Office of the Bishop

DIOCESE OF KABANKALAN

Circular No. 10
Series 2020

December 3, 2020
Solidarity for the Family Mission

Dear Brother Priests and the Faithful of the Diocese of Kabankalan:

When one is at the top of Kaliling’s mountainous terrains, in Cauayan, especially near
Alitao Farm, the horizon is simply breathtaking. The feeling of being frozen in the face of
such unimaginable scenery can bring back the biblical memory of the six days of creation
in an instant. God’s life-generating words of declaration, “Let there be...” (Genesis 1:3)
reminds, every human being, that with Him everything can be done. Even nothingness
was transformed into a harmonious “Web of Life.” (Fritjof Capra) With man and woman,
being “formed in the image and likeness of God” (Genesis 1:27), the family is born at the
center of God’s heart. Adam, together with his wife Eve, were the very first stewards of
God’s paradise, the common home for humanity.

The Holy Scriptures revealed how God finds a home, neither in the manger, nor in the
market place, and not even in a dormitory, but only in the chosen Family of Nazareth.
Mary and Joseph are “the good and faithful stewards” of God’s greatest gift to mankind,
Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. “For God so loved the world that He gave his only
Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
“Now this is eternal life: that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom
you have sent.” (John 17:3) Every family, then, becomes the new horizon where God and
mankind meet in an intimate way: walking, listening, talking, laughing, working,
journeying and praying together. We see this heart to heart encounters in the life of Mary,
Joseph and Jesus. Their family lifestyle created a grand narrative of never-ending story of
God’s delightful love, that is handed down from generation to generation, by those who
love God.

From Adam and Eve, down to Joseph and Mary, a distance that only the light of faith can
bridge, God’s merciful and faithful love for humanity remained steadfast. Where
humanity’s “sins abound, the grace of God abounds all the more”. (Romans 5:20) When
Cain killed Abel, God asked him, “where is your brother Abel?” And Cain replied, “I do
not know, Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Genesis 4:9) When we are no longer the keepers
of our own brothers and sisters, the family has nowhere to go but to self-destruct. In
contrast, Jesus, when told that his mother and brothers would like to talk to him, He
replied, “Who is my mother and who are my brothers?” Pointing to his disciples, He
said, “these are my brothers and my mother. For whoever does the will of my Father,
who is in heaven, is a brother, a sister, and a mother to me.” (Matthew 12:48-50) Ever
since the time of creation, God calls the whole mankind to become a family, and to live
harmoniously with one another in a common home.
 Office of the Bishop
DIOCESE OF KABANKALAN

Jesus, himself, prayed “that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I
am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
(John 17:21)

As we open this year of Missio Ad Gentes 2021, that is, the Year of Mission, in solidarity
with the whole church in the country, and in celebration of the 500 year anniversary of
Christianity, which will be opened simultaneously with the churches in the Philippines on
April 14, 2021 with the theme: “Gifted to Give,” the whole Diocese of Kabankalan
through her sixteen (16) commissions unanimously selected the FAMILY as the main
focus for this year’s celebration. Pope Emeritus, Benedict XVI once said, “nothing
happens to the society without happening first to the family.” Since everything starts in
the family, we will strengthen the family’s rootedness in God’s heart through various
formational structures of the faith. The collaborative spirit of various commissions, in
working together for the common good of each and every family, needs a whole-hearted
support and prayers from all of us. We are a family working for the well being of every
family. Indeed, the Church is always a family affair of God.

In this connection, The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has
declared that each diocese, in the country, will name Jubilee Churches as pilgrim sites.
Those who join in the pilgrimage to these churches will receive a Plenary Indulgence. In
the Diocese of Kabankalan, the three Jubilee Churches are: The SHRINE OF ST.
VINCENT FERRER in La Castellana, ST. FRANCIS XAVIER CATHEDRAL in
Kabankalan City and ST. MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL PARISH CHURCH in
Hinoba-an. The Holy Doors of these three churches will be opened on April 14, 2021.

For the first time, in this Year of Mission 2021, the Diocese of Kabankalan will have its
presence in the DIGITAL WORLD by creating a WEBSITE which will serve as repository
of information and interactions -among the faithful concerning her apostolic ministries in
the service of each and every family. What we freely received, we freely give. Let us
work together in solidarity with every family especially those in the peripheries. With one
mind and one heart, let us climb the mountainous terrains of faith together, so that we
can see the breathtaking beauty of every family at the center of God’s heart.

St. Francis Xavier, Patron of Mission, pray for us.

+Louie P. Galbines, SThD., D.D.

Bishop of Kabankalan

Kabankalan City, 6111 Negros Occidental, Philippines Tel. No. +(6334) 471-2163