry for the pain and sadness that these events have brought upon you. We are saddened that many of you, especially the youth, the poor, our Basic Ecclesial Communities, have been confused

because of the apparent inconsistency of our actions with our pastoral preaching. As we express our sadness, we also ask you to be slow in judgment and to conscientiously seek the whole truth behind the controversy. Let us seek the truth always in charity. We assure you that the bishops concerned are ready to accept responsibility for their action and to face the consequences if it would be proven unlawful, anomalous, and unconstitutional. We assure you that their action was done without malice. Out of their sincere desire to help their people, they failed to consider the pitfalls to which these grants could possibly lead them. They have also expressed their readiness to do

everything that is necessary to heal this wound so that we can all move forward in hope. We also assure you, our beloved people, that we shall re-examine the manner of our collaboration with government agencies for purposes of helping the poor, making sure that pastoral sensibilities are respected and the highest ethical standards are observed. We shall examine our values in the light of our vocation to be disciples of Jesus Christ. We commit ourselves to the long journey of personal and social transformation required of all disciples of the Lord. We plead with you to walk with us in this path of constant renewal. We express again our deep sorrow for the pain that the recent

events have brought to you our beloved people. The good Lord knows our love for you. The words of the psalmist come to our mind: My sacrifice, a contrite spirit. A humbled, contrite heart you will not spurn (Ps.51). As the same Psalmist addresses the Lord, we take his words as our own to encourage and challenge us: Indeed you love truth in the heart; then in the secret of my heart teach me wisdom. For the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, +NEREO P. ODCHIMAR, D.D. Bishop of Tandag President, Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines July 11, 2011

Statement of Bishops before the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee

HONORABLE Members of the Senate: We thank this august body for inviting us to shed light on an issue that has deeply saddened not only the seven of us but all the Catholic faithful. We hope that our presence will aid your work of legislation. We shall reply with great respect to your questions as far as the facts enable us. We are from provinces that have some of the most difficult areas that we as Bishops have to reach. Most of us are from calamity or conflict-stricken areas. We serve communities some of which are the poorest of the poor. Our vocation is to help them in so far as we can with our resources. When we lack resources, we seek the assistance of others, especially from those whose mandate is to provide assistance, particularly in health services and in charity. Some of us received service vehicles from PCSO that are heavy duty 4 x 4 pick-ups in order for our social, health, and charitable services to reach remote areas. Others received vehicles that have multiple purposes of bringing indigent sick people to hospitals or distribute food, medicines, and clothing to calamity stricken families. We are very grateful for the help extended to us. We still believe that we have not violated any law, or even the Constitution. We express our sadness that our sincere desire to help people and receive necessary assistance for doing so has confused, disturbed and even scandalized many of the Catholic faithful. As our pastoral statement has said, we honestly failed to consider the pitfalls to which these grants could possibly lead. We also express our readiness to do everything that is necessary to heal this wound so that we can all move forward in hope. For this reason, regardless of whether the acquisition of the vehicles has been lawful or unlawful, constitutional or unconstitutional, we are returning the vehicles. The vehicles in Mindanao are ready for immediate turnover to a duly authorized PCSO official. The vehicles in Luzon are right now outside the Senate for immediate turnover to PCSO officials. Again, we thank Your Honors for this opportunity to voice our sentiments on this matter. Thank you and God bless you. Archbishop Orlando Quevedo, O.M.I Archbishop Ernesto Salgado Archbishop Romulo Valles Bishop Rodolfo Beltran Bishop Leopoldo Jaucian, SVD Bishop Juan de Dios Pueblos Bishop Martin Jumoad July 13, 2011

All-Natural Family Planning as a Pastoral Imperative

DEAR Brother Bishops, Family Life Coordinators, and Pro-Life Advocates, In our CBCP Pastoral Letter of 30 January 2011, we expressed our rejection of the Reproductive Health Bill because of its promotion of artificial methods of family planning. On the other hand, we also said that we are pro-life and for the responsible and natural regulation of births through Natural Family Planning. Hence, the active and widespread promotion of NFP becomes a pastoral imperative for all our dioceses. Several dioceses have started to implement a serious and systematic program on NFP. In particular, the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro over the past five years has implemented an All-NFP program. This All-NFP program has three meanings: (1) We teach all modern, scientific methods of NFP, including the Billings Ovulation Method (BOM), and the Standard Days Method (SDM); (2) We reach out to all parishes and kapilya communities through volunteer resident NFP counselors; and (3) We promote NFP all the way i.e., without back-up contraceptives. Despite the evidence-based results achieved by the program (e.g., there are now more than 4,500 NFP couple-users as of June 2011), we still hear some disturbing reports about some individuals claiming to be the diocesan coordinators of the Family Life Apostolate or representing the Episcopal Commission on Family and Life. They allege that SDM has not been approved by CBCP and that the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro promotes SDM with back-up contraceptives. It is in this light that we wish to reiterate the Consensus Statement that we bishops made in January 2009: (1) The Standard Days Method, provided it is not mixed with contraceptives, is a natural family planning method and is consistent with the moral teaching of the Catholic Church. This was earlier affirmed by Cardinal Alfonso Trujillo of the Pontifical Council on the Family during the bishops ad limina visit in 2003. (2) While acknowledging the individual bishops pastoral discernment to promote SDM or not in his diocese, he may not prohibit any couple in his diocese from using SDM as their method of natural family planning. (As Archbishop of Cagayan de Oro, let me state categorically that our All-NFP program has never included back-up contraceptives. Neither have we promoted only SDM, but have rather included six modern NFP methods. We have also not received any USAID funding, but have depended mostly on local resources and a two-year grant from Catholic Relief Services. Abp. Aniceto has visited our NFP pilot sites in 2008 and listened to actual testimonies from appreciative NFP users.) We appeal to all our brother bishops, family life coordinators, ECFL members and pro-life advocates to heed the Consensus Statement of CBCP on SDM. By eliminating the traces of in-fighting among NFP advocates, we can present a united and positive alternative to the RH Bill. Looking ahead, Hapag-Asa, the supplemental feeding program of Assisi Foundation, as well as Caritas-Manila, have both organized All-NFP training seminars for their workers and have started to integrate NFP in their existing social action programs. Likewise, the Catholic Womens League national board has offered the services of their diocesan chapters in helping promote All-NFP in their areas of responsibility. All they need is the go-signal of the local bishop. In a consultation meeting on NFP among bishops on 7 July 2011, Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales of Manila, Ambassador Howard Dee of Assisi Foundation, and Dr. Zenaida Rotea of the Catholic Womens League expressed their full support for the widespread promotion of All-Natural Family Planning. On the part of the Archdiocese of the Cagayan de Oro, we are ready to share our All-NFP training seminars and manuals with any interested diocese. Sincerely in the Holy Family, +ABP. ANTONIO J. LEDESMA, SJ Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro +ABP. PACIANO B. ANICETO, D.D. Chair, Episcopal Commission on Family and Life 11 July 2011

Dear Senator Guingona: We write to help clarify and put in perspective allegations in news reports that a number of dioceses of the Catholic Church have received expensive sports utility vehicles or SUVs, particularly Pajeros, from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) from 2007 to 2010. In particular, these dioceses and organization were reportedly the following: 1) Archdiocese Of Zamboanga; 2) Diocese of Bangued, Abra; 3) Apostolic Vicariate of Bontoc-Lagawe; 4) Roman Catholic Prelate of Isabela, Basilan; 5) Diocese of Butuan City; 6) Archdiocese of Cotabato; 7) Caritas Nueva Segovia (Vigan). First of all, we wish to note that we have not received any official communication from the PCSO to date, asking any of the dioceses to explain their side on the matter. We have thus been relying on news reports and press statements for information on this issue. We thus endeavored, in the hope of getting clarification, to secure a copy of the Commission on Audit (COA) report for 2009 on the PCSO, and luckily this was available online from the COA website. And based on the COA report, the following was noted: That in 2009, various expenses not related to charity programs amounting to at least P1.961 billion were charged to the Charity Fund resulting in substantial reduction of the Charity Fund, thus, limiting the attainment of the objective of providing continuous source of funds for charity programs. It also noted, (6.4) Further, five vehicles costing P6.94 million granted to Catholic Church archdioceses, were charged to the Charity Fund, contrary to Article VI, Section 29 (2) of the 1987 Philippine Constitution, which states that: No public money or money shall be appropriated, applied, paid, or employed, directly or indirectly, for the use, benefit, or support of any sect, church, denomination, sectarian institution, or system of religion, or of any priest, preacher, minister, other religious teacher, or dignitary as such, except when such priest, preacher, minister, or dignitary is assigned to the armed forces, or to any penal institution, or government orphanage or leprosarium. In this regard, noting that this appears to be the crux of the matter, please allow us to express our views on the matter of channeling public funds, particularly the P6.94 million in PCSO funds cited in the 2009 COA report, to Catholic dioceses and one organization. We apologize, however, that we can address only the matter of the P6.94 million, as we have no knowledge whatsoever regarding the almost P2 billion in expenses charged to the Charity Fund. Incidentally, belated news reports alleged a total sum of P8.3 million were spent on 7 Pajeros for the years 2008-2010. In response to allegations reports regarding the impropriety, if not illegality, of PCSO financial assistance being extended to the Catholic Church, we truly believe there was no violation of the law. Moreover, we categorically deny that the funds were used to buy 7 Pajeros for the personal use of bishops. In the particular instance cited by the 2009 COA audit report, we believe that where the aim and purpose of the grant or use of public funds is for a public purpose which the government has the duty to undertake, then the religious character or channel is only incidental. We also cite the 1937 case of Aglipay vs Ruiz (64 Phil. 201), which recognizes public benefit as the end and purpose in the appropriation, use, and of late, donation of public funds for public purposes. That fact that the donations, in this case from PCSO, are coursed through a church or religious denomination, in this case the dioceses and organization mentioned, is merely incidental. In this line, based on our limited understanding of the law, we believe that by the principle of public benefit, government financial aid to sectarian societies for nonsectarian purposes is not against the law. Thus, if the use for PCSO donations to a Bishop is for public and general welfare purposes, as was the case with the six dioceses and one organization mentioned in, it is not illegal merely because the donee-corporation sole that receives and administers the donation is a Church or religious institution. What the Constitution prohibits, based on our limited understanding, is the grant of public money to a religious leader of institution as such. In the case of PCSO funds, if the donee-recipient is the Bishop of the Diocese (being the Dioceses Administrator) the Bishop does not own the donation but holds it in trust for public use of his Diocese. Hence, the donation is not given to the Bishop as such. Whatever benefit the Catholic Church may draw from the gift is purely incidental. We are actually grateful that this matter has now come to light, and that the Senate can now help the PCSO clarify this issue once and for all. If the collective wisdom of the Senate will indicate to us that such financial assistance to the poor, as coursed through religious groups, is in fact improper if not illegal, then by all means let us put an end to this long-standing practice. On the part of the Catholic Church, we are prepared to explain our use of financial assistance to the poor that was coursed through us by the PCSO, as noted in the COA report, and we can furnish the details to the Senate for their appreciation. In conclusion, allow us to express our willingness to face the consequences of having accepted financial aid from the government so as to channel them to those who need them most. Our conscience is clear. Sincerely yours, MOST REV. NEREO P. ODCHIMAR, DD Bishop of Tandag President, CBCP

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B6

Ref lections
17th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year A (Matt 13:44-52) July 24, 2011
women and men composing it live in fraternal love and unity under the fatherhood of God. Instead of pursuing their own plans, they do the will of God in the same way that it is done in heaven. In this community, all human hungerfor truth, for food, for love, for knowledge, etc.is satisfied. It is a community of forgiveness and love, freed from all forms of evil. Since this is the only reality that can fulfill and satisfy our longings, todays Gospel compares it with a hidden treasure or a fine pearl. As nothing can compare the happiness it will bring once we become part of it, or once it becomes our possession, the parable exhorts us to find it. While that is how the Gospel parables view the Kingdom of God, not all Christians have that perception, or even if all do, many certainly are not convinced of it in practice. Although it is the most valuable reality, people seem to give a different weight to its value. If newspapers its logo recognizable instantly in the US, it spent $15M to sponsor the Winter Olympics. Indeed, one is not mistaken in saying that its execs were trying to use all their means to present Samsung the most valuable brand so that consumers at home and abroad will, according to Stone, think wow instead of cheapo knockoff electronic brand. If the engrossing passion of the Samsung execs was to unseat Sony, what is supposed to be the all-consuming concern of the Christian community? For Matthew, of value so supreme that the Christian community must prefer it above all else is the Kingdom of God. But what is this Kingdom that should be the focus of our Christian life? There are various ways of describing it, but as we noted a few times before, if we wish to come to a knowledge of it, the shortest way is to understand the meaning of the Lords Prayer. After all, it is a prayer for its coming. According to the Our Father, the kingdom is a community in which all

CBCP Monitor
Vol. 15 No. 15
July 18 - 31, 2011

As Christians, whats our all-consuming passion in life?

By Msgr. Lope C. Robredillo, SThD
A FEW years back, when the World Cup tournament was held in Seoul, one thing that no visitor could have failed to notice was the ubiquity of the elliptical logo of South Koreas largest company: Samsung. According to Brad Stone, who described it in Samsung in Bloom, its liquidcrystal-display TVs dotted public parks, drawing hundreds of soccer fans to watch the game during the tournament. Everywhere, billboard after billboard featured its latest gadget. Why so? Samsung execs goal was to triple their $24.4B in worldwide revenues and to surpass Sony, which was making billions of dollars. At a time when most companies were trying to stay afloat amid a slumping market and sluggish economy, Stone said that this was a bold goal, but this was backed by a $50M US advertising campaign during that time. In its effort to make

Passion / B7

By Msgr. Lope C. Robredillo, SThD

Contraceptives, population, poverty The preciousness of the Kingdom of God and our and unjust economic order 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year A (Matt 14:13-21) July 31, 2011 cooperation
The reality of hungry millions recalls the Gospel today. According to Matthew, when Jesus disembarked and saw a vast throng in a deserted place, his heart was moved with pity (Matt 14:14). Obviously, the miracle story on the multiplication of the loaves is about the compassion of Jesus on the about 5,000 men, not including the women and children, who in following him have experienced hunger. This story is quite relevant. For one thing, this serves as a corrective to the idea that limits the mission of Jesus to the spiritual realm. For some people, the Church should have nothing to do with the material problems of humanity; her province is only the Bible and the altar. For another, it shows us that Jesus was in touch with the problems of society, and that he tried to meet what was needed by the hungry crowdfood. What is implied here goes beyond the exercise of one of the corporal works of mercy. Rather, it has reference to the unjust social structure in which millions of people are condemned to hunger and poverty. That countless people go to bed without food because they are deprived of it politically, socially, and economicallythis is a moral evil that cries to heaven for an answer. In the Old Testament, when Israel was journeying in the desert, God gave them flesh to eat in the evening and fill of bread in the morning. So the people would not go hungry, he provided them with quail and manna in the desert of Sin (Exod 16:7-8.13-14). Hunger, then, is a social problem that seeks solution. How is this solved? Today, in view of the controversy spawned by the RH Bill in Philippine Congress, some columnists and editorialists write that the single obstacle to progress is the Roman Catholic Church for its refusal to countenance measures to curb population growth. Beneath this observation is, of course, the perception that the problem is basically that too numerous are the mouths to feed. This easily calls to mind the perception of Jesus disciples in the Gospel. Seeing the thousands of hungry folks, the disciples suggested to Jesus to dismiss the crowd so they could go to the villages and buy some food for themselves (Matt 14:15). Today, a number of experts propagate a Malthusian outlook, anticipating the collapse of civilization if population growth remains unchecked. Too many women and men divide among themselves the small pie. Since it is their teaching that hunger and poverty result from population growth, they flood us with condoms, pills, and all kinds of anti-life gadgets. The fewer the family members, the more comfortable life is. The Gospel, however, does not see the problem this way. While an unchecked population increase is to be recognized
Contraceptives / B7

NOTHING probably more indicates the wide economic gulf between the rich and the poor than the food they eat, in both quality and quantity. In the United States, the problem is whether it is healthier to eat beef or not. It is the American foodTV commercials sayand it is the food most Americans eat virtually every day. But as notes Richard Corliss, in Should We All Be Vegetarians? it is for many an obscene cuisine. More and more Americans have started going vegetarian, believing that it would help them live longer and healthier lives. But, ironically, in other parts of the globe, a choice between beef and vegetables is a luxury, nay, a dream. Reuters, for instance, reported sometime ago that widespread food shortages and rampant AIDS have put nearly 13M southern Africans on the very edge of survival. The regions crisisthe worst since the 1992 droughtwas brought about by a combination of severe draught, floods, economic decline and government mismanagement. According to Reuters, the residual debilitating effect of past conflicts and the regions extremely high AIDS infection rate that has killed many farmers and left millions of orphans, aggravated the famine.

Reflections on the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A) July 14, 2011

By Fr. Sal Putzu, SDB

IF we count our blessings, we will hardly be able to make an exhaustive list. The Lord has been tremendously generous with each of us, even with those whom we consider handicapped, unlucky, forsaken. On our part, we are prepared to work hard, make big sacrifices and even renounce a portion of what we already have, in order to acquire what we consider more valuable and deserving. But in this pursuit, we are always in danger of losing out, or being deceived by appearances.... Many of us have an inadequate sense of values. Our priorities are sometimes mistaken. We invest our energies and even stake our whole lives on things that moth and rust corrode, or thieves break in and steal (Mt 6:19). We need real wisdom. Not just the wisdom to distinguish right from wrong (1 Kgs 3:9), but the wisdom necessary to prioritize values and give to the highest ones the priority they deserve. We need not just the wisdom of Solomon, but also and especially the wisdom of God, the one possessed in full by Jesus. We

need the wisdom that leads us to give absolute priority to Gods Kingship and His way of holiness (Mt 6:33). Of all the values on earth, being part of the Kingdom of God is among the top few that we should try to acquire or preserve at all costs. On this depends the attainment of our final destiny. Jesus made the coming of the Kingdom the second request in the prayer he taught his disciples (see Mt 5:9-13). And he exhorted them: Seek first Gods kingship over you (Mt 6:33). Making the kingdom our priority will inevitably entail letting go of, or giving less importance to, other values. Such a prioritization will be obvious especially when we have to choose. Choosing Gods Kingdom and its righteousness will always be the best thing to do even when this means sacrificing other realities that we hold dear. The Kingdom must always be our top priority. The quest for the Kingdom is the enterprise on which we should invest all our resources because, in the end, this is the only venture that will really succeed. The Kingdom is the only strong currency which will never suffer inflation and will never be devaluated.

Fr. Francis Ongkingco

WHATEVER

Smart gadgets, dumb people

THERE is no stopping technology from offering us something better every day. People in various fields of research, aside from the lucrative possibilities of earning millions by selling newer and better products, claim that they want to make life simpler and better. And they are making this possible by offering us smart gadgets. Smart means that the device will provide the person this is truly important, but not indispensable realtime information with a mere click or a tap: weather and stocks forecasts, news, traffic updates, best restaurants and of course FaceBook and email access. No one will contest that these features greatly facilitate many aspects of work, social relations and recreation. But isnt it strange to know that many users are not even aware or dont bother to know what their gadgets can really do? A study shows that 35 percent of adults in the United States have apps or software programs on their cell phones now, but only 24 percent of them are actually using them; 11 percent of cell owners are not sure if their phone is equipped with apps. (Suzanne Choney, Pew Study: Weve got phone apps, but not all of us are using them) This means, the study concludes, that 1 out of 4 Americans do not know that their cell phones have applications and do not maximize their device. *** Like these people who are ignorant about what their gadgets capabilities are, many Christians may live years without discovering what their faith really is and how it can transform them. They may have been baptized and have been acquainted with its rich, human and supernaturally transforming applications. Unfortunately, many end up growing old in their faith, they gradually get out of touch with their faith, are content with living its bare requirements or merely wear its esthetical elements. Sometimes, Christians simply reduce their spiritual life to avoiding sin. They forget that its dynamic center is intimacy with Jesus Christ. Once their faith has been reduced to a set of rules and regulations, their faith becomes dry, burdensome and fruitless. In order to discover, or perhaps re-discover ones faith, it is necessary to first realize and constantly re-discover that it is a gift from God. It was given to us on our baptism and nourished with the guidance of our parents. But as a gift, each one must learn to unwrap it and discover its personal contents. This is possible through (a) prayer, (b) personal study and (c) spiritual guidance. Prayer is indispensable for acquiring a deeper personal relevance of ones faith. Here one can converse with Jesus about the truths of his faith. To converse means to make the contents of faith become a vital topic of our dialogue with Jesus. For example, His life read from Scripture, His teachings and examples. These very same topics can be brought up through their more expounded versions found in commentaries, homilies and Catechisms. Personal study helps ones faith to grow and have a profound impact upon us. This is so when one considers the sublime nature of the Churchs teachings about man, family society, work, ecology and even education. These truths constantly grow in their splendor and perennially help in mans earthly and supernatural progress. Study of the Churchs history from objective sources will also open ones capacity to appreciate Her true nature: as a divinely instituted society whose end is to help all men find their way to God. Moreover, there are sources such as the scriptural teachings and the traditions handed to us by the first Christians. We can also add to this wealth the lives of the saints and their teachings that do not only afford human but also spiritual enrichment. One can also delve deeper into the nature of the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist and Confession. This can be facilitated by using a great spiritual resource like the Catechism of the Church (and even todays YOUCAT Catechism for the Youth). Finally, there is the rich source of spiritual guidance. One may avail of this spiritual resource from persons or individuals who are equipped with the necessary spiritual and human maturity to help others grow and bear fruit in their spiritual life, work and family. Benedict XVI recently emphasized this when he said, Today the Church continues to recommend the practice of spiritual direction, not only to all those who wish to follow the Lord up close, but to every Christian who wishes to live responsibly his baptism, that is, the new life in Christ. (Address, Pontifical Theological Faculty Teresianum, May 19, 2011) If we take these steps to heart, our faith will not remain as an esthetical gadget limited only to following some abstract practices or norms. It becomes a light and flavor that help to discover the presence of God in us and in every reality that we touch!

Satisfying the hungers of mankind

Reflections on the 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A) July 31, 2011
By Fr. Sal Putzu, SDB

WE Christians believe in a God who is love. (See 1 Jn 4:8.) He cares for our material needs and teaches us life-giving truths. (See Is 55:1-3.) He is a God who enjoys being with people, a God who gets involved and takes our wellbeing to heart. His involvement is not that of an outsider who occasionally peeps in, out of curiosity, or to comply with a formality.... His involvement is so sincere and personal that He Himself has become a human beingJesus of Nazareth, the God-Man. In becoming one of us, He has shared in what we are and have (or lack), in order that all men may share in what He has and is. Jesus carries out this long, wonderful process of our transfiguration and sharing by degrees, taking
Hunger / B7

roy Lagarde / cbcP Media

roy Lagarde / cbcP Media

CBCP Monitor
Vol. 15 No. 15
July 18 - 31, 2011

Social Concerns

B7

SCs HLI Decision: Bad for Agri Sector, Bad for Economy

New Pondo ng Pinoy Poster Contest launched

By Pie M. Fenomeno
THE Pondo ng Pinoy Foundation and the Communication Foundation for Asia have jointly announced the rules for the new Poster Design Contest, which was launched at the recent Pondo anniversary celebration. This years Poster Design competition has an adult and youth category (for those 18 years old and below), offering cash prizes for three winners to be selected in each category. The new contest is open only to Pondo ng Pinoy beneficiary groups and organizations or those endorsed by Pondo-assisted projects. The theme is Capacity Building and Community SelfReliance, or variations of this theme, including: Pondo ng Pinoy can help, but we ourselves must do the work or Pondo ng Pinoy is the spark, but we ourselves must be the fire. This is the second poster design contest to be organized by CFA for Pondo ng Pinoy following the first highly successful competition in 2008, which was open only to students. The 2008 competition resulted in the selection of creative and attractive posters that were eventually used by the Pondo Foundation as designs for its greeting cards and souvenir items. Deadline for submission of entries for the contest is 30 January 2012. Entry forms and complete contest rules may be downloaded from the websites of Pondo ng Pinoy Community Foundation, Inc. <www.pondongpinoy.org.ph> or the Communication Foundation for Asia <www.cfamedia.org>. Entries shall be judged according to the following criteria: ORIGINALITY; VISUAL IMPACT (use of medium, unity of design, composition, color harmony, balance, etc.) and VISUAL INTERPRETATION (how the theme is conveyed through the poster). There is no limit to the number of entries an individual may submit. Documentaries Aside from the poster contest, CFA is also producing a second series of 12 half-hour documentaries on Pondo beneficiaries, titled Tilamsik: Mga Kwento ng Pondo ng Pinoy, hosted by Boots Anson-Roa and broadcast on TV Maria. The projects featured in the series so far have ranged from a Micro Hydro-Electric Project in Kalinga Apayao, a Farming Development Project in Boac, Marinduque, an Education project for Indigenous Children in Subic, Zambales and Sustainable Reforestation Management in Daang Bakal, Antipolo. CFA has also produced a booklet, as well as a photo exhibit of selected Pondo projects, highlighting the values of stewardship, community and self-reliance. A dominant feature of the photo exhibit is the focus on the stories and faces of people who have benefited from Pondo-funded projects. The portable Photo Exhibit, which is also titled Tilamsik, has an English and Tagalog version, and is scheduled to be brought to different parishes and schools all over the country. The project for Pondo ng Pinoy has the support of Missio-Munich.

By Rene E. Ofreneo, PhD

THE recent Supreme Court decision on the implementation of agrarian reform in the Hacienda Luisita, Inc. (HLI) is bad for the agricultural sector and bad for the economy. The stock distribution option (SDO) is a half-hearted effort by the Aquino-Cojuangco family to comply with the requirements of the comprehensive agrarian reform program (CARP). Like the SDO, the low-key handsoff policy of the Aquino Administration on SDO and CARP is a signal that the national leadership is also wavering on CARP. Yes, the Solicitor General and the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) Secretary announced that they are filing an MR on the SC decision, arguing that the SDO contradicts the CARP law and the Constitution. But why the lowkey announcement? Why the overwhelming focus of the DAR today to wind down the land-acquisition-and-distribution (LAD) component of the 23-year-old CARP by
Passion / B6

2014 and pave the way for the integration of DAR under the Department of Agriculture (DA)? The trouble with a land reform program that is implemented in a half-hearted way is that the original mission of CARPland justice in support of stable and progressive farming communityis never achieved. Instead, the agrarian situation becomes murky, confusing and explosive, which is what has been happening in the vast HLI complex and to a great extent in the large agricultural expanse of the country. CARP has become the single most important disincentive to investments in agriculture. Many of the would-be but divided agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) are in a neither-herenor-there situation, unable to modernize the land. On the other hand, potential investors in agriculture (e.g. agri processing, contract growing and so on) refuse to come in, forge partnership with the farming communities and help develop the countryside. The SCs decision on HLI also effectively torpedoes the present thrust of the DA on

food self-sufficiency. Who will invest and transform the land if the CARP uncertainties remain unaddressed? Remember the countrys success in achieving rice selfsufficiency in 1977-79? This was due to the combined no-nonsense Masagana 99 drive of the DA and the equally no-nonsense riceand-corn land reform drive of DAR then. A successful agricultural transformation requires a decisive and integrated reformcum-modernization program as amply demonstrated by the experiences of Taiwan, Japan and Israel. No hemming and hawing on reform measures. As to the conservative forces who celebrate every CARP setback, the SCs HLI decision is no cause for celebration. It simply deepens the social divisions in the countryside, which have given birth to the numerous peasant revolts, from the Spanish colonial times to the present. The SCs decision, a sad one for the country, will deepen rural unrest. (Dr. Rene Ofreneo is a Trustee of Integritas and Climate Change Congress of the Philippines.)
Contraceptives / B6

headlines are any indication of what seems to be of supreme importance to most people, it is certainly the filthy lucre. Some time ago, so much fuss was made of US Ambassadors statement that corruption was widespread in government, but, even to date, that is not far from the truth. As Emmanuel de Dios, Corruption and Fall, Between Fires: Fifteen Perspectives on the Estrada Crisis, has noted, it is lamented but also countenanced as a fact of life. And at the bottom of it all is wealth acquisition. Says Egmidio Dacanay in an article in Kilosbayan: For over half a century now, we have witnessed generations of politicians making service in government a vehicle for personal material aggrandizement at the expense of the vast majority who are denied their just share from the bounty of the land, remaining ill equipped to fend for their rights and becoming tools (by ignorance or extreme need) of their own exploitation. A culture of avarice has evolved in our land. Acquisition of wealth by foul means is accepted with apparent tolerance. In other words, money is the most valuable thing, and many people really ran after it, believing that having plenty of it will assure them comfort, contentment and happiness. If many people consider money as the most important

value in life, and not the kingdom of God, it is because Gods reign is hidden from them, like a buried treasure. It is shrouded from their minds and eyes: Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, nor has it so much dawned on man what God has prepared for those who love him (1 Cor 2:9). Precisely because the kingdom, even though the highest good, is concealed from them, these people are content with lesser things, and for want of anything better, consider money and wealth the best. In order to recognize the incomparable value of the kingdom, one needs wisdom from above. The 1st Reading gives us an example of a man who was given such wisdomSolomon. Said the king: Give your servant an understanding heart to judge your people and to distinguish right from wrong. For who is able to govern this vast people of yours? (1 Kgs 3:9). Because of his wisdom, Solomon saw what was most precious: The law of your mouth is to me more precious than thousands of gold and silver pieces. For I love your command more than gold, however fine (Responsorial Psalm). Only with this kind of wisdom will the Christian be able to know that the most important is not a wealthy, successful and comfortable life, but the community that Jesus wanted us to establishthe Kingdom of God. Of course, the man who re-

ceives such wisdom is necessarily a spiritual man. As St. Paul puts it: The natural man does not accept what is taught by the Spirit of God. For him, that is absurdity. He cannot come to know such teaching because it must be appraised in a spiritual way. The spiritual man, on the other hand, can appraise everything, though he himself can be appraised by no one. For, who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ (1 Cor 2:14 -16). Understandably enough, people like St. Francis of Assisi abandoned wealth and inheritance in favor of a life of poverty. They are able to recognize the folly of wealth, though many mortals could kill if only to amass it. One who has acquired the wisdom and mind of Christ counts as rubbish anything but the Kingdom of God. What St. Paul said of his life in the Jewish law equally applies to wealth and other possessions that many of us, who are not yet spiritual men, and therefore who lack wisdom, continue to cherish: But those things I used to consider gain I have now reappraised as loss in the light of Christ. I have come to rate all as loss in the light of the surpassing knowledge of my Lord Jesus Christ. For his sake I have forfeited everything. I have counted all else as rubbish, so that Christ may be my wealth (Phil 3:7-8).

www.arkibongbayan.org

as a problem, a more fundamental one is the unjust sharing of the worlds goodsresources, knowledge, power, technology which drives people to poverty and hunger. Far from being a problem of dismissing the crowd, Jesus saw the problem as one of breaking and sharing the bread available. Thus, he took the five loaves, broke them, and gave them to the disciples to distribute (Matt 14:19). Because the loaves were broken and shared, a big miracle happenedall those present, thousands of men, women and children, ate their fill, and when the fragments were gathered up, these filled twelve baskets (Matt 14:20-21). What are we to say in connection with this miracle story? We say that the basic problem today is not so much the growth of the population, but that only a small percentage of itthose in the
Hunger / B6

Westhave the greater share of the worlds goods, while the many have to content themselves with what falls from the rich countries table. Indeed, rich nations, rather than share their technical knowhow, resources, technology and other goods, would even take advantage of the poor. They would, for example, not countenance balanced trade relations. John Paul II, in his Sollicitudo rei socialis, emphasizing that imperialism is the cause of deteriorating poverty, points out that rich countries use mechanisms to get the wealth of poorer nations: One must denounce the existence of economic, financial, and social mechanisms which, although they are manipulated by people, often function almost automatically, thus accentuating the situation of wealth for some and poverty for the rest. These

mechanisms, which are maneuvered directly or indirectly by the more developed countries, by their very functioning favor the interests of the people manipulating them. But in the end, they suffocate or condition the economies of the less developed countries (n 16). It has been noted by many scholars that the Gospel today has Eucharistic overtones. One, of course, does not have quarrel with that interpretation. The fact that the wording in v 19 (He took the five loaves and two fish, looked up to heaven, blessed and broke them, and gave the loaves to the disciples) recalls the words of Institution is an indication of its Eucharistic allusion. But if this means anything, it is that a correct understanding of the meaning of the Eucharist must take into account the problem of hunger.

account of our slowness and weakness. His heart is moved to pity at the sight of our illnesses (see Mt 14:14), at the awareness of our needs.... That is why he cures our numberless ailments and satisfies all our hungers. He does that with immense tactfulness, valuing the contribution which poor people can afford. He accepted the simple offering of a few loaves of bread and two fishsomething

absolutely disproportioned to the needs of the multitude. And with such littleness he worked a wonder God alone can afford: all had their fill, with plenty to spare. (See Mt 14:20.) That miracle was a prophecy. One night, just a few hours before he was crushed by the unbearable weight of our sinfulness, Jesus would remember the great hungers of the
English / B2

human heart, and he would work a far greater wonder: he would make himself food and drink for his disciples. He would become EUCHARIST for us and all believers. And he would teach his disciples how to perpetuate this wonder, enjoining them to repeat what he did, generation after generation, as the greatest sign that he is the God-with-us, the God-who-cares-for-us.

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Gift of Human Life, which can be celebrated on Jan. 22 in the United States. Adaptations to the General Instruction also vary from country to country. Such variations are generally incorporated into the text of the GIRM itself prefixed with the phrase: In the diocese of Country X. The United States has many adaptations regarding elements such as the choice of music for Mass, kneeling for the Eucharistic Prayer, standing for Communion, Communion under both kinds, materials for sacred furnishings and vessels, the vesture of lay ministers, the use of white for funerals and silver and gold for solemn feasts, and the use of instruments other than the organ for the liturgy. Under normal circumstances such particular liturgical law is local and applies only to the country for which it has been approved.

One must usually follow the calendar of the country of celebration, irrespective of the language in which the Mass is celebrated. Thus using the Irish missal in Florence or Berlin does not convert St. Patricks Day into a solemnity. Nor do general permissions granted by the Holy See to a national conference travel with the missal. For example, it is always necessary to investigate the local norms regarding such things as the faculty to distribute Communion under both species, since these fall under the authority of the local bishop. On the other hand, laws which simply codify existing customs but do not change the universal law may be followed. Thus U.S. citizens could continue to practice kneeling during the Eucharistic Prayer during a European pilgrimage even though this might not be common practice in a particular country.

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Entertainment
Moral Assessment

CBCP Monitor

Vol. 15 No. 15

July 18 - 31, 2011

Technical Assessment

Abhorrent disturbing Acceptable Wholesome Exemplary

Poor below average Average Above average Excellent TITLE: Amigo CAST: Joel Torre, Garret Dillahunt, Yul Vazquez, D.J. Qualls, Rio Locsin, Dane DeHaan, Chris Cooper, Jemi Paretas, James Parks DIRECTOR/SCREENWRITER/ EDITOR: John Sayles PRODUCER: Maggie Renzi RUNNING TIME: 128 minutes Technical Assessment: Moral Assessment: CINEMA Rating: For viewers age 13 and up with parental guidance.

VILLAGE Chief Rafael Dacanay a.k.a Amigo (Joel Torre) sends the remaining Spanish invaders to prison under the revolutionary government. A the end of Spanish occupation, a troop of American soldiers led by Lt Compton (Garret Dillahunt) under the command of his military superiors occupies the remote rural village in the Philippines and collaborates with Rafael in the course of their stay in the area. The Americans do not recognize the existing revolutionary government and therefore all supporters are considered rebels and subject to execution. Rafael is aware of the movement of the rebels because his brother is one of the leaders. Lt Compton suspects Rafael as an enemy and put him under surveillance. Whilst the film Amigo is about war and American occupation in the Philippines in 1900, it was not likely to show the usual ground or air attacks rather isolated shootings that left dead bodies. It depicts a remote village with strong religious practices in view of long time presence of Spaniards. The story focuses on the character of Rafael Dacanay or Amigo and his struggle to play his role as a friend to his constituents, the rebels and the Americans. The character of Lt Compton is also given equal exposure in the film. As a simple

narrative it uses variety of approaches such as mix of nationalities from the lead to the least characters, mix of languages, use of subtitles, sub-themes that include nationalism, love story, inter-cultural, religion and tradition. The director succeeded in putting them together and makes use of the sound effects and musical score for continuity. The production design for 1900 setting is good although it appears to be too refined and tidy for a remote area. The film has a good cinematography in conveying details such as the nipa hut construction in bayanihan scene. However, despite several interesting features of the film, the entire run two hours can be dragging at some points and may invite viewers to sleep. Overall, the film Amigo is one those low budgeted films that obviously exerted efforts to put up a good one. What makes a good leader? The film Amigo features three leaders that are present at the same time in a remote village. A native village chief, an American soldier officer, and a revolutionary one. The village chief who cares so much for his constituents aims for peace and unity. He is highly principled at the same time willing to sacrifice to protect those who need it. He fought silently till the end of this life.

The American troop leader leads by the rule, level-headed, not too bad but can disregard life when someone disobeys the rules that he obeys himself. The revolutionist defies oppression, passionate and aggressive. He can also be violent and disrespectful of life. Ironically, the rebel leader was even a former seminarian who attended religious formation. None of the featured leaders seeks discernment for wise decisions, all of them look only at themselves. There is strong religious inclination among the village people especially the woman, however, the image of the priest in the film is obviously tainted by power and politics. Whilst know historical names were mentioned several times and the American occupation really happened, the film does not necessarily present factual truth.

MAC en COLET

Ni Bladimer Usi

TITLE: Temptation Island CAST: Marian Rivera, Ruffa Mae Quinto, Heart Evangelista, Lovi Poe, Solenn Heussaff, John Lapus, Aljur Abrenia, Rom Rodriguez, Mikael Daez DIRECTOR and WRITER: Chris Martinez; PRODUCER: Regal Films GENRE: Comedy LOCATION: Philippines Technical Assessment: Moral Assessment: CINEMA Rating: For viewers age 18 and above.

Buhay Parokya

Look for the images of Pope Benedict XVI, Holy Rosary and Dove. (Illustration by Bladimer Usi)

APAT na dalaga mula sa ibat ibang antas ng lipunan ang sumali sa paligsahang Miss Manila Sunshine Supermodel Search, sa ibat iba ring mga dahilan: si Virginia P. (Heart Evangelista), isang estudyante sa kolehiyo na sumali lamang para makakawala sa kanyang pamilya; si Serafina F. (Lovi Poe), isang spoiled socialite sumali dahil banidosa siya; si Pura K., (Solenn Heussaff), dating anak mayaman ngunit wala nang pera para tustusan ang engrandeng debut na pangarap niya; at si Christine G. (Marian Rivera), na nagbabalak gamitin ang kanyang nobyo at kanyang katawan para maimpluwensiya ang huradong papanalunin siya. Sa dinami-dami ng mga contestants, ang apat na ito ang naging mga finalists. Kasalukuyang nasa isang cruise ship sila upang itanghal ang evening gown competition nang magkasunog at sumabog ang barko. Sa madaling salita, lumubog ang barko ngunit nakalikas ang apat na dalaga, at nagkasama-sama sila sa isang islang mistulang disyerto, kasama rin ang baklang pageant coordinatorna si Joshua (John Lapus) at ang kanyang boyfriend (Mikael Daez); ang waiter sa barko na si Umberto (Tom Rodriguez); si Alfredo (Aljur Abrenica), isangstowaway na pasahero ng barko; at isa pang babae, si Maria (Ruffa Mae Quinto) na yaya at laging kabuntot ng mayamang socialite na si Serfania F. Hindi gasinong nasubok ng pelikula ang husay ng mga pangunahing artista sa pagganap, gawa marahil ng kababawan ng istorya at katauhang nasasangkot. Bagamat may kuwento naman masasabi ang pelikula, hindi nito masunggaban ang atensiyon ng manonood pagkat higit pang minahalaga nito ang mga kababawan ng mga tauhan kaysa sa takbo ng istorya. Kahit may mga hidwaan at kumpitensya ang apat na dalagang contestants, halimbawa, hindi ito ang siniryoso ng pelikula, bagkus ay naging pokado ito sa kabaklaan ng mga modelo. Maraming parte na pinahaba at tuloy naging nakakasawa o nakakaantok pagkat wala itong maihaing katuturan sa manonood man o sa takbo ng istorya. May mga bahagi din namang nakakatawa, at halos lahat ng mga iyon ay dahil sa papel ni Quinto bilang alila ni Poe. Naiba siya sa apat na reyna-reynahan pagkat hindi siya nakikipagtarayan, bagkus ay sunud-sunuran lamang ng among abusada. Ilang puntos din ang salungat sa pagkamakatotohanan ng pelikula, kayat nasasabi naming hindi nito dinidibdib ang sarili niyang kuwento. Halimbawa, ilang araw na sila sa isla, gutom, uhaw, babad sa init kung araw, at nginig naman sa ginaw sa gabi pagkat wala silang tulugang maayospero ang lilinis at ang gaganda pa rin nila, ang puputi pa rin at ni hindi man lamang namula nang bahagya samantalang dapat ay sunog na sila sa araw. Di bapara maging kapani-paniwala ang kuwentodapat ay nangangalumata na sila sa pagod, burado na ang makeup, nanlilimahid na ang damit sa pawis (dahil walang liguan), gutom at uhaw na pagkat wala silang makain at mainom dito sa disyertong walang tumutubong halaman? Tekasa lawak ng disyertong iyon, wala kaming nakitang balon o sapa man lang, kaya saan sumalok ng tubig ang alilang si Maria para gumawa ng barokeng sofa na upuan ni Serafina? Wala rin kaming nakitang halaman o punong kahoy, kaya saan din nanggaling ang mga tuyong dahon na ginawa nilang tent? May abanikong anahaw pa si Joshua! Atsaka nung kumain sila ng barbecue, saan sila namitas ng berdeng dahon na pinambalot sa karne, at saan din sila nakapulot ng parilyang pinag-ihawan? Kung sabagay, katatawanan o comedy ang pelikula, kaya siguro ipinagpalagay na lang ng direktor at manunulat na si Chris Martinez na mapapatawad na ng mga manonood ang ganoong mga pagkukulang. Ang mahalaga siguro sa kanila ay mapatawa nila ang audience. Pero kung gusto nitong magpatawa, bakit naman isinali pa ang isang napakaselang isyu na kung sa tunay na buhay ay sadyang magiging sanhi ng kabigatan ng loob at matinding hirap sa konsiyensiya sa taong daranas nito? Gusto lang kaya talagang magpatawa ng pelikula, o hangad ba nitong punahin at pagtakhan ng manonood ang nangyayari sa tunay na buhayang pagigingobsessed ng mga makabagong babae sa pagkakaroon ng lalaking makakasiping sa ano mang kalagayan? Isipin nyo na lang, kung kailan ang dapat manguna sa kanilang isipan ay ang kanilang buhay, nakukuha pa mag-agawan sa mga lalaki? At nagsasamantala naman ang mga lalaki sa mga uhaw na babae? May magpapakamatay pa dahil naagawan ng kasiping!

Vol. 15 No. 15
July 18 - 31, 2011

CBCP Monitor

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The News Supplement of Couples for Christ

Singles strengthen stronghold for Christ

By Natalie M. Malayo
About 2,000 members of SFC and other ministries of CFC from Metro Manila traveled all the way to Pangasinan Province to be part of the 2011 Metro Manila Conference (MMC). the annual conference kicked off on July 15 at the CSI Stadia in Dagupan. With Stronghold as theme, this years MMC aimed at providing SFC members with a better understanding of the grace of God. the events at the conference were anchored on Jesus Christ as the stronghold of grace. During the Holy Eucharist celebration held on July 15, Fr. Vic Embuido of the Diocese of Lingayen raised the importance of recognizing and defending ones stronghold, which he defined as ones base or foundation in life. Is there something wrong with our stronghold today? Fr. Embuido asked the audience. Is there something wrong with our foundations in life? Fr. Embuido gave this example. Noong wala pang cellphone, pagkagising sa umaga, pagdarasal ang ginagawa. Ngayon, hindi pa namumulat ang mga mata, cellphone na ang kinakapa! (When there were no cellphones, people prayed as soon as they woke up in the morning. Now, they look for their cellphones, even when their eyes are still closed). to address this and other similar situations, four sessions were included in the MMC: the God of All Grace, battling Against Grace, Jesus: Stronghold of Grace, and Graced. these sessions, along with the theme Stronghold, were based on 1 Peter 5:10-11: After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. to Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen. Aside from the sessions, seven workshops were also held simultaneously in the afternoon of July 16. these were Wounded Healer, Full of Grace, the Fight of your Life, Grace under Pressure, be Graced, Grace for the Moment, and Falling out of Grace. Grace under Pressure was the biggest out of the seven workshops, attracting some 257 participants. Here, Voltaire Lizardo, member of the Kids for Christ core team, reminded the audience that pressure is something that people encounter every day. but the difference is how you handle it, he

said, adding that if handled properly, pressure can have positive effects. It helps us to perform. It motivates us to do our best. MMC 2011 was not limited to sessions and workshops alone. In fact, delegates were welcomed with a cultural presentation by the Pangasinan provincial government employees who presented the 15 festivals of Pangasinan through traditional Filipino dance steps. the Gloree Choir Competition also added to the excitement. In this segment, the five sectors of Metro Manila Big

North, big South, big Central, big East and Big West were assigned a specific song genre. Although all made exciting presentations, big West earned the main accolade. the three-day annual conference ended on a high note, with all those present joining in the praise festival. the festive atmosphere in the Stadia during the final event left the singles with greater enthusiasm to follow Gods will, through responding to His grace and through Jesus Christ as the stronghold of grace.

By Allison Gozun

CFC joins Episcopal Send-Off of Filipino Missionaries

new life to the Church: all thats required is faith[and] faith is strengthened when it is shared. A Mission Sending Ceremony was held as part of the Mass proceedings. For many of our outgoing missionaries, myself included, it was a humbling and emotional experience to receive this formal commission from the Catholic Church. As lay missionaries of Couples for Christ, it was the first time that we had the privilege to take part in this ceremony. We formally answered the call to share the love of God, not just for our own communities but for the greater body of Christ, our Catholic Church. I imagine that some of the apostles felt the same urgency of the task that lay ahead when Jesus gave them the great commission to make disciples of all nations. A Missionary Cross was given to each of the missionaries, representing all the continents of the world. We are being sent to parts of Asia - Vietnam, taiwan, Cambodia, thailand, Pakistan, Indonesia; to the Middle East Israel; to oceania - Cook Islands, Australia, Papua New Guinea; to the Americas - Mexico, Peru; to Europe - Netherlands, rome; and to Africa - Ghana, Kenya, Seychelles, Nigeria. those who were sent off for mission are as follows: 1. Comboni Missionaries (MCCJ): Fr. randy recalde (Peru) 2. Couples for Christ (CFC): Mr. rolly Zoleta (Ghana) Ms. Leah Custodio (Ghana) Mr. and Mrs. Ed and bibeth Villegas (Ghana) Mr. and Mrs. Aurelio and radel Guinto (Nigeria) Mr. and Mrs. ronelle and Princess Mayella tolentino, and daughter, Mikaelle beatrix tolentino (Kenya) Mr. and Mrs. Joseph and Allison Gozun (Seychelles) 3. Franciscan Missionaries of Mary (FMM): Sr. Daryl Lou de Guzman (Mexico) Sr.Janet Periquin (Pakistan) 4. Mission Society of the Philippines (MSP): Fr. Mark Louie Calo (Netherlands) Fr. Faustino Galo (Cook Islands) Fr. Percy Singco (Papua New Guinea) Fr. roldan Zerna (Papua New Guinea) 5. Missionaries of Jesus (MJ): bro. Kirby bagaslao (Papua New Guinea) 6. oblates of St. Joseph (oSJ): Fr. Jorge P. de Chaves, Jr. (West Australia) 7. religious Missionaries of St. Dominic (oP): Sr. Noemi Quiambao (Cambodia) Sr. Hedeliza Delariarte (thailand) Sr. Gemma tenedero (Italy) Sr. Sylvia Josefina Fadullo (Italy) 8. rogationists of the Heart (CSFN): Sr. Mary Michael banquil (Israel) 10. Society of the Divine Word (SVD): Fr. Abraham borja (taiwan)

SAturDAy, 9 July 2011 - A special send-off ceremony was held for the outgoing Filipino Catholic missionaries at the Priory Chapel of St. Scholasticas College in Manila. organized by the Episcopal Commission on Mission of the CBCP and the Pontifical Mission Societies in the Philippines, this ceremony was held only for the second time since 2006. Many priests and religious, as well as some lay missionaries of Couples for Christ, were honored participants at the event. the Chairman of the Episcopal Commission on Mission, Most rev. bishop Edwin De la Pea, MSP, D.D., was the main celebrant of the Mass that was dedicated for the evangelization of all peoples. In his homily, bishop De la Pea said that proclaiming Christ to the world is a call to every Catholic in every parish, and that this mission is a challenge to go out and heed the call of blessed John Paul II, who is a great example of a true missionary. He affirmed the outgoing missionaries who are living the call as Filipinos, Christians, and Catholics. He added that missionaries, who give up so much, play a significant role in bringing

It is certainly true that our Catholic country has much to give in terms of our faith in the love of God. It is our privilege, joy and challenge to continue to answer this call of sharing

CFC missionaries, in their red CFC T-shirts, pose with their co-missionaries and Bishop de la Pena.

of Jesus (rCJ): Fr. rey Vilamonte (Papua New Guinea) Fr. Alfonso Heredia (Vietnam) 9. Sisters of the Holy Family

Fr. Garry bacol (Argentina) We were the only lay missionaries being sent off, a singular honor but an awesome responsibility as well.

Christs light to the nations. Let us continue to pray for these and all missionaries, that they may be blessed and strengthened by the Lord for His purpose, so that they may set the world on fire.

CFC recognized as a partner in missions

By Sky Ortigas
oN June 13-17, the CbCP Episcopal Commission on Mission and Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS) held their 58th Mission Directors assembly in rivier retreat Center, Catalunan Grande, Davao City. It was attended by priests from all 86 dioceses of the Philippines who have been assigned as Mission Directors. CFC fulltime pastoral workers Clarke Nebrao and Sky ortigas of the Couples for Christ Church Integration office were invited to attend and be part of the conference. It was the second time for representatives from CFC to attend. the first time was last year in Cebu. the Joshua band of CFC Singles for Christ in Davao also showed their support by entertaining the participants during the fellowship night. In turn, Couples for Christ was blessed to be given due recognition by the Episcopal Commission on Mission and PMS for attending and helping organize the whole assembly. both groups are looking forward to more partnerships for the missions with CFC in the future.

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Ugnayan
dong banay Competition which was participated in by families with at least five members. Winners in the competitions are: talentadong banay: Melo Family (Central 3 Sector) CFC Got talent: North 2 Sector HoLD Pop Jazz: North Area SoLD Song Solo: Justino torralba (South Area) SFC Duet: Noel Alferez and Nadine GAllerde (South 1 and 2) yFC HipHop: South Area KFC band: Central Area Photo Contest: Nissie Iroy Most Inspiring Photo: Arnel Sacris the celebration was graced by the presence of our new CFC Chairman, ricky Cuenca who delivered the anniversary message. In the spirit of thanksgiving for 21 challenging yet glorious years of CFC Cebu, CFC Central Visayas region Head, reggie and Janet ragojos, thanked the former CFC Cebu Provincial Head, Dong and Au Avila

CBCP Monitor
Vol. 15 No. 15
July 18 - 31, 2011

Cebu Celebrates 21 years of CFC Life

BY Jo Anne Rentutar
ArouND 12,000 CFC members from all over Cebu province gathered in Hoops Dome, Gun-ob, Lapu-Lapu City to celebrate CFC Cebus 21st Anniversary. the event started with a worship led by Milger Pinote of Singles for Christ, after which the 12 CFC Cebu sectors, the different Family Ministries and ANCoP paraded on stage while dancing to a Sinulog beat. the praise parade was followed by a surprise number by CFC Cebus Area Governance team, namely Cebu Provincial Area Director Arnel Sacris, Frank Noob, Doeman Patigayon, ric Martinez and Vic Mayor. Different competitions showcasing the various talents of the members followed. SoLD competed in the Song Solo Competitions, HoLD in the Pop Jazz Competitions, SFC in the Duet Competitions, yFC in the HipHop Competitions while KFC joined the

band Competitions. CFC meanwhile exhibited their talent in the CFC Got talent portion. An added feature of the competitions was the talenta-

who served CFC Cebu for seven years. reggie extolled the Avila couples for their untiring support, commitment to duty and for loving their CFC brethren

in the province. The anniversary was also a fitting occasion to welcome the new CFC Cebu Provincial Head, Hermie and remy Vargas, formerly PAH of Negros occidental. Dong and Au Avila will be moving on as PAH of this province, replacing the Vargas couple. the event culminated in a Praisefest led by Frank Noob prior to the most powerful praise of all, the celebration of the Holy Eucharist, traditionally the last activity of any CFC activity. the Mass was celebrated by CFC Cebu Spiritual Director, Msgr. rommel Kintanar. the Cebu brethren had even more reason to celebrate as many of them went home with door prizes ranging from sacks of rice to hotdogs and wall clocks. the main prizes were a computer showcase, a living room showcase and one unit Multicab. Event hosts were Sayong Letigio, his daughter Angela Letigio, yFC fulltime worker Princess Seoron and SFC Chapter Head James Arela.

Streaming Faith and Victory through the Web

By Layle Ancheta
tHE weeklong celebration of CFCs 30th Anniversary was indeed an inspiring and spirit-filled event for those who were physically present at the activities. the excitement and celebratory spirit of the day to day events as they transpired were also shared by our CFC members all over world. this was made possible as the CFC ugnayan Multimedia Center opened these wonderful events to the world through Video Live streaming. the Communications Group, organized by the ugnayan Multimedia Center, the Integrated technology Department, and the Special Events team made the live video streaming of all the anniversary activities in real time possible over the Internet. the interactive live streaming video, also known as streaming video-on-demand or event streaming, provided many of our international CFC brethren an opportunity to share and celebrate in the victory of our community in the comfort of their own homes, wherever they may be on the map. our members were able to partake in the CFC Anniversary week celebrations by simply logging on to http://www.cfcevents. co.cc. this interactive link was viewed by more than 30 countries with 45,084 views for the whole week of the celebration (from June 19 - 26, 2011). We had two major breakthroughs in our efforts to use communication and technology as powerful tools during the CFC anniversary events. First, we were able to do live video recording of the highlights of our anniversary week activities. Selected cideo highlights and clips of the anniversary week were recorded and captured, and repeatedly viewed even after the event. these videos can be viewed through this link [http://www.ustream.tv/ channel/cfc-events-channel/videos]. Providing this recording will give everyone an opportunity to continue to share and bask in these great events and be part of the history of our life in the community. Second was the simultaneous live streaming of all five activities during the main CFC celebration in Luneta last June

Photo shows livestreaming experts Nirva de la Cruz, Tina Rodriguez, Cesar Gallano and Layle Ancheta

26, 2011. Forming five technical and communication teams in each activity area, we created five channels where our online CFC viewers can select the daytime activities they preferred to view and be part of. our livestreaming efforts have shown us that technology, if

used and maximized to the fullest and to our great advantage, can truly be a very powerful tool for evangelization and communication. CFC has continuously been utilizing the web as a powerful frontier in spreading Gods Word to millions of people all over the world.

United Through Technology

tHE livestreaming of the CFC anniversary activities and celebrations over Facebook generated hundreds of comments from all over the world. below are comments from CFC brethren, excited to be part of CFC events even if they are oceans away:

thanks to technology, I felt as if I was part of the celebration. Even if Im in the Middle East I was connected with the celebration. From Dubai: I really felt like I was there in the events of the CFC Anniversary! thank you for the CFC Events Live team...I really felt Gods love while watching the events online! May God bless us all. Happy Pearl Anniversary CFC! I felt uplifted and proud to be present at the Anniversary Celebrations at rizal Park, especially since I was one of those who represented the Middle East. the country where I work really is special. My missionary heart is once again on fire, especially after learning that there are many CFC communities in other parts of the worldIt portrays the true meaning of the word CAtHoLIC which literally means, uNIVErSAL. May the good Lord continue to bless our community especially our ministry, the SFC.

Michael Johnson Cardino Jurado

event of our community, one can really see the many delegates from around the globe. What really gave me goosebumps was seeing So MANy PEoPLE wanting to make a change in the world through CHrISt. It is really a challenge for us to continue with the mission. Happy Pearl Anniversary to us all! I am from Doha, Qatar. I watched the Live Streaming starting Wednesday (June 22). the words from all the Conferences were truly powerful, and I shared them with our household

I am from rIyADH, KSA....Im so blessed to be part of this community and to have been able to watch the anniversary live online... more power to the CFC FAMILy... CFC HoLD Calgary, Alberta here. I watched the Anniversary events via live streaming since the first day although we are in different time zones. thank you for the live streaming.. I attended most of the anniversaries before in person, and I know the feeling of being blessed through the events.. We prayed for nice weather in the Philippines for our celebration on June 26, and God is really good He heard our prayers!..Happy anniversary to all of us. Happy Anniversary CFC! It was great to be part of the vibrant CFC Singapore delegation this year! So happy to return to Manila and see so many old friends, several of whom have also moved out of Manila. Its wonderful how CFC has brought us all together again! Praise God for giving us CFC! Its really a blessing that we were able to participate in the celebration even though that we are here in New Zealand. the live stream is using technology to the fullest in spreading the love and grace of the Lord through CFC. We are indeed blessed to be with CFC. Happy Anniversary to CFC and God bless us all.

Malou Escalada Francisco

was also in Luneta. God bless the CFC community!

CFC Brunei NFP Teachers Orientation

CFC brunei members attended the NFP (Natural Family Planning) teachers updating and orientation at the Church of our Lady of Assumption Parish Hall last July 13. the participants had previously attended the billings ovulation Method sessions many years ago and are now practicing NFP users. Charly Laiz, head of the Gift of Life Ministry, came all the way from Manila to conduct the session. the purpose of the session was to prepare the teachers for the NFP users training to be held the following day. on July 14, 2011, CFC brunei conducted the NFP users Initial training for their members. Attending the training were young couples and engaged members of Singles for Christ. Charly Laiz, assisted by wife Mel, conducted the session that dwelt on responsible Parenthood and the overview of the billings ovulation Method. He also spoke about sexuality and fertility as a gift coming from God. A total of 15 persons attended the initial sessions, everyone enthusiastically responding to the invitation to come back one week after for the follow-up training.

Frances Caringal Muhi

Ellen Padre Juan DelaCruz

Josette Campo

Maita Javellana Cabinian

Emmanuel Icaranom

members. the best part was the Praise Fest on the last day, June 26...its like I was actually celebrating in Luneta. once again, happy anniversary CFC! Im from SFC San Pedro, Laguna. I was supposed to wake up at 3pm on June 26 to attend the Luneta Celebration, but I woke up at 5pm (Manila time), thats why I wasnt able to attend the event in person. Good thing there was live streaming, I felt like I

Joselito Padilla

Marci Fresnoza Espaldon

Jaoei Jumao-as

Charly Laiz expounds on the benefits of NFP to a rapt audience.

Im truly blessed to witness this big

CBCP Monitor
Vol. 15 No. 15
July 18 - 31, 2011

Ugnayan
then, a CLP has been conducted every year, the latest of which was held in November 2010. We thought our work at NHA would be limited to evangelization and taking care of CLP graduates. but God has more plans for our community. In September 2010, West b-HoLD, through the NHA Chapter requested for a piece of land within the NHA premises to be used as nursery for our seedlings and to hold another CLP for NHA staff. both requests were granted by Atty. Chito Cruz, General Manager of NHA. but again, there was more to it. We were invited to a partnership, where CFC, through the HoLD, will provide seedlings for NHA housing projects in bulacan ,Valenzuela, Caloocan, Pampanga, bagong Silang, rizal, Cavite, Laguna and Muntinlupa. CFC HoLD will also, together with NHA staff conduct workshops for the Homeowners association members especially the Green Patrol brigades in these project areas. After the workshop, HoLD will participate in the planting of the seedlings and will continue to monitor the growth and care of the trees planted Another partner is rotary Club-Metro West. they will provide the planting tools. this partnership is covered by a Memorandum of Agreement. on June 14, 2011, we had the first Tree Growing Seminar/ Workshop at NHA operations Center in Elliptical road, Quezon City. this was followed by another similar workshop in July 5, 2011. the talks on Stewardship of Gods Creation (including an activity on values essential to care for the environment)and Global Warming and C limate Change were given by thelma Hizon; HoLDs Ang Ganda Mo Program on environment by Dory Sarmiento. there were also speakers from the Forest Management bureau (FMb) of DENr who discussed tree

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Handmaids Plant Trees!

By Sylvia Soriano
IN 1999, CFC had its first corporate Christian Life Program (CLP) at the National Housing Authority (NHA) through the initiative of the Handmaids of the Lord (HoLD), Kamuning Chapter. the harvest was more than 30 women. Since

growing and soil preparation. bamboo growing was part of the presentation. these workshops were attended by NHA Staff and Homeowners Association officers from all the housing projects and the Handmaids from all Manila sectors and Pampanga, bulacan, Cavite, rizal, Muntinglupa, and Laguna. the HoLD Ang Ganda Mo Core realized the magnitude of the work to be done. to prepare

the Handmaids for the work, a training on how to conduct similar workshops was given to HoLD teams. this was held at Vista Concorcia resort in Jala-Jala, rizal last July 7, 2011. Attendees came from the Metro Manila Sectors, Pampanga, rizal, Cavite and Laguna. the training included practicum on proper way of planting and the most exciting part of allparticipants went home with seeds and seedlings for planting.

Mission Update:
By Emmanuel Asunto

CFC Timor Leste - Going for the Great Prize

their time, wisdom, and passion for the mission. the leadership of our local CFC Governance team is also crucial in all the developments of the mission here. this years theme Put on the Full armor of God (Ephesians 6:10), affirms our growing community as we envision the fullness of Christs plan for timor Leste in the next 10 years. our annual National Conferences have grown bigger and have garnered more support from the three Dioceses. Last May 7 and 8, SFC gathered in Ermera, a district two hours away from Dili, for their 5th National Conference entitled Hamrik Metin (I Stand) which was attended by close to 300 participants. During the concluding Mass celebrated by Fr. Angelo Salsinha (director of the Diocesan Youth of Dili), villagers filled up the amphitheater where we presented to them our community during the last part of the Eucharistic celebration. both SFC members and the villagers were able to experience a renewed commitment to accept and follow God in the most exciting way. our 5th yFC National Conference is scheduled on August 12 14 in St. Paul School, Audian, Dili. About 800 yFC members will gather in this event with one voice saying ba Manan! (For the Win!) We are blessed to have the presence of the bishop of Dili, bishop ricardo Da Silva to open the event with a high mass concelebrated by our very own Filipino priests and other local diocesan priests of Dili. Senor Luis Guteres, the second-incommand to the Prime Minister of East timor, will also give his message to the youth. We look forward to the other National Conferences this year. KFC will be having their 5th National Conference in September, HoLD in october and finally CFC will celebrate their 10th Anniversary in November 19 20 in Dili. Parabens to CFC Timor Leste! other than the National Conferences, our young ministries were able to make breakthroughs that set the hearts of the young on fire. Last June, our 100% Pure program of yFC went

EVEr since CFC started in timor Leste in 2001, God has truly blessed our community. the Holy Spirit has captured many more hearts through our Family Ministries. our CLPs and camps have been blessed with good harvests and we have never stopped bringing Christ even to the farthest districts of the country. All these have come about through Gods grace, and also thanks to our empowered local mission volunteers and fulltime workers, with the full support of our Filipino mission team to timor Leste, past and present, who shared

on Campus tour to three major schools in oe-cusse, a district located in the western part of the Island of timor. It was a very inspiring event that brought inner transformation to the students and drew the interest of the school administration and its faculty, such that they wanted us to conduct the program on a regular basis as part of their students formation program. SFC leaders, on the other hand, went on a pilgrimage to the highest peak of East Timor Mt. Ramelau, located in the district of Ainaro, about 70 km away from Dili. As we ascended 9,721 ft above sea level, we started

to say the rosary in groups until we reached the top of the mountain. It was a five-hour spiritual journey, an adventure that strengthened the commitment and dedication of our single men and women to continue what the Lord has started in them. the majestic view from the top awed us and made us shout our praises to God in worship. It also made us realize how beautiful Gods creation is and that we need to respond to the call to preserve the environment by being good stewards of the Earths riches. Maromak diak nafatin! God is good all the time!

Armor of God conferences continue to be echoed

oVEr the weekend, two more provinces echoed the weekend retreat entitled Put on the Full Armor of God, based on the years theme for the entire community. the retreat has been echoed in most of the provinces and in countries abroad. the retreat is an annual activity of CFC, focusing on whatever theme has been discerned for the year, such theme serving as the communitys direction and plan of action for the coming year. zon. In his sermon he quoted Mother theresas words that the fruit of knowledge is love. He encouraged everyone to grow and be victorious in putting on the full armor of God. The five talks of the conference were spread over the two-day period and was punctuated by segments imitating the live anchor tV broadcasts of Philippine channels. Acting as news anchors between talks were Max bunyi, Jerry Inojosa, benjie de ocampo, Andy Alquiros and Quezon Provincial Area Director Jun oabel. Speakers came from Metro Manila, beginning with Flame Ministry Head rommel Ancheta (for the first talk Field of battle), Quezon Provincial Area Head robert Ardiente (rely on the Mighty Power of God), MM West b Sector Head Arnel Santos (Stand Firm Against the Foe), Chito Nepomuceno (Put on the Full Armor of God) and International Council Member Jun uriTop photo shows Rey and Lulu Espiritu, Pampanga PAD, giving God-tags to their leaders. arte (Victory in Ocampo, newly-elected IC member, prays over the brethren after his talk. the Spirit). rev. Father Eric Mercurio officiated at the Holy Mass on the last day of the conference. the service team for the conference was headed by Adel and Cherry Ambrocio of Quezon CFC East Sector.

CFC QuEZoN
By Nat Deveza
CFC Quezon trooped to the provincial center in Ikirin, Pagbilao, QuEZoN, for their echo conference last July 16 and 17. Almost 800 persons attended the retreat, completely filling the huge gym within the complex. CFC romblon, led by their Provincial Area Director Luna Fajilagutan and CFC Marinduque, with their PAD Mel Lauresta, joined their Quezon brethren in the retreat. the opening mass was celebrated by rev Father Dondon Endiape, Spiritual Director of our Lady of the Most Holy rosary Seminary in Lucban, Que-

CFC PAMPANGA AND tArLAC

By Ric Miranda
July 17, 2011, Pampanga. once again, God showed Pampanga and tarlac His might and power. More than 700 leaders of Couples for Christ from these two Central Luzon provinces, headed by their respective Provincial Area Directors rey Espiritu (for Pampanga) and James Maglalang (for tarlac), renewed their commitment

In lower photo, Mannix

to continue Gods work by evangelizing people during a daylong echo of CFCs Put on the Full Armor of God Weekend retreat. the newly-appointed Provincial Area Head of Pampanga, Lito Legaspi, and the PAH of tarlac, omy Santos with wife Fe, were also in attendance. the retreat was held in Heroes Hall of the provincial capitol in San Fernando, Pampanga. It was a spirit-filled retreat given by Manila leaders, Mannix ocampo, tony Gimenez, Hermie Vargas, romy Alfaro, Lito tayag and Lito Legazpi with the support of their respective spouses. the activity started with the Holy Mass officiated by Fr. Dane Lumabas of Society of St. Paul who, in his homily, reminded everyone that the field of battle also lies within each ones heart. the retreat was highlighted with very powerful sharers from the youth, who everyone believes will continue the work for Couples for Christ for the next 30 years or more. Inspirational songs of worship were rendered by the Pampanga band Music Ministry. the retreat ended with the very moving commissioning of the leaders present who were given God tags, symbol of their commitment to proclaim God to all areas of their respective provinces and in all aspects of their lives.

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By Ricky Cuenca, CFC Chairman

Ugnayan

CBCP Monitor
Vol. 15 No. 15
July 18 - 31, 2011

CFC is GODS PLAN!

tHE CFC Pearl Anniversary that saw a hundred thousand army of Christ marching in Luneta, a huge number of foreign delegates witnessing GLobAL IMPACt and the many miracles created in CFC following the two major storms show clearly that CFC is Gods plan. CFC is Divine Providence manifest. For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. then when you call upon me and come out and pray to me, I will hear you. When you search for me, you will find me, if you seek me with all your heart, I will let you find me, says the Lord, and I will restore your fortune and gather you from all nations and all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile. Jeremiah 29 Verse 11-14. When I was convicted to stay with CFC in the first storm, this message of Jeremiah and the belief that THE TRUTH WILL SET US FREE. guided me. When I took on the role of CFC uSA Country Coordinator in the midst of that first storm, I felt like David conquering a GoLIAtH. trusting in the Lord, I underwent a renewal. the CFC community was also undergoing a renewal process so I allowed myself to be transformed, journeying with the CFC community. We embraced Christ with courage, submitted to Gods plan and moved forward continuing to love one another with a love flowing with the movement of the Holy Spirit. the pains of growth and separation enlightened and strengthened our resolve to serve the Lord in our work with the poor, Pro Life and evangelization. We were renewed in the image of Him who created us. And Gods plan unfolded. the many miracles of transformation in CFC brought us to the gift of pearl anniversary. Ang sarap! Its great to be nurtured and cradled by the Lord. The truth indeed set us free. thank you Lord. During the IC election process, when the nomination and voting by the Elders Assembly resulted in my becoming a member of the IC, and later on as IC Chair after the voting by the nine IC members themselves, I was surprised. A strong fear enveloped me. My first question was, Why Lord? I doubted myself. Lord, I am not worthy. Who am I? What is my role? I heard the voice, Do not be afraid, God does not choose the anointed, He anoints His chosen. When I was reading the scripture guide In His Steps last Wednesday July 13, the reading for the day was taken from Matthew 11:25-27. It was an assurance from the Lord. the message was: God is to be revealed to all. the Lord is made known not to the mighty, intellectual or the proud, but to the humble, the pure of heart, to the child-like and to those who seek Him fervently through Gods grace. He chooses the ordinary so that it is through His power and might that His works might be glorified. Jesus does not pick the scholars or influential people to be His apostles but rather the lowly and humble so that His empowerment and grace working in them may be all the more made apparent. through His disciples, He carries on His mission of making the Father known to all mankind and spreads the Good News of Salvation. one of the many lessons I learned in the difficult years of transition is respect for our CFC process of anointment and succession. I took for granted our practice of next generation leadership formation in the Kids for Christ, youth for Christ, Singles for Christ, Handmaids of the Lord, Servants of the Lord and Couples for Christ. In the recent CFC National and International Conferences, youth for Christ and Singles for Christ leaders rallied the congregation to put on the full armor of God. Without our knowing, we realized that we now have a steady pool of trained leaders in our CFC culture. It was when I saw young leaders speaking boldly about our being rooted in Christ that I realized that we have a natural process of changing the guards and forming new leaders. our Elders Assembly, board of Elders and IC members, bereft of ego and self preservation, gracefully allowed themselves to be part of this process of anointment and succession in engaging new leaders. The virtues of true servant leadership, shepherding with humility and meekness in submission to the will of God were modeled. Lets continue our sacred practice of formation, anointment and succession leadership in developing our leaders of tomorrow and journeying with them through the many lessons still to be learned. And before we know it, we will have the gift of GOLD. Pastoral Care. the process of renewal brought many pains, sufferings, distrust and broken relationships in the community. thus I would like Pastoral Care to be the cornerstone of my leadership. I would like to care genuinely for the general membership and leadership from household leaders up to the cluster, sector heads, and the Elders Assembly. I would like my presence felt in humble servant leadership, sharing the love of Christ in conversations with far flung community members and leaders across the country and in missions abroad. Pastoral care also means building the foundations for Pro-Life and Pro-Family, reaching out and strengthening our membership and leadership to grow in faith and love. the 3 Cs- Connecting, Communicating, Communing with our members and leaders in genuine love - are key elements in our pastoral care. Modeling discipleship, encouraging our leaders, enabling the positive heart, challenging the process and having a shared vision are good practices of servant leadership. Like Christ, let us shepherd the flock with our compassionate love and true servant leadership. the Good Shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. Evangelization. this is the very root of our existence as an organization. How can we strengthen our evangelization? Although our membership multiplied in the last five years, it is not enough. the harvest is rich and the need is plentiful. We need passion and zeal in our evangelization. Let us commit to spend time and energy in co-initiating and co-creating approaches in evangelization that produce results. Spreading the Word of God is our mission. Let us look towards mainstreaming the general population in our missions abroad. Language and culture of countries are important. the global mandate to evangelize is in our nature as an organization. CFC will be trailblazers, we will be breaking new grounds. Work with the Poor. Work with the poor has been my passion from the very start of our CFC mission to bring glad tidings to the poor. My charism is identified with our work with the poor. the Holy Spirit must be sending signals to the Elders Assembly and the IC to put emphasis on this work in my election as Chair. ANSWERING THE CRY OF THE POOR is an integral part of our mission. Christs mission in the world continues in our Faith in Action. I have three years as IC member as covenanted. I look forward to the next three years with you, building the church of the home and the church of the poor, focused on our vision of Families in the Holy Spirit renewing the face of the earth. May God be praised!

Three-Pronged Focus

By Melo Villaroman, CFC Executive Director

CFC ON FIRE!
We need to be on fire again, for our hope is no longer an easy hope. We live in a culture of despair within which Pentecost can no longer be taken for granted. Hence we must take upon ourselves the burden of the times and refuse to make the Holy Spirit a piece of private property but a spirit that matters. - Mary Jo Leddy, Catholic theologian and missionary our Couples for Christ expanded vision declares, CFC is a global united community of family evangelizers that sets the world on fire with the fullness of Gods transforming love. to be a light to the nations, spreading Gods salvation to the ends of the earth, we in Couples for Christ need to be a people always ON FIRE! Even our Pearl Anniversary guest speaker Christopher West enunciated that if CFC were to set the world on fire, then first, we ourselves need to be truly ablaze. Do we then consider ourselves to be on fire today? To live constantly ablaze across nations in the Spirits mighty flame, to be families on fire with eternal hope so needed in a darkened world, to serve with Christ-like love that lights for the poor a brighter path to God these are challenges for Couples for Christ and its ministries as we press on our journey from Pearl to Gold. It will not be an easy journey, for true gold is purified only through the test of fire, but it will be a most fulfilling one, in which we will witness lives and families around the world moved and transformed by the warmth and power of the Pentecost! We have marvelled at the Lords blessing upon CFC the past 30 years, leading the Community from strength to strength, despite our individual frailties. As we start our 31st year of service to the Lord, let us also allow this Spirit-led term or acronym On-FIRE to remind us of our most important mission priorities in CFC. these priorities and directions flow out of our Vision and calling, and therefore are for each CFC leader and member in any part of the world to share, and to passionately help bring to life: ONe Community, one with the Catholic Church We live and cherish the clarity and dynamism of our oneness with the master evangelization plan of our beloved Catholic Church. this is Gods inalterable blueprint for CFC, a calling under Christs headship and a mission consecrated to our blessed Mother. our oneness with the Church is also reflected in the strength of our oneness within CFC. The unity flowing out of our CFC vision and mission is a great gift, tested and strengthened through storms. We fully trust God who anoints CFC with one leadership and one set of mission directions, choosing to follow His commandment to love, to move forward, to embrace Christs Fullness, and to put on His full armor, never again to be bogged down by storms and distractions along the way. Fullness How blessed we are to be called to a mission of Fullness in Christ, building the Church of the Home, and building the Church of the Poor! What a wonder that each element of our calling is blessed to flourish only if integral to the wholeness of Christ: Evangelization, Formation, Family renewal, and Work with the Poor forming together one mission that allows us to feel the embrace of Gods fullness in our lives. our CFC ANCoP Mission and the fast-developing CFC CorNErStoNE convergence approach across public schools, are great examples. the young are graduating not just from good education but from Kids for Christ and youth for Christ, their parents participating in spiritual formation through the CLP/CFC Formation, many partners stepping up to spearhead food and nutrition, whole families starting with ours transformed forever by the fullness of the living Spirit! International/Global CFC Callingour mighty God is intent in His plan to send and bless CFC families to help continue His mission in renewing the face of the earth and to make disciples of all nations. the active life of CFC and its Ministries in more than a hundred countries, and the representation of bishops, Clergy, religious and CFC from 35 nations in our recent Luneta Pearl Anniversary celebration is the Lords strong affirmation that He desires for CFC to become a truly global community! We are reminded that Global mission work is a calling not just to CFC full-time missionaries but to each and every member of the community. Through official CFC missions, planned volunteer missions, and even by way of social technologies and web-based enablers that connect the world, there are expansive opportunities for each one of us to evangelize across nations! Relevant Life and Formation: We are blessed with key elements of our relevant life and formation in CFC our lifeblood for the mission. At the center and core is the Holy Eucharist, the source and summit of our Christian life. As best as we can, we should appropriate our daily mission energies from the Eucharist. this is our highest form of worship, and our daily, sacred opportunity to be able to touch the body of Christ, and for His living presence to touch our lives. Within CFC, the household meeting is another crucial channel of life. A living expression of a small Christian community at work week-in and out the past 30 years, the household is one of the Spirits unique and magnificent gifts bestowed upon CFC. through this venue, the Spirit refreshes, renews, and readies us for mission through prayer and fellowship with brothers and sisters. the strength of the family as a nucleus, and the power of the Spirit within the deliberate collection and connection of families comprising the households, make up the solid foundation and future of CFC and its influence in society. Let us also remain faithful in attending all our CFC formation and assemblies. the Eucharist and Sacraments, our household meetings, and our CFC Formation will keep the flame of the Spirit in our families and in our mission assignments burning! Neglect these, and we will find our mission energies easily burning out. Effective Governance and Stewardship: God bestows upon CFC blessings that are boundless, a calling that is heaven-bound and an armor that is full. yet, for now, we are tasked to carry out the mission here on earth, through earthen vessels, exercising faithfulness, and fruitfulness as stewards of the Lords treasures. Let us never hold back in the generosity and fidelity of our giving (tithes, build My House). It is our act of living out our Christian worship and trust upon our Lord who is always faithful to us. through our sharing of resources, we honor and support the bare-basic mission needs of young missionaries who will nurture CFC for our own children, support the reach of CFC evangelization to more countries awaiting the Gospel, bring the living embrace of Christ to the poor, and most of all, delight our Father in heaven with our hearts. As good stewards, we will also target for all CFC big events to be financially self-supporting, and even missionresource generating, so that we can support the expansion of the mission according to Gods greater call. brothers and Sisters, I, my brothers in the CFC International Council, and our families are as excited as you are, facing the next 30 years of Couples for Christ and beyond, with the loving grip of the Lords hand upon us, a hand that will not let go, a hand that is always victorious! Let us together in CFC be ON FIRE, daily lives ablaze with the transforming love of Christ. We shall see the Spirit of Pentecost sweeping our country, and blessing our land, spreading light and warmth to many nations, and majestically setting the world on fire with the fullness of Gods transforming love!

By Jun Uriarte

Do You not yet have Faith?

A Story is told of a man traveling alone in a vast desert with his water jugs now empty and dry. He was nearly dying from thirst when he saw a shallow water well equipped with a hand pump. upon reaching the well he saw a container filled with clean water with a note attached saying, Pour this water into the opening to prime the pump before operating. Not knowing if the note was true or not, he thought to himself, I am now dying of thirst. I have but a few hours to live. If this note is true, I can have all the water I need to survive. but if this note is not true, if I pour this water and the hand pump does not work and no water comes out, I will certainly die. After pausing for a moment to consider his choices, he decided to risk it. He poured the water into the opening and started operating the hand pump. Nothing! He pumped some more. Nothing! He pumped again. And water started flowing from the well, abundant clean potable water, all that he needed to quench his thirst, to wash his face and arms, and to fill his empty water jugs. Now refreshed but before continuing on his journey, he filled up the water container and added to the note, Do not be afraid. Have faith. Jesus had the same message for his disciples when they were caught by a storm at sea: Leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat just as he was. And other boats were with him. A violent squall came up and waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was already filling up. Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion. They woke him and said to him, Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing? He woke up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, Quiet! Be still! The wind ceased and there was great calm. Then he asked them, Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith? (Mk 4:36-40) brothers and sisters, this wellknown miracle story on the calming of a storm at sea, which is reported in all three synoptic gospels, evokes many ideas and passages from the old testament. First, control of the sea is seen as a sign of divine power:
Faith / C5

CBCP Monitor
Vol. 15 No. 15
July 18 - 31, 2011

Ugnayan
Elders. of the 15 selected, three are women. Nine are first-termers, with two of them coming from Mindanao and one from Negros occidental. they are a mixed crew, the youngest being Shok Ariola at 35 and the oldest being Joey Arguelles at 68. All, however, are one in their commitment to be elders, if not in the chronological sense, definitely in the wisdom and commitment to responsibility that they will bring to their new calling. Bong Arjonillo, one of the first-termers put it aptly and perhaps he speaks for the group when he says that this new service will keep me firmly rooted in Christian values, constantly guided in

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being responsible for my flock, comfortably integrated in my different roles in life and in community, constantly motivated to strive for personal holiness and humbled in my worldliness and pride.

LASt June 27, right after the Elders Assembly voted for the nine members of the International Council, they returned to the polling booths to select 15 men and women who will serve for the next two years as members of the board of

Know Your Board of Elders

The First-Termers:

The Veterans:

AGuINALDo, Ding rH Northeastern Luzon A CPA, in private business

CuEVAS, bErNADEttE (Bernie) 56 CFC Fulltime worker now assigned to Cornerstone, CFCs work in education for the poor HoLD regional Coordinator bicol, HoLD country coordinator Japan, HoLD PFo

GALSIM, rEMEDIoS (Didi) 63 International HoLD Coordinator

ArIoLA, Michael (35) rH Southern Africa/ SFC Intl Coordinator/ Head, Migrants Workers Program Fulltime Pastoral Worker

brEVA, rene (53) PAH North Cotabato/rH Southeastern Mindanao/ PAD Davao City businessman

GIMENEZ, Zenaida (Zeny) 63 Head, ugnayan Multimedia Center, Home office Husband tony is regional Head Western Visayas Fulltime worker

PENALoSA, ramon (Mon) (57) PAH Guimaras/ Provincial AGt and ANCoP Head, Negros occ Agri-preneur/agriscientist

ArGuELLES, JoSE (Joey) - 68 PAH batangas & Misamis oriental/CC Israel/Director, Church Integration office rH Micronesia retired from full time pastoral work at CFC

DE LEoN, ramon (Mon) - (59) Sector Head South b/PAH Laguna

rESPICIo, Leonides (Nides) (58) StMA Natl Coordinator/ Core Group Gift of Life Ministry/Country Coord Guam Practicing lawyer, estate planner and real estate broker/lecturer

ArJoNILLo, rabboni (bong) -- 52 SH Central C/regl Coord Greater Mekong Area/ PAH Iloilo Senior VP and Chief risk officer, China bank

CAMPoS, George (48) Country Coordinator Vietnam/PAH Nueva Viscaya Consultant: Power development/retired Meralco executive

ILAGAN, Jaime (49) Sector Head Central A Consultant, Sime Darby Pilipinas/CPA SESCoN, Sofronio (boie) (66) Country Coordinator Netherlands/rH Northcentral Mindanao/ PAH Lanao del Sur A doctor/Fulltime pastoral worker

SANtoS, Arnel (43) Sector Head West b Government employee

By Joe Yamamoto

MEGUMI
rECENtLy, Couples for Christ in Japan celebrated its 15 years of existence. In Japan, they refer to CFC as Kamisama no Megumi, Gods gift. this is an appropriate label because one who experiences the joy of transformation in life and continues to enjoy it will not miss out on the reality of CFC as MEGuMI, i.e. gift or blessing, being received. The last fifteen years have seen invigorating and progressive growth of the community from one prefecture (tokyo) to the present 14. CFC Japan feels blessed, and rightly so. they have received megumi, but they do not stop there. they who receive the megumi become the givers of the same. With the examples of their daily lives, our CFC Japan brethren are proving to be a blessing to others. they have become the models of dedicated lives and demonstrate the way to pay forward. two sisters in the community, Elma Diaz and Mel Kasuya, who battled with two bouts of cancer each but never wavered in their passion and love of God and neighbour, are prime examples of megumi spread and shared to others. Elma, the wife of CFC Japan country head Dennis Diaz, underwent a modified radical mastectomy for cancer in her left breast five years ago. All was well until a few weeks before our CFC 30th anniversary, when a new malignant lump was found on her right breast. Not wanting to slow down their members preparations to travel to the Philippines and join the anniversary celebration, she bravely decided to postpone her surgery until after the event, trusting that God is in control. between her two cancer surgeries, Elma experienced one major trial after another- their newly renovated house in Cainta, and everything in it including their car, were buried in the floodwaters of Ondoy. Not too long after that calamity, her father died. Shortly before he died, Elma learned that he had resented Elma and Dennis being so passionate for CFC and was hurt because he felt that the couple had put CFC as priority over family. by Gods grace, father and daughter were reconciled. Her battle with cancer is far from over but the outcome is never in doubt- Gods love and healing will prevail. Mel has been a member of Handmaids of the Lord from as far back as 14 years ago. As part of a career move, she accepted work in Japan, met a handsome Japanese, Hiroaki, and eventually married him. Mel is one of select few foreigners who hold doctorates in biological sciences from the prestigious todai university. What makes her truly special, beyond her professional achievement, is her passionate dedication and quiet service to CFC and her own inspiring outlook in life. Mel was diagnosed to have uterine malignancy a few years back and was surgically treated. Not long thereafter, she had another bout of malignancy in one of her kidneys which again was successfully operated upon. All through her period of trial, she remained steadfast in her faith and continued to express her love for the Lord even if following Him involved many sacrifices. As if that were not enough, her husband Hiroaki suffered a massive cerebral hemorrhage and lapsed into a coma. A delicate and last ditch emergency surgery brain surgery was performed in spite of the dismal prognosis. because of much prayer and excellent medical care, Hiroakis condition stabilized while remaining comatose. His hospital stay spanned two years and much of his hospital course was touch and go. In between taking care of the seriously ill Hiroaki, Mel continued unfailingly in her service to CFC and her academic work. During one episode when it appeared medicine could do nothing more for him, Mel called for a priest to administer the last rites of the Church. but Hiroaki was not a baptized Catholic, and the rite could not be administered. Hiroaki survived that episode but Mel continued to pray that God will show the way for Hiroaki to be baptized. Finally the time came, with Hiroaki agreeing to it. Hiroaki was baptized and his Christian name is John Paul in honor of the beloved pontiff, now beatified John Paul II. In the course of two years, John Paul slowly and miraculously recovered, beating the odds. the examples of these two CFC sisters are embodiments of modelling grace under trial and steadfastness in their love for God and the community. tSuNAMI hits Japan Last March 6, the country was suddenly hit by the strongest earthquake experienced in the last 300 years. the gigantic tsunami that came in the quakes aftermath caused indescribable havoc and destruction in a large area of Sendai and endangered the world because of the resultant explosion of the nuclear reactors in Fukushima. the government of Japan considered the natural calamity as the worst tragedy to befall the island nation since World War II. Japan reeled and trembled while the rest of the world was gripped by fear and worry. Estimates of loss in human lives number into twenty thousand or likely to be more. the property and material destruction range in the hundreds of billions of dollars. our PEoPLE oN tHE GrouND three days after the destructive quake and tsunami, displaced people were still being relocated to temporary shelters and their basic needs attended to by the Japanese government and private citizens. Meanwhile, our embassy in Tokyo fielded an emergency team to take care of the Filipinos who are in Sendai and environs. At the head of that rescue and relief team was our CFC brother, Solphie Confiado, Consul-General of the Philipppine Embassy. While it is part of his responsibility as government official to
Megumi / C7

Faith / C4

Lord, God of hosts, who is like you? Mighty God, your loyalty is always present. You rule the raging sea; you still its swelling waves (Ps 89:9-10). Was it not you who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep, who made the depths of the sea into a way for the redeemed to pass over? (Is 51:10) Second, more than a sign of divine power, the calming of the sea is seen as a sign of Gods love and care: They saw the works of the Lord, the wonders of God in the deep. He spoke and roused a storm wind; it tossed the waves on high. They rose to the heavens, sank to the depths; their hearts trembled at the danger. They reeled, staggered like drunkards; their skill was of no avail. In their distress they cried to the Lord, who brought them out of their peril, hushed the storm to a murmur; the waves of the sea were stilled. They rejoiced that the sea grew calm, that God brought them to the harbor they longed for. Let them thank the Lord for such kindness, such wondrous deeds for mere mortal (Ps 107:24-31). this ancient prayer clearly depicts the situation that Jesus disciples are in. third, peaceful and untroubled sleep as displayed by Jesus in a boat being tossed by powerful waves is a sign of perfect trust in God: Whenever I lay

down and slept, the Lord preserved me to rise again (Ps 3:5). In peace I shall both lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me secure (Ps 4:9). When you lie down, you need not be afraid, when you rest, your sleep will be sweet (Prov 3:24). And you shall be secure, because there is hope; you shall look round you and lie down in safety, and you shall take your rest with none to disturb (Job 11:18-19). this miracle story can also have several levels of meaning. Let us focus our reflection on the cry of the disciples: Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing? It takes only a few moments of reflection to see that this cry suggests that the disciples sense a danger that apparently threatens them but does not necessarily threaten Jesus. It further suggests that they believe Jesus can do something about the situation but only if he were awake. the first level of meaning reflects the experience of the early Church, the community that Mark was familiar with. Marks community was perhaps faced with many difficult problems and they felt helpless and abandoned. they felt as if Jesus were asleep and did not care about what was happening in their

community. by relating this miracle story, Mark wanted to teach his community that the mere presence of Jesus, whether asleep or awake, was sufficient assurance of their safety and well-being. Jesus rebuke of the disciples was meant to remind Marks community to have complete faith and trust that Jesus mere presence should be enough for their fears to be stilled that they should neither worry nor fear since Jesus was in their midst. The second level of meaning reflects the experience of our community. During the past few years, as we moved from silver to pearl, our community was buffeted with two successive storms. Although we were confident that Jesus was present in our community, he appeared to be asleep, not minding the dangerous situation we were in. In fact even up to the first few days of our anniversary week, stormy weather and heavy rains accompanied our various activities. but on the very day of our pearl anniversary, Jesus awoke and calmed the storms, both literally and figuratively. The heavy rains completely dissipated on our anniversary Sunday and we enjoyed a perfect day. there

was absolutely no rain, not even a slight shower, and the sky remained overcast reducing the heat of the sun. And as if Jesus wanted to assure us of his continuing presence and active action in the community, we saw the largest gathering ever of the community converging at the rizal Park, estimated to be about a hundred thousand members from about 35 countries (over 700 delegates from outside the country), accompanied by over a hundred archbishops, bishops and priests. brothers and sisters, the third level of meaning reflects our own personal experience. We have now reached retirement age but we receive no pension and live merely on our savings. thus we feel as if we are in the midst of a retirement storm but instead of fearing that the boat will soon fill with water, we fear that the savings will soon be empty of funds. Already too old for any regular corporate or international positions, we pray that there will be consultancy projects that will pay for our expertise and experience. but Jesus seems to be asleep. but our greater concern is not how we will continue to support our daily

needs but how we can continue to financially support our service in the community. We have always used our personal funds to support our missions to various countries to give talks, retreats and teachings and to participate in the multifarious activities and conferences of the community. We have chosen to be like Paul and Aquila and Priscilla, who supported their service in the early Christian community through their income as tentmakers. thus, since our retirement early this year, we have tried to live a more modest and simpler lifestyle. As the Lord has called us to greater service, we hope, with Gods grace, to serve even more intensely and actively the various communities in the Philippines and abroad by giving talks, retreats and teachings. And so like the disciples we cry, Lord, help us to continue supporting all these! brothers and sisters, we continue to pray that God will calm the storm of our retirement and give us the grace of courage that we may no longer fear the uncertain future and the grace of faith to believe that Jesus is truly with us. And that should be enough.

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tHE anniversary is over but the spirit of fellowship, of wonder and of love continues to be manifest. Here are some letters from CFC brethren from many places abroad who came to Manila, joined all the anniversary activities and came away awed at the sheer magnitude not just of the CFC Family but of the love that Jesus has for us.
Fr. Robin Rai, Parish of the Assumption, Nepal
the 30th Anniversary of Couples for Christ was really a heart-touching religious event. through the different activities, I could sense the unity of the Catholic faithful from the Philippines and elsewhere. It was great indeed to see people from all walks of life, big and small, giving their best to help one another spiritually and physically. this really showed

Ugnayan
Mon and Ammie Alano, CFC Brunei
As members of the CFC brunei National Council, the recently concluded 30th CFC anniversary celebration gave us an insight and a new dimension of our mission in the community. the series of events ranging from the International Church Integration Congress, the CFC Cultural Night, the Freedom to Love Conference and the CFC anniversary grand celebration in Luneta Park served as catalysts of blazing fires in the hearts of the men and women of CFC. CFC Center, Our Home the igniting force started from seeing the new CFC home, a product of the generosity of the members of the community all over the world. Gazing at the structure strategically situated within the heart of Cubao, Quezon City allowed us to rejoice and look upon God in jubilant praise. the warm welcome of people manning the center, the humble hospitality extended to all the members of the community from the provinces and other countries waiting for their respective hosts, plus the abundance of refreshments and food for the hungry guests, indeed reminded us of the parable of the Good Samaritan. Our Host, Our Second Home the home of our host family, romy and Estela Gasgonia in taguig, did not only become a shelter for us, but an oasis of love and care, and we spent the nights sharing our lives, our trials and our weaknesses with one another. Despite our hectic busy schedule, we made it a point to have this sharing of experiences, as it made our day more meaningful. Significant Lessons From The Series of Scheduled Events the remarkable lessons we derived from the wisdom of Christopher West and his theology of the body inspired us to be set on fire. As he said: To be Couples for Christ, you need to be Couples of Christ first. To be Couples of Christ, you need to be set on fire.you cannot give what you do not have. that kept ringing in our ears. We heard this many times before but this time as it was said by somebody declaring the Gospel of Life, particularly the theology of the body, its message seemed almost deafening and was given with great authority and conviction. We truly felt as if it were God Himself speaking to our whole being. Also, the Church and Clergy Integration Congress on June 24 allowed us to appreciate more clearly the mission of being a consecrated celibate. the CFC Cultural Night later in the evening was a showcase of talents well-preserved in each CFC delegations culture and tradition. the human spirit was well entertained with songs and dances inspired by the Holy Spirit. the grand celebration at rizal Park on June 26 was an awesome work of an awesome God.

CBCP Monitor
Vol. 15 No. 15
July 18 - 31, 2011

Letters From Abroad

peoples commitment and love for the Church. the sessions of the conferences, especially those which talked about ANCoP were, for me, the concretized version of CFC i.e. the Gospel in action. the Celebration of the Holy Eucharist during each event was done with much devotion, which I found spiritually uplifting. thanks be to God for allowing me to join CFC in their celebrations. the weather just simply cooperated with Gods will, a calm scenario before the storm. tens of thousands of faithful members of the community from all over the world gathered in Jesus name, proclaiming His goodness and identity. It was as if we were experiencing heaven on earth. Indeed, God is good not only this time but all the time. We are looking forward to more of these events, where we can truly say that God is working miracles in and through the CFC community.

Bro. Michel Beaudoin, Brothers of Christian Instruction

on July 3, 2011, the CFC chapters from yokohama and tokyo had a graduation ceremony, during which many singles and handmaids became part of Couples for Christ. I was given 15 minutes to show the group 50 pictures of the CFCs Pearl Anniversary celebrations in Manila. It was an occasion for

ology of the body. I hope to be able to echo what I have learned during that blessed week. being with thousands of dedicated laymen and laywomen who have placed Christ at the center of their lives was a real Church experience for me. Coming from a cold country (French Canada) where faith in Christ has become frigid, I welcome the burning heat of the Couples for Christ, who want the whole earth to be ablaze

Sudhir Masih Randhawa, CFC Pakistan

Back: Carol Arjonillo, Bishop Dominic, Fr. Robin, Bishop Paul, Bro. Michel, Bong Arjonillo Front: Topper Arjonillo, Robbie Arjonillo

me to relive that great week. I cannot thank you enough, my CFC family, especially the Arjonillos of Metro Manila Central C, for having hosted me during that time. I was privileged to be part of the family for more than a week. Since my trip to Manila and attending the conferences with Christopher West, I have been listening to his talks and gathering information from the internet on Phenomenology and the the-

with Jesus Christ. there is hope for men and women of goodwill even in Japan when they can see couples and singles living for Christ and trying to make a difference in their society. I also thank God the Father and his Son Jesus for bringing more freedom in my life and offering me the grace to love others more like Jesus has and is still doing to this very day. thank you CFC for all that you have given us.

I truly feel that the CFC community is a real and spiritual platform for salvation in Christ Jesus. I also admire to my brothers and sisters in the dedication and devotion of CFC, the CFC global family towards Greetings in Christ! the Lord. Im writing to offer my heartfelt Im thankful to all the thanks to you for giving me a CFC brothers and sisters chance to take part in the CFC in the Philippines who 30th Anniversary Celebration provided us foreign delegates held in Manila last month, which with accommodations, was truly a great event to praise transportation, spiritual the Lord our God. company, excursions and I feel proud to be part of really delicious food during the CFC community and was our stay there. May God truly blessed during my stay in reward you all for your the Philippines. Im impressed service. We will never forget and amazed with how CFC is actively promoting the love and From left to right standing - Leslie D Costa of Bangladesh, Sudhir Randhawa of the love and care you have Pakistan, Muriel D Costa of Bangladesh, Celestina Subba of Nepal. Seated left to care Jesus has for His people by right - George Subba of Nepal, Nadeem Feroze of Pakistan, and far end Fr. Terence extended to us. I offer myself for the growth being united as one family. CFC Rodrigues of Bangladesh. and development of CFC, is really victorious in converting especially in Pakistan. I love, sincerity, loyalty, unity, spirituality, and uniting different cultures to be on one platform, united as one family caring and hospitality, which is the real continue to pray for the prosperity, growth essence of CFCs culture.......what a truly and victory of the CFC community. May in Christ. God bless us all! I have come to appreciate the spirit of amazing miracle of God!

Moses Brainard, CFC Sierra Leone

I am the Chapter Head of CFC in Sierra Leone. through Gods blessings, I found myself in Manila on June 23, 2011 to join the CFC 30th Anniversary Celebrations, which took place between June 19 and 30. but my journey started way before that. In late october 2010, our Missions Director for CFC West Africa, ricky Cuenca, invited my wife Jane and me to come to the Philippines for the celebration. He asked us to start praying about it, encouraging us to always put God first in everything we do. Since that time, God started working His miracles, and by early April 2011, I got an email from ricky and Eric Villanueva from the uS, that they could only cover the travel expenses of one person. My wife was happy to let me go alone, and assured me of her prayers. My first pleasant experience during the trip was at the Manila airport where I met fine Filipinos who welcomed me with open hands and smiles on their faces. My accommodations, meals and transportation costs from one place to the other were all handled by the CFC families with whom I was blessed to stay. this made my visit truly memorable. I was overwhelmed when I saw the gathering of the CFC family worldwide at the rizal Park for the celebration proper. People came from countries all over the world

Abraham Indrias and Meskerem Negusse, CFC Eritrea

CFC Eritrea, Asmara When our country leaders based in Abu Dhabi sent us the invitation letter, tickets and itinerary for the 30th Anniversary Celebrations, we could not help but be grateful for their immense support. At first we thought going to Manila would be easy but when we tried to process our visas in preparation for the trip, it was really difficult as we didnt have a Philippine Embassy in our country. We opted to look for an Embassy in the nearest country, and our CFC brothers and sisters in Nairobi ended up assisting us. At the last minute though, our passports were lost due to miscommunications between DHL Nairobi and Asmara. Nonetheless, our CFC brethren kept on praying for us, encouraging us to have faith. Indeed, for us it was truly a miracle that we were finally able to leave Eritrea and join in the celebration. upon arriving in Manila we came face to face with the traditional Filipino hospitality. We were greeted with love, enthusiasm, and smiling faces. the way our Filipino family greeted us was so amazing and we really felt at home. the 30th anniversary celebrations were wonderful and well-organized, and we were surprised to see that so many people could gather for one objective i.e. to praise the Lord. our spiritual director for CFC Asmara, Abba Siyum Kifle Zeragiorgis, also had a chance to participate in all the activities. We learned a

lot from the conferences on the theology of the body and the celebration at rizal Park. We felt united as one family especially while we waved our country flags during the parade. the week after the celebrations, we were able to attend training sessions organized by Mon Santiago of the International Missions office. During the whole week, we were hosted in different homes and everyone allowed us to feel the same everywhere, of being truly at home. We were able to attend household prayer meetings, unit leaders household meetings and a chapter assembly under CFC Metro Manila East A. these enabled us to gain more practical knowledge on how to conduct a prayer meeting, to put our training into practice, to meet a lot of people, and even a chance to eat different types of Filipino food. We were also pleasantly surprised by the way people interacted with each other, always smiling upon greeting each other, and the young always seeking to be blessed (mano) by their elders. We are also truly grateful for our brothers and sisters who hosted us, and gave of their time, their homes and their money, especially Mon and tita Santiago, who not only organized our training, but opened their homes to us and shared Gods love to us every day. the training sessions enabled us to have a more holistic vision of CFC, which we plan to share with our brothers and sisters in CFC Eritrea. We are really happy to see CFC growing spiritually throughout the world by the power of the Holy Spirit and continue to pray for Gods blessings upon us all.

and what gave me more zeal and strengthened my commitment to our CFC mission was when I saw the great number of CFC from China. I realized that CFC is indeed a global family truly living out the vision of Families in the Holy Spirit renewing the Face of the Earth. Moving around from one host family to another also helped me gain a wealth of experience, which I have committed to take back home to my people in Sierra Leone, in order to strengthen their faith and encourage them to live out the culture of CFC. the training I have undergone in Manila, through the leadership of Mon Santiago from the CFC International Missions office, is an added advantage for me. With all that I have learned, I hope to empower my community in Sierra Leone as to how we should all live out the culture of the Vision and Mission of CFC. I truly appreciate all that I have gone through and I promise that, by the grace of God, I will put them all into practice, so as to make CFC a sustainable mission community within the Catholic Church, particularly in Sierra Leone. Couples for Christ has transformed me and I am grateful to God for all His blessings, and I pray that I will live my life for Christ and work as a servant for my community, with humility, love and care for my people who are truly in need of Gods love.

George and Celestina Subba, CFC Nepal

Greetings from Nepal. We are back in Kathmandu, arriving here on July 1 after a three-day stopover at bangkok. but we still cant forget our Philippine trip. the CFC Pearl Anniversary Celebration was one of the most wonderful and memorable experiences for us, and we never thought that we could participate in such a spectacular event. We enjoyed every moment of our stay in Manila, and extend our gratitude to those who helped arrange everything for our trip. We were amazed at the efficiency and organization of

all the arrangements, and the culture and values of CFC were clearly visible in the faith, hospitality, openness and humility of all the Filipinos we met. there are so many things we want to share with our members, which we will do in our upcoming household meetings. We are especially very grateful to those who hosted us, and took care of our transportation and meals. Getting to experience riding the tricycle, jeepney, taxi and Lrt on the last day made our trip even more meaningful. truly, we are blessed to have formed beautiful friendships in CFC, and are grateful to God for establishing CFC 30 years ago.

Moses Brainard (Sierra Leone) in a jeepney.

Melo and Nini Villaroman, seated with Mon Santiago, pose with (standing left to right) Abraham and Meskerem of Eritrea, Leslie and Muriel of Bangladesh, Edith So-Kargbo of Sierra Leone, Nadeem Feroze of Pakistan, Moses Brainard of Sierra Leone

CBCP Monitor
Vol. 15 No. 15
July 18 - 31, 2011

Ugnayan

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ANCOP U.S.A. Leaders Hold Nationwide Summits

By Manny Caballero
AS part of the program to make every CFC member in the uSA aware of The ANCOP official also emphasized that ANCoP is a ministry of Couples for Christ, the global family renewal movement that started ANCoP, an acronym for Answering the Cry of the Poor. o t h e r summit speakers were tony Ventura, ANCoP u.S.A. President and CEo; roger Santos, Child Sponsorship Program (CSP) Director; Elmer M. Pacia, Coming lives and transforming communities. the ANCoP u.S.A. President also announced that the 12 ANCoP regions around the u.S. will sponsor one community each composed of 30 houses. In addition, Ventura said that the goal of this years ANCoP Walk around the u.S. is to raise $1 million for its projects. roger Santos informed the audience that currently there are over 400 poor children being sent to various schools in the Philippines for free by ANCoP u.S.A. under CSP. Elmer Pacia announced that a number of housing communities for poor Filipinos will be established soon in rizal, batangas and bataan. Dr. Joe yamamoto announced that health is an integral part of CFC-ANCoPs program for the poor. He said that henceforth, CFC-ANCoP will promote a quality health care system responsive to the needs of the poor people living in CFCANCoP communities. r i c k y Coronel, in his talk, announced that the ANCoP u.S.A. Walk will be held on August 20, 2011 in t welve

ANCOP NEWS

ANCoP and its vision of building the church of the poor, CFC uSA held two summits, one in the Eastern uSA and another in Western uSA. ANCOP Western Summit In a short period, CFC-ANCoP has become a global movement of Gods people in the service of the poor to share the love of Christ. those were the opening words of ricky Cuenca, ANCoP u.S.A. Chairperson and newlyelected CFC Chairman, during the June 3, 2011 ANCoP u.S.A. Summit held in Portland, oregon.

munity Development Program (CDP) Director; Joe yamamoto, CFC Executive Director and ricky Coronel, 2011 ANCoP u.S.A. Walk Manager. In his presentation, tony Ventura explained the symbolisms behind the new ANCoP logo, which reflects the global dimension of ANCoP and its mission of bringing Christs love to the poor by proclaiming Him, uplift-

key cities around the u.S. For more information about the ANCoP u.S.A. Walk, please visit their website: www. ancopwalk.us. ANCOP Eastern Summit the Eastern Summit was held a month later, on July 8 t0 10, at the bWI Marriott Hotel in baltimore, Maryland. once again, ricky Cuenca was the keynote speaker, ably supported

Ricky Cuenca

by his ANCoP uSA team -- tony Ventura, roger Santos, Elmer Pacia and ricky Coronel. the two top winners from the u.S. in the recently-concluded ANCoP theme Songwriting Contest held in Manila during the 30th anniversary week, performed during the Conference. Jona Peralta of California sang (together with Egbert Francisco), one Hope, one Dream. Her composition won the grand prize during the songwriting competition and will be the theme song of ANCoP. Marc bernardo of Florida sang Let Love unfold, one of the ten finalists in the same contest. Ex Funtera, member of ANCoP u.S.A. board of Directors, helped make the Summit lively with his one-liners as he emceed the program.

By Alma Alvarez

Lace Up Your Shoes For The ANCOP Global Walk

physically fit; at the same time one is able to give to his or her favorite charity. this year, CFC ANCoP is joining the fund-raising bandwagon by staging the ANCoP Global Walk. but a Walk is different from a run, isnt it? So why organize a walk rather than a marathon? ricky Cuenca, Couples for Christ Chairman and former CFC ANCoP President and CEo, puts it simply: We just want everyone to be able to participate. the ANCoP Global Walk is open to all, Couples for Christ and non-CFC members alike. Everyone, young and old, from all walks of life, can participate in the ANCoP Global Walk. All they have to do is register, pay the walk donation of P300 (either through their CFC leaders or friends, or via bDo Savings Account Number 107-020-754-1), go to the SM Mall of Asia on August 21 as early as 4:00 in the morning, and start walking at 5:00 AM! the ANCoP Global Walks primary objective is to raise funds for scholars under the ANCoP Child Sponsorship Program. the participation of CFC families, friends, co-workers, classmates and the public in general is encouraged so that everyone may share the joy of giving. For Metro Manila alone, the ANCoP Global Walk is targeting 60,000 participants, says CFC ANCoP Coo Eric delos reyes, during the meeting for Metro Manila CFC leaders last July 8, 2011 at the Lay Formation Center. this means that 5,000 walkers for each of the 12 sectors of CFC Metro Manila are expected to walk for the scholars who are still waiting for sponsors. In the same occasion, Joe tale of the CFC International Council exhorted, these children, if left uneducated, will become tomorrows poor. I honor each one of you for making education a priority through the ANCoP Global Walk. the ANCoP Global Walk is not limited to Metro Manila alone. During the 30th Anniversary celebration of Couples for Christ last June 26 at the Luneta, ricky launched the Walk in front of a crowd of about 100,000 delegates from all over the Philippines and the world. to date, there are 18 Philippine provinces that will stage the Walk in their areas -- La union, Pangasinan, Isabela, bataan, bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, tarlac, batangas, Cavite, Camarines Sur, Masbate, Iloilo, bohol, basilan, Zamboanga City, Davao City and South Cotabato. In the international scene, Canada, which has been staging the Walk for 5 years, and the united States, which is in their 2nd year, are walking alongside Australia, Saudi Arabia, and Europe, among others. the CFC Family Ministries Singles for Christ, youth for Christ, Kids for Christ, Handmaids of the Lord, and Servants of the Lord are likewise excited to participate in the Walk. the parishes, private and public schools and corporations are also being tapped to walk for the scholars. In a fun run, fitness-crazy and compassionate society that we have right now, the ANCoP Global Walk will indeed be a welcome addition to the many events that are geared towards helping those who are in need. So what are we all waiting for? Lace up those shoes, and walk for a scholar! For more details on the ANCoP Global Walk, please go to www.ancopglobalwalk.com, www.facebook.com/ancopglobalwalk, or call (+63 2) 794-5363, or 935-7590 (ask for Alma Alvarez or Harmony Medina).

FuN runs and marathons for a cause are definitely the in thing nowadays. theres the Kapitbisig Para Sa Kalikasan organized by AbS-CbN for the rehabilitation of Ilog Pasig; the Victory Fun run for the planting of a new Church in baguio City; the Pink run for DFeeting breast Cancer; and the longestrunning of all, the National Milo Marathon, which is now on its 35th year of providing running shoes to thousands of school children all over the Philippines. these marathons actually hit two birds with one stone: one trains for the run and thus gets

yFC oceania Conference Giving It All For the King!

ANCOP goes to Villa Mejia Joson

By Jerry Tanigue
tHE ANCoP Home office team headed by Eric delos reyes, with wife Carina, together with Mark tagalag, Jerry tanigue, accompanied their guests -CFC Vancouver Family Ministries Head and CFC fulltimeworker trainee, Cesar rodas, and lot donor Alexander Mejia to Cabanatuan City last June 14, 2011. the group arrived in the city in time for a sumptuous lunch of native cuisine namely chicharon python skin, crispy frog, frog in tamarind shoots, tilapia in fermented rice (buro), a very spicy gising-gising (a vegetable dish), buttered adobong duck and goat kaldereta. the exotic meal, new to the visitors tastebuds, was a symbolic way to start the day, and signified new initiatives to answer the cry of the needy in Nueva Ecija. In the afternoon, the team met with CFC Nueva Ecija leaders led by Pabling
Megumi / C5

trinidad, Provincial Area Director, and newly appointed ANCoP Core team (ACt) head, boy Hernandez, at the CFC Cabanatuan Mission Center. Eric presented the ANCoP overview, focusing on its major programs and how to go about implementing

tHE CFC youth for Christ oceania youth Conference was held on July 1 to 3, 2011. taking place at Meroo Christian Conference Centre, Kurrajong, New South Wales, this years oyC was attended by over 700 youth from all over oceania, including cities such as rockhampton, Christchurch, Melbourne, Perth and Darwin, to name a few. Stemming from Couples for Christs anchor verse of the year Ephesians 6:11, Put on the full armour of God, the oyCs overall theme was For the King! there were four very powerful sessions accompanied by equally captivating creative numbers based on the theme during the weekend. twenty-four workshops were also conducted by a variety of priests, religious sisters and members of the community. the topics of the workshops varied from vocations

to the value of human life to using virtual media as a tool for evangelisation. the creative competitions such as band, Dance, Show tunes and Short Film really showcased the talents of the attendees, while sports competitions such as tug of War, Soccer and basketball gave a chance for each area to demonstrate their impeccable team work and determination. on Monday, July 4, yFC oceania became the first delegation outside of the Philippines to launch the Greeneration program. Greeneration is a program designed to not only raise awareness about the environment but also to make a difference to Gods creation. About 200 oyC attendees gathered at tregear reserve to help the local council care for the reserve and plant over one thousand trees.

community development, education and livelihood programs. He emphasized the crucial role of CFC Nueva Ecija and its ANCoP ACt to support and form Project Implement-

ing teams (PIt) in their identified ANCoP area, namely brgy. Joson in Carranglan. Mark followed with his presentation on how to prepare a site for community development. An open forum followed, making the event more interactive and informative. It was emphasized that the local CFCs involvement in the work to develop the donated land for the poor by Mr. Alex Mejia at Villa Mejia in Joson, Carangglan is crucial to the success of the project. the team, together with Mr. Alex Mejia and rudy and Sonia Lubis, in charge of ANCoP Livelihood, then proceeded to Carranglan to for ocular inspection, inspite of the gathering darkness. Mr. Mejia showed the team the vastness of the subdivision and its advantages, in terms of gravel access road, electric posts and water. It was surmised that livelihood programs could easily be introduced, with the existing piggery structures. the site is also surrounded by public schools of all levels, elementary, high school and college.

take care of the welfare and concern of Filipino citizens, Solphie performed the task with a commitment and passion that goes far beyond doing a job. Solphies selfless act is a prime example of megumi. Dennis, the husband of Elma, initiated the collection of food and relief among CFC members for families of Filipinos or Japanese alike who were affected by the calamity. CFC members from safe and distant osaka, Kobe and Nagoya opened their homes to the displaced families. From the viewpoint of CFC and Filipinos in Japan, helping the Japanese is the natural way of paying forward for the blessings they have experienced in their second

homeland. Megumi received begets megumi given. LESSoNS LEArNED As the international media provided round the clock coverage of the tragedy and calamity in Japan, the world was struck by the magnitude of the destruction and loss of lives. the same world was amazed and awed by the unique behaviour and discipline of the Japanese people. there was no looting, no mobs, no disturbances. When asked for an explanation, the older Japanese simply invoked the word Atarimae, meaning it is natural or obvious. For the Japanese, it is natural not to loot or to take advantage of those who are

suffering. the permanent Filipino residents in Japan imbibed the same spirit and showed their genuine care for the Japanese by quietly doing acts of kindness and generosity. to those who have been touched, it is atarimae, i.e. natural to help and to care. Goodness and kindness, as well as other blessings, freely received must just as well be freely shared. times of hardships and difficulties are always the opportune time to pay forward and even pay back. For us CFC, this kind of spirit must also be atarimae. We are called, as Christ-followers, to be the Megumi to people in pain.

C8
The 2011 CFC Eastern Conference
By Judith Ladringan
the weekend of July 8-10, 2011, was an extraordinary weekend. Many CFC brethren witnessed the highest degree and the greatest measure of Gods blessing to its fullness when they trooped to the bWI Marriott and Hilton Hotels in baltimore for the 2011 Armor of God weekend retreat. For all the participants, it was a joy-filled weekend, amazing everyone from the creative components which featured baltimores opening number I Love baltimore, a dance musical represented by all ministries, to the CFC Got tALENt which featured the individual talents and group presentations of the different sectors and countries represented. the banner Parade signaled the opening of this special event. Aside from the area delegates who paraded to cheers and chants, Puerto rico and belize participants got the biggest applause. Saturday And of course the substance of the weekend came from the beautiful talks delivered by great speakers who, acting as mouthpieces of the Lord, convicted everyone with the message they brought. this years message taken from Ephesians 6:11 Put on the full armor of God,, teaches us to hold firm to Christs teachings and commandments. As the talks reminded us, the Devil can attack us in many ways. We are not to run from the enemy, nor stand up to the attacks with our own strength; we are to stand in the strength of the Lord. Everyone was encouraged to put on Gods armor: the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the feet shod in readiness, the shield of Faith, the helmet of Salvation and the Sword of the Spirit.

CBCP Monitor

Vol. 15 No. 15

July 18 - 31, 2011

nights Dancing with the Stars reminded us of one of tVs favorite show. that night we witnessed the dancing prowess of brothers and sisters blessed with graceful ability to demonstrate the fun of dancing and again they all captivated our hearts.

KidsWatch: Fruit of the Holy Spirit!

By Medy Deausen
tHE recent CFC Eastern Conference in baltimore, Maryland in July included an activity called KidsWatch, a time of fellowship, learning, and exploring; but above all, of strengthening the childrens knowledge and love of God and His teachings. KidsWatch was motivated, powered, and sustained by the Holy Spirit from inception to implementation. the carefully designed and supervised program that highlighted active pastoral involvement with the kids was an integral part of KidsWatch. the program consisted of a diverse set of activities that addressed various aspects of pastoral formation, such as: * Physical singing praise songs with action, performing exercises, taking a needed nap; * Mental and Emotional -coloring the armor of God cutout, answering questions, sharing at small group discussions, showcasing individual talents; * Spiritual discussing the shield of faith, watching the stories of Fatima and Daniel and then discussing what was learned from them, making a rosary, and praying the rosary. the KidsWatch program provided many practical experiences for the kids that will hopefully motivate them to desire further spiritual learning and reflection. From the story of Fatima, the kids learned about Mama Mary, the importance of the rosary, and how to kneel and fold their hands in prayer. Daniels story taught them about obedience and trust in God. In fact, one of the mothers shared with us how her daughter expressed a strong desire for their family to pray the rosary every day. For the many adult and youth volunteers, KidsWatch was an opportunity to develop the ability and heart to be shepherds of souls by responding to the kids varying needs. In the end, the kids developed a sense of trust for the volunteers and the program. one of the parents made this comment: This was the first time that we were able to listen to all the powerful talks since our kids were thoroughly engrossed in KidsWatch.

By Kat Martin
WHAt can creativity do? this was the question posed to the participants of the 2nd yCoM Weekend, held last July 2-3, 2011 at Methodist retreat Center in rizal. the overnight training cum retreat for yCoM (yFC Communications) heads, members, and mission volunteers in Manila and nearby provinces such as rizal and batangas, was meant to empower yFCs creative missionaries and prepare them for the many challenges that lay ahead of them this coming year. the theme for this years yCoM Weekend was taken from Romans 10:14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? this passage served to inspire all of those presentattendees and service team members alike. On the first day of the two-day event, the 38 participants were welcomed by yCoM International head Madel Solijon as she gave the first session entitled You are Gods

Masterpiece. As she briefed the at- concluded with an activity wherein tendees on what to expect for the rest each group was assigned a specific of the event, she also shared how God yFC or CFC event. they were tasked cultivates the talents and passions in to come up with a creative proposal for the hearts of the youth today. She ex- the event and pitch it to the judges. plained that it is the task of every yCoM the importance of follow-through after member to live to promote Christ, to make ordinary things extraordinary, to creatively express Gods teachings, and to open their hearts and minds for the things that they can do for the Lord. the first session was followed by a workshop on Ideas that Stick, which was presented by yCoM Couple Coordinators beverly and Jomari badilla. Fr. Francis Lucas, in white at center, with YCOM weekend participants. beverly presented the tried-and-tested formula for good the activities was stressed during the ideas: Simple, unexpected, Concrete, synthesis of the workshops. Credible, Emotional, and Story-driven on the evening of that same day, (SuCES), and emphasized that although two speakers from the recent 18th Increativity is a gift in itself, touching ternational Leaders ConferenceFr. lives and effecting change through it Francis Lucas and FtPW raymond is even better. The first workshop was Ibarrientoscame to the venue to

YCOM Weekend: REFRESH

give the second workshop and session, respectively. Fr. Francis discussed the crucial subject of Evangelization through Social Media and reminded all those present that the truth needs to be made emotionally engaging if it is to appeal to the hearts and minds of its audience. He emphasized the significance of penetrating media to promote the Word, especially in an age where Satan has also done the same. on the other hand, raymond gave a talk on Dwelling in Gods Presence to help yCoM members experience God anytime, anywhere, especially since it is crucial for one to have a deep relationship with Christ before he/ she can bring others to Him. He also shared that a rich prayer life can be attained by first recognizing our realities, then being in Gods presence and allowing Him to be the Master of everything in our lives. the event resumed the following

day with a workshop on Marketing Jesus, given by yFC Mission Volunteer Kristine rey, who explained the significance of applying the basic principles of marketing in promoting Jesus through yFC events and activities. She stressed the need to attract new customers and keep the current yFCs in the process. the workshop ended with a group planning session for possible promotional campaigns for 100% Free and Greeneration, the end results of which were deemed fit for probability testing in various yFC areas. After the third workshop, yCoM Head Keith Janohan gave the last session. He explored the different definitions of creativity and how being a creative missionary meant using his creativity and talents to make Christ known to others. In the end, he emphasized that the value of creativity is still in putting Christ at the center of our lives, no matter what our endeavors. the yCoM weekend ended with a closing praisefest that further energized the participants, as they trooped to their service areas armed with new, creative tools for evangelization.

CFC Singapore Joins Global Recollection

By Paulo Canlas
IN line with the recently held Couples for Christ (CFC) 30th anniversary celebration, its Chairman at the time, Joe tale, declared the 1st Saturday of June as the CFC Global recollection Day and encouraged the entire CFC global community to organize a half-day recollection to dedicate our mission and community to Jesus journeying with Mary, the start of Evangelization and Mission. thus, last June 4, CFC Singapore members from various ministries took time off from their usual Saturday afternoon routine to reflect and pray with the entire community at St. Peters Auditorium, CAEC. Dubbed as the Pearl of Great Price, the recollection kicked off with a powerful praise and worship session led by Jonar Lusung, the newly installed CFC Chapter 3 Head. After that, theodore olsen, the Evangelization Head, read Joes memo affirming that despite the storms that the global community experienced, the Holy Spirit has always been with us to help us withstand all trials, move forward, and set our sights on a new target our golden (50th) anniversary. the recollection had three talks delivered via a pre-recorded video of Msgr. Allen Aganon, the CFC Spiritual Director, followed by a recap by the three (3) CFC Chapter Heads William Villaviray (C1), Gerry Falsado (C2), and Jonar Lusung (C3) and reflection questions after each talk. talk #1: God is the Seeker of the Pearl related the Parable of the Pearl (Mt. 13:45-46) where the merchant is God decisive to do everything for us to be with Him either via a sudden life-changing experience or even

a slow long process. Indeed, Hell patiently wait for us till we respond to Him. talk #2: We are the Pearls started with a video on how a pearl is created - interestingly, by an irritant being enveloped in concentric layers of calcium carbonate by an oyster. the speaker then highlighted that God allows irritants in our lives to mold us to be better disciples. Similarly, CFC is being transformed to be a better community to serve God

and church. talk #3: the Pearl Attitudes gave a new meaning to PEArL: (P)ersonal covenant with Christ, (E)vangelization, (A)nawim, (r) esilience, and (L)ove. Hence, this should be our mantra as we move forward. the afternoon concluded with the entire community singing the new CFC anniversary song, the Pearl of Great Price and reciting of the CFC Pearl Anniversary Prayer.